tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84463515480385228902024-03-17T10:56:23.952-04:00Saideman's Semi-SpewInternational Relations, Ethnic Conflict, Civil-Military Relations, Academia, Politics in General, Selected SillinessSteve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.comBlogger6239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-71263989893861703882024-03-17T10:55:00.002-04:002024-03-17T10:55:25.754-04:00Outbidding Oneself? Trump Competes with Himself?<p><span style="font-size: small;"> The entire idea of ethnic outbidding is that one is pushed by competition to ever more extreme promises. In 2016, <a href="http://saideman.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-do-we-care-about-ethnic-outbidding.html" target="_blank">Trump was pushed by Cruz and others to ban Muslims</a>, for instance, to prove that he was a better defender of white "Christians" and all that. Ethnic outbidding is a well understood dynamic built from studying cases where multiple contenders for an homogeneous party each make extreme claims.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">But, Steve, Trump doesn't face any competition from his own party. That's right, his last significant opponent dropped out, and Nikki never really tried to outflank Trump to his right anyway. Yet now Trump is promising bloodshed if he loses and has gone from calling all Mexicans rapists in 2016 to saying that refugees aren't human: "</span>“They’re not people, in my opinion.” He later referred to them as “animals.”" </p><p><span style="font-size: small;">I have to admit that the conventional poli sci tools can't account for this. While Gary J (who was at UCSD during my time there) long ago argued that politicians are always running scared, always acting as if there is competition even when they have a safe seat, I think something a bit less rational is going on here. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">Here I go from amateur scholar of American politics to amateur psychologist. Trump is an insecure narcissist who is always seeking louder and louder applause. Notice that his most threatening rhetoric comes at his rallies. Does he need these rallies? No, as a pseudo-incumbent with followers threatening opponents with violence, Trump could run for Presidency without every leaving the golf course. Sure, the rallies may be useful for some grifting, but he kept on doing his rallies mid-pandemic and again more rallies sans competition because he gets high off of the adulation. He could just play his old hits--build a wall, ban Muslims, etc, but he wants the crowds (the mobs) to be loud and enthusiastic, so he finds new applause lines and pushes them when they get the desired reaction.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">This is, of course, a guess, but I think a sound one. The alternative is that he thinks that threatening yet ever more violence and ever more dehumanizing racist rhetoric will either cause more people to vote for him or deter folks from voting for Biden. As someone who has mostly relied on rational choice assumptions, I simply don't think they work here. There is a risk of outflanking oneself as greater extremism may turn out the extremists but turn off those who are not so extreme but dislike Biden or want more power for the GOP or want yet another supreme court seat.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">There may be some crafty strategist manipulating Trump, but the way his claims tend to escalate when speaking off the cuff suggests otherwise. It suggests a search for lines that will hit, causing the crowd to react, which then gives Trump the fix he needs. It is not just all adderall. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;">To be fair, he is right about one thing--there will be more violence. Trump incites violence, so this is both a cause and a prediction. The blood is and will be on his hands, on Fox's, and on the GOP's. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-80177925032520930192024-03-16T06:10:00.002-04:002024-03-16T06:10:39.147-04:00Berlin 2024 Week Vier: Progress Accelerating<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3X5WUAmFDBpFAwg4bOnXqEloismmLv1HfSV6zPKj27XHZYKD1EIyY36_5A4DLyao7LAXUUBt7wtGMD-7cxdfw9_b7JfRbppv9KtNIZ_Bw2IfGK7iFvgyDCRQkjHEbphfp27RoBxxFbXZJnBhBVDozAMr0VaKQuFBzb54VL8j45MI-Y6Jt_fzYq6spL0N/s4000/20240313_092346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3X5WUAmFDBpFAwg4bOnXqEloismmLv1HfSV6zPKj27XHZYKD1EIyY36_5A4DLyao7LAXUUBt7wtGMD-7cxdfw9_b7JfRbppv9KtNIZ_Bw2IfGK7iFvgyDCRQkjHEbphfp27RoBxxFbXZJnBhBVDozAMr0VaKQuFBzb54VL8j45MI-Y6Jt_fzYq6spL0N/w166-h222/20240313_092346.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit of the wall near<br />the Canadian embassy<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> Time flies when one is sabbaticalling in a foreign land. Today marks a complete month in Europe with most of it in Berlin (just the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2024/03/vienna-waited-for-me.html" target="_blank">one trip to Vienna</a> thus far but that will change soon). I had my first interviews for the project--it took a while to get started, but now the schedule is filling up. And I got to present the project to the Hertie folks. Oh and more walking and gawking and touristing. </p><p></p>Usually, when I travel to a national capital to do fieldwork, I am there for a week or two, I try to fill up my schedule before or as I arrive, and then scamper around to meet as many people as possible. This trip is different, of course, since I am here for three months this year and then again three months next year. So, I prearranged an apartment and other living details but mostly waited to arrange the interviews until I got here. Just before I started to get frustrated, I started getting appointments for this past week and the upcoming weeks. I had an excellent conversation with a German air force officer and with a defence attache, and people have started to shower me with the names of interesting people to meet. So, I will be doing coffee somewhere tomorrow (Sunday) with one such person and then my Monday will be quite full. I have, of course, preconceptions of where Germany will fit in this project, but have already heard that some of that may be a bit off. Good--I like learning. <p></p><p>Speaking of learning, I presented my project to the Hertie folks. They have a colloquium every two weeks, so I was invited to share my research, such as it is. The project is in its very early stages, so the feedback can and will be most useful in directing the project. I received a lot of very good questions, some of which we had not thought about. It was a very helpful experience, and I hope to be able to do it again next year and see if we have made much progress.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ_m9KBw0Ekxx4s2mdi3U3aXNO42Hm-OXHqBKPOhl1fZab_aYkWGppV-DOYUbQq0Qzl5LOxXP_Uz_OqhTGfklgBH2JoeBIlxjRq4Bg4BRaSyntrNYxGa9MHoiMZqaPm9P7m8a-J18A0vaFt4LffO429HX0KVpq_RZz3COExxf-wnQnQdsAQ0iIHtrqYOQ/s4000/20240315_131737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJ_m9KBw0Ekxx4s2mdi3U3aXNO42Hm-OXHqBKPOhl1fZab_aYkWGppV-DOYUbQq0Qzl5LOxXP_Uz_OqhTGfklgBH2JoeBIlxjRq4Bg4BRaSyntrNYxGa9MHoiMZqaPm9P7m8a-J18A0vaFt4LffO429HX0KVpq_RZz3COExxf-wnQnQdsAQ0iIHtrqYOQ/w162-h216/20240315_131737.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>I stayed in character and betrayed my character in the same day. I saw this and ran away. No, most of the milk here is in cartons. I haven't gotten milk in a bag, although I have sometimes bought shelf-stable milk. I still prefer to buy cold milk, but the shelf stuff was fine. The betrayal was that the highly rated cookie store near me is vegan. I had one wildly overpriced cookie, and it was good. I won't be going back mostly because of the price. It was about 60% the cost of an amazing doner kebab sandwich I had a few minutes earlier, so I know where I will be investing my food splurge Euros.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGJ7sfG262qppbaypLyQuPhJdhJBGuL5BTpcxTW1ejO52UXyyjLdyK-AUvBZTn58k835tm5I3wHoFlqduN4z0NRWwRvtkJPmP4L5NlIb-R6-Yqm-dT4AwTuN7rptNFHONZwNISn5SqDcqUxrZL-5Bixo_LBUMISJD8Iw5okWyXatfteo_0BoO_HhNmqUH/s4000/20240313_110419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGJ7sfG262qppbaypLyQuPhJdhJBGuL5BTpcxTW1ejO52UXyyjLdyK-AUvBZTn58k835tm5I3wHoFlqduN4z0NRWwRvtkJPmP4L5NlIb-R6-Yqm-dT4AwTuN7rptNFHONZwNISn5SqDcqUxrZL-5Bixo_LBUMISJD8Iw5okWyXatfteo_0BoO_HhNmqUH/w158-h211/20240313_110419.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>I did do a spot of shopping as a need a luggage strap for my huge suitcase for the trip back in May. So, the Mall of Berlin was tempting but not for the goods but because of this:<br /><p></p><p>Yep, a three story slide. If I wasn't wearing my nice clothes (I was in the neighborhood for an interview), I would have done it. Maybe next time.</p><p></p><p>I am finally making progress on writing up the South Korean case study which is a mass of contradictions. I have been doing some CDSN stuff--podcast recording, meetings, reporting. So, the beat goes on.</p><p>I have been most successful at binging stuff--Masters of the Air is done, The Gentlemen was good except a meh ending, Damsel was a fun princess versus dragon (quite an excellent dragon) tale. I have slowed my Buffy watching because, dare I say it, I don't find it that compelling. I think my daughter will disown me.... oh well. <br /></p><p></p><p>But in the next few weeks, the rhythm will change. I will get on the road (or rails) more as the Humboldt folks have a meeting for us awardees in Bamberg, which is famous for smoky beer. The following week I head off to the Alps (which will require planes, trains, and automoboiles) to see how Euro-skiing is different from my experiences elsewhere. This year, I am doubling the continents where I have skied as I had done North and South America (Chile) in previous years, and Japan/Asia in January. Very much looking forward to the next new skiing experience.</p><p>I will be spending this afternoon checking out a new (to me) neighborhood and food market. Hope all is well over there.<br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-11309493786951686642024-03-10T07:40:00.000-04:002024-03-10T07:40:03.188-04:00Vienna Waited For Me?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9RenAwEmvfrvdNOooElCNM4hRdL3xIpQqrVL2qaQT3yPCrqQy3tMDrVkDy9KAzN08Fp__9WBZecWcZHrBIBDtW0tlhqAWlaAVJCK0wwYSkSa_er3qtDH4yhssPOmSd_3MeYfDaxt7x0IuNrEYO-lEcfhCLREU3DskPGe1DlN-aRlGJgj6wIQG-BCtOTT/s4000/20240307_092251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div> I spent roughly 48 hours in Vienna, as Erin Jenne, a friend and co-author, invited me to Central European University to give a talk about my ongoing research and to help her grade her class's poster presentations. It was not my first time to Austria, as I did visit Salzburg during my Eurailpass summer long ago, but it was my first time to Vienna. Indeed, I am pretty sure Vienna was the only European capital on this side of the former Iron Curtain that I had not visited other than Athens. And I am pretty sure we will do Greece next year.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvlMRdJPQRTLYBZ7iwLphcH1iY7h3UJetXVkSMHPUMzlBLtq33ZE5KQWZO6kpZAly9fu9wq6jrClNoZ2lxZXSZqD9f3ngsavGKHPCTmY8-UDPxt-kmohyphenhyphen9J1LrAhqqgp3s8etjw2v_Tau46UINBc-qlGh34oTS0VFDHp9HiMcKbfU7-_bfiRkeSD_6HfR/s4000/20240306_164658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvlMRdJPQRTLYBZ7iwLphcH1iY7h3UJetXVkSMHPUMzlBLtq33ZE5KQWZO6kpZAly9fu9wq6jrClNoZ2lxZXSZqD9f3ngsavGKHPCTmY8-UDPxt-kmohyphenhyphen9J1LrAhqqgp3s8etjw2v_Tau46UINBc-qlGh34oTS0VFDHp9HiMcKbfU7-_bfiRkeSD_6HfR/w159-h119/20240306_164658.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>I am most grateful for the chance to present our work on both legislative and defense agency oversight over democratic armed forces, as I received a bunch of really good questions from both the audience in the room and those watching online that has already caused me to add a paragraph to our essentially complete book. The ethnic conflict class was a blast to the past as Erin had teams of students compare pairs of situations, mostly across space but some over time, applying theories of ethnic conflict to understand the variation. It exercised old brain muscles, as I have mostly left that stuff behind when I moved onto civil-military relations. <br /><br />Speaking of ethnic conflict, CEU is in Vienna because it was kicked out of Budapest, Hungary. George Soros, bogeyman of the far right, essentially pays for CEU, so Orban objected to the school and pushed it out. It has only been a few years, but enough time has passed that the students of today don't really know the history of the prior situation. Oh, and the place we ate at after my talk had the most unusual lamp: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimer3_7hILBxxwlOQ9_2u6xU-0c4zJWAqIEusDrvZwvqsN6JurQRFlkG7WESJgbILFJBb_l42g7AbQj-9lrOaa2ZmGNJMK12gBle5yiVRIzvqnnT-M6MPjau4C65yLQCbq-aIhzyB9ZFAtRoxtH3nb94CcotB8HwownwY9hoVhzkPAxSbIoBIZE-2p7iXi/s4000/20240306_194055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimer3_7hILBxxwlOQ9_2u6xU-0c4zJWAqIEusDrvZwvqsN6JurQRFlkG7WESJgbILFJBb_l42g7AbQj-9lrOaa2ZmGNJMK12gBle5yiVRIzvqnnT-M6MPjau4C65yLQCbq-aIhzyB9ZFAtRoxtH3nb94CcotB8HwownwY9hoVhzkPAxSbIoBIZE-2p7iXi/w156-h208/20240306_194055.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br />Since both events were in the evening and my flight got pushed to the
mid-afternoon on Friday, I had time to see the city. On my first day of
tourism, I hit the two museums near my hotel, both based in a prince's
former set of palaces. So, it was a two-for--seeing some great art and
walking around a big palace or two. And, yes, not only is Vienna chock
full of massive buildings but a heap of palaces. I aimed to walk around
much of the historical center and accomplished that. <br /><br /></p><p></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3Lq1kY4TsZ5stI0JyhPllYEbnYsyLb7Z99KYlZHrsaFiNmbNUuuiHHGWmVb2-lVVNMQhkIVuXqZnlkzGG2l5m6zyWvF43W2xDFa5sIJFq58HyVBQZm7RnK3mJmT9YxYJ82FNiYuHwyLpeScs4-TWy3M8IrN3qBQtS4Q2CCE9rGTngD2jvT6CCpp9W1Z9/s4000/20240307_095131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3Lq1kY4TsZ5stI0JyhPllYEbnYsyLb7Z99KYlZHrsaFiNmbNUuuiHHGWmVb2-lVVNMQhkIVuXqZnlkzGG2l5m6zyWvF43W2xDFa5sIJFq58HyVBQZm7RnK3mJmT9YxYJ82FNiYuHwyLpeScs4-TWy3M8IrN3qBQtS4Q2CCE9rGTngD2jvT6CCpp9W1Z9/w189-h252/20240307_095131.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Klimt's Kiss was the featured<br />piece at the first Belvedere palace<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEgP8qRgQWcHzTRSyOUWjNq8dQCd1yvF-YbQMz6498FRuHfqPBisLTHFhg3X20qdrsDhFrLKhUCWgivRG9Gmp7BJZ6qXKlOBqGsz39SrVml_BA-XiOCsHyyaDTy72E8xD-OLKw0HpAw1ePBs9_XhKoSEaUZM_3YwCLsk6i6a3yk3nnbLuwRGpHNmYARMViH4/s4000/20240307_104427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8qRgQWcHzTRSyOUWjNq8dQCd1yvF-YbQMz6498FRuHfqPBisLTHFhg3X20qdrsDhFrLKhUCWgivRG9Gmp7BJZ6qXKlOBqGsz39SrVml_BA-XiOCsHyyaDTy72E8xD-OLKw0HpAw1ePBs9_XhKoSEaUZM_3YwCLsk6i6a3yk3nnbLuwRGpHNmYARMViH4/w189-h252/20240307_104427.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second Belvedere palace<br />had Ukrainian art exhibited<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p> </p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>Oh and I found the restaurant that was recommended to me. I was looking for strudel and found it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbjHQgGYIc8uCyD2rzBX8cYVt6y2FfEM7GjdArdQgNYimcj-DEFX4oXk95ISKaYvJvm7kKza68a25Wo4wmBTKeRW4JVgzIQQLeYw3Al67y6skEf7ULkGTcFZ4RimxPHiiYhyphenhyphennY0fdhSx4dtwzSvIt5aHHEe54tESk-sgvc0ajY2MUx1rLoRJou-389fgF/s4000/20240307_125150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbjHQgGYIc8uCyD2rzBX8cYVt6y2FfEM7GjdArdQgNYimcj-DEFX4oXk95ISKaYvJvm7kKza68a25Wo4wmBTKeRW4JVgzIQQLeYw3Al67y6skEf7ULkGTcFZ4RimxPHiiYhyphenhyphennY0fdhSx4dtwzSvIt5aHHEe54tESk-sgvc0ajY2MUx1rLoRJou-389fgF/w206-h155/20240307_125150.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9-MUz61GVRQIvF77SS0PE36Bpt_PwIljE0Yir_32jrF-1P-7jnXWU-zkhOVU6mWz67jWqnlR-7jCFyJ5M87Yo-aTjfAhQ4xKuzIFf57mV1p_VQODYSphxsSxTyavr_nJPptitz2aCBsZQUm3hp2u_8J9svqWK9DQu2R2IBCAzCdIZ1qSqdz2iz5VtjUu/s4000/20240308_094445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9-MUz61GVRQIvF77SS0PE36Bpt_PwIljE0Yir_32jrF-1P-7jnXWU-zkhOVU6mWz67jWqnlR-7jCFyJ5M87Yo-aTjfAhQ4xKuzIFf57mV1p_VQODYSphxsSxTyavr_nJPptitz2aCBsZQUm3hp2u_8J9svqWK9DQu2R2IBCAzCdIZ1qSqdz2iz5VtjUu/s320/20240308_094445.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br />I had plenty of time before my flight to go to two more museums--one about the history of Vienna and a modern art museum. I learned a lot about Vienna in a short period of time. That there were huge divides between the left wing city and the countryside in the early 1900s that created much tension, for example. I was surprised at how much anti-semitism was discussed, even going so far as to mention how Austrians tried to duck responsibility by considering themselves the first victims of the Nazis.</p><p>The wire cutters and wire here are from when Austria and Hungary cut the fences separating the two countries in 1989 which ultimately led to the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of communism and autocracy in Eastern Europe.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn2elXNH-3ad0NRugULOmFBls1qwqTvxEYaU7xEHaCZ1MB9M5gYwWGiH7tC1gP4xvylwr9QgHTkf5MvodEruZn2zJd3rzOak-OIpyho0X6wLIk2A2HJtH4BS6tLthA6Z39DnvV7bejUv-UUq0NFk-9nFMwFmRYU5H4_eChpWV_y0-1Ueh6GeENHMBdA43/s4000/20240308_103815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxn2elXNH-3ad0NRugULOmFBls1qwqTvxEYaU7xEHaCZ1MB9M5gYwWGiH7tC1gP4xvylwr9QgHTkf5MvodEruZn2zJd3rzOak-OIpyho0X6wLIk2A2HJtH4BS6tLthA6Z39DnvV7bejUv-UUq0NFk-9nFMwFmRYU5H4_eChpWV_y0-1Ueh6GeENHMBdA43/s320/20240308_103815.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My timing was good as one of my fave artists had a special exhibit that started on this day I had to do some tourism. I am not an expert on art, but, yes, I know what I like. Roy Lichtenstein's art has always resonated with me, partly because of my old hobby of collecting comic books, partly because I like art when it is colorful and dynamic, and partly because he had a great sense of humor. I learned a bit more about him and that he had some sculptures.<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This trip to Austria was the first of two this month as I am going to spend the end of the month skiing in the Austrian Alps, my first time skiing in Europe. So, I predict more schnitzel and strudel in my near future.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjIb8rZR6EwBDLx2Ah_UHLUWZimmETPb2nenozZPtPhpNGcz1sbSNVMICbr5HLnO7p9NVGUBm8eGEaPIwEe30TH2QSWZBG1N5QCEMyAEVrZLUeUZebLAmzLH8OkRptAdXJ0vlzXtd0DzrOQLeLQ2r88yf0UbCCLXIaWlFqqGRJQ_GvuUTwAYC_JKVKTgh/s4000/20240306_194052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p> </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/irl89Gmcv8c?si=5ZiQnnDT-jCWh8Ri" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-62119477702237480932024-03-08T02:32:00.002-05:002024-03-08T02:32:44.355-05:00Cranky Defence Critic And Threats Facing Canada<p> I woke up in the middle of the night because I am old and I ate and drank too much. I couldn't resist schnitzel and strudel as I am in Vienna for a talk and for some other shenanigans (more on that in another post). And then I saw <a href="https://philippelagasse.substack.com/p/conservative-voters-want-more-defence?r=92iiy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true" target="_blank">Phil Lagassé's post on the Conservatives</a> and if they might spend on defence if elected. On that general topic, I am a skeptic as I think the CPC cares more about deficits than about defence, and the place to cut the budget is, alas, defence. That is where the money is. <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2014/10/only-nixon-could-go-to-china-canadian.html" target="_blank">This was true under Harper</a>. I don't know what Pierre Poilevre believes in, other than opportunism and pandering to the far right, but I don't think he will commit lots of money to get Canada to 2% of GDP (on the other hand, he could tank the economy, and that is the other way to get there). Oh, and to be clear, I think we need to spend significantly more on the military--I am just not going to threat inflate to get us there.<br /></p><p>Anyway, Phil said in his piece that we need to spend more to deal with the threat in the Arctic, and I had to scoff. Which led to a fun exchange in bluesky, reminiscent of the old days on twitter where we would argue and people thought we hated each other. Hint: I don't co-author with people I don't like. Ir don't co-author with the same person several times unless we get along very well. But it is both fun and educational to push back against one of the very sharpest defence minds in Canada.</p><p>Specifically, Phil said: "<span>Canadians know their Arctic is vulnerable." And my ensuing commentary focused on that: what exactly is the threat to Canada from on high? And should we consider this the most significant/dangerous threat? My point is that it is way back in line. Phil says we need to have better situational awareness up north. My rejoinder is: no invasion coming, just some spy ships on the water and below it. Others chimed in: more ships going through the northwest passage means more environmental stuff could go awry. And, I agree. But where does that line up in the threat picture? </span></p><p><span>Here's my cranky, awakened with acid in my throat, ranking of the threats facing Canada. </span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span><b><span style="color: red;">Climate change</span></b>: Canadians are paying a high price for the changing climate even if we could joke about being a beneficiary as our winters get mostly shorter. Milder? Variance is more certain than anything else. Anyhow, people are dying in floods and fires, much property is being destroyed. When I speak of threat, I think of real harms to Canadians, to the economy, to governance. Climate change is first and it is not close. I was mocked by someone via email when I said this on TV, but I have never been a super lefty, green environmentalist type in my work. It is just the reality that in dollar amounts and in lives, the warming planet is harming Canadians in a big way and it is only going to get worse. A recurring theme is that many of the threats either cannot or will not have the military as the lead agency. This actually comes the closest given that the provinces underinvest in emergency management, knowing that the military will act if asked and won't present a bill.<br /></span></li><li><span><span style="color: red;"><b>Pandemics</b></span>: how many people were killed by covid in Canada? <a href="https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/" target="_blank">Nearly 60,000</a>, which is more than Canadians killed in all foreign wars combined if one leaves out WWI. Plus many people now have long covid. It did a heap of damage to the economy, and, if you care about deficits (I don't really), guess what blew a big hole in the budget? I am very glad the Liberal government poured a ton of money into the economy as we didn't have runs on food banks during the height of the pandemic. I just wish Conservative-led provinces actually spent the money allotted to health care on.... health care. Will covid be the last pandemic? No. Indeed, given what it has done to attitudes about vaccinations, quarantines, and masking, I doubt we will respond as well next time. Scary, eh? The military was called out because other agencies lacked capacity, but this was really a medical/scientific thing, so let's not allocate a ton of money to the military for pandemic preparedness.<br /></span></li><li><span><b><span style="color: red;">Cyber attacks</span></b>. Wars are distant, but cyber attacks are hitting Canadians every day, disrupting people's lives, hurting various businesses and public agencies, and pose a significant threat where some country could bring down our power or harm dams and more. Is this the military's job? Partially but not really. We don't need people who are trained to fire weapons and ready to deploy abroad and all that stuff to fight a cyber war. We need smart folks at well equipped desks. We definitely need to have more money spent on the military to survive and thrive in a cyberwar environment, but the CAF is not really our answer to thwarting cyber attacks against the Canadian public.</span></li><li><span><b><span style="color: red;">Far right violence</span></b>. We live in a <a href="https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2022/parl/xc76-1/XC76-1-1-441-6-eng.pdf" target="_blank">time of increasing attacks</a> by xenophobes, misogynists, homophobes, racists, anti-semities, Islamophobes, and white supremacists (these hates tend to travel together). </span><span>Yes, left wing extremists can have many of these attributes, but
it is clear that the violence is almost entirely coming from the far
right.</span><span> These haters are doing real harm to Canadians right now, and the trend is in the wrong direction. Can the military do anything about this? I think the general rule of not having the military police the public is a very good idea. Instead, the military's role is mostly to make sure it is not training the next generation of far right terrorists. <br /></span></li><li><span><b><span style="color: red;">Disinformation</span></b>. This is, of course, related to the prior one, but it also involves foreign actors who are trying to tilt election outcomes. We are increasingly living in a time where people can't trust what they see and hear, or they are trusting the wrong actors. This leads to develop dangerous beliefs--like vaccines are poisonous, that the government in power is engaging in great, deliberate harm against its ideological opponents, and so forth, While the Liberals have screwed up many things, they need some trust in government to operate on our behalf, just as the Conservatives or NDP would need people to trust in institutions. The military should not be the primary actor at home on this either even as they engage in info ops abroad.</span></li><li><span>People might I was joking about the i<b><span style="color: red;">ncreases in truck/SUV size being a threa</span></b>t, but more than 2000 people died in car accidents in 2023, and the trend is going up, <a href="https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/canada-road-safety.pdf" target="_blank">even if one cuts the peak covid years from the dataset</a>.<br /></span></li><li><span><b><span style="color: red;">North Korean missiles</span></b>. While China and Russia have nuclear missiles, I have a bit more faith in the workings of deterrence and a bit less worried about accidental/deliberate first use. North Korea would not have any reason to attack Canada, but I could imagine that their aim might be that good. Of course, what is the CAF's role in this? Providing warning that Vancouver is doomed and then helping to respond to the aftermath. We have no defences against ballistic missiles nor will Canada have any such systems anytime in the future. I am a skeptic about American strategic defense (although tactical anti-missile systems seem to range from pretty good to amazing), but I do think Canada should join the US system as the ABM treaty is very dead. This is a military job and would justify the massive investment in NORAD modernization. Otherwise, it really is a system to warn us to give us a few minutes to kiss our loved ones goodbye. Oh, and manage relations with the US.<br /></span></li><li><span><b><span style="color: red;">US relation</span></b>s! The Canadian economy and its security crucially depend on the US, and, oh my, Canada will be so very, very fucked if Trump were to win. Democracies have lived beside authoritarian regimes before (hey, Finland!), but so much of Canada's position in the world relies on this huge market and this peaceful border and cooperation with the US. When was the last time Canada fought abroad without the US beside its side? UN missions? Guess again as the UN relies heavily on American support to do its ops. One could argue this would mean less wars for Canada--no more Afghanistans (<a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781442614734/adapting-in-the-dust/" target="_blank">which was purely to help its ally</a>). But Canada would be even at greater risk of being bullied by the China's and Saudi Arabia's of the world. And, of course, by Trump himself. But again, this is not the CAF's job to prevent or mitigate this. If Trump is elected, most of the problems above get worse and this item zooms to the top.<br /></span></li><li><span>Maybe here goes: incomplete understanding of what is happening in the <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Arctic</span></b>. Yes, that stuff up north is still Canada, but the threat to Canadians up there is not really that posed by Russia or China but by the lack of infrastructure and by the aforementioned climate change, pandemics, etc.</span></li></ol><p><span></span>So, if the military is not needed for this stuff, or only needed for domestic emergency ops, why spend tens of billions on it? Why increase spending? It comes down to this: the military is an instrument of policy. This means that it can and is used to further Canadian government objectives even if most of those objectives are not about thwarting threats to Canada. Canada has consistent interests in the world for which the CAF is a key tool, such as helping to foster stability in Europe and Asia. Canada, like the US, has learned that when those continents catch fire, it damages Canadian interests and hurts Canadians. A war in the South China Sea with or without the Canadian navy would be catastrophic to the Canadian economy. War west of Ukraine would also be quite damaging. </p><p>NATO itself is an important interest that requires the Canadian military to invest in itself and in NATO missions. Ultimately, Canadians want to do good in the world and want to support the international order, whether we call it liberal or rules-based or American hegemony or whatever. Because we understand that Canadians have more influence within institutions than outside of them, that the rules have favored the Canadian economy, and helped the Canadian people to enjoy the fruits of international cooperation.</p><p>Ultimately, one wants a well armed, well trained, well staffed military to prepare for the worst. In my ranking of threats, I focused on both likelihood of the threat being realized and the amount of harm that is likely if the threat happens. Climate change is at the top because it is happening and is not going away and is going to do heaps of damage. The threat in the Arctic is lower down because it is unlike that any foreign actor will attack that way and the damage they can do is not that great, again compared to everything else.</p><p>Oh, and what is also a threat? Having an under-funded, unprepared, ill-equipped military sent off to war--that way lies tragedy. So, yes, spend more, but let's not exaggerate where the threats are coming from and what the role of the military is.<br /><span><br /></span><br /><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-6293246181223295242024-03-02T05:09:00.006-05:002024-03-02T05:09:55.431-05:00Berlin 2024: Report Zwei<p> Before I go out and tourist this Saturday, time to post about my second week in Berlin. The big news was laundry. No, not really. The big news is the Zeintwende conference I attended. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k9NmIf_e92RfSlmDU3VavhXyR2WU3mahEKmCshe9KfiFcnNOP38Uyld-0H9fflK8jVo92X4zJ-R1HCLR7YXgjRH7QLJjibkgNN2hp7rTDgKQZ8jGvZaa-T_P-Gmc52nibRpc4oMSFMQt10CDUlcFE503E9S-gewq5otOx8a0bZ9OmjecrEtjrnfrUMuk/s4000/20240301_094753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k9NmIf_e92RfSlmDU3VavhXyR2WU3mahEKmCshe9KfiFcnNOP38Uyld-0H9fflK8jVo92X4zJ-R1HCLR7YXgjRH7QLJjibkgNN2hp7rTDgKQZ8jGvZaa-T_P-Gmc52nibRpc4oMSFMQt10CDUlcFE503E9S-gewq5otOx8a0bZ9OmjecrEtjrnfrUMuk/s320/20240301_094753.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I spent two days hanging out at the Hertie School where they and the German armed forces Centre of Military History and Social Sciences held a conference on how European countries are re-thinking their world views in the aftermath of Russia's re-invasion of Ukraine in 2022. I blogged about it <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2024/03/zeitenwende-all-over-world.html" target="_blank">here</a>, so I will not repeat my summary of the event. I will say that it definitely facilitated two of my objectives for my time here in Berlin: interviewing folks about the civil-military relations of European countries (as part of the larger, global project) and getting European perspectives on the state of things. So, I learned a great deal, and I met with folks who I will eventually be meeting for interviews. I definitely am feeling good about the research project even though I haven't interviewed anyone here yet. But that will change soon.<p></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbffvaGmRdQJ8SlyCAb2kxqSpEzerSVPX5tLZi-C7-jAFdIDDzUPIyrRxI0WagxUFp02IXDO879IsVkh8u5VEJzC2c6K0H1V2yDSy0E2cR2lIcl48SHQdoRRFFpovOF_dn9ER4mIXRTHdBoYZBQkHXK6T5dFz4_KS9fmNS7PqT3Sdt-EMh-7tnxm6KI7pn/s4000/20240229_212522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbffvaGmRdQJ8SlyCAb2kxqSpEzerSVPX5tLZi-C7-jAFdIDDzUPIyrRxI0WagxUFp02IXDO879IsVkh8u5VEJzC2c6K0H1V2yDSy0E2cR2lIcl48SHQdoRRFFpovOF_dn9ER4mIXRTHdBoYZBQkHXK6T5dFz4_KS9fmNS7PqT3Sdt-EMh-7tnxm6KI7pn/w163-h218/20240229_212522.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice views of Dom <br />and TV tower at hight<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The conference had one complication--a transit strike. Google maps wouldn't show u-bahn routes, but I tried my local u-bahn stop anyway, but the subway entrance was fenced off. I tried another entrance and same thing. I was able to take the s-bahn and then walk about 15 minutes to get to the Hertie School on the first day. I walked all the way home (I could have gotten a cab or taken the s-bahn, but it was a nice night). The strike ended the afternoon of the second day so I could go home after the conference and then come back for a great dinner with some of the folks who were still around. My first real German dinner, as I have been mostly cooking for myself, and, yes, my first beer on this trip. <br /><br /></p><p>I did also do laundry. The place I am staying has a scary looking washing machine and no dryer, so I took my stuff to a nearby laundromat. It was super clean and got cleaner as the attendant showed up midway through my cycles and was super thorough. The machines automatically put in detergent and such so I didn't have to buy any or measure any. There was a central panel that controlled all the machines so I didn't have to have a lot of coins (5 Euro notes were handy). And plenty of instructions in both German and English. My plan was to read a novel while I waited, but I got to chat with a lovely Australian couple that were cleaning their clothes in between their Norwegian cruise and their German touring. </p><p>I made progress in revising the legislative civ-mil project, and now have some appointments for the next project. </p><p>The most dangerous aspect of this trip: I live way too close to one of the best bakery chains in Berlin: <a href="https://zeitfuerbrot.com/en">https://zeitfuerbrot.com/en</a>. Yum. </p><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyP-A8Wa5r4RfKgTHy4w5dg6MX-EGmjeSR0bCKAlHJCgRyuZByGT2vCkrCxJOcdZ9VoHrV5bIYR6ky-jZ8qru6whoSRBzHaI_HWyJzoULHVE96pzFPqdcymaSA9au-NFjguq3OBuLRnPzJkXiUPPw7WNTfuifQlz-UxdMmpVL5EXzdS_o0JwtffNCfE6Q/s4000/20240301_161151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyP-A8Wa5r4RfKgTHy4w5dg6MX-EGmjeSR0bCKAlHJCgRyuZByGT2vCkrCxJOcdZ9VoHrV5bIYR6ky-jZ8qru6whoSRBzHaI_HWyJzoULHVE96pzFPqdcymaSA9au-NFjguq3OBuLRnPzJkXiUPPw7WNTfuifQlz-UxdMmpVL5EXzdS_o0JwtffNCfE6Q/s320/20240301_161151.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope, didn't go, but thought about it.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-59791270172400656012024-03-02T04:50:00.004-05:002024-03-02T16:10:52.438-05:00Zeitenwende All Over the World! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZpmOGmKhT_5xfE7eKbXTZ8W3MXE3hDwf50MY1r-weaf_r1Yu2-UvmdlpgE3DvQ8NH0bvjvqXROKL4Uy_PfcYrflAB71VKtsNb0X_vQeViglgK5vcXTJyDnAUEnw1zrZCulEoIXwBdBoUjP1Et_KcFfmgiO7CUjqxevnMNRMPaS55-Tfx9IV4MtT7QAql/s4000/20240229_145957.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZpmOGmKhT_5xfE7eKbXTZ8W3MXE3hDwf50MY1r-weaf_r1Yu2-UvmdlpgE3DvQ8NH0bvjvqXROKL4Uy_PfcYrflAB71VKtsNb0X_vQeViglgK5vcXTJyDnAUEnw1zrZCulEoIXwBdBoUjP1Et_KcFfmgiO7CUjqxevnMNRMPaS55-Tfx9IV4MtT7QAql/s320/20240229_145957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Two years ago, Olaf Scholtz, the German Chancellor, announced that we were at a moment of Zeitenwende in the aftermath of Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine (2014 was the start, 2022 was much deeper with greater intensity and more far-reaching aims). The term refers to a watershed moment, a rupture, a turning point that ushers out the old way of thinking and ushers in a new one. That alters the ideational foundations of foreign/defense policy and grand strategy. I am lucky enough to be in Berlin and at the Hertie School as they held an event aimed at seeking to understand whether this was just a German thing or whether other parts of Europe were also changing their worldviews/mindsets. The public event was advertised <a href="https://www.hertie-school.org/en/events/event-detail/event/a-zeitenwende-for-the-european-security-architecture" target="_blank">thusly</a>.<br /><br />For the Germans, a key was that rather than thinking that there is no security in Europe if it is not cooperative security with Russia, now the thinking is that there is no security in Europe if it is not cooperative security against Russia. The big question, of course, is whether there have been changes not just in thoughts but in deeds. And, yes, Germany is doing stuff it had not done before: spending at least for now more than 2% of its GDP on defense, sending arms to a war zone, reduction of energy dependence on Russia, etc. But does it have a clear idea of what the new world view is? Not so sure. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Cj26YgBpKJxbRRT5KkikJZ9YBetNL6ZRkFHJacZrCCDNC8yZlNc7Lpr4p50g40TbiIg0TSh8_iHK08hqPlGpoTkVf4gF4s9f-ogIyaSuUrVuKhMZCG9bWZ2rSje317n8QckXzc5iwKx9V6A0C-GHjCIEpSLU3wrufgzyJq5GkR8j3bMtYJw1Mpow-Dy8/s4000/20240229_152215.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Cj26YgBpKJxbRRT5KkikJZ9YBetNL6ZRkFHJacZrCCDNC8yZlNc7Lpr4p50g40TbiIg0TSh8_iHK08hqPlGpoTkVf4gF4s9f-ogIyaSuUrVuKhMZCG9bWZ2rSje317n8QckXzc5iwKx9V6A0C-GHjCIEpSLU3wrufgzyJq5GkR8j3bMtYJw1Mpow-Dy8/s320/20240229_152215.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The panelists from all over Europe were asked a bunch of questions by the organizers including: has your country or region had a zeitenwende, if so, what is it, when was it? How is the match between the governing elites and the public on attitudes about all of this? We folks in the audience asked whatever questions that came to us (yes, I tended to ask civ-mil questions). And hanging over all of this was Trump potentially winning in November and the meaning of that--can there be a European NATO (with a Canadian appendage?)*</p><p>Since we had three workshop panels and one public panel essentially covering most of Europe, I am not going to repeat everything I learned. I did learn a lot and will remember some of it. But here are some of the highlights:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_HvuKs-xMDGEi5baxtBGhreW88m0zbn4g-a592rXRc7Yh0aT1zHIRjDWPq-WmKVTrx1uNW0m_ZU2Xg_b6vsGu1QxBNH5i7gxNfxgL8rPw4h5EqMcogP0eJ0LU7IYiRbI8pFBapK1La-ZIqZuvzdTSWzcrK7F61JQyA8rTtb1iu9UcxzfvZnApDDL7vvv/s4000/20240301_094753.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_HvuKs-xMDGEi5baxtBGhreW88m0zbn4g-a592rXRc7Yh0aT1zHIRjDWPq-WmKVTrx1uNW0m_ZU2Xg_b6vsGu1QxBNH5i7gxNfxgL8rPw4h5EqMcogP0eJ0LU7IYiRbI8pFBapK1La-ZIqZuvzdTSWzcrK7F61JQyA8rTtb1iu9UcxzfvZnApDDL7vvv/s320/20240301_094753.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Baltics and Poland did not have a change in worldviews in 2022, but could simply say "we told you so," as their views towards Russia and European security were either formed around 2007-8 with Russia's cyberattack on Estonia and war with Georgia or... always saw NATO and European security as against Russia not with Russia. UK was also in this camp, more or less, and is better able to respond as it has reduced the dependence on Russian capital in the financial sector.<br /></li><li>France has made some significant policy shifts, but providing extended deterrence if Trump pulls back the US commitment is not going to happen. </li><li>Lots of lag--several countries want to make adaptations but implementation is slow. I got some knowing laughs at lunch today when I said that everyone's procurement was broken in different ways--kind of the way every snowflake is different.</li><li>Everybody has recruitment/retention issues in their militaries--Canada is far from alone in that.</li><li>Germany is trying to find the old playbooks from the Cold War--how did West Germany contract with the US and others about the long term bases--providing schools and infrastructure and the like--as they need to know for their plan to have such bases in Lithuania. Yes, they are moving not just a brigade of troops but their families as the US, UK, Canada, and others did during the Cold War. This contrasts sharply with the Canadian strategy of shipping troops in and out every six months. It shows how long term and how serious the Germans are. Significant up front costs but probably less expensive in the long run.</li><li>Carlo Masala's public talk started the three known unknowns that frame thinking--will Russians win in Ukraine, what will happen in the US election, what will be the future of EU/will the far right gain more ground? </li><li>Speaking of Trump, there is still some wishful thinking in Europe--that Trump will not follow through if elected. I kept telling folks that he wouldn't have sent forces to help an invaded ally before and he certainly won't do so in the future.</li><li>Sweden and Finland had public opinion flip after 2022 invasion, so, yes, some zeitenwende here. But an interesting contrast as for Finland, neutrality was a strategy, but for Sweden, it was an identity. </li><li>Poland having nuclear thoughts? Irony is that this almost makes Mearsheimer right as he predicted that Germany would develop nukes after NATO falls apart after the end of the Cold War. Instead, after the end of the after the cold war, due to the possibility of American withdrawal, Poland, not Germany, is now pondering proliferation. Much talk in that part of the world about whether the Russian timeline for invading Poland/Baltics is 2-3 years or more like 5-7. And yeah, I don't think that is likely, but it is easy for me to say from distant Canada. One thing is clear in Poland--no one is wondering where the money will come from as they move beyond 2% to 3.5% or more.</li><li>The Baltics convo started with a reminder that Trump was so ignorant he thought World War I started there and not in the Balkans. </li><li>The NATO-Founding Act is not dead enough. It no longer restricts conventional deployments (see German permanent basing in Lithuania above), but it does restrict the nuke stuff. Which enrages the Baltics who think that agreement is <a href="http://saideman.blogspot.com/2015/04/why-nato-russia-founding-act-is-dead.html" target="_blank">dead, dead, dead</a>.</li><li>Ethnic politics is alive in the Balkans as the various stances of countries towards Russia-Ukraine is complicated by the ethnic politics within. Three cheers for my first ten years of research! Serbia is pro-Russia, the Serb entity in Bosnia is pro-Russia. This leads to actors in the region that are not pro-NATO. Of course, those that benefited from NATO intervention are pro-NATO--Albania, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia. This discussion raised another complication from a Trump victory--NATO is still in Kosovo. But probably would not be if Trump is President again. </li><li>Romania's relations with Ukraine did go through a big swing from tensions over old territorial claims to friendship as they both are threatened by Russia.</li><li>A side discussion mines floating in the Black Sea reminded me that the consequences of this war will outlast the war, just as the Germans at the conference reminded me that construction workers discover a old bomb from WWII in Berlin every couple of weeks.</li><li>Why is Hungary such an outlier in all things these days? Mostly because it wants to be exactly that. Since there is no real competition domestically, Orban can fixate on foreign policy and wants to pull Europe in his direction. I had forgotten about the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, but, of course, an optimally obnoxious nationalist country such as Hungary (see the <a href="https://cup.columbia.edu/book/for-kin-or-country/9780231144797" target="_blank">Steve and Bill book</a>) would want to keep that tension alive. </li><li>The challenge of potential Ukrainian membership in the EU is mostly about the fact that Ukraine is big--it would have a major impact on the distribution of agricultural benefits/competition and also specific sectors like transit. So, Portugal and Spain (and others) are more concerned about the economic impact of Ukraine joining the EU than any implications regarding Russia or anything else.</li><li>Greece is in surprisingly good shape. Its spending on defense is now more focused on modernizing the force, it is attempting rapprochement with Turkey, and is even participating in the US-led op in the Red Sea (if I heard correctly). Greek support for Ukraine is ahead of where the public is. <br /></li></ul><p>Some big themes drawn by the organizers at the end:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Distance matters--those closer to Russia either already had shifted their stances and were in "I told you so" mode or flipped quite dramatically, changing decades of orientation (Finland/Sweden). Those furthest away and least energy dependent on Russia didn't really have to shift.</li><li>Everyone is holding their breath for the next zeitenwende--if Trump gets elected---what happens with NATO (Steve says it essentially dies or becomes far weaker with Europe plus Canadsa)? </li><li>Some ZW was a matter of time--some revolutions in thinking started with Crimea in 2014, some started in 2022, some started in 2007-08. And some have not had a major re-thinking.</li></ul><p></p><p>The only Canadian content was injected by... me. During the lunch on the second day, I got some questions about whether there has been a Canadian zeitenwende, and I basically said no. That would require some real hard thinking on Canada's role in the world and how it has changed and what should be the Canadian response. And, no, this Canadian government is not doing that thinking (nor would a Conservative one lead by PP). Instead, as someone asked me: is Canadian foreign policy diaspora politics, I pretty much said yes.</p><p>It was a great event for me. First, I came to Europe in part to get European perspectives on the state of play, and this I got in a big way. Second, I met a number of people who I hope to interview for my current project, so I am a bit less anxious about getting to talk to the right people and enough of them. I have plenty of time between this three month trip and next year's, but always good to have a more in-person, human connection with the sharp folks on the stuff I am studying. Third, it was just fascinating. I got into IR because this stuff engages me, and this conference did so. Finally, the folks involved--the organizers and the speakers--are simply nice, sharp folks, and so it was fun.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wh3i3vWgPyk?si=1gLGsdkMi443fE6h" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-74447496949804087262024-02-25T05:25:00.004-05:002024-02-25T05:47:21.150-05:00Pondering Platforming<p> A controversy broke out on social media this weekend: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL-40gDBRx0" target="_blank">Taylor Lorenz interviewed</a> the (or one of the) truly horrible people behind the far right Libs of Tiktok account. It raised questions of whether one should platform the truly awful. I have been thinking of platforming such for awhile now, so I am using this as an opportunity to think through my stance (which is not at all based on a strong standing of the legalities of all of this).</p><p>Let's start with the basics that people get so very confused about:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>No one is entitled to a platform, everyone is entitled to free speech.</li><li>To be clear, when we talk about free speech, we need to be clear that the 1st amendment in the US (and probably the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada) only restricts governments from restricting people's right to engage in free speech. Clubs and, yes, businesses can restrict the speech of their members/employees in ways that the state cannot. </li><li>Free speech does have some restrictions--the classic is you can't yell fire as a prank in a crowded theater as that is dangerous. Inciting violence is also not so free, although your mileage may vary on what counts as incitement. Is "Free Palestine" incitement? I don't think so. <br /></li></ol><p>Now, that whole platform is not the same thing as free speech thing. One is not obligated to give time/space/bandwidth/whatever to anyone (in ye olde days, US tv stations had to give equal time, and when it went away, that gave room for Fox and its ilk). Universities, for example, don't have to provide stages and fora and audiences to far right speakers or even not so far right speakers. Or far left ones. </p><p>In an op-ed, I argued that the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadas-conservatives-should-resist-the-urge-to-politicize-the/" target="_blank">Conservative Party of Canada should not provide a prominent speaking position to a far-right retired general</a> as that would politicize the Canadian armed forces.* Of course, the supposedly cancelled retired general then used his perch at the National Post, a right wing newspaper, to argue that I was trying to deny him free speech. Nope, I didn't say he couldn't rant in public, I was just arguing it was a bad idea for the CPC to amplify him. He is entitled to say what he wants, he is not entitled to having his speech amplified. There is a distinction here, and he is smart enough to get it, even if wants to <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/michel-maisonneuve-criticizing-the-government-does-not-politicize-the-military" target="_blank">play coy about how a dual citizen might dare to question him</a>.</p><p>So, the question is rarely whether to deny someone free expression (although when it comes to jury tampering or inciting violence, gag orders on the Trump family seem to be not only fair but wise), but rather who to platform and under what conditions. Obviously, the starting point is the intention of the potential actor that might be platforming someone. The example of the CPC: they wanted to attack the government and found a handy tool that might make it look like they presenting mainstream military views that contradict the government. Yeah, tis bad faith bullshit, but they had that intent so they didn't care what the downstream effects will be on the military.</p><p>The example of this weekend is a lot different: it is not just giving space for a hater to speak at length, but providing a <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/libs-of-tiktok-taylor-lorenz-nex-benedict-nonbinary-interview/" target="_blank">critical interview where the interviewer</a> pushes back and gets the hater to be revealed as shallow, incoherent, virulently racist and xenophobic. To be honest, I haven't watched the entire thing because, well, yuck. I am online enough (understatement) to know what Libs of Tiktok have been doing--inciting violence against Black Americans first and now LGBTQ+ folks. That the account deliberately names individuals so that its followers can then threaten those people. Truly, truly awful. But folks who are not so online may not be aware of this, so a WashPo reporter doing an extended interview with the source of all this hate is a good way to expose what's going on. People can disagree about whether we need to hear from the source directly, but this is not platforming in the sense of giving someone a megaphone and letting them spread their views. Recently, the governor of Oklahoma gave this far right white nationalist a position on the state's library advisory council. That is giving someone a platform. And then a non-binary kid gets killed, and the governor then acts all shocked. </p><p>Anyhow, sometimes these decisions are tricky because we want to expose awful people, but we don't want to provide awful people with greater audiences. Folks might argue that we need the marketplace of ideas to sort this out, but like most markets and most invocations of the market metaphor, it really doesn't work like the metaphor. Ideas do not win or lose based on the quality of their debaters or the quality of the ideas themselves. They win or lose based on what people do and who has the power. That a far right white supremacist owns and controls twitter is a real problem that cannot be sorted out by everyone sharing their competing ideas online. Musk is platforming far right racist and xenophobic stuff, and he is blocking stuff that is critical. Suspending Navalny's wife a day or two after his death is a real tell. </p><p>Ultimately, journalists and organizations have to be prudent about who they give platforms and who they do not. Again, no one is entitled to the front page or the editorial page or the university's biggest stage. Every decision to give someone a platform is just that a decision, which should be based on the benefits and the costs. Academic freedom suggests giving space to a wide range of views, but there is no need to bring back that which has been thoroughly discredited--like flat earthers or those who buy into eugenic stuff or bell curves and IQ tests or antivaxxers.</p><p>And, yes, we live in a time where Democracy is under threat. Which is a bigger danger: giving anti-democratic forces the megaphone or denying them platforms and then having those forces try to make those institutions feel bad for being hypocritical? The bad faith actors want to use our values against ourselves. It can be tricky about how to respond but respond we must. </p><p>So, that's my incoherent rambling on this topic. You are required to read it, to respond, or to share it via social media.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>* I realize that folks can argue whether Maisonneuve is right wing or far right, but my coding rule these days if one uses "woke" disparagingly and essentially slurs those who are not cis straight folks, they are far right. If right wing folks want to say that is not fair, that those are mainstream views of the right, well, they are telling on themselves about where they are. <br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-59269279965487241842024-02-24T12:20:00.002-05:002024-02-24T12:20:26.808-05:00Berlin 2024: Report Eins!<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AhJgMcYEGGBXt-I2KMWDWxcQwUUutRbcMdno_KV00Py0FsnWidzPEkb8K0szefZeg2ofILoTowiwJmsnYYIhXorF70zPXHU8y6JhpJMf2RLsChmcT6Qtjryk4ckj8zX6fR8pAcSKlHiYZhLL1TP4OpH6VZesMSr91pED7hamxTZVN8tIHzez8OirQ6fM/s4000/20240218_144644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AhJgMcYEGGBXt-I2KMWDWxcQwUUutRbcMdno_KV00Py0FsnWidzPEkb8K0szefZeg2ofILoTowiwJmsnYYIhXorF70zPXHU8y6JhpJMf2RLsChmcT6Qtjryk4ckj8zX6fR8pAcSKlHiYZhLL1TP4OpH6VZesMSr91pED7hamxTZVN8tIHzez8OirQ6fM/w245-h184/20240218_144644.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I went back to the East Side Gallery my first<br />weekend, as it was not closed on Sunday <br />most shopping is closed)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> I have been in Berlin for one week thus far, with nearly three months to go. It has been a very busy week, and it did not just involve getting situated. But, yes, that took some effort and time as well. So, what have been up to in the shadow of the TV tower that is featured in any movie that wants to depict Berlin as a destination?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_W1mNCdH93ow9EEjPmH1mmVBULE8oKpaOB591GVzastIFK_m4ddKjCjJxCEmJORUYxitgmL1c-zfwjMJkgro1pbyRctdKXSYCAriE6nOjE6-xTnOm5nAOWhWQJh1D1M_hh96kpH9eOfp6gfeBdorD4cm_kWCnRWGR7QixZQg3UFSRyquS-lWiwu9t6Hk/s4000/20240217_121855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_W1mNCdH93ow9EEjPmH1mmVBULE8oKpaOB591GVzastIFK_m4ddKjCjJxCEmJORUYxitgmL1c-zfwjMJkgro1pbyRctdKXSYCAriE6nOjE6-xTnOm5nAOWhWQJh1D1M_hh96kpH9eOfp6gfeBdorD4cm_kWCnRWGR7QixZQg3UFSRyquS-lWiwu9t6Hk/s320/20240217_121855.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>First, yes, getting situated. I am staying near the Hertie School's Center for International Security, which is just off of Alexanderplatz. The apartment has much of what I need, but I had to go out and get a pillow (made in Canada!), a printer, groceries, and a residence permit. Yes, the country of Max Weber is very bureaucratic. Because there is much demand these days for all kinds of paperwork, I was lucky to snare an appointment on the farthest southern edge of Berlin. I got my paperwork stamped, so I can reside in Berlin officially. woot! <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p> </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D88cvSXtzSWyQ9W2jky8KcDWeNxMKCDtlQvIyf85nY-Hs4ZcKjHcfn7_cBGvDV3otZgIbz2CpdGIEVTIoK9GnCaJYE4rhHYOKxjP3TUWB00t8CYkKIuyuN1-MbIcq6tDmLjDc8Qxv8rVIjYQnmIV-E-HiwQ4OEygsVC3F3DfQ6rYjF9VEPbUK8fLaf9t/s4000/20240219_180715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D88cvSXtzSWyQ9W2jky8KcDWeNxMKCDtlQvIyf85nY-Hs4ZcKjHcfn7_cBGvDV3otZgIbz2CpdGIEVTIoK9GnCaJYE4rhHYOKxjP3TUWB00t8CYkKIuyuN1-MbIcq6tDmLjDc8Qxv8rVIjYQnmIV-E-HiwQ4OEygsVC3F3DfQ6rYjF9VEPbUK8fLaf9t/s320/20240219_180715.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President of Hertie, the Chinese former VM, <br />and Tobias Bunde<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Second, it turns out that my timing is good and the Hertie School is a happening place. Tobias Bunde, one of the researchers here, is also a/the organizer of the Munich Security Conference which happened the weekend I arrived. So, he brought a former Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs to a packed room (the Hertie students are from all over and they are keeners) where she presented her take on what happened at Munich and what are the major trends in international relations. I found her to be the best representative of the Chinese government: her English was great, she was not overly polemical, she knew her audience, and so forth. She definitely presented a biased point of view, but a clear one that was well asserted. She noted for instance that only four panels out of a hundred at the conference were on Gaza. She pointed that the discussions on that and on Ukraine were focused on problems, not solutions. But she was not pressed to offer any solutions. She contrasted the threat to freedom of the seas--that it is a problem for commercial shipping in the Red Seas but only a threat to American warships in the South China Sea. Hmmmm. She talked about Asia's long peace, she seems to be omitting the occasional Indo-Pakistan conflict. Speaking of omissions, she argued that occupation never works, and that this something the Americans should have known in 2003 and the Russians should have known two years ago. I was tempted to ask about Tibet or perhaps Chinese intentions towards Taiwan, but the event was for students. It was a great way to jump into things and meet a bunch of folks.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKbSOYTHLXvQtrJvxScytLKrjS4oVSA8ZBmlux9WOC0hpubpSa39ZfToOZpa5hHPnj2o_U1lq8c3XAXjjnluNNBpCAVGaPwwbdAQn5yOVzuP_pMzLFRUPhUAZdOf_izXQoPTyhKU_dPkvrB9KXMvFPOaUE3YzQB0W01d2h5JVP6olnGuUr0nm_IpMk9k6/s3648/20240218_135034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKbSOYTHLXvQtrJvxScytLKrjS4oVSA8ZBmlux9WOC0hpubpSa39ZfToOZpa5hHPnj2o_U1lq8c3XAXjjnluNNBpCAVGaPwwbdAQn5yOVzuP_pMzLFRUPhUAZdOf_izXQoPTyhKU_dPkvrB9KXMvFPOaUE3YzQB0W01d2h5JVP6olnGuUr0nm_IpMk9k6/w152-h202/20240218_135034.jpg" width="152" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No pics of Peter K, <br />but of other <br />important thinkers<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Another event was a session with Peter Katztenstein--one of the most important scholars in both International Relations and Comparative Politics for the past fifty years. Required reading, indeed. He was presented his latest book project (no retirement yet) that is pretty complex, raising meta questions about our thinking and about our need to think about uncertainty. It was similar to Debbi Avant's presidential address at the ISA a couple of years ago. He gave us a few chapters, the crowded room had read it, and so it was mostly Q&A. After the talk, he sat near me and we chatted a bit. That he has written books comparing Germany and Japan was not lost on me given my latest projects. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkxcQcmVRpEBIoVK9FLG_MKQ7kxGZnNYUgQFtr7mh4VWLZ8Qn5ZUTLDAxDc03kuIzs64Vhlt_vk7hRGfAqyMT-h7IGAs53jWKOZE4Z2v1oBaMiB0sVwn938GEU1V0LbdiOgUpbWOXCTmM-L0-FGGsgwGEXLM-pVmxyseoF-jUZDfMAHo9tCeBQOrWJy-S/s4000/20240224_113820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkxcQcmVRpEBIoVK9FLG_MKQ7kxGZnNYUgQFtr7mh4VWLZ8Qn5ZUTLDAxDc03kuIzs64Vhlt_vk7hRGfAqyMT-h7IGAs53jWKOZE4Z2v1oBaMiB0sVwn938GEU1V0LbdiOgUpbWOXCTmM-L0-FGGsgwGEXLM-pVmxyseoF-jUZDfMAHo9tCeBQOrWJy-S/w194-h258/20240224_113820.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><p></p><p>Next week, there will be a conference I am crashing at Hertie on the state of <b>Zeitenwende </b>and whether other countries are experiencing it as well. Huh? Oh, this refers to a speech by Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz shortly after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, that we live in a watershed moment, that we need to have a revolution in foreign and defense policy. He committed to a lot more defense spending and ending German dependence on Russian energy. The big questions are: how much of this has and is happening and whether other countries are rethinking their place in the world. I hope to find out next week.</p><p></p><p>Third, I have been getting some work done. I have started arranging interviews for the German case, finalizing the details for a trip to Finland in April to do that case study, doing the same for a research presentation at Central European University in Vienna in a few weeks (and, yes, nailing down the details for an Alps ski trip). I also revised three chapters of the Steve/Dave/Phil book before Dave tries to find some interest at the ISA in April. I hope to do my turn on the rest of the book in the next week. </p><p>Fourth, I have, of course, been touristing. I spent last weekend and today walking around this part of Berlin. I am far more familiar with west Berlin, as I have been largely based at hotels in west Berlin. My first walks were more targeted as I was looking for grocery stores (and google maps kept lying about where they were). </p><p> Some observations, which may be due to change over time or may be due to East Berlin being a bit different than West Berlin:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Less adherence to the guidance of the little green/red <a data-serp-pos="0" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampelm%C3%A4nnchen" title="Ampelmännchen"><span class="searchmatch">Ampelmännchen</span></a>, as I saw more people walking despite the red signs. Is this a sign that German society is breaking down?</li><li>Or is that the walk signals in East Berlin are too damned short? I can't tell you on how many streets I have been stuck in the middle (mostly where the trams go) as the light turns red very quickly.</li><li>I don't remember this much graffiti all over the place last time. On the bright side, when a store or something has nice wall art, the vandals or artists paint elsewhere.</li><li>Lots of reconstruction and renovations going on.</li><li>Lots more Five Guys burger places than I can recall. I haven't tried them yet, as I am mostly doing my own modest cooking (this apartment's kitchen is not well equipped, so no baking and only basic dinners). I did start off my time here with currywurst and chips, but I think my go-to cheap food will be kebabs/shawarma stuff. I did happen to walk past an Indonesian place, so I will be returning to that neighborhood when I am tired of my own cooking.<br /></li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzuGGLmJ860WiIFSra4Ywr1UojG-f0FEIVq2sfVKXAu0AKXocF5TCtZOEC8abk8e61I_e3kE34JS4Aios4gIgctWrdLTsNFXaXwIbNZMaGbUyGxzGgawELgXivMe4tH3ri9A3t_AWRJcqycuQbi4ohGMc28HhULY_Vim6ff1fgv7z34j3W1TIloCEu38Q/s4000/20240224_124652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzuGGLmJ860WiIFSra4Ywr1UojG-f0FEIVq2sfVKXAu0AKXocF5TCtZOEC8abk8e61I_e3kE34JS4Aios4gIgctWrdLTsNFXaXwIbNZMaGbUyGxzGgawELgXivMe4tH3ri9A3t_AWRJcqycuQbi4ohGMc28HhULY_Vim6ff1fgv7z34j3W1TIloCEu38Q/w176-h132/20240224_124652.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>Today's walk was more random, as I would head in one direction and then find something interesting on the map. Which took me to a memorial for those who the East German government killed at the Berlin Wall, which, yes, has been down longer than it has been up. I learned a great deal:<p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I should have realized how dynamic the interplay between Communist government and those seeking to escape would be. The wall such as it was kept evolving as the government learned via the escapes and attempts.</li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CCtg5M04DvJ5O5dRkrc6r_JyN9puPqS7wtyWF5xJIgz7utjVJo6qY7KlHOp3jMab7n73J8sajDGxhIg5K4R-yWxUPl6xnRknxjonPCsPS3aGLO97h8s_DLg3tvgep9PK3AodSFxMEN5QIPX666wHrdD8MznrECMlKNlT8YfczRqkUdRHouXXWl45hIPq/s4000/20240224_130213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CCtg5M04DvJ5O5dRkrc6r_JyN9puPqS7wtyWF5xJIgz7utjVJo6qY7KlHOp3jMab7n73J8sajDGxhIg5K4R-yWxUPl6xnRknxjonPCsPS3aGLO97h8s_DLg3tvgep9PK3AodSFxMEN5QIPX666wHrdD8MznrECMlKNlT8YfczRqkUdRHouXXWl45hIPq/w237-h178/20240224_130213.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the memorial showing<br />where the house got built over by <br />the wall<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Including tunneling! 57 people got out through one tunnel--amazing.</li><li>The wall itself caused more people to want to leave as it signaled more repression.</li><li>The evolution of the barrier included destruction of a church (one dedicated to Reconciliation!) and the movement of dead bodies from a graveyard, it involved boarding up and then destroying houses.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNIjq_L-b6DAIEMxcQ8E8lBVQoKnMcbmlyKfrRTvtAprakRRbbW0kQck2ZFehISUgXSFybuTkIk1zt3yhOpVKXDkK7wmtQzqQ96qYwZCIwuKopqXyb7v78hehVB7UI_SCOktFfalgFzYr_vov_nGBGXmJKs6i8tPOd1t9oLd0_wWnjDXD8uxDH3dvoosY/s4000/20240224_130344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNIjq_L-b6DAIEMxcQ8E8lBVQoKnMcbmlyKfrRTvtAprakRRbbW0kQck2ZFehISUgXSFybuTkIk1zt3yhOpVKXDkK7wmtQzqQ96qYwZCIwuKopqXyb7v78hehVB7UI_SCOktFfalgFzYr_vov_nGBGXmJKs6i8tPOd1t9oLd0_wWnjDXD8uxDH3dvoosY/w240-h180/20240224_130344.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxo36CbeD8N-XAp-5lAeU5967fHelJmbcBt5UZrikcd66NkjihTgAB_AQ5csRiIvALdBw0VHqoKsjRssVdiLGZzJWKK4mRNDSYiTm2pUjqXM-eV6ZezDASMiLGksbT0pzQ3Lv_dCqKq0xCCt1FnJCb2WMTN5GvvFoBGWLT77hO9HuGFOgh2J7eDBqFHl7/w223-h167/20240224_133429.jpg" width="223" /></div></li><li>There were a fair amount of German tour groups going through this area, so yes, still much interest even as it recedes in our memories. <br /></li></ul><p>The other new experience for me is a 21st century gym. I have mostly exercised on ultimate fields, bike rides through neighborhoods, the treadmill in our basement, and the occasional hotel fitness center. There is a spiffy, reasonable place near me that has the stuff I need (treadmills, space to stretch to try to fix my balky knee) and far more stuff. The denizens are in much, much better shape than I am, doing all kinds of exercises that I would not attempt, so that has been a funky distraction while I sweat out the pastries I have been buying. The bakeries here are good, and, yes, they like their donuts. I have resisted mightily but not entirely. </p><p>Next week, I will report what I learned at zeintenwende-fest. </p><p> Some random pics from my walks: </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNWfiuPpEujBRBqS9xPQXqlv1EIe9FOHNHap7i5PKkXAwa_x_rv9Sl69EliGfVZveZ_e568_euWSIBwp6c8RYx0b_0Yyo5vH8jfUKsXT8DMRcUrWffOSbrCQY8KIZ582ZN4-PteOowILONojrwU-JAWDHKoubwrr6I5ZzNXInc0PYIk2Vyy6v6FrAuVts/s4000/20240224_120535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNWfiuPpEujBRBqS9xPQXqlv1EIe9FOHNHap7i5PKkXAwa_x_rv9Sl69EliGfVZveZ_e568_euWSIBwp6c8RYx0b_0Yyo5vH8jfUKsXT8DMRcUrWffOSbrCQY8KIZ582ZN4-PteOowILONojrwU-JAWDHKoubwrr6I5ZzNXInc0PYIk2Vyy6v6FrAuVts/s320/20240224_120535.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Vegetarian butcher? <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cm_wZc0QRSKWJ0rsArB-YZZXfa9KyvIfthcPtVbjq_2YAexxpBZXzdRRRVg1gUULiP2H3IK7lRV5fdklT-YjhoFfMIBfKhuIu6IuPIWB2s-0US8cXea6uP5LkxeIgXep_yhBNTHEPeIers7x1Mvg42fpjs4CoRqW13lp5qkvrIDu76ZNhWJwJfTCtWUq/s4000/20240224_144225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cm_wZc0QRSKWJ0rsArB-YZZXfa9KyvIfthcPtVbjq_2YAexxpBZXzdRRRVg1gUULiP2H3IK7lRV5fdklT-YjhoFfMIBfKhuIu6IuPIWB2s-0US8cXea6uP5LkxeIgXep_yhBNTHEPeIers7x1Mvg42fpjs4CoRqW13lp5qkvrIDu76ZNhWJwJfTCtWUq/s320/20240224_144225.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Funky signs, not sure there is an actual cafe here.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-75753248159804882892024-02-16T09:03:00.001-05:002024-02-16T09:03:21.078-05:00Thanks For Your Service, Peter Feaver<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/covers/pdp/9780197681138" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="180" height="273" src="https://global.oup.com/academic/covers/pdp/9780197681138" width="180" /></a></div> I just finished reading Peter Feaver's excellent "<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/thanks-for-your-service-9780197681138" target="_blank">Thanks for Your Service: the Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military.</a>" Between Feaver and <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/covers/pdp/9780197681138" target="_blank">Michael Robinson</a>, the bar has been set on exhaustive, diligent, and creative deployments of surveys and survey experiments to tease out how publics feel about the US military. Robinson sought to understand the politicization of the armed forces, whereas Feaver seeks to understand many dimensions of what it means for the US military to be the institution that has the most public confidence. <p></p><p>Feaver used both previous surveys and more recent ones that he conducted to assess what causes Americans to have confidence in the military, why confidence varies among the public, how confidence then shapes attitudes about all kinds of things, and whether such confidence is, as Feaver puts it, hollow. </p><p>The book is itself a great primer on the state of public opinion and civil-military relations, which is no surprise since Feaver has been one of the leaders of surveys in this area (his other hat is as a <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674017610" target="_blank">very influential theorist of civil-military relations</a>). The end of the intro summarizes the state of the art.</p><p>The fundamental challenge of this work is that there are all kinds of conflicting dynamics. The US has been at war, so popularity of it should be high as a rally around the flag effect. The US lost one war, and the other war dragged on with less than satisfying results, so public confidence should be low. As Robinson documents, there has been a greater effort to politicize the armed forces, which should ultimately drag down public support as the military becomes identified with one party or the other (Feaver finds that public confidence wobbles a bit when the party in power changes with Democrats gaining more confidence when a Democrat is in the White House, and the same dynamic works for the Republicans).</p><p>I am not going to go through the whole book. I just want to identify a few key findings:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Those norms that civil-military relations scholars care about? Yeah, the public is not so concerned or aware of these norms.</li><li>I was not aware of the pithy four p's: performance, professional ethics, partisanship, and pressure. These are supposed to shape confidence as the military is seen as working better than other institutions and is more ethical, that institutions associated with parties have less support, and people support the military because they are supposed to do so and think others do so. Feaver explores each in depth.</li><li>The good news is that the military should be deterred from putting its thumb on the scales during public debates about military stuff as it does not work and may drive down public trust in the military.</li><li>The bad news is that most stuff is read through a partisan lens. So, if the military does stuff that aligns with one party's position, those partisans will be fine with that crossing of the line, while the opposing party will be offended by the violation. And if the military goes in the opposite direction, then the reaction flips as well.</li><li>A sharp chapter focuses on social desirability bias--do people answer surveys by giving answers that they think are the right ones? The ones that are popular? Feaver's survey work here is impressive (I am not a survey person although I am now involved multiple surveys!), suggesting that there is some hollowness to public confidence as a significant hunk of its public confidence is due to people giving the "right" answer. What happens if the military gets sufficient blemishes that it is no longer hip to be so positive? Confidence might drop quickly and sharply.<br /></li><li>Why does public confidence matter? It affects the ability to recruit and fund the armed forces. And, yes, JC Boucher, Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, Lynne Gouliquer, and I have a paper on exactly this in Canada--do stories of discrimination reduce support for friends/family to join the CAF (hint:yes!). </li><li>Yes, the greater the confidence in the military, the more likely folks will support greater military roles in the world--that the military is more useful as a tool of policy.</li><li>The military gets "ideational" benefits from higher confidence--deference but not that much influence on public support for policies. Key findings are that politicians will pay a price for going against military advice and the blame for failure will focus more on the civilian side. This limits how much accountability the military faces.</li></ul><p>I was really glad that Feaver addressed the big question that could not be tested through surveys--is it a good thing to have a lot of confidence in the armed forces? I have always been uncomfortable with what Feaver calls as pedestalizing the military, making it superior to society. I tend to regret when sports events embrace the military too much, and I worry when police forces imitate the military's special forces. And, yes, I worry that a military that has heaps of confidence will look down on the civilian world. Feaver does not feel quite as uncomfy as me, but does suggest there is a need to valorize other forms of public service, such as health care providers. He also argues that the confidence, if it is high, should be based on performance--as he puts it, "trustworthy, not simply trusted." He also suggests that partisanship may be getting in the way of accountability more than high confidence, and that is something Dave, Phil, and I find in our forthcoming book on legislative oversight and the armed forces.</p><p>He concludes with a call for more comparative work, which I will be citing in the next round of grant applications. Thanks, Peter!<br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-15770871465302626732024-02-11T10:47:00.004-05:002024-02-11T10:47:49.006-05:00The State of Canadian Civil-Military Relations in Early 2024<p> One of the things that I had claimed since 2021's general crisis--Vance, McDonald, and other senior officers being outed for sexual misconduct and abuse of power--is that efforts to change the military would not face as much resistance as in normal times. These folks had so thoroughly disgraced the military that any resistors would have weak arguments and few allies--who would stand up for rapists and abuses of power? It took a few years, but we now have an answer: the far right and the Conservative Party of Canada.</p><p>Aping the far right in the US, the right wing folks in Canada started accusing the military of being too woke. It is not just one random retired general with <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/09/grading-weak-op-ed-strawpeople.html" target="_blank">poor reading comprehension</a>. This weekend, a different person, <span class="published-by__author"><a href="https://nationalpost.com/author/jamie-sarkonak/">Jamie Sarkonak</a>, </span>wrote a <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jamie-sarkonak-turns-out-open-hostility-to-white-men-isnt-great-for-military-recruitment" target="_blank">piece at the same outlet</a>--the National Post--arguing that the military is hostile to white men (providing no evidence), that the military should not change (although it is better than the retired general's by recognizing past abuses), and that women who join should just embrace being in a male-dominated/male-defined organization, and Indigenous recruits/officers and people of colour should just accept the military has it has always been.</p><p>What this person gets wrong and what those who want to keep the military the same is basic math: she wants the military to rely on the traditional pool of recruits: "fit, aged 17 to 20, high-school educated, rural or small-city in origin and Caucasian in background." The problem is that this pool is shrinking. So, we need to expand the pool of recruits beyond this group--folks living in cities, non-Caucasians, and women. If you think you can do that while keeping the old culture that was/is hostile to these folks, then you not only suck at math but sociology.</p><p>The piece is on target when focusing on the consequences of budget cuts--resolving the personnel crisis requires more money, not less. But culture change is also required.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd08376797f742115eaa7cc/09afdf90-5a67-4790-b1c7-2ee805c4a300/WebinarFebruary.png?format=1500w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="286" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5cd08376797f742115eaa7cc/09afdf90-5a67-4790-b1c7-2ee805c4a300/WebinarFebruary.png?format=1500w" width="202" /></a></div>This Tuesday, <a href="https://www.cdsn-rcds.com/network-events/webinar-the-impact-of-discrimination-scandals-in-the-armed-forces-on-public-opinion" target="_blank">I am presenting along with several sharp scholars</a>--JC Boucher, Lynne Gouliquer, and Charlotte Duval-Lantoine--some data that shows that scandals about discrimination in the military cause people to lose trust in the CAF and become less supportive of their friends and family joining the CAF. So, the numbers cited in the op-ed piece about the decline in recruiting and the problem of retention may be more related to the abuses of general and flag officers than to the effort to change the culture.<br /> <p></p><p>Of course, correlation is not causation. But the antiwoke forces don't really have much data, and they have weak arguments based on bad math and bad sociology. On the bright side, I am getting cited, which is what academics want, and I keep getting alerted to these publications by the hate email I get. <br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-35452949257170953702024-02-08T14:43:00.002-05:002024-02-08T14:43:37.047-05:00Customer Disservice: Oy!<p> I find it hard to believe I have not dedicated a post here to whining about shitty customer service, but I couldn't find such a post. Yea! A chance to write something new!</p><p>I subscribed to the web version Toronto Star to get access to their coverage of the various Canadian military controversies. But I found that I was not reading much over there anymore. So, I tried to cancel my subscription. Funny how they make it easy to subscribe but very difficult to unsubscribe:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>there is nothing on the website to change one's account settings. The page for managing one's account is mis-titled since I could not manage my account. No hint of how to unsubscribe.</li><li>No phone number for managing one's subscriptions on the webpage. The only phone number is the general one.</li><li>What happens when you call the general number? I kept getting disconnected.</li><li>I emailed a while back to the electronic support to ask to be cancelled and they gave me a phone number that is only staffed in the mornings. Oh, and it is not an 800 number. Luckily it was staffed today.</li><li>So, the guy (from far, far away) on the phone first couldn't find my info as I assumed he could spell Steve... my bad. </li><li>Then he kept wanting to know how he could fix the situation other than unsubscribing. I was losing my temper... so nope, no fix. You make it hard to unsubscribe, that just hardens my need to unsubscribe.</li><li>Then he wanted to know why I wanted to unsubscribe to fill in the boxes on his form: your paper sucks. Sure, the coverage can be ok, but I have let this bad experience with customer disservice color my view.</li></ul><p>In between, I tried to get my credit card company to stop the automatic payment, and they refused. They said the only option they had was to cancel the card, which is pretty damned inconvenient. Why can't they just enter into their computers not to accept charges from a specific company? They can enter autopayments so why can't they stop specific autopayments? </p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: red;">It should not be this hard.</span></b></span></p><p> So, that is my rant du jour. That the move to online has made things easier to sign up but not to sign out, that they resist, hoping that you give up, and that credit card companies sure make it hard to change who I am paying.</p><p>Fuck.<br /></p><p> <br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-34600674301645124192024-01-30T09:36:00.000-05:002024-01-30T09:36:05.810-05:00Competing Magical Places: Disney Anew and Universal Yow!<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfi2Mopo5WU8Fta3ap_ZJUiTFYVHDPx-jmYpjw-B9fpkRVoQsBcJUfnv75-OlXlVcTrdBmXhvAIdbE7egcho-UIX1OUXqKAxw2IJt93-fl9SmHIqSSmSfpYZTMEpd-V_OdCdihPVdbIFe8TEFzsjkLI22pYFK2zKFVhHSPLgAHtyqpR2VjFI3X9T7uCTb/s3648/20240127_093701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfi2Mopo5WU8Fta3ap_ZJUiTFYVHDPx-jmYpjw-B9fpkRVoQsBcJUfnv75-OlXlVcTrdBmXhvAIdbE7egcho-UIX1OUXqKAxw2IJt93-fl9SmHIqSSmSfpYZTMEpd-V_OdCdihPVdbIFe8TEFzsjkLI22pYFK2zKFVhHSPLgAHtyqpR2VjFI3X9T7uCTb/w173-h231/20240127_093701.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen butterbeer is<br />best, but had much brain<br />freeze.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This week, I got to go back!!! I hadn't been to Disney World and Universal Florida since 2012 (when we went south to both sell the house in Montreal and celebrate the new job). This time, instead of Mrs. Spew and Future Hollywood Executive Assistant Spew, I went with my brother and my cousin's family. At a family occasion last year, I learned that my Floridian cousin and his wife don't like to do the most thrilling rides, leaving their kids frustrated during their visits. So, I made an unbreakable vow the next time they went to Universal, I would join them. My brother agreed to crash the party AND wanted us to do Disney World ahead of the U visit, as we had long wanted to do the super-expensive Star Wars experience ... that no longer exists. We had a blast. So, I thought I would share some intel and also rank the rides.<br /></p><p>First, we learned that to have the best time requires spending even more money. Yep, the tickets are expensive enough, but to spend less time waiting and more time enjoying, well, more money, more money, more money. For Disney, we were staying off of the property, so this meant paying more money for parking--<b>preferred parking</b> put one much closer and also got one out of a bit of traffic. We didn't do this and didn't really need to do this for Hollywood Studio, but did payoff for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We did Epcot on the MK day by taking a monorail to the monorail station and then over to Epcot. Genie plus, which costs money, allows one to reserve a spot on some rides for later in the day--it requires some strategery to make this work best as you can only set one reservation at a time until some time passes or until you do that ride. Virtual waiting is still waiting but more pleasant. Lightning lanes are for some rides--you actually pay additional money to get onto that ride for a specific slot. It has limited utility as they fill up quickly plus see the next paragraph. For Universal, we stayed at a Universal hotel, which cost more but came with an unlimited express pass, which allowed us to go through the fast lane at most (not all) rides.<br /></p><p>Second, the parks lie a bit. For the lightning lanes at Disney, for instance, if you are off property, you can't sign up until after the first hour or two of the morning, which means that those who are staying on property can sign up ahead of you, which means you might not have a slot available for you until late in the day. We didn't do Avatar (more below) because the first slot was around 5:30, and we had plans to leave the park by then. For Universal, we were told that the park would open up an hour early for those staying at the hotels onsite, but what we didn't know was that meant only one half of universal (the Isles of Adventure side) and only three rides would be open for that first hour--Hagrid, Velocicoaster, and Hogwarts Forbidden Journey. Roughly 90% of those coming in early went to the first ride, which quickly meant significant waits. Uncool--that they funneled all the early people to those rides. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskSTmcneDNUfmypHYmX-NpXBVDYoMxmcfFtPr2TBfd2_iMpA-Fv8PLvG24y61omwqOU0_FPUQ4BfVjcFEtwt308N5n6q8HDW0ALyEzOrH98DZ2pz-Czl9LgbWEXTaYnJVZCCGbB1gU5Pd650F_HMqHnPcBzrZxXAotmsn66Qlhb6Ti_Hi1iOwIo-xGtgy/s4000/20240124_170928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskSTmcneDNUfmypHYmX-NpXBVDYoMxmcfFtPr2TBfd2_iMpA-Fv8PLvG24y61omwqOU0_FPUQ4BfVjcFEtwt308N5n6q8HDW0ALyEzOrH98DZ2pz-Czl9LgbWEXTaYnJVZCCGbB1gU5Pd650F_HMqHnPcBzrZxXAotmsn66Qlhb6Ti_Hi1iOwIo-xGtgy/w182-h136/20240124_170928.jpg" width="182" /></a></div> Third, discretion is the better part of amusement park enjoyment. We had no kids with us for the Disney days so we could avoid rides that weren't really in our win-set. We were looking for the more thrilling rides, so we could do each of the Disney parks in half a day, more or less. We stayed longer at Hollywood Studios because I had made a reservation three months earlier (which is what one needs to do) to get a couple of spots at Oga's Cantina at the Star Wars part of HS. I figured I wouldn't want to drink some funky alien cocktails earlier in the day (Narrator: sure you would). So, we stayed there longer than we needed. That was ok, because the lines at Star Tours were short, and each ride is different (more below). Anyhow, we got through each park quickly by avoiding stuff that didn't interest us and not getting too committed to incredibly long waits when Genie+, Lightning Lanes, Express Pass wouldn't help. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22UoI7A4kF6C9oo3ZtxWXcPV32TbS27-rU2JI9KiXVXP5igTXyFeAGQleFlYyN6OwLQj2Vn9OGXi6Hxr8mb7blozjRhPdrZU1qULheoXEjT8AsB4zTPJXGAKwghexAVBqvkV9TaflJqq4k8v-WTfAJoKGfAaFGE0gd74OMKmOR1855zKjP98ou13aGBE0/s4000/20240124_171444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22UoI7A4kF6C9oo3ZtxWXcPV32TbS27-rU2JI9KiXVXP5igTXyFeAGQleFlYyN6OwLQj2Vn9OGXi6Hxr8mb7blozjRhPdrZU1qULheoXEjT8AsB4zTPJXGAKwghexAVBqvkV9TaflJqq4k8v-WTfAJoKGfAaFGE0gd74OMKmOR1855zKjP98ou13aGBE0/w95-h127/20240124_171444.jpg" width="95" /></a></div><p></p><p>Fourth, some advance planning does help. Specifically food reservations. We made some reservations at the parks and associated places (Disney Springs) and mostly found excellent food. I also learned of First Watch, which is an excellent breakfast chain that has food for those seeking healthy fare and for the stuff I like. Oga's Cantina was not as special as we thought--no mid-drink brawls with folks losing their arms and no alien adventures, but the drinks were excellent and the bartender was great. Next time I do Disney (CA or FL), I will again make reservations for Oga's, just earlier in the day.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSmb5VIVlY-eavRa8Rwwx67KlMfrInu_YlGjrDXdK8saFrronDgvLR9P0stSX2YfwjQjJMof8d6STBfF7Gx8c43w1y3Nye0_Kz57s_Ao9CByTf4CYLhX-o_rURxHH1FCqZs1ZjtraDCQnomSIsz4ld6yxz-eshx_SKREAFSaSdSsOgII7iKzltCZckcga/s4000/20240124_110144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSmb5VIVlY-eavRa8Rwwx67KlMfrInu_YlGjrDXdK8saFrronDgvLR9P0stSX2YfwjQjJMof8d6STBfF7Gx8c43w1y3Nye0_Kz57s_Ao9CByTf4CYLhX-o_rURxHH1FCqZs1ZjtraDCQnomSIsz4ld6yxz-eshx_SKREAFSaSdSsOgII7iKzltCZckcga/w160-h213/20240124_110144.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Indeed, one consistency across the two parks--the crew/casts were terrific. We met a lot of very friendly, patient, often silly folks working the various places (DeSantis is an idiot as damn these places employ a lot of people). The people at these parks elevated the experience. And, yeah, it not being summer helped a lot. Another is that each park had plenty of rides with taped appearances by the characters, and I was kind of surprised to see how they got damn near everybody. I asked my daughter about this--of course, each actor gets paid for their labor--but I wondered if they are required by their big movie deals to do this stuff. We did bump into one set of rude employees--First Order folks who stayed in character. Not just at Rise of Resistance but also patrolling the Star Wars land at Hollywood Studies. My brother almost got sliced in half by Kylo Ren. <br /><br /><p></p><p><table align="center" 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/AVvXsEjxONM5bQWxNwntOXo8sjkzVNXT3CwattRecz-S6Y8OACu3ph2Y-8toQ5ZMMkTzWFGnQiaVV8Uel9rUSfpLfB_Jq3xgm4cVFuAQ9nP_JXVAMGPBb8Br2ttYtEHfE85to3gaG2rHzcw9DeP0qEPnOh73e9yagMTtODVD9_HR7bOg7qDNGNIA4WaxhLZyh7fg/s4000/20240127_095839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxONM5bQWxNwntOXo8sjkzVNXT3CwattRecz-S6Y8OACu3ph2Y-8toQ5ZMMkTzWFGnQiaVV8Uel9rUSfpLfB_Jq3xgm4cVFuAQ9nP_JXVAMGPBb8Br2ttYtEHfE85to3gaG2rHzcw9DeP0qEPnOh73e9yagMTtODVD9_HR7bOg7qDNGNIA4WaxhLZyh7fg/w240-h320/20240127_095839.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary Oldman?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Speaking of people, the other attendees were pretty great as well. Folks were friendly and very much engaged in having a great time. I especially loved the herds of HP cosplayers who looked terrific. I swear I thought I saw Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, the Trelawneys and Umbridges were fantastic (see more <br />below), and yes, the cosplayers ranged in age with many older ones. While JKR has done much to taint the Potter legacy, the love and the silliness the fans have for that universe and for its characters made me feel less bad about having some of my money end up in the hands of JKR. I will have to write a separate post about that aspect--what HP means in a world where the author spews out hate. On the bright side, I saw more than a few gay couples at both parks, so the places are still welcoming even if the governor and the author are awful. Both places had very diverse audiences--lots of different languages, people from all over. <br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For the rankings below, my prejudices/guidelines is that I want to be thrilled and amused so more points for fast/swerving/looping/silly. </p><p></p><p><b style="color: #2b00fe;">Disney</b></p><p><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"></span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw4KzKBp35mIDPa83aTH702EcJ-jQ-ZthluXg2eZq_tPM2HbxThq6xxdXdsRsIl4C3GzZRC-6bOsmvIak-jOAp61RjmU8Br7lXmjgbHPpI4_SAO_F7HEXnB1_ZRM9rWMQK87fMAtGhCs5W-YfnI4sVXoMPphtqTM0TcH2vzbDssjbvNzrxfjNRZfUJdtJ/s4000/20240125_203715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw4KzKBp35mIDPa83aTH702EcJ-jQ-ZthluXg2eZq_tPM2HbxThq6xxdXdsRsIl4C3GzZRC-6bOsmvIak-jOAp61RjmU8Br7lXmjgbHPpI4_SAO_F7HEXnB1_ZRM9rWMQK87fMAtGhCs5W-YfnI4sVXoMPphtqTM0TcH2vzbDssjbvNzrxfjNRZfUJdtJ/w130-h174/20240125_203715.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>Guardians of Galaxy (Epcot): basically space mountain with cars that can move and turn, great soundtrack. Not as funny as GoG tower of terror at Disneyland, but just a great ride</li><li style="text-align: left;">Tron (MK): Awkward seat as you "ride" a cycle but heaps of fun. Needs to integrate throwing disks.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyhAW1B4QpckpJoyBwz-KkuBBznIx2nztqCzhHoLJUhgLSeyapu0NTKkVFawNqXDqdHGRdLzJbu_MYvgDuN2w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">Star Tours (Hollywood): The oldest of these rides. Each ride is different as they have something like 66 combinations. Each ride is physically the same--the car goes up, down, tilts, etc--but the screen stuff changes with each ride visiting two planets/experiences in the SW universe. In our five rides, we got a couple of repeats--we went to Hoth twice in our first two rides, for instance, but we got five different combos. We saw scenes from all nine of the movies except Attack of the Clones and, yes, Star Wars. They had plenty of stuff from the prequels and the sequels. The second scene would be introduced by a different character talking about new coordinates to get our spy to the right place--we saw young Leia twice (her intro led to the same place), older Lando, Yoda, and one more. We kept going back as the ride was fun and different each time, and the lines were short. <br /></li><li style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdKOC1AdwFqimuPUB85mphSQbIfuivWiRl-CjQDq9iH23vSGzeDbHg2hlq7LTGsyMnNBFu1Sl570g0qFnTO990lGafDDOc-BsQn-cIzKJPdVsm5MEp1HXA1837cbGlw6OKijIhMowFVyqMhWa632TkyS0POur9juZg_jAiogYZzpVRZMZgFB_SHEwRReY/s4000/20240126_091019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdKOC1AdwFqimuPUB85mphSQbIfuivWiRl-CjQDq9iH23vSGzeDbHg2hlq7LTGsyMnNBFu1Sl570g0qFnTO990lGafDDOc-BsQn-cIzKJPdVsm5MEp1HXA1837cbGlw6OKijIhMowFVyqMhWa632TkyS0POur9juZg_jAiogYZzpVRZMZgFB_SHEwRReY/w205-h154/20240126_091019.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>Everest (Animal Kingdom): a fun coaster ride through a mountain that gets interrupted by a Yeti, which meant for some backwards and some drops. No loops but a thrilling ride.<br /><br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">Space Mountain (MK): an oldie but a goodie--a fast coaster in the dark. </li><li style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdsBAYFIBGQnk64bSY3USt88dRu8EQ87_fV7dGDHqb5qyK9QrIBOQ59YLMHyEMsPvE4LHWx7HQQf-w6_ee-vZX5eISrCf0FCnVz07KzLWIEAbIxzpxk_NeHSNqD3YywwOCgSBuADMljCOe69wUj4GVB1MLU-bDQJ5o9GZFdfuYaG7xFBCI0t5Ui845GgP/s2944/20240124_100852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2944" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdsBAYFIBGQnk64bSY3USt88dRu8EQ87_fV7dGDHqb5qyK9QrIBOQ59YLMHyEMsPvE4LHWx7HQQf-w6_ee-vZX5eISrCf0FCnVz07KzLWIEAbIxzpxk_NeHSNqD3YywwOCgSBuADMljCOe69wUj4GVB1MLU-bDQJ5o9GZFdfuYaG7xFBCI0t5Ui845GgP/w232-h174/20240124_100852.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captured by the First Order!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Rise of the Resistance (HS): somewhat overrated. It had the longest lines. I was determined to do it since it was broken (it breaks often) when we tried to do it at Disneyland. It is a two stage ride--there is a Star Tours like shuttle that gets seized by the First Order. Then you exit that and are surrounded by tons of Storm Troopers (not living ones, just statues, but scary and incredibly lifelike). The heart of the ride has us escaping from the bad guys, so we are getting shot at while our driverless car spins and moves all over the place. It was fun and cool, but not the best ride at the place (a common theme)<br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">Kilimanjaro Safari (Animal): a truck took us deeper into Animal Kingdom so we were driven around a bunch of animals--pretty close to some giraffes, and right up to a rhino that blocked our path. It was really quite cool.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx6aysdwE5lctZhLhJhTzBkO0GeuOLEJfnEaT06TUxQM6QG8yyqlX7lC0uajOF-lYsFvJpqnKGuMG46tZQRGg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">Fast track (Epcot): pretty fast--"testing" a new specification. My brother liked this more than I did, but it was a lot of fun. Not much surrounding humor or whatever--but a good ride. <br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">Smuggler's Run (HS): I had done this before at Disneyland--you get to either help pilot the Falcon, serve as engineer, or shoot at stuff. It is like being in the cockpit of the Star Tours with some illusion of control. Tis a fun ride but you can't see that much from the back and hitting the buttons distracts a bit.<br /></li><li style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8Vd1z_wcz3QC7e4D2-PCTqKGISK9spt9FdFQgORCbvZASvw7c7gXNEzrInLUKWr4N4c6SVwZfSTKq0VqP5L5quHTwQaszTkUhnY0213H8QmRGRlz5acXvUBcJAZFJ0BrpGUBeR1Ds1H4DlyjwDbojRZ2BHj9NLyepeJ0kRzmx1LbH7rS3v0-E3Yesdbq/s4000/20240126_094026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8Vd1z_wcz3QC7e4D2-PCTqKGISK9spt9FdFQgORCbvZASvw7c7gXNEzrInLUKWr4N4c6SVwZfSTKq0VqP5L5quHTwQaszTkUhnY0213H8QmRGRlz5acXvUBcJAZFJ0BrpGUBeR1Ds1H4DlyjwDbojRZ2BHj9NLyepeJ0kRzmx1LbH7rS3v0-E3Yesdbq/w235-h176/20240126_094026.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>Dinosaur (Animal): One rides a vehicle in the past to steal a dinosaur for a mad scientist. Why does it have to be timed to be seconds before the asteroid that extinguishes the dinosaurs hits? No idea. Fun but not as thrilling as the rides above </li><li style="text-align: left;">Buzz Light Year Ranger Spin (MK). You sit and one person spins the ride while both shoot to kill aliens. <br /></li><li style="text-align: left;">Soaring (Epcot): riding a glider over California. Fun but pretty calming</li></ol><p> </p><p>Excellent shows: Disney Pixar shorts at MK, Indiana Jones Stunt Show at HS. The three shorts were terrific even as I was ready to dislike the Mickey one. The Pixar was very pixar-esque. All three were just great short movies and a welcome rest of the sore feet (my brother's step count was mostly in the high 20,000's). The Indy show was great--heaps of Indy goodness and much Marion spunkiness. I love the mini-plane they used"<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxHVSOdQH0fWFbe37v85_PEmYpmO26uXsZFiWhMGNSoqIV_AbjVGYXPtOuKOvH4kYshC9rdnJvbxYsrVG0Qjw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p>Overrated: Haunted Mansion and the Navi river ride were slow, boring, and wildly overrated. I would not do either of these again.<br /></p><p>Some rides were closed, and some were simply too difficult to line up. We were not willing to wait 2-3 hours for a ride. The former were Aerosmith Roller Coaster and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. The latter were: Avatar, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure </p><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #800180;">Universal</span></b>: </p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBgoxCsqdjDB7gSTsYkyGxiAMR_cj1zWmo8BZ5DK-tIwJJvNRXTn1jebqbHb-cNWG_a-xXK3NAqMPHsKeCnup6_LfA5gNxlaf0Je1dXmF9FEY2HsCQ2yecXqI5VeGyhATIV9hNwrYbNCVorLwozRpbs3HH04EAsIIBG-hp7VnvkS6Nqqahx7HVR5LM1R7/s4000/20240127_182327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBgoxCsqdjDB7gSTsYkyGxiAMR_cj1zWmo8BZ5DK-tIwJJvNRXTn1jebqbHb-cNWG_a-xXK3NAqMPHsKeCnup6_LfA5gNxlaf0Je1dXmF9FEY2HsCQ2yecXqI5VeGyhATIV9hNwrYbNCVorLwozRpbs3HH04EAsIIBG-hp7VnvkS6Nqqahx7HVR5LM1R7/w91-h121/20240127_182327.jpg" width="91" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No wonder<br />the raptors were<br />so angry<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>VelociCoaster (Isle of Adventure): simply the best roller-coaster I have been on. Fast and twisty from the start, good loops, plunges and swings while approaching the water. At one point, it starts to tilt left but then spins right. Just a very thrilling ride.<br /></li><li><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEORNL1RsF23GtQ0dUKHsl_JrZ9b_Tm4IGUkeqhNeqOKJPMaSOIC_hPkoFX9it3O1XizpjLUMiGo9i2RKn61PJ9zEWjzh9TbUXqGW505ZlrhE0ujDRbG4XYV-fRQ7-axorRztF8TrVsU5FaSt07yXRoMVYPpzoc6ZboKQvwlhOT6R4mP9n-3kygx4JilG/s4000/20240127_160349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEORNL1RsF23GtQ0dUKHsl_JrZ9b_Tm4IGUkeqhNeqOKJPMaSOIC_hPkoFX9it3O1XizpjLUMiGo9i2RKn61PJ9zEWjzh9TbUXqGW505ZlrhE0ujDRbG4XYV-fRQ7-axorRztF8TrVsU5FaSt07yXRoMVYPpzoc6ZboKQvwlhOT6R4mP9n-3kygx4JilG/s320/20240127_160349.jpg" width="320" /></a>Hulk (IofA): similar to VC but not quite as twisty or fast. Very good loops and twists.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></li><li>Spider-man (IofA): 4D ride--3D spidey lands on your car, shaking it and then shaking it again as he leaps off. Has a great sense of humor, the pumpkin bombs from the Hobgoblin bring real heat. Only regret is that it is generic versions, not the Molina Dr. Ock or the Jimmie Fox Electro and so forth. This ride has been around a long time, but it still works really well. The Transformers ride is newer but pales in comparison in a big, big way. Why? Story and character matter (see the above Star Tours). </li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9axay1C40qHSY3B6nWTHBK-QbQshTUul7Nbr9sbQAsl6MUPAG5L0avsQBfQuehuy_gmeXHarduRfOhdyi_Y1sYaqalUMzj1uAA-PwqxWWyTLQnuwGKW1vc0qQ1GtpQ0OOE_qUPh1-wAaFo0YhcUeYyCZ3rQg2VE0dHk-SFiXOF88LGIqvVWF8P5EaavME/s4000/20240128_113512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9axay1C40qHSY3B6nWTHBK-QbQshTUul7Nbr9sbQAsl6MUPAG5L0avsQBfQuehuy_gmeXHarduRfOhdyi_Y1sYaqalUMzj1uAA-PwqxWWyTLQnuwGKW1vc0qQ1GtpQ0OOE_qUPh1-wAaFo0YhcUeYyCZ3rQg2VE0dHk-SFiXOF88LGIqvVWF8P5EaavME/w179-h134/20240128_113512.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>Gringotts (UniFlorida): I have been waiting a long time for this as we imagined this ride when we visited 12 years ago--when the park only had rides that built on the first four books/movies. They did a very nice job of realizing the Gringotts breakout scene. The cart was fast and spinny but not too scary for my youngest relative. It had a bit more juice than the most similar Forbidden Journey. Oh and a nice job with the dragon.<br /></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdYFo49eYwhg6xCZouIAM7Os0e59QHCkysev7Ud306p-Q0zPlExRjgOOuAw4MMJYaC9vEKriagF3pS0m_CEf2Rd6NV3ef1OWqw2G9-OquLvVYOmMBZzVwHUgI-F9abyr_USyo_YycCQk7sUYpj5l8HKq121B-7egM8sPxT2YIYP6mmJrfK-SjldZrXu2b/s4000/20240127_102318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdYFo49eYwhg6xCZouIAM7Os0e59QHCkysev7Ud306p-Q0zPlExRjgOOuAw4MMJYaC9vEKriagF3pS0m_CEf2Rd6NV3ef1OWqw2G9-OquLvVYOmMBZzVwHUgI-F9abyr_USyo_YycCQk7sUYpj5l8HKq121B-7egM8sPxT2YIYP6mmJrfK-SjldZrXu2b/w123-h164/20240127_102318.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>Forbidden Journey (IofA): like Gringotts, a 3D adventure, this one giving you the feeling of flying a broom through the grounds of Hogwarts. I did yell Expecto Patronum when the Dementers appeared, but, of course, I didn't have my wand as they made us put all of our loose stuff in lockers (a recurring theme). </li><li>Simpsons (UF): Remains a great combo of silly and thrill. The entire
ride makes fun of the amusement park experience, which makes it even
better.<br /></li><li>Revenge of the Mummy (UF): another 4Dish ride with lots of ups, downs, and all the rest as we are chased by scrabs and mummies. <br /></li><li>Dr Doom's Fearfall (IofA): old ride, slung up, drop down. Very basic, still works, and good views.<br /></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrZo9UdruMMcLvWBxYpKZHc7YcbRW-v5iwD1GVUgT135bULDAWkaKPThOGcW6L8CqV74PpgCgrwY6ti0Lgwhpy3Rq8IL1lOiX9AlaSYJm3vPkYMKCm6jTsHC8dDNCm-MoAriyQMANyl-2BLZdypivg-ju5Y4k8J9YlN200ZmEeZ1kxA3L1wNnxwfDe6DV/s4000/20240128_080817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrZo9UdruMMcLvWBxYpKZHc7YcbRW-v5iwD1GVUgT135bULDAWkaKPThOGcW6L8CqV74PpgCgrwY6ti0Lgwhpy3Rq8IL1lOiX9AlaSYJm3vPkYMKCm6jTsHC8dDNCm-MoAriyQMANyl-2BLZdypivg-ju5Y4k8J9YlN200ZmEeZ1kxA3L1wNnxwfDe6DV/w175-h131/20240128_080817.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>Hagrid (IofA): So hard to get on this ride as it is very popular. But it is not that special. It is cool that the two riders, one on the motorcycle, one in the side car, have somewhat different experiences, but, otherwise, it is a fine roller-coaster. <br /></li><li>Men in Black (UF): It is fine, but not that memorable.<br /></li><li>Race thru NY with Jimmy Fallon (UF): You are in a car racing thru NY with Fallon. It is a fun ride, but nothing special.<br /></li><li>Minions (UF): I did both Minions rides with my younger relative (what is the daughter of a cousin anyway?). One involved shooting from a standing position that moved along a conveyor built and was hard on the hands--the kid beat us all. The other ride? I am having a hard time remembering. Not a good sign.<br /></li><li>Hogwarts Express: Goes back and forth between the two HP sections--Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Useful for getting between the two parks and amazing design of the scenery. Not thrilling but a great realization of a key scene in pretty much every book except the last. Oh, and going to Hogsmeade has different stuff happening along the way than going in the other direction.<br /></li><li>Fast and Furious/Skull Island: Both are ok, nothing special, basically versions of each other.<br /></li><li>Transformers: Supposed to be the equivalent of the Spidey ride, but just too loud, too many robots I can't keep straight. I get it, the bad guy wants the All Spark. </li></ol><p>Didn't do Rip It Rocket as it was only open for a little while on the second day and we missed our shot. River Adventure was also out for the count. We weren't in it to get wet, so not a huge loss. </p><p>That Star Tours is old and rocks and Transformers is new and doesn't speaks to the importance of story, dialogue,
characters, not just whether the thing one is in goes up and down a
lot. So, my bias is towards the HP and Marvel stuff, why the Simpsons
is still deceptively one of the best rides, and why I don't are much for
the newer stuff--their IP is just not thrilling to me.</p><p>Oh, and if I had to combine my rankings to produce a top five:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Guardians of the Galaxy</li><li>Velocicoaster</li><li>Hulk</li><li>Spidey </li><li>Tron<br /></li></ol><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPhpxYFmyvg7uOVymQ33mChVRttpxFWWoFIRDH-Vu4rNUlqFMDP0EYW9OyVH2Ph8Iq8M9e5HAvwgz892Grlreno6V7GOz6LLW7esMJ7LBCw1l03lWafV00rRvLAFsndeG44Yk3-iUYKLgTpsWuD7A0jn-kFx_riuzAF_4AauF027WwzrLO0mIuF6DSJJy/s4000/20240128_131915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPhpxYFmyvg7uOVymQ33mChVRttpxFWWoFIRDH-Vu4rNUlqFMDP0EYW9OyVH2Ph8Iq8M9e5HAvwgz892Grlreno6V7GOz6LLW7esMJ7LBCw1l03lWafV00rRvLAFsndeG44Yk3-iUYKLgTpsWuD7A0jn-kFx_riuzAF_4AauF027WwzrLO0mIuF6DSJJy/w137-h183/20240128_131915.jpg" width="137" /></a></p>One quibble with Universal--they seem to have the rights to Back to the
Future, but other than some merch, one Dolorean, and Doc Brown, they
don't really do anything with it. It is begging to be used in a ride
and then some. Given that they still have a lame section that might be
under renovation for some kind of Greece/Atlantis thing that my family
scoffed at 12 years ago and wondered if it would be the site of expanded
HP, it seems obvious that BTTF should get some love and space. But as Doc Brown would say, the future hasn't been written yet.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbE5mKPQI56oQQAu0rB78fGWmde3Y48ZPXX19RZLW7qw3toDP8SqCcafDGa5GM6IpiRjJcay66vbCRZGDo-xF9F8_4amirjtmLKExmlcvmjNQy2UXNyqlqfCwaxkslY18lFUtD3CqeIfvB-uMPBVtvHETgFh8LpTq1WAB6wzPa3Xe0PDrP0mXSWM2OxqK/s2048/IMG_20240124_162042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1287" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbE5mKPQI56oQQAu0rB78fGWmde3Y48ZPXX19RZLW7qw3toDP8SqCcafDGa5GM6IpiRjJcay66vbCRZGDo-xF9F8_4amirjtmLKExmlcvmjNQy2UXNyqlqfCwaxkslY18lFUtD3CqeIfvB-uMPBVtvHETgFh8LpTq1WAB6wzPa3Xe0PDrP0mXSWM2OxqK/s320/IMG_20240124_162042.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>And, yes, you can meet your heroes. Mando was super friendly, and Grogu cooed cutely.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokBm-YyO8yluaOELbqKcPGYhJonhS3V4wNiiEDbtQIfubQwGBnHjjNf1rzbi34uSgPP2KvT2sRa_inMZ6McEhkRuuMFGqAWCz8B67hvbSagtR29QnXNoNMCrCwDH7sGo0t47Jugig7PH1z9hN4s6BHi64WbNVJhWIOBlQGbxEg6enC0OfWKxz6nXXGjjl/s2100/64c8270a-46ed-4ef7-98bb-d51eb6c52cf8..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokBm-YyO8yluaOELbqKcPGYhJonhS3V4wNiiEDbtQIfubQwGBnHjjNf1rzbi34uSgPP2KvT2sRa_inMZ6McEhkRuuMFGqAWCz8B67hvbSagtR29QnXNoNMCrCwDH7sGo0t47Jugig7PH1z9hN4s6BHi64WbNVJhWIOBlQGbxEg6enC0OfWKxz6nXXGjjl/s320/64c8270a-46ed-4ef7-98bb-d51eb6c52cf8..JPG" width="229" /></a></div>Spidey was very much a friendly neighborhood hero. I got to chat with him before we took a picture, and he was super nice. I misheard the woman at the checkout register, sounded like she said she was his girlfriend. When I asked, she said "I wish." I suggested that his girlfriends often have much drama and trauma in their lives, and she acknowledged that is a good point.<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><br /><br /><p><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><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/AVvXsEgALje_evW61mGOv-ftEAYDZgJZbgwEuZ8xwxhb5RMlTTcaYR9aHavX0soM3dgPepVDXdekkMKqZg6EF9wA0Ln5bTbno_Om8Mi611BmUQR_xKdm12kAJGFVK-QaKjmwi9qIbUe3Uwpx8E3bTw9snuPul7t1XMocuMn4LVYCZtTFiJpjpk13UzICYkbDd-_a/s4000/20240128_101747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALje_evW61mGOv-ftEAYDZgJZbgwEuZ8xwxhb5RMlTTcaYR9aHavX0soM3dgPepVDXdekkMKqZg6EF9wA0Ln5bTbno_Om8Mi611BmUQR_xKdm12kAJGFVK-QaKjmwi9qIbUe3Uwpx8E3bTw9snuPul7t1XMocuMn4LVYCZtTFiJpjpk13UzICYkbDd-_a/w119-h158/20240128_101747.jpg" width="119" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Green eggs and ham was not the best meal I had, but the one that I just had to eat. It was pretty good.</p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p></p><p>Finally, here's a few shots of various HP cosplayers. As I mentioned, I am far more ambivalent about HP thanks to JKR's hateful stuff of the past several years. Sure, the representation in the books was not good, and the goblins were always a wee bit anti-semitic. But the heart of the books focused on love and tolerance. And I could not help but see how many people seemed to get that as they not only wore their cosplay stuff with great panache, but as you can see from the pics, there was so much camaraderie and, yes, love.<br /></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/AVvXsEhwoGaMvIPsIkLYieUAp62TDfXoA4wwdPKz9N4oGMEtub1fV3Vi48cqwl4-jL9xwL1i9gOmy9L5pYV4JaJ4a-fuhvS_RehFaLUuAzPtn_UzjKmV2BwddE_HqjlAoKFnVgL1s8-32f_kNNxu5fD-6cnYRNuiTIAXD099K7v85tKeWkzw_yYeF601KuPPh5O4/s4000/20240127_165257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoGaMvIPsIkLYieUAp62TDfXoA4wwdPKz9N4oGMEtub1fV3Vi48cqwl4-jL9xwL1i9gOmy9L5pYV4JaJ4a-fuhvS_RehFaLUuAzPtn_UzjKmV2BwddE_HqjlAoKFnVgL1s8-32f_kNNxu5fD-6cnYRNuiTIAXD099K7v85tKeWkzw_yYeF601KuPPh5O4/s320/20240127_165257.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0QzZ6e84TsUiVUce7R5Q793d_6ZrbN6K_Zg7NSngcOnEMhuGHAmCt_sg4-phdkUl8G6njK5F3HX8xXN5c5r5aOFblXoCy3lSXtWbe56bXs7hgvkr54XoMkO-HsEpiRbMb2cacUMpUPu9bnaujoAYRAQpaEkDwuz_OgH6MEsFpaj2TjypMBYHvo4hap72/s4000/20240127_130316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0QzZ6e84TsUiVUce7R5Q793d_6ZrbN6K_Zg7NSngcOnEMhuGHAmCt_sg4-phdkUl8G6njK5F3HX8xXN5c5r5aOFblXoCy3lSXtWbe56bXs7hgvkr54XoMkO-HsEpiRbMb2cacUMpUPu9bnaujoAYRAQpaEkDwuz_OgH6MEsFpaj2TjypMBYHvo4hap72/s320/20240127_130316.jpg" width="240" /></a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlgW45IoCDricnHJG7oZ0VjDN0A0gB199V6p1mMQ3WnntAp6c7wK2fxwSCDabOW6_mCM-yqpq5VkKggGUUbiZVPCwVl-MaEy-cveuC9Y6hmMg1fSSN7SBZ2ZZtjT7ElK5lkrvXYd2Mt8lfHsAQrAwyCfa4RXpBqnhA-WIgYCzlGgy_lcLJTUMlDQ7qu07/s4000/20240127_135334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlgW45IoCDricnHJG7oZ0VjDN0A0gB199V6p1mMQ3WnntAp6c7wK2fxwSCDabOW6_mCM-yqpq5VkKggGUUbiZVPCwVl-MaEy-cveuC9Y6hmMg1fSSN7SBZ2ZZtjT7ElK5lkrvXYd2Mt8lfHsAQrAwyCfa4RXpBqnhA-WIgYCzlGgy_lcLJTUMlDQ7qu07/s320/20240127_135334.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snape and Fleur--not the usual pairing<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n_L8olMBadm2hzom3rwWqpLWAEIgWkCCe7J82BnpHeGF0Tui8EQ7h_lu-iwb5yoJ3dotjqq4T5KHJxpta_4FSgl-Zn1HYUkb6F2JaIh-LM7iL0YJqPp1oze4AKOSM6NRhG7S79jw3ExC_e0n5iKgDShpOVAlD11j39uN_Z3RFZF6eZ3EqK3i0YqlTjEd/s4000/20240127_110914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n_L8olMBadm2hzom3rwWqpLWAEIgWkCCe7J82BnpHeGF0Tui8EQ7h_lu-iwb5yoJ3dotjqq4T5KHJxpta_4FSgl-Zn1HYUkb6F2JaIh-LM7iL0YJqPp1oze4AKOSM6NRhG7S79jw3ExC_e0n5iKgDShpOVAlD11j39uN_Z3RFZF6eZ3EqK3i0YqlTjEd/s320/20240127_110914.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish I had taken a picture when I was closer <br />to this herd of cosplayers who gathered in a UF park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-18537579025052399912024-01-20T17:04:00.005-05:002024-01-20T17:09:44.610-05:00Niseko: Many Mountains, Much Bliss<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XpJQH_pLeYYI2PNItHKx_qyGev8ydXIDERSobkqqGkwNedsUyar2eQkMYrnLQ1qiiOsAbtKEeYOyuOMSEK3tnUccGMGGig7EY3ZKyLk7xCJA1l4SLJOUwfOY8xqnX7ATSxNaUWnsOg9uVl0OdxfjaqTlOZ1Rg05GMFhPCxa4RshFfGu-YkIpCgVQE8_i/s4000/20240116_132228.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XpJQH_pLeYYI2PNItHKx_qyGev8ydXIDERSobkqqGkwNedsUyar2eQkMYrnLQ1qiiOsAbtKEeYOyuOMSEK3tnUccGMGGig7EY3ZKyLk7xCJA1l4SLJOUwfOY8xqnX7ATSxNaUWnsOg9uVl0OdxfjaqTlOZ1Rg05GMFhPCxa4RshFfGu-YkIpCgVQE8_i/w167-h125/20240116_132228.jpg" width="167" /></a></div>After two days at Rusutsu, I have skied for five days at Niseko, which is about 30 minutes away. It is a much, much larger place, not just with four distinct ski areas, but also going much further up. It took four lifts to get to the top, and we could only do that on our third day and beyond due to winds. My sister and I have explored all four areas now. As this amazing ski vacation ends today with my flying back home while they go onto other ski areas in Japan, I wanted to engage in some comparative analysis.<br /><p></p><p>Some of the differences I noted about Rusutsu were apparently more specific to that place and not so much applicable to the rest of Japanese skiing (my n is 2 so .... yeah). </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtxM2r5awtTQtIo3azLk3E1PYa7d2J5HdZ7jZjX-y9QKivzhc3081lrhcMam5Fb4xovXMIWwuJSW-S6eGFj3KfyLp2l0iK305ott5f_MtRYpJ1_wMGI9-Y7t2QmfcA_NOogPrYFxBZXLdU1ZXlrU_OH7qocAo9_52ACHMmMaHrV3pyXGwNKRMmKGMqcQ8/s4000/20240120_105228.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtxM2r5awtTQtIo3azLk3E1PYa7d2J5HdZ7jZjX-y9QKivzhc3081lrhcMam5Fb4xovXMIWwuJSW-S6eGFj3KfyLp2l0iK305ott5f_MtRYpJ1_wMGI9-Y7t2QmfcA_NOogPrYFxBZXLdU1ZXlrU_OH7qocAo9_52ACHMmMaHrV3pyXGwNKRMmKGMqcQ8/w118-h157/20240120_105228.jpg" width="118" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in the deep stuff<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The fresh snow was great at Rusutsu, but the freshies at Niseko was just so fluffy and soft. Absolutely the best snow I have skied through/under, and it is not close. I often read long ago about champagne powder in the Rockies, but never really experienced it until now. And now I get why it is so addictive.<br /></li><li>Far more <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />of Rusutsu had buildings covering the top and bottom of the chair lifts, whereas Niseko was more of a mix. Some had top, some had bottom, some had neither, and some had both. </li><li>Talkative chair lift attendees? Mostly, more recorded stuff playing at Niseko.</li><li>Bubbles on chair lifts? Some, but not most. Indeed, Niseko had a couple of chairlifts I had never seen before</li><ul><li>leather, heated seats on one six-pack, and that lift went incredibly slowly the one time I had my pole in the wrong place when the automatic bubble/safety bar came down, trapping the pole against my thighs and my sister's. Not a comfy ride despite the leather seats. <br /></li><li>a four person gondola with two in front facing front, two in back facing back<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SZ47E7WKtYbZbW6TbMDNA4mDWOCcNzPkj7BK8rXNbcJHNNkA4dnewVIKWtVIx5R7NA_f-e52fSX4jnm3NIIf5M5MhkuG63RefMRdyZpyzNCUZ-8JyqgF11FqXAp53qy8H2_1eZTZk1ECC5MOAxyOB9vcrCBwaw1jlyJuaRNL8uLlxkSviaEtFVK5GRWo/s4000/20240117_121654.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SZ47E7WKtYbZbW6TbMDNA4mDWOCcNzPkj7BK8rXNbcJHNNkA4dnewVIKWtVIx5R7NA_f-e52fSX4jnm3NIIf5M5MhkuG63RefMRdyZpyzNCUZ-8JyqgF11FqXAp53qy8H2_1eZTZk1ECC5MOAxyOB9vcrCBwaw1jlyJuaRNL8uLlxkSviaEtFVK5GRWo/w236-h177/20240117_121654.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the funky four person gondola<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></li><li>pizza box lifts--one person chair lifts with no seat back and no bar in front. One holds onto the pole that connects the chair to the rest of the lift. I did not do that lift, but would have on the last day if I had any energy left.<br /></li><li>More sharing on lifts--Niseko encouraged strangers to sit on the same chair and did pack some of the gondolas (those at the western resort in particular).</li><li>Many, many Aussies. I would guess that were as many Aussies as Japanese. <br /></li></ul></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdQfkuD0ypqHCqwlOq-HRWoIouIn7_eMDUuYbI1jJ4N_V1L1f0dDwQdico0rtjj0X7kXMjl1gsMwctwTY3zUwZUBlZmynNlFDPBLiYS6ms8CtpkGVPqRZ55jlXgYFpqTgY9riH6AvDpz1oL6ocireY62_kqpjtD-19v4F-2ESXCOdeXgwZ8minwx1Itey/s4000/20240117_182610.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdQfkuD0ypqHCqwlOq-HRWoIouIn7_eMDUuYbI1jJ4N_V1L1f0dDwQdico0rtjj0X7kXMjl1gsMwctwTY3zUwZUBlZmynNlFDPBLiYS6ms8CtpkGVPqRZ55jlXgYFpqTgY9riH6AvDpz1oL6ocireY62_kqpjtD-19v4F-2ESXCOdeXgwZ8minwx1Itey/w175-h131/20240117_182610.jpg" width="175" /></a></div>Both places had night skiing, which we didn't do at all--just too tired. But pretty to look at. <br /></li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_U7X90sAYuBdrWFq0rxALK_qQ5soZEZaGZN3l1zdyBDTVkzhnKXoAtJdyPuap8hb04Qk62UcwvdZZqUaIv8FtfrnUIwBIXKmDabO8W1yuAm-4VXM7WT5SeCniFobPE9SPEqi_NzwRVYk3z0j3Tw23J3FwLMMB2sxSRIRH_XShWJbaVfcJ5axp14Bkgri/s1437/IMG_20240120_044243.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1437" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_U7X90sAYuBdrWFq0rxALK_qQ5soZEZaGZN3l1zdyBDTVkzhnKXoAtJdyPuap8hb04Qk62UcwvdZZqUaIv8FtfrnUIwBIXKmDabO8W1yuAm-4VXM7WT5SeCniFobPE9SPEqi_NzwRVYk3z0j3Tw23J3FwLMMB2sxSRIRH_XShWJbaVfcJ5axp14Bkgri/w240-h185/IMG_20240120_044243.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, we played follow the leader, <br />and I was mostly the leader lemming<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Each of the four mountains had its own vibe/tendencies. Going from left to right, the one on the far left had mostly super wide intermediate trails that had some good steeps and had nice, relatively flat glades, so we played a lot in the trees and in the deeper snow (not that deep). It was mostly uncrowded as it was harder to reach with some of the upper lifts closed. The second mountain was narrower, had more winding, narrower trails. The main resort has a bunch of lifts (it takes four to get to the very top), a lot of different terrain from super easy for the ski schools to fun blue cruisers to some steep narrow stuff. Lots of choices, and I enjoyed most a gully that had shrubbery and widely spaced trees on either side to play in, much like Grizzly Gulch at Lake Louise but not as big in the middle, not as steep on the sides, and not as bumpy. The mountain on the right had some very steep intermediates and not as much tree stuff.<p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdto0_zeHlpZFuQ4hTVpWrorr-nktAvqbwQMd4Lq2ZNS0spGNtjajVpIrcB7vrE1tcLbPzWWVm2Akk8Qyc5xAmnK28olMC93HDJLzcQJ-Q5PqFyxn-VGewfeDTKyPmGlI58m-9QudcPtPn3iHZ8MQ9d_lAHBOmoSMJ24VM-ZZI01loJ3SCn6JIydazEToN/s4000/20240118_095545.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdto0_zeHlpZFuQ4hTVpWrorr-nktAvqbwQMd4Lq2ZNS0spGNtjajVpIrcB7vrE1tcLbPzWWVm2Akk8Qyc5xAmnK28olMC93HDJLzcQJ-Q5PqFyxn-VGewfeDTKyPmGlI58m-9QudcPtPn3iHZ8MQ9d_lAHBOmoSMJ24VM-ZZI01loJ3SCn6JIydazEToN/w220-h165/20240118_095545.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To be clear, we didn't climb the extra <br />50-100 yards to get to the tippy top<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We finally got to the top yesterday after the winds died down. We used that opportunity to get over to the next mountain rather than walking/skating. I did get a second chance at it, but the visibility declined. Still, it had a ton of snow, which made getting up and getting my ski pole after a fall a bit challenging. Getting down from the required going down a steep, shrubbed slope--it was fun, moderately difficult, and thrilling... oh and tiring. <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7F8BmmZJ68_tfMjWVC62c43t1mANPSfTNrG-49Mhnf3RC6CHgTAAwgcPYz7ydS_LsHWQLgPcjx7tbHotD82Bkubm8-GZswLa7lAbI9tthipBuTa79z2vaomkrHAsIk0k3A8Gqfeu9Seu2TQ-41Wi5ooZ9bot6nK1vQMNiB3_3pqp6cpqv5N7pu1Dwi-N/s823/susan%20in%20the%20super%20deep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="823" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7F8BmmZJ68_tfMjWVC62c43t1mANPSfTNrG-49Mhnf3RC6CHgTAAwgcPYz7ydS_LsHWQLgPcjx7tbHotD82Bkubm8-GZswLa7lAbI9tthipBuTa79z2vaomkrHAsIk0k3A8Gqfeu9Seu2TQ-41Wi5ooZ9bot6nK1vQMNiB3_3pqp6cpqv5N7pu1Dwi-N/w244-h244/susan%20in%20the%20super%20deep.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan near the peak in the super deep<br />and steep. She has improved so much<br />so quickly!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p></p>And then on our last day, my sister joined me in doing this--with a heap of fresh snow. I mixed it up with some really wide turns and some pretty straight down the mountain ones. Of course, my inappropriately narrow carving skis didn't help, but I didn't suck at it, and it was a blast. My sister, who very recently was much more tentative, went down pretty quickly and under control. Most impressive.<br /><p></p><p></p><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I am amazed that my legs haven't been very sore, although my knees were progressively sorer towards the end of the trip. I should be ok for the next trip... which is just two days after I get home. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G7zpFyKyYs10MGQA7FGPX1s71ZM3ETfQX5Ehiqv7T9Hzq8ef8Q-6o0nbXVUqi2pP0I4bN2rMC30KLLSX_NCJoEzFvMSAkoxdTCB_sVbVIiBsj90qvcfrnjS7TWBWMhlxgKq59zo3b37_Vf-hlGtsTFnfzHK75yNO7mX38cp3w1PV2sia67leQhN5eFl/s4000/20240116_175136.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6G7zpFyKyYs10MGQA7FGPX1s71ZM3ETfQX5Ehiqv7T9Hzq8ef8Q-6o0nbXVUqi2pP0I4bN2rMC30KLLSX_NCJoEzFvMSAkoxdTCB_sVbVIiBsj90qvcfrnjS7TWBWMhlxgKq59zo3b37_Vf-hlGtsTFnfzHK75yNO7mX38cp3w1PV2sia67leQhN5eFl/w191-h143/20240116_175136.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of at least 3 food truck areas<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We are staying at a hotel just across the street from the food trucks and a five minute walk to one set of lifts. The food has been pretty terrific, and everyone we have met has been quite friendly. Our last night was a phenomenal meal where we had about eight dishes, each one on a different beautiful plate.<br /><p></p><p>My skiing is probably the best it has ever been, as I have had two lessons this week, one good and helpful and one less so, and lots of practice on all kinds of terrain. I am not as smooth and fluid as others, but I have been better at getting into a good rhythm and skiing through the piles of snow. We had a bunch of fresh snow to begin our time here at Niseko and on our last day. In between, there were still plenty of stashes in the trees, so that is where we would visit. </p><p>It has been the best ski trip of my life--the longest, with the most varied terrain, and with great company. Only Whistler and maybe Copper compare. Very glad to be my sister's ski buddy on this--we like the same kind of terrain now (she is not as confident on narrow traverses so no Fernie for her). The only thing we need know is a distinct helmet cover for me so that she can find me in my otherwise blah (gray jacket, dark green pants) outfit. Her pink helmet and pants make her easy to find.</p><p>Much thanks to Susan, her boyfriend Bruce, and his two great kids. We crossed paths with those three expert skiers from time to time on the slopes and enjoyed many great meals off. I was very glad to be along for the ride.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWO9VZkfIUpWBOFdQfFtTYpU61WCpfck4FXSV3ir-LOdB7k-lHKotzyyTnGS-Gp9lhL3lsRfe3JQLBdf-pv0IRY_Qxkk5kSlGiowCc6EIYNkLrY7gupt9ufZDJ7pqQuV0ab5IU4eMkz14_jMfg5HeavVB3DEwibzcAZobo0HYXeLx8yeS7m7hlNwfeR1-/s3648/20240117_184244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWO9VZkfIUpWBOFdQfFtTYpU61WCpfck4FXSV3ir-LOdB7k-lHKotzyyTnGS-Gp9lhL3lsRfe3JQLBdf-pv0IRY_Qxkk5kSlGiowCc6EIYNkLrY7gupt9ufZDJ7pqQuV0ab5IU4eMkz14_jMfg5HeavVB3DEwibzcAZobo0HYXeLx8yeS7m7hlNwfeR1-/s320/20240117_184244.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p>I look forward to taking my skiing and comparative analysis skills to the Austrian Alps later this winter, but I will be going solo. Most of my skiing has been solitary since my daughter left the house, but now I remember what fun it is to ski with a pal. So, now I need to conspire to get my sister to join me next winter. </p><p><br /></p><br />Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-17940195188873437302024-01-18T16:18:00.001-05:002024-01-18T16:18:10.290-05:00So Lucky: My Top Ski Days<p> Today, I had one of my favorite ski days of my life: my sister is a great ski buddy, the conditions here were quite good, and skiing my fifth day in a row (never have I ever done that before) meant I am skiing about as well as I ever have and challenged myself pretty well. So, to celebrate, I thought I would rank my fave ski days, which is distinct from my fave ski places (there is some overlap, of course). </p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4gZFIUuHKm4wLp68UcrpEWQGE5xFk-d4nRsgsB7B0xQ3a8XNKJGQT0S0Qn9YtIh_km8nQxOMUQOv7rOMZpsA1rCMDaLYFTyRgTiOMZcrWfZbz48XrlX82fIDd3XXSznn-rZq1UHe5JIMxRigH5naKNfHJfCesIL5a-obTkJLVVigNVcThTq1ZuU9QDp6/s4000/20240118_100707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4gZFIUuHKm4wLp68UcrpEWQGE5xFk-d4nRsgsB7B0xQ3a8XNKJGQT0S0Qn9YtIh_km8nQxOMUQOv7rOMZpsA1rCMDaLYFTyRgTiOMZcrWfZbz48XrlX82fIDd3XXSznn-rZq1UHe5JIMxRigH5naKNfHJfCesIL5a-obTkJLVVigNVcThTq1ZuU9QDp6/s320/20240118_100707.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highest we could go without hiking--there <br />was a long line of folks hiking from a nearby lift<br />to get to the top, but we were not so compulsive.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> Today with my sister Susan. Recency bias? Maybe. We had great snow here a few days ago, but a bad experience with a ski instructor put a damper on that day. Today? My sister who is a bit less <br />confident and much less experienced was quite willing to travel far and wide across the mountain today. Willing to go in the trees--as long as they met my preferences of being wide apart and not on a steep slope. Plus many of them were more like shrubbery, and I have always been wanting to meet the Knights who say Ni! We played in a gully that had fun stuff on both sides, we went down some steeps, we went to the top of the mountain which was finally opened after several windy days. My skiing is peaking after so many days in a row plus three days at Alta last month.<br /></li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-cjIhm_JB-b1pAYRIGH6Di_oG7ITS8OdBOdTaz1-jwRbR5JpmEPCU0SQqgq0ReXImzLX3QMpwEhulRSaFnqeH6NnVo7oK3cPaCxAtUIKL5q398oU_wS2tciRgFG_539d15MdAEWHUBneu7GTZ-gwAEGtZ5eNBCDmCwCnMvZEbRZOpaZBEEiNzF1TsuvW/s1440/steve%20and%20pals%20at%20ski%20patrol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-cjIhm_JB-b1pAYRIGH6Di_oG7ITS8OdBOdTaz1-jwRbR5JpmEPCU0SQqgq0ReXImzLX3QMpwEhulRSaFnqeH6NnVo7oK3cPaCxAtUIKL5q398oU_wS2tciRgFG_539d15MdAEWHUBneu7GTZ-gwAEGtZ5eNBCDmCwCnMvZEbRZOpaZBEEiNzF1TsuvW/w218-h164/steve%20and%20pals%20at%20ski%20patrol.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My only medical interaction<br />with the ski patrol was <br />receiving an off the record bandaid.<br />Oran and Arthur are super fun to<br />ski with. JC? Hmmm. :)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> Last year with JC and his family at Lake Louise. JC and his family are also great ski buddies. I love Lake Louise, and was able to show them around the mountain. The only bump in the road ended up being a bump on my face as I face planted on a flat part, leading to more blood loss than any other Steve ski experience<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /></li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZwh7Kcy4WaYQD4aBz4D_7NUkh9Tr0GMcWA6zAA_4uKiYb2DYAFX_ikLgMjVfa6W1Xd35rnF2vsHxVM2Q6fhBZNLRZs9uYfvK5yyQ4_CcXuo7jbvE4tMy3Pqg-KFhOfZy88XNp3QldGXacMOgIvpvrZXEnwNpGREtQH_gvR_fmuyGQRov5nGsdZmXF_Jd/s3264/20220222_134647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZwh7Kcy4WaYQD4aBz4D_7NUkh9Tr0GMcWA6zAA_4uKiYb2DYAFX_ikLgMjVfa6W1Xd35rnF2vsHxVM2Q6fhBZNLRZs9uYfvK5yyQ4_CcXuo7jbvE4tMy3Pqg-KFhOfZy88XNp3QldGXacMOgIvpvrZXEnwNpGREtQH_gvR_fmuyGQRov5nGsdZmXF_Jd/w259-h194/20220222_134647.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have had some amazing bluebird days.<br />At this time, Susan really hated <br />traverses, so this ridge run was not<br />much fun for her. It was for me, one of my<br />very favorite trails'<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>A couple of years ago at Whistler with Susan. Each time at Whistler seems to be better than the last. This one led to my exploring the Blackcomb side, which, yes, may be better than the Whistler side. We had super blue skies and good conditions on the ground.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></li><li><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQKMVOGpz9CtJvKMhtkQarDFIgea6kTAV9TATFJR4wIkZ1C7hZUTKyV-KbLkGv0s_6mhQTiEaoUB_WRbcDa_KrES2F1RkMYO0ru-3xvxRW8jKjYZWQm-ffozQiF8fp4oAsNmmNJBhErQZeHWm-Uhm2Ni1ITMeoTr4P-ULgGr_sT6Lb_NJ-0Hr3Z6p9J5w/s4288/P2170220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3216" data-original-width="4288" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQKMVOGpz9CtJvKMhtkQarDFIgea6kTAV9TATFJR4wIkZ1C7hZUTKyV-KbLkGv0s_6mhQTiEaoUB_WRbcDa_KrES2F1RkMYO0ru-3xvxRW8jKjYZWQm-ffozQiF8fp4oAsNmmNJBhErQZeHWm-Uhm2Ni1ITMeoTr4P-ULgGr_sT6Lb_NJ-0Hr3Z6p9J5w/s320/P2170220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cullen isn't there anymore, but to quote Jack<br />from Lost: "We need to go back!!!"<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>A pre-book promotion trip to Copper with Cullen Hendrix. Cullen was a great host, directing us all around the mountain, avoiding moguls neatly. I loved the place, and then he took me into the back bowls, which were awesome. <br /><br /><br /></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi5_yxXDoaM1GeXsYuxNosI8zHbUodE4klkXn2LD15DSlVZk4eNrThE3tf7DqXRq_wl7Ty9HBO-QZ9Uvwvw8qm7RpKAu8EzVCG5DBDd9UUPTf9gWZbdbebhFlve7uUVinadlvalmBza2knOWU9Mp-KDNPeduarMHW_91XFm5lXCEcTUu4UInMoh8MkxWG/s3072/P1080125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghi5_yxXDoaM1GeXsYuxNosI8zHbUodE4klkXn2LD15DSlVZk4eNrThE3tf7DqXRq_wl7Ty9HBO-QZ9Uvwvw8qm7RpKAu8EzVCG5DBDd9UUPTf9gWZbdbebhFlve7uUVinadlvalmBza2knOWU9Mp-KDNPeduarMHW_91XFm5lXCEcTUu4UInMoh8MkxWG/s320/P1080125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So many times with my daughter, it is hard to figure out which one but probably one of our trips to Sutton or Orford in the Eastern Townships or Tremblant. It was great watching her improve and then seeking out small bumps so that she could get a few inches of air.<br /></li></ol><p>Honorable mentions: my two hours at Whistler due to my daughter having sore legs; skiing in Chile during a research trip, Alta this winter with my sister and one of her pals, Smugs/Jay Peak with my family and my wife's pals, various Lake Louise trips on my own, a half day with Roland Paris at Sunshine. <br /></p><p>Least favorite ski days: Hunter Mountain with my brother as I slid for 100s of meters after falling on a very icy trail, Hunter Mountain during the senior class trip as it rained on us and I had to waste time waiting to be tested to see if I could ski on my own, the day my wife and I hurt our knees in separate accidents at Mount Sutton (one of my fave places near Montreal).</p><p>How is my skiing better? Partly I am less fussed about the snow--I am less concerned with skiing the snow immediately in front of me (maybe a function of how great the snow is, east coast skiing means trying to avoid ice and ice nodules). I am more pointed downhill with my upper body thanks to a lesson a few years ago. The first lesson of the week at Rusutsku emphasized going up and down to unweight the skis, and that is working nicely. Oh, and thanks to skiing with my generous sister, I have gotten more lessons the past few years than in the previous 20. Even the subpotimal lesson here at Niseko (she took us immediately into deep powder on the first run rather than building up to it and took a while to provide some specific suggestions, some that conflicted with other lessons) had some useful info. I have also been trying to reverse an old age trend--getting nervous about speed. I have had some thrilling runs this week. <br /></p><p>Oh, and my fave ski places are now:</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2016/03/better-to-be-lucky-whistler-edition.html" target="_blank">Whistler</a> and it remains not so close</li><li>Niseko---just so much fun terrain including widely spaced trees and shrubs and a great gully and fun steeps.</li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2019/01/conference-strategery-banffing-it-up.html" target="_blank">Lake Louise</a></li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2014/04/travel-season-lessons-learned-exercise.html" target="_blank">Copper</a></li><li>Alta <br /></li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-division-of-labor-is-most-unfair.html" target="_blank">Sunshine</a></li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2024/01/rusutu-i-hardly-knew-you.html" target="_blank">Rusutsu</a></li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2016/02/quebec-trip-report.html" target="_blank">Jay Peak </a> <br /></li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2011/03/best-explanation-for-slow-blog-day.html" target="_blank">Tremblant</a></li><li><a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2010/01/early-ski-lessons.html" target="_blank">Sutton</a><br /> </li></ol><p>I may be changing this listing as I hope to hit the Austrian Alps this winter during my time in Europe. I am very lucky, as my body has held up for this sport, unlike for ultimate. Good thing I don't need to cut hard in this sport.</p><p>So lucky to have these opportunities, so very grateful. <br /></p><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-53892229100780502512024-01-17T02:14:00.003-05:002024-01-20T16:11:11.261-05:00Resistance to Culture Change<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdqYT7k3g-B5wvPqHEGdO77pRsY0uYQWLSaD8uKJUwZoNiTToN9NKHmJhOamOKJASkYY_cAaxvGWUTsxM3s-vIHk96YOtfdkjOK1Xc1HzHuyOy_tH88_fjK_deHywak-N-jK2C-RJuKK6oyVpqi7CY66AZQwUE-VgnIYyGuqQ0w2xxgrgvK9EauSZ8tqt/s678/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%2002-10-25%20Saideman's%20Semi-Spew.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="678" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdqYT7k3g-B5wvPqHEGdO77pRsY0uYQWLSaD8uKJUwZoNiTToN9NKHmJhOamOKJASkYY_cAaxvGWUTsxM3s-vIHk96YOtfdkjOK1Xc1HzHuyOy_tH88_fjK_deHywak-N-jK2C-RJuKK6oyVpqi7CY66AZQwUE-VgnIYyGuqQ0w2xxgrgvK9EauSZ8tqt/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%2002-10-25%20Saideman's%20Semi-Spew.png" width="320" /></a></div>I have written about the effort to change the Canadian military's culture here although, to be clear, I am focused and expert (ish) on only one aspect of the culture change effort--changing attitudes and practices of civilian control. Most of the conversation is about making the military more inclusive, diverse, and equitable, and the CDSN has done much in this area via our personnel research theme. We have also discussed this much at the Battle Rhythm Podcast. We know, <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2013/05/mac-without-cheese.html" target="_blank">thanks to Machiavelli</a>, that any reform will face resistance from those who benefited from the old way. And this is the case today, but there is more to it as I will explain. <br /><p></p><p>The story right now is about a <a href="http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/cmj-23.3-toc-en.html" target="_blank">special issue of the Canadian Military Journa</a>l and the storm that has been generated in response. <a href="https://www.msvu.ca/research-at-the-mount/centres-and-institutes/transforming-military-cultures-network/" target="_blank">Transforming Military Cultures</a> is one of the nine networks currently funded by the Department of National Defence's <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/minds.html" target="_blank">Mobilizing Insights on Defence and Security</a> program. The TMC group organized a special issue of this journal to present a critical perspective on the military and what needs to change. Yes, they used all kinds of buzz words that greatly annoy the right wing: critical race theory, decolonization, and anti-racism to name a few. * <br /></p><p>These kinds of analyses can be hard to read and process because they say: the way things have done has been harmful, and we need to change. This calls out those who have been influential in the military (and their civilian overseers) in the past as complicit--either encouraging or condoning an environment in which those in power could act within impunity and those without power suffered quite significantly. We know about the purge of LGBTQ2S+ from the military and intelligence services deep into the 1990s, we know about the problem of sexual misconduct from multiple reports by multiple retired supreme court justices, we have some understanding of the challenges Indigenous people have faced in and out of the CAF, and so on. So, yeah, it calls out mostly white men because white men have generally had power when this bad stuff was happening. It hurts the feelings of some apparently to be called out for the sins of the past. Suck it up, snowflakes.</p><p>Anyhow, this special issue got a heap of attention when a far right propaganda outlet blasted it, essentially siccing its readers on the TMC people who have now faced some significant harassment. This is typical far right behavior, stuff that Trump does all the time (including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-obama-justice-department-capitol-mccarthy-27934bbd095111e7eb2bac5b5bb24e06" target="_blank">providing Obama's address which led to a potential assassin showing up near Obama's house</a>). Some of the judges and prosecutors involved with Trump's various prosecutions have been swatted--that is when someone files a false report with the cops that indicates there is an emergency that requires the heavily armed special police types to go to a certain address with the caller hoping that the police end up killing the target of their animus.</p><p>The ruckus this has stirred up has also led opponents of culture change to engage in a writing campaign aimed at CMJ. Again, opponents to culture change largely but not entirely fit into one basket--those who find the ways of the past--of purged gays and lesbians, of women and men facing little recourse when sexually harassed, of senior officers abusing their authority, of historically excluded groups being relegated to inferior positions--to be <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-very-memorable-vimy-gala.html" target="_blank">the traditions they want maintained</a>. </p><p>There is one additional complication--that the far right outlet's take on all of this was included in a Royal Canadian Navy news summary that was widely distributed. The idea is that those in the navy should be aware of news stories, positive or negative, that are relevant to the navy. While the far right is quite relevant and the military should be kept abreast of what it is up to, I think including such outlets in a news summary is akin to putting the press releases of Al Qaeda or the Islamic State in a news summary. Again, the public affairs folks in the CAF should know what is being said about them, but I would not platform far right outlets in regular email summaries.</p><p>And to be clear, while I want to avoid any false equivalence, I would not include press released by Greenpeace or Amnesty International or the Communist Party in a news summary either. To be absolutely clear, we live in a time where the violence and the incitement of violence is coming from one side of the spectrum. Far right terrorism has been far more harmful the past 20 years than far left violence. So, we need to keep in mind where the threat is coming from, and we need to be clear that platforming the far right without context is very problematic. I don't think there was ill intent here, but as one of my favorite bluesky follows often says, <br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUZt1mRqpb1ImbhQdvUMG2qQvLhbYQXAnj198PG_07zPuNPUBSfwQtMiOmNR-hJFDkzf9wX-KhE5fpPzI_ckjfm1Vzfg24Xg0qSYm8dPo19j8hVo7cwMM2NQUBiqrRvIt42iwL7ZrkcNA-FRuuoikHUbO4ZDTZD7xJMpV835VoFpYjUD4bPPsdMDuCvOd/s655/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%2002-05-32%20Mark%20Copelovitch%20(@mcopelov.bsky.social)%20%E2%80%94%20Bluesky.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="655" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUZt1mRqpb1ImbhQdvUMG2qQvLhbYQXAnj198PG_07zPuNPUBSfwQtMiOmNR-hJFDkzf9wX-KhE5fpPzI_ckjfm1Vzfg24Xg0qSYm8dPo19j8hVo7cwMM2NQUBiqrRvIt42iwL7ZrkcNA-FRuuoikHUbO4ZDTZD7xJMpV835VoFpYjUD4bPPsdMDuCvOd/w640-h102/Screenshot%202024-01-17%20at%2002-05-32%20Mark%20Copelovitch%20(@mcopelov.bsky.social)%20%E2%80%94%20Bluesky.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>So, yes, the RCN needs to re-think what it sends around. And I stand with TMC and others who are fighting the good fight of changing the culture of the military so that almost all Canadians would be welcome to join and to serve with pride and success--all except the far right, white supremacists that is.<br /></p><p> </p><p>*A reminder that basic logic suggests that if one is anti-anti-racism, one is pro-racism. <br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-88992001509801682862024-01-15T16:44:00.003-05:002024-01-15T16:52:24.437-05:00Rusutu: I Hardly Knew You<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrRgabdwu7C4mIFzOJU-BeHX-EmtUMNodfGY6EsQ5-cwRv_3k3E06pCANA4NnvBX1UON3_FyF_gvKR8w0fHo5qGA-oOOjQCLqB334ACkxBJv5NYp4jqCrermiq0vkHHixxAv3QXAgzsppjcZjbbxxTpG1V0gbPrguCu6pBM_ROaqoLZ3q2jN14UlB9g2j/s2944/20240115_094352.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2944" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrRgabdwu7C4mIFzOJU-BeHX-EmtUMNodfGY6EsQ5-cwRv_3k3E06pCANA4NnvBX1UON3_FyF_gvKR8w0fHo5qGA-oOOjQCLqB334ACkxBJv5NYp4jqCrermiq0vkHHixxAv3QXAgzsppjcZjbbxxTpG1V0gbPrguCu6pBM_ROaqoLZ3q2jN14UlB9g2j/w198-h148/20240115_094352.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a cold day so I wore <br />my silly fake gray beard face mask<br />and it did a nice job of <br />showing how much snow fell.<br />[No, no face plants that day]<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> I am spending this week in Hokkaido skiing with my sister, her boyfriend, and his kids. Well, to be more accurate I am traveling with all of them and skiing with sister. The others are very advanced skiers and like to hang out in the trees and ski off of cliffs. So, my sister needed a ski buddy willing to hang with her on the blues (or reds, as they are here in Japan and other places outside if North America). <p></p><p>Getting here was a bit of a challenge as I was deplaned from two different planes trying to get from Newark to Toyko. It created a bit of stress, but I only lost one morning of skiing, so not a huge deal. The plan for them is to be here for three weeks or so, going to four ski places and stopping by Tokyo. My plan is to be here a week, so I get to experience two ski areas--Rusutsu and Niseko. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXMKyVXzX4tAzz8FochdU0FwPiPdU34XyDxl8yPyamiRoERcfzNdudmRUabM8lyVfI495SL9IFWK4A8RJs4lMme1nD5JYP3pWOvDcxV4vj8tHfYLZ4JwSu65AtzauMaRBRbOCLTQZdEmj4yr2WP1c1GKY9160Wz2W0MOlZjd2Fcj88jFzDd7SLGTymPna/s4000/20240114_165652.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXMKyVXzX4tAzz8FochdU0FwPiPdU34XyDxl8yPyamiRoERcfzNdudmRUabM8lyVfI495SL9IFWK4A8RJs4lMme1nD5JYP3pWOvDcxV4vj8tHfYLZ4JwSu65AtzauMaRBRbOCLTQZdEmj4yr2WP1c1GKY9160Wz2W0MOlZjd2Fcj88jFzDd7SLGTymPna/w228-h171/20240114_165652.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too tired to go night skiing<br />but a nice view from my room<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The classic saying is that comparison is the thief of joy, but that refers to envy, as comparative analysis is delightful and the source of much joy. So, how is skiing in Japan similar and different from elsewhere?<p></p><p>Well, the obvious thing right now is the powder--the lightest, deepest stuff I have experienced. I have had a few powder days at Whistler, Fernie, Lake Louise/Sunshine, but this stuff is just so much easier to ski through. In previous outings, I would get tentative and feel like I am skiing through sludge and insta-moguls. This was just delightful.<br />They did a great job of grooming so we could move from a few inches of powder to a foot to ... oh my and back. <br /></p><p>For the more specific differences about the design/setup:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The chairlifts were a bit different as most quads were housed in big warehouse-like buildings</li><li>The lift attendants talked to us each time we got on the list--not sure what they were saying but it sounded welcoming. North American lift folks sometimes chat, but mostly are just sweeping snow off and moving it around and such.</li><li>The lifts mostly had bubbles that automatically came down--which keep out the window and the snow and limited our vision. A sacrifice I was quite willing to embrace.</li><li>No sharing! That is, we were two people for four person chair lifts and for six person gondolas. No one ever joined us, and there seemed to be no pressure to max the people going up on each lift. Not sure this is just a post-covid thing or was always thus. We didn't experience much in the way of liftlines so not a big deal. May be more of a problem at the more crowded Niseko.</li><li>In Canada, you hear lots of Aussie and Kiwi accents--mostly younger people providing much of the service staff. Here, the Aussie accents are ski tourists--including many families.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJR5xwL3vQlipnLX2veyYuQHDPdwWMGyogILbgEUAf-fJtXstyy4Cr9Hbt749B9yiYxs0Yh2iwk63mE5ioZLHtiTl_CBUgC3XMpcniT-wM_vqXLLiq3Fd8Q0xnD3sizvCNyMpUCamHpGvbgvXCd4N4y0gZ3hzJO92Wh9eFQvU_M1ULBdeMwZGwHe_VAoM8/s4000/20240114_132204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJR5xwL3vQlipnLX2veyYuQHDPdwWMGyogILbgEUAf-fJtXstyy4Cr9Hbt749B9yiYxs0Yh2iwk63mE5ioZLHtiTl_CBUgC3XMpcniT-wM_vqXLLiq3Fd8Q0xnD3sizvCNyMpUCamHpGvbgvXCd4N4y0gZ3hzJO92Wh9eFQvU_M1ULBdeMwZGwHe_VAoM8/s320/20240114_132204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></li><li>Ski school for kids is funky--all of the kids wear the exact same stuff so only the pinneys with numbers distinguish them. </li></ul><p>We shall see how much of this was Rusutsu specific and how much is more either Japanese or Hokkaido.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>What was clearly Rusutsu specific was the silliness of the resort:</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaU8Ot5rWelPtk9AM8YPZpQaQQVTfeG_zEpuZ8Z348r6bvAkTivQYAYM4wrfwUsXfpBaxobs2Rd5wDftNCd2eYnfrKZJX2RMP0bG2noJ7h7OpBjPDo8HacPQCtndDRDuYCGNdip3g8aaQzEJ1NmAPhsSChtRzGUGvIRldNmd0NuynCfRgkH4JZMWqf4UDN/s2944/20240114_192743.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaU8Ot5rWelPtk9AM8YPZpQaQQVTfeG_zEpuZ8Z348r6bvAkTivQYAYM4wrfwUsXfpBaxobs2Rd5wDftNCd2eYnfrKZJX2RMP0bG2noJ7h7OpBjPDo8HacPQCtndDRDuYCGNdip3g8aaQzEJ1NmAPhsSChtRzGUGvIRldNmd0NuynCfRgkH4JZMWqf4UDN/w163-h217/20240114_192743.jpg" width="163" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The resort has a two levell<br />carousel!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq432NlbBcYlH30DExl6SWAU1M1LQutdr1z6oGvYbtF0SKKIbaglWPOzBTM5ZS282_snKLQb75IMxYVU8qpe6VlvpavYd2S20pSVZlCXvxux1Y1inNUKzEoWEmqsmT1cSfDru78QLbKIpZHQ_HIv1a_To3wK-RI6t5YzdEZjXLJU5TCO_jgfEEXhstZtpr/s4000/20240114_180336.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq432NlbBcYlH30DExl6SWAU1M1LQutdr1z6oGvYbtF0SKKIbaglWPOzBTM5ZS282_snKLQb75IMxYVU8qpe6VlvpavYd2S20pSVZlCXvxux1Y1inNUKzEoWEmqsmT1cSfDru78QLbKIpZHQ_HIv1a_To3wK-RI6t5YzdEZjXLJU5TCO_jgfEEXhstZtpr/w200-h150/20240114_180336.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They had a couple of <br />animatronic bands, including<br />one inside the Oktoberfest<br />buffet place. <br />Good prep for Berlin?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwPGxMbt_kHlpGWFOP3Uk4o5Iv8S-KAnzUrtvmxMgfubdrL37UcW6LKAFDSDemUVcf_DGzDFoGcxBATP7OXvw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Funkiness of translations: more general.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJlYV4ST1oTi8w_R5gYY0mD-pEqDRBzP5dYIISVC4lmIGdW2IDqZEiAdMcgpBs0LzH43YsmOO1AvQKQ7ts12aMjA2kzgAbiFf-vHPGgtsbSmYaRdw4__FJQwhFRUcR8X2ObFzGk7olYTYoJ3vdjsYQq-MHpJisHtZWS0ysepzxXMgo8TrwEUZEgzZ8fqY/s4000/20240114_193738.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJlYV4ST1oTi8w_R5gYY0mD-pEqDRBzP5dYIISVC4lmIGdW2IDqZEiAdMcgpBs0LzH43YsmOO1AvQKQ7ts12aMjA2kzgAbiFf-vHPGgtsbSmYaRdw4__FJQwhFRUcR8X2ObFzGk7olYTYoJ3vdjsYQq-MHpJisHtZWS0ysepzxXMgo8TrwEUZEgzZ8fqY/w150-h200/20240114_193738.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is a sign for a spa,<br />not a bathroom</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This is a super once in a life time experience! I have been addicted to Japan since my last sabbatical, regretted not skiing then, so getting the chance to return, to visit a different island, to get heaps of powder, and to hang out with my sister and her guy and his kids--I am very lucky.<br /><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIw8fWFHUbj-CVCBK0TwVjHWUXPdHLwCzWlyzre4qslbkHgwpp8q1vyoJ6vmvYe6xvguNyh3gMNSArI73GVQ7RHxePRyXsTBTa8jT1OmU_KDoxclnMWdrKw21TLet-HpN2ZliVr2h7ouQ35lRH005V8YRdp_y_vRRPQvEg1-EXJ_WmGTm34Uy4IFEur7vL/s4000/20240115_065659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIw8fWFHUbj-CVCBK0TwVjHWUXPdHLwCzWlyzre4qslbkHgwpp8q1vyoJ6vmvYe6xvguNyh3gMNSArI73GVQ7RHxePRyXsTBTa8jT1OmU_KDoxclnMWdrKw21TLet-HpN2ZliVr2h7ouQ35lRH005V8YRdp_y_vRRPQvEg1-EXJ_WmGTm34Uy4IFEur7vL/s320/20240115_065659.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZO8llScXLGEMivyyFyXsgFGsqjad-ppeNRlgJ9IqN5MBX0hDLWmJDf7A9ZVo48nVC-7byMKTmGQbJegfp375B4i-9AJOGDENPycqJbOpcTo4p-gwaI8t3a2B5noXW0xbkdyejYUbU07cJnwwBrWXq16jrKV23OgL0HQegQAPDoxJ3z5xtRskWiuSrJdKZ/s4000/20240114_154945.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZO8llScXLGEMivyyFyXsgFGsqjad-ppeNRlgJ9IqN5MBX0hDLWmJDf7A9ZVo48nVC-7byMKTmGQbJegfp375B4i-9AJOGDENPycqJbOpcTo4p-gwaI8t3a2B5noXW0xbkdyejYUbU07cJnwwBrWXq16jrKV23OgL0HQegQAPDoxJ3z5xtRskWiuSrJdKZ/s320/20240114_154945.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-54536817027029253642024-01-07T09:27:00.001-05:002024-01-07T09:27:09.597-05:00If the United Federation of Planets Were an International Organization<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit97N-HeQ1rWQR3kFyD8q-o0xZoOTzYcIkzY0kiYF1h1qLsqTvPlrj43Giz4VGeSy5WwqgQmLGoYqUU8BcGv5FYjJjGSYZi2utgAJRgSY1I1lH1MivcEJ4iRApjYyuhSGr1Ok81Q_VorybIEW3TzgA4hkdudiBOlaouoP8xZyTMA7ZQpGygI-598ZjdU4b/s498/Screenshot%202024-01-07%20at%2008-18-00%20deck.blue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit97N-HeQ1rWQR3kFyD8q-o0xZoOTzYcIkzY0kiYF1h1qLsqTvPlrj43Giz4VGeSy5WwqgQmLGoYqUU8BcGv5FYjJjGSYZi2utgAJRgSY1I1lH1MivcEJ4iRApjYyuhSGr1Ok81Q_VorybIEW3TzgA4hkdudiBOlaouoP8xZyTMA7ZQpGygI-598ZjdU4b/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-07%20at%2008-18-00%20deck.blue.png" width="183" /></a></div>Yesterday, a bluesky discussion focused on whether the Federation of Planets was essentially the UN with US domination or something else. <br /> While I have written far more here about Star Wars, I have actually used Star Trek more in my teaching, and I have watched far more Trek (there is simply many more hours of Trek content). Plus having <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9781400848676/nato-in-afghanistan" target="_blank">written about NATO</a> (the ebook is less than $18!), I have a few views on the matter.<p></p><p>To start, what is the United Federation of Planets and what is Starfleet? The Federation is an alliance of planets, more so than it is a true federation a la the US. Not even a confederation like Canada. How so? The planets still have their own foreign policies--we see plenty of meetings of diplomats from members to various proceedings. Note, diplomats, not just leaders or representatives. Just as I always like to make fun of Texas secessionists for having their embassy in Texas when it should be in Washington, DC or London or some place beyond the territory of the "country" it is representing, federal units (with the funky exception of Quebec) don't have embassies and ambassadors. This is a short cut, a bit of evidence, for the basic idea that the units in the federation are more independent, more akin to nation-states than they are to units in a federal country. So, yeah, the name is deceptive. </p><p>Starfleet adds to the confusion because it is the military (despite denials) of the Federation. This would make the Federation appear more like a country if it had a monopoly--if Starfleet was the only armed force within the federation. However, I seem to remember various planets within the fed having their own armed starships including Vulcan. </p><p>So, despite the name, the Federation is not akin to a single country. It is easier to dispense with the idea that the Federation is the European Union. How much of the series and movies are about economic regulations and subsidizing agriculture? Ok, more directly, the European Union, despite many attempts, does not really have a military, and it does not have a common foreign policy. The EU forces that have shown up in Bosnia and elsewhere only do so (this will be brutal, sorry) after NATO has done all of the heavy lifting. It was NATO that ended the Bosnia conflict, it was NATO that compelled Serbia to let peacekeepers into Kosovo, it is NATO deterring the Russians from attacking the Baltics, and so on. In trade negotiations, the EU acts as a single actor and with great power. In other stuff? Not so much. </p><p>Which leaves the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Clearly, from the name and from Gene Roddenberry's idealism, the United Federation of Planets is just a spacey UN, right?* The stuff above that makes the Federation not a country but many countries or nation-states works toward the UN idea--a bunch of different sovereign entities constantly negotiating, sending diplomats hither and yon to settle all kinds of issues. The big questions are what is the Federation for and what is Starfleet for? The classic answer is <b>collective security</b>: to deter aggression by any member against any member by providing assurances that any target of aggression will receive assistance from the rest of the community. Until <a href="https://philpapers.org/rec/WENSAT-2" target="_blank">Alexander Wendt has his way</a>, the entire imagination of the role of the UN is focused on members. The UN is a universal organization...on Earth--the only countries that are not in the UN are Taiwan and ... depending on <a href="https://www.lejournalinternational.fr/A-World-Tour-of-the-States-not-recognized-by-the-UN_a2998.html" target="_blank">how you count the Vatican and Palestine and various unrecognized separatist folks</a>. The key things about this notion of collective defense are that no member is excluded from its protection, and it is not aimed at any particular aggressor. <br /></p><p>The UN does not have a standing military, but has "sent" massive interventions when the membership have agreed, to thwart North Korea's aggression in 1950 (because the Soviet diplomats were stupidly boycotting the UN Security Council at the time) and Iraq's in 1990-91. In both cases, it was really the US military and some allies under a UN banner in the former and nearly so in the latter. One could argue that Starfleet is mostly a Terran/American endeavor and its activities are simply under a federation banner. But again, the aim is at members. In the original Trek, maybe some of it was aimed at fostering peace among members, but for most of Trek's history, Starfleet was aimed at protecting its members from non-members.</p><p>Which gets us to NATO, which is not really a collective security organization, but a <b>collective defense</b> organization. It is not so much aimed at protecting Greece from Turkey, but all of the members from external threats--mostly the Soviet Union/Russia but also terrorism, maybe China, etc. "An attack on one is an attack on all", Article V, the heart of the alliance, is aimed at outsiders. All of NATO's military endeavors have been on the border of or entirely outside the territory of its members. Kind of like how much of Starfleet's activities are at the borders, patrolling nearby neutral zones, or going beyond to intervene, despite the Prime Directive, in non-members. How many episodes are akin to the Kosovo effort? A boodle. </p><p>Of course, the parallel is not perfect, since Starfleet is a coherent military organization from the academy to the command staff and in between, which NATO is not. Its captains may buck orders (Kirk more so than others, but all of them did so), but not because their home country/planet had different rules than the Federation for operating in place x or y. That is, the Steve and Dave book on the Federation would focus far less on the political systems of members states and far more on the personalities of individual ship captains, compared to our work on NATO (our book and articles focused mostly on whether countries had coalition governments or not, what kinds of coalitions they had, and personality of presidents and prime ministers only kicked in if there were no coalitional bargaining).</p><p>Of course, there is no perfect parallel between the Federation and an existing Terran international organization, but given the focus of the Federation and the activities of Starfleet, NATO appears to be the closest, and I didn't even discuss enlargement.<br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>* I'd argue that Babylon 5 comes a lot closer to that, but that is a post for another day. <br /></p><p> </p><br />Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-51342839533274380852024-01-06T12:04:00.002-05:002024-01-06T12:04:20.710-05:00Three Years Later and Multiple Proceedings: Jan 6th Apologies and Still Hill Standing<p> I looked back at my <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2021/01/worst-day-in-us-transition-history-post.html" target="_blank">post three years ago</a>, the day after Jan 6th. With so many people revising their views, hey, it was not an insurrection, just a rambunctious group of FBI-led rioters, I thought I would see where I stand now after investigations, trials, and finally the application of the 14th amendment to he who can't be held accountable.</p><p>Before getting into this, one key difference between learning and bad faith is that while both can cause someone to take a difference stance three years later, the former is about learning new information and revising beliefs, and the latter is about taking whatever is a convenient stance no matter the previous one. A bit of a subtweet in all of that.</p><p>Anyhow, looking back, I was the most wrong about the capitol cops. They were far from complicit, as many paid a huge cost, including the ultimate price, for doing their jobs. Not much shirking that day. What we saw initially where cops cleverly misdirecting the insurrectionists away from the vulnerable Senators and Congresspeople. </p><p>I am less certain of my second stance--people referred to this as a manifestation of fascism. I pushed back because I didn't think and I still don't think Trump has a coherent ideology. Not all racist autocrats are fascists, with fascism having broader implications for how to organize society. There are enough people around Trump and enough forces in the US who are not just pushing for autocracy and for white supremacy but also reordering institutions to support, yes, the master race and master religion, that it is close enough to count. To be clear, to me, Trump is still not thinking about putting the nation over individual interests, but rather himself over everything. The ultimate expression and empowering of narcissism does not make Trump a Nazi. But he is changing permission structures to allow Nazis to flourish. So, there is a fascist movement complete, yes, with swatiskas and Nazi flags. When they tell us who they are, we probably should be believe them (applies to occupiers of Ottawa as well).</p><p>The third stance got the most heat--that it was not a coup. Folks were upset because it seemed like I was not taking the event seriously... as if a coup is far more serious than an insurrection. But I also underestimated how much of a role Trump and his team played in inciting the insurrection--that it was part of a sustained effort, a conspiracy out in the public eye for the most part, to keep Trump in power despite losing the election. Which made it an autogolpe. Which, yes, is a kind of a coup--a self-coup--an effort by those in power to usurp the powers of other institutions so they can perpetuate their reign, their regime. All of the investigations, all of the incriminating stuff Trump has said, has made it clear that he caused the insurrection--it would not have happened without his sustained efforts. I am sure we will learn more once the trial starts. </p><p>But, yes, I will resist using "coup" without modifications because of two key parts of general definition: coups are usually focused on changing who is in power--hence the need for autogolpe or self-coup--and they involve some component of the security services. In this case, the military was not involved. It is still not entirely clear whether we dodged literal bullets by not bringing the National Guard in earlier. But the point remains--the danger, the threat, the violence, the effort to prevent the transfer of power were not coming from the uniformed armed folks. A significant number of veterans involved in the insurrection is disturbing but do not make it a coup.</p><p>Folks have and will accuse me of pedantry on this. I tend to speak loosely and am not a definitions-enforcer, but on this hill, I (along with many folks who study civil-military relations) remain. Again, it shifts attention in the wrong direction, and it does not mean the event itself was not serious.</p><p>My post also called for accountability--that folks had to go to trial and to lose their jobs. We have had a fair amount of that, but the wheels of justice has been grinding too slowly when it comes to Trump and his minions. There is very much a deadline.... especially as the GOP seeks to game the institutions governing the next election.</p><p>We should remain outraged--that something unprecedented happened and it was caused by a sore loser who should never have become president in the first place. But those seeking power didn't care about personal responsibility or values, so they supported a candidate who was so very disqualified then and then proved it through how he governed and then again with his refusal to accept losing. So, yes, the 14th amendment should be applied to Trump, but will it stick? Damned if I know.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-39025231261567038052023-12-31T12:30:00.004-05:002023-12-31T12:35:23.277-05:002023: Not Quite Post Pandemic<p>Throughout 2023,I kept being sarcastic about being post-pandemic, knowing that COVID was still a major problem, even as we stopped acting as if it was. And then, of course, I got it the last week of the year. The year started with COVID--my wife and her family got it when she went down to help her mother when she was hospitalized--as well, so it was a strange year of acting like it was not a thing while it was very much a thing. Since I am not going to be productive today due to my current bout, I thought I would post about the year so that I could remember now and down the road the non-covid-y parts to the year.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a> <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9Qrfb_BBoaXD9D8J3QQtw3H9QVXxGb1g2_-lwjMoRzskcQ9BEoIdrJTom6Zs1atcbXRg9cOC44q2QYciRqi7YtfdUocN8IkLOfcAC62Wwk1KqN5s_JZp9AtZfdH_Zr5hLicU7LBJR5jZMToRUcmm59XP7CB_4U1B0zpes5BaVGzOLLXmLr2vEpPxNMos/s4000/20230910_154505.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9Qrfb_BBoaXD9D8J3QQtw3H9QVXxGb1g2_-lwjMoRzskcQ9BEoIdrJTom6Zs1atcbXRg9cOC44q2QYciRqi7YtfdUocN8IkLOfcAC62Wwk1KqN5s_JZp9AtZfdH_Zr5hLicU7LBJR5jZMToRUcmm59XP7CB_4U1B0zpes5BaVGzOLLXmLr2vEpPxNMos/w244-h183/20230910_154505.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>I can't help but start with the longest stretch of single-dom since college. Mrs. Spew first went to help her hospitalized mother, but that became a three month or so effort to get my MIL moved out of a four floor townhouse and into a senior apartments facility. What did I do as a single dude for three months? Mostly plot and scheme about the kitchen renovation. While Mrs. Spew was back for the demolition and renovation, all of the decisions were made while she was away. I did consult via texted pics of counter tops and the like, but as she put it, since I do most of the cooking, it was up to me for most of it. And it worked out great. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj7x8IeI1j3pxzi995B83uVs4OkmIC6WEzpP1lHWHrexzIddfKUy474-a2dm_qcbkzJAcICfj9g9msUQsd9fpzK2RGHcr3Oy6z1Gn9qrWIj_bIVqYmGEDjY11gBC0YNSUVkZJwx-AQyOXuxrrsLb3UmlcdQDJbGH1RIojDi1p0joiBLq9FG1x_7PWdFhI/s1440/steve%20and%20pals%20at%20ski%20patrol.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj7x8IeI1j3pxzi995B83uVs4OkmIC6WEzpP1lHWHrexzIddfKUy474-a2dm_qcbkzJAcICfj9g9msUQsd9fpzK2RGHcr3Oy6z1Gn9qrWIj_bIVqYmGEDjY11gBC0YNSUVkZJwx-AQyOXuxrrsLb3UmlcdQDJbGH1RIojDi1p0joiBLq9FG1x_7PWdFhI/s320/steve%20and%20pals%20at%20ski%20patrol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I had two great ski trips to Banff, one with a friend's family and an anniversary trip sans my wife. Instead, my sister and my daughter joined me. The most notable part of the first trip was that I did a face plant on a relatively flat part of Lake Louise, proving that my new goggles are tough and leading to my first visit to the Ski Patrol hut for a bandaid. <p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1b6QKGafiimHIujftlEBpPkc1-uSlGnbdC1J_9WW4cASI3mN-HHHmHwQedSAm4W_Y0SXllPYacTh_lgfvDnPWvcDQ7sREWp0V9bQ7us49yrKvJKFBBDOYPBARjeYqZpyVxXbBQ9mFENlj8JqKqKsczJ6L8fZNV313jZdLYQYLQyftEBHMkzHC5hiK0ng/s4000/20230219_132152.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1b6QKGafiimHIujftlEBpPkc1-uSlGnbdC1J_9WW4cASI3mN-HHHmHwQedSAm4W_Y0SXllPYacTh_lgfvDnPWvcDQ7sREWp0V9bQ7us49yrKvJKFBBDOYPBARjeYqZpyVxXbBQ9mFENlj8JqKqKsczJ6L8fZNV313jZdLYQYLQyftEBHMkzHC5hiK0ng/s320/20230219_132152.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It was the first time I skied with my daughter in quite some time. I had skied with my sister the previous year as she was re-learning the sport. In 2023, she was much improved and kept up with me nicely. <p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMz8lH2ICdjDFP_PzTcNXzjAKPHMrDEgCnLC94vsqkwaNrlsLhjqN-QwGs7K1xnsGUlonpvUC-Y2bGhkp10H5kVZTnoIsbTGIj7jG1p0P-stVceeqcSmSZPzgoeo9P8_gjBRZreMPQ6na-3hFHWz8AAbZT3UaPWrwJkh-x4xopOx_TfbbYScCl8l5OP7N2/s2048/Anand%20in%20my%20class.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMz8lH2ICdjDFP_PzTcNXzjAKPHMrDEgCnLC94vsqkwaNrlsLhjqN-QwGs7K1xnsGUlonpvUC-Y2bGhkp10H5kVZTnoIsbTGIj7jG1p0P-stVceeqcSmSZPzgoeo9P8_gjBRZreMPQ6na-3hFHWz8AAbZT3UaPWrwJkh-x4xopOx_TfbbYScCl8l5OP7N2/s320/Anand%20in%20my%20class.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, once again visited my Civ-Mil class by zoom. This was the second, and, alas, last time, she did that as she got shuffled to a different ministry over the summer. Last year, it was a last minute thing. This year, I had the chance to prompt the students to ask civ-mil questions as opposed to just big IR questions, and it went really well. <br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A highlight of the year was going to Florida for my cousin's daughter's Bar Mitzvah. One of the patterns of the year was bad chair dancing--the guys holding up the various victims here and at other events tended to tilt the chairs forward. They did better with Samantha than with her sister. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxhG09A6XWcLMEWw7ITN_qy31S5n1uUU0kibzeA8VW6C_Wu9GVWKgazwcHkM4ZKZqcYE8VzX4Sji7bLJeKGFQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />We got to spend the next day at my cousin's house, including their gator-proximate pool. I hadn't had a chance to play with all four of my cousins' kids at the same time in quite a while, and it was my first time using my old kid-pool skills in sometime. It was probably appropriate that it was in Florida since 2023 was the 40th anniversary of my family living in Miami--just for one year, but I spent a lot of that year in the pool we had.<p></p><p>Speaking of blasts from the past, I went to my first rock concert in ... decades? Journey came to Ottawa, and since their music was a big part of my teen soundtrack, I got a ticket and went. No Steve Perry although his replacement sounded good and had lots of energy. But still a good show. It reminded me why I don't go to concerts--I just don't find watching people make music all that interesting. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzpGgfhfiLzVnyvDbuIZtxb1b_9Htm8z2bsxJ_B7P3Zxp52F3Mj9WJcdf93R_MksDW9YkOHfELU0RJ577HJaw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEaHCIRnxKO0zN3yZKoSp37YJMu6cvK8QH4dE74LTVCMDF7c9hSLFxmlWbZ5DrobOLfDUzqkuIkjFMeGR2TM9na4mt6yfjMcP3VBNH0a6SKWdzZaFkxSX7EN-HN0_BHJ6ZZCePmUquEk6GSWHDl2sgo9FmRiHics_wTZqpJB6NIYlWeHPQUf6NHF8GqFV/s4000/20230316_182926.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEaHCIRnxKO0zN3yZKoSp37YJMu6cvK8QH4dE74LTVCMDF7c9hSLFxmlWbZ5DrobOLfDUzqkuIkjFMeGR2TM9na4mt6yfjMcP3VBNH0a6SKWdzZaFkxSX7EN-HN0_BHJ6ZZCePmUquEk6GSWHDl2sgo9FmRiHics_wTZqpJB6NIYlWeHPQUf6NHF8GqFV/w215-h161/20230316_182926.jpg" width="215" /></a></div></div><br />I have always enjoyed going to conferences, and this year's ISA was far more normal than last year's. The previous year was underattended and held in a strange resort in Nashville. 2023's was held in Montreal, a very familiar locale, and most of the folks I like to see at these things were there. Two highlights were the Presidential speech and an award panel. I always blow off the Presidential speech except when the President is a friend. Debbi Avant, who started at UCSD a few years before me, has always impressed me with her sharp insights about international relations, and her speech was Debbi at her finest. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadKVBKwQ3JXW1kZf2GES4_WkAKwqxYnvSdL6jac30zfl4f8tbnoezUs21iD60GgWepbSIBGD1g548VdqVsdHOYZc1pzw8D9MXHjIqEmylbT9j5rtcp_thAhF65eoWTd9NEgwNI2rteh52E5EHz77aBD_lXMHfwZHhcUDgSjrMYusp6_xFlqSIDa3Qv8lf/s4000/20230317_160305.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadKVBKwQ3JXW1kZf2GES4_WkAKwqxYnvSdL6jac30zfl4f8tbnoezUs21iD60GgWepbSIBGD1g548VdqVsdHOYZc1pzw8D9MXHjIqEmylbT9j5rtcp_thAhF65eoWTd9NEgwNI2rteh52E5EHz77aBD_lXMHfwZHhcUDgSjrMYusp6_xFlqSIDa3Qv8lf/s320/20230317_160305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The other highlight, also UCSD related, was the lifetime achievement panel for Miles Kahler, my supervisor way back when. He bristled at the attention a bit about all of this fuss, but it was great to see so much appreciation for his work and for his Miles-ness. He is retiring... for the second time and I think this one will stick. So, it was great to see him get all of the love and appreciation. As I get closer to retirement myself, with two of my friends retiring this year (mine is still about eight years away), I am more committed to telling people how much they have meant to me. Losing a few friends during the pandemic also is compelling me to make clear to folks how much I appreciate them. There are few people in this business who supported me and shaped my views than these two, so it was great to see them both celebrated.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIy-yfU53O0E78z9SpHd0_9ZB4odGeDYnWKRTA-ericZBB2KuMVXgiK7vd53FsN-pnUIb6TYoqGhkBa4gBcunFEbji8uWWDXJP9wjZh7q1H7xxgAkiKAR5babzXgEDn5GCMib8hWzylDz3b-L4k8pcOI2V3cccRXfzSd_M3vyOUrgVqu3bRwlXbpgaLV3/s4000/20230601_091159.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZIy-yfU53O0E78z9SpHd0_9ZB4odGeDYnWKRTA-ericZBB2KuMVXgiK7vd53FsN-pnUIb6TYoqGhkBa4gBcunFEbji8uWWDXJP9wjZh7q1H7xxgAkiKAR5babzXgEDn5GCMib8hWzylDz3b-L4k8pcOI2V3cccRXfzSd_M3vyOUrgVqu3bRwlXbpgaLV3/w142-h189/20230601_091159.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>I joke often about the military-industrial-academic complex, and this year, I got to experience it pretty directly. Well, the first two parts--there were not many academics nor anything academic going on at CANSEC--the annual show for defence contractors. The big surprise was not so much how much room the biggest contractors took up but the range of stuff being presented there--from artillery and ammo to drones to uniforms to cables to medical stuff and on and on. Note in this pic that the firm was promoting gear for pregnant soldiers.<br /><br /><p></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAczNQ-_TEmEq9rk5H-Eh8QUbdhC1MDvbukIANzFrtCOmhzL0GZv5VYQao1SGiquo6ckRZ8C4FAHw06D59zvcsPg1Qw5PvgM_bfHwoOyR-AiRtncQYatZqjW_Wh6JYiCNtwRvazTOp00t1pC_0zgAbW-R25OlUYf9_LHVAps2-9IqbrX4eQKACbcuAGvYc/s4000/20230613_171404.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAczNQ-_TEmEq9rk5H-Eh8QUbdhC1MDvbukIANzFrtCOmhzL0GZv5VYQao1SGiquo6ckRZ8C4FAHw06D59zvcsPg1Qw5PvgM_bfHwoOyR-AiRtncQYatZqjW_Wh6JYiCNtwRvazTOp00t1pC_0zgAbW-R25OlUYf9_LHVAps2-9IqbrX4eQKACbcuAGvYc/w138-h183/20230613_171404.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>I have rarely gone to the graduation ceremonies, but with one of my PhDs graduating and having finally purchased a spiffy cap and gown, it was time to go. Marshall finished his dissertation in record time, and he didn't cut any corners along the way--it was an award-winning project. Of all the students I supervised, his work required the fewest comments, so much so that I felt guilty. I am just glad I don't have the action shot of me messing up his hooding since he is so very tall. <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrDzoH-h1N2zhn0-e1oFkShS6_bX5iDLSbJp3SXgxyPUfxivqBr1cpL8q2_5R3lu5geDwEcv7XIT560CzFtuIqvWCjjvk4zdr-Hut6k6etSdRsFtg-7px96KPZLXQ0YZeSk43gbJ2YlfES95DTLE1BAqXErgN7mTyCMG7hJTODbu3IV8RpaxDKx-unhtG/s4000/20230603_173310.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrDzoH-h1N2zhn0-e1oFkShS6_bX5iDLSbJp3SXgxyPUfxivqBr1cpL8q2_5R3lu5geDwEcv7XIT560CzFtuIqvWCjjvk4zdr-Hut6k6etSdRsFtg-7px96KPZLXQ0YZeSk43gbJ2YlfES95DTLE1BAqXErgN7mTyCMG7hJTODbu3IV8RpaxDKx-unhtG/s320/20230603_173310.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>June was also a month of much travel. First, a DND-organized trip to Riga to chat with NATO folks, Canada's contingent, the Latvian defence folks, and the Strategic Communications conference. I learned a lot, had a fair amount of excellent beer, and even hung out with the kids from the NATO Field School--an effort run by CDSN Co-Director Alex Moens to teach undergrads and newly graduated folks about NATO. It was my second time to Riga and my second time to the base where the Canadians are operating. Going with this group meant more high level briefings, more sharp questions asked by my colleagues that I would not have thought to ask, and, yeah, more beer.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztu5CM-HqurHsdP9fVdu3zvWPNKvqWpaHrOVpkW6swo_Gj1X-EzKUHkmpmyGRyqyQcVy1IHaluchu2DE_wRfPkmXdE6j0Je8-YypP4KbDuacCA3oIw_Q4WGD5qd7QCWRyU5M4-1jquLwf0fTqwD7e6m54JJAlXAYSj32o0iXeTK299o_zdgwru6qWwVxh/s4000/20230622_114913.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztu5CM-HqurHsdP9fVdu3zvWPNKvqWpaHrOVpkW6swo_Gj1X-EzKUHkmpmyGRyqyQcVy1IHaluchu2DE_wRfPkmXdE6j0Je8-YypP4KbDuacCA3oIw_Q4WGD5qd7QCWRyU5M4-1jquLwf0fTqwD7e6m54JJAlXAYSj32o0iXeTK299o_zdgwru6qWwVxh/s320/20230622_114913.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The highlight of the year was the delayed anniversary trip with my wife to Spain. I had a conference in Barcelona, so we flew into Madrid and then drove throughout hot southern Spain: Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, and Ronda. My fave was Toledo despite the scariest extended driving experience of my life--the old city streets were so very narrow the proximity alarms in my rental car were going off--all of them. Along the way, we learned a lot of history, saw some amazing art and architecture, ate really well, and had a lot of sangria.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0Y779OY55KOVX2ZRFtu-Aktem3-d2m9P90A-22hksWdpIr48irkuoIRemOie8QYU7PhkbwhvZYb3BbgRDue3u14KZLtIlZ47q7SY5YYt3bG40rC-vJJTIkeyHKTXZ4fI_0GnDa4v7N8ixOXwvIGxPOFTGJ0vzCzbZ0_rsB5JCUwoPpCwLnNCBoffW_mX/s3648/20230623_162218.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0Y779OY55KOVX2ZRFtu-Aktem3-d2m9P90A-22hksWdpIr48irkuoIRemOie8QYU7PhkbwhvZYb3BbgRDue3u14KZLtIlZ47q7SY5YYt3bG40rC-vJJTIkeyHKTXZ4fI_0GnDa4v7N8ixOXwvIGxPOFTGJ0vzCzbZ0_rsB5JCUwoPpCwLnNCBoffW_mX/w113-h151/20230623_162218.jpg" width="113" /></a></div>Did I mention it was hot? Cordoba was probably our second favorite place although Granada was also pretty amazing. And Ronda had the best tapas in a random bar. Oh, and Barcelona is just terrific.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk7vlrN28oxyzrGV4yxtBYI5p60PTxTuaw_1j_k22Vz6XYMt-yZ5HUUJCzs18eSxvgTpbnGhghr-3liVS7poMXoDInBrYkEvjEZacbvO7VtXatsI_sA_V-8yTeciNgUt79rrSJf7Pz6wQXvdI_1vfrqp97Au1vEXSzLwTpbBwYyDo6Ti0l8kXBhOlzdrX/s4000/20230626_221651.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbk7vlrN28oxyzrGV4yxtBYI5p60PTxTuaw_1j_k22Vz6XYMt-yZ5HUUJCzs18eSxvgTpbnGhghr-3liVS7poMXoDInBrYkEvjEZacbvO7VtXatsI_sA_V-8yTeciNgUt79rrSJf7Pz6wQXvdI_1vfrqp97Au1vEXSzLwTpbBwYyDo6Ti0l8kXBhOlzdrX/s320/20230626_221651.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great view of Alhambra in Granada with <br />excellent food.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirL6-ZRVP9hyNZk1telJANARhn4Fv7u-UUx_swffP0nILwunrRTV0ld811mHaxQzM9MZ4QfkYCbd3nokO8E1b6QSwMNIJu02NOf3vo8fOoKpa7VUmDEYh7lh6vUUQfZ9LdCbY5QVoPdG-K0-kEfJTGLO-AQ3EzI5JDw9gJ9dJdc0Qtil7W-LvThMnlFQG6/s4000/20230625_140211.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirL6-ZRVP9hyNZk1telJANARhn4Fv7u-UUx_swffP0nILwunrRTV0ld811mHaxQzM9MZ4QfkYCbd3nokO8E1b6QSwMNIJu02NOf3vo8fOoKpa7VUmDEYh7lh6vUUQfZ9LdCbY5QVoPdG-K0-kEfJTGLO-AQ3EzI5JDw9gJ9dJdc0Qtil7W-LvThMnlFQG6/w149-h199/20230625_140211.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><br /><p>Ronda has a bridge over a beautiful gorge. It also has an historic bullring. Seville was also pretty terrific. Just an amazing trip.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JxwxK5Dt6SJZCMujxRGONMNLfnHBwKQ9oc5QcxLXA4ZTUH3uG0TtLzeDbNhOHpnZpVnO4SBEbaIF3fpKutbrqONzH3Nn2e3djmdXVhVsf2yNFWiM5GJ4-eQB_G7LLXwMw58AnNvnS_Z4XzXfPtJ1x0KkWJsaq1R5kTMzf6kt7ATCCPTUsOMwnZZCeqSB/s4000/20230722_124214.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JxwxK5Dt6SJZCMujxRGONMNLfnHBwKQ9oc5QcxLXA4ZTUH3uG0TtLzeDbNhOHpnZpVnO4SBEbaIF3fpKutbrqONzH3Nn2e3djmdXVhVsf2yNFWiM5GJ4-eQB_G7LLXwMw58AnNvnS_Z4XzXfPtJ1x0KkWJsaq1R5kTMzf6kt7ATCCPTUsOMwnZZCeqSB/s320/20230722_124214.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The summer family vacation was once again in Philly since my mother can't travel much. We found new and old things to do. I had not realized my older sister is so sharp at scrabble--a shark! I dominated the axe throwing until the final throws, where Mrs. Spew took the crown! <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzW8L6q6L-JXh2yunEo3xCeh0MBoSF7aMv6GQG43Baa2VYIdLDnA7rnP-JB3AmIw9nNHZtGqlZVgmMmIsTcG6bNE-bNonkk-5bL2jYoIAG7F1rNkmI10hOAcqt4mrkFv3TYCE1cV_AVFoWhyphenhyphenShURqoHPA1KNBasSpdzepn0yoY8vSWsBNqKnNZpx6G_36/s4000/20230722_182201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzW8L6q6L-JXh2yunEo3xCeh0MBoSF7aMv6GQG43Baa2VYIdLDnA7rnP-JB3AmIw9nNHZtGqlZVgmMmIsTcG6bNE-bNonkk-5bL2jYoIAG7F1rNkmI10hOAcqt4mrkFv3TYCE1cV_AVFoWhyphenhyphenShURqoHPA1KNBasSpdzepn0yoY8vSWsBNqKnNZpx6G_36/s320/20230722_182201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> My sabbatical started in July, and Dave and Phil and I managed to finish our book and submit it in the fall. Glossy picture of book cover? Not yet. Still need to get the reviews and past the editorial board. As Tom Petty said, the waiting is the hardest part. Actually, in this case, the writing was the hardest part.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu9izDazbk6VBhohjifeHrPyDb2BwSVVyov8bU9z6MvqeK3p3XEj99q3lqc8iBbO5RJx7_Dq1DmTXTj-StRiyP6tR81262BgZjgXkFMIN_bShUF3PnGTbUj7giqdht8OL327H6wTu1GaT7X7lIO6dh38YIZGfrgcMBz9nOqxZoG-asHCOJnXmZmm18-An/s556/Screenshot%202023-12-31%20at%2012-26-47%20Michel%20Maisonneuve%20I'm%20a%20veteran%20I'm%20allowed%20to%20have%20an%20opinion%20even%20a%20conservative%20one.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="72" data-original-width="556" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu9izDazbk6VBhohjifeHrPyDb2BwSVVyov8bU9z6MvqeK3p3XEj99q3lqc8iBbO5RJx7_Dq1DmTXTj-StRiyP6tR81262BgZjgXkFMIN_bShUF3PnGTbUj7giqdht8OL327H6wTu1GaT7X7lIO6dh38YIZGfrgcMBz9nOqxZoG-asHCOJnXmZmm18-An/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-31%20at%2012-26-47%20Michel%20Maisonneuve%20I'm%20a%20veteran%20I'm%20allowed%20to%20have%20an%20opinion%20even%20a%20conservative%20one.png" width="320" /></a></div>The fall was also marked by something I had never experienced before: being the subject of an op-ed. I had written more than a few, but to have someone else dedicate an entire piece to moi? Oh my. The background is: in the fall of 2022, a retired general, Michel Maisonneuve was given an award by a <br />veteran's association and used that speech to blast pretty much everyone. <a href="http://saideman.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-very-memorable-vimy-gala.html" target="_blank">I blogged about it</a> since I found it to be very problematic. When I heard that he was going to appear at the Conservative Party convention, I wrote <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadas-conservatives-should-resist-the-urge-to-politicize-the/" target="_blank">an op-ed arguing that this was a dangerous politicization of the Canadian military</a>. <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/michel-maisonneuve-criticizing-the-government-does-not-politicize-the-military" target="_blank">Maisonneuve responded by targeting me, a dual citizen, gasp, in his op-ed</a>. It was all very strange to be on the other side of an op-ed, especially one filled with ad hominens and straw men. But I guess this means I am an influencer?<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRiXxSD3Dd2AeTJpC7hJIEZ3NkPvK0xU3z0q61K8-9Gjm4FiP1WnckNL7Zdf7YqzatqBSExr2OaTumfScu8OH1Bn1VvqmlkbUqVYUok5G5tIpP7IIuTRq9x64RnV1KUr_-Ia_bUSKbIoShrm80EZxqqmc8aCsRhruOX_pmt4uwhDGUl_4W-kwlVCCRjtM/s4000/20230902_115740.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRiXxSD3Dd2AeTJpC7hJIEZ3NkPvK0xU3z0q61K8-9Gjm4FiP1WnckNL7Zdf7YqzatqBSExr2OaTumfScu8OH1Bn1VvqmlkbUqVYUok5G5tIpP7IIuTRq9x64RnV1KUr_-Ia_bUSKbIoShrm80EZxqqmc8aCsRhruOX_pmt4uwhDGUl_4W-kwlVCCRjtM/s320/20230902_115740.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The APSA was strange due to a hotel strike, but I had to go as LA is where my daughter lives. So, I had a good time conferencing and a better time hanging out with her. The poker game was a bit different as we used a big table in the lobby (my room was way too small). We were not as rowdy as the table nearby, so it was all good. I also drove with Mrs. Spew on Mulholland Drive for as far as we could--got lots of great looks at LA and the valley.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNR1potBUJUvWS5aYG0KsO-HXyxGCAuZOsPSg94lB-OzvfOYwN7YT1BQSWZwcmmgEszrdyKr2y0f-UBFh83j_BzMtiumh1zW8xTc5C-NcfTU-LSbL5EqDAJERmReBvRGENI6qaS_pDkl_1nIpwRlGZGUAsHif3ax4BfiGEgQo4vDe5GN4WK3ilSZ7Vw74/s4000/20230831_212614.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNR1potBUJUvWS5aYG0KsO-HXyxGCAuZOsPSg94lB-OzvfOYwN7YT1BQSWZwcmmgEszrdyKr2y0f-UBFh83j_BzMtiumh1zW8xTc5C-NcfTU-LSbL5EqDAJERmReBvRGENI6qaS_pDkl_1nIpwRlGZGUAsHif3ax4BfiGEgQo4vDe5GN4WK3ilSZ7Vw74/s320/20230831_212614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-MM22U4fhZpjozFlkCcg4WKEUgzItwnzi_oTTQ1jzQKt0c69aRjdA5zwETqiEKsjtzJvvPgKCLYY_a94gIgWeBNZuM9vU4aHJYis5gA-unwxA_zQ7i3vFbb9cs9YTJsOQ6scPXYM42TH12D2x1ezhas_qTBBCAdIxVaKxBZLyKopbtD6GMPL0U5e47of/s3648/20231014_185521.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-MM22U4fhZpjozFlkCcg4WKEUgzItwnzi_oTTQ1jzQKt0c69aRjdA5zwETqiEKsjtzJvvPgKCLYY_a94gIgWeBNZuM9vU4aHJYis5gA-unwxA_zQ7i3vFbb9cs9YTJsOQ6scPXYM42TH12D2x1ezhas_qTBBCAdIxVaKxBZLyKopbtD6GMPL0U5e47of/s320/20231014_185521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon cleaned up better than I did.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Yet more travel as I went to DC with Mrs. Spew for a civ-mil conference and ... the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/10/100-summers-of-fun-and-community.html" target="_blank">100th anniversary</a> of the summer camp <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2016/08/summer-days-drifting-away.html" target="_blank">that was so important to me growing up</a>. The conference was terrific--I hadn't been to this specific one before--the Inter-university Seminar on Armed Forces and Society. Definitely going back since it is chock full of smart, sweet folks working on fascinating stuff. The anniversary gala happened to be the same weekend so I drove up to Baltimore and had a blast seeing old friends and meeting other folks who had similar experiences out in the hinterlands of Maryland.<br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgB6l89zK_VSrVrHpvHWYztVmy3SqEH1XyKNPl5edkXKZW2ycl_P_gXaXlOkWeCNv0bILghWpDGRA0BXRIyQLIQ5ytdc2urBaIaxf15gVfYVXElSb31VljJn-4AN7aRyt7gWGKvQyesRL8mnF-IH7fJHwZHBULxZQv8ptEpOSBBpjaCnIcqv5W3DAoqrU/s4000/20231020_143050.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgB6l89zK_VSrVrHpvHWYztVmy3SqEH1XyKNPl5edkXKZW2ycl_P_gXaXlOkWeCNv0bILghWpDGRA0BXRIyQLIQ5ytdc2urBaIaxf15gVfYVXElSb31VljJn-4AN7aRyt7gWGKvQyesRL8mnF-IH7fJHwZHBULxZQv8ptEpOSBBpjaCnIcqv5W3DAoqrU/s320/20231020_143050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I should note that we had a great CDSN year--each of our events went really well, and we feel we are making a difference. I am so grateful for the team that does all of the heavy lifting. And at one event, they let us use the patio! The people, the location, the season all make this one quite special. The Meeting of the MINDS event, where we brought together the nine networks funded by DND plus DND's Policy group, was a terrific opportunity to learn what the other networks are doing, what has been working for them, and also what DND wants from us.<p></p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiqEHxGfOkPJjkOiHWRfECuPrM48p6vWrWJA-B_ibmvlAeItwfeXzThnbG6tNRsf-sPZwXaUt1_FRrd2RdZQw5NeB3MOvQwQqD764pWbZEmpr-Jmi7kuyPkXk2wkBV3C3wHKIvch3xf0Ka-UaXTtPk0WzdNekzU_UtphikKh9QrA6tXo3XACHw_ee38yG/s4000/20231207_082351.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKiqEHxGfOkPJjkOiHWRfECuPrM48p6vWrWJA-B_ibmvlAeItwfeXzThnbG6tNRsf-sPZwXaUt1_FRrd2RdZQw5NeB3MOvQwQqD764pWbZEmpr-Jmi7kuyPkXk2wkBV3C3wHKIvch3xf0Ka-UaXTtPk0WzdNekzU_UtphikKh9QrA6tXo3XACHw_ee38yG/s320/20231207_082351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Our Year Ahead event addressed timely issues: how to respond to China's aggression, what the 2024 US election campaign will do to incite extremism, evacuations from conflict zones, and taking a look at the Balkans. And it was in a funky new location for us. It even had a slide!<br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkmDmdzQ5KKC98UrLpGMRAuOJ5ghqLMdflHP_E_V_9kTPPJMPdWshgamcCyb90wsqGws16-9XmkPanLqnA7gv30YgW0gvYrT_OfOoRR3s9Se2OaOH0kxnKXZUwEVW1r1dkW0sgiY8ApNjsNzDgLmO9rH4MH3syui3vjhBhWCWOW_SMPx1sSpg6GNm8PLx/s4000/20231029_123911.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkmDmdzQ5KKC98UrLpGMRAuOJ5ghqLMdflHP_E_V_9kTPPJMPdWshgamcCyb90wsqGws16-9XmkPanLqnA7gv30YgW0gvYrT_OfOoRR3s9Se2OaOH0kxnKXZUwEVW1r1dkW0sgiY8ApNjsNzDgLmO9rH4MH3syui3vjhBhWCWOW_SMPx1sSpg6GNm8PLx/w202-h152/20231029_123911.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>The aforementioned conference in DC kicked off a series of trips that is not going to stop until May of 2024. I went to Seoul to research their civ-mil for the next book--what role do defence agencies think they have? I learned a lot in those two weeks--still trying to figure that case out--and had a good time seeing more of Korea, including Busan. Busan had the most beautifully located temple as well as the memorial for UN troops who died in the Korean war.<br /><br /><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/AVvXsEizqFCjH-MYpt_hJxcJp7EiDjR3tz81ZkMQGxL6AsC-iFcbd03CQfZlHzewxarBBaslKMKQQmSfAE-SjmUnYZ7MODxP1OmETNPAgLlKC2Chb7u6cN6qzLxW3NRUknNELjKaxE29oA1DLNqwjDNJKKxSqy2mxM8EWjSlL1OtC1K9vjtwmJLojs4u4SKVa21L/s4000/20231029_091641.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqFCjH-MYpt_hJxcJp7EiDjR3tz81ZkMQGxL6AsC-iFcbd03CQfZlHzewxarBBaslKMKQQmSfAE-SjmUnYZ7MODxP1OmETNPAgLlKC2Chb7u6cN6qzLxW3NRUknNELjKaxE29oA1DLNqwjDNJKKxSqy2mxM8EWjSlL1OtC1K9vjtwmJLojs4u4SKVa21L/w268-h201/20231029_091641.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb0WJznYnzT3NuF6kXlaqYOAXLTaJCKPw3yXRmmrYa2PxNizXFampiiAgw4j6zdpoVWwTDcuFKiT5Bx5LrCnV5r7wgwGVxrGa4s1M9NhjsCcTbxoMtuv3FZrivN-DCpKXpUI6ncu9bmyWD4PxK3HPLePFy7Y6I3-PgkmaqYYEewKeM4hrZ5MxS5Y2xQJI/s4000/20231028_133242.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb0WJznYnzT3NuF6kXlaqYOAXLTaJCKPw3yXRmmrYa2PxNizXFampiiAgw4j6zdpoVWwTDcuFKiT5Bx5LrCnV5r7wgwGVxrGa4s1M9NhjsCcTbxoMtuv3FZrivN-DCpKXpUI6ncu9bmyWD4PxK3HPLePFy7Y6I3-PgkmaqYYEewKeM4hrZ5MxS5Y2xQJI/s320/20231028_133242.jpg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8BMwjjUPHf6KPFVf-cOvWniWgm7u17CXezW1StVL7eRM06A0bjiF1tAuL_eaekybafOnD5fdxIk9waeaZycjtsGpNy1KqYTfD3WHhrw_8Tmbjp2_LHWixDFLoAMZtGsk_vAbRi0e0pqDSj532dVB9vjwRqucwAUFa2eV01NPiIum2ZWkWJAwN11qJuOK/s4000/20231105_133911.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8BMwjjUPHf6KPFVf-cOvWniWgm7u17CXezW1StVL7eRM06A0bjiF1tAuL_eaekybafOnD5fdxIk9waeaZycjtsGpNy1KqYTfD3WHhrw_8Tmbjp2_LHWixDFLoAMZtGsk_vAbRi0e0pqDSj532dVB9vjwRqucwAUFa2eV01NPiIum2ZWkWJAwN11qJuOK/s320/20231105_133911.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />I went directly from Seoul to Copenhagen for a different civ-mil conference. I had been there a couple of times before, but hadn't seen their war museum, their art museum or their Christmas markets. The latter showed me that Zurich's smelly gluhwein is not representative of mulled wine, so I had some of that and then made some over winterfest.<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVSMNuww8EmLilNT5oOQ1DqJAYk5SVWeqDuGgW2qMNja98jZh8HAfw8rNgIhvlZhG1BJvw39SEqqnntLgl2v1jAAX-SHUGN3SwqN-Gnwdbgpi6sVFtpYvU6lMpt_3RBPiOwnF-l7rDuWApHc5f-jq571b17gHdTiCcL2JVAuBjx6oSvf14JZ0V4yaFiGC/s4000/20231124_210142.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVSMNuww8EmLilNT5oOQ1DqJAYk5SVWeqDuGgW2qMNja98jZh8HAfw8rNgIhvlZhG1BJvw39SEqqnntLgl2v1jAAX-SHUGN3SwqN-Gnwdbgpi6sVFtpYvU6lMpt_3RBPiOwnF-l7rDuWApHc5f-jq571b17gHdTiCcL2JVAuBjx6oSvf14JZ0V4yaFiGC/w226-h170/20231124_210142.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>Those trips then lead to a quick trip to Toronto for a workshop and then Thanskgiving with the Saideman folks. Much food was made and consumed. The highlight of this week was Milo, my niece's dog. Super sweet. Oh and seeing my daughter.<p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdLV3-0inRRKq1YUDXrX-zizQ5wGXK7uEIQbXjFaPrMznBD4iEeBqQVNVt4pIlN3oRMFpFZq4WRh4OPSzSnQ4f93orsAXU5qvprJb-CyF8DhdBw4AdvjY6-kebnPsiLeBMwNIk3-bZtaRrAXRWC6609UJc765c7SGRoAEh_-NxECgB6-SWOVUocp0Wh-V/s3648/20231215_105548.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdLV3-0inRRKq1YUDXrX-zizQ5wGXK7uEIQbXjFaPrMznBD4iEeBqQVNVt4pIlN3oRMFpFZq4WRh4OPSzSnQ4f93orsAXU5qvprJb-CyF8DhdBw4AdvjY6-kebnPsiLeBMwNIk3-bZtaRrAXRWC6609UJc765c7SGRoAEh_-NxECgB6-SWOVUocp0Wh-V/s320/20231215_105548.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Since my sister had crashed my anniversary ski trip, I felt it was only fair to crash her ski clinic at Alta. I had been there about 22 years ago on a Saideman family vacation (my segment, from Lubbock, arrived a day or two late thanks to snow removal challenges in Texas). I am a much better skier now thanks to all the skiing near Montreal and now my habit of hitting the Canadian rockies on a regular basis. So, it was fun to see how much more of the place I could do with confidence. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGq6iv204ri7V0X2xgIWIuFMPREMEjp_L9gf55vBZeonu7Rgu0ZVFba4BI415raUwHwrZm9CyH8bNiAn3hsxpByl_4ghUtVj2jrjY5Nmtw_fjlxm041M8h_mGYqCdV3vo-RXEJ2rZ5hU_cFQNkriaiRSw8mIrQip3bNHJZzX7kssYx0H1LjLWa0btvI5f/s4000/20231213_145543.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGq6iv204ri7V0X2xgIWIuFMPREMEjp_L9gf55vBZeonu7Rgu0ZVFba4BI415raUwHwrZm9CyH8bNiAn3hsxpByl_4ghUtVj2jrjY5Nmtw_fjlxm041M8h_mGYqCdV3vo-RXEJ2rZ5hU_cFQNkriaiRSw8mIrQip3bNHJZzX7kssYx0H1LjLWa0btvI5f/s320/20231213_145543.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The skies each day were so clear and blue. Just amazing views at all times. <br /><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonwTIcn3-EKL1xvD6JRlSmIneGUtGSGuQPY14ZNwcOnBBJ4gfCOLLn7OGsW3DeGWsy4qWtwDObIr4fMG9WWO9QTOtWXmF9IgmzHW5DsEMxgziAaeTMtsseXtW31dPjPP2e9UQnKzmU3VuJ0E9Rw3eKZAfUzx6u6tCeOABdF9hMtOGoBE3E4FJ3JCFAp-x/s2016/Fran's%20dogs%20and%20me.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonwTIcn3-EKL1xvD6JRlSmIneGUtGSGuQPY14ZNwcOnBBJ4gfCOLLn7OGsW3DeGWsy4qWtwDObIr4fMG9WWO9QTOtWXmF9IgmzHW5DsEMxgziAaeTMtsseXtW31dPjPP2e9UQnKzmU3VuJ0E9Rw3eKZAfUzx6u6tCeOABdF9hMtOGoBE3E4FJ3JCFAp-x/w122-h162/Fran's%20dogs%20and%20me.jpg" width="122" /></a></div>I came home from Alta to deliver cookies near and far. Each year, I make more (the new kitchen definitely helped), and each year, more people join my nice list. So, I spent two days driving around Ottawa seeing folks and giving bits of sweet joy. This started in the first winter of the pandemic when this was the first chance to interact with people in person since the start of the quarantine. It is a great way to end the year--eating sweets and sharing them. And meeting a few dogs along the way.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVqbbtJYzSf8BdCaJyqogCIj78egvux5XNuvCNJrSxc6iud10F5Yr9FlqzqIxWNx5CehUa7dsyVmSnbPF4nI8_MKdATASjYSBQjYPOBBN1BDloIT9Ms8nFqyBuks7qDbqNRGTZUn5KcySbIO9BZh1-nEYfN9H2XQtpV4VVV-DdOdEbS4O0Nu5oL1Dg_cB/s4000/20231218_113810.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVqbbtJYzSf8BdCaJyqogCIj78egvux5XNuvCNJrSxc6iud10F5Yr9FlqzqIxWNx5CehUa7dsyVmSnbPF4nI8_MKdATASjYSBQjYPOBBN1BDloIT9Ms8nFqyBuks7qDbqNRGTZUn5KcySbIO9BZh1-nEYfN9H2XQtpV4VVV-DdOdEbS4O0Nu5oL1Dg_cB/s320/20231218_113810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5DYXOTe46U62iZf8FAeuplGs_zUS_uUJXQTUpvuZAt0PhZIVlAOAeepEGYqFJWnXhBGJQQXVMg3smKN1Pi6JftwuVzE2G2h1bw1S6SnOurIxGll7gjXBCTfSnW27edD5M17ZimojA2m9qwhL_Q6n2bEezu1YIjXV4N_3ZCwBaCENzuqw8lRb_rr9m_VK/s4000/20231225_134741.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5DYXOTe46U62iZf8FAeuplGs_zUS_uUJXQTUpvuZAt0PhZIVlAOAeepEGYqFJWnXhBGJQQXVMg3smKN1Pi6JftwuVzE2G2h1bw1S6SnOurIxGll7gjXBCTfSnW27edD5M17ZimojA2m9qwhL_Q6n2bEezu1YIjXV4N_3ZCwBaCENzuqw8lRb_rr9m_VK/w112-h150/20231225_134741.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>We ended the year as usual--in the greater DC area--to celebrate winterfest with my wife's family. Since my mother-in-law no longer has a townhouse, we had to rent an airbnb near her retirement facility. Which meant we hosted the festivities--first time our family had anything to do with a tree in a couple of decades. I have been making the big dinner for the past few years, so that was not so different. It was great to see these folks--twice this year for me as I saw most of them in October when I was in the area for the IUS conference. <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUSxZ-y_LONmifOoAs8Y1o_6NyAE2yYW9MkoV4jZG7gf3AJ8-mqW83hgU4B9zG0fiP6AGEcknw-tFJYERKno_MPMDX-vzLGtZyzLRjC_gMxV2LnPPZU6MaHBEZi9V8iIgUf3-aEt4fRvK2tbCJvGEvRD8KpI_VIWAQ109RWy5znNIy5yKBMM-CCaX6jTv/s4000/20231223_183334.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUSxZ-y_LONmifOoAs8Y1o_6NyAE2yYW9MkoV4jZG7gf3AJ8-mqW83hgU4B9zG0fiP6AGEcknw-tFJYERKno_MPMDX-vzLGtZyzLRjC_gMxV2LnPPZU6MaHBEZi9V8iIgUf3-aEt4fRvK2tbCJvGEvRD8KpI_VIWAQ109RWy5znNIy5yKBMM-CCaX6jTv/w98-h131/20231223_183334.jpg" width="98" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A drink my<br />daughter got<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42c6WWGavIttsw9pFUKumGYiZ0zf0BB8bJ2-Honhv5JNZTILZEEN5sRzDUw-XjkJx-ALqZp4rhRbDWHY_MCfW9a2ucQl3cwHpiAanuaD-jMf4AwSljLidUdGojrzZaOj5ticM12Ug7e-fnOJSwLAnQ15OdyURB-AUCpaY3CsFsAa6DxFTKE6CUu-SYo3P/s4000/20231222_145919.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42c6WWGavIttsw9pFUKumGYiZ0zf0BB8bJ2-Honhv5JNZTILZEEN5sRzDUw-XjkJx-ALqZp4rhRbDWHY_MCfW9a2ucQl3cwHpiAanuaD-jMf4AwSljLidUdGojrzZaOj5ticM12Ug7e-fnOJSwLAnQ15OdyURB-AUCpaY3CsFsAa6DxFTKE6CUu-SYo3P/s320/20231222_145919.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my spectacular sister-in-law Liz<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I hope you had a great 2023, and you have a happy new year. I will be on the road for most of the first half of the year, so many more pics of fun places and good food. Oh, and some research.<br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-44443200378820137432023-12-29T08:19:00.002-05:002023-12-30T14:14:07.596-05:00Thinking about the G Word<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKeOi3oM_Tv7djOCwnZj3a-fNatDmV6N-QU5_jeOW5XKF0V0QTga1zbyRt11SN3vcBs0hQIXcKYPT9WDqFuh_QlfE4WAIuMAt3bNqRc2p_yRQMpgy74NRaw6BrCVeWW9xpunmI1Nat84SD3nKmsBnW_rAIHHkkotavYYbiQ_mkJnrUEZurj0QcHHLT5ge/s574/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20at%2007-57-53%20deck.blue.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="282" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKeOi3oM_Tv7djOCwnZj3a-fNatDmV6N-QU5_jeOW5XKF0V0QTga1zbyRt11SN3vcBs0hQIXcKYPT9WDqFuh_QlfE4WAIuMAt3bNqRc2p_yRQMpgy74NRaw6BrCVeWW9xpunmI1Nat84SD3nKmsBnW_rAIHHkkotavYYbiQ_mkJnrUEZurj0QcHHLT5ge/w216-h440/Screenshot%202023-12-29%20at%2007-57-53%20deck.blue.png" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe not genocide, almost<br />certainly a war crime.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> I have been reluctant to call what Israel is doing in Gaza genocide. I am not an international lawyer so my hesitance is less about the fine points of international law and more about how fraught the word is--that it is a very inflammatory accusation, that it turns people's minds off, that it ends conversations. It is pretty much the worst thing you can accuse someone of doing, especially an Israeli given the history of the Jews. It also raises in some people's minds a false equivalency between this event or that event and the Holocaust. For the legal beagles, the question is of intent--is the aim to kill in part (the in part thing is important) or entirely a group of people because of their race, religion, language, or some other ethnic marker.* For an excellent discussion of much of this, see <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-11-26/gaza-terrorism-war-crimes-definitions" target="_blank">Page Fortna's op-ed</a>.<br /><p></p><p>And then I got into a conversation with a family member about ethnic cleansing versus genocide. I am far more confident that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/gaza-palestine-displacement-rafah-maps-photos/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzAzMjIxMjAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzA0NjAzNTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDMyMjEyMDAsImp0aSI6ImNiZGQxMWRjLWVmNzEtNGYyOC1hZTQ1LTZlYjg3NDUyOGE3NCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC9pbnRlcmFjdGl2ZS8yMDIzL2dhemEtcGFsZXN0aW5lLWRpc3BsYWNlbWVudC1yYWZhaC1tYXBzLXBob3Rvcy8ifQ.suOnsEoPfc8o9aws-NH-G7JBO8FEkQhMvG7KyHmMbTk&itid=gfta" target="_blank">what is happening in Gaza</a> is ethnic cleansing. We have had a variety of statements from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-nakba-israels-far-right-palestinian-fears-hamas-war-rcna123909" target="_blank">Israeli officials</a> referring to this as a/the nabka--a repeat of something that had long been denied--that the new Israelis expelled the Palestinians from contested territories in 1948. Reports that Netanyahu has been looking for other places to settle the Palestinians are very disturbing. The level of violence and its targeting, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2023/israel-war-destruction-gaza-record-pace/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f005" target="_blank">this WP analysis illustrates only too clearly</a>, is suggestive. Israel has more done more damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure in a couple of months than other contemporary campaigns and it is not close. Remember, <a href="https://goodauthority.org/news/gaza-casualty-data/" target="_blank">the 21k civilian casualties in Gaza is almost certainly an undercoun</a>t that will get worse as the destruction of the health care system and the shortages of food and water kick in.</p><p>Israel and its fans will claim that they need to eradicate Hamas because it has genocidal intent. I sympathize with that, but genocide is partly about power. One cannot engage in mass killing unless one has the powers of a state or something close to it. So, in the genocide conversation, one can argue that one side might have intent, but it is the other side that has the ability to engage in large scale destruction and is doing so. Hamas may present a threat to engage in genocide, but it is Israel that is actually killing large numbers of people, mostly civilians including many, many children.</p><p>I need to mention one dynamic here: conflating all Palestinians with Hamas and arguing Hamas needs to be eradicated leads to the conclusion, intentionally or not, implicit or explicit, that to destroy Hamas, one needs to eliminate the Palestinians. Which leads to the biq question:<br /></p><p>Is the intent of Israeli leaders to eliminate all Palestinians? Just those living in Gaza? Not so clear, so one could argue it is not genocide. But that is really a quibble. Israel is forcing Gazans to move south, and so-called safe zones are not so safe (which reminds me of Bosnia). Israels and its supporters can argue about genocide/not genocide, and maybe that is a conversation that could be more comfortable than addressing the contemporary situation--Israel is killing large numbers of innocents out of revenge, rage, and/or a misconception that hitting much, much harder will ultimately lead to deterrence. I included the bluesky post because it illustrates something very, very powerful--that Israel is engaged in a variety of horrific tactics and no strategy (if Israel had one) could justify it. <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/11/thinking-about-israel-and-palestine.html#more" target="_blank">Attacking hospitals and refugee camps is simply wrong</a>--it is immoral and it is also bad strategy. Netanyahu recently said he was seeking to destroy Hamas,** demilitarize
Gaza, and deradicalize the Palestinians. This campaign may be
temporarily successful at the second, but it will not destroy Hamas, and
it will do the opposite of deradicalizing the Palestinians. </p><p>I remarked that when Israel had hit the 20,000 casualty figure, was that
disproportionate enough, given that something less than 2,000 Israelis
died on or after October 7th? It is quite clear that Israel has violated
international humanitarian law repeatedly and intentionally. I get that Israelis think international relations is gamed against them--all the UN votes by countries that have deplorable human rights records, etc. That international law is less important than survival, but some of this is a self-fulfilling prophecy--that Israel burned whatever goodwill it received in the aftermath of October 7th by engaging in a campaign of revenge and collective punishment. <br /></p><p>One of thing that has been so disturbing is the realization that there are two meanings to Never Again--never again will Jews be victims or never again will we let mass killings take place. It is clear now that Israeli leaders and their supporters believe that Never Again means that Jews will never be victims again, even if it means victimizing others. The lesson I thought I had learned growing up was that Never Again meant fighting against oppression, persecution, victimization, regardless of the targeted group. I can't help but think that all of this is a betrayal of what we were supposed to learn from the Holocaust.</p><p>All of this is awful. Hamas is awful, Netanyahu is awful, terrorism is awful, collective punishment is awful. Whether one wants to call it genocide or not, what Israel is doing is awful--it is counterproductive and it is immoral. So, from a strategic perspective, Israel's campaign is bad. From a moral perspective, it is wrong. Hamas's gross violations of human rights do not justify violating international humanitarian law, even if it were producing a successful outcome, and it is certainly not doing that.</p><p>Thus, I avoid using genocide as a label for all of this because it is largely superfluous--one can condemn what Israel has been doing without it. <br /></p><p> </p><p>* The term politicide was invented to cover the attempt to kill many/all people of the same party or movement that is ethnically heterogeneous.</p><p>** None of this justifies Hamas or legitimates what Hamas has done. The recent story about the systemic gender violence committed by Hamas makes abundantly clear that Hamas is an awful, awful organization. That they deliberately use their own people as shield not to protect the organization but to raise the hypocrisy costs for Israel--that is, they are deliberately getting Palestinians killed--makes them utterly deplorable. They should be defeated and destroyed. But Israel is actually empowering Hamas by walking into the traps it has set.<br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-75516821055826730372023-12-28T11:50:00.005-05:002023-12-28T12:43:01.976-05:00White Nationalist Outbidding, 2024<p> Nikki Haley's "what about slavery?" statement reminds us that the 2024 campaign is one of ethnic outbidding--specifically, white nationalist outbidding. I have been writing about ethnic outbidding for quite some time, in my own academic work, and then <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-do-we-care-about-ethnic-outbidding.html" target="_blank">applied to the US</a> <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-outbidding-has-begun.html" target="_blank">especially</a> in the age of Trump. To be clear, the concept is not mine. It was most clearly articulated by <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520227064/ethnic-groups-in-conflict-updated-edition-with-a-new-preface" target="_blank">Donald Horowitz</a>--that when multiple politicians or parties compete for support from an homogenous group in a heterogeneous society, they will be tempted/pressured to outbid each other in their promises to be the best defender of that group.* <br /></p><p>In 2016, Trump was best positioned to win this auction, this competition for ever more extreme voters, as he was willing to say anything, including banning Muslims, and, yes, his personality feeds into it as he always wants to top other folks. After the 2020 election, Fox News felt pressure from its right, as it initially recognized Trump's defeat, but started to lose market share to OAN and other far right outlets.</p><p>In the 2024 race, the competition to be the best white nationalist (I tend to prefer white supremacist but YMMV) is so evident with non-white candidates like Nikki Haley and Tim Scott appealing to the white vote. Many have noted the irony or hypocrisy of those running to lead the Party of Lincoln getting all soft on slavery.** Haley once was on the right side of history, lowering the confederate flag from government buildings when she was governor of South Carolina. But that was before Trump changed the permission structure of Republican politics. Now, to compete at the national level, one must establish one's white nationalist bona fides by being pro-confederacy. [Save me the BS about state's rights, as SC's secession and pretty much every other one was based on the selective state's right to support the institution of slavery and oppose the rights of non-slave-holding states to regulate their own borders]. </p><p>To be clear, ethnic outbidding refers to pressures and temptations--the fear of losing white voters to other candidates or the temptation to pander to extremist voters to get a leg up on more moderate candidates. Candidates and parties still have agency. They have a choice to make, often a tough one, but they can choose to go another way at some cost. Fox could have been willing to risk losing some market share to far right outlets. Nikki Haley could have risked losing some share of the electorate to others, with the hope that she could corner the market of reasonable Republicans (if such a beast still exists). The challenge is that we know that the most enthused voters show up at primaries, and those tend to be those on the extremes. But in this time of increased threat of autocracy, there is an opportunity for a Republican to take a stand. This is not just wishful thinking or idealism--the white nationalist vote is going to Trump. Whatever is left will go to DeSantis and others who fit the bill--white "Christian" men. Nikki Haley could be the candidate that grabs other voters. Again, she has agency, she has a choice to make, and, until this week, she had somewhat of an advantage with her background--not just being a person of color (perhaps in denial about that) and a woman, but someone who had pulled down the confederate flag in a previous job. She had the credentials to try to be the savior of the GOP. </p><p>And Haley tossed it away. Out of weakness. Due to cowardice. She simply is not going to win an outbidding race against Trump or against the other dudes in the race. </p><p>So, we can blame the structure of the American politics--the winner take all process where small numbers of voters in primaries set the agenda--but we cannot let these politicians off. They have responsibility for their stances. We got here because of GOP weakness and temptation. In 2016, GOP candidates didn't attack Trump directly because they wanted his voters--the deplorables that Hillary Clinton so aptly called them. In 2024, the cowardice has a physical element to it--that Trump supporters have threatened violence. But cowardice it still is--to run for Presidency and sell out whatever values one has and ultimately endanger oneself and one's family. Again, Haley may think of herself as white, but she isn't to to white nationalists to whom she is pandering. Indian-Americans may not be at the top of their hate list, but I am pretty sure Great Replacement Theorists worry about South Asians replacing white folks, just as they worry about Jews, Black Americans, Muslims, etc. </p><p>Structure and agency are in play here--we need to hold accountable the politicians who pander to the worst instincts in people and we need to remember that Trump and Haley wouldn't be doing this stuff if it did not work, if there was not an audience for it.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>* This is not just an American thing, of course, as Horowitz was inspired by the Sinhalese case in Sri Lanka. These days, Canada is having a bit of the outbidding dynamic as the Conservative Party of Canada feels pressured by a small far right party run by, well, an idiot. That case illustrates it is not just pressure but temptation. The temptation to split off voters from the heterogeneous party.</p><p>** You don't have to be an historian to know that the two parties switched their positions/places on the rights of African-Americans to be free and to vote, but it doesn't hurt. Follow Kevin Kruse on social media to get the basics as he has responded extensively to the whole "hey, the Dems were the party of racism" stuff. It is called partisan realignment for a reason--the parties and voters realigned in response to the response to the civil rights movement.<br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-80946824488477427052023-12-23T16:42:00.004-05:002023-12-23T16:42:45.341-05:00Spew in Review, 2023!<p> There is never a boring year for a scholar of international relations, but, wow, this year was something. The invasion of Ukraine was eclipsed by the Hamas attack and Israel's response. The former created much consensus and unity except for the random tankie. The latter has been incredibly divisive. It was a year of expectations unmet and exceeded. And it was an incredibly angering year as so much could have been avoided, and so much awful has been amplified. </p><p>I am lucky and privileged, so Musk turning twitter into a far right hellscape was annoying to me but only hurt my hit rate here at the spew. For others, it was quite destructive with death threats and actual violence. Seeing folks start to flee Substack due to tech billionaire greed -- hey, the Nazis pay! -- makes think I was right never to move, and then I have to remember that blogger is owned by google, and google has done a fair amount of evil via gaming its algorithms to get more hits via anger--youtube sending folks to the extremes.</p><p>Anyhow, that is part of the context for this review. The rest of the context: I blog far less than I once did, averaging a bit more than 2 posts a month, when I used post several times a day. I theoretically have more time to blog as I have been on sabbatical since July, but I haven't. Why not? Partly I write on other social media--bluesky now instead of twitter. Partly because my first reaction is to write something ... that I have written before. I don't need to write a "<a href="http://saideman.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-party-of-bad-faith.html" target="_blank">GOP is the Party of Bad Faith</a>" post since I have already written it. </p><p>Unto the year in review, which has at least one enthusiastic reader ;)</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>One of the basic rules of legislative politics is not to hold a vote if you think you are going to lose it. Yet Kevin McCarthy held how many rounds of votes to get to be Speaker of the House.... for a while? It made me ponder the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-humiliation-fetish-index.html" target="_blank">Humiliation Index</a>--comparing various actors in how much humiliation they tolerate/encourage.<br /></p><p>One of my favorite parts of blogging is taking ideas from one place and adjusting them to apply elsewhere. Also one of my fave parts of poli sci-ing and professing. One reason I do media stuff and encourage the sharp people I know to do so is that, well, they and I are, in my not so humble opinion, <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/03/professing-about-punditry-calculating.html" target="_blank">better than the average pundit.</a> This idea was in my head for sometime, but unlike most such ideas, I hadn't written about it before--value over replacement pundit.</p><p>Speaking of media stuff, <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/04/who-gets-to-police-defence-and-security.html" target="_blank">I vented my spleen about a particular journalist</a> who considered himself above the fray, able to judge who is pure of heart (himself) and who isn't (pretty much everyone else).<br /></p><p></p><p>One of the consistent themes of this year, more than any except perhaps the year I went to Israel, was struggling with <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/03/identities-and-conflict-recurring-b.html" target="_blank">my Jewish identity</a> as a non-believer. In May, I realized that at least I remember the cardinal lesson of the Holocaust: never again. Which makes me a <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/05/when-i-am-better-jew.html" target="_blank">better Jew than Republican Jews</a> who align with white supremacists.<br /></p><p>The biggest change in my life this year was the absence of ultimate. I stopped playing in 2022 due to aging out--I can still run, but changing speed or direction or both quickly pull one tendon or muscle too much. So, I had <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/05/a-summer-sans-ultimate.html" target="_blank">chatgpt wax poetically about the end of my ultimate career</a> and a summer sans ultimate.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSlPAyofxkEyXxrB1-xmyfD8zCy6xCsNjW0b-VBWmErOD6fl8-P8Fo9hZtRh96TUmbxt1Ehk4sBOoSrBXy1pLY-b4NihUzkqhrGzync9DyLlobXkdTrS5f5gGn8QHHN2lYRgSWd2fphyphenhyphenr3ICZLlCyMdeGa8Ek2qq9vngYFroQc5f1LjyUNPcQAi66UqBG/s4000/20230601_084651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSlPAyofxkEyXxrB1-xmyfD8zCy6xCsNjW0b-VBWmErOD6fl8-P8Fo9hZtRh96TUmbxt1Ehk4sBOoSrBXy1pLY-b4NihUzkqhrGzync9DyLlobXkdTrS5f5gGn8QHHN2lYRgSWd2fphyphenhyphenr3ICZLlCyMdeGa8Ek2qq9vngYFroQc5f1LjyUNPcQAi66UqBG/w178-h133/20230601_084651.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>Another milestone was my <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/06/looking-for-some-defence-tech-my-day-at.html" target="_blank">first defence trade show</a>! I went to CANSEC thanks to a former participant of the CDSN Summer Institute. No, I didn't buy anything, but I met sharper Carleton students who were part of the sales teams of various producers. The amazing thing was the diversity of products from ammo and artillery and drones to food and clothing and cable (yes, the wires between things) and more. Did going compromise my ability to criticize the defence industry and the government's messed up procurement system since I am a card carrying member of the military-industrial-academic complex? I don't think so, but read my stuff to judge.<p></p><p>Speaking about hanging out with the military, <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-big-lessons-from-week-near-front.html" target="_blank">I joined a junket</a> (does it count as a junket if my grant money pays and not the hosts?) to Latvia to see what was going in with Canada and with NATO and with the latest in Strategic Communications. I had been there before so it was interesting to see what had changed both in the NATO setup and the base itself. The Latvians were mostly open about stuff, and we all were waiting to be disappointed by the Canadian government (and it did disappoint) as the expected defence review didn't happen. <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/07/my-dream-defence-policy-update.html" target="_blank">I did write about what I wanted to see in the review</a>, so I got to be extra-disappointed.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjSRkYnrmu1i0gvb-IXeQpC9NOX2h7e7yY2K1OMmhF9wBRkUcPQ0e4TnggtHOGFwmQMLe_HMHelKjegGVwVhCvOCmQ46klm2n4Iu8U5dcaItNTiK2ELvBZxxjWwEaCXyc1-EpDAW1vvJ6Fm1vUZO-Wq493CQ6g38xmXoL8i37X7n8BCKgbebM_yEf6_Zb/s4000/20230622_162937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjSRkYnrmu1i0gvb-IXeQpC9NOX2h7e7yY2K1OMmhF9wBRkUcPQ0e4TnggtHOGFwmQMLe_HMHelKjegGVwVhCvOCmQ46klm2n4Iu8U5dcaItNTiK2ELvBZxxjWwEaCXyc1-EpDAW1vvJ6Fm1vUZO-Wq493CQ6g38xmXoL8i37X7n8BCKgbebM_yEf6_Zb/w213-h160/20230622_162937.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>The <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/06/week-1-in-hot-spain.html" target="_blank">highlight of the year was the trip to Spain</a>. First time Mrs. Spew and I euro-tripped! Great food, amazing sights seen. Oh, and a lot of sangria.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHHb_eBxBEgDhTT9NxxlH4rJKyja3FHZ31AgT_BJHt0lnJoonpxPLntWmRnpgXzun073GBswOrVF8iF4gKjrqSRShd5HmCgU8xGaMhX-DIMP5ptVGYUcyfKFzoWDFZ2YzSqVpsbUlBEReOHRgjOzTmLNimC3aoVZZn8oClIgVvlVwymLX1jpbFIYgNR6J/s2048/Anand%20in%20my%20class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHHb_eBxBEgDhTT9NxxlH4rJKyja3FHZ31AgT_BJHt0lnJoonpxPLntWmRnpgXzun073GBswOrVF8iF4gKjrqSRShd5HmCgU8xGaMhX-DIMP5ptVGYUcyfKFzoWDFZ2YzSqVpsbUlBEReOHRgjOzTmLNimC3aoVZZn8oClIgVvlVwymLX1jpbFIYgNR6J/w229-h172/Anand%20in%20my%20class.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>One of the bigger disappointments of the year was the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/07/not-all-change-is-progressive-canadian.html" target="_blank">replacement of Anita Anand</a> as the Minister of National Defence by Bill Blair. Yes, Blair has made some progress on some of the important files, but the more people I talk to in the CAF and DND and the more my first impression was right--this was a hell of a bad signal to send. And then the budget cuts, including those imposed by Anand from her new spot at Treasury Board, helped to demoralize folks further. The P-8 decision--buying an existing plane rather than the vaporware that Bombardier was trying to flog--was the right one and surprising given the temptation to pander to Quebec voters. But overall, people are pretty miffed about how sidelined DND/CAF are now in Canadian priorities at a time where the world is, yes, more threatening. <p></p><p>The CDSN highlight of the year is <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/08/summer-institute-2023-this-is-why-we.html" target="_blank">always the Summer Institute</a>, which keeps getting better. It is a great chance to hangout with sharp people from all over the Canadian defence and security community as we had both speakers and participants from the military, from DND, from academia, and from other parts of the government. I get a lot out of it even as we tend to cover similar material from year to year. Just a terrific group this year in large part due to the recruiting efforts of last year's visiting defence fellow--Colonel Cathy Blue.<br /><br /></p><p>One of the strangest things of 2023 was how politicization of the military became all about ... me? I get accused of thinking everything is about me, which is why I used to joke here about how I am a narcissist, but on this matter, well, oy. It started by my writing about <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-perils-of-politicization-with-maple.html" target="_blank">politicization of the US military</a>, as analyzed by <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/dangerous-instrument-9780197611562?lang=en&cc=us#" target="_blank">Michael Robinson</a>, a very sharp military officer who is a hell of a social scientist (and with whom I have a long lingering project on Japanese public opinion and the Self-Defense Force). It then led to an <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadas-conservatives-should-resist-the-urge-to-politicize-the/" target="_blank">op-ed where I argued the Conservative Party of Canada should not give a platform</a> at its convention to a cranky retired general. The cranky retiree, Michel Maisoneuve then <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/michel-maisonneuve-criticizing-the-government-does-not-politicize-the-military" target="_blank">wrote an op-ed of his own</a>, which was directly aimed at ... moi! Because it was such a crappy argument, I could not resist the temptation to grade it. Oh, and other folks responded as well so <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/09/reactions-to-reactions.html" target="_blank">I discussed what could not fit into the op-ed</a>.</p><p>The other strange thing, consistent with the larger theme of "it didn't have to be this way" was the Musking of Twitter. I finally had to leave--too much far right shit from the very top and too much empowering of the same bullshit from other folks. So, <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/09/cutting-cord-social-media-edition.html" target="_blank">I looked back</a> and the moved on to bluesky.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedE8cnNW1R3CC724Qg-dCb9wCt8FKNQUbIliYAB4YnAkCrZlKvxGxo1YIWpb_BGTGXGiO9CMRKCXgfbX5IlTj2eh5q-mjxEkX-8YUfD10hoXAwsOdVI5C8Yi8Q2jD8WhTbHgsHoYI4FOugh_fsMM5555iS_UgX03K1pxK37YGeEySVRA-EULg4NYfqfCG/s4000/20230910_154505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedE8cnNW1R3CC724Qg-dCb9wCt8FKNQUbIliYAB4YnAkCrZlKvxGxo1YIWpb_BGTGXGiO9CMRKCXgfbX5IlTj2eh5q-mjxEkX-8YUfD10hoXAwsOdVI5C8Yi8Q2jD8WhTbHgsHoYI4FOugh_fsMM5555iS_UgX03K1pxK37YGeEySVRA-EULg4NYfqfCG/w229-h172/20230910_154505.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>One of the best parts of the year was the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/09/kitchen-renovation-odyessy.html" target="_blank">new kitchen</a>!! The counters took much longer to arrive, but they look great and are easy to clean. The rest of the kitchen was operational in June thanks to our great contractor--Ron. My fave parts are the island with heaps of deep drawers for appliances and baking stuff and its shelves for Nigella and the rest; the double oven so I can make pitas and fillings for the pitas at the same time; the corners that now stow a heap of pots and pans in one and reserves of flour/sugar/chocolate/etc in the other; and the huge sink. And the lighting! Really thrilled with how it worked out with the planning and buying dominating the winter of 2023. Oh, and it made the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/12/cookiefest-2023-i-think-i-have-problem.html" target="_blank">ever-growing cookiefe</a>st so much easier to execute, perhaps encouraging the madness.<br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcPyhg3Pa6s-yEZqi_C8QcDrO5SQ0-59AaLe95HVqrzJfpSpMaUvO-SdInBlcrLkPgkSDt8OBMMsFXPOGgBMYnt8YwRJXQRbOyvQtxAj2hmWYngXassFhkCKPCpjbB3hsGeSE7ENrxqgx-uNVoJGelgz6g3BRnmFqQhU1EqkQljvEPoPpDzLBtQdoHDp-/s4000/20231026_182046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcPyhg3Pa6s-yEZqi_C8QcDrO5SQ0-59AaLe95HVqrzJfpSpMaUvO-SdInBlcrLkPgkSDt8OBMMsFXPOGgBMYnt8YwRJXQRbOyvQtxAj2hmWYngXassFhkCKPCpjbB3hsGeSE7ENrxqgx-uNVoJGelgz6g3BRnmFqQhU1EqkQljvEPoPpDzLBtQdoHDp-/w247-h186/20231026_182046.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>Heaps of travel towards the end of the year with only short breaks at home. The biggest trip was <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/11/second-time-is-charm.html" target="_blank">Seoul</a> and then Copenhagen. First time one trip took me around the world as I flew across Asia from Korea to Denmark. The research in Seoul was challenging--getting people to identify who is really running the military was not easy. The case study remains only partially written due to the difficulty plus heaps of distractions--professional (Year Ahead conference, etc) and personal (skiing with my sister in Utah!). The South Korea research definitely made it clear to me that we are onto something--a relevant, interesting topic.<br /><p></p><p>While surveys have shown that academics are censoring themselves about Israel-Palestine, my initial reluctance to write/talk about it was more about confusion/ambivalence/anger. So, when I saw references by both sides to "From the River to the Sea," <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/11/dueling-irredentisms-always-bad-never.html" target="_blank">s</a>, building on my old work on irredentism. And then I just <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/11/thinking-about-israel-and-palestine.html" target="_blank">wrote angry</a>.<br /></p><p>Another recurring theme for the past few years but especially this one: maybe there are two sides to the political spectrum, but <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/12/fearing-which-extremes-right-ffs.html" target="_blank">one side is where the danger is coming fro</a>m. It is not close.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFIkCXyNa-U4EUadd7l8pHvYEKFf-HAziJTPiYkzNxyGzviRKrOWyes3x-JgZ2BBWsr0qQR3QghTbugUgGUunz5PB68GZdk0ZIcp8ykhKlAL6WN9r10S-BEQNvSjT-7CKbZahlcJ0JJ6HTsIr_0R7MUz3kJS63yIU-jYZL33tKxInZvXq6HMOrGKjGQha/s4000/20231213_153235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFIkCXyNa-U4EUadd7l8pHvYEKFf-HAziJTPiYkzNxyGzviRKrOWyes3x-JgZ2BBWsr0qQR3QghTbugUgGUunz5PB68GZdk0ZIcp8ykhKlAL6WN9r10S-BEQNvSjT-7CKbZahlcJ0JJ6HTsIr_0R7MUz3kJS63yIU-jYZL33tKxInZvXq6HMOrGKjGQha/w271-h203/20231213_153235.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>The year ended with a special anniversary--<a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/12/doctoring-for-three-decades.html" target="_blank">30 years of being a PhD</a>. I am increasingly aware of how long I have been doing this. <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2023/03/isa-2023-so-much-gratitude.html" target="_blank"> Earlier in the year</a>, I was very conscious of how lucky I have been, how much I owe people, and just being grateful. And, with a great ski trip crashing my sister's ski clinic and heaps of cookies, the year ended well and I am very, very grateful. The next year will also be full of travel and skiing and three months of Europe. Hopefully, a book contract too. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>Enjoy your holidays and happy new year! <br /></p><p><br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-62453942058730118702023-12-23T09:15:00.004-05:002023-12-23T09:15:42.010-05:00Academic Careerism: What Is Misunderstood<p>Academia has long been misunderstood in so many ways. That folks don't understand the <a href="https://saideman.blogspot.com/2018/07/how-to-explain-academic-job-market-to.html" target="_blank">academic job market</a> has long been a theme here. Lately, folks have been wondering about our motives, with some of this questioning the integrity of the average academic. So, let me take the lenses we apply to politicians and focus them on the average North American academic. To be clear, there are exceptions, such as the recent scandal about a <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/04/conocophillips-willow-project-board-member-harvard-environmental-law-professor-jody-freeman/" target="_blank">climate change scholar taking big bucks from polluters to shill for them</a>. But when I focus on the basics, these tend to apply to most folks, at least in the research university landscape.</p><p>I raise this today because folks think that we academics may sell our souls for grant money. I have been asked whether I filter what I say in order to get ahead in this business. Folks who know me giggle at the idea that I filter myself much. So, what does it take to get ahead in academia, and does the desire for/pressure to get government money lead folks to be less critical?</p><p>Since we assume that politicians are careerists, that they are motivated by the desire for election and then re-election, it is only fair that folks assume about academics that they are motivated by the desire to be employed and then promoted. What does it take to get a job and then promoted? A shit ton of luck these days. But mostly academic publications. We don't get academic jobs in the US or Canada (I can't speak about Mexico or elsewhere) because we do television or radio or say nice things about the government. We get jobs and we get promoted almost entirely based on how many articles/books we publish, where they are published, whether other academics cite our stuff. </p><p>Where does the money come in? It matters--and how much it matters varies by discipline--but grant money (not consulting money, more on that later) pays for the research, which then gets us the publications. Some folks need less grant money than others. If you need to travel to do fieldwork or to access archives, that costs money. If you need research assistants to code data, they don't work for free (ok, sometimes they work for academic credits or for co-authorship, but mostly they work for pay). As I have said elsewhere, grant money rarely goes into our pockets.* <br /></p><p>Getting back to publishing, does sucking up to the powers that be get you more pubs? Well, if you mean government, no. If you mean the bigger names in the field, that depends on the journal/editor/reviewers. But mostly what sells a paper are a combination of whether it asks an interesting question (interesting to the editor, to the reviewers), whether it poses an interesting answer (ditto), whether the methods are rigorous and perhaps funky (innovative methods can help... and maybe hurt), whether it has important ramifications. None of this is aimed at the government--while funding trends can drive research to a certain area, like counterterrorism after 9/11 and counterinsurgency after the US poured gasoline all over Iraq and Afghanistan, the reviewers and editors are the key audiences. </p><p>So, what drives our research agendas? This cartoon illustrates it nicely:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3O-EwKV8Ty4uzhHSgYqJaNA-3N0m1mDoVA95Eq4jIewSbEMp9S3dtXMZl4Z-rgvZLBy-QwutfTiV4uHNkttLT1Y5Pg78UxE07WBgNn7VPa6tWPnb2Mz_Qa--hBWN64RhUf4r9iRzfoWx1OMWHRRiGKmhO2qja0fcfKY_ZNpulLpEt8ZBQaPUaie6LQ/s600/dino%20spidey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3O-EwKV8Ty4uzhHSgYqJaNA-3N0m1mDoVA95Eq4jIewSbEMp9S3dtXMZl4Z-rgvZLBy-QwutfTiV4uHNkttLT1Y5Pg78UxE07WBgNn7VPa6tWPnb2Mz_Qa--hBWN64RhUf4r9iRzfoWx1OMWHRRiGKmhO2qja0fcfKY_ZNpulLpEt8ZBQaPUaie6LQ/s320/dino%20spidey.jpg" width="271" /></a></div> That is, profs study the stuff that interests them. We are driven by curiosity. I always say we can't control where we do our work, but we can control what our work is. Scholars vary widely in what they choose to study and why they choose to study whatever it is they study, but it is largely up to them, especially after tenure. Sure, a department hires a prof to do something, like teach and research International Relations, and maybe something more specific like International Trade, but the questions they ask, the methods they use, the answers they get are not stuff that anyone but the scholar controls. Some profs may aim their research at hot topics thinking that will get them better publications, but we suck at evaluating what is going to be hot in two to seven years--it takes a while to do the research and then more time to publish. So, yes, folks can try to game things, but mostly profs study what they want and how they want because that is why they became profs. So, in all of Marvel-dom, this particular scientist just wants to turn people into dinosaurs, and that might be the most realistic villain--a PhD with a specific interest due to their own preferences. <br /><p></p><p>Other stuff matters in career progression--networking so that the right people end up writing your letters and inviting to you to various reindeer games--edited volume projects, special issues, etc. But pandering to donors? Not really a thing.</p><p>There is, of course, one potential exception to all of this--consulting. As profs are experts in their area, folks in the public and private sectors may want to hire some to provide their insights. And then, yeah, the prof may aim at telling the funder what they want to hear. Profs should list who they consult for--I have seem some economists with very fulsome conflict of interest statements. Poli sci doesn't have quite the same norms, at least not yet. <br /></p><p>In my mind, I do think there is a world of difference between grants and consulting contracts, but I don't have much experience in the latter so I can't speak to it as well. </p><p>Is there careerism in academia? Certainly. But it does not operate the way some may suggest--ego, ambition, and even greed matter, but who we pander to is not so obvious nor does the pandering lead to betraying most of our ideals and findings. As always, if you wonder what is driving us, read our stuff.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>*In the US, there is this strange thing called summer money--that since
one is often technically employed for 9 months, a grant can include some
money for summer wages. That does not exist in Canada since we are on 12
month contracts. And, yes, fellowships can cover food/rent/etc, unlike grants. I recently received a fellowship that will help cover my income since my sabbatical income is 85% of my normal income.<br /></p>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-37208540289095899302023-12-18T16:18:00.004-05:002023-12-18T16:33:22.485-05:00Cookiefest 2023: I Think I Have A Problem<p> I have spent the past several weeks making something like 20 batches of cookies which I have shared with some friends and will share with more friends around Ottawa and have some left over to bring to the winterfest celebration down south.</p><p>This is madness! I even bought a chest freezer so that I could make heaps of cookies in advance. One lesson I may have overlearned from last year--one can freeze cookies without hurting them. Before I go through all of the different cookies/recipes, why have I done this?</p><p>Mostly two reasons: I am indecisive and I like giving out cookies. First, this all started in December of 2020 when I saw a NYT article about cookie boxes that had something like 7-10 recipes. I liked the look of most of them, and rather than picking one or two, I decided to make most of them. But wait, there is just Mrs. Spew and I at home (and we were not traveling that year due to the pandemic), so what to do with the extras? I asked folks if they wanted some, which has now led to a yearly ritual--driving around Ottawa a few days before we leave town, giving boxes of cookies to friends. This is real joy--as I chit chat with each receiver for a bit. Remember in December 2020, this was my first interaction in real life with many people after quarantining for the most part since March. So, yes, I get to exercise my sweet tooth, and I get to embrace my extroversion at the same time. Win-win as they say. That and the pandemic cause me to embrace a holy trinity--stress-baking--> stress-eating --> stress exercising. </p><p> <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Here are the cookies I made with the links to the recipes (if available) in rough order of delight, starting with the least delightful.</p><p><a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015820-rosemary-shortbread" target="_blank">Rosemary Shortbread</a>:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7OuTcN6DocJKZDozUhgW28nw5W1mazoJCfpmqIuOYtmzrrtViNd8caBgB4_Zli3FelfxlAbJrCp7WJcILu2Kq8eKk9Bq6YaCWSnUcyqEq1TLer45pW-V2dWpK0OfHs566-MsyMCZ0Dz9vAJsoniQ-W_fwdG3kFkaLa19B8DPvsW0aH5TYNg6I_5AU5-c/s4000/20231202_125618.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7OuTcN6DocJKZDozUhgW28nw5W1mazoJCfpmqIuOYtmzrrtViNd8caBgB4_Zli3FelfxlAbJrCp7WJcILu2Kq8eKk9Bq6YaCWSnUcyqEq1TLer45pW-V2dWpK0OfHs566-MsyMCZ0Dz9vAJsoniQ-W_fwdG3kFkaLa19B8DPvsW0aH5TYNg6I_5AU5-c/s320/20231202_125618.jpg" width="240" /></a></p>19. A different kind of taste, less sweet and more savory. They were fine, but a bit dry. They also didn't make that many, which is a problem for my mass delivery project. My wife thinks they are a dinner scone and not cookies.<br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /></p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrmdxjCJBsDTmmrTU2q0V5k2o_P1nCJAfOfhHo2ixGHnbU0e3mH1LZvRuBOx89kZQb0Tr7W-A0optjfqAtZM6ERJm0Pv8quJ1SLVMu4YWNIWtKnptyDMwjB9Abzs7ulfB4JXlzhC2txnOJ9141n7Wm7nVvb4Hg4Durr3gqjXA0aIe9PNw8vX0iOaENDQp/s4000/20231119_114959.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrmdxjCJBsDTmmrTU2q0V5k2o_P1nCJAfOfhHo2ixGHnbU0e3mH1LZvRuBOx89kZQb0Tr7W-A0optjfqAtZM6ERJm0Pv8quJ1SLVMu4YWNIWtKnptyDMwjB9Abzs7ulfB4JXlzhC2txnOJ9141n7Wm7nVvb4Hg4Durr3gqjXA0aIe9PNw8vX0iOaENDQp/s320/20231119_114959.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>18. Star Anise Sandwich cookies:<br />The tasted fine, but were kind of hard and I didn't put as much frosting in the middle as I probably should have. I am a sandwich cookie amateur--ok, when it comes to baking. So, I may have to try this one again.<br /><br /><p></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/06/29/dining/29CASTIRON-WEB7/29CASTIRON-WEB7-articleLarge.jpg?w=1280&q=75" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="168" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/06/29/dining/29CASTIRON-WEB7/29CASTIRON-WEB7-articleLarge.jpg?w=1280&q=75" width="252" /></a></div>17. <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018198-crisp-toffee-bars" target="_blank">Crisp toffee bars</a>: <br />I really liked the taste as I am caramel fan going a long way back. However, they were too crisp, as they kind of crumbled, making them unsuitable for delivery in cookie cans. So, they will be coming with us to the family vacation. I don't seem to have a picture of them so here's the one at the NYT<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88zUWZa7O08krdanfdnIAp9n3VtT-G4CmUicVR14E_Z-wtk6rInZ4RfaD23N7kn9t1AQbCoLro_Rx7S3tRIK9TmtV5vRHT0XAKCyEr9kwaUdnozPCg5Cgy-RbnUIBuOYFAVBElrVnM2T-t1UsVRghzh7NJbxWT8G4xdAvadkALh_3UQFSiESUyt_xb0Gk/s4000/20231209_161731.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88zUWZa7O08krdanfdnIAp9n3VtT-G4CmUicVR14E_Z-wtk6rInZ4RfaD23N7kn9t1AQbCoLro_Rx7S3tRIK9TmtV5vRHT0XAKCyEr9kwaUdnozPCg5Cgy-RbnUIBuOYFAVBElrVnM2T-t1UsVRghzh7NJbxWT8G4xdAvadkALh_3UQFSiESUyt_xb0Gk/w169-h225/20231209_161731.jpg" width="169" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b>Moving from the failures to the very good but not great:</b></span><br />16. <a href="https://www.nigella.com/recipes/christmas-chocolate-cookies" target="_blank">Nigella's Christmas Chocolate Cookies</a>:<br />Easy to make, easy to decorate. I used a half a bag of trader joe's christmas sprinkles. These are tasty, but not as special as those in the next tier.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8EIJOnjuTChVwtQ-9pMJ42vB4HQExESPvBlziRkikMVOck9kKLuTBOypQSHWyF9t5GlYI2_vmvW_mefprBsWyTEmLGGlVhOj6aKCtZfs7qmsFG1pb9SuDr5aSNg4FssS3SYhPT76nE8m-PLocM6aUVhkdKYR8S0YRjpOqYwWt76GfW1cNdm5GJIMt1cp/s4000/20231217_160658.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8EIJOnjuTChVwtQ-9pMJ42vB4HQExESPvBlziRkikMVOck9kKLuTBOypQSHWyF9t5GlYI2_vmvW_mefprBsWyTEmLGGlVhOj6aKCtZfs7qmsFG1pb9SuDr5aSNg4FssS3SYhPT76nE8m-PLocM6aUVhkdKYR8S0YRjpOqYwWt76GfW1cNdm5GJIMt1cp/w203-h153/20231217_160658.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><p>15. <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/peppermint-mocha-cookies/" target="_blank">Peppermint Mocha Cookies</a>:<br />Sally's recipe is easy to follow, producing a cookie that was not as coffee-tasting as Mrs. Spew feared. It was good and interesting, but not as good as the other chocolate peppermint recipe that is near the top of our list. I made a double batch since the regular recipe does not produce that many cookies. Or so I thought. A funky blend of the classic B&W and the peppermint cookies that both are at the top of the list.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fxjeL1kCc7Spb7w5OuBukqqG7pAUMRG7E7b0EaCJckLEwzvejWP3WkTPuk_iGQCPhJkosJkVK14zciyUAwPAM7aZpndXklnTsFksZNU-yxASLFKQAvtpRN1uUyHunRKqPYW9FLCRu7BpigGwUZJD5Syy584k4MB96flqlfyBXeOP0F4UZ5fl2W0vVK8d/s4000/20231119_101746.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fxjeL1kCc7Spb7w5OuBukqqG7pAUMRG7E7b0EaCJckLEwzvejWP3WkTPuk_iGQCPhJkosJkVK14zciyUAwPAM7aZpndXklnTsFksZNU-yxASLFKQAvtpRN1uUyHunRKqPYW9FLCRu7BpigGwUZJD5Syy584k4MB96flqlfyBXeOP0F4UZ5fl2W0vVK8d/w138-h183/20231119_101746.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>14.<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> Thick molasses spice cookies</span>:<br />Smitten's ginger cookies are quite good, but their thunder is stolen by other ginger recipes that are simply better. I do need to double these (a recurring theme). I can't find the recipe online. Alas.<br /><br /><p></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021661-vanilla-bean-spritz-cookies?q=vanil" target="_blank"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_DQAS2Ngs6lzvw6bWnDQtpkn8uOWV2hkbnbYgdoAImxYhCFmHRCc7bXateXGHuYMXtiUcczC-c9nHTiPLY3FddibwtUMwFj1fZFZJTMAGVJW8ajgOsBHBzuCGSwTPGVLo7_41mW3fm_FMEMHU239cWSzRV2lyOlS5D6KQuK3tVFk7JvTqr6iz4Ci-hhw/s4000/20231210_115739.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_DQAS2Ngs6lzvw6bWnDQtpkn8uOWV2hkbnbYgdoAImxYhCFmHRCc7bXateXGHuYMXtiUcczC-c9nHTiPLY3FddibwtUMwFj1fZFZJTMAGVJW8ajgOsBHBzuCGSwTPGVLo7_41mW3fm_FMEMHU239cWSzRV2lyOlS5D6KQuK3tVFk7JvTqr6iz4Ci-hhw/w206-h154/20231210_115739.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>13. <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021661-vanilla-bean-spritz-cookies?q=vanil" target="_blank">Vanilla Bean Spritz Cookies</a>:<br />The Chicago way: you come at me with a cookie knife, I will pull out my cookie gun (I have two as someone gifted me a second one). Super easy, fun, fast, sweet, tasty, easy to decorate, and produces a large number. A really good cookie that is essential for the season's box as a small nibbler. I think this recipe is tastier than Sally's equivalent, but maybe I will have a shootout between the two to test.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7xAzE7Dti_dlp8nb2NCMATvdWpbZPfUjpEBV-hOGp9NwOiLwU7PiPzutyFgzK5OOM7MqANOl8JAuYr-wMhGPDDCIdZNeTC1vLoIP8SyG7SVCUkk_On6YPDsaPYBUWWolCRzaDwM1LSdR4PolgI8GmceEmlP4RyttghMxLfFjtbu_aQQkGJa3eB7roBT5/s4000/20231202_151447.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7xAzE7Dti_dlp8nb2NCMATvdWpbZPfUjpEBV-hOGp9NwOiLwU7PiPzutyFgzK5OOM7MqANOl8JAuYr-wMhGPDDCIdZNeTC1vLoIP8SyG7SVCUkk_On6YPDsaPYBUWWolCRzaDwM1LSdR4PolgI8GmceEmlP4RyttghMxLfFjtbu_aQQkGJa3eB7roBT5/s320/20231202_151447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>12. <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/holiday-butter-cookies-recipe" target="_blank">Holiday butter cookies</a>:<br />A cookie box has to have some shaped butter cookies, I think. This year, I used a King Arthur recipe that used a ton of butter, so, of course, it tasted good. My cookie cutter collection is growing with more that fit the season so no Yodas (the ears always broke off) and fewer R2-D2's and Vaders. Also gives me a chance to play with googly eyes, which I have long known makes everything better even before the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once popularized that maxim. My art skills suck, so this is more about silliness than anything else. Oh and more sugary goodness.<p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.eatingwell.com/thmb/3ml21UKLaCWv09KL9LBwCkcITRQ=/750x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/quadradinhos-de-laranja-little-squares-of-orange-df9399599927454f932f9ca87f98504f.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="211" src="https://www.eatingwell.com/thmb/3ml21UKLaCWv09KL9LBwCkcITRQ=/750x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/quadradinhos-de-laranja-little-squares-of-orange-df9399599927454f932f9ca87f98504f.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>11. <a href="https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/7897941/quadradinhos-de-laranja-little-squares-of-orange/" target="_blank">Quadradinhos de Laranja</a>:<br />Now for something completely different: orange squares that taste like little bits of sponge cake. Different in source as well--not from any of the usual suspects. I have much nostalgia for my family's passover sponge cake (the only passover food I really enjoyed besides <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018671-classic-matzo-brei" target="_blank">Matzah brie</a>). Sticky and soft, so I am not sure how well they will travel. But a very nice change of pace. I forgot to take a picture so here's the way they are supposed to look: <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3QYYvdYgDzfy8JVT2ttOtBlIMG8BjDYeiBiVYXTSWep3iZrJl0-Kh-PZ5-5k47uMZdfzne5rcP_p5xjg574tOq_B4XGiMFw-BR7xpIePMpLp9BqGDL2_O6kPsOGowPG_5HzksZ6q9PVXVgUzdRigAEdngF-m2ISOgxsUHQZSBUKxbc46SukyFwnXI9L5/s4000/20231203_130752.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3QYYvdYgDzfy8JVT2ttOtBlIMG8BjDYeiBiVYXTSWep3iZrJl0-Kh-PZ5-5k47uMZdfzne5rcP_p5xjg574tOq_B4XGiMFw-BR7xpIePMpLp9BqGDL2_O6kPsOGowPG_5HzksZ6q9PVXVgUzdRigAEdngF-m2ISOgxsUHQZSBUKxbc46SukyFwnXI9L5/w176-h132/20231203_130752.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>10. <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/double-chocolate-crinkle-cookies/" target="_blank">Classic Chocolate Crinkles</a> (not the same recipe as the one in her cookbook): <br />You need at least one white cookie for a winterfest cookie box, right? Sally's are very good chocolate cookies that look and taste great. I may need to double the recipe next year.<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZQ8dPWoigKNxH-4sM-9ZcUEwUrNeoR7hGGyNgTFKVBiWbtbAoeqS-RXlxMKZSx2DtvDkvGsmRVfcXt270dRxxOX6fc6CjNz9IsPVzxE2ZGMtQM8KFaPbMEmJY-3GEE-QDwcieXtVC-WFKbLEizplwVWP_x43mqlG6rrxPkHyJoOooyek3iRYtrfk9-de/s4000/20231209_114605.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZQ8dPWoigKNxH-4sM-9ZcUEwUrNeoR7hGGyNgTFKVBiWbtbAoeqS-RXlxMKZSx2DtvDkvGsmRVfcXt270dRxxOX6fc6CjNz9IsPVzxE2ZGMtQM8KFaPbMEmJY-3GEE-QDwcieXtVC-WFKbLEizplwVWP_x43mqlG6rrxPkHyJoOooyek3iRYtrfk9-de/w215-h161/20231209_114605.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>9. <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/christmas-cookie-sparkles/" target="_blank">Sugar cookie sparkle</a>: <br />Another Sally recipe--sweet and soft and easy. I have started substituting more vanilla for almond extract for the big cookie fest as I don't want to poison any folks who are allergic. And the cookies come out great. I made the same substitution elsewhere. I definitely need to get better sanding sugar as my cookies were too faded compared to Sally's.<br /><br /><p></p><p><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> </b></p><p><b style="color: #2b00fe;"></b></p><p><b style="color: #2b00fe;">Now we are in the top group of amazing cookies:</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjIlMaCB44JL6PlndtKXtu4w5W5_Sri4LNaEALtonzmNqSw3YHUaCtja8KfBusv8ljT16Osi4AoeO3stVqFltEqodyet8NKjjEvJJZeSmJOUCGLj5PkFcgXpDiJ26QlKSURN_0mYp6G3AbCXufKLQ-ezqA0NbCTV3C-3NstyIGuDg8VzJ_pO7xbAz55PH/s4000/20231202_134450.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjIlMaCB44JL6PlndtKXtu4w5W5_Sri4LNaEALtonzmNqSw3YHUaCtja8KfBusv8ljT16Osi4AoeO3stVqFltEqodyet8NKjjEvJJZeSmJOUCGLj5PkFcgXpDiJ26QlKSURN_0mYp6G3AbCXufKLQ-ezqA0NbCTV3C-3NstyIGuDg8VzJ_pO7xbAz55PH/w150-h200/20231202_134450.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p>8. <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/marshmallow-surprise-hot-cocoa-cookies/#tasty-recipes-125132" target="_blank">Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Surprise</a>:<br />One of my faves disappeared. I guess I brought all of them to Thanksgiving? That is the problem with making so many cookies--tis easy to lose track. These are chocolate cookies (with hot cocoa mix included) with a marshmallow on top which is then covered in chocolate. Twas new to me, as I found it on Sally's website.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cookies-n-cream-cookies/" target="_blank"></a></p>7. <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cookies-n-cream-cookies/" target="_blank">Cookies and cream cookies</a>:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-11eEAeqAGM1TPT7JWdni7rJQY1Yw-PpX2oAFLVbL40QG16hh3Cy1DibCx-Kz9Iyf0gve7Mppc-vopsMQwo15y-vXt8a6jvUoYwU0_xJXHZo2kR8iH128VWbPPF_erMKPQ2H_GQpfzx0kX2HXGirVqEB77BVzAx75aH3sz9cnL3MTsWiZtNmNiMX9V9Z/s4000/20231201_212918.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>I made this recipe twice as I think I left out an egg the first time. The online and book recipes are different and I did both. You might be able to tell which one is which. Fun cookies to make, good excuse to buy some oreos. I don't use cream cheese much in my baking, but this may change (the sparkles also have some cream cheese).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLwkr2DT6arbL5dQptKfiup1sfLORwm79KfIqh1pEIanxTuLDNsZvLFd9z7lajJUvngsXq2F9KM0s3Jq1miVrQC4qqkdsI2xFK7sssxu8VT-j5YjUnLcPUn267DUWaMSI2PLJSoqd3ccsZGOvugNe48gtcbvx-uFb-kKd07ayilvmUSCH2JieG7v-1crq/s4000/20231119_152440.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLwkr2DT6arbL5dQptKfiup1sfLORwm79KfIqh1pEIanxTuLDNsZvLFd9z7lajJUvngsXq2F9KM0s3Jq1miVrQC4qqkdsI2xFK7sssxu8VT-j5YjUnLcPUn267DUWaMSI2PLJSoqd3ccsZGOvugNe48gtcbvx-uFb-kKd07ayilvmUSCH2JieG7v-1crq/w156-h117/20231119_152440.jpg" width="156" /></a><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3lkmKuz34-i3AIb3-R7l01wk0ZxSRBzT4OX_OcPdyiX_lbzyg3kbS9qMlKR7S2xW3MZ5PSowZEpWa23hguuBH47yf8JZqhWAcC4RiduD0Zr9S2uhc-SNt9p_gh0UxLkvFCBAJx3wKenOXSoX6jytqPpUGq_KAA2f7nIDecNknSasM3g3SPQG4OVslwnU/s4000/20231201_212918.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3lkmKuz34-i3AIb3-R7l01wk0ZxSRBzT4OX_OcPdyiX_lbzyg3kbS9qMlKR7S2xW3MZ5PSowZEpWa23hguuBH47yf8JZqhWAcC4RiduD0Zr9S2uhc-SNt9p_gh0UxLkvFCBAJx3wKenOXSoX6jytqPpUGq_KAA2f7nIDecNknSasM3g3SPQG4OVslwnU/w176-h132/20231201_212918.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNdf73_4QfnfSN1GZQC5MLLNxzuA6zmywgPzcPUm6y7GwQPrpQrArDKJMxz2h2H-m5-45Sw4KUR4W195oVMyDI9dVwZSXwSIeQsDSPClSuv2BCf0d8SOyLByrLXhFxnoxqkDg-Ia4rmjM49FEmxf5FI3uqlCAvks6PVds18vFH65xZSTGHpO2LTTqH8C1/s4000/20231202_125611.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNdf73_4QfnfSN1GZQC5MLLNxzuA6zmywgPzcPUm6y7GwQPrpQrArDKJMxz2h2H-m5-45Sw4KUR4W195oVMyDI9dVwZSXwSIeQsDSPClSuv2BCf0d8SOyLByrLXhFxnoxqkDg-Ia4rmjM49FEmxf5FI3uqlCAvks6PVds18vFH65xZSTGHpO2LTTqH8C1/w148-h197/20231202_125611.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>6.<a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-thick-snickerdoodles-in-20-minutes/" target="_blank">Brown Butter Snickerdoodles</a> (not the same recipe as the one in her cookbook):<br />I have made these several times this year, and they are wonderful. These are not at the top in this listing because I got distracted and baked them for a minute or two too long, so they are not as soft as they should be. But they are wonderful anyway. Easy and fast to make, very tasty. <br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhuDILyqFOVBi_ZjPwQSybeBtXYGdcvxTImOaZltNx_iofpvVZT3qQI9NPyBOp1U3Oti1hZal8LlYtO0nQr6UU3M9qBZUwoc9FXJMoquMkeN1SYgETgjI60z36AAGNlK1qK3HZhc4XZ1cJbw2IYWkf1q_bSYr5T2ZQodw7_WukaR_EWtTzGylXEh3ve7b/s4000/20231209_140253.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhuDILyqFOVBi_ZjPwQSybeBtXYGdcvxTImOaZltNx_iofpvVZT3qQI9NPyBOp1U3Oti1hZal8LlYtO0nQr6UU3M9qBZUwoc9FXJMoquMkeN1SYgETgjI60z36AAGNlK1qK3HZhc4XZ1cJbw2IYWkf1q_bSYr5T2ZQodw7_WukaR_EWtTzGylXEh3ve7b/s320/20231209_140253.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />5. <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/brownie-roll-out-cookies/" target="_blank">Brownie rollout cookies</a>:<br />They are very thick roll out cookies that indeed taste like brownies. Smitten's recipe is again easy, and then it is easy to have fun with decorations. I haven't figured out how to decorate the santa ones, and the stuff I used took forever to dry. I will have to figure something else out for next year. I used this recipe in previous years, and I will keep on using it as Mrs. Spew loves these, and so do I.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfqeDZJv3u2SFZ-qLXUc1murEVmlw51i4CQMJlqqVBGLyoHgjMNY37R9JmQd6aVO8KcFCzK3UJpXxWwKZ70C1QhEo0aR_w12KAb-8WgIvWf9UkXlSbSq6qLFgXLLYh3N1lXcnYntQd7PHqXWEVaFhwp0EKmUX9w5IPfSVelv9pUYrX6RUq_JeajN7u_0z/s4000/20231203_114221.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfqeDZJv3u2SFZ-qLXUc1murEVmlw51i4CQMJlqqVBGLyoHgjMNY37R9JmQd6aVO8KcFCzK3UJpXxWwKZ70C1QhEo0aR_w12KAb-8WgIvWf9UkXlSbSq6qLFgXLLYh3N1lXcnYntQd7PHqXWEVaFhwp0EKmUX9w5IPfSVelv9pUYrX6RUq_JeajN7u_0z/w148-h197/20231203_114221.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>4. <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/candied-ginger-shortbread-recipe" target="_blank">Candied Ginger Shortbread</a>:<br />Last year, somehow I ended up with candied ginger, so I made this recipe. This year, I made sure I had some as this is a great change of pace recipe--not just because they are triangles, but they are a spicy gingery cookie that is also a shortbread. I have had ups and downs with some shortbread recipes, but these are automatic. They just work really well. Turns out the King (Arthur) knows what he is doing. The problem with such recipes is that they don't make that many, so, again, may have to double next year.<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNW4LVoVLJ7yz6niyRXLQr7GC2Sz0g7lR6OEilfEl1GmJIt5HJQkdhbTwaMv81nHUKrAc7TCFrnU10hs9W8ZiOVeYqqiPwBQ5xU7J5R-vKtNBF2tl15Niy2pLRQ7uDxM-cDgXXcOhUsPmmslDI0u_sfO4iiNdft1Sg6O6hrb9po0phcGB1ZErUWhWY4-Q/s4000/20231203_124745.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzNW4LVoVLJ7yz6niyRXLQr7GC2Sz0g7lR6OEilfEl1GmJIt5HJQkdhbTwaMv81nHUKrAc7TCFrnU10hs9W8ZiOVeYqqiPwBQ5xU7J5R-vKtNBF2tl15Niy2pLRQ7uDxM-cDgXXcOhUsPmmslDI0u_sfO4iiNdft1Sg6O6hrb9po0phcGB1ZErUWhWY4-Q/s320/20231203_124745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>3. <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022771-peppermint-brownie-cookies?q=peppermint" target="_blank">Peppermint Brownie Cookies</a>:<br />I first made these last year, and they sailed to the top of the list. My wife loves chocolate and peppermint combined, and while that was never my fave in terms of ice cream or whatever, these cookies rock. And it is fun to pound candy canes into shards and dust. Yes, I doubled the recipe, why do you ask?<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020254-perfect-black-and-white-cookies" target="_blank">2. Black And White Cookies</a>:<br />I only make these once a year, and they are wonderful. Very cake-y, require a bit more work since they need more ingredients than the average cookie including some zesting, and then there is the frosting. This year, I realized I could make a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi7QQ5pO7_A" target="_blank">fun Star Trek reference</a> about racism and ethnic conflict.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhvfetzLWznNkOlxblY6PqZGhHDG-YouOhGbCD4MlIQHohvtzK5v-rIQprsknnqAd8SbOKrIuUzxS3IJp67w_8RWtEz8p0lPsmsRZExFIrJAd3Nyv-87kmxDDZ1riU0eQzr-HhJiVMnAXz9svPkI73XB26eXLVLTqLx9KAsDdEW88UmPk69kWkMruIrox/s4000/20231217_140103.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhvfetzLWznNkOlxblY6PqZGhHDG-YouOhGbCD4MlIQHohvtzK5v-rIQprsknnqAd8SbOKrIuUzxS3IJp67w_8RWtEz8p0lPsmsRZExFIrJAd3Nyv-87kmxDDZ1riU0eQzr-HhJiVMnAXz9svPkI73XB26eXLVLTqLx9KAsDdEW88UmPk69kWkMruIrox/s320/20231217_140103.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br />For several years running, the fave cookie is:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6H_RcuuIIjRWICCLEmTlBvCudIDmaKuRRrbq0R7RsA2mPSUJ-T6Ibf4AOoGKU_wRSNHjGeA_reoLK6_e3s9kYmo5m0pOV7qRaR9luKvCp-yuul-H3bPPPFwXJF21iOW2BiCMVOJ0u0m2J7vnmHXoT4ioH3EEtOD_ED0r_ZpAUsCGXIUNCAgveGyWKLZCl/s4000/20231112_105731.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6H_RcuuIIjRWICCLEmTlBvCudIDmaKuRRrbq0R7RsA2mPSUJ-T6Ibf4AOoGKU_wRSNHjGeA_reoLK6_e3s9kYmo5m0pOV7qRaR9luKvCp-yuul-H3bPPPFwXJF21iOW2BiCMVOJ0u0m2J7vnmHXoT4ioH3EEtOD_ED0r_ZpAUsCGXIUNCAgveGyWKLZCl/w137-h183/20231112_105731.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><p><a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014421-grammys-spice-cookies?q=gramm" target="_blank">1. Grammy's Spice Cookies</a>:<br />While my fave cookie is, of course, chocolate chip, tis the season for ginger cookies, and Grammy is wise. These cookies are super reliable, quite easy, and very tasty. After I made a batch, one that I cookied a smidge too long, I realized that I had far fewer than I had intended. Turns out, I made two batches last year. So, this year, I ultimately made three! For the best recipe of the season, I made the most batches. The second set included frosting, which my wife finds to be optional. The baileys I added to the frosting is a lot more subtle than the green dye I used. Festive, indeed.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj256YooPui71uXSt4hPmQQ4n2QqOxb4wFSYAcJ3eBNMoFuL3ADSTHysaMxonZzLrw5p7bcQjjqvYurAbuEmN6Mhw77Czzc6EUagy875iP8iE52tyVM6M30k4Uwxmyz3g-q37bFqgxJhX1t1VQaegaKxbEsz1afAOylSSxCVM4gOOfCjrQnUr4TQAtDWw9I/s4000/20231217_161846.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj256YooPui71uXSt4hPmQQ4n2QqOxb4wFSYAcJ3eBNMoFuL3ADSTHysaMxonZzLrw5p7bcQjjqvYurAbuEmN6Mhw77Czzc6EUagy875iP8iE52tyVM6M30k4Uwxmyz3g-q37bFqgxJhX1t1VQaegaKxbEsz1afAOylSSxCVM4gOOfCjrQnUr4TQAtDWw9I/s320/20231217_161846.jpg" width="240" /></a>Much thanks to Sally, Smitten, Nigella, King Arthur, the butter makers of the Canadian dairy cartel, the contractors who made this much easier as my new kitchen is now a great space for obsessive cookie making, kitchen aid (how did I do this before I had a stand mixer?), and Mrs. Spew for tolerating this madness. Of course, she gets to sample each batch to make sure they are fit for the public.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I invite those who have been or will be sampling these cookies (I have delivered about five boxes and will be delivering another 15 over the next two days) to let me know what their faves are. <br /><br />The best part is really the hanging out with those on my nice list. The cookies are partly an excuse to hang out, but they are also fun to make and more fun to eat. I did put aside a bunch for my daughter and my in-laws for later this week. </p><p> </p><p>I hope your holidays are as sweet and as silly as and perhaps less obsessive than this cookie fest!<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0-CzdLwCrn7pznf8FlJq9HE8V7PMLugNEDQKC6Y_t6y7iBNJ_zAQS087ALYeoYScd1zciWr4SUZUCBOhAP_xan8W8ilfGFPCFowuii9EsF9s7Z7YWX8cxV1BkkMYBBV2izauLnG_-QluVA4PphJY9YbRr0XDbq3VYctlQMy7b3DlyVNS0upLAZidAJqC/s4000/20231218_113810.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0-CzdLwCrn7pznf8FlJq9HE8V7PMLugNEDQKC6Y_t6y7iBNJ_zAQS087ALYeoYScd1zciWr4SUZUCBOhAP_xan8W8ilfGFPCFowuii9EsF9s7Z7YWX8cxV1BkkMYBBV2izauLnG_-QluVA4PphJY9YbRr0XDbq3VYctlQMy7b3DlyVNS0upLAZidAJqC/s320/20231218_113810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkhPoc52CjAXs5gWKXnT__lqbCRI7-56JGBkmTfCJSxYgGZ4vMz1Gez36PK_rEbkvFDScX3IxQJIzJhIAeZoGQ657qdClWkQfdFH2Z_H0tkFScJNi_9vSnECm9loE338wi1qL-y-prScq-TWkQGCJc33wwbBxoDgdz-BvK0NopoFShQM_mCvyw-rAie6U/s4000/20231218_123044.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkhPoc52CjAXs5gWKXnT__lqbCRI7-56JGBkmTfCJSxYgGZ4vMz1Gez36PK_rEbkvFDScX3IxQJIzJhIAeZoGQ657qdClWkQfdFH2Z_H0tkFScJNi_9vSnECm9loE338wi1qL-y-prScq-TWkQGCJc33wwbBxoDgdz-BvK0NopoFShQM_mCvyw-rAie6U/s320/20231218_123044.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><br />Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8446351548038522890.post-48132734488165981742023-12-11T08:28:00.004-05:002023-12-11T12:41:46.268-05:00Doctoring for Three Decades<p> Today marks the anniversary of my doctorate--in the days of yore, before social media, I completed my dissertation, defended it, and then didn't go to graduation as I was already professing as a visitor. With this much time past since those callow days of talking IR theory and job market stuff on the second floor pathway (balcony/terrace/veranda?) outsider our (Motel 6-esque) offices, I wonder about some stuff, am bemused by other aspects, and am mostly quite grateful.</p><br /><p></p><p>Before I get into it, what did I dissertate about? The international relations of secession. I first wondered whether sovereignty was about borders or governments and wanted to contrast the IR of secession vs the IR of revolution. Once I realized the conventional wisdom of the former was wrong, yes, there has been plenty of support for secessionists, I sought to understand why some states support specific secessionists and why other support the government--why countries take sides in other people's ethnic conflicts. Nice to have a question that has enduring relevance. I argued vociferously that the countries are not deterred by their own vulnerability to separatism, and I focused on several secessionist crises--Congo Crisis, Biafra, Bangladesh--and one country that supported multiple separatist movements--Somalia. I argued that the ethnic politics of the potential supporter interacted with the perceived identities of those in conflict--that ethnic ties drove much of this. Which led to the title of the subsequent book, <a href="https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-ties-that-divide/9780231122290" target="_blank">The Ties That Divide</a>, which dropped the Bangladesh case, as it was really about India's intervention, and the Somalia case, as it was really about irredentism (and became the starting point for the <a href="https://cup.columbia.edu/book/for-kin-or-country/9780231144797" target="_blank">next book</a>), and added Yugoslavia's demise, which was largely done by the time I turned to revising the book, and some basic statistics (thanks to the editors of International Organizaiton where I placed a key piece summarizing the dissertation/book). <br /></p><p>What do I wonder about?</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mostly, am I now out of touch with the experience of being a grad student? I know the job market has bounced up and down over time, but it was awful when I finished and much more awful now. So, I have much sympathy for the students finishing today. But I am not sure how much of the process and stresses have remained the same or have gotten worse.</li><ul><li>On the bright side, the old fashioned job placement at the conference thing is dead--so much stress, so little promise of anything developing. Now it is all electronic and pre-arranged. No more waiting in the job placement room for someone to put a slip of paper into one's box.</li><li>On the down side, the competition is so much more fierce, and the expectations are so much higher. <br /></li></ul><li>I do wonder how grad school is these days--has the pressure to publish meant that there is less some for the silly stuff. In my day (I say with an old man's voice), we played soccer every friday, some of the folks would play basketball regularly and get their knees fixed semi-regularly, the last few years we had a regular softball/bbq on Sundays, and more than a few parties. Is there any fun in grad school these days? No idea.</li><li>I wonder where my career might have gone had I stuck to the IR of ethnic conflict stuff. I have no regrets about moving on to NATO and thus to comparative civil-military relations, but staying in the same spot of research would have led to some different opportunities and perhaps less new lit to review.</li></ul><p>What am I bemused by?</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>That my dissertation is now as old as I was when we had our daughter. It means that both it and I are, well, much older. I am prouder of the latter than the former, but the former has been pretty good to me, too. </li><li>That despite my best efforts, the big lessons of the book--that countries are not deterred by their own vulnerability, that precedents don't really matter that much in restraining support for secession--folks still trot out those arguments. Turns out my book didn't re-shape how policy-makers think about this stuff. Given the cynical heart of my dissertation, the assumptions it makes about politicians, I should not be very surprised. Plus as I learned over the years, confirmation bias is a thing.</li><li>How accidental it all was. I didn't go to grad school to study the international politics of ethnic conflict. I just fell into it.</li><li>Likewise, I didn't try to do something that was super timely--that I defended my dissertation proposal the same month Yugoslavia flew apart was an accident.</li><li>I am bemused that the book that is the basis of the first half of my career keeps competing with an article I wrote that is perhaps the most outside my lane for citation: how institutions amerliorate or exacerbate ethnic conflict. <br /></li></ul><p>What am I grateful for?</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Damn near everything. This project established my career, made my reputation in the field (whatever that is), gave me not only two books, but a heap of articles and book chapters, and indirectly that next project that led to the life-changing experience in the Pentagon that ultimately led to my second career as a civil-military relations scholar and to the next two jobs.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QfrcIebcFOZNQGzbdLSCuskEcxw7nnXxdCsXoT4AI4TZ_rFPg5CjGHTUUoWU7E7X0n9jjGRM8nOc0dB9aMMmgGUfOdHQK3GDRJ0UIrYuUd7kNfI0pd7M_25QGHfIUOYQ7DeQQwfsez75GVq3Og1RvzChyphenhyphen6tv2ILN9wmdEk36vwYpJgOu4EWbnsSlfHbV/s423/Flynn%20and%20Steve.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="423" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QfrcIebcFOZNQGzbdLSCuskEcxw7nnXxdCsXoT4AI4TZ_rFPg5CjGHTUUoWU7E7X0n9jjGRM8nOc0dB9aMMmgGUfOdHQK3GDRJ0UIrYuUd7kNfI0pd7M_25QGHfIUOYQ7DeQQwfsez75GVq3Og1RvzChyphenhyphen6tv2ILN9wmdEk36vwYpJgOu4EWbnsSlfHbV/w266-h264/Flynn%20and%20Steve.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tis the handiest picture from those days<br />as my time in grad school preceded<br />smart phones by a couple of decades.<br />Oh, and I was most grateful for this <br />amazing little guy, the Fonz of dogs.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></li><li>I am grateful for having such a terrific supervisor, Miles Kahler, who would let me meander from my initial topic to what I studied, giving me heaps of constructive and often painful feedback along the way, to make sure the project was feasible and then reasonably well-executed. I am also grateful for an amazing committee that gave me much to think about, but didn't force me in any particular direction--Peter Cowhey, Lisa Martin, Arend Lijphart, and Edward Reynolds. </li><li>I will be eternally thankful that I lucked into a department so chock full of terrific smart silly graduate students, who not only taught me so much about their work which shaped mine, but helped me survive and, yes, thrive, through the difficult process of starting my first act of academic creation (destruction/criticism is far easier than coming up with one's own idea and pursuing it). We all followed the examples set by Debbi Avant and Hendrik Spruyt. The folks in and near my cohort were so very sharp and sweet, tolerating my forays onto the soccer field (basketball? not so much), teasing me about all things Steve, welcoming my wife and later my dog into our various shennanigans. I will always be grateful to Dave, John Carey, both Lisas, Frank, the more dangerous Steve, Neil who left us way too soon, Keith, Judy, Mike, Bart, both Erics, Mona, Chris, Kathy (not my wife, the other one), and all the rest.</li><li>I am also grateful that this place kept attracting terrific people long after I left, so that I am part of a larger community, which gave me some terrific friends in this business: Wendy, Idean, Cullen, Kathleen and Steve, and so many others.</li></ul><p>I am definitely not where I expected to be thirty years ago--not in terms of location (Canada?) or research or teaching. It has been from the very start a journey of accidents and surprises, from the grad school I ended up at, to the topic I studied, to the various jobs along the way, to the focus of the second part of my career, to my role these days as pundit and as a leader of a network, and all the stuff that came with it. I used to regret a lot some initial decisions, and I had a lot of frustration on the various job markets. But it all took me here, a perfect spot for me thirty years later. So, no, I don't regret where I went to grad school, nor what I did there, or where I went from there. <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><br /> </li></ul><div><p> </p><p> </p></div>Steve Saidemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09881915512311951902noreply@blogger.com2