Mediaboss Marketing

I voted for Margaret Beckett as Labour party leader in 1994, and given the same choice I would do so again today. No great radical, she nevertheless had roots in the party and the labour movement that Tony Blair never had.

However, she is quite wrong to claim, in her interview with Zoe Williams (Margaret Beckett on Blair, the Iraq war and half a century in politics, 17 May), that everybody in the world believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Williams rightly corrects her on this, citing the examples of Robin Cook and Clare Short. But there were stronger and earlier voices against the war on Iraq.

At the Labour party conference in 2002, the former US weapons inspector Scott Ritter stated that most of Saddams weapons, and his capacity for producing them, had been destroyed. A letter from the late Mundher Al-Adhami (Other lives, 2 May), co-signed by 99 other Iraqi exiles, totally opposed to both Saddam and to the threatened war, was published by the Guardian on 5 September 2002. Hans von Sponeck, a former humanitarian aid coordinator for Iraq, wrote in your columns on 22 July 2002 that the US Department of Defence and the CIA know perfectly well that todays Iraq poses no threat to anyone in the region, let alone in the United States. And I myself followed that up by suggesting an independent team of inspectors raised by the peace movement and civil society.

So, Margaret, please do not try to whitewash the tragedy the crime that was perpetrated on Iraq in 2003, and all the subsequent horrors. Frank JacksonFormer co-chair, World Disarmament Campaign; Harlow Labour party

Have an opinion on anything youve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.

Read the original post:
Margaret Beckett is still wrong about the Iraq war and WMD claims - The Guardian

Pat Ellis' 2015 Dodge Hellcat

After purchasing this 2015 Dodge Hellcat, owner Pat Ellis is interested in learning more about a tribute under the hood.

The Herald-Times

I've worked at this newspaperwith Pat Ellis for a long time, more than 15 years probably. And during that time, the man has owned a lot of cars. I'm pretty sure all of them have been red, my not-so-favorite vehicle color.

There was the 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible, more orange than red, that I wrote a column about years ago. Then he had a 1984 Pontiac Fiero, followed by a 2008 Pontiac Solstice GXP Turbo.

Others followed: a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette ("I never liked Corvettes, but it was such a good deal," Ellis said), a 2016 Ford Mustang GT convertible with a Whipple supercharger ("a race car you could drive on the road but probably shouldn't") and a 400-horsepower 2014 Z51 Corvette convertible.

Last week's My Favorite Ride: How have Corvettes evolved? 'Car show' offers two examples to compare

The last 'Vette was not a smooth riding automobile, and it was difficult to climb in and out of after Ellis suffered a leg injury last year. One day in November, while looking online at cars for sale in the area, he saw a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat parked at Community Chrysler in Bloomington.

"It really caught my attention," Ellis said. He drove down to take a look, and fell for the classic muscle car style, the six-speed manual transmission stick shift and the 707-horsepower engine.It's as powerful as a Lamborghini Aventador.

Edmunds reported in 2015 that the new Challenger "boasts a rare mix of talents, combining the power and attitude of a muscle car with the refinement of a luxury coupe."

Goodbye 2014 Corvette.

When you look under that Hellcat hood, it's not the supercharged V8 engine that catches your attention. It's the air-brushed All-American tribute honoring the late John W. Engeman you see first.

According to news and military reports, Engeman was a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army when he died in May 2006 at the age of 45. Stationed out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was killed inBaghdad during the Iraq War when a improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit award, a Bronze Star and a PurpleHeart for his service.

Ellis, the car's third owner, hopes to learn more about Engeman and his connection to the car, which was manufactured nearly a decade after his death. An Owen County man had the car before Ellis, buthe apparently wasn't the one who added the patriotic embellishments.

More My Favorite Ride: A timely 2,200-mile father-son road trip in an old Ford truck

It would have been the car's first owner who had the tribute painted on the inside of the hood and a vinyl wrap applied inside the trunk lid.

Ellis said ofthe 30 or more cars he's owned, this is his favorite. Fast and flashy and right up his alley. The Hellcat has two key fobs that control the engine output: the black one sets the engine at 500 horsepower, and with the red one, it's up to 700.

"It's not just a cool car," Ellis said. "There's more to it. It's like a shrine."

He said the story he got was that the first owner had served in the Army with Engeman and had customized the car as a tribute to his friend.

My Favorite Ride gets published and read far and wide. Maybe I'll hear back from someone who knows the full story.

Have a story to tell about a car or truck? Contact reporterLaura Lane at llane@heraldt.com, 812-331-4362 or 812-318-5967.

Originally posted here:
Dodge Challenger Hellcat conceals tribute to officer killed in Iraq - The Herald-Times

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday promised a strong response after a senior member of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was gunned down on the previous day.

"I insist on the serious pursuit (of the killers) by security officials, and I have no doubt that the blood of this great martyr will be avenged," Raisi said.

IRGC Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei was killed by unidentified gunmen outside of his home in Tehran on Sunday. Iranian state television reported that security forces are pursuing the assailants behind the killing.

Khodaei was a member of the Quds Force, a shadowy arm of the IRGC specialized in covert military operations outside of Iran.

Iran has pinned the killingon "global arrogance," a term typically used to refer to the US and its allies such as Israel.

Both the US and Israelhave accused the Quds Force of traininggroups such as Hezbollah in Syria and Shia militias in Iraq.

Israel has conducted extensive air operations targetingIran-linked targets in Syria. Iranresponded in March by launching a barrage of missilesinto northern Iraq, with the region being home to a US consulate.

The IRGChas referred to Khodaei has a "defender of the sanctuary," which refers to members of the armed forces who work on behalf of the Islamic Republic in Syria or Iraq.

Khodaei's death is the latest high-profile attack on an Iranian official since the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020. Fakhrizadeh was one of the key architects of Iran's nuclear program, which is strongly opposed by Israel.

Another major assassination occurred in January 2020, when Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani was killed by a US drone nearBaghdadInternational Airport in Iraq.

The move, which was ordered by former US President Donald Trump's administration, caused tensions to skyrocket between Washington and Tehran, with the IRGC firing missiles at an American airbase in western Iraq in retaliation.

wd/dj (AP, AFP)

Visit link:
Iran vows retaliation over killing of Revolutionary Guard colonel - DW (English)

As someone who follows tech and productivity news for work, I've noticed there are a few research conclusions that come up so regularly I am surprised scientists even bother to continue studying these subjects. That naps are good for productivity and humans are happier and healthier when they spend time in nature are two prime examples.

A recent blog post by computer science professor and author Cal Newport reminded me of another topic in this genre. How many studies exactly do people need to be convinced that social mediatends to make us miserable?

I've lost count of the number of columnsI've written about some study concluding social media use tends to make us anxious and depressed (not to mention a ton more offering anecdotal evidence). But if you found all that previous research unconvincing, Newport highlights yet another new paper using the gold standard of study design--a randomized controlled trial--to come to the same conclusion: If you use less social media, your brain will probably thank you.

A clear-as-day conclusion about mental health and social media

The problem with many previous studies on the mental health effects of social media is that almost all rely on correlation. Researchers look at the mental health of a big bunch of people who use a lot of social media and a big bunch of people who use less and compare them.

Studies like this can be bigger or smaller, more or less rigorous, but they all suffer from the same fundamental issue. Maybe people who use a ton of social media use it because they were anxious and depressed to start with. In that case, tons of time online is the symptom, not the cause of mental distress. Or maybe these groups differ in other hidden ways. Despite researchers' best efforts to tease out these issues, some questions always remain.

The new study highlighted by Newport and published recently in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking avoids these issues. Rather than observing existing social media behavior, the researchers took 154 study subjects and randomly assigned half to quit social media for a week and half to carry on as normal with their online habits.

Because the two groups are picked randomly, the only relevant difference between them should be whether they took a break from social media (the researchers checked screen usage stats to keep participants honest). This makes causation a lot clearer. If the quitters are more or less miserable after the social media-free week, then social media is pretty clearly the reason. That's why this is known as the gold standard of study design.

What did the researchers find? Here's the bottom line, according to Newport: "At the end of this week, the researchers found 'significant between-group differences'in well-being, depression, and anxiety, with the intervention group faring much better on all three metrics. These results held even after control for baseline scores, as well as age and gender."

He adds, "The researchers further found that they could obtain smaller, but still significant improvements in depression and anxiety by having users simply reduce the time they spend on Twitter and TikTok. The biggest effects, however, came from full abstention."

Will you change your behavior?

It's true this study only looks at short-term effects, but that caveat aside, it seems to offer about as clear a conclusion as you could possibly ask for. So how many studies do you need to see before you actually take action and adjust your habits accordingly?

If you're already convinced you need to dial back your social media use but are struggling to implement your intentions, both Newport and other researchers have offered detailed advice on how to find a healthier balance when it comes to social media.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Read the rest here:
Yet Another High-Quality Study Suggests You'd Be Happier If You Quit Social Media - Inc.

By Myra Mohiuddin May 23, 2022

Cindy Muoz/The Cougar

Although there are many interactive benefits that come with the usage of social media, it is addictive andshould be limited or monitored.

The usage of social media can be detrimental to adolescents mental health.

Five more minutes is a frequent and dangerous reminder teens propose to themselves to lessen the blow. More important tasks are acknowledged but ultimately disregarded.

Its important to recognize that there are both disadvantages and advantages that come along with using social media. There can be positivity found in that people can create or emulate ones true identity.

However, there can also be harmful effects such as distraction, lack of sleep, cyberbullying, exposure to rumors and the notion to compare oneself to another.

Teenagers are often influenced and motivated by their peers. The number of likes they have can be correlated to what a teenager might think their worth is.

When teenagers are comparing themselves to each other, it becomes difficult to steer clear of negativity.

While there is a possibility that the negativity is not because of the media itself, it has been proven that social media inspires things like anxiety, loneliness and depression.

Few can resist the temptation of using social media. It is unfortunate that the effects interactive media has on teens can often be more negative than positive.

Social media platforms are inherently designed by their respective companies to be addictive. Some even think that social media addiction should be treated in the same fashion as any harmful physical addiction like cigarettes and alcohol abuse.

Creating these unbreakable addictions is unforgivable because the harm they cause teens is objectively demeaning and exploitative. Moreover, social media companies should be perpetrated for their intentionally malicious and addictive purposes.

It goes further than a teenagers mental health. With the emergence of media becoming necessary to interact with peers and entertain oneself, social networking has made its way into peoples work life.

This issue penetrates beyond likes being viewed as currency. Platforms integrating into occupational life is easy because of their convenient and happening nature.

While there are several potentially positive impacts that come along with the usage of social media, social media is addictive and should be recognized as an alarming threat.

A broadened perspective would help understand the harm in the instant gratification that comes along with the hypnotizing scroll of dance routines at three in the morning.

Myra Mohiuddin is a freshman art major that can be reached at [emailprotected]

Tags: addiction, mental health, social media

The rest is here:
Social media is addictive and should be regulated - The Cougar - The Daily Cougar