BY BILL SAPORITO, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, INC. @BILSAP From the start, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh was a different place And it was Mellon money that helped create the aluminum giant Alcoa and petroleum giant Gulf Oil That the combined institution has contributed to the creation of modern startups such as autonomous vehicle technology maker Aurora Innovation and aerospace company Astrobotics is a testament to its early charter: It was conceived as a learning center where industry went to school — and where school created industries Carnegie Mellon isn’t the only university subscribing to that latter ethos Many of our great universities evolved into innovation hubs — Stanford rather famously nurtured the semiconductor revolution that built Silicon Valley while Harvard helped spur the social-media craze But they did so long after establishing themselves as centers of classical education in the arts and sciences Carnegie Mellon’s current prowess in AI and robotics, however, was built into the very fabric of the institution, which today serves as a new ideal for ecosystem building. It’s also a big reason why Carnegie Mellon found itself near the top of Inc. and Fast Company‘s inaugural list of Ignition Schools 50 global institutions that maintain high marks for nurturing entrepreneurs and innovation the industrial power that was early 20th-century Pittsburgh was reflected in its powerful leaders: George Westinghouse 15 Fortune 500 companies were headquartered there These companies also generated a ton of institutional wealth looking for a place to go Then globalization nearly killed this town: steel founded in 1979 with a grant from Westinghouse — then a powerful tech and nuclear engineering company — helped stop the technological bleeding and reinvent the Steel City for the 21st century And that department was also conducting the initial research on something that was the stuff of science fiction: artificial intelligence Shaw created something called a logic theorist which Hebert says was the first time that a computer was doing symbolic reasoning as opposed to calculating or data manipulation That would lead to other research into computer vision and speech recognition — things you might find handy if you wanted to create an autonomous vehicle Making robotics part of the computer science department was the springboard and a big reason why the institution has stayed relevant Maintaining this very early vision of robots “It’s that vision that led to the growth of the Robotics Institute and what we do now,” he says So did the establishment of the National Robotics Engineering Center in 1994 which was originally funded with the help of a $5 million grant from NASA CMU developed Mars rovers and aimed to commercialize the research coming out of the university According to an economic impact study released in December 2021 university would have produced only 59 patents has licensed 457 technologies to 38 unique companies,” according to the university-unded study And just as important was the city’s and CMU/NREC’s ability to keep these startups and developments local establishing Pittsburgh as a center for not only robotics but also autonomous driving and what the Pittsburgh Robotics Network has labeled the AI ecosystem there are more than 125 such companies in the area It also includes old/new tech players such as Westinghouse as well as Silicon Valley names such as Waymo The roster includes a number of companies located on what’s now called Robotics Row in the Lawrenceville and Strip districts of the city along the Allegheny River These were once industrial areas that have gone back to school and been revitalized CMU’s offspring have not been able to — and never will — replace the tens of thousands of job losses and the damage done by Pittsburgh’s de-industrialization But without CMU’s investment in computer science and robots and its vision for their use in the future The super early-rate deadline for the 2025 Inc. 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Apply now The daily digest for entrepreneurs and business leaders Learn More The IRS has announced new income limits for its seven tax brackets for 2025 with income thresholds increased by about 2.7% to adjust for inflation This follows a 5.4% increase in 2024 and a historically large 7% bump in 2023 Reaching a top one percent income is becoming more challenging given the threshold keeps increasing ($650,000+) at least those whose incomes aren't keeping pace with inflation can expect some tax relief Let's dive into the 2025 income tax brackets and standard deduction amounts Then we'll explore the new ideal income targets for single filers For the nearly 50% of working Americans who pay income taxes these brackets often represent our largest ongoing expense The seven federal income tax rates, established by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the highest marginal federal income tax rate was 39.6% Income levels are based on taxable income (not gross income or adjusted gross income) Taxable income is calculated by subtracting the standard or itemized deduction—whichever is greater—from your adjusted gross income (AGI) the highest federal marginal tax bracket one should aim to pay is 24% every dollar earned above $197,300 for singles and $394,600 for married couples in 2025 gets taxed at 32% you could easily be paying close to 40% of each dollar above the 24% bracket threshold Does paying 40% or more of your income sound appealing I’d rather not work harder for that next dollar if I’m only going to keep 60 cents of it a reasonable total effective tax rate of 20%–25%—even in high-tax states like California—supports a fair contribution to our country Paying one-quarter of your income to support our nation is Even in cities with the median home price above $1,000,000 by earning a household income in the 24% tax bracket Rather than chasing riches, consider retiring young and free to spend your time as you wish the income thresholds for married couples filing jointly are double those for singles eliminating the marriage penalty for these brackets the married income limit would be $1,252,700 Couples earning a combined income above $751,600 may face a marriage penalty of around 2% for every dollar earned beyond this limit a couple with two $600,000 incomes would pay roughly $8,968 more than two single filers at that income level While that penalty may not feel steep at the top 1% income level it’s not ideal when you're already facing over $300,000 in taxes It's strange the government doesn't believe in equality between spouses across all income levels I'll use $400,000 as the ideal gross income for a married couple Democrats have stated they won’t increase taxes on households making $400,000 or less it’s good to know there’s a tax cap at this level after 401(k) contributions and the $30,000 standard deduction I estimate this household's overall tax bill is a reasonable $81,000 Their cash flow after all expenses is higher due to itemized deductions but I use the standard deduction for simplicity's sake The 2025 standard deduction for married couples is $30,000 these rounded figures make them easier to remember I’ve used the $30,000 standard deduction for simplicity since the couple's itemized deductions exceed this amount they’ll end up with additional cash flow at year-end The couple’s taxable income results from subtracting 401(k) contributions and the standard deduction To present a clearer picture of their cash flow In 2025, single filers can qualify for the 0% long-term capital gains rate if their taxable income is $48,350 or less a married couple could earn up to $126,700 ($96,700 + $30,000) and still pay 0% on long-term capital gains watch out—exceeding these thresholds by even one dollar triggers at least a 15% capital gains tax rate Given these favorable capital gains rates, there’s even more incentive to generate passive investment income Long-term capital gains are taxed at significantly lower rates than short-term gains with the most substantial difference between the 32% and 15% brackets Staying within this range can maximize your savings on capital gains taxes an ideal gross income for retirees in 2025 is around $126,700 for married couples or $63,350 for singles This level allows retirees to take full advantage of the 0% long-term capital gains tax rate on investment income as long as their taxable income stays at or below $96,700 (for married couples) or $48,350 (for singles) With the addition of the standard deduction of $30,000 for married couples or $15,000 for singles a retiree household could potentially bring in up to $126,700 without paying capital gains taxes on qualified investment income By targeting an income level that keeps taxable income within the 0% capital gains bracket and below the 24% ordinary income tax bracket I'm perfectly happy to pay a 15% long-term capital gains tax rate earning up to $600,050 in capital gains a year would be nice In my 20s and 30s, I accepted paying a federal marginal tax rate of 32% to 39.6%. With time, energy, and a strong drive to become a millionaire I was willing to shoulder the cost to build a net worth that could generate passive income When I negotiated a generous severance package in 2012 at age 34 my income plummeted by 80% the following year It felt amazing to enjoy public parks and free museums in the middle of the day and finally benefit from what my six-figure tax bills had been funding I began valuing my time far more than money With the birth of my children and the passing of more people I know it no longer felt worth it to push beyond the 24% marginal tax threshold If you’re earning top dollar but feeling burned out consider aggressively saving for three more years stressful hours just to hand over more than a third of your income in taxes If you're a W2 earner looking to reduce your income tax burden here are some effective strategies to consider: what is the maximum federal marginal income tax rate you are willing to pay What do you think is the ideal income to live a great life as a single or married couple In addition to investing as much as possible in stocks and bonds also consider diversifying into real estate You can buy your primary residence and you can also invest in private real estate funds for further diversification Fundrise runs private real estate funds that predominantly invests in the Sunbelt region where valuations are lower and yields are higher Its focus is on residential and industrial commercial real estate to help investors diversify and earn passive returns.  Fundrise currently manages over $3 billion for almost 400,000 investors I've invested $954,000 in private real estate funds since 2016 to diversify my investments and make more money passively I no longer wanted to manage as many rental properties.  Fundrise is a long-time sponsor of Financial Samurai and Financial Samurai has invested over $300,000 in Fundrise so far With Trump winning the presidential election I suspect he will enact favorable real estate policies given his background as a real estate magnate Listen and subscribe to The Financial Samurai podcast on Apple or Spotify I interview experts in their respective fields and discuss some of the most interesting topics on this site Join 60,000+ others and sign up for the free Financial Samurai newsletter and posts via e-mail Get smarter and more knowledgeable each week Consult a tax professional before making any tax decisions If you see something wrong with the numbers feel free to point it out and I'll correct it thank you for including retiree information in this post What you talked about is what we are trying to do in the first year of retirement I can totally see the logic in the target income threshold but I don’t see any accounting for additional investments outside of a retirement plan Do your kids do any activities like sports or music lessons The healthcare costs seem a bit low – if you want to actually use your healthcare you’ll have all those deductibles You’ll have to tell me who you use for car insurance for a family of four being $100/mo – with money leftover for maintenance – that’s incredible My only other “complaint” is more of a personal preference and that is charitable giving seems low for someone making $400K but I did really enjoy looking at this budget – I’ve been tracking my expenses to the penny since I was in college I know this article wasn’t really focused on budget – have your delved into this topic more somewhere else And what is your household income and other budget items I personally love giving that much and will likely increase that as time goes on We did not do the private school rout and save $1000 a month for college for 2 kids We spend a lot more on household items especially right now – we just moved and upgraded our home – now the furniture is too small also missing is gym membership which is a must in my book to stay healthy I’ll be a pensioner so I have to live forever I do have our budget to the penny and can share more if you like how much is outside investment can your budget bear With a good thing about living in California is that the weather is pretty good so one really doesn’t need a gym membership if they want to save money I just came back from playing pickle ball at a public park for an hour and a half This post answers your question on investments beyond the 401(k): https://www.financialsamurai.com/2025-401k-contribution-limits-for-employees-and-employers/ I can always tell your POV (point of view) is from someone in an HCOL area Here in Buffalo NY (LCOL) my ideal marginal tax rate is 12% If you remove private schooling and reduce housing costs your budget isn’t too far off 97k you don’t have to save as much to replace your income down the road That’s what my wife and I tend to stick to just allocate more into our 401ks to kick the tax-paying can down the road as long as we have a marginal rate of 12% (or 15% after 2025 we contribute to Roths as much as possible we went down to 1 income during COVID and did lots of conversions 18% traditional) which gives us some great options to keep taxes low later as well Paying a 12% marginal federal income tax rate would be great It would be hard to mass enough capital before 50 to generate enough passive income to retire early and passive income figure for some context The best way to reduce your tax bill is to do what the co-founder of Meta did Renounce US citizenship and move to Singapore For seniors (65+) the expansion of 12% bracket to $96,700 for married couples offers an additional opportunity Those 65 or older are entitled to receive $1600 in additional deduction if married As a result their standard deduction is expanded to $16,600 each if married filing jointly Since 85% of Social Security benefit is taxed for incomes exceeding $44,000 those couples receiving Social Security could receive up to about $39,000 in Social Security benefits tax free (39,000×0.85 = 33,150 which is less than their standard deduction of $33,200) they could receive tax free dividends and long-term capital gains in the amount of $96,700 if they live in a tax-free state like Florida their entire income up to about $135,700 could be tax free in 2025 If Trump wins and manages to push his proposal of no tax on Social Security through Congress or reduce the amount subject to tax to 50% of benefits (i.e. the status quo before 1993) this $135,700 limit for seniors could increase even further Making $500,000 to $800,000 a year was great for a while—I just banked more cash But the extra work and responsibility started to make me cranky and stressed out The trick is not to inflate your lifestyle just because your income has so it’s crucial to save as much as possible for when income inevitably dips Living lean even when you’re earning big means that when life shifts A good “meat and potatoes” article with excellent advice it would be interesting to read more of your insights about risk diversification and odds There’s a LOT of YOLO advice out there when it comes to investing I like carving out money for my “punt portfolio.” It invests in higher risk Related: Don’t Stop Fortune Hunting Shouldn’t the $400k budget also include $14k for backdoor Roths? I’m doing backdoor and Roth contributions when income is much lower. Thanks for keeping us up to date on the tax bracket ranges. It’s always interesting to see what percentage the income ranges increase each year. I remember that big jump in 2023. As much as I dislike thinking about taxes, I’ve learned the hard way how important it is to understand them and know what changes are happening and the after effects. Gosh I’ve sure made my fair share of miscalculations and oversight errors. But at least I try to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them. It’s not easy though with the tax laws constantly changing. Copyright © 2009-2025 Financial Samurai Is Gen Z lazy, or do they just have a better handle on work-life balance? Poland is attracting foreign companies with skilled workers and less red tape, while Portugal’s Bike Valley is attracting foreign workers. And: A Chinese founder in Berlin. MADE in Germany examines the risks and benefits of digitalization and its impact on the way we work Digital Sports ReporterPublished: Invalid Date EDDIE HEARN is still holding out for the phone call of his career - where Tyson Fury returns to fight Anthony Joshua Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September while Fury suffered two points losses on the bounce to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 So the pair of beaten British legends looked to dust themselves off and settle their score once and for all But that was until Fury decided to announce a shock retirement in January - leaving AJ & Co in the lurch The Gypsy King - unlike in the past - has so far appeared content to leave the gloves hung up - but Hearn has not lost hope just yet he's gotta be 100 per cent physically right because this is arguably the most important decision and moment of his career because it's the final ones." Joshua had gone back into the gym gearing up for what could be one of his last fights - until a secret injury set him back. Hearn revealed: "It's the same injury that he had before, which I'm not gonna go into. but the problem is with these big guys you're kind of getting through a niggle "It's not something that requires an operation but he went back into training camp and just can't punch "Like he needs to punch and if you watch how these boys throw - it's not like you or me just going out and hitting a few pads - it's like it's heavy duty "And he needs about another six weeks from now till he can punch properly." Hearn's second port of call would be a rematch with Dubois But the IBF champion wants to also rematch Usyk - who beat him in 2023 following a controversial low-blow which the Londoner argued was legal It leaves Agit Kabayel and Joseph Parker - who hold the WBC and WBO interim belts respectively - as other options And long-time American rival Deontay Wilder - once heavyweight champ himself - is another alternative to fight AJ Hearn said: "We're in no tearing rush The next move is so important for the last chapter "We just gotta get it right and if we can't get Dubois or if we can't get Fury then we've gotta fight someone else Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ In his new book John McWhorter argues forcefully that the “woke” phenomenon is essentially religious and reinforces racism rather than combating it Subscribe to the New Ideal podcast here Our nation’s founding was actually in 1619 with the coming of the first ship carrying African slaves If you’re “white,” check your “privilege.” The sheer fact of disparate outcomes in schools is obvious proof of racism To deny that you’re complicit in racism only proves that you are Such ideas are increasingly pervading classrooms and lecture halls and cultural institutions and workplaces Fail to align with the “woke,” and you could find yourself hounded From irate parents at school board meetings you’ll hear that the “woke” seek to undermine American society a campaign fueled by Critical Race Theory (CRT) Some politicians have moved to ban it from schools some progressive voices insist that Critical Race Theory is just an obscure academic specialization with gossamer links to what’s taught in classrooms Into this maelstrom strides John McWhorter to offer a penetrating explanation is a heterodox public intellectual outspoken on race issues he disagrees with the complacent notion that the “woke” phenomenon is a sensible push to combat racism It does aim to reshape America politically and it does relate to Critical Race Theory But to understand its inquisitorial cruelty and its powerful hold on the minds of so many he argues that the “woke” phenomenon is a religion which far from opposing racism actually reinforces it McWhorter christens followers of this new religion as the “Elect,” a term evoking not only zealotry but also a “certain smugness” for being “bearers of wisdom.” This religion exhibits characteristics familiar in established faiths and for the most part the points of similarities he draws are apt There’s a supposed original sin: “white privilege.” There’s a strain of apocalyptic thinking: the present is a cesspool; progress on racial issues depends on something like a judgment day Just as medieval Catholics defended “persecuting Jews and Muslims,” the inquisitors of our times “harbor the exact same brand of mission but McWhorter observes that not every religion needs one Drawing attention to the mindset of followers he observes a similarity to the Abrahamic religions: “One submits not only to a God To suspend disbelief is a kind of submission.” Fervent adherents of the new “woke” religion hold beliefs grounded not in facts Take the claim that all instances of disparate outcomes because it fails to appreciate the role of other causal factors Among those factors is the pernicious idea that to be good at school is to betray one’s race likely originated at a time when black students faced racist teachers and a violent backlash from opponents of desegregation But even as such bigotry has diminished markedly the notion has become enmeshed in the minds of too many Americans The flouting of logic is a feature of the “woke” religion McWhorter juxtaposes some of its conflicting injunctions (homilies?): “Black people cannot be held accountable for everything every black person does,” but at the same time: “All whites must acknowledge their personal complicitness in the perfidy of ‘whiteness’ throughout history.” We’re enjoined to “show interest in multiculturalism,” he notes but at the same time: “Do not culturally appropriate and you may not try it or do it.” When blacks say you’ve insulted them “apologize with profound sincerity and guilt,” but at the same time: “Don’t put black people in a position where you expect them to forgive you They have dealt with too much to be expected to.” the fact that these tenets “cancel one another out is considered trivial.” But the fact that they serve “their true purpose of revealing people as bigots is paramount — sacrosanct Fear and guilt are critical to understanding how the “woke” evangelize by moral intimidation and by terrifying people with the threat of being tagged racist: “We have become a nation of smart people attesting that they ‘get it’ while peeing themselves.” this epithet carries such a deadly sting today because of the immense progress that we’ve seen on racism When bigotry and prejudice were far more prevalent and accepted than today the accusation would have been nowhere near lethal socially The progress has been “so resplendent over the past fifty years that an old-school segregationist brought alive to walk through modern America even in the deepest South would find it hard not to turn to the side of the road and retch at what he saw.” For the “Elect,” “black lives matter but seismic sociopolitical transformation in how black people are perceived does not.” McWhorter traces its “rootstock” back to Critical Race Theory he illustrates CRT’s influence in the behavior of the “Elect,” for example in the elevation of “narratives” above facts McWhorter believes that it is not chiefly “money or power in the basic sense of feeling like you matter and that your life has a meaningful agenda.” But the “woke” vary in their level of commitment and this account may explain many of the conformist who feel an ongoing need to cast out heretics and thus reaffirm their fidelity in the eyes of fellow parishioners An objection here is that McWhorter is overly charitable toward the motivations of the “woke,” especially those who exhibit a vested interest in denying the reality of progress and a lack of interest in workable solutions He inveighs against the “Elect” notion that if blacks are ever to see progress racism must be comprehensively and totally eradicated While fully aware of the persistence of racism he rejects the view that “our main focus must ever be on smoking out remnants of racist bias,” which implies that “this bias is a conclusive obstacle to black success.” That’s an argument never made for any other group require a vast transformation in psychosocial and distributional procedure in what is a functioning democratic experiment in which open racism is prohibited to a degree unknown to human history before five decades ago and to a degree that would have been considered science fiction as recently as three decades ago This idea paints black people as mentally and spiritually deficient children McWhorter shows that despite presenting itself as undoing racism this outlook harms blacks and distracts from real problems The “woke” outlook turns a blind eye “to black kids getting jumped by other ones in school”; “to the folly in the idea of black ‘identity’ as all about what whites think rather than about what black people themselves think”; “to the lapses in black intellectuals’ work because black people lack white privilege.” McWhorter’s damning conclusion is that the “Elect” religion is racist not only in its conception of black identity but also in its condescension toward blacks is a kind of atavistic force: it takes us “back to the balkanized and artificial racial categorizations we all thought we wanted to get past.” Yet ask why we are no longer supposed to get past them and the Elect — wait for it — suspect you of white supremacy All of the Enlightenment’s focus on individualism all of modernism’s permission for people to be themselves rather than live bound to preset classifications falls to pieces before this idea that to be anything but white requires obsession with the fact that you are not white and diminished by their possibly not seeing you in your totality To make real progress on race issues means resisting the “woke” ideology McWhorter bracingly defies conventional thinking on religion “Religion,” he writes “has no place in the classroom or in decreeing how all members of society are to express themselves and almost all of us spontaneously understand that and see any misunderstanding of the premise as backward.” When facing the “Elect,” McWhorter advises The “woke” demand to “get rid of racism,” McWhorter argues is not just prejudice but also lingering attitudes and policies: “Something this protean and timeless must be ever restrained as much as possible doing so is not necessary.” What should be done McWhorter proposes three policy reforms that he believes are high-leverage yet modest enough to be enacted: end the “war on drugs”; properly teach all students to read; and make vocational training easy to get while undoing the idea that everyone must go to a four-year college He explains how these could open pathways for individuals to lead productive it’s clear these recommendations evince a genuine concern for progress the book offers an illuminating way to conceptualize the “woke” phenomenon engulfing us Readers seeking a superior print result may wish to download the free Just Read app Explore unique philosophical content that challenges conventional views — in courses you can take on the go Media Inquiries Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter You’ll also receive a FREE copy of our book The solution helps farmers save time by cleaning the feeder house without leaving the cab Alex joined the Successful Farming team in December 2021 as the New Products Editor Alex has been with Dotdash Meredith since 2021 starting in the imaging department and working on magazines across the company's entire portfolio before moving to Successful Farming A wheelchair might not seem like a symbol of freedom but for these wheelchair basketball players Sidelined from the sports played by many of their peers their paths brought them to wheelchair basketball a sport in which their physicality and athleticism shine What they found in this sport was intensity and competition that has propelled them beyond where they thought they could be Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" ©2025 NYU Journalism Located in the New Ideal building on 2nd Ave North, this two-bedroom, two bathroom loft is an absolute dream. Officially on the market this Wednesday April 26, realtor Lynlee Hughes is looking for the right person for a unique downtown loft experience Lynlee Hughes believes the intrigue of this space begins with the New Ideal building’s history: “I have been honored to play a part in the Downtown area’s revitalization over the last decade as we have seen it change tremendously especially in regards to residential real estate The New Ideal Building was a landmark for so many and when this historic downtown department store came back to life as residences in 2020 and people into this area of 2nd Avenue North.” With historic roots in the heart of Downtown Birmingham 2,600 square foot condominium has 16-foot ceilings and original The first floor has a custom kitchen with Sub-Zero fridge not to mention the expansive master and guest bedrooms with their adjacent bathrooms One of the initial wow-factors of the space is the view and it is one of the key things that attracted the current owners to this unique loft:  allow the energy and heartbeat of the community to become part of your living experience The primary bedroom suite and bath are able to maintain significant natural light due to the large custom steel and glass door and room partition that  separates this room from the living space.  As you follow the spiral stairs into the unit’s second story overlooking the living room you land in a large flexible space that can have multiple purposes The existing owners have created a comfortable built-in media room on one side and a great home office on the other This downtown loft is also perfect for entertaining Not only does the large open layout and spaciousness of the home play a huge part but the balcony off of the living room and the amazing wet bar and kitchen connections to the space allow this unit to be the perfect spot for a dinner party or pre-concert gathering.   Another key feature of this amazing space is the location which is a feature that the current owners know they are sure to miss: “The amazing benefit of downtown is how walkable everything is You can literally walk to Birmingham’s finest restaurants and every sporting event: Barons Baseball UAB and Stallions Football and Squadron Basketball The Lyric and Alabama Theatres are literally steps away… so close we have walked home from the Alabama Theatre during the intermission of a show and been back before the lights went back down.”  As the number one realtor in the Downtown market since 2018 Lynlee Hughes knows that this loft is truly one of a kind: “The fact that this loft is located on the Food and Beverage corridor of 2nd Avenue North puts you right into the middle of the action of downtown The interior touches the existing owners have made to this loft are so special and they have truly made it a one-of-a-kind loft and I love how it marries modern interior luxury with a historic building all in one awesome location.” Lynlee Hughes is hosting a happy hour at this loft on Wednesday so please go check it out for yourself!  Interviewer + Adventurer | Telling stories to make a difference All content on this site is Copyright ©  Rushing Waters Media LLC/Bham Now 2016-2025 Metrics details This article was retracted on 15 November 2023 This article has been updated Tumor xenograft models can create a high capacity to study human tumors and discover efficient therapeutic approaches we aimed to develop the gamma-radiated immunosuppressed (GIS) mice as a new kind of tumor xenograft model for biomedical studies 144 mice were divided into the control and treated groups exposed by a medical Cobalt-60 apparatus in 3 144 BALB/c mice were divided into four groups; healthy The animals in the xenograft and radiation + xenograft groups have subcutaneously received 3 × 106 MCF-7 cells 24 h post-radiation the blood samples and the spleen and tumor tissues were removed for the cellular and molecular analyses The whole-body gamma radiation had a high immunosuppressive effect on the BALB/c mice from 1 to 21 days post-radiation The macroscopic and histopathological observations have proved that the created clusters' tumor structure resulted in the xenograft breast tumor There was a significant increase in tumor size after cell injection until the end of the study and Ly6G was significantly decreased in Xen + Rad compared to the Xen alone group on 3 and 7 days and IL-17 was considerably decreased in the Xen + Rad than the Xen alone group on 3 and 7 days and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were dramatically increased in the Xen + Rad group compared to the Xen alone on 3 Our results could confirm a new tumor xenograft model via an efficient immune-suppressive potential of the whole-body gamma radiation in mice we first examined the various doses of gamma radiation on BALB/c mice to find the low toxicity of whole-body gamma radiation with maximum efficiency to suppress the immune system we examined the growth of the xenograft breast tumor and the immune system’s behavior on 3 and 21 days after cell injection in the gamma-radiated BALB/c mice The macroscopic views of (A) the body weight and (C) the tumor extension on days 10 (a) and 40 (d) after the gamma radiation in mice and (D) the microscopic views of the xenograft breast tumor (× 20) and Xen + Rad: gamma radiation plus cell injection group and Ly6G in the spleen tissue on the 3rd day after gamma radiation in mice were significantly increased in the Xen alone group compared to the control group on the 3rd day (P ≤ 0.05) their levels were not meaningfully different between the Xen alone and control groups on 7 were dramatically decreased in the Xen + Rad group compared to the Xen alone group on 3 and 7 days (P ≤ 0.05) their levels were not meaningfully different between the Xen + Rad and Xen alone groups at 14 and 21 days after radiation and 14 after gamma radiation in BALB/c mice their expression levels were considerably increased in the Xen + Rad group compared to the Xen alone group on 3 The present study has been aimed to establish GIS mice as a new kind of human xenograft tumors for in vivo biomedical studies the tumorigenicity potential of GIS mice and their immunological responses against the xenograft tissues were evaluated within three separate phases The results of the first phase have proved that the whole-body gamma radiation in all 3 and 5 Gy doses had a high immunosuppressive effect on mice from 1 to 14 days post-radiation the animals in 3 or 4 Gy doses gamma radiation did not show any significant toxicity the 4 Gy dose has been chosen as the maximum effective and safe dose of gamma radiation The subcutaneous injection of 3 × 106 MCF-7 cells in the second phase of the present study has shown significant tumor formation and growth efficiency The macroscopic and histopathological observations have proved the breast tumor structure Identification of the pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines has confirmed a substantial suppression of the rejection-involved xenograft immune cells and an increase of the T-reg cells in the xenotransplanted GIS mice and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio have shown an increased expression rate in the splenocyte tissues of GIS mice These data can confirm a new xenograft model via an efficient immune-suppressive potential of the whole-body gamma radiation in mice we showed a substantial reduction in the rate of the pro-inflammatory IL-4 and INF-γ cytokines in the radiated mice our results have shown a reverse fact about GATA-3 gene expression and the spleen levels of IL-4 Inconsistency in the consequences might be due to differences in the administrated radiation method our study highlighted that by enhancing T-reg cells' rate and activity after radiation These results strangely support our hypothesis that the GIS mice can be a new well-tolerated animal for xenotransplantation studies by suppressing immune responses and improving anti-inflammatory and inflammatory networks in the xenotransplanted cells death and infection have not been seen during our study for some reason: A: Using the safe dosages of the gamma radiation B: The activity of the GIS mouse's innate immune system during the study C: Complete improvement of the immune system three weeks after cell injection With a brief look at the high cost and complexity of creating the conventional xenograft models and applying them to cancer immunotherapy studies it can be suggested our model may remove all the economic and technical berries in the field of cancer immunotherapy studies We demonstrated that an increase in the immune system's tolerance against the xenograft tumor could raise the chance of the survival and growth of the MCF7 cells into the GIS mice Increasing the immune cells' level and function and the related cytokines' activity may activate the mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory and anti-xenograft rejections We can claim that the new tumor xenograft model can manage the xenograft tumor growth by increasing immune system tolerance and suppressing its mechanisms MCF-7 cells were purchased from the Pasture Institute of Iran (Tehran and streptomycin were purchased from Life Technologies Co Ketamine and xylazine were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Co The Cobalt-60 facility was provided by the Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini hospital Complex of Iran (Tehran University of Medical Sciences and IL-17 Mouse ELISA Kit (Abcam; ab100702) were used for IFN-γ Total RNA was isolated with a Total RNA extraction kit (GRM1002 Template cDNAs were synthesized using SuperScript III (18080-051 Quantitative RT-PCR was performed with a quantitative PCR mix (QPK-201T Japan) using a real-time PCR detection system (CFX96; Bio-Rad Laboratories) Animals were housed in pens exceeding the stipulated size requirements All inbred female BALB/c mice (6–8 weeks) were maintained in large group houses under 12-h dark and light cycles and were given access to food and water ad libitum Schematic design of the dosing procedure of the gamma radiation Schematic design to develop gamma-irradiated immunosuppressed mice Data analysis was done using SPSS statistical software version 18 Fisher's exact test was used to analyze differences in % of animals with breast tumors Tukey's post hoc and analysis of variance (ANOVA) assessments were used for comparison among groups P-value < 0.05 considered being statistically significant All procedures performed in studies involving animals were conducted within the international guidelines of the Weatherall report and also the national guidelines of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences The Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences has approved the project under the tenses of the Helsinki Declaration and the national ethical guideline for medical research (IR.TUMS.REC.1394.1391) This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46583-1 Predictive in vivo animal models and translation to clinical trials Basic properties and molecular mechanisms of exogenous chemical carcinogens Animal models of chemical carcinogenesis: driving breakthroughs in cancer research for 100 years Mouse models for cancer immunotherapy research Expression of a conditional AML1-ETO oncogene bypasses embryonic lethality and establishes a murine model of human t (8; 21) acute myeloid leukemia The Medical Research Council’s Working Party on Leukemia in Childhood: Immunosuppressive consequences of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia Gamma-ray resistance of regulatory CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells in mice Gamma irradiation-reduced IFN-gamma expression Bone marrow transplantation after the Chernobyl nuclear accident NK cells promote peritoneal xenograft rejection through an IFN-γ-dependent mechanism Tumor-reactive CD4+ T cells develop cytotoxic activity and eradicate large established melanoma after transfer into lymphopenic hosts Pathology of renal xenograft rejection in pig to non-human primate transplantation The main infiltrating cell in xenograft rejection is a CD4+ macrophage and not a T lymphocyte T-cell-mediated immunological barriers to xenotransplantation and accessory molecule interactions in the rejection of pig-to-primate xenografts beyond the hyperacute period Acute xenograft rejection mediated by antibodies produced independently of TH1/TH2 cytokine profiles Cytokine mRNA expression in peripheral blood cells of immunosuppressed human islet transplant recipients TNF-alpha/IL-1: interrelations in bone resorption pathophysiology Tumor necrosis factor-α signaling in macrophages Distinct effects of T-bet in TH1 lineage commitment and IFN-γ production in CD4 and CD8 T cells Differential role of B cells and IL-17 versus IFN-γ during early and late rejection of pig islet xenografts in mice Pig islet xenograft rejection in a mouse model with an established human immune system Regulatory T cells and transplantation tolerance Radiation damage and immune suppression in splenic mononuclear cell populations Ionizing radiation modulates the phenotype and function of human CD4+ induced regulatory T cells Human CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress anti-porcine xenogeneic responses Effect of gamma radiation on cytokine expression and cytokine-receptor mediated STAT activation T regulatory cells and transplantation tolerance CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells inhibit natural killer cell functions in a transforming growth factor-β-dependent manner Tissue-targeted antisense c-fos retroviral vector inhibits established breast cancer xenografts in nude mice Evaluation of the treatment strategies on patient-derived xenograft mice of human breast tumor Therapeutic effects of dendrosomal solanine on a metastatic breast tumor The toxicity and therapeutic effects of single-and multi-wall carbon nanotubes on mice breast cancer Effects of multiple injections on the efficacy and cytotoxicity of folate-targeted magnetite nanoparticles as theranostic agents for MRI detection and magnetic hyperthermia therapy of tumor cells Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grading: a pleiotropic marker of chemosensitivity in invasive ductal breast carcinomas treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy Chemoprotection of MNNG-initiated gastric cancer in rats using Iranian propolis The effect of lipopolysaccharide on the expression level of immunomodulatory and immunostimulatory factors of human amniotic epithelial cells Oxytocin mediates the beneficial effects of the exercise training on breast cancer Download references This study was co-funded by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (grant number: 29383) and Kashan University of Medical Sciences (Grant number: 12342) None of the funding sources had any role in study design; the collection and interpretation of data; the writing of the report; or the decision to submit the article for publication These authors contributed equally: Hamid Khodayari and Saeed Khodayari Solmaz Khalighfard & Ali Mohammad Alizadeh Mahboubeh Tajaldini & Amirhoushang Poorkhani Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences and S.K.: study conception and sample processing The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations This article has been retracted. Please see the retraction notice for more detail:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46583-1 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80428-5 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research Mike Mazza and Tristan de Liège discuss the private space industry and Ayn Rand’s philosophical thoughts on the subject The podcast was released on October 2, 2024. Watch archived podcasts here is a junior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute Many fans of Ayn Rand have had the following experience: they read The Fountainhead and some (or many) of Rand’s philosophical essays and her philosophical perspective strikes them as clear This seeming obviousness leads many readers seeking to understand her philosophy to ignore or dismiss other philosophers and philosophical systems except perhaps for the few figures Rand mentions favorably Speaking as someone who teaches philosophy at the Ayn Rand Institute’s Objectivist Academic Center In an undated note in her early philosophical journal Rand knew she was entering debates on questions that other thinkers had grappled with and offered answers to since at least the time of ancient Greece—questions about the nature of the world we live in and about what is proper and worth pursuing in life is Rand’s perspective on the major questions at the core of that debate If one does not know and has not grappled with what the other major figures in that debate are saying with how they answer the questions of philosophy and with how they themselves argue for the truth of their positions then one is not fully in a position to understand and assess Rand’s perspective on that debate consider this passage from Rand’s essay “What Is Capitalism?”: Is it true that there are essentially only “three schools of thought on the nature of the good”—and that Rand is conceptualizing them accurately (And why have these theories found adherents and what impact have the theories had?) one cannot assess whether or to what extent Rand’s interpretation of these figures and trends is correct and its relationship to and assessment of other philosophical systems one cannot simply echo Rand’s assessments; one has to take a first-handed approach—as Rand herself did Rand studied the history of philosophy not to achieve academic erudition but because she knew it would help her to better understand the world and the intellectual forces shaping the culture In the philosophical essays that she wrote after the publication of Atlas Shrugged Rand repeatedly drew on her knowledge of other philosophers and philosophical systems to interpret and make sense of the events and cultural trends she analyzed “The foundation of any culture, the source responsible for all of its manifestations,” wrote Rand, “is its philosophy.”7 And as a philosopher who studied the history of philosophy perspective on the major philosophers and their theories that perspective is one that she was entitled to; for most of us To highlight another value in studying other philosophers consider the following issue that arose during a class we were teaching in the Objectivist Academic Center In Rand’s essay “The Nature of Government,” she writes: Given the familiar political tradition inherited from America’s Founding Fathers it is easy to read Rand’s appeal to “the consent of the governed,” nod in agreement But when one reads that passage alongside the works of other philosophers—such as Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls—who have thought a lot about the issue of consent and have articulated views about the nature of consent and the role it plays in justifying a government’s authority one is prompted to ask—and one should ask—a lot of questions Studying and coming to understand the philosophical debates surrounding these and many other questions helps one to appreciate the complexities of the issues and just how non-obvious the answers to these questions are; it presses one to ask more and better questions about one’s own views and to avoid accepting answers too easily—and it can help one reach a clearer and deeper understanding of Objectivism and the unique perspective it offers on the cultural phenomena and trends of our own day if you are tempted to ignore or dismiss other philosophers now that Rand has convinced you that she is right Enroll in History of Philosophy on ARI Campus to explore this topic further Aaron Smith, PhD in philosophy, is a fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute where he lectures and develops educational content for the Institute’s intellectual training and outreach programs. He is a member of the ARU faculty Occasionally we write about what we’re currently reading watching or listening to—not at the level of a full review Tom Nichols is right to warn us about “the death of expertise.” What he means is not that there are fewer genuine experts he argues that there’s diminished recognition for the idea of expertise — especially scientific and intellectual expertise — in the culture blog-sodden collapse of any division between professionals and laypeople between those of any achievement in an area and those with none at all.” I found his book thought-provoking and trenchant I want to underscore a couple of points about the cultural phenomenon that Nichols is grappling with and it’s a difficult thing to make sense of and you’re bound to observe the phenomenon that Nichols seeks to explain Practically everyone recognizes expertise when it comes to professional athletes Steph Curry can play basketball with a skill almost no one will equal we put our lives in the hands of pilots whose expertise What Nichols seeks to identify and explain is a pernicious attitude toward knowledge It is “not just a rejection of existing knowledge It is fundamentally a rejection of science and dispassionate rationality which are foundations of modern civilization.” It’s the notion that “all citizens believe themselves to be experts on everything.” Any assertion of expertise from an actual expert produces an explosion of anger from certain quarters of the American public who immediately complain that such claims are nothing more than fallacious “appeals to authority,” sure signs of dreadful “elitism,” and an obvious effort to use credentials to stifle the dialogue required by a “real” democracy Americans now believe that having equal rights in a political system also means that each person’s opinion about anything must be accepted as equal to anyone else’s This is the credo of a fair number of people despite being obvious nonsense It is a flat assertion of actual equality that is always illogical Nichols spends several chapters tracing some of the sources of this attitude certain dynamics in higher education — are eye-opening lies in the issues it prompts us to think about the cultural pushback against expertise (which Nichols documents at length) is a problem But you can also interpret it as revealing that many people do not understand — or perhaps have a malformed conception of — expertise Forming and recognizing the concept of “expertise” can be harder in some fields than in others there are tangible products (a loaf of bread) and the results can be easily measured by known standards (the car is fixed; the dress fits) It’s a different proposition to understand expertise in the case of knowledge workers notably in scientific and intellectual fields it’s hard to appreciate the vast amount of knowledge someone has to acquire and master in international relations (Nichols’s own field) consider the years of scientific and hands-on training required to become an M.D Without a full appreciation of that kind of training it can be challenging to form a conception of what “expertise” consists in Further, you don’t have to be a Sheldon Cooper to look down on certain fields Some are shaped by profoundly flawed approaches to knowledge and some are also politicized (Exhibit A: the debate surrounding anthropogenic climate change) Just these few observations — and there are other problems that we could name — have played a part in making people suspicious of expertise: after all no rational person wants to live in a society ruled by Plato’s philosopher kings to conceptualize what counts as “expertise” and to think critically about what experts say And I’ve observed that many people simply have a fuzzy concept of “expertise” (at best) I tend to agree with Nichols’s assessment that the hostility toward expertise stems at least in part from a kind of egalitarianism (the idea that “each person’s opinion about anything must be accepted as equal to anyone else’s”) And I suspect that that accounts for why it manifests so often as a kind of resentment If we take the philosophic idea of egalitarianism strictly we can see how it would warp people’s thinking about expertise While many people suppose that egalitarianism means lifting everyone up You cannot make everyone equal to Isaac Newton the idea of egalitarianism necessitates pulling down those who stand taller In this case: experts who have attained extensive In logic egalitarianism means leveling down Newton’s scientific achievement to the same standing as those who claim that wishful-thinking crystals can cure cancer There’s definitely more to unpack in this cultural phenomenon and Nichols’s analysis of the problem is well worth engaging Subscribe to New Ideal to receive the latest in-depth content from ARI The title of Steven Pinker’s new book is a bold proclamation: Enlightenment Now he promises to show how Enlightenment values of reason noble” and “offer a reason to live.” Stated in the abstract and so I’ve begun reading Enlightenment Now with great interest and will have more to say about it in future writing However, I think that his project of promoting Enlightenment values (as described in the preface and in several of his recent pieces) has at least one Achilles heel Pinker has a growing audience among secular scientifically-minded people who are skeptical about all forms of the supernatural or immortality (to use Kant’s famous triad) I will argue that one is a natural fact indispensable to the Enlightenment project: freedom of the will Here I will illustrate why denying it undermines that project by relaying some observations I recently made while reading some of Pinker’s earlier work Recently I have been reading Pinker’s The Blank Slate as part of the curriculum in the third-year of the Objectivist Academic Center program which I help teach with my colleagues Onkar Ghate and Aaron Smith (The OAC’s third year features a seminar in which students use the philosophical tools of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism to analyze books written by prominent thinkers.) The Blank Slate is an extensive survey of findings in the “sciences of human nature” (psychology etc.) that Pinker thinks should influence our understanding of controversies in politics The Blank Slate is also a polemic against those who would ignore these findings It urges that we acknowledge the fact that human beings have an innate genetic endowment a fact that is too often evaded by academic egalitarians that people have different levels of innate intelligence and may even have an innate drive to violence But he argues that acknowledging these facts about our genetics by itself has no implication for how we should treat people: it does not imply that we ought to assign different rights to people with different levels of intelligence or that we should act on our violent urges The mere scientific facts do not imply any normative conclusions all by themselves how Pinker deals with questions about whether disparities in IQ among the races would justify racial discrimination: not for factors over which they have no control and our paths in life: it means that all of these are ultimately at the mercy of forces beyond our control Pinker thinks free will would make sense only if there were a “ghost in the machine a spirit or soul that somehow reads the TV screen of the senses and pushes buttons and pulls levers of behavior,” as he puts it in the first video This is in keeping with the common secular assumption that free will is a province of the supernatural a magical faculty of a disembodied immortal soul But can scientific thinkers afford to abandon the conviction of their own agency In a revealing passage (one frequently highlighted in Kindle editions of The Blank Slate) Pinker reveals just how little control he thinks even the most rational among us have over our lives: Pinker implies here that our conscious minds are sometimes in control But if much of what they do is to project an illusion of control how are we to tell the difference between when we’re in control and when we’re not How can we ever have any control if we can’t tell that difference can we have control over our own scientific thinking sufficient to know that it is rational and not prejudiced in what sense can “enlightened societies” meaningfully choose just vs Pinker himself is sensitive to cases in which theorists arbitrarily exempt themselves from the same deterministic laws they think rule the behavior of everyone else In The Blank Slate he notes such an incongruity in the approach taken by environmental determinists like the behaviorist B Here he remarks on the difficulty these “radical scientists” have in reconciling their determinism with their advocacy of social engineering: Since the OAC third-year seminar students are asked to analyze the books we read from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy I asked students to read Rand’s essay “The Stimulus and the Response,” her own analysis of B She makes a criticism of Skinner that is similar to Pinker’s in at least one respect: a determinist like Skinner cannot coherently speak of how “we” can freely engineer society without invoking his own secular version of a disembodied soul that is exempt from environmental influence: Whereas Pinker thinks that the behaviorist’s particular social engineering norms are undermined by biological determinism but any and all norms that lose their meaning in the absence of free will She makes clear that her target is not just behaviorism but all forms of determinism and here she points to the central contradiction in Skinner’s case for redesigning society in his book Beyond Freedom and Dignity: Enlightenment values are supposedly “stirring noble” and “offer a reason to live.” If Rand is right and it is determinism as such that undermines normativity as such then Pinker’s own determinism threatens his support for Enlightenment values When he speaks of how “we” as members of an enlightened society are able to choose values that discourage racial discrimination is he not invoking his own “Pronoun in the Machine” And don’t scientists need to think they can rise above prejudice to judge the objectivity of their own work he would be arbitrarily exempting his own theorizing from the deterministic laws to which he thinks others are subject Notably, Rand condemned racism precisely because she saw it as a form of determinism Not only do we need to presuppose free will to condemn anything but we should condemn racism in particular because it unjustifiably claims that one’s moral character is a product of one’s genetics and notably Pinker insists that non-genetic factors play a role in determining one’s character (380–81) But his denial of free will in the name of genetics does provide aid and comfort to the racist Pinker’s own embrace of Enlightenment values along with skepticism about free will is itself a legacy of Enlightenment philosophy philosophers of the period (with a few possible exceptions) assumed that robust freedom of the will was incompatible with a scientific reliance on laws of cause and effect This was a most vulnerable Achilles heel for thinkers who celebrated the achievements and requirements of the unfettered human mind Ghate emphasizes in particular that free will is not a feature of a supernatural “ghost in the machine,” but of the natural then one can coherently maintain the possibility of scientific objectivity that freely rises above prejudice To embrace a thoroughgoing Enlightenment celebration of the unfettered mind Pinker and those who are inspired by his work should revisit their assumptions about free will challenging the prejudices of academic orthodoxy skepticism about free will is a blind spot he seems to share with the orthodoxy I urge him to shed the light of reason on every such blind spot The author would like to acknowledge the useful editorial feedback of Onkar Ghate in improving this article Join the conversation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Ben Bayer, PhD in philosophy, is a fellow and director of content at the Ayn Rand Institute and the author of Why the Right to Abortion Is Sacrosanct (2022). Ben is a managing editor of New Ideal and a member of the ARU faculty John McWhorter shows how woke “antiracism” is a “new religion,” but he underappreciates how its zealotry is empowered by centuries-old religious morality Why does the “antiracist” movement mobilize to deplatform or fire anyone who slights or asks the wrong questions about the dominant views of “social justice” What explains the irrational fervor of the “woke” noteworthy Columbia linguistics professor and New York Times columnist grapples with this question in his recent book The book’s subtitle reveals his provocative answer: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America we must take seriously its religious character How are we to deal with a social movement guided by blind faith McWhorter is under no illusion that we can somehow rationally persuade the leaders of the movement to change their ways he counsels that we must find “a way to live graciously among them” while insulating “people with good ideas from the influence of their liturgical concerns” (xii-xiii) But if McWhorter is right about the religious character of the movement then multitudes of unsuspecting students who otherwise lean secular have accepted an unscientific Those of us who want to insulate ourselves and our children from its influence will wonder whether it’s enough to ignore its advocates and live “graciously” among them To know what is required to insulate ourselves fully from “the influence of their liturgical concerns,” we will need to know what makes woke doctrine so seductive even to secular While McWhorter’s explanation is good as far as it goes McWhorter’s account doesn’t make explicit what it is about the religious character of the movement that motivates such irrational fervor Arguably his own evidence points to the fuller explanation we need The evidence McWhorter presents of the religious character of the woke movement is compelling The movement has articles of faith: no one is to question that racism is to blame for most social problems which are to be read and recited almost ritualistically It has its own conception of original sin: white people cannot escape their “privilege” and must acknowledge it It has a gospel that must be spread to all “sinners” and who must repent The parallels are so striking that McWhorter dubs the members of the movement “The Elect,” a reference to Puritan Calvinism’s class of those predestined for salvation How does a religious doctrine encourage nominally secular people to engage in such irrational behavior The problem is not that woke activists suffer from some form of mass psychosis McWhorter stresses that he thinks they don’t even though they embrace their dogmas in defiance of the evidence and hold others to impossible to be inclusive and multicultural one can’t avoid “cultural appropriation”) if they are neither crazy nor uneducated do they so openly defy intellectual standards McWhorter thinks that the new woke religion fulfills the same basic need that traditional religions have fulfilled for countless people for millennia.1 The need is a “basic sense of succor” (70) Elsewhere he is more specific: it provides a sense of “sheer purpose the basic sense of feeling like you matter and that your life has a meaningful agenda” (40) but it’s important that not all religious believers behave like zealots Consider a “New Age” religion that has also supplanted traditional belief systems in the West sometimes pantheist set of beliefs and practices would strike most secularists as a genuine form of religious mysticism And surely many Wiccans find “comfort” in their magical rituals including through some sense of purpose from being “interconnected with the cosmos.” Yet even though Wiccans probably embrace their beliefs in animistic spirits and magic irrationally few are motivated to join a mob marching for a new Inquisition against non-witches or a crusade against monotheists.  Numerous other religious believers go in for a faith but don’t march for its cause Consider sundry modern Episcopalians or Western Buddhists who formally accept their theologies and practice their rituals but who would never persecute heretics and apostates We can say they simply don’t take their religion very seriously that they don’t see their beliefs as relating to the rest of their lives But which element of their religion are they ignoring when they don’t see it as relating to the rest of their lives?  The milquetoast modern faithful ignore the same element of their religions that a religion like Wicca simply lacks: a systematic code of morality The major monotheistic religions come packaged with strict codes of morality because the God they worship is seen as the creator of the universe and the author of its order A code of morality relates an ideology’s view of the universe to the guidance its adherents need to live If the woke crusade while the Wiccans do not it is likely because the woke share the potent code of morality they probably inherited from the influence of the monotheistic religions It’s their quest to adhere to this moral code that gives them not merely the sense of a comforting ritual but that of joining a holy quest No wonder the acts of the woke invite such natural comparisons to a crusade or an Inquisition two hallmarks in the history of Christian religion The evidence for the central motivating power of moral doctrine in the woke religion is scattered throughout McWhorter’s book McWhorter notes that “Elect ideology stipulates that one’s central moral duty is to battle racism and the racist” (48 He notes how the woke see the sheer act of bearing witness to the sins of racism (including And he notes how this even includes embracing a “self-flagellational guilt for things you did not do,” a reference to apologies for the sins of one’s race The reference to “self-flagellational guilt” helps bring out the distinctively religious moral idea that’s at play in the woke crusade Christianity is perhaps best known for making it a major virtue but McWhorter compares antiracism’s take on the virtue to that of another post-pagan monotheistic religion:  Islam — the core of such words in Arabic is the consonants s-l-m which constitute the concept of submission To suspend disbelief is a kind of submission It is no accident that many of the white Elect spontaneously put their hands above their heads as an indication that they understand that they bear “white privilege.” Think of this type I know I’m privileged!” while holding their hand up They are so comfortable with that gesture in attesting to their privilege because of an overriding impulse: to indicate submission to a power up there looking down on them Or even this: When Elect white people at protests started taking a knee for extended periods to indicate general wokeness after George Floyd’s murder To idealize the morality of submission is to enjoin the virtue of humility It’s the burning commitment to the duty to avoid and punish the sin of pride that explains the crusade to banish heretics against the woke creed humility that animates the zealots of the woke religion For example: suppose that you are a professor or an employer who thinks that some member of a minority group hasn’t lived up to the relevant educational or professional standards of a task and doesn’t deserve the corresponding rewards to think you have the right to judge a member of a historically oppressed group by your standards You don’t have the right to judge their performance by what you deem to be “objective” standards Or: suppose that you refuse to admit you’re guilty of the “original sin” of racism because you judge people on the basis of their character and other achievements the woke object that racism is systemic enough to make you subject to biases and an unavoidable beneficiary of oppression How dare you think you have the special power to escape from the clutches of your history and the system it created Or even this: perhaps you’re a black person whose ancestors certainly were oppressed and while you acknowledge that racial prejudice still exists you might still claim that you yourself have never been seriously handicapped by it as they seem to have intoned against McWhorter himself: how dare you think you have the personal virtue needed to escape the same systemic oppression And how dare you disagree with the leaders of your people who know they are victims to whom all the other sinners must submit You especially should humble yourself and repent it is an act of intellectual pride to demand evidence and consistency and assert the right to believe only what others can prove This is what permits sane and educated people to engage in absurd inquisitorial crusades against heretics They have knowledge of intellectual standards but they suppress this knowledge when they think their moral duty demands something more important than a dedication to truth who raise questions about the merits of transgender ideology and its critique of the biology of sex This suggests that we cannot easily insulate ourselves from the influence of the woke crusade simply by “finding a way to live graciously” among its agents.  That’s especially true if some of the most thoughtful and upstanding critics of woke religion are still under the spell of the Christian moralism that empowers it This may seem hard to believe because some of them are adamant critics not only of the woke but of religion Yet the virtue of humility really is a distinctively religious idea The real reason woke ideology doesn’t surpass millennia of philosophers’ moral inquiries is that it’s just borrowing from them (albeit without giving credit) The problem here isn’t that it pridefully claims to have identified the ultimate morality The problem is: “To suspend disbelief is a kind of submission.” The problem is that the religious claim to ultimate morality is advanced without scientific basis Scientists who can prove a well-integrated case for their position on the basis of the evidence have earned pride in their findings especially if their morality is itself derived from religion the work of secular thinkers like Pinker and McWhorter is rational and courageous They deserve to take pride in their intellectual accomplishments But the fact that even these avowedly anti-religious thinkers seem to have absorbed a religious moral idea suggests that its influence is truly pervasive It promises comfort against some insecurity that even the most rational of the secular can feel we need to guard against it to fully insulate ourselves against the effects of wokeism We need to guard against this insecurity because its consequences weaken the secular defense against wokeism Consider McWhorter’s recurrent question about the irrationality of the woke movement: “What kind of people do these things And are we going to let them continue to?” They are people who call us out for being prideful sinners They get away with it because we ourselves often feel guilty for our pride And we will let them continue to do so as long as even we the secular cater to that feeling by venerating such things as “epistemic humility.” McWhorter himself answers his last question about why we let them get away with it.  He notes that precisely because of the moral progress we’ve made against racism,  people disapprove of it and are horrified when charges of it are leveled against them So many would rather “tolerate some cognitive dissonance” and kneel with woke activists in repentance than be considered an unrepentant bigot But this willingness to tolerate “cognitive dissonance” is precisely the consequence of a belief in epistemic humility It’s the idea: Who am I to take my cognitive dissonance as a sign that something is wrong here Someone who takes pride in his commitment to the truth wouldn’t tolerate that dissonance: he’d try to understand why he’s been accused of an evil he himself disavows He’d accept his fallibility and acknowledge that he can make mistakes He’d even be willing to apologize when presented with evidence of his error But he’d not kneel before his accusers without that evidence just because his peers were kneeling And someone long convinced of the evil of racism would likely never accept that self-effacing submission is proper penance for a real mistake McWhorter thinks that because the woke movement is based on a kind of faith we can’t respond to it by arguing with its most devoted practitioners any more than we could expect to convert many fundamentalist Christians to atheism he urges that we “just say no,” and stand up against the woke must be not to try to avoid letting them call you a racist but to get used to their doing so and walk on despite it.” I agree with McWhorter that rational people must proudly walk on despite unfounded charges of racism But if the woke faith is empowered by a religious belief in the virtue of humility we will need to do more than simply disassociate ourselves from its practitioners We can’t live “graciously” among them if that means accepting their ideas and practices as normal McWhorter’s characterization of the movement as religious dogma implicitly classifies it as unscientific and irrational which is already a harsh but warranted judgment We need to share this judgment with others One of the crucial functions of a society’s intellectual leadership is to articulate the meaning of important cultural events to guide the public in understanding their significance But I’ve also been shocked and dismayed at the commentary exploring the moral and philosophical significance of the Apollo program — the question of whether it affected our view of man’s nature and his place in the universe What about the unprecedented feat of safely blasting men into space on a rocket sending them a quarter million miles away to walk on the moon Do our culture’s intellectual voices have nothing to say about the philosophical meaning of that awe-inspiring achievement Fortunately, Ayn Rand had a lot to say about the deeper lessons to be drawn from Apollo’s “giant leap for mankind.” If you take the time to read anything on the occasion of this anniversary, one article not to be missed is Rand’s essay “Apollo 11.” It couples her eyewitness account of the July 16 launch with an analysis of the entire Apollo mission’s philosophic significance not in a work of art — was the concretized abstraction of man’s greatness One knew that this spectacle was not the product of inanimate nature that it was unmistakably human — with “human,” for once meaning grandeur — that a purpose and a long disciplined effort had gone to achieve this series of moments the worst among those who saw it had to feel — not “How small is man by the side of the Grand Canyon!” — but “How great is man and how safe is nature when he conquers it!” That we had seen a demonstration of man at his best no one could doubt — this was the cause of the event’s attraction and of the stunned And no one could doubt that we had seen an achievement of man in his capacity as a rational being — an achievement of reason of total dedication to the absolutism of reality The “fundamental lesson to be learned from the triumph of Apollo 11,” Rand writes is that “nothing on earth or beyond it is closed to the power of man’s reason.” smiling faces that looked up to the flight of Apollo 11” seeking “the spiritual fuel of knowing that man the hero is possible.” But the dominant themes among her intellectual contemporaries — which are similar to those we see today — consisted of a concerted effort to undermine that perspective But Rand’s primary purpose in writing “Apollo 11” was not to criticize its critics “The most inspiring aspect of Apollo 11’s flight,” she writes was that it made such abstractions as rationality That it involved a landing on another celestial body was like a dramatist’s emphasis on the dimensions of reason’s power: it is not of enormous importance to most people that man lands on the moon Invited by NASA to attend the Apollo 11 launch Rand had a rare opportunity to do eyewitness reporting to apply her skill — honed by decades of writing literary masterpieces — at vividly conveying an event’s perceptual quality and emotional impact I recommend reading Rand’s article and then seeing the recently released documentary Apollo 11 — which used only archival footage It made Rand’s article come alive for me by giving me the sense that I was seeing on film the very sights and scenes that she had reported on firsthand she once listed “Apollo 11” as one of her own personal favorites: “I love ‘Apollo 11’ for its literary quality and its theme: in today’s context it was my one opportunity to discuss a great event.” it was also a favorite of Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins He wrote to Rand in November 1969 to tell her that he “thought the article was probably the best I have read on Apollo XI.” A fitting tribute to one of the most important achievements of the 20th century, Rand’s “Apollo 11” is required reading on its 50th anniversary Join the conversation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter https://www.blueorigin.com/latest/ https://www.spacex.com/updates/index.html https://www.virgingalactic.com/news/See for instance https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/14/books/review/moon-landing-anniversary.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/science/earthrise-moon-apollo-nasa.html https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/dec/16/apollo-legacy-moon-space-riley https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/nov/30/apollo-8-mission A similar sentiment was expressed decades after the Apollo program when, from a distance of 4 billion miles, the Voyager 1 probe sent back its famous image of Earth as a “pale, blue dot.” Astronomer Carl Sagan — who in his best moments inspired many with his exuberant passion for science — said Keith Lockitch, PhD in physics, is a senior fellow and vice president of education at the Ayn Rand Institute. He focuses primarily on the intersection of science with current events and policy issues. He is a senior editor of New Ideal and a member of the ARU faculty By allying with Saudi Arabia’s Islamist monarchy American policy betrays our own ideal of political freedom and sells out the regime’s victims — thus continuing a wider pattern in America’s Mideast policy In the chaotic mess that is American Mideast policy one scandal stands out for its longevity and brazenness because it has festered under both Republican and Democratic administrations because instead of keeping the problem at a shameful arm’s length many of our political leaders evade its nature and eagerly look for opportunities to whitewash the problem I speak of America’s amoral alliance with the Islamist monarchy of Saudi Arabia When in 2017 President Trump set off on his first foreign trip Hardly a pioneer in cozying up to authoritarian Mideast leaders (the Bush clan were particularly friendly with the Saudi royal family) and he emphasized the newly signed deal to sell the Saudis upwards of $100 billion worth of American weapons the Saudi regime is eager to deflect attention from its tyrannical nature The crown prince is next in line for the throne but he’s already essentially running many aspects of the kingdom he labored to convince anyone who would listen that he’s pushing Saudi Arabia down the path of “reform.” The crown prince has enacted some changes — and promised various others — that deserve note. Among these: Women are now allowed to attend soccer games. The Saudi regime has permitted movie theaters to open their doors again. And, finally, in the waning years of the second decade of the twenty-first century, Saudi women are allowed to drive cars to recognize that these developments are indeed advances because they lessen — if only ever so slightly — the Saudi regime’s oppression of its people But the fact that these are advances is profoundly revealing of the Saudi regime’s nature Fundamental to America’s approach is a failure to properly evaluate the Saudi regime and take seriously its horrendous character Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy defined by Islamic totalitarianism It is a political system set up to subjugate The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia differs markedly from Europe’s few remaining monarchies there’s still a monarch in the United Kingdom the British monarchy is a vestige of the country’s cruel It lingers on at the periphery of what is essentially a free Not so with Saudi Arabia: although its leaders invest in the trappings of modernity and technology The king of Saudi Arabia actually runs the country Assorted princes serve in ministerial roles and as ambassadors so he needed to pick a successor from among the teeming ranks of the royal family the king’s subjects have no say in the direction of the country Regardless of what they believe or judge best for their own country’s future there’s no legal way for them to change their government The royal family draws its legitimacy partly from its status as the custodian of two of Islam’s holy sites Islam is not merely one religion that Saudis can choose to live by; to be a Saudi citizen The regime compels its subjects to obey religious dogma the Saudi regime (like Iran) has deployed an actual “morality police” that seeks to prevent vice (e.g. and worship of religions other than the officially approved strain of Islam) and to promote virtue (e.g. but a special living hell is reserved for women The Saudi regime’s so-called guardianship laws infantilize women Women may not leave home without a male chaperone The guardian is usually a male relative — a husband Consider what that looks like day to day: Do you want to go to the bookshop To hell with what you judge best for your life Listen to how a few Saudi women describe life under the “guardianship” laws: “My sister went to a bookstore without taking permission from her husband “[My guardian] forbids visits to my female friends or going to shopping malls by myself It is a complete and total isolation from all the joys in life.” I can’t recall the last time he cared about what I needed or wanted He is married to four women and completely preoccupied with them and he doesn’t allow me to travel with my mother He controls it completely and doesn’t allow me to have friends over or go to them He forces me to live according to his beliefs and his religion I live in a lie just so that I wouldn’t end up getting killed.” The subordination of women reflects the Saudi regime’s Islamist nature Two examples underscore the regime’s religious totalitarianism One is the newly lifted ban on women driving; another the regulations on women’s dress and conduct in public Why prohibit women from driving? Consider some of the rationalizations. Some Saudi clerics have claimed “it was inappropriate in Saudi culture for women to drive or that male drivers would not know how to handle having women in cars next to them.” Others argued that “allowing women to drive would lead to promiscuity and the collapse of the Saudi family One cleric claimed — with no evidence — that driving harmed women’s ovaries.” The leaders of Iran and the Islamic State (or ISIS) share the same view of women: temptresses who by their mere presence incite men to debauchery but who are acceptable as vessels for bearing children — so long as they’re covered up in public and segregated from men This is precisely what the Saudi regime requires of women women are required by law to wear a religious veil They are also generally expected to wear sack-like black gowns that obscure their figures That incident epitomizes the Saudi regime’s distinctive union of religion and monarchy It captures not only the Islamist zeal to dehumanize women and make them dependent on their “guardians,” but also the arbitrariness of a dictatorship methodical subjugation — especially of women — in Saudi Arabia that US policymakers should decry apart from some occasional rhetorical gestures Instead of standing alongside and speaking out in the name of Saudi Arabia’s many victims And it betrays our ideal of freedom — a fact writ large in the story of one Saudi dissident In a society with pervasive censorship and thought control his choice simply to express his ideas required immense courage I read a short book of Badawi’s collected articles and blog posts Encountering a writer with the views he holds was not only bracing but it was also a moving experience — mainly because I know what he’s suffering today because of his writings the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal or Vox.com or National Review they would fit within the bounds of public discourse Bear in mind that Badawi’s arguments often invoke Koranic verses to justify his viewpoint This indicates a degree of respect for Islam The salient theme of his essays is the call to separate religion and state in Saudi Arabia That’s different from demanding that everyone repudiate Islam (though some might do so if the regime somehow stopped indoctrinating its citizens and punishing impiety) because it’s material to the accusation leveled against Badawi For expressing his own views of what society should look like for voicing criticisms of the Saudi regime Raif Badawi was accused of “apostasy.” This is the crime of consciously abandoning the religion of Islam The punishment was calculated to shut down dissident voices intimidating into silence anyone else who might dare speak out and it’s a means of raising funds to support his family.) Badawi has been confined to a filthy prison cell since 2012 The first installment of his 1,000 lashes was inflicted in January 2015 Badawi was given fifty lashes for the crime of “insulting Islam.” That first flogging triggered an international outcry and a medical doctor concluded that Badawi likely could not withstand further lashings The remaining lashes have been postponed several times three self-identified jihadists massacred the editorial staff of the magazine Charlie Hebdo — for the same crime: “insulting Islam.” This parallel is a reminder that the Saudi regime shares essentially the same worldview — a totalitarian society shaped by Islamic law — that animates the Islamist movement across the globe a movement the Saudis have encouraged and funded It’s crucial to understand that the prosecution and punishment of Badawi was no miscarriage of the Saudi legal system This is what it looks like when the system works Because of the “many pressures placed upon them,” Badawi writes, his wife and three children were forced to emigrate from Saudi Arabia.8 They now live in Canada actively campaigns for her husband’s release in the media in the halls of parliament buildings around the world Badawi’s remaining hope is that he might be granted a pardon by royal decree Badawi is precisely the kind of freedom-seeking dissident who deserves our moral support And yet when President Trump visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2017 he uttered no criticism of the Saudi regime’s subjugation of individuals Not a word about the fate of any dissidents or political prisoners many of whom face execution under a legal system that flouts the principle of rule of law Not a word about the pervasive infantilization of women Not a word about the abhorrent treatment of Raif Badawi The failure meaningfully to speak out for freedom and freedom-seekers is no oversight Nor was Donald Trump the first president to evade the Saudi regime’s fundamental hostility to human life and freedom The president conformed to a wider pattern in American Mideast policy There’s a through line in America’s approach not only toward the Saudi regime, but to the entire Middle East. In various ways, our approach disregards the need for objective judgment. That’s a crucial point that I illustrate in my new book, What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict One of the chief problems of America’s approach to that conflict is the failure properly to judge the adversaries by our own moral standards and define a policy that aligns with our evaluations What’s missing from our entire approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — to Saudi Arabia to the entire Middle East — is recognition of the fundamental moral distinction between freedom and tyranny We should use the principle of freedom to guide our evaluation of regimes US policy for years has blurred the stark moral inequality between Israel — an essentially free society — and the Palestinian movement and its anti-Israel allies We turn a blind eye to the character of the Palestinian movement with its commitment to authoritarianism and war-making against Israel on the notion that whitewashing it can somehow hasten peace and the genuine freedom-seekers (however few remain) among the Palestinian community The same pattern can be traced in our approach to the Middle East Our political leaders not only disregard the moral difference between freedom and tyranny ostracizing and shunning the region’s monarchs we cozy up to them and grasp at any opportunity to see them as latent or actual “reformers” — whatever might rinse off the blood stains For example: Prior to the outbreak of civil war in Syria American diplomats sought to befriend Bashir al-Assad who was then supposedly committed to reforms and we actually re-opened the American embassy in that country the one who was always a brutal dictator and who’s now infamous for deploying chemical weapons against his own people Or consider the Obama administration’s pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran Whatever you think of that now-defunct agreement the diplomatic initiative to reach the deal was predicated on evading both Iran’s nature as a leading jihadist regime and its vicious subjugation of its own people amply documented in State Department reports for years The shameful US-Saudi alliance is one more case in point We turn a blind eye to the character of the Saudi regime Which explains some of the motivation behind the adulation heaped upon the Saudi crown prince It’s true, as we’ve seen, that he has enacted several notable changes, including the reopening of movie theaters (subject to government censors) and the lifting of the ban on women driving Some of these changes promise to have a positive impact on the lives of Saudi people Despite his stated aim of remaking the country’s future notice what’s taken as unchangeable — the centrality of Islamic law — and what’s conspicuously absent — intellectual freedom in what the regime called an anti-corruption campaign Most have since been released but they are hardly free this large sector of Saudi Arabia’s movers and shakers are living in fear and uncertainty many were subject to coercion and physical abuse at least 17 detainees were hospitalized for physical abuse and one later died in custody with a neck that appeared twisted a badly swollen body and other signs of abuse Many were prevented from contacting their lawyers but Prince Alwaleed spoke weekly with some of his managers He remained out of public sight until January when the royal court allowed a journalist from Reuters to interview him in the Ritz to counter a BBC report that he was being kept in a cell-like room the prince was seeking to neutralize rivals and strip them of their wealth Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this incident was the government’s insistence that the investigations of these captives was carried out “in full accordance to Saudi laws.” To the extent that this is true it’s a stark reminder of the regime’s profound authoritarianism The eagerness to embrace the crown prince as a reformer suggests a sordid motive: making him and his regime appear better than they are and it makes us accessories to the injustices committed against Raif Badawi — and other freedom-seekers like him To begin to understand why America’s Mideast policy is such a deplorable mess look at the pervasive failure to engage in moral judgment of regimes and movements If we are to properly define and attain our interests in the region and if that part of the world is to reach a brighter future of freedom and progress We need to recognize the fundamental moral divide between freedom and tyranny We should uphold the ideal of freedom and lend our moral support to genuine freedom-seekers — and stand against the region’s tyrants Because “conservatism” is intellectually bankrupt Rand saw it as not just ineffectual but actually destructive of freedom are the intellectual backbone of everything that’s reprehensible about “conservatism.” But this association with “conservatism” is something Rand herself rejected when critics attempt to squeeze Rand’s radical outlook into ready-made Another explanation is rooted in the tribalism of today’s political landscape you must belong to one or the other of the main political tribes So the fact that Rand opposed “the left” (which she did) means she must be on “the right.” In many other cases the explanation reflects a lack of knowledge (mingled with confusions) about Rand’s philosophy and the basis of her critique of “conservatism.” When we consider key points in Rand’s analysis of “conservatism,” in her writings and speeches between 1960 and 1981 it’s clear the disagreement goes deeper than any particular stand on policy Rand’s evaluation of “conservatism” was framed by her distinctive philosophic view of the foundations of a free society.3 The American system was the culmination of centuries of intellectual a long struggle “stretching from Aristotle to John Locke to the Founding Fathers.” Deeply influenced by the Enlightenment the Founders created a government based on the principle of individual rights was perishing for lack of such a moral defense Conservatives are paralyzed by the profound conflict between capitalism and the moral code which dominates our culture: the morality of altruism listening to leaders and spokesmen of “conservatism,” it was natural to think of that movement as advocating freedom Three positions widely associated with “conservatism” at the time were (a) an opposition to the global spread of Communism (b) the idea of “limited government,” and (c) opposition to the “liberals,” coupled with a suspicion of welfare-state programs Even if in the public mind “conservatism” was thought to mean a stand for capitalism the movement encompassed different factions and groups and it has forever been haunted by the question of what it stands for On what grounds did “conservatives” oppose the spread of Communism What was the nature of their opposition to welfare programs What affirmative positions did “conservatism” advocate What intellectual foundation did thinkers and leaders of the movement rely on to justify their positions The title of a 1960 lecture that Rand gave at Princeton University intimated her view of the movement: “Conservatism: An Obituary.” In her assessment logical set of principles in defense of freedom Understood properly, altruism is the premise behind every variant of socialism, fascism, Nazism, communism. Common to these political systems is the subjugation of the individual: “All of them treat man as a sacrificial animal to be immolated for the benefit of the group, the tribe, the society, the state.”7 To see a full consistent political expression of altruism consider the brutal tyranny of the Soviet Union What “conservatives” projected was a “guilty evasiveness,” an “apologetic timidity,” and non-philosophical attitude” in their positions Where they differed was on the concrete questions of implementation The movement’s anti-intellectualism was evident in “conservative” defenses of freedom In “Conservatism: An Obituary,” Rand looks at three related arguments which she designated as the argument from faith What they reveal is an abandonment of reason To defend “freedom” by appeal to faith is to invoke the supernatural to regress to a pre-scientific justification It is to confess that there are no rational arguments granted enemies of freedom an unearned moral-intellectual superiority socialist thinkers had arrogated to themselves the mantle of rationality That theme was echoed in Communist propaganda during the Cold War for “conservatives” to say that freedom rested on faith was to concede that facts The “conservative” argument from tradition is another form of discarding reason cannot be the standard of truth (consider the uncountable falsehoods that are ancient when the Founders of America upheld the ideal of individual liberty they were purposely breaking with political traditions in a dramatic expression of “conservatism’s” intellectual bankruptcy the “voice of the Dark Ages” had risen to greater prominence and stridency Rand rejected as immoral their crusade against a women’s right to abortion describing the tag “pro-life” as dishonest Militant religionists exist “in any period unventilated corners of history.”  Their ascendancy The religionists had learned “to be arrogant by encountering no opposition.” Among these militant religionists she identified the self-proclaimed “Moral Majority” and the “pro-life” opponents of abortion Judging by the aims of the “militant mystics” within “conservatism,” the anti-Enlightenment drift of that movement was becoming blatant To prohibit a woman from deciding on her own life path — whether and when to have children — means robbing her of the sovereignty necessary to pursue her happiness And Rand observed that their “pseudo-moral fervor” on this issue “derived from their religious tenets Religionists within “conservatism” were also trying to make the “family” a cultural issue with its invocations about honoring tradition and by 1981 Rand saw in it a repudiation of the American ideal of individualism The militant religionist “worship of the ‘family’ is mini-racism like a crudely primitive first installment on the worship of the tribe It places the accident of birth above a man’s values the unchosen ties of physical determinism above a man’s choices and duty to the tribe above a man’s right to his own life.” The stress on “family” reflected an effort to “fill the conservatives’ moral vacuum.” The notion of “creationism” was another major cause of religionists recall how in the 1960s she decried “conservative” arguments that appealed to faith; how she viewed that as an abandonment of reason and science; and how this was a signal of the intellectual disintegration of “conservatism.” What was the meaning of the push for “creationism” in 1981 It was a demand that schools teach the Biblical story of creation as if it had the same standing as the theory of evolution For Rand this development was the “climax of today’s cultural bankruptcy.” not bankrupt “conservatives,” but new radicals In the 1960s Rand thought that the anti-intellectual leadership of “conservatism” had abandoned reason and science By the 1980s activists and political organizations within the movement had internalized that message Many “conservatives” had invoked tradition as the basis for defending freedom a growing chorus within the movement peddled a form of tribalism and tradition-worship elevating the “family” above the individual Within “conservatism” the innate depravity of man had been presented as a justification for freedom a striking feature of the movement was its growing religiosity and medieval contempt for the individual’s pursuit of personal happiness — epitomized by the crusade to negate a woman’s sovereignty over her own body and future The “conservatism” that Rand witnessed was intellectually bankrupt struggling to evade the need for philosophy This anti-intellectuality speaks to the essence of why she repudiated the movement the morality underlying socialism and communism They sought to conserve the blend of welfare statism and vestiges of freedom not the ideal of a truly free capitalist society The rise of militant religionists within “conservatism” was a brash expression of the movement’s anti-intellectuality The “voice of the Dark Ages” reverberated throughout their agenda in open rejection of the best of the Enlightenment: the ideal of reason Rand wrote that those who wished to fight for a truly free capitalist society must “discard the title of ‘conservatives.’” In this essay I’ve indicated some key themes in Rand’s critique of “conservatism,” but I have come nowhere near to exhausting the subject She had much to say about “conservatism.” If you’d like to explore further here are a few articles and talks (several of which I’ve quoted from) that are a good place to start In this New Ideal video Q&A session, I respond to a question arising from my article “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God.” A reader named Mike commented: Many religious leaders argue that a purely secular outlook cannot provide answers to the following key questions of life: Identity—who am I I hope you find my answers informative and thought-provoking. If you have follow-up questions on these issues, please don’t hesitate to send them my way, using our New Ideal comment form Onkar Ghate, PhD in philosophy, is a senior fellow and chief philosophy officer at the Ayn Rand Institute. A contributing author to many books on Rand’s ideas and philosophy, he is a senior editor of New Ideal and a member of the ARU faculty You have /5 articles left.Sign up for a free account or log in began their lifelong pilgrimage through Europe a few months before — she a hotel maid from Galway he a Jesuit-educated young man with poor eyesight and an ambition to become a famous writer Joyce didn’t deceive Nora when he predicted the discomfort of their upcoming elopement and their life in exile He confessed that he could not “enter the social order except as a vagabond.” Propelled by the desire to encounter the new they both left the familiar constrains of home behind And in the midst of the debate about the so-called crisis of the humanities I want my entire academic field to draw inspiration from authors like Joyce Without dismissing the very real financial crisis in humanities departments I want to address another kind of crisis — not entirely unrelated to funding — the widely professed crisis of identity Can Joyce’s life and writing give us some direction to re-envision the humanities as a field A sense of personal crisis and disillusionment compelled him and many other expat Modernists away from home Joyce rejected formalized religion and the insular culture of turn-of-the-century Dublin Yet he remained saturated with both religion and Dublin and explored them in his writing until he died Voluntary exile furnished him with inspiration and necessary distance from the familiar a detachment that many creative writers consider invaluable in capturing the complexities of fictional settings But Joyce wrote about his homeland with a great deal of warmth he goes back to Dublin streets again and again The last paragraph of “The Dead” is the most touching description of a native land by a self-exiled writer This master of experimental writing and irreverent violator of tradition returns home whenever he alludes to Odysseus’s wandering and whenever he lets us encounter his Irish equivalent of Odysseus an “ancient mariner.” As we plow through Ulysses Leopold Bloom’s erections and bowel movements and we’re not quite sure where we’re heading who responds to violence by proposing that the answer to “force those unsettling symptoms of Modernist physical and spiritual displacement can furnish us with love — love for discovery It is through leaving the comfort of home and encountering alien people and ideas that the humanities classroom thrives We expect our students to enter the world of the unknown with courage but we are often hesitant to do it ourselves We should have the courage to face the new — collectively as a discipline Let’s look at the “crisis of the humanities” as an opportunity to re-envision the field to send it off on a great adventure away from home Let’s not treat the humanities as a field with a calcified identity Lest you misunderstand me: This is not a call to forget about the past to feel the excitement of letting their identity be molded by movement not to be threatened by changing or porous boundaries If we do not initiate new adventures and if we do not embrace an itinerant mode of exploration as potentially educational and formative And the difference between choosing exile and being forced into a refugee status is profound he could always return home — through his experimental fiction and political essays or by visiting Ireland himself Refugees facing real violence have no luxury of returning home Underfunded and disrespected humanities are the refugees of academe whole departments have fallen victim to the corporate takeover of learning So without dismissing the value of staying home I want to suggest that we explore new ways of scholarship and that we travel to other disciplines — yes including computer science and STEM — to enrich our thinking about our disciplines conversing with the past while imagining new beginnings — all this is potentially generative and exciting The writers we study in literature classrooms and the teachers who assign their texts put “home” in conversation with the tradition in order to other it These writers often speak with each other across the boundaries of time and space They leave home to drop in on distant relatives or total strangers Colm Tóibín’s Testament of Mary responds to the New Testament and allows Mary to voice her dismay over the idol-worship surrounding her son and Carol Ann Duffy revisits Greek and Roman mythologies to give voice to the women rendered mute by the original storytellers This is the essence of the humanities: embracing the nomadic state of not knowing and not belonging and living in the text and conversing with it freely; being rooted in tradition and challenging it; respecting the canon and revising it as we begin to understand who has been silenced; retaining our reverence for the printed book and letting ourselves feel excited about new modes of writing Our disciplines are grounded in printed text or painted canvas but they should also explore the new technologies that democratize people’s access to knowledge and allow the difficult conversation with tradition to happen instead of hiding behind a paywall We should use these technologies with excitement and criticize them where they fail to deliver scholars of sub-Saharan literature collaborate freely with visual artists and computer science experts on projects that would attract students and the general public and local artists join college students in poetry slams and book clubs and class leave the campus regularly to engage middle-schoolers and high-schoolers in the life of the mind leading discussions about the issues that affect them we prove that literature is not only for the elite few that the beauty of the written and spoken word can move everyone the humanities will have to open up and venture out without the fear that we’re undermining some primeval principle of what it is we should be doing as scholars and teachers and insular humanities will soon face decline I do not dismiss the beauty and importance of navigating the world of ideas without any stated utilitarian purpose Like James Joyce and other Modernists who left home in both literal and metaphorical ways when they abandoned the comfort of established modalities of expression the humanities — as well as their teachers and students — should be encouraged to redefine themselves as they cross borders and encounter alien worlds If the humanities could repeat Stephen Dedalus’s call “Away Away!,” with equal enthusiasm but with less arrogance perhaps we wouldn’t be talking about their “crisis.” If we acknowledge the importance of the formative origins of the field and continue exploring them unapologetically and with passion but in a way that would be inclusive of those unfamiliar with the prohibitive jargon of most academic papers we could capture the interest in ancient philosophy or postmodern theater among people who are not affiliated with academe but who enjoy the life of the mind We could avoid the charge of being locked up in the Ivory Tower waiting for our slow death as the masses outside rage against us If we admit that revamping and energizing the field will take resources and if we reward the courage to leave “home” in search of discovery the humanities classrooms will again be filled with students We’re already doing a lot of great work on campuses across the nations: tweeting about philosophy transforming theories of public engagement into practice in local communities or sending students to professional conferences But it would take a more systemic shift to make all this possible on a larger scale a lot of these creative ways of approaching the humanities are time-consuming and costly and grants for the humanities scholars and teachers are becoming even more rare as the National Endowment for the Humanities and Fulbright funds are being drastically cut we should start rewarding public engagement with the humanities in tangible ways A series of compelling and clear blogs about an obscure 17th-century poet should count toward tenure and promotion together with required well-researched papers published in specialized Both forms of engagement with our subjects are important and valid and they should be complementary as well as rewarded Publishing in traditional academic journals tests new ideas on the forum of narrowly specialized scholars and adds new knowledge to the field Explaining our research to the general public in clear accessible prose could make it possible for us to continue testing new ideas in a narrowly specialized forum the hard work of bringing them out in the open is derided as a job of a traveling salesman So let us together see the humanities take a stroll into uncharted territories but always remember home like Leopold Bloom who — after walking through Dublin for many hours — returns in a chapter called “Ithaca” to his unfaithful wife’s bed and kisses “the plump mellow yellow smellow melons of her rump.” Voluntary exile from Ithaca will help us look at home upon our return in a new way The humanities that boldly leave home — and yet always remember home—the humanities that are not afraid to take a risky detour the humanities that are not too aloof to leave the campus and engage pressing issues with clarity and empathy — this is a field that will survive any crisis of confidence part of the State University of New York system We need to distinguish between good DEI and bad DEI This alumnus is happy Harvard is fighting for all of higher ed As colleges hire high-powered lobbyists to battle threats to federal funding Subscribe for free to Inside Higher Ed’s newsletters opinion and great new careers in higher education — delivered to your inbox View Newsletters Copyright © 2025 Inside Higher Ed All rights reserved. | Website designed by nclud Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The IRS has introduced new income limits for its seven tax brackets for 2024 the thresholds have all increased by 5.4% to account for inflation the IRS expanded its tax brackets by a historically large 7% Although it's getting harder and harder to earn a top one percent income at least income earners whose incomes are not keeping up with inflation get to pay less taxes Let's look at the 2024 income tax brackets. We'll also discuss the new ideal income for 2024 for single filers and married filers as well as the income threshold to avoid the marriage penalty tax. For those interested, here are the 2025 tax brackets which shows another 2.7% increase in the income thresholds The IRS increased the income threshold for each of its tax brackets by about 5.4% for each type of tax filer for 2024 Altogether, there are seven federal income tax rates, which were established by the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They are: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%. There's now new middle class tax cuts for 2025 and beyond The income levels are based off taxable income not gross income or adjustable gross income Taxable income is arrived by subtracting standard or itemized deductions – whichever is greater – from your adjustable gross income (AGI) the ideal W2 income amount for 2024 is a taxable income of $191,950 the single filer is paying a top federal marginal income tax rate of 24% and not 32% The eight percentage points jump from 24% to 32% is large Then you'll still have to pay anywhere from 0% – 6% in additional state income taxes depending on your state your overall effective tax rate will depend on your deductions and other tax-reducing moves the ideal taxable income amount for 2024 is $383,900 $383,900 is the maximum threshold for the 24% federal marginal income tax bracket Please note: a married couple could earn an adjustable gross income of $428,900 but a taxable income of $383,900 after deducting $45,000 for two 401(k) contributions to limit their federal marginal income tax rate to 24% Notice how $383,900 is exactly double the single filer threshold for paying the 24% federal marginal income tax rate every income threshold is double for the same tax rate for married filers except for the 35% and 37% federal marginal income tax rates there is no marriage penalty tax for two singles who individually earn up to $365,600 in taxable income Single filers who earn between $243,725 – $609,350 pay a 35% federal marginal income tax rate married filers that earn between $487,450 – $731,200 also pay a 35% rate the government doesn't believe in equality between spouses after each earns more than $365,600 ($731,201) the income range for married filers at the 35% rate would be $487,450 – $1,218,700 or exactly double the single filers income range threshold The marriage penalty tax is a 2% greater tax on all income between $731,200 to $1,218,700 that's an extra $9,750 in taxes you have to pay If you don't want to pay a marriage penalty tax then limit your earnings to a combined taxable income of $731,201 or less You'll still be paying an onerous 32% marginal federal income tax rate on earnings between $383,900 – $487,450 and 35% marginal federal income tax rate between $487,451 to $731,201 at least you will be treated fairly by the government if your combined taxable income is greater than $731,201 and are still single you may end up saving tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes Finally, if your combined taxable income is looking to surpass a taxable income of $731,201 in 2024, one spouse can make less or even retire early one spouse could earn the entire $731,201 while the other spouse earns $0 to keep their federal marginal income tax rate at 35% You can play with this marriage tax calculator by the Tax Policy Center In the case of the Chens household, Rachel earns $1 million a year while Colin earns $0 as a stay-at-home dad Although Colin feels unsatisfied not generating an income Rachel and Colin agreed that Colin spending any time earning a W2 income would be inefficient every dollar of Colin's income would face a 37% federal marginal income tax plus a 10.9% New York State marginal income tax plus a 3.8% New York City tax for a combined marginal tax rate of 51.7% Would you be willing to work when your spouse already earns $1 million and the government takes more from you than you make The only thing I'd be willing to do is work until I make the maximum 401(k) contribution amount and pay zero taxes $383,900, the ideal taxable income for a married couple, provides for a healthy middle-class lifestyle in an expensive city It's too bad federal income tax rates aren't adjusted for the cost of living But we are one country and we have the choice of living in whichever state we want It just so happens that higher-paying jobs are generally more available in high-cost cities For reference, these are the states with no income tax or estate tax: Alaska Here's a budget I created based off a married gross household income of $458,100 and the ideal taxable income of $383,900 to pay a maximum 24% federal marginal income tax rate If both my wife and I were working full-time jobs a combined gross income of $458,100 is what we'd shoot for I think this is a great lifestyle if both parents are working jobs they enjoy with reasonable hours there are more opportunities to earn up to $229,050 each or various permutations to come up to a total gross income of $458,100 and a taxable income of $383,900 The couple is saving $45,000 a year in their 401(k)s contributing $36,000 a year to two 529 plans and providing everything they want for their children Paying $99,814 a year in taxes is about $23,000 more than the median household income in America it's at a reasonable 26% overall effective tax rate Cash flow of $2,546 a year or $212 a month is tight But this household can easily cut expenses if they need to the couple doesn't have to earn a taxable income of $383,900 to live a great life It's just a target to shoot for for 2024 and beyond If the couple works in one of the nine no income tax states they could save another ~$30,000 in income taxes The standard deduction for married couples is also increasing 5.4% in 2024 to $29,200 Single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately will have a standard deduction of $14,600 Heads of households will have a standard deduction of $21,900 I've used the $29,200 standard deduction to simplify as the couple's itemized deductions are greater they will likely have a cash flow greater than $1,458 at the end of the year The married couple's taxable income is what's left over after 401(k) contributions and the standard deduction I then add back the $29,200 standard deduction given it is a non-cash expense to show a truer cash flow figure A 24% marginal income tax rate is the maximum tax rate I'm willing to pay to the federal government Anything higher and it's just not worth it to work for more money at this stage in my life Here are reasons why I think paying up to 24% is ideal: And if you're wondering, the rich do pay their fair share of income taxes the top 1% of income earners in America accounted for “only” 26% of the country's total income yet they shouldered 46% of the total tax burden When I was in my 20s and 30s, I was OK with paying between a 32% to 39.6% (old days) federal marginal income tax rate. I had a lot of time, energy, and desire to earn as much as possible It didn't feel good paying such a high tax rate I started to feel that my time was way more important than money I no longer wanted to first work for 4-5 months a year before I could start earning after-tax income by getting to keep 76% (inverse of 24%) or more of my marginal income makes earning active income worthwhile the federal marginal income tax you're willing to pay may be dependent on your age the chances of you paying a higher marginal income tax rate goes up the older you get From an effective total tax rate perspective I don't think it's worth paying over 25% – 26% simply divide your total tax bill by your taxable income the effective tax rate equals the total tax bill of $99,814 divided by the taxable income of $383,900 to equal 26% Now that you know the latest 2024 income tax rates, you should be more motivated to earn more passive investment income Long-term capital gains tax rates are much lower than short-term capital gains tax rates The widest short-term and long-term capital gains tax differential is between 32% and 15% earning that total income range will save you the most money in capital gains taxes If you're a W2 earner looking for ways to reduce your income tax bill here are some ideas you can look more into The backdoor Roth IRA requires paying taxes up front for potential tax savings in the future After negotiating a healthy severance package in 2012 I stopped making a high income the following year It felt wonderful to actually spend time enjoying the public parks and free museums during the middle of the day I was able to benefit from the things my large income tax bills went to If you're earning a top income but are miserable I'd save aggressively for the next three years and then take it down a notch stressful hours for the privilege of paying more than a third of your money in income taxes What is the maximum federal marginal income tax rate you are willing to pay Have you found that your income is not keeping up with inflation thereby not having to pay as much in taxes each year What is the ideal income to earn as a single or a married couple 1) Negotiate a severance package. When it's time for you to live the good life and pay less taxes, negotiate a severance instead of quitting your job. Pick up a copy of How To Engineer Your Layoff to learn how It's been updated again for the post-pandemic work environment Use the code “saveten” at checkout to save $10.  2) Invest in private growth companies. Invest in private growth companies in the artificial intelligence space, check out the Fundrise Innovation Fund It's an open-ended venture capital fund that invests in AI What's unique is that you can analyze the fund's investments first before making an investment Traditional venture capital funds have $150,000+ minimums and you must commit capital before knowing what will be invested in I don't want my children asking me why I didn't invest in AI near the beginning of the revolution Hi- I am a long time follower of your blog I am trying to figure out what I’m missing for their total tax bill Wouldn’t their federal income taxes be 72k putting them at total fed income/state/fica taxes of around 120k “Please note: a married couple could earn an adjustable gross income of $428,900 to limit their federal marginal income tax rate to 24%.” Don’t forget about catch-up contributions for those 50 and older can deduct $61,000 (and 46,000 for 2024 if not) but I’m not sure I really agree with this concept of an “ideal income.” While it’s true that Federal income taxes increase from 24% to 32% at $192K for single filers and $384K for joint filers it is also true that these are the same income levels where you generally stop needing to pay 6.2% social security tax So the net increase in your overall tax burden for income over $192K for single filers or $384K for joint filers is really more like 2% as opposed to 8% I want to give people a way to think about what an ideal income could be based on tax rates What rate are you using for the mortgage amount Can’t be today’s rates or the principal on the $2.4M home is much lower The household bought several years ago with mortgage rates were lower Something like 80% of mortgage holder have a mortgage rate below 5% While 42% of homeowners don’t have a mortgage at all A few other comments have touched on this — I feel like you overlooked a lot in the area of child care who is picking up/taking care of the preschooler at the end of the school day How are 12-year-olds getting to their ballgames … does this assume parents are working from home or grandparents are living with the family Who is around at night when these high-earning parents are at client dinners and conferences I’m not asking these questions to be cynical but we are a family similar to what you have described and these are real costs for us that change (but don’t necessarily go away) as our children age The answers to your question seem obvious: the parents I have provided transportation for my kids to 99% of my events It’s 5:52 am right now and I’ve been working since 5:15 am I’ll stop at 7:30 am to help with wakeup then I will drive my son to school at 8:05 am and back by 8:45am I’m always going to make time for my children no matter what but that’s what we signed up for for 18 years Two parent household makes it easier to tag team Is your issue that the costs in my budget should be HIGHER Or that it’s impossible for a parent to work a lot and take care of their kids I’m trying to understand my blind spot here Maybe Lynn expects others to take care of her kids only having $212.00 left over monthly while living in a high cost of living area is cutting it razor close I assume your family has both an emergency fund and savings built up to cushion any unexpected expenses or higher than expected spending for a particular month but something I could seem ourselves spending with the ideal $383,900 taxable income amount I would be worried because I’m purposefully spending/investing everything I have I’ll always have liquidity by selling assets I intentionally reduced my gross income by 50% Once I no longer needed to support my 2 children I realized how little money my wife and I need The other way to go is get rid of your bills ” Once I no longer needed to support my 2 children I realized how little money my wife and I need.” Thanks for sharing In terms of salary keeping up with inflation it’s interesting how once you pass a certain income level inflation actually ends up being a net positive to build wealth Say a person is making 50K and inflation is 17% over three years They get an 18% raise to keep pace for a new salary of 59K (+9K) Another person makes 100K with the same 18% raise and makes 118K (+18K) One probably barely breaks even with the increased cost of everything while the other actually comes out ahead high salaries really come out ahead (assuming raises keep pace with the inflation) explains why the middle class is struggling It’s why I said: “assuming raises keep pace with the inflation” (as a percentage) It’s easy to show tables on how not to earn more than an x amount but if you are a W2 employ or not your income is dictated by your employer or You can’t work less if everyone else is working a set amount The eight percentage points jump from 24% to 32% is large.” The author appears to not understand how marginal tax brackets work You pay 24% on the money you make IN THAT TAX BRACKET Then you pay 32% only on the money you make IN THAT TAX BRACKET So if $10,000 of your income happens in the 32% bracket but every you made before that is taxed at the 24% rate That’s what it means when we talk about MARGINAL tax brackets The author doesn’t know what they’re talking about and needs to completely rethink whether they should be giving financial advice when they don’t understand something so basic but this is basic stuff and you’re perpetuating a myth that causes harm when people turn down raises to “keep their taxes low.”) but do you really not understand what I wrote about the marginal income tax brackets and how they work I don’t want to pay a 32% marginal income tax on dollar made above the 24% income threshold I’ve identified the ideal income amounts for singles and couples I think most understand how the marginal income tax works But you understanding and not thinking I understand is a good example of why I really need to simplify my writing and add more clear examples Weird Michael thinks you don’t understand how marginal income tax rates work Maybe he has reading comprehension issues even though he understands marginal taxes those brackets are based on taxable income which is AGI minus standard (or itemized) deductions and other subtractions from income This means that senior couples like us (65+) can go up to $400K in AGI in 2023 and about $435K in 2024 and still be in the 24% tax bracket This also means that retired seniors under $125K in AGI in 2023 and $135K in 2024 could fall into the 12% taxable income bracket and receive the benefit of 0% tax on dividends and long-term capital gains Two states: New Hampshire and Washington levy taxes on investment income only For senior couples turning 63 in 2024 and planning to take “regular” Medicare when turning 65 in 2026 make sure your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is under the 2024 MAGI (for 2026 Medicare premiums) threshold of $206k Please note your MAGI includes the NON-TAXABLE portion of your Social Security income Adjusted gross income (AGI) only includes the TAXABLE portion of your Social Security income It is your MAGI that is used to determine if you are subject to the income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA) that are added on top of the standard Medicare Part B AND Part D premiums if your MAGI is over the relevant threshold they use your MAGI from TWO YEARS AGO to determine if you have to pay IRMAA in the next year (i.e. your IRMAA for 2024 is determined using your MAGI from 2022) Before I started collecting Medicare this year (2023) for our annual tax planning purposes I only paid attention to our taxable income with little concern regarding our AGI and absolutely no thought whatsoever about our MAGI and kicked myself since we had not exceed the IRMAA threshold by all that much We could have done without those funds to avoid higher monthly Medicare premiums for an entire year Now when I do our tax planning I pay MUCH MORE attention to our MAGI Good points for retirees to manage tax planning and Medicare IRMAA If I have a sole proprietorship that generates income and also a w2 job Is it a good idea to hire my children and pay them up to the limit of $11,600 each to do things like lawn maintenance This would reduce my taxable income at 24% down to 10% on that money I work even though my spouse already earns enough to put us in the highest marginal bracket but we live in a state with lower taxes than NY so the government doesn’t quite take more from me than I make after many years of toiling away in larger organizations I now have a very flexible career and can set my own hours and work from wherever I want I enjoy my work and not being completely reliant on my spouse and I don’t feel guilty about all the extra help we have right now including a regular housecleaner and a mother’s helper who helps with driving the kids to their activities and also with meal prep Thanks for going beyond the basic data and providing such helpful insights on the marriage penalty tax and ideal income I’ve been confused when trying to understand the marriage penalty tax before but understand it so clearly now with the 2024 figures 24 to 32% really is a huge jump up in tax rates going from 24% up to 32% is a HUGE jump in the tax rates since we live in a HCOL state with a high state income tax Going from 22% up to 24% isn’t that bad – but would likely put us over the Medicare premiums IRMAA threshold so I’ll stick with trying to stay under the 22% threshold The newly introduced iDEAL profile aims to improve the efficiency and user-friendliness of the ordering process will have the opportunity to create an iDEAL profile and experience streamlined payments at selected online merchants Users can expect a simplified payment procedure as their information will be stored within the profile eliminating the need for repetitive data entry with each online transaction Upon the conclusion of the trial in April 2024 the iDEAL profile will become accessible to customers of all banks associated with iDEAL.  Emphasising the significance of privacy and security highlighted the platform's commitment to meeting evolving consumer preferences and online payment patterns They also noted that besides facilitating smoother online transactions the updated iDEAL platform also ensures robust privacy standards particularly advantageous for smaller online retailers These businesses stand to benefit from centralised customer data management improving both consumer privacy and security.  Officials from Rabobank underscored the importance of simplicity and efficiency in the payment process and expressed Rabobank's commitment to enhancing product usability while welcoming the opportunity for their customers to be early adopters of the new functionalities the pilot programme is exclusively available to a select group of Rabobank customers and is not open for general enrollment online pharmacy De Online Drogist anticipates improved user experience and efficiency with the adoption of the new iDEAL functionalities Officials from De Online Drogist highlighted the convenience of eliminating repetitive data entry for consumers which is expected to expedite the ordering process.  serving as the payment provider for De Online Drogist stressed the importance of offering webshop solutions that optimise the checkout experience for customers The company's COO mentioned that the updated iDEAL platform aligns with these objectives.  Online merchants not involved in the pilot phase can prepare for the implementation of the new iDEAL functionalities Businesses ready to integrate the features by April will gain a competitive advantage that could potentially result in a better customer experience and improved conversion rates Merchants interested in adopting the new iDEAL features are encouraged to reach out to their bank Collecting Payment Service Provider (CPSP) The historic Ideal Building—not to be confused with the New Ideal Building nearby—in downtown Birmingham was recently sold in a $5.2M deal 14-unit multifamily apartment building was acquired by Birmingham-based Engel Realty earlier this month—keep reading to learn more According to the Birmingham Business Journal, the historic Ideal Building in downtown Birmingham has new owners LLC—an affiliate of Engel Realty—purchased the building from Ideal Building Partners LLC originally acquired the building in 2020 after the building underwent a top-to-bottom renovation which transformed it from office space to multifamily apartment units the Ideal Building offers 14 three-bedroom which is located in that same corner building After The New Ideal vacated the original Ideal Building the structure housed several businesses—including Tillman-Levenson and Standard Furniture—before being transformed into a multi-tenant office space in 1995 Taylor converted the space into the apartment complex it is today The Ideal Building is perfect for people looking to live in one of the busiest sections of downtown Birmingham Located directly across from The Pizitz Food Hall and its delicious restaurants The Ideal Building also offers walkability access to the McWane Science Center Railroad Park and all the things to do in Parkside Excited to see a historic building in downtown Birmingham get new owners humans have used versions of windmills throughout the centuries to produce energy modern wind farms use aerodynamically designed blades connected to a driveshaft and generator to transform kinetic energy into power a firm in Ontario was manufacturing award-winning efficient windmills at their Brantford plant The Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s spurred the need for electricity to operate factory machinery Electric lighting was replacing oil and kerosene lamps windmills were a necessity for urban and rural use European and North American inventors accepted the challenge to develop energy-making equipment including mechanical and electrical engineer The brilliant inventor proved the efficiency of AC (alternating current) power over DC (direct current) “AC typically changes direction 50 or 60 times per second,” according to American Physical Society archives and the current correspondingly stepped down” to limit resistive heating loss over distances “Tesla invented polyphase alternating current systems of generators motors and transformers.” Westinghouse purchased the designs and pushed for AC to become the standard for power Innovative businesses grabbed the opportunity to advance society and living standards with renewable electricity the firm specialized in a range of innovative mechanical products to meet the new century’s needs (It is unknown why Gould preferred Goold in company name.)  Manufacturing refrigerators and supplies for beekeepers GSM diversified into farm and industrial machinery The southwestern Ontario company produced gasoline engines and tractors hand pumps and concrete mixers along with towers “Steel windmills for power purposes have long passed that stage of criticism as being a luxury,” stated the GSM catalogue in 1905 with blades securely welded to a central ring could be placed on a three- or four-post galvanized steel tower standing 3.6 m to 4.87 m or atop a building in a sufficiently windy location The mill’s wheel was a technical achievement with “the right amount of material contained in it to give it the proper wind surface.” Precisely curved the blades were set at an angle calculated to catch the wind for the best power production and vanes that were fabricated in strong materials and then galvanized and the windmill’s bearings were the manufacturer’s patented specialty Shapley & Muir ensured their commercial lead in producing roller and ball bearings for use in windmills “all our Bearings run in a hardened steel case which is one of the characteristics of their lasting and easy-running qualities,” said the catalogue the GSM bearings “also give more power than any other Bearing yet introduced.” GSM’s “New Ideal” power mill engine featured ‘extra heavy’ gears with provisions “made so that any slack can easily be taken up on the gears in case of wear.” Larger steel balls of the turntable “carry the weight of the engine and they run in a chilled track,” allowing “the mill to adjust itself to the wind very quickly and consequently gives increased power.” the GSM windmill’s speed was evenly maintained The governor “will not allow the wheel to run above a certain speed making this mill perfectly safe in a storm.” A pull-in wire permitted a spring to pull “the mill out of the wind and an automatic lock secures the mill and vane together,” described the catalogue “The brake keeps the wheel from running while out of the wind.” Entering the wind trials of the Royal Agricultural Society of England with several competitors GSM workers installed mills on the show-yard near London The windmills were graded between March 2 and April 30 The best award was the international bragging rights Limited closed due to plummeting sales in the Great Depression Purchased by customers across the province and the country a number of the company’s durable windmills remain in operation Ontario Power Generation and British Energy Canada opened the province’s first commercial wind farm near Kincardine with the installation of five wind turbines McLeod is a Kingston-based freelance writer who specializes in Canadian History and website in this browser for the next time I comment Ontario Construction News is the province's first digital daily construction trade newspaper that complies with Ontario Construction Act regulations for publishing notices and certificates Contact us: insights@ontarioconstructionnews.com This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page many people would say: just look at the actions of a white supremacist who shoots up a mosque or synagogue There are many other vicious acts that we commonly label as “extremism,” which one dictionary defines as “the holding of extreme political or religious views.” But this term is nowhere near as clear as it seems Consider other views that are “extreme” (outermost when Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence it was an “extreme” political view to be against monarchy and for individual liberty it was an “extreme” view to be an uncompromising advocate for abolition whereas racism and Islamic totalitarianism are vicious clearly it is morally right to be for liberty and abolition But all of these examples — given how the term is commonly used — could be labeled “extremism.” was an instance of a broader problem: it was not only a needless concept but also one purposely concocted to distort our thinking In her analysis of that controversial term — and others such as “McCarthyism” and “isolationism” — Rand illustrates the real-world society-shaping impact of a field many assume is impractical: philosophy And her analysis points us toward lessons on how to become better thinkers Instead of assuming that the term is well-defined and helpful simply because it’s widely used Rand asks: What facts in the world are supposed to give rise to this concept “is better than the precision of its concepts,” and there are widely applicable lessons in her essay on how we can become better thinkers Rand’s identification of the fallacy of “package-dealing,” and her illustration of it in the case of “extremism,” offers a powerful model for improving one’s own thinking. Read the whole thing here .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a} the only human forms in the New Ideal Building have been mannequins silent reminders of the busy department store it housed for nearly 50 years some urban explorers got a chance to go inside and see what else was left behind when the store closed in 1990 Source: Matthew Glasscock/Underground Birmingham The store, originally called Ideal Department Store, was located at 111 19th Street N. from 1928 to 1935, when it moved to Second Avenue and became the New Ideal store, according to Bhamwiki.com. Six years later the store was relocated three blocks to the 1801 Second Avenue address Source: Jeff Newman/Underground Birmingham Urban explorers Josh Box, April Box, Jeff Newman and Matt Glasscock, who had permission to go inside, took photos of the objects left behind when the building was abandoned, including numerous creepy mannequins and office equipment. The group posts photos of its above- and below-ground explorations on the Underground Birmingham Facebook page. there's a reason the store's name is painted so many times on the exterior brick walls "After the construction of the Pizitz parking deck in 1965 New Ideal's owners painted their store's name on every level of their back wall where it was visible to drivers in the deck A three-story annex was added to the east of the main building." This smiling mannequin was left behind when New Ideal department store closed in 1990 which will soon be renovated into lofts by H2 Real Estate Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices  For 28 years, the only human forms in the New Ideal Building have been mannequins, silent reminders of the busy department store it housed for nearly 50 years. Recently, some urban explorers got a chance to go inside and see what else was left behind when the store closed in 1990.  2012 4:00 AM ESTThe first time Mexican photographer Eunice Adorno saw the flower girls they were standing in the shadow of a tree there was a mysterious silence,” Adorno said I felt an immense curiosity for them.” This was the beginning of a project that spanned the course of several years The book is an intimate portrayal of women within the isolated Mennonite communities in Nuevo Ideal “Gaining their trust was a slow process,” Adorno said to go for a walk.” The community spoke German so she got to know them through the places where they spend their lives and through family photographs they showed her “In my own pictures I try to highlight the importance of those details the moments and places they cherish.” but that has never stopped politicos from rejoicing or panickingThat attention to detail is clear in many of Adorno’s photographs – the arrangement of bowls on a table; plaster moldings of teeth on a window sill; a lone magnet of a married couple on a refrigerator “As she stood by the door and stared directly into the camera Adorno said she was heavily influenced not only by August Sander’s portraits and Magnum photographer Larry Towell’s work on the Mennoninte community “I was amazed by the feminine universe so full of color,” she said Eunice Adorno is a freelance photographer based in Mexico City She was part of the 2011 Joop Swart Masterclass Las Mujeres Flores is available in the Moma and Dashhwood Books Patrick Witty is the International picture editor at TIME. Follow him on twitter @patrickwitty You may not be able to find the page you were after because of: You might find one of the following links useful: Gain insights on a modern flash point test method that enhances safety and reduces sample volume requirements AFM can provide new insights into 2D materials to better understand their potential applications Kyocera's Fine Ceramics enable next-gen renewable energy solutions offering exceptional stability and performance in hydrogen and nuclear fusion applications Micro-XRF is the key method used for the highly sensitive and non-destructive elemental analysis of a number of samples including in-homogenous and irregular samples Optimize compounding and masterbatch processes to boost efficiency while maintaining top material quality AirBreather is the solution the gas monitoring challenges across applications The global semiconductor market has entered an exciting period Demand for chip technology is both driving the industry as well as hindering it with current chip shortages predicted to last for some time Current trends will likely shape the future of the industry The primary distinction between graphene-based batteries and solid-state batteries lies in the composition of either electrode carbon allotropes can also be employed in fabricating anodes the IoT is rapidly being introduced into almost all sectors but it has particular importance in the EV industry you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from AZoNetwork.com please log into your AZoProfile account first Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content A few things you need to know before we start Read the full Terms & Conditions September 2 has a special significance in Ayn Rand’s classic novel, Atlas Shrugged as the date is mentioned throughout the book It’s also the day when Ayn Rand actually started writing the novel New Ideal Live joined fans of Rand around the world to celebrate this life-changing book Onkar Ghate and Keith Lockitch engaged in a spoiler-free discussion of why Atlas Shrugged remains one of the most impactful novels in American literature This podcast was the first to have simultaneous live translation to Spanish available to our audience allowing us to welcome over one hundred Spanish-speaking attendees to our live broadcast Agustina Vergara Cid, LLB and LLM, is an associate fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute and an opinion columnist at the Orange County Register If you can keep your head when all about you    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you    But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster    And treat those two impostors just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose and start again at your beginnings    And never breathe a word about your loss;If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew    To serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in you    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minute    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it Rand offered some insight into what the poem meant to her Offering caution against misrepresentations of her philosophy she noted an anecdote about how she has dealt with the more malicious smears in the past: It’s precisely because Ayn Rand thought that crucial values matter in life that she was self-conscious about naming her favorite things in life it is especially important to identify our top values in life and fight to protect them we should “stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools.” This is taken from a scan of Ayn Rand’s personal copy In four short ‘August essays’ published over the next four Mondays Andrew Jefford considers key wine topics of the moment First up is the notion of purity in wine.. We’re a lucky lot: the last three decades have brought a high renaissance to the wine world depressions and crises followed phylloxera huge technical advances in winemaking coincided with a warming world and its generous vintages A peaceful and rapidly developing global economic scene meant a lake of middle-class consumers around the world The number of places in which ambitious wine was made outside Europe rapidly increased is a time of exciting stylistic experiment Some wanted to make the biggest wine in the world  Others pursued different ideals: the darkest the crispest — or the smoothest and softest; even The culture of the critical score set everyone chasing superlatives  These three decades of exploration and experiment of ‘statements’ and of ‘icons’ gave us an exuberant cacophony of styles I’ve wandered wine roads for 30 years and have often marveled at the way in which no two wine producers ever seem to work in exactly the same way often take diametrically opposed approaches yet the results produced by each are outstanding Certain style questions seem beyond arbitration Now there is a kind of aesthetic coalescence in the wine world which I hadn’t expected and we can make out some kind of a landmark atop a hill It does not mean an end to diversity; indeed in a way it is the only route to diversity I think this unspoken accord has come about through the acceptance Because terroir – a sensorial expression in wine of the personality of place interpreted by appropriate varieties and sensitive winemaking — is the key to sustainability for high-quality fine wine Everything else can be imitated or duplicated The renaissance cacophony has taught us how easily obscured the taste of a place might be We came to see that the pursuit of the superlative often resulted in winemaking which was a kind of swaddling or covering up we could see that what was really required was an uncovering What should be revealed is the complexity balance and beauty latent in harvested fruit; the winemaking challenge is how best to set that off Too strenuous a setting suffocates the jewel Hence the new desiderata: purity and limpidity They don’t need to be overripe to bring pleasure – but underripeness is not an appropriate response to warming seasons since an underripe grape is one which has not yet found its full voice The perfectly grown berry picked on the perfectly ripe day is the ideal; fruit-sorting machines are a great breakthrough The season lies inside the undamaged berry and its skins What of whole bunches or clusters in the vinification of red wines yet many of those most consciously pursuing purity in wine are believers in the ideal of whole-bunch fermentation for red wines; stems and there are advantages in terms of the architecture of the marc and the prolongation of fermentation many feel that some stems in fermentation bring freshness were once ‘whole bunch’ – since the destemmer was a post-phylloxera invention We will certainly see more whole-bunch fermented reds in the future — yet there are compelling arguments on both sides in terms of the way red-wine fermentations are conducted Wine’s high renaissance was often a time of exuberant extraction for red wines though we came to realise that that made for rather noisy and sometimes denatured wines especially in regions like Burgundy or Barolo where a desired delicacy of tone was easily lost The quest for purity means that extraction has often given way to infusion Assuming that the fruit is perfectly ripe The picture for white wines is more complicated since too much determination in the quest for a steely reductive purity left certain wines open to the depradations of premox The issue of lees is in some ways analogous to that of whole bunch for reds; lees are an intimate part of a wine which it might be illogical to discard too soon since much depends on exactly when the must or wine is exposed to oxygen Drinkers should trust their senses on this What all agree on is that there was too much recourse to new oak during the high renaissance; the retreat is now universal cellars are now much more entertaining than they used to be since you never know what’s hiding just around the corner: giant clay jars wooden barrels which have seen more use than was formerly the case “The solution to too much oak,” said one Spanish winemaker to me recently purity is in fact the common thread which links the ‘natural’ wine movement with the fine-wine avant-garde in classic regions like Bordeaux or Burgundy the only point of difference being a degree of dogma regarding sulphur and what one might call ‘a habit of tasting’ you must taste to the highest sensorial standards and be alert to any note which might be construed as deviation; whereas natural winemakers selling £20 bottles cut their wines more slack and accord ‘moral probity’ higher importance than pristine sensual refinement (as do their customers) and there will be more shocks ahead requiring extraordinary responses Climate change is likely to weigh more and more heavily on those seeking to maintain the expressive force of great vineyards and varietal changes in the years ahead in order to respond to climate change cannot be ruled out; grapevine trunk disease is going to change wine-making economics to increasingly dramatic effect Our wine world will be a very different place in 100 years say that wine’s high renaissance is concluding with a kind of philosophical unification: that purity in wine is the highest ideal of all Birmingham, we have with two more hot new listings that you don’t want to miss Keep reading for the inside scoop on these amazing spaces New Ideal Lofts sit right in the Theatre District of Birmingham You get to live the luxurious loft life while living in the heart of the downtown action there is only ONE unit left in this amazing building Don’t miss out on this 1530 square foot 2 bedroom 2 bathroom unit The two-story gem is full of features like: These lofts don’t host your typical condo gym. The premier fitness studio, Nexus Fitness is opening another location with the name of X⁴ on the ground level of New Ideal Lofts You can get your work out classes in just down the stairs New Ideal Lofts place you in the middle of all things buzzy and entertaining. You’re only steps away from the The Pizitz, a quick walk to our downtown theaters and a short distance from Railroad Park. The second floor courtyard actually looks right over The Pizitz “From the moment that I saw the images of our New Ideal condo—I knew it had to be ours The vibrancy of downtown Birmingham is what drew us in from New Orleans; yet the quiet sophistication of New Ideal was exactly what we were looking for Everything you could want in great food and entertainment is just footsteps away Making our home at New Ideal truly exemplifies what downtown living is all about.” Now is your chance to live in the sought after Parkside neighborhood. Three of the other units in the building have already been built out with large rooftop spaces and beautiful inside spaces an industrial elevator and huge new windows that give you the best views of downtown and Railroad Park This is the last unit available in this incredible space the concept of Printers Corner allows you to create your own floor plan catered to your lifestyle The price listed is for the shell and also includes two garage parking spaces You can also build out the rooftop space to however you may want it for an additional cost Imagine living in an amazing loft with a spacious feel while still being steps away from all the buzz of Birmingham Both of these lofts at New Ideal and Printers Corner are the last units available in their buildings Who wouldn’t want to live in a fabulous loft in a neighborhood like Parkside or the Theatre District Ready to live in the hottest lofts of Birmingham? Call Lynlee Hughes with ARC Realty to schedule a tour World Subscribers only 'A Pope in the tradition of Francis': From New York to Ghana Catholics hope for continuity at the Vatican World Subscribers only Chancellor Merz's diplomatic first week 2025."> World Trump's proposal to reopen Alcatraz deemed 'absurd' in San Francisco World Subscribers only Founder of Sant'Egidio community fears next pope could undo Francis's legacy Opinion Subscribers only 'Russian gas and Europe is an old story that ended badly Economy Subscribers only Europe's steel industry flattened by crisis World Subscribers only How European countries plan to fund defense efforts France Subscribers only Macron announces citizens' convention on school schedules France Subscribers only 21 charged over French prison attacks as investigation narrows in on drug traffickers France Subscribers only French mosque stabber was driven by 'morbid fascination,' prosecutor says France Subscribers only At the trial of Kim Kardashian's robbers Videos World expos: From Paris 1855 to Osaka 2025 Videos How the Trump administration is attacking scientific research in the US Videos Tesla cars set on fire in Las Vegas as calls to boycott Musk's company grow worldwide Videos Can France's nuclear deterrent protect Europe Opinion Subscribers only 'It is pointless to imagine a significant wave of American academics leaving' Opinion Subscribers only 'The American dream is dying' Opinion Subscribers only 'The trade war creates new opportunities for Europeans and France' Magazine Subscribers only Tracking down the pianos taken from French Jews during the Nazi Occupation Magazine Subscribers only Eve Rodsky the American helping couples balance the mental load Magazine Subscribers only Desecration or more glory Joan Didion's private diaries are revealed Magazine Subscribers only For Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar 2025."> Pixels Subscribers only Golden Owl solution is revealed but leaves players of 31-year hunt disappointed Pixels Subscribers only Secrets of decades-long Golden Owl treasure hunt to be revealed Lifestyle Inside Chanel's French leather workshops Culture Subscribers only The marvelous bronzes of Angkor on display at the Musée Guimet in Paris men pose with their felines to prove that they are not predators Some see it as the emergence of a masculine identity built around caring and attention with my cat," a single male acquaintance recently confided to me I commented on this confidence with an encouraging Or both." This list of possible qualifiers betrayed an uncertainty as to the very nature of the "cat-man" status Should this special relationship be seen as a cruel admission of loneliness or as a demonstration of his altruistic and sensitive nature the only sure thing that remains is the impossibility of a symbiosis between owner and cat when viewing the videos in question Cat behaviorist Hugues Martinat: "Some species which means they are able to recognize their own image So there's no need to consult your cat on your choice of Netflix program The question remains: Is the cat-man a polyamorous man who's only too happy to open up his feline sentimentality to a third party or parties the male counterpart of the negative "cat lady" stereotype Most of them seem to be in an in-between position oscillating between cat and love partner in a nonchalant confusion of attachments "Sometimes I give my girlfriends the same nicknames as my cat so they don't always know who I'm talking to You have 75.31% of this article left to read Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur En cliquant sur « Continuer à lire ici » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez mais en les utilisant à des moments différents Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article merci de contacter notre service commercial the Church of Scientology Portland celebrated the grand opening of their new home in the city’s historic downtown quarter More than 2,500 Scientologists and guests joined city and state dignitaries for the dedication ceremony In ceremonies attended by more than 2,500 Scientologists and their guests from across the U.S. the Church of Scientology Portland was dedicated on Saturday On Saturday, May 11, the Church of Scientology Portland celebrated the grand opening of their new home in the city’s historic downtown quarter The Church’s new home occupies the renowned Sherlock Building on the corner of Third Avenue and Oak Street the landmark has long been listed on the National Register of Historic Places The Sherlock Building is recognized as among the most noteworthy late-19th century structures in Portland and the preeminent example of Sullivanesque-style architecture in Oregon The Church undertook the restoration of this Portland classic to preserve its heritage well into the next century including full seismic reinforcement of all seven stories The building now houses all facilities of a Scientology Ideal Organization (Ideal Org) providing the complete range of religious services to a rapidly growing congregation The Church further serves as a center for members of all other faiths to collaborate for community betterment across the Willamette Valley Portland itself holds a notable place in Scientology history as the site of the 1985 Scientology Religious Freedom Crusade In a movement that inspired not only Portlanders but also religious advocates world over tens of thousands of Scientologists united in the city which culminated with a landmark legal victory for religious freedom in America In recognition of Portland’s new Church Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion His inaugural address spoke to the history of Scientology in Portland and specifically the events surrounding a first Scientology Freedom Crusade of 1985: “Portland was our test,” Mr. Miscavige explained our fortitude and determination to avert a grave assault on the First Amendment of the United States Constitution remember it was all because our voices were heard 28 years ago.” “your destiny has always foretold of the day when this Church would become a testament to what originally drew so many thousands to these streets that our inherent right to spiritual salvation is intrinsically linked to tolerance brotherhood and the right of every faith to champion the divinity of humankind That this Church further stands for drug-free is only the beginning; for with a hard-won right of religious freedom comes your responsibility to deliver that long sought goal of total freedom And so I ask that you now extend your help to all who would dream of such a freedom Welcoming the new Church were Cornelius City Manager and former Mayor of Beaverton Rob Drake; Executive Director of the Portland Marathon Les Smith; Chair of the Inter-Religious Action Network of Washington County Annie Heart; and Host for the national “Voice of Freedom” television and radio programs Rob Drake said: “The Church of Scientology has come to the table time and again for our community Though downtown Portland has long been your home your Church has always reached far beyond its boundaries in the name of help And with your expansive new Church we dedicate here today I know that this help will extend even further.” Les Smith of the Portland Marathon recognized the Church’s Volunteer Ministers and their dedication to the city’s signature event: “Our American culture is based on the spirit of volunteerism And it is with that same spirit that your volunteers have been showing up at our event for the last twenty years with their experience and with their understanding of our aims I want to acknowledge your dedicated corps: the world-famed Scientology Volunteer Ministers.” Chair of the Inter-Religious Action Network spoke to the Church’s long-standing and indiscriminate work on behalf of residents across the state: “You have been a vital partner and leader in the inter-religious community and for serving our county-wide cities and fostering partnerships and peace throughout our beautiful state of Oregon.” host of the national “Voice of Freedom” TV and radio broadcasts honored Scientologists and addressed all present when proclaiming: “I hope you realize just how brightly the torch of Scientology blazes I am convinced there is no religion and no organization in the world today that has done more for the fight for our religious freedom rights than the Church of Scientology.” The new 69,000-square-foot Ideal Org provides residents of the Willamette Valley with an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology beginning with the Public Information Center present the beliefs and practices of the Scientology religion and the life and legacy of Founder L The Information Center also offers a detailed overview of the many Church-sponsored humanitarian programs—including a worldwide human rights education initiative; an equally far-reaching drug education prevention and rehabilitation program; a global network of literacy and learning centers; and the Scientology Volunteer Minister program now comprising the world’s largest independent relief force The Center is open morning to night for visitors to tour at their leisure and return as often as they wish The Church’s Chapel provides for Scientology congregational gatherings Weddings and Naming Ceremonies—as well as a host of community-wide events open to members of all denominations The new Church further includes multiple seminar rooms and classrooms in addition to dozens of auditing rooms for Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling) The Café welcomes those touring the Church or attending its many scheduled events It is further provided for parishioners during breaks in their Scientology services The atrium rises through five stories at the center of our Church The rooftop terrace offers visitors and parishioners alike a panoramic view of downtown Portland and the foothills of the Oregon Cascades beyond The Church’s new home is the landmark Sherlock Building originally constructed in 1893 and listed today on the National Register of Historic Places The Church meticulously preserved their new home the renowned late-19th century Sherlock Building to guarantee the landmark may serve Portlanders for yet another century.  The ribbon-cutting celebration opened with an inspiring rendition of the “Battle of Portland” Freedom Crusade anthem of 1985 spoke to the history of Scientology in Portland Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the building is recognized as one of the most noteworthy late-19th century structures in Portland The new Church of Scientology Ideal Organization stands on Oak Street in Portland’s historic downtown quarter Reception The Church welcomes all visitors wishing to obtain an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology In addition to providing for Scientology gatherings the Chapel serves as an ideal venue for banquets receptions and events in the name of community collaboration for the betterment of Portland.  The Church contains a permanent exhibit honoring Portland’s notable place in Scientology history as the site of the first Scientology Religious Freedom Crusade All Scientology congregational services and ceremonies are convened in the Chapel including Sunday Services open to members of every denomination.  The Church’s Public Information Center provides a complete introduction to every aspect of Dianetics and Scientology About The Scientology Ideal Org Program The Church of Scientology Portland is the third new Ideal Org to open in 2013 A parade of Ideal Orgs opened through the previous year: Padova Colorado (June 16); Stevens Creek in San Jose more than a dozen new Ideal Orgs are scheduled to open in Australia Ideal Orgs reflect the fulfillment of Founder L Ron Hubbard’s vision for the religion They not only provide the ideal facilities to service Scientologists on their ascent to greater states of spiritual awareness and freedom they are also designed to serve as a home for the entire community and a meeting ground of cooperative effort to uplift citizens of all denominations Other new Ideal Orgs opened in recent years include Seattle For a complete list of new Churches of Scientology About Scientology The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L The first Church of Scientology was formed in Los Angeles in 1954 and the religion has expanded to more than 11,000 Churches Nick BanksTel: (323) 960-3500Email: mediarelations@churchofscientology.net Church of Scientology International 6331 Hollywood Blvd. Siwet and Anicka became the new ideal match but their chosen contestants for elimination were surprisingly saved by the mischief box twist which protected connected contestants from eviction Addy and Devkaran were evicted from the show Splitsvilla 15 is gearing up for its grand finale The show is getting intense with each passing episode Several contestants have been evicted so far the recent one being Digvijay Rathee’s connection to Unnati Siwet and Anicka were declared the newest ideal match on the show sparking immense joy and excitement among the contestants and viewers alike dropping to his knees in a grand gesture of affection and commitment.  "This marks the first time I've ever gone down on knees for a woman and if I ever find myself in this vulnerable position again in the future it will be for a very special reason - for our daughter Siwet and Anicka had initially chosen Nayera and Arbaaz as the contestants they wished to see leave the show as Tanuj revealed the surprise hidden in the mischief box The box's contents declared that contestants with established connections would be spared from elimination while those without connections or power would be vulnerable to eviction Nayera and Arbaaz were unexpectedly saved from elimination.  were shockingly eliminated from Splitsvilla Season 15 This sudden turn of events left Kahish utterly heartbroken struggling to come to terms with the unexpected departure of her close allies and friends The dramatic shift in circumstances added a new layer of complexity to the show leaving viewers eager to see how the remaining contestants would navigate the challenges ahead ALSO READ: Splitsvilla 15: Faisal Shaikh And Jannat Zubair Enter As Wildcard Contestants; Which Pair Would They Challenge? Jagran English brings you all the latest and breaking news from India and around the world Follow english.jagran.com to stay updated with the latest English news Back in 1994, the Gingrich revolution ushered in a wave of fresh female insurgents. This was only a few years after Chris Matthews memorably called the Republicans the “Daddy party,” because of their focus on defense and business, so the women stood out. Back then, I interviewed Linda Smith a new congresswoman from Washington known for her conservative views—she was a pro-life mother of two and talked about homosexuality as a “morally unfit inclination.” As I interviewed her I asked Vern if there was a contradiction between his wife’s soaring ambitions and their traditional family values they were “sacrificing some of that traditional family life” for the greater conservative good For most American women, this is the era of coming to grips with not having it all. For Republican politicians, however, it’s the 1980s of the Enjoli, bring-home-the-bacon, 24-hour woman. I first saw McMorris Rodgers speak a few years ago at the Smart Girl Summit where the goddess hierarchy was determined by who was the most extreme Supermom Sarah Palin had started the trend by dragging her kids to the governor’s office every day but at that particular gathering the winner was Michele Bachmann who raised 23 foster kids in the span of eight years And while Palin perfected the archetype of the rugged pioneer woman it’s Cathy McMorris Rodgers whom the party wants to highlight: ambitious When women in Silicon Valley use the word “merge”—meaning that life and work all blend together in a constant 24-hour cycle—babysitting is implied. But for Republican women the assumption is extreme self-reliance. In profiles, McMorris Rodgers is spooning eggs into baby Grace’s mouth while teaching Cole lowercase letters and taking calls from the majority leader Her life is a “well-conducted orchestra” where “everything happens on cue in precisely the right note.” or our ability to create jobs for our children all these things are immediately on parents’ She’s personally impacted by the decisions that are made in Washington gives her an extra kind of moral authority and helps you forget that she is in fact the kind of woman who not all that long ago would have made Republicans distinctly uncomfortable That is she’s a woman who works nonstop and has limitless ambitions all while tending to three children under the age of 7 Many Democratic groups claim that McMorris Rodgers, while being a woman, does nothing to support actual women, which isn’t true in one sense at least. In 2010, she launched a nationwide campaign to help the GOP find female candidates to run for office the party ultimately recruited 112 new candidates; 30 won their primaries and 10 were elected Most were 50 or younger and had children at home One of McMorris Rodgers’ main roles was to convince the candidates that they could handle the campaign and the job even if they had young children at home There are “different models” for how to run a household “carries the load at home” and is known in the extended family as “Mr The social values and the workaholic lifestyle sometimes make for a confusing message McMorris Rodgers says she supports the “traditional family,” but in front of women’s groups she sometimes sounds like an overeager feminist quoting Alexis de Tocqueville on the American woman’s “confidence” and “independence,” citing statistics that women manage 83 percent of the nation’s household income She also invokes Margaret Thatcher: “If you want something said Erikka Askeland Energy data firm Wood Mackenzie has announced the appointment of a new CEO as his predecessor moves on to “pursue other opportunities” Jason Liu takes over the chief executive officer role from Mark Brinin who had been appointed to the role last year following Veritas Capital’s acquisition of WoodMac for $3.1 billion (£2.5bn) Liu’s most recent job was CEO of Zywave a private-equity backed “software as a service” (SAAS) firm focused on the insurance industry and based in Milwaukee As well as a biography which mentions his experience having run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, Liu is credited with offering “strategic vision and operational execution” which doubled the size of the firm under his tenure. Veritas CEO Ramzi Musallam said Liu’s experience and skill set makes him “the ideal leader for Wood Mackenzie through this next transformative period of growth”. He added: “We are completely aligned in our vision for Wood Mackenzie and look forward to working with him as he builds on the company’s position as the global market leader for data and analytics that enable the energy transition.” Brinin had been chief financial officer of  WoodMac for a number of years before taking the role of co-president and then CEO in February 2023 and was hailed for “successfully leading the company through its transformative carve-out”. WoodMac was launched as a stockbroker in Edinburgh in 1923 and began researching energy markets during the North Sea oil boom in the 1970s. New York-based Veritas acquired the business in 2022 from Nasdaq-listed data firm Verisk, which had in turn bought it for £1.85bn in 2015. © Latest Posts 2025. All Rights Reserved. That's the message from new research showing that women now see the perfect female body as "thin and toned" was based on a two-part study by doctoral students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Participants were first shown photos of Miss USA beauty pageant winners from the past 15 years telling the researchers they believed the winners had become more muscular They were also shown regular photos of women and digitally edited versions where muscular definition was erased The participants rated the muscular figures as the more attractive said it showed the ideal female body was no longer based on thinness but was now more about "physical fitness via muscularity" She said the change was in line with the popularity of 'fitspo' -- the social-media driven phenomenon that motivates people to get fit by working out and eating clean "These websites allow individuals to collect images of women with whom they identify or admire essentially allowing them to cultivate their own media repertoire of highly salient thin and fit media," Ms Bozsik said University of Queensland's Mair Underwood agreed that the ideal female body shape had got more muscular But she said it was important to not overstate the shift She said today's 'fitspo' look had a lot in common with the traditional thin ideal body for women "It's a fit muscular look but it's also a thin look you can't have any fat on you and there are some cynics that suggest 'fitspo' is 'thinspo' in a sports bra," Dr Underwood "It's still about having a fairy small body it's still about having no fat and we don't see the emphasis on muscle gains as much as we do in men with men it's all about getting bigger "It's really not that a dramatic shift from the ideals we had before." Dr Underwood said it was good that the more muscled ideal emphasised "strength and function" for women she also cautioned that chasing the perfect 'fitspo' look could be dangerous One big concern was extremely low body fat it might be low enough to prevent your menstrual cycle and be able to reproduce then there are the issues you get with anorexia," she said The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Bozsik also warned about the impact of the 'fitspo' ideal on health "(It) may inadvertently increase the risk of developing higher levels of body dissatisfaction as well as subsequent disordered-eating behaviours that are linked to it." More than a thousand Scientologists and their guests from across Canada and the U.S 2013 to celebrate the opening of the new Church of Scientology of Cambridge Joining Church officials for the dedication ceremony were national and provincial dignitaries More than a thousand Scientologists and guests from across Canada and the U.S Great Lakes region gathered to celebrate the Church of Scientology Cambridge ribbon-cutting on Saturday led the dedication ceremony with local Church officials Among those also on hand to commemorate the occasion were Member of Parliament Derek Lee; co-founder of the Canadian Multicultural Council Sid Ikeda; and founder of the Encounter World Religions Centre More than a thousand Scientologists and their guests from across Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes region gathered on February 9, 2013 to celebrate the opening of the new Church of Scientology of Cambridge, Ontario The Church’s new home is located on a two-acre campus at the gateway to Canada’s Technology Triangle The expansive Scientology Ideal Organization (Ideal Org) is designed to accommodate the Church’s ever-growing congregation in the tri-cities of Cambridge and to extend social betterment and humanitarian programs to all communities of southwestern Ontario The presence of Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion Miscavige told Cambridge parishioners and staff: “This Church is the incarnation of all Scientology bestows to this world Ron Hubbard bestowed Scientology itself: to help Man to again find his footing in this materialistic society; to restore to him the goodness love and decency with which he was created; and to help him fulfill his eternal dream of spiritual freedom So take all that you now have with this Ideal Org and let no one want of your help for you now possess unlimited resources to answer every need and fulfill your dreams your responsibility and your destiny as Scientologists.” Also in attendance and commemorating the new Church were Member of Parliament Derek Lee; Canadian Multicultural Council co-founder Mr Sid Ikeda; and Encounter World Religions Centre founder In welcoming the new Church to Cambridge said: “I know the church is going to be a major player as a community partner in the development of this whole region I also understand that 2012 was a really big year for Scientology in its expansion here and internationally and it was the biggest year in your history Ontario you are lighting the fire for 2013 and I wish you all success in making this the biggest year ever.” Canadian Multicultural Council co-founder Mr Sid Ikeda spoke to the Church’s long record of community service in Ontario: “I met you out in the city doing the good turns for everyone you meet And that is why I deeply appreciate you and what you bring to the community The Church of Scientology is doing a good turn for Ontario Ron Hubbard spoke supreme truth when he said ‘a being is as valuable as he can serve others.’ May his legacy and spirit continue to shine all across Canada.” Founder of the Encounter World Religions Centre applauded the Church’s interfaith achievements: “I expect you to wind the fabric of this community even tighter through your continued engagement in interreligious dialogue and education and graciously receiving through its doors the community at large as well as the seeker and the curious of all faiths Your efforts are truly guaranteeing that L Ron Hubbard’s vision of a world of religious tolerance and peace comes true.” About The Church Of Scientology Cambridge, Ontario The new Church provides the tri-cities with an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology Weddings and Naming Ceremonies—as well as a host of community-wide events open to members of all faiths in addition to dozens of rooms for Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling) more than a thousand Scientologists and guests were on hand to celebrate a new Church of Scientology Ideal Organization for Southwestern Ontario The Church stands on a two-acre campus just off Hespeler Road at the gateway to Canada’s Technology Triangle In testament to the significance of the new Church forged of the very purpose with which L. Ron Hubbard bestowed Scientology itself: to help Man to again find his footing in this materialistic society; to restore to him the goodness The new home of the Cambridge Church of Scientology is located on a two-acre campus at the gateway to the Canadian Technology Triangle The new facility includes state-of-the-art audiovisual features and the capacity to accommodate the full range of Dianetics and Scientology services and Church-sponsored social betterment programs The Church welcomes all visitors wishing to obtain an introduction to Dianetics and Scientology originally built to house high-tech providers in the Waterloo Region are devoted to all aspects of Scientology services and programs The Church’s Public Information Centre provides a complete introduction to every aspect of Dianetics and Scientology—including the beliefs and practices of the religion as well as a biographical presentation on the life and legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard The Information Centre further presents exhibits on the many humanitarian initiatives and social betterment programs the Church sponsors Visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the Centre’s displays at their leisure and to return as often as they like including Sunday Services open to all The Chapel further serves as an ideal venue for banquets receptions and events in the name of community collaboration for the betterment of the tri-cities region About The Church Of Scientology Ideal Orgs The Church of Scientology of Cambridge is the first new Ideal Org to open in 2013 following a parade of Ideal Orgs opened in 2012: Padova more than a dozen new Ideal Orgs are scheduled to open—in Africa Other new Ideal Orgs opened in recent years include in Europe For a complete list of new Ideal Orgs of Scientology About The Church Of Scientology Lisa Whitfield to take over as new Ideal Standard UK & Ireland MD Barber will be succeeded by Lisa Whitfield the worldwide commercial flooring company and global leader in sustainability Whitfield has driven a number of key strategic initiatives to improve customer journey and experience Prior to her role at Interface she spent 27 years at Newell Brands holding roles of increasing responsibility including managing the UK writing business through a period of significant growth.  The announcement follows the launch of Ideal Standard’s sustainability report entitled ‘Together for a better future’ revealing its commitment to a more sustainable world Whitfield is stepping into the role at a pivotal time as the company sets out clear targets and its ESG commitments and she will continue to push the company to challenge itself and implement changes that make a real difference Jan Peter Tewes, CEO at Ideal Standard International said: “We are hugely grateful to Dave for his commitment to Ideal Standard for the past 20 years His strong leadership and knowledge of our business have been invaluable in supporting our ongoing growth and ensuring we are in the strongest position for the future Lisa brings a wealth of expertise to the role and we are looking forward to seeing the UK and Irish markets continue to thrive and succeed under her direction.” BMA supports EU and UK industry call for mutual recognition agreement Abode supplies boiling water taps to 55 new homes in Berkshire Suzi English joins Waters Baths of Ashbourne as Midlands sales agent 10 stunning painted kitchen designs that exude timeless elegance Digital marketing trends: Why creator-led socials are dominating Smart toilets are going mainstream – here's what you need to know Simon Acres Group invests in southern base for Oval Deene Recruitment How Chiselwood created a grand scheme inspired by a bright green Aga Sirius welcomes Hartley Appliance Repairs as new Approved Member Liebherr unveils new fully integrated under-counter appliances Roca Group UK looks to grow Scottish sales with appointment of new BDM eco-cistem™ partners with Smiths Briten for UK distribution Installer Kitchens & Bathrooms to feature an array of new highlights Geberit expands Sigma flush plate range with new designs Rotpunkt brings Scandinavian Oak to the UK kitchen Smiths Briten announces UK distribution of Lecico Design Series KBBFocus is the go-to resource for kitchen and bathroom retailers designers and installers to find all the latest industry news coverage News People Products Features Advertising Privacy notice Cookie policy Terms & conditions contact@kbbfocus.com The cast and guests are competing in a “zombie couple race.” It was reported that many of the male members could not take their eyes off of Seolhyun and there was some commotion during filming when the staff announced I recently watched the ‘Avengers’ film and became a fan of Thor [Chris Hemsworth].” “Kim Jong Kook is the Thor of ‘Running Man.” Seolhyun is described as creating a fun atmosphere on set She did a voice imitation that was full of cuteness wittily described an item during the “Item Commercial” mission and boldly took on a difficult water sports challenge Catch this episode when it airs on May 27 at 4:50 p.m Source (1)