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Topeka Capital-Journal

Sen. Marshall has a legacy already. One of a few senators who objected to the electoral college results because his constituents "have concerns over voting irregularities" in other states. Strangely these irregularities only happened in states where Joe Biden won. Don't get cute, Senator, if you really believe the votes were fraudulent, say so.

Apparent acceptance of the big lie fits the pattern you established as a representative. Beat the culture war drums and appeal to irrational fear of "losing our country" while taking good care of Charles Koch and the investor class.

What are you going to do to help the average Kansan? Here's an idea. Vote for the coming COVID-19 relief bill. Lower the minimum eligible joint income level to less than $70,000 (pick a number). Pick another number for small business but get it down fast.

Here's another idea, fix the loophole that allows for unlimited subsidized crop insurance. While you are at it, push the USDA to fully support research that helps regenerative agriculture. Every Kansas farmer and rancher knows that the weather is getting more extreme and erratic even if the Farm Bureau pooh-poohs it.

If Obamacare is such an abomination, come up with an alternative. Get specific, no more generalities. Rural Kansas doesn't have the problem of too much and too cheap health care.

Dr. Marshall you have a choice. Help Kansans form a conservative viewpoint or keep milking the culture war cow. The latter will get you re-elected, the former will get you remembered as a statesman. Your call.

Paul Conway,Leavenworth County

Excerpt from:
Sen. Roger Marshall can choose to be a statesman or cater to culture wars - The Topeka Capital-Journal

SEOUL: Hamzy, a South Korean YouTube personality, has amassed more than 5.3 million subscribers by posting videos of herself eating.

A recent YouTube video starts with her unboxing a delivery of fried chicken smeared in multicoloured sauces.

Throughout much of the video, there is little audio besides her breathing, biting and swallowing. Hamzy layers sound effects over those sounds to exaggerate the chickens crispness and the crunch of each of her bites.

Then, she pairs the chicken with kimchi.

Kimchi, a dish of vegetables fermented after having been marinated in salt, shrimp paste and red pepper, have come under the spotlight.

Consumed as a side dish with nearly every meal in Korea, kimchi is depicted as both a superfood and the pride and joy of Korean culture.

Koreans returning home from abroad often eagerly dig into kimchi as the first thing they eat after landing.

Hamzys videos dont appear in any way political or likely to engender controversy. However she recently got herself into a pickle in a comments section, where she appeared to take sides in a roiling dispute between Chinese and South Korean netizens over the origins of kimchi.

BEGINNINGS OF A FOOD FIGHT

All Hamzy did was click like on a comment complaining that some Chinese social media personalities were appropriating Korean dishes. In referring to the Chinese, the comment used a crass Korean word.

Hamzy was quickly accused of hurting the feelings of Chinese netizens and was dropped from the agency that represents her in China.

This wasnt the first. Korean netizens were incensed by several incidents this month, including popular Chinese food vlogger Li Ziqi uploading a video on how to make kimchi.

Separately, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations tweeted pictures of his homemade kimchi earlier this month.

Both these prominent personalities did not identify kimchi as a Korean dish, which is what most Korean netizens took issue with.

Their ire appears to have been building since December, when China acquired certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for pao cai, a Sichuanese dish with some similarities to kimchi.

An official Chinese news outletdescribed the certification as an international standard for the kimchi industry led by China".

However, ISO made clear that the standardisation is only for pao cai and does not apply to kimchi.

Some have suggested that perhaps this spat boiled down to a simple mistranslation. Korean kimchi is often served in China, and is also referred to as pao cai.

SOUTH KOREAS INSISTENCE ON WHO OWNS WHAT

When it comes to pressure-point issues of who gets to claim ownership of something that carries some historical significance, Koreans can be quite passionate.

Their insistence on convincing the world of what they see as history has partial origins in Koreas positionas a smaller country located between bigger powers, and a national narrative of Korea getting repeatedly victimised, particularly throughout the 1910 to 1945 colonial occupation by Japan.

Anyone who has ridden the train from South Koreas main airport in Incheon into Seoul has had to sit through a video informing passengers of the history of the Dokdo islets.

Those rocky outcroppings in waters off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula are also claimed by Japan, where they are called Takeshima.

The slickly produced video stridently describes Japans claims as baseless.

In this context, even small infractions can feel like a challenge to sovereignty when national pride feels at stake.

And in this case, the kimchi controversy has been internationalised. On Monday (Jan 17), as the kimchi controversy raged, a South Korean professor took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times featured a tidy pile of kimchi beneath a message describing kimchi as an iconic food of Korea, while pointing out that UNESCO listed the culture of making kimchi as an item of intangible cultural heritage in 2013.

While the advertisement does not mention China, the subtext was obvious. The final line of text, in bold for emphasis, reads:

Kimchi is Korean, but it belongs to everyone.

ZenKimchi, a Korea food blog, called this weeks New York Times advertisement awkward while adding, I understand why it's being done. China is trying to claim a kimchi-like pickled cabbage as its own. China, don't you have claim to enough things? Let Koreans have kimchi.

LETS EAT IN A CLIMATE OF CIVILITY

Hamzy appears to have weathered the controversy and is continuing to create content and eat kimchi.

A few days ago, she uploaded a statement to her YouTube account where she apologised for any misunderstanding, clarifying that she did not intend to endorse any harsh or insulting comment about Chinese people.

She added that her videos get thousands of comments and sometimes she scrolls through them liking without reading thoroughly.

However, on the crucial question of which country gets to claim kimchi, Hamzy doubled down, writing that of course she believes kimchi is Korean and that, If to work in China I have to say that kimchi is Chinese food, then I wont work in China.

Also, there is no need for Chinese people who want to work in Korea to say that Chinese foods are Korean. I think Chinese people will understand that.

Perhaps this issue was much ado about nothing? While a line in the sand must be drawn when it comes to insulting nationalities of people and stoking hate, the issue isnt as zero-sum as the fire and fury online suggest.

Kimchi and pao cai are distinct dishes and there is no reason to lump them together. Chinas Sichuan province has an illustrious culinary history, distinct from Korean cuisine.

The Chinese medias claims that China leads the kimchi industry is true in the sense that the country is the worlds largest producer of kimchi.

But making such a claim without noting that kimchi is a Korean dish has been clumsy at best, and at worst, may even have been intended to fire up nationalist fervour.

Better than making unfounded claims would be to encourage the people of both countries to enjoy each others food in a climate of civility.

Otherwise, next time things could really go sour.

Steven Borowiec is a writer, journalist and broadcaster based in Seoul.

Originally posted here:
Commentary: Kimchi controversies and culture wars: What's South Korea's and China's beef? - CNA

Downing Street sought to redefine the word woke this afternoon amid increasing confusion at the top of government over the wisdom of its culture wars strategy.

When asked about Boris Johnsons stance on racial equality today, the prime ministers official spokesman insisted that he wanted to level up across the country [and] to ensure everybody, wherever they come from, can reach their potential.

It came after Mr Johnson stumbled repeatedly when asked during a television interview whether President Biden, who was sworn in yesterday, was woke. It was a sign of Downing Streets awareness that populist stances on questions of patriotism and national identity risked alienating the new White House.

Boris Johnson says Biden inauguration a step forward for the US

In a lengthy exchange with reporters, the official spokesman declined to say whether Mr Johnson

Continued here:
Tories in a culture war of their own over the meaning of 'woke' - The Times

When Andi Owen took over the furniture company Herman Miller, in 2018, she didnt expect to get caught up in politics. But these days, it seems no chief executive is safe from the culture wars.

Over the last year, Ms. Owen, a former executive at the Gap, has had to mollify a work force shaken by the same polarizing forces straining the nation. On her factory floor in the battleground state of Michigan, wardrobe choices from Make America Great Again hats to Black Lives Matter T-shirts have provoked arguments among employees. In response, Ms. Owen has tried to hold together a company already tested by the pandemic and slumping sales.

Weve tried to create opportunities for people to have frank conversations, for them to get together and discuss the hard topics of the day, she said. I dont think these are new problems. But whether its about race, or inclusiveness, or whether its about whats happening in the world today, these are all things you have to talk about.

At the same time, Ms. Owen has been steering Herman Miller through a pandemic that closed offices worldwide an existential threat to a company that makes office furniture and owns Design Within Reach, an upscale retailer.

Ms. Owen went to Interlochen Arts Academy, a Michigan boarding school focused on the arts. It was there that she first learned about Herman Miller, which produces iconic pieces by famous midcentury designers such as Isamu Noguchi and Charles and Ray Eames, and modern office staples like the Aeron chair.

Ms. Owen then studied art history at the College of William and Mary, and started working in retail. A job at The Gap led to a series of senior roles at the retailer, culminating in her leadership of the Banana Republic brand, before she moved to Herman Miller.

This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

Did getting a liberal arts degree have an impact on your career?

Its helped me in a lot of ways. I learned a lot about people. I learned a lot about history. I learned a lot about observation. Ive always approached any job Ive ever had as a generalist and an observer of human nature.

Some people would say Im not good at any one thing. Im sort of OK at a lot of things. And thats OK. Ive surrounded myself with people that are a lot smarter than me. But I have a little bit of a broader point of view, and an experience that doesnt necessarily pigeonhole me into thinking one thing or another.

I had a mom who was an educator and a dad who is this free spirit musician. And all my mom ever said to me was, When you go to school, learn what you love. Youll have plenty of time for a career and it wont matter anyway. So I really did spend time doing what I loved, and I think its been an advantage.

Unlike a lot of C.E.O.s, you never got an M.B.A.

I actually applied and got accepted. I was in my late 30s, and as I was talking to a woman in admissions and she said, Its great. We dont have that many middle-aged women that are interested in these programs because theyre all having families. And I was like, Not me. Im good. And then of course I got pregnant and didnt go.

You get to a certain point in your career where getting a standard M.B.A. is a little bit of a waste of time, because youve learned too much along the way. But I went back and got an executive M.B.A. at Harvard, which kind of filled in the gaps.

The Gap has obviously had its ups and downs. What did the company get right, and what did it get wrong over the years?

Business & Economy

Jan. 22, 2021, 7:23 p.m. ET

I was fortunate enough to be there for the really, really good years, when the stock was splitting every year. And I was there to watch the decline.

The Gap was at its best back in the day when the trusted editor was important, when you played a role helping people understand what they needed. We had a lot of success early on. But when youre super successful and you dont change, you get afraid. That ability to take risks to think about how the company could be different, to reinvent yourself from the inside it became impossible. And a lot of great people got fed into the wood chipper trying to bring The Gap back.

When the digital revolution hit I went into the online part of our business. And I remember one of my bosses telling me, No one will ever buy clothes online. This is going to be the biggest mistake of your career. What are you doing? That really was the way people were thinking back then.

We just didnt change fast enough. And we were really out of touch with the customer. When you rely on a playbook that was successful in the past, and you dont understand where your customer is going, its a prescription for disaster.

How did your time at The Gap shape your thinking about what you do at Herman Miller?

I interviewed a guy who became my head of digital. He had worked in retail, and he said, Do you know what excites me most about coming to this industry? I feel like Im going from making landfill to making heirlooms.

I feel similarly. These are products that you hope youre going to hand down. With some of the Banana Republic cashmere sweaters I made, I hope somebody hands those down. But I know the millions and millions of T-shirts we made probably arent getting handed down.

What happened when the pandemic hit, and how did you find your way out of it?

Wed never closed down our plants before, and there we were all of a sudden. We shut down all of our plants in 12 hours, and every day was a new lesson in crisis management.

There have been nights when I have sat down at the end of the day and shed a few tears because of it. The human toll from this pandemic has been not just the death toll, but peoples lives and jobs, whole industries wiped out. We capped out at 400 layoffs and people who opted out [about 5 percent of the work force], and weve done our best to keep that number where it is. But weve also designed a new product in times that we never thought we could. So its been a real balance of, Hey, right now is really crappy, and, Were going to get through it.

Your core business has held up surprisingly well during the pandemic. Who is buying so much office furniture right now?

Our international business is strong. The parts of the world that have gotten out of the pandemic certain parts of Asia, New Zealand theyve moved on.

Now the biggest questions that C.E.O.s and people that are planning space have are: Hey, what does the distributed work force look like? What does my new office need to look like? It certainly cant be what it was. People dont want employees to come back to what it was.

At first it was, How do I make it safe? How do I put barriers everywhere? Now the conversation has evolved to, How do I make it a compelling environment?

What are some of the answers to that question?

It is a fascinating variety. Financial companies are like, Were coming back to exactly what it was. Were not going to change much of anything. And then some of the tech companies in Silicon Valley are like, Who needs an office ever again?

Im not sure either one of those are necessarily the answer. Along that continuum, most people are landing in a place of, Gosh, what do people miss? So whether thats innovation, creativity or collaboration, how do you create environments where people can have those kinds of things? Depending on the industry, I think were going to see a whole lot of different solutions in this first year or two.

At Herman Miller, were taking all of our office environments and using this time while we have people working remotely to completely renovate them. Theyre our own little test labs.

Herman Miller isnt an inherently political company, so how do you deal with a moment like this, when there is so much rancor, including among your own employees?

We have got to unify, weve got to talk. We have to have respect and kindness and we have to listen. What happened at the Capitol was not OK. On the other hand, I have to make sure that were listening to one another, and are trying to find commonality.

Sometimes I yearn for the days when I was back in Berkeley, Calif., and I could walk down the street and everybody thought the same way. But you know, everybody is in Michigan. So you have to make the folks on the right feel comfortable, and you have to make the folks on the left feel comfortable. Thats a challenge as we get more and more divisive as a society. Sometimes you have to agree to disagree because youre so far apart. But for us, its been about encouraging respect and encouraging kindness.

Read the original:
Herman Miller C.E.O. Grapples With Politics and Pandemic - The New York Times

By Kim Thorburn

I have the privilege of serving as a fish and wildlife commissioner. What an honor to make policy for conservation of the states diverse fish and wildlife! My statutory mandate (RCW 77.04.012) is clear: The wildlife, fish and shellfish are the property of the state. As a commissioner, I shall preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage the wildlife and food fish, game fish, and shellfish in state waters and offshore waters.

My mandate permits me to authorize the taking of wildlife, food fish, game fish, and shellfish only at times or in manners or quantities as in my judgment does not impair the supply of these resources. It also says I shall attempt to maximize the public recreational game fishing and hunting opportunities of all citizens, including juvenile, disabled and senior citizens.

My mandate does not say I shall limit taking of wildlife because some Washington residents dont like certain times, manners or quantities. The restriction is to not impair the supply of the resource. I am required to use my judgment. Determination about supply impairment can be challenging. Simply put, I ask myself, Does a species population health support takings in the time, manner, and quantity under consideration?

Simply asked is not always straightforwardly answered. Wildlife do not submit census forms and estimating population size requires a variety of data. Ive experienced the complexity from hours in the field collecting population data by numerous methods. Other components of population health involve survival analysis and whether there are enough young to replace mortality. Habitat affects population health, especially as drought and development take their toll. The commission considers all these data in setting time, manner and quantity of takings.

My mandate does not say anything about ethical hunting; it requires legal constraints on time, manner and quantity to prevent resource impairment. Ive heard many claims about some regulated hunting activity being unethical. This charge was used in the 1996 initiative campaign that banned hound hunting and bear baiting in the state. I heard it frequently while debating a ban of legally sanctioned coyote contests. Now the commission is hearing declarations that hunting black bears during spring is unethical. Recently, I heard the often repeated assertion that hunting for meat is OK but not trophies. Neighboring states are dealing with moves that trapping is unethical. These claims arise from an ideology that is fundamentally anti-hunting.

The ideology shows little understanding of hunter culture. I love to be in the woods during fall when the largest number of hunting seasons are open. Meeting hunters, I understand the experience of the seasons outdoor beauty, the time with family, the camaraderie of hunter camp, the thrill of the hunt and the excitement from prize quarry. As a hard-core birder, I appreciate every aspect of the hunt and disagree with an ideology that finds hunting unethical.

Hunters subscribe to an ethical premise called fair chase. I learned early in my commissioner term that there are unsettled questions about what comprises fair chase. We debated a rule about eliminating baiting for deer and elk hunting. Hunters testified passionately on both sides: attracting animals with bait was not fair chase versus baiting improved the chance for a clean shot and success for hunters with limitations. The commission concluded there was no evidence that baiting impaired the resource supply except in instances of massive amounts. We enacted a rule that restricted bait quantity.

Many view hunting as contrary to wildlife conservation. There are numerous uncontrollable factors that influence wildlife population health, but hunting can be a fine-tuned conservation tool. Management of overabundant species that threaten more vulnerable species is a case in point. For example, there is solid evidence that coyotes are a significant nest predator of Washingtons imperiled prairie grouse species. Carefully timed coyote contests could have been used to relieve the threat.

The anti-hunting ideology complains that huntings role in wildlife management means game species receive more conservation attention than nongame species. I coordinate volunteer projects for recovery of some at-risk species. Many hunters volunteer because of appreciation for wildlife diversity and ecosystems. Most ideological conflicts that consume the commission concern a few totemic species, mostly carnivores, not facing population health threats. The conflicts devour huge amounts of resources that might otherwise serve critical wildlife conservation needs.

Ideological conflicts are culture wars. They are started and fueled by ideologues. Hunting is under attack in Washington with ideologues picking off one legal hunt after another, using emotional rhetoric like unethical to vilify hunters and hunting. My ears still sting from an anti-coyote contest advocate who called contestants fringy. Resolution of wildlife conservation conflict will be more durable through respectful collaborative processes, not picking partisan ideological sides.

Kim Thorburn is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife commissioner. The views in this opinion piece are hers and do not necessarily represent the WDFW Commission or WDFW.

See the original post:
op_210124_guest_thorburn - The Spokesman-Review