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Deception Through Disguise in the Joseph Story to Complete Midah K'neged Midah
Full text linkThis paper will examine the role of clothing and its relation to the theme of midah k'neged midah, often translated as a type of measure for measure punishment, as it unfolds in the Joseph story in Genesis. While Joseph’s brothers and father seem to receive proportional punishments for the sins that they commit, due to ambiguities in the story regarding God’s role, it is unclear who or what is driving this “measure for measure punishment” scheme. Is it Joseph, God, or perhaps simply nature’s equilibrium? This paper will investigate each of these three possible mechanisms for the ultimate fulfillment of midah k'neged midah based on textual clues of divine presence and human agency. Based on a close textual reading and analysis, this paper will conclude that while divine intervention appears to play a role in providing Joseph with opportunities, ultimately, Joseph is the one who capitalizes on these opportunities in order to complete his revenge scheme.
This narrative also illustrates the concept of maaseh avot siman l’banim (the actions of the forefathers are a sign for the children), representing how the mistakes of earlier generations have a cyclical effect on their descendents. This principle serves as a timeless warning to future generations, cautioning individuals to avoid past mistakes of their ancestors. Although the text contains many ambiguities, it seems clear that humans, like Joseph, certainly play some role in shaping their own destiny, and thus can hopefully break the cycle of sinning that began with the forefathers
Community Engagement to Reduce Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections Among Mobile and Migrant Populations in Southeast Asia
No full textSoil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are neglected tropical diseases that disproportionately affect mobile and migrant populations (MMPs). With a high burden on low-and middle-income countries, especially in Southeast Asia (SEA), STH infection is associated with a lack of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and is often treated with mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelmintic medications, which fails to reach MMPs in transit. Community engagement (CE) is necessary to address the high burden of STH infection in MMPs and is characterized by participatory research and the integration of community voices, needs, and interests through self-governance and utilization of community assets. However, past STH literature commonly fails to incorporate CE in their interventions and programs. We conducted a literature review to contextualize STH infection among MMPs in SEA, identify vulnerable populations, and address the knowledge gap on the impacts of CE in reducing disease burden. By including community preferences and perceptions into MDA and surveillance programs, school-based control programs to promote health education, and the research process, including research development, data collection, and dissemination, community compliance with primary STH interventions can be improved. CE has proven effective in other geographical and health contexts, and the lessons learned may be applicable to the incorporation of CE in STH infection among MMPs in SEA. Our findings illustrate that leveraging and integrating the voices of MMPs through CE in integration with MDA and WASH may improve community support for STH interventions and effectively reduce STH infection among MMPs in SEA
Pshal P’shaw: Phonetic Dissonance, Linguistic Instability, and Cacophony as Communicative Form
No full textPshal P’shaw investigates the sonic instability of speech—where phonetic dissonance, vocal fragmentation, and gestural sound challenge structured linguistic norms. Developed during my residency at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, this work explores how speech patterns morph in response to unfamiliar dialects, sonic environments, and computational intervention. Inspired by Hermann Finsterlin’s fluid, dimensionally unbound architectural forms, I approach language as an unfixed structure, revealing phonetic articulation's unstable, adaptive nature.
At its core, Pshal P’shaw is a multi-channel sculptural sound installation, neural instrument, and experimental phonetic composition that deconstructs oral adaptation and linguistic convergence. The project is based on 28 recorded voices engaging with a script designed to test the phonetic contours of a contemporary US Western dialect. Participants articulated words in controlled EEG lab settings, allowing for an analysis of phonetic deviation, mimicry, and emergent vocal patterns.
I collaborated with Cornelius Abel, the Head of the EEG laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, to create a participant-based study. This study focuses on neural responses to phonetic adaptation and linguistic instability. It examines how the brain processes disrupted phonetics, prosodic shifts, and unfamiliar articulatory patterns, providing insights into cognitive processing beyond structured linguistic norms.
By positioning phonetic instability as an expressive and cognitive site, this work aligns with my broader research on interstitial sonic spaces—the liminal areas between signal and noise, order and disruption, articulation and abstraction. The project extends into machine learning and human-machine interaction, where a neural algorithm dissects and reorganizes speech based on phonetic similarity and difference. The system works within a granular information base of over 3,000 phonetic variations, revealing the rhythmic, percussive, and spectral structures embedded in vocal articulation.
Working with designer and Max/MSP specialist Matthew Ostrowski, I developed a custom Max/MSP script to explore how an AI-driven phonetic instrument can exist in a wandering state rather than optimization. Through sessions envisioning a system that resists linear progression, we designed a model that moves fluidly between pattern recognition and deviation, continually reorienting itself within the dataset rather than seeking a fixed resolution. This keeps the AI suspended in a process of recombination, allowing for unexpected phonetic proximities, spectral collisions, and recursive vocal transformations.
The work employs Flucoma and MUBI as Max/MSP patches for phonetic and vocal analysis, mapping articulatory gestures through spectral decomposition, transient detection, and dynamic filtering. The script was developed in MATLAB by the EEG labs, enabling phonetic feature extraction and computational manipulation. A 12-channel sculptural sound installation hosts the generative algorithm, continuously reshaping the recordings based on vocal proximity and divergence. Simultaneously, a 5-channel raster video system maps the frequency data of each voice onto facial deconstructions, amplifying the inherent instability of articulation.
A special edition record release with an accompanying booklet is available through Raster Media (Germany). This vinyl expands the project’s inquiries into a fixed yet fragmented format, extending the phonetic research into a sonic document. Side A, “Transients Script,” isolates the percussive elements of speech, revealing the microtonal instability of articulation as a rhythmic force. Side B examines spectral interplay across the 28 voices, exposing harmonic shifts, tonal variances, and dynamic resonances.
Pshal P’shaw interrogates how language operates beyond fixed linguistic hierarchies, where vocal adaptation and sonic fragmentation become sites of expanded meaning-making by engaging with phonetic mimicry, algorithmic processing, and embodied sound. In doing so, the work contributes to larger conversations in experimental phonetics, accessibility in assistive sound technologies, and the role of noise in cognitive and communicative systems. Through historical research (on linguistic shifts in 19th-century US boomtowns) and contemporary computational modeling, this project reimagines how phonetic structures evolve, break apart, and reform—not as errors but as integral components of human interaction and cognition.
Notes on Contributor
Victoria Keddie is an artist whose work explores sound beyond structured language, investigating how communication fractures and reconstitutes through error, interference, and technological mediation. She has been Co-Director of E.S.P. TV for over a decade, using televisual media for performance. Her work has been performed and exhibited internationally, with recent fellowships at the NYSCA/NYFA, the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Elektronmusikstudion, and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art. Keddie’s video works are distributed by Lightcone (FR) and The Filmmakers Co-op (US), and her sound works are released with Raster Media (DE), Chaikin Records (US), and Fridman Gallery (NYC/US)
Teaching with Purpose: How Calling Buffers Burnout’s Impact on Teacher Behaviors
Full text linkResearch consistently demonstrates that burnout is related to more counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) and fewer organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Nonetheless, there is limited research on the relationship between calling orientation (a sense of purpose and passion for one’s work) and the behavioral outcomes of burnout, particularly within the context of teachers in the United States. The current cross-sectional study seeks to address this gap by investigating whether teachers’ sense of calling moderates the relationship between burnout and both CWBs and OCBs. A total of 108 Kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) teachers were recruited via Prolific to participate in an online survey. Participants answered questions about their calling orientation, burnout levels, CWBs, and OCBs. We hypothesized that burnout would be positively associated with CWBs and negatively associated with OCBs, and that a strong calling orientation would buffer these relationships. The survey results supported the prediction that teachers experiencing high levels of overall burnout were more likely to engage in CWBs. Importantly, teachers with a strong sense of calling were less likely to engage in CWBs, even when experiencing reduced personal accomplishment. Contrary to expectations, overall burnout was not associated with OCBs, nor did it interact with calling orientation to predict OCBs. The findings suggest that fostering a sense of calling could help minimize CWBs and enhance teachers’ commitment to their work. Future research should explore how teacher recognition, professional development opportunities, and interventions that promote purpose or meaning can further support teacher well-being and reduce CWBs
"Where Did All the Lesbians Go?" A Content Analysis of the Sense of Community within Lesbian Spaces on TikTok
Full text linkAs physical lesbian spaces continue to diminish, platforms like TikTok have become essential for queer women seeking community. This study uses deductive content analysis, guided by McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community framework, to examine how membership, infuence, fulfllment of needs, and shared emotional connection are expressed in these digital spaces. By analyzing the top 100 comments on two videos from 11 popular lesbian TikTok creators, whose followers range from 340 thousand to 9 million, the research explores how a sense of community is fostered online. A total of 22 videos were analyzed, with comments coded into key themes. The fndings reveal how users express solidarity through mutual support and validation, often rooted in shared language and collective experiences unique to lesbian identity. Commenters navigate issues such as relationships and societal marginalization, fostering a sense of belonging. However, tensions emerge as users grapple with inclusivity and representation, particularly around race, gender identity, and the evolving defnition of lesbian identity. These discussions highlight both the unifying aspects of digital lesbian spaces and the challenges of ensuring diverse voices are heard. This research underscores TikTok’s evolving role in shaping lesbian identity and community, spotlighting both opportunities and challenges for fostering belonging
A New Era in the Creator Economy: Addressing Copyright Issues Between Creators on YouTube
Full text linkThe creator economy is the future of American media—a reality content platforms, consumers, traditional media, and brands have recognized for the past decade. The creator economy refers to an “ecosystem of content creation activities in which independent creators generate content on a self-directed basis that is monetizable by the creator.” A quarter of weekly media hours are dedicated to watching user- generated video, with YouTube dominating the market as the largest video-sharing platform.2 Every day, over half of adults and almost three-quarters of teenagers turn to YouTube. Independent “creator” content is “changing [consumers’] definition of quality,” diminishing the significance of traditional media’s high production value. Among streaming services, YouTube garners more views than Netflix and as many as Hulu, Disney+, Max, Peacock, and Paramount+ combined
Market-Based Licensing for Publishers’ Works Is Feasible. Big Tech Agrees.
Full text linkGenerative AI (“GAI”) model developers prioritized speed to market over compliance with copyright law with respect to use of copyrighted works for training their models. Now facing over forty lawsuits, they have asserted fair use to evade responsibility, and they claim that licensing all necessary works is impossible.
This Article focuses on professionally created works only, with an emphasis on publishers’ works, and demonstrates that market-based licensing of professionally created works for training GAI models is feasible as measured by the number of licenses and the ability of GAI developers to afford them—both of which are points on which Big Tech agrees. The Article also provides insights on the licensing marketplace for publishers’ works as relevant to training GAI models. Finally, the Article underscores that the public interest is squarely on the side of marketbased licensing because all stakeholders benefit, and it will help ensure that publishers and authors may continue their vital contributions to America’s political, intellectual, and cultural systems
The Philippines Re-energizes: Privatization of the National Power Corporation and the Red Flag of Political Risk
Full text linkAfter over a decade of timorous steps in reforming its power industry, the Philippine Government ("Government") approved bold legislation that overall augurs well for both the public and private sectors. The new law-the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 ("EPIRA")--calls for the restructuring of the power industry, including the total privatization of power generation and transmission, which previously had been the exclusive domain of the state-owned Philippine National Power Corporation ("NPC," also referred to as "Napocor").
The term "privatization" can have different meanings, and implicate the use of different techniques. Privatization, in a narrow sense, can mean the permanent transfer of control of a public enterprise to the private sector.' In a broader sense, privatization can mean varying degrees of private sector participation, or "any measure that results in temporary transfer to the private sector of activities exercised ... by apublic agency."' The level of privatization, then, can range from build-own-and-transfer ("BOT") arrangements, representing temporary privatization, to complete divestiture?
The objectives of privatization make eminent sense, and include: promotion of competition, especially by abolishing monopolies; promotion of domestic and foreign investment; introduction of new technologies and the promotion of innovation; upgrading of plants and equipment; introduction of new management methods and teams; maximization of net privatization receipts to fund government expenditures, trim the public sector deficit, or pay off public debt; reduction of the financial drain of state-owned enterprises on the state; and reduction of the opportunities for corruption and misuse of public property by government officials and managers.
To be sure, the foregoing objectives are relevant to the privatization efforts now underway in the Philippine power industry; and especially relevant if the country is to measure up to the economies of its APEC5 and ASEAN6 partners.
Part II of this paper provides a brief country overview of the Philippines, while Part III provides an essential historical perspective of the Philippine power industry. Part IV discusses and comments on the general restructuring and privatization plan envisaged by the EPIRA, with particular emphasis in the generation and transmission sectors. For completeness, Part IV also discusses the distribution and supply sectors, as well as "open access."
Aside from the soundness of the privatization law itself, the question of "political risk" will also be an important consideration for investors in the power industry. Accordingly, Part V discusses political risk in the context of (1) the Government-mandated review of independent power producer ("IPP") contracts, and (2) the legislative imbroglio regarding the National Transmission Corporation ("Transco") franchise. Part V argues that these two factors work at painful cross-purposes with the Government's goal of attracting private capital to the power industry and, unwittingly, raise the red flag of political risk
Data Infrastructure as Court Architecture
Full text linkWhether courts like it or not, digital legal data has become an important part of both litigation and justice administration. Constitutionally protected as public records, court data and court-adjacent data must be made transparent and accessible to the general public. However, alongside considerations of how to make court data accessible externally, so must we also consider how court data is situated internally within courts. Conceptualizing data infrastructure as court architecture reframes the importance of court data to better align with its current utility in courts, while privileging the very real structural issues that courts must contend with to ensure the continued health of data systems. This Article considers the usefulness of data in the current terrain of law and justice, evaluates the ecosystem of data products currently at play in all levels of courts, and offers concrete pathways to data infrastructure development through Open Knowledge Networks