Andre Vlok

SOUTH AFRICANS SAVING THEIR CITIES My third book, Skylines: the modern urban conflict manual offers a comprehensive and practical roadmap for the hard work that so urgently needs to be done to save our cities. Available from Amazon, the publishers or myself, in hardcopy or ebook. Index and reviews in images Read the book Do the work Save your city

I notice it’s awfully hard to make you angry to-day, and I begin to be afraid of you. Pyotr Stepanovitch, in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Demons"

THE IRAN WAR IMPASSE I would suggest that what many analysts describe as an impasse reached by the US and Iran is more of a purposeful slowing down of the conflict than an actual impasse, but nevertheless, there are signs of the parties struggling to find either meaningful resolution, or a mutually acceptable off-ramp at this stage, so let's approach the situation as a conflict impasse. Several lenses through which to see the problem, and several conceptual frameworks are used in these analyses, some helpful, some very outdated. An impasse breaking tool that I find of particular practical use, and one which I have referred to in some of my written work, is the so-called radical disagreement framework, with Oliver Ramsbotham being one of its best known advocates. It is a well-developed strategy, requiring brutal honesty in its original assessment (a requirement that may be politically difficult for the US to manage), with very specific responses and solutions for situations such as this war. It is specifically designed to work with these seemingly intractable conflicts, and one of its characteristics that I appreciate is its prior acceptance of exactly what we find - radical statements, incompatible interests, unstable escalation and even a conceptual, nearly linguistic collapse in effective communication. No sugarcoating, no wish strategies. I will be doing a few more posts on this possible strategy in coming days

Enough substantive response here to keep the slow negotiating momentum going, and the written exchanges are more stable than in-person meetings (for now). If we cannot have an immediate cessation of this absurd and unlawful war, then this is what progress looks like

@dieworkwear You clearly have no idea of the beauty of the age-old style of Bordello Chic. Your loss 😌

Some comparisons: — Amalienburg, a German hunting lodge done in Rococo style. Not the level of detailing. — Hôtel de la Marine in Paris. Again, note the level of detailing. — The entrance to the Oval Office. The effect is less craft and more Cadbury bunny.

The replies to this person's tweet lack a nuanced understanding of aesthetics. Let me tell you why I don't think this room works. First, the gold decorations make the room look like an ersatz Versailles. Go to Getty Images and type in "Oval Office." Then zoom in on the gold decor. You'll notice that the lines are very blunted and muddied; they lack the sharp lines and fine detailing that you'd expect on something made by an artisan. Hence why some people have suggested these decorations are from Home Depot (true or not, that's the impression). You can see the difference between the first and second photos. The first, of course, is of the Oval Office; the second is the reception room from the Hotel de Cabris in France, which was made during the 18th century under the direction of Louis XVI. Even at this distance, the second image looks much better because it was designed and executed by artisans working within a coherent visual language. You can really see the crisp lines and detailing. Second, the White House was designed by James Hoban, an Irish architect who migrated to the US for economic opportunities (what a great American story!). He originally designed it in the Neoclassical style, drawing on Palladian and Georgian influences. Neoclassicalism was a reaction against the Rococo movement, which reactionaries saw as overly ornate and frivolous. A bit of gold used sparingly and strategically can look fine in a Neoclassical building, but the amount Trump used has so radically encrusted the room that it's now in Rococo territory, making it look like a mismatch of aesthetics. You can see an example of gilded Rococo architecture in the third slide. Although it's not my thing, the effect is totally different because it's coherent. IMO, architecture sets the terms for you can decorate a space. Modernist furniture looks best in modernist buildings, just as Craftsman furniture looks best in Craftsman homes (see fourth slide). You don't have to do period recreations — sometimes mixing two aesthetics, or old and new, can make a space feel more natural — but having a sense of aesthetic history (art, architecture, furniture, fashion) can help you create better aesthetics. The Oval Office offends on at least three levels: the ersatz nature of the decor, the way it grates against Hoban’s Neoclassical vision, and the way it misunderstands the classical-republican symbolism that the White House was meant to project in the first place. As others have noted, this is the kind of decor you'd expect from dictators who rob their own country.

An entertaining, necessary read on aspects of the China/US power dynamics nplusonemag.com/issue-52/the-i…

Early morning Mass. Good morning

@iamSegopi The idea is an often debunked absurdity. The source not being able to spell just adds to the circus. But you seem convinced, so good luck

@vlok_andre Spelling errors is where you draw the line. Now we have to hire editors to readproof our tweets??

Thrasymachus has been blushing for a year

There are market forces at play, to a limited extent. Good employees will ask the right questions, have base line salaries that they will enforce in negotiation, but yes, let's not deny that unscrupulous practices exist. Legislation will make things worse, and will be largely unenforceable. People need to also start working on their own negotiation skills, and that entry interview is a great place to start. I'll try to do a practical article on some ideas in May

@vlok_andre I hear U on “overreach”how do we make sure employers are fair? People have been talking about this. How do we get transparent employer? Negotiate is fair if the base doesn’t overly prejudice. What would be best to enforce employer to disclose base salary n not use old one as base

A completely impractical, overbearing piece of intended legislative interference. This is the nanny state on steroids

There are some informal discussions and enquiries going on, at various levels, but the geopolitical paralysis we've seen since last year remains. People are struggling to make sense of the absurdity and unnecessary nature of it, hoping that it will just end, worried about relationships in a world that no longer exists. But slowly, sanity is creeping back. China has just effectively dismissed sanctions, Iran and others are working on alternatives. This pendulum is swinging slowly

@vlok_andre Something I’m curious about, Andre. When will other foreign leaders ask US to stop the blockade and de-escalate so they can manage the fallout for the rest of the planet? Are they doing that? Is it polite conversation? When does it get to MOVE YOUR SHIPS?

A brief summary of the first 60 days of the Iran war. The surprisingly few maritime strikes show how quickly all involved realized the enforceability of the threat

Yesterday's executive order from the White House on sanctions against Cuba and other parties. The trouble starts right there in par. 1... "The policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba, as described in Executive Order 14380, continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.  Not only are these policies, practices, and actions designed to harm the United States, but they are also repugnant to the moral and political values of free and democratic societies." whitehouse.gov/presidential-a…

Firstly, it should not be legislated. This is overreach. Secondly, the employer making the salary known can be drafted in a range of numbers, it need not be unfair towards them. And there are ways to negate employers anchoring low amounts. Let people negotiate, rather teach that than interfere at this level

@vlok_andre I see. But if the salary is advertised with the Job won’t that automatically render the “previous offer as a base” void since we now know the based offer? To àn extend I agree with U in case of further negotiations if previously U earned way more than offer.

Those are two different things. You should indeed know the salary you are applying for, and as early as possible, as that is an important part of your assessment, and the negotiations itself. But the previous offer is a part of that. I'm not in favour of the practice in all instances, but to try to remove it from the process by legislation is heavy handed

@vlok_andre I might misunderstand your point here. But isn’t it fair that we all know of the salary of the job we are applying for? Instead of negotiating it during interviews? Take for example an introverted person, how do one get fair compensation in this case?

The gaseous state @deAdder

DRC / M23 This is reloading, not negotiating for peace

This could affect the Iran war negotiations in a few interesting ways

/ As requested, the link to the earlier post of the complimentary Chapter 1 of Skylines: the modern urban conflict manual conflict-conversations.co.za/conversations/…