Does it have to be that way with our Media Choices?

For those of us that have an interest in Scottish culture etc the release of the TV Series OUTLANDER recently has been a boon.... Well maybe.

On the surface it is very interesting and appears authentic.  A little to authentic in some respects if you believe life was hard and full of  marauding soldiers that have their way with people back in the 1700's.

Here is a sample of some of the questionably family friendly content as described found on the IMDB.COM site..


A woman rips her dress open, full nudity

A man puts his hand up a woman's dress and she starts moaning. No nudity but the scene lasts for quite a while

A woman tries to have sex with a married man, she is wearing a very revealing dress, they start kissing but he tells her to stop

several attempts to rape, nudity involved.

A man is seen with a gunshot wound which is then taken care of by a nurse.

Several men are attacked by a boar. They have graphic wounds in their legs. One man's intestines are exposed.

A little boy has a nail hammered through his ear as a form of punishment. He screams in pain, and blood pours out of his wound.

A man tries to rape a woman in episode one, he lifts her skirts up to expose her bottom but he is interrupted

The same man tries to rape a woman in a later episode, he bends her over the table and lifts her skirts, rips open her dress to reveal her breasts but he is interrupted

A man and woman have sex in a field, a woman's dress has been ripped open to reveal her breasts. They are interrupted by some soldiers, one tries to rape the woman but nothing is seen and he is stopped.

In episode 12, one attempted rape scene goes on for a while. In the prolonged scene the man exposes his genitals while we watch him rub them but being unable to become erect to rape the woman he is with. He beats her several times before she blacks out, it is unclear what occurred afterwards.

In episode 14, two women talk while one of them squeezes the breast-milk out of each one of her nipples into a cup. This goes on for a couple of minutes.

A group of travelers comes across two bodies hanging from crosses. The men have been crucified and otherwise abused. Close-ups of the bodies are shown and the victims have been dead for about a week.

Various scenes in which severely wounded men are being treated, which display a high level of anxiety and urge combined with screaming or moaning and images of blood gushing.


This is just a sampling of the various types of content.  The area they list are Gore & Violence, Sex & Nudity,  Frightening/Intense Scenes, Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking, and Profanity.  They have listings for each one.... The Sex section is more then a screen full at regular font size.

So the question is this  - Do we really have to have all this profanity, sensual material etc in our programs?  Could they not have made the same program and not included the majority of this material?  Is there a way to make a TV series for example that is still basically historically accurate without having to throw in so much sex, violence and the like?

I once was watching a documentary on the making of the God Father Movie.  At one point Francis Coppella said there was rumors that a violence director would be brought in to make the movie more violent etc.  Kind of scary thinking of why do they need to add that stuff in..... many times it does not help the movie one bit.

That becomes the challenge.  How do those of us that still have morals or want to have morals push for more quality programming. I'd love some good Scottish culture programming, that is not necessarily documentary and potentially dull.  I'd also like to have said program(s) not be full of rape scenes.

We gave away our copy of the Rob Roy movie featuring Liam Neeson.  Over all the movie was good.  The story very authentic, well paced, written and acted.  However, one part that lasts for say 2 minutes in the movie made us give it up.... the Raping of the wife by Cunningham.  You might know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie.  If you haven't your missing nothing.   We'll take our Disney version any day since it is clean.  Slightly different focus, style, and the like but, good no the less.




Another case in point.  We watch LADYKILLERS featuring Tom Hanks the other night.  Good overall remake and in some respects better especially if you could remove all the language.
 
So that is the challenge.... finding a way to get good entertaining material while still keeping our morals, and minds clean from the filth that is present in so much programming.

I guess one of the few ways to know if you should even be watching something is this -   If you would not watch it with your kids present should you be watching it at all. 
The US has a rating system though as most of you have found out - PG-13 does not always means your kids should be watching it...... the lines are so grey these days it is hard to tell just from the rating.  Some other countries have rating but, they too are equally vague and not really helpful.

mpaa.org

Highest grossing films by Rating - PG-13 does best - https://stephenfollows.com/which-mpaa-rating-earns-the-most-money/

A few sites have been developed over the last few years in regards to rating media content in a different way beyond the normal rating system.

One such site is OK.com   uses an age rating 6+ or say 17+ as the minimum age that should be watching this material.  Seems to be a popular way of doing things in other countries for ratings.

Kids in mind is another - 

 They don't put an overall rating on a movie or program.  They rank the areas of concern - profanity, nudity, violence etc.  That way you can find out if a movie is high for say profanity but, very low for everything else.

ASSIGNED NUMBERS
Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest, depending on quantity and context. - Kids-in-mind.com


The LadyKillers tends to be off the chart for profanity but, in the middle for the other factors.
Had I known that I'm not sure I would have even watch any of it.

The problem is some rate just movies, or just TV.  There is not a one stop shop for everything.... though I guess it never will be since you'd need one that cover all the countries of the world.




I'd like to put some well known Scottish culture films or programs and a cleaner alternative


Rob Roy  (Liam Neeson) - Rob Roy, The Highland Rogue (by Disney), Count of Monte Cristo

Brave Heart (Mel Gibson) - Can not figure out a good substitute.

Outlander (Starz Series) -  Kidnapped, Poldark(PBS)

Honorable Mention(s) - The Mission, Lord of the Ring Series, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, The Eagle, Willow
(some of these may be borderline for Violence etc) 

Again some styles of films and topics  are very hard to tone down the action, etc.  What you have to look for are the ones that might have a bit of fighting, though exclude unnecessary language or sex.




Buaidh - NO - Bas

Political Correctness?

I feel I have to define political correctness before we move along in this post.  This definition comes straight off a Google search.

po·lit·i·cal·ly cor·rect

pəˈlitik(ə)lē/

adjective

adjective: politically correct; adjective: politically incorrect; adjective: incorrect

1. 1.

   exhibiting (or failing to exhibit) political correctness.

   "it is not politically correct to laugh at speech impediments"

   synonyms:

   unoffensive, nondiscriminatory, unbiased, neutral, appropriate, nonpartisan; More informalPC "the true meaning may be clouded by his politically correct language"

   antonyms:

   offensive

With that out of the way we can see how this is effecting society in a broader sense.

Most likely you have heard of the Duck Dynasty controversy where some comments made during an interview with GQ magazine we declared to be homophobic and  not politically correct.
So you say what could it be so bad that multiple gay rights groups started hating on Phil Robertson the patriarch of the family.  We I'll have to quote directly.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

Read More http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson#ixzz2oK9T9Z9E

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

Read More http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson#ixzz2oKIC5PpW

The article has some odd course language in it that come from the writer.  I'm not sure it was necessary in reality.

So we see some over the top comments here.  Things that could potentially offend people.  But, here is the problem with political correctness.  Some times if you call the kettle black you get lambasted for doing so.  The other issue with political correctness is that depending on the source it is OK, and at other times it is not.  There is a definite double standard on comments in the political correctness arena.   "the good is called bad, and the bad called good".

The worst is how he quotes scriptures loosely (no specific scriptural reference is given in the article) and gets attacked for it.  The part that is hardest to understand is

Here is a good way to sum up what the political correctness thing is doing to society.





"In other words, A & E—like ESPN/ABC before them—believes that their "Duck Dynasty" audience is outraged, disgusted, or whatever by Phil the duck guy, and that enough of this audience would change the channel if Phill stayed on that A & E would lose money. Is A & E correct in this belief? Time will tell. - OldCoyote"

Read More http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2013/12/readers-react-to-gqs-duck-dynasty-story-and-phil-robertsons-indefinite-suspension.html#ixzz2oKRdzk00

See there is fear here.  People do not feel free to voice their opinion out of fear someone will call them insensitive, bigoted, homophobic or racist.  The whole freedom of speech (within limits) has been thrown out the window.  Feelings or perceived feelings are more important then reality.

At what point can we just get pasted the issue of your comments are going to offend someone and there is nothing that can be done about it.  Each little one percent minority group (sexual, racial, economic, etc) can't have everyone skewered and hung out to dry for every little comment.
NO I do think the line has to be drawn when one is inciting violence or the like.

Now some may argue that if this type of political correctness was in place in Nazi Germany then we would likely not have ended up with the holocaust the way we did.  Hard to say since that would be rewriting history.  Censoring ones comments in public also does not fix ones real at home or private opinions and actions.

It really does get hard to have a minority portion of the population push their views on the rest of society.    We have to stop this "whom ever yells/complains the loudest wins" type of situation.
Tolerance has to go both ways.  it is like a two way street.  Unfortunately a bicycle is plugging things up and making people turn around because they are being inconvenienced.  We have to stop that and get our heads out of the clouds.  We have to put things in to more black and white terms.  To clear up the murkiness that comes with political correctness, with redefining things to your benefit.

"But one thing is certain: the commandments have not changed. Let there be no mistake about that. Right is still right. Wrong is still wrong, no matter how cleverly cloaked in respectability or political correctness. We believe in chastity before marriage and fidelity ever after. That standard is an absolute standard of truth. It is neither subject to public opinion polls nor dependent upon situation or circumstance. There is no need to debate it or other gospel standards."
Like a Flame Unquenchable M. Russell Ballard Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 

This sketch shows political correctness going over board.   Have we gotten to this point in society today?

 

"MSNBC & The Great Liberal Narrative: The Truth About The Tyranny of Political Correctness"

George Carlin On Politically Correct Language

After you watch these videos you will find that they include the extreme.  You might say they are so extreme that it might never happen.  But take the respond of the GLAAD spokesperson that the Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty was spouting lies. 
"GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz had an immediate response.
“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe,” Cruz said. “He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans — and Americans — who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples"  ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Bashes Gays

How off base can you get.  I fail to see the lie in the opinion as quoted out of the magazine article.
This is the problem with political correctness.  Claim the other is lying and shout louder then them and you win much of the time.  Make it hard to see the fact.... read the whole comment or opinion in context.   This is what they love to do...... Throw things at the wall hoping things will stick and that society in general will not look to closely at the details.

I'm reminded of the Emperor's New Cloths by Hans Christian Andersen.   It took a simple innocent young boy to say the truth about the non existent cloths.  Everyone was to afraid to offend, make feel bad or just plain be "Politically incorrect".   They did not want to call the kettle black.  Instead it became green or purple or something else.....
And that is what we have to fight today.




We have to fight the twisting of the truth to make it fit the narrative we want or they want.   We have to present the truth as we find it and help people come to their own conclusions.

That is one reason I like my church so much.  We don't say for you to just take our word for it.  Or to join or stay a member just because your parent is.  We say..... "Go and provide it"; "Ask the higher source if it really is what he has placed on earth!".   How many other organization, religions etc are willing to put it all on the line?

Buaidh - NO - Bas

A few of the many articles out there on the duck dynasty subject and other politically correct situations.

‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Thanks Fans for ‘Support’: ‘We’ve Had Kind of a Crazy Week’
‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Bashes Gays
‘Duck Dynasty’: Phil Robertson Anti-Gay Sermon Surfaces (Video)
No Other Gods By Elder Dallin H. Oaks Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
The Moral Force of Women By Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Readers React to GQ's 'Duck Dynasty' Story and Phil Robertson's Indefinite Suspension
Bill Maher & Dennis Miller on Free Speech vs Political Correctness (2002)

Modesty in the World Today

You've probably heard of or seen a couple of big things relating to modesty in the last month.
Miley Cyrus (see picture via the link that really are not appropriate) and her salacious presentation at the VMAs and the viral posting of pictures of a father using short shorts to help his daughter understand what her clothing choices really look like to other people.

These demonstrate the issues surrounding modesty in the world today.
People of influence are not always setting a good example to our youth especially when it comes to modesty.  Even the highly glamorous red carpet events have a load of people in super fancy outfits that unfortunately are not modest.   You can view a few pictures to see what I mean HERE.

So what do you do when our children are being taught that it seems OK to use clothing that might show off the bottom side of your butt cheeks, or that provocative movements of the body are fun and acceptable?  Well the father that decide to wear the same super short shorts like his daughter was using was heading up the right path.  What he basically did was simple.  He demonstrated how out of place that kind of attire is.  By walking around all evening he finally got the point across to his daughter that you certainly are viewed differently by the type of attire you wear.  That by the choice of your clothing you are giving off a message good or bad about "YOU" and what you think, feel and believe.  Read more about this HERE.


Just the other night I saw another example of extreme modesty.  Actually it was bordering on the extreme lack there of.  A woman at the store had on a shirt that was cut across the chest in multiple lines that ran the width of the shirt.  The cuts were such that if there had not been some type of undershirt you would have seen a little more then should be viewed in public.  Now you might think ...'oh that must be some rebellious youth!'.  In reality it was a middle aged woman.  So you have to think what type of clothing are the rest of the family wearing on a daily basis.  Are they show off their midriffs?  Are they presenting themselves in a light they really don't want to?

The point is we have to do all we can to promote modesty in our youth, in the future leaders of our nation.  And the display of sensual, salaciousness that occurred at the VMAs is not helping.
I totally agree that what was pulled off there was not in good taste.  I know the overall program producers can not control what the performers, celebrities or musicians do while on stage.  They can preview the expected content and make sure to provide a quality show.  Not one that has people using over sized foam fingers to make rude sexual gestures or skin color "swim wear" to make it look like they have no cloths on.  And in some reports I saw they appeared to have broadcast some commercials that were not at all appropriate for the audience they knew would be watching.  What do condom commercials have to do with 14 year olds or the other teenagers they knew would be watching?




So as the father of a 9 year girl I'm finding it increasingly hard to find clothing that we feel are acceptable.  Shirts with sleeves, shorts that do more then barely cover the crotch and buttock.  And then when you do find one, that matches the length standard you hope it has some appropriate message or image on the front.
I'm surprised that all the clothing companies seem to be pushing the tween (8-11 yr olds) to dress like teenagers and the older ones to dress well some what slutty.  Who in their right mind would or should be wearing shorts that are so short the pockets are longer then the leg of the shorts?
Why has not some company come into being that promotes good clothing for our tweens so that our children can stay children when they should and not try to be 7 years older then they really are?
I even have a wonderful name - GREAT TO BE 8.



Being 8 years old is a great time in the life of a child.  They have come of age.  They are more accountable for their actions unlike a 3 year old.  They are also starting to figure things out, like who the tooth fairy really is or the true nature of Santa Claus.  It is a time when innocence is still present but, they have such a more full understanding of things going on around them.
And why oh why do we need to put them in a shirt that has no sleeves and ties up to show off their midriff?  That in reality is not even appropriate for an adult.

So how do we promote modesty not just in our home but,  community and work.  How do we promote modesty in general while still letting people have their agency.  We don't need to go down the path of Sharia law and publicly humiliate people that are not dress appropriately or stone those that have been offensive.  For that matter who is to blame when a young adult wears immodest clothing?   Unlike the child that is born with sickness or lame  (who did not have the sin on his head) this one falls back to the parents.

“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

“And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (John 9:1–3.)

As parents we need to stand up and say enough is enough.  To not buy the cloths that are not up to our standard.  I know you may say 'but nothing looks any good that is modest'.  Well then maybe we need to go back to the days of yester year and teach our children to sew.  To make our own cloths when nothing appropriate can be found.  They keep making crappy cloths since people keep buying them.  When we stop buying the sleeveless shirt they will stop making them.





Now it will take time for things to change. It will not be an overnight sea change when we stop promoting or buying inappropriate clothing.  It will happen, just not as quick as it should.   Just like it did not happen overnight that most if not all stores are open on Sunday.  It happened gradually.

The bottom line is that as people are not modest they really don't feel confident in themselves.
Why would Miley do what she did at the VMAs?  She was not feeling confident, did not understand her self worth and was looking for something to get attention and acceptance in the wider world.
But, did it work?  I don't think so since her engagement was finally broken off.  She lost respect in the eyes of many..... she once was a beacon of light, something to look up to ..... and then this.

We don't have to go down that path. We can make the decision to be more modest.  To be an example and set the standard.  People will follow you as you show your true nature and true confidence.


If you know of good places to buy modest appropriate clothing list them in the comments section.  By promoting those that hold our standards we can get things to change..... it will also help those that are having trouble finding appropriate attire.

Standards: Sexual Purity and Modesty - True Confidence

Buaidh- NO - Bas

Deceiving to get ahead in life. Is it right or is it wrong?

Well I'd like to broach the topic of deceiving in the workplace etc to get yourself ahead in the rat race of life.

Why do I bring this up?  I was watching a documentary on David Geffen the other night on one of the local PBS stations and found out that some of his success was all based on a lie and cover up of said deceit. (About: Inventing David Geffen PBS, 2012-11-07) He basically did not have any problem lying to get ahead in the workplace.  Very sad.  We eventually had to turn it off and change the channel since our daughter was watching as well.  I'd heard a bit about this man in the past and known of some of his success.  I just did not know it was based on lies and deceit.


Also I was reading something in a trade show magazine I receive called Exhibitor.  The article - Guerrillas in the Midst is very telling and informs you about some disturbing activities in the work place.
In the commentary it referred to a couple of blogosphere postings on how to get ahead in the marketing game by not paying anything.
The mentioned examples were a person going to a trade show and plastering posters and fliers all over the place like the stalls in the restroom etc.  Essentially, taking advantage of the trade shows setup without necessarily having a booth.  Not a good method if you do not have a booth.  Your therefore acting like a leech.

And talking about a leech.  The second example was an Asian guy who basically stole a persons identity at the trade show and then went on to promote his company all the while masquerading as the other guy.  Very low in deed.  Though in both cases the posters seemed to applaud them for their guerrilla tactics.  The commentary hopes the larger marketing industry will shun this type of activity.




Also during a discussion in church I learned about the length to which person will go to cheat on their exams in law school.  The person said people would throw in the trash in the bathroom some note cards with information that they could use in the test.  In the middle of the test they go to the bathroom and retrieve the information off the cards.  Coming back they have had some fresh information giving them a leg up on the rest of the students.  So due to this they now have to be accompanied to the bathroom during tests.  Oh the length to which people will go.




We find this also in the political arena.  Look at the underhanded tactics that have been used for the presidential campaign or even the local mayoral race for Los Angeles.  Full of half truths and misinformation being spread around to confuse the voter.  Most will not find out the truth..... or if they do ... by then the damage maybe done.
Just like when a lawyer leaks something out with the jury present in a line of questioning.  How does the jury forget these things even though they have heard them.  Kind of hard to "Disregard" that piece of information though inaccurate or misleading that is now out there. It taints the information pool and that is why the lawyers love to us it.

Look at the current IRS scandal. They targeted conservative groups to hold them up and stone wall their exempt status petitions.  Why do that?  If you can't get in the game you can't be effective.  And the fall out.  Fire or force out the acting head of the IRS who was set to retire in June.  Basically, push a scape goat out one month before he is set to retire.  Will anyone be held accountable for their actions?  We may never know.  This will loss strength in our 24 hour news cycle.  Then they will quietly sweep it under the rug.  No one will really find out who authorized what and when.
The problem is more why is this appearing to happen more frequently in the last few years?
Have things changed so much in the last 100 years?

"I recall a time—and some of you here tonight will also—when the standards of most people were very similar to our standards. No longer is this true. I recently read an article in the New York Times concerning a study which took place during the summer of 2008. A distinguished Notre Dame sociologist led a research team in conducting in-depth interviews with 230 young adults across America. I believe we can safely assume that the results would be similar in most parts of the world. "
Dare to Stand Alone Thomas S. Monson President of the Church

We now have the Internet, and 24 hour news stations.  But, are things getting worse or are we really just more hypersensitive?

Though this story relates how all is not lost.

"A friend related this experience her husband had while attending medical school. “Getting into medical school is pretty competitive, and the desire to do well and be successful puts a great deal of pressure on the new incoming freshmen. My husband had worked hard on his studies and went to attend his first examination. The honor system was expected behavior at the medical school. The professor passed out the examination and left the room. Within a short time, students started to pull little cheat papers out from under their papers or from their pockets. My husband recalled his heart beginning to pound as he realized it is pretty hard to compete against cheaters. About that time a tall, lanky student stood up in the back of the room and stated: ‘I left my hometown and put my wife and three little babies in an upstairs apartment and worked very hard to get into medical school. And I’ll turn in the first one of you who cheats, and you better believe it!’ They believed it. There were many sheepish expressions, and those cheat papers started to disappear as fast as they had appeared. He set a standard for the class which eventually graduated the largest group in the school’s history.” ²

The young, lanky medical student who challenged the cheaters was J Ballard Washburn, who became a respected physician and in later years received special recognition from the Utah Medical Association for his outstanding service as a medical doctor. He also served as a General Authority and is now the president of the Las Vegas Nevada Temple."

Honesty—a Moral Compass James E. Faust

The moral fabric of society is falling apart.

What was deemed unacceptable just a few years ago is now considered not so bad by some.  Take the change in music for example.  Many complained in the past about the gyrating hips of ELVIS.  Now some dancers in shows have maneuvers that simulate sex acts or other intimate activities reserved for married couples.  Even the lyrics are getting worse.  Some however thinly veiled talk about sexual things or use language not even suitable for an adult of any age.

So what are we to do?
What should we do?


We have to hold up the standard for ourselves even if it means that we might not get ahead as some would, or will.  We will in the end be conscious that we have done the right thing.

"Brethren, none within the sound of my voice should be in any doubt concerning what is moral and what is not, nor should any be in doubt about what is expected of us ... We have been and continue to be taught God’s laws. Despite what you may see or hear elsewhere, these laws are unchanging.

As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone? ... it is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come our way. Remember the words of Tennyson: “My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure.”

Dare to Stand Alone Thomas S. Monson President of the Church

"I can share with you a simple example from my own life of what parents can do. When I was about five or six years old, I lived across the street from a small grocery store. One day two other boys invited me to go with them to the store. As we stood coveting the candy for sale there, the older boy grabbed a candy bar and slipped it into his pocket. He urged the other boy and me to do the same, and after some hesitation we did. Then we quickly left the store and ran off in separate directions. I found a hiding place at home and tore off the candy wrapper. My mother discovered me with the chocolate evidence smeared on my face and escorted me back to the grocery store. As we crossed the street, I was sure I was facing life imprisonment. With sobs and tears, I apologized to the owner and paid him for the candy bar with a dime that my mother had loaned me (which I had to earn later). My mother’s love and discipline put an abrupt and early end to my life of crime."

Moral Discipline D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 All is not lost.  We can start in our own homes and show the right direction by our actions.  We can train up our children to do the right.  And thus we can help to save the raising generation and the Nation in which we live.  For as the fabric of society falls apart and the family is attacked so goes the nation.  But, as we stem the tide and go against the flow of lacking morals and the like we can help to set a new standard.  Though in reality it is not a new standard.  For the standards of God do not change!

Buaidh - NO - Bas