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<p>JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — It was a sleepless night for Sipho Mpofu and her one-year-old son, Junior. After days of vomiting, the boy was squirming restlessly in bed with a high fever. Just as Mpofu’s concern edged toward despair, she remembered a text message she had received several months earlier that recommended giving a solution of salt and sugar to a baby with an upset stomach.</p>
<p>She did, and by the next morning Junior was back to his playful self.&#160;</p>
<p>“Mother was very worried about you last night,” she told him with a tone of relief on a recent summer morning.&#160;</p>
<p>The guidance had come to Mpofu’s cell phone as a text message from the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA), an international initiative to reduce maternal and newborn deaths by providing new and expectant mothers with health information through mobile devices.</p>
<p>Mpofu was able to treat Junior’s extreme dehydration, but recently a friend of hers who was not in the MAMA program buried her two-week-old child after similar symptoms went untreated. After the death, Mpofu asked her friend if she had made the salt-and-sugar solution. She hadn’t.&#160;</p>
<p />
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<p>It is preventable deaths like these that the MAMA project hopes to avert. According to UNICEF, in South Africa the child mortality rate has fallen from 61 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 45 in 2012. But that is still higher than targets set for the country in the United Nation Millennium Development Goals. And some 1,500 women died from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes in 2013, according to the World Health Organization. This figure has changed little from where it stood two decades ago.</p>
<p>MAMA is an example of a public-private partnership (PPP), a collaboration of governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), private companies and other entities that get together to fund projects and implement programs that address some of the world's most challenging health and development issues.</p>
<p>Launched three years ago, MAMA is a joint effort led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Johnson &amp; Johnson, with active projects in South Africa and Bangladesh, and planned rollouts in India and Nigeria. It is also one of many so-called mHealth programs begun in recent years, seeking to leverage the rapid growth of mobile phones to address vast public health needs in developing countries.</p>
<p>Through MAMA South Africa, registered pregnant women and new mothers receive text messages twice a week that guide them through their pregnancy and the first year of their children’s lives. The MAMA text message program reaches 12,000 women in six clinics in Johannesburg, the nation’s largest city. It also has an online component that reaches hundreds of thousands of women nationally through informational, interactive sites and weekly quizzes.&#160;</p>
<p>Encouraged by anecdotal evidence, the country’s minister of health announced in August that the government will adapt a version of MAMA’s text messaging program in the coming months with a goal of eventually reaching the one million or so pregnant women who give birth in the public health system each year. In South Africa, the unique subscriber mobile penetration rate is 64.6 percent.</p>
<p>But a close look at MAMA shows that despite its good intentions, this particular public-private partnership faces roadblocks in proving itself. Some members of the public health community are raising questions about the program’s long-term sustainability and efficacy.</p>
<p>While mothers in South Africa have testified to the helpfulness of the program, there are concerns about the high cost of text messaging. And given the lack of strong evidence of positive health outcomes from the program, some critics are asking if limited government funds should be used to pay for text messages when they could be paying for more nurses instead.</p>
<p>The Cost Barrier</p>
<p>MAMA’s global partners began to merge in late 2010 as Johnson &amp; Johnson began conversations with USAID. They each decided to commit $5 million to the MAMA project over three years. Then new partners came into the fold and an operating plan was hatched. Johnson &amp; Johnson brought on a subsidiary, BabyCenter, to provide the health content for the text messages. Then came the UN Foundation, which already had experience working on mobile health projects. It, in turn, brought on the mHealth Alliance, a UN initiative that would provide mHealth expertise to the partnership.</p>
<p>Part of the reason MAMA was conceived, says Kirsten Gagnaire, the program’s executive director, was to scale up mHealth pilot projects. Despite the proliferation of these projects since their early days in 2003, many have not gone beyond the pilot phase, says Patricia Mechael, executive director of the mHealth Alliance.&#160;</p>
<p>Secretary of State Hillary Clinton introduced the MAMA program a week before Mother’s Day in 2011, calling maternal and child health a priority to her personally, as well as to the Obama administration.</p>
<p>“It's clear that with the right tools, the right partnerships, and the right commitment, we can achieve real results,” Clinton said.&#160;</p>
<p>The global MAMA partner organizations recognized from the start that they would need a strong local presence to implement their vision. They recruited regional partners from the public and private sector across all three countries they sought to work in initially: Bangladesh, South Africa, and India. In South Africa, the MAMA project recruited four organizations: telecommunications giant Vodacom and local nonprofits Praekelt Foundation, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, and Cell-Life.&#160;</p>
<p>The idea was that MAMA would negotiate discounted prices with Vodacom to send up to 172 text messages to women at a fraction of the going rate. Vodacom provided MAMA with additional funding, as part of the company’s corporate contributions, which would then purchase the text messages through a third-party provider. Not all women were on the Vodacom network, of course, so for those who were not, the organizations secured additional funding from global partners.</p>
<p>Attempts to secure a discounted text messaging rate from Vodacom were met with resistance, however, and additional telecom companies did not sign on as organizers had hoped they would. MAMA’s inability to negotiate a lower price meant that it could not reach as many women with those funds, according to the Praekelt Foundation.</p>
<p>Women who sign up for MAMA get text messages from the program for free, but the texts are not free for MAMA. The program has to pay up to $4 for each woman who signs up if she receives the full set of messages. Prices are higher in South Africa than in other African nations, according to Craig Friderichs, program director at GSMA, a telecommunications trade group.</p>
<p>The cost of the service has curtailed MAMA’s reach; the text messaging program currently operates in only six clinics in Johannesburg because it can’t afford to expand. It is able to reach a total of 544,000 women through additional informational websites and weekly quizzes, but because this information isn’t directly delivered to women based on the stage of their pregnancy or post-pregnancy, these other messages are not catered and delivered to the individual.&#160;</p>
<p>“The cost of sending an SMS, making calls, using data, the rate that we can get them negotiated to, has everything to do with how many women we can serve,” Gagnaire says.&#160;</p>
<p>Mpofu learned about the MAMA text messaging program while sitting in line at a clinic near her house in Johannesburg. Someone affiliated with the program was there explaining it to the women waiting for their appointments, and Mpofu decided to sign up. Junior was six weeks old at the time, and although Mpofu had already had four children before Junior, she says she is still learning from the text messages she receives.</p>
<p>Mpofu, who is 38 years old, earns about $230 per month as a housekeeper. Her husband sells airtime for mobile phones. Together they can barely pay school fees or for food for all of their five children.</p>
<p>“I don’t like the work I’m doing, but I do it because I’m desperate,” she says. “Life is stressful, and Johannesburg is so expensive.”&#160;</p>
<p>Mpofu is the kind of woman MAMA hopes to target: women who might not have access to high quality health information and care and who are more likely to suffer from preventable illness and death.</p>
<p>According to the World Health Organization, every day approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, with 99 percent of all maternal deaths occurring in developing countries. Maternal mortality is higher for women living in rural areas and in poorer communities. Of the 12,000 women enrolled in the program, about 88 percent live in households with monthly incomes of less than $460.&#160;</p>
<p>MAMA never had plans to expand its text-messaging program in South Africa because of the high cost of the messages, Gagnaire says. But with the government’s launch of its text-messaging program, called ‘MomConnect,’ every woman in the country will have access to the government’s texts. Still, MAMA needs funding to maintain its own programs in the country.</p>
<p>The government is hoping to bring on board all of the nation’s network operators with a reduction in prices to at least half their commercial value, says Dr. Yogan Pillay, deputy director for HIV/AIDS, TB, and Maternal &amp; Child Health at the National Department of Health. One of South Africa’s cellphone network operators, MTN Group Ltd., says that the company would have to analyze the proposed arrangement to find out how it could be profitable in the long run.</p>
<p>Pieter Verkade, group chief commercial officer for MTN, calls finding a commercial interest in the program “crucial” for the company’s involvement.</p>
<p>“We have to look at what commercially is in it for us,” Verkade says. “If it’s a one-off, that is possible. We’ve done that before. But if it becomes a commercial service, it becomes something else.”</p>
<p>A ‘Bold Move’</p>
<p>So far, the primary evidence to show the success of the MAMA text-message program came out of a focus group held last year hosted by MAMA partner Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute. Mothers there said they valued MAMA for the information it provided on such things as vaccination and developmental milestones.</p>
<p>The MAMA South Africa program has raised about $1.1 million for the first three years. Eighty-five percent is funded by the MAMA global core partners, the remaining 15 percent from the regional partners. The funding for the South African government’s ‘MomConnect’ program will eventually come directly from the government’s health budget, Pillay says.</p>
<p>Johnson &amp; Johnson and ELMA have each committed $500,000 to help the program in the launch period before the government’s budget takes on the expense, and the US government — through PEPFAR and the USAID Southern Africa mission — is supporting both the expansion of MAMA and the launch and roll-out of ‘MomConnect.’</p>
<p>If the MAMA program were extrapolated to a national scale, the text messages alone would cost the government around $4 million per year. This is given the commercial prices. But the government is hoping that network operators will reduce the price of the text messages.</p>
<p>The South African government announced the launch of MomConnect a little more than a year after MAMA began registering mothers in South Africa, without a solid base of evidence to show the outcomes of the program.</p>
<p>“This was a very bold move,” says Sara Nieuwoudt, a lecturer at the School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg who works in the division of social and behavior change communication. “If I’m a domestic worker and I am told by a message that I need to breastfeed my child exclusively, but I need to travel a half-hour between my work and my home, where my child is, it becomes impossible. If you are telling people certain things but not addressing other more critical systematic barriers, it becomes problematic. This program could be a sexy thing for a while, but if the government isn’t able to develop an evidence base, then there is an ethical issue raised of how to best use resources for public health.”</p>
<p>“I think the efficiencies of mobile are unquestioned,” says Alison Chatfield, project manager at the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard School of Public Health, citing the fact that mobile phones can, for one, reduce the time it takes to connect health provider with patient. “Where it gets stickier is when asking, can mobile technology increase the quality of care that is being provided to the patient?”</p>
<p>But seeing even a general improvement in maternal and child health outcomes won’t be enough of an evidence base, according to Alain Labrique, associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who recently joined MAMA’s advisory board.</p>
<p>“Things naturally get better over time,” he says. “I could sit in a room and send myself text messages and say my behavior improved. The challenge is showing that the change is because of a program.”</p>
<p>The MAMA program is aware that it needs to develop an evidence base moving forward.</p>
<p>“Evidence of whether and how our work impacts the lives of moms and babies is a priority for MAMA and has been since our inception,” Gagnaire says.&#160;</p>
<p>Several studies are now under way, Gagnaire says, looking at changes in participants' knowledge, planning, self-efficacy and at-home behaviors, and tracking whether they seek clinical services. The South African USAID mission has allocated $200,000 for evaluation of the MAMA program and is waiting on government approval to move forward with collecting data. Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute will conduct a retroactive survey on users of the program that are HIV positive. The South African government also will deploy Johns Hopkins University, the University of the Western Cape and the University of Stellenbosch&#160;to develop an evaluation system of the MomConnect program.</p>
<p>The South African government has also leaned on positive results from Text4baby, a free text messaging service for mothers in the US, according to the MAMA team. Johnson &amp; Johnson was a founding sponsor of the program.&#160;</p>
<p>Debbie Rogers, lead strategist for the Praekelt Foundation, thinks the government takeover could be a proof-of-concept project.</p>
<p>“MAMA has essentially been taken over, scaled up and made sustainable,” she says. “There are so many people all over the world talking about how to make that happen, and it’s actually happened here.”</p>
<p>But others are watching the launch with concern.</p>
<p>“We used to have health educators helping women,” says Dorothy Matebeni, president of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, a national trade union. “No woman would leave a maternity ward or antenatal clinic without education. I should think that we need to revive those things.”</p>
<p>Matebeni says making a connection between a nurse and a woman is better than spending millions on text messages.</p>
<p>“We used to have systems in place,” she says, shaking her head.</p>
<p>For women like Mpofu, who witnessed a friend lose her child to dehydration, receiving a health-based text message is a godsend. But whether the government should be spending its budget on text messages rather than putting funds into paying more nurse salaries or other current programs within the national health system is another question, Matebeni says.&#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/health/140919/merck-river-blindness-drc-ppp-branding-health" type="external">Merck continues campaign to hold off river blindness in the DRC (VIDEO)</a></p>
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johannesburg south africa sleepless night sipho mpofu oneyearold son junior days vomiting boy squirming restlessly bed high fever mpofus concern edged toward despair remembered text message received several months earlier recommended giving solution salt sugar baby upset stomach next morning junior back playful self160 mother worried last night told tone relief recent summer morning160 guidance come mpofus cell phone text message mobile alliance maternal action mama international initiative reduce maternal newborn deaths providing new expectant mothers health information mobile devices mpofu able treat juniors extreme dehydration recently friend mama program buried twoweekold child similar symptoms went untreated death mpofu asked friend made saltandsugar solution hadnt160 preventable deaths like mama project hopes avert according unicef south africa child mortality rate fallen 61 deaths per 1000 live births 1990 45 2012 still higher targets set country united nation millennium development goals 1500 women died pregnancy childbirthrelated causes 2013 according world health organization figure changed little stood two decades ago mama example publicprivate partnership ppp collaboration governments nongovernmental organizations ngos private companies entities get together fund projects implement programs address worlds challenging health development issues launched three years ago mama joint effort led united states agency international development usaid johnson amp johnson active projects south africa bangladesh planned rollouts india nigeria also one many socalled mhealth programs begun recent years seeking leverage rapid growth mobile phones address vast public health needs developing countries mama south africa registered pregnant women new mothers receive text messages twice week guide pregnancy first year childrens lives mama text message program reaches 12000 women six clinics johannesburg nations largest city also online component reaches hundreds thousands women nationally informational interactive sites weekly quizzes160 encouraged anecdotal evidence countrys minister health announced august government adapt version mamas text messaging program coming months goal eventually reaching one million pregnant women give birth public health system year south africa unique subscriber mobile penetration rate 646 percent close look mama shows despite good intentions particular publicprivate partnership faces roadblocks proving members public health community raising questions programs longterm sustainability efficacy mothers south africa testified helpfulness program concerns high cost text messaging given lack strong evidence positive health outcomes program critics asking limited government funds used pay text messages could paying nurses instead cost barrier mamas global partners began merge late 2010 johnson amp johnson began conversations usaid decided commit 5 million mama project three years new partners came fold operating plan hatched johnson amp johnson brought subsidiary babycenter provide health content text messages came un foundation already experience working mobile health projects turn brought mhealth alliance un initiative would provide mhealth expertise partnership part reason mama conceived says kirsten gagnaire programs executive director scale mhealth pilot projects despite proliferation projects since early days 2003 many gone beyond pilot phase says patricia mechael executive director mhealth alliance160 secretary state hillary clinton introduced mama program week mothers day 2011 calling maternal child health priority personally well obama administration clear right tools right partnerships right commitment achieve real results clinton said160 global mama partner organizations recognized start would need strong local presence implement vision recruited regional partners public private sector across three countries sought work initially bangladesh south africa india south africa mama project recruited four organizations telecommunications giant vodacom local nonprofits praekelt foundation wits reproductive health hiv institute celllife160 idea mama would negotiate discounted prices vodacom send 172 text messages women fraction going rate vodacom provided mama additional funding part companys corporate contributions would purchase text messages thirdparty provider women vodacom network course organizations secured additional funding global partners attempts secure discounted text messaging rate vodacom met resistance however additional telecom companies sign organizers hoped would mamas inability negotiate lower price meant could reach many women funds according praekelt foundation women sign mama get text messages program free texts free mama program pay 4 woman signs receives full set messages prices higher south africa african nations according craig friderichs program director gsma telecommunications trade group cost service curtailed mamas reach text messaging program currently operates six clinics johannesburg cant afford expand able reach total 544000 women additional informational websites weekly quizzes information isnt directly delivered women based stage pregnancy postpregnancy messages catered delivered individual160 cost sending sms making calls using data rate get negotiated everything many women serve gagnaire says160 mpofu learned mama text messaging program sitting line clinic near house johannesburg someone affiliated program explaining women waiting appointments mpofu decided sign junior six weeks old time although mpofu already four children junior says still learning text messages receives mpofu 38 years old earns 230 per month housekeeper husband sells airtime mobile phones together barely pay school fees food five children dont like work im im desperate says life stressful johannesburg expensive160 mpofu kind woman mama hopes target women might access high quality health information care likely suffer preventable illness death according world health organization every day approximately 800 women die preventable causes related pregnancy childbirth 99 percent maternal deaths occurring developing countries maternal mortality higher women living rural areas poorer communities 12000 women enrolled program 88 percent live households monthly incomes less 460160 mama never plans expand textmessaging program south africa high cost messages gagnaire says governments launch textmessaging program called momconnect every woman country access governments texts still mama needs funding maintain programs country government hoping bring board nations network operators reduction prices least half commercial value says dr yogan pillay deputy director hivaids tb maternal amp child health national department health one south africas cellphone network operators mtn group ltd says company would analyze proposed arrangement find could profitable long run pieter verkade group chief commercial officer mtn calls finding commercial interest program crucial companys involvement look commercially us verkade says oneoff possible weve done becomes commercial service becomes something else bold move far primary evidence show success mama textmessage program came focus group held last year hosted mama partner wits reproductive health hiv institute mothers said valued mama information provided things vaccination developmental milestones mama south africa program raised 11 million first three years eightyfive percent funded mama global core partners remaining 15 percent regional partners funding south african governments momconnect program eventually come directly governments health budget pillay says johnson amp johnson elma committed 500000 help program launch period governments budget takes expense us government pepfar usaid southern africa mission supporting expansion mama launch rollout momconnect mama program extrapolated national scale text messages alone would cost government around 4 million per year given commercial prices government hoping network operators reduce price text messages south african government announced launch momconnect little year mama began registering mothers south africa without solid base evidence show outcomes program bold move says sara nieuwoudt lecturer school public health university witwatersrand johannesburg works division social behavior change communication im domestic worker told message need breastfeed child exclusively need travel halfhour work home child becomes impossible telling people certain things addressing critical systematic barriers becomes problematic program could sexy thing government isnt able develop evidence base ethical issue raised best use resources public health think efficiencies mobile unquestioned says alison chatfield project manager women health initiative harvard school public health citing fact mobile phones one reduce time takes connect health provider patient gets stickier asking mobile technology increase quality care provided patient seeing even general improvement maternal child health outcomes wont enough evidence base according alain labrique associate professor johns hopkins bloomberg school public health recently joined mamas advisory board things naturally get better time says could sit room send text messages say behavior improved challenge showing change program mama program aware needs develop evidence base moving forward evidence whether work impacts lives moms babies priority mama since inception gagnaire says160 several studies way gagnaire says looking changes participants knowledge planning selfefficacy athome behaviors tracking whether seek clinical services south african usaid mission allocated 200000 evaluation mama program waiting government approval move forward collecting data wits reproductive health hiv institute conduct retroactive survey users program hiv positive south african government also deploy johns hopkins university university western cape university stellenbosch160to develop evaluation system momconnect program south african government also leaned positive results text4baby free text messaging service mothers us according mama team johnson amp johnson founding sponsor program160 debbie rogers lead strategist praekelt foundation thinks government takeover could proofofconcept project mama essentially taken scaled made sustainable says many people world talking make happen actually happened others watching launch concern used health educators helping women says dorothy matebeni president democratic nursing organisation south africa national trade union woman would leave maternity ward antenatal clinic without education think need revive things matebeni says making connection nurse woman better spending millions text messages used systems place says shaking head women like mpofu witnessed friend lose child dehydration receiving healthbased text message godsend whether government spending budget text messages rather putting funds paying nurse salaries current programs within national health system another question matebeni says160 globalpost160 merck continues campaign hold river blindness drc video
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<p>Like most of the students sitting around Northeastern Illinois University’s student center, Ala’a Basatneh can often be found either staring intently at her laptop or browsing social media on her cell phone. But perhaps unlike her classmates, the 23-year-old political science major is using social networks for a very singular purpose. Basatneh is an online activist and has been involved in organizing protests against the Syrian regime since the onset of the revolution against President Bashar al-Assad.</p>
<p>Beginning in 2011, Basatneh has been in constant contact with activists inside the country and helps them in a variety of ways, including strategically coordinating mass protests, collecting and publicizing photos and video of human rights atrocities, translating, and protecting the online identities of activists on the ground.</p>
<p>Over the years, Basatneh has seen many friends lose their lives to the violence in Syria, and has herself <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-23/news/ct-met-syria-dissidents-1023-20111023_1_anti-assad-syrian-opposition-syrian-president-bashar-assad" type="external">been threatened by agents of the al-Assad regime</a> and other groups. She has met with then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the United Nations regarding international intervention and applying a no-fly zone, and has also visited Syria twice to deliver medical supplies. She was the subject of the 2013 <a href="http://www.chicagogirlfilm.com/#!trailer/c1aol" type="external">documentary</a> #chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator, which is currently streaming on Netflix.</p>
<p>The Reporter caught up with Basatneh in Chicago, her home since she was six months old, at the NEIU North Side campus.</p>
<p>How and when did you first get involved in the Syrian revolution, and why?</p>
<p>When the Tunisian and the Egyptian revolutions started, I remember clearly saying to myself: there’s no way anything’s going to start in Syria. Because I know how brutal the Syrian regime is, I know how oppressed the Syrian people are, and I didn’t know if that factor of bravery really existed.</p>
<p>I remember clearly walking into my house and seeing on the news that the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/world/meast/syria-crisis-beginnings/" type="external">children of Daraa</a>, they wrote all over the schools, they wanted to topple the regime and I mean I had plans at the mall and I just decided there’s no way on this planet I’m just going to hear this, let it pass through, and go to the mall. It’s not fair, it’s unjust, it’s just inhumane to not do anything about it, so I looked around the room and the first thing I saw was my laptop and I said, “Ok, I can help them at least through this.”</p>
<p>Tell me more about the initial protests. What was the strategy, and what were the protestors’ demands?</p>
<p>We’ve had martial law in Syria for ten years. The basics of martial law include no protesting, you just definitely can’t speak up, everything has to be under certain rules. So the very first protest [I organized] was here in Chicago. I got on the mic and everyone was chanting, “Down with the martial law.” We didn’t even say, “Down with the dictator,” we didn’t call him anything, all we wanted was for martial law to be ended in Syria.</p>
<p>People on the ground [in Syria] were also protesting against the martial law, and as soon as that happened, the Syrian regime did a stupid move. They opened up tanks and fire and live ammunition on the protestors, they killed a lot of people, and that’s when the rage became ten times worse. Because that’s not how you respond to people that are yearning for freedom. They were yearning just for martial law to be ended and then and there, everyone said, ok, down with the dictator, no more Bashar al-Assad, no more Syrian regime, we’ve had enough.</p>
<p>How did you manage daily life as a student while managing the social network?&#160;</p>
<p>I didn’t. (laughs) That’s the thing. Since day one in class, I would explain to the professor, you know, this is what I’m doing. Some professors would understand and others would look at me like ‘What are you, crazy? What’s going on?’ And I’ve had professors say to me, ‘Once you finish your activism I think you’ll be ready to take my class,’ and I easily dropped those courses and took different courses because I’m not going to stop my activism in the revolution and I’m not going to stop going to school, because if I stop either, it’s just never going to happen. So it was a lot of sorry letters to professors, a lot of Red Bull and coffee, and just waking up very early or going to sleep very late, sometimes no sleep, but I managed it.</p>
<p>Can you give us an update on the current situation in Syria?</p>
<p>When it comes to protests, there are weekly protests throughout the country. There are pictures and videos that are being sent to me every Friday and these protests by civilians have evolved from, ‘We want to topple the regime’ to ‘We want to topple the regime and we want ISIS outside of our country.’</p>
<p>Since the rise of ISIS and the lack of international intervention, the Syrian people felt hopeless. But there are activists on the ground, there are still citizen journalists, they’re still doing their jobs. I’m in contact with them on a daily basis, but we just have to double up our work because media outlets stopped taking our videos. They stopped covering everything because ISIS is a sexier story. Everyone is down that trend, everyone wants to cover ISIS and no one wants to talk about the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTEaDWjWK88" type="external">children that are eating cardboard boxes and grass</a> and suffering on daily struggles.</p>
<p>The documentary shows you maintaining a spreadsheet of all of your activist contacts in Syria, their locations, and even your plans to meet them in person. What became of that spreadsheet?</p>
<p>A couple of days ago, one of the activists sent me a message and he’s like, ‘You know what, if you help me translate this, I will take you to so-and-so’s restaurant once the revolution is over.’ And I really laughed because it hurts. I haven’t seen that spreadsheet since two years ago, and the reason is because 75 percent of the people on there are either displaced or dead or I don’t know anything about them. The chaos that’s been going on just … it really made me just close that spreadsheet for now and not open it.</p>
<p>The film ends with&#160;you and your father departing for a trip to Syria to deliver medical supplies to liberated areas. What made you decide to go in person instead of just continuing to help remotely?</p>
<p>So Omar [Mazhar Tayara] passed first, he was killed first, and then Bassell [Shahade] was killed second after him. That’s when I really felt hopeless and I felt like no matter what I’m doing it’s just not enough. At times I would just leave my laptop in my room and cry because I felt so hopeless.</p>
<p>At the same exact time, Syrian activists reached out to me and said we only have six insulin shots left in Aleppo, we really need your help. Children are going to die and elderly are going to die. So I said ok, great, this is something that I can do you know other than sitting behind my laptop. So with the help of my father I got to reach out to doctors in the Midwest. They all donated a lot of medication. I had these bags and bags of medication and I said to myself, ok, next is take it there.</p>
<p>I mean in the beginning, the plan was that the movie would end with ‘The regime is toppled! Ala’a is in Syria, we’re going to film her in Syria walking around with her friends, meeting people on her list.’ But that didn’t happen. It will happen though.</p>
<p>This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.</p>
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like students sitting around northeastern illinois universitys student center alaa basatneh often found either staring intently laptop browsing social media cell phone perhaps unlike classmates 23yearold political science major using social networks singular purpose basatneh online activist involved organizing protests syrian regime since onset revolution president bashar alassad beginning 2011 basatneh constant contact activists inside country helps variety ways including strategically coordinating mass protests collecting publicizing photos video human rights atrocities translating protecting online identities activists ground years basatneh seen many friends lose lives violence syria threatened agents alassad regime groups met secretary state hilary clinton united nations regarding international intervention applying nofly zone also visited syria twice deliver medical supplies subject 2013 documentary chicagogirl social network takes dictator currently streaming netflix reporter caught basatneh chicago home since six months old neiu north side campus first get involved syrian revolution tunisian egyptian revolutions started remember clearly saying theres way anythings going start syria know brutal syrian regime know oppressed syrian people didnt know factor bravery really existed remember clearly walking house seeing news children daraa wrote schools wanted topple regime mean plans mall decided theres way planet im going hear let pass go mall fair unjust inhumane anything looked around room first thing saw laptop said ok help least tell initial protests strategy protestors demands weve martial law syria ten years basics martial law include protesting definitely cant speak everything certain rules first protest organized chicago got mic everyone chanting martial law didnt even say dictator didnt call anything wanted martial law ended syria people ground syria also protesting martial law soon happened syrian regime stupid move opened tanks fire live ammunition protestors killed lot people thats rage became ten times worse thats respond people yearning freedom yearning martial law ended everyone said ok dictator bashar alassad syrian regime weve enough manage daily life student managing social network160 didnt laughs thats thing since day one class would explain professor know im professors would understand others would look like crazy whats going ive professors say finish activism think youll ready take class easily dropped courses took different courses im going stop activism revolution im going stop going school stop either never going happen lot sorry letters professors lot red bull coffee waking early going sleep late sometimes sleep managed give us update current situation syria comes protests weekly protests throughout country pictures videos sent every friday protests civilians evolved want topple regime want topple regime want isis outside country since rise isis lack international intervention syrian people felt hopeless activists ground still citizen journalists theyre still jobs im contact daily basis double work media outlets stopped taking videos stopped covering everything isis sexier story everyone trend everyone wants cover isis one wants talk children eating cardboard boxes grass suffering daily struggles documentary shows maintaining spreadsheet activist contacts syria locations even plans meet person became spreadsheet couple days ago one activists sent message hes like know help translate take soandsos restaurant revolution really laughed hurts havent seen spreadsheet since two years ago reason 75 percent people either displaced dead dont know anything chaos thats going really made close spreadsheet open film ends with160you father departing trip syria deliver medical supplies liberated areas made decide go person instead continuing help remotely omar mazhar tayara passed first killed first bassell shahade killed second thats really felt hopeless felt like matter im enough times would leave laptop room cry felt hopeless exact time syrian activists reached said six insulin shots left aleppo really need help children going die elderly going die said ok great something know sitting behind laptop help father got reach doctors midwest donated lot medication bags bags medication said ok next take mean beginning plan movie would end regime toppled alaa syria going film syria walking around friends meeting people list didnt happen happen though interview edited condensed clarity
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<p>Recommendation I 2012 Special Observances and Emphases</p>
<p>January 1: Collegiate Ministries Emphasis Day January 15: Sanctity of Human Life Sunday February 12-19: WMU Focus Week February 19: Virginia Baptist Colleges and Schools Day April 8: Cooperative Missions/Cooperative Program Day May 6: Virginia Baptist Homes Day May 13: Baptist World Alliance Sunday May 20-26: Associational Missions Emphasis/Week of Prayer June 17: HopeTree Family Services June 24-30: Virginia Baptist Heritage Week July 1: Religious Liberty Sunday September 9-16: Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions Emphasis/Week of Prayer September 23: Religious Herald Sunday October 14: World Hunger Awareness Day October&#160; 28: “Consider Your Call” Sunday</p>
<p>Recommendation II Special Offerings</p>
<p>1. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions 2. The Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions 3. Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions 4. World Hunger Offering 5. Global Missions Offering</p>
<p>Recommendation III BGAV Constitution and Bylaw Amendments</p>
<p>CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE VI</p>
<p>Section D:&#160; Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds</p>
<p>The Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds shall consist of fifteen (15) members, at least seven (7) of whom shall be ministers and at least seven (7) of whom shall be laypersons. The chair of the committee shall be appointed annually by the incoming president of the General Association and may be an additional member of the committee. The vice chair of the Committee on Emerging Leaders of the VBMB shall be an ex officio member.</p>
<p>BYLAWS, ARTICLE I</p>
<p>Section C:&#160; Committees</p>
<p>4. Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds</p>
<p>(a)&#160; The Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds shall consist of fifteen (15) members, at least seven (7) of whom shall be ministers and at least seven (7) of whom shall be laypersons. Upon nomination from the Committee on Boards and Committees, five (5) members shall be elected annually at the General Association meeting for three (3) year terms.</p>
<p>(b) The incoming president of the General Association each year shall appoint a chair of the Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds to serve for one (1) year. The appointee may be one of the committee members or some other eligible Virginia Baptist. If this appointee is not serving an elected term on the Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds, the appointed term on the committee shall be for one (1) year to coincide with the year of appointment as chair. The chair shall have had at least one (1) year’s previous service (not necessarily consecutive) on the Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds, and no person may serve as chair of the committee for more than two (2) years consecutively.</p>
<p>BYLAWS, ARTICLE II</p>
<p>Section C:&#160; Committees</p>
<p>4. The Committee on Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds. This committee shall oversee the awarding of financial assistance from the BGAV Scholarships and Ministerial Education Funds to further the educational development of (a) persons who are preparing for the Baptist ministry and (b) emerging leaders of all ages.</p>
<p>BYLAWS, ARTICLE II Section C, 3 (b): Delete “Chaplain Service of the Churches of Virginia” and add “Chaplain Service Prison Ministry of Virginia.”</p>
<p>Recommendation IV Resolution of Appreciation for William T. Alphin Jr.</p>
<p>Bill Alphin has announced his intention to retire from the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and from his ministry position as Coordinator for Christian Faith Formation on the Empowering Leaders Team effective November 30, 2010, following more than twenty-seven years of service to the Virginia Baptist family.</p>
<p>Whereas, Bill, beginning on September 1, 1983, has ministered to Virginia Baptists through a variety of leadership roles in Christian education, including Director of Adult Sunday School and Single Adult Ministry, Director of Adult Education Ministries, Adult Ministries Consultant, and Bible Study and Discipleship Coordinator.</p>
<p>Whereas, Bill, a proud native Richmonder, is a graduate of Henrico High School and a Navy veteran with degrees from VCU in business administration and from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Christian education. As a community volunteer, Bill has been a member of the Board of Directors for Hanover Habitat for Humanity. Bill is most content when he’s teaching others to apply the Bible to their lives and when he’s bicycling around Central Virginia.</p>
<p>Whereas, Bill has been church staff minister in Virginia at Staples Mill, Richmond, and Northside, Mechanicsville, with interim pastor stints at Deep Run, Richmond, Rhoadsville, and Westhunt, Richmond. Additionally, he served at Briar Creek in Charlotte, North Carolina and has led conferences across the United States.</p>
<p>Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the elected members of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board meeting at Eagle Eyrie on October 12-13, 2010, thank William T. Alphin, Jr. for his quality service to the Mission Board staff and the churches of Virginia and promise our prayers and best wishes to Bill, Brenda, and their family as they move into a new chapter of life, and</p>
<p>Be It Further Resolved, that we ask the messengers of the Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia on November 9-10, 2010, in Hampton to express our heartfelt thanks to God for the ministry of Bill Alphin.</p>
<p>Recommendation V Resolution of Appreciation for William A. Cumby</p>
<p>Bill Cumby has declared his plan to retire from the staff of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s Support Services Team as Properties Manager on November 30, 2010, after thirty years of service.</p>
<p>Whereas, Bill joined the Mission Board staff on October 16, 1980, after serving on a Navy ammunition ship, graduating from VCU in business management, and working as a Henrico County law enforcement officer and IBM employee.</p>
<p>Whereas, Bill has served the staff as “expediter extraordinaire” over the years while managing the Mission Board’s printing and mailing services, maintaining and securing buildings, grounds, and fleet, guiding the transition to computers and electronic communications, arranging a myriad of renovations and moves, and regularly taking on “other duties as assigned.” Bill has witnessed major turning points in our Virginia Baptist world as he worked in two “Baptist Buildings” and through two organizational name changes, alongside Baptist leaders Richard Stephenson, Reginald McDonough, John Upton, Doyle Chauncey, Nat Kellum, Eddie Stratton, and Walter Harrow.</p>
<p>Whereas, Bill’s life calling is to serve as a manager and missionary, a combination he fulfilled well at the Mission Board. Given the pressures and challenges he faced each day, Bill’s gentle spirit has earned him the nickname, “Sunshine.”</p>
<p>Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the elected members of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board meeting at Eagle Eyrie on October 12-13, 2010, convey our deep appreciation to William A. Cumby for his faithful service to the Mission Board staff and Virginia Baptists, and we pledge our prayers to Bill, Linda, and their family, and</p>
<p>Be It Further Resolved, that we ask the messengers of the Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia on November 9-10, 2010, in Hampton to offer our thanks to God for the life and work of Bill Cumby.</p>
<p>Recommendation VI Resolution of Appreciation for James Noel “Jim” Collie Jr</p>
<p>Whereas, James Noel “Jim” Collie, Jr. has announced his intention to retire on November 30, 2010 as Baptist Collegiate Minister in the Southwest Virginia area that includes the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, the Mountain Empire, Southwest Virginia, and Virginia Highland Community Colleges; and</p>
<p>Whereas, Jim is a cradle Virginia Baptist, having been born on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, growing up on Virginia’s historic Peninsula, and spiritually nurtured by the Hilton Baptist Church in Newport News where he was baptized and ordained; and</p>
<p>Whereas, Jim has been significantly involved in collegiate ministry as a college and seminary student, church staff member, and collegiate minister, serving for more than thirty-two years as only the second full-time collegiate minister at the University of Virginia at Wise; and</p>
<p>Whereas, while serving as Associate Pastor of the Clifton Forge Baptist Church, Jim engaged the academic community at Dabney Lancaster Community College, teaching courses in Bible, Religion and Philosophy, and assisting in the development of collegiate ministries at the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University in Lexington; and</p>
<p>Whereas, Jim has been a faithful churchman, deacon and Sunday School teacher of the Wise Baptist Church and a participant in both campus and community service organizations, including coaching cross-country athletes in the local high school and in both Men’s and Women’s programs at the University of Virginia at Wise for almost a decade; and</p>
<p>Whereas, Jim’s ministry in the Southwest Virginia area has established him as a person of impeccable integrity, credibility, and influence among the churches and the institutions of higher education in that region, establishing strong relationships with both clergy and lay leaders in member churches of five local District Associations; and</p>
<p>Whereas, Jim has established a strong connection with the staff, faculty, and administration at University of Virginia’s College at Wise, resulting in the University’s 2009-2010 recognition of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry as the&#160; outstanding organization from among the sixty campus student organizations; and</p>
<p>Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the elected members of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board meeting at Eagle Eyrie on October 12-13, 2010, extend our deepest appreciation to James Noel Collie, Jr. for his service to Virginia Baptists and pledge our prayer support for his continued ministry among us; and</p>
<p>Be It Further Resolved, that we ask the churches of the Annual Meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia on November 9-10, 2010, in Hampton to express our profound gratitude to God for the gift that James Noel Collie, Jr. has been to Virginia Baptists and to the advancement of the Kingdom of God.</p>
<p>Recommendation VII Resolution of Affirmation for Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond</p>
<p>Whereas, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond is celebrating her 20th anniversary of educating ministers, laypersons, and servant leaders with programs on campus highlighting her history and culminating with the 20th Anniversary Convocation on September 13, 2011.</p>
<p>Whereas, the seminary has been faithful in training and equipping women and men for ministry, graduating 598 students, 293 of whom now serve and live in Virginia; and</p>
<p>Whereas, the seminary continues to prepare ministers with emphasis on academic and ministry excellence, classical theological disciplines, an ecumenical and global perspective, Baptist heritage and social justice, a love for and commitment for God’s church; and</p>
<p>Whereas, the seminary continues to foster a meaningful and positive relationship with the Baptist General Association of Virginia and similar national Baptist fellowships and institutions; and</p>
<p>Whereas, the seminary has articulated a vision that moves theological education into churches through innovative approaches to theological education: Mission Immersion programs, supervised ministry and internships, spiritual formation, extensive online course offerings and a ministry-based curriculum;</p>
<p>Therefore Be It Resolved, that we, the messengers of the 187th Baptist General Association of Virginia meeting in Hampton Roads, Virginia, November 9-10, 2010, affirm the work and ministry of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and extend to the seminary community our appreciation and affection for their partnership in ministry.</p>
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recommendation 2012 special observances emphases january 1 collegiate ministries emphasis day january 15 sanctity human life sunday february 1219 wmu focus week february 19 virginia baptist colleges schools day april 8 cooperative missionscooperative program day may 6 virginia baptist homes day may 13 baptist world alliance sunday may 2026 associational missions emphasisweek prayer june 17 hopetree family services june 2430 virginia baptist heritage week july 1 religious liberty sunday september 916 alma hunt offering virginia missions emphasisweek prayer september 23 religious herald sunday october 14 world hunger awareness day october160 28 consider call sunday recommendation ii special offerings 1 lottie moon christmas offering international missions 2 annie armstrong offering north american missions 3 alma hunt offering virginia missions 4 world hunger offering 5 global missions offering recommendation iii bgav constitution bylaw amendments constitution article vi section d160 committee scholarships ministerial education funds committee scholarships ministerial education funds shall consist fifteen 15 members least seven 7 shall ministers least seven 7 shall laypersons chair committee shall appointed annually incoming president general association may additional member committee vice chair committee emerging leaders vbmb shall ex officio member bylaws article section c160 committees 4 committee scholarships ministerial education funds a160 committee scholarships ministerial education funds shall consist fifteen 15 members least seven 7 shall ministers least seven 7 shall laypersons upon nomination committee boards committees five 5 members shall elected annually general association meeting three 3 year terms b incoming president general association year shall appoint chair committee scholarships ministerial education funds serve one 1 year appointee may one committee members eligible virginia baptist appointee serving elected term committee scholarships ministerial education funds appointed term committee shall one 1 year coincide year appointment chair chair shall least one 1 years previous service necessarily consecutive committee scholarships ministerial education funds person may serve chair committee two 2 years consecutively bylaws article ii section c160 committees 4 committee scholarships ministerial education funds committee shall oversee awarding financial assistance bgav scholarships ministerial education funds educational development persons preparing baptist ministry b emerging leaders ages bylaws article ii section c 3 b delete chaplain service churches virginia add chaplain service prison ministry virginia recommendation iv resolution appreciation william alphin jr bill alphin announced intention retire staff virginia baptist mission board ministry position coordinator christian faith formation empowering leaders team effective november 30 2010 following twentyseven years service virginia baptist family whereas bill beginning september 1 1983 ministered virginia baptists variety leadership roles christian education including director adult sunday school single adult ministry director adult education ministries adult ministries consultant bible study discipleship coordinator whereas bill proud native richmonder graduate henrico high school navy veteran degrees vcu business administration southern baptist theological seminary christian education community volunteer bill member board directors hanover habitat humanity bill content hes teaching others apply bible lives hes bicycling around central virginia whereas bill church staff minister virginia staples mill richmond northside mechanicsville interim pastor stints deep run richmond rhoadsville westhunt richmond additionally served briar creek charlotte north carolina led conferences across united states therefore resolved elected members virginia baptist mission board meeting eagle eyrie october 1213 2010 thank william alphin jr quality service mission board staff churches virginia promise prayers best wishes bill brenda family move new chapter life resolved ask messengers annual meeting baptist general association virginia november 910 2010 hampton express heartfelt thanks god ministry bill alphin recommendation v resolution appreciation william cumby bill cumby declared plan retire staff virginia baptist mission boards support services team properties manager november 30 2010 thirty years service whereas bill joined mission board staff october 16 1980 serving navy ammunition ship graduating vcu business management working henrico county law enforcement officer ibm employee whereas bill served staff expediter extraordinaire years managing mission boards printing mailing services maintaining securing buildings grounds fleet guiding transition computers electronic communications arranging myriad renovations moves regularly taking duties assigned bill witnessed major turning points virginia baptist world worked two baptist buildings two organizational name changes alongside baptist leaders richard stephenson reginald mcdonough john upton doyle chauncey nat kellum eddie stratton walter harrow whereas bills life calling serve manager missionary combination fulfilled well mission board given pressures challenges faced day bills gentle spirit earned nickname sunshine therefore resolved elected members virginia baptist mission board meeting eagle eyrie october 1213 2010 convey deep appreciation william cumby faithful service mission board staff virginia baptists pledge prayers bill linda family resolved ask messengers annual meeting baptist general association virginia november 910 2010 hampton offer thanks god life work bill cumby recommendation vi resolution appreciation james noel jim collie jr whereas james noel jim collie jr announced intention retire november 30 2010 baptist collegiate minister southwest virginia area includes university virginias college wise mountain empire southwest virginia virginia highland community colleges whereas jim cradle virginia baptist born virginias eastern shore growing virginias historic peninsula spiritually nurtured hilton baptist church newport news baptized ordained whereas jim significantly involved collegiate ministry college seminary student church staff member collegiate minister serving thirtytwo years second fulltime collegiate minister university virginia wise whereas serving associate pastor clifton forge baptist church jim engaged academic community dabney lancaster community college teaching courses bible religion philosophy assisting development collegiate ministries virginia military institute washington lee university lexington whereas jim faithful churchman deacon sunday school teacher wise baptist church participant campus community service organizations including coaching crosscountry athletes local high school mens womens programs university virginia wise almost decade whereas jims ministry southwest virginia area established person impeccable integrity credibility influence among churches institutions higher education region establishing strong relationships clergy lay leaders member churches five local district associations whereas jim established strong connection staff faculty administration university virginias college wise resulting universitys 20092010 recognition baptist collegiate ministry the160 outstanding organization among sixty campus student organizations therefore resolved elected members virginia baptist mission board meeting eagle eyrie october 1213 2010 extend deepest appreciation james noel collie jr service virginia baptists pledge prayer support continued ministry among us resolved ask churches annual meeting baptist general association virginia november 910 2010 hampton express profound gratitude god gift james noel collie jr virginia baptists advancement kingdom god recommendation vii resolution affirmation baptist theological seminary richmond whereas baptist theological seminary richmond celebrating 20th anniversary educating ministers laypersons servant leaders programs campus highlighting history culminating 20th anniversary convocation september 13 2011 whereas seminary faithful training equipping women men ministry graduating 598 students 293 serve live virginia whereas seminary continues prepare ministers emphasis academic ministry excellence classical theological disciplines ecumenical global perspective baptist heritage social justice love commitment gods church whereas seminary continues foster meaningful positive relationship baptist general association virginia similar national baptist fellowships institutions whereas seminary articulated vision moves theological education churches innovative approaches theological education mission immersion programs supervised ministry internships spiritual formation extensive online course offerings ministrybased curriculum therefore resolved messengers 187th baptist general association virginia meeting hampton roads virginia november 910 2010 affirm work ministry baptist theological seminary richmond extend seminary community appreciation affection partnership ministry
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<p><a href="" type="internal">By Blake Tommey</a></p>
<p>In 1994, the first time the Pew Research Center polled Americans about the effect of immigrants on the country, 63 percent agreed that immigrants are “a burden on our country because they take our jobs, housing and health care.” Not 25 years later, American attitudes have become vastly more positive, with an identical percentage of Americans now agreeing that “immigrants today strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents.”</p>
<p>Felix and Nicole Iyoko are empowering refugees and immigrants in Raleigh, N.C., through the work of Shiloh Restoration Church and Raleigh Immigrant Community.</p>
<p>Still, that means at least 37 percent of Americans have never met a refugee like Felix Iyoko, said Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Marc Wyatt who, with his wife Kim, are cultivating beloved community among immigrants and refugees in North Carolina through Welcome House. With support from the <a href="http://www.cbf.net/ogm/" type="external">CBF Offering for Global Missions</a>, the Wyatts and Welcome House have formed together with Iyoko, a pastor and church starter from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and his wife, Nicole, to resettle and empower immigrants in the Research Triangle of North Carolina.</p>
<p>Iyoko, now planting his 14th church, was educated and ordained as a pastor in the DRC with multiple degrees and extensive training in theology. When he and Nicole arrived in the United States in 2013, they had already undergone the trauma of the executions of multiple family members by Congolese rebels, three days on foot in the African bush without supplies, and years of vetting by the U.S. while seeking asylum. Yet, their ultimate priority as residents in the U.S., Iyoko said, is to continue living out their God-given calling—namely planting faith communities for Swahili-speaking refugees and launching a nonprofit organization called Raleigh Immigrant Community. This new nonprofit provides housing, education and job assistance to newly-immigrated families. Iyoko said he mourns all that he has lost, but that God has restored him and called him to seek the restoration of his fellow immigrants in the U.S.</p>
<p>“The main idea is for people to not depend on the community, but to be a blessing to the community,” Iyoko said.</p>
<p>Shiloh Restoration Church is Felix Iyoko’s 14th church plant, dedicated to the Swahili-speaking community in Raleigh, N.C.</p>
<p>“So we started Raleigh Immigrant Community to work with different agencies and the government to solve those problems—especially those of housing, education and jobs—and to help people settle down in the communities where they’re living. My hope is for this community to be a great blessing for this country. I am always believing in God that everybody in this community may succeed in their life, and have a chance to make it and serve as an example, even and especially for the natives of this country.”</p>
<p>Naturally, <a href="http://www.cbf.net/wyatt" type="external">Kim and Marc Wyatt</a> encountered Felix and Nicole while setting up an apartment for a newly-immigrated family from the DRC. Nicole and Felix literally jumped up and down when they discovered their new neighbors were Congolese, Kim said, and have since become one of their closest partners and friends, working with the Welcome House hospitality team to connect new arrivals with social resources, childcare and education. As they continue to partner in renewing God’s world, Welcome House and Raleigh Immigrant Community are forming together to connect with new immigrants in the Research Triangle and empower them with resources to thrive once again in the U.S., as many of them did in their home countries.</p>
<p>Felix Iyoko mourns all that he has lost in his journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United States, but knows that God has restored him and called him to seek the restoration of his fellow immigrants in the U.S.</p>
<p>As part of a symbiotic partnership that the two organizations have developed, Welcome House now connects Felix and Nicole with resources and building space for their budding church starts for other Swahili speakers. In turn, RIC helps the Wyatts to communicate with and initiate relationships with Swahili-speaking refugees already living in the Research Triangle who can benefit from the job training, English classes and housing assistance that Welcome House provides for new immigrants. When most Americans speak of refugees, Marc said, they don’t imagine a highly educated, highly credentialed pastor who increased his church attendance by 150 percent in one week. No matter how disoriented and in need immigrants like Felix and Nicole are when they arrive in the U.S., Jesus followers must begin to see infinitely more than victims.</p>
<p>“They might arrive in this country with the title “refugee,” but that’s not their name,” Marc said.</p>
<p>“They have the character that God has given them and that their family has instilled in them. They have dreams and hopes. They’re strivers. Refugees are a group of people who had to flee their homelands because they were persecuted and were in fear for their lives. They are not welfare recipients and they don’t expect others to take care of them. They believe they need to take care of themselves and have an obligation to their community. They move very quickly when given the opportunity; and, when the playing field is level, they accomplish great things.”</p>
<p>Beloved Community starts by welcoming one person home. You can change the world through the love of Jesus Christ by supporting the CBF Offering for Global Missions. The Offering is the primary source of support ensuring the long-term presence of CBF field personnel like the Wyatts serving around the world.</p>
<p>When you give, you help care for and support refugees like Felix and Nicole, you share the Gospel and create Beloved Community. Give today at <a href="http://www.cbf.net/presence" type="external">www.cbf.net/presence</a>.</p>
<p>Watch a video story below about Felix and learn more about the ways CBF field personnel are cultivating Beloved Community at&#160; <a href="http://www.cbf.net/belovedcommunity" type="external">www.cbf.net/belovedcommunity</a></p>
<p />
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/222858857" type="external">CBF Offering for Global Missions – North Carolina Impact Story: Felix</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/cbfvideo" type="external">Cooperative Baptist Fellowship</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com" type="external">Vimeo</a>.</p>
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blake tommey 1994 first time pew research center polled americans effect immigrants country 63 percent agreed immigrants burden country take jobs housing health care 25 years later american attitudes become vastly positive identical percentage americans agreeing immigrants today strengthen country hard work talents felix nicole iyoko empowering refugees immigrants raleigh nc work shiloh restoration church raleigh immigrant community still means least 37 percent americans never met refugee like felix iyoko said cooperative baptist fellowship field personnel marc wyatt wife kim cultivating beloved community among immigrants refugees north carolina welcome house support cbf offering global missions wyatts welcome house formed together iyoko pastor church starter democratic republic congo drc wife nicole resettle empower immigrants research triangle north carolina iyoko planting 14th church educated ordained pastor drc multiple degrees extensive training theology nicole arrived united states 2013 already undergone trauma executions multiple family members congolese rebels three days foot african bush without supplies years vetting us seeking asylum yet ultimate priority residents us iyoko said continue living godgiven callingnamely planting faith communities swahilispeaking refugees launching nonprofit organization called raleigh immigrant community new nonprofit provides housing education job assistance newlyimmigrated families iyoko said mourns lost god restored called seek restoration fellow immigrants us main idea people depend community blessing community iyoko said shiloh restoration church felix iyokos 14th church plant dedicated swahilispeaking community raleigh nc started raleigh immigrant community work different agencies government solve problemsespecially housing education jobsand help people settle communities theyre living hope community great blessing country always believing god everybody community may succeed life chance make serve example even especially natives country naturally kim marc wyatt encountered felix nicole setting apartment newlyimmigrated family drc nicole felix literally jumped discovered new neighbors congolese kim said since become one closest partners friends working welcome house hospitality team connect new arrivals social resources childcare education continue partner renewing gods world welcome house raleigh immigrant community forming together connect new immigrants research triangle empower resources thrive us many home countries felix iyoko mourns lost journey democratic republic congo united states knows god restored called seek restoration fellow immigrants us part symbiotic partnership two organizations developed welcome house connects felix nicole resources building space budding church starts swahili speakers turn ric helps wyatts communicate initiate relationships swahilispeaking refugees already living research triangle benefit job training english classes housing assistance welcome house provides new immigrants americans speak refugees marc said dont imagine highly educated highly credentialed pastor increased church attendance 150 percent one week matter disoriented need immigrants like felix nicole arrive us jesus followers must begin see infinitely victims might arrive country title refugee thats name marc said character god given family instilled dreams hopes theyre strivers refugees group people flee homelands persecuted fear lives welfare recipients dont expect others take care believe need take care obligation community move quickly given opportunity playing field level accomplish great things beloved community starts welcoming one person home change world love jesus christ supporting cbf offering global missions offering primary source support ensuring longterm presence cbf field personnel like wyatts serving around world give help care support refugees like felix nicole share gospel create beloved community give today wwwcbfnetpresence watch video story felix learn ways cbf field personnel cultivating beloved community at160 wwwcbfnetbelovedcommunity cbf offering global missions north carolina impact story felix cooperative baptist fellowship vimeo
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />April 13, 2012</p>
<p>By Dave Roberts</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared" type="external">The Mouse that Roared</a>,” a 1950s satirical novel and movie about a tiny European country that declares war on the United States, has come to life in the Bay Area. <a href="http://www.ci.corte-madera.ca.us/" type="external">Corte Madera</a>, a town of 9,200 people tucked away in the Marin countryside, has rebelled against the <a href="http://www.abag.ca.gov/" type="external">Association of Bay Area Governments</a> over California’s housing mandates.</p>
<p>Corte Madera’s three square miles of land is pretty much built out with nearly 3,800 households, two schools (with a third on the way), two shopping malls and a town park that hosts the annual Fourth of July festivities. The small town is known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corte_Madera,_California" type="external">“the hidden jewel of Marin</a>” — and that’s the way the residents want to keep it.</p>
<p>They feel like they’ve done their part to meet the state’s affordable housing mandates. They won national awards for a 79-unit affordable development built in 2008. And they recently rezoned an industrial site, in the process losing jobs and tax revenue, to accommodate a 180-unit development. The projects allowed the community to meet its state-mandated <a href="http://www.abag.ca.gov/planning/housingneeds/" type="external">Regional Housing Needs Allocation</a> requirement of 244 additional units.</p>
<p>But residents weren’t happy about it.</p>
<p>“It’s a lot of [new] housing in a community of 9,200 people,” said Mayor Bob Ravasio in a recent <a href="http://vaca.bayradio.com/ksfo_archives/ksfo_player.php?day=6&amp;hour=19" type="external">KSFO radio interview</a>. “As we were going through the final process on this, a lot of people in town made it very, very clear that they were extremely upset. Rightfully so. We are 9,200 people; we are three square miles; we are built out. And we are rezoning an industrial site in order to get the housing built.”</p>
<p>But while there was a lot of anger and grumbling, it’s what happened next that led to rebellion.</p>
<p>“We got information … that they wanted us to add another 700 units and 49 percent more jobs by 2040,” said Ravasio. “And we all hit the roof.”</p>
<p>The Corte Madera Town Council studied the consequences of withdrawing in protest from ABAG, which oversees the housing mandate for nine counties and 101 towns and cities. They learned that it would prevent them from applying for government grants administered through ABAG. But that would not be a big loss.</p>
<p>“We went back the last 10 years and saw one government grant we received for about $60,000 for a bicycle path improvement,” said Ravasio.</p>
<p>“We had to spend a fortune on consultants to comply with the conditions of the grant.”</p>
<p>The other downside to withdrawing from ABAG, he said, “is you lose a seat at the table when you’re discussing things like the Regional Housing Needs Allocation. We went back through history, and we found that we really hadn’t been listened to in the past and didn’t have a seat at the table anyway.”</p>
<p>So, with little to lose, on March 6 the town council voted 4-1 to pull out of ABAG. The town will save $2,350 in annual dues, but it will still be required to abide by state housing mandates controlled by ABAG. As a result, their action may prove to be little more than sticking their heads out the window and shouting, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ci.corte-madera.ca.us/town_council/minutes/03-06-12DraftMinutes.pdf" type="external">Those who spoke</a> at the council meeting strongly backed that message, with many chanting the mantra of “local control.” One man expressed disdain over what he viewed as capitalism and socialism descending into fascism by ABAG. A woman referred to attendees as “fellow abolitionists.” Many were from surrounding communities who said they hope their towns join Corte Madera’s rebellion.</p>
<p>Other mayors have asked Ravasio to speak to their councils. He intends to do so after his council prepares a report next month on the logistics of forming an ABAG-type organization for Marin communities, similar to the <a href="http://www.mendocinocog.org/" type="external">Mendocino Council of Governments</a>.</p>
<p>“You need to have something like this in order to be able to deal with the state and get control of your own Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements,” he said.</p>
<p>In what may be a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease, Corte Madera’s housing requirement was recently reduced to 270 additional units by 2040&#160;— the largest decrease among Marin towns. Two others, Novato and Larkspur, also had their requirements significantly reduced, while most other towns saw big increases&#160;— some like Sausalito and Ross more than doubled.</p>
<p>This resulted in grumbling from those who got stuck with the increased housing in the latest growth plan.</p>
<p>“What apparently happened was radical shifting of the housing and jobs from those that complained to those that didn’t (some of whom as a result are now ready to complain), regardless of the sophisticated modeling methodologies employed,” observed the <a href="http://www.mccmc.org/" type="external">Marin County Council of Mayors and Council Members</a>. “Is this plan really a genuine effort to recommend the most rational plan, or just an effort to disperse the discontent as evenly as possible?”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.abag.ca.gov/rss/pdfs/SCSQuestions.pdf" type="external">ABAG responded</a> that the earlier numbers were based on unrealistic estimates, and the revised numbers are based upon “comprehensive forecasting methodology.” It takes into account such factors as the town’s proximity to employment corridors and transit, real estate market conditions and development potential. “Political considerations regarding ‘discontent’ were not used as a long term factor” ABAG’s response states.</p>
<p>ABAG Senior Communications Officer Kathleen Cha acknowledged in an interview that “there definitely are those frustrations relating to the housing numbers, and we understand that. In the end, all of this is a plan and it’s a vision for what can happen. In the end it has to come back to the local government. How that zoning changes or how they come up with it rests back on them. It’s not like everybody has to have this kind of density. It’s ‘look, these are what the needs are&#160;— how can you meet them in your community and where could it be?’ That will have to be determined by the local jurisdiction. It’s not dictated by ABAG.”</p>
<p>But a lot of cities are feeling like they’re being dictated to. Last month, Palo Alto sent a <a href="http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=30448" type="external">20-page complaint letter</a> to ABAG, arguing that the jobs and housing requirements are unrealistic, not accounting for market constraints, high costs and the impacts of intensive development. City officials also believe that the plan will have a negligible impact on greenhouse gas emissions in any case.</p>
<p>It’s those emissions that are the driving force behind the discontent. ABAG and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission are implementing the <a href="http://onebayarea.org/plan_bay_area/" type="external">One Bay Area Plan</a>, which is designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 7 percent by 2020 and by 15 percent by 2035. It’s authorized by <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm" type="external">SB 375</a>, the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Warming_Solutions_Act_of_2006" type="external">AB 32</a>, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.</p>
<p>The goal is to supposedly save the planet. But many local officials and residents fear it’s actually a case of politicians and bureaucrats <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Tre" type="external">destroying their villages in order to save them</a>.</p>
<p>“For us this is about local control,” said Ravasio. “We are a small town. We want to remain a small town, which is why people moved here in the first place. We should be allowed to do that and control growth and grow in a way that makes sense for us. And not have it mandated to us by the state or a regional authority like ABAG. Which is what’s been happening, Which is why we took this step.”</p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether the roar from this mouse echoes throughout the Bay Area and eventually the rest of the state. If it does, it could be the first rebel yell in a new Civil War. Or perhaps it should be called the War of Sacramento Aggression.</p>
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april 13 2012 dave roberts mouse roared 1950s satirical novel movie tiny european country declares war united states come life bay area corte madera town 9200 people tucked away marin countryside rebelled association bay area governments californias housing mandates corte maderas three square miles land pretty much built nearly 3800 households two schools third way two shopping malls town park hosts annual fourth july festivities small town known hidden jewel marin thats way residents want keep feel like theyve done part meet states affordable housing mandates national awards 79unit affordable development built 2008 recently rezoned industrial site process losing jobs tax revenue accommodate 180unit development projects allowed community meet statemandated regional housing needs allocation requirement 244 additional units residents werent happy lot new housing community 9200 people said mayor bob ravasio recent ksfo radio interview going final process lot people town made clear extremely upset rightfully 9200 people three square miles built rezoning industrial site order get housing built lot anger grumbling happened next led rebellion got information wanted us add another 700 units 49 percent jobs 2040 said ravasio hit roof corte madera town council studied consequences withdrawing protest abag oversees housing mandate nine counties 101 towns cities learned would prevent applying government grants administered abag would big loss went back last 10 years saw one government grant received 60000 bicycle path improvement said ravasio spend fortune consultants comply conditions grant downside withdrawing abag said lose seat table youre discussing things like regional housing needs allocation went back history found really hadnt listened past didnt seat table anyway little lose march 6 town council voted 41 pull abag town save 2350 annual dues still required abide state housing mandates controlled abag result action may prove little sticking heads window shouting im mad hell im going take anymore spoke council meeting strongly backed message many chanting mantra local control one man expressed disdain viewed capitalism socialism descending fascism abag woman referred attendees fellow abolitionists many surrounding communities said hope towns join corte maderas rebellion mayors asked ravasio speak councils intends council prepares report next month logistics forming abagtype organization marin communities similar mendocino council governments need something like order able deal state get control regional housing needs allocation requirements said may case squeaky wheel getting grease corte maderas housing requirement recently reduced 270 additional units 2040160 largest decrease among marin towns two others novato larkspur also requirements significantly reduced towns saw big increases160 like sausalito ross doubled resulted grumbling got stuck increased housing latest growth plan apparently happened radical shifting housing jobs complained didnt result ready complain regardless sophisticated modeling methodologies employed observed marin county council mayors council members plan really genuine effort recommend rational plan effort disperse discontent evenly possible abag responded earlier numbers based unrealistic estimates revised numbers based upon comprehensive forecasting methodology takes account factors towns proximity employment corridors transit real estate market conditions development potential political considerations regarding discontent used long term factor abags response states abag senior communications officer kathleen cha acknowledged interview definitely frustrations relating housing numbers understand end plan vision happen end come back local government zoning changes come rests back like everybody kind density look needs are160 meet community could determined local jurisdiction dictated abag lot cities feeling like theyre dictated last month palo alto sent 20page complaint letter abag arguing jobs housing requirements unrealistic accounting market constraints high costs impacts intensive development city officials also believe plan negligible impact greenhouse gas emissions case emissions driving force behind discontent abag metropolitan transportation commission implementing one bay area plan designed reduce carbon dioxide emissions 7 percent 2020 15 percent 2035 authorized sb 375 sustainable communities climate protection act 2008 ab 32 global warming solutions act 2006 goal supposedly save planet many local officials residents fear actually case politicians bureaucrats destroying villages order save us local control said ravasio small town want remain small town people moved first place allowed control growth grow way makes sense us mandated us state regional authority like abag whats happening took step remains seen whether roar mouse echoes throughout bay area eventually rest state could first rebel yell new civil war perhaps called war sacramento aggression
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<p>CURWOOD: If any new international climate agreement is ever worked out, it's expected to include REDD, a deal to reduce emissions from forest degradation and destruction.At the moment, loss of tropical forests accounts for about a fifth of all global carbon dioxide emissions, more than all transportation. And to forge a deal, there will need to be measurement and verification of whats happening on the ground. Now negotiators and conservationists have a new tool: a collaboration that includes GoogleEarth, NASA, USGS, the University of Maryland and the Woods Hole Research Center that has produced the first high resolution map of global deforestation. Matt Hansen, of the University of Maryland was the lead author of a paper in Science that presented the project. Welcome to Living on Earth. HANSEN: Thank you very much for having me. Forest cover change is represented in red. (Hansen, Potapov, Moore, Hancher et al., 2013) CURWOOD: So this is an interactive map of forest cover around the world. How exactly does this work? HANSEN: Well, the interactive map is fantastic in that it allows people to see the results of our study. The map is this great global overview where you can look at the patterns and density and tree cover, and on top of that look at the losses and gains over the 12-year-period that we produced this map, and at the same time you can take the roller button on your mouse and zoom down to a 30 meter square on the Earth and see what happened to that particular patch of ground. So we promote it as a globally consistent locally relevant product, and we can go down and look at individual clearings. Deforestation in Indonesia is represented in orange. Hansen, Potapov, Moore, Hancher et al., 2013) CURWOOD: Now where did you get the data to make these maps? HANSEN: These maps are based on a Landsat 7 satellite. Landsat is a long running series of satellites jointly operated by NASA and USGS. Starting in 1999, this particular Landsat was systematically acquiring images everywhere. Once you have it updated everywhere, you can start thinking about mapping everywhere. And then the other thing that had to come together was high-performance computing. Once they open up the archive, were like, wow. OK. Now how do we query and process hundreds and thousands of these images, and when we did it in the GoogleEarth engine highly parallelized environment, what would have taken 15 years on one CPU took a few days. CURWOOD: So what kind of data did we have before this was available? Im thinking of places like tropical forests in Africa, Congo, where government isnt able to collect this type of information. HANSEN: Right. Well, thats where its most valuable. If you have the view from space on a place where there is no forest inventory being collected, these data are really valuable so thats what weve always promoted. Weve been working on the Congo Basin for 15 years, and weve produced this type of data there, in Indonesia, and the like. But the only country that produces annual data like this is Brazil, and they release the data. Other countries use remote sensing, but they dont openly share the data. Thinking more of Indonesia; Indonesia has the capability, they dont share their data so well; its very hard to tease out whats really happening in Indonesia. Deforestation in Borneo (photo: Bigstockphoto.com) CURWOOD: I looked at your map and zoomed in on Indonesia...wow. Look how much deforestation has increased there in the last 12 years. HANSEN: Yes. Indonesia was, in our study, the most annual increase, about 1,000 square kilometers additional per year of the study period, that is the appropriation of natural forest for higher order of use like palm oil or pulp. CURWOOD: Deforestation on the rise in Indonesia. Where else are you seeing it on the rise? HANSEN: In Malaysia, they are really converting their natural forests, and when you look at the middle of Borneo, you see this line where the logging roads in Malaysia go right up to the borders, so the intensity of forest logging and conversion in Malaysia is much higher than in Indonesia. If you look at the Chaco from Bolivia to Paraguay and Argentina theres all loss, no gain. It is a deforestation dynamic converting almost an entire eco-region in a period of 20-30 years to pasture lands and soybean production, even small isolated events. We had one changed pattern in China that we couldnt figure out. It looked like noise. We thought there was a problem with the data, but it was actually forests sliding off of a mountain range west of Chengdu. In 2008 they had the Sichuan earthquake and these forests literally slid off the mountain tops and its a very strange pattern, but its a true pattern. So theres all kinds of things going on in these data, but a lot of it is tropical. The rates have increased in tropics is the most arresting, I would say. CURWOOD: Looking at west Africa, a lot of hotspots there too. HANSEN: West Africa, the main hotspot is Cote dIvoire. Cote dIvoire in the last 12 years has gone through two civil wars. In this period of instability, theres been a large conversion of a lot of protected areas, national parks and forest reserves, so these big patches, these big polygons of forest, and it tells you how fragile national and natural heritage can be. You might set aside 20 percent of your lands for protected areas, but if you go through a bad period, you could lose it. On the positive side, you can see a big forest block. Its the iconic forest of west Africa, thats Ta National Park, thats a World Heritage Site, and thats intact. Its in Cote dIvoire. It survived all this instability. Its where they filmed the Disney movie Chimpanzee and it looks great. CURWOOD: Of course, the vast majority of trees are in the tropics, but I noticed when I went to the southeastern United States, there was a lot of deforestation going on there. Whats happening in this country? HANSEN: The southeast United States, its a tree farm, basically. The forestry land use is very intensive, and trees are grown and harvested for pulp and timber purposes. Its not deforestation, but it does have implications on habitat and other ecosystem services, whether its carbon or water cycle. When you look at the landscape, you try to find an intact habitat, and youre going to look long and hard because it is a really really intensively disturbed and used landscape. CURWOOD: Why is it important to have a map like this? HANSEN: We can use it regionally to model hydrology effects on biodiversity, people use our maps in ways that we cant imagine. Someone used a map of ours - forest cover in Malawi relating dietary diversity to health outcomes and people that have access to tree cover had more diverse diets and better standards in terms of health, so we are really excited that when we get this data out, people use it at a global scale, they use it at a local scale, theyre use it for predictable science applications, and some we havent even anticipated. CURWOOD: Matt Hansen is a Professor of Geographical Science at the University of Maryland. Thank you so much, Sir. HANSEN: Thank you. Forest loss in Indonesia Deforestation in Paraguay</p>
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curwood new international climate agreement ever worked expected include redd deal reduce emissions forest degradation destructionat moment loss tropical forests accounts fifth global carbon dioxide emissions transportation forge deal need measurement verification whats happening ground negotiators conservationists new tool collaboration includes googleearth nasa usgs university maryland woods hole research center produced first high resolution map global deforestation matt hansen university maryland lead author paper science presented project welcome living earth hansen thank much forest cover change represented red hansen potapov moore hancher et al 2013 curwood interactive map forest cover around world exactly work hansen well interactive map fantastic allows people see results study map great global overview look patterns density tree cover top look losses gains 12yearperiod produced map time take roller button mouse zoom 30 meter square earth see happened particular patch ground promote globally consistent locally relevant product go look individual clearings deforestation indonesia represented orange hansen potapov moore hancher et al 2013 curwood get data make maps hansen maps based landsat 7 satellite landsat long running series satellites jointly operated nasa usgs starting 1999 particular landsat systematically acquiring images everywhere updated everywhere start thinking mapping everywhere thing come together highperformance computing open archive like wow ok query process hundreds thousands images googleearth engine highly parallelized environment would taken 15 years one cpu took days curwood kind data available im thinking places like tropical forests africa congo government isnt able collect type information hansen right well thats valuable view space place forest inventory collected data really valuable thats weve always promoted weve working congo basin 15 years weve produced type data indonesia like country produces annual data like brazil release data countries use remote sensing dont openly share data thinking indonesia indonesia capability dont share data well hard tease whats really happening indonesia deforestation borneo photo bigstockphotocom curwood looked map zoomed indonesiawow look much deforestation increased last 12 years hansen yes indonesia study annual increase 1000 square kilometers additional per year study period appropriation natural forest higher order use like palm oil pulp curwood deforestation rise indonesia else seeing rise hansen malaysia really converting natural forests look middle borneo see line logging roads malaysia go right borders intensity forest logging conversion malaysia much higher indonesia look chaco bolivia paraguay argentina theres loss gain deforestation dynamic converting almost entire ecoregion period 2030 years pasture lands soybean production even small isolated events one changed pattern china couldnt figure looked like noise thought problem data actually forests sliding mountain range west chengdu 2008 sichuan earthquake forests literally slid mountain tops strange pattern true pattern theres kinds things going data lot tropical rates increased tropics arresting would say curwood looking west africa lot hotspots hansen west africa main hotspot cote divoire cote divoire last 12 years gone two civil wars period instability theres large conversion lot protected areas national parks forest reserves big patches big polygons forest tells fragile national natural heritage might set aside 20 percent lands protected areas go bad period could lose positive side see big forest block iconic forest west africa thats ta national park thats world heritage site thats intact cote divoire survived instability filmed disney movie chimpanzee looks great curwood course vast majority trees tropics noticed went southeastern united states lot deforestation going whats happening country hansen southeast united states tree farm basically forestry land use intensive trees grown harvested pulp timber purposes deforestation implications habitat ecosystem services whether carbon water cycle look landscape try find intact habitat youre going look long hard really really intensively disturbed used landscape curwood important map like hansen use regionally model hydrology effects biodiversity people use maps ways cant imagine someone used map forest cover malawi relating dietary diversity health outcomes people access tree cover diverse diets better standards terms health really excited get data people use global scale use local scale theyre use predictable science applications havent even anticipated curwood matt hansen professor geographical science university maryland thank much sir hansen thank forest loss indonesia deforestation paraguay
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<p>LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (ABP) — The Dec. 1 police shooting of suspected cop killer Maurice Clemmons has renewed allegations that, as governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee paid more attention to preachers and professed jailhouse conversions than prosecutors and parole boards in deciding to commute the sentences of prisoners.</p>
<p>As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee pardoned or shortened sentences of more than 1,000 prisoners, including Maurice Clemmons, a suspect in the murder of four police officers in Washington state.</p>
<p />
<p>Clemmons, suspected of gunning down four police officers at a coffee shop in a Lakewood, Wash., strip mall Nov. 29, was one of 1,033 people who were pardoned or had sentences reduced during Huckabee’s 10 1/2 years as governor. That was twice as many clemencies as were granted by his three immediate predecessors combined.</p>
<p>While many of Huckabee’s pardons were recommended by parole boards, in some he overrode objections of prosecutors, judges and victims’ families and followed recommendations of Baptist preacher friends who vouched for petitioning inmates by claiming they had been born again.</p>
<p>The previously best-known allegation of misplaced mercy became an issue in Huckabee’s presidential candidacy in 2008. Shortly after taking office as governor, Huckabee supported parole for Wayne Dumond, a man sent to prison for raping a distant cousin of Bill Clinton.</p>
<p>A pastor, radio commentator and conservative political activist in Fayetteville, Ark., named Jay Cole organized other evangelicals in the state to lobby Huckabee for Dumond’s release. Cole was a friend of the governor’s.</p>
<p>Huckabee’s behind-the-scenes efforts to pressure the Clinton-appointed parole board to set Dumond free won praise from right-wing politicians and pundits, who claimed the convicted rapist had been framed by the Clintons’ political machine.</p>
<p>After his release, Dumond raped and killed a young woman in Missouri. He died in prison in 2005. Police believed he was also responsible for another murder after Arkansas set him free.</p>
<p>In another case, Huckabee announced commutation for Glen Green, an Air Force sergeant sentenced to life in prison for raping and killing a teenage girl. Another preacher friend of Huckabee’s, longtime and well-known Baptist pastor Johnny Jackson, reportedly described Green as a “humble Christian man” and insisted the killing was an accident. Prosecutors who put Green behind bars in 1974 argued that he was capable of killing again. Only protests by the victim’s family and media attention forced Huckabee to rescind commutation of Green’s sentence.</p>
<p>Questions about whether the former Baptist preacher’s beliefs about the possibility of spiritual redemption might cloud his judgment as commander in chief have resurfaced as Huckabee tops polls for potential GOP presidential candidates in 2012.</p>
<p>Comparisons have already begun between Clemmons and Willie Horton, a convicted killer and rapist released in a Massachusetts prison-furlough program supported by then-governor Michael Dukakis. Allies of former President George H.W. Bush ran ads during his successful 1988 campaign against Dukakis using Horton to convince voters that the Democratic nominee was soft on crime.</p>
<p>In his 2000 clemency petition, Clemmons appealed to Huckabee, a former pastor and past president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, for mercy.</p>
<p>A former Southern Baptist pastor, Huckabee was a featured preacher at the 2009 SBC pastor's conference in Louisville, Ky.</p>
<p>Clemmons claimed the crimes for which he was then imprisoned were committed when he was 16, during a seven-month spree after he moved from Seattle to a crime-infested neighborhood in Arkansas and fell in with the wrong crowd.</p>
<p>“I come from a very good Christian family and I was raised much better than my actions speak,” Clemmons claimed. He said his mother’s death changed his heart, because he now had to live with the knowledge that after all he had put her through he had missed an opportunity to make her proud of him before she passed away.</p>
<p>“I have never done anything good for God, but I’ve prayed for him to grant me in his compassion the grace to make a new start,” Clemmons petitioned. “Now, I'm humbly appealing to you for a brand new start.”</p>
<p>The Arkansas Leader, a Little Rock-area newspaper that began writing about Huckabee’s commutations in 2004, said the governor appeared to have a penchant for releasing inmates he happened to meet or who had connections to his family as well as for those vouched for by a fellow minister claiming the prisoner had accepted Christ. As Huckabee’s reputation for granting clemency spread, the number of convicts applying increased.</p>
<p>“We never quarreled with his compassion but with his judgment,” the newspaper opined in a Dec. 1 editorial. “If a convict could get the governor’s ear and convince him that he had found Jesus and turned his life around or he could get a preacher to intercede with the governor, he was apt to go free.”</p>
<p>Huckabee, now host of a TV talk show on Fox News, issued a press release Nov. 29 blaming the “senseless and savage execution of police officers” on a “series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State.”</p>
<p>“If I could have known nine years ago this guy was capable of something of this magnitude, obviously, I would never have granted a commutation,” Huckabee said Nov. 30 on Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor.”</p>
<p>Even before news broke that he had commuted the sentence of Clemmons, Huckabee told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday” Nov. 29 it is “less likely than more likely” that he will run for president.</p>
<p>“The reason I wouldn’t is that this Fox gig I’ve got right now, Chris, is really, really wonderful,” Huckabee told Wallace. “It’s easy to say, ‘Oh gee, don’t you just want to jump back in it?’ But jumping into the pool, you gotta make sure there is some water in it.”</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Bob Allen</a> is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.</p>
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little rock ark abp dec 1 police shooting suspected cop killer maurice clemmons renewed allegations governor arkansas mike huckabee paid attention preachers professed jailhouse conversions prosecutors parole boards deciding commute sentences prisoners governor arkansas mike huckabee pardoned shortened sentences 1000 prisoners including maurice clemmons suspect murder four police officers washington state clemmons suspected gunning four police officers coffee shop lakewood wash strip mall nov 29 one 1033 people pardoned sentences reduced huckabees 10 12 years governor twice many clemencies granted three immediate predecessors combined many huckabees pardons recommended parole boards overrode objections prosecutors judges victims families followed recommendations baptist preacher friends vouched petitioning inmates claiming born previously bestknown allegation misplaced mercy became issue huckabees presidential candidacy 2008 shortly taking office governor huckabee supported parole wayne dumond man sent prison raping distant cousin bill clinton pastor radio commentator conservative political activist fayetteville ark named jay cole organized evangelicals state lobby huckabee dumonds release cole friend governors huckabees behindthescenes efforts pressure clintonappointed parole board set dumond free praise rightwing politicians pundits claimed convicted rapist framed clintons political machine release dumond raped killed young woman missouri died prison 2005 police believed also responsible another murder arkansas set free another case huckabee announced commutation glen green air force sergeant sentenced life prison raping killing teenage girl another preacher friend huckabees longtime wellknown baptist pastor johnny jackson reportedly described green humble christian man insisted killing accident prosecutors put green behind bars 1974 argued capable killing protests victims family media attention forced huckabee rescind commutation greens sentence questions whether former baptist preachers beliefs possibility spiritual redemption might cloud judgment commander chief resurfaced huckabee tops polls potential gop presidential candidates 2012 comparisons already begun clemmons willie horton convicted killer rapist released massachusetts prisonfurlough program supported thengovernor michael dukakis allies former president george hw bush ran ads successful 1988 campaign dukakis using horton convince voters democratic nominee soft crime 2000 clemency petition clemmons appealed huckabee former pastor past president arkansas baptist state convention mercy former southern baptist pastor huckabee featured preacher 2009 sbc pastors conference louisville ky clemmons claimed crimes imprisoned committed 16 sevenmonth spree moved seattle crimeinfested neighborhood arkansas fell wrong crowd come good christian family raised much better actions speak clemmons claimed said mothers death changed heart live knowledge put missed opportunity make proud passed away never done anything good god ive prayed grant compassion grace make new start clemmons petitioned im humbly appealing brand new start arkansas leader little rockarea newspaper began writing huckabees commutations 2004 said governor appeared penchant releasing inmates happened meet connections family well vouched fellow minister claiming prisoner accepted christ huckabees reputation granting clemency spread number convicts applying increased never quarreled compassion judgment newspaper opined dec 1 editorial convict could get governors ear convince found jesus turned life around could get preacher intercede governor apt go free huckabee host tv talk show fox news issued press release nov 29 blaming senseless savage execution police officers series failures criminal justice system arkansas washington state could known nine years ago guy capable something magnitude obviously would never granted commutation huckabee said nov 30 foxs oreilly factor even news broke commuted sentence clemmons huckabee told chris wallace fox news sunday nov 29 less likely likely run president reason wouldnt fox gig ive got right chris really really wonderful huckabee told wallace easy say oh gee dont want jump back jumping pool got ta make sure water bob allen senior writer associated baptist press
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<p><a href="http://1648o73kablq2rveyn64glm1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/6219656170_e671d964e7_z.jpg" type="external" />This is my last writing to you as I will be replaced this week and begin to transition home. I have been trying to figure out what to write on this last report. So here goes…</p>
<p>As I reflect on the nature of our Air Force, I use my own career thus far as a measuring stick. When I reached my first duty assignment at Hurlburt Field (Fla.), it was a special one. We were spec ops (special operations) and not part of any expeditionary force rotation. That meant we were too busy being deployed all the time to really be able to fit into an AEF. And sure enough in my first 18 months at Hurlburt, I was gone 10. I was then placed on a nondeployable status (when I went through my separation with my wife and final divorce) that meant for the next year I would stay home. I moved to Langley last August and have spent around six months away on one TDY or another.</p>
<p>They say faith is best lived in the past, and when I look into my ministry past I see lots of mobile ministry and not a whole lot of time to do great big things at one location. I entered active duty on 14 February 2002 (42 months of service to-date) and have spent 14 months deployed and another three months on TDY assignments (training for war). So thanks to my one year on a profile as non-deployable, only 40 percent of my career, thus far, has been spent directly supporting the war on terror either through deployments or training for deployment ministry. What I see from this is the nature of our military in a post 9-11 environment. When I first joined the military, we were in the middle of Desert Shield. After Desert Storm people began to talk about the possibility of being deployed at least once in their career. I was briefed to prepare myself and family for at least that possibility. How our world has changed. And with the change in our military needs, the men and women of America have continually said I can provide combat airpower for America. And here I am for the past four months surrounded by those who have been doing just that. How proud we can all be of these who have come and all of those who will soon come in their due time.</p>
<p>As I await my replacement to arrive this week I can say I am proud to be here doing what we are doing. I am proud to have served in this position. As tired as I am, I am sad that I have to leave. I preached my last sermon yesterday and some asked me afterwards why I wasn’t smiling as much. I told them because that was my last sermon at Balad. In reflection what I am most proud of is what my units accomplished during this AEF cycle, check this out:</p>
<p>Our Guntruckers:</p>
<p>Convoy Missions: 966</p>
<p>Vehicles Escorted: 12,577 Off-base Miles:&#160; 610,525</p>
<p>Add on Armor: Vehicles Up Armored: 177</p>
<p>Civil Engineers: Designed 61+ projects ~ $25M Over 78 Fire Responses Completed 13 “outside the wire” crash rescue missions Completed 124+ convoys EOD destroyed over 124 VBIEDs &amp; IEDs and 55K pieces of Ordnance Helped administer $347M worth of Iraqi reconstruction projects Supervised on-site excavation and site preparation for $38M utility crossing of the Tigris River, repairing war-damaged pipeline serving Northern Oil Fields</p>
<p>The Hospital: 9000+ patients seen: 1,500 Joint/Coalition admissions, almost 1,900 patients air evacuated with 250 requiring critical care transport 56% increased surgeries, 14% increased admissions compared to AEF 3 / 4&#160; with same staffing #1 in AF trauma surgery: 2,284 blood products transfused from 1 May 2005 to 29 July 2005 compared to 1,274 by largest AF hospital Groundbreaking … Multiple new technologies first time used in theater implemented, patients survived transport, lives saved Busiest in AOR; 146 missions, carrying 2,371 patients, conducted by CASF Expanded facility from 50 to 100 beds during patient surge</p>
<p>That is mission success! Our Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Gorenc gave us his five basics to being successful here. He said we must focus on the mission, provide leadership not management, do it safely, maintain discipline, and maintain loyalty. Yesterday I gave a ride to three airmen who were walking the 1.5 miles it takes to walk to DFAC 1 because there was a fire at DFAC 2. I asked them how long they have been in the Air Force and the airman in the back seat said nine months. His rank is an E-2. By the way there is another airman I met who is eight months in the Air Force. We all laughed because usually you are not allowed to deploy until you finish your upgrade training. These guys haven’t even started. This kid was in high school just one year ago. And now his education continues in Iraq. He is being asked to protect convoys delivering needed supplies to FOBs while many of his friends have gone on to college and who are at home working and still planning on graduating high school. How many of his friends are being asked to focus on the five basics? How many of them meet small children throwing rocks at him in the dark nights, the enemy shooting bullets, RPGs, and setting off IEDs at his vehicle while he decides when is the right time to shoot and properly use his escalation of force appropriately? In the next six months he will grow up very quickly…</p>
<p>Well, I am not sure that this is a very good last report. I just don’t feel like I can really do justice to all the work these airmen have done. I hope you have gotten a picture of what a chaplain goes through in a combat zone, and maybe a picture of what a combat wing looks like day to day.</p>
<p>And now the best news every deployed person looks for has arrived for me this afternoon. I just received my tickets from the airline. I’d love to see anyone who would like to come out and say hi, if not I will see you shortly thereafter. Until then, this is Gladiator, Shepherd 6, signing off…</p>
<p>ABPnews will publish one entry a week from the journal then-Capt. Charles Seligman kept while deployed to Iraq as an Air Force chaplain in 2005. Now a major, Seligman currently serves as the deputy wing chaplain for the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He is endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.</p>
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last writing replaced week begin transition home trying figure write last report goes reflect nature air force use career thus far measuring stick reached first duty assignment hurlburt field fla special one spec ops special operations part expeditionary force rotation meant busy deployed time really able fit aef sure enough first 18 months hurlburt gone 10 placed nondeployable status went separation wife final divorce meant next year would stay home moved langley last august spent around six months away one tdy another say faith best lived past look ministry past see lots mobile ministry whole lot time great big things one location entered active duty 14 february 2002 42 months service todate spent 14 months deployed another three months tdy assignments training war thanks one year profile nondeployable 40 percent career thus far spent directly supporting war terror either deployments training deployment ministry see nature military post 911 environment first joined military middle desert shield desert storm people began talk possibility deployed least career briefed prepare family least possibility world changed change military needs men women america continually said provide combat airpower america past four months surrounded proud come soon come due time await replacement arrive week say proud proud served position tired sad leave preached last sermon yesterday asked afterwards wasnt smiling much told last sermon balad reflection proud units accomplished aef cycle check guntruckers convoy missions 966 vehicles escorted 12577 offbase miles160 610525 add armor vehicles armored 177 civil engineers designed 61 projects 25m 78 fire responses completed 13 outside wire crash rescue missions completed 124 convoys eod destroyed 124 vbieds amp ieds 55k pieces ordnance helped administer 347m worth iraqi reconstruction projects supervised onsite excavation site preparation 38m utility crossing tigris river repairing wardamaged pipeline serving northern oil fields hospital 9000 patients seen 1500 jointcoalition admissions almost 1900 patients air evacuated 250 requiring critical care transport 56 increased surgeries 14 increased admissions compared aef 3 4160 staffing 1 af trauma surgery 2284 blood products transfused 1 may 2005 29 july 2005 compared 1274 largest af hospital groundbreaking multiple new technologies first time used theater implemented patients survived transport lives saved busiest aor 146 missions carrying 2371 patients conducted casf expanded facility 50 100 beds patient surge mission success wing commander brig gen gorenc gave us five basics successful said must focus mission provide leadership management safely maintain discipline maintain loyalty yesterday gave ride three airmen walking 15 miles takes walk dfac 1 fire dfac 2 asked long air force airman back seat said nine months rank e2 way another airman met eight months air force laughed usually allowed deploy finish upgrade training guys havent even started kid high school one year ago education continues iraq asked protect convoys delivering needed supplies fobs many friends gone college home working still planning graduating high school many friends asked focus five basics many meet small children throwing rocks dark nights enemy shooting bullets rpgs setting ieds vehicle decides right time shoot properly use escalation force appropriately next six months grow quickly well sure good last report dont feel like really justice work airmen done hope gotten picture chaplain goes combat zone maybe picture combat wing looks like day day best news every deployed person looks arrived afternoon received tickets airline id love see anyone would like come say hi see shortly thereafter gladiator shepherd 6 signing abpnews publish one entry week journal thencapt charles seligman kept deployed iraq air force chaplain 2005 major seligman currently serves deputy wing chaplain 59th medical wing lackland air force base texas endorsed cooperative baptist fellowship
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<p>Comparing the Divide: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/united-kingdom/130114/middlesbrough-england-UK-shrinking-middle-class" type="external">Middlesbrough, England</a> and Sheboygan, Wisconsin both built thriving middle classes over decades of successful manufacturing. In the United Kingdom, income inequality is climbing and threatens to return places like Middlesbrough to an Dickensian age of "haves" and "have-nots." Sheboygan, with an income inequality level slightly higher than England's, is proving resilient to a similar trend of middle class erosion across the United States.</p>
<p>SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin — Lake Michigan was wide and blue and a little menacing in the distance as a hard wind chopped at the lake off the breakwater near the mouth of the Sheboygan River.</p>
<p>But inside the harbor, where wind and waves were blunted by land, Kristopher Panick, a laid-off construction worker, found his ice fishing spot. He knelt over a hole he’d bored through six inches of ice, dropped a line baited with a silver minnow, stood and then cracked open a freezing beer.</p>
<p>Winter is quiet for roofers and siders in Sheboygan, and this winter has been quieter than most. Panick, 35, wearing glasses and a couple layers of hooded sweatshirts, has no health insurance and lives paycheck to paycheck. He draws on unemployment when he must.&#160;</p>
<p>“Lately it’s been hard to come by work,” he said. “I’ve never seen it so slow.”</p>
<p>Panick’s small refuge, a patch of ice atop the dark, frigid water of a Great Lake, is a bit like Sheboygan itself. The town of 50,000 is a spot of relative economic calm and security amid a cold, forbidding economic landscape in America, where the income gap is growing and the middle class is shrinking. Just halfway up the west coast of Lake Michigan, the dream of a prosperous and growing American middle class has somehow survived.</p>
<p>In 2010, Sheboygan County had the most even distribution of wealth for a metropolitan area in the United States, according to a formula for income inequality developed by Italian economist Corrado Gini. Sheboygan County, it turns out, is on par internationally with European countries like the United Kingdom. And in this part of GlobalPost’s ongoing series, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/special-reports/global-income-inequality-great-divide-globalpost" type="external">The Great Divide</a>, we set out to compare Sheboygan with Middlesbrough, an English industrial town on the North Sea about an hour south of Newcastle. They share an industrial past, a hardworking people and an anxious middle class hanging on even as the ground shifts beneath it.&#160;</p>
<p>Sheboygan has a few advantages in preserving its ideal self as a Midwestern middle class archetype. It’s small. It also has a booming food industry that economists say is largely resistant to recession. And Sheboygan’s middle class depends on at least one other force: The private business empires that dominate the regional economy.</p>
<p>Names like Kohler, Vollrath, Stayer, Gentine, Sartori, Bemis and Brotz carry weight in Sheboygan County, because those families built companies that have provided jobs and sustained the towns of Plymouth, Sheboygan Falls and Sheboygan. These businesses are all private, often run by the descendants of founders.&#160;</p>
<p>Kristopher Panick, 35, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. (Richard Sennott/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>The families who founded Kohler Company, Sargento Foods and Johnsonville Sausage don’t have to answer to shareholders or pay dividends. They build golf courses and marinas, art museums and shopping centers and they spend money on their businesses.</p>
<p>“It’s these strong, family-owned businesses that really can look beyond quarter to quarter, that really look down the road,” said Dave Sachse, a native of Sheboygan and serial industrialist who now owns a company called Nutrients, Inc., which makes vinegar. “Most of these guys who ran those places were very benevolent to the community.”</p>
<p>Corrado Gini figured out a way to measure income distribution across a population so that a score of zero indicates perfect income equality and a score of one means perfect inequality. The U.S. average is about .450, and Sheboygan County’s index is .390, the best of all US metro areas in 2010. Four of the ten most equal cities in the United States by this measure are in Wisconsin, including Appleton, Wausau and Janesville.&#160;</p>
<p>The question, of course, is how long this will last. Company towns run by family companies have suffered across the Midwest for decades. Views within a family shift, or ownership changes hands. Sheboygan County may always have its benevolent oligarchy, but how long will it have its middle class?</p>
<p>The county is equitable by American standards, but the best Gini score in the US is still almost twice as high as the national average in Sweden. America has been growing less equal since World War II, according to the US Census Bureau.</p>
<p>Midwestern states were among the earliest and most enthusiastic participants in the second industrial revolution. From Detroit to Milwaukee to Mankato, people built foundries and steel mills and factories. They built the crucial machines of the 20th century – cars, cameras, backhoes, pacemakers, tractors, radios, motorcycles, washing machines and airplanes. The auto industry in Detroit led the way, but its supply chain reached into towns across the region, including Sheboygan. And the Midwest was the nation’s breadbasket too. It had the best farmland on the continent and giant food companies like Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and General Mills.</p>
<p>Workers could expect to graduate from high school, get a job at a factory, raise a family, send their kids to a Big Ten university and retire comfortably. The Midwest was the “place that created the American mass middle class,” Lou Glazer, president of the economic and public policy group Michigan Future, <a href="http://www.michiganfuture.org/01/2013/competing-like-the-tigers/" type="external">wrote</a>. “Largely because of high-paid, unionized factory jobs this was the place where if you worked hard you were most likely to realize the American Dream.”</p>
<p>The future of human consumption is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: $30 per hour on the assembly line will be tough to come by. What workers expected and received in the Midwest after World War II – which Glazer refers to as the “American Dream” – looks now like a highly specific moment in human history, one that doesn’t translate to the future.</p>
<p>SHEBOYGAN’S ROOTS</p>
<p>The Sheboygan River winds its way across the level land to the big lake, and the first residents of the city settled on its banks in the 1830s. The first wave of German immigrants came in the 1840s, bringing with them an enduring reputation for thrift, industry and sausage-making. Sawmills, flour mills and cheese factories sprang up across the region. The city’s south pier eventually came to serve as a dock where large lake boats unloaded coal onto smaller boats that could make their way to other towns further inland by navigating the little rivers that empty into the lake. (It is now a resort and hotel.)</p>
<p>The Kohler Company was founded in 1873 by an Austrian immigrant named John Michael Kohler, when he and a partner bought a foundry that made field plows and feed cutters for farmers.&#160;</p>
<p>The Kohler Design Center features thousands of kitchen and bath products and has become a tourist destination. (Richard Sennott/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>Kohler introduced enameled steel bathtubs to American consumers in the 1880s. Now the company sells all kinds of bathroom fixtures and motors and owns resorts and golf courses in Wisconsin and Scotland. The firm is one of the largest privately held companies in America and employs about a tenth of metro Sheboygan’s workforce.&#160;</p>
<p>The front office at Kohler looks like an administrative building at an Ivy League college. There’s a clock tower and a green lawn out front. Behind that is a complex of factories and parking lots stretching nearly a mile to the east. Opposite the office, on the other side of the street, stands the American Club, where bellhops in red coats and black bowler hats carry bags for tourists from Chicago. The club was built in 1918 as a dormitory for immigrant workers. Now it is an elaborate resort where people stay when they come to Sheboygan to play golf. A wood fire burned in a waiting room and women at the front desk were handing out champagne on a Saturday in January. The company’s tagline is “gracious living.”</p>
<p>“I don’t work for the money,” says Herbert Vollrath Kohler Jr., president of the company, in a promotional video at the Kohler Design Center. “I work to advance living environments, if you will, and I get very excited about that, whether it’s a golf course, whether it’s the interior of a house, whatever.”</p>
<p>The Kohlers have built their own little “living environment” around Sheboygan, including the American Club, an art center downtown adjoining the founder’s original home, and some famous golf courses. Whistling Straits, a traditional links course among man-made dunes next to the lake north of Sheboygan, has twice hosted the PGA Championship.</p>
<p>THEY CALL THEMSELVES ‘CHEESEHEADS’&#160;</p>
<p>A fish fry in the City Club Tavern and Grill in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Friday night is set for fish fries throughout Sheboygan County. A fish fry is a tradition when friends and family meet at the local bar at the end of the work week. (Richard Sennott/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>Over in Plymouth, Mayor Don Pohlman was bragging about his town and one of its companies, Sargento Cheese. It was Friday night at City Club, a bar in the middle of town. Waitresses were serving fried perch and Brandy Old Fashioneds garnished with olives. Pohlman noted his town’s work ethic, its high wages and its output of cheese.&#160;</p>
<p>Sargento, founded in 1953, cuts and packages cheese. If you live in America and shop for groceries, you’ve probably seen the name. The business generated a billion dollars in revenue in 2011.</p>
<p>“You don’t go there and goof off. You go there and work!” said the mayor. “There are no $20,000-a-year jobs at these cheese factories, they don’t exist.”</p>
<p>As sure as the sideburns that stretch down below his ears, Pohlman is confident in the family-held businesses that employ most of the citizens of his town. He tells stories about leaders from Sargento and Sartori remembering the birthday of a line employee, or showing up to a worker’s funeral. The companies pay well and they’re loyal, he said. They might not be if they weren’t owned by local families.</p>
<p>“If Sargento was owned by stockholders, the money would be moving out of town,” Pohlman said.</p>
<p>SHEBOYGAN’S FRAGILE FUTURE</p>
<p>And yet money is already moving out of the community, in the sense that Sheboygan County has lost the earning and spending power of thousands of manufacturing jobs over the past dozen years. All the private commerce in the world doesn’t exempt the area from the fact that labor is being automated and moving to countries where lower wages are acceptable.&#160;</p>
<p>Sheboygan is exactly the type of city that’s vulnerable. In 1990, two of every five jobs in the county was in a factory, and those positions paid about $47,000 per year. As recently as January, the Business Journal in Milwaukee <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2013/01/18/wisconsin-ranks-near-top-in.html" type="external">reported</a> that 46 percent of Sheboygan’s earnings are in manufacturing.</p>
<p>The county lost 8,400 – or 31 percent – of its manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2011. Thomas Industries and Pentair left town. Auto parts maker J.L. French was bought by an Italian company. Hundreds more jobs were lost at Kohler. The 20th century’s golden age of factory jobs has been sliding for decades and the recession crystallized the shift by erasing 2.7 million manufacturing jobs in the United States between 2004 and 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>Improvements in information technology and artificial intelligence will almost certainly replace more workers in the future.</p>
<p>“Wages for average workers have basically been stagnant in spite of the fact that we’ve seen increases in productivity,” said <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt0KOp5UiAI" type="external">Martin Ford</a>, author of Lights in the Tunnel, a book predicting massive US job losses in the face of defter and more capable information technology. “The job market is polarized.”</p>
<p>The middle class in America lost both its factory jobs and a third of the value of its homes during the recession. That’s changed how the class defines itself, said Ken King, president of the Family Services Association, a credit counseling service.</p>
<p>“The middle class has gotten to the point where you can’t define it any more,” said King, who lives in a beige-and-brick house on a street that tees into a park in north Sheboygan. “We used to look at middle class as being a standard of living which is I have a house, I have a car and I have some toys.”</p>
<p>NOT ALL IN SHEBOYGAN ARE HOLDING ON&#160;</p>
<p>Alyssa Medina, 24, has a 1-year-old daughter and is homeless in Sheboygan. (Richard Sennott/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>The ranks of the poor in town have grown as the population in the middle is gradually eliminated.&#160;</p>
<p>Alyssa Medina and her 1-year-old daughter had just checked into a homeless shelter on a little hill just north of the Sheboygan River. Medina, 24, grew up in a trailer park with her mother and now has three children of her own. She also has health problems. She had been a temporary worker for Old Wisconsin Sausage, but was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, stopped working and lost her apartment.</p>
<p>“My situation in itself is pretty complicated right now,” she said.&#160;</p>
<p>She handed a bottle to her daughter Elicia, a curious girl with curly brown hair. If Medina took classes to re-certify herself as a nurses’ assistant she could get a job at a nursing home making between $11 and $12 per hour. But that requires arranging for child care, and she says because of the M.S., she can’t see well.&#160;</p>
<p>“There’s ups and downs to your life and right now I’m in a down part,” Medina said.&#160;</p>
<p>She believes she will get things straightened out, but she knows it will be difficult.</p>
<p>“You need a good education to get a good job,” she said, wistfully.</p>
<p>SAUSAGE AND VINEGAR</p>
<p>The building is full of meat in various stages of undress. Deer are slaughtered there, meat cut into steaks and chops, and a machine whips dollops of ground meat into casings and shoots out sausages.</p>
<p>Sausage of all kinds gets hung on racks and rolled into a smoker before its tossed behind the glass of the store’s 80-foot meat counter, filled with bratwursts, chops, wieners, steaks and summer sausages.</p>
<p>Miesfeld's Meat Market is best known for its meats and cheese and serves more than 30 varieties of Bratwurst. People come from miles for a true "brat experience." (Richard Sennott/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>Miesfeld’s Meat offers up to 3,000 items, but has not always been thus.</p>
<p>Chuck Miesfeld’s father died suddenly when the store was still a small downtown butcher shop. Miesfeld decided to borrow the money to move the shop and its eight employees to the edge of town in 2000. It was a huge risk, Miesfeld said.&#160;</p>
<p>“Those are my nuts on the line, not the people who work here,” said Miesfeld. “You wouldn’t believe the sleepless nights I had.”</p>
<p>It’s worked out well for everyone. Go to the Charcoal Inn, a little joint in north Sheboygan, and you can order a Miesfeld bratwurst that’s been sliced open before it’s grilled and served with sauteed onions and sauerkraut and mustard on a fresh bun (they call it a “hard roll”) from Johnston’s Bakery a mile to the south.</p>
<p>Miesfeld now employs 43 people, and sells meat to 110 restaurants and 45 supermarkets.</p>
<p>So when people say they can’t find a job, Miesfeld tells them to look for something better: “You’ve got to work at things. You can be whatever you want to be, but you’ve got to go out and grab it.”&#160;</p>
<p>GRABBING OPPORTUNITY&#160;</p>
<p>One man who has gone out and “grabbed it” is Dave Sachse. He buys and sells industrial companies, and he probably wouldn’t mind if you called him an industrialist.</p>
<p>He has an office building on the outskirts of Sheboygan that he bought at a discount after the group of realtors that built it lost all their money in the recession. He was there at his desk at 8 a.m. on a Saturday. The flat screen on the wall was tuned to SportsCenter, the volume was down low.&#160;</p>
<p>David Sachse, owner of Nutrients, Inc., sold Polar Ware/Stoelting to the Vollrath family last year. The statue of a carved wooden charging bull is in Sachse's office in Sheboygan. (Richard Sennott/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>The building has an office for Sachse’s son and an analyst they hired, and it’s full of memorabilia. Signed Green Bay Packers helmets, signed jerseys from Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.</p>
<p>Another piece of memorabilia hangs above the door inside the bathroom. The name on the blue-and-red baseball cap is Darosa, Inc., a venture that didn’t work out for Sachse. It drives home the razor-sharp edge between success and failure for anyone sitting on the office toilet.</p>
<p>“I keep that to remind me they don’t always work,” Sachse said.</p>
<p>He grew up in Sheboygan, where his parents ran a longstanding luggage and leather goods business. He went to Marquette University to study dentistry but found it didn’t interest him.</p>
<p>He ended up in sales at Kohler for 15 years and learned about power systems. He bought an acoustic ceiling and wall panel company in Chicago and then a wall panel company in Ladysmith, Wis. He combined the companies and then sold them to Owens Corning. Voilà. He’s been buying and selling businesses ever since.&#160;</p>
<p>Now he is at least part owner of a vinegar maker, an industrial coatings company, Milwaukee Forge and a metal-stamping business in Sheboygan Falls. His son is trying to launch an online business.</p>
<p>“God has been very good to me,” Sachse said. “I made a lot of money and I was very lucky.”</p>
<p>He’s optimistic. He doesn’t think labor is always the key cost of manufacturing, and he thinks the US competes well in other ways. The market is always in flux, and people like Sachse, with quick brains and capital and connections to spare, are ready.</p>
<p>“I think our best years are coming,” he said.&#160;</p>
<p>WAITING OVER THE HOLE</p>
<p>Kristopher Panick, ice fishing at the marina, is less prepared. He’s a complicated mix of cheerful and worried when he talks about the economy.</p>
<p>He gets paid $18.50 per hour when there’s work. It’s an employer’s market, he said, and he worries about the immigrant roof and siding contractors who underbid his firm.</p>
<p>The wind shot snow across the ice and the flag on one of his tip-ups popped into the air. He thought it might be a northern pike, or a lake trout. He walked to the hole and pulled up the line. No bite, just a squirming minnow.</p>
<p>Panick has a girlfriend, but he has a hard time making ends meet just for him and his three dogs. Last year he made $30,000 and was thrilled about it.</p>
<p>“That’s really good for me,” he said.</p>
<p>All around him are financial struggles. One of his brothers has been out of work for 18 months. One of his friends has maxed out six credit cards.</p>
<p>Yet Panick doesn’t begrudge anyone for making money. He believes hard work is rewarded. He believes in his skills, and trusts his boss to find jobs that will allow him to put food on his table.&#160;</p>
<p>“There’s always going to be the people in charge who have the money,” he said.</p>
<p>This story is presented by <a href="http://thegroundtruthproject.org/" type="external">The GroundTruth&#160;Project.</a></p>
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comparing divide middlesbrough england sheboygan wisconsin built thriving middle classes decades successful manufacturing united kingdom income inequality climbing threatens return places like middlesbrough dickensian age haves havenots sheboygan income inequality level slightly higher englands proving resilient similar trend middle class erosion across united states sheboygan wisconsin lake michigan wide blue little menacing distance hard wind chopped lake breakwater near mouth sheboygan river inside harbor wind waves blunted land kristopher panick laidoff construction worker found ice fishing spot knelt hole hed bored six inches ice dropped line baited silver minnow stood cracked open freezing beer winter quiet roofers siders sheboygan winter quieter panick 35 wearing glasses couple layers hooded sweatshirts health insurance lives paycheck paycheck draws unemployment must160 lately hard come work said ive never seen slow panicks small refuge patch ice atop dark frigid water great lake bit like sheboygan town 50000 spot relative economic calm security amid cold forbidding economic landscape america income gap growing middle class shrinking halfway west coast lake michigan dream prosperous growing american middle class somehow survived 2010 sheboygan county even distribution wealth metropolitan area united states according formula income inequality developed italian economist corrado gini sheboygan county turns par internationally european countries like united kingdom part globalposts ongoing series great divide set compare sheboygan middlesbrough english industrial town north sea hour south newcastle share industrial past hardworking people anxious middle class hanging even ground shifts beneath it160 sheboygan advantages preserving ideal self midwestern middle class archetype small also booming food industry economists say largely resistant recession sheboygans middle class depends least one force private business empires dominate regional economy names like kohler vollrath stayer gentine sartori bemis brotz carry weight sheboygan county families built companies provided jobs sustained towns plymouth sheboygan falls sheboygan businesses private often run descendants founders160 kristopher panick 35 sheboygan wisconsin richard sennottglobalpost families founded kohler company sargento foods johnsonville sausage dont answer shareholders pay dividends build golf courses marinas art museums shopping centers spend money businesses strong familyowned businesses really look beyond quarter quarter really look road said dave sachse native sheboygan serial industrialist owns company called nutrients inc makes vinegar guys ran places benevolent community corrado gini figured way measure income distribution across population score zero indicates perfect income equality score one means perfect inequality us average 450 sheboygan countys index 390 best us metro areas 2010 four ten equal cities united states measure wisconsin including appleton wausau janesville160 question course long last company towns run family companies suffered across midwest decades views within family shift ownership changes hands sheboygan county may always benevolent oligarchy long middle class county equitable american standards best gini score us still almost twice high national average sweden america growing less equal since world war ii according us census bureau midwestern states among earliest enthusiastic participants second industrial revolution detroit milwaukee mankato people built foundries steel mills factories built crucial machines 20th century cars cameras backhoes pacemakers tractors radios motorcycles washing machines airplanes auto industry detroit led way supply chain reached towns across region including sheboygan midwest nations breadbasket best farmland continent giant food companies like archer daniels midland cargill general mills workers could expect graduate high school get job factory raise family send kids big ten university retire comfortably midwest place created american mass middle class lou glazer president economic public policy group michigan future wrote largely highpaid unionized factory jobs place worked hard likely realize american dream future human consumption anyones guess one thing certain 30 per hour assembly line tough come workers expected received midwest world war ii glazer refers american dream looks like highly specific moment human history one doesnt translate future sheboygans roots sheboygan river winds way across level land big lake first residents city settled banks 1830s first wave german immigrants came 1840s bringing enduring reputation thrift industry sausagemaking sawmills flour mills cheese factories sprang across region citys south pier eventually came serve dock large lake boats unloaded coal onto smaller boats could make way towns inland navigating little rivers empty lake resort hotel kohler company founded 1873 austrian immigrant named john michael kohler partner bought foundry made field plows feed cutters farmers160 kohler design center features thousands kitchen bath products become tourist destination richard sennottglobalpost kohler introduced enameled steel bathtubs american consumers 1880s company sells kinds bathroom fixtures motors owns resorts golf courses wisconsin scotland firm one largest privately held companies america employs tenth metro sheboygans workforce160 front office kohler looks like administrative building ivy league college theres clock tower green lawn front behind complex factories parking lots stretching nearly mile east opposite office side street stands american club bellhops red coats black bowler hats carry bags tourists chicago club built 1918 dormitory immigrant workers elaborate resort people stay come sheboygan play golf wood fire burned waiting room women front desk handing champagne saturday january companys tagline gracious living dont work money says herbert vollrath kohler jr president company promotional video kohler design center work advance living environments get excited whether golf course whether interior house whatever kohlers built little living environment around sheboygan including american club art center downtown adjoining founders original home famous golf courses whistling straits traditional links course among manmade dunes next lake north sheboygan twice hosted pga championship call cheeseheads160 fish fry city club tavern grill plymouth wisconsin friday night set fish fries throughout sheboygan county fish fry tradition friends family meet local bar end work week richard sennottglobalpost plymouth mayor pohlman bragging town one companies sargento cheese friday night city club bar middle town waitresses serving fried perch brandy old fashioneds garnished olives pohlman noted towns work ethic high wages output cheese160 sargento founded 1953 cuts packages cheese live america shop groceries youve probably seen name business generated billion dollars revenue 2011 dont go goof go work said mayor 20000ayear jobs cheese factories dont exist sure sideburns stretch ears pohlman confident familyheld businesses employ citizens town tells stories leaders sargento sartori remembering birthday line employee showing workers funeral companies pay well theyre loyal said might werent owned local families sargento owned stockholders money would moving town pohlman said sheboygans fragile future yet money already moving community sense sheboygan county lost earning spending power thousands manufacturing jobs past dozen years private commerce world doesnt exempt area fact labor automated moving countries lower wages acceptable160 sheboygan exactly type city thats vulnerable 1990 two every five jobs county factory positions paid 47000 per year recently january business journal milwaukee reported 46 percent sheboygans earnings manufacturing county lost 8400 31 percent manufacturing jobs 2000 2011 thomas industries pentair left town auto parts maker jl french bought italian company hundreds jobs lost kohler 20th centurys golden age factory jobs sliding decades recession crystallized shift erasing 27 million manufacturing jobs united states 2004 2011 according bureau labor statistics improvements information technology artificial intelligence almost certainly replace workers future wages average workers basically stagnant spite fact weve seen increases productivity said martin ford author lights tunnel book predicting massive us job losses face defter capable information technology job market polarized middle class america lost factory jobs third value homes recession thats changed class defines said ken king president family services association credit counseling service middle class gotten point cant define said king lives beigeandbrick house street tees park north sheboygan used look middle class standard living house car toys sheboygan holding on160 alyssa medina 24 1yearold daughter homeless sheboygan richard sennottglobalpost ranks poor town grown population middle gradually eliminated160 alyssa medina 1yearold daughter checked homeless shelter little hill north sheboygan river medina 24 grew trailer park mother three children also health problems temporary worker old wisconsin sausage diagnosed multiple sclerosis stopped working lost apartment situation pretty complicated right said160 handed bottle daughter elicia curious girl curly brown hair medina took classes recertify nurses assistant could get job nursing home making 11 12 per hour requires arranging child care says ms cant see well160 theres ups downs life right im part medina said160 believes get things straightened knows difficult need good education get good job said wistfully sausage vinegar building full meat various stages undress deer slaughtered meat cut steaks chops machine whips dollops ground meat casings shoots sausages sausage kinds gets hung racks rolled smoker tossed behind glass stores 80foot meat counter filled bratwursts chops wieners steaks summer sausages miesfelds meat market best known meats cheese serves 30 varieties bratwurst people come miles true brat experience richard sennottglobalpost miesfelds meat offers 3000 items always thus chuck miesfelds father died suddenly store still small downtown butcher shop miesfeld decided borrow money move shop eight employees edge town 2000 huge risk miesfeld said160 nuts line people work said miesfeld wouldnt believe sleepless nights worked well everyone go charcoal inn little joint north sheboygan order miesfeld bratwurst thats sliced open grilled served sauteed onions sauerkraut mustard fresh bun call hard roll johnstons bakery mile south miesfeld employs 43 people sells meat 110 restaurants 45 supermarkets people say cant find job miesfeld tells look something better youve got work things whatever want youve got go grab it160 grabbing opportunity160 one man gone grabbed dave sachse buys sells industrial companies probably wouldnt mind called industrialist office building outskirts sheboygan bought discount group realtors built lost money recession desk 8 saturday flat screen wall tuned sportscenter volume low160 david sachse owner nutrients inc sold polar warestoelting vollrath family last year statue carved wooden charging bull sachses office sheboygan richard sennottglobalpost building office sachses son analyst hired full memorabilia signed green bay packers helmets signed jerseys michael jordan magic johnson larry bird another piece memorabilia hangs door inside bathroom name blueandred baseball cap darosa inc venture didnt work sachse drives home razorsharp edge success failure anyone sitting office toilet keep remind dont always work sachse said grew sheboygan parents ran longstanding luggage leather goods business went marquette university study dentistry found didnt interest ended sales kohler 15 years learned power systems bought acoustic ceiling wall panel company chicago wall panel company ladysmith wis combined companies sold owens corning voilà hes buying selling businesses ever since160 least part owner vinegar maker industrial coatings company milwaukee forge metalstamping business sheboygan falls son trying launch online business god good sachse said made lot money lucky hes optimistic doesnt think labor always key cost manufacturing thinks us competes well ways market always flux people like sachse quick brains capital connections spare ready think best years coming said160 waiting hole kristopher panick ice fishing marina less prepared hes complicated mix cheerful worried talks economy gets paid 1850 per hour theres work employers market said worries immigrant roof siding contractors underbid firm wind shot snow across ice flag one tipups popped air thought might northern pike lake trout walked hole pulled line bite squirming minnow panick girlfriend hard time making ends meet three dogs last year made 30000 thrilled thats really good said around financial struggles one brothers work 18 months one friends maxed six credit cards yet panick doesnt begrudge anyone making money believes hard work rewarded believes skills trusts boss find jobs allow put food table160 theres always going people charge money said story presented groundtruth160project
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<p>AT CLARK STREET Al Bertani, executive director of the professional development affiliate of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, has been named chief officer of professional development, a new position created by CEO Arne Duncan. He will oversee five smaller units, including teacher recertification and the National Teaching Academy. Olivia Watkins, who had been appointed the director of professional development in August, is now the special projects officer reporting to Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins. … Grace Troccolo left her position as director of service learning to become program director for Greencorps Chicago, a division of the City of Chicago Department of Environment that works with neighborhoods to build community gardens. A new director for service learning has not yet been named.</p>
<p>MOVING IN/MOVING ON Pat Ford, formerly program director of Chicago Annenberg Challenge, was named executive director the new Chicago High School Redesign Initiative, an $18.2 million effort to subdivide five troubled high schools into clusters of small schools. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded CPS a five-year, $12 million grant for the project; matching funds from six Chicago-area foundations provided the rest. Beginning Dec. 3, the Redesign Initiative will distribute requests for proposals to high schools. For more information, call (312) 372-3356. … Dana Lossia, a recent graduate of Northwestern University and AmeriCorps’ Public Allies, will head up communications and LSC election outreach for Chicago School Leadership Cooperative. Charmaine Hamer, previously program director of the West Humbolt Park Family Community Council, also joins the cooperative as an organizer and trainer.</p>
<p>PRINCIPAL CONTRACTS John H. Lewis, former assistant principal at Hope College Prep School, is now contract principal at Libby. He replaces Beverly Blake, who retired this summer. … Christine T. Munns, former assistant principal at Sauganash, is now contract principal. She replaces interim principal Rafael Sanchez. … Philistine Tweedle, former interim principal at Beasley Academy, is now contract principal. … Olga LaLuz, principal at Chase, and Noble L. Pearce, principal at Attucks, have had their contracts renewed. … Based on the recommendations of a hearing officer, Noreen Nagle, who was removed from Prosser High School in October 1995, was officially dismissed as a principal employed by the Chicago Board of Education. Nagle had been reassigned after the board declared Prosser was in educational crisis. At the same time, published reports alleged that Nagle had changed failing grades of the LSC chairman’s daughter.</p>
<p>LSC ELECTIONS Parents, community residents and teachers who are interested in running for a seat on the local school council may register to be candidates beginning Dec. 3. Forms are available at schools through the LSC election coordinator. Candidates must be over 18 and have two forms of identification, however U.S. citizenship is not required. Nominations will be open through Mar. 8; elections will be held May 1 and 2. … A training session on principal evaluation and selection, sponsored by Chicago School Leadership Cooperative and Pencil, will be held at 111 N. Wabash Avenue on Dec. 8 at 10 a.m at. LSCs may earn credit for participating. For information call (312) 499-4800. … A breakfast for business leaders interested in getting involved with education, sponsored by the Union League Club, will be held Dec. 11 at 7:30 a.m. Call (312) 499-4800 for more information. … LSCs from 17 schools were selected as finalists in the first citywide competition to determine which councils are doing the most to improve their schools. Six schools will be named winners of the “Gold Star” awards, which will include a $3,000 prize and public recognition at a ceremony to be held Jan. 31. Finalists are LSC members at: Lake View High, Blaine, Hawthorne, Falconer, Nash, Mozart, Gladstone, Galileo, Jones Magnet High, Daley, Murray, Telpochcalli, Dawes, Tesla Alternative High, Mireles, White and Poe. The competition is sponsored by the Chicago Successful Schools Project and a steering committee of civic, community and school representatives; awards are underwritten by the Polk Bros. Foundation and the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.</p>
<p>LAWSUIT SETTLED CPS entered into a $300,000 settlement agreement with Steve Newton Jr., the former principal of Marshall High School who built a $14,000 private shower and toilet in his office at board expense. The school board removed Newton in 1996, alleging that he interfered with interim management team installed at Marshall to move the school off of probation. After a hearing, the Board declared that an “educational crisis” existed at Marshall, a finding under Illinois law that permits the board to fire the principal. Newton brought a federal suit against the school board claiming that his removal was a violation of his right to due process and a breach of contact. The case was settled in federal appellate court on Aug. 31.</p>
<p>PROMOTION POLICY The board approved an amended high school promotion policy at its October meeting. The new policy stipulates that all students must take core subject classes in English, math, science and social science and must pass at least three of them both semesters to be promoted. It also sets minimum standards for credits earned and outlines penalties for unexcused absences and failed final exams. For example, a student who has unexcused absences for 20 percent or more classes in a particular subject will fail the course and will not receive credit. Special guidelines are noted for bilingual and learning disabled students. Summer school students can receive no more than two credits. Principals can appeal to the Chief Education Officer for exemptions to the new policy, considering factors such as student health, family situation and prior academic record. The new policy will become effective for 9th, 10th and 11th graders when the second semester begins on Feb. 4.</p>
<p>AWARDS Nurturing Teacher Leadership, the Quest Center’s support program for CPS teachers seeking national board certification, won a Distinguished Partnership Award from the Saturn Corporation. … Barbara Taylor Bowman, president and co-founder of the Erikson Institute, has been recognized by the city of Chicago with an honorary street sign at Wabash Avenue and Hubbard Street, where the school is based.</p>
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clark street al bertani executive director professional development affiliate chicago principals administrators association named chief officer professional development new position created ceo arne duncan oversee five smaller units including teacher recertification national teaching academy olivia watkins appointed director professional development august special projects officer reporting chief education officer barbara easonwatkins grace troccolo left position director service learning become program director greencorps chicago division city chicago department environment works neighborhoods build community gardens new director service learning yet named moving inmoving pat ford formerly program director chicago annenberg challenge named executive director new chicago high school redesign initiative 182 million effort subdivide five troubled high schools clusters small schools bill melinda gates foundation awarded cps fiveyear 12 million grant project matching funds six chicagoarea foundations provided rest beginning dec 3 redesign initiative distribute requests proposals high schools information call 312 3723356 dana lossia recent graduate northwestern university americorps public allies head communications lsc election outreach chicago school leadership cooperative charmaine hamer previously program director west humbolt park family community council also joins cooperative organizer trainer principal contracts john h lewis former assistant principal hope college prep school contract principal libby replaces beverly blake retired summer christine munns former assistant principal sauganash contract principal replaces interim principal rafael sanchez philistine tweedle former interim principal beasley academy contract principal olga laluz principal chase noble l pearce principal attucks contracts renewed based recommendations hearing officer noreen nagle removed prosser high school october 1995 officially dismissed principal employed chicago board education nagle reassigned board declared prosser educational crisis time published reports alleged nagle changed failing grades lsc chairmans daughter lsc elections parents community residents teachers interested running seat local school council may register candidates beginning dec 3 forms available schools lsc election coordinator candidates must 18 two forms identification however us citizenship required nominations open mar 8 elections held may 1 2 training session principal evaluation selection sponsored chicago school leadership cooperative pencil held 111 n wabash avenue dec 8 10 lscs may earn credit participating information call 312 4994800 breakfast business leaders interested getting involved education sponsored union league club held dec 11 730 call 312 4994800 information lscs 17 schools selected finalists first citywide competition determine councils improve schools six schools named winners gold star awards include 3000 prize public recognition ceremony held jan 31 finalists lsc members lake view high blaine hawthorne falconer nash mozart gladstone galileo jones magnet high daley murray telpochcalli dawes tesla alternative high mireles white poe competition sponsored chicago successful schools project steering committee civic community school representatives awards underwritten polk bros foundation chicago annenberg challenge lawsuit settled cps entered 300000 settlement agreement steve newton jr former principal marshall high school built 14000 private shower toilet office board expense school board removed newton 1996 alleging interfered interim management team installed marshall move school probation hearing board declared educational crisis existed marshall finding illinois law permits board fire principal newton brought federal suit school board claiming removal violation right due process breach contact case settled federal appellate court aug 31 promotion policy board approved amended high school promotion policy october meeting new policy stipulates students must take core subject classes english math science social science must pass least three semesters promoted also sets minimum standards credits earned outlines penalties unexcused absences failed final exams example student unexcused absences 20 percent classes particular subject fail course receive credit special guidelines noted bilingual learning disabled students summer school students receive two credits principals appeal chief education officer exemptions new policy considering factors student health family situation prior academic record new policy become effective 9th 10th 11th graders second semester begins feb 4 awards nurturing teacher leadership quest centers support program cps teachers seeking national board certification distinguished partnership award saturn corporation barbara taylor bowman president cofounder erikson institute recognized city chicago honorary street sign wabash avenue hubbard street school based
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<p>Europe and North Africa are divided by more than the Mediterranean Sea. They're also divided by politics and economies. Wealthy stable Europe on one side, and poor and more fractious North Africa on the other. But what if there was a way to start knitting economies and societies of the two more tightly together? And what if they key to that was solar energy? A group of European businesses is pursuing such a vision through what will be the world's most ambitious solar energy project.</p>
<p>"The World's" Gerry Hadden filed this report from Morocco.</p>
<p>Energy experts estimate that the deserts of the world receive enough solar radiation in six hours to power all of human civilization for a year. The problem has always been how to harness that potential.</p>
<p>Friedrich Fuehr, a spokesman for the Desertec Project says together Europe and North Africa are now well positioned to start to pull it off, "Because we have such a high energy need in Europe and we are pretty advanced with the technologies, so it is a good way of cooperate between the sun belt and the technology belt of the world."</p>
<p>Here's how it's supposed to work: Imagine, from the deserts of Western Morocco to Saudi Arabia, a chain of concentrating solar power, or CSP plants. CSP uses mirrors to focus sunlight, boil water and generate steam, and the steam powers electric generators. That's actually the simple part. The CSP technology is well established. The trick is getting all this power to Europe. The plan is to lay transmission lines under the Mediterranean, at an estimated cost of more than half a trillion dollars.</p>
<p>Fuehr says the initial costs are high, but after mass production starts, the system will be very affordable -- even for other regions of the world, including North Africa itself, where despite the sunlight bonanza, solar power is nearly nonexistent. Backers hope the Desertec idea will help kick start a booming regional industry.</p>
<p>On the roof of Morocco's State Energy headquarters in Casablanca, Moussawi Abdel Hakim gives a tour of what he says is Africa's first grid-connected photo-voltaic power plant. It went online two years ago. Its panels produce barely enough energy for 50 homes.</p>
<p>"From a technical point of view in Morocco, we're behind the times," Hakim said [in French]. "But our universities are now developing master's programs in renewable energy, so I think in two or three years we'll be covering our needs."</p>
<p>The hope is that such programs will eventually be able to cover the manpower needs of a project the size of Desertec as well. Backers claim Desertec will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in North Africa, but if the region can't turn up the engineers and technicians, those jobs will go to Europeans, leaving North Africa empty handed. This would be a particular blow in Morocco, where unemployment among the young is over 30 percent. Protests by the unemployed, like the one in Rabat, are common.</p>
<p>One university student, named Isham, says they're asking the government for jobs, but he says he'd be just as happy if the private sector steps in first.</p>
<p>"If this Desertec project brings jobs for us then it can't be bad," said Isham [in French].</p>
<p>Just who gets the jobs will play out over time, and the challenges go beyond cost and expertise. Some Europeans worry that political instability makes North Africa an unreliable energy partner.</p>
<p>But Moroccan political analyst Husseimi Taj Eddine, says Desertec itself will help stabilize the region, "We know all these countries are only going their first steps toward democracy and good governance, but the principal need for European countries to go against this wave of dictatorship is to invest in such projects."</p>
<p>Another concern is terrorism, which is a threat throughout North Africa, but Desertec’s Friedrich Fuehr points out that the decentralized network would be tough to target, "Even in case of a terror attack, we have to attack then 20 lines at the same time, and even if that happens it's only 15 percent of the energy demand in Europe."</p>
<p>Fifteen percent of Europe's demand. But what of North Africa's? Morocco for instance imports 97 percent of its energy, all in the form of fossil fuels.</p>
<p>Moussawi Abdel Hakim of Morocco's energy company, says the key to selling Desertec here, lies in giving North Africans first crack at any electricity their sunlight produces.</p>
<p>"There's a way to set Desertec up so that we benefit, once we've covered say 30-35 percent of our needs then we can export to Europe," said Hakim [in French].</p>
<p>European investors might baulk at that scenario. But for now both sides seem to be indulging somewhat in their own win/win scenarios. The generally positive response to Desertec here is due in part to the nature of the sun itself. It is after all inexhaustible, and unlike other natural resources, abundant in parts of Africa, such as oil or diamonds. You can't withhold it or steal it, so there's little suspicion of old fashioned colonialism.</p>
<p>A young man named Mustapha sums it up with a bit of light-hearted irony. He's selling phone cards on a Rabat street corner, on a baking hot day.</p>
<p>"The sun belongs to everybody," he jokes [in Arabic]. "I don't mind if foreigners come for it, just as long as they leave us the shade."</p>
<p>PRI's "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">More "The World."</a></p>
<p>PRI's coverage of social entrepreneurship is supported by the <a href="http://www.skoll.org/" type="external">Skoll Foundation</a>.</p>
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europe north africa divided mediterranean sea theyre also divided politics economies wealthy stable europe one side poor fractious north africa way start knitting economies societies two tightly together key solar energy group european businesses pursuing vision worlds ambitious solar energy project worlds gerry hadden filed report morocco energy experts estimate deserts world receive enough solar radiation six hours power human civilization year problem always harness potential friedrich fuehr spokesman desertec project says together europe north africa well positioned start pull high energy need europe pretty advanced technologies good way cooperate sun belt technology belt world heres supposed work imagine deserts western morocco saudi arabia chain concentrating solar power csp plants csp uses mirrors focus sunlight boil water generate steam steam powers electric generators thats actually simple part csp technology well established trick getting power europe plan lay transmission lines mediterranean estimated cost half trillion dollars fuehr says initial costs high mass production starts system affordable even regions world including north africa despite sunlight bonanza solar power nearly nonexistent backers hope desertec idea help kick start booming regional industry roof moroccos state energy headquarters casablanca moussawi abdel hakim gives tour says africas first gridconnected photovoltaic power plant went online two years ago panels produce barely enough energy 50 homes technical point view morocco behind times hakim said french universities developing masters programs renewable energy think two three years well covering needs hope programs eventually able cover manpower needs project size desertec well backers claim desertec create hundreds thousands jobs north africa region cant turn engineers technicians jobs go europeans leaving north africa empty handed would particular blow morocco unemployment among young 30 percent protests unemployed like one rabat common one university student named isham says theyre asking government jobs says hed happy private sector steps first desertec project brings jobs us cant bad said isham french gets jobs play time challenges go beyond cost expertise europeans worry political instability makes north africa unreliable energy partner moroccan political analyst husseimi taj eddine says desertec help stabilize region know countries going first steps toward democracy good governance principal need european countries go wave dictatorship invest projects another concern terrorism threat throughout north africa desertecs friedrich fuehr points decentralized network would tough target even case terror attack attack 20 lines time even happens 15 percent energy demand europe fifteen percent europes demand north africas morocco instance imports 97 percent energy form fossil fuels moussawi abdel hakim moroccos energy company says key selling desertec lies giving north africans first crack electricity sunlight produces theres way set desertec benefit weve covered say 3035 percent needs export europe said hakim french european investors might baulk scenario sides seem indulging somewhat winwin scenarios generally positive response desertec due part nature sun inexhaustible unlike natural resources abundant parts africa oil diamonds cant withhold steal theres little suspicion old fashioned colonialism young man named mustapha sums bit lighthearted irony hes selling phone cards rabat street corner baking hot day sun belongs everybody jokes arabic dont mind foreigners come long leave us shade pris world onehour weekday radio news magazine offering mix news features interviews music around globe world coproduction bbc world service pri wgbh boston world pris coverage social entrepreneurship supported skoll foundation 160
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<p>VinoFest, a ‘super-sized’ wine tasting is this weekend. (Photo courtesy VinoFest)</p>
<p>As the weather gets warmer and people begin to transition their weekend activities from indoors to outside, a bevy of spring events are popping up all over town to satisfy that spring fever. Pride festivals, concerts, a wine tasting and many others are scheduled to make sure no one’s social calendar remains empty.</p>
<p><a href="http://capitalpride.org/events/capital-trans-pride/" type="external">Capital Trans Pride</a> is at the Reeves Municipal building (2000 14th St., N.W.) on Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be workshops and panel discussions on how to be a supportive trans ally, HIV prevention, Genderqueer 101 panel discussion, name and gender change and more. After the festivities of the day there will be a happy hour at Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) from 4-7 p.m.</p>
<p><a href="http://dcblackpride.org/2016/" type="external">D.C. Black Pride</a> runs over Memorial Day weekend on Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30.This year’s theme “i am u. u r me. we are Pride” will have both lesbian and gay dance parties, workshops, entertainers, a writer’s forum and a film festival.</p>
<p>“There are still members of the Black LGBTQ community in the D.C. area who feel as through they are alone and isolated as they did with coming to terms with their expression of their sexuality,” says Earl Fowlkes, CEO of the Center for Black Equity. “D.C. Black Pride still draws a majority of our 25,000 or so attendees from the DMV area.&#160; D.C. Black Pride remains an important source of information on HIV/AIDS, spirituality, youth service, men’s and women’s health, and more for the Metro area.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.greenfestivals.org" type="external">The Green Festival Expo</a> will be at Washington Convention Center (801 Mt Vernon Pl., N.W.) in D Hall on Friday, May 6 from noon-6 p.m.; Saturday May, 7 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, May 8 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Ralph Nader will speak on Saturday, May 7 on the Green Fest Stage after the screening of “Cowspiracy: the Sustainability.” Other speakers will be owner of Full Flavor Vegan Milan Ross; Co-Director of Earth Rights Institute Alanna Hartzok; Co-Founder of One Common Unity Hawah Karat; and Founder of the Cannabis and Hemp Association Scott Giannotti. Learn about plant-based power, agriculture, yoga and other environmental wellness topics with speakers and numerous exhibitors.</p>
<p>“We believe there is no better time to be in the D.C. area, where decisions about our sustainability policies are being made and climate issues are being addressed and we hope Green Festival Expo can provide a venue for consumers to contribute to the conversation,” says Corinna Basler, president of Green Festivals.</p>
<p>Tickets range from $13.65-37.92. Mothers receive free admission all weekend.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be in Kentucky to enjoy one of the biggest spring events of the season, the Kentucky Derby. Parties across the District will be celebrating the event in style right from home.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.littlemisswhiskeys.com" type="external">Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar</a> (1104 H St., N.E.) will have a Kentucky Pig Roast on Saturday, May 7 at 3 p.m. There will be an all-you-can-eat/all-you-can-drink menu featuring drinks from Anderson Valley Brewing and food such as Pimento mac and cheese, pork belly potato salad and jalapeño cheesy grits. The Kentucky Derby will be shown live at 6:34 p.m.Admission is $48. Dressing up and wearing hats is encouraged.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.melrosehoteldc.com/location.aspx?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=brand_brand&amp;gclid=CLGnq5yswcwCFcNehgodjnoOLw" type="external">Melrose Georgetown Hotel</a> (2430 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) will host its second annual day party for the derby with a live screening of the races. The hotel will serve speciality derby-themed cocktails with no cover charge. Guests are encouraged to dress up.</p>
<p><a href="http://sweetlifefestival.com" type="external">Sweetlife</a> — a sweetgreen festival, is at Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, Md.) brings a lineup of chart-topping musical acts on Saturday, May 14. Queer acts are on the bill such as bisexual singer Halsey and gender-queer hip-hop artist Shamir. Other acts performing will be the 1975, Flume, Grimes, PartyNextDoor, Blondie, Eagles of Death Metal and more.</p>
<p>“We are very proud of this year’s sweetlife lineup,” says sweetgreen co-founder Jonathan Neman. “The artists themselves — from Halsey to Shamir — are as diverse and as unique as the D.C. community and truly embody the sweetlife. Through their passion, they help us bring this festival to life, and connect us over a shared love of music and food.”</p>
<p>General admission tickets are $100, general admission pavilion tickets are $125 and VIP Access tickets, which include VIP bars, lounges and restrooms, are $150.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.victoryfund.org" type="external">Victory Fund</a> hosts its National Champagne Brunch at the Omni Shoreham Hotel (2500 Calvert St., N.W.) on Sunday, May 15 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Special guests in attendance will be Hon. Chris Abele, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Angie Craig, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Denise Juneau and more. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has filmed a video tribute to Emily’s List, recipient of Victory Fund’s President’s Award, that will be shown at the event. Charlotte, N.C., Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield will give an update on LGBT rights in North Carolina and Victory President and CEO Aisha Moodie-Mills will speak about the 2016 presidential election. General admission tickets are $250 and VIP tickets are $400 and include reception access.</p>
<p><a href="http://vinofest.co" type="external">VinoFest</a> at The Yards (1300 First St., S.E.) is Saturday, May 7 from 3-10 p.m. This supersize wine tasting will include eight 2 oz. wine tastings from more than 20 local and international vineyards. Pair the wine with edible treats from vendors such as Luke’s Lobsters, Milk Bar and Maketto. Performances by Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Stephen Colbert’s in house band, the Original Wailers, local D.C. band Paperhaus and more are scheduled. General admission tickets are $55. VIP tickets are $99 and include a premium open bar from 3-8 p.m., VIP stage viewing area and early access at 3 p.m.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonBlade/" type="external">Washington Blade</a> hosts its 10th annual Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party at Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.) on Friday, May 20 from 5-7 p.m. Speakers will be announced. There is a suggested $10 donation with each guest receiving a drink wristband and entry into a drawing for prizes.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Capital Trans Pride</a> <a href="" type="internal">D.C. Black Pride</a> <a href="" type="internal">Green Festival Expo</a> <a href="" type="internal">Kentucky Derby</a> <a href="" type="internal">Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar</a> <a href="" type="internal">Melrose Georgetown Hotel</a> <a href="" type="internal">Sweetlife</a> <a href="" type="internal">Victory Fund Champagne Brunch</a> <a href="" type="internal">Vinofest</a> <a href="" type="internal">Washington Blade Rehoboth Party</a></p>
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vinofest supersized wine tasting weekend photo courtesy vinofest weather gets warmer people begin transition weekend activities indoors outside bevy spring events popping town satisfy spring fever pride festivals concerts wine tasting many others scheduled make sure ones social calendar remains empty capital trans pride reeves municipal building 2000 14th st nw saturday may 21 10 am4 pm workshops panel discussions supportive trans ally hiv prevention genderqueer 101 panel discussion name gender change festivities day happy hour studio theatre 1501 14th st nw 47 pm dc black pride runs memorial day weekend friday may 27 monday may 30this years theme u u r pride lesbian gay dance parties workshops entertainers writers forum film festival still members black lgbtq community dc area feel alone isolated coming terms expression sexuality says earl fowlkes ceo center black equity dc black pride still draws majority 25000 attendees dmv area160 dc black pride remains important source information hivaids spirituality youth service mens womens health metro area green festival expo washington convention center 801 mt vernon pl nw hall friday may 6 noon6 pm saturday may 7 10 am6 pm sunday may 8 10 am5 pm ralph nader speak saturday may 7 green fest stage screening cowspiracy sustainability speakers owner full flavor vegan milan ross codirector earth rights institute alanna hartzok cofounder one common unity hawah karat founder cannabis hemp association scott giannotti learn plantbased power agriculture yoga environmental wellness topics speakers numerous exhibitors believe better time dc area decisions sustainability policies made climate issues addressed hope green festival expo provide venue consumers contribute conversation says corinna basler president green festivals tickets range 13653792 mothers receive free admission weekend dont kentucky enjoy one biggest spring events season kentucky derby parties across district celebrating event style right home little miss whiskeys golden dollar 1104 h st ne kentucky pig roast saturday may 7 3 pm allyoucaneatallyoucandrink menu featuring drinks anderson valley brewing food pimento mac cheese pork belly potato salad jalapeño cheesy grits kentucky derby shown live 634 pmadmission 48 dressing wearing hats encouraged melrose georgetown hotel 2430 pennsylvania ave nw host second annual day party derby live screening races hotel serve speciality derbythemed cocktails cover charge guests encouraged dress sweetlife sweetgreen festival merriweather post pavilion 10475 little patuxent pkwy columbia md brings lineup charttopping musical acts saturday may 14 queer acts bill bisexual singer halsey genderqueer hiphop artist shamir acts performing 1975 flume grimes partynextdoor blondie eagles death metal proud years sweetlife lineup says sweetgreen cofounder jonathan neman artists halsey shamir diverse unique dc community truly embody sweetlife passion help us bring festival life connect us shared love music food general admission tickets 100 general admission pavilion tickets 125 vip access tickets include vip bars lounges restrooms 150 victory fund hosts national champagne brunch omni shoreham hotel 2500 calvert st nw sunday may 15 11 am2 pm special guests attendance hon chris abele mayor muriel bowser angie craig rep ruben gallego denise juneau sen tammy baldwin filmed video tribute emilys list recipient victory funds presidents award shown event charlotte nc councilwoman lawana mayfield give update lgbt rights north carolina victory president ceo aisha moodiemills speak 2016 presidential election general admission tickets 250 vip tickets 400 include reception access vinofest yards 1300 first st se saturday may 7 310 pm supersize wine tasting include eight 2 oz wine tastings 20 local international vineyards pair wine edible treats vendors lukes lobsters milk bar maketto performances jon batiste stay human stephen colberts house band original wailers local dc band paperhaus scheduled general admission tickets 55 vip tickets 99 include premium open bar 38 pm vip stage viewing area early access 3 pm washington blade hosts 10th annual rehoboth summer kickoff party blue moon 35 baltimore ave rehoboth beach del friday may 20 57 pm speakers announced suggested 10 donation guest receiving drink wristband entry drawing prizes capital trans pride dc black pride green festival expo kentucky derby little miss whiskeys golden dollar melrose georgetown hotel sweetlife victory fund champagne brunch vinofest washington blade rehoboth party
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<p>Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Barbara Francis</a>. This page will be updated weekly.</p>
<p>Mary L. Apicella, to Providence Baptist Church, Hendersonville, N.C., as pastor, effective Aug. 1. She comes from Federated Church, Brooklyn, Conn., where she serves as pastor.</p>
<p>Ashley Edwards, to May Memorial Baptist Church, Powhatan, Va., as minister to children and youth.</p>
<p>Gary Dalton, concluding his tenure as senior minister in the interim at University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va., effective July 14.</p>
<p>Elmo Familiaran, now serving as interim executive minister and senior regional pastor of the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey.</p>
<p>Dale Fields, to First Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Va., as worship pastor.</p>
<p>Bob Hetherington, to Mill Creek Baptist Church, Fincastle, Va., as interim pastor.</p>
<p>Aimee Hobbs, to First Baptist Church, St. Petersburg, Fla., as pastor of children and young families.</p>
<p>Joshua Johnson, to Westbury Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, as contemporary worship leader.</p>
<p>John Kimbrough, to First Baptist Church, Wilmington, N.C., as minister of contemporary worship and young adults. He comes from Central Baptist Church, Bearden, Tenn., where he served as worship assistant.</p>
<p>Michael Mills, to Agape Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas, as pastor. He comes from Inland Church in Spokane, Wash., where he was lead pastor and church planter.</p>
<p>William Nieporte, concluding his tenure as pastor of Patterson Avenue Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., at the end of August. The church has voted to disband.</p>
<p>Kenneth Reiter, to First Baptist Church, Cross Plains, Texas, as pastor.</p>
<p>Scott Runyon, to First Baptist Church, Birmingham, Mich., as pastor. He comes from the pastorate of Federated Church of Grass Lake, Mich.</p>
<p>Michael Sowers, to First Baptist Church, Buies Creek, N.C., as pastor.</p>
<p>Greg Webber, concluding his tenure as pastor of Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.</p>
<p>Neil Westbrook, concluding his tenure as pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C. He will become an agent with New York Life Insurance.&#160;</p>
<p>Bruce Hancock, retiring after 25 years as pastor of First Baptist Church, Camden, S.C.</p>
<p>Don Miller, retiring after 40 years as executive pastor of First Baptist Church, Mansfield, Texas.</p>
<p>Ed Owens, retiring after33 years as pastor of Olivet Baptist Church, Lansing, Mich.&#160;</p>
<p>Lisa Orr, ordained to ministry on June 11 by Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Fayetteville, N.C.</p>
<p>Kerry Smith, ordained to ministry on June 11 by North Run Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., where he serves as education/youth minister.</p>
<p><a href="http://1648o73kablq2rveyn64glm1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ministry_jobs_cropped.jpg" type="external" /></p>
<p>Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. <a href="" type="internal">Click here</a> to learn more.</p>
<p>Roy Bell, 91, died May 11 in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada. He was a former principal of Carey Theological College in Vancouver, Canada, and a past vice president of the Baptist World Alliance. He was senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Vancouver, from 1970-1981 and also was pastor of Strathcona Baptist Church in Edmondton and First Baptist Church in Calgary. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; son, Jeremy; and daughters, Jennifer, Gillian, Rosemary and Joanne.</p>
<p>Gene Garrison, 85, died June 9 in Pittsboro, N.C. He was pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, where he served as senior pastor from 1973 to 1996. Before that he was pastor of First Baptist Church, El Paso, Texas. He was integrally involved in the formation of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma. He is survived by his wife, Martha; son, Stephen; daughter, Christy; two grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.</p>
<p>Robert H. Hammond, 93, died May 20 in Greenwood, Ind. An ordained minister for 70 years, he was on staff of the Indiana Baptist Convention, a longtime member of Garfield Park Baptist Church, Indianapolis, Ind., and recently a member of First Baptist Church, Greenwood. He is survived by his wife, Lois; daughters, Judy Otto and Yee Yee Kuhn; sons, Phillip and Tim; 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and nine step children.</p>
<p>Viola Rae Herta, 96, died May 26 in Owasso, Okla. An American Baptist home missionary, she founded a small Mexican Baptist church in Winslow, Ariz., that grew to become a large Southern Baptist congregation. She and her husband, Joseph, served American Baptist churches in North Dakota and Kansas. She was predeceased by her husband. She is survived by two daughters, Brenda Juby and Marcia Wolgast; three sons, Loren, Stanley and Steven; and 11 grandchildren.&#160;</p>
<p>Chris Brammer, 5 years as minister of music at University Heights Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Transitions for the week of 06.09.17</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Transitions for the week of 06.02.17</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Transitions for the week of 05.26.17</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Transitions for the week of 05.19.17</a></p>
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please submit transitions including staff changes ordinations anniversaries deaths to160 barbara francis page updated weekly mary l apicella providence baptist church hendersonville nc pastor effective aug 1 comes federated church brooklyn conn serves pastor ashley edwards may memorial baptist church powhatan va minister children youth gary dalton concluding tenure senior minister interim university baptist church charlottesville va effective july 14 elmo familiaran serving interim executive minister senior regional pastor american baptist churches new jersey dale fields first baptist church charlottesville va worship pastor bob hetherington mill creek baptist church fincastle va interim pastor aimee hobbs first baptist church st petersburg fla pastor children young families joshua johnson westbury baptist church houston texas contemporary worship leader john kimbrough first baptist church wilmington nc minister contemporary worship young adults comes central baptist church bearden tenn served worship assistant michael mills agape baptist church fort worth texas pastor comes inland church spokane wash lead pastor church planter william nieporte concluding tenure pastor patterson avenue baptist church richmond va end august church voted disband kenneth reiter first baptist church cross plains texas pastor scott runyon first baptist church birmingham mich pastor comes pastorate federated church grass lake mich michael sowers first baptist church buies creek nc pastor greg webber concluding tenure pastor hatcher memorial baptist church richmond va neil westbrook concluding tenure pastor forest hills baptist church raleigh nc become agent new york life insurance160 bruce hancock retiring 25 years pastor first baptist church camden sc miller retiring 40 years executive pastor first baptist church mansfield texas ed owens retiring after33 years pastor olivet baptist church lansing mich160 lisa orr ordained ministry june 11 snyder memorial baptist church fayetteville nc kerry smith ordained ministry june 11 north run baptist church richmond va serves educationyouth minister baptist news global provides free listing ministryrelated jobs baptist churches theological institutions organizations across united states click learn roy bell 91 died may 11 duncan british columbia canada former principal carey theological college vancouver canada past vice president baptist world alliance senior pastor first baptist church vancouver 19701981 also pastor strathcona baptist church edmondton first baptist church calgary survived wife elizabeth son jeremy daughters jennifer gillian rosemary joanne gene garrison 85 died june 9 pittsboro nc pastor emeritus first baptist church oklahoma city served senior pastor 1973 1996 pastor first baptist church el paso texas integrally involved formation cooperative baptist fellowship cooperative baptist fellowship oklahoma survived wife martha son stephen daughter christy two grandchildren two greatgranddaughters robert h hammond 93 died may 20 greenwood ind ordained minister 70 years staff indiana baptist convention longtime member garfield park baptist church indianapolis ind recently member first baptist church greenwood survived wife lois daughters judy otto yee yee kuhn sons phillip tim 11 grandchildren 12 greatgrandchildren nine step children viola rae herta 96 died may 26 owasso okla american baptist home missionary founded small mexican baptist church winslow ariz grew become large southern baptist congregation husband joseph served american baptist churches north dakota kansas predeceased husband survived two daughters brenda juby marcia wolgast three sons loren stanley steven 11 grandchildren160 chris brammer 5 years minister music university heights baptist church springfield mo transitions week 060917 transitions week 060217 transitions week 052617 transitions week 051917
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<p>It's safe to assume the two convicted murderers who <a href="" type="internal">escaped from a maximum-security prison</a> four days ago want to avoid capture. But they'll need a lot of luck — and some help.</p>
<p>What is less apparent is what route the duo will take now: Slip across the Canadian border? Hunker down in one location until the manhunt dies down? And how will they finance their escape?</p>
<p>While it' <a href="" type="internal">s not unheard of for prison escapees to evade capture forever</a>, it's rare. But so is the complex prison break the two hardened criminals managed to pull off.</p>
<p>"We will learn a lot from this if we catch them," Dr. Casey Jordan, a criminologist and law professor at Western Connecticut State University, told NBC News.</p>
<p>Here are some possibilities experts say Sweat and Matt may be considering as they dodge capture:</p>
<p>If the pair managed to secure fake IDs, "then there's definitely someone who helped them," Jordan said.</p>
<p>"The number one thing I would be looking at if I were investigating this is who has come to visit them and are all of their phone calls available on recording to analyze?" she said.</p>
<p>While conversations about an escape would likely be in code, investigators need to talk to family members or girlfriends who were in regular contact with the convicts and could have spent months or even years helping them plan their break.</p>
<p>"It could include a getaway car, could include fake IDs, could include disguises," she said.</p>
<p>But Larry Levine, a former federal inmate and director and founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants, pointed out that counterfeit identification isn't as easy to pass as legitimate as it used to be.</p>
<p>"Things have changed since 9/11," he told NBC News. "With technology and security protocols, it's not that easy to come up with a counterfeit passport anymore."</p>
<p>Regardless of their passport situation, the men could be out of the country already. Officers along the Canadian border, just 20 miles from the prison, were advised to be on the lookout for them — but Levine said they could have slipped through unnoticed.</p>
<p>"Canada is not like Mexico, where the border is heavily patrolled. Look at how many places that you could cross from the U.S. into Canada," he said. "There's no fence. Yeah, there's border crossings, where you're officially supposed to do it. They could go into any of the northern states, walk across, drive across."</p>
<p>Mexico is a possibility, too, especially because one of the escapees, Matt, has a connection there. He was convicted of killing a man in Mexico while on the lam after he was accused of dismembering his boss in 1997.</p>
<p>But the convicts may have gained a lot of ground by the time authorities realized they were gone. Prison officials didn't notice until morning that they weren't in their beds.</p>
<p>"If they indeed went to Canada, which is the wisest thing for them to do, they would have been there long before anyone even realized," Jordan said.</p>
<p>Whether they attempt to cross the border or not, they have two choices, Levine says: Find an isolated area and stay indoors for an extended period of time; or go to a large city and try to blend in.</p>
<p>They need to "not become flamboyant and really decide, what is their goal here? Is their goal to just to stay out as long as possible? These guys are reckless," he said. "Because they 're reckless, they may be sloppy, and criminals who are sloppy will get caught."</p>
<p>Regardless of whether a getaway car picked the men up or if they're on foot, they'll need some money off which they can live.</p>
<p>"They're going to have to rob some banks," Levine said. "They'll probably go into some isolated rural areas, rob the banks there, where there's not a lot of law enforcement."</p>
<p>But Jordan said paying for necessities is the least of the men's worries, now that they're out of Clinton Correctional — a place she said inmates have described to her as "a jungle where every single day you're fighting for your life against wild animals."</p>
<p>"The idea of having to steal food or sleep in someone's garage is child's play, compared to what they've been through," she said. "They will sleep in cars or whatever they need to do."</p>
<p>The could also could tag along with a team of other criminals who could support them.</p>
<p>"But then the issue comes up: Can they trust these people? You get too many people involved in what you're doing, you have the risk that someone's going to turn you in," Levine said.</p>
<p>There's also a possibility the pair has split up.</p>
<p>"They're more likely to be caught when they're together," Jordan said.</p>
<p>The men appear to have access to power tools and blueprints that helped them map their exit route, raising questions about what else they had: Cell phones? Laptops? Something more dangerous?</p>
<p>"It's conceivable they could have had weapons," Levine said.</p>
<p>And the bigger question is: How did they get everything they needed for the escape in the first place? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was clear they had help, and investigators are looking at prison staff, <a href="" type="internal">including a female employee</a>.</p>
<p>"For someone to put their career on the line, it would have to be either a huge emotional attachment to one or both of these men, which is why my money is on the female prison worker that they're talking to, or a great deal of money," Jordan said.</p>
<p>Or it could be coercion: "My family on the outside will kill your wife if you don't help me," she said.</p>
<p>Regardless of how they managed to pull off the escape, the duo may not be thinking about what they're going to do now that they're out, Jordan said.</p>
<p>"The freedom itself is so exhilarating that they don't think 'I need ID, I need a plane ticket, I need a place to stay.' They'll just survive it as they go."</p>
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safe assume two convicted murderers escaped maximumsecurity prison four days ago want avoid capture theyll need lot luck help less apparent route duo take slip across canadian border hunker one location manhunt dies finance escape unheard prison escapees evade capture forever rare complex prison break two hardened criminals managed pull learn lot catch dr casey jordan criminologist law professor western connecticut state university told nbc news possibilities experts say sweat matt may considering dodge capture pair managed secure fake ids theres definitely someone helped jordan said number one thing would looking investigating come visit phone calls available recording analyze said conversations escape would likely code investigators need talk family members girlfriends regular contact convicts could spent months even years helping plan break could include getaway car could include fake ids could include disguises said larry levine former federal inmate director founder wall street prison consultants pointed counterfeit identification isnt easy pass legitimate used things changed since 911 told nbc news technology security protocols easy come counterfeit passport anymore regardless passport situation men could country already officers along canadian border 20 miles prison advised lookout levine said could slipped unnoticed canada like mexico border heavily patrolled look many places could cross us canada said theres fence yeah theres border crossings youre officially supposed could go northern states walk across drive across mexico possibility especially one escapees matt connection convicted killing man mexico lam accused dismembering boss 1997 convicts may gained lot ground time authorities realized gone prison officials didnt notice morning werent beds indeed went canada wisest thing would long anyone even realized jordan said whether attempt cross border two choices levine says find isolated area stay indoors extended period time go large city try blend need become flamboyant really decide goal goal stay long possible guys reckless said reckless may sloppy criminals sloppy get caught regardless whether getaway car picked men theyre foot theyll need money live theyre going rob banks levine said theyll probably go isolated rural areas rob banks theres lot law enforcement jordan said paying necessities least mens worries theyre clinton correctional place said inmates described jungle every single day youre fighting life wild animals idea steal food sleep someones garage childs play compared theyve said sleep cars whatever need could also could tag along team criminals could support issue comes trust people get many people involved youre risk someones going turn levine said theres also possibility pair split theyre likely caught theyre together jordan said men appear access power tools blueprints helped map exit route raising questions else cell phones laptops something dangerous conceivable could weapons levine said bigger question get everything needed escape first place new york gov andrew cuomo said clear help investigators looking prison staff including female employee someone put career line would either huge emotional attachment one men money female prison worker theyre talking great deal money jordan said could coercion family outside kill wife dont help said regardless managed pull escape duo may thinking theyre going theyre jordan said freedom exhilarating dont think need id need plane ticket need place stay theyll survive go
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />JAN. 30, 2012</p>
<p>By WAYNE LUSVARDI</p>
<p>Remember “ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_%281974_film%29" type="external">Chinatown</a>,” the murky 1974 movie about the water wars in the Los Angeles Basin in the 1930s, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway?</p>
<p>A January 18 California appeals court water rights case is reminiscent of the multilayered plots and subplots in the flick.</p>
<p>The “Chinatown” movie plot involves fictional character Hollis Mulwray who is &#160;murdered due to his opposition to the proposed construction of a new dam.&#160; The fictional Mulwray is based on the real historical person of William Mulholland, the infamous head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who allegedly stole water from Mono Lake in Northern California in the early 20th Century.</p>
<p>But the current court case is not like the movie “Chinatown” in one important aspect. There is no sex involved in the putting in and taking out of water from the Los Angeles Central Basin Water District water basin that is the focus of this court case. But there is alleged bureaucratic bigamy and robbery.</p>
<p>Quoted in the Long Beach Press Telegram newspaper, Long Beach City Water Department Director <a href="http://www.presstelegram.com/breakingnews/ci_19786914" type="external">Kevin Wattier</a> succinctly summed up the main issue in the case, “Right now it’s like a bank account where you can put money in but can’t take it out.”</p>
<p>The legal citation for the current case is <a href="http://www.leagle.com/xmlResult.aspx?xmldoc=In%20CACO%2020120118033.xml&amp;docbase=CSLWAR3-2007-CURR" type="external">Water Replenishment District of Southern California versus the City of Cerritos</a>, Case No. B226743, Second District Court of Appeals, filed Jan. 18, 2012.</p>
<p>The original complainants (plaintiffs) were five cities and a regional water replenishment district: Long Beach, Lakewood, Los Angeles, Huntington Park and Vernon; and the Water Replenishment District of Southern California.</p>
<p>A water replenishment district is a special agency of government that recharges underground water supplies from natural rainwater runoff captured from a local watershed.&#160; In this case the water recharge basins are adjacent to the upper San Gabriel River and the 605 Freeway in Los Angeles County.&#160; And the watershed involved is the San Gabriel Mountain and River watershed.</p>
<p>All the cities involved in the case are located downstream of the water recharge basins.&#160; Long Beach is located near the mouth of the San Gabriel River to the Pacific Ocean. A map of the cities along the San Gabriel River can be found <a href="http://www.centralbasin.org/serviceArea.html" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>The defendants (respondents) are three cities and one sub-regional water agency: the cities of Cerritos, Downey and Signal Hill, together with the Central Basin Municipal Water District.&#160; The Central Water Basin is obviously located near the center of the land surface of the Los Angeles urban basin.</p>
<p>While there is no sex involved in this case, there is bureaucratic bigamy and alleged robbery: all of the parties to the case share the same underground water basin.&#160; In fact, the Water Replenishment District was created to refill the Central and West Coast underground water storage basins.&#160; There has been a history of court cases in the Central Basin alleging “overdrafting.”&#160; That is water terminology for “highway robbery.”</p>
<p>The Central Basin has a 277-square-mile underground footprint.&#160; If the basin were square shaped, it would comprise an area of about 16.5 miles by 16.5 miles. The Central Basin serves city water departments, unincorporated areas, private water companies, school districts, electric utilities and landowners.&#160; The Central Basin Water District sells treated water to cities and others within its regional service area. Like the movie “Chinatown,” water is a many-layered story.&#160; There are no murders but there are plenty of complex water wars.</p>
<p>Going back to 1965, a court ordered that 500 parties having water rights in the Central Basin were subject to limits as to how much water they could take to prevent overdrafts.</p>
<p>In 2001, several interested parties sought unused storage space in the Central Basin.&#160; A court appointed the California Department of Water Resources to serve as “watermaster,” or water traffic cop.&#160; But at that time, the court rejected the legal notion that the right to extract water creates a concurrent right to store water.</p>
<p>By 2009, another group of water pumpers bubbled up. They filed a court action to use 330,000 acre-feet of “dewatered space” in the Central Basin for future water storage.&#160; This would be enough water for about 660,000 households per year. This action sought even more layers of complexity: three “watermasters” were to be appointed.</p>
<p>The trial court issued an order on July 7, 2010. The order said it only had authorization to apportion water rights and not rights to unused capacity space in the Central Basin.&#160; Additionally, the court believed it could not appoint “watermasters” over unused space in the basin that held no water today. The Water Replenishment District of Southern California is appealed the ruling.</p>
<p>On Jan. 18, 2012 the State Appellate Court ruled that the trial court: 1) had authority to allocate future storage in the Central Basin; 2) had jurisdiction over water transfers between the Central and nearby West Coast Basins; and 3) was not prohibited from appointing a “watermaster” over unused space in the Central Basin. The court additionally ruled that the Central Basin Water District might also be able to serve as “watermaster.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://kbtlawyers.com/news-GroundwaterStorage.html" type="external">defendants</a> — the cities of Cerritos, Downey and Signal Hill — contended: 1) their costs would be increased if others were given the right to lease unused capacity in the Basin; 2) over-drafting of the Basin could result if new “wet water” was not put in first; and 3) there was a threat the appointed watermaster could try to merge the Central and West Coast Basins. The Central Basin did not want a proverbial “shotgun marriage” to result over the issue of renting a room to the unwanted bastard child of unused basin capacity.</p>
<p>Presumably, the above issues can be heard and adjudicated now that the jurisdictional issues have been clarified.</p>
<p>The timing of this case has enormous implications for what is happening statewide.&#160; The <a href="" type="internal">Delta Stewardship Council</a> appointed by the State Legislature is about to put into place widely encompassing laws that could usurp powers from local water districts.&#160; Local water agencies would no longer be able to do anything that adversely impacted the Sacramento Delta.&#160; The Delta is where Southern California gets most of its imported water supplies.&#160; Conceivably, local water departments might not be able to issue any new water permits or “will serve” letters to real estate developers if that meant using more imported Delta water.</p>
<p>David O. Powell, the former chief engineer of the San Diego Office of the State Department of Water Resources and the Alameda Water District, said he believed the proposed Delta Plan would result in cutting water allocations to Southern California in half.</p>
<p>This is despite Southern California using about the same amount of water it used 25 years ago, even with 35 percent more population. Through conservation, Southern California has already given up about 1 million acre-feet of water per year to the Delta ecosystem. That is enough water for about 2 million households or 4.5 million people. Yet the Delta Stewardship Council wants to reduce water use by and additional 20 percent by the year 2020.</p>
<p>State and regional water agencies have shown an inability to bring more water to Southern California without huge, costly infrastructure projects, such as: the proposed Peripheral Canal that would route water around the Delta and/or the proposed $11.1 billion water bond.&#160; Both of these projects would pinch the already deficit-plagued state budget.&#160; There are matching fund requirements in the proposed state water bond.&#160; Thus, the real cost of the proposed water bond may be about $18 billion.&#160; The cost of the Peripheral Canal is estimated to cost $13 billion, or $23.5 billion with bond interest costs.</p>
<p>Consequently, local water districts and cities are going to have to find a way to capitalize on the unused storage capacity in the <a href="http://www.crinfo.org/booksummary/10052/" type="external">eight underground water basins in Southern California</a>.&#160; They may be compelled to contract for some of their own water supplies instead of depending on more imported water from regional water wholesalers.&#160; This could mean water transfers from recycled water, from the new Cadiz water basin in the Southern California desert, voluntary purchases of water from farmers, desalinated ocean water or the development of new water resources. This will require a much more open water conveyance and storage system with reasonable transfer costs than the present semi-socialized system with many trade barriers.</p>
<p>So the outcome of the Water Replenishment District versus the city of Cerritos case may have huge consequences for Southern California’s cities and economy.</p>
<p>To add another subplot to the story, <a href="http://greeneconomics.blogspot.com/2009/02/interesting-e-mail-on-water-and.html" type="external">Assembly Bill 375</a>&#160;— the anti-urban sprawl bill passed in 2008 — would divert future population growth to the coastal urban areas.&#160; But this may result in “no growth” if the water spigot from imported water from the Delta is simultaneously shut off.&#160; This could kill off an economic recovery.</p>
<p>So maybe the above-mentioned court case is like the movie “Chinatown” and will involve murder — economic homicide — anyway.</p>
<p>Or it may have a wedding and happy ending: economic reproduction if local water agencies and city water departments are allowed to contract for future water and deposit it in fertile underground local water basins.</p>
<p>A sequel to “Chinatown” came out in 1990, called “ <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100828/" type="external">Two Jakes</a>.” It wasn’t as good, even though it starred Jack Nicholson and another great actor, Harvey Keitel.</p>
<p>It’s time for a better sequel. Call it, “Central Water Basin Blues.” Jack Nicholson could star once more, this time with Arnold Schwarzenegger, now an actor again after his stint as governor. As in the original “Chinatown,” and as with the real California, reality and fiction would blend on the celluloid.</p>
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jan 30 2012 wayne lusvardi remember chinatown murky 1974 movie water wars los angeles basin 1930s starring jack nicholson faye dunaway january 18 california appeals court water rights case reminiscent multilayered plots subplots flick chinatown movie plot involves fictional character hollis mulwray 160murdered due opposition proposed construction new dam160 fictional mulwray based real historical person william mulholland infamous head los angeles department water power allegedly stole water mono lake northern california early 20th century current court case like movie chinatown one important aspect sex involved putting taking water los angeles central basin water district water basin focus court case alleged bureaucratic bigamy robbery quoted long beach press telegram newspaper long beach city water department director kevin wattier succinctly summed main issue case right like bank account put money cant take legal citation current case water replenishment district southern california versus city cerritos case b226743 second district court appeals filed jan 18 2012 original complainants plaintiffs five cities regional water replenishment district long beach lakewood los angeles huntington park vernon water replenishment district southern california water replenishment district special agency government recharges underground water supplies natural rainwater runoff captured local watershed160 case water recharge basins adjacent upper san gabriel river 605 freeway los angeles county160 watershed involved san gabriel mountain river watershed cities involved case located downstream water recharge basins160 long beach located near mouth san gabriel river pacific ocean map cities along san gabriel river found defendants respondents three cities one subregional water agency cities cerritos downey signal hill together central basin municipal water district160 central water basin obviously located near center land surface los angeles urban basin sex involved case bureaucratic bigamy alleged robbery parties case share underground water basin160 fact water replenishment district created refill central west coast underground water storage basins160 history court cases central basin alleging overdrafting160 water terminology highway robbery central basin 277squaremile underground footprint160 basin square shaped would comprise area 165 miles 165 miles central basin serves city water departments unincorporated areas private water companies school districts electric utilities landowners160 central basin water district sells treated water cities others within regional service area like movie chinatown water manylayered story160 murders plenty complex water wars going back 1965 court ordered 500 parties water rights central basin subject limits much water could take prevent overdrafts 2001 several interested parties sought unused storage space central basin160 court appointed california department water resources serve watermaster water traffic cop160 time court rejected legal notion right extract water creates concurrent right store water 2009 another group water pumpers bubbled filed court action use 330000 acrefeet dewatered space central basin future water storage160 would enough water 660000 households per year action sought even layers complexity three watermasters appointed trial court issued order july 7 2010 order said authorization apportion water rights rights unused capacity space central basin160 additionally court believed could appoint watermasters unused space basin held water today water replenishment district southern california appealed ruling jan 18 2012 state appellate court ruled trial court 1 authority allocate future storage central basin 2 jurisdiction water transfers central nearby west coast basins 3 prohibited appointing watermaster unused space central basin court additionally ruled central basin water district might also able serve watermaster defendants cities cerritos downey signal hill contended 1 costs would increased others given right lease unused capacity basin 2 overdrafting basin could result new wet water put first 3 threat appointed watermaster could try merge central west coast basins central basin want proverbial shotgun marriage result issue renting room unwanted bastard child unused basin capacity presumably issues heard adjudicated jurisdictional issues clarified timing case enormous implications happening statewide160 delta stewardship council appointed state legislature put place widely encompassing laws could usurp powers local water districts160 local water agencies would longer able anything adversely impacted sacramento delta160 delta southern california gets imported water supplies160 conceivably local water departments might able issue new water permits serve letters real estate developers meant using imported delta water david powell former chief engineer san diego office state department water resources alameda water district said believed proposed delta plan would result cutting water allocations southern california half despite southern california using amount water used 25 years ago even 35 percent population conservation southern california already given 1 million acrefeet water per year delta ecosystem enough water 2 million households 45 million people yet delta stewardship council wants reduce water use additional 20 percent year 2020 state regional water agencies shown inability bring water southern california without huge costly infrastructure projects proposed peripheral canal would route water around delta andor proposed 111 billion water bond160 projects would pinch already deficitplagued state budget160 matching fund requirements proposed state water bond160 thus real cost proposed water bond may 18 billion160 cost peripheral canal estimated cost 13 billion 235 billion bond interest costs consequently local water districts cities going find way capitalize unused storage capacity eight underground water basins southern california160 may compelled contract water supplies instead depending imported water regional water wholesalers160 could mean water transfers recycled water new cadiz water basin southern california desert voluntary purchases water farmers desalinated ocean water development new water resources require much open water conveyance storage system reasonable transfer costs present semisocialized system many trade barriers outcome water replenishment district versus city cerritos case may huge consequences southern californias cities economy add another subplot story assembly bill 375160 antiurban sprawl bill passed 2008 would divert future population growth coastal urban areas160 may result growth water spigot imported water delta simultaneously shut off160 could kill economic recovery maybe abovementioned court case like movie chinatown involve murder economic homicide anyway may wedding happy ending economic reproduction local water agencies city water departments allowed contract future water deposit fertile underground local water basins sequel chinatown came 1990 called two jakes wasnt good even though starred jack nicholson another great actor harvey keitel time better sequel call central water basin blues jack nicholson could star time arnold schwarzenegger actor stint governor original chinatown real california reality fiction would blend celluloid
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<p>Bob Love, a retired Chicago Bulls star, stands chuckling on stage at Brentano Math and Science Academy in Logan Square, a chain of plastic links stretched across his exceptional armspan. A 3rd-grade boy calmly holds up one end; a 2nd-grade girl strains on tiptoes to hold up the other.</p>
<p>“We’re going to measure Mr. Love’s armspan and height,” lab teacher Raquel Gonzalez announces to an auditorium packed with primary students. “I need everybody to count with me.” Gonzalez points to each link while the kids count aloud. A gasp goes up at the total. “Sixty! Whoa!” Love’s height turns out to be nearly as impressive—a whopping 59 links.</p>
<p>Love’s visit to Brentano is the grand finale to a schoolwide science project aimed at learning a scientific concept: the human body is mathematically proportioned. During the project, students also learned about the scientific process as they predicted outcomes of their experiment, accurately measured a partner’s arm-span and height and communicated findings with a graph.</p>
<p>Just a few years ago, math and science at Brentano was “no fun” at all, according to Principal Reynes Reyes. Teachers lectured, students answered textbook questions. But after Brentano brought in the Teachers Academy for Mathematics and Science (TAMS), a local non-profit agency, teachers began replacing lectures with hands-on activities. With TAMS, teachers got in-depth courses, coaching in the classroom and time to collaborate—the kind of professional development that experts advocate to improve teaching nationwide.</p>
<p>TAMS cost Brentano substantial time and money, $25,000 in training and another $25,000 in materials. The payoff, says Reyes, has been no less impressive: better-skilled teachers, more enthusiastic students and substantial gains in scores on standardized math and science tests.</p>
<p>Nationally, there is growing recognition that professional development is an essential element of school improvement. Since the early 1980s, the country has sunk millions of dollars into creating higher standards for all students, tests to measure student learning and new classroom technology, “but no money on assuring our teachers have the skills to use them,” according to Terry Dozier, the Secretary’s Special Advisor on Teaching at the U.S. Department of Education.</p>
<p>“People are beginning to realize that if we don’t focus on teachers’ knowledge and skills, all those other improvements are going to buy us very little,” she says.</p>
<p>Locally, the story is much the same. To break the inertia that gripped Chicago’s public schools, the 1988 Reform Act shifted power from central office to local school councils. Some schools leapt to improve teacher training, but most grappled instead with more obvious needs such as organizing council meetings or improving school safety. Now, observers note a sharpened focus on staff development, spurred either by national attention to the issue, new foundation dollars or the threat of probation—depending on whom you ask.</p>
<p>The need for better staff development appears acute. A 1992 survey conducted by the independent Consortium on Chicago School Research found that a third of elementary school principals believe that half or fewer of the teachers at their own schools have a good grasp of language arts instruction, which includes reading and writing. Even more principals cited teacher deficiencies in math, social studies and science.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a 1997 Consortium survey of teachers suggests that while they spend a great deal of time on professional development, it doesn’t amount to much. For one, many schools seem to be sampling from a smorgasbord of programs, with no coherent plan and too little time devoted to any one topic.</p>
<p>“I think all of us have been in schools where it’s clear that the staff are working very hard, but their efforts aren’t adding up to real change or improvement,” says Consortium Study Director BetsAnn Smith.</p>
<p>Among experts, a clear consensus has emerged on what it takes to build a skilled faculty. First, professional development should be part of a long-term, schoolwide plan focused on specific goals for improving student achievement. Second, teachers need sustained learning in both content knowledge and teaching strategies. Third, as teachers hone their skills, they need both coaching in the classroom and time to discuss instruction with their peers.</p>
<p>Teachers and experts alike denounce what traditionally has passed for staff development—districtwide inservice days where teachers sit for hours listening to experts lecture on topics chosen by district bureaucrats.</p>
<p>“If you wanted to evaluate the quality of staff development nationwide, you would find it was one of the most poorly done activities,” says Margaret Harrigan, a former Chicago principal, district superintendent and human resources director who is now on the faculty at the DePaul University School of Education. “Somebody decides [that teachers] need to be fixed, and so they arrange for a fix. And it isn’t meaningful.”</p>
<p>Staff development tends to be most meaningful when organized with teacher input by schools themselves, with districts playing a guiding and supporting role, experts say.</p>
<p>In Chicago, reform helped shift professional development efforts to the school level. Prior to 1988, subdistricts controlled staff development money. While some distributed those funds directly to schools, most subjected teachers to workshops of the traditional sort.</p>
<p>The 1997 Consortium survey found that teachers now receive most staff development through their schools rather than from courses organized by central office, universities or the Chicago Teachers Union. Most teachers surveyed gave high marks to their staff development experiences; however, a third said they did not address the needs of their students. Harrigan believes many principals still fail to seek teacher input.</p>
<p>The professional development that teachers pursue on their own also may fail to address their students’ needs. As a rule, school districts give pay increases for coursework beyond a bachelor’s degree but set few restrictions on the kinds of courses that qualify. In Chicago, only courses in medicine, law and religion are off-limits; virtually anything else may count toward so-called lane credit. An 8th-grade science teacher, for instance, could move up a pay lane with graduate courses in fine arts or business—provided they were offered through an accredited institution.</p>
<p>Classroom teachers earn degrees in counseling and administration far more often than they do in English, history, math or science, according to Harrigan. “Very few teachers take courses in the subject areas in which they are teaching,” she says.</p>
<p>About half of Chicago’s some 27,000 teachers have earned raises based on additional study. This school year, those lane credits will cost at least $47 million in salaries alone, according to a CATALYST analysis of School Board data.</p>
<p>Even when teachers do take courses related to classroom teaching, they may not receive the necessary support at their schools to adopt new practices. For example, one 1st-grade teacher at a South Side school earned a master’s degree that focused on “cooperative learning,” a teaching strategy that can boost student achievement. Back in the classroom, she couldn’t figure out how to keep kids from copying each other’s work, and there was no one around to help her. Now, her students again sit in rows and work alone.</p>
<p>No one is suggesting that teachers should stop doing graduate work, says Barry Bull, a researcher at the Indiana Education Policy Center at Indiana University at Bloomington. “But that kind of individual improvement doesn’t add up to school improvement,” he says. “It’s simply too fragmented.”</p>
<p>Instead, professional development choices should be tailored to priorities for raising student achievement at a particular school. A school team should then draw up a long-term plan for what teachers need to learn in order to move students ahead.</p>
<p>Pursuing professional development as a team also can boost teachers’ camaraderie and commitment to reaching common goals, Bull believes. The team approach makes it easier for teachers to help each other, too. With long-term planning, teachers can be assured sufficient time for mastering new strategies. And a focused plan keeps a school from taking on too many improvements at once.</p>
<p>Typically, school reforms are driven by fads rather than long-term plans, and schools hop from program to program in search of a quick fix for low achievement. As a result, teachers may grow cynical and reluctant to try new ideas.</p>
<p>“Teachers have been trained very well to hold their noses, close their eyes, shut their doors and wait until ‘this too has passed,'” says Judith Rényi, executive director of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education at the National Education Association. “If teachers are going to go to the trouble of learning something new, they have to know it’s going to stay around.”</p>
<p>TAMS Executive Director Lourdes Monteagudo has found that schools making the best gains with the program are the ones that concentrated all their efforts on it. “The worst schools are the ones that have 20 things going on, and they can’t focus on any of them,” she notes.</p>
<p>At Brentano, focusing on TAMS meant dropping lots of smaller math programs that a number of universities were piloting at the school. “With so many programs running simultaneously, it was hard to measure which programs were helping students’ achievement and which weren’t,” notes Principal Reyes.</p>
<p>Selecting a single professional development program for math and science put everyone on the same page, he says. “It made it easier for teachers to collaborate, it made it easier for me to supervise the programs, and it made it easier for the students–[giving them] more continuity from grade to grade.”</p>
<p>A 1995 Consortium survey found half of Chicago’s elementary teachers felt that programs at their schools were at least somewhat uncoordinated; 43 percent reported so many programs they couldn’t keep track of them. Almost half said programs tend to come and go.</p>
<p>Typically, professional development programs are judged by “the happiness quotient,” or how well teachers enjoyed them. Experts say a school instead should use hard data such as standardized test scores, attendance rates and samples of student work. If professional development is not leading to increased student learning, a school needs to determine why and revise its long-term plan accordingly.</p>
<p>Some professional development programs do produce better results than others. Many educators have found that general teaching strategies, such as how to reach children with different “learning styles,” tend to be less effective than those that address a specific content area at a specific grade level. In addition, most teachers need more study in content areas, experts say.</p>
<p>To win certification in Illinois, elementary teachers are required to take only six semester hours of math and 12 of science; they often choose the watered-down courses aimed at education majors. In the primary area of reading, only two semester hours are required.</p>
<p>Through TAMS, Brentano teachers took 60 hours of courses that covered scientific concepts such as ecosystems, adaptation, mass and weight. Sixth-grade teacher Marianne Shimkus says she’s now able to teach some of these concepts in greater depth. “It makes us more confident,” she says of the TAMS training. “One thing about students—they know if you don’t know. And nobody can put you on the spot like an 11-year-old.”</p>
<p>TAMS instructors also covered the nitty-gritty details of instruction, such as how to ensure that each student masters a particular skill. For example, the first time 2nd-graders measure objects in the science lab, they generally come up with the wrong numbers. Before TAMS, says lab teacher Raquel Gonzalez, “I would have said, ‘That’s not how you do it.’ I would have done it myself and left it at that.” Now she has her students repeat the experiment and coaches each pair.</p>
<p>Gonzalez says her undergraduate education classes tended to overlook the practical details. For instance, she learned to design science units that would “wow” her students but not how to teach them to a class of 30. “I have units from school that are just sitting there because I don’t know how to get them together,” she says.</p>
<p>Undergraduate education courses have long been criticized as more theoretical than practical. In response, many Chicago colleges of education have upgraded their programs to include more classroom skills and more hours of student teaching. But even a solid undergraduate program doesn’t eliminate the need for ongoing teacher learning, experts say.</p>
<p>As with most undergraduate programs, there isn’t enough time in initial teacher education to cover all that a professional needs to know, let alone ensure that they can expertly apply what they learn in any given environment. Further, research continues to produce new knowledge about teaching and learning. “What’s competence today won’t be competence five years from now,” says Dennis Sparks, executive director of the National Staff Development Council.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for schools, researchers are not of one mind in many areas; their disagreements are especially intense in the area of early reading instruction. Some experts argue in favor of packaged programs that produce replicable results in many schools and classrooms; others encourage teachers to innovate in response to individual children’s needs.</p>
<p>Harvey “Smokey” Daniels of National-Louis University favors innovation. The goal of professional development, he says, is to produce “a powerful, unique, idiosyncratic professional.” Through the university’s Center for City Schools, teachers try out strategies they can incorporate into their own classroom programs. For example, teachers participate in literature circles, or small-group discussions of a book selected for independent reading.</p>
<p>Daniels finds that the vast majority of teachers are capable of designing learning activities tailored to the needs and interests of their students. Packaged programs should be the refuge only of “the least competent and least committed,” he says.</p>
<p>Advocates of packaged programs argue that teachers cannot possibly craft instructional materials and teaching strategies with the same attention to detail as can a team of researchers. “When would they have time to teach?” asks Marsha Berger, deputy director of the Educational Issues Department at the American Federation of Teachers. She notes that Direct Instruction and Success for All, two elementary school reading programs AFT supports, have been tested and refined for more than a decade.</p>
<p>Professional development centered on learning “the tried and true” leaves teachers more time to collaborate on materials for enriching the core program and to discuss individual students, she says.</p>
<p>Schools that opt for packaged programs can move more quickly, according to an ongoing study by RAND Corp., a research organization based in Santa Monica, Calif. RAND is studying implementation of seven school reform designs sponsored by New American Schools, a non-profit group based in Arlington, Va.</p>
<p>Schools can successfully implement packaged programs within a year, RAND found; other programs “unfold at a slower rate,” says RAND’s Susan Bodilly. “Teachers need more time, not only to learn new ideas but to come up with practices.” The study hasn’t yet determined which reform models lead to the greatest gains in student achievement.</p>
<p>Regardless of what approach a school chooses, teachers need support. Research has shown that teachers are much more likely to pursue new teaching strategies when they have shared planning time and classroom coaching. Without these two supports, one study found, fewer than 10 percent of teachers put strategies learned in professional development into classroom use.</p>
<p>By and large, Chicago teachers lack the support they need to improve instruction. The 1995 Consortium survey found only 55 percent of Chicago teachers work with colleagues to design instruction. The 1997 survey found 68 percent of teachers get meaningful feedback from a colleague less than once a month; 25 percent reported they had never visited a colleague’s classroom.</p>
<p>Brentano teachers rarely spent time collaborating until TAMS helped the school rearrange its schedule. Now teachers at each grade level have a common prep period once a week while their students go to gym or other “specials.” Planning together helps ensure that everyone covers all the skills and concepts for their grade level; it also has improved relations among teachers. “Everyone gets along a little better,” says 6th-grade teacher Marianne Shimkus. “There’s more sharing of ideas.”</p>
<p>A TAMS consultant also has spent time in each teacher’s classroom, first modeling lessons, then co-teaching, and now observing and providing feedback. Coaching is an expensive support—roughly 25 percent of the program’s cost—but a crucial one.</p>
<p>“You can take teachers and give them all the workshops you want,” says Gonzalez. “But if you don’t come back to the school and help them out with it, and show them how to do it, it’s not going to work,” she insists. At her previous elementary school, professional development programs often went by the wayside. “Some won’t try [new techniques] because they’re afraid. Some want to go with the old way because that’s what they feel comfortable with.”</p>
<p>Coaching “makes a world of difference,” says Gonzalez. “She shows them, ‘Hey, this is simple,’ and models it, so then they’re not afraid anymore.”</p>
<p>To be successful, even the best-designed staff development program needs fertile soil. In the Consortium’s view, the key element is trust among the adults who work in a school.</p>
<p>The 1995 Consortium study found that trust correlated with a school’s test score gains more strongly than did any other factor, including a school’s poverty level, parents’ education or how low test scores were at the beginning of reform.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, the study found that distrust undermined professional development efforts. Teachers who reported low levels of trust were far less likely to learn new teaching methods or to seek constructive criticism from colleagues, the study found.</p>
<p>Schools with a history of low student achievement, ineffective leadership and failed reforms tend to have the lowest levels of trust, says Consortium Director Anthony Bryk. But he adds that some low-achieving schools that have developed high levels of trust.</p>
<p>What usually makes the difference, he says, is a new principal with a new vision who makes the effort to “counsel out” low-performing teachers and attract motivated ones.</p>
<p>Building a professional community, like any significant change, takes time and perseverance; there are no short-term solutions, says Bryk. “To really build social trust, people have to [join] together around work they feel is important and eventually achieve some success at.”</p>
<p>Chicago teachers</p>
<p>* Excludes counselors, coordinators and other non-classroom teachers.</p>
<p>Source: Various Chicago school officials</p>
<p />
<p>Chicago teacher salaries</p>
<p>Average, 96-97: $45,508</p>
<p>Base salary ranges, 42-week year:</p>
<p>Bachelor’s degree</p>
<p>$30,600-$48,000</p>
<p>12,268 teachers</p>
<p>Master’s degree</p>
<p>$32,700-$50,200</p>
<p>5,898 teachers</p>
<p>Master’s plus 15 semester hours</p>
<p>$33,700-$51,200</p>
<p>2,107 teachers</p>
<p>Master’s plus 30 semester hours</p>
<p>$34,800-$52,300</p>
<p>1,650 teachers</p>
<p>Master’s plus 45 semester hours</p>
<p>$35,900-$53,300</p>
<p>3,612 teachers</p>
<p>Doctorate (Ph.D. or Ed.D.)</p>
<p>$36,900-$54,400</p>
<p>285 teachers</p>
<p>Note: Within each so-called lane, salaries depend on the number</p>
<p>of years a teacher has worked. Teachers with at least 12 years of</p>
<p>experience get the maximum in each lane.</p>
<p>Source: Chicago Public Schools</p>
<p />
<p />
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bob love retired chicago bulls star stands chuckling stage brentano math science academy logan square chain plastic links stretched across exceptional armspan 3rdgrade boy calmly holds one end 2ndgrade girl strains tiptoes hold going measure mr loves armspan height lab teacher raquel gonzalez announces auditorium packed primary students need everybody count gonzalez points link kids count aloud gasp goes total sixty whoa loves height turns nearly impressivea whopping 59 links loves visit brentano grand finale schoolwide science project aimed learning scientific concept human body mathematically proportioned project students also learned scientific process predicted outcomes experiment accurately measured partners armspan height communicated findings graph years ago math science brentano fun according principal reynes reyes teachers lectured students answered textbook questions brentano brought teachers academy mathematics science tams local nonprofit agency teachers began replacing lectures handson activities tams teachers got indepth courses coaching classroom time collaboratethe kind professional development experts advocate improve teaching nationwide tams cost brentano substantial time money 25000 training another 25000 materials payoff says reyes less impressive betterskilled teachers enthusiastic students substantial gains scores standardized math science tests nationally growing recognition professional development essential element school improvement since early 1980s country sunk millions dollars creating higher standards students tests measure student learning new classroom technology money assuring teachers skills use according terry dozier secretarys special advisor teaching us department education people beginning realize dont focus teachers knowledge skills improvements going buy us little says locally story much break inertia gripped chicagos public schools 1988 reform act shifted power central office local school councils schools leapt improve teacher training grappled instead obvious needs organizing council meetings improving school safety observers note sharpened focus staff development spurred either national attention issue new foundation dollars threat probationdepending ask need better staff development appears acute 1992 survey conducted independent consortium chicago school research found third elementary school principals believe half fewer teachers schools good grasp language arts instruction includes reading writing even principals cited teacher deficiencies math social studies science meanwhile 1997 consortium survey teachers suggests spend great deal time professional development doesnt amount much one many schools seem sampling smorgasbord programs coherent plan little time devoted one topic think us schools clear staff working hard efforts arent adding real change improvement says consortium study director betsann smith among experts clear consensus emerged takes build skilled faculty first professional development part longterm schoolwide plan focused specific goals improving student achievement second teachers need sustained learning content knowledge teaching strategies third teachers hone skills need coaching classroom time discuss instruction peers teachers experts alike denounce traditionally passed staff developmentdistrictwide inservice days teachers sit hours listening experts lecture topics chosen district bureaucrats wanted evaluate quality staff development nationwide would find one poorly done activities says margaret harrigan former chicago principal district superintendent human resources director faculty depaul university school education somebody decides teachers need fixed arrange fix isnt meaningful staff development tends meaningful organized teacher input schools districts playing guiding supporting role experts say chicago reform helped shift professional development efforts school level prior 1988 subdistricts controlled staff development money distributed funds directly schools subjected teachers workshops traditional sort 1997 consortium survey found teachers receive staff development schools rather courses organized central office universities chicago teachers union teachers surveyed gave high marks staff development experiences however third said address needs students harrigan believes many principals still fail seek teacher input professional development teachers pursue also may fail address students needs rule school districts give pay increases coursework beyond bachelors degree set restrictions kinds courses qualify chicago courses medicine law religion offlimits virtually anything else may count toward socalled lane credit 8thgrade science teacher instance could move pay lane graduate courses fine arts businessprovided offered accredited institution classroom teachers earn degrees counseling administration far often english history math science according harrigan teachers take courses subject areas teaching says half chicagos 27000 teachers earned raises based additional study school year lane credits cost least 47 million salaries alone according catalyst analysis school board data even teachers take courses related classroom teaching may receive necessary support schools adopt new practices example one 1stgrade teacher south side school earned masters degree focused cooperative learning teaching strategy boost student achievement back classroom couldnt figure keep kids copying others work one around help students sit rows work alone one suggesting teachers stop graduate work says barry bull researcher indiana education policy center indiana university bloomington kind individual improvement doesnt add school improvement says simply fragmented instead professional development choices tailored priorities raising student achievement particular school school team draw longterm plan teachers need learn order move students ahead pursuing professional development team also boost teachers camaraderie commitment reaching common goals bull believes team approach makes easier teachers help longterm planning teachers assured sufficient time mastering new strategies focused plan keeps school taking many improvements typically school reforms driven fads rather longterm plans schools hop program program search quick fix low achievement result teachers may grow cynical reluctant try new ideas teachers trained well hold noses close eyes shut doors wait passed says judith rényi executive director national foundation improvement education national education association teachers going go trouble learning something new know going stay around tams executive director lourdes monteagudo found schools making best gains program ones concentrated efforts worst schools ones 20 things going cant focus notes brentano focusing tams meant dropping lots smaller math programs number universities piloting school many programs running simultaneously hard measure programs helping students achievement werent notes principal reyes selecting single professional development program math science put everyone page says made easier teachers collaborate made easier supervise programs made easier studentsgiving continuity grade grade 1995 consortium survey found half chicagos elementary teachers felt programs schools least somewhat uncoordinated 43 percent reported many programs couldnt keep track almost half said programs tend come go typically professional development programs judged happiness quotient well teachers enjoyed experts say school instead use hard data standardized test scores attendance rates samples student work professional development leading increased student learning school needs determine revise longterm plan accordingly professional development programs produce better results others many educators found general teaching strategies reach children different learning styles tend less effective address specific content area specific grade level addition teachers need study content areas experts say win certification illinois elementary teachers required take six semester hours math 12 science often choose watereddown courses aimed education majors primary area reading two semester hours required tams brentano teachers took 60 hours courses covered scientific concepts ecosystems adaptation mass weight sixthgrade teacher marianne shimkus says shes able teach concepts greater depth makes us confident says tams training one thing studentsthey know dont know nobody put spot like 11yearold tams instructors also covered nittygritty details instruction ensure student masters particular skill example first time 2ndgraders measure objects science lab generally come wrong numbers tams says lab teacher raquel gonzalez would said thats would done left students repeat experiment coaches pair gonzalez says undergraduate education classes tended overlook practical details instance learned design science units would wow students teach class 30 units school sitting dont know get together says undergraduate education courses long criticized theoretical practical response many chicago colleges education upgraded programs include classroom skills hours student teaching even solid undergraduate program doesnt eliminate need ongoing teacher learning experts say undergraduate programs isnt enough time initial teacher education cover professional needs know let alone ensure expertly apply learn given environment research continues produce new knowledge teaching learning whats competence today wont competence five years says dennis sparks executive director national staff development council unfortunately schools researchers one mind many areas disagreements especially intense area early reading instruction experts argue favor packaged programs produce replicable results many schools classrooms others encourage teachers innovate response individual childrens needs harvey smokey daniels nationallouis university favors innovation goal professional development says produce powerful unique idiosyncratic professional universitys center city schools teachers try strategies incorporate classroom programs example teachers participate literature circles smallgroup discussions book selected independent reading daniels finds vast majority teachers capable designing learning activities tailored needs interests students packaged programs refuge least competent least committed says advocates packaged programs argue teachers possibly craft instructional materials teaching strategies attention detail team researchers would time teach asks marsha berger deputy director educational issues department american federation teachers notes direct instruction success two elementary school reading programs aft supports tested refined decade professional development centered learning tried true leaves teachers time collaborate materials enriching core program discuss individual students says schools opt packaged programs move quickly according ongoing study rand corp research organization based santa monica calif rand studying implementation seven school reform designs sponsored new american schools nonprofit group based arlington va schools successfully implement packaged programs within year rand found programs unfold slower rate says rands susan bodilly teachers need time learn new ideas come practices study hasnt yet determined reform models lead greatest gains student achievement regardless approach school chooses teachers need support research shown teachers much likely pursue new teaching strategies shared planning time classroom coaching without two supports one study found fewer 10 percent teachers put strategies learned professional development classroom use large chicago teachers lack support need improve instruction 1995 consortium survey found 55 percent chicago teachers work colleagues design instruction 1997 survey found 68 percent teachers get meaningful feedback colleague less month 25 percent reported never visited colleagues classroom brentano teachers rarely spent time collaborating tams helped school rearrange schedule teachers grade level common prep period week students go gym specials planning together helps ensure everyone covers skills concepts grade level also improved relations among teachers everyone gets along little better says 6thgrade teacher marianne shimkus theres sharing ideas tams consultant also spent time teachers classroom first modeling lessons coteaching observing providing feedback coaching expensive supportroughly 25 percent programs costbut crucial one take teachers give workshops want says gonzalez dont come back school help show going work insists previous elementary school professional development programs often went wayside wont try new techniques theyre afraid want go old way thats feel comfortable coaching makes world difference says gonzalez shows hey simple models theyre afraid anymore successful even bestdesigned staff development program needs fertile soil consortiums view key element trust among adults work school 1995 consortium study found trust correlated schools test score gains strongly factor including schools poverty level parents education low test scores beginning reform surprisingly study found distrust undermined professional development efforts teachers reported low levels trust far less likely learn new teaching methods seek constructive criticism colleagues study found schools history low student achievement ineffective leadership failed reforms tend lowest levels trust says consortium director anthony bryk adds lowachieving schools developed high levels trust usually makes difference says new principal new vision makes effort counsel lowperforming teachers attract motivated ones building professional community like significant change takes time perseverance shortterm solutions says bryk really build social trust people join together around work feel important eventually achieve success chicago teachers excludes counselors coordinators nonclassroom teachers source various chicago school officials chicago teacher salaries average 9697 45508 base salary ranges 42week year bachelors degree 3060048000 12268 teachers masters degree 3270050200 5898 teachers masters plus 15 semester hours 3370051200 2107 teachers masters plus 30 semester hours 3480052300 1650 teachers masters plus 45 semester hours 3590053300 3612 teachers doctorate phd edd 3690054400 285 teachers note within socalled lane salaries depend number years teacher worked teachers least 12 years experience get maximum lane source chicago public schools
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<p>CAIRO - The two mothers embraced in mourning. They both wore black veils. They are both Egyptian citizens who believe in a higher power. And they both have sons who are now dead - killed by Egypt's ruling powers.</p>
<p>One is Muslim and the other is Christian.</p>
<p>It was Thursday, Oct. 13, just four days after thousands of Coptic Christians had gathered for a&#160;nonviolent protest outside the state-run television station at Maspero.&#160;Christians in Egypt have been increasingly upset with the military rulers of the country, due to recent attacks on churches, and to what is perceived to be a less than vigilant effort to bring perpetrators to justice. And so, as is commonplace in the new Egypt, especially in Cairo, they took to the streets for a demonstration.</p>
<p>In a flash, the scene deteriorated into chaos. One witness told <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/colin-freeman/8829504/Our-brother-died-for-a-better-Egypt-Coptic-Christian-sisters-make-grief-stricken-plea-for-their-country.html" type="external">The Telegraph</a> that protesters were chased by thugs who were yelling that Copts are infidels and that Egypt is an Islamic country. Military police soon arrived in armored vehicles. Using batons, bullets and trucks, they didn't disperse the demonstration; they crushed it. So far the death toll is 27,&#160;with more than 200 injured.</p>
<p>Most, if not all, of the victims were Christians.&#160;Among the dead was a tall, gregarious, 20-year-old man with long locks of hair and an allergy to sectarianism. His name was Mina Daniel. A few friends and activists have taken to calling him the Egyptian Che Guevara - same date of death, similar dress, similar charismatic vibe - and the media has quickly taken to this link to the Cuban icon.</p>
<p>Daniel had been smack in the middle of Tahrir during the revolution that toppled Mubarak, and had even sustained serious injuries as the violence was cresting at the end of January. He survived that, only to be&#160;killed outside Maspero.&#160;Other protesters were run over by the&#160;armored vehicles, and there are unconfirmed reports that military police threw dead bodies into the Nile.</p>
<p>Daniel's family lives in a humble apartment in a poor area on the outskirts of Cairo. The narrow, concrete stairwell leading up to the family home was clogged with people who had come to pay their respects. Women and men of the family sat in separate rooms, quietly greeting friends, family, and strangers. In the room where the men sat and sipped a dark brown tea, one young man, who had spiky hair and looked like he couldn't be older than 25, kept leaning over to cry into his hands.</p>
<p>We had made our way to the apartment from a Metro station, after meeting up with the second mother in mourning. (I was tagging along with a group of about 20 activists from the organization <a href="http://6aprilmove.blogspot.com/" type="external">April 6 Youth</a>. It had been their idea to bring the two mothers together, in an attempt to renew the sense of unity that had given the revolution such power last winter. They wanted to remind their fellow Egyptians that, as long as the country's military rulers were acting much like the regime of old - stoking sectarian strife, conducting violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters, resisting calls for more accountability - the revolution would, and must, continue.)</p>
<p>Leila Said stepped off the train, walking gingerly and supported by her daughter on one side and a young man on the other. She greeted the activists one at a time with a gentle handshake and sometimes a kiss to each cheek. The young men and women replied with a few words of condolence, delivered in a kind of reverential whisper. Then they descended the dust-coated stairs, navigated across the rutted street,&#160;and climbed into an awaiting green Toyota Corolla that would take them to the Daniel family's home.</p>
<p>It has only been 16 months since Said's son, Khalid, was brutally murdered by police in Alexandria. A bogus report from the authorities claimed he choked on a plastic bag of pot so as not to get caught with it. To Egyptians who knew him, however, and among Egypt's energetic social networking communities, almost everyone believed he was targeted for posting a video documenting police corruption.</p>
<p>A picture from the morgue, showing Said's horrifically deformed face was posted online and went viral, further amplifying outrage over the senseless killing. Between the summer of 2010 and January 2011,&#160;Said's death would prove to be a crucial catalyst among the myriad injustices, indignities, deprivations, and mobilization efforts that eventually led to full-scale revolution.</p>
<p>Said entered the room and a woman seated next to Daniel's mother, Nadia Beshara, stepped out of the way so the two mothers could be side by side. They hugged and cried. Through their tears, both mothers&#160;spoke of God's power to heal, and that their sons were now in a better place. Then they prayed together, saying they wanted the protesters to achieve their aims; that if Egypt could become a better place, their sons would rest in peace.</p>
<p>In the hallway, another woman, in a half-pleading half-wailing voice directed at no one in particular said: "How many young men? How many since January 25? Look at all the mothers!" Meanwhile,&#160;Daniel's brother, a bald man with stylish rectangular glasses, moved between the different rooms and the stairwell, greeting people with a handshake and a composure I couldn't fathom. His wife stood in the hallway, holding a smiling baby girl.</p>
<p>We left the home after about 25 minutes. A number of the activists were going to walk to the home of another "martyr of Maspero." Leila Said, her daughter, and a few members of April 6 climbed back into the Corolla to make their way downtown.&#160;A candlelight vigil and demonstration was underway near Tahrir Square, to mourn the tragedy of Maspero. Khalid Said's mother wanted to be there too.</p>
<p>David Wolman is a contributing editor at Wired magazine and the author of - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Instigators-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B004Z2GW24/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t" type="external">The Instigators</a>,? a new e-book about the activists who organized Egypt's "January 25 Revolution." Wolman was a keynote speaker at the GlobalPost/Open Hands Initiative reporting fellowship in Cairo, Egypt.</p>
<p>This story is presented by <a href="http://thegroundtruthproject.org/" type="external">The GroundTruth Project.</a>&#160;</p>
| false | 3 |
cairo two mothers embraced mourning wore black veils egyptian citizens believe higher power sons dead killed egypts ruling powers one muslim christian thursday oct 13 four days thousands coptic christians gathered a160nonviolent protest outside staterun television station maspero160christians egypt increasingly upset military rulers country due recent attacks churches perceived less vigilant effort bring perpetrators justice commonplace new egypt especially cairo took streets demonstration flash scene deteriorated chaos one witness told telegraph protesters chased thugs yelling copts infidels egypt islamic country military police soon arrived armored vehicles using batons bullets trucks didnt disperse demonstration crushed far death toll 27160with 200 injured victims christians160among dead tall gregarious 20yearold man long locks hair allergy sectarianism name mina daniel friends activists taken calling egyptian che guevara date death similar dress similar charismatic vibe media quickly taken link cuban icon daniel smack middle tahrir revolution toppled mubarak even sustained serious injuries violence cresting end january survived be160killed outside maspero160other protesters run the160armored vehicles unconfirmed reports military police threw dead bodies nile daniels family lives humble apartment poor area outskirts cairo narrow concrete stairwell leading family home clogged people come pay respects women men family sat separate rooms quietly greeting friends family strangers room men sat sipped dark brown tea one young man spiky hair looked like couldnt older 25 kept leaning cry hands made way apartment metro station meeting second mother mourning tagging along group 20 activists organization april 6 youth idea bring two mothers together attempt renew sense unity given revolution power last winter wanted remind fellow egyptians long countrys military rulers acting much like regime old stoking sectarian strife conducting violent crackdowns peaceful protesters resisting calls accountability revolution would must continue leila said stepped train walking gingerly supported daughter one side young man greeted activists one time gentle handshake sometimes kiss cheek young men women replied words condolence delivered kind reverential whisper descended dustcoated stairs navigated across rutted street160and climbed awaiting green toyota corolla would take daniel familys home 16 months since saids son khalid brutally murdered police alexandria bogus report authorities claimed choked plastic bag pot get caught egyptians knew however among egypts energetic social networking communities almost everyone believed targeted posting video documenting police corruption picture morgue showing saids horrifically deformed face posted online went viral amplifying outrage senseless killing summer 2010 january 2011160saids death would prove crucial catalyst among myriad injustices indignities deprivations mobilization efforts eventually led fullscale revolution said entered room woman seated next daniels mother nadia beshara stepped way two mothers could side side hugged cried tears mothers160spoke gods power heal sons better place prayed together saying wanted protesters achieve aims egypt could become better place sons would rest peace hallway another woman halfpleading halfwailing voice directed one particular said many young men many since january 25 look mothers meanwhile160daniels brother bald man stylish rectangular glasses moved different rooms stairwell greeting people handshake composure couldnt fathom wife stood hallway holding smiling baby girl left home 25 minutes number activists going walk home another martyr maspero leila said daughter members april 6 climbed back corolla make way downtown160a candlelight vigil demonstration underway near tahrir square mourn tragedy maspero khalid saids mother wanted david wolman contributing editor wired magazine author instigators new ebook activists organized egypts january 25 revolution wolman keynote speaker globalpostopen hands initiative reporting fellowship cairo egypt story presented groundtruth project160
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<p>If, like me, you have been unfortunate enough to hear the barrage of campaign ads, you have probably been distressed by the angry accusations blasted like canon shots back and forth between party lines. It’s enough to cause those of us old enough to remember them, to long for the good old days when political campaigns were more civil and simply tossed mud back and forth.</p>
<p>The campaigns themselves seem to be indicative of the national mood — the national anger. Just as with individuals, it is pointless to rail against anger being expressed on a national level as though it were a conscious choice to which Americans had given much thought. Looking beneath the anger to discover the root causes and dealing with them is much more fruitful in quelling its fury.</p>
<p />
<p>A biblical example of corporate anger is found in Acts, chapter 6. Everything was going great for the infant church in Jerusalem. Many people, even priests, were finding exciting new life in Christ and the church was growing exponentially. Then, anger was expressed along racial lines. The old prejudices between Gentiles and Jews were probably underlying issues, but the presenting problem was an accusation by the Christians of Gentile origin that their widows were not receiving the same benevolent treatment as the Jewish Christian widows. Anger is a normal emotion when we or those we love are treated unfairly or unjustly.</p>
<p>How the Apostles responded to this accusation is a lesson for all corporate bodies, whether ecclesiastical or legislative. What could they have done?</p>
<p>They could have said, “You are wrong. You only think they are being overlooked.” They could have commissioned a study with instructions to report back next year. They could have ignored the plea for justice. They could have played the blame game complete with finger-pointing, “It’s not our fault, it’s theirs!” Do any of these sound familiar? Any of these responses would have made matters worse. When a group feels powerless to end the injustice, they become even angrier.</p>
<p>Instead, the Apostles took the accusations seriously. Whether they were real or only perceived, the neglect was real to those who felt neglected! They presented a solution that had the weight of wisdom and spiritual soundness behind it. For its part, the church was reasonable enough that it could recognize a solution when it was presented and it was patient enough to allow the process to work! The end result? The church continued to grow.</p>
<p>Psychologists who study such things say that anger is the emotional response to frustrated expectations, threats and attacks (perceived or real) or injustice inflicted upon us or those we care about and identify with. The rise of anger limits our ability to think clearly and rationally and causes us to engage in emotionally-charged responses that are often ultimately destructive.</p>
<p>Anger seeks a release and an outlet. Kicking the dog is a clichéd reaction though taking out our anger on innocent parties is far from uncommon. “Delivering the mail to the wrong address,” is a common occurrence when we are motivated by anger. So is over-reaction.</p>
<p>So, what is causing all this national anger? It is easy to see frustrations mount and anger rise when Americans are worried about keeping their jobs and paying their bills and whether their home is worth less than they owe on it. Add to this, health care costs that are still front-burner concerns and the anger level rises. The threat of a bleak future looms in the minds of some stealing hope. Pile on the perception that Congress is self-serving, unresponsive and has created for itself different rules than the rest of us have to live by, and you have a ready-made target.</p>
<p>Is there a solution? In the absence of the Apostles, perhaps preachers will do. That’s right. Preachers. Please understand, I am not talking about headline-grabbing, egomaniacal, single-issue, pat-answer potentates that sometimes get called preachers in the media. No, I’m talking about the real McCoys.</p>
<p>I’m talking about preachers that call the nation to think and act on a higher plane. Preachers can call their people to honest evaluations or seek to stir up fearful frenzies. What we need in our time are those men and women of God who will bring wisdom to our national circumstances. We need preachers who can look objectively at real problems without losing their ability to think logically and creatively — and encourage their people to do the same. We need preachers who will resist the temptation to find scapegoats against whom to vent their anger and encourage their people to do likewise.</p>
<p>We need preachers who will refuse to be drawn into mob mentality even if it means standing against other preachers. We need preachers who will appropriately apply God’s Word to national situations with even-handed grace. We need preachers who will feel the injustices suffered by those who cannot help themselves or who are so disillusioned with the system they have quit even trying, and become angry on their account.</p>
<p>We need preachers who will see the nation, the world and the church through the eyes of the Father and see Spirit-inspired solutions that are fair to all and take advantage of none. We need preachers who are courageous enough to stand against popular opinion if it is wrong and loving enough to bring their people along with them in their thinking.</p>
<p>We need preachers who will bring hope and healing not hurt and harassment!</p>
<p>Americans are angry; and there seems to be enough to be angry about. Whether this national anger causes us to rise up and collectively fix some of the ills that have plagued us or so polarize us that like Humpty-Dumpty there is no putting us back together, remains to be seen.</p>
<p>But one thing is certain. Preachers; good, honest, wise, Godly, biblically-based, Holy Spirit-led preachers have never been needed more. Let the audacity of national hope start in the pulpit.</p>
<p><a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">Jim White</a> is editor of the Religious Herald.</p>
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like unfortunate enough hear barrage campaign ads probably distressed angry accusations blasted like canon shots back forth party lines enough cause us old enough remember long good old days political campaigns civil simply tossed mud back forth campaigns seem indicative national mood national anger individuals pointless rail anger expressed national level though conscious choice americans given much thought looking beneath anger discover root causes dealing much fruitful quelling fury biblical example corporate anger found acts chapter 6 everything going great infant church jerusalem many people even priests finding exciting new life christ church growing exponentially anger expressed along racial lines old prejudices gentiles jews probably underlying issues presenting problem accusation christians gentile origin widows receiving benevolent treatment jewish christian widows anger normal emotion love treated unfairly unjustly apostles responded accusation lesson corporate bodies whether ecclesiastical legislative could done could said wrong think overlooked could commissioned study instructions report back next year could ignored plea justice could played blame game complete fingerpointing fault sound familiar responses would made matters worse group feels powerless end injustice become even angrier instead apostles took accusations seriously whether real perceived neglect real felt neglected presented solution weight wisdom spiritual soundness behind part church reasonable enough could recognize solution presented patient enough allow process work end result church continued grow psychologists study things say anger emotional response frustrated expectations threats attacks perceived real injustice inflicted upon us care identify rise anger limits ability think clearly rationally causes us engage emotionallycharged responses often ultimately destructive anger seeks release outlet kicking dog clichéd reaction though taking anger innocent parties far uncommon delivering mail wrong address common occurrence motivated anger overreaction causing national anger easy see frustrations mount anger rise americans worried keeping jobs paying bills whether home worth less owe add health care costs still frontburner concerns anger level rises threat bleak future looms minds stealing hope pile perception congress selfserving unresponsive created different rules rest us live readymade target solution absence apostles perhaps preachers thats right preachers please understand talking headlinegrabbing egomaniacal singleissue patanswer potentates sometimes get called preachers media im talking real mccoys im talking preachers call nation think act higher plane preachers call people honest evaluations seek stir fearful frenzies need time men women god bring wisdom national circumstances need preachers look objectively real problems without losing ability think logically creatively encourage people need preachers resist temptation find scapegoats vent anger encourage people likewise need preachers refuse drawn mob mentality even means standing preachers need preachers appropriately apply gods word national situations evenhanded grace need preachers feel injustices suffered help disillusioned system quit even trying become angry account need preachers see nation world church eyes father see spiritinspired solutions fair take advantage none need preachers courageous enough stand popular opinion wrong loving enough bring people along thinking need preachers bring hope healing hurt harassment americans angry seems enough angry whether national anger causes us rise collectively fix ills plagued us polarize us like humptydumpty putting us back together remains seen one thing certain preachers good honest wise godly biblicallybased holy spiritled preachers never needed let audacity national hope start pulpit jim white editor religious herald
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<p>It’s just after 9:30 on a recent Tuesday morning. Cook County Circuit Court Associate Judge Clarence Burch takes off his wire-rimmed glasses, rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands and slides them back up the bridge of his nose. He looks exhausted, though court has only been in session for less than half an hour. Burch is speeding through defendants’ names and charges at the pace of an auctioneer. His pen races as he tries to keep score of the cases.</p>
<p>“You’re free to go. The charges have been dismissed,” Burch says to defendant after defendant, sometimes repeating these parting words: “Good luck to you. Stay out of trouble.”</p>
<p>Burch oversees a misdemeanor courtroom on Chicago’s West Side where, each day, a steady stream of mostly African-American defendants approaches Burch’s bench accused of crimes like drug possession, trespassing, battery and other low-level offenses.</p>
<p>Critics say the parade of defendants in Burch’s courtroom is a result of a wink-and-nod agreement between police and prosecutors that goes like this: Police make petty arrests to get people off the streets in an attempt to deter more violent crimes, and prosecutors or city attorneys run with the charges with few questions asked. It’s an exercise of justice that’s more show than substance: Defendants spend days, weeks or even months in the system where odds are their cases will ultimately be dismissed.</p>
<p>Eight out of 10 misdemeanor cases have been dismissed between 2006 and 2012, shows a Chicago Reporter analysis of records for 1.4 million cases maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.</p>
<p>Cook County’s dismissal rate is among the highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Candace McCoy, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at The City University of New York, said that’s likely the result of a policing strategy she describes as “rounding up of the usual suspects.”</p>
<p>“Police can round people up that they see as disorderly,” said McCoy, an expert on pretrial processes. “Are these people guilty of anything? We don’t know, do we?”</p>
<p>Michael Morrissey, a veteran Cook County public defender, said what’s far more telling than any statistic is a visit to the pre-bond court holding cell at the Cook County Jail. “Some 300 people are arrested and in the bullpen each morning on the weekends,” he said. It’s the backend of what he calls “sweep the streets” policing.</p>
<p>That has come at an enormous cost. During the past seven years, taxpayers have spent an estimated $796 million on arrests, prosecutions and detentions in these dead-end cases, the Reporter analysis shows.</p>
<p>The practice has drained resources from Cook County’s clogged criminal courts where it’s taking longer to dispose of cases, and forced defendants to languish in increasingly crowded jail cells awaiting trial.</p>
<p>“Are we using our resources effectively?” said David Olson, a professor of criminal justice and criminology at Loyola University Chicago. “If a lot of cases are dropped, that suggests that many of those cases shouldn’t have been filed in the first place.”</p>
<p>During an afternoon break in his chambers, Burch said that the cases that come across his desk may be small but they can’t be ignored. “It’s better to err on the side of caution,” he said.</p>
<p>“Now, more people are going to funerals on Saturday than church on Sunday,” Burch added. “You’ve got to do everything you can to stop it.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Renault Harvey, 34, of West Englewood has been in and out of the criminal court system since he was 19. He says that for young men in his neighborhood, police stops and searches are just a part of life. “It’s like everybody is a suspect,” he says. Photo by Sophia Nahli Allison.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Roughly half of the 1.2 million misdemeanor cases dismissed in Cook County’s criminal courts between 2006 and 2012 boiled down to 10 crimes, with assault, battery, drug possession, theft and trespassing leading the list.</p>
<p>Renault Harvey, a 34-year-old from West Englewood, has been charged with half of those offenses since coming of age. Harvey, who wears his long dreadlocks tied in a knot at the top of his head, has a rap sheet that includes seven misdemeanors and one felony. At 19, he was charged with his first offense—disorderly conduct. In his 20s, he was picked up twice for drinking in public and then with disorderly conduct, mob action, drug dealing, gun possession and property damage.</p>
<p>His most recent brush with the law happened late last year when he was charged with assault and property damage after a car window was busted during a fight he had with a friend. He spent less than a day in jail and went back there one recent afternoon to collect his belongings.</p>
<p>As Harvey sees it, if you’re a young man growing up in Englewood, police stops and searches are just part of life. “It’s like everybody is a suspect,” he says.</p>
<p>There’s little wonder why policing is so aggressive in the 7th Police District, which is similar to neighborhoods where police make the most arrests. The district, which includes Englewood and other predominantly black neighborhoods, is one of the city’s highest crime areas. In 2011, it had the highest number of homicides. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy responded by assigning more officers to the district’s hot spots.</p>
<p>Arrests in Chicago have steadily decreased during each of the past seven years, but police haven’t backed off from their tough-on-crime approach. Police have set a standard: If they have “reasonable suspicion” that a crime has occurred, is underway or is about to happen, they have the right to stop and question people. Civil rights advocates call this Chicago’s version of New York City’s “stop and frisk,” a controversial practice that a U.S. District Court judge ruled amounted to racial profiling.</p>
<p>Last year, police logged roughly 6,300 arrests in the 7th District.</p>
<p>McCarthy has been unapologetic about the high volume of stops in high-crime areas. “We have to stop people when we’re going to arrest them,” McCarthy told reporters at a news conference in August. “We have to frisk them if we’re in fear of a weapon being present—which endangers our safety.”</p>
<p>In this corner of the city, police say that the strategy is yielding results. In 2012, homicides fell in Englewood by one-third, from 60 to 40, while citywide homicide numbers went up.</p>
<p>But a lot of the arrests didn’t stick. In 2012, more than 3,600 defendants living in Harvey’s ZIP code alone saw their misdemeanor cases dismissed, the Reporter analysis shows. Among the charges dropped most were drug possession, gambling and trespassing.</p>
<p>“This is just like 25 years ago,” said Harvey Grossman, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. Since the mid-1980s, Grossman has filed a series of legal challenges against the Chicago Police Department’s use of sweep arrests as a crime-prevention strategy—particularly among young black and Latino men.</p>
<p>“It’s a system that permits officers to have a high level of arrest activity without a check on their behavior,” Grossman said.</p>
<p>Robert Lombardo, a retired Chicago police officer turned associate professor of criminal justice and criminology at Loyola University Chicago, said that police officers don’t write the laws but they are under enormous pressure to enforce them.</p>
<p>“No police officer is going to risk criticism, or his job, by letting someone go as long as there’s probable cause,” Lombardo said.</p>
<p>Often times, he added, “they make arrests knowing full-well that a judge is probably going to let him go because the criminal justice system is so overcrowded.”</p>
<p>Harvey’s case was dismissed this summer, bringing his record to seven dismissals and three convictions.</p>
<p>“These are petty cases,” and they usually don’t warrant jail time, he said pointing to the Cook County Department of Corrections compound that stretches along four neighborhood blocks. Sometimes the arrest itself is the punishment, he adds.</p>
<p>If police “are going to B.S. with you, then they could write it up [so that] you can come spend a couple days up here,” pointing behind him.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2010 report, which was based on a one-month survey of the nation’s 39 largest local circuit courts, Cook County had the fourth highest dismissal rate—42 percent. Courts in Kings County, N.Y., which includes the borough of Brooklyn, took first—with the rate of 53 percent.</p>
<p>Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle chalked up the sheer volume of dismissed cases to the prosecutors’ “calculations” about what they have to do to have “good relationships” with the police.</p>
<p>Preckwinkle added that the issue is particularly acute with the Chicago Police Department, which arrests a majority of the people facing criminal charges.</p>
<p>But Adam Collins, the department’s director of news affairs, said his agency has little to do with dismissal rates. “Tracking the reasons cases are dismissed would be a question for the State’s Attorney’s Office or perhaps the courts,” he said.</p>
<p>For his part, Fabio Valentini, the chief of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Prosecutions Bureau, said his office puts felony cases—except for drug-related ones—through a formal review process to filter out weak cases. But it doesn’t have the staff “to qualify the strength” of each misdemeanor charge when it enters the system, he said.</p>
<p>Last year, 165,000 misdemeanor cases—which involve a mix of state law and city ordinance violations—were opened.</p>
<p>“It would be safe to assume that, if we could apply the same [felony-style] review, we would have fewer cases,” he said.</p>
<p>Eighty percent of misdemeanor cases that have been dismissed since 2006 were thrown out by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office or city attorneys—not by a trial or a judge. Roughly half were dismissed without a stated reason. Most of the remainder were classified as “stricken with leave to reinstate”—typically because of a missing key witness. Prosecutors threw out these cases with the caveat that they could be reinstated if a witness decides to testify. Collins pointed out that cases can also be stricken off with leave to reinstate as part of a “brokered agreement with prosecutors or a judge.”</p>
<p>Nearly four out of 10 missing-witness cases involved types of crimes—such as drug possession—in which police officers would most likely become the complaining witness, the Reporter analysis shows.</p>
<p>When witnesses don’t show, Grossman said, that’s when cases start to unravel.</p>
<p>Police, prosecutors and the police union disagree over why or whether officers aren’t testifying. Valentini said it’s up to officers to show up on their assigned court dates. Under Chicago police regulations, officers are required to show up to court during the weekdays. Collins maintained that the officers do show up. “There are ramifications if an officer doesn’t show up to court,” he said.</p>
<p>Pat Camden, a spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police, said the most likely reason officers aren’t going to court is because they’re not getting paid. “Police officers are public servants,” Camden said, “not indentured servants.”</p>
<p>When officers don’t show, Grossman said, it undermines the whole arrest. “That breeds disrespect” for the courts.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Last year, 77,000 people were booked in the Cook County Jail, mostly on nonviolent crimes. People unable to post bond languish behind bars awaiting trial. Many of the lowest-level crimes are likely to end up dismissed. Photos by Sophia Nahli Allison.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Through Cook County’s central bond courtroom, past a set of steel doors and jail guards, the concrete hallway leading to the inmate holding cells gets grimier every 10 yards.</p>
<p>Men in brown jumpsuits sit quietly in cells to the left. Among them are two elderly men, one whose legs have been amputated and the other who is so weak he hangs onto the wall for support. A guard leads a disheveled woman in shackles past them, along a yellow stripe that’s painted down the center of the floor—a guide of sorts between courtrooms and Cook County’s largest holding cell.</p>
<p>It’s just past 10 a.m. on Friday, and there’s not a single seat left on the steel benches that wrap around dank cages in the basement of the Cook County Jail.</p>
<p>“It’s like the field of dreams,” John Manos, a 24-year corrections department veteran, quips during a tour of the jail compound. “If we build it, they’ll fill it.”</p>
<p>Roughly 100 men wait in a series of holding cells. Some are sprawled across the concrete floor with their heads tucked inside their T-shirts in a futile attempt to block out the noise and the smell of urinals. They spent the night before at a police lock up, and their torn shirts, filthy clothes and bloodshot eyes hint at the trouble that landed them here in the first place.</p>
<p>“There’s that whole broken-windows theory,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, a former prosecutor who runs the jail. “You have to ask, ‘To what end?’ ”</p>
<p>In September alone, 2,050 defendants sat in the jail on misdemeanor charges, according to Dart’s office. Most didn’t have the money to post bond and remained locked up either until their charges were dropped or until they stayed for a period that’s equivalent to a maximum sentence they could have received.</p>
<p>“These are the guys who stay [in the jail] for five days, 20 days,” Dart said. “They’re gumming up the system.”</p>
<p>The most frustrating thing, Dart said, is how little he has to show for it all.</p>
<p>“I spend so much manpower on moving 1,400 [people] between court appointments and doctor’s appointment each day. There’s not much left for substance-abuse or job-training programs,” he said. “We’ve got to give these guys something so when they get out, they don’t come right back.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Timothy Evans, chief judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, said he has little control over the volume of dismissed cases, even if they are putting a strain on the system he oversees.</p>
<p>“Members of the judiciary have nothing to do with the circumstances in the way a person is charged,” Evans said. “Prosecutorial decisions are solely in the hands of the state’s attorney’s office.”</p>
<p>Preckwinkle argued that the prosecutors should be using more of that discretion and move to close cases sooner. Between 2006 and 2012, it took an average of 57 days for a case to be dismissed, the Reporter analysis shows. “The state’s attorney’s office has the responsibility for presenting the state’s case, and if it’s a weak case that they are going to dismiss out … why don’t they decide” that sooner?</p>
<p>Otherwise, Preckwinkle said, “We’re clogging up our courts with cases that are not substantial, sufficient enough to be pursued.”</p>
<p>The bottom line, Dart agreed, is this: “Those cases need to be fast-tracked.”</p>
<p>Valentini said that would require more manpower in the state’s attorney’s office.</p>
<p>For prosecutors, dismissing cases sooner is also a gamble, said Purav Bhatt, a former Cook County assistant state’s attorney who stepped down in 2010 to open a private practice. “Maybe they could have a weak case, but, if [prosecutors] are wrong about their discretion, they leave themselves open to appearing soft on crime.”</p>
<p>Nearly four hours after court was called into session, Burch waives the final defendant to the bench.</p>
<p>A petite woman who looks like a high school student walks past rows of wooden benches once packed with defendants. The seats are empty now. So are the three rows at the front of the room that are reserved for police officers.</p>
<p>The woman, who is 18 and facing a prostitution charge, has been sitting in the back of the courtroom for hours with a man who looks twice her age, has bloodshot eyes and smells of liquor. He has hugged her tightly since they arrived late for court.</p>
<p>Burch leans forward in his black leather armchair, smiles wide and asks the woman why she missed the 9 a.m. call.</p>
<p>Her babysitter fell through, she explains shyly.</p>
<p>Burch sets the next court date.</p>
<p>He leaves her with these parting words: “Slow down.”</p>
<p>The court is adjourned, and Burch heads to his chambers before court resumes again later in the day. The cases will likely be similar to those he heard in the morning. Odds are most will end up dismissed.</p>
<p>“Because a case is dismissed doesn’t mean that a person is not guilty,” Burch says.</p>
<p>“A person who is a complaining witness—[if] he has a legitimate complaint, he has to be heard,” Burch says. “Everyone has their right to a day in court.”</p>
<p>Contributing: Matthew Kovac, Latricia Polk and Evan Moore.</p>
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930 recent tuesday morning cook county circuit court associate judge clarence burch takes wirerimmed glasses rubs eyes palms hands slides back bridge nose looks exhausted though court session less half hour burch speeding defendants names charges pace auctioneer pen races tries keep score cases youre free go charges dismissed burch says defendant defendant sometimes repeating parting words good luck stay trouble burch oversees misdemeanor courtroom chicagos west side day steady stream mostly africanamerican defendants approaches burchs bench accused crimes like drug possession trespassing battery lowlevel offenses critics say parade defendants burchs courtroom result winkandnod agreement police prosecutors goes like police make petty arrests get people streets attempt deter violent crimes prosecutors city attorneys run charges questions asked exercise justice thats show substance defendants spend days weeks even months system odds cases ultimately dismissed eight 10 misdemeanor cases dismissed 2006 2012 shows chicago reporter analysis records 14 million cases maintained clerk circuit court cook county administrative office illinois courts cook countys dismissal rate among highest nation according us bureau justice statistics candace mccoy professor john jay college criminal justice city university new york said thats likely result policing strategy describes rounding usual suspects police round people see disorderly said mccoy expert pretrial processes people guilty anything dont know michael morrissey veteran cook county public defender said whats far telling statistic visit prebond court holding cell cook county jail 300 people arrested bullpen morning weekends said backend calls sweep streets policing come enormous cost past seven years taxpayers spent estimated 796 million arrests prosecutions detentions deadend cases reporter analysis shows practice drained resources cook countys clogged criminal courts taking longer dispose cases forced defendants languish increasingly crowded jail cells awaiting trial using resources effectively said david olson professor criminal justice criminology loyola university chicago lot cases dropped suggests many cases shouldnt filed first place afternoon break chambers burch said cases come across desk may small cant ignored better err side caution said people going funerals saturday church sunday burch added youve got everything stop renault harvey 34 west englewood criminal court system since 19 says young men neighborhood police stops searches part life like everybody suspect says photo sophia nahli allison 160 roughly half 12 million misdemeanor cases dismissed cook countys criminal courts 2006 2012 boiled 10 crimes assault battery drug possession theft trespassing leading list renault harvey 34yearold west englewood charged half offenses since coming age harvey wears long dreadlocks tied knot top head rap sheet includes seven misdemeanors one felony 19 charged first offensedisorderly conduct 20s picked twice drinking public disorderly conduct mob action drug dealing gun possession property damage recent brush law happened late last year charged assault property damage car window busted fight friend spent less day jail went back one recent afternoon collect belongings harvey sees youre young man growing englewood police stops searches part life like everybody suspect says theres little wonder policing aggressive 7th police district similar neighborhoods police make arrests district includes englewood predominantly black neighborhoods one citys highest crime areas 2011 highest number homicides police superintendent garry mccarthy responded assigning officers districts hot spots arrests chicago steadily decreased past seven years police havent backed toughoncrime approach police set standard reasonable suspicion crime occurred underway happen right stop question people civil rights advocates call chicagos version new york citys stop frisk controversial practice us district court judge ruled amounted racial profiling last year police logged roughly 6300 arrests 7th district mccarthy unapologetic high volume stops highcrime areas stop people going arrest mccarthy told reporters news conference august frisk fear weapon presentwhich endangers safety corner city police say strategy yielding results 2012 homicides fell englewood onethird 60 40 citywide homicide numbers went lot arrests didnt stick 2012 3600 defendants living harveys zip code alone saw misdemeanor cases dismissed reporter analysis shows among charges dropped drug possession gambling trespassing like 25 years ago said harvey grossman legal director american civil liberties union illinois since mid1980s grossman filed series legal challenges chicago police departments use sweep arrests crimeprevention strategyparticularly among young black latino men system permits officers high level arrest activity without check behavior grossman said robert lombardo retired chicago police officer turned associate professor criminal justice criminology loyola university chicago said police officers dont write laws enormous pressure enforce police officer going risk criticism job letting someone go long theres probable cause lombardo said often times added make arrests knowing fullwell judge probably going let go criminal justice system overcrowded harveys case dismissed summer bringing record seven dismissals three convictions petty cases usually dont warrant jail time said pointing cook county department corrections compound stretches along four neighborhood blocks sometimes arrest punishment adds police going bs could write come spend couple days pointing behind according us bureau justice statistics 2010 report based onemonth survey nations 39 largest local circuit courts cook county fourth highest dismissal rate42 percent courts kings county ny includes borough brooklyn took firstwith rate 53 percent cook county board president toni preckwinkle chalked sheer volume dismissed cases prosecutors calculations good relationships police preckwinkle added issue particularly acute chicago police department arrests majority people facing criminal charges adam collins departments director news affairs said agency little dismissal rates tracking reasons cases dismissed would question states attorneys office perhaps courts said part fabio valentini chief cook county states attorneys offices criminal prosecutions bureau said office puts felony casesexcept drugrelated onesthrough formal review process filter weak cases doesnt staff qualify strength misdemeanor charge enters system said last year 165000 misdemeanor caseswhich involve mix state law city ordinance violationswere opened would safe assume could apply felonystyle review would fewer cases said eighty percent misdemeanor cases dismissed since 2006 thrown cook county states attorneys office city attorneysnot trial judge roughly half dismissed without stated reason remainder classified stricken leave reinstatetypically missing key witness prosecutors threw cases caveat could reinstated witness decides testify collins pointed cases also stricken leave reinstate part brokered agreement prosecutors judge nearly four 10 missingwitness cases involved types crimessuch drug possessionin police officers would likely become complaining witness reporter analysis shows witnesses dont show grossman said thats cases start unravel police prosecutors police union disagree whether officers arent testifying valentini said officers show assigned court dates chicago police regulations officers required show court weekdays collins maintained officers show ramifications officer doesnt show court said pat camden spokesman fraternal order police said likely reason officers arent going court theyre getting paid police officers public servants camden said indentured servants officers dont show grossman said undermines whole arrest breeds disrespect courts last year 77000 people booked cook county jail mostly nonviolent crimes people unable post bond languish behind bars awaiting trial many lowestlevel crimes likely end dismissed photos sophia nahli allison 160 cook countys central bond courtroom past set steel doors jail guards concrete hallway leading inmate holding cells gets grimier every 10 yards men brown jumpsuits sit quietly cells left among two elderly men one whose legs amputated weak hangs onto wall support guard leads disheveled woman shackles past along yellow stripe thats painted center floora guide sorts courtrooms cook countys largest holding cell past 10 friday theres single seat left steel benches wrap around dank cages basement cook county jail like field dreams john manos 24year corrections department veteran quips tour jail compound build theyll fill roughly 100 men wait series holding cells sprawled across concrete floor heads tucked inside tshirts futile attempt block noise smell urinals spent night police lock torn shirts filthy clothes bloodshot eyes hint trouble landed first place theres whole brokenwindows theory said cook county sheriff tom dart former prosecutor runs jail ask end september alone 2050 defendants sat jail misdemeanor charges according darts office didnt money post bond remained locked either charges dropped stayed period thats equivalent maximum sentence could received guys stay jail five days 20 days dart said theyre gumming system frustrating thing dart said little show spend much manpower moving 1400 people court appointments doctors appointment day theres much left substanceabuse jobtraining programs said weve got give guys something get dont come right back timothy evans chief judge circuit court cook county said little control volume dismissed cases even putting strain system oversees members judiciary nothing circumstances way person charged evans said prosecutorial decisions solely hands states attorneys office preckwinkle argued prosecutors using discretion move close cases sooner 2006 2012 took average 57 days case dismissed reporter analysis shows states attorneys office responsibility presenting states case weak case going dismiss dont decide sooner otherwise preckwinkle said clogging courts cases substantial sufficient enough pursued bottom line dart agreed cases need fasttracked valentini said would require manpower states attorneys office prosecutors dismissing cases sooner also gamble said purav bhatt former cook county assistant states attorney stepped 2010 open private practice maybe could weak case prosecutors wrong discretion leave open appearing soft crime nearly four hours court called session burch waives final defendant bench petite woman looks like high school student walks past rows wooden benches packed defendants seats empty three rows front room reserved police officers woman 18 facing prostitution charge sitting back courtroom hours man looks twice age bloodshot eyes smells liquor hugged tightly since arrived late court burch leans forward black leather armchair smiles wide asks woman missed 9 call babysitter fell explains shyly burch sets next court date leaves parting words slow court adjourned burch heads chambers court resumes later day cases likely similar heard morning odds end dismissed case dismissed doesnt mean person guilty burch says person complaining witnessif legitimate complaint heard burch says everyone right day court contributing matthew kovac latricia polk evan moore
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<p>After 18 months of public outcry about toxic levels of lead in the city’s water, residents in Flint, Michigan, felt vindicated when Governor Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency, and the federal government announced its own investigation.</p>
<p>The actions came on the heels of a written statement in which Snyder apologized to Flint residents who had been exposed to the contaminated water.</p>
<p>“I want the Flint community to know how very sorry I am that this happened,” Snyder wrote. “And I want all Michigan citizens to know that we will learn from this experience, because Flint is not the only city that has an aging infrastructure.”</p>
<p>The public health crisis began 18 months ago when the city switched from Lake Huron water to the Flint River water system to cut costs. The new water was not being treated with an anti-corrosive, causing the pipes to deteriorate and exposing residents to hazardous levels of lead.</p>
<p>Despite studies from water quality experts and considerable outcry from residents, officials did little to acknowledge or resolve the problem. One study showed that the number of children with above average levels of lead in their bloodstream had nearly doubled since the city switched to the Flint water.</p>
<p>Marc Edwards, an expert on municipal water quality at&#160;Virginia Tech, formed a volunteer research team to address the problems with Flint’s water. He was shocked with both the contamination that his team discovered&#160;and the fact that people at the city seemed to know about it, but refused to do anything. &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>At least 25 percent of homes in Flint had levels of lead that was well above the federal level, which is 15ppb. In some homes, it was 13,200ppb. And nearly every home had water that was distasteful or discolored.</p>
<p>“It was the injustice of it all and that the very agencies that are paid to protect these residents from lead in water, knew or should’ve known after June at the very very latest of this year, that federal law was not being followed in Flint, and that these children and residents were not being protected,” says Edwards. “And the extent to which they went to cover this up exposes a new level of arrogance and uncaring that I have never encountered.” &#160;</p>
<p>Melissa Mays, a Flint resident and parent, immediately noticed the difference when the switch in the water supply was made.</p>
<p>“My children would ask me, ‘Why does the water smell funny? Why is the water yellow?’ They would come running out of the bathroom screaming because the bath would be yellow or blue, and they’d say, ‘Mom, something’s wrong with the water again.’”</p>
<p>Mays says the water quality directly impacted all three of her children’s health, potentially with long-term consequences. Tests confirmed that everyone in the family has high levels of lead, copper, aluminum, tin&#160;and chromium in their bloodstream. &#160;</p>
<p>“My middle child is 12,” continues Mays. “He fell off his bike and he has two buckle fractures in his wrists, just from falling over. So his bones are weaker. My oldest has holes in the smooth sides of his teeth. The dentist believes it’s because of the lead. And my youngest is still struggling. We can’t get his white blood cell count above 4, when a year and a half ago, it was 10.4. So his immune system is compromised, and he’s getting sick basically whenever somebody sneezes. And they’re all now struggling in school: memory, brain fog. ...&#160;I’m terrified for my kids.”</p>
<p>Mays formed “Water You Fighting For,” a group that aimed to raise awareness of the problem, and to call on the government to act. But rather than anger at the dangerous levels of chemicals, she received ridicule. The authorities continued to encourage residents to drink the water, despite knowledge that it was potentially harmful. The former mayor would even go on TV&#160;and drink tap water, just to show it was safe.</p>
<p>“We had all these experts bringing us all of this science and evidence. They would sit there and tell us that even if it’s discolored, just run your tap for a while and it’ll be fine. ‘It’s safe. Just let your water run. No big deal. It’ll be fine. This is just a bump in the road.’ It was just a plethora of excuses and lies.”</p>
<p>Edwards, the water scientist from Virginia Tech, said that the situation essentially amounts to a cover-up.</p>
<p>“Rather than address the legitimate science questions, they mounted a public relations campaign to discredit the residents, to discredit us. I have never seen this level of arrogance and incompetence. It was mostly confined to a few key individuals, but other people are guilty of being far too trusting of those individuals, and not listening to the people who were drinking this water.”</p>
<p>Edwards notes that the nearly the entire problem arose from the fact that they did not include a corrosion control chemical to the water. And in a city with roughly 50 percent lead pipes, like Flint, that can be extremely dangerous.</p>
<p>While it probably saved money upfront, adding a corrosion control chemical to the water saves pipes, notes Edwards, saving thousands in repair costs.</p>
<p>“So not only is it unsafe and illegal, it’s financially irresponsible, too,” says Edwards.</p>
<p>The hardest hit in these types of situations are those who don’t breastfeed — the most common way for lead to be passed to children is through infant formulas — and those with an inability to buy bottled water. In both cases, it’s the poor who bear the brunt of the risk.</p>
<p>“It was truly the poorest people who could not afford to buy bottled water, who couldn’t buy filters, who couldn’t spend the time to breastfeed, who were hurt the most,” Edwards says. &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>While Mays continues to struggle with the health costs and the damage to the home that the water problems caused, she hopes that the case, and its eventual recognition by the state and federal government, might be an example for other citizens who feel as though their voice will never be heard.</p>
<p>“I hope that the city of Flint is a shining example of citizens standing up when they know something’s wrong, getting the right answers, and continuing to fight no matter how hard or how much they dismiss you,” Mays says. “And I want us to be an example of why cities and states should never cut corners when it comes to water. I’m hoping that other crises are averted for what happened here.”</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/michigan-governor-declares-stat-emergency/" type="external">story</a> first aired as an interview on PRI's <a href="http://www.thetakeaway.org/" type="external">The Takeaway</a>, a public radio program that invites you to be part of the American conversation.</p>
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18 months public outcry toxic levels lead citys water residents flint michigan felt vindicated governor rick snyder declared state emergency federal government announced investigation actions came heels written statement snyder apologized flint residents exposed contaminated water want flint community know sorry happened snyder wrote want michigan citizens know learn experience flint city aging infrastructure public health crisis began 18 months ago city switched lake huron water flint river water system cut costs new water treated anticorrosive causing pipes deteriorate exposing residents hazardous levels lead despite studies water quality experts considerable outcry residents officials little acknowledge resolve problem one study showed number children average levels lead bloodstream nearly doubled since city switched flint water marc edwards expert municipal water quality at160virginia tech formed volunteer research team address problems flints water shocked contamination team discovered160and fact people city seemed know refused anything 160160 least 25 percent homes flint levels lead well federal level 15ppb homes 13200ppb nearly every home water distasteful discolored injustice agencies paid protect residents lead water knew shouldve known june latest year federal law followed flint children residents protected says edwards extent went cover exposes new level arrogance uncaring never encountered 160 melissa mays flint resident parent immediately noticed difference switch water supply made children would ask water smell funny water yellow would come running bathroom screaming bath would yellow blue theyd say mom somethings wrong water mays says water quality directly impacted three childrens health potentially longterm consequences tests confirmed everyone family high levels lead copper aluminum tin160and chromium bloodstream 160 middle child 12 continues mays fell bike two buckle fractures wrists falling bones weaker oldest holes smooth sides teeth dentist believes lead youngest still struggling cant get white blood cell count 4 year half ago 104 immune system compromised hes getting sick basically whenever somebody sneezes theyre struggling school memory brain fog 160im terrified kids mays formed water fighting group aimed raise awareness problem call government act rather anger dangerous levels chemicals received ridicule authorities continued encourage residents drink water despite knowledge potentially harmful former mayor would even go tv160and drink tap water show safe experts bringing us science evidence would sit tell us even discolored run tap itll fine safe let water run big deal itll fine bump road plethora excuses lies edwards water scientist virginia tech said situation essentially amounts coverup rather address legitimate science questions mounted public relations campaign discredit residents discredit us never seen level arrogance incompetence mostly confined key individuals people guilty far trusting individuals listening people drinking water edwards notes nearly entire problem arose fact include corrosion control chemical water city roughly 50 percent lead pipes like flint extremely dangerous probably saved money upfront adding corrosion control chemical water saves pipes notes edwards saving thousands repair costs unsafe illegal financially irresponsible says edwards hardest hit types situations dont breastfeed common way lead passed children infant formulas inability buy bottled water cases poor bear brunt risk truly poorest people could afford buy bottled water couldnt buy filters couldnt spend time breastfeed hurt edwards says 160160 mays continues struggle health costs damage home water problems caused hopes case eventual recognition state federal government might example citizens feel though voice never heard hope city flint shining example citizens standing know somethings wrong getting right answers continuing fight matter hard much dismiss mays says want us example cities states never cut corners comes water im hoping crises averted happened story first aired interview pris takeaway public radio program invites part american conversation
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<p>By Bill Leonard</p>
<p>Recent conversations about hymnody and history sent me back to a century-old family photo I discovered after my mother’s death two years ago. It shows a group of some 70 men, women and children standing in front of what I think was the two-room schoolhouse at Prairie Point, a wide spot on the road between Alvord and Chico in Wise County, Texas, northwest of Fort Worth. Prairie Point wasn’t a town; it was just a place where some farm families built the school and a Methodist chapel, not far from Chicken Creek. The photo includes a handwritten sign reading: “A. and N.L. School of Music, August 8-27, 1910.”</p>
<p>One of the singing school participants was my grandfather, Jim Henton, who farmed nearby. By the time I was born, almost 40 years later, he was dead and the Prairie Point school and church had been torn down, with only a small cemetery and a dry cistern remaining. Yet some of my earliest childhood memories are of the annual pilgrimage to the Prairie Point Homecoming, a September/October gathering when the “old settlers,” my Grandmother Henton and her children included, returned to reconnect with friends over food, conversation and shape note singing.</p>
<p>The food was vast and unforgettable: Mountains of fried chicken, okra, tomatoes, squash, and potatoes. (I think only the sweet tea was un-fried.) Pies the size of flying saucers and cakes as big as hay bales were laid out on boards held up by oil drums. The older women often wore hats like they did to church, and when they hugged you, you could feel their whale bone corsets holding everything in place. (I’m not sure why I still remember that, but I do.)</p>
<p>The singing was done under a brush arbor built for the occasion with a makeshift platform for the piano and musicians with their guitars, accordions and other instruments. At the Prairie Point Homecoming I first learned shape note singing. It became a one-day singing school, taught from dog-eared Sacred Harp or Stamps-Baxter paperback hymnals. The former straight out of 19th century frontier camp meeting “enthusiasm,” and the latter from the 20th century close-harmony gospel songs. Sometimes somebody’s son or grandson would even preach a little.</p>
<p>In an essay on “Sacred Harp Singing,” Steven Sabol writes that such music “is written in ‘shape notes,’ which resemble standard round notes in every respect except that the head of each note has one of four shapes to indicate its interval from the key (tonic) pitch. … The four-shape system (fa = triangle, sol = oval, la = square, and me = diamond) was invented around 1800 in the Northeastern U.S., and it enabled many untrained singers of the day to sight-read music without having to understand key signatures.” The singing school movement became a vehicle for teaching shape note singing, extending Christian fellowship and promoting personal conversion in a less intense environment than the normal revival service. Shape note singing represented a genuine peoples’ movement in music and piety.</p>
<p>Not everyone was appreciative. In 1921, Hubert McNeill Poteat, Wake Forest College Latin professor, denounced singing schools and their crowd of “howling, prancing, evangelistic singers,” whose music was little more than “sacred twaddle” demonstrating a “thin veneer of religion,” and given to the “sensual postures of a dance hall.” Gavin James Campbell recounts Poteat’s opposition in a 1997 article titled “Make Heaven’s Portals Ring” while noting that singing school teachers carried the Sacred Harp and Harmonia Sacra into rural settings “and used them in two-or-three-week singing schools that taught generations of rural southerners their ‘shapes.’”</p>
<p>These schools and their songs did something else. For better or for worse, they put theology in the mouths of generations of folks who may never have connected with such sermonic expositions as the substitutionary atonement, the Trinity, falling from grace, or once-saved-always-saved, but could sing every word of “I’ll Fly Away,” “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” or “When I Can Read My Title Clear,” all coming down in four-part harmony.</p>
<p>From their earliest days, shape note lyrics were somber and celebrative, earthy and unearthly all at once. William Walker’s Southern Harmony (1835) contains a song he wrote in 1831 “while traveling over the mountains, on French Broad River, in North Carolina and Tennessee.” It begins:</p>
<p>High o’er the hills the mountains rise, their summits toward the skies; But far above them I must dwell, Oh, God! Forbid that I should fall and lose my everlasting all; but may I rise on wings of love.</p>
<p>The second verse cuts to the chase:</p>
<p>Although I walk the mountains high, Ere long my body low must lie, And in some lonesome place must rot, and by the living be forgot.</p>
<p>I never learned that song at Prairie Point, but I did discover tunes and words that stay with me yet. Like my grandfather, my mother benefited from the Prairie Point singing schools and, although racked by Alzheimer’s, she could sing every verse of Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior, almost until her dying day. Like most other Texas Baptists, she also remembered how to cuss when necessary. Life shapes all our “notes,” to the bitter end.</p>
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bill leonard recent conversations hymnody history sent back centuryold family photo discovered mothers death two years ago shows group 70 men women children standing front think tworoom schoolhouse prairie point wide spot road alvord chico wise county texas northwest fort worth prairie point wasnt town place farm families built school methodist chapel far chicken creek photo includes handwritten sign reading nl school music august 827 1910 one singing school participants grandfather jim henton farmed nearby time born almost 40 years later dead prairie point school church torn small cemetery dry cistern remaining yet earliest childhood memories annual pilgrimage prairie point homecoming septemberoctober gathering old settlers grandmother henton children included returned reconnect friends food conversation shape note singing food vast unforgettable mountains fried chicken okra tomatoes squash potatoes think sweet tea unfried pies size flying saucers cakes big hay bales laid boards held oil drums older women often wore hats like church hugged could feel whale bone corsets holding everything place im sure still remember singing done brush arbor built occasion makeshift platform piano musicians guitars accordions instruments prairie point homecoming first learned shape note singing became oneday singing school taught dogeared sacred harp stampsbaxter paperback hymnals former straight 19th century frontier camp meeting enthusiasm latter 20th century closeharmony gospel songs sometimes somebodys son grandson would even preach little essay sacred harp singing steven sabol writes music written shape notes resemble standard round notes every respect except head note one four shapes indicate interval key tonic pitch fourshape system fa triangle sol oval la square diamond invented around 1800 northeastern us enabled many untrained singers day sightread music without understand key signatures singing school movement became vehicle teaching shape note singing extending christian fellowship promoting personal conversion less intense environment normal revival service shape note singing represented genuine peoples movement music piety everyone appreciative 1921 hubert mcneill poteat wake forest college latin professor denounced singing schools crowd howling prancing evangelistic singers whose music little sacred twaddle demonstrating thin veneer religion given sensual postures dance hall gavin james campbell recounts poteats opposition 1997 article titled make heavens portals ring noting singing school teachers carried sacred harp harmonia sacra rural settings used twoorthreeweek singing schools taught generations rural southerners shapes schools songs something else better worse put theology mouths generations folks may never connected sermonic expositions substitutionary atonement trinity falling grace oncesavedalwayssaved could sing every word ill fly away jordans stormy banks read title clear coming fourpart harmony earliest days shape note lyrics somber celebrative earthy unearthly william walkers southern harmony 1835 contains song wrote 1831 traveling mountains french broad river north carolina tennessee begins high oer hills mountains rise summits toward skies far must dwell oh god forbid fall lose everlasting may rise wings love second verse cuts chase although walk mountains high ere long body low must lie lonesome place must rot living forgot never learned song prairie point discover tunes words stay yet like grandfather mother benefited prairie point singing schools although racked alzheimers could sing every verse pass gentle savior almost dying day like texas baptists also remembered cuss necessary life shapes notes bitter end
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />JUNE 23, 2011</p>
<p>By WAYNE LUSVARDI</p>
<p>As California politicians are deciding whether to have a clean break from the state’s addiction to redevelopment, or to substitute some other methadone-like economic policy drug to replace it, the global economy is subtly changing. Like a drug addiction, redevelopment will be for the losers who want to make a career out of living in perpetual “rehab.”&#160; The winners will be those who can quit cold turkey and change.</p>
<p>It now is clearer that the economic doldrums California is continuing to experience are more structural than cyclical.</p>
<p>The Federal Reserve Board’s Quantitative Easing 2 (QE2) program to dilute the value of the U.S. dollar and pump up monetary inflation is coming to an end. While the general policy of inflating our way out of debt will continue, the persistent trend is deflation driven by an excess supply of goods and labor over demand.&#160; Nonetheless, commodity price inflation in food, energy and oil will continue, some of it intentional, as seen in California’s Green Power Law and Cap and Trade program poised to launch early in 2012 because of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Warming_Solutions_Act_of_2006" type="external">AB 32</a>, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen how the U.S. and California economies will perform without the steroid drugs provided by the federal stimulus program and QE2.&#160; Foreign banks have significantly cut down the amount of U.S debt that they were buying, most notably China. This means that U.S. private money markets will have to buy this debt, but will want an interest rate premium to do so. This will result in less capital available for commodity and stock markets and for things like redevelopment.&#160; This is especially so in a California real estate market that remains overbuilt.</p>
<p>The California economic data for <a href="http://jec.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&amp;File_id=e41e0be1-4624-4448-911f-5e73820f4d27" type="external">May 2011</a> was abysmal, despite Gov. Jerry Brown’s report in April that tax receipts were up and the economy was showing signs of recovery. The mirage of a recovery in April seems to have been a one-shot deal based on payment of capital gains taxes.</p>
<p>If the United States and California do not want to live within their means, another crisis is likely to force the issue.&#160; A run on the value of the U.S. dollar in 2012 or 2013 may be reality therapy.&#160; Another $100 billion drop in CalPERS and CalSTRS pension funds might also be a realization that recovery may not be right around the corner.</p>
<p>California is desperately gambling in the money markets to try to make up what it lost in 2008-09 in pensions funds.&#160; CalPERS reported more than a <a href="http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2011-01-21/calpers-2010-results" type="external">12.5 percent annual return</a> on its investments in a money market that is paying about <a href="http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages.TextView.aspx?data=yield" type="external">3 percent on 10-year Treasury Bills</a> and the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf" type="external">CPI is trending at 3.6 percent.</a> CalPERS is gambling on rates of return about four times that of the safe rate on 10-year government securities.</p>
<p>If California ever gets its act together and realizes that Green Power and Cap and Trade are ineffective therapies, they may understand that many companies that had abandoned California for other countries might be interested in returning, given that stagflation may make production in the U.S. more competitive because of declining labor costs here. But if California wants to spike energy prices, these industries will move from offshore to onshore, but not to California. Try Texas.&#160; Back in 2006, when AB 32 was devised, policy makers could not have foreseen a bursting of the U.S. economic bubble and the possibility of reindustrialization.</p>
<p>As reverse globalization unfolds, industries will no longer be compelled to put manufacturing offshore. Not only will there be a narrowing of the cost differential to produce goods, but <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304665904576385980251033122.html" type="external">land availability and price, the cost of electricity and taxes will be crucial</a>.&#160; Here, California state politicians and small-minded local bureaucrats’&#160;persistent desire to press the restart button on redevelopment will be misplaced.&#160; Even worse, it could be disastrous to the state’s general fund tax base.</p>
<p>Social change is slow, even if economic meltdowns seem sudden and unforeseeable.&#160; Some foresee the possibility of U.S. manufacturing again becoming Number One in the world again in a decade.</p>
<p>California, with its postmodern political culture’s aversion to hard industries and embrace of Green Energy polices that will inflate the price of water and power, will unfortunately put the state in a non-competitive position should the reindustrialization lamp be lit again.&#160; The choice of Jerry Brown as governor, a countermodern politician whose track record in his first governorship was to stop building freeways, conventional power plants and dams, may end up unfortunate.</p>
<p>To take advantage of the coming opportunities presented by de-globalization, California will need to switch from using redevelopment to artificially create local real estate bubbles for upscale malls and industrial parks for overpriced goods and services that are no longer affordable.</p>
<p>In the last few decades, perpetually ridding California’s cities of older, obsolescent housing and commercial building stock by redevelopment to puff up the property tax base in one city at the expense of another became a statewide horse race. But redevelopment is not a value-added activity. It merely shifts real estate development around from one jurisdiction or neighborhood to another. It overheats local real estate markets by creating bubbles.</p>
<p>Redevelopment also redefines “affordable housing” as luxury housing, complete with pools, spas, gyms in upscale mixed-use projects next to light rail stations. &#160;On the contrary, true affordable housing is old, obsolescent and further from commercial centers and public transit.</p>
<p>Tomorrow it may be older shopping centers, Mom and Pop retail stores and restaurants, and older housing that provide a price advantage to consumers with lower incomes. It may be older industrial centers with infrastructure in place that provides landing pads for relocating offshore industries. Obsolescence may again mean affordability, not “blight.”</p>
<p>Instead, California will need an industrial development policy that doesn’t rely merely on more tax-exempt redevelopment conduit bonds as a “drug fix” to stimulate growth.&#160; Rather, it will need to rely on cheap land, water and energy, a competitive labor force and flexible government coordination. Giant sub prime easy money loans to business and industry are not a way to build an economy, even though government thinks it is.&#160; Easy money makes businesses think they can achieve super profits, just as a drug gives you an artificial “high.”</p>
<p>As economist Gary Schilling points out in his book,&#160; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Age-Deleveraging-Investment-Strategies-Deflation/dp/0470596368" type="external">The Age of Deleveraging</a>, there will be a decade of slow growth and deflation as:</p>
<p>1. Consumers shift from borrowing and spending binges to a saving spree.</p>
<p>2.&#160; Financial deleveraging will reverse the artificial spurt of growth in recent years. (Leveraging means borrowing capital with no or little of one’s own money in the game, like being given free chips at a poker table. Deleveraging means having to pay cash.)</p>
<p>3.&#160; Increased government regulation and involvement in major economies will stifle innovation and reduce efficiency.</p>
<p>4.&#160; Low commodity prices will limit spending by commodity producing countries (that trade with California).</p>
<p>5.&#160; Developed countries are moving toward fiscal restraint.</p>
<p>6.&#160; The housing market will be weak due to excess inventories and loss of investment appeal.</p>
<p>7.&#160; Deflation will curtail spending as buyers anticipate lower prices.</p>
<p>8.&#160; State and local governments will contract (page 182).</p>
<p>In such a slow-growth economy, redevelopment and affordable housing will be obsolete.&#160; The mission of redevelopment to eliminate blight and real estate obsolescence has paradoxically become obsolete itself.</p>
<p>The current public discussion in Sacramento on whether redevelopment should be shut down or be reformed is passé.&#160; The discussion California needs is not how it is going to cope without redevelopment.&#160; Rather, it should be about how it is going to manage in a slow-growth and deflationary economy and be ready should reverse globalization bring about reindustrialization in the U.S.</p>
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june 23 2011 wayne lusvardi california politicians deciding whether clean break states addiction redevelopment substitute methadonelike economic policy drug replace global economy subtly changing like drug addiction redevelopment losers want make career living perpetual rehab160 winners quit cold turkey change clearer economic doldrums california continuing experience structural cyclical federal reserve boards quantitative easing 2 qe2 program dilute value us dollar pump monetary inflation coming end general policy inflating way debt continue persistent trend deflation driven excess supply goods labor demand160 nonetheless commodity price inflation food energy oil continue intentional seen californias green power law cap trade program poised launch early 2012 ab 32 global warming solutions act 2006 remains seen us california economies perform without steroid drugs provided federal stimulus program qe2160 foreign banks significantly cut amount us debt buying notably china means us private money markets buy debt want interest rate premium result less capital available commodity stock markets things like redevelopment160 especially california real estate market remains overbuilt california economic data may 2011 abysmal despite gov jerry browns report april tax receipts economy showing signs recovery mirage recovery april seems oneshot deal based payment capital gains taxes united states california want live within means another crisis likely force issue160 run value us dollar 2012 2013 may reality therapy160 another 100 billion drop calpers calstrs pension funds might also realization recovery may right around corner california desperately gambling money markets try make lost 200809 pensions funds160 calpers reported 125 percent annual return investments money market paying 3 percent 10year treasury bills cpi trending 36 percent calpers gambling rates return four times safe rate 10year government securities california ever gets act together realizes green power cap trade ineffective therapies may understand many companies abandoned california countries might interested returning given stagflation may make production us competitive declining labor costs california wants spike energy prices industries move offshore onshore california try texas160 back 2006 ab 32 devised policy makers could foreseen bursting us economic bubble possibility reindustrialization reverse globalization unfolds industries longer compelled put manufacturing offshore narrowing cost differential produce goods land availability price cost electricity taxes crucial160 california state politicians smallminded local bureaucrats160persistent desire press restart button redevelopment misplaced160 even worse could disastrous states general fund tax base social change slow even economic meltdowns seem sudden unforeseeable160 foresee possibility us manufacturing becoming number one world decade california postmodern political cultures aversion hard industries embrace green energy polices inflate price water power unfortunately put state noncompetitive position reindustrialization lamp lit again160 choice jerry brown governor countermodern politician whose track record first governorship stop building freeways conventional power plants dams may end unfortunate take advantage coming opportunities presented deglobalization california need switch using redevelopment artificially create local real estate bubbles upscale malls industrial parks overpriced goods services longer affordable last decades perpetually ridding californias cities older obsolescent housing commercial building stock redevelopment puff property tax base one city expense another became statewide horse race redevelopment valueadded activity merely shifts real estate development around one jurisdiction neighborhood another overheats local real estate markets creating bubbles redevelopment also redefines affordable housing luxury housing complete pools spas gyms upscale mixeduse projects next light rail stations 160on contrary true affordable housing old obsolescent commercial centers public transit tomorrow may older shopping centers mom pop retail stores restaurants older housing provide price advantage consumers lower incomes may older industrial centers infrastructure place provides landing pads relocating offshore industries obsolescence may mean affordability blight instead california need industrial development policy doesnt rely merely taxexempt redevelopment conduit bonds drug fix stimulate growth160 rather need rely cheap land water energy competitive labor force flexible government coordination giant sub prime easy money loans business industry way build economy even though government thinks is160 easy money makes businesses think achieve super profits drug gives artificial high economist gary schilling points book160 age deleveraging decade slow growth deflation 1 consumers shift borrowing spending binges saving spree 2160 financial deleveraging reverse artificial spurt growth recent years leveraging means borrowing capital little ones money game like given free chips poker table deleveraging means pay cash 3160 increased government regulation involvement major economies stifle innovation reduce efficiency 4160 low commodity prices limit spending commodity producing countries trade california 5160 developed countries moving toward fiscal restraint 6160 housing market weak due excess inventories loss investment appeal 7160 deflation curtail spending buyers anticipate lower prices 8160 state local governments contract page 182 slowgrowth economy redevelopment affordable housing obsolete160 mission redevelopment eliminate blight real estate obsolescence paradoxically become obsolete current public discussion sacramento whether redevelopment shut reformed passé160 discussion california needs going cope without redevelopment160 rather going manage slowgrowth deflationary economy ready reverse globalization bring reindustrialization us
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<p>Feb. 6, 2013</p>
<p>By Chris Reed</p>
<p>When the Bush administration responded to 9-11 by using “advanced interrogation techniques” and detaining hundreds of terror suspects indefinitely, all without offering clarity about exactly what it was doing and the legal rationales it used to justify its actions, the editorial page of The Los Angeles Times was a harsh and persistent critic. Examples:</p>
<p>“The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday bought the Bush administration’s leaky logic on terrorism, tacitly endorsing secret detentions of hundreds of suspects after the 9/11 attacks. Moreover, by embracing the ends-justify-means reasoning in this case, the justices set a dangerous precedent as they ponder other key challenges to the administration’s anti-terror policies before them this term.”</p>
<p>“In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Bush administration to let the hundreds of detainees it claims are terrorists meet with lawyers and challenge their imprisonment — nearly three years behind bars for some. The high court decisions were a resounding defeat for the president, who has steadfastly asserted his right to round up and put away pretty much anyone he deems a terrorist. …</p>
<p>“The Pentagon has let a few detainees meet with a lawyer as a goodwill gesture, providing the lawyer agrees to let officials listen in and promises not to ask about conditions of the client’s confinement or if he has been abused. However, the government is contesting almost every motion and writ, tying up the cases as it continues to claim, incredibly, that the Guantanamo detainees have no constitutional right of access. …</p>
<p>“Congress could step in, defining the detainees’ rights to counsel, the burden of proof that would apply in court proceedings and the limits on detention. But in a nation where Pentagon and Justice Department officials must, like the rest of us, abide by the rule of law, shouldn’t the Supreme Court’s conclusion — that even detainees are entitled to due process — be the final word?”</p>
<p>“Terrorism presents the U.S. with an enemy unlike any we have seen before. Most Americans agree with Bush that intelligence-gathering on Al Qaeda and its spawn may require more extensive investigative authorities. But the more sweeping the powers granted the executive branch, the more vital it is that Congress provide meaningful oversight. …</p>
<p>“The struggle against terrorism will not end soon, and the choices we make in fighting it will help define us as a nation for decades. To allow any president to invent the law as he goes along is to invite contempt for the law for many presidencies to come.”</p>
<p>“The administration continues to confuse Article II of the Constitution — which enumerates the president’s duties as commander in chief — with justification for disregarding the other two branches of government. Article II does give the president power, but the Constitution also has a couple of other articles — the first and third, if anyone from the administration feels like looking them up — outlining the powers of Congress and the judiciary, respectively.</p>
<p>“It’s hard to say what’s more disturbing: the attorney general’s unsound legal reasoning or his transparent efforts to avoid a legal conversation altogether in favor of emotional appeals aimed squarely at the court of public opinion. Practically the first words of his opening statement were: ‘Al Qaeda and its affiliates remain deadly dangerous.’</p>
<p>“As several senators reminded him, the hearings are not a contest to see who hates Al Qaeda more. They’re to find out about the NSA’s secret program and to see whether the White House accepts any restraints on its power.”</p>
<p>“Gitmo … is a global embarrassment that does the U.S. more harm than good in the fight against terrorism.”</p>
<p>“From the beginning, President Bush essentially has argued that the post-9/11 war on terrorism authorized him to act as judge, jury and executioner of enemy combatants, including U.S. citizens. In 2004, the Supreme Court pointedly rejected this assertion of power, ruling that both U.S. citizens and foreigners detained at the Guantanamo naval base in Cuba could challenge their confinement.</p>
<p>“‘A state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation’s citizens,’ Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in holding that Yaser Esam Hamdi, a Louisiana native, was entitled to a hearing before a neutral decision-maker. …</p>
<p>“[The U.S. should] try suspected terrorists in federal court … or in military tribunals authorized by Congress and conducted in accordance with international law.”</p>
<p>“Saying goodbye to Guantanamo would be more than a symbolic change of policy. Confining detainees in a geographically isolated location encourages abuses by authorities and despair and disruption among inmates; witness last week’s detainee suicide attempts and subsequent attack on guards. But appearances are important too. As British Atty. Gen. Lord Goldsmith said in calling for the closing of Guantanamo: ‘The historic tradition of the United States as a beacon of freedom, of liberty and of justice deserves the removal of this symbol.'”</p>
<p>“However else it might modify its behavior in dealing with a new, Democratic-controlled Congress, the Bush administration is still stonewalling when it comes to sharing information about its tactics in the ‘war on terror.’ That’s a mistake.”</p>
<p>“Congress is appropriately indignant about the revelation that the CIA destroyed videotapes of interrogation sessions at which suspected terrorists were subjected to ‘enhanced’ techniques that may have included the simulated drowning known as waterboarding. That outrage needs to be channeled into legislation that would prevent the agency from engaging in the sort of behavior captured on those tapes.”</p>
<p>After President Obama was elected, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-gitmo8-2009mar08,0,4288743.story" type="external">the Times editorialized</a> that it was crucial he shut down Guantanamo, abandon torture, embrace due process and be open about U.S. policies.</p>
<p>Four years later, Guantanamo <a href="http://www.allgov.com/news/us-and-the-world/guantanamo-prison-stays-open-while-the-us-office-trying-to-close-it-gets-shut-down-130130?news=846906" type="external">remains open</a>, the Obama administration is so secretive that a <a href="http://www.allgov.com/news/us-and-the-world/federal-judge-slams-obama-administration-for-trying-to-dismiss-no-fly-list-case-in-secret-121226?news=846582" type="external">federal judge complains</a> she is barely able to issue a coherent decision on administration terrorism policies, and the president asserts he can kill any American suspected of working for or with al-Qaeda, and without an indictment. Drones have been used to kill several thousand people around the world, including two Americans.</p>
<p>If George W. Bush had done this, just imagine what the Times would have written. But he wasn’t their guy. So here’s the Times’ <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-drones-playbook-20130128,0,2096149.story" type="external">mild verdict</a> on the actions of the Obama administration.</p>
<p>“In the coming weeks, the Senate Intelligence Committee <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/espionage-intelligence/u.s.-senate-select-committee-on-intelligence-ORGOV000350.topic" type="external" /> will have an opportunity to demand answers about targeted killings when it holds hearings on [John Brennan’s] nomination to head the CIA. He should be prepared to share the contents of the proposed ‘playbook’ and the legal authorities on which it rests. Decisions about targeted killings may rely on classified information, but the process by which such fateful decisions are made should not be a secret.”</p>
<p>That’s from a Jan. 28 editorial.</p>
<p>Concerns about the Second Amendment to the Constitution? About a presidency without any limits on his power? About a commander-in-chief acting as judge, jury and executioner? About negative international reactions to U.S. policies?&#160; About years of administration stonewalling?</p>
<p>They’ve all disappeared. The fundamental view that no president is above the law, you see, only applies to presidents that The Los Angeles Times doesn’t like.</p>
<p>I’m a libertarian who is unhappy with the defense policies of both Bush 43 and Obama. Due process for American citizens, at the least, has to be sacrosanct.</p>
<p>That said, it should be mind-boggling to any honest person, not just libertarians, to witness so much of the mainstream media tolerating presidential assassinations, including of U.S. citizens, after rebuking Bush for torture.</p>
<p>I won’t hold my breath waiting for an explanation from the Times’ editorial board, however.</p>
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feb 6 2013 chris reed bush administration responded 911 using advanced interrogation techniques detaining hundreds terror suspects indefinitely without offering clarity exactly legal rationales used justify actions editorial page los angeles times harsh persistent critic examples us supreme court monday bought bush administrations leaky logic terrorism tacitly endorsing secret detentions hundreds suspects 911 attacks moreover embracing endsjustifymeans reasoning case justices set dangerous precedent ponder key challenges administrations antiterror policies term june us supreme court ordered bush administration let hundreds detainees claims terrorists meet lawyers challenge imprisonment nearly three years behind bars high court decisions resounding defeat president steadfastly asserted right round put away pretty much anyone deems terrorist pentagon let detainees meet lawyer goodwill gesture providing lawyer agrees let officials listen promises ask conditions clients confinement abused however government contesting almost every motion writ tying cases continues claim incredibly guantanamo detainees constitutional right access congress could step defining detainees rights counsel burden proof would apply court proceedings limits detention nation pentagon justice department officials must like rest us abide rule law shouldnt supreme courts conclusion even detainees entitled due process final word terrorism presents us enemy unlike seen americans agree bush intelligencegathering al qaeda spawn may require extensive investigative authorities sweeping powers granted executive branch vital congress provide meaningful oversight struggle terrorism end soon choices make fighting help define us nation decades allow president invent law goes along invite contempt law many presidencies come administration continues confuse article ii constitution enumerates presidents duties commander chief justification disregarding two branches government article ii give president power constitution also couple articles first third anyone administration feels like looking outlining powers congress judiciary respectively hard say whats disturbing attorney generals unsound legal reasoning transparent efforts avoid legal conversation altogether favor emotional appeals aimed squarely court public opinion practically first words opening statement al qaeda affiliates remain deadly dangerous several senators reminded hearings contest see hates al qaeda theyre find nsas secret program see whether white house accepts restraints power gitmo global embarrassment us harm good fight terrorism beginning president bush essentially argued post911 war terrorism authorized act judge jury executioner enemy combatants including us citizens 2004 supreme court pointedly rejected assertion power ruling us citizens foreigners detained guantanamo naval base cuba could challenge confinement state war blank check president comes rights nations citizens justice sandra day oconnor wrote holding yaser esam hamdi louisiana native entitled hearing neutral decisionmaker us try suspected terrorists federal court military tribunals authorized congress conducted accordance international law saying goodbye guantanamo would symbolic change policy confining detainees geographically isolated location encourages abuses authorities despair disruption among inmates witness last weeks detainee suicide attempts subsequent attack guards appearances important british atty gen lord goldsmith said calling closing guantanamo historic tradition united states beacon freedom liberty justice deserves removal symbol however else might modify behavior dealing new democraticcontrolled congress bush administration still stonewalling comes sharing information tactics war terror thats mistake congress appropriately indignant revelation cia destroyed videotapes interrogation sessions suspected terrorists subjected enhanced techniques may included simulated drowning known waterboarding outrage needs channeled legislation would prevent agency engaging sort behavior captured tapes president obama elected times editorialized crucial shut guantanamo abandon torture embrace due process open us policies four years later guantanamo remains open obama administration secretive federal judge complains barely able issue coherent decision administration terrorism policies president asserts kill american suspected working alqaeda without indictment drones used kill several thousand people around world including two americans george w bush done imagine times would written wasnt guy heres times mild verdict actions obama administration coming weeks senate intelligence committee opportunity demand answers targeted killings holds hearings john brennans nomination head cia prepared share contents proposed playbook legal authorities rests decisions targeted killings may rely classified information process fateful decisions made secret thats jan 28 editorial concerns second amendment constitution presidency without limits power commanderinchief acting judge jury executioner negative international reactions us policies160 years administration stonewalling theyve disappeared fundamental view president law see applies presidents los angeles times doesnt like im libertarian unhappy defense policies bush 43 obama due process american citizens least sacrosanct said mindboggling honest person libertarians witness much mainstream media tolerating presidential assassinations including us citizens rebuking bush torture wont hold breath waiting explanation times editorial board however
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<p>The local school council at Locke Elementary School in Belmont-Cragin gets high marks from all quarters. A local community organizer says it’s the most well organized council in that part of the city. A DePaul University professor who works with dozens of schools uses it to describe how an LSC ought to work. And the Chicago Association of Local School Councils gave it an award last year for investing in staff development.”The council and principal are very honest with each other, and they work together very, very well,” says Barbara Radner, director of the Center for Urban Education at DePaul University. “The LSC doesn’t just meet, they really discuss what’s going on.”</p>
<p>Even so, the council has struggled to fill vacancies, and meetings don’t draw many parents. “We’re not an exciting group,” says LSC secretary Jim Gardner, adding, “The question isn’t how exciting you are; it’s how much you get done.”</p>
<p>Locke’s LSC is fairly homogeneous and “working class,” as longtime parent representative Bill Nielsen puts it. Nielsen is a CTA mechanic and a union shop steward; other members include a contractor, a veterinarian’s assistant, a teachers’ aide and a controller for a construction firm. Several members have served five years or more. And five members are men, a fact that Principal Myrtle Burton-Sahara especially appreciates. “It’s important for the kids to see that it isn’t just moms involved,” she says.</p>
<p>As with many councils, Locke’s major activities have been lobbying for physical improvements to the building and winning parent and community consensus on touchy issues.</p>
<p>Burton-Sahara recalls when the school building was in “deplorable” condition. “You should have seen it,” she says with a small shudder. The school’s parent-teacher committee repeatedly sent letters and made phone calls to School Board officials—to no avail. But then the local school council came along and picked up the fight, winning a rehab in the early 1990s.</p>
<p>Without a council, Burton-Sahara says, “I think the board would have looked at it as, Oh, here’s another principal jumping up and down and screaming about what they don’t have. … It has some meaning when you say, ‘My local school council feels this way.’ … In the past, I could say, ‘Well, you know my parents such and such and such….’ It would be, ‘Big deal. Do this.’ Or, ‘You can’t do that.'”</p>
<p>At a February local school council meeting, Locke Principal Myrtle Burton-Sahara (center)listens as architects describe the interior of the addition planned for Locke’s building. (Photo by John Booz)</p>
<p>Burton-Sahara says the facilities overhaul made a tremendous difference for learning. “You could tell after it was done and the kids came back and the teachers came back—it was just a different attitude.”</p>
<p>Now Locke is looking forward to relief from its overcrowding–900 children currently are packed into a building built for 600. An addition is being built—again, thanks to lobbying by the council.</p>
<p>In the meantime, the lunchroom is being used for four bilingual classes. That makeshift remedy was unpopular with some parents, says Sahara, but they went along with it “because they knew we had fought to the nth degree trying to avoid that.” She credits the LSC with building support for the decision among parents.</p>
<p>Teachers and council members spent months looking for alternatives. “I think everybody got to the point where it was the only solution,” says council chair Debbie Caputo. “It was the lesser of two evils.”</p>
<p>Burton-Sahara also applauds her council colleagues for helping her get rid of a school engineer “who was just the pits.” First, the council put an “engineer’s report” on the agenda of every LSC meeting. Then, they recruited a contractor, Frank Rogus, as a parent representative. “The meetings that year were mostly about harassing the engineer,” he recalls. Finally, the recalcitrant engineer quit. His replacement didn’t last long either, but Burton-Sahara calls the current engineer “an angel.”</p>
<p>The work of the Locke LSC is wide ranging:</p>
<p>Members call and visit Pershing Road staff to clear bureaucratic roadblocks. For instance, members have been pestering School Board staff because Locke has been short a security guard all year. The board has suspended the man with pay, pending an investigation of an incident predating his arrival at Locke, and the council wants a substitute.</p>
<p>Members use connections with elected officials to lobby for improvements to the street and sidewalks around the school. Parent rep Bill Nielsen coaches a Little League team that once included the son of Ald. William Banks. “So he recognizes me,” says Nielsen.</p>
<p>The council casts itself as a forum for making difficult decisions. For instance, a uniform policy was thoroughly debated before the council decided to adopt it.</p>
<p>The council backs up its faculty by supporting budget requests. For example, the school has made heavy investments in staff development and computers. Locke is part of the national Accelerated Schools Network, which requires extensive faculty training, and the school has six computers in many classrooms, including almost all classes in grades 6-8.</p>
<p>Members take on other volunteer projects. Parent rep Rogus built tables for the school’s first computer lab, and other members have sought donations of used computers to supplement what the school can buy.</p>
<p>The council’s current focus is increasing parent participation. “People aren’t exactly busting down the door to get in here,” acknowledges teacher rep Robert Malek.</p>
<p>Locke has an active parent-teacher committee, but it’s small, with a core made up of spouses of LSC members. Last fall, the council signed up for a two-year project with the Chicago Association of Local School Councils (CALSC) to boost parent involvement. Teachers and parents completed a baseline survey in December; the Locke council will use the results to guide their efforts to bring more parents in.</p>
<p>Another challenge is making the council more reflective of the school’s changing enrollment. The council has only one Latino member, a recent recruit, even though the school’s Latino enrollment has grown to more than 40 percent. In schools like Locke, where no racial or ethnic group dominates enrollment, the LSC tends to be predominantly white, according to the Consortium on Chicago School Research.</p>
<p>Council chair Caputo worked with organizers from the Northwest Neighborhood Federation to encourage some members of the school’s bilingual parents’ committee to run in this year’s LSC elections. None of them signed up, but they made some suggestions that organizers are helping the school follow up on, especially creating English classes for parents.</p>
<p>Burton-Sahara clearly takes pride in Locke’s growing diversity, which includes Polish as well as Mexican immigrants. Last December, the school celebrated International Day, with each class performing folk music from a different country. The principal took the microphone for an impassioned solo during a faculty number called “Celebrate the Difference.”</p>
<p>Locke also reflects a key finding of a study by the Chicago Panel on School Policy, which closely monitored 14 councils over five years. The schools that posted the highest achievement gains, the Panel found, were those where the first local school council retained a strong principal.</p>
<p>Burton-Sahara had been principal of Locke for 12 years when the LSC took office. Since then, Locke’s test scores have steadily improved, even as enrollment has grown 50 percent and the percentage of low-income pupils has risen from 54 to 70.</p>
<p>While teachers and council members say her commitment to shared decision-making paved the way for improvement, Burton-Sahara says parents paved the way for her success amid racial strife.</p>
<p>Burton-Sahara is one of the many principals and teachers who were transferred in 1977 as part of a citywide faculty desegregation plan, which the Board of Education adopted under federal pressure. She is African American; at the time, Locke’s neighborhood was overwhelmingly white. Locke already had some African-American students, due to busing from the West Side, and the community was “not happy” about that, she says. In addition, Burton-Sahara replaced a well-liked principal.</p>
<p>“There were phone calls, threats [from] some Nazi group, the John Birch Society, the KKK,” she relates. “So that was my welcome.”</p>
<p>But there also was a phone call from Phyllis Schmidt, president of the school’s PTA. “She called me to say that they hated to see their principal go, but their children’s education was the most important thing, and they would be working closely with me,” says Burton-Sahara. “I’m not naïve enough to believe that everybody welcomed me with open arms, but that PTA’s executive committee made it possible for me to stay here.”</p>
<p>No longer affiliated with the National PTA (to avoid dues), the school’s parent-teacher group works closely with the LSC, especially in the area of facilities improvements. It engages in traditional activities as well, raising money through candy sales, special events and direct solicitation of local officials. The group is planning a Candlelight Bowl for this spring, and Ald. Banks recently ponied up $200.</p>
<p>Milja Lazarevic, a teacher rep on the council, is dumbfounded over talk about restricting LSC powers. “Some of those guys in Springfield, I could just slap them,” she says. “They want to take away our powers. I mean, who knows the neighborhood better than the parents, and the other parents who talk to these parents about what their kids want and need? I mean, teachers can’t do it all by themselves. The principals can’t do it all by themselves. And we have a really good council, we get along with Mrs. Sahara, and it seems to be working here.”</p>
<p>Nielsen resents what he sees as central office poaching on LSC turf and taking credit for local accomplishments. “We do all the work, and then you [central office] get all the glory?” he asks rhetorically. A longtime union man, Nielsen thinks councils should get together, union-style, to advocate for themselves.</p>
<p>Council secretary Gardner says the administration of Paul Vallas is an improvement from “the Ted Kimbroughs and the Argie Johnsons” but that bureaucracy is still a problem. “I work in the business world, and it frustrates me,” he says. “You come up with a solution, and you just get a blank stare. You feel like shaking those people and saying, Look, in the private sector, if you don’t get results, you’re out on the street.</p>
<p>“On this current administration, the jury is still out,” he adds, “but at least they give you a direct answer: Yes, we’ll do that. No, you’re nuts. Or, We’ll get back to you. I can deal with that.”</p>
<p>“I like the new board,” says Lazarevic, “and I’m grateful for my contract and my salary and everything. But they really need to put more money towards education in the classroom. Yeah, we needed a new building, but we need books. We have to have more supplies. We need little stuff, and we’re not getting it.”</p>
<p>Lazarevic’s children attend Locke. When they started school there, her teaching career was on hold. But when Locke needed more teachers, fellow parents pushed her to fill the gap. She’s since started Locke’s science program—which this year produced two finalists in the citywide science fair.</p>
<p>Initially, Caputo didn’t want her children to attend Locke. “I swore my children would never go to a public school,” she says. “I went to a public school. I went through four years of high school, and I never wrote a term paper. Luckily, I was a strong reader, so I was able to make it.”</p>
<p>However, local private schools told her they couldn’t accommodate her daughter’s learning disability. “So I finally said, Let me see what’s over there. I was actually very impressed.”</p>
<p>Caputo says staff have been very accommodating. “Anytime I’ve come to them and said, ‘This is what I think would work for Vicki,’ they’ve said, ‘Let’s try it.’ You know, I’ve never met up against any resistance. They’re willing to listen. I think they know that I know her best.”</p>
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local school council locke elementary school belmontcragin gets high marks quarters local community organizer says well organized council part city depaul university professor works dozens schools uses describe lsc ought work chicago association local school councils gave award last year investing staff developmentthe council principal honest work together well says barbara radner director center urban education depaul university lsc doesnt meet really discuss whats going even council struggled fill vacancies meetings dont draw many parents exciting group says lsc secretary jim gardner adding question isnt exciting much get done lockes lsc fairly homogeneous working class longtime parent representative bill nielsen puts nielsen cta mechanic union shop steward members include contractor veterinarians assistant teachers aide controller construction firm several members served five years five members men fact principal myrtle burtonsahara especially appreciates important kids see isnt moms involved says many councils lockes major activities lobbying physical improvements building winning parent community consensus touchy issues burtonsahara recalls school building deplorable condition seen says small shudder schools parentteacher committee repeatedly sent letters made phone calls school board officialsto avail local school council came along picked fight winning rehab early 1990s without council burtonsahara says think board would looked oh heres another principal jumping screaming dont meaning say local school council feels way past could say well know parents would big deal cant february local school council meeting locke principal myrtle burtonsahara centerlistens architects describe interior addition planned lockes building photo john booz burtonsahara says facilities overhaul made tremendous difference learning could tell done kids came back teachers came backit different attitude locke looking forward relief overcrowding900 children currently packed building built 600 addition builtagain thanks lobbying council meantime lunchroom used four bilingual classes makeshift remedy unpopular parents says sahara went along knew fought nth degree trying avoid credits lsc building support decision among parents teachers council members spent months looking alternatives think everybody got point solution says council chair debbie caputo lesser two evils burtonsahara also applauds council colleagues helping get rid school engineer pits first council put engineers report agenda every lsc meeting recruited contractor frank rogus parent representative meetings year mostly harassing engineer recalls finally recalcitrant engineer quit replacement didnt last long either burtonsahara calls current engineer angel work locke lsc wide ranging members call visit pershing road staff clear bureaucratic roadblocks instance members pestering school board staff locke short security guard year board suspended man pay pending investigation incident predating arrival locke council wants substitute members use connections elected officials lobby improvements street sidewalks around school parent rep bill nielsen coaches little league team included son ald william banks recognizes says nielsen council casts forum making difficult decisions instance uniform policy thoroughly debated council decided adopt council backs faculty supporting budget requests example school made heavy investments staff development computers locke part national accelerated schools network requires extensive faculty training school six computers many classrooms including almost classes grades 68 members take volunteer projects parent rep rogus built tables schools first computer lab members sought donations used computers supplement school buy councils current focus increasing parent participation people arent exactly busting door get acknowledges teacher rep robert malek locke active parentteacher committee small core made spouses lsc members last fall council signed twoyear project chicago association local school councils calsc boost parent involvement teachers parents completed baseline survey december locke council use results guide efforts bring parents another challenge making council reflective schools changing enrollment council one latino member recent recruit even though schools latino enrollment grown 40 percent schools like locke racial ethnic group dominates enrollment lsc tends predominantly white according consortium chicago school research council chair caputo worked organizers northwest neighborhood federation encourage members schools bilingual parents committee run years lsc elections none signed made suggestions organizers helping school follow especially creating english classes parents burtonsahara clearly takes pride lockes growing diversity includes polish well mexican immigrants last december school celebrated international day class performing folk music different country principal took microphone impassioned solo faculty number called celebrate difference locke also reflects key finding study chicago panel school policy closely monitored 14 councils five years schools posted highest achievement gains panel found first local school council retained strong principal burtonsahara principal locke 12 years lsc took office since lockes test scores steadily improved even enrollment grown 50 percent percentage lowincome pupils risen 54 70 teachers council members say commitment shared decisionmaking paved way improvement burtonsahara says parents paved way success amid racial strife burtonsahara one many principals teachers transferred 1977 part citywide faculty desegregation plan board education adopted federal pressure african american time lockes neighborhood overwhelmingly white locke already africanamerican students due busing west side community happy says addition burtonsahara replaced wellliked principal phone calls threats nazi group john birch society kkk relates welcome also phone call phyllis schmidt president schools pta called say hated see principal go childrens education important thing would working closely says burtonsahara im naïve enough believe everybody welcomed open arms ptas executive committee made possible stay longer affiliated national pta avoid dues schools parentteacher group works closely lsc especially area facilities improvements engages traditional activities well raising money candy sales special events direct solicitation local officials group planning candlelight bowl spring ald banks recently ponied 200 milja lazarevic teacher rep council dumbfounded talk restricting lsc powers guys springfield could slap says want take away powers mean knows neighborhood better parents parents talk parents kids want need mean teachers cant principals cant really good council get along mrs sahara seems working nielsen resents sees central office poaching lsc turf taking credit local accomplishments work central office get glory asks rhetorically longtime union man nielsen thinks councils get together unionstyle advocate council secretary gardner says administration paul vallas improvement ted kimbroughs argie johnsons bureaucracy still problem work business world frustrates says come solution get blank stare feel like shaking people saying look private sector dont get results youre street current administration jury still adds least give direct answer yes well youre nuts well get back deal like new board says lazarevic im grateful contract salary everything really need put money towards education classroom yeah needed new building need books supplies need little stuff getting lazarevics children attend locke started school teaching career hold locke needed teachers fellow parents pushed fill gap shes since started lockes science programwhich year produced two finalists citywide science fair initially caputo didnt want children attend locke swore children would never go public school says went public school went four years high school never wrote term paper luckily strong reader able make however local private schools told couldnt accommodate daughters learning disability finally said let see whats actually impressed caputo says staff accommodating anytime ive come said think would work vicki theyve said lets try know ive never met resistance theyre willing listen think know know best
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<p>U.S. military hackers have penetrated Russia’s electric grid, telecommunications networks and the Kremlin’s command systems, making them vulnerable to attack by secret American cyber weapons should the U.S. deem it necessary, according to a senior intelligence official and top-secret documents reviewed by NBC News.</p>
<p>American officials have long said publicly that Russia, China and other nations have probed and left hidden malware on parts of U.S critical infrastructure, "preparing the battlefield," in military parlance, for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights or turn off the internet across major cities.</p>
<p>It’s been widely assumed that the U.S. has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by NBC News — along with remarks by a senior U.S. intelligence official — confirm that, in the case of Russia.</p>
<p>U.S. officials continue to express concern that Russia will use its cyber capabilities to try to disrupt next week’s presidential election. U.S. intelligence officials do not expect Russia to attack critical infrastructure — which many believe would be an act of war — but they do anticipate so-called cyber mischief, including the possible release of fake documents and the proliferation of bogus social media accounts designed to spread misinformation.</p>
<p>On Friday the hacker known as "Guccifer 2.0" — which U.S. officials say is a front for Russian intelligence — tweeted a threat to monitor the U.S. elections "from inside the system."</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Exclusive: White House Readies to Fight Election Day Cyber Mayhem</a></p>
<p>As NBC News reported Thursday, the U.S. government is marshaling resources to combat the threat in a way that is without precedent for a presidential election.</p>
<p>The cyber weapons would only be deployed in the unlikely event the U.S. was attacked in a significant way, officials say.</p>
<p>U.S. military officials often say in general terms that the U.S. possesses the world’s most advanced cyber capabilities, but they will not discuss details of highly classified cyber weapons.</p>
<p>James Lewis, a cyber expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says that U.S. hacks into the computer infrastructure of adversary nations such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — something he says he presumes has gone on for years — is akin to the kind of military scouting that is as old as human conflict.</p>
<p>"This is just the cyber version of that," he said.</p>
<p>In 2014, National Security Agency chief Adm. Mike Rogers told Congress that U.S. adversaries are performing electronic "reconnaissance" on a regular basis so that they can be in a position to disrupt the industrial control systems that run everything from chemical facilities to water treatment plants.</p>
<p>"All of that leads me to believe it is only a matter of when, not if, we are going to see something dramatic," he said at the time.</p>
<p>Rogers didn't discuss the U.S.’s own penetration of adversary networks. But the hacking undertaken by the NSA, which regularly penetrates foreign networks to gather intelligence, is very similar to the hacking needed to plant precursors for cyber weapons, said Gary Brown, a retired colonel and former legal adviser to U.S. Cyber Command, the military's digital war fighting arm.</p>
<p>"You'd gain access to a network, you'd establish your presence on the network and then you’re poised to do what you would like to do with the network," he told NBC News. "Most of the time you might use that to collect information, but that same access could be used for more aggressive activities too."</p>
<p>Brown and others have noted that the Obama administration has been extremely reluctant to take action in cyberspace, even in the face of what it says is a series of Russian hacks and leaks designed to manipulate the U.S. presidential election.</p>
<p>Administration officials did, however, deliver a back channel warning to Russian against any attempt to influence next week’s vote, officials told NBC News.</p>
<p>The senior U.S. intelligence official said that, if Russia initiated a significant cyber attack against critical infrastructure, the U.S. could take action to shut down some Russian systems — a sort of active defense.</p>
<p>Retired Adm. James Stavridis, who served as NATO commander of Europe, told NBC News’ Cynthia McFadden that the U.S. is well equipped to respond to any cyber attack.</p>
<p>"I think there's three things we should do if we see a significant cyber-attack," he said. "The first obviously is defending against it. The second is reveal: We should be publicizing what has happened so that any of this kind of cyber trickery can be unmasked. And thirdly, we should respond. Our response should be proportional."</p>
<p>The U.S. use of cyber attacks in the military context — or for covert action — is not without precedent.</p>
<p>During the 2003 Iraq invasion, U.S spies penetrated Iraqi networks and sent tailored messages to Iraqi generals, urging them to surrender, and temporarily cut electronic power in Baghdad.</p>
<p>In 2009 and 2010, the U.S., working with Israel, is believed to have helped deploy what became known as Stuxnet, a cyber weapon designed to destroy Iranian nuclear centrifuges.</p>
<p>Today, U.S. Cyber Command is engaged in cyber operations against the Islamic State, including using social media to expose the location of militants and sending spoof orders to sow confusion, current and former officials tell NBC News.</p>
<p>One problem, officials say, is that the doctrine around cyber conflict — what is espionage, what is theft, what is war — is not well developed.</p>
<p>"Cyber war is undefined," Brown said. "There are norms of behavior that we try to encourage, but people violate those."</p>
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us military hackers penetrated russias electric grid telecommunications networks kremlins command systems making vulnerable attack secret american cyber weapons us deem necessary according senior intelligence official topsecret documents reviewed nbc news american officials long said publicly russia china nations probed left hidden malware parts us critical infrastructure preparing battlefield military parlance cyber attacks could turn lights turn internet across major cities widely assumed us done thing adversaries documents reviewed nbc news along remarks senior us intelligence official confirm case russia us officials continue express concern russia use cyber capabilities try disrupt next weeks presidential election us intelligence officials expect russia attack critical infrastructure many believe would act war anticipate socalled cyber mischief including possible release fake documents proliferation bogus social media accounts designed spread misinformation friday hacker known guccifer 20 us officials say front russian intelligence tweeted threat monitor us elections inside system related exclusive white house readies fight election day cyber mayhem nbc news reported thursday us government marshaling resources combat threat way without precedent presidential election cyber weapons would deployed unlikely event us attacked significant way officials say us military officials often say general terms us possesses worlds advanced cyber capabilities discuss details highly classified cyber weapons james lewis cyber expert center strategic international studies says us hacks computer infrastructure adversary nations china russia iran north korea something says presumes gone years akin kind military scouting old human conflict cyber version said 2014 national security agency chief adm mike rogers told congress us adversaries performing electronic reconnaissance regular basis position disrupt industrial control systems run everything chemical facilities water treatment plants leads believe matter going see something dramatic said time rogers didnt discuss uss penetration adversary networks hacking undertaken nsa regularly penetrates foreign networks gather intelligence similar hacking needed plant precursors cyber weapons said gary brown retired colonel former legal adviser us cyber command militarys digital war fighting arm youd gain access network youd establish presence network youre poised would like network told nbc news time might use collect information access could used aggressive activities brown others noted obama administration extremely reluctant take action cyberspace even face says series russian hacks leaks designed manipulate us presidential election administration officials however deliver back channel warning russian attempt influence next weeks vote officials told nbc news senior us intelligence official said russia initiated significant cyber attack critical infrastructure us could take action shut russian systems sort active defense retired adm james stavridis served nato commander europe told nbc news cynthia mcfadden us well equipped respond cyber attack think theres three things see significant cyberattack said first obviously defending second reveal publicizing happened kind cyber trickery unmasked thirdly respond response proportional us use cyber attacks military context covert action without precedent 2003 iraq invasion us spies penetrated iraqi networks sent tailored messages iraqi generals urging surrender temporarily cut electronic power baghdad 2009 2010 us working israel believed helped deploy became known stuxnet cyber weapon designed destroy iranian nuclear centrifuges today us cyber command engaged cyber operations islamic state including using social media expose location militants sending spoof orders sow confusion current former officials tell nbc news one problem officials say doctrine around cyber conflict espionage theft war well developed cyber war undefined brown said norms behavior try encourage people violate
| 539 |
<p>In 1960, activists, neighborhood residents and local ministers formed what would become The Woodlawn Organization to battle racial discrimination and a city government that seemed unresponsive to the South Side neighborhood’s needs. “The neighborhood was going down,” said Edward Grady, a longtime employee of The Woodlawn Organization.</p>
<p>“Absentee landlords and slumlords were coming into Woodlawn buying up property. The people with the jobs were moving out to the suburbs,” he said. “So The Woodlawn Organization came in, and started building low-income housing for people.”</p>
<p>Over the years, The Woodlawn Organization, or TWO as it is often called, has provided a number of services including job training, drug rehabilitation, day care and prenatal care. And the group organized residents on issues of neighborhood concern, particularly the southward expansion of the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>In recent years, however, TWO has worked more closely with the University of Chicago and the developers of new townhouses and condominiums. And, with the median price of a Woodlawn condo at $165,000, some residents have accused TWO of abandoning its mission to serve the disenfranchised, leaving the neighborhood’s poor at the mercy of developers.</p>
<p>“People who live here see [the new housing] as doom and gloom,” said Mattie Butler, a Woodlawn resident and executive director of Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors. “Because they know that they’re not going to be able to live here when all is said and done. They won’t be able to afford it.”</p>
<p>A Chicago Reporter analysis of census data and owner-occupied home loans shows that Butler may be right. Since 2000, the typical Woodlawn home buyer has earned far more than longtime residents.</p>
<p>While 59 percent of Woodlawn households earned below $25,000 in 1999, just 5 percent of owner-occupied, single-family home loans in the neighborhood from 2000 to 2003 went to individuals in that income bracket, according to the Reporter’s analysis. Another 66 percent of the loans went to those earning more than $50,000 a year.</p>
<p>This has left some longtime Woodlawn residents feeling excluded from the rebirth of this old neighborhood. Last summer, neighborhood activists and residents marched along 63rd Street protesting TWO and developers for the high-priced homes, which residents fear are the signs of an attempt to drive poor residents out of Woodlawn. “[TWO leaders have] been quietly reducing the amount of affordable housing in their inventory for a number of years,” Butler said.</p>
<p>Residents also called several meetings last year with the Chicago office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They complained that TWO wanted to end the use of federal housing subsidies at some of its apartment buildings and deliberately neglected repairs at the buildings. “When the whole displacement issue got started, that’s when people started to come out and organize,” said Woodlawn resident Ebonee Stevenson.</p>
<p>However, TWO officials said the organization’s goal is to create a mixed-income community.</p>
<p>“Poor people are never going to go away, but you can’t build a neighborhood for poor people because the neighborhood won’t survive,” said Grady. “Businesses won’t come into a community where people don’t have the money to support them. You have to have a mixed-income neighborhood for community survival.”</p>
<p>In order to develop that mix, Darnell Bonds, who manages one of TWO’s federally subsidized apartment buildings, said that the community organization is focused on bringing economic diversity to the neighborhood with housing for poor and middle-income families. “Traditionally, we’ve developed housing for the low-income community, and now we are developing housing for the middle incomes that range from $30,000 to $75,000 [a year],” he explained.</p>
<p>Butler said more middle-class families could balance the community, but she questions whether the arrival of these families will leave room for the neighborhood’s poor. “They want affordable [housing] but not the way we’re talking about affordable,” she said. “We’re talking about affordable for people who [earn] zero to $25,000.”</p>
<p>Stevenson said many of the concerns about TWO resulted from the organization’s attempts to end federal rent subsidies for Woodlawn Redevelopment #2, a group of five buildings along Kimbark Avenue and 62nd Street. TWO owns the buildings and manages them through its development arm, the Woodlawn Community Development Corp.</p>
<p>In November 2004, TWO sent letters to the buildings’ residents, notifying them of the community organization’s intent to pay off its federal loan and end its mortgage agreement by May 2005. As the owner of the buildings, TWO would then have the same options as any private owner of multi-unit buildings—offering subsidies through another program, renting the apartments without subsidies, converting the apartments into condominiums, or selling the building.</p>
<p>However, TWO officials have since renewed the contract for federal housing subsidies until 2009. Beyond that point, the future of the buildings and the subsidies is unclear. And, without the subsidies, many of the residents there would have to move, Stevenson said.</p>
<p>Bonds, the building manager, said residents will still be eligible for low-income housing assistance, which could be provided through other subsidy programs. “It will still be a development for low-income housing, but we’re not sure what kind of program it’s going to be under,” he said. “We have the option of opting out of the [HUD] contract and provide housing under a different program.”</p>
<p>Carole Millison, president of the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation, TWO’s development arm, said she is not sure what would happen once the contract expires, but residents would not be left out in the cold. “We would make sure that the residents would have a home,” she said.</p>
<p>The building’s residents positioned themselves to take action by forming the Kimbark Tenants Association in September, according to members of the Student/Tenant Organizing Project, a group of former and current University of Chicago students and Woodlawn residents. In 2004, the group began fighting the loss of subsidized housing in the neighborhood.</p>
<p>By forming a tenants’ council, residents will have the first option to buy the building once the HUD contract ends, according to the Illinois Federally Assisted Housing Preservation Act.</p>
<p>But some believe preserving the subsidies is the best way to ensure that Woodlawn’s poor will be able to stick around. “Once they lose those units, they will never be replaced,” Butler said. “People who are poor, from this point on, won’t be able to utilize those units.”</p>
<p>Butler and others are scrambling to fill in the gaps. “There’s still some open land around, and some buildings that can be redeveloped and turned into affordable housing,” said Della Moran, an alum of the University of Chicago and an organizer with the Student/Tenant Organizing Project.</p>
<p>“We’re looking at alternatives like low-equity housing cooperatives. There still needs to be housing available in this community that is available for renters [and] working-class families,” she said. “It’s [these] people who keep the city going, who drive the busses and pick up the trash. These people need to be able to live in the area that they are from, the community that they grew up in.”</p>
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1960 activists neighborhood residents local ministers formed would become woodlawn organization battle racial discrimination city government seemed unresponsive south side neighborhoods needs neighborhood going said edward grady longtime employee woodlawn organization absentee landlords slumlords coming woodlawn buying property people jobs moving suburbs said woodlawn organization came started building lowincome housing people years woodlawn organization two often called provided number services including job training drug rehabilitation day care prenatal care group organized residents issues neighborhood concern particularly southward expansion university chicago recent years however two worked closely university chicago developers new townhouses condominiums median price woodlawn condo 165000 residents accused two abandoning mission serve disenfranchised leaving neighborhoods poor mercy developers people live see new housing doom gloom said mattie butler woodlawn resident executive director woodlawn east community neighbors know theyre going able live said done wont able afford chicago reporter analysis census data owneroccupied home loans shows butler may right since 2000 typical woodlawn home buyer earned far longtime residents 59 percent woodlawn households earned 25000 1999 5 percent owneroccupied singlefamily home loans neighborhood 2000 2003 went individuals income bracket according reporters analysis another 66 percent loans went earning 50000 year left longtime woodlawn residents feeling excluded rebirth old neighborhood last summer neighborhood activists residents marched along 63rd street protesting two developers highpriced homes residents fear signs attempt drive poor residents woodlawn two leaders quietly reducing amount affordable housing inventory number years butler said residents also called several meetings last year chicago office us department housing urban development complained two wanted end use federal housing subsidies apartment buildings deliberately neglected repairs buildings whole displacement issue got started thats people started come organize said woodlawn resident ebonee stevenson however two officials said organizations goal create mixedincome community poor people never going go away cant build neighborhood poor people neighborhood wont survive said grady businesses wont come community people dont money support mixedincome neighborhood community survival order develop mix darnell bonds manages one twos federally subsidized apartment buildings said community organization focused bringing economic diversity neighborhood housing poor middleincome families traditionally weve developed housing lowincome community developing housing middle incomes range 30000 75000 year explained butler said middleclass families could balance community questions whether arrival families leave room neighborhoods poor want affordable housing way talking affordable said talking affordable people earn zero 25000 stevenson said many concerns two resulted organizations attempts end federal rent subsidies woodlawn redevelopment 2 group five buildings along kimbark avenue 62nd street two owns buildings manages development arm woodlawn community development corp november 2004 two sent letters buildings residents notifying community organizations intent pay federal loan end mortgage agreement may 2005 owner buildings two would options private owner multiunit buildingsoffering subsidies another program renting apartments without subsidies converting apartments condominiums selling building however two officials since renewed contract federal housing subsidies 2009 beyond point future buildings subsidies unclear without subsidies many residents would move stevenson said bonds building manager said residents still eligible lowincome housing assistance could provided subsidy programs still development lowincome housing sure kind program going said option opting hud contract provide housing different program carole millison president woodlawn community development corporation twos development arm said sure would happen contract expires residents would left cold would make sure residents would home said buildings residents positioned take action forming kimbark tenants association september according members studenttenant organizing project group former current university chicago students woodlawn residents 2004 group began fighting loss subsidized housing neighborhood forming tenants council residents first option buy building hud contract ends according illinois federally assisted housing preservation act believe preserving subsidies best way ensure woodlawns poor able stick around lose units never replaced butler said people poor point wont able utilize units butler others scrambling fill gaps theres still open land around buildings redeveloped turned affordable housing said della moran alum university chicago organizer studenttenant organizing project looking alternatives like lowequity housing cooperatives still needs housing available community available renters workingclass families said people keep city going drive busses pick trash people need able live area community grew
| 664 |
<p>Some of the same theological disputes that divided Baptists throughout their first 400 years continue to distinguish different branches of the Baptist family tree in the early years of the 21st century, theologian James Leo Garrett said.</p>
<p>And other challenges — ranging from the popularity of dispensationalist doctrine regarding the End Times to a fuzzy understanding of the Trinity — likely will confront Baptists in the near future, he predicted.</p>
<p>“It is of paramount importance in the 21st century that Baptists think theologically as Baptists and in reference to the Baptist heritage,” he insisted.</p>
<p>Garrett, distinguished professor of theology emeritus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and author of Baptist Theology: A Four-Century Study, addressed the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute summer colloquy.</p>
<p>In the 17th and 18th centuries, theological questions regarding salvation — specifically election and free will — differentiated distinct brands of Baptists, Garrett asserted. Calvinist Particular Baptists stressed God’s sovereign role in the salvation of the elect, and Arminian General Baptists emphasized the ability of humans to respond freely to God’s grace.</p>
<p>In the 19th and 20th centuries, Baptists divided along liberal and evangelical lines, he added. Doctrinal issues focused on Christ’s divine/human nature, revelation and the Bible, human origins and beliefs related to the Second Coming of Christ.</p>
<p>“Liberal theology, for Baptist and other Protestants, developed in response to the new theological climate — biblical criticism, Darwinian evolution and the Industrial Revolution,” Garrett observed. “Whereas liberals embraced the new climate, evangelicals or conservatives did not.”</p>
<p>Past disputes continue to gain new currency — at least in some Baptist circles, he noted.</p>
<p>“Now in the last quarter-century among Southern Baptists have arisen a neo-Calvinist movement, a neo-Fundamentalist movement and a moderate movement that does not know whether it is left-wing conservative or right-wing liberal,” he quipped.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, Garrett predicted issues surrounding salvation, biblical authority, the doctrine of Christ and human origins likely will resurface among Baptists.</p>
<p>Garrett also identified four theological trends that ran parallel to the Calvinist/Arminian and liberal/ evangelical disputes:</p>
<p>• Defending distinctives. Early on, Baptists emphasized the beliefs and practices that set them apart from other Christians — particularly believer’s baptism by immersion. Later, between 1850 and the early 1950s, Baptists published reams of literature dealing with “Baptist distinctives.” Many of the individual principles and practices were not unique to Baptists, but the way Baptists combined them made them distinctive.</p>
<p>“One may ask whether the demise of this literature during the last 60 years has been a major factor in the failure of Baptist churches in the United States to teach their members about the Baptist heritage,” Garrett noted.</p>
<p>Facing the future, he observed, “Although some of the Baptist distinctives will continue to be strictly less distinctive of Baptists as other Christian denominations and nondenominational indigenous movements embrace some of them, Baptists may continue to be less than effective in teaching and fleshing out these distinctives amid their own people.”</p>
<p>• Affirming shared beliefs. Baptists have continued to hold basic doctrines shared by all orthodox Christians — particularly other Protestants. The earliest confessions of both the General Baptists and Particular Baptists demonstrated obvious kinship with the Reformed Westminster Confession, Garrett noted.</p>
<p>“Baptists have shared with the heirs of the magisterial Reformation such beliefs as the authority of Scripture over tradition, justification by grace through faith, the priesthood of all believers, predestination, church discipline and either Zwinglian or Calvinist understandings of the Lord’s Supper,” he said.</p>
<p>Garrett predicted Baptists may continue to rediscover their debt both to the early church fathers and to the magisterial Reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli.</p>
<p>• Responding to ecumenism. Baptists differed in their response to the 20th century ecumenical movement. British Baptists, Northern Baptists and most African-American Baptists responded positively to transdenominational church unions such as the World Council of Churches. Southern Baptists and Latin American Baptists — among others — did not, “expressing fear of one world church,” he said.</p>
<p>“Perhaps the question of interdenominational Christian unity will be answered in rather different ways in the 21st century than in the 20th,” he suggested.</p>
<p>• Developing a theology of missions. Among Baptists, missiology has interacted with theology as far back as William Carey in the 1790s. Baptist theologians have begun to include chapters on missions in their systematic theology books, and books about the study of missions have included significant theological components.</p>
<p>In recent years, Baptist theology increasingly has grown more contextualized to specific settings — particularly in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia.</p>
<p>“It is very probable that the interaction of missiology and theology among Baptists will markedly increase,” Garrett predicted.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, Garrett identified seven issues Baptists probably will confront in the near future:</p>
<p>• Dispensationalism. This theological system typically divides history into seven distinct periods and asserts God related to humanity in different ways during those “dispensations.” It stresses the role of Israel, views the church age as a parenthesis in God’s redemptive plan and looks forward to the Rapture of the saints and the seven-year Great Tribulation prior to Christ’s Second Coming, followed by a literal 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth.</p>
<p>Dispensationalism gained currency among Baptists in the South first through the influence of Landmark Baptist James R. Graves and later through the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible. In recent years, it was popularized in the Left Behind series of novels.</p>
<p>“I have proposed that we should reckon it one of the incursions into Baptist theology,” Garrett said.</p>
<p>“Although one cannot with certainty posit any cause-effect relationship, it is noteworthy that the era of dispensationalism’s greatest influence on Southern Baptists — that is, the turn of the 21st century — was concurrently the time of the greatest restriction of missionary methods in the history of the International Mission Board.” His allusion is an apparent reference to forcing missionaries to sign the Baptist Faith and Message Statement 2000 or resign and the restrictions against sending missionaries who use a prayer language.</p>
<p>• A common way of interpreting Scripture. “Can Baptists in various conventions and unions find a common biblical hermeneutic, especially in reference to contemporary social and moral issues?” Garrett asked. He pointed particularly to “issues such as homosexuality, abortion, pornography and cohabitation.”</p>
<p>• Deficient doctrine of the Trinity. In their formal confessions of faith, Baptists have affirmed orthodox Christian teachings about the Trinity. But it’s hard to tell from their songs, sermons and Sunday school lessons.</p>
<p>“For many Southern Baptists in the latter 20th century and even to the present, the Trinity has been a doctrine, the denial of which could evoke charges of heresy, but the affirmation of which through preaching, teaching, worship, hymnody, praise songs and piety was woefully deficient,” Garrett said.</p>
<p>• Destiny of the unevangelized. Garrett delineated Christian positions on the eternal fate of people who never hear the gospel. Inclusivism teaches salvation comes only through Christ, but it can occur without explicit knowledge of Jesus or individual confession of faith in him.</p>
<p>Exclusivism teaches salvation depends on at least a minimal knowledge of the gospel and individual profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.</p>
<p>Baptist theologians have been divided into camps espousing either inclusivism or exclusivism.</p>
<p>“Clear evangelistic and missionary strategy would seem to call for a clear theological answer to this question,” he said.</p>
<p>• Ruling elders and congregational polity. “Perhaps as a consequence of the neo-Calvinism among Southern Baptists or the influence of Dallas Theological Seminary, not a few Southern Baptist churches have adopted ruling elders — sometimes so as to produce major division in the congregation,” Garrett observed.</p>
<p>This has set off conflict between longtime traditional Baptists committed to congregational polity and new Christians or members who have joined a Baptist church from another denomination who are amenable to elder-rule.</p>
<p>While some argue elders essentially serve the same role as church staff, “the critical issue is whether the elders alone make decisions, which, according to congregational polity, are normally to be made by the congregation. … Few seem to realize that this is one of the marks that historically differentiated Baptists from Presbyterians.”</p>
<p>• Believer’s baptism by immersion. From their earliest days, Baptists have included proponents of closed communion who allowed only baptized believers — perhaps only from a specific congregation — to take the Lord’s Supper and advocates of open communion, who allowed all professing Christians to join in communion.</p>
<p>Garrett maintained that open membership, on the other hand, is a modern development, with its greatest strength in England.</p>
<p>“This is the practice whereby a Baptist church does not require that all its members be baptized on confession of faith by immersion,” he explained.</p>
<p>“Hence, in the membership, may be persons having been baptized as infants or by sprinkling or pouring or having had no baptism at all.”</p>
<p>At the same time, some British Baptist theologians have begun to favor the term “sacraments” rather than “ordinances” to describe baptism and the Lord’s Supper.</p>
<p>“Moreover, baptism is said to be ‘more than symbol’ in the sense that divine agency and divine grace are involved in Christian baptism, not merely the confession of the faith of the candidate, and conversion is reckoned as incomplete without baptism,” he said.</p>
<p>• Doctrinal unity. Throughout their history, Baptists have divided over theological differences, and some Baptist groups have sprung up independently of others, Garrett noted.</p>
<p>“Even so, Baptists must know the Pauline teaching about Christian unity and how Jesus, according to John 17, prayed for the unity of his disciples,” he said.</p>
<p>“Baptists once again have the challenge of repairing or mending their broken unity without forsaking the gospel or losing essential Christian truth.”</p>
| false | 3 |
theological disputes divided baptists throughout first 400 years continue distinguish different branches baptist family tree early years 21st century theologian james leo garrett said challenges ranging popularity dispensationalist doctrine regarding end times fuzzy understanding trinity likely confront baptists near future predicted paramount importance 21st century baptists think theologically baptists reference baptist heritage insisted garrett distinguished professor theology emeritus southwestern baptist theological seminary fort worth texas author baptist theology fourcentury study addressed bh carroll theological institute summer colloquy 17th 18th centuries theological questions regarding salvation specifically election free differentiated distinct brands baptists garrett asserted calvinist particular baptists stressed gods sovereign role salvation elect arminian general baptists emphasized ability humans respond freely gods grace 19th 20th centuries baptists divided along liberal evangelical lines added doctrinal issues focused christs divinehuman nature revelation bible human origins beliefs related second coming christ liberal theology baptist protestants developed response new theological climate biblical criticism darwinian evolution industrial revolution garrett observed whereas liberals embraced new climate evangelicals conservatives past disputes continue gain new currency least baptist circles noted last quartercentury among southern baptists arisen neocalvinist movement neofundamentalist movement moderate movement know whether leftwing conservative rightwing liberal quipped looking ahead garrett predicted issues surrounding salvation biblical authority doctrine christ human origins likely resurface among baptists garrett also identified four theological trends ran parallel calvinistarminian liberal evangelical disputes defending distinctives early baptists emphasized beliefs practices set apart christians particularly believers baptism immersion later 1850 early 1950s baptists published reams literature dealing baptist distinctives many individual principles practices unique baptists way baptists combined made distinctive one may ask whether demise literature last 60 years major factor failure baptist churches united states teach members baptist heritage garrett noted facing future observed although baptist distinctives continue strictly less distinctive baptists christian denominations nondenominational indigenous movements embrace baptists may continue less effective teaching fleshing distinctives amid people affirming shared beliefs baptists continued hold basic doctrines shared orthodox christians particularly protestants earliest confessions general baptists particular baptists demonstrated obvious kinship reformed westminster confession garrett noted baptists shared heirs magisterial reformation beliefs authority scripture tradition justification grace faith priesthood believers predestination church discipline either zwinglian calvinist understandings lords supper said garrett predicted baptists may continue rediscover debt early church fathers magisterial reformers martin luther john calvin ulrich zwingli responding ecumenism baptists differed response 20th century ecumenical movement british baptists northern baptists africanamerican baptists responded positively transdenominational church unions world council churches southern baptists latin american baptists among others expressing fear one world church said perhaps question interdenominational christian unity answered rather different ways 21st century 20th suggested developing theology missions among baptists missiology interacted theology far back william carey 1790s baptist theologians begun include chapters missions systematic theology books books study missions included significant theological components recent years baptist theology increasingly grown contextualized specific settings particularly latin america africa parts asia probable interaction missiology theology among baptists markedly increase garrett predicted looking ahead garrett identified seven issues baptists probably confront near future dispensationalism theological system typically divides history seven distinct periods asserts god related humanity different ways dispensations stresses role israel views church age parenthesis gods redemptive plan looks forward rapture saints sevenyear great tribulation prior christs second coming followed literal 1000year reign christ earth dispensationalism gained currency among baptists south first influence landmark baptist james r graves later publication scofield reference bible recent years popularized left behind series novels proposed reckon one incursions baptist theology garrett said although one certainty posit causeeffect relationship noteworthy era dispensationalisms greatest influence southern baptists turn 21st century concurrently time greatest restriction missionary methods history international mission board allusion apparent reference forcing missionaries sign baptist faith message statement 2000 resign restrictions sending missionaries use prayer language common way interpreting scripture baptists various conventions unions find common biblical hermeneutic especially reference contemporary social moral issues garrett asked pointed particularly issues homosexuality abortion pornography cohabitation deficient doctrine trinity formal confessions faith baptists affirmed orthodox christian teachings trinity hard tell songs sermons sunday school lessons many southern baptists latter 20th century even present trinity doctrine denial could evoke charges heresy affirmation preaching teaching worship hymnody praise songs piety woefully deficient garrett said destiny unevangelized garrett delineated christian positions eternal fate people never hear gospel inclusivism teaches salvation comes christ occur without explicit knowledge jesus individual confession faith exclusivism teaches salvation depends least minimal knowledge gospel individual profession faith jesus christ lord savior baptist theologians divided camps espousing either inclusivism exclusivism clear evangelistic missionary strategy would seem call clear theological answer question said ruling elders congregational polity perhaps consequence neocalvinism among southern baptists influence dallas theological seminary southern baptist churches adopted ruling elders sometimes produce major division congregation garrett observed set conflict longtime traditional baptists committed congregational polity new christians members joined baptist church another denomination amenable elderrule argue elders essentially serve role church staff critical issue whether elders alone make decisions according congregational polity normally made congregation seem realize one marks historically differentiated baptists presbyterians believers baptism immersion earliest days baptists included proponents closed communion allowed baptized believers perhaps specific congregation take lords supper advocates open communion allowed professing christians join communion garrett maintained open membership hand modern development greatest strength england practice whereby baptist church require members baptized confession faith immersion explained hence membership may persons baptized infants sprinkling pouring baptism time british baptist theologians begun favor term sacraments rather ordinances describe baptism lords supper moreover baptism said symbol sense divine agency divine grace involved christian baptism merely confession faith candidate conversion reckoned incomplete without baptism said doctrinal unity throughout history baptists divided theological differences baptist groups sprung independently others garrett noted even baptists must know pauline teaching christian unity jesus according john 17 prayed unity disciples said baptists challenge repairing mending broken unity without forsaking gospel losing essential christian truth
| 950 |
<p>The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board ruled against the Chicago Teachers Union today in a case related to the district’s decision to stop paying “steps and lanes” salary increases last fall.</p>
<p>The union claimed the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education violated labor law by freezing salary increases in September, after the expiration of the most recent labor contract. The union had asked the labor board to compel CPS to pay the increases teachers would have earned for “steps,” which refers to educators’ years of experience, and “lanes,” which refers to their level of education.</p>
<p>In a hearing this morning, the labor board unanimously ruled that the CTU hadn’t proven that the district’s decision to stop paying the salary increases would cause irreparable harm to the labor process. The previous labor contract <a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2015/06/ctu-says-contract-talks-broken-down/" type="external">expired last summer</a>and teachers have been working without a contract ever since.</p>
<p>Board chairwoman Andrea Waintroob said ruling in favor of the CTU — which would mean asking the state’s attorney general to compel the district to pay the raises — could hamstring negotiations.</p>
<p>“For us to force the employer to pay lanes and steps, when the employer is bargaining to freeze lanes and steps, would really put a poison pill into the negotiating process,” said Waintroob, one of two members of the five-member board appointed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, a labor foe who has proposed a state takeover of CPS.</p>
<p>(It’s worth noting that Waintroob previously worked for the law firm where CPS’ labor attorney, James Franczek, is a partner, <a href="http://www.franczek.com/news-announcements-327.html" type="external">though she resigned after her appointment</a>to the state board.)</p>
<p>The board’s general counsel, Susan Willenborg, had &#160;recommended a vote against the CTU. Willenborg said that the CTU failed to show reasonable cause that labor law had been violated and had not successfully made the case that injunctive relief is just and proper.</p>
<p>Board member Lynne O. Sered, who joined the board in 2004 and was reappointed last year by Rauner, &#160;said she believed the union fulfilled the first requirement, but not the second, explaining that union members could always get paid back for withheld salary increases in the future.</p>
<p>Cost of salary increases</p>
<p>Today’s decision means that for now the district won’t have to pay the salary increases that the union believes its members are owed.&#160;Still, the CTU’s unfair labor practice charge against CPS will go through a slower administrative trial process, said union attorney Robert Bloch.</p>
<p>Franczek, the district’s labor attorney, argued that CPS was not required to continue paying the salary increases after the previous contract expired. He said the “status quo” on which current contract talks are based should be at the salary level teachers were paid at on June 30, 2015, the last date of the previous contract.</p>
<p>Bloch argued that the “status quo” would be fulfilling CTU members’ expectations that the salary increases would continue, as they have in the some past instances when there was no contract.</p>
<p>The salary increases, if paid, would amount to about 3 percent on average for all CTU members, or about $26 million, the attorneys said.</p>
<p>The district has proposed freezing the pay increases this year, which would be the first in a proposed four-year contract. The union’s so-called “big bargaining team” of about 40 teachers and clinicians <a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2016/02/citing-lack-of-trust-ctu-rejects-latest-contract-offer/" type="external">shot down that proposal</a> earlier this month — a decision Franczek called “disappointing.”</p>
<p>Given CPS’s current financial straits, Franczek said it’s unreasonable for any teacher to think they’d get a raise.</p>
<p>“You would have to be living in a bubble, under a rock, in a foreign country, on Mars not to know that CPS is in the depths of the most historic fiscal crisis in its history,” he said. “If you are a reasonable teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system, you would have to be saying to yourself, ‘Are we even going to be having a school system next year?’”</p>
<p>Bloch said the district’s “asserted economic difficulty is not a get out of jail card” and that it’s illegal to unilaterally stop paying the steps and lanes increases that teachers expect.</p>
<p>Contract negotiations continue</p>
<p>In a statement, CPS officials said they were glad for the&#160;decision and&#160;look forward to building&#160;“on the agreement we reached last month with CTU leadership, so that we can finalize a fair deal that gives our teachers a raise over the life of the contract, protects our classrooms and allows our students to build on their academic gains.”</p>
<p>Bloch said the major effect of the decision is that steps and lanes salary increases won’t automatically&#160;“be part of the contract unless they’re negotiated in.”&#160;This makes it&#160;tougher for the union to bargain for the pay increases going forward.</p>
<p>He also called the vote against the union a reflection of “a new governor, new appointees, new staff.”</p>
<p>During the meeting, labor board members asked several questions of attorneys for both sides. It was clear from some of the questions that some members were sympathetic to the district’s position. One member asked Bloch whether it was reasonable for the CTU to expect the district to continue paying steps and lanes “considering the present financial situation the board is going through.”</p>
<p>Another member asked repeatedly why the negotiations haven’t already reached an impasse, leading attorneys to explain that the two sides are currently in the “fact-finding” process, a step that’s required under the state’s education labor law before the union can go on strike.</p>
<p>Block said both sides are continuing to talk and that&#160;union leaders will meet with the big bargaining team “for direction” this weekend, before “we make another go at it.”</p>
<p>“I think there is a desire to get an agreement if we can, so both parties are continuing to meet and continue to work at new ideas,” he said.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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illinois educational labor relations board ruled chicago teachers union today case related districts decision stop paying steps lanes salary increases last fall union claimed chicago public schools board education violated labor law freezing salary increases september expiration recent labor contract union asked labor board compel cps pay increases teachers would earned steps refers educators years experience lanes refers level education hearing morning labor board unanimously ruled ctu hadnt proven districts decision stop paying salary increases would cause irreparable harm labor process previous labor contract expired last summerand teachers working without contract ever since board chairwoman andrea waintroob said ruling favor ctu would mean asking states attorney general compel district pay raises could hamstring negotiations us force employer pay lanes steps employer bargaining freeze lanes steps would really put poison pill negotiating process said waintroob one two members fivemember board appointed gov bruce rauner labor foe proposed state takeover cps worth noting waintroob previously worked law firm cps labor attorney james franczek partner though resigned appointmentto state board boards general counsel susan willenborg 160recommended vote ctu willenborg said ctu failed show reasonable cause labor law violated successfully made case injunctive relief proper board member lynne sered joined board 2004 reappointed last year rauner 160said believed union fulfilled first requirement second explaining union members could always get paid back withheld salary increases future cost salary increases todays decision means district wont pay salary increases union believes members owed160still ctus unfair labor practice charge cps go slower administrative trial process said union attorney robert bloch franczek districts labor attorney argued cps required continue paying salary increases previous contract expired said status quo current contract talks based salary level teachers paid june 30 2015 last date previous contract bloch argued status quo would fulfilling ctu members expectations salary increases would continue past instances contract salary increases paid would amount 3 percent average ctu members 26 million attorneys said district proposed freezing pay increases year would first proposed fouryear contract unions socalled big bargaining team 40 teachers clinicians shot proposal earlier month decision franczek called disappointing given cpss current financial straits franczek said unreasonable teacher think theyd get raise would living bubble rock foreign country mars know cps depths historic fiscal crisis history said reasonable teacher chicago public schools system would saying even going school system next year bloch said districts asserted economic difficulty get jail card illegal unilaterally stop paying steps lanes increases teachers expect contract negotiations continue statement cps officials said glad the160decision and160look forward building160on agreement reached last month ctu leadership finalize fair deal gives teachers raise life contract protects classrooms allows students build academic gains bloch said major effect decision steps lanes salary increases wont automatically160be part contract unless theyre negotiated in160this makes it160tougher union bargain pay increases going forward also called vote union reflection new governor new appointees new staff meeting labor board members asked several questions attorneys sides clear questions members sympathetic districts position one member asked bloch whether reasonable ctu expect district continue paying steps lanes considering present financial situation board going another member asked repeatedly negotiations havent already reached impasse leading attorneys explain two sides currently factfinding process step thats required states education labor law union go strike block said sides continuing talk that160union leaders meet big bargaining team direction weekend make another go think desire get agreement parties continuing meet continue work new ideas said 160 160
| 561 |
<p>NEW DELHI, India — In December 2007, Californian Amy Scher got on a plane to India, wheeled herself into the Nu Tech Mediworld hospital in New Delhi, and started the first phase of an experimental embryonic stem-cell treatment.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Her American doctor had warned her against this untested procedure. But 27-year-old Scher was making no progress with conventional medicine, and she was fed up with the constant visits to hospital emergency rooms.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Scher suffered from chronic Lyme disease, which had gone undiagnosed initially, causing serious damage her nervous system. After researching her options for months, talking to several people who had benefitted from these treatments in India, and reading up about therapies available stateside, Scher decided the American medical system couldn't help her. She chose to travel to India.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>For eight weeks, she was injected with stem cells and underwent extensive physical therapy. The treatments cost an average of $20,000 to $30,000 for a first round of injections. They were not covered by insurance.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Today, Scher's U.S. physician, Dr. Steven Harris considers her "asymptomatic." He is uncertain whether the disease has been eradicated, or if it’s just dormant, but he says the treatments appear to have helped.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>From India, Scher brought back a SPECT scan, which measures blood flow in the brain. Before India, Harris says, the blood flow in her brain was impaired. "At the end of her stay, a repeat scan showed normalization of her blood flow — in effect, an improvement in brain function." Scher no longer takes nerve stabilizers or cardiac medication. The chronic pain, a constant companion since 2001, is gone.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Unknown risks&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>But some scientists and stem cell researchers in the West believe that patients like Scher are putting themselves at a huge risk by coming to India to get these experimental treatments. The problem, they say, is the lack of legislation governing the use of stem cells in the developing world.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) allows the use of embryonic stem cells if the condition or disorder is considered incurable. But Dr. Satish Totey, Chief Scientific Officer at Stempeutics, a private stem cell company, and the Secretary of the Stem Cell Research Forum of India (SCRFI) believes there needs to be tighter regulation.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>"There is nothing in those ICMR guidelines that can actually be called a guideline," he says.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Unlike in the West, there has never been a controversy about the manipulation or destruction of human embryos in India, giving the country’s doctors a head start in the field.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The growth of private hospitals providing stem cell therapies, however, is breeding a rift of a different kind. Given that most of these treatments have not been proven safe or effective, medical professionals dispute whether these clinics should be allowed to exist at all.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>A controversial doc</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>At the heart of the controversy is Dr. Geeta Shroff, the doctor who treated Scher.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Being both fiercely independent and intelligent has earned Dr. Shroff the criticism and scorn of many. A pioneer in many ways, she developed a technology through which, by the use of a single donated embryo, she has been able to treat 600 patients for conditions such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, renal failure, cerebral palsy, and diabetes. What's also unique about Dr. Shroff's technique is that's she's been able to grow embryonic stem cells without the use of any animal products.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dr. Shroff converts the stem cells into a clear substance that can be injected into her patients. The treatments include four to eight weeks of injections with intense physical therapy. In a progressive disorder, such as multiple sclerosis, the aim is to first stabilize the patient, in order to stop further deterioration, and then eventually, to start rebuilding through the use of stem cells.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The greater the damage to the body, the longer it takes for the stem cells to start regeneration. In a static injury, such as a stroke or a spinal cord injury, the stem cells have to bypass the thick scar tissue and form connections around it. Patients who come seeking a "miracle cure," are often disappointed, she says. The stem cells need time to regenerate the body, and often take months or years depending on the injury.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dr. Shroff started out as an infertility specialist. That, and her practice as a gynecologist, helped fund her early work, which was carried out in her garage. It also gave her insight into embryonic stem cells.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In the nine years that she's been treating patients using this technology, she says that not one has reported any side effects. For GlobalPost Passport, several of her patients were happy to lay out their medical reports, wiggle their toes where they once had no feeling, and share details of their stay in the hospital — including complaints about the food. The scientific community, however, remains unconvinced.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In what is probably her most controversial move, instead of publishing her findings, Dr. Shroff decided to patent her technology. (Her patent application is available online.)</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Totey says Shroff is taking advantage of her patients’ desperation. "Under the pretext of patents, she says that nothing can be shown," he says. "Why does she not publish a paper?" He believes that by not doing so, she is putting her patients at a risk of getting a teratoma — a type of tumor “that may contain several different types of tissue and sometimes mature elements such as hair, muscle, and bone,” as defined by medterms.net. (Teratomas are a common challenge for embryonic stem cell researchers.)</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Initially, Dr. Shroff explains that she did think about publishing her results. "You do try and get out there and at the end of the day, I am a doctor," she says. She tried to present at some conferences, but was rejected and told that there were already too many people presenting on embryonic stem cells. That's when she decided to patent her work instead. "With the patent, I could protect the technology. I could make sure that somebody who doesn't understand the business can't stop it."&#160;Once the patent is granted, Dr. Shroff will be able to move forward with the next step.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The dream, she says, is to make stem cell injections available in pharmacies across the world, so that the process of stabilization and treatment can be started right at the onset of disease. She likens it to the discovery of penicillin. "That was the beginning of the antibiotic era, and it changed the entire face of infection around the world. This is similar to that."</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Favorable outcomes</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Of her 600 patients, 30 percent are either doctors or have physicians in the family, she says. Despite her critics' claims, Dr. Shroff says she has always put the well being of her patients first. An ethics committee at her hospital evaluates every case that comes in. The first two years, she says, were spent exclusively in the lab, testing repeatedly to make sure the treatments were safe.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In time, she's sure the controversy will die out, as laws will come into effect. "It's important to have certain guidelines or laws, but they shouldn't curb research," she says. "The law has to be such that the work does not stop."</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>But Dr. Totey rejects proceeding with treatments before the science has been published and vetted. He points out that no one knows what she is putting into those injections. "If it is intravenous, I can use river water and inject that," he says. Until she shows the scientific community what she is putting in there, he says he'll remain unconvinced.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Some doctors argue that the U.S. puts up too many barriers, and that India's regulations are appropriate in allowing stem cell treatments for incurable and terminally ill patients. One such physician is Dr. Laurance Johnston, who in 2007 was the first American scientist to visit the Nu Tech Mediworld clinic.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dr. Johnston’s credentials make him well-placed to judge: he is the director of the Spinal Cord Research and Education Foundations, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA); and he was formerly director at the Division of Scientific Review at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He told GlobalPost Passport that he's convinced she's sincere and conscientious in her endeavors.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>"As you probably expect, there are a lot of politics, agendas, and economic interests when it comes to various emerging stem-cell programs," he says. "In general scientists think they are being good scientists if they point out what is wrong with a program rather than its potential."</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dr. Harris, Scher's physician, is also impressed. After advising his patient not to go, and being pleasantly surprised on her return, he decided to travel to India himself to see Dr. Shroff's work. "She has been able to accomplished two feats quite advanced in the field of stem cells," he says. "The ability to freeze and thaw her cells to allow storage and transport and the creation of an immortal cell line without animal feeder cells." Harris was most impressed with Shroff’s success treating patients with spinal cord injuries, and children with cerebral palsy.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>According to a report by the SCRFI, India’s stem cell industry — including mainly research, but also stem cell therapies deployed by Shroff, and other stem cell therapies — is expected to grow at a rate of 15 percent, to $540 million by 2010.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>"I think India is at the forefront of emerging stem-cell treatments in many ways," says Dr.&#160;Johnston. "Convinced of their superiority, American scientists hate the notion that the hottest breakthroughs may be happening in other parts of the world and vociferously denigrate them."</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dr. Totey agrees that it would be a mistake to base India's stem cell guidelines on those of the U.S. "The way we work is different," he says. "We should look at our own system and make our own guidelines. There is no point in looking at the U.S. and thinking that they're the best."</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Scher, who spent years going in and out of U.S. hospitals, shares this sentiment. "I had really tried," she says. "I had tried all the traditional things, but I had also tried alternative therapies. And then, when you don't have any of that left, you have to be open-minded. It's ignorance to not look anywhere else. You can't think that the U.S. has the only good treatments in the world.
&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Editor's note: this article was originally published on GlobalPost's premium content section, Passport. For more articles like this, <a href="http://globalpost.com/passport" type="external">please join Passport</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Passport helps GlobalPost support its worldwide news operation. By joining, you'll get exclusive in-depth reporting, access to conference calls with our foreign correspondents, and a voice in the topics Passport covers. Support GlobalPost by becoming a member of out inner circle. <a href="http://globalpost.com/passport" type="external">Learn more about Passport's innovative community</a>. &#160;&#160;</p>
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new delhi india december 2007 californian amy scher got plane india wheeled nu tech mediworld hospital new delhi started first phase experimental embryonic stemcell treatment 160 american doctor warned untested procedure 27yearold scher making progress conventional medicine fed constant visits hospital emergency rooms 160 scher suffered chronic lyme disease gone undiagnosed initially causing serious damage nervous system researching options months talking several people benefitted treatments india reading therapies available stateside scher decided american medical system couldnt help chose travel india 160 eight weeks injected stem cells underwent extensive physical therapy treatments cost average 20000 30000 first round injections covered insurance 160 today schers us physician dr steven harris considers asymptomatic uncertain whether disease eradicated dormant says treatments appear helped 160 india scher brought back spect scan measures blood flow brain india harris says blood flow brain impaired end stay repeat scan showed normalization blood flow effect improvement brain function scher longer takes nerve stabilizers cardiac medication chronic pain constant companion since 2001 gone 160 unknown risks160 160 scientists stem cell researchers west believe patients like scher putting huge risk coming india get experimental treatments problem say lack legislation governing use stem cells developing world 160 indian council medical research icmr allows use embryonic stem cells condition disorder considered incurable dr satish totey chief scientific officer stempeutics private stem cell company secretary stem cell research forum india scrfi believes needs tighter regulation 160 nothing icmr guidelines actually called guideline says 160 unlike west never controversy manipulation destruction human embryos india giving countrys doctors head start field 160 growth private hospitals providing stem cell therapies however breeding rift different kind given treatments proven safe effective medical professionals dispute whether clinics allowed exist 160 controversial doc 160 heart controversy dr geeta shroff doctor treated scher 160 fiercely independent intelligent earned dr shroff criticism scorn many pioneer many ways developed technology use single donated embryo able treat 600 patients conditions alzheimers multiple sclerosis renal failure cerebral palsy diabetes whats also unique dr shroffs technique thats shes able grow embryonic stem cells without use animal products 160 dr shroff converts stem cells clear substance injected patients treatments include four eight weeks injections intense physical therapy progressive disorder multiple sclerosis aim first stabilize patient order stop deterioration eventually start rebuilding use stem cells 160 greater damage body longer takes stem cells start regeneration static injury stroke spinal cord injury stem cells bypass thick scar tissue form connections around patients come seeking miracle cure often disappointed says stem cells need time regenerate body often take months years depending injury 160 dr shroff started infertility specialist practice gynecologist helped fund early work carried garage also gave insight embryonic stem cells 160 nine years shes treating patients using technology says one reported side effects globalpost passport several patients happy lay medical reports wiggle toes feeling share details stay hospital including complaints food scientific community however remains unconvinced 160 probably controversial move instead publishing findings dr shroff decided patent technology patent application available online 160 totey says shroff taking advantage patients desperation pretext patents says nothing shown says publish paper believes putting patients risk getting teratoma type tumor may contain several different types tissue sometimes mature elements hair muscle bone defined medtermsnet teratomas common challenge embryonic stem cell researchers 160 initially dr shroff explains think publishing results try get end day doctor says tried present conferences rejected told already many people presenting embryonic stem cells thats decided patent work instead patent could protect technology could make sure somebody doesnt understand business cant stop it160once patent granted dr shroff able move forward next step 160 dream says make stem cell injections available pharmacies across world process stabilization treatment started right onset disease likens discovery penicillin beginning antibiotic era changed entire face infection around world similar 160 favorable outcomes 160 600 patients 30 percent either doctors physicians family says despite critics claims dr shroff says always put well patients first ethics committee hospital evaluates every case comes first two years says spent exclusively lab testing repeatedly make sure treatments safe 160 time shes sure controversy die laws come effect important certain guidelines laws shouldnt curb research says law work stop 160 dr totey rejects proceeding treatments science published vetted points one knows putting injections intravenous use river water inject says shows scientific community putting says hell remain unconvinced 160 doctors argue us puts many barriers indias regulations appropriate allowing stem cell treatments incurable terminally ill patients one physician dr laurance johnston 2007 first american scientist visit nu tech mediworld clinic 160 dr johnstons credentials make wellplaced judge director spinal cord research education foundations paralyzed veterans america pva formerly director division scientific review us national institute child health human development division national institutes health nih told globalpost passport hes convinced shes sincere conscientious endeavors 160 probably expect lot politics agendas economic interests comes various emerging stemcell programs says general scientists think good scientists point wrong program rather potential 160 dr harris schers physician also impressed advising patient go pleasantly surprised return decided travel india see dr shroffs work able accomplished two feats quite advanced field stem cells says ability freeze thaw cells allow storage transport creation immortal cell line without animal feeder cells harris impressed shroffs success treating patients spinal cord injuries children cerebral palsy 160 according report scrfi indias stem cell industry including mainly research also stem cell therapies deployed shroff stem cell therapies expected grow rate 15 percent 540 million 2010 160 think india forefront emerging stemcell treatments many ways says dr160johnston convinced superiority american scientists hate notion hottest breakthroughs may happening parts world vociferously denigrate 160 dr totey agrees would mistake base indias stem cell guidelines us way work different says look system make guidelines point looking us thinking theyre best 160 scher spent years going us hospitals shares sentiment really tried says tried traditional things also tried alternative therapies dont left openminded ignorance look anywhere else cant think us good treatments world 160 160 editors note article originally published globalposts premium content section passport articles like please join passport160 160 passport helps globalpost support worldwide news operation joining youll get exclusive indepth reporting access conference calls foreign correspondents voice topics passport covers support globalpost becoming member inner circle learn passports innovative community 160160
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<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>Calvinist-inclined Baptists and Presbyterians attending this year’s upcoming national conference of the Gospel Coalition are adding a place at the table for a new constituency: conservative Anglicans who have broken with the Episcopal Church.</p>
<p>Joining mainstays like Danny Akin, Mark Dever, Albert Mohler and Russell Moore <a href="http://2015.thegospelcoalition.org/speakers" type="external">scheduled</a> to speak at the April 13-15 gathering in Orlando, Fla., is John Yates II, <a href="http://www.tfcanglican.org/rector" type="external">rector</a> of <a href="http://www.tfcanglican.org/" type="external">The Falls Church</a> Anglican in suburban Washington.</p>
<p>Other Anglican leaders are offering seminars and workshops at the <a href="http://2015.thegospelcoalition.org/" type="external">Gospel Coalition 2015 National Conference</a>, and there will be an informal gathering one evening for Anglicans to come together for fellowship and encouragement, Yates said in a Gospel Coalition <a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/who-are-these-anglicans-in-tgc" type="external">blog</a> titled “Who Are These Anglicans in TGC?”</p>
<p>Established by English settlers in the 1700s, Yates’ church left the Episcopal Church in 2006 to become active in the newly formed <a href="http://anglicanchurch.net/" type="external">Anglican Church in North America</a>, a group of breakaway congregations that differ with Episcopalian leaders over issues of sexuality and salvation.</p>
<p>“While the&#160;Episcopal Church in the United States has gradually self-destructed over the last 40 years, a decidedly Reformed and evangelical movement has matured and found expression in parts of&#160;ACNA,” Yates explained.</p>
<p>Yates said a number of both former Episcopalians who are rediscovering the beauty of Anglican worship and other Christians who are discovering it for the first time have “been surprised by the strong Reformation doctrines that permeate the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Common-Prayer/dp/0191306010/?tag=thegospcoal-20" type="external">Book of Common Prayer</a>.”</p>
<p>Albert Mohler, a member of the Gospel Coalition council who serves as president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., has been <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2015/03/11/al-mohler-and-baptist-becoming-catholic-and-anglican/" type="external">criticized</a> in recent days for saying the reason Southern Baptists are leaving for liturgical denominations like Anglicans and Catholics is the failure of churches to ground children in the fundamentals of evangelical faith.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Discussing</a> a Wall Street Journal story on adults who switch their faith which featured twin brothers who were raised Southern Baptists —&#160;one is now an Anglican bishop and the other a Roman Catholic priest —&#160;Mohler noted that the shifts were of differing degrees.</p>
<p>“Becoming an Anglican doesn’t necessarily mean, in any sense, the denial of the very essentials of the gospel that would be at stake in terms of the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, in terms of those Reformation principles that we believe to be in the very heart of the gospel,” Mohler said in a March 6 <a href="http://www.albertmohler.com/?p=34196" type="external">podcast</a>. “Of justification, by faith alone, by grace alone, by the work of Christ alone, knowable by the authority of Scripture alone, and ultimately to the glory of God alone.”</p>
<p>Joe Carter, communications specialist for the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and listed as an editor on the Gospel Coalition <a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/about/staff" type="external">staff</a>, wrote a <a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-anglicanism" type="external">blog</a> last year titled “9 Things You Should Know About Anglicanism.”</p>
<p>“The Anglican faith is often considered a reformed Catholicism, a hybrid between the Catholic and Protestant faiths,” Carter wrote. “For instance, one key dividing point between Anglicanism and Catholicism is the <a href="http://anglicansonline.org/resources/essays/whalon/AngRC-diffEng.html" type="external">issue of absolute authority</a>” of the pope.</p>
<p>The Gospel Coalition was founded in 2005 as a renewal movement for churches concerned about trends among evangelicals they believe depart from historic beliefs and practices.</p>
<p>The group’s confessional <a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/about/foundation-documents" type="external">statement</a> includes belief “that from all eternity God determined in grace to save a great multitude of guilty sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation, and to this end foreknew them and chose them.”</p>
<p>Another bedrock belief is that men and women, while equally made in the image of God, “are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways.” That is characterized in the home by husbands exercising “headship” and “the wife submitting to her husband” in a way that “ultimately serves as a type of the union between Christ and his church.”</p>
<p>And in worship: “The distinctive leadership role within the church given to qualified men is grounded in creation, fall and redemption and must not be sidelined by appeals to cultural developments.”</p>
<p>Yates is the currently the only Anglican among 54 <a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/about/council" type="external">members</a> of The Gospel Coalition council, populated overwhelmingly by Baptists and Presbyterians.</p>
<p>Southern Baptist council members include Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Voddie Baucham, senior pastor of Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas; Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington; and Darrin Patrick, lead pastor of The Journey in St. Louis.</p>
<p>Other council members included ​John Piper, founder and teacher of <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/" type="external">Desiring God</a> ministries, and Ligon Duncan, chancellor and CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary who works with Mohler and Dever in a similar network called <a href="http://t4g.org/" type="external">Together for the Gospel</a>.</p>
<p>Former members of the Gospel Coalition include Mark Driscoll, a founding member who <a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/driscoll-steps-down-from-tgc-council/" type="external">stepped down</a> in 2012 when his ministry became embroiled in controversy including allegations of abusive and domineering behavior toward staff and of manipulating sales of his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Marriage-Truth-Friendship-Together/dp/1400205387" type="external">Real Marriage</a> to get it included on the New York Times bestseller list.</p>
<p>Driscoll resigned as pastor of the megachurch that he started, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, in October, and on Jan. 1 the church formally dissolved. This week the Seattle Post-Intelligencer <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2015/03/12/ex-mars-hill-pastor-mark-driscoll-returns-to-evangelical-orbit/" type="external">reported</a> that Driscoll will resurface this year at two summer conferences in Australia and London.</p>
<p>Another former Gospel Coalition member, C.J. Mahaney, a founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries, got <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/may/c-j-mahaney-joshua-harris-resign-from-gospel-coalition-sgm.html?paging=off" type="external">derailed</a> by both conflict within the church-planting network and a high-profile lawsuit accusing him and other SGM leaders of enabling and covering up child sex abuse.</p>
<p>Previous story:</p>
<p><a href="faith/theology/item/29880-mohler-says-churches-to-blame-when-youth-leave-the-fold" type="external">SBC leader: Baptists, don’t let your babies grow up to be Catholics</a></p>
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bob allen calvinistinclined baptists presbyterians attending years upcoming national conference gospel coalition adding place table new constituency conservative anglicans broken episcopal church joining mainstays like danny akin mark dever albert mohler russell moore scheduled speak april 1315 gathering orlando fla john yates ii rector falls church anglican suburban washington anglican leaders offering seminars workshops gospel coalition 2015 national conference informal gathering one evening anglicans come together fellowship encouragement yates said gospel coalition blog titled anglicans tgc established english settlers 1700s yates church left episcopal church 2006 become active newly formed anglican church north america group breakaway congregations differ episcopalian leaders issues sexuality salvation the160episcopal church united states gradually selfdestructed last 40 years decidedly reformed evangelical movement matured found expression parts of160acna yates explained yates said number former episcopalians rediscovering beauty anglican worship christians discovering first time surprised strong reformation doctrines permeate book common prayer albert mohler member gospel coalition council serves president southern baptist theological seminary louisville ky criticized recent days saying reason southern baptists leaving liturgical denominations like anglicans catholics failure churches ground children fundamentals evangelical faith discussing wall street journal story adults switch faith featured twin brothers raised southern baptists 160one anglican bishop roman catholic priest 160mohler noted shifts differing degrees becoming anglican doesnt necessarily mean sense denial essentials gospel would stake terms official teachings roman catholic church terms reformation principles believe heart gospel mohler said march 6 podcast justification faith alone grace alone work christ alone knowable authority scripture alone ultimately glory god alone joe carter communications specialist sbc ethics religious liberty commission listed editor gospel coalition staff wrote blog last year titled 9 things know anglicanism anglican faith often considered reformed catholicism hybrid catholic protestant faiths carter wrote instance one key dividing point anglicanism catholicism issue absolute authority pope gospel coalition founded 2005 renewal movement churches concerned trends among evangelicals believe depart historic beliefs practices groups confessional statement includes belief eternity god determined grace save great multitude guilty sinners every tribe language people nation end foreknew chose another bedrock belief men women equally made image god simply interchangeable rather complement mutually enriching ways characterized home husbands exercising headship wife submitting husband way ultimately serves type union christ church worship distinctive leadership role within church given qualified men grounded creation fall redemption must sidelined appeals cultural developments yates currently anglican among 54 members gospel coalition council populated overwhelmingly baptists presbyterians southern baptist council members include danny akin president southeastern baptist theological seminary voddie baucham senior pastor grace family baptist church spring texas mark dever senior pastor capitol hill baptist church washington darrin patrick lead pastor journey st louis council members included john piper founder teacher desiring god ministries ligon duncan chancellor ceo reformed theological seminary works mohler dever similar network called together gospel former members gospel coalition include mark driscoll founding member stepped 2012 ministry became embroiled controversy including allegations abusive domineering behavior toward staff manipulating sales book real marriage get included new york times bestseller list driscoll resigned pastor megachurch started mars hill church seattle october jan 1 church formally dissolved week seattle postintelligencer reported driscoll resurface year two summer conferences australia london another former gospel coalition member cj mahaney founder sovereign grace ministries got derailed conflict within churchplanting network highprofile lawsuit accusing sgm leaders enabling covering child sex abuse previous story sbc leader baptists dont let babies grow catholics
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />Nov. 29, 2012</p>
<p>By Katy Grimes</p>
<p>The Department of Developmental &#160;Services is a massive state agency that could immediately cut $500 million from its annual budget, according to lobbyists and experts, by getting rid of the antiquated institutions that the developmentally disabled have lived in for decades.</p>
<p>The&#160; <a href="http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/departments/health-and-human-services-agency/department_of_developmental_services?agencyid=128" type="external">DDS employs 6,000 people</a>&#160;and maintains a budget of $4.7 billion, of which $550 million funds five state-run residential care developmental centers.</p>
<p>Yet strangely, state lawmakers introduced legislation last year to increase the number of employees at this agency.</p>
<p>During a July inspection by the Department of Public Health at the&#160; <a href="https://dds.ca.gov/Sonoma/Index.cfm" type="external">Sonoma Developmental Center,</a>&#160;licensing officials found many violations, including sexual assault, stun gun injuries, generally abusive treatment of the developmentally disabled residents, failure to provide appropriate medical treatment, and an unsafe environment.</p>
<p>“Individual freedoms have been denied or restricted without justification,” the report read.</p>
<p>Following the discovery, the Legislature held hearings and demanded corrective action. But little has actually changed, according to lengthy testimony at an October hearing.</p>
<p><a href="https://dds.ca.gov/Director/Index.cfm" type="external">Terri Delgadillo</a>, the director of the Department of Developmental Services, said that “corrective action is ongoing.” She added that the agency is paying consultants to advise on corrective actions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.rosekindel.com/rk/index.cfm/about-us/our-team/carl-london/" type="external">Carl London</a>, a lobbyist for the&#160; <a href="http://www.cal-dsa.org/" type="external">California Disability Services Association</a>, said that 10 years ago the agency did the same thing and hired consultants, but never implemented the recommended corrective actions.&#160; “It’s time to close the developmental centers as efficiently as possible,” London said. “It costs $500 million to service 1,500 to 1,600 individuals in institutions. There are programs that take care of people coming out of institutions.”</p>
<p>That pencils out to more than $300,000 per year for each person in the institution.</p>
<p>Similar stories of abuse ran 10 years ago. &#160;State officials debated whether to overhaul the agency’s police force or dismantle it. In the end they did nothing.</p>
<p>Shortly after the most recent allegations of abuse surfaced, lawmakers in the state Senate Human Services Committee demanded immediate changes to the investigative procedures at the state institutions. Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed legislation requiring the institutions to notify outside police when a death occurs, as well as allegations of abuse and injury.</p>
<p>The Office of Protective Services, the police investigative arm of the development centers for the disabled, has made egregious mistakes and bungled investigations, including investigations of abuse, mystery injuries and patient deaths.</p>
<p>London said that most families of the developmentally disabled prefer to keep their loved ones in their own homes, or in community centers.</p>
<p>I interviewed a couple, both 70, with a developmentally disabled adult son in his mid-30s. They also have two other adult children with no disabilities. They have successfully kept their son at home for all of his life. He has a job and goes to work every day, goes to the movies with friends, and has his own rock band. He is able to live a rich, happy life, which they say is the result of never institutionalizing him.</p>
<p>This family echoed the sentiment that the state’s developmental institutions should be shut down.&#160; “They are hell holes where all kinds of abuses occur and are tolerated,” the mother said.&#160;“The developmentally disabled people in these institutions are afraid to report violations because of the fear of reprisal.&#160; Many have accepted these abuses as part of life, as they have been occurring for so long.&#160; There is a strong code of silence and abusers think that no one will believe what a developmentally disabled person has to say.”</p>
<p>At the October hearing, there was testimony from former employees and medical professionals about the abuse and the employee code of silence.</p>
<p>The other issue is that many of the developmentally disabled living in these institutions are older and do not have family members who oversee the quality of their care or advocate for them.&#160; When the state closed several developmental centers years ago, some older parents were against the closings.&#160; “Most of these parents and their disabled children were older and were afraid of the unknown, and how the community homes would work for them,” the mother said.&#160;“Their children were born at a different time.&#160; They had not been allowed to attend regular school, people were cruel to them and life was difficult.”</p>
<p>Shielded from the cruel public, ostensibly living with “well-trained and caring &#160;staff,” the developmental centers seemed like the best option at the time.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, most of the institutions have historically lacked oversight.</p>
<p>But there are also amazing personal stories of the people who have come out of these institutions and successfully integrated into the community. There were several developmentally disabled people who testified at the October hearing how they had to sue the state for the right to be released from the institutions. They won their lawsuits and once out, living in the community, they told stories of getting jobs, making friends and living well. One man holds a regular job and works as Santa Claus every Christmas.</p>
<p>The institutions are not needed, according to London and other experts, because there are plenty of licensed care homes in the communities that take care of a smaller number of people more efficiently.&#160; These homes are usually located near the resident’s families. Family members can visit, even unannounced, on a regular basis. &#160;&#160;Residents of these facilities attend local day programs, sporting and entertainment events, and have easy access to community health care.</p>
<p>Living in the smaller licensed care homes, they are seen by more people in the community so there is less chance that issues of abuse will go unnoticed. &#160;“They are not perfect, but are a much better option and more economical that the larger facilities,” the woman said.</p>
<p>Aside from the outrageous stories of abuse within the institutions, there are larger management issues:</p>
<p>* 80 percent of the employees in one facility are always out on some type of medical leave. This suggests that there are morale problems, as well as many employees abusing the state’s lenient leave system.</p>
<p>* Patient abuse cases take at least three years before any citation is issued. One psychologist testified at the October hearing that, at one developmental center in which he worked, there was a code of silence with the staff involving abuse cases, which greatly slowed the investigations.</p>
<p>* Delgadillo ordered the rates paid to the community centers be cut by 10 percent, as part of the overall state budget cuts. The community centers are far more efficient, and provide better quality of life and care, according to parents and experts. And the state institutions are only partially full, yet maintain a full staff, including a police force at each facility. The institutions are like small cities, with every conceivable service available.</p>
<p>“Someone needs to go to the regional centers and ask how quickly they can handle the people from the institutions,” said one industry expert who asked to remain anonymous. He reported that the regional and community centers can adjust quickly, and with more flexibility, based on the needs of the people they serve. “They could close the institutions tomorrow, and still keep half of the money in the system,” he said.</p>
<p>It is obvious that this state agency does not want to give up any of the $550 million used to fund the institutions. At the October hearing, Delgadillo seem more concerned about the state employees working at the institutions, than of the disabled people they serve.</p>
<p>There is a strange silence coming from the Brown administration about requiring cuts, consolidations or closures of the antiquated, unhealthy institutions. “The future is not in ongoing, crappy institutions,” the expert said. “The future is in nonprofit community care centers, doing the mission intended.”</p>
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nov 29 2012 katy grimes department developmental 160services massive state agency could immediately cut 500 million annual budget according lobbyists experts getting rid antiquated institutions developmentally disabled lived decades the160 dds employs 6000 people160and maintains budget 47 billion 550 million funds five staterun residential care developmental centers yet strangely state lawmakers introduced legislation last year increase number employees agency july inspection department public health the160 sonoma developmental center160licensing officials found many violations including sexual assault stun gun injuries generally abusive treatment developmentally disabled residents failure provide appropriate medical treatment unsafe environment individual freedoms denied restricted without justification report read following discovery legislature held hearings demanded corrective action little actually changed according lengthy testimony october hearing terri delgadillo director department developmental services said corrective action ongoing added agency paying consultants advise corrective actions carl london lobbyist the160 california disability services association said 10 years ago agency thing hired consultants never implemented recommended corrective actions160 time close developmental centers efficiently possible london said costs 500 million service 1500 1600 individuals institutions programs take care people coming institutions pencils 300000 per year person institution similar stories abuse ran 10 years ago 160state officials debated whether overhaul agencys police force dismantle end nothing shortly recent allegations abuse surfaced lawmakers state senate human services committee demanded immediate changes investigative procedures state institutions gov jerry brown recently signed legislation requiring institutions notify outside police death occurs well allegations abuse injury office protective services police investigative arm development centers disabled made egregious mistakes bungled investigations including investigations abuse mystery injuries patient deaths london said families developmentally disabled prefer keep loved ones homes community centers interviewed couple 70 developmentally disabled adult son mid30s also two adult children disabilities successfully kept son home life job goes work every day goes movies friends rock band able live rich happy life say result never institutionalizing family echoed sentiment states developmental institutions shut down160 hell holes kinds abuses occur tolerated mother said160the developmentally disabled people institutions afraid report violations fear reprisal160 many accepted abuses part life occurring long160 strong code silence abusers think one believe developmentally disabled person say october hearing testimony former employees medical professionals abuse employee code silence issue many developmentally disabled living institutions older family members oversee quality care advocate them160 state closed several developmental centers years ago older parents closings160 parents disabled children older afraid unknown community homes would work mother said160their children born different time160 allowed attend regular school people cruel life difficult shielded cruel public ostensibly living welltrained caring 160staff developmental centers seemed like best option time unfortunately institutions historically lacked oversight also amazing personal stories people come institutions successfully integrated community several developmentally disabled people testified october hearing sue state right released institutions lawsuits living community told stories getting jobs making friends living well one man holds regular job works santa claus every christmas institutions needed according london experts plenty licensed care homes communities take care smaller number people efficiently160 homes usually located near residents families family members visit even unannounced regular basis 160160residents facilities attend local day programs sporting entertainment events easy access community health care living smaller licensed care homes seen people community less chance issues abuse go unnoticed 160they perfect much better option economical larger facilities woman said aside outrageous stories abuse within institutions larger management issues 80 percent employees one facility always type medical leave suggests morale problems well many employees abusing states lenient leave system patient abuse cases take least three years citation issued one psychologist testified october hearing one developmental center worked code silence staff involving abuse cases greatly slowed investigations delgadillo ordered rates paid community centers cut 10 percent part overall state budget cuts community centers far efficient provide better quality life care according parents experts state institutions partially full yet maintain full staff including police force facility institutions like small cities every conceivable service available someone needs go regional centers ask quickly handle people institutions said one industry expert asked remain anonymous reported regional community centers adjust quickly flexibility based needs people serve could close institutions tomorrow still keep half money system said obvious state agency want give 550 million used fund institutions october hearing delgadillo seem concerned state employees working institutions disabled people serve strange silence coming brown administration requiring cuts consolidations closures antiquated unhealthy institutions future ongoing crappy institutions expert said future nonprofit community care centers mission intended
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<p>WASHINGTON — Ricky Creech leads one of the most diverse Baptist bodies in America following his election March 28 as executive director of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.</p>
<p>The D.C. convention’s 153 churches include pastors who self-identify both as fundamentalist and as liberal; they are divided nearly evenly between predominantly black or white memberships and many have female ministerial staff; it has the ethnic language churches common to an international city; it affiliates with four national Baptist entities; and it intentionally magnetizes missions to create unity, rather than trying to hammer out universal agreement on theological fine points.</p>
<p>All of which pumps the blood right through Creech’s veins.</p>
<p>Creech, 47, was director of missions for the Birmingham (Ala.) Baptist Association until 2006, when he left full-time Baptist employment to consult with churches interested in doing ministry “outside the box.” He joined the staff of an Atlanta area United Methodist church that was reeling from staff issues including embezzlement and moral failure.</p>
<p>While he loved his service there, it also confirmed to him that denominational work was in his DNA.</p>
<p>The D.C. convention traces its roots to the Baltimore Baptist Association, started in 1793.&#160; Controversies, population growth and people movement changed the affiliation of the few D.C. area churches from Baltimore to the Maryland Baptist Union Association and eventually to the old Potomac Baptist Association in Virginia (now part of NorthStar Church Network). Finally, in 1877, six Washington churches formed the Columbia Association of Baptist Churches to “throw upon us a burden of evangelical duty.”</p>
<p>As early as 1880 the association built a home for the aged and in 1914 it started a residential home for disadvantaged children. The association took the name District of Columbia Baptist Convention in 1934.</p>
<p>Always a convention with a worldview, the D.C. convention shared property with the Baptist World Alliance from 1947 until 1984 when the BWA moved its offices to Virginia.</p>
<p>Rufus Weaver, executive director from 1934-43 led in establishing the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs as an effort to unify Baptists in America on matters of national and international issues.</p>
<p>The D.C. Baptist Convention has always related to the American Baptist Churches USA, and the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1998 it became triply aligned by affiliating with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and recently added a fourth affiliation, joining the Baptist World Alliance through the BWA’s regional identity, the North American Baptist Fellowship.</p>
<p>Under Jere Allen, executive director from 1991-2000, the DCBC initiated a racial reconciliation resolution that was adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1995.</p>
<p>The resolution, which drew fire from colleagues around the nation, confirmed DCBC commitments to diversity. The convention included in subsequent strategic plans expectations for all committees and committee chairs to reflect its racial and gender makeup. Staff also must reflect that diversity. The annual meeting is hosted alternately by black and white churches.</p>
<p>“It’s amazing to go to a convention or a training conference of the DCBC and see the diversity there,” said Allen, 76, who now lives in Birmingham. When Allen realized that leaders of both the ABC/USA and SBC sometimes worked in the same town and had never met, he sponsored an historic meeting for them in Washington where they informally agreed to better communications.</p>
<p>Allen also led D.C. churches to adopt legislators, and began a prayer ministry for members of Congress.</p>
<p>In 2001, with background both in the American Baptist Churches and the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Jeffrey Haggray became the first African-American executive of a state convention related to the Southern Baptist Convention and the second to lead a region affiliated with the American Baptist Churches.</p>
<p>Currently pastor of First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, Haggray dealt with the loss of about a half million dollars annually when the Southern Baptist Convention’s agency that supports work in North America withdrew funds at the encouragement of a Washington pastor over theological issues.</p>
<p>That loss of funds caused some reduction in staff and campus and social service ministries, but, “We’re still here,” said Leslie Copeland-Tune, director of communications and resource development, who pointed out other state conventions now must accommodate significant funding cuts from the same agency.</p>
<p>Haggray said the convention stood by the biblical principle that “male and female hath he created them” and “decided we would affirm women in ministry on equal footing with men and would not be told by any external body that we couldn’t do that.”</p>
<p>Their costly action was “not about affirming women, but affirming Baptists,” Haggray said. “At some point Baptists have to ask, ‘Are we seriously committed to autonomy of the local church and the ability of Baptists to interpret scripture according to conscience?’ ”</p>
<p>As an “expression of Baptist witness in the nation’s capital,” Haggray said D.C. churches must deal with the diversity represented in various national bodies and personified by those coming to the city to work and live.</p>
<p>“You don’t get to choose who is coming to D.C.,” Haggray said. “We seek to be a welcoming fellowship with focus on the Washington area as the mission field.”</p>
<p>“When you’re on the mission field you have a very different view toward it than does someone who is not on the mission field,” Haggray said. “Once you get here in this very powerful and complex city, you want prayer partners; you want people to work with together, to strategize in mission with folks.”</p>
<p>Although Haggray says the strength of the D.C. convention is its unity, diversity and openness to cooperate with others, diversity is not a goal.</p>
<p>“You can have diversity on a city bus and nobody is talking to each other,” he said.</p>
<p>“Diversity is good, but community is better,” he said. “It’s really community that we seek, to be a community of Baptists in the Washington area, joining resources to achieve our mission.</p>
<p>“We have the audacity to believe you can be both diverse and united in mission.”</p>
<p>It is Haggray that Creech will succeed.</p>
<p>“The D.C. Convention has played a strategic role in Baptist life due to its commitment to bridging the divides among Baptists,” said Roy Medley, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches. “We pray God’s blessings upon Dr. Creech as he gives leadership to this wonderfully diverse convention encompassing our nation’s capital.”</p>
<p>Creech, a graduate of Furman University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, was a church and community missionary for the SBC’s Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board). At one point, Creech’s positive reputation in church and community ministries brought him to consult with the D.C. convention.</p>
<p>“I’m good at going into troubled organizations and fixing things,” said Creech, whose philosophy of associational work is that “missiology pulls people together” and the “minutiae of theology builds barriers.”</p>
<p>“Not only was my ministry experience ecumenical in Birmingham, but I was flexible enough that United Methodists would hire me,” Creech said with a chuckle. He said the D.C. convention search committee is “very keen their new executive understands ecumenism.”</p>
<p>Before settling into the executive’s chair, Creech sees several immediate challenges facing the D.C. convention, with its $1.1 million budget, including the need to develop multiple streams of income.</p>
<p>“That day has gone,” he said, when conventions can depend exclusively on congregational giving.</p>
<p>Conventions must find partners who share various convention priorities and may provide some funding. As an example, Creech cited the goal of Birmingham Baptists to remedy substandard housing. They sought and received a community development block grant that increased from $30,000 the first year to $750,000 by the time he left.</p>
<p>He knows the convention must “rebrand itself” and promote its vision to garner congregations’ support. He intends to focus on unique services to empower congregations to fulfill their greatest potential for witness and ministry in their unique context.</p>
<p>“Solutions are not found in a “one size fits all” box but in relationships with those who journey with you asking the hard questions, challenging the status quo, encouraging risk-taking and inspiring God-sized dreams,” Creech said.</p>
<p>“DCBC has a history of being on the forefront of ministry and building unique relationships and it is upon that history that we want to build the future.”</p>
<p>This story was commissioned by the North American Baptist Fellowship. Norman Jameson is a freelance writer and former editor of North Carolina’s Biblical Recorder.</p>
| false | 3 |
washington ricky creech leads one diverse baptist bodies america following election march 28 executive director district columbia baptist convention dc conventions 153 churches include pastors selfidentify fundamentalist liberal divided nearly evenly predominantly black white memberships many female ministerial staff ethnic language churches common international city affiliates four national baptist entities intentionally magnetizes missions create unity rather trying hammer universal agreement theological fine points pumps blood right creechs veins creech 47 director missions birmingham ala baptist association 2006 left fulltime baptist employment consult churches interested ministry outside box joined staff atlanta area united methodist church reeling staff issues including embezzlement moral failure loved service also confirmed denominational work dna dc convention traces roots baltimore baptist association started 1793160 controversies population growth people movement changed affiliation dc area churches baltimore maryland baptist union association eventually old potomac baptist association virginia part northstar church network finally 1877 six washington churches formed columbia association baptist churches throw upon us burden evangelical duty early 1880 association built home aged 1914 started residential home disadvantaged children association took name district columbia baptist convention 1934 always convention worldview dc convention shared property baptist world alliance 1947 1984 bwa moved offices virginia rufus weaver executive director 193443 led establishing baptist joint committee public affairs effort unify baptists america matters national international issues dc baptist convention always related american baptist churches usa southern baptist convention 1998 became triply aligned affiliating progressive national baptist convention recently added fourth affiliation joining baptist world alliance bwas regional identity north american baptist fellowship jere allen executive director 19912000 dcbc initiated racial reconciliation resolution adopted southern baptist convention 1995 resolution drew fire colleagues around nation confirmed dcbc commitments diversity convention included subsequent strategic plans expectations committees committee chairs reflect racial gender makeup staff also must reflect diversity annual meeting hosted alternately black white churches amazing go convention training conference dcbc see diversity said allen 76 lives birmingham allen realized leaders abcusa sbc sometimes worked town never met sponsored historic meeting washington informally agreed better communications allen also led dc churches adopt legislators began prayer ministry members congress 2001 background american baptist churches progressive national baptist convention jeffrey haggray became first africanamerican executive state convention related southern baptist convention second lead region affiliated american baptist churches currently pastor first baptist church city washington haggray dealt loss half million dollars annually southern baptist conventions agency supports work north america withdrew funds encouragement washington pastor theological issues loss funds caused reduction staff campus social service ministries still said leslie copelandtune director communications resource development pointed state conventions must accommodate significant funding cuts agency haggray said convention stood biblical principle male female hath created decided would affirm women ministry equal footing men would told external body couldnt costly action affirming women affirming baptists haggray said point baptists ask seriously committed autonomy local church ability baptists interpret scripture according conscience expression baptist witness nations capital haggray said dc churches must deal diversity represented various national bodies personified coming city work live dont get choose coming dc haggray said seek welcoming fellowship focus washington area mission field youre mission field different view toward someone mission field haggray said get powerful complex city want prayer partners want people work together strategize mission folks although haggray says strength dc convention unity diversity openness cooperate others diversity goal diversity city bus nobody talking said diversity good community better said really community seek community baptists washington area joining resources achieve mission audacity believe diverse united mission haggray creech succeed dc convention played strategic role baptist life due commitment bridging divides among baptists said roy medley general secretary american baptist churches pray gods blessings upon dr creech gives leadership wonderfully diverse convention encompassing nations capital creech graduate furman university southern baptist theological seminary church community missionary sbcs home mission board north american mission board one point creechs positive reputation church community ministries brought consult dc convention im good going troubled organizations fixing things said creech whose philosophy associational work missiology pulls people together minutiae theology builds barriers ministry experience ecumenical birmingham flexible enough united methodists would hire creech said chuckle said dc convention search committee keen new executive understands ecumenism settling executives chair creech sees several immediate challenges facing dc convention 11 million budget including need develop multiple streams income day gone said conventions depend exclusively congregational giving conventions must find partners share various convention priorities may provide funding example creech cited goal birmingham baptists remedy substandard housing sought received community development block grant increased 30000 first year 750000 time left knows convention must rebrand promote vision garner congregations support intends focus unique services empower congregations fulfill greatest potential witness ministry unique context solutions found one size fits box relationships journey asking hard questions challenging status quo encouraging risktaking inspiring godsized dreams creech said dcbc history forefront ministry building unique relationships upon history want build future story commissioned north american baptist fellowship norman jameson freelance writer former editor north carolinas biblical recorder
| 817 |
<p>President Barack Obama recently was asked about the threat posed by domestic terrorists.</p>
<p>"If you just look at the numbers," he said, "then non-Islamic, non-foreign-motivated terrorist actions have killed at least as many Americans on American soil as those who were promoted by jihadists."</p>
<p>Experts on terrorism agree, but argue that some conservative politicians downplay this fact. The question is why? I began my inquiry by speaking with a man who purposely stays above the fray of politics. John Carlin's focus is on the law.</p>
<p>Carlin, assistant US attorney general for national security, is front and center in the war against radical-jihadist lone wolves like the San Bernardino killers and the Boston Marathon Bombers.</p>
<p>"We're focused day in and day out on international terrorists right now, and rightly so."</p>
<p>But Carlin is also on a broader mission: to root out homegrown extremists like Robert Dear, who confessed in open court to killing three at a Colorado Planned Parenthood women's health clinic in December, and Dylan Roof, who faces capital charges in the murders of nine black worshipers at a church in Charleston, SC, last summer.</p>
<p>"If the suspect were Muslim, I think we'd go very quickly to a definition of terrorism"--Charles Kurzman, UNC Chapel Hill</p>
<p>"Among domestic extremist movements inside the United States the white supremacists are among the most violent," said Carlin.</p>
<p>In fact, extremists from America's far right wing have carried out well over half of the deadliest terror attacks on American soil since 9/11; a fact acknowledged by Carlin in an October address at George Washington University.</p>
<p>"The list includes plots and attacks on government buildings, businesses, synagogues. It includes the stockpiling of illegal weapons, explosive biological and chemical weapons and killing sprees that have terrorized local communities."</p>
<p>In recent days and weeks, an&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oregon-ranchers-occupy-national-wildlife-refuge_56888a61e4b0b958f65be382" type="external">armed right-wing militia</a>&#160;has &#160;occupied the headquarters of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon; mosques around the country have been fired on, burnt or defaced; men described as white supremacists shot up peaceful protesters at a Black Lives Matter rally in Minneapolis (the accused shooter, <a href="http://stmedia.startribune.com/documents/S12AK115113013170.pdf" type="external">&#160;Allen Lawrence Scarsella</a>, 23, was charged with five counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of second-degree riot); several white supremacists were arrested in Virginia for allegedly plotting to blow up black churches and mosques; and heavily armed right-wing gunmen blocked the entrance of a mosque in Irving, Texas, holding banners that read, "we are the solution to Islamic terrorism."</p>
<p>So why aren't homegrown extremists stirring up the same public fear as those claiming to be acting in the name of Islam?</p>
<p>"I imagine that this is a hangover from the attacks of September 11, 2001," said Charles Kurzman,&#160;a terrorism expert at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a professor of sociology specializing in Middle East and Islamic studies.</p>
<p>"And there's the fear then that Muslim Americans might be in some ways an avenue or a mechanism that those threats might come to the United States. Fortunately, we've seen very little violent extremism by Muslim Americans in the years since 9/11."</p>
<p>Politics, said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center or SPLC, explains why there has been less emphasis on right-wing extremism.</p>
<p>"There's no question that we see a great deal of domestic terrorism and attempted terrorism coming from the home grown radical right. The non-Islamist radical right. But it's absolutely true that many politicians and leaders in this society entirely do not understand that."</p>
<p>So why aren't homegrown extremists stirring up the same public fear as those claiming to be acting in the name of Islam? --"I imagine that this is a hangover from the attacks of September 11, 2001"</p>
<p />
<p>Potok, who tracks extremists for the SPLC, said time and time again prominent Republicans have downplayed the dangers posed by right-wing extremism. He cited a 2009 Justice Department&#160; <a href="http://fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf" type="external">report</a>&#160;warning of potential violence, partly in reaction to the election of a black President, titled "Right wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."</p>
<p>Republicans were furious with then Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano and House Minority Leader John Boehner led the charge at the time.</p>
<p>"I think Secretary Napolitano has an awful lot of explaining to do."</p>
<p>Boehner said the report broadly smeared anyone who disagreed with Washington Democrats on issues like immigration and the economy.</p>
<p>"When you look at this report on right wing extremists, it includes about two-thirds of Americans," said Boehner.</p>
<p>Anti-government&#160;may be the key word and common denominator here. Right-wing radicals describe themselves that way and conservative politicians court votes by proclaiming their anti-government bonafides.</p>
<p>Another example underplaying the realities of domestic terrorism occurred in 2010 with the first in a series of Congressional hearings convened by New York Congressman Peter King.</p>
<p>"This hearing will be the first dealing with the critical issue of the radicalization of Muslim Americans," said King as he gaveled the enquiry to order.</p>
<p>The SPLC's Mark Potok was among many critics who viewed Representative King's investigation as an exercise in oppugnancy directed at U.S. Muslim communities.</p>
<p>"The greatest moment of kind of screaming hypocrisy in terms of the kind of groups we're looking at in society came when Peter King opened his hearings into the ostensibly radicalization of homegrown domestic American Muslims."</p>
<p>Congressman King-- who chairs a House Sub-Committee on counter-terrorism-- seemed cognizant of the perceived double standard. "I'm well aware that the announcement of these hearings have generated considerable controversy and opposition," he said at the start of the enquiry.</p>
<p>"What King seems not to have noticed," said Potok, "is the very day before he gave that talk to the nation's television cameras, a man was arrested in Spokane Washington for attempting to murder hundreds of people marching in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade."</p>
<p>The SPLC had tracked this man for years. He was a Neo-Nazi and a member of the National Alliance, which at one time was the most important Neo-Nazi group in the country.</p>
<p>"So when a guy like Peter King gets up there and says to millions of Americans through the TV cameras that there is no problem with the domestic radical right, he is simply stupid or he's lying," said Potok.</p>
<p>WGBH News reached out to Congressman King for this story and received no reply. Charles Kurzman, the UNC anti-terrorism expert, said Peter King's hearing remains an important example of how politics has shaped the debate on terrorism.</p>
<p>"Because Congressman King on the eve of the hearing was asked about my research and denounced the research as biased and slanted and downplayed and dismissed other terrorism threats that law enforcement is telling us are quite serious."</p>
<p>When a guy like Peter King gets up there and says to millions of Americans through the TV cameras that there is no problem with the domestic radical right, he is simply stupid or he's lying.</p>
<p>And the refusal to take far right wing violence seriously has also set up a double standard in how these cases are pursued. Take Dylan Roof, who faces a total of 33 federal hate crime charges in the Charleston Church shootings.</p>
<p>Said Kurzman: "If the suspect were Muslim, I think we'd go very quickly to a definition of terrorism."</p>
<p>Yet some, like South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, stop short of that label, describing Roof as mentally unstable. Graham, a Republican, who has been outspoken on national security issues, wrestles with how to classify Roof's alleged actions.</p>
<p>GRAHAM: "You could say it was a hate crime on steroids. Clearly it was. But he was not part of an organized effort with a particular agenda. He's a whacked out kid who follows the teachings of whacked out people. But it's not an organized effort like the Islamic State in the Levant. However, having said that, it wasn't a random act of violence either. It is domestic terrorism. What I'm trying to do is not portray them as ISIL. They're not part of an organized effort to hold territory and expand power."</p>
<p>Phillip Martin: But that would also be true of the Boston Marathon Bombers. They're what we would call lone wolves.</p>
<p>GRAHAM: "That's right, they're lone wolves who were inspired by the people who want to create jihad and are answering the call of the jihadists to hit us in our back yard."</p>
<p>But Dylan Roof was also inspired. In this case by white supremacists and a movement most Americans have never heard of.</p>
<p>He's a whacked out kid who follows the teachings of whacked out people. But it's not an organized effort like the Islamic State in the Levant --Sen Lindsey Graham on Dylann Roof</p>
<p>"According to one study of state and law enforcement, the group that they are most concerned about in terms of causing violence are the Sovereign Citizens," said John Carlin of the DOJ.</p>
<p>"And to be clear it's o.k. to be a Sovereign Citizen. What we're looking for are those fueled by that ideology who want to commit violent attacks."</p>
<p>Sovereign Citizens don't recognize courts or the Federal government. The best-known sovereign was Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh. Others include&#160; <a href="http://wgbhnews.org/post/defining-domestic-terrorism-part-one-hate-groups-move-online-and-campus" type="external">Cliven Bundy,</a>&#160;the Nevada rancher who was applauded by conservative media and has been engaged in an armed standoff with government over grazing rights and has dared law enforcement officials to try to arrest him. Since 2000, sovereigns have killed six law enforcement officers, including two in Arkansas during a routine traffic stop in 2010. In Georgia last year, a sovereign citizen attacked a court house with tear gas, smoke grenades and an AR-15 Rifle.</p>
<p>"Just like with international terrorism," said Carlin, "you see people being radicalized, where they go from someone with a series of beliefs to someone who's willing to kill in the name of those beliefs. The new Counsel [domestic counsel on domestic terrorism] that we've created at the national security division is to make sure that we have someone focusing full-time in catching those people before they commit the violent act."</p>
<p>And that's John Carlin's job, now that the Justice Department has made countering right-wing extremism a priority.</p>
<p>========</p>
<p>This is the&#160; <a href="http://wgbhnews.org/post/defining-domestic-terrorism-part-three-conservative-politicians-downplay-threat-far-right" type="external">third</a>&#160;of a four part public radio series:</p>
<p>Defining Domestic Terrorism Part&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phillip-martin/Defining%20Domestic%20Terrorism%20Part%20One:%20Hate%20Groups%20Move%20Online%20and%20On%20Campus" type="external">One</a>: Hate Groups Move On-line and On Campus</p>
<p>Defining Domestic Terrorism Part&#160; <a href="http://wgbhnews.org/post/defining-domestic-terrorism-part-two-legal-meaning-loaded-word" type="external">Two</a>: Legal Meaning of a Loaded Word</p>
<p>Defining Domestic Terrorism Part&#160; <a href="http://wgbhnews.org/post/defining-domestic-terrorism-part-three-conservative-politicians-downplay-threat-far-right" type="external">Three</a>: Conservative Politicians Downplay Threat from the Far Right</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| false | 3 |
president barack obama recently asked threat posed domestic terrorists look numbers said nonislamic nonforeignmotivated terrorist actions killed least many americans american soil promoted jihadists experts terrorism agree argue conservative politicians downplay fact question began inquiry speaking man purposely stays fray politics john carlins focus law carlin assistant us attorney general national security front center war radicaljihadist lone wolves like san bernardino killers boston marathon bombers focused day day international terrorists right rightly carlin also broader mission root homegrown extremists like robert dear confessed open court killing three colorado planned parenthood womens health clinic december dylan roof faces capital charges murders nine black worshipers church charleston sc last summer suspect muslim think wed go quickly definition terrorismcharles kurzman unc chapel hill among domestic extremist movements inside united states white supremacists among violent said carlin fact extremists americas far right wing carried well half deadliest terror attacks american soil since 911 fact acknowledged carlin october address george washington university list includes plots attacks government buildings businesses synagogues includes stockpiling illegal weapons explosive biological chemical weapons killing sprees terrorized local communities recent days weeks an160 armed rightwing militia160has 160occupied headquarters malheur national wildlife refuge oregon mosques around country fired burnt defaced men described white supremacists shot peaceful protesters black lives matter rally minneapolis accused shooter 160allen lawrence scarsella 23 charged five counts seconddegree assault dangerous weapon one count seconddegree riot several white supremacists arrested virginia allegedly plotting blow black churches mosques heavily armed rightwing gunmen blocked entrance mosque irving texas holding banners read solution islamic terrorism arent homegrown extremists stirring public fear claiming acting name islam imagine hangover attacks september 11 2001 said charles kurzman160a terrorism expert university north carolina chapel hill professor sociology specializing middle east islamic studies theres fear muslim americans might ways avenue mechanism threats might come united states fortunately weve seen little violent extremism muslim americans years since 911 politics said mark potok southern poverty law center splc explains less emphasis rightwing extremism theres question see great deal domestic terrorism attempted terrorism coming home grown radical right nonislamist radical right absolutely true many politicians leaders society entirely understand arent homegrown extremists stirring public fear claiming acting name islam imagine hangover attacks september 11 2001 potok tracks extremists splc said time time prominent republicans downplayed dangers posed rightwing extremism cited 2009 justice department160 report160warning potential violence partly reaction election black president titled right wing extremism current economic political climate fueling resurgence radicalization recruitment republicans furious homeland security head janet napolitano house minority leader john boehner led charge time think secretary napolitano awful lot explaining boehner said report broadly smeared anyone disagreed washington democrats issues like immigration economy look report right wing extremists includes twothirds americans said boehner antigovernment160may key word common denominator rightwing radicals describe way conservative politicians court votes proclaiming antigovernment bonafides another example underplaying realities domestic terrorism occurred 2010 first series congressional hearings convened new york congressman peter king hearing first dealing critical issue radicalization muslim americans said king gaveled enquiry order splcs mark potok among many critics viewed representative kings investigation exercise oppugnancy directed us muslim communities greatest moment kind screaming hypocrisy terms kind groups looking society came peter king opened hearings ostensibly radicalization homegrown domestic american muslims congressman king chairs house subcommittee counterterrorism seemed cognizant perceived double standard im well aware announcement hearings generated considerable controversy opposition said start enquiry king seems noticed said potok day gave talk nations television cameras man arrested spokane washington attempting murder hundreds people marching martin luther king jr day parade splc tracked man years neonazi member national alliance one time important neonazi group country guy like peter king gets says millions americans tv cameras problem domestic radical right simply stupid hes lying said potok wgbh news reached congressman king story received reply charles kurzman unc antiterrorism expert said peter kings hearing remains important example politics shaped debate terrorism congressman king eve hearing asked research denounced research biased slanted downplayed dismissed terrorism threats law enforcement telling us quite serious guy like peter king gets says millions americans tv cameras problem domestic radical right simply stupid hes lying refusal take far right wing violence seriously also set double standard cases pursued take dylan roof faces total 33 federal hate crime charges charleston church shootings said kurzman suspect muslim think wed go quickly definition terrorism yet like south carolina senator lindsey graham stop short label describing roof mentally unstable graham republican outspoken national security issues wrestles classify roofs alleged actions graham could say hate crime steroids clearly part organized effort particular agenda hes whacked kid follows teachings whacked people organized effort like islamic state levant however said wasnt random act violence either domestic terrorism im trying portray isil theyre part organized effort hold territory expand power phillip martin would also true boston marathon bombers theyre would call lone wolves graham thats right theyre lone wolves inspired people want create jihad answering call jihadists hit us back yard dylan roof also inspired case white supremacists movement americans never heard hes whacked kid follows teachings whacked people organized effort like islamic state levant sen lindsey graham dylann roof according one study state law enforcement group concerned terms causing violence sovereign citizens said john carlin doj clear ok sovereign citizen looking fueled ideology want commit violent attacks sovereign citizens dont recognize courts federal government bestknown sovereign oklahoma city bomber timothy mcveigh others include160 cliven bundy160the nevada rancher applauded conservative media engaged armed standoff government grazing rights dared law enforcement officials try arrest since 2000 sovereigns killed six law enforcement officers including two arkansas routine traffic stop 2010 georgia last year sovereign citizen attacked court house tear gas smoke grenades ar15 rifle like international terrorism said carlin see people radicalized go someone series beliefs someone whos willing kill name beliefs new counsel domestic counsel domestic terrorism weve created national security division make sure someone focusing fulltime catching people commit violent act thats john carlins job justice department made countering rightwing extremism priority the160 third160of four part public radio series defining domestic terrorism part160 one hate groups move online campus defining domestic terrorism part160 two legal meaning loaded word defining domestic terrorism part160 three conservative politicians downplay threat far right 160
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<p>A still from ‘Check It,’ a documentary on local LGBT youth. (Photo courtesy Olive Productions)</p>
<p>’Check It’</p>
<p>AFI Docs Festival</p>
<p>Saturday, June 25</p>
<p>9 p.m.</p>
<p>Newseum</p>
<p>555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.</p>
<p>Sold out</p>
<p><a href="http://www.afi.com/afidocs/" type="external">www.afi.com/afidocs</a></p>
<p><a href="http://checkitfilm.com/" type="external">checkitfilm.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The new documentary “Check It” starts with two powerful titles.</p>
<p>The first provides a sobering statistic for Washington’s LGBT community:</p>
<p>“Washington, D.C. has one of the nation’s highest rates of hate crimes against its LGBTQ community.”</p>
<p>The second announces a brave and unexpected act of resistance against that statistic:</p>
<p>“In 2009, three gay ninth graders started a gang in Washington, D.C. to defend themselves against bullying. Today the Check It has over 200 members and counting.”</p>
<p>Directed by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer, “Check It” has been selected for the coveted Spotlight Screening on Saturday night of the AFI Docs festival. AFI Docs Director Michael Lumpkin, who is gay, has been a fan of the film for a long time.</p>
<p>“I love “Check It,” he says. “Before I came to AFI, I ran the International Documentary Association. We had a grant program to provide production support for documentaries. Toby and Dana applied for funding for their film three or four years ago. When I was watching the clip they provided with their application, I knew this was going to be a very special film.”</p>
<p>In fact, AFI Docs announced last week that “Check It” was one of 10 films selected to participate in the prestigious AFI Docs Impact Lab. The intensive program will provide Flor and Oppenheimer, who identify as straight allies, with advanced training in the areas of advocacy, grassroots communication and engagement.</p>
<p>“Check It” tells the stories of the founding members of the group. According to Flor and Oppenheimer, Washington has the dubious distinction of having the only organized gang of LGBT youth in the country. The African-American gang started in the Trinidad neighborhood in northeast Washington. The youth already faced the grueling social pressures of poverty, broken homes, prostitution and a broken web of social services. On top of that, they faced violent bullying because of their sexual orientation and their gender-bending fashion sense.</p>
<p>According to Flor, “It came about as a necessity. They banded together because they wanted to protect each other. They became famous — and infamous — for being good at defending themselves. Nobody messes with them because they will fight. And not only do they fight, they do not censor who they are. … They’re flamboyant. They walk around with little Hello Kitty bags and platform shoes and dresses and lipstick. You don’t do that in the neighborhoods they come from. They’re from very tough neighborhoods with very conservative ideas about masculinity. They didn’t want to back down, they just wanted to be who they wanted to be. That’s how it formed. And it’s flourishing because kids are still being kicked out of their houses and being kicked out of school and taking to the streets. They form their own family.”</p>
<p>As one of the Check It members announces in the film, “To be in the Check It, you have to have a good sense of fashion — wild, crazy, colorful. To walk with us, you have to have a heart. You have to believe you’re not gonna take no bullshit from nobody.”</p>
<p>The members of the Check It found some supportive mentors to help turn their energy in a more positive direction. The first was Ronald “Mo” Moten, one of the founders of the controversial Peaceoholics organization which worked with city residents and gang members to reduce violence in the city.</p>
<p>“Basically.” Flor says, “he deals with gang conflict resolution. He is a beloved figure, especially in the worst neighborhoods of the city, especially because he has helped gang members get out of the gang and go to college, and he has squashed a lot of beefs. He’s like a father figure to these kids and he is very fond of them.”</p>
<p>Then there’s local fashion entrepreneur extraordinaire Jarmal Harris. He founded the <a href="http://rainemagazine.com/raine-magazines-one-to-watch-jarmal-harris/" type="external">Jarmal Harris Project</a>, a non-profit organization that works with D.C.-area youth to provide them with opportunities in the fashion industry and beyond.</p>
<p>“Harris runs a fashion camp for high school age kids that trains them in all elements of the fashion industry,” Oppenheimer says. “The film follows some of the Check It kids through six weeks of this fashion camp. Then a handful of them are chosen to go to Fashion Week in New York City. That’s kinda the spine of the film.”</p>
<p>Lumpkin is thrilled to be hosting the Spotlight Screening of “Check It.”</p>
<p>“It has been on my radar for years and I’m really happy to present the hometown premiere at AFI Docs,” Lumpkin says. “It’s the screening I can’t wait for. It’s going to be electric.”</p>
<p>“This film is about a community that isn’t given visibility very often,” he says. “The concept of a queer gang was just something I had never considered. For most gay people, those two ideas just don’t match up. But when you learn about their story, it makes perfect sense. For this community, that’s how they protect themselves; that’s how they survive. People who are queer have to come up with mechanisms for how they’re going to survive the world they come into.”</p>
<p>Lumpkin is also full of praise for the filmmakers.</p>
<p>“It’s fresh and new,” he says. “It was the subject matter that drew me to the film. But it was also the approach the filmmakers took to the subject matter. It’s honest, it’s respectful. Like all excellent documentaries, they provide their subjects with the space for them to have a voice. It takes a lot more than just putting a camera in front of somebody and filming them.”</p>
<p>The members of the Check It agree with Lumpkin’s assessment of their crew and the film. In the film, one of the members says, “It was because of the Check It that these faggots feel more comfortable within themselves to come outside. We can go out in public without being criticized. If they criticize us, they know there will be consequences.”</p>
<p>Towards the end of the movie, another member says, “No one was gonna stand up for us. We stood up for ourselves.”</p>
<p>Tray, one of the film’s subjects, has started actively promoting the documentary at film festivals around the county. Although he initially didn’t want to be in the film (his late mother talked him into it), he’s been delighted by the film’s reception. “I wasn’t sure if people would understand the movie,” he says, “but they actually loved it and they gained something from it. That was the most important thing we wanted.”</p>
<p>Tray says some of the attention has been overwhelming.</p>
<p>“Everywhere we go, people know who we are, but we don’t know who they are. They know our names, but we don’t know theirs.”</p>
<p>Inspired and supported by Moten and Harris, the founding members of the Check It have become role models and entrepreneurs. Oppenheimer says some of the gang members are looking into becoming outreach workers themselves, and that Moten is looking for opportunities for them to talk to younger kids who are still out there.</p>
<p>Flor also reports that the youth have started to launch their own fashion label, Check It Enterprises. They’ve just set up their <a href="http://www.checkitenterprises.com/" type="external">website</a> and are currently selling stylish T-shirts to the general public. She says, “Basically the idea is to take their skills and turn it to something positive and that’s fashion. They’re pretty fly.”</p>
<p>As for the members of the Check It profiled in the movie, Trey says, “We’re focusing on the documentary and on launching our business. We’re putting 100 percent into it so we can get it off the ground the way we want it to be. Everything is coming together.”</p>
<p>Flor is glad that this movie has been a catalyst for the youth profiled in the film, but notes that more action is urgently needed.</p>
<p>“Marginalized LGBT youth, especially youth of color, exist everywhere,“ she says. “This is our city and these are our kids. People have really turned a blind eye to what’s going on and they should be getting a lot more support.”</p>
<p>“For a city like Washington, that is seen as quite progressive in the way LGBT groups are treated and respected, these kids are not getting the respect, the attention and the opportunities they deserve,” Oppenheier says. “They’re in plain sight but they’ve been quite forgotten. We hope that this film will shine a light on these amazing kids and show them for the smart, ambitious, funny, sensitive human beings that they are.”</p>
<p>And as Tray says in the movie, “I know I’m not where I want to be, but I’m not where I was yesterday. … You don’t have to be afraid to tell your story.”</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">AFI Docs</a> <a href="" type="internal">AFI Docs Impact Lab</a> <a href="" type="internal">Check It</a> <a href="" type="internal">D.C.</a> <a href="" type="internal">Dana Flor</a> <a href="" type="internal">District of Columbia</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay</a> <a href="" type="internal">International Documentary Association</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jarmal Harris</a> <a href="" type="internal">LGBTQ youth</a> <a href="" type="internal">Michael Lumpkin</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ronald Moten</a> <a href="" type="internal">Spotlight Screening</a> <a href="" type="internal">Toby Oppenheimer</a> <a href="" type="internal">Trinidad</a> <a href="" type="internal">Washington</a></p>
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still check documentary local lgbt youth photo courtesy olive productions check afi docs festival saturday june 25 9 pm newseum 555 pennsylvania ave nw sold wwwaficomafidocs checkitfilmcom 160 new documentary check starts two powerful titles first provides sobering statistic washingtons lgbt community washington dc one nations highest rates hate crimes lgbtq community second announces brave unexpected act resistance statistic 2009 three gay ninth graders started gang washington dc defend bullying today check 200 members counting directed dana flor toby oppenheimer check selected coveted spotlight screening saturday night afi docs festival afi docs director michael lumpkin gay fan film long time love check says came afi ran international documentary association grant program provide production support documentaries toby dana applied funding film three four years ago watching clip provided application knew going special film fact afi docs announced last week check one 10 films selected participate prestigious afi docs impact lab intensive program provide flor oppenheimer identify straight allies advanced training areas advocacy grassroots communication engagement check tells stories founding members group according flor oppenheimer washington dubious distinction organized gang lgbt youth country africanamerican gang started trinidad neighborhood northeast washington youth already faced grueling social pressures poverty broken homes prostitution broken web social services top faced violent bullying sexual orientation genderbending fashion sense according flor came necessity banded together wanted protect became famous infamous good defending nobody messes fight fight censor theyre flamboyant walk around little hello kitty bags platform shoes dresses lipstick dont neighborhoods come theyre tough neighborhoods conservative ideas masculinity didnt want back wanted wanted thats formed flourishing kids still kicked houses kicked school taking streets form family one check members announces film check good sense fashion wild crazy colorful walk us heart believe youre gon na take bullshit nobody members check found supportive mentors help turn energy positive direction first ronald mo moten one founders controversial peaceoholics organization worked city residents gang members reduce violence city basically flor says deals gang conflict resolution beloved figure especially worst neighborhoods city especially helped gang members get gang go college squashed lot beefs hes like father figure kids fond theres local fashion entrepreneur extraordinaire jarmal harris founded jarmal harris project nonprofit organization works dcarea youth provide opportunities fashion industry beyond harris runs fashion camp high school age kids trains elements fashion industry oppenheimer says film follows check kids six weeks fashion camp handful chosen go fashion week new york city thats kinda spine film lumpkin thrilled hosting spotlight screening check radar years im really happy present hometown premiere afi docs lumpkin says screening cant wait going electric film community isnt given visibility often says concept queer gang something never considered gay people two ideas dont match learn story makes perfect sense community thats protect thats survive people queer come mechanisms theyre going survive world come lumpkin also full praise filmmakers fresh new says subject matter drew film also approach filmmakers took subject matter honest respectful like excellent documentaries provide subjects space voice takes lot putting camera front somebody filming members check agree lumpkins assessment crew film film one members says check faggots feel comfortable within come outside go public without criticized criticize us know consequences towards end movie another member says one gon na stand us stood tray one films subjects started actively promoting documentary film festivals around county although initially didnt want film late mother talked hes delighted films reception wasnt sure people would understand movie says actually loved gained something important thing wanted tray says attention overwhelming everywhere go people know dont know know names dont know inspired supported moten harris founding members check become role models entrepreneurs oppenheimer says gang members looking becoming outreach workers moten looking opportunities talk younger kids still flor also reports youth started launch fashion label check enterprises theyve set website currently selling stylish tshirts general public says basically idea take skills turn something positive thats fashion theyre pretty fly members check profiled movie trey says focusing documentary launching business putting 100 percent get ground way want everything coming together flor glad movie catalyst youth profiled film notes action urgently needed marginalized lgbt youth especially youth color exist everywhere says city kids people really turned blind eye whats going getting lot support city like washington seen quite progressive way lgbt groups treated respected kids getting respect attention opportunities deserve oppenheier says theyre plain sight theyve quite forgotten hope film shine light amazing kids show smart ambitious funny sensitive human beings tray says movie know im want im yesterday dont afraid tell story afi docs afi docs impact lab check dc dana flor district columbia gay international documentary association jarmal harris lgbtq youth michael lumpkin ronald moten spotlight screening toby oppenheimer trinidad washington
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<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.html/rtc_table_of_contents.html" type="external">California Tax Code</a> is a monster. Just the first 136 sections of the code fill up 202 pages with more than 100,000 words. The entire code contain 60,709 sections. If those first 136 sections are indicative, the entire code contains more than 90,000 pages and in excess of 45 million words.</p>
<p>One of the contributors to the length and complexity of California’s tax law are the numerous tax credits built into it. There are scores of tax carve-outs for favored constituencies, for groups deemed to need help, and to incentivize activities deemed in society’s interest.</p>
<p>The largest credit is the mortgage interest deductions, for which taxpayers got to keep an estimated $4.4 billion that would have gone to the state in the 2012-13 fiscal year. Others deductions include the exclusion for employer contributions to pension plans ($4 billion), employer contributions to accident and health plans ($3.6 billion), Social Security benefits ($2.6 billion) and the charitable contribution deduction ($1.6 billion). Tax credits are also provided for low-income renters, the blind, low-income housing expenses, first-time home buyers, motion picture companies, student loan interest, clergy housing and on and on.</p>
<p>While the credits are a boon to the recipients, they have denied the state tax money that some politicians would like to get.</p>
<p>“Our current tax preference portfolio now exceeds $47 billion, equal to half of our total revenue,” said <a href="http://sd03.senate.ca.gov/" type="external">Sen. Lois Wolk</a>, D-Davis on the Senate Floor April 22, speaking in support of her bill, <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0351-0400/sb_365_cfa_20130626_165715_asm_floor.html" type="external">SB 365</a>. “This bill requires that all future bills that create tax preferences state the goals of the preference and identify specific indicators and data measurement to see if it works. It will require a 10-year sunset on these bills. SB 365 will ensure that the Legislature uses the public dollar wisely. The bill affects no current tax benefits, only future ones.”</p>
<p>There was no discussion or debate, and the bill passed the Senate 22-11 along party lines. But the <a href="http://www.calchamber.com" type="external">California Chamber of Commerce</a>, which has placed SB 365 on its <a href="http://www.calchamber.com/GovernmentRelations/Pages/Job-Killers-2013.aspx" type="external">list of “job killer” bills</a>, is hoping to head it off in the Assembly.</p>
<p>SB 365 “creates uncertainty for California employers making long-term investment decisions by requiring tax incentives end 10 years after their effective date,” the Chamber <a href="http://www.calchamber.com/headlines/pages/04262013-taxcreditsunsetbillmovestoassembly.aspx" type="external">states on its website</a>. “When businesses choose to locate in a state, factors such as the availability of a skilled workforce, infrastructure, regulatory environment, and tax structure all play a significant role. Businesses evaluate whether they can rely on these factors to remain relatively stable and consistent in the long term.</p>
<p>“Furthermore, for capital-intensive industries like manufacturing and research and development, investment decisions are made many years into the future. The ability for corporate decision makers in these industries to plan anticipated costs over a span of many years is an important factor when determining locations for these investments. Establishing an arbitrary maximum 10-year sunset puts the long-term viability of any credit in jeopardy and, in many cases, could ultimately render the credit’s value useless in a company’s final decision on a location.”</p>
<p>Instead of an automatic sunset, the Chamber wants future tax credits “to be evaluated on their own merit. A reasonable sunset should be applied only if appropriate.”</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ftb.ca.gov/index.shtml?disabled=true" type="external">Franchise Tax Board’s</a> <a href="https://www.ftb.ca.gov/aboutftb/Tax_Expenditure_Report_2011.pdf" type="external">2011 Tax Expenditure Report</a> provides background on tax credits, which the government calls “expenditures” even though the state is simply allowing people and businesses to keep some of the money they earn rather than hand it over to the government.</p>
<p>“There are two primary policy motivations for adopting tax expenditures,” the report states. “The first is to move towards a more equitable tax system by providing relief to taxpayers facing a monetary cost due to their circumstances in life. The second is to provide taxpayers with incentives to alter their behavior.”</p>
<p>For example, carpooling has the societal benefit of helping reduce traffic congestion. So it may be in government’s interest to provide a tax incentive for carpooling to motivate those who would otherwise drive to work alone to instead share their commute.</p>
<p>“Thus, a credit for carpooling will allow the person who chooses carpooling to reap some of the social benefit of carpooling,” the report states. “This will increase the likelihood of a decision to carpool. In such a situation, if the net social benefit from carpooling is positive, the fact that the tax system alters private decisions (or violates tax neutrality) is actually good. Policy makers must be careful, however, to ensure both that tax incentives induce desired behaviors and that they do not induce too much of the desired behaviors.”</p>
<p>Common concerns about tax credits are that they may:</p>
<p>* Necessitate an increase in tax rates or a cut in expenditures.</p>
<p>* Complicate the tax code.</p>
<p>* Induce undesirable behavior from taxpayers. For example, if a tax credit is set too high, it might divert investment from other projects that would be more beneficial to the economy.</p>
<p>* Provide expensive windfalls to some taxpayers without furthering the intended policy goals.</p>
<p>And tax credits are clumsy mechanisms at best. The report lists numerous alternatives that might achieve the same policy objectives:</p>
<p>* Instead of providing targeted tax credits designed to improve the general economy, the same effect could be achieved by reducing overall tax rates.</p>
<p>* Tax credits aimed at spurring investment in specific activities, industries, or geographic locations could be replaced with direct government loans, loan guarantees or rate subsidies.</p>
<p>* Tax credits can be replaced with government mandates. For example, the Low-Income Housing Expenses Credit could be replaced with requirements that lenders or developers divert a portion of their economic activity to the low-income market.</p>
<p>* Almost any tax credit could simply be replaced with a direct expenditure. For example, instead of offering a Child Adoption Expense Credit, California could make direct payments, equivalent to the tax savings available under the credit, to couples who adopt children.</p>
<p>“There are potentially many good reasons for using tax expenditures within a tax system,” the report concludes. “However, policymakers should give careful thought to the reasons why the tax expenditure is needed, and the potential adverse consequences of adopting or retaining the tax expenditure.”</p>
<p>If SB 365 is approved in the Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, there is a distinct possibility that it won’t achieve its 10-year automatic sunset objective. That’s because it would in effect allow the current Legislature to dictate to future legislatures the terms of future tax credit legislation.</p>
<p>“[E]ven if a general sunset requirement were included in statute, there would be nothing to prevent a future Legislature from enacting an open-ended tax expenditure ‘notwithstanding’ the statutory prohibition,” the bill’s legislative analysis concludes. “Courts have long held that one legislative body may not limit or restrict its own power or that of subsequent Legislatures, and the act of one Legislature may not bind its successors. In practical terms, it means that subsequent Legislatures are under no legal obligation to comply with the provisions of this bill.”</p>
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california tax code monster first 136 sections code fill 202 pages 100000 words entire code contain 60709 sections first 136 sections indicative entire code contains 90000 pages excess 45 million words one contributors length complexity californias tax law numerous tax credits built scores tax carveouts favored constituencies groups deemed need help incentivize activities deemed societys interest largest credit mortgage interest deductions taxpayers got keep estimated 44 billion would gone state 201213 fiscal year others deductions include exclusion employer contributions pension plans 4 billion employer contributions accident health plans 36 billion social security benefits 26 billion charitable contribution deduction 16 billion tax credits also provided lowincome renters blind lowincome housing expenses firsttime home buyers motion picture companies student loan interest clergy housing credits boon recipients denied state tax money politicians would like get current tax preference portfolio exceeds 47 billion equal half total revenue said sen lois wolk ddavis senate floor april 22 speaking support bill sb 365 bill requires future bills create tax preferences state goals preference identify specific indicators data measurement see works require 10year sunset bills sb 365 ensure legislature uses public dollar wisely bill affects current tax benefits future ones discussion debate bill passed senate 2211 along party lines california chamber commerce placed sb 365 list job killer bills hoping head assembly sb 365 creates uncertainty california employers making longterm investment decisions requiring tax incentives end 10 years effective date chamber states website businesses choose locate state factors availability skilled workforce infrastructure regulatory environment tax structure play significant role businesses evaluate whether rely factors remain relatively stable consistent long term furthermore capitalintensive industries like manufacturing research development investment decisions made many years future ability corporate decision makers industries plan anticipated costs span many years important factor determining locations investments establishing arbitrary maximum 10year sunset puts longterm viability credit jeopardy many cases could ultimately render credits value useless companys final decision location instead automatic sunset chamber wants future tax credits evaluated merit reasonable sunset applied appropriate franchise tax boards 2011 tax expenditure report provides background tax credits government calls expenditures even though state simply allowing people businesses keep money earn rather hand government two primary policy motivations adopting tax expenditures report states first move towards equitable tax system providing relief taxpayers facing monetary cost due circumstances life second provide taxpayers incentives alter behavior example carpooling societal benefit helping reduce traffic congestion may governments interest provide tax incentive carpooling motivate would otherwise drive work alone instead share commute thus credit carpooling allow person chooses carpooling reap social benefit carpooling report states increase likelihood decision carpool situation net social benefit carpooling positive fact tax system alters private decisions violates tax neutrality actually good policy makers must careful however ensure tax incentives induce desired behaviors induce much desired behaviors common concerns tax credits may necessitate increase tax rates cut expenditures complicate tax code induce undesirable behavior taxpayers example tax credit set high might divert investment projects would beneficial economy provide expensive windfalls taxpayers without furthering intended policy goals tax credits clumsy mechanisms best report lists numerous alternatives might achieve policy objectives instead providing targeted tax credits designed improve general economy effect could achieved reducing overall tax rates tax credits aimed spurring investment specific activities industries geographic locations could replaced direct government loans loan guarantees rate subsidies tax credits replaced government mandates example lowincome housing expenses credit could replaced requirements lenders developers divert portion economic activity lowincome market almost tax credit could simply replaced direct expenditure example instead offering child adoption expense credit california could make direct payments equivalent tax savings available credit couples adopt children potentially many good reasons using tax expenditures within tax system report concludes however policymakers give careful thought reasons tax expenditure needed potential adverse consequences adopting retaining tax expenditure sb 365 approved assembly signed gov jerry brown distinct possibility wont achieve 10year automatic sunset objective thats would effect allow current legislature dictate future legislatures terms future tax credit legislation even general sunset requirement included statute would nothing prevent future legislature enacting openended tax expenditure notwithstanding statutory prohibition bills legislative analysis concludes courts long held one legislative body may limit restrict power subsequent legislatures act one legislature may bind successors practical terms means subsequent legislatures legal obligation comply provisions bill
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<p>On Wednesday, Donald Trump attempted to lay out an "America first" foreign policy plan at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.</p>
<p>“Our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster: No vision, no purpose, no direction, no strategy,” Trump said.</p>
<p>Trump departed from his off-the-cuff style. With the help of a teleprompter, he laid out his vision for America’s economic and national security, and the buildup of the US&#160;military.</p>
<p>After his landslide primary victory on Tuesday, Trump is trying to appear more "presidential." But <a href="https://twitter.com/m_breen" type="external">Mike Breen</a>, CEO of <a href="http://trumanproject.org/" type="external">Truman National Security Project</a> and a former Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, offers a harsh critique of Trump's approach.</p>
<p>"If you take the man at his word and you listen to his statements on the [campaign] trail, he set himself up, if he's elected, to trigger the largest civil military crisis probably since the American Civil War," he says.</p>
<p>Breen argues that Trump is suggesting that US&#160;soldiers carry out "illegal orders" — things like targeting the children and families of terrorists, intentionally murdering civilians, and torturing for the sake of torturing.</p>
<p>"He says even if [torture] doesn't work, let's do it anyway," Breen says. "He says the Geneva Convention makes American soldiers afraid to fight. He's talking about, as a presidential candidate, issuing clearly illegal orders that I think our senior military leaders would be very unlikely to follow. That's a crisis we haven't had in a long time."</p>
<p>Breen stops short of saying that America’s military generals would perform a kind of coup, but he does say that the entire US&#160;national security apparatus would go into a state of panic under a President Trump.</p>
<p>When it comes to the international community, Trump has suggested that the US&#160;military should start charging for its services.</p>
<p>“Building up our military to provide a strong defense for Europe and Asia, the countries we are defending must pay for this defense, and if not, the US&#160;must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves — we have no choice,” Trump said on Wednesday.</p>
<p>This plan doesn’t sit well with Breen.</p>
<p>“I think it’s an incredibly dangerous and naive idea,” he says. “[Trump] thinks we’re suckers for providing for the defense of our allies that don’t have the size of military and economy that we do. The problem with that is twofold: It’s very hard to say that you’re going to right by America’s allies and then ask them to pay protection money. More importantly, it’s a very naive view of how wars are prevented.”</p>
<p>During the 19th and 20th centuries, Breen says that global powers tried to manage defense operations alone on a country-by-country basis.</p>
<p>“What you get in a situation like that is a rapidly changing network of alliances, great distrust, and we’ve had the two most destructive wars in human history,” he says. “It’s a fundamental misunderstanding of why our allies matter.”</p>
<p>When it comes to the Islamic State, Trump says that America must be more “unpredictable” in its plans to take out the terror group, a stance that worries Breen.</p>
<p>“This is a candidate who’s refused to rule out using nuclear weapons against ISIS, which is complete military and moral nonsense,” he says.</p>
<p>Using a bomb of such magnitude —&#160;even under orders from the commander-in-chief — would likely be unwelcome news to those in the military, Breen says.</p>
<p>“This is the Catch 22 that Trump threatens to place our senior military leaders in,” he says.</p>
<p>Dropping a nuclear bomb on ISIS-held territory would result in mass civilian casualties and could set off a global nuclear war, Breen says, something that officials in the Pentagon would have to seriously consider — and may even stand against. When it comes targeting the families of ISIS, Breen makes the same calculations.</p>
<p>“There is a large body of US&#160;law — military and civilian — that says you can’t go murder kids, whether you’re wearing a uniform or not,” he says.</p>
<p>While he acknowledges that civilians are sometimes killed during war, Breen says it shouldn’t be a de facto strategy.</p>
<p>“The US&#160;military has spent a tremendous amount of time and effort working through legal checks, but also through more and more precise weapons systems, smaller and smaller bombs, and a whole host of other things to minimize those casualties,” he says. “That’s not just because it’s the nice thing to do. It’s because it’s the strategically smart thing to do.”</p>
<p>When it comes to Asia, Trump argues that the US&#160;must reclaim its strength because China has “no respect” for the United States, especially as it continues its <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/struggle-control-south-china-sea-us-china-relations-put-test/" type="external">operations</a> in the South China Sea. Breen says this outlook is too simplistic.</p>
<p>“Projecting strength is one thing, projecting strength unpredictably as the most powerful military in the world is pretty dangerous,” he says. “If you’re trying to guarantee a stable global security environment, the worst thing you want to do is be erratic. If you saw a police officer down a fifth of Jack Daniels and then tie himself to his car and duct tape his foot to the gas pedal and then go on the road, yeah that guy is unpredictable, but he’s not guaranteeing anyone’s security.”</p>
<p>Overall, Breen believes that security officials are already thinking about these hard choices, and whether they’ll resign should Donald Trump be elected.</p>
<p>“When he talks about killing the families [of ISIS], he’s talking about ordering the My Lai massacre,” he says. “That’s not a war crime anymore, that’s not somebody disobeying orders —&#160;that’s a president saying, ‘Go do that.’ If everybody in the military who doesn’t want to do that, who didn’t sign up to be that, but signed up to support and defend the United States of America — we don’t do that kind of thing — if they all quit, if they all resign in protest, who’s left in the military? These are the kinds of conversations that our senior leaders and my friends who are mid-level officers are having. That’s deeply troubling.”</p>
<p>This&#160; <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/what-armed-forces-think-commander-chief-trump/" type="external">story</a>&#160;first aired as an interview on PRI's&#160; <a href="http://thetakeaway.org/" type="external">The Takeaway</a>, a public radio program that invites you to be part of the American conversation.</p>
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wednesday donald trump attempted lay america first foreign policy plan mayflower hotel washington dc foreign policy complete total disaster vision purpose direction strategy trump said trump departed offthecuff style help teleprompter laid vision americas economic national security buildup us160military landslide primary victory tuesday trump trying appear presidential mike breen ceo truman national security project former army officer served iraq afghanistan offers harsh critique trumps approach take man word listen statements campaign trail set hes elected trigger largest civil military crisis probably since american civil war says breen argues trump suggesting us160soldiers carry illegal orders things like targeting children families terrorists intentionally murdering civilians torturing sake torturing says even torture doesnt work lets anyway breen says says geneva convention makes american soldiers afraid fight hes talking presidential candidate issuing clearly illegal orders think senior military leaders would unlikely follow thats crisis havent long time breen stops short saying americas military generals would perform kind coup say entire us160national security apparatus would go state panic president trump comes international community trump suggested us160military start charging services building military provide strong defense europe asia countries defending must pay defense us160must prepared let countries defend choice trump said wednesday plan doesnt sit well breen think incredibly dangerous naive idea says trump thinks suckers providing defense allies dont size military economy problem twofold hard say youre going right americas allies ask pay protection money importantly naive view wars prevented 19th 20th centuries breen says global powers tried manage defense operations alone countrybycountry basis get situation like rapidly changing network alliances great distrust weve two destructive wars human history says fundamental misunderstanding allies matter comes islamic state trump says america must unpredictable plans take terror group stance worries breen candidate whos refused rule using nuclear weapons isis complete military moral nonsense says using bomb magnitude 160even orders commanderinchief would likely unwelcome news military breen says catch 22 trump threatens place senior military leaders says dropping nuclear bomb isisheld territory would result mass civilian casualties could set global nuclear war breen says something officials pentagon would seriously consider may even stand comes targeting families isis breen makes calculations large body us160law military civilian says cant go murder kids whether youre wearing uniform says acknowledges civilians sometimes killed war breen says shouldnt de facto strategy us160military spent tremendous amount time effort working legal checks also precise weapons systems smaller smaller bombs whole host things minimize casualties says thats nice thing strategically smart thing comes asia trump argues us160must reclaim strength china respect united states especially continues operations south china sea breen says outlook simplistic projecting strength one thing projecting strength unpredictably powerful military world pretty dangerous says youre trying guarantee stable global security environment worst thing want erratic saw police officer fifth jack daniels tie car duct tape foot gas pedal go road yeah guy unpredictable hes guaranteeing anyones security overall breen believes security officials already thinking hard choices whether theyll resign donald trump elected talks killing families isis hes talking ordering lai massacre says thats war crime anymore thats somebody disobeying orders 160thats president saying go everybody military doesnt want didnt sign signed support defend united states america dont kind thing quit resign protest whos left military kinds conversations senior leaders friends midlevel officers thats deeply troubling this160 story160first aired interview pris160 takeaway public radio program invites part american conversation
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<p>Staff changes</p>
<p>Ben Laird, to Trinity Church, Martinsville, as pastor.</p>
<p>Chris and Karen Harbin, to Central Church, Lowesville, as co-pastors.</p>
<p>Ronnie Campbell, to Bethany Church, Baskersville, as pastor.</p>
<p>Gregory Todd Randall, to Clarksville Church, Clarksville, as senior pastor.</p>
<p>Richard L. Clore, to Orange Church, Orange, as pastor, effective Oct. 1.</p>
<p>Robert T. Jones, to First Church, Gate City, as pastor.</p>
<p>Jim Ensor, to First Church, Honaker, as pastor.</p>
<p>David Simmons, resigning as pastor of Temple Church, Newport News, to accept a pastorate in New Jersey.</p>
<p>Bryan Ferrell, resigning as pastor of Cornerstone Church, Monroe.</p>
<p>Donald Stine, resigning as pastor of West View Church, Monroe.</p>
<p>Don Williams, to Calvary Church, Lynchburg, as intentional interim pastor.</p>
<p>Jim Riddell, to Cambridge Church, Richmond, as interim pastor.</p>
<p>Robert Carter, to Heritage Church, Farmville, as interim pastor.</p>
<p>John Graybill, to Crystal Spring Church, Roanoke, as interim pastor.</p>
<p>Natalie Kline, to First Church, Waynesboro, as associate pastor, minister to families and children.</p>
<p>Joshua Colden, to Palestine Church, Huddleston, as youth pastor.</p>
<p>Louise Daniel, resigning as minister of music at First Church, Petersburg.</p>
<p>Sheri Castle, to New Highland Church, Mechanicsville, as interim worship leader.</p>
<p>Cardell C. Patillo Jr., to East End Church, Suffolk, as youth pastor.</p>
<p>Erika Deem, to Goochland Church, Goochland, as minister of youth.</p>
<p>Eric Haney, to Red Lane Church, Powhatan, as youth minister.</p>
<p>Shawn Allen, to Gayton Church, Richmond, as pastor of worship arts and outreach.</p>
<p>Clint Jackson, to Pine Street Church, Richmond, as ministry associate of children and senior adults.</p>
<p>Renee Kenley, to Tabernacle Church, Richmond, as family ministries intern.</p>
<p>Lindsay Comstock is now serving as mission mobilization intern.</p>
<p>Dave Cyphert, resigning as minister of music, children and youth at Rustburg Church, Rustburg, to accept a position in North Carolina.</p>
<p>Ron Thompson, to Providence Church, Henry, as part-time youth minister.</p>
<p>Retirements</p>
<p>Jim Anderson has retired as pastor of Faith Church, Hampton.</p>
<p>Lawrence Bierman has announced plans to retire as pastor of Parkview Church, Newport News, in October.</p>
<p>Ordinations</p>
<p>Glinda Ford, community missionary at the Church Hill Wellness Center in Richmond, was ordained to the gospel ministry on Aug. 4.</p>
<p>Eddie Urbine was ordained to the gospel ministry on Sept. 10 by Old Powhatan Church, Powhatan.</p>
<p>Revivals &amp; Homecomings</p>
<p>Ash Avenue Church, South Boston; revival Oct. 1-4; Steve Freeman, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Calvary Church, Danville; 88th homecoming Sept. 24; Clive Johnston, guest speaker; revival Sept. 25-27.</p>
<p>Community Fellowship Church, Gate City; revival Sept. 24-27; Kevin Helms, Guy Tilley, Adam Janes, Steve Brown and William Palmer, guest evangelists.</p>
<p>Dan River Church, Halifax; revival Sept. 24-27; Rob Roberts, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Emmanuel Church, Amherst; 100th anniversary; homecoming Oct. 1; covered-dish dinner after service; revival Oct. 2-5; Roger Roller, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>First Church, Galax; revival Oct. 1-4; Charles Fuller, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Gladstone Memorial Church, Gladstone; homecoming Oct. 1; revival Oct. 2-4 with Don Carty, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Jahnke Road Church, Richmond; 56th anniversary; celebration service Oct. 1 at 10:15 a.m.; lunch following service.</p>
<p>Madison Heights Church, Madison Heights; 115th anniversary; homecoming Sept. 24; Margaret Tyree Harding, guest speaker.</p>
<p>Mt. Tirzah Church, Charlotte Court House; revival Sept. 29-Oct. 2; Carl Burger, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>New Salem Church, Culpeper; revival Sept. 24-27; Lanny Horton, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Norwood Church, Goode; homecoming Sept. 24; former pastor Hunter Hale, guest speaker; covered-dish luncheon.</p>
<p>Reed Island Springs Church, Ararat; 75th anniversary; homecoming Oct. 1; Wayne Hannah, guest speaker; dinner following service.</p>
<p>Round Oak Church, Corbin; homecoming Oct. 1; Joe Applewhite, guest speaker.</p>
<p>Schoolfield Church, Danville; revival Oct. 1-4; Cliff Hudgins, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Shermont Church, Danville; homecoming Sept. 24; special music by Jamelle Shields; lunch to follow service.</p>
<p>Trinity Church, Martinsville; homecoming Sept. 24; former pastor Lynwood Lavinder, guest speaker; lunch to follow service.</p>
<p>Washington Church, Washington; revival Sept. 21-24; Dee Whitten, Walt Childress, David Clanagan and David Small, guest evangelists; 124th homecoming Sept. 24; David Small, guest speaker.</p>
<p>Woodberry Hills Church, Danville; revival Sept. 27-Oct. 1; Robert Marsh, guest evangelist.</p>
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staff changes ben laird trinity church martinsville pastor chris karen harbin central church lowesville copastors ronnie campbell bethany church baskersville pastor gregory todd randall clarksville church clarksville senior pastor richard l clore orange church orange pastor effective oct 1 robert jones first church gate city pastor jim ensor first church honaker pastor david simmons resigning pastor temple church newport news accept pastorate new jersey bryan ferrell resigning pastor cornerstone church monroe donald stine resigning pastor west view church monroe williams calvary church lynchburg intentional interim pastor jim riddell cambridge church richmond interim pastor robert carter heritage church farmville interim pastor john graybill crystal spring church roanoke interim pastor natalie kline first church waynesboro associate pastor minister families children joshua colden palestine church huddleston youth pastor louise daniel resigning minister music first church petersburg sheri castle new highland church mechanicsville interim worship leader cardell c patillo jr east end church suffolk youth pastor erika deem goochland church goochland minister youth eric haney red lane church powhatan youth minister shawn allen gayton church richmond pastor worship arts outreach clint jackson pine street church richmond ministry associate children senior adults renee kenley tabernacle church richmond family ministries intern lindsay comstock serving mission mobilization intern dave cyphert resigning minister music children youth rustburg church rustburg accept position north carolina ron thompson providence church henry parttime youth minister retirements jim anderson retired pastor faith church hampton lawrence bierman announced plans retire pastor parkview church newport news october ordinations glinda ford community missionary church hill wellness center richmond ordained gospel ministry aug 4 eddie urbine ordained gospel ministry sept 10 old powhatan church powhatan revivals amp homecomings ash avenue church south boston revival oct 14 steve freeman guest evangelist calvary church danville 88th homecoming sept 24 clive johnston guest speaker revival sept 2527 community fellowship church gate city revival sept 2427 kevin helms guy tilley adam janes steve brown william palmer guest evangelists dan river church halifax revival sept 2427 rob roberts guest evangelist emmanuel church amherst 100th anniversary homecoming oct 1 covereddish dinner service revival oct 25 roger roller guest evangelist first church galax revival oct 14 charles fuller guest evangelist gladstone memorial church gladstone homecoming oct 1 revival oct 24 carty guest evangelist jahnke road church richmond 56th anniversary celebration service oct 1 1015 lunch following service madison heights church madison heights 115th anniversary homecoming sept 24 margaret tyree harding guest speaker mt tirzah church charlotte court house revival sept 29oct 2 carl burger guest evangelist new salem church culpeper revival sept 2427 lanny horton guest evangelist norwood church goode homecoming sept 24 former pastor hunter hale guest speaker covereddish luncheon reed island springs church ararat 75th anniversary homecoming oct 1 wayne hannah guest speaker dinner following service round oak church corbin homecoming oct 1 joe applewhite guest speaker schoolfield church danville revival oct 14 cliff hudgins guest evangelist shermont church danville homecoming sept 24 special music jamelle shields lunch follow service trinity church martinsville homecoming sept 24 former pastor lynwood lavinder guest speaker lunch follow service washington church washington revival sept 2124 dee whitten walt childress david clanagan david small guest evangelists 124th homecoming sept 24 david small guest speaker woodberry hills church danville revival sept 27oct 1 robert marsh guest evangelist
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<p>ABANG, Indonesia - The harsh, tropical sunlight that dapples Bali's tourist-thronged beaches streams through the fingers of a palm leaf and lands on the shoulders of Nengah, who slumps like a rag doll amid a pile of tattered pillows in the island's far eastern reaches.</p>
<p>The poor village is remote, and Nengah spends her days in a heap, staring at hands that lie in her lap like dry leaves.</p>
<p>PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/photo-galleries/5650487/punks-fight-law-and-law-wins" type="external">In Indonesia, punk community struggles for acceptance under Sharia law</a></p>
<p>Today, Nengah is not alone. Neighbors have gathered in the mid-July heat to watch as her brother uses a stone to break a chain that has bound her to a concrete pit - her home - for nearly a decade.</p>
<p>Nengah, whose full name is confidential, suffers from schizophrenia. After the 35-year-old violently attacked her stepmother in a blind rage nine years ago, her family decided they had to restrain her.</p>
<p>Her situation improved after local psychiatrist Luh Ketut Suryani arrived in the village in June to find Nengah naked, caged and filthy. The doctor consulted the family and prescribed medication. Later, Suryani helped get Nengah's family to free her from bondage.</p>
<p>Nengah's situation is not unique in Indonesia, where the mentally ill are often locked in chicken coops or chained up in family yards to prevent them from disturbing the community.</p>
<p>FROM INDONESIA: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/110829/indonesia-army-military-islamic-extremism-suharto-hardliners" type="external">Former high-ranking official admits to establishing violent Islamic group</a></p>
<p>A shortage of psychiatrists, limited mental health services, stigma and misinformation about mental illness are some of the reasons people here go without treatment. In a country of 240 million people, there are less than 600 psychiatrists, many of them based in urban centers.</p>
<p>Dr. Irmansyah, the director of mental health at Indonesia's Health Ministry, estimates that around 30,000 people are living in restraints, but gathering accurate information about them is difficult.</p>
<p>Last year the department of mental health announced "Meuju Bebas Pasung," a roadmap to free people in chains.</p>
<p>Officials say they are relying on community members to report cases like Nengah's. Then it will be up to local health officials to negotiate with the families for their release.</p>
<p>Since taking his position in April 2010, Irmansyah, who goes by one name, has worked hard to reach out to rural communities and create awareness about mental illness.</p>
<p>But he says mental health remains low on the government's priority list, particularly as it works toward meeting its Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, by 2015.</p>
<p>The United Nations-designated targets for development fall under eight categories, including reducing child mortality, fighting disease epidemics such as malaria and AIDS and improving maternal health.</p>
<p>The MDGs have become the universal gauge for development, and countries are judged by their ability to meet them. "But improving mental health services is not part of those goals," said Irmansyah, "so there is little incentive to spend on them."</p>
<p>The former Harvard University fellow knits his fingers over his government-issued khaki uniform and sighs through his stiff grey moustache when explaining the uphill battle to improve mental health care here.</p>
<p>"Awareness is rising that restraints are against human rights," said Irmansyah, but he worries that increasing depression among the elderly, behavioral disorders among teenagers and side effects of drug use will only increase the need for better care. "We need to be ready for these problems," he said.</p>
<p>For now, community outreach is limited, confined to a smattering of volunteers and concerned psychiatrists like Luh Ketut Suryani.</p>
<p>In 2005, she founded the Suryani Institute in Bali, which uses a combination of psychiatry, anti-psychotic medication and spiritualism to treat mental illness.</p>
<p>Many Indonesians still regard mental illness as a curse caused by black magic and best treated by a spiritualist rather than a medical doctor. Suryani believes doctors should draw on local beliefs and religious figures to instill trust, a key to helping mentally ill patients recover.</p>
<p>In 2009 the governor of Bali committed $115 million to a program led by her institute to identify and treat people with mental illness in Karangasem, one of Bali's poorest districts.</p>
<p>Suryani estimates that as many as 2,000 people in the district suffer from chronic mental illness.</p>
<p>With the government's support she was able to reach out to more than 320 patients, but a year later her funding was cut. She now works to raise her own funds, but it's slow going.</p>
<p>Indonesia's Health Minister, Dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, says she understands the need for more resources, but her ministry has a limited amount of money to put toward tackling Indonesia's raft of health issues.</p>
<p>Still, while only 2.3 percent of the total national budget goes toward health care, less than 1 percent of that amount is put toward mental health.</p>
<p>More people came forward to request help for mental illness when Suryani first began seeing patients under the government-funded program. And despite budget cuts, she still sees as many patients as she can. She currently sees around 450 patients, but her limited time and resources make repeat visits difficult.</p>
<p>During a recent visit she checked on Made, a schizophrenic she has been treating since 2009.</p>
<p>Made's older brother and caretaker fielded the doctor's questions: How many hours a night does Made sleep, and where? What does he eat?</p>
<p>Made stood in the yard nearby, tugging at his shirt and looking down in what seemed a bashful pose.</p>
<p>Suryani, whose long silver hair gives her a warm, grandmotherly look, asked him how he was responding to the medication. He held out his arms to show they were steady - a side effect of anti-psychotic drugs is often tremors.</p>
<p>It took Suryani making visits to Nengah's family every week for a month before they agreed to negotiate her release. But in the future they will handle the majority of her treatment.</p>
<p>Komang Gede, one of Suryani's assistants, worries they may not be ready. "The family has suffered a trauma," he said.</p>
<p>Relapses are common in remote areas where people are unable to return to mental hospitals for regular treatment. "When families spend lots of money on assistance and people continue to relapse they give up and turn to restraints," said Irmansyah.</p>
<p>The lack of follow-up only entrenches the problem.</p>
<p>FROM INDONESIA: : <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/110527/indonesia-the-next-silicon-valley" type="external">The next Silicon Valley?</a></p>
<p>"If we stop treatment and people have not recovered then we must start again from the beginning, and that is not as effective," said Suryani, who tells patients that recovering from mental illness is a lifelong process.</p>
<p>Increasing access to services is essential, but so too is improving the quality of Indonesia's mental health hospitals, says Irmansyah, who tells stories of overcrowding and abusive staff.</p>
<p>Until the country gets serious about treating mental illness humanely, Irmansyah says freedom like Nengah's will only be symbolic.</p>
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abang indonesia harsh tropical sunlight dapples balis touristthronged beaches streams fingers palm leaf lands shoulders nengah slumps like rag doll amid pile tattered pillows islands far eastern reaches poor village remote nengah spends days heap staring hands lie lap like dry leaves photos indonesia punk community struggles acceptance sharia law today nengah alone neighbors gathered midjuly heat watch brother uses stone break chain bound concrete pit home nearly decade nengah whose full name confidential suffers schizophrenia 35yearold violently attacked stepmother blind rage nine years ago family decided restrain situation improved local psychiatrist luh ketut suryani arrived village june find nengah naked caged filthy doctor consulted family prescribed medication later suryani helped get nengahs family free bondage nengahs situation unique indonesia mentally ill often locked chicken coops chained family yards prevent disturbing community indonesia former highranking official admits establishing violent islamic group shortage psychiatrists limited mental health services stigma misinformation mental illness reasons people go without treatment country 240 million people less 600 psychiatrists many based urban centers dr irmansyah director mental health indonesias health ministry estimates around 30000 people living restraints gathering accurate information difficult last year department mental health announced meuju bebas pasung roadmap free people chains officials say relying community members report cases like nengahs local health officials negotiate families release since taking position april 2010 irmansyah goes one name worked hard reach rural communities create awareness mental illness says mental health remains low governments priority list particularly works toward meeting millennium development goals mdgs 2015 united nationsdesignated targets development fall eight categories including reducing child mortality fighting disease epidemics malaria aids improving maternal health mdgs become universal gauge development countries judged ability meet improving mental health services part goals said irmansyah little incentive spend former harvard university fellow knits fingers governmentissued khaki uniform sighs stiff grey moustache explaining uphill battle improve mental health care awareness rising restraints human rights said irmansyah worries increasing depression among elderly behavioral disorders among teenagers side effects drug use increase need better care need ready problems said community outreach limited confined smattering volunteers concerned psychiatrists like luh ketut suryani 2005 founded suryani institute bali uses combination psychiatry antipsychotic medication spiritualism treat mental illness many indonesians still regard mental illness curse caused black magic best treated spiritualist rather medical doctor suryani believes doctors draw local beliefs religious figures instill trust key helping mentally ill patients recover 2009 governor bali committed 115 million program led institute identify treat people mental illness karangasem one balis poorest districts suryani estimates many 2000 people district suffer chronic mental illness governments support able reach 320 patients year later funding cut works raise funds slow going indonesias health minister dr endang rahayu sedyaningsih says understands need resources ministry limited amount money put toward tackling indonesias raft health issues still 23 percent total national budget goes toward health care less 1 percent amount put toward mental health people came forward request help mental illness suryani first began seeing patients governmentfunded program despite budget cuts still sees many patients currently sees around 450 patients limited time resources make repeat visits difficult recent visit checked made schizophrenic treating since 2009 mades older brother caretaker fielded doctors questions many hours night made sleep eat made stood yard nearby tugging shirt looking seemed bashful pose suryani whose long silver hair gives warm grandmotherly look asked responding medication held arms show steady side effect antipsychotic drugs often tremors took suryani making visits nengahs family every week month agreed negotiate release future handle majority treatment komang gede one suryanis assistants worries may ready family suffered trauma said relapses common remote areas people unable return mental hospitals regular treatment families spend lots money assistance people continue relapse give turn restraints said irmansyah lack followup entrenches problem indonesia next silicon valley stop treatment people recovered must start beginning effective said suryani tells patients recovering mental illness lifelong process increasing access services essential improving quality indonesias mental health hospitals says irmansyah tells stories overcrowding abusive staff country gets serious treating mental illness humanely irmansyah says freedom like nengahs symbolic
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<p>Ledall Edwards doesn’t want to jump to the conclusion that a statue of A. Phillip Randolph—the civil rights leader who organized Pullman train porters—cost his Roseland Business Development Council some $27,000 in federal anti-poverty funds. But, in retrospect, he realizes that his support of the statue may have not only cost him a city contract but standing with an alderman and a voice in the neighborhood’s development.</p>
<p>In the 9th Ward, which includes most of the North Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods on the city’s South Side, the statue has become a divisive political issue. It was installed in 1997 on a city-owned vacant lot adjacent to a museum honoring Randolph. But 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale wants the statue relocated so that developers can bid on the vacant lot. Security guards, police, backhoe and crane operators were all used in an unsuccessful attempt to move it.</p>
<p>Less than a month after voicing support for leaving the statue alone, Edwards got a letter from the city notifying him that his agency would not receive Community Development Block Grant money, a federal program known as CDBG. Funding was also pulled for two other Roseland business development groups supporting the statue.</p>
<p>Each year tens of millions of dollars in block grant money flow from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to City Hall where they are then dispersed to neighborhoods throughout Chicago. For example, the city estimates that it will spend $125 million in block grant money this year—with $103 million coming from the federal government and the rest from loan repayments, land sales and unspent block grant funds from prior years. The Roseland Business Development Council had received block grant contracts to advise small neighborhood businesses nearly every year since 1980.</p>
<p>“Now we’re being cut out of the process,” said Edwards, the group’s director. “We kind of felt it was more political. I think the alderman played a large part in the process.”</p>
<p>Alderman Beale’s office said politics played no part. “The reason the money was dropped was because of a performance issue. [Edwards] did not go out and get the jobs and bring the businesses into the community,” said Rich Ringer, a spokesman for Beale.</p>
<p>Yet an April 2004 evaluation by the Department of Planning scored the Roseland Business Development Council at 89 percent in achieving the targets of its CDBG contract. The evaluation tracks how well agencies document their progress on the work plan laid out in their city contract. Edwards said the quarterly evaluation is the only document the city sends him to assess his performance.</p>
<p>The dispute underscores a debate over the CDBG funding process, which advocates say is responsive to neighborhood needs and critics say is fraught with ward politics.</p>
<p>“Are politics involved? Absolutely,” said Jacqueline Leavy, director of the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, a city budget watchdog group. “The aldermen have to sign off on CDBG contracts. This is not in federal law, it’s not in ordinance, but it’s the way it’s done.”</p>
<p>“This is how Mayor [Richard M.] Daley keeps the city council happy. He lets them have a greater voice in [tax increment financing] districts and city contracts,” she added.</p>
<p>While several aldermen said they are advised on which groups should receive block grant money and how much, some said that those conversations are just a part of the legislative process. Besides, others argue, the aldermen are best-equipped to make those choices.</p>
<p>Under prior CDBG contracts, Edwards linked Roseland-area businesses with the city’s facade-rebate programs and, perhaps most importantly, kept them plugged into City Hall dialogues about neighborhood development.</p>
<p>In November 2004, as he had in previous years, Edwards received a letter from the city’s planning department stating that the Roseland Council’s proposal had been “preliminarily recommended” for funding, but warned that all funding was subject to City Council approval.</p>
<p>Later that month, Edwards attended a community meeting in support of leaving the Randolph statue alone. Also attending were the heads of the Chicago Roseland Development Corporation and the Greater Roseland Community Development Corporation.</p>
<p>But, in his next communication with the city, Edwards learned that things had changed. This time the letter came from the city’s Office of Budget and Management. “This year, we received over 600 applications for a very limited number of grant awards. Unfortunately, your agency was not recommended for funding,” read the Dec. 15, 2004, letter from Jarese Wilson, managing deputy director for budget and management. “The decision to not recommend your agency for funding was extremely difficult. This year’s competition was filled with many good applications and the competition was high.”</p>
<p>Also dated Dec. 15, 2004, city budget documents indicating “corrections and revisions” for the planning department showed that block grant money for the three Roseland agencies—more than $90,000 in all—had been eliminated. Of the 52 business development groups listed, the Roseland agencies were the only ones to have their funding cut in any way.</p>
<p>“You would think people in City Hall would need to know resources need to be sent here,” said Edwards.</p>
<p>The city certifies that 70 percent of all block grant money will be used in areas where a majority of the residents are low- or moderate-income. In Chicago, CDBG money has paid for an array of innovative programs including a one-of-a-kind 911 response team in public housing and family violence prevention for immigrants.</p>
<p>But the money also plays a large role in bulking the payroll of many city departments. Of the $125 million in this year’s CDBG budget, more than $94 million will remain in City Hall. About $44 million pays for 564 positions in several city departments from planning to housing—and services delivered by those departments like employment, neighborhood planning and housing programs. Just $31 million goes directly to nonprofit agencies.</p>
<p>Lisa Schrader, spokeswoman for budget and management, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.</p>
<p>In 1972, President Richard Nixon ushered in the CDBG program as part of his “New Federalism” reforms that gave states and cities more control over how to use their federal funds. Nixon’s goal was to send development funds to states and cities, with few of the program requirements that marked earlier federal aid programs.</p>
<p>But the future of the program may be in jeopardy. In February, President George W. Bush’s budget proposal called for cutting the block grant funds in half. The proposal, which was voted down by both houses of Congress, was met with an uproar by city mayors. Mayor Daley referred to the potential loss of CDBG funds as a “life or death issue” for Chicago.</p>
<p />
<p>Several nonprofit program directors interviewed by The Chicago Reporter said the quality of their proposals was the top factor in deciding whether they would get funded. Yet, when asked about the role aldermen play in the CDBG process, their answers varied. Some were hesitant to respond, while others explicitly described the effect their alderman had on them receiving funding.</p>
<p>Aldermen have the power to alter an agency’s funding, even though block grant funds are allocated through a proposal process, said Ivan Medina, a professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago, who has spent 25 years working for nonprofits such as Gads Hill Center and Association House.</p>
<p>The process begins in May when would-be delegate agencies submit their proposals to various city departments. Over the summer, proposals are vetted for soundness and how well the agencies can serve low- and moderate-income households. By October, aldermen receive lists of agencies in their wards or serving clients in their wards from the Office of Budget and Management. Negotiations between aldermen, city departments and the Office of Budget and Management—over which agencies should receive more funding, less funding or no funding at all—continue until the City Council passes the budget at the end of November.</p>
<p>“It’s a little bit of a political process and it works both ways,” said Medina. “Certainly [the aldermen] don’t want to piss off an organization that is in their ward and might give them some bad press.”</p>
<p>But in practice that doesn’t mean aldermen will slash agency funding on the floor of city council, even if they have the power to do so, said Medina. “I don’t see a lot of aldermen completely cutting their agency off. What I have seen is an alderman lowering one grant in order to give somebody else a little bit more money.”</p>
<p>Kenny Ruiz, who directs street intervention programs for the YMCA in Humboldt Park, Pilsen and Little Village, said, “You want to inform [aldermen] of what you’re doing. So they don’t look foolish.”</p>
<p>When asked how important aldermen were in the CDBG funding process, Ruiz said, “Relationships are very key.”</p>
<p>“That’s the unspoken ground rule,” said Leavy. “Everyone knows. Everyone understands. You can’t have a viable application for [CDBG money] unless you have a working relationship with the alderman.”</p>
<p>But the head of one of the city’s largest nonprofit contractors disagrees. “It’s not as political as people are saying,” said Steven McCullough, president of Bethel New Life.</p>
<p>Bethel New Life received about $2.7 million in city contracts in 2004, nearly 20 percent of its $14.5 million budget, but less than $60,000 of it came from the block grant program, records show.</p>
<p>McCullough said the contracts helped provide several services in the Austin and West Garfield Park neighborhoods, like cultural arts programs, home-buyer counseling, low-income housing and bringing residents to CAPS meetings.</p>
<p>McCullough stressed that the quality of an agency’s application and its track record are the top two factors in getting block grant money.</p>
<p>He said a group’s relationship with their alderman is third. He said his group works closely with 28th Ward Alderman Ed Smith and 37th Ward Alderman Emma Mitts, but that didn’t keep Bethel New Life from publicly disagreeing with Mitts over a new Wal-Mart in the Austin neighborhood. “Alderman Mitts, who is a really good woman and who I have absolute admiration for, was a huge proponent of bringing Wal-Mart to the 37th Ward,” said McCullough. “We took the position that those jobs didn’t increase quality of life. They would do more harm than good.”</p>
<p>That’s a battle McCullough lost, though he says it won’t keep his organization and the alderman from working with one another. “I don’t think it jeopardized our relationship. I don’t think Alderman Mitts was playing that game.”</p>
<p>Mitts said she appreciates Bethel New Life’s work, but she has had sit-down meetings with McCullough to ask that the organization create more projects within her ward.</p>
<p>She griped that several other agencies in her ward seeking CDBG money have left her out of the loop, only approaching her for a letter of support after they had already submitted their proposal to the city. “I had a problem with that process,” said Mitts. “Well, if I haven’t saw what you submitted, now what am I supporting?”</p>
<p>But Patrick Salmon, president of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council, says that nonprofits overestimate what letters of support, from aldermen or other politicians, can do for them. “[The letter] might speak to your credibility but it’s not going to get you in the door to funding,” said Salmon, who added that nonprofits aren’t usually required to provide letters of support.</p>
<p>Salmon knows the process well. He is head of the Community Development Advisory Council, known as CDAC, which also has a say in block grant contracts. Its 45 members are made up mostly of nonprofit executives.</p>
<p>He stressed that the CDAC is an advisory council only; city departments aren’t bound to their recommendations.</p>
<p>What typically happens, Salmon explained, is that over the summer CDAC reviews nonprofit applications that have already been recommended by various city departments. For the most part, Salmon said the advisory council concurs with the departments.</p>
<p>The advisory council often steps in to advocate for agencies whose funding status is uncertain. They provide insider details that may explain an agency’s recent lackluster performance, like changes in management, board of directors or locations. While the advisory council can also recommend that an agency be cut for funding, Salmon said that rarely happens.</p>
<p>Currently city departments are charged with the task of verifying that agencies applying for funding are legitimate nonprofits. Salmon cautioned that many groups who submit proposals are in no way prepared to fulfill them. “When you narrow it down, there are an unbelievable number of organizations that have no more chance of being funded than the man in the moon,” he said.</p>
<p>Salmon added that CDAC used to visit each new nonprofit, and sometimes the groups weren’t legitimate. “We’d knock on the door, [and] here would be some big, fat, old lady with a frying pan and a night gown on and she’s the director of this so-called nonprofit organization,” he said.</p>
<p>When the CDBG program was founded more than 30 years ago, its aim was to return the decision-making process over federal development funds to local leaders. In Chicago, that’s been interpreted as making aldermen the arbiters of what community agencies are pulling their weight.</p>
<p>Each alderman gets a list of funding recommendations from the Office of Budget and Management in the fall. 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colón said he’s asked by that office to weigh in on groups that provide services to his constituents. “They ask us whether these organizations are performing or not performing,” said Colón.</p>
<p>Citing the 2005 budget year, Colón said block grant funding was stripped for the Armitage Chamber of Commerce. The group had changed its service area and “received many complaints,” Colón said.</p>
<p>“Sometimes you can advocate for organizations that didn’t make the cut. And you often have info about the effectiveness of organizations that the folks downtown don’t have,” said 4th Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle.</p>
<p>22nd Ward Alderman Ricardo Muñoz was more sanguine about the back-and-forth between aldermen, nonprofits and the city budget. “That, my friend, is the legislative process,” said Muñoz.</p>
<p>Complicating matters further is the fact that an agency’s service boundaries often extend over multiple wards. Agencies that offer workforce development, economic development, domestic violence prevention, or home-ownership counseling, might draw clients from many parts of the city. As a result, those groups might list several wards on their CDBG application—and several aldermen could have a say about the organization’s performance and funding. “We bump heads,” said Mitts.</p>
<p>She pointed to one example where she was asked to fund an organization that she’d never heard of. “They say they service my ward. I’ve been tempted, the last two years, to not fund them because I don’t know them,” she said.</p>
<p>Ongoing scandals have tainted the city’s contracting program. In 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the city paid over $40 million to dump truck operators that did little to no work. During the past year, the city has had to vet its certification process for minority-owned and women-owned firms due to the number of city contracts intended for those firms that were instead going to white-owned fronts.</p>
<p>But those familiar with the city’s contracting to nonprofits claim there isn’t enough money in it for a big-time scandal. “The big bucks in contracting are not to nonprofits but to huge public works contractors,” said Leavy of the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group.</p>
<p>Few, if any, nonprofits have grown fat off city contracts. The city does not front money for nonprofits. The groups spend their own money to provide services and get reimbursed by the city on a monthly or quarterly basis. The majority of city contracts fund the delivery of services, not general operating costs for staff time and office rent. For instance, Bethel New Life regularly dips into its operating budget to fulfill its CDBG contracts with the city, said McCullough, the agency’s president. “For the most part, the city tries to fund activity.”</p>
<p>Before being elected alderman, Colón had directed the Humboldt Park branches of both the YMCA and The Boys and Girls Club. When seeking city funding for these organizations, he “would have never gone to the alderman,” Colón said. Aided by their track record and name recognition, he lobbied for them through city departments.</p>
<p>Rosa Perea, executive director of the Juan Diego Community Center in South Chicago, also doesn’t go to her alderman. She doesn’t receive CDBG money but negotiates her agency’s $149,000 HIV Prevention contract directly with the city’s health department.</p>
<p>She said she feels 10th Ward Alderman John Pope acknowledges the work of the center but never supports their work because many of its clients are undocumented immigrants. “He knows that those people don’t vote,” Perea said. “So we don’t even make the effort to go and ask if he can help us. –¦ We can get it on our own. We’ve established a good reputation with the city.”</p>
<p>Pope did not return repeated requests for comment. Perea knows the Mexican immigrant community she serves is in dire need of the anonymous HIV testing and counseling. Still, she believes that accepting city money keeps her from getting the community organizing grants she truly desires. “The reason is that organizations that give money to organize—they don’t believe that it’s possible you can organize and do services,” said Perea. “You can do one or the other but not both together.” Frank Life and Sean Redmond helped research this article.</p>
<p>Frank Life and Sean Redmond helped research this article.</p>
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ledall edwards doesnt want jump conclusion statue phillip randolphthe civil rights leader organized pullman train porterscost roseland business development council 27000 federal antipoverty funds retrospect realizes support statue may cost city contract standing alderman voice neighborhoods development 9th ward includes north pullman roseland neighborhoods citys south side statue become divisive political issue installed 1997 cityowned vacant lot adjacent museum honoring randolph 9th ward alderman anthony beale wants statue relocated developers bid vacant lot security guards police backhoe crane operators used unsuccessful attempt move less month voicing support leaving statue alone edwards got letter city notifying agency would receive community development block grant money federal program known cdbg funding also pulled two roseland business development groups supporting statue year tens millions dollars block grant money flow us department housing urban development city hall dispersed neighborhoods throughout chicago example city estimates spend 125 million block grant money yearwith 103 million coming federal government rest loan repayments land sales unspent block grant funds prior years roseland business development council received block grant contracts advise small neighborhood businesses nearly every year since 1980 cut process said edwards groups director kind felt political think alderman played large part process alderman beales office said politics played part reason money dropped performance issue edwards go get jobs bring businesses community said rich ringer spokesman beale yet april 2004 evaluation department planning scored roseland business development council 89 percent achieving targets cdbg contract evaluation tracks well agencies document progress work plan laid city contract edwards said quarterly evaluation document city sends assess performance dispute underscores debate cdbg funding process advocates say responsive neighborhood needs critics say fraught ward politics politics involved absolutely said jacqueline leavy director neighborhood capital budget group city budget watchdog group aldermen sign cdbg contracts federal law ordinance way done mayor richard daley keeps city council happy lets greater voice tax increment financing districts city contracts added several aldermen said advised groups receive block grant money much said conversations part legislative process besides others argue aldermen bestequipped make choices prior cdbg contracts edwards linked roselandarea businesses citys facaderebate programs perhaps importantly kept plugged city hall dialogues neighborhood development november 2004 previous years edwards received letter citys planning department stating roseland councils proposal preliminarily recommended funding warned funding subject city council approval later month edwards attended community meeting support leaving randolph statue alone also attending heads chicago roseland development corporation greater roseland community development corporation next communication city edwards learned things changed time letter came citys office budget management year received 600 applications limited number grant awards unfortunately agency recommended funding read dec 15 2004 letter jarese wilson managing deputy director budget management decision recommend agency funding extremely difficult years competition filled many good applications competition high also dated dec 15 2004 city budget documents indicating corrections revisions planning department showed block grant money three roseland agenciesmore 90000 allhad eliminated 52 business development groups listed roseland agencies ones funding cut way would think people city hall would need know resources need sent said edwards city certifies 70 percent block grant money used areas majority residents low moderateincome chicago cdbg money paid array innovative programs including oneofakind 911 response team public housing family violence prevention immigrants money also plays large role bulking payroll many city departments 125 million years cdbg budget 94 million remain city hall 44 million pays 564 positions several city departments planning housingand services delivered departments like employment neighborhood planning housing programs 31 million goes directly nonprofit agencies lisa schrader spokeswoman budget management respond repeated requests comment 1972 president richard nixon ushered cdbg program part new federalism reforms gave states cities control use federal funds nixons goal send development funds states cities program requirements marked earlier federal aid programs future program may jeopardy february president george w bushs budget proposal called cutting block grant funds half proposal voted houses congress met uproar city mayors mayor daley referred potential loss cdbg funds life death issue chicago several nonprofit program directors interviewed chicago reporter said quality proposals top factor deciding whether would get funded yet asked role aldermen play cdbg process answers varied hesitant respond others explicitly described effect alderman receiving funding aldermen power alter agencys funding even though block grant funds allocated proposal process said ivan medina professor social work loyola university chicago spent 25 years working nonprofits gads hill center association house process begins may wouldbe delegate agencies submit proposals various city departments summer proposals vetted soundness well agencies serve low moderateincome households october aldermen receive lists agencies wards serving clients wards office budget management negotiations aldermen city departments office budget managementover agencies receive funding less funding funding allcontinue city council passes budget end november little bit political process works ways said medina certainly aldermen dont want piss organization ward might give bad press practice doesnt mean aldermen slash agency funding floor city council even power said medina dont see lot aldermen completely cutting agency seen alderman lowering one grant order give somebody else little bit money kenny ruiz directs street intervention programs ymca humboldt park pilsen little village said want inform aldermen youre dont look foolish asked important aldermen cdbg funding process ruiz said relationships key thats unspoken ground rule said leavy everyone knows everyone understands cant viable application cdbg money unless working relationship alderman head one citys largest nonprofit contractors disagrees political people saying said steven mccullough president bethel new life bethel new life received 27 million city contracts 2004 nearly 20 percent 145 million budget less 60000 came block grant program records show mccullough said contracts helped provide several services austin west garfield park neighborhoods like cultural arts programs homebuyer counseling lowincome housing bringing residents caps meetings mccullough stressed quality agencys application track record top two factors getting block grant money said groups relationship alderman third said group works closely 28th ward alderman ed smith 37th ward alderman emma mitts didnt keep bethel new life publicly disagreeing mitts new walmart austin neighborhood alderman mitts really good woman absolute admiration huge proponent bringing walmart 37th ward said mccullough took position jobs didnt increase quality life would harm good thats battle mccullough lost though says wont keep organization alderman working one another dont think jeopardized relationship dont think alderman mitts playing game mitts said appreciates bethel new lifes work sitdown meetings mccullough ask organization create projects within ward griped several agencies ward seeking cdbg money left loop approaching letter support already submitted proposal city problem process said mitts well havent saw submitted supporting patrick salmon president back yards neighborhood council says nonprofits overestimate letters support aldermen politicians letter might speak credibility going get door funding said salmon added nonprofits arent usually required provide letters support salmon knows process well head community development advisory council known cdac also say block grant contracts 45 members made mostly nonprofit executives stressed cdac advisory council city departments arent bound recommendations typically happens salmon explained summer cdac reviews nonprofit applications already recommended various city departments part salmon said advisory council concurs departments advisory council often steps advocate agencies whose funding status uncertain provide insider details may explain agencys recent lackluster performance like changes management board directors locations advisory council also recommend agency cut funding salmon said rarely happens currently city departments charged task verifying agencies applying funding legitimate nonprofits salmon cautioned many groups submit proposals way prepared fulfill narrow unbelievable number organizations chance funded man moon said salmon added cdac used visit new nonprofit sometimes groups werent legitimate wed knock door would big fat old lady frying pan night gown shes director socalled nonprofit organization said cdbg program founded 30 years ago aim return decisionmaking process federal development funds local leaders chicago thats interpreted making aldermen arbiters community agencies pulling weight alderman gets list funding recommendations office budget management fall 35th ward alderman rey colón said hes asked office weigh groups provide services constituents ask us whether organizations performing performing said colón citing 2005 budget year colón said block grant funding stripped armitage chamber commerce group changed service area received many complaints colón said sometimes advocate organizations didnt make cut often info effectiveness organizations folks downtown dont said 4th ward alderman toni preckwinkle 22nd ward alderman ricardo muñoz sanguine backandforth aldermen nonprofits city budget friend legislative process said muñoz complicating matters fact agencys service boundaries often extend multiple wards agencies offer workforce development economic development domestic violence prevention homeownership counseling might draw clients many parts city result groups might list several wards cdbg applicationand several aldermen could say organizations performance funding bump heads said mitts pointed one example asked fund organization shed never heard say service ward ive tempted last two years fund dont know said ongoing scandals tainted citys contracting program 2004 chicago suntimes reported city paid 40 million dump truck operators little work past year city vet certification process minorityowned womenowned firms due number city contracts intended firms instead going whiteowned fronts familiar citys contracting nonprofits claim isnt enough money bigtime scandal big bucks contracting nonprofits huge public works contractors said leavy neighborhood capital budget group nonprofits grown fat city contracts city front money nonprofits groups spend money provide services get reimbursed city monthly quarterly basis majority city contracts fund delivery services general operating costs staff time office rent instance bethel new life regularly dips operating budget fulfill cdbg contracts city said mccullough agencys president part city tries fund activity elected alderman colón directed humboldt park branches ymca boys girls club seeking city funding organizations would never gone alderman colón said aided track record name recognition lobbied city departments rosa perea executive director juan diego community center south chicago also doesnt go alderman doesnt receive cdbg money negotiates agencys 149000 hiv prevention contract directly citys health department said feels 10th ward alderman john pope acknowledges work center never supports work many clients undocumented immigrants knows people dont vote perea said dont even make effort go ask help us get weve established good reputation city pope return repeated requests comment perea knows mexican immigrant community serves dire need anonymous hiv testing counseling still believes accepting city money keeps getting community organizing grants truly desires reason organizations give money organizethey dont believe possible organize services said perea one together frank life sean redmond helped research article frank life sean redmond helped research article
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<p>In October this columnist visited Sanford Memorial Baptist Church at Brodnax, a small town east of South Hill, Va. The occasion was the church’s centennial. It was a grand and glorious celebration. Some church folks had even roasted a pig for the occasion and the barbeque was more popular than the fried chicken at the traditional dinner-on-the-grounds.</p>
<p>The church was full for the special day.&#160; For some, Sanford Memorial was the only church they had ever known. For others, it was a church they had joined late in life. Some attended that Sunday simply because of family ties.&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>In conversation it became evident that many knew little or nothing about the church’s namesake. Who was Sanford and why does the church bear his name?</p>
<p>We hardly can blame today’s generation for not knowing about a man who was active 100 years ago. Millard Fillmore Sanford was not some beloved early pastor or some influential layperson of the Brodnax church. He was not even from Southside Virginia. He had little lasting relationship to the church, but he had ignited the spark which resulted in the constituting of a church in the village so long ago.</p>
<p>In 1912 Sanford was an evangelist under appointment of what is known today as the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. His field was all of Virginia. One week he preached in Chilhowie in Southwest Virginia and the next in Brodnax in the southeastern area. And in the vast countryside in between those extremes he was well known and deeply loved. Of his half-century of preaching, he spent over 18 of those years as the state evangelist and became a household name during that period.&#160; During all those years of crossing the state, Sanford stayed mainly in the homes of the Baptist church folks and built relationships.</p>
<p>He held an evangelistic meeting at Brodnax and a small group of Baptists gathered in a borrowed room of the Methodist church and a church was constituted. At first, it simply was referred to by everyone as the Brodnax Baptist Church but someone felt that the evangelist was due more than a fried chicken dinner. They named the church after “Fill” Sanford.</p>
<p>If you had ever met Sanford, you would have remembered him. He was physically a big man and some said that it took a body so large to hold such a great heart. He was a powerful preacher and when regular preaching failed, he turned to song. In the middle of a sermon, he might break into one of his favorite hymns such as On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand.</p>
<p>He was thoroughly a Virginia Baptist. Born in 1852 at Montross in Westmoreland County, he grew up and was born again in Nomini Baptist Church in the Northern Neck. Before he even entered the ministry, as a young man, he was a good Baptist layman, serving his home church as a deacon, clerk, treasurer and committee member. At age 20, he was enjoying attending the district association meetings and learning about the Baptist machinery. He was given the traditional education of old Richmond College, the Baptist school; and after college, he began a lifetime of ministerial service.</p>
<p>At age 23, he married Eleanor Nevitt; and three years later, he was serving on a field of churches in Essex County. In 1882, he helped constitute a new church plant called Currioman which came out of Nomini. Sanford took an inheritance from his mother and paid his own money to build a church house. He remained at the small new church for six years; and in 1888 he left the Northern Neck for other pastoral fields which over time included churches on the Eastern Shore; in Southside, including Burkeville, Crewe and Blackstone; in Stuart in the mountains of Patrick County; and in Central Virginia around Culpeper. There were more churches than space permits to name.&#160;</p>
<p>Along the way, “Fill” and Eleanor were blessed with enough children to create their own church! They had 10, including a preacher-son, T. Ryland Sanford, a football star at Richmond College who some identify as the original Spider, the man behind the mascot. “T. Ryland” also made a name for himself by throwing his influence behind the Chatham Training School which became known as Hargrave Military Academy. For awhile, Eleanor even taught in her son’s academy.</p>
<p>When Sanford became the state evangelist in 1912, he broadened his base to include all of Virginia.&#160; At meetings of the General Association his large frame and jovial laugh was instantly recognized. He became one of those powerful personalities which almost embodied what it meant to be a Virginia Baptist.</p>
<p>Like the author of the faith, he attracted children. The late Edith Healy, an historian of Nomini Church and a relative of Sanford, once reminisced about the times when Sanford would come calling when she was a child. “His visits were special events in our home. We waited impatiently for the grown-ups to get out of the way and to hear him say, ‘Come here children and I’ll tell you a tale.’ And what tales they were. Seventy years later, I could tell them. We thought of him as a saint but such a saint as could have fun and enjoy life. An [elderly] relative who lived with us became an invalid and used to say, ‘I wish Brother Fill would come to see us.&#160; I feel nearer the Lord when he is here.’ ”</p>
<p>The words of that old person from long ago may have summed up the reason why the constituent members of the church at Brodnax felt led to name their new church after the state evangelist. Like that old person, they must have felt “nearer the Lord” because of the presence of Millard Fillmore Sanford.</p>
<p>Many of those gathered for that centennial service at Brodnax learned for the first time about “Fill” Sanford, the namesake of their church; and perhaps when someone asks them about the significance of their church’s name, they can respond, “Now, let me tell you ….”&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Fred Anderson ( <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>) is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage &amp; Studies.</p>
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october columnist visited sanford memorial baptist church brodnax small town east south hill va occasion churchs centennial grand glorious celebration church folks even roasted pig occasion barbeque popular fried chicken traditional dinneronthegrounds church full special day160 sanford memorial church ever known others church joined late life attended sunday simply family ties160 conversation became evident many knew little nothing churchs namesake sanford church bear name hardly blame todays generation knowing man active 100 years ago millard fillmore sanford beloved early pastor influential layperson brodnax church even southside virginia little lasting relationship church ignited spark resulted constituting church village long ago 1912 sanford evangelist appointment known today virginia baptist mission board field virginia one week preached chilhowie southwest virginia next brodnax southeastern area vast countryside extremes well known deeply loved halfcentury preaching spent 18 years state evangelist became household name period160 years crossing state sanford stayed mainly homes baptist church folks built relationships held evangelistic meeting brodnax small group baptists gathered borrowed room methodist church church constituted first simply referred everyone brodnax baptist church someone felt evangelist due fried chicken dinner named church fill sanford ever met sanford would remembered physically big man said took body large hold great heart powerful preacher regular preaching failed turned song middle sermon might break one favorite hymns jordans stormy banks stand thoroughly virginia baptist born 1852 montross westmoreland county grew born nomini baptist church northern neck even entered ministry young man good baptist layman serving home church deacon clerk treasurer committee member age 20 enjoying attending district association meetings learning baptist machinery given traditional education old richmond college baptist school college began lifetime ministerial service age 23 married eleanor nevitt three years later serving field churches essex county 1882 helped constitute new church plant called currioman came nomini sanford took inheritance mother paid money build church house remained small new church six years 1888 left northern neck pastoral fields time included churches eastern shore southside including burkeville crewe blackstone stuart mountains patrick county central virginia around culpeper churches space permits name160 along way fill eleanor blessed enough children create church 10 including preacherson ryland sanford football star richmond college identify original spider man behind mascot ryland also made name throwing influence behind chatham training school became known hargrave military academy awhile eleanor even taught sons academy sanford became state evangelist 1912 broadened base include virginia160 meetings general association large frame jovial laugh instantly recognized became one powerful personalities almost embodied meant virginia baptist like author faith attracted children late edith healy historian nomini church relative sanford reminisced times sanford would come calling child visits special events home waited impatiently grownups get way hear say come children ill tell tale tales seventy years later could tell thought saint saint could fun enjoy life elderly relative lived us became invalid used say wish brother fill would come see us160 feel nearer lord words old person long ago may summed reason constituent members church brodnax felt led name new church state evangelist like old person must felt nearer lord presence millard fillmore sanford many gathered centennial service brodnax learned first time fill sanford namesake church perhaps someone asks significance churchs name respond let tell 160160 fred anderson fredandersonvbmborg executive director virginia baptist historical society center baptist heritage amp studies
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<p>Selecting a principal is a local school council’s most significant—and most daunting—responsibility. Many council members put in long evening and weekend hours sifting through resumes, organizing community forums and interviewing candidates. Sometimes their hard work pays off; sometimes it does not. Parents on four local school councils shared with Catalyst the strategies that helped them pick a winner and the mistakes they hope other councils will avoid.</p>
<p>DeFrance Eiland</p>
<p>Parent member, vice chair</p>
<p>Wendell Smith Elementary, Pullman</p>
<p>Occupation: CTA bus driver</p>
<p>What worked: Written guidelines, interviewing all candidates, visiting finalists’ schools</p>
<p>The LSC elected at Wendell Smith in 2002 knew it was working in a fish bowl. The School Board had removed the previous principal and disbanded the LSC for, among other things, intractable conflicts between the two. “We knew there were lots of eyes on us,” says Pamela Davis-Holloway, a parent who was on the new LSC. “We had to do everything right.”</p>
<p>The new council wrote guidelines that included personality traits, such as integrity, as well as experience. It interviewed every candidate who applied, roughly 40. It invited the community to a public forum to hear the three finalists, and it went to the finalists’ schools and interviewed parents, teachers and children there.</p>
<p>“We wanted to make sure that he had positive interactions with students,” says DeFrance Eiland, a parent LSC member.</p>
<p>The council wound up making an unusual choice, someone who had not come up through the ranks of CPS. It picked, Jarvis Sanford, a newly certified principal who had spent time outside the system and went through the alternative principal training program called New Leaders for New Schools. In selecting Sanford, Smith became one of the first two neighborhood schools in Chicago to hire someone from New Leaders.</p>
<p>“[Sanford] just struck me to be the right one,” says Eiland. “He said he came by the neighborhood after the first interview and asked about the school. That told me that this is a guy who genuinely cares about the job.”</p>
<p>Linda Calloway</p>
<p>Community representative, former chair</p>
<p>Brennemann Elementary, Edgewater</p>
<p>Occupation: Assistant director, childcare center</p>
<p>What didn’t work: Time pressure, inadequate background check</p>
<p>When Linda Calloway began her service as an LSC member at Brennemann Elementary in July 2002, she quickly came to feel there was something wrong with Principal Steve Hara and how he had been selected.</p>
<p>Small things, like mailings, didn’t get done the way they should, she says. “It was always something,” she recalls. Rumors had it that Hara had been hired quickly and with very little community input.</p>
<p>“The new LSC members were very concerned,” she says, “and we spent most of the summer trying to get good information about [Hara].”</p>
<p>Calloway’s fears were largely confirmed by Clara Williams-Okoue, a former community representative who had voted for Hara in spring 2002. “We only knew about what he put on the resume,” says Williams-Okoue, who taught at Brennemann for many years before retiring and joining the LSC. “We didn’t know that he had been put out of a school, and no one checked to see what went on there.”</p>
<p>The School Board had removed Hara from Daley Academy in Back of the Yards, according to former Chief Accountability Officer Philip Hansen. Hara was working in central office when he applied for the Brennemann job. LSC members say they took his central office position as a sign that he was well-regarded.</p>
<p>Williams-Okoue blames lack of time for the oversights. The former LSC chair started the process late, she says, and the council feared that if it didn’t move quickly, the School Board would appoint an interim.</p>
<p>The new council explored the possibilities for challenging Hara’s contract, but the board’s Law Department said that proper procedure had been followed. The council and Hara have been at odds ever since, prompting a series of investigations by the School Board. A board spokesman says the situation is still under review.</p>
<p>Walter Paas</p>
<p>Parent member, chair</p>
<p>Jones High School, South Loop</p>
<p>Occupation: Vinyl record importer</p>
<p>What worked: A thorough search, the right contacts</p>
<p>When the principal of Jones High, an elite magnet school, won promotion to area instructional officer, the LSC didn’t rush to replace her. Instead, it followed her advice and that of two top district administrators to go slow.</p>
<p>“They emphasized that we should take our time and be very deliberate and get who we wanted,” says Walter Paas, the Jones LSC chair.</p>
<p>The council advertised locally in a school district bulletin, nationally on a principal association website and in the International Herald Tribune. This outreach brought in 49 applicants, one from England.</p>
<p>Since LSCs have no budget for principal selection, Paas charged about $250 on his credit card, and the school later agreed to reimburse him.</p>
<p>Typically, LSCs that want to spend money on principal selection hold bake sales or other fundraisers, according to William Rice of the Office of Local School Council Relations.</p>
<p>Only about 5 percent advertise beyond the district’s e-bulletin, he says, in part because it’s hard to place an ad sufficiently in advance of the application deadline.</p>
<p>Paas also reached beyond the LSC relations office for assistance on a variety of matters, calling Domingo Trujillo of the Office of Instruction and School Management, Carlos Azcoitia, then deputy chief education officer, and even Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan.</p>
<p>Those central office contacts helped the winning candidate, a recent doctoral graduate from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, navigate the red tape of matching his out-of-state credentials with local requirements.</p>
<p>The search took five months, and Paas said it was worth the time. Under the new principal’s leadership, Jones has a state-of-the-art tutoring program and its highest attendance rate ever, he reports. “Things are going well.”</p>
<p>Vanessa Atkins</p>
<p>Parent member, chair</p>
<p>Deneen Elementary, Greater Grand Crossing</p>
<p>Occupation: Stay-at-home mom</p>
<p>What didn’t work: Insufficient training, too little research</p>
<p>In January 2003, the Deneen LSC began a principal search that by April had ended in deadlock. Unable to agree on a candidate, the LSC advertised the position again. By the time Vanessa Atkins, the LSC chair, thought to suggest more training for the LSC, the group was too exhausted to think about it, she says. “Everything we did was blind and on trial and error.”</p>
<p>Poor interviews were one problem, she says. The council stuck to a few basic questions, such as, Why do you want to be a principal? What do you want to do for Deneen? Atkins ventured a few generic ones she had learned as a billing department supervisor, such as, what are your three greatest strengths and weaknesses? But nobody knew how to question candidates specifically on the many facets of the principal’s role, she says.</p>
<p>The council’s school visits weren’t as productive as they could be either. The Office of Local School Council Relations had warned council members not to interrupt classes, but they thought that meant they shouldn’t speak to teachers at all. “Most of the people we talked to were at the front desk,” she recalls. “One parent [member] did talk with the lunchroom staff.”</p>
<p>In July, the council selected a principal Atkins now finds insufficiently experienced. She thinks the School Board ought to put all councils through mock candidate interviews as part of their basic training.</p>
<p>The board training that she and two other parents attended last January stuck to the mechanics of principal selection, such as placing an ad and deciding how many applicants to interview. “They spent 30 minutes talking about it, and that was it.”</p>
<p>Dion Miller Perez</p>
<p>Community member</p>
<p>Finkl Elementary, Lower West Side</p>
<p>Occupation: Coordinator, school reform group</p>
<p>What worked: Good training, thorough interviews</p>
<p>Four years ago, Finkl’s principal became the first to test a new law allowing principals who fail to get their contracts renewed to challenge the decision through arbitration. Although the principal lost the dispute, the stressful process could have hobbled the council in its search for her successor, says Dion Miller Perez, a community representative who was then LSC chair.</p>
<p>But with help from a program created by a business group in 1998 to guide LSCs through the selection process, the search went smoothly. Called PENCUL, for Partnership to Educate the Next Century’s Urban Leaders, the program provided knowledgeable consultants to advise LSCs on procedures.</p>
<p>First, it helped the Finkl council set criteria for judging applicants. That made the final selection more objective and less controversial, says Perez. “Instead of it being simply, ‘Do I like this candidate, it was ‘Does this candidate meet the criteria?”</p>
<p>The consultant also helped the council develop detailed interview questions. For instance, instead of asking candidates how they interacted with others, they broke that question into parts, and asked them to describe separately how they interacted with different groups, such as parents and teachers.</p>
<p>Candidates’ responses were telling. When asked to describe his management style, one assistant principal replied, “‘I was in the army, and when I say go, I expect people to go.'” Perez recalls. Another candidate said, “‘My style is to listen.’ Yes, but how do you act on that input? The person couldn’t tell us.’ “</p>
<p>This school year, PENCUL was discontinued for lack of funding. “It’s a huge loss,” says Perez.</p>
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selecting principal local school councils significantand dauntingresponsibility many council members put long evening weekend hours sifting resumes organizing community forums interviewing candidates sometimes hard work pays sometimes parents four local school councils shared catalyst strategies helped pick winner mistakes hope councils avoid defrance eiland parent member vice chair wendell smith elementary pullman occupation cta bus driver worked written guidelines interviewing candidates visiting finalists schools lsc elected wendell smith 2002 knew working fish bowl school board removed previous principal disbanded lsc among things intractable conflicts two knew lots eyes us says pamela davisholloway parent new lsc everything right new council wrote guidelines included personality traits integrity well experience interviewed every candidate applied roughly 40 invited community public forum hear three finalists went finalists schools interviewed parents teachers children wanted make sure positive interactions students says defrance eiland parent lsc member council wound making unusual choice someone come ranks cps picked jarvis sanford newly certified principal spent time outside system went alternative principal training program called new leaders new schools selecting sanford smith became one first two neighborhood schools chicago hire someone new leaders sanford struck right one says eiland said came neighborhood first interview asked school told guy genuinely cares job linda calloway community representative former chair brennemann elementary edgewater occupation assistant director childcare center didnt work time pressure inadequate background check linda calloway began service lsc member brennemann elementary july 2002 quickly came feel something wrong principal steve hara selected small things like mailings didnt get done way says always something recalls rumors hara hired quickly little community input new lsc members concerned says spent summer trying get good information hara calloways fears largely confirmed clara williamsokoue former community representative voted hara spring 2002 knew put resume says williamsokoue taught brennemann many years retiring joining lsc didnt know put school one checked see went school board removed hara daley academy back yards according former chief accountability officer philip hansen hara working central office applied brennemann job lsc members say took central office position sign wellregarded williamsokoue blames lack time oversights former lsc chair started process late says council feared didnt move quickly school board would appoint interim new council explored possibilities challenging haras contract boards law department said proper procedure followed council hara odds ever since prompting series investigations school board board spokesman says situation still review walter paas parent member chair jones high school south loop occupation vinyl record importer worked thorough search right contacts principal jones high elite magnet school promotion area instructional officer lsc didnt rush replace instead followed advice two top district administrators go slow emphasized take time deliberate get wanted says walter paas jones lsc chair council advertised locally school district bulletin nationally principal association website international herald tribune outreach brought 49 applicants one england since lscs budget principal selection paas charged 250 credit card school later agreed reimburse typically lscs want spend money principal selection hold bake sales fundraisers according william rice office local school council relations 5 percent advertise beyond districts ebulletin says part hard place ad sufficiently advance application deadline paas also reached beyond lsc relations office assistance variety matters calling domingo trujillo office instruction school management carlos azcoitia deputy chief education officer even chief executive officer arne duncan central office contacts helped winning candidate recent doctoral graduate university wisconsin madison navigate red tape matching outofstate credentials local requirements search took five months paas said worth time new principals leadership jones stateoftheart tutoring program highest attendance rate ever reports things going well vanessa atkins parent member chair deneen elementary greater grand crossing occupation stayathome mom didnt work insufficient training little research january 2003 deneen lsc began principal search april ended deadlock unable agree candidate lsc advertised position time vanessa atkins lsc chair thought suggest training lsc group exhausted think says everything blind trial error poor interviews one problem says council stuck basic questions want principal want deneen atkins ventured generic ones learned billing department supervisor three greatest strengths weaknesses nobody knew question candidates specifically many facets principals role says councils school visits werent productive could either office local school council relations warned council members interrupt classes thought meant shouldnt speak teachers people talked front desk recalls one parent member talk lunchroom staff july council selected principal atkins finds insufficiently experienced thinks school board ought put councils mock candidate interviews part basic training board training two parents attended last january stuck mechanics principal selection placing ad deciding many applicants interview spent 30 minutes talking dion miller perez community member finkl elementary lower west side occupation coordinator school reform group worked good training thorough interviews four years ago finkls principal became first test new law allowing principals fail get contracts renewed challenge decision arbitration although principal lost dispute stressful process could hobbled council search successor says dion miller perez community representative lsc chair help program created business group 1998 guide lscs selection process search went smoothly called pencul partnership educate next centurys urban leaders program provided knowledgeable consultants advise lscs procedures first helped finkl council set criteria judging applicants made final selection objective less controversial says perez instead simply like candidate candidate meet criteria consultant also helped council develop detailed interview questions instance instead asking candidates interacted others broke question parts asked describe separately interacted different groups parents teachers candidates responses telling asked describe management style one assistant principal replied army say go expect people go perez recalls another candidate said style listen yes act input person couldnt tell us school year pencul discontinued lack funding huge loss says perez
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<p>If anything was established on the fourth day of the Tour de France, it was that Lance Armstrong is not God.</p>
<p>Not because on the fourth day he didn’t create the fish and the fowl. But because on a day where he could have claimed the Tour lead and assumed the yellow jersey, Armstrong saw his Astana team come up one-tenth of a second short in the team time trial.</p>
<p>Still, the man who defied death, recovering from cancer to become the greatest champion in Tour history with seven straight triumphs, now seems intent on defying age. At 37, returning to competition this year after three-and-a-half years of retirement, and bouncing back from a broken collarbone earlier in the season, Armstrong is now in a virtual dead heat for the lead. And he appears to have convinced most everyone that he is not just along for the ride, but a serious contender for victory.</p>
<p>It is a long way and a long time — more than 3,000 miles and 19 days — to Paris so any definitive projections are premature and specious. About the only thing that now appears clear is that this race could get ugly.</p>
<p>Ugly, of course, kind of defines the Tour’s recent history when drug scandals, including the first-ever disqualification of a Tour winner, American Floyd Landis, overshadowed the races. While the French fans have welcomed Armstrong back with open arms and his presence undeniablely adds luster to the Tour, French authorities saw his comeback as an unwelcome reminder of a tarnished era. That feeling was compounded when he joined Astana, a team that was banned from last year’s tour because of drug violations. (Astana is now under new management.)</p>
<p>Given that so many riders were cheating with performance-enhancing drugs back in Armstrong’s heyday, the French brass never accepted that Lance could have beaten all comers for seven consecutive years as a clean rider. But while there was both circumstantial and anecdotal evidence that pointed the finger at Armstrong, there was never conclusive proof that he cheated. (The French, at one point, claimed that new tests on old Armstrong samples had revealed the presence of illegal drugs, but the scientific protocols and the chain of custody made the evidence suspect.)</p>
<p>French authorities must be distraught at Armstrong’s strong early showing and undoubtedly would never accept that a 37-year-old — the oldest man to win the race was 36 and that was back in 1922 — could win, indeed could even contend, without resorting to illegal drugs. But Armstrong can only do what he has always done: deny any allegations and point to the fact that he has never failed a drug test.</p>
<p>Beyond that now familiar melodrama, there’s also a good ugly in this year’s race — at least good for fans whose interest may not be rooted in the technical aspects of cycling. There’s a soap opera playing out on the Astana team and it is heating up by the day. When Armstrong joined the team, it already had a notable team leader in Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour champion who, at 26, is considered to be in his racing prime.</p>
<p>Armstrong made appropriately polite noises about how he was just privileged to be back competing and riding in such illustrious company. And he indicated that he was more than happy to play a supporting role in the Tour de France, as he did for teammate Levi Leipheimer earlier this year in the Tour of California. So Contador was designated the official team leader, wearing its number-one jersey, when the Tour commenced last Saturday.</p>
<p>But the unspoken caveat was “as long as he proves himself worthy.” And on the third day of racing, when a group from rival Team Columbia broke away from the pack, Armstrong was one of the few prominent racers who didn’t get trapped far back amid the dense mob in the peloton. As a result of his racing savvy, Armstrong leapfrogged from 10th place to third, one spot and 19 seconds ahead of Contador (and another 12 seconds ahead of Leipheimer, who had slipped to 10th).</p>
<p>The comments of the two Astana stars were reasonably muted. Still Armstrong’s accounting of what happened — “good positioning, experience, a little luck” — appeared to contain some suggestion of a lesson for his younger compatriot. And Contador seemed not entirely pleased, though he would not have been happy with that result even if Armstrong hadn’t been cruising ahead. “I’m not going to evaluate the team strategy because everyone will draw their conclusions anyway,” Contador said afterwards. “In any case, the Tour won’t be decided by what happened today.”</p>
<p>Armstrong wholeheartedly agreed with that assessment. But when Astana lined up for the 24.2-mile, team time trial this afternoon, all talk was now of its co-leaders. And because of Monday’s result, Armstrong was the co-leader positioned to reap the biggest reward, the yellow jersey, if Astana came through with a big win.</p>
<p>Indeed Astana looked like Team Harmony as it cycled to a big win — just not big enough. For Lance to wear yellow, Astana had to beat the Saxo Bank team with Tour leader Fabio Cancellara by more than 40 seconds and only surpassed its rivals by exactly 40 seconds.</p>
<p>Cancellara ought to be able to keep wearing yellow for a few more days, at least until the weekend when the Tour leaves Barcelona and begins three tough days, almost 450 miles of mountainous terrain through the Pyrenees. And at the point, the race will be wide open and should begin to reveal the contenders as well as the pretenders.</p>
<p>Armstrong’s early performance certainly suggests he is among the former. But his race could prove to be remarkable and still fall short of serious contention. Today may have been Lance’s best chance to wear the yellow jersey one last time.</p>
<p>Read more on Lance Armstrong:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/090413/lance-armstrong-the-french-and-mysterious-bathroom-break" type="external">Lance Armstrong, the French, and a mysterious bathroom break</a></p>
<p>Read more on sports:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/090702/wimbledon-womens-final" type="external">The well-rounded Williams sisters</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/090623/when-rome" type="external">The NBA draft: A global dance featuring an interesting Italian subplot</a></p>
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anything established fourth day tour de france lance armstrong god fourth day didnt create fish fowl day could claimed tour lead assumed yellow jersey armstrong saw astana team come onetenth second short team time trial still man defied death recovering cancer become greatest champion tour history seven straight triumphs seems intent defying age 37 returning competition year threeandahalf years retirement bouncing back broken collarbone earlier season armstrong virtual dead heat lead appears convinced everyone along ride serious contender victory long way long time 3000 miles 19 days paris definitive projections premature specious thing appears clear race could get ugly ugly course kind defines tours recent history drug scandals including firstever disqualification tour winner american floyd landis overshadowed races french fans welcomed armstrong back open arms presence undeniablely adds luster tour french authorities saw comeback unwelcome reminder tarnished era feeling compounded joined astana team banned last years tour drug violations astana new management given many riders cheating performanceenhancing drugs back armstrongs heyday french brass never accepted lance could beaten comers seven consecutive years clean rider circumstantial anecdotal evidence pointed finger armstrong never conclusive proof cheated french one point claimed new tests old armstrong samples revealed presence illegal drugs scientific protocols chain custody made evidence suspect french authorities must distraught armstrongs strong early showing undoubtedly would never accept 37yearold oldest man win race 36 back 1922 could win indeed could even contend without resorting illegal drugs armstrong always done deny allegations point fact never failed drug test beyond familiar melodrama theres also good ugly years race least good fans whose interest may rooted technical aspects cycling theres soap opera playing astana team heating day armstrong joined team already notable team leader alberto contador 2007 tour champion 26 considered racing prime armstrong made appropriately polite noises privileged back competing riding illustrious company indicated happy play supporting role tour de france teammate levi leipheimer earlier year tour california contador designated official team leader wearing numberone jersey tour commenced last saturday unspoken caveat long proves worthy third day racing group rival team columbia broke away pack armstrong one prominent racers didnt get trapped far back amid dense mob peloton result racing savvy armstrong leapfrogged 10th place third one spot 19 seconds ahead contador another 12 seconds ahead leipheimer slipped 10th comments two astana stars reasonably muted still armstrongs accounting happened good positioning experience little luck appeared contain suggestion lesson younger compatriot contador seemed entirely pleased though would happy result even armstrong hadnt cruising ahead im going evaluate team strategy everyone draw conclusions anyway contador said afterwards case tour wont decided happened today armstrong wholeheartedly agreed assessment astana lined 242mile team time trial afternoon talk coleaders mondays result armstrong coleader positioned reap biggest reward yellow jersey astana came big win indeed astana looked like team harmony cycled big win big enough lance wear yellow astana beat saxo bank team tour leader fabio cancellara 40 seconds surpassed rivals exactly 40 seconds cancellara ought able keep wearing yellow days least weekend tour leaves barcelona begins three tough days almost 450 miles mountainous terrain pyrenees point race wide open begin reveal contenders well pretenders armstrongs early performance certainly suggests among former race could prove remarkable still fall short serious contention today may lances best chance wear yellow jersey one last time read lance armstrong lance armstrong french mysterious bathroom break read sports wellrounded williams sisters nba draft global dance featuring interesting italian subplot
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<p>BEIRUT&#160; — Every chair, sofa and stool was filled at a Sunday night screening of the banned Israeli film “Waltz With Bashir” at an art gallery in Beirut.</p>
<p>But the doorbell kept ringing.</p>
<p>It wasn’t the police. It was 50 or so latecomers, looking to find a seat. None could be had, as more than 100 people had already arrived to view the film on a screen hung on the former warehouse’s bare wall.&#160;</p>
<p>“I tried to warn the owner here to get more chairs,” said Ziad, the organizer of the screening. “He didn’t. He thought 15 people would come.”</p>
<p>Ziad didn’t want his full name used in this article because it is illegal to sell, show or promote any Israeli products, including films, in Lebanon. The two countries have technically been at war since 1948. &#160;</p>
<p>Despite the ban, "Waltz with Bashir" has attracted a lot of attention in Beirut. The animated documentary details the experience of the film’s writer and director, Ari Folman, as he tries to recall his experience as a young soldier who took part in Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Folman eventually remembers his role in the massacre of Palestinian civilians at Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in September 1982, in which an estimated 800 to 2,000 Palestinian civilians were killed at the hands of Christian militiamen allied with Israel.</p>
<p>For two days, the Israeli army watched from nearby, firing flares at night to light the militia’s way. The Israelis deny they ordered or had knowledge of the massacre. They say the Christians were supposed to go into the camp and root out Palestinian fighters.</p>
<p>But just days before, the Christian militia’s leader and Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel (the “Bashir” in the film’s title), had been assassinated. An Israeli investigation later found the Israeli military was “indirectly responsible” for the massacre. It was hardly surprising the Christians would have sought revenge on the Palestinians, who they had fought for the previous seven years of Lebanon’s civil war.</p>
<p>The subject matter is sensitive in Lebanon, where Gemayel’s brother, Amin Gemayel, runs the party&#160;whose militia was responsible for the massacre&#160;— the party is called&#160;the Kata’eb, or Phalange. The party headquarters sits just a few blocks away from the art gallery. And now, pirated DVD copies of "Waltz with Bashir" are available in the very camp where the massacre took place.</p>
<p>“It should be sold normally, like a normal movie,” said 21-year-old Palestinian Ramez Housari, who owns a pirate DVD shop on a Shatila camp street that was partially flooded with sewage on a recent rainy Monday morning.&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Despite having lost three uncles in the massacre, Housari sells copies of "Waltz with Bashir" for about $1.30 each. He says the camp’s popular committee, kind of the camp’s city council, say they’re interested in screening the film.&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>"They said the at the next commemoration of the Shatila massacre they will put this film, for people to watch it, and compare the film to what happened in reality,” Housari said. &#160;</p>
<p>Housari's feelings about the film are twofold. He says it was beautiful, but didn’t show the full horror of the massacre. But he says even then, he understands why the Lebanese government would ban it. He says many Palestinians would probably having a “feeling of rage” if they saw it.</p>
<p>At the screening, some couldn’t agree with him more, though for different reasons. Lama Matta said reminding everyone in Lebanon that the Christians sided with the Israelis during Lebanon’s civil war is a part of history she’d just as soon forget.</p>
<p>“I’m against putting this movie in every store or in the cinema,” Matta said. “We have enough problems as it is in Lebanon already. By putting this film, we will cause people to hate each other again and again. And to open a door that is closing a bit. Why throw alcohol on the fire?”</p>
<p>Another viewer, Vanessa Dammous, said she didn’t think "Waltz with Bashir" should be outright banned, but didn’t think it should be shown in the commercial theaters. She thought it was important for Lebanese to see the film, due to their own problems dealing with their war-torn past.</p>
<p>“For us Lebanese we have this problem with memory, and with you know reconstituting all this history and putting everything together,” Dammous said. “And the way [Folman] deals with this story, and puts us in front and face-to-face with the issue of memory, this is the most interesting part for me.” &#160;</p>
<p>According to Ralph Nashawaty, "Waltz with Bashir" was great until the end.&#160; He says that at the end, the film became Israeli propaganda, because of what he perceives as Israel’s continued massacres against its neighbors in the 2006 Lebanon war and in Gaza this year. &#160;</p>
<p>“They introduced some slight words and thoughts that basically that Israelis want to avoid massacres, and in a way they feel bad about it, that they are against killing women and children and old people” he said. “But since they keep on (committing massacres) … they’re treating us like fools.”</p>
<p>Ziad, the organizer of the screening, says he chose to kick off his film festival with "Waltz with Bashir" because of the strong feelings the films elicits. Although he says no film should be “banned or banished” by the Lebanese authorities, screening it was less a challenge to the ban than a marketing decision. &#160;</p>
<p>“We wanted to do something really big for the opening of the cineclub,” Ziad said. “Since I know that a lot of people want to watch this movie, and have either a very positive or negative opinion about it, I thought this was a very good way to start.”</p>
<p>More GlobalPost dispatches by Ben Gilbert:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/home/lebanonhttp://www.globalpost.com/home/lebanon" type="external">Market unites Beirut farmers and foodies</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/lebanon/090205/lebanon-bankers-cool-crisis" type="external">Lebanon bankers cool in a crisis</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/lebanon/090104/lebanon-builds-its-ancient-past-literally" type="external">Beirut builds on its ancient past ... literally</a></p>
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beirut160 every chair sofa stool filled sunday night screening banned israeli film waltz bashir art gallery beirut doorbell kept ringing wasnt police 50 latecomers looking find seat none could 100 people already arrived view film screen hung former warehouses bare wall160 tried warn owner get chairs said ziad organizer screening didnt thought 15 people would come ziad didnt want full name used article illegal sell show promote israeli products including films lebanon two countries technically war since 1948 160 despite ban waltz bashir attracted lot attention beirut animated documentary details experience films writer director ari folman tries recall experience young soldier took part israels 1982 invasion lebanon folman eventually remembers role massacre palestinian civilians beiruts sabra shatila refugee camp september 1982 estimated 800 2000 palestinian civilians killed hands christian militiamen allied israel two days israeli army watched nearby firing flares night light militias way israelis deny ordered knowledge massacre say christians supposed go camp root palestinian fighters days christian militias leader lebanons presidentelect bashir gemayel bashir films title assassinated israeli investigation later found israeli military indirectly responsible massacre hardly surprising christians would sought revenge palestinians fought previous seven years lebanons civil war subject matter sensitive lebanon gemayels brother amin gemayel runs party160whose militia responsible massacre160 party called160the kataeb phalange party headquarters sits blocks away art gallery pirated dvd copies waltz bashir available camp massacre took place sold normally like normal movie said 21yearold palestinian ramez housari owns pirate dvd shop shatila camp street partially flooded sewage recent rainy monday morning160 160 despite lost three uncles massacre housari sells copies waltz bashir 130 says camps popular committee kind camps city council say theyre interested screening film160 160 said next commemoration shatila massacre put film people watch compare film happened reality housari said 160 housaris feelings film twofold says beautiful didnt show full horror massacre says even understands lebanese government would ban says many palestinians would probably feeling rage saw screening couldnt agree though different reasons lama matta said reminding everyone lebanon christians sided israelis lebanons civil war part history shed soon forget im putting movie every store cinema matta said enough problems lebanon already putting film cause people hate open door closing bit throw alcohol fire another viewer vanessa dammous said didnt think waltz bashir outright banned didnt think shown commercial theaters thought important lebanese see film due problems dealing wartorn past us lebanese problem memory know reconstituting history putting everything together dammous said way folman deals story puts us front facetoface issue memory interesting part 160 according ralph nashawaty waltz bashir great end160 says end film became israeli propaganda perceives israels continued massacres neighbors 2006 lebanon war gaza year 160 introduced slight words thoughts basically israelis want avoid massacres way feel bad killing women children old people said since keep committing massacres theyre treating us like fools ziad organizer screening says chose kick film festival waltz bashir strong feelings films elicits although says film banned banished lebanese authorities screening less challenge ban marketing decision 160 wanted something really big opening cineclub ziad said since know lot people want watch movie either positive negative opinion thought good way start globalpost dispatches ben gilbert market unites beirut farmers foodies lebanon bankers cool crisis beirut builds ancient past literally
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<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>A Southern Baptist college professor says those families in which the dad stays at home and the wife is the family’s primary breadwinner don’t comport with God’s plan for the family revealed in the Bible.</p>
<p>Owen Strachan, assistant professor of Christian theology and church history at <a href="http://www.boycecollege.com/" type="external">Boyce College</a>, the undergraduate arm of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., described “dad moms” as “man fails” in an <a href="http://www.dennyburk.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/5-Strachan.pdf" type="external">article</a> in the Spring 2012 <a href="http://www.dennyburk.com/spring-issue-of-jbmw-now-online/" type="external">issue</a> of The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.</p>
<p>He defended that thesis Sept. 25 in a Moody Radio program debate over the question, “ <a href="http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_ProgramDetail.aspx?id=94849" type="external">Are Stay-at-Home Dads Violating God’s Design for Men and Women?</a>”</p>
<p>“I would say both men and women bear the image of God and so are fully invested for a life of meaningful service for God,” Strachan said. “That’s my starting point, but I would say then from a broad biblical theology that men are called to be leaders, providers, protectors and women are nurturers.”</p>
<p>“Women follow men in the home and the church,” he said. “Women are called to the high calling of raising families, given that God blesses them with children and making homes, being homemakers. These are roles that I think Scripture hands down for us pretty clearly in texts like Genesis 3.”</p>
<p>Matt Peregoy, a stay-at-home dad in Gettysburg, Pa., who blogs at <a href="Matt%20Peregoy" type="external">The Real Matt Daddy</a>, told Moody Radio’s Julie Roys that he is happier, healthier and his marriage is stronger than ever since he quit his job and became primary caretaker for his daughter a year and a half ago.</p>
<p>Peregoy said that for the first year after his daughter was born he worked in retail while his wife stayed at home. Eventually, however, he felt the odd hours he worked was keeping him away from his family, while his wife’s former employer was begging her to come back to work full time.</p>
<p>Strachan commended Peregoy for his concern for his family, but he said the Bible outlines “a definitive plan for men that begins in Genesis and is elaborated throughout the rest of the Scripture.”</p>
<p>“Adam is the one whose work is cursed, so Eve’s childbearing is cursed and then Adam’s work of the ground is cursed in Genesis 3:17-19,” Strachan said. “That’s very interesting, because it seems in Genesis 3 that the primary sphere of activity for each person – for the woman and the man – bears the effect of the curse now that Adam and Eve have fallen.”</p>
<p>Strachan said that means “that work is going to be hard for men,” as Peregoy pointed out and the King James Version describes as “in the sweat of thy face.”</p>
<p>“It’s going to be hard,” he said. “It’s going to be long. It may bring injury to your body, but it means that’s part of – ironically here, because we’re talking about a curse – that that’s ironically what is going to bring God glory.</p>
<p>“You see that upheld in Proverbs 31, for example, where the husband is at the city gates with the elders and Proverbs 31 woman is a proverbial whirlwind of activity, and then you see it again in texts like Titus 2 and First Timothy 5,” he said. “Titus 2:5 calls women to be working at home. First Timothy 5 speaks of widows, and basically calls them to do what these other texts have said that women are to do.”</p>
<p>Strachan said he doesn’t think that Christian men who stay at home with the kids are necessarily lacking in faith and that it’s something about which Christians can disagree, “but I do think God’s glory is in being a godly provider as a man and taking on the burden of provision and taking on this call of Genesis 3.”</p>
<p>“God doesn’t suggest to us anywhere in Scripture that I’m aware that we try to figure things out as we best see fit,” he said. “He gives us an arrangement. He gives us a model, a blueprint. And that’s for his glory.”</p>
<p>“Just as Christ provides for his church, I think men are to provide for their families,” he continued. “That’s a teaching that’s upheld throughout the Scripture. Titus 2 is direct. It tells women to be workers at home and to find their identity there. So men, conversely, are not to be working at home in the same way, even though of course men should be very much plugged into their families, loving their families, sacrificing wherever they can.”</p>
<p>“You know, I work hard,” Strachan commented. “I have worked one-and-a-half jobs several years for my family, but I try where I can to cut work and get home and help my wife. I know that there are long days with two little children. This isn’t an either/or between being a provider as a man and being sacrificial, caring for your family. I think you very much need to be doing both as a Christian man.”</p>
<p>Strachan said there will be “extenuating circumstances” such as injury or layoff that mean “women in some cases are going to have to step up” and work outside of the home. “I suppose in the case of a long-term injury, that could even be a longer term arrangement,” he said. “You know, life is hard and real problems intrude.”</p>
<p>He said a more important issue is “for us not to see our families as economic realities but primarily as gardens of flourishing.”</p>
<p>“I think many Americans buy into an economic understanding of the family, so we see in other words our primary duty as parents is to provide our children with economic opportunities, to advance up the ladder,” he said.</p>
<p>“I think there’s something so much more important that families should be about than getting multiple cars in the garage or a bigger home or that sort of thing,” he said. That is “a properly biblical understanding of the family, in which children are being nurtured and cared for.”</p>
<p>“I want children to thrive,” Strachan said. “I want what is best for them.”</p>
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bob allen southern baptist college professor says families dad stays home wife familys primary breadwinner dont comport gods plan family revealed bible owen strachan assistant professor christian theology church history boyce college undergraduate arm southern baptist theological seminary louisville ky described dad moms man fails article spring 2012 issue journal biblical manhood womanhood defended thesis sept 25 moody radio program debate question stayathome dads violating gods design men women would say men women bear image god fully invested life meaningful service god strachan said thats starting point would say broad biblical theology men called leaders providers protectors women nurturers women follow men home church said women called high calling raising families given god blesses children making homes homemakers roles think scripture hands us pretty clearly texts like genesis 3 matt peregoy stayathome dad gettysburg pa blogs real matt daddy told moody radios julie roys happier healthier marriage stronger ever since quit job became primary caretaker daughter year half ago peregoy said first year daughter born worked retail wife stayed home eventually however felt odd hours worked keeping away family wifes former employer begging come back work full time strachan commended peregoy concern family said bible outlines definitive plan men begins genesis elaborated throughout rest scripture adam one whose work cursed eves childbearing cursed adams work ground cursed genesis 31719 strachan said thats interesting seems genesis 3 primary sphere activity person woman man bears effect curse adam eve fallen strachan said means work going hard men peregoy pointed king james version describes sweat thy face going hard said going long may bring injury body means thats part ironically talking curse thats ironically going bring god glory see upheld proverbs 31 example husband city gates elders proverbs 31 woman proverbial whirlwind activity see texts like titus 2 first timothy 5 said titus 25 calls women working home first timothy 5 speaks widows basically calls texts said women strachan said doesnt think christian men stay home kids necessarily lacking faith something christians disagree think gods glory godly provider man taking burden provision taking call genesis 3 god doesnt suggest us anywhere scripture im aware try figure things best see fit said gives us arrangement gives us model blueprint thats glory christ provides church think men provide families continued thats teaching thats upheld throughout scripture titus 2 direct tells women workers home find identity men conversely working home way even though course men much plugged families loving families sacrificing wherever know work hard strachan commented worked oneandahalf jobs several years family try cut work get home help wife know long days two little children isnt eitheror provider man sacrificial caring family think much need christian man strachan said extenuating circumstances injury layoff mean women cases going step work outside home suppose case longterm injury could even longer term arrangement said know life hard real problems intrude said important issue us see families economic realities primarily gardens flourishing think many americans buy economic understanding family see words primary duty parents provide children economic opportunities advance ladder said think theres something much important families getting multiple cars garage bigger home sort thing said properly biblical understanding family children nurtured cared want children thrive strachan said want best
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<p>NEW DELHI, India — With 1.2 billion people you’d think India would have no shortage of upstanding citizens willing to hold for public office.</p>
<p>Yet about 10 percent of candidates currently running for India’s parliament face serious criminal charges.</p>
<p>We’re not talking unpaid parking fines. Many of the charges relate to rape, robbery and murder.</p>
<p>Nearly all of the 3,355 candidates have filed declarations of any criminal charges against them. (Only 50 have yet to file, at the time of writing). Of these, 328 have admitted to serious criminal charges — with at least 21 accused of murder.</p>
<p>Such charges — even unproven — might make it difficult for a candidate to campaign in Europe or America. But some of India’s accused are already members of parliament.</p>
<p>How could this be?</p>
<p>One reason is that many Indians just <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/140418/indian-politicians-narendra-modi" type="external">don’t trust</a> the country’s legal system. Criminal cases are often <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/51ab45674.html" type="external">dismissed</a> as the result of a corrupt political system and police force. And a <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2013/12/justice-delayed-is-justice-denied-indias-30-million-case-judicial-backlog/" type="external">backlog of cases</a> means that it can take decades before a trial will take place. Up to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8204607.stm" type="external">30 million cases</a> are pending.</p>
<p>After the infamous Delhi rape case, in which a woman was raped and murdered on a bus in December 2012, an Indian government <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/parliamenttrack/report-summaries/justice-verma-committee-report-summary-2628/" type="external">report</a>highlighted the number of MPs accused of rape and recommended that no one be allowed to hold public office if they are accused of sex crimes. As of yet, no legislation has been introduced.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://loksabha.adrindia.org/" type="external">Association for Democratic Reforms</a>has compiled a report detailing the charges against candidates. Here are six candidates who have some tough questions to answer.</p>
<p>We should stress that these are all pending allegations. No one on the list has been convicted.</p>
<p>Kameshwar Baitha</p>
<p><a href="http://myneta.info/ls2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=487" type="external">Accused of</a>: 109 serious offences including 25 attempted murders, 16 murders, seven charges of mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house.</p>
<p>Baitha spent 28 years as the leader of Maoist forces fighting the Indian Army in the jungles of Jharkhand. The Maoist rebels, known as Naxalites, have spent 50 years fighting what has been described as India’s silent or secret civil war, and often recruit tribal villagers whose homes are cleared to make way for mining mineral deposits.</p>
<p>Baitha stood for election in 2009 from a jail cell and won his seat. He was eventually released on bail in 2011. He is reportedly the first Maoist who has made the transition from bullet to ballot, but he doesn’t like to be reminded of this, angrily <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/TMC-candidate-from-Palamu-Kameshwar-Baitha-blames-govt-policies-for-rise-in-extremism-in-state/articleshow/33250899.cms" type="external">telling</a> a Times of India interviewer: “You should not ask me this question anymore.”</p>
<p>Of his alleged crimes, he said, “As far as my past in considered I was arrested when I was unarmed. Police never had the might to humble me by the bullet, nor will it be possible by ballot.”</p>
<p>He <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/elections2014/election-beat/murder-extortion-charges-no-barrier-in-lok-sabha-polls/article1-1207882.aspx" type="external">told AFP</a> that people in his constituency see him as a "Robin Hood" figure. “You are sitting in distant Delhi — come to the region and you'll know what the people have to say about it, what they think of these cases."</p>
<p>Dadan Yadav</p>
<p><a href="http://myneta.info/ls2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=2659" type="external">Accused of</a>: 22 serious offences including one count of attempted murder and one of extortion.</p>
<p>You might think that Dadan Yadav has an identity crisis. The former professional wrestler has changed his name twice, from Dadan Singh to Dadan Pehalwan. He now hopes that his new surname might help him appeal to low caste Indians, known as Dalits.</p>
<p>In 2000, as a minister in the Bihar state government, he was <a href="http://article.wn.com/view/2000/08/02/After_Lalit_Yadav_its_now_Dadan_Pahalwan/" type="external">accused</a> of kidnapping a vegetable seller after one of his aides allegedly shot at the man.</p>
<p>He and several supporters were charged with <a href="http://archive.deccanherald.com/Deccanherald/jan112005/n3.asp" type="external">attacking</a>police officers during a public meeting in the 2005 general elections.</p>
<p>When he was known as Pehalwan, he was “accused of forcibly occupying a government bungalow in Patna,” according to the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2605489/Bihars-candidates-change-surnames-draw-caste-based-votes.html#ixzz2z7JhBUcN" type="external">Mail Today</a>.</p>
<p>He’s also apparently not above using public money for his own benefit. As minister, he reportedly commissioned a large statue of his favourite wrestler, to be placed outside his home.</p>
<p>Padamsinh Bajirao Patil</p>
<p><a href="http://myneta.info/ls2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=3606" type="external">Accused of</a>: 14 serious offences, including the murder of a political rival and his driver.</p>
<p>Patil’s biography leads like the resume of a thoroughly respectable politician. He trained as a doctor and has been a minister in the Maharashtra state government since 1978, with a few election-induced intervals.</p>
<p>That changed on June 3, 2006 when Congress Party politician Pawanraje Nimbalkar was gunned down in a street market in Mumbai.</p>
<p>India’s Central Bureau of Investigation <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-pawanraje-nimbalkar-murder-case-supreme-court-transfers-trial-from-alibaug-to-mumbai-1918388" type="external">claims</a>Patil viewed Nimbalkar as a dangerous political rival, so he hired some contract killers to neutralize Nimbalkar.</p>
<p>Patil was arrested in 2009 after he had been elected as MP. Renowned anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare lodged a complaint with the police against him.</p>
<p>The charge sheet against Patil says he paid 3 million rupees ($50,000) as part of a conspiracy to the murder, which the CBI says was carried out by three guns for hire but involved Mumbai businessmen and politicians.</p>
<p>The case began officially in 2011 but shows little sign of concluding. Patil is standing for re-election, and Hazare <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/anna-hazare-s-office-gets-threat-calls/article1-1208895.aspx" type="external">claims</a>he has received threatening phone calls warning of “dire consequences” if Patil loses.</p>
<p>Pramod Mutalik</p>
<p><a href="http://myneta.info/ls2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=2193" type="external">Accused of</a>: nine serious offences, including attempted murder.</p>
<p>Mutalik is a right-wing Hindu activist who believes it is his job to act as a moral policeman for the youth of India.</p>
<p>He acquired the nickname “pub-attacker” in 2009 after he allegedly led 40 supporters of his Sri Ram Sene group in an assault on the Amnesia bar in Mangalore, Karnataka. A TV crew was helpfully on hand to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEbD2aXs-XU" type="external">record the incident</a>.</p>
<p>Mutalik <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/mangalore-pub-attack-17-held-ram-sena-unapologetic/articleshow/4033613.cms" type="external">claimed</a>, “In that pub, women were indulging in obscenity, they were taking drugs. This incident is just a small thing, it is not abnormal.” Two women were hospitalised after the assaults. He <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/06/stories/2009020657590100.htm" type="external">announced</a>a plan to forcibly marry couples found together on Valentine’s Day the same year, but he and 140 activists were held in preventative custody.</p>
<p>Mutalik is standing as an independent candidate, but some members of Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party would dearly love to see him elected on their ticket. Karnataka BJP members tried to <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/elections/article/election-2014/why-pub-attacker-pramod-muthalik-was-karnataka-bjp-s-necessary-evil-499294" type="external">invite him</a>into the BJP in March 2014, with Mutalik <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/sri-ram-sene-founder-pramod-muthalik-joins-bjp-aims-to-ensure-modi-becomes-pm/" type="external">saying</a> he was joining to “ensure Modi becomes PM.” But BJP leaders in Delhi expelled him from the party within hours after a massive backlash.</p>
<p>Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha</p>
<p><a href="http://myneta.info/ls2014/candidate.php?candidate_id=2644" type="external">Accused of</a>: three serious offences, including murder and attempted murder.</p>
<p>Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha is a former minister in the Bihar state government who was allegedly involved in the murder of a village headman in his constituency.</p>
<p>Vinod Singh was returning to his home when he was shot dead in February 2013.</p>
<p>Singh’s supporters formed a mob and burned tires outside a railway station in protest at Singh’s death. Officers say Kushwaha conspired with others to murder Singh.</p>
<p>Shahnawaz Rana</p>
<p><a href="http://myneta.info/up2012/candidate.php?candidate_id=2272" type="external">Accused of</a>: nine serious offences including rape, robbery and attempted murder</p>
<p>Rana was suspended by his party leader Mayawati Kumari after allegations surfaced in 2011 that he was involved in the rape of two young women from Delhi.</p>
<p>The two women were <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-24/india/29698747_1_bsp-mla-bsp-leaders-intikhab-rana" type="external">allegedly abducted</a>in June 2011 after returning home from a hill station in Uttarakhand. The women were reportedly stopped at gunpoint on a busy highway while they travelled with their cousins back to Delhi, then taken in an SUV to a secluded spot where they were attacked.</p>
<p>Two of Rana’s political aides, two bodyguards assigned to his wife and two of Rana’s brothers were arrested.</p>
<p>The politician <a href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/i-am-being-framed-bsp-mla-shahnawaz-rana/162670-37-64.html" type="external">denied</a>the allegations, saying "I am being framed. I've got to know from the media, that there are allegations of my goons and driver attempting rape, but I don't understand, why I am being named for an incident which has no connection with me. If I am still being dragged into this case, then I think all the mobile records should be checked. I have done nothing wrong. I am being framed."</p>
<p>Rana left Mayawati’s party and is now standing for election to the Lok Sabha for her main rivals.</p>
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new delhi india 12 billion people youd think india would shortage upstanding citizens willing hold public office yet 10 percent candidates currently running indias parliament face serious criminal charges talking unpaid parking fines many charges relate rape robbery murder nearly 3355 candidates filed declarations criminal charges 50 yet file time writing 328 admitted serious criminal charges least 21 accused murder charges even unproven might make difficult candidate campaign europe america indias accused already members parliament could one reason many indians dont trust countrys legal system criminal cases often dismissed result corrupt political system police force backlog cases means take decades trial take place 30 million cases pending infamous delhi rape case woman raped murdered bus december 2012 indian government reporthighlighted number mps accused rape recommended one allowed hold public office accused sex crimes yet legislation introduced association democratic reformshas compiled report detailing charges candidates six candidates tough questions answer stress pending allegations one list convicted kameshwar baitha accused 109 serious offences including 25 attempted murders 16 murders seven charges mischief fire explosive substance intent destroy house baitha spent 28 years leader maoist forces fighting indian army jungles jharkhand maoist rebels known naxalites spent 50 years fighting described indias silent secret civil war often recruit tribal villagers whose homes cleared make way mining mineral deposits baitha stood election 2009 jail cell seat eventually released bail 2011 reportedly first maoist made transition bullet ballot doesnt like reminded angrily telling times india interviewer ask question anymore alleged crimes said far past considered arrested unarmed police never might humble bullet possible ballot told afp people constituency see robin hood figure sitting distant delhi come region youll know people say think cases dadan yadav accused 22 serious offences including one count attempted murder one extortion might think dadan yadav identity crisis former professional wrestler changed name twice dadan singh dadan pehalwan hopes new surname might help appeal low caste indians known dalits 2000 minister bihar state government accused kidnapping vegetable seller one aides allegedly shot man several supporters charged attackingpolice officers public meeting 2005 general elections known pehalwan accused forcibly occupying government bungalow patna according mail today hes also apparently using public money benefit minister reportedly commissioned large statue favourite wrestler placed outside home padamsinh bajirao patil accused 14 serious offences including murder political rival driver patils biography leads like resume thoroughly respectable politician trained doctor minister maharashtra state government since 1978 electioninduced intervals changed june 3 2006 congress party politician pawanraje nimbalkar gunned street market mumbai indias central bureau investigation claimspatil viewed nimbalkar dangerous political rival hired contract killers neutralize nimbalkar patil arrested 2009 elected mp renowned anticorruption campaigner anna hazare lodged complaint police charge sheet patil says paid 3 million rupees 50000 part conspiracy murder cbi says carried three guns hire involved mumbai businessmen politicians case began officially 2011 shows little sign concluding patil standing reelection hazare claimshe received threatening phone calls warning dire consequences patil loses pramod mutalik accused nine serious offences including attempted murder mutalik rightwing hindu activist believes job act moral policeman youth india acquired nickname pubattacker 2009 allegedly led 40 supporters sri ram sene group assault amnesia bar mangalore karnataka tv crew helpfully hand record incident mutalik claimed pub women indulging obscenity taking drugs incident small thing abnormal two women hospitalised assaults announceda plan forcibly marry couples found together valentines day year 140 activists held preventative custody mutalik standing independent candidate members narendra modis bharatiya janata party would dearly love see elected ticket karnataka bjp members tried invite himinto bjp march 2014 mutalik saying joining ensure modi becomes pm bjp leaders delhi expelled party within hours massive backlash bhagwan singh kushwaha accused three serious offences including murder attempted murder bhagwan singh kushwaha former minister bihar state government allegedly involved murder village headman constituency vinod singh returning home shot dead february 2013 singhs supporters formed mob burned tires outside railway station protest singhs death officers say kushwaha conspired others murder singh shahnawaz rana accused nine serious offences including rape robbery attempted murder rana suspended party leader mayawati kumari allegations surfaced 2011 involved rape two young women delhi two women allegedly abductedin june 2011 returning home hill station uttarakhand women reportedly stopped gunpoint busy highway travelled cousins back delhi taken suv secluded spot attacked two ranas political aides two bodyguards assigned wife two ranas brothers arrested politician deniedthe allegations saying framed ive got know media allegations goons driver attempting rape dont understand named incident connection still dragged case think mobile records checked done nothing wrong framed rana left mayawatis party standing election lok sabha main rivals
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<p>A dancer with Company Danzante Contemporary Dance shows off her moves at the Kennedy Center. (Photo by Natalia Terry; courtesy VelocityDC)</p>
<p><a href="https://dcsfirstdancesummit2017.sched.com/" type="external">Dance Loft on 14&#160;</a>(4618 14th St., N.W.) and Dance Metro D.C. hosts the D.C. Dance Summit this weekend (Sept. 15-17). Various dance genres from ballet and hip hop to Afro-Caribbean and contemporary will have workshops led by top local dance instructors in the field.</p>
<p>Vladimir Angelov, Steve Barberio, Cameron Bennett, Stephen Clapp and more will be featured speakers and workshop leaders. Performances, yoga, networking events, an “undoing racism” workshop and other actives will also be offered over the two days.</p>
<p>A full weekend pass is $75. Single day passes are $40. Evening-only passes for performances, talks and a party are $10. Undoing Racism workshop is $20 for non-members and free for members. Details at&#160; <a href="http://dcfirstdancesummit2017.com/" type="external">dcfirstdancesummit2017.com</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://lightswitchdance.wixsite.com/lsdt/performances" type="external">Light Switch Dance Theatre</a>&#160;hosts “Importance of Touch: Fifth Anniversary Launch Party” at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 Seventh St., S.E.) on&#160;Saturday, Sept. 23 at 5 p.m.&#160;The Importance of Touch explores if people are more comfortable with touch technology than the human touch. There will be a performance and a party including food and drink from local businesses, an appearance by local artist Jade Essence and other activities. Tickets are $15. Details at&#160; <a href="http://lightswitchdance.wixsite.com/" type="external">lightswitchdance.wixsite.com</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://culturecapital.com/event/54907/festival-of-south-african-dance-featuring-the-gumboots-and-pantsula-dance-companies" type="external">Festival of South African Dance&#160;</a>takes place at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts (4400 University Dr., Fairfax, Va.) on&#160;Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m.</p>
<p><a href="http://russiangrandballet.com/" type="external">The Russian Grand Ballet</a>&#160;presents “Swan Lake: at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall (4915 E Campus Dr., Alexandria, Va.) on&#160;Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.&#160;The performance tells the story of Princess Odette who falls under an evil spell that Prince Siegfried tries to break.Tickets range from $35-85. Details at&#160; <a href="http://russiangrandballet.com/" type="external">russiangrandballet.com</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://velocitydc.org/" type="external">The ninth annual VelocityDC Dance Festival</a>&#160;is at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.) on&#160;Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m.&#160;and&#160;Saturday, Oct. 7&#160;at&#160;2 and 8 p.m.&#160;Nineteen local dancers and dance companies representing a variety of styles such as contemporary, African, Indian, ballet, urban and more. Participating dancers will be Company Danzante Contemporary Dance, El Teatro de Danza Contemporanea, Farafina Kan, Gin Dance Company and more. The National Hand Dance Association will give free post-show dance lessons after the evening performances. This will also be the first year the festival will include a family-friendly matinee performance. Regie Cabico hosts the two-day event. Tickets start at $18. Details at&#160; <a href="http://velocitydc.org/" type="external">velocitydc.org</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://culturecapital.com/event/54929/pilobolus-shadowland" type="external">George Mason University’s Center for the Arts</a>&#160;(4400 University Dr., Fairfax, Va.) presents “Pilobolus: Shadowland,” on&#160;Friday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.The multimedia performance uses projected shadow play and acrobatic dance to tell the story of a teenage girl who wants to be independent. When she falls asleep, she enters the land of the shadows. Tickets range from $29-48. Details at&#160; <a href="http://cfa.gmu.edu/" type="external">cfa.gmu.edu</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1468741463155321/" type="external">D.C. Fall Salsa and Bachata Dance Festival</a>&#160;is at Crystal City Hilton at Washington Reagan National Airport (2399 S Clark St., Arlington, Va.)&#160;Oct. 19-23. There will be more than 25 workshops, dance performances and five nights of theme parties with a salsa room, bachata room and zouk and kizomba room. Tickets range from $45-169. Search for the event on Facebook for details.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/msdwa" type="external">The Kennedy Center</a>&#160;(2700 F St., N.W.) presents “DEMO by Damian Woetzel: Jerome Robbins–American Dance Genius” Oct. 20-21 at 7:30 p.m. Woetzel hosts a lecture, demonstration-style performance that honors iconic gay choreographer Jerome Robbins known for his work on “West Side Story,” “Fancy Free,” “The Cage” and more. Tickets range from $39-49. Details at&#160; <a href="http://kennedy-center.org/" type="external">kennedy-center.org</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.joyofmotion.org/" type="external">Joy of Motion Dance Center</a>&#160;hosts “Dreamweaver: Studio to Stage,” at the Jack Guidone Theater (5207 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) on&#160;Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.&#160;and&#160;Sunday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.&#160;The modern dance performance inspired by dreams will be presented in the forms of hip hop, modern, tap and Horton technique. Details at&#160; <a href="http://joyofmotion.org/" type="external">joyofmotion.org</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonballet.org/performance/2017-2018-season/nutcracker" type="external">Washington Ballet</a>&#160;presents Septime Webre’s “The Nutcracker” at Warner Theater (513 13th St., N.W.)&#160;Nov. 30-Dec. 24. The classic tale takes place in a Georgetown mansion with historical figures such as George Washington and King George III. On&#160;Sunday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m.&#160;Family Day will allow children of all ages to enjoy a matinee performance and then participate in crafts, a character meet and greet, an open rehearsal and more. On&#160;Sunday, Dec. 10 at 3 p.m.&#160;the Nutcracker Tea Party will include tea, a photograph opportunity with the cast and other activities. Tickets range from $30-120. Details at&#160; <a href="http://washingtonballet.org/" type="external">washingtonballet.org</a>.</p>
<p>And in a whole other kind of dance, the nightlife scene will be booming all fall as usual.</p>
<p>Distrkt C&#160;is at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) the second&#160;Saturday&#160;of every month from&#160;10 p.m.-6 a.m.&#160;The next one is&#160;Sunday, Oct. 8&#160;with Nina Flowers. Alto Voltagje is the fourth&#160;Saturday&#160;of each month at&#160;9 p.m.&#160;The next is&#160;Saturday, Sept. 23. Details at&#160; <a href="http://distrktc.com/" type="external">distrktc.com</a>.</p>
<p>DC Jane, a new party for women, is every fourth&#160;Friday&#160;of the month at&#160;9 p.m.&#160;at the Eagle. DJ Rosie spins on&#160;Friday, Sept. 22. Details at&#160; <a href="http://dcjaneparty.com/" type="external">dcjaneparty.com</a>.</p>
<p>The next&#160;CTRL&#160;party is&#160;Friday, Sept. 23&#160;at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Details at&#160; <a href="http://towndc.com/" type="external">towndc.com</a>.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Cameron Bennett</a> <a href="" type="internal">D.C. Fall Salsa and Bachata Dance Festival</a> <a href="" type="internal">Dance Loft on 14</a> <a href="" type="internal">Festival of South African Dance</a> <a href="" type="internal">fJade Essence</a> <a href="" type="internal">George Mason University</a> <a href="" type="internal">Kennedy Center</a> <a href="" type="internal">Light Switch Dance Theatre</a> <a href="" type="internal">Pantsula Dance Company</a> <a href="" type="internal">Stephen Clapp</a> <a href="" type="internal">Steve Barberio</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Gumboots</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Russian Grand Ballet</a> <a href="" type="internal">Undoing Racism</a> <a href="" type="internal">VelocityDC Dance Festival</a> <a href="" type="internal">Vladimir Angelov</a></p>
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dancer company danzante contemporary dance shows moves kennedy center photo natalia terry courtesy velocitydc dance loft 141604618 14th st nw dance metro dc hosts dc dance summit weekend sept 1517 various dance genres ballet hip hop afrocaribbean contemporary workshops led top local dance instructors field vladimir angelov steve barberio cameron bennett stephen clapp featured speakers workshop leaders performances yoga networking events undoing racism workshop actives also offered two days full weekend pass 75 single day passes 40 eveningonly passes performances talks party 10 undoing racism workshop 20 nonmembers free members details at160 dcfirstdancesummit2017com light switch dance theatre160hosts importance touch fifth anniversary launch party capitol hill arts workshop 545 seventh st se on160saturday sept 23 5 pm160the importance touch explores people comfortable touch technology human touch performance party including food drink local businesses appearance local artist jade essence activities tickets 15 details at160 lightswitchdancewixsitecom festival south african dance160takes place george mason universitys center arts 4400 university dr fairfax va on160saturday sept 30 8 pm russian grand ballet160presents swan lake rachel schlesinger concert hall 4915 e campus dr alexandria va on160thursday oct 5 730 pm160the performance tells story princess odette falls evil spell prince siegfried tries breaktickets range 3585 details at160 russiangrandballetcom ninth annual velocitydc dance festival160is sidney harman hall 610 f st nw on160friday oct 6 8 pm160and160saturday oct 7160at1602 8 pm160nineteen local dancers dance companies representing variety styles contemporary african indian ballet urban participating dancers company danzante contemporary dance el teatro de danza contemporanea farafina kan gin dance company national hand dance association give free postshow dance lessons evening performances also first year festival include familyfriendly matinee performance regie cabico hosts twoday event tickets start 18 details at160 velocitydcorg george mason universitys center arts1604400 university dr fairfax va presents pilobolus shadowland on160friday oct 13 8 pmthe multimedia performance uses projected shadow play acrobatic dance tell story teenage girl wants independent falls asleep enters land shadows tickets range 2948 details at160 cfagmuedu dc fall salsa bachata dance festival160is crystal city hilton washington reagan national airport 2399 clark st arlington va160oct 1923 25 workshops dance performances five nights theme parties salsa room bachata room zouk kizomba room tickets range 45169 search event facebook details kennedy center1602700 f st nw presents demo damian woetzel jerome robbinsamerican dance genius oct 2021 730 pm woetzel hosts lecture demonstrationstyle performance honors iconic gay choreographer jerome robbins known work west side story fancy free cage tickets range 3949 details at160 kennedycenterorg joy motion dance center160hosts dreamweaver studio stage jack guidone theater 5207 wisconsin ave nw on160saturday nov 18 8 pm160and160sunday nov 19 7 pm160the modern dance performance inspired dreams presented forms hip hop modern tap horton technique details at160 joyofmotionorg washington ballet160presents septime webres nutcracker warner theater 513 13th st nw160nov 30dec 24 classic tale takes place georgetown mansion historical figures george washington king george iii on160sunday dec 3 1 pm160family day allow children ages enjoy matinee performance participate crafts character meet greet open rehearsal on160sunday dec 10 3 pm160the nutcracker tea party include tea photograph opportunity cast activities tickets range 30120 details at160 washingtonballetorg whole kind dance nightlife scene booming fall usual distrkt c160is dc eagle 3701 benning rd ne second160saturday160of every month from16010 pm6 am160the next one is160sunday oct 8160with nina flowers alto voltagje fourth160saturday160of month at1609 pm160the next is160saturday sept 23 details at160 distrktccom dc jane new party women every fourth160friday160of month at1609 pm160at eagle dj rosie spins on160friday sept 22 details at160 dcjanepartycom next160ctrl160party is160friday sept 23160at town 2009 8th st nw details at160 towndccom cameron bennett dc fall salsa bachata dance festival dance loft 14 festival south african dance fjade essence george mason university kennedy center light switch dance theatre pantsula dance company stephen clapp steve barberio gumboots russian grand ballet undoing racism velocitydc dance festival vladimir angelov
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<p>For the&#160; <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/romney-ryan-means-no-protestant-on-a-presidential-ticket-for-first-time-20120811" type="external">first time</a>&#160;in our country’s history the Republican party is set to nominate a presidential ticket that does not include a Protestant. Mitt Romney is a Mormon and his newly announced running mate Paul Ryan is a Catholic. This is not just a first for Republicans; this is the first time one of the major party tickets has not included a Protestant.&#160;And in a strange turn of events that is sure to have many&#160; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Anglo-Saxon_Protestant" type="external">WASPs</a>&#160;scratching their heads, President Obama will be the only Protestant on either party’s ticket (Joe Biden is a Catholic). Yet this comes at a time when only 49 percent of the country is able to correctly identify President Obama as a Christian and as&#160; <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/poll-finds-little-concern-with-romney-s-religion-20120726?mrefid=site_search" type="external">17%</a>&#160;of the country “persist(s) in the mistaken belief that the President is a Muslim.”</p>
<p>Here are my early thoughts, along with a few questions, about what this may mean.</p>
<p>1. Americans are becoming more accepting.&#160;I think this Republican ticket is a good thing because it tells me that the country is becoming much more comfortable with people in leadership that aren’t Protestant. Certainly JFK did a lot to help the nation’s view of Catholics and countless others have helped that cause as well, though even as recently as my childhood, I was taught that Catholics were not even Christians.</p>
<p>2. Romney’s Mormonism is still a problem.&#160; <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/poll-finds-little-concern-with-romney-s-religion-20120726?mrefid=site_search" type="external">On the whole</a>, voters seem comfortable with Romney being a Mormon. Where this comfort begins to wane, though, is with white evangelical voters (no surprise there). What is interesting here, from a political standpoint, is that even the 23 percent of white evangelical voters who are not comfortable with Romney being a Mormon “still support him over Obama by an overwhelming majority.” This support, though, is not as strong among this group as it is among others. According to&#160; <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Little-Voter-Discomfort-with-Romney%E2%80%99s-Mormon-Religion-1.aspx" type="external">Pew</a>, “By comparison, Republican and Republican-leaning voters who are uncomfortable with his faith still prefer Romney over Obama – 93% say they will vote for him – but strong support drops to just 21%.” This decreased enthusiasm in support for Romney among white evangelical voters is tied to their overall view of Mormonism: “The greatest skepticism about whether Mormonism is a Christian faith is among white evangelicals (42% of whom say it is not).” This may not keep Republican white evangelical voters as a bloc from voting for the Romney/Ryan ticket in November, but it is likely to dampen voter turnout among this group at least some, and likely result in continued distrust, or at the least discomfort, with Mitt Romney.</p>
<p>3. What about Ayn Rand?&#160;Paul Ryan, a Catholic, has repeatedly expressed his praise for the atheist Russian philosopher who championed individualism, making her work required reading for his interns and&#160; <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/04/audio-surfaces-paul-ryans-effusive-love-ayn-rand/51711/" type="external">crediting</a>&#160;her as being the reason he got into politics: “But the reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand.” Ayn Rand, of course, is a problematic figure for many Christians (not just conservative Republican Christians) who said in an interview that she was “the creator of a new code of morality, a morality not based on faith” (you can see her&#160; <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TxCWbTqz9s&amp;feature=youtu.be" type="external">here</a>&#160;in an attack ad against many Republicans’ support of Rand, cleverly titled “Ayn Rand &amp; GOP vs. Jesus”). But it is precisely Rand’s moral code that would seem to be a sticking point for many Christians, yet Paul Ryan has said of her, “you can’t find another thinker or writer who did a better job of describing and laying out the moral case for capitalism than Ayn Rand.” Will Ryan’s support of Rand and praise for her moral&#160;case for capitalism hurt the Romney/Ryan ticket in November? That’s yet to be seen, but what does seem clear to me is that this potentially gives white evangelical voters yet another reason to be weary of the Romney/Ryan ticket. (I am not saying that they should be weary of the ticket for this reason, only that they may. Also, I am well aware that liking some aspect of a particular thinker’s ideas by no means compels one to subscribe to every part of the world view she espouses.)</p>
<p>P.S. <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/08/10/672391/catholic-nuns-send-letter-to-romney-challenging-his-woeful-lack-of-knowledge-about-the-poor/" type="external">Romney</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-raushenbush/paul-ryan-catholic-dilemma-_b_1767670.html?utm_hp_ref=religion&amp;ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008#s308815&amp;title=Luke_62021" type="external">Ryan</a>&#160;both seem to have “Catholic problems” that aren’t just related to Ayn Rand.</p>
<p>4. But I thought religion didn’t matter in politics anymore?&#160;In a March&#160; <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/more-see-too-much-religious-talk-by-politicians.aspx" type="external">study</a>, the Pew Forum released numbers that say religion may not be as important a factor in politics as it once was, as more are now saying they see too much religious talk by politicians: “The number of people who say there has been too much religious talk by political leaders stands at an all-time high since the Pew Research Center began asking the question more than a decade ago.” That number is now at 38 percent. Further, as we dig deeper into this study we find that a majority (54 percent) of Americans think that “churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters.” This is a move in the right direction for those of us who support the (very Baptist) separation of church and state and&#160;organizations like the&#160; <a href="http://www.bjconline.org/" type="external">Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty</a>.</p>
<p>So, what does all of this mean? To be honest, I have no idea. I thoroughly think that more religious variety in our country’s leadership is a good thing, though I do think we have a long way to go to truly have&#160; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Six_of_the_United_States_Constitution" type="external">no religious test</a>&#160;for the office of the Presidency (a majority, 52 percent, still&#160; <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/PublicationPage.aspx?id=621#1" type="external">express</a>&#160;reservations about voting for an atheist). I’m a political junky and I’m excited to watch the presidential race play out over the next three months for many reasons. But one of the facets of the campaigns that interests me most is this intersection of religion and politics.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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the160 first time160in countrys history republican party set nominate presidential ticket include protestant mitt romney mormon newly announced running mate paul ryan catholic first republicans first time one major party tickets included protestant160and strange turn events sure many160 wasps160scratching heads president obama protestant either partys ticket joe biden catholic yet comes time 49 percent country able correctly identify president obama christian as160 17160of country persists mistaken belief president muslim early thoughts along questions may mean 1 americans becoming accepting160i think republican ticket good thing tells country becoming much comfortable people leadership arent protestant certainly jfk lot help nations view catholics countless others helped cause well though even recently childhood taught catholics even christians 2 romneys mormonism still problem160 whole voters seem comfortable romney mormon comfort begins wane though white evangelical voters surprise interesting political standpoint even 23 percent white evangelical voters comfortable romney mormon still support obama overwhelming majority support though strong among group among others according to160 pew comparison republican republicanleaning voters uncomfortable faith still prefer romney obama 93 say vote strong support drops 21 decreased enthusiasm support romney among white evangelical voters tied overall view mormonism greatest skepticism whether mormonism christian faith among white evangelicals 42 say may keep republican white evangelical voters bloc voting romneyryan ticket november likely dampen voter turnout among group least likely result continued distrust least discomfort mitt romney 3 ayn rand160paul ryan catholic repeatedly expressed praise atheist russian philosopher championed individualism making work required reading interns and160 crediting160her reason got politics reason got involved public service large credit one thinker one person would ayn rand ayn rand course problematic figure many christians conservative republican christians said interview creator new code morality morality based faith see her160 here160in attack ad many republicans support rand cleverly titled ayn rand amp gop vs jesus precisely rands moral code would seem sticking point many christians yet paul ryan said cant find another thinker writer better job describing laying moral case capitalism ayn rand ryans support rand praise moral160case capitalism hurt romneyryan ticket november thats yet seen seem clear potentially gives white evangelical voters yet another reason weary romneyryan ticket saying weary ticket reason may also well aware liking aspect particular thinkers ideas means compels one subscribe every part world view espouses ps romney160and160 ryan160both seem catholic problems arent related ayn rand 4 thought religion didnt matter politics anymore160in march160 study pew forum released numbers say religion may important factor politics saying see much religious talk politicians number people say much religious talk political leaders stands alltime high since pew research center began asking question decade ago number 38 percent dig deeper study find majority 54 percent americans think churches houses worship keep political matters move right direction us support baptist separation church state and160organizations like the160 baptist joint committee religious liberty mean honest idea thoroughly think religious variety countrys leadership good thing though think long way go truly have160 religious test160for office presidency majority 52 percent still160 express160reservations voting atheist im political junky im excited watch presidential race play next three months many reasons one facets campaigns interests intersection religion politics 160 160 160
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<p>The small Southside Virginia town of Victoria in Lunenburg County is “the place to be” on Sunday, Oct. 14, as the church celebrates its centennial. The events are the culmination of a year-long celebration. John V. Upton, executive director of the General Association, will be the guest speaker.</p>
<p>Over the last century, there have been generations who received their schooling in Victoria. Many of them mastered “the three R's” — reading, ‘riting and the road to Richmond or Raleigh, depending upon the direction in which they headed out of town. There have been others who put down deep roots in the town and never left. On Centennial Sunday, there will be a reunion of the natives.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Fred Anderson</p>
<p>The people who remained and newcomers along the way have maintained the beautiful brick church with its Doric colonnade. They have beautified and enlarged the house. They added an elevator for the convenience of the people. They have kept the stained-glass windows sparkling.</p>
<p>The windows are colorful jewels. One of them bears the symbols of two Sunday school classes, the Baraca and Philathea classes. There was a time when the two Bible classes for men and women, respectively, were found in most every Baptist church. At Victoria, the names are perpetuated in beautiful glass. One memorial window bears the words “Fudge Sale.” “Come-heres” and strangers need to be told that it does not refer to a fundraising project of yore but that it actually is a person's name.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Victoria Baptist Church.</p>
<p>There also are windows which bear the names of different railroad brotherhood societies which paid for them. These give clues to Victoria's storied past. The location was considered halfway between Norfolk and Roanoke and an ideal location for the space needed for a major player in the Virginia economy, the railroad. In 1906 large acreage of farm and forest lands was secured for maintenance shops for the railroad. The new town was christened Victoria and officially chartered in 1909. It was to be a railroading town. Land companies divided the acreage into parcels and soon houses and commercial buildings were built.</p>
<p>There was a policy among Virginia Baptists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to build a Baptist church wherever the railroad built a depot. There already was an existing Baptist church in the nearby countryside, but the residents of the new town wanted a Baptist church in Victoria. The first church business meeting was held on Oct. 13, 1907. At the meeting all of the standard documents were in place — articles of faith, covenant and constitution. The only thing the new church needed was a pastor. Just to organize a new Baptist church was victory in itself.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Window in Victoria Baptist Church.</p>
<p>The church called William Bonnie Daughtry as the first pastor. At age 33, Daughtry already had four other churches. Somehow he managed to add Victoria as the fifth, with preaching twice a month. There were 25 members listed in the church's first report to the Concord Association. If the pastor could have gathered all of the five congregations into one meeting house, he would have had a sizeable congregation of some 400 worshippers. Instead, he had to travel to them across dirt roads that were dusty in the summer and muddy in the winter. His wife, Miss Della, also had to know all of the scattered families and remember in which direction her husband was headed to preach.</p>
<p>It was under Daughtry's pastoral leadership that the first Baptist church house was erected in the town. The church borrowed $600 to build a modest frame building. It had all the touches of a city church: arched Gothic-style windows and a small tower. Victory in the form of a house of worship had come to the Baptists of Victoria.</p>
<p>Charles Abbitt, a resident of the Chesapeake, the Virginia Baptist residential facility at Newport News, is among those oldtimers who treasures his Victoria roots. “My grandparents were charter members and my father came shortly after.” They worshipped in the original building. Abbitt recalls: “The railroad prospered except in the 1920s when a strike created a crisis. Some ‘strike-breakers' took the jobs from others. It was something which a little community like ours didn't get over for a long time. There were boys who wouldn't play with each other because some of their fathers were ‘strike-breakers.' ”</p>
<p>The Twenties also was the decade of advancement for the Victoria Church. It was proposed that a substantial brick building be erected. V.H. Harrell was pastor during the building program. The cost reflected the general prosperity of the early Twenties. It would cost $45,000; but at the time of occupancy, the new building still had a debt of $15,000. The stock market crash of '29 and the Great Depression which followed left the congregation saddled with the debt. The men of the church kept raising the money in modest amounts just to pay the interest on the debt. The women organized a Ladies' Aid Society to raise funds. Even little children gave their coins. Samuel G. Harwood was the pastor during the critical years and he reduced his own salary to help the church meet its expenses. Victory from debt did not come until 1942.</p>
<p>There were other victories. In 1923 when construction on the new church building was ready to commence, the original building was given to an African-American Baptist congregation, Pleasant Oak. The materials were used for a new meeting house for Pleasant Oak which was constructed about two miles out from town. In June 2007, as part of the centennial, Victoria Baptists gathered at their old building and shared a fellowship supper and joint worship service with the Pleasant Oak Baptists. Both churches' choirs and pastors, Stanley Hare of Victoria and James Green of Pleasant Oak, participated in the worship service. For Baptists of Southside Virginia, black and white, it was yet another victory.</p>
<p>Fred Anderson may be contacted at fred.anderson@ vbmb.org.</p>
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small southside virginia town victoria lunenburg county place sunday oct 14 church celebrates centennial events culmination yearlong celebration john v upton executive director general association guest speaker last century generations received schooling victoria many mastered three rs reading riting road richmond raleigh depending upon direction headed town others put deep roots town never left centennial sunday reunion natives fred anderson people remained newcomers along way maintained beautiful brick church doric colonnade beautified enlarged house added elevator convenience people kept stainedglass windows sparkling windows colorful jewels one bears symbols two sunday school classes baraca philathea classes time two bible classes men women respectively found every baptist church victoria names perpetuated beautiful glass one memorial window bears words fudge sale comeheres strangers need told refer fundraising project yore actually persons name victoria baptist church also windows bear names different railroad brotherhood societies paid give clues victorias storied past location considered halfway norfolk roanoke ideal location space needed major player virginia economy railroad 1906 large acreage farm forest lands secured maintenance shops railroad new town christened victoria officially chartered 1909 railroading town land companies divided acreage parcels soon houses commercial buildings built policy among virginia baptists late 19th early 20th centuries build baptist church wherever railroad built depot already existing baptist church nearby countryside residents new town wanted baptist church victoria first church business meeting held oct 13 1907 meeting standard documents place articles faith covenant constitution thing new church needed pastor organize new baptist church victory window victoria baptist church church called william bonnie daughtry first pastor age 33 daughtry already four churches somehow managed add victoria fifth preaching twice month 25 members listed churchs first report concord association pastor could gathered five congregations one meeting house would sizeable congregation 400 worshippers instead travel across dirt roads dusty summer muddy winter wife miss della also know scattered families remember direction husband headed preach daughtrys pastoral leadership first baptist church house erected town church borrowed 600 build modest frame building touches city church arched gothicstyle windows small tower victory form house worship come baptists victoria charles abbitt resident chesapeake virginia baptist residential facility newport news among oldtimers treasures victoria roots grandparents charter members father came shortly worshipped original building abbitt recalls railroad prospered except 1920s strike created crisis strikebreakers took jobs others something little community like didnt get long time boys wouldnt play fathers strikebreakers twenties also decade advancement victoria church proposed substantial brick building erected vh harrell pastor building program cost reflected general prosperity early twenties would cost 45000 time occupancy new building still debt 15000 stock market crash 29 great depression followed left congregation saddled debt men church kept raising money modest amounts pay interest debt women organized ladies aid society raise funds even little children gave coins samuel g harwood pastor critical years reduced salary help church meet expenses victory debt come 1942 victories 1923 construction new church building ready commence original building given africanamerican baptist congregation pleasant oak materials used new meeting house pleasant oak constructed two miles town june 2007 part centennial victoria baptists gathered old building shared fellowship supper joint worship service pleasant oak baptists churches choirs pastors stanley hare victoria james green pleasant oak participated worship service baptists southside virginia black white yet another victory fred anderson may contacted fredanderson vbmborg
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<p>The day seemed to be ending like any other, with people traveling their familiar routes home and the sun descending behind the red maple and cottonwood trees. Yvonne, a black woman in her 30s, was driving with her five young children on a two-lane road in Oakland County, Michigan, 45 minutes northwest of Detroit. She had just eased her car into the right lane when she glanced at her rearview mirror and saw a dark green Bonneville speeding up behind her. The vehicle abruptly pulled to the left, beside Yvonne, and kept pace with her car until they were both stopped by a red light. She looked over and saw the driver, a white man in his 20s. Next to him was a white woman of the same age. Yvonne’s window was cracked. A report of the March 8, 2013 incident notes Yvonne’s clear memory of what happened next. She heard the man scream, “Learn how to drive, niggers!”</p>
<p>When the light changed, the man swerved in front of Yvonne’s car. (Her real name is redacted in law enforcement documents.) She tried to slow down to avoid him, but he pressed his breaks, too. Yvonne saw the Bonneville’s passenger reach under the seat and come up with an L-shaped object that the woman then passed to the driver. He began to wave it threateningly. Yvonne’s kids, realizing it was a handgun, started to scream.</p>
<p>A little farther down the road, traffic came to a standstill, trapping Yvonne and her children, who then ranged in age from 7&#160;to 16. At the first opportunity, she cranked the wheel, made a U-turn, and sped off in the other direction, racing to&#160;her house, where she felt safe.</p>
<p>Subscribe to receive The Trace’s newsletters on important gun news and analysis.</p>
<p>Hate crimes and gun violence are usually treated as separate issues, except when they tragically collide, as they did earlier this summer when 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof allegedly shot and killed nine members of a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina. But events like Charleston are ultimately outliers. It is the kind of hate crime that Yvonne experienced that is reflective of the far more ordinary ways in which firearms are used to terrorize and intimidate people.</p>
<p>Jack McDevitt, the director of the Institute on Race and Justice at Northeastern University, concludes that firearms often serve a distinct purpose when used in hate crimes. Typically, he says, hate crime “offenders often want to punish victims up close and personally,” beating their target with “hands, fists, or something like a rock, stick, or brick.” These incidents recall the brutality&#160;caught on camera during the march on Selma, when black protesters were attacked with a variety of improvised weapons, including a rubber hose wrapped in barbed wire. But when a gun is pulled during a hate crime, McDevitt says, it may be because “the offender is trying to get the victim to do something — move out of a neighborhood or leave a workplace or school.” The firearm is displayed “to make the threat more credible.”</p>
<p>Unlike the Charleston attack, Yvonne’s interaction didn’t result in an arrest, nor generate so much as a news item in a local paper. Instead, it was dumped into a repository called the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which is maintained by the FBI.</p>
<p>NIBRS is not comprehensive — participation is not mandatory, and less than 6,500 of the country’s roughly 18,000 police departments reliably submit records to the database. But when it comes to detailed crime statistics, it is the best resource available.</p>
<p>Between 2011 and 2013, several thousand police agencies, spread across 27 states, reported a total of 8,132 hate crimes to NIBRS. Of those, 207 involved firearms. An analysis by The Trace and researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice show that Yvonne’s encounter fits in with the majority of those crimes.</p>
<p>Blacks were targeted by whites in about 20 percent of the 207 crimes, and were attacked more often than members of any other racial group, regardless of the race of the perpetrator. There were half as many black-on-white attacks in the files. Hate crimes where the victim and the perpetrator share the same race also occurred — in those cases, the actions of the aggressor were motivated by religious or sexual prejudice. In the vast majority of the hate crimes recorded, a single person was victimized; when there were multiple victims, the race of the primary victim was used for the purpose of this study.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>In all, there were 79 incidents in which an anti-black bias was the known motive (more than twice as many as crimes driven by any other bias). Whites were found to be the perpetrator in 82 percent of these cases, but the victims were not exclusively African-American — sometimes they belonged to other races but were singled out for association, perhaps for having a black boyfriend or girlfriend. By contrast, there were a total of 34 anti-white incidents, about 62 percent of which were carried out by blacks.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>But what stands out the most is that in almost every case, the gun was not used as a tool for killing. Of the 207 hate crimes that involved firearms, 107 of them resulted in no injury at all, while another 25 caused only minor, unspecified physical damage. Most of these incidents — 140 of them — were classified as aggravated assaults, though a review of underlying police reports shows that there was very rarely a physical altercation. Of the remaining hate crimes, 26 were classified as robberies, and another 31 as “weapon law violations.” Only three were labeled as murders.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Around the same time Yvonne had her violent encounter on the road, in 2013, a similar incident took place in Kelso, Washington, a tiny city that is 85 percent white and just two percent African-American. The whole episode took place in a flash. It was early evening, and two black children were hanging out in their front yard. Then a white man pulled up in a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee, pointed a gun in their direction, and yelled a racial epithet. Someone nearby called the police, and the man drove off and was never heard from again.</p>
<p>Incidents like these rarely capture widespread or sustained attention before disappearing into a database — if they are reported at all. Understandably, horrors such as Charleston tend to get the headlines: In April 2014, Frazier Glenn Miller, a 74-year-old white supremacist, shot and killed three people in separate shootings outside a Jewish community center and a Jewish retirement home in Overland Park, Kansas. In August 2012, Wade Michael Page, a 40-year-old white supremacist, shot and killed six members of a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, then took his own life. In July 1999, Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, a 21-year-old white supremacist, went on a three-day shooting spree in the suburbs of a Chicago, killing a black man and a Korean man, and wounding several Orthodox Jews before fatally crashing his car into a pole.</p>
<p>The offenders in crimes like the run-in in Oakland County and the massacres in Charleston are all motivated by bigotry. But the outcomes are markedly different. According to Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate &amp; Extremism at California State University, that’s because white supremacists are “mission offenders,” whose “primary identity revolves around being a warrior for their race, fighting in a racial holy war.” For them, “a gun is a very important weapon in their arsenal,” and when they take it out to commit a hate crime, they are the rare ones who will use it for murder. Whereas for those who harbor serious prejudice — but don’t think of white power as their life’s organizing principal — the gun is a means to achieving “some sort of hierarchical compliance over the victim, a way to put that person in his place,” Levin explains. Criminologists who study hate crimes call these offenders “defensive-reactives” — people who feel as though they’re responding to “a sign of disrespect.”</p>
<p>Defensive-reactives are interested in scaring or humbling their targets, but stop short of shooting them or taking their lives. In the 207 incidents, they are the type of offender who shows up again and again. At a bar in Grayling, Michigan, for instance, a black man in his 30s&#160;was having drinks with a few of his friends one night two years ago. A middle-aged white man came in, made a joke about the black man’s&#160;skin color, caused an argument, and then said he was going to his home across the street to retrieve his gun and shoot everyone. Before the cops were called, the man could be seen standing in his doorway, waving a 9 mm in the air.</p>
<p>This is the kind of gun violence that isn’t often&#160;talked about in America — the type where the goal is to intimidate and the damage is psychological but no less real. After their scare, Yvonne’s children reported having nightmares. When they got in her car, perhaps for the morning ride to school, they refused to wear their seatbelts. They were worried the Bonneville would return, and didn’t want to be restricted from looking out the back window, just in case.</p>
<p>[Photo: Flickr user <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gcfairch/4189169360" type="external">Geoffrey Fairchild</a>]</p>
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day seemed ending like people traveling familiar routes home sun descending behind red maple cottonwood trees yvonne black woman 30s driving five young children twolane road oakland county michigan 45 minutes northwest detroit eased car right lane glanced rearview mirror saw dark green bonneville speeding behind vehicle abruptly pulled left beside yvonne kept pace car stopped red light looked saw driver white man 20s next white woman age yvonnes window cracked report march 8 2013 incident notes yvonnes clear memory happened next heard man scream learn drive niggers light changed man swerved front yvonnes car real name redacted law enforcement documents tried slow avoid pressed breaks yvonne saw bonnevilles passenger reach seat come lshaped object woman passed driver began wave threateningly yvonnes kids realizing handgun started scream little farther road traffic came standstill trapping yvonne children ranged age 7160to 16 first opportunity cranked wheel made uturn sped direction racing to160her house felt safe subscribe receive traces newsletters important gun news analysis hate crimes gun violence usually treated separate issues except tragically collide earlier summer 21yearold white supremacist dylann roof allegedly shot killed nine members historically black church charleston south carolina events like charleston ultimately outliers kind hate crime yvonne experienced reflective far ordinary ways firearms used terrorize intimidate people jack mcdevitt director institute race justice northeastern university concludes firearms often serve distinct purpose used hate crimes typically says hate crime offenders often want punish victims close personally beating target hands fists something like rock stick brick incidents recall brutality160caught camera march selma black protesters attacked variety improvised weapons including rubber hose wrapped barbed wire gun pulled hate crime mcdevitt says may offender trying get victim something move neighborhood leave workplace school firearm displayed make threat credible unlike charleston attack yvonnes interaction didnt result arrest generate much news item local paper instead dumped repository called national incidentbased reporting system nibrs maintained fbi nibrs comprehensive participation mandatory less 6500 countrys roughly 18000 police departments reliably submit records database comes detailed crime statistics best resource available 2011 2013 several thousand police agencies spread across 27 states reported total 8132 hate crimes nibrs 207 involved firearms analysis trace researchers john jay college criminal justice show yvonnes encounter fits majority crimes blacks targeted whites 20 percent 207 crimes attacked often members racial group regardless race perpetrator half many blackonwhite attacks files hate crimes victim perpetrator share race also occurred cases actions aggressor motivated religious sexual prejudice vast majority hate crimes recorded single person victimized multiple victims race primary victim used purpose study 79 incidents antiblack bias known motive twice many crimes driven bias whites found perpetrator 82 percent cases victims exclusively africanamerican sometimes belonged races singled association perhaps black boyfriend girlfriend contrast total 34 antiwhite incidents 62 percent carried blacks stands almost every case gun used tool killing 207 hate crimes involved firearms 107 resulted injury another 25 caused minor unspecified physical damage incidents 140 classified aggravated assaults though review underlying police reports shows rarely physical altercation remaining hate crimes 26 classified robberies another 31 weapon law violations three labeled murders around time yvonne violent encounter road 2013 similar incident took place kelso washington tiny city 85 percent white two percent africanamerican whole episode took place flash early evening two black children hanging front yard white man pulled darkcolored jeep cherokee pointed gun direction yelled racial epithet someone nearby called police man drove never heard incidents like rarely capture widespread sustained attention disappearing database reported understandably horrors charleston tend get headlines april 2014 frazier glenn miller 74yearold white supremacist shot killed three people separate shootings outside jewish community center jewish retirement home overland park kansas august 2012 wade michael page 40yearold white supremacist shot killed six members sikh temple oak creek wisconsin took life july 1999 benjamin nathaniel smith 21yearold white supremacist went threeday shooting spree suburbs chicago killing black man korean man wounding several orthodox jews fatally crashing car pole offenders crimes like runin oakland county massacres charleston motivated bigotry outcomes markedly different according brian levin director center study hate amp extremism california state university thats white supremacists mission offenders whose primary identity revolves around warrior race fighting racial holy war gun important weapon arsenal take commit hate crime rare ones use murder whereas harbor serious prejudice dont think white power lifes organizing principal gun means achieving sort hierarchical compliance victim way put person place levin explains criminologists study hate crimes call offenders defensivereactives people feel though theyre responding sign disrespect defensivereactives interested scaring humbling targets stop short shooting taking lives 207 incidents type offender shows bar grayling michigan instance black man 30s160was drinks friends one night two years ago middleaged white man came made joke black mans160skin color caused argument said going home across street retrieve gun shoot everyone cops called man could seen standing doorway waving 9 mm air kind gun violence isnt often160talked america type goal intimidate damage psychological less real scare yvonnes children reported nightmares got car perhaps morning ride school refused wear seatbelts worried bonneville would return didnt want restricted looking back window case photo flickr user geoffrey fairchild
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<p>JJ Vera (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)</p>
<p>JJ Vera’s involvement with the Rainbow Youth Alliance goes back 10 years to its first meeting. Having joined in his first semester of high school, he was a fixture in the group until age 18.</p>
<p>“I’ve always been so thankful for Rainbow Youth Alliance and try to give back any chance I get,” says the 25-year-old Rockville, Md., native. “They offer youth empowerment during a time when self discovery is just beginning for these kids. Even in this day and age where we think people are open and accepting, LGBT youth all over the country are still experiencing depression, anxiety, bullying and unsafe home and school environments.”</p>
<p>Vera, now a member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, will perform with the chorus at an event on Saturday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville (100 Welsh Park Dr., Rockville) as the Alliance celebrates its 10th anniversary. There’s a $20 suggested donation to benefit Alliance programs. Details at <a href="http://rainbowyouthalliancemd.org/" type="external">rainbowyouthalliancemd.org</a>.</p>
<p>The Alliance is a peer-to-peer and adult-facilitated support group for LGBT teens.</p>
<p>Vera works by day at a salon and also as a singer/songwriter. He lives in Columbia Heights and enjoys singing and performing with the chorus in his free time.</p>
<p>How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?</p>
<p>Since eighth grade. The hardest person to tell was the first — my sister.</p>
<p>Who’s your LGBT hero?</p>
<p>St. Marsha “Pay-It-No-Mind” Johnson</p>
<p>What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?&#160;</p>
<p>Flash is always a good time, but I love the grime and soul of Jimmy Valentine’s over on H Street.</p>
<p>Describe your dream wedding.</p>
<p>An underwater mermaid reception with the ceremony ending on a ship above water with an ocean wave carrying me from the ocean to the party boat. The probability of any of that happening is equivalent to the actual chances of me ever getting married. Marriage isn’t something I think too much about. I don’t know if I’d ever want it, but I honor my right to!</p>
<p>What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?</p>
<p>As far as social justice goes, feminism and issues on racism are up there with LGBT issues for me. The perfect storm is mixing all of those things and arriving at the huge issues within inter-sectional identity.</p>
<p>What historical outcome would you change?</p>
<p>I would stop Yolanda from shooting Selena. Only halfway kidding.</p>
<p>What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?</p>
<p>David Bowie’s death and his last album. I’m lucky to have shared the earth with someone as mystical and creative as him.</p>
<p>On what do you insist?</p>
<p>I insist that gender is a social construct and that once people lose fear and are properly educated on gender and sexuality, they will find that there is a larger number of humanity that does not exist within this gender binary. It’s beyond being assigned a pink or blue hat at birth. And you don’t have to relate to understand. Just be inclusive.</p>
<p>What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?</p>
<p>A link promoting the Rainbow Youth Alliance Benefit Concert featuring GMCW’s Rock Creek Singers and the GenOUT Youth Chorus on Saturday, April 9 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville. I’ll be singing a solo with them. It’s free with a suggested donation of $20. Come talk to me!</p>
<p>If your life were a book, what would the title be?</p>
<p>“What it Feels Like for a Butch Queen”</p>
<p>If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?</p>
<p>I’d protest it. Or find my high school crush and get him hip to my love.</p>
<p>What do you believe in beyond the physical world?&#160;</p>
<p>I’m positive there is more to existence than this temporary world. We as humans just have a wide and inquisitive vocabulary for what that is. Not to get religious or spiritual, but we’re just here messing around until our bodies expire and we move on to the rest. I feel there is more. The universe is ever expanding.</p>
<p>What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?</p>
<p>Stop fighting each other. With all this progress we’ve made, it seems like the LGBT community has become divided against each other in certain places.&#160;We’re all dealing with our own oppression, what’s the point of perpetuating it within our own community? We need to be fighting for each other.</p>
<p>What would you walk across hot coals for?</p>
<p>My family</p>
<p>What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?</p>
<p>A really damaging stereotype is when we think trans people are only validated when they adhere to societal standards of beauty. The only trans people visible in pop culture are beautiful and perfect examples of their gender identity, but that’s not the reality for all people of the trans community and it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Either way, it’s not up to you to decide how someone feels about their own body or identity.</p>
<p>What’s your favorite LGBT movie?</p>
<p>“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” was a movie my friends and I obsessed over for years. Always my favorite. Maybe my favorite, overall. I also have to mention “Trans-America.” Such a beautifully messed-up movie with real characters.</p>
<p>What’s the most overrated social custom?</p>
<p>Gender</p>
<p>What trophy or prize do you most covet?</p>
<p>Being able to walk around my house dressed how I want, with the friends I want, without fear or discomfort is one of my greatest accomplishments so far. It does wonders for how I deal with myself and the world. I was never allowed that growing up. I still deal with shame, but I live with amazing friends who celebrate each other for who they are.</p>
<p>What do you wish you’d known at 18?</p>
<p>It gets better if you don’t get bitter. Also, you’re beautiful and need to get yourself to singing/dancing lessons as soon as possible! You don’t have to be scared. This too shall pass.</p>
<p>Why Washington?</p>
<p>The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington opened so many doors and it’s because of all they’ve given me that I felt empowered enough to leave the nest in Rockville for more action in the music scene here in the city. My therapy is singing with all those amazing people and letting the vibrations in my body carry all my sorrow out with every note and silent breath. I came to the city to be more involved in the chorus and the city itself is so alive with music and political culture, it’s right where I need to be.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">anxiety</a> <a href="" type="internal">bullying</a> <a href="" type="internal">Columbia Heights</a> <a href="" type="internal">depression</a> <a href="" type="internal">Gay Men's Chorus of Washington</a> <a href="" type="internal">GMCW</a> <a href="" type="internal">JJ Vera</a> <a href="" type="internal">lgbt youth</a> <a href="" type="internal">Maryland</a> <a href="" type="internal">Rainbow Youth Alliance</a> <a href="" type="internal">Rockville</a> <a href="" type="internal">Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville</a></p>
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jj vera washington blade photo michael key jj veras involvement rainbow youth alliance goes back 10 years first meeting joined first semester high school fixture group age 18 ive always thankful rainbow youth alliance try give back chance get says 25yearold rockville md native offer youth empowerment time self discovery beginning kids even day age think people open accepting lgbt youth country still experiencing depression anxiety bullying unsafe home school environments vera member gay mens chorus washington perform chorus event saturday april 9 730 pm unitarian universalist congregation rockville 100 welsh park dr rockville alliance celebrates 10th anniversary theres 20 suggested donation benefit alliance programs details rainbowyouthalliancemdorg alliance peertopeer adultfacilitated support group lgbt teens vera works day salon also singersongwriter lives columbia heights enjoys singing performing chorus free time long hardest person tell since eighth grade hardest person tell first sister whos lgbt hero st marsha payitnomind johnson whats washingtons best nightspot past present160 flash always good time love grime soul jimmy valentines h street describe dream wedding underwater mermaid reception ceremony ending ship water ocean wave carrying ocean party boat probability happening equivalent actual chances ever getting married marriage isnt something think much dont know id ever want honor right nonlgbt issue passionate far social justice goes feminism issues racism lgbt issues perfect storm mixing things arriving huge issues within intersectional identity historical outcome would change would stop yolanda shooting selena halfway kidding whats memorable pop culture moment lifetime david bowies death last album im lucky shared earth someone mystical creative insist insist gender social construct people lose fear properly educated gender sexuality find larger number humanity exist within gender binary beyond assigned pink blue hat birth dont relate understand inclusive last facebook post tweet link promoting rainbow youth alliance benefit concert featuring gmcws rock creek singers genout youth chorus saturday april 9 unitarian universalist church rockville ill singing solo free suggested donation 20 come talk life book would title feels like butch queen science discovered way change sexual orientation would id protest find high school crush get hip love believe beyond physical world160 im positive existence temporary world humans wide inquisitive vocabulary get religious spiritual messing around bodies expire move rest feel universe ever expanding whats advice lgbt movement leaders stop fighting progress weve made seems like lgbt community become divided certain places160were dealing oppression whats point perpetuating within community need fighting would walk across hot coals family lgbt stereotype annoys really damaging stereotype think trans people validated adhere societal standards beauty trans people visible pop culture beautiful perfect examples gender identity thats reality people trans community doesnt necessarily either way decide someone feels body identity whats favorite lgbt movie hedwig angry inch movie friends obsessed years always favorite maybe favorite overall also mention transamerica beautifully messedup movie real characters whats overrated social custom gender trophy prize covet able walk around house dressed want friends want without fear discomfort one greatest accomplishments far wonders deal world never allowed growing still deal shame live amazing friends celebrate wish youd known 18 gets better dont get bitter also youre beautiful need get singingdancing lessons soon possible dont scared shall pass washington gay mens chorus washington opened many doors theyve given felt empowered enough leave nest rockville action music scene city therapy singing amazing people letting vibrations body carry sorrow every note silent breath came city involved chorus city alive music political culture right need anxiety bullying columbia heights depression gay mens chorus washington gmcw jj vera lgbt youth maryland rainbow youth alliance rockville unitarian universalist congregation rockville
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<p>March 25, 2010</p>
<p>By KATY GRIMES</p>
<p>Sometimes the most informative legislative hearings are the informational hearings. No vote is taken, there is an abundance of tough talk by legislators, mea maxima culps uttered by egregious state agency heads, and everyone goes home until the next hearing.</p>
<p>Yesterday there was just such a hearing. However, the information provided was mind-boggling as California struggles with staggering debt.</p>
<p>Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, D-El Dorado Hills, chairwoman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, put several state agency representatives on the hot seat for explanations about why they had not implemented all of the state auditor’s recommendations for agency savings totaling $1.4 billion.</p>
<p>Demonstrating just how important Capitol employees find informational budget hearings, just before the meeting started, staffers joked that most of the members wouldn’t even show for the meeting. They were right. Only five of the 14 committee members attended the hearing, and two departed before the hearing concluded.</p>
<p>Assemblywoman Huber explained that the hearing was based on the Implementation of the State Auditor’s Recommendations report and would highlight several departments that could be managed better and save the state $1.4 billion if the auditor’s recommendations were implemented. Huber said the purpose of the hearing was to find out why the recommendations had not been acted upon.</p>
<p>State Auditor Elaine Howle told the committee that of the 281 recommendations made by the state auditor for savings, only 132 had been implemented by state agencies, 88 were still in the process of implementation and 61 were essentially ignored. Howle said that of the 61 outstanding recommendations, agencies “have taken no action, did not provide a response, or corrective action is pending.”</p>
<p>Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, asked Howle if the agencies have systems in place to meet the recommendations. “Some don’t have the resources however, in many cases, better management practices and policies, such as in the Department of Corrections,” would result in tremendous savings.</p>
<p>Howle cited the Department of Social Services as having made $42.1 million in food stamp overpayment collections, but has been delayed in collections because of federal USDA reconciliation issues, as well as similar state and county delays.</p>
<p>Char Lee Metsker, deputy director with the Department of Social Services said they did not dispute the auditor’s report. Metsker explained that the reimbursements must go through the IRS and Franchise Tax Board intercepting tax refund procedure for payment, and that it is a long process, which occurs only once each year. Metsker said that her department has lost “institutional knowledge” causing the process to take longer through employee attrition.</p>
<p>The Department of Social Services is currently attempting to collect on 16 quarters (four years) of overpayments, which should have been done quarterly in retrospect, according to Metsker.</p>
<p>Sen. Ashburn asked Metsker how the department could make such large overpayments, and why it took so much time to collect repayments, suggesting that something else is not working in their system.</p>
<p>Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, followed the same line of questioning, asking why only now the department taking steps to collect on 16 quarters and $42 million in food stamp overpayments. Cogdill also asked Metsker for the cause of the overpayments.</p>
<p>Metsker said that overpayments occur less because of administrative errors, and mostly because they are “client caused, inadvertently or intentionally.”</p>
<p>The big surprise during Metsker’s testimony was the discovery that there are no penalties for intentionally committing food stamp fraud. The other interesting procedural snafu is that the state already provides incentives to the counties to collect overpayments by paying counties a cut of the repayments, practically encouraging overpayments in order to collect financial incentives when they are repaid.</p>
<p>The Department of Health Care Services pays too much for wheelchair reimbursements and is not collecting on co-payments from Pharmacists totaling more than $33 million in potential savings to the state.</p>
<p>Wheelchairs are billed to the state at $3,000 when most cost only $200 each. Assemblywoman Huber asked department representatives, “Are you guys paying the best prices for durable equipment?” The department’s chief of medical review said that they discovered the overbilling of wheelchairs by suppliers, by more than 80 percent and are working to change the behavior. Huber appeared frustrated and suggested that in the future, the department doesn’t just perform random audits, but put more resources on the looking more closely at all wheel chair claims to prevent the overcharges and overpayments.</p>
<p>The department admitted to the committee that it does not require invoices to be submitted with the claim, allowing the wheelchair providers to charge whatever they want on a claim.</p>
<p>Department representative Jan English admitted it had not been aggressive in collecting but are now aggressively working on the overbillings in order to “send a message” to providers. Huber said she did not subscribe to “sending messages as a deterrent effect,” but when a few providers caught overbilling, will be more effective. “Overbilling is the worst fraud on the people of California,” concluded Huber.</p>
<p>The final agency to appear was The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation&#160; (CDCR).</p>
<p>The State Auditor first explained that the department has not addressed the large overtime costs corrections still pays as well as an unusual classification of “differential pay,” paid to corrections employees who supervise two or more inmates at medical facilities. The audit revealed that in visiting six different correctional facilities, two physicians had not actually worked overtime, and differential pay was not warranted. Howle said that simple management controls should and could be in place to prevent the $58 million paid out for overtime and differential pay.</p>
<p>Since 2002, the State Auditor also found several instances where the CDCR leased office space, left it unoccupied, eventually turning it over to the Department of General Services (DGS), which did nothing with it. The CDCR did not follow up and the office space sat vacant.</p>
<p>Scott Kernan, undersecretary of operations for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation defended the overtime, insisting that he does not know of a formula to apply to changing staffing needs. Assemblywoman Huber refused Kernan’s explanation saying, “Inmate populations have not changed much in the last decade.” Huber said that our universities have experts who can assist the CDCR develop a staffing model in order to limit overtime expenses.</p>
<p>Kernan said he was not aware of the specific findings in the audit.</p>
<p>Huber ended the session by telling the CDCR’s Kernan that to read the audit and plan on meeting the committee again with proposed CDCR staffing changes and explanations.</p>
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march 25 2010 katy grimes sometimes informative legislative hearings informational hearings vote taken abundance tough talk legislators mea maxima culps uttered egregious state agency heads everyone goes home next hearing yesterday hearing however information provided mindboggling california struggles staggering debt assemblywoman alyson huber del dorado hills chairwoman joint legislative audit committee put several state agency representatives hot seat explanations implemented state auditors recommendations agency savings totaling 14 billion demonstrating important capitol employees find informational budget hearings meeting started staffers joked members wouldnt even show meeting right five 14 committee members attended hearing two departed hearing concluded assemblywoman huber explained hearing based implementation state auditors recommendations report would highlight several departments could managed better save state 14 billion auditors recommendations implemented huber said purpose hearing find recommendations acted upon state auditor elaine howle told committee 281 recommendations made state auditor savings 132 implemented state agencies 88 still process implementation 61 essentially ignored howle said 61 outstanding recommendations agencies taken action provide response corrective action pending sen roy ashburn rbakersfield asked howle agencies systems place meet recommendations dont resources however many cases better management practices policies department corrections would result tremendous savings howle cited department social services made 421 million food stamp overpayment collections delayed collections federal usda reconciliation issues well similar state county delays char lee metsker deputy director department social services said dispute auditors report metsker explained reimbursements must go irs franchise tax board intercepting tax refund procedure payment long process occurs year metsker said department lost institutional knowledge causing process take longer employee attrition department social services currently attempting collect 16 quarters four years overpayments done quarterly retrospect according metsker sen ashburn asked metsker department could make large overpayments took much time collect repayments suggesting something else working system sen dave cogdill rmodesto followed line questioning asking department taking steps collect 16 quarters 42 million food stamp overpayments cogdill also asked metsker cause overpayments metsker said overpayments occur less administrative errors mostly client caused inadvertently intentionally big surprise metskers testimony discovery penalties intentionally committing food stamp fraud interesting procedural snafu state already provides incentives counties collect overpayments paying counties cut repayments practically encouraging overpayments order collect financial incentives repaid department health care services pays much wheelchair reimbursements collecting copayments pharmacists totaling 33 million potential savings state wheelchairs billed state 3000 cost 200 assemblywoman huber asked department representatives guys paying best prices durable equipment departments chief medical review said discovered overbilling wheelchairs suppliers 80 percent working change behavior huber appeared frustrated suggested future department doesnt perform random audits put resources looking closely wheel chair claims prevent overcharges overpayments department admitted committee require invoices submitted claim allowing wheelchair providers charge whatever want claim department representative jan english admitted aggressive collecting aggressively working overbillings order send message providers huber said subscribe sending messages deterrent effect providers caught overbilling effective overbilling worst fraud people california concluded huber final agency appear department corrections rehabilitation160 cdcr state auditor first explained department addressed large overtime costs corrections still pays well unusual classification differential pay paid corrections employees supervise two inmates medical facilities audit revealed visiting six different correctional facilities two physicians actually worked overtime differential pay warranted howle said simple management controls could place prevent 58 million paid overtime differential pay since 2002 state auditor also found several instances cdcr leased office space left unoccupied eventually turning department general services dgs nothing cdcr follow office space sat vacant scott kernan undersecretary operations department corrections rehabilitation defended overtime insisting know formula apply changing staffing needs assemblywoman huber refused kernans explanation saying inmate populations changed much last decade huber said universities experts assist cdcr develop staffing model order limit overtime expenses kernan said aware specific findings audit huber ended session telling cdcrs kernan read audit plan meeting committee proposed cdcr staffing changes explanations
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<p>Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has cancelled a meeting with HIV activists. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)</p>
<p>Bernie Sanders has cancelled a meeting with HIV advocates his campaign affirmed days&#160;before the crucial New York Democratic primary he would attend, according to the activists who sought to arrange the meeting.</p>
<p>The 30-minute meeting between Sanders and HIV advocates was set for May&#160;13 in Indianapolis. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton also agreed to meet the activists, who say they’re are still on track to meet with her&#160;Thursday for one hour in New York City.</p>
<p>Hilary McQuie, director of U.S. policy and grassroots mobilization for the HIV/AIDS group Health GAP, told the Blade the Sanders campaign cancelled the meeting without explanation.</p>
<p>“He did cancel — no reason given and they have not rescheduled,” McQuie said. “We feel a bit burned by the bern, and hope they will answer our emails now.”</p>
<p>Peter Staley, a New York-based gay rights and HIV advocate, told the Blade HIV advocates before the unexpected cancellation were in daily contact with the Sanders campaign.</p>
<p>“They sent a ‘need to reschedule’ email last Sunday (for our Tuesday meeting), and then bizarrely stopped communications&#160;completely after that,” Staley said. “We’ve been emailing and calling every day since then, including warning them days ago about our intent to go public.”</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.housingworks.org/news-press/detail/press-release-bernies-broken-promise-sanders-meeting-with-hiv-aids-advocate/" type="external">a statement announcing the cancellation</a> from the Brooklyn-based HIV and homeless advocacy group Housing Works, attendees were informed on April 30 the Sanders&#160;meeting was cancelled, which was two days after many of them&#160;purchased expensive, last-minute plane ticket&#160;to attend the event. Although the Sanders campaign promised to “reschedule” as soon as possible, it&#160;has yet to propose a new date, time or city, the statement says.</p>
<p>The Sanders campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment late Sunday to confirm the meeting with HIV advocates was cancelled or to explain why the event would be nixed.</p>
<p>Both Clinton and Sanders <a href="" type="internal">agreed</a> in April, days before the New York primary, to meet separately with HIV advocates. The primary, which Clinton won by 16 points, was considered crucial in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination and ended up&#160;delivering&#160;a decisive victory for the frontrunner.</p>
<p>The agreement to meet was a result of letters sent to each of the presidential candidates requesting a meeting in the aftermath of Clinton’s controversial remarks earlier this year — for which she has apologized twice — praising President and Nancy Reagan for their efforts on HIV/AIDS.</p>
<p>In the l <a href="" type="internal">etter to Clinton</a> seeking a meeting, HIV advocates called on her to appoint an HIV adviser, meet with HIV community leadership and declare a commitment to end the AIDS epidemic nationally by 2025.</p>
<p>Among the more than 70 signers of the letter were the New York-based Gay Men’s Health Crisis, ACT UP New York, the National Black Justice Coalition, NMAC, Human Rights Campaign, the New York-based health agency Amida Care and the D.C.-based HIV/AIDS advocacy group Housing Works.</p>
<p>McQuie said the HIV advocates have also now heard from the campaign&#160;for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The HIV advocates&#160;were told he’s&#160;finalizing his&#160;policy team, but will get back to them once that occurs, McQuie says.</p>
<p>According to a statement from Housing Works, the Clinton and Sanders campaigns each proposed before the&#160;New York primary to meet&#160;with HIV community leaders, but confirmations never materialized. Only after&#160;threatening demonstrations at the Clinton and Sanders headquarters on the day before the New York primary did both campaigns promise&#160;May meetings.</p>
<p>Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, said in the statement he’s among Sanders’ supporters, but the candidate’s decision to cancel the meeting is “incredibly disappointing.”</p>
<p>“I have been a supporter of Bernie Sanders, and was proud to vote for him in the New York primary,” King said. “It is disheartening to see the ‘revolutionary’ candidate who claims to value grassroots organizing and visionary politics not make time in his schedule to meet with us. He is supposed to be the guy who walks the walk, but all we’ve heard the past six weeks is talk—and fairly tepid, reactive talk at that.”</p>
<p>Ramon Gardenhire, vice president of policy and advocacy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, said Sanders should remain true to his word to meet HIV advocates.</p>
<p>“AIDS activists have learned the hard way that patience costs lives,” Gardenhire said. “‘SILENCE=DEATH’ was a reality in the 1980s, not just a slogan, with thousands of Americans dying while President Reagan ignored the new epidemic. As the AIDS crisis grew, politicians often said supportive things and then did nothing. True leadership requires action, not just empty words. Time and again, Sen. Sanders has publicly vowed to show up and not back down even when a fight is an uphill battle. Now is the time for him to demonstrate that to the HIV community.”</p>
<p>Although Trump hasn’t made comments on HIV/AIDS over the course of the 2016 campaign, both Clinton and Sanders have made confronting HIV/AIDS, which affects an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States, a component of their campaigns.</p>
<p>After apologizing for praising Nancy Reagan on HIV/AIDS, Clinton wrote an op-ed outlining&#160;a plan to confront the disease, which includes increased HIV and AIDS research and investment; expanding access to PrEP, especially for at-risk populations; reforming state HIV criminalization laws and encouraging Republican governors to accept Medicaid expansion.</p>
<p>Sanders unveiled a similar plan the day after that left out PrEP, but included a goal for “virtually universal access” to low-cost AIDS medications as soon as they’re approved and pushing for legislation to bar discrimination against LGBT people and people with HIV/AIDS.</p>
<p>According to media reports, winning the Democratic presidential nomination through pledged delegates&#160;alone is now mathematically impossible for Sanders. The candidate has based continuing his campaign on&#160;calling on unpledged superdelegates to back the candidate whom their state supported at the Democratic National Convention, which he says gives him a path to victory.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Bernie Sanders</a> <a href="" type="internal">election 2016</a> <a href="" type="internal">Hilary McQuie</a> <a href="" type="internal">Housing Works</a></p>
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sen bernie sanders ivt cancelled meeting hiv activists washington blade file photo michael key bernie sanders cancelled meeting hiv advocates campaign affirmed days160before crucial new york democratic primary would attend according activists sought arrange meeting 30minute meeting sanders hiv advocates set may16013 indianapolis democratic frontrunner hillary clinton also agreed meet activists say theyre still track meet her160thursday one hour new york city hilary mcquie director us policy grassroots mobilization hivaids group health gap told blade sanders campaign cancelled meeting without explanation cancel reason given rescheduled mcquie said feel bit burned bern hope answer emails peter staley new yorkbased gay rights hiv advocate told blade hiv advocates unexpected cancellation daily contact sanders campaign sent need reschedule email last sunday tuesday meeting bizarrely stopped communications160completely staley said weve emailing calling every day since including warning days ago intent go public according statement announcing cancellation brooklynbased hiv homeless advocacy group housing works attendees informed april 30 sanders160meeting cancelled two days many them160purchased expensive lastminute plane ticket160to attend event although sanders campaign promised reschedule soon possible it160has yet propose new date time city statement says sanders campaign didnt respond request comment late sunday confirm meeting hiv advocates cancelled explain event would nixed clinton sanders agreed april days new york primary meet separately hiv advocates primary clinton 16 points considered crucial contest democratic presidential nomination ended up160delivering160a decisive victory frontrunner agreement meet result letters sent presidential candidates requesting meeting aftermath clintons controversial remarks earlier year apologized twice praising president nancy reagan efforts hivaids l etter clinton seeking meeting hiv advocates called appoint hiv adviser meet hiv community leadership declare commitment end aids epidemic nationally 2025 among 70 signers letter new yorkbased gay mens health crisis act new york national black justice coalition nmac human rights campaign new yorkbased health agency amida care dcbased hivaids advocacy group housing works mcquie said hiv advocates also heard campaign160for presumptive republican presidential nominee donald trump hiv advocates160were told hes160finalizing his160policy team get back occurs mcquie says according statement housing works clinton sanders campaigns proposed the160new york primary meet160with hiv community leaders confirmations never materialized after160threatening demonstrations clinton sanders headquarters day new york primary campaigns promise160may meetings charles king ceo housing works said statement hes among sanders supporters candidates decision cancel meeting incredibly disappointing supporter bernie sanders proud vote new york primary king said disheartening see revolutionary candidate claims value grassroots organizing visionary politics make time schedule meet us supposed guy walks walk weve heard past six weeks talkand fairly tepid reactive talk ramon gardenhire vice president policy advocacy aids foundation chicago said sanders remain true word meet hiv advocates aids activists learned hard way patience costs lives gardenhire said silencedeath reality 1980s slogan thousands americans dying president reagan ignored new epidemic aids crisis grew politicians often said supportive things nothing true leadership requires action empty words time sen sanders publicly vowed show back even fight uphill battle time demonstrate hiv community although trump hasnt made comments hivaids course 2016 campaign clinton sanders made confronting hivaids affects estimated 12 million people united states component campaigns apologizing praising nancy reagan hivaids clinton wrote oped outlining160a plan confront disease includes increased hiv aids research investment expanding access prep especially atrisk populations reforming state hiv criminalization laws encouraging republican governors accept medicaid expansion sanders unveiled similar plan day left prep included goal virtually universal access lowcost aids medications soon theyre approved pushing legislation bar discrimination lgbt people people hivaids according media reports winning democratic presidential nomination pledged delegates160alone mathematically impossible sanders candidate based continuing campaign on160calling unpledged superdelegates back candidate state supported democratic national convention says gives path victory bernie sanders election 2016 hilary mcquie housing works
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<p>ISTANBUL — Traveling through Istanbul on my way back from a reporting trip in the Middle East, I sipped a cup of Turkish coffee in a café and picked up a stack of bustling daily newspapers.</p>
<p>From the headlines in these traditionally nationalistic papers — stories that feature the state of the Turkish economy and a fair bit of fretting over its image in the European Union — you’d hardly know there was a war raging on the country’s doorstep.</p>
<p>For most Americans watching the region, Turkey seems stunningly indifferent to the peril that the Islamic State (IS) presents as the fighting heats up along its border with Syria and Iraq.</p>
<p>This week US airstrikes and Kurdish forces pushed IS back from the town of Kobani, just inside Syria, while the Turkish military’s tanks sat idle at the border. For months, Turkey allowed IS fighters and weapons to funnel into Iraq and Syria unimpeded as IS arrayed against the Syrian regime.</p>
<p>The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made clear how much it detests the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, but Erdogan’s moves have been ponderous and vacillating. The country is basically slow walking the US government’s request to step up as part of the multi-national coalition to fight against IS.</p>
<p>To understand where Turkey is coming from, you have to look at the fighting in Kobani from the Turkish perspective, and you have to keep in mind the axioms of power and revenge that rule the Middle East.</p>
<p>And if you look at it from that perspective, Turkey is simply watching two of its enemies kill each other in Kobani.</p>
<p>Kurdish fighters are long-time enemies of the Turkish state, which this week actually launched airstrikes at fighters in the Kurdish PKK forces inside Turkey. The Turkish government has also been at best begrudging and often obstructionist to the Kurdish fighters inside Syria who are trying to prevent IS from slaughtering the Kurds of Kobani.</p>
<p>It reminds me of my days in the late 1980s as a police reporter in New York City when narcotics detectives would shrug with indifference as the city’s murder rate surged amid turf battles between rival drug gangs. They used to call one drug dealer killing another a “public service murder.”</p>
<p>That kind of tough-guy logic doesn’t wash with the international community when it comes to the ominous darkness of the Islamic State and the peril it presents to the region and the world. It is short sighted in the extreme. But it also serves to underscore the tangled and complex dynamics at work in the war in Syria as it has spilled across the borders into Iraq and seems to threaten to engulf the region into a wider war.</p>
<p>All this reveals a simple truth: Turkey is still a predominantly Sunni Muslim country. Many regional experts therefore believe that Turkey, and particularly Erdogan, has some sympathy for the Sunni population in Iraq that is enraged by the Shia-dominated government in Baghdad.</p>
<p>That Sunni-Shia divide in Iraq fuels the fire of conflict and is the source of heat from which IS draws at least some level of community support — especially in the province of Anbar, where IS has gained considerable momentum.</p>
<p>If you want to understand the complexity of the equation in the war in Syria and how it is spilling into Iraq, just consider the relationship between the US and Iran.</p>
<p>The two countries, long-time enemies, are fighting on the same side against the Islamic State, but will quickly part ways when it comes to the Syrian regime. Iran, which is a Shia theocracy, supports Assad, who is a member of the minority Alawite community, a stream of Shia Islam.</p>
<p>That tangled web of geopolitics raises the specter of a global war that could break down along Sunni and Shia lines. For some, there is enough evidence to believe that war may have already started. Only many years down the road will we understand that it began on that day in June when the Islamic State stunned the world by crossing over from Syria and invading the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq.</p>
<p>This war cuts along lines drawn in the sand by the Western powers after World War I that set the boundaries for the modern Middle East, and those lines are rapidly disappearing in the desert winds of war. My trip to the region is part of a long-term reporting project on the 100th anniversary of World War which we are titling “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/special-reports/the-eleventh-hour-unlearned-lessons-world-war-one" type="external">The Eleventh Hour: Unlearned Lessons of World War I</a>.”</p>
<p>Pondering that history can add a new level of insight into how Turkey views this moment. Remember: The Ottoman Empire controlled the Middle East prior to World War I. After the war, the British, French and American forces carved up the region for their own interests, which revolved mainly around the new discoveries of oil deposits in places like Mosul.</p>
<p>The Ottoman Turks desperately warned Arab leaders that they were fools to fall for the Western powers’ ploy by falling in alongside their fight. Back then, the Ottomans sought to cast the narrative of World War I in the theater of the Middle East as a battle of the Muslim world against Christian invaders.</p>
<p>But Sir T. E. Lawrence famously convinced the Arab tribes otherwise, leading them into battle on the side of the British.</p>
<p>The role of Lawrence of Arabia and his Arab Revolt proved pivotal in defeating the Ottomans. With that century-old backdrop in a corner of the world with a long collective memory, there is a view in Turkey and around the region that the imperial designs of the West have now come home to roost.</p>
<p>I caught a glimpse of this sentiment in the Israeli-occupied West Bank just before traveling to Turkey. I drove through the checkpoint from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in the West Bank, past the 20-foot high concrete barriers that divide Israelis and Palestinians, and past the expanding footprint of Israeli settlements that surround Bethlehem.</p>
<p>Jad Isaac, director general of the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem, which is dedicated to research and analysis that promotes Palestinian self-reliance through greater control over their natural resources, is researching the lingering impact of World War I and the way it shaped the modern Middle East.</p>
<p>“Those who drew the boundaries of the modern Middle East were the Western colonial powers. And they made sure the tensions and the fissures divided those of us who live here,” Isaac said. “They took Kuwait out of Iraq and made it the largest port in the Gulf. They divided Kurdistan into five countries. They made the boundaries to suit their own interests. And those lines that came after World War I are falling apart. It was intended as divide and conquer, and it has fractured and failed and that is what we are seeing today.”</p>
<p>“The fighting stopped 100 years ago, but the war has never really ended,” Isaac explained.</p>
<p />
<p>He added, “I think the Ottomans are coming back. Turkey is not going to accept — and in many ways never has accepted — the limited role it was given in the region after World War I...</p>
<p>Turkey has a successful economy and a strong military and Egypt has lost its leadership role. Turkey is already emerging to say that they alone can play a critical role on dealing with ISIS, with Hamas and even in the details of the Israeli-Palestinian process, such as the crucial issue of water rights.”</p>
<p>I left Bethlehem pondering his words as we were stuck in the long line of traffic that builds up at the sprawling checkpoints that Israel has imposed to divide the West Bank town of Bethlehem from the city of Jerusalem. The cement walls have become a canvas for political graffiti and huge painted murals.</p>
<p>One of the messages stood out in stark black-and-red spray paint about six feet high. It read, “The Ottomans Will Come Back!” &#160;</p>
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istanbul traveling istanbul way back reporting trip middle east sipped cup turkish coffee café picked stack bustling daily newspapers headlines traditionally nationalistic papers stories feature state turkish economy fair bit fretting image european union youd hardly know war raging countrys doorstep americans watching region turkey seems stunningly indifferent peril islamic state presents fighting heats along border syria iraq week us airstrikes kurdish forces pushed back town kobani inside syria turkish militarys tanks sat idle border months turkey allowed fighters weapons funnel iraq syria unimpeded arrayed syrian regime government president recep tayyip erdogan made clear much detests syrian dictator bashar alassad erdogans moves ponderous vacillating country basically slow walking us governments request step part multinational coalition fight understand turkey coming look fighting kobani turkish perspective keep mind axioms power revenge rule middle east look perspective turkey simply watching two enemies kill kobani kurdish fighters longtime enemies turkish state week actually launched airstrikes fighters kurdish pkk forces inside turkey turkish government also best begrudging often obstructionist kurdish fighters inside syria trying prevent slaughtering kurds kobani reminds days late 1980s police reporter new york city narcotics detectives would shrug indifference citys murder rate surged amid turf battles rival drug gangs used call one drug dealer killing another public service murder kind toughguy logic doesnt wash international community comes ominous darkness islamic state peril presents region world short sighted extreme also serves underscore tangled complex dynamics work war syria spilled across borders iraq seems threaten engulf region wider war reveals simple truth turkey still predominantly sunni muslim country many regional experts therefore believe turkey particularly erdogan sympathy sunni population iraq enraged shiadominated government baghdad sunnishia divide iraq fuels fire conflict source heat draws least level community support especially province anbar gained considerable momentum want understand complexity equation war syria spilling iraq consider relationship us iran two countries longtime enemies fighting side islamic state quickly part ways comes syrian regime iran shia theocracy supports assad member minority alawite community stream shia islam tangled web geopolitics raises specter global war could break along sunni shia lines enough evidence believe war may already started many years road understand began day june islamic state stunned world crossing syria invading city mosul northern iraq war cuts along lines drawn sand western powers world war set boundaries modern middle east lines rapidly disappearing desert winds war trip region part longterm reporting project 100th anniversary world war titling eleventh hour unlearned lessons world war pondering history add new level insight turkey views moment remember ottoman empire controlled middle east prior world war war british french american forces carved region interests revolved mainly around new discoveries oil deposits places like mosul ottoman turks desperately warned arab leaders fools fall western powers ploy falling alongside fight back ottomans sought cast narrative world war theater middle east battle muslim world christian invaders sir e lawrence famously convinced arab tribes otherwise leading battle side british role lawrence arabia arab revolt proved pivotal defeating ottomans centuryold backdrop corner world long collective memory view turkey around region imperial designs west come home roost caught glimpse sentiment israelioccupied west bank traveling turkey drove checkpoint jerusalem bethlehem west bank past 20foot high concrete barriers divide israelis palestinians past expanding footprint israeli settlements surround bethlehem jad isaac director general applied research institute jerusalem dedicated research analysis promotes palestinian selfreliance greater control natural resources researching lingering impact world war way shaped modern middle east drew boundaries modern middle east western colonial powers made sure tensions fissures divided us live isaac said took kuwait iraq made largest port gulf divided kurdistan five countries made boundaries suit interests lines came world war falling apart intended divide conquer fractured failed seeing today fighting stopped 100 years ago war never really ended isaac explained added think ottomans coming back turkey going accept many ways never accepted limited role given region world war turkey successful economy strong military egypt lost leadership role turkey already emerging say alone play critical role dealing isis hamas even details israelipalestinian process crucial issue water rights left bethlehem pondering words stuck long line traffic builds sprawling checkpoints israel imposed divide west bank town bethlehem city jerusalem cement walls become canvas political graffiti huge painted murals one messages stood stark blackandred spray paint six feet high read ottomans come back 160
| 709 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />FEB. 22, 2012</p>
<p>By KATY GRIMES</p>
<p>According to legislators, teenage boys in California&#160;are violent. Therefore, only an Assembly resolution can save the unsuspecting teenage girls from the inevitable violence.</p>
<p>February 2012 has been dubbed “ <a href="http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?bvid=20110ACR10199INT" type="external">Teen Dating&#160;Violence Awareness and Prevention Month</a>.” And Assemblyman Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, has come to the rescue with <a href="http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?bvid=20110ACR10199INT" type="external">ACR 101</a>, to “encourage&#160;all Californians to observe Teen Dating Violence Awareness and&#160;Prevention Month with appropriate programs and activities that raise&#160;awareness about teen dating violence and promote healthy teen&#160;relationships in their communities.”</p>
<p>Never fear, the State Legislature is here.</p>
<p>“It’s a growing problem,” said Lara, the author of&#160; <a href="http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/text.html?bvid=20110ACR10199INT" type="external">ACR 101</a>,&#160;during Tuesday’s Assembly session.</p>
<p>But not all legislators agree with the resolution.</p>
<p>In fact, some have said that much of the teen bullying and violence is hyped.</p>
<p>Assemblyman Chris Norby, R-Fullerton, wasn’t buying it, and called Lara out. “Violence among teens is down 50 percent since 1995,” Norby said on the floor of the Assembly Tuesday.</p>
<p>Norby said that adding more school programs to deal with teen violence adds no academic value, and does nothing other than to “stigmatize what often is the give-and-take in relationships.”</p>
<p>“There is no outbreak of violence, no epidemic,” Norby added.</p>
<p>Norby addressed the fallacy of the resolution which, according to Lara, is a conduit for “additional resources for training teens.”</p>
<p>One of the biggest promoters of teen violence programs is the California Adolescent &#160;Health Collaborative, which&#160;receives funding from the&#160; <a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/MCAH/Pages/default.aspx" type="external">Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program, Center for Family Health, California Department of Public Health</a>, and the&#160; <a href="http://www.ojjdp.gov/" type="external">Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U. S. Department of Justice</a>.</p>
<p>The&#160;California Adolescent Health Collaborative, “a project of the Public Health Institute, is a public-private statewide coalition of individuals and organizations that works to increase understanding and support of adolescent health and well-being in California,” the <a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/" type="external">website</a> states.</p>
<p>“Over the years, the CAHC has received support from the California Family Health Council, the California Wellness Foundation, the Sierra Health Foundation, Lucile Packard Foundation, MCAH Program, California Department of Public Health, Compton Foundation, McKesson, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice, and the California Endowment.”</p>
<p>A major part of what CAHC does is health related. CAHC also hosts the&#160; <a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/ashwg-data-tables/" type="external">California Adolescent Sexual Health Work Group 2008 Data for California Adolescent Births, AIDS, STD</a>.</p>
<p>The list of health-related subjects however, are all issues that are traditionally parental responsibilities, and are highly suspect as publicly funded programs in public schools and publicly funded health centers:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Rural-Latino-Adolescents_Dec2011.pdf" type="external">Latino adolescents in California’s rural counties: a snapshot of health status</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/SocialMediaAug2011.pdf" type="external">Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Behavioral Health in California</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/FosterCareBrief4-2web1.pdf" type="external">Promoting the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents in Foster Care</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CAHC-Fact-Sheet3-4_3.pdf" type="external">Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care for Youth and Young Adults: Recommendations and Resources for Providers in California and Beyond</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/TDVbrief.pdf" type="external">Teen Dating Violence: Keeping California Adolescents Safe in Their Relationships</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Mental_Health_Fact_Sheet.pdf" type="external">Mental Health in Adolescence: A Critical Time for Prevention &amp; Early Intervention</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/AdolNutritionPhysic.pdf" type="external">Adolescent Health Brief: Nutrition and Physical Activity</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/BarriersToCareWeb.pdf" type="external">Barriers to Care: Implications of Requiring Parental Involvement for California Minors Seeking Abortions</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/SchoolBasedHealthCenters.pdf" type="external">California Youth Need School-Based Health Centers!</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/AreYouTalking.pdf" type="external">Are you Talking with your Teen?</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/OralHealthFactSheet.pdf" type="external">Adolescent Oral Health Fact Sheet</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/Bills/ACR_101/20112012/" type="external">ACR 101 states</a> that it would “encourage&#160;all Californians to observe Teen Dating Violence Awareness and &#160;Prevention Month with appropriate programs and activities that raise awareness about teen dating violence and promote healthy teen&#160;relationships in their communities.”</p>
<p>The bill was light on <a href="http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/analysis.html?aid=240533" type="external">analysis</a>, but did <a href="http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/billtrack/analysis.html?aid=240533" type="external">include</a> “data”&#160;from the Liz Claiborne 2009 Parent/Teen Dating Violence&#160;Poll, which found “approximately one in three adolescent girls in the&#160;United States is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal&#160;abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds&#160;victimization rates for other types of violence affecting&#160;youth.”</p>
<p>But the Teen Dating and Violence poll,&#160;&#160;“ <a href="http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/pdf/Liz%20Claiborne%20Teen%20Dating%20Abuse%20and%20the%20Economy%20Research%20RPT.pdf" type="external">Teen Dating Abuse Report 2009: Impact of the Economy and Parent/Teen Dialogue on Dating Relationships and Abuse</a>,”&#160;only led to a website&#160;called “ <a href="http://loveisnotabuse.com/web/guest" type="external">Love is Not Abuse</a>.” The study, supposedly conducted by <a href="http://www.tru-insight.com/" type="external">Teen Research Unlimited</a>, &#160;also led nowhere. I can’t find any poll, and none of their 2009 news or press releases include a report on teen dating abuse.</p>
<p>Locating actual data on teen violence is a big problem. The CAHC website <a href="http://www.californiateenhealth.org/%7Epdutch09/californiateenhealth.org/data/california-ado…lth-data-set-2/" type="external">data page</a>came up empty, with a “page not found” message. The <a href="http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/intimate-partner-violence/teen-dating-violence/longitudinal-data-meeting/welcome.htm#aneedfor" type="external">National Institute of Justice</a>, the federal organization that disseminates information, training and&#160;“data,” came up weak as well. There was plenty of narrative about the issues, but no identifiable data.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.safeyouth.gov/Pages/Home.aspx" type="external">National Youth Violence Prevention Center</a>&#160;is just as fuzzy, with data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a program called STRYVE&#160;— “striving to reduce youth violence everywhere.”</p>
<p>The CAHC offers the following topics for educators: Minor Consent and Confidentiality, Adolescent Relationship Abuse, Sexual and Reproductive Health of Youth in Foster Care, Positive Youth Development, Adolescent Development, Core Competencies for Providers of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care.</p>
<p>It appears that Norby is right. While any violence between dating teenagers is too much, a cottage industry was created under the guise of a “public/private partnership” using teen violance as the catch-all subject. &#160;“Public/private” is always the code words for ways for government to spend taxpayer funds on non-essential services.</p>
<p>The disclaimer on the&#160; <a href="http://www.safeyouth.gov/Resources/SearchCenter/Pages/ResourceItem.aspx?MatlNbr=2767" type="external">STRYVE&#160;website</a>explains everything: “Disclaimer:&#160; <a href="http://www.safeyouth.gov/Resources/SearchCenter/Pages/ResourceItem.aspx?MatlNbr=2440" type="external">STRYVE</a>,&#160;a youth violence prevention initiative, provides this information as a public service only. The views and information provided about and in the content available through this website,&#160; <a href="http://www.safeyouth.gov/" type="external">www.safeyouth.gov</a>, do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. government, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or&#160;STRYVE.”</p>
<p>According to Norby, with California public school students dipping to the <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2012459" type="external">lowest performance in the country</a>, non-academic programs have “doubtful academic value.”</p>
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feb 22 2012 katy grimes according legislators teenage boys california160are violent therefore assembly resolution save unsuspecting teenage girls inevitable violence february 2012 dubbed teen dating160violence awareness prevention month assemblyman ricardo lara dbell gardens come rescue acr 101 encourage160all californians observe teen dating violence awareness and160prevention month appropriate programs activities raise160awareness teen dating violence promote healthy teen160relationships communities never fear state legislature growing problem said lara author of160 acr 101160during tuesdays assembly session legislators agree resolution fact said much teen bullying violence hyped assemblyman chris norby rfullerton wasnt buying called lara violence among teens 50 percent since 1995 norby said floor assembly tuesday norby said adding school programs deal teen violence adds academic value nothing stigmatize often giveandtake relationships outbreak violence epidemic norby added norby addressed fallacy resolution according lara conduit additional resources training teens one biggest promoters teen violence programs california adolescent 160health collaborative which160receives funding the160 maternal child adolescent health program center family health california department public health the160 office juvenile justice delinquency prevention u department justice the160california adolescent health collaborative project public health institute publicprivate statewide coalition individuals organizations works increase understanding support adolescent health wellbeing california website states years cahc received support california family health council california wellness foundation sierra health foundation lucile packard foundation mcah program california department public health compton foundation mckesson office juvenile justice delinquency prevention us department justice california endowment major part cahc health related cahc also hosts the160 california adolescent sexual health work group 2008 data california adolescent births aids std list healthrelated subjects however issues traditionally parental responsibilities highly suspect publicly funded programs public schools publicly funded health centers latino adolescents californias rural counties snapshot health status impact social media adolescent behavioral health california promoting sexual reproductive health adolescents foster care integrating behavioral health primary care youth young adults recommendations resources providers california beyond teen dating violence keeping california adolescents safe relationships mental health adolescence critical time prevention amp early intervention adolescent health brief nutrition physical activity barriers care implications requiring parental involvement california minors seeking abortions california youth need schoolbased health centers talking teen adolescent oral health fact sheet acr 101 states would encourage160all californians observe teen dating violence awareness 160prevention month appropriate programs activities raise awareness teen dating violence promote healthy teen160relationships communities bill light analysis include data160from liz claiborne 2009 parentteen dating violence160poll found approximately one three adolescent girls the160united states victim physical emotional verbal160abuse dating partner figure far exceeds160victimization rates types violence affecting160youth teen dating violence poll160160 teen dating abuse report 2009 impact economy parentteen dialogue dating relationships abuse160only led website160called love abuse study supposedly conducted teen research unlimited 160also led nowhere cant find poll none 2009 news press releases include report teen dating abuse locating actual data teen violence big problem cahc website data pagecame empty page found message national institute justice federal organization disseminates information training and160data came weak well plenty narrative issues identifiable data national youth violence prevention center160is fuzzy data compiled centers disease control prevention us department health human services program called stryve160 striving reduce youth violence everywhere cahc offers following topics educators minor consent confidentiality adolescent relationship abuse sexual reproductive health youth foster care positive youth development adolescent development core competencies providers adolescent sexual reproductive health integrating behavioral health primary care appears norby right violence dating teenagers much cottage industry created guise publicprivate partnership using teen violance catchall subject 160publicprivate always code words ways government spend taxpayer funds nonessential services disclaimer the160 stryve160websiteexplains everything disclaimer160 stryve160a youth violence prevention initiative provides information public service views information provided content available website160 wwwsafeyouthgov necessarily represent official views us government us department health human services centers disease control prevention cdc or160stryve according norby california public school students dipping lowest performance country nonacademic programs doubtful academic value
| 621 |
<p>Billions of dollars, euros and yen zap around the globe electronically in milliseconds these days. That's the way that modern economies work. But there's still a need for cold, hard cash.</p>
<p>The World's Jason Margolis has more about how the financial uncertainty in the world today is impacting companies that make money, by making money.</p>
<p>Doug Crane's family has been making paper for money for a long, long time. His great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Stephen Crane, owned and operated a mill outside of Boston during the revolutionary war.</p>
<p>Doug Crane: "He made bank note paper at the time for Paul Revere to print continental currency on. And that's sort of a humbling aspect of our roots."</p>
<p>Since 1801, Crane &amp; Co.'s mill has been located in the town of Dalton in western Massachusetts. The company is the sole provider of paper notes for the US government. They take a blend of cotton and linen, add security features like watermarks with Ben Franklin's image, then send stacks of paper to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing where it becomes money.</p>
<p>At the mill, huge rolls of paper unwind above our heads. They're producing hundreds today.</p>
<p>Doug Crane: "You can touch this right here. It's sort of fun to touch. That's hundreds of dollars going past your fingertips."</p>
<p>More like hundreds of thousands of dollars. Each roll of paper will become $800,000. And there are dozens of rolls on the factory floor.</p>
<p>Overall, this mill produces about 18 million pounds of bank note paper each year. Crane also provides paper for 18 other currencies at its mill in Sweden. Doug Crane says it's a good time to be in the currency business.</p>
<p>Doug Crane: "Well the demand sort of ebbs and flows, and certainly there's been a stronger demand on currency and on certain denominations in particular since the economic uncertainty has really spread across the world."</p>
<p>Crane says there's been a significant uptick in demand for $100 bills in particular. That's a note people like to stash away during times of uncertainty, especially people outside of the US.</p>
<p>It's not just Ben Franklins being horded. The company Fortress Paper prints the euro and the Swiss franc at its mill near Zurich. Chad Wasilenkoff is company CEO.</p>
<p>Chad Wasilenkoff: "With the global crisis going on, these printing presses are running fast and furious around the world, so it's very robust times there."</p>
<p>Wasilenkoff says they're expecting to produce 40 percent more paper for the euro next year. That's partly because old euros need to be replaced, but also because of the financial instability in Europe.</p>
<p>Chad Wasilenkoff: "People are reluctant to keep as much money in the banks, and they're pulling it out and going back to the old form of sticking it under the mattress. I mean, if you had your cash sitting in a Greece bank, you might be a little reluctant, and you'd want to have some extra reserves sitting around just in case."</p>
<p>Historical evidence confirms this behavior says economist Michael Walden at North Carolina State University. Yes, our bank accounts are insured to a point by our governments, both in Europe and North America. Still, Walden says it's understandable that people hold onto a kernel of fear.</p>
<p>Michael Walden: "I think people in these times like to simply have more cash on hand. I think that just fulfils a basic primal need we have when there is heightened financial fear."</p>
<p>That's not to say we'll see bank runs like in the Great Depression, or even what happened just three years ago in Iceland when people were walking around Reykjavik with bags of foreign currency.</p>
<p>Robert Howell at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business thinks the worst is behind us.</p>
<p>Robert Howell: "I certainly think that the financial leadership in Europe and China, and certainly in the United States, are doing everything and will do everything they can to prevent a run on the banks worldwide. I don't think we're going to get to the point, where everybody is trying to put cash under the mattresses."</p>
<p>Jason Margolis: "So your mattress is not getting any thicker?"</p>
<p>Robert Howell: "No, no it isn't."</p>
<p>There is another potential business opportunity for currency companies: some eurozone countries could revert to their old currencies. Again, Chad Wasilenkoff.</p>
<p>Chad Wasilenkoff: "Demand for bank notes would definitely go up. So obviously the most likely to leave the eurozone first would be Greece. So they would have to get, whether it was drachmas again, or whatever they would decide, produced and they would have to create reserves."</p>
<p>That said, Wasilenkoff doesn't want too much economic uncertainty. After all, even though he makes money by making money, like any business, he still needs a stable economy to operate.</p>
<p>Back in Dalton, Doug Crane says pretty much the same thing about a potential euro collapse.</p>
<p>Doug Crane: "Well, it certainly would create a short-term need for new bank notes. If you were to ask if the currency industry is hoping for something like this, I think the answer is no, not really."</p>
<p>He says in the long run, currency makers, like him, need people to have trust in their product. That is, have trust in cash.</p>
| false | 3 |
billions dollars euros yen zap around globe electronically milliseconds days thats way modern economies work theres still need cold hard cash worlds jason margolis financial uncertainty world today impacting companies make money making money doug cranes family making paper money long long time great great great great great grandfather stephen crane owned operated mill outside boston revolutionary war doug crane made bank note paper time paul revere print continental currency thats sort humbling aspect roots since 1801 crane amp cos mill located town dalton western massachusetts company sole provider paper notes us government take blend cotton linen add security features like watermarks ben franklins image send stacks paper us bureau engraving printing becomes money mill huge rolls paper unwind heads theyre producing hundreds today doug crane touch right sort fun touch thats hundreds dollars going past fingertips like hundreds thousands dollars roll paper become 800000 dozens rolls factory floor overall mill produces 18 million pounds bank note paper year crane also provides paper 18 currencies mill sweden doug crane says good time currency business doug crane well demand sort ebbs flows certainly theres stronger demand currency certain denominations particular since economic uncertainty really spread across world crane says theres significant uptick demand 100 bills particular thats note people like stash away times uncertainty especially people outside us ben franklins horded company fortress paper prints euro swiss franc mill near zurich chad wasilenkoff company ceo chad wasilenkoff global crisis going printing presses running fast furious around world robust times wasilenkoff says theyre expecting produce 40 percent paper euro next year thats partly old euros need replaced also financial instability europe chad wasilenkoff people reluctant keep much money banks theyre pulling going back old form sticking mattress mean cash sitting greece bank might little reluctant youd want extra reserves sitting around case historical evidence confirms behavior says economist michael walden north carolina state university yes bank accounts insured point governments europe north america still walden says understandable people hold onto kernel fear michael walden think people times like simply cash hand think fulfils basic primal need heightened financial fear thats say well see bank runs like great depression even happened three years ago iceland people walking around reykjavik bags foreign currency robert howell dartmouths tuck school business thinks worst behind us robert howell certainly think financial leadership europe china certainly united states everything everything prevent run banks worldwide dont think going get point everybody trying put cash mattresses jason margolis mattress getting thicker robert howell isnt another potential business opportunity currency companies eurozone countries could revert old currencies chad wasilenkoff chad wasilenkoff demand bank notes would definitely go obviously likely leave eurozone first would greece would get whether drachmas whatever would decide produced would create reserves said wasilenkoff doesnt want much economic uncertainty even though makes money making money like business still needs stable economy operate back dalton doug crane says pretty much thing potential euro collapse doug crane well certainly would create shortterm need new bank notes ask currency industry hoping something like think answer really says long run currency makers like need people trust product trust cash
| 517 |
<p />
<p>Puerto Rico’s first LGBT-specific monument is located in Third Millennium Park in the U.S. commonwealth’s capital of San Juan. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)</p>
<p />
<p>A drag queen was performing inside the bar whose name means, “leave if you can” in Puerto Rican Spanish. A rainbow flag that was attached to a tree on the sidewalk was fluttering in the breeze from the nearby Atlantic Ocean as Toledo talked about his friend who was killed inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla.</p>
<p>“He was a very good person,” Toledo told the Washington Blade. “He was very cool.”</p>
<p>A gunman who opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub on June 12 killed Toledo’s friend and 48 other people. Twenty-three LGBT Puerto Ricans died during the massacre that is the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.</p>
<p>Memorials and other tributes to those who died inside the Pulse nightclub can be found throughout the Puerto Rican capital.</p>
<p>A plaque with the names of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre is now located in San Juan’s Third Millennium Park. Rainbow flags and dry flowers are among the objects that remain around the U.S. commonwealth’s first LGBT-specific monument, which is adjacent to the memorial.</p>
<p>A makeshift memorial to those who died inside the Pulse nightclub that contains their photocopied pictures and two teddy bears remains duct taped to the LGBTT Community Center of Puerto Rico’s building in San Juan’s Hato Rey neighborhood. Temptation, a gay nightclub that is a few blocks away from Zal Si Puedes in Santurce, has hung a banner near its entrance that contains the pictures of the victims and the hashtags “No more hate” and “Pray for Orlando.”</p>
<p>“It really shocked me,” Cecilia La Luz, a longtime activist who is the founder and executive director of the LGBTT Community Center of Puerto Rico, told the Blade on July 8 during an interview at her office.</p>
<p />
<p>Cecilia La Luz, executive director of the LGBT Community Center of Puerto Rico, holds a tribute to the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)</p>
<p />
<p>He told the Blade on July 7 during an interview in San Juan’s Condado neighborhood that he found out about the Pulse nightclub massacre when he read about it online after his sister-in-law asked him in a text message whether his friends in Orlando were “okay.”</p>
<p>Santana — who lived in Orlando in 1998 when he participated in a Walt Disney World exchange program — told the Blade that a drag queen with whom he is friends left the Pulse nightclub before the gunman opened fire. He said another person he knows was there with Luis Vielma, a 22-year-old man from Puerto Rico who operated the Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios in Orlando.</p>
<p>Vielma died.</p>
<p>“They were work colleagues and they went to the club together,” Santana told the Blade. “This guy died and my friend was in intensive care for a long time.”</p>
<p>More than 10,000 people took part in the annual San Juan Pride parade on June 26.</p>
<p>San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz formally dedicated the monument inside Third Millennium Park and unveiled the plaque that honors the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre before the parade began. Activists who are organizing a Pride celebration that is scheduled to take place in Isabela, a town on Puerto Rico’s northwestern coast, on July 24 are also expected to honor those who died.</p>
<p>Marynell Valentín, the older sister of Gilberto Silva Menéndez, who died inside the Pulse nightclub with his best friend, Peter González Cruz, told the Blade on July 8 during an interview at a mall in the city of Mayagüez that the Puerto Rican LGBT community is “in mourning.”</p>
<p>“It has been more difficult for (the community) because the club is not just a gay bar,” said Valentín. “I feel a lot for the community.”</p>
<p>“It has my respect,” she added.</p>
<p>Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla on June 12 said in his initial statement in response to the Pulse nightclub massacre that “hate and terror have no place in our society.”</p>
<p>Ricky Martin wrote in an op-ed for Univision that the Pulse nightclub massacre “hurts me as a man, as a human being, as a gay person” because “many of the victims were brothers and sisters from the LGBT community.” Jennifer Lopez and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who are both of Puerto Rican descent, on Monday <a href="" type="internal">performed their song</a> in tribute to the victims on NBC’s “Today” show.</p>
<p>JetBlue offered free flights to the families of the Pulse nightclub massacre victims, but La Luz said that many of them did not have enough money to book a hotel room in Orlando once they arrived from Puerto Rico.</p>
<p>Funds that Equality Florida and the city of Orlando have created to help the families have raised more than $10 million. La Luz told the Blade that she remains concerned about the time they will have to wait in order to receive money from the funds.</p>
<p>She told the Blade that the mayors of Ponce and other Puerto Rican cities and towns “have had to pay” for the funerals of some of the victims, even though the island’s debt crisis has prompted the U.S. commonwealth’s government to make deep cuts to basic services. La Luz said she told the fund administrators they need to make “emergency allocations” to help the victims’ families meet their basic financial needs.</p>
<p>“They need the money because they are in a moment of crisis,” she told the Blade.</p>
<p>Violence and discrimination remains commonplace among LGBT Puerto Ricans, even though the U.S. commonwealth’s hate crimes and nondiscrimination laws include sexual orientation and gender identity. A number of prominent religious leaders on the island continue to speak out against marriage rights for same-sex couples and other LGBT-specific issue.</p>
<p>The activists with whom the Blade spoke in Puerto Rico last week said the island’s LGBT community is afraid in the wake of the Pulse nightclub massacre.</p>
<p>“We didn’t want to go out,” said Toledo as he spoke to the Blade outside Zal Si Puedes. “What if someone were to pass by here and they see the flag and didn’t like it and (there is a) shooting or something.”</p>
<p>Yulín and other local officials “immediately” met with organizers of San Juan’s Pride parade after the Pulse nightclub massacre to discuss increased security measures for the event. Santana told the Blade that he also decided to create the “we’re still lacking” hashtag — “aunnosfalta” in Spanish — to highlight the rights and protections that LGBT Puerto Ricans lack, even though they can marry on the island because of last year’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Obergefell case.</p>
<p>“We have 49 examples that things are not resolved,” he said. “We know that changes are going to come. We know it, but these people are not going to come back.”</p>
<p>A drag queen performs at Zal Si Puedes, a gay bar in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 9, 2016. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Alejandro García Padilla</a> <a href="" type="internal">bisexual</a> <a href="" type="internal">Carmen Yulín Cruz</a> <a href="" type="internal">Cecilia La Luz</a> <a href="" type="internal">Colectivo Orgullo Arcoiris</a> <a href="" type="internal">Equality Florida</a> <a href="" type="internal">Florida</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay</a> <a href="" type="internal">Gilberto Silva Menéndez</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jaime Santana</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jennifer Lopez</a> <a href="" type="internal">lesbian</a> <a href="" type="internal">LGBTT Community Center of Puerto Rico</a> <a href="" type="internal">Lin-Manuel Miranda</a> <a href="" type="internal">Luis Vielma</a> <a href="" type="internal">Marynell Valentín</a> <a href="" type="internal">Peter González Cruz</a> <a href="" type="internal">Puerto Rico</a> <a href="" type="internal">Pulse Nightclub</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ricky Martin</a> <a href="" type="internal">transgender</a></p>
| false | 3 |
puerto ricos first lgbtspecific monument located third millennium park us commonwealths capital san juan washington blade photo michael k lavers drag queen performing inside bar whose name means leave puerto rican spanish rainbow flag attached tree sidewalk fluttering breeze nearby atlantic ocean toledo talked friend killed inside pulse nightclub orlando fla good person toledo told washington blade cool gunman opened fire inside pulse nightclub june 12 killed toledos friend 48 people twentythree lgbt puerto ricans died massacre deadliest mass shooting modern us history memorials tributes died inside pulse nightclub found throughout puerto rican capital plaque names 49 victims pulse nightclub massacre located san juans third millennium park rainbow flags dry flowers among objects remain around us commonwealths first lgbtspecific monument adjacent memorial makeshift memorial died inside pulse nightclub contains photocopied pictures two teddy bears remains duct taped lgbtt community center puerto ricos building san juans hato rey neighborhood temptation gay nightclub blocks away zal si puedes santurce hung banner near entrance contains pictures victims hashtags hate pray orlando really shocked cecilia la luz longtime activist founder executive director lgbtt community center puerto rico told blade july 8 interview office cecilia la luz executive director lgbt community center puerto rico holds tribute victims pulse nightclub massacre washington blade photo michael k lavers told blade july 7 interview san juans condado neighborhood found pulse nightclub massacre read online sisterinlaw asked text message whether friends orlando okay santana lived orlando 1998 participated walt disney world exchange program told blade drag queen friends left pulse nightclub gunman opened fire said another person knows luis vielma 22yearold man puerto rico operated harry potter ride universal studios orlando vielma died work colleagues went club together santana told blade guy died friend intensive care long time 10000 people took part annual san juan pride parade june 26 san juan mayor carmen yulín cruz formally dedicated monument inside third millennium park unveiled plaque honors victims pulse nightclub massacre parade began activists organizing pride celebration scheduled take place isabela town puerto ricos northwestern coast july 24 also expected honor died marynell valentín older sister gilberto silva menéndez died inside pulse nightclub best friend peter gonzález cruz told blade july 8 interview mall city mayagüez puerto rican lgbt community mourning difficult community club gay bar said valentín feel lot community respect added puerto rico gov alejandro garcía padilla june 12 said initial statement response pulse nightclub massacre hate terror place society ricky martin wrote oped univision pulse nightclub massacre hurts man human gay person many victims brothers sisters lgbt community jennifer lopez linmanuel miranda puerto rican descent monday performed song tribute victims nbcs today show jetblue offered free flights families pulse nightclub massacre victims la luz said many enough money book hotel room orlando arrived puerto rico funds equality florida city orlando created help families raised 10 million la luz told blade remains concerned time wait order receive money funds told blade mayors ponce puerto rican cities towns pay funerals victims even though islands debt crisis prompted us commonwealths government make deep cuts basic services la luz said told fund administrators need make emergency allocations help victims families meet basic financial needs need money moment crisis told blade violence discrimination remains commonplace among lgbt puerto ricans even though us commonwealths hate crimes nondiscrimination laws include sexual orientation gender identity number prominent religious leaders island continue speak marriage rights samesex couples lgbtspecific issue activists blade spoke puerto rico last week said islands lgbt community afraid wake pulse nightclub massacre didnt want go said toledo spoke blade outside zal si puedes someone pass see flag didnt like shooting something yulín local officials immediately met organizers san juans pride parade pulse nightclub massacre discuss increased security measures event santana told blade also decided create still lacking hashtag aunnosfalta spanish highlight rights protections lgbt puerto ricans lack even though marry island last years us supreme courts ruling obergefell case 49 examples things resolved said know changes going come know people going come back drag queen performs zal si puedes gay bar santurce neighborhood san juan puerto rico july 9 2016 washington blade photo michael k lavers alejandro garcía padilla bisexual carmen yulín cruz cecilia la luz colectivo orgullo arcoiris equality florida florida gay gilberto silva menéndez jaime santana jennifer lopez lesbian lgbtt community center puerto rico linmanuel miranda luis vielma marynell valentín peter gonzález cruz puerto rico pulse nightclub ricky martin transgender
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<p>Rahm Emanuel has portrayed himself as Chicago’s reform mayor.&#160; As a candidate in 2011 he promised to “turn the page and bring a new era of transparency, accountability and <a href="http://www.chicagotalks.org/2010/12/mayoral-candidate-rahm-emanuel-calls-for-ethics-reform/" type="external">end business as usual in city government</a>.”</p>
<p>How does Emanuel’s record stack up?</p>
<p>Ethics.&#160; On his first day in office, <a href="http://www.cityethics.org/content/new-chicago-mayor-emanuels-ethics-related-executive-orders" type="external">Emanuel issued a series of executive orders</a>, barring political considerations in political hiring, limiting lobbying by former city officials and banning political donations to the mayor by city contractors or employees, among other things.&#160; He established an Ethics Reform Task Force and, over the next couple of years, passed two ordinances containing several of its recommendations, some in watered-down form.</p>
<p>And finally, in June, he convinced a judge to release the city from the 42-year-old Shakman decree barring patronage hiring and to dismiss a federal hiring monitor.&#160; To get there, Emanuel had to repair his relationship with Inspector General Joe Ferguson. &#160;Last year, going against a campaign promise to allow the IG’s office unimpeded access to city documents, <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-21/news/ct-met-city-documents-subpoena-0322-20130322_1_city-inspector-chicago-inspector-subpoenas" type="external">Emanuel went to the Illinois Supreme Court to limit Ferguson’s subpoena power.</a></p>
<p>Not till this year did the mayor start carrying out his promises to expand the IG’s authority and stabilize the office’s budget.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, with a vast campaign fundraising operation, Emanuel has exploited a <a href="http://www.bettergov.org/lucrative_loophole_for_rahm/" type="external">“pretty sizeable loophole”</a> in his own executive order to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from employees of city contractors.</p>
<p>Most recently, International Business Times reported that <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-accepted-campaign-contributions-financial-firms-managing-1723396" type="external">Emanuel has accepted $600,000</a> from executives of firms that manage city pension funds, in possible violation not only of the mayor’s executive order but of federal rules.&#160; Progressive alderman have called for investigations by the Securities Exchange Commission, the IG and the city comptroller.</p>
<p>And when it came time to circulate petitions to get on the ballot, Emanuel <a href="http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/rahm-emanuels-silent-partner-mayoral-campaign-mike-madigan/thu-11202014-714pm" type="external">turned to patronage workers</a> from House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation.</p>
<p>TIF reform. &#160;In his first year, Emanuel appointed a TIF Reform Task Force, and <a href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2011/august_2011/mayor_emanuel_announcestaxincrementfinancingreforms.html" type="external">accepted its report with great fanfare</a>.&#160; Then he put it on the shelf.</p>
<p>One of the task force’s recommendations has been implemented: TIFs have been included in the city budget.&#160; Other recommendations have been ignored, including setting performance metrics by which to hold developers accountable, creating an oversight body that could shut down nonperforming TIF districts and making annual audits of TIFs public.</p>
<p>Emanuel has put a lot of TIF information online.&#160; But at the same time the city has stopped listing estimated costs for specific projects in the annual reports for TIF districts, instead offering only a lump sum labeled “restricted for future redevelopment project costs.”</p>
<p>So a taxpayer has no way of knowing what spending is planned for that TIF — or how accurate the report is on the TIF’s surplus.&#160; It’s a huge step backward for transparency.</p>
<p>Emanuel has shut down a dozen TIFs in outlying areas.&#160; But he’s kept open downtown districts like the LaSalle Central TIF, which last year diverted $13.75 million in property-tax revenues from schools and other government bodies in order to fight blight in the financial district — with subsidies to needy corporations like United Airlines and Miller-Coors.</p>
<p>And with multimillion-dollar subsidies for <a href="http://www.newstips.org/2012/08/protest-to-target-river-point-lasalle-central-tif/" type="external">luxury developments in the North Loop</a> and <a href="http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mayor-emanuel-ignores-tif-reform-panel/Content?oid=9828570" type="external">near McCormick Place</a>, Emanuel can’t be said to have reined in TIF abuse.</p>
<p>Financial reform. &#160;Emanuel claims to be getting a handle on the city’s financial mess.&#160; Unfortunately this involves <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-11-13/news/chi-watchdog-group-quit-pushing-off-massive-debt-payments-20131113_1_debt-burden-debt-rating-city-budget" type="external">costly refinancing deals pushing debt far into the future</a> and using borrowing to pay for operating costs.</p>
<p>Meanwhile he’s pushing new financial innovations — like the Infrastructure Trust, which tried to finance <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-20/news/ct-met-closed-schools-investment-0721-20130720_1_cps-chicago-infrastructure-trust-private-investors" type="external">energy efficiency lighting in schools that had been closed</a>, or “social impact bonds,” which will <a href="http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-81868055/" type="external">double the cost of expanding of early education</a>.</p>
<p>Police reform.&#160; Last year <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-11/news/chi-city-council-settles-burge-torture-cases-for-123-million-20130911_1_burge-victims-burge-era-torture-era" type="external">Emanuel issued a somewhat perfunctory apology</a> for the torture of suspects by Chicago police under Cmdr. Jon Burge, promising “a new way of actually doing business.” He has yet to embrace the proposal for a fund to provide counseling, health care and job training for Burge victims, though he recently backed off his previous opposition.</p>
<p>It’s far from clear the city is doing all it could to hold police officers accountable for misconduct.&#160; The Independent Police Review Authority still sustains very few misconduct complaints, said Tracy Siska of the Chicago Justice Project.&#160; He’s concerned about the <a href="http://www.wbez.org/news/who-polices-police-chicago-its-increasingly-ex-cops-111194" type="external">growing presence of retired police officers</a> and federal agents in the ranks of IPRA, which was set up to be an independent civilian agency.</p>
<p>Emanuel hasn’t provided strong leadership for greater police accountability.&#160; When city attorneys moved to vacate a 2012 ruling that a departmental “code of silence” encouraged an off-duty officer to brutally beat a female bartender, <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-04/news/ct-met-emanuel-bar-beating-verdict-20121205_1_silence-verdict-debra-kirby-internal-affairs" type="external">he backed them up</a>.</p>
<p>And when Cmdr. Glenn Evans was indicted this summer for aggravated battery and official misconduct, <a href="http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/emanuel-defends-promotion-accused-police-commander/wed-09032014-300pm" type="external">Emanuel spoke up to defend the department for promoting Evans</a> — despite his long record of excessive-force complaints, several of which resulted in legal settlements costing the city tens of thousands of dollars.</p>
<p>School reform.&#160; In Chicago, school reform once meant empowering local school communities to improve their schools — an approach that, over the years, has <a href="http://www.newstips.org/2012/09/don-moores-legacy/" type="external">worked far better than a long series of top-down measures</a>.&#160; The new school reform seems to mean closing neighborhood schools and opening charters.</p>
<p>There’s no evidence charters do better, but at least they don’t have those pesky local school councils.&#160; On the other hand, they’ve opened a whole new avenue for influence peddling.</p>
<p>UNO Charter Schools, the city’s largest charter chain, has been through several leadership changes as it deals with the effects of insider-dealing charges, including a <a href="http://www.bondbuyer.com/issues/122_201/chicagos-uno-charter-school-network-under-sec-scrutiny-1056565-1.html" type="external">charges filed by the SEC</a>. UNO’s former CEO, Juan Rangel, co-chaired Emanuel’s 2011 mayoral campaign.</p>
<p>Meanwhile Concept Schools, part of a national network of charter operators linked to a secretive Turkish cult, is <a href="http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/search-warrants-reveal-details-fbi-raid-concept-schools/mon-07212014-622pm" type="external">under investigation by the FBI</a>, apparently for spreading federal funds around to favored contractors.&#160; Concept has three schools in Chicago; the opening of a fourth school in Chatham was postponed by CPS this summer.</p>
<p>When your reforms are getting negative attention from the SEC and FBI, perhaps you need another word to describe them.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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rahm emanuel portrayed chicagos reform mayor160 candidate 2011 promised turn page bring new era transparency accountability end business usual city government emanuels record stack ethics160 first day office emanuel issued series executive orders barring political considerations political hiring limiting lobbying former city officials banning political donations mayor city contractors employees among things160 established ethics reform task force next couple years passed two ordinances containing several recommendations watereddown form finally june convinced judge release city 42yearold shakman decree barring patronage hiring dismiss federal hiring monitor160 get emanuel repair relationship inspector general joe ferguson 160last year going campaign promise allow igs office unimpeded access city documents emanuel went illinois supreme court limit fergusons subpoena power till year mayor start carrying promises expand igs authority stabilize offices budget meanwhile vast campaign fundraising operation emanuel exploited pretty sizeable loophole executive order raise hundreds thousands dollars employees city contractors recently international business times reported emanuel accepted 600000 executives firms manage city pension funds possible violation mayors executive order federal rules160 progressive alderman called investigations securities exchange commission ig city comptroller came time circulate petitions get ballot emanuel turned patronage workers house speaker michael madigans political operation tif reform 160in first year emanuel appointed tif reform task force accepted report great fanfare160 put shelf one task forces recommendations implemented tifs included city budget160 recommendations ignored including setting performance metrics hold developers accountable creating oversight body could shut nonperforming tif districts making annual audits tifs public emanuel put lot tif information online160 time city stopped listing estimated costs specific projects annual reports tif districts instead offering lump sum labeled restricted future redevelopment project costs taxpayer way knowing spending planned tif accurate report tifs surplus160 huge step backward transparency emanuel shut dozen tifs outlying areas160 hes kept open downtown districts like lasalle central tif last year diverted 1375 million propertytax revenues schools government bodies order fight blight financial district subsidies needy corporations like united airlines millercoors multimilliondollar subsidies luxury developments north loop near mccormick place emanuel cant said reined tif abuse financial reform 160emanuel claims getting handle citys financial mess160 unfortunately involves costly refinancing deals pushing debt far future using borrowing pay operating costs meanwhile hes pushing new financial innovations like infrastructure trust tried finance energy efficiency lighting schools closed social impact bonds double cost expanding early education police reform160 last year emanuel issued somewhat perfunctory apology torture suspects chicago police cmdr jon burge promising new way actually business yet embrace proposal fund provide counseling health care job training burge victims though recently backed previous opposition far clear city could hold police officers accountable misconduct160 independent police review authority still sustains misconduct complaints said tracy siska chicago justice project160 hes concerned growing presence retired police officers federal agents ranks ipra set independent civilian agency emanuel hasnt provided strong leadership greater police accountability160 city attorneys moved vacate 2012 ruling departmental code silence encouraged offduty officer brutally beat female bartender backed cmdr glenn evans indicted summer aggravated battery official misconduct emanuel spoke defend department promoting evans despite long record excessiveforce complaints several resulted legal settlements costing city tens thousands dollars school reform160 chicago school reform meant empowering local school communities improve schools approach years worked far better long series topdown measures160 new school reform seems mean closing neighborhood schools opening charters theres evidence charters better least dont pesky local school councils160 hand theyve opened whole new avenue influence peddling uno charter schools citys largest charter chain several leadership changes deals effects insiderdealing charges including charges filed sec unos former ceo juan rangel cochaired emanuels 2011 mayoral campaign meanwhile concept schools part national network charter operators linked secretive turkish cult investigation fbi apparently spreading federal funds around favored contractors160 concept three schools chicago opening fourth school chatham postponed cps summer reforms getting negative attention sec fbi perhaps need another word describe 160 160
| 632 |
<p>JAKARTA, Indonesia — From above, it looks like an ordinary urban bridge, six lanes of traffic, connecting two of the swankiest districts in this sprawling city of 9.6 million.</p>
<p>On one side is Kuningan business district: luxury apartments, five-star hotels and embassies.</p>
<p>On the other is Menteng, known as Jakarta’s Beverly Hills: old Dutch-colonial-era mansions home to foreign diplomats, senior officials and the capital’s richest residents.</p>
<p>Between the two is the Kuningan bridge.</p>
<p>Inside the bridge — yes, like, literally inside the bridge, in the cubbies formed by its girders — live more than 100 people, almost exclusively men.</p>
<p>They’re the guys who clean the city.</p>
<p>Passers-by would hardly suspect the existence of this improvised apartment complex. You could drive or walk over it for years — many Indonesians do — and not notice a thing.</p>
<p>Underneath, it takes a while to get used to the relentless rumble of traffic.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/140326/malacca-strait-piracy-hotspot" type="external">The world has a new piracy hotspot, and it's nowhere near Somalia</a></p>
<p>When a traffic light changes, two-stroke motorcycles come flying overhead, their engines shrieking like a tsunami of bumble bees. The rooms shake when trucks or buses pass. When it rains, the heat and humidity seem almost unbearable. The water nearby is a fetid marsh that floods in the rainy season and swarms with mosquitoes.</p>
<p>All in all, it’s no idyllic riverside resort. But the locals don’t seem to mind. It’s home and they’re proud of it.</p>
<p>Karno, from Brebes, in central Java, has been living here for thirty years. He says that when he first moved in, there was nothing but the bridge’s concrete walls. “It looked like a shanty town. We made it into what it is now,” he says.</p>
<p>“What it is now” resembles a dilapidated tree house more than a residential building, but Karno explains the improvements. The men (and a couple of women) now have toilets and showers under the bridge, as well as a small mosque that was built five years ago. Behind it is the bridge’s “entrance.” Climbing a ladder, Karno arrives in a room suspended about ten feet above the ground, where a dozen night-shift workers lie half asleep, play chess or watch TV.</p>
<p>The “tenants” have built the wooden floor. They have also equipped this “living room” with a television, a sound system, a few fans and outlets for lamps and mobile phones. They explain that they bribe an electricity employee for access to more than the 450 watts of power wired in by their employers.</p>
<p>This may sound like squatting. It’s actually very organized. The tenants here work for the city. Their employer, a government subcontractor, “houses” them here.</p>
<p>When asked about it, the municipality argued it wasn’t directly responsible for these workers, and wouldn’t discuss its subcontractor’s curious housing choice, nor these city workers’ questionable living conditions.</p>
<p>And so the men make do with what they have.</p>
<p>Using the bridge structure, the richest tenants have built themselves tiny private rooms. Below or alongside these is a communal room, where those who can’t afford their own space sleep “packed like sardines,” says Fudoli, a 43-year-old gardener. They don’t pay rent, but construction materials can be prohibitively expensive to workers on their budget.</p>
<p>Residents must crawl over the mosque roof to enter their rooms. Cords transmit electricity from street lights that line the bridge. (Sanja Jovanovich/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>These days, there’s an entrance next to the mosque that’s the only way in on one side of the bridge. Before 2012, many residents lived in rooms reached via ladders from below, but floods made such access impossible. Workers also said their employers didn’t like the ladders, claiming they were too “visible” to passers-by. &#160;</p>
<p>The 70 people living on the Menteng end of the bridge work for the municipality’s parks department. The other end is occupied by employees of the sanitation department.</p>
<p>“We’re part of the same football league. We sometimes play together,” says Fudoli.</p>
<p>There are few women or children here because the employers forbid bringing family.</p>
<p>Karno says he only sees his wife and three children every two to three months, when he goes back to his hometown. Only a few “privileged seniors,” such as Waljum, who sits outside the food stall his wife Sutinah manages, have their families close to them.</p>
<p>In the living room, where the TV sits and everyone is welcome, the workers talk politics. This is an important political year, with legislative elections in April and presidential in July. Two weeks ago, the main opposition party announced Jakarta’s popular governor Joko Widodo as its candidate for the presidential elections. That has left the bridge tenants disappointed. “We would have preferred him to finish his mandate in Jakarta before running for president. There is a lot of work to do here,” says Fudoli. Still, most workers agree they would vote for him.</p>
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<p>While they admit their living standards are not ideal, they say they are “grateful” to their employers for providing them with a free place to live. “This is enough for us, it’s better than having to pay rent,” says Fudoli. He says they make 70,000 rupiah a day ($6) but often work more than one shift, and still struggle to save money to bring back home to their families.</p>
<p>Like Fudoli, Karno and the rest of the workers they call “family” after years of communal life, tens of thousands of new migrants come to Jakarta every year in search of work.</p>
<p>Fudoli, who hails from Pemalang in central Java, says those who come to Jakarta have no other choice to make ends meet. “People prefer to stay in their village. I would have stayed there if I had land, but for those who don’t, there is just no work back home.”</p>
| false | 3 |
jakarta indonesia looks like ordinary urban bridge six lanes traffic connecting two swankiest districts sprawling city 96 million one side kuningan business district luxury apartments fivestar hotels embassies menteng known jakartas beverly hills old dutchcolonialera mansions home foreign diplomats senior officials capitals richest residents two kuningan bridge inside bridge yes like literally inside bridge cubbies formed girders live 100 people almost exclusively men theyre guys clean city passersby would hardly suspect existence improvised apartment complex could drive walk years many indonesians notice thing underneath takes get used relentless rumble traffic globalpost world new piracy hotspot nowhere near somalia traffic light changes twostroke motorcycles come flying overhead engines shrieking like tsunami bumble bees rooms shake trucks buses pass rains heat humidity seem almost unbearable water nearby fetid marsh floods rainy season swarms mosquitoes idyllic riverside resort locals dont seem mind home theyre proud karno brebes central java living thirty years says first moved nothing bridges concrete walls looked like shanty town made says resembles dilapidated tree house residential building karno explains improvements men couple women toilets showers bridge well small mosque built five years ago behind bridges entrance climbing ladder karno arrives room suspended ten feet ground dozen nightshift workers lie half asleep play chess watch tv tenants built wooden floor also equipped living room television sound system fans outlets lamps mobile phones explain bribe electricity employee access 450 watts power wired employers may sound like squatting actually organized tenants work city employer government subcontractor houses asked municipality argued wasnt directly responsible workers wouldnt discuss subcontractors curious housing choice city workers questionable living conditions men make using bridge structure richest tenants built tiny private rooms alongside communal room cant afford space sleep packed like sardines says fudoli 43yearold gardener dont pay rent construction materials prohibitively expensive workers budget residents must crawl mosque roof enter rooms cords transmit electricity street lights line bridge sanja jovanovichglobalpost days theres entrance next mosque thats way one side bridge 2012 many residents lived rooms reached via ladders floods made access impossible workers also said employers didnt like ladders claiming visible passersby 160 70 people living menteng end bridge work municipalitys parks department end occupied employees sanitation department part football league sometimes play together says fudoli women children employers forbid bringing family karno says sees wife three children every two three months goes back hometown privileged seniors waljum sits outside food stall wife sutinah manages families close living room tv sits everyone welcome workers talk politics important political year legislative elections april presidential july two weeks ago main opposition party announced jakartas popular governor joko widodo candidate presidential elections left bridge tenants disappointed would preferred finish mandate jakarta running president lot work says fudoli still workers agree would vote globalpost meet jokowi metallica fan frontrunner indonesian presidency admit living standards ideal say grateful employers providing free place live enough us better pay rent says fudoli says make 70000 rupiah day 6 often work one shift still struggle save money bring back home families like fudoli karno rest workers call family years communal life tens thousands new migrants come jakarta every year search work fudoli hails pemalang central java says come jakarta choice make ends meet people prefer stay village would stayed land dont work back home
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<p>In a report issued last week, a well-connected former prosecutor tasked with investigating the city lawyers who defend police in misconduct lawsuits seemed to go out of his way to deflect blame from the city’s law department.</p>
<p>A team of attorneys led by Dan K. Webb concluded that there was no evidence to suggest “a culture, pattern or approach” of intentional misconduct in the office of the city’s law department, known as the Federal Civil Rights Litigation division, which defends civil lawsuits against the police in both federal and Cook County court.</p>
<p>Webb’s team reached this conclusion despite the fact that the review was a direct result of the apparently intentional misconduct of a former FCRL division lawyer, Jordan Marsh, who <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-chicago-cop-killing-retrial-ordered-met-20160104-story.html" type="external">was sanctioned</a> by a federal judge in January for failing to disclose evidence that contradicted the story of the two officers who shot and killed Darius Pinex in 2011. The team also reviewed only a small sample of cases: 75 “of the potentially more problematic cases” from among the 1,800 cases the division has handled since May 2011.</p>
<p>The attorneys, from the high-powered law firm Winston &amp; Strawn, said their six-month review of the FCRL division revealed an office that was trying its best to comply with its legal obligation to provide documents to plaintiffs’ attorneys in police misconduct cases. But the office, they concluded, was stymied by inadequate training, understaffing, and a lack of cooperation from the Chicago Police Department and the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, which maintain most of the relevant records.</p>
<p>The report’s sympathetic tone may not seem like much of a surprise coming, as it did, from a high-powered law firm with deep political connections. Webb has given nearly $150,000 in campaign contributions to Chicago’s political elite since 2009, including $10,000 to Rahm Emanuel from 2011 to 2013, according to campaign finance records.</p>
<p>But between the lines of the 50 recommendations made by Webb and his team are some nuggets that lift the curtain on the inner dysfunction of the office that, on the taxpayers’ dime, settles a police misconduct lawsuit <a href="" type="internal">nearly every other day</a>.</p>
<p>Most police misconduct lawsuits name multiple officers—in some cases as many as a dozen or more—who were on the scene of an incident or involved in some way. The report found that it has been standard practice for some attorneys in the FCRL division to conduct group interviews of those officers.</p>
<p>At a time when the mayor has <a href="http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/sites/default/wp-content/uploads/article/file-attachments/12.9.15MREremarks.pdf" type="external">admitted</a> that a “code of silence” exists among Chicago police officers, that policy should raise more than a few eyebrows. As the report explains, plaintiffs’ attorneys “expressed concern that group interviews of officers could cause officers to be less than candid, and to coordinate their testimony to avoid implicating each other in misconduct.”</p>
<p>FCRL division lawyers countered that group interviews can be more efficient and can “jog the memories” of officers. But the law department has nonetheless instituted a new policy requiring attorneys to conduct separate interviews of witness officers, according to the report.</p>
<p>The Winston lawyers focused most of their energy on the issue of discovery, the legal process by which both sides of a lawsuit are required to share evidence that may come up during a trial. And they found several areas of concern.</p>
<p>“Most FCRL Division attorneys we interviewed readily acknowledged that they have experienced challenges and difficulties in connection with identifying, obtaining, or producing relevant records, particularly from CPD and, at times, from OEMC,” the report said.</p>
<p>The report put some of that blame on employees at OEMC and in CPD’s office of legal affairs. Those employees, it said, have at times been unresponsive to requests or difficult for law department attorneys and paralegals to work with. To fix this, CPD has provided the law department with direct access to some of its databases and the FCRL division has embedded two paralegals at OEMC to retrieve audio and video records, according to the report.</p>
<p>The report also noted that the FCRL division has not maintained up-to-date information about the kinds of records CPD and OEMC create or how they are maintained. And new attorneys in the division have not received training on what types of records they might need to retrieve, but instead have learned “on-the-job” as they encounter those records in new cases.</p>
<p>“A case-by-case knowledge base tends to create knowledge gaps in certain attorneys that may hinder the attorneys’ ability to identify and provide timely discovery in all cases,” the Webb report stated.</p>
<p>According to the report, the FCRL division, the largest in the law department, has been short between five and eight staff attorneys in recent years. That leaves the office understaffed and overworked. The FCRL division has about 400 pending cases at any given time, according to the report, and attorneys carry a caseload of 25 to 30 active cases at a time. Plus, a substantial number of division lawyers have little legal experience: About one-fifth are at the lowest possible pay grade, according to the city’s budget books, with 11 more just a couple of rungs higher.</p>
<p>“It is not uncommon for mid-level attorneys to leave the Division, after they have obtained trial experience, often for higher-paying jobs in the private sector,” the report said. At least 15 attorneys have left in the past five years, according to the report.</p>
<p>That’s no surprise when you look at pay in comparison to other lawyers in Chicago. Entry-level attorneys make just under $60,000 per year, according to city budget data, while supervising attorneys make between about $87,000 and $115,000. The average annual salary for attorneys in the metropolitan area is $128,150, according to the latest <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_16980.htm#23-0000" type="external">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>Webb, the former prosecutor who wrote the report, highlights the pay disparity. He <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/a-look-into-ferguson-s-pricey-pick-to-negotiate-doj/article_05a6800b-e525-5392-94eb-cbf7b68a1830.html" type="external">charged</a> the city of Ferguson, Mo., $1,335 per hour, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, to help them negotiate with the Justice Department over recommended police reforms in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown. For his review of the law department, he <a href="http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/webb-no-evidence-of-more-problems-at-city-hall-law-department/" type="external">offered</a> Chicago a reduced rate of $295 per hour, according to the Sun-Times. That is still approximately four-and-a-half times what the highest-paid attorneys in the FCRL division make.</p>
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report issued last week wellconnected former prosecutor tasked investigating city lawyers defend police misconduct lawsuits seemed go way deflect blame citys law department team attorneys led dan k webb concluded evidence suggest culture pattern approach intentional misconduct office citys law department known federal civil rights litigation division defends civil lawsuits police federal cook county court webbs team reached conclusion despite fact review direct result apparently intentional misconduct former fcrl division lawyer jordan marsh sanctioned federal judge january failing disclose evidence contradicted story two officers shot killed darius pinex 2011 team also reviewed small sample cases 75 potentially problematic cases among 1800 cases division handled since may 2011 attorneys highpowered law firm winston amp strawn said sixmonth review fcrl division revealed office trying best comply legal obligation provide documents plaintiffs attorneys police misconduct cases office concluded stymied inadequate training understaffing lack cooperation chicago police department citys office emergency management communications maintain relevant records reports sympathetic tone may seem like much surprise coming highpowered law firm deep political connections webb given nearly 150000 campaign contributions chicagos political elite since 2009 including 10000 rahm emanuel 2011 2013 according campaign finance records lines 50 recommendations made webb team nuggets lift curtain inner dysfunction office taxpayers dime settles police misconduct lawsuit nearly every day police misconduct lawsuits name multiple officersin cases many dozen morewho scene incident involved way report found standard practice attorneys fcrl division conduct group interviews officers time mayor admitted code silence exists among chicago police officers policy raise eyebrows report explains plaintiffs attorneys expressed concern group interviews officers could cause officers less candid coordinate testimony avoid implicating misconduct fcrl division lawyers countered group interviews efficient jog memories officers law department nonetheless instituted new policy requiring attorneys conduct separate interviews witness officers according report winston lawyers focused energy issue discovery legal process sides lawsuit required share evidence may come trial found several areas concern fcrl division attorneys interviewed readily acknowledged experienced challenges difficulties connection identifying obtaining producing relevant records particularly cpd times oemc report said report put blame employees oemc cpds office legal affairs employees said times unresponsive requests difficult law department attorneys paralegals work fix cpd provided law department direct access databases fcrl division embedded two paralegals oemc retrieve audio video records according report report also noted fcrl division maintained uptodate information kinds records cpd oemc create maintained new attorneys division received training types records might need retrieve instead learned onthejob encounter records new cases casebycase knowledge base tends create knowledge gaps certain attorneys may hinder attorneys ability identify provide timely discovery cases webb report stated according report fcrl division largest law department short five eight staff attorneys recent years leaves office understaffed overworked fcrl division 400 pending cases given time according report attorneys carry caseload 25 30 active cases time plus substantial number division lawyers little legal experience onefifth lowest possible pay grade according citys budget books 11 couple rungs higher uncommon midlevel attorneys leave division obtained trial experience often higherpaying jobs private sector report said least 15 attorneys left past five years according report thats surprise look pay comparison lawyers chicago entrylevel attorneys make 60000 per year according city budget data supervising attorneys make 87000 115000 average annual salary attorneys metropolitan area 128150 according latest data bureau labor statistics webb former prosecutor wrote report highlights pay disparity charged city ferguson mo 1335 per hour according st louis postdispatch help negotiate justice department recommended police reforms wake shooting michael brown review law department offered chicago reduced rate 295 per hour according suntimes still approximately fourandahalf times highestpaid attorneys fcrl division make
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<p>Mappsville Baptist Church in Mappsville led churches affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia last year in per capita contributions to Cooperative Missions, based on resident membership. Rounding out the top 10 churches in per capita CM gifts were Spring Creek Baptist Church in Darlington Heights, Elm Street Baptist Church in Petersburg, First Baptist Church in Gretna, Cambridge Baptist Church in Richmond, First Baptist Church in Altavista, Clifton Baptist Church in Clifton, Pearisburg Baptist Church in Pearisburg, Fil-Am Community Church in Chesterfield and First Baptist Church in Alexandria.</p>
<p>Below is the total list of top 100 churches. All figures were reported by the BGAV's treasurer's office for the fiscal year which ended December 31, 2007.</p>
<p>1. Mappsville Baptist Church, Mappsville — 661.72 2. Spring Creek Baptist Church, Darlington Heights — 232.85 3. Elm Street Baptist Church, Petersburg — 213.29 4. First Baptist Church, Gretna — 204.81 5. Cambridge Baptist Church, Richmond — 203.88 6. First Baptist Church, Altavista — 198.92 7. Clifton Baptist Church, Clifton — 193.65 8. Pearisburg Baptist Church, Pearisburg — 193.26 9. Fil-Am Baptist Church, Chesterfield — 185.27 10. First Baptist Church, Alexandria — 74.86 11. Plymouth Haven Baptist Church, Alexandria — 173.90 12. Black Creek Baptist Church, Mechanicsville — 169.69 13. Cape Charles Baptist Church, Cape Charles — 164.17 14. Franklin Heights Baptist Church, Rocky Mount — 163.14 15. Iglesia Gracia y Verdad, Rocky Mount — 154.84 16. Salem Baptist Church, Salem — 154.28 17. Chancellor Baptist Church, Fredericksburg — 152.76 18. Bon Air Baptist Church, Richmond — 150.22 19. Adial Baptist Church, Faber — 146.30 20. Derbyshire Baptist Church, Richmond — 144.30 21. Summit Point Baptist Church, Summit Point — 143.37 22. Tabernacle Baptist Church, Burke — 136.11 23. County Line Baptist Church, Java — 133.33 24. Beulah Baptist Church, Aylett — 133.07 25. Haymarket Baptist Church, Haymarket — 132.89 26. North Fork Baptist Church, Purcellville — 129.24 27. Oakland Baptist Church, King George — 126.16 28. New Hope Baptist Church, Chesterfield — 125.23 29. Clintwood Baptist Church, Clintwood — 124.45 30. Salem Baptist Church, Sparta — 123.96 31. Singers Glen Baptist Church, Singers Glen — 123.42 32. Bethlehem Baptist Church, Richmond — 123.34 33. Parkwood Baptist Church, Annandale — 122.65 34. Zion Baptist Church, Parksley — 122.00 35. Culpeper Baptist Church, Culpeper — 121.31 36. Mount Hermon Baptist Church, Danville — 121.12 37. Bagby Memorial Baptist Church, Burkeville — 121.02 38. Zoar Baptist Church, Deltaville — 119.83 39. Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Charles City — 119.54 40. Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, Earlysville — 119.17 41. Friendship Baptist Church, Glade Spring — 118.11 42. First Baptist Church, Ashland — 116.84 43, Temple Baptist Church, Covington — 115.20 44. Oakland Baptist Church, Disputanta — 113.73 45. Hilton Baptist Church, Newport News — 112.27 46. Thomas Memorial Baptist Church, Drewryville — 111.54 47. Harvest Point Community Church, Charles Town — 111.23 48. New Bethesda Baptist Church, Mechanicsville — 110.76 49. Orcutt Baptist Church, Newport News — 110.56 50. Holy Light Baptist Church, Richmond — 110.00 51. Morattico Baptist Church, Kilmarnock — 107.43 52. First Cross Roads Church, South Boston — 106.11 53. Walnut Hills Baptist Church, Williamsburg — 105.83 54. Hardys Creek Baptist Church, Jonesville — 105.67 55. Rocks Baptist Church, Pamplin — 104.73 56. Enon Baptist Church, Supply — 104.63 57. Concord Baptist Church, Ruther Glen — 104.14 58. Warsaw Baptist Church, Warsaw — 102.73 59. Goldmine Baptist Church, Louisa — 101.39 60. New Prospect Baptist Church, Hurt — 100.53 61. First Baptist Church, Charlottesville — 100.47 62. Bethany Baptist Church, Callao — 99.51 63. Warrenton Baptist Church, Warrenton — 99.10 64. Highland Baptist Church, Monterey — 98.34 65. First Baptist Church, Winchester — 98.30 66. Nomini Baptist Church, Montross — 98.12 67. Emmanuel Baptist Church, Alexandria — 98.11 68. East End Baptist Church, Marion — 97.85 69. Cool Spring Baptist Church, Mechanicsville — 97.60 70. Melville Avenue Baptist Church, Danville — 96.95 71. Wicomico Baptist Church, Wicomico Courthouse — 95.33 72. First Baptist Church, Richmond — 95.24 73. Belle View Baptist Church, Alexandria — 94.84 74. Midway Baptist Church, Elliston — 94.76 75. Monte Vista Baptist Church, Hurt — 94.19 76. Heritage Baptist Church, Farmville — 94.15 77. Calvary Baptist Church, Newport News — 94.04 78. Park Avenue Baptist Church, Norton — 92.61 79. Hillendale Baptist Church, Woodbridge — 92.44 80. Dover Baptist Church, Manakin-Sabot — 92.23 81. First Baptist Church, Collinsville — 92.20 82. Bethel Baptist Church, Phenix — 92.18 83. Hampton Roads Baptist Church, Hampton — 91.96 84. Middleburg Baptist Church, Middleburg — 91.92 85. Thomas Village Baptist Church, Duffield — 91.82 86. White Marsh Church, White Marsh — 91.64 87. Drakes Branch Baptist Church, Branch — 91.26 88. Mechanicsville Baptist Church, Gordonsville — 90.92 89. Midway Baptist Church, Gretna — 90.91 90. Farnham Baptist Church, Farnham — 90.89 91. Jones Chapel Baptist Church, Dillwyn — 90.75 92. Sharon Baptist Church, King William — 90.72 93. Fincastle Baptist Church, Tazewell — 89.94 94. Memorial Baptist Church, Arlington — 89.66 95. First Baptist Church, Honaker — 89.17 96. First Baptist Church, Jonesville — 89.15 97. Beale Memorial Church, Tappahannock — 89.13 98. Bethel Baptist Church, Palmyra — 88.68 99. Urbanna Baptist Church, Urbanna — 88.18 100. Edge Baptist Church, Gladys — 87.80</p>
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mappsville baptist church mappsville led churches affiliated baptist general association virginia last year per capita contributions cooperative missions based resident membership rounding top 10 churches per capita cm gifts spring creek baptist church darlington heights elm street baptist church petersburg first baptist church gretna cambridge baptist church richmond first baptist church altavista clifton baptist church clifton pearisburg baptist church pearisburg filam community church chesterfield first baptist church alexandria total list top 100 churches figures reported bgavs treasurers office fiscal year ended december 31 2007 1 mappsville baptist church mappsville 66172 2 spring creek baptist church darlington heights 23285 3 elm street baptist church petersburg 21329 4 first baptist church gretna 20481 5 cambridge baptist church richmond 20388 6 first baptist church altavista 19892 7 clifton baptist church clifton 19365 8 pearisburg baptist church pearisburg 19326 9 filam baptist church chesterfield 18527 10 first baptist church alexandria 7486 11 plymouth baptist church alexandria 17390 12 black creek baptist church mechanicsville 16969 13 cape charles baptist church cape charles 16417 14 franklin heights baptist church rocky mount 16314 15 iglesia gracia verdad rocky mount 15484 16 salem baptist church salem 15428 17 chancellor baptist church fredericksburg 15276 18 bon air baptist church richmond 15022 19 adial baptist church faber 14630 20 derbyshire baptist church richmond 14430 21 summit point baptist church summit point 14337 22 tabernacle baptist church burke 13611 23 county line baptist church java 13333 24 beulah baptist church aylett 13307 25 haymarket baptist church haymarket 13289 26 north fork baptist church purcellville 12924 27 oakland baptist church king george 12616 28 new hope baptist church chesterfield 12523 29 clintwood baptist church clintwood 12445 30 salem baptist church sparta 12396 31 singers glen baptist church singers glen 12342 32 bethlehem baptist church richmond 12334 33 parkwood baptist church annandale 12265 34 zion baptist church parksley 12200 35 culpeper baptist church culpeper 12131 36 mount hermon baptist church danville 12112 37 bagby memorial baptist church burkeville 12102 38 zoar baptist church deltaville 11983 39 mount pleasant baptist church charles city 11954 40 chestnut grove baptist church earlysville 11917 41 friendship baptist church glade spring 11811 42 first baptist church ashland 11684 43 temple baptist church covington 11520 44 oakland baptist church disputanta 11373 45 hilton baptist church newport news 11227 46 thomas memorial baptist church drewryville 11154 47 harvest point community church charles town 11123 48 new bethesda baptist church mechanicsville 11076 49 orcutt baptist church newport news 11056 50 holy light baptist church richmond 11000 51 morattico baptist church kilmarnock 10743 52 first cross roads church south boston 10611 53 walnut hills baptist church williamsburg 10583 54 hardys creek baptist church jonesville 10567 55 rocks baptist church pamplin 10473 56 enon baptist church supply 10463 57 concord baptist church ruther glen 10414 58 warsaw baptist church warsaw 10273 59 goldmine baptist church louisa 10139 60 new prospect baptist church hurt 10053 61 first baptist church charlottesville 10047 62 bethany baptist church callao 9951 63 warrenton baptist church warrenton 9910 64 highland baptist church monterey 9834 65 first baptist church winchester 9830 66 nomini baptist church montross 9812 67 emmanuel baptist church alexandria 9811 68 east end baptist church marion 9785 69 cool spring baptist church mechanicsville 9760 70 melville avenue baptist church danville 9695 71 wicomico baptist church wicomico courthouse 9533 72 first baptist church richmond 9524 73 belle view baptist church alexandria 9484 74 midway baptist church elliston 9476 75 monte vista baptist church hurt 9419 76 heritage baptist church farmville 9415 77 calvary baptist church newport news 9404 78 park avenue baptist church norton 9261 79 hillendale baptist church woodbridge 9244 80 dover baptist church manakinsabot 9223 81 first baptist church collinsville 9220 82 bethel baptist church phenix 9218 83 hampton roads baptist church hampton 9196 84 middleburg baptist church middleburg 9192 85 thomas village baptist church duffield 9182 86 white marsh church white marsh 9164 87 drakes branch baptist church branch 9126 88 mechanicsville baptist church gordonsville 9092 89 midway baptist church gretna 9091 90 farnham baptist church farnham 9089 91 jones chapel baptist church dillwyn 9075 92 sharon baptist church king william 9072 93 fincastle baptist church tazewell 8994 94 memorial baptist church arlington 8966 95 first baptist church honaker 8917 96 first baptist church jonesville 8915 97 beale memorial church tappahannock 8913 98 bethel baptist church palmyra 8868 99 urbanna baptist church urbanna 8818 100 edge baptist church gladys 8780
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<p>CURWOOD: It's Living on Earth. I'm Steve Curwood. Lets check out whats beyond the headlines with our usual guide, Peter Dykstra. Hes with Environmental Health News, EHN.org and the DailyClimate.org, and hes been mining the journalistic world for the unusual, quirky and historical. He joins us on the line now from Conyers, Georgia. Hi there, Peter.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: Well, hi, Steve. Lets start with a mind-boggling decision from the United Nations Green Climate Fund. You know, thats the global fund for rich countries to help developing countries come up with solutions to climate change. Well, last week, the fund refused to ban the use of green climate change money to build coal plants.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Wait, so youre saying U.N. money to fix climate change can be used to build additional carbon intensive coal-burning power plants?</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: Yes, and it apparently already has been. Japan loaned over a billion and a half dollars to build new coal plants in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India. They say it qualifies as clean energy because the new coal plants would be cleaner than the older coal plants theyre replacing.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: But Im still scratching my head, because I dont think theres anyone out there saying that new coal-burning power plants are going to help solve climate change.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: No, and for a UN process thats already widely viewed with skepticism on all sides, with the crucial climate meeting coming up in Paris at the end of the year, this isnt encouraging. You know what using climate funds to build coal plants is like? Somebody asked me about plastic water bottles once, and I gave them the lecture about how disposable bottles are an issue, and the plastic is an issue, and the whole speech, so they said, Youve convinced me. From now on, no more plastic water bottles. Now, they buy plastic soda bottles instead.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Oh man, now Im depressed. Lets move on to something more upbeat.</p>
<p>Pope Francis, who has voiced his support for addressing climate change, will be in attendance at the Paris climate negotiations later this year. Other religious leaders have voiced their concerns about climate change as well: seventeen bishops from the Church of England recently issued a Call to Urgent Action for Climate Justice, and the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. declared climate denial immoral. (Photo: Catholic Church England and Wales, Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: One of the things Ive always observed about the environmental movement is that unlike other political movements, its never really had a galvanizing, charismatic leader like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela or Gandhi. No disrespect to a lot of people who have done extraordinary work, but I dont think well ever close the banks and schools to celebrate Al Gores birthday or Bill McKibbens birthday.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: OK, but where are we going with this?</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: So out of the blue, over the last two years, we may be seeing that global leader emerge, complete with a pre-installed following of a billion people: The Pope.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Yeah, Pope Francis has been very outspoken, and hell be at that Paris climate summit, by the way.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: He will indeed, and a moment please for the time-honored journalistic practice of full disclosure: I am a retired Catholic. Havent made it to mass for 40 years or so, but I still watch with interest when the head of the Roman Catholic Church shows true leadership on a vital social issue. And not only that, but if its good enough for his holiness, here come the Anglicans. In advance of Holy Week, 17 leading bishops from the Church of England issued a Call to Urgent Action for Climate Justice", and in a separate statement, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US said that climate denial is immoral. While many Catholics and Anglicans there are about 80 million Anglicans worldwide have always pushed for social justice, including environmental causes, its unusual to see it coming from the top, so stay tuned.</p>
<p>Thirty-five years ago this week, legendary anchorman Walter Cronkite delivered an early warning on climate change. (Photo: James Vaughan, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Alright. Thank you, Peter, for this week's Easter sermon. Lets go on to our history lesson.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: Thirty-five years ago this week, Walter Cronkite, hailed as the Most Trusted Man in America delivered a very early warning on climate change. The legendary CBS News anchorman introduced a piece on a 1980 Senate hearing in which Senators and scientists warned of the potential peril of global warming; cities underwater, and hot blazing summers. The veteran CBS reporter Nelson Benton offered these words: Scientists, and a few politicians, are beginning to worry...</p>
<p>CURWOOD: And since then, the science has gotten even stronger.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: But the coverage has gotten weaker. TV news organizations, to say nothing of some politicians, are largely AWOL on climate change, even as its consequences become increasingly real.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: And to quote Walter Cronkites nightly sign-off, Thats the way it is.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: Unfortunately true.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Peter Dykstra is with Environmental Health News, that's EHN.org, and the DailyClimate.org. Thanks, Peter, talk to you soon.</p>
<p>DYKSTRA: Anytime, Steve, we'll talk to you next week.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: And theres more on these stories at our website LOE.org.</p>
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curwood living earth im steve curwood lets check whats beyond headlines usual guide peter dykstra hes environmental health news ehnorg dailyclimateorg hes mining journalistic world unusual quirky historical joins us line conyers georgia hi peter dykstra well hi steve lets start mindboggling decision united nations green climate fund know thats global fund rich countries help developing countries come solutions climate change well last week fund refused ban use green climate change money build coal plants curwood wait youre saying un money fix climate change used build additional carbon intensive coalburning power plants dykstra yes apparently already japan loaned billion half dollars build new coal plants indonesia bangladesh india say qualifies clean energy new coal plants would cleaner older coal plants theyre replacing curwood im still scratching head dont think theres anyone saying new coalburning power plants going help solve climate change dykstra un process thats already widely viewed skepticism sides crucial climate meeting coming paris end year isnt encouraging know using climate funds build coal plants like somebody asked plastic water bottles gave lecture disposable bottles issue plastic issue whole speech said youve convinced plastic water bottles buy plastic soda bottles instead curwood oh man im depressed lets move something upbeat pope francis voiced support addressing climate change attendance paris climate negotiations later year religious leaders voiced concerns climate change well seventeen bishops church england recently issued call urgent action climate justice presiding bishop episcopal church us declared climate denial immoral photo catholic church england wales flickr cc byncsa 20 dykstra one things ive always observed environmental movement unlike political movements never really galvanizing charismatic leader like martin luther king nelson mandela gandhi disrespect lot people done extraordinary work dont think well ever close banks schools celebrate al gores birthday bill mckibbens birthday curwood ok going dykstra blue last two years may seeing global leader emerge complete preinstalled following billion people pope curwood yeah pope francis outspoken hell paris climate summit way dykstra indeed moment please timehonored journalistic practice full disclosure retired catholic havent made mass 40 years still watch interest head roman catholic church shows true leadership vital social issue good enough holiness come anglicans advance holy week 17 leading bishops church england issued call urgent action climate justice separate statement presiding bishop episcopal church us said climate denial immoral many catholics anglicans 80 million anglicans worldwide always pushed social justice including environmental causes unusual see coming top stay tuned thirtyfive years ago week legendary anchorman walter cronkite delivered early warning climate change photo james vaughan cc byncsa 20 curwood alright thank peter weeks easter sermon lets go history lesson dykstra thirtyfive years ago week walter cronkite hailed trusted man america delivered early warning climate change legendary cbs news anchorman introduced piece 1980 senate hearing senators scientists warned potential peril global warming cities underwater hot blazing summers veteran cbs reporter nelson benton offered words scientists politicians beginning worry curwood since science gotten even stronger dykstra coverage gotten weaker tv news organizations say nothing politicians largely awol climate change even consequences become increasingly real curwood quote walter cronkites nightly signoff thats way dykstra unfortunately true curwood peter dykstra environmental health news thats ehnorg dailyclimateorg thanks peter talk soon dykstra anytime steve well talk next week curwood theres stories website loeorg
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<p>HARARE, Zimbabwe — There were wry smiles at many Zimbabwean breakfast tables this week when it was announced in the government press that President Robert Mugabe is attending the Rome summit of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.</p>
<p>Zimbabweans — black and white alike — see the irony of Mugabe grasping at the chance to attend an international conference where the theme is food security. Mugabe's policies have turned Zimbabwe from a nation with bountiful harvests to a country perennially dependent upon international food aid.</p>
<p>Nobody has done more to wreck Zimbabwe’s post-independence record of food production than Mugabe. Under his direction one of Africa’s most productive agricultures has been transformed into a wasteland. Vast acreages of corn, fruit and horticulture have been seized, plundered and in many cases willfully destroyed by Mugabe’s supporters. Forests have been cut down and river systems polluted as the president’s land redistribution policies have wreaked havoc on the land.</p>
<p>As if enough damage has not been done, the violent seizure of the few remaining white-owned farms continues. And about 152 of the estimated 400 remaining white commercial farmers have been prosecuted recently for continuing to occupy their homesteads and farm their land. This while Zimbabwe is dependent upon handouts for its destitute rural population.</p>
<p>White farmers such as Ben Freeth in Chegutu, southwest of the capital Harare, and his wife’s elderly parents have been badly beaten by Mugabe’s thugs and their bones broken for refusing to leave their home.</p>
<p>“It appears there has been no move to re-establish the rule of law,” Freeth declared last week, “and there have been no repercussions for the perpetrators or even investigations into police participation in lawlessness.”</p>
<p>Freeth’s invective is directed more at Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s failure to act decisively than Mugabe’s predictable rampage. Even black resettled farmers suspected of opposing Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party are having their farms repossessed and given to the 85-year-old leader’s adherents.</p>
<p>The anarchy on the land is impacting negatively on food security, employment and economic growth, Freeth pointed out as Mugabe strutted upon the international stage in Rome.</p>
<p>After much prodding by Zimbabwe’s regional neighbors in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Tsvangirai has returned to cabinet meetings following his boycott of the government of national unity over Mugabe’s failure to honor terms reached last year.</p>
<p>But the heat is on Mugabe as well. As a result of a recent SADC deal in Maputo, Mozambique, the president is under increased pressure from his peers to accept the conditions he signed up to despite his repeated claims that he has fulfilled all requirements.</p>
<p>Outstanding issues include the removal of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) holds Gono responsible for monetary delinquency and Tomana for selective application of the law of the sort MDC treasurer Roy Bennett has been subjected to. But Mugabe has adamantly insisted that these two loyalists will stay where they are.</p>
<p>Ministers from Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia, who were in the country in October to assess the power-sharing deal, expressed concerns about the management of the police force. They reported to SADC that although ministers from the two main parties were working together well at the Ministry of Home Affairs, management of the police remains a problem.</p>
<p>Senior police officers have been openly defiant of the new order, even to the extent in one case of refusing to meet the MDC co-minister, Giles Mutsekwa, during a regional tour.</p>
<p>Another problem area identifed by the SADC ministers was security. The National Security Council was set up under the so-called global political agreement between the parties last year and it contains the army, police and prisons service. It has only met once since the government of national unity was formed in February. It is widely seen as an instrument of Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party. Similarly, a National Economic Council has not been constituted despite an urgent need for consensus on economic policy.</p>
<p>The whole point of the SADC-mediated political detente in Zimbabwe has been to prevent Mugabe damaging the economy to the extent that Zimbabweans become poorer and neighboring countries suffer collateral damage. With his announcement two weeks ago that the widely reviled Zimbabwe dollar will be reintroduced before Christmas, regional observers will have received some indication of both his capacity for damage and his detachment from the real world.</p>
<p>The Zimbabwe dollar is associated with 10-digit inflation, uncertainty, bank lines and corruption. Zimbabweans hate the unit as emblematic of all that was rotten and painful in their daily lives. It is however unlikely to reappear anytime soon despite the best efforts of Mugabe and Gono. It is the one issue that is calculated to unite the nation against Mugabe and his followers seem to know it. Not a single member of his party has spoken up to support the president’s plan.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, President Ian Khama of Botswana, a forthright critic of Mugabe, said that free and fair elections are the only avenue out of Zimbabwe's perennial crisis.</p>
<p>“There can be no substitute,” Khama told the Botswanan parliament in Gaborone, “for free, fair, and credible elections where people elect representatives of their choice and not have them imposed on them through rigged elections, brutalizing opponents , military interventions, constitutional amendments to stay longer in power and one-man rule that goes on for decades.” Khama left his audience in no doubt who he was talking about.</p>
<p>“One thing which I fear may become a trend in Africa if not stopped is where an individual or party in order to stay in power engage in unconstitutional and undemocratic actions to achieve this which, as we have already witnessed, result in power-sharing arrangements and one-man rule.”</p>
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harare zimbabwe wry smiles many zimbabwean breakfast tables week announced government press president robert mugabe attending rome summit united nations food agriculture organisation zimbabweans black white alike see irony mugabe grasping chance attend international conference theme food security mugabes policies turned zimbabwe nation bountiful harvests country perennially dependent upon international food aid nobody done wreck zimbabwes postindependence record food production mugabe direction one africas productive agricultures transformed wasteland vast acreages corn fruit horticulture seized plundered many cases willfully destroyed mugabes supporters forests cut river systems polluted presidents land redistribution policies wreaked havoc land enough damage done violent seizure remaining whiteowned farms continues 152 estimated 400 remaining white commercial farmers prosecuted recently continuing occupy homesteads farm land zimbabwe dependent upon handouts destitute rural population white farmers ben freeth chegutu southwest capital harare wifes elderly parents badly beaten mugabes thugs bones broken refusing leave home appears move reestablish rule law freeth declared last week repercussions perpetrators even investigations police participation lawlessness freeths invective directed prime minister morgan tsvangirais failure act decisively mugabes predictable rampage even black resettled farmers suspected opposing mugabes zanupf party farms repossessed given 85yearold leaders adherents anarchy land impacting negatively food security employment economic growth freeth pointed mugabe strutted upon international stage rome much prodding zimbabwes regional neighbors southern african development community sadc tsvangirai returned cabinet meetings following boycott government national unity mugabes failure honor terms reached last year heat mugabe well result recent sadc deal maputo mozambique president increased pressure peers accept conditions signed despite repeated claims fulfilled requirements outstanding issues include removal reserve bank governor gideon gono attorney general johannes tomana tsvangirais movement democratic change mdc holds gono responsible monetary delinquency tomana selective application law sort mdc treasurer roy bennett subjected mugabe adamantly insisted two loyalists stay ministers mozambique swaziland zambia country october assess powersharing deal expressed concerns management police force reported sadc although ministers two main parties working together well ministry home affairs management police remains problem senior police officers openly defiant new order even extent one case refusing meet mdc cominister giles mutsekwa regional tour another problem area identifed sadc ministers security national security council set socalled global political agreement parties last year contains army police prisons service met since government national unity formed february widely seen instrument mugabes zanupf party similarly national economic council constituted despite urgent need consensus economic policy whole point sadcmediated political detente zimbabwe prevent mugabe damaging economy extent zimbabweans become poorer neighboring countries suffer collateral damage announcement two weeks ago widely reviled zimbabwe dollar reintroduced christmas regional observers received indication capacity damage detachment real world zimbabwe dollar associated 10digit inflation uncertainty bank lines corruption zimbabweans hate unit emblematic rotten painful daily lives however unlikely reappear anytime soon despite best efforts mugabe gono one issue calculated unite nation mugabe followers seem know single member party spoken support presidents plan meanwhile president ian khama botswana forthright critic mugabe said free fair elections avenue zimbabwes perennial crisis substitute khama told botswanan parliament gaborone free fair credible elections people elect representatives choice imposed rigged elections brutalizing opponents military interventions constitutional amendments stay longer power oneman rule goes decades khama left audience doubt talking one thing fear may become trend africa stopped individual party order stay power engage unconstitutional undemocratic actions achieve already witnessed result powersharing arrangements oneman rule
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<p>CURWOOD: Well, coal use in the US continues to decline, mostly thanks to the huge expansion in fracking for natural gas. The fracking boom has also helped fuel a renaissance of chemical plants in Louisiana, and could bring such industry to shale gas country. And that means jobs, lots of jobs at these chemical plants. But in this report from the Gulf Coast, Reid Frazier of the public radio project The Allegheny Front finds the newly abundant jobs also come with abundant risks. [INSIDE A CAR DRIVING ON THE ROAD] FRAZIER: On a rainy morning, Mike Eades drives around Geismar, Louisiana.It's about halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and it's in the middle of Louisiana's so called 'chemical corridor'. It's a 60-mile stretch where roughly a quarter of the country's petrochemicals are made. Eades points out several large construction projects at hulking industrial plants. Eades is director of the local development corporation. His job is to bring new business to the area. He pulls over. Workers in the distance are preparing a site for construction. EADES: This is about a 225 acre site. FRAZIER: The site will house two plants for the company Methanex. Methanex is the world's largest producer of methanol, a basic chemical made from natural gas. The total price for the project is over a billion dollars. But the price itself isn't the most eye-popping thing about these new plants. EADES: They are just actually just dismantling another plant in Chile and moving it to this area. FRAZIER: Eades has been in the business for 30 years. And he's worked in seven different states. In the last year alone, he's seen about $3.6 billion in newly announced projects here. EADES: And that's by far the most that....that I've ever experienced in my career, in any location. FRAZIER: These projects are all happening because of the fracking boom. It's made natural gas cheap and abundant. And chemical companies use natural gas as a raw material. While the boom comes at a good time for the region's economy, people here also know: these plants can be dangerous.This fact was driven home one morning in June. Antionette West was lying on her couch in Geismar. Geismar, Louisiana is part of a 60-mile stretch along the Mississippi River where nearly a quarter of the nation's chemicals are produced. Photo: Reid R. Frazier WEST: The house shook, and I got up and I went to the door. FRAZIER: She thought it was an explosion at a nearby vinyl plant, which caught fire last year. But she couldn't see any smoke when she looked in that direction. Then she looked behind her trailer. WEST: All I seen was black smoke. NEWS REPORTER ON TV: A massive explosion and fire at a chemical plant rocks the Geismar community near Baton Rouge... FRAZIER: It was the Williams Olefins plant in Geismar. One worker died in the explosion, another died the next day from his injuries. Over 100 were hurt. The plant makes ethylene and propylene. It's the same kind of plant - an ethane cracker -- that Shell Chemical has proposed building in Western Pennsylvania. Ethylene and propylene are the building blocks of plastic and other chemicals. They're also highly flammable. The company said a rupture in a heat exchanger caused the explosion. For West, it was another moment where she wished she didn't have to live so close to a chemical plant. WEST: If I could move today I would move. I'm not going to lie. I would get out of here. FRAZIER: But this is the only place she can afford. The company reported releasing 31,000 pounds of chemicals in the blast, mostly propylene, which can burn the eyes and skin. But the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality - the state regulator - said that its air monitoring taken that day showed no unsafe levels of chemicals in the air near the plant. LeRoyal Ealy lives two doors down from West. He's an electrician who's worked in many of the plants in the area. As his family gets ready for dinner one night, he says he isn't worried about air pollution from the explosion. EALY: I didn't think nothing really seriously would happen to me over here. I was worried about people in there. FRAZIER: But his wife, Elaine Claiborne, says she was concerned about what came out of the plant during the blast. EALY: It might not affect us right now, but later on in the year? Yeah, I've got concerns. FRAZIER: Ealy says worries about pollution or explosions are just something you have to live with if you live near a chemical plant. He says, overall, it's worth it. EALY: It's good to have them, but there's a risk in everything. FRAZIER: Those risks are why the industry needs stronger oversight, says Kim Nibarger. He's with the United Steelworkers, which represents thousands of chemical and refinery workers. NIBARGER: Take a coffee can, fill it about half full of gas and put it on your barbecue -- that's not much different than what's going on in these facilities. It's a dangerous, dangerous operation. Joshua Gray, a carpenter and Josh Gibbons, a carpenter's apprentice came to Geismar, where construction jobs are plentiful. Gray holds OSHA and TSA cards-safety and background certifications needed to work in construction in the plants.Photo: Reid R. Frazier FRAZIER: The Obama administration is paying closer attention to the issue of chemical safety. In August, the president signed an executive order mandating greater communication and enforcement among federal agencies who oversee chemical plants. He was responding to a fertilizer explosion in April in West, Texas. That blast killed 15. Despite high-profile explosions, the chemical manufacturing industry is comparatively safe, according to records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The industry has a fatality rate roughly half the national average for other industries. And it's much much safer than jobs like mining, forestry, or farming. But Nibarger says those numbers can be deceiving. NIBARGER: No, I think the industry is more dangerous than it seems. FRAZIER: That's because those injury and fatality rates don't always include contractors working at the plant. When those are accounted for, he says, those injury numbers are actually higher. But an industry trade group says even if outside workers are taken into account, the chemical sector is relatively safe and it's getting safer. The American Chemistry Council says its members have had a precipitous drop in accidents - 58 percent-since the 1990s. Scott Jensen of the chemistry council says those numbers include contractors. JENSEN: While I think in the public's mind there is a renewed focus on safety, I think for our industry, that focus has always been there. FRAZIER: Concern over safety issues arent likely to stop the chemical expansion anytime soon. In Geismar, the plants keep growing, to take advantage of cheap shale gas. And they're attracting workers, like Joshua Gray. Gray moved here from Baton Rouge to work as a carpenter. On a recent afternoon, he stopped in a parking lot on his way out of a laundromat. GRAY: The economic part of it is outstanding. The money's here -- there's no reason to leave here -you're gonna make some money right here, for the next 10 years. It's equivalent to a gold rush. FRAZIER: Gray was with Josh Gibbons, an 18 year old from Baton Rouge. Last week Gibbons was delivering pizzas. Now he's working as a carpenter's apprentice. GIBBONS: I'm there for learning, really. I'm there for the money. But it's not that great at the moment. $14 an hour, starting. But it's my first time in the plant. GRAY: You can't beat it. You now -- he was delivering pizzas a week ago, and now he's making $140 a day. FRAZIER: The irony of all this for Joshua Gray is hes not really in favor of the expansion. He thinks the plants are releasing too much air pollution and they are bad for the environment. LeRoyal Ealy with his wife Elaine Claiborne and daughter Lajanaye Ealy, 6, live in Geismar, where he works as an electrician. Ealy thinks dangers of explosions and pollution are part of the bargain but Claiborne worries about the long-term effects from pollution released during the Williams Olefins explosion. Photo: Reid R. Frazier GRAY: I don't, really in favor of none of it. It's not good for the environment, it's really terrible, but when you need a job you do what you got to do to make money. FRAZIER: And Gray says he'll be here, as long as the money keeps coming. CURWOOD: That's Reid Frazier reporting from Geismer, Louisiana. Reid's story comes to us from the series, The Coming Chemical Boom, produced by The Allegheny Front in Pittsburgh, with support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.</p>
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curwood well coal use us continues decline mostly thanks huge expansion fracking natural gas fracking boom also helped fuel renaissance chemical plants louisiana could bring industry shale gas country means jobs lots jobs chemical plants report gulf coast reid frazier public radio project allegheny front finds newly abundant jobs also come abundant risks inside car driving road frazier rainy morning mike eades drives around geismar louisianaits halfway new orleans baton rouge middle louisianas called chemical corridor 60mile stretch roughly quarter countrys petrochemicals made eades points several large construction projects hulking industrial plants eades director local development corporation job bring new business area pulls workers distance preparing site construction eades 225 acre site frazier site house two plants company methanex methanex worlds largest producer methanol basic chemical made natural gas total price project billion dollars price isnt eyepopping thing new plants eades actually dismantling another plant chile moving area frazier eades business 30 years hes worked seven different states last year alone hes seen 36 billion newly announced projects eades thats far thatthat ive ever experienced career location frazier projects happening fracking boom made natural gas cheap abundant chemical companies use natural gas raw material boom comes good time regions economy people also know plants dangerousthis fact driven home one morning june antionette west lying couch geismar geismar louisiana part 60mile stretch along mississippi river nearly quarter nations chemicals produced photo reid r frazier west house shook got went door frazier thought explosion nearby vinyl plant caught fire last year couldnt see smoke looked direction looked behind trailer west seen black smoke news reporter tv massive explosion fire chemical plant rocks geismar community near baton rouge frazier williams olefins plant geismar one worker died explosion another died next day injuries 100 hurt plant makes ethylene propylene kind plant ethane cracker shell chemical proposed building western pennsylvania ethylene propylene building blocks plastic chemicals theyre also highly flammable company said rupture heat exchanger caused explosion west another moment wished didnt live close chemical plant west could move today would move im going lie would get frazier place afford company reported releasing 31000 pounds chemicals blast mostly propylene burn eyes skin louisiana department environmental quality state regulator said air monitoring taken day showed unsafe levels chemicals air near plant leroyal ealy lives two doors west hes electrician whos worked many plants area family gets ready dinner one night says isnt worried air pollution explosion ealy didnt think nothing really seriously would happen worried people frazier wife elaine claiborne says concerned came plant blast ealy might affect us right later year yeah ive got concerns frazier ealy says worries pollution explosions something live live near chemical plant says overall worth ealy good theres risk everything frazier risks industry needs stronger oversight says kim nibarger hes united steelworkers represents thousands chemical refinery workers nibarger take coffee fill half full gas put barbecue thats much different whats going facilities dangerous dangerous operation joshua gray carpenter josh gibbons carpenters apprentice came geismar construction jobs plentiful gray holds osha tsa cardssafety background certifications needed work construction plantsphoto reid r frazier frazier obama administration paying closer attention issue chemical safety august president signed executive order mandating greater communication enforcement among federal agencies oversee chemical plants responding fertilizer explosion april west texas blast killed 15 despite highprofile explosions chemical manufacturing industry comparatively safe according records occupational safety health administration industry fatality rate roughly half national average industries much much safer jobs like mining forestry farming nibarger says numbers deceiving nibarger think industry dangerous seems frazier thats injury fatality rates dont always include contractors working plant accounted says injury numbers actually higher industry trade group says even outside workers taken account chemical sector relatively safe getting safer american chemistry council says members precipitous drop accidents 58 percentsince 1990s scott jensen chemistry council says numbers include contractors jensen think publics mind renewed focus safety think industry focus always frazier concern safety issues arent likely stop chemical expansion anytime soon geismar plants keep growing take advantage cheap shale gas theyre attracting workers like joshua gray gray moved baton rouge work carpenter recent afternoon stopped parking lot way laundromat gray economic part outstanding moneys theres reason leave youre gon na make money right next 10 years equivalent gold rush frazier gray josh gibbons 18 year old baton rouge last week gibbons delivering pizzas hes working carpenters apprentice gibbons im learning really im money great moment 14 hour starting first time plant gray cant beat delivering pizzas week ago hes making 140 day frazier irony joshua gray hes really favor expansion thinks plants releasing much air pollution bad environment leroyal ealy wife elaine claiborne daughter lajanaye ealy 6 live geismar works electrician ealy thinks dangers explosions pollution part bargain claiborne worries longterm effects pollution released williams olefins explosion photo reid r frazier gray dont really favor none good environment really terrible need job got make money frazier gray says hell long money keeps coming curwood thats reid frazier reporting geismer louisiana reids story comes us series coming chemical boom produced allegheny front pittsburgh support fund investigative journalism
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<p>From left are Anna O’Donoghue, Morgan Gould, Tommy Helenringer and Nicole Spiezio, the creative team behind ‘I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart.’ (Photo by Teddy Wolff; courtesy Studio Theatre)</p>
<p>‘I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart’</p>
<p>Through Feb. 19</p>
<p><a href="https://www.studiotheatre.org" type="external">Studio Theatre</a></p>
<p>1501 14th St., N.W.</p>
<p>Tickets start at $20</p>
<p>202-332-3300</p>
<p>As both titular and practical leader of Morgan Gould &amp; Friends, a New York-based theater company, Morgan Gould writes and directs pop culture satires. Its 13 members — Gould’s friends — are mostly&#160; longtime collaborators she met at Fordham University where she majored in directing.</p>
<p>“It’s really not hard to get in the company,” she says. “All you have to do is ask, really.”</p>
<p>With her new play “I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart,” a funny and dark play about friendship and the politics of niceness and beauty, Gould steps away from her satiric comfort zone.</p>
<p>“It’s a straightforward and hopefully well-made play,” says Gould who’s also directing the dramedy. For the play’s D.C. premier at Studio Theatre, she brings along company members out actor Tommy Heleringer and Anna O’Donoghue who play Leo and Chloe, and a new friend, Nicole Spiezio, who leads the cast as Samantha.</p>
<p>Loquacious, energetic and refreshingly brash, Gould is delighted that her work is in production at legitimate regional theater. So much so, she was even willing to change the play’s provocative title (proudly lifted from the song “Tear You Apart” by She Wants Revenge that Gould first heard sung by Lady Gaga on TV’s “American Horror Story”) if Studio’s hierarchy thought it was too much. They didn’t.</p>
<p>Last week at Studio’s second-floor lobby, Gould, Heleringer and Spiezio (all 30-ish) sat down before rehearsal to chat with the Blade.</p>
<p>GOULD: There is a famous Morgan Gould. It’s not me. He’s a hot, black South African soccer star. But I got on Twitter before him so my Twitter handle is @morgangould so I get tweeted all the time. Stuff like, “Sorry about your injury.” And I reply, “It’s OK man.” Sometimes it gets contentious. Little do they know they’ve tweeted some fat playwright who looks like actress Lori Beth Denberg.</p>
<p>WASHINGTON BLADE: So what’s this violently titled play about?</p>
<p>NICOLE SPIEZIO: Tommy and I play best friends Leo and Samantha. He’s a gay man and I’m a fat woman but we’re more than that. We’re also writers and roommates. So we spend a lot of time together.</p>
<p>GOULD: Co-dependent has been bandied about, which I’m not so crazy about because it’s in part based on me and my gay friend.</p>
<p>SPIEZIO: It’s about that critical juncture in your life when college ends but you don’t want it to end because the friends you made at college have become your family so you keep it going. Over that year after college, Leo and Samantha are figuring out what’s next for them. My character has a boyfriend and her career is taking off. Leo is still trying to find his path.</p>
<p>BLADE: Have you been in a relationship like this in real life?</p>
<p>TOMMY HELERINGER: Of course. It’s scarily relatable. During rehearsal I’ve been pulling things from what I’ve had with them.</p>
<p>SPIEZIO: Yes, all fat girls have gay male friends. The fat girl/gay man trope is alive and well.</p>
<p>GOULD: Unless you’re fat and dumb. But if you’re fat and slightly smart, you will have gay male friends. The fat woman/gay male friendship is an intoxicating relationship. When I was writing the play I thought about the most important relationships of my life and those are with my best gay guy friends. We know what hate looks like. When I walk in a room, I know immediately which person hates fat people. They don’t have to say a word. You learn that early. And gay men learn who hates them really early too. We find each other like a safe haven, a place where we can be mean and funny together. It’s us against the world. But as you age, you can shed that because you don’t need that protection. This doesn’t mean that these friendships end necessarily. They just change. Our characters are arriving at that place. Growth is good but it’s painful. I hate terms like fruit fly or fag hag. Smart fat women love gay men. We’re both traumatized. It’s complicated. It’s not like shopping and watching “Project Runway” all the time, though that’s part of it.</p>
<p>BLADE: Back to the play. What else happens?</p>
<p>SPIEZIO: So another woman intrudes on Leo and Samantha’s close friendship. Chloe is Leo’s co-worker and they’re becoming friends outside of work. She’s a threat on several levels: she’s thin, a little younger and she doesn’t read as special. She’s basic. Samantha can’t understand how her friend Leo who has the best taste in the world could like this not-terribly smart of funny woman. Samantha can’t fathom why he’d bring her into our space. Her instinct is to say no rather than yes. As a fat woman, she feels people see her as one thing and if it’s negative, it’s their worst nightmare. Any young, thin, flighty girl really needs to prove herself. Samantha is a really great part for a fat woman. There aren’t a lot.</p>
<p>GOULD: This play is from our lives. It turns out one of my first gay best friend from high school was one of Nicole’s gay best friends in college.</p>
<p>BLADE: Tommy, do you and Nicole hang out like best friends offstage? Is life imitating art?</p>
<p>HELERINGER: We tried but it didn’t really work. But seriously, I’m not nuts about that stuff. We didn’t say, “Let’s go home and do improv,” or anything. But yes, we are friends outside of rehearsal and are spending time together. We’re the only people we really know in the city.</p>
<p>BLADE: Tommy is gay. What about you women?</p>
<p>GOULD: I feel fatness queerizes you. But yes, we like men.</p>
<p>BLADE: And why should LGBT theatergoers come?</p>
<p>GOULD: This play is a gift. It’s so gay and fat. Starts as a comedy and evolves as conflicts arise. There’s a drag number and a dance number. If I could take out a billboard it would read, “This is a play for you. Not a pretend play for you, but a real play.”</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Anna O'Donoghue</a> <a href="" type="internal">I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart</a> <a href="" type="internal">Morgan Gould</a> <a href="" type="internal">Nicole Spiezio</a> <a href="" type="internal">Studio Theatre</a> <a href="" type="internal">Tommy Helenringer</a></p>
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left anna odonoghue morgan gould tommy helenringer nicole spiezio creative team behind wan na fucking tear apart photo teddy wolff courtesy studio theatre wan na fucking tear apart feb 19 studio theatre 1501 14th st nw tickets start 20 2023323300 titular practical leader morgan gould amp friends new yorkbased theater company morgan gould writes directs pop culture satires 13 members goulds friends mostly160 longtime collaborators met fordham university majored directing really hard get company says ask really new play wan na fucking tear apart funny dark play friendship politics niceness beauty gould steps away satiric comfort zone straightforward hopefully wellmade play says gould whos also directing dramedy plays dc premier studio theatre brings along company members actor tommy heleringer anna odonoghue play leo chloe new friend nicole spiezio leads cast samantha loquacious energetic refreshingly brash gould delighted work production legitimate regional theater much even willing change plays provocative title proudly lifted song tear apart wants revenge gould first heard sung lady gaga tvs american horror story studios hierarchy thought much didnt last week studios secondfloor lobby gould heleringer spiezio 30ish sat rehearsal chat blade gould famous morgan gould hes hot black south african soccer star got twitter twitter handle morgangould get tweeted time stuff like sorry injury reply ok man sometimes gets contentious little know theyve tweeted fat playwright looks like actress lori beth denberg washington blade whats violently titled play nicole spiezio tommy play best friends leo samantha hes gay man im fat woman also writers roommates spend lot time together gould codependent bandied im crazy part based gay friend spiezio critical juncture life college ends dont want end friends made college become family keep going year college leo samantha figuring whats next character boyfriend career taking leo still trying find path blade relationship like real life tommy heleringer course scarily relatable rehearsal ive pulling things ive spiezio yes fat girls gay male friends fat girlgay man trope alive well gould unless youre fat dumb youre fat slightly smart gay male friends fat womangay male friendship intoxicating relationship writing play thought important relationships life best gay guy friends know hate looks like walk room know immediately person hates fat people dont say word learn early gay men learn hates really early find like safe place mean funny together us world age shed dont need protection doesnt mean friendships end necessarily change characters arriving place growth good painful hate terms like fruit fly fag hag smart fat women love gay men traumatized complicated like shopping watching project runway time though thats part blade back play else happens spiezio another woman intrudes leo samanthas close friendship chloe leos coworker theyre becoming friends outside work shes threat several levels shes thin little younger doesnt read special shes basic samantha cant understand friend leo best taste world could like notterribly smart funny woman samantha cant fathom hed bring space instinct say rather yes fat woman feels people see one thing negative worst nightmare young thin flighty girl really needs prove samantha really great part fat woman arent lot gould play lives turns one first gay best friend high school one nicoles gay best friends college blade tommy nicole hang like best friends offstage life imitating art heleringer tried didnt really work seriously im nuts stuff didnt say lets go home improv anything yes friends outside rehearsal spending time together people really know city blade tommy gay women gould feel fatness queerizes yes like men blade lgbt theatergoers come gould play gift gay fat starts comedy evolves conflicts arise theres drag number dance number could take billboard would read play pretend play real play anna odonoghue wan na fucking tear apart morgan gould nicole spiezio studio theatre tommy helenringer
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<p>&#160;</p>
<p>SACRAMENTO – <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132475584.html" type="external">A Sacramento Bee story published Monday</a> succinctly described the disaster unfolding at the nation’s tallest dam, where flaws in the Oroville Dam’s concrete spillway are forcing water onto the earthen emergency spillway. Threats of a spillway collapse led to mandatory evacuations throughout Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties Sunday.</p>
<p>“Oroville Dam contains a flaw, some critics assert, one that could damage the structure during a major flood and threaten downstream communities,” <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132475584.html" type="external">according to the Bee</a>. “That flaw is the dam’s emergency spillway, which empties onto a bare dirt hillside adjacent to the earthen-fill dam.” The torrent of water could erode the unprotected hillside, undermine the emergency spillway’s foundation and lead to a catastrophic failure.</p>
<p>The amazing thing is that the news report <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132475584.html" type="external">was first published</a> Nov. 27, 2005. The Bee’s Monday publication was a reprint, given the relevance of the report nearly a dozen years later. It provides necessary context after another news organization revealed that three environmental groups at the time had urged state and federal officials to line the emergency spillway with concrete to avoid the kind of problems on display this week.</p>
<p>A dozen years ago, the dam was going through a 50-year relicensing process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Friends of the River, the Sierra Club and the South Yuba Citizens League argued in their filings that the 1960s-era dam “did not meet modern safety standards because in the event of extreme rain and flooding, fast-rising water would overwhelm the main concrete spillway” and threaten flooding in communities down river, <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/12/oroville-dam-feds-and-state-officials-ignored-warnings-12-years-ago/" type="external">according to the Mercury News</a>, which broke the story this week.</p>
<p>State and federal officials brushed off the suggestion at the time, arguing that the likelihood of such an event was slim and that it would be too costly to complete those improvements. The dam received its relicensing and the matter faded away. State water officials have been consumed more by drought issues than flood possibilities in the ensuing dozen years. <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132475584.html" type="external">But given the accuracy of the environmental groups’ predictions</a>, it’s worth taking a deeper look at what happened.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132468874.html" type="external">At a news conference near Lake Oroville Monday</a>, “the state’s top water officials brushed aside questions” about that old report and didn’t address assurances from a top state water official in 2005 that “(o)ur facilities, including the spillway, are safe during any conceivable flood event,” according to the latest Bee report.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132468874.html" type="external">The news story</a> revealed another troubling piece of the puzzle: Congress had authorized the construction of a smaller dam on the Yuba River near Marysville, which is down river from Oroville. The Oroville Dam’s operating plan was predicated, in part, on the construction of this other dam, which would take pressure off the larger facility. But it was never built. In the view of critics, this serves as a touchstone for much that is wrong with California’s water policy.</p>
<p>Former Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Republican from San Bernardino County, <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/02/13/jerry-brown-california-governor-legacy-dam-failure/" type="external">criticized Gov. Jerry Brown for spending so much time defying the new Trump administration</a> “that it forgot to do the things government is supposed to do, like maintain infrastructure.” The seven years of drought that preceded this rainy season, he added, would have been an ideal time to fix decrepit levees and dams but the Brown administration was more focused on building a $68-billion high-speed rail line, dealing with immigration issues and boosting public-employee compensation.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/02/13/jerry-brown-california-governor-legacy-dam-failure/" type="external">That’s a harsh assessment</a>, but there’s much evidence to support the theory of ongoing state neglect. There are available water-bond funds, yet the state government has been lackadaisical at best about spending them. Many of its priorities are about environmental restoration rather than dam protection and there’s been little appetite in the Capitol to build new storage facilities.</p>
<p>Indeed, the governor has been more focused on removing dams on the Klamath River near the Oregon border than on shoring up the linchpin of the State Water Project – the system of levees and dams that directs water from the Sacramento Valley southward.</p>
<p>The Brown administration, which had vowed to fight against Donald Trump on his climate, immigration and other policies, nevertheless <a href="http://www.montereyherald.com/government-and-politics/20170211/brown-asks-potential-nemesis-trump-for-aid?source=most_viewed" type="external">asked the president Friday to declare parts of California a disaster area</a>, thus opening up a floodgate of federal aid. But there are other federal policies that the Trump administration could consider that would help protect residents living within the shadow of Oroville and other California dams.</p>
<p>For instance, current mortgage rules regarding flood insurance discourage people who live in the shadow of large dams from purchasing <a href="https://www.floodsmart.gov/" type="external">flood insurance policies</a>. Federal lending rules require such insurance for owners of property in flood plains, but flood-protection systems such as dams and levees usually remove the floodplain designation from those areas. Without pressure from mortgage companies, owners typically avoid the insurance, figuring there’s little chance of a dam failure.</p>
<p>“Properties that would be designated as located within a flood plain but for a flood protection system like dams and levees – residual risk areas – should be subject to the mandatory purchase requirement,” <a href="http://www.rstreet.org/outreach/smartersafer-national-flood-insurance-program-reform-proposal/" type="external">argues the SmarterSafer Coalition</a>, which includes the R Street Institute, in a recent study analyzing the federal flood insurance program. Those areas would, of course, have rates that “clearly reflect the decreased risk the properties face as a result of the dam or levee.”</p>
<p>Such an insurance system wouldn’t ensure that state and federal authorities repair their dams and levees in a timely manner, but it would offer a level of economic protection for people who are now sitting in motel rooms, watching the news and wondering whether they’ll have anything left if the Oroville Dam spillway gives way. Furthermore, <a href="http://www.rstreet.org/outreach/smartersafer-national-flood-insurance-program-reform-proposal/" type="external">it would protect taxpayers</a>, who typically pay for the aid after a natural disaster strikes.</p>
<p>For now, watching and waiting is all that most Northern California residents can do. Once the crisis passes, there will be intense pressure on the state government to make repairs to <a href="http://www.kcra.com/article/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-oroville-dams-spillways/8748778" type="external">Oroville Dam</a> and others across the state. But news reports make clear that state officials were warned about the very problems now unfolding.&#160;</p>
<p>Steven Greenhut is Western region director for the R Street Institute. Write to him at [email protected].</p>
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160 sacramento sacramento bee story published monday succinctly described disaster unfolding nations tallest dam flaws oroville dams concrete spillway forcing water onto earthen emergency spillway threats spillway collapse led mandatory evacuations throughout butte yuba sutter counties sunday oroville dam contains flaw critics assert one could damage structure major flood threaten downstream communities according bee flaw dams emergency spillway empties onto bare dirt hillside adjacent earthenfill dam torrent water could erode unprotected hillside undermine emergency spillways foundation lead catastrophic failure amazing thing news report first published nov 27 2005 bees monday publication reprint given relevance report nearly dozen years later provides necessary context another news organization revealed three environmental groups time urged state federal officials line emergency spillway concrete avoid kind problems display week dozen years ago dam going 50year relicensing process federal energy regulatory commission friends river sierra club south yuba citizens league argued filings 1960sera dam meet modern safety standards event extreme rain flooding fastrising water would overwhelm main concrete spillway threaten flooding communities river according mercury news broke story week state federal officials brushed suggestion time arguing likelihood event slim would costly complete improvements dam received relicensing matter faded away state water officials consumed drought issues flood possibilities ensuing dozen years given accuracy environmental groups predictions worth taking deeper look happened news conference near lake oroville monday states top water officials brushed aside questions old report didnt address assurances top state water official 2005 facilities including spillway safe conceivable flood event according latest bee report news story revealed another troubling piece puzzle congress authorized construction smaller dam yuba river near marysville river oroville oroville dams operating plan predicated part construction dam would take pressure larger facility never built view critics serves touchstone much wrong californias water policy former assemblyman tim donnelly republican san bernardino county criticized gov jerry brown spending much time defying new trump administration forgot things government supposed like maintain infrastructure seven years drought preceded rainy season added would ideal time fix decrepit levees dams brown administration focused building 68billion highspeed rail line dealing immigration issues boosting publicemployee compensation thats harsh assessment theres much evidence support theory ongoing state neglect available waterbond funds yet state government lackadaisical best spending many priorities environmental restoration rather dam protection theres little appetite capitol build new storage facilities indeed governor focused removing dams klamath river near oregon border shoring linchpin state water project system levees dams directs water sacramento valley southward brown administration vowed fight donald trump climate immigration policies nevertheless asked president friday declare parts california disaster area thus opening floodgate federal aid federal policies trump administration could consider would help protect residents living within shadow oroville california dams instance current mortgage rules regarding flood insurance discourage people live shadow large dams purchasing flood insurance policies federal lending rules require insurance owners property flood plains floodprotection systems dams levees usually remove floodplain designation areas without pressure mortgage companies owners typically avoid insurance figuring theres little chance dam failure properties would designated located within flood plain flood protection system like dams levees residual risk areas subject mandatory purchase requirement argues smartersafer coalition includes r street institute recent study analyzing federal flood insurance program areas would course rates clearly reflect decreased risk properties face result dam levee insurance system wouldnt ensure state federal authorities repair dams levees timely manner would offer level economic protection people sitting motel rooms watching news wondering whether theyll anything left oroville dam spillway gives way furthermore would protect taxpayers typically pay aid natural disaster strikes watching waiting northern california residents crisis passes intense pressure state government make repairs oroville dam others across state news reports make clear state officials warned problems unfolding160 steven greenhut western region director r street institute write sgreenhutrstreetorg
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<p>Religious references OK on flag certificates. Americans who ask for a flag to be flown over the U.S. Capitol now will be able to include religious references on the accompanying certificate under new guidelines. Some House members were angry after an Ohio Eagle Scout requested a flag be flown in honor of his grandfather's “dedication and love of God, country, and family.” The accompanying certificate left out the word “God.” Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers, who supervises the flag program, said guidelines from 2003 would be revised to allow whatever messages a member of Congress deems appropriate. After an internal review, Ayers determined the existing policies had been “inconsistently applied.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after initialing downplaying the dispute, later said Ayers' office should not “be in the role of censoring what members want to say.” Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, who received the flag request that sparked the policy change, said he would pursue legislation that permanently allow flag certificates to acknowledge God.</p>
<p>Publisher offers environmentally friendly Scriptures. If the “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign aimed to get Jesus into a fuel-efficient hybrid, now there's an answer to “What Would Jesus Read?” Publishing giant Thomas Nelson Inc. has released the first-ever “green” Bible. The Charles Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible uses paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and includes an FSC logo on its packaging that indicates it met the council's standards in every stage of production, from the forest to the paper mill to the printer. The new Bible comes as part of a larger effort at Thomas Nelson to practice stewardship and implement environmentally friendly practices. “We are committed to trying to learn more about how we can reduce our carbon footprint as a company,” said Lindsey Nobles, director of corporate communications at Thomas Nelson.</p>
<p>ORU president faces charges. Oral Roberts University, which made headlines 20 years ago when its namesake founder said God would “call him home” unless he raised $8 million, finds itself embroiled in controversy again. A lawsuit filed by three former professors at the charismatic Christian university in Tulsa alleges illegal political activity and lavish, unchecked spending by President Richard Roberts and his wife, Lindsay, for personal purposes, including using the school's jet for their daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas. Tim Brooker, who coordinated the university's government program, alleges the university president pressured him to use ORU resources and students to campaign for a Tulsa mayoral candidate, despite laws prohibiting such activities by tax-exempt organizations. At a recent chapel service at the 5,300-student university, Roberts said God told him: “We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person, whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit … is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion.” Oral Roberts' board of regents voted unanimously to hire an independent outside auditor to review the claims and the university's financial statements. Roberts announced Oct. 17 he would take a temporary leave of absence.</p>
<p>NCC nominates new leader. The National Council of Churches has nominated a veteran educator and ecumenist to be its next general secretary. If affirmed next month by the council's governing board and general assembly, Michael Kinnamon will assume the helm of the New York-based ecumenical agency in January. Kinnamon, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister and professor of ecumenical studies at Eden Theological School in St. Louis, serves on the NCC's governing board and chairs its justice and advocacy commission.</p>
<p>Conservative Episcopalians explore alternative church. Some Episcopal bishops and more than 200 Episcopal congregations have taken a first step toward forming a new alternative to the Episcopal Church that will unite conservatives irked by the church's liberal drift. Meeting in Pittsburgh, the Common Cause Council of Bishops brought together nine North American splinter groups to lay the groundwork for a conservative counterpart to the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. Conservative Episcopalians, a minority in the American church, have decried the church's stance on gay rights, especially the 2003 election of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.</p>
<p>Mormons launch PR campaign. Prompted by interest generated by Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is mounting its own campaign to help journalists better understand what it means to be Mormon. This month, two spokespeople for the Salt Lake City-based church hosted an online news conference with religion reporters. Church leaders are planning meetings with editorial boards and may schedule additional online news conferences.</p>
<p>Brits OK teaching creationism; just don't call it ‘science.' The British government has given teachers the go-ahead to discuss creationism with their pupils—but only if they stress the controversial theory has “no underpinning scientific principles.” The Department of Children, Schools and Families issued the guidelines after several teaching unions and civic groups said science teachers were unsure how to tackle the issue of creationism in their classrooms. Under the government's guidelines, teachers are expected to contrast the belief that God created the world in six days with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which teaches life on earth evolved over millions of millennia.</p>
<p>Ecumenical body rejects military force in Iran. The World Council of Churches has cautioned the United States and its allies that the dispute over Iran's nuclear programs must be settled through negotiations and not military force. In a statement on Iran and the Middle East regional crisis, the council's executive committee said, “Threats to begin another war in the Middle East defy the lessons of both history and ethics,” referring to the “belligerent stance” of the United States toward Iran and of Iranian threats against the United States and Israel. The group also called for withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq and urged the implementation of “alternative Iraqi and multilateral political, economic and security programs.”</p>
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religious references ok flag certificates americans ask flag flown us capitol able include religious references accompanying certificate new guidelines house members angry ohio eagle scout requested flag flown honor grandfathers dedication love god country family accompanying certificate left word god acting architect capitol stephen ayers supervises flag program said guidelines 2003 would revised allow whatever messages member congress deems appropriate internal review ayers determined existing policies inconsistently applied house speaker nancy pelosi initialing downplaying dispute later said ayers office role censoring members want say rep michael turner rohio received flag request sparked policy change said would pursue legislation permanently allow flag certificates acknowledge god publisher offers environmentally friendly scriptures would jesus drive campaign aimed get jesus fuelefficient hybrid theres answer would jesus read publishing giant thomas nelson inc released firstever green bible charles stanley life principles daily bible uses paper certified forest stewardship council includes fsc logo packaging indicates met councils standards every stage production forest paper mill printer new bible comes part larger effort thomas nelson practice stewardship implement environmentally friendly practices committed trying learn reduce carbon footprint company said lindsey nobles director corporate communications thomas nelson oru president faces charges oral roberts university made headlines 20 years ago namesake founder said god would call home unless raised 8 million finds embroiled controversy lawsuit filed three former professors charismatic christian university tulsa alleges illegal political activity lavish unchecked spending president richard roberts wife lindsay personal purposes including using schools jet daughters senior trip bahamas tim brooker coordinated universitys government program alleges university president pressured use oru resources students campaign tulsa mayoral candidate despite laws prohibiting activities taxexempt organizations recent chapel service 5300student university roberts said god told live litigious society anyone get mad file lawsuit another person whether legitimate case lawsuit intimidation blackmail extortion oral roberts board regents voted unanimously hire independent outside auditor review claims universitys financial statements roberts announced oct 17 would take temporary leave absence ncc nominates new leader national council churches nominated veteran educator ecumenist next general secretary affirmed next month councils governing board general assembly michael kinnamon assume helm new yorkbased ecumenical agency january kinnamon christian church disciples christ minister professor ecumenical studies eden theological school st louis serves nccs governing board chairs justice advocacy commission conservative episcopalians explore alternative church episcopal bishops 200 episcopal congregations taken first step toward forming new alternative episcopal church unite conservatives irked churchs liberal drift meeting pittsburgh common cause council bishops brought together nine north american splinter groups lay groundwork conservative counterpart episcopal church anglican church canada conservative episcopalians minority american church decried churchs stance gay rights especially 2003 election openly gay bishop new hampshire mormons launch pr campaign prompted interest generated mitt romneys presidential campaign church jesus christ latterday saints mounting campaign help journalists better understand means mormon month two spokespeople salt lake citybased church hosted online news conference religion reporters church leaders planning meetings editorial boards may schedule additional online news conferences brits ok teaching creationism dont call science british government given teachers goahead discuss creationism pupilsbut stress controversial theory underpinning scientific principles department children schools families issued guidelines several teaching unions civic groups said science teachers unsure tackle issue creationism classrooms governments guidelines teachers expected contrast belief god created world six days charles darwins theory evolution teaches life earth evolved millions millennia ecumenical body rejects military force iran world council churches cautioned united states allies dispute irans nuclear programs must settled negotiations military force statement iran middle east regional crisis councils executive committee said threats begin another war middle east defy lessons history ethics referring belligerent stance united states toward iran iranian threats united states israel group also called withdrawal us forces iraq urged implementation alternative iraqi multilateral political economic security programs
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<p>NAIROBI, Kenya — Said Obama, uncle of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, likes to tell the story of how he went down to the local supermarket in western Kenya a few weeks ago to pick up a new credit card. He found there was no need to give the clerk his name or phone number. &#160; "He told me, 'Don't you know you are a celebrity in this city?' Before I told him my name, he had written it down," Said recalled. "We find we are known everywhere. You walk down the street, people point at you and discuss you. Our privacy has been taken away." &#160; So it's been for many of Barack Obama's Kenyan relatives, a banquet hall's worth of half-siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and numerous people calling themselves any of the above. Speaking with them, you witness regular people struggling to find their place in a world forever changed by ties to a man few ever knew — or have even met — who has risen to the most powerful job in the world.</p>
<p>Obama's half-sister Auma — of all the Kenyan relatives she is closest to Barack — steadfastly projects an image of calm in the face of the whirlwind. Whether under guidance from Obama's campaign and transition staff or out of a sense of its own self-preservation, the family has mostly closed itself off to the media. Auma and Said handle the media queries (about 20 a day, according to Said). Journalists can no longer just show up in western Kenya and say hello to his step-grandmother, "Granny" Sarah Onyango Obama, 87. &#160; "We live our lives here, what you see is what you get, and we're really basically genuine people," Auma Obama said in an interview, keeping her mirror sunglasses on throughout. &#160; "We're really very normal. So far, we have been able to not let it overwhelm us,” she said. “It's just knowing that you've got to continue leading your own life and not try to change the way you live and try to be something that you're not. That's how I live my life and it's working." &#160; That patience was tested during the election itself, when hundreds of reporters descended upon the Obama family's hometown of Kogelo in western Kenya. One British newspaperman brought a goat to the family's election-day feast — sufficient, apparently, to gain him entry. An American correspondent wrote an account of helping Obama's half-brother, Malik, slaughter a bull. &#160; To their surprise, Obama's Kenyan family says that attention is getting even more intense with the approach of the inauguration on January 20. Granny Sarah, 87, traveled with the delegation from the Kenyan government along with Auma, Said and Malik. Granny Sarah, 87, who has been the face of the Kenyan family in the years since Barack Obama shot to prominence after delivering a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. &#160; Asked after the election whether she would attend, Granny Sarah quipped, "Do you really think I'm going to be left behind?" She promised to treat Obama to chapati, a popular flat bread, when she's there. Recently she said that being "First Grandma" is a full-time job.&#160; &#160; Kenyan newspapers and television stations have not shared the international media’s infinite interest in every familial detail of the Kenyan Obamas. With the inauguration approaching, it has focused on the new round of national reflection that Obama's election has inspired in many of Kenya's 44 million people. &#160; It is difficult to overstate the pride that people here feel for Obama and the stories of Kenyans' affection for him are legion. President Mwai Kibaki declared a public holiday to commemorate his election victory and the celebrations that broke out after the results were a mix of rapture and stunned disbelief. &#160; Obama is, by Kenyans' accounting, one of them even though he has only visited the country a couple of times. Many hope that Obama will bring more attention to Africa's problems and perhaps bring more tourists to Kenya. Some have spoken of direct benefits. &#160; "The word cousin does not exist in our vocabulary — somebody is either your brother or your sister," said playwright George Orido, whose tribute to the president-elect, "Obama: The Musical," has been playing in Kenya since before the election. "So, Obama is our brother or son. In other words, our own is leading the world. How can we not appreciate that?" &#160; The Obama family insists there is nothing awe-inspiring or strange in the fact that Barack Obama's grandfather was a village elder, his father began life herding goats and his step-grandmother lives in a rural home that only recently got hooked up to the national power grid. &#160; At home, they are right. By the standards of Kenya, where 40 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, the Obamas are average, or better than average. Barack Obama's father, a prominent government economist who succumbed to ethnic ostracism and alcohol, left behind seven children from three wives when he died in a car crash at 46. &#160; Half-brother Said has a job at a factory and Granny Sarah tends a small farm in western Kenya. Half-brother George lives in Nairobi’s Huruma slum but does not, as the Italian edition of Vanity Fair recently claimed, live on only 12 dollars a year. He insists he is getting by. &#160; But Kenyans themselves often do not agree with the family's assessment. They put enormous significance in the fact that Americans managed to elect a man of Kenyan blood with little trouble, while their own presidential election in December 2007 was tortuous. Years of incitement by senior politicians, coupled with allegations of rigging, triggered ethnic violence that killed 1,200 people and drove some 300,000 from their homes. &#160; "We were fighting each other simply because we believed certain people from certain communities cannot be leaders, and here you are, America is giving a good example, a minority race being elected president," said playwright Orido. "It gives us inspiration that it's also possible here. That's why the slogan 'Yes we can' resonates not only with Americans but also with Kenyans." &#160; Nicholas Rajulah is a businessman in western Kenya who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Kenya's parliament. He calls Obama a cousin, though not by blood. Like some Kenyans, he hopes that an Obama presidency will bring some economic benefit to Kenya — through tourism, or a greater awareness of African issues. &#160; "I must admit that as a community we are happy," Rajulah said. "Even if we have not gotten anything directly from him, we have a tradition or belief that he who brings many strangers or visitors to our home, brings blessings."</p>
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nairobi kenya said obama uncle us presidentelect barack obama likes tell story went local supermarket western kenya weeks ago pick new credit card found need give clerk name phone number 160 told dont know celebrity city told name written said recalled find known everywhere walk street people point discuss privacy taken away 160 many barack obamas kenyan relatives banquet halls worth halfsiblings aunts uncles nieces nephews numerous people calling speaking witness regular people struggling find place world forever changed ties man ever knew even met risen powerful job world obamas halfsister auma kenyan relatives closest barack steadfastly projects image calm face whirlwind whether guidance obamas campaign transition staff sense selfpreservation family mostly closed media auma said handle media queries 20 day according said journalists longer show western kenya say hello stepgrandmother granny sarah onyango obama 87 160 live lives see get really basically genuine people auma obama said interview keeping mirror sunglasses throughout 160 really normal far able let overwhelm us said knowing youve got continue leading life try change way live try something youre thats live life working 160 patience tested election hundreds reporters descended upon obama familys hometown kogelo western kenya one british newspaperman brought goat familys electionday feast sufficient apparently gain entry american correspondent wrote account helping obamas halfbrother malik slaughter bull 160 surprise obamas kenyan family says attention getting even intense approach inauguration january 20 granny sarah 87 traveled delegation kenyan government along auma said malik granny sarah 87 face kenyan family years since barack obama shot prominence delivering speech 2004 democratic national convention 160 asked election whether would attend granny sarah quipped really think im going left behind promised treat obama chapati popular flat bread shes recently said first grandma fulltime job160 160 kenyan newspapers television stations shared international medias infinite interest every familial detail kenyan obamas inauguration approaching focused new round national reflection obamas election inspired many kenyas 44 million people 160 difficult overstate pride people feel obama stories kenyans affection legion president mwai kibaki declared public holiday commemorate election victory celebrations broke results mix rapture stunned disbelief 160 obama kenyans accounting one even though visited country couple times many hope obama bring attention africas problems perhaps bring tourists kenya spoken direct benefits 160 word cousin exist vocabulary somebody either brother sister said playwright george orido whose tribute presidentelect obama musical playing kenya since election obama brother son words leading world appreciate 160 obama family insists nothing aweinspiring strange fact barack obamas grandfather village elder father began life herding goats stepgrandmother lives rural home recently got hooked national power grid 160 home right standards kenya 40 percent population lives less dollar day obamas average better average barack obamas father prominent government economist succumbed ethnic ostracism alcohol left behind seven children three wives died car crash 46 160 halfbrother said job factory granny sarah tends small farm western kenya halfbrother george lives nairobis huruma slum italian edition vanity fair recently claimed live 12 dollars year insists getting 160 kenyans often agree familys assessment put enormous significance fact americans managed elect man kenyan blood little trouble presidential election december 2007 tortuous years incitement senior politicians coupled allegations rigging triggered ethnic violence killed 1200 people drove 300000 homes 160 fighting simply believed certain people certain communities leaders america giving good example minority race elected president said playwright orido gives us inspiration also possible thats slogan yes resonates americans also kenyans 160 nicholas rajulah businessman western kenya ran unsuccessfully seat kenyas parliament calls obama cousin though blood like kenyans hopes obama presidency bring economic benefit kenya tourism greater awareness african issues 160 must admit community happy rajulah said even gotten anything directly tradition belief brings many strangers visitors home brings blessings
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<p>Editor's Note: This is the first piece in a three-part series that goes inside Bangladesh's garment industry to explore how the Rana Plaza collapse served as a wake-up call to an entire global supply chain and how Bangladesh is working furiously to reform itself before another tragedy strikes.</p>
<p>SAVAR, Bangladesh — Stepping onto the pile of collapsed brick and twisted steel that once made up the nine stories of Rana Plaza, the eyes immediately begin to sweep the bright, tattered rags for tags bearing the names of familiar brands that sourced garments from the five factories that rented space in the building's upper floors.</p>
<p>The instinct is quickly followed by the thought that the gaze would be much better utilized ensuring a body isn't underfoot.</p>
<p>Though a year has passed since the building's collapse, killing 1,129 people, the impulse is not unfounded. In the absence of an official, coordinated effort, the work of recovering the bodies is still not complete. The infrequent breeze carries with it the stench of rotting flesh, compounded by the overwhelming pre-monsoon April heat. Skulls continue to be pulled from the rubble by people combing the piles of wreckage for steel rebar to sell at nearby stalls.</p>
<p>One year later, what little is left of Rana Plaza sits in three large piles in the field just behind where the building once stood. Yet the shadow of the Rana Plaza collapse continues to loom large over Bangladesh, its people and its garment industry, and many of the victims of this tragedy are still wrestling with the scars of that day.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>April 23, 2013</p>
<p>At 9:30 a.m., Rubi Ahkter, a sewing supervisor at New Wave Bottoms, was working on the third floor of Rana Plaza, located in Savar, Bangladesh, on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital city. She discovered a large crack in one of the building's support pillars. After her warning was ignored by the factory manager, Rubi raised her concerns to the equipment manager, who convinced the management to investigate.</p>
<p>At 10 a.m. the building was evacuated. It remained closed for the remainder of the day while it was inspected by the owner, Sohel Rana, and an engineer.</p>
<p>Rana Plaza was originally designed to be a five-story building but had been expanded by adding three floors atop the original foundation with no structural reinforcement, multiple sources said.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>April 24, 2013</p>
<p>The day of the disaster, word had spread that an engineer had declared the building safe and that workers were required to return to work. Even though the shops and bank on the bottom floors remained closed, the factories inhabiting the top five floors insisted on reopening. It was nearing the end of the month and orders needed to ship to meet buyers’ deadlines around the world.</p>
<p>Many workers were told that if they missed a day's work, they would lose an entire month's pay. Even with overtime pay these workers earn $66 per month and can ill afford to lose a day's pay, much less an entire month’s.</p>
<p>Around 8:45 a.m., measuring, cutting, and sewing stopped for a moment and a familiar silence descended upon the building as one of Bangladesh's frequent power outages swept Savar.</p>
<p>Like any other day, Rana Plaza's generators, located on the building's roof, roared to life. The huge generators began to rattle, putting more pressure on a structure already struggling to hold an extra three floors. The building buckled as the cracked pillar gave way, trapping more than 3,000 people inside.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Survivors</p>
<p>After the building collapsed, Rubi Akhter said she was trapped in the rubble for two hours, though her memories of those hours remain fuzzy. Many of the survivors have blocked the memories of that day; it's as if the mental tape cuts right at the moment the building went down.</p>
<p>Many in Dhaka and its surrounding areas were mobilized by the images of the collapsed building.</p>
<p>“I think the tragedy had a tremendous impact on everybody, people were responding in whatever way they could," said Shireen Huq, a member of Naripokkho, a women's rights organization in Bangladesh that coordinated independent relief efforts. "There were big companies donating big amounts, but there was the local rickshaw puller who also would give his three packets of biscuits for the camps that were set up around the building."</p>
<p>But the rescue efforts, which lasted three weeks during the peak of Bangladesh's exhausting summer heat, were haphazard and chaotic. Most of the first responders were local men who had no medical or emergency training and went into the fallen building with whatever equipment they had lying around their houses.</p>
<p>"I took a towel, a cutter and a flashlight," said Mohammed Jinnatul Islam, an amatuer first responder.</p>
<p>For a tragedy as large and internationally followed as the Rana Plaza's collapse, there are huge discrepancies in the reporting, even between official sources. From lists of those who died, were rescued, or remain missing, to accounts of compensation received or not, there are significant disparities between accounts from the government, civil society and the survivors themselves.</p>
<p>The garment workers employed in the Rana Plaza factories — like the more than 4 million employed in the garment industry countrywide — are overwhelmingly young, female and economically vulnerable. According to a <a href="http://www.actionaid.org/news/bangladesh-factory-collapse-victims-still-unfit-return-work" type="external">survey conducted by ActionAid</a>, as of last month three-quarters of Rana Plaza survivors have not returned to work. Many say they will not return to work in a garment factory for fear of another collapse.</p>
<p>According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), Bangladesh has 3,498 factories producing garments for export and all are scheduled for safety inspections. However, because of the speed at which the industry has expanded and the prevalence of sub-contracting to smaller, unregulated factories, no one knows exactly how many risky factories are still employing garment workers.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Pagolo of Rana Plaza</p>
<p>After being trapped for two hours, Rubi heard the voice of Khwas Ali calling out to for survivors. Khwas Ali, a local businessman, was waiting for the bus at a nearby tea stall when he heard the sound of a crash and saw the dust rising from where Rana Plaza once stood. Rushing to the site, he found his way into the building and began pulling people from the rubble.</p>
<p>Khwas, who worked at the site for 21 consecutive days, heard Rubi respond to his call on that first day and managed to cut a hole through the debris to pull her to safety. He quickly became the de facto leader of a troop of volunteer rescuers, comprised mostly of young men from the area who were nearby when the building gave way.</p>
<p>The group, the vast majority of whom had no prior emergency, medical, or rescue training, spent the next three weeks crawling through layers of brick, steel, smoldering fabric, and decomposing bodies pulling more than 600 from the rubble. And unlike many of those who were inside when the building fell, these men remained conscious throughout the rescue operations and remember the days that follow in vivid detail.</p>
<p>"I never saw this kind of disaster in my whole life," Khwas Ali said. "There was such a huge number of injured people, dead people. Maybe before I saw two or three dead people in road accidents or other disasters—but Rana Plaza was totally different."</p>
<p>The memories continue to haunt the rescuers, with many suffering from PTSD and insomnia. The men say they are called the pagolo, or “mad,” of Rana Plaza.</p>
<p>Khwas, who was laid off from his job after committing all his time to the rescue efforts, still checks in on Rubi and others he rescued, visiting them at homes and accompanying them on hospital visits.</p>
<p>Another rescue worker, Md. Jinnatul Islam, also from Savar, raced to the site when he heard of the collapse. He was shocked by what he saw.</p>
<p>"I could not imagine that such a big and beautiful building could collapse," he said.</p>
<p>Upon returning home and weeping at the television images, he returned to the site and convinced a policeman he knew to let him in. He spent the next six days recovering workers, both dead and alive, from the wreckage, before moving to work at the makeshift morgue at the Savar Adhar Chandra High School.</p>
<p>A year later, Jinnatul is still struggling with the trauma of the rescue efforts. “I cannot sleep alone in a room,” he said. “I feel those trapped are calling me, trying to catch my hand and calling me near, so I sleep very little at night. Instead I watch TV until 2 or 3 in the morning.”</p>
<p>The lingering mental stress has prevented him from returning to his former work and he has instead taken a job at the International Labor Organization working with survivors of the collapse.</p>
<p>But memories such as a corpse's head falling off in his hands and of crawling through the rubble continue to debilitate Jinnatul. On the sixth day of the rescue efforts, he and a friend discovered a young woman who was was still alive, but whose hand was trapped by an iron pillar. Shortly after finding the girl, all rescuers were told that the building was on the verge of further collapse and that they should evacuate immediately. With the girl begging him not to leave, Jinnatul blacked out for ten minutes. Upon waking, he decided the only course of action was to amputate the trapped girl's hand in order to free her.</p>
<p>He had no medical experience prior to the tragedy and struggles to understand how and why he did what he did.</p>
<p>"I meet some of the victims whose body parts I cut and I begged pardon of them and told them I had no other option at the time," Jinnatul said. "A few days ago I saw a girl I rescued without a finger. When she saw me, she ran up and hugged me."</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>A Call to Action</p>
<p>One year after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory shocked the world, both Bangladesh and the global community are struggling to find an appropriate response to the disaster. Western retailers, reticent to accept blame, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/13/rana-plaza-bangladesh-compensation" type="external">have withheld compensation</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>Bangladesh's civil society, facing a government crippled by political infighting and rife with corruption, has stepped in to begin the healing and reform process.</p>
<p>There is a realization shared by labor unions, industry, civil society and government alike that Bangladesh desperately needs the continued growth of its Ready Made Garment (RMG) Industry. According to a <a href="" type="external">McKinsey report</a>, RMG products currently account for nearly 75 percent of the country's exports and employs 4 million people.</p>
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editors note first piece threepart series goes inside bangladeshs garment industry explore rana plaza collapse served wakeup call entire global supply chain bangladesh working furiously reform another tragedy strikes savar bangladesh stepping onto pile collapsed brick twisted steel made nine stories rana plaza eyes immediately begin sweep bright tattered rags tags bearing names familiar brands sourced garments five factories rented space buildings upper floors instinct quickly followed thought gaze would much better utilized ensuring body isnt underfoot though year passed since buildings collapse killing 1129 people impulse unfounded absence official coordinated effort work recovering bodies still complete infrequent breeze carries stench rotting flesh compounded overwhelming premonsoon april heat skulls continue pulled rubble people combing piles wreckage steel rebar sell nearby stalls one year later little left rana plaza sits three large piles field behind building stood yet shadow rana plaza collapse continues loom large bangladesh people garment industry many victims tragedy still wrestling scars day 160 april 23 2013 930 rubi ahkter sewing supervisor new wave bottoms working third floor rana plaza located savar bangladesh outskirts dhaka capital city discovered large crack one buildings support pillars warning ignored factory manager rubi raised concerns equipment manager convinced management investigate 10 building evacuated remained closed remainder day inspected owner sohel rana engineer rana plaza originally designed fivestory building expanded adding three floors atop original foundation structural reinforcement multiple sources said 160 april 24 2013 day disaster word spread engineer declared building safe workers required return work even though shops bank bottom floors remained closed factories inhabiting top five floors insisted reopening nearing end month orders needed ship meet buyers deadlines around world many workers told missed days work would lose entire months pay even overtime pay workers earn 66 per month ill afford lose days pay much less entire months around 845 measuring cutting sewing stopped moment familiar silence descended upon building one bangladeshs frequent power outages swept savar like day rana plazas generators located buildings roof roared life huge generators began rattle putting pressure structure already struggling hold extra three floors building buckled cracked pillar gave way trapping 3000 people inside 160 survivors building collapsed rubi akhter said trapped rubble two hours though memories hours remain fuzzy many survivors blocked memories day mental tape cuts right moment building went many dhaka surrounding areas mobilized images collapsed building think tragedy tremendous impact everybody people responding whatever way could said shireen huq member naripokkho womens rights organization bangladesh coordinated independent relief efforts big companies donating big amounts local rickshaw puller also would give three packets biscuits camps set around building rescue efforts lasted three weeks peak bangladeshs exhausting summer heat haphazard chaotic first responders local men medical emergency training went fallen building whatever equipment lying around houses took towel cutter flashlight said mohammed jinnatul islam amatuer first responder tragedy large internationally followed rana plazas collapse huge discrepancies reporting even official sources lists died rescued remain missing accounts compensation received significant disparities accounts government civil society survivors garment workers employed rana plaza factories like 4 million employed garment industry countrywide overwhelmingly young female economically vulnerable according survey conducted actionaid last month threequarters rana plaza survivors returned work many say return work garment factory fear another collapse according international labor organization ilo bangladesh 3498 factories producing garments export scheduled safety inspections however speed industry expanded prevalence subcontracting smaller unregulated factories one knows exactly many risky factories still employing garment workers 160 pagolo rana plaza trapped two hours rubi heard voice khwas ali calling survivors khwas ali local businessman waiting bus nearby tea stall heard sound crash saw dust rising rana plaza stood rushing site found way building began pulling people rubble khwas worked site 21 consecutive days heard rubi respond call first day managed cut hole debris pull safety quickly became de facto leader troop volunteer rescuers comprised mostly young men area nearby building gave way group vast majority prior emergency medical rescue training spent next three weeks crawling layers brick steel smoldering fabric decomposing bodies pulling 600 rubble unlike many inside building fell men remained conscious throughout rescue operations remember days follow vivid detail never saw kind disaster whole life khwas ali said huge number injured people dead people maybe saw two three dead people road accidents disastersbut rana plaza totally different memories continue haunt rescuers many suffering ptsd insomnia men say called pagolo mad rana plaza khwas laid job committing time rescue efforts still checks rubi others rescued visiting homes accompanying hospital visits another rescue worker md jinnatul islam also savar raced site heard collapse shocked saw could imagine big beautiful building could collapse said upon returning home weeping television images returned site convinced policeman knew let spent next six days recovering workers dead alive wreckage moving work makeshift morgue savar adhar chandra high school year later jinnatul still struggling trauma rescue efforts sleep alone room said feel trapped calling trying catch hand calling near sleep little night instead watch tv 2 3 morning lingering mental stress prevented returning former work instead taken job international labor organization working survivors collapse memories corpses head falling hands crawling rubble continue debilitate jinnatul sixth day rescue efforts friend discovered young woman still alive whose hand trapped iron pillar shortly finding girl rescuers told building verge collapse evacuate immediately girl begging leave jinnatul blacked ten minutes upon waking decided course action amputate trapped girls hand order free medical experience prior tragedy struggles understand meet victims whose body parts cut begged pardon told option time jinnatul said days ago saw girl rescued without finger saw ran hugged 160 call action one year collapse rana plaza garment factory shocked world bangladesh global community struggling find appropriate response disaster western retailers reticent accept blame withheld compensation160 bangladeshs civil society facing government crippled political infighting rife corruption stepped begin healing reform process realization shared labor unions industry civil society government alike bangladesh desperately needs continued growth ready made garment rmg industry according mckinsey report rmg products currently account nearly 75 percent countrys exports employs 4 million people
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<p>Luke Giveen is afraid that he will soon be priced out of Pilsen.</p>
<p>For the past year, the 22-year-old has lived in an apartment building near the corner of 17th Street and Racine Avenue. He earns just enough as a freelance bike mechanic to cover the $500 monthly rent for his two-bedroom apartment.</p>
<p>But Giveen has recently noticed potential investors and real estate agents visiting his Southwest Side building. If the ownership changes, a price hike could be on the horizon, he fears. He knows all too well that such a scenario has played out at many other neighborhood buildings.</p>
<p>He and his girlfriend “love the neighborhood and we’re very involved in the community,” he said, but “we don’t make a lot of money.”</p>
<p>Giveen’s story is a familiar one in Pilsen, where many low-income residents have been forced to move out as the neighborhood has grown popular for its proximity to Chicago’s downtown.</p>
<p>This is why Giveen reached out to the Pilsen Alliance, which works to fight such displacement. Nelson Soza, the nonprofit community organization’s executive director, explained that Giveen’s building, like many others in the community, badly needs maintenance. It needs plumbing repairs and pest extermination. The cost for such repairs, which he estimated could reach well into six-figures, will likely propel rent hikes—especially if the building gets sold, he said.</p>
<p>Soza is no expert in housing issues, but that doesn’t faze him. He got into community organizing more than 20 years ago in Chile. “I experienced the repression of the dictatorship, the violation of human rights, and that started a desire on my part to help in the search for social justice,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to do [in Pilsen].”</p>
<p>Soza is now exploring creative ways to raise funds to help upgrade the neighborhood’s decaying housing stock. He would like to see his neighborhood get access to Tax Increment Financing District funds. Meanwhile, his organization is trying to empower residents by regularly holding workshops to educate them about tenants’ rights.</p>
<p>The Chicago Reporter recently sat down with Soza to discuss gentrification and how it affects low-income families.</p>
<p>Why should people be concerned about gentrification?</p>
<p>It is a matter of fairness. It is a matter of justice. Everyone talks about the American dream and the land of opportunity. I think that, when you displace people without giving them the tools to be able to succeed in society, when you’re just hiding poverty instead of fixing it, I think that we’re lying to ourselves.</p>
<p>What’s happening to Pilsen and other low-income communities across the city is that people are being robbed of the opportunities that other generations had in the past. And by kicking them out of where the jobs are, you’re basically condemning them into more poverty. If we keep denying people the power to make decisions, then you’re pushing people into desperate situations and to a continual cycle of desperation that destroys lives.</p>
<p>How has Pilsen evolved as a result of gentrification?</p>
<p>Pilsen is a result of policies people call ‘urban renewal’ or what some other people call ‘urban removal.’ In the ’50s, with the expansion of [the University of Illinois at Chicago]: A lot of people who used to live in that area where UIC is today were people of Mexican descent, and those people got pushed out of that neighborhood, so they ended up here. So, in a way they are refugees of this urban renewal process. But, when European folks left the city, Mexicans, people with strong family values, created their community—partially because of the segregation that people of color experienced. So they created this community as a reflection of the culture that they have left behind, and they made this community flourish. Now we see that is changing. That community that I’m talking about was a community of working families, people who were factory workers, people who work in construction. So that community that was formed by Mexicans started to receive the pressures from this expansion from that investment, particularly in the eastern side of Pilsen, the part that’s closer to downtown.</p>
<p>The bottom line of all this is that just in the last census, between 2000 and 2010, 10,000 Mexicans left this community. So, some of the people who were here through the hard years were not able to experience this bloom that we see today, like increased services. The most concrete way in which we see this decrease of the traditional population in Pilsen is in the diminished enrollment in some of the schools, particularly on the eastern boundary of the neighborhood and the reduction of affordable housing—which is one of the biggest problems in this community. Today it’s becoming harder and harder to find [affordable housing] for people who are below the median income. A lot of the people in the community are still laborers and people who don’t have a huge income. Basically what we see today is that there are fewer options for those people, so they have to leave.</p>
<p>In 2007, we [collaborated] with the geography department at DePaul University and did a study on building inventory and figured out what was happening on the ground with the housing situation. We identified some of the factors that are contributing to 10,000 people leaving. What we found was that gentrification was happening due to increased property values. [There were] a lot of demolitions of old buildings and zoning changes. Zoning changes would allow properties to be built in place of the older properties at a higher density. For example, if I have a house and I get rid of it and I build five stories up, then we can see that, instead of making money from one house, I can make money from five. So these zoning changes were a big factor in [raising property values].</p>
<p>In what ways have you helped families who have been affected by gentrification?&#160;</p>
<p>We help people every day. We help them with information about jobs, about housing, legal things. We connect them to services and resources. Above all, I think [giving] them a voice, an opportunity to exercise their power—it’s probably the greatest contribution that we can make. We can sit here and talk about gentrification all day but, if you don’t mobilize, if you don’t put pressure on the people that hold the purse strings, you aren’t getting anywhere. So, the best way that we know how to help people fight gentrification is to help them express their voice.</p>
<p>How can a poor community be converted into a richer community without changing its identity?</p>
<p>I think there [should] be more opportunities for people to buy their own properties, to become owners. There have to be affordable housing opportunities. If we lose affordable rentals, we need to create new ones. If [people] want to bring new developments, we have to ask those developments to minimize the impact that they could have. For instance, if you’re going to build 20 apartments, we have to make sure that some of those apartments are really affordable.</p>
<p>Why do you think people are so attracted to the neighborhood?&#160;</p>
<p>Well, on the one hand, you have the Mexicans, new immigrants and then there are more established first-and second-generation Mexicans. Then you have the white, hipster culture. I think those two groups are attracted to Pilsen because of different reasons. Maybe there are some connections, but for Latinos, Pilsen represents the place where you sleep at night. It also represents a community, a culture that embraces things that are relevant to people’s lives, relevant to survival, in some cases. People here help each other. There is a social, cultural and family element that I think Latino people seek, and I think that serves as a way to be at home away from home. I think that hipsters are attracted for similar reasons even though they don’t have that same need. They like the murals and the people selling the fruit. I think people think this is a pretty and interesting neighborhood to explore. They’re also 15 minutes away from downtown by virtually any means of transportation. You’re close to where things are happening, and that is a very attractive element to this community.</p>
<p>Are there any upsides to gentrification?</p>
<p>The positive side could be that Pilsen is getting better; there are [higher] taxes and more services. OK, so how come the library is closed half the time? Why [are] all the parks overcrowded? We want more parks, we want better schools, and we want more libraries. That’s how you create opportunities. So, I don’t think that gentrification in the way that I define it—in the sense of this class replacement—has any benefits. We all believe in economic and community development, but that’s a different thing. Displacement is always bad. If you have to leave a place that you love because you can’t afford it anymore, where’s the benefit in that? Who benefits from that?</p>
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luke giveen afraid soon priced pilsen past year 22yearold lived apartment building near corner 17th street racine avenue earns enough freelance bike mechanic cover 500 monthly rent twobedroom apartment giveen recently noticed potential investors real estate agents visiting southwest side building ownership changes price hike could horizon fears knows well scenario played many neighborhood buildings girlfriend love neighborhood involved community said dont make lot money giveens story familiar one pilsen many lowincome residents forced move neighborhood grown popular proximity chicagos downtown giveen reached pilsen alliance works fight displacement nelson soza nonprofit community organizations executive director explained giveens building like many others community badly needs maintenance needs plumbing repairs pest extermination cost repairs estimated could reach well sixfigures likely propel rent hikesespecially building gets sold said soza expert housing issues doesnt faze got community organizing 20 years ago chile experienced repression dictatorship violation human rights started desire part help search social justice said thats trying pilsen soza exploring creative ways raise funds help upgrade neighborhoods decaying housing stock would like see neighborhood get access tax increment financing district funds meanwhile organization trying empower residents regularly holding workshops educate tenants rights chicago reporter recently sat soza discuss gentrification affects lowincome families people concerned gentrification matter fairness matter justice everyone talks american dream land opportunity think displace people without giving tools able succeed society youre hiding poverty instead fixing think lying whats happening pilsen lowincome communities across city people robbed opportunities generations past kicking jobs youre basically condemning poverty keep denying people power make decisions youre pushing people desperate situations continual cycle desperation destroys lives pilsen evolved result gentrification pilsen result policies people call urban renewal people call urban removal 50s expansion university illinois chicago lot people used live area uic today people mexican descent people got pushed neighborhood ended way refugees urban renewal process european folks left city mexicans people strong family values created communitypartially segregation people color experienced created community reflection culture left behind made community flourish see changing community im talking community working families people factory workers people work construction community formed mexicans started receive pressures expansion investment particularly eastern side pilsen part thats closer downtown bottom line last census 2000 2010 10000 mexicans left community people hard years able experience bloom see today like increased services concrete way see decrease traditional population pilsen diminished enrollment schools particularly eastern boundary neighborhood reduction affordable housingwhich one biggest problems community today becoming harder harder find affordable housing people median income lot people community still laborers people dont huge income basically see today fewer options people leave 2007 collaborated geography department depaul university study building inventory figured happening ground housing situation identified factors contributing 10000 people leaving found gentrification happening due increased property values lot demolitions old buildings zoning changes zoning changes would allow properties built place older properties higher density example house get rid build five stories see instead making money one house make money five zoning changes big factor raising property values ways helped families affected gentrification160 help people every day help information jobs housing legal things connect services resources think giving voice opportunity exercise powerits probably greatest contribution make sit talk gentrification day dont mobilize dont put pressure people hold purse strings arent getting anywhere best way know help people fight gentrification help express voice poor community converted richer community without changing identity think opportunities people buy properties become owners affordable housing opportunities lose affordable rentals need create new ones people want bring new developments ask developments minimize impact could instance youre going build 20 apartments make sure apartments really affordable think people attracted neighborhood160 well one hand mexicans new immigrants established firstand secondgeneration mexicans white hipster culture think two groups attracted pilsen different reasons maybe connections latinos pilsen represents place sleep night also represents community culture embraces things relevant peoples lives relevant survival cases people help social cultural family element think latino people seek think serves way home away home think hipsters attracted similar reasons even though dont need like murals people selling fruit think people think pretty interesting neighborhood explore theyre also 15 minutes away downtown virtually means transportation youre close things happening attractive element community upsides gentrification positive side could pilsen getting better higher taxes services ok come library closed half time parks overcrowded want parks want better schools want libraries thats create opportunities dont think gentrification way define itin sense class replacementhas benefits believe economic community development thats different thing displacement always bad leave place love cant afford anymore wheres benefit benefits
| 746 |
<p>LUXEMBOURG — It's hardly surprising Luxembourg's motto is "We want to stay what we are."</p>
<p>Citizens of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are the world’s richest by some counts. The World Bank puts their output per head at $107,000, compared to just $50,000 for Americans.</p>
<p>However, that may not stay true for long.</p>
<p>European leaders are calling for a crackdown against tax evasion as Apple, Google and other giant multinationals are being called on the carpet for devising complex tax structures that enable them to pay negligible amounts on profits worth billions by stashing them in places with lax regulations.</p>
<p>Among them, the Rhode Island-sized country wedged between Germany, France and Belgium is accused by its neighbors of offering a haven for tax evaders in the heart of Europe.</p>
<p>Luxembourg's oversized banking sector was a prime target at a special European Union summit in Brussels on Wednesday aimed at clamping down on tax dodges estimated to cost the bloc's crisis-racked economies $1.3 trillion a year.</p>
<p>"We're here to fight against evasion, and tax havens in particular," said French President Francois Holland. "We have to go after those who are cheating, so that honest taxpayers don't have to dig deeper into their pockets."</p>
<p>Hollande has been under particular pressure to crack down since the resignation of his budget minister Jerome Cahuzac amid revelations he stashed hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret Swiss accounts.</p>
<p>Other European countries and the United States have also been cranking up efforts to shut down bolt holes for tax evaders.</p>
<p>Faced with international arm-twisting, Luxembourg has agreed to end the banking secrecy that has helped turn the country's homonymous capital city into one of Europe's premier financial centers.</p>
<p>Behind their brass plaques, the discreet, low-rise bank buildings around Luxembourg's Rue Royale hold assets worth $4 trillion — 23 times the country's gross domestic product.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker says the country will automatically share information with other European Union nations about the bank details and interest earned by individual foreign depositors starting in 2015.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, Luxembourg said it had also reached a deal on bank information exchange with the United States.</p>
<p>"We are following a global movement," Juncker said. "Anybody who thinks we are caving in to French or German pressure does not understand the way our government works."</p>
<p>However, many Luxembourgers feel their country of 500,000 is being unfairly scapegoated by bigger powers.</p>
<p>"There has been evasion in the past and surely there is still evasion, but things are not black and white and they've been exaggerated by other countries,” says Patrice Pieretti, an economist at the University of Luxembourg.</p>
<p>Luxembourgers point out that they’re far from alone in offering competitive tax advantages to attract investment.</p>
<p>"There’s a lot of hypocrisy," Pieretti continued. "In the United States, you have some states, Delaware for sure but there are others, where I can hide my money and evade taxes without any problem."</p>
<p>Resentment over what’s seen as foreign bullying reflects a strong sense of pride among the citizens of a small country that has maintained its independence and distinct national identity throughout a troubled history with sometimes expansionist neighbors.</p>
<p>Luxembourg's survival has also relied on adaptability and a willingness to compromise. Its people think of themselves as consummate Europeans.</p>
<p>Seventy-two percent support the euro zone currency union, compared to an EU average of 53 percent, according to a poll published in December. Just 22 percent think Luxembourg would be better off outside the EU.</p>
<p>As well as their own Luxembourgish language, almost everyone speaks French and German, both official languages. Two-thirds also speak English.</p>
<p>Foreigners, most of them from other European countries, make up 43 percent of the population, a figure that rises to 67 percent in the capital city.</p>
<p>"Borders aren’t so important for us," says Marc Angel, a lawmaker with the Socialist Workers' Party, a junior partner in a coalition led by the center-right premier Juncker.</p>
<p>"We're don't have any fears of loosing our identity," Angel added in an interview. "We are a small country, but a dynamic country in the heart of Europe and most of all a very European country that realizes it wouldn't have had that development it had today without Europe."</p>
<p>Luxembourg's wealth was first built on iron and steel. When the industry peaked in 1974, the tiny state was producing almost as much steel as India and Brazil.</p>
<p>Although the world's largest steel maker ArcelorMittal continues to maintain its corporate headquarters in an imposing 1920s palace in downtown Luxembourg, steel production these days represents just 2 percent of GDP, down from 30 percent in the early 'seventies.</p>
<p>The government developed the financial industry to replace steel as the country's economy mainstay. Banking now accounts for a quarter of GDP in the world's second-largest fund administration center, after the United States.</p>
<p>Officials hotly refute the mounting international criticism, insisting the banking sector has strict rules against money laundering and has gone a long way to crack down on tax evasion. The days when German dentists and Belgian storeowners took the train to Luxembourg to deposit suitcases packed with cash are long gone, they insist.</p>
<p>Angel points out that the economy is already reducing its reliance on the financial sector through fast-growing information-communications and life-sciences industries. The country is home to the RTL media giant — which runs 53 TV channels across Europe — the world-leading satellite company SES, and Cargolux, Europe’s biggest all-cargo airline.</p>
<p>Luxembourg has also moved to turn itself into an e-commerce hub by attracting the European headquarters of Amazon, Paypal, iTunes and Skype — partly through low sales taxes that have brought yet more international criticism.</p>
<p>Although few in the grand duchy fear a Cypriot-style meltdown despite banking's inflated influence on the economy, the collapse of Cyprus' financial sector in March has increased pressure on Luxembourg to diversify.</p>
<p>Still, it has no plans to give up its banking advantages without a fight.</p>
<p>During Wednesday's summit, Juncker made clear that his country would apply new EU information-exchange rules to its banks only if Switzerland and other non-EU banking rivals agree to similar regulations.</p>
<p>Luxembourg has also warned it may join Britain in taking legal action against an EU plan to introduce a tax on financial transactions that would "mean the death of the European investment fund industry," according to Anouk Agnes, director of strategy and communications at the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/france/130513/gay-rights-paris-same-sex-marriage-opposition" type="external">Gay Paris: not all it's cracked up to be</a></p>
<p>Whatever the challenges, veteran center-right lawmaker Norbert Haupert is confident Luxembourg's flexibility will enable Europe's richest country to remain pretty much what it is.</p>
<p>"There could be some negative changes ahead for the financial sector, but I think they've already prepared for that," he says. "With our know-how, the energy of our companies and the willingness of us lawmakers to help the sector, I think we'll be able to limit the damage."&#160;</p>
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luxembourg hardly surprising luxembourgs motto want stay citizens grand duchy luxembourg worlds richest counts world bank puts output per head 107000 compared 50000 americans however may stay true long european leaders calling crackdown tax evasion apple google giant multinationals called carpet devising complex tax structures enable pay negligible amounts profits worth billions stashing places lax regulations among rhode islandsized country wedged germany france belgium accused neighbors offering tax evaders heart europe luxembourgs oversized banking sector prime target special european union summit brussels wednesday aimed clamping tax dodges estimated cost blocs crisisracked economies 13 trillion year fight evasion tax havens particular said french president francois holland go cheating honest taxpayers dont dig deeper pockets hollande particular pressure crack since resignation budget minister jerome cahuzac amid revelations stashed hundreds thousands dollars secret swiss accounts european countries united states also cranking efforts shut bolt holes tax evaders faced international armtwisting luxembourg agreed end banking secrecy helped turn countrys homonymous capital city one europes premier financial centers behind brass plaques discreet lowrise bank buildings around luxembourgs rue royale hold assets worth 4 trillion 23 times countrys gross domestic product prime minister jeanclaude juncker says country automatically share information european union nations bank details interest earned individual foreign depositors starting 2015 tuesday luxembourg said also reached deal bank information exchange united states following global movement juncker said anybody thinks caving french german pressure understand way government works however many luxembourgers feel country 500000 unfairly scapegoated bigger powers evasion past surely still evasion things black white theyve exaggerated countries says patrice pieretti economist university luxembourg luxembourgers point theyre far alone offering competitive tax advantages attract investment theres lot hypocrisy pieretti continued united states states delaware sure others hide money evade taxes without problem resentment whats seen foreign bullying reflects strong sense pride among citizens small country maintained independence distinct national identity throughout troubled history sometimes expansionist neighbors luxembourgs survival also relied adaptability willingness compromise people think consummate europeans seventytwo percent support euro zone currency union compared eu average 53 percent according poll published december 22 percent think luxembourg would better outside eu well luxembourgish language almost everyone speaks french german official languages twothirds also speak english foreigners european countries make 43 percent population figure rises 67 percent capital city borders arent important us says marc angel lawmaker socialist workers party junior partner coalition led centerright premier juncker dont fears loosing identity angel added interview small country dynamic country heart europe european country realizes wouldnt development today without europe luxembourgs wealth first built iron steel industry peaked 1974 tiny state producing almost much steel india brazil although worlds largest steel maker arcelormittal continues maintain corporate headquarters imposing 1920s palace downtown luxembourg steel production days represents 2 percent gdp 30 percent early seventies government developed financial industry replace steel countrys economy mainstay banking accounts quarter gdp worlds secondlargest fund administration center united states officials hotly refute mounting international criticism insisting banking sector strict rules money laundering gone long way crack tax evasion days german dentists belgian storeowners took train luxembourg deposit suitcases packed cash long gone insist angel points economy already reducing reliance financial sector fastgrowing informationcommunications lifesciences industries country home rtl media giant runs 53 tv channels across europe worldleading satellite company ses cargolux europes biggest allcargo airline luxembourg also moved turn ecommerce hub attracting european headquarters amazon paypal itunes skype partly low sales taxes brought yet international criticism although grand duchy fear cypriotstyle meltdown despite bankings inflated influence economy collapse cyprus financial sector march increased pressure luxembourg diversify still plans give banking advantages without fight wednesdays summit juncker made clear country would apply new eu informationexchange rules banks switzerland noneu banking rivals agree similar regulations luxembourg also warned may join britain taking legal action eu plan introduce tax financial transactions would mean death european investment fund industry according anouk agnes director strategy communications association luxembourg fund industry globalpost160 gay paris cracked whatever challenges veteran centerright lawmaker norbert haupert confident luxembourgs flexibility enable europes richest country remain pretty much could negative changes ahead financial sector think theyve already prepared says knowhow energy companies willingness us lawmakers help sector think well able limit damage160
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<p>The world will be watching as a 12-year-old Texas girl undergoes life-changing obesity surgery on Friday, but for now, Alexis Shapiro just wants to pet the penguins.</p>
<p>The 203-pound pre-teen drew international attention earlier this year after <a href="" type="internal">NBC News first reported</a> that U.S. military insurers wouldn’t cover a doctor-recommended operation to counter the effects of brain surgery that sent her metabolism haywire, piling on extra weight.</p>
<p>TRICARE officials reversed their decision, eventually <a href="" type="internal">agreeing to pay</a>for the gastric bypass surgery that doctors say will help her lose weight, curb her ravenous appetite and allow her to lead a normal life.</p>
<p>But this week, as Alexis and her parents, Jenny and Ian Shapiro, prepared for the unusual three-hour operation scheduled at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, they took a break from stress and worry at the local Newport Aquarium in nearby Kentucky.</p>
<p>There, on a sunny morning, Alexis gazed at the colorful creatures — "Fishies!" she said — and giggled at the touch of penguins named Blueberry, Simon and Speckles.</p>
<p>The little girl in the baggy black pants and the women’s size 2XL shirt still doesn’t like to talk to strangers, even after a flood of publicity from local, national and international media and well-wishes from thousands of people, including those who <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/3onp2g" type="external">helped the family raise</a>more than $82,000 for medical expenses.</p>
<p>"It's good," she said, turning to her mom for help.</p>
<p>“She’s nervous. Excited, but nervous,” explained Jenny Shapiro, 34. “The last time she had surgery, her life totally changed.”</p>
<p>That was two years ago when Alexis, then a typical 9-year-old, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. The surgery went well, but it left her with hypothalamic obesity and panhypopituitarism, complicated metabolic side effects that the Shapiros say have ravaged their once-normal daughter’s life.</p>
<p>“It’s been a roller-coaster,” said Ian Shapiro, 34, an insurance rep. “You take your faith and you put it in the doctors and then we’ll do the part that we can. We got to this point because we were all out of options.”</p>
<p>Without the surgery, Alexis would continue to gain an estimated 2 pounds each week, despite a strict diet and enforced exercise. Her diabetes would worsen and she’d develop other problems as she ballooned to as much as 400 pounds on her child’s frame, cautioned Dr. Thomas Inge, the pediatric obesity expert who will lead the operation Friday morning.</p>
<p>But with the gastric bypass, which makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass the small intestine, and a procedure that snips part of the vagus nerve, which controls appetite and the sense of satiety, Alexis will be able to regain more control over her body and brain.</p>
<p>Initially, she could lose up to 5 pounds a week, rapidly reducing her sky-high body mass index of 47.2, improving or curing her diabetes — and curbing the constant hunger that has forced her parents to padlock their kitchen cupboards.</p>
<p>“I think that’s possible,” Inge said.</p>
<p>Still, the procedure in such a young child is rare and potentially risky. Alexis is among the youngest patients for Inge, whose team has performed weight-loss surgery on 235 teens and children, including just two other 12-year-olds and seven who were 13. Hypothalamic obesity poses even greater challenges, he added.</p>
<p>“Our biggest angst is the fact that metabolically, they’re so fragile,” said Inge, who will be joined by another surgeon, Dr. Michael Helmrath, and a support team.</p>
<p>They’ll be closely monitoring Alexis’ kidney function and hormone levels, which are controlled through careful calibration of vital drugs. They’ll watch for excessive bleeding and for all the typical hazards involved with anesthesia and surgery, Inge said.</p>
<p>Because of the <a href="http://www.today.com/health/rooting-her-strangers-donate-50k-texas-girls-life-saving-obesity-2D11819010" type="external">intense interest</a>in Alexis’ case, public relations staff at Cincinnati Children’s plan to live-Tweet the operation, offering up-to-the minute updates as the surgery progresses at <a href="https://twitter.com/CincyChildrens" type="external">@CincyChildrens</a>. They have blog posts prepared detailing every step of the surgery, with <a href="http://cincinnatichildrensblog.org/" type="external">explanations</a> from Inge and commentary from Jenny Shapiro.</p>
<p>Inge said he and his crew expect the operation to go smoothly. Alexis should be through the surgery by noon and sitting up in a chair that evening. She’ll likely remain in Cincinnati for a week before heading home with her parents to Cibolo, Texas, where her sister, Kayley, 9, and brother, Ethan, 8, are staying with their aunt.</p>
<p>Alexis will remain on a liquid diet for about a month to give her new, smaller stomach time to adjust. She’ll gradually add new foods to her diet until she’s eating a full range of healthy options, Inge said.</p>
<p>It’s hard to predict Alexis’ progress, he cautioned. Because of her metabolic problems, she’ll always have to monitor food and exercise and, like others with hypothalamic obesity, she could lose weight more slowly. He estimates that she’ll lose about 20 percent of her weight, or a little more than 40 pounds, in the first year.</p>
<p>“They don’t get back to ‘normal,’ typically,” said Inge. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to tell them to expect that.”</p>
<p>But the Shapiros say they have a realistic view of how the surgery will help Alexis. Jenny Shapiro says she wants her oldest daughter to be able to ride bikes with her brother and sister, to go swimming in the summer, to walk through a grocery store or amusement park without anyone staring at her.</p>
<p>“Right now, I just tell her, 'Don’t look. Just concentrate on what you’re doing',” Jenny Shapiro said. “But it’s hard.”</p>
<p>The Shapiros say they take comfort in the outpouring of support from people who’ve heard Alexis’ story and responded with kindness and understanding. Other parents of kids with hypothalamic obesity have reached out and now there’s new momentum for research into the rare condition.</p>
<p>They say they've used some of the donated money to pay for travel costs and insurance co-payments and for normal living expenses because Ian and Jenny Shapiro have both exhausted leave from their jobs. But they'd also like to help families in similar circumstances.</p>
<p>“It’s been really crazy, but it’s been nothing but positive,” Jenny Shapiro said. “Did I ever think I’d be on TV? No. But as a parent, you would do anything for your child.”</p>
<p />
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world watching 12yearold texas girl undergoes lifechanging obesity surgery friday alexis shapiro wants pet penguins 203pound preteen drew international attention earlier year nbc news first reported us military insurers wouldnt cover doctorrecommended operation counter effects brain surgery sent metabolism haywire piling extra weight tricare officials reversed decision eventually agreeing payfor gastric bypass surgery doctors say help lose weight curb ravenous appetite allow lead normal life week alexis parents jenny ian shapiro prepared unusual threehour operation scheduled cincinnati childrens hospital medical center took break stress worry local newport aquarium nearby kentucky sunny morning alexis gazed colorful creatures fishies said giggled touch penguins named blueberry simon speckles little girl baggy black pants womens size 2xl shirt still doesnt like talk strangers even flood publicity local national international media wellwishes thousands people including helped family raisemore 82000 medical expenses good said turning mom help shes nervous excited nervous explained jenny shapiro 34 last time surgery life totally changed two years ago alexis typical 9yearold diagnosed benign brain tumor surgery went well left hypothalamic obesity panhypopituitarism complicated metabolic side effects shapiros say ravaged oncenormal daughters life rollercoaster said ian shapiro 34 insurance rep take faith put doctors well part got point options without surgery alexis would continue gain estimated 2 pounds week despite strict diet enforced exercise diabetes would worsen shed develop problems ballooned much 400 pounds childs frame cautioned dr thomas inge pediatric obesity expert lead operation friday morning gastric bypass makes stomach smaller allows food bypass small intestine procedure snips part vagus nerve controls appetite sense satiety alexis able regain control body brain initially could lose 5 pounds week rapidly reducing skyhigh body mass index 472 improving curing diabetes curbing constant hunger forced parents padlock kitchen cupboards think thats possible inge said still procedure young child rare potentially risky alexis among youngest patients inge whose team performed weightloss surgery 235 teens children including two 12yearolds seven 13 hypothalamic obesity poses even greater challenges added biggest angst fact metabolically theyre fragile said inge joined another surgeon dr michael helmrath support team theyll closely monitoring alexis kidney function hormone levels controlled careful calibration vital drugs theyll watch excessive bleeding typical hazards involved anesthesia surgery inge said intense interestin alexis case public relations staff cincinnati childrens plan livetweet operation offering uptothe minute updates surgery progresses cincychildrens blog posts prepared detailing every step surgery explanations inge commentary jenny shapiro inge said crew expect operation go smoothly alexis surgery noon sitting chair evening shell likely remain cincinnati week heading home parents cibolo texas sister kayley 9 brother ethan 8 staying aunt alexis remain liquid diet month give new smaller stomach time adjust shell gradually add new foods diet shes eating full range healthy options inge said hard predict alexis progress cautioned metabolic problems shell always monitor food exercise like others hypothalamic obesity could lose weight slowly estimates shell lose 20 percent weight little 40 pounds first year dont get back normal typically said inge dont know well able tell expect shapiros say realistic view surgery help alexis jenny shapiro says wants oldest daughter able ride bikes brother sister go swimming summer walk grocery store amusement park without anyone staring right tell dont look concentrate youre jenny shapiro said hard shapiros say take comfort outpouring support people whove heard alexis story responded kindness understanding parents kids hypothalamic obesity reached theres new momentum research rare condition say theyve used donated money pay travel costs insurance copayments normal living expenses ian jenny shapiro exhausted leave jobs theyd also like help families similar circumstances really crazy nothing positive jenny shapiro said ever think id tv parent would anything child
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<p>When Pam Glynn walked into Hancock High School four years ago as the new principal, the school was on the verge of falling into an achievement black hole. Over the past decade, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards on the ISAT fell from a third to about 10 percent.</p>
<p>Glynn was charged with changing the school’s downward trajectory. But unlike the new principals at two other Chicago high schools that became part of the turnaround program—Orr and Fenger—Glynn didn’t have the luxury of bringing in her own staff and getting extra resources to reboot the academics and the school’s culture.</p>
<p>With hard work, Hancock began to improve. And this year, Glynn and six other high school principals finally got a big boost: CPS gave each school $5.7 million in federal School Improvement Grant funds, to be spent over three years to implement “transformation.” It’s one of four reform strategies that the U.S. Department of Education is supporting through the $4.6 billion SIG program, aimed at the worst 5 percent of schools in the country.</p>
<p>For CPS, the SIG money will help to answer a critical question: Is it necessary to fire an entire staff, as with a turnaround—as U. S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan once put it, “blow up a school”—to improve it? Or can the job be accomplished by pouring an abundance of resources into a school that shows a glimmer of promise?</p>
<p>Though this is the first year transformation has been tried in Chicago, it is the most popular of the four strategies among SIG schools nationwide.</p>
<p>_______________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p>Catalyst Chicago participated in a national reporting project on the federal School Improvement Grant program. The project was organized by the Education Writers Association, the Hechinger Report at Teachers College- Columbia University and Education Week in collaboration with news organizations around the country. The project examined the impact of the SIG program, which provides money to improve the lowest-achieving 5 percent of schools in the nation.</p>
<p>Other stories</p>
<p><a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2012/04/federal-program-work-in-progress/" type="external">Federal program still a work-in-progress</a></p>
<p><a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2012/04/will-recession-hinder-long-term-gains/" type="external">Will recession hurt long-term gains?</a></p>
<p>______________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p>Transformation is considered easier to implement because a school’s entire faculty does not have to be replaced. In the tiny town of DePue, in downstate Illinois, DePue High School Principal David Higgs says it would have been difficult to find all-new teachers. Though the high school draws from several nearby towns, DePue has just about 1,200 residents. Even finding a new principal was a bit of a struggle, and Higgs didn’t arrive until the second year of the transformation.</p>
<p>So far, 12 Chicago high schools have received grants under the program—a total of almost $70 million.</p>
<p>The Illinois State Board of Education recently posted a request-for-proposals for next year’s round of SIG awards. CPS is already preparing an application for Chicago Vocational Career Academy, one of a record number of 10 schools slated for turnaround next year. It’s unclear whether CPS will try transformation at more schools, or whether it will apply for the federal money to try and fix failing elementary schools. Unlike other districts, CPS has so far used its SIG money solely in high schools.</p>
<p>In choosing the schools for transformation, CPS officials hedged their bets and have taken the position that it will only try the strategy at schools that are already on the way up, and reserve the most drastic tactics—turnaround and closure/restart—for schools that are the most troubled. While the federal law calls for transformation principals to be new or hired within the last three years, CPS leaders decided that its transformation principals must have been in place for at least one year—to ensure that they have something of a track record.</p>
<p>Academically, the schools fit the federal definition of a SIG school—one that is in the bottom 5 percent in the nation. But they weren’t at rock-bottom: The percentage of students meeting standards on state tests was, on average, 12 percent at the transformation schools. In comparison, many other schools in CPS have pass rates in the single digits.</p>
<p>Tilden: From transformation to turnaround</p>
<p>One of the eight schools that received a SIG grant for the 2011-2012 school year never got its transformation under way.</p>
<p>&#160;Now, district officials have decided to implement a more drastic turnaround at Tilden, in the impoverished Back of the Yards neighborhood. But the change in direction left a bad feeling among parents and teachers, illustrating the hurdle that officials face as they try to set the right stage and build support for these reforms.</p>
<p>Tilden, located on the border between a black and a Latino neighborhood and with a mixed student body, was once considered a decent option for students interested in career and technical education. But several of its programs, in finance and health occupations, had been shut down.</p>
<p>Still, the school had recently gotten a new principal, who had graduated from a University of Illinois – Chicago program that specializes in preparing candidates to take the helm at long-failing schools. But then, as often happens in Chicago Public Schools, the new principal decided to take a job at another high school—and took many of Tilden’s better staff with her.</p>
<p>“This greatly changed the building dynamic,” says CPS spokesman Frank Shuftan.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2011, as teachers from other transformation schools were involved in intense professional development, Tilden’s teachers were left out. They started the new school year without any idea of what was going on. Then, in late November, district officials announced that they planned to place Tilden in the turnaround program. Teachers got pink slips, and were told they would have to reapply for their jobs.</p>
<p>“The current state of the school, and the learning environment at the start of the school year, has led to the district’s decision to propose a turnaround at Tilden,” according to Shuftan.</p>
<p>Even though the district has decided to change directions, Tilden will likely still get the SIG award, says Mary Fergus, spokeswoman for the Illinois State Board of Education. (CPS, though, will have to revise and update the plan that was submitted for the school.)</p>
<p>But teachers, parents and community members were stunned at the decision. In Chicago, the announcement of a turnaround often sparks angst, as teachers and parents worry about the unknown and about bonds between students and school staff being severed.</p>
<p>For teachers in particular, going from one extreme to another—from elation at the news of the grant to the shock of being fired—was devastating. Teachers and parents at schools facing a turnaround often beg district officials to provide the existing school community with the extra resources that a turnaround brings.</p>
<p>“It was taken from us,” says Donna Perry, a special education teacher at Tilden since 2003. “We had $6 million at our fingertips and we wanted to use it for our children.”</p>
<p>Social-emotional learning</p>
<p>Schools that have received the federal SIG money for transformation have an outside partner to provide support for tasks such as developing curricula and providing outside learning opportunities. DePue High School’s outside partner is the state Association of Superintendents.</p>
<p>In Chicago, five transformation schools work with CPS’ Office of School Improvement, which uses many of the same strategies that have shown success in turnaround schools. For example, to bring order to the school climate and cut down on tardiness, staff do hall sweeps—clearing the hallways once classes start.</p>
<p>One of the transformation schools works with America’s Choice, which offers help with curriculum. (Josserand says they also have worked on culture and climate issues.) Two schools work with the Network for College Success at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Work. The network’s goal is to help principals and schools develop systems to prepare low-income students to enter, and stay in, 4-year colleges.</p>
<p>In addition to an outside partner, transformation principals and leadership teams come up with an improvement plan. Each school has hired three to four people to work on social-emotional issues. They have attendance deans and student advocates. Most have brought on at least one additional social worker.</p>
<p>Wells Principal Ernesto Matias says these extra supports have made a real difference for his students. This year, two of his students attempted suicide, one student was shot and several young women became pregnant. In the past, the school had only one social worker—whose main job is maintaining paperwork for special education students—to deal with issues like these.</p>
<p>This year, in a matter of minutes after their problem was discovered, students were sitting down talking to Edwin Caraballo or one of his six social work interns. Caraballo says once a student becomes involved with him, he stays on them.</p>
<p>“I go after kids and try to break their bad habits,” he says. “If they don’t come to school, we will hunt them down.”</p>
<p>Caraballo works closely with the school’s on-track interventionist. Sara Shields is a data maven, keeping tabs on the grades and attendance of 9th-grade students. The minute she sees a dip, she takes action. &#160;</p>
<p>But Shields says her job entails more than keeping close tabs on students when they seem to be on the path to trouble. &#160;“I interact with students,” says Shields, whose office is in a classroom on the third floor, in the midst of the freshman wing. “I build relationships with them. One of the most successful ways to keep students on track is to build relationships with them.”</p>
<p>Intensive academics</p>
<p>&#160;Keeping students on track toward graduation also requires additional academic support. At transformation schools, these staff are often called interventionists or reading transformation teachers.</p>
<p>At Hancock, Glynn brought on Ray Salazar to be a writing coach. Salazar teaches classes, but he also pulls students out of their regular classes and works with them on their papers. Salazar says he has helped more than 180 students, along with training teachers on how to better help their students in class.</p>
<p>Glynn says when she first arrived at Hancock, the teachers seemed disconnected and the expectations for students were low. Hancock has about 1,000 students and is in a working-class Latino neighborhood.</p>
<p>Back then–before the school became part of the district’s transformation effort–Glynn joined the Network for College Success, which was just starting to work with a group of high schools. The network suggested that Glynn have students take a survey designed by Harvard University education professor Ronald Ferguson that asks what students think about their classes.</p>
<p>This way, the students–not Glynn–deliver the news to teachers.</p>
<p>“The results were eye-opening,” Glynn recalls. Students said that teachers had low expectations of them and that their classes were not rigorous.</p>
<p>Glynn then had intense conversations with teachers about their practice. She worked hard with the teachers to improve their lesson plans and to raise their expectations of students. Some of the teachers were unhappy and left.&#160; But most of them stayed and have gotten better.</p>
<p>Now, Glynn says she’s glad she kept the old teachers. “When you have a brand new set of teachers, it is difficult to know how it will play out,” she says. “They may be well-versed in content, but may come from a different socio-economic group and might struggle to connect with kids.”</p>
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pam glynn walked hancock high school four years ago new principal school verge falling achievement black hole past decade percentage students meeting exceeding standards isat fell third 10 percent glynn charged changing schools downward trajectory unlike new principals two chicago high schools became part turnaround programorr fengerglynn didnt luxury bringing staff getting extra resources reboot academics schools culture hard work hancock began improve year glynn six high school principals finally got big boost cps gave school 57 million federal school improvement grant funds spent three years implement transformation one four reform strategies us department education supporting 46 billion sig program aimed worst 5 percent schools country cps sig money help answer critical question necessary fire entire staff turnaroundas u education secretary arne duncan put blow schoolto improve job accomplished pouring abundance resources school shows glimmer promise though first year transformation tried chicago popular four strategies among sig schools nationwide _______________________________________________________________________________________________ catalyst chicago participated national reporting project federal school improvement grant program project organized education writers association hechinger report teachers college columbia university education week collaboration news organizations around country project examined impact sig program provides money improve lowestachieving 5 percent schools nation stories federal program still workinprogress recession hurt longterm gains ______________________________________________________________________________________________ transformation considered easier implement schools entire faculty replaced tiny town depue downstate illinois depue high school principal david higgs says would difficult find allnew teachers though high school draws several nearby towns depue 1200 residents even finding new principal bit struggle higgs didnt arrive second year transformation far 12 chicago high schools received grants programa total almost 70 million illinois state board education recently posted requestforproposals next years round sig awards cps already preparing application chicago vocational career academy one record number 10 schools slated turnaround next year unclear whether cps try transformation schools whether apply federal money try fix failing elementary schools unlike districts cps far used sig money solely high schools choosing schools transformation cps officials hedged bets taken position try strategy schools already way reserve drastic tacticsturnaround closurerestartfor schools troubled federal law calls transformation principals new hired within last three years cps leaders decided transformation principals must place least one yearto ensure something track record academically schools fit federal definition sig schoolone bottom 5 percent nation werent rockbottom percentage students meeting standards state tests average 12 percent transformation schools comparison many schools cps pass rates single digits tilden transformation turnaround one eight schools received sig grant 20112012 school year never got transformation way 160now district officials decided implement drastic turnaround tilden impoverished back yards neighborhood change direction left bad feeling among parents teachers illustrating hurdle officials face try set right stage build support reforms tilden located border black latino neighborhood mixed student body considered decent option students interested career technical education several programs finance health occupations shut still school recently gotten new principal graduated university illinois chicago program specializes preparing candidates take helm longfailing schools often happens chicago public schools new principal decided take job another high schooland took many tildens better staff greatly changed building dynamic says cps spokesman frank shuftan summer 2011 teachers transformation schools involved intense professional development tildens teachers left started new school year without idea going late november district officials announced planned place tilden turnaround program teachers got pink slips told would reapply jobs current state school learning environment start school year led districts decision propose turnaround tilden according shuftan even though district decided change directions tilden likely still get sig award says mary fergus spokeswoman illinois state board education cps though revise update plan submitted school teachers parents community members stunned decision chicago announcement turnaround often sparks angst teachers parents worry unknown bonds students school staff severed teachers particular going one extreme anotherfrom elation news grant shock firedwas devastating teachers parents schools facing turnaround often beg district officials provide existing school community extra resources turnaround brings taken us says donna perry special education teacher tilden since 2003 6 million fingertips wanted use children socialemotional learning schools received federal sig money transformation outside partner provide support tasks developing curricula providing outside learning opportunities depue high schools outside partner state association superintendents chicago five transformation schools work cps office school improvement uses many strategies shown success turnaround schools example bring order school climate cut tardiness staff hall sweepsclearing hallways classes start one transformation schools works americas choice offers help curriculum josserand says also worked culture climate issues two schools work network college success university chicagos school social work networks goal help principals schools develop systems prepare lowincome students enter stay 4year colleges addition outside partner transformation principals leadership teams come improvement plan school hired three four people work socialemotional issues attendance deans student advocates brought least one additional social worker wells principal ernesto matias says extra supports made real difference students year two students attempted suicide one student shot several young women became pregnant past school one social workerwhose main job maintaining paperwork special education studentsto deal issues like year matter minutes problem discovered students sitting talking edwin caraballo one six social work interns caraballo says student becomes involved stays go kids try break bad habits says dont come school hunt caraballo works closely schools ontrack interventionist sara shields data maven keeping tabs grades attendance 9thgrade students minute sees dip takes action 160 shields says job entails keeping close tabs students seem path trouble 160i interact students says shields whose office classroom third floor midst freshman wing build relationships one successful ways keep students track build relationships intensive academics 160keeping students track toward graduation also requires additional academic support transformation schools staff often called interventionists reading transformation teachers hancock glynn brought ray salazar writing coach salazar teaches classes also pulls students regular classes works papers salazar says helped 180 students along training teachers better help students class glynn says first arrived hancock teachers seemed disconnected expectations students low hancock 1000 students workingclass latino neighborhood back thenbefore school became part districts transformation effortglynn joined network college success starting work group high schools network suggested glynn students take survey designed harvard university education professor ronald ferguson asks students think classes way studentsnot glynndeliver news teachers results eyeopening glynn recalls students said teachers low expectations classes rigorous glynn intense conversations teachers practice worked hard teachers improve lesson plans raise expectations students teachers unhappy left160 stayed gotten better glynn says shes glad kept old teachers brand new set teachers difficult know play says may wellversed content may come different socioeconomic group might struggle connect kids
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<p>SOCHI, Russia — Driving on a highway past the glitz of Sochi’s coastal Olympic Park, traffic rolls over a place where a family once called home. Alexey Savelyev and his wife, Natalya, had their house destroyed two years before the Olympics to make way for the road.</p>
<p>“We had our house taken, our only house,” Alexey said. “There was no compensation at all.”</p>
<p>Alexey, 39, and Natalya, 31, stood in a neighbor’s yard on Wednesday, across the highway from where they once lived. Their neighbor’s property is a few hundred yards wide and about as long.</p>
<p>At one end is a two-story wooden building with a metal roof — their neighbor’s home — and at the other, two corrugated metal shipping-container-sized boxes sit in mud alongside tossed sinks and rusted bed frames.</p>
<p>“We put the boxes here because we have no place to live,” Alexey said, “because instead of a house, there is a road now.”</p>
<p>Alexey and Natalya, like 40 other residents of Acacia Street in Adler and 2,000 other displaced residents in the region, have discovered what it's like to get in the way of a $51 billon development effort that President Vladimir Putin has overseen personally. But while global media scrutiny of the games has been fierce — including Russia's "gay propaganda" law, police repression of political demonstrators, economic corruption and faulty accommodations — the stories of displaced residents have scarcely been told.</p>
<p>Even with the unprecedented level of investment in Sochi for the Olympics, which brought widespread improvement to the region’s infrastructure and tourism industry, many locals have not seen much — if any — of the benefit.</p>
<p>A new highway built for the Olympics, between Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana in the mountains, the same road built over the Savelyev’s home, cost about $9 billion — roughly as much as the entire 2010 Vancouver Olympics — but has had <a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/29/russia-olympic-construction-devastates-sochi-village" type="external">detrimental effects on a nearby village of Akhshtyr</a>.</p>
<p>Most of Sochi’s 2,000 displaced residents whose land was seized for the Olympics received at least partial compensation in the form of new housing and apartments; however Human Rights Watch found, the Russian government did not “systematically implement a fair and transparent process” to repay them.</p>
<p>This left many — not only those on Acacia Street, but also those living near the Olympic Park and surrounding region — without the use of agricultural land for food and income received from renting beachfront property.</p>
<p>HRW also found that those who did receive new houses, in some instances, were relocated to buildings that lacked proper heating and had structural problems.</p>
<p>The rights group urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take action on the matter back in October, when it published an open letter highlighting issues with families along the street in the village of Akhshtyr.</p>
<p>Families in Akhshtyr, the letter said, had been displaced by construction, had no access to the new highway leading to Adler, and have lost their homes due to landslides caused by construction dumping.</p>
<p>Local authorities, HRW later found, initially offered residents of Acacia Street either monetary compensation or a place to live, but reversed their decision three months later, claiming that the resident’s homes would not be affected by the new highway.</p>
<p>However, last week’s <a href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/11/russia-ioc-acts-sochi-abuses" type="external">HRW statement</a> revealed differently.</p>
<p>“The highway construction caused flooding, destroyed all driveways and other access points to the building, and imposed other significant hardships,” it said.</p>
<p>“It’s up to the IOC to make sure the local authorities address the situation of the families whose homes were made unlivable by Olympics construction so the families can live in dignity,” Jane Buchanan, associate Europe and Central Asia director, said in the statement.</p>
<p>Many residents, including the Savelyev’s, have run into difficulty obtaining legal rights to their property since the 1990s, when a period of privatization came following the end of the Soviet Union. This helped allow the government to declare their land “illegal” before the Olympics, and avoid compensating or repaying those whose land it seized.</p>
<p>Despite recent revelations, the head of <a href="http://www.sochi2014.com/en/news-president-of-olympstroy-engages-with-local-community-at-the-sochi-2014-joint-information-centre" type="external">Olympstroy</a>, a state-owned company created to build the Olympics, and the Mayor of Sochi, who rebuffed Alexey and Natalya Savelyev’s personal pleas, originally <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/178051/hidden-environmental-and-human-costs-sochi-olympics" type="external">promised</a> that none of Sochi’s 400,000 residents would be adversely affected by the games.</p>
<p>In Russia, welfare benefits — monetary payments and land — often go to those in the government, military, and families with at least three children, in that order, before other groups, according to Russians living in Sochi. Encouraging large families is a priority for Russia, they add, as an attempt to reverse a population decline stemming from a struggling post-Soviet Russia of the 1990s.</p>
<p>Alexey and Natalya, who have two children, were told by the mayor, “‘If you want to be given land, you should have a third child,’” Alexey said.</p>
<p>“We wanted to take our children to the mayor, but he told us, ‘don’t bother, it leaves me cold. Your children leave me cold,’” Natalya said.</p>
<p>The Savelyev’s case reflects just one of the predicaments faced on Acacia Street. They were temporarily given a small, two-room apartment with a shared kitchen, a few miles from the Olympic Park.</p>
<p>Lyudmila, Alexey’s mother, whose house was on the seized land, was supposed to be given a one room flat for herself, said Alexey’s wife Natalya. “And we have a boy and a girl, so we should have received at least a three-room flat.”</p>
<p>"The place where she [Lyudmila Savelyeva] is living is not a long-term solution and the government should not imagine that it is,” Jane Buchanan, associate Europe and Central Asia director, told GlobalPost.</p>
<p>For compensation, the family originally accepted a land slot, Natalya said.</p>
<p>“We agreed on everything, even on the house and the land where we would built it. We were going to build it ourselves. Any land will do, but in Sochi of course,” she said. “The Mayor, [Anatoly] Pakhomov, suggested that we could have land in Krasnodar, but outside Sochi.”</p>
<p>Alexey is a builder who owns a construction firm called Avangard, and has built a handful of schools in Sochi.</p>
<p>He would like to build their new house himself, but the government has not decided on a permanent place for them inside Sochi, despite the family’s 72 court appearances in the past four years.</p>
<p>“We are not sure where we’ll be in the future,” Alexey said.</p>
<p>Alexey’s mother, Lyudmila Savelyev, attended a new iteration of the family’s ongoing legal trial on Wednesday night at a regional court in Krasnodar, the administrative center for the Krasnodar region, which includes Sochi.</p>
<p>She keeps her family’s legal documents at their temporary apartment, which is just off the new highway that runs over where their house once stood.</p>
<p>On Wednesday night, her grandson, Alexey and Natalya’s son, Veadimir, placed colored pens, a stencil, and a toy car on a bed that serves as the family’s livingroom couch. Veadimir, who is three, was seven months old when their house was destroyed. Lyudmila’s 10-year-old grand-daughter, Anna, was fast asleep on a bed in the other room.</p>
<p>“There were seven people living in that place,” Lyudmila said of her old house. “We had been living there for 27 years. My children were born there, my sons were born there, and my grandchildren. And now we are homeless.”</p>
<p>Lyudmila has lived in Sochi since 1975, and worked at a railroad station when she was younger. She was given the land under a Russian law providing municipal land for single mothers, and that is where she built her house and raised her two sons.</p>
<p>She applied to take ownership of the property in 1990, but her application was removed from a queue after her family’s eviction—22 years later. But there was a rule stating that anyone in that queue before 2005 could not be removed, she said, and as a single mother, she had a legal right to build on the property.</p>
<p>“All the courts are corrupted. That is why this happened,” she said. “I even applied to Moscow, to the secretary of Putin, and all my applications, all my complaints were filed correctly, but no answer.”</p>
<p>Lyudmila keeps reams of legal documents organized with plastic protective sheathes in thick blue binders. A color-coded map outlining the old property shows what Lyudmila said were plans for a sauna and a fountain garden. That is, until everything was paved over.</p>
<p>Lyudmila held a picture of the old house, in black and white, pointing to mortar she applied to make the building’s cement-brick walls. Another photo, from Nov. 2012, showed the family protesting outside their former home. A white sheet hangs behind the group: “27 years” is written in black.</p>
<p>This is Part One of a two-part series. <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/olympics-leaves-sochi-residents-displaced-and-unpaid-part-2" type="external">Click</a> <a href="www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/olympics-leaves-sochi-residents-displaced-and-unpaid-part-2" type="external">here</a> <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/olympics-leaves-sochi-residents-displaced-and-unpaid-part-2" type="external">for Part Two</a>.</p>
| false | 3 |
sochi russia driving highway past glitz sochis coastal olympic park traffic rolls place family called home alexey savelyev wife natalya house destroyed two years olympics make way road house taken house alexey said compensation alexey 39 natalya 31 stood neighbors yard wednesday across highway lived neighbors property hundred yards wide long one end twostory wooden building metal roof neighbors home two corrugated metal shippingcontainersized boxes sit mud alongside tossed sinks rusted bed frames put boxes place live alexey said instead house road alexey natalya like 40 residents acacia street adler 2000 displaced residents region discovered like get way 51 billon development effort president vladimir putin overseen personally global media scrutiny games fierce including russias gay propaganda law police repression political demonstrators economic corruption faulty accommodations stories displaced residents scarcely told even unprecedented level investment sochi olympics brought widespread improvement regions infrastructure tourism industry many locals seen much benefit new highway built olympics sochi krasnaya polyana mountains road built savelyevs home cost 9 billion roughly much entire 2010 vancouver olympics detrimental effects nearby village akhshtyr sochis 2000 displaced residents whose land seized olympics received least partial compensation form new housing apartments however human rights watch found russian government systematically implement fair transparent process repay left many acacia street also living near olympic park surrounding region without use agricultural land food income received renting beachfront property hrw also found receive new houses instances relocated buildings lacked proper heating structural problems rights group urged international olympic committee ioc take action matter back october published open letter highlighting issues families along street village akhshtyr families akhshtyr letter said displaced construction access new highway leading adler lost homes due landslides caused construction dumping local authorities hrw later found initially offered residents acacia street either monetary compensation place live reversed decision three months later claiming residents homes would affected new highway however last weeks hrw statement revealed differently highway construction caused flooding destroyed driveways access points building imposed significant hardships said ioc make sure local authorities address situation families whose homes made unlivable olympics construction families live dignity jane buchanan associate europe central asia director said statement many residents including savelyevs run difficulty obtaining legal rights property since 1990s period privatization came following end soviet union helped allow government declare land illegal olympics avoid compensating repaying whose land seized despite recent revelations head olympstroy stateowned company created build olympics mayor sochi rebuffed alexey natalya savelyevs personal pleas originally promised none sochis 400000 residents would adversely affected games russia welfare benefits monetary payments land often go government military families least three children order groups according russians living sochi encouraging large families priority russia add attempt reverse population decline stemming struggling postsoviet russia 1990s alexey natalya two children told mayor want given land third child alexey said wanted take children mayor told us dont bother leaves cold children leave cold natalya said savelyevs case reflects one predicaments faced acacia street temporarily given small tworoom apartment shared kitchen miles olympic park lyudmila alexeys mother whose house seized land supposed given one room flat said alexeys wife natalya boy girl received least threeroom flat place lyudmila savelyeva living longterm solution government imagine jane buchanan associate europe central asia director told globalpost compensation family originally accepted land slot natalya said agreed everything even house land would built going build land sochi course said mayor anatoly pakhomov suggested could land krasnodar outside sochi alexey builder owns construction firm called avangard built handful schools sochi would like build new house government decided permanent place inside sochi despite familys 72 court appearances past four years sure well future alexey said alexeys mother lyudmila savelyev attended new iteration familys ongoing legal trial wednesday night regional court krasnodar administrative center krasnodar region includes sochi keeps familys legal documents temporary apartment new highway runs house stood wednesday night grandson alexey natalyas son veadimir placed colored pens stencil toy car bed serves familys livingroom couch veadimir three seven months old house destroyed lyudmilas 10yearold granddaughter anna fast asleep bed room seven people living place lyudmila said old house living 27 years children born sons born grandchildren homeless lyudmila lived sochi since 1975 worked railroad station younger given land russian law providing municipal land single mothers built house raised two sons applied take ownership property 1990 application removed queue familys eviction22 years later rule stating anyone queue 2005 could removed said single mother legal right build property courts corrupted happened said even applied moscow secretary putin applications complaints filed correctly answer lyudmila keeps reams legal documents organized plastic protective sheathes thick blue binders colorcoded map outlining old property shows lyudmila said plans sauna fountain garden everything paved lyudmila held picture old house black white pointing mortar applied make buildings cementbrick walls another photo nov 2012 showed family protesting outside former home white sheet hangs behind group 27 years written black part one twopart series click part two
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<p>In the wake of the Wednesday shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church that left nine people dead, John R. Lott Jr., the prominent researcher whose work is embraced in gun-rights circles, offered a theory of the gunman’s motive.</p>
<p>“Churches, like the one in Charleston, preach peace,” he <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/18/gun-free-zones-easy-target-for-killers.html" type="external">wrote</a>, “but the killer there probably chose that target because he knew the victims were defenseless.”</p>
<p>It’s a familiar pattern: In the immediate aftermath of the 2012 massacre at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, conservative commentators were just as&#160; <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/rep-gohmert-did-no-one-else-in-aurora-theater-have-a-gun/" type="external">quick</a> to reach a decisive verdict on the killer’s intentions, <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-07-21/Aurora-shooting-Batman-Pendley-mountain-states-concealed-carry/56394526/1" type="external">blaming the bloodshed squarely on the Cinemark theater’s no-guns policy</a>, which they argued left moviegoers defenseless. “Was there nobody that was carrying that could’ve stopped this guy more quickly?” Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert asked, before pointing to an incident of domestic dispute in Tyler, Texas, in which a gun-carrying citizen intervened. Lott <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/10/did-colorado-shooter-single-out-cinemark-theater.html" type="external">postulated</a> further that “gun-free zones are a magnet for those who want to kill many people quickly.”</p>
<p>The perceived vulnerability of so-called gun-free zones is more than just a gun-rights talking point: It has emboldened a wave of legislative action on both <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150202/wyoming-repeal-gun-free-zones-act-legislation-passes-house" type="external">state</a> and <a href="https://massie.house.gov/press-release/press-release-us-representative-massie-proposes-repeal-federal-gun-free-school-zones-0" type="external">federal</a> levels to expand the freedom to carry firearms in previously forbidden places, such as schools or private businesses. Last year, <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/7/1/georgia-guns-everywhere.html" type="external">Georgia enacted a “guns everywhere” law</a> that has dramatically expanded where firearms are permitted in the state, including bars, classrooms, and government buildings. Just this month, Texas <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/us/texas-lawmakers-approve-bill-allowing-guns-on-campus.html" type="external">passed a bill</a> extending the concealed carry of firearms onto college campuses, a move that Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick applauded, saying, “I am proud of the fact that the Texas Senate is making history while defending life, liberty, and our Second Amendment right.”</p>
<p>At first glance, some mass shootings do appear to validate a central claim&#160;of gun advocates&#160;—&#160;namely, that killers strategically target gun-free zones because they expect weak resistance from unarmed civilians. But an analysis of the best available research points in the opposite direction: There is no evidence that mass killers select locations based on gun policy, or that lawful gun owners have been able to intervene to stop these attacks.</p>
<p>In the Aurora case, the shooter gave no indication that the theater’s gun-free policy played a part in his motives. His&#160;personal journal, made public during his ongoing trial, contains not even a cursory mention of gun-free zones or the consideration of armed civilians, but instead details a more pressing concern about how to attack the “isolated, proximal, large” space: finding the right parking spot.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p><a href="http://www.armedwithreason.com/shooting-down-the-gun-lobbys-favorite-academic-a-lott-of-lies/" type="external">John R. Lott</a> is, by a significant margin, the most prolific and outspoken researcher on gun-free zones in the United States. He is the author of More Guns, Less Crime&#160;and a vociferous opponent of gun laws, having frequently testified before&#160;Congress in favor of expanding Right to Carry (RTC) policy. Lott abhors the idea of gun-free zones, and has made the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/06/03/carrying-guns-in-restaurants.html" type="external">ambitious claim</a>, on numerous occasions, that “with just two exceptions, every public mass shooting in the United States since at least 1950 has taken place where citizens were banned from carrying guns.”</p>
<p>Central to Lott’s argument against gun-free zones is a&#160; <a href="http://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=626090113083009007114127093000010104046031023082031066109093075096127030022023043056111060022025031092016112018000049038076012096105027123075114012068097023032038086005015090072103100120028126004099016088084125113090119084074124068104113086&amp;EXT=pdf&amp;TYPE=2" type="external">2000 study</a> in which he claimed to find that the expansion of RTC&#160;laws reduces the number of people in those states killed or injured in multiple-victim shootings by a staggering 78 percent. Lott’s study, however, suffers from enormous flaws, including incorrect statistical modeling and dubious data-selection methodology.</p>
<p>In one example of statistical malpractice, Lott excludes many mass-shooting incidents in which the shooter was committing an additional felony (such as armed robbery) during the crime, despite the fact that felony-related mass murders account for <a href="https://www.utdallas.edu/senate/documents/MassPublicShootings_000.pdf" type="external">36 percent of the data set</a> on which he bases the study. Lott’s explanation for doing so was an&#160;unjustified presumption that bystanders in crimes like robberies or drug deals will already “be engaged in unlawful activities that often require them to carry guns.” However, analysis of this claim reveals that 69 percent of the mass shootings excluded by Lott involved robberies committed in public locations (like convenience stores and fast-food restaurants) where the bystanders were innocent civilians. If RTC laws are to have any effect at all, then surely they would apply to such situations, making it unclear how&#160;Lott could choose to ignore them.</p>
<p>When Lott’s research is compared to a more recent study using more appropriate statistical models and a wider range of available data, the beneficial effect of Right to Carry policy&#160;vanishes. The authors of a&#160; <a href="https://www.utdallas.edu/senate/documents/MassPublicShootings_000.pdf" type="external">2002 study</a>, a trio with combined&#160;criminology and economics expertise, evaluated RTC laws in 25 states from 1977&#160;to&#160;1999, an expanded version of Lott’s analysis (which covered 23 states in that same time period). They concluded that “RTC laws have no effect on mass public shootings at all.”</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>Perhaps the most glaring flaw in the argument against gun-free zones, in the context of mass shootings, is its underlying assumption that shooters are rational actors. <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=272929" type="external">Lott himself admits</a>&#160;that about half of criminals who commit mass shootings have received a “formal diagnosis of mental illness,” yet his model requires them to act precisely as we know they don’t: as hyperrational, calculating machines, intentionally seeking out gun-free environments for the sole purpose of maximizing causalities.</p>
<p>In reality, many shooters target a location based on an emotional grievance or an attachment to a particular person or place. An <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents/pdfs/a-study-of-active-shooter-incidents-in-the-u.s.-between-2000-and-2013" type="external">FBI study of 160 active shootings</a> (defined as a shooter actively attempting to kill people in a populated area, regardless of the amount of fatalities) between 2000 and 2013 — including the high-profile mass shootings in Tucson and Aurora — shows that of the shootings that occurred in commercial or educational areas, the shooter had some relationship with the area in 63 percent of the cases.</p>
<p>This was the case on October 21, 2012, when a gunman <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/full-report-released-on-azana-spa-shootings-qh8vvgq-194289151.html" type="external">barged into the Azana Day Salon</a> in Brookfield, Wis., searching for his estranged wife, who had recently filed a restraining order against him. Despite the order, he&#160;still managed to purchase a&#160;firearm through an online source. The man murdered three people and wounded four&#160;others before&#160;finally turning&#160;the gun on himself.</p>
<p>While active shootings have&#160; <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents" type="external">similar characteristics</a> to public mass shootings, they are defined by the activity of the shooter rather than the casualty count. Hence, active shootings include incidents that were stopped before the “ <a href="https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43004.pdf" type="external">four or more deaths</a>” threshold to reach the commonly used classification as a mass killing with a firearm. This is extremely useful from an analysis standpoint, as it allows for&#160;a more complete picture of which public places shooters are targeting, their potential motivations, and what actions could be taken to reduce casualties.</p>
<p>Of the 39 shootings in the study that occurred in educational environments, 31 of the shooters had some relationship with the school &#160;(27 were&#160;current or former students). Out of 23 businesses with no pedestrian traffic (i.e., private offices rather than stores) where shootings occurred, 22 of the shooters were current or former employees. These shooters are overwhelmingly motivated by some grievance rather than a desire to maximize casualties, which makes it highly unlikely that a gun-free policy had any bearing on the choice of target.</p>
<p>The exceptions to this pattern are shootings that occur in open areas and businesses with pedestrian traffic, such as the shootings in Tucson and Aurora. Lott would argue that both of these location types are&#160;prime targets for shooters intent on maximizing casualties, as he did in a&#160; <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-mall-of-america-terrorist-threat-perspec-0225-20150224-story.html" type="external">Chicago Tribune column</a>&#160;in which he encouraged citizens to arm themselves before visiting the Mall of America to protect against the threat of terrorism, in defiance of the mall’s rule barring shoppers from carrying guns.</p>
<p>But counter to what gun-rights advocates claim, many of the active shootings in the FBI’s database occurred in areas that were not gun-free zones. Our own analysis of the FBI study, in which we looked at all 160 incidents, examining state and local laws along with the firearms policies of individual businesses, found that of the 65 shootings in open spaces and businesses with pedestrian traffic, at least 25 occurred in areas permitting firearms.</p>
<p>That may amount to less than 50 percent — but we counted only those&#160;cases in which&#160;the evidence indicating that the open space or business was not a gun-free zone is unmistakably clear. Complicating this analysis are differences in state laws governing whether “no-firearms allowed” policies in businesses are actually enforceable, and the fact that <a href="http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-05-29/news/os-disney-gun-animal-kingdom-20130529_1_disney-ride-animal-kingdom-disney-employees" type="external">many concealed carriers aren’t&#160;aware of</a>&#160;(or&#160; <a href="http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-484728.html" type="external">deliberately</a> <a href="http://wizbangblog.com/2014/05/23/why-cc-holders-should-ignore-anti-gun-signs-posted-in-stores/" type="external">ignore</a>)&#160;no-firearms policies.</p>
<p>For example, out of six mall shootings included in the report, two occurred in malls with gun-free signs, and yet armed citizens attempted to intervene. In the Clackamas Town Center shooting in Oregon, a permit holder confronted the shooter (but did not fire) at the end of the rampage; in the Trolley Square Mall shooting in Salt Lake City, an off-duty police officer helped subdue the shooter. Both men were in explicit violation of gun-free policies — but their presence means that for the shooters’ purposes, those malls were not gun-free zones after all.</p>
<p>A&#160; <a href="http://3gbwir1ummda16xrhf4do9d21bsx.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/themes/everytown/assets/everytown-mass-shooting-analysis.pdf" type="external">study</a> conducted by Everytown for Gun Safety further corroborates the active-shootings data by examining every mass killing with a firearm between January 2009 and July 2014. (The Trace received seed funding from Everytown for Gun Safety.) Of the 33 incidents that occurred in public places, 16 took place in part or wholly within areas where guns could be legally carried. Two more incidents occurred where an armed guard or police were in the immediate vicinity.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>Gun-rights advocates have long defended the public carrying of guns on the basis of a&#160; <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/defensive-gun-ownership-myth-114262.html#.VWof7M9Viko" type="external">widely debunked</a> 1992 study estimating 1.5&#160;million to&#160;2.5 million incidents of defensive gun use per year. Armed citizens, they argue, can uniquely limit the damage of a would-be mass shooting by stopping it&#160;before it&#160;escalates. Empirical evidence, however, indicates that defensive gun use may occur far less frequently: According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were only 1,600 verified accounts of defensive gun use in 2014. The best&#160; <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2443681" type="external">current statistical model</a>, which corrects for numerous weaknesses in Lott’s body of work&#160;— including&#160; <a href="http://www.armedwithreason.com/a-lott-more-lies-debating-more-guns-less-crime/" type="external">coding errors</a> (in his&#160;2000 study on Right to Carry laws, both Philadelphia and Idaho had their “year of adoption” dates for concealed-carry laws coded incorrectly), a lack of standard criminal-justice controls, and a lack of clustered standard errors (a standard econometric practice) — suggests that concealed-carry laws may actually increase the rate of aggravated assaults.</p>
<p>The same FBI&#160; <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/september/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents/pdfs/a-study-of-active-shooter-incidents-in-the-u.s.-between-2000-and-2013" type="external">report</a> analyzing active-shooting incidents from 2000 to 2013 decisively refutes the idea that average civilians would&#160;be likely to&#160;stop would-be mass shootings if only gun-free zones didn’t stand in the way. By focusing on active shootings rather than mass shootings, we are able to test the hypothesis that the reason so few mass shootings are prevented by permit holders is because the incident is stopped before the casualty count reaches the mass-shooting threshold of four victims. The report found that of the 160 incidents, only one active shooting was stopped by a concealed-carry license holder: a&#160; <a href="http://elkodaily.com/news/local/shootout-in-winnemucca-three-dead-two-injured-in-early-morning/article_83fe3832-cc3b-528b-88bd-a85ce65f5967.html" type="external">U.S. Marine</a>. In comparison, four shootings were stopped by armed guards and two by off-duty police officers. Twenty-one were stopped by unarmed civilians.</p>
<p>In response to this report, Lott issued an&#160; <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/10/12/the-fbis-bogus-report-on-mass-shootings/" type="external">error-filled</a> analysis accusing the FBI of playing politics and manufacturing an upward trend in mass shootings. However, Lott’s critique ignored the entire point of the report, which was to study active-shooting incidents (not mass shootings). As <a href="http://www.acjs.org/uploads/file/ACJS_Today_May_2015.pdf" type="external">the authors explained in a rebuttal</a> earlier this month: “Lott’s essential argument is a straw man; he accuses us of saying something that we did not and then attempts to show this is wrong.”</p>
<p>Lott and other gun advocates also <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/09/9-ridiculous-things-buzzfeed-mass-shootings" type="external">frequently reference&#160;incidents</a> that were rightfully excluded by the FBI authors because they bear no resemblance to an actual active-shooting situation. To buttress his case, Lott maintains a <a href="http://crimepreventionresearchcenter.org/2015/04/uber-driver-in-chicago-stops-mass-public-shooting/" type="external">highly selective&#160;list of incidents</a> that, as he explains, “only includes cases where mass public shootings were stopped.” But this roster of prevented “mass public shootings” includes two&#160; <a href="http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/man-charged-in-supermarket-stabbing/42936/at7ikglKak-FdycqXL8OQQ" type="external">knife</a> <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/07/21/employee-in-custody-after-stabbing-8-grocery-store-co-workers.html" type="external">attacks</a> (neither of which had any fatalities), a Marine firing his gun in an&#160; <a href="http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=11696830&amp;Call=Email&amp;Format=Text" type="external">empty parking lot</a>, several robberies (a type of incident Lott excludes from his statistical analysis), and, under “possible cases,” the&#160; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Mall_shooting" type="external">Tacoma Mall shooting</a>, in which&#160;a permit holder confronted the shooter and was swiftly gunned down and subsequently paralyzed for life.</p>
<p>When a “good guy with a gun” does intervene in an active shooting, things can go terribly awry. On June 8, 2014,&#160; <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/vegas-cop-killers/two-cops-three-others-killed-las-vegas-shooting-spree-n125766" type="external">an armed couple burst into a CiCi’s Pizza in Las Vegas</a>&#160;screaming, “This is the start of a revolution!” They quickly gunned down two police officers eating lunch, and then moved to a nearby Wal-Mart. One customer, a concealed-carry license holder, drew his gun rather than flee, but was immediately shot. As it would turn out, all three of the couple’s victims that day were armed.</p>
<p>Another example: On Jan. 8, 2011, a gunman opened fire on an outdoor meeting between Rep. Gabrielle&#160;Giffords and her constituents in Tucson, Ariz., killing six and wounding 13. When the killer was forced to reload, he was tackled by a bystander. Having heard the gunshots, an&#160;armed man ran to the scene. He saw two men wrestling and assumed the wrong man was the shooter. Had it not been for other bystanders quickly correcting him, he could have ended up&#160; <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/myth-of-the-hero-gunslinger/?_r=0" type="external">shooting the wrong person</a>.&#160;Afterwards he stated: “I was very lucky.”</p>
<p>[Photo: Flickr user&#160; <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnloo/10994048585/in/photolist-hKvnBP-bnMtVk-fnz3w-7zbTy-7aomUd-awSJQ6-4ZbJg6-5xvdB8-9gb8pW-67maeR-mmA6h-6CDsHc-9iJC1r-BAec8-goLk9K-4mx9fM-4cUAPq-66XZaq-cJY7LU-cJY4Xm-cJXGf1-USLpZ-pZTLH-iWEfDX-dxQm83-NEZDd-ceErmC-7eL41h-7eL5aG-6M4vnj-8dU1GZ-a2sxvU-7kzXtt-dB6Gyh-7kBKhL-dLkw94-7WvjKe-5B8ssU-ibSVoH-9ki2Mm-jCFrf-5S3Sof-rT58Z-3euUMZ-5iXd6t-865FSd-4n7Dm4-9wkXWm-9FCi9L-tEsAP" type="external">John Loo</a>]</p>
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wake wednesday shooting charleston sc church left nine people dead john r lott jr prominent researcher whose work embraced gunrights circles offered theory gunmans motive churches like one charleston preach peace wrote killer probably chose target knew victims defenseless familiar pattern immediate aftermath 2012 massacre aurora colo movie theater conservative commentators as160 quick reach decisive verdict killers intentions blaming bloodshed squarely cinemark theaters noguns policy argued left moviegoers defenseless nobody carrying couldve stopped guy quickly texas republican rep louie gohmert asked pointing incident domestic dispute tyler texas guncarrying citizen intervened lott postulated gunfree zones magnet want kill many people quickly perceived vulnerability socalled gunfree zones gunrights talking point emboldened wave legislative action state federal levels expand freedom carry firearms previously forbidden places schools private businesses last year georgia enacted guns everywhere law dramatically expanded firearms permitted state including bars classrooms government buildings month texas passed bill extending concealed carry firearms onto college campuses move texas lt gov dan patrick applauded saying proud fact texas senate making history defending life liberty second amendment right first glance mass shootings appear validate central claim160of gun advocates160160namely killers strategically target gunfree zones expect weak resistance unarmed civilians analysis best available research points opposite direction evidence mass killers select locations based gun policy lawful gun owners able intervene stop attacks aurora case shooter gave indication theaters gunfree policy played part motives his160personal journal made public ongoing trial contains even cursory mention gunfree zones consideration armed civilians instead details pressing concern attack isolated proximal large space finding right parking spot _____ john r lott significant margin prolific outspoken researcher gunfree zones united states author guns less crime160and vociferous opponent gun laws frequently testified before160congress favor expanding right carry rtc policy lott abhors idea gunfree zones made ambitious claim numerous occasions two exceptions every public mass shooting united states since least 1950 taken place citizens banned carrying guns central lotts argument gunfree zones a160 2000 study claimed find expansion rtc160laws reduces number people states killed injured multiplevictim shootings staggering 78 percent lotts study however suffers enormous flaws including incorrect statistical modeling dubious dataselection methodology one example statistical malpractice lott excludes many massshooting incidents shooter committing additional felony armed robbery crime despite fact felonyrelated mass murders account 36 percent data set bases study lotts explanation an160unjustified presumption bystanders crimes like robberies drug deals already engaged unlawful activities often require carry guns however analysis claim reveals 69 percent mass shootings excluded lott involved robberies committed public locations like convenience stores fastfood restaurants bystanders innocent civilians rtc laws effect surely would apply situations making unclear how160lott could choose ignore lotts research compared recent study using appropriate statistical models wider range available data beneficial effect right carry policy160vanishes authors a160 2002 study trio combined160criminology economics expertise evaluated rtc laws 25 states 1977160to1601999 expanded version lotts analysis covered 23 states time period concluded rtc laws effect mass public shootings _____ perhaps glaring flaw argument gunfree zones context mass shootings underlying assumption shooters rational actors lott admits160that half criminals commit mass shootings received formal diagnosis mental illness yet model requires act precisely know dont hyperrational calculating machines intentionally seeking gunfree environments sole purpose maximizing causalities reality many shooters target location based emotional grievance attachment particular person place fbi study 160 active shootings defined shooter actively attempting kill people populated area regardless amount fatalities 2000 2013 including highprofile mass shootings tucson aurora shows shootings occurred commercial educational areas shooter relationship area 63 percent cases case october 21 2012 gunman barged azana day salon brookfield wis searching estranged wife recently filed restraining order despite order he160still managed purchase a160firearm online source man murdered three people wounded four160others before160finally turning160the gun active shootings have160 similar characteristics public mass shootings defined activity shooter rather casualty count hence active shootings include incidents stopped four deaths threshold reach commonly used classification mass killing firearm extremely useful analysis standpoint allows for160a complete picture public places shooters targeting potential motivations actions could taken reduce casualties 39 shootings study occurred educational environments 31 shooters relationship school 16027 were160current former students 23 businesses pedestrian traffic ie private offices rather stores shootings occurred 22 shooters current former employees shooters overwhelmingly motivated grievance rather desire maximize casualties makes highly unlikely gunfree policy bearing choice target exceptions pattern shootings occur open areas businesses pedestrian traffic shootings tucson aurora lott would argue location types are160prime targets shooters intent maximizing casualties a160 chicago tribune column160in encouraged citizens arm visiting mall america protect threat terrorism defiance malls rule barring shoppers carrying guns counter gunrights advocates claim many active shootings fbis database occurred areas gunfree zones analysis fbi study looked 160 incidents examining state local laws along firearms policies individual businesses found 65 shootings open spaces businesses pedestrian traffic least 25 occurred areas permitting firearms may amount less 50 percent counted those160cases which160the evidence indicating open space business gunfree zone unmistakably clear complicating analysis differences state laws governing whether nofirearms allowed policies businesses actually enforceable fact many concealed carriers arent160aware of160or160 deliberately ignore160nofirearms policies example six mall shootings included report two occurred malls gunfree signs yet armed citizens attempted intervene clackamas town center shooting oregon permit holder confronted shooter fire end rampage trolley square mall shooting salt lake city offduty police officer helped subdue shooter men explicit violation gunfree policies presence means shooters purposes malls gunfree zones a160 study conducted everytown gun safety corroborates activeshootings data examining every mass killing firearm january 2009 july 2014 trace received seed funding everytown gun safety 33 incidents occurred public places 16 took place part wholly within areas guns could legally carried two incidents occurred armed guard police immediate vicinity _____ gunrights advocates long defended public carrying guns basis a160 widely debunked 1992 study estimating 15160million to16025 million incidents defensive gun use per year armed citizens argue uniquely limit damage wouldbe mass shooting stopping it160before it160escalates empirical evidence however indicates defensive gun use may occur far less frequently according gun violence archive 1600 verified accounts defensive gun use 2014 best160 current statistical model corrects numerous weaknesses lotts body work160 including160 coding errors his1602000 study right carry laws philadelphia idaho year adoption dates concealedcarry laws coded incorrectly lack standard criminaljustice controls lack clustered standard errors standard econometric practice suggests concealedcarry laws may actually increase rate aggravated assaults fbi160 report analyzing activeshooting incidents 2000 2013 decisively refutes idea average civilians would160be likely to160stop wouldbe mass shootings gunfree zones didnt stand way focusing active shootings rather mass shootings able test hypothesis reason mass shootings prevented permit holders incident stopped casualty count reaches massshooting threshold four victims report found 160 incidents one active shooting stopped concealedcarry license holder a160 us marine comparison four shootings stopped armed guards two offduty police officers twentyone stopped unarmed civilians response report lott issued an160 errorfilled analysis accusing fbi playing politics manufacturing upward trend mass shootings however lotts critique ignored entire point report study activeshooting incidents mass shootings authors explained rebuttal earlier month lotts essential argument straw man accuses us saying something attempts show wrong lott gun advocates also frequently reference160incidents rightfully excluded fbi authors bear resemblance actual activeshooting situation buttress case lott maintains highly selective160list incidents explains includes cases mass public shootings stopped roster prevented mass public shootings includes two160 knife attacks neither fatalities marine firing gun an160 empty parking lot several robberies type incident lott excludes statistical analysis possible cases the160 tacoma mall shooting which160a permit holder confronted shooter swiftly gunned subsequently paralyzed life good guy gun intervene active shooting things go terribly awry june 8 2014160 armed couple burst cicis pizza las vegas160screaming start revolution quickly gunned two police officers eating lunch moved nearby walmart one customer concealedcarry license holder drew gun rather flee immediately shot would turn three couples victims day armed another example jan 8 2011 gunman opened fire outdoor meeting rep gabrielle160giffords constituents tucson ariz killing six wounding 13 killer forced reload tackled bystander heard gunshots an160armed man ran scene saw two men wrestling assumed wrong man shooter bystanders quickly correcting could ended up160 shooting wrong person160afterwards stated lucky photo flickr user160 john loo
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<p>Joanna Lumley as Patsy and Jennifer Saunders as Edina in ‘Absolutely Fabulous: the Movie.’ It opens July 22. (Photo courtesy the Karpel Group)</p>
<p>The movies are a great way to enjoy summer in the city. Depending on the weather (and your mood), you can head to your local neighborhood movie theater, enjoy some outdoor cinema or stay home and savor some new DVD/Blu-ray releases.</p>
<p>It’s been a slow summer for the mainstream box office, but there are two new films of note this weekend. For adults, especially here in Washington, there’s “Zero Days,” the new documentary by Alex Gibney. After tackling Enron, Steve Jobs, the Church of Scientology, WikiLeaks and Frank Sinatra, the Academy Award-winning director turns his lens on the controversial Stuxnet program, a cyber security attack launched by Israeli and American operatives against nuclear centrifuges in Iran.</p>
<p>On the lighter side, there’s “The Secret Life of Pets,” an animated comedy for the entire family about a mismatched pair of dogs who are forced to work together and protect their owner from a sinister attack.</p>
<p>The July 22nd weekend is shaping up to be huge for gay movies. Catch up with Patsy and Edina in “Absolutely Fabulous: the Movie,” which will be in theaters. Then on Saturday, July 23 “Looking: the Movie,” a feature-length treatment of the popular but short-lived TV series, premiers at 10 p.m. on HBO. In it, Patrick (Jonathan Groff) returns to San Francisco for the first time in nearly a year to catch up with old friends.</p>
<p>At <a href="http://afi.com/silver" type="external">AFI Silver</a> in downtown Silver Spring, the mood this weekend is retro. As part of its tribute to Academy Award-winning Production Designer Ken Adam, they’re showing two James Bond classics. “Dr. No” (screening on Saturday) was the first Bond film to star Sean Connery as 007 and features Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder, one of the most famous Bond girls. “Goldfinger” (screening on Sunday) gets off to a steamy start with the famous theme song by Shirley Bassey. The cast includes Connery, Gert Fröbe and Harold Sakata as the famous villains Auric Goldfinger and his creepy henchman Oddjob, and Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore.</p>
<p>As part of a tribute to legendary composer John Williams, AFI Silver will be showing “Jaws” (July 8, 10, 12 and 14) and the “director’s cut” of&#160; “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (July 9 and 13).&#160;</p>
<p>Also on a retro note, the Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market (angelikafilmcenter.com/dc) is throwing an ‘80s Prom Party. On Saturday, July 9 from 6:30-9 p.m., attendees can dance to Madonna, Prince and the other great artists of the 1980s; prizes will be awarded for best costumes. At 9 p.m., party-goers will head into “Seoul Searching” (2015) by Korean writer/director Benson Lee. During the 1980s, the South Korean government set up special summer camps to introduce foreign-born Korean teens to the culture of their motherland. Based on his own experiences at one of these camps, and inspired by the films of John Hughes, Lee follows a wild group of teens as they explore life and love, and maybe even learn a little bit about their cultural heritage. The film features spot-on vintage costuming and a soundtrack of international hits from the ‘80s. Admission to the Prom Party is free with a movie ticket.</p>
<p>The recently renovated Landmark Theatres West End Cinema just opened a new outdoor patio where movie-goers can enjoy pre- or post-movie snacks, curated beer and wine selections and complimentary board games (all available at the concessions counter). Right now, they’re showing the lively comedy of manners “Maggie’s Plan,” the excellent thriller “Eye in the Sky” and “Independence Day: Resurgence,” but check <a href="http://landmarktheatres.com" type="external">landmarktheatres.com</a> for updated shows and showtimes.</p>
<p>Weather permitting, outdoor screens will be springing up all over the region this summer. The site <a href="http://dcoutdoorfilms.com" type="external">dcoutdoorfilms.com</a> is a good place to start. This weekend you can catch “Inside Out” at the Capital Riverfront (July 9), “Fantastic Four” at the Outdoor Movies at Penrose Square on Columbia Pike in Arlington (July 9) or “The Smurfs” (July 10) at the National Harbor Movies on the Potomac.</p>
<p>During the week, you can also catch great outdoor films at NoMa Summer Screen in Storey Park, Sunset Cinema at the Georgetown Waterfront Park, Dinner &amp; A Movie at the Market Common in Clarendon, the Roslyn Cinema at Gateway Park, Bethesda Outdoor Movies in Woodmont Triangle and Columbia’s Lakefront Summer Festival Movies at Columbia Town Center.</p>
<p>Finally, if you want to bring the beach volleyball action into your living room, there’s the recent 40th anniversary DVD/Blu-ray release of “Top Gun.” The movie features the sizzling homoerotic rivalry between rival pilots Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, a soundtrack stuffed with iconic pop songs, dazzling airplay and the sultry volleyball game.</p>
<p>Or, if you need a movie right away, <a href="http://wolfeondemand.com" type="external">WolfeOnDemand</a>, includes both classic LGBT movies and recent releases such as “Those People,” “Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party,” “All About E” and “Portrait of a Serial Monogamist.”&#160;</p>
<p>Catch ‘Jaws’ on the big screen this weekend at the AFI Silver. (Photo courtesy AFI Silver)</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Absolutely Fabulous the Movie</a> <a href="" type="internal">Alex Gibney</a> <a href="" type="internal">Dr. No</a> <a href="" type="internal">Eye in the Sky</a> <a href="" type="internal">fantastic four</a> <a href="" type="internal">Independence Day Resurgence</a> <a href="" type="internal">Inside Out</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jaws</a> <a href="" type="internal">Looking: The Movie</a> <a href="" type="internal">Maggie's Plan</a> <a href="" type="internal">Seoul Searching</a> <a href="" type="internal">SUMMER IN THE CITY 2016: movies</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Secret Life of Pets</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Surfs</a> <a href="" type="internal">Top Gun</a> <a href="" type="internal">Zero Days</a></p>
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joanna lumley patsy jennifer saunders edina absolutely fabulous movie opens july 22 photo courtesy karpel group movies great way enjoy summer city depending weather mood head local neighborhood movie theater enjoy outdoor cinema stay home savor new dvdbluray releases slow summer mainstream box office two new films note weekend adults especially washington theres zero days new documentary alex gibney tackling enron steve jobs church scientology wikileaks frank sinatra academy awardwinning director turns lens controversial stuxnet program cyber security attack launched israeli american operatives nuclear centrifuges iran lighter side theres secret life pets animated comedy entire family mismatched pair dogs forced work together protect owner sinister attack july 22nd weekend shaping huge gay movies catch patsy edina absolutely fabulous movie theaters saturday july 23 looking movie featurelength treatment popular shortlived tv series premiers 10 pm hbo patrick jonathan groff returns san francisco first time nearly year catch old friends afi silver downtown silver spring mood weekend retro part tribute academy awardwinning production designer ken adam theyre showing two james bond classics dr screening saturday first bond film star sean connery 007 features ursula andress honey ryder one famous bond girls goldfinger screening sunday gets steamy start famous theme song shirley bassey cast includes connery gert fröbe harold sakata famous villains auric goldfinger creepy henchman oddjob honor blackman pussy galore part tribute legendary composer john williams afi silver showing jaws july 8 10 12 14 directors cut of160 close encounters third kind july 9 13160 also retro note angelika popup union market angelikafilmcentercomdc throwing 80s prom party saturday july 9 6309 pm attendees dance madonna prince great artists 1980s prizes awarded best costumes 9 pm partygoers head seoul searching 2015 korean writerdirector benson lee 1980s south korean government set special summer camps introduce foreignborn korean teens culture motherland based experiences one camps inspired films john hughes lee follows wild group teens explore life love maybe even learn little bit cultural heritage film features spoton vintage costuming soundtrack international hits 80s admission prom party free movie ticket recently renovated landmark theatres west end cinema opened new outdoor patio moviegoers enjoy pre postmovie snacks curated beer wine selections complimentary board games available concessions counter right theyre showing lively comedy manners maggies plan excellent thriller eye sky independence day resurgence check landmarktheatrescom updated shows showtimes weather permitting outdoor screens springing region summer site dcoutdoorfilmscom good place start weekend catch inside capital riverfront july 9 fantastic four outdoor movies penrose square columbia pike arlington july 9 smurfs july 10 national harbor movies potomac week also catch great outdoor films noma summer screen storey park sunset cinema georgetown waterfront park dinner amp movie market common clarendon roslyn cinema gateway park bethesda outdoor movies woodmont triangle columbias lakefront summer festival movies columbia town center finally want bring beach volleyball action living room theres recent 40th anniversary dvdbluray release top gun movie features sizzling homoerotic rivalry rival pilots tom cruise val kilmer soundtrack stuffed iconic pop songs dazzling airplay sultry volleyball game need movie right away wolfeondemand includes classic lgbt movies recent releases people henry gambles birthday party e portrait serial monogamist160 catch jaws big screen weekend afi silver photo courtesy afi silver absolutely fabulous movie alex gibney dr eye sky fantastic four independence day resurgence inside jaws looking movie maggies plan seoul searching summer city 2016 movies secret life pets surfs top gun zero days
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<p>BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. — As game-changing events go, it was remarkably restrained: neither US Secretary of State John Kerry nor Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seemed overly excited by Saturday’s <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/130914/us-russia-agree-syria-chemical-weapons-plan" type="external">announcement of a framework agreement</a> between their two countries on securing and destroying Syria’s immense stockpile of chemical weapons.</p>
<p>Kerry gave some hint of the problem by invoking an old Russian proverb made famous in the 1980s by Ronald Reagan,&#160; “doveryai no proveryai” or “trust but verify.”</p>
<p>It was in need of an update, Kerry said.</p>
<p>“We have committed to a standard that says verify and verify,” he said, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news/53007380/#53007380" type="external">speaking at a press conference</a> in Geneva. Forget the trust.</p>
<p>Looking at the diplomats’ stony faces, one could not help but think that they shared the same reservations expressed by many informed observers.</p>
<p>“Beware of this deal,” Amy Smithson, an expert on chemical weapons at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/world/middleeast/Syria-Chemical-Disarmament.html?_r=0" type="external">told The New York Times</a> earlier in the week. “It’s deceptively attractive.”</p>
<p>The plan outlined by the United States and Russia provides a lickety-split approach to dealing with Syria’s chemical weapons that glosses over many devilish details.</p>
<p>Within a week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must provide a comprehensive list of his chemical weapons, along with their locations. By November, the plan has weapons specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons completing their initial on-site inspections. <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/09/214247.htm" type="external">The agreement also envisages</a> the “complete elimination of all chemical weapons material and equipment in the first half of 2014.”</p>
<p>Given the size of Assad’s stockpiles and the challenges of dealing with them in the midst of a brutal and fragmented civil war, this timeline might seem a tad rosy.</p>
<p>Assad has “one of the biggest chemical weapons programs in the region and even in the world," <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/11/us-syria-crisis-stockpiles-idUSBRE98A0TT20130911" type="external">according to Dieter Rothbacher</a>, a former United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq. "It took us three years to destroy that stuff under UN supervision in Iraq."</p>
<p>It is not difficult to understand why so many people embraced the so-called Russian proposal.</p>
<p>It saves Assad from potentially destabilizing military action, and spares the American president a humiliating showdown with Congress. It also burnishes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic credentials, with some pundits already <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/09/13/putin-should-be-the-one-getting-the-nobel-peace-prize-former-reagan-adviser-says/" type="external">talking of nominating</a> him for the Nobel Peace Prize.</p>
<p>But if experts are to be believed, this plan may turn out to be a lot more dangerous than <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/09/09/220695879/kerry-says-syria-action-would-be-unbelievably-small" type="external">the “unbelievably small” strikes</a> previously contemplated by President Barack Obama.</p>
<p>Within Syria, where groups like pro-regime <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/lebanon/130514/lebanon-hezbollah-syria-war-qusayr-aleppo-jabhat-al-nusra" type="external">Lebanese militia Hezbollah</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/130303/syria-jahbat-al-nusra-leader-al-amir-gazi%20al-haj-terrorism-bashar-al-assad-rebels" type="external">anti-Assad Al Qaeda-affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra</a> are muddying the waters as they add to the violence, the task of locating, securing, and destroying Syria’s immense stores of chemical weapons will be nearly impossible without military intervention.</p>
<p>“We’re talking boots on the ground,” a former United Nations weapons inspector from Iraq <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/world/middleeast/Syria-Chemical-Disarmament.html?_r=0" type="external">told The New York Times</a> anonymously. “We’re not talking about just putting someone at the gate. You have to have layers of security.”</p>
<p>It wouldn't just be a few boots either, according to Rothbacher. "There are calculations that to secure (the weapons) up to 75,000 ground troops are needed," <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/11/us-syria-crisis-stockpiles-idUSBRE98A0TT20130911" type="external">he told Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>But that is a taboo subject, especially for the White House, which has been at pains to assure a skeptical American public that they are not going to get dragged into another Middle East conflict.</p>
<p>“We do not envision boots on the ground,” <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/11/press-briefing-press-secretary-jay-carney-9112013" type="external">White House press secretary Jay Carney</a> said replying to a reporter’s question on Wednesday.</p>
<p>However, he did not slam the door completely.</p>
<p>“The process by which chemical weapons would be identified, verified, secured, and removed from Assad’s control is obviously a complicated one,” he added.&#160; “And… I don't pretend to know all the parameters of what that would look like.”</p>
<p>It might, in fact, look very much like war.</p>
<p>“Obama's wrong,” <a href="http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2013/09/how-do-you-secure-chemical-weapons-syria-without-boots-ground/70218/?oref=d-channelriver" type="external">wrote Joshua Foust</a>, an analyst on international security. “Syria's chemical weapons require boots on the ground.”</p>
<p>Protecting weapons inspectors, safeguarding weapons depots and ensuring that none of the groups involved in Syria’s conflict gets any ideas about hijacking them will be next to impossible without a ceasefire, he said.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately a ceasefire is even less likely than deploying thousands of troops,” wrote Foust. “Even if Russia could get the Assad regime to agree to one — it never has — the many pro-government militias that have sprung up near cities like Aleppo probably wouldn’t obey it anyhow … That leaves troops — tens of thousands of troops — as the only remotely feasible way to carry out the dismantling plan for Syria’s chemical weapons.”</p>
<p>But whose troops would they be?</p>
<p>House Intelligence Chairman <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/house-intel-chair-volunteers-arab-league-to-help-secure-chemical-weapons-20130912" type="external">Mike Rogers volunteered the Arab League</a>, which, he said, is "willing to provide the support we need, including troops to go in and help secure those weapons systems, because they know how dangerous it is if it proliferates around the Levant."</p>
<p>Foust remained skeptical.</p>
<p>“I think Rogers is a bit optimistic about the League's capacity to take direct action,” Foust told GlobalPost. “They tend to prefer conferring legitimacy on western militaries rather than getting their hands dirty.”</p>
<p>Cheryl Rofer, a chemist who supervised a team responsible for destroying chemical warfare agents at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, <a href="http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/09/10/theres_almost_no_chance_this_russian_plan_for_syrias_chemical_weapons_will_work" type="external">told Foreign Policy magazine</a>that the only two entities that really know how to get rid of chemical weapons are the Russian and American militaries.</p>
<p>Those specially trained troops would need to stay in Syria for years given the amount of time it would take to build and then operate the disposal facilities, she added.</p>
<p><a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/10/cnn-instant-poll-6-in-10-speech-watchers-back-obama-on-syria/" type="external">The American public has made it clear</a> that it is in no mood for more foreign adventures; even after Obama’s plea to the nation Tuesday most poll respondents were opposed to intervention in Syria.</p>
<p>Foust speculated that the Russians could step in — but that would be a difficult sell in Washington. While Americans might balk at being the world’s policeman, they do not seem ready to cede the privilege to anyone else, especially Moscow.</p>
<p>There is still a lot of Cold War-style enmity toward Russia and its leaders, as became apparent on Thursday, when the Russian president published an op-ed piece in The New York Times taking Obama to task for his bellicose stance:</p>
<p>“It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States,” wrote Putin. “Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force.”</p>
<p>This was too much for America’s lawmakers.</p>
<p><a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/12/boehner-insulted-by-putin-op-ed/" type="external">House Speaker John Boehner declared</a> himself “insulted” by the piece, while Sen. Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign relations Committee, was more graphic.</p>
<p>"I almost wanted to vomit," <a href="http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/11/sen-menendez-reacts-to-putins-op-ed-i-wanted-to-vomit/" type="external">he said</a>.</p>
<p>While the denizens of Capitol Hill nurse their hurt feelings and delicate digestions, the rebel groups that are the supposed beneficiaries of Washington’s largesse are furious at what they see as betrayal.</p>
<p>“What about the murderer Bashar who gave the order? Should we forget him?” <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-russia-reach-agreement-on-seizure-of-syrian-chemical-weapons-arsenal/2013/09/14/69e39b5c-1d36-11e3-8685-5021e0c41964_story.html" type="external">Gen. Salim Idriss, the commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army</a>, said at a televised press conference in Istanbul Saturday. “We feel let down by the international community. We don’t have any hope.”</p>
<p>In short, the “diplomatic” solution touted in Geneva will most likely require tens of thousands of troops and a commitment that could last for a decade and cost billions, if not trillions, of dollars. It has already alienated the groups the United States is supposed to be supporting in Syria's civil war and could place weapons inspectors in the crossfire.</p>
<p>Hardly a win-win situation.</p>
| false | 3 |
buzzards bay mass gamechanging events go remarkably restrained neither us secretary state john kerry russian foreign minister sergei lavrov seemed overly excited saturdays announcement framework agreement two countries securing destroying syrias immense stockpile chemical weapons kerry gave hint problem invoking old russian proverb made famous 1980s ronald reagan160 doveryai proveryai trust verify need update kerry said committed standard says verify verify said speaking press conference geneva forget trust looking diplomats stony faces one could help think shared reservations expressed many informed observers beware deal amy smithson expert chemical weapons monterey institute international studies california told new york times earlier week deceptively attractive plan outlined united states russia provides licketysplit approach dealing syrias chemical weapons glosses many devilish details within week syrian president bashar alassad must provide comprehensive list chemical weapons along locations november plan weapons specialists organization prohibition chemical weapons completing initial onsite inspections agreement also envisages complete elimination chemical weapons material equipment first half 2014 given size assads stockpiles challenges dealing midst brutal fragmented civil war timeline might seem tad rosy assad one biggest chemical weapons programs region even world according dieter rothbacher former united nations weapons inspector iraq took us three years destroy stuff un supervision iraq difficult understand many people embraced socalled russian proposal saves assad potentially destabilizing military action spares american president humiliating showdown congress also burnishes russian president vladimir putins diplomatic credentials pundits already talking nominating nobel peace prize experts believed plan may turn lot dangerous unbelievably small strikes previously contemplated president barack obama within syria groups like proregime lebanese militia hezbollah antiassad al qaedaaffiliate jabhat alnusra muddying waters add violence task locating securing destroying syrias immense stores chemical weapons nearly impossible without military intervention talking boots ground former united nations weapons inspector iraq told new york times anonymously talking putting someone gate layers security wouldnt boots either according rothbacher calculations secure weapons 75000 ground troops needed told reuters taboo subject especially white house pains assure skeptical american public going get dragged another middle east conflict envision boots ground white house press secretary jay carney said replying reporters question wednesday however slam door completely process chemical weapons would identified verified secured removed assads control obviously complicated one added160 dont pretend know parameters would look like might fact look much like war obamas wrong wrote joshua foust analyst international security syrias chemical weapons require boots ground protecting weapons inspectors safeguarding weapons depots ensuring none groups involved syrias conflict gets ideas hijacking next impossible without ceasefire said unfortunately ceasefire even less likely deploying thousands troops wrote foust even russia could get assad regime agree one never many progovernment militias sprung near cities like aleppo probably wouldnt obey anyhow leaves troops tens thousands troops remotely feasible way carry dismantling plan syrias chemical weapons whose troops would house intelligence chairman mike rogers volunteered arab league said willing provide support need including troops go help secure weapons systems know dangerous proliferates around levant foust remained skeptical think rogers bit optimistic leagues capacity take direct action foust told globalpost tend prefer conferring legitimacy western militaries rather getting hands dirty cheryl rofer chemist supervised team responsible destroying chemical warfare agents los alamos national laboratory told foreign policy magazinethat two entities really know get rid chemical weapons russian american militaries specially trained troops would need stay syria years given amount time would take build operate disposal facilities added american public made clear mood foreign adventures even obamas plea nation tuesday poll respondents opposed intervention syria foust speculated russians could step would difficult sell washington americans might balk worlds policeman seem ready cede privilege anyone else especially moscow still lot cold warstyle enmity toward russia leaders became apparent thursday russian president published oped piece new york times taking obama task bellicose stance alarming military intervention internal conflicts foreign countries become commonplace united states wrote putin millions around world increasingly see america model democracy relying solely brute force much americas lawmakers house speaker john boehner declared insulted piece sen bob menendez chair senate foreign relations committee graphic almost wanted vomit said denizens capitol hill nurse hurt feelings delicate digestions rebel groups supposed beneficiaries washingtons largesse furious see betrayal murderer bashar gave order forget gen salim idriss commander rebel free syrian army said televised press conference istanbul saturday feel let international community dont hope short diplomatic solution touted geneva likely require tens thousands troops commitment could last decade cost billions trillions dollars already alienated groups united states supposed supporting syrias civil war could place weapons inspectors crossfire hardly winwin situation
| 744 |
<p>Some time ago, thanks mostly to the Comcast home page usually concerning itself with tracking the intricate and myriad movements of the Kardashians, I came across an article ranking the “most stressed out” countries in the world. In the study quoted by the article, researchers cataloged the breaths per minute of elementary aged children in country after country as a way of registering how anxious a particular society was at a given moment.</p>
<p>In and out In and out In and out</p>
<p>from 7 year olds the world over.</p>
<p>As expected, societies in which people struggle to find food, housing, and basic necessities produced consistently high levels of anxiety in their children.&#160;Not knowing where you’re going to sleep has a way of quickening your pulse even if you do wear&#160;Sesame&#160;Street under-roos.</p>
<p>This isn’t a particularly noteworthy finding.</p>
<p>What was interesting, however, was who happened to be headlining this tour of anxious 2nd graders:</p>
<p>Not Spain, with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Not Greece, with its profound political, economic, and social unrest. Not even Rwanda, the Sudan, or any other African country routinely lifted up as barbaric, hopeless, and consistently worthy of your shoeboxes filled with dentist office gifts each Christmas.</p>
<p>Nope.</p>
<p>The band we survived an hour’s worth of set-up and 2 openers for is none other than us.</p>
<p>or, more specifically:</p>
<p>U.S.(A)</p>
<p>Elementary aged children with the highest anxiety rates aren’t those from AIDS ravaged countries crippled by generational poverty and political unrest, but rather those eating jalapeño poppers in the back of your Chevy Venture.</p>
<p>In and out In and out In and out</p>
<p>More than any other.</p>
<p>BEST IN THE WORLD!&#160;</p>
<p>(shouted triumphantly)&#160;</p>
<p>For most of my life I’ve believed my anxieties were simply the product of my own poor work habits and lack of natural ability.</p>
<p>If I could plan enough If I could work harder If I could&#160;just finish</p>
<p>then I would finally be able to catch my breath.</p>
<p>However, I soon discovered that the nights I drifted off to sleep easily and the days I got through without a crippling sense that everything is coming off the rails were, ironically enough, the ones I ended up worrying about the most.&#160;It’s almost as if the anxiety itself, rather than its quiet absence, was the thing on which I depended for my survival. Over time, I grew accustomed to its whispers in the middle of the night, inviting me to believe that&#160;if I worried enough, feared enough, and treated it with the proper amount of&#160;reverence, then life would eventually bend to my will.</p>
<p>Put another way: Anxiety and fear were the tools I used to control the future, amend my past, and keep my nose down presently.</p>
<p>In and out In and out In and out</p>
<p>So, whether I was successful or if I failed, the takeaway was always:</p>
<p>“Worry, because it keeps you hungry.”</p>
<p>Maybe you and your 7 year old watching Nemo endlessly in the backseat know exactly what I’m talking about.</p>
<p>Perhaps this is why many of us in the professional and amateur ranks of the Christian subculture don’t quite know what to do with Jesus’ prevailing message to those he encountered:</p>
<p>“Don’t fear.”</p>
<p>An odd thing about his oft-repeated request is that it’s rarely followed by a thorough description of why exactly we shouldn’t be afraid:</p>
<p>“Don’t fear, it is I, walking to you on the water…”</p>
<p>“Don’t fear those who can destroy the body, but rather fear that which can destroy both body and soul…”</p>
<p>Of course, because that isn’t terrifying at all. Thanks Jesus.&#160;</p>
<p>I would argue, the revelatory moment for us in these 2 simple words isn’t unearthed in the presentation of an answer or reason that absolves our deepest fears.</p>
<p>Despite a great deal of marketing to the contrary, Jesus isn’t in the answer business.&#160;</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, Jesus ends up getting asked somewhere in the ballpark of 150 direct questions in the Scriptures, and only answers about 3 of them with something that doesn’t involve staring off into the distance and inviting people to mystically “consider the sparrows,” or to calm themselves because it’s just him, doing something impossibly weird in the middle of a storm at midnight.</p>
<p>So, you may be wondering, what’s all this about?&#160;</p>
<p>The first Christian pastor Paul described the early Jesus movement, and its communities populated by former slaves, eunuchs, and the impoverished working classes of the 1st century, as follows:</p>
<p>We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.</p>
<p>Maybe you missed it:</p>
<p>as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.</p>
<p>If there’s one thing that has remained consistent over the past decade or so, it’s that your “average Christian” is not a white, Republican, college-educated, Evangelical man.&#160;The “average Christian” is a poor, uneducated, South American, Pentecostal-Catholic woman.</p>
<p>Thanks to the work of organizations like the Pew Research Foundation, we’ve discovered over the past several years that in the industrialized, economically stable West, Protestant Christianity is no longer considered a very interesting or compelling way for many of us to live.</p>
<p>In fact, the second largest religious orientation (underneath Catholicism) in “God-fearing America” is “none”.</p>
<p>As in: “no religious orientation”</p>
<p>Coupled with the systemic decline of Protestantism in the industrialized West, is a sharp increase in the development of Christian communities (Protestant and Catholic alike) in Central and South America, China, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa.</p>
<p>Who are now sending missionaries to America and the rest of the “1st world”.&#160;</p>
<p>So, it would seem from my light headed, paper-bag inflating vantage point: if there’s anything we have that those in the majority world do not, aside from TVs, cars, computers, education, clean drinking water, healthcare, and stable housing, it’s a God complex.</p>
<p>Or, in perhaps more Pauline fashion:</p>
<p>when we own everything, we end up possessing nothing.&#160;</p>
<p>Anxiety can come from a lot of places:</p>
<p>something our parents said or didn’t say to us something we picked up in the water several years ago thanks to a failure or an embarrassing misstep something we tell ourselves repeatedly in order to “stay hungry”</p>
<p>But at the bottom, I might say anxiety comes chiefly from doing a job we were never asked or qualified to do in the first place.</p>
<p>You were never asked to control the future You were never asked to manipulate the past You were never asked to predict the outcomes presently</p>
<p>And, much like 9 year olds taking occupational aptitude tests and playing on semi-professional traveling baseball teams, it all seems a bit silly when you say it out loud like that.&#160;</p>
<p>In and out In and out In and out</p>
<p>Writer, thinker, and poet Thomas Merton famously wrote:</p>
<p>“there is in all things…a hidden wholeness”.&#160;</p>
<p>Maybe we could say: “there is in all things a forgotten dependency.”</p>
<p>Underneath the schedules, and the calendaring, and the ladder climbing, and the retirement saving, and the endless pre-K tutoring sessions for our both talented and gifted toddler, there is a forgotten truth embedded deep within every single human being across the socio-economic spectrum:</p>
<p>We all depend on something other than ourselves for survival, and despite a great deal of marketing to the contrary, we aren’t alone, and we never have been.&#160;</p>
<p>This is a truth our brothers and sisters in the majority world have embraced for centuries as they walk miles for water each day and find themselves at the merciless whims of drought, famine, and the ballooning clothing budgets of 15 year olds from Des Moines. It’s a truth those of us who text our children from downstairs to remind them of dinner, and take 40 minute showers while we wait for a song on our waterproof radio to finish, have long since forgotten.</p>
<p>One whispering to us that the only way we’ll ever be free of our fears and anxieties is if we manage to divest ourselves of the need for certainty, control, and a solid explanation for why exactly a first century rabbi is hiking out to us on the lake without a boat.</p>
<p>The message of those majority world missionaries (not to mention the early Jesus followers) is this:</p>
<p>when we own very little and attempt to control even less, we might discover that we actually possess a great deal more than we ever imagined.</p>
<p>So may you come to see that life is indeed outside of your control, and in that discovery, may you find rest and grace and peace and the stability that comes from remembering that it isn’t beyond someone else’s. &#160;</p>
<p>In and out</p>
<p>In and out</p>
<p>In and out</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| false | 3 |
time ago thanks mostly comcast home page usually concerning tracking intricate myriad movements kardashians came across article ranking stressed countries world study quoted article researchers cataloged breaths per minute elementary aged children country country way registering anxious particular society given moment 7 year olds world expected societies people struggle find food housing basic necessities produced consistently high levels anxiety children160not knowing youre going sleep way quickening pulse even wear160sesame160street underroos isnt particularly noteworthy finding interesting however happened headlining tour anxious 2nd graders spain one highest unemployment rates world greece profound political economic social unrest even rwanda sudan african country routinely lifted barbaric hopeless consistently worthy shoeboxes filled dentist office gifts christmas nope band survived hours worth setup 2 openers none us specifically usa elementary aged children highest anxiety rates arent aids ravaged countries crippled generational poverty political unrest rather eating jalapeño poppers back chevy venture best world160 shouted triumphantly160 life ive believed anxieties simply product poor work habits lack natural ability could plan enough could work harder could160just finish would finally able catch breath however soon discovered nights drifted sleep easily days got without crippling sense everything coming rails ironically enough ones ended worrying most160its almost anxiety rather quiet absence thing depended survival time grew accustomed whispers middle night inviting believe that160if worried enough feared enough treated proper amount of160reverence life would eventually bend put another way anxiety fear tools used control future amend past keep nose presently whether successful failed takeaway always worry keeps hungry maybe 7 year old watching nemo endlessly backseat know exactly im talking perhaps many us professional amateur ranks christian subculture dont quite know jesus prevailing message encountered dont fear odd thing oftrepeated request rarely followed thorough description exactly shouldnt afraid dont fear walking water dont fear destroy body rather fear destroy body soul course isnt terrifying thanks jesus160 would argue revelatory moment us 2 simple words isnt unearthed presentation answer reason absolves deepest fears despite great deal marketing contrary jesus isnt answer business160 matter fact jesus ends getting asked somewhere ballpark 150 direct questions scriptures answers 3 something doesnt involve staring distance inviting people mystically consider sparrows calm something impossibly weird middle storm midnight may wondering whats about160 first christian pastor paul described early jesus movement communities populated former slaves eunuchs impoverished working classes 1st century follows treated impostors yet true unknown yet well known dying seewe alive punished yet killed sorrowful yet always rejoicing poor yet making many rich nothing yet possessing everything maybe missed nothing yet possessing everything theres one thing remained consistent past decade average christian white republican collegeeducated evangelical man160the average christian poor uneducated south american pentecostalcatholic woman thanks work organizations like pew research foundation weve discovered past several years industrialized economically stable west protestant christianity longer considered interesting compelling way many us live fact second largest religious orientation underneath catholicism godfearing america none religious orientation coupled systemic decline protestantism industrialized west sharp increase development christian communities protestant catholic alike central south america china well subsaharan africa sending missionaries america rest 1st world160 would seem light headed paperbag inflating vantage point theres anything majority world aside tvs cars computers education clean drinking water healthcare stable housing god complex perhaps pauline fashion everything end possessing nothing160 anxiety come lot places something parents said didnt say us something picked water several years ago thanks failure embarrassing misstep something tell repeatedly order stay hungry bottom might say anxiety comes chiefly job never asked qualified first place never asked control future never asked manipulate past never asked predict outcomes presently much like 9 year olds taking occupational aptitude tests playing semiprofessional traveling baseball teams seems bit silly say loud like that160 writer thinker poet thomas merton famously wrote thingsa hidden wholeness160 maybe could say things forgotten dependency underneath schedules calendaring ladder climbing retirement saving endless prek tutoring sessions talented gifted toddler forgotten truth embedded deep within every single human across socioeconomic spectrum depend something survival despite great deal marketing contrary arent alone never been160 truth brothers sisters majority world embraced centuries walk miles water day find merciless whims drought famine ballooning clothing budgets 15 year olds des moines truth us text children downstairs remind dinner take 40 minute showers wait song waterproof radio finish long since forgotten one whispering us way well ever free fears anxieties manage divest need certainty control solid explanation exactly first century rabbi hiking us lake without boat message majority world missionaries mention early jesus followers little attempt control even less might discover actually possess great deal ever imagined may come see life indeed outside control discovery may find rest grace peace stability comes remembering isnt beyond someone elses 160 160 160
| 772 |
<p>Madeleine Kulab grew up by Gaza’s glistening blue sea, watching the waves crash into the strip’s 25-mile Mediterranean coastline. But at 13, when her father, who suffered from a form of palsy, could no longer fish, Kulab took the helm and became her family’s breadwinner.</p>
<p>Now 21, she says becoming Gaza’s first and only fisherwoman was not easy, both because she is a women and because she lives in a society whose dysfunctional relationship with Israel takes a daily toll. “Even the sea isn’t free here,” Kulab says. “People always looked at me and teased or scolded my dad … they didn’t take me seriously. But we ignored them.”</p>
<p>Today, one year after last summer’s war with Israel in which 2,100 Palestinians were killed — most of them civilians — vast devastation can still be seen across the Gaza Strip’s scarred landscape.</p>
<p>For many, Gaza is a cemetery of aspirations never realized. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world — home to about 1.8 million Palestinians, roughly a third of whom live in UN-funded refugee camps. The territory is riddled with poverty and its local economy strangled by a blockade which Israel imposed in 2007 to weaken the Islamist Hamas government.</p>
<p>UN figures show&#160;about 80 percent of the population receives aid. <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/05/21/gaza-economy-on-the-verge-of-collapse" type="external">According to the World Bank</a>, unemployment in Gaza is the highest in the world at 43 percent. Youth unemployment hovers over 60 percent. Few ever obtain the proper permits to travel through the territory’s tightly controlled borders.</p>
<p>Since Israel imposed its land and sea blockade, families have suffered. On the water, if fishermen exceed a six-mile limit imposed by Israel, they risk being shot at by the Israeli Navy.&#160;“We are given small swimming zones to fish where there isn’t any good fish,” Kulab says, noting her boat has been shot at in the past. “It’s a cage.”</p>
<p>Zakaria Bakr, head of Gaza’s Union of Agricultural Workers, says Kulab is one of the best on the sea. “Living in Gaza taught her to be brave,” he says. “Both physically and mentally. This isn’t always easy here … few men are as strong.”</p>
<p>Aside from the now occasional snickers of men, she also must contend with some of the most restrictive politics in the world.</p>
<p>The conditions weigh heavily on everyone, but <a href="http://www.euromid.org/uploads/reports/The_Palestinian_Women_of_Gaza_Speak_Out.pdf" type="external">groups say women are disproportionately and uniquely burdened</a>. “You’re dealing not only with the Israeli siege, but a conservative society and government that places expectations and limitations on you,” says Reem Hairab, a coordinator at Gaza’s Women Affairs Center. “In Gaza, it’s hardest for the women to breathe.”</p>
<p>Since last summer’s war, the organization says new women come to the center daily, pleading for extra work as their family’s sole provider. Activists also note a spike in domestic violence and divorce rates. When you’re trapped, says Rami Abdu, chairman of the Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights, anxiety and tension rise not just politically, but also — and especially — personally.</p>
<p>“Women are often on the frontlines of the occupation, of the struggle,” he says. “They often lose the most.”</p>
<p>For Kulab, it’s been a slow recovery. She now fishes two to three times a week, depending on how much fuel she can afford. Because prices have spiked, she often only breaks even on the sea, making around $25 a day. To make up for the slow period, she makes fishing nets for her colleagues and takes Gazans on boat&#160;rides, offering them a short reprieve from their circumscribed realities.</p>
<p>Kulab has become something of a local celebrity and her younger sister wants to follow in her footsteps, but Kulab refuses. “She must finish school ... she must make something of herself,” she says. While Kulab finished secondary school, she still dreams of going to college. She wants to become a sports teacher.</p>
<p>“I don’t know if I’ll ever have that chance,” she says. “But I at least want her to.”</p>
<p />
<p>Jameela Dallol, the cook.</p>
<p>Lauren Bohn</p>
<p>Jameela Dallol remembers the first, and perhaps only, time she fell in love. She was 16-years-old and her mother, a talented cook, left her in their small kitchen to prepare bamiye, an okra stew.</p>
<p>“She told me just to prepare the ingredients, so that when she returned she could cook a feast for us,” recalls Dallol. “But I was daring and said to myself, ‘No, I’m going to cook the whole thing.’”</p>
<p>When her mother returned to a deliciously familiar aroma wafting through their small apartment, she was shocked. Especially since Dallol’s bamiye was just as good, perhaps even better.</p>
<p>Ever since, Dallol has relied on cooking to make a living for her family of 12 in the poor Zeitoun area of Shejaiya, a neighborhood heavily affected by last summer’s war. After returning from a rare trip to the West Bank, a Palestinian territory, when she was 18, she credits herself for introducing the whole neighborhood to Musakhan — a Palestinian dish of roasted chicken baked with onions, sumac, spice, saffron and fried pine nuts that’s now famous among her customers and friends.</p>
<p>“Our Palestinians brothers and sisters live in the West Bank, but the situation has separated us so much that we don’t even know our own meals,” she said. “It’s a tragedy.”</p>
<p>In 2000, she decided to use her love of food to lift other women up. She started “Dallol’s Kitchen” — a community initiative of 17 women who depend on the sale of their meals to make a living for their families. Having never married — which sometimes attracts the sneers of a closed society — she lives with her siblings and takes care of their children.</p>
<p>“I’m the breadwinner and the breadmaker,” she says. “It’s my fate … I wouldn’t have it any other way.”</p>
<p>But Dallol and her cadre of cooks took a huge hit last summer when her kitchen was destroyed after a police station across the street was targeted in an Israeli airstrike.</p>
<p>“When I got the call from a neighbor that the kitchen was gone, I thought it was all over,” she says. “But then I took a deep breath and said … 'No, this our chance to make it even better than before.'”</p>
<p>With the help of local charities, Dallol plans to reopen the kitchen and an adjoining shop later this summer.</p>
<p>“This is my military of women,” she says. “But I don’t think of them as women or as men. We are just humans, directors of our lives.”</p>
<p />
<p>Amal Ashour, the bookworm.</p>
<p>Lauren Bohn</p>
<p>One of the most promising students in the Gaza Strip, Amal Ashour dreams of becoming a famous literature buff. In her third year at Gaza’s Islamic University and one of the top students in her class, she’s fallen in love with Elizabethan literature.</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m moving across the ages,” she says. “Literature is always a nice vacation from Gaza … you go deep into human emotion.”</p>
<p>Her love of English literature was sparked during her senior year of high school, when she received a rare opportunity to study in Minnesota through a US-government funded program.</p>
<p>“It was freedom,” she says. “Once you get a taste of that, it’s hard to come back.”</p>
<p>Ashour still cherishes the diary she started in the US, pages filled with adventures — new sights and sounds. When she got back to Gaza, she stopped writing in it. “Every day here is a routine … nothing is new,” she says. “Routine is the killer.”</p>
<p>In 2012, she was planning to study English literature at a university in the West Bank through another US-sponsored program. But just a month before school started, she <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-drops-gaza-scholarships-after-israel-travel-ban" type="external">was informed</a> the scholarship was no longer available. Under Israeli pressure, US officials had cancelled the program for students in the Gaza Strip, doing away with one of the few American outreach programs in the territory.</p>
<p>While she’s happy with her studies, she often feels constrained in a conservative university and bored with limited course offerings. “When we read Henrik Ibsen’s "A Doll's House," I was one of the few in my class who said that Nora should her leave husband,” she says, while eating ice cream at Kazam’s, Gaza’s most popular ice cream shop. “The others disagreed, claiming that doing so would harm her children.”</p>
<p>For the few who do manage to find a way out of Gaza, juggling newfound opportunity with a sense of guilt can be a precarious balancing act. One morning during last summer’s war, Ashour woke up to devastating news: The parents and siblings of her best friend from Gaza, who has been attending university in the US, was killed in an airstrike.</p>
<p>“There she was in America, following her dreams and struggling to make a better life for her family, and yet she wished she had never went ... she wished she had stayed with her family in Gaza and died with them,” she says. “It’s both impossible to stay and impossible to go.”</p>
<p>Fearing losing her scholarship, her friend hasn’t been able to travel home to Gaza, but she will return later this summer when her studies are finished.</p>
<p>“When she comes, we’ll get ice cream at Kazam’s … We’ll read, we’ll walk. We’ll be normal or at least try to be normal,” she says. “I have to stay strong for her. After all, my name in Arabic means ‘Hope.’”</p>
<p />
<p>Mariam Abultewi, the entrepreneur.</p>
<p>Lauren Bohn</p>
<p>When 25-year-old Mariam Abultewi was a child growing up in Gaza’s El Nuseirat refugee camp, she dreamed of becoming Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton. “Everyone in Gaza wants to be a doctor or an engineer, but I wanted to do something with technology … I wanted to solve problems,” she says. “Technology is the new life-saver.”</p>
<p>The computer engineering graduate knew it would be difficult to find a glimmer of opportunity in a place where few graduates can obtain work. But when she heard about <a href="http://www.gazaskygeeks.com/" type="external">Gaza Sky Geeks</a> —Gaza’s first and only startup accelerator administered by the international charity, Mercy Corps, she finally saw a chance.</p>
<p>While studying at the University of Gaza, where 60 percent of the IT program is made up of women, she founded <a href="http://wasselni.com/" type="external">Wasselni</a>, a social carpooling network for transportation in Gaza. She is the first female startup founder in Gaza to receive investment through Gaza Sky Geeks, and hopes to scale the idea across the region.</p>
<p>But last summer’s war set her team back. “It destroyed our souls,” she says. “The problem isn’t creating in Gaza … it’s expanding and growing. How do you maintain something tech-focused without regular electricity and barely a 2G network? We need basic reconstruction before we can truly innovate.”</p>
<p>While she hopes to expand Wasselni’s market and find investors in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region, traveling for key meetings is difficult. She has to procure permissions from both Hamas and Israel. And it took her father some convincing that working on a startup was worth her time, not to mention convincing him that she could travel alone. But now he’s her biggest fan.</p>
<p>“I know everything will be OK at the end,” she says. “And if it’s not OK, it’s not the end. Each day you just have do a little something … just a little.”</p>
<p />
<p>Walaa Saafin, the journalist.</p>
<p>Lauren Bohn</p>
<p>Like many women in Gaza, Walaa Saafin was married off at a young age. At 17, she had big dreams, but few options. Her husband assured her that she could continue her education and become the successful journalist she had always dreamed of being, but that all changed after she started having children.</p>
<p>“He didn’t approve of my being a strong woman … of leaving the house for interviews, of talking with men,” she says. “Men here are close-minded and Gaza forces us to live in these small worlds without oxygen.”</p>
<p>Two years ago, she gained the courage to divorce him, a tough feat in a territory where few women are economically independent. But her bravery came at a price. He only allows her to see their children once every two weeks. She’s fought him in court, but inheritance and custody rights are a protracted battle in Gaza’s less than equitable society. She also faces the judgment of other women, who she says perceive her to be a bad mother.</p>
<p>“It’s been heartbreaking, but I did it for my kids,” she says. “I didn’t want them growing up seeing me trapped.”</p>
<p>Still, she keeps hope. And while she vowed to ward off men, one photojournalist saw her reporting during last summer’s war and later Facebook messaged her. She ignored him for a while, but he persisted and they soon fell in love and recently became engaged — something of a small controversy in a society in which it’s rare for a young, never-married man to marry an older divorced women with children. On a recent weekend, they spent the day with her children at an amusement park, hopping from ride to ride and taking selfies — small pleas to experience and capture stark normalcy amidst anything but.</p>
<p>“You can always find hope in Gaza,” she says, before hopping on the park’s famed ride, Discovery, a short upside down break from reality. “It’s strange, but there’s always hope.”</p>
<p />
<p>Mona Keskin, the neurosurgeon.</p>
<p>Lauren Bohn</p>
<p>Living in Gaza can be as difficult as performing brain surgery, jokes Mona Keskin, sitting in a squalid, dusty office at Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip.</p>
<p>She should know — she’s Gaza’s only female neurosurgeon.</p>
<p>From a young age, Keskin was fascinated by the power of the brain. But when she told her father she wanted to study neurosurgery, he discouraged her. “You’ll never find a husband,” he said. “And you’ll never have a family.”</p>
<p>Still, she pressed on and attended medical school in Kazakhstan on a scholarship. When she returned to Shifa Hospital for her residency, instructors and colleagues were “just watching [her], waiting for [her] to make a mistake.” And one of her first male patients initially refused to be treated by her.</p>
<p>“‘Fine, whatever’ I told him, ‘Good luck taking care of yourself,’” she recalls. Moments later he came rushing out of the room, pleading for her to return.</p>
<p>“Look, as a woman, you don’t always have to be polite,” she says. “You have to stand your ground. You can’t worry about being nice.”</p>
<p>She says she’s still shaken from last summer’s war, one of the most difficult periods in her life. She had delivered her fourth child just two months before and rarely left the hospital for two weeks, treating hundreds of patients with head injuries. Some survived, but many — including children — did not.</p>
<p>Even in times of relative normalcy, doing her job can seem impossible. While Shifa is Gaza’s premier hospital with 13 neurosurgeons, they don’t even have an MRI machine — one of the most crucial tools in her field. Patients must visit another hospital for a scan and then return to her office with a CD of images which she plops into her old PC laptop.</p>
<p>“Sometimes you feel like you’re working in the old ages,” she says. “But you still make do … you still save lives. There’s no other way.”</p>
<p>This story is part of an ongoing <a href="http://thegroundtruthproject.org/" type="external">GroundTruth</a> series called "The Other," supported by the Ford Foundation.</p>
| false | 3 |
madeleine kulab grew gazas glistening blue sea watching waves crash strips 25mile mediterranean coastline 13 father suffered form palsy could longer fish kulab took helm became familys breadwinner 21 says becoming gazas first fisherwoman easy women lives society whose dysfunctional relationship israel takes daily toll even sea isnt free kulab says people always looked teased scolded dad didnt take seriously ignored today one year last summers war israel 2100 palestinians killed civilians vast devastation still seen across gaza strips scarred landscape many gaza cemetery aspirations never realized one densely populated areas world home 18 million palestinians roughly third live unfunded refugee camps territory riddled poverty local economy strangled blockade israel imposed 2007 weaken islamist hamas government un figures show160about 80 percent population receives aid according world bank unemployment gaza highest world 43 percent youth unemployment hovers 60 percent ever obtain proper permits travel territorys tightly controlled borders since israel imposed land sea blockade families suffered water fishermen exceed sixmile limit imposed israel risk shot israeli navy160we given small swimming zones fish isnt good fish kulab says noting boat shot past cage zakaria bakr head gazas union agricultural workers says kulab one best sea living gaza taught brave says physically mentally isnt always easy men strong aside occasional snickers men also must contend restrictive politics world conditions weigh heavily everyone groups say women disproportionately uniquely burdened youre dealing israeli siege conservative society government places expectations limitations says reem hairab coordinator gazas women affairs center gaza hardest women breathe since last summers war organization says new women come center daily pleading extra work familys sole provider activists also note spike domestic violence divorce rates youre trapped says rami abdu chairman euromid observer human rights anxiety tension rise politically also especially personally women often frontlines occupation struggle says often lose kulab slow recovery fishes two three times week depending much fuel afford prices spiked often breaks even sea making around 25 day make slow period makes fishing nets colleagues takes gazans boat160rides offering short reprieve circumscribed realities kulab become something local celebrity younger sister wants follow footsteps kulab refuses must finish school must make something says kulab finished secondary school still dreams going college wants become sports teacher dont know ill ever chance says least want jameela dallol cook lauren bohn jameela dallol remembers first perhaps time fell love 16yearsold mother talented cook left small kitchen prepare bamiye okra stew told prepare ingredients returned could cook feast us recalls dallol daring said im going cook whole thing mother returned deliciously familiar aroma wafting small apartment shocked especially since dallols bamiye good perhaps even better ever since dallol relied cooking make living family 12 poor zeitoun area shejaiya neighborhood heavily affected last summers war returning rare trip west bank palestinian territory 18 credits introducing whole neighborhood musakhan palestinian dish roasted chicken baked onions sumac spice saffron fried pine nuts thats famous among customers friends palestinians brothers sisters live west bank situation separated us much dont even know meals said tragedy 2000 decided use love food lift women started dallols kitchen community initiative 17 women depend sale meals make living families never married sometimes attracts sneers closed society lives siblings takes care children im breadwinner breadmaker says fate wouldnt way dallol cadre cooks took huge hit last summer kitchen destroyed police station across street targeted israeli airstrike got call neighbor kitchen gone thought says took deep breath said chance make even better help local charities dallol plans reopen kitchen adjoining shop later summer military women says dont think women men humans directors lives amal ashour bookworm lauren bohn one promising students gaza strip amal ashour dreams becoming famous literature buff third year gazas islamic university one top students class shes fallen love elizabethan literature feel like im moving across ages says literature always nice vacation gaza go deep human emotion love english literature sparked senior year high school received rare opportunity study minnesota usgovernment funded program freedom says get taste hard come back ashour still cherishes diary started us pages filled adventures new sights sounds got back gaza stopped writing every day routine nothing new says routine killer 2012 planning study english literature university west bank another ussponsored program month school started informed scholarship longer available israeli pressure us officials cancelled program students gaza strip away one american outreach programs territory shes happy studies often feels constrained conservative university bored limited course offerings read henrik ibsens dolls house one class said nora leave husband says eating ice cream kazams gazas popular ice cream shop others disagreed claiming would harm children manage find way gaza juggling newfound opportunity sense guilt precarious balancing act one morning last summers war ashour woke devastating news parents siblings best friend gaza attending university us killed airstrike america following dreams struggling make better life family yet wished never went wished stayed family gaza died says impossible stay impossible go fearing losing scholarship friend hasnt able travel home gaza return later summer studies finished comes well get ice cream kazams well read well walk well normal least try normal says stay strong name arabic means hope mariam abultewi entrepreneur lauren bohn 25yearold mariam abultewi child growing gazas el nuseirat refugee camp dreamed becoming albert einstein isaac newton everyone gaza wants doctor engineer wanted something technology wanted solve problems says technology new lifesaver computer engineering graduate knew would difficult find glimmer opportunity place graduates obtain work heard gaza sky geeks gazas first startup accelerator administered international charity mercy corps finally saw chance studying university gaza 60 percent program made women founded wasselni social carpooling network transportation gaza first female startup founder gaza receive investment gaza sky geeks hopes scale idea across region last summers war set team back destroyed souls says problem isnt creating gaza expanding growing maintain something techfocused without regular electricity barely 2g network need basic reconstruction truly innovate hopes expand wasselnis market find investors saudi arabia throughout region traveling key meetings difficult procure permissions hamas israel took father convincing working startup worth time mention convincing could travel alone hes biggest fan know everything ok end says ok end day little something little walaa saafin journalist lauren bohn like many women gaza walaa saafin married young age 17 big dreams options husband assured could continue education become successful journalist always dreamed changed started children didnt approve strong woman leaving house interviews talking men says men closeminded gaza forces us live small worlds without oxygen two years ago gained courage divorce tough feat territory women economically independent bravery came price allows see children every two weeks shes fought court inheritance custody rights protracted battle gazas less equitable society also faces judgment women says perceive bad mother heartbreaking kids says didnt want growing seeing trapped still keeps hope vowed ward men one photojournalist saw reporting last summers war later facebook messaged ignored persisted soon fell love recently became engaged something small controversy society rare young nevermarried man marry older divorced women children recent weekend spent day children amusement park hopping ride ride taking selfies small pleas experience capture stark normalcy amidst anything always find hope gaza says hopping parks famed ride discovery short upside break reality strange theres always hope mona keskin neurosurgeon lauren bohn living gaza difficult performing brain surgery jokes mona keskin sitting squalid dusty office shifa hospital largest medical complex gaza strip know shes gazas female neurosurgeon young age keskin fascinated power brain told father wanted study neurosurgery discouraged youll never find husband said youll never family still pressed attended medical school kazakhstan scholarship returned shifa hospital residency instructors colleagues watching waiting make mistake one first male patients initially refused treated fine whatever told good luck taking care recalls moments later came rushing room pleading return look woman dont always polite says stand ground cant worry nice says shes still shaken last summers war one difficult periods life delivered fourth child two months rarely left hospital two weeks treating hundreds patients head injuries survived many including children even times relative normalcy job seem impossible shifa gazas premier hospital 13 neurosurgeons dont even mri machine one crucial tools field patients must visit another hospital scan return office cd images plops old pc laptop sometimes feel like youre working old ages says still make still save lives theres way story part ongoing groundtruth series called supported ford foundation
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<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia's lobbying and warnings to Congress were not enough to blunt the passing of legislation allowing families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the kingdom for the attacks if found legally liable.</p>
<p>The oil-rich country, which has a long and complex relationship with Washington, maintains an arsenal of diplomatic and commercial tools it could respond with.</p>
<p>They include curtailing official contacts, pulling billions of dollars from the U.S. economy, and persuading its close allies in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council it dominates to scale back counterterrorism cooperation, investments and U.S. access to important regional air bases, foreign policy experts said.</p>
<p>"This should be clear to America and to the rest of the world: When one GCC state is targeted unfairly, the others stand around it," said Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, an Emirati Gulf specialist and professor of political science at United Arab Emirates University.</p>
<p>"All the states will stand by Saudi Arabia in every way possible," he said.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Congress Overrides Obama Veto On 9/11 Bill</a></p>
<p>When Saudi Arabia wanted to pressure Qatar to limit its support for the Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt, it spearheaded an unprecedented withdrawal of Gulf Arab ambassadors from Doha in 2014 and essentially isolated the tiny gas-rich nation within the GCC.</p>
<p>And when Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom strongly criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record last year, the kingdom unleashed a fierce diplomatic salvo that jolted Stockholm's standing in the Arab world and threatened Swedish business interests in the Gulf. Sweden eventually backpedaled.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the Senate and House voted to override Obama's veto of the Sept. 11 legislation, with lawmakers saying their priority wasn't Saudi Arabia, but the 9/11 victims and their families.</p>
<p>Chas Freeman, former U.S. assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and ambassador to Saudi Arabia during operation Desert Storm, said the Saudis could respond in ways that risk U.S. strategic interests, like permissive rules for overflight between Europe and Asia and the Qatari air base from which U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria are directed and supported.</p>
<p>"The souring of relations and curtailing of official contacts that this legislation would inevitably produce could also jeopardize Saudi cooperation against anti-American terrorism," he said.</p>
<p>Fahad Nazer, an analyst at intelligence consultancy JTG and a former political analyst at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said he'd be surprised if Saudi Arabia cut back counterterrorism cooperation since it's been beneficial for both countries.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">On Saudi Arabia Trip Obama Seeks to Quell Tensions</a></p>
<p>Still, relations with Washington had already cooled well before the 9/11 bill sailed through both chambers of Congress.</p>
<p>The Saudis perceived the Obama Administration's securing of a nuclear deal with Iran as a pivot toward its regional nemesis. There was also Obama's criticism of Gulf countries in an interview earlier this year, despite their support for the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.</p>
<p>Obama had vetoed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, arguing that allowing U.S. courts to waive foreign sovereign immunity could lead other foreign governments to act "reciprocally" by giving their courts the right to exercise jurisdiction over the U.S. and its employees for overseas actions. These could include deadly U.S. drone strikes and abuses committed by U.S.-trained police units or U.S.-backed militias.</p>
<p>Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in June that the U.S. has the most to lose if JASTA is enacted. Despite reports that Riyadh threatened to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the bill becomes law, al-Jubeir says Saudi Arabia has only warned that investor confidence in the U.S. could decline.</p>
<p>Joseph Gagnon, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said estimates put the figure of official Saudi assets in the government at somewhere between $500 billion and $1 trillion when considering potential foreign bank deposits and offshore accounts.</p>
<p>The kingdom had $96.5 billion in holdings of Treasury securities in August, according to the most recent number released by the Treasury Department. Saudi Arabia ranked 15th in its holdings of U.S. Treasury debt.</p>
<p>Gagnon, who previously worked at the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and Treasury, said there isn't much realistically the kingdom could do to move against the dollar or other U.S. assets "that would hurt us a tenth as much as it would hurt them." He said the U.S. would actually welcome downward pressure on the dollar and questioned what other markets are big enough to absorb what they could sell.</p>
<p>The U.S.-Saudi Business Council's CEO and Chairman Ed Burton says business between the two countries will continue, though potential deals could be jeopardized by JASTA.</p>
<p>"No business community likes to see their sovereign nation basically assailed by another nation," Burton said.</p>
<p>As one of the world's largest oil exporters with the biggest economy in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia also has other business partners to choose from in Europe and Asia, said President and CEO of the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce David Hamod.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Secret 28 Pages of 9/11 Report Released, Hold No Proof of Saudi Link</a></p>
<p>"America is no longer the only game in town," he said. "No one knows how Saudi Arabia might respond to an override of President Obama's veto, but what's the point of calling the kingdom's bluff?"</p>
<p>The CEOs of Dow Chemical and General Electric had sent letters to Congress warning of the bill's potentially destabilizing impact on American interests abroad. Defense Secretary Ash Carter this week sent a letter to Congress saying "important counterterrorism efforts abroad" could be harmed and U.S. foreign bases and facilities could be vulnerable to monetary damage awards in reciprocal cases.</p>
<p>Such reactions may not come directly from Riyadh but countries connected to Saudi Arabia, said Stephen Kinzer, a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.</p>
<p>He said the eight-decade-long U.S.-Saudi relationship is "entering into a new phase," in which ties will be mostly underpinned by arms sales, unlike during the era of warm relations under President George W. Bush.</p>
<p>Abdullah, the Gulf analyst at UAE University, said he expects to see a GCC that acts more assertively and independently of the U.S. in places like Yemen, Bahrain and Egypt.</p>
<p>"This is not just a threat. This is a reality," he said.</p>
| false | 3 |
dubai united arab emirates ap saudi arabias lobbying warnings congress enough blunt passing legislation allowing families sept 11 victims sue kingdom attacks found legally liable oilrich country long complex relationship washington maintains arsenal diplomatic commercial tools could respond include curtailing official contacts pulling billions dollars us economy persuading close allies sixmember gulf cooperation council dominates scale back counterterrorism cooperation investments us access important regional air bases foreign policy experts said clear america rest world one gcc state targeted unfairly others stand around said abdulkhaleq abdullah emirati gulf specialist professor political science united arab emirates university states stand saudi arabia every way possible said related congress overrides obama veto 911 bill saudi arabia wanted pressure qatar limit support muslim brotherhood group egypt spearheaded unprecedented withdrawal gulf arab ambassadors doha 2014 essentially isolated tiny gasrich nation within gcc swedens foreign minister margot wallstrom strongly criticized saudi arabias human rights record last year kingdom unleashed fierce diplomatic salvo jolted stockholms standing arab world threatened swedish business interests gulf sweden eventually backpedaled wednesday senate house voted override obamas veto sept 11 legislation lawmakers saying priority wasnt saudi arabia 911 victims families chas freeman former us assistant secretary defense international security affairs ambassador saudi arabia operation desert storm said saudis could respond ways risk us strategic interests like permissive rules overflight europe asia qatari air base us military operations afghanistan iraq syria directed supported souring relations curtailing official contacts legislation would inevitably produce could also jeopardize saudi cooperation antiamerican terrorism said fahad nazer analyst intelligence consultancy jtg former political analyst saudi embassy washington said hed surprised saudi arabia cut back counterterrorism cooperation since beneficial countries related saudi arabia trip obama seeks quell tensions still relations washington already cooled well 911 bill sailed chambers congress saudis perceived obama administrations securing nuclear deal iran pivot toward regional nemesis also obamas criticism gulf countries interview earlier year despite support usled fight islamic state group iraq syria obama vetoed justice sponsors terrorism act jasta arguing allowing us courts waive foreign sovereign immunity could lead foreign governments act reciprocally giving courts right exercise jurisdiction us employees overseas actions could include deadly us drone strikes abuses committed ustrained police units usbacked militias saudi foreign minister adel aljubeir told reporters june us lose jasta enacted despite reports riyadh threatened pull billions dollars us economy bill becomes law aljubeir says saudi arabia warned investor confidence us could decline joseph gagnon senior fellow peterson institute international economics said estimates put figure official saudi assets government somewhere 500 billion 1 trillion considering potential foreign bank deposits offshore accounts kingdom 965 billion holdings treasury securities august according recent number released treasury department saudi arabia ranked 15th holdings us treasury debt gagnon previously worked us federal reserve board treasury said isnt much realistically kingdom could move dollar us assets would hurt us tenth much would hurt said us would actually welcome downward pressure dollar questioned markets big enough absorb could sell ussaudi business councils ceo chairman ed burton says business two countries continue though potential deals could jeopardized jasta business community likes see sovereign nation basically assailed another nation burton said one worlds largest oil exporters biggest economy gulf saudi arabia also business partners choose europe asia said president ceo national usarab chamber commerce david hamod related secret 28 pages 911 report released hold proof saudi link america longer game town said one knows saudi arabia might respond override president obamas veto whats point calling kingdoms bluff ceos dow chemical general electric sent letters congress warning bills potentially destabilizing impact american interests abroad defense secretary ash carter week sent letter congress saying important counterterrorism efforts abroad could harmed us foreign bases facilities could vulnerable monetary damage awards reciprocal cases reactions may come directly riyadh countries connected saudi arabia said stephen kinzer senior fellow watson institute international public affairs brown university said eightdecadelong ussaudi relationship entering new phase ties mostly underpinned arms sales unlike era warm relations president george w bush abdullah gulf analyst uae university said expects see gcc acts assertively independently us places like yemen bahrain egypt threat reality said
| 674 |
<p>California and the United States as a whole need to get their act together to face the rising challenges posed by Russia, China, North Korea and other countries. That was what former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said Thursday before and during a speech he gave to 208 business and community leaders at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach.</p>
<p>Bolton advanced his position&#160;of critiquing the Obama administration, and calling for greater U.S. involvement in the situations in Ukraine, Syria and Nigeria. But the gloves really came off during the question-and-answer period. The first question came from <a href="http://www.pacificresearch.org/home/about/board-of-directors/" type="external">Sally Pipes</a>, the President and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, which sponsored the event and is CalWatchdog.com’s parent think tank.</p>
<p>She asked about the 2012 attack on American diplomats in Benghazi, Libya, which left four Americans dead, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stephens.</p>
<p>Pipes: “It appears that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee in 2016. How will Benghazi come out? I’m just worried that the mainstream media is not going to focus on it at all, and let her get away with it.”</p>
<p>Bolton&#160;replied at length, beginning with a quip:</p>
<p>This is a critical question, and a personal one to me. Hillary and her husband were a year ahead of me at law school. So I have been burdened with them for 20 more years than the rest of you.</p>
<p>Her record is very thin.&#160;The argument of&#160;how she handled Benghazi is important. Let me give you a perspective as one who has been at the State Department a long time.</p>
<p>The first defense [of Clinton’s actions] is that the lack of capability, inadequate security, manifest at Benghazi on Sept. 11 was not really her responsiblity; that she was too high above those decisions. Therefore it was her subordinates who acted incorrectly and caused deaths. That’s just flatly incorrect.</p>
<p>Questions about security sometimes don’t go to the secretary of state level. But we’re not talking Iceland here, we’re talking about Libya. The United States just a few years before had overthrown the government. That’s the kind of place you pay a little bit more attention to. Especially because of the circumstances in Libya at the time, and the weakness, the lack of capacity, that the United States has in the region.</p>
<p>In Feb. 2011, as [Libyan dictator Muammar] Gaddafi&#160;was on the way down, the State Department made the decision&#160;to withdraw all American personnel from the embassy in Tripoli – a correct decision – because of a lack of security. And we had so few assets in the Mediterranean that we had to rent a Greek ferry boat, to come all the way from Greece, to withdraw our people from the port. Now that should have been a signal across the board that the instability or greater threat across North Africa needed rethinking. But that didn’t happen, despite the obvious instability in Libya, where everybody else – all the European countries, even the Red Cross – had withdrawn their official presence.</p>
<p>So if this didn’t get to Secretary Clinton’s office, then it’s a management call that she should be responsible for. The Secretary of State should deal right down to the nitty gritty when they have to.</p>
<p>I’ll give you my example. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, you may recall that they invaded our embassy in Kuwait City. They turned off the electricity. And although they didn’t enter the embassy compound, they basically were holding our ambassador and staff there hostage. No electricity in August. This is not good. They had to drink the water out of the swimming pool. We had to find ways to purify water and use electric generators to run the purification. We were using emergency stocks of food in the embassy.</p>
<p>And I recall several conversations with the embassy staff meeting where [Secretary of State] Jim Baker was told that, for whatever reason, the emergency supplies of food at the embassy seemed to be largely tuna fish and tomato sauce. There are not a lot of well-known recipes for that.</p>
<p>But the Near East Bureau was working hard so that our people didn’t suffer. Jim Baker considered this on at least two or three days in a row, although ultimately we got the hostages released.</p>
<p>A Secretary of State who is not willing to get his or her fingernails dirty isn’t doing his job. And the notion that, somehow, these security decisions somehow are made by Munchkins, and don’t have to sully the desk of the Secretary of State, is just fundamentally wrong. If you’re not responsible for the basic safety of your people overseas, what are you spending your time on?</p>
<p>No. 2, the day of the attack, Hillary Clinton just went home. Now, the president [Obama] just went home, too, so it must run in the administration. That’s not how you deal with a crisis. Nobody could have known at the time of the first crisis whether or not further attacks were coming. The Secretary of State and a lot of other officials should have been in her office all night long, working every possibility they could think of. Not to respond when you’ve got a crisis, I just find inexcusable.</p>
<p>And then, for her to say afterward in testimony that you will see thousands of times in the 2016 election, “What difference does it make if a few people are out deciding to shoot up an Americn embassy for a demonstration that gets out of control.” Those are her two alternatives. But they are both wrong. It was a planned attack. That’s what difference it makes.</p>
<p>I just find this hands-off attitude is reflected in the handling of Benghazi before, during and after that attack, and I think it’s a disqualifier myself.</p>
<p>Before the speech, Bolton granted an interview to CalWatchdog.com.</p>
<p>Q: How do California’s economic policies affect foreign policy?</p>
<p>The economic situation in California is the economic policies have caused a lot of difficulties for the state that are unnecessary. And that’s shown by Toyota’s recent decision to pull up stakes and head for Texas. But it’s a reflection of the boarder point for America as a whole, that economic policies have consequences. That when you pursue economic policies, they often have consequences that the advocates of the policies don’t expect.</p>
<p>So many of Obama’s policies are wrong on their&#160;merits. But they’re also having other consequences that are detrimental to the country’s interests worldwide.</p>
<p>The economic “recovery” — in quotes — is weak by historical standards, and is creating a new normal for the country that’s very worrisome. I think a strong American presence internationally is critical for sustaining our standard of living here at home. But the reverse is true as well. If you don’t have a strong domestic economy, it’s obviously difficult if not impossible do maintain a strong American intenational&#160;presence. So I’m very worried about what the long-term economic consequences will be for these domestic policies.</p>
<p>Q: Recent data show that America’s industrial economy is struggling, leading some to call for protectionism.</p>
<p>When you have a policy environment that’s hostile to business, business is going to react by going somewhere else. Toyota is one example. But I know that Gov. Perry in Texas has been trying to persuade, and has had some success, in persuading others to leave as well. I don’t think you resolve that through protectionism. The fact of lower production costs around the world is a reality.</p>
<p>But we’ve faced that for a long time. And the solution is, as always is the case, is comparative advantage. And I think that the capacity that the United States has through technological innovation, and the education of the population, has let the industrial jobs go where they will. We’ve had other opportunites. It’s not a politically palatable thing to say. But it is a reality.</p>
<p>And indeed, as technology changes, jobs come back to this country.</p>
<p>Q: Many Californians, such as Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, are more skeptical of American intervention abroad than you are.</p>
<p>A: The issue for American foreign policy is: What do you have to do to protect legitimate American interests around the world? There’s a lot of discussion today about: Are you in favor of interventionism? Or are you in favor of non-interventionism? But it’s a false debate. It’s like having a debate over whether you favor eating with a fork or a spoon. But the question is: What are you eating? What’s the objective?</p>
<p>The United States over the years, since World War II, has provided the basis for whatever minimal international order and civility there is. And if we fail to pursue that role, you will face the consequence of either spreading anarchy, or other powers stepping in to fill that void who won’t have our best interests at heart. It’s certainly&#160;true that a lot of other nations benefit from this minimal order and civility. And they don’t bear their share of the costs and burden. There’s no doubt about that.</p>
<p>But we’re not doing it for them. We’re doing it for ourselves. And you can’t imagine that the world got the way it is by accident. So if our behavior changes, the world will change. And in my view, not in our favor.</p>
<p>Q: Why should Americans be concerned about Crimea after 70 percent of the people there voted to re-join with Russia; and after it was attached to Ukraine in 1954 during a drunken bout by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev?</p>
<p>A: The answer&#160;is: How do you feel about international borders being changed by military force? And what [Russian President] Putin has done here is use military force in a way that now calls into question all the borders of the former Soviet Union, and the post-World War II settlement.</p>
<p>I think Europe made a mistake in 2008, when [President George W.] Bush proposed bringing both Georgia and Ukraine into NATO&#160;membership. And four months later Russia invaded Georgia. That’s what we should have done to eliminate the ambiguity.That was an invitation for Russian meddling. That’s&#160; what we got.</p>
<p>Q: What about the United States and NATO endorsing Kosovo breaking off from Serbia in 1999?</p>
<p>A: Well, the state had fallen apart. It was a case that it was still part of Yugoslavia. I myself didn’t favor what we did in Kosovo. But even if that was at stake, that’s not an excuse for Russia to do it somewhere else.&#160;Little children say: Two wrongs don’t make a right.</p>
<p>There’s no logic to that. Maybe they [Russia] should take over Poland, too.</p>
<p>Q: How does China fit into this?</p>
<p>A: It’s a good example of one of the consequences of Ukraine. I don’t think there’s a country that’s following Ukraine more closely than China. Because their assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea have been met with minimal U.S. opposition. Yet if they’re able to take control of that territory and turn what are now international waters into a Chinese lake, it’ll have a profound impact on some of our key economic trading partners like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.</p>
<p>People don’t appreciate that all of the oil from the Middle East that goes to those countries goes through the South China Sea through what are now international waters. If they become Chinese territorial borders, China has its hand on the throat of the economy of those three countries, and really all Southeast Asia. So this is a huge, huge issue that the media just don’t pay attention to.</p>
<p>Just in the past 10 days, a&#160;Chinese naval vessel has&#160;rammed two Vietnamese boats. And there are now anti-Chinese demonstrations in Vietnam, because they don’t want to get into a subordinate status with china.</p>
<p>Q: What about North Korea?</p>
<p>A: There’s a lot of speculation there that they’re about to do their fourth nuclear test. It’s hard to say. But this is an example of just an unambiguous failure by the Obama administration. The situation he inherited from Bush, which was bad enough, has gotten steadily worse. The North Koreans are a threat in Northeast Asia with nuclear weapons. They’ll be a threat more broadly when they get ballistic missile capabilities. They’ll sell anything to anybody, including the terrorist organizations.</p>
<p>And there’s increasing evidence of their cooperation with Iran on their nuclear weapons programs. So again, this is not a problem the media have focused on, but it’s a huge problem.</p>
<p>Q: What about China recently leaking&#160;plans for dealing with the collapse of the North Korean regime?</p>
<p>A: They’ve had that plan for a long time. They supply 90 percent of North Korea’s energy, and a large amount of humanitarian assistance. China could bring that government down very easily if it wanted to.</p>
<p>But what it fears is instability in the North that could include massive refugee flows into China, which they don’t want.</p>
<p>So the issue is: Why did they leak that? I buy the conventional wisdom that they were saying to the North Korean government, “Your future is not assured.” It was a sign of displeasure.</p>
<p>Either that, or there’s a split in China about what to do about North Korea. I think there are a lot of young Chinese leaders who think that carrying North Korea’s baggage is not necessarily in China’s interest. My view is that the policy the U.S. ought&#160;to do is the unification of the two Koreas. We’ve got to persuade China of that, but I do think there are more Chinese officials who think it would be in their interest to let that happen.</p>
<p>Q: There are a lot of South Koreans in California, and strong business links between the two countries, such as between Samsung and Google. How would these developments affect our economy, and the U.S. economy as a whole?</p>
<p>A: That’s why it’s in our interest to merge the two countries. It would give Korea an enormous international economic advantage to have such a low-wage population&#160;in the North, all that territory that needs to be developed. You could invite investment there that would dramatically transform the country.</p>
<p>I think Korean Americans ought to be more assertive about the human rights violations in North Korea, and the prison camp that that regime is basically running, and why the United States ought to do more to promote unification, which is the only long-term solution.</p>
| false | 3 |
california united states whole need get act together face rising challenges posed russia china north korea countries former ambassador united nations john bolton said thursday speech gave 208 business community leaders pacific club newport beach bolton advanced position160of critiquing obama administration calling greater us involvement situations ukraine syria nigeria gloves really came questionandanswer period first question came sally pipes president ceo pacific research institute sponsored event calwatchdogcoms parent think tank asked 2012 attack american diplomats benghazi libya left four americans dead including ambassador j christopher stephens pipes appears hillary clinton democratic nominee 2016 benghazi come im worried mainstream media going focus let get away bolton160replied length beginning quip critical question personal one hillary husband year ahead law school burdened 20 years rest record thin160the argument of160how handled benghazi important let give perspective one state department long time first defense clintons actions lack capability inadequate security manifest benghazi sept 11 really responsiblity high decisions therefore subordinates acted incorrectly caused deaths thats flatly incorrect questions security sometimes dont go secretary state level talking iceland talking libya united states years overthrown government thats kind place pay little bit attention especially circumstances libya time weakness lack capacity united states region feb 2011 libyan dictator muammar gaddafi160was way state department made decision160to withdraw american personnel embassy tripoli correct decision lack security assets mediterranean rent greek ferry boat come way greece withdraw people port signal across board instability greater threat across north africa needed rethinking didnt happen despite obvious instability libya everybody else european countries even red cross withdrawn official presence didnt get secretary clintons office management call responsible secretary state deal right nitty gritty ill give example saddam hussein invaded kuwait 1990 may recall invaded embassy kuwait city turned electricity although didnt enter embassy compound basically holding ambassador staff hostage electricity august good drink water swimming pool find ways purify water use electric generators run purification using emergency stocks food embassy recall several conversations embassy staff meeting secretary state jim baker told whatever reason emergency supplies food embassy seemed largely tuna fish tomato sauce lot wellknown recipes near east bureau working hard people didnt suffer jim baker considered least two three days row although ultimately got hostages released secretary state willing get fingernails dirty isnt job notion somehow security decisions somehow made munchkins dont sully desk secretary state fundamentally wrong youre responsible basic safety people overseas spending time 2 day attack hillary clinton went home president obama went home must run administration thats deal crisis nobody could known time first crisis whether attacks coming secretary state lot officials office night long working every possibility could think respond youve got crisis find inexcusable say afterward testimony see thousands times 2016 election difference make people deciding shoot americn embassy demonstration gets control two alternatives wrong planned attack thats difference makes find handsoff attitude reflected handling benghazi attack think disqualifier speech bolton granted interview calwatchdogcom q californias economic policies affect foreign policy economic situation california economic policies caused lot difficulties state unnecessary thats shown toyotas recent decision pull stakes head texas reflection boarder point america whole economic policies consequences pursue economic policies often consequences advocates policies dont expect many obamas policies wrong their160merits theyre also consequences detrimental countrys interests worldwide economic recovery quotes weak historical standards creating new normal country thats worrisome think strong american presence internationally critical sustaining standard living home reverse true well dont strong domestic economy obviously difficult impossible maintain strong american intenational160presence im worried longterm economic consequences domestic policies q recent data show americas industrial economy struggling leading call protectionism policy environment thats hostile business business going react going somewhere else toyota one example know gov perry texas trying persuade success persuading others leave well dont think resolve protectionism fact lower production costs around world reality weve faced long time solution always case comparative advantage think capacity united states technological innovation education population let industrial jobs go weve opportunites politically palatable thing say reality indeed technology changes jobs come back country q many californians rep dana rohrabacher rhuntington beach skeptical american intervention abroad issue american foreign policy protect legitimate american interests around world theres lot discussion today favor interventionism favor noninterventionism false debate like debate whether favor eating fork spoon question eating whats objective united states years since world war ii provided basis whatever minimal international order civility fail pursue role face consequence either spreading anarchy powers stepping fill void wont best interests heart certainly160true lot nations benefit minimal order civility dont bear share costs burden theres doubt cant imagine world got way accident behavior changes world change view favor q americans concerned crimea 70 percent people voted rejoin russia attached ukraine 1954 drunken bout soviet premier nikita khrushchev answer160is feel international borders changed military force russian president putin done use military force way calls question borders former soviet union postworld war ii settlement think europe made mistake 2008 president george w bush proposed bringing georgia ukraine nato160membership four months later russia invaded georgia thats done eliminate ambiguitythat invitation russian meddling thats160 got q united states nato endorsing kosovo breaking serbia 1999 well state fallen apart case still part yugoslavia didnt favor kosovo even stake thats excuse russia somewhere else160little children say two wrongs dont make right theres logic maybe russia take poland q china fit good example one consequences ukraine dont think theres country thats following ukraine closely china assertive territorial claims south china sea met minimal us opposition yet theyre able take control territory turn international waters chinese lake itll profound impact key economic trading partners like south korea japan taiwan people dont appreciate oil middle east goes countries goes south china sea international waters become chinese territorial borders china hand throat economy three countries really southeast asia huge huge issue media dont pay attention past 10 days a160chinese naval vessel has160rammed two vietnamese boats antichinese demonstrations vietnam dont want get subordinate status china q north korea theres lot speculation theyre fourth nuclear test hard say example unambiguous failure obama administration situation inherited bush bad enough gotten steadily worse north koreans threat northeast asia nuclear weapons theyll threat broadly get ballistic missile capabilities theyll sell anything anybody including terrorist organizations theres increasing evidence cooperation iran nuclear weapons programs problem media focused huge problem q china recently leaking160plans dealing collapse north korean regime theyve plan long time supply 90 percent north koreas energy large amount humanitarian assistance china could bring government easily wanted fears instability north could include massive refugee flows china dont want issue leak buy conventional wisdom saying north korean government future assured sign displeasure either theres split china north korea think lot young chinese leaders think carrying north koreas baggage necessarily chinas interest view policy us ought160to unification two koreas weve got persuade china think chinese officials think would interest let happen q lot south koreans california strong business links two countries samsung google would developments affect economy us economy whole thats interest merge two countries would give korea enormous international economic advantage lowwage population160in north territory needs developed could invite investment would dramatically transform country think korean americans ought assertive human rights violations north korea prison camp regime basically running united states ought promote unification longterm solution
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<p>NEW DELHI, India — When you’re the chief minister of a huge state and the frontrunner to be India’s next prime minister, all things are possible.</p>
<p>Including, it seems, becoming the celebrated author of a collection of eight literary short stories.</p>
<p>Narendra Modi’s book “ <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Abode-Love-Narendra-Modi/dp/9350642387/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1398886103&amp;sr=1-2" type="external">Abode of Love</a>” hit the bookstores at the beginning of April, in the midst of a month-long election, ending May 12, to decide who will run the world’s largest democracy.</p>
<p>Speaking of power, here’s an innovation that has even eluded American marketers: The reviews of Modi’s stories are, unconventionally, placed inside the book. Each of the eight tales is followed by a critique by a noted Gujarati author or academic.</p>
<p>Many of these reviews take more space than the actual stories.</p>
<p>To call them “fawning” may be an understatement.</p>
<p>Modi, according to the so-called critics, is a “prolific storyteller,” “an able and capable storyteller,” “an author who successfully touches the hearts of his readers more than once,” “a poet of the highest calibre.”</p>
<p>It goes on: “Gujarat has lost a great storyteller,” a writer who has “given a shape to the roaring ocean of emotions in his heart,” who has penned “such tenderly written and inspiring works,” that reminded one critic of Chekhov. Another implored, “I only wish to have more such gems from his pen.”</p>
<p>If Narendra Modi fails in his bid to run this nation, he will surely be India’s next Shakespeare.</p>
<p>The 63-year-old candidate for the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party turned his hand to writing between 1975 and 1977. During those years, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had called a state of emergency which banned most political activity, forcing Modi-the-politician to kick up his heels and brandish a pen.</p>
<p>Since then the stories, written in Gujarati, have been resting in Modi’s notebook, while the man has gone from minor political aide to chief minister of Gujarat and runaway favorite to win India’s highest office.</p>
<p>“Abode of Love” was published after the “prodding of friends and well-wishers” according to the publisher, Rajpal. The English translation appeared at the beginning of April.</p>
<p>It is impossible to read Modi’s collection without considering the gulf in experience between the twenty-something author and the fearsome politician whose charismatic rallies even seem to have <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10778094/Pakistan-backs-Narendra-Modi-as-Indias-next-prime-minister.html" type="external">convinced Pakistanis</a> that he is the right man to lead India.</p>
<p>Modi’s opponents, some of whom refer to him as the <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/After-fresh-Modi-attack-TMC-calls-him-Butcher-of-Gujarat/articleshow/34303321.cms" type="external">Butcher of Gujarat</a>, will look for traces of <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/godhra-and-somnath-remain-caught-in-12-year-time-warp/articleshow/34350430.cms" type="external">Godhra</a>. Was there anything in the young Modi that might indicate the anti-Muslim riots of 2002 that led to the deaths of nearly 2000 people?</p>
<p>His supporters may wonder if the stories show anything of Modi the great developer, the politician credited — some believe <a href="http://qz.com/171409/gujarat-by-the-numbers/" type="external">wrongly</a> — with the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17156917" type="external">Gujarat success story</a>, where power cuts are a thing of the past and businessmen queue up for Modi magic.</p>
<p>In fiction, Modi’s main themes are reliable ones for a politician. He stands for love, motherhood and if not apple pie or <a href="http://www.spicytasty.com/indian-sweets/rasmalai/" type="external">rasmalai</a> then a certain sort of correctness about how to behave. These are not counter-cultural stories that pick apart social issues India faces, such as caste bigotry or women’s rights.</p>
<p>They are not overtly political either, with the exception of “Igniting Values,” a story about a young woman called Jharna to whom the “western way of life came naturally” but who realises by the end that a woman should sacrifice her own well-being for her husband’s. The idea chimes with the highly conservative ideals of some on the Hindu right who have <a href="http://world.rediff.com/news/article/www/news/2009/feb/02-why-are-women-always-the-target.htm" type="external">beaten up women</a> for going to pubs, or village councils which <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Khap-bans-jeans-and-T-shirts-for-girls-in-Hisar/articleshow/17933563.cms" type="external">ban girls</a> from wearing jeans.</p>
<p>Motherhood was clearly a concern for the young Modi, who may not have seen his own mother for several years when he wrote the stories. He walked out on his parents at the age of 18 over their insistence that he <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/131025/narendra-modi-could-be-india-s-next-prime-minister-s" type="external">consummate a marriage</a> arranged when he was a boy.</p>
<p>We are introduced to Sunanda, a young stepmother who struggles for two years to win over her teenage stepdaughter. After tension turns into angry words, Sunanda writes a letter to the girl saying she just wants to be a good mother. For the young Modi, this was enough to solve the relationship’s difficulties. The two young women hug and become firm friends. Any resentment the girl might have felt toward a woman who had replaced her own dead mother and usurped her father’s affections is gone in the scribbling of a few words. It is an easy, instant solution, a wish fulfilled. And Modi enjoys fulfilling wishes. He governs Gujarat by inspiration, according to his biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, often having an idea in the morning and driving his army of staff to implement it as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Yet “Abode of Love” is about death as much as it is about motherhood.</p>
<p>A recent death or an impending death is a theme in almost all the stories in Modi’s collection. Sunanda’s step-daughter misses her mother. Another story sees a young man lay flowers in memory of a political activist shot dead by police. “Room No. 9” tells of the final weeks of a cancer sufferer. “The Lamp” is about a new widow struggling to deal with her in-laws’ dislike. “Bridge” sees another widow remember her husband who died trying to save people caught in a collapsed temple. And “Rebirth of Anuraag” is about a teacher, Anuraag, who blames himself for the suicide of a pupil.</p>
<p>What are we to make of this melancholic Modi, a figure that is so at odds with the witty, energetic, macho politician whose own persona seems to have caught the imagination of millions of Indians?</p>
<p>Is this a sign of a troubled boy, who missed his parents and worried about them? Or was it an effort to understand and empathise with ordinary people he met as a political aide, an attempt to imagine what the pain of loss was like?</p>
<p>Modi gives us few clues. In his introduction, he speaks of his hope that the stories “have the fragrance and beauty of relationships, the ring of integrity and truth, melancholy contrasting with the flavors of blooming emotions and mirth.” Later, he asks his readers to try to find their own abode of love within their conscience, confident that he has found his. And when the election results are announced on May 16, India will know whether its own abode of love has room for Modi.</p>
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new delhi india youre chief minister huge state frontrunner indias next prime minister things possible including seems becoming celebrated author collection eight literary short stories narendra modis book abode love hit bookstores beginning april midst monthlong election ending may 12 decide run worlds largest democracy speaking power heres innovation even eluded american marketers reviews modis stories unconventionally placed inside book eight tales followed critique noted gujarati author academic many reviews take space actual stories call fawning may understatement modi according socalled critics prolific storyteller able capable storyteller author successfully touches hearts readers poet highest calibre goes gujarat lost great storyteller writer given shape roaring ocean emotions heart penned tenderly written inspiring works reminded one critic chekhov another implored wish gems pen narendra modi fails bid run nation surely indias next shakespeare 63yearold candidate rightwing hindu nationalist bharatiya janata party turned hand writing 1975 1977 years prime minister indira gandhi called state emergency banned political activity forcing modithepolitician kick heels brandish pen since stories written gujarati resting modis notebook man gone minor political aide chief minister gujarat runaway favorite win indias highest office abode love published prodding friends wellwishers according publisher rajpal english translation appeared beginning april impossible read modis collection without considering gulf experience twentysomething author fearsome politician whose charismatic rallies even seem convinced pakistanis right man lead india modis opponents refer butcher gujarat look traces godhra anything young modi might indicate antimuslim riots 2002 led deaths nearly 2000 people supporters may wonder stories show anything modi great developer politician credited believe wrongly gujarat success story power cuts thing past businessmen queue modi magic fiction modis main themes reliable ones politician stands love motherhood apple pie rasmalai certain sort correctness behave countercultural stories pick apart social issues india faces caste bigotry womens rights overtly political either exception igniting values story young woman called jharna western way life came naturally realises end woman sacrifice wellbeing husbands idea chimes highly conservative ideals hindu right beaten women going pubs village councils ban girls wearing jeans motherhood clearly concern young modi may seen mother several years wrote stories walked parents age 18 insistence consummate marriage arranged boy introduced sunanda young stepmother struggles two years win teenage stepdaughter tension turns angry words sunanda writes letter girl saying wants good mother young modi enough solve relationships difficulties two young women hug become firm friends resentment girl might felt toward woman replaced dead mother usurped fathers affections gone scribbling words easy instant solution wish fulfilled modi enjoys fulfilling wishes governs gujarat inspiration according biographer nilanjan mukhopadhyay often idea morning driving army staff implement soon possible yet abode love death much motherhood recent death impending death theme almost stories modis collection sunandas stepdaughter misses mother another story sees young man lay flowers memory political activist shot dead police room 9 tells final weeks cancer sufferer lamp new widow struggling deal inlaws dislike bridge sees another widow remember husband died trying save people caught collapsed temple rebirth anuraag teacher anuraag blames suicide pupil make melancholic modi figure odds witty energetic macho politician whose persona seems caught imagination millions indians sign troubled boy missed parents worried effort understand empathise ordinary people met political aide attempt imagine pain loss like modi gives us clues introduction speaks hope stories fragrance beauty relationships ring integrity truth melancholy contrasting flavors blooming emotions mirth later asks readers try find abode love within conscience confident found election results announced may 16 india know whether abode love room modi
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />APRIL 26, 2011</p>
<p>By JOHN SEILER</p>
<p>Bilingual education may be creeping back in California.&#160;Yesterday’s Los Angeles Times included <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/print/2011/apr/24/opinion/la-oe-martinez-bilingual-20110424" type="external">an op-ed by Ruben Martinez</a>,&#160;a professor of literature and writing at Loyola Marymount University, about a new bilingual ed program at the public school his children will attend.</p>
<p>He wants his twins to grow up bilingual. So he spoke to them in Spanish, while his wife spoke to them in English. Most of the other people in his kids’ lives also spoke to them in English.&#160;He was advised on this method by “my colleague Rebeca Acevedo, a linguist and professor of Spanish at Loyola Marymount University.” Martinez writes:</p>
<p>These thoughts weren’t much on our minds when we moved to&#160; <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/us/maryland/baltimore-county/baltimore/mount-washington-PLGEO100100603012300.topic" type="external">Mount Washington</a>, a neighborhood with a top-ranked elementary school at the top of the hill. But then we heard that Aldama Elementary School in neighboring Highland Park had recently inaugurated a dual-language immersion program. Maybe I’d finally get some backup for Spanish — and in a public school classroom, no less.</p>
<p>Programs like Aldama’s combine “English learners” with “English proficient” students. Half the day’s lessons are in English, and the other half in the so-called target language. The&#160; <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/schools/los-angeles-unified-school-district-ORGOV000940.topic" type="external">Los Angeles Unified School District</a> has dual-language programs in Spanish, Korean and Mandarin, and they are increasingly popular; the average growth rate of four or five new programs each year has doubled this year.</p>
<p>But Prop. 227 bans such programs at public schools, Lance Izumi told me; he’s&#160; <a href="http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/keypeople/lance-t-izumi" type="external">Koret Senior Fellow</a> in Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute, CalWatchDog.com’s parent think tank. “I see people who are trying to skirt Prop. 227 all the time,” he said. “They’ve been trying to do it since the initiative passed, bringing in bilingual education under the cover of ‘dual immersion’.” That’s the phrase Martinez write is used of Aldama Elementary’s program.</p>
<p>Izumi pointed to a 2008 study of his, “ <a href="http://www.pacificresearch.org/publications/english-immersion-or-law-evasion" type="external">Bilingual Ed Not Dead</a>,” which found pockets of resistance across the state to Prop. 227’s implementation.</p>
<p>I’m all for parents teaching their children however they wish. That’s why there are private and parochial schools, as well as home schools. But public schools, which are funded by taxpayers, are supposed to follow the law, in this case Prop. 227.</p>
<p>As a professor at a major university, Martinez is in the upper-middle class. His children are growing up in an environment that encourages learning. They probably will attend major universities themselves.</p>
<p>Izumi pointed out that bilingual ed — or dual immersion — was allowed for Prop. 227 with a parental waver, but only for one year. “Even dual immersion is supposed to be overwhelmingly in English,” he said. “Even then, it’s a transition. Under Prop. 227, kids who are English-language learners are supposed to become English-only after a year.”</p>
<p>A genuine improvement in California politics in recent decades was the demise — mostly — of bilingual education becuase of&#160; <a href="http://www.onenation.org/unz.html" type="external">Ron Unz’s</a> Proposition 227 in 1998. It was called the English for the Children initiative.&#160; <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_227_(1998)" type="external">According to Ballotpedia</a>, Prop. 227:</p>
<p>Requires California public schools to teach [Limited English Proficient] students in special classes that are taught nearly all in English. This provision had the effect of eliminating “bilingual” classes in most cases.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_4_bilingual-education.html" type="external">According to a 2009 report in City Journal</a>:</p>
<p>Hispanic test scores on a range of subjects have risen since Prop. 227 became law….</p>
<p>Two broad observations about the aftermath of Prop. 227 are incontestable. First: despite desperate efforts at stonewalling by bilingual diehards within school bureaucracies, the incidence of bilingual education in California has dropped precipitously—from enrolling 30 percent of the state’s English learners to enrolling 4 percent….</p>
<p>Second: California’s English learners have made steady progress on a range of tests since 1998. That progress is all the more impressive since school districts can no longer keep their lowest-performing English learners out of the testing process. In 1998, 29 percent of school districts submitted under half of their English learners to the statewide reading and writing test; today, close to 100 percent of the state’s English learners participate. Despite this, the performance of English learners has improved significantly, from 10 percent scoring “proficient” or “advanced” (the top two categories) in 2003 to 20 percent in 2009. Similarly, on the English proficiency test given to nonnative speakers, the fraction of English learners scoring as “early advanced” or “advanced” (the top two categories) has increased from 25 percent in 2001, when the test was first administered, to 39 percent this year.</p>
<p>(This City Journal article also includes a concise history of the bilingual ed boondoggle, as well as reasons why obtaining more exact data on student achievement is difficult.)</p>
<p>Here’s Martinez describing how the upscale parents pushed for the program:</p>
<p>The initial push didn’t come from working-class immigrant parents but from middle-class newcomers. Courtney Mykytyn, a local mother with a new doctorate in medical anthropology, led the charge for Aldama’s dual-language program. Mykytyn refers to herself and other middle-class, professional parents at the school as the “hummus people,” because that is what they bring to parent potlucks — in contrast to the Doritos or tamales others would bring….</p>
<p>Establishing the program at Aldama took a lot of time and political effort, the kind of time that hummus people tend to have more of. But, Mykytyn says, eventually there was also buy-in from working-class families attracted by promises of higher achievement and cultural pride.</p>
<p>Except, as noted above, bilingual ed does not bring “higher achievement.” It likely doesn’t affect the upscale kids who take it. It’s the “working-class families” who suffer, as always, from schemes like this. Remember the “ <a href="http://www.halcyon.org/wholelan.html" type="external">Whole Language</a>” and “ <a href="http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=3110" type="external">New New math</a>” fads of two decades ago that decimated educations across California until they were jettisoned?</p>
<p>My fear is that these programs will grow into a resurgence of bilingual ed for&#160;all students for whom English is not the first language. Bilingual ed teachers get extra training and extra pay, encouraging school districts to advance bilingual ed to get more money.</p>
<p>The programs also enjoy the promotion of groups such as the California Association for Bilingual Education. <a href="http://www.bilingualeducation.org/about_cabe.php" type="external">Here’s how it describes itself</a>:</p>
<p>The California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1976 to promote bilingual education and quality educational experiences for all students in California. CABE has 5,000 members with over 60 chapters/affiliates, all working to promote equity and student achievement for students with diverse cultural, racial, and linguistic backgrounds. CABE recognizes and honors the fact that we live in a rich multicultural, global society and that respect for diversity makes us a stronger state and nation.</p>
<p>CABE’s vision: “Biliteracy and Educational Equity for All”</p>
<p>The problem is that bilingual ed, after decades in use, failed to deliver the educational achievement that was promised.</p>
<p>Certainly, learning a second or even third language is to be encouraged. But the traditional way of teaching each language by itself, which is followed everywhere else in the world, is the proper method, not bilingual ed.</p>
<p>Most kids in California schools, of course, do not have a professor as a parent. Many often come from poor backgrounds. Their best hope of making it in American society is learning English, by far the main business language both of the United States and the global economy. When German and Southern Korean business executives get together, they speak English.</p>
<p>That was the reasoning behind Prop. 227: At least get the kids to learn English at a decent level of proficiency. That’ll be a good start. A second language can be taught on top of that.</p>
<p>Another problem is that of funding. <a href="" type="internal">As I reported last year</a>, the L.A. Unified School District spends an incredible $30,000 a year per student. Yet the district’s <a href="http://californiaschildren.typepad.com/californias-children/2010/06/hs-grad-rates-plumet-in-ca.html" type="external">high-school graduation rate is just 40.6 percent,</a> the second lowest in the country after Detroit’s rate. There’s a strong disconnect between cost and performance.</p>
<p>As usual, a government system — in this case, the public schools — doesn’t perform well and costs too much. If the bilingual ed program Martinez is touting spreads to other schools, performance will drop even further.</p>
<p>Kids at the lowest rung of the educational ladder will suffer as a result. Their one chance at making it in America, learning English, will have been taken from them.</p>
<p>“We need to constantly keep an eye on this stuff,” Izumi warned. “It’s amazing how much slips through the cracks.”</p>
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april 26 2011 john seiler bilingual education may creeping back california160yesterdays los angeles times included oped ruben martinez160a professor literature writing loyola marymount university new bilingual ed program public school children attend wants twins grow bilingual spoke spanish wife spoke english people kids lives also spoke english160he advised method colleague rebeca acevedo linguist professor spanish loyola marymount university martinez writes thoughts werent much minds moved to160 mount washington neighborhood topranked elementary school top hill heard aldama elementary school neighboring highland park recently inaugurated duallanguage immersion program maybe id finally get backup spanish public school classroom less programs like aldamas combine english learners english proficient students half days lessons english half socalled target language the160 los angeles unified school district duallanguage programs spanish korean mandarin increasingly popular average growth rate four five new programs year doubled year prop 227 bans programs public schools lance izumi told hes160 koret senior fellow education studies pacific research institute calwatchdogcoms parent think tank see people trying skirt prop 227 time said theyve trying since initiative passed bringing bilingual education cover dual immersion thats phrase martinez write used aldama elementarys program izumi pointed 2008 study bilingual ed dead found pockets resistance across state prop 227s implementation im parents teaching children however wish thats private parochial schools well home schools public schools funded taxpayers supposed follow law case prop 227 professor major university martinez uppermiddle class children growing environment encourages learning probably attend major universities izumi pointed bilingual ed dual immersion allowed prop 227 parental waver one year even dual immersion supposed overwhelmingly english said even transition prop 227 kids englishlanguage learners supposed become englishonly year genuine improvement california politics recent decades demise mostly bilingual education becuase of160 ron unzs proposition 227 1998 called english children initiative160 according ballotpedia prop 227 requires california public schools teach limited english proficient students special classes taught nearly english provision effect eliminating bilingual classes cases according 2009 report city journal hispanic test scores range subjects risen since prop 227 became law two broad observations aftermath prop 227 incontestable first despite desperate efforts stonewalling bilingual diehards within school bureaucracies incidence bilingual education california dropped precipitouslyfrom enrolling 30 percent states english learners enrolling 4 percent second californias english learners made steady progress range tests since 1998 progress impressive since school districts longer keep lowestperforming english learners testing process 1998 29 percent school districts submitted half english learners statewide reading writing test today close 100 percent states english learners participate despite performance english learners improved significantly 10 percent scoring proficient advanced top two categories 2003 20 percent 2009 similarly english proficiency test given nonnative speakers fraction english learners scoring early advanced advanced top two categories increased 25 percent 2001 test first administered 39 percent year city journal article also includes concise history bilingual ed boondoggle well reasons obtaining exact data student achievement difficult heres martinez describing upscale parents pushed program initial push didnt come workingclass immigrant parents middleclass newcomers courtney mykytyn local mother new doctorate medical anthropology led charge aldamas duallanguage program mykytyn refers middleclass professional parents school hummus people bring parent potlucks contrast doritos tamales others would bring establishing program aldama took lot time political effort kind time hummus people tend mykytyn says eventually also buyin workingclass families attracted promises higher achievement cultural pride except noted bilingual ed bring higher achievement likely doesnt affect upscale kids take workingclass families suffer always schemes like remember whole language new new math fads two decades ago decimated educations across california jettisoned fear programs grow resurgence bilingual ed for160all students english first language bilingual ed teachers get extra training extra pay encouraging school districts advance bilingual ed get money programs also enjoy promotion groups california association bilingual education heres describes california association bilingual education cabe nonprofit organization incorporated 1976 promote bilingual education quality educational experiences students california cabe 5000 members 60 chaptersaffiliates working promote equity student achievement students diverse cultural racial linguistic backgrounds cabe recognizes honors fact live rich multicultural global society respect diversity makes us stronger state nation cabes vision biliteracy educational equity problem bilingual ed decades use failed deliver educational achievement promised certainly learning second even third language encouraged traditional way teaching language followed everywhere else world proper method bilingual ed kids california schools course professor parent many often come poor backgrounds best hope making american society learning english far main business language united states global economy german southern korean business executives get together speak english reasoning behind prop 227 least get kids learn english decent level proficiency thatll good start second language taught top another problem funding reported last year la unified school district spends incredible 30000 year per student yet districts highschool graduation rate 406 percent second lowest country detroits rate theres strong disconnect cost performance usual government system case public schools doesnt perform well costs much bilingual ed program martinez touting spreads schools performance drop even kids lowest rung educational ladder suffer result one chance making america learning english taken need constantly keep eye stuff izumi warned amazing much slips cracks 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160
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<p>ERBIL, Iraq —&#160;Abu Ahmed can remember the first time he received a phone call from the Islamic State.</p>
<p>It was late last June and he was still in his hometown of Tikrit. His phone rang. A voice on the line addressed him by his full name and said simply: “Pledge never to practice law again or else we’ll destroy your home," and then hung up.&#160;</p>
<p>A prominent lawyer who practiced civil law in the city for decades, Abu Ahmed spoke on condition that he only be referred to by his nickname to protect him and his family.</p>
<p>“After that [phone call] I didn’t feel comfortable [staying in Tikrit],” Abu Ahmed explained slowly.</p>
<p>“I could see that my family was afraid and the situation just became too uncomfortable." So they fled, first to Kirkuk, then to Erbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north.</p>
<p>As Islamic State fighters wage war against Iraqi government forces, government-aligned Shia militias and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, they have also launched another fight to dismantle Iraqi society from the inside out by specifically targeting technocrats. The extremist militant group that controls nearly a third of Iraq is now targeting lawyers, professors and doctors, driving Iraq’s educated elite out of the urban areas it controls.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/140929/how-two-teenagers-yazidi-girls-sinjar-escaped-islamic-state" type="external">Captured by the Islamic State, these two teenagers went through hell. Then they ran</a></p>
<p>This development is compounding Iraq’s larger brain drain problem. Even before Mosul and Tikrit fell to the Islamic State, the majority of Iraq’s educated elite was moving abroad to escape violence and instability.</p>
<p>After weeks of phone conversations, Abu Ahmed agreed to meet GlobalPost at a cafe in one of Erbil’s malls to tell his story. He’s cautious, he says, because he’s seen what the Islamic State has done to his colleagues: some have been executed, most have had their homes and cars confiscated. Others have had their houses destroyed.</p>
<p>“According to their ideology, people who practice law go against Islamic principles,” Abu Ahmed says, “But these people who support [the Islamic State] a lot of them are from the villages, they are not educated. Even their religious education is not accurate.”</p>
<p>Like almost all of Tikrit’s civilian residents, Abu Ahmed and his family are now displaced. But unlike the average Iraqi Abu Ahmed says he’s still being threatened from afar. His main concern is his home in Tikrit. That building, he explains, is “everything” to him and represents all of his investments for his and his family's future.</p>
<p>“Just two days ago they called me again with the same threat,” Abu Ahmed says.</p>
<p>According to Ahmed, the Islamic State learned who practiced law in Tikrit after its fighters seized records from the city’s Bar Association building. Since then the group has methodically targeted the city's lawyers with phone calls and visits to their homes. All come with similar messages: pledge never to practice law again or we’ll destroy or confiscate your home.</p>
<p>“[From the point of view of the Islamic State] they’re basically the worst of the possible traitors,” says Zaid al-Ali, a former legal advisor to the United Nations in Iraq. “Theoretically it's because they don’t recognize Iraqi law. For them Iraqi law is apostate law.”</p>
<p>But the real motivation behind the Islamic States threats, al-Ali argues, is economic. “They want to take over people’s property. They’re thieves basically,” al-Ali says. “All this is just an excuse to steal people’s houses and their cars and their money.”</p>
<p>A similar campaign is underway in Mosul.</p>
<p>Unlike Tikrit, Mosul is still home to a sizable civilian population, about a million residents according to estimates from aid organizations.&#160;</p>
<p>“All my old colleagues, they’re all gone, fled to Turkey or the Kurdish areas,” explained one former businessman in Mosul, who spoke via Skype because cell phone lines in the city have been cut.</p>
<p>“Mosul people, they are originally very educated,” the former businessman said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “But now all the doctors, the engineers, the people with high degrees they are gone.”</p>
<p>While three main hospitals remain open in Mosul, the former businessman claims they’re staffed only by a small number of doctors fresh out of medical school. He says these young professionals are forced to spend most of their time tending to the wounds of injured Islamic State fighters who get priority treatment over civilians.</p>
<p>He claims the city’s universities are facing a similar situation. Professors of medicine, history and chemistry have all been forced to stop teaching because their subjects were deemed to be against Islam, a claim the former businessman describes as “so ignorant.”</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/iraq/140810/man-lost-63-relatives-the-islamic-state" type="external">This man has lost 63 relatives to the Islamic State</a></p>
<p>The former businessman says after nearly six months of Islamic State rule in Mosul, “there’s no society left.”</p>
<p>Abu Ahmed, the lawyer from Tikrit, has five daughters, all highly educated. One is a teacher, another has a masters degree in biology and two have degrees in law. At the moment, there’s no work for them in Iraq and almost all are looking to leave the country to practice in their fields.</p>
<p>But Abu Ahmed says that doesn’t discourage him.</p>
<p>He believes the Islamic State will ultimately fail to rule Iraq. The country’s educated, Abu Ahmed says, see through the group’s flimsy ideology.</p>
<p>“They know that we can distinguish from the law they say is Islamic and the real Islamic law. We know the true way to apply Islamic principles. That’s why we are a threat to them.”&#160;</p>
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erbil iraq 160abu ahmed remember first time received phone call islamic state late last june still hometown tikrit phone rang voice line addressed full name said simply pledge never practice law else well destroy home hung up160 prominent lawyer practiced civil law city decades abu ahmed spoke condition referred nickname protect family phone call didnt feel comfortable staying tikrit abu ahmed explained slowly could see family afraid situation became uncomfortable fled first kirkuk erbil iraqs semiautonomous kurdish region north islamic state fighters wage war iraqi government forces governmentaligned shia militias kurdish peshmerga forces also launched another fight dismantle iraqi society inside specifically targeting technocrats extremist militant group controls nearly third iraq targeting lawyers professors doctors driving iraqs educated elite urban areas controls globalpost captured islamic state two teenagers went hell ran development compounding iraqs larger brain drain problem even mosul tikrit fell islamic state majority iraqs educated elite moving abroad escape violence instability weeks phone conversations abu ahmed agreed meet globalpost cafe one erbils malls tell story hes cautious says hes seen islamic state done colleagues executed homes cars confiscated others houses destroyed according ideology people practice law go islamic principles abu ahmed says people support islamic state lot villages educated even religious education accurate like almost tikrits civilian residents abu ahmed family displaced unlike average iraqi abu ahmed says hes still threatened afar main concern home tikrit building explains everything represents investments familys future two days ago called threat abu ahmed says according ahmed islamic state learned practiced law tikrit fighters seized records citys bar association building since group methodically targeted citys lawyers phone calls visits homes come similar messages pledge never practice law well destroy confiscate home point view islamic state theyre basically worst possible traitors says zaid alali former legal advisor united nations iraq theoretically dont recognize iraqi law iraqi law apostate law real motivation behind islamic states threats alali argues economic want take peoples property theyre thieves basically alali says excuse steal peoples houses cars money similar campaign underway mosul unlike tikrit mosul still home sizable civilian population million residents according estimates aid organizations160 old colleagues theyre gone fled turkey kurdish areas explained one former businessman mosul spoke via skype cell phone lines city cut mosul people originally educated former businessman said speaking condition anonymity doctors engineers people high degrees gone three main hospitals remain open mosul former businessman claims theyre staffed small number doctors fresh medical school says young professionals forced spend time tending wounds injured islamic state fighters get priority treatment civilians claims citys universities facing similar situation professors medicine history chemistry forced stop teaching subjects deemed islam claim former businessman describes ignorant globalpost man lost 63 relatives islamic state former businessman says nearly six months islamic state rule mosul theres society left abu ahmed lawyer tikrit five daughters highly educated one teacher another masters degree biology two degrees law moment theres work iraq almost looking leave country practice fields abu ahmed says doesnt discourage believes islamic state ultimately fail rule iraq countrys educated abu ahmed says see groups flimsy ideology know distinguish law say islamic real islamic law know true way apply islamic principles thats threat them160
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<p>March 13, 2013</p>
<p>By Katy Grimes</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>SACRAMENTO —&#160;Anti-gun lawmakers in the California state Senate and Assembly have been busy advancing legislation to further control guns.</p>
<p>On March 7, the state Senate passed SJR 1, a resolution by state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis. It urges the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to enact a comprehensive gun violence prevention policy, including prohibiting the sale of military-style assault weapons and “high-capacity magazines.” It also encouraged strengthening&#160;criminal background checks.</p>
<p>The resolution essentially was another California finger-wagging measure aimed at shaming the rest of the country into following the Golden State’s lead.&#160;Wolk and colleagues are feeling emboldened by President Barack Obama’s recent executive orders purportedly aimed at reducing gun violence. Obama even called the issue a “public health crisis.”</p>
<p>“The president is determined to resurrect a previously failed Clinton tactic to build public support for stringent gun control gun regulations premised upon trumped-up ‘guns as a public disease’ rationale based upon federally-funded medical pseudo-research,” Forbes’ Larry Bell <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/02/12/why-the-centers-for-disease-control-should-not-receive-gun-research-funding/" type="external">recently wrote</a>.</p>
<p>Obama declared:</p>
<p>“While year after year, those who oppose even modest gun-safety measures have threatened to defund scientific or medical research into the causes of gun violence, I will direct the Centers for Disease Control to go ahead and study the best ways to reduce it.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/02/12/why-the-centers-for-disease-control-should-not-receive-gun-research-funding/" type="external">Said</a>&#160;Bell,&#160;“Perhaps the president has forgotten that the CDC has previously been funded, then later defunded, regarding medical research for gun violence.&#160; His directive, if funded again by Congress, would end a virtual 17-year ban which stipulates, quite appropriately, that none of CDC’s federal financing can be used to advocate or promote gun control…exactly what CDC was originally doing.”</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sjr_1_bill_20130118_introduced.pdf" type="external">SJR 1</a> doesn’t change California law,” said Wolk. “Rather, it aims to bring federal law in line with California law, which already prohibits the possession of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, requires universal background checks, and a 10-day waiting or ‘cooling- off’ period for the purchase and transfer of firearms.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sjr_1_bill_20130118_introduced.pdf" type="external">SJR 1</a>“urges” the President and Congress&#160;to take the necessary steps to ensure all states report to the federal background check system. But the resolution is just a resolution, and doesn’t specify how to enforce this requirement. It “urges.”</p>
<p>“Since few states regulate assault weapons and high-capacity assault magazines, and because California’s borders are porous, Californians continue to be victimized by weapons purchased elsewhere and brought illegally into our state,” said Wolk, using the same tired “porous border” argument as her colleagues who oppose gun ownership.</p>
<p>Wolk said she is authoring the resolution at the behest of Napa area Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson, a Vietnam War veteran and sport hunter, who was appointed by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco to head&#160;the Democratic Caucus’s&#160; <a href="http://mikethompson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=319295" type="external">Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in the U.S. House of Representatives.</a></p>
<p>“Thompson likes to tout his firearms bona fides: hunter, gun owner and a tour in Vietnam with an assault rifle,” wrote my CalWatchdog.com colleague Dave Roberts. “But the&#160; <a href="http://www.nra.org/home.aspx" type="external">National Rifle Association</a>&#160;doesn’t consider Thompson a gun rights supporter, scoring him just&#160; <a href="http://votesmart.org/interest-group/1034/rating/6568" type="external">17 percent on gun rights</a>&#160;votes in 2012. There’s also not a lot of gun rights support on the rest of the task force — eight of its 12 members received scores of zero by the NRA.”</p>
<p>“This measure supports the efforts of the President, Congressman Thompson, and others who are working to take comprehensive federal action to prevent gun violence while protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” Wolk said on the Senate floor during debate Thursday. “Without a comprehensive federal approach to curbing gun violence, our laws will fall short of providing the security our citizens expect.”</p>
<p>The state Senate also recently passed <a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB140" type="external">SB 140</a>, by Senator Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, which would allow the Department of Justice to take illegal firearms away from convicted felons, the mentally unstable and parolees.&#160;But existing laws already ban guns for such people.</p>
<p><a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB140" type="external">SB 140</a> would appropriate $24 million from the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account to the Department of Justice to address the backlog in the Armed Prohibited Persons System.</p>
<p>SB 140 allows the California Department of Justice to use “existing resources” to enhance the identification and confiscation of handguns and assault weapons in the hands of convicted felons, persons who are determined to be mentally unstable, and others who have criminal backgrounds that prevent them from legally possessing guns.&#160;That’s how the Democratic-controlled Senate wants this bill described.</p>
<p>However, the <a href="http://www.firearmspolicy.org/the-issues/california/2013-2014/sb140/" type="external">Firearms Policy Coalition</a> describes SB 140 a little differently:</p>
<p>“Takes millions of unconstitutionally-collected Dealer Record of Sales funds to compensate for the failure of more than 500 local law enforcement agencies not enforcing existing gun laws. Uses Dealer Record of Sales&#160;funds to pay for CA DOJ expansion, including raids and confiscation of weapons from those whom the State deems to be prohibited based on unreliable data from an untrustworthy list.”</p>
<p>“Our reinvestment in this statewide identification program will help eliminate a troubling backlog and growing mountain of illegal weapons, which threatens public safety in our communities and prevents us from enforcing existing firearms laws,” Leno said.</p>
<p>But the Firearms Policy Coalition&#160; <a href="http://www.firearmspolicy.org/the-issues/california/2013-2014/sb140/" type="external">said</a>,&#160;“This bill would require DOJ to create reports politicians would use to advance their anti-gun agenda and does not set limits on how DOJ may use the re-appropriated funds.”</p>
<p>The California Department of Justice has identified 19,784 Californians who illegally own firearms. The new bills would do nothing to help reduce that number. Instead, law-abiding Californians would be prosecuted for defending themselves.</p>
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march 13 2013 katy grimes sacramento 160antigun lawmakers california state senate assembly busy advancing legislation control guns march 7 state senate passed sjr 1 resolution state sen lois wolk ddavis urges us congress president barack obama enact comprehensive gun violence prevention policy including prohibiting sale militarystyle assault weapons highcapacity magazines also encouraged strengthening160criminal background checks resolution essentially another california fingerwagging measure aimed shaming rest country following golden states lead160wolk colleagues feeling emboldened president barack obamas recent executive orders purportedly aimed reducing gun violence obama even called issue public health crisis president determined resurrect previously failed clinton tactic build public support stringent gun control gun regulations premised upon trumpedup guns public disease rationale based upon federallyfunded medical pseudoresearch forbes larry bell recently wrote obama declared year year oppose even modest gunsafety measures threatened defund scientific medical research causes gun violence direct centers disease control go ahead study best ways reduce said160bell160perhaps president forgotten cdc previously funded later defunded regarding medical research gun violence160 directive funded congress would end virtual 17year ban stipulates quite appropriately none cdcs federal financing used advocate promote gun controlexactly cdc originally sjr 1 doesnt change california law said wolk rather aims bring federal law line california law already prohibits possession assault weapons largecapacity magazines requires universal background checks 10day waiting cooling period purchase transfer firearms sjr 1urges president congress160to take necessary steps ensure states report federal background check system resolution resolution doesnt specify enforce requirement urges since states regulate assault weapons highcapacity assault magazines californias borders porous californians continue victimized weapons purchased elsewhere brought illegally state said wolk using tired porous border argument colleagues oppose gun ownership wolk said authoring resolution behest napa area democratic rep mike thompson vietnam war veteran sport hunter appointed house democratic leader nancy pelosi san francisco head160the democratic caucuss160 gun violence prevention task force us house representatives thompson likes tout firearms bona fides hunter gun owner tour vietnam assault rifle wrote calwatchdogcom colleague dave roberts the160 national rifle association160doesnt consider thompson gun rights supporter scoring just160 17 percent gun rights160votes 2012 theres also lot gun rights support rest task force eight 12 members received scores zero nra measure supports efforts president congressman thompson others working take comprehensive federal action prevent gun violence protecting second amendment rights lawabiding citizens wolk said senate floor debate thursday without comprehensive federal approach curbing gun violence laws fall short providing security citizens expect state senate also recently passed sb 140 senator mark leno dsan francisco senate president pro tem darrell steinberg dsacramento would allow department justice take illegal firearms away convicted felons mentally unstable parolees160but existing laws already ban guns people sb 140 would appropriate 24 million dealers record sale special account department justice address backlog armed prohibited persons system sb 140 allows california department justice use existing resources enhance identification confiscation handguns assault weapons hands convicted felons persons determined mentally unstable others criminal backgrounds prevent legally possessing guns160thats democraticcontrolled senate wants bill described however firearms policy coalition describes sb 140 little differently takes millions unconstitutionallycollected dealer record sales funds compensate failure 500 local law enforcement agencies enforcing existing gun laws uses dealer record sales160funds pay ca doj expansion including raids confiscation weapons state deems prohibited based unreliable data untrustworthy list reinvestment statewide identification program help eliminate troubling backlog growing mountain illegal weapons threatens public safety communities prevents us enforcing existing firearms laws leno said firearms policy coalition160 said160this bill would require doj create reports politicians would use advance antigun agenda set limits doj may use reappropriated funds california department justice identified 19784 californians illegally firearms new bills would nothing help reduce number instead lawabiding californians would prosecuted defending
| 602 |
<p>Faced with a growing chorus of concern among municipalities, California legislators are about to consider an innovative approach to the regulation of marijuana — tightening standards for the prescription and supply of medical-use pot. Though one new bill offers what looks like a common-sense approach, it raises serious questions about whether its measures are simply too late in the game to address the root issues surrounding the medicalization of marijuana.</p>
<p>Californians broadly share a sense that the current regime isn’t adequate. As Laura Olson <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marijuana-603995-medical-state.html" type="external">reports</a> in the Orange County Register, state Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, is advancing an approach pushed by the California Police Chiefs Association and the League of California Cities, marking the first time either organization has proposed any regulatory framework aside from outright criminalization.</p>
<p>Marijuana advocates count that as a “major breakthrough,” as Dale Gieringer, California director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/03/6202302/california-cities-police-chiefs.html" type="external">told</a> the Sacramento Bee. They’re concerned, however, that Correa’s bill creates more problems than it resolves. Key to the proposed legislation is a substantial new regulatory regime, involving state audits of doctors and mandatory medical recommendations or referrals for pot users.</p>
<p>With in-state support for more legal pot now <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pot-measure-20140218,0,3213398.story" type="external">hovering around 60 percent</a>, California is at a crossroads. Though decriminalization is often portrayed as a radical alternative to prohibition, it too involves greater regulation and bureaucratic control. Whatever the wisdom of either approach, however, the extralegal use of marijuana is now so robust that toughening up “medical” pot laws may be an exercise in futility.</p>
<p>Pot prohibition has a long, complicated and revealing history. As the late Charles Whitebread, professor of law at the University of Southern California, liked to <a href="http://druglibrary.net/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlrtoc.htm" type="external">explain</a>, prohibition was a decades-long process involving just as much ignorance and hysteria as sound science — if not more.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, as Americans grow increasingly willing to consider liberalizing marijuana laws, the most important question facing voters, regulators and officeholders concerns the future of pot, not its past. Yet if the origins of marijuana prohibition point to one sort of nonsense, contemporary trends toward decriminalization have laid bare an absurdity of a different kind.</p>
<p>For decades, it has been true in America that if something can be defined as medicine, it can swiftly be defined as good. The explosive growth of prescription drug use has fueled concerns around drugs ranging from Prozac in the early 1990s to Oxycontin in more recent years.</p>
<p>The potential for prescription drug abuse is massive. But the mass consumption of these drugs, like the industry that supplies them, is basically unassailable. There is no political room for those who would presume to deprive Americans of the medicine they need to ameliorate their suffering.</p>
<p>That’s exactly how marijuana has managed to push its way back into the mainstream. In the latest advance, as The Washington Post documents, the so-called “mommy lobby” is now playing a pivotal role in influencing legislators, with emotional, TV-ready testimony about the pot <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/mommy-lobby-emerges-as-a-powerful-advocate-for-medical-marijuana-for-children/2014/03/02/296ad1e2-9a38-11e3-b88d-f36c07223d88_story.html" type="external">they say</a> their sick kids require. Rather than the natural quality of marijuana, its comparatively mild effects, and its more limited harm to health versus other intoxicants, including alcohol, marijuana decriminalization has ridden in on the potent claim that if it helps people who are badly hurting, so it must not be withheld by law.</p>
<p>However insightful or humane that belief may be, it has swiftly produced the kind of unintended consequences that economic and social theory readily predict. Not only have Americans’ experiences with medical pot opened the door for decriminalizing non-medical use everywhere from Colorado to Washington, D.C.; the definition of “medical” use has almost completely escaped the reach of legislators and regulators. Marijuana dispensaries are flourishing under the most slim and vague of medical pretexts.</p>
<p>That’s good news, perhaps, for those who think marijuana does more good than harm. But it’s bad news for those who think the rule of law does the most good of all.</p>
<p>That’s why California’s police chiefs and cities want to tighten up the state’s permissive medical marijuana regime. Pot may now be so prevalent, however, that tougher enforcement will simply exacerbate the problem of a flourishing black and gray market. Instead of a challenge like keeping, say, cocaine use down, cracking down on “medical” pot may be much more akin to the daunting task of alcohol prohibition.</p>
<p>California municipalities charted <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/04/20/americas-40-highest-cities.html" type="external">six times</a> in The Daily Beast’s 2010 rankings of America’s top 40 pot smoking cities. Just this year, a Movoto analysis <a href="http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/highest-cities-in-america/" type="external">placed</a> six California cities in the top 10.</p>
<p>With levels of use this high, policymakers are poised to discover that neither outright prohibition nor tougher dispensary laws may deliver the results they want, for the costs they’re willing to pay. At that point, the case for using government to fight marijuana use may fall back simply on moral claims about cultural dynamism and the character of the people.</p>
<p>Gov. Jerry Brown focused on precisely that issue in an interview aired on <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-gov-jerry-brown-legal-pot-we-need-stay-alert-n42776" type="external">Meet The Press</a>. Citing “a tendency to go to extremes,” he asked, “How many people can get stoned and still have a great state or a great nation?”</p>
<p>As America’s unease with explicitly moral legislation grows, that’s an especially pregnant question.</p>
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faced growing chorus concern among municipalities california legislators consider innovative approach regulation marijuana tightening standards prescription supply medicaluse pot though one new bill offers looks like commonsense approach raises serious questions whether measures simply late game address root issues surrounding medicalization marijuana californians broadly share sense current regime isnt adequate laura olson reports orange county register state sen lou correa dsanta ana advancing approach pushed california police chiefs association league california cities marking first time either organization proposed regulatory framework aside outright criminalization marijuana advocates count major breakthrough dale gieringer california director national organization reform marijuana laws told sacramento bee theyre concerned however correas bill creates problems resolves key proposed legislation substantial new regulatory regime involving state audits doctors mandatory medical recommendations referrals pot users instate support legal pot hovering around 60 percent california crossroads though decriminalization often portrayed radical alternative prohibition involves greater regulation bureaucratic control whatever wisdom either approach however extralegal use marijuana robust toughening medical pot laws may exercise futility pot prohibition long complicated revealing history late charles whitebread professor law university southern california liked explain prohibition decadeslong process involving much ignorance hysteria sound science nevertheless americans grow increasingly willing consider liberalizing marijuana laws important question facing voters regulators officeholders concerns future pot past yet origins marijuana prohibition point one sort nonsense contemporary trends toward decriminalization laid bare absurdity different kind decades true america something defined medicine swiftly defined good explosive growth prescription drug use fueled concerns around drugs ranging prozac early 1990s oxycontin recent years potential prescription drug abuse massive mass consumption drugs like industry supplies basically unassailable political room would presume deprive americans medicine need ameliorate suffering thats exactly marijuana managed push way back mainstream latest advance washington post documents socalled mommy lobby playing pivotal role influencing legislators emotional tvready testimony pot say sick kids require rather natural quality marijuana comparatively mild effects limited harm health versus intoxicants including alcohol marijuana decriminalization ridden potent claim helps people badly hurting must withheld law however insightful humane belief may swiftly produced kind unintended consequences economic social theory readily predict americans experiences medical pot opened door decriminalizing nonmedical use everywhere colorado washington dc definition medical use almost completely escaped reach legislators regulators marijuana dispensaries flourishing slim vague medical pretexts thats good news perhaps think marijuana good harm bad news think rule law good thats californias police chiefs cities want tighten states permissive medical marijuana regime pot may prevalent however tougher enforcement simply exacerbate problem flourishing black gray market instead challenge like keeping say cocaine use cracking medical pot may much akin daunting task alcohol prohibition california municipalities charted six times daily beasts 2010 rankings americas top 40 pot smoking cities year movoto analysis placed six california cities top 10 levels use high policymakers poised discover neither outright prohibition tougher dispensary laws may deliver results want costs theyre willing pay point case using government fight marijuana use may fall back simply moral claims cultural dynamism character people gov jerry brown focused precisely issue interview aired meet press citing tendency go extremes asked many people get stoned still great state great nation americas unease explicitly moral legislation grows thats especially pregnant question
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<p>Editor’s note: We recently published Steve Harmon’s and Curtis Freeman’s <a href="" type="internal">response</a> to the Southern Baptist Convention’s affirmation of the theological concept of penal substitutionary atonement. That prompted a <a href="http://www.centerforbaptistrenewal.com/blog/2017/7/6/baptist-catholicity-and-penal-substitutionary-atonement" type="external">reply</a> from two Southern Baptist writers, Lucas Stamps and Matthew Emerson. Harmon and Freeman are continuing the conversation with the following piece.</p>
<p>We want to express our appreciation to Lucas Stamps and Matthew Emerson in their <a href="http://www.centerforbaptistrenewal.com/evangelical-baptist-catholicity-a-manifesto/" type="external">call</a> for Southern Baptists to reclaim the whole of the Christian faith and heritage. We regard them as fellow pilgrims on a journey, not of returning to an un-historicized ideal of biblical Christianity or even to our radically reformed Baptist roots, but toward participation in the life of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, which encompasses more, not less, of our identity in Christ. As fellow travelers, we share much in common, especially in the desire to reclaim the catholicity that belongs to all Christians. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, all things are ours, and we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s (1 Cor. 3:21-23). This is the catholicity we seek. Yet the nature of this unity is a matter of contestation. We offer a rejoinder to their <a href="http://www.centerforbaptistrenewal.com/blog/2017/7/6/baptist-catholicity-and-penal-substitutionary-atonement" type="external">response</a> to our <a href="" type="internal">article</a> on violence and the atonement, then, not as an act of debate or correction, but rather of clarification.</p>
<p>We want to be clear that we seek to embrace all biblical images of the drama of God’s reconciling work in Jesus Christ. We share the concern expressed in the Southern Baptist <a href="http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/2278/on-the-necessity-of-penal-substitutionary-atonement" type="external">resolution</a> that the language of Christ’s vicarious suffering is inescapable, and indeed essential to the gospel. Scripture attests to him as bearing “our infirmities and diseases,” being “wounded for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities,” and having “laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6). Though prophetic texts like this one have a complex hermeneutical horizon, we nevertheless share the conviction with the earliest Christians and with Christians through the ages, who identified these descriptions as finding their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth (Act 8:35).</p>
<p>Part of our struggle is with the suggestion that this suffering is more, or rather different. That Christ’s death is penal. That the cross should be thought of primarily, if not exclusively, as canceling the guilt of past transgression. Our problem with this expression is that penal suffering is not redemptive suffering. As Baptist theologian W.&#160;T. Conner put it in his classic statement The Gospel of Redemption, “The cross of Christ as presented in the New Testament does more than cancel the guilt of past sin; it is the one and only source and dynamic of the Christian life.” We worry that in pushing back so hard against critics who refuse to accept the vicarious suffering of Jesus, the Southern Baptist statement narrows the scope of Christ’s redemptive work to this one image, and in so doing impoverishes the gospel.</p>
<p>To give a faithful account of the deliverance of God in Jesus Christ requires more than telling the story of the cross. Any theology that seeks to do justice to the whole of Scripture must understand Christ’s atoning work as transformational, encompassing his life, death, resurrection and glorification. It demands a presentation of the incarnate faithfulness of Jesus Christ who, as Athanasius of Alexandria succinctly said, “became what we are that we might become what he is.” The problem is that for much of evangelical theology, the Incarnation simply does no theological work. It only serves the purpose of getting Jesus to earth so he can die for our sins. Here we note that the Nicene Creed confesses that “for us humans and for our salvation [Christ] came down from the heavens and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.”</p>
<p>It is not surprising, then, that the Apostle Paul declares that “we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,” and thus “having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10). It is this sense of being saved by Christ’s life, not simply by his death, that we turn to the non-violent servanthood embodied in the life of Jesus as a source of our transformation. By learning to follow him in this way of radical obedience we learn what it means to live into this salvation that he made possible — a way that includes learning to be reconciled with our enemies without resorting to violence.</p>
<p>We commend Matt Emerson’s <a href="https://secundumscripturas.com/2017/06/20/canonical-hermeneutics-and-systemic-injustices/" type="external">critique</a> of evangelical Christians who refuse to address the violent culture of systemic injustice that continues to result in the deaths of so many innocent African Americans. However, we contend that the root of the problem is not simply a “truncated canon,” but rather of a notion of violence that is inherent to the preaching of many evangelical Christians, indeed to many Southern Baptists. As we said in our earlier statement, the preaching of a penal substitutionary view, not merely its caricature, presents an account of the cross in which God is violent and the endorser of violence. We contend that this is a truncated account of the gospel. And we further contend that limiting the redemptive work of Christ to the cross, interpreted exclusively in penal terms, results in (as the SBC resolution explicitly states) “a warrior-savior,” which underwrites and endorses the very violence they wish to critique.</p>
<p>We agree with Stamps and Emerson that “substitution, recapitulation, and victory go hand-in-hand.” But we worry that rather than broadening the scope of God’s reconciling work, the SBC resolution narrows the focus, not just to one image, but to an even narrower “theory of atonement,” which explains, as the resolution states, “what evangelical Baptists have long since preached and believed.” We reject the notion of theorizing the atonement, and instead regard the so-called theories, summarized as “substitution, recapitulation, and victory” to be theological applications of root metaphors in Scripture pointing to the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. To put it simply, we do not believe that any theory sufficiently displays God’s reconciling work.</p>
<p>It is simply not the case that penal substitution is that faith which has been believed “everywhere, always, by all.” It has been and remains a divisive and disputed doctrine, not a catholic one. It is affirmed only by some Protestants, and until recently it was judiciously omitted from the Baptist Faith and Message statements. The early church in its ecumenical councils was wise not to include as the orthodox faith any particular interpretation of the manner in which the cross of Christ saves us. Rather than theorizing, we argue that the only way to give a faithful account of redemption is “to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.” We fear that subsuming the deliverance of God into the conception of “retributive justice,” as Emerson and Stamps suggest, further abstracts our experience of redemption from the Gospel narrative which does not explain how, but only tells by whom this mystery is wrought.</p>
<p>The grace that meets the world in Jesus Christ is a sheer gift that is radically discontinuous with what comes before. In Christ a new world has come. The old humanity of Adam’s race is fallen and imprisoned. It is fading away. The new humanity that comes through Christ is a reconciled and redeemed creation. In Christ the old has passed away, and the new has come into being (2&#160;Cor. 5:17). The reconciling work of Christ thus frees all the sons and daughters of earth from the powers that would determine their lives and opens up the space in which it is possible to live as free people. That is good news.</p>
<p>Related story:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Satisfaction guaranteed: Southern Baptists refute efforts to soften the atonement</a></p>
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editors note recently published steve harmons curtis freemans response southern baptist conventions affirmation theological concept penal substitutionary atonement prompted reply two southern baptist writers lucas stamps matthew emerson harmon freeman continuing conversation following piece want express appreciation lucas stamps matthew emerson call southern baptists reclaim whole christian faith heritage regard fellow pilgrims journey returning unhistoricized ideal biblical christianity even radically reformed baptist roots toward participation life one holy catholic apostolic church encompasses less identity christ fellow travelers share much common especially desire reclaim catholicity belongs christians apostle paul reminds us things christs christ gods 1 cor 32123 catholicity seek yet nature unity matter contestation offer rejoinder response article violence atonement act debate correction rather clarification want clear seek embrace biblical images drama gods reconciling work jesus christ share concern expressed southern baptist resolution language christs vicarious suffering inescapable indeed essential gospel scripture attests bearing infirmities diseases wounded transgressions crushed iniquities laid iniquity us isaiah 5346 though prophetic texts like one complex hermeneutical horizon nevertheless share conviction earliest christians christians ages identified descriptions finding fulfillment jesus nazareth act 835 part struggle suggestion suffering rather different christs death penal cross thought primarily exclusively canceling guilt past transgression problem expression penal suffering redemptive suffering baptist theologian w160t conner put classic statement gospel redemption cross christ presented new testament cancel guilt past sin one source dynamic christian life worry pushing back hard critics refuse accept vicarious suffering jesus southern baptist statement narrows scope christs redemptive work one image impoverishes gospel give faithful account deliverance god jesus christ requires telling story cross theology seeks justice whole scripture must understand christs atoning work transformational encompassing life death resurrection glorification demands presentation incarnate faithfulness jesus christ athanasius alexandria succinctly said became might become problem much evangelical theology incarnation simply theological work serves purpose getting jesus earth die sins note nicene creed confesses us humans salvation christ came heavens became incarnate holy spirit virgin mary surprising apostle paul declares reconciled god death son thus reconciled saved life rom 510 sense saved christs life simply death turn nonviolent servanthood embodied life jesus source transformation learning follow way radical obedience learn means live salvation made possible way includes learning reconciled enemies without resorting violence commend matt emersons critique evangelical christians refuse address violent culture systemic injustice continues result deaths many innocent african americans however contend root problem simply truncated canon rather notion violence inherent preaching many evangelical christians indeed many southern baptists said earlier statement preaching penal substitutionary view merely caricature presents account cross god violent endorser violence contend truncated account gospel contend limiting redemptive work christ cross interpreted exclusively penal terms results sbc resolution explicitly states warriorsavior underwrites endorses violence wish critique agree stamps emerson substitution recapitulation victory go handinhand worry rather broadening scope gods reconciling work sbc resolution narrows focus one image even narrower theory atonement explains resolution states evangelical baptists long since preached believed reject notion theorizing atonement instead regard socalled theories summarized substitution recapitulation victory theological applications root metaphors scripture pointing redemptive sacrifice christ put simply believe theory sufficiently displays gods reconciling work simply case penal substitution faith believed everywhere always remains divisive disputed doctrine catholic one affirmed protestants recently judiciously omitted baptist faith message statements early church ecumenical councils wise include orthodox faith particular interpretation manner cross christ saves us rather theorizing argue way give faithful account redemption tell old old story jesus love fear subsuming deliverance god conception retributive justice emerson stamps suggest abstracts experience redemption gospel narrative explain tells mystery wrought grace meets world jesus christ sheer gift radically discontinuous comes christ new world come old humanity adams race fallen imprisoned fading away new humanity comes christ reconciled redeemed creation christ old passed away new come 2160cor 517 reconciling work christ thus frees sons daughters earth powers would determine lives opens space possible live free people good news related story satisfaction guaranteed southern baptists refute efforts soften atonement
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<p>CURWOOD: The long awaited dam removal on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park is part of a growing movement to restore rivers that have been hurt by hydropower development. Not only are large-scale dams tough on fish like salmon, they also disrupt other parts of the ecosystem as a whole, and can even contribute to climate change, river advocates say. Jason Rainey is the Director of International Rivers and he joins us now to discuss the Elwha and the state of rivers around the world. Welcome to Living on Earth.</p>
<p>RAINEY: Thanks, its great to be here, Steve.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: So how possible is it to restore a salmon run on a river like the Elwha?</p>
<p>RAINEY: Well the evidence has already come rushing back in. As soon as the dams were breached, the very next run had thousands, tens of thousands of salmon of various species moving into waters that they had not seen in 70 years, so quite remarkable and epic. You need a remnant run to recolonize, but they did so naturally and willingly in this case.</p>
<p>This dam on the Elwha was taken down as part of an effort to restore the natural flow of the river (Photo: Paul Cooper; CC BY 2.0)</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Interesting, because neither those fish or their grandparents or even their great-grandparents had ever made that run.</p>
<p>RAINEY: It's true, but there's something instinctual that it brought them up as far as they could go for generations and generations and generations, and once that barrier was removed, they were able to find better, more suitable spawning grounds.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: How common is what's happening on Elwha? Where else are dams coming down here in America?</p>
<p>RAINEY: Yeah, well in the United States there have been over 1,000 dams removed, a lot of them small dams on the East Coast and eastern seaboard. The Elwha dams are the largest of two that are being removed, but others have been removed in the Pacific Northwest as well and have supported a rebounding of salmon populations and another ecological benefits.</p>
<p>Now the Elwha River runs unimpeded. (Photo: claumoho; Flickr CC BY 2.0)</p>
<p>CURWOOD: What you think about the argument that we need hydropower because it's a renewable source of electricity?</p>
<p>RAINEY: Yeah well that's really the arena that I'm most engaged in these days at International Rivers. There's a hydropower boom happening globally that is unlike any other time before, and the pressure put on the world's rivers is great. My response to that question is that hydropower is really not a renewable resource in the most strict sense of the termit's dirty energy in terms of what it does to polluting rivers and also polluting the climate with methane emissions, and it also fundamentally disrupts the ecological processes of rivers. And solar and wind are examples of true renewable resources that don't fundamentally alter sunlight or fundamentally change wind currents. Large hydrodams are very different story.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Talk to me more about methane and hydropower.</p>
<p>Thai villagers gather at the Thai Supreme Court to voice their opposition to a hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River. (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>RAINEY: Yeah, well, particularly in the tropics when you dam a river and flood an area, the vegetation begins to decompose in anoxic conditions with low oxygen. And the chemical reaction, to just put it very simply, is one that produces methane and methane can be emitted from those reservoirs. There are examples of reservoirs in the Amazon, for example, that are four, five, seven times more climate impact in their emissions than a coal power plant of similar megawatts. So these can be very major contributors to our carbon imbalance. It's estimated that dams and reservoirs account for four percent of anthropogenic carbon emissions globally, which is equivalent to all of the airline traffic globally.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Now, for a number of years the World Bank said it wouldn't fund ginormous dam projects like we're seeing in developing countries. Why are they coming back on the drawing boards?</p>
<p>A boy holds a fish he caught on the Mekong River in Thailand. Critics say that the proposed Don Sahong Dam on the Mekong would be terrible for the fish population. (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>RAINEY: Yeah, that's a great question. They did back away because of a calculus and recognizing that the impacts and the voice of concern from throughout the world was too great and that they couldn't build these projects to meet their environmental and social standards, and that they're also generally not great returns on investment. What's changed is that there are many, many actors involved in hydropower building today: China, Brazil, India, a whole multitude of other development banks that are forming. And the World Bank and the leadership behind itprimarily the United Statesis interested in not losing out, so it's part of a broader geopolitical game, really, that the World Bank is getting involved in hydropower development again.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Now, Jason, your organization, International Rivers, recently released an online platform for looking at the health of the world's rivers. How does that work?</p>
<p>The Salween River in Burma is the largest undammed river in Southeast Asia, and these children want it to stay that way. (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>RAINEY: Yeah, State of the World's Rivers is a Google Earth based platform, and it's a spatial database, which means we've compiled a lot of information about dams. And we've focused on 50 major river basins of the world. And we've also looked at a whole range of indicators of river health if you will, factors such as water quality, biodiversity, the fragmentation of the river, and we've put this all on an interactive map-based platform that allows you to search through these 50 river basins. You can see how the various basins ranked according to one another on these various ecological health indicators.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: So overall, how are the worlds rivers doing?</p>
<p>The fast moving Baker River runs through Patagonia. Sin Represas means Without Dams in Spanish. (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>RAINEY: Well, the world's rivers are in grave crisis. We have over two-thirds of the world's rivers functionally impaired. They're not providing the range of services that they normally would, and we've known that for a long time. What this tool is intended to do is to start a conversation at the same level that is deserving of our climate crisis, which is that the state of the world's rivers is in grave peril, and there is no international institution, no panel of experts, looking squarely at the question of: what are the tipping points, how much is enough, can we dam all our rivers for the sake of hydroelectricity and still have viable societies here on Earth?</p>
<p>CURWOOD: What are we at risk of losing if the river crisis continues unabated, in your view?</p>
<p>Peruvian children watch the Ene River in front of their village in an area that would be flooded by Pakitzapango Dam. (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>RAINEY: Well, to begin with, we already know that we're losing more species in our rivers really than in any other ecosystem. The rate of species extinction is greatest in aquatic freshwater ecosystems, but beyond the animals that will never come back and the food web that they provide, we're really dealing with planetary cycles here. Rivers connect us to deltas and to coastal marine systems; they carve their way through the land and are the ribbon of life in dry and wet communities. So we really are on a grand experiment where we're seeing deltas shrinking and deltas are not just interesting ecological zones with a lot of birds. I mean, these are places where people live and are productive and can be used well, as in the case of the Mekong Delta, which provides rice for a great percentage of Southeast Asia.</p>
<p>Indigenous people protest the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in Brazil (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Some use an analogy and call rivers the "arteries of our planet". If you were to go down that path, those arteries are getting clogged. Are we headed for some sort of metaphorical heart attack?</p>
<p>RAINEY: Yeah, it is a powerful metaphor. We are very much clogging the arteries of the planet, and in many cases, we're doing so under a very simple and false paradigm that says, well, you know the lungs of the planet are ailingthe climate is ailing; the atmosphere is out of balanceand the alternative right now is we'll just dam our way to some sustainable future.</p>
<p>Jason Rainey is the Executive Director of International Rivers (Photo: International Rivers)</p>
<p>RAINEY: And it's really, it's an absurdity from an ecological perspective to think that that's possible and that is exactly what we're confronted in nation after nation and region after region throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia, regions that have very legitimate needs for energy access and development, but are doing so by pushing a mega-dam energy agenda. And that's - it's just a dangerous course for the planet.</p>
<p>CURWOOD: Jason Rainey is Executive Director of International Rivers. It's been my pleasure to speak with you.</p>
<p>RAINEY: Thanks so much, Steve.</p>
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curwood long awaited dam removal elwha river olympic national park part growing movement restore rivers hurt hydropower development largescale dams tough fish like salmon also disrupt parts ecosystem whole even contribute climate change river advocates say jason rainey director international rivers joins us discuss elwha state rivers around world welcome living earth rainey thanks great steve curwood possible restore salmon run river like elwha rainey well evidence already come rushing back soon dams breached next run thousands tens thousands salmon various species moving waters seen 70 years quite remarkable epic need remnant run recolonize naturally willingly case dam elwha taken part effort restore natural flow river photo paul cooper cc 20 curwood interesting neither fish grandparents even greatgrandparents ever made run rainey true theres something instinctual brought far could go generations generations generations barrier removed able find better suitable spawning grounds curwood common whats happening elwha else dams coming america rainey yeah well united states 1000 dams removed lot small dams east coast eastern seaboard elwha dams largest two removed others removed pacific northwest well supported rebounding salmon populations another ecological benefits elwha river runs unimpeded photo claumoho flickr cc 20 curwood think argument need hydropower renewable source electricity rainey yeah well thats really arena im engaged days international rivers theres hydropower boom happening globally unlike time pressure put worlds rivers great response question hydropower really renewable resource strict sense termits dirty energy terms polluting rivers also polluting climate methane emissions also fundamentally disrupts ecological processes rivers solar wind examples true renewable resources dont fundamentally alter sunlight fundamentally change wind currents large hydrodams different story curwood talk methane hydropower thai villagers gather thai supreme court voice opposition hydroelectric dam mekong river photo international rivers rainey yeah well particularly tropics dam river flood area vegetation begins decompose anoxic conditions low oxygen chemical reaction put simply one produces methane methane emitted reservoirs examples reservoirs amazon example four five seven times climate impact emissions coal power plant similar megawatts major contributors carbon imbalance estimated dams reservoirs account four percent anthropogenic carbon emissions globally equivalent airline traffic globally curwood number years world bank said wouldnt fund ginormous dam projects like seeing developing countries coming back drawing boards boy holds fish caught mekong river thailand critics say proposed sahong dam mekong would terrible fish population photo international rivers rainey yeah thats great question back away calculus recognizing impacts voice concern throughout world great couldnt build projects meet environmental social standards theyre also generally great returns investment whats changed many many actors involved hydropower building today china brazil india whole multitude development banks forming world bank leadership behind itprimarily united statesis interested losing part broader geopolitical game really world bank getting involved hydropower development curwood jason organization international rivers recently released online platform looking health worlds rivers work salween river burma largest undammed river southeast asia children want stay way photo international rivers rainey yeah state worlds rivers google earth based platform spatial database means weve compiled lot information dams weve focused 50 major river basins world weve also looked whole range indicators river health factors water quality biodiversity fragmentation river weve put interactive mapbased platform allows search 50 river basins see various basins ranked according one another various ecological health indicators curwood overall worlds rivers fast moving baker river runs patagonia sin represas means without dams spanish photo international rivers rainey well worlds rivers grave crisis twothirds worlds rivers functionally impaired theyre providing range services normally would weve known long time tool intended start conversation level deserving climate crisis state worlds rivers grave peril international institution panel experts looking squarely question tipping points much enough dam rivers sake hydroelectricity still viable societies earth curwood risk losing river crisis continues unabated view peruvian children watch ene river front village area would flooded pakitzapango dam photo international rivers rainey well begin already know losing species rivers really ecosystem rate species extinction greatest aquatic freshwater ecosystems beyond animals never come back food web provide really dealing planetary cycles rivers connect us deltas coastal marine systems carve way land ribbon life dry wet communities really grand experiment seeing deltas shrinking deltas interesting ecological zones lot birds mean places people live productive used well case mekong delta provides rice great percentage southeast asia indigenous people protest belo monte dam xingu river brazil photo international rivers curwood use analogy call rivers arteries planet go path arteries getting clogged headed sort metaphorical heart attack rainey yeah powerful metaphor much clogging arteries planet many cases simple false paradigm says well know lungs planet ailingthe climate ailing atmosphere balanceand alternative right well dam way sustainable future jason rainey executive director international rivers photo international rivers rainey really absurdity ecological perspective think thats possible exactly confronted nation nation region region throughout latin america africa asia regions legitimate needs energy access development pushing megadam energy agenda thats dangerous course planet curwood jason rainey executive director international rivers pleasure speak rainey thanks much steve
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<p>It's no surprise that Chinese visitors come to New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. Those are their top three American destinations. Then there's the next tier — places like Boston. Chinese visitors come here primarily to see Harvard and MIT. Then they leave.</p>
<p>Local businesses would like them to stay a bit longer. There's a simple reason. Jolin Zhou with the Boston-based Chinese tour operator Sunshine Travel told a story of a Chinese man who was recently visiting Boston with his teenage son on a college scouting trip.</p>
<p>"One day he asked my co-worker: 'Can you recommend a meal, a good restaurant, and bring me there? The best restaurant in Boston, no matter how expensive.' My co-worker brought him to a restaurant. They spent $1000 for two of them for dinner."</p>
<p>Zhou told this story to about 75 businesspeople working in the hospitality industry at the State House in Boston. They were gathered for a tourism workshop, hosted by The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, geared at attracting Chinese visitors.</p>
<p>The state of Massachusetts is following the lead of states like California, which has developed a "China Ready" program. They offer a learning kit to teach California businesses how to be better serve Chinese tourists and understand Chinese culture.</p>
<p>China has a middle class of some 300 million people, and more and more of them are travelling internationally. Travelers from China rank ninth in terms of foreign visitors to the United States, but they're the fastest growing group by far. And they're the third biggest spenders when they travel internationally, only behind the Germans and the Americans.</p>
<p>At the Massachusetts State House, people like Evan Saunders were offering local businesses advice on how to tap into those Chinese wallets. Saunders is the CEO of "Attract China," a start-up that helps American businesses, like hotels and restaurants, get noticed online in China.</p>
<p>One of Saunders' clients is the popular Boston restaurant, Legal Sea Foods.</p>
<p>Saunders said the word 'legal,' when associated with a restaurant, can be confusing for Chinese people. He said they market tested it and people in China thought legal meant, "maybe a government-associated company, that is involved in making sure people go to jail if they're not serving the right things."</p>
<p>Not exactly the image you want for your seafood restaurant.</p>
<p>Saunders is trying to correct that by branding Legal Sea Foods in China as "America's Best Sea Food Destination." He's also making his client visible on the Chinese version of Google, where they're more likely to be seen.</p>
<p>Haybina Hao, who is originally from China and now works with the National Tour Association in Kentucky, said it's often the little things that resonate with foreign visitors. For example, Chinese people like soy milk in the morning, and they don't like it served cold.</p>
<p>"So use a microwave, if possible. You can use glass, you can use a little mug to wake them up," Hao told the people at the seminar in Boston. "They will be so happy for their hot milk."</p>
<p>And Hao added, put disposable slippers in hotel rooms. "That really makes them feel great, just like home."</p>
<p>Of course, everybody likes to feel catered to when they travel, no matter where they're from. Americans have long expected the option of American-style food when we travel abroad, and that most everybody will speak at least some English.</p>
<p>David Ritchie, who directs sales and marketing for the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston, came to the State House to learn how to attract more Chinese travelers. He said he already knew about the slippers. However, he says "I didn't realize how important milk and different little things (are) that probably would make a difference to people when they're staying."</p>
<p>But Ritchie said he can't do too much more to cater to a specific group of visitors. For example, a few speakers suggested making Chinese food available at hotels. Ritchie balked at that.</p>
<p>"We invented the Boston crème pie, so we are the American iconic culinary institution," Ritchie said. "I think we're staying with our concept, I think it works."</p>
<p>That's the right strategy, said Donna Quadri, a professor of hospitality and tourism at NYU. She said touches like slippers for Asian travelers or tea for British visitors are nice, but you don't want to be something you're not.</p>
<p>"Travelers really want the authentic experience. When my cousins from Italy come to New York, you know what they want? They want steak and potatoes, right? They want an American hamburger from a neighborhood tavern. They want things that are quintessentially American," said Quadri.</p>
<p>Quadri said it's a mistake to make sweeping generalizations about what international visitors are looking for when they travel. But she said one thing everyone appreciates is hotel staff or guides who speak your language.</p>
<p>Jackie Ennis with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism emphasized that point. "If 700 Chinese visitors show up on your doorstep for a museum tour, and you don't have a Mandarin speaking guide, it could be a little awkward."</p>
<p>But that's something that each hotel or restaurant has to do on its own. Many people I met at the State House in Boston said they're exploring things like Chinese menus or interpreters, but they aren't quite ready to commit.</p>
<p>They'd better get moving. The US Department of Commerce projects the number of Chinese visitors coming to the US to nearly double within three years.</p>
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surprise chinese visitors come new york los angeles washington dc top three american destinations theres next tier places like boston chinese visitors come primarily see harvard mit leave local businesses would like stay bit longer theres simple reason jolin zhou bostonbased chinese tour operator sunshine travel told story chinese man recently visiting boston teenage son college scouting trip one day asked coworker recommend meal good restaurant bring best restaurant boston matter expensive coworker brought restaurant spent 1000 two dinner zhou told story 75 businesspeople working hospitality industry state house boston gathered tourism workshop hosted massachusetts office travel tourism geared attracting chinese visitors state massachusetts following lead states like california developed china ready program offer learning kit teach california businesses better serve chinese tourists understand chinese culture china middle class 300 million people travelling internationally travelers china rank ninth terms foreign visitors united states theyre fastest growing group far theyre third biggest spenders travel internationally behind germans americans massachusetts state house people like evan saunders offering local businesses advice tap chinese wallets saunders ceo attract china startup helps american businesses like hotels restaurants get noticed online china one saunders clients popular boston restaurant legal sea foods saunders said word legal associated restaurant confusing chinese people said market tested people china thought legal meant maybe governmentassociated company involved making sure people go jail theyre serving right things exactly image want seafood restaurant saunders trying correct branding legal sea foods china americas best sea food destination hes also making client visible chinese version google theyre likely seen haybina hao originally china works national tour association kentucky said often little things resonate foreign visitors example chinese people like soy milk morning dont like served cold use microwave possible use glass use little mug wake hao told people seminar boston happy hot milk hao added put disposable slippers hotel rooms really makes feel great like home course everybody likes feel catered travel matter theyre americans long expected option americanstyle food travel abroad everybody speak least english david ritchie directs sales marketing omni parker house hotel boston came state house learn attract chinese travelers said already knew slippers however says didnt realize important milk different little things probably would make difference people theyre staying ritchie said cant much cater specific group visitors example speakers suggested making chinese food available hotels ritchie balked invented boston crÃme pie american iconic culinary institution ritchie said think staying concept think works thats right strategy said donna quadri professor hospitality tourism nyu said touches like slippers asian travelers tea british visitors nice dont want something youre travelers really want authentic experience cousins italy come new york know want want steak potatoes right want american hamburger neighborhood tavern want things quintessentially american said quadri quadri said mistake make sweeping generalizations international visitors looking travel said one thing everyone appreciates hotel staff guides speak language jackie ennis massachusetts office travel tourism emphasized point 700 chinese visitors show doorstep museum tour dont mandarin speaking guide could little awkward thats something hotel restaurant many people met state house boston said theyre exploring things like chinese menus interpreters arent quite ready commit theyd better get moving us department commerce projects number chinese visitors coming us nearly double within three years
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<p>By Gary A. Grappo</p>
<p>DENVER — Since last August, the Palestinians have suffered serious blows to their aspirations of statehood. Their own leaders failed them twice and Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected after rejecting the idea that there would be a Palestinian state under his leadership. So, what now for the nearly 4.5 million Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza?</p>
<p>In the disastrous Gaza campaign launched last August by Israel against Hamas, more than 2,000 Gazans and 70 Israelis were killed. Damage to Gaza’s dilapidated infrastructure amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. More than 120,000 Gazan homes were destroyed.</p>
<p>The accord that eventually ended the senseless violence did nothing to improve the misery in Gaza. As of today, Gazans have seen little of the $5.4 billion in aid <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/10/12/pledged-gaza-strip-after-israel-hamas-war/jHhrn6RPGIUZ8KZq5NPjOP/story.html" type="external">pledged</a> after the conflict ended.</p>
<p>Not to be outdone, the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority went to the UN Security Council in December seeking a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/world/middleeast/resolution-for-palestinian-state-fails-in-security-council.html?_r=0" type="external">UN Security Council resolution</a> to force Israel into a peace agreement within one year.</p>
<p>Despite warnings against this maneuver by the US and other governments friendly to the Palestinian cause, President Mahmoud Abbas persisted. He resisted softer language that might have earned him a few more votes and even an American abstention. He also rebuffed offers of a vote postponement that might have given him a new and more receptive Security Council.</p>
<p>Then, Israeli voters re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged in his campaign never to accept a Palestinian state. Though he later recanted, Netanyahu’s re-election merely reaffirms what many Palestinians long suspected: Israel will never accept a Palestinian state under any terms.</p>
<p>These events are the latest of a long series of one-step-forward-two-steps-back disappointments for the Palestinians since the 1948 Palestine War. They, along with their sympathizers in the region and elsewhere, may be justified in concluding that there is no option now but to resist harshly.</p>
<p>But harsh tactics aimed at punishing Israelis won’t work. Palestinians must especially avoid violence. Such a response would fall into the trap laid for them by Netanyahu that independence for Palestinians is tantamount to a launch pad for extremist violence against Israel.</p>
<p>Netanyahu is wrong, and the Palestinians must prove him wrong. Palestinians must turn inward and ask themselves what they can do to change the dynamic. They must take firm control of matters in which their actions can genuinely advance their interests. They must take charge of their own affairs, beginning with elections to choose new leaders.</p>
<p>Last August and December, the leaders of Hamas and Fatah launched respective campaigns for the same reason — to shore up declining support for themselves.&#160;</p>
<p>Palestinians have scant regard for their leaders, who predictably resort to well-worn playbooks when they detect a decline in their political support. The Hamas game is costly armed conflict against Israel. For the Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, it is fruitless appeals to the UN or the Security Council.</p>
<p>Such repeated and hopeless efforts demonstrate the bankrupt policies and uninspired leadership of Palestine’s political mainstays. It is time for the Palestinian people, with international community support, to rise up and clean their own house.</p>
<p>Fatah celebrated its 50th anniversary in December. That’s 50 years of failing to improve Palestinian lives and 50 years of rejecting multiple opportunities to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Camp David in 1979; Oslo and its immediate aftermath in the 1990s; Camp David II in 2000; the Condi Rice-Abu Alaa negotiations of 2007; and the Secretary of State Kerry-brokered talks that broke down last spring.</p>
<p>In those recent talks, the Palestinians finally got an American-inspired, presidentially backed framework with which to work, one that even had the tacit acceptance of Netanyahu. But Abbas demurred, preferring instead to sign pointless documents of accession to various international organizations.</p>
<p>Hamas, barely half as old but just as ineffective, has instigated multiple armed conflicts with Israel that have not improved the lives of Gazans. It has repeatedly resisted negotiation and will not recognize of the state of Israel. This has earned Hamas marginalization by the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the United States.</p>
<p>Palestinians are unjustly constrained by Israel’s illegal occupation and building of settlements. But that doesn’t excuse the endemic corruption, political featherbedding and aimless, selfish leadership that characterized Hamas and Fatah.</p>
<p>Both parties have become an anachronism. Hamas is rejected by the international community for espousing violence against Israel. Fatah is a virtual carbon copy absent the advocacy of violence.</p>
<p>The Palestinians must bring to power leaders who are pragmatic, honest and genuinely committed to meet with Israel and negotiate a final settlement.</p>
<p>The new leadership must level with the Palestinian people about the tough compromises necessary to reach such an agreement. They must not squander foreign aid, which has totaled <a href="http://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22967.pdf" type="external">$8.5 billion</a> since 2007. They must be committed to establishing effective and responsive institutions of democratic governance.</p>
<p>Palestinians need leaders dedicated to the betterment of their people and determined to establish a functioning and independent state that can live peacefully and work effectively with Israel.</p>
<p>Such leaders will be impossible for Israelis and even for Mr. Netanyahu to ignore.</p>
<p>Gary Grappo is a retired senior Foreign Service officer from the State Department. He has served in the Middle East, including as US ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Head of Mission of the Jerusalem-based Office of the Quartet Representative and Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in Baghdad.</p>
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gary grappo denver since last august palestinians suffered serious blows aspirations statehood leaders failed twice benjamin netanyahu reelected rejecting idea would palestinian state leadership nearly 45 million palestinians west bank gaza disastrous gaza campaign launched last august israel hamas 2000 gazans 70 israelis killed damage gazas dilapidated infrastructure amounted hundreds millions dollars 120000 gazan homes destroyed accord eventually ended senseless violence nothing improve misery gaza today gazans seen little 54 billion aid pledged conflict ended outdone fatahdominated palestinian authority went un security council december seeking un security council resolution force israel peace agreement within one year despite warnings maneuver us governments friendly palestinian cause president mahmoud abbas persisted resisted softer language might earned votes even american abstention also rebuffed offers vote postponement might given new receptive security council israeli voters reelected prime minister benjamin netanyahu pledged campaign never accept palestinian state though later recanted netanyahus reelection merely reaffirms many palestinians long suspected israel never accept palestinian state terms events latest long series onestepforwardtwostepsback disappointments palestinians since 1948 palestine war along sympathizers region elsewhere may justified concluding option resist harshly harsh tactics aimed punishing israelis wont work palestinians must especially avoid violence response would fall trap laid netanyahu independence palestinians tantamount launch pad extremist violence israel netanyahu wrong palestinians must prove wrong palestinians must turn inward ask change dynamic must take firm control matters actions genuinely advance interests must take charge affairs beginning elections choose new leaders last august december leaders hamas fatah launched respective campaigns reason shore declining support themselves160 palestinians scant regard leaders predictably resort wellworn playbooks detect decline political support hamas game costly armed conflict israel fatah palestinian authority fruitless appeals un security council repeated hopeless efforts demonstrate bankrupt policies uninspired leadership palestines political mainstays time palestinian people international community support rise clean house fatah celebrated 50th anniversary december thats 50 years failing improve palestinian lives 50 years rejecting multiple opportunities settle israelipalestinian conflict camp david 1979 oslo immediate aftermath 1990s camp david ii 2000 condi riceabu alaa negotiations 2007 secretary state kerrybrokered talks broke last spring recent talks palestinians finally got americaninspired presidentially backed framework work one even tacit acceptance netanyahu abbas demurred preferring instead sign pointless documents accession various international organizations hamas barely half old ineffective instigated multiple armed conflicts israel improved lives gazans repeatedly resisted negotiation recognize state israel earned hamas marginalization united nations european union russia united states palestinians unjustly constrained israels illegal occupation building settlements doesnt excuse endemic corruption political featherbedding aimless selfish leadership characterized hamas fatah parties become anachronism hamas rejected international community espousing violence israel fatah virtual carbon copy absent advocacy violence palestinians must bring power leaders pragmatic honest genuinely committed meet israel negotiate final settlement new leadership must level palestinian people tough compromises necessary reach agreement must squander foreign aid totaled 85 billion since 2007 must committed establishing effective responsive institutions democratic governance palestinians need leaders dedicated betterment people determined establish functioning independent state live peacefully work effectively israel leaders impossible israelis even mr netanyahu ignore gary grappo retired senior foreign service officer state department served middle east including us ambassador sultanate oman head mission jerusalembased office quartet representative minister counselor political affairs us embassy baghdad
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<p>The West’s confrontation over Iran’s nuclear program is heating up — yet again.</p>
<p>This week, Iranian negotiators will square off with the (bureaucratically-dubbed) P5+1 — the five permanent UN Security Council members, plus Germany. They’ll meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan.&#160;</p>
<p>The stakes are getting higher, and the pressure is building.</p>
<p>In recent months, the world has imposed unprecedented sanctions on Iran, and its <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/120108/iran-economy-hit-increased-tensions-west" type="external">economy has been battered as a result</a>. In response, Iran has threatened to disrupt tanker traffic in the Straits of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil flows.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has grown increasingly impatient. Last fall he demanded that President Barack Obama declare “red lines” that it would not let Iran cross. Naysayers have <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120424/israel-iran-netanyahu-election" type="external">dismissed some of Netanyahu’s hawkish rhetoric as political posturing, ahead of the January 2013 elections</a>. But no one disputes that an Iranian nuclear weapon <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R42443.pdf" type="external">would pose an existential threat to Israel</a>. Netanyahu insists that the world must act before Iran has sufficient nuclear material for bomb, a milestone that it could reach this year, barring intervention.</p>
<p>So the prospect of military action — a move that could destabilize the Middle East — can’t be ruled out.</p>
<p>State-side, <a href="http://www.people-press.org/2012/02/15/public-takes-strong-stance-against-irans-nuclear-program/" type="external">most Americans say</a>&#160;they would support the Obama administration if it decided to use force to prevent Iran from getting nukes. The US has built a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203363504577187420287098692.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_News_BlogsModule" type="external">30,000-pound "bunker-buster" bomb</a>&#160;called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, meant for nuclear sites, and is now working on a bigger bomb needed to destroy Iran’s most durable installations.</p>
<p>UPDATE: On Wednesday Feb. 27, talks ended with an agreement to convene each side's nuclear experts in Istanbul in March 18, followed by more high level negotiations in Almaty on April 5-6. Iran's negotiator commented that "world leaders are taking a 'more realistic approach,' to the Iranian nuclear standoff," <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130227/irans-jalili-hails-more-realistic-nuclear-talks" type="external">AFP reported</a>. &#160;However, there was no evidence that Iran would accomodate the P5+1's demands, and the only identifiable accomplishment was the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21598792?cid=nlc-dailybrief-daily_news_brief-link6-20130227" type="external">agreement to keep talking</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>The confrontation boils down to this:&#160;Iran claims its rapidly advancing nuclear program is solely civilian; the West accuses it of&#160;pursuing technology that would eventually enable it&#160;to build nuclear weapons&#160;— and its evidence is strong.</p>
<p>The details get arcane quickly, but the current controversy centers mainly on centrifuges and the enriched uranium they produce. At lower levels, there are legitimate non-military uses for enriched uranium. It can power nuclear reactors (enriched at a level of 3 to 5 percent uranium-235), or be used for medical and research purposes (20 percent), or for making bombs (90 percent). The same centrifuge technology — albeit at different intensity — is used for each level of enrichment.</p>
<p>Iran admits that it is producing 20 percent enriched uranium, for the Tehran Research Reactor, which has been operational since 1967.</p>
<p>Legitimate concerns arise because that 20-percent-enriched fuel is dangerously close to what is needed to produce a nuclear weapon.</p>
<p>As the <a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL34544.pdf" type="external">Congressional Research Service noted in October 2012</a>&#160;“little additional effort [beyond the 20 percent level] would be required to use this uranium to produce weapons-grade enriched uranium.” While there are additional hurdles to producing a viable nuclear weapon, obtaining this weapons-grade uranium is widely seen as the biggest challenge.&#160;</p>
<p>Iran’s claims to have legitimate national interest in enriching uranium don’t necessarily hold up. The international community has long urged Iran to purchase nuclear fuel from other countries; Indeed, its research reactor now runs on Argentine fuel. This would obviate Iran’s need for the centrifuges that can be used to create weapons material. Still, Iran has insisted on enriching the fuel itself, claiming this is needed as a safeguard against possible fuel supply disruptions.</p>
<p>So how close is Iran to actually having a nuclear weapon?&#160;That’s a big question, without a reliable answer. Here’s what we know: The US government’s <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/international/20071203_release.pdf" type="external">2007 National Intelligence Estimate</a>&#160;indicated that although Iran had exerted “considerable effort from at least the late 1980s to 2003 to develop such weapons,” it appeared to have halted actual weapons-building efforts (but not enrichment) in 2003, in response to international pressure.</p>
<p>However, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/18/AR2011021805632.html" type="external">the classified 2010 version of the intelligence estimate found</a>, according to the Washington Post, that Iran had resumed "early stage research and development work on aspects of the manufacturing process for a nuclear weapon." And National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/world/middleeast/us-agencies-see-no-move-by-iran-to-build-a-bomb.html" type="external">told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence</a>&#160;in February last year, “They are certainly moving on that path, but we don’t believe they have actually made the decision to go ahead with a nuclear weapon.” &#160;</p>
<p>If Iran decides to resume building a nuke in earnest, the project could be completed in relatively short time, but not overnight. In January 2012, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated that Iran would “need about a year” to produce a nuclear weapon, and “possibly another two years” to incorporate it into a missile. Clapper estimated that “it would probably take Iran longer than a year to produce a nuclear weapon.”</p>
<p>Whether or not we’d even know if Iran decided to build a nuke is not clear. In 1968, Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which allows international inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to confirm whether it is abiding by its commitment not to produce weapons. IAEA monitors at least some of Iran’s facilities, and would “almost certainly” detect attempts to produce weapons grade uranium in them, according to the Congressional Research Service.</p>
<p>But, CRS adds, “Tehran would probably use covert facilities for this purpose.”</p>
<p>So why is tension between the UN and Iran mounting? Under its <a href="http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Infcircs/Others/infcirc214.pdf" type="external">treaty obligations</a>, Iran must disclose all of its nuclear facilities to the IAEA, and allow inspectors to ensure that technology is not being used for bombs.</p>
<p>Iran has&#160; <a href="http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Board/2012/gov2012-55.pdf" type="external">declared</a>&#160;16 nuclear facilities and nine sites where nuclear material is used. ( <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2012/01/201211272451573612.html" type="external">This map</a>&#160;locates and details some, and here’s a <a href="http://www.isisnucleariran.org/sites/alpha/" type="external">list</a>&#160;of its nuclear-related sites.)</p>
<p>But the IAEA has long been frustrated (to put it mildly) by Iran’s lack of cooperation.</p>
<p>The current showdown began in August 2002, when an Iranian exile group held a press conference disclosing “that Iran had built nuclear-related facilities at Natanz and Arak that it had not revealed to the IAEA” according to the Congressional Research Service. At least some of this information proved to be accurate, and later inspections led IAEA to reveal “a variety of clandestine nuclear-related activities, some of which violated” Iran’s non-proliferation treaty obligations.</p>
<p>Presented with evidence that Iran may not be restricting its nuclear program to peaceful activities, the UN Security Council demanded that Iran cease work on uranium enrichment (and on a separate, as-of-yet-completed heavy-water reactor, which could ultimately produce plutonium, another nuclear weapon material). Iran has rejected these demands.</p>
<p>Moreover, Iran has blocked inspectors from examining Parchin, a military base where Western intelligence and satellite imagery have led experts to believe that Tehran could be testing nuclear bomb triggers, another key weapon technology.</p>
<p>Iran’s refusal to allow access means the agency is unable to “conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.”(This is discussed in IAEA reports filed in <a href="http://www.cfr.org/iran/implementation-npt-safeguards-agreement-islamic-republic-iran-february-2010/p21476" type="external">Feb. 2010</a>, <a href="http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Board/2011/gov2011-65.pdf" type="external">Nov. 2011</a>, <a href="http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Board/2012/gov2012-37.pdf" type="external">Aug. 2012</a>, and in its most recent <a href="http://www.isisnucleariran.org/assets/pdf/IAEA_Iran_Safeguards_report_--_21_Feb_2013.pdf" type="external">Feb. 2013 report.</a>)</p>
<p>So far, however, the IAEA has “not found a smoking gun” implicating Iran in nuclear weapons production.</p>
<p>So will this latest round of negotiations end with a diplomatic breakthrough? French deputy foreign ministry spokesman <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/us-nuclear-iran-iaea-idUSBRE91K0XD20130221" type="external">Vincent Floreani said</a>&#160;the Security Council was preparing to offer Iran "significant new elements." But based on the track record, an accord is not likely.&#160;</p>
<p>Please share with journalist David Case on Twitter:&#160; <a href="http://twitter.com/DCaseGP" type="external">Follow @DCaseGP</a></p>
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wests confrontation irans nuclear program heating yet week iranian negotiators square bureaucraticallydubbed p51 five permanent un security council members plus germany theyll meet almaty kazakhstan160 stakes getting higher pressure building recent months world imposed unprecedented sanctions iran economy battered result response iran threatened disrupt tanker traffic straits hormuz strategic chokepoint onefifth worlds oil flows meanwhile israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu grown increasingly impatient last fall demanded president barack obama declare red lines would let iran cross naysayers dismissed netanyahus hawkish rhetoric political posturing ahead january 2013 elections one disputes iranian nuclear weapon would pose existential threat israel netanyahu insists world must act iran sufficient nuclear material bomb milestone could reach year barring intervention prospect military action move could destabilize middle east cant ruled stateside americans say160they would support obama administration decided use force prevent iran getting nukes us built 30000pound bunkerbuster bomb160called massive ordnance penetrator meant nuclear sites working bigger bomb needed destroy irans durable installations update wednesday feb 27 talks ended agreement convene sides nuclear experts istanbul march 18 followed high level negotiations almaty april 56 irans negotiator commented world leaders taking realistic approach iranian nuclear standoff afp reported 160however evidence iran would accomodate p51s demands identifiable accomplishment agreement keep talking160 confrontation boils this160iran claims rapidly advancing nuclear program solely civilian west accuses of160pursuing technology would eventually enable it160to build nuclear weapons160 evidence strong details get arcane quickly current controversy centers mainly centrifuges enriched uranium produce lower levels legitimate nonmilitary uses enriched uranium power nuclear reactors enriched level 3 5 percent uranium235 used medical research purposes 20 percent making bombs 90 percent centrifuge technology albeit different intensity used level enrichment iran admits producing 20 percent enriched uranium tehran research reactor operational since 1967 legitimate concerns arise 20percentenriched fuel dangerously close needed produce nuclear weapon congressional research service noted october 2012160little additional effort beyond 20 percent level would required use uranium produce weaponsgrade enriched uranium additional hurdles producing viable nuclear weapon obtaining weaponsgrade uranium widely seen biggest challenge160 irans claims legitimate national interest enriching uranium dont necessarily hold international community long urged iran purchase nuclear fuel countries indeed research reactor runs argentine fuel would obviate irans need centrifuges used create weapons material still iran insisted enriching fuel claiming needed safeguard possible fuel supply disruptions close iran actually nuclear weapon160thats big question without reliable answer heres know us governments 2007 national intelligence estimate160indicated although iran exerted considerable effort least late 1980s 2003 develop weapons appeared halted actual weaponsbuilding efforts enrichment 2003 response international pressure however classified 2010 version intelligence estimate found according washington post iran resumed early stage research development work aspects manufacturing process nuclear weapon national intelligence director james r clapper told senate select committee intelligence160in february last year certainly moving path dont believe actually made decision go ahead nuclear weapon 160 iran decides resume building nuke earnest project could completed relatively short time overnight january 2012 defense secretary leon panetta stated iran would need year produce nuclear weapon possibly another two years incorporate missile clapper estimated would probably take iran longer year produce nuclear weapon whether wed even know iran decided build nuke clear 1968 iran signed nuclear nonproliferation treaty allows international inspectors international atomic energy agency confirm whether abiding commitment produce weapons iaea monitors least irans facilities would almost certainly detect attempts produce weapons grade uranium according congressional research service crs adds tehran would probably use covert facilities purpose tension un iran mounting treaty obligations iran must disclose nuclear facilities iaea allow inspectors ensure technology used bombs iran has160 declared16016 nuclear facilities nine sites nuclear material used map160locates details heres list160of nuclearrelated sites iaea long frustrated put mildly irans lack cooperation current showdown began august 2002 iranian exile group held press conference disclosing iran built nuclearrelated facilities natanz arak revealed iaea according congressional research service least information proved accurate later inspections led iaea reveal variety clandestine nuclearrelated activities violated irans nonproliferation treaty obligations presented evidence iran may restricting nuclear program peaceful activities un security council demanded iran cease work uranium enrichment separate asofyetcompleted heavywater reactor could ultimately produce plutonium another nuclear weapon material iran rejected demands moreover iran blocked inspectors examining parchin military base western intelligence satellite imagery led experts believe tehran could testing nuclear bomb triggers another key weapon technology irans refusal allow access means agency unable conclude nuclear material iran peaceful activitiesthis discussed iaea reports filed feb 2010 nov 2011 aug 2012 recent feb 2013 report far however iaea found smoking gun implicating iran nuclear weapons production latest round negotiations end diplomatic breakthrough french deputy foreign ministry spokesman vincent floreani said160the security council preparing offer iran significant new elements based track record accord likely160 please share journalist david case twitter160 follow dcasegp
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<p>PARIS, France — The city of lights has an old, dark secret. Beneath its bustling streets, a pitch-black labyrinth of centuries-old subterranean galleries and caverns remains a magnet for spelunkers and street artists, disillusioned youth and thrill seekers.</p>
<p>With a rendezvous at midnight, this excursion wasn’t an ordinary visit to the tourist-tailored catacombs, the underground ossuary in south Paris filled to the rafters with femurs, tibias and skulls. The skeletal remains of about 6 million Parisians found their final resting place there after they were moved from overcrowded cemeteries for sanitary reasons in the late 18th to mid-19th centuries. Rather, our visit would take place in the miles of off-limits catacombs.</p>
<p>The adventurers who agreed to take me underground had plenty of warnings: Their primary concern was that we would encounter the special police who patrol portions of the 285 kilometers that make up Paris’ underground network and whose main task is to keep out intruders and protect the historical treasure trove that tells the story of the city’s origins. Members of the brigade circulate regularly during high traffic periods, like on weekends, or if they read on the internet about a gathering. Fines start as low as 35 euros, but one of my guides said he had to pay 110 euros when he was caught. And back down he went.</p>
<p>The pre-descent talk turned to rumors and urban legends, like the notorious rave parties known to attract large crowds who cause damage, leave litter and attract police. One member of the group had heard the more sinister tale of a serial killer who decapitated victims and discarded their bodies in the Seine and in the underground quarry.</p>
<p>A sculpture and graffiti left by wanderers underneath Paris' streets. (Mildrade Cherfils/GlobalPost)</p>
<p>Asked if they were aware of any nefarious activity, such as rapes or worse, one of our guides said confidently that as with any closed community, anyone involved in such acts would be “smoked out” immediately. “People talk,” said 24-year-old Cesar, who has been visiting the underground for about six years. Robberies have been known to occur but he had not had any problems.</p>
<p>Thus reassured we tried unsuccessfully to slip underground at several locations, including through a manhole located about a block away from a police station, that had been sealed. Did it mean there had been a police crackdown? Luckily, someone had a car so we piled in and drove to another entrance. Clad in high rubber boots and wearing headlamps, Cesar and Thibaut, who started exploring regularly in September, led the way.</p>
<p>Carefully avoiding shards of glass, five of us entered through an uneven hole in the ground into the otherworldly maze where we would spend the next several hours. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, we proceeded single file on a quick-paced march to what seemed like nowhere in particular. Falling behind was not an option since each person relied on the light of the person in front to illuminate the way.</p>
<p>Before long, we were hunched over in narrow spaces, wading in knee-deep waters, bumping our heads against low ceilings, breaking a sweat. Attempts to keep my sneakers dry by stepping gingerly in the footsteps of the person in front were futile. The only alternative was to roll up my jeans, grin and bear the cold, murky water. The temperature inside is usually between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.</p>
<p>After twisting and turning through various halls, we happened upon nine other explorers who looked to be students in their mid-20s. They gathered under a candle chandelier, smoking and drinking beer, some wearing hard hats. The groups exchanged information. Did you see the police? How did you get in? How will you get out?</p>
<p>We carried on together after minutes of bantering at the foot of a miniature stone castle. Along the way, a lone guy wandering around with a map joined our ranks, now 15 strong, describing how he’d gotten drunk and decided to come down for a tour. We passed a chamber christened “the beach” because of a mural of a blue ocean, and waves on the wall. A large SpongeBob SquarePants mural didn’t seem out of place. Nearby, the date 1895 was inscribed on a marker. The amount of graffiti told its own story.</p>
<p>Our eventual destination was a room that required each person to climb a wall and dive headfirst into a hole barely large enough to fit one person. Once inside the cavity, members of the group lit candles and passed around snacks, including a loaf of bread found earlier on a street bench, cheeses, sausages and cookies, as well as beer and a bottle of wine. The jokes flowed as easily as conversations about Iraq, French government and history, and the young peoples’ helplessness to change the society. The young man who had been exploring alone brought ravioli and had enough supplies, he said, to last three days — just in case. Just because you get in doesn't mean, you'll get out.</p>
<p>Amid the legends, one story stood out, going back to the time of the French Revolution. Philibert Aspairt was a doorman at Val de Grace, the military hospital where President Nicolas Sarkozy was treated this summer after his malaise. One night in 1793, the story goes, Aspairt descended into the quarry alone and was not seen until 11 years later when a team tasked with studying the topography of the underground discovered his gnawed remains grasping a set of keys, just meters from an exit.</p>
<p>A widely visited tomb erected in his honor bears this inscription: “In memory of Philibert Aspairt, lost in this mine on 3 November 1793, found 11 years later and buried in the same place on 30 April 1804.”</p>
<p>Emerging into the morning light, Thibaut marveled at the shock of color of the outside world. I marveled at our coup: no police, no rats and no one left behind.</p>
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paris france city lights old dark secret beneath bustling streets pitchblack labyrinth centuriesold subterranean galleries caverns remains magnet spelunkers street artists disillusioned youth thrill seekers rendezvous midnight excursion wasnt ordinary visit touristtailored catacombs underground ossuary south paris filled rafters femurs tibias skulls skeletal remains 6 million parisians found final resting place moved overcrowded cemeteries sanitary reasons late 18th mid19th centuries rather visit would take place miles offlimits catacombs adventurers agreed take underground plenty warnings primary concern would encounter special police patrol portions 285 kilometers make paris underground network whose main task keep intruders protect historical treasure trove tells story citys origins members brigade circulate regularly high traffic periods like weekends read internet gathering fines start low 35 euros one guides said pay 110 euros caught back went predescent talk turned rumors urban legends like notorious rave parties known attract large crowds cause damage leave litter attract police one member group heard sinister tale serial killer decapitated victims discarded bodies seine underground quarry sculpture graffiti left wanderers underneath paris streets mildrade cherfilsglobalpost asked aware nefarious activity rapes worse one guides said confidently closed community anyone involved acts would smoked immediately people talk said 24yearold cesar visiting underground six years robberies known occur problems thus reassured tried unsuccessfully slip underground several locations including manhole located block away police station sealed mean police crackdown luckily someone car piled drove another entrance clad high rubber boots wearing headlamps cesar thibaut started exploring regularly september led way carefully avoiding shards glass five us entered uneven hole ground otherworldly maze would spend next several hours adrenaline coursing veins proceeded single file quickpaced march seemed like nowhere particular falling behind option since person relied light person front illuminate way long hunched narrow spaces wading kneedeep waters bumping heads low ceilings breaking sweat attempts keep sneakers dry stepping gingerly footsteps person front futile alternative roll jeans grin bear cold murky water temperature inside usually 55 60 degrees fahrenheit twisting turning various halls happened upon nine explorers looked students mid20s gathered candle chandelier smoking drinking beer wearing hard hats groups exchanged information see police get get carried together minutes bantering foot miniature stone castle along way lone guy wandering around map joined ranks 15 strong describing hed gotten drunk decided come tour passed chamber christened beach mural blue ocean waves wall large spongebob squarepants mural didnt seem place nearby date 1895 inscribed marker amount graffiti told story eventual destination room required person climb wall dive headfirst hole barely large enough fit one person inside cavity members group lit candles passed around snacks including loaf bread found earlier street bench cheeses sausages cookies well beer bottle wine jokes flowed easily conversations iraq french government history young peoples helplessness change society young man exploring alone brought ravioli enough supplies said last three days case get doesnt mean youll get amid legends one story stood going back time french revolution philibert aspairt doorman val de grace military hospital president nicolas sarkozy treated summer malaise one night 1793 story goes aspairt descended quarry alone seen 11 years later team tasked studying topography underground discovered gnawed remains grasping set keys meters exit widely visited tomb erected honor bears inscription memory philibert aspairt lost mine 3 november 1793 found 11 years later buried place 30 april 1804 emerging morning light thibaut marveled shock color outside world marveled coup police rats one left behind
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<p>The World recently aired " <a href="http://www.theworld.org/familychoices" type="external">Family Choices: Fertility and Infertility in Africa</a>," a series from our South Africa correspondent <a href="http://twitter.com/anderskelto" type="external">Anders Kelto</a> that explored cultural and economic pressures that many parents in Africa face around family planning issues. Kelto's stories spanned issues about the perceptions of family size, attitudes of men towards contraception, and the stigma of childlessness in Africa. But what cultural, socioeconomic or health factors weigh into the size of families here in America? Public radio stations around the county picked up this debate. Stations <a href="http://wfae.org/post/planning-family-size" type="external">WFAE</a>, <a href="http://wvxu.org/post/choosing-family-size" type="external">WVXU</a>, <a href="http://www.ideastream.org/soi/entry/55844" type="external">WCPN</a>, and <a href="http://kcur.org/post/family-choices-when-or-whether-have-kids" type="external">KCUR</a> debated the economics of family size, the changing ideals around the perfect number of children, and to what extent "choice" over family size realistically factors in for American women and parents-to-be.</p>
<p>The economics of family size</p>
<p>Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery, associate professor of sociology at Catawba College, offered an important perspective on WFAE's "Charlotte Talks" by pointing out that children in the US have historically gone from economic assets to economic boons. In the 1800s, Dr. Vandergriff-Avery pointed out, children were seen as economic assets, providing work and income to help their parents. Children today, however, cost parents thousands -- if not hundreds of thousands -- of dollars. A 2011 study by the US Department of Agriculture <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/21/pf/cost_raising_child/index.htm" type="external">estimated</a> that a typical middle-income family in the United States will spend more than $200,000 to raise a child born today. The cost of having children has changed the dynamic of planning for and having children, argued Dr. Barbara Arrighi, associate professor of Sociology at Northern Kentucky University, in WVXU's "Cincinnati Edition." Because of the high cost of bearing and raising a child, Arrighi said, men are increasingly looking for an economic partner. On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151798078679326&amp;set=a.69585304325.69028.16030044325&amp;type=1" type="external">KCUR's Facebook page</a>, many listeners agreed that the economics of family size have become the limiting factor in family size decisions. One child "was all I could afford or handle," wrote Anna Marie Nedeau. "Children are expensive."</p>
<p>What do Americans consider "the right size" family?</p>
<p>Many of the panel discussed the ideals around family size and number of children. The ideal of two children is the most prevalent across the country, said S. Philip Morgan, professor of sociology and director of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The second most popular choice is three children, followed by one child.</p>
<p>Fewer than 10 percent say they don't want any children, but this number is much larger than it has been in the past, said Lisa Neidert of the Population Studies Center on "Charlotte Talks." In fact, childlessness in the United States has doubled since 1970, a trend that illustrates the "upending of the romanticized view of the traditional family." Social pressures on women to have babies have decreased, argued Neidert. "The norms against childlessness are weakening. The decision to have a child is seen more and more as an individual choice, and the social pressure on couples and the mother is diminished now."</p>
<p>Many of the talk shows discussed how stigmatization around family size has in fact gone to the other extreme -- to families with many children. "Cincinnati Edition" caller Abigail, from a family with 10 children, argued that larger families are looked down upon in the US. Abigail and Julie's perspectives contrasted with the world painted by Kelto in his "Family Choices" story about the <a href="http://www.theworld.org/2013/08/south-africa-infertile-in-a-land-of-kids/" type="external">stigmatization of childless women in South Africa</a>. Yet, despite the shift away from large families in the US, the "Sound of Ideas" panel agreed that the country was still a "pronatalist" culture. The show's host, Mike McIntyre, pointed out that you never hear the question "Why do you have kids?" You only hear, "Why don't you have kids?"</p>
<p>To what extent do American families actually plan family size?</p>
<p>In "Charlotte Talks," S. Philip Morgan pointed out that even today, half of conceptions in the United States are not planned. Even with the United States' high contraception use rate, which an August 2013 Guttmacher Institue report <a href="http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contr_use.html" type="external">estimated</a>&#160;is 62 percent of women of reproductive age, Morgan said that parents will retrospectively report that between 10 and 20 percent of children were born after they intended to have no additional children.</p>
<p>Dr. Alan Singer, therapist and author of “Creating Your Perfect Family Size,” voiced his disbelief on "Cincinnati Edition"&#160;how little people think of and actively plan their family size. He cited a <a href="http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/754-new-demography-of-motherhood.pdf" type="external">Pew Research study</a>&#160;that asked "What are the reasons why you had a child?" in which one-third of respondents said there was no reason why - that the conception just happened. "That sends chills down my spine," said Dr. Singer. "There is just not enough thought being given." However, because of the education around and increasing efficacy of contraception in the United States, the level of premeditation when it comes to family size is at its highest ever.</p>
<p>So what factors lead parents-to-be to decide how many children to have? Dr. Dynan argued that "external pressures" like family and friends are a great influence on this decision. For example, you might see how well your brother's three children play together and want to have a similar dynamic. Another deliberate choice that women and parents are increasingly making is to delay having children until later in life. In 1970, there were 168 births per 1,000 women aged 20 to 24, and only 73 for women aged 30 to 34. That dynamic today is reversed; an American woman is more likely to have a child between the ages of 30 and 34 than a decade earlier. Frech said that the cultural sequential path to adulthood has changed. "We don't have a normative transition to adulthood anymore. The completion of education, the transition to parenthood, the transition to marriage... not only do these things happen in all different orders for young adults now, there's also the difference in what constitutes adulthood. It is no longer than case that marriage and parenthood constitutes the feeling of adult status for young people."</p>
<p>These conversations were the result of a collaboration between local stations and The World around Anders Kelto's " <a href="http://www.theworld.org/familychoices" type="external">Family Choices</a>" series.&#160;</p>
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world recently aired family choices fertility infertility africa series south africa correspondent anders kelto explored cultural economic pressures many parents africa face around family planning issues keltos stories spanned issues perceptions family size attitudes men towards contraception stigma childlessness africa cultural socioeconomic health factors weigh size families america public radio stations around county picked debate stations wfae wvxu wcpn kcur debated economics family size changing ideals around perfect number children extent choice family size realistically factors american women parentstobe economics family size dr maria vandergriffavery associate professor sociology catawba college offered important perspective wfaes charlotte talks pointing children us historically gone economic assets economic boons 1800s dr vandergriffavery pointed children seen economic assets providing work income help parents children today however cost parents thousands hundreds thousands dollars 2011 study us department agriculture estimated typical middleincome family united states spend 200000 raise child born today cost children changed dynamic planning children argued dr barbara arrighi associate professor sociology northern kentucky university wvxus cincinnati edition high cost bearing raising child arrighi said men increasingly looking economic partner kcurs facebook page many listeners agreed economics family size become limiting factor family size decisions one child could afford handle wrote anna marie nedeau children expensive americans consider right size family many panel discussed ideals around family size number children ideal two children prevalent across country said philip morgan professor sociology director carolina population center university north carolina chapel hill second popular choice three children followed one child fewer 10 percent say dont want children number much larger past said lisa neidert population studies center charlotte talks fact childlessness united states doubled since 1970 trend illustrates upending romanticized view traditional family social pressures women babies decreased argued neidert norms childlessness weakening decision child seen individual choice social pressure couples mother diminished many talk shows discussed stigmatization around family size fact gone extreme families many children cincinnati edition caller abigail family 10 children argued larger families looked upon us abigail julies perspectives contrasted world painted kelto family choices story stigmatization childless women south africa yet despite shift away large families us sound ideas panel agreed country still pronatalist culture shows host mike mcintyre pointed never hear question kids hear dont kids extent american families actually plan family size charlotte talks philip morgan pointed even today half conceptions united states planned even united states high contraception use rate august 2013 guttmacher institue report estimated160is 62 percent women reproductive age morgan said parents retrospectively report 10 20 percent children born intended additional children dr alan singer therapist author creating perfect family size voiced disbelief cincinnati edition160how little people think actively plan family size cited pew research study160that asked reasons child onethird respondents said reason conception happened sends chills spine said dr singer enough thought given however education around increasing efficacy contraception united states level premeditation comes family size highest ever factors lead parentstobe decide many children dr dynan argued external pressures like family friends great influence decision example might see well brothers three children play together want similar dynamic another deliberate choice women parents increasingly making delay children later life 1970 168 births per 1000 women aged 20 24 73 women aged 30 34 dynamic today reversed american woman likely child ages 30 34 decade earlier frech said cultural sequential path adulthood changed dont normative transition adulthood anymore completion education transition parenthood transition marriage things happen different orders young adults theres also difference constitutes adulthood longer case marriage parenthood constitutes feeling adult status young people conversations result collaboration local stations world around anders keltos family choices series160
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<p>SEOUL, South Korea — The news today that North Korea removed Jang Sung Taek, the powerful uncle of Kim Jong Un and vice chair of the body that heads the military, could amount to the boy dictator’s greatest leadership shake-up yet.</p>
<p>At least, that’s if you believe a briefing on Tuesday by the South Korean spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), for the country’s lawmakers. The body cited the (supposed) earlier execution of two close aides, and the fact that Chang has not appeared in North Korean state media in a month, Yonhap news agency reported.</p>
<p>“In essence, the evidence available boils down to, ‘These two guys were shot, and then Jang disappeared, so he must have been removed,” said Chris Green, international affairs manager at DailyNK, a website that tracks events in North Korea. “The logic is sound, isn’t it? And it fits the playbook of an autocratic dictatorship, where power cannot be shared so something has to give.”</p>
<p>Jang, seen by some as an economic reformer, is Kim Jong Un’s <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/north-korea/130731/the-cabal-really-runs-north-korea" type="external">uncle by marriage</a> and could wield enormous influence over the 30-year-old dictator, experts say. Analysts have called him the “man behind the throne,” holding onto power alongside the boy leader’s aunt, Gen. Kim Kyong-hui.</p>
<p>But North Korea, of course, is home to unforgiving politics.</p>
<p>If the reports are true, this would hardly be the first episode of a purge at the highest ranks, even if the excommunication of a key confidante is unusual.</p>
<p>Here are three of the most significant North Korean purges over the past decade — including one strange demotion that might have come down to the dictator’s musical taste.</p>
<p>Clearing out the reformer</p>
<p>When the technocrat Pak Pong Ju assumed the North Korean premiership in 2003, onlookers breathed a sigh of relief for this impoverished and isolated nation.</p>
<p>The hermit kingdom had recently emerged from a famine that perhaps left 1 million people dead — though the real number may never be known. Some optimists hoped that North Korea, which was already in the midst of a diplomatic thaw with the South, would feel compelled to open up its markets and gradually move toward a post-Cold War reunification of the peninsula.</p>
<p>Pak was thought to be an architect of a package of economic reforms. These efforts included raising foreign currency for the lifeless economy and reorganizing the government’s broken food distribution system.</p>
<p>But in 2007, a fearful old guard demoted Pak, sending him to the countryside to the uneventful duties of, well, chemical factory manager.</p>
<p>Considering some of his peers have faced public firing squads, that wasn’t a bad outcome. And his funk was not permanent. Pak re-emerged in March 2013 as a member of the Politburo, and may be connected to new economic laws publicized in August.</p>
<p>Botched currency wipe</p>
<p>Pak’s measures may have saved a nation at the brink, but other projects have been disastrous — leading the regime to ferret out and execute scapegoats in the upper echelons of power.</p>
<p>In 2009, North Korea embarked on a disastrous currency reform that effectively destroyed the population’s savings, stirred up bouts of civil unrest, and ended with an unprecedented apology from one of the world’s most authoritarian governments.</p>
<p>At a party meeting in January 2010, a group of elite delegates reportedly denounced one top finance crony, Pak Nam Gi, for the fiasco. He was arrested on the spot. Two months later, he was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad for the crime of being “a son of a bourgeois conspiring to infiltrate the ranks of revolutionaries to destroy the national economy,” Yonhap reported.</p>
<p>Interesting way of summing up this economic “crime.”</p>
<p>Military shake-up</p>
<p>Since rising to power in late 2011, Kim Jong Un has carried out an <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/dae1e61c-318e-11e3-817c-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz2mQUTyOov" type="external">extensive purge</a> of elite military leaders, possibly in a bid to keep the colossal and all-powerful army under his thumb. Many of these officials had risen to power when Kim was a child, swearing loyalty to his father rather than the young Generalissimo.</p>
<p>Since July 2012, the nation has named <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/dae1e61c-318e-11e3-817c-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz2mQUTyOov" type="external">four separate army chiefs</a>. Last May, the top commander was Kim Kyok Sik, but five months later, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), announced he had been replaced.</p>
<p>Nobody knows for sure what goes on in the regime’s inner circle, but some of these shifts came after a round of bluster in early 2013 — including a nuclear test and a line-up menacing military exercises probably intended to make South Korea jittery.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Un may have been trying to demonstrate his battlefield prowess and superiority over a bevy of elderly, veteran commanders, analysts said. For a nation in an unending state of military emergency, that’s the kind of leader who stays in power.</p>
<p>Goodbye, Unhasu Orchestra</p>
<p>You’d think a troupe of youthful singers and dancers, touring the nation and singing pop anthems to the Supreme Leader, wouldn’t threaten his overarching presence.</p>
<p>Yet, when a band with symbolic national value loses its luster for the autocrat, the musicians may end up out of work — or worse.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, North Korea apparently disbanded its long-beloved Unhansu orchestra.</p>
<p>The wife of Kim Jong Un, Ri Sol Ju, was once a singer in the group, but rumors suddenly floated last summer that some orchestra members were executed by firing squad for making homemade sex videos.</p>
<p>The steamy <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/north-korea/131029/ri-sol-ju-north-korea-kim-jong-un-wife" type="external">rumor is probably false</a>, but a strange development kicked up the curiosity of regime watchers: the Unhasu Orchestra didn’t appear, as it always had, at celebrations on Sept. 9 for the North Korean National Independence Day. Nobody knows for sure what happened, but a newer, charming all-female group called the Moranbong Band has mysteriously gained prominence in its place.</p>
<p>“It is more than possible that certain members of the Unhasu Orchestra — a group which was sufficiently trusted and symbolically powerful to be sent to Paris in March 2012 — did something wrong that was sufficiently bad to shut down the whole orchestra,” said Adam Cathcart, a North Korea expert at the University of Leeds.</p>
<p>“However, the Unhasu Orchestra was a Kim Jong Il symbol, and the Moranbong is Kim Jong Un's. It could simply be that he thought it was time to mothball it,” he said.</p>
<p>In other words, in a nation known for its opaqueness, much depends on the whims and paranoia of the powerful, who aren’t afraid to exploit ruthless tactics to reach the inner circle in the first place.</p>
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seoul south korea news today north korea removed jang sung taek powerful uncle kim jong un vice chair body heads military could amount boy dictators greatest leadership shakeup yet least thats believe briefing tuesday south korean spy agency national intelligence service nis countrys lawmakers body cited supposed earlier execution two close aides fact chang appeared north korean state media month yonhap news agency reported essence evidence available boils two guys shot jang disappeared must removed said chris green international affairs manager dailynk website tracks events north korea logic sound isnt fits playbook autocratic dictatorship power shared something give jang seen economic reformer kim jong uns uncle marriage could wield enormous influence 30yearold dictator experts say analysts called man behind throne holding onto power alongside boy leaders aunt gen kim kyonghui north korea course home unforgiving politics reports true would hardly first episode purge highest ranks even excommunication key confidante unusual three significant north korean purges past decade including one strange demotion might come dictators musical taste clearing reformer technocrat pak pong ju assumed north korean premiership 2003 onlookers breathed sigh relief impoverished isolated nation hermit kingdom recently emerged famine perhaps left 1 million people dead though real number may never known optimists hoped north korea already midst diplomatic thaw south would feel compelled open markets gradually move toward postcold war reunification peninsula pak thought architect package economic reforms efforts included raising foreign currency lifeless economy reorganizing governments broken food distribution system 2007 fearful old guard demoted pak sending countryside uneventful duties well chemical factory manager considering peers faced public firing squads wasnt bad outcome funk permanent pak reemerged march 2013 member politburo may connected new economic laws publicized august botched currency wipe paks measures may saved nation brink projects disastrous leading regime ferret execute scapegoats upper echelons power 2009 north korea embarked disastrous currency reform effectively destroyed populations savings stirred bouts civil unrest ended unprecedented apology one worlds authoritarian governments party meeting january 2010 group elite delegates reportedly denounced one top finance crony pak nam gi fiasco arrested spot two months later found guilty sentenced death firing squad crime son bourgeois conspiring infiltrate ranks revolutionaries destroy national economy yonhap reported interesting way summing economic crime military shakeup since rising power late 2011 kim jong un carried extensive purge elite military leaders possibly bid keep colossal allpowerful army thumb many officials risen power kim child swearing loyalty father rather young generalissimo since july 2012 nation named four separate army chiefs last may top commander kim kyok sik five months later korean central news agency kcna announced replaced nobody knows sure goes regimes inner circle shifts came round bluster early 2013 including nuclear test lineup menacing military exercises probably intended make south korea jittery kim jong un may trying demonstrate battlefield prowess superiority bevy elderly veteran commanders analysts said nation unending state military emergency thats kind leader stays power goodbye unhasu orchestra youd think troupe youthful singers dancers touring nation singing pop anthems supreme leader wouldnt threaten overarching presence yet band symbolic national value loses luster autocrat musicians may end work worse earlier year north korea apparently disbanded longbeloved unhansu orchestra wife kim jong un ri sol ju singer group rumors suddenly floated last summer orchestra members executed firing squad making homemade sex videos steamy rumor probably false strange development kicked curiosity regime watchers unhasu orchestra didnt appear always celebrations sept 9 north korean national independence day nobody knows sure happened newer charming allfemale group called moranbong band mysteriously gained prominence place possible certain members unhasu orchestra group sufficiently trusted symbolically powerful sent paris march 2012 something wrong sufficiently bad shut whole orchestra said adam cathcart north korea expert university leeds however unhasu orchestra kim jong il symbol moranbong kim jong uns could simply thought time mothball said words nation known opaqueness much depends whims paranoia powerful arent afraid exploit ruthless tactics reach inner circle first place
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<p>Worried about the latest round of hostilities in the Middle East? No problem — just kick back and tune in to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” which can make you forget, just for a few minutes, how miserable everything is.</p>
<p>America’s new military campaign in Syria is “the iPhone 6 of wars,” <a href="" type="external">Stewart gushed</a> Tuesday night. “So anticipated … It's expensive, a little bigger, a little more unwieldy than you thought it was going to be … It's going to be at least a two-year commitment.”</p>
<p>And, he added, “It kinda feels like you just f*cking got the last one.”</p>
<p><a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/" type="external">The Daily Show</a> Get More: <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/" type="external">Daily Show Full Episodes</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow" type="external">The Daily Show on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos" type="external">Daily Show Video Archive</a></p>
<p>With war in Iraq and Syria, Ebola in Africa, and hopeless partisan gridlock at home, it’s no wonder Americans are looking for escape. Humor provides some welcome relief, although there’s often a bitter aftertaste to the gags.</p>
<p>Fans of a certain boy band were not at all amused at what they perceived as a slight to one of their own. The Twitterverse exploded with outrage when Daily Show regular <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/02w7fx/the-big-bang-area---the-next-big-terrorist-threat" type="external">Jessica Williams ridiculed</a> the hysteria over the multiplicity of strange new terror groups.</p>
<p>After detailing such fearsome gatherings as “Al Qil U’Al” and “Al Fa’aq U Ab,” she goes on to describe the baddest, “superest” team of all:</p>
<p>“Just as you were talking, a new terrorist group has formed, with one member each from ISIS, Al Nusra, Al Qaeda, Hamas, One Direction and the Zetas drug cartel."</p>
<p><a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/" type="external">The Daily Show</a> Get More: <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/full-episodes/" type="external">Daily Show Full Episodes</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow" type="external">The Daily Show on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos" type="external">Daily Show Video Archive</a></p>
<p>For those not in the know, One Direction member Zayn Malik, heartthrob of teens everywhere, is Muslim, and his protectors felt that the skit unfairly branded him a terrorist.</p>
<p>Hashtags #dailyshowgonetoofar, #zayndefensesquad and #zaynnobodysavesusbabythewayyoudo were very big Friday.</p>
<p>In a plea for tolerance and peace, one outraged fan <a href="https://twitter.com/wwatboys" type="external">tweeted</a>:</p>
<p>“The daily show should know better than to not make stupid disgusting racist jokes about zayn im going to kill.”</p>
<p>Perhaps irony and humor are not a Directioner strong suit.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/140926/five-questions-syria-airstrikes-islamic-state" type="external">5 questions we should be asking about this Syria operation</a></p>
<p>Stewart was not the only one trying to make light of the war, of course.</p>
<p>Stephen Colbert <a href="http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/j6xqew/u-s--airstrikes-in-syria" type="external">got a few licks in</a> as well, expressing delight at the outbreak of hostilities, since he could now punch a new hole in his “Mideast frequent bombing card.”</p>
<p><a href="http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/" type="external">The Colbert Report</a> Get More: <a href="http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/full-episodes" type="external">Colbert Report Full Episodes</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecolbertreport" type="external">The Colbert Report on Facebook</a>, <a href="http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos" type="external">Video Archive</a></p>
<p>“All we need to do is bomb Oman and I get a free falafel,” he said.</p>
<p>Even those whose mission is not primarily comedy can bring a smile to the face — or maybe it’s more of a wince.</p>
<p>Fox News, for example, was eager to gladden the hearts of feminists everywhere by touting the accomplishments of Mariam al-Mansouri, the United Arab Emirates’ first and only female pilot, who has been taking part in the bombing raids on Syria.</p>
<p>“After she bombed it, she couldn’t park it,” Greg Gutfeld <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/fox-the-five-sexist-jokes_n_5879358.html" type="external">cracked</a>, prompting the equally neanderthal Eric Bolling to ask, “Is this what you call ‘boobs on the ground’?”</p>
<p>Colbert decimated the pair with his own riff, upbraiding the “the cocks on Fox” for their lack of respect, and slyly equating their drivel with the “oppressive and narrow-minded view of women” expressed by the extremist Islamic State.</p>
<p>After praising the pilot for giving “hope to other intelligent and capable women who right at this moment may be suffering halfway around the world,” Colbert flashed to a shot of Fox’s Kimberly Guilfoyle, cringing at Bolling’s comment.</p>
<p>The staid and sophisticated New Yorker magazine is also getting in on the act, with satirist Andy Borowitz skewering Syria, the Bush administration and Fox News in one outrageous mix.</p>
<p>“In a Thursday appearance on the Fox News Channel, former Vice President Dick Cheney said that it was ‘no fair‘ that President Obama gets to bomb Syria. ‘I’m envious as hell,’ he told Fox’s Sean Hannity. ‘That was on my bucket list,’” the satirist <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/cheney-fair-obama-gets-bomb-syria" type="external">wrote</a>.</p>
<p>Borowitz also made light of the nation’s new enthusiasm for war, with his <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/americans-read-single-article-syria-strongly-support-bombing" type="external">post</a>: “Americans Who Have Not Read a Single Article About Syria Strongly Support Bombing It.”</p>
<p>Late night comedian Seth Myers just had to pitch in, with a Q&amp;A in which he asks and answers a series of provocative questions, such as “Did we just go to war last night?” or “What is a moderate rebel?”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>The answers, needless to say, are barbed: A “moderate rebel” is some who “is a rebel on the weekends, like a wind-surfing enthusiast or a foodie.”</p>
<p>In answer to “Do we really think the moderate rebels can stop ISIS?” Myers laughs and says, “No, but it’s a nice thing to say.”</p>
<p>Few can top John Oliver, whose new show “Last Week Tonight” sets a high standard for smart, funny commentary.</p>
<p>In June he broke new ground with a piece on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who, we learn, has been caught downloading Western pop music from iTunes. One of his favorites turns out to be a song by the British band Right Said Fred.</p>
<p>Picture, if you can, Assad humming “I’m too sexy for my shirt” as he struts his stuff on the catwalk.</p>
<p>Oliver invited the musical group to New York to reprise their 1992 hit, especially tailored to Assad. The audience was ecstatic, even if the band members were a bit less sexy this time around.</p>
<p>“You’re too awful for this Earth, so awful it hurts” was a real crowd pleaser, with its catchy refrain, “you’re an asshole, you’re an asshole, everyone thinks you’re an asshole.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Assad could not be reached for comment.</p>
<p>A quick trip through the internet shows just how long humorists have been milking the Syria conflict. Files of jokes, memes, cartoons and tropes about Syria have been accumulating for months and, depressingly enough, most of the time it’s impossible to tell the new ones from the old.</p>
<p>A tweet by shoe designer Kenneth Cole seems particularly apropos, until one realizes it was from last September, not this one:</p>
<p>Then there’s this gem from Jay Leno:</p>
<p>”On Tuesday President Obama is planning to address the nation. Instead of calling his plan to attack Syria ‘a war,’ he is calling it a ‘limited military intervention’ — which sounds better than ‘potential endless quagmire.’”</p>
<p>That could have been this week, but it wasn’t — it was Sept. 10, 2013.</p>
<p>See how far we’ve come?</p>
<p>Now that’s not funny.</p>
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worried latest round hostilities middle east problem kick back tune daily show jon stewart make forget minutes miserable everything americas new military campaign syria iphone 6 wars stewart gushed tuesday night anticipated expensive little bigger little unwieldy thought going going least twoyear commitment added kinda feels like fcking got last one daily show get daily show full episodes daily show facebook daily show video archive war iraq syria ebola africa hopeless partisan gridlock home wonder americans looking escape humor provides welcome relief although theres often bitter aftertaste gags fans certain boy band amused perceived slight one twitterverse exploded outrage daily show regular jessica williams ridiculed hysteria multiplicity strange new terror groups detailing fearsome gatherings al qil ual al faaq u ab goes describe baddest superest team talking new terrorist group formed one member isis al nusra al qaeda hamas one direction zetas drug cartel daily show get daily show full episodes daily show facebook daily show video archive know one direction member zayn malik heartthrob teens everywhere muslim protectors felt skit unfairly branded terrorist hashtags dailyshowgonetoofar zayndefensesquad zaynnobodysavesusbabythewayyoudo big friday plea tolerance peace one outraged fan tweeted daily show know better make stupid disgusting racist jokes zayn im going kill perhaps irony humor directioner strong suit globalpost 5 questions asking syria operation stewart one trying make light war course stephen colbert got licks well expressing delight outbreak hostilities since could punch new hole mideast frequent bombing card colbert report get colbert report full episodes colbert report facebook video archive need bomb oman get free falafel said even whose mission primarily comedy bring smile face maybe wince fox news example eager gladden hearts feminists everywhere touting accomplishments mariam almansouri united arab emirates first female pilot taking part bombing raids syria bombed couldnt park greg gutfeld cracked prompting equally neanderthal eric bolling ask call boobs ground colbert decimated pair riff upbraiding cocks fox lack respect slyly equating drivel oppressive narrowminded view women expressed extremist islamic state praising pilot giving hope intelligent capable women right moment may suffering halfway around world colbert flashed shot foxs kimberly guilfoyle cringing bollings comment staid sophisticated new yorker magazine also getting act satirist andy borowitz skewering syria bush administration fox news one outrageous mix thursday appearance fox news channel former vice president dick cheney said fair president obama gets bomb syria im envious hell told foxs sean hannity bucket list satirist wrote borowitz also made light nations new enthusiasm war post americans read single article syria strongly support bombing late night comedian seth myers pitch qampa asks answers series provocative questions go war last night moderate rebel answers needless say barbed moderate rebel rebel weekends like windsurfing enthusiast foodie answer really think moderate rebels stop isis myers laughs says nice thing say top john oliver whose new show last week tonight sets high standard smart funny commentary june broke new ground piece syrian president bashar alassad learn caught downloading western pop music itunes one favorites turns song british band right said fred picture assad humming im sexy shirt struts stuff catwalk oliver invited musical group new york reprise 1992 hit especially tailored assad audience ecstatic even band members bit less sexy time around youre awful earth awful hurts real crowd pleaser catchy refrain youre asshole youre asshole everyone thinks youre asshole assad could reached comment quick trip internet shows long humorists milking syria conflict files jokes memes cartoons tropes syria accumulating months depressingly enough time impossible tell new ones old tweet shoe designer kenneth cole seems particularly apropos one realizes last september one theres gem jay leno tuesday president obama planning address nation instead calling plan attack syria war calling limited military intervention sounds better potential endless quagmire could week wasnt sept 10 2013 see far weve come thats funny
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<p>Bassem Youssef likes to swear.</p>
<p />
<p>The cover of Bassem Youssef's new book, "Revolution for Dummies."</p>
<p>Courtesy of Harper Collins</p>
<p>In his new book, " <a href="https://medium.com/@strandbookstore/laughing-through-the-arab-spring-with-bassem-youssef-bc80fc416f2b#.eq0tdxt26" type="external">Revolution for Dummies: Laughing Through the Arab Spring</a>," he uses the F-word as any number of parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective, even a command.</p>
<p>The Egyptian heart surgeon-turned-satirist says swearing in his native Arabic is even more satisfying: “Oh, you have no idea." But it gets him into trouble with conservative Arabs and Muslims.&#160;“They'll consider this as a way that I'm tarnishing our culture, tarnishing our religion,” he says with a note of exasperation.</p>
<p>Youssef got an earful in 2015 when he hosted the International Emmy Awards. “I cursed ISIS in Arabic and then people thought this was offensive because I used Arabic curse words, as if it was an insult to the language! Oh my God. You think you have P.C., welcome to my world!"</p>
<p>In Egypt, 30 million tuned in each week to watch <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/egyptian-satirist-bassem-youssef-stops-show-fearing-for-safety/a-17678157" type="external">"Albernameg"</a> ("The Show"), Bassem Youssef’s ground-breaking satirical news program (for comparison, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" averaged 2 million viewers). The satirical format broke all the rules of Egypt’s state-controlled media. It made fun of Egypt's political leaders.&#160;</p>
<p>“For decades, maybe centuries in our region, questioning and criticizing has been repressed by either religious or nationalistic rhetoric,” Youssef says. But "Albernameg" showed people that it was OK, even necessary, he says.&#160;“Now [Egyptians] are not going to be manipulated by this rhetoric anymore. They're not going to be brainwashed by it and they can find their own voice."</p>
<p />
<p>A serious moment on the set of Al Bernameg in Cairo, 2014.&#160;</p>
<p>Courtesy: <a href="http://ticklinggiants.com/" type="external">Tickling Giants</a></p>
<p>But it came at a great price. "Albernameg" <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/egyptian-satirist-bassem-youssef-stops-show-fearing-for-safety/a-17678157" type="external">is no longer on,</a> and Youssef was forced into exile in 2014. He’s now living in Los Angeles.&#160;“I'm not telling you that I started a revolution, but it is a beginning and it's a process, and it's a long process," he says.</p>
<p>Youssef did revolutionize Egyptian television from 2011 and 2014, right in the middle of Egypt’s own political revolution, which eventually failed. Which leads to the question: How relevant is satire like "Albernameg" during politically troubled times? Youssef wants to be clear on this point: "Satirists are not activists. They are not freedom fighters. It’s up to the people to take the next step."</p>
<p />
<p>Bassem Youssef interviewing people on the streets of Cairo in the early days of his transition from a heart surgeon to a political satirist, November 2011.&#160;</p>
<p>Courtesy: <a href="http://ticklinggiants.com/" type="external">Tickling Giants</a></p>
<p>But that first step he took as a satirist was critical:&#160;“Tyrants don’t like being made fun of. They base their legacy on fake respect and on being feared. If you make fun of someone, you're not afraid of them anymore. This is why they get pissed off.”&#160;Youssef says the patriarchal norms of the Middle East unfortunately aid and abet dictators. “Respect and fear are very important. It’s the kind of ego that, if you're making fun of me, that means you don't respect me."</p>
<p>Youssef is now trying to rebuild his career in the US. It’s hard. In Egypt he had his entire country in thrall. Here, his name is known, but not his comedy. Then there’s the second language issue (though his English is nearly flawless). And there's the fact that America is saturated with comedians.</p>
<p>"I don't think I'm going to ever get the millions of people following me as I had in Egypt," says Youssef. "I have pretty much made peace with that." But he is excited to talk to Americans about Egypt, a country that's mostly spoken about in the US by non-Egyptians. He's been doing that with <a href="http://fusion.net/series/democracy-handbook/" type="external">"Democracy Handbook</a>," a show for the millennial-focused Fusion cable channel.</p>
<p>In one episode, he does a fake ad for a breath test to determine a person's Muslim-ness:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Youssef's launch as a comedian in America coincided with the US presidential campaign. He followed Donald Trump closely. And yes, many people have asked him to compare Trump's style to the strongman leadership that forced Youssef out of Egypt. “Well, it is not a real dictatorship here in America yet,” he quips.</p>
<p>Youssef knows about real dictatorships. He&#160;lived under them for most of his life. But he does see signs that worry him, like President Trump questioning court decisions, berating the press,&#160;and going on a Twitter rant every time someone mocks him on <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/820764134857969666?lang=en" type="external">Saturday Night Live</a>. "It undermines his respect and his fake status of fear.”</p>
<p>And as a satirist, there's one thing that really rankles&#160;him: “The most worrying sign for me is when [Trump] bailed out on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/donald-trump-white-house-correspondents-dinner-not-going" type="external">[White House] correspondents' dinner</a>, which has become an American tradition [for presidents to attend]. It is when the press gets to mock the president and he mocks back in a light-hearted manner. He didn't even want to do that.”</p>
<p>Youssef believes that Trump doesn't understand the role of an American President. “You're not the CEO of a company any more. You are a public servant serving the people. He thinks that he is ruling them, not serving them."</p>
<p>On April 3, the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi meets with Trump at the White House. Trump has called Sissi "a fantastic guy" and praised him for "really taking control of Egypt" after he staged a coup in 2013 which overthrew Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi. &#160;</p>
<p>It was President Sisi whose authoritarian rule and crackdown on the press made it impossible for Youssef to stay in Egypt. Youssef's advice for Trump ahead of the meeting? "I would say, Donald, you have found your perfect match."</p>
<p>See more: <a href="http://ticklinggiants.com/" type="external">"Tickling Giants"</a> is a documentary by Sara Taksler that follows Bassem Youssef over the four-year rise and fall of Egypt's first satirical news program.</p>
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bassem youssef likes swear cover bassem youssefs new book revolution dummies courtesy harper collins new book revolution dummies laughing arab spring uses fword number parts speech noun verb adjective even command egyptian heart surgeonturnedsatirist says swearing native arabic even satisfying oh idea gets trouble conservative arabs muslims160theyll consider way im tarnishing culture tarnishing religion says note exasperation youssef got earful 2015 hosted international emmy awards cursed isis arabic people thought offensive used arabic curse words insult language oh god think pc welcome world egypt 30 million tuned week watch albernameg show bassem youssefs groundbreaking satirical news program comparison daily show jon stewart averaged 2 million viewers satirical format broke rules egypts statecontrolled media made fun egypts political leaders160 decades maybe centuries region questioning criticizing repressed either religious nationalistic rhetoric youssef says albernameg showed people ok even necessary says160now egyptians going manipulated rhetoric anymore theyre going brainwashed find voice serious moment set al bernameg cairo 2014160 courtesy tickling giants came great price albernameg longer youssef forced exile 2014 hes living los angeles160im telling started revolution beginning process long process says youssef revolutionize egyptian television 2011 2014 right middle egypts political revolution eventually failed leads question relevant satire like albernameg politically troubled times youssef wants clear point satirists activists freedom fighters people take next step bassem youssef interviewing people streets cairo early days transition heart surgeon political satirist november 2011160 courtesy tickling giants first step took satirist critical160tyrants dont like made fun base legacy fake respect feared make fun someone youre afraid anymore get pissed off160youssef says patriarchal norms middle east unfortunately aid abet dictators respect fear important kind ego youre making fun means dont respect youssef trying rebuild career us hard egypt entire country thrall name known comedy theres second language issue though english nearly flawless theres fact america saturated comedians dont think im going ever get millions people following egypt says youssef pretty much made peace excited talk americans egypt country thats mostly spoken us nonegyptians hes democracy handbook show millennialfocused fusion cable channel one episode fake ad breath test determine persons muslimness youssefs launch comedian america coincided us presidential campaign followed donald trump closely yes many people asked compare trumps style strongman leadership forced youssef egypt well real dictatorship america yet quips youssef knows real dictatorships he160lived life see signs worry like president trump questioning court decisions berating press160and going twitter rant every time someone mocks saturday night live undermines respect fake status fear satirist theres one thing really rankles160him worrying sign trump bailed white house correspondents dinner become american tradition presidents attend press gets mock president mocks back lighthearted manner didnt even want youssef believes trump doesnt understand role american president youre ceo company public servant serving people thinks ruling serving april 3 egyptian president abdelfattah elsisi meets trump white house trump called sissi fantastic guy praised really taking control egypt staged coup 2013 overthrew egypts first democratically elected president mohammed morsi 160 president sisi whose authoritarian rule crackdown press made impossible youssef stay egypt youssefs advice trump ahead meeting would say donald found perfect match see tickling giants documentary sara taksler follows bassem youssef fouryear rise fall egypts first satirical news program
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<p>Parents of Von Humboldt Elementary students are always welcome in the building. Principal Christ Kalamatas has even set aside a room just for them.</p>
<p>He wants parents of Roque De Duprey students to feel equally welcome when they move into the building at 2620 W. Hirsch St. this fall. To that end, Kalamatas has already set aside a room for De Duprey parents; parents from the two schools have already met, and an assembly is planned to bring together the two faculties.</p>
<p>De Duprey, a block away at 1405 N. Washtenaw Ave., is one of 10 of schools CPS is closing or consolidating this year. De Duprey will move its students, staff and faculty into the Von Humboldt building, but continue to operate as a separate school.</p>
<p>Six of the other schools, however, will be closed altogether and their students integrated into a receiving school, a plan that has some parents worried and teachers and students upset. Among receiving schools, however, there is little planning underway about how to accommodate the influx of new students. A few, including Von Humboldt, are focused on safety issues. Academically, however, none contacted by Catalyst had created plans for combining the two student bodies.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>“Our children are not [necessarily] from the same neighborhood, so I’m not going to say that there’s no concern,” says Principal Gloria Roman of Roque De Duprey. “We’re just going to have to be more vigilant.”</p>
<p>Kalamatas agrees. Von Humboldt already has gang issues, although disruptions are minimal, he says—just a few fights and some graffiti each year.</p>
<p>Roque De Duprey will bring its own full-time security officer and part-time off-duty policeman. (CPS is providing additional security at all the receiving schools, according to a spokesman.) In addition, the school schedule will be designed to ensure students arrive and leave at different times. Roque De Duprey will continue its 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. school day, and Von Humboldt will keep its 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. schedule.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Kalamatas says each school will operate in a clearly defined section of the building. De Duprey’s approximately 200 students will be allotted 19 classrooms located in an area away from the close to 30 classrooms used by Von Humboldt’s 600 to 700 students. The gym, cafeteria, and library will be used by both schools, but at different times.&#160;</p>
<p>“We will make it very clear that students from the different schools are not to enter the other area at any time without someone from staff,” Kalamatas says.</p>
<p>Even though Von Humboldt and De Duprey can keep their students separate, the school leaders worry about gang rivalries. At schools where the student bodies will be combined, the fears are even greater.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Principal Jose Barillas of Marshall Middle will ramp up security this fall, when more than 350 7th- and 8th-graders from Irving Park Middle (along with incoming students from feeder schools who would have attended Irving) arrive in the fall. Gang rivalry between the Latin Kings and the Royals is already a concern at Marshall.</p>
<p>Carey Goldenberg, guidance counselor at Marshall Middle, says the influx of new students from Irving Park, located across the Kennedy Expressway, most likely will bring rival gangs into the building. But Hilda Hernandez, a veteran security guard at Marshall Middle, recognizes the potential for friction but says the school maintains control over students: A dress code limits students to blue bottoms and white tops, all students pass through a metal detector, security cameras monitor hallways and security and staff keep a watchful eye for any gang-related expression. Throughout the day, students are dismissed at intervals to reduce any threat of violence between rival gang members.</p>
<p>Like the other schools, Marshall Middle has been promised additional security staff, but CPS has not yet told them how many.</p>
<p>“When they [students] see the police officer, they stop. But once the police are gone, they start fighting again,” Barillas says, noting the difficulty of maintaining order outside the school.</p>
<p>But 8th-grade teacher Caroline Ansani, who has worked at Marshall Middle for more than 10 years, is excited about the consolidation. “Schools shouldn’t be static, they should be dynamic,” she says. As a teacher, she doesn’t expect any academic setbacks for students from either school, both of which have seen their scores inching up: Irving Park Middle’s overall Illinois Standard Achievement Test scores increased from 70 percent to 74 percent last year, and Marshall Middle’s increased from 67 percent to 71 percent.</p>
<p>Ansani also looks forward to collaborating with teachers from Irving Park, who may follow their students to the new building so that class sizes remain stable. “Change is not necessarily bad,” she says.</p>
<p>Carver Primary Principal Katherine Tobias also is excited about the planned consolidation of her school with its next-door neighbor, Carver Middle, which will close in the fall.</p>
<p>“Those students came from here,” Tobias says. “We see each other all the time because we’re located side by side and have had activities together all along.”</p>
<p>Tobias will host open houses to welcome Carver Middle students and their parents.</p>
<p>Some students have a less certain future. Students at Midway Academy, a school that was created specifically to take in students whose neighborhood school is overcrowded, don’t know where they will go to school next year. The plan calls for the students to return to their neighborhood schools—the same ones that were unable to house them earlier.</p>
<p>“My daughter is crying because she is confused,” says Nilsa Nieves, parent of 10-year-old Alondra. “I don’t know where she will be going for 5th grade, and I’m worried because the kids will be out of this area and it won’t be safe for them.”</p>
<p>Seventh-grade teacher Jennifer Giffey says Midway Academy doesn’t have the discipline problems common to other district schools. “They’re afraid of going to schools with gang issues and fighting.”</p>
<p>Furthermore, Giffey says, students who change schools suffer academically. “Some of these kids are going to fall through the cracks.”</p>
<p>E-mail Jennifer Crespo at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
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parents von humboldt elementary students always welcome building principal christ kalamatas even set aside room wants parents roque de duprey students feel equally welcome move building 2620 w hirsch st fall end kalamatas already set aside room de duprey parents parents two schools already met assembly planned bring together two faculties de duprey block away 1405 n washtenaw ave one 10 schools cps closing consolidating year de duprey move students staff faculty von humboldt building continue operate separate school six schools however closed altogether students integrated receiving school plan parents worried teachers students upset among receiving schools however little planning underway accommodate influx new students including von humboldt focused safety issues academically however none contacted catalyst created plans combining two student bodies 160 160 children necessarily neighborhood im going say theres concern says principal gloria roman roque de duprey going vigilant kalamatas agrees von humboldt already gang issues although disruptions minimal saysjust fights graffiti year roque de duprey bring fulltime security officer parttime offduty policeman cps providing additional security receiving schools according spokesman addition school schedule designed ensure students arrive leave different times roque de duprey continue 930 315 pm school day von humboldt keep 830 215 pm schedule furthermore kalamatas says school operate clearly defined section building de dupreys approximately 200 students allotted 19 classrooms located area away close 30 classrooms used von humboldts 600 700 students gym cafeteria library used schools different times160 make clear students different schools enter area time without someone staff kalamatas says even though von humboldt de duprey keep students separate school leaders worry gang rivalries schools student bodies combined fears even greater 160 principal jose barillas marshall middle ramp security fall 350 7th 8thgraders irving park middle along incoming students feeder schools would attended irving arrive fall gang rivalry latin kings royals already concern marshall carey goldenberg guidance counselor marshall middle says influx new students irving park located across kennedy expressway likely bring rival gangs building hilda hernandez veteran security guard marshall middle recognizes potential friction says school maintains control students dress code limits students blue bottoms white tops students pass metal detector security cameras monitor hallways security staff keep watchful eye gangrelated expression throughout day students dismissed intervals reduce threat violence rival gang members like schools marshall middle promised additional security staff cps yet told many students see police officer stop police gone start fighting barillas says noting difficulty maintaining order outside school 8thgrade teacher caroline ansani worked marshall middle 10 years excited consolidation schools shouldnt static dynamic says teacher doesnt expect academic setbacks students either school seen scores inching irving park middles overall illinois standard achievement test scores increased 70 percent 74 percent last year marshall middles increased 67 percent 71 percent ansani also looks forward collaborating teachers irving park may follow students new building class sizes remain stable change necessarily bad says carver primary principal katherine tobias also excited planned consolidation school nextdoor neighbor carver middle close fall students came tobias says see time located side side activities together along tobias host open houses welcome carver middle students parents students less certain future students midway academy school created specifically take students whose neighborhood school overcrowded dont know go school next year plan calls students return neighborhood schoolsthe ones unable house earlier daughter crying confused says nilsa nieves parent 10yearold alondra dont know going 5th grade im worried kids area wont safe seventhgrade teacher jennifer giffey says midway academy doesnt discipline problems common district schools theyre afraid going schools gang issues fighting furthermore giffey says students change schools suffer academically kids going fall cracks email jennifer crespo editorcatalystchicagoorg
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<p>Current and former employees of the US government were victims&#160;of a big hack, late last year. Data for at least four million people was stolen in the intrustion, which was revealed this week. It was not immediately clear who was behind the cyber attack, but the Obama administration apparently thinks it came from China. If that turns out to be true, it won't be the first instance of Chinese cyber espionage. And computer hacking is not the only thing putting enormous strain on US-China relations.</p>
<p>To get some insight into the state of the relationship between the US and China right now, we spoke with China expert Mary Kay Magistad. The longtime China correspondent for PRI’s The World based in Beijing, Magistad recently relocated to San Francisco. The following is a lightly edited transcript of the&#160;interview with Magistad by&#160;host, Marco Werman.</p>
<p>How big of a stumbling block is this latest hacking incident for the US and China?</p>
<p>It’s hard to know, because it really depends on who stole the data and what they ultimately plan to do with it. There are different types of hackers in China. Some are directly connected to the [Chinese] military or the government. Some have plausible deniability, but they’re being managed by the military or the government. And some are what’s known as ‘patriotic hackers,’ who are doing things on their own to mess with what they see as adversaries of China. If you look at the information that was apparently captured, social security numbers, security clearance information, personal information — let’s say it was the Chinese government. We don’t know this for a fact. But if they do have this information, it’s useful to know these things. And it could also be used to cause harm or mischief to any US federal government employee whose actions the Chinese government takes issue. So, how big of a stumbling block is this for the US and China? It’s really hard to know.</p>
<p>China would say that it’s also a victim of hacking. And the US will not deny that it does surveillance on foreign governments. The US has taken issue with China’s involvement in hacking related to economic information. But, interestingly, this is not a case with economic information.</p>
<p>Add to all this the tension in the South China Sea. The US says its military will continue to sail and fly anywhere in international waters. China is annoyed by US surveillance flights off its coast. And the Chinese are now building artificial islands in disputed waters. Is this all leading to an inevitable clash?</p>
<p>I don’t think a military clash is inevitable, because I think China would hesitate to fight a battle it’s not likely to win. But it feels like what’s happening is a game of chicken. China is testing US resolve by increasingly trying to change the balance of power in the region. If China calls the US bluff about coming to the aid of its regional allies in the event of a challenge to territorial integrity and China wins, then the US loses face. China would emerge as a more powerful regional actor. I think what the US is doing is a calibrated response. It’s also calling the Chinese bluff, saying that the US is not simply going to shrink away from the region and allow China to build new islands in the South China Sea and claim that disputed territory for itself. Maybe there are other ways of responding, perhaps economic measures or other means that do not involve the military, because I think both sides would lose if that were to happen.</p>
<p>Games of chicken of often end badly. Is the diplomacy between the US and China healthy enough to avoid that?</p>
<p>We’re in uncharted territory here, with two nuclear powers going head-to-head. We saw this happening between the US and Soviet Union decades ago, but it was a different era. This time, the Chinese are canny and they know what’s at stake. At the same time, President Xi Jinping has been very aggressive with his foreign policy. Maybe he feels there is a limited window of opportunity for China to push for greater advantage. Economic growth is slowing in China. The population is aging. There are lots of challenges at home that require significant reforms that could impact the Communist Party’s hold on power, particularly economic power. And if you change the conversation and make it about China’s territorial integrity, this might buy the Communist Party time to deal with these problems at home. It also creates a different narrative for China in the region and in the world. All of that is at play right now.</p>
<p>What about all the shared interests between the US and China, like their interconnected economies and their stated goals of dealing with climate change, are these factors enough to keep things on track?</p>
<p>It’s true that this is a complex relationship and that both sides benefit from maintaining constructive relations, especially on trade and climate change. But, again, President Xi and other party leaders could feel that this is their time, that if they don’t act now then China will remain at a disadvantage and be the subordinate power in this relationship for a long, long time. Beijing might decide that it has a chance right now to push for something more. So, it could conclude that taking that risk is more important than the advantages of keeping relations more friendly with the US. It’s very hard to know.</p>
<p>China expert Orville Schell recently visited Washington to assess the feeling there about US-China relations and <a href="http://www.chinafile.com/conversation/did-game-just-change-south-china-sea-and-what-should-us-do-about-it" type="external">he wrote</a> that, “there’s presently no significant core constituency in America still well-disposed toward China.” Mary Kay, you have been back in the US for a little while now. Is that too harsh an assessment?</p>
<p>I think it depends on what you mean when you’re talking about ‘China’ here. If you’re talking about the Chinese government and the Communist Party, there’s much less positive feeling right now about the degree to which the US can have a constructive relationship. But if you’re talking about China more broadly, and the younger generation in particular, there is significant reason for optimism. This is a generation that’s much more open in their thinking and aware of how the rest of the world acts. If you look at how people are voting with their feet at the moment, a lot of middle class Chinese people who have the means are sending their kids to study in the US and elsewhere in the west. They are moving to the west, or at least moving their money out of China. And that includes people from elite circles in China. There is an understanding in China that the way things are going at the moment are not entirely positive and that many people would like to see a different kind of future for themselves. So, I think there are pressures within China that could lead to a more positive outcome for Chinese people and for the world.&#160;</p>
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current former employees us government victims160of big hack late last year data least four million people stolen intrustion revealed week immediately clear behind cyber attack obama administration apparently thinks came china turns true wont first instance chinese cyber espionage computer hacking thing putting enormous strain uschina relations get insight state relationship us china right spoke china expert mary kay magistad longtime china correspondent pris world based beijing magistad recently relocated san francisco following lightly edited transcript the160interview magistad by160host marco werman big stumbling block latest hacking incident us china hard know really depends stole data ultimately plan different types hackers china directly connected chinese military government plausible deniability theyre managed military government whats known patriotic hackers things mess see adversaries china look information apparently captured social security numbers security clearance information personal information lets say chinese government dont know fact information useful know things could also used cause harm mischief us federal government employee whose actions chinese government takes issue big stumbling block us china really hard know china would say also victim hacking us deny surveillance foreign governments us taken issue chinas involvement hacking related economic information interestingly case economic information add tension south china sea us says military continue sail fly anywhere international waters china annoyed us surveillance flights coast chinese building artificial islands disputed waters leading inevitable clash dont think military clash inevitable think china would hesitate fight battle likely win feels like whats happening game chicken china testing us resolve increasingly trying change balance power region china calls us bluff coming aid regional allies event challenge territorial integrity china wins us loses face china would emerge powerful regional actor think us calibrated response also calling chinese bluff saying us simply going shrink away region allow china build new islands south china sea claim disputed territory maybe ways responding perhaps economic measures means involve military think sides would lose happen games chicken often end badly diplomacy us china healthy enough avoid uncharted territory two nuclear powers going headtohead saw happening us soviet union decades ago different era time chinese canny know whats stake time president xi jinping aggressive foreign policy maybe feels limited window opportunity china push greater advantage economic growth slowing china population aging lots challenges home require significant reforms could impact communist partys hold power particularly economic power change conversation make chinas territorial integrity might buy communist party time deal problems home also creates different narrative china region world play right shared interests us china like interconnected economies stated goals dealing climate change factors enough keep things track true complex relationship sides benefit maintaining constructive relations especially trade climate change president xi party leaders could feel time dont act china remain disadvantage subordinate power relationship long long time beijing might decide chance right push something could conclude taking risk important advantages keeping relations friendly us hard know china expert orville schell recently visited washington assess feeling uschina relations wrote theres presently significant core constituency america still welldisposed toward china mary kay back us little harsh assessment think depends mean youre talking china youre talking chinese government communist party theres much less positive feeling right degree us constructive relationship youre talking china broadly younger generation particular significant reason optimism generation thats much open thinking aware rest world acts look people voting feet moment lot middle class chinese people means sending kids study us elsewhere west moving west least moving money china includes people elite circles china understanding china way things going moment entirely positive many people would like see different kind future think pressures within china could lead positive outcome chinese people world160
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<p>SEOUL, South Korea — “It’s not fair!” complained a South Korean sex industry aficionado, a former “consultant” for a large call girl website. “The tax men are hurting business! Cracking down on company cards!”</p>
<p>The consultant, a 32-year-old, chiseled and rakish figure who, as a youngster, mingled in gambling dens and street gangs, is outraged over mounting government scrutiny into South Korea’s executive sleaze.</p>
<p>You see, just as companies stateside pick up the tab for employees’ lunch meetings, in Korea they subsidize business entertainment — which tends more toward hard core boozing and even the country’s sex trade (never mind that prostitution is illegal).</p>
<p>Not far from glitzy office towers of Seoul are the frenzied hangouts where business is really done: a cacophony of karaoke joints, shady neon-lit parlors, and cluttered barbecue restaurants full of drunken managers ordering their junior staff to pound shots.</p>
<p>To Koreans, the business districts of American cities appear staid, orderly and a bit dull. A shop-worn joke here has it that North America is a “boring heaven” while their country is an “exciting hell.”</p>
<p>No salesman (and the majority are men) gets far here unless he can sing mean, inebriated karaoke and then slug through negotiations the next morning with a thumping headache. South Koreans slam the world’s largest quantity of hard liquor, imbibing 11.2 shots of soju per week, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/140415/how-the-world-gets-drunk-4-surprising-charts" type="external">more than twice</a> the average Russian’s vodka consumption (although soju isn’t always as strong).</p>
<p>What happens when this macho after-hours culture goes too far, littering the company tab with payments to prostitutes and hostess clubs? “That’s the business model we depend on. When the Korean men are doing business together, they hang out at these places,” explained the sex industry consultant.</p>
<p>There’s a dark logic to the debauchery.</p>
<p>“When you’re a man and you do something dirty and sinful with your business partner around, you share your secrets, you share trust like brothers. You can always trust your new business partner.”</p>
<p>“At the highest end, people in this industry used to offer up failed celebrities, really sexy ones with killer bodies, as hostess girls for Korea’s richest men,” the consultant reminisced. (He spoke to GlobalPost on condition of anonymity, which is customary in South Korea.) “You know, the powerful men you read about in the news. Top tier. Only the wealthiest executives could afford it. But it’s getting harder to sell with the tax police all over it!”</p>
<p>South Korean civic groups and a few lawmakers have long pushed to clean up business and make it friendlier to women and immigrants. Last month, the government tax body finally put a number on the excess, reporting through a conservative lawmaker that <a href="http://blog.naver.com/mjpark531/220095348291" type="external">$1 billion was spent</a> on corporate credit cards on sleazy nighttime entertainment in 2013.</p>
<p>That’s a significant slice of the estimated $8.7 billion companies spent on all entertainment services last year, according to the National Tax Service. Entertainment expenses are tax-deductible up to a limit.</p>
<p>It’s a number that makes women’s groups uncomfortable, not only because of the ethical issues of tapping into prostitution for business deals, but because the glass ceiling stays abysmally low. "There is definitely a discriminatory and exclusionary element at play in that kind of sexual corporate entertainment culture,” said Shin Sang-ah, a consultant at the Seoul Women’s Workers Association, a nonprofit.</p>
<p>"Wining and dining clients or other forms of similar corporate entertainment generally involve male higher-ups in the corporate hierarchy,” she said. “And this goes hand in hand with the fact that Korean women are generally confined to less important roles within social organizations."</p>
<p>Although prostitution is illegal, some 500,000 women continue to work in the sex industry in South Korea, reports the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the body charged with protecting women’s rights. The ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the corporate entertainment report.</p>
<p>Of the total, businesses spent about $733 million on “room salons” — essentially premium hostess bars where young women flirt, drink, and sometimes leave the premises with their clients. In second place at $204 million were “danlanjujeom,” which in an oddity translates to “healthy family saloon.” Those are slightly lower-level establishments that contract out work to entertainers, explained the consultant. Finally, there’s the $100 million spent at “yojeong,” old-style saloons where women serve you in traditional garb.</p>
<p>Paid sex in Korea is a complicated, compartmentalized business, the consultant explained. There are, for instance, four strata of the fabled room salon.</p>
<p>“Ten-pro” salons hold the most prestige as essentially the private dens of aspiring celebrities, who sometimes linger in Seoul’s finest hotels and bars, seeking a wealthy patron with the help of a trendy club. There are the “15% bars” where the establishment takes a 15 percent cut of the hostess’s earnings, followed by “full salons” where customers dish out for all services up front. The cheapest in the hierarchy, the “hardcore room salons,” can get you a lap dance, body shots, and maybe some action, he said.</p>
<p>Not all clients can dish out loads of cash, in which case they turn to an array of lower-priced hangouts you can <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/1udy8q/prostitution_variants_in_korea_in_case_you_were/" type="external">read about it here</a>, if you’re really curious.</p>
<p>Higher-end haunts can be exclusive, turning away people without invitations and foreigners, who tend to find their niche in US Army districts.</p>
<p>The government report added that the amount spent on sexual services has been declining over the past five years. But that doesn’t stop South Korea’s highly educated female professionals from crying foul.</p>
<p>“As long as this kind of executive-level sexual corporate entertainment culture is seen as the norm,” said a programmer at a multinational electronics company who asked not to be named, citing the ire of her employer, “it's obviously assumed that women won't be willing to participate, and that can definitely exclude them from certain opportunities."</p>
<p>Max Kim contributed reporting.</p>
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seoul south korea fair complained south korean sex industry aficionado former consultant large call girl website tax men hurting business cracking company cards consultant 32yearold chiseled rakish figure youngster mingled gambling dens street gangs outraged mounting government scrutiny south koreas executive sleaze see companies stateside pick tab employees lunch meetings korea subsidize business entertainment tends toward hard core boozing even countrys sex trade never mind prostitution illegal far glitzy office towers seoul frenzied hangouts business really done cacophony karaoke joints shady neonlit parlors cluttered barbecue restaurants full drunken managers ordering junior staff pound shots koreans business districts american cities appear staid orderly bit dull shopworn joke north america boring heaven country exciting hell salesman majority men gets far unless sing mean inebriated karaoke slug negotiations next morning thumping headache south koreans slam worlds largest quantity hard liquor imbibing 112 shots soju per week twice average russians vodka consumption although soju isnt always strong happens macho afterhours culture goes far littering company tab payments prostitutes hostess clubs thats business model depend korean men business together hang places explained sex industry consultant theres dark logic debauchery youre man something dirty sinful business partner around share secrets share trust like brothers always trust new business partner highest end people industry used offer failed celebrities really sexy ones killer bodies hostess girls koreas richest men consultant reminisced spoke globalpost condition anonymity customary south korea know powerful men read news top tier wealthiest executives could afford getting harder sell tax police south korean civic groups lawmakers long pushed clean business make friendlier women immigrants last month government tax body finally put number excess reporting conservative lawmaker 1 billion spent corporate credit cards sleazy nighttime entertainment 2013 thats significant slice estimated 87 billion companies spent entertainment services last year according national tax service entertainment expenses taxdeductible limit number makes womens groups uncomfortable ethical issues tapping prostitution business deals glass ceiling stays abysmally low definitely discriminatory exclusionary element play kind sexual corporate entertainment culture said shin sangah consultant seoul womens workers association nonprofit wining dining clients forms similar corporate entertainment generally involve male higherups corporate hierarchy said goes hand hand fact korean women generally confined less important roles within social organizations although prostitution illegal 500000 women continue work sex industry south korea reports ministry gender equality family body charged protecting womens rights ministry respond request comment corporate entertainment report total businesses spent 733 million room salons essentially premium hostess bars young women flirt drink sometimes leave premises clients second place 204 million danlanjujeom oddity translates healthy family saloon slightly lowerlevel establishments contract work entertainers explained consultant finally theres 100 million spent yojeong oldstyle saloons women serve traditional garb paid sex korea complicated compartmentalized business consultant explained instance four strata fabled room salon tenpro salons hold prestige essentially private dens aspiring celebrities sometimes linger seouls finest hotels bars seeking wealthy patron help trendy club 15 bars establishment takes 15 percent cut hostesss earnings followed full salons customers dish services front cheapest hierarchy hardcore room salons get lap dance body shots maybe action said clients dish loads cash case turn array lowerpriced hangouts read youre really curious higherend haunts exclusive turning away people without invitations foreigners tend find niche us army districts government report added amount spent sexual services declining past five years doesnt stop south koreas highly educated female professionals crying foul long kind executivelevel sexual corporate entertainment culture seen norm said programmer multinational electronics company asked named citing ire employer obviously assumed women wont willing participate definitely exclude certain opportunities max kim contributed reporting
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<p>The 1991 Gulf War was a different kind of war for a different kind of time. Vietnam, and the quagmire it represented, was receding into the past. The humanitarian interventions of the 1990s were not yet on the horizon. The Cold War was coming to a close and a new world of international cooperation seemed to be dawning.</p>
<p>The Gulf War unfolded almost without a hitch. And&#160; unlike Vietnam, the ending seemed clean. But it didn't take long for that image to unravel.</p>
<p>When US troops returned from the Persian Gulf in 1991, they were treated to victory celebrations and a ticker tape parade. It was the parade Vietnam War veterans never got.</p>
<p>In his autobiography Colin Powell describes the thrill of riding up Broadway in New York in a 1959 Buick Convertible. He and other architects of the Gulf War had cut their teeth in Vietnam. In planning the engagement with Iraq, they had one overriding goal: This war would be short and sweet.</p>
<p>The crisis began when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Over the next few months, the United States worked to build an international coalition to take action against Iraq.</p>
<p>In January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began. President Bush addressed the nation.</p>
<p>"Just two hours ago, allied forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait," he said.</p>
<p>President Bush stressed that the action had the consent of the United Nations and Congress. He said the goal was to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. And he promised that the coalition would act quickly and forcefully.</p>
<p>"I've told the American people that this will not be another Vietnam, and I repeat this here tonight," the President said. "Our troops will have the best possible support in the entire world and they will not be asked to fight with one hand tied behind their back."</p>
<p>The President was able to keep his promise. In little over a month he was back in front of the cameras.&#160;</p>
<p>"Kuwait is liberated," he announced. "Iraq's army is defeated. Our military objectives are met."</p>
<p>These were short sentences used to describe a short campaign: six weeks of air attacks and a mere four days of ground operations. And when he addressed the troops by radio a couple of days later, the president proclaimed that the ghosts of that previous conflict had been exorcised.</p>
<p>"The spectre of Vietnam has been buried forever in the desert sands of the Arabian Peninsula," he said.</p>
<p>The men who prosecuted the 1991 Gulf War were deeply influenced by Vietnam. At the time Colin Powell was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He played a key role in ensuring the war was brought to a swift end.</p>
<p>General Norman Schwarzkopf remembered feeling relieved and surprised by the speed of the conclusion.</p>
<p>"All of us were stunned by the fact that we'd achieved victory so quickly, with such a low loss of life on the part of our forces," Schwarzkopf said in an interview. "And it took a very long time for that to sink in. I mean we had won a stunning victory at almost no cost relatively speaking and everyone of us was kind of walking around weeks later shaking our heads afraid that you were going to wake up from this wonderful dream you were having and find yourself in a nightmare."&#160;</p>
<p>The endgame was not a nightmare for the Americans, but it turned into one for the Iraqis. During the conflict President Bush had encouraged the Iraqi people to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Now, at the end of the war, Iraqi Kurds and Iraqi Shiites tried to do so.</p>
<p>But having called for the Iraqi people to rise up, the first Bush Administration then abandoned them. Saddam's forces crushed the rebellions, killing tens of thousands of people. US forces still on the ground in Iraq stood by and watched.</p>
<p>"So what had been a brilliant military campaign and a great success at the end of February began to look like a fiasco at the end of March," says Peter Galbraith, a former US diplomat and the author of two books about Iraq.</p>
<p>Galbraith should know. In the late 1980s, he was instrumental in documenting Saddam Hussein's atrocities against his own citizens.</p>
<p>At the end of the Gulf War the Iraqi leader's ability to crush the internal rebellions was made easier by a fatal mistake on the part of the Americans. During ceasefire talks, Iraqi military leaders asked General Schwarzkopf for an exemption, in order to use their helicopters. Their bridges were all destroyed, they argued, and they needed to ferry officials around the country. Schwarzkopf was later interviewed about it.</p>
<p>"That seemed like a reasonable request and within my charter I felt that that was something that it was perfectly all right to grant," Schwarzkopf said.</p>
<p>But instead of using the helicopters to transport government officials, the Iraqis used them to gun down civilians. Schwarzkopf said he felt used.</p>
<p>"I think I was suckered, because I think they intended right then, when they asked that question, to use those helicopters against the insurrections," he said.</p>
<p>But Galbraith said Schwarzkopf's justifications were absurd. He said US commanders should have responded, as soon as they realized what was happening.</p>
<p>"After all, for a victorious power dictating the terms, to allow an exception for helicopters to fly government officials around doesn't mean that you've made an exception to allow them to use those helicopters to gun down civilians. And so, that really was inexcusable. I think it was inattention. I think it was really a focus - their minds were someplace else. They wanted this thing to be over," Galbraith says.</p>
<p>Everyone wanted the war to be over. Especially President Bush. But there were some missing parts to this ending. At a White House briefing, the President made it clear to reporters that he felt something wasn’t quite right.</p>
<p>"You know, to be very honest with you, I don't, I haven't yet felt this, this wonderfully euphoric feeling that many of the American people feel," he said. "You mentioned World War II. There was a definitive end to that conflict. And now we have Saddam Hussein still there."</p>
<p>Not only was the Iraqi leader still in power, his Army was not destroyed. The game plan had been to deprive Saddam of his troops by surrounding them as they fled Kuwait, and forcing them to surrender. But then Washington became fixated on ending the ground war at 100 hours.</p>
<p>General Schwarzkopf himself declared the gates closed. But in fact there were gaps in the line and Iraqi Republican Guard units were streaming northward, out of the clutches of coalition forces.</p>
<p>Bernard Trainor, co-author of "The Generals' War," says letting the Iraqi troops flee like that handed Saddam Hussein a propaganda victory.</p>
<p>"He then turned around and made his defeat into a victory by telling the Iraqi people and the Arab world that his army had stopped the Americans at the Euphrates river line, and therefore he was the victor in the mother of all battles. It was a pure lie, but we never understood that you must make your enemy know he is defeated by having him admit his defeat," he says.</p>
<p>There are plenty of people who argue the United States should have fought on in 1991, but Galbraith says that whole debate is a red herring.</p>
<p>"There was no need for US troops to go on to Baghdad. The US simply could have enforced the ceasefire that Iraq had already accepted, specifically insisted that Iraq not fly its helicopters, not use them for military purposes, and that Iraq not move its tanks and other military units," he says.</p>
<p>Galbraith believes that had the United States done so, the internal uprisings would have succeeded, and Saddam Hussein would have been ousted there and then. In his view, the leadership in Washington lost sight of what it was fighting for.</p>
<p>"It was an odd moment. After all, the first President Bush compared Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler. And then he simply allowed the man he'd called the Hitler of the Middle East to engage in mass murder against his own people. There was a real disconnect between the rhetoric and the arguments for the war and the reality on the ground," he says.</p>
<p>Several weeks after he’d announced the war over, President Bush found himself on the defensive.</p>
<p>"Of course I feel a frustration and a sense of grief for the innocents, that are being killed brutally, but we are not there to intervene," he said. "That is not our purpose. It was never our purpose. I do not want to see us get sucked into the internal civil war inside Iraq."</p>
<p>But in the end, the humanitarian catastrophe proved too large to ignore. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds fled over the border into Turkey, where they struggled to survive in refugee camps. The United States launched Operation Provide Comfort to deliver aid to them. Months after the war was officially over, the US used its troops to carve out safe havens in northern Iraq so that the Kurds could return to their homes. Here was the mission creep that President Bush had sought so hard to avoid. It was certainly a much messier ending than promised.</p>
<p>But political scientist Stephen Biddle says we shouldn't expect neat endings in war. He himself even shies away from using words like “victory” or “defeat.”</p>
<p>"Most wars don't end with this kind of extreme, binary, one-sided outcome," he says. "They generally end up in some sort of negotiated deal, which secures neither side's war aims completely. Our most important war aim was unambiguously secure. Saddam Hussein did not have control of Kuwaiti oil fields after 1991, but there were a variety of other war aims that lots of Americans thought were worthwhile that were not secured, and the result wasn’t as happy for us as many expected it to be."</p>
<p>The United States ended up maintaining forces in the region for years to come. It also patrolled the skies over Iraq, launching sporadic airstrikes against Iraqi targets.</p>
<p>Twelve years after the Gulf conflict, it went to war against Iraq again.</p>
<p>For Galbraith there's an eerie parallel between the two wars. In his view, both Bush Administrations paid too much attention to their military campaigns and not enough to securing important political objectives in the aftermath.</p>
<p>"We're not going to win wars simply by smashing the enemy," he says. " We can't eradicate the enemy. We need to think about and be able to plan and put resources into what follows. And that's really the great failure. And it's an incredibly costly failure."</p>
<p>And one that ultimately made Iraq feel a lot more like Vietnam than the Gulf War planners of 1991 ever intended.</p>
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1991 gulf war different kind war different kind time vietnam quagmire represented receding past humanitarian interventions 1990s yet horizon cold war coming close new world international cooperation seemed dawning gulf war unfolded almost without hitch and160 unlike vietnam ending seemed clean didnt take long image unravel us troops returned persian gulf 1991 treated victory celebrations ticker tape parade parade vietnam war veterans never got autobiography colin powell describes thrill riding broadway new york 1959 buick convertible architects gulf war cut teeth vietnam planning engagement iraq one overriding goal war would short sweet crisis began saddam hussein invaded kuwait august 2 1990 next months united states worked build international coalition take action iraq january 1991 operation desert storm began president bush addressed nation two hours ago allied forces began attack military targets iraq kuwait said president bush stressed action consent united nations congress said goal drive saddam hussein kuwait promised coalition would act quickly forcefully ive told american people another vietnam repeat tonight president said troops best possible support entire world asked fight one hand tied behind back president able keep promise little month back front cameras160 kuwait liberated announced iraqs army defeated military objectives met short sentences used describe short campaign six weeks air attacks mere four days ground operations addressed troops radio couple days later president proclaimed ghosts previous conflict exorcised spectre vietnam buried forever desert sands arabian peninsula said men prosecuted 1991 gulf war deeply influenced vietnam time colin powell chairman joint chiefs staff played key role ensuring war brought swift end general norman schwarzkopf remembered feeling relieved surprised speed conclusion us stunned fact wed achieved victory quickly low loss life part forces schwarzkopf said interview took long time sink mean stunning victory almost cost relatively speaking everyone us kind walking around weeks later shaking heads afraid going wake wonderful dream find nightmare160 endgame nightmare americans turned one iraqis conflict president bush encouraged iraqi people overthrow saddam hussein end war iraqi kurds iraqi shiites tried called iraqi people rise first bush administration abandoned saddams forces crushed rebellions killing tens thousands people us forces still ground iraq stood watched brilliant military campaign great success end february began look like fiasco end march says peter galbraith former us diplomat author two books iraq galbraith know late 1980s instrumental documenting saddam husseins atrocities citizens end gulf war iraqi leaders ability crush internal rebellions made easier fatal mistake part americans ceasefire talks iraqi military leaders asked general schwarzkopf exemption order use helicopters bridges destroyed argued needed ferry officials around country schwarzkopf later interviewed seemed like reasonable request within charter felt something perfectly right grant schwarzkopf said instead using helicopters transport government officials iraqis used gun civilians schwarzkopf said felt used think suckered think intended right asked question use helicopters insurrections said galbraith said schwarzkopfs justifications absurd said us commanders responded soon realized happening victorious power dictating terms allow exception helicopters fly government officials around doesnt mean youve made exception allow use helicopters gun civilians really inexcusable think inattention think really focus minds someplace else wanted thing galbraith says everyone wanted war especially president bush missing parts ending white house briefing president made clear reporters felt something wasnt quite right know honest dont havent yet felt wonderfully euphoric feeling many american people feel said mentioned world war ii definitive end conflict saddam hussein still iraqi leader still power army destroyed game plan deprive saddam troops surrounding fled kuwait forcing surrender washington became fixated ending ground war 100 hours general schwarzkopf declared gates closed fact gaps line iraqi republican guard units streaming northward clutches coalition forces bernard trainor coauthor generals war says letting iraqi troops flee like handed saddam hussein propaganda victory turned around made defeat victory telling iraqi people arab world army stopped americans euphrates river line therefore victor mother battles pure lie never understood must make enemy know defeated admit defeat says plenty people argue united states fought 1991 galbraith says whole debate red herring need us troops go baghdad us simply could enforced ceasefire iraq already accepted specifically insisted iraq fly helicopters use military purposes iraq move tanks military units says galbraith believes united states done internal uprisings would succeeded saddam hussein would ousted view leadership washington lost sight fighting odd moment first president bush compared saddam hussein adolf hitler simply allowed man hed called hitler middle east engage mass murder people real disconnect rhetoric arguments war reality ground says several weeks hed announced war president bush found defensive course feel frustration sense grief innocents killed brutally intervene said purpose never purpose want see us get sucked internal civil war inside iraq end humanitarian catastrophe proved large ignore hundreds thousands iraqi kurds fled border turkey struggled survive refugee camps united states launched operation provide comfort deliver aid months war officially us used troops carve safe havens northern iraq kurds could return homes mission creep president bush sought hard avoid certainly much messier ending promised political scientist stephen biddle says shouldnt expect neat endings war even shies away using words like victory defeat wars dont end kind extreme binary onesided outcome says generally end sort negotiated deal secures neither sides war aims completely important war aim unambiguously secure saddam hussein control kuwaiti oil fields 1991 variety war aims lots americans thought worthwhile secured result wasnt happy us many expected united states ended maintaining forces region years come also patrolled skies iraq launching sporadic airstrikes iraqi targets twelve years gulf conflict went war iraq galbraith theres eerie parallel two wars view bush administrations paid much attention military campaigns enough securing important political objectives aftermath going win wars simply smashing enemy says cant eradicate enemy need think able plan put resources follows thats really great failure incredibly costly failure one ultimately made iraq feel lot like vietnam gulf war planners 1991 ever intended
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<p>LYNCHBURG — Virginia Baptists' MC2 Missions Connection Celebration involves participants of all ages in doing missions. Each morning, youth and adult teams participated in mission/service projects throughout the Lynchburg area. Three projects from this year's MC2, held at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center July 14-19, illustrate the way God uses these mission experiences to touch lives.</p>
<p>Lynchburg resident Clara Marshall is in her 90s, lives alone and is dependent on a wheelchair. As part of MC2, a team installed new vinyl siding on her house. Marshall appreciated the company as much as the work. As the crew put siding on the front, she sat at the front door, talking with them through the screen. When they began working on the side of the house, Marshall shifted to the side door to continue the conversation.</p>
<p />
<p>Photo by Alice Rusher</p>
<p>Kids at the backyard Bible club at James Crossing apartments “power up.”</p>
<p>The job was completed in just two mornings, and the construction team left for another worksite. The next day another MC2 team arrived to do some landscaping in Mrs. Marshall's yard. Sitting in her wheelchair on the sidewalk, Marshall admired the new siding, and then her thoughts turned immediately to its practical benefits. “Everything just looks so beautiful,” she said. “And I'm thinking about winter time and how nice and warm it's gonna be.”</p>
<p>Across town at the James Crossing apartment complex, an MC2 mission/service team held a backyard Bible club that drew 25-30 children each day. Meeting outdoors in the shade of a large tree, the youth and adult leaders involved the children (ages 2-10) in crafts, songs, Bible stories, puppet presentations, and games with a large parachute. According to site leader Theresa Crenshaw from Victoria Baptist Church in Victoria, “The children loved the puppets, the crafts, and the parachute. But most of all they loved being held and hugged.”</p>
<p>One 8-year-old boy, named Queshawd, learned many of the songs by heart. When the team gave the children Bible story books to keep, Queshawd read the story of Adam and Eve and exclaimed “This is my favorite book!” “This same boy shared in prayer time that his mother has a tumor,” said Crenshaw, “and our hearts broke at his concern and love for her. She's the only family he has.”</p>
<p />
<p>Photo by MC2 Photo Team</p>
<p>Youth install siding on a house as part of MC2.</p>
<p>A grandmother who lives in the apartment complex was also touched by the effect that this week of ministry had on the children. “God has called [her] to continue the ministry throughout the year with the children,” said Crenshaw.“ She reads and writes very little, but her heartfelt desire to serve and to share the love of Christ was evident as we prayed with her throughout the week.”</p>
<p>In another Lynchburg neighborhood, a team of six youth from Linden Heights Baptist Church in Staunton and Bowling Green Baptist Church in Bowling Green renovated several rooms in the home of Jennie Dyke. Led by Kathy Shereda, pastor of High Hills Baptist Church in Jarratt, and her husband, Paul, this group replaced the kitchen floor, hung new sheetrock, plastered and painted, and installed new screen on several doors and the back porch.</p>
<p>As she watched the team working, homeowner Jennie Dyke said with a smile, “The Lord always provides.”</p>
<p>When Shereda noticed that Dyke had only a microwave to cook with, adults from High Hills Baptist searched the internet, located a high-quality used stove, and contributed the money to purchase it. The church's choir director went shopping and returned with over a dozen bags of groceries.</p>
<p>Jennie Dyke's granddaughter, Mandze, 13, helped with painting and cleaning up at her grandmother's house. At the end of the week, the team invited Jennie and Mandze to Eagle Eyrie for a pizza supper in their lodge and to attend the closing worship service. Before leaving for home that evening, Jennie Dyke made a request: “She asked if Mandze could join our group next year, stay on the mountain with us, and work in Lynchburg doing missions so she could give back as others had given to them,” said Shereda.</p>
<p />
<p>Photo by Alice Rusher</p>
<p>In another MC2 project, youth help two senior citizens with crafts at the Adult Care Center at Court Street United Methodist Church.</p>
<p>These were only a few of more than 30 youth mission/service projects. Some adults worked building a Habitat for Humanity house, while others at Eagle Eyrie knitted afghans and blankets for hospitalized children and infants. Preschoolers and children looked at clothing to decide whether it was good enough to give away. In all of these ways, Virginia Baptists were doing missions as a part of MC2.</p>
<p>MC2 also included dynamic, intergenerational worship; opportunities to meet and learn from missionaries; and afternoon seminar sessions on a wide range of topics, such as healthy dating, self-esteem and discerning a call to ministry. There was also the opportunity for adults to train for service with the Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief Temporary Child Care Units.</p>
<p>A total of 585 children, youth, and adults were involved in some aspect of MC2. Photo slideshows from this year's MC2 are available at www.mc2-va.com.</p>
<p>Kathy Shereda's group from High Hills Baptist is already anticipating next year's MC2. “I am still so full of God's Spirit after such a great week,” she wrote in an email. “It was transformative on many fronts. Our commission was to go — go and tell, go and do, go and share, go and love. We came home and shared our experiences and pictures with our church. We are already planning for next year.”</p>
<p>The 2009 MC2 Mission Connection Celebration will be held July 13-18 at Eagle Eyrie.</p>
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lynchburg virginia baptists mc2 missions connection celebration involves participants ages missions morning youth adult teams participated missionservice projects throughout lynchburg area three projects years mc2 held eagle eyrie baptist conference center july 1419 illustrate way god uses mission experiences touch lives lynchburg resident clara marshall 90s lives alone dependent wheelchair part mc2 team installed new vinyl siding house marshall appreciated company much work crew put siding front sat front door talking screen began working side house marshall shifted side door continue conversation photo alice rusher kids backyard bible club james crossing apartments power job completed two mornings construction team left another worksite next day another mc2 team arrived landscaping mrs marshalls yard sitting wheelchair sidewalk marshall admired new siding thoughts turned immediately practical benefits everything looks beautiful said im thinking winter time nice warm gon na across town james crossing apartment complex mc2 missionservice team held backyard bible club drew 2530 children day meeting outdoors shade large tree youth adult leaders involved children ages 210 crafts songs bible stories puppet presentations games large parachute according site leader theresa crenshaw victoria baptist church victoria children loved puppets crafts parachute loved held hugged one 8yearold boy named queshawd learned many songs heart team gave children bible story books keep queshawd read story adam eve exclaimed favorite book boy shared prayer time mother tumor said crenshaw hearts broke concern love shes family photo mc2 photo team youth install siding house part mc2 grandmother lives apartment complex also touched effect week ministry children god called continue ministry throughout year children said crenshaw reads writes little heartfelt desire serve share love christ evident prayed throughout week another lynchburg neighborhood team six youth linden heights baptist church staunton bowling green baptist church bowling green renovated several rooms home jennie dyke led kathy shereda pastor high hills baptist church jarratt husband paul group replaced kitchen floor hung new sheetrock plastered painted installed new screen several doors back porch watched team working homeowner jennie dyke said smile lord always provides shereda noticed dyke microwave cook adults high hills baptist searched internet located highquality used stove contributed money purchase churchs choir director went shopping returned dozen bags groceries jennie dykes granddaughter mandze 13 helped painting cleaning grandmothers house end week team invited jennie mandze eagle eyrie pizza supper lodge attend closing worship service leaving home evening jennie dyke made request asked mandze could join group next year stay mountain us work lynchburg missions could give back others given said shereda photo alice rusher another mc2 project youth help two senior citizens crafts adult care center court street united methodist church 30 youth missionservice projects adults worked building habitat humanity house others eagle eyrie knitted afghans blankets hospitalized children infants preschoolers children looked clothing decide whether good enough give away ways virginia baptists missions part mc2 mc2 also included dynamic intergenerational worship opportunities meet learn missionaries afternoon seminar sessions wide range topics healthy dating selfesteem discerning call ministry also opportunity adults train service virginia baptist disaster relief temporary child care units total 585 children youth adults involved aspect mc2 photo slideshows years mc2 available wwwmc2vacom kathy sheredas group high hills baptist already anticipating next years mc2 still full gods spirit great week wrote email transformative many fronts commission go go tell go go share go love came home shared experiences pictures church already planning next year 2009 mc2 mission connection celebration held july 1318 eagle eyrie
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