text:
The yearbook picture shows a strapping teenager — an athlete, young enough to still be defined by potential.
Broad shouldered, speedy and sturdy, Richie McCombs was a standout tailback at Metuchen High School. After graduating in 1952, he served in the Air Force during the Korean War. He then worked for decades as a truck driver until retiring in the early 90s.
A life-long bachelor, until recently he was renting in a New Brunswick boarding house, paying $675 monthly rent. But the neighbors were rough.
"You can't live in a house with people selling drugs downstairs without knowing about it," he said.
He needed to leave, but said he could not afford an apartment on his pension and Social Security.
Sixty years after that yearbook photo, McCombs, 77, became one of the approximately 7,000 homeless veterans in the state. That number includes veterans who may have only temporary shelter.
"You find a place and the rent goes up and up and then what do you do," he said. "It's a hell of a thing."
What McCombs did while he waits for a room at a retirement home in Metuchen, is check into Care House — a pilot program run by the Salvation Army in Perth Amboy that offers transitional housing. They have 18 beds, 11 set aside for veterans.
New Jersey has about 200 beds in transitional homes set aside for veterans, far fewer than what is needed, according to the National Council for Homeless Veterans. Last week, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place at Veterans Haven in Winslow, nearly doubling its capacity to 99 beds.
It is the only New Jersey transitional home run by the state, though it operates similar to Care House and Community Hope in Lyons, a private non-profit that contracts with the U.S. Veterans Administration.
That will help, but there are still thousands throughout the state who could benefit from a transitional home. And the need is growing as a new generation of soldiers returns home. But the problem is twofold: In addition to the lack of beds, the sour economy makes it harder for veterans to find jobs that allow them to leave a transitional home, creating a bottleneck. "The entry level jobs that we used to rely on are no longer there," said Victor Carlson, a psychologist and chief of homeless services for the Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System. "There is no upward mobility. If a job becomes vacant, somebody else with a much longer job history is going to take that job. Our veterans have a much harder time competing."
No job, means no money, means no permanent housing.
And so veterans end up at a transitional home.
Transitional homes are not homeless shelters. They are for those ready to earn the stability they need to regain the self-sufficiency they had, said Sean Vanlew, assistant superintendent at Veterans Haven.
Think of it like a timeout, a chance to pause the chaos that interrupted life and transition to a new path. A place to take a low-wage job, or earn a new degree, to live cheap and bank some money.
There are rules, however. Residents can't leave without letting someone know where they are going, and must return by curfew. No drugs, no alcohol, no fighting. Chores are rotated. Disputes flare over the remote control in the common room.
Tamara Walker has been living at Community Hope for a year. Because she is a woman, she has a room with her own bathroom. And shoes, lots and lots of shoes, piled neatly in shoeboxes up against the wall of her room, which personalize the space. This is where she comes after classes at Raritan Valley Community College. This is where she will plan for her new life. The life where she will earn her MBA and open a dance studio. The old life — the one with an abusive husband, the one where she says she was sexually assaulted twice in the Navy, the one with bad habits that left her tired and depressed — that's all in the past.
Community Hope is her transition between those lives.
Walker, 43, served in the Navy from 1987 until 1993. She later learned she was contending with physical issues — she has Sjogren's disease, an autoimmune disease — and coping with mental and emotional distress. But she never discussed it.
"I felt ashamed, embarrassed, sad," she said. "Here is tough Tamara and I couldn't keep someone off of me."
After coming to terms with the fact that she needed help, she came to Community Hope.
"I was traumatized more than I thought," she said. "Being here, I don't have to depend on anyone because I have a place to lay my head every night."
And that security is like fuel, charging veterans who say, for too long, they were running on empty.
"It's like a self-help program," said Robert Ferguson, an Air Force veteran who lives at Veterans Haven. He wakes at 3:30 a.m. to take public transportation to his job where he operates a forklift from 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
"Theoretically, I could leave now, but why would I leave," said Ferguson, 45. "It's a good place to save money."
Residents are limited to how long they can stay, and must pay about 30 percent of their income – after taxes, any medical benefits, alimony, child support or other legal obligations — for rent.
The sense of a home, of stability is key, veterans say.
"I'm running again," said Harrison House a 55-year-old Navy veteran, living at Care House. "The peace of mind is tremendous for my psyche."
He came to New Jersey from Oklahoma about a year ago with the promise of a job, but when he arrived he was told the position was no longer available. Widowed and divorced, House stayed, picking up odd jobs and sleeping in his red, beat up 1988 Chevy until the winter weather forced him to find warmer shelter. He roomed at the same boarding house as McCombs, but the rent ate away his savings. Now, he is earning a degree in public policy and administration and sleeping in the top bunk.
"I can't remember the last time I had a roommate," he chuckled. But his only regret is that he didn't find Care House sooner. "The benefits are enormous," House said. "There are opportunities to better your condition: going to school, getting a job, stashing away money."
Those benefits come with relatively little federal support. The U.S. government offers a maximum daily rate of $38.90 per veteran, according to the VA. Other funding is cobbled together either from the state, the Salvation Army or other charities.All the furniture for Veterans Haven's expansion, for example, was donated by the American Legion. The expansion there is part of a larger effort to combat homelessness. The VA announced in June that it planned to add 34 transitional housing locations across the country, increasing available beds to 20,000 from 15,000.
Lt. Gov.Kim Guadagno said New Jersey is looking into a new transitional home in the northern part of the state.
Additional beds will of course help, but administrators are still fighting an uphill battle, struggling to find jobs for veterans
J. Michael Armstrong, CEO of Community Hope, believes the population of homeless veterans is about to increase as men and women who served in Afghanistan and Iraq are discharged. Male veterans, ages 18-24, had an unemployment rate of 21.9 percent in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"There aren't any simple, easy, pat answers," Armstrong said. "This is a big problem."
Staff writer Matt Friedman contributed to this report.


text:
While I was out…
Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com
A few miscellaneous items that I wanted to make sure weren't missed while I was gone on a quick vacation:
- Former Pirates third base coach Tony Beasley has been named the new manager for the Nationals' Double-A team in Harrisburg. Beasley was under contract with the Pirates through 2011, but Clint Hurdle did not keep him on the Major League coaching staff.
- The Cardinals have dealt Brendan Ryan to the Mariners, thereby eliminating another potential shortstop option for the Pirates. At this point, it's hard to see where Pittsburgh is going to look for an upgrade at short. Ryan would have been a tremendous defensive option, but he's now out of the mix like J.J. Hardy and Jason Bartlett. As the days go by, it looks more and more like Ronny Cedeno will be the team's Opening Day shortstop.
- Don't forget that the 1960 World Series Game 7 special will be televised on MLB Network at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The DVD of the game with interviews is available for purchase. Details can be found here.
- Former Pirates hitting coach Don Long interviewed for the Mets' hitting coach position, but he did not get the job. It was announced on Monday that Dave Hudgens will be New York's next hitting coach.
Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Posted by stevenleser in The DU Lounge
Thu Dec 01st 2011, 09:56 PM
I had a little drama on the subway today that I want to relate to my DU friends. In person, at least, I'm a nice guy who will turn the other cheek most of the time if someone is rude or unpleasant. Like most people, however, I have my limits. On my way home from work, I took a seat in the middle of an obese man on my left and this late 50's thin woman on my right. Within moments, the woman grabbed my elbow and shoved it and said something about me poking her. Fact is, it was rush hour on the subway, I was trying to occupy as little space as possible but I was thoroughly sandwiched between the gentleman to my left and this woman. A few moments later she shoved my elbow again and told me to stop leaning against her. At that point I looked straight ahead at the windows across from us which, due to the lighting, were turned into virtual mirrors. I noted that I was sitting straight up, elbows in and was not leaning at all. The lady then proceeded to be rude and nasty and talked about having to be on the train for another half hour or hour or something like that. I smiled and said, I'm really doing my best. More rudeness ensued. The man to my left became visibly self conscious and upset because he realized he was taking up 50% of the space that should have comfortably accomodated three people.
At that point, I became mad and a plan hatched in my head. Two stops later what I was waiting for came in. A woman twice my width with an angry expression on her face who was also coughing and sneezing. With a grandiose gesture, I offered my seat to her. The new woman couldnt even manage to say thank you as we switched places, me standing and she sitting. Immediately the two women began jostling with each other for space. The original woman clearly looked unhappy and uncomfortable. Several other passengers, having witnessed the entire drama from the beginning had smiles on their faces when they realized what I had done. Soon my stop arrived, and as I moved toward the exit, I made eye contact with the original woman, smiled and raised one of my eyebrows.
Unspoken message, you were an asshole and this is what you get. Hopefully she will realize she cannot treat people like that and perhaps I have saved the next few folks from dealing with what I dealt with.
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion: Presidency
Sun Aug 14th 2011, 08:52 AM
That puts pressure on a Democratic opponent from the getgo.
Add the rest of the 1980 Reagan and national scenario you aptly describe and all the ingredients are there for a GOP victory.
It's hard to point to a large Democratic state where Perry would have a shot at winning. So, he basically has to win the George W. Bush states.
To make the election impossible for Perry to win ought to be easy. Not the same with the reverse. Obama's target states are Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida. That is six states where if President Obama wins two or three of them, it's virtually impossible for Perry to win. Add the fact that there are extremely unpopular GOP governors in three of those states, an energized Democratic base in Wisconsin, the Democratic convention in North Carolina, and you have a really good chance for the President even under difficult circumstances.
The potential GOP candidates that could have pressed Obama better in those states are either gone or are not gaining traction (Pawlenty and Huntsman).
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Posted by stevenleser in Political Videos
Fri Aug 12th 2011, 12:48 PM
For those of you who did not get the chance to see this in GDP yesterday. It's now on Youtube.
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion: Presidency
Thu Jun 23rd 2011, 05:32 PM
When you decide you want to try to offer a new product or service whether in a new or existing business, you try to determine if there is a market for it. Is there a need for the new product or service, or through marketing can you create a desire for it. If you are introducing a new product to compete with existing products, how is your product different from the other products and is that difference something that people will find appealing.
Candidates can work in a similar way. From his campaign rollout speech, it is clear that Mr. Huntsman is trying to position himself as the one reasonable candidate who respects his Republican rivals for the nomination and ALSO respects President Obama. On Obama, Huntsman said that while he respects him, he just has a different vision for the country. Huntsman is also a smart guy who taught himself Mandarin Chinese, was the US Ambassador to China, Governor of Utah and knows American history and can speak knowledgably about foreign policy issues.
For all that, there is a major problem with candidate Huntsman. He is a product whose features have no market among the Republican electorate.
Republicans have no interest in a candidate that actually knows something. They seem to find willful ignorance irrelevant or even charming in a candidate. For instance, Sarah Palin's butchering and ignorance of history and current events is legend. Not only does she make up history as she goes along, when her error was pointed out, she insisted her version of Paul Revere's famous ride (he rode out to warn the British not to try to take our guns) was correct even though we are in the internet age when it is easy to look up such things and find out the truth. One of the last living really intelligent ultra conservatives, Margaret Thatcher, refused to meet with Palin when Palin traveled to the UK to see Thatcher. As much as I disagree with many or most of Ms. Thatcher's decisions as Prime Minister, I can only opine from a distance that Thatcher didn't want her legacy and brand of conservatism tarnished by meeting with someone who views being informed as an unnecessary inconvenience.
Michele Bachmann hasn't been on the national stage as long as Palin but she is working hard to catch up in ignorant quotes. Bachmann has produced gems like "Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn't even one study that can be produced that shows carbon dioxide is a harmful gas." Bachmann may want to read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxid... . If she still is unconvinced, maybe she will agree to be hooked up to a tank of the stuff to breathe for a while.
I think Bachmann got her idea for this quote from Ann Coulter who claimed that radiation is good for you. If Ann really feels that way, I don't understand why she isn't at Fukushima offering to clean the whole thing up with her bare hands. TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) would almost certainly offer her many times her regular speaking rate to do it. The Republican base has no interest in a candidate that is reasonable. The most successful GOP politicians and pundits are those whose mouths routinely spew hyperbole and false accusations against the President and other Democrats. Both of the lies that Politifact awarded "Lie of the Year" for the past two years were uttered by Republicans against President Obama and both were popular with the Republican base (2010 lie of year - "President Obama's Healthcare Plan is Government takeover of Healthcare" and 2009 lie of year - "Obama's health care plan includes death panels for seniors). You still here both of those lies parroted regularly by Republicans.
The list of lies doesn't include the myriad of just plain crazy statements that have become the hallmark of the Republican party post election 2008. Statements like those from Republican congressional candidate Hans Zeiger who said he objects to the Girl Scouts and their cookies on the grounds that they are "a breeding ground for homosexual, 'pro-abortion' feminists.". I just want to let Mr. Zeiger in on a little Biology 101. It's pretty tough to get pregnant from lesbian sex and that being the case, the amount of abortions from resulting pregnancies has to be pretty miniscule (read: none). Who also can forget Newt Gingrich's utterance earlier this year warning us about America being in danger of becoming "an atheist country dominated by radical Islamists". Newt needs to enlighten us on how you can be an atheist and a 'radical' practitioner of any religion, the point being that you can't. It is an impossible contradiction and a crazy thing to say. Somehow, the Republican base can't get enough of that kind of craziness. The lies and unreasonableness seem to have flowed directly from the Tea Party astroturf movement. The Tea Party loves crazy signs, disrupting congress people's town hall meeting with their constituents and toying with violent and secessionist rhetoric. While the Tea Party movement seems to have faded, the love of all things crazy seems to have stuck with the Republican base. Texas Governor Rick Perry is perfect for all of the above reasons and that is why Republicans are courting him to jump into the race. He has made several statements threatening for Texas to secede from the United States, he refused some of the free stimulus money for his state that it turned out he eventually needed and had to borrow. Texans can thank him for having to pay that money back (part of the stimulus money he did accept he used to rebuild the Governor's mansion, i.e., his temporary home. I guess that was more important than whatever else Texas needed).
Perry will have his hands full with Michele Bachmann in terms of proving who is more willfully ignorant, secessionist and crazy. As sad as it sounds, it looks like who 'wins' that contest will determine who wins the Republican nomination.
With the above being the reality of life in the GOP, there is no room in the Republican Party for a reasonable person like Jon Huntsman. The Republican base is not looking for such a person and will not be able to appreciate him now that he has shown up. Huntsman may or may not be as conservative on economic and social issues as Bachmann or Perry, but if he doesn't bring 'the crazy' the GOP base won't be the slightest bit interested. I doubt Huntsman ever draws more than 5% in any poll or, if he lasts that long, primary or caucus.
The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of International Business Times.
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion
Fri Jun 17th 2011, 08:35 AM
In Midst of European Food Scare, US House Republicans Cut Food Safety Funding
In an act that is part ignorance and part pandering to large agribusiness, the Republican Controlled US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to cut millions of dollars in funding for the Agriculture Department, Food and Drug administration and other assorted agencies' efforts to ensure the US food supply is safe.
If you haven't heard, Europe is in the midst of an outbreak of foodborne Escherichia (E.) coli bacteria that has sickened 3300 people and killed 39 in the last two months. The lesson of why you shouldnt gut the funding for food safety is staring us right in the face... at least those of us who keep aware of the news and goings on around the world. That could be where part of the problem is. Most Republican elected officials (starting with Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin) don't even know US history let alone current events in Europe. One wonders if they could even identify where Europe is on a globe.
More at above link
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion
Sun May 08th 2011, 09:24 AM
False moral equivalencies, cries of extra-judicial killing, all of this and more has been the reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden by a particular segment of the Progressive left.
To understand whether any of these accusations have merit, let's completely outline the situation that existed and exists between the United States and bin Laden and his group, Al Qaeda.
In August of 1996, Osama bin Laden issued the first of two declarations of war against the United States. He issued a written religious edict, called a Fatwa that was unambiguously titled "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places." In this Fatwa, he called on all Muslims to join him in this war against America and Israel.
In February 1998, bin Laden issued a second Fatwa declaring war against the United States, it's allies, and Israel. In this second declaration of war, bin Laden among other things said "The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it"
On August 7, 1998, i.e., a few months after the second declaration of war, the group led by bin Laden, Al Qaeda, bombed the US Embassies in the capitals of Kenya and Tanzania. Through those bombings, along with the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and of course the September 11, 2001 attacks, bin Laden and Al Qaeda demonstrated the seriousness of the ideas and intentions expressed in those two declaration of war Fatwas.
Is it possible for an international law-recognized state of war to exist between a nation state and a non-nation state entity, or even two or more non-nation state entities? The answer is, "of course", as an example, many civil wars fit this description.
My assertion is that according to applicable international law, a state of war existed and continues to exist between the United States and Al Qaeda and its affiliates. No cease fire or peace agreement has been signed between the US and Al Qaeda and acts of war continue between them.
International Law, as outlined in various United Nations documents and the Geneva Conventions has a number of things to say about terrorism, war and self defense.
Article 51 of the United Nations Charter says "Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security…."
Al Qaeda is not a member of the United Nations and does not recognize the authority of the United Nations, its charter or its resolutions. Thus, the idea that the Security council can "take measures necessary to maintain international peace and security" in this situation via any kind of diplomatic actions or resolutions is moot, at least as things now stand.
On 12 September 2001, The UN Security Council adopted a resolution that condemned the September 11th terrorist attacks, expressed determination to combat terrorist acts by "all means", re-affirmed the inherent right of individual and collective self-defense, and expressed its readiness "to take all necessary steps" to respond to the terrorist attacks.
The September 11th attacks resulted in the US and UK as well as Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway joining together in Afghanistan to wage war against Al Qaeda and their Taliban supporters. Most of those countries are hardly the sort that would be involved in unnecessary wars or unprovoked wars of aggression. We can go beyond those countries who participated directly and say that virtually the entire international community supported the United States in their efforts to bring the perpetrators of 9/11 to justice.
Indeed, in response to the killing of bin Laden, Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations said "Personally, I am very much relieved by the news that justice has been done to such a mastermind of international terrorism. I would like to commend the work and the determined and principled commitment of many people in the world who have been struggling to eradicate international terrorism."
Linguistics Professor and political activist Noam Chomsky has compared and asked us to contrast the attack that killed bin Laden with a hypothetical attack by Iraqi commandos to kill George W. Bush or Dick Cheney. Chomsky suggests there is a moral equivalence between the two. Anti war activist and author David Swanson wrote an article that suggests that bin Laden was lynched.
As an aside, most Democrats were against the Iraq war, identified it as unnecessary and unprovoked, and we were proven correct. I have written several articles critical of the war and proving that the Bush administration knew several weeks before the war that their primary justification regarding the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was not true. Here is one such article http://www.opednews.com/articles/Iraq-War-... . Those facts make the Iraq war an unprovoked war of aggression and those who ordered it are guilty of that war crime.
The easiest response to Chomsky's suggestion is that currently no state of war exists between Iraq and the United States. Not only that, the government of Iraq signed Status of Forces Agreements in 2008 and 2009 that governs how many US troops can be in Iraq and for how long. So Chomsky is comparing a killing that occurred between two entities that are at war and a hypothetical one between two entities that are not only no longer at war, they have good relations.
International law and most countries' criminal law statutes take those kind of distinctions very seriously.
It would be quite an odd argument to claim that bin Laden should get the protection of a non-war status and those who killed him should be prosecuted for an extra-judicial killing after he himself declared war twice and since then has continuously waged war directly through the organization he led.
A helpful second example that illustrates the inaccuracy of the Chomsky and Swanson analogies is the April 18, 1943 killing of Japanese Commander in Chief Isoroku Yamamoto by the US Army Air Corps. Military intelligence learned that Yamamoto would be conducting an inspection of Japanese installations in the Solomon Islands and they learned the flight path his aircraft would be taking, and they had US Fighter aircraft ambush and shoot down the plane.
The ambushing of Yamamoto was not a crime and no one then or since has considered it so. In wartime, the commanders of combatants are legitimate and legal targets. It's not considered an extra-judicial killing or lynching to attack combatants and their commanders in wartime.
A high percentage of those who self identify as Democrats and/or Progressives also self identify as anti-war, and I include myself in that. There is a difference, however, between protesting unjust wars and preferring non-violent solutions to conflicts whenever possible versus twisting facts and using false equivalencies to demonize actions because you want to try to assert that all acts of violence, particularly those by one country or entity (in this case the US), are evil.
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Posted by stevenleser in Ask the Administrators
Wed Mar 09th 2011, 05:09 PM
I've alerted on the below multiple times over two days:
Right wing memes (Anti-lawyers, anti career politician) - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...
Comparing President Obama to Nazis and Hitler - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...
Saying Obama is no different than McCain - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discu...
I think the rules violations on these three are pretty apparent. I'm wondering if something is changing because I have 160 or so of the folks who tend to write stuff like this on ignore. If I am still seeing these kinds of things, I'm guessing that a lot more OPs like this are out there that I am not seeing. Have we given up on the constructive criticism only idea? Is it possible that we've allowed a slow creep from constructive criticism to outright and scathing opposition?
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion: Presidency
Thu Nov 04th 2010, 09:09 PM
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Tea-Party...
November 4, 2010
By Steven Leser
By my calculations, the new Republican house is already proposing $220 Billion in additional spending and reduced revenue (aka $220 Billion increase to the budget deficit) on two items between now and election day in 2012 making it very difficult to get to their promise of cutting spending and cutting the deficit at the same time they intend to cut taxes and stimulate the economy. We will get into the specifics of that later in this article.
I want to get in what will be one of if not in fact the last of my commentarys on the Tea Party because if my analysis is right, they will not be around much longer. You see, the Tea Party has worn out their welcome in the Republican Party. The only slight measure of success of the Tea Party was to temporarily rebrand the Republican Party to the point where they could oppose some of Obama's initiatives. Had they stopped there and let the Republicans run their own candidates, election 2010 would have been an even bigger success for the GOP.
Instead, almost all of the big name Tea Party Senate candidates who were in competitive races lost their elections this past Tuesday including Sharron Angle in Nevada, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, Ken Buck in Colorado, Joe Miller in Alaska. These candidates cost the GOP the senate. Had the GOP been able to run candidates that did not strike the electorate in these states as crazy radical wingnuts, the Republicans would have won those races and Mr. McConnell would be Senate Majority leader.
While some would argue that the Tea Party helped win the House of Representatives, that logic also doesnt work because Democratic Presidents and indeed most Presidents of either party typically have large losses in the mid term elections following their election to their first term. As this graphic by Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly illustrates, the chances are that the Republicans would have taken the House and by large numbers even without the Tea Party. Its something that just usually happens.
Typical Midterm election effect on House of Representatives by Steve Benen
That isn't the only failure of the Tea Party. The Tea Party also failed in one of the key reasons it was created and that is to oppose President Obama's initiatives like the stimulus and Health Care Reform. As we all know, both of those measures passed.
This failure is not lost on the powers that be in the Republican Party and the fact is that the folks at the two big Republican thinktanks, Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity, control all of the Tea Party's infrastructure and funding. All that has to happen is for the leadership of those two thinktanks to turn the funding key to 'off', shut down the websites that help organize the tea parties, and the Tea Party Express would come to a quick and wordless stop. That is what I predict will happen in the next few weeks. They are going to try to do it as quietly and innocuously as possible, but they are going to do it. The Republican Party has nothing left to gain from the Tea Party and everything to lose. The grass roots members of the Tea Party actually expect the Republicans to cut spending and close the budget deficit and the GOP has no intention of doing that.
As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, Republicans have announced they intend to push $220 Billion in additional spending and reduced revenue for the next two years over what is the current situation and plan. First, they intend to stop President Obama from bringing an end to the Afghanistan war in 2011. That war costs $80 Billion per year. I've been generous in my calculations and only charged the GOP congress who are pushing for the extension with the cost of the war in 2012 but truthfully, Obama plans to end the war in the summer of 2011 so we could add another $40 Billion to the increased expenditure for which the Republicans are advocating.
Second, the Republicans are pushing to make the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent. Those tax cuts cost $70 Billion per year. So, before anything else has happened, Republicans are advocating for an increase in the deficit for the time between now and election day in 2012 by $220 Billion dollars. Republicans would have to find that amount of cuts to take effect in the next two years just to offset what they are already proposing.
As I have said repeatedly in debates with my right wing friends over the last two years, Republicans have no credibility on Fiscal Responsibility. They have no credibility in the past and they clearly intend to go on having no credibility in the future. See these videos of me discussing the Tea Party in April of 2009 and November 1, 2010 where I make this and other points.
That isn't all, the Republicans have had two years on the sidelines to plan for what they would do if they got the likely chance to return to power in one or both houses of congress and with all of that time, they have no detailed proposals for what to do about the economy. They cannot articulate a single item in the budget to cut, not a single one. They squirm, spin and run from the question everytime they are asked. See these videos for prominent GOP members of congress asked about what they intend to cut:
Now, we have already heard that cuts of defense are off the table as far as Republicans are concerned. Before the election, the common theme you heard was that everything was on the table including defense because our budget was so out of control. After the election, we are hearing that defense cuts are verboten, so, what large items does that leave in the budget to cut? It leaves things like Medicare and Social Security. If Republicans are going to try to cut something, and I am not convinced that they are, they are going to try to cut Medicare and Social Security.
As much as I would like to see the Republicans commit political suicide by proposing broad cuts in Social Security and Medicare that would then be shot down in the Senate and White House, I don't really believe they are going to do that. Instead, Republicans are going to prove that they are the same old Republicans that existed before the modern incarnation of the Tea Party started making noise. They are going to propose tax cuts and then they will fail to followthrough with any kind of spending cuts to pay for those tax cuts further ballooning the deficit.
No one should be surprised, this is who the Republicans are, this is the Republicans' nature. We've all heard the parable of the scorpion and the frog. The scorpion asks the frog to swim across the river and carry the scorpion on its back. The frog replies that he is afraid the scorpion will sting him to which the scorpion promises he will not and asserts that it would be dumb to do since it would drown them both. Sure enough, the frog relents and half way across the river the scorpion stings the frog and on their way to sinking beneath the waves, the frog asks the scorpion why he did it and the scorpion says "It's my nature".
I have no idea why the voters of this country have to be periodically reminded of the Republicans' nature. We're going to get a lot of reminders of their nature in the next two years. The Republicans are reportedly going to be spending millions and perhaps billions of dollars investigating the Obama administration in the hopes of finding something with which to impeach him as I described here in this article http://www.opednews.com/articles/Election-... Before the election Darryl Issa had already taken to calling himself the "questioner in chief."
Combine that with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's repeated assertion that his top priority is to make Obama a one term President and I wonder if Republicans remember that we still have a very serious situation with the economy and unemployment. You GOPers remember those things, right? Particularly since those are the reasons people did not reelect the Democrats, they were concerned about those things.
The fact is that the Republicans have no intention of following through on spending cuts and they have no intention of concentrating on the economy and jobs. The Republicans have three priorities, keeping the Afghan war going, hurting Obama with the intent of making him a one term President, and rewarding their wealthiest donors with tax cuts for the rich. We Democrats cannot let them behave this way without paying a massive price in the next elections. We've got to keep reminding people what they promised. We've got to keep reminding Republicans that they are now a part of the government and are responsible for helping come up with solutions. They are no longer outside agitators. They are there because they said Democrats weren't doing a good enough job. We've got to keep demanding that they outline their plans with complete details. It's time for Republicans and their Tea Party cronies (for as long as the Tea Party remains around) to put up or shut up.
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion: Presidency
Mon Nov 01st 2010, 02:58 PM
The debate will be aired at 4:32pm, 8:32pm and 12:32am all Eastern time. It has already aired twice with a pretty good response.
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Check me out in the next few min at http://rt.com/On_Air.html I debate vp of Americans for Prosperit
Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Mon Nov 01st 2010, 11:28 AM
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion: Presidency
Tue Oct 05th 2010, 01:26 AM
October 5, 2010
By Steven Leser
Voters voting - Photo by F Delventhal* on Flicker
It became clear to me shortly after writing my last article (1) that among the many crazy ideas espoused by many of its Tea Party candidates, the Republicans have a special focus in mind if elected. Republicans have simmered in anger for over 40 years at the progress of the women's equal rights movement. Finally, now, in 2010, they feel comfortable enough to run on a broad spectrum of policies that are blatantly anti-women's rights.
My last article mentioned that:
"While we are accustomed to Republican candidates being against a woman's right to have an abortion, five high-profile Tea Party Republican SENATE candidates, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ken Buck of Colorado, Joe Miller of Alaska, Sharron Angle of Nevada, and Christine O'Donnell of Delaware, are even against a woman's right to have an abortion in the case of rape or incest! Women would have to have their rapists baby. Girls raped by an uncle or cousin or their fathers would have to give birth to a child from a resulting pregnancy."
There are a few updates to that. I also found out that the GOP's NY Governor hopeful, Carl Paladino, is also for outlawing abortion for women even in the case of rape and incest. The reason that is so important is that if somehow, Roe v. Wade were overturned, the states would have the right to allow or prohibit abortion. With Paladino at the helm, New York's women would have no right to an abortion in virtually any situation. To say that this is out of touch with the wishes of the women of New York is an understatement.
I also found out that several Republican candidates, Ken Buck running for Senate in Colorado among them, want to limit the contraceptive options available to women.
We already know from data that the reason that women do not get equal pay for equal work has to do with family issues and planning. Women tend to outperform their male colleagues in pay up to the time they start a family and then they fall behind. Women who opt to never have families go on earning more than their male colleagues.
If you add restrictions on abortion and contraception to that equation, you are going to push the progress of women's equality back to what it was in the 1950's. Women are going to be reduced to having no choice but to be stay at home mothers taking care of their families. There is nothing wrong with that role for women AND men who choose it, but to have it forced on anyone because of restricted family planning options is criminal.
From their rhetoric, it's also clear that Republicans are back to wanting to punish women for having sex outside of marriage and want to trap women into having children if they dare to have sex either inside or outside of marriage. They want to destroy women's ability to plan a family and thus plan a career around their family plans.
By now some of you probably think I am exaggerating. It isn't possible, some of you are thinking, that Republicans really want to punish women for pre-marital sex. You would be wrong. This is what North Carolina Senator Jim DeMint had to say on the subject:
"if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn't be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who's sleeping with her boyfriend -- she shouldn't be in the classroom." (2)
First I should mention that DeMint, who is a Tea Party favorite, also opposes a women's right to have an abortion in the case of rape or incest but let's take a look at something that immediately jumped out at me in DeMint's statement here. The unmarried woman is singled out as someone who shouldn't be allowed to teach, but DeMint said nothing about the man. The Republicans are back to considering unmarried women who have sex 'whores' but unmarried men who have sex are just fine and probably in the GOP world considered good old boy studs.
As batty crazy as they seem, DeMint, and Angle and Paladino and Buck are far from alone in the GOP in having these positions. Compared to some other Republicans, you could even consider them more moderate. Republicans like Daniel Webster who is running against incumbent Democrat Alan Grayson in Florida's 8th congressional district. Webster belongs to a religious institute that:
"seeks to impose stoning as a form of capital punishment for crimes including murder, adultery, "heresy," and "witchcraft." (3,4)
I thought Republicans were against Sharia law? They seem to bring it up a lot as a bad thing, particularly on the big Republican blogs like Free Republic. Now they want to bring a Christian version of Sharia to life in the US?
Bill Gothard, the head of this group Webster is a member of called "Institute For Basic Life Principles" says that "women must be "submissive" and "obedient" to their husbands." and "The man's wife and his children are to submit to his authority... A man is the lover and leader. (The wife's) role is to trust God to supply her needs through the leadership of her husband and to serve with him and fulfill his needs." (3,4)
Regarding Gothard, the St. Petersburg Times notes that Webster is "...an enthusiastic supporter. His six children learn at home, taught by his wife, Sandy, using the institute's curriculum. The family, which also is active in its Orlando Baptist church, has participated in numerous institute seminars over the years.
Now, we have all been down this road with crazy churches and pastors. I am willing to completely discount this issue with Webster if he comes out and says that while he likes some of what the church teaches, he disagrees with the role the church ascribes to women. I would accept it if he says that and so should everyone else in my humble opinion. The question is, will he say that? I don't think he will. I think this years crop of loony Republicans believes in things like what the "Institute for Basic Life Principles" teaches and they think they can get away with openly advocating them.
As I am accustomed to dealing with right wing talking points, I know that one of the counterpoints to this article will be that Republicans are running a fair amount of women's candidates this year. We're supposed to be impressed by that even though Democrats have been running women longer and have many more elected to the House and Senate. You don't get points for running candidates from a discriminated-against class if those candidates are advocates for continuing the discrimination. Candidates like Nevada's Sharon Angle and Delaware's O'Donnell are for all of the worst of the anti-women initiatives. This kind of thing is nothing new, slavery had overseers, the concentration camps had Kapos, South Africa had black policemen, etc. There are always traitors to a descriminated-against class seeking equality. So no, any GOPers reading this, that counter-argument will not work.
There is no question that the Republicans also plan to attack the poor, the middle class, Hispanics, Muslims and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered communities if elected and those attacks should not be minimized nor am I attempting to do so here. However, the Republicans/Tea Partiers have a special place in their hearts for the systematic dismemberment of all that has been done to try to ensure women have equal opportunities at a career and equal standing in the home and society. Republicans aren't even trying to hide that they intend to do this. If women do not want to lose everything they have achieved in the last 40-60 years, they need fight to ensure that as few Republicans win seats this year as possible.
(1) "2010 Election - A Democratic Momentum Shift Begins to Materialize", OpEdNews, http://www.opednews.com/articles/2010-Elec...
(2) "DeMint addresses conservative issues at Spartanburg church rally", Spartanburg Herald Journal, http://www.goupstate.com/article/20101002/...
(3) "Alan Grayson's GOP Opponent Directly Tied to Christian Group That Wants Permanent Subordination of Women", Alternet, http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/0... /
(4) St. Petersburg Times, Feb 16, 1997
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Tue Aug 31st 2010, 12:34 PM
Pinellas County is my old stompin' grounds before moving to NYC. It is one of those crucial counties in Florida along what is called the I-4 corridor. Getting as many Dems elected in this corridor is crucial. If you can afford to give to any of the candidates or the Pinellas DEC, it would help out a lot!
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Tue Aug 31st 2010, 11:59 AM
Yes, they really said that. The stupid is coming in fast and furious over the last few days:
Ultra-conservative Christian mega business ministry Focus on the Family wants all these gay people to stop talking about child bullying, because they're pushing a secret agenda to turn America's kids into homosexuals, and that is not what Jesus intended.
The church's "education expert" Candi Cushman told The Denver Post that the gays have infiltrated the public discourse on bullying in America, and this just isn't fair to God-fearing Christians: "We feel more and more that activists are being deceptive in using anti-bullying rhetoric to introduce their viewpoints, while the viewpoint of Christian students and parents are increasingly belittled." And while Cushman believes in bullying prevention, she says, "this issue is being hijacked by activists. They shouldn't be politicizing or sexualizing the issue of bully prevention."
Focus on the Family was founded in the 70's by Dr. James C. Dobson, who once offered these tips on raising a fine young American boy: Meanwhile, the boy's father has to do his part. He needs to mirror and affirm his son's maleness. He can play rough-and-tumble games with his son, in ways that are decidedly different from the games he would play with a little girl. He can help his son learn to throw and catch a ball. He can teach him to pound a square wooden peg into a square hole in a pegboard. He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only bigger.
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion: Presidency
Mon Aug 30th 2010, 01:07 AM
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Election-...
August 30, 2010
By Steven Leser
If you follow Republicans as closely and for as long as I have a number of things become apparent. The one that is the most important with regards to election 2010 is that once Republicans find a tactic that works, they stick with it until they are forced to abandon it. There are many examples of this. The election of Bill Clinton in 1992 was followed by a campaign to paint him and his major initiatives, including healthcare reform, as too liberal and out of touch with America. The Republicans reprised this "He's governing in a manner that is too Liberal" campaign against Obama. They will use it again against the next Democratic President elected no matter that President's policies. You can bet your remaining life's earnings on it.
Sometimes, Republicans get ideas from things Democrats have used against Republicans and then use them against Democrats regardless of whether these things apply. The Republicans took the frequent criticisms by Democrats of George W. Bush's inept speech-making and have tried to assert that Obama cannot make speeches without a teleprompter. Republicans, angered by the portrayal of the Tea Party as racist, tried to assert that USDA Director of Rural Development Shirley Sherrod was racist. We all saw how that worked out.
One of the things that to me seems clear is that if Republicans take back the House of Representatives in 2010, they will reuse what worked well to weaken the Clinton Presidency and prevent the election of Al Gore and that is that they will initiate impeachment proceedings against President Obama.
Republicans are not hiding the fact that they are gearing up for this. An August 27 article in Politico talks about how:
Republicans are planning a wave of committee investigations targeting the White House and Democratic allies if they win back the majority. Everything from the microscopic -- the New Black Panther party -- to the massive - think bailouts -- is on the GOP to-do list, according to a half-dozen Republican aides interviewed by POLITICO... And a handful of aggressive would-be committee chairmen -- led by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Lamar Smith (R-Texas) -- are quietly gearing up for a possible season of subpoenas not seen since the Clinton wars of the late 1990s.
..."How acrimonious things get really depend on how willing the administration is in accepting our findings
That last quote is from Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee. To the Politico reporters, Bardella "referred to his boss as "questioner-in-chief.'"
Tom Tancredo, the former Republican congressman from Colorado who is now running for Governor of Colorado as an independent but with much support from Republicans, is openly calling for impeachment of Obama. In an OpEd in the Washington Times, Tancredo said:
While some mainstream Republicans attempted to distance themselves from Tancredo's remarks, the Republican blogosphere erupted with support for the effort. The base that Republicans need to support them are with them on impeachment.
After Clinton, The Impeachment Genie is Out of the Bottle
In one of my earliest introductions to impeachment in grade school, my teacher made the point that congress is loath to use the impeachment process because impeachment could be used (or misused, depending on your point of view) to usher in a new parliamentary system in the US. This is because the Constitutional rules regarding what constitutes grounds for impeachment are so vague that the argument could be made that it is completely up to congress what constitutes a justifiable reason to remove the President, to wit:
The Constitution, Article II, Section 4:
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
The Constitution, Article I, Section 3:
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.
In the wake of the changes Reagan ushered into the Republican party in general, the GOP has demonstrated a wanton disregard for the long term consequences of their actions. Congressional Republicans prior to Reagan, for instance, would never have misused impeachment as the late 1990's Republicans did.
One of the unfortunate consequences of the Clinton impeachment is that there is now judicial review, in the form of rulings by Chief Justice Rehnquist, that solidifies that not just the reasons for impeachment, but many aspects of the process as being up to the whims of congress. For instance, Rehnquist said that while the Chief Justice of the United States presides over impeachment, any of his ruling regarding what evidence could be allowed in or any other procedural matters can be overruled by the senate by a mere majority vote. The Chief Justice is, according to Rehnquist's rulings, a glorified meeting facilitator in the impeachment process, nothing more.
To be fair to Rehnquist, few to none of his pronouncements were materially different from Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase's handling of the 1868 impeachment and acquittal of President Andrew Johnson. However, Rehnquist's upholding of the Chase interpretation of impeachment put a modern stamp on the impotent role of the Chief Justice in impeachment. A recklessly led congress can now initiate impeachment for any reason and has no real procedural constraints. Thanks to the late 1990's Republican Party, the impeachment genie is truly out of the bottle.
How will Republicans attempt to justify impeachment?
After the Clinton impeachment, there is only one thing congress need concern itself with regard to impeachment and that is public opinion. Even that is only something that needs to be dealt with later, during election time. If those behind an impeachment can throw up a good enough smokescreen regarding their reasoning to fool enough people, as Republicans did with Clinton, even the risk of a public backlash is something that can be mitigated.
Republicans have three hopes for justifying the impeachment of President Obama. The first is the one discussed openly in the above discussed Politico article. If Republicans take the House, they will unleash an unprecedented wave of investigations into the administration. They hope that they can come up with something, no matter how small, that they can sell as an impeachable offense.
The second hope Republicans have is more subtly evinced by Kurt Bardella's quote "How acrimonious things get really depend on how willing the administration is in accepting our findings
Lets say that the administration thwarts the Republicans in both of the two top things that the GOP hopes will allow them to sell an impeachment. How will Republicans proceed then? Tom Tancredo gave us the hint in his Washington Times Op-Ed. The GOP will use a mashup of policy decisions they disagree with and claim that Obama has violated his oath of office. They will talk about the "takeover" of General motors, the "refusal to secure the borders" the "Socialism" of healthcare and say that these actions justify impeachment.
It's important to note that Republicans do not intend to remove President Obama from office, at least not with impeachment. They know they have no chance to do that and it is not their goal. Their goal is to hurt the President politically to hamper his efforts to enact his policies, hurt his efforts to be re-elected and also hurt the chances of the next Democratic candidate for President. The Democratic Party leadership and candidates need to start asking the critical question of Republicans and their congressional candidates, "Is impeachment an option if you are elected?" I predict that if Democrats start asking the question, Republicans will not give them any straight answers. There will be no Pelosi-an "Impeachment is off the table" from Republicans.
Republican Neo-Fascism and Tunnel-Vision Concerning Hurting Obama
Beyond impeachment, people should be concerned about where the Republicans are positioning themselves and their base to take the country. The GOP and their Tea Party alter-ego have been whipping their base up against a religious minority (Muslims), against immigrants, they have encouraged their base to bring weapons to Democratic events they are protesting, Glenn Beck's recent "Rally for Honor" puts the exclamation point on how nationalistic the GOP/Tea Party has become. While Republicans seem to be enjoying their foray into neo-Fascism, they are notably lacking for any ideas on how to improve the economy or address any of the other problems of the nation.
This election should be about important issues like the economy and jobs. I understand how some Americans are frustrated by what they perceive to be a lack of progress on improving the economy. I know how the GOP has attempted to stoke fears about supposed Socialism and Muslims and immigration. You can disagree with the administration about policy direction concerning the economy and job creation. The thing everyone needs to understand is that the Republicans who hope to take congress do not care at all about any of these issues.
You cannot be preparing to spend the kind of time and money Republicans are preparing to spend on investigations and then also claim that the economy is your top priority. The Republicans top priority if they win back the House will be the same it has been since January 21, 2009 and that is to hurt President Obama. If that is your top priority, by all means, vote for Republicans in November. If it isn't, if you want people in office working on the most important issues of the day, voting Democratic is a much better choice.
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Posted by stevenleser in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Tue Jul 20th 2010, 11:53 PM
July 20, 2010
By Steven Leser
GOP = Hoax Party
I missed the initial bruhaha caused when a video surfaced of Shirley Sherrod making apparent biased comments regarding aid for a white farmer. Sherrod was, at the time of the video's release, the Director of rural development in Georgia for the Department of the Interior. She was forced to resign shortly thereafter and suffered condemnations at the hands of the Obama administration and NAACP.
It turns out that the right wing agency that broke the story of the video released an edited version of the video. In the edited video, Sherrod is telling a story of, 20 years ago, giving a white farmer with less help than she could have. In the full video, she uses that story to make a point about how it made her realize that bias is wrong and that what she wants to be about, and has been about ever since, is helping all poor regardless of race.
This kind of falsification and alteration of evidence has become standard operating procedure for the GOP and those attempting to further Conservative efforts and policies.
We saw the same thing with a leaked video purporting to show Acorn workers assisting a pimp with prostitution efforts. The same producer of that video, James O'Keefe was apprehended in a Democratic Senator's office (Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana) tampering with her phone equipment. It turns out that what happened in the Acorn video was staged and manipulated. One can only imagine what Mr. O'Keefe intended to do with Senator Landrieu's phone equipment. I'm guessing that Mr. O'Keefe intended to tap her phone and release incriminating conversations and if no incriminating conversations were heard, he would edit them to make them seem incriminating.
There is an interesting connection here. The same website that featured James O'Keefe's manipulated Acorn video is the one that released the edited video of Shirley Sherrod.
The website, Biggovernment.com is owned by Andrew Breitbart. Mr. Breitbart has issued vigorous denials when asked whether he knew the Sherrod video was edited and also when asked whether he knew Mr. O'Keefe was going to trespass and tamper with the equipment in Senator Landrieu's office. Is it possible Mr. Breitbart is telling the truth? Maybe, I doubt it but it is possible. It still means that his publishing and fact-checking standards are in the toilet and that no one should believe anything he puts out ever again.
There are more examples of this. A few months ago, hacked emails of climate scientists in London magically appeared in the hands of right wing operatives who provided them to their friends in conservative media. Those tens of thousands of emails purported to have 6-10 excerpted statements that showed issues with the theory of Global warming and intend to hide data. No less than five separate independent investigations have taken place and the investigations concluded that the statements were misinterpreted, taken out of context, the scientists did nothing wrong and there is no effect on the theories concerning anthropogenic global warming.
For some reason, I haven't seen a lot of coverage of the ClimateGate investigation results in the Mainstream Media. There were articles in the Huffington Post and San Francisco Chronicle that indicate that the scientists were vindicated but little to no TV coverage in the US.
Republicans and their Tea Party alter ego count on the fact that the accusations are exciting but the corrections, retractions and amplifications are less so. Why would anyone support a party that does things like this? Even if you agree in principle with some of the things for which the GOP stands like lower taxes, small government, etc. Why would you lower yourself to support them or their candidates? Why would you go anywhere near people or a party that has happily embraced the three things I outlined above? Supporting the Republicans (or their nom du jour, Tea Partiers) means that you support lying and forged and manipulated data and information. If you are in favor of lower taxes and small government but are in favor of personal freedoms, you could opt for the Libertarian Party. If you are for small government and religious conservatism, the Constitutionalist Party is out there for you.
The point is that there are alternatives for your views if you don't want to support liars and forgers.
The rest of us have to do a better job of expecting this and when I say "The rest of us" I am including my friends in the NAACP (they've already issued a mea-culpa and seem to get it) and Obama administration. When hit pieces get released that contain ugly accusations at prominent Democrats, we've got to allow some time to investigate them before passing judgment and issuing condemnations. We know the Republican Modus Operandi now and need to treat anything remotely like these things as highly suspect.
San Francisco Chronicle article on ClimateGate investigations exonorating the scientists and the theories of global warming
Acorn Fake Pimp connection to Landrieu break in article in Newsweek
California Department of Justice news release on Acorn Fake Pimp video saying the tape was edited and does not show what Republicans tried to show in the edited version and, in the words of the California Attorney General "The evidence illustrates... that things are not always as partisan zealots portray them through highly selective editing of reality. Sometimes a fuller truth is found on the cutting room floor."
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text:
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Mars Hill Bible Church and Arbor Circle are converting a 93-year-old vacant building at 320 State St. SE into a drop-in center for runaway and homeless teenagers.
Dubbed "HQ," the center is scheduled to open this fall and will offer after-school services from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, according to Andy Soper, director of mobilization at Mars Hill Bible Church.
"HQ will soon be a vital resource for youth to connect with housing options, education and employment support, and trauma counseling, all in an effort to bridge the gap between homeless youth and the services they need," according to a news release announcing the program.
Soper said the center will address the needs of an estimated 2,000 Kent County youth who are homeless, runaways or "throw-aways" who have been kicked out of their parents' home without a place to go.
In a twist on the "3 R's," Soper said the building will provide its clientele with "rest, resources and readiness." HQ will not act as a shelter or provide overnight lodging, he said.
"According to the National Conference of State Legislation, Americans are more likely to be homeless between the ages of 12–17 than at any other point in life," Soper said.
"Right now, we know these kids are slipping through the cracks. HQ will provide a transformative space and connect these youth who are experiencing the crisis of homelessness to the services they need."
Arbor Circle will assist HQ with case management, housing and clinical referrals, and assist with DHS cases and work with youth to attain their GED.
Although HQ is co-sponsored by an evangelical Christian church, Soper said it will not serve as an extension of the Grandville mega-church's ministry nor will its clients be obligated to attend any religious classes or worship services.
"This is designed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. There is no expectation that they have to listen to a Bible study or pray with us," Soper said. "We will meet these children where they are without judgment and walk with them toward making some healthy choices."
The center is moving into a single-story brick and cement block building that was last used as a call center by Mercy Health Saint Mary's.
This week, volunteers were taking out walls inside the building, which was originally built in 1921 by Paul Nissen Corp., a distributor of automotive shock absorbers. The company served as the home of Central Auto Glass and Mirror Co. in the 1960s.
Jan Earl, executive director of the Heritage Hill Neighborhood Association, said they are supportive of the project, which fills an empty building along a street that connects the historic neighborhood with the downtown business district.
"The building is zoned to allow this use and I think we're going to have a good relationship," said Earl. "It just seems like it's going to be a very well-run and needed program."
HQ will be located across the street from a medical clinic and cultural center operated by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.
"We really don't have an opinion," said Judi Henckel, director of communications and public relations for the tribe. "We're also new to the neighborhood and wish them the best."
Mark Azkoul, owner of Azkoul Productions, a film and video production company located next door to HQ, declined to comment on the plans.
Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.


text:
The woman was stopped for driving without lights, a defective taillight and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. The stop occurred around 3 a.m. Monday on Fourth Avenue.
She declined to submit to a preliminary breath test or field sobriety test, the report said. She also had misdemeanor warrants out against her, according to the report.
She was lodged in the Flint City Lockup.


text:
This deal has ended.
During the Denim Event, select styles for women, men and kids are 30% off at Levi's. For example, the top-selling Modern Rise Demi Curve Straight Jeans (pictured) drop from $78 to $55, and they are Levi's exclusives so you won't find them anywhere else. Shipping adds $7.50 or is free when you spend $100. Sales tax is charged in most states.No longer available


text:
If freedom, as Janis Joplin sang, is "just another word for nothing left to lose," then the two protagonists in a new drama might have been defeated before they even met.
"Freedom," by playwrights Sean Patterson, Joyce Pulitzer, David Seelig and Kitty Greenberg, is a tale about pain and redemption, and as the company puts it, "the freedom to face the truth about ourselves with grace, acceptance, and forgiveness."
That's a lot to grapple with in a single
play, even one with a gestation period extending more than a decade. During that period two
of its authors, Seelig and Greenberg, have died, leaving the project in the
hands of Patterson, Pulitzer and perhaps most critically, Southern Rep artistic
director Aimée Hayes.
Hayes has been shepherding this production of "Freedom," which gets its world premiere July 11-28 at the Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St. She first encountered the work about two years ago when Pulitzer showed her a still-unfinished script. The occasion marked a reunion of sorts for the two women.
"When I was very young and long ago, I was in one of Joyce's plays at Southern Rep that ran for 3 ½ months," Hayes said. "It was called 'Cherries Jubilee,' and it was such a great gig for an actor to work for 3 ½ months, which is unheard of in New Orleans."
The narrative core of "Freedom" immediately beguiled Hayes. The play tells of the evolving relationship between a man and a woman – he an immigrant from Northern Ireland, she a Holocaust survivor. Both of them are about to become American citizens, and their meeting sets off a provocative treatment of relative experiences and values. Actors Lorraine LeBlanc and John Neisler are performing; Mark Routhier is directing.
"I just loved the story," Hayes said. "I'm a big origins-of-the-story person – I want to know how you came to America; how did you get here? I have all these crazy, mythic stories about my own family's journey. The play fascinated me in that way. So I said, 'Let's do it in the summer of 2013.'"
Pulitzer, who calls herself "sort of the mother of the play," had conjured up juxtaposing a Jewish Holocaust survivor with a Catholic refugee from Northern Ireland. She explained the original impulse this way: "I was at Disney World in Florida with my grandchildren waiting for a train," she said. "All of a sudden there was all this humanity, and I could not find my family. It was a frightening feeling. I realized that, my God, this is what it must of been like" for someone ripped from their families in 1940s Germany. "And Danny (the Irish character)...lived in a ghetto because he was Catholic. So he felt the same pain."
- What: A drama set in the hours before a American naturalization ceremony. A Holocaust survivor and an Irish immigrant, both with deep emotional scars, meet and discover they are more alike than they are different. Southern Rep presents the play by Sean Patterson, Joyce Pulitzer, David Seelig and Kitty Greenberg..
- Where: Contemporary Arts Center, 900 Camp St.
- When: July 11- 13, 18-20, 25-27 at 7 p.m.; July 14, 21 and 28 at 2 p.m.
- Admission:$35; $30 for seniors, students with ID, K-12 teachers and theater professionals. Call 504.522.6545.
- More information: Visit Southernrep.com.
She recalled pitching the two-character piece to Greenberg, a veteran drama teacher, who asked Pulitzer what kind of a degree she held. "I said, 'I have a degree in chutzpah,'" Pulitzer answered, adding that Greenberg "wasn't totally encouraged," but agreed to read Pulitzer's draft.
Eventually Patterson, who was spending the summer New Orleans after earning a second graduate degree from New York University, came on board to help hone the dialogue.
"I got a call to come to a reading of the play at Joyce's house Uptown," he said, "and from my first glance at the script, there was something about the material that grabbed me. At that point, it wasn't really a play yet – it was basically too intertwined monologues between two characters having a shared experience: this quest for American citizenship. I had no idea which parts of which a story were invented, but the whole thing felt like it came from this extraordinary place of authenticity and truth."
Coaxing "Freedom" along required extended patience typical of such enterprises. "Like any new play development, you go through 10 drafts," Hayes said. "No play comes up perfectly. Thank God. This is the fun stuff for me – the collaboration – and the bumping up against each other."
Southern Rep has long regarded producing new works, particularly by local playwrights, as part of its core mission. But the company has faced enormous challenge since it lost its lease last year at Canal Place, where it was based for six seasons. Its annual operating budget fell from a peak of $830,000 to $430,000 last season, growing to $543,000 for the season that just ended.
The company's itinerant status will continue next season, when Southern Rep will perform at various venues around town while it seeks a permanent space.
"What were going to do is to take our audiences on the road," Hayes said. "Having been at Canal Place for six years, it was refreshing to get out of there. All of a sudden we were meeting new audiences. I think that is something we have to continue to do. Many folks agree that Southern Rep is the regional theater company for our area. And to really embrace that, what people want us to be, we have to be embracing the community in all ways. All neighborhoods. And that is an exciting challenge to make."
For now, though, all energies are being focused on making "Freedom" not simply an act of language, but a declaration of potent theatricality.
"Because this play is telling painful stories of the past, and because two of its contributors have passed away, there are parts of it that are hard to change or cut away," Patterson acknowledged. "But you begin to realize that those elements are still there because they are the essence of the piece. This play is all about honoring the past, but embracing the future, about discovering the freedom to move forward. In many ways, that's what the process has been for us."


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The Windsor Holiday Craft Sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Town Hall on Route 9.
The event will feature handmade hilltown crafts by the Windsor Church Mice, Windsor Mountain Crafters and Knitters, Tamarack Hollow Trading, Martha Emerson crafts, and more.
Unique handmade crafts such as wild-crafted balsam fir products, knitted potholders and table runners, ties, nature photos, and more will be available.
Entry to the craft fair is free. Lunch will be available for purchase.


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The St. John the Baptist Parish district attorney's office launched a new website today that, among other improvements, allows residents to pay traffic fines online. Other new features include a list of St. John's Most Wanted offenders, the weekly court docket and monthly crime statistics.
An information section provides information about the criminal process, prisoner information, elder abuse, domestic violence, public corruption, victim's rights and child abuse.
A "How do I?" list includes information about how to report a crime, file a criminal charge, withdraw a criminal charge, get a record expunged, pay a traffic ticket, handle worthless checks and report public corruption.
The website can be found at www.stjohnda.com. The re-design of the website was done by Outlook Design and Invictus Solutions.


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Tonight, it will be a battle to one goal- because with these two teams, that all it might take.
After taking a one-week hiatus, the Flyers return to the ice tonight to take the only team as bad as they are on offense, the New York Rangers. That's good news for the Flyers, as they will try to break a four-game losing streak.
There might not be a better team to do it against than the Rangers.
Through the Rangers first seven games they have just 11 goals, giving them an average of just 1.57 goals per game- good for 28th in the NHL. They are equally as bad on defense, allowing a league-worst 4.14 goals per game.
The Flyers aren't much better, but they are allowing less goals per game (3.00) and have the same amount of goals scores this season (in one more game). To make things even better, the Flyers are expected to get back Vincent Lecavalier and maybe even Scott Hartnell.
While it might not be a high-scoring game, it should be a heated one. The two teams are both desperate to turn around a horrible start to their seasons, with the Rangers coming off of a particularly embarrassing 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
It's hard to call this game a must-win, because many fans felt that about the Flyers game vs. the Penguins last week- a game they lost 4-1.
With a week off, however, the Flyers could certainly start to turn things around with a win.
And it might only take one goal to do it.


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Q: Is Twitter a screaming buy now?
A: If you liked Twitter stock before, you might think you should love it now. Don't.
Shares of the online service designed to share short messages online has been one of the ugliest examples of the social media bubble burst. Shares of Twitter have lost nearly half their value this year. Trading at around $32 a share, the company is just narrowly ahead of its $26-a-share initial offering price set last November.
The falling price might appear tempting, but it really just makes the stock less dangerous. S&P Capital IQ tech analyst Scott Kessler upgraded his rating on the stock to take advantage of the lower price, but merely took his rating from "sell" to "hold." Investors might be pleased that analysts currently expect the company to earn 4 cents a share this year on an adjusted basis, says S&P Capital IQ. But that still means the stock has a nosebleed P-E of 800. And that earnings estimate could be in question if the company needs to increase investment to find better ways to turns its user base into dollars.
Given the extreme valuation of the company, even at today's reduced prices, it's hard to make an argument for the stock. And that's why Wall Street analysts are completely lukewarm on it. The stock has an average "hold" rating and the 12-month price target is $43, a potential 34% increase that comes with it the big risk of a massive decline in the meantime.
USA TODAY markets reporter Matt Krantz answers a different reader question every weekday. To submit a question, e-mail Matt at firstname.lastname@example.com or @mattkrantz on Twitter.


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You must undergo it – Postgame post for August 1, 2013
You cannot create experience. You must undergo it. – Albert Camus
Wisconsin 2
Kane County 6
Boxscore | Game Story
I was talking to Dusty Rhodes at the cage during batting practice when he dropped that 22 straight hits by the Timber Rattlers without an extra base hit. I guess I got caught up in other things and that one blew right by me.
A couple of prophetic threads from that conversation included me noting that when the Rattlers have had more than one hit in an inning, there is usually a double play in there and Dusty talking about how the other team will mix in a couple of extra base hits into their inning and they get a big inning. And finally me noting that a lot of the runs lately have scored without either a hit or an RBI.
In the top of the first, Alfredo Rodriguez and Lance Roenicke singled to start the game. Then, a double play stopped the rally cold.
In the top of the third, Roenicke scored on a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kane County had three extra base hits in their sequence of seven straight hits.
The streak reached 24 hits without an extra base hit before Parker Berberet doubled to start the second inning. Then, he scored on a single by Max Walla.
That starts a streak of six straight hits with just singles.
Since Garrett Cooper tripled to drive in the winning runs on Sunday, July 28, the Timber Rattlers have scored eight runs on 33 hits. Two of those hits are for extra bases and the team is 0-4.
The eight runs have scored in this way:
Solo homer
RBI single
RBI grounder
Throwing error (No RBI)
RBI Grounder
Missed Catch Error (No RBI)
RBI single
Wild Pitch (No RBI)
Baseball has a really sick sense of humor.
Berberet has extended his hitting streak to 16 games. He has tied Tyrone Taylor for the longest hitting streak on the team this season.
Mike Garza went 3-for-4. He extended his current hitting streak to eleven games and has bumped his season average to .297.
There was a promotion that took a long time before the bottom of the third. Both teams knew about it and it wasn't like Jorge Lopez went out to warm up and had to wait for the promotion to end. He waited until it was over to go out to the mound. Then, he gave up a home run to Oliver Zapata – aka our Bête Noir – on the second pitch.
You have had time to wrap your mind around the dearth of extra base hits for the Rattlers. Try these: Zapata is hitting .190 with ten RBI in twelve games against the Rattlers in 2013.
Baseball has a really sick sense of humor.
That home run was the only hit for the Cougars…until the sixth.
Homer, single, Lopez error on pickoff throw to first, Lopez wild pitch, RBI single, pitching change. RBI double, single, two run double, infield single.
When the onslaught finally ended, it was 6-2.
There was no sudden velocity drop. The ball did not suddenly get placed on a tee. Lopez did not start to tell Kane County what was coming at them. It just happens.
Baseball has a really sick sense of humor.
One other thing…The Timber Rattlers struck out ten times on Thursday night. That would be the first time they have struck out ten or more times in a game since July 21. Wisconsin went 3-6 in the nine games between that game in Dayton and this game in Kane County. So…they are putting the ball in play…they are getting runners on base….they just are not doing both at the same time.
Baseball has …. oh, you know the rest.
Get 'em tomorrow


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A report just released by the Conference Board might sound a bit dismal for Nova Scotia, but still leaves plenty of room for optimism.
No surprise to anyone following this country's economy, the resource-rich provinces – particularly those with oil – lead in economic performance. That would be Alberta in first place, followed by Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, all receiving A-plus in the board's report.
Nova Scotia, along with neighbouring New Brunswick, ranks on the bottom with a grade of D.
Certainly we already know in this province that others benefit hugely from the bounty of energy – and that there's a spinoff effect for the country in general. But rather than dwell on apparent inequity, we should keep in mind the encouraging words also in the report from the Conference Board. Provinces not necessarily rich in oil must concentrate harder on initiatives that boost labour productivity.
That in a nutshell is the same advice contained in the much-discussed Ivany report – and admittedly easier said than done.
But on the energy front itself, Nova Scotia has potential on the horizon. We've already benefited from offshore reserves. And just this week Premier Stephen McNeil said the government plans to fund – $12 million earmarked over four years – analysis of seismic and other geological data provided to oil and gas firms interested in development on the province's offshore.
In step with that goal, BP Canada announced Tuesday it hopes to have an exploration well by 2017 on the Scotian shelf, 300 kilometres off the southeast shore – depending on whether the seismic work shows promise.
The prospect of this preliminary work, potentially followed by development, is cause for optimism.
Any resource wealth in itself would be a boon to the province in the form of royalties. But even better, meantime, would be some brainstorming on how it could serve to attract industries to a province with newfound energy wealth – boosting productivity as the Conference Board recommends.


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there is NO mention of it in either paper. I somehow would think that a loaded gun and drugs being found would be a newsworthy story....
There was no gun or drugs at any Bluffton school yesterday or recently. The school was not shut down. I am not sure where Tweety got the info but let me state again -- it did not happen.
A couple of quick phone calls, and this is the word:
because a parent who has a child there told me.
Live Life Loud
The school wasn't shut down. I go to that school. The problem was that someone did graffiti on the bathroom wall. You may of heard that from someone who has a child that spreads rumors or over exaggerates. There were lots of rumors going around that day but it was about who did it. Nothing about anything else. I wonder if someone admitted if they did it? I heard lots of rumors so I wonder if they are true or not.
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Pop Art
Five gift picks inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's infamous pop art / comic-book inspired style are the focus of today's gift guide!
Owl Be There
I don't know why, but when I think owls, I think fall. With that in mind, here's a few nature-inspired ideas for your next gift-giving excursion, including a couple of Halloween picks.
Cupcake Cutie
Got a craving for cupcakes? Or simple a bestie that's talented in baking? Check out these five cupcake-inspired picks for ideas on how to sweeten your sweetheart's day.


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It took a while for Michigan to find out which bowl it was bound for. Once the school learned its destination, however, it took little time for fans to make plans.
Despite an announcement delayed by Illinois' up-in-the-air status with the BCS, the Capital One Bowl sold out less than 13 hours after its organizers selected Florida and Michigan, according to bowl officials.
"This record sellout is evidence that Orlando is a hotbed for college
football," Florida Citrus Sports Executive Director Steve Hogan said in a written statement.
Hogan did not estimate how many of the 65,438 ticket-holders were Gators fans, who have a far shorter trip to the bowl in Orlando than Wolverines fans coming from Michigan.


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Things are getting down to the wire on the"American Idol" stage.
Last night, the remaining three contestants had two songs to perform -- one they picked themselves, and one the judges picked for them. Lee Dewyze was easily the best on both rounds, but the second round was the more interesting half of the night, in my opinion.
Simon picked Leonard's Cohen "Hallelujah" for Lee's second-round song, which, if you remember, was the song that went into the "Idol" history books when Jason Castro sang it on season 7.
Lee did an amazing job with it, and the judges approved as well.
Here's the video, in case you missed it:
Was it your favorite version of the song on the show? Or do you like the original or another cover better?
Moving onto the rankings for this week, I think it's pretty clear to everyone that it will be Lee and Crystal Bowersox in the final, with Casey James being voted off -- but we knew that even before last night.
The only tiny twist was that Lee ended the night looking like the favorite to win, with season-long champ Crystal trailing at his heels. Let's start at the top:
Lee DewyzeRound One: Lee picked "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynard. Lee said he picked this song because it's one he loves to play, and you could tell he was comfortable and confident throughout this performance. He sounded like a pro, and was shooting little smiles at the audience. It was the most celebrity-esque I've ever seen him on stage. All three judges praised his song choice and confidence. "That song was absolutely on the money." Simon said. "I think you just crushed the other two."
Round two: Simon picked "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. I'll admit I was a little confused as to why Simon picked this song for Lee -- a hardcore rocker -- and I felt like he was trying to force Lee to compete with Jason Castro's unforgettable moment two years ago with the same song. But Lee held his own, arguably creating another "American Idol"/'Hallelujah" moment. It was a heartfelt performance that he put everything into. Round two went to Lee too, in my opinion. Randy was the first to say that he thinks he could win the whole thing after that song, and the other judges agreed.
Crystal BowersoxRound one: Crystal picked "Come to My Window," Melissa Etheridge. This was an obvious song choice for Crystal, as this is the type of music she shines on. She came back to her roots, pulling out both the harmonica and the guitar and delivered a solid performance. The judges complained that the arrangement was too safe and said they thought she would have sounded better on an acoustic version, but that her voice still sounded great. It always does.
Round two: Ellen picked "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney. If I was confused by Simon's choice for Lee, I felt downright sympathy for Crystal after they announced that Ellen chose this song for her. I had no idea how she would sound on this, and with Ellen having the least musical experience of the four judges, I had serious doubts. But Crystal, as always, didn't let us down. She showed a vocal range that we haven't heard from her before, going big, loud and raspy. She also went out without an instrument for this round, which is the equivilant of being naked for her, so she was impressive all around. Simon said, "You may be thanking Ellen next week for putting you in the final." Ehhh ... I wouldn't give all the credit to Ellen, but yes, she'll be there, that's for sure.
Casey JamesRound one: Casey picked "OK, It's Alright with Me" by Eric Hutchinson. While Casey seems like a sweet guy and certainly has the looks for stardom, this competition has been between Lee and Crystal for weeks now. Casey was just the unfortunate one to get stuck as the third wheel in the semi-final. This performance was boring and bland compared to the other two contestants' -- and it probably would have been that way no matter what song he chose.
Round two: Randy and Kara picked "Daughters" by John Mayer. Randy and Kara showed off their producer chops for this round, because this song was a perfect fit for Casey, and it wasn't one I would have ever thought of for him to sing. He didn't sound spectacular, but the fact that Casey didn't have to stretch his voice too much really helped him out. I could also see the connection between Casey and John Mayer for promotional purposes. He's got the acoustic guitar thing going and the rugged/pretty-boy sexiness. If he were to continue in the music business, this would be a good direction for him.
Tonight will feature teen sensation Justin Bieber, and we'll learn who will face off in the final next week.
Because I think pretty much everyone will be on the same page as far as eliminations go (Casey out), I decided to switch the poll up a little bit and see if everyone agreed that Lee's Hallelujah was the best song of the night.
Vote for your favorite and discuss in the comments.


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Chimney Screens, Upholstery Goods,
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St. Louis, Mo.
☞ Keep constantly on hand, an extensive and splendid assortment
of every description of French and American Paper Hangings, Borders,
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variety, cannot be surpassed by any other establishment in the United
States. ☞Orders from dealers, merchants and others, executed with
promptness, accuracy and dispatch.
Dobyns & Spauldings'
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Corner of Fourth and Olive streets,
Over Porter, White & Co.company ,
St. Louis, Mo.
Furnished with Every Article
Used in the Art,
At the Lowest Market Prices.


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With science and engineering employment opportunities increasing three times faster than all other occupations, The University of Texas-Pan American, in conjunction with the Office of Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) are gearing up to prepare students for those careers during Hispanic Science, Engineering and Technology (HESTEC) Week, Sept. 25-Oct. 1.
"Increasingly, Hispanics will be called upon to reverse the trend," Hinojosa said. "By the year 2010, Hispanics will represent one out of four students in U.S. schools, but today only four percent of U.S. scientists and engineers are Hispanic."
With more than 350,000 students in grades K-12 in the Region One education service area in South Texas, HESTEC was created to prepare local students for future careers in science and technology.
During HESTEC, students, teachers, administrators and parents will have the opportunity throughout the week to learn about math and science by attending workshops, listening to motivational speakers and participating in interactive demonstrations, such as robotics competitions, at various locations throughout the University.
HESTEC's weeklong events include Educator Day, Sept. 26, which will host more than 1,000 K-12 teachers and administrators who will attend interactive workshops and seminars that will focus on enrichment activities in mathematics, science and technology. Latinas in Science, Math, Engineering and Technology Day, Sept. 28, will cater to more than 1,000 female high school students and their mothers. They are expected to attend a full-day conference where they will hear from prominent executives and motivational speakers.
The new HESTEC Geography Summit, Sept. 29, will feature presentations by explorers and scientists, a poster competition and hands-on activities for students. The goal is to increase awareness among middle school students about the various tools and technologies used in geography. Community Day, Oct. 1, at the UTPA Fieldhouse, is expected to bring out thousands of Rio Grande Valley residents who will have the opportunity to learn how science, mathematics and technology impact their lives by talking to top technology exhibitors, touring state-of-the-art educational facilities and getting to meet celebrity guests.
Now in its fourth year, HESTEC has raised $1.2 million from corporate sponsors for student scholarships since its inception.
Shan Carr, vice president for Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Programs for Lockheed Martin, also spoke at the press conference via video feed from Bethesda, Md. about the importance of their collaboration with HESTEC and the University.
"Our future as a corporation depends on your (students) ability to do the high-tech tasks of tomorrow," she said. "We believe that building the talent pipeline for the future has to begin early. We also believe corporations have a responsibility to help develop the next generation of business and technical leaders and it is clear that many of these leaders come from increasingly diverse backgrounds."
Among the major corporations supporting and participating in HESTEC are the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geographic Education Foundation, State Farm Companies Foundation, Ford Motor Company, The Boeing Company, Shell Oil Company, Verizon, Lockheed Martin, Texas Instruments, ExxonMobil, Kraft, Time Warner Cable and many more.
The keynote speakers for HESTEC include such distinguished leaders as John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Company, Laura Sanford, president of SBC Foundation, Gilbert M. Grosvenor, chairman of the board for National Geographic Society, Sandra E. Ulsh, president of Ford Motor Company Fund, Raul Yzaguirre, former CEO and president for the National Council of La Raza and Magda Yrizarry, vice president of Verizon, among others.
Celebrity guests Cheech Marin, actor, director, writer, art collector and humanitarian, as well as Erik Estrada, actor, best known as "Ponch" in the hit television series "CHIP's" and "Johnny" in the international television series "Dos Mujeres, Un Camino" are also on the list of speakers for HESTEC 2005. Three-time Grammy award winner Vikki Carr - whose success has spanned four decades - will also take the stage at HESTEC during Community Day.
"HESTEC is more than the product of what occurs in the five days on campus," UTPA President Dr. Blandina Cárdenas said. "HESTEC is about capturing the imagination of the Rio Grande Valley and connecting that imagination to the future, to what we must prepare for."
For more information about HESTEC or to become a sponsor, call 956/381-3361.


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K D Cage & Supplies
1820 S County Road 850 E New Castle, Indiana 47362(765) 332-2678
Print | Save | Directions
AboutK D Cage & Supplies is located at the address 1820 S County Road 850 E in New Castle, Indiana 47362. They can be contacted via phone at (765) 332-2678 for pricing, hours and directions.
K D Cage & Supplies has an annual sales volume of 2M – 4,999,999. .For more information contact Karen Snedigar, Owner
For maps and directions to K D Cage & Supplies view the map to the right. For reviews of K D Cage & Supplies see below.
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Key Contacts
- Karen Snedigar
- Phone: (765) 332-2678