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Sunday in June
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Today's Lineup
OC, SS; AJ, C; Q, LF; PK, 1B; Thome, DH; Dye, RF; Swish, CF; Crede, 3B; Ramirez, 2B. Floyd pitching.
Hmmm …
So after decisively winning our fifth straight game to improve to nine games over .500 and build a 4 1/2-game lead over our nearest pursuer (Minnesota), what does today's Chicago Tribune report as the lede to the story about our 11-2 victory:
"They may have the worst winning percentage of any team leading a division, but the White Sox have a bigger lead than the best, the Cubs."
OK, allow me to go FireJoeMorgan on this for a second.
"They may have the worst winning percentage of any team leading a division …"
This is just factually untrue. We don't. The White Sox are 35-26 (.574), while Arizona, the division leader in the National League West, is 34-28 (.548).
" … but the White Sox have a bigger lead than the best, the Cubs."
Well, we actually have bigger leads than five other division leaders: Boston (1/2), Philadelphia (3 1/2), the Cubs (2 1/2) and Arizona (4), but it's the Cubs reference that gets me. What makes them the best? Is it subjective or objective, because if you read today's standings objectively, you'd see that the Angels and Cubs enter today's game with the exact same record, 39-24 (.619), and LA tops its division by 5 1/2 games.
In the end, not really that big a deal, but where o' where are the fact checkers?
Three Runs or Less
Given some of the exchanges on the site over the past month, I asked our stand-out interns to pull together information on how teams perform when allowing three runs or less in games.
First, I always think you need to be careful when analyzing statistics with a very limited sample size or when you look at one team and try to extrapolate for the league or for a season.
So here is what we found to date:
All 14 American League teams win 78 percent of their games when allowing three or fewer runs (292-82, .781).
The White Sox are 25-9 in these games, for a .735 winning percentage. That is the lowest of the three AL division leaders, Boston is 26-5 (.829) and the Angels are 25-5 (.833), but just two more wins or losses in these games would bring the Sox back to the league average.
While you hate to lose well-pitched games, the fact is the Sox have played more of these than any team in AL except Toronto (26-10, .722) and have won more than all except Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay (26 each).
Finally, if you compare the Sox to the other top two pitching staffs in the AL, you could argue more instances mean a little lower winning percentage (examples: Toronto and Oakland, which is 24-9, .727).
My take: We've underperformed by a victory or two in this area (based on the league average), but my sense is that 1. this is something that will move toward the league mean over the course of the season for all teams (is it called the Stein Principle?), and 2. the more instances (which is something you want), the tougher it is to have a high, high win percentage in these games.
I'm no statistician, so feel free to offer your own thoughts, criticisms and challenges.
Catching Up
One poster, jdevereaux, wrote at one point recently something like: once a month a sporting figure actually speaks his mind …
Once a month? HA!
I guess I need to introduce them to Ozzie …
39 Comments
Lets get this victory today. Let's get one tomorrow too. Then lets go into the motor city and win there. Lets put this division out of reach by mid june.
I'll second that kenwo!!
The story in question was composed by Dave Van Dyck, the Tribune's answer to Jay Mariotti.
And no I'm not saying that to be glib.
I've noticed that in print and when he appears on Chicago Tribune Live! his style has never been one to be overly optimistic. I'm assuming his remark about the Cubs is because of their record…don't they have the most wins or best win percentage in baseball?
Either way the remark seemed out of place in a Sox story to me. Sounds like something the Chicago Cubune web site can make some hay with.
My only thought on the "three runs or less" issue is basically that when you hold an opponent to three runs or less, you win the game…period.
You can not afford to waste a brilliant pitching performance under any circumstances unless you happen to be facing an acknowledged "ace", an All Star caliber pitcher… think Johan Santana for example. And if memory serves, there were a few games this year where the Sox held an opponent to three runs or less yet lost the game because a mediocre pitcher or a re-tred was able to shut them down.
That is the issue to me…getting offensively crippled by bad pitchers.
Mark Liptak
found your stats interesting, scott. one thing stuck out, though.
league average.
we dont have a league average roster or payroll. and average teams dont win championships, let alone divisions. average is not the goal. with this roster, you can forgive close game losses to the likes of kazmir or johan, but too many times it's just because we scored only 1 run on a solo homer while stranding 479 baserunners.
5 wins in a row sure does make you feel better, though. let's keep this going and build ourselves a nice cushion. go sox!
Scott, Jeff McMahon's Cubune site was all over this too.
Yeah!, Go Sox '08…… back in a bit…..j.k.
O.K. now I'm ready. I've got my diet coke, my tacos for lunch. I'm wearing my day/nite Sox shirt, and I see that there is no rain coming down. Life is good. I'd like to see another ten runs, but i'll settle for simply a W…… j.k.
What!!?? Now there's a rain delay? What happened from the time Hawk and DJ said stay tuned for baseball the comercials ended? MLB.TV just shows our game in a delay…… GRRRRRRRR!!. j.k.
I agree, Scott. I've seen other teams around the league going through this as well (Cleveland, Detroit). No one wants to lose a close ball game, definitely no one tries to lose close ball games–its just a matter of who is hitting at any given time. How do you think the Royals felt about that final matchup of the 15 inning game? Paulie was hitting about .200. Did the Royals manager expect that it was time for him to connect on a long ball? Jimmy Gobble didn't obviously, or he wouldn't have pitched around the hot hitting Quentin, right? Probably was looking to induce a double play ball and then he would strike out Thome, like most pitchers have been doing. But as we baseball fans know (and love about the game), anyone can get hot at any moment and turn it around. Sometimes, its a matter of luck after all.
Nice that the bats are starting to pick up the pitching for a change. GO SOX!! Let's get two more!
Mr Reifert should now know what a lot of you go through when you post something, and then see it burp out twice…
The gremlins are out there, folks… no doubt about it…
Paul Konerko gets a triple… aided, perhaps, by the winds or by the lackadaisical effort of Carlos Gomez, or both… added on to the stolen bases this season by the 4 by 400 relay team (heavy sarcasm intended) of Konerko, Pierzynski and Thome and only one thought comes to mind…actually two…
One… this just could be a return to 2005… Two… the apocalypse will be coming shortly…
I thought going into Saturday's game the usual thoughts of White Sox fans my age… A lot of runs and hits in one game mean scuffling through the next…
But, lo and behold, in the immortal words of Ralph Kramden:
I don't yet know what to make of this team… I'm just going to sit back and watch before I make any snap judgments…
Question: Why doesn't Jeff Mc Mahon, or someone else out there in cyberspace, do the same kind of site against the tabloid rag with the vendetta against all things Reinsdorf?
Or is http://www.jaythejoke.com sufficient enough as a criticism site for the Some-Times?
Know what is nice, not facing Johan every twins series.
Call me sentimental but, somewhere during the last 2 innings, it hit me, boys and girls, there is something going on, I don't know what it is, it actually brought tears to my eyes. Call me a sentimental old fool (although not as old as TQ!). Alexei is always smiling, have you noticed that? Those bright white teeth just a shining in the sun! I'm amazed at these games on my lil computer screen. So what if I'm jumping too soon, it's only June, blah blah blah but this is freakin fun as hell-ooo!
I don't know, Mark,where Brother Van Dyck gets his information from, or where the fact checkers are at Trib Tower (just remember, this is the same paper who headlined "DEWEY BEATS TRUMAN" 60 years ago this coming November)… but as of 4:11 PM Sunday, here are the top percentage teams in MLB…
1) Cubs .619, T1) LAA .619, 3)BOS .606, 4)PHIL .600, 5)TB .597, 6)ST L .578, 7)WS.574…
The Cubs and Angels are 39 and 24, Boston is 40 and 26,the Phillies are 39 and 26, TB is 37 and 25, the Cardinals 37 and 27, while the boys are just a few innings away from 36 and 26…assuming they don't blow it against the Twinkies…
But, just as the old journalism adage goes…
sox 1966… God will get you, Kristine, my dear, for cracking cold on the Q…
Awww, TQ, it was said with much love. Having just celebrated another, (choke) I am feeling a bit edgy about my age! 🙂
And there is another double digit winner!!!! Now to make all the stars align, we need to beat the twins tomorrow while scoring 13 runs…. wouldn't that be nice? 10, 11, 12 runs scored so far…. why not 13??? stay tuned….. j.k.
well, so much for the not scoring runs department. good to the see "old" bats coming alive.
i used to think that quentin was the pick of the off-season, but this ramirez is unbelieveable. KW looks like some kind of genius with these two……
its amazing what 33 runs in three games and a six game streak will do to quell the gloom and doom….a lot of games to play, but things are looking better for now….
oh and scam, keep wearing the hat……
Having a 5.5 game lead on June 8 feels so good!! I'm getting that same old feeling from a few years ago….a few weeks ago on the ledge, but lovin' life on the south side right now!! I'm sure the roller coaster will take me down soon but I'm enjoying the high now!! I bet those Alexei man crushes are blazing hot about now!! Can't beat summer on the south side!! Keep that stinky old hat on scam!!
what an outstanding weekend this was. lets extend it into monday. Swishy boy is heating up. I am a big Uribe guy, but man it is impossible to take Ramirez out of the line up. Gavin was outstanding as usual. Go get em tomorrow Danks. Lets go into detroit up 6.5. Then take 2 of 3 (at least) from the tigers. then come home for the rockies and the pirates. April and May were tough months and we survived them.
Not sure who said it up a bit, but there's one word that comes to mind the last few days. FUN! This is fun! Fun for me and most importantly fun for the team. The smiles on their faces..whether they are standing on base, waiting at home plate for the guy who hit the home run, or sitting in the dug out. THIS is what it's all about! Let's keep the streak alive and get the broom out again tomorrow! -Dawn
This is really fun!!! Winning by big margins is a habit the Sox should keep up for a long time🙂
I don't know if it's the weather, or Scam's hat, or Greg Walker's great coaching, or Ozzie's rant, but whatever it is, it's working! What a fun series of games – let's get into a rut of winning, and then winning again, and…
Aaaaa….ya can't beat fun at the old ballpark friends…(Harry Caray – 1972)
Ramirez in my mind has been a key to the offensive resurgence the past week.
They are playing extremely well right now…don't stop…keep it going.
Mark Liptak
When Liptak made his post today, responding to Scott's post and continuing to gripe about old news about the three runs or less, the Sox were on a 5-game winning streak and had just scored 10 and 11 runs in back-to-back wins. Since that post, the first-place club added 12 more runs and another rout of the second-place Twins.
You'd think that instead of complaining about bad numbers from the past, he would be upbeat and positive about a week that has been absolutely delightful on the Southside.
He even took a shot at Van Dyck for not being "overly optimistic." I repeat, Mark Liptak thought that someone else was not "optimistic."
Mark, for the sake of your sanity and for the sake of your wife and family —- lighten up and have some fun.
I've been to Idaho many times and I know it is not a depressing place to live. Sure, the pizza and Italian sausage aren't nearly as good as on the Southside, but it still can't be bringing you down this much!!
The baseball season is always a roller-coaster ride. We gotta enjoy the ups before the downs hit us again.
Don't take this wrong Mark. I'm not putting you down. I'm just trying to help save the psyche of another long-time Sox fan. One, who like me, remembers listening to Bob Elson and Milo Hamilton call Sox games on WCFL.
While composing my long post (still shorter than most of Quaid's but long nontheless), the subject of my post slipped in another comment.
And he must have been reading my mind.
We'll (the rest of the bloggers on this first-place board) get you thinking more positive thoughts this summer if it kills us Mark.
Wow! I haven't been on here in quite a while…
But I just thought I'd pop in to let you know, Scott, how much everyone appreciated today's effort… and the whole game. You know that old joke that Chicago only has two seasons (winter and construction)? Well, I think we can add monsoon season into the mix. And many of us stood (I was outside the park…) and waited. But you could tell it was a Sox-fan crowd- there was no complaining, no whining, and definitely no possibility of getting back on the Red Line and going home. There were just a lot of "Hey I think it's letting up"s, even when it CLEARLY was NOT.
Anyway, we were all optimistic the whole time, and we were well-rewarded by the 12-2 win.
Please extend some soggy but happy 'thank-you's to everyone.
I cannot remember the last time I have felt this relaxed while watching a Sox game. Holy banana boots, who jump started this offense all of the sudden? Ozzie's rant? Walker feeling threatened? The players feeling a sense of urgency? My hat? Probably not, but I'll keep it on just in case. I'll give the credit to the players for finally stepping up, since I gave them the credit for being terrible. It's nice to see so many Sox fans in such good moods.
I believe it was on the post game show when they said that this was the first time since 1932 that the Sox went three games in a row with 15 or more hits. Wow! How come Joe didn't hit a HR today tho? That was very disappointing.
Perkins v Contreras tomorrow. I actually feel a tiny bit of confidence for tomorrow. First time in a while.
I agree with all… this was a wonderful week! Love that Paulie and Swish are hitting again. And Alexei? He's is just amazing to watch. Can't wait to see him reach his potential.
The cherry on the sundae? Listening to Nancy Faust on the organ at the ballpark. When she's not there, she's truly missed. When she's there, it's a delight.
Kudos to Nancy Faust!!! Someday there will be a statue of her outside US Cellular. But if we wait until she is gone, it will be a long time from now because Nancy never gets older, only better.
Think about this Sox fans. Forget about the players and the manager and the coaches for a minute.
This organization has the following:
—- The best trainer in MLB. Hermie kept us healthy in '05 and has a ring to prove it. So far, he is waving his magic wand again.
— The best groundskeeper in all of baseball, if not all of professional sports. The field today at the end of the game looked like it never rained (at least on TV it looked that way). Roger, and his father before him, would be at the top of the class of a groundskeeper's Hall of Fame.
— And, of course, the best organist to ever perform at a big league game. Nancy was as recognizable in the '70s as any of the players at the park. Think about it. It was her playing the Na Na Hey Hey song that ignited the South Side Hitmen team in '77. And she as much as anybody made Harry Caray a household name. Without her playing Take Me Out to the Ballgame in the seventh inning one day and Harry picking up on it, that tradition that made him famous would never have happened. She should get royalties from every team (especially an unnamed one on the north side) that makes money off that tradition.
Yes, win or lose, Sox fans have many off the field personnel to be thankful for and of which to be proud.
(Scott, you Roger, Herm and Nancy can donate my fee for the kind words to White Sox Charities!!!!!!!)
Because the Chicago Cubune Watch was addressed here, allow me to plug not just the piece cited by cinnamondog above but another critique of the Trib's Sunday coverage, this one being Phil Rogers' unseemly dis of Ken Williams and KW Jr. It's currently the lead article at http://www.cubune.com.
i think we got danks on the hill today, not jose…….
Is anyone else as surprised as me that the first Sox pitcher to 7 wins is Gavin Floyd? I have to admit that at the beginning of the season, after Ozzie promised that Jose Contreras was going to have a great year, Floyd was the biggest worry I had about the pitching staff. Anyone remember that last year (the dreaded 07) it wasn't until July 12th that any Sox pitcher hit that number in the W column? Huge kudos to Coop for continuing to provide the Sox with outstanding coaching. (Anyone else notice the history of the pitching trades made in the recent past–with the exception of Garland, so far–Freddy Garcia, Brandon McCarthy, etc.? Are those guys even pitching anymore?)
See you at the ballpark. GO SOX!!! Let's get the sweep!!!
Scott, That is one of the reasons I like Ozzie because he speaks his mind, and he does it with purpose. There is usually a message behind it. I don't always agree with him as a manager, but he is a great motivator.
Scott, That is one of the reasons I like Ozzie because he speaks his mind, and he does it with purpose. There is usually a message behind it. I don't always agree with him as a manager, but he is a great motivator.
This homestand has been awesome so far. Hopefully we can finish it off today with a win and hit the road on fire.
I was responding to Scott since I was the one who particularly brought up the point about losing three runs or less games in the first place.
Scott was basically commenting on my post and I was returning the opportunity.
I don't see why that's even an issue here in the first place?
Unless you feel that Scott "automatically" gets the last word.
Oh by the way perhaps you "missed" myp00's post which explained some things better then I did.
I "appreciate" you looking out for my best interests but if I need psychological help, I'll go to an actual 'real' physician not someone who thinks they are.
Mark Liptak
I noticed the winning percentage thing, too. One question — as the head communications person, do you point out things like that to the reporter and/or the editor? Because they really should be held accountable for it.
Thanks sws, seems whitesox.com was a little off.


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Northwest NEWS
uly 3, 2000
Go away, geese
To the geese at Cottage Lake Park, I say, "Go, go, go. Get away from the park." Swimmers, people on the shore, and fishermen on the dock are tired of the squishy mess. So out, out, out. Goodbye geese, please.
Chuck Eberhart, Woodinville

subset: commoncrawl


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Central Dauphin School Board member Eric Epstein wanted to take a bigger bite out of the gap between the real cost of school lunches and the price students pay, but Central Dauphin School Board voted against his proposal and raised lunch prices 10 cents for the 2014-2015 school year.
The board's August 4 decision raises elementary-school lunches to $2.15 and middle and high school lunches to $2.40 for the upcoming year.
The change applies only to students who pay full price for their school lunch. Students eligible for free lunches will continue to pay nothing for their meals, and students eligible for reduced-cost lunches will continue to pay 40 cents.
The cost of breakfast also will not change. Students who buy breakfast at school and pay full price will pay $1.15, the same as last year.
Before the vote, Epstein handed out copies of a proposal to raise full-price lunches to $2.20 for elementary students and $2.45 for upper classmen, which failed on a 3-5 vote.
In his handout, Epstein pointed out that school districts nationwide are required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to raise lunch prices every year until the price of non-subsidized lunches equals the amount the federal government reimburses schools for free meals. That subsidy in 2013-2014 was $2.93.
"I would prefer we meet our mandate sooner rather than later," Epstein said. Although Central Dauphin's lunch program is running profitably and any money earned has to stay in the lunch program, Epstein said he'd like to see the additional funds spent to make lunches more attractive as federal requirements make them healthier.
For example, he said, students might be more interested in their federally-mandated fruit servings if the fruits were sliced like they are in fast-food restaurants. Pre-packaged sliced fruits or the equipment to produce them could be purchased with the additional funds, he said.
Epstein's five-page proposal also showed that Central Dauphin's lunch prices are lower than the average prices charged at other districts in the area, and substantially lower than the cheapest kids' meals offered by fast-food restaurants.
Board member Brian Faleshock thanked Epstein for his research but said that he would be voting against the higher prices. Central Dauphin's lunch program is already profitable, Faleshock said, and even a 10 cent increase in lunch prices is "significant" for parents with several students in the district, he said.


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The World Football Challenge will kick off on July 19 and conclude on July 26 with Chelsea, AC Milan, FC Internazionale Milano and ClubAmerica playing at some of the most recognized stadiums across the U.S., including M&T Bank Stadium, the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.), the Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Ga.), Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.), Stanford Stadium (Palo Alto, Calif.) and the new Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas).
The World Football Challenge will give soccer fans the unprecedented opportunity to see global superstars such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Ronaldinho, Kaká and Andrea Pirlo play live in Baltimore and experience first-hand the fast-paced, skillful competition that has made soccer the most popular sport in the world.
ESPN, the U.S. English-language television home of the Men's and Women's FIFA World Cups and other marquee international soccer competitions, is the broadcast partner and will televise all matches on ESPN or ESPN2. Matches will also air on ESPN's Spanish-language sports network, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN360.com, the company's live sports broadband network.
Chelsea vs. AC Milan at 8:00 p.m. on July 24, 2009
Gates Open: 6:30 p.m.
In other local soccer news, the Baltimore Bays, recently named the No. 1 boys youth soccer club in the country by Soccer America, have announced that the club has formed a partnership with Chelsea that will benefit youth soccer players throughout the state of Maryland.


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Syracuse, N.Y. -- Ten students and four faculty members of the Crouse Hospital College of Nursing in Syracuse will leave for Guatemala Friday for a 10-day health care cultural immersion experience.
Students will visit several clinics and provide supervised health care.
The international trip is the first of its kind for the nursing school.
"We want to be able to present unique learning and growth opportunities to our students beyond the traditional boundaries of classroom and clinical experiences in their own backyards," Ann Sedore, the school's director, said in a news release.


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I love chicken hearts.
I trim all the excess fat, marinade in a bit of gluten free soya sauce, olive oil, garlic and chilles for at least a few hours/overnight.
Skewer onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for an hour and then I hit the bbq and grill them up.
Left over chicken hearts sauted with bacon the next day is a pretty special treat at my house.


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AMHERST – Town Manager John P. Musante submitted a $19.54 million fiscal 2013 budget to town officials Friday afternoon, a budget up 2.9 percent over fiscal 2012.
"We believe we basically preserve the current service levels," he said in an interview prior to the budget presentation. No staff positions have been cut. The town has cut 25 positions during the last four years.
The budget assumes a 2 percent hike in state aid.
"The state has reported positive revenue collection figures this year, and I think it is reasonable and prudent to forecast a slight state aid increase," according to Musante's memo to the Select Board and Finance Committee.
The Community Services budget, which includes health and leisure services, among other departments is up by 5 percent and includes $20,989 in additional funding to operate the War Memorial Pool, which Town Meeting supported last year. That pool is expected to reopen in June after having been closed the last three summers.
"We feel we met the guidelines" set forth by the Finance Committee, Musante said. The committee asked for budgets to remain within 2.8 percent levels. Musante said he's expecting the $25,000 above that level will be covered by those paying to use the War Memorial Pool.
The budget includes recently negotiated pay hikes for all four unions covered by the town's financial plan. The town budget excludes schools and libraries.
The town has been able to keep health care and energy costs at current levels, which has helped keep the budget to just 2.8 percent over the current $19 million, Musante said.
He said a number of energy savings measures such as more efficient heating and cooling systems is helping to contain energy costs.
If the town should receive more than 2 percent in state aid or see additional growth, Musante said he would like to fund an economic development position at an estimated cost of $70,000.
He would also like to add $40,000 to help pay for a districtwide after school program, money that had been funded by Community Development Block Grants but has not been included in the town's application submitted in December.
"This is the beginning of the process for the Finance Committee," Finance Committee chairman Andrew Steinberg pointed out after Musante outlined the budget. The committee will be meeting with all departments to review the budgets prior to the Annual Town Meeting in the spring. Town Meeting ultimately has to approve the budget.
The Select Board will also have budget discussions at its meetings, said Select Board chairwoman Stephanie J. O'Keeffe.
Amherst Town Manager John Musante presents $19.54 million town budget
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on January 16, 2012 at 4:29 PM, updated January 16, 2012 at 4:30 PM
AMHERST – Town Manager John P. Musante submitted a $19.54 million fiscal 2013 budget to town officials Friday afternoon, a budget up 2.9 percent over fiscal 2012.


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In case you're wondering: Ah, no, that's not good for our kids' health, neighborhoods, traffic or the environment. For one thing, childhood obesity in America has tripled in the past 40 years.
In response, schools in Oregon and across the country will take part in Wednesday's annual International Walk + Bike to School Day.
Dozens of schools throughout the Portland suburbs will recognize the day with special events and prizes.
In Tualatin, about 300 students from Bridgeport Elementary, Byrom Elementary, Tualatin Elementary and Tualatin High School have committed themselves to get to class without a rides from their parents.
Julie Ludemann, a city of Tualation's teen program specialist, said Mayor Lou Ogden's growing interest in biking and pedestrian projects prompted the city to participate for the first time this year.
The response from students, she said, was immediate and overwhelming. Byrom Elementary alone will have at least 110 children committed to walking or biking that day, many with their parents.
"Kids are always looking for chance to walk and to be active," Ludemann said. "They saw this as kind of being in a big parade. Who doesn't want to be part of a parade?"
In Portland, the day is also the kickoff for Safe Routes to School, a push by the city and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance to educate parents and students about the benefits of biking and walking.
The BTA is coordinating a statewide campaign at WalkNBike.org, which shows nearly 200 schools have registered to participate in a Safe Routes to School program that offers prizes for students who participate.
On Wednesday, the BTA also wants schools to gather "Dear Congress" letters from parents, kids, and administrators as part of a national campaign to triple funding for better walking and biking routes around schools in the upcoming federal transportation bill.
During this year's National Safe Routes to School conference in Portland, speakers highlighted places around the country where schools don't let children, as a matter of policy, ride their bikes to school because they fear for their safety.
Even in America's most bike-friendly city, there are neighborhoods where parents say they don't feel safe letting their children walk and bike to school on Wednesday.
In Southwest Portland's Multnomah Village, for instance, some parents say the lack of shoulders and bike lanes, as well as heavy traffic on Capitol Highway, make riding anythind but a bus or automobile to schools such as Robert Gray Middle School difficult.
"What you're hearing from parents is correct," said Randy Bonella, president of the neighborhood association. "It's a perennial problem. A few business areas have safe walking areas and sidewalks, but that's the exception. Biking is a little better. But younger kids? No way."
Meanwhile, James John School in North Portland, which has been holding walk to school days every month for the past 2 1/2 years, has invited Mayor Sam Adams and Rep. Earl Blumenauer to stroll along with students on Wednesday.
In Southeast, Abernethy Elementary School is holding its second annual Tour de Ladd bike-a-thon to coincide with International Walk and Bike to School Day. Nearly 80 percent of the student body participated in the fundraiser last year, which raised $10,000 to supplement library, music and other instructional needs.
In the U.S., the day is expected to include 5,000 schools from all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.
It's not too late to register your school for International Walk + Bike to School Day. For more information, contact 503-823-1189.
-- Joseph Rose, Twitter: pdxcommute


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Livia Corona was born in Ensenada, Baja California. She is a graduate of Art Center College of Design and works out of New York and Mexico City. Most recently she was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for completion of her current photography and film project titled "Two Million Homes for Mexico".
Corona's work for this effort focuses on the surge of mass-scale neighborhood developments in Mexico, exploring their role in the ongoing transformation of the ecological, social and cultural landscape of the nation and its citizens. This project, consisting of images, interviews, archival research and texts also reveals broader trends in the way we inhabit the world today.
All copyright Livia Corona.


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Tasting Notes
In view denotes intense and brilliant ruby red color. The nose is perceived highly expressive ripe plums, cherries, strawberries with hints of spices and nuts. The palate entry is sweet, good concentration and volume, firmtannins that will give longevity.
Technical Notes
50% Cabernet Sauvignon – 30% Merlot – 20% MalbecAlcohol 14.8%


text: WhatsUpDanny: Go Halloween! It's Your Birthday! By Daniel Franzese Halloween's Birthday is coming up! Check out What'sUpDanny: Go Halloween!... more »Halloween's Birthday is coming up! Check out What'sUpDanny: Go Halloween! Where Daniel Franzese and Sharon Francis stumble through the street at the Santa Monica Blvd Halloween Parade in Los Angeles looking for party people. « less Published October 24, 2011 286 views More Info » Full Credits Daniel Franzese Uploader Stats & Data 24 Funny Votes 2 Die Votes 286 Views Published: October 24, 2011 Categories: Web Series Real Life Nostalgia Keywords: funny Costume ideas Halloween dancing drinks music nightlife Up Next: CAT SHOW TODAY! AUTOPLAY Up Next In: 10 CAT SHOW TODAY! Urban Foraging What's up Danny? : Episode 1 "Happy Birthday Sharon Francis (Let the world know.)" Happy Wal-Mart Holidays! Follow Facebook Twitter Tumblr Instagram Browse Related Comments 10+ more View All ▶ Daniel Franzese Vaguely Related Videos Vaguely Related Pics & Words Advertisement Tags: funny Costume ideas Halloween dancing drinks music nightlife Advertisement


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Scientists recently compared the waters off California to Africa's Serengeti Plain, famous for its abundance of wildlife. The California Current eco-system is home to many species. Scientists tagged and tracked more than 4,000 animals and found that the Current is very important to the ocean's top predators, such as sharks and whales.
Learn more about the "Main Street" of the north Pacific Ocean.
Photo: Kohane via Flickr
Heal the Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.


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The Superlounges in the Dome are a hard nut for Essence acts to crack. They have low ceilings, chilly lighting and chillier air-conditioning; most acts who perform there have a tough time just getting the crowd to a baseline club vibe, let along rocking the party.
De La Soul did not have that problem.
Advantageously scheduled for their second set of the night to go up against Gladys Knight on the mainstage, plus neo-soul and gospel in the other lounges, the three positive-vibing MCs who helped define 90's-era alternative hip-hop had Essence's under-40, party-people crowd on lock.
Long gone are the dashikis and shaved-peace-sign hairdos of the group's hippie-hip-hop breakthrough, "3 Feet High And Rising." Walking in 10 minutes into the show, a variation on "Stakes Is High," the title track to the 1996 album that signaled the group's definitive break from flower power, was blasting from the stage, and it was immediately clear that the 21st-century De La Soul is less about dropping trippy knowledge than moving a crowd.
The three rappers - who give off the clear (and rare) vibe of still being solid buddies after 23 years of working together - gave plenty of shout-outs to New Orleans and Essence Fest, and plenty of exhortations for the crowd to throw their hands in the air and dance.
It wasn't as if they didn't do classics (they did "Ego Trippin," "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays" and "Ring Ring Ring," as well as relatively newer tracks like "Baby Phat";) they just didn't regurgitate them. There was an entertaining, brief snide reference to "3 Feet:" when MC Trugoy rapped, "Maybe it's my De La clothes/ or maybe I just hate this song," an understandable expression of frustration with the group's enduring hit, "Me Myself & I" - but for the most part, the rappers seemed to feel that their job was to make a dance party happen, instead of to display their own accomplishments. They succeeded.
All in all, De La Soul, whose latest release is a commission by the Nike brand (before you accuse them of selling out, consider the longstanding relationship between hip-hop and sneakers,) took it back further than the Plug ones' actual signature hits - back to their own 80's influences. Trugoy even sported a Fat Boys T-shirt.
As they performed, the group bantered with each other, the crowd and the soundman, creating a relaxed, friendly vibe that seemed far from the current state of choreographed pop-rap that tops the charts. It wasn't about regenerating canned hits - it was about rocking till the break of dawn.
If the Dome didn't have a closing time, they would have.


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Fast-spreading blaze claims waterfront home on Vashon
A waterfront home on Vashon's west side burned to the ground Sunday afternoon after a generator apparently backfired, triggering the blaze.
Dennis Schmidt, who owns the hand-crafted, three-story house with his wife Wendy Demeter, was home when the accident occurred. He had just unplugged a generator when he heard the machine make a loud sound and saw smoke, he said. He called 911, grabbed the family dog and turtle, the computers and some family photos and then ran out of the house as a blaze began to spread.
By the time Vashon Island Fire & Rescue's first truck arrived, eight minutes later, the 2,700-square-foot home on the end of Paige Lane was fully engulfed.
Standing on the driveway as the last remnants of the home burned Sunday evening, Schmidt said he felt "sick to my stomach." Demeter and the couple's two children, ages 6 and 9, were in California at the time of the incident.
Despite the loss of his house, Schmidt had no criticism of the fire department. "These guys go as fast as they can," he said.
Fire Chief Hank Lipe said crews were hampered by a lack of fire hydrants near the home, the situation in most parts of rural Vashon. But in this instance, he added, it would have made little difference.
"It was gone" by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, he said. "That thing was ripping."
At that point, he said, the crew's mission was to ensure the fire didn't spread to neighboring homes. Firefighters, he added, successfully pulled some propane tanks out of the garage, a move that helped curb the extent of the disaster.
The house fire topped what Lipe called an extremely busy week for the fire department. Monday's fierce snow and windstorm triggered a number of accidents and related problems. Last week, he said, the fire department received calls about cars that went off the road, pipes that burst, medical emergencies and two other structure fires — a chimney fire and a fire in a wall, both of which crews quelled.
All told, the fire department received 57 calls last week and a total of 147 calls for the month. Last year for the month of November, the department received 103 calls.
"It's been a rough week," he said.
Lipe urged Islanders to take care as they struggle with inclement weather, power outages and other problems that could be in store during what some predict will be a harsher winter than normal.
"It's the heating season. Just be careful," he said.
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Hartford — Breanna Stewart tied a career high with 29 points and Bria Hartley added 26 as top-ranked UConn beat South Florida 81-53 on Sunday.
Stewart made five 3-pointers and the Huskies (21-0, 8-0 American Athletic Conference) were 14 of 25 from behind the arc.
Hartley hit six of her seven shots from 3-point range in putting up 20 or more points for the third consecutive game.
Courtney Williams had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead South Florida (10-9, 5-3), which had won five of its last six games.
The win was the 27th in a row for the Huskies, dating back to last season's NCAA tournament run to the program's eighth national championship.
The Huskies had just seven scholarship players available due to injuries and used just six of them after freshman Saniya Chong fell ill just before the game.
Connecticut struggled early, hitting just three of its first 12 shots from the field. The Huskies have not trailed by more than four points all season, but an Alisia Jenkins' fast-break layup gave South Florida a 9-6 lead.
A 3-pointer by Stewart put the UConn on top 14-13 just under 7 minutes into the game and they led the rest of the way.
Another Stewart 3-pointer started a 16-3 run that turned a 22-20 game into a 38-23 lead.
Stewart and Hartley combined to hit 8 of 11 shots from 3-point range in the first half and UConn went into the break leading 45-27. The Huskies have trailed by a total of 31 minutes this season.
A 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer gave the Huskies their first lead of more than 20-points at 59-37 midway through the second half. The Bulls had been holding opponents to just 59 points a game.
UConn had 30 baskets on 25 assists.
Connecticut's 27-game winning streak is the sixth longest streak in program history.
The Huskies will play the rest of the season without sophomore forward Morgan Tuck, who announced she will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage problem in her right knee. Tuck missed eight games after going orthoscopic surgery on the knee in November. She returned but hasn't played since Jan. 7 because of a bone bruise in the area of the knee where she is missing cartilage. The school plans to ask for a medical redshirt, which would give her three more years of eligibility.
Tuck averaged 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds this season.
Tuck's loss means the Huskies will have just eight scholarship players on the roster for the rest of the season as they attempt to repeat as national champions.Guard Brianna Banks, who sprained her left ankle before Wednesday's game against Memphis, was also on the bench in street clothes.
South Florida's only loss this calendar year was by eight points to No. 5 Louisville. But the Bulls have never beaten UConn, losing their 13th straight to the Huskies on Sunday.
The Huskies have now won 68 of their last 71 games in Hartford. Stefanie Dolson had eight rebounds, to give her 928 for her career, moving her ahead of former national player of the year Kara Wolters and into sixth place on the school's all-time list.
More than 13,200 fans showed up for the game at the XL Center, the largest home crowd the Huskies have had this season by more than 3,400 fans.
Charles Buck, acquitted in murder of his wife in 2002, has died
Newly honored Groton City officers relive rescue of woman in sinking car
Stonington first selectman complains about DEEP comment about fishermen
Preston, Mohegan Tribe need more time to complete negotiations for Norwich Hospital
CMEEC to create committee to create guidelines for future retreats
Bowles defends his war-era status in battle with Somers over campaign funding
At 16, Montville 'political junkie' learns the ropes, waits for chance to vote


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Joan and Joe Magenheimer, a married couple that have lived for 37 years on West 1st Street sat on their porch as they looked across the Kill Van Kull, the same body of water that jumped its banks and flooded their basement, in the wake of Sandy last year.
"We're retired," said an animated Joan Magenheimer, 74. "We've never seen anything like this."
"It wasn't even high tide," said her husband Joe Magenheimer, 77. "I remember hearing the water rush in. The water was so strong that it knocked down our garage door. We had to be carried out by the Bayonne Fire Department."
The Magenheimers vividly remember that October 29, 2012 as they were taken by a school bus to the Nicholas Oresko School, where the city had set up an emergency shelter.
"They had treated us so well," said Magenheimer's wife. "The shelter was like a hotel. They had prepared so well for this. They served turkey dinner.
"When it was night time and it got dark I remember hearing the kids cry in the shelter, they were afraid," said Magenheimer's husband. "They were all very good to us. They even allowed pets in there."
The Magenheimer's missed their mementos and things from their childhood that were destroyed when the water flooded their basement and busted through the windows.
They both lost their shoeshine box, a token of their childhood and a reminder of how hard they'd worked and put everything into their home.
The Magenheimer's were alarmed to find so much devastation on their return home but neighbors, their councilwoman, and Mayor Smith assured them that they would get the help they needed.
"I remember Mayor Smith told us that we wouldn't have to lift a finger," said Magenheimer's wife.
In the wake of Sandy, the neighborhood had looked out for each other, said the Magenheimers.
"We had guardian angels. There was a nurse, named Ellen that would pass by and bring soup for everybody. And you couldn't say no to her," said Magenheimer's wife.
The couple remain hopeful. They've transformed their damaged basement into a near furnished dwelling with a small bar at the corner of the room and a few salvaged mementos hanging on the walls.
There garage has dozens of sandbags piled up along the walls and thresholds.
"These sandbags were pushed aside like tissue paper but we still have them," said Magenheimer's wife.
Magenheimer said her husband, a heart patient and cancer survivor never complains.
"We're thankful though for everything. We can laugh now. We take it day by day," said Joe Magenheimer. "We listen to our doo wop in the basement and enjoy the days."


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|Music That Brings Hope To Life - 10:00 pm - 6:00 am
What: Final K-12th School Registration Night for McKenzie River Christian School in Springfield!
When: Aug 22, 2013 6:30pm
Where: Northwood Christian Church across from Paige Elementary (2425 Harvest Lane, Springfield OR)
Details: Limited Space. Call for an appointment now or attend the registration night on August 22nd. Small K-12 classes of 8-12 students, Non-denominational, challenging A Beka and Saxon Curriculum, Four day week (M-Th), Affordable tuition ($320K-5 and $350 6-12th), sixteen years experience.
To secure your spot now: Call Gayle at 541-896-3028.
McKenzie River Christian School is now in Springfield:
2425 Harvest Lane
Springfield, OR
2425 Harvest Lane
Springfield, OR


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James S. Blattenberger
James S. Blattenberger, 78, rural Martinsburg, passed away early Thursday morning at his home after a lengthy illness.
He was born in rural Martinsburg, son of the late Benjamin F. and Florence M. (Keith) Blattenberger. He was twice married, first to Mary Ann Koontz on Sept. 22, 1962, in Hanover, and she passed away Dec. 16, 1976. He then married Sally A. (Crilley) Brunner on June 20, 2004, at the groom's residence.
Surviving are his wife; a daughter, Marsha K. Lowe and husband, Don, of James Creek; three stepsons: Scott Brunner of Hollidaysburg, Ken Brunner and wife, Kris, of New Enterprise and Dan Brunner of East Freedom; a stepdaughter, Pam O'Baker and husband, Charles "Stoney," of Mount Savage, Md.; 11 grandchildren; and a brother, Kenneth R. and wife, Janet, of Martinsburg.
He was preceded in death by a son, Eric A., in 1990.
Jim was a 1953 graduate of Morrison Cove High School, Martinsburg. He was a retired lifelong dairy and pig farmer in North Woodbury Township, having raised pigs for roasting at many various social functions. He also was formerly employed as a carpenter for Greenleaf Builders, Martinsburg, for more than 10 years. He was affiliated with Curryville Church of the Brethren.
Jim was a member of D. Merle Tipton VFW Post 43, Martinsburg, and a former member of the Pennsylvania Farm Association. He was a charter member of the Pinedorosa Camp, Lycoming County, and enjoyed hunting, especially elk in Colorado, fishing, especially in Canada, gardening and bowling. He was an avid sports enthusiast, especially enjoying Pittsburgh Steelers football and all Perm State athletics. He also formerly participated in many tractor pull contests in the area, having placed first in state competition in 1977.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at Curryville Church of the Brethren, where a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery, Martinsburg.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that memorial contributions be given to Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Company, Station 80.
Arrangements are by John C. Bolger Funeral Home Inc., Martinsburg.


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Nation roundup for July 1
Kerry says progress made in peace talks
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry completed a new round of shuttle diplomacy Sunday without a hoped-for breakthrough in relaunching Mideast peace talks, but optimistically said he had narrowed the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians and vowed to return to the region soon to complete his mission.
Kerry said he was working on an emerging "package" meant to bring the sides together, and said he would leave a team of aides in the region to continue the efforts.
"With a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach," he told reporters, shortly before leaving Israel for an Asian security conference in Brunei.
It was not clear how much progress Kerry had truly made. He refused to provide details of the package he is working on, and Israeli and Palestinian officials, at Kerry's request, remained mum.
Even before negotiations have begun, the gaps remain wide on simply establishing the ground rules.
Negotiations have been stalled since 2008, in large part due to Israeli settlement policies in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, for a future independent state alongside Israel and have demanded that Israel stop building settlements on occupied lands before talks resume. More than 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in areas sought by the Palestinians, making it increasingly difficult to partition the land into two states.
The Palestinians also say Israel's pre-1967 frontiers should be the baseline for the final borders between Israel and a future Palestine. Previous Israeli leaders have accepted the 1967 lines as a starting point for talks. But Israel's current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, while endorsing the idea of a Palestinian state, has refused the Palestinian demands, saying talks should begin immediately without any preconditions.
Netanyahu has ruled out a return to the 1967 lines, saying it would threaten Israel's security and noting the Jewish people's biblical connection to the West Bank. He also rejects any division of the holy city of Jerusalem, home to sensitive Christian, Jewish and Muslim holy sites.
His tough line and the continued construction of settlements have raised Palestinian accusations that he is not serious about pursuing peace.
The Palestinians also seek the Gaza Strip for their state. Israel, which captured Gaza in 1967, withdrew in 2005. Hamas militants subsequently overran the area.
Kerry was on his fifth visit to the region since taking office early this year. Starting Thursday night, he shuttled between Amman, Jordan, Jerusalem and Ramallah, West Bank, holding three meetings each with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's Netanyahu.
Their talks were long, sometimes stretching into the wee hours of the morning. His last meeting with the Israeli prime minister and his advisers ended after 3 a.m. Sunday. Afterward, Kerry took a pre-dawn stroll in Jerusalem with senior advisers. Kerry, the sleeves on his white shirt rolled up, walked with a security escort to a park near the hotel, gesturing and talking with his top advisers on the Mideast peace process. Just hours later, he traveled by convoy to Ramallah for one last meeting with Abbas, cancelling a trip to Abu Dhabi to extend his work with Israel and the Palestinians.
Addressing reporters at Israel's international airport, an exhausted Kerry, running on adrenaline, said he would have stayed longer if he did not have to attend the international conference.
"I am very positive," he said. "I also know progress when I see it, and we are making progress," he added.
He said both Netanyahu and Abbas had asked him to return to the region — on what would be his sixth visit. But he declined to disclose, even broadly, the main elements of the "package" being pursued to restart talks.
Kerry said it was best not to float ideas for others to "tear apart, evaluate and analyze." He said he would not have agreed to leave his staff in place if he didn't think it was possible to flesh out a "serious" framework for restarting discussions.
"I think this is worth it, folks," he told reporters. "Obviously, the work has to be completed. People have to make a few choices still. But the gap has been narrowed very significantly."
A Palestinian official who was briefed on Kerry's efforts said the package would likely include, as a goodwill gesture, the release of some Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. He said the Palestinians were told that Netanyahu is prepared to restrain settlement construction and to discuss the 1967 borders, without any promise to withdraw to those lines. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.
The emerging deal is also expected to include large amounts of international aid to the Palestinians; Israeli agreement to allow the Palestinians to launch new development projects in the West Bank; and Palestinian pledges to halt their campaign of seeking recognition of their independence in international bodies before there is a peace agreement.
Over Israeli and U.S. objections, the Palestinians last year won upgraded observer status at the United Nations, and they have threatened to pursue war crimes charges against Israel if peace efforts remain stalled.
Israel's Channel 2 TV, citing anonymous Israeli officials, said there had been progress, but sticking points remained in the areas of settlements, prisoners and borders. It said Kerry was expected back in a week or so and was aiming to restart talks before the Muslim holiday of Ramadan begins early next week.
Addressing his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu showed little signs of bending.
"We are not putting up any impediments on the resumption of the permanent talks and a peace agreement between us and the Palestinians," he said.
At the same time, he said, "We will not compromise on security, and there will be no agreement that will endanger Israelis' security."
He added that any agreement would be presented to the public in a referendum.
Critics have said such a step would merely add an additional obstacle to implementing any deal, which would require a broad pullout from the West Bank.
Following Sunday morning's meeting in Ramallah, the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, reported progress but said gaps remained.
"I cannot say we have a breakthrough," he said. "All I can say once again is no one benefits more from the success of Secretary Kerry than the Palestinians, and no one stands to lose more from its failure than Palestinians."
As Kerry strolled to the tarmac Sunday, his top Mideast adviser patted him on the back, but both knew the job was not finished.
Meth floods U.S. border crossing
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Children walk across the U.S.-Mexico border with crystal methamphetamine strapped to their backs or concealed between notebook pages. Motorists disguise liquid meth in tequila bottles, windshield washer containers and gas tanks.
The smuggling of the drug at land border crossings has jumped in recent years but especially at San Diego's San Ysidro port of entry, which accounted for more than 40 percent of seizures in fiscal year 2012. That's more than three times the second-highest — five miles east — and more than five times the third-highest, in Nogales, Ariz.
The spike reflects a shift in production to Mexico after a U.S. crackdown on domestic labs and the Sinaloa cartel's new hold on the prized Tijuana-San Diego smuggling corridor.
A turf war that gripped Tijuana a few years ago with beheadings and daytime shootouts ended with the cartel coming out on top. The drugs, meanwhile, continue flowing through San Ysidro, the Western hemisphere's busiest land border crossing with an average of 40,000 cars and 25,000 pedestrians entering daily.
"This is the gem for traffickers," said Gary Hill, assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego. "It's the greatest place for these guys to cross because there are so many opportunities."
Customs and Border Protection officers seized 5,566 pounds of methamphetamine at San Ysidro in the 2012 fiscal year, more than double two years earlier, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit. On the entire border, inspectors seized 13,195 pounds, also more than double.
From October 2012 through March, seizures totaled 2,169 pounds at San Ysidro and 1,730 pounds at Otay Mesa, giving San Diego 61 percent of the 6,364 pounds seized at Mexican border crossings. Much of the rest was found in Laredo, Texas; Nogales; and Calexico, Calif.
San Ysidro — unlike other busy border crossings — blends into a sprawl of 18 million people that includes Los Angeles, one of the nation's top distribution hubs. By contrast, El Paso is more than 600 miles from Dallas on a lonely highway with Border Patrol checkpoints.
Rush-hour comes weekday mornings, with thousands of motorists clogging Tijuana streets to approach 24 U.S.-bound inspection lanes on their way to school or work. Vendors weave between cars, hawking cappuccinos, burritos, newspapers and trinkets.
A $732 million expansion that has created even longer delays may offer an extra incentive for smugglers who bet that inspectors will move people quickly to avoid criticism for hampering commerce and travel, said Joe Garcia, assistant special agent in charge of ICE investigations in San Diego.
Children are caught with methamphetamine strapped to their bodies several times a week — an "alarming increase," according to Garcia. They are typically paid $50 to $200 for each trip, carrying 3 pounds on average.
Drivers, who collect up to $2,000 per trip, conceal methamphetamine in bumpers, batteries, radiators and almost any other crevice imaginable. Packaging is smothered with mustard, baby powder and laundry detergent to fool drug-sniffing dogs.
Crystals are increasingly dissolved in water, especially during the last year, making the drug more difficult to detect in giant X-ray scanners that inspectors order some motorists to drive through. The water is later boiled and often mixed with acetone, a combustible fluid used in paints that yields clear shards of methamphetamine favored by users. The drug often remains in liquid form until reaching its final distribution hub.
The government has expanded X-ray inspections of cars at the border in recent years, but increased production in Mexico and the Sinaloa cartel's presence are driving the seizures, Garcia said. "This is a new corridor for them," he said.
The U.S. government shut large methamphetamine labs during the last decade as it introduced sharp limits on chemicals used to make the drug, causing production to shift to Mexico.
The U.S. State Department said in March that the Mexican government seized 958 labs under former President Felipe Calderon from 2006 to 2012, compared with 145 under the previous administration. Mexico seized 267 labs last year, up from 227 in 2011.
As production moved to central Mexico, the Sinaloa cartel found opportunity in Tijuana in 2008 when it backed a breakaway faction of the Arellano Felix clan, named for a family that controlled the border smuggling route for two decades. Sinaloa, led by Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, had long dominated nearby in eastern California and Arizona.
Tijuana registered 844 murders in 2008 in a turf war that horrified residents with castrated bodies hanging from bridges. After the Sinaloa cartel prevailed, the Mexican border city of more than 2 million people returned to relative calm, with 332 murders last year and almost no public displays of brutality.
Alfonzo "Achilles" Arzate and his younger brother Rene, known as "The Frog," have emerged as top Sinaloa operatives in Tijuana — the former known as the brains and the latter as the brawn. The elder Arzate has been mentioned on wire intercepts for drug deals as far as Chicago, Hill said.
He appears to have gained favor with the Sinaloa cartel brass after another cartel operative raided one of his warehouses in October 2010, leading to a shootout and the government seizing 134 tons of marijuana.
Methamphetamine has also turned into a scourge throughout Tijuana, becoming the most common drug offense for dealers and consumers in the last five years, said Miguel Angel Guerrero, coordinator of the Baja California state attorney general's organized crime unit.
"It has increased a lot in the city because it's cheaper than cocaine, even cheaper than marijuana," he said.
Disputes among street dealers lead to spurts of violence in Tijuana, said Guerrero, including April's murder tally of 56 bodies. But the killings pale in numbers and brutality compared to the dark days of 2008 and 2009. While president, Calderon hailed Tijuana as a success story in his war on cartels.
"The Sinaloa cartel, their presence here has been strong enough to the point that no one is pushing back," said the DEA's Hill. "They just simply want to focus on making money and moving the dope across."
Texas filibuster star Davis still weighing future
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — State Sen. Wendy Davis, whose filibuster against Texas abortion restrictions gained her national fame, insists Democrats will be competitive in next year's statewide races but hasn't decided whether she'll be part of the slate of candidates for offices currently dominated by Republicans.
The Harvard-trained lawyer told The Associated Press she has been fielding congratulatory phone calls from around the world since her marathon filibuster Tuesday that helped run out the clock on the special session and kill the abortion bill. But she hasn't determined if she should seek re-election to the Senate or, as some have encouraged her, aim higher and perhaps run for governor.
Davis said she is concentrating on the second special legislative session that begins Monday, when Republicans will try again to pass a bill that likely would shut down at least 37 out of 42 abortion clinics in the state and impose other restrictions on the procedure.
"When we get through it, and I can lift my head up, and I'm back in my district with my constituents I will have more time to think about (the future)," she said. "I think the more important question is what will the people do with their newfound power? I think Tuesday was a game-changer in Texas."
Since she first defeated a Republican incumbent in a swing district in 2008, Texas Democrats have seen in Davis the charisma and fight needed to win statewide office. But candidates can't win on their own; they need local political clubs to get excited, county-based organizations to guarantee turnout and at least $16 million and hundreds of volunteers to run a campaign in the country's second-largest state.
Democrats haven't won such a race since 1994. Texas ranks 47th in the country in voter participation, and the party can't seem to get more than 43 percent of the ballots.
Changing demographics, though, have given Democrats hope of reviving their party as Hispanics and young people make up a larger proportion of eligible voters. Davis won her district by building a coalition of Hispanics, African-Americans and low-income whites — groups that, when combined, make up the majority of Texans.
Davis said she dedicated her filibuster to people too often ignored by the Republican leadership.
"Their voice mattered, and they made a difference," she said. "It may be that we go into this next special session and they are drowned out, but I don't think they are going to remain quiet. I think this has engaged the public in Texas who are tired of the leadership they are seeing."
National Democratic activists recognized the potential for change in the state last year and provided funding for a campaign called Battleground Texas. But recognizing the staggering challenge of activating a moribund state party, the group has talked about winning elections for Democrats in 2018 — not 2014.
Davis' old-school filibuster — where she spent most of 12 hours standing and speaking — has strategists questioning whether she has sped up the timeline or if she's too early. So far, no Democrat has announced a candidacy for one of the state's seven statewide offices up for election next year.
Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, who took over the Texas Democratic Party in 2011, insists the party is ready.
"Women have not always voted for the Democrats, and now they'll see that we are fighting for them and they will vote for us," he told the AP. "People in Texas are taking a look at the ugly face of the Republican Party and taking a better look at the Democratic Party."
But whether they can win in 2014 may depend on whether Davis runs for governor and the party can recruit other Democrats to run as a group for the other six seats.
"Everyone is waiting to see what Wendy will do," Hinojosa said. "If Wendy chooses to run for governor, the line to run with her will be long."
Gov. Rick Perry, who has said he will announce his re-election plans when the legislative session is over and his presidential plans later this year, called the Democrats' strategy a "pipe dream" when he appeared on the Laura Ingraham radio show last week.
"They use that to raise money nationally, but the state of Texas will continue to be a place that believes in freedom," Perry said. "(Democrats) believe in higher taxes, they believe in more regulation, they believe in having litigation that keeps the courts all jammed up."
But Davis said not to count out Democrats in next year's Texas races.
"Democrats absolutely have the opportunity to make a powerful push in 2014, and I will be part of helping make that push happen, whether I'm doing it as a leader, or helping to push it forward in some other way," she said.
Beneath NYC's ground zero, a museum takes shape
NEW YORK (AP) — Gray dust blankets everything in the subterranean halls of the unfinished National September 11 Memorial & Museum. But while the powder may look ominously like the ash that covered lower Manhattan after the terrorist attacks, this time it is a product of rebirth, not destruction.
After a yearlong construction shutdown because of a funding dispute, and additional months of cleanup following a shocking flood caused by Superstorm Sandy, work has been racing ahead again at the museum, which sits in a cavernous space below the World Trade Center memorial plaza that opened in 2011.
About 130 workers are at the site each day and there is much left to be done, but officials with the museum said the project is on track to open to the public in the spring of 2014.
Some of the museum's most emotion-inspiring artifacts already are anchored in place.
Tears rolled down Anthoula Katsimatides' cheeks Thursday as she toured halls holding a mangled fire truck, strangely beautiful tangles of rebar and the pieces of intersecting steel known as the Ground Zero Cross.
"It makes me sad," said Katsimatides, whose brother John died at the trade center. But it's also inspiring, said Katsimatides, who sits on the museum's board. "Seeing it come to fruition is pretty intense."
Work on the museum was halted for nearly a year, starting in the fall of 2011, because of a money fight between the memorial foundation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the trade center site.
In retrospect, that slowdown was a blessing. Shortly after the two sides worked out their differences, Superstorm Sandy sent the Hudson River thundering through lower Manhattan and filled the museum cavern with 7½ feet of water.
The flood destroyed interior walls and electrical circuits, but the construction delay meant that hundreds of artifacts and exhibits that might have been in the museum still hadn't been fabricated or were sitting safely in storage. There was minor flash rusting to one of the fire trucks that had already been lowered into the space, but the damage was repaired by conservators and isn't noticeable today, said National September 11 Memorial & Museum President Joseph Daniels.
Today there is no sign that there was ever a flood. Daniels said there has been "almost indescribable" progress on construction since the storm.
Structural work appears mostly complete on the glass pavilion and wide staircase and ramp visitors will use to descend into the museum, past two towering "tridents" that once helped form the distinctive base of the twin towers. Once silvery, the columns were stripped bare by the fires on 9/11 and are now the color of rusted, raw steel.
From a mezzanine, patrons will be able to peer into a deep, nave-like hallway nicknamed the South Canyon. The hall's high western wall will eventually be covered with artwork that people around the world made in tribute to the victims after the attacks. Another exhibit will feature supportive notes and letters.
"They continue to send things. It's amazing," Katsimatides said. "That outpouring of support is one of the things that got the 9/11 families through."
Further down the ramp, visitors come to a platform overlooking an even more massive cavern bordered by the slurry wall, a 70-foot-tall, steel-studded concrete slab originally built to keep the Hudson River from flooding the trade center construction site.
In the hall's center stands the last steel column removed from ground zero during the cleanup operation. Recovery workers covered the pillar with their signatures before it was carried away, and visitors will get a chance to leave their own mark on another big piece of steel near the museum's exit — though their autographs will be captured by a computerized touch screen and projected on the slurry wall, rather than left in ink on metal.
Throughout the museum, curators have hung pieces of steel that were bent and twisted into striking shapes, including one sheet of metal that now appears to ripple like a flag and a huge girder bent by the impact of the aircraft hitting the towers.
Many of them look like sculptures.
"In a strange way, they are like pieces of art," Katsimatides said. But Daniels added that they weren't chosen for their beauty, but to explain what happened at the site on 9/11.
A few design elements of the museum are still under discussion.
When visitors descend to the very bottom of the museum — where, in some places, they will be able to view the very bedrock that the towers once rested upon — they will enter a hall with a large wall bearing an inscription from Virgil. "No day shall erase you from the memory of time."
Behind that wall will sit a special mausoleum, off limits to the general public, containing the unidentified remains of hundreds of 9/11 victims. Most of the interior walls of the museum have the look of bare concrete, as a constant reminder of the site's location within the old trade center foundation. But Daniels said the museum's designers are talking about possibly cladding this wall in a different material, or a different color, to separate it from the rest.
"It's a special place. Do we need something to distinguish it?" he said.
The bulk of the work remaining to be completed will revolve around installing the museum's exhibits, which will include many artifacts, including a wall made up of portraits of all 2,983 victims and a room where visitors will be able to call up video presentations that tell a story about each of them.
"The idea is to learn about the lives that they lived, not just the deaths that they died," Daniels said.
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Blind snail with transparent shell discovered
Monday 16 Sep 2013 1:29 p.m.
Zospeum tholussum (Croatian Biospeleological Society)
Scientists digging in one of the world's deepest cave systems have discovered a new type of snail with a transparent shell.
Only a single living specimen of Zospeum tholussum was found at a depth of 980m in the Lukina Jama–Trojama cave system, in Croatia.
They cannot see and can hardly move on their own.
Scientists from the Croatian Biospeleological Society and Goethe University, Frankfurt, who found the snail, believe it gets around by floating in streams of water, or attaching itself to larger creatures inhabiting the cave.
3 News


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The number of PPL customers still without power has been reduced to 712 in Dauphin and Cumberland counties after nearly 3,400 lost power during Friday evening's storms, according to the utility's outage maps.
Also, Verizon Wireless customers in Carlisle and Cumberland County, along with some in Perry County and the Gettysburg areas, are still reporting no service, according to downdetector.com, an independent web site that tracks outages among 168 providers, including telecommunications, online banking and mobile services.
The PPL outage area in Cumberland County includes 546 in Mechanicsburg, six in East Pennsboro Township and two in Wormleysburg.
In Dauphin County, 75 PPL customers in the Harrisburg area are still without power, along with 51 in Lower Paxton Township, 25 in Susquehanna Township and one in Penbrook.
First Energy reports only a few customers without power in the Dillsburg, Mount Holly Springs and Gardners areas.NOTE: This story was updated to clarify that the downdetector.com web site is independent and not affiliated with Verizon.


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I l-o-v-e this woman. True grit. Baruch HaShem! (hat tip Bruce)
Palin Attends Chanukah Celebration and Lights Menorah at Chabad of Alaska
ANCHORAGE, AK [CHI] — Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin lit a candle in memory of the victims of the Mumbai attacks and the Schluchim, Rabbi Gaviel Noach and Rivka Holtzberg, at a public Chanukah celebration of Chabad in Alaska organized by the Rebbe's Schluchem Rabbi Yosef and Esty Greenberg.
More pictures in the Extended Article!
More than 600 people participated in the 18th annual Chanukah Arts Festival of Chabad in Alaska. The celebration was dedicated to adding light and good deeds of kindness as a response to the Mumbai attack. In addition to the Alaska tradition of lighting a giant ice Menorah for Chanukah; this year a "Cannorah," a Menorah made of cans, was constructed by an Alaskan artist to be delivered to the needy as an expression of adding goodness and kindness to the world, which was lit by community supporters, David and Shani Green


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There is presently a house bill before the state legislature to fix permanently our time so that the citizens of Alabama will have more daylight in the evenings to conduct their business. Construction companies, landscapers or anyone whose business requires them to work outside will benefit from this, as will the collected revenues of the State of Alabama.
No one that I know has been for the time changing in the spring and fall. It has caused them to lose money by limiting their evening daylight hours. Since the inception of this bi-annual time change, it has caused most people nothing but trouble.
It's time to set our clocks for the last time.
Billy E. Price


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Results tagged ' kiddie sized chair '
The Marlins new ballpark: a very colorful experience.
One Marlins official probably said it best when he gave his assessment of the new Marlins Park: "We know it wouldn't work the Northeast or other parts of the country. But it works here."
I'm trying to find the proper words to describe the brand new home of the Miami Marlins. It's definitely eye-catching. There's a lot to take in at once. The lime green walls. The fish tanks behind home plate. The sculpture just to the left of straightaway center that I've been referring to on Twitter as the "home run #thingy."
There's a lot to like about this place. The ballpark, seating-wise, is cozy, with only 37,000 seats. So there is a more intimate feel here. The trapezoid-shaped scoreboard is funky and interesting, and the fish tanks that you've heard so much about? A very cool, Florida-like touch.
I'd like to first watch a game from here with the roof open before I make a final judgment. I'm guessing it's a lot more scenic with the Miami skyline peeking out beyond the outfield walls.
New ballparks are always nice, because they're new, and therefore, clean, and light years ahead of whatever rundown place they were playing in before that necessitated a new facility. So from that standpoint, watching, and/or working, a game here is a pleasant experience.
If I had to pinpoint one thing that I find bothersome (other than the #thingy), it's the color of the outfield walls, simply because the lime green shade really dulls the color of the natural grass on the field. The extra-bright walls and the true blue color of the seats washes out the greenness of the grass. That's unfortunate, because a well-manicured grass field is one of the best parts of a baseball stadium.
Take a look. What do you think?
Now, on to more important things. Our photo of the day (and possibly of the week and maybe even the season), comes to you from the visitors' dugout at Marlins Park. This was taken a couple of hours before game time, just as the Astros took the field for batting practice.
The writing on the tape at the top doesn't show up well. It says: "Altuve 27."
Follow Alyson Footer on Twitter


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Kenny Britt, the one-time rising star of the Tennessee Titans, is on the trading block, multiple websites are reporting.
The former Bayonne High School and Rutgers University standout tore an ACL in 2011 and has never regained the form that made him a first-round draft pick in 2009.
CBSSports.com reported that the Titans are seeking a third-round pick for the wide receiver, who caught 42 passes and scored 9 TDs in 2010. Britt caught 45 passes last year, but apparently has fallen out of favor with the team.
Britt was on the field for just two plays against the Seahawks yesterday, catching one pass for 7 yards. The wide receiver had a series of run-ins with the law, both in Hudson County and Tennessee in the past, but has managed to stay out of trouble since his arrest on a DUI charge in Kentucky in July 2012.


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One person was killed when their car crashed into several trees in Somerset County on Friday night, police said.
State Police said the crash happened along Route 160 in Ogle Township about 8 p.m. Friday.
The victim's name has not yet been released.
Anyone who might have witnessed the crash is asked to contact police.


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Recently I have been on the hunt for online letterpress printers for a current branding project I am working on and sent out a Tweet which resulted in many great links (thanks everyone!) and also others interested in discovering the same thing; the best places to get it done.
For those unfamiliar with letterpress printing it is in short "a term for the relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image." My shorter definition of the above: "Just plain beautiful!"
Below are a few online letterpress studios for you to get your next letterpress jobs printed, information about how to set up files for letterpress and 25+ images of beautiful letterpress inspiration.
Letterpress Studios
Studio on Fire
The Mandate Press
Boxcar Press
Dolce Press
Bjorn Letterpress Studio
The team over a Boxcar Letterpress have a nice 'Designing for letterpress' and 'File prep instruction' guide, so before you start designing your files and decide you want letterpress work read these letterpress guidelines first.
Also, every letterpress studio is different so make sure you consult each studio separately to make sure you meet their guidelines and specifics.
Below are 25+ inspirational and absolutely breathtaking letterpress designs:


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Prom time in the city should be a fun time in the city. And that's what Saginaw School District leaders and the Saginaw Police Department are trying to ensure this year.
So they've thrown out the old model -- the one where officials said that for their own safety, students are not allowed to gather at pre-prom meet-ups -- and are trying something new. This year, instead of putting their foot down against pre-prom activity, the police are teaming up with school leaders to throw a party of their own.
Needless tragedy happened around this time last year. During Saginaw High's prom night, 17-year-old Tonquinisha "NeNe" McKinley was gunned down during an unsanctioned pre-prom get-together in southwest Saginaw. NeNe died that night, and three others suffered injuries in the shooting.
School and police leaders know those informal get-togethers on prom night, bringing together people (including gang members) from different parts of town to see the students in their finery, are tinder boxes where sparks and bullets can fly.
Sad as it seems, last year's shooting apparently is what it took to invoke change. In a city where a "no-snitch" policy among witnesses and victims alike has historically hindered police efforts to knock out crime, that senseless shooting on prom night 2013 was the final straw. Community frustration finally echoed police frustration enough so that people came forward to make it stop.
According to Saginaw Police Chief Brian Lipe, the long-standing "no-snitch code" started to break down during the investigation of NeNe's death.
Switching gears from previous practice, this week school leaders are enlisting student leaders in a effort to secure buy-in from the student body — from the "cool kids" — to gain their participation in school-sanctioned, police-protected pre-prom events on Ojibway Island. Two schools and two events — Saginaw High's on Thursday, May 22, and Arthur Hill's on Friday, May 23.
These events are a cap on the latest cooperative efforts between the police and citizens. Here's where partnerships within the law enforcement community and partnerships among citizen groups come together for a preemptive strike against gun violence.
There is no excuse for the pre-prom tragedy of 2013. A handful of bad actors ruined lives. The majority of Saginaw kids are just looking for a good, safe time.
Let's hope this prom season goes in the books as one to remember for the fun times.


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|Wine maker notes
|Each year Rosenblum Cellars sources fruit from 15 growing regions and over 80 California vineyards. In and among the many vineyard sites, we acquire grapes from throughout Sonoma, Napa and Contra Costa Counties, as well as plantings from northern regions like Mendocino and Lake Counties, to eastern regions like Amador and Lodi, all way south to Paso Robles. Each property is different however they all shares various common attributes, whether old vines, hillside plantings or head-pruned, the Zinfandel grapes are all wonderful. The uniqueness of each vineyard is showcased and combined with the special attributes of other vineyards in the Cuvee Zinfandel bottling.
|Rosenblum Cellars is recognized as one of North Americas most acclaimed producers of Zinfandel and Rhone varietal wines. Rosenblum is guided by commitment, craft and a blend of traditional and innovative winemaking techniques to showcase sumptuous wines from the best vineyards and regions in California. Our urban winery has evolved from a passionate home-winemaking operation founded in 1978 into a world-class winery, with numerous gold medals and 90-plus scores. Even with very highly regarded wines, Rosenblum maintains a down-to-earth approachable attitude. According to Wine Spectator, Rosenblum is a "Mecca for Zin-Fanatics.


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I'm new to Piazza, but found it to be a great way for not only reducing workload (less email), but students get help faster, and what I like best of all --- students helping students!
This is the first semester I used Piazza, and it has been great. I used to use a class mailing list, which worked well, but Piazza takes it one step further. I can't think of anything I dislike about Piazza, you've done a great job!
Piazza has figured out the right user interface for doing online discussions for a course. Students really participate, and it's easy for me as a faculty member. It's surprising how much better it works in practice than a discussion forum that is part of a big multi-purpose course management system.
I love using Piazza for answering student questions; the user interface is unbelievably nicer than anything else I've seen. It is easy to enter text and easy to see what questions need answering; It is just easy to use.
Instructors can create a Piazza for their class with a single click.
Students and instructors are automatically enrolled with appropriate roles, based on the course roster.
When clicking on Piazza in Blackboard, users are automatically signed in to Piazza, so there's no need to remember a separate user name and password.


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Simona Halep will become the fourth best player in the world should she lift the Mutua Madrid title against Maria Sharapova, a final that is bound to offer much magic for those inside the Caja Magica (Magic Box). It will be one of the finest moments ever for Ion Tiriac, the inspiration behind this tournament, to see it delivering a champion from his native Romania.
The 22-year-old from Constanta wore down Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, yet once more showing the resilience and durability that have marked her progress from relative unknown at the start of


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Sunday's column on the new budget realities in Jackson County:
When we last checked in on Jackson County, the libraries were shuttered, the timber money was toast, and the budget was submerged in $23 million of red ink. Given the ongoing recession, it's hard to imagine the current status of that county's economic meltdown.
You can say that again.
The libraries have reopened, in a public-private partnership. The county is so flush with cash that it is directing the reauthorized timber payments into a rainy day fund that stands at $70 million. Danny Jordan, the county administrator, estimates budget reductions and staffing cuts will generate $62 million in savings over a five-year period.


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To the Editor:
Young children in the Fairmont Area are the future of our community and deserve the best that we can give them. The Week of the Young Child, April 22-28, honors young children and all those who make a difference in children's lives.
The Week of the Young Child is a time to remind us that "Early Years are Learning Years." Children need a strong early learning foundation to succeed in school and in life.
The Week of the Young Child offers the opportunity to recognize the needs of young children and thank the adults involved in their care and education. Parents, teachers, caregivers and other adults play important roles in the lives of young children and "Week of the Young Child" celebrates their efforts.
We can show our support for early learning in our community by promoting early literacy programs, thanking those who make a difference in the lives of our children and working to ensure that our public policies continue to support early learning for all young children.
Roni Dauer
on behalf of members,
Fairmont Area Early
Childhood Initiative


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After many hours of waiting, Sinai at last!
Trip Start Jun 19, 2008
69Trip End Sep 04, 2008
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The flight from Luxor to Sharm could not have been longer than 20 minutes. I glanced at the window and saw a huge range of desert mountains and little dots of civilization at the bottom. Once in Sharm, I bravely bargained with a taxi driver to get to the main bus station. The road to the bus station kind of reminded me of Orlando. Lots of flashy resorts on either side of the road, and people in bathing suits just walking around. At the ticket counter, I found out that I had just missed the early morning bus, and the next bus to Dahab was at 2:30pm! Of course, seeing that I was trying to get a ticket to Dahab, several guys immediately approached me to try to sell a 250EGP taxi ride to Dahab (the bus ride was 20EGP)
Oh my gosh. I love, love, love, LOVE, LOVEEE Dahab!!! This place is so amazing! It is a little different than I thought- the amount of development and the proximity of shops to the beach and the desert mountains. But it's great! Once I got to the bus station, the British guy I was talking to (I should stop calling them "the British guys" because they are all guys and all British) offered to take me to the Red Sea Relax Resort
I am doing my Advanced Open Water course with Penguin Divers, so I stopped by to get some documents and talk to the instructor. It is quite a walk from Red Sea Relax, but the walk is so nice that I don't even mind. I went to a beachside restaurant, plopped down on one of the comfortable beach chairs, and sipped on some guava smoothie. Later, I went to dinner with a girl from the hostel and had shish kebab and mango-guava juice. Life is good! On the way back, we saw some people from our hotel chilling at another restaurant, so we joined them. Hookah here is 5EGP. That is 95 cents, my friends. That is how much a bottle of water costs at a restaurant. Did I mention that I love this place??
Several of you have told me that I seem to be spending way too much time on updating my entries. I appreciate your concerns for my time management. I will tell you right now that posts and pictures will be sparse while I am in Dahab because I will be busy being a bum!


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By Paul Davis
Mark Twain once wrote, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts." Twain was reflecting upon his own travels through the Middle East, as chronicled in his "Innocents Abroad," wherein he criticizes his fellow American travelers for having a caricatured, megalomaniacal perception of the people and politics of the region.
Sadly, sometimes it seems that not much has changed in the past century and a half, at least not when it comes to the American approach to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.
Consider the recent upsurge of discussion by American politicians and pundits about the contentious issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Settlements? The term itself appeals to the romantic proclivities of the American national consciousness, conjuring up historical memories of pioneers who pushed bravely, indomitably into the very heart of darkness, expanding the domains of civilization where before existed only nothingness, or perhaps only savagery. When the political discourse is dominated by such latent symbolism, it is little surprise that the popular conceptualization of the Israeli-Palestinian situation is one where the Israelis become the cowboys; the Palestinians, the Indians.
But does the reality match the rhetoric? Perhaps if Mark Twain still walked and wrote among us, he would testify that certain truths can only be experienced by travel, by the act of heeding the ancient invitation, 'Come and see.'
One place to start is in the village of At-Tuwani, in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank. Far removed from the bustle and confusion of the larger Israeli and Palestinian cities, At-Tuwani is a rural community of only 250 people. It is a dry and thirsty landscape—the kind that lends itself to a lazy, hazy lifestyle. The heat hangs heavily and the landscape never changes: always rocks and flies and shrubs and nothingness.
The Palestinian inhabitants of At-Tuwani are simple people, or, perhaps more accurately, they are simply people. They are not interested in the intrigues and nuances of international politics: they are interested in farming their land, shepherding their flocks, and raising their families. It is a village whose form has been touched by modernity, but whose spirit seems to have remained largely unchanged since biblical times.
But not all is idyllic: because two Israeli settlements have been recently established near At-Tuwani, this seemingly insignificant village encapsulates the realities of the much broader Israeli-Palestinian situation. The settlers here are driven by an ideological and territorial expansionism that perceives the West Bank as rightfully belonging to Israel, promised to Abraham long ago by God. The Palestinians are therefore perceived as encroachers and usurpers whose very existence in villages like At-Tuwani frustrates the divine dream of a Greater Israel.
The Palestinians here experience treatment at the hands of these settlers that is rarely discussed in the mainstream media. Flocks are poisoned, shepherds are assaulted, and even children on their way to school are chased. The object is the same: to make life so difficult, so disruptive that the Palestinians will choose to leave their homes in search of greener, quieter pastures.
Yet At-Tuwani is still there. It has actually attracted a considerable amount of international attention and affection because its villagers have committed themselves to embracing only non-violent forms of resistance. Two young Italian girls, for instance, representing a Catholic humanitarian organization – Operation Dove – have chosen to call this place home for two years in order to contribute to community development in At-Tuwani. These girls are not crazed activists; they simply wish to live out their solidarity with the Palestinians who suffer the indignities and hardships of occupation. One girl, who wished to be identified only as A.R., put it this way: "I want to be with the children when they are afraid, when they are tired. If I can make the life of one child or one shepherd better for just one day, it's worth it. It's enough for me to know that they are not alone."
Some days the girls accompany Palestinian children as they walk, singing and laughing, through the hills to school. Other days the girls rise at the crack of dawn to accompany the shepherds into the hills. In the event of an altercation, they try to prevent attacks on the sheep—and sometimes even the shepherds—by staying between the Palestinians and the settlers, hoping that the presence of an international with a camera will be enough to prevent an ugly situation from becoming uglier. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it does not.
One shepherd that the girls accompanied was Kamel, a 26-year old who constantly worries that he will never have enough money to marry. He reflected stoically upon his experience with a settler assault that left several of his sheep dead: "Israel is strong. But God is stronger." When asked why he thought he was attacked, he admitted that he did not understand: "I don't know. Maybe they think God wants me to leave the land. Maybe they want to scare me."
In Washington, politicians and pundits on both sides of the aisle continue to ignore the complex simplicity that is the beating heart of the problem: the Israeli occupation of the West Bank is the most egregious impediment to the establishment of a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But while the fiddle plays, Palestinians are forced to witness their dreams of a better future slowly turning to ash due to the cruel, unforgiving truth that, as always, the strong do what they have the power to do, and the weak accept what they have to accept. The ultimate tragedy is that the influence of the United States would be sufficient to pierce the devastating cycle of violence and hopelessness if only American leaders could see past the shroud of bloody terrorism that too often dominates the discourse.
Who among them have actually been to the West Bank, to Gaza, to see the degrading and dehumanizing realities of the occupation?
But maybe Mark Twain was right: maybe travel can be an antidote to the innocent ignorance that, unfortunately, defines popular and political perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian situation.
Maybe if more American citizens traveled to these areas, to see the situation for themselves, maybe their elected leaders would finally start paying attention, too. Meanwhile, in the South Hebron Hills, two young girls continue to carry out their thankless tasks in the Negev sun, armed only with a camera and a conviction. And for Kamel and his little flock of sheep, that is a good place to start.
Paul Davis resides in Grand Rapids. He recently took a trip to the West Bank and Israel.