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FORT DETRICK, Md. (Oct. 1, 2013) -- The terrain in Afghanistan is tough.
Drivers face roads that wind down treacherous hillsides with hairpin turn after hairpin turn, sandy valleys between tree-spotted ranges, snow-chilled mountains and plains, mud from snowmelt, narrow passes filled with boulders, and rivers, and more mud. Add in extremes of temperature, the danger of flash flooding and earthquakes, and the expectation of unexploded land mines and improvised explosive devices. Add in sniper gunfire, heavy artillery, and wounded warriors.
How can the U.S. military safely evacuate its casualties without endangering the rescuers?
Given the mountainous terrain and inclement weather, which restrict the use of MedEvac helicopters, reaching casualties is one thing. Treating them while getting them off the battlefield, under fire, to combat support hospitals is another.
Minutes saved using litter assist to load wounded warriors into a mine-resistant, ambush-protected ambulances, known as MRAPS, can make the difference between life and death. MRAP vehicles are armored vehicles with a blast-resistant, V-bottomed hull designed to protect the crew from mine blasts, fragmentary and direct-fire weapons.
The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's Medical Materiel Development Activity, Medical Support Systems Project Management Office, or USAMMDA MSS PMO, works with military, government and industry partners to improve equipment and evacuation capabilities, giving minutes back, saving lives.
"The existing litter loading system on the MaxxPro Plus solid-axle ambulances used in Operation Enduring Freedom does not fully meet objective requirements for safe and easily accessible litter loading," said Jaime Lee, Medical Support Systems Project Management Office product manager. "The current MaxxPro Plus ambulance requires four Soldiers to lift and load, so that medics and casualties remain safe during medical evacuation."
Loading a casualty into and out of the back of a current MRAP MaxxPro ambulance is a time- and labor-intensive task. The back of the ambulance is elevated and requires a step ladder to enter the back hatch.
"A time trial, using a four-man team without gear in a secure environment to load a litter bearing a 200-pound soldier, took more than four minutes and involved some safety issues, such as the litter team losing balance while ascending the step ladder," said Lee.
"Once the litter is inside the ambulance, maneuvering the casualty and litter onto the litter support arms is very awkward, because space is limited. If soldiers did not need to climb the stairs while loading the litter and then readjust the litter onto the litter support arms, the physical demands would be lessened on the litter team," said Lee.
Based on a Request for Information from theater, the USAMMDA's MSS PMO was asked to find a solution, according to Steve Hawbecker, MSS PMO project manager.
The MSS PMO mission is to develop, procure, and sustain the best medical evacuation, combat casualty care support, and operational and preventive medicine solutions for the combat Soldier.
"The solution is the MRAP MaxxPro Plus long wheel base vehicle with the litter assist system retrofitted from the MaxxPro Dash DXM variant of MRAP vehicles," said Lee. "The loading and unloading takes less than a minute and is much safer and easier to use than the current system. Using the Dash ambulance litter loading system would eliminate the difficulty of climbing stairs to load the litter."
The Army Medical Department verified the load time in fiscal year 2012, at a review in Detroit, when the kit was first installed.
The vice chief of staff of the Army selected the MRAP III study course of action, March 14, 2013. Currently, 301 MaxxPro Plus vehicles with independent suspension systems will be converted to ambulances. AMEDD worked with the Joint MRAP Vehicle Program and found that the MRAP Dash litter loading system was an acceptable course of action for the Plus ambulance.
"AMEDD has a contract in place through Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center to install a retrofitted Dash system into a government-owned Plus ambulance for user evaluation, coordinated with the Joint MRAP Vehicle Program," said Lee. "Work is expected to be finished 4th quarter of (fiscal year 20)13."
Why not use the very maneuverable MaxxPro Dash ambulance itself?
The Army Test and Evaluation Command completed the limited user test of the Dash DXM ambulance with the independent suspension system in November 2011 at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., in accordance with the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E)-approved test plan. The ambulance kit was inserted into the Dash MRAP vehicles in FY12.
DOT&E provided an operational assessment of the Dash DXM ambulance in August 2012: The patient compartment is small, and litter births are not long enough to accommodate patients taller than 5 feet 11 inches. The small interior does not store enough medical equipment and hampers the ability of the medic to treat patients. Aligning the litter into the rail system is often difficult while loading patients into the Dash ambulance. On the other hand, the Dash ambulance vehicle is reliable and survivable.
The Dash litter loading system will be retrofitted into a government-owned MaxxPro Plus vehicle with independent suspension for test and evaluation. The MaxxPro Acquisition Program Management team plans to take the demonstrator vehicle design and complete an engineering change proposal in January 2014 for potential production of retrofit kits.
Army Medicine and Navistar Defense, builder of the MaxxPro line of vehicles, through U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center/Primus, are working together to create a demonstrator Plus ambulance retrofitted with a Dash litter loading system to conduct a limited user test.
To better handle the tough terrain, USAMMDA worked with Navistar Defense to retrofit vehicles with an independent suspension system that dampens the rough ride and is critical to prevent further damage to wounded warriors, especially to those with traumatic brain injuries.
According to John Akalaonu, deputy program manager for the Navistar Defense MaxxPro family of vehicles, the solid axles were replaced by putting the MRAP MaxxPro Base vehicle body onto a new rolling chassis with independent suspension and bigger engine to create the long wheel base MaxxPro Plus that will be used for the 301 new ambulances. The Dash, which was designed to be lighter, smaller, and with a shorter turning radius, has a shorter wheelbase.
"The chassis swap gained 18 inches in length," said Scott Zion, MaxxPro chief engineer.
The interior can accommodate litters up to 91.5 inches, more than 7.5 feet long, surpassing the need for litters that can comfortably carry soldiers taller than 6 feet 3 inches (the Army standard). The Plus ambulance is compatible with all litters, including the new 7309 NATO Litter and the TALON II. Patients will be side-by-side, providing a better working space for the medic.
"The litter loading sequence takes about 15 seconds," said Akalaonu. "Unloading is about the same, with a maximum of 20 seconds. Two people are required to load and secure a patient in the long wheel base ambulance."
The litter trolley is wider in the prototype to handle more kinds of litters, and the alignment is adjustable. Magnets along the trolley rails help keep the litter aligned and in place. The landing brackets have been increased, and the litter arms are stationary.
The rear dual-wheeled design helps carry increased payload such as the ambulance kit. The Plus was further modified to accommodate additional armoring for more protection against explosively formed penetrators.
"Medical Research and Materiel Command has always worked closely with the program managers at Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command to design, develop, build, test and field ambulances for the DOD," said Lee. "The MaxxPro Plus ambulance with this new litter loading system is truly a state of the art vehicle for medical evacuation."
"We have now achieved our objective requirement," said Hawbecker. "The MaxxPro Plus ambulance retrofit is a move forward to safeguarding medics and their wounded warriors at point of injury."
Related Links:
U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center on Facebook


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The largest source of stormwater comes from every day human activities. Stormwater travels through structure gutters, along streets, and eventually washes into our waters, picking up everything along the way. The most common forms of pollutants are garbage and toxins. Some examples are:
Garbage - cigarette butts, styrofoam products, food wrappers, etc.
Toxins - motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, pet waste, etc.
In summary, anything we place on the ground can eventually end up in our water ways, if not intervened or prevented all together.


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Emily Taft DOUGLAS, Congress, IL (1899-1994)
DOUGLAS, Emily Taft, (wife of Paul H. Douglas), a Representative from Illinois; born in Chicago, Ill., April 10, 1899; Ph.B., University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill., 1919; actor; author; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-ninth Congress (January 3, 1945-January 3, 1947); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Eightieth Congress in 1946; United States Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1950; died on January 28, 1994, in White Plains, N.Y.
Douglas, Emily Taft. Margaret Sanger: Pioneer of the Future. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1970; âEmily Taft Douglasâ in Women in Congress, 1917-2006. Prepared under the direction of the Committee on House Administration by the Office of History & Preservation, U. S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2006.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present


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Joyce Should Trust Kandi
Kenya thinks Joyce needs to have more faith in Kandi and her decision to marry Todd.
I recently served as maid of honor for one of my best friends. I consider myself as her family. When Mama Joyce told Carmon it was a family affair, I was offended for her. I have been in the company of Mama Joyce many times and she is a sweet, caring, warm person. Having said that, even when emotions are running high, it is never a reason to be taken out of character. I was disappointed to see her take off her shoes as if to prepare for battle or throw them at Kandi's BFF from childhood, whom she considers a daughter herself. Mama Joyce must contain her inner angst and allow Kandi to live her life, trust that Kandi will protect herself, and understand that she instilled the values in Kandi that have made her the sharp, successful business woman she is today.
Ironically, I would rather have a mother that acts inappropriately to protect me than not have a mother at all. My Aunt Lori is my mother's sister and has always been a mother figure to me. She is smart, driven, successful, and kind. Since birth, my mother made the decision at age 16 to pretend she never had me. She has never spoken to me. Even if present in the same room with other people and family, she pretends that I simply don't exist. She pretends I'm invisible.
I fully understand that there has been a void in my life because of this, which relates to my romantic relationships. I have never had any issues with falling in love, dating, sustaining long-term relationships, or attracting great men in my life, who have loved me unconditionally. Although I have had now seven proposals of marriage, I have never accepted one.
As my Aunt pointed out, I choose "unavailable men." I've never wanted a married man or one that is in a relationship. I acknowledge I have a pattern of falling for men who are emotionally unavailable, physically unavailable in terms of distance, or categorically unavailable with respect to time or where they are in life. For instance, some men know they are not ready for marriage. Perhaps my pattern is that I unconsciously seek rejection or failure with these men, which sadly mimics my mother's relationship.Although I have suffered a great deal of pain from my mother, my understanding of my own pathology is a step toward healing. Everyone has a story. Everyone has suffered loss, pain, or rejection on some level. My story of my mother has been written and published for 42 years. My story of having a family of my own is still being written. I have had a series of unfortunate setbacks, but I have faith in knowing that God has a plan for me. My Aunt believes that if a baby is what I want now, then I should focus on that. For me, I will explore all my options as I have someone special in my life. I have learned my lesson about pressuring a man for marriage. With that said, I will continue to work on myself so that I can be the best woman, friend, companion, and mother to my future children… Godspeed.
IG: thekenyamoore
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Twitter: @KenyaMoore


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Soleil des Vignes Fresh Fragrance
All shipping is with DHL Express and is delivered within 1-2 days of ordering. At Monica Tolan we provide a premium service, our rates reflect this service. All shipping times does vary if item is not in stock, in this case you will be notified of any delays to your order.
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We live a world of borders and walls. In addition to the massive and expensive barrier on long stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border, in the 23 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, 26 other new walls and fences have gone up on political borders around the world. These walls are built by both totalitarian regimes and democracies, including India, Thailand, Israel, South Africa, and the European Union. Invariably, the barriers are justified in the language of security—the country must be protected from the terrorists, drug cartels, insurgents, or suicide bombers lurking on the other side.
Despite the external focus of these justifications, in most instances these walls and fences are actually the result of the internal politics of the state that builds them. There are three specific reasons for constructing a border wall: establishing sovereignty over ungoverned or unruly lands; protecting the wealth of the state and population; and protecting cultural practices within the state from the possible influence of other value systems possessed by immigrants. The decision to build the 664-mile barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, although often presented as primarily in response to drug-related violence and terrorism, is largely due to these internal factors.
The desire to establish clear sovereign authority over the state's territory is the first factor that underlies the construction of a border barrier. Although we often imagine the territorial outline of countries as sharply drawn lines where the control of one state ends and another begins, most borders on the ground belie this simplicity. The idea that borders (or rivers or coastlines) are lines is a convenience of cartography that is established on the ground many years after a map is drawn, if at all. The oldest political borders in Europe, for example, are only a few hundred years old, and most were established more recently than that. Before the 1600s, most states did not recognize each other's sovereign authority over a territory, and the technological advances in cartography that allowed fixed borders and territories to be represented had not been achieved. Consequently, even the simple idea that states have clearly defined territories that are marked by a linear border is a very recent development.
The contemporary U.S.-Mexico border was established on maps at the end of the U.S.-Mexican War by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.1 The war settled which territories the expansion-minded United States could claim and transferred almost half of Mexico's territory to the United- States. The last sections of the border were finalized with the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, which secured mining rights and a better route for a railroad connection to California. At the time, the territory was part of the United States in name only and, despite the enormous land area, was populated by about 100,000 Mexicans and 200,000 Native Americans.2 Over the intervening years, sovereign authority over these lands was established by moving Anglo populations onto the land and by violently suppressing any resistance. Land surveying, creating property maps, and the deployment of police forces resignified the landscape. Yet the line existed on the map and in the population's geographic imagination only inchoately, as the practices and performances of sovereignty slowly inscribed the different territories onto the landscape.
This process accelerated in the 1990s as funding for border security increased substantially and the idea of marking the imagined line with a physical barrier took hold. When the Border Patrol was established in 1924, it was tiny and remained underfunded for decades. In 1992, there were 3,555 agents at the U.S.-Mexico border, but by 2010 there were over 20,100.3 These changes have both practical and symbolic effects on the hardening of the border. The additional agents play a practical enforcement role while the fence project, which passed Congress in 2006, is much more symbolically significant. Walls and fences are the most efficient way to mark territorial differences on the ground because they take the abstract idea of a territory and materialize it. The construction of the barrier is another step in the process of reimaging these formerly Native American and Mexican lands as firmly part of the territory of the United States. By physically inscribing the line in the landscape, the wall brings the border into being and visually demonstrates where U.S. territory ends and Mexican territory begins.
The second internal factor that results in the construction of a wall or fence on a border is the presence of a poorer country on the other side. In previous eras, political borders served primarily as either military defensive lines where one army prevented the movement of another or as markers of different government regimes where one set of laws and taxes or one cultural system stopped and another began. Over the 20th century, the practice of absolute sovereignty over a bounded territory produced substantial wealth inequalities globally, which increased the desire of many people to move either to avoid deteriorating conditions in their home state or to seek better economic opportunities elsewhere.4 These movements, along with the possibility of hostile people or items passing into the state, resulted in a much more substantial focus on borders as a location to prevent the unauthorized movement of people.
Just as we often imagine most borders as the sharp lines depicted on maps, we also imagine that historically most borders were fenced and fortified, but this is not the case. The older purposes of borders as defensive military lines or administrative divisions do not necessitate a wall or fence. Fences do not deter tanks and airplanes, and administrative divisions between peaceful neighbors do not require an expensive barrier. The changing purpose for borders is evident in the sheer number of new barriers built in the past 20 years. Twenty-seven have been built since 1998, compared with 11 during the entire Cold War period from 1945 until 1990. Furthermore, several of those Cold War barriers were quite short including the U.S. fence with Cuba at Guantánamo Bay and the fence between Gibraltar and Spain.
Not only are the new barriers longer than in the past, but many are built along peaceful borders. The significant characteristic that most of these borders share is that they mark a sharp wealth discontinuity.5 For example, the average annual per capita GDP (in 2010 U.S. dollars) of the countries that have built barriers since the fall of the Berlin Wall is $14,067; the average for the countries on the other side of these barriers is $2,801. The U.S. barrier on the Mexican border fits this pattern. Although the Canadian border is longer and certainly more porous (the Border Patrol estimated in 2009 that it had effective control over less than 1% of the Canadian border versus 35% of the Mexican border), the debates about fencing the border focused only on Mexico.6 The United States' per capita GDP in 2010 was $47,000, Canada's was $39,000, and Mexico's was $14,000.
The final internal factor that plays a role in the decision to build a fence or wall on a political border is the fear that population movements will irreversibly change the way of life inside the state. In the United States, concerns about the threat that immigrant values pose are as old as the country itself. At different points in history, the Irish, the Chinese, and the Italians were all described as posing a grave threat to a particular version of what it meant to be an "American." Today, these debates revolve around both Muslims and Latino immigrants who, anti-immigrant activists argue, bring alternative social codes and do not assimilate into the mainstream of U.S. society. The fence on the border symbolizes the hardened and fixed borderline that marks a clear distinction between the territories where particular people belong.
The construction of a barrier on the border simultaneously legitimates and intensifies the internal exclusionary practices of the sovereign state. It legitimates exclusion by providing a material manifestation of the abstract idea of sovereignty, which brings the claim of territorial difference into being. The barrier also intensifies these exclusionary practices, because once the boundary is marked and "the container" of the state takes form, the perception of the difference between the two places becomes stronger. This process is evident in new restrictive immigration laws at the state level in Alabama and Arizona as well as in the protests and vandalism directed toward proposed Islamic cultural centers in New York and Tennessee. By demonstrating sovereign control, the state simultaneously reifies authority over that territory and defines the limits of the people that belong there. These perceived differences then fuel more passionate feelings of belonging to the in-group and distinction from the other on the outside.
The U.S. fence on the Mexican border should be understood both in terms of the enhanced enforcement capabilities of the government and in the assertion of where the state has authority and who should be allowed in the state's territory. The United States built the barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border to define its sovereign authority over its territory, to protect the economic privileges of its population, and to protect a particular way of life from other people who are perceived to have different value systems. Rather than a barrier against terrorism and cartel violence, it is a performance of the United States' territory and boundaries.
Reece Jones is Associate Professor and Chair of Graduate Studies in the Department of Geography at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Parts of this article are excerpted from his new book, Border Walls: Security and the War on Terror in the United States, India, and Israel (Zed Books, 2012).
1. Joseph Werne, The Imaginary Line: A History of the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, 1848–57 (Texas Christian University Press, 2007).
2. Joseph Nevins, Operation Gatekeeper and Beyond: The War on "Illegals" and the Remaking of the US-Mexico Boundary (Routledge, 2010), 26–8; Kelly Lytle Hernández, Migra! A History of the US Border Patrol (University of California Press, 2010), 21–2.
3. Chad C. Haddal, Border Security: The Role of the Border Patrol (Washington DC: Congressional Research Services, 2010), 13.
4. John Agnew, Globalization and Sovereignty (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), 1–45; Richard E. Baldwin, Phillip Martin, and Gianmarco Ottaviano, "Global Income Divergence, Trade, and Industrialization: The Geography of Growth Take-Offs." Journal of Economic Growth 6, no. 1 (2001): 5–37.
5. Stéphane Rosière and Reece Jones, "Teichopolitics: Reconsidering Globalization Through the Role of Walls and Fences," Geopolitics 17, no. 1 (2012): 217–34.
6. Todd Owen, Congressional Testimony, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (July 9, 2009), 3.
Read the rest of NACLA's Fall 2012 issue: "#Radical Media: Communication Unbound."


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Local Ministry / Outreach
All Christians are called to the task of being prophets of Jesus Christ. That doesn't mean we come with new messages from God. His message to us is completed and is contained in the Bible. As prophets, our job now is to confess Christ's Name, to show and tell our neighbours all about the Saviour from sin.
For this reason we encourage also you to find hope and seek peace in Jesus Christ. Come and worship with us. Devote yourself to God and listen to His Word. It's there you will find direction for your life and strength to carry on to God's glory.
Our pastor and elders are here to instruct, counsel, and encourage all who truly seek for God. Come experience the awesomeness of God's grace through the preaching of the word, the songs of praise and thanksgiving, and the fellowship with other believers.


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Remarks by Chairman Alan Greenspan The mortgage market and consumer debt At America's Community Bankers Annual Convention, Washington, D.C. October 19, 2004 |
In recent years, banks and thrifts have been experiencing low delinquency rates on home mortgage and credit card debt, a situation suggesting that the vast majority of households are managing their debt well. Yet many analysts focusing on broader macroeconomic conditions are far less sanguine in their assessments. They have been disturbed particularly by the rising ratio of household debt to income and the precipitous decline in the household saving rate. The analysts point out, correctly, that the ratio of household debt to disposable income has risen especially steeply over the past five years and, at 1.2, is at a record high. Moreover, many have recently become increasingly concerned about the exceptional run-up in home prices. They argue that a collapse of such prices would expose large, recently incurred mortgage debt to decreasing values of home collateral. These concerns cannot be readily dismissed. Debt leverage of all types is often troublesome when one judges the stability of the economy. Should home prices fall, we would have reason to be concerned about mortgage debt; but measures of household financial stress do not, at least to date, appear overly worrisome. About three-fourths of all outstanding first-lien mortgages were originated with a loan-to-value ratio of 80 percent or less, and in aggregate, the current loan-to-value ratio is estimated to be around 45 percent. Even though some down payments are borrowed, it would take a large, and historically most unusual, fall in home prices to wipe out a significant part of home equity. Many of those who purchased their residence more than a year ago have equity buffers in their homes adequate to withstand any price decline other than a very deep one. Housing price bubbles presuppose an ability of market participants to trade properties as they speculate about the future. But upon sale of a house, homeowners must move and live elsewhere. This necessity, as well as large transaction costs, are significant impediments to speculative trading and an important restraint on the development of price bubbles. Some homeowners drawn by large capital gains do sell and rent. And certainly in recent years some homebuyers fearful of losing a purchase have bid through sellers' offering prices. But these market participants have probably contributed only modestly to overall house price speculation. More likely participants in speculative trading are investors in single residence rental and second home properties. But even though in recent years their share of purchases of single family homes has been growing, in 2003 their mortgage originations were still less than 11 percent of total home mortgage originations. Overall, while local economies may experience significant speculative price imbalances, a national severe price distortion seems most unlikely in the United States, given its size and diversity. * * * Although I scarcely wish to downplay the threats to the U.S. economy from increased debt leverage of any type, ratios of household debt to income appear to imply somewhat more stress than is likely to be the case. For at least a half century, household debt has been rising faster than income, as ever-higher levels of discretionary income have increased the proportion of income spent on assets partially financed with debt. The pace has been especially brisk in the past two years as existing home turnover and home price increase, the key determinants of home mortgage debt growth, have been particularly elevated. Most analysts, even those who do not foresee a mounting bubble, anticipate a slowdown in both home sales and the rate of price increase. Sales of existing homes increase debt because the home seller's cancellation of debt on sale tends to average less than half the size of the mortgage origination of the buyer of the home. The difference, the net debt increase on the home upon sale, has historically closely approximated the realized capital gain on the transaction. Increases in debt from turnover tend to exceed those from the extraction of equity, most generally of unrealized capital gains, through cash-out refinancing and home equity loan extensions. The latter, however, has recently accelerated with the increased pace of home price appreciation. If house turnover and price increases both slow, and presumably mortgage debt extensions on new homes do as well, increases in home mortgage debt will slow. Outright declines in mortgage debt seem most unlikely. Home mortgage debt has increased every quarter since the end of World War II. * * * Some of the rise in the ratios of household debt to income may not be evidence of stress. The dramatic increase during the past decade in home purchases by previous renters has expanded both the assets (that is, owned homes)and the liabilities (mortgages) of the total household sector without significantly affecting either overall household income or net worth. Federal Reserve staff members estimate that approximately one-tenth of current home mortgage debt outstanding, or almost 1 percentage point of the average annual growth of home mortgage debt, is attributable to renters who have become homeowners since the early 1990s. One can scarcely argue that those previous renters are less well off since becoming homeowners; yet, all else being equal, the overall household debt as a percentage of income is 8 percentage points higher currently than it presumably would have been had the homeownership ratio been stable since 1992. In addition, improvements in lending practices driven by information technology have enabled lenders to reach out to households with previously unrecognized borrowing capacities. This extension of lending has increased overall household debt but has probably not meaningfully increased the number of households with already overextended debt. Finally, the pronounced rise in home equity loans, which have been a growing share of home mortgage debt since 1994, likely reflects the recent marked increase in home equity, the consequence of rapidly rising house prices. Despite the recent high debt-to-income ratios, at least some of which is more statistical than real, the ratio of households' net worth to income has risen to a multiple of more than five after hovering around four and one-half for most of the postwar period. Taking into account this higher level of assets, all in all, the household sector seems to be in reasonably good financial shape with only modest evidence of an increased level of household financial strain. To be sure, some households are stretched to their limits. The persistently elevated bankruptcy rate remains a concern, as it indicates pockets of distress in the household sector. But the vast majority appear able to calibrate their borrowing and spending to minimize financial difficulties. Thus, short of a significant fall in overall household income or in home prices, debt servicing is unlikely to become destabilizing. * * * The share of income committed by households for paying interest and principal on their debt is a useful measure of the likely inclination of households to default on their obligations when they suffer adversity, such as job loss or illness. As an indicator of stress, this debt-service measure has many advantages over debt-to-income ratios, but it is admittedly sensitive to assumptions about household debt contracts. The Federal Reserve publishes both the ratio of households' debt-service to their incomes and a broader financial obligations ratio because debt payments are not the only regular payments faced by households. The financial obligations ratio incorporates other recurring expenses, such as rents, property taxes, and payments associated with homeowners' insurance and auto leases, that might subtract from the uncommitted income available to households. The Federal Reserve also calculates separate aggregate financial obligations ratios for homeowners and renters. * * * Both the debt-service ratio and the financial obligations ratio rose over the 1990s, but that upward trend has not continued in this decade. The debt-service ratio has been hovering close to 13 percent for three years, whereas the financial obligations ratio, after peaking above 18-1/2 percent in 2002, has moved down to near 18 percent. The recent stability of the aggregate debt-service and financial obligations ratios reflects largely the evolution of the financial situations of homeowners, who owe more than nine-tenths of all household debt. Despite average annual mortgage debt growth in excess of 12 percent over the past two years, the financial obligations of homeowners have exhibited little change as a share of their income because mortgage rates have remained at historically low levels. The enormous wave of mortgage refinancing, which ended only in the fall of 2003, allowed homeowners both to take advantage of lower rates to reduce their monthly payments and, in many cases, to extract some of the built-up equity in their homes. In the aggregate, the cash flows associated with these two effects seem to have roughly offset each other, leaving the financial obligations ratio little changed. Indeed, the surge in cash-out mortgage refinancings likely improved rather than worsened the financial condition of the average homeowner. Some of the equity extracted through mortgage refinancing was used to pay down more-expensive, non-tax-deductible consumer debt or to make purchases that would otherwise have been financed by more-expensive and less tax-favored credit. * * * By our calculation, both homeowners and renters have seen an increase in the share of income used to cover credit card payments over the past decade. The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances suggests that renters who have recently purchased homes tend to carry higher levels of nonmortgage debt and, in particular, credit card debt. Moreover, credit card debt ratios have been rising among all households because of the use of credit cards for new purposes. The convenience of credit cards has caused homeowners to shift the way they pay for various expenditures to credit card debt. In short, credit card debt-service ratios have risen to some extent because households prefer credit cards as a method of payment, and hence, the increase does not necessarily indicate greater financial stress. All told, the rise in short-maturity, high-repayment-rate credit card debt has accounted for about one-third to more than one-half the increase in the debt-service ratio for homeowners since the early 1990s. Moreover, the rise in the share of income going to other homeowner nonmortgage financial obligations has also been relatively small so that the overall homeowner ratio has risen only modestly. In contrast, the rise in the financial obligations ratios for renters since the early 1990s has been steep. The increase for renters, as for homeowners, is concentrated in credit card lending and thus may reflect some of the same qualifying factors that have influenced homeowner debt-service ratios. But unlike homeowners, renters over the past decade have been using a materially higher fraction of their incomes for payments on student loans and used-car debt. Renters tend to be younger and have lower incomes than homeowners, so the fact that student loans and used-car payments are a larger share of their income is not surprising. However, this trend might be worrisome if it indicates greater difficulties in becoming financially established. In addition, some of the rise in the debt-service ratios of renters, unlike in those of homeowners, occurred during the most recent recession. This difference highlights the special risks to their incomes that renters face during economic downturns. Difficulties among renters may pose some risk to the economy overall, but this risk is likely to be limited, since renter households currently receive only one-sixth of overall after-tax household income. Renters' debt-service and financial obligations ratios have trended down a little during the past two years, a hopeful sign that is likely correlated with the overall improvement in the economy. However, the longer-term rise in the renter debt-service ratio may indicate some trends among these households that may be problematic. * * * One might expect interest rates and debt-service ratios to move in lockstep with each other. But other influences on debt-service ratios, such as significant changes in household income, play a major role in their movements. In addition, most consumer and mortgage loans have fixed rates, suggesting that debt-service payments respond only gradually to interest rate changes. That said, debt-service ratios are likely to remain high so long as mortgage debt continues to expand faster than historical trends relative to household income. Altogether, even in a rising interest rate environment, debt-service ratios at least for a while should rise only modestly. * * * In summary, although some broader macroeconomic measures of household debt quality do not paint as favorable a picture as do the data on loan delinquencies at commercial banks and thrifts, household finances appears to be in reasonably good shape. There are, however, pockets of severe stress within the household sector that remain a concern and we need to be mindful of the difficulties these households face. In addition, a significant decline in consumer incomes or house prices could quickly alter the outlook; nonetheless, both scenarios appear unlikely in the quarters immediately ahead. If lenders, including community bankers, continue their prudent lending practices, household financial conditions should be all the more likely to weather future challenges. |


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However, in past generations, in the period of nationalist awakening, new funds were added, result of the times.
In the last quarter of the previous century, Jews "Hovevey Zion" (who cherish Zion) got up and started to go to Eretz-Yisrael, as individuals or in small groups. They bought land and set up agricultural settlements with the few means at their disposal, and with the assistance of benefactors. It was mainly a central-European immigration, and the Jews from Lithuania were prominent among them.
In Jerusalem too, people started to leave the walls, among them Jews originating from Lithuania, one even from Yurburg, who set up house at the Nahlat Shiva neighborhood (founded in 1869).The idea of settlement in Eretz Israel gained momentum in the countries of the Diaspora, but a joint national effort was required to achieve this lofty goal which a single individual could not achieve.
In these days Dr. Benjamin Zeev Herzl formulated his idea of the foundation of a Zionist Federation. And indeed, in 1897 Dr. Herzl convened the Congress of the Jewish representatives in the world, mainly "Hovevey Zion", in Basel (Switzerland), and the Jewish Federation was founded. This was an important historical event. Among those invited to the Congress was also Prof. Herman Shapira from Heidelberg (Germany), who proposed the establishment of a national fund, whereby land would be bought and prepared for settlement. Every Jew had the right to lease land for agricultural settlement for 49 years. Those who settled on the land were not allowed to sell it, for the land belonged to the national fund for ever. The proposal was enthusiastically accepted at the Zionist Congress; and indeed the national fund was founded in 1901 and called "Keren Kayemet Le'Yisrael" (The Jewish National Fund). We, who come from Yurburg, should be interested to know who this Prof. Herman Shapira who proposed the establishment of the national fund, was - let us provide some information about the history of his life.
Zvi Shapira was born in the small town of Arzwilky, near Yurburg, and he was a very gifted child. When he was three years old he could already read, at the age of four he studied Mikra and Gemara and at the age of eight he was already well versed in Talmud. While he was still a young boy he became a licensed Rabbi. After a while, the lad was appointed Rabbi at the small town and he became famous. However, the young Rabbi was not satisfied with his life, and one day, perhaps on one of his visits to Yurburg, where he was at home, he happened to find a book on mathematics and discovered the magic world of science. From that moment he found no peace. On his wanderings through Russia he did not find what he was looking for, until he came to Germany to drink from its source of knowledge and learning. Shapira went without food and slept on a bench in Berlin and later on in Heidelberg, where he studied and made progress at astonishing speed and obtained the rank of Professor of Mathematics. Nevertheless, he did not forget his origin; he took an interest in the "Hovevey Zion" movement and published articles about Judaism and Jewish nationalism. That is how he was discovered by Dr. Herzl, who was impressed by his personality and invited him to the first Zionist Congress (1897). Thus the young Shapira, who was at home in Yurburg, put forth his proposal at the Congress to establish the Jewish National Fund, the national fund for the purchase of land in Eretz Israel (1901).
When the Jewish National Fund was established, Jewish consciousness underwent an upheaval. The fund gave them hope and they felt that by donating to the National Fund they became partners in the grand national project. It was not hard to understand for a Jew that the land - the promised land - was in the hands of strangers and that without the land there simply would not be any building or settlement. Therefore the first priority was to redeem the land which would be the foundation for the national home.
The Jews of Lithuania, those from Yurburg among them, lent a faithful hand to the project of the National Fund. It is not known when the Jews of Yurburg started their activity on behalf of the National Fund, but we may presume that it was immediately after the establishment of the Fund, and from the time of the Balfour Declaration (1917) organized activity increased. An action committee composed of the representatives of all the parties and organizations in Yurburg was set up. There were volunteers too - "crazy about the idea" - who joined the activity and made it the center of their life. The main attraction of the fund was its popular appeal and the modest demand of all layers of the population, sort of "everyone gives according to his heart".
Especially the children were enchanted by the National Fund, for to them it was not an abstract idea, but a real one, and we all know that children love action. Indeed, this activity on behalf of the National Fund was a sort of competition, a positive "match of brains" - the more the better. The National Fund's manners of operation suited everyone - old and young - and we will name a few here.
The National Fund stamp was already printed in the first year of the fund's establishment. It was a small stamp, light blue with a Star of David and it had the name "Zion" on it. This small stamp, printed in millions of copies, had tremendous propaganda value and was very popular. "We too have a stamp" -said the children. The stamp also turned out to be an important source of income for the National Fund. We still remember our stamp collections, which we collected as children in albums or copybooks, and which served as important study material for becoming acquainted with places and people in Israel. And this is what we sang:
Let's stick on stamp after stamp Boys and girls - Redeem the field, the crop, And let the forest grow
The teachers recommended collecting the National Fund's stamps, stressing their educational value. At present, the small Zion stamp, first issue, is a rare and important item for collectors of Judaica, and is worth a lot of money.
The blue box. One of the most efficient educational and financial tools, of interest to young and old, was the National Fund box, called according to its color - the blue box. The box was born in 1904. The man responsible for the box and, as a matter of fact, for the Zion stamp as well, was the first President of the National Fund, Yona Kramanetzky, Dr. Herzl's faithful assistant, an industrialist from Lithuania. Interestingly enough, the "inventor" of the box was a Jew called Haim Kleinman. When Kleinman heard of the establishment of the National Fund, he made a small box and put it on his desk at the bank where he worked as a clerk. The result was astonishing. All those who came to Kleinman's office, put coins into the box, fully aware that they were helping to redeem the land of Israel.
When Kleinman told the National Fund heads about his box and his successful experience in collecting donations for the Fund, they liked the idea.
Since then, the blue box became an asset and the national symbol of all the Jewish communities. And thus sang the pupils:
A box is hanging on the wall The blue box Each penny put inside Redeems the land
Those who come from Yurburg remember the box very well. We may safely say that the National Fund box could be found in almost every Jewish home. Some Jews took care to put a few pennies in it every day, others added coins when the volunteer pupils came to empty the box. The pupils of the Yurburg Gymnasium, as well as members of the youth movement, carried out the task of emptying the boxes. Sometimes women too would volunteer for this task. On emptying the boxes a receipt with a drawing would be given. The boxes would usually be emptied once a month or once every two months. A few couples were needed each time to empty the boxes.
The National Fund boxes were placed in offices, shops and sch oolrooms. When the boxes were emptied, written information was handed out as well as pictures explaining the National Fund's activity and its achievements in Israel, in the purchase of land and settlement. From this publicity material everyone understood why they were donating and what was being done with the money; this information created a feeling of joy and trust in the National Fund.
Activities at the synagogue. The National Fund used various opportunities for obtaining donations on behalf of its activities. All circles in the community took part in the synagogue actions - both secular and religious. We would like to mention two actions on behalf of the National Fund, which were the custom at our community and revived a new tradition.
Calls to the Torah. During the calls to the Torah it was customary to donate a sum of money "to he who blesses" to the worshippers, such as , for example, the man who married off his son or daughter, or the man who had recovered from an illness etc. It is interesting to note that it was Dr. Herzl himself who started this custom, when he was called to the Torah, on the Sabbath after the establishment of the National Fund.
Herzl blessed the National Fund and promised to donate a sum of money to it. After him, David Wolfson was called to the Torah, and he too blessed and made a donation to the National Fund. By the way, Wolfson was elected second President of the Zionist Federation after Herzl's death. He comes from a small town in Lithuania.
Another custom of the National Fund was " The action of the bowls", which were placed at the synagogue before the "Kol Nidrei" prayer. Members of the National Fund Board or volunteers sat next to the bowls, at the synagogues. It was a new tradition - and the Jews donated . . . the religious Jews were happy that with their donations the land was also being freed for the erection of synagogues and Torah institutions in Israel.
The books of honor. Already in the second year of the National Fund's establishment the first edition of the "golden book" was prepared, in which people are registered who are active on behalf of Zionism and the Jewish communities. Those who register their friends in the "golden book" donate to the National Fund. It is said that when Dr. Herzl's friends wanted to register him as the first person in the "golden book" he rejected this outright and wanted to register Prof. Zvi Shapira, the man who invented the idea of the National Fund, as the first person in the book. At the time of registration, Prof. Shapira was no longer alive. A few months after the First Zionist Congress, he volunteered to go on a publicity campaign in Europe to explain the essence of Zionism and the National Fund - he caught pneumonia on the way and died.
Those who visit the main office of the National Fund in Jerusalem may see the many editions of the "golden book" with lists of names, among them from Lithuania and Yurburg as well.
Two special books of honor were dedicated to children - the Bar-mitzvah and Bat-mitzvah book - in which boys and girls who reach the bar- and bat-mitzvah age are registered. A photograph of the boy or girl may be added to the registration.
Children were registered on their birthday in the "Children's book" -the book for children from birth to the age of bar-mitzvah.
All those registered in the books of honor receive an illustrated certificate as a handsome souvenir. The school pupils too were in the habit of registering their teachers and principals in the book of honor, at the end of the study year or other events.
Donations at special events. Immediately after the establishment of the National Fund, Menahem Usishkin, one of the leaders of Russian Jewry - Lithuania too at the time - writes as follows: "I call on you, my brothers, to carry out a difficult and tiring task, however of grand and noble purpose - the redemption of the Land of Israel for the People of Israel .. . no opportunity should be missed, no social meeting, no party, at each and every joyful occasion, money should be collected to win hearts for the National Fund." The Jews of Russia and Lithuania responded to Usishkin's call and donated many "kopeikot"( a kopeika = a cent, 1/100 of the Ruble). Donations by Russian and Lithuanian Jews in the days prior to World War I amounted to 62.5% of the total donations of Jews all over the world on behalf of the National Fund. Usishkin asked for "Kupaikot", i.e. cents, so that everyone, poor and rich, could take part in the national target of redeeming the land of Israel. The cent too, said our wise men, is very important, for one cent and another together make a large sum".
Dr. Herzl, who was very enthusiastic about the idea of the National Fund, set a personal example on how to use every opportunity to raise funds. Once he was at a party with friends. At a certain moment he got up, took his hat and passed it along, asking for a donation to the National Fund - and the participants donated very generously. . . .
This custom of donating at every festive occasion existed at each Jewish community, and in Yurburg too. At every festive occasion - wedding or bar-mitzvah - the member of the National Fund board appeared and organized a donation. Sometimes he brought along a few blessings from people who blessed the person celebrating the event. The blessings were printed on special forms of the National Fund. Sometimes such forms were sent by mail, and, by the way, there were even forms of condolences. . . .
The National Fund board in Yurburg did not only collect donations at existing events, but also initiated and organized special cultural-social events, whose income was dedicated to the National Fund.
The board also asked to donate a certain percent of various events organized by organizations in Yurburg to the National Fund. The organizations did not always agree, and often there were "quarrels" on the subject.
The board's actions were usually respected - it consisted of distinguished organizers, but some considered them "a nuisance".. . .
The Keren Hayesod (Jewish Foundation Fund) - We must mention that there also was a committee in Yurburg active on behalf of "Keren Hayesod" ("The Jewish Foundation Fund"), the national fund of the Zionist movement, established in 1920. "The Jewish Foundation Fund"'s purpose mainly was to finance the needs of the "emerging state", such as immigration, absorption, building, settlement, security, health, education etc. Wealthy people usually donated to this fund, which was a sort of official fund, according to their means. The "Jewish Foundation Fund" committee in Yurburg raised considerable sums, for the Jews of Yurburg lived up to their reputation. . . .Yurburg had the privilege of counting among its residents a number of faithful Zionists who did an excellent job on behalf of the national funds. We should mention the name here of one of the activists, Avraham-Yitzhak Kopolov, the father of Emanuel Kopolov, who lives in Rehovot and is a member of the executive committee of the Society of Yurburg. A.I. Kopolov was active on behalf of the national funds for many years and he was the official representative of the National Fund and the Foundation Fund; he was dedicated and devoted to the Zionist ideal, launched campaigns and urged for action: he represented the National Fund and the Foundation Fund at meetings and national conferences and was greatly respected and admired for his devoted and tireless effort. Kopolov's activity contributed a great deal to the national funds and was a great honor to Zionist Yurburg.
We must also mention that the Zionists in Yurburg were responsible for setting up the "Herzl" Jewish Gymnasium, in a small town such as Yurburg. In its first year the gymnasium was Yiddish, but the Zionists turned it into a Hebrew nationalist -Zionist gymnasium. We recall the names of some people who should be praised, such as: Weinberg, Rikler, Shahnovitz, Simonov, Perlman and others, who undertook a heavy burden and maintained the cultural institution which granted cultural values to Yurburg, and educated its youth to be Zionists and fulfill the Zionist dream. Blessed be their memory!
Youngsters active on behalf of the National Fund. - The youngsters in Yurburg showed a sense of duty and obligation towards the National Fund. They were taken in by the targets and activities of the National Fund and were happy to assist on its behalf. Indeed, the youth movements fought for their place in the activities, to show their devotion. Members of Maccabi, Hehalutz, Hashomer Hatzair, Hanoar Hamizrahi and Beitar all worked together for the National Fund - until the latter split from the Zionist Federation and established its own fund, the "Tel Hai" fund (1929), whose aims were different from those of the National Fund. In Yurburg they did not take part in the activities on behalf of the National Fund. The members of the sports club I.A.K in Yurburg did not take part in the National Fund's activities, nor did the Yiddish circles who were active in the "Mendele" library and read the "Volks- Blatt". They did not identify with the Zionist aims and did not donate to the national funds. The Yiddishists -Volksists laughed at the naive Zionists who believed they could set up "a Jiddische Meluche in Palestina". They also libeled that the funds' sums did not reach their targets . . . and scorned Menahem Usishkin, the National Fund head, under whose leadership the valleys in Israel and other areas in its mountains were redeemed. However, the majority of the people rejected the Volksists' lies and enthusiastically embraced the activities on behalf of the National Fund. The arguments with the anti-Zionists merely unified the youngsters, sharpened their feelings and strengthened their wish to increase their actions in order to realize the Zionist dream.
Holidays and festivities at the youth clubs. In the wake of the activity on behalf of the National Fund some holidays and festivals were created and renewed and the youngsters observed them with gusto at their clubs. One of these festivals was "the 19th of Tevet Day" - the day of the National Fund's establishment - which became a happy festival day at the clubs. Towards this day the clubhouse would be decorated with pictures and slogans such as:
Redeem the land
For the land will not be sold forever
Come to the land and plant
Those who donate redeem the land - those who till the land
bring it to life
As they sang along, they became ever more enthusiastic - and they started to dance the Horah - till they had no force left.. . .
Tu be Shvat (15th of Shvat) - The festival of nature in Israel - was mainly celebrated by children and youth. On that day they would pin a label with a blossoming tree depicted on it to their clothes - in return for a donation for the planting of trees. Outside, as always in Yurburg, the winter is cold, the streets and houses are covered in snow, and here come the youngsters, merrily carrying their labels, to remind us that today the almond tree is blossoming in Israel and hundreds of children and youth are going out to plant trees in the mountains, singing -
Tu be Shvat has come - to celebrate the fruit
Tu be Shvat has come - to plant and build ----
Two opposites - the cold and icy Diaspora, and the warm and blossoming Land of Israel. Due to this difference in climate, Tu be Shvat was almost forgotten, however, something was kept in our tradition - to arrange a meal and bless the fruits of the Land of Israel. It was impossible to obtain fresh fruit from Israel in Yurburg, therefore one was satisfied with dry carobs, at least to get a taste of Israel. The carobs were bought in the stores and thus the carob became the symbol of Tu be Shvat in the Diaspora.
The children were very interested in the trees and forest, finding them truly refreshing. Every child was acquainted with the pictures of the Ben-Shemen forest, planted in the name of Herzl (1908), after his death. Herzl himself managed in his lifetime to serve as a good example of a man who attaches importance to planting in the Land of Israel. When Herzl visited Israel (1889) he planted a cedar in the yard of farmer Broza at Upper Motza. After a while the cedar was maliciously uprooted and a pine-tree was planted in its place. It may be seen at the "Arza" park. Youth movements planted groves and forests, such as the "Hashomer Hatzair" forest in Mishmar Ha'emek, "Gordonia" at Ginossar etc.
Lag Beomer (33 in the Omer count) was another historical festival, the day on which students had a good time in the fields and forests. The trip to nature brought forth longings to return to life on the land and forest in our country.
Yurburg's activity on behalf of the National Fund was very much respected at the National Fund's central board in Kovna. The author of this article had the honor of representing the youth movements at the National Fund's central board in the last years before he went on Aliyah to Israel (end 1938). As member of the central board he had the opportunity to watch Yurburg's activity on behalf of the National Fund, compared to other cities and small towns. When I perused the monthly reports, I was happy to note Yurburg's achievements, which were praiseworthy. When I drew the attention of the central board members to Yurburg's achievements, they would say - "but of course, Yurburg has many good Zionists . . . "
The central board members were right. The majority of the Jews in Yurburg were Zionists and did an excellent job for the National Fund and the National Foundation Fund; Yurburg brought up pioneers who looked towards Zion - however, regretfully, due to fate, only a few managed to go to Israel - the others were lost there, they and their hopes.
The National Association of Lithuanian Jews planted a forest at the "Martyrs' Forest site in the mountains of Jerusalem - a memorial forest to commemorate former Lithuanians, who were murdered in the terrible Holocaust.
Our organization, The Society of Yurburg In Israel also planted a special grove, in the Modi'in area, to commemorate the Yurburg martyrs, a kind of living memorial to the community that no longer exists. . . .
* A number of daily newspapers appeared in Yiddish in Lithuania, s.a. "Yiddish Stimme" (Jewish Voice), a General Zionist newspaper; "Das Wort" (Davar) a Zionist newspaper supporting the working class in Eretz Yisrael; "Letzte Naies" (Latest News), a general evening paper; and there was a paper for the orthodox as well, in Yiddish.
The Folks-Blatt preached Folkism ideas, ideas of a popular, liberal, Yiddishist and anti-Zionist Jewish party. The Folks-Blatt was distributed in Yurburg as well, among the I.A.K. members of the communist Jewish circles, there was no legal newspaper in Lithuania, but rather bulletins which were published and distributed underground.
According to the Folkist outlook the diaspora countries, Lithuania among them, are not a temporary place but rather a permanent residence; our forefathers lived in Lithuania for hundreds of years and here ("do" in Yiddish) Jews would live forever. The way of life of the Jews in the Diaspora should therefore be strengthened, the Yiddish language and culture should be encouraged, and thus neither Zionism nor Hebrew, idle dreams according to their outlook, would ever be realized. The main struggle should be directed towards achieving national autonomy for the Jews in Lithuania, as it existed at the start of Lithuanian independence and was taken away a few years later. In fact, the Zionists too fought for achieving national autonomy in Lithuania, as essential to the proper physical and spiritual existence of the Jewish minority. National autonomy was not seen as opposed to Zionism, which meant concentrating the Jewish people in its historical fatherland and reviving its culture and Hebrew language.
Shana Tova Greeting
Association of the Yurburg Library Named Mendel
Wishing to all members, teachers, a "Good Signature"
(to be written in the 'Book of Life').
In fact, in the years when the Jews received national autonomy in Lithuania, this was mainly due to the pressure of the Zionists and they, the Zionists, were its leaders. As long as Zionism was not realized and the people dwelt in the diaspora they had to fight for a proper Jewish life from the economic, cultural and social point of view. However, the Folkists and the Jewish communists as well saw everything with "Doikait" (here and now) i.e. in the daily life of the Jews in the Diaspora. From this point of view the Folkists angrily fought Zionism which squandered the people's energy and money.
Thus writes Ozer Finkelstein, one of the leaders of Folkism and among the editors of Folks-Blatt: - "Each penny Jews spend for the [Jewish] national funds (Keren Hayesod, Keren Kayemet, Kapai) goes down the drain. The pennies that are spent do not even achieve constructive goals for Eretz Yisrael, but find their way to the pockets of the Zionist officials ..."*
*Folks-Blatt 169.
Others wrote in the same spirit as Finkelstein: Yudel Mark, Dr. Mandel Sudarski, Esther Elyashuv, Helena Katzkalas and others, they were totally opposed to Zionism and its achievements in Eretz Yisrael. Many Jews in Lithuania and in Yurburg, who read the Folkist-Blatt, adopted the Folkism ideas.
There was constant dispute between the Folkists and the Zionists, but it became much more marked in the days prior to the municipal elections and community council in Yurburg. The two blocs - Zionists and Folkists- wanted to be on the town council, together with the Lithuanians and exert their influence on municipal matters so as to see to it that the Jews would not be discriminated against in the budget for development of the residential areas and that a heavy municipal tax would not be imposed on the poor population. And indeed, the Jews who were elected to the municipality made every possible effort on behalf of the Jewish minority in Yurburg. That is how we know that Shimonov, the Zionist, was put in charge by the municipality of providing assistance and relief to the victims of the terrible floods which plagued Yurburg.
At the Jewish council in Yurburg there were always loud discussions about the distribution of the budget. The discussion was usually about matters of principle. For example, when members of the community council demanded that money be given to the Hebrew Gymnasium, the Folkists -Yiddishists were strongly opposed, claiming that the Hebrew Gymnasium educated towards Zionism and aliyah, and that Hebrew was being learned there, an unnecessary evil. The discussions often broke up and the meetings were halted. After a while a compromise would be reached when the Yiddish school in town received a grant from the community council.
Thus the discussions and debates continued every year until the bitter end. None of them realized that the ground was burning under their feet and that the rope was being tightened around their necks - and that the murderous enemy was lurking at a distance of merely 9 kilometers from Yurburg.
Before we end the story of the ongoing debate of the Zionists with the Yiddishists in our Yurburg - we remember the last chapter of the life of Yudel Mark, the ideologist of Yiddishism and partner to the idea of Folkists at the time.
It so happened that Yudel Mark was saved from the bloody events in Lithuania and emigrated to the U.S.A., where he tried to promote Yiddish and Yiddishism. However, to his and our regret there was no demand for Yiddish in the U.S.A. Yiddish papers were closed down for lack of readers and Jewish - Yiddish schools that existed before were closed down for lack of pupils. All his efforts were in vain. Mark accepted the Jewish historical verdict. When the State of Israel was born a sparkle of affection for our country and hope for our people lit up in his Jewish heart.
One day Yudel Mark got up and went to Israel where he received a warm welcome, befitting a most important linguist of the Yiddish language. Here in Jerusalem, our capital, he built his home and joined a team researching the Yiddish language at the Hebrew University and also worked as the editor of the Yiddish encyclopedia. Talking to former Lithuanians in Jerusalem he speaks Hebrew and his face glows with happiness . . . he is glad that many people in Israel still speak Yiddish on a daily basis and that Yiddish is being learned at a number of schools to understand the history of our forefathers. How astonishing - in Israel, the new, Zionist country, books appear in Yiddish and there are Yiddish newspapers and a Yiddish theater etc., Yudel Mark had never dreamt this. The circle comes to a close and the dispute of the past is left behind. In the national Pantheon Yiddish will be kept as an important national cultural asset which the people of Israel created in the Diaspora.
When Yudel Mark was asked to participate in the memorial service for the Lithuanian martyrs at "Yad Vashem" he spoke in moving words in his juicy Yiddish about the destruction of Jewish Lithuania.
However, Mark did not have the good fortune of a long life and he was unable to finish his creative work in Israel. He died in Jerusalem and was buried in the Land of Israel. At a meeting commemorating the Jews of Lithuania in Jerusalem, the writer of this article eulogized Yudel Mark, the great humanist who loved the people of Israel. In the history of Lithuanian Jews Yudel Mark occupies a place of honor.
The bitter dispute between the two outlooks on life -Zionist and Folkist - ended in tragedy. The "war of languages" ended and there was reconciliation with the new historical reality created in Israel. It is a great pity that all this happened after millions of Yiddish speakers in Europe were lost, including in our Lithuania and Yurburg, our hometown.
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text:
Practice Makes Perfect – Hone Your Photography Skills With Everyday Objects
Jan 22, 2014
Practice Makes Perfect – Hone Your Photography Skills With Everyday Objects
I regularly teach a workshop here in The Philippines and I always tell my students that I learned photography because I practice and shoot almost every day. I normally work in organized chaos, I have so many toys lying around my home studio, but there is a reason for each and every item. I regularly practice my photography by shooting everyday objects that I find in the house. I think this is the best way to practice your photography, by looking at your surroundings and making them your subjects, things, people, or even your environment.
I like to shoot products, just simple products that I use and see every day in my house but I try to light them to make them more presentable. This is how I practice my photography so when the real job comes I know what to do. It is also a nice way to add stuff to your portfolio. Here are a couple of simple products that I practice with and try to light.
The Book
One of the best books about photography is Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. I regularly search websites and magazines and look for inpiring photos. When I see a shot that I like, I want I use as lighting inspiration for my photography. But I also want to add my own spunk to it. For this one, I wanted to challenge myself by trying to replicate the photograph in the cover of the book.
For this shot I had two studio stobes with softboxes, one upper left of my subject and one right of my subjects. Then a speedlight with red gel for the background (I explain the red gel thing here).
The Guitar
Before I became a photographer I was a lead guitarist in a band. I had a couple of guitars but my first electric guitar was a Wasburn strat.
I wanted to highlight the curves of the guitar so I used two softboxes left and right of the subject. My problem was that my mainlights were hitting my background – so I used some black cloth to flag off the light. Then I added a flash with CTB gel on the background.
The Boxes
You don't need a studio to practice your photography! I shot this in our living room. For some reason I don't like throwing boxes of the things I buy, so I have them piled up in my room (If you have a similar situation, make a small giggle now). I used an old 85mm 1.8Ai lens for this shot.
For my mainlight I used my diy beautydish camera left. For the kicker light I had a studio strobe with snoot and CTB gel back right of my subject. Lastly, for the background I used some plastic and a car reflector to get the bokeh (explained here) and flash with CTB gel again to get the blue color.
The Chocolate
I had this piece of local chocolate lying around and wanted to play with it. To make it look like it's floating I used a steel wire and taped it at the back of the chocolate and edited it out in photoshop.
For the mainlight I used a shoot thru umbrella camera left. For the rimlighting I used two softboxes back left and right of the subject. I needed a little bit of fill so I placed a silver reflector below. And lastly, I placed a flash with CTO gel on the background.
The Flashlight
You don't really speedlights or studiostrobes to practice your photography. I lit this only using a piece of flashlight. I used the flashlight to light the subject, and then using long exposure to create the lightstreaks.
The Drink
My girlfriend and I love coke. So normally I have coke in cans in the ref for my stock. I really liked this black can and wanted to create a black on black shot. I used my granite tile again for this shot. To make the can look more apealing, I sprayed water on it and gave it some moisture.
For rim lighting I used two softboxes facing each other back left and right of the subject. And had a sb-600 with DIY honeycomb to light the can itself.
Laya Gerlock
Laya Gerlock is a Portrait and Product photographer based in the Philippines. His passion is teaching and sharing his knowledge in Photograpy and has been doing this for 6 years. You can follow his work on his web page, follow him on Flickr and if you happen to come by Cubao, Quezon City (To Manila, Philippines) he gives a great workshop!
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Threatened? Yell No!
A mother's uncivil disobedience
My friend Ann looked up from shopping to see her 7-year-old leave with a stranger. The man had followed them from a restaurant where waiters interview children on their birthdays. Later, at a big-box store, Ann left Sarah in "Toys." Armed with key details, the well-dressed man approached. "Thank goodness I found you, Sarah! Mommy's tummy hurts from lunch, and she asked me to take you to Aunt Jen's for your party."
Like Sarah, I was taught to obey adults. Now a mother, I teach my children a more nuanced approach: Obey trusted adults. Ignore others — or, if necessary, flee. To explain why adults might need running from, I say, "Some people are unhealthy and can't consider your best interests," or, if pressed, "They might adopt you without asking."
Who are my children's "trusted adults?" My husband and I, of course. Though we run a dictatorship, it's benign, most days anyway, and represents our children's best interests. We provide basics, carefully timed luxury upgrades — defined by us as Prince Pücklers, by them as Disneyland — and a complaint forum. Their impassioned campaigns train them for the democracy they'll transition to at 18.
But then what? To help my children know who to trust, I teach discernment. Don't wire money to displaced African princes. Study politicians to discover whose interests they protect. Be suspicious of the apparent sincerity and allure of corporate representatives since, as Ann found, even the well-dressed can be deadly. Call me old-fashioned, but my interests include healthy soil and oceans, because I like eating. Drinking clean water and breathing rank high, too. But our economic system threatens everything I love.
I'd rather not hand my kids a charred planet to live on, so I've done my part. Politely. I've recycled, carpooled and begged leaders to stop clearcuts and torture. I've visualized peace. I voted for the "change" president. Yet, the Supreme Court, nine judges-for-life we can't fire, dealt our democracy a staggering blow when it affirmed corporate personhood, allowing unlimited and anonymous campaign financing. Citizens seeking a healthy future battle a Goliath on steroids.
I feel like a mother watching her children's abduction by well-heeled predators. I might be accused of hysteria, comparing corporate marauders to child murderers. But what should I call those who destroy the planet that keeps my kids alive? I am hysterical. That's appropriate when your child — or planet — is under siege.
When Ann saw her daughter disappear, she screamed, "STOP HIM!" Guards materialized who didn't leap to her aid — sure you're not mistaken, ma'am? — so she elbowed them aside. Shoppers froze. As the kidnapper reached his car, Ann, still shrieking, grabbed her daughter. Guards didn't tackle him or get his license plate. Instead, they tried to quiet Ann. Police later said a man matching his description was wanted for murdering several girls. He was never caught.
Mainstream commentators posing as trusted adults would have us dismiss the outcry from Occupy Wall Street. I quiz my children: Who gains from mocking peaceful demonstrators? Who benefits from silencing them for business as usual? If corporate interests didn't dominate, mainstream media would listen to citizens upset enough to camp downtown shouting, "STOP!" It would scrutinize an economic system gone postal.
When Occupy Wall Street refused to leave Zuccotti Park, something remarkable happened. Overnight, 951 solidarity marches were organized throughout the world, including an ongoing occupation in Eugene. That's the visibility Americans enjoy. Disobedience with nonviolence and resonance can instantly gain international momentum. So when friends quietly despair over their kids' futures and our powerlessness, I disagree. Because of the high stakes — the planet's very ability to sustain life — our voices have never mattered more. Few in history have possessed our potential for influencing world events. As Americans we have rights, for now anyway, that millions only dream of, yet most of us stand paralyzed, bewildered witnesses to wholesale abduction.
The world listens. If we make noise, disobey. If we get hysterical, damn it, the 99 percent of the world has our backs. Because they're hysterical, too.
It's time to leave our comfort zones. It's time to disobey. We can unplug, stop shopping, put up tents — real or metaphorical — and end business as usual. Demand tight bank regulations and corporate personhood's repeal. Call flash mobs around CEOs who oil up our oceans. Forgo the bathroom or boob remodel and fund wake-up campaigns instead. Re-create democracy. Grab megaphones and invade the mall. Run for mayor, Senate, president. Turn lawns, cars, office doors, Facebook pages, and bodies into billboards shouting "NO!" Because, like predators, some people — and policies — are unhealthy and must be stopped.
Ann disobeyed. She created a spectacle. Her daughter lives.
Media pundits may trick many into believing we're dismissable. But remember what we tell our kids: If threatened, disobey. Yell "NO!" Tell trusted adults.
Better yet, become one.
Award-winning writer Mary DeMocker teaches folk and classical harp and has pursued creative disobedience in Eugene for 23 years. View photos of her current lawn installation at marydemocker.com


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Home Page Chess Life Online 2008 June Topalov Wins Grudge Match
Topalov Wins Grudge Match |
By Jennifer Shahade | |
January 22, 2008 | |
Corus Chess 2008 (Wijk aan Zee, Jan.11-27), Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik faced off without handshakes or
smiles. With a novelty and a brilliant sacrifice, Topalov won. This threw the standings into chaos as there are now ten players within a point of first place. Not shaking hands was almost grounds for disqualification when Cheparinov refused Short's hand, but Topalov and Kramnik both agreed to not show the love, so there was no problem. Topalov unveiled a knight sacrifice on move 12, that he credited to his second Cheparinov. 1570 Topalov's awesome queen sacrifice in the heat of the battle deserves a diagram to itself: Topalov played 27.cxd5 here and achieved a winning position after 27...Rxf7 28.Rxc6+ Kb8 29. Nxf7 Re8 30. Nd6 Rh8 31.Rxc4 Qe2 32. dxe6 Nxb6. From here, Kramnik managed to last another 13 moves, but unfortunately for him, White's position was too strong to contain. Before the ninth game, Magnus Carlsen was leading Corus A, but Aronian caught up to him after he lost today against Peter Leko. Leko's straightforward a-pawn march demonstrated how inept knights are in fighting against passed pawns. 1569 In Corus B, Cheparinov apologized to Short in the nick of time for his refusal to shake hands, thus avoiding a forfeit. Read the backstory in Ian Rogers' blog live from the scene. The two ended up playing the game on the rest day. Short won a marathon game that lasted almost six hours: 1568 Americans in C Italian-American GM Fabiano Caruana continues his excellent performance in the "C" group, and leads the section with 7/9. Here is Fabiano's attacking effort from today's round. 1571 Irina Krush has 3.5/9, but her seventh round smash over GM Carlsson must have been some sort of consolation. What did she play in the following position? Corus Chess 2008, Group A Wijk aan Zee, Jan.11-27, Standings after 9 rounds 1-2 Levon Aronian and Magnus Carlsen-5.5 3-5 Vladimir Kramnik, Teimour Radjabov, Michael Adams, Viswanathan Anand- 5 7-10. S. Mamedyarov, Vassily Ivanchuk, Peter Leko and Veselin Topalov- 4.5 11.- Judit Polgar and Loek Van Wely-4 13-14 P. Eljanov and Boris Gelfand-3 Group B 1. Sergey. Movsesian- 6.5 2. Etienne Bacrot- 6 3. Nigel Short-5.5 Click here for complete Group B standings Group C 1. Fabiano Caruana- 7 2. Dmitry Reinderman- 6.5 11-12- A.Ushenina and Irina Krush- 3.5 Click here for complete Group C standings |
In round nine of


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Home Page Chess Life Online 2008 January Best of CLO 2007: #9
Best of CLO 2007: #9 |
January 24, 2008 | |
Pruess Wins GM Norm in France, Part I, and Part II by IM Josh Friedel. Josh Friedel and his friend David Pruess are the current Samford Scholars , and they often travel together. Josh was born in New Hampshire, but is now based in the Bay Area, where he plays in the U.S. Chess League for the San Francisco Mechanics. He has two GM norms, from the 2005 East Bay Masters and the 2006 U.S. Championship. The judges sound off To learn more about the judges, read "Meet the Judges." " A GREAT article. There's just something about Josh's writing style that clicks with me--I really appreciate his sense of humor. The games he presented were exciting, and I enjoyed the glimpse into the life of young IMs handling the playing conditions in Europe. I remember being particularly excited about reading how David Pruess won a GM norm and hoping that Josh would follow suit. A very nice job all around from both an entertainment and chess viewpoint."- Mike Cornett "In such a contest, "I think articles like Pruess Wins Gm Norm in Frnace", which are able to bridge the gap amongst being informative, humorous, and interesting are the best contenders"-- NM Arun Sharma "Good intro to life on the Euro-circuit" Mike Atkins |
The #9 article in CLO's Best of Contest is