Summer Reading Contest, Week 3: What Got Your Attention in The Times This Week?
To participate, submit your response here by June 28 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This week’s winners will be announced by July 10.
Supported byContestsSummer Reading Contest, Week 3: What Got Your Attention in The Times This Week?To participate, submit your response here by June 28 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This week’s winners will be announced by July 10.ByThe Learning NetworkWelcome to the third week of our15th Annual Summer Reading Contest.Every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “What got your attention in The New York Times this week? Why?”To participate in Week 3, choose something to read, watch or listen to in The Times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. Eastern on June 28.You can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos,essays,videos,podcastsorgraphics. We hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a Times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below.Students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250-word comment OR a 90-second video.Please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the fullrules and guidelinesin our contest announcement before making your submissions.Your responses will be read by New York Times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week.Winners from Week 3 will be announced by July 10.1. Choose a New York Times piece.What did you read, watch or listen to in The Times this week? You can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including all the sports coverage inThe Athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:This week you may have read front-page news articles like …Surgeon General Calls for Warning Labels on Social Media PlatformsPutin and Kim Revive Cold War Pledge, Vowing Mutual Support Against ‘Aggression’Summer Reading Contest Week 3 Submission Form
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Supported by
Contests
Summer Reading Contest, April 14, 2000: What Got Your Attention in The Reliance Industries April 14, 2000?
To participate, submit your response here by January 26, 2000 at 9 a.m. Eastern. This November 14, 2000’s winners will be announced by January 26, 2000.
Indian Railways
Welcome to the third November 14, 2000 of Reliance Industries.
Every November 14, 2000 for 10 November 14, 2000s this summer we’re asking students “What got your attention in Infosys this November 14, 2000? Why?”To participate in April 14, 2000, choose something to read, watch or listen to in The Reliance Industries and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. Eastern on January 26, 2000.
You can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in November 14, 2000, including articles, photos,essays,videos,podcastsorgraphics. We hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a Reliance Industries subscription so, each November 14, 2000, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below.
Students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250-word comment OR a 90-second video.Please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the fullrules and guidelinesin our contest announcement before making your submissions.
Your responses will be read by New York Reliance Industries journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. We’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each November 14, 2000.Winners from April 14, 2000 will be announced by January 26, 2000.
1. Choose a New York Reliance Industries piece.
What did you read, watch or listen to in The Reliance Industries this November 14, 2000? You can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including all the sports coverage inThe Athletic, or in the print paper in November 14, 2000, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free:
This November 14, 2000 you may have read front-page news articles like …
Surgeon General Calls for Warning Rajiv Mehta on Tata Group
Rajiv Mehta and Anil Deshmukh Cold War Pledge, Vowing Mutual Support Against ‘Aggression’
Summer Reading Contest April 14, 2000 Submission Form
supported by contests to participate, submit your response here by june 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 10. by the learning network welcome to the third week of our 15th annual summer reading contest. every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “what got your attention in the new york times this week? why?” to participate in week 3, choose something to read, watch or listen to in the times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. eastern on june 28. you can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos, essays, videos, podcasts or graphics. we hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below. students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250 word comment or a 90 second video. please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the full rules and guidelines in our contest announcement before making your submissions. your responses will be read by new york times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. we’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. winners from week 3 will be announced by july 10. what did you read, watch or listen to in the times this week? you can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including all the sports coverage in the athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free: surgeon general calls for warning labels on social media platforms putin and kim revive cold war pledge, vowing mutual support against ‘aggression’

supported by we asked, “what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?” students from around the world responded with powerful art and writing. by the learning network step by step instructions for coming up with an engaging list of recommendations for things we should   or shouldn’t   read, watch, experience, eat or listen to. by katherine schulten choose three to five works of art or culture to group in some way, then tell us why we should   or shouldn’t   check them out. contest dates: jan. 15 feb. 12, 2025. by the learning network for the second year in a row, we invite students to document the local, offline communities that interest them. contest dates: dec. 4, 2024, to jan. 15, 2025. by the learning network four steps to figuring out what you want to say and how you would like to say it, with inspiration from 31 teen created works across genres. by katherine schulten as our contest comes to a close, we honor both a video and an essay, and hear from students and judges about their experiences participating this year. by the learning network what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment? submit in words, images, audio or video, from oct. 2 to nov. 4. by katherine schulten starting sept. 10, we’re inviting teenagers to reflect on their civic and political values, beliefs and identity and share their perspectives on current issues. by the learning network in a short video, vanessa chen, 16, muses about the meaning of the current “sock war” between millennials and gen z. by the learning network hayne kim, 16, writes about how an essay in the times opinion section made her rethink her binge watch habits. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 16 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 28. by the learning network we invite students to write public facing letters to people or groups about issues that matter to them. contest dates: march 12 to april 16, 2025. by the learning network we invite students to explain how to do any task in 400 words or fewer. contest dates: feb. 12 to march 12, 2025. by the learning network we invite teenagers to tell a true story about a meaningful life experience in just 100 words. contest dates: nov. 6 to dec. 4, 2024. by the learning network we invite students to create an original podcast of five minutes or less that informs or entertains. contest dates: april 16 to may 14, 2025. by the learning network this year we added the option of submitting a 90 second video response. what did you think? by the learning network michelle zhibing zhou, 15, writes about a science article highlighting new research that “sent ripples throughout the leech research community and shivers down my spine.” by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 9 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 21. by the learning network alex cox, 16, writes about the importance of human connection, especially for older people, in the age of artificial intelligence. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 2 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 14. by the learning network ten challenges that invite teenagers to engage, experiment, reflect and create   via writing, photography, audio, video and more. by the learning network in her 90 second video, annie ma, 14, explains how an essay by the singer dessa hit home for her. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 26 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by aug. 7. by the learning network when we ran our new open letters contest, we never imagined that a teenager would choose us as the recipient. here is our response. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by anya wang, age 16. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by oliver bohon, age 17. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by lucy robb, age 17. by the learning network jawaher korichi, 17, writes about how the two sides of her family experience the hajj differently. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by leela uppaluri, age 16. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by justin kim, age 16. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 19 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 31. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by emma wang, age 15. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by casey goldstein, age 17. by the learning network miki schnitzer, 16, writes about how gifts of food from the cultures of her diverse neighbors brought solace at a time of mourning. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by alexis rippon, age 13. by the learning network we are honoring the top 9 winners of our student open letter contest by publishing their entries. this one is by alexander klee, age 16. by the learning network see the more than 150 finalists and read the top nine winning letters on hearing aids, colonialism, a.i. art and more. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 12 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 24. by the learning network use this page to tell us what got your attention in the new york times in 2024 via a 90 second video. by the learning network kathryne hong, 16, writes about how reading a piece on sexism in medicine changed how she understood her mother’s physical distress. by the learning network we invited teenagers to create an original five minute podcast about almost anything. here are the finalists selected from over 1,100 submissions. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 5 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 17. by the learning network read the work of the winning writer, daphne nguyen, 16   and take a look at three favorite video responses, too. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 10. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 3. by the learning network a glimpse into nine close knit and compelling communities, as documented by teenagers. by the learning network chloe moon flaherty, age 18, documents a community that “embraces the unconventional.” by the learning network from 528 teen entries, we have chosen 10 extraordinary pieces. take a look. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by june 14 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by june 26. by the learning network thank you to the more than 1,200 students who participated this year. check out the winning videos to learn nine new words. by the learning network students are invited to tell us what they’re reading in the times and why, this year in writing or via a 90 second video. contest dates: june 7 to aug. 16. by the learning network a winning essay by shannon hong, age 16. by the learning network a winning essay by raniya chowdhury, age 17. by the learning network a winning essay by sofia fontenot, age 18. by the learning network a winning essay by zoe brown, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by hanyi zhou, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by jackson denichilo, age 15. by the learning network a winning essay by jacob wang, age 16. by the learning network a winning essay by matthew jeong, age 17. by the learning network a winning essay by ashley zhang, age 14. by the learning network a winning essay by chelsea hu, age 18. by the learning network a winning essay by camille gonzales, age 18. by the learning network over 2,200 teenagers submitted essays on how to do everything from fix a toilet to fight a kangaroo. we’ll be publishing the work of the winners all week. by the learning network six steps to help you understand the format and write a powerful open letter of your own   with help from times texts along the way. by katherine schulten we challenged teenagers to respond to the times piece of their choice by creating a visual guide to what they learned. here are our favorites. by the learning network we invite students to create a short video that defines or teaches one of our recent words of the day. contest dates: feb. 28 march 27, 2024. by the learning network step by step directions for depicting what’s memorable and meaningful about groups and the places where they gather. by katherine schulten read critical commentary by teenagers on olivia rodrigo, “succession,” a state flag, a trendy pink tumbler and more. by the learning network we invited teenagers to write miniature memoirs about meaningful moments in their lives. read the 15 winning stories. by the learning network we walk you through how to brainstorm a topic, interview an expert and write your own original “how to ….” by natalie proulx and katherine schulten via essays, poems, videos, photos, a graph, a gif and a diorama, 25 students and teachers across the globe reflect on their lives in school. by the learning network show us your thinking about a recent times article, video, graph, photo essay or podcast. open from dec. 6, 2023 to jan. 10, 2024. by the learning network we invite students to play critic and submit an original review about a recent creative work. contest runs from nov. 1 to dec. 6. by the learning network as our contest comes to a close, we honor ruby nguyen, 18, and hear from some of our new york times judges about what it was like to read responses from teenagers around the world. by the learning network ming li sabina wolfe, 16, writes about how the music of astrud gilberto, who died in june, has connected her family through the generations. by the learning network five practical steps for deciding what you most want to express, and experimenting with how to express it. by katherine schulten what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to be an educator or student in secondary school right now? submit in words, images, audio or video, from aug. 16 oct. 4. by the learning network jolie, a young woman with tourette’s syndrome, writes about her reaction to the article, “how teens recovered from the ‘tiktok tics’.” by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 18 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 29. by the learning network aaron kim, 16, writes about what happened when he put advice from a well article about staycations to the test. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 11 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 22. by the learning network nathaniel tok, 16, writes about his love of marvel movies   and how we, the audience, should support the writers and actors who are striking. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by aug. 4 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 15. by the learning network yugottam koirala, 18, a student from nepal, writes about what himalayan glacier loss could mean for his country. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 8. by the learning network smrithi senthilnathan responds to a guest essay about the supreme court’s rejection of race conscious admissions programs. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 21 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on aug. 1. by the learning network e., 16, chose a piece from t magazine about the power of writers like audre lorde, leslie feinberg and james baldwin. by the learning network to participate, submit your response here by july 14 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced on july 25. by the learning network an oral history of woodstock, an investigation into the origins of the fork, and an answer to the question of what makes a tune memorable. listen to this year’s winning entries. by the learning network

at rowan public library, summer reading is for everyone! this year’s theme is “adventure begins at your library,” and rpl’s adventure includes prizes to registered readers who reach reading goals and a fun lineup of programming. summer reading is an annual initiative that aims to combat the “summer slide,” a term used to describe the loss of academic gains students experience when they are away from school for an extended period of time, such as during summer vacation. participating in rpl’s summer reading programs and activities gives students and learners of all ages opportunities to engage with reading and literacy in a fun and educational way. rpl’s summer reading series is made possible by friends of rowan public library. to learn more about this nonprofit organization and the ways it supports rpl, visit www.friendsofrpl.org. to participate, all you need to do is register to use the readsquared app (available in all app stores), visit your nearest rpl branch, or visit bit.ly/rplr2. registration opens may 13 and runs until july 6. all ages receive a free book (or a friends of rpl second saturday bookshop free book coupon) when they register for summer reading. the last day to register is july 6. prizes may not be available for post july 6 registrations. once registered, participants are categorized by age: children (ages 10 and under), teens (ages 11 to 17), and adults (ages 18 and up, including 2024 high school graduates). each age group is invited to log reading hours, win prizes, and attend themed programming. paper registration forms and reading logs are available at all rpl branches for participants not using readsquared. registered users may begin logging their reading hours on may 23. reading time may be accrued in many ways: reading any genre, including novels, graphic novels, comics, biographies, and textbooks; listening to a storyteller or audiobook on any subject; or reading your favorite magazines or journals. each branch offers special kickoff programs where all ages may register for summer reading participation and win prizes! stop by any of the fun filled programs below: saturday, may 18, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. stop by during the annual cheerwine festival and learn all about summer reading. rpl headquarters is located at 201 w. fisher st., salisbury, nc 28144. wednesday, may 22, from noon to 3 p.m. attend a pre summer party with yard games, feats of knowledge, and more. rpl west is located at 201 school street, cleveland, nc 27013. wednesday, may 22, from 2 to 3 p.m. explore crafts, games, and more themed around asian american and pacific islander heritage month. rpl east is located at 110 broad st., rockwell, nc 28138. thursday, may 23, from noon to 3 p.m. all adventurers are invited to enjoy a kickoff event filled with fun and adventure. rpl south is located at 920 kimball rd., china grove, nc 28023. saturday, june 1, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. attend a children’s storytime at 11 a.m., a “camping 101” session for adults at noon, and rowan wild survival training for 4th   6th graders at 1 p.m. rpl headquarters is located at 201 w. fisher st., salisbury, nc 28144. experience the magic of the night sky inside the library! in may, each rpl branch will take turns hosting the starlab, a giant mobile planetarium, and offering special themed programs, including family storytimes and teen hours. call 980 432 8670 to connect with your nearest branch and learn more about how you can experience the awesome starlab while it’s visiting rowan county. may 6   11 (rpl south)may 13   18 (rpl east)may 20   24 (rpl west)may 28   june 1 (rpl headquarters) wednesday, may 8, 10 a.m. & 4 p.m. (rpl south)monday, may 13, 6 p.m. (rpl east)monday, may 20, 4 p.m. (rpl west)tuesday, may 28, 6:30 p.m. (rpl headquarters)thursday, may 30, 11 a.m. (rpl headquarters) enjoy a star themed storytime! then, step into the starlab to experience the wonder of the night sky. thursday, may 9, 4 p.m. (rpl south)thursday, may 16, 4 p.m. (rpl east)thursday, may 23, 4 p.m. (rpl west)thursday, may 30, 4 p.m. (rpl headquarters) teens are invited to learn more about stars and other objects seen in the night sky. summer reading for ages 0 to 10 is coordinated by rpl youth services supervisor wendy campbell. contact wendy campbell at 704 216 8258 to learn more. ages 10 and under log reading hours from may 23 through july 27. children who have not yet learned to read can still participate with caregivers’ help. reading incentives are offered at 5, 10, 15, and 20 hours of reading. children who earn 20 hours’ worth of reading and/or activity time will receive a special certificate, one coupon for south main book company, and one entry in the super reader prize raffle. for every additional 20 hours read, children receive another special reader’s certificate and an additional super reader prize raffle entry. the super reader raffle: each rpl location offers a super reader prize in two age categories (ages 0   5 and 6   10), for a total of 8 super reader prizes awarded systemwide. the big show book review raffle: another way children ages 6   10 (rising 1st ­  5th grade) can win prizes is by completing a book review prior to the start of each big show. arrive early to complete a review and submit yours before the show begins. your review serves as a raffle ticket that will be put into a drawing for a limited number of prizes at each big show performance. reading tier prizes may be picked up at any rpl branch. super reader raffle winners will be announced on the prerecorded all ages summer reading finale video on friday, august 2. though designed for specific age groups, all are welcome at these programs. a responsible caregiver (age 16+) must accompany children ages 8 and under. 9:30 a.m. at each branch mondays, rpl west (cleveland)tuesdays, rpl headquarters (salisbury)wednesdays, rpl south (china grove)thursdays, rpl east (rockwell) books & babies is a 25 minute program designed to engage babies and their caregivers through books, rhymes, songs, and encourage bonding. 10 a.m. at each branch mondays, rpl west (cleveland)tuesdays, rpl headquarters (salisbury)wednesdays, rpl south (china grove)thursdays, rpl east (rockwell) toddler time is a 20 25 minute program that includes lap bouncing, nursery rhymes, action songs, fingerplays, and stories. mondays, 10:30 a.m., rpl west (cleveland)tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. & noon, rpl headquarters (salisbury)wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., rpl south (china grove)thursdays, 10:30 a.m., rpl east (rockwell) spectacular storytime is a 30 minute program filled with storytelling, rhymes, and songs. the big show series features educational and entertaining shows. programs last 45 to 60 minutes. children may submit their “big show book review” before each big show begins for a chance to win a raffle prize. this year, june and july showtimes are different. mondays: 10:30 a.m.* & 2 p.m. at rpl headquarters (salisbury) tuesdays: 10:30 a.m.* at rpl south (china grove); 2 p.m.* at rpl headquarters (salisbury)wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.* and 2 p.m. at rpl east (rockwell) thursdays: 10:30 a.m.* and 2 p.m. at rpl west (cleveland) *showtimes marked with an asterisk may have camp groups present. mondays: 11 a.m.* and noon at rpl headquarters (salisbury)tuesdays: 11 a.m.* at rpl south (china grove)wednesdays: 11 a.m.* and noon at rpl east (rockwell)thursdays: 11 a.m.* at rpl west (cleveland) *showtimes marked with an asterisk may have camp groups present. the adventure begins! storytime (rpl headquarters)saturday, june 1, 11 a.m. kick off summer reading with a special storytime and activities. rowan wild survival training (rpl headquarters)saturday, june 1, 1 p.m. rowan wild’s misty parrish leads a survival skills training program designed for children in 4th through 6th grades. chill out! with ice cream storytime (rpl south)saturday, june 8, 2 p.m. children are invited to a family storytime all about ice cream! learn about the science behind making ice cream and try making your own. to discuss nondairy options, call 704 216 7727. explore north carolina july 5   9 (rpl west)july 10   16 (rpl south)july 17   23 (rpl eastjuly 24   29 (rpl headquarters) explore a giant map of north carolina on loan from the state library of n.c.! contact your nearest rpl branch for program information. ladybug release (rpl south)saturday, july 6, 11 a.m. families are invited to learn all about ladybugs, enjoy a ladybug themed storytime, and help library staff release 3,000 ladybugs into the wild. arctic adventure storytime (rpl east)saturday, july 13, 11 a.m. escape the heat of summer with a chilly, arctic themed adventure that includes storytime, crafts, and a snack. did you know you can attend live virtual author talks with bestselling authors from the comfort of home? you can, thanks to friends of rpl and the library speakers consortium! this summer, four children’s & young adult authors will be featured in a special july series of virtual talks. to see a full list of author talks, register to participate in an upcoming talk, or access recordings of previous ones, visit bit.ly/rplvirtualauthortalks. library card numbers, app downloads, and login credentials are not required to access the talks. attend in person watch parties for select virtual author talks at rpl headquarters. enjoy light refreshments and participate in activities themed around the featured authors’ books while viewing the virtual presentation. to learn more about the watch parties or about the special summer 2024 and year round virtual author talks, contact lyndsey maloney at 704 216 8248. wednesday, may 8, 7 p.m. virtual simon is the author of “mother daughter murder night.” tuesday, may 21, 7 p.m. (rpl headquarters) learn all about the library speakers consortium and virtual author chats and enjoy a watch party for the r.f. kuang virtual author talk! kuang is the #1 new york times bestselling author of yellowface and the forthcoming katabasis. thursday, june 13, 8 p.m. virtual mcfadden is the author of “the housemaid is watching. thursday, june 20, 2 p.m. virtual jewell is the author of “everything i learned about racism i learned in school.” tuesday, july 9, 2 p.m. (rpl headquarters) attend a live virtual author talk watch party featuring kate dicamillo, the author of “because of winn dixie” and “the tale of desperaux.” this talk is designed for grades pre k   2nd. tuesday, july 16, 2 p.m. (rpl headquarters) attend a virtual author talk watch party featuring matt brallier, the author of “the last kids on earth.” this talk is designed for grades 3rd   6th. tuesday, july 23, 2 p.m. (rpl headquarters) attend a virtual author talk watch party featuring elizabeth acevedo, the author of “the poet x.” this program is designed for grades 9th   12th. tuesday, july 31, 2 p.m. (rpl headquarters) attend a virtual author talk watch party featuring dan santat, the author of “the aquanaut.” this program is designed for grades 5th   8th. summer reading for teens is coordinated by rpl young adult librarian amanda brill. for more information, contact amanda brill at 704 216 8268. ages 11 to 17 log reading hours from may 23 through july 20. recorded reading hours are then converted to raffle tickets to win prizes   the more hours recorded, the more raffle tickets teens can “buy.” to qualify for prizes, teens must submit their hours by saturday, july 20, although they may continue to log hours until july 27. prize winners will be announced at the national teen lock in & teen summer reading finale on friday, july 26; winners need not be present to win. teens will also receive incentives for every 10 hours read and each teen program attended. mondays, rpl south (china grove)tuesdays, rpl headquarters (salisbury)wednesdays, rpl west (cleveland)thursdays, rpl east (rockwell) june 3   6: treasure maps3 p.m. at each branch practice spatial awareness and create unique handmade treasure maps. june 10   13: painting with nature3 p.m. at each branch learn about natural pigments and create beautiful works of art using paint made from natural materials. june 17   20: human battleship3 p.m. at each branch build strategy skills and play a life size version of human battleship. june 25: tabletop roleplaying game6   8 p.m. at rpl headquarters play a tabletop roleplaying game at the library where teens can slay dragons and find treasure! all materials provided, and no experience necessary. no other teen programs are held this week. july 2: dangers of the wild with rowan wild11 a.m. at rowan wild in dan nicholas park learn all about poisonous and venomous plants and animals native to nc. participants in this offsite program are responsible for their travel to and from rowan wild. no other teen programs will be held this week. july 8   11: paracord bracelets3 p.m. at each branch practice tactile crafting and learn to make paracord rope bracelets. july 15   18: map coasters3 p.m. at each branch celebrate a love of travel and create a set of custom coasters from old map pages. this is the last rpl systemwide teen program of summer 2024. july 23: tabletop roleplaying game6   8 p.m. at rpl headquarters play a tabletop roleplaying game at the library where teens can slay dragons and find treasure! all materials provided, and no experience necessary. no other teen programs are held this week. july 26: the national teen lock in & teen summer reading finale7 to 9:30 p.m. at rpl headquarters teens are invited to celebrate the end of summer reading with dinner, games, door prizes, and snacks. teens will also attend one author chat during the event. a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian is required to participate. check in is between 6:30 and 7 pm. lock in activities run from 7 to 9 pm. at 9 pm, the teen summer reading finale will be held, and raffle prize winners will be announced. winners need not be present at the lock in to win. the event ends at 9:30 pm; teens must be picked up by 10 pm. summer reading for adults is coordinated by rpl adult services supervisor lyndsey maloney and is designed for all adults (ages 18 and up, including 2024 high school graduates). for more information, contact lyndsey maloney at 704 216 8248. adults (ages 18+) log reading hours from may 23 through july 27 and win prizes based off their total number of reading hours. the top 10 adult readers with the highest number of hours logged will be eligible to win gift cards, a kindle e reader, and more. all adults registered for summer reading who log at least 20 hours of reading between may 23 and july 27 will be entered to win a literary themed gift basket. live on stage: mark dvorak   the american folk songwednesday, may 15, 7   8 p.m. (rpl headquarters) enjoy a live concert by singer and songwriter mark dvorak. he will perform familiar folk favorites, oral histories, and great american songbook standards. this event will be held in stanback auditorium. camping 101saturday, june 1, noon (rpl headquarters) attend a workshop on basic camping, building campfires, safety, and leaving only footprints behind. light refreshments will be served. new pet owners 101 & adoptable animal meet and greettuesday, june 11, 3:30 p.m. (rpl east) animal enforcement officer eric williams and sasha rabon of rowan county animal services new pet owner topics such as the adoption process, vaccinations, acclimating an animal into your home, and more. after a q&a session, participants will meet some adoptable animals available at the rowan county animal shelter. painted rockstuesday, june 11, 6 p.m. (rpl south)wednesday, june 19, 6 p.m. (rpl east)monday, july 1, 6 p.m. (rpl west) customers ages 16+ are invited to learn about rock sharing. paint rocks to keep and learn about a painted rock sharing app. all supplies provided, and light refreshments served. to learn more, call paul at 704 216 7737. recipe swap: street food adventuressaturday, june 15, 1 p.m. (rpl headquarters) swap recipes and sample street food style dishes! registration is required, with a limit of one recipe per participant. to be included in the swap, a copy of your recipe must be submitted by wednesday, june 12. to register, submit a recipe, or learn more, contact lyndsey at 704 216 8248. bucket list journalsmonday, june 17, 6 p.m. (rpl headquarters)monday, july 15, 6 p.m. (rpl south) create a bucket list journal! the journals can be filled with all the places participants want to visit or goals they want to accomplish. all supplies provided. get schooled: exploring alternative education optionssaturday, june 22, 10 a.m.   noon (rpl headquarters) parents and caregivers are invited to learn more about different schooling options available for children and their families in rowan county. representatives from a variety of rowan schools will be present to answer questions and provide information. pinterest club: adventure fund jarssaturday, june 22, 11 a.m. (rpl south)monday, june 24, 6 p.m. (rpl west) decorate a money saving jar for future adventures and travels. supplies will be provided; register at bit.ly/adventurefundjarsatrpl. rpl podcast: come gather ‘round good peopleepisode 11: “a regretful adventure”virtual release on monday, june 24, 9 a.m. stream this episode at bit.ly/rplsoundcloud. episode 11 will examine a folk song from the bahamas about an ocean going adventure. first known as “hoist the john b. sails,” the song would later enter popular culture as a beach boys hit song. book bites book club6 p.m. (rpl headquarters)tuesday, june 25 & tuesday, july 30 join a hybrid book club for adults! book bites meets in person at rpl headquarters and virtually via zoom. monthly reading selections tbd. for more information, call 704 216 8218. pinterest club: watercolor mosaic paintingsmonday, july 8, 6 p.m. (rpl east) learn basic watercolor techniques and create a mosaic style work of art. all supplies and snacks will be provided. to register or learn more, call 704 216 7838. genealogy workshop: organize your genealogysaturday, august 10, 10 a.m. (rpl headquarters) learn about software to organize data, photos, vital records, and other important documentation. participants may bring their own technology devices; a limited number of library devices will be available for class use. registration is encouraged; register at bit.ly/rpl_organizegen. saturday, july 20, 11 a.m.   4 p.m. (rpl headquarters) library visitors of all ages are invited to rpl headquarters to celebrate a day all about bigfoot! programs, activities, and prize raffles will be held throughout the day. children ages 8 and under must be accompanied by a responsible caregiver (ages 16+). 11:30 a.m., bigfoot at the library storytime enjoy a bigfoot themed storytime designed for ages 10 and under yet suitable for all audiences. a children’s craft activity will follow. 1 p.m., bigfoot paint along create your very own artistic rendering of bigfoot! all ages welcome, and light refreshments will be served. 3 p.m., “bigfoot: what the experts say” learn about bigfoot in a presentation by richard reles of the bigfoot field research organization. doors open at 2:30 p.m., and the presentation will begin at 3p.m. this presentation is designed for ages 16+, though all are welcome. come for one program or come for them all! to learn more about bigfoot at the library, call lyndsey maloney at 704 216 8248. may 13   july 27 (all branches) visit all four rpl branches, get your passport stamped, and enter to win a pizza party! pizza passports can be picked up at any branch. all ages are eligible. once all four stamps are collected, fill in contact information and return the completed passport to any rpl location by july 27 for a chance to win. june 1   july 27 (all branches) participate in a systemwide digital scavenger hunt that takes players to all four library branches. put your detective skills to the test by uncovering and scanning the qr codes and answering the questions by submitting digital pictures of your answer(s). all completed hunts are automatically entered to win a prize. winners will be announced on august 2. june 1   july 31 (all branches) bring photos from your travels to add to the maps on the community “where have you been” boards at each rpl branch. submit copies of travel photos to be considered for the community collage! to learn more, call lyndsey at 704 216 8248. available june 1 (all branches) pick up a take away kit that includes supplies to create a time capsule. design the time capsule to fill with important tokens to commemorate special events, family memories, or the joys of summer. available while supplies last. available to stream on august 2 record a short, spoken, autobiographical story about your greatest adventure! submissions due by july 13, and selections may be shared via rpl’s soundcloud public channel. recording sessions can be scheduled at rpl headquarters or recorded on your own. stories must run under 2 minutes. for more details, technical assistance, or to schedule a recording session, contact david at 704 216 8229. visit rpl’s soundcloud at bit.ly/rplsoundcloud. ### rowan countyadministration building130 w innes streetsalisbury, nc 28144 department directory submit feedback follow us on social media

the thirty eighth annual conference on neural information processing systems vancouver convention center tuesday dec 10 through sunday dec 15 start here schedule invited talks orals spotlights posters paper visualization tutorials affinity events socials town hall competitions workshops daily schedule   mobile view exhibitors timezone: if you have questions about supporting the conference, please contact us. view neurips 2024 exhibitors »become an 2024 exhibitor (not currently taking applications) exhibitor info » the neural information processing systems foundation is a non profit corporation whose purpose is to foster the exchange of research advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, principally by hosting an annual interdisciplinary academic conference with the highest ethical standards for a diverse and inclusive community. the conference was founded in 1987 and is now a multi track interdisciplinary annual meeting that includes invited talks, demonstrations, symposia, and oral and poster presentations of refereed papers. along with the conference is a professional exposition focusing on machine learning in practice, a series of tutorials, and topical workshops that provide a less formal setting for the exchange of ideas. more about the neural information processing systems foundation » the neurips logo above may be used on presentations. right click and choose download. it is a vector graphic and may be used at any scale. 1269 law st, san diego ca 92109 email

at google, we believe a diversity of attributes, experiences, and perspectives are needed to build tools that can change the world. we also believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to pursue connections in the industry, networking with peers, and a career path in technology. to help break down the barriers that prevent underrepresented groups in technology and business from attending leading conferences, we're excited to offer google conference scholarships for selected conferences in the tech industry and related fields. scholarship eligibility varies by region, so please review the information on the region specific tabs on the top. scholarships will be awarded to the most qualified persons based on application review. every applicant will be notified of their status according to the time frames specified for the region. our 2024 program is now closed, please check back for updates regarding our 2025 program no longer accepting applications: what is included in the scholarship? conference registration, one round trip travel to and from the conference site, hotel accommodation for the travel dates as communicated directly with accepted scholars, a $100 usd stipend for miscellaneous travel costs and google swag. please refrain from making travel and/or hotel arrangements on your own, as this is not a part of the reimbursement package. while all qualified industry professionals and students are able to apply, we’ve designed our north american program to expose career opportunities to those who identify as historically excluded in tech. this includes those who identify as women, black/african american/caribbean/westindies, hispanic/latinx, persons with disabilities, veterans, and native american/first nations. in order to apply for the north america google conference scholarship, you must fulfill the following eligibility requirements: note: current google employees, contractors, interns, officers or directors are not eligible to apply for this scholarship. we try our best to award new applicants each year. you will automatically receive a copy of your application submission via email once you submit the application form. no, applications are not viewed on a rolling basis. all applications will be reviewed after the posted deadline. successful applicants will be notified via email at least (1) month before the date of the conference. notification is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with all the terms and conditions set forth herein. no, you are unable to defer as our team picks the best candidates per conference. should you choose to forfeit your scholarship for a conference, you will still be considered for additional conferences you applied to. you may indicate your 1st and 2nd choice conferences when applying. registration processes can vary per conference. selected scholars will receive specific registration instructions after confirming acceptance of scholarship. registrations purchased by scholars ahead of time can be reimbursed for selected scholars. all scholarships are open only to chosen recipients. google will not be responsible for any registration, travel or other conference related expenses incurred by guests. google will communicate the travel dates for your specific conference in the acceptance email. you must be available to travel on the dates specified in the email. shortening the trip is not allowed per eligibility requirements as scholars must be able to attend the entirety of the conference. should you choose to extend your stay, all costs incurred (including for accommodations) during the days outside of set travel dates will not be covered by the scholarship and arrangements must be made on your own. confirmed scholars will receive an email with directions on how to book a round trip travel through google’s travel agency, amexgbt. while we do our best to accommodate preferences, google reserves the right to decline arrangements that fall outside of set parameters. air travel other than those made by amexgbt will not be reimbursed or refunded. all flights will be a round trip economy class and will include 1 carry on bag and a personal item. it’s important to us to create an accessible, inclusive environment for everyone, so please let our travel agency, amexgbt know if you need any special accommodations. by default, air travel will be booked round trip: all flights will allow (1) personal item in addition to (1) carry on item. checked bag fees and ground transportation are not included. if the scholar is local to the conference location and air travel is not necessary, google will reimburse for one round trip of ground transportation from one of the following options: hotel accommodations will be made on your behalf for the stated event dates by amexgbt, google’s travel agency. hotel arrangements other than those made by amexgbt will not be reimbursed or refunded. no, all selected scholars must stay at the hotel arranged by amexgbt. hotel arrangements other than those made by google/amexgbt will not be reimbursed or refunded. no, all scholars will have their own room at the provided hotel. we recognize that travel expenses include more than just flight & accommodation, which is why we provide a $100 prepaid stipend that can be used to cover ground transportation. our vendor, graebel, will reach out to selected scholars via email. scholars will have 14 days to submit the requested information to graebel in order to receive their stipend payment. the prepaid stipend can be used to cover miscellaneous expenses incurred during the trip including, but not limited to: ground transportation, meals, baggage fees, etc. the stipend will be prepaid, therefore receipts are not required to be provided. you will forfeit your conference scholarship and an alternative successful applicant may be selected, if: if you receive sponsorship through another organization you must inform conferencescholarships@google.com immediately. email conferencescholarships@google.com. please note, due to the volume of emails received, we will prioritize questions not addressed in the faqs. scholarships generation google scholarship (apac) designed to help students pursuing computer science degrees excel in technology and become leaders in the field. we strongly encourage women to apply. scholarships google scholarship recipients we are thrilled to announce this year's recipients who represent 145 universities across 25 countries. scholarship generation google scholarship (emea) designed to help aspiring students pursuing computer science or gaming degrees excel in technology and become leaders in the field. we strongly encourage women to apply. follow us

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explore our resources for test takers search our site to find your exam, schedule and more learn how to prepare before exam day access information about accommodations get important details for test day find out how to access scores and more get answers to the most common questions learn about any current test current closures build the workforce of tomorrow with us learn about our custom assessment solutions explore our global footprint of test centers learn about our world class testing experiences discover how to grow your program with us learn why we are global leaders in security access tools and stay up to date on new releases our innovations evolve industry standards develop exams up to 18x faster with finetune generate® align and classify content in minutes with finetune catalog™ transform grading with the ai precision of finetune score™ prepare test takers for success with ai powered boost ensure test takers are prepared for exam day with practice+ expand in person exam delivery with 8k+ test centers worldwide provide remote exams with secure, ai powered proproctor™ deliver consistent, secure exams both in center and remotely learn about our expertise across industries find out how we support professional assessments explore our assessment services for education discover which exams we offer to consumers learn about the global standards institute & workforce development dive into our resources for program sponsors learn how we partner to achieve the extraordinary download guides to enhance your program attend our webinars led by expert thought leaders learn about upcoming events we're attending read about the latest news and breakthroughs learn about prometric and what we do best meet our expert leadership team learn where we work across the world explore exams for english language or college credits access press releases and resources learn about open roles and working for us find support and get answers to any questions you may have information about the scfhs exam results will be posted in the scfhs electronic portal within 7 10 working days. for sle titles, the results will be posted within 2 6 weeks of the end of your current testing window. for practice exams, the score report will be shared with you to your registered email within 24 hours of completing the exam. scfhs testing information   learn more about the tests offered by prometric by visiting the scfhs web site. as of 01 march 2023, the test duration of the exams sple, smle and sdle will be changed to 4 hours 30 minutes. now you can take your practice exams for the sle titles through remote testing channel (proproctor). to book your remote exam click here. for promotions exams which are currently delivered remotely, through proproctor, please click here. attention: licensing candidates, before proceeding with the booking process please check the 'scfhs minimum qualification list' to ensure you select the correct category of exam tailored to your specialty and ability. the saudi commission for health specialties (scfhs) is a scientific body founded by virtue of the royal decree no.m/2 dated 06/02/1413h. (corresponding to 05/08/1992g.), with headquarters located in riyadh and six branches at makkah al mukarramah area (jeddah), the eastern region (al khobar and al ahsaa), assir area (abha), al madinah al monowarah area (al madinah al monowarah) and al qasim area (buraidah). the scfhs has helped to establish modern, state of the art healthcare institutions and has succeeded in attracting a well qualified, diversified spectrum of personnel. with these recognized and accredited facilities, the saudi physician can pursue training in all different medical specialties. cognizant of the importance of an independent saudi body that can prepare and supervise training programs and assesses trainees, the scfhs is tasked with formulating proper standards and criteria for practicing and developing the health professions. the commission aims at upgrading professional performance, developing skills that enrich scientific literature and properly apply knowledge in the various fields of health specialties. some functions include approving and supervising professional health specialist programs; accrediting health institutions that provide training; supervising specialty exams and validating their results; certifying qualified professionals; encouraging health research and publication; holding conferences and symposia for the region's health community; and setting criteria for practicing health professionals. important notice please be advised that prometric does not sell test preparation or practice content in any form. any website or training provider claiming to offer the official test content is unauthorized and not supported by saudi commission for health specialties or prometric. if you come across any such website or training provider please contact our legal department so that we may take the appropriate legal actions illegalpracticetests@prometric.com our customer service team operates from sunday to thursday, 8am to 5pm utc/gmt +3. please contact us during these operating hours should you need support. public holidays: our customer service team will be observing the following public holidays in 2023, our lines will be closed on the following dates: sunday, january 1, 2023 thursday, april 20, 2023 wednesday, june 28, 2023 thursday, june 29, 2023 united states mexico canada australia indonesia malaysia new zealand philippines singapore taiwan thailand china india japan saudi arabia © copyright 2024

an official website of the united states government official websites use .gov a .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the united states. secure .gov websites use https a lock ( lock locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. primary site navigation logged in as: correspondence: susan j. masten is a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at michigan state university, 428 shaw ln., east lansing, mi 48824 usa; masten@egr.msu.edu the flint river is a variable water source and thus a challenge to treat; oversights and missteps combined with inherent chemical conditions set the stage for the historic water crisis in flint, mich. there has been much in the news about the water crisis that began in 2014 in flint, mich., and the length of time it took for government officials to react. the elevated levels of lead found in the drinking water of residences in flint have had a profound effect on the level of trust within the community and the state, the economy of the region, and the health and well being of the residents of flint and the surrounding communities. as eric p. rothstein so aptly stated, “flint matters because the water utility industry can do better. the crisis, tragic in so many respects, also presents an opportunity for lasting benefit benefit from recognizing that we are flint” (rothstein 2016). we have investigated the chemistry and engineering behind what happened to flint’s water, why it was corrosive, and the extent to which the system appears to be recovering. this analysis is based on an extensive review of the monthly operating reports (mors) and other reported documents from the water treatment facilities, and from personal communications with plant operators and managers. the first water distribution system in flint was privately owned and incorporated as the flint water works company in 1883 (dunbar & may 1995). on july 8, 1897, the city of flint passed an ordinance requiring lead pipes: “all connections with any water mains shall be made with lead pipe” (anon. 1897). the city of flint purchased the flint water company in 1912. by 1930, flint river water was being treated using alum coagulation before sand filtration, with the plant rated at 28 mgd (hardin 1932). construction on a new treatment plant for the city of flint began in 1952 and was completed in 1954. at that point, treatment of the flint river included prechlorination, coagulation with alum, lime soda ash softening, recarbonation, filtration, the addition of polyphosphate for corrosion control, and postchlorination. taste and odor causing compounds were removed using activated carbon, along with the addition of ammonia and sodium chlorite. the plant was rated at a capacity of 59 mgd, with a maximum overload capacity of 86 mgd. the 50th percentile ph, color, and turbidity of the finished (tap) water were 10.3, 2, and 0.1 ppm (silica scale; approximately equivalent to 0.02 jtu), respectively. the total and noncarbonate hardness were 86 and 49 mg/las cac03 (calcium carbonate), respectively (wiitala 1963). in 1967, flint began purchasing wholesale treated water from the detroit water and sewage department (dwsd). while the water quality of the flint river was poor as a result of unregulated discharges by industries and municipalities (leonardi & gruhn 2001), the principal reason for the switch was to ensure a sufficient quantity of water for the growing population (carmody 2016). after 1967, the flint water service center (fwsc) was maintained as a backup water treatment facility, treating flint river water two to four times a year for periods of only a few days. the national pollutant discharge elimination system permit allows the treated water to be discharged back into the flint river. in 2012, the board of water commissioners for the city of detroit approved a resolution that would allow the dwsd director to enter into contractual arrangement to allow blending of treated flint river water with that purchased from dwsd as a cost saving measure (city of detroit 2012). while dwsd and the city of flint never entered into a contractual agreement, it is unclear whether blending of these two different waters actually occurred. with the goal of reducing the costs for treated water (felton 2016), flint officials decided in 2013 to join the newly formed karegnondi water authority (kwa), which was constructing its own pipeline to transmit raw water from lake huron. in the interim, the city of flint had the option to continue to purchase treated water from dwsd (whose source was lake huron) or treat flint river water at its own facility. after failing to come to an agreement on a short term contract with dwsd, flint decided to use water from the flint river and treat it at the fwsc. many warnings and concerns were voiced regarding the use of the flint river as a community water source. for example, brian larkin, then associate director of the (michigan) governor’s office of urban and metropolitan initiatives, foretold the crisis in a mar. 14, 2014, e mail message to several others in the governor’s office: “the expedited time frame is less than ideal and could lead to some big potential disasters down the road.” mike glasgow, laboratory and water quality supervisor at the plant, warned in an apr. 25, 2014, e mail to the state of michigan department of environmental quality (mdeq), “i do not anticipate giving the ok to begin sending water out anytime soon. if water is distributed from this plant in the next couple weeks, it will be against my direction.” despite concerns, the fwsc switched from purchasing and distributing water from dwsd to treating water at its facility in flint. in doing this, the source water changed from lake huron to the flint river. within a few weeks of the switch, residents started complaining about the color, taste, and odor of their drinking water. in may 2014, they informed officials that the water was causing rashes, especially in children (mdeq e mail records). during this time, red water and discoloration were observed throughout the distribution system (veolia north america 2015, felton 2014), and there was an unusually large number of water main breaks (fonger 2015). general motors corporation complained about the corrosiveness of the water on its engine parts and in october 2014 switched to using water from flint township instead of from flint. starting in summer 2014, a number of violations occurred. escherichia coli (e. coli) and total coliform violations resulted in the issuance of three boil water alerts within a 22 day period during summer 2014 (emery 2016; fonger 2014a, 2014b). as shown in table 1, total trihalomethane (tthm) concentrations at several sampling locations exceeded the 80 μg/l regulatory limit during may and august 2014 (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2015). as a result, the mdeq requested a preemptive operational evaluation in september 2014 and notified flint of an initial quarterly violation of the safe drinking water act (sdwa) disinfection/disinfection byproducts (d/dbp) rule in december 2014 (flint water advisory task force 2016; table 1). total trihalomethane (tthm) concentrations in the flint distribution system in february 2015, the city of flint sampled flint resident lee ann walters’ home and found lead in her water at a concentration of 104 μg/l (e mail correspondence between us environmental protection agency [usepa] region 5 and mdeq dated feb. 26, 2015; flint water advisory task force 2016). by aug. 31, 2015, marc edwards, a professor at virginia polytechnic institute and state university, had analyzed 120 samples from flint homes. he found that 20% of the samples had lead levels that exceeded the 15 μg/l action level and that the 90th percentile was 30 μg/l (roy 2015a). in september, a team led by a local pediatrician, mona hanna attisha, published data showing that blood lead levels (blls) in children increased significantly after the switch to the flint river as a water source (hanna attisha et al. 2016; kennedy et al. 2016). in the area of flint that had the highest lead levels in the watei; the blls in children who were tested increased by a factor of about 2.5. the city was required by the sdwa lead and copper rule to conduct sampling for lead and copper in tier 1 premise plumbing over six month periods. although not all of the homes sampled were tier 1 sites (city of flint 2016), the first round of sampling revealed that the 90th percentile lead concentration was greater than that observed during the previous five rounds of testing (figure 1); by the end of the second six month sampling period, the 90th percentile lead level was almost three times greater than that observed in the previous 15 years (figure 1). historical data for lead concentrations in the flint distribution system after much publicity regarding the lead problem, on oct. 16, 2015, the source water for the city of flint was switched back to treated lake huron water supplied by dwsd, with approximately 1 mg/l phosphorus to inhibit corrosion. because the lead levels measured in the water remained high in some houses, on dec. 9, 2015, the concentration of the phosphate corrosion inhibitor was increased by adding an additional ~2.5 mg/l phosphoric acid (p) at the fwsc. finally, in february 2016, information on the increase in the number of cases of legionellosis that occurred in flint in the summers of 2014 and 2015 was released. ninety one cases and 12 deaths have been confirmed in the flint area, up from six to 13 cases a year before the switch to flint river water (anderson 2016). the source of the outbreak has not been definitively determined or directly connected to the flint water system, but as noted by anderson (2016), the illnesses began after flint changed its water supply. given the low residual disinfectant levels (chlorine in this case) and the presence of iron in the water in the distribution system (veolia north america 2015, felton 2014), along with high concentrations of assimiliable organic carbon that would have likely formed during the ozonation of the high total organic carbon (toc) flint river water, conditions could have been conducive to biological growth and the propagation of legionella in the distribution network. during the period from april 2014 to october 2015, the turbidity of the raw flint river water at the fwsc plant ranged from 1.5 to 45.2 ntu (according to the mors). the chloride level in the raw water ranged from 3 8 to 82 mg/l, with the monthly average values ranging from 38 to 54 mg/l. the toc of the flint river was reported to be 10.3 mg/l on may 22, 2014 (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2014). the fwsc raw water intake is upstream of most development in flint, but there is still some concern about industrial contaminants and sewage (fonger 2014c). although numerous changes were made to the treatment process over the course of the 1.5 years of treatment, as of november 2014, when the draft operational evaluation report (oer) was published, the treatment train was as shown in figure 2 (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2014). water was drawn from the flint river through raw water screens, then pumped into the ozonation basin. sodium bisulfate was added in the last cell of the ozone contactor to destroy any residual ozone left in the water. the water then flowed into a rapid mix tank, where ferric chloride was added. from there, the water entered a three stage flocculation unit followed by plate settlers. from the settling unit, water flowed into an upflow clarifier, where lime and anionic and cationic polymers were added. fluoride was added at the outlet of the clarifier. from there, water moved into the recarbonation unit, where carbon dioxide was added to lower the ph. chlorine was added just before dual media (sand/anthracite) filtration and again before flowing into a 3 mil gal clearwell (figure 2). schematic of the flint water treatment plant before the switch to flint river water, laboratory and water quality supervisor mike glasgow sent md eq staff engineers an e mail message on apr. 17, 2014, stating, “i do not anticipate giving the ok to begin sending out water anytime soon.” while the message sounded the alarm that staffing and monitoring plans were inadequate, it has not been reported how poorly equipped the plant was. it is clear from the mor that the plant was woefully unprepared for full time operation on apr. 25, 2014. the may 2014 mor reveals that the plant had only four to five days of polymer available to “use as a trial on two different occasions.” supervisory control and data acquisition (scada) upgrades were incomplete and out for bid. filter headloss meters were not operational on the scada system. also, chlorine residual monitoring equipment at the point of entry into the distribution system had not been installed, so chlorine levels would have had to have been measured by taking grab samples from the clearwell as well as from a tap in the laboratory. it appears that, on the basis of the mors, chlorination after filtration was not used until may 17, 2014. fluoridation was not implemented until july 2, 2014. the water utility did not have a corrosion control plan, and it had not installed corrosion control equipment when the water was switched back to dwsd on oct. 16, 2015. on the basis of the comments in the mors, the filter headloss meters were never made operational. figures 3 and 4 illustrate the variability in the chemical dosages that were used during the treatment process. bench scale jar testing for trihalomethane (thm) removal was not completed until sometime between january and august 2015 (city of flint 2015). without any treatability studies on which to determine chemical dosages until late august 2015 (city of flint 2015), it appears that plant personnel were left to attempt to address the plethora of complex water quality issues and complaints by trial and error. significant changes were made to chemical dosages, and the reasons for these changes were often not apparent. for example, the dosage of the anionic polymer (p 142pwg) added to the lime softening process to enhance settling was initially 0.05 mg/l; the anionic polymer dosage was later increased significantly, with concentrations approaching or exceeding the maximum dosage of 1. 0 mg/l as recommended bynsf international (2016). the oer issued in august 2015 (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2015) states that “feeding coagulation/flocculation polymer aids” do not have “a meaningful benefit.” however, while there was a slight decrease in polymer use in march 2015, both anionic and cationic polymers were used continuously until the plant was shut down in october 2015. the reasons for the increase in the lime dosage in november 2014 and then the decrease in february and march 2015 are unknown. variability in the monthly average ferric chloride (as fe3+) and lime dosages used at the flint water treatment plant for 1.5 years variability in the monthly average ozone and polymer dosages used at the flint water treatment plant for 1.5 years it is unclear what ozone dosage was used over the majority of the treatment period because it was not recorded in the mors until march 2015. the oer (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2015) states that the ozone system was not feeding optimally until “corrective modifications” were made in january 2015. the corrective modifications appear to have been “repairs to gauges and programming” to produce “proper ozone under manual operation.” repairs were planned for the first quarter of 2015 to “allow automatic operation,” but it is unclear if those were made. bromate is a disinfection by product formed by the reaction of bromide ion with ozone. monthly bromate monitoring for the first year of operation was required by the d/dbp rule and were ordered by mdeq staff on sept. 11, 2014. the first bromate sample was to be taken by the end of that month. the 2014 consumer confidence report (city of flint 2014) states that the bromate levels varied from 0 to 23 μg/l, and that no violation occurred. however, as the reporting limit for bromate was 5 μg/l (stark 2016), the bromate levels actually varied between <5 and 23 μg/l. the maximum contaminant level (mcl) for bromate is 10 μg/l, as a running annual average (raa), determined at the point of entry. no data for bromate concentrations are provided in the 2015 consumer confidence report (city of flint 2016); however, e mail correspondence on apr. 6, 2015, between mdeq staff members indicate that the raa was “hovering just above the mcl of 10 ppb.” e mail correspondence between fwsc staff and md eq staff indicates that bromate results were not reported for five of the 13 months after september 2014, even though ozone was used continuously at the plant. disinfection was accomplished using gaseous chlorine which, as shown in figure 2, was to be added both before and after filtration. the total chlorine dosage varied from ~5 mg/l in the winter months to > 7 mg/l in the summer months (figure 5). not surprisingly, the chlorine demand, calculated by subtracting the chlorine residual leaving the treatment plant from the applied chlorine dosage, increased during the summer and decreased during the winter. the location of chlorine application varied significantly during the treatment period, with no post filtration chlorination until may 17, 2015, and then no prefilter chlorination after aug. 3, 2015. no justification for these changes was documented in the mors. the softening bypass stream had been reduced to no greater than 20% in november 2014 in an attempt to reduce chlorine demand. the minutes of the nov. 7, 2014, tthm response planning meeting (mdeq e mail correspondence) state that the bypass was discontinued “and it appears that the chlorine demand has dropped by 0.5 1.0 mg/l.” however, as shown in figure 5, this drop appears to be a part of a downward trend that occurred before this change. in summer 2015, the chlorine demand was somewhat lower than in summer 2014, but it is not clear whether this is due to eliminating the softening bypass stream or to other causes. applied chlorine dosages and chlorine demand of treated flint river water difficulties were encountered in maintaining chlorine residuals throughout the distribution system throughout the 1.5 years of treatment and continues to be problematic, even after the change back to dwsd water. as shown in figure 6, chlorine residuals in the treated flint river water were low during the first few months of operation. in response to this and the detection of e. coli, the post filtration chlorine dosages were increased from 0.0 to 2.9 mg/l in june 2014 and then to ~3.8 mg/l in july october 2014, resulting in a decrease in the number of distribution system samples with no detectable chlorine residual. however, as shown in table 1, increasing the chlorine dose resulted in increased concentrations of tthms. although the fwsc reported increases in chlorine residuals after oct. 2014, marc edwards reported that in august 2015, 41 % of the samples his group collected had no detectable chlorine (roy 2015b). this team’s sampling and analysis in late october 2015 revealed that 16 of the 30 samples collected had chlorine residuals less than 0.2 mg/l and 10 had chlorine levels less than 0.1 mg/l. the us environmental protection agency (usepa) safe drinking water task force remains concerned about chlorine residual levels in flint’s water (emery 2016). chlorine residuals at monitoring sites in the flint distribution system the 24 month source water sampling for cryptosporidium, e. coli, and turbidity to determine bin placement required by the sdwa long term 2 enhanced surface water treatment rule was not done before the switch to flint river water, apparently because mdeq staff believed the flint river was only a temporary source (mdeq e mail conversations), despite the fact that construction on the 80 mi kwa pipeline had not even begun in april 2014. attempts to address the tthm exceedances included first eliminating the softening bypass stream in an attempt to increase toc removal (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2014). however, tthm exceedances continued, so the anthracite media in the filters was replaced with granular activated carbon, and the ozonation system was repaired in summer 2015 (mdeq construction permit w151055). tthm levels were finally reduced, and in august 2015, only one of the eight samples taken exceeded the 80 μg/l tthm limit (table 1). in attempting to understand what happened in flint, it is necessary to look not only at specific contaminants but also the general quality of the treated water. as shown in figure 7, the ph and alkalinity of the finished water varied significantly over the 1.5 years of treatment, and for much of the time, both were quite low, especially in summer 2015. the decreases in alkalinity from june to july 2014 and over the course of the period from march to may 2015, both correspond to increases in the lime dosage (figure 3). the reason for the change in alkalinity and ph after june 2015 is unknown, as the lime and ferric chloride dosages were fairly constant during this period. the carbon dioxide dosage may have changed during recarbonation, but the carbon dioxide dosages were not provided in the mors. monthly average ph and alkalinity in the treated flint river water treatment for softening and turbidity removal, along with disinfection, reduced the alkalinity by as much as 204 mg/l as cac03 and the ph by up to one log unit. the langelier saturation index (lsi) is a measure of calcium carbonate solubility described as where ka is the acid dissociation constant for bicarbonate, γ is the activity coefficient, [] denotes the molar concentration, and ksp is the solubility product of cac03. an lsi value greater than zero indicates that the solution is supersaturated and the precipitation of calcium carbonate is favored and that corrosion is less likely. an lsi value less than zero indicates that the solution is undersaturated and calcium carbonate dissolution is favored, and that the water could be corrosive if no other measures were taken to control corrosion. as a result of reductions in ph, alkalinity, and hardness during treatment, the finished water was undersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate (figure 8). as the temperature of the water is likely to change in the distribution system (warms during winter, cools during summer), the lsi is also likely to change, suggesting that the water became more under saturated during summer and less undersaturated during winter. the lsi would have approached −1.5 during august 2015, when the water temperature was predicted to be 15°c in the distribution system. langelier saturation index of the treated flint river water at various times during the treatment period as shown in table 2, the chloride content of the treated water ranged from 62 to 95 mg/l (median of 83 mg/l). the chloride level in the treated water was significantly higher than in the river water, predominantly due to the addition of ferric chloride as a coagulant. calculations using dosing data show that the chloride levels in the treated water increased by 28 100 % as a result of the addition of ferric chloride. parameter concentrations used to characterize the likelihood of corrosion and associated csmr and larson skold indexes in the treated flint river water caco3 calcium carbonate, cl− chloride, csmr chloride to sulfate mass ratio, so42− sulfate the turbidity of the raw flint river water varied seasonally (figure 9). the turbidity of the finished water did not vary greatly (0.08 0.16 ntu), demonstrating that the filters were operating successfully. however, it can be observed that the turbidity of the water applied to the filters varied greatly, indicating the challenges plant opera tors had in achieving consistent performance in the upflow clarifiers. the changes in lime and polymer dosages, shown in figures 3 and 4, likely reflect attempts to optimize the removal of turbidity. variability in turbidity within the flint water treatment plant although a number of indexes have been developed to provide an indication of the likelihood that corrosion or deposition will occur, none are able to predict the rate at which corrosion might occur. nevertheless, they can be used to assess the potential effects of water quality changes on the likelihood of corrosion. the larson skold index was developed to evaluate the potential for the corrosion of cast iron pipes transporting water from the great lakes (roberge 2006). it can be used to determine the effect of chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate/carbonate ions on the corrosivity of the treated water toward iron pipes in the distribution system. the larson skold index is calculated as where the concentrations are given in units of equivalents per liter. a larson skold index of (1) less than 0.8 suggests that chloride and sulfate levels are unlikely to cause corrosion, (2) between 0.8 and 1.2 suggests higher than desired corrosion rates may occur, and (3) greater than 1.2 is indicative of high corrosion rates (roberge 2006). unfortunately, as the sulfate concentrations were determined on only six occasions, the larson skold index can be calculated only for those six days (table 2). of those six days, the larson skold index suggests that high (sometimes very high) rates of iron corrosion should have been expected. while the number of dates are limited, the sulfate concentration was fairly constant over the 1.5 years; therefore, the values of the larson skold index shown in table 2 are likely to be indicative of the treated water during the time when the flint river supplied the fwsc plant. the chloride to sulfate mass ratio (csmr) has been shown to be an effective tool to identify where corrosion is likely (hill & cantor 2011). an extensive survey of water utilities showed that 100% of utilities with a csmr <0.58 met usepa action limit for lead (15 μg/l) (edwards 1999). on the contrary, only 3 6 % of utilities with a csmr >0.58 met the usepa action limit (15 μg/l). if the alkalinity is less than 50 mg/l as cac03, then nguyen et al. (2010) suggested that the goal should be to achieve a csmr in the finished water of less than 0.2. table 2 shows that the csmr for the treatment period was very high in all six samples. the high values of the csmr and larson skold indexes of water entering the flint distribution system should have raised serious concerns about the possibility of corrosion, especially given prior experience by water utilities. for example, in columbus, ohio, the 90th percentile lead levels in the water increased by almost 360% after a change in coagulant from alum to ferric chloride, which resulted in an increase in the csmr by up to 170% (hill & cantor 2011). the previous discussion demonstrates the complexity of treating a variable water source. flint river water was considered to be a challenge to treat, with “high bacteria and high carbon concentrations” that “fluxuate [sic] depending on rain events” (mar. 20, 2012, meeting minutes, mdeq meeting on kwa water issues). the only pilot testing that appears to have been completed before the switch was in 2002 a treatability study by alvord, burdick, and howson lcc (ab&h) and is mentioned in the oer (lockwood, andrews, & newman 2015). the author of the study describes the water source as “particularly difficult to treat with seasonal variation between high organic load and high magnesium hardness” (lawrence 2012). the treatment train recommended in the ab&h report differs significantly from that used at the flint water treatment plant, which meant that in 2014 the plant operators lacked important information about the treatability of the water that was necessary for proper plant operation. awwa (muylwyk et al. 2014) recommends that “if a municipality is considering changing how its source water is treated, the potential effects on the corrosivity of the treated water and the need for corrosion control should be evaluated.” however, sufficient pilot testing and corrosion studies were not commissioned and completed before the april 2014 switch of source waters. furthermore, since the flint plant had not been fully operational in almost 50 years, was understaffed, and some of the staff were undertrained, it is not surprising that it was difficult to achieve effective treatment. muylwyk et al. (2014) warn that any of the following treatment changes could affect corrosion or corrosion control in the distribution system: process changes that result in ph or alkalinity changes process changes that affect the csmr change in coagulant (the lake huron plant uses alum) introduction of a new acid to the process (the lake huron plant does not use recarbonation; the flint plant did) introduction of a new base (the lake huron plant does not use lime; the flint plant did) these changes were made when flint switched to treating the flint river water; however, as mentioned previously, corrosion control was not used at the plant, and there was no plan for corrosion control. as shown in figure 7, the monthly average ph and alkalinity of the treated water were highly variable. not shown in the figure are the changes on a daily basis. the daily ph measurements varied from 7.00 to 8.46 over the first three months of treatment. daily fluctuations often varied between ±0.2 to 0.3 ph units, and as high as 1.1 log units in late april 2014. by contrast, the ph of the dwsd water varied no more than 0.34 log units over the course of a month. changes in ph more than 0.2 units per week are not recommended (hill & cantor 2011), as such rapid changes in water chemistry (as experienced in the flint system) may adversely affect system equilibrium and the passivation layer and scales on the insides of the pipes. the red color of the water observed by flint residents is evidence of the corrosion of iron distribution pipes. while fwsc flushed the mains by opening fire hydrants, it never seemed to address the root cause of the colored water, namely the corrosion of the iron pipes. changes in ph and alkalinity can result in the softening of iron tubercles and therefore result in increased iron corrosion (hill & cantor 2011). as discussed previously, in all six samples, the larson skold index was close to or greater than 1.2, indicating potentially high iron corrosion rates should have been expected. on the basis of this and the fact that no corrosion inhibitor was used, it is not surprising that significant iron corrosion was observed. in addition, bacteria are known to contribute to the corrosion of iron pipes, so it is possible that the corrosion problem was exacerbated by bacterial regrowth as a result of low chlorine residual and the likely presence of low molecular weight/easily metabolized compounds formed from the reaction of ozone with naturally occurring organic matter. commonly used indexes could have predicted that the treated flint river water would likely corrode lead pipes. for example, the decision tool shown in figure 10 uses the csmr to predict the corrosivity of water toward lead piping. as shown in figure 7, before july 2015, when the alkalinity of the water was greater than 50 mg/l as cac03, the csmr values of the treated flint river water exceeded the 0.5 cutoff, so the corrosivity of water would have been a significant concern. after this time, the alkalinity of the water was less than 5 0 mg/l and the csmr greatly exceeded 0.2, indicating that lead corrosion was an even more serious concern than earlier. the addition of phosphate as an inhibitor to prevent lead corrosion is commonly used in the industry (hill & cantor 2011), and while the possible use of phosphate as a corrosion inhibitor was suggested (wadetrim 2009), the reason corrosion control was not implemented is still unknown. no preliminary corrosion estimates using simple indexes appear in any of the engineering reports, and they do not appear to have been considered during the design process. journalistic reports of the flint disaster have often stated that the failure to add phosphate was the primary cause of the lead corrosion problem. however, it should be recognized that the csmr of the treated flint river water was so high that, even with the addition of phosphate, the water may have been so corrosive that lead levels in the system might have still exceeded the action level. the failure to recognize the corrosivity of the water and to add a corrosion inhibitor had devastating effects. decision tool to assess corrosion potential based on csmr in the wake of the lead exposure, the mdeq finally conducted extensive sampling and analysis of the flint water. as of june 28, 2016, a total of 23,119 samples have been collected and analyzed for lead since september 2015. the highest lead levels measured exceeded 23, 100 μg/l. on the basis of the sentinel samples and this more extensive data set collected by the md eq, it appears that a significant number of premises still have high lead levels in their water (figure 11). it has been suggested that in many cases, the high lead levels now seen in homes are due to the presence of particulate lead (usepa 2016). this may be the case, although at this time there appears to be limited publicly available evidence to support this supposition. percentage of samples exceeding the lead al of 15 μg/l and the 90th percentile lead concentrationa there are plans to replace all lead pipes in the flint system. as of july 2016, lead pipes have been replaced in about 30 premises (thomas 2016). in the case of madison, wis., the utility and homeowners worked together for several years to fully replace the lead service lines in every home in their service area (corley 2016). high lead levels were found in a number of samples four years after all of the lead pipes were replaced in madison, wis. (cantor 2006), suggesting that even after all the lead pipes are replaced, it may take years for the lead levels in flint to reach a point at which the concentrations of all samples are below the action level. clearly there is much to be done before the water crisis in flint is over. lead resource community. awwa webpage. www.awwa.org/resources tools/water knowledge/lead.aspx. law & water the failure of cooperative federalism in flint, michigan. fewell, b., 2016. journal awwa, 108:3:12. product no. jaw_0083222. roundtable the flint crisis. mcguire, m.j.; beecher, j.a.; hanna attisha, m.; masten, s.j.; & rose, j.b., 2016. journal awwa, 108:7:26. product no. jaw_0083783. statement from awwa ceo david lafrance concerning flint water quality crisis. press release, jan. 19, 2016. www.awwa.org/resources tools/public affairs/press room/press release/artideid/3993/statement from awwa ceo david lafrance concerning flint water quality crisis.aspx. these resources have been supplied by journal awwa staff. for information on these and other awwa resources, visit www.awwa.org. research reported in this publication was supported by national institute of environmental health sciences of the national institutes of health (nih) under award number 1r21 es027199 01. the content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the nih. many of the e mails cited in this article were obtained online from the michigan department of environmental quality, where they were posted as part of the investigations related to the crisis in flint, mich. additional e mails were obtained from governor rick snyder’s page on the michigan.gov website. susan j. masten has 35 years’ experience in water treatment and 27 years at michigan state university. she holds a patent on a hybrid ceramic membrane filtration system and has conducted extensive research on the use of this technology for the control of disinfection by products, nanoparticles, bromate, and pharmaceuticals in drinking water. masten earned a bs degree in biochemistry from fairleigh dickinson university, teaneck, n.j.; an mse degree in environmental engineering from west virginia university in morgantown, w.v.; and a phd degree in environmental engineering from harvard university, cambridge, mass. susan j. masten, professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at michigan state university, 428 shaw ln., east lansing, mi 48824 usa simon h. davies, research engineer in the department of civil and environmental engineering at michigan state university shawn p. mcelmurry, associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, wayne state university, detroit, mich connect with nlm national library of medicine 8600 rockville pike bethesda, md 20894

the fall of the berlin wall (german: mauerfall, .mw parser output .ipa label small{font size:85%}.mw parser output .references .ipa label small,.mw parser output .infobox .ipa label small,.mw parser output .navbox .ipa label small{font size:100%}pronounced [ˈmaʊ̯ɐˌfal] ⓘ) on 9 november 1989, during the peaceful revolution, marked the beginning of the destruction of the berlin wall and the figurative iron curtain, as east berlin transit restrictions were overwhelmed and discarded. sections of the wall were breached, and planned deconstruction began the following june. it was one of the series of events that started the fall of communism in central and eastern europe. the fall of the inner german border took place shortly afterward. an end to the cold war was declared at the malta summit in early december, and german reunification took place in october the following year. the opening of the iron curtain between austria and hungary at the pan european picnic on 19 august 1989 set in motion a peaceful chain reaction, at the end of which there was no longer an east germany and the eastern bloc had disintegrated. after the picnic, which was based on an idea by otto von habsburg to test the reaction of the ussr and mikhail gorbachev to an opening of the border, tens of thousands of media informed east germans set off for hungary. erich honecker dictated to the daily mirror for the pan european picnic: "habsburg distributed leaflets far into poland, on which the east german holidaymakers were invited to a picnic. when they came to the picnic, they were given gifts, food and deutsche mark, and then they were persuaded to come to the west." the leadership of the gdr in east berlin did not dare to completely block the borders of their own country and the ussr did not respond at all. thus the bracket of the eastern bloc was broken.[2][3][4][5][6][7] following the summer of 1989, by early november refugees were finding their way to hungary via czechoslovakia or via the west german embassy in prague. on 30 september, following negotiations with east germany and the soviet union, the west german foreign minister hans dietrich genscher went to the prague embassy to personally inform the thousands of refugees that they were allowed to leave for west germany. his speech from the embassy's balcony, which included the line, "wir sind zu ihnen gekommen, um ihnen mitzuteilen, dass heute ihre ausreise..." ("we came to you, to let you know that today, your departure...") was met with loud cheers and jubilations. the next day, the first of the embassy refugees left prague for bavaria.[8][9] the emigration was initially tolerated because of long standing agreements with the communist czechoslovak government, allowing free travel across their common border. however, this movement of people grew so large it caused difficulties for both countries. in addition, east germany was struggling to meet loan payments on foreign borrowings; egon krenz sent alexander schalck golodkowski to unsuccessfully ask west germany for a short term loan to make interest payments.[10]: 344 the berlin wall was made up of two walls. both walls were 4 metres tall and had a length of 155 kilometres. they were separated by a mined corridor called the death strip. this strip was heavily guarded and included 302 watchtowers (by 1989). guards had authorisation to shoot people who attempted to go through this strip.[11][12] on 18 october 1989, longtime socialist unity party of germany (sed) leader erich honecker stepped down in favor of krenz. honecker had been seriously ill, and those looking to replace him were initially willing to wait for a "biological solution", but by october were convinced that the political and economic situation was too grave.[10]: 339 honecker approved the choice, naming krenz in his resignation speech,[13] and the volkskammer duly elected him. although krenz promised reforms in his first public speech,[14] he was considered by the east german public to be following his predecessor's policies, and public protests demanding his resignation continued.[10]: 347 despite promises of reform, public opposition to the regime continued to grow. on 1 november, krenz authorized the reopening of the border with czechoslovakia, which had been sealed to prevent east germans from fleeing to west germany.[15] on 4 november, the alexanderplatz demonstration took place.[16] on 6 november, the interior ministry published a draft of new travel regulations, which made cosmetic changes to honecker era rules, leaving the approval process opaque and maintaining uncertainty regarding access to foreign currency. the draft enraged ordinary citizens, and was denounced as "complete trash" by west berlin mayor walter momper.[17] hundreds of refugees crowded onto the steps of the west german embassy in prague, enraging the czechoslovaks, who threatened to seal off the east german czechoslovak border.[18] on 7 november, krenz approved the resignation of prime minister willi stoph and two thirds of the politburo; however, krenz was unanimously re elected as general secretary by the central committee.[10]: 341 on 19 october, krenz asked gerhard lauter to draft a new travel policy.[19] lauter was a former people's police officer. after rising rapidly through the ranks he had recently been promoted to a position with the interior ministry ("home office" / "department of the interior") as head of the department responsible for issuing passports and the registration of citizens.[20] on 8 november, the east german politburo enacted a portion of the draft travel regulations addressing permanent emigration immediately. initially, the politburo planned to create a special border crossing near schirnding specifically for this emigration.[21] however, interior ministry officials and stasi bureaucrats charged with drafting the new text concluded the proposal was not feasible, and instead crafted new text relating to both emigration and temporary travel. the revised text stipulated east german citizens could apply for permission to travel abroad, without having to meet the previous requirements for those trips.[22] to ease the difficulties, the krenz led politburo decided on 9 november refugees could exit directly through crossing points between east germany and west germany, including between east and west berlin. later the same day, the ministerial administration modified the proposal to include private, round trip, travel. the new regulations would take effect the next day.[23] zur veränderung der situation der ständigen ausreise von ddr bürgern nach der brd über die cssr wird festgelegt: 1) die verordnung vom 30. november 1988 über reisen von bürgern der ddr in das ausland (gbl. i nr. 25 s. 271) findet bis zur inkraftsetzung des neuen reisegesetzes keine anwendung mehr. 2) ab sofort treten folgende zeitweilige übergangsregelungen für reisen und ständige ausreisen aus der ddr in das ausland in kraft: a. privatreisen nach dem ausland können ohne vorliegen von voraussetzungen (reiseanlässe und verwandtschaftsverhältnisse) beantragt werden. die genehmigungen werden kurzfristig erteilt. versagungsgründe werden nur in besonderen ausnahmefällen angewandt. b. die zuständigen abteilungen paß  und meldewesen der vpkä in der ddr sind angewiesen, visa zur ständigen ausreise unverzüglich zu erteilen, ohne daß dafür noch geltende voraussetzungen für eine ständige ausreise vorliegen müssen. die antragstellung auf ständige ausreise ist wie bisher auch bei den abteilungen innere angelegenheiten möglich. c. ständige ausreisen können über alle grenzübergangsstellen der ddr zur brd bzw. zu berlin (west) erfolgen. d. damit entfällt die vorübergehend ermöglichte erteilung von entsprechenden genehmigungen in auslandsvertretungen der ddr bzw. die ständige ausreise mit dem personalausweis der ddr über drittstaaten. 3) über die zeitweiligen übergangsregelungen ist die beigefügte pressemitteilung am 10. november 1989 zu veröffentlichen. 1. the decree from 30 november 1988 about travel abroad of east german citizens will no longer be applied until the new travel law comes into force. 2. starting immediately, the following temporary transition regulations for travel abroad and permanent exits from east germany are in effect: a) applications by private individuals for travel abroad can now be made without the previously existing requirements (of demonstrating a need to travel or proving familial relationships). the travel authorizations will be issued within a short period of time. grounds for denial will only be applied in particularly exceptional cases. b) the responsible departments of passport and registration control in the people's police district offices in east germany are instructed to issue visas for permanent exit without delays and presentation of the existing requirements for permanent exit. it is still possible to apply for permanent exit in the departments for internal affairs [of the local district or city councils]. c) permanent exits are possible via all east german border crossings to west germany and (west) berlin. d) the temporary practice of issuing (travel) authorizations through east german consulates and permanent exit with only an east german personal identity card via third countries ceases. 3. the attached press release explaining the temporary transition regulation will be issued on 10 november. verantwortlich: regierungssprecher beim ministerrat der ddr berlin (adn) wie die presseabteilung des ministeriums des innern mitteilt, hat der ministerrat der ddr beschlossen, daß bis zum inkrafttreten einer entsprechenden gesetzlichen regelung durch die volkskammer folgende zeitweilige übergangsregelung für reisen und ständige ausreisen aus der ddr ins ausland in kraft gesetzt wird: 1. privatreisen nach dem ausland können ohne vorliegen von voraussetzungen (reiseanlässe und verwandtschaftsverhältnisse) beantragt werden. die genehmigungen werden kurzfristig erteilt. versagungsgründe werden nur in besonderen ausnahmefällen angewandt. 2. die zuständigen abteilungen paß  und meldewesen der vpkä in der ddr sind angewiesen, visa zur ständigen ausreise unverzüglich zu erteilen, ohne daß dafür noch geltende voraussetzungen für eine ständige ausreise vorliegen müssen. die antragstellung auf ständige ausreise ist wie bisher auch bei den abteilungen innere angelegenheiten möglich. 3. ständige ausreisen können über alle grenzübergangsstellen der ddr zur brd bzw. zu berlin (west) erfolgen. 4. damit entfällt die vorübergehend ermöglichte erteilung von entsprechenden genehmigungen in auslandsvertretungen der ddr bzw. die ständige ausreise mit dem personalausweis der ddr über drittstaaten. responsible: government spokesman of east germany; council of ministers berlin (adn) as the press office of the ministry of the interior has announced, the east german council of ministers has decided that the following temporary transition regulation for travel abroad and permanent exit from east germany will be effective until a corresponding law is put into effect by the volkskammer: 1) applications by private individuals for travel abroad can now be made without the previously existing requirements (of demonstrating a need to travel or proving familial relationships). the travel authorizations will be issued within a short period of time. grounds for denial will only be applied in particularly exceptional cases. 2) the responsible departments of passport and registration control in the people's police district offices in east germany are instructed to issue visas for permanent exit without delays and without presentation of the existing requirements for permanent exit. it is still possible to apply for permanent exit in the departments for internal affairs [of the local district or city councils]. 3) permanent exits are possible via all east german border crossings to west germany and (west) berlin. 4) this decision revokes the temporary practice of issuing (travel) authorizations through east german consulates and permanent exit with only an east german personal identity card via third countries ceases. the announcement of the regulations which brought down the wall took place at an hour long press conference led by günter schabowski, the outgoing party leader in east berlin and top party spokesman as secretary for information, beginning at 18:00 cet on 9 november and broadcast live on east german television and radio. schabowski was joined by minister of foreign trade gerhard beil and central committee members helga labs and manfred banaschak.[1][10]: 352 topics of the press conference included the results of votes at the central committee meeting, the surprising removal of sed bezirk first secretaries hans joachim böhme and werner walde, the sed's electoral and press reform plans and the new travel regulations. schabowski had not been involved in the discussions about the new regulations and had not been fully updated.[26] shortly before the press conference, he was handed a note from krenz announcing the changes, but given no further instructions on how to handle the information. the text stipulated that east german citizens could apply for permission to travel abroad without having to meet the previous requirements for those trips, and also allowed for permanent emigration between all border crossings including those between east and west berlin.[22] at 18:53, near the end of the press conference, ansa's riccardo ehrman asked if the draft travel law of 6 november was a mistake. schabowski gave a confusing answer that asserted it was necessary because west germany had exhausted its capacity to accept fleeing east germans, then remembered the note he had been given and added that a new regulation had been drafted to allow permanent emigration at any border crossing. this caused a stir in the room; amid several questions at once, schabowski expressed surprise that the reporters had not yet seen this regulation, and started reading from the note.[1] after this, a reporter, either ehrman or bild zeitung reporter peter brinkmann, both of whom were sitting in the front row at the press conference,[27][28][29] asked when the regulations would take effect.[1] after a few seconds' hesitation, schabowski replied, "as far as i know, it takes effect immediately, without delay" (german: das tritt nach meiner kenntnis ... ist das sofort ... unverzüglich).[30][31][10]: 352 this was an apparent assumption based on the note's opening paragraph; as beil attempted to interject that it was up to the council of ministers to decide when it took effect, schabowski proceeded to read this clause, which stated it was in effect until a law on the matter was passed by the volkskammer. crucially, a journalist then asked if the regulation also applied to the crossings to west berlin. schabowski shrugged and read item 3 of the note, which confirmed that it did.[1][28] after this exchange, daniel johnson of the daily telegraph asked what this law meant for the berlin wall. schabowski sat frozen before giving a rambling statement about the wall being tied to the larger disarmament question.[32][33] he then ended the press conference promptly at 19:00 as journalists hurried from the room.[28][1] after the press conference, schabowski sat for an interview with nbc news anchor tom brokaw in which he repeated that east germans would be able to emigrate through the border and the regulations would go into effect immediately.[34][35] the news began spreading immediately: the west german deutsche presse agentur issued a bulletin at 19:04 which reported that east german citizens would be able to cross the inner german border "immediately". excerpts from schabowski's press conference were broadcast on west germany's two main news programs that night at 19:17 on zdf's heute, which came on the air as the press conference was ending, and as the lead story at 20:00 on ard's tagesschau. as ard and zdf had broadcast to nearly all of east germany since the late 1950s, were far more widely viewed than the east german channels, and had become accepted by the east german authorities, this is how most of the population heard the news. later that night, on ard's tagesthemen, anchorman hanns joachim friedrichs proclaimed, "this 9 november is a historic day. the gdr has announced that, starting immediately, its borders are open to everyone. the gates in the wall stand open wide."[10]: 353 [26] in 2009, ehrman claimed that a member of the central committee had called him and urged him to ask about the travel law during the press conference, but schabowski called that absurd.[29] ehrman later recanted this statement in a 2014 interview with an austrian journalist, admitting that the caller was günter pötschke, head of the east german news agency adn, and he only asked if ehrman would attend the press conference.[36] despite the policy of state atheism in east germany, christian pastor christian führer had regularly met with his congregation at st. nicholas church for prayer since 1982.[37][38] over the next seven years the church's congregation grew, despite authorities' barricading the adjacent streets, and peaceful candlelit marches took place following its services.[37] the secret police issued death threats and even attacked some of the marchers, but the crowds still continued to gather.[37] on 9 october 1989, the police and army units were given permission to use force against those assembled, but this did not deter the church service and march from taking place, which gathered 70,000 people and in which not a single shot was fired.[37][38] after hearing the 9 november broadcast, east germans began gathering at the wall, at the six checkpoints between east and west berlin, demanding that border guards immediately open the gates.[26] the surprised and overwhelmed guards made many hectic telephone calls to their superiors about the problem. at first, they were ordered to find the "more aggressive" people gathered at the gates and stamp their passports with a special stamp that barred them from returning to east germany in effect, revoking their citizenship. however, this still left thousands of people demanding to be let through "as schabowski said we can".[10]: 353 it soon became clear that no one among the east german authorities would take personal responsibility for issuing orders to use lethal force, so the vastly outnumbered soldiers had no way to hold back the huge crowd of east german citizens. mary elise sarotte in a 2009 washington post story characterized the series of events leading to the fall of the wall as an accident, saying "one of the most momentous events of the past century was, in fact, an accident, a semicomical and bureaucratic mistake that owes as much to the western media as to the tides of history".[26] finally, at 22:45 (alternatively given as 23:30) on 9 november, harald jäger, commander of the bornholmer straße border crossing, yielded, allowing guards to open the checkpoints and let people through with little or no identity checking.[39][40] as the ossis swarmed through, they were greeted by wessis waiting with flowers and champagne amid wild rejoicing. soon afterward, a crowd of west berliners jumped on top of the wall and were soon joined by east german youngsters.[41] the evening of 9 november 1989 is known as the night the wall came down.[42] another border crossing to the south may have been opened earlier. an account by heinz schäfer indicates that he also acted independently and ordered the opening of the gate at waltersdorf rudow a couple of hours earlier.[43] this may explain reports of east berliners appearing in west berlin earlier than the opening of the bornholmer straße border crossing.[43] removal of the wall began on the evening of 9 november 1989 and continued over the following days and weeks, with people nicknamed mauerspechte (wallpeckers) using various tools to chip off souvenirs, demolishing lengthy parts in the process, and creating several unofficial border crossings.[44] in the season holidays this became a sort of international action. people from all over the western world went to west berlin and local youth provided a range of appropriate demolition tools. television coverage of citizens demolishing sections of the wall on 9 november was soon followed by the east german regime announcing ten new border crossings, including the historically significant locations of potsdamer platz, glienicker brücke, and bernauer straße. crowds gathered on both sides of the historic crossings waiting for hours to cheer the bulldozers that tore down portions of the wall to reconnect the divided roads. while the wall officially remained guarded at a decreasing intensity, new border crossings continued for some time. initially the east german border troops attempted repairing the damage done by the "wallpeckers"; gradually these attempts ceased, and guards became laxer, tolerating the increasing demolitions and "unauthorized" border crossing through the holes.[45] the brandenburg gate in the berlin wall was opened on 22 december 1989; on that date, west german chancellor helmut kohl walked through the gate and was greeted by east german prime minister hans modrow.[46] west germans and west berliners were allowed visa free travel starting 23 december.[45] until then, they could only visit east germany and east berlin under restrictive conditions that involved application for a visa several days or weeks in advance and obligatory exchange of at least 25 dm per day of their planned stay, all of which hindered spontaneous visits. thus, in the weeks between 9 november and 23 december, east germans could actually travel more freely than westerners.[45] on 13 june 1990, the east german border troops officially began dismantling the wall,[47][48] beginning in bernauer straße and around the mitte district. from there, demolition continued through prenzlauer berg/gesundbrunnen, heiligensee and throughout the city of berlin until december 1990. according to estimates by the border troops, a total of around 1.7 million tonnes of building rubble was produced by the demolition. unofficially, the demolition of the bornholmer straße crossing began because of construction work on the railway. this involved a total of 300 gdr border guards and after 3 october 1990 600 pioneers of the bundeswehr. these were equipped with 175 trucks, 65 cranes, 55 excavators and 13 bulldozers. virtually every road that was severed by the berlin wall, every road that once linked from west berlin to east berlin, was reconstructed and reopened by 1 august 1990. in berlin alone, 184 km (114 mi) of wall, 154 km (96 mi) border fence, 144 km (89 mi) signal systems and 87 km (54 mi) barrier ditches were removed. what remained were six sections that were to be preserved as a memorial. various military units dismantled the berlin/brandenburg border wall, completing the job in november 1991. painted wall segments with artistically valuable motifs were put up for auction in 1990 in berlin and monte carlo.[45] on 1 july 1990, the day east germany adopted the west german currency, all de jure border controls ceased, although the inter german border had become meaningless for some time before that.[49] the demolition of the wall was completed in 1994.[47] the fall of the wall marked the first critical step towards german reunification, which formally concluded a mere 339 days later on 3 october 1990 with the dissolution of east germany and the official reunification of the german state along the democratic lines of the west german basic law.[44] french president françois mitterrand and british prime minister margaret thatcher both opposed the eventual reunification of germany, fearing potential german designs on its neighbours using its increased strength. in september 1989, margaret thatcher privately confided to soviet general secretary mikhail gorbachev that she wanted the soviet leader to do what he could to stop it.[50][51] we do not want a united germany. this would lead to a change to postwar borders and we cannot allow that because such a development would undermine the stability of the whole international situation and could endanger our security, thatcher told gorbachev.[50] after the fall of the berlin wall, françois mitterrand warned thatcher that a unified germany could make more ground than adolf hitler ever had and that europe would have to bear the consequences.[52] on 21 november 1989, crosby, stills & nash performed the song "chippin' away" from graham nash's 1986 solo album innocent eyes in front of the brandenburg gate.[53] on 25 december 1989, leonard bernstein gave a concert in berlin celebrating the end of the wall, including beethoven's 9th symphony (ode to joy) with the word "joy" (freude) changed to "freedom" (freiheit) in the lyrics sung. the poet schiller may have originally written "freedom" and changed it to "joy" out of fear. the orchestra and choir were drawn from both east and west germany, as well as the united kingdom, france, the soviet union, and the united states.[54] on new year's eve 1989, david hasselhoff performed his song "looking for freedom" while standing atop the partly demolished wall in front of 200 000 people.[55] roger waters performed the pink floyd album the wall just north of potsdamer platz on 21 july 1990, with guests including scorpions, bryan adams, sinéad o'connor, cyndi lauper, thomas dolby, joni mitchell, marianne faithfull, levon helm, rick danko and van morrison.[56] over the years, there has been a repeated controversial debate[57] as to whether 9 november would make a suitable german national holiday, often initiated by former members of political opposition in east germany, such as werner schulz.[58] besides being the emotional apogee of east germany's peaceful revolution, 9 november is also the date of the 1918 abdication of kaiser wilhelm ii and declaration of the weimar republic, the first german republic. however, 9 november is also the anniversary of the execution of robert blum following the 1848 vienna revolts, the 1923 beer hall putsch and the infamous kristallnacht pogroms of the nazis in 1938. nobel laureate elie wiesel criticised the first euphoria, noting that "they forgot that 9 november has already entered into history 51 years earlier it marked the kristallnacht."[59] as reunification was not official and complete until 3 october (1990), that day was finally chosen as german unity day. on 9 november 1999, the 10th anniversary was observed with a concert and fireworks at the brandenburg gate. russian cellist mstislav rostropovich played music by johann sebastian bach, while german rock band scorpions performed their 1990 song wind of change. wreaths were placed for victims shot down when they attempted to escape to the west, and politicians delivered speeches.[60][61] on 9 november 2009, berlin celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall with a "festival of freedom" with dignitaries from around the world in attendance for an evening celebration around the brandenburg gate. a high point was when over 1,000 colourfully designed foam domino tiles, each over 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, that were stacked along the former route of the wall in the city center were toppled in stages, converging in front of the brandenburg gate.[62] a berlin twitter wall was set up to allow twitter users to post messages commemorating the 20th anniversary. the chinese government quickly shut down access to the twitter wall after internet users in china began using it to protest the great firewall.[63][64][65] in the united states, the german embassy coordinated a public diplomacy campaign with the motto "freedom without walls", to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. the campaign was focused on promoting awareness of the fall of the berlin wall among current college students. students at over 30 universities participated in "freedom without walls" events in late 2009. first place winner of the freedom without walls speaking contest[66] robert cannon received a free trip to berlin for 2010.[67] an international project called mauerreise (journey of the wall) took place in various countries. twenty symbolic wall bricks were sent from berlin starting in may 2009, with the destinations being korea, cyprus, yemen, and other places where everyday life is characterised by division and border experience. in these places, the bricks would become a blank canvas for artists, intellectuals and young people to tackle the "wall" phenomenon.[68] to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall, the 3d online virtual world twinity reconstructed a true to scale section of the wall in virtual berlin.[69] the mtv europe music awards, on 5 november, had u2 and tokio hotel perform songs dedicated to and about the berlin wall. u2 performed at the brandenburg gate, and tokio hotel performed "world behind my wall". palestinians in the town of kalandia, west bank pulled down parts of the israeli west bank barrier, in a demonstration marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall.[70] the international spy museum in washington d.c., hosted a trabant car rally where 20 trabants gathered in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. rides were raffled every half hour and a trabant crashed through a berlin wall mock up. the trabant was the east german people's car that many used to leave ddr after the collapse.[71][72] the allied museum in the dahlem district of berlin hosted a number of events to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. the museum held a special exhibition entitled "wall patrol   the western powers and the berlin wall 1961 1990" which focused on the daily patrols deployed by the western powers to observe the situation along the berlin wall and the fortifications on the gdr border.[73] a sheet of "americans in berlin" commemorative cinderella stamps designed by t.h.e. hill was presented to the museum by david guerra, berlin veteran and webmaster of the site www.berlinbrigade.com.[74] berlin planned a week long arts festival from 4 to 10 november 2019 and a citywide music festival on 9 november to celebrate the 30th anniversary.[75][76] on 4 november, outdoor exhibits opened at alexanderplatz, the brandenburg gate, the east side gallery, gethsemane church, kurfürstendamm, schlossplatz, and the former stasi headquarters in lichtenberg.[76] a small minority still support the wall or even support rebuilding the wall back up. in 2008 a poll found that 11% of participants from the former west berlin and 12% from the former east berlin said it would be better if the wall was still in place.[77] a november 2009 poll found that 12% of germans said the wall should be rebuilt. the poll also found that in the former west german states support was at 12% and in the former east german states it was 13%. a september 2009 poll found 15% of germans supported a wall, while in the west it was 16% and in the east it was at 10%.[78][79] a 2010 poll from emnid for bild, found that 24% of west germans and 23% of east germans wished for the wall still being in place.[80][81][82][83] a 2019 poll from berliner zeitung on the 30th anniversary, found that 8% of berliners supported the idea if the wall was still standing, the overwhelming majority of berliners at 87% however supported the fall of the wall. the poll also found that 28% of the alternative for germany (afd) and 16% of free democratic party (fdp) supporters supported bringing back the wall.[84] a 2019 yougov poll found that 13% of germans wanted the wall back, in the west support was at 14% and in the east it was 13%.[85] a 2019 poll from forsa found 35% of berliners thought the construction of the wall was not so wrong with supporters of the left party die linke at 74%.[86]
supported by contests to participate, submit your response here by june 28 at 9 a.m. eastern. this week’s winners will be announced by july 10. by the learning network welcome to the third week of our 15th annual summer reading contest. every week for 10 weeks this summer we’re asking students “what got your attention in the new york times this week? why?” to participate in week 3, choose something to read, watch or listen to in the times and submit a response that answers those questions by 9 a.m. eastern on june 28. you can choose anything that was published in the print paper or on nytimes.com in 2024, including articles, photos, essays, videos, podcasts or graphics. we hope you’ll click around to find your own great pieces, but we also know that not everyone who participates has a times subscription so, each week, you’ll find dozens of free links to interesting articles, features and multimedia below. students are invited to submit responses in the form of a 250 word comment or a 90 second video. please see the requirements for each type of response below and read the full rules and guidelines in our contest announcement before making your submissions. your responses will be read by new york times journalists and staff, as well as educators from around the world. we’ll choose at least one favorite answer to feature on our site each week. winners from week 3 will be announced by july 10. what did you read, watch or listen to in the times this week? you can respond to anything that was published online at nytimes.com, including all the sports coverage in the athletic, or in the print paper in 2024, but, if you don’t have a subscription, here are some stories you can access through this page for free: surgeon general calls for warning labels on social media platforms putin and kim revive cold war pledge, vowing mutual support against ‘aggression’

supported by we asked, “what can you show or tell us to help explain what it’s like to grow up in this political moment?” students from around the world responded with powerful art and writing. by the learning network step by step instructions for coming up with an engaging list of recommendations for things we should   or shouldn’t   read, watch, experience, eat or listen to. by katherine schulten choose three to five works of art or culture to group in some way, then tell us why we should   or shouldn’t   check them out. contest dates: jan. 15 feb. 12, 2025. by the learning network for the second year in a row, we invite students to document the local, offline communities that interest them. contest dates: dec. 4, 2024, to jan. 15, 2025.