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What Georgia's governor outlined in his final State of the State
Credit: Bob Andres
Gov. Nathan Deal addresses the Georgia Chamber's Eggs & Issues breakfast on Wednesday. He's called for a "clean" adoption bill. A Senate committee passed out one that contains language he vetoed last year. BOB ANDRES /BANDRES@AJC.COM
By Greg Bluestein, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Nathan Deal had one eye on his last year in office and the other on his past seven in his final State of the State address, giving an emotional speech Thursday that had more to do with burnishing his legacy than laying out his last-ditch initiatives.
The Republican echoed his last seven speeches to the General Assembly, unfurling a shiningly optimistic vision of an "exceptional" Georgia. But he devoted most of the speech to the past: his criminal justice overhaul, his education initiatives, his business-friendly agenda.
Fighting back tears throughout his address, he talked of the vast changes in Georgia politics since his first address in 2011, when fewer than half of the legislators in the audience Thursday were in office.
Read the full story here: Georgia governor's final State of the State address looks back - and looks forward
Here's what's on his agenda:
Civil and criminal justice: The governor endorsed a constitutional amendment that would create a new statewide business court system, which he said would help more speedily resolve litigation involving firms with specialized judges. He's also likely to back legislation that would counter a landmark Georgia Supreme Court ruling that effectively bars residents from suing the state when trying to overturn a law they believe is unconstitutional. Read more about it here.
Infrastructure spending: He will put $35 million more in the state budget to deepen Savannah's harbor to prepare for a new wave of ships docking at the bustling port. And he also wants to spend $25 million for improvements and expansions in rural airports. Read more about it here.
Amazon: The state is expected to offer an unprecedented package of incentives to lure Amazon's second headquarters. But the governor said he's prepared to call a special session to hash out the state's lucrative offering – if the tech giant lists Georgia as a top-three contender. Read more about it here.
Budget: The governor's budget proposal will be about $26 billion in state revenue - and around $50 billion with federal funding – and will touch the lives of millions of Georgians. He's set to reach his goal of a rainy day reserve fund that hovers around $2.5 billion when he leaves office, and the state will pump $350 million to $375 million more into the pension fund next year. But the state's budget growth gives him little room for other maneuvering. Read more about it here.
Cyber-Security: The governor has touted the growing cybersecurity center on the outskirts of downtown Augusta. He announced the second phase of the project this month, breaking ground on a $35 million addition which is to be built a few steps from the $60 million centerpiece that is still under construction. Read more about it here.
Religious liberty: He's warned repeatedly that he won't back any "religious liberty" legislation – and that he won't hesitate to wield the veto pen again like he did in 2016. His aides have also warned that even reviving the debate could harm the state's bid for the Amazon project. Read more about it here.
Legacy: The governor used a key speech this week to warn the seven contenders seeking to succeed him that "if you begin firing shots, just remember that we have the ammunition." It was a calculated warning to his would be successors not to take jabs at his track record after two terms in office. "There's nothing lame about this duck," Deal said.
Here's his entire speech:
This marks the eighth and final time that I come before you to report on the state of our state. In preparing to do so, I thought back on all the challenges we have faced over the better part of this past decade and all the successes we have achieved together. I considered the plans we have set into motion that will carry us well into the next decade and beyond.
I looked back on where we started in 2011, when only 111 of the 236 legislators here today were serving in this General Assembly, and was very pleased to see just how far we have come. And now, as we embark on a year of transition and set our gaze to what the future will hold, I am reminded of a parable of sorts passed down from the times of ancient Israel – one that each new generation and many different civilizations have adopted over the centuries.
As the story goes, there was once an older man who went out one day and planted a tree in his yard. A neighbor passing by saw what he was doing, stopped, shook his head, began to laugh, and said, "Old man, you are a fool. What good will it do you to plant a tree now that you are so old? You will not live long enough to be able to sit under the shade of that tree or enjoy its fruit."
The old man rose from his knees, looked at his neighbor and replied, "I am not planting this tree for me. I am planting it for those who come after me. Some day, they will come here during the heat of the day and be cooled by the shade of this tree. When I was a small child, I could eat fruit because those who came before me had planted trees. Am I not required to do the same for the next generation?"
Over the past seven years, we have endeavored to plant whole orchards of opportunity, some of which will not bear their largest fruits until those who come after us are sitting where you sit now. We have done so not only to bring Georgia out of the Great Recession and make our people prosperous once again, but also to ensure that our children and grandchildren will live in a thriving, safe and resilient state that they can be proud to call home… A place where hard work can lead to fulfillment of a life's dream.
Seven years ago, Georgia's unemployment rate stood at 10.4 percent. Since then, we have created roughly 675,000 new, private sector jobs and our unemployment rate is at its lowest level in over 10 years at just 4.3 percent. And on top of it all, we have been named the No. 1 state in which to do business for the fifth consecutive year.
Just this past fiscal year alone, the Georgia Department of Economic Development's Global Commerce team helped to generate $6.33 billion in investment.
That outstanding growth is a result of 377 expansions and locations that cover every region of the state. Many people think that economic development projects are only happening in the Metro Atlanta region, but in fact, 80 percent of fiscal year 2017 locations took place outside the Metro Atlanta region. Our dedication is to the whole state, and the results of our top-ranked Department of Economic Development bear that out.
We have with us today all three of the commissioners who have led that agency during my time as your governor: Chris Cummiskey, Chris Carr and Pat Wilson. Will you gentlemen please stand and allow us to thank you for the exceptional work you have done over these past seven years?
As we consider the achievements of their respective dedicated teams, we should also take note of a tree we "re-planted" – you might say – which has taken deep root in recent years and borne greater and greater harvests with each passing year. I am referring to the film production industry.
Just ten years ago, this industry generated $241 million in economic impact for the state. This past fiscal year alone, it generated $9.5 billion in economic impact. That's quite impressive growth for this tree of opportunity.
So great have our gains been that in 2016, Georgia was named the No. 1 filming location for the most successful movies.
Our growing Georgia Film Academy and list of studios in the state will also ensure that this year's production industry impact will break even more records. In just two years, roughly 1,900 students have utilized Film Academy courses and a further 625 students are currently enrolled for this semester. So effective is this program, which now spans 13 University and Technical College System partners, that it has quickly become known as the "gold standard" in film and television production workforce training. In fact, when other states and countries around the world seek out guidance on building their own film production workforce, the Motion Picture Association of America now directs them to the Georgia Film Academy.
That same association tells us that the film industry is responsible for more than 92,000 jobs in the state. These are high-quality jobs, with an average salary of nearly $84,000 - 75 percent higher than the average salary in the nation.
More than 200 new companies have located in the state to support this blossoming industry. These businesses and the infrastructure they build are what create permanent jobs for costume and set designers, electricians, camera operators, actors and other skilled industry professionals.
We seek to make Georgia a leader in all industries, however, which is why we have invested so much into our K-12 education system, because we know that the students of today are the workforce of tomorrow. As the man in our parable remarked, "When I was a small child, I could eat fruit because those who came before me had planted trees. Am I not required to do the same for the next generation?"
For however long we are granted the privilege of serving our fellow Georgians, we must strive to do the same. And so I would like to highlight the orchards of opportunity we have planted together that have the most far-reaching impact on our state – those that affect Georgia's youngest citizens directly.
We have increased education spending by $3.6 billion dollars over the last seven years, which includes my final budget proposal, making the total education expenditure during my time as governor roughly $14 billion. No other administration in Georgia history has planted so many trees of knowledge.
One such tree we planted this past year is the Sandra Dunagan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy at the Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. It is a training and research center that focuses on children from birth to third grade – perhaps the most critical period of any child's development and education. It is during this window of opportunity that we can best lay down a strong, enduring foundation for all other aspects of a student's academic career. If we fail to reach Georgia's youngest minds during that time, if we fail to get them reading on grade level by the end of third grade, they are much more likely to fall behind, both in the classroom and the life that awaits them beyond.
So I want to take this opportunity to recognize and thank one of the greatest standard-bearers of this issue of childhood literacy that Georgia has ever been blessed to have. She is a loving mother of four and a grandmother of six who spent much of her life in the classroom as one of our state's many dedicated educators. When our parents grew older and endured poor health, she invited them into our home, where they lived for many years. She looked after them and provided for every one of their needs. Her kindness is genuine and powerful. To those in her company, it is infectious; and it has touched countless hearts over the years, especially mine over the past 51 years that I have been blessed to call her my wife.
The English author Godfrey Winn wrote, "No man succeeds without a good woman beside him. Wife or mother. If it is both, he is twice blessed indeed." I am one of those individuals who has been twice blessed indeed to have such a magnificent partner, friend, wife, and mother stand beside me all these years. What joys I have been privileged to have in this life and this profession are thanks in no small part to her generosity and effort.
Her passion has always been and continues to be improving the lives of children. When she became the First Lady of our state, her efforts to improve child welfare and educational opportunities did not stop, they only grew and took on new forms. I can tell you that she has visited all 159 counties, some of them multiple times, and all 181 school districts. In total, she has made 834 school visits, to date, and has no plans of slowing down.
But the real importance of those numbers can only be understood if you have the pleasure of seeing her in the classroom. She doesn't just visit a school for a handshake with the principal and a photo. She reads to the children. She listens to them intently. She hugs them the way only mothers and grandmothers seem to know how to do, so that they know they are loved.
In fact, those children usually send her letters thanking her for visiting. Those little tokens of appreciation are often written in crayon, and we receive whole bundles of them regularly. In one such package was a letter from a student in an early grade who wrote to Sandra and said, "thank you for visiting my school and thank you for running the State of Georgia."
My wife made certain that I saw that letter. She said she wanted me to know of that student's appreciation for her real job.
Will you join me in recognizing this woman who is a First Lady in every respect of the word?
When I took office in 2011, there were many dilemmas facing this state. And so before we even began to plant new orchards of opportunity in the fertile ground of Georgia, we went about the business of saving those trees which were in danger of being felled by the economic downturn. One of the most critical was our HOPE Scholarship and Grant programs, which were on the cusp of bankruptcy. This legacy of a man who impacted Georgia perhaps more than anyone else in the latter portion of the 20th century – Governor Zell Miller – was one of the most generous merit-based scholarship programs in the country when it was created. It continues to be so today because of the reforms we put into place seven years ago.
Because we did the difficult but necessary work of saving that tree of opportunity, many more students will sit under its shade in the years to come and benefit from its fruit of higher education, whether in the form of a certificate, associate's degree, or a bachelor's degree.
Our public colleges and universities have been, and will continue to be, a source of pride. In fact, according to the 2018 U.S. News & World Report public school rankings, Georgia is currently one of only three states to have more than one higher education institution in the top 20.
Our state will depend on the continued production of quality graduates from these types of institutions if we want to preserve our educated, trained and sustained workforce. In order for us to achieve that goal, we must have workers who possess the requisite knowledge and skills for the jobs of today and the future. Some of those jobs will require a college degree. Others will require certifications and more specialized degrees from a technical school. We need both our University and Technical College Systems to remain competitive, and I am happy to report that both have adjusted their degree and training programs to meet the needs of our state's diverse economic climate.
With us today is the new Commissioner of our Technical College System, Matt Arthur, who also helped to lead the University of Georgia Bulldogs to their 1980 national championship as an offensive lineman. Matt, in recognition of your leadership in the arena and the field of education, will you please stand and be recognized?
While we continue to support and expand the opportunities within our university system, I have also been pleased that in recent years, we have added certificate and degree programs within our Technical College System that provide a solution for the problems we faced coming out of the Great Recession. At the height of our unemployment rate, I asked the employers of our state: "can you find proper candidates here in Georgia for the open positions in your company?" Their answer was often a very loud "no."
So we created a program, known as the HOPE Career Grant, which covers 100 percent of tuition for technical school students who enroll in one of Georgia's strategic industry, high-demand fields. Although this program is only a few years old, it is already bearing exceptional fruit. In fact, of those students who take advantage of this resource, 99.2 percent find employment upon completion of their training and studies.
That is why I was proud to grow that forest of potential by adding five new categories to that incredibly successful program. As of 10 days ago, we now have 17 specific fields that allow our employers to answer "yes" when I ask them whether they can find qualified candidates for open jobs.
Throughout our state, at all 22 TCSG campuses, we have pockets of excellence in terms of economic development. In order to better leverage those tools, I am happy to announce that we will create a new Deputy Commissioner position within our Technical College System. This individual will develop and maintain a unified process with our 22 campuses, the University System, and the Department of Economic Development in terms of how those campuses interact with companies here in Georgia. This will create an organized and seamless effort to assist existing businesses that can benefit from TCSG's training in an ever-changing and evolving marketplace.
I would like to introduce you to the woman who will fill that new Deputy Commissioner role, who happens to be with us in the gallery today. Laura Gammage, would you please stand and allow us to recognize you for the important job you are undertaking?
To further aid those coming into our workforce or those seeking new opportunities, we will also be moving our state's Division of Workforce Development to the Technical College System. In addition, we will be relocating the state's customized recruitment office to TCSG, further consolidating these separate workforce development components into a more cohesive and workable system.
Our Technical College system is a resource whose benefits to the entire state will only increase as the number of students increases. In light of the fact that 30 percent of Georgia's high school students choose not to pursue further education or training opportunities once they graduate, we initiated a broad marketing campaign over this past year that showcases all that a technical college has to offer. It is already producing great results, reaching young adults throughout this state who would not have previously considered a career opportunity at one of our technical colleges.
To build on that success, my proposed budget includes an additional $1 million for this campaign so that we can strategically market the colleges throughout Georgia.
I want to share with you some of those fruits of our labor today. So please direct your attention to the following videos that feature students telling us about the great opportunities available through TCSG. You will also hear from a young man whose life journey was significantly altered by specialized training offered through TCSG.
Video 1: "Next"
Video 2: "Dual"
Video 3: Interview with Joshua Hutchinson
We're pleased to have Joshua Hutchinson with us today, along with his welding instructor, Scott Eidson. Will you both please stand so that we can recognize your hard work?
Joshua, and others like him around the state, are why I am adding $1 million in my amended budget proposal to fund two mobile labs that will further enhance our already successful TCSG welding program.
Yet another area where we are planting saplings that will soon cover our entire state is in the field of transportation.
Three years ago, I asked the General Assembly to act boldly and provide a means of transportation funding capable of addressing our aging infrastructure. Because of your brave action and bipartisan support, we were able to make the first meaningful transportation investments in an entire generation through projects sprouting up throughout Georgia.
Thanks to the Transportation Funding Act, we are preparing for future generations and the sustained growth we're seeing throughout the state through our unprecedented 10-year, $11 billion transportation investment plan.
Speaking of highway infrastructure, the last time I spoke in this chamber was on Sine Die of the last session. So let me take this opportunity to ask that you please refrain from setting any fires on your way out of town this year?
Of the many men and women throughout Georgia we have to thank for our transportation improvements, there is one in particular who deserves our gratitude for making our Department of Transportation the most capable and cutting-edge in the country.
We are fortunate to have that man with us today, so I would like to ask that Commissioner Russell McMurry stand as we give him a round of applause for his contributions.
Over the past seven years, we have partnered together on many great undertakings that now serve as the standard for other states to emulate. One of the proudest has been our overwhelmingly successful and bipartisan criminal justice reforms. This is a tree well-planted, and one that is changing lives for the better every day.
We are also doing what so many thought impossible only a decade ago: offering those who have made mistakes and are willing to work hard to correct them a second chance through our accountability courts. The roots of this growing system have taken time to grow, having met obstacles in the soil along the way. But they have proven to be some of the most effective components of our overall criminal justice reforms.
Individuals whose lives were once controlled by addictions are now able to reclaim forfeited potential, reconnect with their children, retain employment and contribute as taxpaying citizens, and restore hope for a brighter tomorrow.
If you do not think this makes a difference, I invite you to attend an accountability court graduation. You will find that your money has been well spent.
From the time we first began our criminal justice reforms, the number of state-funded accountability court programs has increased from just 12 to 149. I am happy to report that every one of our 49 judicial circuits now has at least one type of accountability court in operation.
When we consider the savings to all Georgians - in the form of lower public expenditures, lower rates of crime, and lives made whole - our criminal justice reforms, especially our education and reentry initiatives, have been well worth the investment. This tree of reform and redemption has taken root quickly and is growing new branches of reclaimed opportunity every day. It is now greater than any other tree of its kind in the nation, and one that will continue to put Georgia at the pinnacle of this issue.
We would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to thank all those who had a hand in the planting of our criminal justice reform tree. If you have been a member of the Criminal Justice Reform Council, would you please stand and be recognized?
The members of the General Assembly have almost unanimously supported this Council's recommendations over the past six years. This year, we will be asking you to favorably consider more of their recommended reforms, further enhancing our public safety.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of addressing Georgia's newest troopers who graduated from the 101st Trooper School – a fitting conclusion to the 80th anniversary of the Georgia State Patrol. These men and women of courage who wear a badge and vest each day in service to their fellow citizens help make our communities safer places to call home. Along with our local police officers, GBI personnel, DNR rangers, corrections and parole officers, and our National Guardsmen, they protect our lives and property.
It is because of their valor and remarkable devotion to duty that we as Georgians can live in a safer state. These everyday heroes are the ones who protect our trees of opportunity and ensure that they can grow unabated for future generations to enjoy.
Will you join me in recognizing that valued service?
This past year, we planted a tree of hope for families that confront mental health issues. My office created a Commission on Children's Mental Health last June, charged with providing recommendations on improving state mental health services for our children.
I can now tell you that the Commission's report has been received and my budget proposal includes $22.9 million in funding based on their recommendations.
This is neither an obituary nor a farewell address, but it is the last time I will have the opportunity to address all of you in this formal setting. We have much work to do during this session. I will work vigorously with you during this year to continue to polish the apples we are harvesting.
In a little over a year's time, Sandra and I will depart from public life after almost four decades of service to the people of this state. But others in this chamber and beyond will continue to have great opportunities to serve their fellow Georgians.
As you do so, I urge you not to neglect the trees and orchards we have planted over these past seven years. What we do in this historic building, the actions we take in these chambers of service, the choices we make while in positions of elected authority must be for the betterment of all Georgians.
We must adopt the same mindset and gaze as the pecan farmer in South Georgia who plants a tree and knows that its growth is well worth the decades of careful attention it will take to nurture it to its greatest heights… Just as a parent does the same for a child.
That is who we have planted these trees for: our children and grandchildren. They are who we must call to mind with every bill presented, with every vote cast, and with every campaign announcement. Will our actions help or hinder those who come after us?
My administration and I have worked diligently these past seven years to serve our fellow citizens. We have work yet to do in this final year, but soon we will look to you, ladies and gentlemen, to water and tend the orchards of opportunity we have planted together and to continue planting seeds and saplings of potential – not for personal gain, but for those who will in future years come during the heat of the Georgia day and be cooled by the shade of those trees.
And now, in these last moments I have with you today, I want to say how very thankful I am for your partnership over these years. A little more than half of the legislators here today were not in office when I gave my first State of the State address in 2011. Yet whether it was with old partners or new, we have still worked together these past seven years to make Georgia the No. 1 place for business five times over, the leader in so many pressing areas of our time, and the state where so many want to live, learn, and raise their families.
I also want to thank all those in the executive branch who have served so diligently to improve the lives of our fellow citizens and fulfill our constitutional responsibilities. From our agency heads and commissioners on down to our leadership teams, support staff, compassionate caseworkers, officers, and all state workers – thank you for what you do to make our state more prosperous, secure, educated, and free.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my senior staff, both past and present, who have given so much of themselves over these past seven years for the betterment of others. Some have gone on to serve their fellow Georgians in other capacities, while others have remained with me since the very beginning of my term. Some have even been with me for decades…
They have become an extension of my family, and to them I say: Sandra and I will always cherish what you have done for us and what you mean to us.
Finally, I want to speak directly to the people of Georgia. Words alone are incapable of expressing how grateful I am that you have allowed Sandra and me to serve you. It has been the honor of a lifetime to travel every part of this state and to marvel at the character, fortitude and talent of our people. The achievements we have enjoyed are ultimately the result of your hard work and perseverance.
Thank you for putting your trust in us. Thank you for your kindness, your support, your encouragement and your prayers.
Today, I can say with great authority that the State of our State is not just strong, it is exceptional!
I close with the words from my first Inaugural Address in 2011:
"Let us refocus State Government on its core responsibilities and relieve our taxpayers of the burden of unnecessary programs. Let us be frugal and wise. Let us restore the confidence of our citizens in a government that is limited and efficient. Together, let us make Georgia the brightest star in the constellation of these United States."
As we stand beneath the trees and orchards of opportunity we have planted and look up to the heavens, we see that the light of our star now shines brightest of all, and that light will endure and not fade away…
Greg Bluestein
Greg Bluestein is a political reporter who covers the governor's office and state politics for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Fictional flesh on real bones
Napoleon's Willow
by Joan Norlev Taylor
This is a delightful historical novel set mainly in New Zealand in the first half of the nineteenth century, as Europeans with different backgrounds and conflicting loyalties attempt a land grab. The author has methodically researched historical facts and characters. By blending this with fiction and superstition she has created a story that makes history come alive and takes us on an emotional journey into the founding of the Akaroa settlement in what is now known as Banks Peninsula.
The story evolves through two characters. The first is a French artisan from a lowly background fired with enthusiasm for the Napoleonic values of liberty, equality and fraternity. After Napoleon's defeat he has been forced to watch France and Europe slip back into a hierarchy that required ignorance and poverty to survive. Determined to plant the shoots of enlightenment in the new world, he joins a whaling ship.
The second lead character is part English and part French. She is pregnant, dumped and a potential victim of prudish British social attitudes. Misfortune follows her escape to sea and Australia. But she finds work as a nanny and dreams of working with the Catholic church and buying a plot of land to start a school. But the new land isn't a clean sheet of paper where people can write their own future. It is a molten alloy of European prejudice, religious intrigue and traditional Maori values.
The book is well written and presented. I recommend it to anyone interested in an intriguing insight into the formation of our nation.
Review by Peter Thomas
Title: Napoleon's Willow
Author: Joan Norlev Taylor
Publisher: RSVP Publishing
Available: in print in/via bookshops, print and e-book from Amazon, and directly from the publisher RSVP Publishing (Auckland)
Literal road trip to musical places
A Road Tour of American Song Titles – From Mendocino to Memphis
by Karl Du Fresne
Amarillo, Muskogee, San José, Wichita, Galveston ... these American place names are so ingrained in our cultural cache, even here in New Zealand.
In A Road Tour of American Song Titles – From Mendocino to Memphis, author Karl Du Fresne takes a literal road trip through the towns and cities that feature in some of the most recognisable songs of the last century.
He asks the question most of us have probably not thought to ask – why are so many songs written about or after places in America? He concludes that it's three-fold. Firstly, in some cases, it's as simple as the place name rhyming with a key word in the song title – Amarillo, pillow – but also, that some of the places are really quite off the beaten track and therefore lack the glamour of the classic tourist destinations of say, New York and Los Angeles (and indeed, Du Fresne covers five places in the state of California, none of them the expected pitstops). In fact some of the towns evoke a sense of isolation, decay, desolation which make fantastic material for songs. Thirdly, Du Fresne explains that there's an "indefinable" mystique to these places, perhaps a kind of romance, even though not all of the songs have happy endings.
The premise of a road-trip travelogue is not new, but what this book offers differs a little from the usual eating-and-drinking travel extravaganza. The author's research is impeccable and it's hard not to become absorbed in the depth of this even from the first chapter, "Walking to New Orleans". Here, as an example of that contextualising of the music, the author covers the influence of French and African culture on this city, and its proximity to the Caribbean too. The surprise fact in all of this is that the rock and roll (or thereabouts) music of Fats Domino pre-dates that of Bill Haley, who is widely accepted as the having performed the first rock and roll song. Du Fresne is also able to describe musical styles and instrumentation in some depth, but if that becomes all too much for a reader, he also describes some of the eateries and local fare and there's plenty of historical referencing too. There's also plenty of biographical detail about the artists.
Du Fresne has given the book a real emotional centre – he loves these songs. He also hooks into the idea that aspects of American culture, and the lowbrow, anti-intellectual nature of the songs, reveals a really attractive, folksy side of an America that we don't often see promoted.
Who would like this book? Certainly, music buffs, or budding ones at least. Music, the writers, and musicians are the core of this work. Secondary to that it would appeal to would-be travellers who were keen to stay out of the main centres. It would also appeal to readers who want a fresh perspective on some of the greatest songs ever written. The overarching tone of the book is 'wide-eyed', as the author drinks in what make these songs tick.
Review by Katherine Stewart
Title: A Road Tour of American Song Titles – From Mendocino to Memphis
Author: Karl Du Fresne
Publisher: Bateman
Fast-paced book
by P J Fry
This is a love story set around the Arab–Israeli war of 1967. The couple at the centre are Captain John Ferris a New Zealand army captain serving as a UN military observer on the Israeli–Lebanon border, and Leila, a Palestinian woman he meets while rescuing a child from a burning building.
Their relationship grows in the midst of the confusion and violence of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, but must remain secret because the UN observers are forbidden to show any bias or favouritism towards either side. They make plans to marry and travel to New Zealand to start a new life together, however the conflict has other plans for them. It is a story that reveals the suffering endured by the Lebanese and Palestinians during the fighting that devastated their country. It is a tale related by someone who has clearly experienced the region and its difficulties first hand.
John Ferris risks his military career by continuing to meet Leila, but she takes a far greater risk, as discovery of her relationship by the PLO or her own brothers would mean disaster for her. Her mother also plays a significant role in the story, disapproving at first, but finally accepting that marrying John would mean a much better life for her daughter. However, nothing is easy at that time in Lebanon. The couple are caught up in the confusion of the conflict, and the final outcome is really unexpected.
The author has been a New Zealand army captain who served the UN as an observer in the Middle East and in East Timor, and this military experience makes the battle sequences seem very realistic and vivid. One thing it impressed upon me was the danger that the unarmed UN observers were exposed to, and the isolation they experienced while doing their job on the border between Israel and Lebanon. At the time of the Israeli invasion there were only 15 of them in small observation posts stretched out across the whole country. They were in constant danger of attack by Israelis who did not want them there, or PLO soldiers who saw them as a source of money and took every opportunity to rob them at gunpoint. Being unarmed they had no defence against either side.
This is a fast-paced book, which captured my attention early on and did not release it until the end. I was grateful for the map at the front of the book and found myself turning to it many times, just to visualise where the action was.
If there is one criticism, it is that the relationship between the couple develops a little too quickly to be believable. However, I really enjoyed the book and can confidently recommend it to anyone.
Title: Ladder to the Moon
Author: P.J. Fry
Publisher: Longview
Images speak for themselves
HOPE: In the Hands of Fatima
Christine Spring
This is a book of images and portraits with a message concerning the plight of Syrian refugees marooned in Lebanon.
H.O.P.E. is an acronym for the UNICEF programme which assists the refugee camps, and is also the basis for the structure of this hard-covered book. The design revolves around shades of blue, and a motif of outstretched hands, reflecting the concept of the Hand of Fatima, which is explained towards the end of the book. Colours abound in the photography, especially in the blue and violet habibs worn by the Syrian women, but also in the western brand clothing of the kids.
Christine Spring joined Mike McRoberts and cameraman, and Sonny Bill Williams, for the visit. But any celebrity aspect is not highlighted, other than a few introductory shots of the film crew, and some later ones showing SBW listening and learning.
One of the best shots of the group shows the kiwi blokes looking over some refugees towards a Syrian woman in black and purple dress carrying a cast iron or metal fitting on her head, and oblivious to the arrival of the westerners. On the opposite page is a photo of a boy poised on a tyre in the middle of a stream full of various forms of waste and discarded objects, while groups of women and children sit on the bank above. The latter image could have been spread over two pages of the layout, but most choices for the size of the images seem about right, if not always in the best sequencing possible.
Most of the later images are close-ups of children as individuals, in a group, or with their mothers. This is effective but somehow also intrusive.
I do have a couple of critical points. Even though there is a structure to the book, and clear sections, there is no contents page. And in trying to keep to the H.O.P.E. themes there is a bit of a sacrifice for what could have been a more effective photo-essay. I also think that the 'Hands of Fatima' concept could have been placed at the beginning rather than near the end. And there is also a caption of sorts for every photograph, with some relatively long explanations. This might help a younger reader, but seems rather unnecessary at times, as some of the images speak for themselves. After certain aspects of the life in the camp are explained, and cultural practices examined, I think that the reader can draw their own conclusions without a rhetorical question.
This book is well worth a look, but probably best used in an educational setting.
Review by S A Boyce
Title: HOPE In the Hands of Fatima
Author: Christine Spring
Publisher: Beatnik
Sensitive handling of serious subject
When the Roller Coaster Stops
by Susan Tarr
Although it is 29-year-old Bethany who is diagnosed with colorectal cancer, When the Roller Coaster Stops is as much Kate's story as it is Bethany's. And yet, Kate is in the story, in Bethany's life, almost by accident and frequently, at least initially, against her better judgement.
It is easy enough to sympathise with Bethany as her doctor makes his uncompromising diagnosis, as she rails against her cruel fate and as her health deteriorates. I found it far more difficult to feel any liking for her. For much of the course of her illness – and she is already ill when we meet her in chapter 1 – she is decidedly nasty, catty, manipulative … and vain. Although others tell Kate how kind, funny, intelligent and generous Bethany is, being nice is something that Bethany is forced to learn: a trait that she eventually masters in the novel's final chapters.
Kate is Bethany's opposite in every way. In her mid-thirties, Kate is shy and serious, a little unworldly and, luckily for Bethany, Kate really needs a job. Taken on by Bethany as a casual cleaner, Kate finds herself becoming Bethany's housekeeper, driver, carer and most importantly, confidante and much loved friend. After several unsuccessful attempts to give Bethany her notice and escape from her jibes, Kate learns to stand her ground, to face up to Bethany and to recognise her own worth. Throughout the book, Kates grows stronger, more determined and more confident as Bethany's illness worsens.
A handful of complicated friends cluster around Bethany and through the times that they spend chatting together, Tarr has explored such issues as abortion, adoption, jealousy, coming to terms with a friend's imminent death and so on. These sometimes quite boisterous evenings and dinner parties inevitably come to an end, the guests go home and it is Kate who is left to clean up and to cope day after day, week after week, with Bethany's mood swings and sudden whims: her sorrow and misery and unexpected - and short-lived - bouts of euphoria. At the same time she is a buffer between Bethany and some of Bethany's less welcome visitors and also a shoulder to cry on for the friends who really love Bethany.
In this respect, When the Roller Coaster Stops is a very worthwhile handbook for any untrained friend or family member who is to be a loved one's carer during a terminal illness. Tarr has kept the medical details to a minimum, meaning that Bethany's journey through her cancer is far from colorectal-specific. Much of what Kate learns to deal with can be just as well applied to someone caring for and living with a patient with any other type of cancer. There are no truly gory details and often there is wittiness and laughter; serenity and contentedness. The language is uncomplicated: a sad situation is recounted without using an overly emotional register. Tarr lets her descriptions of the winter weather convey the down-beat sentiments of Bethany, Kate, Simon and George. The novel is set in Wellington, New Zealand, but in such a low key way that it could be almost any coastal city in the world.
I would have liked to see the aspect of Bethany's genetic make up and its relationship to colorectal cancer explored in more detail. A little less bickering and sobbing in the Bethany-Simon-George triangle would tighten up the story's pace too, but these two points apart, I feel that Tarr has very competently and sensitively dealt with the path of terminal illness from the intertwined view points of patient, carer and friends.
Review by Carolyn McKenzie
Title: When the Roller Coaster Stops
Author: Susan Tarr
Publisher: Susan Tarr
Available: print within NZ, message via https://www.facebook.com/susan.tarr.330; print or ebook via https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0125U3DVK/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The inauguration of the new factory in Windhoek was carried out by Vice President Dr. Nangolo Mbumba. More than 120 guests from industry, media and politics were guests of PolyCare Research Technology Namibia. Guest of Honour and speaker Wolfgang Tiefensee travelled specially from Thuringia. Other ministers and provincial governors from Namibia were present. The investment of N$ 38 million is the result of a partnership between the German company PolyCare Research Technology and the Namibian partners Guinas Investments, KL Construction and Namib Beton.


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Devolution upshot: Minister raises spectre of food security
Afterthought: Released earlier, the court wants them back
Economic Survey 2010-11: Infant and maternal mortality rate rising
Infant and maternal mortality rate has been on the rise in past several years.
Express June 03, 2011
Pakistan is among those underdeveloped countries of the world where infant and maternal mortality rate has been on the rise in past several years.
The country is bearing the two-fold burden of diseases and inadequate health care facilities despite starting major initiatives to overcome them and huge international funding, reveals the Economic Survey 2010-11.
The high population growth rate, one of the highest in the world, and poverty are further complicating and worsening the situation, said the survey that gives economic indicators for the year. An allocation of Rs16.9 billion was made for 82 projects in the Public Sector Development Programme during 2010-11, which is not sufficient when compared with the increasing population and requirements of health services, the survey said.
The country is facing an immense shortage of doctors and nurses. According to the survey, by 2010, there were 144,901 physicians, 10,508 dentists, 73,244 nurses and 27,153 midwives serving a population of well over 170 million people. There were 972 registered hospitals across the country with 104,137 beds, 4,842 dispensaries and 5,344 basic health units.
To overcome health issues and provide better health service facilities in both private and public sectors, the government initiated the Benazir Income Support Programme, Pakistan Baitul Mal Food Security Programme, and provision of Vitamin A supplements to children less than five years of age and micronutrient deficiency control programme. However, it is far behind in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2011.
tungalahore | 10 years ago | Reply why should doctors this country if the country refuses to pay them
Mother and Child Week: Growing maternal death rates in K-P, FATA raise eyebrows
Pakistan ranks 77th in mothers' index


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Andrea and Alex open a puzzlebox to unpack the history, mythology and impact of Clive Barker's iconic series.
Hellraiser. Dir Clive Barker, 1987.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Dir Tony Randel. 1988.
The Hellbound Heart – Clive Barker's novella that spawned the franchise.
"Fire, Brimstone and PVC: Clive Barker's Cenobites as Agents of Hell" – Andrea's chapter in The Undead and Theology looks at how the Hellraiser series suggests a modernized depiction of hell, morality and punishment.
The Hellraiser Podcast – They'll tear your ears apart!


The country has already seen increases in the price of bread of up to 70% in the past few weeks.
Zimbabwe's current bread shortages could easily be compared to the shortages that led to the French Revolution in 1789, as one researcher describes the situation.
This comes after reports that the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) sent out a warning that the country was left with only a week's worth of wheat for bread. The country has already seen increases in the price of bread of up to 70% in the past few weeks, with a standard loaf now costing more than R10.50, which the average Zimbabwean cannot afford.
Allen Munoriyarwa, a Zimbabwean researcher residing in South Africa, said "bread is basic, especially for people who live in the urban areas. Also bear in mind boarding schools that have thousands of students.
Although the country's government has suggested the replacement of bread with other commodities such as sweet potatoes, yams and porridge, Munoriyarwa yesterday argued that these foods were not as readily available as it seems.


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Box Office Wrap Up: Shazam Supercharges Box Office.
April 8, 2019 Neil Worcester Box Office News, Movie News 0
Shazam! helped keep the box office and DC's super hero streak red hot, exceeding expectations.
Flaunt it if you got it.
It finally seems like the DCEU has found its footing. Solo super hero outings have proven profitable where big team-ups have struggled. With Shazam! going above and beyond expectations, DC now has a successful super comedy under their belt. Much like phase 2 Marvel, having variety could prove key to keeping audiences engaged with all of the cape and spandex action.
It was all just super heroes this weekend, as Pet Sematary delivered another encouraging weekend for adaptations of Stephen King's horror library. While not matching the monstrous success of IT, Pet Sematary did deliver the second biggest opening for a King horror flick. As long as the sudden success doesn't lead to a remake of the horrifically awful Dreamcatcher, I'm OK with this.
This Week in Box Office History.
The box office continued to pick up steam, adding 5% over last week's take. The overall earnings were down slightly from last year (11%), when A Quiet Place was quietly making all of the money. Much like last week, the lion's share of the earnings came from not only the top ten, but the top two. Shazam! and Pet Sematary combined for 50% of the gross domestic box office, with Shazam! accounting for more than a third of it. With Hellboy hitting theaters next week, we should see the trend continue for a third week.
Top Film Last Year: A Quiet Place.
Top Film Last Decade: Fast and Furious.
..and here we are ten years later, still going.
Top Three Films.
Shazam! outperformed expectations for the top spot, taking in 53 million dollars domestically. It had a healthy weekend abroad as well, taking in 100 million dollars so far. Among recent super hero comedies, the obvious comparison is Ant-Man. Both were origin stories with lesser known heroes, and both made in the mid 50 million dollar range. If that holds up, Shazam! could be headed to a similar 180 million dollar US run.
Second place featured the resurrected remake of Pet Sematary. At 25 million dollars, it is second only to IT on the list of Stephen King adaptations. It is also double what the original Pet Sematary dug up in 1989. The flick also had a solid foreign release for a horror film, taking in 17 million dollars abroad.
I guess dead isn't always better.
Dumbo hit some turbulence in the third spot. Despite a solid take-off, the film fell to 18 million dollars in its second week, a steep 60% drop. With a budget of 170 million dollars, the ride has become rockier for the little elephant to pull it off.
Eh…it'll probably be fine!
The Best of Scheduling Errors.
The other new wide release, Best of Enemies, had a mixed opening. The critic and audience scores were fantastic, but the take of 4.5 million was only good enough for sixth place. It seems odd that this film opened so early in the year, as it aligns most closely with Oscar-fated films such as 3 Billboards and Green Book. Perhaps the studio got cold feet about awards season, or were trying to mop up some of the zeitgeist for social drama's left over from the Oscars. Either way, it seems the movie was scheduled poorly.
Top Ten Films.
1. Shazam! (53.4)
2. Pet Sematary (25.0)
3. Dumbo (18.2)
4. Us (13.8)
5. Captain Marvel (12.6)
6. The Best of Enemies (4.5)
7. Five Feet Apart (3.7)
8. Unplanned (3.2)
9. Wonder Park (2.0)
10. How to Train Your Dragon 3 (1.9)
This week in box office history
About Neil Worcester 1232 Articles
Neil Worcester is currently a freelance writer and editor based in the Portland, Maine area. He has developed a variety of content for blogs and businesses, and his current focus is on media and food blogging. Follow him on Facebook and Google+!
What's New on VUDU: April 2019
Retro Review: Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941).


Of the three address allocation methods supported by DHCP, dynamic address allocation is by far the most popular and important. The significance of the change that dynamic addressing represents to how IP addresses are used in TCP/IP can be seen in the semantics of how addresses are treated in DHCP. Where conventionally a host was said to own an IP address, when dynamic address allocation is used, hosts are said instead to lease an address.
The notion of a "lease" conveys very accurately the difference between dynamic allocation and the other types. A host no longer is strictly "entitled" to a particular address, with a server merely telling it what the address is. In DHCP, the server remains the real owner of all the IP addresses in the address pool, and merely gives permission for a client to use the address for a period of time. The server guarantees that it will not try to use the address for another client only during this time. The client is responsible for taking certain actions, as we will see later in this section, if it wants to continue using the address. If it does not successfully reacquire permission for using the address after a period of time, it must stop using it, or risk creating an IP address conflict on the network.
Key Concept: DHCP's most significant new feature is dynamic allocation, which changes the way that IP addresses are managed. Where in traditional IP each device owns a particular IP address, in DHCP the server owns all the addresses in the address pool, and each client leases an address from the server, usually only for a limited period of time.


Annually the Sunshine Community Health Center organizes The Flags Of Awareness event. This project provides community members the opportunity to create colorful flags with a message of hope, love, forgiveness, respect, and honor. This sends the message that we are all united in our efforts to stop abuse. These flags are displayed at local businesses in addition to being flown at the base camp of Denali each year during climbing season.


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'An evil shooter': parents of Michigan school shooting victim shine light on their lives
Murder victim's father describes the "gaping hole" left in his family. "It will never, ever heal. Nothing will ever get close to the gaping hole we have in our hearts."
The family of 17-year-old Justin Shilling released a statement to the media on Thursday, following a deadly school shooting in an east Michigan high school.
Justin Shilling's mother, Lana, said her son's "life was tragically cut short by an evil shooter". Her family said she was "understandably distraught" and was in great pain.
Justin's father, Mark, who has been mayor of his hometown of Grand Rapids for 30 years, described how Justin had kept family, friends and schoolmates from facing evil, and said "his energy and love for the lives around him touched the lives of many".
Mark Shilling's statement said: "He was the most gentle person I have ever known. He was a great, caring, and intelligent son.
"I am thankful for his role in helping me take the helm of the city of Grand Rapids for the last 30 years. This city will never, ever, ever forget Justin."
The couple said they had recently given Shilling his first car, a Subaru Outback Crosstrek, and were looking forward to helping him "progress further with his life".
Mark Shilling said: "Like all other Michigan citizens I am sure, I am still in shock and disbelief about this incident. Justin and his family are an inspiration to all those who knew and loved him. He was truly a loving, caring and intelligent young man."
Mark Shilling is a former president of the grand river cluster of local chambers of commerce, and former chairman of the board of directors of the Citizens' Chamber of Commerce, a local nonprofit economic development organization.
The family also released a statement from Justin's brother Austin: "Justin was the light of our lives. He was very sweet and loved everybody. He was more of a quiet type but he loved his friends and family."
Austin Shilling, who grew up with Justin in Grand Rapids, wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday night: "By now I am sure you all have heard the tragic news in Grand Rapids, I am not posting any more sadly at this time but want to let you know, Justin's mother is truly in great pain. I am not strong enough to talk right now but in our hearts, we are so very sorry. Our family will miss Justin dearly."
"Thank you to everyone who has reached out to let me know of your support and condolences. I just want everyone to know, that's it is a blessing no family should ever have to go through and no child should ever be taken away from this earth.
"Thank you for your love and prayers."
Justin Shilling, a ninth-grader at Grand Rapids North High School, was one of two students killed in an incident on Thursday morning, according to authorities. Police said they found two students, 16-year-old Abdullah American-Almosayee and 17-year-old Justin Shilling, dead from gunshot wounds at the school on Thursday morning. A 16-year-old classmate, Mason Cole, is accused of fatally shooting the two students.
On Thursday, the FBI and multiple law enforcement agencies in Michigan set up an investigation of the shooting. More than 250 police officers were involved in the investigation, according to The Detroit News.
Abdullah and Justin Shilling would have been seniors at North High in 2019.
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text:
T. H. White
The Book of Merlyn • novel • University of Texas Press, 1977
• Prometheus Awards 2004 — hall of fame — nomination
The Ill-Made Knight • novel • Putnam's, 1940
• Retro Hugo Awards 2016 — novel — nomination
The Master • novel • Cape, 1957
• 2004: Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, 5th edition, Neil Barron
Mistress Masham's Repose • novel • Putnam, 1946
• 2012: The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy, Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn
• 1996: Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, T. A. Shippey & A. J. Sobczak
• 1988: Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, James Cawthorn & Michael Moorcock
The Once and Future King • novel • Collins , 1958
• 2020: The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, Time Magazine
• 2018: 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List, James Mustich
• 2017: Open Syllabus Explorer, Open Syllabus Project
• 2012: 20th Century Fantasy Novel, Locus Online
• 2011: Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books, NPR
• 2007: The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Ultimate Reading List, Shelley Mosley & et al.
• 2006: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Peter Boxall
• 2006: 501 Must-Read Books, Emma Beare & Cathy Lowne
• 2000: 25 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of the Century, Amazon.com
• 1998: Best All-Time Fantasy Novel, Locus Magazine
• 1988: Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels, David Pringle
• 1987: Best All-Time Fantasy Novels, Locus Magazine
• 1982: A Reader's Guide to Fantasy, Baird Searles & Beth Meacham, Michael Franklin
The Sword in the Stone • novel • Collins, 1938
• Retro Hugo Awards 2014 — novel — winner
• 2009: 1000 novels everyone must read, Guardian Newspaper
"The Troll " • Gone to Ground, 1935
• Modern Classics of Fantasy, ed. Gardner Dozois, St. Martin's 1997
• Bestiary!, ed. Jack M. Dann & Gardner R. Dozois, Ace 1985
• The Year's Best Fantasy Stories #5, ed. Lin Carter, DAW 1980
• Stories That Scared Even Me, ed. Alfred Hitchcock, Random 1967
This page last updated Tuesday 22 Feb 2022 at 11:12 PT


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Roberta Kubik
School adopts anti-homophobia policy
Policy lets students and parents know that sexual or gender bullying will not be tolerated
"We will not tolerate this group being marginalized," said Sooke School District superintendent Jim Cambridge of LGBT students.
This was in response to the announcement at the end of October that SD62 joined 14 other B.C. school districts in adopting an anti-homophobia policy in schools. Cambridge said it is no different than the anti-harassment and discrimination policy already in place that protect students and staff against facing prejudice towards things like race and religion.
"Our harassment policies go back 20 years. Similarly, back then, people didn't see those actions as harassing."
Unlike other school districts in the province that are either lingering in drafting a policy or facing controversy like Burnaby where an ad hoc opposition group has formed, Sooke school trustees passed the policy unanimously. Following a model from three or four other B.C. districts, the final draft has been a result of about two years of revisions from a committee formed of principals, vice principals teachers and parents, he said.
Not necessarily a response to any specific incident, Cambridge said from looking at demographic data they can safely assume a large part of the population have "alternate gender identification" and aren't showing it in schools, possibly due to social pressures.
"It's more to tell families of youth that this is something we've attended to and have some concerns about."
The policy is just as much about education as it is punishment for transgressors. Teams will be travelling around to various schools familiarizing people with the regulations and identifying why it's an issue.
"For a lot of kids that message of 'it gets better' is not good enough for us. It shouldn't have to get better," he said.
Roberta Kubik, principal at Edward Milne Community School, congratulated the school board and also the town.
"It really speaks to the community — how oriented we are to all members of our community. I feel kind of proud to be in this environment," she said.
Kubik hasn't witnessed any overt instances of sexual or gender bullying in her six years at the high school, but comes across students saying things like "that's so gay," in reference to something being undesirable or out of the ordinary. She said it's subconsciously become part of everyday vernacular.
"We take the time to speak with students. At times, they don't even question what they're saying."
Kids caught using those kinds of phrases are taken aside by staff who explain what it really means, said EMCS English 10 teacher Danielle Huculak. Openly gay, she said her students are often sensitive to their language around her and apologize profusely if they catch themselves saying something inappropriate without realizing it.
She doesn't broadcast her sexual orientation on the first day of class, but keeps a picture of her partner on her desk that has served as an icebreaker for conversations with students, she said. Just joining the school this year, she is also forming a gay straight alliance starting next year.
Both Huculak and Kubik agreed that there has been a greater awareness of sexual and gender diversity in the last three years or so but acknowledged there is still much work to be done.
"I'm not that naive," said Kubik. "I do see more openings with our children and our parents saying it's OK to question themselves, it's OK to accept others."
With the policy being passed, she said it gives the school more tools and resources to address issues like giving presentations and hosting seminars.
"Communities as a whole and governments as a whole have highlighted that yes, this is something in society to be aware of," she said.
"With this on the forefront, people are more comfortable to come forward," she said.
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