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Archives for Middle East
Food Voucher Program Gives Palestinian Families Choices and Supports the Local Economy
Posted by Alina Romanowski, Acting Assistant Administrator for Middle East on Tuesday, May 14th 2013
Recently, while visiting the West Bank, I had the pleasure to meet Palestinian shop owner Abu Shadi at his store in the community of Dura in the Hebron governorate. His Al Awawdeh Shop is one of 130 West Bank shops participating in an innovative USAID/World Food Programme (WFP) food assistance voucher program that channels aid through the local market.
Introduced in the West Bank in 2009, the voucher program now covers 86,000 West Bank beneficiaries, including 63,000 who are covered through USAID support.
As Abu Shadi explained, his customers, fellow shop owners and local farmers, all benefit from this relatively new way of delivering food assistance. The voucher program allows families to choose from a selection of staple foods, including bread, milk, yogurts, cheese, eggs, beans, lentils, vegetable oil and salt with an electronic card, similar to a debit card. They have more choice in what they can buy, the food is fresh, and they are injecting money directly into the Palestinian economy by supporting more local producers, farmers and shopkeepers.
Thanks to the USAID/WFP voucher card system, families can purchase the basic foods they need most. Photo credit: WFP/Quique Kierszenbaum
One voucher card user told our WFP colleagues that, "For a very long period we could not afford to buy eggs, milk and other dairy products. Thanks to the voucher program, my children now eat eggs and cheese regularly. They have become so much more active and full of energy now."
To the extent possible, all of these goods come from local producers and are delivered through the normal private sector supply chain to the shops – giving the private sector a role in delivering the food assistance and also saving the donors the high costs of shipping and delivering the food commodities. Abu Shadi's shop currently redeems vouchers for 113 households, or about 874 people. With the increased business he has seen thanks to this program, he has hired an additional worker for the store.
Abu Shadi proudly told us, "I am very happy being part of this project. I hope we can reach and include other stores in the community, so they can get the same benefits I have received. I doubled my income and now have a steady income for myself and my married son. It also gave me the opportunity to expand my store."
Like all stores participating in the program, Abu Shadi's store is registered with the Palestinian Authority (PA) tax authorities, which strengthens the PA's ability to collect taxes. The stores also meet a set of standards required from all stores in the program. These stores must maintain refrigeration to keep the foods fresh and safe for consumers, maintaining Internet connectivity so that WFP can instantly track voucher redemptions, and guaranteeing a constant stock of all food products included in the program.
A voucher user explains to AAA Romanowski which products she buys using the USAID/WFP voucher system. Photo credit: WFP/Quique Kierszenbaum
"It was really fantastic to see how adjusting our way of delivering assistance has made such a difference for the local community," one mother explained. "My daughter suffers from rickets and our doctor has been advising us for a long time to give her milk and yogurt daily. We couldn't afford to do that. Thanks to the voucher program, we can now provide our daughter with the food she needs."
Overall, USAID helps WFP and its implementing partner CHF to provide food and voucher assistance to vulnerable, non-refugee families in the West Bank and Gaza. Currently the USAID-funded caseload includes 203,000 individuals in the West Bank and Gaza. The United States also is the largest bilateral donor to UNRWA, which provides food assistance to nearly 750,000 Palestinian refugees and supplemental school feeding to more than 223,000 children in Gaza; aid to 52,000 food insecure persons in the West Bank; and food relief to 290,000 other vulnerable Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
As President Obama noted in his recent proposal to reform U.S. food assistance, voucher programs are a cost effective way to provide many vulnerable families with the food assistance they most need while simultaneously creating much-needed employment opportunities for local economies.
U.S. Provides Wheat to Fill Urgent Food Gaps in Syria
Posted by Rebecca Gustafson, Syria Response Management Team on Monday, May 13th 2013
An Arabic translation is available.
As part of our nearly $510 million in humanitarian aid to help those affected by the crisis in Syria, wheat recently provided by the United States will feed more than one million people in Syria for four months.
The 25,000 metric tons of wheat donated to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) will be milled into flour and distributed to vulnerable families across Syria's 14 Governorates through WFP as part of a monthly food ration. In addition to the 25 kilogram bag of flour that is being provided in these monthly food kits, families receive vegetable oil, pasta, bulgur, canned pulses and sugar.
An American ship arrives in Beirut, Lebanon with enough wheat to feed more than one million people affected by Syria's ongoing crisis. Photo credit: WFP/Laure Chadraoui
The U.S. remains the largest donor of food assistance to Syria through WFP, contributing nearly $125.5 million in emergency food assistance since the conflict began more than two years ago. This most recent wheat contribution—worth more than $19 million—will provide much-needed bread for families in areas of Syria where access to humanitarian aid has been most constrained by the conflict and where there are severe shortages of bread.
"We are very grateful for this timely contribution from the United States which will allow us to supplement our food rations with wheat flour especially in the areas where families are struggling to get their hands on bread, a staple part of their diet," said Muhannad Hadi, WFP's Emergency Coordinator for the Syria crisis.
WFP, with support from the U.S., is working to reach 2.5 million people across Syria and approximately 300,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.
Visit our website for more information about USAID efforts in Syria.
Free Press: The Cornerstone of Democracy
Posted by Jill Moss and Mark Koenig, USAID, Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance on Friday, May 3rd 2013
Today marks two decades since the United Nations General Assembly designated May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to celebrate press freedom and raise awareness about threats to media independence around the world. A free press plays a vital role in democratic societies, enabling the open exchange of information and opinions among ordinary citizens, businesses, citizen associations, political parties, and governments. Free and open media systems give voice to citizens, truth test candidates and political parties during elections, inform policy debates in legislatures, investigate corruption, hold public officials accountable, enable democratic governance and facilitate more effective development.
Yet the global struggle for press freedoms remains a work in progress. According to the latest Freedom House reports, the sobering reality is that more than one-third of all global citizens live under highly state-controlled media and information environments classified as "not free".
In Mozambique, USAID supports the five-year, $10 million Media Strengthening Program to promote a free, open, diverse, and self-sustaining media sector. Photo Credit: IREX
In nearly 35 countries, USAID provides media development assistance, tailoring initiatives to local conditions and prevalent challenges. Using a multi-pronged strategy, USAID aims to strengthen journalists' skills, build economic self-sustainability of media outlets, and legally protect press independence.
Since 2002, USAID has been instrumental in building a freer, more professional media in Afghanistan. Once very isolated, the Afghan people now enjoy unprecedented access to quality local newscasts (such as the national radio news program Salam Watandar) and international education and entertainment media. With USAID support, a national network of nearly 50 Afghan-owned and operated radio stations has emerged, reaching virtually all corners of the country. USAID also provided the initial seed capital for the highly successful independent television network Tolo TV, which now reaches over two-thirds of the population.
In Burma, USAID has worked for over a decade with more than 1,000 Burmese journalists, starting with support on the Thai-Burmese border in 2001 and extending inside Burma since 2003. Journalists trained in the program's early years have now gone on to become leaders of the media industry, as part of both the local print media and the media in exile. USAID's media program responded to almost every major development in the country: it equipped Burmese journalists with training and key support to cover the Saffron Revolution in 2007, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the constitutional referendum in 2008, and the elections of 2010-2012.
In Eastern Europe, the USAID-funded Regional Investigative Journalism Network helps connect practicing investigative journalists across borders who seek to uncover corruption, organized crime, and others engaged in the criminal services industry.
In eight countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa, the "Building a Digital Gateway to Better Lives" program empowers professional and citizen journalists, giving them hands-on experience with digital tools to design and implement multimedia projects that report on public service issues affecting citizens' everyday lives. Almost 300 journalists have participated in the program so far, with results felt throughout the region. Gripping stories of the abuse of children with disabilities in Jordan, human rights violations in Lebanese prisons, corruption in the West Bank/Gaza, polluted drinking water in Iraq, and detecting unexploded landmines in Morocco have attracted significant public interest and response.
Today and every day, USAID applauds the brave work of journalists, editors, and the increasing millions of "citizen reporters" throughout the world in their common pursuit to freely gather, report, analyze, and share news. We also commend the media activists who advocate for media development and freedom despite challenging and sometimes dangerous conditions. We salute you.
Light Above Darkness – The Global Struggle for Democracy & Human Rights
Posted by Sarah Mendelson, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance on Tuesday, April 30th 2013
Sarah Mendelson serves as deputy assistant administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance
Two years ago at the Community of Democracies (CD) in Vilnius, Aung San Suu Kyi appeared via video message, addressing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, foreign ministers, presidents, and human rights activists from under house arrest in Burma. While she wasn't physically present, her grace and strength were felt even from thousands of miles away. I remember she said she was "full of hope and full of anticipation for what the not too distant future will bring us."
Those were telling words. This week, in Ulaanbaatar, at the seventh ministerial of the CD, Aung San Suu Kyi once again addressed the audience – this time in person. Back straight, regal, and elegant with flowers adorning her hair, Dau Suu said she never lost faith that humans "desire light above darkness." She walked among the other dignitaries and yet always stood apart. As one official noted, she seemed like "the next Mandela." Her moral force reminded all of us that we have a duty to remember those who do not live free and to work tirelessly to ensure that one day they can.
Dau Suu's remarks were followed by Tawakkol Karman, a brave young Yemeni woman who won the Nobel Prize for her non-violent struggle for the safety of women and women's rights in peacebuilding work in Yemen. Her emotional appeal to "stop the killing in Syria and the killing of Muslims in Burma" was blunt, forceful, and a sharp contrast to the more diplomatic speeches that such gatherings inevitably generate.
Deputy Secretary Burns delivered a powerful message from President Obama about generating the "new technologies and tools for activism." It is our hope that the information technology revolution means we will continue to open governments and transform the global struggle for democracy and human rights. For innovation not only makes hiding corruption even harder, it can help governments listen and respond to their citizens.
And we are already seeing results. One of the most interesting and informative presentations was from an Indonesian leader proudly showing how her government is using technology to empower citizens to hold governments accountable in ways that even the world's oldest, most established, democracies would do well to replicate. Mongolian officials, our hosts, were talking of transparency, open societies, shared lessons on democratic transition and cooperation with emerging democracies.
At USAID, we are embracing this virtuous cycle through Making All Voices Count, the Open Government Partnership, and by supporting game-changing innovations from governments, partners, organizations, and change agents around the world. We believe these efforts will help new democracies deliver to their citizens, empower civil society activists, and challenge authoritarians everywhere. We have seen a lot of progress since the last CD in 2011 but we have also seen a backlash in many places. Governments attempt to rule by laws designed to close space around civil society and activists. While many of us have hope that such efforts do not have a bright future in the hyper-connected 21st century, we met many activists that live daily with security services trailing and jailing them. I must remind myself that change is possible and hope that when I see them at the next CD, their lives are transformed by freedom.
New Learn-to-Read Method in Yemen Shows Early Promise
Posted by Emily Walker, USAID Yemen on Thursday, April 18th 2013
This blog is part of a series focused on USAID's innovative approach to reaching Millennium Development Goal #2: Achieve universal primary education. The theme "Room to Learn" highlights programs and priority countries where access to education is now a reality.
A teacher points to clearly-drawn Arabic characters on a blackboard and the third-grade girls at Aisha School gleefully make the corresponding sounds. A few minutes later the room grows quieter as the girls focus to simultaneously pronounce and write the letter corresponding to its sound. At a nearby school, first-grade boys stumble over themselves to get to the blackboard in time to point at the character that matches the sound their teacher just pronounced.
The students in schools in the Amran govenorate, just outside Yemen's capital city of Sana'a, are learning to read using a phonics method developed by the Yemeni Ministry of Education with USAID support. In less than one year, students, parents and teachers alike have embraced the Yemen Early Grade Reading Approach, or YEGRA. "It's a miracle, the teaching of reading is suddently demystified," said the principal of a school.
Students at the Aisha School. Photo credit: Emily Walker, USAID
YEGRA focuses on intensive teacher training in a method that teaches first- through third-graders to read using phonics. Each lesson is 70 minutes long, and follows a set procedure, which includes reviewing a familiar story, reading stories aloud, focusing on the sounds that make up words, and writing. The program has also produced brand-new grade-appropriate teaching materials, including readers that children can take home to practice with their parents, and handbooks that help both literate and illiterate parents to support their children's learning.
Until last year, Yemeni children were taught to read using word recognition and corresponding pictures, but the technique was clearly not effective; when USAID tested young students in 2011, it found that fewer than one-third of third-graders were able to read.
After just eight weeks of the YEGRA method, which has been implemented in 380 of Yemen's schools, first graders could decipher 10 words per minute – the goal in first grade is to identify 30 words per minute. And, an informal analysis in the governorate of Taizz found that first-grade students could read just six words per minute prior to YEGRA, but after nearly three months of YEGRA lessons, 97 percent of the first-grade students were able to read 20 words a minute.
Ministry of Education and USAID teams visited three Amran schools in March and saw YEGRA's dynamism firsthand – students were eagerly answering questions and following along in the lessons. They also attended a teacher training, where teachers for grades one through three throughout the region learned interactive teaching techniques and methods for futher engaging students in reading. By next school year, at least an additional 3,000 to 5,000 teachers will be using the YEGRA method.
USAID, in partnership with Yemen's Ministry of Education and local governments, is also making education more accessible to Yemeni children, and especially girls, by rehabilitating schools to improve sanitary conditions and make it safer to go to school. USAID has rehabiliated more than 200 schools throughout the country since November 2011, with a particular focus on those in conflict-affected areas. An estimated 280,000 students were unable to go to school during the recent conflict in the southern governorate of Abyan and its aftermath. Together with the Ministry of Education and the Governor of Abyan, USAID completed a major rehabilitation of 10 schools in Abyan, and will rehabilitate and furnish a total of eighteen over the coming months. Next school year, students in Abyan will not only be back in school but they will for the first time learn how to read and write at grade level with YEGRA.
One-third of out-of-school girls in the entire Middle East and North Africa region reside in Yemen and only 53 percent of girls who begin primary school complete basic schooling. Our early education programs in Yemen target both boys and girls, and the Ministry of Education is convinced that these educational improvements will not only ensure that students can read with comprehension and go on to learn other subjects, but will also increase enrollment and lower dropout rates, especially for girls.
After the success of the first year of YEGRA, the Ministry has initiated reforms to its educational curriculum and is committed to taking the program nationwide with the continued support of USAID and other donors. As this generation of boys and girls learns to read and goes on to master other subjects, the increase in girls' enrollment should continue to grow. Better access to schools and higher literacy rates will provide greater opportunities for Yemen's girls. Read more about our work to improve girls' enrollment and educational opportunities in Yemen.
Learning Law Through Practice
Posted by Mohit Dayal, USAID/Iraq Information Officer on Thursday, April 11th 2013
On April 8, lawyers from USAID's Office of General Counsel led a roundtable dialogue with two Iraqi and two Palestinian teams that participated in the annual Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, which took place in Washington, DC, from March 31 to April 6. The competition was an opportunity for the four teams to highlight their litigation skills that are being developed through programs supported by USAID.
Iraqi and Palestinian teams in front of the USAID seal. Photo credit: USAID
The Jessup competition brings together students from 550 law schools that represent more than 80 countries and simulates a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. This year's participants addressed the factual and legal consequences of climate change on statehood, migration and sovereign lending. Teaching methodology has historically been lecture based in both Iraqi and Palestinian universities so the practical experience that students gain from the Jessup competition process, including competing against other teams and receiving feedback from distinguished judges, is extremely valuable.
The two Iraqi teams from Baghdad and Anbar Universities earned the right to represent Iraq after competing against over 100 law students and professors from 17 Iraqi universities. All of the teams were trained on courtroom etiquette and advocacy skills by USAID's Access to Justice program in Iraq prior to their participation. The program promotes a practical approach to improving both legal services for vulnerable groups and the knowledge and skills of those who assist them.
The two Palestinian teams, from Bir Zeit and An Najah Universities, came in first and second in the Palestinian Jessup qualifying round. Palestinian partner universities received training as part of USAID's Palestinian Justice Enhancement Project, which is designed to strengthen public confidence and respect for justice sector institutions and the rule of law in the West Bank.
The teams received guidance from competition judges, established new friendships with law students from around the world, and learned more about the United States while gaining important courtroom experience. The Bir Zeit team had the honor of being elected by fellow competitors to receive the Spirit of Jessup Award for the team that "best exemplifies the Jessup spirit of comradeship, academic excellence, competitiveness, and appreciation of fellow competitors."
Both the Iraqi and Palestinian students told the USAID lawyers that when they get home, they plan to gain practical experience in providing legal assistance through legal clinics supported by USAID in their law schools.
Palestinian competitor Obaida observed, "Jessup taught me to see international law from other perspectives. I now can argue and fully express myself before expert judges and I will bring back with me knowledge, success and memories."
The students also toured the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and met with one of the court's legal advisers.
"Competing in Jessup has helped to increase our experience and build our confidence as young lawyers," remarked Baghdad competitor Ahmad. "We are so excited to represent our country and learn about the legal system in America."
Water from a Stone: Jordanians Stretch Meager Resources to Sustain Syrian Refugees
Posted by Kathy Sullivan on Thursday, April 4th 2013
This originally appeared on FrontLines.
Zaatari village lies just south of Jordan's border with Syria, where small villages are interspersed with livestock, olive farms, dairies and food factories. In 2009, Ahmed Al Khaldi received a $1,700, USAID-funded revolving loan from his village cooperative to install a 30-cubic-meter cistern to store rainwater harvested off his roof. The 51-year-old retired police officer knew it would give his family peace of mind during recurring periods of water scarcity.
Jordan is among the driest countries in the world. Rapid population growth has reduced the amount of fresh water available to the average Jordanian to less than 158 cubic meters per year—10 times less than the average U.S. citizen consumes. The renewable water supply—the water that is replenished each year by rainfall—only meets about half of total water consumption. The rest of the water used in Jordan comes primarily from aquifers that are slowly being depleted; alternative sources such as desalination are very expensive.
Girls in Jerash pose in front of their school's storage tank that is painted to look like an aquarium. Photo credit: Alysia Mueller
As is typical across the country, municipal water was delivered infrequently in Zaatari. If the storage tank ran out, the Al Khaldi family had to buy expensive truckloads of water from local businessmen. "With the cistern, I feel secure. Every time I need water, I just pump it from the cistern," he says. "We can even share with neighbors if they run out of water."
The cistern does not meet all the water needs of the Al Khaldi family. But it does provide important support for three generations of Al Khaldi's immediate family—15 members in all—living under one roof.
Al Khaldi also couldn't imagine that this cistern would eventually help him throw a lifeline to relatives living hundreds of kilometers away in Homs, Syria. Like many Jordanians in the north, his tribe lives on both sides of the border. In 2011, his Syrian cousin, Ahmad Swaidan, fled to Jordan with his wife and five children and his brother's five children. "The shelling threatened our lives daily," Swaidan says.
Like 200 other families in Zaatari, the Al Khaldis took in their Syrian relatives, housing them in an adjacent family property. By local estimates, the village's Jordanian population of 8,000 had absorbed 2,000 Syrian refugees by November 2012. Al Khaldi says "it's not easy" to support an additional 12 people on his monthly pension of $500 and the modest army salaries of his three sons—two of them married. "But we share," he says…[continued]
Read the rest of the article on FrontLines.
Video: USAID Official Visits Refugee Camp
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Mapping Lebanon
Posted by Grace Abou-Jaoude Estephan, Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering, Lebanese American University on Saturday, March 30th 2013
This year's Women's History Month theme is "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics". In observance, USAID is spotlighting innovative women working in these fields. Below is an interview with Grace Abou-Jaoude Estephan, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at the Lebanese American University.
Your work entails putting together a hazard map of Lebanon for earthquake-induced landslides. Why is this work important?
Grace Abou-Jaoude Estephan, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at the Lebanese American University. Photo credit: Grace Abou-Jaoude
Lebanon is a country that is located in a relatively active seismic zone. Its rugged topography makes it vulnerable to earthquake and landslide hazards. Astonishingly, records from 303AD describe the destruction of houses, cities, and monuments. Although Lebanon has not experienced any major earthquake since 1956, the recent discovery of an active thrusting fault close to its coastline has significantly raised its risk of being hit by a high magnitude earthquake. Unfortunately, no effort has been done to assess the impact of a seismic event on the risks of triggering landslide hazards in the country.
The goal of my project is to produce an earthquake-induced landslide hazard map of Lebanon that clearly shows the critical areas prone to earthquake-induced landslides. The map will be used as a reference for anyone concerned with public safety, urban planning, and disaster management.
Describe your own career path – how did you first get involved in science? What obstacles did you face along the way?
Science and math were the main topics that interested me during my school years. There was one particular female math teacher who highly influenced my interest in mathematics through her teaching style and devotion to her mission. I knew I wanted to become a civil engineer help design and construct the amazing structures I'd long admired.
After receiving my Bachelor's in Civil Engineering (with distinction) from the American University of Beirut in 2001, I worked at one of the largest consulting companies in Lebanon. I found myself eager to learn more about design, construction, and geology. I pursued my graduate studies in geotechnical engineering at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana in 2002, where I obtained an M.S. and Ph.D in Civil Engineering from there in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
I returned to Lebanon in 2007 and took a faculty position at the Lebanese American University (LAU), in Byblos, where I have been an assistant professor since 2007. Today, I'm a registered member of the Order of Engineers in Lebanon, an associate member of the American Society of Civil Engineering, and a member of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.
Why do you think it is important for women across the world to be involved in science?
Women across the world have a great potential to excel in science and there are many examples of the contributions females have made to science throughout history. Women have surely faced many obstacles and barriers along the way, but that never discouraged the female achievers from reaching their goals. I believe it is very important to maintain constant support and provide encouragement to female students interested in pursuing careers in science and engineering.
Cultural expectations and social restrictions on women, combined with outdated stereotypes of women's roles and abilities, often dissuade girls from considering careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as professional options. Challenges of combining responsibilities for a household and family with a professional career also present a major constraint. Women who keep challenging these long-held stereotypes by holding careers in fields of science and technology are vital to encourage the new generation of female students to be involved in fields of science and engineering.
Photo of the Week: President Obama Visits West Bank
Posted by Impact Blog Team on Tuesday, March 26th 2013
On March 21, President Barack Obama joined President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, West Bank to deliver remarks to the Palestinian people. The President remarked, "I was last here five years ago, and it's a pleasure to be back — to see the progress that's happened since my last visit, but also to bear witness to the enduring challenges to peace and security that so many Palestinians seek. I've returned to the West Bank because the United States is deeply committed to the creation of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine." He added that "young Palestinians and young Israelis… deserve a better future than one that is continually defined by conflict." During his trip, the President visited with some children at a USAID-funded center. Photo is from Muhannad Mansour from the Al Bireh Youth Development and Resource Center.
View photos from the President's trip to the Middle East.
Learn more about USAID's work in the West Bank and Gaza. Follow USAID West Bank/Gaza on Facebook and Twitter (@USAIDWBG).
Water Projects as part of the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program (Part 4)
Posted by John Harris, Regional Outreach and Communications Specialist on Sunday, March 24th 2013
Note: This is the fourth post in a 4-part series. Read part one, part two and part three.
USAID's Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program promotes cooperation between the Arab and Israeli scientific communities through joint research projects addressing common development problems. The program was established in 1981 to facilitate research cooperation between Egyptian and Israeli scientists, and was subsequently expanded to include Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and the West Bank and Gaza.
Today, active projects involve more than 400 Arab and Israeli scientists, engineers, students and technicians at 50 institutions in seven Middle Eastern countries. New project proposals which seek out sustainable solutions to regional development challenges are accepted every year. Working together, these scientists have led innovation in agriculture, environment, water resources and health.
A Moroccan farmer makes use of a USAID SMS advisory service to plan irrigation for his crops. Photo credit: USAID
Given the region's water shortages and the regional nature of water challenges, the water sector is an important component of MERC's research portfolio. Because agriculture consumes a large amount of the region's freshwater resources, MERC projects seek to increase the use of treated wastewater as appropriate in agriculture, minimize water demand in existing crops, and identify new crop varieties that are resistant to drought and salinity.
For example, MERC programs explore the use of wetlands and membrane-based filters for the effective and efficient re-use of reclaimed water in agriculture. Its programs model crops' abilities to make use of low-quality water, seek the optimal amount of water plants need, and develop protocols for the safe and effective use of reclaimed water. They identify and optimize high-value traditional and specialty crops suitable to arid climates and saline soils, such as potato varieties adapted to saline soils and water, and virus-resistant tomato lines.
As do USAID's other water projects around the region, MERC's water portfolio makes use of cutting-edge science, technology and innovation in improving the impact and sustainability of its initiatives. One new project, for example, brings together Israeli and Palestinian scientists to look at the interaction between coastal aquifers and the Mediterranean under changing conditions. The scientists are developing empirical, quantitative estimates of seawater intrusion and freshwater outflow along the coast in and near Gaza. They will subsequently provide policy makers with recommendations about how best to manage these aquifers.
The re-use of wastewater is a growing practice in the region. Another MERC project studies the hormonal health hazards related to this re-use, the effectiveness of new wastewater treatment plants in removing hormonal pollutants, and the cost-effectiveness of new treatment alternatives. Project leader Alon Tal from Ben-Gurion University, who works with Israeli and Palestinian scientists from Bethlehem University and other groups to implement the project, commented, "I think this is going to take to the next level what we know about streams."
Today, at a time of rapid change in the Arab world, MERC continues to bring together Arab and Israeli scientists and students to create and share solutions to regional development challenges like water while promoting a peaceful exchange between neighbors.
Read other blog posts in this series:
USAID in the Middle East: Using Data to Improve Regional Water Management (Part 1)
USAID in the Middle East: Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Part 2)
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The match started with Rovers keeping most of the possession and playing attacking football. Their morale took a hit when Baloch Mujahid converted a free kick into a goal through a near post header at the 20th minute. The score stood that way in the first half.
Second half saw attacking football from both the sides creating plenty of chances but Rovers conceded another goal in the opening minutes and then gave away a penalty by a handball to make matters worse which then was converted into a goal by BM. The match ended at 3-0.


text:
Melach je pravostranný přítok řeky Inn v údolí Sellrain (Serllaintal) v Tyrolsku v Rakousku o délce přibližně 23 km.

Průběh toku
Melach vznikáí soutokem několika pramenných potoků severně od Lüsener Fern v údolí Lüsenstal ve Stubaiských Alpách, které patří k obci Sankt Sigmund im Sellrain. Nejprve protéká údolím Lüsenstal na sever. V obci Gries im Sellrain se spojuje s řekou Zirmbach, která přitéká ze západního údolí Sellraintal a stáčí se na severovýchod. Protéká údolím Sellrain a v Sellrainu, kde se do ní vlévá potok Fotscher Bach. Na konci údolí u Kematenu se zařízla do hluboké rokle a pak se vlévá do údolí Innu (Inntal), kde navršila náplavový kužel a posunula Inn na sever k úpatí Martinswandu. Mezi obcemi Unterperfuss a Kematen v Tyrolsku se vlévá do řeky Inn. Tento soutok je oficiální dělící čárou mezi údolím Oberinntal a údolím Unterinntal.

Povodí a průtok
Přirozená plocha povodí Melachu je asi 245 km², z toho 5,1 km² (2 %) je zaledněno. Nejvyšším bodem v povodí je Hintere Brunnenkogel ve výšce 3325 m n. m. Několik přítoků Melachu je odváděno do nádrže Längental elektrárny Sellrain-Silz, což zmenšuje efektivní plochu povodí o 60 km².

Průměrný průtok na měrném profilu In der Au je 4,08 m³/s, což odpovídá výtokové dotaci 28,3 l/s-km². Melach má odtokový režim typický pro horský tok bez významného vlivu ledovce. Průměrný průtok v červnu, měsíci s největším množstvím vody (8,06 m³/s), je přibližně pětkrát vyšší než v únoru, měsíci s nejmenším množstvím vody (1,57 m³/s). Vydatné srážky a silné tání sněhu pravidelně způsobují vylití Melachu z břehů, zejména na dolním toku. Stavby na ochranu břehů, které měly chránit pole a louky v okolí Kematenu, jsou zmiňovány již kolem roku 1280. V červnu 1965 došlo k rozsáhlým záplavám polí v údolí Inntalu a byl vyplaven železniční násep Arlberské dráhy, která byla na čtrnáct dní přerušena. Naposledy v roce 2015 došlo k zaplavení řeky Melach s vážnými následky. Několik obytných budov a silnic bylo zaplaveno nebo zničeno. Byly vybudovány ochranné objekty a obranné stavby za několik milionů eur.

Název
Název Melach, dříve nazývaný také Melchbach, Melch nebo Malch, se odvozuje od slova Milch (mléko), které odkazuje na mléčně bílou vodu (ledovcové mléko), naproti tomu je název spojován také s kořenem mel düster (ponurý, souvisí s řeckým μέλας).

Odkazy

Reference

Externí odkazy

Řeky v Tyrolsku
Povodí Innu
Stubaiské Alpy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Michael Collins is experienced in teaching students of all ages, a father of two sons, he has a specialty in turning the hippos of Hungry Hungry Hippos into fire-creating dragons. Don't miss your chance to have your creativity tapped by the funniest and one of the best teachers HVWC has to offer.
Michael Collins's poems have received Pushcart Prize nominations and appeared in more than 70 journals and magazines. He is also the author of the chapbooks How to Sing when People Cut off your Head and Leave it Floating in the Water and Harbor Mandala, the full-length collections Psalmandala and Appearances, which was named one of the best indie poetry collections of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews. He teaches creative and expository writing at New York University and HVWC and is the Director of Studies at Why There Are Words Press and curator of the New York City branch of the national Why There Are Words Reading Series.


The day your best employee comes in with the news that they're moving on is the day you start recruiting them again. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
While you might have a bigger paycheck and you might have a special feeling inside now that you have a staff of your own, the gripes, hiring, and firing responsibilities are also all yours. Welcome to management. In You Can't Fire Everyone, Fortune deputy managing editor Hank Gilman lays out some of the most critical challenges managers face today, drawing from his decades of experience on the front lines.
The following excerpt addresses the unfortunate, inevitable day when your talented employees decide to leave. This excerpt also marks the official launch of You Can't Fire Everyone (sound familiar?), a series that will open our site to reader contributions on their triumphs and trials in the working world. Tune in next week for tales on firing and being fired.
I know this will come as a shocker — well, to some of you — but eventually new and/or better jobs will come along for your more talented people. Or eventually they'll just get tired of what they're doing (and of you) and will want to experience something else. Or sometimes a job offer will come along and your star won't know whether they want to leave or not. But if and when a star decides to leave, you just have to understand and hope that someday they'll return. And you know what? It does happen. And a lot of it depends on how you act when they leave.


Within any race ran by DeSales' men's cross country team, the most interesting moment is seeing sophomore Will Summers. Typically hanging out of the front group of the race, he is an elf compared to the much larger runners. Despite this, he slips and shoves his way through packs of people and hawks down every runner he can at the finish line.
Most would not assume Summers is a runner, and even more would not assume he was likely faster than them, but Summers has a talent and drive for running that most people would kill for.
In his freshman year of cross country, Summers ran his 8K race personal record at the 2017 NCAA Division III Mid-East Regionals and in his sophomore year he placed 14th at the MAC Championships with a time of 27:20.
In indoor track, his best times were 9:13 for the 3000-meters and 15:56 for the 5000-meters. For outdoor track, his best times were 15:57 in the 5000-meters and 33:10 in the 10,000 meters.
He is one of the fastest long distance runners on the team, on average, taking second for the team in cross country races.
Summers began his interest in running when his mom signed him up for a 5K race in eighth grade. Summers had never really raced prior to that but trained with his mother to prepare. Summers, who described himself as "a lazy couch potato," placed second in the race, and began to suspect he might actually be good at running.
His most memorable race was in his senior year of high school when he ran in the NJSIAA State Meet of Champions for cross country.
Summers chose to run at DeSales because he found the school fit all his requirements. He wanted a small school, in a quiet area, where he could relax and stay private. He was also looking for a team to run on, which he found at DeSales.
For Summers, running is a hobby. It is something he can do and something he does well. His drive to run is always to be the best runner he can be and always do better than the year he did before.
His real passion is writing. Summers spends a lot of his time writing fictional stories throughout all different genres.
At the moment, he is studying to be a journalist. While he started his freshman year as a computer science major wanting to design video games, Summers found the work to be too overwhelming for him and thought he would do better in a major that involved more writing.


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I reviewed A sky Unbroken last Tuesday, so that means a few words from Megan Crewe. In the past, I've also reviewed the first two books.
I literally rewrite (as in, open a blank document and retype from start to finish) every book I write at least two times–once for my first personal revision pass and once for my first editorial revision pass. With some of my books I've done it three or four times. When I'm making substantive changes that echo through the entire book, I find it much easier to maintain consistency and stay in the flow and voice of the story that way, as opposed to editing a piece here and there in an existing document. When I mention this part of my writing process to other authors, I tend to get a lot of stares.
Right now I have an almost-2-year-old, so most of my non-writing time is family time. I love reading, of course, as well as music, movies, and TV (really, any form of storytelling). I was learning kung fu for several years before my son was born and hope to return to it when I have a little more free time. And I'm an avid traveler–I get a lot of enjoyment out of immersing myself in a totally different culture or landscape.
In one sentence, tell us what A Sky Unbroken is all about.
Earthlings and their rebel allies fight to prevent their complete extinction on a space station controlled by a people who believe Earth is worthless.
What inspired you to write the trilogy?
I had a couple of different ideas that had been vaguely simmering for a while. I wanted to see more YA science fiction that wasn't post-apocalyptic or dystopian–I enjoy those genres, and have written an apocalyptic trilogy myself, but I grew up with Star Wars and Star Trek and was eager to see characters getting right off the planet, traveling through space, encountering alien societies. So I thought I could contribute to that genre myself.
I'd also had bits of a time travel idea floating around in my head–I liked the idea of seemingly innocuous details turning out to be incredibly important in solving some sort of mystery of shifts in time, and of characters having to jump from period to period trying to prevent some sort of disaster using those clues.
Then I read Yo[crap]aka Amano's illustrated story "Hero." There's a brief section in that story where the main character suddenly notices little changes in the world around him–his street has a slightly different name, for example–and realizes that no one else around him recognizes that anything has changed. It's only a minor element of the story, but it stuck with me. I couldn't help imagining how frightening and isolating that would be, and I wanted to capture that sense in a story of my own. As I developed the idea of a character who noticed small changes in our world that no one else did, I ended up connecting it to the time travel elements and then to my desire to write something more broadly science fiction-y. And the rest is history!
What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing A Sky Unbroken?
I hear from readers often enough to feel appreciated, but not so often that I'm not excited when I receive fan mail! I think the two comments I hear most often are that people really connect with my main characters and that people enjoy that I take my stories in different directions than tends to be common in YA, both of which I love to hear because those are two of my primary goals with my stories.
Is there a message in the trilogy that you want readers to grasp?
I don't like to come down too heavy with theme or message, but I would say the core ideas of the Earth & Sky trilogy, to me, are that it's impossible to be perfect or perfectly control one's life and so we're better off making peace and working with our flaws and uncertainties, and that the variety of differences between individual people and cultures is an advantage, not a problem, that can allow us to achieve more when we come together and cooperate using our respective strengths.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Earth & Sky?
I would probably try to work in more information about Win's people, because the most common complaint I've seen from readers is that they don't understand their motives… until they get to THE CLOUDED SKY, where you get a much more direct demonstration of what the Kemyates are all about. It's tricky finding the balance between confusing readers and hitting them over the head with explanations, and it seems I may have erred too far in one direction.
I've gotten to hang out, have discussions, and do events with authors I greatly admire. Probably the most awesome of those instances was chatting with and then doing a talk with Susan Beth Pfeffer for the Rochester Teen Book Festival, because her Last Survivors trilogy was one of the main inspirations for my Fallen World trilogy.
When my publisher for the Fallen World trilogy sent me to Texas for a couple of events, I went up to my hotel room and found a chocolate plaque with my book cover on it waiting for me.
I have various new YA books at various stages of completion–nothing I can talk about in any detail yet, though. I'm also going to be re-releasing my debut novel, GIVE UP THE GHOST, later this year, after a while of it being out of print. Looking forward to hopefully seeing it reach new readers!
Thanks for the interview, and your kind reviews!
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2015 at 06:36	and tagged with Author Interviews and posted in Reviews & Interviews.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


Clinicians Clearwayz is a unique dietary supplement formulated to support healthy sinus, respiratory and immune function. It supports clear airways in the sinuses and lungs, and a healthy immune response and works in 60 minutes. It comes in an easy to take tablet, is well tolerated and suitable for long term use, providing support for ills, chill and allergens.
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We'll take a look at the different elements which make fantasy literature "fantasy" as well as multiple sources of inspiration. We'll discuss how to keep your story "real" in a fantasy universe, and how to differentiate your work so it can stand out. I'll also answer questions about my experiences in writing role-playing games and wargames set in shared worlds and how those helped The Dark Lord series and the Charming Tales.
Harry Heckel started by writing pen and paper roleplaying games, notably for White Wolf Game Studio, before moving into novels. As Lee Lightner, he co-authored two Space Wolf novels set in the Warhammer 40K universe. He is currently half of the writing team of Jack Heckel, and under that name has written The Charming Tales series from Harper Voyager Impulse. His latest novel from Harper is The Dark Lord, a parody of epic fantasy, stuffed with geek references. He is currently writing the next book in the series, The Darker Lord, and preparing for The Darkest Lord, both scheduled for release in 2018. He also has a few independent novels under his own name and does freelance work for roleplaying, board game and miniature wargame companies. He lives in central Virginia with his wife, daughter and two cats. He can be found at www.harryheckel.com and www.jackheckel.com.


ICOs often look to raise money before they offer a working product. Be careful when investing in ICO as it is a very popular way to scam new investors in the cryptocurrency space.
Most altcoins do not have any FIAT ($, or ) pairs. Instead they are most commonly traded against $BTC or $ETH as many altcoin exchanges does not accept FIAT deposits.
Right now the demand for altcoin exchanges is booming and many of the most popular ones have been forced to close registration at certain times in order to not ruin the user experience of existing users. If this is the case, we will list the best alternatives to this exchange. Usually registrations open again within a few weeks however, so make sure you stay up to date on http://www.coinworld.io to find out when you are able to register again.
If possible, we always recommend you move all of your coins off exchanges as soon as you dont need to trade them. If this is not possible, you can either use the projects own software wallet or store the cryptocurrency on the exchange.


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"Inspiring Stories Of Bravery During The Battle Of Britain" Topic
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Tango01 29 Jun 2022 8:14 p.m. PST
"The Battle of Britain called for incredible feats of bravery. The persistent, destructive and targeted German aerial attacks during the summer of 1940 placed those involved in Britain's defence in huge danger.
People who showed incredible bravery in withstanding the threat to Britain were often recognised with gallantry awards. Military Medals (MMs), Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFCs), Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs), George Medals (GMs) and even Victoria Crosses (VCs) were awarded to those who had displayed unflinching courage and determination during the Battle of Britain…"
Choctaw 30 Jun 2022 7:47 a.m. PST
Nice find, Armand.
deadhead 30 Jun 2022 12:43 p.m. PST
Oh, incredible find Armand.
I read these various accounts and now want to read more, which is surely the point. The skin burns stories and the lifetime consequences are just awful. Most these kids were younger than my three sons (27, 27 and 41 years of age). What a sacrifice they made……
Happy you enjoyed it my friends…
Mserafin 01 Jul 2022 9:10 a.m. PST
One of my favorites.
Tango01 01 Jul 2022 2:56 p.m. PST

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


nor multi-stone rings really dominate.The benefits for us all is that we're not restricted to any one particular style or influence in any defined period.
We get the best of all worlds. Designers can dare to be different knowing that they have a global marketplace with global advertising at their disposal.
Cluster rings are truly beautiful things. Add a dash of color with a ruby or sapphire and it can go to yet a whole new level.
handcrafted piece to your own unique collection to compliment your brilliance!
carrying a beautiful radiance that glows from miles away."


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You are here: Home / Featured / BEAUTIFUL GAMERS: SBSC U18s use talent, teamwork to rise above
BEAUTIFUL GAMERS: SBSC U18s use talent, teamwork to rise above
June 6, 2014 by Barry Punzal
There was a time when the core group of the Santa Barbara Soccer Club's Boys Under-18 team suffered through 8-0 and 9-0 losses when it ventured down south for weekend tournaments.
The Team of the Month Series is sponsored by Sansum Clinic of Santa Barbara
The Team of the Month Series spotlights great
examples of teamwork in the local sports community
That was when they were 10.
That core group has since blossomed into premier players and, together with talented players from around the tricounties, they now beat those clubs that handed them lopsided losses years ago.
"The tables have been turned completely," U18s assistant coach Jesus Landeros said.
Last month, the SBSC U18s captured the California Youth Soccer Association's So Cal State Championship and qualified for the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals in Albuquerque, N.M., the week of June 16. They'll be joined in New Mexico by the club's U16 team, which is seeking a third straight national title. Rudy Ybarra is the coach for both teams.
Presidio Sports is pleased to recognize the SBSC U18s as its Team of the Month.
The U18s have some of the best high school seniors and juniors in the Santa Barbara area. They include Robbie Landeros (San Marcos), Pepe Barron (Santa Barbara High), Robert Soto (SBHS), Jumoke Hutton (SBHS), Ricky Arroyo (Carpinteria, SBCC), Julio Rubio (Dos Pueblos), Geoffrey Acheampong (Cate), Damian Nunez (Laguna Blanca) and Ryan Bickett (Laguna Blanca).
From the county are Abu Danladi (Dunn School), Miguel Padron (Pioneer Valley), Ricky Reyes (Lompoc), Juan Robles (Hancock College), Daniel Gail (Santa Ynez) and Noah Blacker (Santa Ynez).
Players from Ventura County include Damian Calderon (Nordhoff), Auggie Andrade (Nordhoff), Conor Daly (Nordhoff), Erik Ambriz (Santa Paula), Randy Mendoza (Santa Paula) and Joe Hernandez (Ventura).
The players are skillful and talented, but Landeros is quick to note their success is a credit to the excellent coaching they've received in their time with the club.
"One of the key aspects of the kids' development is they've had some of the best coaches in the area," said Landeros, citing Matt Winecki, Lloyd Biggs and current coach Rudy Ybarra "(The players) been very fortunate to have consistently good guys teaching, massaging and expanding their game."
Ybarra, in particular, has been instrumental in the club's recent success.
"The man knows the game inside and out, and he's able to pass that on to the kids," Landeros said of the former Santa Barbara High coach. "It's one thing to have talent, it's a whole other thing to know what to do with it and recognize what's going on in a certain game. That's what Rudy brings to the table. Rudy is a proven winner at every level."
Danladi is the marquee player on the squad. He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and has a scholarship to UCLA.
But the SBSC U18s have proven they can win without Danladi.
"Everybody gets caught up with a player like Abu," Landeros said. "He is a player at another level, and I expect him to play professionally. However, this is a special group of players. There is talent up and down the roster. One of the things that was nice for them was to go through this most recent competition without Abu. It just reiterated to everybody: 'That you guys are solid. Obviously, you're a special team with him but you're excellent team without him as well.'"
The team is so deep in soccer talent that it's allowed Ybarra to move players into different positions without any problems.
Robbie Landeros is a perfect example. He was an attacking midfielder at San Marcos. On the club team, he plays center back along side Randy Mendoza. The pair has been outstanding. The defense allowed only six goals during the National Cup.
The outside backs are Hutton and Arroyo. Barron, a 20-goal scorer at Santa Barbara High, also has played at an outside back position.
"At the level we play, these guys can all play," Landeros said. "It goes back to using the talents you have on the team to make it a strong team. Rudy sets up the formation in accordance to our opponent."
Acheampong runs the attack in the midfield. The other midfielders are Rubio, Calderon and Andrade, who will be joining Robbie Landeros at the University of Seattle in the fall.
Barron, Danladi and Padron are the forwards.
Landeros said Padron stepped up big at the National Cup.
"Miguel had an outstanding National Cup," he said. "He's just a dangerous guy. Teams tend to focus on Abu because he gets all the attention, but when Miguel gets on the board it's very likely he's going to get a hat trick.
"That's the strength of the team. It's not one guy we rely on. It's a team game."
Presidio Sports accepts nominations for its Team of the Month award. Please send nomination and background information on the team to [email protected]
Filed Under: Featured, News, Soccer, Team of the Month Tagged With: Abu Danladi, Damian Nunez, Geoffrey Acheampong, Jesus Landeros, Julio Rubio, Jumoke Hutton, Lloyd Biggs, Matt Winecki, Miguel Padron, Pepe Barron, Ricky Arroyo, Robbie Landeros, Rudy Ybarra, Ryan Bickett, San Marcos Boys Soccer, Santa Barbara High boys soccer, Santa Barbara Soccer Club, SBSC U18 boys, Team of the Month


Boston Beer Company to create specialty Boston Marathon beer.
Illinois judge throws out one billion dollar lawsuit against the Travel Channel.
CNNTravel on five things not to do on airplanes.
NPR on the transformation of Panda Express.
Departures on eight hard to find vacation spots.
Celebrity Cruise to expand to Europe next year.
How to utilize Facebook to travel smarter.


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Norwich Evening News > News > Health
Different strokes appeal for new members
Kim Briscoe
A Norwich group for younger stroke survivors is appealing for new members.
Different Strokes Norwich meets weekly at the Vauxhall Centre, off Vauxhall Street, so that members can share their experiences over a cup of tea or coffee, and then take part in an hour-long exercise session.
Wendy Dubbin started the group after her husband Alan, now 58, had a stroke in December 2009.
Mrs Dubbin, 58, of Dereham Road, Norwich, said: 'We saw there was a group in north Norfolk for younger stroke survivors, but nothing in this area. Younger people who have had a stroke have got different needs. They often still have dependents and often want to get back to work. They're not happy to sit around in a cirlce and play bingo – they want to be more constructive and rebuild their social life.'
The sessions, from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesdays, are for anyone aged 16 to 65 who has had a stroke, or a brain injury.
Each meeting includes an hour of circuit training, adapted to suit each individual's ability, to increase fitness and general well-being. The sessions are run by qualified fitness instructors.
Carina Moore, from Barclay Road, Heartsease, had a brain haemorrhage which caused a stroke when she was just 48. Now 53, the grandmother of two said: 'I like the exercises because you don't tend to do them at home. It's also good if you want to talk to somebody about your problems and speak to other people who have been through the same experience. Unless you have experienced it then you don't really know what it involves.'
Mrs Dubbin said: 'The exercises help to relieve blood pressure and one of the main causes of stroke is high blood pressure. It's also social, because in the early stages it can be difficult to cope with the changes.'
Mrs Dubbin said the group is looking for new members, and hopes that with more attendees they will also be able to book guest speakers to come to the sessions, which cost �3.
To find out more about the Different Strokes Norwich group, contact Mrs Dubbin on 07758 153947, or email wendydubbin4@gmail.com.
Do you have a story for us? Contact Kim Briscoe on 01603 772419 or email kim.briscoe@archant.co.uk.


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Home » News » Local Family Law Attorney Honored by 'Enterprising Women' Magazine
Local Family Law Attorney Honored by 'Enterprising Women' Magazine
Local Family Law Attorney Honored by 'Enterprising Women' Magazine Posted in | Last updated on May 31st, 2018 at 01:59 pm
Prestigious 'Enterprising Women of the Year Champions' Awards Program Recognizes Rosanne S. DeTorres, Esq.
MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Rosanne S. DeTorres, Esq., managing partner and co-founder of DeTorres & DeGeorge Family Law, has been named an Enterprising Women of the Year Champion for 2018 by Enterprising Women magazine. The awards program, widely considered one of the most prestigious recognition programs for women business owners, serves as an annual tribute to the world's top women entrepreneurs.
"With hundreds of women entrepreneurs nominated from across the United States and around the globe, we added a new award category in 2016 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of a larger group of women worldwide," said Monica Smiley, publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women. "These 'Champions' excel in a variety of ways – through fast business growth, community leadership or as outstanding role models and mentors in their communities."
As an Enterprising Women of the Year Champion, DeTorres continues to demonstrate a commitment to sustaining a successful business while also serving as a mentor for women and girls – especially those with an interest in entrepreneurship – in and around Morris County.
"This is an amazing honor, and I'm humbled to be mentioned in the same company as the other 31 women receiving this award," DeTorres says. "I'm immensely proud of the work we do both internally and in the community at D&D Family Law, so to be recognized for that work on such a grand scale is incredible."
This is not the first award for DeTorres, who has also been recognized as a top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneur and was named to the NJ Super Lawyers list in 2017. The firm has also been noted as one of the top 500 fastest growing law firms in the U.S. by Law Firm 500. Additionally, DeTorres is one of only 150 attorneys in the State of New Jersey that is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Matrimonial Law Attorney.
DeTorres & DeGeorge Family Law prides itself on settling 99 percent of all divorce cases without going to court. The firm provides expert guidance on all family law and divorce related matters, such as child custody, legal separation, divorce mediation, alimony and equitable distribution of assets.
About DeTorres and DeGeorge Family Law
DeTorres and DeGeorge Family Law is a New Jersey based family law firm that has been helping New Jersey residents achieve the best possible results in their divorce for nearly 30 years. The DeTorres and DeGeorge Family Law team is always ready to fight for their clients' rights – determined to help New Jersey families overcome legal challenges from start to finish. Our legal team, with over 65 years of combined experience, provides expert guidance on all family law and divorce-related matters, including custody and parenting time, alimony and child support, equitable distribution of assets, premarital agreements, post-divorce issues, executive compensation distribution, divorces for business owners, and divorce mediation. The firm has been recognized for its dedication and expertise in the industry by multiple local and national organizations, including Super Lawyers, Law Firm 500, and the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. Rosanne DeTorres, Managing Partner, is one of 150 lawyers certified as a matrimonial law attorney.
Rosanne S. DeTorres, Esq., managing partner and co-founder of DeTorres & DeGeorge Family Law, has been named an Enterprising Women of the Year Champion for 2018 by Enterprising Women magazine.
https://www.danddfamilylaw.com/news/local-family-law-attorney-honored-by-enterprising-women-magazine/
‹ Local Business Owner Earns Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs Recognition
Rosanne S. DeTorres, Erin D. DeGeorge, Luther G. Jones, IV, and Caitlin DeGuilo Toker Certified as Lawyers of Distinction ›
"I merely speak the truth. That truth is that you and Nicole took excellent care of me through what is likely to end up being the most critical and difficultI merely speak the truth. That truth is that you and Nicole took excellent care of me through what is likely to end up being the most critical and difficult transition of my adult life. Many people I've spoken to are afraid that an attorney is just as likely to take advantage of them as their soon to be ex-spouse. I feel fortunate that I am able to make a referral with such confidence and will continue to do so as opportunities present themselves." Show MoreShow Less
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After graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Commerce, I joined Macquarie's graduate program as an investment banking analyst in Macquarie Capital's New Zealand office.
It's a small but very dynamic team that performs a country coverage role. Its activities – and mine – vary widely, covering infrastructure, equity capital markets (ECM), debt capital markets, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and general financial advisory work. As part of my role, I carry out financial modelling analysis, prepare presentations and liaise with clients to ensure they get the best outcome that meets their needs.
My experience at Macquarie, both as an intern and as a graduate, has been hugely positive. Our country coverage role means I'm exposed to a wide variety of deals and sectors. As well as various M&A and ECM transactions, I helped on the early stages of an infrastructure project, which was particularly exciting. It involved the potential development, operation and maintenance of a large-scale infrastructure project in New Zealand. I was involved in consortium meetings and helped in the drafting of Request for Proposal documentation, putting in a bid at the expression of interest stage. I gained valuable exposure to the inner workings of the New Zealand infrastructure sector.
I really enjoyed the collaborative nature of this project, being in a room of people from varied backgrounds. You don't go into financial services thinking that you're going to be meeting with architects, lawyers and builders to discuss large-scale infrastructure projects which will have a meaningful impact in New Zealand communities. When I applied for the graduate program I thought I'd be exposed to banking, but the scope of work was far broader and I have been afforded greater responsibility for deliverables than I ever imagined.
The other thing that's great is that almost overnight you become involved in an industry and get to understand so much about it – whether it's, airports, public infrastructure or even the fast food sector. It's so much more than a job in finance. You get a unique perspective.
The New Zealand Macquarie Capital team comprises just 12 people. The work environment here is really dynamic and fast-paced. Being a small team, it's really fluid, flexible and supportive, and you get the opportunity to work, in some form, in most of the deals that we are involved in.
During my first year, I had the opportunity to join the Macquarie Capital Analysts and Associates Advisory Board. We develop and implement networking, professional development, technology and flexible working initiatives across Australia and New Zealand, on behalf of analysts and associates. It's a great opportunity to be involved in the inner workings of Macquarie and to be given the chance to make a positive impact on our working environment. Having a formalised committee for this really shows how much time and investment goes into developing our junior team members.


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Jody Hice Is A Gibbering Moron
Congress needs to test each new member on the Constitution. Because Republican (surprise!) bumblers like Jody Hice just don't know what's in it, as usual:
Georgia Rep. Jody Hice claims Christians have been tricked into accepting the separation of church and state, calling constitutionally mandated church-state separation a "false belief."
"Somehow we have bought into that false belief that our Constitution forbids us from being involved because of the so-called separation of church and state. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that that's not in our constitution. But it's been said so many times that many Christians believe that we ought not be involved".
For the love of Georgia. Congress. Shall. Make. No. Law. Respecting. An. Establishment. Of. Religion.
That's there to keep your church out of my government. Make no mistake, you are free to be religious and be a representative. No one is saying that you can't-but go ahead and nail yourself to that particular cross and complain that your stupid religion is under fire just because it's not welcome in law. And I'm not even going to get into his contention that religious societies would be more moral than secular societies. All I have to say to that is "Duggar".
This is not a theocracy, crazypants. Learn basic civics before shooting your mouth off.
Posted on June 18, 2015, in Uncategorized and tagged Christianity, Constitution, Jody Hice, Nauseating Human Beings, Utter Dumbasses. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
Jack | June 19, 2015 at 2:28 PM
Ron, I'm not a religious person, but I am a student of Constitutional Law. I don't understand how you can treat this like an open-and-shut analysis, like it's really that superficial. It's not. I will quote your illogical passage that I'm about to refute:
"Congress. Shall. Make. No. Law. Respecting. An. Establishment. Of. Religion.
That's there to keep your church out of my government. "
If all you're going to do is just analyze the syntax of the words, and think you're being authoritative, then you have your head way up inside a dark place.
Like solving an algebra problem, let's do a simple substitution. Let's substitute "Apples" everywhere congress or government appears. And let's substitute "Oranges" everywhere religion or church appears. Here goes:
"Apples shall make no law respecting an establishment of Oranges. That's there to keep your Oranges out of my Apples."
What? Forget politics. On this planet, in the plain language called English, you are flatly wrong, Ron. That sentence is only restricting what the Apples can do. It says nothing about what the Oranges can or can't do. Nothing.
Clearly that sentence exists in the First Amendment to keep the Apples out of the business of the Oranges, not to keep the Oranges out of the business of the Apples. It's a one-way prohibition of intrusion, not a two-way prohibition. The wording of the First Amendment is NOT a wall blocking vision in both directions — it's a one-way mirror blocking vision in only one direction. I mean….duh…hello? Put some smelling salts under your nose and try to gather your senses, Ron.
I've never visited your blog…are you always so theatrical in your wrongness? Your technique of putting a period between each word of your assertion only draws more attention to your petulant outburst. Don't you find it hard to type with balled fists?
There are much much deeper and longer arguments, based on actual political philosophy, that you could have made that would be far more respectable as a grown-up conversation. Those philosophical arguments actually have validity. But you didn't use philosophy, just excessive punctuation and mistaken elementary school logic. You attacked a very deep philosophical issue based on the wording itself, and you couldn't even do that correctly.
I wonder how many periods you'll put between each word of your response to this basic algebra lesson.
– Jack
Ron | June 19, 2015 at 4:13 PM
You must not know Jody Hice like I do. He's an Orange colored guy serving in the Apple's seat. Do you think it is OK for Hice to govern by his Christian faith? He's on record saying that Islam is not a real religion. He is not interested in secular government. He thinks homosexuality is a choice. He would like nothing more than to introduce his radical Christian beliefs into the public forum. Today's version of separation should prohibit him from injecting religion into politics. Look at all the conversations we have had over prayer in public. If separation is not based on the First, where else would this idea come from? Are we not protected from him legislating his particular morality?
I think you're being a bit literalist in your interpretation. Church and state conflict runs both ways these days.
I don't need to know Jody Hice or any other politician anywhere, in order to form my opinion on this. Hice is not governing on his own. He's not legislating on his own. He's participating in a Constitutional Republic called the U.S.A. If he's doing what he said he'd do when he campaigned for the office, then his views are no more or less valid than any others in the wide wide world of society that have a place at the table. I could only agree with you if he campaigned as a pure secularist, and is now defying his campaign platform.
You say "today's version of separation" and "runs both ways these days," as if the Constitution is a constantly-shifting bulletin board with thumb-tacked scraps of paper coming and going from it, changing with the fads of each generation. I view it as unmoving bedrock that forms a contract between the people and government. The original intent IS what it IS. There's no "today's version" or tomorrow's version" in the philosophy of government that I believe in. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. You say I"m being too literal, but that's only because I'm disagreeing with you. If I agreed with you, you wouldn't care how literal I'm being. Besides…..law is meant to be a literal thing. If it's shifty and adrift in the turbulence of public debate, then it's not law — it's arbitrary gossip. Here's what Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797) said in his 1790 book Reflections on the Revolution in France about the attitudes of fickle people who want to morph their society and its laws every generation to satisfy the current trendy whims of the youngsters that have just come of age:
"One of the first and most leading principles on which the commonwealth and its laws are consecrated, is lest the temporary possessors and life renters in it, unmindful of what they have received from their ancestors, or of what is due to their posterity, should act as if they were the entire masters; that they should not think it among their rights to cut off the entail, or commit waste on the inheritance, by destroying at their pleasure the whole original fabric of their society; hazarding to those who come after them a ruin instead of a habitation…No one generation could link with another. Men would become little better than flies of a summer."
In order to accommodate structured and well-reasoned changes, our U.S. Constitution provides a lawful process called amendments. That's how it should be changed, not by gradual redefinition from biased activists promoting their own self interest, or judges who are sympathetic to and influenced by those activists, and who then unethically use their judicial role to morph the law rather than just judge cases against the existing legislated law, and vote guilty/not guilty, or approve/disapprove. They act like unelected legislators by redefining laws in new precedent-setting ways, like a boat with no anchor or rudder — just going whichever way the fickle current is flowing this year.
In the political process, there are elected representatives at all levels (neighborhood, town, county, state, federal) who bring all kinds of ideas and principles into their role. That's called a pluralistic society. Look it up. Our form of government is not a Democracy, although in some ways it employs some principles of democracy. But the U.S.A. is a Constitutional Republic, with elected representatives serving in the executive and legislative branches. Your Jody Hice is not unilaterally "legislating his particular morality," as you say. He's not a legislature of one. He's just one vote among many other representatives, and his job is to represent the views of the majority of voters in his district. And you ARE protected from him generally because you and your fellow citizens in his district can vote him out of office. If you think you're alone in the misery of disagreeing with your elected representative, think of all the Democrat voters in Utah and Wyoming, or all the Republican voters in Vermont and Massachusetts. You're not alone, Ron.
You said, "If separation is not based on the First, where else would this idea come from?" Did you even TRY to research it, Ron? Try this:
http://www.gotchoices.net/churchandstate/
…or any number of other sources on the internet. Other sources will be more favorable to your opinion than the one I cited. But for you to superficially ask "where else would this idea come from?" just baffles me. GOOGLE it, dude. If you're going to take a stand, put SOMETHING under your feet. ANYTHING.
The phrase "separation of church and state" originally comes from the 1500's in Europe during the Reformation, when governments were literally running the churches as an unethical way to assert exert force and repression on the citizens. The government absolutely has to be prohibited from exerting coercive force upon people through religious institutions. On that we agree, Ron. But it doesn't mean I agree that religion should be barred from having any place in the public square. It doesn't mean that I agree VOLUNTARY prayer in schools shouldn't be allowed. It doesn't mean that I agree the Ten Commandments can't appear in a public building, even a government building. That's blocking religion from government and the public, which isn't what the First Amendment blocked. It blocked government from dictating rules to religious institutions, and from endorsing a particular religious sect as America's Religion. Allowing some religious principles to enter the legislative process and be considered in the lawmaking process is not "making a law respecting the establishment of religion." If those views make it into the majority view, fine. If not, fine. But no idea should be barred from being uttered. That's not pluralism.
The "wall of separation" metaphor came into use in America from a private letter by Thomas Jefferson, who was not even a participant in the writing of the Constitution or the Amendments in the Bill of Rights. He wasn't even in the country at the time. Portions of that letter ended up being quoted by a Supreme Court Justice (Hugo Black) in his written opinion in the 1947 case called Everson v. Board of Education. Ever since then, many leftists (including you, apparently) thinks that 2-way word "separation" came from the First Amendment. It didn't. You may wish it did, because it conveniently supports your loud atheistic activism. But it's a farce. See: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2006/06/the-mythical-wall-of-separation-how-a-misused-metaphor-changed-church-state-law-policy-and-discourse
Now let's get back to my reasoning about why the First Amendment doesn't and shouldn't prohibit religious views from entering the public arena, even in governmental legislative proceedings (to be considered with ALL other views). And notice that I'm not browbeating you with theology here. I'm presenting you an objective case about respecting healthy pluralism in a free society — "All Things Considered" (to quote NPR). That's all.
Once a government is established under a ratified Constitution, with limits placed on it for all the things it better not do to infringe on the liberties of the people, then a country full of people begins to live their daily lives under that Constitution. Ron, isn't it true that EVERYONE should be able to participate in the arena of public opinion, voting for representatives for whatever reasons they wish, and some of them even running for elections, hoping to win seats in the Representative governmental system? Or only the people you agree with? The election process, and the subsequent legislating system, is like a great big free market of ideas. The ideas that a majority of folks agree with survive and flourish, and the ideas that a majority of people don't like fall out of favor because they don't attract votes in the next elections. This works just fine, although sometimes maybe it takes some time to adjust to changing public opinion. And definitely, there are always some people (in the minority) who feel their ideas and opinions are not heard. But that can't be avoided, unless we want to eliminate all organized government and live in anarchy with our doors locked and stone walls with musket portals erected around our houses to defend against the hordes of lawless rioters. In a lawful society, sometimes the disgruntled don't get their way…unless they can persuade others to make their views favorable to a majority of voters in the next election. What we SHOULDN'T do is to try to shut anybody up and tell them their viewpoint isn't allowed to be heard. I shouldn't shut you up; you shouldn't shut me up; and neither of us should shut Jody Hice up. That's pluralism.
The only way I could agree with your obvious intention to shut Jody Hice up and ban him from expressing his principles in the way he votes and in the bills he perhaps sponsors is if he campaigned on a different platform than he's now standing. If he disclosed his principles, whatever they are, when he campaigned and received votes, then he's entitled to utilize those beliefs in his legislative actions. If you, and a majority of voters in your district don't like what he does, then you vote him out. But don't claim that he's not allowed to use religious principles in guiding his legislative actions. THAT's not what was meant by the First Amendment. It's a one-way restriction (government cannot meddle in the business of the church), not a two-way restriction. Religious people have as much right as anyone else to bring their viewpoints into the public and compete like everyone else for majority favor.
If you didn't know all this stuff before you just posted your article telling Hice, in effect, that he doesn't have the right to consider his religious views when performing his legislative acts, then YOU"RE the one shooting your mouth off. I have only scratched the surface in revealing to you some of the deeper aspects of the matter here. Most of the relevant factors in the "Separation of Church and State" issue are from the years BEFORE the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written. Try studying it, rather than letting your atheist instincts cause you to recoil from it and lash out at it. Understanding political philosophy HAS to include considering ideologies you don't agree with and learning how they all intertwine. If nothing else, it will let you argue against them better.
I'm not going to provide you any more logic or history or philosophy. If you care, you'll seek more of your own. It would be perfectly respectable if you researched it and ended up building a more solid and substantial case for keeping religious-based morality out of government processes. But right now you're only a waterbug skittering on the surface. You're like Burke's "flies of a summer." If you have any deep thinkers among your two dozen followers, they're probably not very impressed and aren't inclined to spread the word about your blog.
On the other hand, if you don't care about adding depth to your rants, then you're hopeless and my time here is wasted.
We have a fundamental disagreement on how the Constitution functions. You are an originalist. I am not. I believe, like many jurists past and present, that it is a living document with implications beyond its original wording. When abortion rights were constitutionally protected, the decision was predicated on a right to privacy that was not enumerated. The decision to prohibit school prayer was most certainly based on the Establishment Clause. And very soon, gay marriage is going to be protected under the Fourteenth Amendment.
That said, I admit that I was wrong in that I implied that Christians were not welcome in the sphere of debate because of the First. I am, believe it or not, respectful of what comes after the Establishment Clause. Your points about pluralism are taken and noted. I guess that I am very wary of the new religionists that we seem to be hearing more and more about. Christ, just yesterday Louie Gohmert was saying that Jesus' law trumps our law. He's not the only one who thinks this. So I'm a bit alarmed. That doesn't mean I get to wield the Constitution in a manner that it should not be used.
I certainly do not want to prohibit free exercise. I am sorry I gave that impression, and can't give you any good reason other than the caveats above as to why I reacted the way I did. While we may disagree on scholarship, I think both of us love the Constitution-and I will strive to do better in being its steward, even if I didn't mean to purposely disparage parts of it.
Jack | June 22, 2015 at 11:40 PM
Ron, you are correct that I'm an originalist. I gave (too) many paragraphs explaining why I think adhering to the original intent of a Constitution (unless it's duly amended) is the fairest way for all of us to live for centuries together. I have tons and tons more, from extensive reading of centuries of political philosophy of libertarians and natural law advocates. By comparison, you simply said "I am not." But you haven't explained why you think that a constantly-changing interpretive drifting is a better way to utilize the Constitution and peaceably share a prosperous life, generation after generation, under its stipulations. You said "many jurists past and present [believe] that it is a living document." That doesn't make them (and you) correct, just because. Only mothers of small children can get away with being correct "just because." And only for a few years, before they owe their older children better explanations that just arbitrary force.
You then listed three things to finish out your first paragraph, but do you think they explain why you believe a living constitution is the right political philosophy for America? Sorry, but they don't. To me, all you're doing by listing those three examples is saying: "Here are 3 things I agree with that were made possible by abandoning originalism and endorsing the idea that the Constitution is a living document. So that's why I believe in a living Constitution — because by doing so I get lots of things I want." That's circular logic. By believing a certain way, I get more things that I like, so that's why I believe a certain way. Frankly, that has the appearance of being somewhat self-serving. Hopefully you have something besides your own desired outcomes to use as justification for the PHILOSOPHY behind your beliefs. What is it?
Getting back to your list of 3 things: For your reference to Roe v Wade, you said "the decision was predicated on a right to privacy that was not enumerated." Obviously, you know that probably means that I don't agree with it. But you do. That doesn't make you (or those 1974 Supreme Court judges) right. For prohibiting school prayer, you simply asserted again your view that it was consistent with the First Amendment, despite all the paragraphs I took the time to write that gave extensive reasoning why that's not the case. Why does your rebuttal to my rebuttal only consist of a one-sentence restatement of your view? Dude, you're being a waterbug on the surface. Take a deep breath and dive down here with me, beneath the surface. Show me the deeper waters of your justification of unbounded growth in the purposes and powers of government, beyond just pointing out that many jurists past and present believe in a living Constitution (IMO, due to self-serving desires to get government unshackled from a set of "negative" rules, and re-armed with a positivist charter to grow and morph any way it likes).
That's my main reply back to you. Now I will go off on a related tangent:
Regarding Roe v. Wade, a somewhat calm truce was reached between the two sides after that case, due to a standard clause called the Hyde Amendment that was developed by open-minded legislators by about '76 or so. Its language has been cut-and-pasted into every government funding bill for any health or welfare-related agencies, prohibiting any taxpayer money from going directly towards abortion services. In other words, the Roe v. Wade ruling made abortion LEGAL in all states, but that doesn't mean it should then become taxpayer funded. Can you agree with the logic? Can you agree that was a reasonable compromise, limiting the extent of the Roe v. Wade ramifications?
Fast forward: Now what's been happening under the Progressive-emboldened era since Obama got elected is that truce zone (a demilitarized zone, if you will) is being ripped away. Obamacare included mandates for government-subsidized health care coverage to include the cost of contraceptives — including the controversial variety called abortfacients. (Like the morning after pill.) The Hobby Lobby case boiled down to that. Hobby Lobby wasn't against being mandated to provide prescription drug coverage that included contraceptives. They were generally OK with that. What their religious principles caused them to have heartburn over was that HHS's implementation of Obamacare boldly included abortafacients too. That encroached into the truce zone.
I'm wondering if you're among those who viewed the Hobby Lobby case from the perspective that Hobby Lobby was imposing its religious beliefs on all of us. To me, Hobby Lobby wasn't trying to get contraceptives outlawed. In fact, they weren't even trying to get abortafacients outlawed. They were just objecting to being forced to pay for prescription drug coverage that includes a pill that they sincerely believe aborts a life. Hobby Lobby won that Supreme Court case. And you know what? Every single American woman who wants to take a contraceptive, even an abortafacient, can still do so. The Constitution doesn't say that the government must pay for contraceptives for We The People. The protesters who held up signs saying "The government should stay out of our bedrooms" were overlooking one thing: If they want to keep the government out of their bedrooms, why are they expecting government to pay for their contraceptives.
I bring this up because you admitted I was justified in my advocacy for healthy pluralism. You mentioned your wariness of the new religionists. Similarly, I am fearful of the "new progressivists" who suddenly could no longer politely stay on their side of the demilitarized zone in the middle of the Roe v. Wade battle. They had to push beyond just legalized abortion, and rub the Christian taxpayers noses in a perceived pile of brown stinky immorality. You may not agree that abortion is immoral, but can you respect Christians desire not to have to pay for something they earnestly abhor? Is that little thin truce zone too much to ask for?
Can you objectively see that pluralism was dealt an unhealthy blow by these "new progressivists" ?
(Again, notice that I'm not browbeating you with theology, just logical application of pluralism and plain 'ol respect.)
Jack, as a non-literalist I also have to accept things that are unpleasant to me. I believe in strict gun control. Hell, if I had my druthers, I'd criminalize them. One in two adults in this country are armed. But I accept that the Second Amendment has a clause in it that allows the people to bear arms. As you know, the amendment speaks of a militia, back when there was no standing army. It's an outdated amendment. It's not the only one. But there is a debate raging about the Second. Some people think the Second is there to protect from tyranny or perhaps it is a tool to foment a rebellion if the government gets "out of hand". No. It is not there for armed resistance. Besides, bearing arms today for those reasons is a lopsided proposition; I'd like to see these armed "patriots" go up against said standing army. I've seen it in action personally. It is truly terrifying, the power of force that we have. AR-15s won't save you. But anyway, what I was trying to say is that I must accept ideas that come from The Constitution's wording that I do not support.
Congress has abdicated a lot of its power to the Supreme Court. Passing amendments is nearly impossible given the political climate. Passing laws has become a mess too, thanks to an intractable opposition. But you know, I don't think I want to see an amendment about abortion or prayer in the Constitution. The Court can and does handle these questions. They've been doing it for over 200 years. It seems to me to be more effective to interpret the existing language rather than go nilly-willy with amendments(not that that would ever happen in our two-party system). I can understand that going nilly-willy with judgments is just as distasteful to you. But we have to work with what we have.
As for Hobby lobby, they were not just concerned with abortifacients. They were against IUDs and common pills that help women regulate periods, control PMS and more. The RFRA is a bullshit law and the Court should have stayed away. But, oh well. That's why I keep voting Democratic.
Our government is far from perfect. It is borne of blood and tears, and steeped in political intrigue. Yet we must do what we can. My philosophy towards the Constitution is based on the idea that we can't govern a 2015 nation with strict 1787 principles. We live in a different world that no founder could have ever imagined. Amending the Constitution to validate laws sounds great, but it is unworkable. I'm just swept up in history's march. It's just not what we do. I'm merely being pragmatic. I admire you for being an idealist.
My thinking is far less sophisticated than yours, and I am that bug skittering on the surface all too often. I am pleased that you have indulged me a little and challenged my rationale. Sometimes I am dead wrong. Other days, I hit the mark. I'm not in the business of educating. I'm hunting for the absurd and strange. I'm probably not your cup of tea, my friend. I do study things, though. I try my best to self-educate. And I'm glad you're out there keeping me honest.
I will depart with this recommendation:
Read the French economist Frédéric Bastiat's 1850 book "The Law". It's only 78 pages in paperback, and it's very readable (even to the modern ear), unlike the Edmund Burke passage that I quoted earlier. It's $3.45 at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Law-Frederic-Bastiat/dp/1614270570/
Thank you, Jack. Stay frosty.