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200 kids take over Chiefs practice field in annual Flag Football Championship
Posted 12:28 pm, November 11, 2019, by Rebecca Gannon
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- What happens when you put 200 kids on the Chiefs practice field playing flag football? Absolute chaos? Life lessons? Depends on who you ask.
The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City had its annual Flag Football Championship on Sunday. This year, for the first time ever, Boys and Girls Clubs from both sides of the state line participated; children from Springfield, Topeka and Columbia, among others, drove to Kansas City for the opportunity to play for the "mythical MoKan title", as Waymond King said. The director of the Greater Kansas City's club's operations said this is the first time they've been able to expand their reach and our coverage and invite teams from the two states to participate.
Teams from Kansas City faced off against those from Topeka. Ashley Dixon watched her sons play on the practice facility's turf emblazoned with the Chiefs logo.
"For them to in a facility that they see the NFL guys play on - that they feel a part of that - I mean, it's the practice facility, but I'm playing where the Chiefs play, so it's amazing."
But look closer; it's more than that.
"Competition is healthy," said King of the Boys and Girls Club, "but there's so many things you learn about through sport. And about life, through participating in sport."
King calls it a celebration of flag football. But it's also a celebration of teamwork, and of hard work.
"Lifestyle, attitude, and behavior," King said. "You learn life skills through sports participation, and for these kids to participate in this, whether they win or whether they lose, they get a chance to travel - which you may not get otherwise, but you get through sports. You get to compete against other folks and learn how good you are or what you need to do to improve, and then it's also an environment that just creates life long memories."
"And," he added, "these kids, if they never play another game of flag football, or football, ever, they can say they were on the field that Patrick Mahomes played on."
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Tehran or Tiananmen Square: Which Way Egypt?
Egypt is at a crossroad
Israel faces its greatest threat in decades
The United States is a befuddled bystander
The fall of Tunisia's corrupt dictator Ben Ali led to predictions that Egypt and Yemen might be next. The self-immolation and student riots have in fact spread to Egypt. Riot police, curfews, the cutoff of the internet, and the presence of the army have not chilled the riots. The students smell blood – that of the Mubarak regime. President Mubarak addressed the nation and announced the termination of his Cabinet, but not his Presidency. The riots continue.
Three options appear for Egypt. First, the military can go along with a brutal suppression of the demonstrations. China used this approach in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989 and Mexico on October 2, 1968 in Mexico City's Tlatelolco's Square. More recently Iran used brutal force with various levels of secret police to suppress student demonstrations protesting the fraudulent elections two years ago.
The Soviet Union, having emerged from a coup and a brutal Civil War, was determined not to lose to a domestic revolution in the future. It stationed military divisions in Moscow. These soldiers though were not Slavs from the area, but units from the Asia, such as Mongols, who presumably would not hesitate to shoot at Russians.
The Shah of Iran in 1978 had little spine, and was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. He fled. President Mubarak presumably has more determination. Neither the Shah nor Mubarak are the brutal dictators of Nazi and Soviet days and the Ayatollah.
The second alternative would be for Mubarak to flee, joining Ben Ali in exile. The history of many violent revolutions is that moderates may immediately assume power, but are soon pushed out by extremists, such as in the French Revolution, Bolsheviks in 1919 Russia, and the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran in 1979.
The history of the Mideast, except for Israel, is not one of democracy as we know it. The students seeking freedom today may well find themselves as oppressed tomorrow as the Iranian students of 1978.
The United States finds itself in an all-too-common quandary. Does it continue to support a loyal dictator who has served America's needs, or does it toss him overboard and pray for the best?
The United States tried both approaches in Iran. It supported the overthrow of Iran's populist Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, in 1953. However, President Carter helped push the Shah of Iran out in 1979. The United States, Western Europe and Israel are paying a stiff price for President Carter's incompetence and naiveté.
If President Obama pulls a Carter, the consequences for the world and civilization will be far worse as the Mideast turns to Islamic radicals.
The omens are not good. The President in a speech earlier today admonished the Egyptian government not to use force against the demonstrators. The Administration earlier threatened to cut off our foreign aid to Egypt if force is used. This is the same President who turned a blind eye early in his Administration as the Ayatollahs crushed their students.
A Carter Redux is foreseeable.
The third alternative is if with the use of moderate force, President Mubarak can outlast the demonstrators as he has in the past. Even if he does, absent meaningful reform and a booming economy, the pressure cooker in Egypt will blow some day, just as Russia's suppressed 1905 revolution became the Russian Revolution.
Israel needs a stable, peaceful Egypt on its borders. The peace has held between Egypt and Israel since the 1979 peace treaty. Egypt has cut off much of the arms supplies to Hamas in Gaza, and has cooperated, often secretly, with Israel.
If Mubarak falls, and the Islamicists take over, Jordan would be next.
An Israel, surrounded by Islamic fanatics in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza, all supplied by the militant Iran, will be threatened constantly, as it has not been threatened in decades.
The West will face not only a militant Mideast, but a cutoff of the vital Suez Canal, and perhaps of Mideast oil. Even without a military war, the resulting economic chaos could imperil Western Civilization as we know it.
This is the foreign policy crisis of the Obama Administration. President Obama needs to show more decisiveness and leadership than he has ever displayed.
Father Times Drops By
My parents met during World War II, fell madly in love, married, conceived me, and then split like atoms.
6 ½ decades later Father Time has come forward to provide the paternal care I missed. He's not the surrogate father I would have chosen. I'll rather be touched by an angel.
Father Time has the wisdom of ages. He approaches slowly, like a stealth bomber, and gently embraces you as the initial embrace becomes that of a boa constrictor. You don't even recognize the initial embrace. A pound here, a pound there, a few kidney stones, you don't even realize it's father Time.
He will never let go – no divorce in this relationship; it's for life. He grows on you.
Father Time has no respect for time since time is timeless. He visits 24/7, day, night, spring, summer, fall, and winter.
He's clever all right. Some of his initial embraces mask other touchings, like those of a pickpocket.
He's a doting father; he envelopes you, poking and probing, expressing interest in all your organs and muscles. Father Time has taken an especial interest in my legs and lungs. He's left calling cards for the eyes and ears.
He doesn't fool the doctors for long, but he has millions of tricks in his bag. And he mutates as quickly as insects. He's clever all right. He grasps you, but you can't get a handle on him.
You can accommodate him, but not forever for his grasp always tightens and expands.
I'm on a first name basis with Kaiser's doctors and nurses, but Father Time has no first name.
Think of that; Father Time is known by no first name, or indeed, any other name.
Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Santa, and Father Christmas.
The devil is Satan, the demon, Lucifer, and the Dark Lord.
The man whose name shall not be mentioned is Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord, and "He-who-must-not-be-named."
But Father Time is simply Father Time.
Not even Fr. Time, for he is far from being the friendly, genial, helpful parish priest.
We allude to "senior moments," but not all senior moments are related to Father Time.
Oh, he's crafty. The greatest doctors and hospitals cannot defeat him; he toys with them on his time. Even the doctors ultimately meet him face to face.
No more rushing to the front, or exiting quickly, for Father Time marches to his own time.
He loves Medicare and Medicaid for they feed him.
Camelot Finally Ends With the Death of R. Sargent Shriver
Camelot, the great musical, premiered on Broadway in 1960. Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected President in 1960. "Camelot" characterized the new Kennedy Administration. The charismatic President Kennedy and his glamorous, classy First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, were a spirited contrast to the staid Eisenhower Administration and the 1950's. Camelot and Kennedy uplifted America. Magic was in the air.
Politicians claim to have been inspired to become politicians because of JFK.
Optimism, American greatness and exceptionalism, belief in the goodness of man, and in the government , Governors Pat Brown and Nelson Rockefeller, civil rights progress, patriotism, of motherhood, apple pie, and the American flag, $.39 gasoline and $.19 heating oil, nickel beer, Broadway, downtown, California, Notre Dame football, the Great Books, Chevy, Ford and Plymouth, infrastructure, plastics as the future, Ozzie and Harriett, The Beach Boys, Folk Music, and Berkeley as the greatest university in the world, marked Camelot. Everything was possible.
President Kennedy embraced the compassionate, idealistic American spirit by creating the Peace Corps, with his brother-in-law, R. Sargent Shriver as its first director.
President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, but Camelot, the mystique and myth, survived.
Sargent Shriver died on Monday. The last of the inner circle is gone. Camelot is over.
The death of Senator Ted Kennedy in 2009 and more recently the consigliore Ted Sorenson essentially signaled the end of Camelot. Others, Stephen Smith, Lem Billings, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. the family historian and biographer preceded them. Richard Goodwin and Ben Bradlee remain, but Camelot is over.
The retirement of Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D. R.I.) is the first time in 63 years that a Kennedy is not serving in an elective position in Congress or the Presidency. Indeed, only one Kennedy serves in elective office today, Robert Sargent "Bobby" Shriver III, the Mayor of Santa Monica.
The Massachusetts Kennedy Senate Seat is held by a Republican, Scott Brown.
Camelot is a Kennedy, not a Brown.
Perhaps one of America's great political dynasties is over. Camelot is.
President Kennedy was a Cold War warrior, who cut taxes. His politics do not fit into the modern Democratic Party. The political Camelot died with Vietnam.
JFK's great line from his inaugural speech 50 years ago: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Today's Democratic Party is "We will give to all we can, and take taxes from the rest."
Early on in the Obama Administration, the media attempted to create a new Camelot with Michelle as Jackie. It didn't work because Michelle is Michelle and Jackie Jackie. Both are unique personas in their own right, but Camelot is confined to the Kennedys.
The Kennedy Center, JFK Airport, JFK Parkway, the Kennedy School of Government, the Kennedy Space Center, the Kennedy Library, numerous Kennedy Schools, remain, but Camelot is metaphysical - not physical.
The image of the young, vigorous Kennedys is eternal, but Camelot is no more. It was but a dream.
Kennedy legalized the unionization of the federal work force, planting many seeds of today's budgetary problems.
"Camelot! Camelot!" The lyrics ring in my ears, but "Those were the days, my friends, those were the days."
The musical is periodically revised, but our Camelot is history.
Perspectives on the Tucson Shoorings
The shooting of a member of Congress is a direct attack upon our democracy.
The assassination of a judge is a direct attack upon the rule of law.
The killing of a nine year old child is a barbaric act which is a direct attack upon civilization.
The act of those seeking a political advantage from these horrific crimes, without even ascertaining the facts, is despicable.
Arizona is no more responsible for these shootings than Dallas for the assassination of President Kennedy.
Personal responsibility, even if clinically or legally insane, is the cause of these tragedies.
Sadly, the Tucson shootings would have happened sooner or later in a country where the phrase "Going Postal" has acquired an unfortunate meaning.
Random acts of violence by nutcases are all too common, starting with the University of Texas Library Tower in 1966, including Columbine, Virginia tech, Northern Illinois, and an Amish schoolhouse. Just a few weeks ago a high school student killed a teacher who had disciplined him.
The following establishments have witnessed murderous attacks: Congress, Fort Hood, McDonald's, Denny's, the El Al check in counter at LAX, Vegas casinos, churches, city halls, law firms, and an Albertson's Supermarket. Sane people do not shoot up a North Hollywood, Jewish day care center, a Jewish community center in Seattle, or drive a large Cadillac into a Costa Mesa pre-school. The D.C. Sniper(s) paralyzed the Greater D.C. area in 2002.
Political assassinations are an unfortunate part of American history. President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mayor Michael Moscone have been killed in my lifetime. Presidents Truman, Ford and Reagan, Governor George Wallace, and Larry Flynt survived assassination attempts, and only the Secret Service knows how many threats it has thwarted against Presidents Bush and Obama.
Increased security for members of Congress is necessary, but do not expect it to prevent all future incidents. Currently the Speaker of the house has security, but the Speaker is third in line for the Presidency.
Security will not prevent all attacks. A police officer was on duty at Columbine when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold commenced their murderous rampage.
A student at Red lake High School in Minnesota in 2005 killed his grandparents one night. Grandfather was a tribal police officer. He then stole his grandfather's guns, and then the next morning killed the security guard on duty at the high school metal detector, before killing others in the school.
A gunman shot to death a police officer outside the Kirkwood City Center, stole the officer's revolver, and then killed others inside the City center in 2008.
Increased security can prevent some incidents, and reduce the casualty toll in others, but they will not prevent all future attacks. Members of Congress need to pound the flesh, to be visible. The Secret Service probably cringes every time the President works the rope line. Members of Congress normally fly commercial.
The people's representatives must appear before the people. That is an inherent risk in our democracy.
Some crazed nut job, perhaps a copycat, will strike again.
San Francisco At Long Last Has a Chinese Mayor
The City and County of San Francisco has a storied history. The Chinese have been an integral part of San Francisco since the days of the 49ers.
Urban legends tell us the Central Pacific Railroad brought the Chinese over to work on building the Transcontinental Railroad. History tells us that two Chinese men and one woman arrived in San Francisco in 1848. 54 Chinese were counted in San Francisco in 1849
Discrimination greeted the Chinese almost upon their first presence in the City. The state enacted a Foreign Miner's Tax of $20 on all foreign miners. Another statute prohibited "Negroes and Indians" from testifying against "white men." The word "Indian" was construed to include Chinese.
San Francisco banned the sons and daughters of the Chinese immigrants from the public schools.
Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 to bar further Chinese immigrants to the United States.
Miscegenation laws and deed restrictions were enforced against the Chinese. They were barred from entering professions, such as the law and medicine. Chinese laundries were banned in San Francisco. Aliens, i.e. Asians, were barred from land ownership throughout the West.
By 1876 about ¼ of San Francisco's population of 116,000 was Chinese. They mostly lived in the tight confines of Chinatown.
Denis Kearney, the Irish firebrand, organized in 1878 "The Workingmen's Party," whose unofficial motto was "The Chinese must go." Race riots followed in San Francisco, as well as riots and lynchings elsewhere in the West.
The city leaders had mixed views on Chinatown, at one point proposing to eliminate it and then during the plague drawing boundaries that resulted in Chinese, but not Caucasian, blocks being quarantined.
All along, the Chinese quietly persevered while avoiding politics. One by one, the legal barriers ended. Chinatown expanded into the largest Chinese population outside Asia. The residents flowed out of Chinatown into the city, especially the avenues of the Richmond and Sunset Districts.
Roughly 1/3 of San Francisco's current population of 815,000 is Asian Americans.
Chinese Americans comprise about 150,000 of the population. The sons and daughters now constitute a majority of the student body at San Francisco's Lowell High School, and matriculate at Berkeley, Stanford, and the Ivies.
The Chinese finally entered politics, claiming their proper place in the public life of San Francisco.
San Francisco had 42 mayors until last week. They included Germans, Greeks, Irish, Italians, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, competent, incompetent, honest, corrupt, wise, dumb, sober, alcoholics, eloquent, tongue-tied, rich, poor, male, female, adulterers, lawyers, dairymen, career politicians, and an African-American, but never a Chinese American until last week.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors inaugurated Ed Lee as Interim Mayor on Tuesday, January 11, 2011. Mayor Lee was the city's Administrator. He will serve until next November's election. He promised not to stand for election in November, but two of the candidates are expected to be David Chiu, President of the Board of Supervisors, and Assemblyman Leland Lee. Four members of the Board of Supervisors are Asian Americans.
San Francisco will never be politically the same again. We are all the better for it.
Ironically, San Francisco is not the first major city to have a Chinese mayor in California. Jean Quon was elected Mayor of Oakland last November.
The lady in red
The Lady in Red wished to be noticed.
And she was.
The Lady in Red entered the meeting a split second before it began, when everyone else was seated.
The Lady in Red exited the meeting five minutes before it ended.
If you didn't catch her on the way in, you would have noticed on the way out.
The beautiful, blond Lady in Red pulled a Marilyn Monroe. She wanted to be noticed. If you missed her grand entrance, the Lady in Red wore a very tight, very bright, very red, red sweater, projecting every line of her perfect figure.
She wanted to be noticed.
And she was – but not necessarily for the right reasons.
Men pretended not to notice as their eyes furtively, lustily glanced at her. They could not deny their genes.
Women pretended not to notice as they tsk tsk'ed out of jealously.
And yet, the Lady in Red is a professional, a member of the world's second oldest profession, the law.
She was noticed, but for what?
Not for her brains. Nor her charm or professionalism, much less class.
No, questions were quietly asked:
Is the Lady in Red a natural blond?
Has her face seen surgery?
Is her bosom built on a foundation of silicone?
Has she used liposuction?
How old is she really?
Does she have stretch marks?
What does her personal trainer know that we can't see?
Can she really be that vain and shallow?
What will she do when her surface beauty fades, as it must?
Beautiful women will always be noticed, whether they dress professional, casual or frumpy. If they dress not to be noticed, but with class, they will be valued and accepted as a colleague, as a professional, as a person – not as an object.
The Lady in Red needs to understand that there will always be a much more beautiful woman in the room – a natural beauty with class.
Reflections on Rich Rodriguez, 2007-2011
He couldn't get the job done. His winning record of .405 (15-22) is the worse in the history of Michigan football. He lost 13-10 to Toledo. He lost three times to Ohio State, three times to Michigan State, twice to Penn State, twice to Wisconsin, got blown away by Mississippi State. You get the point.
A Michigan football coach has three responsibilities: winning, winning cleanly without violations, and a high graduation rate.
The previous athletic director, Bill Martin, hired Coach Rodriguez with the expectation he would charter a new course for the Wolverines, the spread versus the Pro-set. Rodriguez failed to understand that winning was part of the job.
Some of the criticism is misplaced, especially the claim Rich is not a "Michigan Man." Neither was Bo, who coached under Woody and earned a Masters at Ohio State. Bo's successor, Gary Moeller, played football at Ohio State.
Neither Fielding Yost not Fritz Chrisler were Michigan men. Yost came from West Virginia and Chrisler from Princeton.
The phrase "Michigan Man" came from Bo, as Athletic Director, in 1989 when the basketball coach Bill Frieder announced he had accepted the coaching position at Arizona State prior to the NCAA Tournament. Bo promptly fired Frieder saying he wanted a Michigan Man to coach the team. The 1989 team under interim coach Steve Fisher won six straight games to win the NCAA basketball title. That is a Michigan Man.
If Rich had won, no one would have cared that he was not a Michigan Man.
Yet, Rich wanted to be a Michigan Man. At the December 2 football bust, the annual football banquet, he cried out "I truly want to be a Michigan Man," and then played Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up. The purpose of the bust is a tribute to the players, not to raise the coach up.
Bo understood Michigan's traditions when he accepted the coaching position at Michigan. His assistant coaches complained that some of the facilities at Michigan were not as good as those at Miami of Ohio, which they just left. Bo's response was that this is Michigan and this is the hook Fritz Chrisler hang his coat on.
We anxiously waited for the unveiling of the new Wolverine football team in 2007.
The first year started out with a disappointing, but exciting loss, to Utah. Michigan trailed early, rallied, but lost. Utah was the only team to finish the year undefeated. The offense showed potential, and the sensational freshman Sam Mcguffie was as sensational as expected. Rich though was hung up on Nick Sheridan as the starting quarterback. Sheridan may have been a great practice QB in the spread, but he failed under game conditions.
The first signs of Rodriguez's stubbornness had appeared.
The lack of an offensive line (Bowen transferred to Ohio State) resulted in Mcguffie and others receiving concussions during the season. The offensive scheme over three years resulted in a high injury rate on the skills players.
The season seemed to turn around when Michigan, down 17 points, pulled out an incredible come-back victory against Wisconsin. The season deflated when Michigan lost to Toledo 13-10, the first time Michigan ever lost to a MAC team. Michigan led at halftime, but went scoreless in the second half while Toledo scored two field goals. Michigan's kicker misses a field goal which would have sent the game into OT. Toledo was so bad that the coach was fired at season's end.
The Toledo game showed several problems, which plagued Rodriguez's three years: 1) failure to make adjustments at halftime, 2) the collapse of the offense in the second half, and 3) the consistent failure of special teams.
Offensive coordinators soon recognized that Michigan had a mediocre pass defense.
The team went 3-9 for the season.
The next year, with Tate Forcier, as QB, the team went 4-0 with a dramatic victory against Notre Dame. The team then lost to Michigan State, and Michigan only won one game over the remainder of the season. Every opposing QB played like an All-American against Michigan.
This year, the team under the explosive Denard Robinson, started 5-0 with another dramatic victory over Notre Dame. Then came a large loss to Michigan State, and the team collapsed, winning only two more games, getting blown out, once again, by Ohio state. The defense deteriorated over the year, and Denard underperformed by injuries and teams watching film.
Rodriguez never learnt that one of Michigan's traditions is defense. He also stubbornly clinged to an ineffective 3-4 line. He thought small, quick linemen could make his system work. As Wisconsin showed, with 28 running plays in the second half, large, quick linemen can beat small quick linemen.
Defenders often had trouble playing their positions and tackling. Thus, another failure was coaching the fundamentals.
He concentrated his recruiting effort on skills players from Florida, losing the Michigan recruiting battles to Michigan State.
The final problem was thus his inability to change and adapt. He obviously believed that given time and his 6 year contract he could make his system succeed at Michigan, as it had at West Virginia.
He ran out of wins, and thus time.
Michigan is a university which has proven that excellence in football is not incompatible with academic excellence. Notre Dame and USC are two other examples. Both have also fired coaches who failed. Michigan is a university of traditions. Excellence in football is part of the tradition and heritage of Michigan.
Several of us figured pre-season that a 7-5 record and a New Year's bowl game would save his job. The consistent failure of the special teams, and a pathetic defense which lead to blow-out after blow-out including Michigan's worse loss ever in a bowl game, sealed his fate. And he knew it.
We do not know yet who the next coach will be. We do not though that the Michigan fan base need a few years of patience. The program, especially on defense and special teams, has to be rebuilt.
Hasta la Vista, Governator
Governor Jerry Brown was sworn in as Governor of California at 11 am this morning.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger flew into the sunset after 7 years in office.
His 33% approval rating matched that of his predecessor, the recalled Governor Gray Davis.
Davis was a failure. He used up his goodwill when the lights went out in California.
He lost his office when the state budget tanked and he raised taxes, over and over again. The final straw was doubling the car tax.
By the end of his term in office he had forgotten what got him elected – the public desire to solve the state's budget problems.
We can talk about all the good he accomplished, but ultimately he failed, just as Gray Davis. Many of the problems were not of his making, but he was hired by the people of California to fix them.
Instead, his legacy includes the great University of California in decline, furloughs, federal judges effectively running the prisons, abandonment of the 20:1 ratio in schools, layoffs of public employees after increasing the state payroll, infrastructure deteriorating, businesses and Californians leaving the state, the lowest bond rating of any state, and tying Michigan at 12.4% for the second highest unemployment rate in America. Even green businesses are leaving the state.
He also worsened the image of the Republican Party in California.
His initial campaign featured vows to tear up the state's credit card, roll back the car tax increase, not to further tax the over-taxed Californians, and to encourage business to stay or move to California.
He rolled back the car tax increase, but committed a fatal budgetary mistake. He convinced California voters, as a one-time measure, to pass a $15 billion bond to pay the $15 billion step deficit. The legislature, of course, promptly renewed its practice of pasting over with smoke and mirrors deficit spending. It's now up to $25-28 billion.
He signed off on those budgets.
He raised taxes two years ago by the largest amount of any state tax increase.
The voters would have approved any of his proposals the first couple of years, but he held off on structural reform until the honeymoon passed. He was too busy basking in his fame.
He tried to keep business in California, but the exodus continues dues to California's high taxes and bureaucracy.
He achieved workers comp reform, but that wasn't enough.
Some of his antics were funny. Since the state forbade smoking in public buildings, he put a large tent on the lawn of the Capitol, and invited guests to smoke cigars with him.
Some of his acts verged on rank hypocrisy. He got the state to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions, but flies a private jet back and forth to Sacramento, often daily.
Yesterday he commuted the sentence of a gangbanger who knifed two persons at a fraternity party at San Diego State while an accomplish killed another guest. The favored prisoner is the son of the former Assembly Speaker.
His dumbest idea was to sell state office buildings for a quick $1.2billion infusion into the state treasury, but which will cost the state many times tax in leases and maintenance over the next 20 years.
Success went to his head, followed by arrogance. He picked fights he shouldn't have. He picked a fight with the California Nurses Association. He said they opposed him because they were "special interests … whose butts I always kick."
The angels of mercy responded by continuously picketing him. They won; he lost.
He referred to the legislators as "girlie men."
He often changed positions as the wind was blowing.
He failed when he stopped manning up.
Happy New Year KCET
Happy New Year KCET. Welcome to the new year,independence, and a rebirth. You have severed your ties with PBS. You will no longer be serving the second largest media market in the nation as a PBS station. You were married for 40 years to PBS, but now a divorce is in order. The reason: irreconcilable differences.
You're arguing over money. PBS wants more from you and you want to pay less to PBS.
You're willing to dump Sesame Street, Nova, Frontline, et al to run programs from Canada, Japan, and the BBC, as well as your own programs, as you become the nation's largest independent educational station.
BP, yes that BP, and First 5 Children provided about $25 million each in grants to KCET to produce "A Place of Our Own," and its Spanish equivalent, "Los Ninos en Su Casa." The award winning program was picked up by several PBS states nationally. The grants stipulated that none of the funds were to be used for administrative expenses.
The problem for KCET is that the grants cost it millions in dues to PBS. The dues schedule for PBS stations to pay PBS is a form of progressive taxation. The more a station reaps, the higher the percent it pays PBS.
KCET's dues thus jumped 40% from $4.9 million annually to almost $7 million. Three million was due in January.
PBS refused to negotiate a lower fees schedule for KCET, whose revenues were otherwise dropping.
Sit back a moment and think about this – a PBS station is objecting to progressive taxation!
Three other PBS stations exist in the Los Angeles area: KOCE in Orange County, KVCR in San Bernardino, and KLCS, which is licensed to the Los Angeles School District. KOCE will essentially carry the full PBS schedule, up from ¼ today.
Los Angeles has most of the major museums, stage productions, and other cultural activities to the disadvantage of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties. Orange County will now have the PBS station.
KOCE currently pays PBS about $3 million annually, or 10% of KOCE's budget of $10 million. IT expects to fill KCET's shoes. It will probably be carried on all the major cable networks. KCET's annual budget is $61 million.
By one measure, both KCET and KOCE are in the top ten watched PBS stations with KCET number two on the list. KOCE's challenge is to expand rapidly to meet KCET's standards.
KCET wishes to succeed as an independent.
Whether this is an anomaly or an omen for the future of PBS remains to be seen.
PBS lost its first station in a major market.
It's going to be an interesting experiment in capitalism and free enterprise.
Camelot Finally Ends With the Death of R. Sargent ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I have a bunch of Pinboards for workouts I keep telling myself to do, clothes I can't afford, ideas for my new apartment, and even a shared board with two other friends called "a day of pinning," where we put recipes, facials, crafts, and anything else up for us to one day do together.
1. Teacher things. Dear, dear, dear friends. I do not care if you found amazing fill in the blank math questions, coloring pages, genius teacher binder organization techniques, or cute stamps for grading tests. I scroll right past all of these things.
2. Wedding things. A constant reminder of my sad, pathetic, non existent love life. Granted, I now have considered a color scheme for my wedding, but that makes me more depressed. I don't want to think about the "cutest" way to ask my bridesmaids to be in my wedding, because I don't even know who those people are yet.
3. Recipes. First of all, every food in the world is represented on Pinterest and made into a smoothie. I am constantly exposed to lettuce wraps next to double fudge triple chocolate ice cream cake underneath a list of lunches that are "less than 200 calories." This is where my mood swing begins.
To constantly flip between delicious fattening foods, suggestions for detoxing water, and new workouts or diets puts me in a mood that I can only describe as S:DKGHSSD:FKSD. It's a real hit to the self esteem (and motivation) when you see that many contradictory things, especially when you're trying to live a healthier life.
Usually, I just get irritated and go back to Facebook.


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Helping Christians "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3).
Tagged: Ethiopia
Isaiah 20: Naked and Barefoot
Listen to an audio file (3.8.09)
Download a worksheet for further study
Part 1: Judgment
Part 2: Historical Interlude
Part 3: Salvation
When this takes place:
God speaks through Isaiah in "the year that the commander-in-chief, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it" (v. 1), which would be 711 B.C., during the reign of Judah's King Hezekiah.
Key verse:
Isa. 20:5 – Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.
Quick summary:
The Lord commands Isaiah to walk naked and barefoot among the Jews for three years as a warning not make the same mistake Ashdod made in trusting the Egyptians for protection against the invading Assyrians. If they do, they will be defeated and marched naked and barefoot into captivity.
Take note:
A "sign act," such as walking naked and barefoot for three years, "can communicate a difficult message that some people might otherwise ignore," writes Gary V. Smith, "but the sign can teach the central point of the message in an interesting, attention getting, shocking, or somewhat mysterious way" (The New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39, p. 367).
"How Shall We Escape?" (Isa. 20:1-6)
Isaiah inserts a narrative passage here to punctuate his message about Cush (Ethiopia) in chapter 18 and Egypt in chapter 19. Some in Judah want to form alliances with Cush and Egypt to stave off the expansionist threats of the Assyrians, but Isaiah's graphic "sign act" in chapter 20 illustrates the folly of relying on anyone but the Lord.
Here is some background: Tartan, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army under Sargon II, captures the Philistine city of Ashdod in 712-711 B.C. The city's anti-Assyrian king, Yamani, who had rebelliously replaced an Assyrian puppet king, now flees to Egypt. But when the Assyrian army threatens the Egyptians, they hand Yamani over to Assyria. This all happens about the same time that King Hezekiah of Judah decides not to pay tribute money to the Assyrians, and Shabaka the Ethiopian solidifies his rule over a weakening Egypt. It is against this historic backdrop that God instructs Isaiah to walk "naked and barefoot" throughout Judah. The message is clear: If the people of Judah follow the example of Ashdod by trusting in Egypt for help, they will be defeated, shamed, and taken captive.
Although the text says Isaiah went about "naked" for three years, a better translation is "uncovered." Isaiah merely "put off the outer sackcloth, retaining still the tunic or inner vest (1Sa 19:24; Am 2:16; Jn 21:7); an emblem to show that Egypt should be stripped of its possessions; the very dress of Isaiah was a silent exhortation to repentance" (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, S. Is 20:2). Further, some commentators say Isaiah dresses this way only at intervals rather than full time, emphasizing three years of calamity that would fall upon Egypt and Ethiopia. In any case, this is the only strictly symbolic act of Isaiah's ministry. With later prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel, these types of acts are more common.
When Egypt and Ethiopia fall to the Assyrians, the Jews who hope for an alliance with these defeated nations will be "dismayed and ashamed" (v. 5). Rather than deliverance from a common enemy, the Jews will lament that they have no escape (v. 6). "Judah, then, should trust in the Lord for protection rather than in the foreign alliance they were contemplating" (John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, S. 1:1067).
Closing Thought
God's message to the Jews in Isaiah 20, graphically illustrated by the prophet's "sign act" of walking naked and barefoot, exhorts His people to trust fully in Him. This message is echoed some 2,700 years later, when the writer of Hebrews urges Jewish Christians not to return to Old Covenant practices but to trust fully in Christ and His finished work on the cross. Just as the Jews of Isaiah's day would watch the Egyptians and Ethiopians be taken captive by the Assyrians and ask, "How shall we escape?" so the writer of Hebrews tells first-century Christians to remain faithful to Christ or face His divine discipline. "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (Heb. 2:3).
Copyright 2009 by Rob Phillips
Written by rphilli 1 Comment Posted in Audio Files, Isaiah	Tagged with Apologetics, Assyrians and Israel, Assyrians and Judah, Christian apologetics speaker, Cush, Egypt, Ethiopia, free Bible studies, free Bible study download, how shall we escape, Isaiah, Isaiah Bible study, Isaiah naked and barefoot, Isaiah prophesies to Judah, prophetic sign act, Rob Phillips, sign act, the prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 18: Left for the Birds of Prey
Listen to an audio file (2.22.09)
Download two worksheets for further study: Worksheet No. 1; Worksheet No. 2
The oracle in Chapter 18 likely occurs during the reign of Judah's king Ahaz, or perhaps during the reign of his son Hezekiah. In any case, the oracle is given prior to Assyria's invasion of Judah in 701 B.C.
Isa. 18:7 – At that time a gift will be brought to the Lord of Hosts from a people tall and smooth-skinned, a people feared near and far, a powerful nation with a strange language, whose land is divided by rivers-to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts.
The land of Cush is told not to move frantically by boat or other means to secure alliances against Assyria, for the Lord will deal directly with the Assyrians and leave their corpses to the birds of prey.
Cush, or Ethiopia in many translations, consists of modern-day southern Egypt, the Sudan and northern Ethiopia. Isaiah calls it the "land of buzzing insect wings" (v. 1), not only because of the locusts and other insects that infest the land (like the tsetse fly and winged beetle), but because of the frantic diplomatic activity taking place as envoys from Cush seek alliances to protect them from Assyria. Cush rules Egypt from 715 – 663 B.C.
The Lord's Message to Cush (Isa. 18:1-7)
In verse 2, Isaiah depicts the ambassadors of Cush making haste in their light, swift boats to seek alliances against Assyria. "Papyrus was used on the Nile for making boats," according to Manners and Customs of the Bible. "Sometimes bundles of the plant were rudely bound together in the form of a raft. At other times the leaves were plaited like a basket and then coated with bitumen and tar after the boat was constructed. Similar boats were used on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The boats were circular in shape, and sometimes covered with leather instead of bitumen" (James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, S. 352).
Some commentators believe that at the time of this prophecy, envoys from Cush are in Jerusalem, seeking an alliance for mutual protection from Assyria. If so, Isaiah tells the diplomats to go home, and He invites the whole world to witness what God is about to do. No alliances among nations are sufficient to defeat the terrifying Assyrians, and none are needed, for the Lord is about to cut them down like ripened vines (v. 5).
The birds and wild beasts will feast on the corpses of the Assyrian soldiers for an extended period of time (v. 6). Keep in mind that the Assyrians first are used of God to punish the northern kingdom of Israel by taking the people captive. But once that is accomplished (in 722 B.C.), God turns His chastening rod against the proud Assyrians. On the hills surrounding Jerusalem, and about to sweep victoriously into the southern kingdom's capital city, 185,000 Assyrians are struck down by God in a single night (Isa. 37:36). No army, and no alliance of nations, may take credit for this stunning turn of events; it is exclusively the work of the Lord of Hosts. See Rev. 19:17-21, where a similar image is used of end-time judgment.
After the Assyrian defeat, the Lord will prompt the people of Cush to bring gifts to the Lord on Mount Zion, where His name dwells (see Deut. 12:5). Whether this is immediately after the Assyrian defeat, or simply a preview of what will occur during the millennium, is not clear (see Zech. 14:16), but certainly the nations will stream to Mount Zion after Messiah establishes His kingdom on earth (Isa. 2:1-4).
Gary V. Smith writes in The New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39 that this chapter features two theological principles that apply to every nation: "First, people should not allow their attention to be sidetracked to focus on human accomplishments, religious ritual, or man-made theological idols, for that will bring God's judgment. Second, people should pay attention to God their Creator, remember that he is holy, is able to save them, and can protect them in times of trouble. No one today should repeat the mistakes of Israel and Judah, unless they want to suffer the same fate" (p. 352).
Written by rphilli Posted in Audio Files, Isaiah	Tagged with Apologetics, Assyria, Assyria's invasion of Jerusalem, Assyria's invasion of Judah, Christian apologetics, Christian apologetics speaker, Cush, Cush rules Egypt, Cushites, Egypt, Ethiopia, free Bible studies, Free Bible study, God chasens the nations, God's dealings with Israel, God's dealings with Judah, Isaiah, Isaiah Bible study, Israel, Israel and Judah, Jerusalem, Judah, King Ahaz, King Hezekiah, Lord of Hosts, Messiah, Mount Zion, papyrus, prophet Isaiah, Sudan, teacher's helps for Isaiah
Answering Your Questions about the Feasts of Israel
A dreidel, used in Hanukkah
Your text on Yom Kippur says the Ark of the Covenant was never recovered after the captivity. Is there any record that it was taken into captivity or destroyed?
According to the Jewish Virtual Library (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org), what happened to the ark after the captivity is unknown and has been debated for centuries. It is unlikely the Babylonians took it because the detailed lists of what they took make no mention of the Ark. "According to some sources, Josiah, one of the final kings to reign in the First Temple period, learned of the impending invasion of the Babylonians and hid the Ark. Where he hid it is also questionable – according to one midrash, he dug a hole under the wood storehouse on the Temple Mount and buried it there (Yoma 53b). Another account says that Solomon foresaw the eventual destruction of the Temple, and set aside a cave near the Dead Sea, in which Josiah eventually hid the Ark (Maimonides, Laws of the Temple, 4:1)."
Some Ethiopian Christians claim they have the Ark today. In Axum, Ethiopia, it is widely believed that the Ark is being held in the Church of Saint Mary of Zion, guarded by a monk known as the "Keeper of the Ark." According to the Axum Christian community, they acquired the Ark during the reign of Solomon, when his son Menelik, whose mother was the Queen of Sheba, stole the Ark after a visit to Jerusalem. The claim has been impossible to verify, for no one but the monk is allowed into his tent.
A more plausible claim is that of archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer, who has conducted research on the Temple Mount and inside the Dome of the Rock. He claims to have found the spot on the Mount where the Holy of Holies was located during the First Temple period. In the center of that spot is a section of bedrock cut out in dimensions that may match those of the Ark as reported in Exodus. Based on his findings, Ritmeyer has postulated that the Ark may be buried deep inside the Temple Mount. However, it is unlikely that excavation will be allowed on the Mount any time soon by the Muslim or Israeli authorities.
All the feasts are mandated in the Pentateuch, supposedly written by Moses. What is your view concerning the historicity of Moses and the Fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), and more generally the first part of the Old Testament?
While there are some who believe the Bible should be read as literature rather than Scripture, and some scholars who deny the historical truth of Gen. 1-11, it may be best for us to look at how Jesus felt about the Fathers and the Old Testament. For example:
Jesus referred to Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:46; 7:19 and others). Also, Moses appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Elijah and Jesus (Matt. 17:3).
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus quoted richly from the Old Testament, especially in regard to the Messianic prophecies.
He spoke of Adam and Eve as real persons (Matt. 19:3-6)
He talked about the worldwide flood in the days of Noah as a historical fact (Matt. 24:37-38).
He compared His physical resurrection to the reality of Jonah's three-day experience in the belly of the great fish (Matt. 12:38-40).
He made numerous references to Abraham as a real person (Matt. 8:11; 22:32; Luke 3:8; 13:28; 16:19-31; John 8:58).
His disciples staked His claim of being Messiah, in part, to His lineage, which included Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38).
What life application should we take into our lives from the feasts? Understanding that they point to the return of Christ, and that some churches even celebrate these with the Jewish people, how can or do the feasts or the knowledge of them fit into our worship practices today?
It seems to me that the Western church has largely lost the "Jewishness" of the Scriptures. A systematic teaching of the feasts would strengthen the faith of believers as they see God's hand in human history, and they may serve to convince unbelievers of the amazing prophetic truths of Scripture.
In addition, worship services and sermons devoted to the feasts in the spring and fall may help all of us reconnect with the fact that God's Anointed One came to us through God's chosen people, the Jews. One great opportunity that exists now is the Lord's Supper, which was instituted during the Passover. What a great opportunity to teach Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Also, baptism gives us the opportunity to talk about Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits.
On a personal level, I know I have become much more aware of the imminent return of Christ in the fall, and I watch with anticipation for Trumpets, when the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
There are other Jewish feasts besides the seven we have studied. What can you tell us about Purim and Hanukkah, for example?
Purim commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination, thanks to the heroic acts of Esther, a Jewish woman chosen as Persia's queen. Her story is told in the book of Esther. Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which usually falls in March. The word "Purim" means "lots" and refers to the lottery that the evil Persian leader Haman used to choose a date for the massacre of all Jews. Haman's sinister plot against the Jews was thwarted when Queen Esther, at the urging of her cousin Mordecai, risked death by revealing the plot to King Ahasuerus. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was put to death. Purim is a joyous celebration preceded by a fast, which commemorates Esther's three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king. Observant Jews read the book of Esther, enjoy food and drink, and make gifts to charity.
Hanukkah (also spelled Hanukka, Chanuka and Chanukah) is one of the most joyous times of the Jewish year. The people remember the miraculous military victory of the small, ill-equipped Jewish army over the ruling Greek Syrians, who had banned the Jewish religion and desecrated the Temple. In addition, they celebrate the miracle of the small cruse of consecrated oil that burned for eight days in the Temple's menorah. As a result, Hanukkah is an eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, which normally falls in December. It also is known as the festival of lights. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting a menorah for eight nights; eating foods fried in oil, especially potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts; and playing with a dreidel, a four-sided top. Many non-Jews – and even some Jews – equate this holiday with Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs such as gift-giving and adorning the house in festive decorations.
Neither Purim nor Hanukkah are "appointed times" or "holy convocations" in Scripture. Nevertheless, they play important roles in Jewish history and modern custom.
Written by rphilli Posted in Feasts of Israel	Tagged with Abraham, Adam, Adam and Eve, Adar, Anointed One, appointed times, Ark of the Covenant, baptism, Bible, Chanuka, Chanukah, Christ, Christmas, Day of Atonement, December, Dome of the Rock, dreidel, Elijah, Esther, Ethiopia, Eve, Exodus, feasts, Feasts of Israel, First Fruits, Haman, Hanukka, Hanukkah, holidays, holy convocations, Isaac, Israeli, Jacob, jelly doughnuts, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus in the feasts of Israel, Jewish feasts, Jewishness of Scripture, Jews, John, Jonah, King Ahasuerus, Kislev, Lamb of God, Lord's Supper, Luke, Mark, Matthew, menorah, Messiah, Mordecai, Moses, Mount of Transfiguration, Muslim, New Testament, Old Testament, Passover, Pentateuch, Pentecost, Purim, Queen Esther, Queen of Sheba, questions, questions about the feasts of Israel, questions about the Jewish feasts, rapture, return of Christ, Scripture, seven feasts, Tabernacles, Temple, Temple Mount, Thessalonians, Trumpets, Unleavened Bread, Western Church, Yom Kippur
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Lucy Lahrita, of Hokkaido University, Japan, shares her passion for protecting the environment by utilizing chemical recycling to create synthetic fuel from plastic waste. Lucy describes how specific types of plastic can be used to not only create crude oil, but a new job sector as well. She encourages us all to think globally and act locally to protect our environment.


When I was in fourth grade, my science teacher assigned my class to write reports on an endangered species. He wrote down names of endangered animals on pieces of paper and put them in a hat. We each took turns picking the species that we would write our reports about, and when I unfolded my piece of paper I saw the words "Eastern Indigo Snake." Even in fourth grade I loved animals, but I had never heard of an Eastern Indigo Snake. Well, that was because I grew up in Wisconsin, hundreds of miles north of where they live. I wrote my report, never thinking I would ever actually see one, but I never forgot the name Eastern Indigo Snake.
When I found out that I would be working at Archbold, I was really excited to learn that Eastern Indigo Snakes live there, but I knew they were rare, and didn't really expect to see one. So when I stood there with my mouth open, watching the shiny black eyes of an Eastern Indigo Snake stare back at me, it was a very powerful moment. To me it meant that my childhood dreams of becoming a biologist and traveling the world had in some small way come true.
Why did we go through so much trouble to measure him? Well for one, the size of a snake tells us if it is young or old. Finding young snakes is a good sign because it means that the snakes are reproducing, which is important since they are a threatened species. Turns out this snake was 4.5 feet long, while most male indigos caught at Archbold have been about 5 feet. So that means our indigo still has some growing to do! This information comes from 26 years of research on Eastern Indigo Snakes conducted at Archbold Biological Station.
Please, please note, EASTERN INDIGO SNAKES ARE NOT DANGEROUS! They do not have fangs or venom, and as you can see from the video, they are usually very shy. Also, they eat venomous snakes! (Not that venomous snakes are "bad" either) Indigos are threatened, important, and beautiful animals that deserve our respect.
This entry was posted in Research and Monitoring, Station, Stories, Threatened/Endangered Species and tagged Drymarchon corais couperi, Eastern Indigo Snake, Herpetology, Snake research. Bookmark the permalink.


We held the annual 'Hospital Heroes' event this week and, as ever, it was a brilliant and uplifting evening.
Both speakers – Geoff Holt, the record breaking yachtsman, and Peter Connelly, the paraglider who was featured in the recent trauma documentary, were inspirational in their descriptions of how they had overcome potentially devastating life events. And I am very grateful to all our sponsors, in particular the Southampton Echo who gave the chance for the public to vote for individual members of staff who they felt had been particularly special.
I would like to talk about each of the winners but that really would make this blog too long! So the full list of names is here. Whilst many of these individuals expressed surprise to have been nominated, and said that they were 'just doing their job', they should all feel very proud of what they have achieved.
I think we have all found the last couple of hours deeply inspiring. It is very humbling to lead an organisation where so many amazing people work.
I read a book sometime ago about how Starbucks had become so successful. It was surprisingly interesting - who could have predicted ten years ago that a small coffee shop from Seattle would become a global company by selling coffee at £2.50 a cup?!
But one of the things which the founder of Starbucks said was that their success was all about the customer experience - and how lucky they were, because in the business that they are in (selling coffee) they actually got to see each of their customers, to smile and hand them a cup of coffee in a friendly way.
Which just made me think - if Starbucks is lucky, how incredibly privileged are we?! We don't get to just give patients a cup of coffee - although that can be an important part of looking after them. We get to care for them and be with them in some of the most important and difficult moments of their lives. We can make a such a difference for our patients. And just occasionally we get to save their lives.
None of this is easy: I have often reflected that there are no easy jobs in a hospital. This is why we need heroes, and we are very privileged to have heroes working right across UHS.
So the most important thing that I have to say is thank you, to everyone across the hospital. For quiet heroism, unsung commitment, and for doing the right thing for patients even when the circumstances are difficult.
Our CEO's message was simple, yet powerful. I was fortunate to be able to attend the hospital heroes' event and hear this first hand. Yes, it was an emotional night but also uplifting and empowering. We can do more and the stories of all the nominations on the night showed us how. If there is one message I would add and emphasize is the power of a smile. Please can we all smile a little more not for ourselves but for others, especially those coming into our hospital worried about their health; worried about their loved ones; carrying so much on their minds whilst walking to their destination? A simple smile might just help relieve some of that burden. Please smile!


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Category: johnstownindependent
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Adopt-a-Child will continue through Dec. 12
December 21, 2015 Debbie
This holiday season, Johnstown residents can once again "adopt" a child to buy presents for or sign up to see if they qualify to receive presents.
The Johnstown-Northridge Adopt-a-Child program has been underway since September and will continue to accept new families and donated presents until Dec. 12.
JOHNSTOWN INDEPENDENT
Monday November 30
Interested volunteers receive information about a child's gender and age and sometimes even a wishlist of presents the child would like.
The present, which is to cost no more than $75, is purchased and given to the organization that will distribute it to the family in need.
The program has been helping Johnstown residents for more than 10 years. More than 200 children received presents last year from the organization.
Donors and recipients of the gifts are both kept anonymous.
Stephanie Stephens is one of the members of Faith Fellowship Church who is helping organize the event.
"We still have many applications to fill and are so appreciative of people who are willing to help," Stephens said in an email.
"Adopt-a-Child is a communitywide effort and so many people make it successful."
Another one of the organizers, Janie Young, said people are welcome to donate cash or gift cards and someone else can go out and buy the presents for a child.
She acknowledged not everyone likes to shop, but they can still give back and make a difference for a family.
"It's so rewarding to see people come in and receive the presents," Young said.
"Sometimes they have tears in their eyes," she said. "It's so much fun and great we are able to facilitate this."
Young said a lot of community businesses have made generous donations to the group and those shopping locally might receive a small discount if they tell the manager they are shopping for a family in need.
"I really enjoy helping organize this," Young said. "It's very time-consuming, but so rewarding to hear how we are impacting people.
"It makes your heart melt."
The group does not wrap the presents for the families so parents can see the gifts ahead of time.
They do give the families wrapping paper, tape and scissors. Young said donations of wrapping paper and tape are always appreciated.
There are six locations to pick up applications for the program and drop off presents. The locations are marked with Christmas mailboxes at: the Heartland Bank of Croton, the Faith Fellowship office in downtown Johnstown, the Pizza Place in Croton and the Homer, Mary E. Babcock and Alexandria public libraries.
Those interested in getting involved can call Stephens at 740-967-0148 or send an email tostephatfaith@yahoo.com.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/11/30/gift-giving-program-adopt-a-child-will-continue-through-dec–12.html
Local Waste Services granted contract for refuse-hauling
Monday November 23, 2015 3:36 PM
The new refuse hauler in the village of Johnstown will be Local Waste Services.
The company was awarded the contract for the service after a unanimous vote by Johnstown Village council members during a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 17.
In discussing potential trash providers, Mayor Sean Staneart said his favorite provider was Local Waste Services and his second choice was Shackleford.
He said he was concerned Shackleford, a smaller company, was only a 7-year-old company and might not have enough necessary experiences.
"If it was for my personal business, I'd like to support the local smaller business, but this is for the entire village so we need to go with a bigger company," Staneart said.
Council members Sharon Hendren, Bob Orsini, Cheryl Robertson, and Bill Van Gundy all said they liked both Local Waste Services and Shackleford.
Robertson said she liked Local Waste Services because they already worked with other municipalities such as Hilliard. She echoed Staneart's concerns about Shackleford.
Van Gundy also agreed within Staneart's opinion and said Local Waste Services had excellent reviews.
The new contract will begin Jan. 1 and be valid for three years.
Village officials said they believe the rates residents pay for refuse collection will likely be less than the current rate.
Six months ago, the previous refuse-hauler, Big-O Refuse, was purchased by a larger company, Waste Management.
Since then, some village residents have complained they have seen a decrease in service quality, prompting the search for a potential new provider.
Concord Road update
Area residents can now celebrate seeing less orange barrels around the village.
Concord Road was scheduled to re-open Friday, Nov. 20, and the Raccoon Creek Pedestrian Bridge is completed.
Village Manager Jim Lenner said at Tuesday's council meeting he wanted to remindpeople the speed limit of the road is 35 mph and police will be patrolling to enforce the speed limit.
Johnstown Service Director Jack Liggett said he was excited about the new road.
"That road should last," Liggett said. "It was built properly this time."
In his report to council, Liggett said in order for the water plant to stay compliant with new EPA regulations, new water treatment equipment will need to be purchased sometime within the next five to seven years.
Other matters
Resident Lindsey BeVier spoke to council about wanting to plant a 10-foot evergreen "Tree of Hope" in Bigelow Park.
She said she hoped the tree could become a symbol of home and stability for Johnstown.
The tree is being donated by Monroe Township and BeVier asked council for a $300 monetary donation for LED lights for the tree.
Staneart said he would like to personally foot the bill instead of asking council to pay for the lights.
Van Gundy said he thought the tree was "an awesome idea and fantastic for the community."
Lewis Main, who was elected to council Nov. 3 and will begin serving in January, said during the public comment portion of the meeting he was not pleased with the recent change in the structure of the water bills where the breakdown of the bill amount is no longer being shown.
"It shouldn't be concealed in a raw number," Main said. "
People should know what they are paying and where it's going," he said.
Teresa Monroe, clerk of council, said the village isn't hiding anything and the breakdown information is still available if people want to call the village office.
In an unsigned note addressed to council, a resident noted Johnstown streets have not been cleaned recently.
Council members stated the village's street sweeper machinery is not operational right now because of budget constraints.
Previously, council members voted not to purchase a new street sweeper because the necessary money was not budgeted.
Robertson said she had learned of residents with questions about how their property taxes are being spent.
She said they should address those questions with the Licking County auditor.
The next regular council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at 599 S. Main St.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/11/19/local-waste-services-granted-contract-for-refuse-hauling.html
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Council passes on pursuing income tax from minors
October 27, 2015 Debbie
Monday October 26, 2015 12:35 PM
Johnstown Village Council members chose not to act on an ordinance that would pursue income taxes on those younger than 18 years old during the body's regular meeting Oct. 20.
Village Finance Director Dana Steffan said most communities do not tax minors however the idea was still worth bringing up to council.
"Our law director brought to our attention that we could change this law so we thought we would bring it to council's attention," she said, "but it wouldn't be difficult to change the law at another time."
Village resident Brian Rose spoke during the public comment section and said one of his four children works at a Wendy's restaurant.
He urged council to vote against the ordinance because he said, "it's unfair to tax young kids who are just trying to make extra money."
Village Councilwoman Cheryl Robertson said she didn't think the proposed was worth the village's while.
"I think it would have a negative image to the village," Robertson said.
"If we really need it, we can do it later."
Council did not make a motion to approve or disapprove the ordinance so it, figuratively died.
Concord Road
Construction on Concord Road is going well, according to Village Manager Jim Lenner.
"The crew is motivated and working hard," Lenner said. "I think they have at least another two weeks of work that needs to be done."
The last section of Concord Road from South Main Street to Central Station is closed for the next three weeks. Lime stabilization took place the road Oct. 19-23.
New police officer
Auxiliary police officer Andrew Smith was sworn-in by Mayor Sean Staneart.
Smith has lived in Johnstown his entire life, graduated from Johnstown-Monroe High School, and attended Central Ohio Technical college.
His wife and two children attended his swearing in ceremony.
"We are really happy to have him," said Don Corbin, Johnstown police chief.
The 2016 budget will be presented at the next village council meeting, planned for 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at 599 S. Main St.
Steffan emphasized the village is currently operating on a "shoestring budget" and the 2015 budget is anticipated to be overspent by $70,000.
Johnstown resident Sherman Ryan spoke at the last council meeting about concerns his daughter was living next door to a drug house.
"We never got a response from Johnstown police and we were not contacted by anyone," Ryan said.
"The drug house is still going on. I'm wondering what's going on," he said.
Corbin said he, personally, has visited the house but did not observe suspicious activity.
"We have notified the Licking County drug task force about this," Corbin said.
"There has been surveillance every day and we have found nothing yet," he said.
"Months ago we arrested people from that house. We have been aware of this and are working with the task force on this."
Corbin asked Ryan to speak with him in private for more specific details about the situation.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/10/23/council-passes-on-pursuing-income-tax-from-minors.html
election, johnstown, johnstownindependent, johnstownvillage, october, ThisWeek, ThisWeekNews
Village Council candidates offer opinions about issues
October 27, 2015 April 15, 2018 Debbie
Five candidates — Ryan Green, Ben Lee, Lewis Main, Russell Sparks and incumbent Councilwoman Cheryl Robertson — are running for three seats on the Johnstown Village Council.
Incumbent councilmen David Keck and Bob Orsini are not running. The general election is Nov. 3 and the council terms will start Jan. 1.
Here's a brief look at the candidates:
Green, 27, originally from Pataskala, has lived in Johnstown for just two years, but he said he has lived in Licking County the majority of his life.
He said because he doesn't have a lot of ties to Johnstown, he could bring a fresh perspective to the village.
"I would bring a solid work ethic and youthful exuberance to council," Green said.
He said he has done a little bit of campaigning by going door-to-door and talking to neighbors.
Green said he has been asking people what they would like to see in Johnstown and is taking note of their answers.
"I'm learning a lot and gaining perspective," he said. "I'm letting people get to know what I can do for them. Johnstown is great because we're so local and people know each other."
Green said he hopes to bring more businesses to Johnstown so people have more things to do and more amenities in the village.
"We have a lot of people moving to town right now and I want us to have an era of growth," he said. "I want to place the framework and set things in place so people can bring businesses to town."
Green has a degree in political science from Ohio State University and works in sales at Scott's Miracle Grow in Gahanna.
Lee, 31, said his No. 1 concern was the village's fiscal security for the future.
"I want to understand how the money is being spent and if there's smarter ways of using the money," he said. "I want to make sure the Johnstown experience is the same for my daughter as it was for me."
If elected, he said he would work with the finance director to dig through finances on a minute level and make sure the public is informed.
"We're all in the village together so I want to do what I can to increase visibility and interact more with the community," he said. "I enjoy hearing what I can do to help others."
Concerning growth of the village, he used the phrase "progress with preservation" and cited examples of new businesses such as The Crafty Garden and All Things Old filling vacant spots downtown.
Lee graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in public affairs journalism and is the Distribution Center Operations Manager at L Brands.
He hopes to continue the school liaison committee and keep the dialogue open between the Johnstown-Monroe school board and Village Council.
Lee said his passion for small town sets him apart from other candidates.
"I want to see the village succeed and for us to become a destination location," he said.
He has spent 21 years in the village with his wife and his two daughters, ages 5 and 2.
Unlike other candidates, Main, 71, has served more than 15 years on the council and Village Planning and Zoning Commission.
Main said the most important issue the village faces is handling finances.
"We aren't underwater, but it is getting harder to breathe," Main said in an email.
"Council set a budget and approved appropriations last year and have increased the approved spending seven times so far this year," he said.
"We keep seeing the additional authorization to spend, but no reductions in spending."
He suggested selling the village's surplus water and sewer capacities to reduce costs.
Main noted the village needs to start preparing to become a city in 2020 and re-evaluating its charter in 2018.
Main was employed by Western Electric, AT&T and Lucent Technology in a variety of accounting and supervisory positions. He retired after 32 years of service.
Another one of his priorities is keeping the small town warmth and friendly atmosphere with a trained police force that provides a safe environment to live and raise a family.
If elected, Main said he hopes to increase communications from the council to the community and encourage feedback from businesses and residents.
He has worked for more than 30 years in private industry in accounting, auditing and supervision and an additional 10 years with the Ohio Department of Development.
Incumbent Cheryl Robertson, 59, has lived in Johnstown for 34 years and previously was employed with Johnson & Johnson in sales and management managing multi-million dollar budgets for 27 years.
Now, she manages her family farms in Sandusky County.
Robertson said one of the most important issues currently facing the village of Johnstown is managing the village's budget with limited resources as the village grows.
"We need to seek economic development opportunities," she said. "We must retain our existing business base while recruiting new businesses.
"This would bring in additional revenue to the village without undue burden to our residents."
She explained the importance of managing the anticipated growth of the village.
"The wonderful new schools will draw new residents to Johnstown, increasing residential development," Robertson said.
"In turn, this creates more monetary demands on the village, such as street maintenance and police protection," she said.
Robertson has served on the Johnstown Economic Development Commission and if re-elected, she said she wants to continue to focus on economic development opportunities for the village, to help provide jobs to residents and financial stability to the village.
"I take this responsibility seriously, as local government has a direct impact on our daily lives, Robertson said. "I look forward to continuing my service on the Johnstown Village Council."
Robertson has a bachelor's degree in business administration in marketing from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Franklin University.
Recently, Sparks and his family have been enjoying supporting The Big Red Band, Johnnies football, Johnstown Youth Athletic Association Football, and camping with the Boy Scouts.
Sparks, his wife have lived in Johnstown for more than 22 years. They have three sons — Ryan, Reece and Rylee.
He said his most successful and meaningful campaign strategy is just talking to people when he is around town, at the grocery store, the football game or the gas station.
"I engage in conversation that allows me to hear the needs and concerns of my fellow community members in an environment that is comfortable to them," he said in an email.
Sparks said he is most concerned with traffic, water rates, trash service and police protection.
"My goal is to bring our police protection back up to where it was 10 years ago," he said.
"We have several police officers that have not had a raise," he said.
"Also, I keep hearing complaints about the current trash service provider," Sparks said.
"I know the contract is up at the end of this year and would like to be involved with the selection of a new provider."
Sparks works in the emergency department at St. Ann's Hospital and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/10/23/village-council-candidates-offer-opinions-about-issues.html
johnstown, johnstownindependent, october, ThisWeek, ThisWeekNews
Candidates want to boost success, restore magnets
Friday October 16, 2015 5:16 PM
Westerville City School District voters will have four candidates to choose from when filling two seats on the Board of Education next month.
Incumbent appointee Richard Bird is facing challengers Jim Burgess, Gerrie Cotter and Greg Lawson on the Nov. 3 ballot. Incumbent Carol French is not seeking re-election.
Absentee voting began Oct. 6.
The top two finishers will win four-year board terms.
Incumbent Richard Bird, 48, is seeking his first full term in office. He was appointed to the board in June 2014 to complete the unexpired term of Cindy Crowe, who died after a lengthy public battle with ALS.
Bird said in an email he couldn't be happier with the course of the campaign thus far.
"I've received a huge amount of support, ranging from parents groups, other local elected leaders and our teachers and the Westerville Education Association," he said.
He is the board liaison for the district's facilities and operations.
Bird's campaign slogan, "Bird is the Word," is featured on T-shirts and signs.
"I can't get a cup of coffee or pick up groceries without hearing someone say, 'Bird Is The Word,' " he said. "I think this is a confirmation that a large part of the community knows that I am their voice on the Westeville school board."
Bird has lived in the district for 14 years and is the global head of information security at Mettler-Toledo International.
Bird has a bachelor's degree in political science from Ohio State University and completed advanced studies in project management at George Washington University.
He described the biggest issue facing the school board as continuing the momentum they have built as a team over the past two years.
"As we've restored key programs and are now in the process of expanding our capabilities and focus on efforts as diverse as all-day kindergarten, significant building projects, transportation route improvements and pay-to-play scaling, teamwork is vital to the success of this board," he said.
He stressed the importance of building upon the leadership and successes the district has achieved already.
Bird is the father of four, with his youngest son and daughter attending Westerville Central High School. He is a longtime member of Heritage Christian Church.
Jim Burgess
Jim Burgess, 49, unsuccessfully ran for the school board in 2013 and applied for Crowe's seat last year.
He, his wife and three children have lived in the district for 11 years. His oldest son is a junior at North, but his other children do not attend Westerville public schools.
Asked what one thing he wanted to do to improve the district if elected, he said he wanted to bring back and expand the magnet program.
"The current school board cut the magnet program by 40 percent and that's terrible. It was one of the best things the district offered and was a top-rated phenomenal program," he said. "If elected, I would work to restore the magnet program to what it once was and expand it."
Burgess said thus far his campaign is "going fine" and "people seem to appreciate" his message.
He said he lives in the south end of the district and so could offer a fresh perspective on issues.
"Currently, none of the board members live south of Uptown and there hasn't been a voice for the south side for decades," he said. "You want a board that represents all the segments of the community — whether geographic or household makeup."
At the Meet the Candidates forum Sept. 24, he said he wanted to focus on reducing the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests and look into removing Common Core standards.
He said he wanted to focus the district's attention on work being done inside the classroom instead of focusing on things that were not necessarily education related.
Burgess praised other districts where athletics directors pay for their departments through advertising.
He graduated from Washington State University, where he studied broadcast communications and management.
He is a manager at Ashland Inc. and is involved with the band boosters at Westerville North, where his son is a member of the marching band.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/westerville/news/2015/10/13/candidates-want-to-boost-success-restore-magnets.html
Library livens up scavenger hunt with an undead theme
Here's a clue: In the center of town stands a sturdy building in which one could hide. Don't expect to find anyone singing anymore, but it might be a good place to lock up some zombies.
And here's the answer: It's the town hall/opera house.
This Halloween season, the community is invited to take part in learning about the village's history in a Zombie Apocalypse Survival and Scavenger Hunt, hosted by the Mary E. Babcock Library.
Those interested in participating should stop by the library and pick up a clue sheet with 20 questions about spots around town.
The clue sheet, which also is an entry form, has questions about the opera house, the T.J. Evans bike trail, the American Legion Post 254 Wall of Honor and even Whit's Frozen Custard.
Depending on how well participants know the village's history, how long they've lived here and how Internet-savvy they are, the scavenger hunt could take one to two hours, said branch assistant Audrey Finkle.
Participants do not have to go to the locations for the answers.
Finkle said the Babcock library previously hosted a scavenger hunt inside the library.
When she proposed the idea in September about a scavenger hunt throughout the village, branch manager Julie McElhaney expanded upon the idea to give it a zombie-apocalypse theme for the Halloween season.
"It was a collaboration between the two of us," Finkle said. "It sounded like a fun idea, and plus we needed extra activities for our teenagers. We originally had it open just for teenagers, but now anyone can participate."
The library's staff members worked together to write the 20 questions about the village's history — all with some sort of zombie theme.
"Everyone had a small hand in the project," Finkle said. Those who find the most correct answers will be entered to win a Halloween prize, she said.
McElhaney said it's a great opportunity for those who live in the village to take some time to learn more about its history.
To be entered into the drawing, entries must be returned to the library by Oct. 26.
Winners will be chosen during the family Halloween party at the library Oct. 27, and the number of winners will be determined by how many correct entries are received.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/10/16/library-livens-up-scavenger-hunt-with-an-undead-theme.html
Council raises water, sewer fees for new buildings
Friday October 9, 2015 9:43 PM
The Johnstown Village Council approved an amendment to the rate structures for water and sewer capacity and tap fees during its regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Water capacity fees increased by 77 percent, sewer capacity fees increased 31 percent, but the tap fees for both remained $375.
The fees only apply to new homes or commercially used buildings in the village that will be installing a new water or sewer tap connecting to the village system. It will not affect anyone currently connected to the system village officials said.
Village Manager Jim Lenner said in an e-mail fees were set when the new water plant was built 20 years ago and have not changed since.
He said the capacity fees are meant to build cash reserves to upgrade the plants when capacity becomes less than 10 percent.
"That way we do not have to borrow more money which helps keep water rates low," Lenner said.
"Based on current prices of expanding the water and wastewater plant and to replace aging infrastructure, we had to increase the cost to connect to our system," Lenner said.
He went on to say the analysis conducted by the village engineer actually recommended a higher increase, however, village officials do not plan to institute the higher increase until the year 2020.
The charges, passed unanimously by village council, will take effect Jan. 1, 2016.
Under the new rates, if a person installs a new sewer line they will be charged a $375 tap fee and a $6,000 capacity charge and if they connect a new water line they will have a $375 tap fee and $8,890 capacity charge.
Only two-fifths of the capacity and tap fees will be charged for locally bonded government projects.
The amendment comes after the Johnstown-Monroe Local School District Board of Education recently clashed with the village, asking for and eventually receiving lower water and sewer capacity and tap fees for the new schools.
Johnstown resident Sherman Ryan told council members he was concerned about drugs in the Rolling Meadows neighborhood.
"My daughter is living next to a drug house," Ryan said.
"We see the people coming and going at all hours," he said.
"We have talked to Johnstown police about this and they said they knew what went on in that house," Ryan said.
"It seems like there's something we should do to prevent him from operating this drug business. I get that this may not be the police's top priority, but it's still an issue for us."
Mayor Sean Staneart said he had also noticed an upswing in drug use in the village and would like to see this issue resolved.
"I hope our (police) chief is working on a proactive plan to tackle this issue," Staneart said. We will check with the police department and see what's going on."
The next village council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at 599 S. Main St.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/10/09/council-raises-water-sewer-fees-for-new-buildings.html
Legion post plans Texas Hold 'Em fundraiser event
Monday October 5, 2015 11:43 AM
Area residents can try their hand at Texas Hold 'Em poker during a new tournament sponsored by American Legion Post 254.
The tournament will begin at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Legion Hall, 180 W. Maple St.
Post Commander Rick Petersen said nine dealers have been practicing every other Tuesday since June. On Sept. 29 the Legion held a mini-tournament for the dealers to practice.
"We have a lot of serious players in the area so we want to be prepared and have well-trained dealers," Petersen said. "We want people to feel good about playing with us."
John Rinard, a Legion member, will be running the tournament. He is hoping at least 50 community members come out to play.
"It's a lot of fun and it's a great way to support the Legion as well as our community's veterans." he said. "The tournament will be similar to what people have seen on TV."
Rinard has been playing the game for more than 10 years now and said he liked the strategy of the game.
"By now, I am able to almost guess what other people's cards are," he said.
The initial buy-in costs $40 for 5,000 in chips and $10 goes to the Legion while the rest goes into the pot.
To buy back into the tournament, before the fourth round, it costs $30 for 5,000 in chips and $15 goes to the Legion.
For those who make it to the fourth round, they can buy 8,000 in additional chips for $40 and all of that money goes to the Legion.
The money raised will be used in the general membership fund to support the community and veteran's projects, Rinard said.
Registration is from 1 to 3 p.m. and snacks will be available during the tournament.
For additional information, call Rick Petersen at 740-901-1245.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/10/02/legion-post-plans-texas-hold-em-fundraiser-event.html
2015, johnstown, johnstownindependent, ThisWeek, ThisWeekNews
Fire department open house set for Saturday
October 8, 2015 Debbie
Tuesday September 29, 2015 7:29 PM
Come out and meet local firefighters at the fourth annualMonroe Township Fire Department's open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the station, 24 S. Oregon St.
New this year at the open house will be a Christmas Tree safety demonstration.
"We're going to light two trees on fire, one that has been watered and one that's dried out, in order to show people the importance of watering their Christmas trees," said Josh Martel from the Johnstown-Monroe Fire Department.
"We want to bring awareness to what can happen when trees get too close to an ignition source and become dried out."
The fire department's open house kicks off fire prevention week which is Oct. 4-10.
Fire Chief Dudley Wright said firefighters will be visiting elementary schools that week to teach students about fire safety.
"We try to bring fire safety into the forefront and engage the community," Wright said. "It gives us an opportunity to interact with people in non-crisis situations."
There will also be a search and rescue trailer from the Ohio Fire Academy there for community members to walk through and get a sense of what it's like in a smoke-filled environment.
The fire department's new rescue fire truck will be on display, "to show the community what they have been supporting us for," Martel said.
At the Open House, there will be free Whit's Frozen Custard and food from US 62 Barbeque.
Children can paint a wooden fire truck, try on fire turnout gear, watch fire extinguisher demonstrations and meet Sparky the robotic fire dog.
Usually about 150 people attend the open house, Martel said.
The Monroe Township Fire Department was founded April 1, 2000 when Monroe Township took over the Johnstown Volunteer Fire Department at the private fire department's request.
It is a combination fire department meaning the staff consists of 13 full-time, 20 part-time, and 10 volunteer personnel.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/09/28/fire-department-open-house-is-set-for-saturday.html
2015, apeks, johnstown, johnstownindependent, ThisWeek, ThisWeekNews
Students, others can get hands-on manufacturing experience
Monday September 28, 2015 11:04 AM
Johnstown's Apeks Supercritical is hosting a Manufacturing Day, also known as MfgDay, Oct. 2 for students and the public at 150 Commerce Blvd.
Student participants will have an opportunity to work hands-on with one manufacturing area of their choice — welding, pipe and tube fitting and bending, machining or electrical controls assembly.
"It's a great opportunity for parents, teachers, students or anyone who wants to learn about manufacturing," said Andy Joseph, Apeks owner and president.
"It's not a course," Joseph said. "It's a hands-on experience. There's nothing better than creating something with your own two hands."
This is the first year Apeks Supercritical is participating in MfgDay, a nationwide event where manufacturers open their doors to high school and middle school students to promote engineering and manufacturing careers.
"Previously, we didn't have the physical space to host students," Joseph said.
"We've been wanting to do this for a long time and now in our new manufacturing facility, we have the space," Joseph said.
Apeks Supercritical will host students from noon to 4 p.m. and open the doors to the rest of the public at 2 p.m.
At 1 p.m. Mayor Sean Staneart and Village Manager Jim Lenner will speak to students about what manufacturing means in terms of bringing tax dollars to the village, thus allowing for new roads and infrastructure to be built.
Joseph said they are expecting more than 200 students so far from Johnstown-Monroe schools and Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County.
"The point is to promote manufacturing for tomorrow's employers," Joseph said.
"A lot of other companies that participate focus on computers and automation and we wanted to focus on the hands-on basic practices of manufacturing," he said.
"You need to understand the core basic fundamentals of manufacturing in order to be competitive."
Apeks Supercritical will have several stations set up for the students to get real world, hands-on exposure to manufacturing processes.
Students will learn the basics of arc welding from experienced professional welders and will be able to make an arc weld on a stainless steel coupon which they can then keep.
"I'm betting 99 percent of these students have never welded before," Joseph said.
"That's okay. This an opportunity to weld something, keep it and show friends or family what they made," he said.
When he was younger, Joseph had the chance to shadow at his dad's company when there was an open house. It was his first experience with manufacturing and he said it influenced the rest of his life.
Additionally, two stations will be set up to give students an opportunity to learn about machinery to drill, tap, debur and inspect a threaded hole in stainless steel.
"Students will get to drill a hole in metal and feel what handling the machine is like," Joseph said. "It won't just be pressing a button."
For those who want to learn about mechanical tube fitting and assembly, they can learn bending applications from seasoned experts and will get to measure, cut, bend and assemble tubing according to a sample part.
To get more information about electrical controls assembly, students can learn the basics of programmable logic controls from an automation expert.
Students will assemble control wires and program the PLC to put a "Knight Rider-esque" light bar in action.
Visitors should wear appropriate attire for a manufacturing facility, such as long pants, closed toed shoes, no loose clothing, and no headphones. Safety glasses, food and refreshments will be provided.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/johnstown/news/2015/09/28/apeks-supercritical-students-others-can-get-hands-on-manufacturing-experience.html


text:
14 May 2019Working Paper Summaries
Organizations in science and elsewhere often rely on committees of experts to make important decisions, such as evaluating early-stage projects and ideas. However, very little is known about how experts influence each other's opinions and how that influence affects final evaluations. Here, we use a field experiment in scientific peer review to examine experts' susceptibility to the opinions of others. We recruited 277 faculty members at seven U.S. medical schools to evaluate 47 early stage research proposals in biomedicine. In our experiment, evaluators (1) completed independent reviews of research ideas, (2) received (artificial) scores attributed to anonymous "other reviewers" from the same or a different discipline, and (3) decided whether to update their initial scores. Evaluators did not meet in person and were not otherwise aware of each other. We find that, even in a completely anonymous setting and controlling for a range of career factors, women updated their scores 13% more often than men, while very highly cited "superstar" reviewers updated 24% less often than others. Women in male-dominated subfields were particularly likely to update, updating 8% more for every 10% decrease in subfield representation. Very low scores were particularly "sticky" and seldom updated upward, suggesting a possible source of conservatism in evaluation. These systematic differences in how world-class experts respond to external opinions can lead to substantial gender and status disparities in whose opinion ultimately matters in collective expert judgment.
Working Paper Publication Date: April 2019
HBS Working Paper Number: HBS Working Paper #19-107
Karim R. Lakhani
Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration
Status and Position
Power and Influence


As the Gala Dinner of Oholei Torah is just over a week away, Chazzan Yitzchok Meir Helfgot visited Oholei Torah together with Mendel Duchman of Los Angeles, CA. They both will play key roles at the event, as Chazzan Helfgot will be giving a concert and Mendel Duchman will be the key-note speaker.
During the visit, Chazzan Helfgot met many of the Talmidim, and quickly found himself to be amongst friends, even joining in a chavaursa session. After the visit, Chazzan Helfgot was visibly impressed with the high level of learning, both in the cheder as well as in the Raitport Beis Medrash.
The Gala Dinner is the culmination of the Shnas HaShishim campaign of Oholei Torah, by honoring a group of 60 Alumni, who represent the thousands of alumni around the world. The vast majority of the 60 Alumni will be attending, many coming from all parts of the world.
There is much talk and excitement of this community event, and the Board of Directors are anticipating a much larger amount of attendees. Special video presentations, an intriguing program and much effort have been put into this year's gala event – ensuring that it will be both a memorable and most enjoyable evening.