November 12, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-robin-williams-suicide-triggered-by-lewy-body-dementia/

Report: Robin Williams had Lewy body dementia
CBS NEWS November 11, 2014, 4:01 PM

Robin Williams was reportedly suffering from Lewy body dementia around the time of his death.

According to TMZ, sources connected to the actor's family say the condition was a "key factor" in Williams' suicide. The website says it obtained documents confirming that Williams had the disease, described by the Mayo Clinic as the second most common type of progressive dementia (after Alzheimer's disease). It can cause a "progressive decline in mental abilities, as well as visual hallucinations, which generally take the form of objects, people or animals that aren't there."

According to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, the disease affects an estimated 1.3 million people in the United States.

Williams was found dead on the morning of Aug. 11 in a bedroom of his Northern California home. Sheriff's officials said he committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt.

Williams' wife, Susan Schneider, confirmed that the comedian was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease and also suffered from depression and anxiety.

The actor, who was 63 when he died, had battled periods of substance abuse throughout his life. He entered a substance abuse rehabilitation program shortly before his death. An autopsy found no alcohol or illegal drugs.



http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lewy-body-dementia/basics/definition/con-20025038

Lewy body dementia
By Mayo Clinic Staff

Lewy body dementia, the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, causes a progressive decline in mental abilities.

It may also cause visual hallucinations, which generally take the form of objects, people or animals that aren't there. This can lead to unusual behavior such as having conversations with deceased loved ones.

Another indicator of Lewy body dementia may be significant fluctuations in alertness and attention, which may include daytime drowsiness or periods of staring into space. And, like Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia can result in rigid muscles, slowed movement and tremors.

In Lewy body dementia, protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells in regions of your brain involved in thinking, memory and movement (motor control).



Some unkind people criticized Williams for committing suicide, of course. They always will. I have never considered suicide to be caused by “cowardice” (whatever that is) and I do believe that anyone who knows their ability to think, remember things move around freely and do tasks, and be free of hallucinations has a perfect right to end their physical degeneration and misery. I will always remember Robin Williams as an enlightened and benign man with a huge gift for comedy.

He added to my life with his work and I honor his decision. The right to suicide is basic to me. I'm not planning it right now, and hopefully I won't ever need to do it, but it's always possible. I am grateful for my current health and abilities. I will be alert to changes as I grow older, however, because anybody could possibly develop one of these degenerative diseases. Hopefully that will be years away, of course.





http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/germany-sends-240-cops-arrest-nine-isis-suspects-cologne-n246766

Germany Sends 240 Cops to Arrest Nine ISIS Suspects in Cologne
- Andy Eckardt and Alexander Smith
First published November 12th 2014

MAINZ, Germany — Nine people accused of supporting ISIS and other extremists were arrested in a series of raids early Wednesday, German officials said. Prosecutors said the suspects included a 58-year old Pakistani national identified only as Mirza Tamoor B., who allegedly supported foreign terror organizations including ISIS and Syrian rebel group Ahrar al Sham. Authorities also alleged that a 31-year-old German citizen referred to as Kais B.O. had helped at least three people to join ISIS. Both were arrested near Cologne.

Around 240 police officers were involved in the dawn raids targeting several properties. The other seven people arrested were suspected of supporting a foreign terror organization and preparing an act that was threatening to the state. “We have been monitoring the group since May 2013,” prosecutor Ulf Willuhn told NBC News. “The accused in our jurisdiction are also suspected of burglary and robbery to help finance foreign terror organizations." Officials believe at least 430 people from Germany have traveled to Syria to fight — compared to 100 from the U.S.

IN-DEPTH
Secret Memo Warns of ISIS Master Plan For Pakistan
Dead or Alive: Why ISIS Won't Wither if Leader is Killed
Brainwashed: ISIS Is Training Kids to Be Terrorists




“Around 240 police officers were involved in the dawn raids targeting several properties. The other seven people arrested were suspected of supporting a foreign terror organization and preparing an act that was threatening to the state. “We have been monitoring the group since May 2013,” prosecutor Ulf Willuhn told NBC News.” These criminals have been involved in helping people to join ISIS and stealing to provide money for a number of terrorist organizations. The German officials claim that some 430 individuals from Germany, as compared to 100 from the US, have gone to Syria to fight. See the following article about ISIS involvement in Pakistan.





http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-has-master-plan-pakistan-secret-memo-warns-n244961

ISIS Has Master Plan for Pakistan, Secret Memo Warns
BY MUJEEB AHMED
First published November 10th 2014

Quetta, Pakistan — ISIS has created a 10-man "strategic planning wing" with a master plan on how to wage war against the Pakistani military, and is trying to join forces with local militants, according to a government memo obtained by NBC News.

"They are now planning to inflict casualties to Pakistan Army outfits who are taking part in operation Zarb-e-Azb," says the alert, referring to the military offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and other militants that was launched in June in a tribal region near the Afghan border.

ISIS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq. It claims to have recruited 10,000 to 12,000 followers in tribal areas on the Afghan border, including in Hangu, which is known for hostility between Shiites and Sunnis, the memo says.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which has claimed responsibility for violence against Shiites, and Sipa-e Muhammed, which has struck against Sunnis, were banned after 9/11.

Just days ago, the chief minister of Balochistan, Dr. Malik Baloch, told journalists he had no information about the presence of ISIS in the province. "However, there are fundamentalists whose approach is similar to that of ISIS," he said.

The memo recommended "strict monitoring" of militants and "extreme vigilance" to ward off any attacks.

There have been other signs of ISIS flexing its muscles in the region. In late September, a pamphlet apparently made by the self-proclaimed caliphate was distributed among Afghan refugees in Pakistan exhorting them to pledge allegiance and and lashing out against "America and the rest of the infidels."

In late September, ISIS-aligned militants launched a brutal offensive in Afghanistan alongside Taliban fighters that has left more than 100 people dead. Fifteen family members of local police officers were beheaded and at least 60 homes were set ablaze, officials said.

Labeled "secret," the memo was sent by the government of Balochistan, a southwestern province that borders Afghanistan, to authorities and intelligence officials across Pakistan last week. Akber Durrani, the province's home secretary, called it "routine" and said Sunni militant group and its sympathizers do not have a stronghold there. .

But the document suggests that ISIS has Pakistan in its cross-hairs, warning that the group aims to stir up sectarian unrest by dispatching the local militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi on offensives against Pakistan's minority Shiite Muslim community, further destabilizing a country already battling Taliban and al Qaeda elements. Most Pakistanis are Sunni Muslims. Mistrust has existed between Shiites and Sunnis for around 1,400 years.




"'They are now planning to inflict casualties to Pakistan Army outfits who are taking part in operation Zarb-e-Azb,' says the alert, referring to the military offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and other militants that was launched in June in a tribal region near the Afghan border.... It claims to have recruited 10,000 to 12,000 followers in tribal areas on the Afghan border, including in Hangu, which is known for hostility between Shiites and Sunnis, the memo says. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which has claimed responsibility for violence against Shiites, and Sipa-e Muhammed, which has struck against Sunnis, were banned after 9/11. Just days ago, the chief minister of Balochistan, Dr. Malik Baloch, told journalists he had no information about the presence of ISIS in the province. 'However, there are fundamentalists whose approach is similar to that of ISIS,' he said. The memo recommended 'strict monitoring' of militants and 'extreme vigilance' to ward off any attacks.... In late September, ISIS-aligned militants launched a brutal offensive in Afghanistan alongside Taliban fighters that has left more than 100 people dead. Fifteen family members of local police officers were beheaded and at least 60 homes were set ablaze, officials said.”

Akber Durrani, Balochistan's Home Secretary, claims that ISIS does not have a stronghold there. The document, however, warns that a local militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is to be sent on offensives against Pakistan's minority Shiite Muslim community. I have thought that Pakistan's government was not always loyal to the US, but this picture of life in Pakistan shows them to be overwhelmed by militant groups. I hope we don't end up sending troops in there, too. The militant movements are across cultures and a matter of philosophy, so it's really hard to know who to attack and where. I didn't see the wisdom of Bush and Obama's drone attacks when they began, but I do now. The are trying to eliminate the leaders and thereby weaken the organizations. It may be the best thing that a Western group can do, as so many people in the Middle East don't trust Westerners. A number of our soldiers in Afghanistan were killed by those who we were there to help.




The mysterious images of Hugh Mangum
By VLADIMIR DUTHIERS CBS NEWS
November 10, 2014, 7:09 PM

DURHAM, North Carolina - They are the faces of a generation past slavery, anonymous portraits taken of Southerners at the dawn of a new century.

And for the last four years, New York researcher and photographer Sarah Stacke has been trying to bring their identities into focus.

"This image has remained one of my favorite," said Stacke. "She has a simple dress on, but she looks so real ... proud, and the way her shoulders are back, gaze off to the side. I would love to sit down and talk with her and learn about her life."

The pictures were taken by little known photographer, Hugh Mangum. He traveled across Virginia and North Carolina from 1890 to 1922. Rare for the time, Mangum photographed both blacks and whites, sometimes sitting them right after the next.

Only 680 of the original glass plate negatives remain, hundreds more lost to decay or never found.

To learn more about the portrait sitters, Stacke has had to learn more about Mangum. She even tracked down Mangum's granddaughter, Martha Sumler.

"He went to art school," Sumler said.

Sumler shared some of his family pictures and handwritten letters.

"The letters are an insight into his personality," said Stacke. "I feel like it really gave me insight into his generous and kind spirit in and out of the studio."

Mangum died of influenza at the age of 44 and left little record of his clients. Stacke believes someone knows who they are, so she has organized this recent exhibit in hopes a visitor might recognize a face. So far, she has had little success.

When asked why she has such an intensity to learn about these people, Stacke said:

"I think it would add so much more depth to the collection that is already rich. Knowing a person's name allows more of a connection, much more personal, and it builds a different kind of history, rather than symbolic. Knowing someone's name and calling them by their name, it's an honor.

An honor that, for now, remains a mystery frozen on glass.




“The pictures were taken by little known photographer, Hugh Mangum. He traveled across Virginia and North Carolina from 1890 to 1922. Rare for the time, Mangum photographed both blacks and whites, sometimes sitting them right after the next. Only 680 of the original glass plate negatives remain, hundreds more lost to decay or never found. To learn more about the portrait sitters, Stacke has had to learn more about Mangum. She even tracked down Mangum's granddaughter, Martha Sumler. 'He went to art school,' Sumler said.... Mangum died of influenza at the age of 44 and left little record of his clients. Stacke believes someone knows who they are, so she has organized this recent exhibit in hopes a visitor might recognize a face. So far, she has had little success.”

This story reminds me of two family photographs, both of which would have been from this time period, of my people sitting together for a family photo in their front yards in Moore County, North Carolina. Those people weren't rich, but they could apparently afford a photograph and wanted to have a record of their family history. They were all dressed in their everyday farm clothes and smiling. So many old photographs shows people with a straight face or even an expression that looks stern. This photographer knew how to make them come alive as people. I have treasured that shoebox full of old family pictures. My sister has since put them into an album. In addition to the photos, we have handwritten letters from a great grandfather during his Civil War days and on my father's side a personal memoir from my father's brother. It's good to be connected with those who came before me, though they weren't famous or important people. They are very important to me.





For People Fired For Being Gay, Old Court Case Becomes A New Tool – NPR
By Miles Bryan
November 10, 2014 5:06 PM

Josh Kronberg-Rasner was the only openly gay person in his office while he worked for a food service company in Casper, Wyo. But his sexual orientation never held him back, he says. "I had filled every position from general manager to executive chef," he says. "You name it, I'd done all of it."

That changed in the summer of 2012 when Kronberg-Rasner got a new manager, whom Kronberg-Rasner says was uncomfortable working with a gay person. A few weeks after he arrived, the manager went through Kronberg-Rasner's personal phone and found pictures of a male gymnast.

Soon after that, the company laid Kronberg-Rasner off. He tried to file a discrimination complaint, but Wyoming is one of 29 states that don't ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

The law in Wyoming hasn't changed since then, but Kronberg-Rasner might have a case today. That's because federal and state officials have been reinterpreting old laws to address employment discrimination against LGBT people. The approach relies on a legal argument originally designed to defend women accused of not being feminine enough.

Cherie Doak is deputy administrator with Wyoming's Labor Standards Department, which helps people like Kronberg-Rasner bring claims against employers. Before Kronberg-Rasner was fired, his former manager discussed the photos he found on Kronberg-Rasner's phone with a female employee who later told Kronberg-Rasner about it.

"The manager said to her, 'You know, he has this picture of a guy on his phone, and if you, as a woman, had this picture on your phone, it would have been OK. But Josh is a guy, and we can't have that,' " Kronberg-Rasner says.

In that conversation, says Doak, the manager "clearly ... is objecting to the individual's nonconformance with gender stereotypes, in that men should only like women, or only have pictures of women on their phone, and only women can have pictures of men on their phone."

The conversation, Doak says, is good evidence of what's known in court as "gender stereotyping." That's the tool that Doak and her counterparts across the country have recently begun using to help LGBT people in states without anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation. Doak says the approach works about half the time.

"If all the employer said was, 'We don't want gay people working here,' it's going to be way more difficult," she says. "It's a war of syntax, really."

This war dates back to a 1989 Supreme Court Case, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, in which a female manager was denied a partnership at her firm because she didn't wear the makeup and high heels her bosses wanted to see. The manager argued that was a form of sex discrimination outlawed by the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Chris Kuczynski, an attorney with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, says "that is the case that said that sex discrimination can be shown by evidence of gender stereotyping."

Between that 1989 case and a couple of years ago, gender stereotyping was almost exclusively used in cases involving women. But more recently, Kuczynski says, the EEOC has started reinterpreting that case to say discrimination against LGBT people is a form of gender stereotyping.

"I don't want the impression to be left that we are creating or adding on," he says. "What we are doing is interpreting the statute consistent with well-established principles."

"The EEOC here is basically imposing an obligation, regardless of what Congress has said," says Rae Vann, general counsel for the Equal Employment Advisory Council, a group that helps businesses craft their workplace discrimination policies.

Vann says that those businesses spend a lot of time and money keeping their policies up to date with requirements. So when the EEOC says sex discrimination covers LGBT people — even though that hasn't been approved by Congress or the Supreme Court — it makes them nervous.

"We'd much prefer for Congress to say, 'In fact, this is what the law provides, prescribes, prohibits and so forth.' "

Last year, the U.S. Senate did pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but the bill is stalled in the House.

In the meantime, the EEOC has helped more than 1,200 LGBT people bring employment discrimination claims since 2013.



http://www.eeac.org/

Equal Employment Advisory Council

The Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) is a nonprofit employer association founded in 1976 to provide guidance to its member companies on understanding and complying with their EEO and affirmative action obligations. EEAC today is comprised of more than 300 major corporations and is staffed by experienced lawyers and HR professionals with in-depth knowledge in handling EEO and affirmative action compliance issues. (More..)

EEAC's focus is proactive rather than defensive, and is rooted in a philosophy that it is far better to prevent problematic situations from arising than it is to try to fix them after the fact. We strive to be recognized as the premier advisor to enlightened companies on issues related to EEO, affirmative action, and diversity management practices, as well as to serve as a respected and effective advocate on their behalf.

Services provided as part of a company's annual dues include weekly memos that provide practical analysis and guidance on current EEO/AA developments, as well as direct access to EEAC's staff experts, who are always available to handle member inquiries seeking information or guidance on workplace compliance issues.

EEAC also offers an array of compliance tools, including the EEAC Comp Auditor® II compensation analysis software, the new EEAC Applicant TrackerTM software for maintaining and analyzing compliance-related applicant flow information, the IRA Workbook II for conducting impact ratio analyses, and online Data Services that provide a rich source of demographic and educational attainment data to EEAC members for affirmative action and diversity planning.

In direct response to member requests for a source of informed and credible EEO/AA training for corporate managers, EEAC has developed a comprehensive set of skills development seminars for member companies in areas such as understanding basic EEO requirements, developing affirmative action programs, conducting compensation analyses for possible discrimination, and investigating and responding to charges of discrimination.

Last but not least, EEAC serves its members in the public policy arena by filing friend of-the-court briefs in important employment-related cases and by submitting written comments on major federal regulatory proposals. Our briefs and comments have established EEAC as a highly credible advocate for articulating to the courts and government regulators the practical consequences of their decisions on corporate fair employment practices.

For more information about how membership in EEAC can benefit your organization, please call us at 202-629-5650.



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“That changed in the summer of 2012 when Kronberg-Rasner got a new manager, whom Kronberg-Rasner says was uncomfortable working with a gay person. A few weeks after he arrived, the manager went through Kronberg-Rasner's personal phone and found pictures of a male gymnast. Soon after that, the company laid Kronberg-Rasner off. He tried to file a discrimination complaint, but Wyoming is one of 29 states that don't ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.... That's because federal and state officials have been reinterpreting old laws to address employment discrimination against LGBT people. The approach relies on a legal argument originally designed to defend women accused of not being feminine enough.... 'The manager said to her, 'You know, he has this picture of a guy on his phone, and if you, as a woman, had this picture on your phone, it would have been OK. But Josh is a guy, and we can't have that,' Kronberg-Rasner says.... The conversation, Doak says, is good evidence of what's known in court as "gender stereotyping." That's the tool that Doak and her counterparts across the country have recently begun using to help LGBT people in states without anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation. Doak says the approach works about half the time. 'If all the employer said was, 'We don't want gay people working here,' it's going to be way more difficult,' she says. 'It's a war of syntax, really.' This war dates back to a 1989 Supreme Court Case, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, in which a female manager was denied a partnership at her firm because she didn't wear the makeup and high heels her bosses wanted to see. The manager argued that was a form of sex discrimination outlawed by the 1964 Civil Rights Act.... Between that 1989 case and a couple of years ago, gender stereotyping was almost exclusively used in cases involving women. But more recently, Kuczynski says, the EEOC has started reinterpreting that case to say discrimination against LGBT people is a form of gender stereotyping.... 'The EEOC here is basically imposing an obligation, regardless of what Congress has said,' says Rae Vann, general counsel for the Equal Employment Advisory Council, a group that helps businesses craft their workplace discrimination policies.”

“Last year, the U.S. Senate did pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but the bill is stalled in the House. In the meantime, the EEOC has helped more than 1,200 LGBT people bring employment discrimination claims since 2013.” I have never heard of such a law before. Apparently girls who are tomboys are in real danger in some places. women accused of not being feminine enough. It's based not on proof of an individual's being gay, but simple “gender stereotyping.” It's good to see that the EEOC is on its toes and vigilant to promote social and economic equity.

See the following information about the organization mentioned in this article that “advises” businesses about how they can construct their discrimination rules and remain legal. It also, interestingly, has a software to screen applicants “from the cloud” which businesses can have for a modest monthly fee called “EEAC's Applicant TrackerTM.” This appears to be an app that can detect evidence of an applicant's sexual orientation or “nonconformist appearance.” There are some 400 businesses who have signed on with EEAC.

I have always felt in recent years since I was job hunting on the Internet that I was up against a faceless and unknowable entity, and that I had very little chance of making a breakthrough. I used to fear interviews because they are intimidating, but I was much more put off by the lack of human interaction in today's situation. This article is discouraging, from that standpoint, but encouraging in the awareness that EEOC is working to cut through the gender discrimination in states that don't have a fairness law in place.






How 'Double Bucks' For Food Stamps Conquered Capitol Hill – NPR
By Dan Charles
November 10, 2014

Photograph – These wooden tokens are handed out to shoppers who use SNAP benefits to purchase fresh produce at the Crossroads Farmers Market near Takoma Park, Md. Customers receive tokens worth twice the amount of money withdrawn from their SNAP benefits card — in other words, they get "double bucks."

The federal government is about to put $100 million behind a simple idea: doubling the value of SNAP benefits — what used to be called food stamps — when people use them to buy local fruits and vegetables.

This idea did not start on Capitol Hill. It began as a local innovation at a few farmers' markets. But it proved remarkably popular and spread across the country.

"It's so simple, but it has such profound effects both for SNAP recipients and for local farmers," says Mike Appell, a vegetable farmer who sells his produce at a market in Tulsa, Okla.

The idea first surfaced in 2005 among workers at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. They were starting a campaign to get people to eat more fresh produce.

"I think we were trying to confront the idea that healthy foods, [like] fresh fruits and vegetables, are not affordable," says Candace Young, who was director of the department's nutrition programming at the time. (Young now works for The Food Trust in Philadelphia.)

Young recalls that one of their workers pointed out that some SNAP recipients live near farmers markets "and we thought, how about we incentivize them to use their SNAP benefits at these farmers markets?"

The city made a few thousand dollars available for the program. So at a few markets in the South Bronx and Harlem, when someone spent $10 of SNAP benefits, he then received an additional $4 in the form of coupons called HealthBucks, which could be used to buy more local produce.

This desire to make farmers markets more food-stamp friendly seems to have been floating in the air at that time. A farmers market in Lynn, Mass., used a $500 donation to do something similar the very next year.

Then, in 2007, the idea mutated into a form that really caught on.

It happened with the birth of the Crossroads Farmers Market, on the boundary that divides the towns of Langley Park and Takoma Park, Md. The area, just outside Washington, D.C., is home to many immigrants.

"A lot of Latinos come to this market," says Michelle Dudley, the market manager. "I would say that 70 percent of our customers are Spanish-speaking, but we also see people from the Caribbean. Folks from West Africa."

Back in 2007, a man named John Hyde organized the Crossroads market with this immigrant community in mind "and then realized — these people did not have a lot of money," says Gus Schumacher, Hyde's friend and collaborator at the time. (Hyde can't tell the story himself, unfortunately. He died in 2009.)

Schumacher says he and Hyde got to talking about this money problem and had a brainstorm: If they could raise some money, they could use it to double the value of food stamps, as well as vouchers from the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program and food benefits for seniors.

Schumacher, a former top official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, used his connections to raise the money. "I asked the National Watermelon Association if they would provide a small stipend, and they were very generous. They provided $5,000," he says.

They set up a system that has remained almost unchanged ever since. On a recent visit, I see SNAP recipients lining up to speak with a market volunteer named Rosie Sanchez. They tell her how much money they want to spend from their SNAP benefits. Sanchez swipes their SNAP card and gives them wooden tokens that they can spend at the market. But she actually gives them tokens worth twice the amount that she took from their SNAP benefits; up to $15 more.

Sanchez is a SNAP recipient herself. This program "is very important," she says. "You know why? Because I get up to $15 for free. So I have $30 every week. With my $30, I'm able to buy fresh, local — it's not expensive. It's the best!"

Gus Schumacher loved it, too. The same year this market started, he co-founded, together with chef Michel Nischan, an organization called Wholesome Wave, which has brought this idea of doubling SNAP benefits to farmers markets from Connecticut to California.

Private foundations were happy to contribute, because they realized that their dollars could do several things at once: ease poverty, promote better health and boost the local farm economy.

In Michigan, food activist Oran Hesterman set up the Fair Food Network, which called this idea Double Up Food Bucks and got it working in more than 100 places across the state.

"We wanted to take it from the seed of an idea to a demonstration that this is something that you could do at scale," Hesterman says.

Hesterman was thinking big. He wanted to sell this idea to the government.

He invited one of Michigan's senators — Democrat Debbie Stabenow — to see Double Up Food Bucks for herself. And last year, Stabenow, who is chairwoman of the Senate's Agriculture Committee, proposed including it in the so-called farm bill.

On the other side of Capitol Hill, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Republican Frank Lucas, from Oklahoma, was hearing about this idea, too.

Farmer Appell had brought Double Up Food Bucks to the Cherry Street Farmers Market in Tulsa and talked about it to a member of Lucas' staff.

"It didn't seem like it required much of a sell," Appell recalls. "They seemed to be on board with it." If the program was supporting farmers, the congressman wanted to support it.

Earlier this year, the farm bill passed, and it included $100 million, over the next five years, to boost SNAP dollars when they're spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. Those taxpayer dollars have to be matched by private funding, so the program could add up to $200 million in total.

That's a huge increase. According to some estimates, it may be 10 times what these programs spend right now.

As a result, small programs like the Cherry Street Farmers Market and the Crossroads market are now applying for funding to expand. And Michigan's Fair Food Network, one of the biggest programs, is even moving beyond farmers markets. It's now working with supermarket chains to see whether SNAP recipients shopping there can double their dollars for fresh produce every day and all year round.




"This idea did not start on Capitol Hill. It began as a local innovation at a few farmers' markets. But it proved remarkably popular and spread across the country. 'It's so simple, but it has such profound effects both for SNAP recipients and for local farmers,' says Mike Appell, a vegetable farmer who sells his produce at a market in Tulsa, Okla. The idea first surfaced in 2005 among workers at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. They were starting a campaign to get people to eat more fresh produce.... The city made a few thousand dollars available for the program. So at a few markets in the South Bronx and Harlem, when someone spent $10 of SNAP benefits, he then received an additional $4 in the form of coupons called HealthBucks, which could be used to buy more local produce. This desire to make farmers markets more food-stamp friendly seems to have been floating in the air at that time. A farmers market in Lynn, Mass., used a $500 donation to do something similar the very next year. Then, in 2007, the idea mutated into a form that really caught on.... Schumacher says he and Hyde got to talking about this money problem and had a brainstorm: If they could raise some money, they could use it to double the value of food stamps, as well as vouchers from the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program and food benefits for seniors. Schumacher, a former top official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, used his connections to raise the money. 'I asked the National Watermelon Association if they would provide a small stipend, and they were very generous. They provided $5,000,' he says.... On a recent visit, I see SNAP recipients lining up to speak with a market volunteer named Rosie Sanchez. They tell her how much money they want to spend from their SNAP benefits. Sanchez swipes their SNAP card and gives them wooden tokens that they can spend at the market. But she actually gives them tokens worth twice the amount that she took from their SNAP benefits; up to $15 more.... Gus Schumacher loved it, too. The same year this market started, he co-founded, together with chef Michel Nischan, an organization called Wholesome Wave, which has brought this idea of doubling SNAP benefits to farmers markets from Connecticut to California. Private foundations were happy to contribute, because they realized that their dollars could do several things at once: ease poverty, promote better health and boost the local farm economy."

“Earlier this year, the farm bill passed, and it included $100 million, over the next five years, to boost SNAP dollars when they're spent on fresh fruits and vegetables. Those taxpayer dollars have to be matched by private funding, so the program could add up to $200 million in total.... And Michigan's Fair Food Network, one of the biggest programs, is even moving beyond farmers markets. It's now working with supermarket chains to see whether SNAP recipients shopping there can double their dollars for fresh produce every day and all year round.” This is such a success story, both of feeding families better and for less money, and of those enemy camps the Republicans and Democrats cooperating to improve government outreach to the poor. The really great thing about this program is that it's strictly for buying fresh produce, which is healthier and more tasty than canned goods. In addition it is what I call a stroke of genius. It was a simple but effective idea that occurred to the owner of the Maryland farmer's market and was developed locally first, then on the national level. Great Stuff!!