Friday, July 17, 2015


News Clips For The Day


https://projects.propublica.org/killing-the-colorado/story/groundwater-drought-california-arizona-miscounting-water?utm_source=et&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter&utm_content=&utm_name=

Less Than Zero
Despite decades of accepted science, California and Arizona are still miscounting their water supplies

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica
June 16, 2015

DEEP BENEATH the bleached-out, dusty surface of the drought-stricken West is a stash of water sequestered between layers of rock and sometimes built up over centuries.

Officials in the Colorado River basin states have long treated this liquid treasure as a type of environmental retirement account — an additional supply of water they can raid to get through the driest years and make up for the chronic overuse of the rivers themselves.

In recent years, the withdrawals have taken on even more importance: At least 60 percent of California’s water now comes from underground, some researchers say. Arizona, staring down imminent rationing of Colorado River water, pumps nearly half its supply from aquifers.

But in allowing their residents to tap underground resources this way, regulators and legislators in Southwestern states have ignored an inconvenient truth about how much water is actually available for people to use: In many places, groundwater and surface water are not independent supplies at all. Rather, they are interconnected parts of the same system.

The science has been clear for the better part of a century. Drawing groundwater from near a stream can suck that stream dry. In turn, using all the water in streams and rivers lessens their ability to replenish the aquifers beneath them. Farmers who drill new wells to supplement their supplies with groundwater are often stealing water from their neighbors who hold rights to the rivers above them. This understanding has been the foundation of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s water accounting for decades, and was used by the U.S. Supreme Court to decide one of the most significant water contests in history.

Yet California and Arizona — the two states water experts say are facing the most severe water crises — continue to count and regulate groundwater and surface water as if they were entirely separate.

“States have their own take on this. Or they choose to not address it at all,” said Stanley Leake, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and a leading expert on properly accounting for the connection between ground and surface waters in the West. “In some cases they pretend that there is no connection.”

Leaders in California and Arizona acknowledge that their states have done this, at least in part to avoid the grim reckoning that emanates from doing the math accurately. There is even less water available than residents have been led to believe.

....

This is a very long article, so I have only included enough to tell the gist of the story. The unwillingness of legislators to lose the financial support of their business backers is causing inaction in CA and AZ legislatures at a time when the situation is already a crisis. Read the whole article to see the severity of the problem. This article doesn’t mention desalinization efforts, either, though one article about a year ago did. Even with that, however, it may be time to limit agricultural and urban growth now rather than later. Some estimates of the time when CA and AZ may run out of potable water is given as 2025. That is ten years from now. One very likely result of global warming is certainly the gradual drying of Western water sources. Even the East is not exempt. A severe drought was in the news outside Atlanta, GA, a couple of years ago, with the city’s reservoir level becoming dangerously low. Hopefully something serious will be done to cope with this situation so that human beings – rather than cows and plant crops – will have water to drink. I wonder if watertight cement reservoirs could be built in every town to collect rainwater? In the Old West, folks kept large wooden barrels for that purpose.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chattanooga-shooting-investigators-eye-overseas-travel-of-gunman-muhammad-youssef-abdulazeez/

Investigators eye Chattanooga gunman's recent overseas travel
CBS/AP
July 17, 2015

22 PHOTOS -- Chattanooga shooting

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The 24-year-old Kuwait-born man who killed four Marines at two U.S. military facilities recently traveled to Kuwait and Jordan, CBS News has learned, as officials try to determine a motive for the rampage.

Investigators will need to track down who Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez visited, stayed with, met with and communicated with while overseas, officials tell CBS News. That will bring in police and intelligence services of Kuwait and Jordan - both are U.S. allies and cooperation is expected.

Investigators removed computers and other devices believed to have been used by Abdulazeez, CBS News has learned. They are en route to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.

So far, there is no immediate link to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or other terrorist groups but officials stress this is very early in the investigation. The forensic search of computers, phones and on line activity may take some time.

If investigators find that Abdulazeez was indeed inspired by ISIS, CBS News senior security contributor Michael Morell said it would be "the most significant ISIS-inspired attack" on U.S. soil to date.

Abdulazeez of Hixson, Tennessee, did not appear to have been on the radar of federal authorities before the bloodshed Thursday, officials said, and they were still searching for a motive.

Federal authorities were looking into the possibility it was an act of terrorism but said there was no evidence yet that anyone else was involved.

For months, U.S. counterterrorism authorities have been warning of the danger of attacks by individuals inspired but not necessarily directed by ISIS. Officials have said they have disrupted several such lone-wolf plots.

Residents in the quiet neighborhood where Abdulazeez was believed to have lived in a two-story home said they would see him walking along the wide streets or doing yard work. One neighbor recalled Abdulazeez giving him a ride home when he became stranded in a snowstorm.

"It's kind of a general consensus from people that interacted with him that he was just your average citizen there in the neighborhood. There was no reason to suspect anything otherwise," said Ken Smith, a city councilman who met with neighbors Thursday night.

CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan reports Abdulazeez's high school yearbook shows his senior photo, with the quote, "My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?"

Abdulazeez got an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2012 and worked as an intern a few years ago at the Tennessee Valley Authority, the federally owned utility that operates power plants and dams across the South. For the last three months, he had been working at Superior Essex Inc., which designs and makes wire and cable products.

In April, he was arrested on a drunken driving charge, and a mugshot showed him with a bushy beard. In earlier photos, he was clean-shaven.

Hussnain Javid said they graduated a few years apart from Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, where Abdulazeez was on the wrestling team and a popular student.

"He was very outgoing," said Javid, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. "Everyone knew of him."

Javid said he occasionally saw Abdulazeez at the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga, but the last time was roughly a year ago.

The gunman on Thursday sprayed dozens of bullets at a military recruiting center at a strip mall in Chattanooga, then drove to a Navy-Marine training center a few miles away and shot up the installation. The bullets smashed through windows and sent service members scrambling for cover.

In addition to the Marines killed, three people were wounded, including a sailor who was seriously hurt.

They dead were identified Friday by the Marines as Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan of Hampden, Massachusetts; Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt of Burke, North Carolina; Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist of Polk, Wisconsin; and Lance Cpl. Squire K. "Skip" Wells of Cobb County, Georgia. Sullivan, Wyatt and Holmquist had served in Iraq, Afghanistan or both.

"Lives have been lost from some faithful people who have been serving our country, and I think I join all Tennesseans in being both sickened and saddened by this," Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said.

FBI agent Ed Reinhold said Abdulazeez had "numerous weapons" but would not give details. He said investigators have "no idea" what motivated the shooter, but "we are looking at every possible avenue, whether it was terrorism, whether it's domestic, international, or whether it was a simple criminal act."

Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's top officer, said that security at military recruiting and reserve centers will be reviewed, but that it's too early to say whether they should have security guards or other increased protection.

Odierno said there are legal issues involved in allowing recruiters to carry guns. And he said the centers need to be open and accessible to the public.

Brandon Elder, who works at a staffing company in the strip mall where the recruiting office is situated, said he heard what he thought was a jackhammer, and then someone shouted, "He's shooting!"

Elder said he looked out his window onto the parking lot and saw a man in a silver convertible Mustang, a gun propped out the window, spraying bullets into the storefronts.

"He was in front of the recruiting office, just riding up, reversing and driving back," he said. The barrage lasted maybe three or four minutes, and then the driver took off, he said: "It was crazy, surreal, like a movie. Is this really happening?"

On Friday, Gwen Gott added purple ribbons and a flag to a makeshift memorial taking shape outside the strip mall. It included balloons, piles of flowers and a sign staked into the ground: "You were the son of satan. Now you will answer to the son of God."

"I love the service. Without them, where would we be as a country?" Gott said.




“Investigators removed computers and other devices believed to have been used by Abdulazeez, CBS News has learned. They are en route to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. So far, there is no immediate link to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or other terrorist groups but officials stress this is very early in the investigation. …. Federal authorities were looking into the possibility it was an act of terrorism but said there was no evidence yet that anyone else was involved. For months, U.S. counterterrorism authorities have been warning of the danger of attacks by individuals inspired but not necessarily directed by ISIS. Officials have said they have disrupted several such lone-wolf plots. …. In April, he was arrested on a drunken driving charge, and a mugshot showed him with a bushy beard. In earlier photos, he was clean-shaven. …. "He was very outgoing," said Javid, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. "Everyone knew of him." Javid said he occasionally saw Abdulazeez at the Islamic Society of Greater Chattanooga, but the last time was roughly a year ago. …. FBI agent Ed Reinhold said Abdulazeez had "numerous weapons" but would not give details. He said investigators have "no idea" what motivated the shooter, but "we are looking at every possible avenue, whether it was terrorism, whether it's domestic, international, or whether it was a simple criminal act." Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's top officer, said that security at military recruiting and reserve centers will be reviewed, but that it's too early to say whether they should have security guards or other increased protection. …. FBI agent Ed Reinhold said Abdulazeez had "numerous weapons" but would not give details. He said investigators have "no idea" what motivated the shooter, but "we are looking at every possible avenue, whether it was terrorism, whether it's domestic, international, or whether it was a simple criminal act." Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army's top officer, said that security at military recruiting and reserve centers will be reviewed, but that it's too early to say whether they should have security guards or other increased protection.”

This certainly looks like another jihadi attack – the young man had been abroad recently, he was arrested on a drunken driving charge, and a mugshot showed him with a bushy beard. In earlier photos, he was clean-shaven. Highly religious Islamic men are supposed to have full beards, I understand, and they aren’t supposed to drink. It’s possible that he recently became convinced of a jihadi path for himself and was preparing himself to “meet” Allah. Jihadis generally believe that anyone killed while fighting for Islam will immediately go to heaven as a martyr. Whether that was his condition or not, his photograph showed him smiling broadly much like the movie theater killer with the orange hair from last year. That kind of smile gives me cold chills. To have a mental stance that dark and still smile in such a “happy” way, to me must show that he was “out of touch with reality.” Schizophrenia, for one thing, often shows up in the early adult years like this, though I don’t believe that all Jihadis are schizophrenic. Simply being overly religious, or fanatical, is enough to cause people to commit these heartless killings.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-military-veterans-to-aid-war-against-isis/

U.S. military veterans to aid war against ISIS
By CHIP REID
CBS NEWS
July 16, 2015

Photograph -- Charlie Keaton practices firing his rifle at a shooting range in Pineville, West Virginia CBS NEWS

PINEVILLE, W.Va. -- In this tiny West Virginia town, nestled deep in the mountains, 35-year-old Army veteran Charlie Keaton is preparing for war. He's about to return to Iraq to fight against ISIS.

The people of Pineville have given his plan a mixed reaction. There are those who understand and others who question his sanity.

For Keaton, the mission is anything but crazy. He did two tours in Iraq as a frontline medic where he watched Americans die in places like Ramadi and Fallujah.

"I can't believe that a group that has beheaded Americans, they kill innocents daily by the hundreds, and I just cannot believe that I saw them driving down the streets flying their flags in a city that American soldiers died to secure," said Keaton. "I don't even know the words to describe that."

So Keaton joined Veterans Against ISIS. He's one of about two dozen elite warriors selected from hundreds of applicants across the country. They've raised thousands of dollars in their communities and online for airfare and supplies.

They plan to join Kurdish militia fighters based in Northern Iraq.

"We've got Marines, we've got Air Force guys, we've got Army guys and each of us can pass on the knowledge that we learned," said Keaton.

It's been nine years since Keaton has been a full-time soldier. When he left Iraq in 2006, a civil war was raging. He believes the U.S. decision to pull out hurt any prospects for peace.

"I do believe we left too soon. And I believe in leaving too soon, we left a power vacuum that has caused things to be worse for the people," said Keaton.

Keaton says he is driven by what he calls a "higher calling." He wants to set an example for his family, friends and children.

"I want them to understand that there's stuff that's bigger than just you," he said. "If we don't deal with this extreme sect of Islamic terrorism, I'm afraid that my sons are going to have to fight this war. That's what I'm afraid of."




“In this tiny West Virginia town, nestled deep in the mountains, 35-year-old Army veteran Charlie Keaton is preparing for war. He's about to return to Iraq to fight against ISIS. The people of Pineville have given his plan a mixed reaction. There are those who understand and others who question his sanity. …. So Keaton joined Veterans Against ISIS. He's one of about two dozen elite warriors selected from hundreds of applicants across the country. They've raised thousands of dollars in their communities and online for airfare and supplies. They plan to join Kurdish militia fighters based in Northern Iraq. …. "I do believe we left too soon. And I believe in leaving too soon, we left a power vacuum that has caused things to be worse for the people," said Keaton. Keaton says he is driven by what he calls a "higher calling." He wants to set an example for his family, friends and children. "I want them to understand that there's stuff that's bigger than just you," he said. "If we don't deal with this extreme sect of Islamic terrorism, I'm afraid that my sons are going to have to fight this war. That's what I'm afraid of."

If they are going to go over there again and fight, I’m glad to see that they are joining the Kurds, because they have put up a brave fight against ISIS, unlike Iraq. There is a real need to crush ISIS with soldiers rather than giving a basically passive kind of aid to Iraq and Syria, with the thought that they will then give some of the arms gifts to the Kurds. They aren’t going to do that because they have a cultural enmity against them. Likewise Washington has been opposed to supporting Iran in any fashion, while they too have an effective fighting force in the Peshmerga, who are now joining the battle against ISIS. At a time like this, it seems to me, that what we do against ISIS needs to be effective, not wasteful, ill-conceived or weak-kneed. Giving tanks, etc., to the Iraqi Army so they can run away and leave the armaments for ISIS to take away and use against us is totally ridiculous.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cobra-believed-to-have-killed-man-found-dead-in-texas/

Cobra believed to have killed man found dead in Texas
CBS/AP
July 17, 2015

Photograph -- Shaun Toneff found the dead monocled cobra, KEYE-TV reported.
KEYE-TV

AUSTIN, Texas -- Austin police say a cobra believed have bitten and killed an 18-year-old Central Texas man who was transporting the snake in his car has been found dead.

Police say the venomous snake was found early Friday morning near an intersection about half a mile away from the parking lot of the home improvement store where Grant Thompson of Temple was found unresponsive Tuesday. Thompson, who had puncture wounds on his wrist, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Shaun Toneff, who works in the same strip mall as where Thompson was found, told CBS affiliate KEYE-TV that he found the monocled cobra on the I-35 Frontage Road just outside the parking lot. Toneff said that he turned his car hazard lights on and approached the snake cautiously.

"I turned on my flashlight and saw that it was it. You recognize the flat spot and the monocle on the back, of course," he told KEYE. "I just got a quick a peek as I could without it trying to bite me. It was already dead, of course, but I didn't know that."

When people searched Thompson's car they found another snake, six tarantulas and a bullfrog.

He worked at a pet shop in his hometown of Temple. The Temple Daily Telegram has reported he would show exotic animals to children.

Police didn't immediately return a call for more information Friday morning.

Thompson worked at a pet shop in his hometown of Temple and KEYE-TV reported he would show exotic animals to customers.

"Whether he would have birds, or possums or lizards, or snakes, spiders. He would talk a little bit about each animal," family friend Charlie Kimmey told the station.




“Austin police say a cobra believed have bitten and killed an 18-year-old Central Texas man who was transporting the snake in his car has been found dead. …. "I turned on my flashlight and saw that it was it. You recognize the flat spot and the monocle on the back, of course," he told KEYE. "I just got a quick a peek as I could without it trying to bite me. It was already dead, of course, but I didn't know that." …. When people searched Thompson's car they found another snake, six tarantulas and a bullfrog. …. He worked at a pet shop in his hometown of Temple. The Temple Daily Telegram has reported he would show exotic animals to children.” If Thompson worked at the exotic pet store he should have known how to contain and control them. Instead they were loose in his car. Some people have a fascination for danger. It’s a macho thing, most often. The bullfrog is no problem, of course, but the tarantulas also are dangerous. I’ll never forget the James Bond movie Dr. No in which Dr. No somehow introduced a tarantula into Bond’s room that night and he awoke to find it crawling up his arm. He waited until it walked onto the bed cover, then threw the quilt backward knocking the spider to the floor. Immediately he used his shoe to smash it, and then had to run to the bathroom presumably to throw up. James Bond was brave, but not fearless.






https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/psychologists-who-enabled-torture

Dror Ladin, ACLU National Security Project
& Steven M. Watt, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU
Human Rights Program
July 16, 2015

Americans last week learned the details of the American Psychological Association’s collusion with our government’s torture conspiracy. The “Hoffman Report,” named for its lead investigator, is a 542-page document that lays out various ways in which senior leadership in the APA collaborated with government officials and independent contractors to enable torture, hide the fact that torture was occurring, and discredit whistleblowers.

The report is a damning indictment of key APA leaders and staff. It also provides a vivid illustration of how the government’s decision to torture corrupted both individuals and institutions.

The APA’s mission is to use “psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives.” Its first ethical principle is “beneficence and nonmaleficence” — that is, psychologists should “take care to do no harm.” Yet for years, the organization enabled the use of its professional expertise in service of a systematic program aimed at breaking and psychologically destroying human beings. Hundreds of individuals imprisoned by the CIA and the Department of Defense suffered devastating physical and psychological harm through this perversion of psychological knowledge. And the psychologists who designed and enabled the torture program reaped enormous profits: Torture contractor Mitchell, Jessen and Associates earned more than $80 million from the CIA.

The APA’s role in secretly enabling torture while silencing internal dissent and misleading the public reflects the now-familiar pattern that was followed by government agencies involved in U.S.-sanctioned torture.

The Bush administration’s decision to torture corrupted everything it touched. Government lawyers issued secret legal memos to justify and enable torture. The CIA’s Office of Medical Services secretly monitored torture sessions to keep detainees alive — so they could endure more torture. Top-level government officials secretly ordered, implemented, and signed off on it all. Some within government had the courage to stand against abuse, but they were often ignored or sidelined. And, throughout, government officials lied to the media and the public in order to keep us all in the dark. Shamefully, there has been virtually no legal accountability.

We now know from the Hoffman Report that very similar patterns played out within the APA. The association’s leadership sought to align the organization’s policies on torture with the priorities of torture facilitators in the Department of Defense. Collusion was rewarded by a close and lucrative relationship with the Pentagon. The report also documents the nature and extent of the collusion, identifies the people involved, and makes clear that the collusion played a key role in enabling the U.S. government’s torture program because psychologists assisted in and provided cover for brutal coercion.

The Hoffman Report also describes how a former association president launched a “highly personal attack” seeking to discredit a whistleblower when she raised concerns about the APA’s role in the torture program. The report shows that APA leaders shielded from discipline the psychologists who had participated in the torture program. And it explains the ways in which APA leadership used an orchestrated media campaign to mislead the public and portray the organization as protective of the welfare and human rights of prisoners.

Some of the prominent internal critics of the APA have suggested a starting point for the organization to respond to the revelations in the report. As a country, we also have a long way to go on accountability for the government’s torture program. We still need a full and public investigation of the institutional and leadership failures that enabled our government to torture hundreds of human beings. We still need to hold those responsible to account. And we can’t put this dark chapter behind us until we provide apologies and redress to the victims and survivors.




“Americans last week learned the details of the American Psychological Association’s collusion with our government’s torture conspiracy. The “Hoffman Report,” named for its lead investigator, is a 542-page document that lays out various ways in which senior leadership in the APA collaborated with government officials and independent contractors to enable torture, hide the fact that torture was occurring, and discredit whistleblowers. …. .” Its first ethical principle is “beneficence and nonmaleficence” — that is, psychologists should “take care to do no harm.” Yet for years, the organization enabled the use of its professional expertise in service of a systematic program aimed at breaking and psychologically destroying human beings. …. And the psychologists who designed and enabled the torture program reaped enormous profits: Torture contractor Mitchell, Jessen and Associates earned more than $80 million from the CIA. …. Government lawyers issued secret legal memos to justify and enable torture. …. Some within government had the courage to stand against abuse, but they were often ignored or sidelined. And, throughout, government officials lied to the media and the public in order to keep us all in the dark. Shamefully, there has been virtually no legal accountability. …. . Collusion was rewarded by a close and lucrative relationship with the Pentagon. …. a former association president launched a “highly personal attack” seeking to discredit a whistleblower when she raised concerns about the APA’s role in the torture program. The report shows that APA leaders shielded from discipline the psychologists who had participated in the torture program. …. We still need a full and public investigation of the institutional and leadership failures that enabled our government to torture hundreds of human beings. We still need to hold those responsible to account. And we can’t put this dark chapter behind us until we provide apologies and redress to the victims and survivors.”

This is one of those news stories that impressed me in such a way that I remember clearly where I was when I heard it on the car radio. I was on the onramp to Butler Blvd. on my way home from the beach. I was sickened and ashamed. There have been some calls for the Bush Administration to be charged with international war crimes, but of course that won’t happen. I certainly won’t vote to elect another Bush, however, and I look forward to the apologies which this article calls for occurring sooner rather than later. As for the APA being actively involved in this way, that is also shocking. It’s much too similar to the Nazi human experiments that occurred under Hitler. I want to be able to say that Hitler and the Nazis were deeply evil, but I clearly have to include our people in that group, too, after this.





http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/07/16/423490127/haters-gonna-hate-teen-girl-activists-shake-it-off-and-try-again

Haters Gonna Hate. Teen Girl Activists Shake It Off And Try Again
Marc Silver
July 16, 2015

Photograph -- Here's the group of "teen advisers" who spoke with Goats and Soda at the 2015 Girl Up conference in Washington, D.C. Top row: Amy Gong Liu, Janet Diaz, Janet Ho, Kennede Reese, Rebecca Ruvalcaba. Middle row: Ruhy Patel, Celia Buckman, Simone Cowan, Jessica Bishai. Bottom row: Sydney Baumgardt, Alexandra Intriago, Anna McGuire, Ishana Nigam
John W. Poole/NPR

Ruhy Patel, 17, lives in Doylestown, Pa. When she was 15 she was planning to run for student council office. "All the other people running were boys," she says, "and people were like, 'Well, you're not going to win.' You feel intimidated because you're the only girl in the room. It makes you question if you'd be OK in the field of politics."

Did she drop out? No.

Did she win? "I did!"

"I feel like it kind of makes you want to try harder when people say no," says Patel.

That could be the motto for the activists of Girl Up. There are nearly 5,000 teenage girls in 66 countries who volunteer for the U.N. Foundation group. They speak out and raise money so every girl can go to school — there are an estimated 62 million who don't — and can receive official government identification papers, can get proper health care and gain the skills to pursue her dreams.

This week, we met with 13 "teen advisers" from Girl Up. They were a few of the 225 members in Washington, D.C., for the annual leadership summit.

Girl Up activists are in the nation's capital — and talking with NPR today on Periscope. Last year's participants in the annual conference included (from left) Alexandra Leone (New Hope, Pa.); Grace Peters (Flemington, N.J.); Aklesiya Dejene (Chicago); Isabella Gonzalez and Erika Hiple (Stockton, N.J.).
GOATS AND SODA

Looking At The World Through A Teenage Girl's Eyes — On Periscope
First lady Michelle Obama shares encouraging words at Girl Up Leadership Summit.
GOATS AND SODA

Unlike the 62 million out-of-school girls, these Girl Up girls are all in school. They're thinking about college; they lead comfortable lives. Sometimes their friends can't understand their activism. "They don't think we're able to make a difference," says Janet Ho, 18, who lives in Los Angeles. But that's not true, she says.

Kennede Reese, 18, from Denver, mentions a SchoolCycle fundraiser. The proceeds were used to send bikes to girls in Malawi: "Because even though they have the school supplies, there's no way to get to school to get the education they need. We think of the small things."

The girls we spoke with all live in the U.S., but some have roots in the countries they're trying to help. So they know firsthand what life can be like outside the American bubble.

"My family is from the most rural part of China," says Amy Gong Liu, 18, of Alameda, Calif. "My dad was chosen to go to school instead of my aunt. My aunt was very brilliant, very outspoken about women's issues." But she never learned to read and write.

"When [my dad] told her he was going to have a daughter — me — she said, 'Make sure you educate her, keep her in the loop at the dinner table, make sure she has a voice.' "

Liu pauses: "It's hard not to think, 'What if I was born in China and my aunt was born in America, and she had the opportunity [for] success and I didn't?' "

Does the unfairness of it all make the teen leaders feel guilty?

The unanimous reply: Yes, yes, yes!

Yet they've learned that even though girls in low-income countries face many obstacles, they have a sense of hope and gratitude.

Ishana Nigam, 17, from Charlotte, N.C., visits India every year or so. That's where her parents are from. The girls she meets have "a lack of education, poor health care," she says. "But they're not jealous of me. They always tell me, 'I'm thankful for what I have, thankful just to be breathing.' And that takes a toll on me because I have so many more things than they have."

Meanwhile, all the girls bond over pop culture.

"I tutor refugees in Chicago," says Celia Buckman, 16. "They're 10 to 12, from all over, Malaysia, Kenya, India, Iraq. And they like to listen to 'Shake It Off' by Taylor Swift. They come from all over the world, they practice different religions, speak different languages, but they can all sit down and watch Taylor Swift videos, and that's great!"




“Ruhy Patel, 17, lives in Doylestown, Pa. When she was 15 she was planning to run for student council office. "All the other people running were boys," she says, "and people were like, 'Well, you're not going to win.' You feel intimidated because you're the only girl in the room. It makes you question if you'd be OK in the field of politics." Did she drop out? No. …. That could be the motto for the activists of Girl Up. There are nearly 5,000 teenage girls in 66 countries who volunteer for the U.N. Foundation group. They speak out and raise money so every girl can go to school. …. . The proceeds were used to send bikes to girls in Malawi: "Because even though they have the school supplies, there's no way to get to school to get the education they need. We think of the small things." The girls we spoke with all live in the U.S., but some have roots in the countries they're trying to help. So they know firsthand what life can be like outside the American bubble. …. "My family is from the most rural part of China," says Amy Gong Liu, 18, of Alameda, Calif. "My dad was chosen to go to school instead of my aunt. My aunt was very brilliant, very outspoken about women's issues." But she never learned to read and write. …. The girls she meets have "a lack of education, poor health care," she says. "But they're not jealous of me. They always tell me, 'I'm thankful for what I have, thankful just to be breathing.' And that takes a toll on me because I have so many more things than they have."

Survivors’ guilt -- these young women who are living in the States have so many advantages that they feel the need to give to their less fortunate peers in places where not every kid gets to go to school, and the girls are most likely to be blocked from the upward path merely because of their gender. Hopefully they will study hard and do their best with the classwork, maybe studying a field like science, engineering or law to get a really good leap ahead in life. If they didn’t have the Girl Up group, they might give up instead. There is nothing like being a member of an organization that provides supportive and companionable attention on a daily basis. Modern city high schools also tend to be highly competitive, which I think is a true disadvantage to a shy or timid student. Too many kids simply can’t keep up their courage and idealism under those conditions. That’s one big reason why so many black, Hispanic and Native American children fail. There is a cohesive and well-organized social group to help them, too, thank goodness – Jack And Jill Of America. See the web sites below http://www.jackandjillindy.org/contact/YES2015application.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_and_Jill_of_America. The organization was organized in 1938 with the goal of reducing educational and cultural differences resulting from poverty or lack of opportunity.