February 26, 2016


News Clips For The Day


RAVE REVIEWS FOR BERNIE WORLDWIDE

http://hubpages.com/politics/People-Around-the-World-Love-Bernie

People Around the World Love Bernie
Virginia Allain
Updated on February 24, 2016


They Want to Help Him Get Elected

Our presidential election affects people outside the U.S. The next president's policies have a real impact on other nations. That's why some foreigners are taking part in campaigning for Bernie Sanders.

It never occurred to me to volunteer to help in a political campaign in England or Germany. As with most Americans, I'm mostly preoccupied with issues here at home. So, it surprised me to see people from Belgium or Denmark joining in discussions of the presidential candidates. Not only that, but some are even coming to the United States to help with phone banking and door-to-door canvassing.

The candidate that inspires this activism is Bernie Sanders. People of other countries may fear the U.S. voters will elect a warmonger (any of the Republican candidates) or a climate change denier (again, any of the Republicans). They also find Sanders' goals for the people commendable and familiar since most of their countries have universal healthcare and free college.

Learn more about some of the citizens of the world who are helping Bernie Sanders in his run for the White House.

What People from Other Countries Think of Bernie Sanders

Pedro Santos de Albuquerque‎ (from Brazil) - "Hello, American friends. We Brazilians are sending positive vibes to Sanders. Reducing the profits of the big banks, and those who make fortunes from financial speculation is not a US goal is a global goal. The walk is long, but you will be able to get there. You are writing a new chapter in the history of this beautiful country. Congratulations to all of you."

Where Are You From?

Vote in the Poll

86% I'm a Sanders' supporter and I live in the U.S.
14% I'm a Sanders' fan from another country (please tell us more in the comment section at the end of the page)

Thinking of Ways to Help Bernie from Far Away New Zealand

Bonnie Howland of Wellington - "Hey Berners! I've been playing with the idea of making a video here in New Zealand to show the support we have for Bernie. Something along the lines of 'New Zealand feels the Bern.'"

Some other Kiwis in the Bernie Believers Facebook group chimed in.

Zoë Wynn - "I'm in Auckland! I'd love to contribute."

Many Americans also loved the idea and added their suggestions:

Caleb Lightfoot - "The free peoples of Middle Earth support Bernie. I like it."
Michele Jay - "Do it! Especially if you know anyone who can do a haka on camera for Bernie."
Pamela Borden - "I have friends in Wellington, maybe they can be in it~!"


Here's Where Some of Bernie's International Well-Wishers Live -- Map (Go to website above.)

Yogesh Kalra - "I am from India, I have no vote in America, but have lots of friends and relatives there, and they will support Bernie Sanders. Since he is honest, I want that the leader of the world should not be for a few billionaires, instead work for middle-class and poor people. Work for world peace, work for less spent on wars, and help the billion of people which sleep without food. Go, Bernie, God bless you. We'll support you."

Here's a British Citizen Who Loves Bernie --
Mark and his 13-year-old son Ben came from England to volunteer for a week on the Bernie Sanders campaign.

Another Brit Who Supports Bernie
Sam Welsh - "I'm a Brit and it's good to see America has someone like you. Protecting your people is not socialism. It is a basic role of the state. And if this is seen as an issue, something is severely wrong. You understand that. Good luck, Bernie."

An Australian Explains Why She Thinks Bernie's Health Care Plan Is Needed
Hear What an Australian Says about Social Programs in Her Country

Anna B. in New Hampshire, "I'm an Aussie ....back home in the SOCIALIST country I grew up in ....6 weeks vacation and 3 mths after 10 yrs with a company .and 35hr work week.....we work to LIVE.....not live to WORK.....we work just as hard knowing we get time off to enjoy life ....USA and Canada ...only two westernized countries in the world that only gives their people 2 weeks off a year to start with .....One year of paid maternity leave ....free or really cheap tuitions ...cheapest in the world (fact check in my sociology class at my American University I'm presently attending) ....free medical and dental ....sure we might pay a little more for taxes but look at all we get for them ...a single parent is required to earn a part-time wage in order to get any assistance ...no free welfare you are held accountable.

AUSTRALIA is FREE too and so are 207 other countries. As a matter of fact I can do things there I can't here. I do love AMERICA, but my life here is more restrictive and much tougher than I ever experienced in my life ...and NO, don't compare us to Venezuela, their Government is run much differently.

Aussies are just as proud and hard working ...I also went thru six deployments with my American ex-military spouse ...freedom wasn't free for my family we paid our dues...
Those were just the long deployments. ...I never counted the short ones ...I lost count ..so YES, I speak from my own personal experience ...not just rhetoric. ...Socialism is not communism...and I think people are confused by this...sorry, this is so long, but I lived this, so I promise do not allow FEAR to stop everyone from experiencing everything I mentioned in this wonderful country USA ....just saying.

Life is tough here in the States and things have to change for the better because the system has failed all the hard-working people which isn't fair...time for a change #feelthebern Bernie is the hope for everyone!

Canadians Share their Opinion

Jonathan G. - "Look, I'm a Canadian so perhaps I don't have the right to speak about American politics. But this man is sincerely the only choice that can revitalize the US. I'm so confused why Americans hate the idea of free/subsidized education and universal healthcare. These two programs help so many people and save so much money that it's just crazy to me people would despise it. Literally, your democrat party is akin to our conservative party on many issues. It's such a perplexing issue."

Moxie J. - "I am Canadian and I can tell you this, we feel the Bern Big TIME! So happy that our neighbours have an incredible candidate. Should make casting your vote quite simple.

Btw. We LOVE our healthcare, and really do not pay much more in taxes for it than you guys do right now for very, very little."

© 2016 Virginia Allain



This Virginia Allain article came from my Facebook pages, and it is so encouraging to me that I have included it here. It’s so good to see that the whole world is watching US politics and Bernie’s attempt to turn things around. Clearly I am not the only one who is deeply concerned about the march of Neo-Fascism around the globe in the last decade or so. Thanks to any and all who see this blog for helping Bernie. While most US citizens, including myself, would recoil at the idea of a true “one world government,” it is clear to me that the old song whose chorus goes “We’re in the same boat, brother” delivers a profound truth. For that haunting song and lots of related information, go to this website below. If you like the blues and you haven’t heard Ledbelly sing, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugaotkE2ta0.


http://www.nathanielturner.com/wereinthesameboatbrother.htm
Chicken Bones: A Journal

“We're in the Same Boat Brother”

By Huddie “LeadBelly” Ledbetter

We’re in the same boat brother,
We’re in the same boat brother,
And if you shake one end,
You gonna rock the other
It’s the same boat brother

The Lord looked down from his holy place
Said Lawd duh me, what a sea of space
What a spot to launch the human race
So he built him a boat for a mixed-up crew,
With eyes of Black and Brown and Blue.
S that’s how’s come that you and I
Got just one world and just one sky.

We’re in the same boat brother,
We’re in the same boat brother,
And if you shake one end,
You gonna rock the other
It’s the same boat brother

Through storm and grief,
Hit many a rock and many a reef,
What keep them going was a great belief.
That the human race was a special freight
So they had to learn to navigate.
If they didn’t want to be in Jonah’s shoes,
Better be mated on this here cruise.—Why—

We’re in the same boat brother,
We’re in the same boat brother,
And if you shake one end,
You gonna rock the other
It’s the same boat brother

So the boiler blew, somewhere in Spain,
All the kettle was smashed and 40 cranes.
Steam boat out from the Oregon Main.
Oh, it took some time for the crew to learn
What is bad for the bow ain’t good for the stern.
If a fire took place in China today
Pearl Harbor just gonna blaze away.

We’re in the same boat brother,
We’re in the same boat brother,
And if you shake one end,
You gonna rock the other
It’s the same boat brother


Huddie Ledbetter Biography

Huddie Ledbetter, known as “LeadBelly” was born January 20 (or 29), 1885 (or 1889), in Mooringsport, Louisiana (near Shreveport). LeadBelly, a nickname acquired in prison for his physical toughness, was the only child of Wesley and Sally Ledbetter His parents moved to Leigh, Texas when he was five and it was there that he became interested in music, encouraged by his Uncle Terrell who bought Huddie his first musical instrument, an accordion.

In 1916 (or 1918), LeadBelly fought and killed a man in Dallas and was sentenced to thirty years to be served in the state prison in Huntsville, Texas.

In 1925, LeadBelly wrote a song asking Governor Pat Neff for a pardon. Neff, as legend goes, set Huddie Ledbetter free.

In 1930, LeadBelly was arrested, tried, and convicted of attempted homicide and sentenced to another prison term in the infamous Angola Farm prison plantation in Louisiana.

In July 1933 LeadBelly met folklorist John Lomax and his son Alan who were touring the south for the Library of Congress collecting unwritten ballads and folk songs using newly available recording technology.

On August 1, 1934 LeadBelly got his pardon with the ballad “Goodnight Irene.”

On September 1, 1934 John Lomax agreed to hire LeadBelly as an assistant on his recording travels. the arrangement proved successful, so much so that Lomax decided to take Leadbelly to New York.

In 1935 Lomax took LeadBelly north to New York where he became a sensation.

He forged a reputation on the folk circuit, making personal appearances, recording for a variety of labels and doing radio work.

In 1936 John and Alan Lomax published with Macmillan Negro Folk Songs as Sung by LeadBelly.

In early 1939 Huddie was arrested for assault. During the trial LeadBelly made his first commercial recordings since 1935, for a small company known as "Musicraft," which had left-wing and liberal associations. LeadBelly recorded some 13 tracks and received a small advance on the royalties.

He was convicted by a jury of third-degree assault. He was sentenced to less than a year on Riker's Island prison, eventually serving just eight months.

In early 1940, LeadBelly was released, and moved back into the New York folk circuit. He had become well known in the recording industry.

In the early 40s, Ledbetter performed with Josh White, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Woody Guthrie.

In 1944 LeadBelly headed to Hollywood. There he made a reasonable living in conditions favored by the Californian defense industry, playing the club circuits.

He also had the opportunity to record some material for Capitol records, unusually backed by zither, including some rare piano rags very seldom featured in his repertoire.

The Capitol sessions remain some of LeadBelly's best recorded work.

In 1948 LeadBelly cut, with the aid of the newly invented long playing record, what would later become known as his Last Sessions, a definitive document of The Life and Music of the King of the Twelve-String Guitar.

In 1949 Ledbetter fell ill with Lou Gehrig’s disease on a European Tour.

On December 6, 1949, LeadBelly died in New York. . . .


posted 13 April 2006



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-shooting-officer-who-killed-kansas-gunman-cedric-ford-hailed-as-hero/

"Hero" cop protected hundreds from Kansas gunman, sheriff says
CBS/AP
February 26, 2016, 11:37 AM

Photograph -- krtphotoslive745980.jpg, Police guard the front door of Excel Industries in Hesston, Kan., where a gunman opend fire on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. FERNANDO SALAZAR, TNS/NEWSCOM
Photograph -- kansasap386039959813.jpg, Sheriff T. Walton points out one of the shooting locations on a map from Thursday's attack at the Excel Industries during a news conference in Newton, Kan., Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. AP PHOTO/ORLIN WAGNER
Photograph -- cedric-ford.jpg, Cedric Ford CBS AFFILIATE KWCH


HESSTON, Kan. -- A man who stormed into a Kansas factory where he worked and shot 15 people, killing three, had just been served with a protective order that probably triggered the attack, authorities said Friday.

The assault at the Excel Industries lawnmower parts plant in the small town of Hesston ended when a police officer killed the gunman during a shootout.

Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton described the officer as a "tremendous hero" because 200 or 300 people were still in the factory and the "shooter wasn't done by any means."

"Had that Hesston officer not done what he did, this would be a whole lot more tragic," Walton said.

The sheriff identified the gunman as Cedric Ford, a 38-year-old plant worker who had several convictions in Florida over the last decade. His past offenses included burglary, grand theft, fleeing from an officer, aggravated fleeing, carrying a concealed weapon, all from Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

According to the Wichita Eagle, Ford has also had criminal cases in Harvey County, including a misdemeanor conviction in 2008 for fighting or brawling and various traffic violations from 2014 and 2015.

The shooting came less than a week after authorities say a man opened fire at several locations in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area, leaving six people dead and two severely wounded. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive in those attacks.

Eleven of the people wounded in Thursday's attack were taken to two Wichita hospitals, where one was in critical condition, five in serious condition and five in fair condition Friday morning, hospital officials said.

The others were taken to a hospital in nearby Newton, and their conditions were not immediately available.

Walton said his office served the suspect with the protection-from-abuse order at around 3:30 p.m., about 90 minutes before the first shooting happened. He said such orders are usually filed because there's some type of violence in a relationship. He did not disclose the nature of the relationship in question.

While driving to the factory, the gunman shot a man on the street in Newton, striking him in the shoulder. A short time later, he shot someone else in the leg at an intersection.

"The shooter proceeded north to Excel Industries in Hesston, where one person was shot in the parking lot before he opened fire inside the building," the department said in a news release. "He was seen entering the building with an assault-style long gun."

Ford had left work early without explanation before showing up hours later with a rifle, according to a co-worker.

Matt Jarrell says he and Ford had worked "hand-in-hand" as painters on the second shift. He says Ford arrived as scheduled on Thursday but later disappeared and wasn't there to relieve him so that he could take a break.

Jarrell told The Associated Press on Friday that someone else eventually spelled him and that he was sitting in his truck in the parking lot when he saw Ford drive up in a truck that wasn't his.

Jarrell said he sped away when he saw Ford shoot someone and then enter the building.

Moments later, Martin Espinoza, who works at Excel, heard people yelling to others to get out of the building, then heard popping and saw the shooter, a co-worker he described as typically pretty calm.

Espinoza said the shooter pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger, but the gun was empty. At that point, the gunman got a different gun and Espinoza ran.

"He came outside after a few people, shot outside a few times, shot at the officers coming onto the scene at the moment and then reloaded in front of the company," Espinoza told The Associated Press. "After he reloaded, he went inside the lobby in front of the building, and that is the last I seen him."

The officer who exchanged fire with the shooter was not injured.

Walton said the attacker had an "assault-style" rifle and a pistol.

Erin McDaniel, a spokeswoman for Newton, said the suspect was known to local authorities. She would not elaborate.

One man who was shot spoke with the CBS Wichita affiliate, KWCH, from his hospital bed.

"We heard gunshots and people were just running, saying somebody was shooting and next thing you know, I felt I got hit in the leg," he said.

Hesston is a community of about 3,700 about 35 miles north of Wichita.

Excel Industries was founded there in 1960. The company manufactures Hustler and Big Dog mowing equipment and was awarded the Governor's Exporter of the Year award in 2013 from the Kansas Department of Commerce.



“Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton described the officer as a "tremendous hero" because 200 or 300 people were still in the factory and the "shooter wasn't done by any means." "Had that Hesston officer not done what he did, this would be a whole lot more tragic," Walton said. …. Walton said the attacker had an "assault-style" rifle and a pistol. Erin McDaniel, a spokeswoman for Newton, said the suspect was known to local authorities. She would not elaborate. …. Hesston is a community of about 3,700 about 35 miles north of Wichita.”


Just because a town is little more than a village, doesn’t mean that there will be no violence. This man had a long police record starting here in Florida of violent acts. I think we need to redefine the mental health of all violent criminals. They are basically unhinged. All we do in this country with prisoners of all kinds is put them in prison, but the people who are so highly at variance with society as this are at least on the border of a mental breakdown. They should be treated by a psychiatrist, even if they remain in prison during that time. They certainly shouldn’t be put in solitary confinement, which should be outlawed completely, because that will only make their mental condition worse. Between criminals of this type and the homeless, we need to make new jobs in this country by building asylums and tearing down prisons. At any rate the prevalence of each in our country should be reversed or strongly modified.

In this case he was served with a protective order, probably because of violence toward his family or others. Protective orders don’t usually stop people like this. Had there been no assault rifles on the market, however, this man wouldn’t have had one. I know, the cops would still have had to shoot him because he would have had a knife instead.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-ceos-overpaid-not-compared-with-college-presidents/

Are CEOs overpaid? Not compared with college presidents
By AIMEE PICCHI MONEYWATCH
February 26, 2016, 5:15 AM

Related: 10 well-paying jobs that don't require a degree
Play VIDEO -- California man gives life savings to kindergarteners for college


Corporate chief executives have come under fire in recent years for their skyrocketing pay. But there's a place that puts those executives to shame: academia.

College presidents on average earn $377,261 annually, or more than twice the average pay for CEOs, who take home about $176,840 on average each year, according to new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

At the same time, American students face ever-increasing tuition bills, with the growth in college costs for years dwarfing the rate of inflation. The question of why college now costs so much more than it did a few decades ago prompted the economists to ask if the cause could be the high pay taken home by college presidents.

Not every college president is pulling in the big bucks, however. Leaders at research universities -- considered the top of the academic heap -- earn much higher compensation than rivals at colleges that only offer bachelor's degrees. Presidents at research universities who are within the 75th percentile of pay are pulling in an average of $1.18 million, compared with $280,974 for presidents at four-year institutions focusing on the arts and sciences.

That may seem like a tidy sum, but the researchers sat [sic] it's not college presidents' rich pay packages that are to blame for soaring tuition. If college presidents were to divide up their pay and write out checks to all their students, the per-person payout would be fairly low, amounting to no more than $300 per student.

"Because the president at a given college is only one person, whereas colleges generally enroll hundreds or even thousands of students, lowering the salaries of college presidents would not do much to contain per-student costs," the researchers note.

While the president is just one employee of a college, he or she represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of administrative pay. The bigger question, the researchers note, is whether reducing total administrative salaries would help to put a brake on rising college tuition.

Previous research indicates that there may be a link between a college president's high pay and a student's debt load. Graduates of state universities with the highest-paid presidents typically end up with higher debt loads than the average state university graduate, the Institute for Policy Studies found in 2014.

The study also found that schools with highly compensated administrators tend to reduce scholarships and rely on low-paid faculty labor such as adjuncts, rather than full-time professors.


“At the same time, American students face ever-increasing tuition bills, with the growth in college costs for years dwarfing the rate of inflation. The question of why college now costs so much more than it did a few decades ago prompted the economists to ask if the cause could be the high pay taken home by college presidents. …. If college presidents were to divide up their pay and write out checks to all their students, the per-person payout would be fairly low, amounting to no more than $300 per student. "Because the president at a given college is only one person, whereas colleges generally enroll hundreds or even thousands of students, lowering the salaries of college presidents would not do much to contain per-student costs," the researchers note. …. The bigger question, the researchers note, is whether reducing total administrative salaries would help to put a brake on rising college tuition. …. The study also found that schools with highly compensated administrators tend to reduce scholarships and rely on low-paid faculty labor such as adjuncts, rather than full-time professors.”


This is one of those reports that sounds so much like the typical big business anywhere that it makes me sick. Businesses are all too often truly corrupt, and colleges are no exception, it seems. Those Online “universities” which can charge lots of money but deliver little in the way of education and then when it comes time for the student to get a job or go for a higher degree, his credits are all but worthless. A college education is very much one of those situations of “buyer beware.” That doesn’t mean don’t do it at all, but may select a nice academically acceptable university that is state run and offers lower tuition, plus scholarships, etc.



http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/02/26/467985384/zuckerberg-tells-facebook-staff-to-stop-crossing-out-black-lives-matter

Zuckerberg Tells Facebook Staff To Stop Crossing Out 'Black Lives Matter'
ALINA SELYUKH
February 26, 201612:18 PM ET


Photograph -- Employees and visitors can leave messages on walls like this on the Facebook campus in Menlo Park, Calif. Jeff Chiu/AP


Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scolding employees for what he calls "several recent instances" of people crossing out "black lives matter" on signature walls at the company's headquarters and writing "all lives matter" instead.

In a note posted to employees on a company announcement page, published by Gizmodo, Zuckerberg says he and several other leaders at the company have previously warned employees against doing this. "I was already very disappointed by this disrespectful behavior before, but after my communication, I now consider this malicious as well," Zuckerberg writes.

" 'Black lives matter' doesn't mean other lives don't. It's simply asking that the black community also achieves the justice they deserve.

"We've never had rules around what people can write on our walls — we expect everybody to treat each other with respect. Regardless of the content or location, crossing out something means silencing speech, or that one person's speech is more important than another's."

The phrase "black lives matter" actually traces its origin to a conversation on Facebook. It came in reaction to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Since then, the phrase has come to signify the racial justice movement that has grown in response to a series of police shootings of unarmed black men.

As the footprint of the "black lives matter" slogan has grown, the phrase "all lives matter" arose as a reply — and, to many, a reproach — to the original phrase. NPR's Tamara Keith has reported from the campaign trail, where Democratic candidates used the "all lives matter" refrain:

"For those at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement, these words hit the wrong note. 'All lives matter' is a phrase adopted by those who seek to minimize or criticize the movement."

Zuckerberg's note says that the company is investigating the incidents, because they have been "deeply hurtful and tiresome" for the Facebook community. Facebook has confirmed the authenticity of the internal note to NPR but has not provided further details of the investigation.

Of course, it's important to point out that Facebook — like much of Silicon Valley — has been struggling to diversify its work force and remains a company that's heavily white and male.

Here's a chart NPR built earlier this month when Intel, in unlike other tech companies including Facebook, released a highly detailed report on its progress and goals in hiring women and underrepresented minorities.

Like others, Facebook has been working to improve the ratio and, according to Zuckerberg's memo, plans to hold a town hall next week where staff can "educate themselves about what the Black Lives Matter movement is about."

Leslie Miley, a Silicon Valley diversity advocate and former Twitter engineer, told the Huffington Post the issue had a lot to do with the tech industry's reliance on recruiting from referrals and recruiting:

"Companies like Facebook pull talent from top schools, many of which are also very white. Then, employees refer people who look like them.
" 'If you want to change the ratio, stop referrals,' Miley told HuffPost."


This story is sad. I knew the first time I heard the phrase that it was a rallying cry for equality and not a statement that white lives DON’T matter, and a very eloquent and powerful one. Personally however, I will repeat the phrase “All Lives Matter,” because we must follow that path if we are to improve our society in the ways that we need to. No person should be discriminated against nor devalued in any way by anybody. For goodness, sake, we need a little common sense here!



http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/26/467969663/wheres-the-color-in-kids-lit-ask-the-girl-with-1-000-books-and-counting

Where's The Color In Kids' Lit? Ask The Girl With 1,000 Books (And Counting)
MEG ANDERSON
Updated February 26, 201610:39 AM ET
Published February 26, 20165:14 AM ET


Marley Dias is like a lot of 11-year-olds: She loves getting lost in a book.

But the books she was reading at school were starting to get on her nerves. She enjoyed Where The Red Fern Grows and the Shiloh series, but those classics, found in so many elementary school classrooms, were all about white boys or dogs ... or white boys and their dogs, Marley says.

Black girls, like Marley, were almost never the main character.

What she was noticing is actually a much bigger issue: Fewer than 10 percent of children's books released in 2015 had a black person as the main character, according to a yearly analysis by the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And while the number of children's books about minorities has increased in the last 20 years, many classroom libraries have older books.

Last fall, Marley decided to do something about it. She set a goal of collecting 1,000 books about black girls by the beginning of February, and #1000blackgirlbooks was born.

She has far exceeded her goal, with almost 4,000 books and counting. Now, she wants to set up a black girl book club and pressure school districts to change what books are assigned to students. Morning Edition's David Greene spoke with Marley about her campaign and how she's handled her success.

The thing NPR Ed wanted to know? Her take on a subject she now knows well: books about black girls. Here are her top five picks.

Brown Girl Dreaming
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
Age level: Grades 6-8
Genre: Autobiography

Why Marley recommends it: "It's definitely one of my favorites, mainly because I am a very avid reader and it was one of the first books I ever had a challenge reading. I know that sounds not really good because then you couldn't understand it. But it was like the first time that I ever fully had to wait and think through something and take my time, which I think is definitely something important because you have to be patient."

"It's also a poetry book and I think that poetry is cool even though I don't really write poetry that much. I do think it's cool to read it. And it's a very important book and there's a lot of themes in the book. There's a lot of ways to interpret it, but it's about the '60s and '70s and Jim Crow laws in South Carolina and New York and how a girl talks about her family and racism and how they experience it."

One Crazy Summer
One Crazy Summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia
Age level: Grades 3-5
Genre: Historical fiction

Why Marley recommends it: "The black girls that I know ... thought that this was one of the best books about black girls. I haven't finished reading it yet. I know it's kind of disappointing that I haven't read one of the most popular books that we've been getting. It's about three girls who go to see their mother, who they haven't seen ever since they were babies babies. So, they go to visit the summer with her and they have a whole giant adventure."

President of the Whole Fifth Grade
President of the Whole Fifth Grade
by Sherri Winston
Age Level: Grades 3-5
Genre: Fiction

Why Marley recommends it: "It's about a girl named Brianna Justice who runs for fifth-grade president." Marley explains the main character is following in the footsteps of her role model, "who's a cupcake baker from the same town in Michigan that she's from. So, it's about her whole journey to become president of the whole fifth grade. It's a series and there's President of the Whole Sixth Grade as well."

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
by Mildred D. Taylor
Age level: Grades 5-8
Genre: Historical fiction, classic

Why Marley recommends it: "I like this one because it's a classic book in general and it's one of the most famous black girl books ever. The main character, she's very independent. She's very strong. She's very family-oriented and she protects her family. So, that's definitely one of the main things that the book is popular for. It has a very important life lesson: to be protective of the things you have, even though you might not be 100 percent grateful for it and to always stand up for what you believe in, even if you're the only one. So, I think those are definitely good themes that could help girls — and boys — learn how to represent their voices when there's a problem."

Please, Baby, Please
Please, Baby, Please
by Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Kadir Nelson
Age level: Ages 2-5
Genre: Comedy

Why Marley recommends it: When it comes to books for little kids, Marley has a tie: Please, Baby, Please and Please, Puppy, Please. "They're really funny and sweet little books about a baby who is being a little trouble maker and then about a dog who's being a little trouble maker. They're funny and they're sweet and kids enjoy them."
Marley continues to accept donations. You can send books to:

59 Main Street, Suite 323 West Orange, NJ 07052.



“Now, she wants to set up a black girl book club and pressure school districts to change what books are assigned to students.” I’m impressed when kids take notice of world and national events rather than holing up in their rooms playing video games or texting their friends. To discover a personal cause and work to achieve it is even more impressive. If any of you readers want to purchase books for her collection, or even write a book about a black person’s life, especially a children’s book, there is an address above where you can send them.

I was interested in Marley’s personal comments on each book featured as her favorites, which while they don’t contain many 50 cent words, they do show lots of personal reflection and insight. After all, I can tell from seeing her picture that she’s still very young.

She says she is “an avid reader.” That’s what I want for all school children, black, white or purple. I want them to enjoy learning and work to improve their skills. People are fond nowadays of worrying about our kids’ low math scores, but it’s their reading scores that worry me the most. One who will be a self-educated person, must, must read well, and the only way to learn how is to practice. It won’t be long before they will come to crave the experience of learning ever more; and will, then, make whatever is their own personal best possible K-12 grades, and beyond that, their college entrance test scores. They shouldn’t worry too much about financing college because there are scholarships, grants, work study positions on most campuses, and of course loans, to deal with that issue. Most scholarships are actually geared to kids who come from poor to lower Middle Class homes, anyway.


ONE MORE THING I DON’T LIKE ABOUT DONALD TRUMP


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-university-under-renewed-scrutiny-after-gop-debate/

Trump University under renewed scrutiny after GOP debate
CBS NEWS
February 26, 2016, 10:53 AM


In Thursday night's Republican debate in Houston, Sen. Marco Rubio went after GOP front-runner Donald Trump on a number of fronts, including attacking the "fake" university that bears Trump's name.

Last year, CBS News conducted a three-month investigation of Trump University, a school that was labeled a scam by New York's attorney general and was the target of two class-action lawsuits. That story, which aired on September 24, 2015, appears below.

At a speech in South Carolina Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump brought up one of his former ventures: Trump University.

It's been the subject of increased scrutiny ever since New York's attorney general sued Trump in 2013, saying the school was a scam.

While a number of students said they were satisfied with the value of their Trump University investment, 150 filed affidavits with an attorney general, and two class-action lawsuits were filed by students demanding their money back. The lawsuits are still ongoing and just last week, a judge decertified part of one class-action suit relating to Trump University, handing Trump a partial victory.

During a three-month investigation, CBS News reached out to dozens of former students and reviewed hundreds of comments about the program.

Trump has become the Republican frontrunner in part because of his reputation as a top businessman who gets things done, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman. But that's also brought unresolved lawsuits, several related to Trump University, which even his own lawyer acknowledges would likely extend into a potential Trump administration.

In 2010, former New York City Transit worker Gary Smith was unemployed and said he was desperate to make money. He saw an ad for Trump University and turned to a known brand.

"Particularly what I was really looking for was guidance in how to finance real estate transactions," Smith said.

Trump was "definitely" a draw for him, Smith said, because he thought the real estate mogul was a "top-notch guru of sorts."

Smith spent more than $35,000 on Trump University. He contacted the attorney general of New York after he heard about its $40 million lawsuit against Trump claiming the billionaire defrauded students and made an estimated $5 million.

"I didn't want to put my name on anything having to do with education unless it was going to be the best," Trump could be seen saying in the university's promotional video.

Trump University began in 2004. In 2007 it started offering live events around the country.

"If you don't learn from the people that we're going to be putting forward, and these are all people who are handpicked by me," Trump said in the commercial.

CBS News found three of those instructors had previously filed for bankruptcy. Others like Smith's instructor, James Harris, were motivational speakers paid on commission to sell additional Trump training.

CBS News verified at least 17 affidavits specifically mention Harris, who was hired in 2008.

While thousands attended the three-day, $1,500 seminar around the country, the company's main revenue source was an extended $35,000 mentorship called the Trump "Gold Elite" package.

Smith and other former students told CBS News that instructors urged them to increase the credit limit on their credit cards for investing and to fund their training.

One former student's affidavit reads: "When people said that they didn't have enough money to pay for the Trump Elite programs, Mr. Harris suggested using the newly increased credit card limit."

"It certainly wasn't something that was encouraged or something that was implemented across the board," Trump's attorney Alan Garten said. "Unfortunately, I think with any business you're going to get some students who aren't satisfied."

Smith said he was told he would get support from real estate mentors but said they didn't deliver. Smith concedes he gave positive reviews to two mentors, and even writing: "I'm very optimistic that I will be a very successful real estate investor in the near future."

"I didn't get any financial gain; it's been a big time net loss at this point," Smith said.

"People have to take responsibility for themselves, and you use the tools and move forward. As far as just simply, 'oh, Mr. Trump is rich and should just refund everyone money'... Trump University was not a charitable institution," Garten said.

An internal 2010 memo shows Trump employees acknowledged the mentorship program was too difficult for the company to "fulfill" and "expectations are not always realistically set or consistently met." The school stopped accepting students and began winding down in the summer of 2010.

Garten cites surveys showing a 98 percent satisfaction rate. But court documents indicate that of the 6,698 students who signed up for the three-day seminar or more, 2,539 of them -- almost 40 percent -- received a refund. Garten said that number is in "no way" indicative of student satisfaction. He said it "demonstrates Trump University's generous refund policy."

"We provided students with valuable resources, with online instructions, with in-person training. Mentoring, seminars. Substantive curriculum. And the vast majority of students, almost all the students, got their money's worth and were satisfied," Garten said.

Smith said the pitch that drew him to Trump University isn't so different from the Republican frontrunner's presidential campaign.

"Behind that veneer is to me somebody that could care less for the average person and you know people that you know he's dealing with in general, I think it's all about him," Smith said.

In Wednesday's speech, Trump said that he had intended to give the profits from Trump University to charity.

A few students CBS News spoke with said the program was worthwhile. One man in New Jersey, who did not want to be named, said the $35,000 he paid got him the hands-on knowledge he needed to start his own real estate business.



“Sen. Marco Rubio went after GOP front-runner Donald Trump on a number of fronts, including attacking the "fake" university that bears Trump's name. Last year, CBS News conducted a three-month investigation of Trump University, a school that was labeled a scam by New York's attorney general and was the target of two class-action lawsuits. That story, which aired on September 24, 2015, appears below. …. The lawsuits are still ongoing and just last week, a judge decertified part of one class-action suit relating to Trump University, handing Trump a partial victory. …. CBS News found three of those instructors had previously filed for bankruptcy. Others like Smith's instructor, James Harris, were motivational speakers paid on commission to sell additional Trump training. …. While thousands attended the three-day, $1,500 seminar around the country, the company's main revenue source was an extended $35,000 mentorship called the Trump "Gold Elite" package. Smith and other former students told CBS News that instructors urged them to increase the credit limit on their credit cards for investing and to fund their training. … "It certainly wasn't something that was encouraged or something that was implemented across the board," Trump's attorney Alan Garten said. …. Smith said he was told he would get support from real estate mentors but said they didn't deliver. Smith concedes he gave positive reviews to two mentors, and even writing: "I'm very optimistic that I will be a very successful real estate investor in the near future." …. "I didn't get any financial gain; it's been a big time net loss at this point," Smith said.” …. An internal 2010 memo shows Trump employees acknowledged the mentorship program was too difficult for the company to "fulfill" and "expectations are not always realistically set or consistently met." The school stopped accepting students and began winding down in the summer of 2010.”


“Smith said the pitch that drew him to Trump University isn't so different from the Republican frontrunner's presidential campaign. "Behind that veneer is to me somebody that could care less for the average person and you know people that you know he's dealing with in general, I think it's all about him," Smith said.” In my opinion, Trump should be ineligible for the presidency, not merely because he was born in Canada, but because he’s a criminal in the class of Bernie Madoff. I’ll bet he never serves any time in prison, though.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-times-calls-on-hillary-clinton-to-release-speech-transcripts/

New York Times calls on Hillary Clinton to release speech transcripts
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
February 26, 2016, 9:21 AM

Play VIDEO -- Clinton leads Sanders in South Carolina


The New York Times' editorial board is calling on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to make public the transcripts of paid speeches she gave to big banks after her stint as secretary of state.

"Public interest in these speeches is legitimate, and it is the public -- not the candidate -- who decides how much disclosure is enough," the Times editorial, published online Thursday, read. "By stonewalling on these transcripts, Mrs. Clinton plays into the hands of those who say she's not trustworthy and makes her own rules."

Clinton -- who earned over $3 million in speaking fees to banks and other financial services firms since leaving the State Department and who has since campaigned in the Democratic primary on a promise to regulate those same institutions -- has said before that she would "look into" releasing those transcripts.

Asked in early February at a New Hampshire debate if she would publicly disclose the content of her speeches, she said, "I don't know the status, but I will certainly look into it."

Since then, Clinton has been asked numerous times about the speeches, even getting pressed during a CNN town hall why she had accepted $675,000 for speaking engagements to Goldman Sachs.

"That's what they offered," she responded, adding that "every secretary of state that I know has done that."

The Times denounced Clinton's reasoning, however, comparing it to "an excuse expected from a mischievous child, not a presidential candidate."

"Voters have every right to know what Mrs. Clinton told these groups," the paper's editorial board wrote. "Transcripts of speeches that have been leaked have been pretty innocuous. By refusing to release them all, especially the bank speeches, Mrs. Clinton fuels speculation about why she's stonewalling."

Earlier this week, asked once more on the status of her speech transcripts, Clinton said she would release those documents "if everybody does it, and that includes the Republicans."

The Times found this equally "mystifying."

"Republicans make no bones about their commitment to Wall Street deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans," the newspaper said. "Mrs. Clinton is laboring to convince struggling Americans that she will rein in big banks, despite taking their money."

The paper noted, additionally, that Clinton still had to overcome a Democratic challenge by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders -- "hardly a hot ticket on the industry speaking circuit" -- before she faced any Republican in a general election.

For voters, the Times said, "she is damaging her credibility among Democrats who are begging her to show them that she'd run an accountable and transparent White House."

The editorial comes just days before the Democratic primary contest in South Carolina, where Clinton leads Sanders by wide margins in recent polls.


"Public interest in these speeches is legitimate, and it is the public -- not the candidate -- who decides how much disclosure is enough," the Times editorial, published online Thursday, read. "By stonewalling on these transcripts, Mrs. Clinton plays into the hands of those who say she's not trustworthy and makes her own rules." Clinton -- who earned over $3 million in speaking fees to banks and other financial services firms since leaving the State Department and who has since campaigned in the Democratic primary on a promise to regulate those same institutions -- has said before that she would "look into" releasing those transcripts. …. Since then, Clinton has been asked numerous times about the speeches, even getting pressed during a CNN town hall why she had accepted $675,000 for speaking engagements to Goldman Sachs. "That's what they offered," she responded, adding that "every secretary of state that I know has done that." The Times denounced Clinton's reasoning, however, comparing it to "an excuse expected from a mischievous child, not a presidential candidate." …. "Transcripts of speeches that have been leaked have been pretty innocuous. By refusing to release them all, especially the bank speeches, Mrs. Clinton fuels speculation about why she's stonewalling." Earlier this week, asked once more on the status of her speech transcripts, Clinton said she would release those documents "if everybody does it, and that includes the Republicans." …. For voters, the Times said, "she is damaging her credibility among Democrats who are begging her to show them that she'd run an accountable and transparent White House."


I am becoming really disenchanted with Hillary, though when they were in the White House I liked them both. A hint or two of basic dishonesty has touched them both, however, and I want to be really proud of my President. I do hope I don’t have to vote for her to avoid voting for a Republican. Or maybe I’ll just write in Bill Maher for my choice. He’s one of the brightest men I’ve ever heard talk about our society and government. He’s so satirical that few would ever vote for him, of course.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-africa-violence-university-protests-race-fault-line/

Violence, protests put S. Africa's racial fault line on display
By DEBORA PATTA CBS NEWS
February 26, 2016, 12:22 PM

Photograph -- Student members of the Christian Revival Church pray for peace as a protest against the scrapping of the Afrikaans language at the University Of Pretoria as a medium of instruction got violent in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb. 23, 2016. JOHN WESSELS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Photograph -- A student walks through the remains of the Science Center at the University of the North-West University in Mahikeng, South Africa, (also known as Mafikeng) Feb. 25, 2016. AP PHOTO


JOHANNESBURG -- South African universities on fire, militant protests, white students beating up black students on a sports field, security guards in riot gear firing teargas canisters and rubber bullets at protesters.

Watching these images, you would be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled onto a retrospective film of apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s.

But it is 2016, and this is the state of South African universities -- 22 years after the birth of the nation's democracy.

South Africa's premier tertiary institution, the University of Cape Town (UCT), has been wracked by violence since the campus opened its doors for the new academic year in February.

Students erected a tin shack on campus grounds to serve as a powerful symbolic protest against the lack of student accommodation. There are 27,000 students enrolled at UCT, and there is only accommodation for 6,000 of them.

Black students from impoverished backgrounds are hardest hit by the shortcomings. If they don't get into a university residence, they're usually unable to afford the high price of living off campus in Cape Town. The city is the country's most expensive: a tourist magnet with an exquisite coastline studded with opulent homes and sprawling villas.

Campus security guards tore down the shack on the orders of the university administration. Some students retaliated by burning colonial and apartheid-era art adorning the institution's hallowed walls.

The Wits University in South Africa's economic hub of Johannesburg has seen similar protests. Controversy mounted as the university's vice chancellor brought private security guards onto campus -- ostensibly to protect students who he claimed were being intimidated by protesters.

An online student newspaper, the Daily Vox, questioned the wisdom of the move.

"The introduction of private security onto Wits' campus, from the beginning of the registration period in 2016, has been terrifying: uniformed men with bulletproof vests and riot gear (shields, clubs and fencing) patrol the corridors, and have established checkpoints for surveillance and exclusion," said the paper's staff.

The student reporters behind the article argue that what escapes the university's vice chancellor "is that the most obvious thing to do is not to invite police onto campus in the first place and to seek more meaningful approaches and forms of engagement around the underlying issues that have given rise to this situation in the first place."

But the issue is complicated. Vice Chancellor Adam Habib is not a relic of apartheid South Africa, but himself a child of the anti-apartheid movement who cut his teeth during South Africa's township violence.

"I will never remain silent and allow a culture of violence and ungovernability to prevail within an institution of learning," he said in an open letter. "I will never remain silent when a university and its learning project is being sacrificed to broader political goals, however attractive they may be."

The university in South Africa's Free State, once a bastion of apartheid and right wing movements, is also grappling with complex issues.

The campus has seen racially charged clashes, with videos going viral of white students beating up black students after they disrupted a student rugby match in what they said was a bid to get the attention of that university's vice chancellor.

Student anger was fuelled [sic] by what black activists at the University of the Free State (UFS) said was a pattern of repeated disregard for their concerns.

"Raising black concerns at UFS is considered as racist," student leader Lindokhule Ntuli told online publication the Daily Maverick. "The university will always prioritize white privilege," he added.

The week ended the way it began, with violence escalating even further after students at the North West University in Potchefstroom torched an administration building, library and computer lab.

In recent days, black and white students have even come to blows over the use of Afrikaans (regarded as the language of the apartheid oppressor) on some universities as a teaching language -- an echo of the 1976 student uprising in the Soweto township south of Johannesburg against apartheid.

South African president Jacob Zuma has condemned the violence, saying "no amount of anger should drive students to burn their own university and deny themselves and others education."

The issues may differ from one campus to the next, but there is an underlying theme: post-apartheid South Africa has not lived up to its promises.

If you are poor and black it is still extremely difficult to get a good education in this country, let alone dream of going to a tertiary institution.

Race remains the country's fault line, and the protests and violence erupting around the country reflect, in many ways, a deep anger bubbling under the surface in many parts of civil society in South Africa.

After 22 years of democracy, there are some who believe things have not changed significantly.

It is "a culmination of continued suppression of black students and black pain," one student told a local media outlet. "To be honest with you, it was really a matter of survival."


“South African universities on fire, militant protests, white students beating up black students on a sports field, security guards in riot gear firing teargas canisters and rubber bullets at protesters. Watching these images, you would be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled onto a retrospective film of apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s. …. Students erected a tin shack on campus grounds to serve as a powerful symbolic protest against the lack of student accommodation. There are 27,000 students enrolled at UCT, and there is only accommodation for 6,000 of them. Black students from impoverished backgrounds are hardest hit by the shortcomings. If they don't get into a university residence, they're usually unable to afford the high price of living off campus in Cape Town. …. "The introduction of private security onto Wits' campus, from the beginning of the registration period in 2016, has been terrifying: uniformed men with bulletproof vests and riot gear (shields, clubs and fencing) patrol the corridors, and have established checkpoints for surveillance and exclusion," said the paper's staff. …. It is "a culmination of continued suppression of black students and black pain," one student told a local media outlet. "To be honest with you, it was really a matter of survival."


“… to seek more meaningful approaches and forms of engagement around the underlying issues that have given rise to this situation in the first place." The lack of this simple spirit of honest interaction is missing in the police vs minorities conflict here in this country, as it apparently is in South Africa. There is a lack of human decency involved. I don’t want to be ashamed of white people, but sometimes I am. If black people were the majority and doing that kind of thing, I would be ashamed of them instead. I react to that by trying to be a better white person. To me that means to be personally open to people who happen to be black and to try to be fair to all people and help the downtrodden of any color, gender, religion, ethnicity, etc., etc. I am only one person, but as one who is a member of a human society I try to do my best. I will only say one more things. There comes a time when anyone will have to fight, and it looks as though that is happening again in South Africa. I pray we won't be the next.