May 18, 2016


News and Views


Clinton/Sanders in Nevada May 14, 2016
From Facebook May 18, 2016

To all interested readers, please consider Writing In Bernie Sander’s Name On The Ballot In November! It will at least make a showing of public feeling.


FACEBOOK COMMENTS:

Kathryn Grace
18 hrs ·
YouTube
Holy crap. If this kind of blatant ignoring of the people's will is what a presidency with Hillary Clinton means, I'm out. Done. This is beyond what any reasonable person could possibly think fair.

Internal Coup in the Democratic Party
I had to upload this. I was planning on starting my own channel in the future, with far more edited films and edited content but this just made my blood boil...

YOUTUBE.COM
Seen by 9

Comments
Lucy Maness Warner Write in Bernie's name in November.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · 15 hrs

Lucy Maness Warner I agree it's shocking to me. I never would have believed either Clinton or the Party leaders would have done this. I agree with the idea of Writing Bernie's name in on the ballot. I will do it. I also sent this out to all the public that is watching my posts. A chain around the world?
Like · Reply · 1 · 14 hrs

Kathryn Grace
Kathryn Grace Lucy Maness Warner yes, I'm thinking so.
Like · Reply · 52 mins




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-wins-apparent-kentucky-victory-but-intra-party-battle-intensifies/

Clinton, Sanders appear to split KY and OR primaries; their battle intensifies
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS CBS NEWS
May 18, 2016, 12:33 AM


Bernie Sanders was declared the winner in Oregon not long after the voting ended, but Hillary Clinton is the apparent winner in Kentucky's Democratic primary Tuesday night, besting Sanders by a razor-thin margin -- a mere 1,800 votes, at latest count.

Play VIDEO -- Who would Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump pick as potential running mates?
Play VIDEO -- Despite Sanders' tenacity, Democrats seek to deescalate contest
TWEET -- One sign Clinton wants to win #KYPrimary: She's aired nearly 3x as many TV ads there as Sanders h/t @CMAGAdFacts pic.twitter.com/TD3uiD7J1a; — Michael Beckel (@mjbeckel) May 17, 2016


That victory puts Clinton further along the path to securing the Democratic nomination and makes Sanders' argument for remaining in the race an even tougher one. But that doesn't mean he or his supporters are backing down, and in fact, the intra-party fight appears to be ramping up, with Sanders' fans complaining that the party establishment is rigging the race in Clinton's favor.

Now, instead of watching Republicans battle it out at a contested convention in Cleveland this July, Democrats may be looking at chaotic convention of their own.

"We are going to fight for every last vote until June 14, and then we are going to take our fight to the convention," Sanders told supporters in California after the Kentucky results came in Tuesday night. "...It will be a steep climb. I recognize that. But we have a possibility of going to Philadelphia with a majority of pledged delegates."

Kentucky Sec. of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said on CNN Tuesday night that while the state is unable to certify the results until Wednesday, it "unofficially" looks like Clinton has won. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton led Sanders 47 percent to 46 percent; the margin was less than 2,000 votes out of more than 220,000 cast.

After losing Indiana and West Virginia to Sanders earlier this month, Clinton spent considerable time and resources on winning Kentucky in the hopes of finally putting the primary to rest: she took multiple trips to the state, holding a total of 11 events there in the last two weeks, and outspent Sanders significantly on the airwaves after being outspent by him in most recent states. The Center for Public Integrity's analysis of campaign spending showed Clinton spent nearly three times as much as Sanders on ads in Kentucky.

In a Tuesday night tweet, Clinton declared victory and nodded toward the idea of Democratic unity going forward. "We just won Kentucky!" she tweeted. "Thanks to everyone who turned out. We're always stronger united."

Though there is no exit polling available for Kentucky, Clinton was clearly helped by the fact that it's a closed primary -- in open primaries, where independents can choose to cast their ballots for either Republicans or Democrats, Sanders has typically done very well among independents and boosted his numbers as a result.

Sanders nodded to that in his Tuesday night speech, saying he [sic] Kentucky's closed primary is "something I'm not all that enthusiastic about."

For Sanders, with only nine contests remaining before the end of primary season, an already daunting path became even more so on Tuesday night. Before Kentucky and Oregon's delegates were counted, CBS News estimated that Sanders needed 87 percent of all remaining delegates, pledged and superdelegates, in order to reach the required 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.

Kentucky's incredibly narrow margin means Clinton and Sanders will likely split the state's delegates evenly, taking 27 each--meaning he'll need to win an even higher percentage of the remaining delegates after Tuesday in order to have any chance at the nomination.

But the very public disagreement between Sanders and state and national Democratic Party leaders is intensifying, even as primary season winds down. It came to a head in Nevada this weekend, when Sanders supporters tussled with party leaders over what they saw as an unfair advantage for Clinton delegates and representatives in the state.

The situation deteriorated to the point that Sanders supporters reportedly threw chairs and even booed California Sen. Barbara Boxer -- security was forced to shut the event down.

In a statement Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the Democratic primary rules have been in place for "decades," and that the DNC is "deeply concerned about the troubling details" outlined by the Nevada Democratic Party.

"We will be reaching out to the leadership of both of our campaigns to ask them to stand with the Democratic Party in denouncing and taking steps to prevent the type of behavior on display over the weekend in Las Vegas," she said.

But rather than working to mollify his supporters, Sanders did the opposite: on Tuesday afternoon, he put out a defiant statement that seemed to urge on his supporters and suggested the Democratic Party's rules are unfair.

"At that convention the Democratic leadership used its power to prevent a fair and transparent process from taking place," he said, outlining his complaints.

Still, later Tuesday, Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said on CNN that there is "not going to be any violence in Philadelphia."

"We hope for a fair and orderly convention," he added. "I think whoever the ultimate nominee is will want to unify the party on the back of the convention so we can all go out and defeat Donald Trump in the fall."



"We are going to fight for every last vote until June 14, and then we are going to take our fight to the convention," Sanders told supporters in California after the Kentucky results came in Tuesday night. "...It will be a steep climb. I recognize that. But we have a possibility of going to Philadelphia with a majority of pledged delegates." Kentucky Sec. of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said on CNN Tuesday night that while the state is unable to certify the results until Wednesday, it "unofficially" looks like Clinton has won. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton led Sanders 47 percent to 46 percent; the margin was less than 2,000 votes out of more than 220,000 cast. …. In a statement Tuesday, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the Democratic primary rules have been in place for "decades," and that the DNC is "deeply concerned about the troubling details" outlined by the Nevada Democratic Party. …. But rather than working to mollify his supporters, Sanders did the opposite: on Tuesday afternoon, he put out a defiant statement that seemed to urge on his supporters and suggested the Democratic Party's rules are unfair.”


According to Wasserman the rules “have been in place for decades.” Well, why did the chair in Nevada set up “temporary” rules on just a voice vote as being permanent, hold the vote EARLIER THAN the time that it had been announced, and more. See yesterday’s post for more information and details: “https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/investigate-misconduct-chair-5142016-nevada-democratic-convention, WE THE PEOPLE ASK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OR EXPLAIN A POSITION ON AN ISSUE OR POLICY....” I believe that this is not finished.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-school-district-defends-cat-intestine-jump-rope-video/

Cat intestine jump-rope video defended by Texas school district
CBS/AP
May 18, 2016, 10:00 AM

Photograph -- Students are seen using a cat intestine as a jump rope in a screenshot from a video taken at Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas. KENS-TV


SAN ANTONIO - A Texas school district says no one will face punishment after video surfaced of high school students using a cat's intestines as a jump rope during a lesson.

Officials with the North East Independent School District told CBS affiliate KENS-TV the incident happened earlier this month during an anatomy class at Winston Churchill High School.

The district said the teacher felt the lesson was "effective" for demonstrating how long and tough intestines are.

Spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor says neither the students nor teacher will be punished because there is no "ill will." But she says the district will update the lesson plan.

"This lesson really was not meant to be disrespectful or degrading in any way. And when the teacher found out that that's how it was being portrayed, they were actually very upset about it," NEISD spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor said.

Animals rights group PETA told the TV station the school should replace "cruel and crude" dissection methods with animal-free lessons.

"Studies show that classroom animal dissection can foster callousness toward living beings, and these gruesome 'jump rope' videos are a particularly sad example," PETA Senior Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg said.



“Officials with the North East Independent School District told CBS affiliate KENS-TV the incident happened earlier this month during an anatomy class at Winston Churchill High School. The district said the teacher felt the lesson was "effective" for demonstrating how long and tough intestines are. Spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor says neither the students nor teacher will be punished because there is no "ill will." But she says the district will update the lesson plan. …. "Studies show that classroom animal dissection can foster callousness toward living beings, and these gruesome 'jump rope' videos are a particularly sad example," PETA Senior Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg said.”


“But she says the district will update the lesson plan.” Well, that’s good news, anyway. It seems to me that teachers shouldn’t ever be given total control over how and what they teach. The teacher last year who as a part of her “lesson,” called black and Islamic children by blatantly pejorative terms, specifically “rag head” for the Islamic child. Not all teachers are educationally, intellectually and emotionally up to the task they face, and should be fired or required to take sensitivity training immediately when these things occur, and above all they should be supervised. As a lesson plan, this particular activity was unenlightening, as a tape measure could have been used better to illustrate how long an intestine is; and I agree that the whole thing is disgusting and contributes to lowering rather than raising student consciousness of humane values. Where are we going in this country??




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-police-officer-video-boy-los-angeles-car-crash-viral/

Video of cop caring for boy left in car wreck goes viral
CBS NEWS
May 18, 2016, 10:03 AM

Photograph -- Officer John Neal Cooke of the Los Angeles Police Department speaks to CBS Los Angeles in an interview broadcast May 15, 2016. CBS LOS ANGELES
Video -- News footage, Officer caring for toddler


LOS ANGELES -- Video of a Los Angeles police officer comforting a toddler who police say was left behind after a crash over the weekend has gone viral, CBS Los Angeles reports.

When LAPD Officer John Neal Cooke arrived on scene to the crash early Saturday morning, he thought it was just a typical hit-and-run: A vehicle had struck a fire hydrant that was spewing water.

"Witnesses tell us, 'Hey, there was only one person involved, one car involved, and she went running down the street,'" he said.

But it turned out the crash was anything but typical when he said another officer checked the back seat and said, "You guys, there's a baby in here."

Police said the 2-year-old boy had been left by himself by his 27-year-old mother who crashed and then took off.

Video of how LAPD officers, including Cooke, calmed the scared child soon went viral.

"He was crying and reaching for me, so I mean it's kind of just human nature," he said.

In the clip, Cooke is seen patting the little boy on the back and giving him his bottle, something he says he's used to in a big family.

"I've been taking care of kids since I was kid as they say," he said.

A seven-year veteran of the LAPD, Cooke said he's never seen such a careless act.

"It was pretty shocking to think not only did she leave him at all but the fact she left him in such a dangerous situation," he said.

Police said the woman, who they suspect was intoxicated, was found and arrested.

The child was taken to a hospital and then placed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

But Cooke said he believes he's with relatives now and said he plans to visit very soon.

"It was really comforting to us that we were able to be there for him," he said.

Records show the woman has bailed out of jail, but she is expected to face child endangerment charges, authorities said.



“Video of how LAPD officers, including Cooke, calmed the scared child soon went viral. "He was crying and reaching for me, so I mean it's kind of just human nature," he said. In the clip, Cooke is seen patting the little boy on the back and giving him his bottle, something he says he's used to in a big family. "I've been taking care of kids since I was kid as they say," he said. A seven-year veteran of the LAPD, Cooke said he's never seen such a careless act. …. The child was taken to a hospital and then placed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. But Cooke said he believes he's with relatives now and said he plans to visit very soon.”


I can see how this woman could have been so frightened that she wasn’t rational, but a mother’s instinct usually takes over in these cases I have always heard. The article say that she was intoxicated, however, which is another reason why she shouldn’t have the care of a baby until and unless she is successfully treated for alcohol/drug abuse. It’s good that relatives were able to take the baby rather than total strangers. Unfortunately there are foster parents who take in children because of money that the state gives them. A really young child, or even an older kid, are often unprepared to care for themselves.

As for this police officer, he has a gentle and warm smile on his face in the photograph and apparently did all the right things. He called his response to the situation “just human nature,” but there are many men who don’t have a clue as to what to do with a baby. I do hope he will get an award for his actions.




http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/05/18/478381538/should-pediatricians-ask-parents-if-theyre-poor

PUBLIC HEALTH

Should Pediatricians Ask Parents If They're Poor?
May 18, 20169:48 AM ET
Elaine Korry


A single question asked at an annual checkup — whether parents have trouble making ends meet — could help pediatricians identify children at risk for serious health problems associated with poverty and the chronic levels of stress that often accompany it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics urges members to ask if their patients' families are struggling financially and then commit to helping them get the resources they need to thrive. And some communities are trying to make that happen.

Since almost half of young children in the United States live in poverty or near poverty, it's no small challenge.

The Center for Youth Wellness, located in San Francisco's low-income Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood, is working with the pediatricians' organization on a national campaign, Children Can Thrive, to raise awareness about the impact of a range of childhood stressors, known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. These experiences of abuse, neglect or household dysfunction can have grave implications for both child and adult health.

In screening children for ACEs, the Center recognizes a "high relationship" between low incomes and harmful stressors. Although children from any economic status can live with ACES, exposure is greater for children who live in poverty, says Mark Cloutier, executive director of the Center.

The ACE screening test is simple; 10 questions that an adult or child can answer in a few minutes. (You can take it below.) But doctors aren't taught about ACE scores in medical school, and some are reluctant to give patients the test because they think it's too invasive or brings up problems that can't be treated. That's not true, researchers say.

Knowing that a child lives in poverty "changes everything," says Dr. Susan Briner, medical director at the Bayview Child Health Center. Briner knows to expect that there may be more emergency room visits in families with low incomes "because if parents miss a day of work for an office visit, that can be catastrophic to their housing or family budget."

Earlier this year the AAP, which represents 64,000 pediatricians, published a policy statement and technical report on how poverty affects children's health in the academy's journal Pediatrics. Lead author James Duffee, a child psychiatrist in Columbus, Ohio, says the policy represents "a new emphasis on the health of children in communities, trying to get pediatricians to think broadly about the context in which a child is born."

According to the report, poor children have higher rates of low birth weight, infant mortality and chronic illnesses such as asthma, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

According to Duffee, toxic stress has also been proved to disrupt the architecture of the developing brain, damaging the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for impulse control, planning and thinking about consequences.

But the effects of poverty can be mitigated, and that's where early intervention can help. "There is a way that we can change toxic stress into tolerable stress," says Duffee. He cites the developing science on resilience, which shows that growing up in a close, supportive relationship with an emotionally attached adult can help a child overcome adversity.

By promoting those early attachments, pediatricians and other adults can help young people develop protective factors and head off potentially serious health effects. "One of the changes in pediatric practice is looking for ways we can promote relational health and not just physical or medical health," says Duffee.

Families aren't as averse to talking about their economic situation as doctors may think.

"I think it's a great question to ask," says Lottie Titus, a San Francisco resident who shares parenting of her three grandchildren. Titus says talking about finances with a family doctor "can establish why there are so many illnesses, so many challenges, so much depression."

Titus' grandkids "have been exposed to a lot," she says. "All their lives they've lived in public housing." The children, ages 10 to 14, also have health problems, from Type 1 diabetes to asthma and emotional problems. All three children see a therapist.

They are also involved in community programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area and the youth development organization City of Dreams. Titus said it was the children's pediatrician who ensured that Titus was connected with these services: "She referred me to many programs that have been beneficial to the children, pointing them in the direction of the services that they needed, that helped them to be well-rounded." Titus has since become a community liaison with City of Dreams, providing information and resources to youth and families living in San Francisco public housing.

That's the model of engaged pediatric practice the pediatricians hope to see replicated nationwide.

This story was produced by Youth Today, a national news source for youth-service professionals, including child welfare and juvenile justice, youth development and out-of-school-time programming.


“The American Academy of Pediatrics urges members to ask if their patients' families are struggling financially and then commit to helping them get the resources they need to thrive. And some communities are trying to make that happen. Since almost half of young children in the United States live in poverty or near poverty, it's no small challenge. …. Children Can Thrive, to raise awareness about the impact of a range of childhood stressors, known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. These experiences of abuse, neglect or household dysfunction can have grave implications for both child and adult health. …. According to Duffee, toxic stress has also been proved to disrupt the architecture of the developing brain, damaging the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for impulse control, planning and thinking about consequences. …. Titus' grandkids "have been exposed to a lot," she says. "All their lives they've lived in public housing." The children, ages 10 to 14, also have health problems, from Type 1 diabetes to asthma and emotional problems. All three children see a therapist. They are also involved in community programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area and the youth development organization City of Dreams. Titus said it was the children's pediatrician who ensured that Titus was connected with these services: "She referred me to many programs that have been beneficial to the children, pointing them in the direction of the services that they needed, that helped them to be well-rounded." Titus has since become a community liaison with City of Dreams, providing information and resources to youth and families living in San Francisco public housing. That's the model of engaged pediatric practice the pediatricians hope to see replicated nationwide.”


People may not want an “outsider” to know of their financial problems, but it’s far better the pediatrician than the police department. The only thing the courts will do is put the kids in a foster home which may be just as stressful, and being separated from their parents is usually a problem, also. In addition, a pediatrician is more likely to diagnose problems from the medical to the psychological, and know how to treat them. Why send the family to several different places, rather than just one? DCF and the courts can intervene if parents are beating or otherwise abusing the kids, and the doctor can make recommendations on all of that. In short, though I’ve never heard of this practice before, it is an excellent idea. Hopefully Medicaid or Medicare will pay the physician’s bill for the extra service.


http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/18/478251064/salt-resistant-rice-offers-hope-for-farmers-clinging-to-disappearing-islands

Salt-Resistant Rice Offers Hope For Farmers Clinging To Disappearing Islands
May 18, 20167:00 AM ET
ARI SHAPIRO

Photograph -- Debendra Tarek, 80, inspects a handful of salt-resistant rice in his home on the tidal island of Ghoramara, which is shrinking quickly because of climate change. David Gilkey/NPR
A farmer in southwest Bangladesh holds ripe rice that can grow in saline water.
GOATS AND SODA -- Climate Change-Ready Rice Keeps Farmers' Fields Fertile
Marquette University scientist Michael Schläppi grows rice in paddies on his lab's rooftop.
THE SALT -- Rice Finds A Welcome Home In Wisconsin Paddies


In a dimly lit hut made of mud and straw, a shaft of sunlight slices through a hole in the ceiling and lands on a bag of rice. Debendra Tarek, 80, pulls out a handful of the rough brown grains and holds them up to the beam of light.

His bare chest is sunken, and his eyes glow deep in their sockets. "This resists the saltwater," the village elder explains through an interpreter. This variety of rice, he says, allows his family to remain here on Ghoramara, the island where they were born.

Ghoramara is one of thousands of islands that make up the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is part of the Sundarbans — a delta on India's eastern border with Bangladesh, where three major rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal. This is tidal country, where land disappears and reappears as waters rise and fall each day. Lately, noncyclical change is reshaping this landscape in unfamiliar ways. Rising waters tear chunks out of the landscape. Islands disappear and don't return.

Ghoramara has lost half its land mass since 1969, according to researchers at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India. Sugata Hazra runs the university's School of Oceanography Studies. Hazra says the island has shrunk from 8.5 square kilometers in 1969 to just 4.3 kilometers in 2014. Ghoramara used to be home to 40,000 people. Today, most have been forced to leave. They've become climate refugees. Tarek and his family are among the 3,500 people who remain.

Many of the 4 million people who live in the Sundarbans are poor subsistence farmers like Tarek. Rice is the staple crop, and growing it requires abundant fresh water. In a rice paddy, the brackish water that surrounds these islands can be devastating. "When floodwater would enter the fields, it would destroy the entire crop," Tarek tells me. It might be three to five years until a rice paddy can be planted again.

In Kolkata, about 60 miles north of Ghoramara, Asish Ghosh understands that climate change could cause rice paddies to flood with saltwater more frequently, making Tarek's problems worse. And he believes he can help. Ghosh is the founder of an environmental organization called ENDEV, The Society for Environment and Development.

"We used to grow 6,000 varieties of rice" in the Indian state of West Bengal, Ghosh says. "That is an incredible figure." The problem is, 90 percent of those varieties have disappeared. Farmers no longer grow them, and nobody has saved the seeds. Still, Ghosh figured that some of the 600 remaining varieties must be salt-resistant.

His team called research facilities and universities, asking for the names of salt-resistant rice varieties. They collected six names — but no samples. "Where are you going to get them?" Ghosh recalls one researcher asking. "He laughed at me over the phone."

The hunt was on. "I was searching like a madman, writing emails to all possible places. To the national plant center, the national rice collection center," says Ghosh. "Then I called up an NGO in the Sundarbans I'd been working with. They searched out the oldest man they could find and asked whether he had any of these varieties."

After six months of scouring villages and research institutions, Ghosh procured seeds for five of the six salt-resistant rice varieties. (It still bothers him that he can't find the sixth.) In 2011, he gave small samples of the rice to farmers in the Sundarbans, along with careful instructions: "Grow these for seeds. Don't eat the rice. Save it."

There are places in the world where farmers have raised hardier crops thanks to technological innovation, gene-splicing or other advanced scientific practices. This is not that kind of story. "I am reviving traditional knowledge," says Ghosh.

Five years into the program, Ghosh says "countless" farmers in the Sundarbans are now planting salt-resistant rice. He has been recognized by the Nature Conservancy and other international organizations. And countries far from India have picked up the idea. Ghosh says he has presented at conferences with researchers who are planting salt-resistant rice native to Tanzania, and he's met scientists who have re-established salt-resistant potatoes in flood-prone parts of coastal Pakistan.

This is not a long-term solution for the islands most affected by climate change. But salt-resistant rice can provide a buffer for some of the most vulnerable people who might otherwise be ruined.

On Ghoramara Island, it has given Tarek's family a reprieve. They know the island is shrinking too quickly for them to stay another generation. But at least they can grow food while they remain. "Everybody is using this rice now," says Tarek. "We even think it tastes better."



"I am reviving traditional knowledge," says Ghosh. See the information about the Global Seed Vault below. I first heard about that on one of my dear non-fiction documentaries from Discovery or National Public Television. They do have extremely interesting and well-produced shows. In this case it was about the fact that “antique seeds” were gradually disappearing, so that scientists are not collecting them. Antique seeds often have characteristics that have been almost lost over time, like a lovely smelling rose. To scientists that is of concern because often they were ideally suited to their specific environment, drought-resistant for the very dry climates, etc.

When GMOs began to replace the older seeds, many of them became extinct, and there is no longer any way to reproduce them. The GMOs are often created for only one purpose – to produce larger seeds, for instance, but without being adapted to an increasingly difficult climate. This situation of global warming is a frightening new reason for useful seeds that will adapt as needed. The state of California in the last few years has been so dry that the soil cracked and the reservoirs were nearly dry. If that is going to be our fate in the next 10, 20, or 30 years in a more widespread area, then we will need these supplies, to be propagated as needed. When water is worth as much as gold, we won’t want to use it for irrigation.


Svalbard Global Seed Vault
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure seed bank on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen near Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago, about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) from the North Pole.[4] Conservationist Cary Fowler, in association with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),[5] started the vault to preserve a wide variety of plant seeds that are duplicate samples, or "spare" copies, of seeds held in gene banks worldwide. The seed vault is an attempt to insure against the loss of seeds in other genebanks during large-scale regional or global crises. The seed vault is managed under terms spelled out in a tripartite agreement between the Norwegian government, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen).[6]

The Norwegian government entirely funded the vault's approximately NOK 45 million (US$9 million) construction.[7] Storing seeds in the vault is free to end users, with Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust paying for operational costs. Primary funding for the Trust comes from organisations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and from various governments worldwide.[8]

History[edit]

The Nordic Gene Bank (NGB) has, since 1984, stored backup Nordic plant germplasm via frozen seeds in an abandoned coal mine at Svalbard, over the years depositing more than 10,000 seed samples of more than 2,000 cultivars for 300 different species. The Nordic collection has for years duplicated seed samples from the Southern African Development Community. Both the Nordic and African collections have been transferred to the new Svalbard Global Seed Vault facility. On 1 January 2008 the Nordic Gene Bank was integrated with NordGen.[citation needed]

Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland's prime ministers ceremonially laid "the first stone" on 19 June 2006.[1]

The seedbank is 120 metres (390 ft) inside a sandstone mountain on Spitsbergen Island,[9] and employs robust security systems. Seeds are packaged in special three-ply foil packets and heat sealed to exclude moisture.[10] The facility is managed by the Nordic Genetic Resource Center, though there are no permanent staff on-site.

Spitsbergen was considered ideal because it lacked tectonic activity and had permafrost, which aids preservation. Its being 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level will keep the site dry even if the ice caps melt.[9] Locally mined coal provides power for refrigeration units that further cool the seeds to the internationally recommended standard of −18 °C (−0.4 °F).[11] If the equipment fails, at least several weeks will elapse before the facility rises to the surrounding sandstone bedrock's temperature of −3 °C (27 °F).[4]




http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/public-schools-becoming-more-racially-segregated-report-n576121

Public Schools Becoming More Racially Segregated: Report
by ARIS FOLLEY and BRIAN LATIMER
NEWS MAY 18 2016, 11:31 AM ET

RELATED: More Latinos With STEM Degrees Needed, Here Are Top Schools Doing It
RELATED: Are African-Americans Locked Out? State of Black America Report
RELATED: More Latinos Are Going to College, But In Small Number of Schools
Photo of 7th grade students at Bedstuy Collegiate Charter School in Brooklyn, New York. Teach For America, Students at Bedstuy Collegiate Charter School in Brooklyn, New York.


Racial segregation has been deepening in public education, offering a sobering reminder of the nation's history when it comes to racial and economic isolation in classrooms, according to a recent report published by the Government Accountability Office Tuesday.

Published on the anniversary of the landmark ruling of Brown v. Board of Education, the GAO found evidence of growing racial divides persisting in public education. The number of Black and Latino students enrolled in impoverished K-12 public schools increased 11 percent between 2001 and 2014.

These schools were found to be the most poverty-stricken, minority-segregated schools in the country, with more than 75 to 100 percent of Black and Latino students eligible for price-reduced lunch. This parameter is commonly used as an indicator of poverty.

These schools were also found to have offered fewer STEM courses and advanced placement, college-prep courses. About 48 percent of high-poverty schools offer AP courses, while 72 percent of low-poverty schools — with 0 to 25 percent of students on free, reduced lunches — offered these college-level courses.

These schools have higher rates of students unable to advance from the ninth grade, as well as more students who had been suspended or expelled. Five percent of students at low-poverty schools will received an out-of-school suspension, while 22 percent in high-poverty schools will be suspended more than once.

The report claims magnet schools with open enrollment did not accept minority students in order to maintain an even ratio of white and minority students. The report finds school districts did not use race as a classification for increasing integration, citing the 2007 case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 as an example.

"The GAO's report clearly shows that the ability of African-American and Latino students to access a diverse, high-quality public education is declining and that decline is fueled by the increasing privatization of our public schools," said Jitu Brown, National Director of Journey for Justice, in a statement. "This research reflects a sad reality: the color of your skin is more likely to determine whether you have access to a high-quality, well-resourced and diverse public school."

Researchers found the three districts reviewed by GAO had made steps to address the stark racial and economic disparities in its public educational facilities. These measures included implementing magnet schools within the district to attract more diverse students.

Still, one of the districts faced challenges after the state allocated funding to magnet schools, which in turn lessened the quality of traditional schools within the region. These districts also faced issues with transportation and gaining support from parents.



“… the GAO found evidence of growing racial divides persisting in public education. The number of Black and Latino students enrolled in impoverished K-12 public schools increased 11 percent between 2001 and 2014. …. Researchers found the three districts reviewed by GAO had made steps to address the stark racial and economic disparities in its public educational facilities. These measures included implementing magnet schools within the district to attract more diverse students. Still, one of the districts faced challenges after the state allocated funding to magnet schools, which in turn lessened the quality of traditional schools within the region. These districts also faced issues with transportation and gaining support from parents. …. About 48 percent of high-poverty schools offer AP courses, while 72 percent of low-poverty schools — with 0 to 25 percent of students on free, reduced lunches — offered these college-level courses. …. These schools have higher rates of students unable to advance from the ninth grade, as well as more students who had been suspended or expelled. …. The report claims magnet schools with open enrollment did not accept minority students in order to maintain an even ratio of white and minority students. The report finds school districts did not use race as a classification for increasing integration, citing the 2007 case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 as an example.


"The GAO's report clearly shows that the ability of African-American and Latino students to access a diverse, high-quality public education is declining and that decline is fueled by the increasing privatization of our public schools," said Jitu Brown, National Director of Journey for Justice, in a statement. "This research reflects a sad reality: the color of your skin is more likely to determine whether you have access to a high-quality, well-resourced and diverse public school." There are a number of reasons for this decline in the diversity and student access mentioned in this article – most of them depressing and worse.

First, states have, rather than increasing operating funds that are allocated to the public schools due to the greater need, have simply sliced the pie differently. The wealthier and whiter schools were given more money!! Wow. That’s just what happened in NC schools in the 1950s. Life was like that then, but I wanted to think we had outgrown it. A case in point was the school books. Wealthier schools got new books and poorer (especially black) schools got used and outdated books. There were no college level courses being given at our school, and as far as I know there were no prep schools at all. Wealthy parents did send their kids away for high school, presumably for better college preparation.

Another matter is that minority students are very often not admitted to the more well-provided and whiter schools. Why? Just because. These days the wealthier schools are providing a higher quality curriculum, including more STEM courses. I have seen in other articles that they also have more highly qualified teachers and a more up-to-date school campus – no mold growing on the ceilings there. Go to the following website on this issue: “https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/03/12/in-23-states-richer-school-districts-get-more-local-funding-than-poorer-districts/.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/education/2016/02/23/state-money-helping-wealthier-arizona-kids-go-private-schools/80303730/ -- Another problem is that state money is being taken away from the true “public” schools and given to students to leave the public school system. Not only does that make the schools less diverse, but less wealthy as state money is taken away from them and put into the hands of individuals. Right now it is being given to disabled kids, but the state wants to expand it to include all students. The article doesn’t’ say how those children were chosen to move out in this case.

My suspicious mind can imagine that if these grants totally move all children out into private schools thus closing all public schools, that the state will no longer be responsible for education at all. If you get an education more expensive than our ESA, you’re going to have to finance it yourself. I can’t imagine private schools will be lowering their tuition. That’s not how profit making businesses operate unless the government keeps them on a very tight rein. That’s the way things were when my mother went to school, and her father, unfortunately, was unable to afford the high school tuition. So she only went through the 6th grade, despite the fact that she was a good reader due to her own interest in learning. It is also obvious to me that, at any point, the state government can decide to terminate the ESAs, and the poor will be abandoned again. As for minority kids, a state if it no longer is responsible for education, will no longer be in charge of whether or not their access to a (hopefully) higher quality of education is “equal.”

The grants are called ESAs which are “Empowerment Scholarship Accounts [which] allow parents to take tax money that would otherwise go directly to their local public schools and put it toward private-school tuition.” Begun as a program for disabled kids and those from impoverished schools, it is now being considered for all public school students. That sounds helpful, but it isn’t money going into revamping and otherwise improving the existing public schools. Now the program is aimed at disabled kids, but in the future it will go to all. How is this an advantage to the states? I think it must be the fact that building maintenance and personnel issues for the state are more expensive than the scholarship to each student. An odd thing is the statement that the money can be used for therapy, home schooling, private school, or college savings. If those uses are allowed and the kids don’t actually use the money for private school, how will they be educated? How will true “public” schools be funded? This does remind me of what one of those old Dixicrats said, “I’d like for the public school system to “die on the vine,” and that’s exactly where these darned voucher plans which have become so popular around the country, especially with Republicans, seem to me to be heading. To prove my paranoia isn’t totally insane, see the following website on privatization of public schools in Pakistan:

http://www.marxist.com/pakistan-school-teachers-protest-against-privatization.htm

Pakistan: School teachers protest against privatization
Written by IMT Pakistan
Wednesday, 18 May 2016

“Privatization is top of the government’s agenda in Pakistan. All public sector institutions are being privatized rapidly, leading to unemployment of millions of workers. As a result, millions of families in Pakistan are being deprived of their small incomes and pushed further into poverty and misery. Along with that, the already shabby and dilapidated social infrastructure is being handed over to the vultures of private capital, who are tearing it apart, leaving the whole fabric of society in tatters.

After the health sector, now it is the education sector which is under ferocious attack by the ruling class. In Punjab, the largest province, with a population of more than 100 million, schools for children are being privatized on a massive scale. More than 800,000 teachers are employed in this sector including a large number of females, while millions of children from working class families get their basic right of education from these schools.

On the pretext of "improving" education, the Punjab government is handing over thousands of schools to the private sector. Along with that, government teachers are being continuously harassed by government officials so that they leave their jobs "voluntarily". Every day new punishments are introduced for the teachers, and monitoring teams comprised of retired army personnel are being formed to inspect them. Now it is the responsibility of the teacher to ensure the full enrolment of students: if a student is not coming to school, then the teacher must go to the student’s home and bring them to school.

School teachers are angry about these ruthless government attacks, which are not only attacking their jobs but also the basic right of education for millions of children from the working class. Already private schools are spreading like mushrooms throughout the whole country and are extracting huge sums of money from parents in the name of "better" education. In Pakistan, the education system is not uniform but is different for children from different social backgrounds. Children of the rich enjoy education in expensive schools following the Cambridge system of education from the UK. For middle class families, private schools teaching the curriculum in English are available, while for children from working class families, their parents can only afford government schools teaching in Urdu. Government schools across the country are famous for a lack of teachers and poor infrastructure, with no rooms, water, toilets or basic necessities for teaching. This is why very few children from these schools complete their education and the dropout rate is fairly large. But apart from that, the majority of children in Pakistan never go to school and are forced to enter the labour market at the age of five or less. They support their families, who cannot afford two meals a day on regular basis. . . . .”


SEE THE ARTICLE I AM COMPILING ON PRIVATIZATION OF SEVERAL KINDS THAT ARE ALREADY WELL UNDERWAY IN THE US. UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS SOME OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICES THAT ARE BEING CHANGED. SEE “Privatization, The New Ideal” on this blog site. I expect to have it published by the end of the day tomorrow.