In light of the disproportionate percentage of black and Latino men who are unemployed, incarcerated, or undereducated in New York, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a new program that will pour $127 million of funding into efforts to improve the situations and opportunities of some 315,000 men. Mayor Bloomberg is donating $30 million of his own funds to the project, which will address education, socioeconomic conditions, employment, and incarceration. Experts hope that the research and data produced from this initiative will serve as a model for other states and cities and a guide for building similar programs

Politico: “In an unusual move for an elected official, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pitching in $30 million of his own money to launch a city program aimed at helping young black and Latino men. Hedge fund billionaire George Soros is also donating $30 million to the project, while the city will spend $67.5 million on it…It’s being billed as the “boldest and most comprehensive effort to tackle the broad disparities slowing the advancement of black and Latino young men” in the country, Bloomberg’s office said in a statement. The program will offer job placement services, fatherhood classes, and training for school staff and probation officers on how to help young men improve themselves. “When we look at poverty rates, graduation rates, crime rates and employment rates, one thing stands out: blacks and Latinos are not fully sharing in the promise of American freedom and far too many are trapped in circumstances that are difficult to escape,” Bloomberg said as he announced the program.”

New York Post: One example that Bloomberg called “one of the most disheartening statistics I’ve ever heard” was the recidivism rate at the city’s jail system, where “three out of four young men who leave Rikers Island return to Rikers Island.”…Changes in the offing include: added jobs programs in public housing developments; “reinventing probation” by moving services to satellite offices within communities; new mentoring and internship services; securing IDs for young people to help them get jobs and pushing city agencies to hire more ex-cons…The mayor has tried before to crack the cycle of poverty by offering cash payments to poor parents who performed tasks beneficial to themselves and society, such as taking their kids to medical check-ups. That privately-funded $50 million experiment ended in failure, when researchers determined that the paid-off parents didn’t act much differerently than those in a control group who weren’t getting any money.”

Christian Science Monitor: “The money will go to four distinct areas:

Education. In an effort to get black and Latino men ready for college, the city (with the help of the private money) will begin a program called Expanded Success. This program will target 40 high schools that have already shown some progress in closing so-called achievement gaps. Students will get additional academic support, increased access to college classes, and mentors.

Socioeconomic and health issues. The city plans to expand one of its efforts called the Fatherhood Initiative to get fathers more involved in their children’s lives. This will include working with the City University of New York to provide parenting workshops. The program will also try to make city hospitals, health clinics, and reproductive services more welcoming to young men, especially helping them avoid fatherhood until they are ready.

Employment. The program will invest $25 million to expand a city program called Jobs Plus, which helps connect residents in public housing to jobs. An additional $9 million will go to enlarge a subsidized internship program. The city will also help young minority men obtain state-issued IDs, since “too many young people don’t have IDs, making it difficult for them to apply for jobs, open bank accounts, or receive government benefits and services,” said Bloomberg.

Incarceration. The city will try to turn its Probation Department from a “compliance factory” into an agency that connects youthful offenders with employment and educational opportunities. To do this, it will start to move probation offices into the projects and neighborhoods where blacks and Latinos live.”

“Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance. We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits…The Arabic word for “fasting” (sawm) literally means “to refrain” – and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.

During Ramadan, every part of the body must be restrained. The tongue must be restrained from backbiting and gossip. The eyes must restrain themselves from looking at unlawful things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to it. The ears must refrain from listening to idle talk or obscene words. The feet must refrain from going to sinful places. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast.

Therefore, fasting is not merely physical, but is rather the total commitment of the person’s body and soul to the spirit of the fast. Ramadan is a time to practice self-restraint; a time to cleanse the body and soul from impurities and re-focus one’s self on the worship of God.” You can read more here.

Let’s hear more about this religious observance:

Hesham Hassballa @ NYTimes Op-Ed:  “Ramadan has just begun, and I must admit that it starts with no small amount of dread for me. Fasting, an essential pillar of ritual in Islam, consists of abstaining from food, drink and other sensual pleasures from dawn (before sunrise) until dusk. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar one, Ramadan travels backward along the solar calendar, and this means that for the next 10 years it will fall during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere…the act of forgoing food and drink during the daylight hours allows one to reflect upon the lives of the poor and hungry, who — out of sheer poverty — may quite often have to forgo food and drink. My hunger and thirst should motivate me to help relieve their suffering through charitable giving and work. Moreover, there is a tremendous spiritual cleansing that comes with the fast of Ramadan. More than just depriving myself of food and drink, if only for a few (or rather this year, several) hours, I must not engage in bad behavior. Ideally, I should finish the month a better person than when I started it…Throughout this month, Americans will see Shariah law, which some want to ban, being practiced by the throngs of Muslims in the United States who are waiting until after sunset to eat, drink and be (very) merry. There is no threat at all in this. By making American Muslims better neighbors, better friends, better coworkers, and better people, the fast of Ramadan is only a good thing, for both the United States and the world.”

President Obama @ CNN’s The 1600 Report:

“As Ramadan begins, Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world. Ramadan is a festive time that is anticipated for months by Muslims everywhere. Families and communities share the happiness of gathering together for iftar and prayers. Bazaars light up the night in many cities from Rabat to Jakarta. And here in the United States, Muslim Americans share Ramadan traditions with their neighbors, fellow students, and co-workers.

For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God’s mercy. It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate. The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act. Now is the time for nations and peoples to come together to avert an even worse catastrophe by offering support and assistance to on-going relief efforts.

Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. In that spirit, I wish Muslims around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.”

Imam Khalid Latif @ Huffington Post: It’s strongly recommended for Muslims to read the Quran on a regular basis and during the month of Ramadan it’s that much more emphasized for us to do so. In the sunni tradition, there is a prayer called taraweeh that is performed in the nights of Ramadan and is usually lead by a haafidh, someone who has memorized the Quran in its entirety in the original Arabic…Last night, one of them recited a verse from the second chapter of the Quran that states La ikraaha fid deen — There is no compulsion in religion. Aside from the effect the sheer beauty of his recitation had on me, the meaning behind these words themselves was so impacting. In particular there were two things that came to my mind afterwards. Primarily, faith is a matter of the heart. It’s something that exists inside of you. For one to be coerced into “believing” is a violation of this principle because that coercion exists only on the outward part of one’s self, not the inward, and then it’s not really faith. Secondly, most of us take our ability and freedom to choose for granted. It’s truly a gift and at the same time a responsibility that we sometimes just don’t uphold…Fasting is supposed to teach me to appreciate everything that I have been given and one of the most precious things that I’ve been given is the ability to choose. I choose to be selfish or to be selfless. I choose to be harsh or to be gentle. I choose to be offended or to be understanding. There is no compulsion in religion. I choose to make my fasting about me or to make it about others.”

Christian Science Monitor:

“Ramadan 101: Five facts about the holy month of Ramadan

The start of Ramadan is determined by the moon

The exact start of Ramadan is often up in the air until just before the holiday begins because it is determined by a sighting of the new moon. Many places still depend on someone seeing the new moon with the naked eye in order to declare the holiday. As a result, Ramadan’s start can vary from place to place because of weather conditions and other factors that affect how easily the moon is seen.

The date changes every year

Islam functions on a lunar calendar that doesn’t quite line up with the solar Gregorian calendar that the secular world uses. So while Muslim holidays are always the same day on the Muslim calendar, they happen on different days on the Gregorian calendar – typically moving 11 or 12 days earlier each year. In 2010, Ramadan began on Aug. 11.

What is the purpose of Ramadan?

During Ramadan, observers are expected to abstain from food, drink, and other pleasures from dawn to dusk. Removing these comforts from daily routine is intended to focus the mind on prayer, spirituality, and charity and to purify the body and mind. Muslims are also expected to abstain from impurities such as gossip and watching pornography.

A month of big changes

In countries where Muslims are the majority, Ramadan has a drastic impact on daily life. Egypt pushes the clocks back an hour during the holy month so that the fast feels like it is ending earlier and the evenings are lengthened. Work days are made shorter during the month to accommodate the additional time spent in prayer and in enjoying festive meals to end the daily fast.

Exceptions to the fast

Several different groups are excused from fasting during Ramadan: pregnant women, people who are mentally or physically ill, and sometimes women who are breastfeeding. Children are not obligated to fast until they hit puberty, although many choose to observe the fast at least part of the month in preparation for later years.”

Charles Kimball @ Huffington Post: “Not surprisingly, many preachers and pundits who have spewed hateful rhetoric and fanned the flames of Islamophobia are now scrambling to disassociate themselves, their published statements about Islam and Muslims, and what some call “true” Christianity from the actions of Breivik. But words matter. Examine the path taken by violent extremists claiming inspiration from Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism and you can trace connections with the fiery rhetoric of influential, sometimes self-appointed leaders in madrasas, in books, at religious rallies, on websites and the like. There are consequences when cocksure Christians or Muslim militants proclaim God’s truth while stoking fear of the “other” in the minds of their would-be followers. While there are no easy answers or simple solutions, there are constructive ways to move forward in our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world community. It begins with education. Study programs in schools and colleges, churches, mosques and synagogues are essential. Interfaith dialogue and engagement with people of different religious and cultural backgrounds are invaluable ways to dispel generic fears and help humanize the “other.” All across the U.S., Christians, Muslims and Jews are working together to build Habitat for Humanity houses and work on common problems such as crime and drug abuse within their communities. These kinds of intentional efforts at education and cooperation are vital at the local, national and international level. We need more and more such endeavors in the U.S., not only for the well-being of our communities, but also as a way to model the kind of healthy religious pluralism our future requires…The mind-boggling terrorism manifest in Norway will continue to provide hard but important lessons about the dangers all around us and the need to find more constructive ways to move forward in the 21st century. It is a stark reminder that we share a fragile planet where ignorance, hate and fear can link easily with religious worldviews and produce horrific consequences.”

Philip Lomneth @ Project Interfaith: “When we engage in peace work that acts as a counter to violence, to conflict, what is our vision? Do we see a life beyond what we currently conceive? Is it simply an end to the petrol bombs and punishment beatings, an end to all conflicts, or do we dare to envision a society where such violence doesn’t exist? Do we simply accept it as a “fact” of life? I came to Northern Ireland expecting, hoping, to work with violent people, people involved in conflict; that’s where I thought the greatest challenge and most learning would be. Instead, I came to a reconciliation called Corrymeela, and they challenged me with peace…But Corrymeela taught me that peace isn’t about running through fields or some fanciful dream where people always agree; rather, peace is about interfaces, about differences, about learning to live together, about life…Is this not what interfaith work is about as well – Recognizing that we hold truly different beliefs and seeing this as an opportunity to learn, to understand someone else as someone else and loving them all the more? We can’t wait for violence to happen; we must seek out difference. We must dialogue in order to build understanding, build peace, and push out reasons for violence…If we continue focusing on violence as the most important area for peace building, then will we not simply be responders to conflict, stopping individual cycles of violence, but failing to address the wider picture? If youth, young women and men, continue focusing on violence, then who will hold the vision for the future? Undeniably, we must take care of the fighting that goes on day-to-day, but if these conflicts end, how will we handle peace?”

Christian Science Monitor: “Revolutions and wars don’t usually stop for religious holidays, but for Muslims caught up in the Arab Spring or the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, this year’s Ramadan may prove to be an exception. The Islamic holy month began this week, marking a time for Muslims to fast during the day; offer special prayers; purify themselves; and reach out to family, friends, and the poor with evening feasts. The event, which marks the revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad, is an opportunity to take a measure of the region’s recent upheavals and to test whether Islamic teachings offer any lessons on the role of nonviolence and democracy in the societies of the Middle East…After the toppling of dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, and with protests or fighting still going on in Libya, Syria, and Yemen, Muslims face a difficult challenge of faith this year. While the revolts were largely driven by secular groups, especially youth, seeking basic rights, they have also unleashed hard-core Islamic groups onto the scene. And during Ramadan, many more Muslims will attend services at mosques than usual, bringing more people together and possibly shifting the politics within each country. Islam will be much more on the Arab public’s mind in coming weeks…The freedom that many Arabs seek is first found in each person’s heart, and this year’s Ramadan – a time to find blessings – can act as a time to find that inner freedom.”

(*Image courtesy of Norman Sustainability Network website)

OU Daily:  “The store, located at 1918 W. Main St., has much to offer Norman residents, assistant store manager Mandy Mays said. “We offer a wide variety of gluten-free foods,” Mays said. “A lot of people are looking for those products now.” Natural Grocers offers a large selection of organic produce, Mays said. “Except now, everybody is buying them all,” Mays said with a laugh. In addition to produce and specialty foods, Natural Grocers offers customers an alternative to Norman water. The store has a filtered water machine that uses a five-part reverse osmosis process to filter out chemicals, Mays said. The water, priced at 25 cents per gallon, is the cheapest water in town, Mays said. Natural Grocers seeks to provide Norman residents with an education about healthy food and a healthy way of life, Mays said. The store will join Native Roots, The Earth and Forward Foods in the list of organic food stores in Norman.”

Smart Planet: “Over the past two years, I have become a much more discriminating shopper at my local grocery store, taking the time to peek at food and product labels and taking note of the organic labels scattered through the produce section. I figure I should try to practice what I preach. Apparently, more Americans are doing the same: a poll released this month by Thomson-Reuters-NPR suggests that close to 60 percent of shoppers will choose organically produced foods over “conventionally produced” foods if they have the option. The younger and more educated a survey respondent was, the more likely he or she was to gravitate to organic. There was decidedly less interest in organic in survey respondents who were more than 65 years old…The healthy eating advocacy campaigns spreading across the United States aren’t exactly the same as the organic movement, of course. But I do feel that the two are related, and both trends should be of acute interested to any businesses involved with food, including grocery stores, restaurants and giant food companies that are evaluating the long-term sustainability of certain ingredients choices…The healthy eating advocacy campaigns spreading across the United States aren’t exactly the same as the organic movement, of course. But I do feel that the two are related, and both trends should be of acute interested to any businesses involved with food, including grocery stores, restaurants and giant food companies that are evaluating the long-term sustainability of certain ingredients choices.”

Manuel Villacorta @ Huffington Post: “These days, one of the most surprising things I get asked about in relation to nutrition and health is whether or not to eat fruits and vegetables. It sounds crazy, I know, but with so much concern about pesticides and organics, a lot of people are confused and scared to eat the natural foods they need. Some of my clients feel it’s better to take supplements than to eat fruits and veggies because they are so scared of what chemicals may have been added to the crops…Finding pesticide-free non-organics is a great way to spend less money and enjoy natural produce. The only downside — if you consider it one — is that you have to eat seasonally, meaning you have to stop expecting ripe tomatoes and avocados in February in many parts of the country. In addition, many areas, urban and rural, have farmers markets. When organic or pesticide-free produce is a concern, direct communication with the farmer is often the best way to navigate your available selection.”

Norman Sustainability Network:  “As the local foods movement has sprouted nationwide, Oklahoma has seen increasing numbers of retailers selling locally produced food. With exciting enterprises like Native Roots Market, Urban Agrarian, increasing numbers of farmers markets and local restaurants like Ludivine, local food is available in more venues and delivered to the customer in more innovative and creative ways than ever before…When it comes to local foods, many people are familiar with the farmers who produce it and the restaurants and grocery stores that sell it.  Lesser known are the distributors which provide a crucial link between them…While the local foods movement has sprouted nationwide, Oklahoma in particular has been a leader in creating new models for distribution. Without access to distributors, “Oklahoma farmers were on their way to becoming extinct,” said Kara Joy McKee, general manager of the Oklahoma Food Co-op. “They couldn’t afford to compete for shelf space at super-sized grocery stores. Farmers market stands were often their only option.” Today, groups like Urban Agrarian and the Food Co-op are finding innovative ways to connect local farmers with restaurants, retailers, and consumers. Their success has led to these models being emulated across the United States and internationally.”

This week, NPR’s Claudio Sanchez aired a series on high school dropouts. Each story takes on one aspect of the “dropout crisis” currently facing the U.S. and examines it from the perspective of an individual who either is, was, or is at risk of becoming, a high school dropout. The stories are thus personal, heart-wrenching, and frankly, have a rather bleak outlook. One is left feeling overwhelmed by the complex interactions between social causes and consequences, the lack of structure and stability in many homes, and the strong cyclical momentum that so many cannot break free from. In an overview of the series, NPR provides these statistics: “Of all the problems this country faces in education, one of the most complicated, heart-wrenching and urgent is the dropout crisis. Nearly 1 million teenagers stop going to school every year. The impact of that decision is lifelong. And the statistics are stark:

• The unemployment rate for people without a high school diploma is nearly twice that of the general population.

• Over a lifetime, a high school dropout will earn $200,000 less than a high school graduate and almost $1 million less than a college graduate.

• Dropouts are more likely to commit crimes, abuse drugs and alcohol, become teenage parents, live in poverty and commit suicide.

• Dropouts cost federal and state governments hundreds of billions of dollars in lost earnings, welfare and medical costs, and billions more for dropouts who end up in prison.

NPR is looking at the dropout crisis through the stories of five people. Three dropped out of school years ago. They talk about why they left school, the forces in their lives that contributed to that decision and its impact in the years since. There are also profiles of two teenagers who are at risk of dropping out and the adults who are working hard to keep them in school.”

The featured stories of this series can be found below:

“Teens Fight to Succeed in Rural S.C. Community”

“Despite Interventions, No-Show Students Drop Out”

“A High School Drop-Out’s Midlife Hardships”

“Why Drop-Out Data Can Be So Unreliable”

“A Young Mom Resists a Cycle of Failure”

“From Drug Dealing to Diploma, a Teen’s Struggle”

Huffington Post: “States are bracing for plummeting high school graduation rates as districts nationwide dump flawed measurement formulas that often undercounted dropouts and produced inflated results. Education wonks long have suspected the statistics used by some people to determine how their neighborhood high school is faring – or even where to buy a house – can be figured using various formulas that produce wildly different results. Now, many states are facing a sobering reset: Some could see numbers fall by as many as 20 percentage points…Experts hope the changes will draw attention to the dropout issue and lead to resources being focused on the problem. That is happening in Kansas and other states, where officials are developing a system of early indicators to alert schools that a student is at risk. “We’re going to take an honest look in the mirror and see how real our graduation rate is and where we need to cut the dropout rate,” said former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, which has extensively studied the nation’s hodgepodge system of graduation rates. “You’ve got to know how deep the hole is in order to develop a strategy for getting out of it.”

Issue Brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education: “To increase the number of students who graduate from high school, the nation’s secondary schools must be dramatically improved. Although the investments made in the early grades are beginning to pay off, with higher student reading scores and a reduction in the achievement gap between white and minority students (U.S. Department of Education, 2005), too many of America’s high schools are still serving their students poorly. In a recent survey of high school dropouts, respondents indicated that they felt alienated at school and that no one even noticed if they failed to show up for class. High school dropouts also complained that school did not reflect real-world challenges. More than half of respondents said that the major reason for dropping out of high school was that they felt their classes were uninteresting and irrelevant (Bridgeland & di Iulio, 2006). Others leave because they are not doing well academically; only about 30 percent of high school students read proficiently, which generally means that as the material in their textbooks becomes increasingly challenging, they drop increasingly further behind. Whatever the causes, the nation can no longer afford to have a third of its students leaving school without a diploma. High schools must be improved to give all students the excellent education that will prepare them for college or work, and to be productive members of society.”

Essential Educator:  “While there is no single reason for why students drop out, research indicates that difficult transitions to high school, deficient basic skills, and a lack of engagement all serve as prominent barriers to graduation. Low attendance or a failing grade can identify future dropouts, and in some cases as early as sixth grade. Most dropouts are already on the path to failure in the middle grades and engage in behaviors that strongly correlate to dropping out in high school. Various researchers have identified low attendance or a failing grade as specific risk factors. Up to 40 percent of ninth-grade students in cities with the highest dropout rates repeat ninth grade; only 10 to 15 percent of those repeaters go on to graduate. Ninth grade serves as a bottleneck for many students who begin their first year only to find that their academic skills are insufficient for high school-level work. Over one third of all dropouts are lost in ninth grade. Academic success in ninth-grade coursework is highly predictive of eventual graduation; this is even more so than demographic characteristics or prior academic achievement. Unfortunately, many students are not given the extra support they need to make a successful transition to high school and are lost in ninth grade. The six million secondary students who comprise the lowest 25 percent of achievement are twenty times more likely to drop out of high school than students in the top-performing quartile. Among high school students whose test scores were in the top quartile of their senior class, less than one percent dropped out. Among the high school students whose test scores were in the bottom quartile of their senior class, twenty percent dropped out. Research shows that a lack of student engagement is predictive of dropping out even after controlling for academic achievement and student background. Both academic and social engagement are integral components of successfully navigating the education pipeline.”

The Debt Ceiling debate rages on in Washington and the public is now beginning to rage a bit as well. Frustration that Republicans and Democrats are unable to come to any sort of an agreement about managing the deficit has become the dominant theme of public discourse over the past several weeks, and increasingly so as the deadline looms closer. It doesn’t help that many view the Capitol Hill bickering largely as political posturing rather than genuine attempts at compromise. Let’s hear some more frustrated voices examine this topic:

Thomas Friedman @ New York Times: “There is only one thing worse than Republicans and Democrats failing to agree to lift the debt ceiling, and that is lifting the debt ceiling without a well-thought-out plan and with hasty cuts totaling trillions of dollars over a decade. What business do you know — that is still in business — that would operate this way: making massive long-term cuts, negotiated by exhausted executives, without any strategic plan? It certainly wouldn’t be a business you’d expect to thrive. Maybe you can grow without a plan. But if you cut without a plan, you will almost surely hit an artery or a bone that could really debilitate you. That, I fear, is where we are heading…Personally, I’ll support anyone with a real plan to cut spending, raise revenues and boost investment in the five pillars of our success — be they Democrats or Republicans. But if neither Republicans nor Democrats can see that we need a hybrid politics today — one that requires cutting, taxing and investing as part of a single nation-building strategy (phased in over time) — then I’ll hope for a third party that does get it and can take us where we need to go.”

Arianna Huffington @ Huffington Post:  “As I write, there is still no deal in the debt ceiling impasse between Congressional Republicans and the president, so we can’t say who “won.” But we can definitely say who lost: America. Even if we ultimately get the touted “Grand Bargain,” and even if it’s satisfying to both sides — the “Win-Win” Unicorn that Obama is always fantasizing about — it’s not going to be grand for anybody who correctly identifies unemployment and our economy’s anemic growth as the biggest crises we’re facing. Indeed, no version of the Grand Bargain we’ve heard so far will have any impact on the real problems that are affecting people’s lives right now, or even in the foreseeable future. After the champagne has been uncorked and lots of backs have been slapped in DC, the lives of regular Americans will not be better — indeed, they will almost certainly be worse. President Obama likes to say, as he did during his Twitter forum in early July, that “everything is on the table.” But that was never true, because jobs and growth never even made it close to the table.”

Former Congressmen Write Letter @ Politico: “We write today as former members of Congress; as Democrats and Republicans; as leaders in the business world and in the financial industry; as students of history, and – most of all – as concerned Americans. We have watched the debate over raising the debt ceiling become just another partisan political football. It appears that too many, in both parties, see this as just another election year issue…We understand that the realities of divided government in Washington means that no one party will get everything it wants in negotiations. Both sides need to recognize that any solution, by definition, will require bipartisan compromise…Congress has routinely voted to increase the debt ceiling and it is unthinkable that we would allow what has been a routine congressional action to jeopardize the foundation of our economy. This is not the first time our country has faced adversity. In the past, our truly great leaders have brought the American people together and built the political will necessary to find solutions to the serious challenges we faced. We urge you to forge a compromise necessary to avert an unprecedented fiscal and economic crisis.”

Sincerely,

Tom Davis (R-Va.)
Member of Congress 1995 – 2009

Martin Frost (D-Texas)
Member of Congress 1979 – 2005

Amo Houghton (R-N.Y.)
Member of Congress 1987-2005

John Tanner (D-Tenn.)
Member of Congress 1989 – 2011

Wendy Kaminer @ Atlantic: “Among the many lessons of the gratuitous debt crisis one seems obvious: divided government too easily devolves into dysfunctional government. So count me out of efforts to create a strong third party: I suspect that increasing the divisiveness — splintering Congress into three formal parties instead of two — would only increase the dysfunction. In fact, we already have, in effect, a third party president, as unresponsive to concerns of the democratic base as much as he’s at odds with Republicans; and you might attribute the 2010 right wing take-over of the House, and resultant dysfunction, partly to his failure to articulate and defend Democratic populism…But perhaps the greatest fallacy of the third party movement is the unspoken, perhaps unacknowledged, underlying assumption that members of a third party would be more informed, intelligent, and rational and less self-interested and demagogic than members of the first and second parties. What if the problem isn’t the two party system but the flawed human beings who would also participate, as voters and candidates, in a three party system? What if the problem, in part, is us?”

Play the above video for an animated map that shows the projected path of the unrelenting heat wave that has hovered over the United States for days and is expected to linger for several more at least. The heat has posed the greatest problems for the elderly, the poor, and the homeless. 22 people have died so far. Non-profits around the country are struggling to keep up with the rising demand for air-conditioners, fans, and providing cool places to go as the heat index continues to rise above 100 degrees.

NPR: “The eastern U.S. felt the full, blazing brunt Thursday of a heat wave that began in the Plains and has strained tempers and electricity grids from Tulsa to Boston amid record temperatures and stifling humidity. “So far this month we’ve seen more than 1,000 record highs set across the country,” National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro told NPR. “This is going to be one of the more significant heat waves in the last five years.”… At least 22 people have died so far from heat-related illnesses, officials said. The weather service said Thursday that 32 states and the District of Columbia were under either excessive-heat warnings or heat advisories as a result of a “heat dome” formed by a massive high-pressure area that has trapped and compressed hot, moist air beneath it. “That’s not unusual — what is unusual is the strength and duration of this one,” said Eli Jacks, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “What is really striking is the humidity; it is exceptionally high.”

Christian Science Monitor: “Johnson’s efforts are just one example of how cities from the Midwest to the Northeast are preparing to help some residents who are at the greatest risk from the heat wave. Many of the states in this region are experiencing heat indices – the summer equivalent of wind chill – above 100 degrees through the weekend. In Nashville, members of the Rescue Mission will be distributing tens of thousands of bottles of water as part of their “hot patrol.” Meanwhile in Boston, teams comprised of homeless outreach providers, church ministries, emergency-response officials, and police are sweeping areas where the homeless congregate to monitor the health of people on the street. The homeless can be particularly vulnerable to heat waves because they cannot easily take steps to protect themselves, such as staying in air-conditioned places, avoiding direct sun, and drinking plenty of water. Moreover, heat waves are often not perceived as being as dangerous as cold weather.”

Cincinnati.com: “Local nonprofits and social-service agencies are reporting long waiting lists this summer in their programs that provide air conditioners and fans to the needy and hope the public might help this week in light of the heat wave gripping the region. St. Vincent de Paul of Cincinnati has 150 Hamilton County residents on its waiting list for an air conditioner, said Executive Director Liz Carter. Her group has already distributed roughly 100 air conditioners and 600 fans to individuals and families in need this summer. “We have been collecting fans and air conditioners all summer but demand has been very high this year,” Carter said. “We have actually had to turn people away.”

Boing Boing:  “Minnesota is currently in the midst of (another) heat wave, with heat indexes pushing above 100 for several days in a row. This is, to say the least, not normal for us. On NPR this afternoon, meteorologist Paul Huttner said this is actually the worst heat wave Minnesota has experienced since people started keeping records*. Or, to quote my friend Jim, “I finally understand what that Nelly song was all about.” Wondering what’s going to happen in the Midwest over the next couple of days? The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has put together an animation showing how the current heat wave spread, and where it’s going next. Turns out, we can all blame Texas for this.”

Christian Science Monitor: “Forty-one states ban same-sex marriage. The DOMA repeal bill faces an uphill battle. Currently, 29 senators, including Feinstein, support the measure. Supporters include all 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 1996, when Congress passed DOMA, 14 senators voted against the law. The federal marriage law defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The restriction is applied for purposes of federal benefits such as Social Security, tax filing status, and inheritance taxes. It also applies to the employment benefits of all federal workers. Rick Jacobs, chairman of the gay rights group Courage Campaign, said the effort has made “huge progress,” though he declined to predict when the repeal law might pass. “There is a sea change occurring,” he said. Also speaking at the National Press Club were three gay couples who described their struggles under the federal marriage law.”

Politico: “The White House on Tuesday publicly supported a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which the Obama administration has opposed. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled Wednesday to hear testimony about the marriage legislation, the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “The president has long called for the legislative repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters. “He is proud to support the Respect for Marriage Act.” The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s biggest gay advocacy group, immediately thanked Obama for his support. “By supporting this legislation, the President continues to demonstrate his commitment to ending federal discrimination against tens of thousands of lawfully married same-sex couples,” the group’s president, Joe Solmonese, said in the statement. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that he celebrates Obama’s position and appreciated the show of support before Wednesday’s hearing. Obama has said he supports efforts to repeal DOMA, calling it a “discriminatory” law that violates the Constitution. “It’s time for us to bring it to an end,” he said at a reception for LGBT pride month in June. He has yet to publicly support gay marriage.”

Andrew Cohen @ The Atlantic: “Sure, public opinion polls show support for gay marriage strong and growing stronger. Yes, the White House has again come out in favor of the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. It’s true, the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday holds a hearing titled “Assessing the Impact of DOMA on American families.” Indeed, the end seems near for the beleaguered Clinton-era statute. But let’s make sure we give credit for its looming downfall where credit is due. One man started this ball rolling down the hill. His name is Joe Tauro. As in United States District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro, one of the most revered federal trial judge in the long, rich history of Massachusetts’ jurists. Last July, a mere 53 weeks ago, he struck down the DOMA with a vivid opinion that simply vitiated the rationale for the law. We wouldn’t be where we are today on the Defense of Marriage Act — the White House backing away from it in court, opponents receding into the background, the Congress on the prowl – if Judge Tauro had not issued that ruling last July. Or if he had authored a ruling that was less unequivocal than the one he issued. For he didn’t just strike down the DOMA. He eviscerated it. And in so doing gave legal and political cover for all that has come since. No “fairly conceivable set of facts,” Judge Tauro wrote back then, could justify the disciminatory provisions of the DOMA. It didn’t just violate the Constitution, he wrote, it violated it even under the least restrictive constitutional  test.  Strong words from a federal trial judge. But then, Judge Tauro is no ordinary judge. He’s got chops, you might say, and many admirers among his colleagues on the federal bench.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) @ Huffington Post: “This year, we have seen historic progress for LGBT rights, in particular on marriage equality, at both the state and federal levels. Most recently, of course, I was thrilled when my home state of New York passed marriage equality. The law goes into effect on Sunday and I can’t wait to see the images of so many loving couples lining up for marriage licenses. I also look forward to attending some of my good friends’ weddings this year! In addition to New York’s historic victory, we’re making significant progress at the federal level as well. Back in March, you’ll recall the Obama Administration took the unprecedented step of announcing it would cease to defend the constitutionality of The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA.) This discriminatory law prohibits the federal recognition of legal same-sex marriages all over the country and prevents loving same-sex couples from enjoying over 1,100 rights and privileges afforded to married straight couples by the federal government. Then, this past April, I was proud to join Senator Feinstein, Senator Leahy and several other of my colleagues in introducing the Respect For Marriage Act. This bill will repeal DOMA and require the US government to treat all legally married couples equally under the law.”

Cecilia Hanley @ WSFA:  “A sociology professor in South Carolina has seen that same reaction in one of his classes. “They take ownership (of Harry Potter); it’s their series. It defines their generation,” says Kyle Longest, PhD., who teaches in the sociology department at Furman University in Greenville, SC. Longest taught a three-week summer school course last month called “Muggles and Mudbloods: The Sociology of Harry Potter.” In this school of about 2,600 students, about 80  signed up for the course, with 60 admitted. To ensure that he had only the truest devotees, he administered his own version of an O.W.L. – an Ordinary Wizarding Level exam – to make sure students had read the books before taking the class. The course addressed racism, classism, sexism, and how the books did or did not address these and other issues. Longest believes young readers, especially those who grew up with Harry, can identify with the different characters because each one presents an archetype – a rich, entitled kid (Malfoy), a nerdy outcast (Neville) – and this keeps them involved in the story…Reading the Harry Potter series often was a bonding experience between parents and children, appealing to both groups because the books walk the line between real world issues and fantasy. The books are written so that kids can relate to the characters, said Longest, and the fantasy isn’t so out there that the books drive parents away.”

Emily McFadden @ The Daily of UW: “Now, as we look forward to the premier of the first installment of the seventh and final movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” it’s time to look back and ask why this series has become such an important and culture-altering part of our generation. Why has this bespectacled boy in particular cast such a wide spell?…Undeniably, Harry Potter has crept into pop culture more than any fictional character before. While it’s true that some people hate Harry Potter — we can’t forget the preachers denouncing the series for promoting witchcraft and the occult — for the most part, members of our generation look back fondly on this young wizard and his motley band of friends. Fads are usually unexplainable and unrepeatable, but Harry Potter has proved its staying power. Why? Instead of seeing the books as simply a battle of good against evil — because that isn’t Rowling’s most powerful story — look at the books as an explanation of Harry’s strength and Voldemort’s weakness. This series deals with much more than universal themes and politics. The relationships built throughout the books — between characters and readers alike — are the focal point for its popularity. It all comes down to community, the strength attributed to friendship and the ability to love. Instead of the cliche-ridden novels that seem to come to the forefront of young-adult fiction, the Harry Potter series is full of the strong, relevant relationships that everyone craves but that are sometimes difficult to actually partake in. These relationships appeal to children and adults, and that is why the series has made such a deep impression on so many readers.”

New York Times Movie Review: “Childhood ends, this time forever, with tears and howls, swirls of smoke, the shock of mortality and bittersweet smiles in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” the grave, deeply satisfying final movie in the series. A pop cultural happening extraordinaire, the Potter movies took uncertain flight in 2001 with Harry, then an orphan of 11, home alone with his grotesquely unloving relatives. Times were grim, at least off screen — the first opened in November of that year — but Chris Columbus’s directorial touch was insistently light as Harry was initiated into a world alive with odd doings, strange creatures and the evil that would almost consume it…Fans of the books know how it turns out, and moviegoers can guess. Meanwhile this declaration, especially given the casualties to come, may fill you with feeling and also make you cry. I did, partly because it’s been unexpectedly moving growing older with these characters and actors perhaps simply because it’s invariably poignant watching children become adults. However uneven they were at the start, the three young leads were irresistible simply because they were so young, unformed and vulnerable (like their characters). Ms. Watson was the most assured, while Mr. Grint was the natural (and still is). Mr. Radcliffe, button cute, capable, opaque, was tougher to warm up to. But it’s pointless to think of anyone else. He became Harry, Harry is him, and Mr. Radcliffe’s depthless quality now seems right for a character who, in the books and movies, was never as interesting as the magical world he revealed to us.”

NPR:  “After 1,178 minutes of total screen time, the Harry Potter film series has finally ended. The release of the last Harry Potter film is a bittersweet finale not just for fans, but also for the Hollywood film industry and other players in the multibillion-dollar business empire built upon J.K. Rowling’s popular book series. The end began last November with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Now that Warner Bros. Pictures has finally released Part 2, the studio may be entering dark times. It’s losing a major film franchise that has brought in more than $6 billion…Of course, apart from the movies, there are ongoing Harry Potter enterprises in place. There’s the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Fla., and Pottermore, an online community that will open to the public this fall…If those kids keep buying all things Potter — books, movies, and whatever else they come up with — Harry could go from the “Boy Who Lived” to the “Boy Who Lived Forever.”

Whether it’s a ten dollar donation from 1,000 miles away, direct rescue efforts, or participation in rebuilding initiatives, the best and most altruistic aspects of humanity seem to emerge when they are needed most. The examples are countless, but today we offer a very brief survey of circumstances which illustrate this phenomenon. Humanity no doubt has a great capacity for destruction– but perhaps an even greater capacity for standing together to overcome hardship and devastation.

Christian Science Monitor: Tornado-whipped Joplin is barely done with the rescue-and-relief stages of its giant tragedy. But that Missouri city, which lost about a third of its buildings, even now can start to apply this lesson from a few other places ripped by natural disasters: Rebuilding can also mean reinventing…In post-Katrina New Orleans, the hurricane’s destruction was used as an opportunity to revamp public education and rid the city of poor schools; more than half of students now attend charter schools and test scores are rising. And new types of inexpensive houses – called “Katrina cottages” – were invented while a push began to rehabilitate historic structures in sustainable ways. Special housing was provided for musicians as a way to retain the city’s cultural legacy…Such a vision isn’t always easy in the aftermath of a disaster when simple things like housing the homeless or clearing the clutter of debris seem overwhelming. But communities that pull together for recovery can also come together to rethink their basic ways of doing things, drawing on resources they couldn’t imagine.”

Christian Science Monitor: Greensburg, Kansas– “Today, the hospital is gone. So are the red brick high school, the single-screen movie theater, the soda shop, City Hall, the county courthouse. Like 95 percent of this little town on the prairies of southwest Kansas, they were destroyed by a tornado that struck a year ago Sunday…On the first anniversary of the storm, President Bush returned to Greensburg to celebrate its “year-long journey from tragedy to triumph” as exemplified by the stubborn determination of a town full of Alvin Hewitts: hundreds of people who refused to simply salvage what they could and then drive away from the rubble. By the estimate of state Democratic House leader Dennis McKinney, at least half of the 1,400 residents remained. They are rebuilding the town, turning the town green – figuratively and literally…The goal is to rebuild every public structure to the highest standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program. If successful, Greensburg will be the first US town to achieve the “platinum” level in the building industry program.”

NPR: “Aldrich’s findings show that ambulances and firetrucks and government aid are not the principal ways most people survive during — and recover after — a disaster. His data suggest that while official help is useful — in clearing the water and getting the power back on in a place such as New Orleans after Katrina, for example — government interventions cannot bring neighborhoods back, and most emergency responders take far too long to get to the scene of a disaster to save many lives. Rather, it is the personal ties among members of a community that determine survival during a disaster, and recovery in its aftermath…Because of his research, when a powerful earthquake struck Japan this March, Aldrich was certain that good neighbors would play a decisive role. Michinori Watanabe of Miyagi prefecture, about 100 miles from Fukushima in northern Japan, said the same thing…Not only did no professionals come to help Watanabe those first few minutes, there was no sign of them the first day. Watanabe emptied his house of water and blankets and started helping neighbors who were homeless and shivering. They were still without help days later. And Watanabe did what good neighbors do when friends are in trouble: He improvised…It’s this passion for a local community and granular knowledge about who needs what that makes large-scale government interventions ineffective by comparison. It’s even true when it comes to long-term recovery.”

Greater Good: “Almost as quickly as hurricane  Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, commentators offered their interpretations of what the hurricane revealed about American society. In the confusion and chaos that enveloped New Orleans after the hurricane, some saw a breakdown of civil society—evidence that we’re no longer bound by strong social norms or even basic codes of decency. Others pointed to the outpouring of charitable donations for Katrina evacuees as a testament to Americans’ generosity toward the less fortunate. No matter what conclusions they reach, the American public has viewed Katrina as an opportunity to reflect on the strength of its social bonds and sense of national solidarity. This conversation echoes the one that took place after September 11.”