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Rebecca St. James Talks About Something Else
- Dan Ewald Contributing Writer
- 2003 23 Jun
Rebecca St. James is the face for sexual purity for Australia, Europe and the United States, having written a song and book titled "Wait for Me." She was named one of the Top 50 "Up-and-Coming Evangelical Leaders under the Age of 40." She was invited to be part of The Presidential Prayer Team. This is basically a Christian parent's greatest success story. But is she too good to be true?
"There is something unreal about her and her unshakable self-confidence," said a reporter for Details back in 1996. "She seems to be able to talk of nothing without relating it to God."
Her zeal is certainly confusing to non-believers; yet to some of her fans, St. James is the next best thing to Mary.
"People look at her as if she has all the answers and is Miss Perfect," says Rachael Lampa, fellow performer on the "Wait for Me" tour. "And I couldn't speak more highly of her. I've never, ever doubted her sincerity."
Even when her life seems sacrosanct, St. James is quick to point out her insecurities. "I'm very careful about my image," she says. "I had an outfit I was wearing onstage in Australia that somebody wrote me a letter about afterward and criticized. I had on a belt around my hips, and this person felt that [I] was a bit provocative. Stuff like that gets to me because I'm so keen on living up to the standard of purity in every way."
And being the poster girl for virginity is like a magnet to earnest, young (and not-so-young) male concert-goers. "I had a guy in his late 30s approach me the other day and ask if he could speak to me after the concert," she recalls. "He pretty much told me that he listened to my song 'Wait for Me' and thought it was for him. I felt really bad for the guy, but I shared that God hadn't shown me that he was 'the one.'" She sympathizes: "I think it's just because of the music. They feel like they know me, but they don't understand I don't know them from Adam."
St. James has been touring consistently since 1995, playing more than 200 dates a year, and life on the road is starting to show its wear. In this conversation, St. James is occasionally animated with the fervor of a traveling evangelist, but at times her voice contains the weariness of a missionary home on furlough.
Your life is so far from what the rest of us call "normal."
That's one reason I've been so grateful that my family is a part of what I do. They bring a sense of perspective to my life. But I look forward to being more "normal" again one day, when I can enjoy coming home to my own bed at night and cleaning the house. I crave some of those normal things.
How do you develop everyday, practical skills that many of us take for granted?
I have started cooking on the road. I mean, I knew somewhat how to cook basic things, but I really wanted to learn how to cook from recipes and things like that. I always thought I'd have to wait until I was off the road to learn, but I just figured out recently that you can buy toaster ovens and skillets and can cook on the bus. The other day I cooked a nectar and puff pastry tart, and yesterday I cooked this Korean-based barbecue. Now my band is making jokes that we should start selling pastries at the merchandise table!
Do you still have an apartment in Nashville?
I used to have a little apartment, but I don't have that anymore. It was crazy. I was paying this full-on rent, and it wasn't going anywhere. I wasn't investing in anything, and I was gone all the time. Now I have a big, old farmhouse. My parents pay for half, and I pay for half. We're hardly there so it feels a bit like a hotel.
What is your most artistic accomplishment?
On my "Transform" CD, I did a little bit of opera singing on backgrounds on "For the Love of God." On the "God" album, we really tried a whole bunch of different things. We would angle the microphone into a glass in the studio, and then I would put my face against the glass and sing. I think that was for background vocals on one of the songs like "Carry Me High." We tried some wacky stuff.
Speaking of your biggest-selling record, "God" (which went gold), you were accused of ripping off Alanis Morissette's sound and look. What's your perspective on that now?
I was only aware of it once people started saying it. I probably listened to one or two of [Morissette's] songs. I didn't have the CD. One of the people I was working with did play me something just to say, "Hey, check this out. This girl sounds really cool." I had long, curly, brown hair like Alanis, and my music was passionate and aggressive. It wasn't my objective to try and copy her, [but] there was one song — "You're the Voice" — that now, looking back, I can really hear it.
Any song you'd rather not have to sing again?
Well, I don't sing it anymore but the song "Pray," actually. That album was a hard album for me. It was a painful season in my life, mainly because of friendships that were really hard at the time. One of my friends was going through this horrible season, and she was blaming me, turning against me. It was weird. That whole album was written out of pain. Every time I think of that song and that album, I think of the hard time that goes along with it.
Do people expect you to have all the answers?
Yeah, pretty much. [Sighs] Years ago on a live radio show, I got asked, "What do you believe about once saved/always saved?" I just said, "Maybe we can talk about that after the radio show. I think it would be more divisive than good to talk about it on the show right now." [Laughs] I was like 17 or 18 at the time.
What are the challenges of being in the public eye?
The one thing about the spotlight is that it almost encourages you to be fake. You do feel expectations to be a certain way. If I'm hanging out backstage with people who have helped promote the gig or even kids of people who are working at the concert, and I'm not friendly, that's the one memory they're going to have of me. I think there's almost more pressure on someone to be fake in the spotlight than anywhere else. I'm extremely committed to being the same onstage and off. That whole thing about being real — that's something I work on.
Such is life as a role model.
To be honest, I find that constant pressure to be "on" spiritually, emotionally, physically is a big, massive drain. I've shed a lot of tears about that because I feel so weak. The road often taxes you in all those ways. I get really tired sometimes and feel like I can't keep doing this much longer. But in those times, God encourages me somehow … encouraging me to keep on and to focus my eyes on Him.
You've talked about the difficulties of being a young woman in leadership. Is there anything particular to the female sex that makes leadership challenging?
There are different emotional things that we go through — even each month, if you want to really get to the basics [both of us laughing] that kind of encourage women to find it specifically hard. We're wired differently. We are more emotional creatures generally, not always. I think things that would be water off a duck's back to men sometimes, women feel more deeply.
Your life, in many ways, sounds rewarding yet exhausting.
I've struggled, especially this past year and a half with feeling tired. I had a sabbatical last year and felt led to write out my vision, my mission, my purpose and my calling. They sound similar, but they're actually very different. I wrote out what all those things mean to me, and when I got to my mission, I couldn't come up with a pat answer. I didn't feel like I was on a mission daily.
An extra "meet and greet" before the show, an interview with a newspaper that I didn't know about or any time something extra would come up last minute, I would feel like, "Oh gosh, this is the last straw. This is too much." The biggest thing I find really hard is keeping everything in balance. But God has really brought me back to my sense of mission. I had to come back to: "You know what? My life won't always be taxing in this particular way, but this is the part of the mission God has called me to."
Used by permission. CCM Magazine © 2003 Click here to subscribe.

subset: commoncrawl


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Put down that leaked Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim manual! And watch this clip.
This clip is from the folks responsible for June's live-action Gears of War 3 fan trailer.
Fan film director Blake Armstrong and his crew at Try Force Productions turned their attention to the upcoming Skyrim via a live-action trailer, which they churned out in a week.
"The budget consisted of lunch and fake blood," Armstory told Kotaku. "Nothing more." The cast and crew were entirely volunteer. "Lining up everyone's schedule was difficult, but absolutely worth it," added Armstrong.
Next up, Armstrong and co. are thinking about a BioShock 3 trailer. I'm thinking about how the folks in this Skyrim trailer have fancy costumes. I wish I had a fancy costume.
Skyrim Trailer Fan Made Live Action [YouTube]
You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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Parents needed just four more months before they could get their daughter back
Adan Salazar
Prison Planet.com
August 5, 2013
Update: Child Killed Because Parents Smoked Pot Handed Over to Convicted Pot Dealer
The Texas division of Child Protective Services may be ultimately to blame for a child's death this past week after the child was taken from her parents because they smoked pot and put in foster care with the woman that would eventually end up killing her.
Round Rock, Texas resident Joshua Hill received an urgent call last Monday, July 29 requesting he rush to the Scott and White Children's Emergency Hospital in Temple, about an hour north of Round Rock. Hill was only told it concerned his daughter, and was kept in the dark as to exactly what to expect.
"They wouldn't tell me what condition she was in or what was wrong or what had happened. The only thing they would tell me is I needed to be there. When I got there, I found out that Alex was in a coma," Hill told Austin ABC affiliate KVUE News.
When Hill arrived, he discovered his daughter was on life support, bruised and with head injuries.
Hill's two-year-old daughter Alex, short for Alexandria, was removed from her parent's home last November for "neglectful supervision" following her parents' admission that they smoked pot after she was put to bed, reported KVUE.
"We never hurt our daughter. She was never sick, she was never in the hospital, and she never had any issues until she went into state care," Hill told KVUE.
The first home Alex was placed in was a dangerous one, according to her father. "She would come to visitation with bruises on her, and mold and mildew in her bag. It got to a point where I actually told CPS that they would have to have me arrested because I wouldn't let her go back."She was next passed to the home of Texas MENTOR Sherill Small in Rockdale where she stayed up until her untimely demise. Hill says he visited her several times and that the home seemed much better than the last, his most recent visit being Thursday, July 25 when he got to take his daughter to McDonald's.
"She got a little 'Despicable Me 2' toy in her happy meal and she loved it. She kept climbing up in my lap and she fed me french fries," Hill recounted.
There was no warning that mere days later his daughter would be airlifted to the hospital where she would later die. An autopsy performed Friday found Alex died from blunt force trauma to the head.
According to KVUE, Hill needed just four more months before he could get his daughter back.
Texas CPS spokesperson Julie Moody says the agency is "still devastated," but can in no way be held responsible as it was the Texas MENTOR program's job to fully vet the foster parents.
"Texas MENTOR is responsible for doing their due diligence," Moody explained.
The Texas MENTOR program is actually a subsidiary of The Mentor Network, a national web of service providers soliciting "Therapeutic Foster Care" in more than 33 states. On its website, it states that "Just about anyone" can be a mentor.
On Friday, the Texas MENTOR program came out with a statement offering their condolences for Alex's passing, ensuring the foster mother met mentor standards and asserting their commitment to assist law enforcement.
"[…] The on-going law enforcement investigation and privacy laws, as well as the fact that our own internal review is not complete, limit our ability to provide some of the specific information requested. However, we can inform you that Sherill Small and her husband met the requirements to foster children, including background checks in accordance with state regulation (Texas Department of Public Safety criminal history database check, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Central Registry abuse/neglect database, Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) criminal history and federal Office of Inspector General exclusion check)…"
KVUE News found state records "show 15 total deficiencies for the Austin branch of that agency over the past two years," the branch that most likely acquired Small as a foster parent. They also found that four of those 15 times were for failure to perform proper background checks.
While Small is being held on a $100,000 bond and is being charged with murder, proper light need also be shed on Texas CPS's initial decision to take Alexandria from what seemed like harmless, loving parents.
The media is quick to lay the blame on the murderous foster parent and the agency that provided her – and rightfully so – but the system that stole Alexandria from her parents in the first place should also be scrutinized.
The ruthless system that can legally kidnap children from their parents, literally tearing families apart, for such trivial crimes as smoking pot is indeed an authoritarian one.
Some blame stringent drug laws for Alex's unfortunate tragedy, but the true culprit may ultimately be the CPS system that facilitated her abduction.
A similar CPS debacle happened in 2004 when Tausha Cram's daughter, Adrianna Romero Cram, was taken from her after anonymous tips complained she was unfit for parenting and using drugs. In 2004 Adrianna, under the protective custody of the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), was sent to Omealca, Veracruz, a village in southern Mexico, to live with her biological father's family.
The teachers and principal at Adrianna's new school began noticing she was losing weight and arriving with multiple cuts, bruises and burns, including one she said was derived from her foster parents placing her hands over a stove. On June 13, 2005, she died. Initial reports to DHS stated she had died of natural causes, but her foster parents were eventually convicted of murder. Oregon's DHS announced in March 2009 they'd stop sending foster children to other countries.
This should be a red flag warning to parents that the state's power has risen to the point that it can arbitrarily snatch children for petty, non-violent crimes and wash its hands clean of liability if that child dies while in its "protective" custody.
Infowars contacted CPS spokesperson Julie Moody who directed us to the Williamson County Court. We will update this article soon.
View Alex's analysis of CPS's seemingly omnipotent power to authorize parenthood:
This article was posted: Monday, August 5, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Tags: domestic news


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Mets, WFAN parting ways after season
NEW YORK -- The Mets will cease broadcasting games on WFAN after this season, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon confirmed Tuesday, calling it "fairly accurate" that the Mets and WFAN will break their relationship, which has lasted more than a quarter-century. WFAN has owned the franchise's radio rights since the station's launch in 1987.
Wilpon acknowledged that the Mets expect to cut ties with the station. Newsday reported that ESPN radio and Clear Channel Communications (WOR) are possible landing spots for the Mets.
"There's nothing definitive yet, but it's fairly accurate," Wilpon said during a visit to an New York firehouse Tuesday, adding that he expects a resolution in approximately six weeks. "Right now we're still negotiating with numerous parties about what we're going to do with our radio rights."
One of the nation's sports talk radio pioneers, WFAN has broadcast Mets games for 27 seasons, with play-by-play man Howie Rose calling the games for the vast majority of that time. Color commentator Josh Lewin joined the broadcast team prior to last season.
"It's not a surprise at all," Wilpon said of the Mets' forthcoming split with their longtime flagship station. "We've been working on things for quite a while."


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Next: ax_cxx_partial_ordering, Previous: ax_cxx_new_for_scoping, Up: The Macros
If the compiler accepts the old for scoping rules (the scope of a variable declared inside the parentheses extends outside the for-body), define HAVE_OLD_FOR_SCOPING. Note that some compilers (notably g++ and egcs) support both new and old rules since they accept the old rules and only generate a warning.
Download the latest version of ax_cxx_old_for_scoping.m4 or browse the macro's revision history.
Copyright © 2008 Todd Veldhuizen
Copyright © 2008 Luc Maisonobe firstname.lastname@example.com
Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright notice and this notice are preserved. This file is offered as-is, without any warranty.


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3 more candidate(s) also applied for this job.
Posted on - 15/10/2020
AYTB is a fully integrated organization providing its clients industrial, technical and logistical support services. Our engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication, operations, maintenance and industrial cleaning as well as facility management, catering and accommodation services are offered to the oil & gas, petrochemical, power generation and other major industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.


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|Country Of origin:
|United States of America
A classically trained opera singer and a former opening act for Chuck Berry, with influences ranging from Little Richard to PJ Harvey, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alex Winston isn't the easiest artist to pigeonhole. Born and raised in Detroit, MI, Winston was encouraged by her parents to pursue her musical ambitions. At age seven, she began listening to Carole King and Laura Nyro while playing the guitar with her father in the basement of their home, and her mother once snuck her out of school to visit the Motown museum. After moving to New York, she began performing at various clubs, supported Ted Nugent on his U.S. tour, and teamed up with Chris and Drew Peters (Black Eyed Peas) for her debut EP, By the Roots in 2007. She has since released several EPs including 2010's The Basement Covers, a collection of interpretations of tracks by Mumford and Sons, the Rolling Stones, and Jack Peñate, and 2011's Sister Wife, produced by the Knocks (Ellie Goulding). Winston delivered the full-length King Con in 2012. ~ Jon O'Brien~ Rovi


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Lawmakers aim to fix state pension funds
Lawmakers say this is a critical year when it comes to fixing the state's pension funds that about 150,000 New Mexicans rely on for their retirement.
The funds are in bad shape, mostly because of the economy. That's why legislators say they must take drastic action this session.
"We should be very concerned. We are $12 billion in the hole. It is an emergency," said Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, who has been working on fixing the problem for years. "Every year we don't change this problem, fix the issue, it gets worse."
For months, lawmakers have been working with members of the retirement fund boards, including the ERB for educators and PERA for all other city, county and state workers.
They've come up with a plan they think will work and balance their funds in the next 30 years.
The proposed solution includes:
- Teachers and educators making less than $20,000 will pay more into their own retirement funds, increasing the amount from 9.4 percent to 10.7 percent.
- New education hires after July 1, 2013 would have to wait until 55 years old to get benefits. Right now, there's no age requirement.
- New education hires will also have to wait two more years, until they are 67 years old, to receive cost of living increases to their retirement benefits.
- All other past and present public employees would see a 2 percent cost of living raise instead of 3 percent. Also, that cost of living increase wouldn't kick in for seven years after retirement. Right now, it's only two years.
- New hires could be seeing less in their pensions and they may need to work more years.
The bills outlining those ideas are working their way through the committee process.
Thousands of past and present public workers are keeping a close eye on the bills. Many employees said they may retire earlier than they planned if the benefits are going to be less favorable if they stay on the job.


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Jim Pyers' welcome to the world of public financial management was hardly a warm one. After just a year on the job as finance director for the city of Wooster, Ohio, he was called into the state auditor's office and dressed down for having one of the worst sets of books of any city in the state. " 'Dressed down' is putting it mildly," laughs Pyers. "I was told what my duties were and I was informed that I was not performing those duties."
Although getting scorched early in his incipient efforts to straighten out an inherited accounting mess wasn't a lot of fun, it didn't exactly faze the rookie financial manager. "It made me even more determined to run the office as professionally as I possibly could," Pyers says.
Which is what the 51-year-old finance director has been doing ever since. In fact, the visit to the state auditor's woodshed was pretty much the last time in his 25 years as Wooster's finance director that Pyers would be dressed down for anything. In the intervening years, he has developed a national reputation as one of the most forward-thinking, activist and effective municipal money managers anywhere in the country—a position that hasn't always made him popular.
Most notably, Pyers has pushed Wooster way out in front in adopting the Governmental Accounting Standards Board's recent overhaul of financial accounting and reporting practices. GASB, which sets financial accounting and reporting rules for state and local governments, has developed guidelines aimed at making government financial reports both more reflective of actual overall fiscal health and easier for non-accountants to understand. In supporting the new standards, Pyers has embraced new accounting rules that call for much tighter monitoring and reporting of the cost of the upkeep—or neglect—of infrastructure, a position that has put Pyers at odds with most of his colleagues around the country. Indeed, Pyers' position is so lonely that Wooster will be in compliance with the new GASB rules four years ahead of just about everybody else.
"He's always doing things before we require them," says Jay Fountain, director of research for GASB. And Pyers is always willing to lend a hand, says Fountain, adding that Pyers is a regular on GASB task forces looking into various areas of public accounting practice. A member of the governing board of the Government Finance Officers Association, Pyers has been an activist at the state level, as well. He was instrumental in starting a statewide association of municipal financial managers—a move that got him tossed out as a member of the state municipal league's board. Local elected officials, it turned out, were not enthusiastic about such a show of independence on the part of their hired money managers.
If Pyers' zeal on the national and state accounting front has occasionally made him less than popular, his drive toward greater fiscal responsibility and accountability is sometimes nettling on the home front, too. "I can't say that he's not difficult to deal with sometimes," says Wooster Mayor James A. Howey, who was head of the city's department of public works when he first got to know Pyers and his penchant for keeping everyone on the fiscal straight and narrow. "He'll insist on encumbering money in your budget because of GASB rules, and that can be tough to take. But the fact is, he keeps us on a very good, very honest financial path."
And when Pyers' name is invoked by the current state auditor, it isn't for messy books. "Whenever I'm at conferences of financial managers," says Ohio Auditor Jim Petro, "I refer to Jim Pyers as the premier municipal financial director in the state."
— Jonathan Walters
Photo by Bruce Zake


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Finding Economics Resources on the Web
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For a quick tutorial on how to find and evaluate web resources for teaching, learning and research in economics, try the Internet Economist.
Econometric Links
This site is connected with the Econometrics Journal, which is run by the Royal Economic Society and is based at Free University, Amsterdam. This is an extensive annotated site, updated monthly. It is divided into sections, among which are: general collections and preprint sites, departments and societies, software links, books, conferences, journals and mailing lists. The alphabetic list of econometrics journals is very extensive, and provides information about what is contained on the journal site (abstracts/full-text).
Econometrics Resources on the Internet
A site designed to accompany an econometrics textbook. It contains annotated links to econometrics resources for both students and researchers, including links to data sources, economic associations, economic journals, datasets, government sites, newsgroups and software.
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Resources for Economists on the Internet
The Resources For Economists site is edited by Bill Goffe, of the Department of Economics, SUNY Oswego. It is sponsored by the American Economic Association and lists more than 2,000 resources in nearly 100 sections. The list is updated on a monthly basis. Items are broadly organised by type, such as data, mailing lists, internet guides, scholarly communication, teaching resources etc.The site is searchable and browsable by section - best accessed via the abridged table of contents. All resources have a line or two of description, with a link to the site or a slightly longer description.
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Debtors prisons were outlawed in the United States nearly 200 years ago. And more than 30 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear: Judges cannot send people to jail just because they are too poor to pay their court fines.
That decision came in a 1983 case called Bearden v. Georgia, which held that a judge must first consider whether the defendant has the ability to pay but "willfully" refuses.
However, the Supreme Court didn't tell courts how to determine what it means to "willfully" not pay. So it's left to judges to make the sometimes difficult calculations.
An NPR news investigation has found there are wide discrepancies in how judges make those decisions. And every day, people go to jail because they failed to pay their court debts.
In Benton County, Wash., for example, jail records obtained by NPR and sampled over a four-month period in 2013 show that on a typical day, a quarter of the people who were in jail for misdemeanor offenses were there because they had failed to pay their court fines and fees.
Judges say it's difficult to determine who can and cannot afford to pay their fines and fees. Often a probation officer or a court official will make a recommendation based on an interview with the defendant or based on a questionnaire.
Some judges will tell an offender to give up their phone service, or quit smoking cigarettes — and use the money instead to pay court debt.
Some judges will tell people to get the money from family members or to use Temporary Aid to Needy Family checks, Social Security disability income, veterans' benefits or other welfare checks to pay their court fees first — or else face going to jail.
And some defendants simply ignore the court and refuse to make any payment.
Judge Robert Swisher, a Superior Court judge in Benton County, says he'll make judgments based on how people present themselves in court.
"They come in wearing expensive jackets," he says referring to defendants who wear NFL football team jackets, "or maybe a thousand dollars' worth of tattoos on their arms. And they say, 'I'm just living on handouts.' "
If the jacket or tattoos were a gift, he tells the defendants they should have asked the giver for the cash to pay their court fees instead.
Attorneys who defend poor clients say the Supreme Court's Bearden decision requires courts to more formally consider a defendant's ability to pay. But they say it almost never happens. Defendants don't know their right to ask for a hearing and, for judges, those could clog up the court schedule.
"It's not that it's wrong to charge people money as a way to punish them," says Miriam Aukerman, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. "But there have to be alternatives for people who can't pay. And that alternative cannot be: incarceration if you're poor, payment if you're rich."
She faults judges for not doing enough to find alternatives to fees for impoverished defendants, such as assigning more community service or even waiving some fines and fees.
NPR surveyed laws in 50 states and the District of Columbia and found that defendants get charged for a long list of government services that were once free — including ones that are constitutionally required.
In at least 41 states, inmates can be charged room and board for jail and prison stays; in at least 44 states, offenders can get billed for their own probation and parole supervision; and in 49 states, there's a fee for the electronic bracelet that monitors people when they're out of jail.
The survey also found, with the help of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, that in least 43 states, defendants can be billed for a public defender.
Those fees often add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
When people struggle to pay those fees, they have violated probation and can go to jail. The practice is called "pay or stay" — pay the fine or stay in jail.
Stephen Papa's Case
Recent cases like what happened to Stephen Papa and Kyle Dewitt, however, illustrate how the Supreme Court's decision in Bearden may not be as effective as the high court's intentions.
Papa admits he was wrong that day last August in Grand Rapids, Mich., when he and some friends spent the day drinking, and then climbed to the roof of an abandoned building. They were arrested, and Papa was later sentenced to 22 days in jail — not for what he did that day, but because he couldn't pay his fines.
Papa was a homeless veteran of the Iraq War, who was living on friends' couches.
When he appeared in court the month after his arrest, the judge expected him to pay an installment on the $2,600 he owed in restitution, fines and court fees. The judge wanted $50, but Papa had only brought $25 to court that day.
Papa says he tried to raise the money by doing chores. He was able to build a shed for a friend's grandparents. But the judge in Grand Rapids District Court said he could have tried harder, and made money by collecting cans or cutting grass.
Before Papa walked into court that morning, things were starting to get better for him. Just the week before, he had found a good-paying job making $12 an hour at a small steel factory.
"I tried telling the judge, throwing me in jail is going to do you no good," Papa told NPR from the Kent County Jail. "You're not going to get your fines like you want. And I'm going to lose my job, and you're really not going to get your fines if I don't have a job. ... It just baffled me."
But that's what happened. Papa lost his new job. He went to jail for three weeks, and when he came out someone else had filled it. Today he's working as a security guard — but gets paid $4 an hour less than he was making at the steel plant.
The Fish That Landed Kyle Dewitt In Jail
Dewitt, also from Michigan, went to jail after he failed to pay his fines from catching a fish out of season.
Dewitt's problems began when, on a Michigan river in 2011, he thought he had caught a rock bass. But a Department of Natural Resources agent said it was a smallmouth bass, which was out of season.
At the time, Dewitt was 19 and the father of a baby boy. He had dropped out of school and lost his job bagging groceries. He says he tried to find the money to pay what he owed the court by knocking on neighbors' doors, offering to mow lawns or do chores. But he couldn't come up with the $155 he owed.
When he didn't pay, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He says there was confusion. Court officials said paperwork was mailed to Dewitt with instructions for paying off the fine in installments. But Dewitt — who as a teen moved from his grandparents' house to his mother's, to friends' houses — said he never received the letter.
He was taken to jail for nonpayment. A family member was able to pay the bail bondsman. And because that payment was for $175 — more than his original ticket — Dewitt thought the ticket was paid. So when he was summoned to court a few days later, the audio tape of his appearance before District Court Judge Raymond Voet makes it clear Dewitt was confident that the issue was behind him.
But as court officials explained that day, the $175 was simply the fee for the bail bondsman. None of it applied to his original fine, which had grown to more than $200. Dewitt had come with no money, but Voet demanded payment that day.
The judge then sentenced Dewitt to three days in jail.
Voet says the court system can't work effectively if defendants are casual about things like paying court fees. There has to be respect for the law, he says, even on a minor violation.
"If I've got someone standing in front of me for something that's labeled a misdemeanor and they've failed to follow through with court orders on that," Voet says, "am I supposed to tell the rest of the world, the rest of the law-abiding citizens, that they're chumps and fools for having respected the law and respected the court's orders?"
Voet is known for holding everyone to the same rules. Last year, his own cellphone went off in the middle of an attorney's closing argument. The judge held himself in contempt and fined himself $25, saying those are the rules.
Still others say the rules on fees are unfair because the costs mostly hurt the poor.
"Every day poor people go to jail because they're poor," says Aukerman, who took up Dewitt's case. "Debtors prisons are alive and well in Michigan and across the country. People go to jail because they're poor. And that's a two-tiered and unequal system of justice."
Thirty-One Years After Bearden v. Georgia
One person who is not surprised that people are still going to jail for being unable to afford their fines is Danny Bearden, whose case led to the Supreme Court decision.
He was a young man when he was charged with breaking into a trailer. He was charged $750 in fines and restitution, but then he lost his factory job and couldn't find other work. He knocked on neighbors' doors, asking to mow lawns. When he couldn't pay the rest of his fines, he was sent to jail.
His case was assigned to a court-appointed attorney, Jim Lohr, who was just a few years out of law school. It was a routine, seemingly insignificant case, but Lohr spent long hours doing research in the county law library.
"It was a long shot, and I guess I just didn't know any better to ignore that," says Lohr, who now practices in Michigan. "So I went ahead with it."
Yet the issue at the heart of it — whether someone can go to jail for failure to pay fines and fees — bothered judges and reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Lohr flew to Washington, D.C., to argue it. The high court, in May 1983, ruled saying judges need to distinguish between who is too poor to pay, and who can but simply refuses.
Thirty-one years after his Supreme Court victory, Bearden is a supervisor at a small textile plant in rural Georgia.
He sees people — his co-workers, his neighbors, his friends — get charged for things like driving offenses. Only now, he says, fines and fees add up to thousands of dollars.
"These are poor people, OK? They got families and everything like that," he says. "They work a job. And even when they get behind in trying to pay, they go to jail."
NPR's Emma Anderson, Nicole Beemsterboer, Robert Benincasa and Barbara Van Woerkom contributed reporting and research to this investigation.
Let's return to our story about what some are calling modern day debtor's prison. Yesterday, we told you how people around the country are sitting in jail because they can't pay court fines and fees, even though the Supreme Court outlawed that practice three decades ago. Today, NPR's Joseph Shapiro continues our series, Guilty And Charged, with a visit to Michigan.
JOSEPH SHAPIRO, BYLINE: This is the story of a young man who caught a fish out of season. He says he couldn't pay the fine so he went to jail. I found Kyle Dewitt here.
KYLE DEWITT: This is where I like to come when I got a lot of things on my mind.
SHAPIRO: On a quiet stretch of the Grand River in Ionia, Michigan, catching fish.
DEWITT: Catfish, bass, rock bass, salmon, trout, bluegill, pike, walleye.
SHAPIRO: It was a bass that got Dewitt into trouble. He thought he'd caught a rock bass, which was in season, but the Department of Natural Resources agent said it was a smallmouth bass, which was out of season. Dewitt got a ticket. The fine, plus fees, added up to $155. Dewitt was 19. He was the father of a baby boy. He dropped out of high school. He was unemployed.
He says he tried to find the money to pay. He knocked on neighbors' doors, offering to mow lawns or do chores, but he didn't come up with the $155.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Dewitt. This is C607947M. State of Michigan versus Kyle Dewitt. Are you Mr. Dewitt?
DEWITT: Yes, sir.
SHAPIRO: Which is how he wound up in Ionia County District Court in August of 2011 in front of a judge.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: If you pay it all, there's no need to put you in jail. Otherwise, we're kind of at that point. You saw what I've done with the other fellow. I'd just as soon get paid. It costs taxpayers money to put you in jail, but if that's how it ends up, that's how it ends up.
SHAPIRO: There'd been confusion. Court officials said paperwork was mailed to Dewitt with instructions for paying off the fine in installments. But Dewitt, who as a teen moved from house to house, from his grandparents to his mother's to friends' houses, said he never got the letter. Now, two months after he caught that fish out of season, the fine had grown to more than $200.
DEWITT: I have a quick question for you guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yeah?
DEWITT: I can bring 100 and pay on it tomorrow. I can bring 100 in once you guys open up, if that would be fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Well, it needs to be paid all or you need to do jail instead. Do you have a credit card?
DEWITT: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You don't have any friends?
DEWITT: No, sir. My family don't even help me.
SHAPIRO: The judge in Ionia, Michigan, District Court Judge Raymond Voet, said he needs to make sure there's respect for the law, even on a minor violation.
RAYMOND VOET: If I got someone standing in front of me for something that's labeled a misdemeanor and they've failed to follow through with court orders on that, am I supposed to tell the rest of the world, the rest of the law abiding citizens that they're chumps and fools for having respected the law and respected the court's orders? I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to make fools or chumps out of people who follow the law and comply with court orders.
SHAPIRO: The judge has a reputation for holding everyone to the same rules. Last year, Voet's own cell phone went off in the middle of an attorney's closing argument. The judge held himself in contempt and fined himself $25, saying those were the rules. Still, others say the rules on fines and fees are unfair because they mostly hurt the poor.
MIRIAM AUKERMAN: Every day poor people go to jail because they're poor.
SHAPIRO: Miriam Aukerman, an attorney with the ACLU of Michigan, took up Kyle Dewitt's case.
AUKERMAN: We live in a society in which debtors prisons, and those were supposed to have ended in the 18th century, debtors prisons are alive and well in Michigan and across the country. People go to jail because they're poor. And that's a two-tiered and unequal system of justice.
SHAPIRO: NPR looked at laws in every state and found more and more fees being imposed on defendants who come through the court system. The fees are used to fund the courts or other state programs. A person can owe hundreds or even thousands of dollars. People with money pay them off, but when poor people struggle to pay, there are late fees and more fees.
We found hundreds of cases in Michigan and other states where people like Kyle Dewitt even go to jail. Not for the original minor offense, but for not paying those fees that keep piling up. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled defendants can be sent to jail but only if they willfully refuse to pay a fine they could afford. Ron Schafer, who prosecuted Dewitt, says judges will put defendants on payment plans they can afford.
Trouble comes if they don't pay.
RON SCHAFER: Are these folks really too poor to pay or is it a matter of priorities? Are they unable to work and therefore unable to pay or simply don't want to work?
KIM NASH: My babies, I miss you so much. Mommy couldn't wait to see you. I had to wake you up. I love you, baby.
SHAPIRO: It's just after sunrise and Kim Nash has come home after 11 days in jail. Only Nash, who's 23, didn't want her daughters, who are two and three, to know she was in jail. She told them she was at the doctor's. But it's hard to keep secrets from kids, and her three-year-old is smiling a mischievous smile.
NASH: What, baby?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Zoe is saying you were in jail.
NASH: (Unintelligible) that I was at jail?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah.
NASH: Oh.
SHAPIRO: When Kim Nash got stopped for driving without a license in Ionia, Michigan, she ended up owing nearly $1,400 in fines and fees. When the judge offered to put her on a payment plan of $25 to $40 a month, she agreed. But she never made any payments. Nash says that's because she was diagnosed with a serious illness. She left a job making auto parts. She says she couldn't work all day. She was in pain and she kept needing to take off for doctor's appointments.
The prosecutor says she never contacted the court to explain. Nash was already barely getting by. She's got a cell phone, but she can't afford phone service so she uses the phone just as a camera. When Nash was called back to court in July, she agreed to go to jail because that would erase her $1,400 in fines and fees.
NASH: Mommy was in jail, honey. You know, don't you, baby?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah.
NASH: Mommy won't ever go to jail again, though. I promise you. I only went to jail because I couldn't pay money. I didn't have money to pay and that's why I went to jail. So now all my money's paid up and I don't have to ever stay in jail again. Is that cool?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah.
NASH: You want mom to go back to jail?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
NASH: No. I missed you when I was there, though. Mommy thought about you every day.
SHAPIRO: Kim Nash may be done with the criminal justice system, but not Kyle Dewitt, who caught that fish out of season. About a year after he got out of jail, a letter arrived in the mail. It was a bill for room and board for each day he was in jail. It seemed like a lot of money to him.
DEWITT: I'd rather eat at Red Lobster for the $85 than what they made me eat in there.
SHAPIRO: NPR's survey of fees found that at least 41 states allow jails and prisons to charge room and board. It was another fee Dewitt says he couldn't afford and it was turned over to a collection agency. To Dewitt, the whole thing makes no sense.
DEWITT: It was ridiculous 'cause it was over a fish.
SHAPIRO: Some judges and politicians are starting to raise questions. The Ohio Supreme Court in February told judges to stop sending people to jail for not paying court costs, and Colorado just this month made it law to stop jailing people too poor to pay their fines and fees. Joseph Shapiro, NPR News.
MONTAGNE: And you can see all of the key findings of our series, Guilty and Charged, at NPR.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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« Building Vocabulary Crucial to Common-Core Success, New Research Says | Main | Obama Proposes New Competition for High School Career Curricula »
Chemistry, Physics, Biology Groups Respond to Science Standards
Does chemistry get enough attention in the latest draft of common science standards? Are the performance expectations for students clearly written and easy to understand? And what about this whole business of integrating engineering across science disciplines?
These are a few of the issues raised by reviewers from several content-specific groups I recently contacted, including the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, and the National Association of Biology Teachers. All found things to like and some areas for concern.
A second and final public draft of the standards came out last month, with the final product expected in March. The standards are being developed by 26 "lead state partners" in collaboration with experts in science and science education.
I've recently spotlighted some critiques from a Washington think tank that believes science content gets short shrift in the latest draft, and from some engineering advocates who believe that subject has been downgraded since the first draft came out in May of last year.
To be sure, there's no shortage of opinions about the science standards, just as there's no shortage of opinions about what's right and wrong with science instruction in K-12 education today, and what to do about it.
Here's a sampling of what I heard from three groups focused on science and science education.
American Physical Society
The APS review team saw some improvements from the first public draft, but still has some concerns, said Jacob Clark Blickenstaff, the director of teacher education programs at the organization, whose members include physicists in academia, business, and at national laboratories (as well as some high school physics teachers).
The APS review was not cleared for formal approval by the organization, but was endorsed by an APS subcommittee. The review team had eight members, including high school and university physics faculty, physics education faculty, plus a physicist at a national lab and another from industry.
"We had some commendations," Blickenstaff said. "We noticed that many of [our prior] concerns were addressed," such as the addition of explicit attention to the "nature of science." Also, he said the APS team was pleased with changes focused on engineering.
"We like the threading of engineering practices through the whole document, rather than putting engineering as a separate thing," he said. "If these standards as written were implemented, the vast majority of students would have a better experience of engineering education than they're getting now."(Some advocates for engineering education, however, argue that engineering gets short shrift in the latest draft.)
Now for the negative.
For one, Blickenstaff said the new draft places "an overemphasis on qualitative descriptions of phenomena without ever measuring and putting numbers to them. There is very little expectation that students will take numerical measurements," he said. In other words, the standards tend to speak in terms of things being bigger or smaller, faster or slower, but not how much bigger, how much slower, he explained. In addition, he said, "there is very little attention to graphs, creating graphs, interpreting graphs. And since these standards are for all students, that is something we think every high school graduate should be able to do."
Indeed, Blickenstaff argues that the level of math required in the Next Generation Science Standards "is not congruent with" the math in the common-core standards. "We should have more math in these science standards. ... The limits they've put on physics, by not expecting that level of math, means [students] are not getting an adequate experience of what physics is."
Leaving aside such concerns, a big worry Blickenstaff expressed is whether teachers, especially at the elementary level, will be able to successfully teach to these standards. (I'm hearing this worry from a lot of people, by the way.)
"The only way we see these standards in most primary schools is with a science specialist, because the level of both science content and science process skill that the teacher needs to have ... is more than almost any elementary teacher has had to have at this point. So we either will have to re-educate all the elementary teachers out there, or have a science specialist in each school."
American Chemical Society
Mary Kirchhoff, the director of education at the American Chemical Society walked me through some of her organization's concerns with the latest draft, though she also said the updated version was seen as preferable by ACS to the first draft. Its review panel included high school chemistry teachers, K-8 teachers, and faculty involved in teacher preparation in chemistry.
"We still have some significant concerns with the most recent draft," Kirchhoff told me. One key complaint from the ACS, a professional society that represents individuals in all fields of chemistry, is a belief that the standards lack adequate chemistry coverage across the standards. (The review by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute also lodged this complaint with the standards.)
"In particular, there is a gap in chemistry being presented, with chemistry in grades 3 or 4, and that seems like a big gap," she said. "And there are some pretty big concepts in chemistry that seem to be absent," including acid-base chemistry. "Nowhere do they learn about acids and bases. This was probably part of the tension with making the standards less discipline-oriented, but I think they've missed a few of the big concepts."
In addition, Kirchhoff said she identified some errors in the document, generally found in the "clarifying statements" that follow each performance expectation. "One says dissolving ammonium chloride is a chemical process when in fact it's a physical process," she said. "In another, they used examples of common substances, steam and water. But steam is water. It's the same substance."
Also, Kirchhoff complained about how some of the performance expectations were written. "Some are very clear, but some of them are difficult to digest," she said. She described the language for one such expectation as "tortured."
National Association of Biology Teachers
Of the three organizations, the biology teachers' group seemed to be the most upbeat in its assessment.
"We're enthusiastic about a lot of the standards," said Jacyln Reeves-Pepin, the group's executive director. "We think they're very ambitious. ... They're really addressing some of the skills deficiencies we're seeing."
The review team included middle and high school biology teachers.
In particular, Reeves-Peppin praised the push for students to explore science and develop models. "It puts the onus on the student to think about what they're doing, not just repeat a procedure. It changes the emphasis so the students get to 'own' the knowledge they're obtaining, so they can reflect on what they're doing, and reflect on what they're learning."
She added, "We don't necessarily want [all students] to become scientists and engineers, but we need them to think that way."
Reeves-Peppin added, "The addition of modeling and quantitative steps, skills, especially in the life sciences, is a major step forward."
As for concerns, she suggested that certain standards, especially those touching on evolution and natural selection, "could have had better clarification statements added to them." She also echoed the concern about pushing for math that better matches the common core. "It isn't up to the common core math, and that can be frustrating."
In the end, Reeves-Peppin said she was encouraged to see evidence in the latest draft that the feedback matters.
"It's very energizing to see that the suggestions that are being made are being taken seriously and put into the standards," she said.


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2012 AL Central Predictions & Preview
I posted a blog post several days ago about the AL East and my projections. I chose the Yankees to win the division, with the Rays finishing second and earning one of two wild card spots. Today, I'll offer my predictions about the AL Central.
I'll be using the 2012 Major League Baseball Yearbook & Fantasy Guide as a reference to give you each player's 2012 statistical projections. If you see a roster error, please leave a comment so that I may fix it.
1st Place: Detroit Tigers (My prediction 95-67)
The Detroit Tigers made a big splash over the winter by landing Prince Fielder to be their every day first baseman. The Tigers took a hit when they lost Victor Martinez for the season, but the signing of Fielder more than made up for that. Reigning MVP and Cy Young Award Winner Justin Verlander will anchor a decent rotation from top to bottom. If I'm any other team in the Central, I'm not too happy about having the Tigers in my division. The Tigers were offer a few interesting story lines to follow. First, everyone will watch Prince Fielder to see how well he transitions from the NL to the AL.
Second, Miguel Cabrera has slimmed down from about 300 pounds to 260? Giving him a better chance to perform adequately at third base this year. The last time he played third base regularly was in Florida in 2007, and he put up less than average defensive metrics.
And the third story line to follow is how Justin Verlander follows up on his MVP and Cy Young award season.
The Tigers will be a fun bunch to watch.
2012 Statistical projections:
C Alex Avila .287-18-76
1B Prince Fielder .292-43-129
2B Ryan Raburn .272-18-63
2B Brandon Inge .220-7-36
3B Miguel Cabrera .346-31-108
SS Jhonny Peralta .282-18-83
LF Andy Dirks .251-10-45
CF Austin Jackson .263-10-49
RF Brennan Boesch .268-12-43
DH Delmon Young .278-15-60
SP Justin Verlander 21-6, 2.87 ERA, 235 IP, 237 K
SP Doug Fister 10-13, 3.24 ERA, 203 IP, 129 K
SP Max Scherzer 13-10, 3.85 ERA, 189 IP, 183 K
SP Rick Porcello 13-10, 4.51 ERA, 186 IP, 107 K
SP Jacob Turner 8-7, 4.34 ERA, 133 IP, 98 K
RP Jose Valverde 2.44 ERA, 39 SV, 66 IP, 65 K
RP Joaquin Benoit 2.47 ERA, 1 SV, 66 IP, 73 K
2nd Place: Cleveland Indians (My prediction 83-79)
After the Detroit Tigers, choosing among the Indians, Royals, and Twins was rather difficult. I see all of them as strong contenders for the second spot in the division, but I'm going with the Indians in hopes that their young players can continue to progress rapidly and Ubaldo Jimenez bounces back.
The Indians have a lot of questions as players such as Shin Soo Choo, Travis Hafner, and Grady Sizemore try to bounce back from injuries and poor seasons. What will become of Roberto Hernandez aka Fausto Carmona and his fate with the team after being arrested for using false identification?
I'm an Indians fan, so I hope things turn out well for them this year. I think they'll definitely be competitive and I can't wait to attend more games at the Prog. Hopefully there's a lot to celebrate this year in Cleveland.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Carlos Santana .245-24-73
1B Casey Kotchman .300-10-43
1B Matt Laporta .269-16-72
2B Jason Kipnis .256-21-63
3B Lonnie Chisenhall .272-14-46
3B Jack Hanrahan .246-7-35
SS Asdrubal Cabrera .272-19-75
LF Michael Brantley .262-7-61
CF Grady Sizemore .262-17-63
RF Shin Soo Choo .282-18-75
DH Travis Hafner .274-15-62
SP Justin Masterson 10-12, 3.85 ERA, 215 IP, 164 K
SP Ubaldo Jimenez 14-11, 3.95 ERA, 201 IP, 192 K
SP Derek Lowe 12-15, 4.75 ERA, 186 IP, 131 K
SP Josh Tomlin 7-9, 5.31 ERA, 141 IP, 73 K
SP "Fausto Carmona" 10-14, 4.20 ERA, 210 IP, 123 K
SP Kevin Slowey 6-12, 5.37 ERA, 134 IP, 93K
RP Chris Perez 3.02 ERA, 27 SV, 60 IP, 49 K
RP Vinnie Pestano 2.81 ERA, 3 SV, 64 IP, 87 K
3rd Place: Kansas City Royals (My prediction: 82-80)
The Royals haven't had a winning season since 2003, when they placed 3rd in the Central. They are stocked with young talent that could possibly lead to them being much more competitive in 2012. There have been several baseball columnists that have chosen the Royals as the break out or surprise team of 2012. They will be playing in front of more people this year, as the All Star game has spiked season ticket sales. Eric Hosmer, taken 3rd overall in the 2008 draft right after Pedro Alvarez looks to be on the path to stardom.
My main concern is their pitching staff. Luke Hochevar looks to be their ace, but he hasn't really proven himself as a front line pitcher yet, even though he was the Royals #1 draft pick in 2006.
I'm hoping the Royals can put together a winning season in the year they host the All Star game. And, as a side note, I'm likely going to Kauffman stadium this summer for one game.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C Salvador Perez .262-11-63
1B Eric Hosmer .298-22-89
2B Johnny Giavotella .265-6-46
3B Mike Moustakas .283-14-86
SS Alcides Escobar .251-4-44
LF Alex Gordon .292-24-84
CF Lorenzo Cain .266-3-42
RF Jeff Francouer .282-18-78
DH Billy Butler .297-19-94
SP Luke Hochevar 12-12, 4.62 ERA, 206 IP 140 K
SP Bruce Chen 11-10, 4.39 ERA, 170 IP, 121 K
SP Jonathan Sanchez 11-10, 4.68 ERA, 167 IP, 174 K
SP Felipe Paulino 7-12, 4.42 ERA, 155 IP, 128 K
SP Danny Duffy 9-10, 4.92 ERA, 155 IP, 145 K
RP Joakim Soria 3.92 ERA, 33 SV, 60 IP, 64 K
RP Jonathan Broxton 3.63 ERA, 5 SV, 69 IP, 87 K
4th Place: Minnesota Twins (My prediction: 75-87)
The Twins had a disastrous 2011 campaign in which they posted a record of 63-99. Joe Mauer, who had just signed a 8 year $184 million mega contract prior to the 2010 season, suffered through injuries along with former AL MVP Justin Morneau.
Morneau only had 4 HR last year in a partial season. Just another reason the Twins had to hang their heads in '11
These are not the results that ownership expected in the first couple seasons of their beautiful new home, Target Field.
2012 Statistical Predictions:
C Joe Mauer .310-11-81
1B Justin Morneau .300-17-78
2B Alexi Casilla .259-2-26
3B Danny Valencia .258-13-69
SS Jamey Carroll .288-0-19
LF Ben Revere .266-0-51
CF Denard Span .265-3-34
RF Josh Willingham .252-27-88
DH Ryan Doumit .286-14-59
SP Carl Pavano 12-12, 4.20 ERA, 217 IP, 112 K
SP Scott Baker 9-7 3.87 ERA, 144 IP, 126 K
SP Francisco Liriano 13-10, 3.79 ERA, 188 IP, 179 K
SP Brian Duensing 13-14, 4.78 ERA, 194 IP, 140 K
SP Nick Blackburn 8-11, 4.78 ERA, 151 IP, 71 K
RP Matt Capps 3.70 ERA, 29 saves, 66 IP, 43 K
RP Glen Perkins 2.85 ERA, 4 saves, 66 IP, 68 K
5th Place: Chicago White Sox (My prediction: 72-90)
The White Sox have some talent, but most of their players have really been a disappointment. There's Jake Peavy, former Cy Young award winner of 2007, who hasn't done much since.
Then, there's Adam Dunn, nicknamed the Big Donkey. He was nothing more than a big goat in 2011, despised by the White Sox faithful for hitting .159 with 11 home runs. That's right .159! The White Sox might as well forfeit their use of the DH and hit pitchers than this guy. What makes things worse is that Dunn signed a 4 year, $56 million contract prior to 2011. So White Sox fans, you could have three more years of this.
The league has figured out Alexei Ramirez, who set all of his career highs in home runs, RBIs and batting average during his rookie season in 2008.
Sorry, but it might be a long summer at US Cellular Field.
2012 Statistical Projections:
C AJ Pierzynski .283-9-48
1B Paul Konerko .278-31-101
2B Gordon Beckham .234-10-46
3B Brent Morel .277-15-54
SS Alexei Ramirez .271-15-68
LF Alejandro De Aza .286-8-52
CF Alex Rios .244-15-56
RF Dayan Viciedo .276-16-49
DH Adam Dunn .212-21-65
SP John Danks 11-11, 4.07 ERA, 186 IP, 146 K
SP Gavin Floyd 11-12, 4.21 ERA, 188 IP, 151 K
SP Jake Peavy 7-7, 4.61 ERA, 109 IP, 97 K
SP Philip Humber 8-15, 4.15 ERA, 174 IP, 135 K
SP Chris Sale 11-8, 3.78 ERA, 155 IP, 160 K
RP Addison Reed 2.65 ERA, 24 saves, 54 IP, 77 K
RP Matt Thornton 3.09 ERA, 7 saves, 58 IP
In closing, I think the AL Central will be:
1) Tigers
2) Indians
3) Royals
4) Twins
5) White Sox
What are your picks?
There's only 44 days until opening day, and 11 days the first broadcasted game on MLB TV (Yankees vs Phillies), and 6 more days to win a Phillies shirt.


text:
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Amtrak is going to break the speed limit this week in the Northeast Corridor.
The rail service announced Monday it will operate test trains overnight at 165 mph in four stretches from Maryland to Massachusetts.
Acela Express equipment will be used for the tests, starting Monday night in New Jersey.
All the locations may one day have regular 160 mph service. Amtrak says tests need to be performed at 5 mph above what is expected to be a maximum operating speed of 160 mph.
Two test locations — from Perryville, Md., to Wilmington, Del., and from Trenton to New Brunswick, N.J. — currently have a speed limit of 135 mph. The two others — in Rhode Island from Westerly to Cranston and in Massachusetts from South Attleboro to Readville — currently have 150 mph limits.
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem today led by the pages.
[Members sang the national anthem]
House of Commons Hansard #135 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was centre.
2 p.m.
The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer
It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing of the national anthem today led by the pages.
[Members sang the national anthem]
GlobalFestStatements by Members
2 p.m.
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Speaker, GlobalFest is a very popular summer event held in my riding of Calgary East. I am delighted to announce that this summer GlobalFest will celebrate its 10th anniversary.
GlobalFest celebrates Calgary's cultural diversity and artistic excellence, with six nights of multicultural festivities and spectacular international fireworks. Each night features a different country's display.
This event is unique in the world and offers an inclusive cultural experience meant to promote engagement and understanding in the community.
Every year, over 100,000 people attend this event. This year, GlobalFest will be held from August 16 to 26.
I want to congratulate all those who have been involved in bringing us this fantastic event in the past 10 years. I wish them the best of luck for GlobalFest 2012.
Finally, I invite all members of the House and all Canadians to visit Calgary this summer to experience GlobalFest.
Bill C-38Statements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Mr. Speaker, the current Conservative budget, Bill C-38, not only goes far beyond simple changes to tax and monetary measures but, due to the non-monetary parts of Bill C-38, it takes away the ability of MPs to effectively do the due diligence required by the institution of Parliament to ensure and protect the rights of Canadians.
Bill C-38 has dozens of changes in policy areas, including the environment, natural resources and human resources, which demands that these changes be reviewed by the other committees of Parliament responsible for these files.
The would bill repeal the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. It would change the Fisheries Act. It would scrap the Office of the Inspector General at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In the shadowy world of CSIS, independent oversight is essential. It would remove the oversight of the Auditor General from a dozen government agency. Was that because the Auditor General released less than flattering reports on the government's record on fiscal mismanagement?
The bill should have been called the eliminating transparency and settling old scores act.
Alberta Beach Lions ClubStatements by Members
June 6th, 2012 / 2:05 p.m.
Rob Merrifield Conservative Yellowhead, AB
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding accomplishment of an organization in my riding of Yellowhead. T
his coming Saturday, June 9, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, the Alberta Beach Lions Club will be receiving an award at the International Snowmobile Congress 2012.
This group's great work has been recognize by the Canadian Council of Snowmobile Organizations, which has bestowed upon it a national excellence award for outstanding promotion and development of snowmobiling in 2011-12. This promotion of snowmobiling by the club is done with the common goals in mind in respect to the environment, conservation, access, education and accountability.
In Canada, there are over 603,000 snowmobiles registered and the industry has $6 billion of economic impact annually.
I am very proud of the Alberta Beach Lions Club for its hard work in promoting activities that are not only fantastic and fun, but also ones that bring family, people and communities together.
Trinidad and TobagoStatements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Hedy Fry Liberal Vancouver Centre, BC
Mr. Speaker, I stand to pay tribute to the land of my birth, Trinidad and Tobago, on its 50th anniversary of independence.
A small country of 1.3 million people, Trinidad and Tobago punches well above its weight in the Commonwealth and in the world.
Trinidad and Tobago is the original multicultural nation, its rich cultural diversity spawning renowned author like Vidya Naipaul and Nobel Prize poet Samuel Selvon; bringing to the world calypso, limbo and the only new musical instrument of the 20th century, the steel pan.
Through effective long-term management of its natural resources, this little island is now one of the wealthiest countries in the Americas. It was recently removed from the OECD's list of developing countries and named the third best place in the Commonwealth to raise a female child. I am one female grateful for the excellent opportunities Trinidad and Tobago gave me as a child of poor parents.
On behalf of the Liberal caucus, I congratulate my fellow Trinnies on their 50th anniversary and echo the last verse of the national anthem:
Here every creed and race find an equal place and may God bless our nation.
UkraineStatements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON
Mr. Speaker, last month, the foreign affairs committee travelled to Ukraine to study the state of democracy as well as the status of projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.
We were privileged to have Taras Zalusky from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Borys Potapenko from the League of Ukrainian Canadians and Bob Onyschuk from the Canadian Ukrainian Foundation accompany us and assist us with our task to help Ukraine move from a socialist system into a free market system, with free and fair elections.
In Canada there are 1.3 million Ukrainian Canadians.
Canada supports Ukrainians as they struggle to achieve the longing of their collective souls for a free Ukraine, free from servitude, free from corruption, free from the horrors of the Soviet past and free to live and prosper as an independent Ukraine.
This government stands with Ukrainian Canadians as they work in their churches, in their community organizations and as individuals in contact with relatives, to bring true democracy and freedom in Ukraine. We challenge the Ukrainian government to have a free and fair election next fall.
No Makeup DayStatements by Members
2:05 p.m.
Rosane Doré Lefebvre NDP Alfred-Pellan, QC
Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise in this House wearing no mascara or lipstick, and not even a hint of foundation. Today is the third edition of Quebec's No Makeup Day—the Journée sans maquillage.
On this day to raise awareness of self-esteem, all women are encouraged to leave their makeup cases behind for 24 hours and to go natural. The event encourages women to feel naturally beautiful in their own skin. This initiative started in 2010, when Canal Vie and ELLE Québec presented a documentary and special issue dealing with some women's obsession with makeup. The event has been gaining in popularity every year since then. High schools, artists and well-known Quebeckers have decided to participate.
Today I encourage all women, young and old, to go without a layer of makeup and to show off their natural beauty. I thank my colleagues who are participating in this event.
Plunkett FoundationStatements by Members
2:10 p.m.
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay special tribute to Steve Plunkett, a constituent who is the epitome of community leader. Steve is the president of the Plunkett Foundation, which provides support in areas of medical research and equipment. Through his profound generosity, Steve honours his parents, Dr. Earl Plunkett, an internationally renowned and respected physician, and his mother Corinne Plunkett. To date, the foundation has delivered $4 million to support critical and innovative health care initiatives.
Their flagship event and biggest fundraiser is the annual Fleetwood Country Cruize In, held this past weekend in London. In its eighth year, it is the largest outdoor car show in Canada, with 3,000 plus vintage cars, hot rods and custom specialty vehicles on display. In the past he has included four air shows in conjunction with the car show. He brings in world-class entertainers. All of this is hosted on his private estate, with two museums open to the public and incredible live concerts. They bring in the most famous cars and celebrities in the world, all in London, Ontario, all to support many local charities. Steve is the most passionate volunteer at the event.
I am proud of Steve and London is proud of Steve. I thank him for caring so deeply.
Canadian Human Rights ActStatements by Members
2:10 p.m.
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
Mr. Speaker, tonight every member of the House has the opportunity to vote for freedom. For far too long every Canadian's fundamental right to freedom of expression has been needlessly suppressed by an overzealous bureaucracy armed with section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, a vague and highly subjective law operating under the cloak of ambiguity. While section 13 may have been implemented with well-meaning intentions, its implications reach much further, chilling free speech and stifling the growth and development of free expression in our society. It is time to take back our right to freedom of expression as the bedrock upon which all other freedoms are built and repeal section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
It is time to take a stand for the rights of Canadians and our future generations. It is important that all members of the House take a moment to consider what we, as a free and democratic country, will lose if section 13 continues to be allowed to erode our freedom of speech.
Thank you Mr. Speaker and God bless.
D-DayStatements by Members
2:10 p.m.
Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS
Mr. Speaker, 68 years ago today, Canadians woke up to know that their heroes were landing on the beaches of Normandy with their allies the Americans, the Brits, the Poles, the Australians, the New Zealanders and many others, to fight against the terrible scourge of Nazism that was going across Europe.
Our heroes like Reid Myers of Fall River, Nova Scotia, landed on the beaches of Normandy. Murray Knowles operated a naval gun, and while he was doing that on June 6, his son was being born in Nova Scotia at the exact same time of the landing on Normandy. Harold Chuck Elliott, one of the heroes, landed as a paratrooper at midnight that night behind enemy lines.
These are three examples of the thousands of brave men and women who sacrificed everything for the freedom of Europe and the world.
On June 6, 68 years later, we stand in the House of Commons and thank them and honour them. We say "God bless their memories" to them and their families and God bless Canada. To a free Europe and to a free world, they truly are Canada's greatest heroes.
Leader of the Liberal Party of CanadaStatements by Members
2:15 p.m.
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the leader of the third party for the first time in quite a while stood in the House of Commons to talk about the economy. After seeing the job he did with Ontario's economy in the 1990s, it is no wonder the leader of the Liberal Party and former premier of Ontario has not spoken about the economy in quite some time.
While the leader opposite was the NDP premier of Ontario, he devastated the economy, raised taxes, ran record deficits, opposed trade, saw unemployment almost double. Clearly, the government will not be taking advice from the leader of the third party.
Our government has a proven track record of creating jobs and creating economic growth. Over 750,000 net new jobs have been created since July 2009.
We will continue on this path, and we call on the leader of the Liberal Party to support our positive plan. We also call on the leader of the Liberal Party to return the $40 million the Liberals owe Canadians.
Jordan's PrincipleStatements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, many in the House are familiar with the story of Jordan River Anderson from Norway House Cree First Nation.
He was born with complex medical needs, but bureaucratic in-fighting about home care fees kept him hospitalized. Jordan died at the age of four, never having spent a day in his family home.
Maurina Beadle of Nova Scotia faces a similar jurisdictional battle as she seeks help in caring for her 15-year-old special needs son, Jeremy, but thanks to Jordan and the principle that bears his name, she is fighting back.
Along with Pictou Landing First Nation, she is taking the federal government to court for failure to implement Jordan's Principle, a child first private member's motion unanimously supported in the House in 2007. It calls on the federal government to pay medical bills first and determine who pays later.
Maurina Beadle's landmark court case set for next week could create the legal precedence to entrench Jordan's Principle in law so that sick kids are no longer caught in the middle of jurisdictional squabbles.
Today I salute Maurina in her quest for justice, not only for her son but for all first nation children.
Human TraffickingStatements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is a despicable crime that preys upon vulnerable women and children.
Our government has taken strong action on this file, such as supporting the private member's bill put forward by the member for Kildonan—St. Paul to implement mandatory minimum sentences for those who are convicted of child trafficking, as well as supporting the RCMP in their "Blue Blindfold" campaign to raise public awareness.
However, we can do more, which is why we committed during the last election to delivering significant resources to combat this terrible crime. We are working to ensure that young female immigrants who arrive in Canada alone are protected from illegitimate work. We are supporting organizations that provide assistance to victims and we are implementing a national action plan to combat human trafficking.
I am very pleased today to see the Minister of Public Safety announce a $25 million national action plan, which will help to finally put a stop to this terrible crime.
Canadians can count on our government to always put victims, especially those who are among our most vulnerable, first.
D-DayStatements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Bob Rae Liberal Toronto Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, on the evening of June 5, 1944, the skies over the English Channel in northern France cleared enough to allow General Eisenhower to order the largest flotilla in human history to cross the channel and land on the beaches of Normandy.
They were young, courageous and even fearless. They came from all over. Canadians and the other allies knew that this attack was the only way to liberate Europe. June 6, 1944, is a day that will forever be etched in the memories of all those who know that democracy and freedom sometimes require extraordinary sacrifices.
Onto the beaches they came and through northern France, Belgium and Holland. A generation that fought for Canada fought and, in too many cases, died for freedom and a cause that was truly just. Then they came home and helped to build a country. They have been called our greatest generation. A grateful country pauses each year on this day to remember, to mourn, to celebrate and to remain ever vigilant and mindful of their courage and of their marvellous example.
D-DayStatements by Members
2:15 p.m.
Eve Adams Conservative Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Mr. Speaker, today Canadians from coast to coast mark the 68th anniversary of D-Day. On this fateful day, allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of western Europe. Before dawn on June 6, 1944, 450 Canadians parachuted inland where they engaged, harassed and confused the enemy.
A few hours later, 15,000 Canadian soldiers landed and fought on Juno Beach.
By evening, the Canadians had made it further inland than any of their allies. At the end of D-Day allied forces had landed as many as 155,000 troops in France. The Atlantic wall had been breached. The victory on D-Day was not without cost. German defences were heavily fortified and inflicted significant casualties on the allied forces.
Today, we remember their sacrifices.
We remember the courage, valour and patriotism they displayed and the example they left for us to follow. Let us never forget.
The BudgetStatements by Members
2:20 p.m.
Ryan Cleary NDP St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday a town hall meeting was held in my riding to discuss the Conservative Trojan horse budget bill, which is going over like a lead weight in Newfoundland and Labrador. I have put together a top-five list of the best quotes from that day.
The number five quote regarding the cuts to DFO and the Coast Guard was, "It will come to the point where a mariner will be asked, 'Are you up to your neck in water yet? No? All right, you're good, call back when it gets there.'"
The number four quote regarding the attack on Atlantic Canada was, "Perhaps we're paranoid, but that doesn't mean they're not out to get us."
The number three quote regarding the cuts to environmental legislation was, "Less science equals less knowledge. It's basically like driving with the lights off."
The number two quote was, "This Prime Minister isn't my Prime Minister. He's the CEO of corporate Canada and his cabinet are the board of directors."
The number one quote from the town hall in my riding regarding the Trojan horse budget bill was, "The Prime Minister doesn't know his arse from a hole in the ground."
Political DonationsStatements by Members
2:20 p.m.
Robert Goguen Conservative Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Mr. Speaker, yesterday Elections Canada confirmed that union sponsorships at the NDP's 2011 convention are unquestionably illegal donations. Using union dues, big union bosses paid between $25,000 and $35,000 to be sponsors at the NDP convention.
As the opposition well knows, union and corporate donations were outright banned in 2006, yet this is the second NDP breach of the elections financing in less than one year. Last year the NDP was forced to admit that it was guilty of illegally issuing tax receipts for tax donations made to left-wing pressure groups. It is clear that the NDP is prone to ignoring political financial rules for its own political gain.
Given that the NDP received sponsorships at its 2009 convention, Canadians deserve to know the full extent to which big unions have been subsidizing the NDP with illegal donations. How much money did the NDP rake in and where is the money?
The EconomyOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Outremont Québec
Thomas Mulcair NDPLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, last night in London the Prime Minister mused about catastrophic events about to hit the global economy. He laughed about Canadians facing the most volatile stock market since the Great Depression. He claimed that Canada does have a contingency plan to deal with another recession, but he refused to say what it was.
Clearly and simply, does the government have a plan to fight off another recession? If the Conservatives have a new plan, let us hear it.
The EconomyOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
York—Simcoe Ontario
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister articulated well, Canada's economic policies have helped make Canada an island of economic stability in a world that is troubled on that front. We are not immune to those problems. That is why we have taken measures through our economic action plan, including economic action plan 2012.
The Leader of the Opposition asked where the plan is. That is where the plan is. It is a plan for short, medium and long-term prosperity to ensure that the unique advantages Canada has are harnessed to create jobs for Canadians and to ensure our prosperity and economic security in the short and long term.
The EconomyOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
Outremont Québec
Thomas Mulcair NDPLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, despite the talking points, no country is an island in the world we live in today.
What the Prime Minister had to say yesterday evening was not reassuring in the least. He even went as far as to talk about the dismantling of the European Union and to conjure up disaster scenarios. He is even saying that there will not be enough time to avoid another crisis. Either the Prime Minister was sounding off irresponsibly yesterday or there is a real need to implement a new economic plan—and fast.
Is everything fine or not?
The EconomyOral Questions
2:20 p.m.
York—Simcoe Ontario
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister indicated yesterday, our government's economic policies make Canada a stable country, one of the pillars of the struggling global economy.
Canada is not immune to the problems other countries are experiencing, and we are working on taking additional steps to implement Canada's economic action plan and its job creation measures. Through this action plan, we have created 650,000 new jobs to date, and we intend to continue working to create new jobs for Canadians.
The EconomyOral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Outremont Québec
Thomas Mulcair NDPLeader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister pretends to be concerned now, but two months ago in Washington the Conservatives were singing a different tune.
At the G20 meeting in April the Minister of Finance led the effort to block an international plan to resolve the European economic crisis. He told European countries "to step up to the plate" and fix the problem on their own, as if our fate were not intimately connected to theirs, and he gets applause for that from the peanut gallery.
When will the Conservatives stop lecturing European countries and put forward a real plan to protect and create jobs here in Canada?
The EconomyOral Questions
2:25 p.m.
York—Simcoe Ontario
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister travels abroad, people talk to him about Canada's economic success, the fact that we have the lowest debt of any of the major developed economies, the fact that we have posted the strongest economic growth and job growth of those economies coming out of the economic downturn. They look at us and ask what our key to success is. The reason is we have been pursuing a planned economic action plan and now economic action plan 2012 that delivers new jobs.
When we go abroad we talk about the ways to balance budgets and create jobs. When those members go abroad, they talk about how to kill Canadian jobs in our important resource sector.
The EconomyOral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Peggy Nash NDP Parkdale—High Park, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that if the economic crisis were to get worse, he was prepared to launch a new phase of stimulus investments. While the global economy is weakening, the Conservatives have decided to focus on cuts rather than on economic growth and job creation.
Can the Minister of Finance confirm that new investments will be made, or is he going to take even more money away from seniors, unemployed workers and public services?
The EconomyOral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Macleod Alberta
Ted Menzies ConservativeMinister of State (Finance)
Mr. Speaker, there are always new investments, but once again, as we have seen the track record on the last three budgets, the NDP would actually vote against those. Those members voted against a hiring tax credit for small businesses in this country. It is unbelievable what they will stand up and vote against simply for their partisan reasons.
Canadians want to get back to work. Canadian businesses want to hire more people. The NDP will not even step up and help.


text:
The Tom Trento Show 11 17 20
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