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text:
Holger got the idea that a perpetual struggle went on between primeval forces of Law and Chaos. No, not forces exactly. Modes of existence? A terrestrial reflection of the spiritual conflict between heaven and hell? In any case, humans were the chief agents on earth of Law, though most of them were so only unconsciously and some, witches and warlocks and evildoers, had sold out to Chaos. A few nonhuman beings also stood for Law. Ranged against them were almost the whole Middle World, which seemed to include realms like Faerie, Trollheim, and the Giants--an actual creation of Chaos. Wars among men, such as the long-drawn struggle between the Saracens and the Holy Empire, aided Chaos; under Law all men would live in peace and order and that liberty which only Law could give meaning. But this was so alien to the Middle Worlders that they were forever working to prevent it and extend their own shadowy dominion.That's pretty much OD&D-style alignment in a nutshell, or at least how I read the admittedly vague text on the subject.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Anderson on Alignment
34 comments:
from this tiny fragment I can derive another workable model of Law/Chaos alignments, which is that the civilised and mundane are Law and the fantastical and chimerical are Chaos (or Christians and orthodox Muslims are Law, while pagans and the heterodox are tinged with Chaos - something I think I could get both my Christian and pagan players to buy into). It's been a good day for me.
(this is a bit of willed misunderstanding on my part - I'm trying to come up with options that could work for me)This one lines up with the way I see law and chaos ... humanity is the chief force of law, even though it includes many who serve chaos. I don't use the Moorcockian concept in which law becomes stultifying when it wins. For a game, law works better when it's a fairly simple label for "good guys."
ReplyDeleteI have to say, this is a much more compelling model for me than a good/evil axis or the nine-point alignment scale. More interesting, more gameable, and says more about the "bad guys" than "they kick puppies!"
And that line about giants being agents of chaos -- that's got some gears going. Might be the angle I need to finally run that giant-centered game I've had in the back of my head for a while.I find Anderson's suggestion very interesting, but maybe too "original" to want it incorporated in every D&D campaign.
When I first played D&D, the three-alignment system really confused me and it seemed like just another example of D&D trying to be cute: wizards are magic-users, hobbits are halflings, health is constitution and evil is chaos. So for me, the nine-alignment system was clarifying-- it was easier to understand the law vs. chaos question when I separated it from the good and evil question. For many people however, the nine-alignment system demotes the law vs. chaos question to just a matter of personality where being lawful just means uptight and chaos means being kinda crazy.
I find alignment most useful as a shorthand-- I wouldn't think about it for a PC or for an adventure that I created to run myself. But if I run someone else's adventure, it could be useful to know that the bandit leader is LE and his men are CE. That tells a story very concisely and leaves room for me to work out the details.- AnonymousMay 1, 2009 at 8:37 AM
This seems to pretty much line up with my take on the whole "are orcs irredeemably evil?" discussion which is that orcs are basically the terrorists of the fantasy world. Though they've doubtlessly got some legit gripes and aren't always totally without honor, and are probably often the pawns of others, they are the enemies of all.
ReplyDelete Isn't "Good isn't Stupid," the article where he suggests the "convert-and-then-kill" approach to dealing with those recalcitrant orcs? If stupidity is the opposite of intelligence, then what is the opposite of wisdom-- because that's where I'd like to file that suggestion. (And there are a lot of LG characters with low wisdom, but hopefully not paladins and rangers.)
And I don't think I'm insulting Gary by suggesting wisdom was not his prime ability. Somewhere, I think he used himself to explain how someone could have high inelligence but low wisdom-- I think cigarette smoking had something to do with it.Another example of a situation where Law basically equals good and Chaos basically equals evil would be Stephen King's Dark Tower series. In it, All-World is a prime example of what happens when Chaos starts to win and the world 'moves on' - there are all kinds of mutations, demons, irradiated wastelands, and even the laws of nature such as how time passes or where the sun rises start to break down. The Crimson King and his cohorts are thoroughly Chaotic and attempting to bring the center of the universe's order in the form of the Dark Tower, while Roland of Gilead, the last gunslinger, as the last 'sherriff' in town, is about as emblematic of Law as you can get.
Of course, unlike with Moorcock, King never shows us what the outcome of too much Law would look like.
Word verification: fistrake. Is that what Wolverine and his ilk do?MJS: I think you might be doing the same to me (neglecting the meaning of the whole) though I think it's probably my fault in both cases.
What I was trying to suggest is that in these musings about alignment, we should be open to the possibility of characters getting it wrong, that is articulating a justification for their actions that doesn't really work. And I don't even know if it's the GM's role to make corrections, excpet perhaps through an also possibly wrong NPC mouthpiece.richard -
Why would in D&D terms a pagan be chaotic? Wouldn't you think that they'd be neutral (like a druid), and the faithless be chaotic with your version of Law vs. Chaos.
I'm currently reading the Broken Sword, and your version of real world religion and D&D's alignments fit such a pattern, should one want it to fit such a pattern.
(After reading years ago 3H3L, I never thought I'd read another Poul Andersan book, because it was such a dull book. I'm halfway though this one and it's pretty good. Very similar, and I do mean VERY, to JRRT's Children of Hurin. They both must of based their stories off the same source.)Hi Veil
Pagans being neutral would fit the usual D&D setup better but I don't see any sign of neutrality as an option in Anderson's scheme, while Chaos appears to apply to "fantastical nature," including the whole world of faerie and any use of magic. Many modern pagans also seem to enjoy a sense of the chaotic as freeing. Nothing deeper than that, I'm afraid.I never had a problem with the nine fold model . . .
DnD is set in a fantasy/ parallel universe where good & evil and law & chaos wage epic battles for survival or supremacy. Although PCs may not be intimately involved in this cosmic balancing act or in wars between gods, their behavior and allegiance will determine how many NPCs will treat them. . .
GOOD creatures respect truth, nature, beauty, charity and innocence. Good PCs will pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to defeat a malevolent and powerful tyrant.
EVIL creatures do not appreciate life, art or chastity. They are motivated by personal gain. They kill without remorse and usually follow leaders because of fear or greed, not devotion.
NEUTRAL characters value their families and personal security over cosmic or moral issues. They will only take a risk if the gains are large and/ or if their lifestyle or family is threatened.
CHAOTIC creatures avoid details, commitment and platitudes. Chaotic creatures tolerate diversity, but tend to be reckless and undependable.
LAWFUL creatures are reliable and dependable. They respect authority and tradition. Lawful characters can be counted on to follow rules and leaders, even when such rules or leadership appears to be inconsistent or erroneous.
Thinking of alignment as an
X axis of chaos (left) and law (right) and
Y axis of good (top) and evil (left), then
there are 9 possible alignments:
Due to the nature of DnD adventures most PCs/ protagonists are either good and/or lawful as most foes/ antagonists will be evil or chaotic. Examples:
N = neutral ("uncommitted") is typical for humans, lizard men and herbivores.
NG = neutral good ("beatific") is the norm for halflings, centaurs and giant eagles.
LG = lawful good ("crusader") is common for knights, angels and gold dragons.
LN =lawful neutral ("legalist") is standard for dwarves, dogs and mercenaries.
LE = lawful evil ("diabolical") is typical for hobgoblins, devils and vampires.
NE = neutral evil ("opportunist") describes goblins, bugbears, most giants, many undead and organized crime.
CE = chaotic evil ("sociopath") is emblematic for orcs, demons and ogres.
CN = chaotic neutral ("feral") is typical of carnivores, ½ elves and the mentally ill.
CG =chaotic good ("libertine") is standard for elves, sprites, unicorns and rangers.- AnonymousMay 2, 2009 at 12:41 AM
From a medieval point of view, there isn't really a distinction between Lawful and Good. The concept of "Chaotic Good" doesn't really fit in. That's what Poul Anderson and originally Gary Gygax were working from. The modern notion of a lone avenger who exists outside the law and doesn't follow the normal rules doesn't really have a place here.
On the other hand, a lot of the lone avengers of modern fiction could be regarded as agents of Law in a Chaotic realm. They may not follow formal rules, but that's usually because there are no formal rules to follow. So someone like Philip Marlowe or a typical John Wayne character could be regarded as a Lawful hero in a Chaotic land. They only seem chaotic because no one else is lawful.
Pagans as Neutral would fit pretty well into a medieval model. Dante's Inferno had the First Circle of Hell - a fairly pleasant place - for good pagans, Muslims and Jews who by Christian theology could not go into heaven. Medieval Christianity and Islam (sometimes!) recognized people could be outside their faith and still be bascially good.
Finally, and I realize I'm being pedantic, Orcs as terrorists just doesn't make sense. Terrorists by definition direct violence at non-combatants in order to frighten people into supporting the terrorists' politics. D&D Orcs attack anyone and aren't concerned with winning self determination for the South Moldavian people or any other cause. They're just after loot and bloodshed.
- DW Lawful and Good doesn't fit with the Nazi's and Chaotic and Evil doesn't work with the Marx Brothers.I'd like to challenge this notion, because the Nazis (and all despots and dictatorships) are really forces of Chaos and the Marx Bros. were Lawful.
The Nazis brought chaos into the world through their slaughter of innocents and war. The SS represent a force of Chaos that can arrest anyone at anytime for any reason. That isn't Law and that isn't Lawful. It brings a sense of chaos into the daily life of anyone who must endure that kind of regime.
The Marx Bros. represent the Fool — a person that is perceived to be entertaining, funny and harmless but also has the freedom to tell the truth and to put up a mirror to the culture around them. The purpose of this mirror is not to bring chaos into the world, but rather to reign in the chaos that we have unconsciously allowed into our lives.Evil people depend upon duplicity and deceit to further their selfish and malicious goals. Evil people do not usually declare their intentions, i.e.,
"Hi, I am Josef Stalin, I am chaotic evil."
Evil characters will attend charity events, political rallies and worship services alongside decent and loyal citizens. Many evil people actually have little insight into their true nature preferring to hide behind excuses and half-truths insisting that the problem lies in other people's misinterpretation of their behavior. Part of being an effective conman, charlatan, politician or trial lawyer is to actually deceive yourself to believe that the product, cure, cause or argument that you champion is just or righteous.
Understanding and tact dictate that is best to avoid categorizing your peers (in real life) as good or evil, lawful or chaotic, as real people (your friends, family and neighbors) are often more complex than DnD/ fantasy characters.
If we were to express 2nd century BC Greek mythology in DnD terminology, we could obtain the following pantheon of deities:
Apollo (LG) is the god of light & medicine and ruler of the angels. His sacred metal is gold and his symbol is the long-sword. His color is yellow and sacred animal is the lion; worship day is Sunday. His priests/followers may use longswords and gain +1 WIS at 5th Level.
Artemis (CG) is the goddess of forests, rivers & elves and she commands the water elementals. Her sacred metal is silver and her symbol is the crescent. Her color is silver and her sacred animal is the unicorn; worship time is the full Moon. Her priests may use short or composite bows and gain +1 CHA at 5th Level.
Demeter (NG) is goddess of livestock, agriculture & Halflings, and ruler of the earth elementals. Her sacred metal is copper and her symbol is the square. Her color is green and her sacred animal is the ox; worship day is dawn on Teasday. Her priests gain +1 CON at 5th Level.
Jove (N) is the god of lightning & weather and he is ruler of the air elementals. His sacred metal is tin and his symbol is the circle. His color is blue and his sacred animal is the eagle; his worship day is Windsday or during thunderstorms. His priests may use javelins and gain an additional +1 to saving throws at 5th Level.
Hermes (CN or CE) is the god of the travelers, thieves and deception, as well as mediator of the demons. His sacred metal is mercury and his symbol is the caduceus. His color is orange and his sacred animal is the sheep; his followers gather on midnight on Ramsday. His priests may use daggers and gain +1 DEX at 5th Level.
Ares (LN) is the god of fire, war & engineering and ruler of the fire elementals. His sacred metal is iron and symbol is the triangle. His color is red and his sacred animal is the wolf; worship day is Fireday. His priests may use spears or shortswords and gain +1 STR at 5th Level.
Hades (LE or NE) is the god of wealth & the Underworld and ruler of the devils. He created the subterranean race of goblins. His sacred metal is lead and his symbol is the pentagram. His color is purple and his sacred animal is the goat; his appointed day is Starday although he has few worshipers. His priests may use scythes and gain +1 INT at 5th Level.
In addition to these seven major deities, many cities or city-states may have their own local or regional deities or demi-gods whom can grant his priests up to 5th level spells. Some hamlets, villages or towns may have local cults lead by a minor deity (demon prince?) whom can grant his priests up to 3rd level spells.Nazis, Mafia and Ares: all Chaotic.
Likewise Nietzsche, neo-Conservatism, and other 'smash the system' ideologies.
Catholicism and Enlightenment Liberalism (Aquinas, Locke): Lawful.
Real (paleo?) pagan beliefs: mostly Lawful or Neutral. Look at Hinduism.
Neo-paganism, being a reaction to Lawful Christianity, is generally Chaotic, in my experience.
Orthodox Islam states that the world is ordered not by natural Law, but by the will of Allah, through which anything may happen at any moment. This is certainly not a Lawful belief. Arab societies are highly Chaotic; I'm not sure I'd classify Islam per se, or Salafism, as inherently Chaotic, but Takfiri Islam certainly is, with its emphasis on violent murder of fellow Muslims declared to fall short on various arbitrary criteria. And Islam's emphasis on strife (jihad) to expand its sphere fits with Chaotic tendencies.
The most important point to grasp is that 'submission' or 'obedience' are not Law, nor is liberty dependent on Chaos - quite the reverse.S'mon - are you elaborating Anderson's categories or offering a personal cosmology?
I'm guessing that according to this scheme Calvin would be Chaotic. I'm not sure about Luther, or whether his particular conception of limited free will is relevant here. What about Hobbes? His assumed, coerced "social contract" seems like a totalitarian entry pass to a realm of supposed peace.
...this is also the first time I've ever thought about Calvin and Hobbes together outside a Bill Watterson cartoon. Either you've opened up new vistas in my thinking or this law/chaos thing is a seriously blunt instrument.
veriword: mingsh. Mongo-Yiddish term for an unsympathetic or unkind person.Hobbes would be 'Lawful' by anyone's definition. Freedom without authority invariably leads to a State of War (even amongst fully rational persons) because of (a) competition, (b) 'diffidence' (what we would call 'suspicion' or 'distrust' today), and (c) desire for glory. Thus the need for a sovereign -- the Leviathan -- with overwhelming power to limit individual freedom for the sake of personal security (i.e., to best secure the 'Right of Nature' for all). All rational persons would recognize this fact, willingly submit to the sovereign, and thus be 'lawful' in this sense.
Hobbes's take on Law and Chaos plays nicely into the OD&D alignment system. It can explain why humans would tend to be lawful, and view unlawful persons and creatures as 'evil'. Moreover, if certain non-human creatures (e.g., Faerie) did not naturally find themselves in a State of War without a sovereign, or did not value personal security as much as humans do (e.g., Orcs, etc.), then it makes sense that they would be inclined towards either Neutrality or Chaos.if certain non-human creatures... did not naturally find themselves in a State of War without a sovereign... then it makes sense that they would be inclined towards either Neutrality or Chaos
Now that's really interesting: Lawful people are those who cannot flourish in chaotic systems - possibly because they're too aggressive, territorial or expansionist. I might be able to use that. It would certainly fit the Eurocentrism of the whole schema.richard:
"S'mon - are you elaborating Anderson's categories or offering a personal cosmology? "
I was going off what I understand to be Anderson's categories and the Natural Law thinkers (to whom I was very hostile as a University undergrad studying Jurisprudence at Oxford, now I think maybe they weren't all bad.
I don't know enough about Calvin to classify him; gut says Neutral.Akrasia:
"Hobbes would be 'Lawful' by anyone's definition. Freedom without authority invariably leads to a State of War (even amongst fully rational persons) because of (a) competition, (b) 'diffidence' (what we would call 'suspicion' or 'distrust' today), and (c) desire for glory."
Yes, I agree with Akrasia about Hobbes being Lawful in intent (though I would probably have been a Roundhead myself); we disagree about Rousseau - I think his concept of the General Will and romantic individualism make for the grandfather of Chaotic ideologies.richard:
"Lawful people are those who cannot flourish in chaotic systems - possibly because they're too aggressive, territorial or expansionist..."
IRL Lawfuls may well be territorial and expansionist, but aggression will be directed almost entirely towards outsiders. Expansion-era United States would fit. I tend to see Japanese society as Lawful - certainly orderly - though Moorcock classed WW2-era Imperial Japan as Chaotic in "The Warlord of the Air"; likewise the Nazis (he may have amended that); opposed to the Lawful British Empire.
Moorcock/Anderson 'Lawful' nations are those of 'Ordered Liberty'. Highly Chaotic societies such as that of the Pashtun/Pathan tribes may long for a force of order to end the constant strife, as the Pashtun welcomed the Taleban, but are not thereby Lawful. Law =/= Order.


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Chris LoCascio, a junior at UC Riverside, feared that there was no end in sight for tuition increases at the University of California. The state kept cutting subsidies, students kept protesting, but no one had any answers. So he and other students decided to turn the discussion on its head.
What if, he says, "instead of charging students upfront for their education, students would attend the UC with no upfront costs whatsoever"?
Under the Fix UC proposal, the bill would not come due until students graduate and start making money.
"Under our proposal, students would pay 5 percent of their income for 20 years" following graduation, Locacio says.
Fix UC recently presented the idea to the university regents. The idea is that students would have a dependable bill to pay, rather than wrestling with unpredictable tuition increases and rising debt.
Not A New Idea
It's an appealing idea to some, but not a brand new one.
Bob Shireman of the nonprofit group California Competes says conservative economist Milton Friedman wrote about similar concepts in the 1950s, saying education should be seen as an investment.
"He suggested the government should provide people with money for college, and then charge them a percentage of their income later," Shireman says.
He points out that New Zealand, Australia and the U.K. have all invested in variations on this theme. But the UC proposal raises a number of questions. It functions essentially like Social Security, in that the earnings of graduates would cover the tuition costs of the next generation.
But what if there's a baby boom, Shireman asks, or if UC grads simply don't earn enough money to cover the university's operating costs?
"If, over time, it was not bringing back in the money to repay," Shireman says, "the investors would then rethink and the deal would have to be renegotiated."
University of California President Mark Yudof recently said he's open to the Fix UC proposal in principle. But, he says, "in its current form, it's frankly unworkable."
Attractive, Problematic Proposal
In its current form, it's frankly unworkable.
Yudof says it's difficult to see how a state system could track earnings from workers who might move around the country or overseas. In addition, the Fix UC proposal would reduce the state's contribution to the university.
Legislators may like that idea, Yudof says, but severing that link could be dangerous.
"I really do prefer that the taxpayers pay their fair share — that we not treat higher education as a complete private good, in the sense that only the direct beneficiaries pay for it," Yudof says.
The Fix UC proposal envisions a minimum for state contributions. Despite these concerns, Yudof says the Riverside students' proposal would reach out to the segment that has suffered the most: middle-class families who don't benefit from many aid programs.
"Having a loan program with income-adjusted repayment is a very appealing way to make sure that the middle class continues to have access to higher education," Yudof says.
He says he welcomes fresh thinking that might escape the spiral of declining state aid and increasing tuition.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Planned Parenthood Anchorage Health Center
Planned Parenthood Anchorage Health Center
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- State: Alaska Abortion Clinics
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- Website: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-center/alaska/anchorage/99508/anchorage-health-center-3254-91810
Planned Parenthood Anchorage Health Center abortion clinic in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage Health Center offers the following abortion services:
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Abortion pill (medication abortion) is offered up to 11 weeks and 0 days after the start of your last menstrual period.
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In-clinic abortion is offered up to 13 weeks and 6 days after the start of your last menstrual period. If your last period was after 13 weeks and 6 days, we can still help. Call us for a referral list of health care providers in your area that offer other abortion services.
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Plan to be at the health center for 4-6 hour(s) for your entire visit for an in-clinic abortion.
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Beginning work a few years ago on her latest book, an anthology of poems for young people, Caroline Kennedy found herself looking through one of her mother's scrapbooks. She burst into laughter, she says, as she came across a poem that her brother John, as a youngster, had picked out and copied as a gift to their poetry-loving mom.
"Willie with a thirst for gore, Nailed his sister to the door," went the poem, by an unknown author. "Mother said with humor quaint, `Careful, Willie, don't scratch the paint!'"
The poem "brought back memories of our relationship," Kennedy told a bookstore audience this week. "I laughed so hard."
But for Kennedy, now 55 and a mother of three grown children, there's a deeper meaning to that irreverent ditty. Poetry was a central part of her home life growing up. She and John regularly copied out and illustrated poems for their mother, Jackie, upon birthdays and Mother's Days. Sometimes, they'd recite them too, "if we were feeling competitive." And at family gatherings with their grandmother, there were frequent challenges to recite Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous (and famously lengthy) "Paul Revere's Ride." Only Uncle Ted, it seems, was able to recite it in its entirety.
Now, with her 10th book, Kennedy wants to share with young readers the love for the written word that she feels her poetry-filled childhood helped instill in her (even though her own son, she quips, hates reading and only likes two poems.) Hence the title: "Poems to Learn By Heart."
"It was a combination of remembering my own childhood and thinking about gifts I'd been given," she said in an interview last week at her husband's downtown Manhattan design firm, explaining the genesis of the latest book. "And working in schools and seeing the role that poetry can play in kids' lives."
It's also an effort to promote literacy, a cause Kennedy has supported in a number of ways. "Fourteen percent of American adults can't read," Kennedy says. "It's a slow-motion disaster." She believes poetry can help. "Kids need a way in," she says, "and reading needs to be fun. Poetry can give them that - with the current emphasis on poetry slams, and these other open mic events. That's actually why I think poetry has a chance."
Kennedy's current book - a collection of poems from various authors, with introductions by her to each section, and vivid illustrations by John J Muth - is her fourth to focus on poetry. Her earlier books, especially "The Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis," have been huge sellers, pulling in numbers unheard of for poetry anthologies.
"She's committed to becoming an advocate for the written word and poetry in particular," says Gretchen Young, who edited all of Kennedy's poetry books at Hyperion, working with the author to cull down huge numbers of beloved poems. "And she knows she can do that."
As to what else Kennedy can do with her high profile - and the unique and powerful celebrity status she's held since she was a little girl in the Kennedy White House - that is a question that people never cease to ask. The latest rumor has her up for an ambassadorship, perhaps to Japan, perhaps to Canada. Asked about those rumors during a recent TV appearance, she responded with typical restraint: "I'd love to serve in any way." She added that she hadn't been asked yet, and her response is still "No comment."
But many expect Kennedy, who considered seeking an appointment to the Senate from New York in 2009 but then withdrew her name from contention amid a flurry of publicity, to take up some high-profile position in the near future. She was an important and avid supporter of President Barack Obama, both in the 2008 and the 2012 elections.
"I'm really glad he's president," she says now when asked how he's doing, giving him high marks particularly in the field of education. "He can't do all the things he'd like to. We have a lot of problems. That's why I want young people to get engaged."
For now, though, Kennedy is making her mark in different ways. She is president of the John F. Kennedy Library Association, and in May will present the Profile in Courage award to former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She still participates in fundraising activities for the New York City public schools, and is joining Laura Bush and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb to help the Library of Congress promote literacy through a new awards program, along with other authors, publishers and scholars.
Another pet project: Libraries, which she says are still critical places for young people to learn analytical skills. She's the honorary chair of National Library Week next month. "I'm into things that are dying out," she quips, then adds that actually they're not: "My son goes to the library all the time (at college.) There's a lot more socializing at the library than you think."
And she hints that she'll be writing other books, though not on poetry. "I think I'm pretty much done with the poetry books," she says. "I haven't figured out the next thing yet."
In any case, her attention to poetry has been a boon for all poets, says Stephen Young, program director at the Poetry Foundation, based in Chicago. "Selling poetry is, for most poets, a challenge," Young says. "It certainly helps when someone like Caroline Kennedy, who has an earnest and genuine interest in poetry, puts together these anthologies."
And while many might think that in this world of tweets and texts, the art of poetry is slowly dying out, the truth is that it seems to be on the upswing among young people, Young says - partly because of poetry slams and the like, but also due to the Internet. "People can read AND listen to poems on the Web," Young notes.
And clearly, kids like to recite out loud. Along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the poetry foundation sponsors Poetry Out Loud, a contest similar to the National Spelling Bee. In 2006, there were 40,000 participants. This year's contest, which will hold its finals in Washington, D.C., in April, has 375,000, Young says.
It all speaks, in his view, to the fact that "poems are meant to be shared." Kennedy says this too; In her book, along with more famous poems, she includes "Voices Rising," a collaborative poem by students on the "slam team" at DreamYard Prep, a Bronx school Kennedy became familiar with in her work with public schools. Those students contributed ideas to the book, and three of them recited their poem together at Kennedy's kickoff reading last week at Barnes & Noble in New York.
Speaking of young people, Kennedy asked each of her own three kids - Rose and Tatiana, who have finished college, and Jack, who is still there - to contribute a favorite poem to her new book. (Tatiana, the "bookworm" according to her mother, translated a poem from Ovid's Metamorphoses, from the original Latin.) But she herself has trouble picking her favorite.
Asked by an audience member at her book reading to do just that, though, she settled on "Don't Worry if Your Job is Small."
"Don't worry if your job is small, and your rewards are few," it says.
"Remember that the mighty oak, was once a nut like you."


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Other than cooking bacon with a little maple syrup I never really thought about combining it with sweet things. Shortly after I started food blogging I heard about bacon chocolate bars and I immediatly had to hunt them down to try! Eventually I did find them and I really enjoyed the subtle salty and smokiness that the bacon added to the dark chocolate. Shortly after that I came across a post about bacon chocolate chip cookies! Since I was already sold on the bacon and chocolate combo I knew that I would have to try making chocolate chip cookies with bacon but I kept putting it off. Since then the bacon chocolate chip cookies seem to have taken the food blogging world by storm with new posts appearing every few days.
With the holiday baking season in full swing I found myself thinking about lots of holiday cookies and I realized that I had unknowingly been discounting cookies that I did not think really had a holiday feel to them. This included the humble chocolate chip cookie. But chocolate chip cookies are Santa's favorite cookies! I just had to make some! But, could I really just leave Santa some plain old ordinary chocolate chip cookies? It was the perfect time to try making the bacon chocolate chips cookies and I am sure that Santa will appreciate the extra effort, and flavour!
My first idea was to start with my standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and just add some crumbled cooked bacon but I figured why not take the opportunity to make candied bacon and use that in the cookies. Fats are often interchangeable in baking and I was thinking that I could get even more bacon flavour by replacing some of the butter with some bacon grease. One of the things that I like most about chocolate chip cookies, other than eating them, is that they are super easy to make and adding the bacon did not change that. The bacon chocolate chip cookies turned out amazingly well! The bacon pieces in the cookies added a really nice subtle salty bacon flavour that went really well in the otherwise sweet cookies. I also topped the cookies with a nice big piece of the candied bacon for even more bacony goodness. I will definitely be making these cookies again! In fact I will have to make another batch before Santa arrives as this batch will be long gone. I am sure that Santa will really enjoy these chocolate chip cookies!
Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter (softened, feel free to replace some with bacon grease)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 5 strips bacon (I used candied bacon)
- Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Mix in the chocolate and the bacon.
- Place the dough onto a cookie sheet one table spoon at a time.
- Bake in a 350F/180C preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
Bacon Maple Shortbread
Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Cranberry, Pistachio and White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
White Chocolate Chunk and Macadamia Nut Cookies
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Maple Bourbon Bacon and Pecan Butter Tarts
Bacon Gingersnap Cookies
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies
Lemon Curd White Chocolate Chip Cookies
S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft and Chewy Banana Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks and Bacon
Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Butter Pecan Cookies
Coconut Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies


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Friday giveaway time. Today it is 14 vintage juvenile titles, Hans Brinker to The Hardy Boys.
Leave a comment here to enter, or enter on Facebook or Twitter.
I'll sort through all the entries and pick a winner at random tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM EST.
Contest is closed, will update with a winner in a moment.
-Click to enlarge photos-


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Pearl & Gold Bead Bangles
Pearl & Gold Bead Bangles
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
Perfect bangle dividers to create your own bangle stack.
Comes in Silver or gold metal.
One pack comes with 4 bangles
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Merchandiser - Quincy, MA
Here at Scotts Miracle-Gro there is no such thing as a typical day. Our culture is constantly energized by new and exciting growth opportunities and at a rapid pace. Below are details on an open job. If the role interests you and you would like to be considered we encourage you to apply!
The hourly rate for this position at Scotts/Hawthorne will generally fall between $19.00 - $21.00 per hour and is paid weekly. Scotts/Hawthorne will consider various factors in determining the actual pay including your skills, qualifications, experience, and geographical location.
We are looking for a Seasonal Merchandiser to join our Field Sales team.
Seasonal Merchandisers report directly to a Sales Manager and work within our big box retailers, such as Home Depot and Lowe's. As part of the day-to-day responsibilities Merchandisers execute merchandising directives and re-sets, establish a positive rapport with store personnel and customers, and relay information to Scotts Sales team regarding inventory opportunities.
In this role you will:
- Merchandise products inside and outside stores
- Provide customers and store associates with product knowledge on Scotts brands
- Ensure product is stocked and presentable at all times
- Assist in identifying opportunities for solution selling and incremental space
- Provide support to Sales Manager and store employees as needed
- Work effectively independently and as a team to perform all tasks assigned
What you'll need to be successful:
- Experience in retail, merchandising and/or stocking preferred
- Problem solving and service oriented attitude
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including holidays and weekends
- Ability to operate company provided technology
- Current, valid driver's license and reliable transportation
- Ability to routinely walk, stand, climb an 8-12 foot ladder, lift up to 45 lbs and be exposed to weather elements (e.g. heat, cold, wind, rain)
What we do for our Merchandisers:
- Offer a retirement program with up to 7.5% 401(k) match
- Compensation for commuting expenses
- Provide flexible working hours
- Provide valuable, hands-on experience within merchandising, retail and customer service
- Paid on-the-job training including in-depth product knowledge on the Scotts products
- Fast tracked career advancement opportunities for high performing associates
- Provide necessary safety gear
Not interested in this role? Stay up to date on future opportunities by joining our ScottsMiracle-Gro and Hawthorne Gardening talent communities.
Scotts is an EEO Employer, dedicated to a culturally diverse, drug free workplace.
EEO/AA Employer/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity
Notification to Agencies:
Please note that the Scotts Miracle-Gro company does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Master Service Agreement, and specific approval to submit resumes to an approved requisition, the Scotts Miracle-Gro company will not consider or approve payment regarding recruiter fees or referral compensations.
$19 - $21 USD per hour


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Every year, SCORE volunteers help thousands of entrepreneurs achieve new levels of success. Volunteering at SCORE is a way for you to give back, connect with fellow business owners, and share your knowledge with others.
SCORE volunteers provide confidential business mentoring services, both in person and online. We lead seminars and workshops to help small business owners meet their goals and achieve success. We help expand outreach of SCORE through marketing and alliance building in our local communities. We provide subject matter expertise by industries and professional skills.
Volunteering as a SCORE mentor means you are joining a community of 13,000 diverse volunteers who are all committed to helping small business owners succeed. Whether you have owned your own small business, come from a Fortune 500 company, retired, college student, have a sincere commitment for helping small businesses or volunteering, there is a place for you as SCORE volunteer.
As a SCORE Volunteer You Can:
- Share your success and expertise through mentoring
- Lead workshops and seminars
- Provide online or telephone mentoring directly from your home or office
- Serve in a leadership capacity with SCORE
- Serve within other capacity at SCORE (Marketing, IT, administration, finance, fundraising, HR, etc.)
- Have flexibility with your volunteering time
Benefits of Volunteering:
- SCORE volunteers enjoy a variety of personal, local and national rewards. As a SCORE Volunteer, you:
- Enjoy the satisfaction of contributing to the success of others
- Share great experience with other SCORE volunteers
- Provide leadership in the business community
- Gain recognition and respect as a business mentor
- Grow professionally and personally
- Participate in lifelong learning
- Make new friends


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Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas billionaire who along with his wife has used a superPAC to pour about $15 million worth of support behind Newt Gingrich's bid for the Republican presidential nomination, told reporters earlier this week that the former House speaker's campaign appears to be "at the end of his line."
Video of Adelson saying words that no candidate wants to hear from his biggest supporter was posted online Wednesday by JewishJournal.com.
Adelson told reporters he doesn't want Republican contender Rick Santorum "running my country" and that Mitt Romney is "not the bold decision maker that Newt Gingrich is." But Gingrich, he said, "mathematically can't get any where" near the number of delegates he would need to be the nominee. ( NPR.org's "delegate tracker" is here.)
The news about Adelson's comments comes as The Washington Times reports that Gingrich:
"Met secretly with GOP rival Mitt Romney on Saturday, according to a source close to the campaign, but the former House speaker says he has made no deal to end his bid for the GOP nomination.
"Mr. Gingrich, responding to questions from The Washington Times, did not deny the meeting, but explicitly said he hasn't been offered a position in a potential Romney administration in exchange for dropping out."
Gingrich also told the newspaper that "I plan to go all the way to Tampa," where the GOP holds its convention in August.
Wednesday, we learned that Gingrich was laying off about one-third of his campaign staff and hopes that a deadlocked convention will turn to him.
There's much more about the 2012 presidential campaign at It's All Politics and on NPR.org's Election 2012 webpage.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Private landowners are reaping billions of dollars in royalties each year from the boom in natural gas drilling, transforming lives and livelihoods even as the windfall provides only a modest boost to the broader economy.
In Pennsylvania alone, royalty payments could top $1.2 billion for 2012, according to an Associated Press analysis that looked at state tax information, production records and estimates from the National Association of Royalty Owners.
For some landowners, the unexpected royalties have made a big difference.
"We used to have to put stuff on credit cards. It was basically living from paycheck to paycheck," said Shawn Georgetti, who runs a family dairy farm in Avella, about 30 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.
Natural gas production has boomed in many states over the past few years as advances in drilling opened up vast reserves buried in deep shale rock, such as the Marcellus formation in Pennsylvania and the Barnett in Texas.
Nationwide, the royalty owners association estimates, natural gas royalties totaled $21 billion in 2010, the most recent year for which it has done a full analysis. Texas paid out the most in gas royalties that year, about $6.7 billion, followed by Wyoming at $2 billion and Alaska at $1.9 billion.
Exact estimates of natural gas royalty payments aren't possible because contracts and wholesale prices of gas vary, and specific tax information is private. But some states release estimates of the total revenue collected for all royalties, and feedback on thousands of contracts has led the royalty owners association to conclude that the average royalty is 18.75 percent of gas production.
"Our fastest-growing state chapter is our Pennsylvania chapter, and we just formed a North Dakota chapter. We've seen a lot of new people, and new questions," said Jerry Simmons, the director of the association, which was founded in 1980 and is based in Oklahoma.
Simmons said he hasn't heard of anyone getting less than 12.5 percent, and that's also the minimum rate set by law in Pennsylvania. Simmons knows of one contract in another state where the owner received 25 percent of production, but that's unusual.
By comparison, a 10 to 25 percent range is similar to what a top recording artist might get in royalties from CD sales, while a novelist normally gets a 12.5 percent to 15 percent royalty on hardcover book sales.
Simmons added that for oil and gas "there is no industry standard," since the royalty is often adjusted based on the per-acre signing bonus a landowner receives. While many people are lured by higher upfront bonuses, a higher royalty rate can generate more total income over the life of a well, which can stretch for 25 years.
Before Range Resources drilled a well on the family property in 2012, Georgetti said, he was stuck using 30-year-old equipment, with no way to upgrade without going seriously into debt.
"You don't have that problem anymore. It's a lot more fun to farm," Georgetti said, since he has been able to buy newer equipment that's bigger, faster and more fuel-efficient. The drilling hasn't caused any problems for the farm, he said.
Range spokesman Matt Pitzarella said the Fort Worth, Texas-based company has paid "well over" $1 billion to Pennsylvania landowners, with most of that coming since 2008.
One economist noted that the windfall payments from the natural gas boom are wonderful for individuals, but that they represent just a tiny portion of total economic activity.
For example, the $1 billion for Pennsylvania landowners sounds like a lot, but "it's just not going to have a big impact on the overall vitality of the overall economy," said Robert Inman, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton business school. "I think the issue is, what difference does it make for the individual families?"
Pennsylvania's total gross domestic product in 2011 was about $500 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Inman noted that total gas industry hiring and investment can have a far bigger effect on a state or region, and companies have invested tens of billions of dollars just in Pennsylvania on pipelines, infrastructure, and drilling in recent years.
For example, in North Dakota the shale oil and minerals boom contributed 2.8 percent of GDP growth to the entire state economy in 2011, according to Commerce Department data.
Another variable in how much royalty owners actually receive is the wholesale price of gas. That has dropped significantly over the past two years even as production has boomed in Pennsylvania and many other states. Average wholesale prices went from about $4.50 per unit of gas in 2010 to about $3 in 2012. For many leaseholders, that meant a decline in royalties.
The boom in natural gas royalties has even led to niche spinoff companies that look for lease heirs who don't even know they're owed money.
Michael Zwick is president of Assets International, a Michigan company that searches for missing heirs.
"It was an underserved niche," Zwick said of oil and gas leases. When a company can't find an heir to lease royalties, the money often goes to state unclaimed property funds.
Zwick said he has found a few dozen people whose gas lease money was being held in escrow, including one who was owed about $250,000 in drilling royalties. But the average amount, he said, is far lower.


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Daltile® Tile Photos
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
On the relationship between high employee turnover and contraband smuggling at TDCJ
The biggest source of contraband admitted into Texas prisons, sad to say, are a minority of TDCJ correctional officers and staff who facilitate such transactions with the outside world. This problem is exacerbated by a situation highlighted recently on Grits: The fact that 80% of new hires at the CO I level - that is, entrants with neither military experience nor a college degree - wash out before making CO III, and CO IIIs themselves are hemorrhaging from the agency. So at any given time at TDCJ, there are a lot of relatively inexperienced officers who pretty much already know, or strongly suspect, that they're on their way out and might be tempted by a few extra bucks before they depart. It wouldn't surprise me, in fact, if low employee retention rates turned out to be a primary driver of employee contraband smuggling.
The case also re-raises the debate regarding whether offenders should have access to social media to keep track of friends and family, and I've argued before that the existence of smart phones as contraband changes that equation. If they're going to be on Facebook anyway, as this guy was, I'd rather have such use legally facilitated, tracked and communications monitored. Perhaps someday federal communications law on the subject will change, though for now the cell phone companies oppose it and they have a lot more clout with Congress than TDCJ.
If it's accurate that poor employee retention contributes to contraband smuggling, then arguably the best solution to contraband smuggling may be the same as the optimal solution for budget cutting at TDCJ: Changing policies to allow the state to reduce the number of inmates, close prison units (perhaps including some of those with the worst contraband problems), and reducing the number of staff through attrition to a more stable level so we don't lose 20% of guards every year. Suggested budget cuts from the agency, though, actually go in the opposite direction, closing just one, small state-run prison, shielding guards from initial staff reductions but eliminating recent pay increases designed (ironically) to improve employee retention as well as managers whose oversight might prevent employee misconduct.
Yes, in the future technology may solve all our problems. One day we'll all live like The Jetsons. In the meantime, though, Texas runs a bloated prison system it can barely staff and its failure to stop contraband stems primarily from its own employee and facility management failures, not the federal government's tardiness in changing longstanding federal communications law.
36 comments:
It just irritates me when their solution is immediately cell phone jammers. How does that solve the other contraband issues? Cell phones keep the issue in the spotlight, with a jammer TDCJ is able to keep the contraband issues quiet. If cell phones are bring brought, so are numerous other items.
Relative to labor quality, it is fundamentally unfair to suggest that this is simply a failure on the part of management. There are factors at play here that are not controlled by the executive administration. From a systems analysis perspective, we get out of it exactly what we put into it.
- Gritsforbreakfast said...
BB, perhaps we can start by agreeing it doesn't represent a management "success"?
And I do think there's a failure of management when they fail to advise the Lege that their budget-driven staffing situation is causing such problems and instead blame Congress. Perhaps my expectations are too high. - 3/16/2011 02:03:00 PM
I concur.
At some point in the future we must come together to address the issue of professionalization in Texas Corrections. We have to screen and hire the right people, offer them a competitive salary, and supervise them effectively.
You and I also agree that there are viable alternatives for many of those that we currently incarcerate. We tend to over utilize this option on occasion.
I look forward to the day when we decide to seriously address the problems of high turnover, labor quality and overall quality of life within our penal instititions.
Sometimes contraband is a marker for another condition: infatuation. Some correctional officers are drawn to the bad boy and he is the sole object of her sexual fantasies. It's a rush for her when she finally gets hired and gets to walk down the hall and inhale all that criminal testosterone. Contraband is a small thing, an insignificant token of her devotion and subservience.
Here is a problem I have observed in recent years within TDCJ.
They hire staff from the same general area as the prison in which they go to work, and they house offenders at the same prison who are ALSO from the same area. So, you end up with some employee's who know, or are friends with, the offenders they supervise because they are from the same neighborhoods.
That poses a serious problem. When an inmate and an officer were friends in the freeworld, the officer is compromised right away. The inmate will use whatever friendship they may have had to manipulate the officer. And, once manipulated, the officer is on the wrong side and a security problem.
It's my understanding that some of this occurs because offenders are placed closer to home so their families have less distance to travel for visitation. And, the practice of placing employee's on units close to where they are from started when the agency was having problems with hiring enough staff. They wanted to try and place staff on units close to where they were from in an effort to recruit and retain staff.
Both approaches are very wrong from a security stand point. Familiarity between staff and offenders is one of the biggest problems we have with contraband introduction.
To reduce the problem in the future our agency should NOT give new employee's a choice in which units they go to work at. Nor should the agency house inmates on specific units for their families convenience, period.
Then, to address the incentive problem with attracting quality applicants should be addressed. Low pay, and ever decreasing benefits, are not going to be incentive enough. I also believe that correctional officers should be required to go through TCLEOSE certification similar to county jailers go through, possibly even more stringent. Right now TDCJ correctional officers have no certification or licensing. We just have pre-service and in-service training. But, nothing regulated by TCLEOSE. Professional officers should have professionally certified training.
Thanks for listening,
Marty Ley - 3/16/2011 08:11:00 PM
The Correctional Officer who work for the state are not all involved in these issues. I think it is funny how the Officer assaults and issues they go through everyday are not in the news. Just the poor offenders plite.
Mr. Grits, or may I call you Flo?
Ever see that show "Alice"? Nevermind :-)
I work for the state as a C.O. I'm not going to pretend to know more than you do about prisons. I know different things, but on a lot of issues you've got me trumped. Something I'd like to talk about is the idea of allowing smart phones in prisons. It bothers me to think that these inmates would have the ability to communicate that much more effectively with their accomplices that are outside of the prison. These guys are prisoners, yes, but they aren't stupid. Well, most of them. They can be very intelligent, and even the ones that are not that bright have the sense to talk with and listen to those that are. They would figure out really quickly how to run a code on those smart phones. What I mean is they would be secretive in their communications, and would be able to set things up for themselves, or their cell-mates/associates. I personally think the state made a mistake allowing the phones onto the pods. That's a done-deal, at least until one of them escapes with the assistance of those phones. I believe they'd be removed if it could be proven that they were instrumental in the escape plan. Real-time communications is not a good thing for them, from my perspective.
TDCJ is said to be reactive, not proactive. I thought that was a slam against the agency when I first started, but now I see that is how it's gotta be. They change slowly, like an aircraft carrier turning around. Sometimes you change too many things and all of a sudden you have all kinds of loop holes created. You might-could only change that one thing and then plug the holes, then change another little thing, and plug those. Can't just go all willy-nilly upsetting the balance of things, right? This preface is made to say that it would be great if TDCJ could institute some rockin-good new ideas to fix that contraband problem all lickety-split like. But that's not going to happen. They are going to move slowly, and they are going to piss the C.O.'s off all along the way. Nobody will be happy. Not management, C.O.'s, and especially not the offenders. It's just not an easy proposition.
Marty, I don't know that I would be working for TDCJ right now if I couldn't live in my chosen home. As most folks know, we C.O.'s put up with all kinds of bunk daily. I'm not sure you could ask us to live across the state in a barracks, away from our families. What's the incentive? I like working for TDCJ, but damn, man, it isn't that good. Why not let the offenders pay the price to ease the contraband problem? Move them to the other side of the state. They are the ones being punished, right?
And I do believe that jamming cell traffic in the prison would be a step in the right direction. Just because the agency cannot stop contraband does not mean that it should not work to mitigate the damage that can be done by it. - 3/16/2011 11:11:00 PM
The contraband issue is complex. First and foremost, the tobacco-free policy implemented by the BOCJ in February of 1995 is a huge failure. Cell block porters("SSI) walk up and down the tiers hollering "thug call" every five to ten feet. The block officers see and know this goes on. Depending on who is working,on any given night on units such as Beto in Palestine, plumes of smoke rolls in obvious sight/smell to anyone within 50 feet. Any projected health benefit of the offender population by reduced smoking is nominal; worse yet, the current prohibition creates a much more dangerous criminal underworld, peddling toothpick-sized roll-em-ups in the dayrooms for $1 apiece or more. Gangs would "front" out hundreds of dollars' worth of this product at a time. In the process of establishing relationships with officers who were, for them, likely only risking their jobs.
With repeal of prohibition after ratification of the 21st Amendment, Al Capone and those like him fell off into oblivion. BOCJ needs to throw in the towel, repeal the tobacco-free policy. Do away with the temptations to offenders and guards alike. - 3/17/2011 12:50:00 AM
- sunray's wench said...
Marty, I agree with you on not putting inmates deliberately close to their families. But if that is going to be a policy then there would need to be further steps to keep family ties intact - as per TDCJ stated policy. Visitation during weekday afternoons would be a good idea, as many people now work weekends. If inmates are not housed close to their families (children too remember, not just doting mothers), then many families would need to stay overnight near to the unit.
I'm not sure about not putting officers in units close to home, but raising the hiring standards may mitigate the need for that. - 3/17/2011 01:40:00 AM
There are a lot of things that have contributed to this problem. The main problem, IMO,is the day to day treatment of employees. When I came to work for the state over 20 years ago, it was a good job. Maybe the clientele that we worked with was not always great, but there was the potential for a good retirement with good, solid benefits. Got vacation and sick time monthly and could use the time when requested. Now, it is not that way. Most of our good officers worked a ton of that "mandatory' overtime, which was set up in such a way that you had to accumulate a lot of "comp time"before you actually got paid money. That was the beginning of the end. That was Phase 1 in making sure that all staff knew that they were expendable and that the agency would use them up if needed. You get what you give in this world and if your employer places no value on you, it gets hard to place a value on your job. EVERYTHING came before any personal needs of the officers. The good officers busted their rears to try and do a good job, but the newer officers called in sick because that was the only way to get a day off.
The responsibility for all this is shared by TDCJ executive management and by the legislature. Senator Whitmire is so shocked by contraband. That has been there for years. Maybe he should take a trip to the Prison Museum in Huntsville? It has always been a constant war but he only paid attention to it when it suddenly affected him. Welcome to our world senator. Most officers have few days that don't include at least one threat to them or theirs. If he didn't know that contraband has always been a problem, he should have due to his position.
My bottom line is this. Until TDCJ and the legislature decide that not just anyone can do this job, the problems are going to continue. If our legislators are such good businessmen and women, they should already be aware that you get what you pay for. Instead of cutting pay, jobs and benefits, they should do what any other business would do. If you can't hire quality people, then you need to try and find out what you need to do to accomplish that. I can assure you that taking away from an already thankless job is not the best solution. - 3/17/2011 05:44:00 AM
I wonder how many officers we are short now? It is hard to know because positions that were empty were cut. How many more guards are employed by TDCJ now than in 2003-2004 when they said we were like 3000 guards short? Cutting vacant positions might look good on paper, but in reality, it still leaves them short=handed.
11:11:00pm, I understand totally. And, that's one reason the agency allows employee's to do that. It helps with recruitment and retaining employee's. And, good officers should notify their supervisor if they come in contact with an offender with whom they've had a relationship in the past.
I had that occur to me once. Saw him in a cell block I was working. I notified the warden the same day. The offender was shipped the next day. I knew him from high school. Unfortunately, we have officers who won't do that. They think the inmate is still their friend, and they're not. Those officers are easy targets for the inmates.
When I first started we weren't given a choice as to the unit we were assigned. You got a letter with a report date for the academy in Huntsville, and a unit assignment. If you wanted the job you accepted the assignment. After working at least 6 months you could put in for a transfer to your unit of choice. The system seemed to work well back then.
I agree with most of the comments that were made above regarding some of the problems. If the agency, and the legislature, fails to appreciate and compensate the staff competitively the problems will continue. If the standards are not raised the problems will continue. If our training is not professionalized and certified with some sort of licensing, the problems will continue.
Folks, one thing I learned early on in my career is that it's the inmates jobs to try and beat the officers. By that I mean they will ALWAY'S attempt to hide contraband. They will ALWAY'S try to get away with breaking the rules. That's what they do. It's OUR job as correctional officers to try and stop them. That's a daily task that we MUST perform without fail. We have to learn how NOT to get beat. We have to learn how to be BETTER convicts, than the convict himself. That takes time, experience, knowledge, and team work. Sadly, we have a lot of young officers with little time in the system, little experience, and very little team work sometimes. Makes for a tough situation. I can't emphasize enough that our experienced, older, officers have got to take the initiative, and HELP the younger staff. The experienced officers have got to pull their boot straps up and take the youngsters under their wings and show them the ropes. Without that help, some of these younger and less experienced officers will become a security problem. If it weren't for the older fella's that took me under their wings back in '82, I wouldn't still be working for the agency.
We got a lot of good officers out there. Stick together, and GET'R'DONE!
Thanks for listening,
Marty Ley - 3/17/2011 06:22:00 AM
Sunny, as you know, the agency already has policies in place to address offenders who have family that live further than 300 miles from their unit of assignment. Now, I do understand the hardships that this may cause family members. My wife has a cousin who is incarcerated. The young man had two brothers who were traveling long distance to visit him. They were both killed in a car accident en-route to the unit. Tragic for the whole family. So I do understand the hardships that distance causes. But, that still doesn't change the fact that it would be better, security wise, to NOT house them close to home.
Of course, the debate could go on and on about all of this. And, I agree with the poster above who said that there will be no QUICK answers. It will take time.
Thanks for listening,
Marty Ley - 3/17/2011 06:31:00 AM
Geographic distance is not the problem. County jailers state-wide have maintained custody of their neighbors for years. The true problem is the moral, social, cultural distance between 'keeper' and 'kept' that has diminished significantly over the past twenty years. The line between 'us' and 'them' is not as evident to newer staff members, and they cross back and forth over that line with little concern. The future looks dim. God help us
For those of you that are encouraging the offenders to be moved further from their families...Do you know what incentive the 3g offender has to behave? Visits with their family. Take it away and you have minimal incentive for that offender. There is no good time credits for them and anything else you take away is meaningless. I am outraged that people like you work with TDCJ with such an obvious disregard for the inmates and their families. You should encourage things that will make them more successful when ther return home, that is part of the job of TDCJ. Maybe TDCJ should stop hiring thugs. I promise you if they will bring it in for their homies here they are already compromised and will make friends from out of town and do it for them. Your compromised COs are not just doing it as a friend - they are making good money.
My husband can not see his child grow up. He will miss his first steps, he will miss his first words, his first day of school. He will miss alot of things. My husband is isolated from us. That is his punishment. You are not there to incorporate more punishment or make it harder on any of us. I am permitted take my son on a one hour drive to see his father 2 HOURS once a week. I am only able to do that once every other week because of the drive and the wait to get in to see him. You are advocating moving him even further from me and our son because you can't maintain morality among your officers? You already have an issue with morals. My husband made a mistake and we are all paying for it. He has regret everyday. It is torture for him to just not be able to be home with us.
You chose to work in your 30k job and you knew the terms when you signed up. If you don't like it go find another job, I don't want you there anyway.
Do you really want a security problem? Make it a policy to ship people far from their homes, see how you like your job conditions then. - 3/17/2011 08:10:00 AM
08:10- I drive 4.5 hours to spend 2 hours with my spouse. He is housed near where his court case originated. He has no family there. His only family are myself and his grandmother who lives in Lubbock. I totally agree with you about the need for prisoners to be housed near their families. Too bad they don't consider that a prisoner might have relocated to another county or area.
- sunray's wench said...
The incentive for a 3g offender to behave is to not return to prison once they get out, if they get out. My husband is a 3g offender, and we see each other once or twice a year and have no phone calls - not because of his behaviour but because the system does not permit overseas calls. Lack of visits (he has maybe 3 or 4 total per year) is not a reason for him to misbehave. He hasn't had a case in his whole time in TDCJ (almost 7 years).
You can't blame the Officers for policy made by the Administration. - 3/17/2011 12:37:00 PM
In a perfect world maybe they would behave just because they want to behave. But in that perfect world they would be fed right or at least what the law says they should be fed. They wouldn't have to argue for the food that has been sitting out for several hours, they wouldn't be talked to like dogs. In a perfect world guards wouldn't bring in contraband and blame the families. Lack of visits may not be a "reason" for them to behave, but it sure does make them a lot more tolerant of the abuses that go on. The possibility of a case for defending what is right is not always worth it when your visits are at risk. I know how the guards treat the inmates. I have witnessed it myself in the visitation rooms and they have even tried to get treat me like they were better than me a couple times. I know I have only witnessed a fraction of what the guards say, but what I have seen has been very nasty and uncalled for. I know inmates that tolerate it simply because they don't want the case - due to the loss of visits. But if they did stand up for themselves, just verbally they will get a case and they will be harrassed. I wouldn't blame them. There is only so much you can take and sometimes that visit is what is holding them back.
comments from 3/17/2011 08:10am-"For those of you that are encouraging the offenders to be moved further from their families."
"I am outraged that people like you work with TDCJ with such an obvious disregard for the inmates and their families."
"If you don't like it go find another job, I don't want you there anyway."
Mam, I read your entire post, and I can see the frustration and anger in your words. Since I am the one who started the conversation regarding the distance of inmates family and their unit of assignment, I feel your comments are mostly directed at me. So, I would like to address them, if I may.
I want to assure you that my comments were made from a security mindset. They were made in an effort to discuss ways to disrupt, and curtail, the flow of contraband in our facilities. They were not made from a disregard for offender families. They were not made with any ill intent toward inmate family members at all.
As for my job, and you not wanting me there. I'm sorry you feel that way. I love my job. I've been at it for going on 29yrs. I want you to know that I try to be as security minded as I possibly can. While that may be inconvenient, and sometimes uncomfortable for offenders, family, and officers alike, that is how it must be. Good security is never convenient. And, good security is necessary for the safety of EVERYONE involved, including the offenders.
It's a correctional officers job to keep offenders safe. You may not be aware of it, but MOST assaults that occur within the prisons are offender on offender. They are not offender on officer. Good security helps prevent all types of assaults. Good security helps to keep your husband safe, so he can come home to you and his young children some day.
I'm sorry if my earlier comments offended you. They were not meant to. They were coming from an employee who wants to make our agency better, and more secure.
Thanks for listening,
Marty Ley - 3/17/2011 05:11:00 PM
We could also use whips, tasers and chains to secure for the facility. We could start water boarding inmates. Security at all costs is not always worth the price. There is a delicate balance that must be maintained. Most inmates have cell phones because they want more contact with their families. I don't care what hype there is out there about the phones. There are a few using it for illegal activity, but that can be done through numerous outlets, most use them to have that deeply desired contact with a loved one. When you move inmates further from their families the desire to obtain illegal cell phones is going to increase. I understand that you are looking at this from a guard's perspective trying to make it secure, but you must stop and put yourself on the other side too if you want to be effective at your job. I can see my husband every two weeks, if he were moved and I only saw him 3 - 4 times a year the temptation of a cell phone would be far greater. Take away visits or significantly reduce them and the temptation for a cell phone increases significantly. Your demand for the product would increase, not decrease with more distance.
Annon 8:10 and 1:00 PM - 3/17/2011 08:46:00 PM
Mam, anon 08:10 and 1:00pm , I can understand your view point. However, TDCJ has hard line phones that have been installed in all the living area's so that inmates may call their loved ones. They don't need TDCJ permission to use the phones. They are allowed to use them at specific time frames during the day. They don't need a cell phone to call their loved ones. The only reason they might need a cell phone is for unlawful purposes. So, I'm afraid arguing that an inmate will want a cell phone to contact a family member really doesn't hold much water.
I do agree with you that a lot of inmates look forward to their visits. And, I'm sure many would like to live closer to home. And, I agree that our agency has to look at all sides of the issue. Ultimately, the agency administration has to make decisions based on what's best for the agency and will ensure our core mission is accomplished. Sometimes, that may not be convenient for the offenders family members, or the staff. (ie-the searches entering the units, many staff were unhappy with that decision) But, once the decisions are made we all do the best we can to make things work well, and smoothly.
Thanks for listening,
Marty Ley - 3/17/2011 09:14:00 PM
Marty Ley - I guess we have to agree to disagree. You are on the other side and refuse to see this side and maybe I can't see your side. Anyone with any experience knows those phones are not a success. I know the inmates, not just through my husband but through others. I know what a majority are using the phones for. You assume that because they are not using the TDCJ phones it must be for something illegal. You have refused to even open your eyes to it. They must be doing something illegal because they are inmates. For me - the TDCJ phone was an expensive headache that required me to have the extra expense of a landline. The phone constantly disconnects. The phones are usually in high traffic areas, like the dayroom by the TV. You can't hear them, they can't hear you. Not everyone has a phone in their name. When I moved I didn't even bother transferring my landline.
I understand your position and why you view things the way you do, but you do not have a complete grasp on why cell phones are such a problem in the prisons. I know why they can't be there unmonitored. I know if 100 inmates have them and only 1 uses it to commit a crime it is too dangerous of a risk, but you are blinded by your bias if you think it is all for illegal use because they have access to monitored lines. - 3/17/2011 09:51:00 PM
:-), yes you're right. I may be a bit biased. Like I said earlier, I've been in this business for going on 29yrs. During that time I've worked as a correctional officer, a shift sergeant, an STG sergeant, and now a regional safe prisons coordinator. So, security is in my blood.
I don't disagree the inmate phone system is far from perfect. But, it is the only lawful system we have right now. I'd rather see inmates do their best to work with it, rather than risk getting locked up in seg for possessing a cell phone. That would not help the inmate or any family members.
As discussed earlier, our contraband problem is very complex. There are no easy answers. And, it will take a combination of factors to come together in order to reduce the problem. I say "reduce" the problem because you will NEVER totally get rid of contraband in prisons. We've been fighting it forever, and will continue to do so.
I appreciate your comments and insights. Discussions such as this help all of us understand the view points from all sides.
Thanks for your understanding,
Marty Ley - 3/17/2011 10:10:00 PM
- sunray's wench said...
Just because Marty doesn't agree, doesn't mean that he can't see any other side of the argument.
It comes down to impulse control, or the lack of it, in most inmates. We talk a lot on Grits about those who are innocent yet imprisoned, but the majority are guilty of their crime and one of the reasons they are there is poor impulse control. They still have a choice while in prison of saying no to the contraband, or of joining in with others. There are temptations everywhere, and it is not helpful to always take the easy path or facilitate the easy path, because it does nothing to improve the impulse control of the individual. - 3/18/2011 01:18:00 AM
- A Voice of Sanity said...
Texas prison chief Brad Livingston has responded by calling for a test of cell-phone jamming technology, however the Attorney General has already told the agency that installing jammers on a permanent basis would require a change in federal communications law first enacted in the 1930s.
Silly 'solution'. Have the state install its own "cell tower" in each prison. As the nearest antenna, it will capture all signals which can then be recorded, along with full details. The guards and visitors will have to be warned of course. - 3/18/2011 01:47:00 AM
A voice of sanity, that solution would help treat a symptom of the problem. However, it won't treat the cause of the problem, introduction of contraband. And, it brings it's own set of problems to the table.
We need a cure for this cold, or at least an inoculation that will prevent future infection.
Like the cold busters we give at the pill window, it does help you feel better though.
Thanks for listening,
Marty Ley - 3/18/2011 05:32:00 AM
- Unknown said...
hell all thay have to do is to do like the most do just dont be a crook to start with.im 78 years old and find that it is not that hard to do.put them on the chain gang and see how many comes back
The problems will forever be present inside the prison system in Texas. I believe the biggest problem with the contraband issues are with the CO's. I have first hand knowledge of the problems because I lived it. Offenders for the most part are just doing their time and trying to go home. The vile conditions and the way the offenders are housed and treated, it's not surprising that problems between inmate and rank exist. Let's get on the same page here. "Joe Public" has no fricking idea of what happens inside the prison system in Texas. The inmates are treated like "feed-stock" and the CO's are to blame. I spent the better part of the past 7 years being disrespected, strong-armed, and treated as if my life didn't exist at all. Being housed away from my family was the absolute worst. 850 miles away? Yes, and one visit in 2 years, that is unexcuseable. My family suffered the most. I am a survivor and made it out with only the grace of God. I lost my right eye because of the lack of proper medical attention. I blame the CO's and the rank they report to. The whole system is corrupt and I want the public to know about it. I have first hand info on just how bad things are inside the prison system, however, nobody wants to listen. "Out of sight, out of mind" is the feeling I'm getting. Living in the prisons in Texas is harsh and at times, pure hell.
I was a correctional offier for almost 7 years. Contraband issues have nothing to do with a convict's proximity to his family, visitation, etc. Because of the continued low salary levels for correctional officers, there will always be someone that is vulnerable to bribery. It starts off with small favors that a CO doesn't see as a big deal, and once a convict has something to blackmail a CO with, it's down hill from there.
I can't speak for all units, but on mine there is not an atmosphere or conditions like some of the commenters here would have folks believe. Most officers are conscientious and treat inmates as people. Inmates get fed the same basic foods that officers are fed. Sometimes the food is sub par as far as imaginative prep goes, but it is still edible. I work in General Population, so I can't really speak to what happens in the Ad Seg or High Security areas. But I know that we officers work under multiple threats. The threat of physical violence is always present when near inmates. Threats from manipulation and con-games are constant. We don't work at the Hilton. Our customers are not honest folks. After two years of employment, I can say that I've encountered one or two inmates that I would not expect to lie and cheat if it would benefit them. There are probably more out there, but I haven't met them. By and large, these men are child molesters, rapists, murderers, and thieves. They live in an environment that makes them worse. I would have a tough time trusting a person who I knew was previously incarcerated. Prison is just such a different place. There is always deception going on. Always something afoot. Their eyes are opened to all kinds of tricks and scams that they might not have been privy to before. It's unfortunate to think that there are folks who have been wrongly convicted, but the whole system isn't going to change for them.
If you really want to see what it's like, sign up to become an officer. I would think that a lot of folks that have sharp words for the prison system and its employees would have their eyes opened. Like Ted Conover, the author of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing.
I think it would be pretty cool to see someone do that same thing in the Texas system. You up for it, Flo? - 3/18/2011 12:52:00 PM
TDC needs to transfer all inmates away from close proximity to their families. The pay phone idea was an expensive failure, as those whom no one listens to tried to warn in the first place. Officer ARE DEFINITELY a big issue here. Unit rank ignores warnings and information about inmate infractions and often overlooks them in order to cultivate their snitches. Inmate janitors who have been caught with cell phones and work in the segregation units are not punished and remain working in maximum security areas because they act as snitches for rank. You can't expect the COs to do their jobs when their ranking officers don't care and TDC management wants to ignore certain issues so that they don't look so bad. The good COs get fed up and leave because they are punished if they attempt to make inmates follow the rules. TDC is run more like TYC anymore. COs can't do a thing to control inmates anymore because they will be considered as being mean and disciplined instead of the inmates being expected to comply. Lockdowns are a joke and have been for a long time. TDC stands for TEXAS DAY CARE. There certainly isn't any fear of consequences for their actions anymore amongst inmates.
Yes, inmates are separated from their families. In some cases, I'm sure, it's the inmates own fault. Some of them left the state or went to the other side of the state (Texas is a big state) to commit their crimes. Some even came up from Mexico. They should have known that this would cause them to be away from their loved ones once they got caught. Most inmates were smart enough to act locally and save their families all that pain and lonesomeness as well as the long bus trips.
- Jammer said...
I think they should allow usage of cell phone jammers as they could help to prevent prisoners from escaping.
My father is incarcerated and he tells me that they get a new shipment of foreign guards (mostly from Nigeria) on a regular basis. The majority of these guards cannot even speak English. He has been in prison for over 7 years and has seen wave after wave of these foreigners come through his unit as it is a "training" ground for new guards. It is rumored that these guards also receive US citizenship as part of their benefits for working for TDC. Have you heard anything about this practice? Since Nigeria is notorious for it's unethical practices (such as email schemes, treatment of prisoners, etc.), it concerns me greatly that our country is bringing in people to work in our prisons that aren't much better than the prisoners themselves. If we don't have enough people available locally to fill the positions, then it is definitely time to look at the benefits and make changes necessary to fill out the roster with locally-based citizens. I will remain anonymous to protect my dad.
On the topic of Nigerian officers...
TDCJ needs to stop hiring officers who don't have the ability to effectively communicate in English. I am talking about verbal communication.
I am tired of having to intervene when one of my officers calls me, only to find out the inmate simply didn't understand the orders he was being given.
Prison is a place where race and other cultural issues are magnified. The officers from other countries, for the most part, just don't get it. They don't have a clue and never will. With so many of them in the system now, they don't even have to assimilate. They form a clique. They are not Nigerian-Americans. They are Nigerians living in America.
There is an obvious problem with the screening process. Sadly, I am starting to suspect there is significantly lower turnover among these officers from beyond out borders. I worry people in Huntsville are more focused on the potentially lower turnover than the fact that very, very few of them will ever be effective correctional officers.
Prison is about people. People who do not understand the language or culture of a place have no business being employed in a position of authority. - 3/30/2011 08:30:00 PM