text:
(From the book W Kotlinie [In the Valley],
stories from the
Holocaust, Polish, Book and Science publication, Warsaw, 1949)
Stanislaw Wygodzki, a Polish Jewish writer, was born in Będzin (1907) to the Zionist activist Icchak Wygodzki. When he was young, he was an actor in the drama group of the Ivria society (after WWI) and performed on the Hebrew stage. He was also active in the Hashomer Hatza'ir organization. He studied in the Yavne gymnasium, but despite the Hebrew-national education he received in his father's home and from his teachers Sobotko, Tewel Klajnman and Z. Borensztajn, he turned his back to the Zionistic goals of these people. He was fascinated with radical leftist ideals and he started to offer his talent to the Polish working class and their literature. In the twenties, he was arrested because of his communist activity and was kept in prison for a long time.I could title the story with a motto taken from the Bible or from The New Testament, as writers do, in order to introduce the reader to the subject as accurately as possible, if not only to participate in the grief of the mother whose story I am about to tell. But I have not found in the ancient books the sentence which will throw enough light on the incident that happened to me.
In the last war, under the regime of the Nazis, he suffered much more, both as a Jew and as a writer with communist tendencies. In his poems he glorifies the fighters for equality and social justice and the masses of the oppressed people who did not give up until over Poland, my homeland, whose war and rebirth I accompanied, the red flag of liberty was lifted.
In the twenties he published his maiden composition in a literary journal and since then his reputation among Polish writers became greater. In the war, he lost his whole family: parents, brothers, wife (a member of the famous Domb family in Będzin) and daughter. He was thrown into solitary confinement, sent to Auschwitz, and tried to commit suicide, but he did not succeed and was left alive.
His works in prose and poetry express his emotional and spiritual personal world. The poems of Bialik, whom Wygodzki describes as the giant of the Hebrew poetry, had a very strong effect on him, which is reflected in his book of poems The Diary of Love.
His poems which are dedicated to the Holocaust are imbued with depression and grief. There he expresses the tragedy of the Jewish people with great intensity. In one of his ballads he mourns:Forgive me for the century in whose decadence I livedHis first book of poems, called Apel, appeared in Moscow in 1933. Until now, the following books have been published: The Clerk, In The Valley, Jalonek and the So, Back Home, Near the Road, The Empty Yard, Six Stories and a collection of poems which includes 120 poems, divided into eight main parts according to topics.
Under the load of the mortar I collapsed
I dug pits in the forests
Lungs consumptive and contracted
I tasted from the poisoned goblet
With a lost hand I inscribed my words
And my soul knew no solace.
Wygodzki translated some of Shalom Aleichem's and Efraim Kaganowski's works into Polish and also the letters of Egon Erwin Kisch, a German Jewish writer.
Now he lives in Poland and his reputation of a gifted writer attracts many many readers. His books have been out of print for a long time now.
I have seen mothers who did not want to separate from their children even when they could save their own lives, but I have also seen mothers who desperately deserted their children and handed them over, and after the children had been gathered into the trucks to be executed, they joined the labor camps and the path of suffering .I will not hurry to judge them as guilty or innocent. I have been weighing this problem for a long time. I have talked to people in God's service, to the wise, to laymen, to mothers of children and to barren women, but the more I thought about it, the more perplexed I became.
If I showed you a woman who poisoned her son to save him from the tortures of the German hell, would you ask her how she felt at night, all alone, with the memories of her deed?
I knew that telling the story would not help to understand it, although that was my purpose, but it could uncover part of its mystery I also knew that its hero would remain a fiction, the fruit of the writer's imagination, if I did not materialize him in a real person, in a real place and in a real time because the things told here have their hold in reality:
In prison B-0 (probably in Auschwitz the translator), in which I was put three days ago, there were eight separate cells. Right away I knew that only two were occupied: mine and the second to my right. I heard not only the frequent clicks of the lock of the other cell, but also the footsteps and other sounds through the wall that divided our cells.
The jailer let us out twice a day once to the toilets and once to get our food ration. First to come out was the unknown prisoner, and then was my turn. We had never met. I was waiting for my investigation with apprehension. I could not fall asleep not only because of my stress and tension, but especially because of the terrible cold. It was January 1942, a freezing, stormy winter also to those outside of jail. I slept on the floor in my clothes, all curved up, my head on my arms.
On the third night I woke up to the sound of the opening door of the nearby cell, and right after that there was complete silence, a silence that made you tremble, and it was as if I could hear the pulse of the emptiness through the wall.
After a while, that same door opened again and I heard the pent up puffs of the jailers dragging a body. I listened intently. First there was silence. But after a minute I heard moans and groans which did not stop. I turned to the other wall hoping that doing so I would not hear the sobs, but they reached my ears even there. Moreover, they sounded as if coming from where I was standing. I squeezed myself into the corner, but it was in vain. I stuck my fingers into my ears and this time it worked, but how long can one stand with his arms lifted? I felt I was going crazy.
The first rays of dawn could be seen through the window, a pale, weak light.
And there, across the wall, an unhappy human-being was wailing. During that day
they took him out twice again. I knew it because I heard the jailers' footsteps
and their screaming voices, and when they brought him back, I heard from his
cell the same endless moans, a wordless outcry which tore my heart. When I was
forced to listen to those heartbreaking groans day and night, I wished I too
felt physical pain and cried out bitterly. Then I understood something which I
had never believed in before, that tortures of the soul are more painful than
tortures of the body. It is better to lose your mind because of swollen, beaten
fingers and broken bones than of the endless, maddening cries coming from
behind the walls of my cell.
[Page 374]
When the jailer opened the door and handed the dinner ration, I asked him about the date of my expected investigation. It was clear to me how it would end, but then, at least, when I was out of my cell, I would no longer hear my neighbor's cries. It seemed that my impertinent question did not particularly surprise the jailer. He had known the souls of people who had been tortured there for more than a year, and also their reaction to the heartbreaking cries heard for twenty hours a day.
At night that door opened again. The prisoner had been taken to innumerable investigations. For a short while there was silence, which restored my peace of mind, but soon, the maddening cries burst out again. I became a nervous wreck, a bundle of raw nerves. I punched the wall with my fists to stop the harsh voice, but the person behind the wall did not become any quieter.
Once, the door of my cell opened. I squeezed myself into the corner, so the policeman did not notice me at first, because through the half-open door only dark light could be seen. Komm!, come!
Fear seized me. My instinct told me that despite the endless wailing, it was better here than where the cruel Gestapo inquisitors were waiting for me.
Come! Come! He repeated his order twice. One order which was spiced with words of contempt and ridicule probably did not satisfy him.
I went out to the corridor. He did not close the door of my cell and pointed to the room where the abandoned prisoner was staying. He opened the door and ordered me to get in. Then I saw
On the floor lay an old, torn suit and the tortured man was thrown on the ground breathing heavily . His underwear was soaked with blood and he wriggled and twisted with pain, pressing his head towards his belly, shrinking and moaning. I think the moans were soundless, so how did they still cut the air and deafened my ears?
Take off your clothes!
The policeman pointed at me. I was wrong. Not at me, at my clothes. I hesitated because I did not understand anything.
I took off my jacket and then my trousers.
Dress him up! He pointed to the prisoner.
I touched the lean, wizened, helpless body which was senseless but burning with sores and wounds. By the light of the open door I noticed that his limbs were covered with red, blue-gray bruises. I leaned down trying to hold him, but he slipped off my hands, looking at me with dim but imploring eyes. It was very hard to dress him because he kept moving clumsily, hitting his head at the stony floor. I was helpless. I did the job hurriedly so as to finish it as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, I found pleasure I his groans, as if content that my heart had become numb and senseless
He was still alive.
I returned to my cell with only my underwear on. Soon after that, he was taken away again. The savage officers had probably been disgusted with his blood-soaked clothes and decided to cover him with mine.
I trembled. It was so cold. Then I froze. They brought him back again and walked away, cursing and swearing. I heard his cries even before he reached his cell. Had I already got used to that roar?
The day after, the policeman called me and said:
They brought him a suit from home. Take your clothes off him and dress him with his.
I hesitated.
I will put on his suit. Let him stay in mine I replied.
I did not know what had hit me. Was it disgust with his blood-soaked clothes, or the fear of having to touch his pain-stricken body?
The policeman changed his mind and threw at me the suit which the stranger had received from home. It seemed that he too had grown tired of that contemptible job. He locked the door and I put on the clothes which were not mine. I didn't even look into the pockets which had been turned inside out after a search.
The suit was the type of the warm sport clothes of skiers. The trousers could be fastened under the knees and also stretched down to the ankles and tightened to the shoes. Now I felt much better. After a night in the new suit, it seemed to me that the stranger's clothes were particularly warm. Later, I noticed that the suit was too large and dragged on the floor. I would have preferred mine, but it had probably soaked the blood of the poor convict by then. He was breathing hard for another three days and nights and I too was numb. When he stopped for a minute I felt bad, as if missing his groans.
One morning the door of his cell opened and didn't close again. When I went to
the toilets, I peeped into his room and it was empty. Death had arrived. His
things had been collected and the blood washed up.
I got off at the station, and so did the woman. She started talking to me:
Were you in a concentration camp, sir?
I lifted my arm and showed her the number, thinking that would satisfy her curiosity.
You were lucky to get out alive!
Her dry eyes became moist and a tear ran down her cheek. We walked slowly taking our time.
Were you there for a long time?
I calculated.
Since January 1942. Since I was arrested. Exactly here, in A.
Were you here in prison, sir?
[Page 375]
Why do you ask?
She caught my hand and continued:
And did you survive it?
You see I did!
My son too might have survived, but I
Here she stopped, bent her head and released my hand.
My son too was here. Did you know him by any chance?
I explained to her that I had not known anybody because I was in solitary confinement.
She was quiet for a while and then continued to ask.
Did they beat a lot?
They beat as they chose to, but somehow I came through. And what happened to your son?
I killed him!
I looked at her questioningly. 'This woman must have lost her mind,' I said to myself.
You killed him in prison? Is it possible? How did you enter?
You remember the market in A. We walked on the cobbled road, skipped over the well near which the peasants used to water their horses. A driver stopped his car in front of the tavern.
As early as January 1942, her son, knowing that he would not be able to escape the SS had prepared poison which he hid under the lining of the coat's pocket, for the sake of safety. If they arrested and tortured him during the investigation, he might not be able to bear it and would mention names of others, which might cause their arrest. This was what he had told his mother.
And indeed, one day he was arrested in his yard while cutting wood. He was dressed in his shirt without a jacket. He was dragged forcefully, shoved into a motorcycled cart and taken away.
She continued to speak, her voice slightly anxious.
I had always looked for an opportunity to send him the coat in which the bundle with the cyanide of potassium was hidden. I used to take the risk and walk up and down the prison square and once I even knocked at the gate. They told me that my son did not need the coat because he was kept warm enough and ordered me to get away. I returned home, desperate. The day after, however, late at night, a policeman appeared at my door and asked for a coat for my son. I didn't think much, opened the wardrobe and took out long warm trousers that could be fastened under the knees, sportsmen's trousers, designed for skiers. I also handed him a coat As the policeman was leaving, I kissed his hand. After a few days I was informed that my son had suddenly died and they returned the coat. But it was not my son's coat; it was somebody else's. I haven't been able to find out what it meant.
I realized that at that moment I became part of her life and that I had lived her experiences, her wishes and the last hours of her murdered son. I heard her story and my heart seemed to explode. I must have stopped because she asked:
Have you grown tired, sir?
I resumed walking and she continued:
I don't know what my son did when he received the coat, but I'm afraid he suffered tremendously until he got it. Even you, sir, who sat with him at one time, cannot deny it completely and relieve me from the doubt.
Madam, people suffered a lot there, but rest assured that you did very much for your son in his last moments.
But you, sir, you were there too, and still you managed to come out alive. If I hadn't sent him the coat, I wouldn't have killed him. How can I live in peace when my conscience tortures me day and night? With every passing day my regret grows deeper and I am filled with more remorse. If I had only known that they flogged him, caused him unbearable suffering, and that the poison eased his pain, I would have felt better, knowing that I helped him speed up the end of his suffering
She rested a minute and repeated:
Yes, I would have been quiet.
What could I tell her and how could I comfort her? Should I have described to her the cleansing suffering of her son the martyr? Should I have told her the truth that the coat had never reached her son? If I had done so, I would have certainly wounded her tired soul which was already so beaten and depressed. Let the poor mother live in the hope that her son had taken his life and she had helped him hasten the arrival of the liberating death.
In 1951 an urn of ashes of the Zaglembian Jews sacrificed in Auschwitz was presented to the Zaglembian Émigrés Organization. It was given by a former Sosnowiec resident, David Zicher, who remarkably had managed to survive, and who had served as an inmate near the camp's death furnaces. There was a meeting with the organization's board led by Rabbi Menachem Hager of blessed memory, who served many years as the chairman of the Zaglembian Émigrés Organization in Tel Aviv, till he passed way in 1954. In the meeting [Zicher] he described in a choked voice and tear-filled eyes, how he had probed and turned over with his hands a small quantity of ashes, that he had carefully saved from the last dispatch of Jews from our region in 1943, amongst whom was his wife and children who had been gassed and incinerated.
By agreement of the Chief Rabbinate of Tel Aviv, that had intervened in this
matter, it was decided after deliberations and inquiries that this box of ashes
should be brought for proper burial in Israel. In the month of Av, 5712 (1952),
a funeral took place in which many people participated and the urn of ashes was
buried in a very prominent, central location in the old Nachlat Yitzhak
cemetery, near the graves of the soldiers who had fallen defending the State of
Israel. The chairman of the organization, who was also head of the Chevrat
Kaddisha, strove to see achieve this.
[Page 376]
The miniature mita[1] on which the ashes of the martyrs of the Zaglembian communities was brought to Israel and photographs of the temporary headstone in the cemetery and the monument, that was erected later, were presented to the archives of the Yitzhak Katzenelson Bet Lochamei Museum, for the Holocaust and the Rebellion legacy, located near Kibbutz Lochamei Haghettaot in the Western Galilee.
The buried ashes remained for two years without a suitable headstone, because of the lack of funds to erect a monument in memory of the glory of the Jews of Zagłębie. Later, funds were collected by donations from our surviving brothers, and a monument was erected for their eternal memory.
On the 11th anniversary of the destruction our parent's birthplace, on Tisha B'av 5714,
(8/8/1954) an unveiling ceremony of the monument, on which the names of the
twelve Zaglembian communities that were destroyed were engraved in marble:
|Będzin, Sosnowiec, Dąbrowa, Ząbkowice, Strzemieszyce,
Czeladź, Lagisza, Gołonóg, Grodziec, Niwka, Dańdówka.
The committee members lowered the black cloth that covered the monument, and a magnificent monument was revealed to the excited gathering. The crowd wept. People fainted. After the prayer El Male Rachamim and the reciting of Kaddish, the crowd left the cemetery that had been sanctified, and has served since then as a meeting place for memorials that take place annually on Tisha B'Av.
During a memorial service in 1957 a terrible tragedy took place, which ended
with the death of one of our most dedicated members in organization matters.
Attorney Dr. Pinchas (Paul) Majteles, a Holocaust survivor, became excited to
such an extent during a very impressive eulogy, that he fell on the martyrs
grave, and his pure soul was extinguished. Even in death he was not separated
from his wretched brothers, the full extent of their tragedy he had experienced
by M. H.
Translated by Nitsa Bar Sela
Edited by Yocheved Klausner
According to a careful estimate (on the basis of the lists we possess and the vast participation in memorial ceremonies for the martyrs of our community), in Israel there are about two thousand former residents of Będzin and their numbers grow with the immigration of survivors arriving from Poland. Będziners live in Israel all over the country: in towns, villages, kvutzot [groups] and moshavim [cooperative agricultural settlements]. They have professions in industry, commerce, agriculture, clerkship, education and more. Generally speaking, they have adapted themselves to the life in the country, have become devoted citizens and have connected their future with the land whole-heartedly.
In the years of the great tide of immigration from Poland, 1924-1925, when hundreds of people came from our town to Israel (most of whom belonged to the middle class, but failed, unfortunately, in their business here and returned to Będzin to be annihilated in the Holocaust), there was no need to found a special landsmanshaft [society of immigrants from the same town or region], because whenever the immigrants confronted hardships, they were helped and supported by The General Association of the Immigrants of Poland, which helped all of them, no matter what town or community they came from.
But when World War II broke out in 1939, and the first horrendous news started to reach Israel about the Holocaust and the Będzin refugees escaped to Russia, Będziners in Tel Aviv began to get together with the purpose to send help to the suffering refugees in the plains of Siberia. Similar attempts were made in other cities, Haifa and Jerusalem, where there was a large concentration of Będziners. However, most attempts to organize the people failed, because very few were ready to devote themselves to this mission.
One day, by the end of 1939, several people met in the home of Mr. Zilbersztajn in Tel-Aviv. They were Abram Hampel, Icchak Rudoler, Josef Szapiro (all three have passed away since), Chaim Welner, Szraga Rozenblum, Szlomo Bolimowski, Kalman Honigman, Icchak Inwald, Josef Cwi Rajs, Elimemech Diamant, Leibl Kokotek and others. They laid the foundation to the organization of the former residents of Będzin. For a long while, they assembled in the flat of Mr. Zilbersztajn, who was very devoted to the organization in its first years. Icchak Rudoler was the head of the organization (until his death), Bolimowski and the late Szapiro were the secretaries and Rozenblum was the treasurer.
The organization was duly registered in the governing offices as an official association, which had the right to proceed publicly in fundraising and manage fiscal projects. Its objectives were defined as helping the Będzin refugees who suffered in Russia and supporting the few immigrants who succeeded in reaching Israel, after a long journey through neutral countries.
Former residents of Będzin in the USA, especially our good friend Abram Liwer, who was himself one of the refugees in Russia and succeeded, after painful wanderings, to bring his entire family to the United States, met and organized constructive help by sending us by mail packages containing shoes, clothes and food, to be sent by us to Russia to addresses that we had obtained. Since this organization was registered by law, the parcels that we received from America were cleared of customs and other taxes and we could send them to the USSR without delay. We received letters and telegrams (which we still keep in the memory of those bitter days) which confirmed that the parcels reached their destination and helped them survive, and that they needed much more of them.
We did not count on former residents of Będzin in America alone, and started fundraising among Będziners in Israel as well. We sent a special circular to our people, in which we asked them to donate generously. We also distributed shares, which yielded several hundreds of Israeli pounds (liras), a considerable sum in those days, established membership dues, gave parties and all the money collected was used to distribute packages and offer financial assistance to new immigrants.
In 1944 a new committee was elected: Mordechai Tenenbaum, of blessed memory, Asher Fishel, Szraga Rozenblum, Dawid Liwer, Alter Brukner, Szlomo Bolimowski, Menachem Gelband, Hanoch Malach, J. C. Rajs. This committee succeeded greatly in placing new immigrants in jobs and finding housing for them. As an example, three families were put up in a rented three-room shed on Dizengoff Street and eleven single men were put up in another shed on Levinski Street.
That year we received letters from the Jewish committee in Będzin, who appealed desperately for immediate financial help for the survivors who were arriving to Będzin from death and labor camps. Indeed, our committee immediately mobilized assistance. They raised funds among Będziners in Tel-Aviv, who donated nice sums of money. The money was intended to help in two directions: for our brethren in the deserted Będzin and for our people who were making their way to Eretz Yisrael. The mission of delivering the donations to their destination was not easy because large sums were spent on the way.
This situation lasted a few years. Meanwhile, the idea arose to join our
organization with the other organizations of Zagłębie into one body
so as to render our activities more efficient by saving money spent on
administration. In the beginning of 1949 the people of Zagłębie met
in a general assembly, in which they decided to unite he two organizations.
[Page 391]
A union was set up, which included the former residents of Będzin, Sosnowiec and Ząbkowice, under the name of The Zagłębie World Organization. For five years the united organization was headed by the late Rabbi Menachem Hager who helped to achieve several of the objectives of the organization. The deputies were Nechemia Singer, the lawyers Dr. Sapir and Dr. Rechtman, and Dawid Liwer. The secretaries were Chaim Triger and Mordechai Hampel. Majer Landsman served as treasurer and other posts were held by Mrs. Guta Jutkowicz (Ben-Itzhak), the lawyer Dr. Josef Orsztajn, Chaim Warszawski, the late Dawid Marinka, Israel Sonabend, Israel Szwajcer, the brothers Szlomo and Jochanan Laudon and others.
As mentioned before, the remnants of all the communities of Zagłębie formed the united organization, except for the people of Dąbrowa Górnicza who, for some reason, declined to join us and established an organization of their own.
When the late Rabbi Hager served as Head, the organization flourished. It consisted of more than five hundred certified members who often met for social events, and there were many of them: concerts, balls and performances, the purpose of which was to collect donations for the needy and loans for new immigrants. For five years I was active in the Organization of the Zagłębie People, together with the late Rabbi Hager. I was in charge of secretarial work and promoted close relationship with landsmanshaftn abroad, especially in Paris.
Anybody who calls on us is assisted and we try to facilitate his absorption and acclimatization in the country. Thousands of Israeli pounds were distributed to the new immigrants thanks to our connections with some banks in Tel-Aviv, who helped with loans, which we vouched for. We also tried to find jobs, housing, appliances (sewing machines and others), medical help and more. Many of the new immigrants, who in time settled down economically, appreciate our modest moral and material support, thanks to which they have managed to overcome their first absorption problems.
And although our means were small, since we did not receive any help from America despite all our appeals, we did all we could in order to help the needy and we never send them away empty-handed.
The peak activity of the Organization of the Zagłębie Former Residents is the erection of a memorial to the martyrs of Zagłębie. It stands in a central place in the cemetery in Nahlat Itzhak, near Tel-Aviv.
With the death of Rabbi Hager the organization split up again and weakened as a consequence. A new Organization of Będziners was set up and its committee consisted of the lawyer Dr. Rechtman, head, Elimelech Diamant, secretary, Menachem Gelband, treasurer, Mrs. Rechil Gutman (of the family of Rabbi Graubart, of blessed memory), Abram Gold, Mosze Benjamin Klajnman and Moniek Sercarz.
The activities of the new organization are not particularly noticeable, unfortunately. Except for a few loans to new immigrants and the traditional yearly memorial ceremonies, which are held together with the Organization of Sosnowiec former residents, there are no special achievements. The main success of this organization is Pinkas Bendin.
Now, after four years of separation, a re-unification of all the organizations of the Zagłębie people is being considered.
|The Będzin Émigrés committee in Tel Aviv in 1959
Standing from right to left:
Menachem Gelband, Jochanan Laudon, Mosze Benjamin Klajman
Moniek Sercarz, Rechil Gutman, Abram Gold
[1] Mita stretcher for carrying the dead.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. environment
regulator on Monday said the State Department must take a harder
look at climate and other impacts of the Canada-to-Texas
Keystone XL oil sands pipeline before the Obama administration
issues a final decision on the project.
The Environmental Protection Agency rated the State
Department's 2,000-page March 1 draft review of the TransCanada
Corp pipeline project as "insufficient," in a letter to
department officials as a public comment period ended on Monday.
The agency's tough stance signals that unless the State
Department addresses its concerns in a final review, it could
create more hurdles for a $5.3 billion dollar project which has
been pending for more than four years.
Backers say the project would boost North American energy
security and provide thousands of construction jobs. Opponents
argue that it would lead to higher releases of greenhouse gases.
The EPA said it was concerned about carbon emissions from
the oil sands that are energy-intensive to produce, and about
the safety of transporting Canadian crude via pipeline following
a high profile spill in a Michigan river in 2010.
There was a reminder of the threat last month when an Exxon
Mobil pipeline spilled thousands of barrels of Canadian
crude in Arkansas, but the EPA letter did not mention that
The agency was also concerned about the State Department's
conclusion that the climate would not be affected by approval of
the line because rail would be a major transport alternative.
"This analysis should include further investigation of rail
capacity and costs, recognizing the potential for much higher
per barrel rail shipment costs," the letter said.
The Obama administration is expected to make a final
decision on the line late this year.
The EPA said the State Department should estimate the social
cost of emissions from the pipeline including damage to
agriculture, human health and property from climate change.
The request came despite an almost 20 percent reduction in
the EPA's estimate of how much carbon dioxide would be released
from the oil sands crude carried by the pipeline over its
50-year life, to 935 million metric tons.
"We seem to have continued concern," said a source at the
EPA. "We're pretty assiduously tracking the project."
An interagency Obama administration group has put the social
cost of carbon emissions at $5 to $65 dollars a ton. If the
emissions of the oil sands are not reduced, that means emissions
from the Keystone pipeline could cost between nearly $5 billion
to more than $60 billion over 50 years.
The State Department will have to address the EPA concerns
when it finalizes its review, which could take some time as it
reviews more than 1 million public comments.
In a statement it said it had "always anticipated" the need
to do further analysis on the basis of feedback to its draft
Once the final review is released, the EPA will have another
three months to raise further objections if it is still not
The State Department is in charge of determining whether
Keystone should get a presidential permit because the pipeline
would cross the national border. President Barack Obama is
expected to weigh in on the decision.
An environmentalist said the EPA's concerns should push
Obama to oppose the project, even though the southern leg of the
pipeline, which did not need State Department approval, is
already 60 percent built.
"We still expect him to do the right thing and the EPA has
given him yet another reason to reject Keystone XL," said May
Boeve, the head of environmental group 350.org.
TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard said emissions should not
be a factor in the decision because Canada's oil sands would
replace imports of heavy oil from Mexico and Venezuela.
In the more than four years that Washington has considered
permitting TransCanada's project, the EPA had raised concerns
three times about State Department reviews of the project. And
the concerns have led to delays.
But the EPA ratings have improved. In 2010 the agency gave
the State Department's first environmental review of the project
the worst possible rating of "inadequate".
An energy policy analyst said the environment agency's
comments on Monday were not likely to stop the approval process
from moving forward.
"This is not a blessing by any means, but it's not a
repudiation, either," said Kevin Book of ClearView Energy


text:
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OK if mswood can't do the updates I will but is there anyone that can caprture the preview for next week on video because Rob is away? I can get some screencaps but they will be so so but good enough untill tomorrow when I can grab them off the finish line.
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by Paula M. Riley
with additional reporting by Pete Mazzaccaro
Part of this story appeared on chestnuthilllocal.com on Friday.
When the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) study of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced last Friday that Our Mother of Consolation and Holy Cross parish schools will merge to establish a new, regional school on OMC's campus, no one was more shocked than OMC's pastor, the Rev. Bob Bazzoli, OSFS.
Bazzoli said he considered his school to be "healthy and thriving" and expected that it would be deemed sustainable by the BRC, thus escaping placement on the list of affected schools.
"I am surprised as you are at the recommendation of the BRC," Bazzoli wrote in an email to parishioners last weekend. "Over the past seven years, we have: secured a five-year financial plan, increased our fundraising, augmented our academic offerings, developed and implemented a strategic plan, assisted our teachers in advancing their degrees and professional competencies, established a School Advisory Board, completed major renovations to the building, and made a number of other improvements to our school and programming."
Despite these accomplishments, the BRC restructuring plan includes the consolidation of OMC and Holy Cross. Currently Holy Cross' enrollment is 145 students and OMC's is 179. An enrollment of 200 was one criterion for a school being "sustainable" by the commission. OMC is located at 17 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., and Holy Cross is at 144 E. Mt. Airy Avenue.
Documents provided in the BRC's report demonstrate the need to merge the schools. A report on OMC's enrollment shows a decline of total student population from 224 to 177 between 2005 and 2010, a 22 percent decline. In the same period, Holy Cross' student enrollment shrank from 206 to 169, a 16 percent decline. Though its decline was not as steep, Holy Cross had only 58 percent of its available seats filled. OMC had 74 percent of its seats filled.
Elementary schools seemed to be particularly challenged in the archdiocese. According to the report, of 156 elementary schools "40 to 45" are unsustainable.
From the report:
"Those schools burdened by serious annual operating deficits are often in parishes with heavy accumulated debts. Most of those schools have small enrollments and do not offer the key elements of a 21st century curriculum. A detailed review of these challenged schools reveals that in K through Grade 8, 34 schools have enrollments fewer than 200 and of these, 14 have fewer than 150. Eleven other schools across the Archdiocese have more than 200 students but have demonstrated a pattern of decreasing enrollments and financial deficits and are therefore considered challenged. We urge that a partnering and regionalizing plan for these schools be implemented as soon as possible."
In response to the news, a group of OMC parents released a letter on Saturday expressing conviction in the face of uncertainty.
"While we recognize that there are questions and details that will need to be answered and worked out over the coming months," the parents wrote, "our school will still be here at OMC, and we have faith and confidence that it will continue to be the strong, vibrant, and healthy school that we all know and love."
The letter, like Bazzoli's, outlined many of the school's strengths adding, "We have been ahead of the curve in all of the ways that the Blue Ribbon Commission recommends (strategic planning, sound financial planning, advancement of our academic programming, etc.), and we believe that we are a model of success (along with a commitment to continuous improvement)."
Although more details of forming a regional school are being presented to pastors, principals, staff and parents this week, the BRC did include general guidelines. A committee made up of pastors/parishioners from both parishes, representatives from the Office of Catholic Education (OCE), and other professionals will be charged with the formation of a regional school (with a new name) to open in September of 2012 at the OMC site.
Faculty and administrators from OMC and Holy Cross schools will have the opportunity to apply for a position at the newly formed regional school. Students enrolled in OMC and Holy Cross will enroll in the Regional School, but since OMC's site capacity is only 230, first priority will be given to parishioners of OMC and Holy Cross.
"I am already moving forward with our plan to make an appeal based upon what are factual inaccuracies on which the BRC's decision was based," Bazzoli said.
While the appeal plays out, Bazzoli will follow the recommendation of the panel's instructions to move forward with the implementation of the regional school.
When pressed for an illustration of the specific factual basis for OMC's appeal Bazzoli replied, "I want to make our appeal directly to the archbishop and not through the press."
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Holy Cross' pastor, the Rev. James M Cox, plans to appeal as well. He did not return a phone call from the Local seeking comment.
Bazzoli said he expected that by the beginning of February, he would have a better understanding of where OMC stands in the appeal process, but he remains hopeful for the future.
"What the future holds is uncertain, but I assure you, no matter what form our school takes, we will continue to maintain the academic excellence, small class size, diversity, family atmosphere and Catholic traditions that are the hallmarks of our parish school," he said.
OMC parent leaders agree.
"Either way [whether or not the appeal is successful], the school our children walk into at OMC in September will be stronger than ever," they said.


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Woohoo, it's Six Sentence Sunday! This is my second Six Sentence Sunday from VIRGIN TERRITORY, my most recent release that came out 4/13 from Decadent Publishing. Hope you enjoy!
"Tell me, does the writing seem familiar to you?" Vincent asked.
Something about the silence that descended caused Kiki to read a few more lines. If she hadn't read more than one of Vicenza's books—okay, all seven of them, but that was only because Tammy religiously stocked Scarlet Publishing's monthly lineup—she never would've noticed the resemblance in style.
Her eyes widened. "She's you, or you're her. Vicenza — Vincent, oh, my God."


text:
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text:
40 Christmas Cookie Recipes to Treasure
Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies with Watercolor Icing [1]
These crisp, airy cookies taste like old-fashioned bakery cookies—but they're decorated in a totally modern way that's fun and so kid-friendly. The "canvas" is royal icing, and the "paint" is just food coloring!
Valencia Delights [5]
Orange and chocolate: a holiday cookie match that tempt every Santa to take seconds. This recipe comes from Jill Drury in Milwaukee, who loved to bake cookies with her grandmother. "For the longest time I couldn't decide which cookie I liked best, until one day Grandma had me mix my favorite flavors: chocolate and orange," she says. "We came up with this cookie that I now call my holiday favorite."
Oaxacan Mexican Chocolate Cookies [9]
The recipe for these ultra-rich, cinnamon-laced cookies comes from the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, which hosts an annual cookie swap.
Sugar Cookies Like You Remember [13]
Nutmeg lends unmistakable holiday flavor to these puffy, old-fashioned cut-out cookies. They do spread a bit, so don't use this recipe for delicate shapes. It's best-suited for circles, bells and the like.
Caramel Heavenlies [17]
Graham crackers form the base for this bar cookie with layers of marshmallows, brown sugar, almonds and coconut. "I've made these cookies since 1984," says Georgine Simmonds of Genesee, Michigan. "They're one of my family's favorites."
Caramel Heavenlies [18]
Peppermint Sugar Cookies [21]
Peppermint extract infuses these crisp, buttery cookies with holiday flavor. Choose between slice-and-bake swirls or candy-cane shape cookies.
Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheels [25]
These cookies are easier than they look —make one batch of dough, divide it in half, and blend cocoa into one portion and crushed candy canes and peppermint extract into the other. The recipe comes from the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, which hosts an annual cookie swap.
Pistachio Cranberry Icebox Cookies [29]
These cookies from the Inn at Cedar Falls in Logan, Ohio, make a colorful treat anytime of year.
Fanciful Raspberry Ribbons [33]
These festive "bake-and-slice" cookies look stunning on a tray of holiday desserts.
Butter Dream Cookies [37]
A festive red maraschino cherry tops each cookie in this recipe, contributed by one of our Midwest Living® editors.
Butter Dream Cookies [38]
Tosca Diamonds [41]
These cookies are extremely rich, so cut them into small bars. We love the indulgent flourish of the caramel sauce, but the cookies are delicious without it.
Tosca Diamonds [42]
Fat Molasses Cookies [45]
Packed with flavor from molasses, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar, these cookies look especially nice when cut with a scalloped or round cutter and sprinkled with coarse sugar or crystallized ginger.
Fat Molasses Cookies [46]
Eggnog Sugar Cookies [49]
The eggnog flavor in these buttery cutouts comes from nutmeg and rum extract; it's subtle enough to be a pleasant twist on classic holiday sugar cookies without being overpowering. The recipe comes from the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago, which hosts an annual cookie swap.
Eggnog Sugar Cookies [50]
Mindy Segal's Chocolate Chip Cookies [53]
These to-die-for cookies use special chocolate and two kinds of salt, and they call for an overnight chill—and you can absolutely taste the difference. Because of the expense and time involved, we don't recommend them for any old weekend, but they are incredible for a gift or other special occasion. The recipe comes from Chicago chef Mindy Segal's cookbook Cookie Love [54].
Lemon-Vanilla Ornament Cookies [58]
Whether you hang theses sugar cookies on a decorative tree like blogger Annie Marshall does or share them at a cookie exchange, these cutouts hold their shape beautifully. A standby on the blog Everyday Annie, it's a great recipe to have in your repertoire.
Triple Peanut Butter Streusel Bars [62]
Dry-roasted peanuts, peanut butter-flavored pieces and peanut butter bring triple flavor to this make-ahead bar cookie.
Gadettes [66]
Dust off your waffle iron to bake these Belgian-style cookies. The recipe comes from Connie Shaw of Bettendorf, Iowa, who learned it from her grandmother. "As she taught me to make them, she explained that when she lived in Belgium, families served them when neighbors called," Connie says. "I sent them to my son the two Christmases he was deployed in Iraq. They are part of his Christmas memories, too."
Gadettes [67]
Bet You Can't Eat Just One Sugar Cookies [70]
These melt-in-your-mouth cookies come from the recipe file of Georgia Morehouse of Columbia, Missouri. Her family insists she bake at least one batch for New Year's Eve. Sprinkle them with colored sugar right before they bake to give them quick-and-easy sparkle.
Orange-Ginger Cookie Sandwiches [74]
A round cookie cutter with scalloped edges makes a nice shape for these cookies, but bell, tree or star cutters would also be good choices for the holidays.
White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread [78]
Dip these cherry-studded cookies in melted white chocolate, then roll in nonpareils and edible glitter for extra color.
Chocolatey Shortbread Bites and Lemony Spritz Cookies [82]
Finishing touches add a festive flair to these cookies. Dip Chocolatey Shortbread Bites in melted semisweet or white chocolate and top with a chocolate candy. Give extra zing to Lemony Spritz Cookies with Lemon Glaze and colored sugar.
Chocolate-Mint Blossoms [87]
Candy cane-flavor candies make these thumbprint cookies look festive for the holidays.
Holiday Cranberry-Orange Slices [91]
This slice-and-bake cookie recipe brings several favorite holiday flavors to the cookie tray. Beverly Olson of Marshfield, Wisconsin, added cranberries and orange peel to her butter cookies along with pecans. Finely chop these additions so they won't get in the way when you slice the dough.
Holiday Seven-Layer Bars [95]
Chocolate, nuts, coconut and more fill our easy-to-make bar cookies. Mixed dried fruit bits and candy-coated milk chocolate pieces are among the layers that make this bar cookie distinctive.
Super-Duper Chocolate Kisses [99]
Create these rich, chocolatey cookies from refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough--just add cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles and a candy center. Use colored sprinkles instead of chocolate if you'd like a more festive presentation.
Lingonberry Hearts [103]
A "window" on the top of these cookies shows off the jam inside, but if you're feeling lazy, just sandwich the preserves between two solid cookies. They'll taste just as good.
Lingonberry Hearts [104]
Ultimate Chocolate-Mint Cookie Sandwiches [107]
These gooey cookies tuck mint filling inside a soft chocolate cookie sandwich, topped with a swirl of fudgy frosting.
Crispy Gingerbread [111]
This festively spiced recipe (with a hint of orange zest) makes thin, crunchy cookies that work well for gingerbread houses, edible place cards and ornaments.
Crispy Gingerbread [112]
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroon Cookies [115]
You can make these chewy cookies up to three months ahead of the holidays. Just freeze undipped cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container. When you're ready to serve them, thaw and then dip bottoms in melted chocolate.
Hazelnut-Chocolate Chunk Cookies [119]
We loaded these crisp and chewy chocolate chip cookies with white and chocolate chips along with toasted hazelnuts. They taste great with a cup of Christmas Candy-Cane Hot Cocoa.
Hazelnut-Chocolate Chunk Cookies [120]
Cranberry Date Puffs [124]
These addictive, puff pastry-wrapped cookies have a sweet, nutty filling and are delicious when they're still slightly warm. If you have a food processor, they're a cinch to make.
Cranberry Date Puffs [125]
Buzz Cafe Butter Cookie Cutouts [128]
"We use this recipe year-round for all of the holidays," says Laura Maychruk, co-owner of Buzz Cafe in Oak Park, Illinois (10 miles west of Chicago's Loop). "For Christmas, we make snowflakes and Christmas trees. The cookies are delicious even without the icing."
Colorful Sparkling Sugar Cookies [132]
A Decorah, Iowa, reader passed along the recipe for these much-loved treats, which she enjoys bringing to cookie exchanges.
Vienna Almond Cutouts [136]
These cookies taste great on their own, but if you like, decorate them with royal icing.
Vienna Almond Cutouts [137]
Royal Icing [138]
Chocolate-Mint Thins [142]
Half chocolate and half mint, these cookies offer a great flavor combo and a pretty look.
Chocolate-Mint Thins [143]
Snowballs and Nutjammers [146]
The Cole family of Wadsworth, Ohio, bakes these each year for friends and family. The tradition started more than 50 years ago when Phrania (Fran) Cole and her sister, Ann, began making cookies as affordable gifts. The Coles like the Snowballs' tang of black walnut and the snowy, powdered-sugar coating. You can choose from two fillings when you bake the tiny, turnoverlike Nutjammers.
Snowballs [147]
Nutjammers [148]
Date Pinwheel Cookies [151]
Minneapolis blogger Alyssa Ruesch says it's not Christmas without these slice-and-bake cookies. It's her grandma's recipe.
Date Pinwheel Cookies [152]
Peanut Butter Temptations [155]
Calling all peanut butter fans! These cookies offer double-the-PB compared to the classic peanut blossom cookie with a chocolate kiss on top. And they couldn't be easier.
Kolackys [159]
Kolackys (also spelled kolaches or kolaces) are a Central European pastry with a sweet center. "These cookies are time-consuming, but so worth it," says an Ohio reader who contributed the recipe.
Kolackys [160]
Almond Spritz Cookies [163]
Almond paste makes these tender cookies so delicious. Leave the dough plain or tint it with red or green food coloring for a holiday look.
Almond Spritz Cookies [164]


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Anyone who derives pay in the form of tips should know that tips are taxable income, but there are quite a few misconceptions about how the IRS views tip income.
Continue Reading Below
MYTH: You don't have to pay taxes on tips unless you get more than $20.
TRUTH: The truth behind that misconception is that if you get more than $20 per month in the form of tips, you must report it to your employer. The employer then processes the tip income through the payroll system to ensure all the taxes applicable to tips (federal income taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and applicable state taxes) are withheld and that the employer pays his share of employment taxes on your tip income. All tips are taxable. The first $20 is not a freebie.
MYTH: You only have to report 8% of tips. My employer already shows this on my paycheck.
TRUTH: Certain large employers whose main business is the serving of food and beverages where tipping is customary and that hire more than 10 employees may be subject to tip allocation. This means that 8% of total sales must be allocated to all employees in the form of tip income. This is to ensure that every employee who receives tips and who are not reporting their total tips to their employer will be allocated a fair sum.
There is a requirement that recipients of tip income must keep contemporaneous records, which means keeping a diary of your tip income. The IRS provides a tip diary in Publication 1244. Note that tip outs to other employees are not taxable income to you. You only pay taxes on the net amount of tips that you keep.
At year end, compare the tip income in your diary to what is reported on your W2 box 7 – Social Security tips and/or box 8 Allocated tips. If what you collected exceeds that shown on your W2, you must report the difference on your income tax return. Use IRS Form 4137 to report the additional income.
It only takes a few minutes each day to fill in the form, and it's important to keep a log. Here's why:
I once represented 29 servers from a major restaurant in an IRS audit of tips. The IRS had made tipped employees its target for audit that year and sent out letters stating that tip income was underreported and then billed these servers huge sums. Almost everyone who came to me was in shock admitting that they had in fact underreported, but certainly not to the extent the IRS claimed. Taking a look at their tax returns and comparing the income to the IRS' letters I had to agree. These servers weren't performing brain surgery so why was the IRS concluding their taxable incomes were at that level?
I took the first five cases to the auditor in Oakland, Calif. She refused to entertain any negotiating on behalf of the taxpayers because they had not kept contemporaneous records. I moved the audit to the taxpayers' tax home – San Mateo, Calif. – to see if I had better luck with someone else. I did.
I had created a formula based upon the employer's sales allocated to each employee less tip outs to determine a fair amount that the auditor agreed upon. For some it was a break even. One person received a refund and many others had to pay but the average was about one third of what the IRS had originally billed.
I was fortunate to have found an auditor who was cooperative--she could have been like the one in Oakland, so be sure to use Form 1244 and keep those tip records.