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Updates Archives
The Trouble with Enforcing Broken Immigration Laws
March 30, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
What happens when you go to shift paradigms, but your transmission fails?
Events of the past week have placed a spotlight on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the interior. An article appearing in the Washington Post on March 27 reported on a memo sent on behalf of James Chaparro, Director of ICE's Office of Detention and Removal Operations on February 22 that appears to endorse arrest quotas in contradiction to stated administration enforcement priorities.
Before I get into that, a little background.
After the failure of immigration reform legislation in the Senate in 2007, the Bush Administration decided to drop the hammer on undocumented immigrants, regardless of whether they posed a threat to communities or were merely here seeking opportunity to provide for their families. As former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff put it at a press conference with Senate supporters of the failed legislation,
"You will continue to see heart-wrenching examples of families being pulled apart. In order to regain credibility with the American people, we're going to have to be tough."
Part of the effort to "regain credibility" was to be able to tout large numbers of deportations, and this necessitated a focus on immigrant workers at workplaces and non-criminal immigrants in their homes. ICE's Fugitive Operations Teams were set up to go after immigrants who had been ordered removed from the U.S., but failed to depart (the so-called "absconders"). Last year, it was revealed that each team was assigned to make at least 1,000 arrests each year. To boost numbers, teams abandoned a focus on absconders. The San Francisco Chronicle, for example, reported that,
An internal ICE report released earlier this year showed that agents arrested two dozen Latinos at a Maryland convenience store in 2007 after their supervisor told them to boost arrests because they were behind reaching their goal.
A report by the Migration Policy Institute last year noted that in 2007, 40% of Fugitive Operations Teams' arrests were neither criminal nor fugitives.
The new Administration stated that it would prioritize removal of immigrants who have committed crimes and posed a threat to their communities. Indeed, Assistant Secretary John Morton, the new head of ICE told reporters in August 2007 that the agency was no longer using arrest quotas.
So, in February of this year, Mr. Chaparro writes his memo, which in part says,
"Current non-criminal removal projections put is (sic) well short of our FY10 goal. … The current non-criminal removal rate projections will result in 159,740 removals at the close of the fiscal year. Coupling this with the projections in criminal removals only gives us a total of just over 310,000 overall removals -- well under the Agency's goal of 400,000." (Emphasis in original.)
Under a section titled, "Here is What I Need You To Do," the memo goes on:
"Within 30 days we will increase our national [Average Daily Population] by 3,000 bringing our national overall ADP to approximately 32,600."
Sounds like a quota, doesn't it?
Apparently, it sounded like a quota to Mr. Chaparro's boss, John Morton, who immediately issued a statement following the appearance of the Washington Post article revealing the Chaparro memo. That statement said in part,
"Significant portions of the memo … did not reflect our policies, was sent without my authorization, and has since been withdrawn and corrected.
We are strongly committed to carrying out our priorities to remove serious criminal offenders first and we definitively do not set quotas."
The Post article noted that, even before the Morton statement was issued,
Chaparro issued a new memo stating that his earlier e-mail "signals no shift in the important steps we have taken to date to focus our priorities on the smart and effective enforcement of immigration laws, prioritizing dangerous criminal aliens…."
At times like these, it sounds a little like the old enforcement policies of the last administration have been coated with new buzzwords, and they are now "smart, effective enforcement" sort of like how coal has become "clean coal" in the past year.
While Morton's statement repudiating the Chaparro memo was unequivocal, in other contexts Mr. Morton has sounded more…equivocal. There was an exchange in a hearing on March 18 with Hal Rogers (R-KY), the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee, in which Mr. Morton seemed to suggest he plans to implement quotas. Here are some excerpts:
ROGERS: "However, you've all but stopped apprehending and detaining non- criminal illegal aliens. As I said in my opening statement, a major, major decline in administrative arrests -- that's non-criminal arrests -- down 68 percent."
MORTON: "What I will tell you there is you are right that a number of the categories that you identified are down from the previous year. It's of concern to me. I've been talking about it the last few weeks and we are going to do better."
ROGERS (a bit later): "I'm just saying that the unused beds are an indication that you're not apprehending and deporting the numbers that you're talking about. Otherwise you wouldn't -- you would use every bed you could. We've done it for decades."
MORTON: "… on April 1st you are going to see us move to something very close to 33,400 and run it for the rest of the year."
Until Congress acts to reform our broken immigration laws, ICE is stuck enforcing laws that don't make sense. Mr. Chapparo alludes to the bind the agency is in in his second memo (mentioned above), when he refers to the "smart and effective" prioritization of "dangerous criminal aliens,"
"while also adhering to Congressional mandates to maintain an average daily [detention] population and meet annual performance measures."
Still, the Administration has to decide what it's priorities really are, get everyone in the Department of Homeland Security on board, and stick to the decision. Mr. Morton only creates confusion and creates a credibility problem both outside and inside the agency when he says one thing in a press statement, and another thing to one of Congress' immigration hardliners. Until he can provide direct and clear leadership to his subordinates, Mr. Morton will be stuck in neutral.
The Staggering Cost of Mass Deportation
March 26, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
Image: (c) iStockphoto/Abejon Photography
The Center for American Progress (CAP) has updated its estimate of the cost of the immigration policy alternative advocated by immigration hardliners inside and outside of Congress: mass deportation of the 10.8 million undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. The CAP study, The Costs of Mass Deportation, makes the assumption that such a program would be conducted over a period of five years. Using publicly available information, CAP estimates the mass deportation strategy would cost $285 billion dollars.
To put this amount in perspective, CAP notes that raising that amount would require $922 in additional taxes for every man, woman, and child in the country. $285 billion, if put into education, would provide an extra $5,100 for the education of every elementary and secondary public and private student in the U.S.
Putting the number of people subject to a mass deportation effort in perspective, CAP notes that the 10.8 million unauthorized immigrants is 3.5 percent of our population, or nearly the population of our New England states.
CAP breaks down the component and per-person cost of mass deportation:
- $18,310 per person for apprehension costs
- $3,355 per person for detention
- $817 per person for legal processing costs
- $1,000 per person average transportation costs
Why the estimate is probably too low
There are a number of reasons that CAP's estimate is probably unrealistically conservative. Many of these reasons CAP acknowledges.
First, just from observing how new government programs are financed in recent years, the idea that there would be a new tax amounting to $922 per person is unrealistic. The money would be borrowed, so we would have to add to the cost the finance charge for borrowing the money to engage in the mass deportation project.
Regarding detention, the CAP study assumes that detaining an extra 1.73 million people—a 71 percent increase over current levels—would not necessitate added construction costs, an assumption CAP admits is probably unrealistic. If additional detention space were to be constructed, CAP notes that the average per-bed construction cost is $11,900 and approximately 144,000 beds would be needed.
Although CAP gives an estimate for legal processing costs based on current data, the report notes that immigration courts are "ill equipped to serve the current caseload. It is difficult to fathom how the immigration legal system would handle 8.66 million new adjudications that would come from a deportation campaign." (The report assumes that not all deportees would go through the immigration courts; the remainder would "voluntarily depart.")
The immigration detention and court systems are already strained to the breaking point with their current workload. CAP notes that "the problems currently plaguing our detention system and immigration courts would be exacerbated in the extreme and would likely precipitate widespread human rights and due process violations" (and, I would add, attendant legal costs defending against resulting legal actions).
There are other costs that would accompany a mass deportation program, some of which CAP alludes to in their report. CAP reminds us that most undocumented immigrants have lived here for a long time—63 percent for more than 10 years. They are "intimately integrated into local communities," and many have U.S.-citizen children. Seventy-three percent of the children of undocumented immigrants are U.S. citizens.
There are a couple of ways in which these facts may indicate costs that are not calculated and impossible to predict.
For one, most undocumented immigrants have already resisted leaving for a long time and, as CAP notes, a mass deportation strategy might just mean that "those who intend to remain would burrow in further, taking with them their wages that are now taxed, or forcing them to use more advanced false documents."
Secondly, what happens to families when one (or more) breadwinners are removed? U.S. citizen family members who remain will be eligible for safety net benefits, and some are forced to rely on them as the family income slips below the poverty line (discussed in this blog post).
The reaction of the community is hard to predict. CAP asks, "would immigrant communities organize to help their family members and neighbors?" In the face of a massive effort that would result in the disruption of workplaces, congregations, neighborhoods, schools, and communities, it may well be that efforts to protect the targets of mass deportation will go beyond family members and neighbors. Will people of faith organize to help their fellow congregants? Will workers organize to help their co-workers? Any resistance to a mass deportation program is going to increase its costs.
Any way you look at it, the cost to our government and to our society of mass deportation would be enormous. Even so, the cost would be dwarfed by the cost to our economy—estimated to be $2.6 trillion over the next 10 years.
The CAP study is certainly worth a read, giving us another reason to ask about mass deportation, "Now, why do we want to do this again?"
The Health of Immigration Reform
March 25, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
The March 21 rally for immigration reform drew 200,000 to the National Mall in Washington. As it turns out, this impressive show of organization took place on the same day that Congress was turning a chapter in the legislative agenda. Sunday night, the House passed the Senate's health care reform bill, which has since become law. Health care reform has dominated Congressional attention for most of the past year. It's over. (Well, except for campaign ads that will try to convince us that coverage of children under their parent's (private) health insurance plan until they are 26 years old is socialism. But I digress.)
There is a strong case to be made that immigration reform can now be cleared for take-off.
For one thing, there is a matter of numbers (in the) USA. Immigration reform advocates are organized in unprecedented numbers and with unprecedented energy. The rally on the Mall on Sunday was the largest event of the day, but it wasn't the only one. A thousand people rallied in Denver. In Omaha, a Catholic church overflowed with 600 people who came to listen to speeches supporting immigration reform. Another hundred people gathered at a Methodist church in the same town to listen to the stories of immigrants hoping Congress will act on reform. Another 300 people from four religious congregations marched through Grand Island in support of reform. In Salinas, 10,000 people marched for immigration reform. Thousands marched in Salt Lake City. Another thousand in San Jose. More events have taken place since Sunday. More will be taking place in the coming weeks (like this one in Las Vegas).
The problem's not fixed. Calls to fix it are not going to stop. Advocates are ready to pressure whoever needs to be pressured.
The numbers advocating for reform are impressive—and growing—but so is the breadth of the coalition supporting reform. Let's just take a sample of the speaker lineup from the March for America. Many faiths were represented—by Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of the Catholic diocese of Los Angeles; the Reverend Sam Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Reverend Derrick Harkins, senior pastor of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, DC; Reverand Dr. Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada; Rabbi Morris Allen, spiritual leader of the Conservative Jewish Beth Jacob Congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota; and Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Bishop of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church.
There were leaders from the National Urban League, the NAACP, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. There were labor leaders from the AFL-CIO, UNITE HERE, SEIU, and UFCW. There was Arturo Venegas, former police chief of Sacramento and current project director for the Law Enforcement Engagement Initiative. There were also leaders from the Latin American, Korean American, and Irish American communities—as well as a collection of local and regional immigrant advocacy leaders.
As for the political climate in Congress: it could be better. One school of thought says that, because of the way health care was won, Republicans will refuse to support anything else on President Obama's agenda. For example, Senator John McCain was quoted as saying "There will be no cooperation for the rest of this year." (I may be getting forgetful, but remind me again when cooperation started in this Congress?) As for the Democrats, the same school of thought says that a good number of them will balk at tackling another problem before the election. For example, former Republican Congressman Tom Davis speculates,
``Republicans aren't going to feel intimidated by this [defeat on health care]. And marginal Democrats are not going to want to take another tough vote. [President Obama's] members will say, `We gave you this vote, but no more.' They'll have given him their last ounce of breath.''
But is Congress really not going to do anything more in this session because half of the Members are going to be sulking in a corner while some others tell us that before they will even consider tackling another difficult problem, we must re-elect them?
That's the story a lot of the media wants to tell. It is not that simple.
As we have said so many times, immigration is not a partisan issue. Members are going to be pressed from so many sides, that it is unlikely the immigration debate will fill the same mold as the health care debate. Perhaps a Catholic Member will be persuaded by someone like Cardinal Mahony. Perhaps a member representing a rural district in Wisconsin will be persuaded by his dairy farmers. Or perhaps a decision to reach out to the fastest-growing segment of the electorate will win a vote.
Let's see what really happens once the dust storm kicked up by the health care debate settles.
Determined to be heard
March 20, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
Since the election of President Obama, there has been a lot of attention to gatherings of what has come to be called the "tea party." While the motivations of tea party activists are varied, that movement came into public view in the effort to oppose Congress' attempt to extend health care to millions of the uninsured.
Sunday, the nation will hear a very different voice—or I should say from 100,000 voices. They will represent the millions of Americans frustrated with the lack of progress in fixing our nation's broken immigration system and broken economy.
Organizers say many of the 100,000 expected to attend the March for America will be coming on 900 buses. One measure of the determination of these activists is the distance they are traveling on those buses from all over the country.
From the West, there is a bus on its way from San Francisco, loaded with 50 leaders of the PICO National Network, a faith-based community organizing group. Their cross-country journey was kicked off with press conferences on March 17 in San Francisco and Oakland. Along the way, they are holding press events in Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, and Columbus.
From the Southwest, the human rights group Puente sent a caravan from Phoenix on March 6. That caravan stopped for events in El Paso, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Montgomery, Atlanta, and Raleigh, among other places.
From the South, dozens of buses are coming from Florida and Georgia. In Orlando, bus riders are gathering in the Citrus bowl, where they will be sent off by Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Orlando Catholic Diocese.
From the north, Voces de la Frontera sent a caravan from Milwaukee on March 17 that is making stops in Chicago, Toledo, and Cincinnati. You can read about their trip on their blog.
These far-flung leaders will join many thousands of others on the National Mall tomorrow. After a long journey by bus, plane, caravan, and even by foot, they will be tired but excited, and determined to be heard.
Schumer, Graham Publish Framework for Immigration Reform Legislation
March 19, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
Just in time to answer an anticipated crowd of thousands of immigration reform advocates who will be descending on Washington this weekend, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY, head of the Senate's Immigration Subcommittee) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have published their "framework" for immigration reform. Their collective ideas for fixing the immigration system appeared as an op-ed in the Washington Post on March 19. The two Senators have been involved in discussions about immigration reform legislation for months.
The elements of the framework, as described in the op-ed, include a biometric social security card, to be carried by all workers, to prevent unauthorized workers from getting jobs. There would be more personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border. There would be expanded interior enforcement aimed at apprehending and deporting criminals. It would require completion of the entry-exit system (US-VISIT), to determine whether visitors leave the country before their visas expire. Regarding the future admission of workers, the framework would provide green cards for foreigners who graduate with a Master's degree or PhD in science, technology, engineering, or math. It would also provide for a number of lower-skilled immigrants, with levels depending on what is happening in the economy. Finally, the framework provides for legalization of undocumented immigrants, requiring them to perform community service, pay fines, pass a background check, pay any back taxes owed, be proficient in English, and go to the "back of the line" to wait for a chance to earn permanent residence.
The elements of the framework are described very broadly; it was not meant to be a detailed outline of a bill, and the op-ed leaves out important elements of reform. We can be certain there will be spirited debate about details as the framework is translated into legislation. Still, this bipartisan framework is a step forward in a debate that has been stuck for months.
The President reacted to the framework, issuing a statement calling it "a promising, bipartisan framework which can and should be the basis for moving forward." The release noted that "a critical next step will be to translate their framework into a legislative proposal" and the President pledged "to do everything in my power to forge a bipartisan consensus this year…."
Flurry of Meetings Precede Washington March
March 19, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
With time running out before a major pro-immigration reform march in Washington, there was a flurry of meetings last week with President Obama. There was a meeting with immigrant rights leaders from grassroots, labor, and faith organizations, who reminded the President that immigration raids and other enforcement actions continue to tear apart families, workplaces, communities, and congregations. They asked the President to be more engaged on comprehensive immigration reform this spring. For his part, the President reiterated his "unwavering commitment" to immigration reform.
Next, he met with Senators Schumer and Graham, who shared their agreed-upon framework on comprehensive reform legislation (see above). The Senators also asked the President to be more engaged in getting support for immigration reform. Senator Graham released a statement about the meeting, saying that the President committed to helping resolve outstanding issues, such as 'virtual fencing' along the southern border and the creation of a temporary worker program.
Birthday for a Noble Act
March 16, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
This week marks the 30th Anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, signed into law on March 17, 1980.
Prior to the Act, the U.S. had been admitting persons fleeing persecution, but the definition of refugee was set in the context of the Cold War. Among other things, the Refugee Act attempted to end Cold War bias. As Senator Edward Kennedy, author of the legislation, wrote in 1981, the new law provided,
a new definition of a refugee. The new definition no longer applies only to refugees "from communism" or certain areas of the Middle East; it now applies to all who meet the test of the United Nations Convention and Protocol on the Status of Refugees.
In other provisions of the Act, the annual number of refugee admission were increased, the Administration's "parole authority" was limited, a process for claiming asylum was set in law, federal programs were established to assist in the resettlement of refugees, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement was established.
Kennedy again:
The new law is intended to end years of ad hoc programs and different policies for different refugees by putting the U.S. refugee programs on a firm basis.
Cold War bias was not stamped out right away. Through the 1980's and much of the '90s, most refugees came from the Soviet Union (and later the former Soviet Union), Southeast Asia, and Cuba. By 1995, for example, 79% of refugees still came from these traditional Cold War sending areas. In recent years, refugees from a broader range of countries where there is political violence and persecution benefit from refugee resettlement.
In 2008, the top refugee nationalities were Burma, Iraq, Bhutan, Iran, Cuba, Burundi, Somalia, Vietnam, and Ukraine. The 2008 admission of more than 60,000 refugees continued an upward trend that started in 2002, when admissions reached a low of less than 27,000 due to new security procedures implemented in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11. In the 1990s, the U.S. was admitting more than 100,000 refugees per year.
In the 1980s, the asylum system, too, was poisoned with Cold War bias. Persons fleeing from Communist governments gained asylum at much higher rates than persons fleeing from, for example, El Salvador, where the U.S.-aligned government was slaughtering its subjects in large numbers. Eventually, the bias was straightened out in the courts, and in 1990 the immigration service established an Asylum Corps of specially-trained officers to handle asylum cases. In 2008, the top nationalities gaining asylum were China, Columbia, Haiti, Venezuela, and Iraq.
There continue to be barriers in the law that prevent some deserving individuals from gaining refuge in the U.S. Administrative and court interpretations of the law in recent years present a problem for some victims of domestic violence (discussed in detail here). Interpretation of a provision of a 1996 law concerning "material support of terrorism" has presented problems for refugees and asylum seekers who have fought against repressive regimes. The one-year filing deadline for asylum-seekers has questionable merit and has led to documented cases of bona fide claims being denied.
These and other problems are addressed in new legislation introduced on March 15 by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-NY) and Carl Levin (D-MI). (Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Daniel Akaka (D-HI) have signed on as co-sponsors.)
According to Senator Leahy in his press statement, the new legislation would
"…repeal the most harsh and unnecessary elements of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, a law that had tragic consequences for asylum seekers. It also corrects agency and court misinterpretations of law that limit access to safety in the United States for asylum seekers. Finally, it modifies the immigration statute to ensure that innocent persons with valid claims are not unfairly barred from the United States by laws enacted after September 11, 2001, while leaving in place provisions that prevent dangerous terrorists from manipulating our immigration system."
In the last 30 years, the U.S. has granted protection from persecution and violence to millions of refugees and asylum seekers. We continue to keep our doors open to such persons. We can do more to treat those fleeing persecution more consistently. S. 3113 will help us achieve that goal.
Photo by Flickr user: United Nations.
Game Changer?
March 15, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
As the New York Times put it on Saturday, there is "Nothing like 100,000 angry, frustrated, impatient marchers, representing millions of voters, to focus the Congressional and presidential mind…." The immigration march, the Times says, may be the one possible game changer to break the logjam in Congress on the issue of immigration reform.
The March for America will take place in Washington on Sunday, March 21. Tens of thousands of people are expected to participate, pressing Congress and the President to pass comprehensive immigration reform. In anticipation of the march, there was a flurry of activity last week.
On Thursday, President Obama held a series of meetings on immigration reform. The first was with advocates for immigration reform, who reminded the President of the heavy toll immigration raids and the enforcement of broken laws was taking on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The advocates were there to urge the President to honor his promise to fix America's broken immigration system and to show more leadership on the issue.
Next, the President met with the two Senators who have been negotiating a start point for this round of the immigration debate in Congress—Senator Charles Schumer of New York and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The Senators shared with the President their agreed-upon framework for immigration reform legislation. They also urged the President to show more leadership on the issue, in particular, to help gain more support in the Senate, and to help work out the differences that yet exist between business and labor.
For their part, advocates, represented by the Campaign to Reform Immigration FOR America, were pleased, saying in a statement that, based on the conversation with the President, "we are optimistic and expecting aggressive and urgent action from the White House on comprehensive immigration reform before March 21st."
For his part, the President said in a statement that he,
"told both the Senators and the community leaders that my commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering, and that I will continue to be their partner in this important effort."
On the same day, the President met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and again immigration reform (as well as other issues) was on the agenda.
With the President's renewed attention, perhaps a little support for immigration reform can be rounded up in the Senate. In particular, the effort needs more Republican support.
As the Times noted in its editorial, it used to be that with immigration reform there was,
"…a lot for Republicans to like: conservative arguments that reform is good for business, reunites families, bolsters national security — and pleases Latino voters."
Not so long ago, immigration reform had the support of several Republicans in the Senate. Now, however, Senator Graham is the only Republican in the Senate who is willing to lead on the issue. The rest dare not run afoul of the ideological purity police who act as a sort of Taliban for the Republican Party. As Graham recently told Dana Milbank of the Washington Post, there comes a point when "fear stops you from acting in the best interests of the country."
If Republicans are responding to the purity police within their base, what are Democrats doing for their base?
Immigration reform is an urgent humanitarian mater for the thousands of families and hundreds of communities and faith congregations that are being torn apart as the government continues to enforce broken laws. It is also an urgent political matter for Democrats. Elections are approaching, the right is energized, and Democrats don't have a lot to fire up Latinos and the first-time voters who were inspired to vote in 2008 with promises that new leadership would tackle immigration reform and a range of major challenges facing the country.
Douglas Rivlin, at NewsJunkePost.com, reports on a study of voting in the recently-concluded New York Mayor's race. Just one in five voters who were first-time voters in 2008 voted in the Mayor's race.
If that pattern is not to be repeated in November, those voters need something to validate a belief that their vote in 2008 made a difference. For Latinos, the validation they need is immigration reform (or at the very least, a sincere attempt to pass it).
Photo by Flickr user Hjelle.
A Separate Reality
March 11, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
Images: (c)iStockphoto/Simon McConico; (c)iStockphoto/helenecanada
There was a happy ending recently in the case of a man from China who was to be deported under rules set by an immigration law passed in the mid-1990s. It took a governor's pardon to protect Qing Hong Wu from the parallel universe that has developed for legal immigrants who get into trouble with the law.
In 1996, Members of Congress were still reacting to anti-immigrant sentiment that began in California and swept across the country. They enacted a pair of laws-the Illegal Immigration Control and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) and the Anti-Terrorist and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA)-that created a reality separate from the normal criminal justice system.
Among other things, the law expanded the definition of "aggravated felony." In the universe of the American citizen, the label "aggravated felony" is reserved for serious crimes-murder, rape, violent crimes, and like offenses. In the parallel universe created by the 1996 laws, an aggravated felony for a legal immigrant might be, say, shoplifting-if it results in a sentence of a year or more. It doesn't matter whether the sentence was served or suspended.
Other features of the separate reality include mandatory jailing and removal from the U.S. Courts were stripped of their jurisdiction to hear appeals in these cases. Congress made these laws retroactive, so an immigrant's future behavior mattered little if his or her past behavior resulted in a criminal conviction. In this parallel universe, rehabilitation counts for nothing, and immigration judges have no authority to consider individual circumstances.
After the passage of these laws, the papers were filled with bizarre stories such as that of Olufolake Olaleye of Georgia who, several years before the laws were passed, was convicted of shoplifting and given a one-year suspended sentence. In 1996, by virtue of Congressional action, she became an "aggravated felon" and was placed in deportation proceedings.
In the case of Mr. Wu, he immigrated to the U.S. from China with his family when he was five. His parents led a very typical life of low-income immigrants coming to this country-they worked hard and long hours. They were not able to monitor the type of crowd their son hung out with. With his friends, he committed a series of muggings. He was 15 when he was sentenced to three to nine years in a juvenile facility. The Judge who sentenced him, Michael Corriero, promised Mr. Wu that if he turned his life around while in the reformatory, "I am here to stand behind you."
Turn around his life is what Mr. Wu did. He earned release after three years, went to work, and eventually became Vice President for IT at a real estate financial management company. He had success. What he didn't have was U.S. citizenship. It was time to apply.
That's when Mr. Wu entered the parallel universe where Mr. Wu's good behavior doesn't count, nor do his other circumstances—he has a U.S. citizen fiancée, he financially supports his elderly mother. His long-ago criminal record came to the attention of the immigration authorities. He was jailed, and the immigration agency began proceedings to send him back to China.
Brian Hale, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told the New York Times,
"This administration is committed to smart and effective immigration policies that place an emphasis on the deportation of criminal aliens. While we are not able to discuss any individual cases, ICE will enforce the law, and if an individual has been convicted of a serious or dangerous crime, we will take the appropriate action, including deportation."
Smart and effective immigration policies? One would hope that a spokesperson for our immigration enforcement agency would be able to distinguish between someone who is a threat to society and one who ceased being a threat a decade and a half ago.
The agency has to enforce some stupid laws, and it would be better for all concerned if their representatives used these sorts of incidents to educate us about that fact. What Mr. Hale should have said was something like, "Look, it is an incredible waste of agency resources and taxpayer dollars to lock up someone like Mr. Wu who learned from his mistakes 15 years ago and who has been a very productive resident of New York ever since. We need Congress to act to make the laws more rational."
Mr. Wu was lucky. Judge Corriero (now retired) kept his word, and joined Mr. Wu's boss, the Police Benevolent Association, Mr. Wu's fiancée, and dozens of others in petitioning Governor Paterson for Mr. Wu's pardon.
The pardon was granted, wiping away the criminal record that served as the basis for Mr. Wu's deportation. In his Press Release, the Governor said,
"Qing Hong Wu's case proves that an individual can, with hard work and dedication, rise above past mistakes and turn his life around."
That's just common sense. It shouldn't have to take a governor's pardon to point that out. Our immigration laws should allow for rehabilitation. Individual circumstances should be taken into account when deciding whether it makes sense to boot someone out of the country. That would be "smart and effective" enforcement.
Immigrants – Creating the Jobs Americans Want to Do
March 05, 2010 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
The Christian Science Monitor the other day published a story, "Who's creating US jobs? Mexicans." The story noted an increase in Mexican entrepreneurs coming to the U.S. in order to escape drug cartel violence and kidnapping. There are special visas available to immigrant entrepreneurs willing to come to the U.S. to create jobs. In the last decade, there has been a steady increase in the number of Mexicans who have been transferring their businesses here, buying and renovating businesses here, or starting new ones.
In the immigration debate, we hear a lot (from anti-immigrant groups) about immigrants "taking" American jobs. Not enough is said about immigrant entrepreneurs and the jobs they create for Americans.
Each year, the Kauffman Foundation puts out an Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. The index "is a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States."
Their latest, the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, 1996-2008, reveals some important "shifts in the demographic and geographic composition of new entrepreneurs across the country."
For a number of years, researchers have found that immigrants have a greater rate of entrepreneurial activity than the native-born. According to the latest Index, the difference between immigrant and native-born entrepreneurial activity is growing.
The immigrant rate of entrepreneurial activity increased from 0.46 percent in 2007 to 0.51 percent in 2008, further widening the gap between immigrant and native-born rates. Native-born rates increased only slightly, from 0.27 percent to 0.28 percent.
The increase in entrepreneurial activity among immigrants in 2008 from the year before, the report notes, is driven by startups in "low- and medium-income-potential" types of businesses, such as grocery stores, child care services, and restaurants. However, the report notes that immigrants are "also more likely to start high-income-potential types of businesses than the native born." That list includes various types of manufacturing, wholesalers, and medical and legal services.
Looking at ethnic groups, in 2008 Latinos (.48 percent) and Asians (.35 percent) had a higher rate of entrepreneurship than non-Latino whites (.31 percent). The report also notes that it doesn't take a college degree to start a business. In fact,
While business-creation rates increased for less-educated individuals, the college-educated experienced a decline in entrepreneurial activity rates, from 0.33 percent in 2007 to 0.31 percent in 2008.
The Kauffman report and others such as this one from the Immigration Policy Center estimating that comprehensive immigration reform will boost our economy by $1.5 trillion over ten years, make it increasingly clear that, as we grapple with ways to pull out of the current economic slump, immigration reform must be part of the solution.
Photo by Flickr user Sugi.


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Après l'Incal ( Moebius) and its remake Final Incal (Ladronn).
Obviously even Jodorowsky knew what the best scene of the original series was.
A collection of pictures about Comics, Books, Paperbacks, Pulp, Private Eyes, Writers, Bookshelves, Film Noir, Beautiful Ladies, Vintage things, Nautical Silliness & Music. Most commonly used tags :

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Bakeries - Groceries
Dairy Products
Ohio -Wide Delivery"
Mon-Fri 7:00AM-5:15PM
Sat 7:00AM-Noon
We Are
Happy Chicken
Farms and Merry Milk Maid are proud to be a family owned and
operated company. We treat our customers as part of our family.
That's why we offer the highest quality products and services
at a great value.
We service
a wide variety of customers from small independent restaurants,
supermarkets, delis, bakeries, healthcare and schools to national
multi-unit operators in all facets of foodservice and retail.
product line features trusted national brands along with private
label products to meet your most demanding requirements. We
are centrally located in Ohio and our products are stored
in a state-of-the-art food distribution warehouse with a heavy
emphasis on food safety issues.
We have
an emphasis on service. We pride ourselves in our ability to
be flexible enough to accommodate specialized distribution requirements
while maintaining professional standards of service excellence.
Our service goal is to get to know our customers and then to
design programs which will help satisfy their requirements.
Let us show you how we can do it.


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What color looks the best on you?Long time observer, first time participant, rate and message if you like but I won't be offended if you don't!
Did you like this quiz? Make one of your own!
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Feel like taking a personality quiz or testing your knowledge? Check out the Ultimate List.
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It's easy to find something you're into at Quizilla - just use the search box or browse our tags.
Ready to take the next step? Sign up for an account and start creating your own quizzes, stories, polls, poems and lyrics.
It's FREE and FUN.


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The Television Personalities are an English rock group with a varying line-up. The only constant member is singer–songwriter Dan Treacy (born 19 June 1960), who uses the band as a vehicle for his music. The band's first release (January 1978) was the single "14th Floor"/"Oxford Street W1", while their second, the EP Where's Bill Grundy Now? features one of their best-known songs, "Part Time Punks".
The Television Personalities' first album ...And Don't The Kids Just Love It was released in 1981. It set the template for their subsequent career: neo-psychedelia, an obsession with youth culture of the 1960s, a fey, slightly camp lyrical attitude, and the occasional classic pop song. Their second album Mummy Your Not Watching Me [sic] demonstrated increased psychedelic influences. Their third album, entitled They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles showed Treacy's sense of humour; the TVPs were never to have any major commercial success in the UK – although their albums sold respectably in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. The first three albums featured Treacy and schoolmate Ed Ball; Ball left the band[when?] to found The Times, but rejoined in 2004.


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The Testor Corporation has announced it will refocus its practices on core brands, resulting in the elimination of one Rockford facility and a loss of jobs.
Ed Voorhees, president of North America for Rust-Oleum Corporation, says the company is realigning its operations to better invest in product development with the hopes of future growth.
As a result, Testor's Rockford facilities will be consolidated. One facility will close and staff will be reduced. The two remaining facilities will continue operations.
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Best New Chefs 2011 Party: The Recap
© Sylvain Gaboury/FOOD & WINE
F&W's 2011 Best New Chefs with F&W's Dana Cowin and Chris Grdovic
We had a little party at Bohemian National Hall to celebrate those chefs last night, with superstars like former Best New Chefs Wylie Dufresne, Andrew Carmellini and Laurent Gras and non–BNC stars like Aziz Ansari, Kyle MacLachlan and Andrew Zimmern in attendance. More former Best New Chefs, like Jonathan Benno and Rocco DiSpirito, cooked for the party while opera singers rapped for entertainment and later Geoffrey Zakarian's new place the National poured Moscow Mules for the after-party.
© kate krader
F&W Best New Chefs practice for the Irish Car Bomb drinking contest.
*Which BNC almost drowned off an Australian beach, and had only one thought in his/her head: "I can't believe the last thing I'll have eaten is a mediocre falafel sandwich."
*Which BNC could start a side business designing fishing rods?
*Which BNC had an eye-opening culinary moment in "France" at Florida's Epcot Center?
*Which BNC got his/her start at Benihana?
*Which BNC also worked as a home loan officer for Washington Mutual?
*Which BNC thought it would be a good idea to take the BNC after after-party to New York Dolls (a Manhattan strip club)?
*Which BNC blew away the competition in an Irish Car Bomb (beer with a shot in it) drinking contest at the after-after-party at Fitzpatricks? (For the record, I came in 9th out of 9. And found out later that the winner had a history of winning Club Med chugging contests.)


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News Topics
Maria Poblet on Making Contact Radio Show
Occupy: From Encampments to a Movement
Making Contact's November 29 radio program featured a discussion about the future of the Occupy movement with members of several grass-roots social justice organisations - including Causa Justa :: Just Cause.
"This round-table discussion featuring Maria Poblet, executive director of Just Cause/Justa Causa; Steve Williams, co-executive director/co-founder of POWER;
Mass March Saturday, Dec 3 in SF, Dec 6, Oakland
Banks: No more Evictions and Foreclosures for Profit!
Join tenant and homeowner groups together with Occupy SF for a Mass March on Saturday, Dec 3, 2011.
From the subprime mortgage crisis that began our current recession, to bank bailouts, the rising rates of homelessness and policies like the Ellis Act that prioritize profit over people, housing has been central to...
Pancho's Free, But It's Still Not Over
Tell Alameda County Sheriff Gregory J. Ahern: Don't Make Police Immigration Agents. No More ICE Holds
After pressure from many of you, and the work of the communities he is a part of, Pancho Ramos has been released on his own recognizance.
This is something unusual (most people are kept in ICE custody for months, or even years) and clearly...
Social Justice Groups Engage Occupy Movement
By Ambika Kandasamy, New America Media
Social justice organizations in the Bay Area are joining forces with the Occupy movements in Oakland and San Francisco.
Local nonprofits that have been advocating for the eradication of economic inequities in various sectors of society for years are finding that the Occupy movements are presenting a unique opening to engage in dialogue across socioeconomic...
Oakland's General Strike – A Victory of the 99%
Approximately 50,000 people turned out to mass actions held during the Oakland General Strike on November 2nd, called by the General Assembly of Occupy Oakland at Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant plaza, and supported by dozens of community based organizations, unions, and activist groups. The actions shut down every major bank in downtown Oakland, including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase,
Undocumented Youth Occupy Wells Fargo In Oakland
Story courtesy of News Taco
Undocumented youth leaders of the group 67 Sueños helped to shut down a Wells Fargo branch in Oakland as part of the Occupy Oakland movement over the weekend. We spoke to organizer Pablo Paredes who told us that 67 Sueños, a group advocating and organizing for a legalization program for undocumented young people, took their proposal about Wells Fargo...
Oakland General Strike: Building Solidarity
Thousands upon thousands of people turned out to mass actions held as part of the Oakland General Strike Nov. 2, called for by the General Assembly of Occupied Oakland at Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant plaza. (check out this video!) The actions shut down several banks, snarled traffic, closed businesses around the plaza and downtown, re-routed buses, shut down the port and...
We should do this more often
Yesterday, 50,000 people participated in the mobilizations throughout the day and night, shutting down every corporate bank in downtown Oakland as well as the 5th largest Port in the nation. We called for taxation and accountability from big banks, and demanded investment in schools, services, healthcare, and housing. Movement veterans are calling this the largest mobilization in the Bay Area...
OPOA is not Confused and neither am I
The police violence against peaceful marchers last week was unconscionable. Someone has to be held responsible for the actions of officers who blatantly disregarded the rights of protestors to peacefully assemble, injured so many, and put Iraq Veteran and Community Activist Scott Olsen in a coma.
My organization started a petition last week calling on Mayor Jean Quan and the...
Foreclose on the 1%, Occupy the Banks!
JOIN US WED. NOV. 2 as we march on the banks!
Meet @ 9 AM, Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, Broadway & 14th St. (we will be on the 16th Street side of the Plaza with the marching band)
Meet again @ 12 Noon, Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, Broadway & 14th St.
Can't Stop, Won't Stop
Occupy Oakland Transforms Ugliness In To Beauty :: Occupy San Francisco Thwarts Raid
We are immeasurably inspired. The 99% have continued Occupy Oakland and protected Occupy San Francisco. After a devastating early morning raid and a night of police repression and brutality, our people did what they had to do: they returned to the site by the thousands. This time the police stood down. In a triumphant return to Oscar Grant / Frank Ogawa Plaza, 3,000 members of the 99% held their General Assembly. It was powerful. It was peaceful. And it could not be stopped.
Across the Bay in San Francisco, over a thousand gathered to stop a planned raid ordered by Interim Mayor Ed Lee. Community organizations, labor unions and progressive members of the Board of Supervisors came down to defend the camp and risk arrest. Supporters from Occupy Oakland streamed across on BART to stand with SF. With hundreds picketing, chanting and rallying all through the night, the city wisely called the raid off.
Community organizations, labor, and faith leaders worked throughout the day yesterday, pushing the Mayors to back off and let the encampments continue and calling our people to come out and support. We told them the movement would not be deterred and the people would come back. This movement is now too big to fail.
If you haven't already, sign the petition to permanently prevent the raid in SF.
Go visit your local encampment. Stay a while. Let's find even more ways to connect Occupy, community organizing, labor, and all of the 99%, to keep this movement growing.
Demand Mayor Jean Quan Stop the Police Repression of Occupy Oakland
View full petition with signatures here.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan:
We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Occupy Oakland.
We are outraged by your decision to have that peaceful, lawful and inspiring assembly raided. We denounce police intimidation, harassment and incarceration of peaceful protesters. We call on you to drop all the charges against these community leaders, to release them immediately, and to allow for the restoration of the encampment.
Occupy Oakland has been a public forum, on public land, about matters of dire urgency to the public: unemployment, affordable housing, taxation, bank accountability, and the unconscionable and deeply racialized inequity between the 1% and the rest of us.
These very same concerns are the heart of the work of dozens of community organizations, labor unions, and activists throughout the SF Bay Area. Our government must represent these progressive commitments, and not pander to the 1%.
A city government of the 99% should work proactively to support the encampment with resources like medical assistance, electricity, and bathrooms.
A city government of the 99% should open its doors to the encampment, come down to hear the concerns of the protesters, and defend the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
A city government of the 99% should take inspiration from the encampment, and use its power to meet some of its demands: taxing the rich, holding big banks accountable, job creation, affordable housing, healthcare, and so many rights our communities have been denied for too long.
What Oakland needs and wants is a city government of the 99%.
Filipino Advocates for Justice
APEN (Asian Pacific Environmental Network)
Liberation Ink, Worker Collective
SOUL (School of Unity and Liberation)
Global Justice Ecology Project
Movement Generation: Justice and Ecology Project
AYPAL (Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Promiting Advocacy and Leadership)
Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network
Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative, San Francisco State University
POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights)
Center for Community, Democracy and Ecology
Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco
Global Women's Strike SF/Bay Area
California Reinvestment CoalitionUS PROStitutes Collective
Cedar Tree Architects
Californians United for a Responsible Budget
California Prison Moratorium Project
Alliance for South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
Grassroots Global Justice AllianceJobs with Justice
Oscar Grant Committee
Legal Services for Prisoners With Children
All of Us Or None, a project of LSPC
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
Korean Community Center of the East Bay
East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE)
Read more: Demand Mayor Jean Quan Stop the Police Repression of Occupy Oakland
Demand Mayor Ed Lee Not Evict Occupy SF
View full petition with signatures here.
Dear Mayor Ed Lee and Chief Greg Suhr,
We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Occupy Oakland and the Occupy Movement across the country. We urge you to continue to stand with us by making a public commitment to not disband Occupy San Francisco and to not use force against peaceful protestors. We call on you to work with the Occupy movement to establish the living conditions and environment that we all desire.
We are outraged by Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's decision to raid a peaceful, lawful and inspiring assembly. We denounce police intimidation, harassment and incarceration of peaceful protesters. We call on you to join us in our call to Mayor Quan and Police Chief Jordan to drop all the charges against these community leaders, to release them immediately, and to allow for the restoration of the encampment in Oscar Grant (a.k.a. Frank Ogawa) Plaza.
Today, the whole world is watching— not only Oakland, but also San Francisco. Around the world, people are looking to elected officials to stand in solidarity with the Occupy movement. Occupy San Francisco has been a public forum, on public land, about matters of dire urgency to the public: unemployment, affordable housing, taxation, bank accountability, and the unconscionable and deeply racialized inequity between the 1% and the rest of us.
These very same concerns are the heart of the work of dozens of community organizations, labor unions, and activists throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. A truly democratic government of the people must defend these commitments, regardless of the desperate pleas coming from the 1%.
A city government of the 99% should work proactively to support the encampment with resources like medical assistance, electricity, and bathrooms.
A city government of the 99% should open its doors to the encampment, come down to hear the concerns of the protesters, and defend our constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
A city government of the 99% should take inspiration from the encampment, and use its power to address the demands for taxing the rich, holding big banks accountable, job creation, affordable housing, healthcare, and so many rights our communities have been denied for too long. What San Francisco needs and wants is a city government of the 99%.
Not long ago, the world fretted that peaceful protestors in plazas across North Africa and the Middle East would be met with police batons and tear gas. Now is the time for San Francisco to stand by the freedom of speech. The whole world will be watching your actions. We call on you to stand with the 99%.
Organizational Signers:
POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights)
San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness
Community United Against Violence...
Wells Fargo: Foreclosed by the 99%!
Chants of "We are the 99%!" echoed through San Francisco's Financial District on Wednesday, as Wells Fargo Bank found itself unable to operate for 5 hours, surrounded on all sides by protesters, it's windows covered with huge "Foreclosure" notices.
Our demands of Wells Fargo were clear: a moratorium on foreclosures, respect for the rights of tenants in foreclosed properties, divestment from private prisons that turn a profit from immigrant detention, and that Wells Fargo pay their fair share in taxes.
Having advocated for these many times with Joseph Ohayon, Wells Fargo VP of Public Relations, we took the opportunity to put his phone number up on poster board, and ask hundreds of protestors call him, which quickly filled his voicemail with support for our demands. We look forward to our next interaction with him and will let you know how it goes!
We were honored to work with allies in labor, community, and with Occupy SF activists, to make this an inspiring and movement-building convergence, covered by more than 60 media outlets, bringing diverse communities to the fore, and putting the Bay Area on the map of resistance to the 1% that are hoarding the wealth and decision-making power that belongs to all of us. This was an international day of action, happening throughout Latin America, marking indigenous people's day, and echoing the call of the "indigndados" (outraged) for economic justice on our continent.
As a community-based organization of working class Black and Latino families defending their homes and their rights, we have had a bone to pick with the 1% for a long time. In July, the Pew Research Center reported that since 2005 median wealth fell by 66% among Latino households, and by 53% among Black households, compared with just 16% among white households. Most of this wealth was lost in the housing market, controlled by corporate giants like Wells Fargo, when families defaulted on predatory loans, or lost their entry-level jobs and as a result lost their homes.
Of course, then, we find common cause with the encampments springing up across the country, criticizing the unequal distribution of wealth. From Walls Street to Market Street, from union halls to CJJC's membership meetings, there's a promising new energy in our movement, and a new shared identity, as the 99%! We are hopeful that this is just the beginning of what we can do together.
Sat 10/15 is another international day of action, where there will be an exiting "Jobs not Cuts!" rally and march connecting with Occupy Oakland: http://jobs-not-cuts.org/
Check out some of the sympathetic coverage of 10/12, below!
San Francisco Bay Guardian Article:
KGO - Excellent representation of UNITE HERE Local 2850, a lead organization on this event:
Short Video by New American Media, featuring CJJC:
Please DONATE to CJJC to help us build up this work.


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Product Details
Mintage of only 2,500!
Thanks to a special 3D technique, this Proof .925 Silver coin manages to capture the butterfly in a moment of its colorful lightheartedness. This is your chance to catch a glimmer of freedom and beauty, too!
The butterfly represents lightheartedness, beauty and freedom. In many nations of the world the butterfly is considered to be a symbol of reincarnation and immortality of the soul. This is because the butterfly passes through several stages of development before it reaches its final shape. This development is called metamorphosis.
The obverse of this Silver coin shows the Ian Rank-Broadley depiction of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination. Comes to you with a certificate of authenticity.
Silver -- why buy Silver bullion from APMEX?Buying from APMEX is one of the world's favorite ways to invest in Silver and is a popular way to diversify wealth. To buy World Silver for your investment portfolio, call our Account Managers toll free at (800) 375-9006 or click on the "Live Chat" button. APMEX is where to buy Precious Metals! Also, you can come to us when it is time to sell Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium.
We provide our customers with a refund and or exchange policy on everything we sell including bullion and certified coins. If for any reason, you have a problem, please feel free to call us. We will always do our best to accommodate you.
|Product ID:
|Grade Service:
|Metal Content:
|0.803 troy oz
|38.61 mm


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Graduation for those students who've finished is just around the corner, here's Steve with an update:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/iv-YciuzeX0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Just keep in mind that:
- All Students eligible to graduate in April, were emailed to their UNE account
- The Grad email links to the Grad attendance and hire forms
- If you have troubling accessing the links, reply by return email so forms can be sent
- Forms due back 29 March. If you can't get the forms back in time. No dramas, just let us know, by email so we can make arrangements


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Hi guys, I have something that you'll probably be able to answer. Okay, so I have this traffic CLEO4 script and what it does is make the vehicle AI similar to the police vehicles' AI (meaning that they don't stop from going 200km/h instantly) and it works great, but I would like to add something to it but I'm not entirely sure on how to approach it. I want to make the drivers not get impatient when waiting at a red light, so it adds realism. Can anybody point me in the right direction? It would be very much appreciated. Also, thanks for reading.
This is the current script btw:


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Saturday, MAY 11, 2012
Santa Monica History Museum
1350 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Box Office 7:00pm Concert 8:00pm
FolkWorks is pleased to announce the next concert in our series at the Santa Monica History Museum.
The concert on Saturday, May 11 features Bob Carlin on Banjo and Dan Levenson on Fiddle.
A concert of old time music by two long time old time friends. Bob Carlin and Dan Levenson have spent their lives traveling the backroads of America playing and presenting our unique musical traditions. Take a journey with these two old time music masters through their experiences of the last forty years. hear fiddle, banjo, guitar and voice utilized in various combinations to tell their story of learning our nation's great musical traditions from its past masters.
The Santa Monica History Museum is the perfect venue for this intimate, acoustic concert. The museum is a nonprofit community cultural center, dedicated to preserving and sharing regional history. It will be open to concertgoers at 7:00pm for viewing museum galleries prior to the concert.
FolkWorks is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the folk/traditional arts. They have published an e-zine and presented concerts since 2001.The next concert at the Museum will be on September 7.
Concert: $15 FolkWorks members ($65 level and above) $13
Tickets will be at will-call
Online (credit card) tickets
Buy tickets here for Bob Carlin and Dan Levenson
Mail check (include telephone # and e-mail address) to:
PO Box 55051
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413


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122 5th Ave
New York, NY, 10011 United States
(212) 633-3300
#381 in FORTUNE 500 (June 2014)
S&P 600 (June 30, 2014)
#381 in FORTUNE 1000 (June 2014)
Russell 2000 (June 2014)
Barnes & Noble does business by the book and the NOOK. As the #1 bookstore chain in the US, it operates about 1,360 bookstores, including some 675 Barnes & Noble superstores and another 685 college bookstores, in all 50 states and Washington, DC. Stores range in size from 3,000 sq. ft. to 60,000 sq. ft. and stock between 60,000 and 200,000 book titles. It also sells books and other media online. The company's digital subsidiary, NOOK Media, develops, supports, and creates digital content and products for the digital reading and digital education markets. Heavy losses at its NOOK business led Barnes & Noble to quit making color NOOKs and consider strategic alternatives for its digital business.


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Vermont loses recruit Anthony DeLuca to the Q
- Updated: June 13, 2012
Anthony DeLuca, who was previously committed to Vermont for either 2013 or 2014, has lost his eligibility after signing with the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Rimouski drafted him with their second-round pick last week.
DeLuca played with the Lac Saint-Louis Lions of the QMAAA last season, scoring 80 points (48 goals, 32 assists) in 43 games. He also suited up for Quebec U17 team at the WHC-17.
Last week, he skated with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders (USHL), the team he was originally slated to play for next season in preparation for his arrive at UVM.


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China to Shift Policies as Stocks Slow, HSBC Says
Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- China may step up efforts to curb credit growth and inflation that have already started to weigh on the stock market, according to HSBC Private Bank.
A surge in bank lending last month prompted the central bank to ask lenders to set aside more money as reserves. The government will probably continue "tweaking the system" this year, saidArjuna Mahendran, the chief investment strategist for Asia at HSBC Private Bank…
The dollar was last up .86 to 78.35.
The Dow was down 122 points.
Here are some major commentaries from John Williams who does analysis on government data and puts everything in proper order.
His figures are impeccable.
His latest findings are showing a negative M3 growth which is startling. His CPI is running around 9% and his rea; unemployment rate is still at 22%.
Here is his official releases: (click on www.shadowstats.com)
John Williams' Shadow Government Statistics
Have you ever wondered why the CPI, GDP and employment numbers run counter to your personal and business experiences? The problem lies in biased and often-manipulated government reporting.
Although the following is not startling it is nontheless important for all to read:
Insider Selling Outpaces Buying By 24 Times In Last Week
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/19/2010 19:24 -0500
What is there to say about the endless barrage of insider sales that hasn't been said for 9 straight months before. Insiders are selling into the neverending rally, as domestic mutual funds have no equity inflows, yet stocks somehow miraculously keep rising, providing yet more attractive exit price points for directors and insiders. In the past week insiders bought $18 million worth of stock and sold $419 million. There is no way to spin this data. There were no notable buyers, while Nelson Peltz was vacating HNZ shares with a vengeance, selling $30 million worth of the canned food maker. Ralph Lauren also apparently wasn't too hot on Polo's Spring/Summer collection.
The PPI showed a .2% month over month gain as inflation seems to be seeping into the usa economy:
U.S. producer prices driven higher in Dec by foods
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices rose for the third month in a row in December, increasing by 0.2 percent on a surge in food prices and recording their largest year-on-year gain since October 2008, according to a government report on Wednesday.
The annual gain of 4.4 percent, though, was slightly below analyst expectations of a 4.5 percent increase. On a month-on-month basis, analysts polled by Reuters had anticipated monthly prices paid at the farm and factory gate to remain unchanged in December.
The Labor Department said core prices, which exclude food and energy, were steady in December. Analysts had expected a 0.1 percent gain.
Inflation is certainly rising in these 3 countries, China, Canada and the UK:
REUTERS China gov't economist sees inflation, rates rising
BEIJING, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Chinese consumer price inflation accelerated "significantly" in December and is likely to average 3.0 percent this year, Zhu Baoliang, a senior government economist, said on Wednesday.
REUTERS UPDATE 3-UK inflation surges at record pace in December
LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Britain's inflation accelerated in December at a record pace, prompting worries that interest rates might rise sooner than expected, though the surge was largely due to an unflattering comparison with a year earlier.
REUTERS UPDATE 1-Canada inflation hits 10-month high on gasoline
OTTAWA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Higher gasoline prices pushed Canada's annual inflation rate to a 10-month high in December, but the news is unlikely to knock the Bank of Canada off track in its pledge to hold interest rates steady for some time.
I rarely talk about what is going on inside the silver and gold warehouses of the comex. I do not trust the data. We know of deliveries of metal but they are not recorded.
We are aware of cash settling some of the contracts.
With that cautionary note, there have been unbelievable movements in silver at the comex recorded yesterday and today:
On Friday I reported that after weeks of zero movement in the dealer silver inventory SUDDENLY out of the blue 2.4 Million ozs of silver were withdrawn! That is 75 tons in a single day. What is even more intriguing is that 4.1 Mozs were apparently deposited in the customer inventory making the total silver inventory movements 204 tonnes for the day. Now today there is another gobsmacking volume of silver inventory movement. 4.45 Mozs of silver were withdrawn from the dealers' inventory and 4.56 Mozs were deposited in the customer inventory. This is most unusual considering the total delivery notices for January are only 0.94 Mozs. What is shocking is the massive drain in just two days on the dealer inventory has plunged their holdings to a mere 47.5 Mozs. This is only sufficient silver to deliver on 9500 contracts. There is certainly something serious going on with silver. For the inventory level not to change during weeks and then in just two days drop by 7 Mozs, or 13%, is nothing short of incredible, especially in a low delivery month.
I would like to point out that january and Feb are non delivery months in silver. Movement out of dealer inventory cannot be explained. The shear number of oz of 4.45 million oz in one day is just not belieable. You would need over 60 Brinks armed trucks.
The inventory of the dealers is now down to 47.5 million oz. Normally the inventory is greater than 110 million oz of silver.
I have no answer for you but something is up!!
In gold there was a huge withdrawal from the dealer inventory to the customer inventory. However we are entering a delivery month (Feb) and this is normal:
Interestingly gold also saw a large withdrawal from the dealer inventory and a similar deposit in the customer inventory. However, unlike with silver, this is totally consistent with the level of delivery notices issued against the JAN contract.
We have witnessed two new ETF's trade. The commodity is Palladium and Platinum and with the introduction of these two metals, we have seen a dramatic rise in the price of the metals;
ETFs Drive Up Platinum, Palladium
Demand for Physical Supply Fuels a Six-Month High; 'Everyone Is Watching'
Wall Street Journal – January 20, 2010
By MATT WHITTAKER And CAROLYN CUI
Platinum and palladium futures rose sharply, settling at their highest levels since July, boosted by demand from new exchange-traded funds that are luring investors but could prove to be a headache for consumers of the physical metals.
Benchmark April platinum on the New York Mercantile Exchange advanced 2.7% to settle at $1,639.40 an ounce while most-active March palladium on the exchange gained 3.2% to $461.95. The front-month platinum contract for January delivery gained $43.70, or 2.8%, to $1.635.10, while palladium rose $14.20, or 3.2%, to $461.70.
Since the Securities and Exchange Commission approved the launch of the new ETFs in late December, platinum futures have gained 15%, while palladium futures have risen 30%.
ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (symbol PPLT) and ETFS Physical Palladium Shares (PALL) began trading Jan. 8 on the New York Stock Exchange Arca platform and were the first ETFs for the platinum group metals in the U.S. These funds create additional investment demand since physical metal is put into storage to back shares that trade like a stock but track the price of the commodity.
The platinum ETF gained 3% to finish Tuesday's session at $165.12, while the palladium ETF rose 2.6% to $46.94.
The two funds have already each accumulated more than 100,000 ounces each of platinum and palladium, which are used primarily by the auto industry for the production of catalytic converters. The platinum market was about 6 million ounces, and showed a small surplus last year. A 100,000-ounce swing is big enough to turn the market to a deficit.
"Everybody is watching what is unfolding with these U.S. ETFs," said Timothy Murray, U.S. general manager of Johnson Matthey, a precious-metal refiner.
On top of higher prices, the volatility of platinum and palladium is hurting consumers such as car makers, liquid-crystal-display glass makers and medical-device makers. Amid sharp daily price movements, some customers have waited and missed opportunities to buy, while others have been forced to buy. "The ETFs are certainly making their lives difficult," Mr. Murray said.
Frank McAllister, chief executive of Stillwater Mining Co., the biggest palladium producer in the U.S., said that customers recently have been placing their orders for next year because they are worried about prices going even higher. "The ETFs are part of it," he said. Stillwater plans to increase its palladium mine production by 29% to 515,000 ounces this year.
Analysts expect further metal-price gains as buying of the physically backed ETFs effectively removes metal from the market. Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg estimates the amount of platinum purchased for the New York-based ETF since its launch was more than double the amount produced by mines during the period.
Russia has announced a huge 800,000 oz of gold gain to official reserves or about 27 tonnes of gold. I am sure this is from their agency sovereign entity, Gokhram.
This was announced earlier in the month. Here is the official release from Moscow:
On a day like today, I decided to look for some good news. The Russian Central Bank just reported their gold holdings for December 2009.
The Russian central bank increased their gold holdings by 800,000 ounces in 1 month. That is the biggest one month increase since I started keeping records on October 2006. The 2nd biggest monthly increase was 600,000 ounces in July 2009. In July 2009, the price of gold was around $950/oz.
The Russian central bank may have purchased this gold from the Russian agency, Gokhram. The bottom line is that the Russian central bank is publicly adding gold to their reserves and that this is the largest 1 month purchase since at least Oct. 2006.
I wonder if GFMS would consider the 800,000 ounce gold purchase by the Russian central bank a "lumpy purchase" ? Does a lumpy purchase have to exceed 1,000,000 ounces in a single transaction? Maybe I should send an email to GFMS inquiring how many of these lumpy purchases have taken place over the last 3 to 6 months.
Looking forward to more lumpy purchases.
Here is a Jim Sinclair article on the total breakdown of credit in the usa marketplace:
Breakdown of U.S. Commercial Bank Credit
CIGA Eric
Brown: Mass. victory sends 'very powerful message'
"There are messages here. We hear those messages," said Axelrod. "There is a general sense of discontent about the economy. And there is a general sense of discontent about this town"
Clearly messages are being sent, but is anyone listening? One thing remains clear, the message of no more reckless spending will ignored completely as long as bank credit, updated through December 2009, continues to deteriorate under Keynsian decision-making.
Where's the picture of that gnarly roster?
Breakdown of Total Bank Credit Growth: Year-over-Year Growth for Total Loans, Business Loans, Real Estate Loans, Home Equity Loans, Consumer Loans, and Cash Assets for Commercial Banks in the US:
Raise Taxes – No
Cut Spending – No
DEVALUE! – Yes
Source: news.yahoo.com
Here is Dan Norcini on the tightening of credit in China and its meaning:
Filed under: Trader Dan Norcini
Dear Friends,
As you know by now, China announced last evening that they intended to tighten credit availability in an attempt to stave off "overheating" in their economy. The markets today interpreted this event as evidence that inflation fears are unwarranted. Thus the bids beneath the gold market evaporated, allowing the bears to push prices low enough to take out some of the downside sell stops.
While today's markets have become the domain of the 3 minute bar chart traders with short term factors creating excessive volatility as the norm, as investors it still behoves one to try to understand the longer term macroeconomic picture.
The Chinese are more than concerned about the long term viability of the US Dollar due to the recklessness of its stewards here in the US. The recent TIC reports reveal Chinese net selling of US Treasuries. Having surpassed Japan as the largest holder of US Treasury debt, this is not insignificant as those actions speak to their suspicions about the Dollar's fate and the effect on their reserves.
If you recall not that long ago, India surprised the entire gold market by scooping up some 200 tons or so of gold. That drove the gold price up through the $1,000 level – a level which it has not seen again. I believe that India's actions caught China flatfooted as it is no secret that they are actively looking to acquire a larger percentage of gold in their reserves as they slowly move out of their lopsided holdings of US Dollar based debt.
Having been unable to secure gold at the price that India did, and having a desire to acquire more of the metal at a better price, it is my opinion that the Chinese authorities completely understood in advance the effect that their announcement would have on the commodity markets and on gold. China is still looking to secure stockpiles of strategic commodities as their long term growth strategy requires sufficient quantities of such to make them well supplied. The Chinese do not chase market prices higher – they buy stuff when no one wants it or when the hedge fund managers in the West are throwing it away.
Gold may well move lower from current levels but the Chinese will be there to greet its potential descent as will India, which also wants to own more of the metal. The amount that they are looking to acquire is not miniscule. Remember that when you hear chatter about the demise of gold.
Remember also that a growing number of US states are for all practical purposes, fiscally bankrupt, with rising pressure mounting in those states to receive some sort of Federal bailout. Unemployment levels that remain stubbornly high guarantee lower tax revenues for the Federal Government, and state governments in those cases which rely upon a state income tax as a primary means of revenue. Tighter credit restrictions here in the US, as lenders seek to cover their own rear ends, means that consumers will have more difficulty increasing purchases of larger ticket items. When you see stock analysts upgrade and then issue buy recommendations for McDonalds based on cash strapped consumers looking for food bargains who are bypassing more expensive, higher end restaurants, rest assured that disposable income is not exactly proliferating.
All of this translates to an economy that is moving along in that "L" shaped "recovery" that I have mentioned before. A plunge, followed by a long period of mediocre or subpar growth marked by high levels of unemployment and huge amounts of government deficit spending and massive QE by the Fed. How this quantifies a bull market in the Dollar eludes me.
Due to the Republican victory in Massachusetts yesterday, the general commentary on F-TV is that the USA looks really good. The MOPE on Greece is going wild.
The dollar is no safe haven and will not guarantee the maintenance of buying power.
The large purchases by non US entities of US Treasuries in the TIC report smells like Limburger cheese. The US dollar economic recovery is nothing more than pixie dust.
To sustain a US economic recovery, there first needs to be an economic recovery to sustain.
Unemployment now becomes an increasing concern for both parties.
The Fed is locked into QE and in all probability is supporting the US Treasury market via the Caymans and other countries internationally.
Buy the dollar and sell gold? You have to be kidding. That is the madness of the crowd and the actions of the Crimex in paper gold
FHA gets tougher to stay solvent.
The Federal Housing Administration announced stricter lending requirements and higher borrowing fees today, a move meant to shore up the agency's tanking finances and preclude the need for a taxpayer bailout. The FHA's reserves to cover losses have fallen to $3.6B, or 0.5% of the $685B in loans outstanding. A year ago, its reserves stood at 3%, and Congress requires the FHA to maintain a 2% capital-reserve ratio.
Unemployment likely to persist.
A new report from a group of U.S. mayors suggests that while unemployment will likely peak in most U.S. cities this year, it will take many years before the jobless rate returns to the lows experienced last decade. In some areas, unemployment will stay at or above 10% through 2013, but "what is just as alarming as the double-digit unemployment in many of the nation's major metro areas is the lethargic rate at which it will recede once the job market turns around."
Housing market still weak.
NAHB's Housing Market Index dropped 1 point to 15, still the lowest point since June. Current sales conditions fell 1 point to 15, and buyer traffic fell 1 point to 12. Sales expectations for the next six months remained steady at 26. "We stand poised and ready to deliver new homes as soon as our customers are ready" to take advantage of tax credits and conditions, said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson.
Consumer confidence dips.
ABC's Consumer Comfort Index slipped 2 points to -49, entering "full retreat" mode this month after posting gains in December. Ratings of the national economy held steady at 9% positive, but those who think it's a good time to buy things slipped a point to 23%, and those rating their personal finances positively slipped a point to 45%.


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Michael Jackson took Propofol as early as 1999, a former manager claims in a new book -- and says Jackson was late to his 30th anniversary concerts because he was drugged up.
Frank Cascio, a former personal assistant to Jackson who eventually became his close friend and manager, writes that he first noticed Jackson taking Demerol in 1993 during his "Dangerous" tour. He says Jackson was first introduced to the drug in 1984, after Jackson burned his head during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
In the book, an advanced copy of which was obtained by the AP, Cascio claims Jackson took Propofol in 1999 after a stage accident in Munich.
Cascio says he spoke to Jackson's siblings about his drug use in 2001 and they tried to approach Jackson about it -- but MJ "simply pushed them away."
Writing about Jackson's death, Cascio says Michael "died in his endless quest to attain some inner peace."
Bookie Betting Johnny Depp Will Play Michael Jackson in Biopic - Forbes
Paddy Power out of the U.K. has Depp at 4 to 1 to play Jackson.
Bookie Betting Johnny Depp Will Play Michael Jackson in Biopic - Forbes
Paddy Power out of the U.K. has Depp at 4 to 1 to play Jackson.
That JD angle for him to portray michael has been around for a while........it's silly. if there's an inkling of truth to it, Johnny should not do this. After TII & (hopefully TII2) there shouldn't be any films about his life. The fans had the pleasure of the original for decades. No need for an actor to tell us the Michael Jackson Story...(jmo)......it's needless over saturation of his life...(imo)
Dr. Conrad Murray's Video Interviews Could Haunt Him At Sentencing HearingDr. Conrad Murray's Video Interviews Could Haunt Him At Sentencing Hearing
Posted on Nov 17, 2011 @ 08:20AM print it send it
WENNBy Jen Heger,
Radar Legal Editor
Dr. Conrad Murray's decision to participate in a do***entary about the Michael Jackson death trial could be used at his sentencing hearing on November 29, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
The convicted felon sat down with the Today Show before being found guilty of killing Jackson on June 25, 2009.
PHOTOS: Michael Jackson Through The Years
"I don't feel guilty, because I did not do anything wrong, I am very, very sorry for the loss of Michael... Michael is a personal friend. It's heartfelt. It's been painful," Murray told Savannah Guthrie.
Murray's interview with Guthrie, and a British reporter, as well as the do***entary which aired in the U.S. on MSNBC last Friday, could be played by the District Attorney at the sentencing hearing.
PHOTOS: Key Players In The Trial Of Dr. Conrad Murray
"The DA is considering playing excerpts of Murray's interviews. It's admissible, and completely legal. It's very compelling evidence, as Murray told the investigating officers a very different series of events that took place, than what he revealed during what was aired on television," a law enforcement source tells RadarOnline.com.
"Walgren hasn't decided if he is going to play the interviews, but it only makes his case stronger that Judge Pastor should sentence Murray to four years in state prison because of his inability to tell the truth, on a consistent basis."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the executors of Jackson's estate, John Branca and John McClain, blasted NBC for airing the do***entary. The executors fired off a letter to the network which said, "No sooner was Conrad Murray ordered led away in handcuffs after his conviction on manslaughter charges in the death of Michael Jackson than we discovered your MSNBC network inexplicably will showcase him in primetime Friday night as if he is worthy of celebrity.
DO***ENT: Michael Jackson Estate Fire Off Blistering Letter Over Conrad Murray Do***entary
"Dr. Murray's victim, Michael Jackson was a loving father, an incredible talent and someone who had much left to give the world. Dr. Murray is a convicted felon who a judge felt compelled to have placed in handcuffs and jailed immediately after the jury delivered its verdict. He is not someone NBC Universal should be giving a platform on a prime-time pedestal."
The do***entary also highlighted the bickering between Murray's lawyers, Ed Chernoff and Michael Flanagan. RadarOnline.com was first to report that during the trial, things had gotten so bad between the two lawyers, that Chernoff, who lives in Houston, moved out of Flanagan's Southern California home. Chernoff had been staying with Flanagan to save his client money.
During one shocking scene of the do***entary, Flanagan says, "F**k you," to Chernoff during an argument over the defense strategy. Murray criticized Flanagan by saying, "I take offense when my damn attorney is not prepared for that man," referring to prosecution witness Dr. Alon Steinberg.
Stay tuned to RadarOnline.com for developments on this story.
New York,London and Abu Dhabi.AN Investor group comprised of Sony Corporation of America(SCA) in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson,Mubadala development company,PJSC,Jynwei Capital Limited,the Backstone group's GSO,Capital Partners LP and David Geffen(the Group) announced today the execution of a definitive agreement,whereby the Group will aquire EMI Music Publishing from a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citigroup.Inc(Citi) for a total of 2.2 billion.
The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions,including regulatory approvals.Following the acquisition Sony/ATV Music Publishing and it's strong and experienced management team will help oversee EMI Music Publishing on behalf of the Group.Sony/ATV Music Publishing is co-owned by subsidiaries of SCA and trusts formed by the Estate of Michael Jackson.EMI Music Publishing is a world leading popular music publisher with a vast collection of musical compositions and a roster of highly talented song writers.
Read more:www.businesswire.com/news/home/20111114005616/en/Sony-Corp-UK-Regulatory-Announcement-INVESTOR-GRO.


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Posts Tagged 'all electric'
Hands on With the 2014 Chevy Spark EV (pics)
When I drove the 2013 Chevy Spark this September I was quick to ask when and if they'll announce an EV model of the car to compete with Ford's Focus EV. At the time, the top brass at Chevy we're reluctant to comment, but I hear...
Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric Car Review
If you've been to the fuel pump lately, then you know that petrol is getting increasingly cost prohibitive. And although that sounds like a bad thing, I assure you it's not. Too long have American's enjoyed cheap fuel, leading...
Jay Leno Test Drives The Aptera 2e All Electric Car (video)
Jay Leno loves all things cars and his garage is a solid testament. He was recently lucky enough to get his hands on the Aptera 2e all electric vehicle and go for a test drive here in LA. For the most part he sounds sold on t...


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Categories > Anime/Manga > Neon Genesis Evangelion > NGE: Ascent Of The Fallen
NGE: 000 Reviews
[Shinji x Auska] The Angels have been defeated. Tarbis has decided to fall & walk amongst humanity. But a new foe has come The Archangels. Will they pilots stop them or fail humanity.
Hello Just to let you all know I don't own this story & never will. But I recently went looking for Sparky's site & found it's out of commission. Icould not let this story go to waste so I'm posting it up here as a reminder of a once great story that is still unfinished.
By Sparky Clarkson
I suppose you'll skip this part most people do. Those who don't do that always complain about the author's putting this section before the story, instead of at the end where it can be more conveniently ignored. But the beginning is the natural place to put these notes, because these feelings came about before the story.
So if you've read these sentences I'd like to invite you to read a few more before you begin my little novella. I promise it won't hurt too much. Everyone has a reason for writing fanfiction. Some writers just want to expand the series that they loved. Others hope to live vicariously in the experiences of the show's characters (hence self-insert fics).
I decided to write the story you will shortly (I hope) begin reading because I had something to say. Some of the feelings stirred in me by the GAINAX production Neon Genesis Evangelion wanted expression, and the universe of Eva was the perfect place to express them.
That's not all, of course. I wanted some of those other reasons, too. Ifound myself profoundly dissatisfied by the ending of the series and by the movies. The television finale did not serve the plot of the series well, and the movie did the same to the themes and characters. Sadly, neither one could repair the deficiencies of the other. I believed that something more, something better could be done. So I wrote. This is what came out, starting from a single image I had of Shinji standing between Gendo and Kaoru. To say more about that image would ruin your surprise later on, but I think you'll know when you see it.
This story also expresses some of my beliefs about story writing in general. I've tried to emulate the methods of the old masters of science fiction, back when it and fantasy were really interesting. These days, speculative fiction(SF, Fantasy, Horror) has developed a tendency to produce ridiculously huge, unfocused books and series.
I wanted to take things back to the way they were, if only for one story. Ihoped, with Ascent, to recapture the feel of those old sci-fi serials that used to be in magazines. You'd read each one, and then you couldn't wait until the next month for the following installment.
I hope you enjoy the experience, and I hope it has tightened my writing style. On a final note, I must admit with regret that the characters, technology, and society depicted in this story are not my own invention. They are the intellectual property of Anno Hideaki and GAINAX Films, Inc., and are here used without license.
I offer this story as free entertainment to fans of the series, and host it without profit to myself. The plot of this story is my intellectual property. Ioffer unlimited rights to distribute and store this work in electronic form, provided that no alterations are made to the text beyond those required for formatting. Any profit made from the knowing distribution, storage, or display of this story must be remitted in full to GAINAX Films, Inc. as a licensing fee. That's all from me. Please enjoy the story as it comes out.
"I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out..."
(Ezekiel 11:19)
The white marble disk that formed the floor of the room felt warm to the nude boy kneeling at its center. His pale skin, a match for the color of the stone beneath him, did not recoil from the living rock as it might have from the cold blaze of steel. The boy had bowed his head, his unruly grey hair hiding his red eyes from view.
Nonetheless, he sensed every aspect of the room around him. Evenly spaced around the perimeter of the white disk, hovering between the stone circle and the glowing grey mist that lay beyond it, floated 10 monoliths. Most of them also glowed, each suffused with an inner illumination. All of the simple rectangular prisms were formed of different materials, yet each had something in common with its neighbors an underlying similarity, beyond a likeness of shape, that unified the disparate emanations.
Ahead of him and to his right was a glass monolith, all but invisible compared to the others. It alone did not glow, yet something about it nonetheless drew the boy's eye. To the right of it floated a series of seven smaller, glowing monoliths, each formed of a different material: gold, moonstone, silver, onyx, ruby, aquamarine, and emerald. Each was twice as tall as the boy, and three times as broad.
After that was a slightly larger monolith of diamond, glowing somewhat more brightly than the seven.
Directly in front of the boy floated the largest monolith, constructed of sapphire. However, neither the boy nor anyone else who might have been in the room could bear to look directly at it. No brighter than any of the others, it was nonetheless greater, as if the radiance pouring from it encompassed the entire spectrum incomprehensible in its vastness. All the other lights in the circle were but single tones to the symphony of its light.
No being could come to grips with such illumination, and so all bowed their heads in deference to the inconceivable.
A voice emanated from the sapphire, saying, "You know that this choice will change everything, do you not?" This indeed was a symphony: the mellifluous tones seemed to be created by every single particle of air, as if the universe itself spoke for the light in the sapphire. The memory of the sound lingered long after it was gone, like the last note of a sweetly tolling bell, inspiring an almost painful longing to hear it again.
The boy bowed his head lower. "I know, Father. But truly, I have no choice no power over my heart," he said.
There was a rustling sound from the seven smallest monoliths in the circle, but this stilled quickly when the voice again emanated from the sapphire."Do you then leave me, Tabris, as so many have before? Have you chosen another to worship?" it asked.
Tabris shook his head. "L ilha ill Allh," he replied,"I have not chosen to worship another. I have decided to surrender my eternal life for the one I love." A tear formed in his right eye.
Now a voice emanated from the diamond monolith. "I have seen his heart," it said, its tones similar to those from the light in the sapphire, but somehow more strident. "True love has guided him, not base lust."
The supreme light did not reply that it knew this already doing so would only repeat the obvious. "Then, Tabris, I have reason to make judgment," it announced.
Tabris bowed his head lower again. "I cast myself upon your mercy," he replied. "As you have asked, so shall it be done. My plan continues. The day of glory approaches. Let all know the consequences," the voice from the sapphire monolith announced. "Go in my love, Tabris," it added warmly. "Thank you, Lord," the boy replied.
A chorus from the seven seats quickly drowned him out. "So let it be written, so let it be done. Amen," chanted the choir of lights. Beneath his breath, Tabris whispered, "It is my choice..."
And then he was gone.
Next week: Part One: "And now art thou cursed from the earth..."


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