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For the last two decades of his life, Arthur Cecil Pigou didn't get much respect. Once considered Britain's leading economist, he had come under caustic attack from a colleague at Cambridge—his friend and famous protégé John Maynard Keynes—for insisting that the Great Depression would correct itself without strong government intervention. By the mid-1940s, before Keynes died, Pigou had capitulated. But the dispute between the two, and Pigou's eventual acknowledgment that Keynes might have a point, seemed to consign his own work to the dustbin. His student Harry Johnson remembers him as "a tall, straight figure, eccentrically garbed, glimpsed occasionally walking about the countryside." In the hall where Pigou lectured on economic principles, one unknown undergraduate had carved into a desk "Pigou mumbles."
After the 2008 crash, it seemed Pigou might make a comeback. Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen, writing in The New York Review of Books, declared that the "present economic crises … demand a new understanding of older ideas, such as those of [Adam] Smith and, nearer our time, of Pigou, many of which have been sadly neglected." The New Yorker's John Cassidy, writing in The Wall Street Journal, nominated Pigou as the deceased economist whose work "best explains financial crises, global warming, and other pressing issues of today." N. Gregory Mankiw, the Harvard economist who chaired George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers (and has recently advised Mitt Romney), launched a Pigou Club in favor of a higher gasoline tax to combat air pollution, global warming, and road congestion.
Yet the comeback hasn't quite materialized, and Pigou is in danger of returning to obscurity. That would be a major loss. Pigou, a key bridge figure in the history of his field, was one of the earliest classical economists to notice that markets do not always produce the best possible social outcomes. The pollution generated by a factory imposes costs on those who live downstream or in the path of its airborne emissions. The risks assumed by banks leading up to the recent financial crisis imposed costs on just about everybody. Market transactions often generate what economists call "externalities"—side effects, sometimes positive but often negative, that affect people who do not participate in the transaction.
Pigou, having recognized the problem, was the first to propose a solution. Society should tax the negative externalities and subsidize the positive ones. This simple notion—if you want less of something, tax it—is why his ideas periodically bubble up in the service of combating a recognizable cost to society, like pollution. We think that his approach offers an answer to another great problem of our time: inequality.
Does the extreme degree of inequality in America today really create, as Pigou would put it, negative externalities? Does the fact that hedge-fund manager Mr. Jones rakes in 100 or 1,000 times what office manager Mrs. Smith earns impose costs on everybody else? Plenty of Americans think not. Defenders of our skewed income distribution point out that a free-enterprise system requires some inequality. Unequal rewards give people an incentive to work hard and acquire new skills. They encourage inventors to invent, entrepreneurs to start companies, investors to take risks. It's fine in this view that some people get astronomically rich. As Mitt Romney likes to say, "I'm not going to apologize for being successful."
On the other side, many of us have a gut feeling that inequality has gone too far. Our times are reminiscent of the Gilded Age's worst excesses. Hence the popularity of the Occupy Wall Street movement's slogan, "We are the 99 percent."
But the conventional strategy for fighting inequality—far higher taxes on the rich—usually rests on a foundation of fairness, and the question of what's fair and what's unfair turns out to cut different ways, depending on your point of view. You may find it unfair that the very rich take in so much more than others. But somebody else might wonder why the rich should be taxed so heavily. Don't they already pay disproportionately more than everyone else? These arguments quickly hit a dead end. That may be why befuddled Democrats and Republicans in Congress wrangle fruitlessly over top tax rates—39 percent, 35 percent, or even lower—that have already demonstrated negligible effects in reducing inequality. No one even discusses top rates that might make a difference. (We're referring, of course, to marginal rates, rates that apply only to income over a certain threshold, like $250,000 or $1 million.)
Pigou may be able to help us cut through the confusion. Viewed through a Pigovian lens, today's highly skewed income distribution imposes three sorts of costs on the rest of us.
As the economy grows, the rich get nearly all the gains. The United States enjoyed an economic Golden Age from the end of World War II to about 1973. During that time, despite the fact that the top marginal tax rate never dropped below 70 percent (and stood at more than 90 percent until the early 1960s), growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita averaged close to 2.5 percent a year. There is a widely held—and mythical—belief that the United States has been in the midst of a great stagnation ever since. The minuscule increase in the median household income, about 0.4 percent per year, supports this myth. But the economy has not stagnated. Output per capita has risen more than 90 percent since 1975, or an average of 2.1 percent per year. That's less than the figure for the Golden Age but not much less. The difference is that since the 1970s, virtually all the gains have gone to those at the top. The average income of the top 1 percent has tripled, while the median household income has increased by less than 20 percent.
The skewing of the income distribution, in short, imposes a cost on the vast majority of people. From 1975 to 2008, the median income of U.S. households rose by a total of $8,000 (in today's dollars). Had the distribution remained the same as it was in the postwar years, the increase would have been $40,000. Instead of its current level, $50,000, the median income of U.S. households today would be $86,400.
Many talented people focus narrowly on getting richer, to the exclusion of activities that might be more beneficial to society. The greater the number of very rich people, and the bigger their share of the pie, the more it seems that getting very rich is both feasible and desirable. For young people, going where the money is becomes more attractive than a career in science, education, or public service. As late as 1986, only 18 percent of Harvard graduates planned any sort of business career. In 2011, the figure was 41 percent, including 17 percent going into finance.
The new incentives affect the behavior of anyone with a decent shot at getting rich. CEOs of large corporations expect astronomical compensation packages. Wall Street executives pursue riskier lines of business in search of higher profits than they could earn through traditional banking or brokerage. Doctors and lawyers have an incentive to train for lucrative subspecialties, leaving a shortage of general practitioners and public defenders. All these brain drains impose costs on everyone else.
As a group, the rich can use money to pursue political power and influence well beyond their numbers. Despite fundamental principles such as one person, one vote, the wealthiest Americans have always wielded disproportionate political influence. Today they can make unlimited, anonymous donations to "super" political action committees. They can play a huge role in financing nearly every campaign for federal office. Senators and representatives, faced with the need to raise an average $9 million (Senate) or $1.5 million (House) for each race, spend up to four hours every day cultivating the well-to-do. Nor is the problem confined to elections. Generously financed lobbyists do their best to ensure that regulatory and tax policies at every level of government don't interfere with the opportunity to make—and keep—a ton of money. "Another vicious circle has been set in play," writes Joseph Stiglitz in his new book The Price of Inequality. "Political rules of the game have not only directly benefited those at the top, ensuring that they have a disproportionate voice, but have also created a political process that indirectly gives them more power."
Little wonder, then, that disaffected citizens on the right, on the left, and in the middle—whatever their views on inequality—believe that the very rich and organized business interests have hijacked America's political process. The danger, of course, is that the trend is self-perpetuating. In their book Why Nations Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson show that sustained economic growth depends on open and inclusive political institutions. But when a moneyed elite so dominates the political order, it can rewrite the rules to forestall change and maintain a perch on top of the economic ladder. Acemoglu and Robinson quote Woodrow Wilson, who said during the last period when inequality threatened democracy: "If there are men in this country big enough to own the government of the United States, they are going to own it."
Assuming that a highly skewed income distribution results in negative political externalities, Pigou's response would be quick. Slap a tax on vastly unequal incomes, and watch the externalities shrink.
A Pigovian tax on the rich might look on the surface like any other progressive income tax, but there are at least three philosophical differences. First, its purpose is to reduce inequality, not to make everyone pay a "fair share." This goal cuts through the complaint that the rich are already paying far more than their share in taxes.
Second, a Pigovian tax seeks to change incentives. That is, its goal is to alter the pretax distribution of income, not just the after-tax distribution—to discourage people from seeking to earn exponentially more than their fellow citizens. With higher tax rates, a job in finance might lose some of its appeal to talented young people. U.S. chief executives might content themselves with salaries averaging 20 times the typical worker's earnings—the ratio in 1965—instead of 351 times the average, as was the case in 2007. Incidentally, past experience suggests that even with much higher tax rates, plenty of people would pursue careers in finance, corporate management, sports, entertainment, specialized medicine and law, and other well-paid fields. These occupations would still offer a high standard of living and above-average nonmonetary rewards. The most successful practitioners might earn $100 million or more in salary and capital gains and—depending on rates—pay taxes of $50 million or more. In our view, that would still leave them with a sufficiently comfortable lifestyle.
Finally, just as a Pigovian tax on pollution is not designed to eliminate all pollution—which would require an unacceptable ban on most industrial production—a Pigovian tax on inequality is not designed to equalize outcomes. It seeks only to reduce inequality from a level that threatens democracy to a level compatible with democracy, while still encouraging plenty of work and innovation.
So there would still be super-rich Americans, just not quite as many. Underlining this emphasis on reasonable gradations, the Pigovian tax would need a lot of brackets at the upper end. Perhaps the marginal rate should be 40 percent at $1 million (only 1 point higher than it was under President Bill Clinton), 50 percent at $5 million, 75 percent at $10 million, and 90 percent at $20 million. Such rates would affect only 140,000 U.S. households, or 0.1 percent of the total. Though the resulting taxes would raise additional revenue, we should be clear that they would not put a large dent in the deficit. No matter—fixing the deficit is not this tax's goal.
In fact, we Americans used our progressive income tax very much as a Pigovian tax in the middle of the 20th century, during that hazily remembered Golden Age. The top rate remained at least 90 percent until the Kennedy-era tax cuts lowered it, but it never fell below 70 percent until Reagan took office. These rates applied only to exceptionally high incomes. In the 1950s, the top threshold was around $3 million in today's dollars, or about 130 times the average income of the bottom 90 percent. High marginal tax rates were undoubtedly responsible for keeping the income share of the top 1 percent in check. This did not prevent the United States from enjoying the strongest quarter-century of growth in its history.
Is there reason to think that a Pigovian tax today would have similar effects? Would it reduce the pretax income share of those at the top? The evidence from a century of experience in the United States—not just the
Golden Age—is striking. Look at the chart above. As the top rate rises, the share of pretax income going to the top 1 percent declines. When the top rate falls, the pretax share of the top 1 percent rises. So the provisional answer is, yes.
True, the chart shows only a correlation, not causation. A skeptic might argue that high marginal tax rates push the rich not to earn less but rather to earn more of their money in ways not subject to federal tax. We can't disprove that possibility. But we can examine whether higher tax rates raise or lower overall income-tax revenue. The evidence shows a strong positive correlation between the marginal tax rate for the top 1 percent and total tax revenue but not such a strong relationship for the top 0.01 percent (those who may find it easiest to earn in ways that avoid taxes). Economists who specialize in these matters, including Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Peter Diamond, typically argue that a marginal rate around 70 percent maximizes revenue.
So far, so good. But how might high marginal tax rates affect overall economic growth? The conventional wisdom holds that high rates are a threat to growth. The conventional wisdom is wrong. A plot of growth rates against top tax rates shows little or no correlation between the two. To see how this can be so, it helps to understand that economic life is a mix of different elements. In every economy there are positive-sum games, in which market interactions benefit both parties, and zero-sum games, in which one party loses and the other wins. Because positive-sum phenomena—say, gains from trade—play an indispensable role in making market economies productive, economists usually focus attention on them. But every real economy includes many zero-sum activities that by definition do not contribute to higher growth.
As a thought experiment, imagine a quilt factory. Everybody is paid according to how much he or she produces—say, $5 per quilt. Produce one quilt an hour, and your hourly pay is $5; produce ten quilts, and it's $50. Now, imagine that the government raises marginal tax rates. How would you respond? Maybe you'd decide to produce fewer quilts, since the government is going to take more of your money. Or maybe you'd decide to work harder and make more quilts to maintain your take-home pay. The economists who measure such things usually say that for most people, these two effects roughly cancel each other out. People end up producing about the same amount, regardless of whether marginal tax rates go up or down.
But for the very rich, the response is different. As marginal tax rates rise, the highest-income people generally earn a bit less even before their income is taxed. Mind you, if the majority of the top 1 percent had been engaged in a positive-sum activity—like making quilts—giving them an incentive to work less in this way should lower the rate of GDP growth. But it doesn't.
One logical explanation is that the rich are not those who can quilt 351 times faster than the average quilter. Instead, there may be among them company owners who convince the government to subsidize quilt production, or lobbyists who persuade Congress to scrap regulations requiring labels showing what's in the quilts, allowing the companies to lower their costs by substituting poor-quality, flammable stuffing.
These are zero-sum activities, a sort of economic version of airborne carbon emissions, and over time they can compromise the economy's efficiency. The owners' gains don't come without somebody else's loss. Zero-sum actions include increasing corporate earnings by holding down wages, taking advantage of financial customers by creating complex or risky products that customers don't understand, and lobbying Congress for protection from competition. As these examples suggest, some individuals in the top income group pursue quite a number of activities that others might be glad to see them spending less time on.
If these zero-sum activities are significant, a reduction in work should result in lower income for the top 1 percent but not a decline in overall GDP. High marginal rates could actually create greater income growth for the rest of us—say, the bottom 90 percent—as zero-summers begin to spend less effort on increasing income in ways that impose a cost on someone else.
A higher tax on gasoline, a Pigovian anti-pollution strategy championed by Greg Mankiw, hasn't gotten far in Congress. But it has managed to draw support from well-known figures on both sides of the aisle: from Paul Krugman to Alan Greenspan, Al Gore to South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, centrist columnist Thomas Friedman to conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer. Even New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford Motor Company, are on board.
We are under no illusions that Congress will consider Pigovian-style income-tax rates in the foreseeable future. One might as well wish for a constitutional amendment banning large campaign contributions. What we can hope is that voters and public leaders of various stripes will begin to see the worsening distribution of income in the United States, and in particular the amounts going to those at the top, as an externality with broader negative side effects akin to pollution and hence as something that should be heavily taxed. We aspire to the same incipient bipartisan accord—at least among those who do not have to run for re-election every two years—that greets the idea of higher gasoline taxes.
Perhaps some at the top will sign on as well. As a group, the rich don't get much applause these days, but they're not so different from the rest of us. It's just that the lack of any limit to outsize economic rewards turns out to have a measurable cost, which Americans who aren't so wealthy keep getting asked to pay. With a shift in incentives, we could change this. A Pigovian tax might push talented people to use their skills in ways far more beneficial to the country than inventing the next credit-default swap. Even for the many successful citizens who remain in the same line of business, a Pigovian tax might start to do what has lately seemed impossible: give the best-paid Americans an interest in common again with the men and women with whom they work, and remind us that we're all in this together.


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"I was inspired by the news that chocolate can be good for you," wrote reader Jennifer Sanders of Cambridge, Ontario. "Why not eat it for breakfast?" She shared her recipe for this heart-warming chocolaty hot cereal. If you are looking for a way to get your kids to start their day with a bowl of oatmeal, this is it. The microwave is convenient, but you can also cook the oatmeal on the stovetop following package directions. Top the cereal with milk or soymilk and sweeten with brown sugar or no-calorie sweetener, if desired.
Ready In

subset: commoncrawl


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2 years ago
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hajj Cards, Hajj Mubarak Greetings and Wishes0 comments Posted by Valentine Cards at 11:49 AM
Hajj is a pilgrimage of Islamic religion where people go and offer special prayers to Allah during 7th to 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. It is a duty of every muslim to visit Mecca and offer Hajj prayers atleast once in a lifetime but only rich people could manage to go on hajj pilgrimage. Whosoever return back to home town after paying prayers at Hajj mosque, he/she gets warm welcome since he/she has done religious work and followed the duty of going hajj. We present some excellent hajj cards to share hajj mubarak wishes with warm greetings.
Labels: Cards, Masjid-Tombs
Moonsighting Series Eid Cards, Eid Crescent Moon Cards0 comments Posted by Valentine Cards at 11:41 AM
Islam follows the position of moon to predict various timings, days and dates of auspicious works, festivals and celebration. Even stars and moon are theme for designing religious stuff for muslim group. Feel free to view few samples of Moonsighting Series Eid Cards to send warm eid mubarak wishes. These ecards shows various crescent of moon positions.
Labels: Moon-and-Stars
Bakrid Wishes, Free Bakrid Cards0 comments Posted by Valentine Cards at 11:33 AM
Id-ul-Zuha or Bakrid is one of the most celebrated Islamic festivals among Muslims who offer the sacrifice of goat or bakri to the Allah as the tradition mentioned in holy book 'Quran'. Share warm blessings and wishes of bakrid feast by having party at night and exchanging happy bakrid wishes through these free ecards and greetings.
Eid Al Adha Wishes, Eid al-adha Wish Cards0 comments Posted by Valentine Cards at 11:23 AM
Convey your Eid Al Adha Wishes to your dearones or nearones sitting anywhere in this World through this free collection of cards and egreetings full of warm blessings in the form of words, messages, quotes and warm best heart-felt emotions to speak up true sentiments of a muslim.
Labels: eid-ul-adha, Messages, Wishes
Kids Eid Cards, Kids Eid Greeting Cards0 comments Posted by Valentine Cards at 11:11 AM
Festivals are delight of every child since it brings holidays, gifts, sweets, get-togethers and lots of love for them. Eid is one such great festival when kids express their joy for eid by painting, heena art, crafts, games, eidi and other activities which gives pleasure for them. These kids eid cards are special token of our affection for little angels to share happy eid wishes with them.
Labels: celebrations, Crafts-Activities, eGreetings
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The tradition of protecting our workers and improving workplace safety and health is nothing new in the great State of Utah.
By the 1950s, two decades before the creation of Federal OSHA, Utah had promulgated standards and safety orders addressing some of the most serious threats to worker's safety at that time. This proactive approach was again evident in 1973, when Utah enacted the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Act, giving UOSH the mandate to administer all laws and lawful orders to ensure that every employee in this state has a workplace free of recognized hazards.
According to the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, States can apply for approval to operate their own occupational safety and health programs. Utah started the state plan application and approval process in 1973 and was granted official approval on July 16, 1985. Since that date, occupational safety and health in the state falls under the authority of the State of Utah Labor Commission. There are 26 states and territories considered state plan states in the country. Today, Utah's commitment to worker safety and health remains as strong as ever.
Work related fatalities, serious injuries and imminent danger situations can be reported to UOSH 24/7 by calling 801 - 530 - 6901. If there is no answer, please leave a message and you will be contacted during business hours.
To report a hazardous condition in your workplace please use our online form (in English and Spanish), our downloadable English pdf form or our Spanish pdf form.


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|TV Jones Spectrasonic
The goal was to build a guitar that could be created in quantity, but maintain quality. The result was the Spectrasonic Lead guitar, the Spectrasonic bass and the Spectrasonic C Melody guitar.
This guitar was originally designed with Brian Setzer in mind, however other artists have made this instrument part of their collection.
|Getsch Spectrasonic
Noel Gallahger, the Edge of U2, John Fogarty and the Reverend Horton Heat all own the Spectrasonic.
|Gretsch Spectrasonic
Many Spectrasonic players seem to prefer the Japanese made instrument. Two companies manufactured them; Fujigen gakki which has been in business in Matsumoku, Japan since 1960 and Terada which started in 1912 in Nagoya, Japan.
Gretsch production ended in 2005. The US models are said to have a slightly wider neck.
The guitars standard colour was black with a large white pickguard. It features 2 TV Jones Alnico PowerTron Humbucking pickups.
|Gretsch Spectrasonic G6143
The fingerboard is made of African padauk wood and is topped with 22 frets and pearloid dot inlays. The Gretsch logo is inlaid on the headstock. The 15.25 inch body is bound. The body is 1.875 inches deep. The neck has position markers on the side.
The controls consist of one volume and one tone knob on the guitars lower bout and a selector switch on the top bout.
The accouterments are similar to the Spectrasonic guitar. All of the models excetpt the bass feature Bigsby is a B-12 model tremolo. The longer neck on the C Melody is 29.25 inch scale.
When Gretsch's licensing agreement ended Spectrasonic manufacturing was taken over by TV Jones. Some changes have been made and the guitar is now called the Spectrasonic Supreme to distinguish the upgrades.
The pickups are TV Jones Classic humbuckers which have more low end than Powertrons. The same Bigsby Vibrato adorns the lower bout. The neck inlay features what Mr. Jones calls, Shoe-string potato fret markers.
The neck has a 12" radius. The entire instrument is bound including the head-stock.The body is bound with w/b/w/b trim.
The wiring harness, 500K potentiometers (tone has a .022uf capacitor) and selector switch are all made by Switchcraft. The knobs and switch cover are all made of aluminum. The white/black/white pickguard almost looks like part of the body.
The 1.68 inch nut is made of a material called Delrin, which is slippery and prevents the strings from locking up, which not only aids with the Bigsby, but helps maintain tonality. The adjustable bridge saddle is a Gotoh ABR-1 model.
Plans are in the works to manufacturer the Spectrasonic Supreme C Melody guitar and Spectronsonic Supreme Bass.
TV Jones.com


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I've had a TravelMate 5720 for about a year now, running Kubuntu (currently 11.04).
Almost everything I ever tried works perfectly out of the box: the SD card slot, the built-in webcam (I was surprised by the high quality, and it also works perfectly with Skype), the screen brightness buttons, the touchpad, the USB slots, the WiFi.
I never tried firewire.
Today I tried the bluetooth for the first time and could not make it work. I don't see any /dev/hci* device and there is no acerhk module anywhere (if it is at all relevant).
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Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway for 6 digital copies of our best-selling and most popular bird books. We had such a wonderful response, I decided to pick two winners. Congratulations to Gaurav Kandlikar and Jill Clark who are now owners of an enviable birding library on their handheld devices!
Gaurav noted this was a "nice way to start the week," and we agree! But the best comment goes to Jill who compared winning our giveaway to winning the Powerball lottery — well, she called it a close second.
I am also pleased to announce another natural history title is now available in the iBooks store: Rare Birds of North America by Steve Howell, Ian Lewington, and Will Russell
Please become a fan of Princeton University Press on our social media sites or subscribe to this blog to receive news of forthcoming giveaways like this!
Princeton University Press on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrincetonUniversityPress
Princeton University Press on Twitter: https://twitter.com/princetonupress


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Heifer Ghana develops an accessible and hugely successful method to raise grasscutters as livestock to improve nutrition and income in West Africa.
By Annie Bergman, World Ark senior writer
Photos by Jane Hahn
As Heifer Ghana got its start in 1999, staff swiftly tackled the challenge of affordably domesticating grasscutters, a wild rodent prized in West Africa for its sweet and lean meat. Since then, Heifer developed an accessible and hugely successful method to raise the rodents to improve nutrition and income among its project participants. Today, demand in West Africa and beyond drives exponential growth in the production and sale of the animals.
ANANG CHARLES, Ghana—She was clearly nervous. Strange people were milling about in front of her house asking questions about her. When she saw the camera, she froze. Her mouth full, food in hand, she didn't know what to do.
So she kept eating.
"She" was an overly large cross between a beaver and a rat, or a Rodent of Unusual Size, to use a popular culture reference. "She" is a grasscutter. And she has no idea that she's helping make the farmers who raise others like her very successful indeed.
It takes just 30 minutes to get to Jonathan Mensah's place by car from the Heifer offices in Accra, Ghana's sprawling capital city that's home to more than 2 million people. But Mensah's village is where you'll find more than 100 of Heifer Ghana's grasscutter farmers.
Farm is really a misnomer for where Mensah lives. He owns just more than two acres— down from the five he had before the capital seized part of his land to accommodate the burgeoning population.
Mensah, 53, joined a Heifer grasscutter project in 2006 not long after he lost most of his farmland. He was struggling to provide for his family of six by selling vegetables from his meager acreage with little access to water for irrigation.
"My father died when I was 13 years old, so I only completed my elementary education. I had to look after myself," Mensah said.
By the time he was 19, Mensah had found a job with the district Animal Health and Production Department. It was there that he learned how to feed and care for animals and also how to administer drugs. In 1989, he lost his job. His department was deemed overstaffed, and he was one of the unlucky few to be cut.
He received a small severance but almost immediately fell ill.
"I wanted to use the money to invest in my farm, but I couldn't because I was sick. I used the money for treatment. And even that money didn't treat me. So I sold some of my belongings. I lost everything. I became poorer and poorer. I had to start my life again," he said.
About a year after starting over, Mensah attended a farmers association meeting in his district. He and other farmers were commiserating about the difficulty of farming in Anang Charles village with the intermittent rain and other challenging weather conditions.
Another farmer brought up an organization that was helping farmers just like them.
"We heard about this NGO called Heifer who was helping. They were offering cattle, goats and these grasscutters, so we applied. At the end of the year, they approved us. It was a group of about 36 original farmers," he said. "It changed my life. It was a blessed event."
In contrast, the domestication of the grasscutter began in Ghana in the 1970s. It should come as no surprise that farmers are still learning exactly what it takes to raise the animal with as much financial success as chickens or cows.
Grasscutters, sometimes referred to with the less than appealing name cane rat, are native in much of central and West Africa and have long been a favorite food for many in the region.
Because of the grasscutter meat's popularity, a study was launched in the 1970s to gauge if the wild animals could be raised in captivity. The results indicated raising grasscutters on farms could be successful, but the idea fizzled. The startup costs for the smallscale and subsistence farmers involved were just too high, said Roland Kanlisi, interim country director for Heifer Ghana.
In 1999, a few years after the studies were abandoned and just as Heifer Ghana was opening its offices to support project work, Kanlisi was researching environmentally harmful methods with which Ghanaians were harvesting wild game.
What he found was that the Ghanaian taste for the rodent hadn't changed since the initial studies of the 1970s.
"The grasscutter came out as one of the most hunted animals from the wild," he said. "It's an animal that attracts premium prices on the market. Everyone wants grasscutter meat."
But Kanlisi's research found the high demand for grasscutter meat had adverse effects on the animal's habitats and the surrounding environment. Hunters used either poisonous traps for the animals or set bush fires to, quite literally, smoke out the creatures.
The poisonous meat would sicken those who ate the animals, and bush fires often got out of control, burning nearby farmland, he said. So Kanlisi decided the best answer would be to resume raising and breeding grasscutters on farms.
Around the same time, Kanlisi said, a happy coincidence occurred. Farmers in the Republic of Benin were having success in the captive rearing of the rodents with the help of a German development organization. The next step was to see exactly how they were doing it.
"We decided to go to Benin to learn from them. We also reviewed a lot of literature and realized it could be done in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, and it could be done in a manner that would not injure the health of human beings, and that it was also financially and technically viable," he said.
That trip was enough to convince Kanlisi to propose grasscutter production projects to Heifer headquarters.
"We developed a concept and submitted to Heifer to propose grasscutter production as one of the main interventions in the Ghana program. The reaction was, in the first case, 'What is a grasscutter? Is it a rat?' " Kanlisi said.
The concept was approved, which set Kanlisi to the next task: finding a foundation stock of grasscutters to provide the ready and willing farmers.
Kanlisi said Heifer had to decide between asking local hunters to cull the animals from the wild and buying the rodents from the farmers in Benin who were already in the business of raising grasscutters.
With a shipment of 300 grasscutters from the Republic of Benin, Heifer Ghana's grasscutter program started in 2001. The original project was the genesis for four other grasscutter projects, including Mensah's.
"I know grasscutters, but formerly, I didn't think they could be kept," Mensah said.
Ten years after the implementation of grasscutters into Heifer Ghana's programmatic work, and five years after Mensah began training on raising the rodents in captivity, he is now one of Heifer's most successful grasscutter farmers making, at minimum, $1,400 a year from his grasscutter operation alone, which is about double the average annual income of other Ghanaians.
Grasscutters were a natural fit not only because the meat is highly desired, Kanlisi said. The animals require few external inputs, like feed. As its name implies, it feeds on grasses, which farmers like Mensah can grow or harvest from the wild for free.
And because they are a native species, the rodents are also strong and resistant to diseases. Kanlisi said there are only two difficulties to the grasscutter projects. One is the difficulty in determining the sex of the animals, and the other is their relatively long gestation period of 159 days, similar to that of a goat.
Mensah said those difficulties were fully disclosed to the farmers when they were choosing what animals they'd like to receive from Heifer.
"We chose grasscutters because I like grasscutter more than goats. At times goats give more trouble. If they get out they can destroy other people's things. Grasscutters have bigger litters, and you get more than one [offspring] like with the goats. We compared all these things and then settled on grasscutters," he said. "They also bring good prices."
After a year of training, Mensah and the 35 other farmers in his group received five grasscutters each: three females and two males. The farmers also received the wooden and wire mesh housing in which to keep the animals.
He now keeps upwards of 50 grasscutters, depending on how many he's able to sell and if his animals are breeding. His stock dips at Christmastime, too, when grasscutters are the favorite for the holiday meal.
But the year-round sale of the grasscutters, whether for meat or to others interested in raising them, has allowed Mensah to open a savings account and to build a second home on his property, which he gave to two of his children. He's also adopted his brother's two orphaned children and is providing them with private schooling.
Business is still good. Mensah said there is a steady stream of people who come to see him about grasscutters.
"In a month I can sell about five, but it depends on if the animals have bred. Some people come by and order about 20 for rearing. So the orders vary. Sometimes they come and ask for one or two, but then sometimes people are afraid, so I process them and smoke the meat for them," he said.
The prices he receives vary depending on the size and age of the grasscutters. A 3-month-old animal fetches about 35 Ghanaian cedis, or $19.50. The older the animal, the higher the price: $28 for an animal up to age 2, and $33.50 for a pregnant female.
The pregnant females are highly desired, too, since many farmers who haven't received training still have difficulty breeding the animals, Mensah said. But if interested, Mensah will provide training on raising and breeding the animals at no cost. It's just one of the ways he passes on the gift.
In fact, Mensah and the original 35 members of the project keep giving to others.
"Whatever I've been given, I will pass on. Through this grasscutter project that Heifer brought, it has changed many people. The farmers I have trained, they also want to start a farm in the Eastern region. So we constructed the cages for them, brought the grasscutters for them. I trained them. So, we've supplied another region," Mensah said.
Aside from selling the animals, Mensah also builds the grasscutter hutches for others for a small fee plus the cost of building materials. But he can't handle the demand on his own. So the group found a local artisan and now contracts with him to build the cages.
These small-scale entrepreneurs are creating jobs for others, and Mensah has bigger plans, yet.
"I will start a training center here (at his home). I will train people," he said. "A lot of young men who go to Accra cannot get jobs because they don't have skills. So we will train them in grasscutters."
So much of the grasscutter program in Ghana seems improbable. A giant rat-like creature being a popular food source seems strange enough, but raising the animals on farms was an idea that was nearly discarded. Yet it has gained success. Further, grasscutters are feeding a growing population. It takes almost no land to become a successful grasscutter farmer, and the projects are sustaining the farmers who provide them.
Kanlisi notes that improbability.
"We've come a very long way," he said. "The first grasscutter project that we had has come to an end, but the farmers are still rearing grasscutters and some of them are real big-time grasscutter farmers. Many times we've used those farmers to mentor new project participants that are undertaking raising grasscutters as a business."
It is already a lucrative business, but Kanlisi sees Heifer grasscutter farmers building into national, regional and, maybe, even international suppliers. The market is definitely ripe for something like that in Central and West Africa, he says.
Kanlisi has anecdotal evidence from his own travels and from West African friends in other countries that there are vibrant markets for grasscutters in the diaspora, especially in Britain and the United States.
Though he knows the strict laws on importing foreign meats could be a potential roadblock, Kanlisi said Heifer Ghana will cross that bridge when needed. Still, he's excited by what he sees happening in Ghana right now.
"The long-term goal is to export, but we know to export is quite tricky. Regardless, it's a project that's got a very bright future," he said.


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|A Thin Line Between Love & Hate
|Tuesday, 23 November 1999
If you like Martin Lawrence -- really really really like Martin Lawrence, about as much as, say, his mother likes him -- you will enjoy A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE a heck of a lot more than the rest of us. This is Martin Lawrence's ego trip movie. He stars in it. He directed it. He wrote the story. He co-wrote the screenplay. He was the music supervisor. Under a pseudonym, he apparently did some stunts. He's one of the executive producers. He was a busy man with a lot of responsibilities, few of which he seems to have filled very well. A THIN LINE is to Martin Lawrence what HARLEM NIGHTS was to Eddie Murphy: a vanity project wrecked on the rocks of arrogance.
The plot is a mix of SUNSET BLVD. (it even opens with and is narrated by a man face down in a swimming pool) and FATAL ATTRACTION; there's even a dialog reference to the latter, as if by pointing out within the movie that the plot is a ripoff, permission is gained to be a ripoff. Unfortunately, the movie is also a comedy.
The success of the film doesn't just depend heavily on the audience's fondness for Lawrence, the affection is crucial. But Lawrence doesn't do anything on screen to gain our affection. Producer George Jackson's warm, ingratiating commentary even says that this love is essential -- but Lawrence, talented comic actor though he is, lacks warmth and is short on charisma.
He plays Darnell Wright, a junior partner in Chocolate City, a popular jazz/rap nightclub owned by Smitty (Roger E. Mosley). Darnell is absolutely, serenely certain he's catnip for women, irresistible, devastatingly sexy, and utterly desirable. And he is. There's an embarrassing montage at the beginning showing Darnell cutting a swath across black Los Angeles, with every woman he meets insane with desire to crawl into bed with him. We're supposed to find him charming despite his brassy approach, but he's not; after a while, he comes across as repellent, not attractive.
His mother (Della Reese, good as always) warns him that there is a thin line between love and hate (someone had to say the title), and that he's running a major risk. But Darnell doesn't give a damn; he knows he'll always win out in the end. We're supposed to find it an indication of a kind of essential innocence that he's never been to bed with Mia (Regina King), a long-time friend who's now (in an odd but interesting touch) in the Air Force. Of course, this also makes it absolutely certain that they will get together before the end of the movie.
Darnell is surprised when he encounters cool, elegant Brandi Web (Lynn Whitfield), who seems to be completely resistant to his hitherto unassailable charms. But she does come back to Chocolate City, and regally flirts with the now lust-filled Darnell. He makes a bet with his best friend, Tee (Bobby Brown), that he can indeed seduce Brandi without playing unfair by telling her he loves her.
Brandi, a very wealthy real estate agent with an MBA from Harvard, is gradually revealed as an unstable obsessive who murdered her husband when she found him unfaithful. This only causes Darnell momentary hesitation, and he continues with -- and succeeds in -- his plan.
Then things go very wrong, of course, since this is a FATAL ATTRACTION wanna-be. In another SUNSET BLVD. touch, Darnell allows Brandi to buy him expensive clothes and provide him a limo. But he's now falling for Mia; true love has caught up with Darnell at last. However, the script (by Kim Bass, Kenny Buford, Bentley Kyle Evans and Lawrence) has Darnell promising the unstable Brandi he'll come to her home for her birthday, then skipping out to sleep with Mia. (Evidently leaving the limo driver cooling his heels all night at the curb out front.) We're supposed to regard this as proof that he's in love with Mia, but to abandon the desperately lonely Brandi comes across as cold, mean opportunism. He's just as cold to her when they next meet, but clearly the intention is for us to find him justified in this behavior.
Brandi becomes completely unhinged, and begins a campaign of terror directed at Darnell and those around him. But very little of it is credible; the comic tone of the movie strongly suggests that nothing really bad is going to happen to anyone, which of course wipes out the potential for suspense. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that a brilliant real estate agent would fall apart emotionally so readily.
Lawrence's performance is mannered and self-indulgent; he can't seem to deliver a line without playing with it -- hesitations, dropped words, tricks with emphasis. His sexual exploits are supposed to be randy, good-natured fun, but because Lawrence lacks on-screen warmth and charm, at least in this movie, instead he seems like a predator. And when he condescendingly confronts his younger sister's prom date, he comes across as a hypocrite. That may have actually been the intention of the scene, but it's just another element that makes it very hard to give a damn about what happens to Darnell.
The movie itself is similar to Lawrence's performance: it's stuffed with scenes that don't tie in with the story, or much of anything else. There's a lengthy sequence in which strippers are auditioned for Chocolate City that should have been dropped for irrelevance, but it's hardly the only such scene.
Lynn Whitfield and Regina King give good performances despite the fact that their roles are confusingly written. Roger E. Mosley is mostly wasted in the throwaway role of the nightclub manager; he's only around to offer Darnell obvious advice. Bobby Brown's role might as well have been played by Lawrence, since Tee and Darnell are essentially identical.
The DVD itself is a standard package, improved by the narrative track by George Jackson, who sounds as though the making of the film was a good deal of fun. But very little of that fun is conveyed in the movie.


text:
[English page 3]
The object of the book, as of all the other memorial books is as follows:-
(a) To be as a memorial to the martyrs of our town who cruelly and tragically perished with even their burial place unknown.
(b) To describe to the best of our ability, the ways of life; the livings; the manners and the conduct of our parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends; as well as the suffering, oppression, humiliation, starvation and the other sadistic tortures which they experienced before their death by the Nazis.
(c) In order that our townsmen, wherever they are, as well as their children and children's children should always remember and never forget the evil the Nazi-Amelek had done to the community of our town Czortkow.
(d) In order that this book may serve as raw material for the historian in the generations to come, who will write the history of the Jews in Europe.
We do not pretend to have attained our aim in full. There is no doubt that many aspects of Jewish life in Czortkow have either not been emphasized enough, or not been touched on in the book at all.
We tried to do our best, however, and the readers of the book have to take into account that the participants in this book were not professional writers but ordinary people to whom we had appealed and asked them to write. We had to accept what they had written and how it was written, except of corrections of language and style.
Likewise it must be clear that the book is not "clean" of errors, mistakes or repetitions in content, as we did not think it proper to delete the few words or passages, when someone mentioned a personality or some event about whom or about which someone else had already written. As for the English section of the book, reluctantly we had to minimize the quantity and publish only a small part of the contents of the book, as it was practically impossible to enlarge the volume apart from the additional cost involved in publishing, which we could not afford.
In conclusion, we express our thanks to all those who participated or extended help to issue the book, either by their contribution in writing or by material help.
May all of them be blessed!
Our friends, members of the Czortkow Association of New York deserve special thanks for their share in the book, as their financial contribution to the Gmiluth Chessed Fund which was ultimately used for the publication of the book, constituted a considerable par of the cost of publication.
May this book be a Monument for the martyrs of our town.
(Czortkow Book Committee)
We will never forget what the German, Polish, and Ukrainian murderers did to our families. We will always remember that the whole Christian world looked on apathetically, while our brethren were being massacred and gassed.
We cry out to the Almighty in our ancient prayer: "God, pour out thy wrath upon the nations who have shed the blood of our Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, and Brothers".
On behalf of
Congregation Rabbi David Moses Friedman
Society of Czortkow
Sol Stoeckel - Financial Secretary
The town experienced various adventures. From the beginning of its establishment it was frequently attacked by the Tartars who destroyed it and took captive its inhabitants. Especially during the revolt of the Cossacks the town fell several times into the hands of the united host of tile Tartars and the Turks.
In 1678 the Turks conquored Czortkow as well as the other Podolian towns, and in 1700 Czortkow was raised to the status of the Seat of the Vice-Pusha. Their rule lasted until 1683 when they were expelled by Andrej Potocki.
At the Peace of Carlovitz in 1699, the Poles took over the whole region of Podolia, and Czortkow returned to the Potocki family. In 1772, after the first partition of Poland, Galicia was ceded to Austria.
In 1800 the province of Tarnopol, including Czortkow, was annexed to Russia and remained under its control until 1815 when Austria renewed its rule which lasted up to the outbreak of World War I.
In the first weeks of World War I the Russians occupied the town and controlled it for three years, when they were forced out by the returning Austrian-German armies. After the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, as a result of the defeat in the war, the town entered upon an era of instability, after a continuous rule by Austria for nearly a century.
As soon as the war was over, the Ukrainians seized the reins of power and ruled in the town for nearly a year, until they were defeated and forced out by the Poles who had gradually conquered the whole of Eastern Galicia and annexed it to the independent Polish State.
In 1920 when the Bolsheviks invaded Poland, Czortkow too came under their rule for about three months; then they were driven out by the Poles beyond the border. Since then Czortkow had been under Polish rule up to the Soviet conquest of the town a few days after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. The town remained under Soviet rule up to the German occupation, a few days after the German onslaught on the Soviet Union on the 22nd of June 1941.
In an ancient Registry of the Jewish community in Czortkow which was discovered before World War I (the contents in Hebrew is given in an abridged form at the beginning of this book) there is a supplementary note about the destruction of the community at the time of Bogdan Khmelnitzky (1648). It is further told there about the martyrdom of Jews who fell victims of libel spread by the Poles, who apparently had suspected the Jews of having come to an agreement with Cossacks, which consequently led to a massacre of Jews by the Poles. At any rate, from this note it is evident that, 32 years after the mentioned date (1616), an organized Jewish community already existed in Czortkow.
In the registry there is a record of events stretching over a period of more than one hundred years. So is there a list of the Rabbis who had served in the town, some of them became famous as geniuses.
There are also detailed lists of the yearly budgets of the community, of income and expenditure. It becomes clear that in most cases expenditure exceeded income, and the community was compelled to borrow money from the rulers and priests at a high rate of interest, or even at an exorbitant one. A vicious circle was thus created : a large part of the annual budget had always to be reserved for settlement of former debts (sometimes up to two-thirds of the budget), and the remainder hardly sufficed to pay the salaries of the employees of the community, like the rabbi, the cantor, the attendants an<l so on.
From a study of the Registry as well as from other sources, one can learn that the situation of the Jews of Czortkow was very hard at that time, both politically anti economically.
The governments in this region were unstable and, relatively, changed very often. The common factor of all those governments was that the Jews were victims of all of them: they were deprived of civil rights but, however, were the first to carry the Burden of general taxes, in addition to specific taxes imposed on Jews only. No ray of hope was to be seen on the horizon, of any possibility for them to get out of the terrible distress they were in. The "real" hope was their strong belief in the coming of tile Messiah...
However, the improvement in the economic situation touched only a relative small part of the Jewish population, while the majority of them lived in poverty and distress, and had to struggle hard in order to earn a poor and scanty livelihood. There were entire quarters in the town where there were neither paved roads nor sidewalks. In the dilapidated clay-houses there were neither electricity nor water supply, nor bath-tubs, nor sinks nor canalization, nor W.C.
The majorily of the Jews of Czortkow lived on trade, while a substantial minority consisted of artisans, teachers, clerks, butchers, religious ministrants, and so forth.
In the political sphere, the Jews were ground between the millstones of the Poles and the Ukrainians in their struggle for power. however, in the course of time, the Poles and the Ukrainians, despite the hostile relations of one to another, joined against the Jews, in order to evict them from their economic positions in dealing with the peasantry in agricultural produce, by imposing a boycott on the Jews, by the opening of cooperatives, and so on. Nevertheless, despite all this hardship, by contrast with what happened later, this bygone epoch can be seen as calm and quiescent. The most important mitigating factor was, that the world was still open to immigrants, and whoever could not succeed in finding a livelihood in his native community was able to seek his fortune in overseas or in other lands.
The Russian invasion of the town in World War I, brought about an end to this epoch which lasted for more than half a century.
During the period of the Russian rule which lasted for three years, some major events are noteworthy: 1) The expulsion of the Jews of Sniatyn into Czortkow in 1915. 2) In the same year epidemics broke out in the town; the most formidable was the cholera plague, to which many hundreds of people succumbed. 3) The Jews of Czortkow witnessed the revolution which broke out February 1917, known as the Kerenskv Revolution.
From the beginning of the establishment of the independent Polish State, the Poles conducted a struggle against the Jews, in order to drive them out of tile sources of living and take their places, and to evict them from the economic positions they had held before. The main object of the Poles was to compell the Jews to emigrate, in accordance with the well known slogan: "Poland for the Poles" They wanted to achieve this end by hook or by crook: by the press of taxes; by not employing Jews in government offices, in industry; by various kinds of economic pressure, and so on.
From the beginning of the establishment of the independent Polish State, the Poles conducted a struggle against the Jews, in order to drive them out of tile sources of living and take their places, and to evict them from the economic positions they had held before. The main object of the Poles was to compell the Jews to emigrate, in accordance with the well known slogan: "Poland for the Poles" They wanted to achieve this end by hook or by crook: by the press of taxes; by not employing Jews in government offices, in industry; by various kinds of economic pressure, and so on.
In the twenties of the 20th century, some countries were still open
to immigrants, and many Jews of Poland seized this opportunity. However, the gates of immigration were gradually shut, and in Poland the sources of living were closed. The economic impoverishment of the Jews increased and reached its climax in the thirties on the treshhold of World War II, which brought about -- in addition to the economic poverty -- the Nazi holocaust, which put an end to the physical existence of the Jewish population in Czortkow.
The Jews of Czortkow took an active part in all the social movements which have arisen in the last two centuries: Hassidism, Mitnaggedim, Haskalah, Zionism of all the colours of the rainbow, Assimilation, Socialism, Communism, and so on.
Czortkov was among the first towns in Galicia where a modern Hebrew School was founded with Hebrew as the language of instruction. In the last years before World War II, a Hebrew gymnasium was established and the "Talmud Torah" was also turned into a modern school.
There were various institutions in the town: Talmut Torah", Gmiluth Hessed (lowns without interest) an orphanage, a home for the aged, libraries, clubs, choirs, dramatic groups, sports teams, and others. The political parties were very active: in the first place, however, were the Zionist and Hechalutz youth movements.
A number of Halutzim from Chortkow immigrated to Eretz-Israel before World War I. Groups of Halutzim immigrated to Eretz-Israel one after another. However, the stream of immigration stopped because of a lack of certificates, and many, many Halutzim who prepared themselves to go to Eretz-Israel were victims of the Nazi holocaust.
Of the personalities active at various times in some fields of life in Czortkow, we want to mention here only two, active in the second half of the 19th century. Their influence reached far beyond the boundaries of the town.
One of them was Rabbi David Moses Friedman,. the founder of the Ruzhin dinasty of rabbis in Czortkow. He was a modest God fearing man, who kept away form world affairs, who mostly was engaged in the study of the Torah and in religious subjects: the whole of his being said sprituality. In an atmosphere of luxury and abundance - as was customary in the courts of this dynasty - he lived a life of suffering and torment. As if forbidden by vow, the pleasures of life he denited himself.
His infuence lay in the strong belief of thousands of his disciples in their Rabbi, whom they admired, listened to for his advice , and whose commands they obeyed.
Thanks to him the town became famous all over the world. The great stream of people from without, which used to come into the town throughout the year, especially on the eve of festivals, and the High Holy days was of great importance, both from the social aspect and from the economic one. The people who used to come from far and near, relieved the town from dreariness, and breathed life into it.
The second personality, Rabbi Yeshayahu Meier Shapira, a contmeporary of Rabbi D.M. Friedman, attained his goal by his activities for the enlightenment of the masse: artisan, small merchants , etc. They were no disciples of Rabbi Friedman.,but rather opponents (Mitnaggedim). Although their is no doubt that Rabbi Shapira was a very pious man, nevertheless Hassidim maintained that Epicureanism smelled from his activites. Ribbi Shapira was not a conserative man, and did not follow in the footsteps of the other. contemporary rabbis.
He saw himself designated to encourage and aggrandize the depressed and humiliated masses, not only spiritually but also materially. 'To this end he foundeda bank on a cooperative basis, in order to help the needy by granting them loans at a low rate of interest.
He organized an Artisans Associalion, "Yad Harutzim", which was a "revolutionary" act according to the conceptions of those days. In his spare time he used to invite groups of artisans and teach them a "Parsha-Chumash" (poriion of the Pentateuch) with "Rashi" commentary: a chapter of Psalms or "Ein Yaaqov". He was among the first to circulate the ideas of Enlightenment and had preached orally and in writing the idea of "Return to Zion" long before the appearance of Dr. Th. Herzl.
Thanks to the activities of Rabbi Shapira, Czortkow had turned into an important centre of the Haskala movement, and later on also of the Zionist movement. Nearly all the first Zionist leaders camc from among Rabbi Shalpira's pupils and admirers.
A synagogue bearing the name of Rabbi Shapira was built in Czortkow, so was founded by the Y.M Shapira Society in New York.
We mentioned these two personalities, because their names were renowned all over the world, however, besides them, there were in Czortkow tens and hundreds of personalities descrving individual appreciation, since they dedicated very much of their time and of their power to social movements, public institutions, the education of the people and so on. However, we regret that we can not afford to appreciate every one of there individually.
When the Nazis invaded Czortkow one of their first acts was, as in other pIaces. to start cutting the "Tree of Life" from the top. On demand of the Gestapo, the Judenrat provided list which included hundreds of those in the liberal professions, lawyers, teachers, engineers, and the like. All of them were brutally murdered in the "black forest" near the town.
May these lines be a tombstone in memory. of these estcemed men, and a designation of the dreadful disgrace of their murderers !
On the 6th of July, 1911 the Germans invaded Czortkow. Although the Soviet authorities had made it possible for anyone to leave town, and join the retreating Red Army, only ,a few hundred Jews, mostly young men, seized the opportunity and escaped to Soviet Russia.
The effect of the virulent campaign conducted for years by the Nazis against the Jews and the Soviets, by means of Ukrainian agents and spies, gave its signs already in the first days of the occupation. The Nazis reaped the fruit of the hate they had sown, as even before they had set foot in the Ukrainian village the peasants broke into the houses of their Jewish neighbors, murdering them together with their wives and children, and looted their property.
An atmosphere of an eve-of-pogrom panic was felt in the town. The Ukrainians circulated all kinds of fantastic accusations against the Jews, and after exciting feelings for several days, they attacked the Jewish inhabitants and took them to forced labor, where several hundred People Perished as a result of brutal treatment and lust for murder.
It was the Ukrainian Police which perpetrated the most terrible attacks, brutalities and mass murder of the Jews of Czortkow and its environment.
The first edict issued by the Nazis ordered every Jew to wear on his arm the mark of disgrace the "Star of David" on it. In addition, the Jews were ordered to provide daily several hundred workers for forced Labor, and to fulfill all the demands of the local Nazi authorities.
After a brief period of time, several persons joined to set up the "Judenrat" of Czortkow. The Judenrat numbered 12 people among whom were advocate Dr. Kruh. Israel Langerman, Bertsie Steiger, Feivish Lebhard and Israel Mordechai Treiner.
Among the first demands of the Nazis from the Judenrat was a list of those in the liberal professions. according to which all the teachers as well as lawyers were arrested, among whom were also members of the Judenrat, together about two hundred people. They were brought to the "black forest" about five km from Czortkow, where all of them were shot and buried in prepared graves.
On the 20th of August 1941 a "flying machine arrived in Czortkow and at once started snatching Jews in the streets, who were also brought to the "black forest" and murdered their.
After the liquidation of the Judenrat in the first composition, the Nazis appointed a new one, headed by Dr. Ebner. Among other members of this Judenrat were Hertz Buchsbaum, Yankel Kohn, Leib Winter, David Stoecker, Dr. Goldstein, Dr. Kimmelman and Dr. Feldman.
There is no doubt that the Judenrat was not established in order to protect the Jews. Its single task was to serve as an agent of communication between the Germans and the Jewish population. Since no Jew was allowed to enter a German office in order to arrange something, the only official procedure left open to the Jews was the Judenrat.
On the other hand, the Judenrat served also as the executive agency of the Nazi authorities, being forced meticulously to carry out their orders. This in itself was a sufficient cause for the lack of confidence on the part of the Jewish population which turned later into hostility towards the institute and its "personages".
The Judenrat emptied the Jewish population of their property, in order to fulfill the demands of the Nazis.The Judenrat never tried to make use of the large sums and means at its disposal, to do something in order to ease the terrible situation of the Jews in Czortkow. One must, however, bear in mind that the Judenrat was in a precarious position. Its members were unable to meet all the demands of the Nazis. Once and again strict measures were taken by the Judenrat against the Jewish population by means of the Jewish Police.
As is known, a Jewish Police Force existed which was at the disposal of the Judenrat.The Jewish Police Force, "Ordnungs-Dienst" (Order-Service) in German, consisted of 20 men headed by the Officer Hungar of the municipality. These Order-Service received orders from the Judenrat, and carried out with loyalty and strictness all the requirements, like collection of taxes, the confiscation of valuables, furniture; utensils and so on, in order to complete the imposed quotas.
The job of the members of the "Order-Service" was vile and not easy., However, despite the fact that in some cases one policeman or another extended help in time of distress, or showed a kind attitude, nevertheless, generally, the members of the "Order-Service" fulfilled their terrible duty obediently.
Both the Judenrat and the Order Servicemen never shrank back from helping in snatching Jew's to be sent to labor camps, which were in fact death camps. More than once bitter dispute broke out between members of the Order-Service and the rest of the Jewish population.
It was imposed on the town daily to provide hundred or two hundred workers. The work was hard,and while working the workers were cruelly beaten, and many were shot dead. however, on the next day the same number of Jews were sent to work as if nothing happened.
Despite the incessant demands of the Nazi authorities. from the Judenrat for the supply of valuables as well as large sums of money, it never happened that the Jedenrat did not meet a demand, to the last penny. The order-servicemen forcibly confiscated m the Jewish houses whatever they could, and delivered the quota m full punctually.
More serious was the problem of providing the quotas of workers, ever since it became clear that the so-called labor camps near Kamionka, Tarnopol and Lwow were death camps. The Nazis based their continual demand for new workers on the ground that they had to release the former ones. The fad, however, was that not a single man of those sent to a "labor camp" ever returned to the ghetto.
Most of the men in the camps starved either of hunger or of cold, or were killed by the Ukrainian police which helped the Gestapo in the extermination of the Jews. In a short period of time, more than two thousand Jews perished in the camps.
All the Jedenrat faultlessly fulfilled their assignment, however, the Judenrat of Czortkov exceeded all others, especially in its chairman, Dr. Ebner. This man managed his treacherous activities mercilessly, with disgusting German punctuality, and the Jewish population was full of powerless anger against the chairman of the Judenrat who served with so much brutality his Nazi masters.
I emphatically declare that some of the neighbors of the Judenrat became rich and benefited from special privileges granted to them at the expense of the Jewish population which was doomed to extermination. No Jew of the town ever contacted them, and the Jewish masses were keeping distant from them as if they were lepers. However, the members of the Judenrat themselves did everything possible to keep away from the Jewish community , trusting to succeed in this way to set up a barrier between those who were doomed to die, and between those who might be lucky to save their lives, as well as those of their families. However, they deceived themselves, as none of the Judenrat people was saved, and their fate was like that of the other Jews, with the only one difference, that their names will remain for ever under a dreadful disgrace. At the last "Action" of extermination of the Ghetto, the fate of the Jewish police was the same as that of all other Jews. The Gestapo had brought the Jewish police together with other people into the railway carriages and dispatched them to the death-camps at Belzec.
As far as the Germans are concerned. they gave us to understand that we were to doomed to destruction and that it was only a matter of the time, which was to be fixed by the authorities in Berlin. They used to hint to dates, which were delayed and changed again and again, so that our existence turned into, an infinite wait for death.
I shall try to describe the conditions we lived in. If it is at all proper to to be called life.
Early in April 1942 the Germans began to carry into effect their satanic plan for a systematic extermination of the Jews in the surroundings of Czortkow. At the same time the Nazis established a ghetto, in Czortkow. which included the streets Rzeznicka., Skladowa, Targowa, Lazienna, Podolska and Szkolna.
All the Jewish houses were marked with a large "Star of David". Leaving the ghetto without permit involved capital punishment. Snatching and shooting as well as surprise-"Actions" in the ghetto area occurred often.
From time to time large contributions of money were imposed, which were to be delivered in a few hours time. Time and again the Nazis used to take away from the Jews silver-cutlery, clothes, books and money. From time to time they used to send large numbers of men to camps and women to work in the neighboring estates.
The first "Action" took place in the days of 26-27 of August, 1942. About a thousand Nazis and Ukrainian police attacked the ghetto at night and took out of the houses about two thousand Jews and sent them away, by train, into the gas chambers at Belzec. About five hundred sick and aged Jews as well as children were murdered on the spot.
The detained were divided in groups and to each of them a member of the Judenrat and two Jewish policemen were appointed to be responsible for the respective group. Although both the Judenrat and the Jewish police were personally spared in the first "Action", nevertheless, some of their relatives were among those sent to the death-camp. At the "registration area" near the Bazaar the Germans made a selection and exempted about two hundred Jews who were needed to carry out their indispensable work.
After the first "Action" the ghetto was reduced. Szkolna and Podolska Streets were excluded. and the ghetto comprised only the streets near the river Seret like Skladowa and Rzeznicka.
On the 5th of October 1942 the Gestapo ordered the Judenrat to provide 500 Jews. Both the Judenrat and the Jewish police tried to carry out the order and started snatching Jews and bring them to the "registration area". However, they failed to fill the quota imposed on them. The Gestapo broke into the ghetto and took away by force 500 Jews and brought them to the train. With this group the Gestapo pushed into the carriage 12 Jewish policemen, who succeeded, however, to save themselves by breaking a wall of the carriage and deserting.
It is worth mentioning that in the first "Action" two girls jumped out of the window of the train and thus escaped death. These were the daughters of Mr. Palik (the pharmacist) and Mr. Bercowicz.
The "Action" on larger or smaller scales, continued all the time. However, we got wind of the German decision to liquidate all the Jewish population by January, 1943. The liquidation did not, however, take place at the mentioned date.
In the course of time a large part of the population voluntarily moved to the labor camps which had been established in the big farms at Swidowa, Jagielnica, and Tluste. About a thousand Jews arranged themselves in relatively favorable conditions. they had a self-management : the work was very hard: they settled in more or less good huts and were able to acquire foodstuffs as desired. There were whole families who settled on those farms.
The Nazis organized a special camp for artisans as well as a camp called Store-Camp. At both places about a thousand Jews, both men and women, worked.
By June 1943, the Nazis decided finally to liquidate Galician Jewry. The snatching of Jews did not stop even for one day, and all of them were brought to death camps. Many were shot on the spot.
By August 1943, Czortkow was declared as "Judenrein". When the Nazis came across a Jew he was instantly murdered. A small number of Jews succeeded to find a hiding place at their Christian friends and were saved. However, many others were unlucky, since many of the Christian "friends" who had agreed to hide their Jewish friends betrayed them and delivered them to the Gestapo, who liquidated them.
In the surroundings of Czortkow only one camp remained, the farm of Lizowce near Tluste. Out of several thousand Jews in all the farms, we remained only three to four hundred people. The German manager of the farm maltreated us, and anyone who so desired was allowed to attack us, by day or by night. In such conditions we lived in this farm for several months! We used to sleep at various places, mostly in the forest, sometimes in the open field, for fear of assailants and murderers. For weeks and for months we did not dare to undress. The most of us fell sick of typhus and other diseases. The number of people dwindled day by day. Some fell down while walking and died of hunger of illness or of exhaustion. Many perished by the hands of their neighboring peasants who used to attack groups of Jews, murdering them and looting the rest of their belongings. Many fell by the bloodthirsty Ukrainian police who used from time to time to attack the camps murder the Jews and shoot at the flying ones like hunters at wild beasts.
Such a horrible life continued up to March 1944. At that time we noticed that the Germans were retreating. In the last days before the final retreat they attacked our camp every night and killed many of us.
The few of us who were saved and remained alive fled to Tluste, and on the end of March 1944 we were freed by the Red Army.
The task of exterminating the Jews in our region had been imposed on special groups of the Gestapo. We also suffered very much from our neighbors, the Poles and the Ukrainians. If the relations of the non-Jewish population were better, far more Jews could have been saved remain alive.
Out of nearly ten thousand Jews which Czortkow numbered before World War II. only about one hundred remained alive.
The majority of the Jewish population perished in the camps. Some of these were "labor-camps", where many died of exhausting labor, inhuman conditions, diseases and cruelties of the guards and the policemen. However, these camps had not been planned, theoretically, if practically, to be death camps. Labor-camps of this kind were the farms of the Polish nobles, as well as the artisans-camps of Thomanek. Death-camps were set up at Kamionka, Hloboczek near Skalat, in Tarnopol and in Lemberg. More than two thousand Jews of Czortkow perished in the gas chambers of Belzec.
"Office" which contained a Jewish Department managed by three officials: Dr. Bloch, Lazar Katz, and Dudik Sternberg. They drew up lists of Jews able to work, who received identity cards for Jews, with photos and numbers. This card emphasized that the bearer of it was registered at the Labour-Office and was at its disposal at any time. At the end of the card was a remark: "Snatching in the street of the bearer of this card - prohibited". However, this remark was only to lead the bearer astray and to stupefy his vigilance to sense danger.
The snatching in the streets continued incessantly, and more and more cruelly. After an announcement by the Germans that every Jew must have his identity card, which gave him the right to work, stamped by the Gestapo, all those who presented themselves were detained and sent to a death camp. Only a small number of Jews obtained the so much hoped for stamp of the Gestapo. However, in cases of snatching of Jews for a transport into a death camp, no difference was made - every Jew was condemned to death.
Wednesday the night of August 26,1942.
One can hear the first shots. crushing of window-panes, shattered doors, lamentation, weeping. screams. there is a feeling of a cruel slaughter outside. The "action" started. Midnight; a beautiful and clear August night. with the moonshine lighting up the rooms, so nice around, and in such a night you hear cries of innocent children, of mothers and men, shaking the air. Only a few streets separate us from the "Aryan" side, where evrybody sleeps freely in his bed.
My ten-year old sister prays to God that she may. be saved and stay alive, and we both. my mother and myself, while watching her, feel that our blood stands still in our veins.
At 2.30 in the morning the "SCHUPOS" (Schutzpolizei) with whips in their hands, having the merciless faces of murderers, are driving us out from our house. We join other Jews, and we are assembled on the square near the "Bristol". where the horse-cars used to stay. And here, watching the scenes of children, being shot to death in their mothers' hands and thrown from balconies. I recall the horrible stories from barbarian times: but even these atrocities are pale as compared with the cruelties and savagery before my eyes.
Wherever I looked around, familiar faces. We are arranged in formations of "sixes", and so we go to the prison yard where there are already several hundred more people gathered. The prison gates are locked and here we have to stay until the following day.
Our faces reflect silent despair. People ask each other about the circumstances of their arrest, and we are wondering what's going to happen next.. Groups are formed, friends look for each other; there are many wounded people with bloody injuries from having been beaten. Children without parents, separated families.
It begins to dawn, and with the appearance of the sun, the heat grows. There is no water, and we quench our thirst with rainwater in the nearby barrels. Hours are passing with the heat becoming unbearale. We are like animals destined for slaughter and kept in a cage; but for thoes animals they spare neither water nor food. Everybody is hungry and forgets even the feeling of shame, making his ordure in public.
At 1:30 p.m. we hear the opening of the gate and we are ordered to step out. Everybody is sticking to the corners, to avoid bing the first, but after a while, we give up and all of us go out. We are now ordered in ten-men formations and escorted from all sides by SCHUPOS, Gendarmes and Jewish militia.
Mickiewitz Street is full of people, as in the days of big parades. We deliver the onlookers a wonderful show. theya re the happy ones and privileged to stay alive.
We are sure we will be taken to the forest, where we can expect to be shot, but we are directed to the railroad station. It seems to me that I never walked carefree and without fear through these streets. The feeling of thirst grows more intense. My lips are dry and the tongue sticks to the palate. It is a terrible feeling. People get rid of their belongings to ease their way.
On the railroad station we are spit up in groups of 120 and more and packed off into freight cars. The doors of the cars are shut. It is dark and tense, impossible to stretch out your arms, absolutely no air to breathe. Everybody strangles and chokes and you feel as if a rope were tied around your neck and such a terrible heat as if fire had been set under the car.
About ten people from the group are placed near the door; whoever has hairpins, nails, fasteners, starts to bore between the boards to get a little bit of air. People behind us are in much worse plight. The take off their clothes and look as if obsessed by bestiality and madness. They are hawking, choking and driven into the utmost despair.
I cannot recall for how long we are waiting of after how many hours the train starts. But when after a long waiting, the train is in motion. a sigh of relief emanates from the mouths of those who are still alive. The hope tht now more air will find its way inot the carriage, or it will start raining and a few drops will penetrate through the clefts. But none of these miracles happen.
It occurs to, me that we are making our way towards Trarnopol. I noticed that in our carriage there is more and more free space. People die and we are seated on their dead bodies. The remaining are raving and wild, mad from suffereing, quarrels between themselves aboug water.; mothers hadn thier children urine to still their thirst.
At night we are arriving at a station where the train stops for some time. We can hear a conversation in Russian. We wonder wht they will do next. A short ray of hope comes to our hearts. maybe we shall stay here to work. We hear many sounds, like that of a detachment of carriages, opening of doors, orders to undress, lamentations; we do not know where from, and whether there are more trains. Our train is driven back, and in our car there are still about 20 people alive. I remember, my mother with a very poor voice asking us to easoe our suffering and to break open a small window which if discoverd would not make any difference for us. being anyway condemned to death.
All of a sudden it becomes light in our car and from this moment I can hardly remember,how my mother insisted that I should jump out.I do not hesitate at all, because the motion of the train does not frighten me when I look on the dead bodies around me.
And then I recall two countrymen leaning over me and insisting that I should run away, but all I wanted was to drink, drink,drink.
I throw myself in a nearby pond and I can hardly quench my thirst, which burns my stomach. I am pouring handfuls of water with those hands which had lifted a short while ago dead bodies in the carriage.
Within a short distance from me, I notice a body of a woman from our car. She certainly has been shot to death by the Germans, who were on gurad on the roof of the train. Soon I am discovered by a German, who escorts me to the nearby Police Station, but later I am escorted to the Rawa-Rusksa Prison and put into cell No. 12. The date is the 28th of August 1942. Friday.
Luckily, I arrive at the prison soon after it has been emptied of a big transport of Jews, and I find out that in this transport was Zosha Feldman form Czortkow, the daughter of Advocate Feldman.
There are two days more left for the next transport, and they were to be decisisve for my destiny. Maybe, on account of my young age, the watchman decided to leave me alive and kept me in the prison. for ten weeks. Eventually, though their representation with the Judenrath, I am in a legal way directed to the Ghetto.
Later on, my father delegates to the Ghetto a man with "Aryan" papers, and he takes me to the ghetto in Buczacz. where I stay with my father and brother until "liquidation".
After the "liquidation" I am living in the camps in the region of Jagielnica (Marylowka,Shulthanowka,Trawna) until January 1944. The last two months before the liberation we were hiding in the fields and in the forest.
February 1962.
Fragments of the deportation of Jews from Czortkow to the camp in Belzec, on the night of the 26th of August1942 as deseribed by ZONKA BERKOWICZ, now married POLLAK. residing in New York. 1547 - 39th St. Brooklyn. N.Y. USA.
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
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Updated 27 Jun 2009 by LA


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Writer: 'God is going to hold us responsible for everything'
To the editor:
America is headed straight towards destruction, and this destruction will come as a judgment from God.
This judgment can only be averted if we seek God and turn ourselves and our country around.
Responsibility for the ungodliness which now prevails in our great country belongs to each one of us, but you are probably thinking to yourself, "Why me?" Because God says so!
You see, God is going to hold us responsible for everything, for what we have done and for what we failed to do.
In the Word of God, or the Holy Bible, Ecclesiastes 12:13, it says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
We failed our duty in many different ways.
We stood by as our nation was being corrupted and perverted, and we let ungodliness seep into every aspect of our lives.
Everything which God considers abomination is now acceptable by America.
Some of our political leaders now brazenly support things which God Almighty called wicked and abominable.
They are either not knowledgeable in God's word or are defying God.
The Holy Bible shows what happened to nations who dared to defy God or who got so morally depraved that God finally destroyed them.
So, we need to admit that America is morally and spiritually corrupt and that it is time to turn back to God. As a start, turn the TV off and then close your eyes. Sit back, take a few deep breaths and relax for a few minutes without thinking.
Then believe the Bible truth that there is a living God, our Creator, who created everything, including you, and that He loves you.
On a clear night, go outside where it is dark and look at the moon, stars and the never ending universe. Everything you see before you stands on God's Word.
God wants us to love him, obey him and serve him in return for the life he has given us.
To get to know God, read the Word of God, the Holy Bible, from beginning to end.
Manuel Ybarra Jr.


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Infant Safety/CPR class – RDP Studio
December 4, 2018 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
This award-winning class covers:
- safe sleep,
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This class is great for expectant parents and parents with an infant, as well as grandparents, and caregivers.
This class meets the requirements of most adoption agencies.
Fill out my online form.


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
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Can any of you fancy people see if she has it on in that short clip. My eyes are not that quick.
Quote from: DrRox on November 24, 2008, 11:51:58 PMCan any of you fancy people see if she has it on in that short clip. My eyes are not that quick.Thats not what I really meant. What I meant to say was..........If any of you people with fancy gizmos to do a screen capture of that TV preview from Sunday night. I "think" Toni has her fanny pack, but her arm is in the way and I can't tell, because it is on there for such a short period to time.My apologies.
Nope. If they had all the proper documentaion, they still would have had to stay with the other eliminated teams acting as decoy (Christy/Kelly, Terence/Sarah).
QUOTE:now amazing race info for you guys: the team that vanessa took a pic of was obviously the first. i can't describe the 2nd team. we saw them at a difference. but as we were leaving, maybe 4 or 5 hrs after the first went through, we bumped into a 3rd as they got off the monorail. she was blond and wearing spandex pink. she was yelling at the guy she was with and they fought over the right direction. she sprinted the wrong way, then they figured it out. it was pretty funny. they also had a huge amazing race party that night at a hall at the back of the exhibition centre. it was all very secretive. also, did you know once the contestants come through they sit at the side? i always envisioned them giong off to a hotel, but no they sat in a waiting area until at the one of the other teams came thorugh. talk soon robyn
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104-year-old Elizabeth Smith; Easter Egg hunt;
ECU spotlights 104-year-old alumna
Bob Spears was having breakfast at Bojangles� when an editorial staff member of ECU�s East magazine called to inquire about the health of his aunt and their alumna, Bunnie Elizabeth Spears Smith.
�She�s here with me and I�d let you talk to her, but I think she�s interested in that biscuit right now,� Bob Spears said.
Born Jan. 4, 1909, in Raleigh and living in Charlotte before moving to Goldsboro at the age of 4, Elizabeth Spears remembers gas lights, the first car she rode in and seeing the first paved road in the state. She graduated in 1926 from the William Street High School in Goldsboro, the last year before the school was moved to its present site.
At East Carolina Teachers College, as it was called during her student years, she was senior class representative to the SGA, president of Phi Epsilon, a member of Delta Omicron Sigma and the Poe Society, and participated in the Athletic Association and the Wayne County Club. After her graduation, she taught home economics and science at Maury School near Wilson and in Greene, Wayne and Craven counties until her retirement in 1971.
She and her husband Leo never had children. He died in 1986. At Christmas in 1997, she moved to Kinston to live with her nephew and his wife Marie. She joined and is active in Spilman Memorial Baptist Church. She gets her hair done every Friday and does all of her personal activities � making her bed daily, doing her laundry, picking out her clothes, dressing herself and doing her own make up.
At age 95, her driver�s license was renewed for five years and, until she was 97, she drove regularly to the Goldsboro YMCA to swim. She decided on her own to permanently park her car.
Library, church plan egg hunt
The Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library and Queen Street United Methodist Church will host �The Great Easter Egg Hunt� at 3 p.m. March 30 at the library, 510 N. Queen St.
There will be crafts, stories, games, prizes, Eggs, eggs and more eggs � 5,000 to be exact. There also will be photo opportunities with several recognizable characters. Just bring your on camera. The afternoon will provide fun for the whole family.
The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is encouraged to join the activities and bring Easter egg baskets.
For more information, contact the library at 252-527-7066, ext. 120 or neuselibrary.org.


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Whale Teething Rattle
Whale Teething Rattle
Our silicone and wood teether clips, necklaces, rattles and toys are the perfect size and texture to help soothe sore, teething gums. For our clips, easily remove the wood teether and attach a pacifier to convert to a pacifier clip!
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Care: Hand wash with mild soap. Treat and condition with your preferred method of all natural beeswax, coconut oil, or olive oil. Make sure wood does not have any wet or excess oil before giving to your little one.
Use with adult supervision - discard if it starts to splinter or if string breaks allowing beads to come off.
By purchasing our products, you the buyer, assumes all responsibility and liability. Alex and Emmy waives all responsibility and liability to the customer once items have been sold and shipped.
Please remember that loose beads and/or small parts can pose choking hazards. Children should never be left unattended with loose beads! And as always, please inspect all finished products before use. If damaged in any way discontinue using and discard of immediately.


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Ceviche Supper at La Mar
On June 18th, The Supper Club hosted a fabulous ceviche supper party for its San Francisco Members at world-renowned chef Gastón Acurio's waterfront hotspot, La Mar. As guests arrived onto San Francisco's iconic Embarcadero, a warm summer breeze welcomed them, along with refreshing cocktails such as a TreeCraft Distillery Vodka Capiroska. As the sun started to set over the bay, the festive group sat down in the gorgeous waterfront patio for a lively multi-course Peruvian feast, featuring classics such as freshly caught ceviche, churrasco and pollo a la brasa, paired to perfection with wines by Cornerstone Cellars. The evening came to a close with stories and laughs shared over an irresistible Peruvian dessert staple: tres leches.
Photography: Mary Spengeman


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By á-174942
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Honey as needed
Servings 3
Step 1
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, milk, sugar, and butter, and mix well for 2 minutes. Add the egg, and mix well. Add 4 cups of the flour, the cornmeal and salt. Beat at low speed until all the flour is incorporated, then on medium speed until a ball of dough forms, adding more flour as needed if too sticky.
Remove from the mixer, form into a ball, and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a thick rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Roll out until about 1/4-inch thick, and with a sharp knife, cut the dough into squares, about 2 1/2- to 3-inch square.
Heat the fryer to 360 degrees.
Drop the dough into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the sopapillas as they are cooking, and turning them constantly to cook on all sides until golden, about 3 minutes per batch. Remove the sopapillas from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve the sopapillas hot, drizzled with honey.
This recipe yields about 3 dozen.


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Sherman Alexie
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Sherman Alexie, Jr. (born 7 October 1966 in Spokane, Washington) is an award-winning and prolific writer (of novels, short stories, poems, and screenplays) and occasional comedian who lives in Seattle, Washington. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a modern Native American (he is a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian) in the United States.
- When a glass sits on a table here, people don't wonder if it's half filled or half empty. They just hope it's good beer.
Smoke Signals (1998)[edit]
- Thomas: Hey Victor! I'm sorry 'bout your dad.
Victor: How'd you hear about it?
Thomas: I heard it on the wind. I heard it from the birds. I felt it in the sunlight. And your mom was just in here cryin'.
- Victor: Get Stoic.
- Thomas: Sometimes it's a good day to die, and sometimes it's a good day to have breakfast.
- Nurse: You guys are like the Lone Ranger and Tonto.
Thomas: We're more like Tonto and Tonto.
- Victor: White people won't respect you if you don't look mean. You have to look like a warrior, like you just got back from killing a buffalo.
Thomas: But our tribe never hunted buffalo. We were fishermen.
Victor: What, you want to look like you just caught a fish? This isn't Dances with Salmon, you know!
- Randy Peone: It's a good day to be indigenous!
Ten Little Indians (2003)[edit]
- He hated to leave, but he loved his work. He was a man, and men needed to work. More sexism! More masculine tunnel vision! More need for gender-sensitivity workshops!
- He wondered if she would dream about a man who never left her, about some unemployed agoraphobic Indian warrior who liked to wash dishes.
- I don't want long hair, I don't want short hair, I don't want hair at all, and I don't want to be a girl or a boy, I want to be a yellow-orange leaf some little kid picks up and pastes in his scrapbook.
- [Flying into Baltimore after 9/11] I didn't want to see some pacifist, vegan, whole-wheat, free-range, organic, progressive, gray-ponytail, communist, liberal, draft-dodging, NPR-listening wimp! What are they going to do if somebody tries to hijack the plane? Throw a Birkenstock at him? Offer him some pot?...I was hoping for about twenty-five NRA-loving, gun-nut, serial-killing, psychopathic, Ollie North, Norman Schwarzkopf, right-wing, Agent Orange, post-traumatic-stress-disorder, CIA, FBI, automatic-weapon, smart-bomb, laser-sighting bastards!
- Oh, I'm sorry, sir, if I offended you. I am not anti-Semitic. I love all of my brothers and sisters. Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, even the atheists, I love them all. Like you Americans sing, 'Joy to the world and Jeremiah Bullfrog!
- William always scanned the airports and airplanes for little brown guys who reeked of fundamentalism. That meant William was equally afraid of Osama bin Laden and Jerry Falwell wearing the last vestiges of a summer tan. William himself was a little brown guy, so the other travelers were always sniffing around him, but he smelled only of Dove soap, Mennen deoderant, and sarcasm.