Canadian wraps up a strong week of racing in the Czech Republic and young riders shine Alison Jackson clinched the overall victory at Gracia with a strong third-place finish on the final stage securing the first general classification win of her professional career “We started the week really strong, and it ended up coming down to the wire but we pulled it off. That’s a good weekend in my books,” said Jackson The race was a chance to put younger riders in leadership roles and give them the freedom to race the responsibility was firmly in the riders' hands–and they delivered “Our plan going in was ambitious,” said sport director Emma Trott and I guess in some ways I took on more of a mentor role,” said Jackson so there’s more pressure on the road captain to make calls and communicate clearly That kind of setup puts responsibility on the riders to manage situations in the moment and we did just that.” The breakthrough moment for the younger riders came on the penultimate stage, when our 19-year-old Alex Volstad sprinted to second place “That’s exactly why we do these races,” said Trott It’s about giving them confidence in their ability to race at this level.” The final stage was all about defending the jersey. With pressure on their shoulders, the team executed a flawless plan. Jackson won the first intermediate sprint. Nina Berton grabbed bonus seconds when necessary The team stayed alert and kept racing aggressively “We were leading and had everything to lose,” said Trott They made their lives harder than it had to be but they got the job done and that’s what counts.” Alison JacksonYou’ve seen her dancing on social media, on the podium, and everywhere in between. Alison’s love of movement, whether it’s dancing, riding, or being outdoors, is infectious. Alison earned the biggest win of her career to date in 2023 when she won Paris-Roubaix from a breakaway that she kept alive from the race’s early kilometers. She followed it up the next month by winning that year’s Canadian road race national championships in her native Alberta. Alison is a two-time Olympian and has raced ten times in the world championships, including a sixth place finish in 2021. In 2024, she won a stage at the Vuelta, rode a strong Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for her teammates, and competed for Canada in the Olympic Games. Just as important as her results was the leadership that she showed on the road. For Alison, winning is important, but it doesn’t matter to her whether she’s atop the podium or if it’s one of her teammates. She’s more interested in making a difference in each race and contributing to the best result possible for the team. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page « Back Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Gracia Arlene Punt was born to Gerrit and Hattie (Gerritsen) Vande Kamp Iowa where she was raised and received her education she was united in marriage to Lloyd Punt in Sioux Center they lived in Sioux Center until 1960 when they moved to an acreage just west of Sioux Center and began farming with a large flock of laying hens they moved with their three children after they purchased their own farm located south of Pipestone Gracia helped with the farm work until 1984 when she became employed in the Dietary Department at the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone She continued to work there for over 7 years She and Lloyd were also the custodians at the Pipestone Christian Reformed Church for three years She then helped out during the summer months at Carrow's True Value Due to health issues and a heart attack on December 22 Lloyd became a resident of Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone and he preceded her in death in June health issues moved Gracia to an independent apartment at Ridge View Estates where she lived until she passed away unexpectedly to her Heavenly Home on December 22 Gracia was a member of the Christian Reformed Church in Pipestone and she enjoyed various Bible Studies over the years She was also a member of the neighborhood Extension Club She loved her flower and vegetable gardens and outdoor activities She and Lloyd enjoyed many years of spending their winter months in Apache Junction She loved being involved in all the activities of their park She was always energetic and willing to help when something needed to be done She is lovingly remembered by two of her children Idaho and Linda (Gene) Boersma of Pipestone Minnesota; ten grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; two sisters Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Franklin, NH - Gracia "Gracie" H. Crowley, a lifelong resident of Franklin, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 28th, 2025, at the age of 91. Born in Franklin on June 20th, 1933, Gracia was a cherished member of the community... View Obituary & Service Information Crowley created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories © 2025 Thibault - Neun and Paquette-Neun Funeral Homes Made with love by funeralOne The family of Mrs Judith Blanche "Judy" Slemmons Gracia created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Judith “Judy” Blanche Slemmons Gracia went to her h.. Send flowers to the Slemmons Gracia family Green was the beloved wife of the late Donald C FL; Wendy Pastor (Jim Richardson) of Louisville NC; loving sister of Robert Geier (Mary) of Naples and the proud and caring grandmother (Nana) of Ellysa Pastor; Ian and Devan Bhatia; Azrielle Tess and Olivia Marino; and will be missed by extended family and treasured friends Memorial service and reception will be held for family and friends at Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights She joined older siblings Davia and Ronald The family enjoyed some adventures when they traveled for her father’s writing jobs When they lived in the Daytona Beach area when Gracia was in elementary school she made great memories of seeing dolphins nearby as she and her brothers floated on rafts in the ocean They also traveled to Colorado Springs when her father was making a film about the fight between Colorado and other states for water rights in the mid-1950s She attended Lakewood Schools and is a graduate of Lakewood High School where she enjoyed participating in choir and the theater programs After high school she took some classes at Western Reserve while working Gracia married Donald Green in 1969 and with whom she had her fourth child Don and his first wife Janice had two sons who had also attended Bedford City Schools and was a founding member of South Haven United Church of Christ on Northfield Rd They remained members there until Don’s death in September 2002 Don worked most of his career as a letter carrier including Don’s time as PTO President at Central Elementary School volunteering at the concession stand at the football games on Friday night – until it was time to rush near the field to watch the Bedford Bearcats Marching Band at half time Later they ran the “Chuck Wagon” food truck at Bedford Glen’s field for baseball games before food trucks were cool The family fondly remembers many summers at Dunkirk UCC Family Camp and a couple motor home adventures to see Grandma Green in St Gracia was instrumental in starting and running a summer lunch program for neighborhood children in Bedford and a Meals on Wheels program at South Haven Church She was a frequent volunteer at Central Elementary School helping start an after-school enrichment program there in the 1970s to help families with “latch key kids”- who would otherwise be home alone after school A full-time parent when the children were young she worked full time outside the home as they got older She was the director of the summer playground program in Bedford in the financial aid department at John Carroll University for a phone company training people in the “new” BP Building in Cleveland as well as a dedicated poll worker and supervisor in many One job of which she was most proud was being the director of a KinderCare childcare facility because she cared so much about children and the importance of their wellbeing She and Don were over the moon to care for their first granddaughter for much of her childhood in the 1990s in Brecksville and Elly was blessed to have the non-stop audience of and adoration of them both She and Don held book club gatherings with friends in the ‘70s and early ‘80s setting a great example of discussing meaningful topics and often having heated debates and disagreements Gracia was crushed to lose the love of her life One thing that helped her manage that loss for many years was participating in the poetry non-fiction and memoir writing classes offered by her dear friend Linda Tuthill through the CWRU Association for Continuing Education (ACE) program She was enrolled in these classes for about 20 years until 2021 and cherished the experiences and her many friendships made in these classes The participants concluded most class sessions/series with pot-luck gatherings Her classmates enjoyed Gracia’s chili drawing on her life experiences and finding humor and healing through the process Gracia was also a voracious reader and lifelong learner She instilled in her children a love of music sparked by taking them to Harry Chapin concerts at The Front Row Theater Paul and Mary shows with Don at Blossom Music Center she was thrilled at seeing Peter Yarrow at Nightown in Cleveland She enjoyed experiencing the world both through the adventures of her children and sometimes with them The kids all graduated from college and thrived over the years in Massachusetts She and Don were grateful to have had many adventures visiting them including to Los Angeles to see Laura and with Don to see Russ and David who settled in Georgia plus later family trips to Disney and the Smokey Mountains They enjoyed spending a couple of springs in Myrtle Beach supporting Jamie’s college golf team that was playing nearby and exploring Hilton Head and Mystic Seaport with Wendy’s family until moving to be near Megan and her family in Shaker Heights Gracia enjoyed 6 years living at the Greenbriar Apartments where friends from her Forum book discussion group lived She was thrilled to gain 4 grandchildren when Jamie and Pamela married She marveled at the art and musical talents of Azrielle and hearing of Jack’s successes with wrestling She treasured the visits to see them in NC and was grateful for their trips to Cleveland for Christmas and Thanksgiving she thrived being close to grandsons Ian and Devan Bhatia She was a dedicated and delighted fan at their countless band concerts soccer and basketball games and golf matches She taught Sunday School at Plymouth Church and continued her writing classes Ian enjoyed engaging conversations with Nana about his college classes and Devan was entertained by visits and calls with her when her humorous and playful nature came out she was pleased and a bit in awe to know that Devan was just settling into his freshman year of college Gradually losing the ability to read and write was particularly devastating but Gracia continued to find joy and comfort in music and knowing that she could bring comfort to others in offering small expressions of kindness Her children and grandchildren gathered to celebrate her 85th Birthday in June Gracia endured a hospitalization and further health struggles The family will welcome family and friends at a Memorial Service and Reception at Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights Those who wish to honor Gracia are invited to make gifts to South Haven Church of Bedford Miller Earn Preseason D1Baseball All-America Honors1/21/2025 11:32:00 AM | Baseball HARLINGEN — Texas Democrats hope to retake a state House seat in the Rio Grande Valley by attacking the incumbent Republican — a first-term legislator — over her support for a private school voucher system Jonathan Gracia, an attorney and former Cameron County justice of the peace, is running to reclaim state House District 37, which is currently held by state Rep. Janie Lopez by positioning himself staunchly against school vouchers Both parties have named the seat a priority Texas Democratic Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said the race will be close but believes Gracia will win the seat back The race puts Republicans — who have a wide majority in the House — on the defense. The seat was one of the party’s pickups in 2022 becoming one of the few Republican representatives for the Rio Grande Valley including state Rep before joining the Republican Party in 2021 While control of the House is not in doubt could determine whether Republican leaders will have enough votes to pass the highly contentious voucher legislation agreeing that Texas public education is underfunded Lopez is a school counselor and previously served on the school board of her local district Gracia is married to a public school educator Gracia — seizing on one of the state’s hottest political debates — says Republicans in the Texas House are taking the wrong approach in their attempts to approve Abbott’s voucher program that would allow parents to use tax dollars to send their children to religious or private schools Abbott named the voucher program a priority during the 2023 regular legislative session He lobbied state lawmakers for months over multiple special sessions 21 Republicans joined with Democrats to spike the voucher legislation After several failed attempts to sway GOP lawmakers who were hesitant about the voucher proposal, Abbott successfully campaigned to remove many of his fellow Republicans who voted against the voucher program The governor attended a fundraiser for Lopez here last month Abbott has said the House now has enough votes to pass a voucher program with a narrow pro-voucher majority that can withstand few losses in November Voucher opponents view the general election as perhaps their last chance to stop the policy and the Gracia-Lopez contest is one of several at the center of the battlefield Gracia questioned Lopez's support for school vouchers given her background in education "You would think that that person would understand the struggle," Gracia said and that's just not good enough for South Texas." Gracia and other voucher opponents argue that the program diverts money away from public education which they say is already struggling from lack of resources "They have this money and they simply don't want to use it in the correct fashion," Gracia said "We need to make sure that what we have currently is working before we start thinking about trying to expand who's going to take public education dollars And that's the real travesty of this all." According to a campaign finance report filed in July, Gracia has received support from a pro-charter schools political action committee, Charter Schools Now. The group received donations from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings a major Democratic donor and advocate for charter schools as well as from GOP donors such as Walmart heir Jim Walton While Abbott pushed for a voucher program that would be open to all students Lopez supported a limited voucher program debated in the House because it prioritized students from low-income families and those with disabilities an attempt to compromise between different factions of Republicans would have created “education savings accounts,” for up to 40,000 students Families who exited the state’s public education system would have received $10,500 annually for private school expenses or up to $1,000 for homeschooling The impasse cost public schools an additional $7.6 billion that was included in the failed compromise "It's unfortunate that we didn't get this additional funding and I promise to fight for more funding," Lopez said The candidates contrast on several other issues of state policy favors expansion of the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act which would allow more than a million additional Texans to qualify for health insurance Texas is one of 10 states to refuse to fully expand the program since the initial rollout of the Affordable Care Act "We're talking about the underprivileged community that's going to be able to benefit from Medicaid expansion," Gracia said would not commit to voting for or against Medicaid expansion stating that she would be in favor of a program that would benefit her region "I will be voting for anything that's going to help the Valley," Lopez said She added that the state had already poured millions into mental health services for adults and children She noted a psychiatric facility in Harlingen will be expanded thanks to the $1.5 billion approved by lawmakers last year to improve or build new health care facilities Gracia said he favored abortion access as was allowed under Roe v "Right now we're not even having this conversation because the Legislature doesn't want to take up the topic," he said Lopez declined to say whether she supported any exceptions to the state’s current abortion ban but said the state needs to focus on supporting women having children then we need to support women who are having babies," she said adding that women were getting Medicaid coverage for an entire year after childbirth Lopez is backed by the Texas Alliance for Life PAC Though they deviate on some key issues, both candidates lean more to the moderate side of their respective parties Both favor strong border security with Lopez supporting more technology and manpower at the border. Lopez helped author House Bill 7 which would have created a new division of the Texas Rangers called the Texas Border Force to conduct border enforcement measures which passed the legislature but is not being enforced while it is being challenged in courts the house bill would have made it a state crime to unlawfully enter the state anywhere but a port of entry Gracia said the state needed to act so their federal partners understood the issues on the ground "That means being able to pass legislation at the Texas Legislature that's going to be able to show our federal partners that if they're not engaging in this problem In their most recent campaign finance report from July Gracia received $122,375 including $50,000 from himself He reported spending $11,823 and maintaining $95,486 Lopez reported she received $142,402 in all contributions and spent $37,318 Among the donations to her campaign were a $10,000 contribution from the Border Health PAC a Valley-based group that has backed Democratic candidates but often supports Republicans as well and a donation of more than $25,600 from Coalition Por For Texas PAC a group that backs Republican Hispanics in an effort to flip Democratic seats Gracia hopes his reputation in office as a justice of the peace — presiding over small claims court and officiating marriages — and as an attorney will convince voters of his engagement in the community Lopez said she would work to bring more funding for infrastructure decrease or eliminate school district taxes and address issues at the border Lopez introduced bills that would have increased funding through the Texas Water Development Board for projects in economically distressed areas Funding for water projects continue to be a top concern for many farmers and ranchers in the area who have been cut off from water due to drought conditions affecting water reservoirs “We need to find solutions here in Texas just like we did for the border issues,” Lopez said Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Choose an amount or learn more about membership The preponderance of artificial intelligence raises serious ethical and legal questions about due diligence Danny de Gracia is a resident of Waipahu, a political scientist and an ordained minister. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views. You can reach him by email at dgracia@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at @ddg2cb Last year, the state Senate Transportation and Culture and the Arts Committee set off a firestorm when it heard Senate Bill 2314, which proposed to create a digital identification pilot project The Chinese system is a citizen trustworthiness score which evolved from its “grid-style social management system” of mass surveillance it is effectively a way for the Chinese government to reward or punish citizens with access or denial to things like banking and housing Though the Senate’s transportation committee canned the well-meaning measure in the face of public pressure the world is ultimately moving in a direction where “Big Tech” — privatized control of digital services along with the proliferation of artificial intelligence — will create a de facto social credit system if we don’t provide legal protections to stop that It’s important to note that while a government may not impose restrictions on an individual per se if both private and government entities alike use the same technology whoever (or whatever) controls the technology controls the people and the government if you’re someone who uses a product like Facebook by Meta you’ll likely notice that the AI that powers the social media platform is so glitchy that it will impose penalties for perceived violations made years ago and often one can’t directly appeal these penalties with a human I had a strike made against me more than 16 years ago in error and I can’t use Facebook ads to this day because of a penalty imposed against me.  We can already see problems arising where AI is “shadowbanning” — that is, restricting who sees what content — on social media. This has the danger of raising the profile of extreme people who advocate dehumanizing or mistreating certain population groups while preventing less viral but more level-headed people from being seen on a social network Imagine what it would be like to have a society so thoroughly digitized and controlled by AI and run by private corporations or individuals that you get restrictions on services and can’t appeal anything. This is why IBM in the 1970s used to give training presentations to employees that included the phrase therefore a computer must never make a management decision.” I have a subscription with Musk’s X social media service and I regularly use the Grok AI service that he provides for assistance in academic research and data analysis I’ve also written in the past about the benefits of AI is that if we do not have human-imposed checks and balances that prevent private companies from imposing a de facto social credit score on us we could unintentionally have a future where we’re banned from flying on airlines Imagine the following nightmare future scenarios where one’s digital identity is at the mercy of AI: These are just a few of the possible horrors we could face if we don’t take steps now Hawaiʻi shouldn’t fear digital identities if we can have digital rights protected by robust regulations by creating either a constitutional amendment or a set of digital fence laws that prohibit the use of social credit scores or mandate that residents be given the means to appeal any decision that a private or public AI makes regarding them our congressional delegation should propose a constitutional amendment which clarifies that the Fourth Amendment includes security in one’s digital identity and Hawaiʻi should absolutely embrace AI as a useful tool for human progress but we should be wary of AI that is not democratized and subject to strict regulation by the government Honolulu Civil Beat is a nonprofit organization and your donation helps us produce local reporting that serves all of Hawaii Ideas is the place you'll find essays, analysis and opinion on public affairs in Hawaiʻi. We want to showcase smart ideas about the future of Hawaiʻi, from the state's sharpest thinkers, to stretch our collective thinking about a problem or an issue. Email news@civilbeat.org to submit an idea Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed Advancing equity Is harder to do and more important than you may realize.  When my paternal grandmother carried him in her early 40s doctors initially mistook her pregnancy as a cancerous growth though time and a second opinion quickly revealed otherwise This immediately cast my father’s family into poverty he didn’t get to enjoy the same benefits that his older sister and brother knew.  Moving from a small house on Pensacola Street in Honolulu to San Francisco my father would grow up being looked down on wearing repurposed burlap bags as underwear and living in garages of multigenerational households eating donated food well until his teens he knew he had to get a college degree if he was ever to get out from under the stigma of his past He couldn’t afford to go to a four-year university so he got a job at United Airlines as a shopkeeper working the night shift to help pay for classes at a community college Whatever money he made that didn’t go to his tuition went to his mother to help buy food He spent his first two years living like a zombie and eventually got his associate’s degree in physical education The son of Filipino immigrants who had come to Hawaii in the 1900s my father was the first in the family to get a degree He later applied for a bachelor’s program at San Francisco State University and notched his second degree he joined an Air Force ROTC program for his master’s degree at Stanford University He would be commissioned a lieutenant and then married my mother but his first dependent was his elderly mother who he would take to the commissary to buy her food or the exchange to buy her clothes he would always tell me with a palpable agony in his voice that he was a firm supporter of affirmative action “No one ever gave me anything,” he would say to me when I was growing up. “Our job is to open and hold the door open for others so they can go through.” he wanted to give people for free the things — respect a better life — that he himself had to fight for I share this story because as someone who frequents libertarian and conservative circles I have a controversial thought for Hawaiʻi: The more “meritocratic” and “qualified” you really are mercy and unmerited favor you should show to others Because everyone who has truly subjected themselves to a “meritocracy” realizes that the majority of the rules and norms of our society are arbitrary but to create ceilings that exclude others anyone who truly has applied themselves to being the best at anything will ultimately discover once you reach the top most of the people who created the standards of merit are unworthy of the standards they place on others and you’ll soon come to the point that you realize others shouldn’t have to sacrifice in the same way you did This both frustrates and humbles a true person of merit and honor because you realize — if you are honest with yourself — that at the end of the day so much sooner if you didn’t waste so much time trying to meet standards that the people at the top don’t even meet themselves “Equity” is different from “equality” in that we recognize that making things fair also means making things right This means we don’t ruin people’s lives for decades and then expect them to make it in a world we stacked against them without giving them a little extra grace or help to overcome their vulnerability You shouldn’t have to be like my dad to get the respect honor and due you are worthy of just for being a human made in the image of the divine advancing equity is going to be essential to our future in 2025 and beyond as options for staying rooted in the islands get thin and as our increasing population forces us to compete with each other in more dire ways marginalized and underserved populations are never going to get ahead merely by playing by the traditional rules of work hard save money and maybe you’ll live happily ever after How do I know this? Because those of us of who have done that ran face-first into the wall of the palace economy but then people don’t do what you ask or make amends for your grievances.  Hawaii has been ruled by people who have no stake in the outcome of those who suffer Every year they get to see foreign corporations and wealthy mainlanders come in while Native Hawaiians are struggling just to hold on to the little they still have from generational transfer.  we need to get rid of the harsh rules and the structures and the princes Equity means we pick more people from the most marginalized groups and change the mechanisms that bottleneck power in the hands of elites It means we rebuke people who have double standards that hold others back and reward people who go out of their way to do the greatest good for the greatest number Each generation should strive to make the way for the one that follows us a little easier and to right historic injustices Those of us who have privilege and wield power dynamics over others need to think about equity rather than domination.  we need to break paradigms and promote equity The caucus is a torch-bearer for Hawaiʻi youth issues This year’s proposals are some of the most important yet I had been working as a committee clerk for Rep then-chair of the House Committee on Human Services for less than a week when he asked me to attend a pre-session meeting of the Keiki Caucus on his behalf It was my first government job after graduating with my first master’s degree in political science The Keiki Caucus is one of several legislative caucuses that brings together legislators and youth-centered organizations to propose policy changes to improve the lives of Hawaiʻi’s young people At this meeting the big topic was creating a package of legislation to address as many health and human service issues as the budget would allow Sitting between then-House Health Committee chair Dennis Arakaki and then-Senate Human Services chair Suzanne Chun Oakland, I was immediately put on the spot by someone in the crowd who asked me whether my boss would be supportive of some of the ideas discussed that day.  I hadn’t been fully briefed on my chair’s positions at the time so I was completely clueless about most of the things being discussed and the lexicon being used But I didn’t want to make a fool of my chair or my committee “We haven’t had the time to review these omnibus proposals fully with many people smirking in a way that affirmed what someone told me after the meeting that I had followed in the pattern of the building’s politicians by saying absolutely nothing in an official capacity.  I was so embarrassed that I made it a point to know as much as I could from then on about the Keiki Caucus and I quickly became good friends with the staff of both Arakaki and Chun Oakland so they could mentor me bans on flavored nicotine and free school meals I personally consider these ideas to be models of good government in action not just because they address upstream policy issues that determine the success of our people but because they are things that can bring us together For example, House Bill 755, relating to paid family leave would make family leave insurance benefits payable starting in 2029 to an individual who is caring for a family member with a serious health condition or “a victim of domestic abuse or stalking who needs leave for medical attention; mental health care or other counseling; victim services … court appearances; or relocation for themselves or a family member.” This bill is especially relevant in the wake of the pandemic which has left many individuals with long-term chronic conditions that can be unmanageable without the help of a caregiver As someone who still experiences occasional side effects from my own Covid encounter I can tell you that having a safety trampoline where someone can take care of me or I can take care of others is essential to life in middle age and beyond The idea that we will work until we die or someone else replaces us is an industrial age concept that is not realistic given the kinds of challenges our population faces in in 2025 Another bill which I hope will get some movement before lateral deadlines is House Bill 757 which provides universal free school breakfasts and lunches It has a hearing scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m A number of other states have already implemented universal free school meals including California Childhood represents a key developmental window where nutrition is essential to brain function. Human ancestors evolved larger brains because of access to quality food and our keiki will need quality meals in order to have the academic and athletic success needed to be competitive in the next decade and beyond The idea behind these measures and the others is that we can have policy wins when we address the most basic and that is concern for our children’s futures Despite all the things that we occasionally disagree about passionately perspectives there’s a power in coming together to give the next generation more than just a fighting chance in a world that is getting harder to adapt to and thrive in in one of his final speeches before leaving office in 2009 reflected that “It’s unacceptable to our country that vulnerable children slip through the cracks.” He added “We believe that every child has dignity and worth a lot of other people believed it — Democrats and Republicans.” That’s a powerful statement to think about even in today’s politically tense and divided times we can make other things work for other important things If I were to identify the bills that need to be passed this year and I hope that all of you will contact your legislators and try to get all of these measures heard and passed Police presence is only a small part of addressing our island’s problems We need to think about how all of us fit in to making a more connected a few friends of mine told me they were worried about coming to my side of Oahu because of the crime and violence here I had to immediately remind them that while there have been several highly publicized violent incidents here there was no reason to fear having to spend time here or worry about being personally targeted It dawned on me in that moment however that communities can get neglected and bad situations can entrench because we sometimes have an expectation that only bad things will happen in certain places others around us start to think and feel the same way and a pattern develops where reform cannot occur because people either avoid the place that needs it or assume it’s a lost cause altogether we start dehumanizing people as statistics and then this leads to situations getting worse and things getting uglier and uglier Think of it this way: Say that you’re chewing gum beautiful place outdoors with no garbage can “I can’t throw this on the ground,” you might think to yourself But say you’re standing instead in a landfill unmentionables and swarms of flies orbiting around you Does throwing something on the ground seem so unreasonable when there is already so much on the ground already Our communities can slowly over time accumulate crime poverty and social disparities in the same way Once we start to avoid dealing with some problems we get more problems and more problems until we find ourselves surrounded by them as Oahu ponders how to address things like crime and violence we need to start looking holistically about how we can get from where we are to where we want to be the most common response to an outbreak in crime is to call for heightened police presence and to look at how many officers we have on the force as a deterrent This “boots on the ground” approach is a reasonable short-term reaction but it doesn’t remedy the reasons that crime may be occurring Worse yet, over a protracted period of time, having large concentrations of police in a given area can have unintended consequences where residents feel they are being over-surveilled and intimidated by authoritarian power dynamics, similar to what Philip Zimbardo observed in his famous Stanford University prison experiment in 1971 What is needed more than boots on the ground is for everyone to have a stake in the outcome of a community and its residents But there’s a couple of things that make it difficult to get people to engage Forbes recently reported about the rise in America of something called “no-contact families” – that is an increase in personal estrangement – where people out of resentment or persecution can’t (or won’t) communicate with each other If you have a disordered relationship with your family you’re more likely to respond in a disordered way to everyone else We have known for hundreds of years that every successful community begins with strong families If the family structure is being eroded by resentment the community structure will likewise erode.  This is an area where charitable nonprofits and religious organizations need to step up for all of Oahu We need to teach people how to be good to themselves and others because if you are not at peace with yourself Oahu has become extremely toxic in recent years where many people are angry frustrated and not everyone has a healthy remedy for expressing or resolving these feelings.  We also need to take into consideration how surroundings affect people’s emotions and behavior. The first thing I would do if I were the chief of police would be to go to places with high levels of crime and look at the built environment to take notes. In several cities around the United States, researchers found that adding green spaces – parks beautified areas – resulted in less crime and better self-reported mental health If I’m living in a place where there’s trash everywhere the sidewalks are shattered and unwalkable abandoned cars are everywhere and wild grass is growing out of control in state- or city-owned areas that’s going to have an impact on how I feel all day long One of the reasons we need to pay attention-to-detail to community appearances is they have a nexus to mental health If people feel like they’re living in a run-down that will impact how they behave in that environment we have to resist the temptation to think in silos and have the approach of “you stay in your area what happens there is of no concern to me.” Oahu is a small place and we can’t afford to think in terms of factional geography The reality is that quitting is exactly what bad people want us to do and abandonment is all that underserved people have ever experienced others doing to them but enlightenment says “I’m going to stay because this is important.” as we learned from the experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of my good Native Hawaiian friends reminded me the other day that the word “pono” is best translated not so much as “righteousness” but rather things being set in the correct state or place as they should be The correct place for all of us here in Oahu is where we are needed most.  There are far too many people who read news tsk” with a smug attitude that it’s too bad others don’t have their act together we all need to ask ourselves what can we offer to the parts of Oahu that are underserved or unstable right now Maybe that means we volunteer to do a community safety walk in an area we don’t live in to help others keep watch Maybe that means we assist in graffiti or trash cleanup Or maybe it means we make sure that invisible people become visible again by restlessly advocating for their help we need to understand that crime and violence are fruits of a tree of disparity and injustice that needs to be uprooted with the collective efforts of all of us I hope and pray that in the days and weeks to come we can all humble ourselves to be problem-solving volunteers and not just observers of crime and violence The White House is invoking fentanyl as its justification for some extreme policy shifts Remember back in May 2023 when everyone was so tired of the Covid-19 pandemic that we didn’t actually beat the virus, the federal government just said, “We’re outta here,” and ended the public health emergency A little over three years of a state of emergency was just too much.  It might shock the public to know, however, that another public health emergency declaration has been in effect even longer. It dates back to 2017 (during Donald Trump’s first administration) and has been renewed For those not familiar, Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act is the legal basis for public health emergency declarations at the federal level Normal checks and balances do not apply to spending and to some extent the status blurs the use of military personnel in domestic settings.  In effect, the ongoing and escalating war on fentanyl is a new form of the War on Drugs and states should be very wary of the direction that this could take local policies and policing alike.  At age 45, I’m old enough to remember the dramatic presentation George H.W. Bush gave in 1989 where he showed off drugs in the Oval Office, and when Nancy Reagan told us to “Just Say No” in 1986 What we’re seeing now is something completely different and darker The fentanyl rhetoric being driven by the White House and parroted by Republican members of Congress conservative news channels and laypeople is not about public safety it is a pretext to do whatever the federal government wants in the name of protecting you What would an expanded War on Drugs nightmare scenario look like Imagine if fentanyl was used as the excuse to shut down anything the government doesn’t like and many of you rightly questioned the constitutionality of that But where are you guys on this abuse of constitutional authority Fentanyl could be used as the justification for requiring states to commit policing resources to surveillance and enforcement against population groups suspected of being tied to the drug. We already know that there was a prejudicial bias in the first War on Drugs; how long of a leap would it be for fentanyl to be used as a device for political persecution What if going after fentanyl requires states to comply with costly future federal regulations or laws, either through executive orders or slammed through a weakened and deferential Congress We’re already in a local policing pinch both in our state and around the country Fighting drugs is an easy way to give government the power to do anything it wants to do in the name of a crisis I’m not saying that opioids aren’t a problem What I am saying is going so far as to create a dictatorial regime to fight opioids is nonsensical and needs to be called out Like all other things that are subject to abuse and policy distortion this starts off as something that seems serious enough to warrant giving up some freedoms to and then it ends with us having no personal agency whatsoever.  There are two things we need to do. First, read up on what the opioid crisis is and how it has evolved due to a combination of internal and external factors in our country It’s a cop-out to simply blame foreigners and boogeymen for this crisis Social determinants of health, neurocircuitry of addiction and human emotion are also things that need to be considered. Watch the dystopian 2006 War on Drugs movie, “A Scanner Darkly,” which is based on the 1977 novel by Philip K All policies that involve public health are ultimately human issues and you don’t resolve human issues with a police baton a mercantilist trade policy or the sword of war some might suggest this is over-intellectualizing the policies of a White House that is led on gut instincts and narcissistic retaliation rather than logic But you should start talking about this issue at your kitchen table The same ferocious protection of individual freedoms many of you applied to Covid emergency orders needs to be consistently leveraged on the new War on Drugs The Blue Devils enter the season ranked No thanks in part to an abundance of left-handed pitching and hitting talent After securing the ACC Tournament title last season but sputtering out in the Norman Regional this year’s team has its eyes set on a deeper postseason run — namely that elusive place called Omaha Duke finished the 2024 season with a 40-20 record Its pitching staff took a hit in the offseason with the loss of ace Jonathan Santucci and key closer Charlie Beilenson a second-round pick by the New York Mets in the 2024 draft headlined the Blue Devils’ rotation last year Duke will look to southpaws Kyle Johnson and Andrew Healy to step up on the mound with potential emphasis on a pitch-to-contact approach to save arms and activate the defense James Tallon and Owen Proksch will also see increased roles in the ever-important bullpen Tallon was a shutdown closer his freshman season before suffering from some setbacks last season but without Beilenson the Blue Devils will be searching for a new anchor.  Duke brought in a number of experienced arms through the transfer portal that head coach Chris Pollard will look to combine into yet another top-end staff “We have 11 players on this roster that have started a Division 1 baseball game on the mound,” Pollard said and we have three more guys that we think could be starters that haven't started a game yet That's 14 guys in contention for starting roles and so we're a little more in the mindset of building this staff from the front end to the back end.” While Duke lost some key pieces from the heart of the lineup center fielder Devin Obee and first baseman Logan Bravo Pollard is also optimistic about his squad around the diamond The Blue Devil lineup boasts returning stars in AJ Gracia and Ben Miller two formidable forces in the batter’s box and around the bases Wallace Clark also figures to hold down shortstop and provide a steady presence near the top of the lineup Sam Harris and other returners will look to take a leap.  adding likely starters in Georgetown slugger Jake Hyde and Harvard infielder Jake Berger The Blue Devils should see additional impact from Berger’s former teammate Ben Rounds who finished last season with a .403 batting average.  Duke’s prestigious academic reputation was one of the tools Pollard employed in his recruiting “I think it's absolutely an advantage,” Pollard said of Duke’s academic standing if we're recruiting and getting the right type of player to campus they're valuing more than just the baseball experience they’re valuing the Duke educational experience and a degree.” The Blue Devils will face 17 road matchups against seven opponents with the remainder of their 56-game slate played against 21 teams at the newly-renovated Jack Coombs Field A notably tough ACC stretch against Virginia State and North Carolina will offer a midseason opportunity to carve out a place in conference standings with seven teams ranked in the preseason top 25 The Blue Devils will attempt to defend their conference title in a new bracket-style tournament format before hoping the pieces fall into place for a long-awaited and increasingly possible trip to the College World Series Duke’s transfer portal additions are one of the top incoming groups in the country and a number of them could be considered for this spot The Blue Devils will kick off the 2024-25 season with 16 new faces With all-around new talent entering Jack Coombs Field the Blue Devils have a well-rounded roster primed for a potential deep run to Omaha The most impactful newcomers this season are likely to be Harvard transfers Rounds and Berger Pollard doesn’t foresee as many true freshmen stepping into prominent roles right away "I don't think we'll have as many true freshmen in the lineup as we did at times last year," Pollard said the Blue Devils are relying heavily on a group of Ivy League transfers to make an immediate impact — Berger and Rounds are both projected starters for the Blue Devils.  Rounds was tabbed as a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection as an outfielder and was awarded CSC Academic All-District honors with the Crimson in 2024 The graduate student appeared in 120 total games accumulating a fifth-place ranking in Harvard’s record book with 38 doubles.  “Ben Rounds is another grad transfer that's going to hit in the top of our lineup,” Pollard said “[Rounds] will play left field and we will really lean on him to replace some of that lost offensive production.” Berger has established himself as a standout both on and off the field The Harvard team captain and third baseman earned a spot on the 2024 Academic All-Ivy list was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team in 2023 and was a first team CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree in 2022 Berger will not only look to make contributions to the infield but also play a key role in bolstering the team’s offensive efforts both Rounds and Berger are ready to leave their mark in the fiercely competitive ACC the duo is determined to compete on a national stage The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores and sophomore AJ Gracia might be one of the most exciting such cases in Duke’s history The outfielder recorded 58 RBIs and 14 home runs over the course of 60 starts in his rookie campaign both figures which set program records for a Duke freshman earned him a spot on the All-ACC freshman team and the All-ACC third team (Outfielder) along with freshman All-American nods from a number of national outlets native now steps into his second year of college ball swinging one of the best bats in the country and boasting upside that has him projected as the No Gracia’s success at the plate is the result of pairing clean mechanics with a disciplined approach the Ranney School product has explosive hands through the zone and regularly shoves pitches upwards of 100 miles per hour off the barrel Gracia’s keen eye earned him a team-high 48 walks last season the Blue Devils will benefit greatly from the versatility and consistency that the lefty batter brings to the plate Gracia is a plus fielder with a cannon for an arm that will continue to keep runners in check Although he tends to fit better in the corners due to a lack of speed Gracia has seen no shortage of success in center field and is likely to see time all around the outfield On top of a lofty predicted draft position Gracia was also selected for the Preseason All-American Third teams by D1Baseball and Perfect Game With another explosive returner in Ben Miller expected to precede him and the All-Big East transfer Jake Hyde likely to bat cleanup Gracia should see plenty of room to work within the lineup and could be the core of a contender-level Duke offense Selecting the Tobacco Road rivalry as the most anticipated series of the campaign may feel like a bit of a cop-out answer — after all the battle of the blues always boasts high significance are elevated for the 2025 edition of the matchup on the diamond Both the history of the rivalry and the current state of both programs will make the early-April series a must-watch While Pollard has built Duke into a perennially competitive program North Carolina has been the hurdle the Blue Devils just can’t seem to clear The Tar Heels have won 11 of the past 15 contests and haven’t dropped a series to Duke since 2018 — making it one of just two pre-realignment ACC teams the Blue Devils haven’t taken two-of-three from in this timeframe Even in some of the program’s best years that have included its first conference championships in six decades and multiple deep postseason runs Duke has struggled against Scott Forbes’ contingent the Blue Devils will face a tall task in turning the tides of the rivalry The Carolinas are absolutely loaded college baseball states but Duke-North Carolina may be a clash between the best two teams in the stronghold The preseason top 25 rankings slot the Tar Heels at 6th and the Blue Devils at 11th in the nation and each side boasts multiple preseason All-Americans Things can change drastically between now and early April but all signs point toward the rivalry series at Boshamer Stadium being a heavyweight bout Is this finally the year Duke breaks down the door to Omaha There is certainly a chance that this roster has what it takes to reach the College World Series something that hasn’t happened in Durham since 1961 The renovations to Jack Coombs Field should allow the Blue Devils to receive the benefit of the doubt when it comes to hosting a regional If they show up strong against this tough ACC field — and maybe win a conference tourney in Durham — Duke could even host a super regional a solid run at Charles Schwab Field Omaha is not out of the question The Blue Devils enter 2025 with a pretty similar position player core to last season’s ACC champions with their most significant losses coming on the bump Nick Conte and Fran Oschell III jumped to the pros Pollard will need to turn to new arms to fill high-leverage innings The performance of Duke’s incoming pitchers most joining the team via the transfer portal will be a bellwether for the team’s performance If these incoming arms aren’t as effective as those they’re replacing the Blue Devils will find themselves in a number of slugfests Their offense is more than capable of dragging a potentially underperforming pitching staff to a middle-of-the-pack ACC finish but if Duke can’t get it done on the mound it’ll find itself on the outside looking in come late May Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume Caleb Dudley is a Trinity junior and sports multimedia editor of The Chronicle's 121st volume Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume Share and discuss “Duke baseball 2025 season preview” on social media Gracia and Johnson Named to 2025 Golden Spikes Watch List2/7/2025 3:08:00 PM | Baseball D-B’s Ricky Gracia (44) fires a shot during Thursday’s game against Science Hill Email notifications are only sent once a day KINGSPORT — The Tribe Athletic Complex played host to a new sport on Thursday evening: TSSAA boys’ lacrosse Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account The hub of state government is a historical and cultural nerve center essential to future aspirations Prestige is a powerful concept, especially for democracy, because it captures the essence of how serious and special the work of governance is. Our own Hawaiʻi State Capitol, designed by John Carl Warnecke & Associates of San Francisco and Belt was meant to evoke the impressive image of a volcano (the building) and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean (the reflecting pool) the Capitol has seen a lot of history and weathering but it remains an important avatar and nerve center of our democracy it risks projecting an omen that our state and society — public and private alike — is in decline It is therefore no surprise that last month the Department of Accounting and General Services requested that the Legislature appropriate $2 million for planning for State Capitol building rehabilitation and related improvements The “Big Square Building” looks like a big hot mess at the moment and this impacts the ability of the public to enjoy full use of the Capitol for civic engagement I can’t say that I blame some individuals for thinking “why should elected officials get a nice building when I live in squalor and can’t pay the bills.” But it’s important to note that having a prestigious Capitol building is not about our elected officials.  We need the Capitol upgraded so we the people can use it to maximum effect — both for policymaking and for the evangelization of our form of government When foreign dignitaries and tourists from countries that are not democracies come to Hawaiʻi we want to impress them so they can go home and boast about the greatness of Hawaiʻi and the beauty of our buildings.  When people from the other 49 states come to Hawaiʻi we want them to see that America’s youngest state has the newest ideas the most modern buildings and the freshest-looking capital city and Capitol building.  It’s politically easy to succumb to peer pressure in this area and stand back and say, “I don’t want to stir up controversy, I want to win reelection, so if mediocrity keeps the peace, I will do the minimum and stay below the radar.” Democracy gets a bad reputation because of thinking like that. Just ask the late Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who said “mediocrity triumphs under the guise of democratic restraints.” several of my friends and family members were all talking about how their computers and mobile devices were getting old and starting to glitch out or slow down When I asked each of them what they were thinking about getting they mentioned “I might get this laptop,” or “I might get this tablet” and so on All of them were thinking about getting newer but cheap products “If you’re thinking about saving money by buying a cheap replacement for your laptop,” I told one of my friends You’re likely going to end up buying another one in a year or less when a major upgrade rolls out that can’t be installed on it In the end you’ll pay more than if you bought a laptop with maximum specifications that lasts you five years or more.” Worried about possible tariffs that were threatened on tech-producing countries like China and Canada I last month bought myself a top-of-the-line 16-inch MacBook Pro for school at UH Manoa I wasn’t going to cheat myself in the long run by getting something that would only last me a short time There’s an important lesson here for all of us. DAGS may have asked for an initial $2 million, but our state’s fiscal position is extremely strong and we have more than enough room to go from what is in my opinion a small-fries approach to a more robust plan that says if we’re going to do this Legislators should show leadership by appropriating more robust funding to fix and beautify the Capitol and the surrounding areas so they can be the inspirational prestigious and fully functional nerve center of democracy that we need This should involve making the building more accessible to the elderly and people with disabilities adding a public parking structure so that more people can rapidly make unplanned visits and building areas where the public can hold their own meetings and collaborations without interfering with hearing schedules — to name a few things and it’s one of many things that can make the seat of governance a place where people are welcome rather than someplace that is a chore to visit We think too small too often in Hawaiʻi policymaking and we settle for less when we should be paying attention to high standards and prestigious appearances We build on the cheap and we pay more in the long run for our lack of vision and absence of initiative “Don’t we think highly enough about democracy that we should showcase it promote it and make it look damn good to our people and the world?” David was born to Maximina Gracia Mello and Captain Manuel Mello on July 2 he always said that he was “just on the mainland temporarily.” he never lost his love of the sea as a sailor or his awe for the sky as a pilot David was a licensed private pilot and was certified to fly both seaplanes and gliders He graduated from Miss Mortimer’s Kindergarten and then went on to Edgartown grammar and high school just a few blocks from his house He graduated in 1950 in a class of just nine students He was the first in his family to leave the Island for college He attended University of Massachusetts in Amherst He later gained a masters degree in public policy from the University of Baltimore He worked as a civilian rocket scientist for the US Air Force in their Cambridge Laboratories he did atmospheric research leading to the most sophisticated spy systems of the time He later was employed by the US Navy in Newport developing defense systems before taking a position as an engineer for EG&G Company He returned to the government as the director of the Inventions Program for the US Department of Energy in Washington where he was responsible for evaluating and funding new and innovative ideas to energize the planet After his retirement from government service he was initially employed by The Knights of Columbus then The American Radio Relay League in Newington and later the Recreation Department of the Town of West Hartford and Dattco in Avon David was a voracious reader and lifelong learner He enjoyed many hobbies and was a life member of ARRL Yankee Territory Coin Shooters and the American Model Yachting Association He served on the energy task force for the Town of West Hartford He delighted in working on projects with his grandchildren in his “Garage Mahal” and creating new inventions in his “Laboratory.” He was happiest listening to classical music while eating dinner with Lainey and the boys at his favorite restaurant and two daughters: Sarah Mello of Collingswood and Rachel Mello and husband Nicholas of Somerville,; Stepsons Matthew Kriedel and wife of West Hartford and five grandchildren: Benjamin as well as the whole Sweeney family who embraced him A memorial mass is planned this month in Dublin Ireland and a celebration of life will follow in the spring Memorial Donations can be made to the A Better World The Vineyard Gazette welcomes obituaries of people who have lived or vacationed regularly on Martha’s Vineyard Tuesday for publication in print on Friday Obituaries will appear online and in print My favorite story that I worked on this year is my story about restoring Sugarloaf Island I'm very proud of the audio I captured while I was out reporting this story I met with a source who showed me the restoration project around Sugarloaf that was still in progress at the time We went out on a barge and crews were strategically placing wave attenuation devices in the water I recorded audio of machinery beeping and metal chains clinking but I really wanted to get the sound of a device going in the water I got on my stomach and lied down on the edge of the barge With one hand I held on to the barge for balance (I held on for dear life) and with the other hand I held my microphone and stretched out my arm as far as I could The sound I got was extremely satisfying and I'm very pleased with how the audio turned out in my final story This reporting trip reinvigorated my love for audio and that's why it's my favorite story of 2024 AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people and analysis you need to combat antisemitism and advocate for Israel and the Jewish people They are all celebrated as iconic Jewish women in Dr Aliza Lavie's incisive book, Iconic Jewish Women Lavie’s book features 59 remarkable role models highlighting the significance of women's voices and leadership in the Jewish community In a compelling conversation guest-hosted by Dr the national deputy director of AJC’s Contemporary Jewish Life department Lavie reflects on her grandmother's strength and her own experiences serving in the Israeli army and parliament By showcasing the resilience and leadership of Jewish women throughout history—some stories well-known Lavie emphasizes the need to confront the pervasive silence surrounding antisemitism She urges us to learn from those who have paved the way advocating for greater awareness and action against this global issue *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: [email protected] and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify including the award winning A Jewish Women's Prayer Book Her latest, Iconic Jewish Women–59 inspiring introduces readers to amazing women from Queen Esther to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and others in between is the national deputy director of AJC’s Contemporary Jewish life department It's an honor and great pleasure to welcome Dr I want to especially highlight the two latest ones, A Jewish Women's Prayer Book which won a National Jewish Book Award in 2008 And the latest one that we will be talking about today, Iconic Jewish Women Aliza gives voice to women who have been forgotten from Jewish history I and so many women are so very grateful.  I want to make sure we don't forget all the women who are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza It's very interesting that you have focused much of your writing about and for women Let's also remind our listeners that your academic and professional background show your very long standing interest in women's issues you served as the chair of the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality and the chair of the Committee to Combat Women Trafficking and Prostitution We need men and women together to build a society They came to Jerusalem as a Zionist before Israel was established and became part of Jerusalem They built and established a Bukharian neighborhood in Jerusalem it was the big war just before Israel was established knew all the halachic code and all the Torah by heart and later became a parliament member and activist in Israel So I found myself asking questions without finding answers Not because it's women's issue or problems it's because the society needs men and women together And more we have our part and position in Israeli society we will build a better world for all of us.  what are you doing?  How have you become a part of this So I find myself starting as a social activist and at that time I had a 20 years TV show in the Israeli broadcasting and you have to see role models around you Iconic Jewish Women offers readers 59 role models And you were just now talking about role models the book was designed as a bat mitzvah gift for girls celebrating their Jewish coming of age But it's really about discovering one's Jewish identity and Jewish heritage What is particularly compelling to you about that about also the Bat Mitzvah practice in general How come there is not even one public place in Israel named after Golda Meir It's a question of knowledge and position and role models.  And the more I become familiar with the fact that I'm not that familiar with my heritage what really we know about Deborah the Prophet and the girls especially wants to be Esther the queen with a nice dress she became from beauty queen to a leader.  you want me to go to the king without permission And then it was a huge fight between still and old high and she was the one that told him that we should do it She knew that women in the future will need her knowledge So more of you became familiar with the presence that our mothers you can find your only voice in a world that we are living in a very increasing antisemitism and political instability a lack of leadership and growing disconnected from a tradition where a brave soul who took responsibility And I think that that's really a project that you did also in your previous book, Tefillat Nashim you explore Jewish identities through the rich tradition of women's prayers that is often absent from traditional historical or religious consciousness it's a collection of prayers that were written by women nobody believed and felt that Jewish women wrote prayers and they didn't know Hebrew or other languages.  when I find myself as a politician or social activist in a position that I didn't know what to do I thought: what other women did when you can't find answer yourself Actually the most ancient one is from the 13th century written by Paula [dei Mansi] the daughter of Rabbi Abraham [Anau] in Milan she copied the book we are talking about before the printing press time So when I found this prayer in the end of the book named Yehudah de Trani who gave her the thinking that you can add prayer for good days What about our knowledge and level of Hebrew and the permission to write your own personal prayer So a lot of understanding about our position and we are brave people and I suggest that we need to be a little bit modest and bring back knowledge from the past with the tools of our days and continue to tell the story So one of the things that I particularly love about the book is the fact that the reader is asked to actively engage with the content and to add their own stories to a vast historical network of political What advice would you give to young women aspiring to make a difference in the world and I hope in the next book to add much more women or in the technological project that I'm working on to add their voice and to use the tools that they are professional with.  Remind yourself that one of us can make a story in the TikTok The richest Jewish woman in the 16th century She was the one that took control during the Inquisition about her brothers and sister in Spain and Portugal and what is all about her and why we are not that familiar with her Take the opportunity during your Bat Mitzvah or family dinner to share a little bit or to ask people and to open a discussion and bringback Go out of your comfortable area and find and bring back and tell your friends and be ambassadors And another thing I want to mention why I chose these amazing women They were in the right time for and chose to be helpful for the Jewish people and the Israeli society or no one did something to stop the issue or to be there And so you're basically inviting young women to really by engaging also with all of those amazing role models the chronological–using an alphabetical order rather than a chronological order because it really creates a conversation across time periods between Queen Esther the reader is really asked to add their voice to this amazing group of women that they can be a part of that really adds a content and a component of leadership that they can take on into their own life you can also find timeline of iconic Jewish women because we not always remember and now which year and Hebrew years and the area because the book really delves into Jewish identity across continents sewing together different pieces of our history as a people And I would be remiss if I didn't connect the difficult time that we are in as a people since October 7 with the powerful examples of leadership we find in the book What do you think makes the book even more important We’re very upset to find a lot of our colleagues in all over the world I represent the Israeli parliament in the European Council and I worked very hard together with other colleagues in the committee of status of women in the European Committee and the way that nobody believe in what's happening October the seventh and what Hamas did to our brothers and sisters and the situation the aims are laid out in the document of Hamas I think that first we have to put it in a frame that it's not the first time in our history So when you see the story of the Jewish people and it's maybe a sign for us to understand who are we and to remember all the difficult time in Egypt When Pharoh say to the people of Israel that you know should not have boys and they took control about the future of the people of Israel the men didn't want and we know it from all the testimonies and all the understanding or left the women together with the children she was the leader of the soldiers that kidnapped from their basic and Noa And I can share with you a lot of examples of women that lost their children and are going every day to other families and widows to support Hebrew and English are the languages spoken by the two largest Jewish communities in the world So how do you think that a book like this can contribute to strengthening Jewish peoplehood and conversations in the Jewish world to continue the conversation between yourself the family took responsibility to the Jewish education or belonging because when they saw what's happening in the families and later organizations discussion about your amazing organization that’s taking the responsibility and think about new directions or legacy or tools to continue to take knowledge and inspiration from a book like this So in a post October 7 world where Jewish women worldwide have had to make their voices heard even more than usual to denounce the sexual violence that occurred on October 7 the deafening silence of many women's organizations how has that impacted the conversations you're having Could you tell us a little bit about how women have been engaging with you about the book it was not an easy time in between the people of Israel that start the peaceful and to understand that the enemy is out of us the answer is a wake up call for all of us And to start getting serious thinking about the day after how come that our brothers and sisters are still in Gaza So you can blame Israel all the time about that we are not we need to understand that we Jewish people have to work together and to bring back knowledge from the past I love that we end on hope and a better future So I'm going to keep these words as the last ones and with the notion I'm going to add of: Bring Them Home be sure to tune in for my conversation with Nova music festival survivor Daniel Vaknin about the horrific events that unfolded on October 7 2023 and the brave Holocaust survivor who kept him and a handful of others safe and alive that day AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world Gracia Earn Perfect Game Preseason All-America Status1/7/2025 2:59:00 PM | Baseball If we want to prevent the use of illegal fireworks we have to give the city tools to lay down the law arrests and timely court processing of cases that our elected leaders should ask each other: “If you were looking to buy illegal drugs in Hawaiʻi Why would I know how to get something like that?” Like Jennifer Grey opposite Charlie Sheen in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” if most of us clean-cut, law-abiding normies were to go looking for drugs It would be a comedy of errors for us to even try For one, the fact that drugs are illegal is well established, and if you get caught it’s major trouble. Second is a paranoia that a drug enforcement officer who looks like Josh Brolin is probably on stakeout Now ask yourself this next question: “If you were looking to buy illegal aerial fireworks in Hawaiʻi But how is this possible? We know they’re illegal. We know shipments are being intercepted and confiscated by the government. And we might even know if you get caught, it’s a Class C felony according to House Revised Statute 132D-14 events like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July find hundreds maybe even thousands of local residents buying and launching illegal aerial fireworks without fear.  because we don’t want to create a precedent that allows countries to claim Domestic law operates on a similar principle. If no one obeys the law and if no one consistently enforces the law, it is of no effect. (Those of you who want to study this concept further can read about the philosopher Socrates and whether or not he had the right to selectively obey the laws of Athens.) In short people must know it is reasonable and be willing to comply and those who do not obey the law must face some kind of consequence for noncompliance The public has been sailing an aircraft carrier’s worth of disobedience to the fireworks laws ever since they’ve been on the books that suggests that the public doesn’t think very highly of the law One could argue that the nonstop disobedience is like our version of “The Purge” movies during which locals tolerate everything else in Hawaiʻi but insist on having a day to cast off restraint and vent frustration.  The aerial fireworks launched in Waipahu and Ewa Beach toward the end of the Covid-19 pandemic definitely felt malevolent against the government But I personally think the real reason this isn’t working is the government just hasn’t made the case that aerial fireworks are dangerous and we have a unique situation that requires us to prohibit these pyrotechnic devices Perhaps we need to go back to the beginning and run a series of fire safety messages. Firefighters are the most trusted people in America so maybe the mayors should saturate social media TV and radio with “Take This Seriously” ads from firefighters explaining why aerial fireworks are dangerous has a population that is densely packed into multigenerational homes built close to one another There is also a significant amount of dry brush All it takes is for aerial fireworks to malfunction or their ballistic trajectory to be blown to the wrong place and you could have a dangerous fire There’s also the fact that most people think they know what they’re doing Fireworks are actually very simple devices that are a lot easier to ignite or explode than one might realize A law that no one respects is no law at all Example: When I was 15, I was a member of my high school’s Estes model rocket launching club and I considered myself an ace because I routinely built rockets that broke all the club’s records my friend Josh lit up a cigarette and started smoking while I was preparing a set of C-rocket engines.  a single ember blew downwind to me and ignited the engines flash-burning the outer layer of skin on the palm of my right hand The lesson I learned that day was that rockets were more dangerous than I thought If the public knew how dangerous aerial fireworks can be and heard from those who fight the fires started by them those who treat the victims injured by them and possibly even the victims themselves maybe they won’t have such an “I will not comply” knee-jerk reflex to the law Most people probably won’t or can’t turn in their neighbors who are in noncompliance with the aerial fireworks ban. I get it. We also don’t have enough officers to dedicate to fireworks enforcement while still watching for other crimes so maybe we could start with a pilot project Honolulu could start with neighborhoods that are known to have a high frequency of illegal aerial launches and have city officials photograph incidents and the individuals launching them. In much the same way that some cities with water restrictions publish the names of people who waste water those who violate HRS 132D-14 could be made public this will definitely upset a lot of people but it will quickly pop the bubble that you can use illegal fireworks with impunity in Honolulu we have to give the city the tools to lay down the law That means more funding specifically allocated to education/countermarketing you have to show the public that you’re treating the law as something to be enforced a law that no one respects is no law at all We also should give citizens alternative activities on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July People want to have fun and we should recognize that Alternative events could be a win for tourism as well “fun” shouldn’t imperil your life and your neighbors Vicious statements and gimmicky stunts have become normalized Here’s a wild fact you might not have heard before: In December 1963 a Soviet natural gas field in what is now Urtabulak was being drilled when an unexpected malfunction resulted in a spectacular blowout explosion and an uncontrollable fire Having accidentally created the equivalent of a giant gas burner that wouldn’t stop the Soviets were horrified that more than 12 million cubic meters of natural gas were being burned per day frying all animal life that came near to the towering pillar of flame it produced After three years of repeated failures to stop the fire the Soviets came up with a desperate solution to detonate a 30-kiloton nuclear bomb — twice the power of the Hiroshima bomb — in a nearby well Extinguish the fire with a bigger thermonuclear fire one hot enough to melt or pinch the underground gas fissures shut the Soviets detonated the nuke and succeeded in suffocating the fire The thought of a “nuclear warhead fire extinguisher” seems absurd because it sounds like the logical equivalent of solving a problem with an even bigger problem we seem to have reached a similar point in local and national politics where we “fix” crazy with crazier In 2010, Council on Foreign Relations vice president Kay King warned that “lawmakers quickly learned that public posturing and demagoguery received television coverage at the expense of thoughtful debate and compromise the relentless presence of the electronic media makes deliberation obsolete … The Internet has also tended to encourage incivility enabling rantings and misinformation to spread without the benefit of an editor … inaccurate information is virtually impossible to correct and is repeated as gospel by those who do and do not know better.” with its algorithms optimized for controversy with its need to draw human moths to a fire for advertisers has given rise to what’s been called an “attention economy” where it doesn’t really matter what one says anymore it just matters whether it’s a bigger public relations nuke than the one before it to rise to the publicity launch pad, because only persons with narcissistic tendencies and lack of human empathy can sleep at night setting fire to the world just for the sake of being visible It’s actually not about being ultra-MAGA or ultra-progressive it’s about “today I will intentionally do something to force you to look at or engage me.” Narcissists do not necessarily fear shame or criticism they have a disordered way of thinking that simply requires a supply of attention and one common strategy for attention-getting is crazy-making behavior but as someone who has multiple family members who exhibit narcissistic tendencies I will tell you that this empowers people like Musk to do even more outrageous activities By the time that Trump even thinks to discard him Musk will probably have disrupted so much of America that you won’t even recognize the wasteland that such a petty pyrrhic victory left in its wake We’re seeing similar trends emerge in Hawaiʻi with legislators behaving crudely and then spin-cycling rage over their behavior to recruit more followers to their cause because that is exactly what these people want then doubles down on his criticism of said official Some of our elected officials are acting like spoiled brats showing themselves to be attention economy mavens the more you report on the petty things they do the more they’ll spin cycle that into social media self-amplification to claim they’re victims (or crusaders) Gosh, I miss the late Sen. Sam Slom he threw “no” votes as wrenches into bills everyone else voted “yes” on He often poked fun of his Democratic colleagues but yet he never made fun of a colleague in public that wasn’t privately his good friend.  A friend of mine testified at several Senate hearings and told me that she was shocked that many of the members seemed to be unaware of key developments in the news I only half-sarcastically suggested to her “Of course they haven’t seen the news unless a state senator’s name is mentioned in it they ain’t watching or reading it!” So how do we beat this attention economy? Like rock star Alice Cooper benefitting from negative publicity over a chicken incident that may or may not have happened It’s not good that we’re always upset at each other creating scenes like hundreds of pissed-off liberals sign-waving on Beretania Street and a couple dozen pissed-off conservatives on the opposite holding “F*ck your feelings loser!” counter-signs Some of you may enjoy that adult Halloween costume party rage theater but it’s only fueling an attention economy that does us no good First, we need to refuse to platform uncivil statements and individuals, no matter who they are. There are people who know what buttons to push to make you mad, who seek to inflict trauma it’s providing a launch platform to fire attention nukes Then you should demand your faction be the most kind Beat adversaries by being so above reproach that your critics end up looking like thugs you should rebuke your faction and hold your thought leaders to a higher standard of quality than your rivals all of us can be potentially drawn to the fire of the attention economy but a balanced education and worldview can insulate you against its throes Unproductive content is not “news.” It’s poison for your mind or who crave attention need to provoke a reaction from you Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor Four of seven seats on the Napa Valley school board were up for grabs this election Each was contested between the incumbent and a challenger Vallejo middle school teacher John Henry Martin has ousted incumbent David Gracia in a decisive victory for the Area 5 seat on the Napa Valley Unified School Board With 72% of the total potential vote counted as of Monday while Gracia received 41.5% for the district that encompasses central Napa “It’s an honor that my community has placed the education of our children in my hands,” Martin told The Press Democrat on Monday “I have a sacred duty to ensure the minds of children in Napa Valley are tended as carefully as we tend our grapes.” He said he looks forward to building a collaborative relationship with Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti and the school board regardless of the Mayacamas charter school controversy an attorney by profession and a graduate of Napa’s Vintage High School congratulated Martin in a statement Tuesday “I know firsthand the dedication and countless hours required to serve our students and families effectively and I commend him for stepping up to meet these demands,” he said He will remain committed to issues facing the school district and will support the cause as a citizen and parent Four of seven seats on the Napa Valley Unified School District board were up for grabs this election pointing to the polarized sentiment toward the school district in the recent past Martin is the only one of the four challengers to have secured his spot on the board Martin had said he was motivated to run for school board this year due to his dissatisfaction with the district’s handling of the Mayacamas charter school issue The school has been opposed by the school district over legal and fiscal concerns since 2021 and is currently embroiled in two lawsuits and at the center of a conflict between Napa Valley Unified and Napa County Office of Education the Mayacamas Countywide Middle School opened in August under county oversight He felt the district’s decision to sue the county office of education was “very adversarial” and was concerned by the use of public funds for the same A major goal for him was to repair the relationship between the board and the community in the aftermath of the Mayacamas controversy and school closures Gracia was first elected to the school board in 2018 He also presently serves on the board of directors for the California School Boards Association You can reach Tarini Mehta at 707-521-5337 or tarini.mehta@pressdemocrat.com KRIS 6 asked all the candidates the same 12 questions These are the answers that we got back from Jennifer Gracia - Fiscal responsibility- Streets- Water Sustainability The city budget has been a topic of concern this summer I would follow the receipts to make sure the money is going to where it needs to be.________________________ The Coastal Bend is home to several military installations What kind of role do you see Corpus Christi playing in the next 10 years I respect and always honor our military installations The refineries and industry...how much time do we have I would like to see a communication between Corpus Christi Plans to build a desalination plant to serve Corpus Christi residents have been discussed for years What additional water sources do you support and how long would it take to get them operational I was here when Mary Rhodes was a council woman and mayor she was an inspiration so I support an improvement to the Mary Rhodes Pipeline The improvements and maintenance would cost less than a desalination plant Pro Desal-ers are like the "Richie Aprile" of the Sopranos the Corpus Christi City Council voted to give City Manager Peter Zanoni a 10-percent pay raise That increased his yearly salary from $372,000 to $409,200 If you were on the council at the time of the vote did you vote for or against the raise and why If you were not on the council but had the opportunity to vote on giving Zanoni a raise I am not opposed to a raise however a 10 percent raise...you must think that one over again Is Corpus Christi receiving a healthy ROI with this raise There are several streets in need of repairs What neighborhood streets do you think are in most need In no particular order:- Angel Drive by IWA needs repair- McBride Lane in front of the HEB plant needs repair- North Beach area needs a touch up- The area around the new VA clinic also needs to be looked at Our viewers say the stray dog population is a problem in the city’s westside and northside Some animal advocates say our city animal shelter is overpopulated and would like it to become a “no kill” shelter I need to listen to those involved and together we will come up with solutions to solve our issues How would you encourage our local police department to be more transparent While I believe in the power of transparency There are lives involved with these cases and I am concerned with retaliation and any tampering of evidence Community events like Art Walk and Farmers Market have become popular over the last three years What methods would you use to boost local businesses and with it Tell the gatekeepers to stop being gatekeepers The monthly Art Walk in Corpus Christi has become hugely popular over the last few months what would you do to bring family friendly events like this to our city I would go back and research what happened to Bayfest and do the opposite of what happened Patrick’s Day Festival draw thousands of people to downtown Corpus Christi but many attendees say there isn’t enough parking It is not only parking but accessible parking for persons with disabilities We need to address these issues in the planning stages of these events I hope to widen communication with local transportation authorities and create partnerships with those who own the surrounding parking lots Four seats on the board of the Napa Valley Unified School District are contested this election With four seats open on the Napa Valley Unified School District board, each contested between an incumbent and a challenger, the question for Napa voters this election is simple: do you want change or stability The board elected this November will face several ongoing challenges as well as opportunities to build on past accomplishments and addressing the Mayacamas charter school conflict and its lasting divisions Gracia will vie against teacher John Henry Martin David T. Gracia, who serves as the Napa Valley school district trustee for Area 5 His two children are currently students at Vintage High he chose to run for school board after months of attending board meetings calling district officials and constantly following up to get the broken septic system at his son’s elementary school fixed they didn’t know what they were doing,” he said “and I decided to run for school board so I could help.” His initial few years on the board were spent fortifying the district’s finances to avoid bankruptcy and establishing distance learning during the pandemic Now, with those crises managed and with the district at a “basic level of competence,” his focus is on improving test scores and ramping up career readiness programs, in line with the district’s Vision 2040 plan that he helped create Gracia is also on the board of directors for the California School Boards Association On the issue of the Mayacamas charter school he is of the opinion that the school board’s decision to pursue litigation was the right move Currently embroiled in two court cases and at the center of a conflict between Napa Valley Unified and the Napa County Office of Education Mayacamas Countywide Middle School opened this August and is under county oversight Running against Gracia is John Henry Martin who has lived in Napa for the last 17 years and currently teaches middleschoolers in Vallejo His motivation to run for school board this year was rooted in the Mayacamas controversy “When the district sued the Napa County Office of Education over Mayacamas I thought that was a very adversarial thing to do,” he said “Parents were just trying to participate in their kids’ education and I felt the board should’ve been more accommodating and less punitive.” In his official candidate statement he wrote he was concerned by “the way the board was using public funds” to pursue litigation over this issue he said he wants to work to repair the relationship between the board and the community in the aftermath of the Mayacamas controversy and school closures “I respect Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti’s work in balancing the district budget But she did it with a sledgehammer and not a scalpel and it created so much division in the community,” he said It’s really important that the school board respects what parents want – and Mucetti doesn’t have a reputation for doing that.” he said his priorities will be to work on implementing the district’s new strategic plan and upgrading facilities without burdening taxpayers too much “I’m excited about taking an active part in a community I’ve grown to love,” he said “and using my expertise and experience to give back to this absolutely wonderful He said he believes his unique position as a working teacher who’s running for school board gives him first-hand knowledge of what it means to deliver high quality education with limited resources Since he teaches in Vallejo and lives in Napa he is an eligible candidate for the school board Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required Xavi Gracia is the leader of the cybersecurity practice at Deloitte Spain His role is to accompany clients in their transformation process helping them to solve their most complex cybersecurity challenges He leads a team of more than 1,500 professionals as well as the evolution and innovation of services and capabilities He has developed his career in different sectors and has been key to the success of Deloitte Spain's most relevant and strategic clients as well as global clients understanding their cyber approach and their transformational challenges Xavi is also Lead service client partner for one of the strategic clients in the Energy sector Xavi is part of the Firm's Global Cybersecurity Executive Committee Xavi is a telecommunications engineer (UPC) a master's degree holder in information technology management (Salle URL) and a graduate of the IESE Business School Duke baseball fans still have another full season with star outfielder AJ Gracia but MLB scouts already see potential in the Blue Devils sophomore Baseball America released its updated collegiate prospect rankings for the 2026 draft class earlier this month and Gracia slotted in as the fourth-ranked talent on the board Gracia exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2024 He played a crucial part in Duke's ACC Tournament title and he finished as a member of the All-ACC Third Team and All-ACC Freshman Team The Blue Devils have gotten off to a somewhat clunky start in 2025 but Duke has rebounded to 10-6 after a series victory over California to open conference play but two of his eight hits have ended up over the fence and he's batted in 10 runs and he's crossed home plate himself 13 times Alabama Crimson Tide star Justin Lebron sits atop the rankings, one place above Missouri State outfielder Caden Bogenpohl. Florida Gators pitcher Liam Peterson is the only other prospect above Gracia Gracia added three short Dynamic Gaussian Splats on PC VR - moving volumetric captured scenes that you can try now Simple stereoscopic 3D photos and videos like Apple's spatial video only offer limited parallax of a view of a scene presented in a rectangle in front of you, and immersive 180° or 360° content like Apple Immersive Video does the same in a hemisphere or sphere But the holy grail of captured immersive content is truly volumetric scenes that you can actually move your head or even walk through - essentially photorealistic VR captured from the real world instead of created by 3D artists in modeling software Gracia is possible thanks to Gaussian splatting, a relatively new technique for rendering 3D volumes by representing the scene as a collection of overlapping 3D Gaussian functions The company claims their specific Gaussian splatting rendering implementation is faster than "any other technology on the market" which is how its stills can run on Quest 3 standalone without a PC - albeit at a noticeably lower resolution The volumetric clips are called Spinning Dancer (29 seconds) You can move around them with a thumbstick or just walk around your room with your body - they're truly volumetric scenes Don't expect to see live events volumetrically streamed using this technology any time soon Gracia says these clips were captured using expensive 3D scanning studio rigs and took six minutes to train a single frame That equates to weeks of total AWS compute time per minute and though it can be parallelized to take less time in reality the download size of these clips equates to over 300 megabytes per second That means streaming this kind of content would theoretically take a 2.4 gigabit internet connection But Gracia expects its compression to improve by at least an order of magnitude within a year making it possible on modern fast internet connections It's also exploring using cloud VR streaming Gracia says this is mostly to save AWS storage bandwidth and they're currently "rethinking" this approach those minutes were absolutely worth the wait Gracia's moving volumetric clips are a tantalizing glimpse of the future of media and entertainment and if you have a gaming PC and a VR headset Gracia is available for free on Steam and should work with any headset that supports SteamVR Gracia stills are available standalone on Quest 3 and 3S and the startup says it plans to bring moving scenes to standalone too eventually Get a weekly summary of the most important VR and AR news Check your inbox to confirm!(it might also be in your spam folder) Unlock the full potential of UploadVR and support our independent journalism with an ad-free experience by becoming a Member Sign up to get a weekly summary of the most important VR and AR news Johnson Add Baseball America Freshman All-America Honors7/8/2024 2:09:00 PM | Baseball