Aloha and welcome to Ehana Kako. We're here every week on the Think Tank Hawaii broadcast network. I'm Kili Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute. Now we are in the western most point of the United States as a think tank that does research on problems facing the economy and government and comes up with solutions. Well I'm so pleased to say that today we're going to be talking with the think tank that is on the eastern most point of the United States and that is from Puerto Rico. Live today we have the founder of a brand new economic policy and government transparency think tank called the Center for Integrity and Public Policy in Puerto Rico. Now what do Puerto Rico and Hawaii have in common? A lot because much of the situation in our economy is impacted by many of the similar problems, similar situations. One for example is that we're both islands and another is that there is a federal law called the Jones Act that has had tremendous impact on our own economy so we're going to talk a little bit about that as well as government transparency but please welcome to the program today Alvin Quinones who is the founder and president of the CIPP Center for Integrity and Public Policy in San Juan Puerto Rico and that's where you are Alvin San Juan right welcome to the program. Thank you for having me yes I'm here in San Juan very similar tropical climates. Indeed and when I say aloha to you what is the greeting from Puerto Rico? Bienvenido. Oh very good well the same to you Alvin. Alvin you're in business today and you've got a growing and booming career with several of your colleagues and friends what is it that you have now created in Puerto Rico and why did you do so? Yes so we started the CIPP as we call it here a few years ago primarily because we noticed a lack of interesting policy solutions much of the political discourse revolved around federal aid as solutions to the islands problems and we were interested in different solutions how can we empower communities and individuals to find the solutions for themselves and initially we noticed that there was a lack of data to even begin to analyze the problems that we faced and so we started what today is known as open Puerto Rico or abrigo Puerto Rico it's our open data transparency portal. Well that's a very interesting thing because in Hawaii we have the same situation we want to see policy change so we've started a think tank called the Grassroot Institute and it begins with research and we happen to have a portal for transparency and information called open Hawaii so it looks like we're on the same track we both recognize the importance of good research behind policy but you've got a major challenge in Puerto Rico that we've been reading about in the United States over the last year and a half and that is what sometimes is called the bankruptcy of your basic economy can you tell us very concisely what's actually gone on with the Puerto Rican economy? Yes so we've seen a lot of challenges primarily a escape of a lot of Puerto Ricans to the US mainland for looking for greater opportunities which reduces the capacity for the economy to grow most of those people who leave are in their productive years probably have a job already on the island they just feel that there's greater opportunity for them outside and on top of that the government has had to implement a lot of austerity measures so the economy here was primarily fueled by government spending and so as the government contracts Puerto Ricans to leave the economy has to contract as well so there's that double-edged sword of the government funding having the government play such a significant role in the economy the bottom falls out actually when the government is not able to continue putting funding in you mentioned something interesting at the very beginning and that is that one of the situations in Puerto Rico is that people seem to have that they do have the habit of looking to the federal government for money that's a big thing in Hawaii a great deal of our economy is fueled by subsidies from the federal government tell us a little bit about that and how that experience has helped or hurt Puerto Rico yeah I think you know it provides a short-term solution to problems right we have the 936 laws which were incentivized certain factories coming here particularly the pharmaceuticals to get back to those back in the lines and that created a certain sense of prosperity we also have a lot of the subsidies from federal education and health care and so that again tends to create this false sense of buoyancy but as you pointed out when the money starts to dry up those incentives created a sense of which the economy locally didn't really have to be competitive we didn't have to provide any other types of complementary services and people locally didn't develop the skills to really keep those types of enterprises going on our own very you know just really help with a long-term solution so would you say that you've seen that a very big role on the part of the federal government has created a sense of dependency indeed codependency so that it's actually stunted the growth of industries within Puerto Rico over the past several decades that's absolutely true that's correct and then we continue to look to the federal government to solve our problems so even now as we're facing these new fiscal challenges we continue to discuss about new incentives and new federal giveaways how to increase federal funding for our health care system and it's constantly looking to the federal government to cover over the gaps in our own economy well it's clear that you don't think that a federal bailout of Puerto Rico's economy is the ultimate long-term solution what is the solution how would you as a think tank advise government to rebuild the economy of Puerto Rico it's a great question there and I think what we really have to look at is how to create Puerto Rico as a competitive location for businesses on its own merits so what do we do to really provide a quality education here in Puerto Rico we are at the juncture of two cultures similar to Hawaii you know Pacific and Asian culture as well as American here in Puerto Rico we bridge Latin American and American cultures yet we don't take advantage enough of a bilingual opportunities to really expand markets we are labor market laws are very rigid and have a lot of it's ability so you start to create a lot of pressures in which you're not building up your human capital and your stifling businesses from taking advantage of the human capital you do have right there are two very low-paying fruit that you could do you talked about competition and economic market expansion these are qualities that are present in a free market one that is freer at least than one highly controlled by government do you see Puerto Rico as a place where free market concepts will be able to work I do you see that today with people's hunger for a different way in politics people are tired of the same old stories similar to what you're seeing in the United States they are looking for changes many Puerto Ricans are going to places like Florida and Texas which pride themselves of being areas that encourage growth encourage job creation don't try to stifle entrepreneurs and I think they see the success of those types of policies and want to see those here at all I think what we're seeing is that money walks and it's with the feet that people show their votes and what they really prefer and they're going to where they can find economic opportunity which is what you want Puerto Rico really to offer them you know in Hawaii we're experiencing the same thing whether we call it the brain drain or anything else it's an exodus of the greatest talent from our state simply because some of our recent college graduates won't be able to afford a mortgage on a home for decades if they stay in Hawaii or the kinds of career opportunities tell us a little bit about that brain drain of the younger generation in Puerto Rico well you know that's a you know same issue here a similar slightly different in them our housing costs actually quite affordable fortunately but if you don't have a job to afford the home it's not very useful right and so we see a lot of people leaving for Washington DC especially I think they see an opportunities in federal government and federal law specifically seeing how that's impacted Puerto Rico I think they see that the need is to change state policy at the federal level rather than reclaiming our own empowerment as in our own self-determination in that regard of economic development you talk yes you talk about empowerment and self-determination in terms of economic development and in reality both Hawaii and Puerto Rico are ranked fairly low in regional and global measures of economic freedom so we face a common problem and that is something that suppresses economic freedom vestiges of a protectionism that started many many generations ago economic protectionism and I know that you're very familiar with a venerable form of protectionism called the Jones Act based upon some laws in 1920 tell us a bit about what that Jones Act is so the Jones Act requires that any shipping that comes to Puerto Rico Hawaii or Alaska or any US territory either be under the flag of a US ship or depart from a US port so it increases the cost for delivery of all sorts of goods and both of us being islands we have to have a lot delivered to us I think in Puerto Rico we import about 80% of our food stuffs not including many other consumer goods and so it creates an artificial tax on all goods that are here and I know you all in Kauai suffer that greatly with just the cost of milking gasoline and most other things. Right as you mentioned the Jones Act has to do with shipping and it's been around since the 1920s it was designed to protect the shipping industry by removing competition but in the process it actually has created a disincentive for the shipping industry to actually grow and as a result we have such a scarcity of ships the costs of them are so high but the Jones Act says we have to buy them from the United States whenever we're doing cargo transport between two American ports which includes Puerto Rico. Let me ask you how the experience has been of telling Washington DC that this federal law is oppressive to the economy of Puerto Rico? Well I think similarly to why right I don't think we punch below our weight if you will Puerto Rico is if we were a state we'd be about 21st I think in terms of size but we still have very little influence in telling our story and when you look at the unions and the other vested interests that benefit from the Jones Act you know there's very little reason for Washington to hear us out. So the maritime union that funds candidates who support the Jones Act is very very powerful in Washington DC and so it's very difficult to get a hearing. Have your political leaders I know your representatives in DC and the governor of Puerto Rico have all appealed to Washington DC for some reprieve have they given up or have they become frustrated do they feel they have an action plan that could make a difference? An action plan I'm not sure about but given up they have not so it's definitely an item we bring up often as you know we are recently there was the promessa bill that was put in place to resolve the situation of the islands debts and we hope there might be some Jones Act alleviation in that process so people continue to labor and struggle for some alleviation of what that the impact is there but it's interesting because of one of the few issues that across the political parties here in Puerto Rico there's resounding support to see some action around the Jones Act. You know and that's something that actually benefits the rest of the nation while not all regions realize this the Jones Act has an impact down the line on every state's economy in the United States to some extent yeah it's definitely apparent in states like Hawaii or California where we have coastline and and deal with shipping directly but it also affects everything that is shipped to the coasts and then travels by train or bus or or truck to another destination so there's a residual effect on every single industry and every state of the United States and yet there's very little attention so I want to commend what many Puerto Ricans are doing they're they're raising the level of attention they're saying this has been part of the cause of the demise of our economy and we need some kind of relief from it so we're going to be working with you and as you know you you've recently become part of a network of think tanks we'll talk about that at the beginning of the next segment and in that network we're going to be working together my guest today is Alvin Quiñones who is the founder of a think tank in Puerto Rico committed to government transparency and to improving the economy when we come back we'll talk with him a little bit more about governments that are open and transparent I'm Kili Akina on Think Tech Hawaii's Ehana Kako, Don't Go Away. Hi I'm Stacey Hayashi and you can catch me on Mondays at 11 on Think Tech Hawaii. Stacey to the rescue see you then. Welcome to Asia in the wheel looking forward to see you next month on October 13th Thursday at 11 o'clock. Aloha everyone I hope you've been watching Think Tech Hawaii but I'm here to invite you to watch me on Viva Hawaii every Monday at 3 p.m. I'm waiting for you mahalo. Aloha my name is John Wahee and I actually have a small part to do with what's happening today served actually in public office but if you don't already know that here's a chance to learn more about what's happening in our state by joining me for a talk story with John Wahee every other Monday thank you and I look forward to your seeing us in the future. Welcome back to Ehana Kako we're here every week on Monday at 2 p.m. Hawaii time but our show is broadcast all throughout the world on live internet as well as available on the Think Tech Hawaii website ThinkTechHawaii.com and you can also see our programs on grassrootsinstitute.org that's grassrootsinstitute.org well before we resume our program I do want to say thanks to the wonderful staff and crew here at Think Tech Hawaii who produce about 35 hours of original content every week that is sent all across the world we talk about the economy we talk about government we talk about the arts we talk about virtually everything that affects human life science religion public policy it's a very fascinating way to get an education of what's going on in Hawaii and the world. We're talking today with the founder of a new think tank in Puerto Rico called the Center for Integrity and Public Policy Alvin Quinones and Alvin and his board of directors and the team that have put the think tank together have been welcomed with open arms to a national network of think tanks in each of the 50 states there is a designated think tank that fights for the policies of individual liberty free markets and limited accountable government they're not partisan democrats republicans libertarians and others participate in them and they're not funded by the government or the military or by political parties so they can say anything they want and nobody loses their job as a result of it they're truly independent think tanks and so as we return to Alvin I want to say congratulations Alvin to you and to Center for Integrity and Public Policy for being Puerto Rico's first and only think tank as part of the state policy network congratulations thank you I appreciate that now what are the resources that that being part of SPN brings to Puerto Rico and its government and people I think you know what it brings is the ability for us to have a greater voice and really project these types of ideas into the political discourse that there's been a vacuum for here in Puerto Rico the levers have been pushed mightily on the side of more government involvement and SPN is giving us this support in both thinking through strategically and also tactically and how we can push the lever on the other side and create some balance and discourse here and there's a fundamental principle that needs to be practiced that SPN promotes and it's called federalism it isn't what people may think the growth of the federal branch it's quite the opposite it's the the concept that powers should not go from the state to the federal government powers should go back to the states and territories where it's closest to home and where you have a form of home rule because the people there who are paying the taxes there who live there who have to make the economy work there are the ones who should be the most important voice how do you see that panning out in in Puerto Rico we see unfortunate I think a lot of people here see the federal government as their savior so it's challenging to create that sense of how to break that linkage and really create an understanding what federalism means and oftentimes we look at statehood for Puerto Rico as an opportunity to have greater federal dollars if we were instead to see that as an opportunity to maybe release ourselves from certain federal obligations and really express our economic identity on our own as many other states have had it such as Texas, Florida and as you all are trying to do in Hawaii we'd see much better opportunity. You know one of the things we've tried to do here in Hawaii in order to enhance the opportunity for good public policy to to be heard and talked about is provide information that people need we could call this the democrat of information because one of the ways governments stay out of the light of accountability is to withhold data from people or to make it too difficult for people including journalists and the general public to get a hold of so one of the projects that we have here and operate is a website called Open Hawaii and we post a lot of stuff that the government doesn't make available readily sometimes we actually have to sue the government in order to get information that belongs to the public and an amazing thing happens when we post that information for example with one rogue agency here in Hawaii we got a hold of their checkbook and just posted the check register the public was able to walk through thousands of checks and identify irregularities and fraud and waste and abuse and there have been so many news articles that have been generated by that and action has been taken and in one case the major Supreme Court case benefited from the information that was available there and so as I turn to you I know that you're starting some similar programs in Puerto Rico tell us first a little bit about the climate in Puerto Rico in the government in terms of openness and transparency to the people well first let me commend you and your group for what you're doing in Hawaii that's great work we haven't had those kinds of successes yet we're doing a lot of the government here obviously speaks that the information is public and you there's laws about that but being public and making it public are very different and so there's a lot of scoops that one has to jump through and so we're trying to break through those procedural barriers one of the big things we released was the audited financial statements of municipalities here on the island interestingly enough after we digitized and put on our website about five years of financial statements the agency responsible for that soon launched a website of their own putting the financial statements on the web so it was almost like they already had it they just weren't able to do it themselves until we open the web we've also done a lot on how all the mayors in Puerto Rico are managing their municipal finances and whether or not they're being responsible stewards of the public's dollar and it's interesting how often they were to say well we are private entities so we don't have to be that responsible was almost their response to us and really it's our money and so they should be that responsible so we've seen a lot of challenges where people try to push back on the light of day we're bringing but we've also seen the public be incredibly supportive and it's earned us a lot of credibility so I think we're on the right track the good thing about doing transparency work is that it benefits everyone and it doesn't carry with it a political branding you're not doing this for republicans or democrats or for any of the local parties in Puerto Rico so you mentioned that there's public support of this do you think that you have been impacting the public's own confidence and being able to access the government and hold it accountable are you getting feedback that says you're doing what needs to be done and it's bringing the public along that they're encouraged by it I think so one of the projects we do around transparency is trying to identify pay-to-play so we actually published local political campaign financial donations and that's actually created some news around whether or not individuals who have been high dollar donors have received government contracts I think that's a lot of people lay people have been using that data and trying to identify patterns in it in as well as the media and we hear a lot of in the newspapers a lot of people saying that they want greater transparency and there's other groups that have joined the call for government transparency on the island so I think it's been successful well you know that's very interesting and I commend you for that you you said basically that you just put the data out there pay-to-play in other words here's the government official and here are the contributions that went to that government official from these businesses just put two and two together and you figure it out I mean is this a politicized kind of website where you target particular candidates or you just put the data out and because of the data is available people naturally follow their curiosity their instincts and use it the latter definitely we try not to be political we're not interested in the politics and you know the horse racing we want you know responsible government from whoever wants to give that to us whichever party here in Puerto Rico and we want people to really just be able to connect themselves if the governor of Puerto Rico came to your think tank and I'm confident someday they will and said you know we want some impartial non-partisan advice on how to build our economy how to have a more transparent government what would be one of the first thing that you might tell him or her as to what Puerto Rico needs to do in order to move in the direction of these free market and democratic principles well you know one area for sure is how to increase the flexibility in the labor market we have a number of laws including those that you know require certain types of severance packages to get a job you need a doctor's note even if you're not working in healthcare or food handling which is cost you about 30 to $35 to get so if you're a low-income person trying to find a job you have to find $30 to pay for a doctor to get a doctor's note to get a job and on top of that there's laws that challenge and make difficult for a lot of organizations to set up here in Puerto Rico there's laws that require certain residency requirements that and we look at a more globalized economy might cost other companies to take pause and say well you know do we want to jump into the legal hoops permitting is an area that's really a challenge on the island in terms of having to go through so many different agencies to open up your storefront so those are just areas right there where I think there are comments and solutions where anybody could say that we're really not creating the environment conducive for job growth beyond other things around education and how we can liberate parents to make smarter decisions for their kids and really empower and trust them to make to know what their child needs and create new opportunities that way as well. Well all these items that you mentioned over regulation permitting difficulties labor market regulation challenges with an educational system you could be talking from Hawaii as well and we're looking at Puerto Rico as a laboratory of what does work and what doesn't work and we certainly want in our own economy to avoid the kind of impact federal funding and the pulling of federal funding has had in Puerto Rico so we hope that we can help our economies find other means of shoring themselves up. In closing would you just share with our viewers a vision you have for the future of Puerto Rico just very briefly really the reason you brought the Center for Integrity and Public Policy together. Yeah my vision for Puerto Rico is one in which people can prosper create opportunities be entrepreneurial grow and actually be able to live here and thrive rather than need to look to either the federal government or to leave their homes to find the life that's dignified and fulfilled. Well that's a noble ambition and I'm so glad the Center for Integrity and Public Policy exists in Puerto Rico I'm confident that you will thrive and I look forward to a growing relationship that we will have with each other at the grassroots Institute of Hawaii especially as we tackle problems such as the Jones Act. Alvin thank you very much for being with us today. Thank you very much I'm looking forward to our collaboration. My guest today is Alvin Kenyone's president and founder of the Center for Integrity and Public Policy in San Juan Puerto Rico and as you see the world is not all that big we have similar problems with other regions across the planet and when we collaborate with each other and look at good research and apply it to public policy we can find solutions. I'm Kaleigh Akina with the Grassroot Institute until next week on Ehana Kako saying goodbye from the ThinkTek Hawaii Broadcast Network. Aloha.


I remember being inside the gun hospital. I raced the sheets up and looked. This is when it dawned to me that I had no legs, that I had lost them. And this feeling of, what am I going to do? It just scared me. My name is Armando Albarón. I'm a Vietnam veteran. I joined the service back in 1966. I got drafted right out of high school. The way I got hurt was we were going through the jungles and all of a sudden we heard explosions. And that's when I got hit. I think the moment that I believed that things were going to work out for me was when I started school. When I got the bachelor's degree I really said, man I did it. Now I can go forward and try to find jobs. I knew it was going to be a challenge. DAV was the one that told me exactly what they could do for me. When I got out, they put in the application, sent it in and I got my disability. Right after that DAV helped me get my home, get my automobile and they also helped me with my medical. They assessed me with prosthetics. If it wasn't for DAV I wouldn't have had anything. I am a veteran. My victory was getting my benefits and a good education.


J-E-L-L-O! The Jello Program starring Jack Finney with Mary Livingston, Phil Harris, Kenny Baker and yours truly, Don Wilson. The orchestra opens the program with Rainbow Round the Moon. Music This is the time of the year when it's fun to get the fireplace going, set up a card table and have Sunday night supper by the fire. And here's a simple attractive menu. Toasted sandwiches with hot coffee and a delicious Jello salad. You can make your salad ahead of time and serve it when you're ready. And there are dozens to choose from. Shimmering lemon Jello generously filled with diced chicken. Refreshing orange Jello combined with crisp carrots and celery. Attempting green mold of lime Jello with sliced canned pineapple inside. Whatever Jello salad you choose will be a hit for the family for Jello combined perfectly with fruits or vegetables, chicken or seafood. And gives you grand looking, grand tasting salads. Just be sure to get genuine Jello when you buy for Jello brings you that wonderful extra rich fruit flavor that can't be topped for salads or desserts. So look for the big red letters on the box. They spell Jello. Harrison is orchestra. Now ladies and gentlemen, tonight we take you to Jack Benny's new home in Beverly Hills where he's throwing a Halloween party for his whole gang. Take it away, Beverly! Rochester, will you hurry up with those sandwiches? They'll all be here in a minute. And stop that crooning, will you? You're no Bing Crosby, you know. That's right, he's fairer than I am. Yes, slightly. And look, Rochester, look how thick you're cutting those sandwiches. I'm no millionaire either. Now slice that roast beef a little thinner. I'm using a razor now. Well sharpen it. Goodness, you think I was expecting a crowd of starving Armenians? Well, I don't think you've got enough to eat here, boss. Rochester, there's plenty of food for everybody. Nobody's going to go hungry at my party tonight. Just the same, I could make a lot of money bootlegging hot dogs. Oh, you could. Now, Rochester, you know perfectly well that I always have to give me that. This is the only house in the neighborhood where the mice are picket in the pantry. That's just a lie. On this morning, using my rowing machine. Gee, I'm glad you got here early. You can help me get things ready. Okay, but you better be careful, Jack. All the kids in the neighborhood are out tonight and they're raising the dickens. Well, naturally, Mary, after all, it's Halloween, you know.  They tore your big sign down. What sign? You know, the one that says, uh, Jack Finney's residence, admission, 25 cents. Oh, darn those kids in this neighborhood. I'm going right out there and give them a good spanking. Do you see who they were? Yes, it was Ronnie Coleman, Wally Berry, Bobby Taylor, and the Barrymore brothers. Oh, the Beverly Hills mob, eh?  Remember last year when they put ink in your swimming pool? Yeah, at all the time, I thought the water was too cold. You remember? Every time I took a swim, I turned blue. Oh, yeah. Well, those kids better not go in the backyard this year. I set a bear trap for them. A bear trap? Yeah, that'll fix them. Say, Mary, open that jar of stuffed olives. We'll then put one on each plate so it'll look nice. Just one on each plate? Yeah. What are they stuffed with? Platinum? Oh, Rochester. What do you want, boy? I thought you were going to bring your brother over to help out tonight. Where is he? He's in September. September. September? See, that's an unusual name. How did he get that? Well, you see, boss, I was born in Rochester and he was born in September. Oh, I get it. Of course. Of course, that's only his middle name. Oh, his middle name? Yeah, he was born in September. Oh, his middle name? Yeah, he was born in the middle of September. All right. Never mind that. Get him out here. I want to talk to him. Oh, September, come in. You called me, brother? Yeah, the boss won't talk to you. Now, September, I suppose you've had experience working at private parties, haven't you? Well, I always had experience, all right. That boy has actually been around. Rochester, I'm talking to Septine. Now, listen, this is a rather delicate question, but I suppose you're honest.  Well, I don't like to commit myself. What? Oh, he can be trusted all right. He used to work in a bank. Oh, in a bank, eh? Well, that's good enough for me. I'll give him $3 for helping me out tonight. Only $3? Well, I bet that's more than he got at the bank. Why, man, there was more than that stuck to his broom every day. Well, that's all I'm going to pay. Now, get busy, both of you. How are you coming along, Mary? Fine, Jack. And stop eating those olives. You'll spoil your dinner. That's what I'm trying to do. Oh, well, then think of me. Some of my gang don't get an olive on their plate tonight. They'll go around saying I'm cheap. And another thing, Mary, don't put so much lettuce in that salad. What is this, a rabbit's convention? Oh, for heaven's sake, Jack, an extra head of lettuce isn't going to break you. That's not the point. I don't like to see things dainty. Is there any dainty here? We'll have to use tweezers. Now, you just wait. If you want to know something, Mary, we're going to have a squab for dinner. One squab for the whole gang? Yeah. What are you going to do? Wave it at us? Well, there'll be other things, won't there? Vegetables and fruit and dressing and... What are you going to have for dessert? Popsicles. And they're delicious, too. Answer the door, Rochester. You answered September. Are you closer than I am? No, I think you're closer. No, no, you is. Well, we've got to open that door. Is there a purveyor in the house? Now, one of you answer it. Never mind. I'm in now. Oh, hello, Kenny. Hello, Jack. How are they doing? Say, you're the regular Halloween kid, aren't I?  Have I?  Oh, boy, you should have heard it. A pin in your own doorbell?  No, they're away for the weekend. Kenny, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard of. You're the only guy in the world that would ring a doorbell to annoy someone in an empty house. Well, that's nothing. When I go home tonight and open the door, a pale water's going to fall on me. It is? Yeah. Oh, boy, I can hardly wait. I can imagine the surprise. Kenny, put down that olive. You'll spoil your dinner. Oh, one little olive isn't going to hurt him. Don't be so stingy. It's not that, but everybody will want one. Besides, they look nice on the table. Say, Jack, I'd like to clean up a little bit before dinner. Can I go upstairs and wash my hands? Yeah, but it'll cost you a nickel to get in the bathroom. Now, Mary, you know better than that. So don't pass any of those smart remarks. Say, Kenny, when the gang comes here later, we want to have a regular party. You know, a lot of entertainment and fun. Will you sing a song for us? Sure, well, and say, Jack, I got a pip, too. You want to hear it? Well, wait till the gang gets here. No, I want to do it now. I want to see if you like it. Oh, all right, go ahead. Say, Mary, peel those hard-boiled eggs, will you? They're old enough to peel themselves. Do as I say. Go ahead and sing, Kenny. Hey, boss, boss. What is it, Rochester? You know that band-trap you sit out in the backyard for those kids? Yeah. Well, we just caught a bear in it. A bear? Well, if there's an Italian on the other end of that chain, I work with him in Bordeaux. Let's go out and see. Sing, Kenny. And dance with me. And while you're... Kenny, that song was simply wonderful. It was swell. Oh, did you really like it, Jack? I sure did. But say, I wonder where all that applause came from? There's a seal in the goldfish bowl. Oh! The trained bear in the backyard and a seal in the goldfish bowl. This place looks like the NBA club. Hey, Rochester. Yes, sir? Where's that bowl of punch I made? I want it out here on the table so the guests can have a drink before dinner. I'm afraid that punch is kind of weak, boss. Weak? Yes, sir. If you ask me, it could stand a gin transfusion. Now, Rochester, nobody asked for your opinion. And incidentally, I thought I heard some dice rattling in the kitchen before. You can cut that out, too. Dice? I wasn't fooling with no dice. Well, I thought I heard it. I'll get back to work. Yes, sir. By the way, how's your brother doing in the kitchen? Fine. He just won the gas stove from the cook. Oh, he did, eh? Hey, September. September. Is someone paging me? Yes, I am. I don't want any crapshooting going on in this house. You're here to work, and that's all. Remember that. There's the door, Rochester. There's the door, September. You've got new shoes. Break them in. I'll get one of you guys to answer that door if I have to tie a pork chop on it. Rochester, answer the door. Doors, doors, doors. I'd like a job that wouldn't have tipped some time. You will if you're not careful. Hey, Jack, I'm getting hungry. What are we going to eat?  Well, I'm only petting it. Tell them what you did with the other one.  Oh, Mr. Harris. Hi, Rochester. Hi, I'm Phil. Well, Phil, I thought you'd never get here. Come on in, Barbara. Barbara? Oh, Jack, I hope you don't mind. I brought a girlfriend of mine along. Hey, I should say I don't. Hey, she's beautiful. Wow! Kenny. Come right in, Miss... Miss... This is Miss Whitney. Oh, how do you do, Miss Whitney? Welcome to our happy little gathering. Thank you, Mr. Benny. I'm so glad Phil invited me. I do hope it's not an imposition. Oh, no, no. The more the merrier. It's always open house at the Chateau Benning. Oh, by the way, Miss Whitney, this is Kenny Baker. Hello, Kenny. Boy, I could go for you. Hey. Don't mind Kenny. He's such an impulsive kid.  Hello, Mary. It's so nice meeting you, my dear. Oh, rally. Well, it's just too, too ultra, ain't it? Mary.    You know, we're going to have a squab for dinner. I knew it wouldn't be too. Well, I didn't know you were going to bring a guest.  Why don't you send it to the mail, brothers? Oh, don't be so cute.  I'm so nervous. He's so beautiful, you know. No, really. You know, to hear this gang talk, Miss Whitney, you'd think I was a regular old miser, wouldn't you? Yes, I would. Well, fellas, as soon as the rest of the gang get here, we'll put on the old feedback. Mr. Benny. What is it, Rochester? A man just brought in a case of champagne. Did you order it? A case of champagne? Certainly not. I told him you wouldn't buy champagne if Sally Ram was behind ever above him. Well, anyway, I don't want it. Send it back. Yes, sir. He didn't get so many laughs. I'd fire him. Kevin, what's that? Oh, hello, Don. What's the big rush? Oh, boy, I got here just in time. Hi, fellas. Hi, Don. Hi. Don, you're all out of breath. What happened? Well, I've been out celebrating Halloween, and you know that big white house up on the hill? Yeah? Well, I had a bar of soap with me, so I sneaked up to the window and I rode on it. Jello has six delicious flavors, strawberry, raspberry, cherry, orange, lemon, and lime.  Yeah, a man came out and kicked me right between lemon and lime. Well, brush yourself off, Don, and join the party. By the way, I want you to meet a friend of Phil's. This is Miss Whitney, Don Wilson. How do you do, Mr. Wilson? Well, I'm very glad to know you, Miss Whitney. Are you familiar with Jello? Don, please, you've just met the young lady. That's all right. I have a weakness for Jello myself. Oh, is that your only weakness, Miss Whitney? If I'm not too subtle... You're about as subtle as a circus poster. Mary, I'm talking to Miss Whitney. But you know, Miss Whitney, I've had a feeling all evening that I've seen you somewhere before. Are you by any chance in the movies? No, I'm not. Well, I am. In fact, I'm a star at Paramount. And then, of course, there's my radio work, too.  Mary! You know, Miss Whitney, there are times when this livings then just drives me frantic. But I suppose, well, most women are like that. Don't you think so, Miss Whitney? I mean... Yes, but why don't you stand still? Oh, that's just a habit of mine. Pretty girls always make me nervous. If I was her, I'd yawn right in your face. Mary, please. We have company. I'll say you have. What are we going to eat? Yeah, gee, I'm starving. Pretty soon, boys, pretty soon. Hey, Rochester, how about dinner? We'll be ready in a few minutes. Okay, come on, folks. No use waiting any longer. Let's start in with these hors d'oeuvres first. Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on. Hey, stand back! One at a time for heaven's sake. What's the matter with you guys? I want two of those sardines. Kenny, you'll just take the one with your name in front of it.  Gosh, this is worse than Russia.  Take anything you want. Just help yourself.  Oh! Was that you? I got all mixed up in this crowd. Oh, sorry. Hey, Phil, hand me that deviled egg. Oh, no, I saw it first. Oh, I want a piece too. No, I'll get away with it. Everybody, let go of that egg. Now, let go. This is the first meal I ever saw with a referee. Well, you need one here.   Thank you. And, Phil, you sit way down at the other end of the table. I could sit in Pomona, and I wouldn't have to worry about you. Mr. Rochester, we're ready. There's the door, Rochester. There's the door, September. I wonder who that can be. Honey, I was thinking of the same thing. Well, stop guessing and see who it is. You have no idea, Miss Whitney, what I go through with these two boys. The servant problem is simply awful. I know. I'm a chambermaid myself. News more, I thought I recognized you. I've seen you around there a lot of times.  She doesn't work there. She's only kidding you, as if I didn't know. Say, she's not the type at all. That's the same. I bet you can whip up a room in a hurry. Don't be catty. Hey, look who's here. Hi, you fellas! Happy Halloween!  What happened to your Mo and Paul? I thought you were bringing them along. Well, you know, it's Halloween buck, and they're going out to a costume party. A costume party? Yeah, Ma's going as Marie Antoinette and Paul's taking an axe. Well, that ought to be a lot of fun. It's too bad you had to miss it, Andy. Sure was, buck. I was all set to go as a geranium. That's a geranium? Yeah, but I look lousy in a flower pot. Well, you'll have a lot more fun right here. Say, Andy, I want you to meet a guest of mine, Miss Whitney. Hello, Andy. Hiya, Babs. What are you doing here? Why, Andy, do you two know each other? Oh, sure. We used to go to high school together. Hey, Babs, will you ever forget the time I kissed you? I certainly will. Andy, you might as well sit down. We're about ready to eat. Hey, Mr. Benny, I'm sorry, but there's going to be a slight delay. What's the matter now, Rochester? Well, September had a little argument with the cook and threw the squad at him. He did? Yeah, and hit him right in the mouth, which was open at the time. Oh, my goodness. Did I serve the dressing? The cook ate the squab. That's all we had. What are we going to eat now? Well, there's that bear outside. Do you like venison? Never mind. At our Rochester, run right down to the store and get some frankfurters and hurry. Yes, sir. Gee, I'm awfully sorry, fellas. Oh, that's all right. Jean, Miss Whitney, I hope the next time you come here, everything won't go wrong. Oh, that's all right. I think this is quite jolly. Really, it's fun. That's a lie if I ever heard one. It is not. Now, look, fellas, while we're waiting, how about having a little entertainment? Who plays a piano? I do. All right, how about a song, Phil?  All right, but I don't do so well on an empty stomach. Oh, don't worry. We'll eat later. Come on, Phil, what'll it be? Well, how about, uh, whatever you've got that gets me? Oh, that's right. Okay, hit it, Kenny. Let's have some fun tonight. Hey, let's have some fun tonight. You haven't got that certain glance. You don't romance. And when we dance, you only dance. But what have you got that gets me?  But what have you got that gets me?  I want you to want me, but why? You haven't got a coat of tan, a rich old man. You just play cards on your divan, but why have you got that gets me? Well, Phil, say, Andy, how about you sing in a chorus? Oh, not me, Buck. I'm a little hoarse tonight. Oh, well, I'm glad you told us. All right, all right, all right. I'll do it if Mary sings with me. Sure, how about it, Mary? I'm so weak now, I'll do anything. That'll go, Mary. Get right in here. I hit it, Kenny. You haven't got that certain glance. You don't romance. And when we dance, you only dance. But what have you got that gets me? Here's what I got, a cow will go to gravel throat. My voice sounds like an old coyote. That's what I got that gets you. You're happy, you're slapy, but I love you. I'm Don one and Romeo two. Haven't got a grand physique. You chin is weak. But I got what they call technique. That's what I got that gets you. Don, how about you and I sing in a chorus? OK, Jack. Come on, hit it, fellas. I can follow Andy. You haven't got a form divide. You're not streamlined. Your hips would make 14 of mine. But what have you got that gets me? Here's what I got. It's strawberry and raspberry, orange, lemon, lime, cherry. That's what you've got that pays me. Yeah, man. You're sweet, Jack. You're neat, Jack. But oh, so tight. It looks like we'll all starve tonight. Right. I haven't got a squab. That's true for you or you.  So what have you got that gets me? You guys didn't have to insult me in that song. Insult you. You invited us here for dinner tonight and we don't get anything deep. Well, it's not my fault. Accidents can happen, you know. Anyway, Rochester will be right back here with the Frankfurters. Excuse me a minute. Hello? Say, Mr. Benny, I'm over here at the Delton Test and Store. You forgot to give me money for the Frankfurters. Well, you pay for them, Rochester, and I'll give it back to you later. Well, I don't know about that, boss. Now, Rochester, pay for that out of your own pocket.  That's a lie. You had pants on when you left the house. They could have worn out, you know.  If you're not back here in five minutes with those Frankfurters, I'll move you out of the guest room. Now, hurry up. Well, looks like we might have to... Hey, fellas. Hey, where are you? Hey, fellas. We're out here in the kitchen. You ought to see what we found in the icebox. Oh, boy, it's turkey. Come on, let's cook it. Cook it, nothing. Give me a drumstick. Now, wait a minute, fellas. Wait a minute. I'm saving that for Thanksgiving. Well, it's time to a chair, fellas. We got it. Yeah. There's a brand-new dessert the whole family will enjoy, and it's so easy, so inexpensive, so good to look at, that you'll enjoy making it. It's the new Jell-O-Butter Scotch pudding, a real triumph in desserts. Just picture it for yourself. Crystal sherbet glasses, each piled high with this rich-looking, taffy-colored Butterscotch pudding. It's luscious with good old-fashioned Butterscotch flavor. It's mellow and smooth and creamy. It's swell dessert, and Butterscotch is just one of three new Jell-O-Buttings. There's Jell-O-Vanilla pudding, a lovely, creamy color with a delicate flavor of real vanilla, a grand-law family dessert, and there's Jell-O-Chocolate pudding, as delicious as the kind that mother used to make, but far quicker and easier. For these tempting new Jell-O-Buttings, require only a few moments cooking. There's no fuss or bother, and the simple directions are on every package, and you can't go wrong. So try them all and try them soon. The best way to get acquainted is to buy three packages at a time. Ask your grocer tomorrow for Jell-O-Butterscotch, vanilla, and a chocolate pudding. This is the last number of the fifth program in the new Jell-O series, and we'll be with you again next Sunday night at the same time. Gee, that Miss Whitney was beautiful. And so charming, too. Do you marry? Mary, do you think she liked me? Oh, sure. How could she resist you, you big, strong dope? Good night, folks. Kenny Baker pairs on the Jell-O program for courtesy of Mervyn Leroy Production. This is the national broadcasting company.


Once you've scaffolded your new block project using create block, you can start tweaking the code to meet your specific requirements. Let's dive into what this might look like for the copyright date block you scaffolded in the previous lesson. To start, you can clean up any scaffolded code you know you don't need. Navigate to the copyright date block's source directory and remove the view.js file. At the same time, remove the view script property from the block.json. Make sure not to leave a trailing comma at the end of the last property in the block.json file. Now open up the copyright date block.php file in the root of the plugin directory. There's not a lot to be changed in this file, except maybe the package annotation in the plugin header. This defaults to create block and you might want to change it to something more specific to your plugin. For the purposes of this lesson, let's change it to copyright date. You can also improve the code that registers the block by moving the hook registration above the init hook's callback and simplifying the callback function now. This makes the code a little easier to read and understand. As you can see, this code uses the register block type function to register the block, which internally uses the metadata from the block.json file. For now would be a good time to review the code in that file. The block.json file contains the block metadata in a JSON format. JSON stands for JavaScript object notation and it's a lightweight data format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to pass and generate. JSON is made up of key value pairs and each value can also be a nested JSON object. To modify the scaffolded block metadata for your block, you should at least change the values for the following properties. Update the name. In this case, you can replace create block with the same value you use for the package value in the plugin header copyright date. Update the icon. For now, change the icon value to calendar. This icon comes from the Gutenberg icon library. Update the description to make it more specific to your block. Next, let's look at the block's main JavaScript file. The index.js file in the source directory is the main JavaScript file for your block. Mostly, you won't need to change match in this file as it's already set up to register your block for the block editor. At the top of the file, you'll see the following line. Import register block type from WordPress blocks. The JavaScript import declaration is used to import functionality like variables, functions and objects from somewhere else in your project. In this case, it's importing the register block type function from the WordPress blocks package, which is a package that powers the block editor. Next, it imports the style.ss file, which is the file that contains the block styles. Then it imports the edit component. This component is exported from the edit.js file. After that, it imports the save function. This function is exported from the save.js file. Last but not least, it imports the JSON object from the block.json file as the metadata variable. Finally, it uses the register block type function to register the block and passes in two variables, the block name and a block configuration object of block properties. Inside the properties object, the edit property is set to the value of the edit component and the save property is set to the value of the save function. Because the save property and the imported save function have the same name, it uses a shorthand syntax to set the property value. Now that you've updated some block code, you can bold your block for the first time. Bold your block, open a terminal and navigate to the root of your block plugin directory. In my case, that's wp-local-env-sites-learn, wp-content-plugins, copyright-date-block. Then run the following command, npm run bold. This will scan through the contents of your source directory and compile the files from that directory into the bold directory. If the bold directory doesn't exist, it will be created. Whenever you make changes to this block code in the source directory, you will need to run this command again to update the bold directory. Optionally, there is the npm run start command. That will start a development server that watches for changes in the files in the source directory and automatically builds them into the bold directory. This is useful when you're actively developing your block. Whichever option you use, if you open your WordPress dashboard, create a new post and add your block, you should see the block appear in the block insertter. You'll notice that the icon has changed and the description is more specific to your block. You can read more about the block metadata fields in the metadata in block JSON section of the block editor handbook, as well as the development platform and bold processes in the development platform and working with JavaScript for the block editor pages.


HPC judges radio welcome back to another in-depth conversation with Distinguished leaders and voices from the historically black college University community today is a very very special guest to me personally He is the brother who is the lead attorney and one of the distinguished legal voices in our country Headlining a ongoing lawsuit between stakeholders of Maryland's for historically black colleges against the state of Maryland on the subject of Program duplication and other matters. He is Michael Jones a dealer University alum chair of that distinguished schools board and again here to talk with us today exclusively about the case and Chairman Jones first I appreciate your time. It's an honor to talk with you for the first time in this in this platform You were among three recent authors of an editorial in the Baltimore Sun That called on Maryland governor Larry Hogan To do right by the HBC use and to honor a legislative remedy to this law this lawsuit In excess of $500 million to end more than you know 15 years of litigation What prompted you guys to write this letter? Especially given the the period that we're in where so much cost is attached to a pandemic Why now and why that particular position on the HBC is being supported in this way Well, Jared, first of all, thank you for having me on and thank you for that question So let me just get right to the the timing of it as you know after the Potential of a televised execution of George Floyd There's been a cascading demand for racial justice and and really a racial Awakening for many in the country and in that context the lieutenant governor of Maryland Boyd Rutherford was interviewed in an article in the Washington Post and he cited to These events around in George Floyd and said that quote Turning point in America and it's time to address all issues of racism and inequality and all American institutions and in that Have in that context We've been said well you're going to make that statement the best place to start is right in your own backyard With respect to the treatment of the four historically black colleges and universities and the 14-year lawsuit Dealing with academic disparity that the judge said were worse than Mississippi of the 1970s so that was that was the context in terms of the The the economic context of the of the recession We also make the point that this is since the HBC news are already under resourced this and COVID-19 has a disproportionate impact on black families such as those at the HBC use This is precisely the time to fix this remedy rather than using the COVID-19 as an excuse to do nothing. We also point out that There is no Recession exception to limiting the constitutional violation, right? Mississippi for example Started their settlement payments, which are larger than those in Maryland in the recession of 2000 and continue them through the great recession of 2008 2009 So this idea of they can't do it because of the recession is really just an excuse Especially when you consider as we pointed out in the letter The governor allowed millions to go towards expanding thoroughbred racing in the state of Maryland Let's talk about the legislative part of this because it seems to me that initially this this would have appeared to be a veto proof agreement because of almost unanimous passage in both houses of Maryland legislature That you know Hogan could politically say I'm not signing it or you know, I you know I override it, but it was veto proof So do you think that the pressure is is appropriate on the governor? Or should it be shifted to those members who almost unanimously passed this legislation to say no Hogan? You're gonna back down on this one Well, in fact both because the the last sentence of the the article was to say to the legislature They should hold firm and override the veto the challenge is that Because of the the corona virus the legislature had planned to have a special session in May But they cancel that special session and they are still trying to assess When and how they can reconvene To to vote to override this veto as well as some of the others So that it remains to be seen whether they will be able to come back in special session Or whether this will have to wait until the January When they are scheduled to come back in a regular session. So you're right that the pressure Is on the legislators Mars point of view but also on the governor and the lieutenant governor in particular who? Is indicating that he's planning to run for governor in 2022 So for the the schools need the money as soon as they can get it frankly So if if the governor would would reconsider and enter into a settlement on the terms of the legislation We can do that before January Otherwise we may well have to wait until the session starts in January if the legislature does not come back in special Session before that. Do you think that's part of the play just to kick it down the road? I mean because honestly, this is a this is a case that started two administrations ago under governor Ehrlich proceeded to Governor O'Malley and now rest with Hogan and Every administration has found a way not to support the HBCU's at least on this on the subject of this litigation Do you think this is just a matter of him running out the clock? Which seems absurd because he has so many years left in his tenure, but do you think that this is part of the play? Well, that that's the concern we have but we weigh that again, you know, the led the Legislative process, you know is slow the judicial process is also very slow. So even if we if the courts decided the case and and went back to the district court to appoint a special master and and to decide the specific programs and and the specific dollar amount that Process itself could take a year or more So the legislative process and a settlement is the faster approach If we can get Maryland to do the right thing Let's talk about that court part of it And I do want to get to the background of the case itself for those who may not familiar because the thing about this case is it's it's a landmark case But not too many including in the HBCU community know about it and know about the details But on the subject of this The remedy coming from the legislative body and not the court You know, I've heard in the circles and being fortunate to be a Morgan grad in in Maryland That we didn't we didn't want this to go to the Supreme Court or have a chance to go to the Supreme Court is Could you confirm that that was a consideration for your team? to try to You know contextualize the argument and say well, let's let's get this settled now Because we're not sure what the chances may be or what the what the culture may be if it were to advance to the highest court First of all that as you know Review in the Supreme Court is is entirely discretionary right you'd have to file a petition for cert And frankly our analysis is that it is unlikely that the Supreme Court would take this case up because frankly There are not it's not like you have three or four other cases like this that are in the courts and the courts have decided There's a split in the circuit. So the court Supreme Court needs to resolve it one way or the other That's that's a part of our analysis another part of our analysis Also is that if we win in the fourth circuit, which we expect to do frankly It's it's hard to see that a conservative Supreme Court Would be eager to To give more Maryland a break frankly Especially, you know, I don't know what the Justice Department position on this would be but I can also envision given the Antipathy between Trump and President Trump and Governor Hogan that the Justice Department wouldn't be eager to weigh in on Maryland side either So I think in terms of As on the legal side, you know what could happen is the fourth circuit Could rule and then either side could ask for Rehearing on bank by the full Court of the fourth circuit and that could take a while as well But I really don't I our team is not persuaded that this is a case that the Supreme Court would take up Let's talk about the case itself. So Maryland is a continuation of stuff like, you know Ayers versus United States at night versus Alabama in Tennessee on the subject of UT Nashville None of the HBCU communities or HBCU staples have ever lost a case like this or at least lost outright on the subject of Improper funding or program duplication With that record, why do you think it takes so how could you explain it to layman like me? Why it took so long to get here if every other case which preceded it seemed to say you're right You got to stop treating these black colleges so poorly Well a couple of things one and you see every other case. There only been I think three cases, right? So it's not like they're a hundred or fifty right So the three cases and what's different about this case one of the ways that this case is different This is the only case that's ever been brought Entirely by private litigants in Mississippi and in Louisiana. You have the Justice Department that got involved and you would really have to talk to The Justice Department people under the past three administrations as to why they did not get involved in the case We had meetings with with them So that Part of it is is is a difference that it's the Justice Department is at least up until to this point Has not been involved in the case the second is that Each case is factually different because the courts look at like what are the current policies and practices in the Jurisdiction and whether they are traceable to the de jure era and whether that has you know Segregated effects of the legal is illegal standard. So in Maryland it did enter into an agreement with the Office of Civil Rights in 2000 at the end of the Clinton Administration and it made certain promises as to what it was going to do some of which it in fact did but some of which It didn't do so that was a way that it also distinguished itself from the from the other cases and so we had a the case went to trial in 2012 just in terms of the timeline with the trial in 2012 a Six-week trial and the district court issued its opinion a year later in 2013 The district court ordered the parties to mediation again, which was I believe our Second mediation and those mediations lasted a very long time So the court after the mediation failed the court held another trial in 2017 And so that trial lasted Seven weeks and after that trial the parties were ordered again to mediation And and that mediation was unsuccessful. We then went to briefing in the four circuits the four circuit after oral argument sent us back down for The mediation and those mediation fail and so one of the reasons why I decided that we should Engage the legislature is that what was happening is the mediation itself is confidential So essentially the governor and his representatives were saying one thing in the mediation and they were saying another thing Publicly leading to the legislature. So we decided let's just bring it out in the open Let's get the legislators involved, which is one of the things that the Four circuit judges that actually suggested that the media the the legislature should get involved to settle the case So let me just say that you know, this has been 14 years But the Mississippi case was actually longer than that in terms of getting getting it resolved it went up to the You know to the higher court and back down to the district court and one of the reasons why these you know these things take so long frankly is that We whenever you are looking to upset the status quo and try to change the Hierarchy of higher ed institutions, you know, that's not anything that the state is interested in doing or willing to do You know the truth is they should because it's not like you were talking about We want five hundred million dollars to go to Private individuals these are state schools, right? So the money is going to be invested in state schools And it will be ultimately in the court to get this it'll be ultimately for the benefit of of the state of everybody For everybody, but but if you think about it If if the HBC use all of a sudden a more attractive to certain extent, that's the threat That's really traditionally white institutions. Let's let's talk a little bit. I'm sorry. I didn't get you up Well, because you know one of the things that was was pretty clear in the trial Was that all of the presidents of the traditionally white institutions testified that? They don't consider the HBC use as recruiting peers to them. They're not recruiting competition, right? This could help change that that's right And and then that's the point I wanted to hit it on because at the core of the argument of you guys argument was you know The state has created hundreds of unique programs that predominantly white institutions in comparison to at the time about you know just over 10 at HBC use and that those attractive and unique programs is what has has shaped enrollment trends and has shaped Racial demographics at these schools. So if that if that is at the core of it Do you do you think that this this settlement if Hogan was to say all right fine? You got it You got it tomorrow that that resolves it or is this a foundation for larger conversations about what? Comparability and competitiveness look like for HBC use Well, it's a starting point the the settlement agreement and the legislation as well That's out. What the funds are going to be used for and and the first and foremost establishing of academic programs and as a judge ordered to give those programs a chance of succeeding by providing funds for marketing scholarships and and financial aid in terms of Comparability and competitiveness and this is the conversation that I have with the client very often to talk about the Unfortunate limitations of the civil rights law if you think about it the same Forces that created the inequities Largely shaped what the laws are and the civil rights laws don't like anything that sounds like smells like You know looks like reparations So if you have you have to do you have to frame the case in a different way As Marilyn put it if the case was just about past discrimination You know we wouldn't have to have a trial because they admit to past discrimination. They admit that publicly in public documents for public consumption and political appeasement they have said that they would remedy past discrimination But in court they rightly point out that they have no legal obligation Simply to remedy past discrimination you have to jump through these groups of forties of pointing to Current policies that are traceable to the de jure era that have segregated effects Which is you know, it's quite a hurdle to have to jump through whereas in Other aspects of the law, you know, I do a lot of Corporate defense work and one of the things that plaintiffs lawyers like to say which is is You know, it is well known that if you make a mess you have to clean it up You can't pollute you can't pollute a river and walk away and saying okay from now on I'm going to be more careful The law doesn't contemplate that but in this context the law contemplates that as long as you Go forward and you change your policies You don't have to clean up the mess that you make unless the lawyers can tie it to a Policy that's traceable to the de jure era and that has segregated effects, which you guys successfully did and Correct. Yes. It And just one more question the case itself We know that the value of the students and the alumni on being aware and being vocal about the case But one of the interesting wildcars in the case has been the presidents and here in Maryland at our four HBCUs those positions with the exception of the leadership at Morgan State have turned over a Few times at each of the other institutions Since the since the case was was first file What what is the role of presidents in advising your team? in responding to Legal inquiry about the merits of the case and what should be done Well, the plaintiffs in the case or is the coalition for equity and excellence in higher education, which is made up of students and alums students along faculty members and and so the schools themselves are not plaintiffs in fact the schools are not represented by us the schools are represented by the state of Maryland, right? And so because of that, you know, one of the things that the state did was to Refuse to allow the presidents to meet with us to help craft the remedy You know, there was a time when we were focusing on trying to identify the specific academic Program that would go at each of the schools But the state made that very difficult as I said by refusing to let the president meet with us and And and by not giving the president accurate information as to what But they were supposed to be doing and crafting their own remedy. I mean the truth is It's a conflict of interest because the state represents both the HBC use and the traditional white institutions that have differing interest So the answer is that we have been able to talk with the president only really in the context of the mediation in the presence of the Of the of the state we don't have direct communications with the president because that's not allowed Let's talk about you personally you're an HBC you graduate You're a partner at an influential firm When this case first came to your attention What was your excitement level interest level and and did you recognize that if I take this on? I'm going to be a part of of a lineage of great civil rights Litigation and action Well, that's thank you for that question of this here is the context this tape came to me in 2009 I was on the Board member of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights got involved in the case And they were looking for a law firm to to handle it and they knew that I was A graduate of an HBC you so approached me about it And I was I was interested I was intrigued by it And when I started looking at the documents and and understanding the case better I Really and truly couldn't believe it was outraged because I always thought about you know as many people do you think about Maryland as a blue state Kind of moves lose track of the fact that it was a slave state. In fact, some of the most prominent Historical figures from Maryland were folks who were had escaped slavery. You know Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman and we also knew that That that Thurgood Marshall was from Maryland But Thurgood Marshall had actually sued the state over its its segregation policies Learning that Maryland had some of the earliest and most restrictive segregation laws in the country, you know, frankly So as I looked at the documents It was also clear to me that one of the things that you know had been going on We talked earlier about the politics and you mentioned the different Administrations that have kind of comment on in that the politically the Various gubernatorial administrations had been Pointing the fingers at each other, you know Ehrlich was in office. He vetoed a bill that was passed by the legislature that would have protected the schools from unnecessary program duplication that O'Malley got involved became governor. We negotiated with him That went nowhere because he was pointing the finger at Ehrlich that he was doing more than Ehrlich did and when Hogan got in It was the same thing. He was pointing the finger Ehrlich and you know He did more than O'Malley did He did more than O'Malley did and and frankly I think though publicly they were saying Things that were palatable to folks who weren't in court in hearing the arguments that they were making in how Essentially, they were denigrating the schools As saying that you know, it really isn't worth, you know making this kind of investment, you know in them, right? So I was you know, wasn't have been you know, very excited about the case and Do as you Indicated see it as the continuation of the you know, the great civil rights work by Thurgood Marshall and others You've been a part of it for 11 years The case is in excess of 15 years old Who knows how much longer we'll be without a legislative remedy At what point do you look at it at yourself personally and the plaintiffs who are involved, you know My president earl is Richardson from Morgan State president emeritus and say, you know what I want this to be done Because these brothers and sisters who waited all this time Deserve to see a finish to what they started because we can't you know 20 years You know Lord haven't forbid that someone won't be here You know, but is that is that a factor for you that you look at so many people who are involved in so many people are So hopeful about this and say we got to get this done so they can see this take place Well, it in let's look at it in this way We've caught we could get it done Today could have gotten it done You know a month ago six months ago if we had been willing to accept the Governors take it or leave it offer which is two hundred million dollars Both we and the and the plaintiffs the lawyers and the the students and the faculty and alums Recognize that two hundred million dollars divided by four schools It's fifty eight dollars and that's not really going to that's not going to make a difference Over ten over ten years at that and you are over so much more eloquent than those of us who said get the Over ten years that it's not going to be it's not going to be significant So the issue is you know, do you throw in the towel essentially? And I think a part of their strategy was thinking that Essentially we would throw in the towel and you know, we haven't so far and and and don't plan to and so the issue is at this point the only At least as we see it the only alternative is to keep fighting, you know in that strategy, you know has to be a strategy of What I call, you know litigation which which we are doing In agitation and having people right to the the legislators right to the to the governor and and when circumstances allow Have other rallies as we as we've had in the past Really to put pressure on the on on the people who are making the decisions And then the final question again, um, you honor us for sure with your time and your insight today But the final question is So many states Unbeknownst to a lot of folks in the HVC community have looked at this case This is a this is a litmus for things that they'll be able to do In their respective states on the question of program duplication uneven resources Willful direction of racial demographics from different school to school Pennsylvania South Carolina are two two States that I know in recent years that have cited the Maryland case to say, you know If y'all don't act right here, we can do what they did in Maryland um, do do you expect That even when this is done even when this is settled That you'll still be getting calls from states all over the country saying come teach us On how on how you did this because the same thing is happening here You know, I actually do expect uh that to be the case. I also dare expect that um People will be looking at Lawyers will be looking at and we ourselves are thinking about A wide range of areas in which HBCUs are discriminated against you may have seen articles that talk about how HBCUs have to pay more on the bond or bond bond Yeah, even when you control for credit worthiness HBCU students Have to pay more for higher interest rates for loans and you know all a number of of Areas where HBCU students HBCUs black people Uh have to pay more pay higher property taxes So I I think that uh, especially in this time of a racial racial awakening Uh, I I think these issues are going to come under a short focus Just as we you know with renaming Yeah, pancake mixes and football teams and I I think that a a reexamination of so much so many of the things that Frankly, we have just accepted and taken for granted Um, I think it's going to be a new day But that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. You know, we're going to have to just as we're doing in this case in Maryland You know, we've got to roll up our seas and put our um Shoulder to the to the wheel and put the investment and time and resources to uh to make change happen


This paper presents a new tool called the Mobile App Rating Scale, Mars, which is designed to evaluate the quality of mobile health applications. The Mars consists of 23 items covering five different dimensions, engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information quality, and user experience. The authors conducted a pilot study with 50 mobile health apps and found that the Mars had excellent internal consistency and interrater reliability. This suggests that the Mars could be used as a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the quality of mobile health apps. This article was authored by Stoyanov, Stoyanar, Heids, Lian, Kavanaugh, David J., and others.


I'm Chris Dancy and I'm known as the world's most connected man, but I prefer to be called a mindful cyborg. Inside these devices we use every day are our personalities. While I've done one TED Talk about five years ago, there are four TED Talks about me. In the past five years, I've been to 23 countries and spoken in 29 cities. One message is always the same. People want to feel connected, connected to each other. The real key to satisfying an audience is telling them your story, but connecting it to their story. 90% of all the keynotes I've done in the past five years have had me back more than once. The reason is simple. I'm not a keynote speaker. I'm a conference partner. From the keynote to the workshop, to the expo hall, before the event, after event, through press briefings or VIP meet and greets. I want to change the way you see conference keynotes. Privacy doesn't exist for the poor and it doesn't matter to the rich. But we need to stop solving our human problems with technology and we need to start solving our technology problems with our humanity. My talks are broken into two different sections. The profoundly human series of talks are all about work-life balance, tech overload, resiliency, intimacy, and relationships. The rent-unless technology series is more for careers in technology, focusing on innovation, design, user experience, privacy, ethics, and disasters. Once you see what I'm bringing to your conference, you'll realize I'm a real person with a real story that your audience will resonate with and won't stop talking about.


Dear friends, my name is Hamadun Ture, I'm the Secretary-General of ITU, the International Telecommunication Union, the Specialized Agency of the United Nations for Information and Communication Technologies, or ICTs. You join me today in our plenary room at the heart of our headquarters in Geneva, the European Center for United Nations and other international agencies. This is where our membership of 193 member states and more than 700 sector members, which are mostly private sector companies, discuss issues related to the international ICT ecosystem. At ITU, we are very proud to be involved in an initiative which uses innovative technology to connect people so that they can collaborate on vital public policy to make a difference to the world we live in. It's excellent to see public institutions continuing to experiment with such tools as these will surely help us create a world where citizens are more engaged in the decisions that affect them. The United Nations is a forum for member states to deliberate on issues of international importance. If you really wish to change perceptions, bring about change, or encourage action on a certain issue, you need to be able to express your views and gather public support so that relevant governing bodies can come, take informed and representative decisions. By using an open and inclusive tools like crowdsourcing, I believe that governments and the United Nations system will be better equipped to guide and inform our work. I urge you to be honest and outspoken, yet practical in your ideas on the platform. Even if you are not individually recognized in the formal outcomes, your opinion will have helped sway those outcomes and decisions in a positive direction. I wish you good luck and happy crowdsourcing.


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Okay, so we're going to go ahead and continue on with our 13 week schedule. So each time I start this class, I review what we've covered so that you can kind of remember, you know, know where we are in the spectrum. This week, because of Pastor Mark being sick and not being able to be here, there's kind of a shift. So that's why there's no essentials class today. But normally, I would encourage you that, this is a time where I encourage you to go to the essentials class if you have not been through that. And that would be in Pastor Rick's office normally. So what is biblical theology? Maybe I should begin to ask somebody, because I've defined it for the past, more or less for the past seven weeks. Let's see if Noel, can you help us out or you've not been in this class, have you? You've been in different classes. So let me ask Clyde, Clyde, can you give something of an idea? What's a component or part of the definition of a biblical theology? Yes, it's just taking a topic in the Bible and understanding the storyline of that topic and how that storyline develops. It's concerned about the storyline, not the bottom line. The storyline helps you get to the bottom line. So we went over in our class tools that are needed. In order to get there to the bottom line, you've got to know the exegesis, what does the text say in context, in a closer view, a smaller text, then biblical theology helps you understand the bigger picture of the storyline. And we went over some of the tools. What are some of the tools that are helpful for biblical theology that we covered? Does anyone remember some of those? I'm going to, Jen, yes, Jen is saving someone from being picked out. That's good. Those are needed for systematic theology. Some of the tools that we've covered are typology, is a tool that helps you understand the storyline. Another is promise and fulfillment. Yes, Claudia? Starts with an S. Now you're quizzing me, now I have trouble answering. Starts with an S, systematic theology. That's it. Okay, that's coming in the outline with the tools. So I'm reminding you of some of the biblical theology tools that we went over. Promise, fulfillment, understanding the difference in administration or epoch or the way God runs things at different times. There are different words for that under different covenants. Understanding that difference in how administration is helpful. So they're an understanding of multiple levels of prophecy, how prophecy is fulfilled in multiple different times, not just in one event. Some of these things help us understand the storyline. Looking on your 13-week schedule in the outline, it should be on the back of your little booklet there. We went into systematic theology, how that gives us the bottom line of what the Bible says about a topic, and then now we're getting into some of the topics and the stories to be told. We went over last week creation, and I just realized we have very little time because the sermon went over a little bit. So we're going to have to fly through this class today. I shouldn't have spent so much time with the review. So today, very quickly, we're going to cover the next story in the Bible, which is the fall. So understanding these things helps us understand life's real questions. Under your outline, you'll see there under review, and then there's a heading that says on the first page of friends real life questions. What if your friend asks you, what's wrong with this world? Why does my child have cancer? What's wrong with this world and ISIS? How could a good God allow ISIS? Why is the economy the way it is? Why is my mother dying? If when you get those questions asked, if you understand the storyline of the fall, you'll understand why those things happen. Yes, Claudia? Yeah, we would mention about sovereignty of God, but one right answer is to talk about the fall. So now consider the storyline of the Bible and the fall. Follow along with me, as for the next 10 minutes or so. What we're going to do is we're going to open up your Bible, and we're going to consider the storyline of the fall. We're going to look at the bird's eye picture. OK?  Instead, they rebel. They choose to believe that God is a liar, and they rebel against him. Because of the fall in Genesis 3, consider how we fall into total depravity and how that's manifested. So I'm going to communicate to you the story of the effects of the fall. In Genesis, we see the first people that are born, Cain and Abel, and their brothers, and one murders the other. In chapter 6, we consider that God sees that every intent of all the hearts of men is evil continually, effects of the fall. Let's flip over to Exodus. We see the Ten Commandments given, and how we break every one of those commandments, effects of the fall. Turn the page over to Leviticus. Think about Leviticus and how, when people offer strange fire, false worship, when God consumes Nadab and Abihu, false worship in effect of the fall. The Book of Numbers. There's an argument between two men. One's the son of an Egyptian and his mother's Jewish, his father was Egyptian, and they get in a fight, one of them curses God's name, and that man has to die. Effects of the fall. Turn to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy, we consider how the law is given again with the blessings and the cursings. And all of how the cursings are the punishment and the effects of the fall. And how Moses knows that the people are going to rebel. Even after they hear the law, that's the effects of the fall. Turn over to Joshua. In Joshua there's a judgment on the Canaanites where God decides that now is the time that the people must die and the Canaanite nations must be wiped out. Effects of the fall and sin. Look in the Book of Judges. Every man does what's right in his own eyes. Effects of the fall.  We look at Ruth. And there's a famine in the land. The fall has not just affected people. The fall has affected the ground. The fall has affected the rain. The fall has affected fruits. Turn to the first Samuel. And the people cry out for a king. They don't want God as their king, but they want an earthly king. Effects of the fall. Sin. Destruction. Here the timeline of first kings and second kings and chronicles as it describes the rise and fall of kings, of the rulers, of the line of Saul, and the line of David. And we see many evil kings rise up. We see the people follow them into idolatry. And at the end of the history, where did the people end up? In exile, in Babylon. The effects of the fall. We go to Nehemiah and Ezra after the captivity. The people come back to the land, but there's a mourning. And why is there a mourning? Because the people have married, Israelite men have gone and married women from other countries who worship other gods against the law of God. And they've done this because of the effects of the fall. We're thinking about the storyline of the Bible and how the Bible as a whole, we're flying by airplane view of the effects of the fall in sin. Turn to the book of Job. And what do you see with the fall? You see Job, a man who is afflicted with sickness. He has friends who counsel him in an ungodly way, effects of the fall. Think about the Psalms. The Psalms communicate the anguish of many who cry out to God while they're being persecuted. The Psalms communicate repentance in Psalm 51. These things are because of the fall. Think of the book of Proverbs and the book of Proverbs outlines the way of a fool and how the fool comes by her door, her house, and he doesn't acknowledge and who's her, but the immoral woman, effects of the fall. Flip to the next book. Ecclesiastes, all is vanity. It's vanity to get lots of money. It's vanity to get lots of women. It's vanity to get lots of fame. Why is it all vanity? Why is it worthless? Effects of the fall. You turn to the song of Solomon and he gives a beautiful picture of romance, but then you remember Solomon had many wives, effects of the fall. Turn to Isaiah. And Isaiah has proclamations against Syria, Israel, Ethiopia, Egypt, Babylon, Jerusalem, Tyre, judgment and judgment and judgment, effects of the fall. Jeremiah, peace, peace, when there is no peace. False teachers exist, effects of the fall. What about lamentations? The judgment of God has come on Jerusalem, effects of the fall. What about Ezekiel? Ezekiel, we see the people in exile that he's preaching to. We see how the people are like a valley of dry bones, the people of Israel, effects of the fall. Think about some of the Daniel and the wickedness in the pride of Nebuchadnezzar. Pride is an effect of the fall. Think about some of the minor prophets, Hosea, where Israel is pictured as a harlot that goes off leaving God. Joel, where the day of the Lord, the judgment comes because of the effects of the fall. Amos, there's a famine in the land of the word of God, effects of the fall. Hosea, the pride of the people of Edom, effects of the fall. Micah, where the religious leaders are described as they're going to tear people apart, they're flesh off their bones is how it describes it in Micah. False teachers, effects of the fall. Nahum describes Nineveh and their violence and God's judgment coming. It goes on and on and on. Can you open a book of the Bible and not see the effects of the fall? You see, I could go on through every book of the Bible, right? Every book of the Bible and consider the effects of the fall. So if I give you, how does the effects of the fall accumulate and climax to the point where the Son of God comes and he's murdered?  And what do the people say? Barabbas, effects of the fall. The fall has come and it has affected you. You are not immune to this, you are in this storyline. The sin has affected you. It has affected why childbirth is painful. It has affected why work is hard. It has affected, as the storyline continues, what's the future yet to come and the effects because of the fall? There is a great tribulation coming where the world will be plunged into seven years of judgment. At the end of the seven years, humanity will rise up in rebellion against God, in the effects of the fall. After the millennium, the people will rise up again at the end of the millennium to challenge God once again, effects of the fall. The storyline of the fall, there are stories of beautiful stories in the Bible, but this is a true story that's not a nice story. Now what are the patterns? What are the patterns, the next point in your outline? What are the patterns? But the causes of this is Satan's malice, deception, and we chose it. We chose it in Adam and Eve. They chose to disbelieve God's word. They chose to try and place themselves as God. When God comes confronting them, what does Adam say when he's confronted by God? Who is he blamed? Yes, the woman that you gave me.  You see what the effects of the fall? Sometimes in the storyline, effects are that we're banished from God's presence. We're not allowed to be near his holiness because of the fall. Effect two, we're corrupted in our nature. We see this pattern over and over and over again in the storyline of the Bible. The fall is not just an event that happens like some sort of event in history, like the fire of Chicago that happens and doesn't affect you to this day. No the fall is an event that happened and affects you. Tomorrow morning you'll have to go to work and work won't be easy. That's going to happen because of the fall. There's a note now at the end of the patterns of the storyline. Notice we're looking at the characters and the plot. We consider some of the characters as we went through some of the Old Testament considering the fall. We thought about how it develops and how this idea continues. The story spans millennia. It's written down by many different authors. I covered through Old Testament many different books communicating the same idea. So what that shows us is there's one author communicating one idea that the fall is because God is the one author and he's communicating that one idea through many different authors that we are sinners and that our lives and hearts and souls are affected by the fall. So then what's the bottom line? Let's systematize it in our outline. What's the bottom line? The bottom line, these doctrines we can develop that we don't live in a spiritually neutral universe. Our world is not a playground. It's a battlefield. People get deceived and they think like a utopian society. Like if we get enough people together, nice people, we can reform society and society will become a much better place. One day we'll change the world. You won't have to have money. You can just get food. Everyone will just be making food and giving food and everyone will equally devote themselves and we can do it. We can do it together. Together we can bring ourselves out of the mire. We can cure AIDS.  Just give us enough time and enough money and we'll do it together. We will make a better world. That's not true. We need a savior. Point two, God is not morally culpable for our fallen world. God is not the one who is guilty because of how our world is. We are. It's a lie to believe that it's God's fault. Why does my child have cancer? It's God's fault. The effects of the fall are our fault. Point three, people do bad things because they want to be God and he is just to condemn them. Sin is not just breaking God's laws. It's an attempt to dethrone God. We see that continually through. Point four, God is holy and can have nothing to do with sin. How can God have something? How can God support sin when it is opposed to him? Point five, there's no area of your life that's unaffected. That's a right doctrine that comes out of the right understanding of the story of the fall. No area of our lives is unaffected. Our mind, our will, our emotions, there's no area of our lives. Our words are affected by the fall. Point six, we cannot save ourselves. We need a savior. God is the one who will restore all justice to the universe. He will do it one day. He will judge the effects of the fall. He will be a great white throne and he will judge every sin that has ever been committed. So what's secure? I'll read you something because I don't think I can communicate it as well, but if I think I'm going to read it to you, then I hope it can be communicated better. Jesus is the false cure. In Matthew 4 we see something absolutely extraordinary. A son of God has become a man. Like unfallen Adam, Jesus was not born in sin, but he was conceived directly by the Holy Spirit. So the contrast is between Adam and Jesus. Like unfallen Adam, Jesus was called to obey God in the face of incredible satanic assault. But that's where the similarities with Adam end. Adam stood in paradise with a full stomach. Jesus stood in the desert for our exile with fasting for 40 days. Adam had the help of a wife. Jesus stood alone. Adam had a single command to obey, don't eat of the fruit. Jesus has the whole law to keep and fulfill. Beginning in the temptation and continuing on all the way to Calvary. Jesus does what Adam and you could never do. He resisted Satan's temptations even to the, he freely chose to obey God even to the point of death. We have a mighty savior who saves us from the effects of the fall. And his name is Jesus. He is the one who will take this world and he will return. He will set his foot on our dirt once again and the curse will be reversed. The curse will be reversed. Every one of the effects of the fall that I talked about throughout the storyline. Every one of them can be answered by the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Do you remember the false worship of Nadab and Abihu? Jesus saves us for true worship. Do you remember the whoredom of Hosea's wife, Gomer? Jesus makes us into a pure bride. Do you remember the judgment that is thrown down on Nineveh and Edom because of their pride? Jesus will make us humble people, a humble people, dependent upon him. Do you remember in Ezekiel the judgment on the nations? Well those dead bones will live because of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel is known for the declaration in the beginning of the glory of God. The glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ. The effects of the fall is a horrible, horrible story that affects you down to your soul. And so should the message of the cure to the fall, our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the storyline of the Bible. We have a hero and his name is Jesus Christ. If you understand this storyline, then you can rightly understand the bottom line. You'll rightly understand the pravati and the need for justification, the need to be made righteous with God. You will understand your personal need for a Savior. You understand the Bible in this way? Then we give thanks and worship to Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we battle the effects of the fall even as we go through this short class. You know it. You see in our thoughts, in our minds. Lord, the effects of the fall reaches even though of us who are believers. Lord, we long for the day when you will return. We long for the day when we'll be glorified. We will have no more sin and we'll see you, our Savior, from the effects of the fall. We love you. Please help us to grow. Please help us to communicate this message more clearly to more and more people. Amen.