J-E-L-L-O! The Jell-O program starring Jack Benny with Mary Livingston and Phil Harrison is orchestra. The orchestra opens a program with Hooray for Hollywood from Hollywood Hotel. Everybody knows the familiar expression, I am from Missouri, you've got to show me. Well, if you're the kind of a person who likes to prove things for yourself, there's one swell way to prove how extra-rich and extra-good Jell-O is. Just make this simple test right in your own kitchen. First, open a package of Jell-O and smell the fruit-rich fragrance that rises from those powdery crystals. Then dissolve your Jell-O in hot water and enjoy again the delightful aroma of fresh ripe fruit. More proof of Jell-O's extra-rich fruit flavor. And for the final proof, that's the best of all, taste Jell-O. Then you will know how good it is, for Jell-O has delicious satisfying extra-rich fruit flavor that makes every Jell-O dessert a winner every time. So don't accept any substitutes for Jell-O. Always insist on the real thing. Look for the big red letters on the box. They spell Jell-O, made by Phil Harrison as orchestra. And now, ladies and gentlemen... Wait a minute Don, wait a minute, this one's on me. And now, ladies and gentlemen, we bring you a man who is today celebrating his 15th year in radio. My friend and your friend, Don Wilson. Well, take it Don. Well, thank you Jack. And Jell-O again, this is Don Wilson talking. Atta boy. Say Jack, it's mighty sweet of you to give me that nice introduction.  That's what I call a lovely spontaneous gesture. Well, Don, I couldn't help it. I read in the paper yesterday that this is your 15th anniversary. To be congratulated. Well, why shouldn't I enjoy radio? You're such a swell fellow to work with. You're kind, considerate, lovable. Generous? No, lovable. Well, even that's something. But tell me Don, what was radio like 15 years ago?  Were you an announcer? Oh no, no Jack, I started out in radio as a singer. Oh, a singer? Oh, you should have heard me then. Yes, sir, that's my baby. No, sir, I don't mean baby. Hey, hey, that's my baby now. Oh, a crooner, huh? So you started out in radio as a singer? Yes, and then I thought I'd change to an announcer. You thought? Listen Don, Bing Crosby's horse has got a better voice than you have. Well, he's got a trainer. Oh, that's right. You know Don, I don't recall ever hearing you sing. What was your name in those days? Was it Don Wilson? Oh no, Jack, I was part of a trio. We were known as the Three Melody Boys. Oh, you were part of a trio. Who was the other fellow? Oh, Jack, you can kid me all you want to about my weight now, but back in 23, I was much thinner. In fact, I was positively silt-like. No, well Don, a lot of food has gone over the dam since then. You know, I can't picture you ever being slim. You have such a big waistline. Oh, I don't know, I don't know. My stomach isn't so large. It isn't? No. Well, just the same, I'd hate to have to knit you a girdle in a hurry. Oh, hello Phil. Hello Jack, congratulations Don. Oh, thanks old boy. Say, Phil, I was quite a surprise to me. I didn't know that Don was in radio that long. Oh, sure. I remember Don way back in the old days when I used to be a drummer in an orchestra.  Say, when did you give up the drums and become a leader? When I lost one stick. Well, you should have lost both. You know, I can't understand with all the beautiful instruments in the world, like a violin, for instance, why anybody would take up drums. Why not? There's no melody to a drum. The tat-tat-boom-boom, crash-bang-clink. The fine instrument sounds like Andy Devine eating celery in a boiler factory.  Just the same, a violin is the king of instruments and a drum is nothing. Now wait a minute Jack, did you ever see that famous painting called The Spirit of Seventy-Six? Yes, once on a calendar. Well, what do you see in that picture? A flag, a fife and a drum. You don't see a violin there? Well, for your information, Phil, the fellow carrying the flag is a violinist. Where's the violin? His violin is in the back of the flag. Then why isn't he playing it?  You know, Phil, some day you're going to argue me right into a new band leader. Hello Jack, what are you mad about? Oh, it's Don's 15th anniversary. I mean, Phil is quibbling with me again. Say, Mary, aren't you going to congratulate Don? This is 15th year in radio. I know. Say, Don. Yes, Mary. As soon as I read in the paper that this was your 15th anniversary, I went right home and wrote a poem in your honor. Oh, it's mighty sweet of you, Mary. Well, here we go, fellas. But I don't mind it tonight. Really, I don't. I think Don deserves a poem. What's the title of it, Mary? A Nickerbocker Hotel. Nickerbocker Hotel. Well, what's that got to do with Don? He owes them a month's rent. Well, go ahead with the poem, Mary. Look modest, Don. Oh, Don Wilson. Oh, Don Wilson. 15 years ago today. Radio first swept the nation. Now you and it are here to stay. Well, so far that's very un-goofy, isn't it? You were born in the town of Denver. In the mountains, called the Rockies. Also born there was Paul Whiteman. But neither of you would make good jockeys. Hey, you must have done a lot of research there. Oh, Don, was Paul Whiteman born in Denver, too? Yes, he was, Jack. Well, incidentally, Phil, Paul Whiteman plays a violin. Not a drum. Who's Whiteman? Oh, choir. Go ahead with the poem, Mary. Oh, Don Wilson. Oh, Don Wilson.  Stuckle? Yeah, I got stuck. Oh. Go ahead, Mary, and good luckle. Oh, Don Wilson. Oh, Don Wilson. You're the nicest man alive. How we love your cheeks so rosy, and your chins three, four, and five. Mary, Don's only got two chins. Look under his collar. Oh. Are you through, Mary? No, one more verse. Oh. Uh, we salute you, dear old Wilson.  Hmm.  Well, that's very good. Wasn't that sweet, Don? Oh, yes it was. Thanks, Mary. I'm overwhelmed. Well, say, I've got another idea. Phil, how about playing something now that was popular back in 1923 when Don made his debut in radio? I got one already, Jack, and I dedicated the good old Wilson. And hit it. Gee, I feel 15 years younger already. I'll be down to get you in the taxi, honey. You better be ready about half past eight.  We want to be there when the band starts swinging. Remember when we get there, honey, the two steps I'm going to have and all. I'm going to dance down both my shoes as they rag the down home blues. Tomorrow night at the Darktown Trudder's Ball Yes, it's going to be a gala affair. Everybody's going to be there. Alexander's going to play the music. Come in, LA. Natalie of Darktown Trudder's Ball and Alexander's Ragtime Band played by the orchestra with a surprise vocal by a reformed drummer.  I don't stay up all night. You don't, eh? That looked like an ad for Yee Goody Donut Shop. Well, that, folks. You should talk the bags under your eyes or so low it looks like your pants need pressing. Now, listen, Phil, and let this sink in. I could stay up all night and on my way home get hit by a taxi cab and still look better than you do. Not if I was driving the cab. Well, you should be driving a cab. You're yellow. Hey, that's a scissor. Well, that's a honey, isn't it? Yeah, one more crack like that and you'll be looking at the world through rose-colored beef steak. Oh, I will, eh? Oh, boys, boys, please. After all, this is my anniversary. Oh, that's right, Don. I'm sorry. This is one day we should act like gentlemen. Well, I'm in favor of it. Okay, come on over here, Phil. Come on over and shake hands. Put her there, Jack. Ow! He whizzed.  That's just a sample. See, my hands are wrecked. Now, I won't be able to tear that telephone book in two at the party tonight. Oh, well, I can still recite my parody on Gunga Din. That always goes over, you know? Gee, you love to show off when you're invited. Oh, don't you, Jack? Well, people expect me to be funny. After all, I'm a comedian. Tell them what happened when Carol Lumbart's party the other night. Now, don't start that. Oh, it wasn't very. Oh, cut it out now. Come on, tell us, Mary.  Oh, that's so good. So when we got there, he rang the bell. Then he stood on his head and started to bark like a dog. Well, what of it? And when they answered the door, was he embarrassed? Oh, why? It was the wrong house. Well, what's so funny about it? The man invited me in, didn't he? No wonder it was a sanitarium. Just the same when I got to Carol's house, I was the life of the party, wasn't I? How about when I slid down the banister? I suppose they didn't laugh at that. It wouldn't if that nail had been there. Yeah, well, let me tell you something, Mary Livingston.  Please, remember, this is my anniversary. Oh, of course, Don. I'm sorry. Oh, hello, Kenny. It's about time you came in. Oh, I've been here all the time. I was over in the corner talking to myself. Oh, you were? Was it an interesting conversation? Not very. You know me. That's right. Say, Jack, I've got something on my mind and I wonder if I can ask you about it. Sure. What is it, Kenny? Said he laying himself open to anything. What is it? Well, my love life has gone haywire again. Oh, the same old trouble, huh?  Why, Kenny, you told me yourself that she liked the other fella. Why should you be upset? They want me to buy the ring. Well, that's what I call a lot of nerves. So they're going to get married, eh? Who's going to be the best man? I don't know. I'm going to be the flower girl.  That girl is the most ungrateful, gold-bigger I've ever heard of. Now, wait a minute. That's all most my wife you're talking about. Well, you're just crazy, that's all. What are you defending them for? Oh, I don't know. They're a nice couple. Yeah. Right after they're married, they're going on an automobile trip and they invited me to go along. That's fine. Why should they invite you to go along on their honeymoon? It's my car. Oh, well, that explains everything.  If they move in with Kenny's folks, I'll scream. Quiet, Mary. You'll throw them a thought. Well, Kenny, now that you've asked my advice about something which you won't take, how about doing your song? Okay.  Now, Jack, Jack, please remember, this is my anniversary. Oh, you and your old anniversary. I'm sorry I started it. Sing, Kenny, anniversary, anniversary. When I was a mellow, Rosita met young Manuello. He held her like this, this lovely miss, then stole a kiss, this fellow. He said he was glad he'd met her, and soon he would come and get her. But she said, no, no, I cannot go until I know you better. Tippy tippy tin, tippy tin, tippy tippy ton, tippy ton. He kept on the stealing and he had a feeling she was satisfied. Tippy tippy tin, tippy tin, tippy tippy ton, tippy ton. She was saying, go so, so he held her closer, that's how he complied. Each night the moon grows, and it's the same with Manuello. For under its spell he comes to tell his love so well, this fellow. She does her best to resist him. She won't let him know she's missed him. But under the charm of his strong arm, it seems no harm to kiss him. Tippy tippy tin, tippy tin, tippy tippy ton, tippy ton. He kept on the stealing and he had a feeling she was satisfied. Tippy tippy tin, tippy tin, tippy tippy ton, tippy ton. He will always do so, cause she has a true soul and he has a bride. Tippy tin, very cute. Tippy tin sung by Kenny Baker. See, I never heard that before. That's a new one, isn't it Kenny? Yeah, it's a little Spanish number I picked up. Has she got a friend Kenny? Sure, Phil. No, really Kenny, it was very cute. Oh, say Jack, Jack, I just thought of something. What is it, is it Don? Well, I'm a little nervous, you know, this is my big day and I've gone all through the program without mentioning our product months. Do you mind if I do it now? Now, wait Don, this is your holiday. And as a special treat for you, I hired another announcer to do the plug. And I'm paying for it out of my own pocket.  Oh, it wasn't much. We know that's 40. Why? Oh, Jack, why don't you let me to it?  No, Don, the arrangements are made. Now here's your substitute right here. Are you ready? Mr ... Mr. Wild preaching I still don't get what your first name Oh, go right ahead. Ladies and gentlemen. Whenever you're thinking of bi calendars And you find where it's at, they can't find where it's at. Don't bother with the privacy. Just bring the things to the porters. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You see, Jack, you see, I better handle this. Ladies and gentlemen, whenever you're thinking of an economical dessert, why not try Jell-O? It is tempting, inexpensive, and comes in six delicious flavors. Strawberry, raspberry, cherry, orange, lemon, and lime. Yeah, I'm awfully sorry, Don. My plan didn't work out. Hey, buddy, are you sure that you're the fellow I hired? Well, last Friday night, the torii come up to Jim, and he forced me to hide it. Don't worry. The big difference to me was that... I see your uncle couldn't come. Well, thank you very much. Oh, that's all right. We need privacy. Yes. Yes. You're welcome. You're welcome. Well, next time I hire anybody, I'm going to try them out. I'm sorry, Don. Oh, that's all right, Jack. You meant well. You bet I meant well. And now, Don, let me tell you the surprise I've planned for you. Gee whiz, I've had so much already.  So now it's my turn. Here comes the showboat. Mary, see. Now, Don, as I announced last week, tonight for a violin solo, I'm going to play Thanks for the Memory, written by Leo Robin and Ralph Ranger, the same boys who wrote Love and Bloom. Bless them. And, Don, I don't know of a more fitting occasion or a finer person to dedicate this number to than you. Thank you, highbrows.  Okay. Hey, Misha. Let Mr. Benny have your violin. No, it's Yasha's turn. Give me yours, Yasha. No, Misha, give me yours. Misha, Yasha, give me Hermans, anybody. Here you are, Jack. Thanks. Gee, I think I was going to ruin the violin. I only wanted for a few minutes. That's all it takes. Well, I'm not going to break it. Gee, it's a little out of tune. Hey, A, fellas. I said, A, I'm not going to the post. And now, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, in honor of Don Wilson's 15th Radio Birthday, I will play a song that will soon be sweeping the nation. Thanks for the memory. Hit it, Phil. Okay. Wait a minute. See who that is, Mary. Oh, Jack, it's Leo Robin and Ralph Ranger. Oh, Leo and Ralph. Hello, fellas. Hello, Jack. Hello, Jack. Boys, you couldn't have picked a better time to drop in. I was just about to play your new song. Thanks for the memory. Yeah, we heard you announce it last week.  Oh, that's nice. That's awfully nice. Say, Jack, we'd like to talk to you for a minute. Do you mind? No, no, no. What is it, fellas?  Oh, certainly. Certainly. Mary, do you mind stepping out for a minute? You too, Kenny and Don. Okay, sir, but take care. You want me to go too, Jack? No, you stay here, Phil. After all, there are two of them. All right, boys. What's on your mind? Well, Jack, I, uh... Really, I don't know how to start this. Let me handle this, Ralph. My goodness. What's all this fuss about? You know, Jack, we wrote thanks for the memory just a short time ago. It's fairly well known now, but it hasn't reached the peak of its popularity yet. Well, if there's anything I can do, boys, I'll... You know, that song means more to us than anything we've ever written. Well, I appreciate that. And we wouldn't want anything to happen that would stunt its growth. Stunt its growth? Well, I'm not going to smoke when I play it, fellas. Now, come on, just what are you driving at? Well, uh... Well, what? Come on, get down to brass tags. All right. How much do you want not to play thanks for the memory? What? We'll give you $200. Oh, trying to offer me money, eh? Do you boys remember what I did for your other song, Love and Bloom? Yeah, I wish we had money then. So you offer me $200, eh? Well, boys, all I can say is you've placed a fellow musician in a pretty embarrassing position. Will you take $250? Don't tempt me! Now, listen, boys, tonight I'm going to play Thanks for the Memory, and you're going to hear and listen to it. And when I finish, your song will reach heights beyond your wildest dreams. $300! Nothing doing, fellas. Come on in, everybody. Now, quiet. I don't want any disturbance. Announce me, Don. Ladies and gentlemen, Jack Benny will play his own arrangement of Robin and Ranger's latest song, Success, Thanks for the Memory. And a trip to Catalina! I've been to Catalina! Isn't that beautiful, folks? I wish rats write such sweet music. I'll bet they don't even like it in War Keegan! They do, too! Pride boys hit it! Broadcast of 1938. Well, boys, did you hear that applause? Now, what have you got to say? Congratulations, Jack. You did a great job. Thanks, Jack, old boy. That was a very pleasant surprise. And you were trying to buy me off. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? You should have taken the money, Jack. I'll get them on their next song. We need more variety. Well, here's a swell new dish. It's one of the most delicious and attractive salads you ever made in your life. It's made with clear, shimmering lemon jello and canned fruit salad. It's done quickly and easily without one bit of trouble. Dissolve one package of lemon jello in hot water and chill until slightly thickened. Then fold in one can of mixed fruit salad cut into small pieces. Chill until firm and serve on crisp green lettuce garnished with real creamy mayonnaise. That makes just the grandest, most refreshing fruit salad. Lovely pale golden lemon jello with its fruit-rich goodness and pineapple cherries, apricots, grapes inside that shimmering golden mold. Just be sure to make your jellied fruit salad with genuine jello because only jello brings you that delicious extra-rich fruit flavor. So get a preview of spring with this grand new salad. Order some lemon jello tomorrow. Last number of the 23rd program in the new jello series and we're with you again next Sunday night at the same time. Well, Leo and Ralph, thanks very much for coming up here and I hope that my humble effort has given thanks for the memory of little Joel's. We think it did. So long, Jack. So long, boys, and thanks. Well, Mary, now that it's all over, give me an honest opinion. How was my solo tonight?  Well, it's not bad, believe me. Good night, folks. The speaker appears on the jello program through courtesy of Mervin and Roy Productions. This is the National Broadcasting Company.


Let's join together in a moment of centering silence. And now please join in our in-gathering hymn, number 1023, the words are printed in your order of service. Good morning. Welcome to the First Unitarian Society of Madison. This is a community where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical, and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment, and we especially need the nurturing today. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to be a force for transformation in the world. My name is Beth Binhammer and on behalf of the congregation I would like to extend a special welcome to any visitors who are among us this morning.  Newcomers are encouraged to stay for our fellowship hour after the service to visit the library which is directly across from the center doors of this auditorium. From your drinks and your questions, members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. You may also look for persons holding a teal coffee mug. These are FUS members knowledgeable about our faith tradition who would love to visit with you. Experienced guides are generally available, let me see if we have one today. And we don't for this morning. But usually we have a tour guide available after the service and if you would like to volunteer to become a tour guide that would be awesome to take people through our national landmark meeting house but this morning there is no tour guide. We welcome children to stay for the duration of the service but if a child needs to talk or move around the child haven to my right or the commons are wonderful places to retire the service can still be seen and heard from those places. And speaking of noise please turn sound off of these lovely little electronic devices that might cause a disturbance during this hour. I'd like to acknowledge the people who help our services run smoothly. This morning our sound operator is David Briles, our lay minister Tom Boykoff, Usher's Dorit Bergen, Nancy Daley, Brian Chanas, Hospitality or Coffee, Rick DeVita and Sandra Plisch and the Pulpit Palms and Orchid Care was taken care of by John Twoes. We thank those people for their service to our community. Please note the announcements on the red floors insert in your order of service which describe upcoming events at the society and provide more information about today's activities. There are two special announcements that I'd like to call your attention to. The first, every year the Department of Corrections revokes or sends back to prison almost 4,000 former prisoners who were released upon condition of following rules of supervision. They are being revoked not for committing a new crime but because they broke one or more of their rules of supervision things like using a cell phone or a computer without proper authorization, missing an appointment or failing an alcohol or drug test. Does breaking some of these rules really mean that the person is now a threat to the safety of the public? Do we really need to lock these people up for years at a cost of $150 million per year? The impact of these decisions in human cost is devastating. Individual lives are destroyed, families are often torn apart and public safety is rarely improved. Our FUS Moses ministry team invites you to a presentation about the issue of the abuse of revocation in the Wisconsin prison system today after this service from 1015 until 11 o'clock in the landmark auditorium. Coffee and refreshments will be served. We hope you will join us to learn more about this problem and how we can push for reform. Turkey Drive Sunday November 20th FUS will hold our annual Turkey Drive. This marks the 25th anniversary of this Thanksgiving food drive. We will collect food from 8 30 a.m. until 11 15 a.m. Please bring frozen turkeys, frozen ham and non-perishable food items or your check made out to Saint Vincent de Paul food pantry. Look for the U-Haul truck and volunteers with Turkey Drive signs in the FUS parking lot. Help stock the shelves so that more families in our community can gather for a holiday meal just as we gather for hours. Again, welcome. We hope that today's service will stimulate your mind, touch your heart, and stir your spirit. Thank you, Teen Choir, for waking us up with a rouser this morning. Good morning. My name is Eric Severson. I am your intern minister for this academic year. Our opening words are adapted by those of Reese Williams. Coming together from our separate lives and interests, may we be joined in a common purpose of hope and renewal. May light reveal itself to us amidst the darkness we have encountered. May wisdom and judgment grow in our lives and fresh life come out of old limitations, reviving us all. Spirit of life come to us to break down barriers, to widen horizons, to make us less judgmental, to see the larger picture and the kinder conclusion. To love and let live. To embrace and forgive. To nurture and to care. May we each find our better selves that we may love more and hate less. Embrace more and reject less. So that a bond of understanding might be forged that can sustain us through trial and tribulation, through disappointment and disillusionment. When better to begin than with this bright new day, I invite you to rise in body or in spirit for our chalice lighting printed in your order of service. For every disappointment from which we have new growth. For every disillusionment after which we have a re-lighting of hope. For every disaster after which we have a resurrection into new birth, we light this chalice. And I invite you to say hello to those around you. And I would invite any children who are ready and willing to come to the front for the message for all ages. Well, that's willing. You always sit close. You don't want to be, you don't want to be too far away from your mom, do you? That's not it. So this is a story that I wanted to tell because it's going to be Thanksgiving pretty soon. And we're all going to be having these wonderful dinners on Thanksgiving, I would think. And hopefully all of us are going to have plenty to eat. And this is a story about a little boy and his grandmother who is called Nana and something that they did to help some people who don't have very much to have a good meal. So the little boy's name is CJ. And CJ pushed out of the church doors and he skipped down the steps and the outside air smelled like freedom. And it also smelled like rain, which freckled CJ's shirt and dripped down his nose. He ducked under his Nana's umbrella and said, how come we got to wait for the bus in all this wet? Well, trees get thirsty too, his Nana told him. Don't you see that big one over there drinking through a straw? CJ looked for a long time and he didn't see a straw. From the bus stop, he watched water pool on the flower petals. He watched water patter against the windshield of a nearby car. His friend Colby climbed into the car and gave CJ away and he drove off with his dad. Nana, how come we don't have a car? The bus creaked to a stop in front of them. It sighed and it sagged and the door swung open. What's that I see? Mr. Dennis, the bus driver, asked and he pulled a coin from behind CJ's ear and put it in his palm. Nana laughed, her deep, deep laugh and she pushed CJ along into the bus. They sat right up front and the man across the way, he was tuning a guitar. An old woman with curlers had butterflies in a jar. Nana gave everyone a big, big smile and said, good afternoon. And she had CJ do the same. The bus lurched forward and it stopped. And it lurched forward and it stopped. Nana hummed as she knit. How come we always got to go here after church? CJ said. Miguel and Colby, they don't ever have to go anywhere after church. I feel sorry for those boys, Nana told him, because they are never going to have a chance to meet Bobo or the sunglassman. And I hear Trixie, she's got herself a new hat. CJ stared out the window of the bus, feeling sorry for himself. He watched the car zip by on either side, watched a group of boys hop the curbs on their bicycles. A man climbed aboard the bus and he had a spotted dog. CJ gave him his seat. How come that man can't see? Boy, what do you know about seeing, Nana said. Some people watch the world with their ears. That's a fact. And their noses too, the man said, sniffing the air. That's a mighty fine perfume you're wearing today, ma'am. Nana squeezed the man's hand and laughed her deep laugh. The older boys moved on to the back of the bus and CJ watched them as they stood in the back. Sure wish I had one of those, he said. What for? said Nana.  Why don't you ask that man if he'll play us a song? CJ didn't even have to ask. The guitar player was already plucking the strings and beginning to sing. I feel the magic of music. The blind man whispered, and when I do, I like to close my eyes. Nana said the same thing, and she closed her eyes, and so did CJ, and so did the spotted dog. And in the darkness, the rhythm lifted CJ out of that bus, out of the busy city, and he saw sunset colors and swirling and crashing waves. He saw a family of hawks slicing through the air. He saw the old woman's butterflies dancing free in the light of the moon, and his chest grew full, and he was lost in the sound of that music, and it gave him a feeling of magic. He was using his imagination, wasn't he? The song ended, and CJ opened his eyes. Everyone on the bus clapped, even the boys in the back. Nana glanced at the coin in CJ's palm, and he dropped it into the guitar player's hat. Last stop on Market Street, Mr. Dennis called. CJ looked around as he stepped off the bus, crumbled sidewalks, broken down doors, graffiti tagged windows, boarded up stores. He reached for Nana's hand. How come it's always so dirty here? He asked. Nana smiled and pointed up to the sky and said, sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness to what's beautiful. CJ saw that perfect rainbow arcing over the soup kitchen, and he wondered why his Nana always found beautiful, where he never even thought to look. He looked all around them again, at the bus rounding the corner and going out of sight, at the broken street lamp still lit up bright, the stray cat shadows moving along the wall, and then he spotted those familiar friendly faces in the window, and he said, I'm glad we came. He thought his Nana might laugh, her deep laugh, but she didn't. She just patted CJ on the head and said, me too, I'm glad we came too. Now come on. So what are they doing? Where did they end up? They ended up in what the story calls a soup kitchen, but it would be a place where people who don't have enough money to eat in a restaurant go and they're provided with free food so that they have something healthy to eat, and CJ and his grandmother Nana are helping to serve, and every Sunday after church they go and help to serve these men, probably some of whom don't really even have a home of their own. So as we think about Thanksgiving coming up, remember people like these, that CJ and Nana really want to help to have a good meal as well. And we're going to sit right here as our choir sings us another song. Thank you, choir. And now Linda will be playing a little traveling music as our children depart for their classes. Have a good time. Our bit of published wisdom this morning comes from a deadly sin reconsidered, Envy by Joseph Goldstein. Of the seven deadly sins, only Envy is no fun at all. Surely, it is the one that people are least likely to want to own up to, for to do so is to admit that one is probably ungenerous, mean, small-hearted. It may also be the most endemic. So widespread is it, a word for Envy I have read exists in all known languages, that one is ready to believe it is the sin for which the best argument can be made that it is part of human nature. Most of us could still sleep decently if accused of any of the other six deadly sins, but to be accused of Envy would be seriously distressing. So clearly does such an accusation go directly to character. The other deadly sins, though all have the disapproval of religion, do not so thoroughly, so deeply, demean, diminish, and disqualify a person. Not the least of its stigmata is the pettiness implicit in Envy. The Envious tend to be injustice collectors. Envy, among other ingredients, has a love of justice in it, William Haslett wrote. We are more angry at undeserved than at deserved good fortune. Envy asks one leading question, what about me? Why does he or she have beauty, talent, wealth, power, the world's love and other gifts, or at any rate a larger share of them than I? Why not me? Dorothy Sayer writes, Envy is a great leveler. If it cannot level things up, it will level things down. At its best, Envy is a climber and a snob. At its worst, it is a destroyer. Rather than have anyone happier than itself, it will see us all miserable together. Resentment is often behind Envy, but the similarities and distinctions between the two states of mind need to be made clear. Envy usually has a specific object, and should it be obtained, then Envy is put to rest. The same is true of revenge. Once it is acquired, the books are closed. But resentment is of greater endurance, has a way of insinuating itself into personality, becoming a permanent part of one's character. It is a state of mind, one that leaves those who possess it with a general feeling of grudgeness toward life. Those who suffer from it, feeling their impotence, do not believe that much, if anything, can be done about the source of their resentful feelings. I would hazard that at one time or another in our lives, nearly all of us have felt that peculiar combination of Envy and impotence. A debilitating emotion that confers the dark and heavy feelings of hopelessness made permanent. Please rise in body or in spirit for our next hymn, number 299. Please be seated. In a recent essay that appeared in the New York Review of Books, Retired University of North Carolina History Professor and UW Madison grad, Christopher Browning, he described the prevailing mindset in Protestant and Catholic Germany, a mindset that set the stage for the Holocaust. Jews in Germany and Austria in the 1930s were not universally successful, but enough had acquired sufficient wealth and status to arouse feelings of enmity and envy. And as a result, a broad swath of lower and middle-class German gentiles grew increasingly resentful toward these historically marginalized and religiously suspect people in their midst, and many reached the conclusion that Jewish wealth had been acquired at their own expense. But as Joseph Goldstein observed in the preceding reading, Envy is not a sentiment that people want to express openly because it reveals this shameful flaw in one's character. No other deadly sin, he said, so deeply demeans, diminishes, and disqualifies a person. So what to do with this sense of grievance? To conceal their invidious feelings, Germans aided and abetted by Nazi propaganda, they promulgated this racial explanation for these perceived inequities. Jewish economic success, it was said, reflected an odious biological trait. Jews were natural-born parasites prone to engorge themselves at the nation's expense. And so on the basis of race theory, Jewish economic acumen was turned inside out when applied to Jews what formerly might have been admired was now despised. You see, the resentment didn't disappear. It just went underground, reemerging as a righteous mission to rid European society of this fatal pestilence. Biopolitical social science disguised hatred as insight, browning rights, and provided justification for acts of legal discrimination against others permitting millions of Germans to delegate their own resentment and aggression born of feelings of inferiority and shame, delegate all those feelings to the state, and the government thus acquired the latitude it needed to press forward with its murderous campaign. I begin today's reflections with this appraisal of pre-World War II German sensibilities to indicate how powerfully envy and resentment often camouflaged to preserve our self-esteem can alter our estimation of one another and tear apart our social and political fabric. Now in the days that have elapsed since Tuesday's elections, we've been exposed to a whole lot of commentary on the outcome. How could the pollsters have misjudged the country's mood so badly? What was in the minds of 50 million voters who cast their ballots for a candidate described by every major newspaper and magazine in the country as unworthy of the nation's highest office? Early surveys indicated that President-elect Trump was most popular among white males lacking a college education, but a majority of college-educated whites voted for him as well. Donald Trump also prevailed among white women who for a variety of reasons overlooked the clear evidence of his misogyny. These were not all Tea Party types. They were not all alt-right reactionaries. Many self-identified as political independence. A significant percentage were Gen Xers, millennials, a cohort reported to be more progressive and accepting than their elders. Overall, Mr. Trump won almost 60 percent of the white vote. Did these election results reveal a previously undetected current of racism and ethnocentrism among white Americans, a casual indifference to male misbehavior? For some segment of the voting public, that is almost certainly the case. But others hankered for a truly anti-establishment figure. They did not want another Bush in the White House, and they didn't want another Clinton either. And whether the man that they elected fits the bill, that remains to be seen. But this was the promise that Mr. Trump made throughout this long and painful campaign. Any number of people were simply ready for a bonafide agent of change, to which we are tempted to ask, be careful what you wish for. In any case, it is difficult, even at this point, to come up with a simple, consistent account for Tuesday's revolution. But there is this one variable that has often been mentioned, and that is resentment. It's hardly a new phenomenon, because resentment has been nibbling away at the edges of our political culture for decades. But with this election cycle, its scope has widened, its expressions have become much more overt, its objects are several. Yes, racial minorities, immigrants, refugees, high-achieving women, environmentalists, public employees, knowledge workers in general. But if these are the targets, what is it about the people that belong to these categories that stirs up so much negative feeling in others? Well, even as white Americans have seemingly become much more accepting of African Americans in our schools and our workplaces and our neighborhoods, there is still this strong undertow of purely racial resentment. A significant percentage of whites still deny the link between skin color and privilege. And studies show that such people who reject that linkage are particularly prone to resentment. In fact, a lot of Americans fiercely maintain that those with a white skin have been put at a disadvantage. Affirmative actions, social welfare programs, they argue, these have given African Americans unearned advantages and opportunities that are being denied to white people. For poor and working-class whites, Wa Su recently wrote, their whiteness is in fact the very reason that they suspect that they are now under siege. And as Tim Wise observes, racial resentment has been fed by media portrayals of black Americans as the primary consumers of safety net programs. It was only after media imagery of the poor switched from mostly white to mostly brown and black beginning in the early 1970s. Wise writes that anger about social spending among whites began to explode. Recent immigrants and refugees have also become convenient targets for resentment and not just among white Americans. Many members of the working class are convinced that these newcomers receive preferential treatment that while honest citizens in rural and small town America struggle on their own to stay afloat, these people have been given a life raft. Richard Ojeda is a West Virginia. He's a Mexican American heritage, an army veteran, and he probably speaks for many when he says that we bring refugees into this country. And when they arrive, they get medical, they get dental, they get set up with funds, and what do we get? So when someone says they're going to take benefits away from people who come here illegally and give them to people who work, that sounds pretty darn good to me. Now one might be skeptical of Mr. Ojeda's claim that refugees and undocumented immigrants receive all these freebies that he describes. The vast majority secure employment fairly quickly and they begin to pay taxes. But what we are talking about here are perceptions and not provable facts. And the perception is that the playing field has been tilted at the expense of white and working class Americans. And that causes resentment, not only toward the foreign born that are supposedly feeding at the government trough, but toward a government that supports and enables this perceived injustice. Now economic unfairness is a common theme in all of these complaints, but George Saunders proposes that they reflect a more comprehensive fear that he calls usurpation anxiety syndrome. Usurpation anxiety syndrome. That's a mouthful. People's resentment reflects their belief that the country has been steadily moving away from us, that the country is being taken away from us. With increasing racial and cultural diversity, mainstream and mostly white Americans begin to feel that the mantle is passing to strangers that they neither understand nor trust. And when important public figures confirm and reinforce those anxieties, well it leads to the kind of election results that we saw last Tuesday. The seeds of resentment are sown over long periods of time, UW Madison's Kathy Kramer's writing. We see the weeds grow as people sow them in each other's minds.  Kathy Kramer spent seven years researching her book, The Politics of Resentment, and during those years she sat in conversation with scores of Wisconsinites in small town and rural settings. She approached her subjects with an open receptive attitude, eager to hear what they had to tell her. And many of them, when she first entered these conversations, were very skeptical about her intentions, but they were also very surprised and somewhat pleased that someone from Madtown and from the University of Wisconsin would seek out their opinions. And once they became convinced of Kramer's sincerity, they spoke candidly about their resentments and the reasons for them. Kramer herself had to overcome these deep-seated suspicions because she was from Madison, she was a state employee, and she was an academic. And so she had to work hard to gain her subjects trust because as she discovered in these conversations, in the politics of resentment, issues can be secondary to identities. Issues are secondary to identities. Now expressions of resentment surfaced again and again, but strangely very little of it had a racial flavor. Oh yes, there were some complaints about Native Americans in the region, but residents mainly focused on lifestyle issues, especially deservedness and its relationship to hard, honest work. Physical labor, working with one's hands, economic independence. These were highly prized values for these rural and small town folk. Public assistance programs were almost universally frowned upon. The proper role of government these folks set is to create jobs, not to provide charity. Professionals and knowledge workers also came in for criticism. They were thought to have cushier jobs for which they were overcompensated. One of Kramer's blue collar respondents probably spoke for many when he said, being a school teacher, teacher, I know that can be hard, but hey, they got such great benefits.  There's nobody in this town that makes 50 grand. The guys at the local sawmill, they only make 20 grand. The people in the communities that Kramer visited, unless they were public employees seldom had the luxury of pensions, paid time off or health insurance. Many said that they could not afford health insurance premiums, even under the Affordable Care Act. Others said that if they could, well, the co-bays and the deductibles were so high that they were forced to choose between health care and heating oil. Public employees were resented not just because they were better off, but because rural people's tax dollars paid for their privileged lifestyles. So in the end, three overarching themes emerged from Kramer's conversations. One, a belief that rural areas are ignored by decision makers. Two, a perception that rural areas do not get their fair share of resources. And three, a sense that rural folks have fundamentally distinct values and lifestyles that are misunderstood and disrespected by city folk. Not everything that she heard rang true for Kathy Kramer. Some of what people told her was based on misconceptions or partial truths. But again, it's perceptions that matter here, perceptions that are hardly unique to the state of Wisconsin. In interviews with white Louisianans, early Haas child heard similar expressions of resentment. And what we are dealing here with are what scholars call the deep stories, people's deep stories. And such stories are always partially supported by observable inequities. But they are also stories that are fiercely resistant to disconfirmation. You can throw facts at them, but it's not going to make any difference. A deep story, John Judas explains, is based on emotion. And in these instances, the painful sensation that one is being left behind, it's a feels as if story, he says, told in the language of symbols rather than facts or objective analysis. And if nothing else, Tuesday's election exposed the powerful hold that this deep story has on many of our fellow citizens. That's the unpleasant reality that we face. And what it portends for our nation's future isn't pleasant to contemplate. In their book, authoritarianism and polarization in American politics, Mark Hetherington and Jonathan Wheeler found this surge of resentment among Americans that has been taking place since the turn of the 21st century. And they point to the growing power of this deep story that people are telling themselves. But then they go further than this saying that many of those who have embraced this story and feel resentful also share a common cognitive style that they call authoritarian. And what this means is that some people events a greater need for order than others. Some people have more trouble with nuance and ambiguity than others. Some people are drawn to black and white explanations and are more hostile to outgroups that are believed to threaten the interests of their own cohort than others. That's the authoritarian cognitive style.  So what to make of all this? What we're dealing with here is not your average problem. It's what Harvard's Ronald Haifetz calls an adaptive challenge. The storyline has to change, which will prove difficult because the story and the resentment that it's fostered is so deeply rooted now in the American psyche. And circumstances make the challenge even more formidable because the forces of globalization and technological change together with the impotence of organized labor, this means that the fortunes of aggrieved white citizens are not likely to improve. Nor is it likely that opportunistic politicians will stop playing us off against each other because that strategy has proven so effective in the past. So it's really up to us. We city folk, as it were. This adaptive challenge is a challenge we all must face. Do some of our fellow citizens hold deeply repugnant views? Are some of them racist, misogynist, xenophobics? Yes, indeed. But as Catherine Kramer discovered in Outstate Wisconsin, many are hurting and many feel abandoned and feeling powerless. They look outside of their communities for the sources of their problems and they come up with a short list of scapegoats, which is an assessment that we city folk have done very little to disconfirm. Unfortunately, no governor and no president has the power or the know-how to bring prosperity back to rural and small-town America. So perhaps, as Joseph Goldstein observes, resentment is fated to become a permanent fixture in Americans' consciousness. But maybe that's not inevitable. As our country turns this hard corner, yes, we all need to take our civic responsibilities more seriously than ever. But we also need to find ways to create a crack in those deep stories by following Kathy Kramer's lead, trying to connect with curiosity, openness, and a degree of sympathy for our resentful fellow citizens. Because, as the late Leonard Cohen once wrote, it's through the crack that the light gets in. Blessed be and amen. I invite you to participate now in the giving and the receiving of our offering. This is the second week in which we are sharing our offering with dry hooch that provides a safe and loving environment for our veterans. We gather each week as a community of memory and of hope and to this time and place we bring our whole and on occasion our broken cells. We carry with us the joys and the sorrows of the recent past, seeking here a place where they might be received and celebrated and shared. And Smiley has entered in our cares of the congregation book, this message, a silver lining to the elections, at least for our family. To forestall potential visa complications, my son Will and his Indian fiance, Madhvi, they plan to marry in New Hampshire, where she's a professor at the University of New Hampshire, a bit prematurely, before their elegant January deli wedding, doubly blessed, legal and safe. In addition to that joy I just mentioned, we would acknowledge any other unarticulated joys or sorrows and I'm sure there are a few that remain among us as a community and we hold these with equal concern in our hearts. Let us sit silently for just a moment or two in the spirit of empathy and of hope. And so by virtue of our time spent together this morning, may our burdens be lightened and our joys expanded. And now I invite you to join your voices with mine in our joyful hymn number 1020 in the Teal hymnals. Sometimes you wake up in the morning and it's raining and you say, oh no. And sometimes you wake up and you say, oh yeah. And sometimes you wake up and you read newspapers and newspapers and newspapers and then after all of that, even after all of that world abounding in fears, always you say, come on. Yeah, come on. We will go on in love and in tears. Please be seated for the postlude.


Good morning. I am Dr. P. C. Khatri. I am retired professor and head Department of Politics Estimation College Bikaner. I retired around 10 years back and during all these my period of teaching I have come across so many of my students and I am very happy to know that a few of them are working over here in Manipal Hospital and they are doing excellent work. I really appreciate Dr. Sajendra Kateva, Dr. Ravi Khan, Dr. Gwebeva and all of the staff of this Manipal Medical and Paramedical and really overwhelmed by the services that I have seen they are providing to these corona patients. I am really very much obliged and I thank God that you are giving me a new life. Patients, my well-wishers, my friends must have troubled you a lot by empowering about my health and just because and I think you are every day telling me about all the well-wishers so I once thought that I am so lucky in this world that what more I can want from this God at this time when I am nearing around 70 I thought all this is fulfilled but certainly the life you have given me a new life to me there is nearly much more it might be something more to think about the life. I think the services you can provide to the society should never end and I have resolved myself that till my last breath my services are not complete and I would like to provide whatever I can do with my all capacity to serve this immunity and see you people rising and I can feel the proud by which I can see that how interconnectedly you are working like a team I really appreciate everybody of this Manipal, Saab, Karam, Medical and they have real empathy towards the serving of the society to the every person I have seen and involved really, thanks to all of you that in this Corona epidemic when people are scared of even going to the mill and relatives and you are providing so selfless and wholehearted support and keep completing all the needy people I ask of all of you and I pray God that such enthusiasm in you and your keen efforts to rise day by day should rise further and I think the Manipal Hospital will be a I think is the ideal hospital where one can always come without any fear in mind and the best people you can have over here to take every need of you I once again pray God and thank from my core of your heart that you are such an excellent team you are doing tirelessly work you are so well needed to each other it is just a family atmosphere and I pray God that in this hospital and you people must prosper and serve the community thank you so much


A good way for English learners to test their pronunciation is to use a voice dictation app on their phone. If the app understands every word you say, then your pronunciation is very good. However, if the app does not understand some words, then you know that you've identified some issues with your pronunciation. For example, in the first sentence above, the app said on the phone what I meant to say on their phone. This would indicate that I need to work on my final vowel sign. Try it out yourself and identify your key pronunciation errors.


Hey what's up guys it's Josh here today I want to share my thoughts on repurpose.io Recently I've been getting like flooded with all these like AI type website suggestions on my instagram my tiktok things like that after looking into the best most highest hype AI sites I I tried some of the best ones or some of the ones that seem like they'd be the best and it's just really hard to get a feel for these sites unless you get the pro version I mean they give you like obviously something to do for free but most of the time it doesn't even give you enough to do a complete video or it'll be like really bad quality or it'll be watermarked I don't know for me I just would rather pull the trigger like try one month all these things is like they try to get you to pay for a year and it's cheaper which is cool and I will do that if I like the program but you know it's anywhere from like probably 10 to 25 dollars a month but if you're gonna pay 25 dollars a month I mean the app or the AI thing is probably dope pretty impressive and you could make probably way more than 25 dollars a month just with the app so repurpose was one of those ones that I was very interested in it's just kind of like what you think it is it's basically like a reposting type app but it is kind of like better than everything else I do wish it was a little bit more complete I wish they offered a little bit more features it simply is just repurpose I think it's like 15 or 20 dollars a month and I get up to three social media accounts per social media platform which actually is pretty generous because I mean like that's like you could have essentially three different full like identities or channels because you would be able to have three different youtube three different instagrams three different all the stuff they have on there so I really like repurpose like it has had a few hiccups every now and again one of the social media platforms will have an error like a while ago was tiktok now tiktok got fixed and now there's Pinterest but if you're actually trying to like post all your content to lots of different platforms or if you're really good at posting on one platform and you want a very easy way to just post everywhere and not even really think about it you could choose for certain posts to be automatically reshared for you which is pretty nice but they also have this feature where depending on the social media platform you hit a button and you could obviously customize you know like the comment or the description of the post that you're making but they have this button right to the side of the description if you hit it basically ai generates you a great description or a great caption and I've found it to be pretty good so far pretty interesting and they also give you a lot of hashtags too it does seem to be getting better and better like when I first started they didn't have auto posts to instagram stories now it's like you could set it up so if not only does it post to instagram but it instantly posts to your story now it's really easy to do on instagram but I don't know just having a chain reaction so I set it up so if I ever post to instagram it automatically posts the story which is nice I wish it carried a few more sites like it has um half the sites I don't even use they even have social media platforms where you can't just sign up at any time you have to be kind of like invited a little bit sorry like a repurpose for what it is I do recommend it to a lot of people depending on like who you are and what you do like I think if you're somebody that dip it so into like you have a lot of content or you post a lot on one thing or you post a lot on two things like the way I look at the ai stuff is it's almost like hiring an assistant this is literally what an assistant would do and like sorry my it's gonna be cheaper with the ai and it's just nice being able to multiply your work I almost kind of burnt out on editing but now with these ai tools everything is so much quicker and uh it's amazing like another one that I use is capwing now capwing is probably the most impressive one but that's kind of more of like an all-in-one video editor it's not perfect but it has a few key features to where it's like I just absolutely love it so um that's kind of like my all-in-one video editor and then I go to um repurpose after that and kind of just send it all around capwing is great because it's so easy to create vertical content they even give you like the safe line so whenever you're posting to instagram or tiktok or whatever um you're not posting anything that's in like the writing or the buttons you know what I mean so that's happened to me so many times and it's so frustrating where you put this like you go out of your way you make this look really great and then like the words that you wrote are like mashed up with other words that are on top of it it sucks so bad and then it's like one button on capwing gets you the subtitles for the whole video which is just so nice that's why I'm able to like um just put subtitles with the click of a button on even my normal videos and I feel like sometimes that's nice because it's quiet or yeah I kind of mispronounce something and I could write it more correctly down there so anyways guys repurpose I really like it it's it's for a specific kind of person but if you have a lot of content on one platform you can just chuck it all over like multi you could just chuck it over lots of other platforms and if you want to experiment with um other profiles and things like that it's just going to cut down your time drastically and it's so really convenient and I just wish they had a little bit more like complexity versus like capwing capwing kind of does it all over and then repurpose it's like it's good it has the AI captions which is pretty good it has the auto post feature which is pretty good it has a few other things but I wish they would expand it a little bit more and I'm not really sure the pricing obviously or as I was saying earlier they it always is a lot cheaper if you buy the year so you know especially just try the month and then if you like the month get the year but it's really really really effective if you're the right person under the right circumstance and you know even if I don't post that much I probably are gonna I'm just gonna keep it just because I like how easy it is to use you can even use it on mobile you know imagine just going and you're at the amusement park and you have to send out this perfect like tick tock and then you set it up so just auto post to just all these sites so you just boom it's like you have an assistant and it's all sent out you know what I mean it's like it's very nice but repurpose is definitely nice I definitely think there's room for another platform to take it over unless they step up their game though so anyways guys thank you guys so much for watching the video it means so so much to me I hope you're having a great day comment I'm having a great day out here see you all in the next video


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ed to thank you again to all of the witnesses for being here today. I do appreciate your testimony. It was raised earlier and I wanted to circle back to the issue of Inspector General Recommendation Implementation. So this question is for Consumer Reports. Miss Shin, on page two of your written testimony and the testimony you provided here today, you state that CPSC agency staff should be given free reign to ignore recommendations from our independent Inspector General. And I must admit, given the important role that Inspector General serve, I frankly find such a statement to be quite shocking. Our Inspector General is empowered to be an independent and objective voice within CPSC to combat waste, fraud and abuse, which unfortunately we've seen all too much of here at CPSC. And that includes the 2019 Clearinghouse Data Breach. And frankly, much like Consumer Reports itself, RIG serves as a watchdog for the betterment of the agency and our mission. RIG is nominated by the President of the United States. Our Inspector General is confirmed by the United States Senate. Our career agency staff is neither, which is another reason I find your suggestion to be just so troubling. And for too long, I'll be frank, our Inspector General recommendations here at CPSC have been ignored. Some of the unimplemented IG recommendations are over a decade old. That's why Commissioner Biakko and I sought to expedite the implementation of IG recommendations in the current CPSC operating plan. And to be clear, several of the unimplemented IG recommendations stem from the IG's investigation into the 2019 Data Breach, which included the unauthorized disclosure of consumer PII and confidential business information. So, Ms. Shin, given CR's position here, I just have to ask, which of the outstanding current Inspector General recommendations do you think staff should ignore? Thank you so much for the question, Commissioner. First, I want to state our full support of the OIG's office. We do not believe that they are some rogue entity that should be ignored completely by staff. What my comment in my position and CR's position is referring to more is that each OIG recommendation should be carefully considered, just because there might be some inner workings that I am not aware of that might conflict and that might need a little bit more time to investigate and make sure that the recommendations that the OIG provide do align with what the staff is doing. And that's more of where our concern is. It's just that we want to make sure that each OIG recommendation is carefully considered and calibrated to what the staff needs and what the staff is able to do at that time. But we do fully support the OIG and we do appreciate all the work that they do. Okay, but that's different than what you testified. You said that staff should be given flexibility to recommend and evaluate recommendations as appropriate for implementation with the clear implementation that some recommendations are appropriate for implementation and others. So are you backtracking in your testimony a little bit? No, I'm not backtracking at all. I think what my point is that I think what I'm trying to say in a short amount of time that I did have was just to make clear that staff should have the discretion to review, carefully review and consider all the factors that might be in play and make sure that maybe potentially that some OIG recommendations conflict with another previous OIG recommendation, make sure that those types of conflicts are considered and evaluated. And so that's where my comment about the CPSC staff should have discretion is more that they should be able to consider all the factors and ensure that they're not automatically implementing contradictory recommendations. So what should the commissioner's role here be? I believe that the commissioner's role is to help staff evaluate and make sure that the OIG's recommendations are sound and that they can be implemented smoothly and quickly. What about GIO recommendations? Should we as commissioners defer to agency staff on whether or not to implement particular GIO recommendations? I will have to get back to you on that. I haven't really looked into the role there. All right. Frankly, I'm disappointed in hearing that because the IG recommendations that we have in front of us are, as I see them designed to strengthen the agency and put us on a stronger footing to accomplish our safety mission on behalf of consumers. I think it's consistent, frankly, with the watchdog role that groups like CR in fact occupy. These recommendations are outstanding and standing need to be implemented by the presidentially nominated and Senate confirmed commissioners who are ultimately the ones that are going to be accountable. And I'm pleased to say that's exactly what we're doing right now. But I do want to move on and recognize Ms. Seifert and Ms. Belong. I want to take a moment to thank both of you for your testimony today. I don't have a specific question for you, but I do want to recognize the important work that both of you do on the issue of furniture tipovers. As you know, and as we talked about today, this is an issue that the commission is now paying close attention to your dedication and to this particular cause and the work that you've put into it have been, frankly, instrumental in getting to the commission to where it is today. And I thank you for all of that. Lastly, I'd like to address the issue of agency transparency and 6B that's been mentioned at this hearing and previously in front of the commission. We heard testimony today from some of our witnesses about Section 6B being a gag order on this agency and putting air quotes around that. In consumer reports written testimony, for example, it states that CPSC should inform the public about legitimate safety hazards in a timely and complete manner, regardless of whether or not a company wants that to occur. And this view of 6B, frankly, it's based on an erroneous reading of the statutory requirements. Companies do not have a veto over what the commission says or doesn't say. And the requirements of 6B prevent the commission, don't prevent the commission from completing a timely unilateral safety notices to the American public. I'm encouraged that in my recent experience at the agency, the commission has included several of these unilateral safety disclosures. I'm also encouraged that the commission is making more frequent use of its health and safety authority to shorten the time period that many of these releases have and tying those findings to administrative litigation, if appropriate. This is something that I've advocated strongly for. And we've also been able to provide the notice in as little as 24 hours and to do so over the objection of the target firm and with full statutory due process. And in all of these recent cases, I've supported providing this expedited notice. So listen, 6B is hardly a gag order, and yet this myth persists. What is accurate is that the commission has misapplied the statute at times. In my view, the commission's also demonstrated a lack of political will to be fully transparent and to use the full set of enforcement tools that we have under our control. And I'm not alone in this view. There was an op-ed last year in 2021 from Alan Schoem, our former assistant general counsel. He also served as the director of the Office of Compliance. Mr. Schoem wrote that it's disingenuous on the part of the critics of 6B to claim that 6B prevents the commission from acting quickly to warn the public about a product hazard. Mr. Schoem served nearly 15 years with the agency. He wrote further that what appears to prevent us from acting quickly is the commission itself and our seeming inability to understand and use our existing authority. So I would ask unanimous consent that Mr. Schoem's article op-ed be included up for the record. Without objection. Thank you. And thank you again to all the witnesses who participated here today. Your testimony is important for us to consider as we shape CPSC's agenda and our future priorities for the coming years. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and my colleagues and commissioners. Trumpka and Biaka for today's discussion. I think it was positive. Mr. Chairman, I don't have any further questions and I would yield back the balance of my time. Thank you, Mr. Trumpka. Thank you. And Commissioner Feldman, thank you for those, for the statements you made about the importance and power of unilaterals there. I agree with you wholeheartedly. It is, it's a tool that we need to make sure we use every time it's appropriate. And you've certainly been a champion and proponent of its use and much thanks for that. Ms. Shin, I wanted to ask, you made an interesting point that I wanted you to expand on. You want us to, quote, make it clear to the public in Congress when the statutory civil penalty cap results in a lower penalty than otherwise would have been justified by a company's conduct. What would you like to see there? And I think, thank you for the question. First of all, Commissioner Trumpka, I would like to harken back to what Commissioner Feldman said in the first panel regarding civil penalties, because we wholeheartedly agree that there is a statutory limitation that is preventing the CPSC from really providing, really penalizing companies that are not following, following the rules. And so, and not reporting as they should. And so what we would love to see first is a statutory amendment and change. I agree with Ms. Coles from Kidd in the panel one about eliminating the maximum penalty altogether, especially when we're talking about multi-billion-dollar companies. And so that would be the first step. The second step really would be to, would be to use the new penalty maximums that we would have. Some of these companies have had some awful track records and they should be penalized accordingly. I think I also think that using the whole toolkit that the CPSC has in addition to civil penalties is necessary, including those unilateral warnings that you and Commissioner Feldman have mentioned today. That is definitely something that we're seeing here at CR as being very powerful in making sure that previously uncooperative companies are working with the CPSC in order to protect children and consumers. You mentioned the whole toolkit and one thing you mentioned in your written testimony was the use of criminal penalties. How could those be an important tool to further our mission? I think the first thing would be to find if there is any criminal violation and if there is, and that's something that I am personally not aware of at the moment. I can do a little research to see, however, it is a tool in the toolkit that is readily available and should be used if there is a violation of the law. Consumer Reports made a recommendation in the written testimony that we implement internal mechanisms to protect staff from external and internal pressures that would distract them from their work protecting consumers' safety. What are external pressures that you're worried about and what should those new protection mechanisms look like? Overall, I think that the agency has actually started to work on this. We're seeing a change in how staff, and we've always said to staff that we appreciate all the work that they're doing in the voluntary standards process as well as the mandatory standards process. But there are times when there is a change in the dynamics in the leadership where we do see a slowdown or delay of certain activities that CER has invested interest in seeing move forward quickly. And sometimes we do hope that certain changes in dynamics don't delay, but we would like to prevent that kind of incident from happening so that we can help address all the product safety hazards that are out there today. One prime example really that I can think of is the delays that we had seen with persistent hazards, whether it's window covering cords or CSU rulemaking. I think we would all agree that they took way too long, and there is a concern that maybe there had been delays because of these shifts. You know, I would, if you could follow up with maybe more detailed recommendations on what our mechanisms could look like, I think it'd be really useful for us to consider how we could prevent those types of delays going forward. So, Mr. Long, you said that the final rules have often taken the agency years, and I agree with you that years long timelines from an NPR to a final rule are not acceptable. Just wanted to state my agreement with you there. When a child, a separate question here, but when a child's been injured or killed, police are often the first people who are on the scene to find out what happened, and I think very understandably with the grief that families are experiencing, some parents don't want to talk. But some of their hesitation, if it's not due to grief, if there's any part of it that's due to fear in interacting with authorities, do you think it would benefit parents for CPSC to provide guidance to police on how to respond respectfully in those types of situations? So speaking from my experience, as when you're in that situation, you are interrogated to a level that nobody should be subjected to. You know, your home is infiltrated by police and every single one of us on par from Pat have been interrogated by DCF, threatened to have children taken away from us. So, yes, I think that when CPSC knocked on my door and they asked me, can we publish this?  Like, where is this going? Who is seeing this? I have no idea.  We had special victims like somebody saying to me like, hey, this is an organization that's going to reach out and this is what they're going to do. And this is why they need it. Yes, I think that would be super helpful. You know, many of us spend a lot of time in the hospital, you know, praying for the best outcome. If those doctors had known, again, brought it to my attention. Again, you know, we're interrogated by DCF and I'm a social worker. I know that that's their job.  And I have no idea where it's going. And, you know, for a long time before I knew the data from my son's death wasn't even brought into the whole ASCN process. So his dresser met the voluntary standard, but it wasn't even brought into the discussion because I didn't know. Well, thank you. That's a really, really useful perspective, which is why I'm so happy you're here to share it today. You know, the more of the incident reports that we read when we look at a fatality, the more obvious it is that, you know, sometimes police might not be ill-intentioned with their questions. But as you read them, they're jarring, you know, asking a parent who just lost a child for the third time, whether they're lying about what actually happened. They're used to investigating criminals, and I don't think there's any ill intent, but some education could be very useful there. Missy, you believe it is important for CPSC to address CSUs that are already in people's homes and present a hazard. Can you elaborate on the importance of that aspect? Well, so many people pass down furniture, especially the older furniture that's been passed down in generations, and all those need to be anchored, absolutely. So anchor it, anchor it not only covers older furniture, but also it should cover and does the use of the straps that do come with the furniture. Mr. Hal, you've suggested that we partner with industry to educate the public about fireworks. And I think obviously we can't allow regulated entities to have input in the substance of our public education because of the inherent conflict of interest. But if you're an organization sincere about promoting firework safety messaging, would you agree to promote CPSC's firework safety messaging using all of your available channels like websites and paid advertising? So, Commissioner Trump, we have in the past reached out to CPSC, actually shared the demographic last year, but I will remind you that AFSL is not a regulated entity. We don't sell fireworks. We don't import fireworks. We're a test and standards development organization. So there again, I would suggest that perhaps we would be able to share our educational materials and then your staff could make their decision whether or not that was something they felt like they could help get that message out to a broader audience. So you would be open to pushing out our messaging on your website and through paid advertising? Yes. I mean, we've pushed your message out on our social media before. That's not anything new. That is great to hear. And I also wanted to state that I agree with Commissioner Biacco on this that we know these are dangerous products and that's a different position than a lot of the products we look at, which makes that messaging necessary here. I do have concerns that the thrust of your testimony seemed to focus on blaming the users and not the product, but I'm going to move on from that.  Should I stop here for now? Why don't you stop here from now? We'll start a second round. Thanks, Commissioner. So I had a couple of questions coming from some of the questions that were raised in the first round. So I appreciate that. Dr. Paul, I know that you focus a lot on banning of nursing pillows. And it's really been my understanding that a lot of the focus has been more on whether there should be standards for the pillows, whether it's nursing pillows out there to really focus on the first round. And that's the fact that oftentimes children go to sleep on the pillows as they're nursing. And what happens after that? Putting this on the ban, which I think is not really, I think, with the focus that I've heard, are you opposed to looking at and writing standards for the pillows to make sure that they are safe as they can be while being still utilized for the purpose that you're talking about? I think they should be used as they're designed. And I would not be opposed to standards. Ms. Shin, is my understanding consistent with what Sierra's been advocating for? Or is there something else that you've been advocating for? So I understand your position as well. No, that is correct. We want to make sure that nursing pillows are used for its specific purpose and that it is designed and that there are standards to prevent it being used for other things like sleep. So you're not advocating for banning nursing pillows? No, we agree that they have a very functional role to play in the caring of children. Got it. Yeah, I think this is more of a comment. I know that 6B has raised a number of times and I would note that no other safety agency has a statutory construct like 6B when it comes to disclosing information about particular dangers that name companies or products in particular. And so haven't really been, really haven't seen the problems for those sister agencies. I would say since I've been here for about six months, never seen so many people and staff talk about 6B as often. Almost every conversation I have is a consideration and it ends up being part of the considerations going forward and takes time, energy and oftentimes becomes, it just, people err on set of caution. I'm not saying that unilaterals aren't possible. Just saying it is part of the work that everybody does and a large part of the time in the mind frame that's out there. And I don't see that in our sister agencies. So, Now it's conversation that we call have and have going forward, but note that it's not simply whether a unilateral can go out is how much focus time and tensions is put out there and how that affects the work that we can do in the most effective way possible. So, With that, I turn to Commissioner Bianco for a second round. Thank you. I really only have one follow up question for mission. I heard you reference earlier certain issues that CR has a vested interest in. Can you explain to me what that means? It's a vested interest. Well, product safety is core to our mission and we do monitor very carefully the products that are out there and we have a vested interest in ensuring that all products that are out there need a standard or are as safe as they can be. How? I mean, as an advocacy group as a magazine, I'm struggling to understand what you mean here because I may be because vested interest means something different to me. Sure. Thank you so much, Commissioner and I'm happy to clarify. So, as a team member on the product safety team here, the CPSC and as some as as part of a company who really is ensuring that consumer interests are served, we want to make sure that that consumers are are Excuse me. I'm trying to find the right words. That really it's about the vested interest is really more about our interest being in the consumers well being and then their safety and that might have been something I actually maybe overstated and I apologize if I created any confusion. Really what we want to make sure is that consumers are kept safe and that the products that are out there are are as safe as possible. And I get that I would you agree with me though that maybe CRS charge and and the CPSC charge, which is to protect consumers from the unreasonable risks of harm may not always dovetail. We would like to think that we do dovetail. I would like to I would I would love to talk more and and if you would be so kind to just give me a little bit more time to look into this because I would actually argue that our interests do dovetail. And so it would love to continue that conversation to kind of clarify how we can of course anytime you'd like I would appreciate that. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's it for me. Thank you, Commissioner, Mr. Feldman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't have any further questions. I just want to again thank everybody on the panel for being here today. This testimony is so important to what we do. Mr. Chairman, thank you for running a smooth process today. We'll yield back the balance of my time. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Trump. All right. Commissioner Feldman keeps yielding back his time. I think I might use it all. So sorry. But Dr. Paul, you conducted an important study in 2016 where you took a look at video of parents putting their infant infants to sleep in their own homes. And you found that despite the messaging that had been out there to put infants to sleep on their back on a firm flat surface with nothing else in the environment is that the vast majority of parents then were still putting their children to sleep in unsafe environments. 21% on unsafe surfaces, 14% not on their backs, 91% on loose items like stuffed animals and pillows. And these were parents that knew they were being recorded. I think you said you believed at the time that sleep deprivation could have contributed to some of those unsafe decisions. Is that right? I believe that that's correct. Okay. I mean, and particularly when there was a parent who was moving a fussy infant from one sleep location to a second sleep location in the middle of the night. Is that right? That's right, Commissioner. Thank you. And for that study, you counted it as an unsafe sleep environment. If the baby slept in bed with the parents or in a car seat, co-sleeper or in a baby swing, essentially anything that wasn't a crib bassinet or playpen, right? I'm going to take it. Forgive me. It's been a while since I wrote that paper and I've looked at the details of that. I wasn't, I didn't prepare by reviewing that paper today. You know, it's unfair because I read it yesterday, so. Right. I've written a couple of papers since then. I've noticed that you are a prolific writer. But this one, you know, I thought was really important. And that's why I wanted to ask a little bit about it. And if you'll accept my assertion that that's what I accept it. I appreciate that. Thank you. And you counted pillows and soft bedding as unsafe loose items. Do you remember that part of it? Yes, sir. Thank you. So I imagine you would not recommend that a baby be put to sleep for the night in a soft infant pillow, right? That's correct. And then based on that study, sleep-deprived parents, they, as you said, they were making these unsafe decisions when they moved a baby to a second or third environment in the middle of the night. In that state, parents might not heed a label warning against sleep in that product. Is that consistent with what you would have found? That's fair. So, look, I also want to say that I very much appreciate your disclosure at the outset of your testimony of having testified for BAPI. I think that's really important to be transparent and it's much appreciated here. I'm not sure if we always see it, so I thank you. I do have some questions about the group that you're testifying for because when I tried to look into the breastfeeding and infant development support alliance, I couldn't find much. I couldn't find a Form 990, which all nonprofits file with the IRS. I had trouble finding a website for the group and I did find it. I found a bare bones website that looks like it was recently created. It has a mark at the bottom of the page that says copyright 2022. Is it a newly formed group? I am not prepared to speak on the origins and the history of the alliance. I would more say I'm supportive of their goals to find a safe use for these infant support pillows because I do believe that there is a place for the safe use of them. You know, you're here because you think that breastfeeding is beneficial and I appreciate that and I think you're definitely an expert on that. And to the extent things can make that easier, you said before, I mean, you're interested in making sure that the mothers are able to do that and that the breastfeeding is facilitated. There might be a divergence in the group's overall goals. That's what I kind of wanted to ask about because I'm not sure that's their only goal here. Commissioner, I am completely for safe sleep in my clinical practice that I was at this morning. I advocate for safe sleep. I don't believe that these infant support or breastfeeding pillows should ever be used for sleep and babies shouldn't be put to sleep in environments where these pillows are ever. I appreciate it. I think that's a useful point and thank you. You know, you're you're the other thing I want to ask about is you weren't the first witness to sign up to testify for this group. That was a lobbyist named Christine Wyman who had lobbied according to public records lobbied for Bobby docket and dream on me. Who who asked you to fill in for her. How did that come about. So let me say first I was unaware of that I was asked that someone else had been asked before or was prepared to testify. I agreed. I was asked if I would testify on the evidence that the literature view that I did for Bobby on behalf of that the law firm that they have hired and I agreed to do that. Okay. So, yeah, I think even when we take a look at the name I mean breastfeeding and infant development support Alliance sounds like something to be right up your alley it sounds like you're certainly expert on those topics. It sounds like a public health mounted group and it gives the impression that it's made up of parents and childcare professionals that's that's what I initially would have assumed. But when you look at its website, it's made up of quote, a growing group of manufacturers retailers and like minded stakeholders. The group's goal is to protect the future of infant nursing pillows you might share that goal. But I was surprised by the makeup of the group. Do you know who the officers and directors are. Commissioner I was. I appreciate you bringing this up and I will clarify I was given a two page document that described the goals and asked if I would support that and and I did. Understand what would you mind sharing that with us. The document. Yeah. I believe I can. I'd have to let me know how you'd like me to if you could follow up the secretary of our commission is Alberta Mills and if you could send that to her once once you've taken a look. Contact me and I'll see if I can get that will do thank you and and I guess maybe this is the same answer but you know the companies who make up the Alliance are. I do not. Okay, do you know who wrote the written testimony because it was delivered weeks ago before you were asked to testify do you know who wrote the testimony. I do not. I guess moving on to the substance a little bit more when you when you talk about the benefits of breastfeeding. Certainly any benefits are tied to the products that are used to facilitate breastfeeding right so so we're talking about the nursing pillows. There seems to be a separate category of round flush pillows that are used on the ground to set the baby in is that right that the breastfeeding would be tied to the nursing pillows. I am not familiar with every product that is on the market for these but I know that there are infant support pillows that are specifically used for breastfeeding and that's what the majority of my testimony was focused on. So the benefits would be tied to those products. Yes sir. You know the Alliance is testimony I had a tough time tracking this it seems to conflate those two separate product categories the nursing pillows that that you're concerned with and a separate round flush pillows that would be used on the ground and and the testimony focuses on the supposed benefits. I think what you're satisfying to have just the nursing pillows but the written testimony seems to try to tie the benefits to both categories. As you saw from my slide presentation there is limited evidence that I was able to uncover to support motor development as well. So I provided that evidence. Okay and just one more thing on that point on the on the Alliance's website. There's a further attempt to conflate two separate categories here they try to define them with one term stating quote breastfeeding and infant support products lovingly called nursing pillows by many. I think I think nursing products might be a separate category there. The Alliance the Alliance is written testimony and you did expand upon this in your presentation today. The written testimony only cited one study in support of its argument and it was a study conducted at one hospital in Indonesia that tested whether Indonesian mothers nursing sick babies in hospital beds were more comfortable if given a pillow if the mothers were more comfortable. Now certainly that's an important aspect of this whole process to to to consider because if they're not comfortable they're not going to follow through on breastfeeding but it is not an issue with the link to infant safety. And much of your testimony here today went down the same route of mothers comfort in the process which again is an important aspect to study but I think a different one than the infant safety side of things. I'll end with this my last thing is I'll mention that I have an issue with this this is a public meeting. This is not an issue with you Dr Paul but but with the group that that you're testifying on behalf. Anyone's welcome to testify here and that includes companies the manufacturer products that we that are within our jurisdiction. And I think we have a right to know if a message belongs to the messenger whose interests are are being advanced and I shouldn't have to dig to find out that a newly created group with the misleading name is actually an industry lobbying group in disguise. I why hide. Commissioner just just to address it. I want to be clear that I was asked to testify from the Alliance. I hope you appreciate that my testimony was strictly based on I do evidence based and evidence based medicine presentation with full disclosure of who supported my time to put this together. And I did not cherry pick the data or cherry pick the evidence I presented the evidence that was available. Dr Paul I don't accuse you of doing anything wrong here and and I'm glad you stepped in to clarify that because I don't. It doesn't seem like this was fully explained to you from the group who asked you to testify with their name your testimony on its own. I don't question anything that you presented to us and so thank you for for contributing to the conversation and for making that clarification but I think overall my point is one of transparency. You certainly did actively you know present a transparent disclosure, but I think the group did not and and I think we're entitled to to know who's who's actually being having your interest advanced when when testimony is presented but thank you. Thank you. That includes this round. Would anybody else like to go to another round. No only I just want to remind everyone both panels and the Commission that this is a priorities hearing and I think we're we all including myself have gone down some some paths that we need to get back on to the priorities. This my opinion. Mr Felman, Trump. Dr Paul. Just just real quick in your written testimony. I'm not sure that that included the slide deck that you provided today. If you haven't already would you would you please make sure that we all get an electronic copy of it or at least Miss Mills. I'm sorry. What is it that you're asking me to do this slide deck that you present included as part of your presentation today. I sent that. I think that was sent in. I think you have that slide presentation. I have not seen it. That doesn't mean that we haven't received it. Let us let us check on our end and I appreciate that. Thank you for your testimony. Yeah, I wasn't managing the slides today. Those were managed on your end. We'll make sure you get those. Commissioner Felman. Thank you very much. I have no further question. Well, once again, I want to thank all the people who have testified today value of this event is opportunity to hear from a variety of stakeholders on the commission's priorities and also to hear from my fellow commissioners. So I'm looking forward to continuing to work with my colleagues, CPSC's dedicated professional staff and all interested stakeholders as we look forward on how we can do everything we can within our authority and resources to reduce the unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products in the coming years. With that, this hearing is adjourned. Thank you again. Thank you.