San Francisco Examiner | The Father of Electrical Medicine San Francisco Examiner The early 20th Century was a time of great developments and competing theories in medicine. Electricity was still a new discovery and it was thought by many to have curative powers. Alternative medical approaches, such as chiropractics and osteopathy ... |
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SPOKANE Medical education is booming in Spokane.
A new medical school by Washington State University plus a dramatic expansion of a modest medical training program operated by the University of Washington mean hundreds of future doctors will soon be training in the eastern Washington city.
Its the culmination of years of efforts by civic leaders to expand education offerings that have the potential to grow the economy.
The most high-profile development is Washington State Universitys creation of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, the nations newest med school.
Named for the late WSU president who pushed for its creation, the Floyd College received preliminary accreditation in October and has started accepting applications for its first class. The school plans to enroll 60 students per class, with the first class starting in August.
WSU President Kirk Schulz said the accreditation news puts us one step closer to educating physicians who will practice in Washingtons underserved communities and furthers the universitys land-grant mission to serve the needs of the state.
Getting less attention but just as significant, is the University of Washingtons decision to expand its medical training in Spokane.
The university has long operated the states only public medical school. For years, it placed about 20 medical students per year in Spokane as part of its WWAMI program that trains doctors for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
But the University of Washington expanded that program last fall to 60 first-year students in Spokane.
Now the UW is asking the Legislature for more than $9 million, so it can train a total of 80 medical students per class in Spokane.
We have created something very special in Spokane for Spokane, said Mari Clack, of the Friends of WWAMI, a group of community leaders formed to support UW students in Spokane. This region needs more doctors to serve our aging population.
The UW School of Medicine partners with Gonzaga University to provide the training in the Lilac City.
The goal is to reduce the shortage of doctors, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Half the states doctors work in the Seattle region, while many parts of the state do not have enough physicians.
The first step toward addressing a physician shortage is to educate more medical students, and especially those students who are interested in practicing rural medicine, said Dr. Suzanne Allen, vice dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs for UW.
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Crain's Detroit Business | Medical schools steadily improve clinical care with research Crain's Detroit Business Clinical trials research at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, which operate the two largest medical schools in Southeast Michigan, offers a wide array of basic science, clinical trials, specialty medicine and patient-centered ... |
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Medical schools steadily improve clinical care with research - Crain's Detroit Business
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Medical education is booming in Spokane.
A new medical school by Washington State University plus a dramatic expansion of a modest medical training program operated by the University of Washington mean hundreds of future doctors will soon be training in the eastern Washington city.
It's the culmination of years of efforts by civic leaders to expand education offerings that have the potential to grow the economy.
Story continues below video
The most high-profile development is Washington State University's creation of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, the nation's newest med school.
Named for the late WSU president who pushed for its creation, the Floyd College received preliminary accreditation in October and has started accepting applications for its first class. The school plans to enroll 60 students per class, with the first class starting in August.
WSU President Kirk Schulz said the accreditation news "puts us one step closer to educating physicians who will practice in Washington's underserved communities and furthers the university's land-grant mission to serve the needs of the state."
Getting less attention but just as significant is the University of Washington's decision to expand its medical training in Spokane.
The university has long operated the state's only public medical school. For years, it placed about 20 medical students per year in Spokane as part of its WWAMI program that trains doctors for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
But the University of Washington last fall expanded that program to 60 first-year students in Spokane.
Now the UW is asking the Legislature for more than $9 million, so it can train a total of 80 medical students per class in Spokane.
"We have created something very special in Spokane for Spokane," said Mari Clack, of the Friends of WWAMI, a group of community leaders formed to support UW students in Spokane. "This region needs more doctors to serve our aging population."
The UW School of Medicine partners with Gonzaga University to provide the medical training in the Lilac City.
The goal is to reduce the shortage of doctors, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Half the state's doctors work in the Seattle region, while many parts of the state do not have enough physicians.
"The first step toward addressing a physician shortage is to educate more medical students, and especially those students who are interested in practicing rural medicine," said Dr. Suzanne Allen, vice dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs for UW.
"Our program has yielded very good results: 52 percent of our graduates have returned to Washington to practice, compared to the national average of 39 percent," she said.
Medical students tend to practice where they train, Allen said.
"From our standpoint, the more time people spend here, the more they'll want to work here," Allen said.
Local leaders are excited about the economic benefits of medical training in the city of 210,000 residents.
Scott Morris, chief executive officer of Avista, the Spokane-based utility company, has estimated that medical education and related research has the potential for a $1.7 billion annual economic benefit to the city.
"With two medical schools, the jobs that underpin the research, teaching and professional services will revitalize and diversify our economy," Morris said.
But, "there is still much work to do to assure the success of both schools," he said.
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New med school and big expansion of existing medical program set in Spokane - Idaho State Journal
As Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, spoke, Let food be thy medicine. However, most medical schools in the United States do not adequately teach nutrition. Several programs, including at Tulane University, are addressing this shortcoming by including cooking classes in their curriculum. The hope is that by teaching future doctors how to cook delicious and healthy meals, they will pass that knowledge on to their patients, improving long-term health.
The rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases are increasing throughout the world according to Prediabetes: A Worldwide Epidemic. The Center for Disease Control reports that nearly half of all deaths in the United States are due to heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Entire scientific journals, such as Nutrition and Health, Diabetes, and the Journal of Nutrition, are devoted to examining the relationships between nutrition and health. Research has shown that nutrition is one of the leading causes of and significantly affects the management of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and aging-related diseases.
There is no clear correlation between policy recommendations and nutrition choices. For example, a study that provided nutrition information to adults at fast-food chains found that simply providing information did not alter consumer choices. Coaching has consistently proven effective at changing eating habits, especially when tailored to an individuals lifestyle and medical history. Many see using doctors as nutrition coaches as a natural extension of a physicians duties and a valuable opportunity for one-on-one intervention. However, a National Institute of Health survey revealed that a majority of primary care physicians do not give diet advice. According to polls reported by the Washington Post, less than 25 percent of doctors feel they are informed enough regarding nutrition to discuss it knowledgeably.
Tulanes program was developed in 2014 to better instruct medical students in nutrition. According to their website, Through hands-on cooking classes, medical students and physicians learn the practical aspects of lifestyle change necessary to help them guide their patients to healthier choices.
The National Academy of Sciences recommends 25 hours of nutrition instruction for medical students, whereas the Tulane course requires 53 hours of culinary classes, 53 hours clinical care teaching, and 53 hours learning nutritional counseling strategies in lifestyle modification. Researchers at Tulane examined the effectiveness of the program and found improvements to the lifestyle of medical participants and significant health benefits to diabetic patients, including improved HbA1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
To date, 28 other medical schools, two residency programs, and two nursing schools have adapted the Tulane curriculum. Dartmouth, the University of Chicago, the University of Massachusetts, and others have started similar programs within their medical schools. Harvard University partnered with the Culinary Institute of America to offer week-long workshops that have demonstrated improvements in attendees ability to advise patients as well as ameliorating their lifestyle, including cooking more at home, making healthier food choices like whole grains and nuts, and heightened awareness of calorie consumption.
Personally taking culinary classes can improve peoples diets without making a trip to the doctor. Programs in Chicago improve nutrition knowledge and vegetable consumption in children. Community kitchens in Peru taught adolescents and improved their diets. Similar kitchens in Canada have had a similar effect of improving lifestyles and education within several communities. In general, public health researchers find that cooking at home can significantly improve health when the knowledge of good nutrition is applied. For some of the Tulane programs recipes, click here.
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The New ABCs of Medical School: Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Cooking - Food Tank (blog)
SUNDAY, FEB. 12, 2017, 4:30 A.M.
Its easy to dismiss House Joint Memorial 4000 with an eye roll and a here we go again.
The measure proposes to split Washington in half and create a new state called Liberty.
Similar legislation proposed in 1915, 1985, 1991, 2005 and 2015 never gained much traction.
But does this year of political upheaval and civil unrest portend a different outcome?
Supporters of Liberty arent the type to back down.
Broadcasting live from the capital of free Washington, and the future capital of the State of Liberty, Spokane Valley, is how 51st state champion Rep. Matt Shea often introduces his podcasts. We are making this real.
He boasts that the new state would rival Texas in prosperity and lead to lower taxes.
The west side of Washington, he warns, will turn into its own socialist utopia and collapse without the rugged mindset and agricultural backbone of Eastern Washington.
Anyone whos visited both sides of the Cascade Mountains notices the difference in politics, economy, climate and traffic. One is the Evergreen State. The other could be coined the Sagebrush State.
The question of splitting the state has always boiled down to whether the eastern half could prosper without the financial support of Seattle.
Supporters are confident and point to a region rich in agriculture and electricity.
Opponents say Liberty would suffer without the taxes generated by some of the worlds best companies such as Microsoft, Boeing and Amazon.
Liberty would have great colleges and hospitals, both public and private.
But the 51st state would be landlocked without easy access to the shipping docks of Seattle, though it would have Columbia and Snake River ports that link to Portland and the Pacific.
And though Liberty would have far fewer people, it would gain national political clout and rival or surpass many other Western states in population and wealth. It would be larger than Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas. It would continue to capture billions of federal dollars to clean up the Hanford nuclear site.
While Shea advocates making Spokane Valley the new state capital, others arent so sure.
I think it should be in Moses Lake, said Spokane Valley Councilman Ed Pace, who is so excited about the formation of Liberty that hes asked the Spokane Valley City Council to take a stand on it.
Carol Paul, the Lincoln County GOP chairman and another supporter of the 51st State, said one problem with Washington is that Olympia is physically too far away for many residents, and ideologically out of touch with most of the state.
The capital should be in Moses Lake, Ephrata or Ellensburg, Paul said. The capital should be accessible and centrally located.
Spokane is not be in the initial running for capital, perhaps leading to the citys cool reception to Liberty.Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart likened the idea of secession to shooting oneself in the foot.
The main industries in Liberty would be agriculture, manufacturing, education, trade, and government infrastructure and services.
In 2014, for instance, the value of the apple industry was almost $3 billion, according to the Washington Apple Commissions Todd Fryhover.
We employ over 55,000 people during peak season, Fryhover said. He added that there clearly is a disconnect between the east and the west sides of the Cascades, but would prefer another solution than secession.
We do great things over here but we probably dont sing our own praises enough, Fryhover said. We dont go over to the west side and educate people on where our food comes from.
So, would Liberty be a prosperous state?
Its tough to say if a new state would have a viable economy, said Jamie Rossman, a policy adviser for the Washington state Department of Commerce.
Libertys economy would depend heavily on exports, but would also retain a much lower cost of living, compared to the west side.
It wouldnt have a major port, which can be a problem when you depend on export, Rossman said. But there are so many other factors to take into consideration like education and infrastructure.
Eastsiders often complain that they pay taxes to Olympia, but get little back because of spending on Seattle-area freeways and Olympia bureaucracy.
According to a 2012 study by an Evergreen State College research team,King County produces 42 percent of the states tax revenues but receives less than 26 percent back in the form of state benefits. Thats a return of 62 cents on the dollar.
Spokane County receives more back than it pays in: $1.35 for every dollar, according to the study. Rural Ferry County gets $3.16 back for every dollar it sends to Olympia.
The numbers and recent election results suggest Liberty is about ideology more so than cherry picking parts of the state to make a stronger economy.
Paul said shes tired of what she calls Western Washingtons harebrained ideas.
A benefit would be that we can govern ourselves, instead of being governed by initiatives instigated by anyone who can get enough signatures on a petition, Paul said, and make it sound like a good idea while hiding the snake in the grass.
Pace said its a good exercise in evaluating how the state is governed now and what could change. Hed like for the cities to have more freedom when it comes to economic development.
Id like for us to have a business climate thats more like Idaho, Pace said. Idaho has a lower B&O tax and a lower minimum wage. If we had a 51st state we could create an environment thats better for business.
Pace said maybe the question isnt how Liberty would pay for a service level akin to Washingtons, but which services could be narrowed.
What would it look like to have a state that lives within its means; thats what we should look at, Pace said.
Rep. Bob McCaslin, Jr., R-Spokane Valley, is one of the co-sponsors of the measure. At a GOP town hall meeting in Spokane Valley two weeks ago, McCaslin said he co-sponsored House Joint Memorial 4000 in memory of his dad, longtime state senator Bob McCaslin Sr., who really believed in the idea.
I like that the bill has started a conversation, McCaslin said, and brought some different people together.
So does Liberty have a chance this year?
Absolutely not, McCaslin said. It doesnt have a chance.
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LYNCHBURG, VA. Despite a late second-half run, Charleston Southern dropped a 76-69 decision at Big South leader Liberty on Saturday
afternoon.
The Buccaneers trimmed a 16-point lead to four with under five minutes remaining but managed only two made baskets over the final four minutes.
CSU (8-17, 4-10) lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Flames (17-10, 12-2), who won their seventh straight game, put together two solid halves in the shooting department, hitting on 49 percent from the floor for the game. Myo Baxter-Bell, who averages only eight points per game, paced Liberty with 19 points and seven boards.
Ryan Kemrite added 16 points while Lovell Cabbil and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz added 12 points each. Pacheco also tallied eight assists in the win.
Charleston Southern shot 33 percent from the field in the first half and trailed, 37-27, at the break. The Buccaneers improved to 41 percent in the second half, hitting six 3-pointers.
Junior guard Cortez Mitchell scored a career-high 23 points to pace Charleston Southern. Freshman guard Christian Keeling added 12 points and sophomore guard Armel Potter chipped in with 11 points.
Libertys a very good team, CSU coach Barclay Radebaugh said. Theyre a very sound, extremely well-coached team. I was very proud of our effort.
CSU opened the game with consecutive 3s from Keeling and Antwan Maxwell for an early 6-2 lead, but Liberty answered with a 13-2 run with Kemrite hitting three 3-pointers to grab a 15-8 lead with 12:55 to play in the opening stanza.
The Buccaneers moved to within four at 18-14 but the Flames again ran away, using an 11-3 run to go up, 29-17. Libertys largest lead of the half was 16, at 33-17, and the Flames led, 37-27, at halftime.
Liberty maintained a working margin for most of the second half. Mitchell propelled a late rally with a 3-pointer to cut Libertys lead to 55-50 with 8:51 remaining in the game.
Three minutes later, Mitchell hit two free throws to cut the lead to 59-57 before Liberty opened a seven-point advantage. CSUs Patrick Wallace hit a long-range bomb with 4:35 left in the game, cutting Libertys lead to 64-60, but the Bucs could get no closer. CSUs last four minutes consisted of two field goals and five free throws.
The second half was outstanding, Radebaugh said. We went small, and thats what were supposed to look like right there 42 points in the second half, a lot of energy, a lot of great ball movement, a lot of good player movement and four guys on the court that can really, really shoot the ball. I was encouraged by our ability to really compete in the second half and hopefully we can carry that forward.
The Buccaneers host Campbell on Wednesday night.
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Charleston Southern drops road test at Liberty, 76-69 - Charleston Post Courier
Liberty is the son of Leslie Harper and Adrian Liberty, and TrekNorth staff said he is the only Minnesota student from outside the Twin Cities area to be named a candidate.
The candidates were selected from nearly 3.5 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in the year 2017. Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, now in its 53nd year, is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 to recognize some of our nation's most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was expanded once again to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical fields. Annually, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars are chosen from among that year's senior class, representing excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America's youth. All Scholars are invited to Washington, DC in June for the National Recognition Program, featuring various events and enrichment activities and culminating in the presentation of the Presidential Scholars Medallion during a White House-sponsored ceremony.
A distinguished panel of educators will review these submissions and select 800 semifinalists in early April. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of up to 32 eminent citizens appointed by the President, will select the finalists, and the U.S. Department of Education will announce the Scholars in May.
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Liberty named US presidential scholarship candidate - Bemidji Pioneer
If her speech at the Golden Globes was merely a warm-up, Meryl Streep swung for the fencestonight on behalf of human rights, in a speech marked by passion, some tears, and a crowd-rousing call to action. She blasted the President who had called her overrated and, in an emotion-packed interlude, sang the words written by Emma Lazarus for the Statue of Liberty.
The event was the annual gala for the Human Rights Campaign, a national group that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ rights, where Streep received the groups
National Ally For Equality Award. Among the other honorees and speakers were Senator minority leader Charles Schumer, who was more impassioned and freewheeling than we are used to seeing him on the Senate floor;MoonlightwriterTarell Alvin McCraney; and late-night host Seth Meyers. But it was Streep who carried the night.
Introducing her, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns noted that after Donald Trump tweettacked her following the Golden Globes speech, she said if she ended up in the East River I would know whodunit.
Jeremy Gerard/Deadline
But theyre too scared of her to do anything, Burns continued, to cheers from the packed grand ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.especially when she reminds us constantly when the emperors of the world have no clothes. Theyre too embarrassed to do anything but hide in their castles and tweet. And, if her activism needed any justification, Burns added, he recalled words often, but wrongly, attributed to Abraham Lincoln: To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. It wasnt said by this man, Lincoln, but by a woman, of course. A fierce and courageous one like our honoree, she was a poet; her name was Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Please remember her.
Then it was Streeps turn. She spoke of the early and powerful influence of teachers when she was growing up in suburban New Jersey, and particularly of Paul Grossman, her music teacher when she was in sixth and seventh grades. He had taken the class on a field trip to the Statue of Liberty, she recalled.
I cant remember what I did Tuesday, but I remember that, Streep said of the song on Liberty Island sung long ago.
Our whole class stood at the feet of that huge, beautiful woman and we sang a song that he had taught us with the lyrics taken from the poem by Emma Lazarus engraved at the face of the monument. Streep paused as if considering her next move, and then began to sing. Give me your tired your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore Send thee the homeless tempest tosst to me. I life my lamp beside the golden door.
Jeremy Gerard/Deadline
At one point she turned away from the audience, her eyes red with tears before continuing, and when finished, she half-whispered, I cant remember what I did Tuesday, but I remember that.
Streep said that Paul Grossman later became Paula Grossman and was promptly fired, never seeing a classroom again. But her example and those of others, including many in the room, brought them all to today.
So here we are in 2017 and our browsers have gone down, Streep said. And were in danger of losing all our information and we seem to be reverting to the factory settings. But were not, were not going to go back to the bad old days of ignorance and repression and hiding who we are. Because we owe it to the people who have died for our rights, and who have died before they even got their own. And we owe it to the pioneers of the LGBTQ movement, like Paula Grossman, and to the people on the front lines of all civil rights movements, not to let them down. She continued, making the speech more and more personal as she went along, even referencing Trumps insults.
I am the most overrated and the most overdecoratedand currently I am the most over-berated, she said. The weight of all my art is part of what brings me here to the podium. It compels me. Its against every one of my natural instincts, which is to and again she lowered her voice to a near whisper stay the fuck home.
Jeremy Gerard/Deadline
It compels me to stand up in front of people and say words that havent been written for me, but that come from my life, from my convictions, and I have to stand up. Its embarrassing and it is terrifying to put the target on your forehead, and it sets you up for all sorts of attacks by armies of brownshirts and bots and worse. And the only way you can do it is to feel you have to, you dont have an option you have no option is to stand up. Be up. Act up!
The last was of course, a purposeful reference to the post-Stonewall riots era of LGBTQ activism, and no one in the room missed the point. We have the right to live our lives,, she concluded, with God or without, as we choose. There is a prohibition against the establishment of a state religion in our Constitution, and we have the right to choose with whom we live, whom we love and who and what gets to interfere with our bodies. As Americans, men, women, people, gay, straight, L, B, G, T, Q, all of us have the human right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. And if you think people got mad when they thought the government was coming after their guns? Waitll they come and try to take away our Happiness!
Streep adjourned, to roaring cheers from the crowd.
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Meryl Streep Roars (And Sings Lady Liberty) At Human Rights Gala - Deadline
Here are some of the most humorous, insightful, and inspirational utterances from the Great Emancipator and Preserver of the Union.
Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties. And not to Democrats alone do I make this appeal, but to all who love these great and true principles. Speech at Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1856
Let us then turn this government back into the channel in which the framers of the Constitution originally placed it. In reply to Sen. Stephen Douglas, 1858
The people are the rightful masters of both congresses, and courts not to overthrow the constitution, but to overthrow themenwho pervert it. Notes for speeches in Kansas and Ohio, 1859
At the same time, the candid citizen must confess that if the policy of the Government upon vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they are made in ordinary litigation between parties in personal actions the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having to that extent practically resigned their Government into the hands of that eminent tribunal. First inaugural address, 1861
My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. During the Civil War, on the question of whether or not God was on the Unions side
I don't believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good. So while we do not propose any war upon capital, we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else. Speech at New Haven, Connecticut, 1860
Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser -- in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough. Notes for a legal lecture, 1850
Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. Who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in his pocket? Notes for a legal lecture, 1850
..my opinion is that no state can, in any way lawfully, get out of the Union, without the consent of the others; and that it is the duty of the President, and other government functionaries to run the machine as it is. Letter to Thurlow Weed, 1860
I hold, that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual. Perpetuity is implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments. First Inaugural Address
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. Second inaugural address, 1865
Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all. Attributed
Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves, and under a just God, cannot long retain it. Letter to H.L. Pierce, 1859
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. Speech given in March 1865
If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. Letter to A.G. Hodges, 1864
Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Speech at Edwardsville, Illinois, 1858
Nate Madden is a Staff Writer for Conservative Review, focusing on religious freedom, jihadism, and the judiciary. He previously served as the Director of Policy Relations for the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative. A Publius Fellow, John Jay Fellow, Citadel Parliamentary Fellow and National Journalism Center alumnus, Nates writing has previously appeared in several religious and news publications. Follow him @NateMaddenCR and on Facebook.
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Dan. D'Addona @DanDAddona
Ashlee Sall and Rachel Hoeve grew up swimming against each other, though maybe not in the same events.
Sall was a 200-yard freestyle state champion at Holland Christian as a sprint specialist, while Hoeve was an all-state distance specialist at Zeeland.
Things have changed.
Sall and Hoeve are junior teammates at Liberty University, an NCAA Division I program in Lynchburg, Va.
Events have changed, too.
Sall and Hoeve have basically swapped specialties with Sall swimming distance and Hoeve now a sprinter.
The duo leads the Flames into the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association conference meet, which begins Feb. 15 in Georgia.
We have an apartment together and have been best friends since the first day we have been here, Sall said. We can always go home together. We get along super well and I am so thankful that she is here, too. I dont know if I could have done it without her support and friendship.
That support continues on the pool deck as the roommates cheer for each other between their own events. Hoeve even counts for Sall in the 500 freestyle.
She has become my best friend. It is always nice having that connection to home, Hoeve said. I love to count for her and I am so excited to see her do amazing.
The same is true for Sall watching Hoeve, who reached a new level at last year's CCSA meet, taking third in the 50 freestyle (22.99) and earning a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Championships.
It was such a surreal experience. I got to be up there with a teammate who was second. That was really cool, Hoeve said. I couldnt believe it. I knew that was the 'B' cut and that feeling was amazing.
This year, she is aiming for the conference title.
I would definitely say that is my goal. Anything can happen in the 50. It is all about getting your hand to the wall first, she said.
Her success has stemmed from hard work, physically and mentally, switching to sprints.
Just the training. It is a lot shorter and more up my alley. It is more power related instead of endurance. I didnt realize that I could sprint until they stuck me in the 50 my freshman year and I could swim something shorter than a 500, she said.
The same is true for Sall, switching to distance.
I changed to distance last year and I am really owning up to the practice more. They have been working really well for me, she said. The mile is the biggest challenge. It is mentally challenging more than physically challenging. I know that I have the endurance to swim the mile well, but it was a lot of learning how to swim it.
She is closing in on NCAA provisional cuts, something she credits to the culture at Liberty and mentality of being a Division I swimmer.
I think it really all comes down to where you go. I was deciding between Liberty and Calvin. It came down to how elite I wanted to be. Calvin has a great swim team, but Liberty has more resources and a bigger goal. I want to get as high as I can go. It was taking in that challenge, Sall said. I wanted to be challenged. When you are surrounded by elite athletes like that, you can rise to their level. It is so cool to be a part of that elite level.
While Hoeve made the top eight in the 50 and 100 freestyles (51.3), Sall was in the consolation final in the 200 (1:51.71), 500 (5:00.5) and 1,650 freestyles (17:20.78). Both were on conference runner-up relays. Liberty finished second last year behind Florida Gulf Coast and is looking for the team title.
My goals are to make top eight in all of my events. Podium is 1-3. That would be a huge step compared to last year, and I want to be scoring as many points as I can for the team, Sall said.
Follow this reporter on Twitter @DanDAddona and Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
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Ashlee Sall, Rachel Hoeve chasing Liberty title - HollandSentinel.com
An eternal problem for Libertarian candidates is that they are not taken seriously. This is in part the product of the psychological and institutional duopoly created by the Democratic and Republican parties across the United States. Yet, it is also the product of never running candidates with serious name recognition in their own rights. That should change in 2018.
We should run for Governor of Nevada.
Penn Jillette has a mainstream profile in Nevada, and the broader country, that even the most influential libertarians can only dream of. As a magician and television personality, Jillette has built a dedicated following and a general reputation for intelligence and cleverness. He has also been a vocal advocate for libertarian principles on stage and screen, enough to earn him a position as a fellow of the Cato Institute.
In 2016, Jillette stepped up his involvement in the Libertarian Party proper. He moderated a presidential debate and was a firm advocate of Gary Johnsons campaign. Now he has to be convinced to run in his own right.
Nevada has always had a deep libertarian streak. From gambling to prostitution, the good citizens of Nevada have preferred a live and let live philosophy of governance. A Libertarian candidate could leverage that spirit and find points of difference from either major party.
The popular Republican Governor Brian Sandoval is term-limited, and his potential replacements are not nearly so exciting to Nevada voters. Meanwhile, the Nevada Democratic Party is fairly strong, thanks in large part to the electoral machine created by former Senate leader Harry Reid. As the GOP is saddled with a Trump administration that seems hell-bent on alienating the Latino community, and a Democratic Party ever more committed to nanny-state progressivism, Penn Jillette could be just the right man for the job of expressing and spreading a distinctly libertarian message.
Jillette has immediate name recognition and very significant personal financial resources, as well as a wide network of wealthy friends in the show business industry. There are few Libertarians who could boast either his profile or his resources. He has also been a Nevadan for many years, and has built rapport in the dominant industry sector.
Comedians and performers may seem like light-weights, yet Jillette has proven himself countless times to be both well-informed about, and gifted in communicating, ideas of liberty. And it is hardly without precedent. Al Franken, the former Saturday Night Live performer, is currently a senator from Minnesota (and was even considered a dark horse candidate for Hillary Clintons running mate). Comedy can be persuasive and the ability to understand and play to a crowd are invaluable political skills, ones that Jillette clearly has in abundance.
If he could be convinced to run, it would be an opportunity for the party like never before. Our highest-profile candidates are usual on presidential ballots, but 2018 could provide the chance to make real electoral breakthrough. In our winner-take-all electoral system, we would only need to convince a plurality of voters. That is doable in a state like Nevada.
The problem, then, is getting Jillette to agree to run.
This is a mission the National Committee and Nevada state party ought to begin pursuing immediately. It would be a perfect chance to bring the disparate threads of party resources to bear on a key race. It should be treated like a presidential race, and be considered the cornerstone of a national campaign. Jillettes profile would garner national attention and could be leveraged to help down-ballot candidates and federal candidates in a few other prime target states.
Jillette would have to be convinced he could win. If the party worked to move volunteers and financial resources into the state to help that cause, he might well see it as a winnable opportunity.
Featured image: ComingSoon.Net
This post was written by John Engle.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.
John Engle is a merchant banker and author living in the Chicago area. His company, Almington Capital, invests in both early-stage venture capital and in public equities. His writing has been featured in a number of academic journals, as well as the blogs of the Heartland Institute, Grassroot Institute, and Tenth Amendment Center. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland and the University of Oxford, Johns first book, Trinity Student Pranks: A History of Mischief and Mayhem, was published in September 2013.
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Penn Jillette: The Ideal Libertarian Candidate - Being Libertarian
Wichita Eagle | Chris Rockhold earns Libertarian nod for 4th District special election Wichita Eagle Chris Rockhold was selected Saturday by a small group of Libertarians to be the party's standard bearer in a special election scheduled for April 11 to fill a vacancy for the Kansas 4th Congressional District. The seat was vacated when Republican Mike ... Chris Rockhold selected as Libertarian nominee for Special Election 2017 Kansas Libertarians nominate Chris Rockhold for 4th district seat. Kansas Libertarians nominate Chris Rockhold for 4th district |
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Chris Rockhold earns Libertarian nod for 4th District special election - Wichita Eagle
When you talk to people about the government, most of them immediately only think of the federal government, and the vast amount of departments that it compromises of in Washington D.C. But while that is one part of it, government is much more.
Government is also our state government. Government is also our county and city governments. More importantly, government, at any level, is not just the buildings or departments it comprises of however, but is, in fact, those people who inhabit the positions within those buildings and departments, from the federal level all the way down to your local municipalities. Yet most people in general dont think about it that way.
Even more importantly, governments are those people who enforce laws and regulations that have been legislated by governments at every level. Agents of the FBI, DEA, your local state, county and city law enforcement officers are all government as well.
Ive had conversations with many of my friends regarding this, and successfully changed their perspective on how they perceive what government is. As libertarians, this is an important step in removing the blindfold that most of our fellow citizens walk around with during their everyday lives, so they can realize governments unnecessary involvement in almost every single aspect of our lives, and how it perpetuates efforts successfully, mind you at controlling us in this invisible prison we live in. Libertarians, however, know better than this, and see it for what it is. Statism. Its that level of Stockholm syndrome that has set it, where our captors are the government, and the captives who embrace them; the citizenry.
Most people bow down at the alter of government like it is something to be loved and embraced, which we as libertarians refuse to, and for good reason. It is a foolish notion to love and embrace those who wield direct power and control over you. But the minute you suggest this to non-libertarians, they are shocked and appalled at the mere thought or mention of it. Why? How did we as a society become these zombie minded statist loving slaves who created our own prison by allowing government to run amuck? I suggest the answer is decades of indoctrinated education, or gradual indoctrination via scare tactics via rampant bombardment of how this and that are epidemics and we must pass more laws to stop it, constantly coming at us via various news networks and publications, often influenced heavily by whom? The government, of course.
Our parents followed the propaganda just as many do now and then taught us we should trust anyone with a badge. In fact, however, any good defense attorney in todays day and age would tell you the exact opposite. The reason is simple: They are a stranger, not your friend. so do not trust them. The second you open your mouth, anything and everything you say can and will be used against you. This is true even if you called them for help.
People today simply confuse patriotism the love of your country with statism, which means the love of your government. The two are not at all the same. I love my country, but I do not like my current government at all, and thats at every level. I do not need to be ruled, I am quite capable of living without government rule and interference in my personal life, as we all are. Most just dont realize it.
* Shane Foster has worked his entire career in military law enforcement, corrections, and as a private investigator. He has a unique perspective into how law enforcement operates from within its ranks, our judicial system, as well as our privacy laws and how every day our individual freedoms and liberties are gradually taken away from us and our individual rights abused on a regular basis.
The main BeingLibertarian.com account, used for editorials and guest author submissions. The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions. Contact the Editor at editor@beinglibertarian.email
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Why the Confusion on What 'Government' Actually Is? - Being Libertarian
Plans for a Faroese constitution have been in development for years | Simon Hofmann/Getty Images
Danish territory sets date for 2018 ballot.
By Joshua Posaner
2/12/17, 3:43 PM CET
Updated 2/12/17, 5:11 PM CET
The Faroe Islands will hold a referendum on a new constitution in 2018, in preparation for a possible national ballot on separating from Denmark.
The vote on a new governing document agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties isscheduledfor April 25.
The Faroese constitution will define our identity as a nation and our fundamental rights and duties as a people, including our right to self-determination, said the Faroe Islands Prime Minister Aksel V. Johannesen in a statement.
This will be clearly reflected in the requirement that the Faroese people must be consulted by referendum on questions related to further independence from, or further integration with, Denmark. The same will also be the case in relation to membership in supra-national organizations, such as the EU, saidJohannesen.
Denmark won control over the archipelago, home to about 50,000 people, in 1814 and Copenhagen continuesto governsuch areas as defense, law enforcement, currency and foreign affairs while the Faroese control most domestic policy.
Despite not being a member of the EU, the Faroe Islands is signed up to a free-trade deal with the bloc and a fisheries agreement. The territory has at timebeen at odds with Brussels over fishing quotas.
Plans for a constitution have been in development for years.
It will also be a safeguard against the abuse of power, said Johannesen of the planned referendum. The Faroese constitution will move the ultimate decision-making power from the parliament to the people on such fundamental questions.
The final text of the document will only be presented to the 33-seat Faroese parliament after it reconvenes for the next annual session on July 29, the government in Trshavn said. A minimum of six months is required after the text is approved by lawmakers before areferendum can take place.
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Faroe Islands to vote on constitution paving way for independence - POLITICO.eu
Thirteen degrees, 30 miles an hour wind, snow devils in my face and whats this? Solar-powered floating islands generating pools of open water?
Yes, two of them, water steaming in the chilly air and a lot of questions. Oxygenating the lake at Frances Slocum State Park? Letting fishermen have an opportunity to wet a line in an unconventional way?
No, its an effort to improve water quality at the lake, says Brian P. Taylor, park manager.
The reason we are installing Floating Wetland Islands (FWIs) is because they are an aesthetically pleasing, ecologically friendly means of reducing in-lake nutrient concentrations originating from nonpoint source pollution, as in the sediment/pollution that comes into the water system from rainfall and snowmelt, he said.
The two new FWIs each have a solar panel with an air-line running directly underneath each island.
The idea is to keep the underneath side of the islands well oxygenated through aeration to increase and maximize nutrient uptake, Taylor said. In other words, the more water that moves through the roots, the more sediment potentially that gets taken out of the lake by the islands.
Taylor said the two new islands brings the number of floating islands at the lake to four, all involved in cleaning the lake of harmful substances.
These islands are a tool we are using to help draw out sediment and phosphorus from our lake, Taylor said. There is a direct relationship between the amount of phosphorus in a lake and the amount of algae growing in it. And the algae blooms can be harmful. These islands help to keep the number and amount of algal blooms down. Long-term management of excessive algae requires the removal of phosphorus sources.
According to Princeton Hydro of New Jersey, which supplied the floating islands, they are constructed of durable, non-toxic post-consumer plastics on the bottom and vegetated with native plants on top. They help assimilate and remove excess phosphorus and nitrogen that fuel algae growth. Additionally, the islands also provide a beautiful habitat for birds, animals and fish.
The 250-square-foot islands are planted with several native plant species, including Joe-Pye weed, common rush, sedges, broadleaf arrowhead, and great blue lobelia. Plants on a single island can remove up to 10 pounds of nutrients per year.
It might not sound like much but it is.
In a published study, Fred S. Lubnow, director of Aquatic Programs for Princeton Hydro, wrote Since one pound of phosphorous has the potential to generate up to 1,100 pounds of wet algae biomass, this also means that one island has the potential to prevent the growth of up to 11,000 pounds of wet algae bloom.
The four floating islands could take out around 44,000 pounds of algae each year, but we are hoping for even more with the help of the aeration systems, Taylor said.
He explained the mechanism at work. The roots of the plants on the island will grow through the bottom of the island and absorb and remove nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. This in turn feeds the plants and helps prevent other nuisance vegetation from growing.
The state of Washingtons Department of Ecology outlines how the phytoplankton that make up the algae blooms can wreak havoc in a freshwater lake.
As phytoplankton use up the nutrients in the surface waters, their growth slows and cells eventually die. Dying blooms can be an environmental concern because as the cells sink and decay, bacteria decompose the organic material, which in turn strips oxygen from the water. This microbial oxygen demand at times leads to very low oxygen conditions in the bottom waters, harming aquatic life.
The solar islands, which have a lifespan of about 15 to 25 years and require little or no maintenance, were installed in September by officials from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Luzerne Conservation District, Nanticoke Conservation Club and students at the Rock Solid Academy in Shavertown.
Taylor noted the same groups installed the earlier islands in the lake in 2013 and they are healthy and well-established, showing vigorous growth. Combined, these two FWIs are reducing the wet algal biomass in Frances Slocum Lake by approximately 22,000 pounds.
Princeton Hydro placed five of the islands in Harveys Lake in 2014 and is planning to install them at Lake Carey next.
Taylor said the funds necessary to acquire the islands came from The Luzerne Conservation District which applied for and was awarded a grant from the federal government to implement a few studies and tasks to help clear up the sediment from the lake. Hopefully we will have a higher quality lake when it is all said and done.
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which oversees Pennsylvanias 120 state parks, started installing the floating islands at state parks beginning with Stephen Foster Lake at Mt. Pisgah State Park in Bradford County in May 2011 as a pilot program that proved successful. Since then, the department has placed them in several other state parks including Raccoon Creek in Beaver County, Shawnee in Bedford County and Marsh Creek in Chester County.
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Floating Wetland Islands filter pollutants at Frances Slocum - Scranton Times-Tribune
FLORIDA TODAY food and dining writer Suzy Fleming Leonards next Suzys Secret Supper will begin at 6 p.m. March 7 at Islands Fish Grill. Theres a reason fish is in the restaurants name. This Indialantic favorite is across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, and thats where most items on the menu were swimming the day before it arrives on your dinner plate. Join Suzy for a five-course dinner, plus an amuse bouche. Meet chefs Nate Saint Denis and Jared Moretti, make new friends, and enjoy the bounty of the Atlantic.We tell you the time and place. The menu and the guest list are our secret!
When: March 7, 2017 Where: Islands Fish Grill, 111 5th Ave, Indialantic, FL 32903 Time: 6:00 p.m.
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By Jeanne Cooper, San Francisco Chronicle
Photo: John De Mello, Marriott
The Waikoloa Beach Marriott on Anaehoomalu Beach is converting a wing into Marriotts Waikoloa Ocean Club.
The Waikoloa Beach Marriott on Anaehoomalu Beach is converting a wing into Marriotts Waikoloa Ocean Club.
Hawaii: Lodging in the islands on the upswing
Among the record 8.9 million visitors to Hawaii in 2016, more than 5.5 million stayed in hotels, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and the majority of visitors are repeat travelers to the islands. Besides Hilos Grand Naniloa Hotel, here are brand new or newly transformed hotels seeking to keep those statistics equally high in 2017:
Maui: After several years of planning, Westin Nanea Ocean Villas will debut two months early, with reservations accepted for May 1 and a soft opening April 15. The 16-acre beachfront resort in Kaanapali includes 390 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential-style villas, a 10,000-square-foot lagoon pool, childrens pool and a Hawaiian cultural center with extensive offerings. Rates begin at $665. http://www.westinnanea.com
Oahu: The $115 million metamorphosis of Pacific Beach Hotel, set to rebrand itself as Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach in fall, has completed renovations on the initial round of guest rooms and suites. Rates for a new partial ocean-view king begin at $168 and $216 for a Diamond Head ocean-view room. http://www.pacificbeachhotel.com
Kauai: Luxurious new one- to four-bedroom bungalows and villas have joined the three-bedroom cottages at the Lodge at Kukuiula. The 52 units in total permit access to Kukuiulas championship golf course, spa, restaurant and other facilities otherwise only available to owners of the resorts high-end estates. Nightly rates start at $750 for a 1,235-square-foot, one-bedroom bungalow. https://lodgeatkukuiula.com
Hawaii Island: The Waikoloa Beach Marriott on Anaehoomalu Beach is converting a wing into Marriotts Waikoloa Ocean Club, which will offer one- and two-bedroom villas with kitchenettes, living rooms, sofabeds and washer-dryers, plus free parking (and no resort fee.) Reservations are available starting May 5, with one-bedroom rates starting at $308 and two-bedroom rates at $455. http://www.marriotthawaii.com
Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, near the new Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo on Banyan Drive, recently completed a half-million-dollar renovation that included a complete makeover of its bayfront pool and ballrooms. Banyan-view rooms start at $157, ocean-view from $189. http://www.castleresorts.com/hilohawaiian
Jeanne Cooper
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Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez has ordered the closure of 23 mining operations and suspended five others for failing mining and environmental standards on February 2.
According to Lopez, mining has only caused social injustice in many affected communities, as it causes massive environmental destruction and suffering to the people.
Such happened on Dinagat Islands, the island-province in the Caraga region with a population of 127,152, according to a 2015 census of population. Dinagat Islands is known as the Mystical Island, Province of Love.
Rich in natural resources, it was declared as mineral reservation area by Proclamation 391, s. 1939 on March 13, 1939, by President Manuel L. Quezon. It was declared a province by virtue of Republic Act 9355, signed on October 2, 2006, by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Dinagat Islands has seven towns: Dinagat, Basilisa, Cagdinao, Libjo, Loreto, San Jose and Tubajon.
Besieged by mining
Lopez, a staunch environmental advocate, now wants to transform the entire island-province from a mining to an ecotourism haven and nature reserve, where the people will be the primary beneficiaries of what its natural wealth on land and surrounding marine environment has to offer, something local officials and its people have been hoping for.
These are mines operated by the AAMPHIL Natural Resources Exploration, Kromico Inc., SinoSteel Philippines H.Y. Mining Corp., Oriental Synergy Mining Corp., Wellex Mining Corp., Libjo Mining Corp. and Oriental Vision Mining Phils. Corp.
For years, since Dinagats declaration as a mineral land reservation, Lopez said mining has caused massive environmental destruction to the islands forest ecosystems.
The massive extraction of its rich mineral deposits caused Dinagat Islands to lose much of its forest ecosystems and severely affected rivers and watersheds, she said.
Biodiversity
The Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) said more than 20 mining companies have mining claims over various parts of the province, covering a total of 69,205.74 hectares, or approximately 69 percent of its total land area of 1,036.34 square kilometers or 103,634 hectares.
A total of 19 mining companies have approved Mineral Production Sharing Agreements (MPSAs) over Dinagat Islands, covering a total of 44,480.52 hectares, and many of these mining tenements overlap with supposedly conservation areas.
ATM records showed that the total land area with overlapping mining claims over conservation areas is 6,289.67 hectares, an area larger than Caloocan Citys 5,320 hectares.
ATM said four mining companies have pending applications for MPSAs covering a total of 8,091 hectares.
Green groups back Lopez
ATM and various environmental groups lauded Lopez for her decision to close and suspend some mining operations.
Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of the Kalikasan-Peoples Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE), said the operation of large-scale and corporate mining in Mindanao, especially on Dinagat Islands, has brought so much environmental degradation, resource depletion and widespread poverty to our communities.
Besides closing these mines, Bautista said the government should be ready in providing immediate relief to the affected communities. In the short term, miners should be given alternative livelihoods and financial assistance to cope with their economic displacement. Local industries, particularly agriculture and fishing, should be prioritized for development, particularly in island-based ecosystem like Dinagat, he said.
More important, Bautista said, it is important to implement a land-transfer program that will benefit farmers and affected miners who stand to lose their jobs and livelihood.
We suggest to Secretary Lopez to directly coordinate with [Agrarian Reform] Secretary [Rafael] Mariano in implementing this. Providing land to the tillers will ensure [their] source of livelihood and food for the family. Simultaneously, the DENR and the government should immediately rehabilitate the affected ecosystems in the area, particularly the water source and marine areas, Bautista said.
Farmers and those living on the Dinagat Islands do not own properties because of the island sstatus as a mineral land reservation. Many of them have been denied the right to own land even for their own homes or small farms.
While lauding Lopezs political will, Bautista said the decision to close the mines is a temporary victory. DENR Secretary Lopez and President Duterte should pass the peoples mining bill, which ensures both the welfare and interest of our people and environment, he added.
Rich biodiversity
Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the DENRs Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) said the decision to stop mining on Dinagat Islands would boost the government effort to protect and conserve the countrys rich biodiversity.
Lim added that previous studies conducted by the DENR-BMB recommended rationalization of Dinagats land use. Lopezs pronouncement, Lim said, promises to boost the ecological services provided by Dinagat Islandss unique ecosystems.
Ive been to Dinagat. It has a vast bonsai forest. Scientists also discovered a stick insect which could be unique to Dinagat, Lim said.
Lim also noted that, besides being ideal for fishing, Dinagat Islands and its surrounding marine environment is rich in biological diversity.
Unique species
The island is home to unique species of endemic wildlife, such as rodents, tarsiers and several bird species. In 2006 two areas on Dinagat Islandsthe Mount Redondo and Mount Kambinliwwere declared as key biodiversity areas (KBAs), and became part of the 117 KBAs under the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Priority-Setting Program.
A previously believed to be extinct species of rat, such as the Dinagat cloud rat, was rediscovered by scientists on Dinagat Islands.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature listed the Dinagat cloud rat to be a critically endangered species.
Dinagat Islands is also home to the endangered Dinagat gymnure or the Dinagat hairy-tailed rat, declared by the EDGE Species Programme of the Zoological Society of London as one of the top 100 most evolutionary distinct and globally endangered species in the world.
The province is also home to the Dinagat tarsier, which scientists recently declared as unique to the island and an entirely different species from the Bohol tarsiers, or those found in other areas in Mindanao.
Bonsai forest
The island-province also hosts around 1,000 hectares of bonsai forest, which Lopez said could be the largest in the country.
Lim added the pygmy forest itself is a promising ecotourism magnet. When tourists start arriving, people can start small environment-friendly and ecosystem-based enterprises.
Lim added that the provinces ecosystem remains vastly unexplored and offers a lot of promising potential for scientific research and discovery, particularly for plants with pharmaceutical potentials.
Its wide variety of plants may have genetic materials where communities can benefit once developed for its medicinal or pharmaceutical value, she said.
Lim added that to maximize Dinagat Islandss potential, it is important to provide alternative jobs and livelihood to the communities.
Side by side with the gradual phaseout of mining in the area, it is important to introduce livelihood opportunities, she said.
Protection against mining
Lopez said she would ask President Duterte to repeal Proclamation 391, which declared Dinagat Islands as a mineral land reservation. She would also push for its declaration as protected area covered under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act.
Once declared as a protected area, Dinagat Islands would be protected against future mining projects. Executive Order 79 declares protected areas as off-limits to mining.
Repealing Proclamation 391 will require the signing of another presidential proclamation or an executive order by Duterte. Once declared as a protected area, an act of Congress is needed to back it up with adequate funding to sustain rehabilitation and development efforts geared toward conservation.
Ecotourism
Lopez said Dinagat Islands has vast ecotourism potentials. She added there are more reasons to develop it, rather than allowing mining companies to continue exploiting its rich mineral deposits for profit.
Blessed with beautiful beaches, Lopez said Dinagat Islands is a potential ecotourism destination. Pristine waters and corals surrounding the island make it ideal for swimming, water sports and other recreational activities sought by local and foreign tourists.
Still poor
I want to give Dinagat a rest. They [mining companies] have been mining in Dinagat for 77 years, Lopez said.
She lamented that people in the province remain poor after decades of mining.
If it is true that people have benefited from mining, why are the people on the island still poor? she said.
Lopez argued that mining contribution to the national economy is nil, chipping only less than 1 percent to the countrys GDP.
She said 82 percent of the income of all mining companies go to the companies, with only 18 percent going to the government. Of the 18 percent, 95 percent goes to the national government, leaving only 5 percent for the local government.
Lopez said communities rarely benefit from whatever taxes mining companies paid in exchange for the billions worth of mineral deposits they ship out of the country.
She noted that only 20 percent of the people from Dinagat are employed by mining companies.
Mining is not labor-intensive. It is capital-intensive. In 2014 there was a government report that stated that mining has created 235,000 jobs all over the country, while tourism has [provided] 4.7 million [jobs], she said.
More jobs, livelihood
Lopez said more jobs and livelihood opportunities await people in ecotourism more than mining.
She insisted that sustainable economic development could be achieved without destroying the environment and causing suffering to people.
Using the sustainable integrated area development (SIAD) approach, Lopez said the DENR would assume the developmental role of providing sustainable livelihood, while teaching environmental conservation to affected communities, such as the Dinagat Islands.
We will create ecological economic zones where there is respect for nature and value adding in resources, and where people benefit from the resources of the place, Lopez said.
The DENR chief added that massive planning and consultations will be conducted from February 16 to 18 in areas affected by the closure orders, including Dinagat Islands, where alternative jobs for displaced mine workers will be discussed.
Lopez said she is intending to use the mine-rehabilitation fund of the closed mining firms in rehabilitating mining sites to heal the land.
Partnership
The DENR is also tapping the services of a team of experts from the Sixto K. Roxas Foundation in the rehabilitation of the mining sites, and is looking at the potential of biochar as a tool for mine rehabilitation.
Affected mine workers will also be tapped for reforestation under the Enhanced National Greening Program, as well as the governments planned expansion of bamboo and mangrove plantations to fight climate change and poverty.
Under the SIAD approach, mini economic zones will be created in order to generate employment, livelihood and income-generating activities in communities where mining companies operate, Lopez assured.
Dinagat is beautiful. It has a bonsai forest, I think the largest in the country. That is an ecotourism pull. It has forests, mountains, corals, islands. It has great potential. But, first, the mining must stop, then we can sell the beauty of the place, she said.
According to Lopez, Dinagat has a total of 185 potential ecotourism sites, from which the people can benefit.
It should be Dinagat for the people of Dinagat. That is area development. That is social justice, she said.
Image Credits: DENR Strategic Communication and Initiatives Service
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Heavy rains pass over islands
LIHUE A vigorous cold front generated heavy showers and thunderstorms while passing over the Hawaiian Islands this weekend.
The front dropped 2 to 5 inches of rainfall across much of Kauai and Oahu Friday night and Saturday, and produced strong thunderstorms before moving on to Maui and Hawaii counties, according to the National Weather Service.
All green waste sites were closed Saturday on Kauai due to the weather, according to a county news release.
The Kalalau Trail was also closed due to flooding of Hanakapiai Stream.
Weliweli Road in Koloa between Hapa Road and Ala Kinoiki was closed Saturday due to heavy ponding but reopened.
For updates on road closures, call 241-1725.
For weather updates, tune in to the NOAA weather radio or local media.
Information about the weather is also available online at http://www.weather.gov/hawaii.
Updates about the road and green waste closures will be posted on the county Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/CountyofKauai/.
The Garden Island
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