Last month, we asked our readers what issues they wanted to hear the candidates running for local office address ahead of this falls local elections primary. Based on the input we received, we developed a three-item questionnaire for candidates running for WaterOne board address.

Today we publish the candidates responses to item one:

What relevant experience would you bring to the position, and what is your primary motivation for seeking a seat on the water district board?

Every candidate running for the WaterOne Board wants to provide clean water to our customers. Having served on the Board for many years, I know what it takes to provide safe clean reliable high-quality water to our customers. My experience on the Board and participation in the American Water Works Association including their Public Officials sessions over the years have allowed me to stay updated on advances in water treatment processes and technology to provide safe drinking water to our customers. As a Certified Public Accountant, I have used my business background to work with our qualified and dedicated staff at WaterOne to produce high-quality water, maintain and replace the older water infrastructure, manage growth, provide the customer service you expect and operate in a sustainable manner while also having the lowest water cost in the metro area.

My past and current leadership and service experiences include the Prairie Village City Council, unit and district leader in Boy Scouts, providing service to those in need though the Lions Club and my church, and serving the community on the Theatre in the Park Advisory Board and the Kansas City Chapter Board of the KU Alumni Association. I also participated in the Leadership Kansas and Leadership Northeast programs to learn more about statewide and local issues. I have held leadership positions in several national business organizations in the tax field.

After moving to Johnson County in 5th grade with my family, I have lived here continuously other than my time in college at the University of Kansas. Johnson County is an incredible place to live and raise a family. It continues to win national rankings as a great place to live. One of the reasons people want to live here are the services available to our residents. One of these services is water. A safe clean reliable high-quality water supply is very important to our community. You drink it and cook with it. You shower or bathe in it. You use it for cleaning and laundry. You use it outside at the pool or in the yard. Water is a small, but important part of what makes our community a great place to live.

I would appreciate your vote on November 5th so I can continue to serve our community and ensure that WaterOne will meet your water needs now and in the future. Thank you for your support and vote! Terry

After completing my undergraduate degrees in Biology and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, I worked for two years in a Biochemistry laboratory using the same equipment that WaterOne uses to test for contaminants. No other board member has this training and experience in biochemistry or biochemical testing. I completed my Medical School training at University of Texas Medical School in Houston, TX at the Texas Medical Center , the largest medical complete in the world, where MD Anderson is located. I completed my family medicine residency program in Kansas City, MO at Trinity Lutheran Family Medicine Residency Program.

After 27 years of practicing medicine as a family physician, I know that there is nothing more important than clean air and clean water to your healthcare. As a family physician, I have spent my entire career teaching and educating patients about their health and healthcare. I have experience and training in diseases, bacteria, algae, fungal and viral infections, and biochemistry that no one else on the board has. I want to use that training and experience to enhance your knowledge about ensuring your water supply system because clean, safe water is a building block to good health. On the WaterOne corporate board, I can help educate large numbers of our population, instead of serving patients one by one as I have for 27 years as a family physician.

I obtained my MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City in 2007 because I wanted to know more about the administrative side of healthcare. Furthermore, I have also incorporated Occupational Medicine in my medical practice by obtaining additional training as a Medical Review Officer for DOT (the U.S. Department of Transportation) drug testing,

FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which deals with truck drivers, bus drivers, railroad workers, etc.) DOT Medical Examiner, and FAA Aviation Medical Examiner.

I have been an Overland Park resident for 25 years and my unique training and experience would enhance the WaterOne Board in ways in which I hope will ensure clean and safe water for you, your children and your grandchildren. I will use my skills that I used to succeed in medicine to now focus on water education and conservation of our natural resources.

Educationally, I hold a Bachelor degree in Computer Information Systems from Colorado State University, a Master degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Kansas Medical Center; and a Master degree of Business Administration/Operations Management from the University of Missouri Kansas City.

Professionally, I have spent the last 25 years working in health care serving several different capacities within finance and operations. I bring a wealth of experience managing CAPEX (Capital Expenditures) and OPEX (Operational Expenditures) within some of the most highly complex healthcare organizations in our region. I have developed and analyzed business plans and I know the pitfalls of forecasting and projections.

The most important thing I bring to the table is a combination of business acumen, understanding of scientific concepts and a lack of historical bias. There is something to be said for tenure, but the board has too many members who have served twenty plus years. And while I find that level of service and years of dedication laudable, I also understand that there is an inherent bias which lead people to vest too much in the status quo.

My motivation for seeking a seat on the water board is that I am interested in serving and I am interested in good governance. Additionally, I do not believe that a seat on the water board should be a life-long appointment. The incumbent (for position 2) has served the board for 24 years with little or no competition. I think it is time to add a fresh perspective to the board. Additionally, I am concerned about the phenomena in Johnson county whereby individuals hold municipal and legislative seats simultaneously. My opponent for WaterOne board is also my current State Senator. There is no reason for service to be consolidated into the hands of a few people. I know that Johnson County has many individuals who are qualified to serve; I am one of those people.

I have lived in Kansas City for nearly 25 years but I grew up and spent the early part of my life in Denver. When you come from a place that averages 17 of rain per year, you appreciate that water is scarce and precious. To me, water has a similar level of awareness as public schools. For someone with my background who is interested in serving, running for the water board is as natural as running for the school board.

Based on my skills I have developed being a part of many boards and elected positions, I am confident that I can continue to provide value to the WaterOne board and the customers we serve. In the past 8900 days, I have been a part of serving on the WaterOne board. I have served as a two time Chairman, Vice chairman of the board, and chairman of many other committees. I have been a part of the AWWA board and taken many seminars on learning the finances, treatment process, water loss, and much more.

I also served in the Kansas State House for 6 years and was a two time Majority Whip. I have served 9 years in the Kansas State Senate where I served as Utilities Committee Chair, Legislative Post Audit Chair, Financial Institutions and Insurance, and various other committees that have helped with my experience.

In my person life I have been a board member at Bank of the Prairie for the past 11 years. I also own a real estate company that develops multi-family housing. I have been a lifelong resident of Kansas and raised my family in Johnson County.

I choose to continue to run for the WaterOne board because I enjoy serving the people of my community and working with them on the issues. My top priorities are to supply the people with the safest water that meets and exceeds all federal and state regulations. I want our water to be available at the lowest cost with the best customer service now and in the future. It is my mission everyday that we continue to provide these services, our employees do a good job for the community, and that we provide a safe work environment for each employee working at WaterOne.

I have spent over thirty years working as a commercial banking executive. Prior to entering banking I spent over ten years on active duty as a member of the United States Air Force. I earned a B.S. in Business/Finance from Utica College of Syracuse University. I believe success is measured by what an individual has actually accomplished in the past and presently, not simply by a degree one possess or from a certification received after attending a twelve hour seminar. I have been attending monthly WaterOne board meetings, finance committee meetings and administrative meetings since February and have gotten to know the WaterOne management team so that when elected I can hit the ground running.

During my time in the Air Force I served in an operational role with the Tactical Air Command. I was responsible for managing individuals and assets in a high stress air defense environment both nationally and internationally. Achieving success meant that I had to effectively interact with both my peers serving in other U.S. military branches and those from other countries, in order to accomplish the mission.

My current role is President, Chief Commercial Officer, and Board Member, of Freedom Bank in Overland Park, KS. Freedom Bank opened its doors on June 19, 2006 and is locally owned and managed. The bank has supported locally owned, privately held businesses by providing over $250 million in commercial loans since opening the doors. My role requires that I possess the skills to actively engage in the following: business development/portfolio management; asset/liability management; annual business planning, which includes developing the budget and then achieving it; business continuity planning; personnel management; enterprise risk management; project planning, launch and success; vendor management; and conflict resolution.

Based on the skill set I have developed, I am confident I will provide value to the team at WaterOne and to the customers. Clearly, everyone wants a sustainable source of clean and safe drinking water. Prior to deciding to run for this seat, I mentioned to friends that I was searching for a way to give back to the community and it was suggested that given my skill set, serving on the WaterOne board would be great way to do this. My wife and I moved our family to the area in 1992 and it is our home.

Relevant Experience: I am the only certified Public Water Official by the American Water Works Association running in the WaterOne race. Certified Public Water Official training provides policy and budget education to professionals on water and sewer operating environments, source water, system components, operations, maintenance, and asset management. Public Water Officials also have an understanding of the regulatory environment and system metrics to reduce risk and improve decision making.

As a Population Health Executive at Cerner, I work with Healthcare Clients who are focused on keeping the communities they interact with healthy. Public health themes and working with Clients through complex budget considerations are integral to my daily work. The majority of healthcare costs stem from personal behaviors, socio-economic conditions, and changes to the environmental. Thus, clean air and clean water are prerequisites for a healthy community.

Also, I have community board experience serving on the board of The Hispanic Chamber of Greater Kansas City and ReDiscover Mental Health Foundation. I received my Executive M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and completed my undergraduate degree in International Affairs and Spanish from Marquette University.

Primary Motivation: I have two motivations for running for the WaterOne board.

First, the rapidly changing climate requires active leadership to protect our water supply and ensure our water is clean for our community to drink. Water is a scarce commodity that will become increasingly so. Additional sustainability measures will need to be applied.

Second, since the 1980s Americans have dealt with a sharp decline in water infrastructure improvements. Decaying infrastructure and poor planning triggered lead poisoning and legionnaires disease in Flint, Michigan. All of this was 100% preventable. At least 500,000 children across the country have elevated levels of lead in their system today. This outcome is unacceptable for our families.

On October 10th, the EPA was ordered to roll back requirements on lead testing and infrastructure resolution that will endanger our populations health. We need to continue testing for traditional contaminants, and we also need to do strategic testing for other factors that have reached water supplies. Heavy metals, farm chemical runoff, endocrine disruptors, HABs, PFAS, micro-plastics, etc. do not belong in any water supply. As your WaterOne board member, I will work to exceed the national standards and abide by the training I received by the AWWA.

I am a graduate of Langston University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Agriculture Economics. My past work experiences provided great training, and developed skill sets for serving as Board Member at Water District 1. While employed as an Oklahoma State University County Extension Agent, I served on a committee studying the water table of the Ogallala Aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States. Also as a Senior Sales Representative for BASF Corporation in the state of Kansas I promoted conservation practices that reduced chemical runoff into the streams and waterways. As a former US Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works employee we received training that included water resource development, flood risk management, recreation, infrastructure and environmental stewardship. More recently as a Supplier Diversity Specialist at Sprint, I worked to ensure Small and Diverse Vendors were certified, and any Sprint spend could then be counted as Diverse Spend.

Having clean safe drinking water, and being a good Steward is all our responsibility. Let us not forget Flint, Michigan, and now Newark, New Jersey. Clean drinking water is important to everyones health, and that is why I am a candidate for Board Member Position #6 at Water District 1 of Johnson County, Kan.

I am an engineer by degree and have spent my entire career in the water industry. I have interacted with Owners (such as WaterOne, BPU, Topeka and Omaha, etc.), Engineers (such as Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, GBA, etc.), contractors and water works distributors. Additionally, I worked in the water treatment chemical industry and have personal knowledge about additives that go into public water systems. My expertise spans the Plains States and my knowledge about municipal water systems in the region is extensive. Simply said, I know water and water systems.

My motivation as a Board Member at WaterOne is to serve the public. My parents were involved in public service as leaders in developing one of the largest YMCAs in the northeast. They set an example of public service that I know I can carry forward in my service to WaterOne as a Board member. I do not pursue this position to seek other office. I am a water expert with opinions and experience in behalf of the ratepayers, for the benefit of WaterOne.

As an adult resident in Johnson County for more than 37 years, I have made my home and career in this area. I know how important a role WaterOne has played in the growth and progress of Johnson County. Safe, plentiful and economical water is accepted as a given. That would not be the case without good guidance, leadership and just plain hard work from the Board and all the employees of WaterOne. I intend to build on that foundation with long range planning that will continue our success and nationally recognized sustainability.

I have a mechanical engineering degree from Iowa State University. I have experience evaluating processes or equipment to meet performance requirements and cost effectiveness. I believe my technical training along with an almost compulsive curiosity would be well suited to act on a board charged with overseeing such a critical component of public health and safety.

See original here:
Water One board candidates on the issues: Qualifications and motivation for running - Shawnee Mission Post

Now that fall is finally here and winter is quickly approaching, it's getting dark earlier and temperatures are dropping. With the rush of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas ahead, it's easy to lose focus, drive and motivation. Throw in a busy travel schedule, and the ups and downs of everyday life, and it can be a miracle making it into a gym for a workout.

When the weather gets cold, sometimes I just want to stay in, watch reruns of The Golden Girls and eat ketchup chips on my couch in my pyjamas with my cats. I've been there many times when it comes to needing a purpose to hit the gym and set new goals in my life. It's easy to get stuck in a rut, but that's okay as long as you don't get stuck too long.

Some little tricks I've been using to keep myself motivated are easily attainable for anyone. Something that helps me find my focus is trying something new and finding a partner to do it with. For example, I can get really bored in the gym as I work out quite often and there are days where it's hard to push myself. I can't stay down long because I need to stay fit to perform in the ring. We only get one body, so we have to take care of it. When I try new things, the excitement of it being "new" brings me so much joy. I recently joined two fitness classes in my area. One was a rowing class and the other was a cardio kickboxing class. I'd never done either but I had my sister join me and we dove in. Suddenly, working out is fun and fresh again and I looked forward to the classes as well as seeing results in my body. My sister Jenni, who is often my workout partner, helps keep me accountable. It's a great way to not only get results but also for my sister and I to spend time together.

Whenever I feel tired, one of the first questions I ask myself is "am I drinking enough water?" Hydration is often easily overlooked. Headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, and lethargy are all key signs that you may not be hydrated. Dehydration can really affect your mood.

My husband TJ, who was a professional athlete for 20 years has a simple trick that keeps his water needs on track every day. Each morning TJ starts off his day with a gallon of water that he carries with him and tries to drinks throughout his workout. TJ makes it a goal to finish his gallon of water every day before 5 p.m. TJ said "it's amazing how much energy water gives me for my workouts, but lots of water also helps to curb my appetite throughout the day. I try to make it a contest with myself to always finish my gallon of water. When I do, it's a small but satisfying accomplishment." He also pointed out that The Rock drinks four gallons of water a day, so suddenly drinking water is even cooler!

Drink more water (as seen here with Charlotte Flair)! (Supplied Photo)

Lastly, something that can help keep you on track is to focus on what's in front of you right now and not to dwell on what you did wrong yesterday. Don't focus too much on how much work you've got ahead of you. Sometimes looking too deep into the future can be daunting and distracting. The other day, I looked at my travel schedule and saw how many weeks in front of me were packed with a heavy workload. The feeling of the next few weeks took me right out of the work I had to do that day because my focus was on days that hadn't even happened yet and things that were out of my control. I shifted my focus back on the day that was I was living in and thought to myself, "I can't always control the past or present but I can focus on what's in front of me right now."

Your attitude in life is everything. It's one day at a time for us all. Center yourself, because you are in charge and you have what it takes to be your best self. You've got this!

NATALYA NEIDHART LINKS

Natalya Neidhart is a Calgary Sun columnist when not competing for WWE. Her column appears on Thursdays. Tweet your questions to @NatbyNature.

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CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Natalya: Find your focus, drive and motivation - Canoe

The head coach of a youth football team has insisted beating players is normal practice in football after footage of him slapping boys went viral.

Coach Halit Kurt, of Turkish youth team Kayseri Meysuspor has claimed his tough love encourages them to win matches, amid furious backlash.

The clip shows Kurt walking into the dressing room before slapping each player around their face.

As he strikes them, the sound of the slap echoes as the player's faces move to the side.

I will kill you! What a disgrace! the hot-tempered coach is heard shouting at the players in the footage.

The incident reportedly took place during the 2016-2017 season, when Kayseri Meysuspor took part in a local football event and were trailing 1-3 at the end of the first half.

However, Kurt has insisted beating players is normal practice in football, explaining such an approach gives them extra motivation to win matches.

After the video was widely shared on social media, Kurt commented on his extraordinary behaviour, claiming his method of bringing up champions had been widely used not only in Turkey but all over the world.

Not only do I use this method the coach said: It was widely used by the previous generation."

The coach underlined the teams internal affairs should not be in the public domain, even comparing them with the sacred privacy of a married couple.

I love my players," Kurt added.

"We have a parent-child relationship.

"As for the video that was shared I should say that the events in a locker room should not become the property of the public, as with a married couples actions in a bedroom."

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The clip which was uploaded to Instagram yesterday has generated thousands of views.

Many have called for the man to be removed from the sport.

It remains unknown what, if any, sanctions will be imposed on the coach after Kayseri Amateur Sports Clubs Federation opened a disciplinary proceeding against him.

It's believed Kurt continues to coach children in Kayseri Meysuspor.

Originally posted here:
Footie coach slaps 'under-performing child players' round the face as motivation - Daily Star

NORMAN, Okla. Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinchs mind works in fascinating ways. He is practical and analytical, yet also gimmicky and metaphysical. Sometimes those contrasting qualities appear all at once.

Twenty-four takeaways in a season equals nine wins, he famously discovered through intense research, and if his defense doesnt get at least two in a game, he considers it a massive failure. But in the same breath, he can spout off something like this statement, made at his introductory news conference in January.

And, oh, by the way, the ball doesnt have any working knowledge of who its supposed to be thrown to. It doesnt know the quarterback is supposed to throw to a receiver. It doesnt know its supposed to stay in the running backs arm. So if the ball doesnt know, how on earth do we know?

Oklahomas defense was historically bad in 2018, ranking near the bottom of the nation in virtually every important...

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How Alex Grinchs motivational tactics have helped turn around Oklahomas defense - The Athletic

The 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes that it's the motivation that really makes a difference when it comes to explain the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Australian said: "We were happy to win one.

Now, if you win one, youre a loser. Its absolutely mind-boggling to see the standard of tennis that these guys are playing at this age. And motivation. Thats the thing: motivation. Once I won a Grand Slam, I was (thinking): Thats enough.

Ill go hang out with my family. Theyre motivated to keep going." Feliciano Lopez is impressed by his and Federer's longevity. The Spaniard won at Queen's in June during the same week as the Basel native did.

"It's true that people speak about the younger guys not being good enough. I did not have injuries and I took care of myself a lot for a while in order to have the longest possible career. Federer did not get injured either and he was very smart with the calendar.

But it's clear that the thing that at our age two players win in the same weeks two 500s is not normal." Federer spoke of what he loves the most about the FC Barcelona player Lionel Messi: "I havent spoken about Messi nearly enough.

What I love about Messi probably most is when he gets the ball and is able to turn the body towards a goal, and then he has full vision. Then hes going to pass, or dribble, or shoot. There are always three options for him. Hes one of the few whos got that."

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Cash impressed by the motivation of Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic - Tennis World USA

We examine where malevolence lives in Coloradoand what it looks like.

Hate crimes are especially hurtful because they are message crimes aimed at particular communities, says Jeremy Shaver, senior associate regional director for the Anti-Defamation Leagues Mountain States region. They tear at the cohesion of our social fabric. Colorado has been feeling a lot of that tension lately: According to Colorado Bureau of Investigation data, Colorado has averaged 126 hate crimes over the past five years; in 2018, we recorded 139. (Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Larimer, and El Paso counties regularly contribute the most to the state tally.) Equally concerning? The growth of hate groups and ugly rhetoric. We break down where the malevolence livesand what it looks like.

Flag FlyingRadical right propaganda made a noticeable jump from the digital world to the real world in 2018. In Colorado, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) tracked 67 reports of posted flyers or banners espousing bigoted rhetoric. Most of the episodes occurred in the Front Ranges largest citieshomes to colleges and universities, which are recruiting targets for white nationalist and white supremacy groups. (The numbers of incidents in these towns in 2018 are represented in the map below.) Keep in mind: Many of these incidents are legal. Generally speaking, posting a flyer on public property, like publicly funded college campuses or in city parks, is legal, even if it contains hate speech, whichbe it on a flyer or at a rallyis protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court reaffirmed this as recently as 2017 in a lawsuit brought by a California man when his application for a racially insensitive trademark was denied. Speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other similar ground is hateful, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the unanimous decision. But the proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express the thought that we hate.

Group ThinkAt last count in 2018, Colorado hosted 22 hate groups, defined by the SPLC as organizations that have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics. While thats fewer than 17 other states have (California and Texas lead the way), its still the largest number of hate groups to reside in Colorado since the SPLC started keeping records in the 90s. The SPLC (and, thus, 5280) has named them because its goal is to educate the publiceven if that education is sometimes uglyand because some of these groups generic names belie their true missions. (See map above)

Denver

Statewide Groups

Colorado Springs

Lakewood

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Boulder

Pueblo

Wheat Ridge

Elizabeth

LaPorte

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*Headquarters are located here

Key WordsIn our connected world, the first move toward extremism can begin with a few keystrokes. This past winter, London-based Moonshot CVE analyzed keyword search data throughout the United States and found Colorado to be a hotbed of violent, far-right internet inquiries. Among Colorados most common search terms: Sieg, Heil, 1488, 14 words, and Valknut tattoo (all terms associated with white supremacists or neo-Nazi groups). Most (78 percent) of these queries were carried out by men, and two-thirds of the searchers were younger than 45. Among the counties researching far-right concepts the most? Denver, Grand, Gilpin, Archuleta, Dolores, and Summit.

Kasey Cordell is 5280's features editor.

Excerpt from:
The Animus Atlas: Tracking Bias Motivated Behavior Across the State - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

MARC STEINER: Welcome to The Real News Network. Im Marc Steiner. Good to have you all with us today.

Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has been grilled by the House Financial Services Committee pretty intensely.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Under your policy, using census data as well, could I pay to target predominantly black zip codes and advertise them the incorrect election date?

MARK ZUCKERBERG: When we roll out the census suppression policy, we will take that content down.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: So you will There is some threshold where you will fact-check political advertisements. Is that what youre telling me?

MARK ZUCKERBERG: Well, Congresswoman, yes, for specific things like that where theres imminent risk of harm, but also-

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Could I run ads targeting Republicans in primaries saying that they voted for the Green New Deal?

MARK ZUCKERBERG: Sorry, can you repeat that?

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Would I be able to run advertisements on Facebook targeting Republicans in primaries saying that they voted for the Green New Deal? I mean, if youre not fact-checking political advertisements, Im just trying to understand the bounds here. Whats fair game?

MARK ZUCKERBERG: Congresswoman, I dont know the answer to that off the top of my head. I think probably.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: So you dont know if Ill be able to do that.

MARK ZUCKERBERG: I think probably.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: One more question. In your ongoing dinner parties with far right figures, some of who advanced the conspiracy theory that white supremacy is a hoax, did you discuss so-called social media bias against conservatives? And do you believe there is a bias?

MARK ZUCKERBERG: Congresswoman, sorry, I dont remember everything that was in the question

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Thats all right. Ill move on.

MARC STEINER: That, of course, was Congresswoman AOC, out there pushing him with some really interesting questions. Shes very tenacious, its clear. Were not talking about that today though. The questions from the committee though, ranged from allowing and limiting what Facebook defined as hate speech, to data privacy and their sale of personal information, to the lack of diversity at Facebook itself, discrimination, some people argue, against people of color, another issue that needs to be explored, and why they allow lies to be told by political figures, yet monitor others. And now theyre working with the Murdoch world, in the news world, to create a new newsfeed. What will that mean?

Well, were about to talk with Timothy Karr, who is Senior Director of the Free Press, and whos been covering this, and their papers been covering it pretty intensely. And Timothy, welcome. Good to have you with us here on The Real News.

TIMOTHY KARR: Happy to be with you.

MARC STEINER: So let me begin this way. Let me begin with a quote from the Senior Policy Counsel at the Free Press, Gaurav Laroia. So he wrote: Facebooks newsworthy exemption and ad policies are broken if the company is allowing its platform to be the vector for misinformation in the lead-up to the 2020 election. The company has learned nothing from 2016, when it allowed malicious foreign actors to use the platform to influence the U.S. election. By profiting off politicians selling false statements to the public, Facebook is complicit in the erosion of our civic health, discourse, and democracy. The company should show some courage and stand up for the truth at least in its advertising policies.So lets unpack that.

TIMOTHY KARR: Sure.

MARC STEINER: Because you, in the stuff you all have been doing, you really hit this hard in your reporting. So lets talk a bit about what all that means.

TIMOTHY KARR: Sure. Well, I think central to that concern is this idea, and weve seen it all week, that Facebook is a champion of free speech, by allowing politicians to lie without recourse, is in some way a champion of free expression. Mark Zuckerberg gave a very lengthy speech at Georgetown. Hes been making the rounds at Washington D.C. repeating a lot of these themes. And one of the things that he does say is that whats most important for Facebook is that it gives everyone a voice.

But consider that this voice is not equal. Its sort of like the George Orwell quote where some people are more equal than others. In this case, politicians are given free rein to lie, to say things that are dangerous, in some cases, and dishonest, while Facebooks own community standards doesnt allow its regular users to make the same lies. So clearly, this isnt about the principles of free expression as much as it is about the politics of Washington.

And theres an interesting backdrop to all of this, is that, while Mark Zuckerberg is on this free expression tour, a lot of politicians on both the left and the right are talking about antitrust. Theyre talking about taking measures to break up Facebook. So my interpretation of this giving away or giving free rein to Donald Trump in this instance, to lie in political ads its really about currying favor with certain politicians to see that they dont pursue the other option, which is, out of anger, to push for more antitrust.

And antitrust, and Zuckerberg, himself, said a number of weeks ago that it posed an existential threat to the organization. So while theyre making a public face about championing free expression, I think, in the back rooms and the corridors of these meetings, hes really most concerned about antitrust action.

MARC STEINER: So let me talk a bit about this. I want to lead up to antitrust, because I think its a fascinating topic that has not really been gone into in depth, in terms of what it really means for the 21st century and what it would mean for this new industry that dominates our economy and our country; and the world, actually.

But one of the things you alluded to here is, when places like Facebook become the commons, become the place where people have dialogue, or become the place where people express their opinions, and its controlled by one place that can easily say no to this person that they define as hate speech, or yes to this because it gives them money, because they want to build during this political campaign, they did in 2016, apparently are doing it again in 2020. And that to me seems to be the clearest danger, especially through those of us who work in the press all the time to try to build a way to have a free expression in this country. I think therein lies a huge danger.

TIMOTHY KARR: Yeah. The problem is that Facebook and a lot of the other online platforms dont like to think of themselves as publishers. They dont want to have any liability for the third party content that goes across their network. And so, theyre in this situation where, on the one hand, theyre working with news organizations and theyre trying to make sure that content on their site isnt false or misleading, but at the other hand, they dont want to have anything to do with it. Because they know, when you have more than 2.5 billion users who, according to Zuckerberg, before Congress, are posting, he said 100 billion pieces of content a day, it is virtually impossible for a network of that scale to effectively monitor and to police the type of content that goes across its network.

So they either have this laissez-faire approach, which is like, We should let everything go, or they attempt to do something else, in this case, hire 30,000 content moderators, improve your artificial intelligence so it can flag this stuff. In either case, its very problematic. On the one hand, you certainly dont want a social network that has that much power to allow any sort of speech. There are concerns about child sexual abuse being spread via social media. Its used to sell drugs. Theres racism. Theres a whole range of bad things that have been happening via social media. So you need some controls against that.

But at the same time, do we really want Facebook and these other social networks deciding what is appropriate content and what is not appropriate content? As weve seen in the case of political ads from Donald Trump that tell lies, theyre deciding that that is appropriate. And there are a lot of questions about that. Representative Ocasio-Cortez brought that up very effectively in saying that, How do you decide whats appropriate and whats not? I mean, when does it go too far? Wheres your line? And I dont think Mark Zuckerberg gave a very good answer to that. In fact, I dont think he answered it at all.

MARC STEINER: Because maybe he cant answer it, the way they do things. I mean, when you talk about, when they had this switch in their rules and you talk about having an independent third party doing fact-checking, I mean, what does that mean? And then admitting they couldnt do it with and theyre not doing it in the way they should when it comes to putting up political ads. And I mean, that raises a lot of issues. And the 30,000 monitors monitoring everything else, who are these people? I mean, how much are they paid? Whats their profession?

TIMOTHY KARR: Right.

MARC STEINER: This is not like you have a newspaper or a public radio station and you have fact-checkers to make sure [inaudible 00:09:04] your people say things that are correct. This is something much deeper and more complex than that because of the nature of that institution.

TIMOTHY KARR: Yeah. And I think there could be an antitrust argument made there, because when you have 2.5 billion members, you have 100 billion, according to Mark Zuckerberg, 100 billion pieces of content being posted, uploaded on your various social networks in a day, you really are too big. Youre really too big to govern.

But the other issue here is the economics of Facebook. The economics of a lot of these online platforms are built on this idea that they harvest our data and then they target content to us that will most likely elicit a response. Originally, that concept, what some people called surveillance capitalism, was built around this idea of getting information on their users, so you can appropriately target ads to sell things to their users.

But its also being abused, as we learned from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to target misinformation, to target misinformation to discourage people from voting, to spread lies about political opponents. And its raised to a level where this economic model has become unethical. It is being abused in ways that pose fundamental threats to our functioning democracy. And Facebook is not willing to change that model. You would have to basically rip up the whole organization from the roots.And so, one of the things that weve been advocating for at Free Press is: beyond Facebook, what does social media look like in a world where this kind of surveillance capitalism where people arent being treated as data points that can be sold to the highest bidder? Can we build a social media, a social network, that doesnt rely on that kind of predatory business model?

MARC STEINER: So that raises kind of the question here, before we run out of time, the whole question of monopolies and antitrust, and what that means in this 21st century, in this kind of industry. As we talked about before we started the conversation, this is not the steel mills and banks in the earlier 20th century, were talking about a much different kind of economic model that has a huge pervasive effect on society. And so, when we wrestle with the question of what that means, I mean, I think that thats something, weve only begun to touch the very surface. Its beyond what either Senator Warren or others would say, Simply break them up. What does that mean even, in this context?

TIMOTHY KARR: Well, I mean, youre looking at an industry that earns hundreds of billions of dollars every year. And most of it is through this targeted online advertising. And we think that the antidote to misinformation, the antidote to all of the negative impacts of networks like Facebook, is good, hard-hitting, independent journalism. And one of the proposals that we put forth at Free Press involves taxing online advertising to create whats called a public interest media endowment. In the United States, for example, a 2% tax on the online advertising industry, which is dominated by Facebook and Google, would generate an annual fund of $2 billion that could then support the kind of local independent journalism that, again, acts as the antidote to the type of misinformation thats being spread across these networks.

MARC STEINER: Thats a really interesting proposal. And I think that maybe the next time we have a chance to talk together, we should really probe that one in depth and talk about what these new models are for the 21st century that we have to kind of wrestle with. Because we do have to create something, a), if were going to have a democracy, b), if were going to thrive as a society. We have to come up with new ideas that fit the time were in and not just hearken to the back, that we can learn from.But it is fascinating stuff. And Timothy Karr, I really appreciate your work, and appreciate what the Free Press does, and appreciate you taking your time with us today. Look forward to more.

TIMOTHY KARR: Thank you.

MARC STEINER: And Im Marc Steiner here at The Real News Network. Please go online, let us know what you think about the controversy around Facebook, what you think about all the issues around antitrust. Wed love to hear it as we develop this series of conversations. And Im Marc Steiner here for The Real News Network. Take care.

DHARNA NOOR: Hey, yall, my name is Dharna Noor and Im a climate crisis reporter here at The Real News Network. This is a crucial moment for humanity and for the planet. So if you like what we do, please, please support us by subscribing at the link below. Thank you.

Originally posted here:
Facebook's Threat to Democracy Could Motivate Redefinition of Anti-Trust Laws - The Real News Network

The specter of NCAA discipline is doing little to dampen Bill Self's enthusiasm ahead of the 2019-20 season.

The Kansas head coach said he's instead using the situation as a catalyst to spur himself and his players on to the new year.

"Certainly, I haven't liked it," Self said, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf and Paula Lavigne. "But it's also, in a strange way, motivating me, probably, in a way that maybe I have never been, to combat this by taking care of our business on the basketball court, working with our players in a way that maybe exceeds any way I've ever done it."

Yahoo Sports reported in September the NCAA had sent a notice of allegations to Kansas.

The Jayhawks are facing a lack of institutional control charge and three Level I violations, which are the NCAA'smost significant designation.Self is facing a head coach responsibility charge as well.

The Associated Press'Dave Skrettanoted the NCAA will hold a formal hearing, at which point Kansas can present its case against the allegations. A final decision may come "within several months" of that hearing, though Kansas could appeal the ruling and drag the process on further.

The Jayhawks finished 26-10 in 2018-19 and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament.They head into this year ranked third in thepreseason AP Top 25 poll.

Kansas lost Dedric Lawson and Lagerald Vick, its top two leading scorers, but gets Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson back. Self also added 4-star small forwardsJalen WilsonandTristan Enaruna, with 4-star point guardDajuan Harrisredshirtingthis season.

The NCAA investigation will cast a shadow over Kansas' season, and outcome could carry significant consequences for Self. However, it wouldn't appear the situation will alter his preparation or mindset as he looks to guide the program back to the Final Four for the second time in three years.

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Bill Self Says He's More Motivated This Season After Kansas' NCAA Investigation - Bleacher Report

Getty

Mark Twain once said, Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Cathy Heller, creator and host of the Dont Keep Your Day Job podcast, couldnt agree more. In her early twenties Heller moved to Los Angeles with a love of songwriting and a dream of landing a record deal. But just six months after she signed with Interscope Records, the label dropped her, leaving her to forge her own path in music. She did just that. After a decade spent writing music for television ad spots and shows like One Tree Hill, she started coaching fellow artists and inspiring nearly 9 million people through her motivational podcast about creative entrepreneurs.

Now, shes put pen to paper. In her new book, Dont Keep Your Day Job: How to Turn Your Passion into Your Career, out on November 12, Heller draws from her experience to show readers how they can identify their purpose and build a career around it. In this interview (which has been edited and condensed), she shares what inspired her to write the book, how to turn a passion into a career and what message she hopes readers will take away.

Stephanie Day

Samantha Todd: What inspired you to write this book?

Cathy Heller: I was shocked when the podcast started and we had such a big audience. People are so desperate for someone to pull over to the side of the road and say, I see you and the thing that you want to put out in the world does have a place. I felt like this had to be a book. This is a movement.

Everyone has a great idea. The thing that were missing is momentum. The reason we have no momentum is because we dont put it out in the world. We have to give ourselves permission to put it out in the world, to be messy about it. And then it will start to get better and better.

Todd: What inspired the title?

Heller: When someone wants to be a dancer or someone wants to play guitar, people usually say, Dont quit your day job. And so I sort of turned it around: No, dont keep your day job. The number one thing that human beings seek all the time is the feeling of I matter, I have a purpose. The day job is sort of synonymous with Im doing something I dont really like just to pay the bills, whereas the dream job feels like This is who I am, this is really me making my mark on this world and I feel seen and expressed. Thats the difference. I dont want people to feel like they have a job. I want people to feel like theyre doing their lifes work.

Todd: You start your book by writing, The opposite of depression is not happiness. The opposite of depression is purpose. Why did you decide to start your book in this way?

Heller: When I was growing up, my parents were really unhappy. My mom struggled with depression and was suicidal when I was a kid, and my dad left. My mom always dreamed of being an actress and she decided to have kids instead, so when my dad left, I think she spiraled because she had given up so much of herself.

My moms gifts were dying inside of her, and she didnt feel like anyone saw her. I think a lot of people feel invisible, and I dont think any amount of money is going to take that away. People want to feel that they contribute something to the world and that someone sees them.

That is my quest, to help people feel seen. I know what its like for people not to feel that anyone sees them, and I dont want anyone to struggle with that. I just want people to feel purpose in their day.

Cathy Heller

Todd: How can people turn their passion into their career?

Heller: Two thirds of the world dont really know what they want to do. Theres a reason we dont know: We dont give ourselves time to be messy. When you walk into a preschool classroom, every kid wants to paint. Everyone in the class has paint in their hair, paint up their nose, and they dont even notice. Theyre just happy to be creative. At some point growing up, we get rejected and decide, Im not going to try or do anything unless I know ahead of time that someone will think that its perfect. Im going to protect myself from failure. We stop experimenting, and we stop being curious.

We have to allow ourselves to get our hands messy and try things. Most people build an idea in their head. They sit and think about what they should do. They get it perfect, put it out into the world and try to convince people that they want it, but it doesnt work that way. In order to be successful in business, the first step is to get curious, to get messy. Let's open ourselves up to what were interested in. Lets find something that we love and figure out who we could make it for. If you have a talent, you should care how that talent can serve someone else.

Todd: What message do you want people to take away from your book?

Heller: I want them to take away the message that they have something they need to share with the world and that it is absolutely possible that this thing theyve always wanted to do can be a reality. One thing that I do in the book is outline four different types of creative work, because I think that as human beings we will reach for the highest branch we see. One of the reasons people dont start their own business or build their own dream job is because they dont see it as a potential path. Well, you could be a maker. You could make the bread, you could be a teacher, you could teach people how to bake bread. You could be a curator, you could create a shop for all different types of bread. Or you could be an investigator, you could have a podcast all about bread, or a book or a blog. There are so many ways to actually make those things happen and come alive. One of the other central messages in the book is: Be messy. When you do something messy with the purpose of putting this beautiful stuff in the world for someone elses pleasure and fulfillment, you will be led to the ways that you can make an amazing living serving the world in the way only you can.

Todd: Theres a belief that to be happy, you have to go to college and get a well-paying job with good benefits. What do you think about this mindset?

Heller: I actually think that system is broken. If you listen to Sir Ken Robinson, who has the number one most watched Ted Talk, about how education kills creativity, he talks about how most people at the age of 40 or 45, theyre walking from their car to the office and they just feel like theyre going to have a midlife crisis. Its because theyve been sold this lie that get good grades, get into a good school, get a good job, and youll check off all the boxes and be happy. Theyre not happy because theyre building other peoples dreams. They dont know what their dreams are. Theyre not feeling that theyre being seen. People want more fulfillment. Every person comes into the world to offer something unique.

Original post:
Dont Keep Your Day Job: Motivational Podcast Host And Author On Creating Purposeful Work - Forbes

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania Can you remember the last time politics intruded on your personal life? One of those ruptures, when whats happening Out There is so big that you feel like you have to put your own life on hold?

I can remember mine. It was October 27, 2018 my wedding day.

Hours before I was supposed to head to a farm in rural Virginia and stand under the chuppah, the traditional Jewish wedding canopy, my rabbi took me aside and quietly told me that something had happened in Pittsburgh. A shooter had entered the Tree of Life synagogue and killed 11 Jews as they prayed what we now know to be the worst mass killing of Jews in American history. I stood in my rabbis hotel room, putting on my wedding suit, transfixed by the TV while news of the massacre rolled in.

As my wife and I near our first anniversary, the American Jewish community is getting ready to mark one of the darkest days in our history. In Pittsburgh, where Ive been meeting with Jewish community members and activists to discuss the shooting and its fallout, people are still in mourning.

In Squirrel Hill, the heavily Jewish neighborhood where the attack took place, its effects are palpable. The Tree of Life synagogue is closed, the entrance blocked off by fencing and a temporary memorial. Storefronts on Murray Avenue, a major thoroughfare, are dotted with signs commemorating the attack. Its changed the whole community, Baila Cohen, a co-owner of the Squirrel Hill business Pinskers Books and Judaica, tells me.

Reflecting on the national Jewish experience, she sees psychic damage. Its a lot more vulnerable feeling now than it ever was, Cohen says, worriedly.

We have good reason to feel this way. After the Pittsburgh massacre, there were shootings at two more American synagogues: one in Poway, California, and another in Miami. Theres been an epidemic of physical assaults on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. The number of anti-Semitic incidents nationwide, ranging from violence to swastika graffiti on synagogues and on campuses, has been at historic highs for two straight years. The president of the United States broadcasts anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on his Twitter feed and accuses Jews that dont support him of great disloyalty to Israel.

My conversations with Jewish leaders, scholars, and citizens reveal that many of us have been shaken to our core by these events. Traumatized by a long history of persecution, Jews are acutely aware of how vulnerable we are, given our tiny numbers. We are not close to abandoning America, but we are closer to feeling like America could abandon us.

But this fear is coupled with a renewed sense of Jewish purpose and identity, a sense of threat serving not to quiet Jews but galvanize them. In my experience, the Jews most unsettled by the year of anti-Semitic carnage have grown closer to their community as a result, becoming even more committed to their Jewish identity than they were before.

The American Jewish community is hardly monolithic and, as such, this revival has taken many forms. Im inspired by the surge in activists uniting Jewish causes with those of other marginalized American groups, a callback to the civil rights era that connects Jews not only with each other but other communities threatened by the rise of the violent far right. Ive also been frustrated with the vocal efforts by some Jews to use the post-Pittsburgh moment to push hardline defenses of Israel, or to paint a false equivalence between anti-Semitism on the American left and right.

But these divergent reactions, along with many others, speak to something deeper and unequivocally good a growing consensus on the importance of asserting oneself as a Jew in personal and public life. We are in the midst of an acute reemergence of the American Jewish self-understanding as a minority, with all the sense of insecurity and collective purpose that status entails.

At this moment, there is a core sentiment uniting anti-Zionist leftists in Brooklyn with ultra-Orthodox Trump supporters in, uh, Brooklyn: We may be scared by the rise in anti-Semitism, worried for our communities and families in a way weve never been before, but well be damned if we let it scare us out of being Jews.

Since the Pittsburgh shooting, Ive started to do some things in synagogue that Ive never done before.

In the chapel where my shul holds its Friday night services, the doors are generally kept open. Its a welcoming sign, an invitation for anyone who wishes to join us to enter. But now my eyes keep flicking toward those open doors. I feel a need to keep watch.

My mind tends to wander during prayer, and I find myself thinking less about the liturgy, my family, or the other things youre supposed to reflect on. Instead, I wonder how Id react if I spotted a shooter the best way to protect my wife, my parents, and the other people who attend services with me. Should I try to rush the shooter? Should I hide with my loved ones under the seats? Should I try to distract the killer so that more of the congregation can escape?

This isnt entirely paranoia. The week before I went on my trip to Pittsburgh, our synagogue informed the congregation by email that it had been vandalized, that hateful graffiti had been scrawled on our holy building. The police have a suspect in custody; as of right now, theres no reason to believe that were facing a specific threat of violence. Regardless, the general sense of threat lingers.

American Jews arent used to having to worry like this. The most comparable spate of attacks to the present violence came in late 1957 and 1958, when white supremacists bombed or attempted to bomb eight American synagogues. The attacks, largely targeting Southern congregations, were both retaliation for disproportionate Jewish participation in the civil rights movement and pure acts of anti-Semitic hatred.

No one died in these bombings. The most damaging explosion, which hit The Temple in Atlanta, went off around 3:30 am devastating the synagogue building but causing no casualties. But the attack on The Temple, together with the other bombings, set off a wave of panic among American Jews, a group that included many Holocaust survivors less than 15 years removed from the camps.

The Holocausts scars on our collective consciousness remain today. Those Jews who have survivors in their families (myself included) have a vivid understanding of the Shoah; our religious schools devote extensive time to ensuring that its memory is not lost. Many of us can recite the story of Weimar-era Judaism as a cautionary tale an assimilated community, well-established in German civic culture, that could not see what was coming for them until it was too late. When Americans Jews hear about attacks on our community, the gas chambers are never far from our thoughts.

We raised a generation on the Holocaust, says Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. Naturally, thats what theyre going to think about.

Now, with murderous anti-Semites attacking synagogues; the alt-right and 4chan trolling and threatening prominent Jews; and a president who declared there were very fine people among the white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, the sense of unease has grown into existential dread. An American Jewish Committee poll released in October found that 84 percent of American Jews believed anti-Semitism has increased a lot or somewhat in the past five years. In a separate survey from the Jewish Electoral Institute, 60 percent said President Trump bears at least some responsibility for the Pittsburgh attack.

Few think were in Weimar America, with state-sponsored murder just a few years down the road. But the fear that It Can Happen Here, that America might turn against the Jews as Europe did, cant be so easily dismissed anymore. The popular Jewish faith in America, an idealized vision of a new nation immune to European-style anti-Semitism, has been at least temporarily shaken.

When I went into the rabbinate 30 years ago, I really thought [anti-Semitism] was my fathers concern that its not going to be my concern. Boy, was I mistaken, says Rabbi David Wolpe, the senior clergyman at Los Angeless Sinai Temple.

Synagogues have been forced to beef up security; armed police patrolling holy ground is a physical manifestation of newfound Jewish precarity one that particularly unsettles those Jews of color whose relationship with the police is uneasy at best. Understanding the nature of anti-Semitism has shot to the top of the communal agenda; it has become a source of everyday fear rather than historical mourning. Deborah Lipstadt, a historian of the Holocaust at Emory University, tells me that shes used to scant attendance at her lectures. But since Pittsburgh, she says, shes never seen such crowds.

Modern Jewish life in America is premised on an unusual duality. On the one hand, we are a historically persecuted minority, imbued with a deep post-Holocaust sense of insecurity. On the other hand, the average Jew enjoys tremendous privilege in America we are typically wealthier than the average Americans, and overrepresented in nearly every prestigious career and industry. This is a testament to how safe the United States has been for us.

The Tree of Life shooting has reoriented the way many Jews see our communitys place here. We have been reminded that we are targets of persistent hatred who may never win unconditional acceptance in white Christian America.

Anti-black racism and anti-Semitism are different in all sorts of important ways. But theyre similar in one key way: Both are structural forces, written into our societys source code in ways that allow them to persist and take different forms through different historical periods.

As Jews come to grips with this reality after Pittsburgh, the current generation is looking at our synagogue doors in a way weve been fortunate to largely avoid until now: through the wary eyes of the newly persecuted.

My synagogue belongs to the Reform Jewish movement, the most popular of the three major denominations in the United States and the most theologically liberal. Reform Judaisms inclusive vision, one that emphasizes the social justice ideal of tikkun olam (repairing the world), has been evident for years in our communitys observance and politics. One of my favorite annual events is our Martin Luther King Jr. Shabbat, a joint service with local mosques and black churches that centers our three communities shared battles against oppression.

Since Trumps election, much of this activism has focused on immigration. My synagogue sponsored a refugee family to enter the United States, and it sent a contingent to a Close the Camps protest against the administrations detention policy. This sort of activity is what motivated the Pittsburgh shooter: He was a white supremacist who wrote, in a social media post explaining his motivation for the attack, that Jews were bringing in invaders that kill our people.

As such, our synagogues traditional work has taken on a particularly defiant tone in the past year. We will not be cowed by a killer; we will double down on the kind of activism that we believe our tradition requires.

We are not alone. In the past year, Jews have become even more visible in the public square, advocating at once for the rights of others and our own place in America. The renewed level of Jewish attention to our vulnerable status, to the ineradicable truth of what it means to be a historically persecuted minority is leading many Jews to rally behind one another, asserting our right to be in America in inspiring ways.

This is particularly visible among Jewish left-wing activists. The Jewish left has been growing in strength since the beginning of the Trump administration but, in the year since Pittsburgh, it seems to have quickened the pace and the specifically Jewish character of this activist work has deepened and intensified.

In leftist politics more broadly, Jews and non-Jews alike have been realizing that Jews are also being clearly targeted here, says Sophie Ellman-Golan, a New York-based organizer whos currently working on a project highlighting anti-Semitism in the GOP. Jews who have maybe been organizing, but who havent been organizing around anti-Semitism or specifically Jewish issues, all of a sudden have an increasing awareness that we need to be doing that.

Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish activist group, organized a march against President Donald Trumps visit to Pittsburgh shortly after the attack. According to Bend the Arcs internal numbers, its base of supporters (defined by email list subscribers, donors, and people who participated in its actions) grew by 60,000 in that week alone a roughly 66 percent increase.

The energy has not entirely abated, at least in Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, Bend the Arc protesters again blockaded a road and disrupted a speech President Trump was giving to a conference on fracking downtown (that this event had nothing to do with the attacks anniversary was its own kind of insult). The confrontational action reflected their anger with Trumps handling of last years shooting and rising white nationalism more broadly.

We wanted to be, specifically, defiant, Tammy Hepps, an activist arrested for participating in the road closure, explained to me over coffee at a Squirrel Hill shop after she was released. Thats how were feeling a year later.

The Jewish community is not entirely united on how to act in this moment (nor about much of anything else, for that matter). More traditional and conservative Jewish voices, including New York Times columnist and Pittsburgh native Bari Weiss, have taken an entirely different perspective. What they see as anti-Semitism on the left, exemplified by a handful of insensitive comments about Israel and its relationship with the US from Rep. Ilhan Omar, is in their view as serious a problem as anti-Semitism on the right.

For Jews like Weiss, the primary lesson after Pittsburgh is not that Jews share the same interests as other minority groups or the political left, but rather that anti-Semitism is a disease that afflicts all groups in distinctive ways. For this reason, Jews should be particularly sensitive to it among their political allies. Liberal Jews must fight the anti-Semitism on [their] own side, as Weiss puts it in her recent book, How To Fight Anti-Semitism.

I agree with part of this: Hatred of Jews should indeed be called out even when its not politically convenient, and it certainly not the exclusive province of any one faction or ideology. The situation in Britain, where 85 percent of Jews perceive high levels of anti-Semitism in the center-left Labour Party, is a testament to that disturbing reality. But the Democratic Party is not the Labour Party, and America is not Britain. In this country, left-wing anti-Semitism is a relatively marginal phenomenon compared to its right-wing twin.

Its people on the far right who are killing American Jews while they pray. An Anti-Defamation League report released last week found that 12 white supremacists have been arrested since the Pittsburgh attack for their alleged roles in terrorist plots, attacks or threats against the Jewish community specifically. There were only three arrests detailed in the report that did not involve white supremacists; none of those suspects was motivated by left-wing ideology.

Omars comments were met with harsh criticism from fellow Democrats (she eventually apologized for some of them); President Donald Trumps fevered speculations about Jewish billionaire George Soros importing non-white immigrants are echoed by much of his party. The new Jewish understanding of our minority status reflects a correct assessment, particularly among younger Jews, that there is a fundamental asymmetry in the nature of American anti-Semitism.

In some ways, the very fact of this debate that Jews are arguing so loudly about who the real threats are, and how our community should best organize in response to them is indicative of a deeper, even more encouraging Jewish truth: that Jews seem to be more deeply engaging in American life as Jews. The Pittsburgh shooters attempt to unsettle us has backfired.

Whether we will one day look back and say Pittsburgh helped to spark a revitalization movement is too early to know. But it would not be unprecedented, Sarna, the Brandeis historian, tells me. Historically, rising anti-Semitism has the paradoxical effect of strengthening Jewish identity.

Jews do not let anti-Semites set the terms for our lives. We grow closer to our tradition to show that its ours, not theirs; every Shabbat candle lit, every Jewish protest organized, is an act of defiance.

Samuel Schachner, the president of Tree of Life, was mere blocks from the synagogue, walking to services with his children, when the shooter opened fire last year. But he has spent the past year, which he calls one of the most difficult of my life, sustaining the congregation and rebuilding it.

They have held services in various houses of worship around the city, ensuring the killer couldnt put a stop to their prayer. With donor support, he plans to construct a new building to house Tree of Life and turn the old one into a center for Jewish life, including a permanent memorial to the 11 people killed last year.

The outpouring of support for his community has lifted him through the difficulty, he says. Ive never felt better as a Jewish American, he tells me.

One year ago, I was transfixed by the news of what had happened to Schachners congregation. But I could not and did not grant the Pittsburgh shooter the victory of ruining a Jewish celebration.

My most enduring Jewish memories from my wedding day will not be watching TV coverage of Pittsburgh. It will be standing under the chuppah with my wife: signing our ketubah, hearing our friends recite the seven blessings, and being lifted in chairs on the dance floor. That day, we chose to be defined by Jewish life rather than Jewish death and, too, does American Jewry as a whole.

Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he covers political ideology and global politics. He also hosts Worldly, Voxs podcast on foreign policy and international relations. He grew up in Washington, DC, where he currently lives with his wife and two (rescue) dogs.

Excerpt from:
The Tree of Life shooting unsettled American Jews. Then it motivated us. - Vox.com