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NIU Media Coverage
Alumni
The DeKalb Municipal Band will present the third concert in its 157th season of summer band concerts at 8 p.m Tuesday inthe Hopkins Park Band Shell. Featured on the program are Zachary Harris, vocal, Roger Ackert, alto saxophone, and atribute to the movie musical “Mary Poppins.”
Zachary Harris is a popular performer in the northern Illinois area. He has performed in Stagecoach Players’ productions of“Forever Plaid,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Seussical,” “Big River,” “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” and “Annie Get Your Gun.”
Other solo appearances include the Kishwaukee College production of “The Apple Tree,” Elgin Community College’s “BigRiver,” and a soloist with Gavin Wilson productions. He has won honors at many vocal competitions.
On Tuesday, Harris will sing “Catch a Falling Star,” “Star Dust” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
Roger Ackert has a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Oberlin Conservatory, a master’s degree in performanceand composition from music Northern Illinois University, and a music degree from the U.S. Navy School of Music. He is skilledin the woodwinds family, with emphasis on the clarinet and saxophone and studied with clarinet professionals Ben Stoller,George Waln, Thomas Thompson, Jerome Stowell, Wilbur Smith and Leon Russianoff.
His Big Band performance experience includes the Eddie Peabody USO show, Johnny Kay Orchestra, Shannanigans II,Shannanigans Show Band and the Glen Gould Orchestra Premiere, and as member in the back-up bands at Rockford’sMetro Center for Bob Hope, George Burns, Linda Carter, Dion Warwick, and the Pointer sisters. He is principal saxophonewith the DeKalb band and will be featured in Dave Brubeck’s Take Five.
“Mary Poppins,” this week’s special musical, is a 1964 Disney movie musical, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Inthe show, the magical, eccentric English nanny Mary Poppins flies into the Banks home, with her umbrella, in response to therequest of the Banks children. She proceeds to put things right with the aid of her magical powers, before flying off with hermagic umbrella. As the story unfolds, she has encounters with chimney sweeps, shopkeepers and various magicaladventures. She teams up with Bert the chimney sweep, who also is a one-man band, a chalk artist and a kite salesman,
All of these experiences are accompanied by memorable songs written by the Sherman brothers (Robert and Richard),including “Chim, Chim, Cheree,” “Feed the Birds,” “Jolly Holiday,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,”“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and the dance sequence “Step In Time.” The composing brothers wrote more than 30songs during the various stages of the film’s development.
Other music to be performed Tuesday include marches, an exciting Russian overture “Russlan and Ludimilla,” Dixieland,popular melodies from the turn of the 20th century, Latin sounds, Leroy Anderson’s “Belle of the Ball” and other tunes forsummer listening.
The Hopkins Park Band Shell is located behind the swimming pool at 1403 Sycamore Road, DeKalb. Bench seating isavailable or bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on the grass.
DeKalb Municipal Band concerts are sponsored by the city of DeKalb and the DeKalb Park District.
Copyright © 2011 Daily Chronicle. All rights reserved.
Print Version: Concert to feature songs of ‘Mary Poppins’ http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/06/21/concert-to-feature-songs-of-...
1 of 1 6/23/2011 9:59 AM
By Melissa Tussing | Email the author | 5:15am Print
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South High School has announced that Dr. Christopher Esposito will serve as the new social studies department chair beginning this fall.
The Board of Education approved his appointment at its regular business meeting on June 20.
The school's former department chair, John Bruesch, is leaving to become assistant principal at Hinsdale Central High School.
Esposito has been working as a teacher at South High School since 2003. He has a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois, an M.S. degree in Educational
Administration at Northern Illinois University and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
According to a District 99 press release, "He is well known for his skills as a reflective, student-centered teacher and has experience teaching all levels of
instruction, from at-risk courses to honors and advanced curriculum. Esposito was named 'Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction' in 2010."
“I look forward to leading the social studies department at South High and this wonderful group of teachers,” said Esposito in the release. “We have a highly
collaborative team that works well together and is focused on impacting student achievement in a positive way.”
“Chris has a strong teaching philosophy and practice that contribute not only to his classroom success, but also to the vision of the future in education,” said South
High School Principal Steve Bild in the release.
“His ability to listen and build strong relationships with other professionals will also serve him well in his work as a department chair.”
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South High School Names Esposito New Social StudiesDepartment ChairEsposito has been a teacher at South since 2003.
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Downers Grove South, Esposito, and department head
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NIU Media Coverage
Arts & Humanities
Children’s Community Theatre will present “Little Shop of Horrors” this weekend in the O’Connell Theatre on the campus ofNorthern Illinois University.
The show is the culmination of CCT’s Advanced Imagination Camp, an intensive two-week experience, with auditions on Day1 and a full-blown Broadway-style musical less than two weeks later. The cast is comprised of middle school and high schoolstudents from across the county.
“It is two weeks of insanity, but this camp attracts some of the very best and most dedicated young performers from aroundthe county,” Director Kris Pagoria said in a news release. Pagoria has overseen the summer shows for five years, including“Miss Saigon,” “Les Miserables” and “Hairspray.”
“Every year we pick a show and then start to wonder, how are we going to pull this off,” Pagoria said in the release. “Andevery year the kids show up and we are blown away by what they can accomplish. It’s always one of our best shows of theyear.”
This year’s show, “Little Shop of Horrors,” comes with the usual set of challenges: a complex score filled with rock, doo wopand Motown sounds; production numbers of nearly 50 people; and one very demanding, blood thirsty, man-eating plant.
The show will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday. All seats cost $10.Tickets are available at the door or online at www.cctonstage.com.
Copyright © 2011 Daily Chronicle. All rights reserved.
Print Version: CCT presents ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/06/21/cct-presents-little-shop-of-h...
1 of 1 6/23/2011 10:16 AM
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NIU Media Coverage
Economic Issues
NIU president: Lawmakers must keep pension promises
By Diane S.W. Lee Illinois Statehouse News | Posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 8:45 pm
SPRINGFIELD | Northern Illinois University President John Peters on Tuesday warned current and retired state university workers to brace for possible changes to their pension benefits in the fall.
"Make no mistake, my friends, what happens in Springfield, this fall, regarding pension reform and annuitant health care policy changes is of critical importance to every annuitant in the state of Illinois," said Peters, referring to an annuitant as a person who receives pension benefits.
Peters asked State University Annuitants Association, which represents current and retired faculty and staff working to preserve their pensions, to suggest solutions to state lawmakers in order to resolve the state's growing pension problem.
"In my opinion, leaders in public higher education in Illinois must suggest viable alternatives that will address the very real financial distress confronting our pension systems," he said.
Illinois' five taxpayer supported pension systems, including pensions for university workers, are underfunded by $130 billion. To control that debt, lawmakers passed pension reforms this past year that trim costs for future workers.
Kelly Kraft, Gov. Pat Quinn's budget spokeswoman, said this past year's reforms will save $200 billion over the coming decades for future employees, but they do little to address costs associated with current workers and current retirees.
This past spring, leaders in the Illinois House proposed to change current benefits by having current employees pay more for their benefits, see reductions, or have retirees pay for some of their health care costs. State lawmakers are expected to revisit reforming pensions for current employees in the fall veto session.
Peters said workers who made their contributions deserve full retirement benefits, and the state hasn't lived up to its promises. He pointed to state lawmakers history for skipping or making partial pension payments to the Illinois pension systems.
"Many individuals on our state Legislature didn't learn that lesson, or maybe they forgot that lesson: Once you make a deal with somebody, you keep it," Peters said.
Leo Welch, president of State University Annuitants Association, said the Illinois Constitution guarantees that once staff and faculty join the system, their pensions cannot diminished nor impaired.
"We fully support the constitutional provisions that protect current employees, as well as current annuitants," Welch said.
State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said the state will need to address pension payments, but the constitutionality of possibly changing pensions for existing workers will need to be decided in the courts.
"It is in everyone's best interest that these pension systems not fail. That is where we are headed if we don't do something," Pritchard said. "Sooner or later, they are going to run out of assets, and what are they going to pay people with?"
the times
Page 1 of 1NIU president: Lawmakers must keep pension promises
6/23/2011http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_fa870dc9-60aa-53c1-ad45-...
By CHRISTOPHER WILLS – The Associated Press
State construction money, including some for NIU, gets lawmakers’ OK SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers approved Wednesday another year of construction spending to ensure that $18 billion worth of projects don’t grind to a halt next week and slashed their own salaries while they were at it. Their actions, conducted in just a few hours during a special trip to the Capitol, mean thousands of construction workers will continue getting paid, but lawmakers will take 12 unpaid furlough days and give up a cost-of-living raise to help balance the budget, just as many other state employees are doing. The cuts will cost each legislator about $3,900 – a prospect that caused some grumbling. “I will never vote to cut my salary,” said Sen. Annazette Collins, D-Chicago. “I would do it for free if I was rich, but I’m not. I have mouths to feed.” Construction money and legislative salaries were left hanging when lawmakers ended the spring session three weeks ago. That included millions in funding for projects at Northern Illinois University, spokesman Brad Hoey said earlier this month. The state is supposed to be providing through the capital bill $22 million to remodel and renovate the Stevens Building, as well as $2 million for the planning phase of a new computer tech building. Senate Democrats agreed to drop the spending proposals that weren’t related to construction. Both the House and Senate returned to Springfield for a one-day session Wednesday, quickly approving the revised spending measure without a single “no” vote. Quinn applauded lawmakers for “ensuring that thousands of workers stay on the job.” The Senate voted 48-4 to cut legislative salaries for the third straight year. The House approved the cuts in May. State Sen. Christine Johnson, R-Shabbona, and state Reps. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, and Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, all voted in favor of cutting salaries. • Daily Chronicle news editor Kate Schott contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2011 Daily Chronicle. All rights reserved.
Page 1 of 1Print Version: State construction money, including some for NIU, gets lawmakers’ OK
6/23/2011http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/06/22/state-construction-money-including-some-for-...
NIU Media Coverage
NIU Expert Insight
NIU prof pens chapter for book on feeding Kendall Thu enjoys a juicy grilled steak as much as any meat lover. He just wishes people would give some thought to where their steaks come from.
The Northern Illinois University anthropology professor is a key contributor to a book on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that recently received the prestigious 2011 Nautilus Gold Award.
The book is titled, “CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories.”
Nautilus Awards are given annually to “books of exceptional merit that make a literary and heartfelt contribution to spiritual growth, conscious living, high-level wellness, green values, responsible leadership and positive social change.”
“CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories” was honored in the category of Conscious Media/Journalism/Investigative Reporting.
The book discusses the culture of the nation’s multibillion-dollar meat industry and the sometimes detrimental implications for workers, the environment and the economy. Thu wrote a chapter titled, “CAFOs Are in Everyone’s Backyard: Industrial Agricultural, Democracy and the Future.”
Other writers who contributed to the book include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., journalism professor and author Michael Pollen and journalist Eric Schlosser, who also penned “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal.”
“I’m grateful to be a part of this project,” Thu said in a news release. “The book educates the public about the meat processing industry and the problems with animal factories, but it is not a wholesale criticism of the nation’s meat industry or a call for people to become vegetarians.
“I grill meat,” he added. “I love to grill beef and chicken.”
The problem is that the majority of the meat processing industry is controlled by a handful of companies, Thu said. Those companies reap profits while passing along countless costs to society.
Editors of the book asked Thu to contribute because he has written numerous academic articles about the meat processing industry.
Thu, who was recently named an NIU Presidential Engagement Professor, recognizing his research and the work he does in the community, teaches courses in the anthropology of food, environmental anthropology and medical anthropology.
Copyright © 2011 Daily Chronicle. All rights reserved.
Page 1 of 1Print Version: NIU prof pens chapter for book on feeding
6/23/2011http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/06/21/niu-prof-pens-chapter-for-book-on-feeding/ay...
NIU Media Coverage
Science & Technology
One giant leap for yeastkind (Image: Eye of
Science/SPL)
IN JUST a few weeks single-celled yeast have
evolved into a multicellular organism,
complete with division of labour between cells.
This suggests that the evolutionary leap to
multicellularity may be a surprisingly small
hurdle.
Multicellularity has evolved at least 20 times
since life began, but the last time was about
200 million years ago, leaving few clues to the
precise sequence of events. To understand
the process better, William Ratcliff and
colleagues at the University of Minnesota in St
Paul set out to evolve multicellularity in a
common unicellular lab organism, brewer's
yeast.
Their approach was simple: they grew the
yeast in a liquid and once each day gently centrifuged each culture, inoculating the next batch with the
yeast that settled out on the bottom of each tube. Just as large sand particles settle faster than tiny silt,
groups of cells settle faster than single ones, so the team effectively selected for yeast that clumped
together.
Sure enough, within 60 days - about 350 generations - every one of their 10 culture lines had evolved
a clumped, "snowflake" form. Crucially, the snowflakes formed not from unrelated cells banding
together but from cells that remained connected to one another after division, so that all the cells in a
snowflake were genetically identical relatives. This relatedness provides the conditions necessary for
individual cells to cooperate for the good of the whole snowflake.
"The key step in the evolution of multicellularity is a shift in the level of selection from unicells to
groups. Once that occurs, you can consider the clumps to be primitive multicellular organisms," says
Ratcliff.
In some ways, the snowflakes do behave as if they are multicellular. They grow bigger by cell division
and when the snowflakes reach a certain size a portion breaks off to form a daughter cell. This "life
cycle" is much like the juvenile and adult stages of many multicellular organisms.
After a few hundred further generations of selection, the snowflakes also began to show a rudimentary
division of labour. As the snowflakes reach their "adult" size, some cells undergo programmed cell
death, providing weak points where daughters can break off. This lets the snowflakes make more
offspring while leaving the parent large enough to sink quickly to the base of the tube, ensuring its
survival. Snowflake lineages exposed to different evolutionary pressures evolved different levels of
cell death. Since it is rarely to the advantage of an individual cell to die, this is a clear case of
cooperation for the good of the larger organism. This is a key sign that the snowflakes are evolving as
a unit, Ratcliff reported last week at a meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution in Norman,
Oklahoma.
Other researchers familiar with the work were generally enthusiastic. "It really seemed to me to have
the elements of the unfolding in real time of a major transition," says Ben Kerr, an evolutionary
biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. "The fact that it happened so quickly was really
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exciting."
Sceptics, however, point out that many yeast strains naturally form colonies, and that their ancestors
were multicellular tens or hundreds of millions of years ago. As a result, they may have retained some
evolved mechanisms for cell adhesion and programmed cell death, effectively stacking the deck in
favour of Ratcliff's experiment.
"I bet that yeast, having once been multicellular, never lost it completely," says Neil Blackstone, an
evolutionary biologist at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. "I don't think if you took something that
had never been multicellular you would get it so quickly."
Even so, much of evolution proceeds by co-opting existing traits for new uses - and that's exactly what
Ratcliff's yeast do. "I wouldn't expect these things to all pop up de novo, but for the cell to have many
of the elements already present for other reasons," says Kerr.
Ratcliff and his colleagues are planning to address that objection head-on, by doing similar
experiments with Chlamydomonas, a single-celled alga that has no multicellular ancestors. They are
also continuing their yeast experiments to see whether further division of labour will evolve within the
snowflakes. Both approaches offer an unprecedented opportunity to bring experimental rigour to the
study of one of the most important leaps in our distant evolutionary past.
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndicationdepartment first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options
available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
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The Dry Ice Discovery Dave Gonigam – June 22, 2011
Dry ice fuels new computer revolution, delivering China a windfall and early investors a singular opportunity Two charts to ponder while Ben Bernanke jabbers before the cameras Greeks empty their bank accounts, load up on gold… while China pumps up Panda production to meet demand Urban gold panning: Can you really make a living digging through sidewalk cracks outside jewelry stores? One reader rips the banks, a second praises a “new” economic indicator and a third tries to fix Social Security despite
herself
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Page 1 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
6/23/2011http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.com/the-dry-ice-discovery/
You can use dry ice for a lot – keeping a picnic lunch cool, generating fog for backyard karaoke. Now it’s about to revolutionize computing all over again.
More important, it’s going to touch off a scramble for a wonder substance that’s in high demand, and produced mostly in China. If you feel you missed out on the rare earth boom, you’re on the cusp of something equally lucrative.
The story begins with two breakthroughs, both revealed in the last 10 days.
Researchers at IBM announced this month they’ve built the first integrated circuit made of something called graphene.
The wafer you’re looking at is as thin as humanly possible — exactly one atom layer thick. And yet it’s powerful enough to…
Make mobile phones work in places they can’t now Make almost any electronic device run faster, with less electricity Power devices that can see inside the human body without harmful X-rays.
You can’t do that with the stuff that’s made up integrated circuits for the last 40 years — silicon. Graphene is on its way to becoming “the new silicon.”
Also this month, researchers at Northern Illinois University made a parallel breakthrough, equally important: They hit on a way to manufacture graphene in high volumes.
Instead of previous methods — splitting graphite crystals with tape, or heating silicon carbide to high temperatures — the NIU scientists came up with something so simple your teenager could do it in the garage (although we wouldn’t advise it) — burning magnesium in dry ice.
“Up until now,” says professor Narayan Hosmane, “graphene has been synthesized by various methods utilizing hazardous chemicals and tedious techniques. This new method is simple, green and cost-effective.”
Graphene is derived from graphite — which itself is derived from the humble carbon atom. The two scientists at the University of Manchester who isolated graphene in 2004 won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2010.
“As a material, it is completely new,” declared the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences upon bestowing the prize. “As a conductor of electricity, it performs as well as copper. As a conductor of heat, it outperforms all other known materials.
“It is almost completely transparent, yet so dense that not even helium, the smallest gas atom, can pass through it.
“It is not only the thinnest material in the world,” adds The New York Times, “but also the strongest: a sheet of it stretched over
Page 2 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
6/23/2011http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.com/the-dry-ice-discovery/
a coffee cup could support the weight of a truck bearing down on a pencil point.”
So it will have uses other than electronics. Physicist Michio Kaku from City University of New York envisions more lightweight aircraft and stronger plastics, among other innovations.
Here’s the rub: “Good graphite is not that easy to find,” says our natural resource maven Byron King. “Graphite prices have more than doubled in recent years.” No graphite, no graphene.
On top of that, Byron continues, “China controls 80% of the global graphite market — just like China runs 97% of the world supply of rare earths.” And China’s reserves are dwindling.
So not only are we looking at “the new silicon” in terms of potential… we’re also looking at “the next rare earths” in terms of scarcity. And yes, just as with rare earths, the rush is on to find new sources outside China.
Many lie in developing countries run by dictators who’d love nothing more than to nationalize a big graphite find as soon as some company does the hard work of proving it up. But one of the largest is in North America — 8 million tons — controlled by a tiny firm Byron recently uncovered.
It can produce graphite for $400 a ton and sell it for $2,000. That’s $12.8 billion of potential for a company with a market cap of $58 million.
Byron guided his readers to rare earth gains of 93%… 147%… even 178%. If you missed out, don’t feel bad. Let him tell you about the “new silicon” firm with shares still under $1 each… at least for now. It’s all in this presentation.
By the time you read this, the Federal Reserve will have wrapped up its two-day meeting and issued its statement. Ben Bernanke will have held his second press conference.
There will likely be little drama, save for whether CNBC’s Steve Liesman faints in the presence of Bernanke like a ’50s teeny-bopper in the presence of Elvis.
With the proviso that no one can read the Fed’s mind, it’s a safe bet Mr. Bernanke and crew are biding their time… waiting for the stock market to experience further withdrawal symptoms before mainlining more QE heroin.
A reminder: After QE1 expired in March 2010, the S&P 500 fell 13% and the volatility index blew up 48% before Bernanke signaled the advent of QE2 in late August. Stocks then soared.
For argument’s sake, let’s mark the end of QE2 with Bernanke’s first news conference on April 27, 2011. That’s where he refused to signal the advent of QE3. The S&P topped out two days later. From there, it’s dropped only 4.9% as of yesterday’s close.
Page 3 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
6/23/2011http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.com/the-dry-ice-discovery/
The VIX, meanwhile, bottomed at 14.6 on the same day the S&P topped out. As of yesterday’s close, it’s up only 29%, and it hasn’t even begun to approach the high it reached right after the Japanese earthquake.
So if Ben plays coy about QE3 today, those charts will probably say more about the reasons why than anything he’ll spout during his 45 minutes before the cameras.
Indeed the most drama may be what word he comes up with instead of “transitory” to describe rising consumer prices. We’ll parse anything meaningful from the dog and pony show in tomorrow’s edition.
Gold continues its slow and steady march upward in advance of the Fed statement. At last check, the spot price is $1,554 an ounce. Silver’s up to $36.63.
Page 4 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
6/23/2011http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.com/the-dry-ice-discovery/
As the Greek drama grinds on (if you’re keeping score at home, the government survived the no-confidence vote last night), ordinary Greeks are closing their bank accounts and loading up on gold.
“When the global financial crisis started, our sales of coins to investors overtook bullion for the first time,” metals trader Harry Krinakis tells the Financial Times. “Now the sales ratio has reached 5-to-1.”
The Greek central bank says depositors are withdrawing an average of 1.5-2 billion euros from bank accounts every month. A computer technician named Tomas says he’s traded in his euros for gold coins: “I keep them at home just like my grandmother did in the Second World War.”
The People’s Bank of China plans to ramp up production of its Panda gold and silver coins to meet nearly insatiable demand.
Production of the 1-ounce 2011 gold Pandas will be stepped up from a previously planned 300,000 to 500,000. Smaller gold coins will see production tripled to 600,000 per year. Silver Panda production will double to 6 million.
The price of gold in yuan is up 9.4% this year — a darn sight better than a 3.25% interest rate on one-year bank deposits in China.
Of interest to collectors: Our friends at First Federal still have a handful of 2011 Pandas with the coveted “First Strike” designation. The 1/10th ounce Gold Pandas come with a grade of MS69 — almost flawless. Check them out here. They also have a small stash of First Strike Silver Pandas graded MS70. You can learn more about those via this link. Full disclosure: We may be compensated if you buy.
“The streets of 47th Street are literally paved with gold,” says New Yorker Raffi Stepanian, pioneer of a phenomenon we’ll call urban gold panning.
Working with tweezers and a butter knife, Stepanian mines the sidewalk cracks of the city’s Diamond District. He says he findsenough diamonds, rubies, platinum and gold to make a living.
“Material falls off clothes,” he tells the New York Post, “on the bottom of shoes, it drops off jewelry, and it falls in the dirt and sticks to the gum on the street.”
His mind’s in the gutter: Raffi Stepanian with his trusty tweezers
Stepanian, a freelance diamond setter, got the idea when he noticed minute gold scraps on the floor of a diamond exchange. “If it’s on the exchange floor, it’s got to be outside as well.”
But is it really good enough to make a living? Stepanian says his findings over recent a six-day period generated $819 in sales. Assuming he could keep up this pace indefinitely, six days on, one day off, that would work out to a pretax annual income of $42,588.
Page 5 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
6/23/2011http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.com/the-dry-ice-discovery/
In New York.
Don’t give up the day job, Raffi.
“Your writer hit one right in the middle of the bull’s-eye,” writes a reader who caught Dan Amoss’ remark that banks sitting on foreclosure properties need to “bite the bullet and take the losses.”
“This is all made possible,” the reader continues, “courtesy of the Federal Reserve Bank and their almost zero interest discount window. The math behind it is real easy to understand. The banks can borrow money at near zero percent interest, which they have done in hundreds of billions of dollars, which enables them carry on their normal daily business without interruption.
“Now turn your attention to their nonperforming assets that they are carrying on their books at full value. For example, if they have a $400,000 house with a mortgage of $360,000 and it is in default, why should they foreclose? If they do that and resell it, they will probably net somewhere in the vicinity of $200,000 by the time they are done. This will reduce their balance sheet by $200,000, which will adversely affect their stock price, so the most logical thing for them to do today is to let the loan ‘ride.’ They replace that asset with money they borrow at almost 0%.
“The American taxpayer is footing the bill for this in the form of inflation, which the banks are counting on in hopes of selling these assets at a price nearer their current book value. The problem is housing prices are not keeping up with inflation, so how long can this go on?”
The 5: If Japan is a model for the propping up of zombie banks, oh, a good 20 years or more…
“I think the Harpex is the best ‘recession’ indicator,” a reader writes after seeing Addison’s account of his visit to the Port of Los Angeles, “since China ships to the world, or, in weak economic times, does not.”
The 5: We’ve yet to find an indicator with flawless predictive powers, but a five-year chart of the Harpex isn’t bad…
Page 6 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
6/23/2011http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.com/the-dry-ice-discovery/
It hit its high early in the fourth quarter of 2007, sat in a long trough for the second half of 2009 and has since recovered to the midpoint of its 80% decline during the Panic of 2008. The top it reached around the time of the Japanese earthquake bears watching.
Regards,
Dave Gonigam The 5 Min. Forecast
P.S. Graphene isn’t the only wonder substance that has Byron King’s attention these days.
“Beryllium,” he says, “has an incredible combination of properties that occur in no other metal.”
“Rocket scientists use beryllium — in rockets. Beryllium goes into satellites and space structures, aircraft, optical systems, semiconductors, medical imaging and nuclear systems. And as the story up above demonstrates, there’s beryllium in gun sights, rocket launch rails, camera gimbal systems and more.”
“Why use beryllium? Because it provides unmatched capabilities for medical, aerospace, defense, information technology, scientific, nuclear and other applications. When designers have to come up with products that work at the extreme edges of performance — from the dirt of a mountainside sniper position to the depths of outer space — they specify beryllium.”
Byron recommends a beryllium producer in the current issue of Energy & Scarcity Investor. Subscribe now and you’ll get a package of special reports with his favorite microcap resource plays — including the tiny company sitting on 8 million tons of graphite.
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Page 7 of 9The Dry Ice Discovery | 5 Min. Forecast
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ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Local entrepreneurs had to play some hardball as they tried to sell their business ideas at the Stateline's 5th Annual FastPitch Competition.
About 50 people were on hand this year, including nine student presenters. The finalists have been practicing for the last couple of weeks working on their skills.
Each contestant had just about ten minutes to pitch their business idea or product to a group of judges.
The first place winner gets $5,000 and he says it will only help launch his company.
Contest winner, Dan Nicholson, says, "It's great publicity for us winning the competition with all these other great companies with great products, with great ideas. It's a huge honor for us to win. It's an unbelievable networking event with so many great people are here."
If the winner looks familiar to you, he's a former NIU quarterback. Which is very fitting, since his winning product are replacement football cleats that can be customize for each players position.
Updated: 11:36 PM Jun 22, 2011
Former NIU Quarterback Wins FastPitch Competition
Local entrepreneurs had to play some hardball as they tried to sell their business ideas at the Stateline's 5th Annual FastPitch Competition. Posted: 10:53 PM Jun 22, 2011
FastPitch Competition
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Page 1 of 2Former NIU Quarterback Wins FastPitch Competition
6/23/2011http://gray.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=Former+NIU+Quarterback+Win...
By RYAN WOOD - [email protected]
DeKALB – Xavier Silas walked into the Boston Celtics’ practice facility for a workout a few weeks ago, looked to the raftersand saw the championship banners and retired numbers hanging overhead.
There was Larry Bird’s No. 33, representing one of the five greatest players ever. There was Bill Russell’s No. 6,representing the sport’s most successful champion in history. And there was Silas, a little-known guard from Northern Illinois,simply hoping for an opportunity to compete in their league.
The pressure could easily bury many players. Sounding nonchalant, Silas said it barely phased him.
“I think a lot of people have this perception that this process is crazy and there’s a lot of crazy stuff happening,” he said. “Butteams just bring you in for an hour, and you do drills that you’ve been doing for years. I’ve been working so hard for so longthat it just feels like everything is the way it’s supposed to be.”
Silas felt like he belonged because he is a different kind of player with a different kind of pedigree. Maybe not better, probablynot worse. Just different.
Silas was meant to play in the NBA, he believes, surrounded since birth by people who know how to get him there. With the2011 NBA Draft finally here, and no more workouts or interviews to do, he’s hoping at least one of the league’s 30 teamsbelieves the same thing.
“It depends on the team,” Silas’ agent, Lance Young, said when asked if the former NIU star’s pedigree matters to NBAgeneral managers. “Some of these guys look at character more than others. Some only want the talent to win and don’t careabout anything else off the floor.
“But if you have a coach that runs a triangle offense, or some place where they need really smart players that can changetheir game on a weekly to monthly basis, they’re interested in players like that. I think that’s where Xavier sets himself apart.”
It’s not the only thing.
Silas’ father, James, was a two-time ABA all-star for the San Antonio Spurs. His godfather, Julius Erving, is one of the biggestlegends to ever grace a court.
Most kids go to bed hearing stories about their favorite basketball stars. Silas did too, only his storytellers spoke in firstperson.
No wonder Celtics lore didn’t phase him.
For Silas, those bedtime stories resonated as something more. Silas took what he heard and used it as advice.
“They just say, ‘Keep doing what you do, and you’ll be fine,’ ” Silas said. “That’s reassuring.”
“I think that it gives me a higher advantage because knowledge is a really high commodity. If you have the knowledge beforesomething happens, then you’re better prepared. And preparation is the key to success.”
Knowledge and preparation are essential, of course, but they don’t always lead to a player being drafted. Young said playingcollege basketball in DeKalb, obscure from the national spotlight, kept him hidden from most general managers.
Silas has worked out with nine teams – among them the Celtics, Bulls, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers – and hadtwo meetings with the New Jersey Nets.
“He’s got a good name and good stats, but a lot of the GMs I spoke to had never seen him play,” Young said. “It made theworkouts even more important.
“I think it’s probably 50-50 right now, whether he gets drafted. We have a handful of teams that really like him, but once youget past Nos. 45-50 in the draft, I think the trend this year might be taking foreign players and keeping them in Europe.”
It doesn’t help that most mock drafts leave Silas’ name off the NBA’s guest list. But neither Silas nor his agent are paying
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much attention to that.
“It’s just other people’s opinions,” Silas said. “The only people that matter are the GMs.”
Said Young: “The way I look at it, it doesn’t make much of a difference whether he’s drafted or not. Whether he’s a secondround player or undrafted, he’s still going to have to fight for a roster spot.”
No matter what happens tonight, whether it’s a stepping stone or another obstacle, Silas said the significance will be small.When he was a child listening to those bedtime stories every night, he wasn’t thinking about what it would be like to bedrafted. He wanted to know how it would feel to compete in their league.
“All this work that I’ve done, it hasn’t just been for June 23,” Silas said. “It’s been for my game and my whole career. It’s onlyone day in my professional career. I think a lot of people get caught up with one day, and it isn’t about that.
“It will pass the way everything else will pass. What matters is what happens next.”
Copyright © 2011 Daily Chronicle. All rights reserved.
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By MIKE KORCEK -
Are you curious like I am? Where do you think ex-Northern Illinois shooting guard Xavier Silas will go in Thursday’s 2011 NBADraft? Or, forgive my skepticism, will the “X-Man” even make the two-round, 60-player draft at all and wind up as anundrafted free agent? Unheralded second-round gem or free agent “sleeper?” Which is it?
To be honest, I’m not sure for several reasons.
Since my retirement in 2006, NBA uber-scout Marty Blake (or his son) doesn’t call anymore. No annual Christmas cardseither. But from the stands this winter at the Convocation Center, I saw the retinue of pro scouts at press row watching everySilas nuance. Back in the day, sure, I talked to the league scouts and executives such as Ronnie Lester, B.J. Armstrong, TomJorgensen (yes, that Tom Jorgensen), Pat Williams, and Jerry Krause (yes, “The Sleuth” did appear at Chick Evans FieldHouse). So, no inside information or scoops for me anymore. Just five decades of watching the game at every level.
The latest concern? Reading some of the online mock drafts this week, I’ve seen Silas ranked either No. 59, 68, 75, or 95. Ina 24-hour span on Hoops Report, Ryan Feldman switched from Silas to 6-foot-9 Temple power forward Lavoy Allen at the29th pick of the second round by the San Antonio Spurs. Based on raw talent, I would think Silas would be an NBA rosterplayer one way or the other. Which probably means playing overseas or in the NBDL.
If ex-Northern Illinois point guard Donald Whiteside survived the circuitous route to the NBA via the Chicago Pro-Am SummerLeague, Europe, Australia, the CBA, the ABA and, eventually, five years after his senior year and the 1991 NCAA tournamentappearance with the Huskies, career validation as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors (1996-97) and Atlanta Hawks(1997-98), then stick to your guns, “X-Man."
With some 350 Division I schools in America, Silas – whatever his ranking – stands in elite company as a Top 100 player atthis point. After leaving Colorado and the Big 12 Conference, “X-Man” made the right decision to follow coach Ricardo Pattonhere and be showcased in the Northern Illinois program. A personal D-I resurrection opportunity in the periphery of thenation’s No. 3 media market, plenty of playing time, and an almost 24/7 green light for his jump shot all made sense to me.Not to mention a “down” Huskie situation hungry for a winner and all-star savior, plus a coach who mentored and nurturedAll-NBA guard Chauncey Billups. Why not?
NBA people examine everything with CIA-like scrutiny. For Silas, Patton, and Northern Illinois, the worst-case scenariohappened in 2010-11. The promise turned into complete disarray. Fair or not, Silas would be evaluated relative to themid-major competition level, leadership in back-to-back 20-loss seasons as a junior and senior, plus the injuries that curtailedhis final campaign and prevented his participation in the Portsmouth Invitational – the postseason haven for NBA prospects,scouts, and general managers.
Instead of contending in the Mid-American Conference race and getting the attendant exposure and publicity, Silas’ senioryear went Exxon-Valdez toxic. Not to rehash the obvious. But who could shoulder this burden? No experienced point guard.You lose No. 2 scorer Jake Anderson to Iowa State (we’re the farm club for the Big 12 now?), 6-foot-9 starter Sean Kowal toa phantom grad school situation, and several others (Mike DiNunno, etc.).
I never understood the alleged Silas-Anderson "schism." You know the old bromide: There’s only one basketball. Well, get thecoaching staff and the two student-athletes in the same room, stress coexistence and teamwork, shake hands, and playtogether.
I distinctly recall how All-Century performers and Hall of Fame forwards Matt Hicks and Paul “The Doctor” Dawkinscomplemented each other during coach John McDougal’s first season in 1976-77. After a dismal 5-21 year, Northern Illinoismade a miracle run for the MAC title, the 6-4 Hicks (25.3 ppg/13 rpg) earned Mid-Am Player of the Year honors and took thensophomore Dawkins (15.8 ppg/7.9 rpg) under his wings. When Hicks was double and triple teamed, guess who got the ball to“Doctor D?” Thanks to that maturation process, Dawkins averaged 20.6 ppg/9.8 rpg as a junior and 26.7 ppg/9.3 rpg as asenior, and then won MAC Player of the Year honors on his own in 1978-79.
Ego? Think that was the case on the fabled Hall of Fame 21-4 Huskie quintet in 1971-72 with three NBA draft picks and anABA draftee and four double-digit scorers – Jim Bradley (22.9 ppg), Jerry Zielinski (18.1 ppg), Billy Harris (17.8 ppg), andLarry Jackson (13.5 ppg)? Few Northern Illinois clubs have played better team ball. Anybody ever hear of team chemistry? Inthat era, Jorgy recruited pretty well, basketball-wise, and character-wise and it showed.
So-so coaching, a depleted roster, poor recruiting, etc., may not have been Silas’ fault, but he ultimately paid for it. To me, the
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6-5, 198-pound “X-Man” would have been better at the three, small forward. With his sturdy build, strong hands, and 38-inchvertical, and innate ability to draw fouls (201 free throw attempts in 2010-11 – the most by an NIU player since Kenny Battle’s234 in 1984-85), “X” could have been a more prolific inside-outside scoring (and rebounding) threat instead of roaming theperimeter looking for three-pointers. I’m sure coach Patton committed to Silas’ future as a shooting guard. I beg to differ.Utilize and maximize Silas. More post-ups. Someone should send the same message to LeBron James.
When Silas came to campus, I was curious. Yes, I heard the NBA talk so I watched “X” very closely the last two years. Hisbest hardwood attribute? Silas has the big-time scorer’s mentality, loads of it (40, 39, three 34-point outings last winter). Thenhe possesses great basketball genes since his dad James Silas played guard for 10 years with the Dallas Chaps (1972-73),San Antonio Spurs (1973-81), and Cleveland Cavaliers (1981-82), scored 11,038 career points in 685 pro games for a 16.1ppg. average, and then had his No. 13 jersey retired by the Spurs. Not everybody has the great Julius Erving as a godfather(I’m envious) or hung around David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and George “Iceman” Gervin in the San Antonio locker room as akid. With an NIU diploma and a 3.6 cumulative grade-point average, “X” is a sharp guy on and off the court. Those are allstyle bonus points.
His jump shot? Like most younger players, Silas needs to consistently square up his shoulders to the basket. His range?Pretty good, but in a Northern Illinois historical context, Billy “The Kid” could launch some real long-distance bombs (and got itoff against most defenders). In the 6-5 swingman role, Dawkins was a better all-around performer and spent two seasons withthe Utah Jazz. Averaging 4.6 boards and 1.8 assists in 2010-11 suffers in comparison to Dawkins or Harris. The 4.0/1.8turnover/assist ratio also needs work.
In recent interviews, Silas sounds more optimistic and upbeat – no longer hanging his head – about his basketball future. Heknows what’s out there. “X-Man” trained in Las Vegas, worked out for ten NBA teams (including the Bulls), and reallyimpressed GM Danny Ainge with a record effort in the traditional Celtics’ endurance run.
Is Silas a Kemba Walker or a Jimmer Fredette or a Kyrie Irving? No. Basically, “X” is an NBA-caliber guard prospect in a roleplayer draft. Between NIU Hall of Famers Jim Smith (ninth-round by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969) and Kenny Battle(first-round by the Detroit Pistons in 1989), the Huskies boast 11 all-time NBA draft selections.
Whatever happens Thursday, it's the Xavier Silas' basketball life. Best wishes, "X." All the Huskies are watching.
• Mike Korcek is a former Northern Illinois University sports information director. His historical perspective on NIU athleticsappears periodically in the Daily Chronicle.
Copyright © 2011 Daily Chronicle. All rights reserved.
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Rich Flores struggled to find the right words Tuesday, aiming to explain how touched he was that so many friends and familymembers are putting together a golf benefit in his honor.
Flores, 54, a golf instructor from Batavia, was calling from his room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where hehas spent most of June. He has been in treatment for cardiac amyloidosis, which the U.S. National Library of Medicinedescribes as a "disorder caused by deposits of an abnormal protein (amyloid) in the heart tissue, which make it hard for theheart to work properly." In his case, it is accompanied by cancer.
He's known something was wrong for four years, but during the past winter he finally found out what it was. He has beenfighting through it since, weakened by the treatment that has included blood tests, biopsies and chemotherapy. He recentlyreceived a stem-cell transplant. Because of that, he has not been able to give golf lessons during his busiest season. His wifesaid the medical bills are mounting.
To help, the Friends of Rich Flores Benefit Golf Outing has been scheduled. The event will take place July 25 at PheasantRun Resort Golf Course. His brother-in-law, Tom Ryan, created the event. Friends said Flores has worked with many of theTri-Cities' young golfers, and he said many have called to say they'll play in the event. Some offered to help any way theycould. Richard Ross set up the website: www.friendsofrichflores.com. Flores said one friend, Don Timm, a head golf pro at aclub in Texas, had his head shaved, telling Flores he was "going to be bald, like you."
"It's very humbling," Flores said. "This is stuff I didn't ask anybody to do."
Flores played for the St. Charles High School golf team. He played golf in the military, and he played in two PGA Tour eventsand some Illinois PGA events. He has been the head golf pro at Blackhawks Golf Course in St. Charles and was director ofinstruction at Mill Creek Golf Course in Geneva and at Pheasant Run. He also coached at Batavia High School. He hascreated an indoor practice facility in his garage, so that he could teach during the winter.
Nick Schenk, 27, played for Flores' team at Batavia and went on to play at Northern Illinois University. He said his coach has"a great, happy-go-lucky outlook on life."
"He's always smiling," Schenk said. "If something goes wrong, he's always like, 'Oh well. It'll be better tomorrow.' He's neverdown. He's never negative."
Ryan said that attitude likely will help his brother-in-law.
"I think with his mentality, he's going to do well," Ryan said. "He's always upbeat. And mentally, he's strong."
Dennis Johnson was the former pro at Pheasant Run with Flores and worked with him there. He said that Flores found hisniche working with younger golfers. The problem now, Johnson said, is that Flores can't work. Flores said he "just wrote thisyear off, basically."
"The problem that golf instructors have, is they don't have any paid sick days," Johnson said. "They don't have any paidvacation time. When they take off, they're potentially turning business away. ... When you miss a day, you're out."
Judy Flores said her husband of 28 years had been struggling for about four years, but it hadn't been diagnosed. During alesson during the fall, Flores passed out, resulting in tests. It was then that he found out what was wrong.
"It was, 'Now I know what I've got. It's cancer. OK, let's get it,' " Tom Flores said. He said doctors have told him the cancer isn'tcurable, but it can be treated. He is hoping to leave the hospital by the end of the month.
Judy Flores said she has been impressed that so many people want to help.
"It's nice to see that there's so many people who are so willing to do whatever," she said. "It's just amazing. … I'm sure wecouldn't have got as far as we are without help from our friends."
Tom Flores found some words to describe it as well – amazing, unbelievable and wonderful.
"You can't put it into words," he said. "You read about people like this all the time, and you never think it could happen to you.I have an amazing family and an unbelievable amount of friends."
Print Version: Lagattolla: Golf pro Flores gets a little help from his friends http://www.kcchronicle.com/2011/06/22/lagattolla-golf-pro-flores-gets-a-...
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• Al Lagattolla is the news editor of the Kane County Chronicle. Write to him at [email protected].
Benefit golf outing
What: Friends of Rich Flores event
When: Registration starts at 11 a.m. July 25. The shotgun start is at 1 p.m.
Information: Visit www.friendsofrichflores.org
Copyright © 2011 The Chronicle. All rights reserved.
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North Aurora mayor to be inducted into Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame
Last Modified: Jun 22, 2011 02:17AM
At age 77, the memory isn’t always razor sharp. Which is why Dale Berman checks his Blackberry to make sure of the dates.
Let’s see, Back surgery, 2002. Hip replaced, 2005. Stents after the 2006 heart attack. New knees soon after. Fused ankle in 2010. And just this January, shoulder replacement.
“Really,” he jokes, “there’s not a whole lot left.”
Such is the life of an ex-football player. But Berman, whom most people know as a long-time community leader and mayor of North Aurora, is not just any old jock. He’s a Hall of Famer. At least he will be on Friday when he is officially inducted into the Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Problem is, everything he’s got to show for it is pretty well hidden.
So, I ask politely, where’s all the yellowed newspaper clippings? The black-and-white, age-curled photos? Surely there’s a tarnished trophy; maybe a plaque or two attesting to those many years of gridiron prowess?
Berman shakes his head.
“I go into some of my friends’ houses. They have a whole wall full of that stuff in their basements. I’d have to look really hard to find even one article or picture. And the trophies ... they’re all broken.”
At my insistence, Berman eventually goes home and digs out a few items for The Beacon-News photographer. But all I could get my hands on was a book published in 1999 by Northern Illinois University that named him as part of the university’s “All Century Team.”
Berman made All Conference the two years he played under Coach Howard Fletcher; his senior year he was named MVP, as well as captain of the All Conference Team.
Quite an accomplishment for someone who never once carried the ball, much less scored a touchdown.
“You need a lot of commitment when you play the line,” he says. “A lot of passion, too.”
*****
At Ottawa High School, Dale Berman was 6 feet tall, weighed 235 pounds, and played tackle on both sides of the ball. He was named All Conference and All American. And after playing in the state’s All
beaconnews
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Star game in Peoria, Berman was offered scholarships to Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan — but chose Northwestern University because his stepmother had graduated from there.
Figuring he’d get drafted, Berman quit Northwestern after his sophomore year to work in an Ottawa glass factory. It was then he began playing for the Aurora Clippers, a semi-pro football team that dominated the Tri-State Professional League from 1939 to 1959.
In fact, in those 20 years, the Clippers — made up mostly of players from the outstanding teams of Mooseheart and East and West Aurora high schools — played 162 games, amassing 110 victories, 42 defeats and 10 ties.
Berman was on the Clippers for two years, until 1954 when he was drafted into the Army. Two years later, he used his GI Bill to go to school at Northern Illinois University — and play football, of course.
After graduating from NIU in 1960 with a degree in business and accounting, Berman says he turned down an offer from George Halas to try out for the Chicago Bears. By this time, he had a wife (Mary) and two young daughters, as well as a nice job offer from IBM.
Still, Berman wasn’t finished with the game. Because the Clippers had just disbanded, he joined the Elmhurst Travelers for the next two years and made the semi-pro league’s All Star roster.
*****
When you get football in your blood like that, says the mayor — still a strong supporter of NIU football — it’s hard to get it out.
That passion is the main reason Berman’s looking forward to the trip to Canton, Ohio. Making the Hall of Fame is a great honor, he says, (NFL Pro Bowler Michael Lewis will also be inducted, along with Auroran Robert Harrison.) But it’s more about the camaraderie shared by those whose love for the game has not been diminished by time.
Yes, Berman gladly admits, he still dreams of being on the field again. Muscles tense. Listening for the snap. Exploding off the ball. Making the hit. Hearing the crunch.
Sometimes he’ll even fall out of bed. It’s that real.
Which is probably why those old photos and newspaper clippings have remained buried all these years. Sometimes dates may get a little fuzzy. But the memories — well, they’re crystal clear.
“It’s all up here,” Berman says, pointing to his gray head. “That’s where it counts.”
Copyright © 2011 — Sun-Times Media, LLC
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Economic Issues
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Posted Jun 22, 2011 @ 11:13 PM Last update Jun 22, 2011 @ 11:16 PM
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers approved another year of construction spending to ensure that $18 billion worth of projects don’t grind to a halt next week and slashed their own salaries while they were at it today. Their actions, conducted in just a few hours during a special trip to the Capitol, mean thousands of construction workers will continue getting paid, but lawmakers will take 12 unpaid furlough days and give up a cost-of-living raise to help balance the budget, just as many other state employees are doing. The cuts will cost each legislator about $3,900 — a prospect that caused some grumbling. “I will never vote to cut my salary,” said Sen. Annazette Collins, D-Chicago. “I would do it for free if I was rich, but I’m not. I have mouths to feed.” Two issues left hanging Construction money and legislative salaries were left hanging when lawmakers ended the spring session three weeks ago. Allowing construction spending to continue for another year, usually a routine matter, had been sidelined by a budget dispute between the Senate and House. Senate Democrats added $430 million in non-construction spending changes to the bill, but the House refused to go along. The spring legislative session ended without a construction bill being approved. Eventually, Gov. Pat Quinn warned that without the spending bill, Illinois would have no legal authority to continue spending money on new roads, bridge repairs or building upgrades once the current budget expires June 30. He predicted that would mean the loss of about 52,000 construction jobs. To keep that from happening, Senate Democrats agreed to drop the spending proposals that weren’t related to construction. Both the House and Senate returned to Springfield for a one-day session today, quickly approving the revised spending measure without a single “no” vote. Quinn applauds approval Quinn applauded lawmakers for “ensuring that thousands of workers stay on the job.” Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he will push for additional spending when lawmakers return to Springfield in the fall. He believes the spending plan approved by the House, and reluctantly backed by the Senate, does not provide enough money to cover the cost of Medicaid and other social services. “Knowing what’s in there and the limitations, we know we have to come back and ... make these corrections,” Cullerton said. “The House budget grossly under-appropriates in a number of areas. We know we’re going to do it.” The Senate voted 48-4 to cut legislative salaries for the third straight year. The House approved the cuts in May. Cullerton’s office said the 12 furlough days amount to a 4.6 percent pay cut for lawmakers. That’s more than $3,100 from the base salary of $67,836, but the cut also applies to additional money that lawmakers receive for heading committees or serving in leadership. The legislative furloughs reduce costs about $564,000, Cullerton’s office said. Lawmakers would also be denied a 1.1 percent cost-of-living raise, as would many other state officials. That costs lawmakers an additional $746 a year. And lawmakers would also be reducing the amount they collect for housing and meals during their visits to the state capital. Instead of collecting $139 a day, they would be limited to $111 a day. Pay cuts called unfair Collins called the cuts unfair, saying they make it more difficult for anyone but the rich to serve in public office. “$65,000 is not a lot to get paid to do a job,” she said. She wasn’t alone. Sen. Tom Johnson, R-West Chicago, suggested the cuts had more to do with politics than the budget. “I don’t think it means anything except it diminishes the work of everybody in this chamber,” Johnson said. But the sponsor, Sen. Dan Kotowoski, D-Park Ridge, defended the salary cut as “an important message we send to the electorate.”
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Illinois lawmakers OK $18B in construction money, cut pay
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Education
Latinos and college shape U.S. future
ALEJANDRO ESCALONA
Last Modified: Jun 23, 2011 02:12AM
Maria Alejandra Salazar will graduate in August with a bachelor’s degree in education and social policy from Northwestern University. Though she needs to take one more class, she was thrilled to participate in the school’s graduation ceremony in Evanston last week.
Salazar, who turns 22 in a few weeks, is a graduate of Niles North High School in Skokie, where she got used to being the only Latina student in a classroom. At least at Northwestern, where Latinos are about 7.5 percent of the undergraduate student body, she typically had a couple of fellow Latinos as classmates.
But those numbers still are low, and that tells a story. Salazar was one of the relatively few and proud Latinos graduating from a four-year American university this year, a big problem full of implications for Illinois and the rest of the country.
As you might know, Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and 37 percent of the nation’s 44 million Latinos are under age 20. By 2020, Latinos will make up 22 percent of the nation’s college-age population.
Latinos and other minorities will replace the retiring baby boomers and drive the future economy. And the job for today’s school officials, politicians, business and community leaders is to make sure those Latinos are up to the challenge.
On Monday, the College Board and Advocacy and Policy Center, based in New York City, released a study showing — and this should surprise nobody — that a great majority of young Latino and African-American men fail to go to college or earn a degree, and a large number end up unemployed or incarcerated.
Nationally, the study found, only 16 percent of Latino men and 28 percent of African-American men ages 25 to 35 have at least an associate’s degree, compared with 70 percent of Asian American and 44 percent of white men. Perhaps more distressing, 47 percent of Latinos ages 15 to 24 who have high school diplomas are unemployed. And the percentage of Latinos men who are incarcerated is 5 percent.
College Board President Gaston Caperton called the report’s bleak findings “a tragedy for America,” which is absolutely true.
Education has been the key to prosperity and competitiveness in our country, and it will continue to be as the population becomes more diverse.
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Ten long years ago, the late Dr. Jorge Prieto, a Mexican-American physician who studied at Notre Dame and became president of the Chicago Board of Health, told me in an interview that he was worried about the lack of schooling among Latinos.
“We don’t want to grow in numbers and lag behind in education,” Prieto said.
Then as now, as Prieto knew, one of the biggest challenges the Latino community faces is getting young people to stay in school, straight through college. An uneducated individual — of any race or ethnic background — won’t be able to compete in our ever more complex global economy, and he or she is much less likely to participate in the political life of the country.
And that is just for starters. Experts will tell you about the correlation between dropping out of high school and gang violence and about the litany of other related social ills.
Fortunately, there are positive signs. More young Latinos are finishing high school. According to the U.S. Census, the percentage of Latinos ages 18 to 24 not enrolled in high school in 2008 was 22 percent — down from 34 percent in 1998.
And the number of Latinos attending a two-year college increased 85 percent, from 540,000 in 2000 to a 1 million in 2008.
That might mean efforts to reduce dropout rates among Latinos are beginning to work, and the day is coming when we will see more Latinos such as Maria Alejandra Salazar graduating from Northwestern, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Southern Illinois University and Harvard.
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Daily News Summary
International Issues
us. coUeges'''push efforts to draw foreIgn' students -By Mary Beth Marklein USA TODAY
JAKARTA, Indonesia - The 6.ng of a ceremonial gong opens festivities in a cavernous downtown office building here, where representatives from 5.6 U.S. colleges stand ready to peddle their wares.
The University of Cincinnati passes out pennants. At
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Sity IndianapolIs, three young Indonesians talk'
up their alma mater. And U.S. Embassy officials tout the 95% approval rate in Indonesia for student visas.
In JaJ<arta, 'schools vie for·~ pla'ce \[1 a lucrative market
By Tony HilftilWiln for USA TODAY"I'm literally almost out on the streets, grabbing people as they walk American fair: Representatives of more than 50 U.S. colleges by. saying, 'Hey, we'll give yC;)U a visa and universities travel to Indonesia to recruit students. if you go study in America,'" -Scot Marciel, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, says at home country. a news conference promoting this college fair. During the past decade, however. the USA has The event is the first major effort by the govern become a harder sell. ment toward achieving a. goal set last year by Cost, distance and lingering fears about visa President Obama and Indonesian officials to dou denials in the post-9/11 era have helped make the ble the number of lndonesians studying at U.S. USA less attractive to foreign students, threatinstitutions. ening a lucrative market that is a source of brain
The United States used to be the destination of power and diversity for U.S. colleges. choice for young Indonesians and other foreign students seeking a college degree outside their Please see COVER STORY next page ...