Daily Archives: January 15, 2021

NewsOpinionColumnistsScotland rejoices in what our government tells us is the most open and transparent freedom of information regime in the UK.

Thursday, 14th January 2021, 12:30 pm

So it is a little bit disappointing, after hearing such glad tidings only in November, to discover that any responses to freedom of information requests to the Scottish government have not been forthcoming within the statutory deadline of 20 days.

But, 346 times in 10-and-a-half months? Thats about one a day (if the freedom of information regime was failing to issue timely responses to requests on weekends as well as weekdays which, of course, it is not).

However, surely, we hear you cry, the Covid crisis provides a reasonable explanation. Well, yes, but then why was the deadline missed on more than 600 occasions in 2016 and 454 times in 2017? We only hope that the Covid-affected figure of 346 is actually a sign of improvement.

Tony Blair infamously regrets bringing in the Freedom of Information Act and others in positions of power may well share the sentiment, given a requirement to tell the public what is actually going on can sometimes be, lets say, inconvenient.

The Act was an improvement to the state of our democracy and should therefore be resolutely defended by the public against any efforts, overt or covert, to undermine it.

Otherwise our freedom of information regime may start to look more like a Monty Python sketch, a scene from Yes, Minister, or perhaps even something out of George Orwells 1984: War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Read the original:

Freedom of Information is a democratic advance that must be protected Scotsman comment - The Scotsman

Cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton reported Monday, confirming a Washington Post story, that President Donald Trump planned to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the sharp-tongued, fast-talking former wrestler from southwest Ohio who is one of Trumps most loyal political allies.

The question is, should he? And further, given Wednesdays events, will he?

By throwing into doubt Trumps continuation in office until his term ends Jan. 20, Wednesdays storming of the U.S. Capitol has also cast a shadow over Trumps sudden spurt of Medal of Freedom awards to political allies and admired golfers -- and raised questions about whether hell be in office long enough to carry out the promised award to Jordan.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is bestowed at the discretion of the president to recognize an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. It has long been considered the nations highest civilian honor, but its also gone to friends, admired icons and political allies of the president.

In his final days in the Oval Office, President Barack Obama famously surprised Vice President Joe Biden, now the president-elect, with the award.

There seems little chance that Trump will do the same for Vice President Mike Pence, who defied Trump Wednesday in refusing to subvert the outcome while presiding over the Joint Session of Congress called to confirm the Electoral College vote.

Trump has been handing out Medals of Freedom rather liberally in his final days. On Thursday, just a day after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the Capitol, the president bestowed the award to three professional golfers, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and, posthumously, to the late Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

On Monday, he gave the award to U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican who, like Jordan, has assiduously assailed any suggestion that Trump engaged in wrongdoing, or, as the citation put it: helped thwart a plot to take down a sitting United States president and pursued the Russia Hoax at great personal risk. Jordan is said to be on Trumps list for similar reasons.

The award is totally up to the president, but should Jordan get it?

Our Editorial Board Roundtable weighs in.

Ted Diadiun, columnist:

I like and respect Jim Jordan. Ohio is lucky to have him on our side. Hes a stand-up guy and a patriot who says what he thinks and lives by his word. Any award anyone sees fit to bestow on him is deserved, and is fine by me.

Thomas Suddes, editorial writer:

The medal, once awarded to peerless statesmen and artists, now sometimes goes to marquee athletes and pop-culture personalities. That said, the elegant medal and its blue ribbon will look good on Jordan, a trim 56, who still has the air of the champion college wrestler he once was.

Eric Foster, columnist:

The short answer is no. There is literally nothing Jim Jordan has done worthy of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. All he has done is continually defend and/or justify Trumps actions at every turn since 2016. You dont get the highest civilian honor for playing politics.

Victor Ruiz, editorial board member:

Jim Jordan is an accomplice to the worst president in the history of our country, and to the violent insurrection that occurred this past week. He has done a disservice to our country and his name should not be mentioned with the likes of Thurgood Marshall, Cesar Chavez, and Maya Angelou.

Lisa Garvin, editorial board member:

I can hardly think of anyone less deserving of the Medal of Freedom than Jim Jordan, one of the seditious lawmakers who blocked a peaceful transition of power. But then again, outgoing President Trump tarnished its prestigious legacy by bestowing the award upon its very antithesis, right-wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh.

Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member:

Wednesdays storming of the Capitol, unforgivably incited by President Trump, was reprehensible and indefensible. Jim Jordans Presidential Medal of Freedom is a separate issue and well-deserved. He defended the office of the president against unmerited campaigns to subvert and unseat a duly elected president.

Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director:

Im no fan of Jim Jordan, who used his oratorical skills to subvert the truth and serve a dangerously ego-driven man who fell into delusion and denial when he couldnt win a second term, unleashing violence aimed at the heart of our democracy. Jordan would be wise to decline the award from such a president.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial board roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

Excerpt from:

Should Jim Jordan get the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Editorial Board Roundtable - cleveland.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:January 12, 2021

New Jerseyans Need the Reproductive Freedom Act NowAdvocates across the state call on lawmakers to pass the bill expediently to ensure rights, equity, and access

Thrive NJ, a coalition of advocates across the state, calls on lawmakers to pass the Reproductive Freedom Act (S3030/A4848). An increasingly hostile Supreme Court threatens to strip not only financial and logistic access to comprehensive essential reproductive health care, including birth control and abortion, but the legal rights themselves. New Jersey must act quickly and decisively to continue its leadership as a champion of these rights and access to reproductive health care. People and communities must be empowered to make decisions about their essential health care without interference from politicians, and without economic and logistical obstacles.

It has been one year since Governor Murphy declared in his 2020 State of the State address that New Jersey must protect the fundamental and constitutional right to full reproductive freedom. At the 2021 State of the State address today, Governor Murphy once again reiterated his commitment No matter what happens in Washington, we are working to protect a womans full reproductive rights as a matter of state law. To achieve this goal, the Reproductive Freedom Act was introduced in October. Since then, the federal outlook has only gotten bleaker with the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court. Before the Supreme Court eviscerates Roe v. Wade, New Jersey must take the steps necessary to guarantee reproductive rights.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted existing healthcare disparities, created and perpetuated by structural racism. Low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities (many of which overlap) are disproportionately impacted. Loss of income and health insurance conspire to push time-sensitive care like abortion entirely out of reach. These obstacles and crises create an urgent need for immediate action to not only protect reproductive rights, but ensure equitable access. Forward-thinking policy like the Reproductive Freedom Act will demonstrate that New Jersey is committed to reproductive health care for all.

In the Reproductive Justice movement, we recognize that the social reality of inequity issues of economic justice, the environment, immigrants rights, disability rights, discrimination based on race and sexual orientation, and a host of other community-centered concerns cannot be separated from an individuals health care decision-making process,said Anjali Mehrotra, President, National Organization for Women of New Jersey. Progress is fragile and the events of the past week at the nations capital have further demonstrated the vulnerabilities of our institutions at the federal level. The Reproductive Freedom Act is an important step towards delivering equitable reproductive health care for all New Jerseyans.

As an organization, we have been working on behalf of women, children and families for more than 100 years,said Phoebe Pollinger, Chair of the Reproductive Rights Committee of the Essex County section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). Our efforts on behalf of social justice are well-reflected in the Reproductive Freedom Act which provides for equal access to the full array of reproductive healthcare and ensures bodily autonomy and personal decision making free from barriers, fear or interference. NCJW/Essex proudly supports the passage of the RFA.

With abortion rights at risk across the country, the legislature has the opportunity to pass a comprehensive reproductive health bill, which guarantees reproductive health services will be available and affordable to individuals that need them,said Marcia Marley of BlueWaveNJ.This access is needed now. By passing this important legislation, NJ will ensure equitable access to the full range of services that are essential for womens economic equality, well-being and health.

We at UU FaithAction NJ are proud to stand in a long line of religious individuals and groups who across generations and faiths support initiatives like the Reproductive Freedom Act,said Rev. Rob Gregson, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ.We call for the RFA to be debated and then passed into law swiftly in New Jersey, ensuring that the fundamental right to decide for oneself and ones family the most intimate and delicate decisions about health, dignity and ones own body remain the prerogative of each New Jerseyannot shackled by a philosophy foreign to ones own conscience.

We call upon our leaders in the State Senate and Assembly to join the Governor and take a stand against these injustices by advancing the Reproductive Freedom Act. The first step is hearing the bill in committee, which they must do in a timely manner. We must ensure important reproductive health-care protections for all New Jerseyans, especially those in marginalized communities and those that have borne the brunt of the pandemic. We call on our representatives to recognize the urgency of need, and commit to enacting the Reproductive Freedom Act expediently.

(Visited 92 times, 4 visits today)

Read the original here:

NOW-NJ: New Jerseyans Need the Reproductive Freedom Act Now - InsiderNJ

A group of former displaced persons helps load the Freedom Bell aboard a Navy transport vessel in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 9, 1950. One of the children, Eva Zandler, 8, originally from Poland, presents a scroll to be enshrined in the Freedom Bell's tower in Berlin to Frederick Osborn, the New York City chairman of the Crusade for Freedom. Tom Fitzsimmons/AP hide caption

A group of former displaced persons helps load the Freedom Bell aboard a Navy transport vessel in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Oct. 9, 1950. One of the children, Eva Zandler, 8, originally from Poland, presents a scroll to be enshrined in the Freedom Bell's tower in Berlin to Frederick Osborn, the New York City chairman of the Crusade for Freedom.

Every day at noon, Berliners are reminded of the American ideals of freedom and democracy as the Freedom Bell rings out from a tower of the government building where U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963.

Modeled on Philadelphia's Liberty Bell, the 10-ton bronze bell arrived in 1950 as a gift from the National Committee for a Free Europe to the people of what was then West Berlin.

At the beginning of the Cold War, it served as a symbol of U.S. solidarity, a sentiment already shown in the years following World War II with the Berlin airlift and the United States' Marshall Plan aid funds.

Even today, many of those who remember the Second World War and those born after hold an appreciation for the legacy of America's commitment to West Berlin. So last week's violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., has particularly shocked those who grew up in West Berlin's American sector.

German politicians have condemned the Capitol siege and President Trump's role behind the actions, which U.S. Democratic House members charge as "incitement of insurrection." Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for a "joint Marshall Plan for democracy" and warned that "without democracy in the U.S., [there is] no democracy in Europe."

Jrgen Siegismund, a 63-year-old retiree, agrees with Maas, although he's not so sure about naming it after George Marshall's European recovery plan. He says he was appalled by the events in Washington last week. "Trump has created a huge chasm in American society, and it is a threat to U.S. democracy," he says.

Native Berliners Jrgen Siegismund and Martina Pachaly on John-F.-Kennedy-Platz (John F. Kennedy Square) outside Rathaus Schneberg, the building where U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963 and where, in 1950, U.S. Gen. Lucius Clay oversaw the installation of the Freedom Bell. Esme Nicholson/NPR hide caption

Native Berliners Jrgen Siegismund and Martina Pachaly on John-F.-Kennedy-Platz (John F. Kennedy Square) outside Rathaus Schneberg, the building where U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963 and where, in 1950, U.S. Gen. Lucius Clay oversaw the installation of the Freedom Bell.

Siegismund is waiting for a friend on the steps of Berlin's Rathaus Schneberg borough hall, home of the Freedom Bell, in a public square called John-F.-Kennedy-Platz. As the bell tolls, he thinks about its meaning and how he felt growing up in West Berlin's American sector. "The commitment of the Americans to West Berlin was always very clear and strong, and their notion of liberty is something that shaped me from an early age," he says.

Siegismund's friend arrives ready for their Sunday stroll in the nearby park. Martina Pachaly, 59, works in the energy sector and describes herself as an "Urberliner" not only was she born in the city, but her parents were too. Her mother was 11 years old during the Berlin airlift and remembers waiting for the U.S. "Candy Bomber" to drop sweets to the starving kids below.

Pachaly says the news footage from the Capitol siege looked like scenes from a civil war and not like the democracy she has always understood the U.S. to be. "I also grew up in West Berlin's American sector, and it was a very positive experience. You always had a good feeling with the Americans," Pachaly says.

Pointing to Kennedy-Platz, Pachaly says it will always symbolize freedom for her. Her mother was at the square when Kennedy spoke, and Pachaly came here shortly after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, when politicians gathered to give speeches about freedom and democracy.

Clara Rienits, a high school politics teacher in Berlin. Esme Nicholson/NPR hide caption

Clara Rienits, a high school politics teacher in Berlin.

Clara Rienits, a 44-year-old high school teacher, was also born in West Berlin. Her father held a seat in the Schneberg hall when it housed West Berlin's government. Rienits teaches politics and has been discussing the events of last week with her students via Zoom. She says that Germans know better than most what the demise of democracy means.

"I always tell my students that we have to learn how to live and participate in a democracy again and again," Rienits says. "Everyone must be given the right, the space and the time to participate. If democracy becomes so gridlocked within its own structures that you can only play along but not take part, then you must question the strength of that democracy."

Rienits says she learned about political participation initially from her parents, who were part of the 1968 West Berlin student protest movement. They denounced the U.S. war in Vietnam and stood up to their own parents' generation, asking what they did during World War II, heralding Germany's long-term reckoning with its Nazi past.

Rienits says this reckoning with the past instructs how she views the present, adding that Germans have as much reason as the United States to be concerned about the rise in far-right extremism.

Walking his dog nearby, 55-year-old Pejram Tahmasbi agrees that political participation is essential, adding that it doesn't now fall upon President-elect Joe Biden alone to fix the reasons behind the deep divisions within society. "Americans need to be politically more active," says Tahmasbi, a small-business owner. "They need to open up and switch on their minds."

Pejram Tahmasbi, a small-business owner in Berlin. Esme Nicholson/NPR hide caption

Pejram Tahmasbi, a small-business owner in Berlin.

Tahmasbi was born in Iran and came to then-West Berlin as a teenager in 1985, after claiming asylum near Nuremberg in what was then West Germany. He used to play basketball with U.S. military officers' children, who used to sneak him into the canteen at the nearby barracks where their parents were stationed. The memory of the welcome he received as a refugee from the military kids has remained with him.

He was enamored by the ideals of American freedom at the time, he says. But in light of the mess he believes the U.S. has created in the Middle East, he adds, he has become more cynical of such ideals.

Still, watching recent events unfold in the U.S. has been painful, Tahmasbi says. He argues that "a nasty mix of narcissism and racism is leading to fascism and endangers the future of America."

Seventy-one-year-old retired architect Richard Hhner, also walking his dog in the park, believes Trump incited the insurrection in Washington, which he says is "unacceptable."

He points out that in August, far-right protesters also attempted to storm Germany's parliament in Berlin, the Bundestag. "I simply don't understand what's going on in the heads of these people. Germany should have learned its lesson by now," he says.

He worries about knock-on effects that the U.S. events could have on Europe, a concern that former U.S. Ambassador to Germany John Kornblum says is not uncommon. "Europeans, especially Germans, draw much of their economic and cultural energy from the United States," he says.

Like many German politicians looking forward to the Biden administration, Kornblum sees reason for hope and believes trans-Atlantic ties remain strong, despite damage caused by Trump. "U.S.-European relations are actually quite good," says Kornblum, who served as ambassador in Berlin from 1997 to 2001. "The coronavirus has of course thrown everything off course, but cooperation between German and American societies, even after Trump, has hardly been better."

On the other side of the park next to the Schneberg hall, the neon letters "RIAS" light up a large, curved 1930s building. The initials stand for Radio in the American Sector, a German-language station under U.S. control that officially aired in West Germany but also reached East Germany, despite the latter's attempts to jam the frequency. RIAS' jingle went "Eine freie Stimme in der freien Welt" "A free voice in the free world." And every Sunday, the station would broadcast the two-minute peal of the Freedom Bell.

RIAS went off the air in 1993 as the Cold War ended. The German public broadcaster that moved into its studios, Deutschlandradio, has continued the tradition, issuing a weekly reminder of a hard-fought freedom across Germany.

See the original post:

Capitol Insurrection: Views From Berlin, Where US-Donated Freedom Bell Rings - NPR

Mohammad Amir, former Pakistan pacer who recently retired from international cricket due to his differences with the national team Pakistans management, on Thursday called for an end to the scary dressing room culture in Pakistan cricket.

On 26 July 2019, Mohammad Amir announced his retirement from Test cricket in order to focus on limited-overs cricket. On 17 December 2020, he announced his retirement from international cricket.

Mohammad Amir had retired last month after alleging that he has been mentally tortured by the management of the national team, comprising chief coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis.

Give players some space and freedom. Put an end to this scary environment in the dressing room, these very players will win you matches, he told the media.

The left-handed pacer insisted that he was dropped from the side for personal issues and not because of his performance in preceding series.

The issue is not about performance I know I can make a strong comeback but it is about this mental torture they put you through, he said.

The 28-year-old said the coaches should tell him why he was dropped the next day after taking 21 wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League.

If this is not a personal issue then what is it, he asked. He also dismissed remarks by Misbah about his speed going down.

My speed went down because I was not fully fit and fatigued. When I went to the Lanka Premier League I was fresh and I bowled at 145KPH, he said.

Mohammad Amir also said he couldnt play with coaches with different mindsets.

One coach says speed does not matter what is important is taking 20 wickets (Waqar made the remarks on Thursday when asked about the lack of speed of the bowlers in New Zealand) and the other coach says speed is important in international cricket (Misbah said this at his interaction). Who should we believe? First think what you want to say than try to teach Mohammad Amir.

He was reacting to recent comments from the duo after returning from New Zealand. Both the coaches in their interactions with the media spoke at length about the statements made by the pacer about them and his accusation that he had decided against playing international cricket because of the mental torture caused by them.

Waqar Younis said he was hurt by Mohammad Amirs statement besides commenting he is in Pakistans plans in future and can be back in the team on basis of good performance.

It is unfortunate that he gave such a statement and the way he made the exit from (international) cricket. He is a wonderful cricketer and I always advocated his case before Najam Sethi (previous PCB chairman). I also talked to (national team) players when he staged a comeback in 2016 to welcome him back (after the 2010 spot-fixing scandal), Waqar said in Lahore.

Waqar Younis also said that he felt sad after reading the pacers statements about him and insisted that the left-arm pacer was dropped for the New Zealand tour because of poor form and fitness.

He is in our plans and if he starts performing again he can be back in the team.

Asked about the remarks by the two coaches, Amir said: I am glad he (Waqar) felt sad and bad because at least he will now realize how much someones statement can hurt you like I felt when he made statements about my decision to retire from Test cricket. I didnt say anything wrong and I only spoke the truth, nothing else.

Mohammad Amir said he faced mental torture after reading statements from Misbah ul Haq and Waqar Younis where they blamed him and said he let down the team for the defeat in Australia.

They also said that I didnt want to play Test cricket and his decision has nothing to do with managing workload. I was hurt by such comments and they caused me mental anguish, he said.

Mohammad Amir said he was now being given advice that he should play domestic cricket to get back his form and a place in the Pakistan team in future.

I think a player knows what is best for him and where he should play domestic cricket or league cricket, he said.

The pacer, who was banned for match-fixing for five years for bowling two deliberate no balls, said no one needed to tutor him on having patience.

Knows one knows about patience better than me. Because for five years I was not permitted to touch the cricket ball. I waited for five years to resume playing cricket and when I didnt lose courage and patience then do you think I will do now just because I am not performing well, Amir said.

Mohammad Amir said there were numerous legends in Pakistan cricket in the likes of Shahid Afridi who had made several comebacks into the team after announcing retirements.

Be it Younis Khan, Muhammad Yousuf or Shahid Afridi they all made several comebacks so I am not worried I know if one performs he will be able to make a comeback.

Mohammad Amir played 36 Tests, 61 ODIs and 50 T20Is before announcing retirement.

Originally posted here:

Pakistan Players Should Be Given Space And Freedom: Mohammad Amir - SportzWiki

Heather Knight intends to take a two-week quarantine period in New Zealand in her stride, comforted by the knowledge she can return to some semblance of normality during England Womens upcoming tour.

England were supposed to defend their 50-over World Cup crown in New Zealand next month but the tournaments postponement has paved the way for three one-day internationals and as many Twenty20s against the Kiwis instead.

They depart on January 24 and must complete a fortnight in quarantine upon arrival but, with life largely back to normal in a country that has contained coronavirus, if they are given the all-clear then Knight and her team-mates can enjoy some of the freedoms that are not possible in many other places.

The England captain recognises the fortunate position she finds herself in, not least because her male counterparts have spent much of the last few months in various bio-secure bubbles to fulfil their international commitments.

Knight knows herself how taxing the experience can be, having been holed up in a hotel across the road from Derbys County Ground as her side played five T20s against the West Indies, the only series they played last summer.

Weve experienced bubble life as cricketers and its manageable but its not particularly fun, Knight said.

Its obviously what we need to do at the moment but just a carrot of being able to live normally and enjoy the amazing things that come with touring is something were massively excited to do.

Weve got that two-week quarantine but knowing at the end of that, we can play cricket and live as normal human beings is going to make it a lot easier.

England named a 16-strong squad, with left-armer Tash Farrant recalled in the absence of injured seamers Anya Shrubsole and Katie George, while highly-rated teenage fast bowler Issy Wong will train alongside the group to aid her development.

The travelling party will be allowed to train from the eighth day they arrive in the country, if no one tests positive, and after a couple of warm-up games next month they will play the first ODI in Christchurch on February 23.

It will be Englands first 50-over game in more than a year, having focused on the sprint format in the early part of 2020 in the run-up to the T20 World Cup in February and March before their summer was blighted by Covid-19.

Its funny because I was actually on ESPN the other day looking at some ODI statsits got everyone down as retired because they havent played an ODI match for a year, Knight joked.

I think its a really important tour in the context of womens cricket internationally, being able to get the game on and so much hard work has gone into it.

Weve got a really good core of players, particularly in that ODI team, that are going to be the core of the team (at next years rearranged World Cup) so its just going to be tinkering that and working out what our best XI is.

Farrant, who has featured in one ODI and 14 T20Is, lost her central contract in 2019 but was one of 41 females handed a full-time domestic deal last month in a landmark move to professionalise the womens game in this country.

The fact that Tash has worked so hard and those domestic contracts are in place has meant shes been training when she potentially wouldnt have done in previous years so Im delighted to have Tash back in the side, Knight added.

Shes there as cover and shes got a chance in the nets to push for selection and show off her skills.

Its good to have her back around the group. I feel like shes matured a lot in the last couple of years being away from the side. Shes really developed as a cricketer but also as an individual.

Read more from the original source:

Heather Knight excited by freedom on offer after New Zealand quarantine - BT Sport

January 10, 2021

Phil Marsh has a strong appreciation for downtown Mount Airy dating to his childhood, when many fond memories were made there.

Id come about every Saturday when I could, Marsh recalled of the days growing up on his familys farm in the Beulah community, where a trip to town was a welcome diversion from the tobacco fields.

Marsh, now 73, says his father would drive him into Mount Airy and set him out in front of the Earle Theater, where the venerable downtown movie house typically screened three feature films on a Saturday.

The weekend jaunt also usually included a stopover at another popular establishment of that era.

I used to hang out at The Canteen when I was young, Marsh said of a diner/malt shop specializing in ice cream and milkshakes.

Overall, he spent so much time in the downtown area that it got into his blood. It just sort of stays with you, he said of collective experiences there which have kept such feelings strong to this day.

I guess I just love downtown.

His early excursions there would lead to Marsh actually living in the citys central business district later in life, and becoming involved with the Downtown Business Association (DBA), an organization he now heads.

Marshs service with that group includes playing a key role in coordinating various events, including holiday parades, cruise-ins and Mayberry Farm Fest, among others.

While he has a reputation for serving quietly behind the scenes without fanfare, Marsh has attracted the attention of downtown observers and the state Main Street Program. It named him the 2018 Main Street Champion for Mount Airy Downtown Inc.

Local Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison called Marsh the epitome of that designation when the award was announced.

I cant thank him enough for his dedication and service to our community, Morrison commented. He is one of the most hardworking and humble people that I know, and I dont know where we would be without him.

In addition to his service with the DBA, Marsh owns two older buildings on North Main Street, including one housing an office for his electrical contracting business, which has further entrenched him in downtown Mount Airy.

Marsh was born in 1947 a few blocks from the citys main drag at Martin Memorial Hospital, which would be destroyed by a fire several years later.

Lessons of hard work

Phil Marshs youth was filled with more than kicking back at the theater on leisurely Saturdays, however.

When I was growing up, I had to work every day, he observed during an interview last Monday.

My parents, both of them, worked in textiles, Marsh said of Herman and Carolyn Lankford Marsh, and we also were tobacco farmers.

That was true of many people in Surry County in those days, which also included his grandparents on both sides and other family members. Everybody was tobacco farmers.

Being an only child meant Phil Marsh probably spent more time in the fields than youths from larger families, whether it included priming tobacco, topping the plants or other tasks.

He also somehow found time to help on the farms of neighbors, along with mowing yards whatever I could to make extra money.

When the work day was done, neighborhood youths were not above engaging in pranks from time to time. One night Marsh and other boys donned sheets and pretended to be ghosts, concealing themselves in a church cemetery at Pine Ridge and jumping out as vehicles passed.

One woman was so terrified she ran her car into a ditch. It turned out she was the sister of a local law enforcement official who was not pleased about that event.

Yet the lessons of hard work learned early in life have helped define Phil Marsh as a person who continues to put in many hours with his electrical business and community endeavors.

I guess thats the way I was brought up I mean, I have to stay busy doing something, he said, instead of just sitting around as some in his generation might do.

If you know Phil, you know that he is always on the move, and hes usually on his way to go help someone else, Morrison, the Main Street coordinator, agreed.

He stops in my office almost daily to ask if there is anything he can do to help. It has been such a wonderful blessing to have Phil as a downtown leader, a mentor and a friend.

Energized by electricity

Marsh attended the now-defunct Beulah School during his elementary years before advancing to North Surry High School en route to the electrical field.

After I left high school, I went to work for Duke Power in Winston-Salem and I worked on a line crew, Marsh said, explaining that he actually was contracted to Duke through another company employing his cousin, Jerry Southern.

Southern had encouraged Marsh to also try to get on there.

He said if you can learn to climb poles, you can make more money, Marsh said, which included becoming well-versed in the use of equipment for that job.

So he brought his hooks and belts home and we practiced in a cow pasture.

Marsh says his reason for pursuing a career in electricity stemmed from the fact it is a skilled trade offering rewards. That was the type of work you could go into and make money.

In addition to Duke Power (now Duke Energy), the local man held jobs with such companies as Reynolds Tobacco, in its electrical department, and Inman Electric in Mount Airy.

While those positions paid well, the electrical profession also offered its share of risks. It is dangerous work, Marsh emphasized.

Along with being around high-voltage lines posing electrocution hazards, there are other ways a person can get hurt, he said in relating a couple of close calls during his lengthy career.

On one occasion, while working with a crew unloading light poles, one gave way and clipped the top of Marshs head. If it wasnt for the hard hat it would have probably hurt me good, he said of the standard protective gear.

Another time Marsh was trying to scale a utility pole, in which the unexpected presence of a hole made by a woodpecker caused him to fall.

And I slid down the pole my arms were burnt up, he said, prompting some first aid by co-workers.

That was when I was 18 and Im still doing it, he said of electrical work.

Though it might appear he jumped from job to job, Marsh explained that the positions tended to be temporary or part-time which filled in around a farming operation he also maintained in Beulah.

Marsh later went into business for himself, which he said was at least 35 years ago.

The Phil Marsh Electrical Co. handles both residential and commercial jobs, about 75 percent of which are in the latter category. He works with his son John, 50, and grandson Eli in the business, along with wife Peggy, a retired nurse. Marsh also has a daughter, Suzette.

Overcoming tragedy

Marsh continued to farm after launching his electrical business.

He grew 35 to 40 acres of hay, some of which was used on his spread that included a horse farm, with the rest sold to other farmers. And at one time I had strawberries, said Marsh, who also maintained an apple orchard containing about 500 trees.

The horse operation which involved raising, training and showing quarter horses became a major source of enjoyment for him.

My wife, she got interested in it, too, and we started going to horse shows, he said of his first wife Chris. The horse farm, which might have stabled as many as 12 purebred mounts at a given time, served as both a successful business and competitive outlet for the couple.

Tragedy would strike, however, in the form of one of lifes challenges Marsh has had to overcome.

My first wife passed away of cancer, he said of Chris Marsh, who died in 1999.

That was quite a challenge, to work and look out for her, Marsh added. She got in real bad shape and I had to sit up with her all night.

Other family members also helped out, including the couples son and daughter and Chris sister who took a leave of absence from an airline job to care for the patient at home.

I slept in a chair for six months thats how bad it got, Marsh said.

His wife eventually succumbed to the disease, dying at age 51 on her birthday.

Undying love for downtown

Marsh, who later remarried, decided to quit farming around 2004 and moved to Renfro Lofts downtown. While there, he became involved with the Downtown Business Association, which coordinates events and other promotional activities to keep the central business district thriving.

There were a lot of good merchants and people involved with downtown and everybody wanted to see the downtown do good, Marsh said of his reasons for joining the DBA. That involvement has spanned 16 years, including serving multiple terms as the organizations president.

Marshs foray into downtown Mount Airy soon became more than residential in nature. After moving there, he turned an eye toward the business Something Different on Main, located in the historic Banner Building.

We bought the business and started running that, too, Marsh said in addition to other pursuits.

The DBA official resided at Renfro Lofts for 12 years before relocating to the Pine Ridge area, to the old homeplace of his wifes grandparents. While that mirrors his love for the countryside, it is also a better place for storing electrical equipment, Marsh says.

He now owns both the Banner structure and the old Merle Norman Building downtown, which Marsh has worked on as part of his busy schedule.

Spearheading events

While he no longer resides in downtown Mount Airy, Phil Marshs heart and soul remains as entrenched there as ever, including playing a key role in organizing the various events held there by the DBA.

The advent of COVID-19 spelled disaster for those activities during 2020, Marsh said in condensing all the cancellation-related frustrations into a single word.

It seems like as far into the year it got, the worse it got, he said of the coronavirus impact that routinely led to the scrapping of events boosting the local economy.

I mean we planned and talked about it, Marsh added of trying to work in events around the pandemic, which always seemed to boil down to maybe next month.

People constantly stopped him on the street to ask when the next cruise-in would be held, he said of one example of the uncertainties faced with public gathering restrictions. The annual cruise-ins from June through October are heavily attended affairs boasting car owners and fans from near and far.

It just hasnt worked out for us, the Downtown Business Association president said.

He is hoping for a better 2020, including the fate of the next big event planned downtown, Mayberry Farm Fest this spring.

Marsh considers that his favorite, due to his agricultural background, but gives credit to fellow DBA member Gail Hull for being the ramrod behind that festival showcasing the areas farming culture.

It includes such attractions as live animals, displays of antique equipment and a tractor parade that might have 60 or more entries, including many older ones that have been lovingly restored.

Its good for families, kids its good for farmers, Marsh said of Mayberry Farm Fest.

They love it, he mentioned regarding the latter, especially those desiring to show off their prized tractors.

Marsh also is fond of the Mayberry Cool Cars and Rods Cruise-In series presented by the Downtown Business Association.

Thats coming from the vantage point of someone who has loved rebuilding and restoring old cars and hot rods and drag-racing them which he admits engaging in along local roadways at times during his younger days.

Marsh says the success of the central business district over the years has been due to a team effort. Its one including not only the Downtown Business Association, but the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce, Mount Airy Visitors Center and Mount Airy Downtown Inc.

We all work together and help each other.

Read more from the original source:

Wanted: 'freedom to live our lives' - Mount Airy News

ALBUM OF THE DAY Lon Moshe & Southern Freedom Arkestra, Love Is Where the Spirit Lies By John Morrison January 12, 2021

Jazz has always been a spiritual endeavor, but as the 1960s gave way to the 70s, the political and spiritual consciousness of the Black Power movement naturally began to permeate the music. From the meditative works of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders to the ecstatic fire of Albert Ayler and Gary Bartz, jazz in the 1970s was largely characterized by a deep connection to the spiritual.

When DJ and promoter Jimmy Gray and saxophonist James Plunky Branch founded their Black Fire label in 1975, they opened up a space for musicians to freely express the full spiritual dimensions of their music. One musician who took this initiative was vibraphonist Lon Moshe. Moshe & The Southern Freedom Arkestras album Love Is Where The Spirit Lies is a gem of a recording from a time in which so many jazz greats were using the music to call on the power of a higher force.

The album opens with Prayer for Saude, a heavy and somber spoken-word piece that calls for Black self-actualization through a revived connection to our ancestral ways. Urged on by the bands free yet measured playing, poet Ngoma Ya Uhuru says, We face East to the creator, our old-time religions lost in centuries past. Whether its the driving post-bop abstraction of Low Ghost or the dreamy standout Ballad For Bobby Hutcherson, Love Is Where The Spirit Lies is equally powerful when considered as a challenging collection of music and a reverent offering of spirit.

NOW PLAYING PAUSED

by

.

Read the original post:

Lon Moshe & Southern Freedom Arkestra, Love Is Where the Spirit Lies - bandcamp.com