Daily Archives: October 3, 2021

What GAO Found

Shortly after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed, GAO designated implementing and transforming DHS as a high-risk area to the federal government because it had to transform 22 agenciesseveral with major management challengesinto one department.

Progress made. In 2013, GAO reported that challenges remained for DHS across its range of missions, but that the department had made considerable progress transforming its original component agencies into a single cabinet-level department. As a result, GAO narrowed the scope of the high-risk area to focus on strengthening DHS management functionsspecifically acquisition, information technology, financial, and human capital management.

DHS's efforts to strengthen and integrate its management functions have resulted in the department meeting 3 of 5 criteria for removal from GAO's High-Risk Listdemonstrating leadership commitment, having an action plan, and monitoring the effectiveness of its actions. DHS has partially met the remaining two criteria for removalhaving sufficient capacity and demonstrating progress.

Several factors contributed to DHS's success in narrowing the scope of the high-risk area. These include:

DHS's top leaders demonstrated leadership commitment and support for addressing the department's challenges, which helped ensure sustained, consistent progress in this high-risk area.

DHS consistently communicated its efforts and regularly sought constructive and specific feedback from GAO on its strategy and approach to addressing the high-risk area.

Work remaining. Continued progress for this high-risk area depends on DHS addressing its remaining management challenges. For example, DHS needs to make additional progress identifying and allocating resources in acquisition and financial management. For instance:

DHS lacks acquisition support staffing plans and has not clearly defined which acquisition positions are critical for oversight responsibilities, limiting DHS's insight into whether it has appropriate staff to carry out its duties.

DHS's financial statement auditor identified several capacity-related issues, including resource limitations and inadequate staff training, resulting in material weaknesses in its 2020 financial statements.

DHS also has work remaining to demonstrate progress implementing corrective measures. Specifically, of the 30 outcome measures GAO uses to gauge the department's progress, DHS has not yet fully addressed 12 of 30 measures. For example, DHS needs to effectively implement its long-term financial systems modernization efforts and use department-wide training data to inform its human capital programs.

In the coming years, DHS needs to continue implementing its remaining work and sustaining its progress to-date.

The events of September 11, 2001, led to profound changes in government agendas, policies, and structures to confront homeland security threats. In 2003, DHS began operations, with missions to prevent terrorist attacks and reduce the country's vulnerability to future terrorism. GAO's High-Risk List identifies programs and operations (such as DHS's management functions) that are vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or in need of transformation. GAO's five criteria for removing areas from the High-Risk List guide the assessment of DHS's progress.

This statement addresses DHS's progress and actions needed to strengthen its management functions. It is based on reports in GAO's high-risk series, including its most recent March 2021 update, as well as selected updates on DHS's efforts as of September 2021. For this work, GAO analyzed DHS documents and data and interviewed DHS officials.

DHS Progress against High-Risk List Removal Criteria

For more information, contact at (404) 679-1875 or curriec@gao.gov.

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Department of Homeland Security: Progress Made Strengthening Management Functions, but Work Remains - Government Accountability Office

Turkey and Egypt are making progress toward the normalization of ties, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.

"The issue (of normalizing relations) has not yet reached the next step but there is some progress that we hope we will build on," Shoukry said in an interview with the local MBC Egypt channel late Friday.

Ankara and Cairo have recently exchanged positive signals in an attempt to restore relations after more than seven years of political estrangement.

Shoukry said further progress will depend on the extent both countries adhere to "the rules that govern bilateral relations, the commitment of each party not to interfere in the internal affairs of the other, the principle of respect and recognition of state sovereignty, and within the framework of reviewing the policies adopted at the regional level."

"We will open the door for further progress in our relations with Turkey when we are satisfied with the solutions presented to the outstanding issues between us," he said, without giving further details.

On Sept. 8, diplomats from both countries held a second round of exploratory talks in Ankara as part of efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and Egypt.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the two sides "agreed to continue these consultations, confirming their desire to make progress in areas under discussion and the need for further steps to facilitate normalization of their relations."

The first round of exploratory talks was held in Cairo in May upon an invitation from Egypt. A joint statement described the talks as "frank and in-depth."

Since 2013, ties between Turkey and Egypt have been carried out at the lower level of charge d'affaires. During this period, brief meetings were also held on various occasions between the two countries' foreign ministries.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Embassy in Cairo and Consulate in Alexandria, as well as the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara and Consulate in Istanbul have continued their normal operations.

See the article here:

Egypt signals progress in normalization of ties with Turkey | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

I have a lot to offer someone. Im smart, educated, have a good job, have hobbies and friends and a good sense of humor. But I cant attract anyones attention on a dating site, and never seem to attract anyone romantically in real life either. I dont have any family thats still alive, and friends and hobbies only go so far in filling the gaping hole in my heart. I have tried for years to get myself to lose weight as a starting point, but my overeating is tied directly in with my self-esteem issues and nighttime emptiness and I just dont have the motivation to do it with things as they are.

Please dont tell me to get therapy. Ive been trying for over a year and am on a million wait lists but no one is taking new patients. I just keep thinking that I cant be the only sad-with-potential middle-aged work in progress but where can I meet other people like me? I know theyre not on the dating sites because they arent attracting attention either.

HOPELESSLY HOPELESS

A. Im sorry about the shortage of opportunities for therapy. I am finishing a story about this very issue how empty it can be to recommend therapy when I know most therapists have waitlists miles long because of COVID-19, the state of the world, etc. I will say that there are group therapy options. Ive interviewed a ton of therapists for the story (publishing soon, I swear), and some say that support group work should not be overlooked. Also, your doctor might be able to help find you some specialists to deal with other issues.

But aside from that, lets think about where and how works-in-progress make progress. They switch up their hobbies. They take classes. They play pickle ball. (I dont really understand what pickle ball is, but its been recommended to me by many people over the last six weeks, and all of those people were 50s and older.) You have a very full life right now, but I dont know how much it exposes you to new things and people. Scenery changes are good.

Also, have a friend help with your app profile. Maybe you need to switch up your pics. Sometimes the app experience is better with a support system.

I do wish you werent feeling a gaping hole in your heart because of your singleness. The right romantic relationship could be lovely, but its not everything. Maybe theres a long-term project that can hold your attention and give you real accomplishments to look forward to. That would certainly give you plenty to talk about if you wound up on a date.

MEREDITH

READERS RESPOND:

You do have to summon the motivation to lose weight and get healthy but not as a means to attract a partner. You need to do these things for you so you feel better. Once you feel better you will have an easier time attracting the kind of person you want.

SUNALSORISES

I know way too much myself about nighttime emptiness. So, dont sit around feeling empty at night. Go to bed early! Then get up in the morning early and go out for a walk before work.

OUTOFORDER

Adopt a dog. Then take it for walks and to dog parks. Youll be exercising and filling that gaping hole in your heart. And you can start talking to people at the dog parks. There are a lot of small things you can do to improve your self-image. And all those little things will start to add up.

CUPPAJOESEATTLE

^This is a great idea! Id lived in my neighborhood for several years without knowing most of the other people who live in it but then I got a dog and, as a result of walking him, I now know almost everyone.

PHATALISTIC

Work on what you can. Fill that gaping hole with education, volunteering, activity, creativity. Therapy isnt the only way to improve a work in progress.

WIZEN

Hi! I also have a friend with hair issues, a woman. I believe she got a partial wig to help her out it looks natural and really good. That is something you can do which doesnt require a diet, etc., and might make you feel better. I think if you have good self-esteem or at least better self-esteem the rest will follow. Perhaps this motivates you to do other things? I also saw someone say to take a walk not to lose weight but even just to feel better this works. Just go for a 30-minute walk, or longer if you are up to it, look at your surroundings it can take your mind off things for a bit. Good luck!

PATSGIRL30

Go see a doctor, not a therapist. You may need to be tested for a hormonal imbalance. Check your thyroid, too.

MMNNEE

No dating tips, except meeting someone will be through activities, not dating services. Have meeting new people as a goal apart from meeting a partner. Not so easy in these pandemic times. You have no control over being a partner, but you do have control over *how you live your life*. It is crucial to step back from the crisis aspect of this. [Deep feelings of hopelessness/anxiety will only chase potential partners away.]

QUADROPENTA

We are all works in progress, maam. OK, to be fair, some of us have made more progress than others. But I can assure you, at least half of us confident, self-assured people that you see around you are bluffing, putting on our brave faces, and trying to get through another day.

BRUCEISLOOSE

Send your own relationship and dating questions to loveletters@globe.com. Catch new episodes of Meredith Goldsteins Love Letters podcast at loveletters.show or wherever you listen to podcasts. Column and comments are edited and reprinted from boston.com/loveletters.

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It's hard to find love when you're a work in progress - The Boston Globe

The Trending Hornets series evaluates the career trajectories of Charlottes players based on two advanced stats - Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) - as provided by Basketball Reference.

PER measures per-minute production standardized such as the league average is 15. A PER above 15 means a player contributed above league average. As a frame of reference, among this years PER leaders the Top 60 rated somewhere between 17.7 and 31.3.

VORP is a box score estimate of the points per 100 team possessions that a player contributed above a replacement level player. A VORP of 1.2 means the team was 1.2 points better off per 100 possessions with this player on the floor versus a league average player. Among this years VORP leaders the Top 60 rated somewhere between 1.6 and 8.6.

This week we will look at the brief trajectory of Cody Martin.

Career trend overview

Cody was drafted in 2019 in the second round, No. 36 overall. Yes, his advanced stats arent great, but we need to be realistic with expectations for a player who was passed over 35 times in the draft before the Hornets pulled the trigger.

Among the 60 players drafted in 2019, Cody ranks 16th in career games, 29th in total points, 19th in rebounds, 12th in assists, and 20th in win share (the estimated number of wins contributed by a player). Through two seasons his output when looked at through the lens of raw statistics has clearly exceeded his draft position. The 6-foot-5 wing has been about the 20th best player in his draft class (his VORP is 20th overall, too) which is pretty darn good for the No. 36 pick. I know its easy for us as fans to get a bit impatient with him, especially with his offensive limitations, but lets realize he has done quite well given where he was drafted.

Whats discouraging is Codys advanced stats didnt improve from his rookie season to Year 2. His PER of 10.5 in his rookie season, which is well below the NBA average of 15.0, flatlined at 10.6 last year. His rookie VORP of 0.0, right at replacement level, dipped a bit to -0.1 in his second season. Hes basically the posterchild of a replacement player in the VORP universe. From an advanced stats perspective, Cody Martin was the exact same player in his second NBA season as he was during his rookie year.

The hope for young players, especially second round picks like Martin, is they will be in over their heads in their first season then take a noticeable step forward in Year 2 when they are more accustomed to the size, speed, and nuances of the NBA. That simply didnt happen with Cody.

What this means for the Hornets

It will be interesting to see what Martins role will be in 2021-22. He averaged 16.3 minutes per game last year largely playing a traditional small forward position. Available minutes at small forward will be hard to find with a healthy Gordon Hayward (*knocks on wood*), the additions of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Wes Iwundu, and with Miles Bridges sliding to the wing in bigger lineups.

Despite Martin not being an impact player, he was a member of the Hornets second best five-man unit last year. The combination of Martin, Devonte Graham, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges and PJ Washington outscored opponents by a ridiculous 21.9 points per 100 possessions over the 82 minutes they played together. (The only five-man unit that fared better was swapping out Martin for Gordon Hayward). Additionally, the Hornets were +4.3 points better off per 100 possessions when Cody was on the floor last year compared to when he was off the court. While Martins individual stats arent great, he can generally fill his role at a level that could be considered, Not great, but just good enough.

While Cody Martin didnt take a step forward in Year 2, the hope for the Hornets is he turns out to be a late bloomer and finds his next gear this year. Nothing will be handed to him, though. If Cody Martin is to continue playing a key contributor role with the Charlotte Hornets, hes going to have to earn it this year.

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Trending Hornets: Cody Martin was good enough but he didnt progress in Year 2 - At The Hive

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The spring 2021Starfishmid-semester progress report window will open Oct. 4 and conclude onOct. 13, giving Penn State instructors the opportunity to raise flags or give kudos to students as feedback on their performance.

Last fall, more than 67,000 students received feedback via progress reports from instructors, or 88% of the undergraduate student body.

During the challenges of last fall, we saw high participation in progress reporting, said David R. Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies. Even though the circumstances of this semester are different, the problems we were responding to then still exist now. We are grateful to the instructors and academic advisers who help us achieve our goal of helping students holistically.

Flags are intended to draw attention to a concern and can be viewed by academic advisers, who are then expected to clear flags whencertain criteria are met, such as having a conversation withthestudent and developing a plan of action.Students are encouraged to respond to flags by reaching out to their instructor or academic adviser. Academic advisers can help address issues students may have or activate the larger support network within Penn State. Kudos let students know they are on the right track andaccountsindicate that receiving instructor feedback through kudos can be a powerful motivator.

The mid-semester progress reporting window is crucial for giving students feedback on their performance so they can plan for the future and ideally improve their grades. It occurs at a critical part of the semester when many students take mid-semester exams. It precedes the course registration window for spring 2022, which opens onOct. 14 for undergraduates, andthe late-drop deadline ofNov. 12.

Many factors can affect a students performance. Flags from multiple instructors can signify deeper problems that might need to be addressed by a wider support network.Progress reports allow academic advisers and Penn State support networks to address issues of high importanceto the University, such asfood and housinginsecurity, access to technology, textbooks, transportation, and health and safety concerns. Sometimes underlying issues aremore straightforward, such asstudents not knowing how touse software and systemsat Penn State such as Canvas or Zoom.

Even when the impact of raising a flag or kudo is not immediately apparent to the instructor or academic adviser, we find that students are often working behind the scenes to correct the problem by reengaging with coursework or seeking tutoring, Smith said.

TheDivision of Undergraduate Studiesis part of the Penn State Office of Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs and initiatives in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State. Learn more about Undergraduate Education atundergrad.psu.edu.

Last Updated October 02, 2021

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Mid-semester progress report window to open in Starfish on Oct. 4 | Penn State University - Penn State News

For someone who so frequently and serenely proclaims that hes right, Steven Pinker can get curiously defensive. In Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, Pinker writes as if hes part of an embattled minority, valiantly making the case that the ability to use knowledge to attain goals is so underappreciated these days that the reading public needs a new book (by Pinker) to lay out rational arguments for rationality itself.

Pinker doesnt believe he has much hope of reaching the anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists who indulge in the florid fantasies of QAnon. We may be living through a pandemic of poppycock, he says, but he refuses to submit to the cynical view that the human brain is a basket of delusions.

After all, people use rationality all the time in their everyday lives, consulting the knowledge they have in order to get what they want. To illustrate this principle, Pinker gives the example of the San hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari Desert, who will assume that a set of ambiguous animal tracks come from a common species unless they get definitive evidence that the tracks must belong to a rarer one. This, he says, is the essence of Bayesian reasoning assessing evidence in terms of prior knowledge.

Still, Pinker is troubled by what he sees as rationalitys image problem. Rationality is uncool, he laments. It isnt seen as dope, phat, chill, fly, sick or da bomb. As evidence for its diminished status, he quotes celebrations of nonsense by the Talking Heads and Zorba the Greek. (Pinker is also vexed by the line Lets go crazy, which he says was adjured by the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.) Its precisely this cultural derision of reason, he says, that prevents us from appreciating rationalitys spectacular accomplishments. Human progress is an empirical fact, he writes. Progress is shorthand for a set of pushbacks and victories wrung out of an unforgiving universe, and is a phenomenon that needs to be explained. The explanation is rationality.

The argument will sound familiar to readers of Pinkers 2018 book, Enlightenment Now, with its insistence that everything is amazing and its repeated complaints about people complaining too much. (The example of the San hunter-gatherers appeared in Enlightenment Now, too.) This new book grew out of a class Pinker taught at Harvard. Like many psychologists, he writes, I love to teach the arresting, Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of the infirmities that afflict human reason along with the intellectual tools of sound reasoning. Most of Rationality is given over to ideas from game theory and behavioral economics parsing the discrepancy between model and reality. If a perfectly rational actor is expected to behave one way, why do so many people behave the way they do?

So Pinker spends page after page walking us through concepts like base-rate neglect (giving too little weight to the original probability of an event in the face of new information) and the availability heuristic (guessing the likelihood of an event according to what comes easily to mind). Despite Pinkers bombastic declaration in his preface that he knew of no book that tried to explain them all, a great deal of Rationality repackages (with due credit) the pioneering work of scholars like Thomas Schelling, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. When Pinker is dealing with abstract puzzles involving small-stakes situations, the book is familiar but fine.

The trouble arrives when he tries to gussy up his psychologists hat with his more elaborate public intellectuals attire. The person who succumbs to the small pleasure of a lasagna dinner instead of holding out for the large pleasure of a slim body is apparently engaged in a similar kind of myopic thinking as the half of Americans nearing retirement age who have saved nothing for retirement. His breezy example elides the fact that according to the same data the median income for those non-saving households is $26,000, which isnt enough money to pay for living expenses, let alone save for retirement.

Some of Pinkers observations on racial issues are similarly blinkered. Are mortgage lenders who turn down minority applicants really being racist, he muses, or are those lenders simply calculating default rates from different neighborhoods that just happen to correlate with race? (A long history of racist redlining may happen to have something to do with this too, but Pinker doesnt get into it.) He goes on to ask why race, sex, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation have become war zones in intellectual life, even as overt bigotry of all kinds has dwindled.

Anyone paying attention to whats been happening in the last few years might wonder where he got his information. In support of his vague claim, Pinker directs the reader to a footnote citing two sources: a study, whose data ended in 2016, that measured a persons explicit attitudes based on self-reporting (i.e. the respondents had to admit their bigotry); and a few (unhelpful) pages from Enlightenment Now.

The tone of Rationality isnt as relentlessly chipper as that of the previous book, but Pinkers optimism seems to have weathered the Trump years and the pandemic largely intact. He still disparages those who have the audacity to question his ideas about progress who argue that enlightened elites invoking the language of reasonableness havent always benefited humanity. He repeatedly says that by promoting rationality hes promoting epistemic humility, but youd be hard-pressed to find much humility here, as he pronounces that among the biggest barriers to rationalitys triumph is the universities left-wing suffocating monoculture.

As it happens, it was at Harvard University that Pinker taught a course on taboo with the lawyer and fellow professor Alan Dershowitz. A couple of years ago, Pinker came under fire when some photos surfaced of him with Dershowitzs onetime client Jeffrey Epstein. Pinker eventually explained that he and Epstein barely knew each other that he had never taken any funding from Epstein and couldnt really stand the guy. There is no reason whatsoever to doubt Pinkers account; to suggest that their mere acquaintance in any way undermines Pinkers work would be to make the kind of ad hominem fallacy that he rightfully pillories in this book.

But there was something else something that bears more directly on his thesis that rationality has been such a benevolent force for progress. In 2007 Pinker lent his professional expertise to Epsteins legal defense team, which argued that Epstein hadnt violated a federal statute prohibiting the use of the internet to lure minors across state lines for sexual abuse. According to Dr. Pinker, that is the sole rational reading in the English language, the affidavit stated a sterling example of a thinking process so confidently pristine that it can give unthinking cover to the grotesque.

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In Rationality, Steven Pinker Sticks Up (Again) for Reasons Role in Human Progress - The New York Times

Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority or MECA is moving forward in its progress of giving the Gene Leahy Mall a major facelift. The nearly $300 million Riverfront Revitalization project includes revamps of Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis and Clark Landing. Construction first began in 2020 and will be completed two years from now. The first part of the four-year project is well underway. The mall is expected to be completed next summer. Gene Leahy Mall's transformation started with bringing the park up to ground level."Whether that be sewers that will help service the park, conduit for telecom and electrical and a lot of foundations to help be a good base," MECA's vice president of parks, Katie Bassett said. The construction's paving the way for what you see on top: a pavilion, permanent restrooms, shaded areas and some familiar staples like the arch and downtown slides.Bassett said there are also some hidden surprises you can't see. "This is what we're calling the arches playground," Bassett said. The feature is a not-so-typical playground for kids to explore. "Underneath this on here will be a climbing wall and then over here will be a rope forest where kids can climb up the ropes," Bassett said. Near 13th and Farnam streets, Bassett showed off the future spot of the canopies where up to 8 food trucks can park and serve. "It'll be a really great place for shade, grab your lunch at the food trucks and come sit here and enjoy a beautiful day," Bassett said. The most sizeable infrastructure is the massive pavilion. "We'll have heavily programmed daily, weekly and monthly activities from fitness classes and art walks," Bassett said. Bassett said the pavilion will eventually be painted, covered and lit up from the inside. All the features come together to create a park that will connect the community."It'll be very visible and everyone can see what's going on in the park and it not only creates a safe environment but a sense of excitement," Bassett said. "When you drive by and see 50 people doing a tai chi class, you can join." The design will also connect surrounding neighborhoods as well. Bassett said crews will even add a stoplight at 11th and Douglas streets to encourage safe foot traffic."Whether that be connectivity to the Old Market or North Downtown area, the connectivity to the river and the connectivity as a community," Bassett said. A peaceful spot is the Sculpture Garden at the corner of 13th and Douglas streets. "We'll have public art," Bassett said. "This will be a very tranquil, quiet space for people to gather and hang out with friends around the fire pit." Bassett said around the garden will be native plants and trees. Bassett said they currently only have about 60 percent of trees planted. Flowing under the 10th street bridge will be a pond that will guide people to a dog park, cove and a smaller performance area."We really have a wide variety of opportunities for people to come and enjoy," Bassett said. The park will also have public wifi and feature 24/7 security.Heartland of America Park and Lewis and Clark Landing should be completed in the summer of 2023.

Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority or MECA is moving forward in its progress of giving the Gene Leahy Mall a major facelift. The nearly $300 million Riverfront Revitalization project includes revamps of Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis and Clark Landing.

Construction first began in 2020 and will be completed two years from now. The first part of the four-year project is well underway. The mall is expected to be completed next summer.

Gene Leahy Mall's transformation started with bringing the park up to ground level.

"Whether that be sewers that will help service the park, conduit for telecom and electrical and a lot of foundations to help be a good base," MECA's vice president of parks, Katie Bassett said.

The construction's paving the way for what you see on top: a pavilion, permanent restrooms, shaded areas and some familiar staples like the arch and downtown slides.

Bassett said there are also some hidden surprises you can't see.

"This is what we're calling the arches playground," Bassett said.

The feature is a not-so-typical playground for kids to explore.

"Underneath this on here will be a climbing wall and then over here will be a rope forest where kids can climb up the ropes," Bassett said.

Near 13th and Farnam streets, Bassett showed off the future spot of the canopies where up to 8 food trucks can park and serve.

"It'll be a really great place for shade, grab your lunch at the food trucks and come sit here and enjoy a beautiful day," Bassett said.

The most sizeable infrastructure is the massive pavilion.

"We'll have heavily programmed daily, weekly and monthly activities from fitness classes and art walks," Bassett said.

Bassett said the pavilion will eventually be painted, covered and lit up from the inside. All the features come together to create a park that will connect the community.

"It'll be very visible and everyone can see what's going on in the park and it not only creates a safe environment but a sense of excitement," Bassett said. "When you drive by and see 50 people doing a tai chi class, you can join."

The design will also connect surrounding neighborhoods as well. Bassett said crews will even add a stoplight at 11th and Douglas streets to encourage safe foot traffic.

"Whether that be connectivity to the Old Market or North Downtown area, the connectivity to the river and the connectivity as a community," Bassett said.

A peaceful spot is the Sculpture Garden at the corner of 13th and Douglas streets.

"We'll have public art," Bassett said. "This will be a very tranquil, quiet space for people to gather and hang out with friends around the fire pit."

Bassett said around the garden will be native plants and trees. Bassett said they currently only have about 60 percent of trees planted.

Flowing under the 10th street bridge will be a pond that will guide people to a dog park, cove and a smaller performance area.

"We really have a wide variety of opportunities for people to come and enjoy," Bassett said.

The park will also have public wifi and feature 24/7 security.

Heartland of America Park and Lewis and Clark Landing should be completed in the summer of 2023.

Read the original:

Take a look at the Gene Leahy Mall and progress on the Riverfront Revitalization project - KETV Omaha

Photo: Getty Images

Parents, educators and community leaders can now share stories about the challenges they face in North Carolinas cash-strapped public schools on a new website launched this week by Progress NC, a nonprofit that advances progressive causes.

The True Reporting of Underfunding Education (T.R.U.E.) portal will shine a light on the impact of chronic neglect and the underfunding of the states schools, the organization said in a news release.

T.R.U.E., is intended to counter a website Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson created to give students, teachers and parents a tool to report perceived cases of bias or indoctrination in public schools.

Robinson, a Republican from Greensboro and the states first Black lieutenant governor, launched Fairness and Accountability in the Classroom for Teachers and Students (F.A.C.T.S.) in February after the State Board of Education adopted new social studies standards he opposed.

The lieutenant governor released his 250-page report this summer, but it did not show widespread indoctrination of North Carolinas school children.

Two-thirds of the things found in there [Robinsons report] had nothing to do with K-12 curriculum at all, said Durrell Johnson, the Progress NC communications director.

Nevertheless, student indoctrination, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and mask-mandates have dominated K-12 education headlines throughout a raucous summer for school boards. Boards that adopted masking requirements and those falsely accused of endorsing CRT have been berated and threatened during monthly meetings.

Educators say CRT, an obscureacademic discipline from the world of higher education that examines how American racism has shaped law and public policy, is not taught in K-12 classrooms.

Democrats in the General Assembly have sought to eliminate a state law that requires school boards to vote monthly on masking mandates to eliminate the rancor it has spawned. But on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled state House rejected a proposal to end the requirement on a 51-41 vote largely along party lines. One Republican voted in favor of ending the requirement, along with all Democrats present.

Progress NC believes its new website will help to redirect attention to more substantive education matters such as the adequate funding of the states schools.

The conversation has shifted away from the real issues around education in North Carolina, Johnson said. We want to bring that conversation back to supporting our educators, supporting the future of our kids.

The organization noted that neither House nor Senate budgets in the GOP-led Generally Assembly fully fund the Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan as ordered by the judge overseeing the states landmark school funding case.

Superior Court Judge David Lee has given lawmakers until Oct. 15 to develop a plan that fully funds the $5.4 billion remedial plan through 2028. Lee set an Oct. 18 hearing to consider the next steps if lawmakers fail to deliver a plan.

Mecklenburg County teacher Justin Parmenter endorsed Progress NCs new website. Parmenter has been outspoken in his opposition to Robinsons F.A.C.T.S. project.

North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the country and we have an opportunity to address real, critical issues such as teacher and bus driver shortages along with outdated and crumbling infrastructure that many of our schools in North Carolina face, Parmenter said. Our children deserve a quality education.

Meanwhile, Johnson said a report to share information gathered on the T.R.U.E., website could come by the end of next month.

Johnson shared a few of the early funding complaints Wednesday:

Veteran Teacher

I have to have a summer job and a secondary job during the school year just to make ends meet. I am a single parent to a daycare-age child, and the expenses of a mortgage, daycare, utilities, etc means that I am having to work double my job and endure double the stress on my body. I have an autoimmune disease that is triggered by stress, and this year alone I have had to go on extra medication for weeks just to be able to stay in the classroom for my normal working hours. I am seriously considering leaving the profession because my stress and works levels far outweigh the amount I am getting paid, irregardless of the infinite joy it brings me to connect with my students.

Public School Parent Supporting Teachers

My childrens teachers and administrators have consistently gone above and beyond to keep families informed and students safe while delivering consistent, high quality education. They have shown tremendous grace and patience under challenging and uncertain circumstances and worked hard to convey positivity and provide as normal a school experience as possible under the circumstances.

Public School Parent

The lack of bus drivers impacts everyone, not just the kids on the bus; students being late to school disrue teachers trying to prepare students to be critical thinkers, agile workers pts everyones learning; students being late to get picked up to go home mean longer days for school staff; unpredictable schedules mean added stress for families; and long, long car lines full of parents tired of waiting for buses that never come mean all of us driving to school are regularly missing work time, late to pick up kids at other schools, or missing our childrens after school commitments. Its a huge problem, and whatever is needed to make driving a bus a more appealing job needs to happen ASAP.

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NC Progress launches new website to find the truth about underfunded schools | The Pulse - The Progressive Pulse

Thousands marched across Portland and gathered at the fenced off Justice Center for a sixth night of protests over the killing of George Floyd, a Black man from Minneapolis who was killed after an officer pushed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes on June 3, 2020. The night came to an undramatic end with a much smaller group of protesters staying past midnight chanting outside the Justice Center.

Jonathan Levinson / OPB

A coalition of Black community leaders known as Reimagine Oregon say theyre unsatisfied with the incremental progress elected officials have made in responding to a list of demands the group issued a year ago.

The group held a press conference Tuesday to update Oregon media as well as several lawmakers who joined the virtual meeting on where things stand since they challenged Oregon leaders to do better by the states Black community in a series of requests.

Those requests include major changes to policies on a number of topics including housing reform, policing and community safety, education, public health, transportation, economic development and the states legislative process.

In total, the group listed more than 40 specific actions they hoped to see taken by the Oregon Legislature, Metro regional government, the three metro-area counties and the city of Portland.

Reimagine Oregon was established last summer in response to mounting social discourse on equity and racial justice following the murder of George Floyd and the disparities in opportunity and services in America further exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group is comprised of community organizers and leaders such as Nkenge Harmon Johnson, president and CEO of the Urban League of Portland; Katrina Holland, executive director of housing advocacy group JOIN PDX; Lamar Wise, political coordinator of public employees union AFSCME Local 75 and ACLU of Oregon board member; Kali Thorne Ladd, executive director of KairosPDX; Marcus Mundy; executive director of Portland-based Coalition of Communities of Color; Elona J. Wilson, executive director of Next Up, a nonprofit incubator of leaders of color; and Justice Rajee, executive director of Reimagine Oregon.

Thats just to name a few who spoke at Tuesdays press conference and provided grades on how Oregons elected officials have responded to the key issues over the last year.

And those grades werent particularly favorable.

Holland kicked things off, giving the state an incomplete, grade forthcoming for what she described as incremental progress and promises for the future on key housing requests. Those include things such as rent cancelation for people affected by the pandemic, removing barriers to housing assistance and more stringent tests to assure fair housing standards are met.

In our second year of this project we got a lot of work to do to get to that hopeful A, Holland said. Its time for catalytic change.

Holland did acknowledge that theres been some good progress in terms of helping Oregonians who have struggled through the pandemic to pay their rent with the passage of House Bill 2100.

But according to Holland, theres still room for vast improvement in the process with which the state uses to push out rent assistance dollars.

Wise took a moment to provide grades for local jurisdictions on their response to policy demands in the realm of police accountability, which were somewhat more flattering.

According to Wise, Reimagine Oregon has been working with Metro, the Portland areas regionally elected government, and the Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas county governments to look at ways to reform how the region approaches public safety.

Both Washington and Multnomah County received a B grade for work theyve engaged in and investments made in that area.

Clackamas County on the other hand was given an F following what the group characterizes as a complete drop-off in communication between Reimagine leaders and the county following County Chair Tootie Smith taking office.

We would love to continue some type of partnership (with Clackamas County), but there hasnt been much communication, Wise said.

The city of Portland was given a C grade as Reimagine awaits results of the citys fall budget monitoring process. Wise said that despite a high turnover rate within the city government that hasnt allowed much progress, there are some staff within city hall who remain committed to working with the organization on pushing for further accountability within the Portland Police Bureau and an overhaul of policies and practices.

The state of Oregon also received a C grade, a mark that had some lawmakers on the virtual call a bit taken aback considering the states major push in this years legislative session to pass a flurry of police reform bills aimed at many of the specific values shared by Reimagine.

Wise pointed to the bodys failure to pass House Bill 2002 in its entirety as the reason for the C grade. Some provisions of the bill were carved out into other proposals, but the bulk of that bill which wasnt acted upon this year wouldve reformed the states mandatory sentencing laws something lawmakers have had their eye on for years.

Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, who was on Tuesdays call, and Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, committed to leading that charge in the 2022 short session with support from the legislatures Black, Indigenous and People of Color caucus.

A few other notable grades included Mundy doling out a D to efforts within the legislature to require all bills to include racial impact statements, as well as requiring the same for state agencies during rulemaking processes. Mundy commended lawmakers for bringing those bills forth this legislative session, but noted that they remained stuck in committee when the legislature adjourned in June.

Wilson graded efforts by both Metro and Multnomah County to implement a requirement that community advisory boards be consulted in rulemaking processes as tentative A dependent on how those requirements are or arent centered around voices of their respective Black communities.

Rajee said that Reimagine Oregon remains focused on holding the state and local governments accountable to the voices of Black Oregonians who have called for widespread reform and more opportunity in the state.

According to Rajee, the group will continue to work with its partners in organizations throughout the state to put pressure on elected leaders to take action in responding to their requests for change.

We have seen movement, but we have yet to see movement from our elected leaders, Rajee said. The movement is in the streets. Its in our lives. But in the halls of power, were still largely resisted, and were here to make sure the spotlight doesnt fade on that fact.

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Oregons Black leaders are unsatisfied with incremental progress the state has seen a year after calling for monumental change - OPB News

After a few dozen hours in New World I still feel like a stranded traveller, newly washed up on the beaches of Aeternum. Ive managed to skirt the mammoth queue times for long enough now to get a feel for Amazon Games foray into the massively multiplayer genre, and that feeling can pretty much be summed up with a shrug and a yeah, its alright. Will New World scratch that itch youve got in the back of your brain for a new MMO in a pretty world filled with life and stuff to do? Definitely. Will you be gasping in awe wondering how Amazon managed to reinvigorate the genre? Probably not.

Friends have asked me about New Worlds mechanics during my playtime and Ive found myself giving a disclaimer every time. The combat feels good for an MMO. The crafting is rewarding for an MMO. The world is gorgeous for an MMO. Sure, the more grounded combat is definitely a nice addition, but on the whole there doesnt seem to be much setting New World apart from its contemporaries other than its admittedly very pretty setting and aesthetic.

I havent had much opportunity to experience PvP combat so far other than a couple of duels not many players are flagged for open-world combat on my server so PvE is the only real chance Ive had to try out New Worlds action-combat system. Other than the odd bit of server lag, it feels pretty tight, and the experience varies dramatically depending on which weapon youre using. The greataxes swing is meaty and impactful, but somehow the greathammers size belies its range it feels like youve got to get close enough to touch your opponents eyelashes. The bow feels meek and lacklustre, but the rifle fires with a satisfying pop and little plume of gunsmoke that other players can see around you. My current favourite weapon is a high-level hatchet I found in a crate, which has a hefty strength bonus. I felt swift and nimble darting around flailing with my swings as my friend aimed headshots with his rifle. Each of New Worlds weapon types are leveled separately to your main level, so youre encouraged with your introductory loot drops to try out a few.

Unfortunately, the fighting is oftendented by wonky spawn rates. Ive stood in a forest surrounded by players desperately trying to tag a deer or wolf before it dies to progress their quest, ten minutes before being ganked by dozens of rapidly respawning skeletons that appear in a flash of blue beside or behind me as I try to slash my way to a box of loot. Amplifying these frustrations is the fact that other players can ninja in and harvest the body of skinnable mobs like bison, boar, or lynx before you get there, leading to a frustrating clickfest as you hope to be the first to press E on a slain animal. General loot drops are instanced, so its a little baffling that skins arent.

Those animal carcasses are vital for crafting, which seems to be a pretty big pull among New Worlds playerbase. The most generous way I can describe this part of the game is that it feels like a modern take on Runescape. I laughed out loud when a player in my town was derided in global chat for their attempt to max smelting as fast as possible, with youll all see when they get their 99 Skillcape. Skills are separated into three categories gathering, refining, and crafting and theyre the fundamental forces behind New Worlds player-driven economy.

fighting is often dented by wonky spawn rates

Resource nodes can be found all over Aeternum, some rarer than others, and theres something tantalising about seeing a sparkly higher-level resource that you cant gather from yet. The sound design is fantastic for woodcutting and mining, producing a satisfying thunk or clink that echoes around the immediate area. Its even more impressive when you hear it walking around the wilderness, followed by the fall of a tree in the distance. Being surrounded by players is what makes the best MMOs so special, and the noise of industry filling the forest is a nice reminder of that.

Like many others, my introductory experience has been marred by queues and bugs. Ive become intimately familiar with New Worlds early game in my first fifteen hours or so of play, though not for the right reasons. On launch night I managed to log a couple of hours before encountering a seemingly uncommon but not all that rare (thats a loot gag folks) bug, which had me stuck in the floorboards of a building. Even with New Worlds unstick tool, I was only able to limply jiggle my character in place. I was forced to start from scratch. For my next character I managed to make it several hours in, way beyond the introductory quests, and Id begun to enjoy exploring the world. But that character is now lost on a server with waiting times that seemingly never drop below three hours.

Third times the charm, then, and luckily Ive managed to wrangle a couple of intrigued friends to test out a few more multiplayer features. Again, bizarre design choices hamper the experience. When I awake on the beaches of First Light, Im confused to see my friend a whole territory away in Windsward. See, in New World you spawn in one of four different starting regions, entirely at random. If your friend is elsewhere, one of you has no choice but to run for twenty minutes, praying not to get one-shotted by high-level monsters on the way.

This is complicated further if you accept more than the first couple of quests in the zone, youre locked into that region until around level 13 which the third in our group had accidentally done. I cant see a good reason for any of these choices, so Im hopeful theyll be patched out in the near future.

When finally reunited, I discovered that New World is far more fun with friends. I had an absolute blast leveling up alongside them, showing off our pirate chic and conquistador-looking loot drops, but it certainly feels daft hanging about waiting for a friend to complete unshareable quests in another region while you try not to outlevel them. Guess Ill go chop a few more logs in the meantime.

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New World review in progress a flawed, but promising MMO - PCGamesN