Monthly Archives: June 2023

Tim Ferris is a pretty smart guy.

Most people know him as the clever brain behind the 4 hour work week, although hes a pretty productive entrepreneur overall. Note that I said hes productive and not busy theres an important difference between the two ideas.

The American author, podcaster, and entrepreneur extraordinaire is frequently quoted, but one of the best is this one:

Focus on being productive instead of busy.

Wise, succinct words. As a mom trying to raise two whole humans, a wife trying to keep her marriage alive, a writer trying to keep on top of my content creation, and all the other balls Im trying to juggle, life is a busy, crazy experience.

Perhaps unironically, the busier I get, the less productive I become. It just makes sense; busyness causes us to lose focus and misprioritize. But if I focus more on productivity than keeping myself uninspired by my craft through all my busyness, my writing always improves in both quality and quantity.

Taking the busyness out of your business can help you conquer your goals, and the best part? Youll end up with more time to do all the things you love.

Coming up with great ideas is half the battle.

Scratch that its at least 90% of the war. Ideation is a skill that takes practice to hone, and even when you have a billion ideas bouncing around in your head, you need to track them. If you blink, they might disappear.

As a writer, Ive spent some time looking at the kinds of ideas people love and which stories do better than others. Its a mashup, honestly sometimes, heartfelt stories do better than how-tos, but not always. Understanding the analytics of it all is tough sometimes; its kind of a soft science.

In general, people are looking to either be entertained or have a problem solved. So, the short answer here is to do one of those things. Preferably both. Its the only way to be intentional with your productivity the rest is pretty much just fluff.

The best way to track and utilize your ideas is personal, but I find the best way for me is a simple notes app on my phone. I track the ideas there as my busy days zoom by, and when I finally sit down to write, theres a goldmine waiting to be chipped away atno added busyness, no distractions, no time wasters.

You need the goldmine; if you dont have one, youll spend that valuable (and likely limited) time thinking of what to write about instead of writing.

We all have too much to do. I dont care who you are or what you do every day theres never enough time to do it all.

So dont try to. Instead, focus on the things you can get to, like writing, if thats your thing. Working on your business. Creating your product or service. Whatever it is, the point is that even if what youre spending your time on is the core of what you do, it doesnt have to take you all day. Sure, you could spend ten hours doing it, but you could also spend a mere hour if thats all you have to spare.

Sometimes all I can manage is 30 minutes, and I still get at least one or more articles out a week, a weekly newsletter, and even a semi-weekly blog post. Intentional productivity is about how you spend your time, not how much time you have.

I hated the idea of prioritizing when I was working full-time. I worked for the government, and it constantly seemed as though there was never enough time to do everything that needed to be done. It used to stress me out.

Heres the thing, though: Prioritizing is shockingly easy when you are a creator. You are in charge of choosing what you do first, what you do next, and what you skip. You cant do everything, so its best to scrap that mindset altogether. I only wish my old employers understood that concept.

If youve been brainstorming throughout your days like I have, you can skip that part of your process entirely when it comes down to prioritization. Ideas are always flowing if you are open to them, and you already have a goldmine full of them to pull from. All you have to do next is decide whats most important and do that thing.

I cant stress enough the value of building your idea goldmine. When it comes time to sit down and create whatever your thing is, it shaves off potentially hours from your time. If you write, you grab an idea and write. If youre an entrepreneur, take an idea and run with it. If you run a podcast I think you see where Im going here, so Ill spare you any more analogies. For the sake of time, lets just reiterate one crucial point: when it comes to prioritization and productivity, you get to be the one to choose what matters most.

After that, all you have to do is do that one thing. Worry about the rest when youve finished, but dont let it cloud your progress when youre on task.

Sometimes, the thing that needs doing is the least fun thing to do. Thats not always true (at least, in my opinion) when it comes to being a writer, but there are other aspects of my work that I despise. Take social media marketing, for instance. I hate that.

I stink at promoting myself and my work, and even after more than two years of writing online, I struggle every time I hit the share button. And as for maintaining a presence online?

Id really rather not, thanks. But I do it. Not excessively well, mind you, but Im doing it and working on improving that part of my business every day.

Sticking to the things that need to be done until theyre done is wise. Even if youre pursuing your passion, there are aspects of that pursuit that will always be dull. That doesnt make them any less important, however. Spending time being, again, intentionally productive meaning you focus everything on that one, tiny task will end up taking less time overall.

No matter what your thing is, your goal is to get people interested in that thing.

Take writing, for example. You want eyeballs on your work, or its just words floating around the web, never earning you any money or prospects to make money. Sure, you can write for fun (and I do that, too), but ideally, you want to make a living doing what you love.

No readers = no money. Its a simple, but depressing, equation.

You need to make a commitment to your readers (or your clients, depending on what you do.) You need to commit to them that you will answer the questions they have. For example, my top performing articles on Medium are ones that focus on building your business. That means that if I want to keep reaching my readers, I have to answer some pretty important questions, such as:

Simply put, start by asking yourself your own questions, and then you just have to find the answers. Write about that entire experience; youll be surprised how much that resonates with people. Whether youre writing a newsletter that will interest your clients and supporters, writing an article online, or baking a cake, you need to provide your clients with what theyre looking for, and more often than not, that means youll be providing an answer to a problem.

Answer the questions that people need answers to every time. Youll be more productive overall if you focus on that priority above all others.

Building a goldmine full of ideas is great, but if you havent found a way to hook your audience with those ideas, theyre worthless. The value of perfecting your hook-strategy is immeasurable. Its how you get your readers or clients. Its how you attract people to your brand, your product, or your work. Its how you gain revenue the more people you excite, the more money youll end up making.

Its important to remember the value of hooks if you ever hope to make something of your online endeavors. If you waste your valuable time writing amazing content all day that no one ever reads because you havent mastered your hook? Thats a productivity sinkhole if ever there was one.

Whatever you create, planning is your ultimate productivity tool. Theres another great quote that really applies here:

Its not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less. Nathan W. Morris

Distractions and a fuzzy brain are surefire ways to sabotage your productivity. Its a busy world, and with information available at our literal fingertips, its alarmingly easy to distract ourselves with the latest news, local and worldwide events, political dialogue, social drama, whatever your ex is getting into, and cute cat videos.

If you find yourself getting caught up in any of those rabbit holes, youre spending your extremely valuable time really poorly.

As an online writer, creator, or business owner, your success depends on your ability to be intentional with your productivity, so do just that. Take the busyness out of your work, because all that is doing is piling on stress and time that you dont have. Instead, optimize your time by strategizing priorities, brainstorming on the fly, spending energy on great hooks, and harnessing your intentional focus.

The power of that intentional, focused productivity might surprise you.

This post was previously published on ILLUMINATION.

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The Astounding Power of Intentional Productivity (And How You Can ... - The Good Men Project

The US Supreme Court made a landmark ruling today, ending affirmative action for college admissions. University of Louisiana system president Dr. Jim Henderson said in Louisiana schools use objective admissions criteria based on high school GPA, core curriculum, and standardized test scores.

No public institution in Louisiana is so selective that admitting one student means you denied admission to another. Its impact on us is less consequential than it will be on some of the more selective institutions across the country, said Henderson.

The cases concerned admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The organization Students for Fair Admissions argued that Harvards race-conscious admissions policy violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act which bans discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. Henderson said the ruling impacts schools like Harvard and UNC because they are both highly selective institutions.

Henderson said the UL system has intentional interventions in place to ensure students succeed regardless of their background.

That clearly fulfills what the Supreme Court is looking for and meeting the compelling state interests for Louisiana and our communities. It improves economic vitality, it improves the quality of life in our communities, said Henderson.

And while several individuals and institutions have issued statements decrying the decision, Henderson said he understands those positions are more based on our political culture war.

Weve got to stand above the politics and look at the reality. Look at the specifics of what were doing and say does this meet the interests, does this fulfill our mission, does this serve our communities and in our state in an effective way, Henderson said.

Nine states already ban affirmative action, Florida is the only state in the southeast that does.

Read more:

What SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action means for UL schools - Louisiana Radio Network

Missed the GamesBeat Summit excitement? Don't worry! Tune in now to catch all of the live and virtual sessions here.

This article is part of GamesBeats special issue, Gaming communities: Making connections and fighting toxicity.

Communication is important for every game studio these days. Its important to keep an open line of dialogue with players, especially if youre running an online and/or live service game. Thats where community managers come in.

Community managers do more than relay information, although that is part of their job. If a big update or patch is coming, you can expect them to help shape the language that explains anything thats new or different.

For many, its a dream job. Liana Ruppert is the community manager and co-lead of accessibility for Destiny 2 over at Bungie.

I know that might sound corny, but this is a community I have been a part of since the early Marathon days, Liana told GamesBeat, referencing one of Bungies earliest titles. Its family. Being able to gauge what players are excited about even what they may be frustrated with and take that back to the teams here and watch it resonate with the people who make the game is nothing short of magical. The teams here really do love Destiny with every fiber of their being. We Fireteam up every single day, we laugh at the memes, we cry over the beautiful art, and its amazing. Im telling you, there is no feeling in this world that matches watching live community reactions to what the teams have been working so hard on for months, sometimes even years, in secret. Its such a moment of connection, and its so beautiful.

Community managers also have to take the temperature of players. If theyre happy or upset, they can relay that to the rest of the team. And, yeah, sometimes the community can get pretty angry. Thats when a community managers job can become difficult, as that anger can turn toxic. The community manager is often a public facing person for the whole game. They can become an easy, if undeserved target for complaints, angry messages and even harassment.

The hardest part of community management is that the internet never turns off, Harris Foster, director of communications at indie game developer Good Trouble, told GamesBeat. As the sole community manager at a popular indie game publisher, there were many times when Id have to excuse myself from dinner or vacation time to handle a user acting up in our online spaces.

Should problems or complaints from users turn into the responsibility of community managers?

At least with my team, we generally know that being a community manager isnt necessarily customer service, Danreb Victorio told me. Victorio has worked at some major publishers, although hed rather not name them outright, but he has worked at some large studios. I have days that are easier and harder than others, and while I wont snap at a player, I generally feed him or her the same energy back. Youd actually be surprised at how many players arent threatened by that. At the end of the day, a community wants to feel heard. Its rare that a company can fully make that a reality, but players need to know that the devs are trying too. As for how I personally handle it thats why breaks exist. Go eat. Go workout. Vent to your manager about it. These are all fine options that wont make you look bad.

Being a community manager doesnt mean that you just have to make yourself a punching bag for frustrated players. The philosophy I always shared to combat fan toxicity is that every piece of communication between fan and dev should be held as if it is happening within your own house, Foster told me. The community I manage is my home online. Its where I start and end my digital day. I want to welcome as many people into my home as possible, but if you come into my house and cause problems, you wont be welcome for long.

Destiny 2 launched a Twitter account, Destiny2Team, which gives the studio a way to communicate with players and deliver news without having to rely on community managers to post on their personal accounts. But even then, any interaction that a community manager might have on Twitter or on other social media platforms can matter.

Outwardly, I try to lead by example, Ruppert told GamesBeat. I put my kindest foot forward in interactions with players and with the teams I work with. I hope that kindness comes through and inspires others to also be intentional with their reactions and interactions.

People skills are important for the job. A community manager has to listen and, potentially, defuse contentious situations.

Being a community manager is an extremely context-based profession, Sebastian Faura, who is the social media and digital content manager at Amplifier Game Invest (a part of Embracer Group), told GamesBeat. Having a strong sense of emotional intelligence is vital, because it allows you to discern when someone has a legitimate grievance, or if someone is there just to cause problems and otherwise not conform to the space youre trying to maintain. This is why, in most instances, its best to let trained communications professionals handle precarious community situations. Without the level of tact required, a statement made on behalf of or as a representative of an organization can exacerbate already existing issues, and further strains any sense of goodwill.

Dealing with unruly players is just one aspect of the job. According to Faura, managing player expectations is a big part of his role.

People have a lot of feelings about what they want, which is a great thing because it means theyre engaged! Faura told me. But theres a lot of care and focus that goes into making sure people are acutely aware of the actual aim of the developers as they make the game. This process is repeated ad nauseam as interested audiences join communities but is generally alleviated by making information easily accessible or alleviated by other community members who are more familiar.

Faura explained that its important he help both sides, developers and players, understand each other.

Helping communities understand the realities of development is a unique challenge, Faura said. Acting as a go-between is important; being able to express the how and why of a particular design decision in a digestible manner is tough, and at the same time, taking feedback from the community and summarizing it into key, actionable points is also tough, but necessary. Even community members who can feel negatively about a particular decision or communication might have something important to say, its just buried under potentially emotional language.

Games are complicated. They are difficult to make, and very few outside of the development process actually understand what goes into creating and maintaining a game. That can lead to a lot of frustration. Lets say a character in a fighting game or shooter is overpowered after the release of a new patch. For players, this is a huge frustration. Theyll want that character nerfed immediately. But there are processes and realities to game development that make that process happen slower than they expect.

The secrecy and closed-off nature of game development leads to very little customer understanding of how these things actually work, Foster explained. Id say a vast majority of irksome interactions a community manager has to deal with come from a fan who is operating under a skewed assumption or misunderstanding of how game development works. If the games industry were more transparent, I think wed have happier community managers.

On social media, everything is lightning fast, Ruppert told GamesBeat. We ask the question now, and we demand an answer now. Thats understandable, but its often just not possible. Sometimes, investigations are needed. Sometimes, its 2 a.m. on a Saturday. Sometimes, the situation is far more complicated than it may look on the outside.

But what exactly are community managers allowed to say and not to say? What are the guidelines?

Theres actually a surprising amount of freedom in regard to direct community interactions, Tom Clancys Rainbow Six Siege community manager KC Nwosu told me. We have a small team of community managers, so there are guidelines for the sake of keeping a consistent tone, but largely were trusted to interact in ways that feel natural.

Of course, each team and studio will have different guidelines. But often, there is a level of trust given to community managers to make the right calls.

Community managers deal with a deluge of player feedback. Its up to them determine whats important.

While a lot of great feedback from the gamers is given, theres also some feedback that isnt so great, Victorio explained. I manage a community for a free-to-play mobile game, and the whales/VIPs demand a lot of attention, but I still have a lot of other responsibilities to juggle.

As you probably gathered by now, the job comes with a lot of responsibility. Sometimes, it can be too much.

Companies need to know that while community mangers generally know theyll be wearing a lot of hats, its extremely difficult to handle the job alone and still be sane, Victorio noted. A lot of companies only have one community manager assigned per game. Some even have one on multiple titles, and its a lot of work especially when you have to put on plenty of hats. In my current situation, not only do I have to personally deal with user feedback and social media management, but I also have various live-ops duties that include producing content like push notifications, setting daily login rewards, helping with marketing by taking full ownership of the asset submission process with our licensed partners along with all of our e-mail communication and subscriber upkeep. I also coordinate studio swag. Im one of those guys thats a community manager, a marketing coordinator, a social media manager, a customer service agent, an office manager, and all sorts of stuff rolled into one, and I need help. A lot of companies hire community managers on six-month contracts, with job descriptions even more complicated than mine good luck with that.

For the companies that employ them, the community manager is a vital part of the team. But that doesnt mean that they have absolute power. Studio heads dont have to listen to what they have to say, which can lead to frustration.

If they understand your business and theyre getting really bad signals, you need to heed what theyre saying and work internally to find other solutions, Faura told me. If decisions are being made against their recommendation, then you need to keep them apprised so they can plan for what to say and how to respond; personal accountability for a decision is also incredibly important as well and will show your community manager that theyre not just there to be a meat shield for abuse.

And when things do get a bit heated? Nwosu said that a little patience can sometimes go a long way.

Both the community and our internal teams could benefit from taking a beat every now and then to see how a situation plays out rather than rushing to comment or respond, Nwosu told me. Often times the volatile situation that demands immediate attention from all sides is actually something that gets handled and forgotten about in short order, so the energy spent on hitting the panic button is just a waste.

GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.

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Community managers find the path for developers and players to ... - VentureBeat

Pastor Philip Schmitter waited more than 20 years for the Environmental Protection Agency to do its job. In 1992, hed filed a civil rights complaint to halt the construction of a power station that would spew toxic lead into the air of his predominantly Black community in Flint, Michigan. Decades passed without a response, so he joined four other groups around the country in a lawsuit to compel the agency to address their concerns.

The case hinged on the EPAs duty to enforce Title VI, a provision of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI allows federal agencies to take action against state policies that discriminate by disproportionately harming groups protected by the Act the discriminatory policy being, in this case, Michigans permitting of a plant that would pollute Black neighborhoods. After the EPA lost the suit in 2020, agency officials finally began timely investigations of civil rights complaints and made some of the EPAs first-ever findings of discrimination. 

That progress, however, could be short-lived.

This week, the EPA abruptly terminated three of its highest-profile open civil rights complaints. The move deals a major blow not only to the majority-Black communities that filed them but also to the EPAs own authority to enforce Title VI in places with some of the nations worst air quality. The cases originated in the region widely known as Cancer Alley, an 85-mile industrial corridor in southeast Louisiana, and were voluntarily closed after the states Republican attorney general sued the federal government for alleged abuses of power during the complaint negotiations.

Grist obtained copies of two draft agreements from the now-defunct negotiations, which reveal efforts by EPA officials to institute profound changes to Louisianas permitting process, which has historically concentrated chemical plants near Black communities. One of the most substantial terms of the resolution would have required state regulators to assess whether a community is already exposed to disproportionately high levels of pollution before permitting new plants there. With the cases closed, the prospect of those changes has all but vanished. 

This is basically the EPA not using the full power of its environmental laws, said Adam Kron, a senior attorney at Earthjustice who worked on the case. He described Title VI as one of the clearest ways to advance environmental justice, a goal that Biden EPA has repeatedly called a priority. Its disappointing to see EPA acquiesce to what seems like a lawsuit that really doesnt have much grounding to it.

The Title VI statute states that no person should, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, be subject to discrimination under any program that receives federal funding. The provision is wide-reaching, covering hundreds of thousands of programs across the country and governing decisions as diverse as where a road can go or who can get treatment at a hospital. But in the environmental space, its been largely underutilized, with the EPA routinely failing to respond to dozens of cases within the 180-day period required by the law.

The 2020 federal court ruling on Schmitters case gave communities in Louisianas St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes hope that Title VI could finally help limit pollution in their backyards. Together, their complaints alleged a number of negligent actions by state regulators, including a failure to curb cancer-causing emissions that violate federal safety standards and to consider pre-existing pollution when permitting new industrial plants. A formal resolution of their cases would have likely addressed these concerns.

The draft agreements that Grist obtained include sweeping measures to change the way the state of Louisiana approves new industrial facilities, like folding community involvement into critical moments of the decision-making process and requiring officials to prove, both before and after plants begin operating, that their emissions will not disproportionately harm people of color. In Louisiana, majority-Black communities are exposed to at least 7 times the emissions, on average, as predominantly White communities in industrial areas.

We were hoping to get systemic change, said Kimberly Terrell, a research scientist at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, who worked on the complaints. For decades, people have been fighting against individual polluters and individual facilities, but when the decision-making process itself is flawed, you need something that seeks to improve it.

Louisiana officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Despite progress with the agreements, testimony in Louisianas legal filings suggests that, at some point during the negotiation process, things between state and federal officials began to sour. Then, in late May, the state’s attorney general, Jeff Landry, sued the EPA.

The case hinged on the EPAs ability to pursue actions based on disparate impacts, or the idea that a policy or agency decision can disproportionately harm a specific group of people, regardless of whether or not that harm is intentional. These standards have always been unpopular with some state officials who view them as evidence of federal agencies meddling in matters beyond their authority. The Supreme Courts conservative majority is sympathetic to these concerns, ruling in numerous landmark cases over the past few years to vastly restrict the powers of federal regulators. 

But multiple lawyers that Grist interviewed argued that Louisianas legal arguments would have ultimately been unlikely to undermine Title VI, raising the question of why the EPA appears to have preemptively conceded on the matter. 

It was unripe there was no action by the EPA that Louisiana could challenge, said Kron. So it seems like a strange lawsuit for [the federal government] to take as a serious enough threat to just undo this whole process thats been going on for over a year.

Environmental advocates and residents in Louisiana also decried the decision to close the complaints. 

I often feel like our communities are left to fight on our own, said Joy Banner, an activist and long-time resident of the region. Its disappointing when we have organizations at the federal level who arent willing to step in to fight along with us for our basic human right to survive. 

EPA spokesperson Khanya Brann told Grist that the agency remains fully committed to improving the environmental conditions in the communities that filed the complaints. 

Community participation has been critical to identifying both problems and solutions, and we look forward to our continued partnership with the residents in both parishes as we continue our joint efforts to improve public health and the environment, she said.

The EPA wrote in its letters announcing the closure of the complaints that it would address residents concerns through other means, like its pending litigation against one of the regions most infamous chemical plants and its proposed rules for tightening standards for certain types of facilities operating in the region. But residents told Grist that those measures do not cover the totality of their concerns, and that a major benefit of the Title VI process is its speedy timeline: While court cases can drag on and emissions standards can take years to implement, a resolution of the complaints may have granted communities much faster relief from toxic emissions.

Claire Glenn, a criminal defense attorney with a background in civil rights law, compared EPAs use of Title VI to other federal agencies more robust implementation of the law. The Department of Transportation, for example, requires regulators to consider whether a project will disproportionately impact a group of people before its ever constructed. However, she added, deciding where a transit line goes is often less controversial than approving a multi-billion dollar companys new industrial complex.

I think the reason EPAs Title VI program is so hamstrung is because it is so directly butting up against corporate interests, she said.

Advocates told Grist that they are exploring other options to advance residents concerns, and called the EPAs actions this week a setback but not a roadblock. Residents said that they are determined not to give up. 

We come from a long line of people who fought, said Banner. This is just one little hill that we have to overcome but ultimately I see us heading to the mountain, and victory is the mountain.

Editors note: Earthjustice is an advertiser with Grist. Advertisers have no role in Grists editorial decisions.

More here:

The EPA was ready to clean up 'Cancer Alley.' Then it backed off. - Grist

President Biden today released his Bidenomics is Working fact sheet, working to burnish his reputation as the president who steered (and continues to steer) the US out of the economically jarring COVID-19 pandemic with major investments in everything from infrastructure to rural broadband and more.

I spoke with US Department of Labor Chief Economist Joelle Gamble to find out more about Bidens plan, including specific policies that are helping workers, and find out whats coming next to help those still struggling with low wages, high rents and more.

Chief Economist Joelle Gamble: Well, Bidenomics is definitely a departure from how things have been done in the past, and I think that thats intentional. As the President outlined in his speech today, trickle-down economics is a failed theory that failed the middle class.

Tax cuts for the rich and big corporations blew up the deficit and never trickled down. Good jobs were shipped overseas. Shrunken public investments actually undermined priorities that Americans care about, like infrastructure and education.

And so the Presidents plan is in stark contrast to that, because its focused on making smart investments in America, educating and empowering workers, and promoting competition. And those are all things I think will make the economy much stronger.

I think the labor market recovery is, in many ways, remarkable.

Over 13 million jobs have been added since the President took office, and nearly 800,000 of them were in the manufacturing sector.

Unemployment fell below 4% at the end of the Presidents first year in officewhich beat expectations, I should sayand it stayed there ever since. Weve seen record-low unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, people with disabilities, etc. So theres been a lot of progress made in the labor market.

I should also add that the prime age labor force participation rate is the highest its been in 15 years as well, and so theres a really strong labor market story here.

On top of that, theres other progress made in other regards. For instance, theres been a boom in small business applications over the last two years. And we are finally starting to see some progress on inflation.

The President definitely supports the PRO Act, andas he says many timesis determined to be the most pro-union president that this country has had.

And even though the progress that he would like to see on the PRO Act in Congress hasnt happened, that has not meant that he has stopped fighting for workers through administrative action, and in other ways that we can promote a workers right to organize.

Well, I think the Presidents plan to promote competition comes through a lot of different policy levers. There is, of course, the work that some of the regulatory agencies are doing to try to increase competition in the marketplace.

But another way to do that is actually to make it easier to start and grow a business. And so the Presidents agenda to increase access to capital for small businesses is actually very important, especially as we invest in a lot of different important manufacturing sectors, like clean energy.

The President still continues to support a $15 minimum wage.

I think this plan is very important for helping with that, in part because the Presidents plan is good for workersmeaning getting people good-paying jobs they can raise a family on is always an important part of any equation to making peoples lives better.

And then I will say that the investments were making are important to growing communities and attracting investment that could flow into other sectors. Were talking about construction in the non-residential space, but thats also important to increase housing supply as well.

Im not in the prediction business, but looking objectively at the data13 million jobs added, wages growing fastest for the lowest wage workers, record low unemployment ratethis is progress.

Link:

What Bidenomics Means for Workers and Families - UpNorthNews

Kristina Becvar is the Chief Operating Officer of the Bridge Alliance.

"Our republic and its press will rise or fall together."

Joseph Pulitzer's timeless words resonate more profoundly than ever. They serve as a stark reminder of the critical role played by a healthy press in safeguarding our democracy.

Last week, Interactivity Foundation explored the legacy of Joseph Pulitzer, exploring the interconnectedness between a free press and the health of our democracy. Today, media independence is continually called into question, often resulting in the widespread dismissal of news that challenges deeply ingrained, tribal political views. However, we must not lose sight of the media's indispensable role in holding those in power accountable and shaping public discourse. Exposing corruption, fostering an informed citizenry, and demanding accountability from our leaders are the foundations of a thriving democracy.

Unfortunately, toxic narratives propagated by national political media have infiltrated state and local politics, casting a shadow over the healthier and more nuanced debates that are the lifeblood of our democratic process. The saturation of national political narratives in the media tends to overshadow the pressing state and local issues that are relevant to our civic lives. Yet, amidst this challenging environment, there are instances that inspire hope. Our members have brought to light remarkable examples where state and local elected leaders rise above the national rhetoric and instead focus on effective governance.

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In the most recent Divided We Fall article, Pennsylvania representative Arvind Venkat shed light on the perpetuation of polarization by national media, driven by pundits and legislators seeking airtime. Venkat emphasizes that the conflicts showcased in the media are not an accurate reflection of the practical, bipartisan work state legislators undertake daily to benefit residents and communities. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum echoes this reality in the most recent podcast episode from Common Ground Committee. As a successful nonpartisan leader in a deeply conservative state, Mayor Bynum's administration serves as a compelling example of the power of diverse perspectives coming together to tackle major challenges.

As we navigate the news landscape, in the coming weeks, whether its the latest Supreme Court decisions or captivating headlines vying for our attention, let us harken back to the words of Joseph Pulitzer. Our republic and its press are intertwined, and their fate rests on our informed consumption of the news. With this in mind, we must approach our consumption of news with utmost intention, actively employing the valuable tips provided to process information responsibly and mitigate the influence of biases in the news.

Together, let us ensure that our democracy thrives by nurturing a healthy press that remains dedicated to transparency, accountability, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Our intentional consumption of the news is a vital key to unlocking a brighter future for all and fortifying the foundation of our republic.

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The vital link between a healthy press and our republic - The Fulcrum

Drag has a surprising amount in common with Dungeons and Dragons. Both communities are filled with passionate performers who pour time, love (and occasionally glitter) into a character of their own creation. Both are also perfect platforms for queer joy. Case in point: Death, Drag, and Decadence, a Dungeons and Dragons actual play series that also happens to star DnD drag queens and kings.

Death, Drag, and Decadence describes itself as a celebration of all things queer and fantasy. Most of the cast are experienced drag artists, with alumni from Ru Pauls Drag Race and Dragula seated at the table. Evah Destruction, Maddy Morphosis, Bombae, Abhora, and Andro Gin make up the current adventuring party.

With the first drag stream airing in March, Bombae was one of the first queens to join the show. Shes the self-described winner of Canadas Drag Race season three (citation needed), and she has a long history with tabletop gaming. I played board games growing up, and I think I played Dungeons and Dragons for the first time in India ten years ago, Bombae tells Wargamer.

I used to play and DM before I became a drag queen, she continues. That was the more expensive hobby that took over my life, but I really missed [D&D].

Its not all dungeons and drag queens, though. ESports personality Chris Lessard (AKA Boopasaurus) dreamt up Death, Drag and Decadence, and hes been a player in the early adventures.

Death, Drag, and Decadence was originally just an excuse for me to find a way to play D&D, Lessard tells Wargamer. I had just finished watching a season of Dragula, and I thought this would be a group of people whod be good at playing D&D drag kings and queens and drag artists.

Lessard also roped in Casters and Castles Joseph Carothers (TormentedByGnomes) who Lessard reckons is the next Matt Mercer to DM. Carothers is pretty new to the drag scene, but hes got plenty of experience running RPGs for those in eSports. When I got the opportunity to work with drag performers, I thought: This is just like that, except better, Carothers tells Wargamer.

Here are performers who know that they are having fun but also entertaining and putting on a show by playing characters, he adds. They have the camera training, they have the public speaking training its 100% in terms of roleplay as performance. Its an absolutely natural fit.

Death, Drag, and Decadence may feature drag artists playing D&D, but its by no means a drag show. Everyone is in plain-clothes mode, with not a single extravagant outfit in sight. According to Lessard, this was deliberate.

Not being in drag was a very intentional decision, he tells Wargamer. Evah [Destruction] said something that really stuck with me drag is her life, and shes always in drag, and to have something not part of that to look forward to is super joyful.

Bombae echoes this sentiment. We as drag performers we love to perform, she says. We love putting on a show but often, when youre doing drag, theres so much work that goes into it before you have to get into drag.

Its very physical; youre changing your body to go to a bar and perform. With D&D, you just show up, she adds. There are no barriers. We get to perform, but we dont have to put all the armor on.

Its clear from the get-go that Death, Drag, and Decadence is about more than just drag. I thought itd be really cool to show queer joy and queer people having fun,Lessard says. Were not outwardly political; our goal is to exist and have fun.

This is about finding people you like and feel safe with, and then having a good time for a few hours, Lessard adds. Thats why we play D&D: to escape our world. Theres a space for everybody, and thats the point of D&D.

Mostseasons of Ru Pauls Drag Race features drama of some kind, but Death, Drag, and Decadence struts to a different beat. Many of its cast were strangers before the stream began, and several still havent met in person. But Bombae, Lessard, and Carothers speak of the show and their fellow players with a love thats difficult to contain.

Whats been absolutely amazing is the internalized respect everyone has for each other when they perform, Lessard tells Wargamer. Everyone gets their opportunity, and everyone gets a moment in the spotlight. I think Gnomes is really good at giving us a world that facilitates our creativity, he adds.

Bombae chimes in with support for Carothers. Wrangling regular players is tough, but especially five queer people who love the attention and will not let go of the spotlight, she says.

Carothers, a self-described outsider to the drag scene, returns this love in kind. Ive had the chance to meet all these people I wouldnt have crossed paths with and whose time I really cherish as a showrunner for an actual play channel, he tells Wargamer. Its been phenomenal getting to play with these people. They surprised me especially the newbies and its been a wonderful experience.

Any player can tell you Dungeons and Dragons brings people together in a unique way. The rising popularity of D&D livestreams like Death, Drag, and Decadence is only making the game and the joy it creates more accessible.

As streaming has picked up, and as videogames have gotten more sophisticated, theres been more ways to scratch that kick down the door, fight the monsters and take their treasure itch, Carothers says. This means the unique aspects of tabletop have been discovered by the wider community.

There are things you can only do in tabletop that arent possible in videogames, he continues. People see Critical Role and Dimension 20, and they say: This is creativity. This is improv. This is cooperative storytelling with my friends. This isnt just maths and spreadsheets and graph paper. That has allowed the hobby to change and expand, Carothers adds.

Women and the queer community, theyve always been there, theyve always been part of this team, Carothers continues. But the space for them has exploded because of that change in perception of what a tabletop RPG can be. The emergence of icons and models that have advocatedand given them representation, and that appreciation of the absolute creative freedom tabletop gives you, has opened the door for so many more people, he tells Wargamer.

Carothers also mentions the low barrier to entry that comes with streaming. However, this means the market is flooded with viewing options, and success is harder to find.

Even the unique selling point of Death, Drag, and Decadence isnt entirely unique. Just as the show wrapped its first season, Dimension 20 announced its own drag actual play, Dungeons and Drag Queens.

Despite the crowded market, Lessard isnt worried about competing. I think we already stand out, he tells Wargamer. We have our main crew, which I think love each other, and we love hanging out with each other thats the basis of standing out, in my opinion.

There are plenty of plans to expand Death, Drag, and Decadence. The current cast will continue playing together for a new chapter, as well as in a one shot focused on a particularly beloved character, Skrambles. Lessard says new DMs and drag artists will feature in the series. And while the bonds between players will no doubt deepen, Lessard also wants to build relationships with the shows audience.

I dont want to keep this to people just in the drag community, he says. For example, I would love to add a community table. This, he says, may feature some of its fans or drag artists in the DM seat, running games.

Death, Drag, and Decadence is an actual play that makes community and joy feel as important as rolling the DnD dice. Its a perfect representation of Carothers number one rule for D&D: People first.

For more queer joy in D&D, heres some tips on how to explore queerness safely in D&D, as well as how tabletop RPGs like DnD are an LGBTQ+ haven.

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Death, Drag, and Decadence shows off the queer joy of DnD - Wargamer

What is it like to be an Israeli living in America?

Over 500,000 Israeli expats live in the U.S., with the largest enclaves in New York, California, Florida, and New Jersey. They often maintain the Hebrew language in their homes and gravitate toward fellow Israelis through social networks, synagogues, Jewish community centers, or more recently, the Israeli American Council, founded in 2007, which is the largest Israeli American organization in the U.S.

Many Israelis came to the U.S. for education or job opportunities; some came because of disappointment in Israels schools, economy, or religious/sectarian pluralism. Some miss Israels sunlight, its shuk (market), or the ineffable power of living in a country that almost didnt come to be. Conversely, some prefer Americas diversity, and its invitation to practice Judaism without Orthodoxy. As one participant who lives outside Uvalde, Texas, described it in our pre-interview: My experience was that theres just a monopoly on Judaism in Israel. I always felt excluded. When I moved to America and went to my first Yom Kippur service, I was crying, Oh my God, this is what Ive been missing my whole life.

Another who lives in Palo Alto, California, said the countries parallel origin stories made him feel instantly at home: Founded by freedom fighters who fled tyranny, the U.S. and Israel are both immigrant countries.

What becomes clear, as one listens to Israelis who chose Americaat least for nowis that they are at once viscerally connected to the place they left and at the same time immersed in America, acknowledging that maintaining a Jewish identity takes more conscious effort here.

Their ages, locations, where they lived in Israel, and the years they immigrated to the U.S.

Tzippi: 64, Palo Alto, California. Moved from Tel Aviv/Herzliya area in 1985.

Adva: 33, Del Rio, Texas. Moved from Beersheva in 2017.

Miri: 80, Manhattan. Moved from the heart of Tel Aviv, in Dizengoff Circle in 1973, just before the Yom Kippur War.

Yuval: 46, Philadelphia. Moved from Jerusalem in 2012.

Etai: 55, Redwood City, California. Moved from the Tel Aviv area/Givatayim in 2008.

Ayelet: 53, suburban Atlanta. Moved from Kiryat Gat and Modiin in 2001.

Dina: 71, Catskills, New York. Moved from northern Tel Aviv in 1980.

Ben: 46, Miami and New York. Moved from Tel Aviv area/Herzliya in 2002.

Elan: 39, Brooklyn. Grew up in Netanya and lived in Tel Aviv before moving to the U.S. in 2014.

Karin: 45, Boston. Moved from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in 2004.

Yoav: 53, Atlanta. Raised in Rehovot, lived in Tel Aviv before moving in 2010.

Rabbi Y.: 37, New York City. Moved from Jerusalem in 2013.

Very briefly, please explain why you came to America.

Dina: My husband and I came to do graduate work. But really, we left Israel because we both felt suffocated in some way. I was already a high school teacher and the whole education system drove me crazy, was so uncreative and suffocating.

Etai: For me, the trigger was a career move: relocation after acquisition of my previous company. I have a big family all around in the U.S. and in Argentina, so the U.S. was always something that I had orientation to. Id been here many times before. Also, I felt a big disappointment and concern about Israeli politics. It was a long time ago, and mostly triggered by the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 95. That created a big wound that never healed.

Ayelet: My husband got a job opportunity, and so we moved. Thats it.

Rabbi Y.: It was work, in the first three years, at the Jewish Agency, and then afterward it was school. Today its mainly spiritual nourishment and a place of professional growth, while knowing and hoping that I will return to Israel, just not yet knowing what date.

Yuval: I was very involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem. And at one point, after also serving in the military in a very painful, complicated unitidentifying the dead bodies of the Second Intifadaand then dedicating 14 years for peace, I just felt the need to heal my trauma and try to find a way to leave.

I had the feeling, raising kids in America, that they would be allowed to be the Jews that they want to beunlike what I was told when I was raised in Israel.

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Yoav: My story is a little bit different. I went on relocation to Africa, met an American woman there, and we ended up being together. And when it was time to wrap up our time in Africa, she wanted to move back here to the States. So I followed her. I never had any intentions to move to America before that.

Karin: My dad was dean of the dental school at Hebrew University, so I grew up in Israel as a sabbatical kidgoing back and forth to North America. For two years, we were in D.C., then in Toronto, Canada, and my mom is from England, so for me, it was very natural to say to my husband, I want to go and study in English in America. He found a job here in Boston with his companywhich was at the time in Tel Aviv. We relocated to Boston, and he opened his own company.

Are you comfortable saying a little more about your family circumstance?

Karin: Im whats called in Israel mechoseret datfaithless, not having any religion. My moms a Catholic. She never converted. Ive never converted. I had the feeling, raising kids in America, that they would be allowed to be the Jews that they want to beunlike what I was told when I was raised in Israel. I think staying in the U.S. was my way of exercising my religious and spiritual freedom, of being in a place where I can be whoever I want to be.

Are your children being raised as Jews?

Karin: My kids just feel more connected to Israeli culture and being Jewish than any other culture that theyre part of. The younger two are going to a Conservative Jewish day school. My oldest is a product of the public school. Like most of you in this group probably, we are in a close-knit Israeli environment and most of our days are spent in Hebrew.

Elan: We came to the U.S. for practical reasons. It was weighing quality of life versus the lifestyle that I was used to, growing up in Israel. I finagled my way into getting relocated at my first job after business school, and Ive been here ever since.

Miri: I came for a sabbatical and things didnt work out to go back to Israel, in terms of my husbands work. So we got stuck in America for many yearsreally stuck. It wasnt a choice.

You would have gone back if you could?

Miri: Definitely. Definitely.

Tzippi: I came here for graduate school.

Adva: It was me wanting to experience another way of life. I already knew what life is in Israel and what I expect it to be. Also my husband is a U.S. citizen and he grew up here in the States, so he wanted the career change and it would be making more sense for him to start the career change here.

Even now, after 50 years, I havent decided if I moved permanently to the United States.

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Ben: Im an artist and always knew that I wanted to play in a global pool, work with international organizations, museums, companies, and it just seems more logical to do that from a place like New York.

Please raise your hands: How many would say that when you came to the U.S., you expected it to be permanent? I see just two of youElan and Ben.

Miri: Even now, after 50 years, I havent decided if I moved permanently to the United States.

What is one way that you would say its different to be Jewish in Israel and Jewish in the U.S.?

Ayelet: In Israel, I lived in Kiryat Gat, which is very close-knit, a lot of Orthodox. But we ourselves were never Orthodox, even though my grandparents were. So we would go to synagogue on a holidayusually Yom Kippurbut not more than that. Over here in the U.S., it was much more important for me to embrace Judaism, to actually go on the High Holidays to a synagogue, to show my kids the Jewish atmosphere, the traditions. Otherwise they were never going to get it. So we would light candles on Shabbat with the girls and even with my boy, just showed them that this is a beautiful religion. I actually host a weekly class in my home for Israeli ladies, and we have this great person who comes over and does either parshat hashavua [the Torah portion of the week] or something like that, which I would never even think about doing in Israel, because in Israel, it felt like it was coerced. Here I do it because I want to do it, because I want to show my kids how beautiful Judaism is.

Ayelet, when you go back to visit Israel, are you transporting those American religious ways youve developed over time?

Ayelet: No, I just go back to being the regular Israeli Ive always been. Even here in America, I take what I want from Judaism. I dont do everything. Im not shomeret shabbat [Sabbath observant]. I drive on Shabbat, I workIm a Realtor theres no way not to work on Shabbat. And so, I take what I want and feel comfortable with.

Yuval: I grew up in a Hasidic community in IsraelBnai Brakand then I was in the yeshiva world in Jerusalem. When I left the ultra-Orthodox community, I was put under the box of secular, which definitely doesnt work for me. Im neither, and I dont have energy to invest in explaining, because life is much too short for me personally. I think what I found in America is that my Jewishness is much more private. Im living these days in an intentional communitywith a big kibbutz of seven adults, kids, cats, and a dog. I dont care who is Jewish therefrom a DNA point of view. We are only two Jews by blood in the community, but everyone celebrates Shabbat, everyone celebrates Passover in the way that fits us. And I think this is such a celebration of Judaismmuch outside of the categories of how it should be.

Over here in the U.S., it was much more important for me to embrace Judaism, to actually go on the High Holidays to a synagogue, to show my kids the Jewish atmosphere, the traditions. Otherwise they were never going to get it.

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Miri: For my generationthe people who started the country, our religion was the nation. Jewishness was nationhood. So by saying, Im an Israeli, it was very strong loyalty to say, Im Jewish. It was like secular Judaism. Very, very powerful. So still, when I get up in the morning, the first thing I want to know when I open my eyes is if my children are OK, and the secondbefore I think about work or anything, I check the news to see if Israel is OK. Its amazinghow the country is like God. Everything that happens in the country is as painful and relevant for me as my children. There is such a degree of caring, understanding, and even forgiving thingslike you forgive your children. I feel that people judge Israel. Not that the situation there is good; its horrible whats going on now with the judicial revolution. But I think that anybody from outside cannot understand whats going on. Its like judging a marriage from the outside. So I think that its very important to come back to nationhood. Nationhood is also a very powerful way of feeling Jewish.

Rabbi Y.: As a queer person growing up in Jerusalem in a very secular family, I did not have a sense of belongingnot with the default Jews, which is the Orthodox, or with those who are traditional or inclusive. I was only in a few spaces in Jerusalem that were progressive. Coming here to America, I really feel that theres something universal. Theres something that taps into different identities that is not really felt in Israel, meaning that you could be Buddhist, Jewish, queer, nonbinary in America, and nobody would really care. Nobody would really ask me, why am I this or that? Whereas in Israel, with all my love and challenges of the country, its very blunt, very upfront: Why are you not raising up a family? The ideal in the Jewish Israeli culture is raising up a family. And I dont yet know if I want to raise a family. Here in the U.S., nobody dares to ask me what type of relationship I have. Whereas in Israel, they would ask me not only if Im marriedand why not, if Im not yet marriedbut what Ive done in the army and how much rent I pay. There is something very powerful in being able not to answer, or for me to say, This is what I want to share about myself. Youre not in a place of asking me. Im in the place of power, of sharing what I want to share in America.

Yoav: For us Israelis, theres no difference between being Israeli and being Jewish. It blends together. Whereas here in America, you have to work ator consider, or be aware ofthe fact that you are also Jewish besides being American. I had this realization when I was 9 years old. A little bit like Karin, I was a sabbatical child, so we went to France for a year or two. And only then did I realize, Hold on a second; theres a difference between me being Israeli and Jewish, because there are French people here who are Jewish as well but not Israeli! So here in the U.S., its a distinction that we have to make. In Israel, until youre in your teens, most kids dont really have this distinction. Theres another aspect that I wanted to touch on: In Israeland it has increased lately with the recent events and governmentsreligion has been highly politicized. It has created a kind of a countereffect for people who are not religious: the way they perceive Judaism. Only by taking a step back and coming to a foreign country, at least for me, it made it easier for me to reconcile myself with Judaism, getting away from this discourse that is highly politicized.

Etai: I can maybe offer a different perspectivea little bit less about the religious part of it. As we grew up in Israel, it comes with the territory: Being Jewish is being Israeli and vice versa. You tour the places that you read about in the Bible, you learn them in school; the Jewish holidays are national holidays; on Yom Kippur, its empty in the streets. Thats how you come to be raised in Israel. The other part is that you are on a mission. We came from grandparents, parents, who came from Europe to revive the Jewish dream. They came after the horrible Holocaust sacrifice in all families. Then they made more sacrifices during Israels wars. Thats what being Jewish means to most of us. The religion part of it is very, very minimal to us people who are secular, but were not secular; we are Jewish, just in a different way. Here in the U.S., its far closer to religion on one end and to peoplehood on the other end, much less connected to the land and to that story of, We went through the horrors of the Holocaust and we came back and said, Were saving the day. In America, its a very different ethos and story.

I think what I found in America is that my Jewishness is much more private.

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Elan: I fully agree with what both Etai and Yoav just mentioned. I think the nationhood, statehood, and religion is intertwined in Israel. Growing up in Israel, youre Jewish just by being Jewish. You could even be a passive Jew and youd be considered Jewish. Here in America, you have to be much more proactive to work on that side of your identity. For me, having a family with two little kids, we have to make plans of doing something for Shabbat. We have to be considerate about sending our kids to some form of Jewish schooling, beyond what my wife and I can provide to our family. You really have to work your identity here, while as in Israel, just by being you, you are Israeli and Jewish.

Dina: For me, its never about religion at all. I dont come from a family that talked about religion because we are masortiwe are from the Spanish Inquisition and from Baghdad and Egypt; there we did not have the categories hiloni [secular] and dati [religious] at all. We were all Jewish. I come from a very high rabbinical lineage. And yet I do not care about any of the religious things, other than the spiritual depths of humanity. I myself am practicing Buddhist, but what I find in Kabbalah, which Ive been studying for many years, is the depths of wisdom. Thats what I care about: the wisdom, deep humanity, heart-centered human. But I dont have those names in my lifedati, hiloni, la-la-la. Its not where I live.

Because Dina brought up these Jewish labels, can I ask each of you how you identify your lineage in terms of Ashkenazi, Sephardi, or Mizrahi?

Elan: Ashkenazi, secular. But there are so many fissureshow do you say in Hebrew shesayim, so many subcultures.

Ben: Im Sephardi and spiritual.

Dina: DNA: Jewish. My family is Sephardi and Mizrahi. And Im spiritual.

Yuval: I am Jerusalemite. From Jerusalem.

Ayelet: I am Sephardi and definitely spiritual.

Miri: I am Ashkenazi. Its not what I feel; its a fact.

For us Israelis, theres no difference between being Israeli and being Jewish. It blends together. Whereas here in America, you have to work ator consider, or be aware ofthe fact that you are also Jewish besides being American.

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Yoav: I consider myself Israeli. I am mainly Ashkenazi with a little bit of Sephardi, but I consider myself Israeli.

Karin: Im a Yerushalmite, Jerusalemite, but Im also a shiksa-Yerushalmite, which is a whole category of its own. My mom is not Jewish, so when I fill out the forms here in the U.S., Im like, what am I, Middle Eastern? Am I other? Its an interesting question. But definitely I am from Jerusalem.

Rabbi Y.: Im more and more just trying to say that Im a human being lately, but Im also a JewBu [Jewish Buddhist] and a believer. I really appreciate people in this roundtable saying Jerusalemite as opposed to Israeli, because it entails, as Elan was saying, the diversity and the different voices. But I am first and foremost a believer in humanity.

How many of you have kids? I see 10 hands raised: Elan, Etai, Ben, Dina, Tzippi, Miri, Yoav, Karin, Adva, and Ayelet. For those who do have children, how many speak Hebrew to themit doesnt have to be exclusively, but regularly? I see all of you except Yoav and Elan.

Yuval: I dont have kids, but Im raising a kid and I speak regularly with them Hebrew.

I apologize. I should have phrased the question, If you are a parent at all. Thank you.

Now, turning to a different question: Miri and Etai spoke earlier in this conversation about the project or mission of Israel that you were all part of, or were raised with: the idea of what it means to be part of this nation and then to choose not to stay. I heard several Israeli Americans talk in my pre-interviews about the feeling of guilt at leaving Israel. Is there anyone comfortable talking about whether that was ever an emotion that you wrestled with, even if you no longer do?

Adva: Im facing guilt every day when Im talking with my mom or my grandma on the phone because they always give me the Jewish mother guilt of, You took our granddaughters away, or, We have granddaughters or great-granddaughters and we never see them. I think thats always permanent. The fact is that my family is in Israel and they just want to be present and theyre not. So theres always that little pinch, thinking about my kids growing up and not being with my family, when all my family is in Israel. Also were far from any other family because we live in the middle of nowhere in Texas. Other than that, I really dont have any other guilt about leaving and not living there right now.

When I left Israel, it was considered a betrayal, a terrible thing to leave. And I still feel this waynot only because of the family, but because of the country.

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Karin: I wouldnt call it guilt necessarily, or even regret. But there is this emotion that I cant really namemore of a pining, sadness, or sorrowfor my kids not experiencing that type of belonging to a home. I want my kids to grow up in the way I did; I thought Jerusalem was the best city to grow up in. Leaving it was very hard for me. I really wanted my kids to grow up in that same kind of carefree atmosphere. Especially with whats going on now in Israel, it feels very similar to how I felt when I first left: Youre kind of dissociated from the place that you were born in. Its very difficult to reconcile that for me personally. So, its like pining.

Is there anyone who feels like they let down some idea of an important, historic project?

Miri: Totally. Its generational. Im the oldest one in this group and when I left Israel, it was considered a betrayal, a terrible thing to leave. And I still feel this waynot only because of the family, but because of the country. It was so hard to build it. What was important at the beginningthe utopiawas the collective and not your personal career or interests. I feel very guilty, all my life, about the country, not only about the family.

Dina: I am in the generation in between the beginning of the country and the young professionals that came to America. I just want to say that when we left, we promised our parentswe were very young, going to the U.S. to do Ph.D.swe promised our parents to come back. And some of my friends got very angry at us that we left. There was a guilt they put on us, but we didnt really take it on because we came to the U.S. to be educated, and we were thinking we would come back and give our gifts back to Israel. Because Im here in America now for many years, since 1979, there has been very much a wave of the guilt.

Please raise your hand if you went to synagogue while you were living in Israel. I see two: Dina and Rabbi Y. Please raise your hand if you go to a synagogue in the U.S. Im seeing five: Ben, Ayelet, Yoav, Dina, Rabbi Y.

Rabbi Y.: I used to goand still often goto Nava Tehilla and Kehilat Zion in Jerusalem. Both are progressive, inclusive, and have very inspiring female role models. Unfortunately in Israel, theres not enough visibility to women rabbis in general, so that was also important for me. I must say that in neither community is there as much inclusivity to LGBTQ people or singles. This is not to undermine those beautiful communities. Its just really to show, even in the progressive spaces, the lack of visibility and transparency toward the LGBTQ community of Israel.

Generally, since youve been in America, has it been important to you to connect with other Israelis in America? Raise your hand. I see seven: Yoav, Ben, Etai, Tzippi, Elan, Ayelet, and Rabbi Y.

Adva, can I ask why you didnt raise your hand?

The complexities of Israeli society are so huge, so diverse; there are so many different Israels. But I dont think that the average American Jew really understands the intricacies of all these different frictions.

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Israeli Expats in the U.S.: 'I Speak English, but I Don't Speak American' - Tablet Magazine

Editors note: This is the fourth installment of a four-story series focused on the National Transportation Safety Boards investigative hearing that took place in East Palestine June 22 and 23.

EAST PALESTINE The National Transportation Safety Board in-field hearing that was held over two days in the East Palestine gymnasium on June 22 and 23 shined a grim spotlight on the sequences of events that led up to Februarys Norfolk Southern train derailment and those that followed the rail disaster.

The investigative hearing was quartered into four sessions two on each day of the inquiry.

Each session addressed a different element of the disaster, examining the chaos that unfolded in the minutes following the derailment, the conflicting data that led to the intentional chemical release in the days after and the inability of the railroad industry to predict wheel-component failure.

The final session was titled Rail Tank Car Safety and zeroed in on how the cars pressure release devices (PRD) operated during and after the derailment and the condition of the tankers in the crash and fires aftermath.

Kareanne Stegmann of Oxy Vinyl (the company which owned 700,000 pounds of the vinyl chloride which was vented and burned) and Jeremiah Zimmer of Midland Manufacturing (manufacturer of tank car service equipment including PRDs) both testified that the pressure relief valves on all tankers of vinyl chloride were functioning as they should have following the derailment.

The pressure relief devices on all five cars operated as intended, preventing damage to the tanks by relieving the elevated pressures caused by the surrounding fires, Stegmann testified. From our perspective, these tank cars and their associated safety devices exhibited sound mechanical integrity and functioned as designed during the extraordinary circumstances of this incident.

In testimony given in an earlier session, the 70-minute long violent release of pressure on one of the vinyl chloride tank cars followed by no activity on Feb. 4 raised alarms of a possible rupture. Zimmerman said the release was not a sign that the PDR was failing but rather doing its job.

The fact that it opened means the pressure inside the tank reached start-to-discharge and expelled a large quality of fluid from the tank, decreasing the volume and decreasing the pressure, Zimmerman testified. It may have receded and not returned to that start-to-discharge pressure. Thats within its normal function.

However, at least two pressure release valve stems were found to be stuck closed during post-derailment evaluation, and when asked about value stem capability with venting of vinyl chloride, Zimmerman said that Midland Manufacturing does not specify compatibility with certain chemicals.

We can only provide an array of materials and its up to the customer, and ultimately the shipper, before that commodity enters the tank, Zimmerman said, before conceding that several of the valve stems were stuck inside the top guides following the event.

Both Stegmann and Zimmerman went on to testify the vent and burn could have caused the damage to the valves. Earlier testimony suggested the valves may have gummed up.

The NTSB also put overall tank durability under the proverbial microscope specifically DOT 111 tank cars.

First you want to prevent a tragedy, but second you want to minimize the damage and thats what we are talking about stronger tank cars, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy explained.

The vinyl chloride tankers (cars 28, 29, 30, 31 and 55) that were vented and burned were DOT-105Js. According to Randy Keltz, manager of Tank Car Safety Programs for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), none of the vinyl chloride tank cars sustained any mechanically breaching or damage to the vessel itself during the derailment.

Keltz has managed FRAs regulatory oversight and enforcement for railroad tank car safety in the United States since 2015. It was the same year that the FRA and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced the phasing out of the DOT-111 designs which are required to be out of flammable service or retrofitted by 2029. The Rail Safety Act of 2023 would expedite that deadline to 2025.

Fifteen DOT-111s were involved in the East Palestine derailment, including five that were breached. Of the five damaged 111s, three were hauling hazardous materials. Car 36 suffered significant outlet valve damage and the tank head was cracked. That car spilled its entire load of 25,000 gallons of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. Car 50, which was punctured and burned out, also lost its entire contents (30,000 gallons of butyl acrylates) and Car 38 suffered cracks and punctures, leading to the partial loss of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate. Of those three hazardous material cars, only one No. 50 was considered flammable and would have been impacted by the pending phase-out mandate.

When asked by Homendy if the phase-out proposal would consider expanding beyond flammable liquids, William Schoonover, PHMSA associate administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety, said they are contemplating an expansion but it has been put forward to date.

The reason Im asking is because we cant mislead communities after derailments in making proposals that dont directly go to the cause, Homendy said. Were talking one tank car out of 149 cars.

The NTSB is on record of phasing out all DOT 111s in hazmat transportation. Keltz said the FRA would like to see that as well but said it is easier said than done, referring to DOH-111s as 50-year assets and testifying that railroads are hesitant to do so before getting their moneys worth.

I cant disagree. That is a goal we would like to have but we have to do it in a certain manner, because we do have to weigh the costs and benefits, Keltz said. We have to do it in a way thats going to get those regulations through. I would really love for the industry to step up and do it all on their own.

Homendy asked Keltz to weigh a different cost calculation.

What does the department of transportation consider a cost of a life today in your cost analysis? she asked before answering the question herself. Its $9.6 million. Thats what it is. Lives are priceless to us.

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NTSB hearings end with talks on tanker conditions, fire's aftermath - Marietta Times