NY LAW

Al Bermudez Pereira asked:


“Thanks for doing this for my father, He deserves it.”

Perhaps the greatest testament to a father’s impact is for his own children to recognize, later in life, that he is deserving of special recognition.

When Carmine Bermudez, 19, and Al Bermudez, Jr., 27 look at their father, Al Bermudez Pereira, they see a man who always cared deeply for others and wished to see all young men grow into responsible fathers, husbands and citizens.

As a correction officer working at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison in New York (known for housing violent criminals) that Bermudez learned the lessons that made him an exceptional father and leader: “Young people really don’t mind discipline. It actually gives them a sense of security and a firm foundation of personal strength and integrity,” he says.

This philosophy became the foundation for this prison guard to raise his own sons and influence those around him.

Understanding without excuses

Al Bermudez, Sr., came to Florida to visit relatives and fell in love with the warm weather and the rural beauty of the outskirts of Sanford, where he still lives. It was a stark contrast to the urban environment where he was born and raised in New York.

Bermudez’s experiences as a youth in Brooklyn fostered his interest in law enforcement. It was at Sing Sing that he realized the impact that one man can have on the lives of others–and the multiplying affect kindness and cruelty have on humanity.

“I had many sits downs and held endless conversations with young people incarcerated, some serving 10 to 100 years in prison,” Bermudez says today. “Many blamed their unfortunate circumstances on absent parents, single parents working long hour days, no supervision and homes without fathers.”

In listening to them without excusing their choices, Bermudez found the inspiration to instill discipline and self-reliance in his own sons. Having “seen young men in prison go astray, he made it clear that my brother and I would not,” says Al Bermudez, Jr. His brother, Carmine, agrees, and says that, although “his odds were more against him,” his father instilled in his sons the importance of being honest and patient so that they might become leaders, not followers.

As a father, Bermudez himself was this kind of leader. As Al Bermudez, Jr., says, “a man who never had a father did a great job being one.”

Sing-Sing State State Prison: One Day, One Lifetime

Now that his boys are grown, Bermudez has found a way to continue serving as an example. As the author of Sing-Sing State Prison: One Day, One Lifetime, he shares both the psychological toll and the positive effects of working in such an environment.

Recognizing the level of bravery and professionalism required by those responsible for antisocial inmates, he coveys the impact of the experience.

In essence, the man he is today is the result of the men he knew at Sing Sing. “Prison actually helped me to perfect those imperfections I didn’t know existed within me as a parent,” Bermudez explains. “I couldn’t help but absorb these unfortunate stories and positively implement them in my own personal life.” Yet Bermudez emphasizes that “we can’t save everyone from life’s temptations.”

Maybe not everyone–but this father guided one young man at a time. starting with his own sons.*

Central Florida

City of Lakes Lifestyle Magazine.

Sharon Boeckle, Editing Manager, June 2007



Jon

Bilal Sarwari asked:




Awards of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry

The deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has been awarded by Doctors for Democracy (DD) and Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) on Sunday for his struggle regarding supremacy of law and constitution in Pakistan.

Earlier, Justice Iftikhar was accorded a war welcome by the participants on his arrival to the conference. 

Addressing the participants, head of DD Majid Chaudhry and APPNA President Arshad Bagu paid tribute to the deposed chief justice for his struggle about restoration of judiciary. 

They were of the view that Justice Chuadhry was sacked because he was redressing the complaints of oppressed and vulnerable sections of the society. 

Speaking on this occasion, deposed CJP spokesman Athar Minallah dispelled the impression that movement had weakened. He said that justice Itikhar was being accused of doing politics. 

“If the struggle of supremacy of constitution and restoration of free judiciary is politics then lawyers will continue to do such politics,” he vowed.

“Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has been nominated for the Nobel Prize”, said SCBA President, Aitzaz Ahsan, which, he added, was a great honour not only for him but for the entire country.

The SCBA President said that the entire world had acknowledged the services of desposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry for the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

Besides this, the “Medal of Freedom” has been conferred on him by one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Harvard, which is an honour bestowed only on two other persons before him – South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and Thurgood Marshal – in the over–two hundred year history of the university. He added that the New York Bar, the world’s largest bar, had also awarded a lifetime honorary membership to the desposed CJP in recognition of his services to the rule of law.

He said that it was cruel irony that at a time when the world was acknowledging the deposed CJP’s services and showering honours and laurels on him, he was kept non–functional in his own country by two successive governments.

Some other awards he got



Doctors’ associations give awards to deposed CJP.

Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in New York



Tribute paid to Justice Iftikhar at NY bar ceremony



CJP Iftikhar to get honourary membership of NY Bar

CJP Iftikhar nominated for Nobel Prize

Pakistan Chief Justice becomes Lawyer of the Year 2007

The National Law Journal The Lawyer of the Year





Clarence

owomero stanley asked:


INTRODUCTION

When general Yakubu Gowon established the NYSC by the decree 24 of May 1973, its primary aim was to promote the ideals of national unity and a sense of common destiny among Nigeria and eliminate mental suspicion and mistrust that has been engendered by the civil war, however it is high time the scheme had a face-lift, if not a new face in its entirety, with calls from different quotas on the president or who ever is in charge to to evaluate/audit the scheme, the president  has promised an overhauling of the scheme, in my own opinion I think the overhauling should be that which will involve the real  stakeholders in the business of NYSC, that will involve corp members, both serving and past, parents, educationist and community leaders, traditional rullers and employers of labour. In this meeting the NYSC’s objective should be examined critically and rephrased. Wordy of mention is the set and existing objectives which are



promote unity and national integration

raise the moral tone of the youths by exposing them to higher ideals of national building

promote even national economic development/mobility of labour into less developed areas

encourage employers to employ Nigerians irrespective of their background or ethnic group



having considered all this it will be of great benefit, if we examine how the scheme has performed/fared since its establishment.

 

NYSC IN RELATION TO NATIONAL SERVICE IN OTHER COUNTRIES

Nigeria – Service of one year in the National Youth Service Corps is compulsory for all university and polytechnic graduates below the age of 30, with exemptions for service in the armed forces, police and graduation with honors. 85,000 were enlisted in 1998/99. The program was founded in 1973 following the civil war to promote inter-ethnic group understanding by serving outside their home states and to contribute to the country’s development. 70% of corps members serve in schools; health clinics and other projects absorb the balance. One day each week all corps members are expected to participate in community service projects that are designed by the local communities where they serve.

Looking at the scheme in Nigeria, let’s consider what it looks like in other countries first are those in which it is mandatory for youth with certain qualities will participate, then those that require voluntary participation.

Programs in which certain categories of young people are required to participate:

 

Israel - A nearly universal military National service exists, and has been an important social welfare institution as well as defence force since the country was established (exemptions for ultra-orthodox Jews and for Israeli Arabs and religious women who serve in alternative service programs). Men serve for three years; women for two years. Government will establish a pilot for a non-military national service program for any Israeli who is exempted from military service for any reason (May2000) to address inequities in who serves in the IDF, e.g., Arab-Israelis are 20% of population. National service opportunities also exist through the Kibbutz movement and several Israeli Youth  movements, although participation in these programs does not replace military service. Current military force averages 500,000 out of total population of 6 m.

 

Mexico – All university students must participate in the University Servicie Social program in the last third of their academic programs to receive their degrees. This program was established by law in 1944 to apply the resources of universities to the National goal of eliminating poverty. All medically trained professionals must serve in disadvantaged communities for one year before they can be licensed. In 1996 conscripts were given the option of either serving in the army or in one of three national service programs involving adult literacy, social work and sports promotion. NGOs and

government youth organisations also organise youth service projects. youth defined as 12-24 years old, 28% of population of 98.1 m. Second national youth Development Conference Our Future Now – empowering young people through youth development Workshop Stream International Perspectives

 

Egypt – A national service program exists for young female secondary school graduates to serve as the military equivalent of military service for young men. In principle, women must fulfill their nationa service before they can be employed in the public sector. Women serve for six months, typically in a literacy center as part of the government’s literacy campaign. Non-governmental organisations such as Scouts and Guides and NGO-run programs in urban and rural areas involve youth in community service.

 

Programs in which participation is voluntary:

 

China – Chinese Young Volunteers Program sponsored and largely funded by Communist youth League; established in 1994; operated through a national network of provincial and local associations; 72.4 m participants in CYVP (460 m 14-35 year olds, 38% of total population); typical participant is a 19-25 year old student or worker who volunteers once a month for several hours during weekends and holidays (youth survey revealed that majority believe 80 hrs/year is right amount of time; survey also reveals that youth think the main beneficiaries should be handicapped people and lonely elders); CYVP is able to mobilise large numbers of participants for events such as Beijing Women’s conference, national games or rescue and disaster relief; highest motivation factors are helping others; lowest were to gain power and prestige and to respond to the call from government

 

USA - Government supports multiple youth service programs through the Corporation for national Service: service learning in schools and higher education institutions involving several million students; programs run by community-based organisations; and full and part-time service corps (AmeriCorps) for 50,000 people each year who are 17 or older. The annual Congressional appropriation has averaged $600m for the past 3 years. CNS also supports 500,000 senior citizens in service projects. Authority for running projects is largely devolved to states, and delivered through grants to public and non-profit organisations. Projects are focused on efforts to address education, environmental, public safety and a wide range of human service needs. In addition to programs supported by CNS, many non-profit organisations organise youth service programs.

 

UK - Government provides overall policy regarding the voluntary sector, including youth  service; funding for youth service programs is provided through several government departments (Homeb Office, DfEE, and DCMMS); DfEE has responsibility for two government-sponsored programs – Millenium Volunteers (MV)(1998) and European Voluntary Service. Voluntary sector agencies, which pre-date recent government initiative in youth service, deliver programs within the framework set out by government and in partnership with government. MV participants serve a minimum of 100hours. Size at full operation is projected to be 150,000 participants/year in England and smaller numbers in other home countries. DfEE has also introduced a new school curriculum, which will require citizenship education for all children over age 11 by 2001. Funds from the national Lottery support the Millenium Awards Scheme, which supports individual social entrepreneurs through a competitive process. Private sector support for youth service is significant.

 

Kenya – The national youth Service is a voluntary program for 2000 unemployed high school graduates each year, ages 18 – 22, who serve for 2-3 years on projects that address national development needs and contribute to the personal and professional development of the participants. (In the current year there were no new participants due to lack of funds.) Non-governmental youth service programs also exist such as Kenyan Scouts and several that target youth in vulnerable areas such as rural communities and urban slums.

 

South Africa – A white paper calling for the establishment of a voluntary national youth service(NYS) was developed by the national youth Commission in 1999 and sent to Cabinet for approval. If approved the NYS will develop programs to engage unemployed youth, university and technik on students, and youth involved with the criminal justice system. Five pilot projects will be launched in

Second national youth Development Conference Our Future Now – empowering young people through youth development Workshop Stream International Perspectives

2000 and provide the foundation for expansion to a national program. Government policy and funding incentives have created pressure for higher education institutions to respond to community development needs by engaging students and faculty with the work of NGOs and CBOs. In 1998 government required all medical school graduates to spend a compulsory year serving in disadvantaged communities. In 1995 the unemployment figure for young men and women was 23%, not including students. 16.2 m youth 14-35, 39% of total population

 

Costa Rica - The government requires all medically trained professionals to serve one year in the Servicio Social program serving disadvantaged populations in urban and rural areas. A newly implemented government policy requires community service programs in all high schools, although there is no requirement that the service must be related to the curriculum. The University of Costa Rica requires all students to perform community service work in relation to their academic studies. Several NGOs are developing community-based service programs with disadvantaged youth.

 

UNIVERSAL BASIC EDUCATION SCHEME

Summary of the act for UBE

As contained in the official Reference of the Federal Republic of Nigeria  Gazette (2004), the act provides for compulsory universal basic education and stipulates penalties for parents who fail to comply with the provision. On the issue of relevance of the school curriculum to the society Ehindero (2000) Adesina (2000) have raised doubts as it has been observed that there is a growing rate of poverty which is an indicator of problems in the system. It was therefore suggested that it should be so structured that each individual will be equipped to perform some six life roles e.g. role as an individual, as a producer, citizen, national consumer and as a family member. As far as the provision of human and material resources are concerned, Adebimpe (2001) opined that for the UBEto succeed, adequate provision should be made to produce sufficient qualified teachers and make them relevant within the limit of their area of specialization. Salaries need to be paid as at when due because it serves as a motivation factor towards productivity.

 

INCORPORATING UBE INTO THE NYSC SCHEME

What is UBE

First it will be of great import to examine what UBE stands for, its objectives and general framework, the fundamental principle of UBE in Nigeria is that everybody must have access to equivalent education comprehensively and co-educationally. The concept of the Universal Primary Education (UPE) introduced in 1976. (6 years education) was to change into Basic education (9 years education) twenty three years later. Basic education is not completely new but its meaning has been broadened after the World

Declaration on Education for All (EFA),and the Framework for Action to meet Basic learning needs.  President Olusegun Obasanjo formally launched the UBE in Nigeria on 30th September, 1999. The programme is intended to be universal, free, and compulsory. Since the introduction of western education in 1842 (Eya, 2000), regions, states, and federal governments in Nigeria have shown a keen interest in education. The goal of all these programmes is providing functional, universal, and quality education for all Nigerians irrespective of age, sex, race, religion, occupation, or location.

UBE is broader than UPE, which focused only on providing educational opportunities to primary school age children. UBE stresses the inclusion of girls and women and a number of underserved groups: the poor, street and working children, rural and remote populations, nomads, migrant workers, indigenous peoples, minorities, refugees, and the disabled. The formal educational system is only one of six components included in basic education in the implementation guidelines of the Federal Government. Others relate to early childhood, literacy and life skills for adults, nomadic population, and non-formal education or apprenticeship training for youth outside the formal education system (Nigeria 2000).

Education has remained a social process in capacity building and maintenance of society for decades. It is a weapon for acquiring skills, relevant knowledge and habits for surviving in the changing world. Invariably, the major problem identified in the Nigerian UBE system lies in the automatic promotion, that is, 100% promotion and  transition for 9years. This indeed is a mockery of any form of evaluation done at this level and is bound to reflect on the standard of education in no distant future  Goals of UBE The objectives of the programme as specified in the implementation guideline by

government in 1999 are as follows:



Developing in the entire citizenry, a strong conscientiousness for education and a strong commitment to its vigorous promotion

Provision of free Universal Basic Education for every Nigerian child of school going age

Reducing drastically the incidence of drop out from the formal school system

Catering for young persons, their schooling as well as other out of school children or adolescent through appropriate form of complementary approaches to the provision of UBE



- Ensuring the acquisition of appropriate levels of literacy, numeracy, manipulative communicative and life skills as well as the ethical, moral and civic values needed for laying a solid foundation for the life long living.

Going by the research published by ADenola Adepoju  and Anne Fabiyi  the Problem is the universal access to education has been prime target for Nigeria in the last four decades and Nigeria is a signatory of World Declarations on  education for All. Igwe (2006) reported that the United Nations Organization (UNO), article 26 on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in part that everyone has the right to  education, and this shall be free in elementary and primary stages. So, both at the national and international levels, Nigeria is committed to the provision of basic education to all its citizens. Many attempts have been made in this direction but no appreciable positive results have been recorded. The problem of implementation continues to be a perennial problem to the fulfilment of a constitutional and social obligation to make access possible to all.   They also concluded in there research that   The cost of education has been reported to be on the increase yearly and in spite of increase in budgetary allocation for implementation of educational policies, the funds are still not adequate. In order to support government the new policy advocated for sharing the burden of funding with other stakeholders. The local community is expected to be mobilized to provide for needed infrastructure. In this research, principals/managers of schools assessed the community’s level of involvement to be very low. The lack of commitment and general apathy towards the course of a successful implementation of the UBE has been a problem. A survey research conducted by Ker and Okwori revealed that the participation of individuals, private and the three tiers of government was found to be the best option for funding and managing UBE schools.  Massive provision of teaching and learning facilities and improvement of existing ones will enhance programme implementation. The use of other facilities that enhance communication and productivity is also a mark of good performance. Falayajo, Makoju, Gladys, Okebukola, Onugha and Olubade (1997) had assessed the learning achievement of primary four pupils in Nigeria and discovered that this has not improved. Almost ten years after their research, this research also reveals that teachers, performance is rated as low, as their students achievements.  The principals observed that the use of computers is only limited to computer awareness and literacy to a large extent. Computer use for application was not emphasized. The use of computers should not be limited to teaching and learning but for school administration. Askar et al (2006) noted that computers in Turkish primary schools have become widely used in administrative work and that in fact, information technology has entered the life of teachers. Government policy on enforcing attendance at the UB programme has not been implemented as majority of parents are still involved in keeping their children and wards behind.  This research reveals that only a small group (17.8%) of respondents agreed that government was taking care of all their school needs whereas majority (82.2%) claim that their parents were largely involved in funding their school expenses. Adesina (2004) noted that private establishments, communities and individual parents must be called upon to fund UBE He cautioned that it was wrong and misleading propaganda that education can be obtained absolutely free as the actual experience on the field has shown that such propaganda is more of a political gimmick than a statement of good intention.  It was observed that the greater the stake in any venture, the greater the interest and commitment of the stake holders in that venture. An enabling law to compel parents to leave no child behind should be enforced. Other practical steps that could be taken to move UBE forward in Nigeria is to give national recognition to individual private organization and local communities who have contributed by way of commitment and financial backing to the ideals of the programme.

 

THE NEED FOR INTEGRATING NYSC INTO UBE

I think the primary purpose for setting up the NYSC scheme has been achieved long ago except we want to shy away from the truth, Nigerian now are united more than ever any crisis that is on now is not as a result of ethnic neither is it as a result of religious purpose, but its just a selfish nature of our politicians who are supposed to be the leaders, this is own to the fact that Nigerian youth even pick up employment, marry and even settle-down in there state of deployment during NYSC, even we now have NYSC club and an Alumni congregation has been instituted,

Even it was stated in (nigerianouline.com) that NYSC has it’s multiplier effect which are

The achievements of the scheme which are both tangible and intangible, are many, and they touch all known spheres of human endeavour. The scheme has over the years allowed for the regular and effective distribution of skilled manpower, the steady breaking of social and cultural barriers as well as the building of friendly bridges across the nation.

It has also promoted higher values of national unity and development, rekindled interest in neglected but vital areas of national development like agriculture, and promoted leadership qualities in our youths. In these and other ways, the scheme constantly pricks the conscience of the nation to the right course of development, thereby keeping the hope alive for a better Nigeria.

The regular invita tion of members of the Corps to participate in the conduct of such sensitive national assignments as Population Census, Elections, etc. and to provide material for the Technical Aid Corps (TAC), is not only an expression of faith in the ability of the scheme, but also an appreciation of its monumental achievements since its inception in 1973. The positive multiplier effects of these achievements on society are worthy of further examination, taking, for instance, the deployemnt of corps members.

From its humble beginning of about 2,000 corps members in 1973, it has rapidly grown to the staggering annual figure of 85,000 corps members in 1999. This phenomenal growth, apart from ensuring that the presence of the scheme is felt in all nooks and crannies of the Federation, also allows for the even distribution of manpower in the best interest of the country.

this shows the extent of its success but the problem of NYSC has to do with the implementation and management of the scheme, the following has been observed



under funding of the scheme by relevant bodies

welfare of corpers are not taking into consideration

corp’s member are just undergoing the scheme for selfish reasons (DISPATCH letter)

that there has been irregularities in the posting pattern of corp member especially PPA

corpers end up doing nothing because they are not been utilize in there field of studies.



The problem elisted above are a function of the refusal of the federal government to oblirge to the call of Nigerians to revitalize or evaluate the scheme for a greater height, first the aspect of funding the scheme is under unded this led to it having problem in the mobilization of 2007/2008 batch B corp members, although the federal Government under the leadership of president umaru yar’adua waded in and it was able to mobilize  graduates that are ready to serve that year. Because Nigerian universities and polytechnics turns out over 100,000 graduates ona yearly basis, and as we all know that the Scheme started with just about 2,000 graduates, this means that the scheme has grown fromits former state, it population expanded , its ideal broadened and the need for its objectives to be strengthen can not be over emphasized.

The aspect of welfare of corp member is of great concern too, but welfarism is a function of funding, for an institution not to be well funded I wonder how it will be able to carry-out the task of welfare of corp members, corp, member has frowned about the monthly allowance being paid them, because to you relocate a corp member from Mshin in Lagos to Meiduguri in Borno state theb you can imagine a graduate trying yo cope with 9,750 naira, “although it is still part of the training” the say, as for myself I was relocated from Bariga, in Lagos to Machina, in Yobe State. With no other benefits except that of the federal allowance, I think part of the overhauling that needs to be carried out should incorporated the upward review of corp’s members allowance.

As for the selfishness of corp member , just undergoing the Scheme in other for them to get their dispatch certificate for job purposes should be changed in other words, these NYSC scheme should be seen as giving back a little to what your country has done for you, because it seems as if it is just a ritual that all graduate must observe and so we all go/went for it, don’t forget this notion that “ do not think of what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”, because truly truly if we look at it people will say that in Nigeria you are on your own, there is little or no Government impact on the life of its citizen and as such what are you serving the nation for, this notion should be corrected government or no government, it is important to serve your nation and the government and the institution should embark on massive campaign against that notion because it is causing damage to the scheme because corp’s member do not put in there best because of this reason.

The most important of all is the aspect of irregularities inposting of corp members to there various state and most importantly there respective local government, some corp members are posted to the urban centres whole others are posted to the rural areas, of all the cardinal objectives of the NYSC which are as listed in (Nigeria.com)



Elimination of ignorance

Regular source of income

Leadership traing

National consciousness

Socio-economic development

Education

Health

Rural development



The  rural development is of great importance and it deserve to be giving great attention because they are the once that need the Corp members the most owing to the fact that the concept of rural urban migration is a function of the uneven distribution of Socal infrastructure, such as education, road , electricity etc. now the corp members are ready made tools that could be used to bridge the Gap because they bring modernization to these areas a vivid example is that community tends to provide good housing units for corp members, electricity and even telecommunication network , I now of Fika Camp in Yobe state, whereby Celtel, MTN, and Glo Mobile Network came to be as a result of the site of the orientation camp in that village, and also corpers establish restaurant, bring in different electronic gadget and other modern facilities to mention a few to that area. Consequently, majority of the rural people have been poor and starved of social

amenities and they will need to be trained if these facilities are to be provided to the community, example of Machina local government where very few of the indigene are computer literate and can even use the internet not until corpers are posted to those areas and they started using all these facilities and involve the community in a training program before they could be able to use the computers. This program was taken by myself in the area of community development services not just for the villagers but also for corp members, it was also gathered from (Nigeria.com) that while all these have the effect of enhancing socio-economic and political activities, the scheme’s venture into agriculture since 1984 deserves special notice. It should be recalled that by this time, agriculture had already become a very neglected area of our national life. Consequently, a food crisis was imminent and it was mainly to avert it that the scheme found it necessary to go into  farming, and it paid off. Soon after its agricultural venture, more attention began to be paid to this sub sector with all the seriousness it deserves.  

So if all corp members are posted to the interior parts of the country to serve then this development of the rural area that we all long for will be achieved.

On the aspect of the underutilization and/or non-utilization of corp members has been a lingering problem, in establishment corp members are not been utilized properly and are turned to those that can be used as clerical staffs, in the place where that services are needed they are overstressed and overworked with little pay, because they regard them are cheap labour, and they are not entrusted with real duties.

In other part corps members are assigned task that have nothing to do with there training and are regarded as redundant fellows because they have little or nothing to do in such department, this amounting to corpers not acquiring any experience during there service tear regarding it as a share waste of time and as such not contributing to national development.

Also of importance is the special preference giving to medical doctors in terms there accommodation , special allowances and so on, while others such as engineers, lawyers, accountant are treated as ordinary, this on its own brings to bear the fact that there is an uneven appreciation of corps members services in a community.

 

NYSC OBJECTIVES AS REGARDS UBE AND OTHERS SHOULD BE



Transformation of Education Strengthening Civil Society and Social Responsibility

Productivity and Development of Youth Participant Economic Development, Social Development and Poverty Elimination

Cultural and Political Integration



The mode of posting and utilization of corp members should be



all prospective corp member should be posted to the rural area,



 People will say what about areas like Lagos where everywhere has been urbanize, I tell them too that areas like Igbogbo, Imota, Ibeche, Obadore and others in Epe needs corp members to serve in the community. If all corp members know that there colleague is also in a rural area serving then he/she knows that we are in it together, and the need to be sober when you receive your posting letter will not arise, it will also reduce corruption in NYSC, because people with connection to people in high places do find there way to major city in Nigeria.

2. since the UBE is facing a lot of problem in terms of manpower and other infrastructure then all corpers should be made to teach in schools except doctors which will be posted to hospitals in the rural areas, I believe if doctors are posted to the rural areas they will also bring development in terms of medical facilities to that area by them demanding from the relevant authority, instead of posting them to local government secretariat where they will be doing nothing. Every Nigerian graduate should be able to teach in secondary school and when the need arises primary school.

By this the aim of NYSC in to forestall National unity, cultural accumulation, social development, political integration and basic education will be achieved. Because the rural area will be a great beneficiary of the Scheme. Prior to UBE, curricula were rigid and inflexible, focusing on formal education at the expense of technical, vocational and pre-vocational skills. Technical equipment was imported and distributed to secondary schools to facilitate training in technology, but few technicians were available to operate it. In some cases, communities were unable to provide an environment that was conducive to achieving proficiency in operating the machines. Specifically, the curriculum was faced with problems such as

:• inflexibility;

• non-availability of funds for the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NERDC) to review education on a regular basis;

• limited capacity-building for curriculum experts;

• inability to respond to the need of the immediate environment.

In this regard corp’s member can  fill-in  in this regards and handle those equipment better, because of there vast experience and exposure in these areas.

 



David

damey asked:




A sudden end to the relationship of marriage leading to divorce can be a painful for any couple, but it brings more disaster for celebrities, as it is not only their personal life that gets affected by such an unfortunate development in their life, but their professional life also gets severely affected. The celebrities are constantly being watched by the public, any development in their life is closely followed by their fans and supporters. People tend to have an opinion about not only their professional capabilities, but also on their personal relationship. A celebrity divorce lawyer deals with their divorce in the most efficient manner minimizing the damage to their professional and personal life.

Getting a divorce is a complicated issue. The process gets even more complicated because of the fact that the legal provisions in this regard differ from one state to another. Considering the various issues that require to be settled in such cases, like minimizing the damage to the celebrity status of their clients, who are always under the probing eyes of public and media, the settlement aspects, maintenance allowance, compensation, future relationship with their children, etc, it is advisable to to seek the help from thoroughly competent celebrity divorce lawyer to give appropriate advice at every stage in the process. Sometimes, the case requires clever applications of legal provisions, and therefore the importance of a reputed celebrity divorce lawyer can not be overemphasized.

There are a number of issues that need to be taken care of in a divorce case. Right from various money-related matters, alimony to custody of child, and various related matters, a celebrity divorce lawyer advices you on the right approach to follow at every stage of the divorce trial. He has the expertise to deal with the most important issue of his client’s name not getting spoiled in the entire process of trial. He takes extra care in keeping the scandalous issues under the carpet, or if at all they are to be raised, then handle them in such a way as to not convey a negative image about the celebrity they are handling. It is also his responsibility that his clients do not suffer from the excess of media glare during the process.

Most law firms in US have a team of experienced divorce lawyers on their payroll, who can be approached by any celebrity with the confidence that their cases will be handled by the most competent team of  Celebrity divorce lawyer. These lawyers work with utmost discretion and have vast experience in handling high profile cases. They are also well versed in interaction with media deal with the publicity that such cases are bound to create among public. Though they charge much more than a divorce lawyer who does not have experience dealing with such cases, yet the premium in their consultation fee they charge is justified in view of the efficiency with which they handle matters which are very important for the public image of the celebrities. The nature and trend of divorce and remarriage among celebrities speaks volumes about the effectiveness and capabilities of these celebrity divorce lawyers.



Greg Stone

Martha Chan asked:


Hope. It’s what gets us out of the bed in the morning and keeps us putting one foot in front of the other. But for those going through divorce, hope can be elusive.

We’d like to share our personal tips for a successful marriage and hope that they can help you with your relationship. Here they are:

As the owners of Divorce Magazine, we want you to know that hope for a happier future after divorce is possible. One year after my (Dan’s) divorce, I launched Divorce Magazine and www.DivorceMagazine.com to help provide useful information to people going through a divorce and New Jersey divorce law. Then, two years later, I remarried. In 2007, we celebrated our10th wedding anniversary.

We’d like to share our personal tips for a successful marriage and hope that they can help you with your relationship. Here they are:

1. Spend time together. “Work and play together, with each other, and with your kids, no matter how busy you are,” says Dan.

2. Don’t be afraid to also spend time apart. “We all need our space,” says Martha an experienced family lawyer New York. “When Dan and I spend time apart it doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.” Spend time with your girl or guy friends, she suggests. “Don’t hesitate to do activities or sports you love on your own, if your spouse is not into the same thing.”

3. Be supportive of your spouse. “Support each other in whatever it is that interests you,” advises Martha. “Make your spouse a proud mother or father, help them be successful in their career, and support their family and hobbies.” (Martha and Dan, for instance, are activists for the same non profit organization — The Hunger Project.)

4. Begin from a place of trust. “Never question your spouse’s intention,” stresses Dan. “They may do things that ‘appear’ to be wrong or hurtful, but if you start by knowing they have good intentions, the rest will take care of itself.”

5. Communicate. “Tell each other what works, and what doesn’t work,” suggests Martha. “Don’t save it all up and then blow up.” And be sure to tell them regularly that you love them, she urges. “Just tell them!”

6. Appreciate life — and one another. “Don’t take each other for granted,” advises Dan. “And don’t take your relationship for granted, either. Learn the art of appreciation. It will do wonders for your relationship and your life.”

7. Celebrate your accomplishments, individually, and as a couple. “And celebrate your children’s accomplishments, too, together as a family,” says Martha.

Since 1996, Divorce Magazine and DivorceMagazine.com have proudly produced the industry’s only divorce magazine and Google’s top-ranked divorce website. Developed to inform, educate, and support divorcing people with divorce-related articles, news, exclusive interviews, and helpful resources, the website and magazine are regionalized to serve divorcing people in their own areas. The magazine offers six local editions throughout North America, while surfers can choose any U.S. state or Canadian province to learn more about the divorce process and resources available in their area.

Dan Couvrette is the founder and CEO of Divorce Magazine and www.DivorceMagazine.com

Martha Chan is the V.P. Marketing of Divorce Magazine and www.DivorceMagazine.com



Christopher

Jeff Stats asked:


Rising public concern about drug use in the late 1980’s was called a drug “panic” or “scare”. This phenomenon has not been born over night but rather has been building up throughout the 1980s, and finally exploded in the late 1985 and early in 1986. The special public concern was targeted on cocaine, more specifically, crack, a cocaine derivative. Drug use in general became a crucial social problem of the decade. For a number of reasons which will be discussed later drug use, abuse, and exploitation became as apparent as never before. In this very decade the drug issue has occupied million’s of minds and emerged as a huge social problem. During those times the concept “tougher on crimes” became widely used in society for the reasons of drug frenzy in the country, the government intentions were to establish such harsh laws which would scare criminals and make them think twice before committing a crime, of using or selling drugs.

The reasons behind the craze over drug use were numerous and at times unobvious. Something began happening in first year of the decade of the 1980s, public tolerance of the use of illegal drug use declined, the belief that the use of drugs is harmful increased, convictions that possessing or selling illegal drugs should be decriminalized or legalized declined, even the use of the drugs declined. In 1980s America experienced enormous increase in public concern about drug use and abuse. In the middle of this decade crack or potent crystalline form of cocaine, was practically an unknown drug in the United States and by late 1985, it was broadly used in urban areas. The appearing suddenness of crack’s widespread use and the degree to which it has been used in some neighborhoods made the crack story popular among news reporters and gave the public the notion that a huge drug crisis has exploded overnight. In reality drugs mainly were used in certain neighborhoods in big cities such as NY, Los Angeles and Chicago. Thus, it was not simply the greater threat than new patterns of crack use posed but the unknown drug and the thorough news coverage which gave up rise to this problem and made a major social concern out of it.

Another episode that caused tougher sentencing predominantly associated with drug use was caused by the death of famous athletes. In June 1986, hardly a week apart, two popular young athletes died of a cocaine overdose. On June 19, University of Maryland basketball forward Len Bias, and on June 27, Cleveland Browns’ defensive back Don Rogers. One of the major reasons why Bias’ death was so much talked about is the proximity of Maryland to the Capitol where decisions on crime policies are taken. Country such as the United States, that praises sports figures would be treating the death of their athletes not only as a tragedy, but also will consider this death as a basic and common for the society as a whole. In the case of mid 80s that was a certain thing, which was generously discussed in all media channels creating more noise around it than it fairly should.

It is obvious that all spheres of social life are greatly affected by the politicians and often by their personal interests. The elections of 1986 probably should be regarded as a source of rising concern about the drug issue. Although we cannot claim that there is a straight relationship between public concern and attention by politicians to a given issue, it is clear that when politicians sense that public concern about and interest in a certain topic (drugs in our case) growing, they will most certainly exploit this issue in their interest. With the media talking about the issue and famous dying athletes, Congress once it started talking about it, realized that all the same things were heard from everywhere and the problem existed or at least was apparent to all. So, clearly when the government became involved in the issue and Nancy Regan began making speeches stressing the anti-drug theme with “Just say no” slogan society was even more stimulated and awaited some concrete moves from the senators.

The entire drug matter and other social problems such as firearms offences required some strict decisions being made on the subject of criminal responsibility for those crimes. The minimum mandatory sentences were to solve the problem of drug abuse and impose tougher punishment. Initially the federal government had forced mandatory minimum sentences with the Narcotic Control Act of 1956 but had turned away from such laws by 1970, when it found that the increased sentences had not resulted in the expected overall reduction in drug law violations. States on the other hand began implementing mandatory minimums on their own; such New York began the trend in 1973 when it passed the Rockefeller Drug Laws requiring 15-year prison sentences for possession or sales of small amounts of narcotics. Michigan followed in 1978 with the enactment of the “650 lifer law,” requiring life imprisonment for possession, sale or conspiracy to sell or possess 650 grams (about 1.25 pounds) of cocaine or heroin. By year 1983, 49 of the 50 states had passed some mandatory minimum provisions, usually adding them little by little, instead of major changes. The federal government started reforming its sentencing stipulations in the 1980s in the light pf problems described above, primarily by setting up a system of sentencing guidelines trying to create more uniformity in the sentences given out by judges. Afterwards it intended to impose mandatory minimums, mostly for drug-related offenses.

The United States Sentencing Commission, established by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, created a system of guidelines designed to limit judges’ discretion in sentencing and to create more uniformity and proportionality in the sentences. Another Drug Abuse Act was passed by the Congress in 1986 in response to criticism of indeterminate, or undefined, sentencing and also about concerns on the perceived link between moderate penalties for drug offenders and increases in violent crime and drug abuse. Under the law, drug linchpins received sentences of at least ten years for a first offense and twenty years for a second. Mid-level dealers and managers face five and ten years for first and second offenses, respectively. In 1988 Congress extended mandatory minimums to reach conspirators in the drug deals as well as principals, thus ensuring that minimum penalties would apply with equal force to secondary players found guilty of conspiracy.

Obviously those drug related acts passed by the government were the answer to the ever rising concerns of the society in the decade of 1980’s. Although drugs were always a big problem, the situation began to look out of control because of various factors and to calm down the hysterical mood, those strict and as seemed at that time “just” laws were ratified. The history showed however that there was almost no effect brought by the mandatory minimums and adopted sentences, except of confusing laws which are judging everybody under same conditions.



Tamara

Jay Peters asked:


People with credit problems often ask me when it comes to improving their credit score whether they should hire a credit repair company or do it themselves? Unfortunately, there is no simple or universal answer to this question. However, I will shed some light on the subject if you’re in need of a little enlightenment.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “Everything a credit repair clinic can do for you legally you can do for yourself at little or no cost”. While I agree with the FTC I also understand some consumers do not have the time, patience (or knowledge) to do the work themselves and the thought of “drive-thru-we-do-it-all-for-you-credit-repair” becomes very appealing. After all, everything a mobile oil change service can do for me I can also do myself at little or no cost (but you won’t find me changing the oil in my car this weekend!).

Although some things are better done yourself, only you can determine if doing your own credit restoration work will be one of them. This is why understanding both the advantages and limitations of a credit repair company and the structure from which it operates are VERY important.

REFERENCES: Any legitimate company or individual doing credit restoration work for consumers will be able to provide you with at least half a dozen references. If the company or person is local you should be able to call these references. This is without question the most important point of consideration when hiring a professional to do the work for you.

If possible, I suggest you ask friends, family, relatives and professional contacts if they know of someone who does credit restoration work as a side business. By far the highest percentage of successful stories I hear from consumers are those which come from those who found a credit consultant via personal referral. I cannot stress this enough. It’s the difference between going on a vacation with a close friend instead of a stranger.

CONTRACT: Unlike painting a house or putting in a driveway, credit restoration work (and results) are extremely broad. Therefore, the use of a contract is imperative. Most likely your credit challenges didn’t occur overnight and they won’t be improved overnight either. A good contract protects you as well as the service provider. The contract should be easy to understand without an Attorney and spell out the actual services which will be rendered as well as the service providers’ limitations (i.e. they cannot guarantee the removal of any one particular item but can guarantee an overall increase in score overtime).

MONTHLY FEE: One of the most critical elements which affects “how” a credit restoration company operates is determined by its’ payment structure. One of the most common payment structures of large companies or law firms doing credit restoration is that of the monthly “auto-debit” fee. In this structure the consumer usually pays $49 to $99 up front and then a monthly fee of $39 to $49 per month. While there is an advantage to this method (affordability) with it comes many disadvantages.

1.) The first disadvantage this structure creates is that it gives the company absolutely no incentive to work quickly or aggressively on behalf of the consumer. In fact, the opposite is true. The longer they take the longer they will continue to collect their monthly fee! In most cases this structure leads to slow results over a very long period of time. Looking at it logically, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

2.) The other challenge within this structure is the actual amount of time, effort and resources which a company or law firm can reasonably allocate on a consumer’s behalf. Remember, any large business has a tremendous amount of overhead which quickly chews up most of that monthly fee. Out of that $39 to $49 there are monthly expenses including but not limited to: Advertising, Office Rent and Utilities, Employee Payroll and Taxes, Health Insurance, Phone Service, Office Supplies, Refunds, Computer Maintenance and Programming, Website Administration, Office Supplies and let’s not forget postage for mailing letters to creditors, collection agencies and credit bureaus. A much simpler way to think of this is by imagining if you had a client paying you $39 a month; how much work would you be willing to do?

3.) One of the biggest challenges credit repair companies charging low monthly fees run into is being forced to rely on the use of Automated “Boiler Plate” Dispute and Correspondence Letters. Boiler Plate Letters are simple form letters which are used for ALL consumers (one format fits all). Once set up in a computer program with the consumers’ information they are “shot out” automatically on behalf of the consumers needs (i.e. disputing a late pay, charge-off or judgment etc).

The problem here is that when a credit repair company has thousands of clients they are shooting these form letters out for, the creditors, collection agencies and credit bureaus can take notice of these letters being used over and over and discover your correspondence is coming from a third party (i.e. credit repair company or law firm) and in some cases ignore it or (worse yet) mark the dispute frivolous and flag your credit report. I spoke with a man recently who was on the inside of a large credit repair company who informed me they had an archive of over 10,000 boiler plate letters on file to avoid this problem. Of course, they charged customers by the month.

NON-DISCLOSURE OF METHODS: One of the most troubling issues with 95% of large credit repair firms (especially law firms) is their non-disclosure of dispute tactics and methods. As a consumer it is vital that you are made aware of the methods they are using in dealing with your creditors, collections and the credit bureaus. If the organization or law firm violates laws or makes errors (I have witnessed both) you could be held liable for their negligence. In addition, this can actually make your credit worse and create problems which are very difficult to clean up. Anyone doing credit restoration for you should disclose “what” they are doing since you are paying for a service. If they won’t, you better run the other way as they could be pouring gas on a blazing camp fire.

LOCATED IN HOME STATE: This is one of the most overlooked keys to successful third party credit restoration which consumers miss. It is absolutely vital when having someone else do your credit restoration work for you that they operate within your home state. Here’s why: if a credit repair company or law firm mails dispute letters or correspondence on your behalf from another state, that mail will be postmarked from that state. If the credit bureau catches this they can (and in many cases will) mark the dispute as frivolous and flag your credit file.

It is known that many Credit Repair Companies and Law Firms will resort to or create some kind of method to get around this in order to get disputes postmarked from the consumers’ home state (potentially more non-disclosure). For example. If they are in NY and you are in CA they will first have to mail your dispute letters inside an envelope from NY to CA. Once in CA someone opens the envelope and then mails your dispute letters from CA so they postmarked from your home state. I am not an expert on postal regulations but had a postal employee tell me the concept sounded extremely shady at best.

CUSTOMIZATION: It’s for this reason that some of the most advanced forms of credit restoration are done completely customized for the client and even (in many cases) by hand. The best credit restoration companies I’ve seen are usually run by one person or a small number of people and are extremely customized for each client. The is the most effective but with effectiveness comes cost. Every one of these services I have seen charges a very large upfront fee and works entirely off of referrals. This type of service is simply impossible to perform for $39 or even $49 a month.

Unfortunately, if you are unable to find someone in your area (preferably an individual) by way of referral through a friend, relative or professional contact, then I recommend you take matters into your own hands and do it yourself. I realize most consumers do not want to hear this but the good news is that it will almost always turn out to be the highest paid work you will ever do in your life. How high? How does $500 to $2500 an hour sound? I understand it’s a bold claim but not one I am unable to back up.

If you’re ever going to finance a first or second home (which everyone eventually should for the tax breaks) the difference between good credit and poor credit will affect your interest rate. If you secure a $200,000 mortgage on a 30 year term and your interest rate is only 2% lower because of a high credit score, that 2% will save you $96,934.11 over the course of the loan (just because you had better credit). Take that $96,934.11 and divide it by the 30 to 50 hours you may spend working on your credit situation and you’ll quickly realize credit restoration when done properly does not cost – it pays!



Jeffery

W. E. Garrison asked:


 In 2004 I was taking a class in black and white photography at the downtown TCC campus.  The instructor was a former staff photographer with the Tulsa World & Tribune.  He wasn’t that much younger than I.  I really enjoyed the class and several of the other students were very serious as well as being very talented with unique perspectives.  It was a class of students filled with a variety of ages and experiences that made it interesting to us all.

My dad retired from the paper when they downsized and did away with the Tribune.  The paper settled for the one publication of the Tulsa World.  I think my dad and Mike had known of each other but I don’t think they worked closely together.  My dad died in July of 1999.

There were a series of objectives and the curriculum involved a wide list of subject matters to deal with for the gambit of possibilities.

In October we were given the assignment of using the subject of hands for our photograph. 

I immediately envisioned a series of shots I wanted using my friend, Rod, in Barnsdall, as my model.

Hands are so expressive and have so many stories to tell of a person.  I know that many believe the “eyes” are subjects for expressive model, but I’ve always had respect for what stories lay in viewing a person’s hands.

 I called Rod on the phone and set up a time when I could make the drive to Barnsdall as soon as I could leave campus.

It had been extremely difficult for me to leave Barnsdall back in 2001.  Part of what I was leaving behind me was much needed to be left.  But it wasn’t easy to leave behind the friendship, closeness, and respected concern between the two of us.  We had been a help to each other through the few years I lived in the community.  We both shared many of the same views on life and philosophy.

I remember spending relaxing hours in his garage, listening to music from our pasts, and learning how closely our lives has passed each other in the past without us actually meeting until we both ended up in the small community of Barnsdall.

I knew the area where he grew up near Buffalo, NY. 

After my dad died I convinced Rod to let me drive him back to NY to visit what was left of his family.  He had two sisters who were still living in the area.  One was a retired nun whom we visited just before a beautiful complex was to be constructed.  We toured the old residency that had become a landmark of the area. 

Rod refused to fly and I was more than glad to make the drive.  It was a real adventure for me as it had been several years since I had been in that part of the country.  I got to see an old friend of mine from my Air Force Days whom I hadn’t seen in over thirty years, so it was an exciting experience for me.  I guess it was the last traveling experience he made.  I was grateful that he got to see his sisters and extended family members. 

I had been in Amarillo Texas during the same time he was in Amarillo.

There were more things (details) about our lives that had a connection which caused us to feel very comfortable with each other and a feeling as though we had known each other a life time.

I still miss him terribly and think of him often.

It was a briskly chilled late October afternoon, even with the sun poking through the scattered clouds from time to time.  I was concerned that the light would not be strong enough for the shots I wanted to get of his hands.  I had a few ideas of how I wanted to capture those very expressive hands with characteristics of intrigued stories from past experiences that seemed to encase worlds of wisdom.

I felt like I was going home.  You know the feeling.  It had been a very long time since I felt like I was going “home” to anywhere.  After I left my home back in 1968, a year after graduating from High School and after attending some college, my home changed and I never really returned to what I had known as “home” for me, again.  It just happens that way for some of us.  It’s progress, and probably best that some of us don’t return to the way things once were, or we would never get away from them and be able to progress.

After crossing the bridge that is the entrance on State Highway 11 into Barnsdall, I made the right turn, northbound, heading toward the well known Meiler home.  It hadn’t been too many months earlier that a sign on the Mieler yard announced that it was the yard of the month.

Rod always took great pride in his yard, as he did in all aspects of his life.  It was always the highest example of neighborhood adornment with the flowers, plants, and manicured lawn.  He was talented in so many areas.  I always enjoyed the spring when we would trek off to Bartlesville and get blooming plants to locate in the yard around the porch and walkways.  He was always careful with his selections and picked out only the healthiest of plants.

If it was needed we would stop at Poindexter’s Liquor Store on the return route home and get a bottle of Carlos Rossi Rhine and/or Burgundy.

When I turned the last corner I saw Rod sitting on the porch waiting for me.

I parked my car at the curb in front of the house, picked up my cameras and walked up to the porch where Rod was waiting for me.

I had taken my favorite Canon SLR vintage quick load 35mm camera given to me by my brother in law years ago when I was advisor to the year book staff back in Chandler in the late 80’s.  I had also taken an even older camera that had belonged to my dad.  It was a medium format that was really great for getting some distinctive results.  I really wish I had my new Canon automatic back then because I would have more pictures of that day.

This was at a time when I had experienced some changes with my eyesight.  I was displaying some difficulties in my focus with the manual cameras.  I have not gone into retirement because I am able to continue with the new camera that has the automatic focus.

Our eyes met and it was as if none of the time we had been separated in the past couple of years had transpired at all.  I really felt like I was at home again.  Here was my pal, my best friend, the big brother I had searched my lifetime and finally found. 

He didn’t say it, but I know from his smile, that bit of a twinkle in his eye, and his engaging contact that he was glad to see me.  I am convinced that he had been as eager as I to spend time together again.

Between us were the things we had shared with each other, the times we had shared with each other.  The few times of holding differing opinions about something had only resulted in respect toward each other’s differences which somehow made us even more alike.

I will never be able to explain completely to those who have not had the experience of sharing and being so close with another human being, but there was such a relationship between us.

We knew very intimate details about each other that growing up brothers might share, and we had a closeness of knowing many psychological details between each other as well.  I think those things combined were what made the bond we shared even stronger than any other relationship we had ever experienced.  A “different” kind of relationship is what I’m identifying.  I’m not saying that we each didn’t have strong relationships otherwise in our lives.  We certainly did.  But it is the bond we had to which I refer, or attempt to shed some light onto it for you.

He inquired about my current activities and the new house I had moved into during Spring Break.  We exchanged small talk after he poured us both a glass of wine.

I took several pictures of his hands while he went about doing some menial tasks.  He held a cigarette in his hand, picked up his glass and sipped at the wine.  He took out some nail clippers and cut away at his fingernails.  There were many opportunities to snap a shot.

The clouds were scattered so the light on the front porch was not substantial, but I continued to take shots as we continued to visit.  He asked about the things I was doing in school, told me about the latest news in the neighborhood and updates on some of the former students I once had in class.

When the light was not strong enough for some good contrast, we got up and went inside the house and finished our visit.

Those hands continued to intrigue me.  They told so much about a man who had given so much in his lifetime and who was so caring, thoughtful, and truthful of others.  Those hands recorded it all.  They showed the hard work he had endured as a young boy growing up in a very strict German household.  Those hands held untold stories of experiences he endured after he left his home and went to the cold city of New York, New York, with all of the possibilities that befalls upon a young teenager becoming a young man of the world.  He endured and was successful.

There had been so many nights when we would visit and watch a program, or listen to the radio, sipping on a glass of wine, solving the worlds problems and our neighbors.  This would have been our reward for working in the yard during the summer heat, or helping a neighbor with their yard if they needed the help.  Rod was always like that.  If he knew that something needed to be done and someone wasn’t able to do it he was there getting it done.

He would bake cheese cakes and take to families in need or for a celebration, or just because he felt like doing something for someone.  It didn’t have to be a special reason.

The kids in the neighborhood knew that they could get a frozen treat from him by simply showing up in his yard.  There was an ice box and freezer in the garage that was often his sanctuary.  Many important decisions were reached in that area. 

Everyone knew that if the door was open Rod was ready for business.

Paintings, photographs and decorations were placed all around the garage as if it were a gallery.  It didn’t matter that there was a washing machine and dryer there, it was always overlooked when viewing the artworks.

Some of the work was done by clients he had counseled in PA.  Others were from places of his past or from artist friends he had made at previous places where he and Sue had lived.

One story after another could be found in those hands, of the struggles and times of elated fortune as well as happiness in his lifetime.  He felt very rich in the fact that he knew his family loved him very much and he returned the status.  He was so very proud of all in his family.  Sue, who had endured so much from his stubbornness, yet continued to love him, filled a very special part of his heart.  His pride and joy were found in his love he had for his two sons.  He was so very proud of all of their accomplishments.  And he was very happy to have experienced becoming a grandfather. 

He showed such pride on that October day in 2004. 

He showed that he was satisfied his life had been filled with experiences and his responses to life that he was not regretful in any way.  Whatever it might have been, he would have done everything the same way. 

I’m not convinced that most others come to that conclusion about their life’s experience.  But, then, how would I know?

What I do know is that it was not easy for me to leave him on that day.

I had no choice.

This is how it was supposed to be.

Perhaps it was written somewhere that it was to be such.

Whatever!

The time did come that I had to leave.  We both knew it.

I very well could have spent the rest of the night filling our glasses with the wine, visiting, and sharing, but I could tell those times had long past us.  He tried not to show it but I could tell that he was tired and he didn’t want me to see it.  It was too obvious.  But I wanted to respect his wishes so, thinking of what he needed instead of what I wanted. 

We were in the living room.  He showed signs of being in need of some strength.  He stretched out on the couch and I told him it was time for him to take a nap.  I thanked him for letting me intrude on his afternoon, and then I hugged him for the last time before I gathered up my cameras and found my way to the street where my car was parked.

I felt a presence with me as I put my things in the car and sat down.  One tear had already formed before I put the key into the ignition.

I knew I would never see my friend again.  But it was okay.  I knew he was happy with all in his life.

I believe that he too, knew it would be our last encounter.  I was just happy to have been a small part of his experience and one of many people who were recipients of his generous love.

I miss you, Rod.  We all do.

You taught us all much.

Although you were never knighted by any authority, there are many of us who feel you deserve the recognition of being Sir Rod, because you are to us.

I chose this frame to print because of the way the sun came through the trees onto his lap. I received outstanding critiques from those classmates and above perfect grade from the instructor.



Richard

Patrick C. OConnor asked:


Tax Deductions (Business Tax Deduction Tips)

Tax tips and tax help to assist taxpayers by describing options

for tax reduction and tax cuts through lawful tax deductions.

Tax deductions contribute to national prosperity by providing capital to business. Tax deductions reduce taxable income. A $100,000 tax deduction reduces federal income tax by $35,000 ($100,000 X 35%) assuming a 35% income rate. Options for increasing business tax deductions include revising depreciation schedules, reviewing fixed asset listings, casualty losses, bad debts, and charitable contributions.

Real estate depreciation offers substantial opportunity for increasing tax deductions. Most depreciation schedules are established by simply separating land and long-life improvements. This simple approach is lawful but sharply understates lawful depreciation. About 20-40% of improvements for most properties are short-life items. Short life items can be depreciated over 5, 7, or 15 years. There are about 130 short-life items that have been determined by legislation, tax court decisions and IRS rulings.

Real estate depreciation can typically be increased by 50-100% for the first 5-7 years of ownership by obtaining a cost segregation study. A cost segregation study precisely values up to 130 components of real estate that can be valued as short-life property.

By obtaining a cost segregation study, it is possible to obtain a windfall of tax deductions by “catching-up” previously under-reported depreciation. This one-time “catch-up” can occur in the first tax return filed after the cost segregation study is performed without filing any amended tax returns.

Reviewing fixed asset listings (of business personal property) can generate a meaningful amount of tax deductions. They often include items that should have been expensed, which have been sold or thrown away or which have an excessive depreciation life. Items that should have been expensed include operating expenses (sometimes included by error) and maintenance or repairs (which was necessary but did not increase the life of the assets or component.) Section 179 allows business to use up to $108,000 of 2006 capital expenditures as tax deductions. Confirm you are not capitalizing assets that could be claimed as a tax deduction.

Casualty losses also offer opportunity for tax deductions. For a casualty loss, you can deduct: 1) the market value immediately before the casualty less 2) the market value immediately after the casualty less the amount covered by insurance. The portion that is not intuitive is: the market value after the casualty is much less than the value before  plus the cost to renovate. Other factors which can and should be considered for tax deductions are: lost rent/usage, stigma (in some cases), construction management, construction risks, and entrepreneurial effort.

Bad debts are a subjective matter. Judgment is required to accurately estimate the amount that should be claimed as a tax deduction. If bad debts have not been examined carefully for several years, they may offer a meaningful tax deduction opportunity. (This applies to companies who utilize accrual accounting. Companies who use cash accounting can’t claim a tax deduction for bad debt since they never recognized the revenue.)

Do well by doing good. You reduce taxes in several ways when making charitable contributions. For example, you purchased land 10 years ago for $200,000, and it is now worth $1,000,000. However, you now realize you will never use the land for the intended purpose. You can donate the land to a qualified charitable organization and take a tax deduction for $1,000,000. However, you do not have to pay capital gains taxes on the appreciation.

Tax deductions sometimes seem arcane and complicated. However, a knowledgeable team of advisors from several fields can reduce your federal income taxes. The complexity of the tax code makes it difficult for any one personal to be knowledgeable in all areas. 

Cost segregation produces tax deductions and reduces federal income taxes across the country and in every size market. Below are just a few examples of cities where cost segregation generates meaningful tax deductions.

City:



New York, NY

Houston, TX

Hartford, CT

Las Vegas, NV

Memphis, TN

Philadelphia, PA

Orlando, FL

Phoenix, AZ

Atlanta, GA

Bridgeport, CT

Worcester, MA

Akron, OH

Harrisburg, PA

Salt Lake City, UT

St. Louis, MO

Portland, OR

Scranton, PA

Greenville, SC

Bakersfield, CA

Madison, WI

Chicago, IL

Fresno, CA

Riverside, CA

Albany, NY

Indianapolis, IN

Birmingham, AL

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Baton Rouge, LA

Augusta, GA

Honolulu, HI



 

Cost segregation produces tax deductions for virtually all property types, including the following:

Property Type:



Medical facility

Shopping mall

Restaurant

Country club

Fast food restaurant

Power center

Hotel

Car wash facility

Convenience store

Health spa



 

Almost every industry, including the following, can generate cost-efficient tax deductions by using cost segregation.

Industry:



Golf courses and country clubs

Transportation equipment manufacturing

Electrical component manufacturing

Real estate lesser

Apparel manufacturing

Wood product manufacturing

Plastic and rubber products manufacturing

Furniture stores

Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing

Building supply dealers



 

O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of investment real estate consulting services including commercial real estate appraisals, business personal property valuations, business purchase price allocations, business valuations, cost segregation studies, due diligence, and insurance valuations. O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of income tax, tax deduction,property tax,real estate consulting, market research,condemnation appraisals,highest and best use,cost segregation,financial modeling,Galveston central appraisal district,Tips and Tricks for Appealing Your Property Taxes in Brazoria,Brazoria county appraisal, and Federal tax reduction. Appraisal services are provided for all commercial property types including nursing homes, discount stores, truck terminals, tennis clubs, supermarkets, country clubs, medical offices, mini-warehouses, restaurants, vacant lands, skating rinks, community shopping, centers, power centers, car wash facilities and service stations.



Phillip

Lennie Chism asked:


Can you name this tune?

“Fish don’t fry in the kitchen. Beans don’t burn on the grill. Took a whole lot of tryin’ just to fix up that meal” or “Just lookin’ out of the window. Watchin’ the asphalt grow.”

Blacks from the inner city to the suburbs know the words to these sitcoms depicting the Black struggles of modern times.

Regardless of our status, we would gather around televisions nationwide in anticipation of watching Good Times, The Jeffersons and years later, The Cosby Show.

The Cosby Show was unique in that it was the first time America had seen us as everyday professionals. Cosby presented a happily married couple raising good kids, not the ghetto gangster children too often depicted on television. The show was groundbreaking and breathtaking, because it was a stark contrast from the downtrodden Black family typically depicted in sitcoms and described daily on the evening news. White Americans were seeing a dynamic of the American Black family never before shown on TV. Some of us were middle class, some of us were poorer. The fact remains that, regardless of those depictions, all of us still share the same struggle — images of poverty and violence shown on the evening news.

In years prior to the 1963 March on Washington, our communities — rural, suburban and urban — were unified by the boundaries of racism across America. Laws enforced more violently in the south than in the north, referred to as Jim Crow or Black Codes, were aimed at limiting the economic growth and physical freedom granted to the formerly enslaved.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the landmark law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in public facilities, government and employment. This invalidated the Jim Crow Laws and Black Codes in the southern U.S. It became illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing or hiring. Powers given to enforce the bill were initially weak, but were supplemented in later years.

In years prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing, the Black community was vibrant.

Our communities were filled with doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, musicians, attorneys and working class citizens. We shared a common bond regardless of social status within the community. Segregation yielded a market for Black businesses that will never exist again. If you needed goods or services, the first place you turned to was the Black owned business that provided the service or produced the goods you wanted.. If the service was not found, we sought the next best business owner that would treat us with respect to purchase from. Regardless of our status, we sought out and patronized Black businesses.

With the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, we attained a certain freedom, defined more by what we could afford. That freedom afforded the choice of moving away from the Black community.

The Civil Rights laws enabled “the great exodus” from our communities to greener pastures. We were movin’ on up. The Black consumer was being accepted more than ever in White-owned businesses, which were all too grateful to finally receive our money. It was not only okay to serve Blacks, it was against the law if they did not.

Prior to the passage of the Civil Right Acts of 1964 and 1968, Black entrepreneurs had a steady stream of Black customers. Our entrepreneurs opened all sorts of businesses in our community, which was the only place they could open a business. They were assured a chance at success because they had the Black consumer market to rely upon. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led Civil Rights protests in Birmingham, Alabama, the marchers stayed in the A.G. Gaston-owned hotel. There was never a thought given to where we would find the goods and services we required for existence. Our community was creating the necessities of life.

We had Black hospitals and medical practices. We had to be create them to serve our people. For example, in the late 1940s, Black people were not admitted to the public hospitals in Dallas, Texas. It was the same across the rest of the United States. So the Black doctors created their own hospital. Drs. Joseph Williams, Frank Jordan Sr., and E. Holmer Browne were but a few pioneers worth mentioning.

Prior to Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, we created The Negro League. We had baseball teams with stars. We filled the stands to see our own make history. We debated “what ifs” of legendary star Satchel Paige regarding what it might be like if he could pitch to the legendary Babe Ruth. A famous movie depicted the struggles of the league; The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings with early stars Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones and a young Richard Pryor. We had legendary singers and bands that filled the legendary clubs in Harlem, NY.

Black business owners were barred from setting up shop outside our community. The white consumer, then as today, does not come to our community to buy anything.

Suddenly we were competing for Black shoppers with better funded white business owners, who often could provide better prices and selection. Black consumers chose white business over Black businesses.

Today Black communities are not providing Black consumers the basics of life. There are far too few Black-owned and operated gathering spots for happy hour and professional networking. There are too few family restaurant for the celebration of weddings or special occasions. Basketball legend Magic Johnson has used his power and influence from the basketball court to create the Magic Johnson Theaters and Starbucks franchises stores. That is exemplary.

Blacks are projected to have the buying power of $965,000,000,000. Yeah, that’s billions with a “B.” That’s us by 2009. Now there’s a figure you can be proud of. It’s an increase of over 203% since 1990. This figure comes from The Covenant with Black America by Tavis Smiley.

Obviously the Black dollar has always had this strength, as demonstrated by the Montgomery Bus Boycott. We showcased our economic power. That boycott is symbolic of what we can accomplish when we choose to organize, become committed and stay unified as a people.

We have the economic power in our hands today to create anew a vibrant Black community. We have the ability to bring all the necessities for enjoyment of life to places where so many of us grew up. As consumers, we have to become committed to giving consideration to the Black-owned businesses and professionals when we spend. The price wars will be won by the white business in most cases. White businesses have a distinct advantage of having you looking to them first due to their sheer numbers.

You know what you want. Locate that service within our community. Your consideration is what Black-owned and operated businesses seek when you buy.

Our doors are open. Come turn our doorknob and walk right in.

How can we serve you?



Ralph