HUB.JHU.com 3 Sept 2020:

Johns Hopkins begins process of establishing new diversity and inclusion goals

Roadmap 2020 Task Force will review university’s progress to date, develop recommendations that incorporate community feedback.

Hub staff report: Five years ago, Johns Hopkins University launched its Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion in order to state its commitments in those areas explicitly and in concrete terms. Now the institution is preparing to assess numerous programs and activities across its divisions and develop a set of recommendations for the next five years.

In a message to the university community today, JHU President Ronald J. Daniels and Provost Sunil Kumar wrote, “this work is foundational to our community, and it has taken on ever-greater urgency in these past few months as the nation continues to grapple with the impact of systemic racism and the brutal reality of violence against Black and brown Americans.”

They acknowledged the “profound anger and sadness” in the community as the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, became “yet another chapter in a devastating summer of recurring police violence that has unleashed protests across the nation.” They added, “It is clear that the anti-racist, equity-seeking, and inclusive values we espouse must continue to guide our capacity to support our community and our efforts to achieve concrete and tangible change in our institution.”

The Roadmap 2020 Task Force, announced in July along with several other initiatives, will lead the process of reviewing the Roadmap and setting new goals. Students, faculty, and staff from across university divisions as well as members of the Baltimore community have agreed to serve on the task force; the full roster is on the Diversity and Inclusion website. Three co-chairs—Katrina Caldwell, vice provost and chief diversity officer; Ashley Llorens, chair of the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council; and Patricia Davidson, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing—will guide the process, which will include convening theme-based working groups to gather knowledge and surface ideas in a way that promotes broad transparency, includes all voices, and provides opportunities to shape the final recommendations to leadership.

“For the task force to succeed, it must draw upon the perspectives and experiences of a wide-ranging representation of stakeholders from across our institution, including faculty, staff, and students, as well as the broader Baltimore community,” Daniels and Kumar said in their message. “We were fortunate to have had significant interest from many people at all levels of our institution.”

The task force will commence its work with a retreat, co-sponsored by the Diversity Leadership Council, on Sept. 10 and continue throughout the year. University leadership has asked the task force to produce preliminary recommendations this spring to be shared with the JHU community for input. The final report, which will incorporate community feedback, will be shared with leadership by June with the recommendations shared with the board of trustees for consideration and endorsement. The final report will be released to the community in fall 2021.

The group plans to hold two leadership town halls, one on Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. to kick off the process and one in early 2021 to discuss preliminary recommendations, as well as a series of listening sessions focused on strategic priorities beginning in October and continuing through early 2021. There will be an open comment period before the full report is finalized, and individuals are invited to share ideas, feedback, and insights at any time through a feedback form on the Diversity and Inclusion website.

While the task force is starting its work, the university is releasing its third Roadmap progress report recounting diversity and inclusion efforts across the institution. This regular sharing of data and stories “embodies our belief that systemic change demands an articulation of values accompanied by a clear action plan and the willingness to shine a light on both our accomplishments and the areas in which we have fallen short,” Daniels and Kumar said.

Among the highlights:

- A $1.8 billion gift from Michael Bloomberg in 2018 boosted the university’s existing upward trajectory in the diversity of the incoming class with the percentage of underrepresented racial minorities (URM) increasing from 14.9% to 32.5% between 2010 and 2019, and the percentage of students eligible for Pell grants increasing from 11.1% to 19.1% in that time

- The university regularly publishes composition reports regarding Johns Hopkins faculty, staff, and graduate students, and the latest editions show there has been growth over several years in the number of female and URM affiliates

- The HopkinsLocal economic inclusion initiative has driven substantial investments in the Baltimore community by focusing on local and minority-owned businesses and city residents when Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System build, hire, and buy

- The loss of university leaders in two key areas—the Office of Institutional Equity and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion—was a setback to the pace and consistency of the university’s work last year. However, nationwide searches yielded strong candidates for both positions, both of whom joined Hopkins this summer—Caldwell as JHU’s second vice provost and chief diversity officer and Shanon Shumpert as vice provost for Institutional Equity.

And new to the portfolio of Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, is the introduction of a controversial bill to downgrade certain statutory rape cases not involving heterosexual sex–or vaginal penetration–if the act was deemed consensual. The new legislation would allow a judge to decide whether a potential sex offender who committed statutory rape against a minor who is less than 10 years younger than them must register as a sex offender. Democrat Assemblyman Lorena Gonzalez initially blocked the proposal, saying, “No sex between a 24 and 14 year old is consensual.”

In addition to the controversial bill proposed by Sen. Wiener and his involvement behind downgrading HIV transmission from a felony to a misdemeanor; last year, the California Senator strived to allow illegal immigrants to run for Democratic Party seats.

Wikipedia: Wiener was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania… In 2017, Wiener originated three bills centered around HIV and LGBT issues. He co-authored Senate Bill 239, which lowered the penalty of exposing someone to HIV without their knowledge and consent from a felony to a misdemeanor. Wiener said that the laws had unfairly singled out HIV-positive people. The bill passed and was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 6, 2017

California Senator’s Legislation Will Exempt Some LGBT Pedophiles From Registering as Sex Offenders

The same senator downgraded intentionally infecting someone with HIV to a misdemeanor.

National File, 2 Sept 2020:

The California Senator who was behind the move to downgrade of the intentional transmission of HIV from a felony to a misdemeanor now is now spearheading new legislation that would allow a judge to decide whether a potential sex offender who committed statutory rape against a minor who is less than 10 years younger than them must register as a sex offender.

The controversial bill introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, served to downgrade certain statutory rape cases not involving heterosexual sex–or vaginal penetration–if the act was deemed consensual. This law would allow judges to use their own discretion when determining whether, for example, a 24-year-old who statutorily raped a 15-year-old, must register as a sex offender.

“Last night the CA State Legislature passed #SB145 and it now goes to Gov. Newsom. It would lower the penalties for adults who have sex [with] willing same-sex minors. Judge could decide if adult has to register as sex offender if the offender is within 10 years of age of victim,” wrote California journalist Bill Melugin on Twitter.

Bill Melugin@BillFOXLA

Last night the CA State Legislature passed #SB145 and it now goes to Gov. Newsom. It would lower the penalties for adults who have sex w/ willing same-sex minors. Judge could decide if adult has to register as sex offender if the offender is within 10 years of age of victim.

10:37 PM · Sep 1, 2020

Via the San Francisco Examiner:

Currently, while consensual sex between 15- to 17-year-olds and a partner within 10 years of age is illegal, vaginal intercourse between the two does not require an offender to register as a sex offender. Other forms of intercourse such as oral and anal intercourse require sex offender registration.

That practice, according to Wiener, disproportionately targets young LGBT people, who usually cannot engage in vaginal intercourse.

Senate Bill 145 would put an end to “blatant discrimination against young LGBT people engaged in consensual activity,” Wiener said in a statement.

READ MORE...

America’s FINAL Election

Way of The World 1 September 2020

“They’re not gonna stop and they should not let up, beware!” - Kamala Harris on support for BLM riots

Conservative News Daily, Youtube, 27 August 2020:

Clip of Kamala Harris speaking to Stephen Colbert in June is going viral again, as the party attempts to pivot away from their support of the violent riots.

Stephen Colbert: I want to be clear that I know that there are still “protests” that are happening in major cities across The United States…

Kamala Harris (smiles enthusiastically) Yeah!

Stephen Colbert: ...we’re just not seeing the reporting on it…that I had for the first few weeks.

Kamala Harris: Right, that’s right… but they’re not going to stop! They’re not going to stop! This is a movement I’m telling you! They’re not going to stop. And everyone beware! Because they’re not going to stop… it is gonna ... they’re not gonna stop before election day in November and they’re not going to stop after election day. And that should be, everyone should take note of that, on both levels. That this isn’t, they’re not going to let up, and they should not, and we should not!

Craig Biggio, ordinary guy, finished his career with 668 doubles, among the legends of MLB.

Sometimes to give my mind a rest and diversion from stress, I will take a look at baseball statistics. There’s a contiguity and historical contexting about it that can serve that purpose for me. Craig Biggio, a second baseman for the Houston Astros, was intriguing to me because he was such an ordinary guy from around my parts in New Jersey, who finished his career in 2007 with some statistics ranking among the all time, absolute legends of Major League Baseball. I noticed how Biggio might finish 5th all time in doubles if he could pass George Brett in his final season; and what made that interesting was the four guys in front of him on that list. For anyone who knows baseball: Speaker, Rose, Musial and Cobb - there he is, Biggio in that all time elite company - legends of baseball! - and nobody else. Even the five behind him on the top ten list (when he retired) were legendary (in baseball terms, of course) Baseball Hall of Famers: Brett, Lajoie, Yastrzemski and all-time home run leader, Hank Aaron (until bumped as homerun leader by BarryRoids Bonds)

All time Doubles Leaders

1. Tristram Speaker 792

2. Pete Rose 746
Although Rose finished the game with more hits than anyone, he was denied the Hall of Fame because he was caught gambling (The White Black Sox Scandal and Shoeless Joe Jackson was a gambling issue too. I still think steroids are an even worse transgression).

3. Stan Musial 725

4. Ty Cobb 723

5. Craig Biggio 668

Craig Biggio, normal guy, managed to avoid the mark of the beast.

6. Albert Pujols 666

“Bat Albert” ..or is it Roidal Albert, just hit number 666, which prompted this post…

7. George Brett 665

Had hemorrhoids but… “his troubles are all behind him.”

8. Nap Lajoie 657

9. Carl Yastrzemski 646

10. Honus Wagner 640

13. Hank Aaron 624

Now, there was a “horrifying” possibility that even if Biggio managed to squeak past Brett, he might finish his career with 666 doubles, invoking the willies in regard to his final slot.

Of all things, I happened upon a similar baseball Biggio statistic fetishist, but this guy was rooting for Biggio to finish his career the all time number one for having been hit by a pitch (a dubious distinction, but not bad, its as good as walk and you reach first base sure as a single). Biggio finished his career second in being hit by pitch - or as “The Target” who gets “plunked” as this guy called it, naming his blog “Plunk Biggio.”

I promise I’m trying to go somewhere cultural with this.

The guy also noticed the same thing as me that Biggio might get stuck at 666 doubles.

And he wrote this, which is to me, a dynamite characterization of Appalachia snake handling hillbilly talk:

Plunk Biggio Blog Spot, 31 Aug 2007:

At 8/31/2007 02:26:00 AM, Anonymous cletus j. “bubba” huckabee jr. said…
Now if you ask me, and plenty folk do now and again, the log jam in the ascending plunk count might could be on account of the pending evil milestone our man “Target” is fixin’ to achieve. Contrary to what folk down at the Sanctified Temperance and Perpetual Glosolalia Church of Greater Chesterfield County believe, I ain’t necessarily a religious man. Now, granted, I show up on a regular basis and sit in the Huckabee family pew. But that is on account of me carrying on a tradition that goes back seven generations. A Huckabee male is always present when them church doors open, and as the head Huckabee of Chesterfield County, I feel a moral duty to keep the tradition going. In all my many hours of being perched on that uncomfortable pew, I learned to use my head to concentrate on more enjoyable topics than brimstone, hellfire, pending doom, and moral judgment. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t again the church… I just like to allow my mind to drift during sermons. Well, the other day my mind drifted to the fact that Target is fixin’ to achieve his 666th double. At the Sanctified Temperance and Perpetual Glosolalia Church of Greater Chesterfield County the number 666 is seen is incredibly and indelibly evil. In fact the minions of Hades can be conjured up through the utilization of that particular number. At least, that’s what Brother Cyril done said. If’in that happens to be the case, then I am wondering if the unexpected diminution of the plunks might be the work of the evil one himself. Right today Target is sitting on 665 doubles and shares the record with George “hemorrhoids and pine tar” Brett which I find kind of creepy in and of itself. In fact, I reckon Brett might be one of the minions. Anywho, if’in Target can reach and pass 666 doubles, then maybe that will release the minions of Hades to go on back down to the depths of earth (or at least over to the American League) and leave Target alone. I know you might commence to think I’m reaching for straws, but with so few games remaining in his career, and so few plunks required to top that no-count, snivln’ weasel Hughie Jennings (who very well might be in league with the devil too) I’m desperate to figure out what went wrong and what we can do to right it.

   
       
George Brett, an all time great hitter and third basemen, wasn’t possessed by demons as he approached 666 doubles; no, he freaked out when an umpire called him out and took back a game winning home run on a freak technicality (pine tar too high on his bat).

George Brett was also known to have suffered from hemorrhoids during World Series play. He quipped, “my troubles are all behind me” ... these two incidents are mentioned in the blog post. To note, Brett was from Appalachia, West Virginia parts himself.

Fox News Youtube.com 28 August 2020

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul opens up about being surrounded by protesters after leaving White House.

mancinblack:

The truth hurts, hopefully

Barrister Richard Booth QC tweeted “This is utterly disgraceful from the Home Office, painting lawyers as villains. A slippery and dangerous slope”.

It would be a “slippery and dangerous slope” for subversive, money grubbing “activist lawyers” if the government did the right thing and didn’t just talk around the problem.

MSN.com 27 Aug 2020

The Home Office has been accused of “painting lawyers as villains” amid a row over migrant crossings.

More migrants have arrived in Dover on Thursday morning as Britain shakes off the high winds of Storm Francis.

The new arrivals – brought in on Border Force speedboats – were taken ashore in the Kent port.

It comes as the Home Office faces criticism over its renewed attack on “activist lawyers” which it says are hindering their efforts to deport migrants.

A video posted to its Twitter account on Wednesday evening showed a moving graphic of deportation planes leaving the UK.

The clip has been branded “scandalous” and “utterly disgraceful” by senior law figures, and many on social media likened it to something from the TV show Dad’s Army.

More than 5,000 migrants have crossed to the UK in small boats so far in 2020, analysis by the PA news agency shows.

Home Office@ukhomeoffice

Small boat crossings are totally unnecessary and we continue to return migrants with no right to be in the UK.

Another flight left today with more planned in the coming weeks.

7:30 PM · Aug 26, 2020
7.2K people are Tweeting about this

The Law Society condemned the video, and president Simon Davis said: “Attacks on the integrity of the legal profession undermine the rule of law.

“To describe lawyers who are upholding the law as ‘activist lawyers’ is misleading and dangerous.

“We should be proud that we live in a country where legal rights cannot be overridden without due process, and we should be proud that we have legal professionals who serve the rule of law.”

READ MORE...

Interview with former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who details the pledge of allegiance to Israel she was ordered to sign to serve as a lawmaker in America.

INTERVIEW WITH CYNTHIA MCKINNEY STARTS AT 38.50