[. . .] Gun usage can be attributed to the gang culture and peer pressure. Children are encouraged to bring guns and use them. This has resulted in a lot of shootings at schools. In some cases, no gangs or peer pressure was involved. A lot of lives have been lost due to the use of firearms at school. The attraction of gangs is for those children who don't feel accepted anywhere else. Being accepted somewhere is a big boost for them and makes them feel wanted. This actually gives them the idea that violence is glamorous and fun. They don't seem to care about the direction their life is taking or how it will end up.
Police officers are now encountering more and more "kids with no hope, no fear, no rules and no life expectancy." "Kids with no hope, No Fear, No Rules, and no life expectancy," Steve Macko, Emergency Net News Service, 1996"
Video games are also to be blamed for juvenile delinquency. Video games are an escape from reality where a person can do anything he/she pleases. These video games have plenty of titles with mindless violence and gore. Video games have been pretty controversial as they have been blamed for an increase in violence. However despite a proper rating system for games, some juveniles do manage to gain access to them. Violent games are meant for mature audiences and not for sale to juveniles. Some of the gun shooting incidents at school has been blamed on video games such as "Doom 2" and "Quake."
Drug usage and substance abuse are one of the strongest factors contributing to juvenile violence. Juvenile delinquents get hooked to drugs or alcohol from an early age. These drugs are easily available to them at their hangout places. Drug usage among delinquents had taken a sharp decline in the earlier years but now the usage has increased drastically. Drug use affects the person as it ruins his/her perception. It enables the person to resort to things they haven't done before. Due to dependence on drugs a lot of juveniles commit crimes as they need a constant flow of cash to support their habit. This can propel into a very dangerous situation as it can lead to violent crimes such as murders or armed robbery.
If the communities can work together with the cooperation of the respective and local authorities the issue of juvenile crimes can be settled once and for all. There are certain ways of addressing this problem.
Neighborhoods and communities should start getting involved to facilitate the well being of children. They should work together to make sure that the children are well taken care of. They can play an effective role in the future of these children. It's up to the community to provide a proper level of supervision for young people. It should be provided in all areas such as their homes, schools, and streets. If there is a proper level of supervision it can reduce the number of problems effectively. Supervision can let the child know that their activities are being monitored. This will help them develop awareness.
Communities should work together to teach children about the problems related with illegitimate and teenage pregnancies. In these cases, the mother has to raise the child by herself. A child raised by a single mother can face a lot of difficulties in school, trouble with the law as well as emotional and physical problems. If children are educated about this problem, it can reduce effectively.
The communities should make sure that opportunities are developed for youngsters so that they can be employed. They should also make sure that they get involved in proper recreational activities. If they are provided plenty of opportunities then it will make sure that they don't get involved with gangs or in criminal activities.
The community should make it their goal that youngsters obey and respect the laws of the land. The young generation should also have respect for their parents, elders and peers. It would be a big success on the part of the community if they achieve this goal. The lack of respect has been noted as a major cause of juvenile crime in the country. If this is eliminated, then the rate of crime goes down.
People of the community should make sure that juveniles are held responsible and accountable for their actions. If they are not held accountable then the whole justice system can collapse. It is important that this be implemented in the early years of the child's life as the child as it is the development phase of the child. The child's behavior patterns are shaped out during these years. Handling a child with firmness can lead to positive social behavior.
Young children should develop a sense of morality. They don't have an idea about the morality of a crime. If they are taught proper moral values at home and in their faith then this problem will likely reduce criminal activity.
Children should look forward to positive role models among their peers too. If there are some positive role models in their age group, then this can create positive peer influence for them. This will ensure that they won't look up to gangs and gang leaders for this purpose.
In order to facilitate single parent families, each child should have the influence of a positive adult role model in the community. This can help out those children who have absentee parents and fill the gap where a parent is a poor role model.
Children should be taught the necessary skills to counter the problems of the world. They should be taught how to be assertive, the art of decision making skills, planning skills, self-esteem, and good judgment as well as friendship making skills. Success in this field can help them take good care of themselves.
Children should be taught the importance of an education. They should get educated about the facts that life isn't so easy without an education. No one can get along in life without have a proper education. A lot of children drop out of school before they graduate. They should be encouraged not to follow this path. Adults should play their part in not tolerating truancy or absences from school. This sends out a proper message.
In order to understand the problems of children, we should understand that they go through extreme levels of stress in the fast paced society of today. The children need to have someone to help them get through their stress. Parents play a vital part here, as they should help their children cope with their stress. It mostly affects teenagers, as they can't cope with the stress of growing up. This is the time when teens have the tendency to go wrong. It's the parents right to lend their children vital support so that they don't succumb to peer pressure and do something wrong. Parents should support their children all the way so that everything goes along smoothly.
Parents should discipline their children at home. If they lead their life through a disciplined routine it can help them develop good personalities. Parents should be assisted in helping set proper standards for living. Help should be provided in setting boundaries for the behavior and discipline of children. They should also help in making sure that there is a proper level of discipline within schools. Discipline is the key to a balanced life. If it's enforced properly in all areas, then it can set the key to a proper future. In order to make the rules effective, parents should impose a curfew on their children if they are found to be violating their rules.
Parents should enforce their rights over their children's television viewing. Their television viewing should be monitored and they should be only allowed access to healthy programming without violence. They should not allow their children to watch programs which do not fall into the "suitable" rating. If their television viewing habits are curbed at an early age, it can lead to a positive and better future. It's also the parents' responsibility to make sure that their children don't get access to video games with mature content.
"Juvenile Crime Rise." 4 November 2003. Web. 23 April 2019. <https://www.essaytown.com/subjects/paper/juvenile-crime-rise/6654799>.
"Juvenile Crime Rise." Essaytown.com. November 4, 2003. Accessed April 23, 2019.


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WMU Alumnus Starts Legal Career
O'Melveny & Myers LLP has a long history of practicing law and has earned a strong reputation in one of the largest economy and leading technology states—California. In November 2014, a Western Michigan University graduate hopes to add to that history as he creates a legacy of his own. Matt Bahleda '11 is a graduate of WMU's College of Arts and Sciences and the Lee Honors College. He graduated summa cum laude and studied political science and philosophy. Bahleda was initially interested in WMU because he wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps, but made the decision to attend because of the wonderful opportunity WMU offered. At WMU he knew he could pursue an education in a great environment with professors that would help him achieve his goals.
Bahleda was accepted to the University of Michigan Law School and received his Juris Doctor degree in May 2014. Throughout law school, he focused heavily on his education and earned a position as an intern for the Department of Justice in Southern California for the summer of 2012. After his positive experiences on the West Coast, he applied strictly to law firms in California and has found a home as an associate with O'Melveny & Myers.
Bahleda credits the faculty and staff of Western Michigan University with making his success a possibility and now, a reality. His professors throughout his time in the College of Arts and Sciences played a crucial role in providing him with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. When asked what he would like to share with students looking to follow a similar path, Bahleda suggests getting involved. He advised that students "join the mock trial team and hone your trial and public speaking skills. Pledge a Greek organization and get involved with their many philanthropic outings. Focus on getting the best grades possible and develop strong relationships with your professors, many of whom have extremely helpful advice for how to succeed and want nothing more than to help you reach your goals." Bahleda also shared that when preparing for law school admissions "the LSAT is arguably the most important factor and it's a test that anyone can master with enough time and commitment so start early!" Bahleda recommends that students really enjoy their time at WMU "because there is no place like it and the times and experiences you have there will be a part of your life forever."
advising office: (269) 387-4366

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


To further clarify the specific photochemical mechanisms of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated adaptation to salt stress, this experiment was conducted to examine the effect of SA (100 and 500 μM) on photosynthesis, antioxidative capacity and phenolic metabolism in strawberry plants under salt stress (50 mM). The results showed that high SA had a negative effect on strawberry plants as reduced leaf dry weight in plants that exposed to 500 μM SA under non-salt stress conditions. Salt stress negatively affected the leaf dry weight, whereas foliar spray of 100 μM SA alleviated the salt-induced inhibitory effects on the plant growth. Salt stress caused a significant decrease in photosystem performance index (PIabs); however, plants exposed to salt stress after SA pretreatment conserved their photosynthetic electron transport rate, compared with NaCl-alone treated plants, relating to the improvement of water-splitting complex on the donor side of PSII (Fv/Fo). The application of 100 μM SA in saline condition also increased the accumulation of soluble sugars like trehalose (Tre). Lipid peroxidation was observed in plants subjected to salinity stress, as evidenced by higher malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. In contrast, foliar spray of SA at a concentration of 100 μM promoted catalase (CAT) activity as well as phenolic content, thus reducing MDA and, consequently oxidative damage to membranes. Hence, foliar application of SA at 100 μM was effective in alleviation of salt stress in strawberry by improving PSII functioning, induction of compatible osmolytes and phenol metabolism, and mitigating membrane damage.


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SMB Running a Business
Top Blockchain Influencers You Should Follow ASAP
Blockchain is perhaps the most thoughtful and versatile invention so far in the digital tech application that is changing the way businesses streamline trade finance. This eventually had a positive impact on the growth of crypto. Cryptocurrency has entered the mainstream investment portfolio and is now being accepted as a medium of exchange. This shift in demand has inspired many investors and entrepreneurs to enter the space but a lack of knowledge or blueprint has been a huge setback in this industry. The proven way to close this gap is by following a Blockchain influencer already a leader in this space.
Billium Billium
Here are eight such blockchain influencers or entrepreneurs who have amazing contributions to the space and are motivating millions.
1. Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. He is also a sought-after name in the crypto and blockchain space and is popularly known as CZ. He has been the CTO of OKCoin and an esteemed member of the Blockchain.info team. Beginning his entrepreneurial journey with a start-up, Changpeng Zhao quickly worked his way up as one of the wealthiest investors in the cryptocurrency space. He went ahead to develop blockchain technology with Binance, pushing boundaries in crypto investment and digital currencies.
Currently, Changpeng Zhao is a prominent figure on social media with a huge fan following that mainly includes crypto enthusiasts. He uses his Twitter handle to share the latest news and highlights of the crypto and blockchain space to help people make informed investment decisions. CZ is also known for his insightful articles on crypto and blockchain.
Vitalik Buterin is a name every crypto enthusiast is aware of. Vitalik Buterin, a Russian-Canadian programmer created the digital currency, Ethereum. At present, the market capitalization value of Ethereum ranks just after Bitcoin. He is also counted among the youngest billionaires in the world. Vitalik Buterin has been involved in blockchain for quite some time. He is an author and developer in the Bitcoin community.
With over 3 million followers on Twitter, Vitalik Buterin is obviously a must-follow influencer. His social media posts are mainly on the recent developments in blockchain and other emerging technologies. As someone highly optimistic about a decentralized economy, Vitalik Buterin's social media handle is a trove of insightful articles, commentaries, and reviews.
3. Roger Ver
Roger Ver popularly known as "Bitcoin Jesus" for his work evangelizing and promoting bitcoin in the early days makes our list for that and his continued advocacy of the expansion of blockchain tech today. He is the CEO of Bitcoin.com owners of the popular Blockchain.com wallet. He was one of the first entrepreneurs to accept crypto as a form of payment. He is also a skin-in-the-game investor in crypto startups like Ripple, Purse & Kraken.
His Twitter feed where he has approximately 748,400 followers provides valuable insights into information and news on Bitcoin, crypto and blockchain technology. New entrants and even veterans in the community can benefit from following him and tapping into his knowledge.
4. Charlie Lee
With a resume that includes having a million followers on Twitter, founding Litecoin, directing Engineering at Coinbase and being on the board of BTCS Inc, Charlie Lee comes in at number four on our list. A respected thought leader and major influencer in the blockchain space, Charlie uses social media to share reliable information on the utility and workings of crypto and blockchain for the finance industry. Before rising to prominence in the space and founding Litecoin, he graduated from MIT with a Bachelor's and Master's in computer science.
Charlie often guests appears on industry podcasts where he continues his advocacy for the recognition and adoption of crypto and blockchain.
5. Anthony Pompliano
Pomp as he likes to be called is a staple of the crypto and business world. With backgrounds in tech, business and finance, Pompliano is a rapidly rising figure in the crypto and blockchain space. A crypto investor and founder, Pomp is one the early supporters of Bitcoin and a former co-founder and partner at Morgan Creek Digital Assets. A hedge fund that specializes in blockchain technology and digital assets. He now runs Pomp Investments.
Pomp's influencing extends past Twitter where he boasts of more than 1,6M followers, he is active on Youtube where he runs a crypto, business, tech and finance focused channel "The Pomp Podcast" that has 380k subscribers and he also has a Substack newsletter called the "The Pomp Letter" where he publishes daily analyses on various industries.
Pomp's tweets, discussions, interviews, podcasts and analyses are very informed and are an excellent source of anyone trying to get into the community or space.
Joseph Lubin was a co-founder of and foundational part of Ethereum alongside Vitalik Buterin. He is the COO of Ethereum Switzerland, a division of Ethereum that focuses on developing research for the expansion of storage capabilities of the blockchain. He is also the founder of ConsenSys, a decentralized technology software company that develops applications and services on the Ethereum blockchain. ConsenSys is the developer and owner of the popular crypto wallet Metamask.
Joseph Lubin is focused on getting industries and governments to integrate their services on the blockchain. People interested in an across-board decentralized future would find useful musings and information by following Joseph's social media and appearances.
7. Don Tapscott
Don Tapscott Executive Chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute is one of the world's leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society having published over 15 titles on the subject. The author and businessman is one of the most prominent speakers on the relationship between technology and business and recently co-authored (with his son) a book called blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies is Changing the World.
Blockchain Revolution has been lauded for presenting blockchain technology to the general public in an easy to understand way and helping get regular people understand the impact blockchain technology is having and will continue to have on society.
He is also the co-founder of the Blockchain Research Institute, whose 80+ projects are the definitive investigation into blockchain strategy, use-cases, implementation challenges and organizational transformations. He has been active and prominent in the "fusion of business and technology" space since before the emergence of even blockchain technology and continues to advice industries and government on leading and emergent technologies.
8. Ilia Angelov
Ilia Angelov tops our list because he is the buzzword now in the crypto space in the Middle East. Ilia has started one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in Dubai and since then made several headlines. Billium is the new generation cryptocurrency exchange revolutionizing the experience for traders and investors. Billium is simplifying trading by introducing copy-trading, a first of its kind in this space. Ilia Angelov has transformed the whole industry ground-up with Billium. He leveraged his insight into the industry to create an exchange that is changing the game for amateur and inexperienced traders.
Ilia often shares valuable insights and updates about blockchain and crypto on social media. He is a must-follow crypto influencer for those new in this space or someone looking to make it big in crypto.
SEC Chair Gensler Reveals Three Telltale Signs Something Is A Scam


One of the most interesting things you can do in planning a wedding is come up with some kind of entertainment for the guests at the reception. Traditionally, this is pretty much limited to conversation and dancing, and there's some value in this. After all, you want everyone to hang out and have fun together rather than be distracted by random activities. Even so, however, a little bit of side entertainment can provide options for people who may not love to dance, can make the party more dynamic, and can ultimately make the whole wedding more memorable. So with that said, we've come up with four unusual ideas for wedding reception fun.
This sounds like a ridiculous idea, and it looks like one too when you check it out. But the idea is simple and quite a lot of fun, in a playful way: every guest gets a pair of headphones, all playing the same music, and everyone dances – even though the venue itself is more or less quiet. These quiet events were making a lot of noise a few years ago when they first came on the scene but they've remained fairly popular alternative party ideas and can make for a very different kind of wedding reception. Of course, conducting the entire reception this way would be a little awkward, but having the dance floor set aside as headphone-only is one idea, or you could simply designate an hour after dinner for the "silent dance." One thing people tend to find, somewhat inexplicably, is that more people are inclined to dance with this style of party. Go figure, but it makes for a fun event!
It goes without saying, you don't want your guests wandering around the venue the entire time you're busy celebrating your marriage. People tend to congregate in fairly close quarters, and it's for the best for the social aspect of the occasion. However, there's something to be said for organizing scavenger hunts for each individual table. They can take off one by one chasing clues, bonding together (as wedding reception tables so often do), and perhaps locating some crucial elements to the reception, such as their own party favours or different parts of a bouquet to be tossed by the bride. You can arrange this one pretty much however you like, and it does take a fair amount of effort, but it'll also be a memorable aspect of your wedding.
Having a casino game-infused wedding sounds sort of distracting, but it's actually pretty feasible to have a corner set aside for gaming, just as you have a bar set aside for drink orders and a dance floor designated for dancing. The obvious play is to hire a dealer or two to wheel in legitimate poker tables and let the guests sit down, perhaps even betting real money if everyone is agreeable to it. However, you can also get creative with gaming options these days. With a few tablets on display, you can tap into the free game selection that exists in the online slot community, and you can more or less do the same with roulette, blackjack, etc. That's not to say you want guests sitting in front of tablets all night, but being able to rope in games like these provides more of a total casino atmosphere that can be a lot of fun for people to move in and out of.
This is a really difficult idea. Plus, most of us haven't really thought about mazes since we were kids. But look through some awesome hedge mazes and you might not be able to get the idea out of your head. Of course, a proper hedge maze has to grow over time, but if you have some financial means and you're resourceful enough you can come up with a makeshift alternative – even if that means bringing in rows of cheap potted plants and perhaps stringing white lights along them to make them more uniform as maze walls. One really fun idea, depending on the arrangement of the venue you choose, is to actually make guests travel through a maze to get to the reception and find their dinner tables. No one's going to forget that!


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The SMAANZ Board is delighted to announce the city of Adelaide and the School of Management, University of South Australia, as the hosts of the 2018 SMAANZ Conference.
The conference will be held 21-23 November 2018, with academic and meeting sessions held at the University of SA City West Campus in the CBD. The conference will feature a closing dinner held at the iconic Adelaide Oval. The organising committee will be led by Dr Ian O'Boyle, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management at University of South Australia and supported by the School of Management Faculty including Dr Jamie Cleland, Dr Duncan Murray, and Dr Sarah Chua.
Dr Ian O'Boyle welcomes the 24th SMAANZ Conference to the city, the first time it will be held in Adelaide.
"We are extremely excited to host the 2018 SMAANZ conference in Adelaide, and at the School of Management at University of South Australia. Adelaide is a vibrant city with a rich sporting culture and is an ideal venue for the conference. Planning is already underway to provide an exciting academic and social program and we look forward to showcasing our great city and welcoming sport management academics from around the globe to the University of South Australia."
SMAANZ President Clare Hanlon adds: "Adelaide provides the perfect location to conduct our 24th conference. We are excited to collaborate with Ian and his colleagues from the University of South Australia. The conference will strengthen academic and industry links and promote scholarly enquiry in sport management and related disciplines to existing and new members. During the conference we look forward to the sport management community coming together, collegiality, and the curiosity, knowledge, evidence, and diversity of people and opinion".
SMAANZ also acknowledges the support of the Adelaide Convention Bureau in the process to bring the conference to Adelaide. Please share this news with your networks and promotion will continue over 2017-18. The call for papers and further information will follow in early 2018.
SMAANZ 2018 Conference dates:
Wednesday 21th November – HDR Day/Social Activities and Evening Welcome Function
Thursday 22th November – Day 1
Friday 23th November – Day 2 and Closing Dinner
MORE INFORMATION ON THE CONFERENCE AND ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
The range of accommodation available to delegates within walking distance of central Adelaide, the proposed conference and function venues is extensive, with over 50 3-5 star hotels in the CBD.
Adelaide International Airport is a 10 minute drive from Adelaide CBD with public transport readily available. The airport has direct flights to and from all Australian capital cities and also with Auckland in New Zealand. Flights to and from Europe will require a minimum of two flights and likewise to and from North America.
South Australia is a world famous destination for wine and food tourism with some of the best wineries in Australia located between 30 and 45 minutes from the CBD (Adelaide hills, McLaren Vale, and Barossa Valley). There are also numerous quality golf courses in and around Adelaide and a golf day can be arranged as part of the conference for interested attendees.
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There are two types of visitors' visas – B-1 visa for business visitors and B-2 visa for tourists who come to the U.S. for pleasure. Oftentimes, visitors are granted a B-1/B-2 visa at the U.S. Consulate. The B-1/B-2 visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to the United States port-of entry and request permission to enter the U.S. Depending on the purpose of the foreign citizen, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer will determine the foreign citizen's non-immigrant status (whether it is a B-1 or B-2) and period of authorized stay.
Nationals of certain countries may not be required to apply for visitors' visas under the Visa Waiver Program.
The B-1 visa is appropriate for those who must travel to the U.S. to consult with business associates or for certain scientific, educational, professional or business purposes, to attend conferences, settle an estate, or negotiate a contract. The purpose of a B-1 visitor must be for a legitimate professional or commercial purpose. Generally, the B-1 visitor is prohibited from engaging in an activity that would result in deriving income or employment in the U.S.
Participating or attending religious missionaries or conventions while being supported by contributions at evangelical meetings.
Participating in professional activities such as observing the conduct of a business, accompanying a foreign based employer, attending an executive seminar, etc.
Attending professional conventions or sports tournaments.
Engaging in commercial transaction not involving gainful employment.
The length of stay of a B-1 visitor depends upon the period of time within which the purpose for the trip can be completed. The maximum period allowable is one year, initially, with 6-month extensions.
The B-2 visa is typically granted to individuals who travel temporarily for vacation to visit friends and family members, as well as those who come in for medical treatment. This type of visa is also available to those who will engage in activities that are service-oriented or social in nature, including those who will participate in musical and sports events that will not be remunerated. Attending non-credit short courses, while on a B-2 status, is not prohibited. Employment is not permitted even if the remuneration is just mere allowance and/or free room and board.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. VWP travelers are required to have a valid authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to travel, are screened at the port of entry into the United States, and are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Security's US-VISIT program. VWP visitors must exit prior to the expiration of the 90 day period and they are not eligible for change of status, extension of status, or adjustment of status unless it is on the basis of an immediate relative petition.
What happens if a VWP beneficiary overstays the 90 day period of authorized stay prior to departure?
The VWP beneficiary will violate the terms of the program and will not be admitted under VWP again. It would be necessary for the VWP violator to apply for a B-1/B-2 visa in order to visit the US. Any time the VWP remains beyond the 90-day authorized stay will expose him or her to being placed in removal.
Can a VWP national change to another status or apply for the green card once in the US?
VWP beneficiaries are ineligible for change of status, extension of status, or adjustment of status unless it is on the basis of an immediate relative petition.


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Global LNG imports increased by 7% year-on-year in the second quarter (Q2) of 2018, with continued strong growth in demand from China. China saw a 40% year-on-year increase in its Q2 imports, slowing a little from the annual growth rate seen over the winter, but still providing a major boost to the global consumption.
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Global LNG market supply has been tighter than expected, primarily due to high demand from Asia, as well as strong US deliveries to markets closer to the Americas.
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Price volatility is a good indicator of market dynamics for any investor willing to take exposure in energy commodities, especially as prices are characterised by unpredictable shocks and fast-changing drivers.
In this market insight, ICIS takes a look at Brent oil and TTF gas prices to understand what their changes reflect and why they seem to be tracking different patterns.


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Frances S. Adeney, "Women and Christian Mission: Ways of Knowing and Doing Theology"
The Abstract
Frances S. Adeney, Women and Christian Mission: Ways of Knowing and Doing Theology, Pickwick, Eugene, OR, 2015. 300 pp. $29. ISBN: 9781498217194. "The church has been like a bird with one wing. That is not right. But we cannot stop the power of God. Women will be empowered." —Evelyn Parkin, Australian Indigenous theologian (14) Frances […]
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Book review by Susanne Guenther Loewen
Frances S. Adeney, Women and Christian Mission: Ways of Knowing and Doing Theology, Pickwick, Eugene, OR, 2015. 300 pp. $29. ISBN: 9781498217194.
"The church has been like a bird with one wing. That is not right. But we cannot stop the power of God. Women will be empowered." —Evelyn Parkin, Australian Indigenous theologian (14)
Frances Adeney is Professor Emerita of Evangelism and Global Mission at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In her volume Women and Christian Mission: Ways of Knowing and Doing Theology, she draws from her experience as a professor in Java, Indonesia, and the United States, and also on interviews with ninety women to delineate women's ways of practicing "mission theology." Her research is broad in scope—tracing women's roles in mission from the early church to the present postmodern context—due to the dearth of conventional, written sources available, since "Christian women…have practiced the Missio Dei, usually without the privilege of time and resources or the status of authority to speak and write about those matters" (254, emphasis original). Thus, despite their considerable experiences and contributions to mission theology, many of the women interviewed did not identify as theologians. "They were modest about their influence—sometimes too modest," Adeney concludes (xiii–xiv).
Adeney's study counteracts that modesty, examining women's experiences of God calling them to leadership roles traditionally reserved for men, such as preaching and teaching. The women's experiences often involved a struggle for acceptance, as in the striking story of late nineteenth-century African American preacher Jarena Lee. When Lee approached her bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church to discuss her calling to preach, the bishop upheld the tradition's stance against women in "public ministry."
But Lee's spirit could not rest. She tried for eight years to suppress her calling from God. At length, in agony of soul, she returned to Bishop Allen's church to plead again her cause. Again she was refused. But the next Sunday, Jarena Lee stood up in the congregation and began to preach. So powerful was her preaching that Allen…relented, becoming one of her greatest supporters….Bishop Allen even cared for Lee's children when she was away on preaching trips (41).
In highlighting the obstacles women face in responding to God's call in their lives—whether it be an unsupportive or gender-discriminatory church community, family or spouse, or a reticence to accept one's own leadership gifts due to gender—Adeney affirms these women's "perseverance, creativity, and flexibility" in finding ways to live out their callings to be "theology-makers" rather than only "theology-followers" (184–86, 40). Adeney also affirms women "leading from the margins" (179), finding less formal ways of practicing mission theology as spouses of mission workers, beginning mission work later in life, or supporting others' mission work (3–4, 24, 185).
Adeney's discussion of the turn to spirituality within "third wave" feminism is particularly helpful as she identifies concerns that characterize women's theologies, including embodiment; "the sacredness of everyday life"; choice and agency; "self-trust" in the face of what Virginia Woolf dubbed the "gentle violence" of systemic sexism; empowerment; relationality; and "celebrating difference" (28–34, emphases original). Another strength lies in her nuanced examination of the double-edged nature of sacrificial ethics for women doing "mission theology." While recognizing the centrality of self-sacrifice in the Christian tradition—which warrants her only mention of Anabaptism (150)—she explains that sacrifice involves "much ambiguity for women." Exhortations to self-sacrifice "can be used in oppressive ways" as women are "coerced into" sacrificing themselves in ways that benefit men in authority, or " 'choose' self-sacrifice because they have internalized cultural expectations in their context." Adeney rightly argues that self-sacrifice "then becomes not a source of holy living but an obstacle to be overcome" (151–52, cf. 260). As Anabaptists, we should note the strong association between our tradition and this potentially oppressive notion of self-sacrifice.
Due to the informal or unofficial ways in which women have practiced mission theology, Adeney's understanding of mission is necessarily broad, if not vague. For her, mission encompasses everything from evangelism, interfaith dialogue, and friendship building to teaching, academia, providing health care, and engaging politics (255, 3–4, 96, 169). Her chapter on Dorothy Day's contributions to the Catholic Worker Movement in the United States blurs the lines even further, since she labels Day, who worked for social justice in her own context, an exemplary "missionary" (115–33). Does "mission theology" for Adeney include any and all ways in which Christian women practice their faith? She seems to assert as much, claiming, "Today Christian mission is from everywhere to everywhere" (172). But in identifying these various women's lived theologies in many historical and socio-cultural-political contexts as "Christian mission," Adeney privileges a loaded term that is not necessarily embraced by these diverse women and/or communities.
Adeney also underemphasizes the legacy of colonialism, in which the "mission theology" of white Western women is also complicit. She admittedly distinguishes between the "Imperial Mood" of theology "from above" (as hierarchical, rationalistic, dualistic, abstract-philosophical)—which presupposes the superiority or "orthodoxy" of the "traditional Western European" worldview—and the "Contextual Mood" of theology "from below," based on experience, community, solidarity, and cultural memories and narratives (38–39, 56, 61–62, cf. 77). Crucially, Adeney acknowledges in passing that women can also theologize in the "Imperial Mood" (57). She is careful to include many contextual, liberation, and feminist theological voices from the two-thirds world and to call for a degree of mutuality in intercultural relationships (243, 250). Still, it is lamentable that Adeney does not engage postcolonial feminist theologians like Musa Dube or Kwok Pui-lan. Women such as these might help complicate her claim that women have been marginalized in mission, by raising the ways in which white Western women's mission engagement has also marginalized others or at least benefitted from racist and colonialist ideologies. According to Kwok, even feminist theologians have not sufficiently grappled with "how white women ha[ve] colluded in colonialism and slavery" as well as in the neocolonialism of globalized capitalism and "development."1 This critique certainly applies to Adeney's work. To name but one example, she describes a worship service into which Indonesian women incorporated "traditional Indonesian dress" and used rice and Indonesian wine as the elements of Communion. Instead of recognizing this as a powerful act of decolonizing worship, Adeney reduces it to an aesthetic choice to incorporate "beauty" into worship (46).
Such an oversight reveals that while Adeney's work valuably recovers the underemphasized voices and contributions of women to Christian mission theology, it does not sufficiently critique the underlying triumphalism that continues to characterize most Christian understandings of mission. Ultimately, her work needs the "other wing" of postcolonial theologies in order to present a more complete and complex portrait of women's mission theology.
Susanne Guenther Loewen is a child of former overseas church workers, and a theologian, pastor, spouse, and mother. This past fall she completed her PhD in feminist and Mennonite theologies from the Toronto School of Theology and begin as co-pastor at Nutana Park Mennonite Church in Saskatoon.
Kwok Pui-Lan, Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2005), 18–19.


CEE has been working since last 19 years in villages of Jasdan taluka, Rajkot district for sustainable development. In these villages the latent potential of local youth and women has been harnessed by establishing village level institutions called Paryavaran Vikas Mandals (PVMs), currently with a membership around 1000. Though significantly engaged in micro-finance, they take leadership and responsibilities for sustainable development at village level. Many of them have become now independent Community Based Organisation (CBOs) and with minimum support of CEE.
These CBOs take various developmental issues like agriculture, water, women empowerment, governance, sanitation, health and education. They mainly focus on demonstration of sustainable livelihood options; capacity building through exposure, training and information services; marketing support; exposure visits, internship and collaboration of the CEE Field Office; and participation of the team in workshops, training programmes and other events.
The main support services provided to strengthen and enhance the livelihood of the communities are information services, experiences sharing, technical know-how, capacity building training, exposure tours, awareness campaign, forwards and backward linkages. The main aim of the programmes remains to improve livelihood opportunities without compromising the natural resources. The focus remains on diversifying the livelihoods, strengthening networking and local governance to improve the livelihood.
Most of the marginal community depends for livelihoods on farming or seasonal labour work. In absence of proper education and skills their employability in non-farming jobs is very low. Microfinance provides small financial services to assist the poor, both financially and socially. Microfinance aims to target the rural poor who own micro-enterprises that work in agriculture, dairy, poultry, processing, artisan, rural product marketing, grocery, tailoring, and pottery, among others. The main objective is to develop institutional financial self-sufficiency.
Lateral learning among stakeholders working towards sustainable development is much needed. The knowledge generated at one place need to be shared among other stakeholder to reduce repetition or reinventing wheel. The lateral learning reduces waste of resources (financial, physical and human). Lateral learning helps stakeholders in efficiently utilizing the learnings and experiences accordingly.


Faegre Baker Daniels has promoted six associates to counsel, and FaegreBD Consulting has promoted two consultants to principal.
Robert O'Loughlin, counsel, is a member of the firm's intellectual property team. In his practice, Bob collaborates with clients to navigate intellectual property opportunities and risks and to achieve their objectives regarding innovation, commercialization and competition.
Angela Morales, counsel, is a member of the firm's business litigation group. She specializes in financial services litigation, appellate litigation and employment litigation.
Bob Kistler, counsel, focuses his practice in the area of employee benefits and Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation. He advises employers, plan administrators and service providers on plan design and administration, fiduciary responsibilities, plan compliance, and plan corrections.
Amy Steketee-Fox, counsel, concentrates her practice in counseling and defending both public and private employers in all areas of labor and employment law. She has defended employers in federal and state courts and before the EEOC and other administrative agencies regarding issues under Title VII and other EEO statutes, the Family & Medical Leave Act, wage and hour claims, wrongful termination, and unemployment matters.
Victoria Fitzgerald, counsel, serves as counsel in the labor and employment group in FaegreBD's London office. She practices English law and advises on fair recruiting procedures, employment relationships, contracts of employment, consultancy agreements, employment policies and procedures, and more.
Sonnie Elliott, principal, has been a member of the firm's government relations team for more than a decade, representing businesses, education, nonprofit organizations, and trade and professional associations before the Minnesota Legislature, state agencies and local units of government.
Laura Johnson, counsel, is a member of the firm's intellectual property group. Her practice focuses on patent and other complex intellectual property litigation. Drawing on deep knowledge of court proceedings and judicial preferences gained during her nine-year tenure as a clerk in Minnesota's U.S. District Court, Laura partners with litigation teams to develop effective trial and motion practice strategies.
Libby Baney is a principal in the health and biosciences group of FaegreBD Consulting in Washington, D.C. Much of her work relates to the intersection of Internet, technology and health policy issues including internet pharmacies, telemedicine, pharmaceutical supply chain security, counterfeit medicines and more. She is also the founding Executive Director of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), a global nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.


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Actress Debra Messing banded together with fellow actress and #MeToo activist Alyssa Milano against the Women's March directors' indirect support of anti-Semitism.
Milano as of late stood up that she was removing herself from the gathering and won't talk at a Women's March occasion whenever asked by the gathering's pioneers, Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour.
The "Will & Grace" actress stood in support of Milano's stance against the leadership's inaction against Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan's anti-Semitic statements.
"I stand with you," Messing wrote.
"Any time that there is any bigotry or anti-Semitism in that respect, it needs to be called out and addressed. I'm disappointed in the leadership of the Women's March that they haven't done it adequately," Milano recently told The Advocate, condemning the leaders.
In March, Farrakhan gave a hate-filled speech in which he said, "The powerful Jews are my enemy." Mallory refused to condemn Farrakhan for his statement.
I will not sit back while a strong, bold, unapologetic, committed Black woman who risks her life every day to speak truth to power and organize and mobilize movements is questioned, berated and abused.


National Hospital Week 2019 celebrates hope and healing, and the hospitals, health systems, and the women and men who support the health and well-being of their communities through dedication and care from the heart.
WVHA members believe it is essential to have a strong, healthcare system that supports and improves the health status of the people served by our hospitals and the economic condition of the state.
West Virginia hospitals account for 15 of the top 100 employers in the state.
West Virginia hospitals are a vital part of the infrastructure needed to support economic development.
West Virginia hospitals are community partners providing needed services and care.
Healthcare. It's Your Life. It's Our Passion.
"West Virginia hospital leaders are passionate about healthcare and improving the health of West Virginia communities. On behalf of WVHA member hospitals and health systems, we thank you for the opportunity to share just a few of the good things that represent West Virginia hospitals."


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Lax Florida sex trafficking laws pose grave danger to kids | Editorial
By Sun Sentinel Editorial Board
The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation created this public awareness poster, a version of which hotels are required to place post in an area accessible to employees. Despite the state law mandating these posters also requiring citations for hotels that did not comply with state trafficking laws, 14,000 citations have been issued since the 2019 law, but no fines have been paid. (Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulations)
In a four-part series and a podcast, the Sun Sentinel's investigation team has laid out the results of a year-long investigation of child sex trafficking in Florida and exposed how lax state laws and a privatized foster care system not only fail to prevent this most vile of crimes, but in fact encourage it.
More than 6,600 hotels and other rental properties have received more than 14,000 citations for violating a 2019 law meant to clamp down on women and girls being trafficked in hotel rooms. Not a single one has paid a fine. By law, all were allowed by the Department of Business & Professional Regulation to take remedial steps, as if the victims were no different from sanitation problems in a restaurant.
[ RELATED: Innocence Sold: Florida hotels have stacked up thousands of violations of a 2019 sex-trafficking law. But not one has been fined. ]
As is often the case, the responsibility for this shocking reality can be traced to the Florida Legislature, where sex trafficking victims don't have well-paid lobbyists but hotels do.
The law passed in 2019 (HB 851) was a political compromise deliberately weakened to coddle the hotel industry, one of the state's most powerful special interests and a reliable contributor to legislators' campaigns with a stable of lobbyists at the Capitol.
A year earlier, Sen. Lauren Book, D-Davie, herself a child sexual abuse victim, filed a stronger bill (SB 1044) that would have allowed trafficking victims to sue hotels and motels that willingly and knowingly allowed trafficking on their premises. That legislation sailed through its first two of three committee hearings before Book pulled it from its last committee and attached it as an amendment to a bill on the Senate floor.
Fear of lawsuits
As Book tried to push through her version, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, a trade group for Disney and other powerful hotel interests, claimed it would subject hotels to unfounded lawsuits.
The bill had guardrails against such lawsuits by immunizing hotels that had training programs for employees. Nevertheless, Republican senators, some of whom had supported the bill in committee hearings, killed Book's last-minute attempt to pass her bill.
The 2019 version that became law no longer included language about trafficking lawsuits and it watered down fines so they could be avoided through corrective actions.
Instead of falsely accusing teachers of being "groomers," perhaps our leaders in Tallahassee could do something meaningful about actual groomers in their districts and take a fresh look at the 2018 legislation. At the very least, they should authorize severe fines for sleazy hotels that don't comply with the state's trafficking laws, if a protected industry's fear of nuisance lawsuits is too great for them.
The causes are many. Teens languish in foster group homes because foster parents prefer young children. Homes are often located in poor neighborhoods. Employees are poorly paid in part because reimbursement rates are too low.
A failed system
This crisis has been many years in the making.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush was a privatization evangelist, shifting whole services from the state government to private profit-motivated contractors during his eight years in office. But in many cases, one way to keep profits high in services traditionally provided by government is to make sure those services are doled out as cheaply as possible. One government service privatized in the Bush era was the foster care system after his election in 1998.
In perhaps the most damning revelation of the series, entitled Innocence Sold, reporters Brittany Wallman, David Fleshler and Spencer Norris showed that "when Florida's child welfare system takes in a girl, the odds she will be trafficked for sex increase." That's an unconscionable indictment of the status quo.
[ RELATED: Innocence Sold: Florida's foster system provides dangerous sex traffickers with easy access to vulnerable children ]
Horrifyingly, after a 2018 federal law cut funding to foster group homes to discourage their use, the state Department of Children and Families in 2020 broadly redefined the risk of human trafficking to distort its definition, allowing those homes to stay open. (The federal law granted an exception to foster group home funding for those at risk of trafficking.)
As our series documented, group homes are magnets for child trafficking, and Florida has perpetuated their existence to keep the federal money flowing. Prior to the 2018 federal law, only four foster group homes in Florida catered to children at risk of trafficking. As of November 2022, there were 146, according to DCF. The department should offer new rules that determine who is at risk of trafficking based on real risks, not an eye toward federal funding.
The Sun Sentinel's groundbreaking reporting also showed how vulnerable young girls are easy prey for traffickers. Five years ago, 15-year-old Sophie Reeder left her Fort Lauderdale home and never returned. Life at home was tense. Messages on her cell phone described commercial sex acts. The series showed the city police department's missing persons unit is overwhelmed with cases. Police waited seven weeks before searching the home of a possible suspect in Sophie's disappearance. It's five years later, and Sophie Reeder has not been found.
[ RELATED: Innocence Sold: 'Kidnapping, human trafficking, murder.' What happened to missing teen Sophie Reeder? ]
One solution is clear: Florida must find a way to end or at least severely limit group foster homes in Florida. This will require greater funding for foster care agencies, and greater oversight by the Department of Children and Families (which will also require more funding).
But at a time when state leaders are boasting about $20 billion in reserves sitting in a bank, unspent, to not address this scandal is a disgusting dereliction of duty. Protecting kids from sexual exploitation is a core government function.
So much education and outreach has been conducted on the issue of child trafficking that police in Florida should not be busy locking up minors for crimes associated with their own victimhood. But as the fourth part in the Sun Sentinel investigation shows, that's not the case. Our investigations team found that victims of human trafficking have been routinely arrested and charged as criminals. But they are not criminals, they are victims, and they desperately need the state's help.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.