Friday, December 25, 2009

“Experts cast doubt on housing philosophy - Daily News - Galveston County” plus 4 more

“Experts cast doubt on housing philosophy - Daily News - Galveston County” plus 4 more

Experts cast doubt on housing philosophy - Daily News - Galveston County

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 02:14 AM PST

The new public housing philosophy of dispersing public housing residents across a region instead of segregating the poor in one city may not work in Galveston County, experts said.

The federal government in recent years has pushed public housing agencies to spread housing over entire regions in an attempt to provide better opportunities for families lumped together in poor, crime-ridden cities with low-performing schools, John Powell, executive director of Ohio State University's Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, said.

However, regional public housing isn't successful without solid public transportation, an abundance of low-skilled, entry-level jobs and places where the uninsured can get health care, experts said.

Without those opportunities and a strong support system, regional public housing fails, Mark Joseph, urban poverty expert and assistant professor at the Ohio-based Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, said.

Outside of Galveston — the hub for public housing for 60 years — most of Galveston County fails to meet the criteria experts said are needed for public housing to work as a regional concept.

The county lacks regional public transportation and only the cities with public housing — Galveston, La Marque and Texas City — have bus transportation.

Galveston has the most opportunities for low-wage, entry-level jobs in tourism and restaurants and at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Jobs for low-skilled workers are more difficult to find in the more affluent suburbs of League City and Friendswood.

And the medical branch, which has historically provided health care to the region's uninsured, is based in Galveston.

"The bottom line is that moving people out of a situation of concentrated poverty has, at its core, some real benefits, but the story is much more complicated than that," Joseph said. "This is about helping people to make a move that's going to be sustainable and providing them with continued attention and support."

Threatened Litigation

Members of the watchdog group Galveston Open Government Project have criticized the Galveston Housing Authority's plan to rebuild on the island all 569 public housing units damaged when Hurricane Ike struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008.

David Stanowski, co-founder of the group, said the plan is not legal because it doesn't meet federal fair housing standards. Citing a lawsuit in Baltimore, the group has urged the city and Galveston County to establish a countywide housing authority to spread public housing into the North County, instead of concentrating it in Galveston, Texas City and La Marque.

This week, the group threatened the city, county and the housing authority that, if those agencies didn't start working on a regional housing plan by Jan. 16, the Galveston Open Government Project would start drafting an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice asking those agencies to intervene to facilitate regional housing.

County commissioners agreed to allow the Galveston Open Government Project to give a presentation about its plan at a Jan. 13 meeting.

Galveston Housing Authority Executive Director Harish Krishnarao declined to comment on the regional housing concept because he thought litigation about the authority's plan was inevitable.

The Baltimore lawsuit, Thompson v. the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, claimed the plans to continue the decades-old pattern of segregating public housing in Baltimore discriminated against African-Americans living in public housing.

The judge ruled the federal housing department needed to take a regional approach to public housing — disperse the residents into the whiter, more affluent suburbs surrounding Baltimore.

Federal housing department officials could not be reached for comment on the implications the Baltimore case has on Galveston public housing. In the past, department officials have declined to comment about the housing authority's redevelopment plan, calling it a purely local issue.

Transportation, Jobs Big Factors

Public housing advocates are generally in favor of regional public housing, but the plans must be crafted carefully so that public housing residents continue to get the same sort of support in their new communities that they received in their old communities, Shannon Van Zandt, a public housing expert and assistant professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, said.

Foremost, officials should determine whether there's a need for public housing elsewhere in the county, she said. If public housing residents live in Galveston but travel to League City to work, that's a strong indicator that League City needs affordable housing, Van Zandt said.

Krishnarao said 99 percent of the island's public housing residents who worked, held jobs on the island before Hurricane Ike displaced them.

Transportation is also a key component — public housing agencies can't move tenants without cars to areas where they can't catch rides to jobs, grocery stores and doctor's appointments, Van Zandt said.

Often, public housing residents decide to stay in an area of concentrated poverty rather than move to more affluent areas if those areas lack public transportation, Joseph said. Successful relocations depend on the availability of public transportation, he said.

"That's a major, major issue," he said.

Additional Support Needed

Research shows moving public housing residents from poor, segregated communities into more affluent areas produces positive results, Joseph said.

Overall, residents tend to feel better — both mentally and physically — when they live in higher-quality housing in safer, more affluent communities, he said. However, experts have not seen any improvements in public housing residents' economic mobility or employment earnings, and the educational outcomes for public housing students tend to be the same, he said.

Boys, especially, continue to struggle even away from concentrated, segregated public housing, Joseph said. Recent research shows that, while girls tend to do better away from concentrated poverty, boys tend to accrue more problems, he said.

Boys who have moved into whiter, more affluent areas have increased engagement with police officers and more problems at school, likely because they feel like they need to "act out in order to navigate their new environments," Joseph said.

"The conclusion now is that there needs to be additional forms of support," he said. "Simply moving someone from an inner-city location to the suburbs does not affect them on an economic trajectory."

The Baltimore Move

Still, the public housing residents who moved from inner-city Baltimore to the surrounding suburbs said they were very satisfied in their new environments, Powell said.

He estimated 2,400 families, or about 17 percent of the 14,000 families living in Baltimore public housing, accepted the offer to move to the suburbs. That number may have been higher had the public housing authority been able to find homes for people in the suburbs, he said.

"The demand was greater than the availability," Powell said.

The Baltimore housing agency, which accomplished the move primarily using housing choice vouchers, is now investigating using federal neighborhood stabilization dollars to buy up properties or build new public housing units in the suburbs, Powell said.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

76ers' coach stresses defense - Philadelphia Daily News

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 01:34 PM PST

Jordan was asked about defense, which this season his 76ers have rarely played, and which the Wizards, the team he previously coached, also played sparingly.

"I remember spending an extraordinary amount of time in training camp with the Wizards on defense and we started out 0-5," Jordan said. "Then we put a little bit more time into offense and we won six in a row."

That defensive philosophy sounds frighteningly like an offensive philosophy.

And so far this season, the Sixers have played defense - especially in fourth quarters - the way Jordan talks about defense: as if it were an afterthought.

That night in Washington, about 90 minutes before tip-off against the Wizards, Jordan began the discussion of defense this way: "I'm a true believer that you have to have some defensive leaders and defensive personnel. I think our defense is good when Sammy [Dalembert] is good. Our defense is good when Andre [Iguodala] is a major scorer. We have a young team; we have to learn to play as a team defense."

A few hours later, Jordan played Dalembert only 17 minutes, 2 seconds and for only 2:47 during a fourth quarter during which the Wizards scored 33 points, stealing a victory by cruising to the rim as easily as if they had E-ZPass.

Dalembert is not always "good," but that night he was: 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, six rebounds and two blocked shots. In Dalembert's 2:47 of fourth-quarter play he had three defensive rebounds and a blocked shot.

But as the game was being lost, it was Marreese Speights playing Dalembert's minutes. Speights is the offense guy. In his 9:51 of fourth-quarter play, he scored seven points, but had zero defensive rebounds and zero blocked shots.

Down the stretch, Jordan went with offense.

"Scoring is important," Sixers guard Willie Green said immediately after the loss. "We want to outscore the other team as well. I think the game will eventually slow down. When both teams are struggling scoring, it's the team that can stop the other team from scoring that will win the game, eventually. Some games we'll outscore people. Nine times out of 10, you have to, late in the game, be able to get a stop. The best teams in the NBA, they can stop you and make you take tough shots."

Continued Green: "Our losses are a combination of things, but I have to go back to our defense. I think that we have been scoring the ball well but it's frustrating not being able to make defensive plays and stop guys. It was evident tonight. They had a nice little lead and then they just turned it on when they wanted to.

"We didn't do a good job of defense on this team, especially when Sam's [Dalembert] out of the game. Our perimeter and post guys have to do a better job of keeping guys out of the paint. Overall, if we play harder on defense, eventually the game will come down to a win."

Aside from point guard Andre Miller, who is now with the Portland Trail Blazers and wasn't exactly a defensive stopper, the Sixers have the same core players.

So what's different?

"Not sure," Green answered. "Thinking about last year and the year before, the reason we were so successful wasn't just because we were running, but it was because we were able to stop teams and rebound the ball. That triggered everything for us. Once again, we need to stop people."

Yesterday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Sixers practiced. A few minutes into practice, the Sixers' official Twitter account posted a Tweet: "Coach Jordan says practice will focus primarily on defense, terming today a 'defensive training camp.' "

Some love for AI. Yesterday, the NBA released updated results from the 2010 All-Star Game voting. Sixers point guard Allen Iverson is currently second in votes among Eastern Conference guards with 635,084 votes. Iverson trails only the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, who has 1,314,215 votes. If voting ended today, Iverson would be a starting guard. Voters select two guards, two forwards, and one center from each conference. No other Sixer is near contention.

Follow the 76ers on Kate Fagan's blog at http://go.philly.com/dsix

Contact staff writer Kate Fagan

at 856-779-3844

or kfagan@phillynews.com.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Final Word: NFC South - ESPN.com

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 01:05 PM PST

Pittsburgh Steelers a Pass-First Team? OK, But Let's Keep It Real - Bleacherreport.com

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 02:38 PM PST

So Ben Roethlisberger has recently made the proclamation that "this is not your father's Steeler offense," ushering in the idea of a pass-first, aerial offensive juggernaut.  

A lot of long-time fans have a hard time accepting that idea, with fond memories of three decades of smashmouth, run-it-down-their-throats, clock control football.

Some (like me) are puzzled given the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall as an effective runner, even behind an offensive line that has largely been suspect despite flashes of cohesiveness. Many give credit (or blame) to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, who has made it pretty clear over the past two seasons that he abhors the workmanlike running game and wants to turn the Steelers into the "Greatest Show On (or Above) Turf" featuring 60 minutes of aerobatic stunts.

And in reality, is that such a bad thing?  After all, we have the high-paid franchise quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, whose weekly exploits inevitably contain some highlight-reel footage consisting of improbable escapes which he astoundingly turns into positive yards and even points, sometimes.

I think what EVERYONE needs to keep in perspective is that while the air attack has certainly made for riveting football games, full of action and excitement, where it hasn't delivered is in the "W" column.

You can blame a defense that disappears in the quarter for the losses (as well as the many wins that probably shouldn't have been as close as they were), but here's the rub; if you know and understand that the defense isn't going to salt away the game with a double-digit lead for you (and Mike Tomlin admitted just that fact in the defense of his choice to go for the on-sides kick against Green Bay), then you have to adopt an offensive strategy that puts more points on the board.

This air-it-out offense relies too much on slugging it out and keeping games close. Again, part of the problem is that the defense is giving up way too many fourth-quarter points, but that just underscores the need to run up the score in the first three quarters. If the defense can't preserve a win with two scores in hand, then we need to be leading by three scores late in games.  If they can't hang onto a three-score lead, then we need four.  See where I'm going here?

I think the problem is that Ben, and possible the offense in general, needs to feel pressure to "get up" and perform well.  When their backs are against the wall, they often come out firing on all cylinders and move the ball more effectively.  

The offense is at its most dangerous when it needs to come from behind.  Where opponents have beat us all season is clock management, leaving little or no time for Ben to manage one of those miraculous come-from-behind victories.

To me, this is the biggest indictment of the pass-happy Arians offense.  Coming out gunning is perfect.  Getting an early lead is good thinking.  Piling on the points with an effective passing game is ideal.  

Passing out of an empty backfield set on third down and less than a yard to go, with a running back who's averaging close to five yards per carry is not so smart.  Three passes and a punt from deep in our own territory late in the game with a slim lead is borderline suicidal.  Ignoring the run altogether in the second half is just plain dumb.

While the hopes for salvaging this season are slim, rumors of Arians' imminent departure will hopefully usher in a more sensible offensive philosophy.  A team can still be a pass-first team without abandoning the run completely, and still understand how to use the run to control the clock, preserve a lead, and keep the defense rested and off the field.  

Someone needs to tell Arians (and maybe Tomlin) that you don't have to run on every play, you don't have to score only rushing touchdowns, and you don't have to stop throwing the ball ... and point out that so far this pass-heavy offensive philosophy has contributed at least as much to the 7-7 record as any defensive failures.

In more than a few of the Steelers' losses, running the clock down even a minute or two while still in possession of the lead could have been the difference between a win and a loss.  Instead, the Steelers preferred to stick with the pass-pass-pass game plan, handed the ball back to the opponent with just enough time on the clock and gift-wrapped the game at the same time.

With that, I leave Santa my wishlist for the rest of this season:

* More play-action.

* Ben rolling out more.

* Don't let us ever go 5-wide on 3rd-and-inches, ever again.

* And please give our cornerbacks the ability to get closer than 10 yards away from receivers before the ball is thrown.

I know that's a lot to ask for, Santa, but I promise, I've been a very good boy.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

George Michael, sportscaster, DJ - Philadelphia Daily News

Posted: 25 Dec 2009 02:17 PM PST

Mr. Michael became the dean of Washington sportscasters during a 28-year career at WRC-TV in Washington, where he launched his syndicated The George Michael Sports Machine.

He won more than 40 Emmy awards, and he helped jump-start the TV careers of several national sports personalities, including former Inquirer columnist David Aldridge, Bonnie Bernstein, Tony Kornheiser, Joe Theismann, and Michael Wilbon.

In Philadelphia, Mr. Michael ruled the airwaves from 1966 to 1974 as one of the original Boss Jocks at "Famous 56" WFIL (560 AM), where he was a rock DJ and music director.

"He was the most singularly energetic radio broadcaster I have met," said broadcaster Larry Kane, who worked with Mr. Michael in 1963 at WIL-FM in St. Louis, and again when Kane joined WFIL in 1966 as a news anchor.

"His delight in his job and his love for both rock and roll and sports was infectious," Kane said. At WFIL, he said, Mr. Michael successfully melded his twin loves: "In between songs, he'd talk about local sports."

Kane said Mr. Michael, who last year was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia's Hall of Fame, picked up the moniker "King George" because of his vast knowledge of Philly's high school sports scene.

It was also at WFIL that Mr. Michael met his wife, Broomall native and Emmy-winning sportswriter Pat Lackman. They were married in 1974, the year they left Philadelphia for New York, where Mr. Michael transitioned into television.

Mr. Michael worked at WRC from 1980 to 2008, leaving abruptly after the station sought to cut the budget of the programs he hosted.

One of the most recognizable figures on Washington television, Mr. Michael also created and produced such ratings winners as Redskins Report and Full Court Press.

Starting in 1984, Mr. Michael oversaw a trendsetting show that made liberal use of action highlights from games.

Sports Machine, as it was eventually called, was syndicated to 200 stations at its peak, and was credited with inspiring ESPN's SportsCenter and CNN's Sports Late Night.

Born in St. Louis, Mr. Michael played soccer in high school and graduated from St. Louis University with a degree in philosophy, political theory, and speech. He entered radio and worked for stations in the Midwest.

Services are being planned for next month.

 

Inquirer staff writer Tirdad Derakhshani and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)