Breaking the Cycle

“I look at the world / And I notice it's turning” — The Beatles

______

It’ may not be surprising that it took a British publication, the Guardian, to bring up the historical roots of gun violence in the U.S. at the very moment this country — incomprehensibly — may be increasing its unconscionable rate of mass shootings from the historical level, which is already 57 times as many as the other six G7 countries combined. 

In case you were wondering about the comparable populations, there are over 100 million more people in those six countries than in the U.S.

The main point of the article is that we have not yet escaped the racist and genocidal impulses that colored this country’s origin. Will we ever? That is a fair question.

Meanwhile, deep within the Guardian piece is a statistic that we’ve probably all heard before but bears repeating: A citizen is twice as likely to be imprisoned in the U.S. as in Russia, a nation with a government we roundly and rightly condemn as authoritarian. Also, in America we imprison seven times as many people per capita as in France.

We know that the only way to reduce gun violence is new legislation. And the only way to reduce the prison population is criminal justice reform. But legislation is apparently politically impossible at present and tolerance for any kind of reform in the U.S. is currently on trial in San Francisco with Tuesday’s upcoming vote to recall progressive D.A. Chesa Boudin. That measure is called Proposition H.

An incisive analysis of the issue titled “What’s Stopping Chesa Boudin?” has been produced by The Intercept.

Early polls indicated Boudin had little chance to avoid being recalled, which is funded by $7 million of right-wing money, but numerous articles in local Bay Area publications (Bay Guardian, 48 Hills and SF Examiner) have added some last-minute drama to this nationally significant race. 

The Examiner piece best captures why Boudin appears to be gaining ground at the eleventh hour. He has been able to inspire a large contingent of idealistic volunteers who are going door-to-door and also making thousands of phone calls on his behalf. This old-fashioned approach may overcome the advertising campaign arrayed against him, which is downright hysterical in tone. Tucker Carlson is leading the charge against Boudin and the New York Post editorial board has beseeched its readers to “pray” that San Francisco voters would recall him.

(The last time I checked, prayers in New York do not count as votes here on the opposite coast.)

A late-breaking new poll released by the Boudin camp Friday afternoon reveals that the voters are now evenly split (47 - 47 percent) on Prop H but that turnout appears to be low. So it turns out that the outcome will turn out to depend on the turnout. 

Unlike the emerging positive signs in San Francisco, the country as a whole seems frozen and unable to figure out how to regulate assault weapons, identify mass killers, protect vulnerable facilities like schools or decommission what are essentially criminal-production factories called prisons, even though virtually every other country in the world does a better job at all those tasks than we do.

But the world just keeps turning.

TODAY’s LINKS (6/4/22 — 42 stories from 27 sources)

1. America is steeped in violence. And the roots of that violence go deep (Guardian)

2. Zelensky: We did the impossible in stopping Russia (BBC)

3. After 100 days of war, Putin is counting on the world's indifference (CNN)

4. Russian forces advanced deep into the ruined eastern factory city of Sievierodonetsk, as Russia's assault on its neighbour entered its 100th day. (Reuters)

5. Russia may be in Ukraine to stay after 100 days of war (AP)

6. 100 Days of Death and Devastation in Ukraine (WSJ)

7. ‘Everything is gone’: Eastern Ukraine residents say Russia is wiping their towns off the map (Politico)

8. Time favours Ukraine in its grim struggle for national survival (Financial Times)

9. Beijing chafes at Moscow’s requests for support, Chinese officials say (WP)

10. Deadly secret: Electronic warfare shapes Russia-Ukraine war (AP)

11. Angry young men and guns: Mass shooter patterns emerge (WP)

12. ‘Not if but When’: More Mass Shootings Add to Weary Nation’s Grief (NYT)

13. President Joe Biden gave his second evening address of his presidency, exhorting Congress to pass gun control legislation after a wave of mass shootings stretching from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Buffalo, New York. The president called on lawmakers to pass a suite of measures, including universal background check legislation, a ban on assault weapons, a national “red flag” law and an increase on the age requirement to buy a gun. [HuffPost]

14. Everytown launches ads targeting GOP lawmakers to act on gun-safety measures (Politico)

15. The Pivot to Web3 Is Going to Get People Hurt — “A lot of people are trying to get in on it, and a lot of people are more afraid of not getting in.”  (Vice)

16. There’s plenty on the San Francisco ballot in June, but the defining issue is Prop. H, the effort to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin. This is about more than one DA; it’s a national battle over the future of the criminal justice system, and a local battle over control of San Francisco politics. The supporters of the recall are putting out wildly misleading information, sometimes direct lies, and a mostly compliant local news media has gone along. Here’s the truth: Crime has not increased under Boudin’s tenure. (Bay Guardian)

17. Inside Chesa Boudin’s campaign headquarters — This is not a cozy new cafe; it’s the headquarters of the No on H campaign that’s fighting the recall effort against District Attorney Chesa Boudin. The storefront headquarters in the Castro serves as both nerve center and overarching metaphor for the underdog campaign. (SF Examiner)

18. Critics say the DA’s Office is run like the Public Defenders Office. That’s not true — I work for Chesa Boudin, and I am a fair and balanced prosecutor. (48 Hills)

19. Recall Chesa Boudin Campaign Releases First TV Ad, Featuring Paid Campaign Staff (SFist)

20. The Trial of Chesa Boudin — Can a young progressive prosecutor survive a political backlash in San Francisco? (New Yorker)

21. What’s Stopping Chesa Boudin? (The Intercept)

22. New poll shows Boudin recall is a dead heat (48 Hills)

23. How the Proud Boys Gripped the Miami-Dade Republican Party (NYT)

24. U.S. employment likely increased at a brisk clip in May, with the jobless rate expected to have dropped to its pre-pandemic low of 3.5%, signs of a tight labor market that could keep the Federal Reserve's foot on the pedal to cool demand. (Reuters)

25. Turkey’s inflation soars to 73%, a 23-year high, as food and energy costs skyrocket (CNBC)

26. United Nations Agrees To Turkey's Request To Change Its Name (Huff Post)

27. Security concerns leave Afghan evacuees stuck in Balkan camp (AP)

28. Pakistan Taliban call indefinite truce with Islamabad (NHK)

29. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a "super bad feeling" about the economy and wants to cut about 10% of jobs at the electric carmaker, he said in an email to executives. The message came two days after the world's richest man told employees to return to the workplace or leave the company. (Reuters)

30. Grand jury indicts former Trump adviser Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress (CNN)

31. Up to 15,000 may join largest ever migrant caravan to walk through Mexico to US (Guardian)

32. Thousands of kids are getting sick from downing melatonin pills (NPR)

33. Electricity generation from California’s hydropower dams could be cut in half this summer. (Grist)

34. Sky high: Carbon dioxide levels in air spike past milestone (AP)

35. Drought-stricken US warned of looming "dead pool" (BBC)

36. How humid air, intensified by climate change, is melting Greenland ice (WP)

37. Immersed in crisis, Peru neglects Amazon’s destruction (AP)

38. Driverless taxis are coming to the streets of San Francisco (NPR)

39. NASA to reveal Hell-like planet that rains lava at night (Chron)

40. Strange 'unknown structure,' a faint radio glow thousands of light-years wide, found around closest quasar (Space.com)

41. LeBron James of the Lakers is officially the first active N.B.A. player to make the Forbes list of billionaires. (Forbes)

42. Texas Passes Mandatory 24-Hour Waiting Period Before Police Can Engage Active Shooters (The Onion)

TODAY’s LYRICS:

“Why My Guitar Gently Weeps”

The Beatles

I look at you all
See the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor
And I see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps

I don't know why nobody told you
How to unfold your love
I don't know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you

I look at the world
And I notice it's turning
While my guitar gently weeps
With every mistake
We must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

I don't know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don't know how you were inverted
No one alerted you

I look at you all
See the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps

(Look) look at you all 

Guide To Today's News

• As the mass shootings continue unabated while assault weapons remain unregulated, the New York Times explores the changing demographics of the shooters in “A Disturbing New Pattern in Mass Shootings: Young Assailants.”

• An important piece in the Washington Post reports that 70 percent of public schools are seeing a rising number of children seeking help for mental health issues, according to a new survey. 

• Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Most Americans Support Upholding Roe v. Wade, despite an imminent Supreme Court ruling to overturn it..

• As Election Day (June 7) approaches, there is a bunch of coverage of Prop. H, the right-wing attempt to recall San Francisco’s progressive D.A., including a first-hand article by a crime victim. (SF Examiner).

• Attitudes toward the homeless are changing. Increasingly, Americans are fed up, as the Atlantic notes in The Revolt Against Homelessness.

• Finally, one of today’s most intriguing pieces is not about the news at all. It comes from Vox. and takes a look at the origin of the industrial revolution: “About 200 years ago, the world started getting rich. Why?” (Vox).

TODAY’s LINKS: 6/3/22 — 58 stories from 30 sources): 

1. Putin’s Threats Highlight the Dangers of a New, Riskier Nuclear Era (NYT)

2. In Chernobyl’s delicate nuclear labs, Russians looted safety systems (WP)

3. Ukraine facing grinding campaign as it waits for weapons (AP)

4. Russian forces were attempting to extend and consolidate their hold on Ukraine's industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, edging closer to claiming a big prize in their offensive in the eastern Donbas region. (Reuters)

5. Thousands Flee Front-Line Towns in Ukraine as Russian Forces Advance (WSJ)

6. Russia seizes most of east Ukraine key city, but faces counterattacks in south (NHK)

7. Ukraine war: Zelensky says Russia controls a fifth of Ukrainian territory (BBC)

8. US sanctions more Russian elites, targeting yachts and aircraft (CNN)

9. A whistle, then a deadly barrage. Ukraine’s soldiers are under relentless fire. (NYT)

10. How Russia could try to get around the European Union’s oil sanctions (CNBC)

11. Russia warns West of weapons repercussions, pounds Ukraine (AP)

12. Putin World Descends Into Fury Over New U.S. Rocket Delivery (Daily Beast)

13. Angela Merkel breaks silence on Ukraine, calls Russia’s war ‘barbaric’ (CNBC)

14. Russia's failure to pay $1.9 million in accrued interest on a dollar bond will trigger payouts potentially worth billions of dollars, a panel of investors have determined, as the country teeters on its first major external debt default in over a century. (Reuters)

15. Ukraine’s central bank raises rates to 25% (Financial Times)

16. Officials: Man fatally shot 2 women, self in Iowa church lot (ABC)

17. Multiple shots fired, two people shot at Racine's Graceland Cemetery during funeral for man killed by police (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

18. Man Who Killed 4 in Tulsa Medical Center Bought Rifle Hours Before Attack, Police Say (NYT)

19. Police: Tulsa gunman targeted surgeon he blamed for pain (AP)

20. Uvalde mayor recounts frantic attempt to call gunman during massacre (WP)

21. As residents in Uvalde, Texas, were burying children, Americans in three states watched shootings unfold simultaneously in the latest eruption of gun violence that has become a uniquely American problem. Five people were killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a student was shot in Los Angeles and a woman was targeted at a nail salon in Pennsylvania. Every day, more than 110 people are killed with guns and more than 200 Americans are wounded. [HuffPost]

22. House panel swiftly takes up gun bill after mass shootings (AP)

23. A Disturbing New Pattern in Mass Shootings: Young Assailants (NYT)

24. U.S. has experienced more than 230 mass shootings so far this year (WP)

25. School threats: One suspect was in custody Wednesday on suspicion of making bomb threats to Los Angeles schools, while another was in custody after threats to high schools. (AP)

26. A Berkeley High School student was arrested while trying to recruit fellow teenagers to plan a mass shooting and bombing. (SFC)

27. More students are struggling with their mental health. — 7 in 10 public schools have reported a rising number of children seeking help, according to a new survey, and many schools said they can’t meet those growing needs. (WP)

28. The Altered Lives of America’s School-Shooting Survivors (WSJ)

29. Bid to recall San Francisco DA could be bellwether for progressive prosecutors (Guardian)

30. If Criminal Justice Reform Can’t Survive in San Francisco, Can It Survive Anywhere? (LAT)

31. Fear & Loathing in San Francisco: How Chesa Boudin Got Blamed — In this reputedly progressive city, tech and real estate money has bankrolled a centrist backlash. (Nation)

32. Progressive prosecution goes on trial (Politico)

33. Prop. H is a threat to San Francisco criminal justice reform (SF Examiner)

34. Most Americans Support Upholding Roe v. Wade (WSJ)

35. What Alito Gets Wrong About the History of Abortion in America (Politico)

36. The Revolt Against Homelessness (Atlantic)

37. Turkey will now be known as Türkiye (at least at the U.N.) (NPR)

38. “Battle Of Omicron” Being Won By New BA.4 And BA.5 Variants As Overlapping Covid Waves Hit U.S. (Deadline)

39. Future COVID-19 booster shots will likely need fresh formulations as new coronavirus variants of concern continue to emerge (The Conversation)

40. North Carolina lawmakers advanced legislation that would prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for some public school students, a move decried by opponents as harmful to LGBTQ youth. (Reuters)

41. Michael Avenatti sentenced to 4 years for stealing nearly $300K from Stormy Daniels (CNN)

42. John Hinckley, who shot Reagan, will be free of court restrictions June 15 (NPR)

43. Amazon.com said it will stop supplying retailers in China with its Kindle e-readers from Thursday and will shut its Kindle e-bookstore there next year, in the latest pullback by a U.S. tech firm from the restrictive Chinese market. (Reuters)

44. Why Johnny Depp lost his libel case in the U.K. but won in the U.S. (WP)

45. Afghanistan dominates global opium production. The Taliban is shutting that down (NPR)

46. First Indian delegation travels to Afghanistan since Taliban takeover (La Prensa)

47. El Salvador accused of ‘massive’ human rights violations with 2% of adults in prison (Guardian)

48. People in Taiwan are taking shooting lessons for the first time in their lives as Russia's invasion of Ukraine ratchets up anxiety at the prospect of giant neighbour China making a similar move on the democratic island. (Reuters)

49. Can Ancient Maori Knowledge Aid Science? Ask These Freshwater Crayfish. (NYT)

50. Journalist detained in China denied calls, partner says (AP)

51. About 200 years ago, the world started getting rich. Why? — Two economic historians explain what made the Industrial Revolution, and modern life, possible. (Vox)

52. California released an exhaustive report detailing the state’s role in perpetuating discrimination against African Americans, a major step toward educating the public and setting the stage for an official government apology and case for financial restitution. The 500-page document lays out the harms suffered by descendants of enslaved people long after slavery was abolished in the 19th century. [AP]

53. He Told George Harrison His Tour Sucked – and Five Other Things We Learned from Ben Fong-Torres (Rolling Stone)

54. How to erase those private details Google knows about you (USA Today)

55. As natural gas expands in Gulf, residents fear rising damage (AP)

56. We Didn't See This NBA Finals Matchup Coming (538)

57. The Last Howard Johnson's Restaurant In America Is Officially Closed (HuffPost)

58. Conductor Fatigue Blamed In Massive Model Train Crash (The Onion)

 

Cycling With the News

This week, the news cycle is dominated by the war in Ukraine, the school massacre in Uvalde, inflation, drought, abortion, criminal justice reform, the NBA playoffs, the midterms and the prospect of a recession.

Every day I sort through several hundred of the news stories generated by major media organizations to select the most relevant and trustworthy for my list. Today, there are a handful that jump out from the pack.

The best reads today include “We’ve Known How To Prevent A School Shooting for More Than 20 Years” from 538. 

And a very unusual take on the effect on Afghan women scholars of Taliban oppression in the journal Nature.

Also “Western Support for Ukraine Has Peaked” from the Atlantic. 

Plus an interview with embattled San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin in SFGate. 

See what a prosecutor wrote in “My Governor Can Pass Bad Abortion Laws. But I Won’t Enforce Them” in the Times. 

And from NPR: “In Britain, it took just one school shooting to pass major gun control.”

But remember, you can never beat The Onion.

***

TODAY’s HEADLINES (6/2/22 — 49 links from 29 news sources):

1. 'It Has Happened Yet Again': Shooting At Tulsa Oklahoma Hospital Kills Four (MSNBC)

2. U.S. to send precision rockets to Ukraine (Reuters)

3. The U.S. is sending advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, but not to be shot into Russia (NPR)

4. U.S. unveils $700 million military aid package for Ukraine; fighting rages in Donbas (CNBC)

5. Forces Battle for Ukraine City, as E.U. Ratchets Up Responses (NYT)

6. Documents Reveal Hundreds of Russian Troops Broke Ranks Over Ukraine Orders (WSJ)

7. German chancellor announces additional military support to Ukraine (NHK)

8. How the EU’s ban on Russian oil will rock global markets (Financial Times)

9. Western Support for Ukraine Has Peaked — The honeymoon that Ukraine’s leaders have enjoyed with the West will not last. (Atlantic)

10. Uvalde police response leaves a trail of contradictions and confusion a week after mass shooting (Yahoo News)

11. GOP ads and social media draw criticism for increasing use of gun imagery (WP)

12. In Britain, it took just one school shooting to pass major gun control (NPR)

13. How the gun debate will be won or lost in the suburbs (Politico)

14. Three years ago Congress raised the age requirement for tobacco products to 21 from 18 in order to make America a little healthier, a decisive action that showed the body could make policy changes to protect public health. But after teenagers in New York and Texas legally purchased assault-style rifles used in mass shootings in recent weeks, it’s unlikely lawmakers will do the same for firearms anytime soon. What’s next for American gun laws? [HuffPost]

15. We’ve Known How To Prevent A School Shooting for More Than 20 Years — Interventions can prevent violence, even if we can’t predict it... For example, at least four potential school shootings that were averted in the weeks after Parkland all stopped because the would-be killers spoke or wrote about their plans and someone told law enforcement. (538)

16. My Governor Can Pass Bad Abortion Laws. But I Won’t Enforce Them. (Guest Essay/NYT)

17. Unprecedented water restrictions hit Southern California (LAT)

18. Gas prices hit another record high. — A gallon costs $4.67 on average, and drivers in multiple states — including Illinois, Nevada and Oregon — are paying more than $5. (WP)

19. San Francisco district attorney could lose his job in blow to national movement (Politico)

20. Chesa Boudin is on the brink of political oblivion. He says he's energized. (SFGate)

21. California to unveil groundbreaking slave reparations report (AP)

22. An American life: How Asian migrants built unique communities (WP)

23. ‘The Killings Didn’t Stop.’ In Mali, a Massacre With a Russian Footprint. (NYT)

24. Brace yourselves for an economic 'hurricane,' JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says (CNN)

25. Secret recordings reveal GOP ‘precinct strategy’ (Politico)

26. ‘Like McDonald’s with no burgers’: Singapore faces chicken shortage as Malaysia bans export (Guardian)

27. Taliban rule takes toll on Afghanistan’s academics — especially women (Nature)

28. U.S. Launches Initiatives to Boost Economic Ties With Taiwan (WSJ)

29. Jury sides primarily with Depp in defamation trial; both awarded millions in damages (WP)

30. Shanghai sprung back to life after two months of bitter isolation under a ruthless COVID lockdown, with shops reopening and people going back to offices, parks and markets. (Reuters)

31. During the Omicron Wave, Death Rates Soared for Older People (NYT)

32. Your walking speed could indicate dementia — A slower walk as you age has always been a warning sign of increasing frailty that could lead to falls and other disabilities, experts say. Emerging research in small groups of elderly subjects has also found that a slower gait from year to year may be an early sign of cognitive decline. (CNN)

33. Scientists discover ‘biggest plant on Earth’ off Western Australian coast — Genetic testing has determined a single 4,500-year-old seagrass may have spread over 200 sq km of underwater seafloor – about 20,000 football fields. (Guardian) [Or bigger than Washington, D.C. — DW]

34. Supreme Court Blocks Texas Law Regulating Social Media Platforms (NYT)

35. Warning signs cloud tech industry’s Supreme Court victory (Politico)

36. A mysterious intergalactic force is pushing against the Milky Way (Space.com)

37. On the hunt for asteroids that could hit Earth, with a little help from the past — A new open-source algorithm has already combed through existing data archives to find more than 100 previously unknown asteroids. (NBC)

38. Hubble Helps Explain Why Uranus and Neptune Are Different Colours (HubbleESA)

39. Searching for life on Mars from a Scottish island (BBC)

40. Did NASA find hell? Scientists brace for first glimpse of world that constantly burns (Seattle Times)

41. Great whites may have doomed the biggest shark that ever lived, fossil teeth reveal (CNN)

42. 4 homes tied to Mass. reporter hit with bricks, graffitied with spray paint (WP)

43. Stephen Curry leading the Warriors to another NBA title would stir up a new round of GOAT debates (CBS)

44. The Boston Celtics Were Built by the Golden State Warriors (WSJ)

45. Celtics & Warriors Best Matchup Moments Of The Regular Season (NBA)

46. Top executive Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Facebook (WP)

47. No more Elvis-themed weddings for Las Vegas chapels, a licensing company says (NPR)

48. Alligator Kills Florida Man Retrieving Frisbees in Lake, Officials Say (NYT)

49. Seal Lying In Sunbeam Could Be Depressed And You’d Never Know (The Onion)

The Giving Urge

 On Monday I was exchanging a few messages with an old college friend about how to evaluate charities when I remembered a bit of relevant (if unplanned) reporting I had done back in 2005.

On Thanksgiving weekend that year, I was visiting a friend who was volunteering on the Mississippi Gulf Coast after hurricane Katrina and not intending to do any work at all. But as I went along on her rounds, I was so shocked by the situation that I spontaneously decided to interview residents, volunteers, politicians and experts and produce a freelance report.

The result was “Everything’s Broken,” published in Salon that December.

I drafted the piece straight-out start-to-finish during a one-night stay in a hotel in Mobile, Alabama. After seeing the devastation caused by the mega-storm, I couldn’t sleep so I got out my laptop and got to work. These many years later, I still think it was one of the best articles I ever wrote.

Here are a few excerpts:

• More than three months after Hurricane Katrina's jagged front edge tore into Mississippi's Gulf Coast like a runaway chainsaw, East Biloxi remains a shattered community of poor people living amid their ruins, facing an uncertain future.

• Stark remainders of death are still on display everywhere. On warm days, the stench of undiscovered pet carcasses still seeps out from under the ruins, and mud litters the landscape like dried lava flows. Sheets of plywood buckle over gashes in homes that stand split and crushed, their contents splayed about like guts from rotting bodies.

• Bits of dried cloth, their colors faded and coated with dried muck, hang rigidly over the trees, acting as sentinels guarding the ruins below. Birds don't land here anymore.

• At first glance, East Biloxi looks like a ghost town. But poke around a bit and people start emerging from inside their crushed houses, from tents pitched out back, or from some of the new FEMA trailers that have recently arrived. Most of the survivors still seem to be trying to just grasp the scope of what has happened to them. They are confused as to why so little help has yet arrived.

• East Biloxi, and the other small towns of the Gulf Coast, as well as the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, are places where the poor are poor in so many ways. They can't read or write well, and don't have the skills or clout to get what they need out of government bureaucracies or private insurance companies. They can't see a way out of their traps. Lacking much effective political leadership or advocates, they are dependent on the good people still showing up, willing to help.

• Katrina laid bare a dirty secret in America -- a secret with many names. We know it's about race and class but it's about other things as well, things less easily labeled. The storm provided a visible reminder that progress in this country for some always comes at a cost to others. One thing about living in a society that regularly scrubs itself of its collective memory is we keep having to relearn the lessons of the past.

I reported that the big charities like Red Cross and Salvation Army, which had raised many millions of dollars during the initial phase of the storm relief, were nowhere to be seen by the time of my visit, leaving small grassroots groups and church congregations to do the hard work of getting residents the help they still badly needed.

This had an immediate impact. 

My former colleague from the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Perla Ni read it and decided to start a new organization, GreatNonprofits, that would rate the efficiency of charitable organizations by soliciting reviews by clients, staffers, board members, funders and other stakeholders.

Ever since, GNP has been a go-to source for people trying to determine which groups to donate money to, not only after disasters but for all kinds of charitable purposes.

Anyway, all of this came up in the course of my conversation with my old friend. One of the things I told him, based on what I learned from my reporting and followup work in 2010 with GNP, is that you cannot necessarily conclude that a particular nonprofit organization is inefficient simply by looking at the amount of administrative expenses it has versus its charitable expenditures.

This is because in order to remain competitive, NPOs have to pay their top executives enough money to at least be within competitive shouting distance of what they could earn in comparable private sector jobs.

It takes great skill and management expertise to efficiently and successfully run a non-profit. It also takes top-flight development work to raise the money not only to help clients but also to retain staff. This requires networking and fundraising skills, including good proposal writing and effective meetings with major donors and foundation executives.

That said, there are most definitely cases where charities raise lots of money but distribute very little to the people they are supposed to be helping. See “St. Jude’s Unspent Billions,” a great job of investigative reporting by Pro Publica.

It is understandable for a donor to want to see as much of his or her donation go straight to the intended recipient, perhaps a storm victim or an underpaid teacher, as possible. But we have to keep in kind that the charitable donations we make, which are tax-deductible, are in most cases distributed by staff members working in jobs that are underpaid with poor benefit packages. This is a prescription for burnout, which plagues the nonprofit sector.

It’s been said that the nonprofit sector accounts for only 5 percent of the U.S. GNP but 95 percent of the socially-responsible GNP. Understanding how the sector works, how best to both keep it accountable and ensure that it can be sustained is a worthy goal for journalists like those at CIR and Pro Publica aiming to make a difference.

—-

NOTE: My conversation about giving was with Doug Heller, a friend from The Michigan Daily in Ann Arbor in the 1960s.

TODAY’s HEADLINES (6/1/22 — 33 stories from 22 sources):

1. St. Jude’s Unspent Billions (Pro Publica)

2. Everything’s Broken (Salon)

3. EU leaders agree on Russia oil ban 'in principle' (Reuters)

4. Europe’s Partial Russian Oil Ban Is Flawed, But Necessary (Bloomberg)

5. Russia Extends Control Over Key Ukraine City as U.S. Plans to Boost Kyiv’s Firepower (WSJ)

6. Ukrainian forces were still holding out in Sievierodonetsk, resisting Russia's all-out assault to capture a bombed-out wasteland that Moscow has made the principal objective of its invasion in recent days. (Reuters)

7. Moscow at ‘maximum’ strength in Donbas, Zelensky warns (WP)

8. Pro-Russian forces: One-third of Severodonetsk under our control (NHK)

9. Cracks Show in Western Front Against Russia’s War in Ukraine (WSJ)

10. Brussels ready to propose tariffs on Russian oil as fallback after embargo (Financial Times)

11. A ‘terrible nightmare’: Treating Ukraine’s wounded civilians (AP)

12. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov denies Putin illness (BBC)

13. Ukraine's destruction of Russian artillery systems and armoured vehicles with Turkish Bayraktar TB2 aerial drones has made "the whole world" a customer, according to its designer. Selcuk Bayraktar, who runs the Istanbul firm Baykar with his brother Haluk, said the drones had shown how technology was revolutionising modern warfare. (Reuters)

14. Canada Plans to Ban Handgun Sales and Possession of Assault Weapons (NYT)

15. There were at least 12 mass shootings over Memorial Day weekend. — Across the U.S., from California to Michigan to Tennessee. Several took place at parties, and one at a Memorial Day event. At least eight people were killed and 55 injured. (WP)

16. President Joe Biden offered more thoughts on efforts to pass gun control legislation. "The Second Amendment was never absolute. You couldn’t buy a cannon when the Second Amendment was passed,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Memorial Day. He named Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) as possible “rational” Republicans in efforts to seek compromise on legislation. [HuffPost]

17. The maker of a gun used in the Texas shooting has a history of controversial weapons ads (CNN)

18. Trump was 'stunned' by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's Republican primary victory: report (Business Insider)

19. Lawyer Who Plotted to Overturn Trump Loss Recruits Election Deniers to Watch Over the Vote (NYT)

20. Progressives take a leaf out of the conservative playbook to target school boards (NPR)

21. The June primaries already ballooning with big money (Politico)

22. Euro zone inflation hits yet another record high as food and energy prices soar (CNBC)

23. Stocks fall on Wall Street, heading for another losing month (AP)

24. How to Really Fix Higher Ed — Rather than wiping the slate clean on student debt, Washington should take a hard look at reforming a broken system. (Atlantic)

25. VIDEO: Residents in Southern Mexico Prepare for Hurricane Agatha (Reuters)

26. China’s Downturn Shows Signs of Easing (WSJ)

27. AP PHOTOS: In Kabul, cemeteries a part of Afghan daily life (AP)

28. When Shipping Containers Sink in the Drink (New Yorker)

29. Substack Drops Fund-Raising Efforts as Market Sours (NYT)

30. Hundreds of mummies were discovered in an ancient Egyptian necropolis. (WP)

31. 14th-century samurai sword found in car at Swiss border (Guardian)

32. Best exercise time may differ for men and women, study suggests (BBC)

33. Man To Sail Around World To Decrease Awareness Of Important Issues (The Onion)

***

TODAY’s LYRICS:

“Everything Is Broken”

Bob Dylan

Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds
Ain't no use jiving
Ain't no use joking
Everything is broken

Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken

Seem like every time you stop and turn around
Something else just hit the ground

Broken cutters, broken saws,
Broken buckles, broken laws,
Broken bodies, broken bones,
Broken voices on broken phones
Take a deep breath, feel like you're chokin',
Everything is broken

Every time you leave and go off someplace
Things fall to pieces in my face

Broken hands on broken ploughs,
Broken treaties, broken vows,
Broken pipes, broken tools,
People bending broken rules
Hound dog howling, bull frog croaking,
Everything is broken

Afghan Conversation.33: Our Lost Generation

[NOTE: Here is my latest letter from a friend inside Afghanistan.]

Dear David:

My family prizes education, which is not necessarily the case with all Afghan families. I have a bachelor’s degree and currently have one brother and two sisters who are attending universities in various cities around the country. My other sister, who is married, left university when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and fled to Pakistan with her family. 

During the first days of his university semester, my younger brother tried multiple times to leave, much like many of his school classmates. These young men went to Iran in search of work because they think an education will not be useful anymore in Afghanistan. 

I argued with my brother and convinced him that while going to university does not help us find work or have a better future inside Afghanistan itself, it may be a path to eventually go abroad, for example on a student visa. 

One of my sisters also wanted to leave the university because she thought that a civil war was about to break out in the city where she is studying but so far she is staying in school. 

Even before the Taliban came to power, the situation of universities in our country was not good. The educational system here is outdated, the teachers are poorly trained, and the books are not up to date. 

The Taliban have made the situation worse by promoting extremism in classes, and adding unnecessary religious subjects. Girls and boys now have to go to class on separate days, and the girls are veiled. They are not even allowed to wear a colored veil but only a black one, which they hate. In addition, they have to wear a mask in the classroom. 

In Afghanistan, the lack of job creation, overly strict laws, and poor standards in the universities are reasons why most students drop out. One student named Hassan who left university told me that approximately half of his classmates had also left and are going to neighboring countries. 

Therefore, the next generation of Afghans are not getting educated properly. They are among the many victims of the Taliban takeover.

***

Today’s News (5/31/22) — 38 stories from 20 sources:

1. VIDEO: Mourners in Uvalde Hold Vigil for School Shooting Victims (AP)

2. From Sandy Hook to Uvalde, the Violent Images Never Seen (NYT)

3. Photos since Columbine show cycle of gun violence in schools (WP)

4. After Uvalde, mass shootings continue over the weekend across the U.S. (NPR)

5. A 9-year-old describes escaping through a window during the Uvalde school massacre as anger mounts over police response (CNN)

6. States Rush Toward New Gun Restrictions as Congress Remains Gridlocked (NYT)

7. Ten-Year-Old Arrested for Mass Shooting Threat After Uvalde Tragedy: Police (Newsweek)

8. Texas’s romance with guns tested by Uvalde massacre (WP)

9. Biden says 'rational Republicans' offer hope for gun legislation (Politico)

10. Ukraine Battle Expands as Kyiv Launches Counteroffensive (NYT)

11. EU countries struggle to agree Russian oil ban (BBC)

12. Russia appears to have suffered devastating losses amongst mid- and junior-ranking officers, raising the prospect of weaker military effectiveness in future, Britain's defense ministry said. (Reuters)

13. Ukrainian forces prepare for Russian offensive in east (NHK)

14. Turkey offers to host talks between Russia, Ukraine and the UN (CNN)

15. Russian, Ukrainian troops fight block by block in key city (AP)

16. Russians advance into largest city in Donbas still in Ukrainian hands (Guardian)

17. Severodonetsk devastated as Moscow makes east an ‘absolute priority’ (WP)

18. Russian troops have entered the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, the regional governor said, describing "very fierce" fighting in the ruins of a city that has become the focus of Moscow's offensive. (Reuters)

19. Zelenskyy fires Kharkiv Security Service Head and hands him over to law enforcement (Ukrayinska Pravda)

20. Bombed Bridges, Closed Ports Keep Ukrainian Grain From a World That Needs It (WSJ)

21. The "liberation" of the Donbas region is an "unconditional priority" for Moscow, while other Ukrainian territories should decide their future on their own, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. (Reuters)

22. Ukraine suffers on battlefield while pleading for U.S. arms (WP)

23. Macron, Scholz urge Putin to release Azovstal fighters (Reuters)

24. War in Ukraine adds to food price hikes, hunger in Africa (AP)

25. EU steps up effort to bring millions of tonnes of grain out of Ukraine (Financial Times)

26. America’s Teachers Offer Answers to the Education Crisis (NYT)

27. 1 billion pills: The number of seized drugs reaches ominous record in Asia 

    (NPR)

28. 362 School Counselors on the Pandemic’s Effect on Children: ‘Anxiety Is Filling Our Kids’ (NYT)

29. Pacific season’s 1st hurricane aims at Mexico tourist zone (AP)

30. America's next wind powerhouse: The Gulf of Mexico? (Politico)

31. Over 100 people are missing or confirmed dead in Brazil, the government said, as mudslides and major floods brought about by heavy rains tore through several urban neighborhoods in the northeastern part of the country. (Reuters)

32. Seeing How Odor Is Processed in the Brain (Neuroscience News)

33. Astronomers Discover Hidden Trove of Massive Black Holes – “We All Got Nervous” (SciTechDaily)

34. Hubble telescope spots stunning 'Hidden Galaxy' hiding behind our own Milky Way (Space.com)

35. Want to regulate social media? The First Amendment may stand in the way. (WP)

36. Why Fangirls Scream (Atlantic)

37. Suicide takes more military lives than combat, especially among women (WP)

38. Report: Only 12% Of Americans Have Met Person They’re Cloned From (The Onion)