L
EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
WEDNESDAYS • Oct. 17, 2018
‘
INSIDE Reports on voter suppression- 3 Co. prepares for rocket launch- 5 Black clergy vow solo path - 8 Notes about the flu vaccine - 14
Richmond & Hampton Roads
LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE
On to Nov. 6 With Election Day fast approaching on Nov. 6, Virginia Commonwealth University students recently helped the Richmond community members get registered, and making plans to get to the polls. During a single recent campus voter registration drive, 174 VCU students registered and more than 250 signed pledges.
“Students want their voices to be heard,” said Anthony Jones, a senior in the VCU Honors College who helped lead voter outreach programming on campus and in the community. “A lot of them feel like they want a way to bring about change, and have found a powerful outlet in exercising their right to vote.” The deadline to register to vote in Virginia was Oct. 15. -VCU
The LEGACY
2 • Oct. 17, 2018
DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company
A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about $1 a day* Keep your own dentist! You can go to any dentist you want No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow
Coverage for over 350 procedures – including cleanings, exams,
fillings, crowns…even dentures
NO annual or lifetime cap on the cash benefits you can receive
FREE Information Kit
1-855-401-3274 www.dental50plus.com/legacy
*Individual plan. Product not available in MN, MT, NH, NM, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/ certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) 6096E-0917
MB17-NM008Ec
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 3
Rampant voter suppression underway, with black voters the chief target CHAUNCEY K. ROBINSON PERSPECTIVE PW - With the mainstream media obsessed over Kanye West and Donald Trump’s latest ploy for attention and the revelation that Senior White House Adviser Stephen Miller used to sniff glue back in elementary school, a new report by the Associated Press that thousands of voters are being purged from the voting rolls is not getting the attention it deserves. The AP revealed last week that on the last day of voter registration in Georgia, over 53,000 voter applications remain sitting on hold at the Secretary of State’s office due to the “exact match” policy. A majority of those voter applicants are black. Many eyes are on Georgia as we near the 2018 midterm elections, given the fact that if Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams wins, she will be the first black female governor in the history of the United States. The progressive Abrams is up against Republican Brian Kemp—who also happens to be the current Secretary of State, meaning his office is the one in charge of the crucial voting rolls in Georgia. Despite the Abrams’ campaign and voting rights advocates pointing out the potential conflict of interest, Kemp is refusing to leave office before the election. According to AP, Kemp’s office flagged the nearly 53,000 voter applicants under the state’s “exact match” process. Under this rule, the information on a voter application has to match exactly with the data on file at the Social Security Administration and the state’s Department of Driver Services. If the information does not match, and this can happen often due to issues such as a person’s middle name not being fully written out, misspellings, and the like, an application is held for further screening. Abrams has called Kemp a “remarkable architect of voter
suppression,” while Kemp’s office blames the New Georgia Project, a voter registration group founded by Abrams, for the issues voters are having with the exact match rule. Kemp’s office told the AP that the New Georgia Project “did not adequately train canvassers to ensure legible, complete forms.” Kemp’s office maintains that “the law applies equally across all demographics.” This despite the fact that African-American voter applicants make up 70 percent of the 53,000 on hold, while Georgia’s black population is only 32 percent. This racial disparity in voting rights is a crucial one given the fact many believe the turnout of people of color will play a major role on election day. The Director of Strategic Communication for the Abrams campaign, Abigail Collazo, issued a public statement this week saying, “As he has done for years, Brian Kemp is maliciously wielding the power of his office to suppress the vote for political gain and silence
the voices of thousands of eligible voters—the majority of them people of color…. This isn’t incompetence; it’s malpractice. It is no surprise that Kemp is reprising these tactics now when multiple recent polls show his race against Stacey Abrams to be a dead heat…. The Secretary of State’s office must do away with the discriminatory ‘exact match’ program and process all voter registrations immediately.” The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit on Oct. 11 against Kemp’s office, claiming the “exact match” rule is discriminatory. This complaint joins those made by members of the SCLC, Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, and the New Georgia Project, who announced earlier this month their plan to file a federal lawsuit against Kemp’s office for purging nearly 700,000 voters from the state’s voter rolls over the past two years. “It’s a stain on our system of democracy when less than a month
before an election which could produce the first African-American female governor in our nation’s history, we are seeing this type of voter suppression scheme attempted by a state official whose candidacy for the governorship produces an irremediable conflict of interest,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson to the press. The voter suppression happening in Georgia is connected to a larger anti-democratic effort underway across the country. The rights of voters have been under attack since the removal of a major provision in the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by the Supreme Court in 2013. This provision required that lawmakers in states with a history of discriminating against minority voters had to get federal permission before changing voting rules. This provision applied to Georgia, along with 14 other states. Since this change to the VRA, many of these same states have implemented stricter voter registration rules, often targeting voters of color.
The LEGACY
4 • Oct. 17, 2018
AG Herring wants to stop ‘illegal’ robocalls and spoofing Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring has joined a bipartisan coalition of 34 attorneys general in calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FTC) to create new rules to allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls being made to unsuspecting consumers in Virginia and across the country. “It seems today like every Virginian has either received these annoying robocalls or they know someone who has, even I have received them...,” said Attorney General Herring. “These
robocalls are not just annoying and frustrating to consumers but they are also illegal and folks should not have to worry about being scammed by these types of phone calls. It is my job as Attorney General to protect Virginia’s consumers, which is why I’m joining my colleagues in calling on the FCC to take stronger action and create new rules to protect Virginians from robocalls.” The formal comment to the FCC explains that scammers using illegal robocalls have found ways to evade a call blocking order entered last year by the FCC. Despite the
Mortgage company lays off dozens in Richmond A South Carolina-based lender has slashed the headcount at its local office as part of a company-wide workforce reduction. Movement Mortgage is laying off 35 employees in Richmond, along with cuts at its locations in Norfolk, Tempe, Arizona and at its headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina. A total of 180 positions are being cut. The affected employees were notified Oct. 4 and the positions will be eliminated effective Nov. 1. The company said it is making layoffs due to a nationwide downturn in the housing and mortgage market. “Loan volume across the industry this year has been lower than in previous years and lower than many forecasted,” Movement CEO Casey Crawford said in a statement. Crawford, who played football at UVA and in the NFL, founded Movement Mortgage in 2008. The privately held mortgage bank has over 4,000 employees across nearly 800 offices nationwide. Its local office is located at 8720 Stony Point Parkway. The Movement spokesman Adam O’Daniel said the 35 positions eliminated in its Richmond office
Casey Crawford were in its mortgage operations department and that no loan officers were affected. The employees affected will receive severance pay and other benefits, Crawford added. The company would not specify how many employees will remain at its local office. The Movement cuts are the second round of layoffs in the Richmond region in the last week. Snag, formerly known as Snagajob, last week laid off 15 employees at its Innsbrook office as part of a reduction of 60 positions eliminated in Virginia and South Carolina. RBiz
FCC’s order, robocalls continue to be a major irritant to consumers in Virginia and across the United States. In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission received 4.5 million illegal robocall complaints – two and a half times more than in 2014. The Virginia Office of Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section receives numerous complaints each year with respect to illegal calls, including scam calls, telemarketing complaints, and robocalls. Following last year’s order when the FCC granted phone service providers authority to block certain illegal spoofed robocalls, the attorneys general are now seeking added authority for the providers to work together to detect and block more illegal spoofed robocalls – including “neighbor spoofing.” “Spoofing” allows scammers to disguise their identities, making it difficult for law enforcement to bring them to justice. “Virtually anyone can send millions of illegal robocalls and frustrate law enforcement with just a computer, inexpensive software and an internet connection,” the attorneys general wrote in the formal comment filed with the FCC. One tactic on the rise is “neighbor spoofing,” a technique that allows calls - no matter where they originate - to appear on a consumer’s caller ID as being
made from a phone number that has the same local area code and first three digits as the consumer. This manipulation of caller ID information increases the likelihood that the consumer will answer the call. In the formal comment, Attorney General Herring and his colleagues expressed support for a new initiative, which will give phone service providers the ability to authenticate legitimate calls and identify illegally spoofed calls and block them. The added authority sought by the attorneys general will allow service providers to use new technology to detect and block illegal spoofed calls – even those coming from what are otherwise legitimate phone numbers. Service providers will be ready to launch this new authentication method in 2019. To date, the FCC has not issued a notice of proposed rulemaking concerning additional providerinitiated call blocking. The attorneys general anticipate that further requests for comments will take place on this subject. Herrings colleagues on this include attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire and more.
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 5
OmegA rocket on schedule to provide first launch in 2021 successful rocket launches, making it an affordable and reliable choice for national security missions.” Over the last three years, Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force have together invested more than $300 million in developing the OmegA rocket. The rocket configuration consists of first and second solid rocket stages and strap-on solid boosters manufactured by Northrop Grumman, and a cryogenic liquid upper stage powered by Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10C engine. After initial flights of its intermediate configuration in 2021, OmegA will be certified for operational EELV missions starting in 2022 with initial heavy configuration flights beginning in 2024. Northrop Grumman has a long history of OmegA solid rocket motors being prepared for static test firing at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah.
Artist concept of Northrop Grumman’s OmegA Rocket. Northrop Grumman Corporation has received a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) worth approximately $792 million of government investment from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to continue development of its OmegATM rocket for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The agreement runs through 2024 and includes certification flights of OmegA’s intermediate variant in 2021 and its heavy variant in 2024. OmegA will provide intermediate - to heavy-class launch services for the Department of Defense, civil government and commercial
customers. With major propulsion and structural elements of OmegA already complete, Northrop Grumman is on schedule to complete propulsion system ground tests in 2019 and conduct its first launch in 2021. OmegA LSA award photo 2 - artist rendering 10-10-18 Artist concept of Northrop Grumman’s OmegA Rocket. “We are pleased to receive this follow-on award from the Air Force,” said Scott Lehr, president, flight systems, Northrop Grumman. “Our new OmegA rocket leverages technologies, capabilities and flight experience gained from decades of
launching critical payloads for the Department of Defense, NASA and other customers with the company’s Pegasus®, Minotaur and AntaresTM launch vehicles as well as a wide array of strategic missile interceptors and targets in support of critical national security launch programs. The company’s development team is working on the program in Arizona, Utah, Mississippi and Louisiana, with launch integration and operations planned at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The program will also support hundreds of jobs across the country in its supply chain.
6 • Oct. 17, 2018
Op/Ed & Letters
The LEGACY
So much hate; so little tolerance HARRY C. ALFORD Political rivalry is as much a part of Americana as “Red, White and Blue.” We expect it and cheer on whatever side we support. Throughout the history of our great nation, elections would bring much debate and comparisons as to whose side or positions would be best for the future of our nation. I remember fearing the thought of Barry Goldwater becoming our nation’s president. I thought he was a maniac – a civil rights hating racist and a war monger. Not too long after that 1964 election cycle, I would be depending on Senator Goldwater to save my future. We were in Army basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. From there we would go to Infantry Officer Candidate School in Ft. Benning, Georgia. President Nixon decided that we were going to withdraw from Vietnam and, thus, the Army needed to reduce its manpower. They determined to stop us from going to Officer School (i.e. renege on our contracts with the U.S. Army). It seemed like we were destined to
The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 4 No. 42 Mailing Address 409 E. Main Street 4 Office Address 105 1/2 E. Clay St. Richmond, VA 23219 Call 804-644-1550 Online www.legacynewspaper.com
be “screwed.” However, one of our compatriot’s mother worked for Sen. Goldwater. He called his mother about the betrayal and she quipped “I will tell Uncle Barry about this.” The next day our contracts were back in force. Barry Goldwater had compassion for us and stepped up to protect us. He wasn’t that evil, “fire breathing” mongrel I thought him to be. The above experience taught me to understand that American politics should be restrained from hatred. There should be tolerance of other views. We should choose our political sides, debate and then elect a winner. Whoever that winner is, he becomes our leader for a set period and will be re-elected or not depending on the popularity of his performance. We move on regardless of the outcomes. This is about the prosperity of America and how we do The LEGACY welcomes all signed letters and all respectful opinions. Letter writers and columnists opinions are their own and endorsements of their views by The LEGACY should be inferred. The LEGACY assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Annual Subscription Rates Virginia - $50 U.S. states - $75 Outside U.S.- $100 The Virginia Legacy © 2016
it is up to the voters. We win some. We lose some. But life goes on under the sweetness of democracy and the guarantee of freedom and individual rights. Sadly, since the latest federal election something has happened to our current state of minds. The political sides – Democrats and Republicans- have become intolerable of each other. The Democratic Party seems to be hurt from the 2016 election. They were so sure of victory that the defeat is not being accepted too well. In more peaceful times we would all say, “If you don’t like it, deal with it at the next election.” That type of patience does not seem to be tolerable any more. Democratic party members are becoming venomous in their attitudes and the making of their new platform. They are so anti-Trump to the point of it being an attitude of resistance, obstruction and hatred of anything that supports our current Administration. TDS – Trump Derangement Syndrome – is real. Families are being broken up or becoming dysfunctional because of
the last election. The current Supreme Court nominee selection process is a great example of this. No matter who President Trump selects for nomination, the Democratic wing of Congress is going to oppose it in a fanatical matter. Trump nominee Brett Kavanaugh seems to have an impeccable record since becoming a judge. His over 300 judicial decisions are mainstream and without question illustrate good juris prudence. However, he is a Trump nominee and, thus, must be stopped by any means necessary, according to the Democratic side of Congress. They have not “thrown the kitchen sink” yet but just about every trick, ethical, unethical or even illegal, is being tried. One example is encouraging a mentally challenged individual to place a formal complaint of sexual assault against nominee Kavanaugh. An alleged act that happened over 36 years ago. She requested discretion about the handling of this. What did they do? They leaked her accusation to the
(continued on page 7)
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 7
P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.
Facebook meddles in the 2018 Midterm Elections On Oct. 11, Facebook announced the removal of 559 pages and 251 accounts from its service, accusing the account holders of "spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior." The purged users stand accused of posting "massive amounts of content ... to drive traffic to their websites" with suspicious "timing ahead of US midterm elections." Facebook admits to "legitimate reasons" for such behavior -"it's the bedrock of fundraising campaigns and grassroots organizations." Not to mention the operations of CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and a bunch of other users/ pages which weren't purged. Facebook also admits that it has previously "enforced this policy against many Pages, Groups and
accounts created to stir up political debate ..." In other words, Facebook's administrators are meddling in politics -- including the 2018 US midterm elections -- in the name of preventing meddling in politics. Who benefits from the meddling? It doesn't seem to fall along "left/right" lines in particular. The victims come from across the political spectrum -- from Reverb Press on the left, to Right Wing News on the right, to the libertarian Free Thought Project -- some with millions of Facebook followers. The primary thread connecting victims of the purge seems to be that they are critics and/or opponents of the American political "mainstream" or "establishment." In a sense, this is nothing new. Even before Internet "social media," the old guard "mainstream media" tended to draw fairly narrow lines on either side of the perceived political "center" or "consensus" and avoid coloring (or publishing e.g. reader letters that colored) very far outside those lines. One might support or oppose a tax increase, or even a particular tax, but opposing taxation in general? Why, that was just crazy and not worthy of consideration -- or
of column inches. The Internet and social media threatened to change that. In fact, they DID change that ... for a little while, at any rate. But now Facebook, Twitter et al. are part of the establishment, and they're starting to act like it. How can we fight that trend? Some would have us classify social media as "public utilities" or something of the sort and regulate them as such. But who would regulate them? The very establishment in question. On the other hand, it's becoming clear that these companies are already looking more and more like extensions of the state -- and the establishment the state serves -- than like bona fide "private sector" actors. What is to be done? From where I sit, the only real option is to see if the next generation of "social media" -- sites/services like Diaspora, Mastodon, Minds, MeWe, Gab, et al. -- can supersede Facebook and Twitter in the same way that Facebook and Twitter superseded print and television news and the more centralized/static site model of the older Internet. Thomas L. Knapp
(from page 6) national press and paraded her on national television and gave her a questionable legal representative. They have put an “accuser” who needs medical help and privacy in a position of traumatic exposure. You must feel sorry for her. If that is not enough, they have two more “accusers” who claim either sexual indiscretion or down right gang rape. Yes, they are trying to paint a sleezy, criminal picture on a human being who has played by the rules and has lived a great, impressive American life. Hopefully, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will settle this matter soon. He has already successfully completed six previous FBI investigations covering the same period of time. However, it would not be too surprising if they try some more shenanigans, moral or immoral, legal or illegal to stop this nomination from going through. The Democratic Congress is going through a mental crisis at the expense of our normal political process. Somehow, I hope this will straighten itself out through the next elections that are coming up. Dear Lord, may our voters and elected officials come to their senses and end this hatred and lack of tolerance. Alford is the co-founder, president/ CEO, of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®.
8 • Oct. 17, 2018
Faith & Religion
The LEGACY
Black clergy vow to forge their own path ADELLE M. BANKS RNS — Representatives of two black Baptist denominations, the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the National Baptist Convention USA, declared last week that they would stand apart from white liberals and conservatives alike while seeking to address a politically divided nation. Rejecting the “politics of fear” they say has taken hold in this election season, the pastors assembled at the National Press Club said that race and spirituality should not be ignored as the two sides work to get out the vote. “As the body of Christ, we do not serve as mere mascots of the liberal left, sent by patronizing paternalists to serve as the point on the head of their ideological spear,” reads a declaration released by PNBC President Timothy Stewart and the Rev. Calvin Butts, the denomination’s social justice chair. “Nor do we set horses with those of the religious right who hide their rampant racism and hysterical hypocrisy amidst the existential ruins of a morally and theologically bankrupt spirituality.” The Rev. Matthew V. Johnson Sr., the Birmingham, Ala., pastor who authored the declaration, earlier told Religion News Service that white religious conservatives and liberals have focused on opposite sides of hot-button issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights while not giving
race and racism enough attention. “It’s not just about black special interests,” said Johnson, vice chair of the PNBC Social Justice Commission. “This is an issue of justice.” At the news conference, Johnson noted that Democrats and others protesting the nomination of now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh showed a lack of concern about the nominee’s record on race issues. Their indifference, Johnson said, is an example of “the problem that we have with the liberal left.” The PNBC, the denomination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., formed as a breakaway group from the National Baptist Convention in the 1960s after the NBC opposed sit-ins and other civil rights protests. The presence of the Rev. Amos Brown, social justice chair of the NBC, demonstrated his group’s support for the younger denomination’s declaration. Butts said that as black preachers, “We have our own view of the gospel message which is the only authentic view.” Naming Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr. and Paula White — all members of the religious right — he said, “They’re heretics as far we we’re concerned – hypocrites,” said Butts, as he closed the news conference. “And we need to be unafraid to say this and stand firmly on who we are.” In August during its annual meeting, the PNBC protested Trump administration policies it believes
The Rev. Amos Brown, right, and Rabbi Jack Moline, of Interfaith Alliance, attend an announcement by the Progressive National Baptist Convention at the National Press Club on Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C. PHOTO: Adelle M. Banks are harmful to the poor, people of color and working-class families. But last week’s declaration states that the nation’s current cultural crisis is not the sole fault of its president. “The presidency of Donald Trump is not the cause of the American malady but a symptom, a consequence, an effect; although by the aid and abetting of the present administration the sickness has received license and worsened,” the declaration reads. Speakers at the news conference said getting out the vote could be just one effect of their declaration. “We’ve got to really vote like hell in this midterm election and in 2020 and get rid of this excuse ‘my one vote won’t count,’” said Brown. “Every vote counts. We’ve got to get that over to our congregations.” But Butts anticipated the
declaration would also lead to other steps, including black church support of personal withdrawing of money from banks, such as Wells Fargo, for their role in the subprime mortgage crisis that has disproportionately affected minority homeowners. “We will be asking our churches to focus on action against these banks,” said Butts, the senior pastor of New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. “And always remember that when this economy booms, it is usually at the exploitation of black and brown people.” Others attending the declaration announcement included representatives of the Church of God in Christ, the Interfaith Alliance, the National African American Clergy Network and the Ecumenical Poverty Initiative.
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 9
‘Ona’ faith event has focus on environment On Friday, Oct. 19, dozens of faith leaders and activists will join for an interfaith ceremony to honor a forest threatened by Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The “Ona Commemoration Celebration” will take place on Miracle Ridge, an old-growth forest filled with 300-year-old trees, including one that Bill and Limpert — who own the property — have named “Ona.” Ona has inspired residents from all across the Commonwealth to unite for the “No Pipeline Summer” protest encampment on the Limperts’ land. Now, they will gather again for a ceremony that will feature Hinduism, Christianity, the Indigenous Peoples’ Prayer, and more. Attendees are asked to arrive by 11 a.m. to walk to Ona. The event includes prayer and speakers from across Virginia. Attendees will be at the base of Ona tree on “Miracle Ridge.”
C.L. Belle’s
E Z Car Rental 3101 W. Broad Street
(804) 358-3406
FALL SPECIALL
ALL Cars
Small - Medium -
29
$
Large
95
a day
Free Pickup in Richmond Area
NO CREDIT CARD NEEDED
www.ezcarrentalsrva.com
Plannets note that Virginians directly affected by the “harmful” Atlantic Coast Pipeline, will be joined by dozens of others including residents, students, faith and social justice leaders, and climate activists. Speakers will include: * Heidi Dhivya, opening ceremony and tree meditation; * Swami Dayandanda, Hindu blessing; * Mark Hoggard, song; Weston Matthews, Christian prayer; * Bill & Lynn Limpert, songs and remarks by the landowners of the property; * Andrew Tyler, remarks and indigenous peoples’ song; and * Kim Cary, Buddhist prayer. Planners note that this ceremony concludes a successful summerlong encampment on the Limpert property to save “Miracle Ridge” -- the land once referred to as a “classroom camp in pipeline fight” -- in which over 200 campers and visitors toured the property and
ADVERTISE WITH US If you’re reading this, so are your potential customers!
Stack the odds in favor of your awesome business.
visited “Ona” to view the pipeline right of way that would destroy hundreds of old-growth trees. Likeminded “no pipeline” supporters shared concerns surrounding the danger for those living in the blast zone and the risks to water pollution as the pipeline travels slopes in
sensitive karst geology. The Limpert property has taken center stage as one of many sites of grassroots pipeline resistance, showing the strength of the movement taking place across Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina in opposition to new fossil fuel pipelines.
10 • Oct. 17, 2018
The LEGACY
Grant to aid students from underrepresented groups interested in biomedical sciences The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded a fiveyear, $1.48 million grant to a project that aims to improve academic preparation and transfer rates of community college biology students from underrepresented groups, as well as ultimately increase diversity in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. The VCU Bridges to the Baccalaureate: Dream to Goal program, first launched in 2013, is an integrated student development, teaching, learning and research training program with partners at Virginia Commonwealth University, Thomas Nelson Community College and John Tyler Community College. “Why do we need more diversity in the biomedical sciences? By increasing diversity, we’re increasing the breadth of research that's being done and that benefits more people,” said principal investigator Karen Kester, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biology in the College of Humanities and Sciences. “When people always see things through the same eyes, they see the same thing. But when you have people from different backgrounds and different experiences, they see different things.” The grant, a Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity grant from NIGMS in the National Institutes of Health, is a competitive renewal of the original grant five years ago. It enhanced teaching and advising at VCU, TNCC and JTCC and provided a two-year summer research program for selected students from underrepresented groups, including racial and ethnic minorities and students from rural or inner-city environments. The new grant builds on the program’s success and experience, and seeks to influence larger institutional and systemwide changes. A key component will be to nurture talented STEM community college students from underrepresented
Karen Kester, Ph.D groups who are interested in biomedical or behavioral research careers by enriching the pre-transfer preparation component of the eight-week Dream to Goal summer research program, providing an optional two-week extended research enrichment internship, and encouraging and facilitating posttransfer research activity. It will expand post-transfer assistance for participants by developing an integrated support program for Dream to Goal scholars who transfer to VCU. Additionally, it will create a “handover network” for Dream to Goal scholars who transfer to other universities in Virginia. The grant also will lead to the development of Coursebased Undergraduate Research Experience, or CURE, modules for a general biology course that will be taught at TNCC and JTCC. It also will enable the development of evidence-based teaching innovations that will be disseminated throughout the Virginia Community College System and beyond. “There's some good research [that shows] engaging students in research early gets them more excited about science,” Kester said. “They can see the relevance of it. It's not just memorizing a bunch of facts. It engages them. And a way to do that is to develop economically feasible CURE modules that will be part of the lab experience at the two
community colleges.” Along with Kester, VCU Bridges to the Baccalaureate: Dream to Goal is led by Sarah Golding, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of undergraduate research in the VCU Department of Biology; Martin Zahn, associate professor at TNCC; and Shijian Chu, Ph.D., associate professor at JTCC. Bridges to the Baccalaureate has made a “huge impact” at VCU and the partner colleges, Golding said, as the summer research program gives the community college students an opportunity to explore science alongside VCU’s top-ranked researchers and with peers in other VCU programs for students who are further along in their biomedical and behavioral research training. “This experience allows the Bridges scholars to visualize themselves as scientists,” she said. “In addition, by enhancing communication with VCU’s feeder community colleges we can work together to enhance the transfer process, break down barriers, with the ultimate goal of diversifying the scientific workforce of the future.” Based on the team’s experience of the past few years, Chu said, the program has proven successful at helping community college students transition to four-year universities to pursue studies in the biomedical field. “This program is important because it gives underrepresented students an opportunity to gain experience in biomedical research, which they may never have without the program,” Chu said. “In the past five years, a limited number of students have gone through the program. With the new grant, the open-ended biology labs will impact all students that take general biology.” Chu added: “I also hope that this program will initiate the trend in which undergraduate biology labs become more open-ended so that students will learn how to think as a
scientist.” Zahn said the grant’s renewal is great news for Thomas Nelson Community College students interested in science and research. “More and more undergraduates have research experiences that are helpful both in choosing a career path and competitiveness for graduate school,” he said. “As a community college we have little opportunity to provide what is often called ‘an authentic research experience.’ This program provides that experience for a selected group of Thomas Nelson students each year. “At the same time, the grant helps the National Institutes of Health increase the diversity of students entering allied health research programs,” he added. “Regardless of their choice of college to complete a bachelor’s degree, this program also helps students successfully bridge the difference between a community college and research university where they may be living away from home and in a new environment for the first time. The grant is truly a bridge to a new life for these students.” VCU is a national leader in training of a diverse workforce in the biomedical sciences. VCU is one of the only institutions in the U.S. with a unique portfolio of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity research training grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences that supports scholars at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate and postdoctoral levels. Together, the current National Institute of General Medical Sciences awards to VCU for Bridges to the Baccalaureate, the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program, the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Scholars and the VCU Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award program total $6.5 million.
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 11
Ask Alma
get to set the rules in your home. But I sense that you feel that you’ve lost your foothold. Surely your foster daughter is not the first teen girl – adopted, birthed or otherwise – to be outspoken. Teens tend to manipulate, rebel and defy our rules on every and all levels. Don’t take it personally. Most kids in the foster care system have seen and lived through enough to make a grown man weep. Your foster daughter has been removed from the care of her mother. That’s enough to break anybody. She knows her Mom is an alcoholic, and when she sees you drinking, don’t you think that brings back memories? I’m not saying you can’t Questions have your drinky-drink. I’m simply suggesting that you Dear Alma, operate differently under the I have a foster daughter, age 14, who has been living in my home for circumstances. She won’t be in four months. She is set in her ways, your house long. Foster children understand that their living and I try hard to help her control arrangements are temporary. some of her bad habits. She has an Your foster daughter is caught uncontrollable mouth that I have between a rock and a very hard been trying to work with her on. place. If she enjoys you and your Her mother was an alcoholic, so the child has a problem with adults family too much, relocating and regrouping will be heartbreaking. drinking. I like to have my wine here and there, so I have a bar in my If she makes waves and you send her back, it speeds up the process basement. I keep the door locked to keep the foster daughter from going of disappointment. How can a child find peace or joy under those down there. I try my best to keep circumstances? her away from the alcohol. I find Her days are not a walk in the myself sneaking my wine in a coffee park; they a full-blown leap into cup so she won’t see me drinking. I like to have fun with my family, but the ocean. I suspect she spends most of her days just trying to I feel I have to change my lifestyle stay afloat. I know you think I’ve for her, which my foster daughter doesn’t appreciate. She has reported made this all about your foster daughter, but no; all I’m asking is me several times to the agency. that you cut her a break. Pour your Now I feel that my children are in danger because of this foster child’s drink into a coffee cup for now. It doesn’t mean you’re waving a white allegations against me. Alma, what flag. When she starts running do you think I should do? her mouth, give her a hug. Keep Miss Silver hugging her until she realizes that Brooklyn she matters. Finally, bless you for becoming a Hey Now Miss Silver, foster parent. It takes exceptional The discussion of what’s best in families willing to make foster care goes back and forth like a extraordinary provisions for the tire swing hanging from a backyard sake of someone else’s child. And tree. So hold on, girl; this is gonna that ain’t easy! Stand firm, running be a bumpy ride. In my mind’s eye, your household. You have the I see two big personalities that are power to change her life. You can probably more alike than not, each be the best example of a mother unable to find the trust needed to she will ever see…drinking from a connect with the other. Yes, NY plastic, paper, glass or coffee cup. Mama, you are in charge, and you
how well do you know these
Learn more about your breast health at
KnowYourGirls.org
girls?
12 • Oct. 17, 2018
The LEGACY
Va. approves historic district proposals for RVA JONATHAN SPIERS Four months after an initial proposal aroused local controversy, a revised plan to give historic designation to hundreds of Manchester-area properties has received the endorsement of state regulators. At a recent special meeting that was held at an area church, the two boards for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) approved the additions of a historic district for the Blackwell neighborhood and an expansion of an existing Manchester boundary to the Virginia Landmarks Register. The new districts will be forwarded to the National Park Service for potential listing in
the National Register of Historic Places. The approvals add nearly 700 buildings to the state register, giving those properties added protections and making them eligible for state historic preservation tax credits, which have driven a wave of redevelopment in and around Manchester in recent years. The Blackwell Historic District consists of 584 buildings primarily southwest of Hull Street and Jefferson Davis Highway. The newly created Blackwell Historic District consists of 584 buildings primarily southwest of Hull Street and Jefferson Davis Highway, while the expanded Manchester boundary adds 104 structures to that district, bring
its total building inventory to 351. The additions were initially proposed as a single expansion to the existing Manchester district but were split up at the suggestion of the National Park Service, which said they were more likely to receive federal approval with a separate district specific to Blackwell. That revision prompted an additional round of outreach by DHR, which had delayed the process in June in response to concerns that area residents and property owners were not aware of the initial proposal. The proposal was initiated by a request from Michael Hild and Laura Dyer Hild, whose Church Hill Ventures had been on a redevelopment streak in the area.
The delay in June prompted Michael Hild to send an email to DHR stating the delay could prevent planned investment in the area that he said may exceed $250 million. Since then, the husbandand-wife team has listed about half of their property holdings in Manchester and Blackwell for sale. Attempts to reach Michael Hild for comment were unsuccessful. The Hilds were not in attendance at the meeting, and an email sent to Hild afterward was not returned. The expanded Manchester boundary adds 104 structures to that district. Area residents who did attend
(continued on page 13)
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 13
Sen. Rand Paul on Saudi’s ‘no more arms sales!’ In a recentinterview on the John Fredericks Show, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) skewered Saudi Arabia, questioned the wisdom of the Trump administration’s cozy strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and called for an immediate halt of all arms sales. “I’ve talked to President Trump about this directly,” Paul said. “We must take decisive action now, and we need answers on the apparent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The response we have been provided by MBS--that they lost video camera footage-are laughable, insulting and insufficient.”
Sen. Rand Paul
Paul, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also demanded an immediate suspension of U.S. support for the Saudi-UAE coalition involvement in the Yeman civil war. A long and lonely critic of the Patriot Act, Paul accused American spy agencies of intercepting and taping President Trump’s phone calls. “I asked them point blank if this was true, and my question was not answered,” Paul said. “I have no doubt our own president’s phone calls are being intercepted and recorded. This is outrageous.”
RVA Booklovers’ Festival lineup for inaugural event Brandylane Publishers, Inc./Belle Isle Books has announced the full festival lineup of authors presenting at the first annual RVA Booklovers’ Festival, to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20 in Richmond’s Jefferson Park. Net proceeds from the free festival will be donated to The READ Center and ExCELL, two local literacy organizations doing important work to strengthen literacy in Richmond. First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam will speak about the importance of literacy at 10:30 a.m., preceding talks from The READ Center and ExCELL representatives. This year’s inaugural event features over 40 published authors and poets performing readings and book talks on three stages throughout the day. The festival will host a Main Stage, a Kids’ Corner, and a Poet-tree, along with an open mic, a used book drive benefiting the local community, a raffle, a costume contest for kids (ages 12 and under), interactive children’s activities, literary-inspired artisans, delicious local cuisine, official Festival merchandise, and more. This is a family-friendly event!
Brandylane Publishers/Belle Isle Books founder and president Robert Pruett said, “This festival celebrates Richmond’s inspired literary community, which is growing more and more vibrant every year. We’re honored to host the first annual book festival for Richmond, and we appreciate all the support and encouragement we’ve received from our supporters, sponsors, and volunteers.” Brandylane Publishers/Belle Isle Books are hosting the festival with support from sponsors, including Dominion Energy Green Power, VCU School of Education, Virginia Lottery, Richmond Cohousing, and Richmond Public Library, with collaboration from Friends of Jefferson Park and Union Hill association. The festival is bicycle- and busfriendly, with GRTC service to Jefferson Park (1921 Princess Anne Avenue, Richmond.). Onstreet parking is available in the neighborhoods surrounding Jefferson Park; paid event parking is also available two blocks away at 18th and Broad, and 18th and Grace. A rain date has been set for Sunday, Nov. 4.
(from page 12)
DHR director Julie Langan presents the proposals to the boards. the recent meeting voiced support for the new boundaries and appreciation to DHR for the increased community outreach in the past few months. Attendees also shared concerns about rising property values and how to help existing residents not get priced out of the area. Speakers advocated for educating and providing protections for property owners who are seeing their real estate taxes rise. Clyde Smith, chairman of the Board of Historic Resources, noted a recent proposal by City
Councilwoman Kim Gray to create a real estate tax-deferral program for property owners whose assessments have gone up 10 percent in a year. He said he recently urged Mayor Levar Stoney to look into a similar program specific to Blackwell. Adding that assessments in the neighborhood went up 19 percent last year and 14 percent the year before that, Smith said, “That would enable people to stay here. With or without this historic designation, real estate taxes are going to go up.” - RBiz
14 • Oct. 17, 2018
The LEGACY
Flu vaccine reduces risk of flu hospitalization among pregnant women Over the course of six flu seasons, getting a flu shot reduced a pregnant woman’s risk of being hospitalized from flu by an average of 40 percent. The findings come from a multi-country, CDC-coauthored study published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. This is the first study to show vaccination protected pregnant women against fluassociated hospitalization. Previous studies have shown that a flu shot can reduce a pregnant woman’s risk of flu illness. CDC recommends pregnant women get a flu shot because they are at high risk of developing serious flu illness, including illness resulting in hospitalization. “Expecting mothers face a number of threats to their health and the health of their baby during pregnancy, and getting the flu is one of them,” explains Allison Naleway, PhD, a study co-author from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. “This study’s findings underscore the fact that there is a simple, yet impactful way to reduce the possibility of complications from flu during pregnancy: get a flu shot.” Flu study analyzed data from over 2 million pregnant women For this study, CDC partnered with a number of other public health agencies and health care systems in Australia, Canada, Israel, and the United States through the Pregnancy Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (PREVENT), which consists of health care systems with integrated laboratory, medical, and vaccination records. Sites retrospectively examined
medical records of more than two million women who were pregnant from 2010 through 2016 to identify those who were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed flu. Key findings include: More than 80 percent of pregnancies overlapped with flu season, underscoring the likelihood that pregnant women will be exposed to flu at some point during their pregnancy. Flu vaccine was equally protective for pregnant women with underlying medical problems such as asthma and diabetes, which also increase the risk of serious medical complications including a worsening of those chronic conditions. Flu vaccine was equally protective for women during all three trimesters. Flu during pregnancy Flu illness can range from mild to severe, but it presents a heightened risk for pregnant women who undergo changes to their immune system, heart, and lungs. These changes make them more prone to severe illness from flu throughout their pregnancy and for two weeks after pregnancy. These findings underscore the importance of ongoing efforts by CDC and other public health agencies and partners to promote influenza vaccination during pregnancy. During recent seasons in the United States, only about half of pregnant women report getting a flu shot (pregnant women should not get the nasal spray vaccine.) “Our study found that flu vaccination worked equally well for women in any trimester and even
reduced the risk of being sick with influenza during delivery,” adds Mark Thompson, Ph.D., a study coauthor and epidemiologist with CDC’s Influenza Division. Benefits of flu vaccine for pregnant women and their babies Other studies have shown that in addition to helping to protect the pregnant woman, a flu vaccine given
during pregnancy helps protect the baby from flu infection for several months after birth, before he or she is old enough to be vaccinated themselves. Flu shots have been given to millions of pregnant women over many years with a good safety record. CDC and ACIP recommend that pregnant women get vaccinated during any trimester of their pregnancy.
Oct. 17, 2018 • 15
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
Mark Warner is coming for tech’s too-powerful FRANKLIN FOER The senator from Virginia says he’s “very annoyed” with Silicon Valley’s “pathetic” response to security concerns. A troublesome realization has dawned on the big technology companies: In the near future, Congress will impose regulation on them. This prospect has spurred companies to preemptively draft privacy legislation, to jump in front of whatever more draconian measures politicians might devise. Big Tech is shrewd to move first. Congress has been quick to vent anger against Facebook and its ilk, but it hasn’t yet developed policy that might channel its rage. Senator Mark Warner is an exception to this slow-footedness. This summer, he circulated a white paper that laid out a comprehensive critique of these companies, and it named names: Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Twitter. His paper argues, “The speed with which these products have grown and come to dominate nearly every aspect of our social, political and economic lives has in many ways obscured the shortcomings of their creators in anticipating the harmful effects of their use.” Warner followed a fairly sweeping diagnosis with a lengthy compendium of potential solutions to curb the proliferation of misinformation and propaganda, to protect the privacy of users, and to preserve a competitive marketplace. He explored the possibilities of imposing European-style privacy regulations and allowing those defamed on social media to bring cases against tech companies under state tort laws. I met with Warner in his Senate office to discuss his thinking. Warner comes from tech. In the ’90s, he earned a fortune as an investor in hugely successful telecommunications companies. He dresses the part. When I entered his inner sanctum, he was wearing blue jeans and Allbirds, the famously favored footwear of the Google cofounder Larry Page and the former Twitter chief Dick Costolo. And, of course, he wore an Apple Watch on his wrist. Unlike other senatorial dens that are crammed with homestate kitsch and stodgy neoclassical touches, Warner’s maintains an ostentatiously minimalistic look: A giant abstract canvas hovers above his tidy desk. Before we chatted, Warner issued a self-deprecatory warning: “I
Sen. Mark R. Warner have a tendency to zig and zag in conversation.” He said his style of thinking aloud didn’t always translate well to paper. Our exchange, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity. Franklin Foer: In the public’s mind, you’re a pro-tech centrist. Yet you’ve come up with a fairly sweeping critique of Big Tech. Was there a trigger point that shifted you? Mark Warner: I still believe myself to be a very tech-friendly policy maker. But I was rubbed the wrong way by the arrogance of the technology companies and the presumption that they knew what was best for everyone. There was this whole idea: You policy guys just shouldn’t worry. We’re a lot smarter. We’ll take care of things. And particularly as we got into the social-media era, there was an infatuation with some of these companies in [Silicon] Valley in the Obama administration. But even in the Obama years, I was starting to see some of what I thought was the dark underbelly. Foer: What did you see? Warner: Well, I saw from my three girls, from my own family’s basis, the almost addictive tendencies of devices. I saw how an unedited public square often allowed extremist voices to connect with other extremists in a way that multiplied their volume, far beyond what they actually represent. I saw the proliferation of bots manipulating political conversation. And then there was also a point when I got pretty pissed off. I was seeing evidence of foreign intervention on the social-media platforms. I’ve met with Mark
Zuckerberg a half-dozen times, decent enough guy, but there was such an arrogant kind of response to complaints: “Anybody who’d say that doesn’t understand.” Foer: Were you seeing foreign intervention before the election itself? Warner: I wasn’t seeing it actively. You heard rumors. Foer: Did you bring those rumors to Zuckerberg before the election? Warner: No. And I think there was also this kind of arrogance among Democrats about tech in the campaign, since Obama had been such a tech guy. In 2008, we smoked [the Republicans]. There was more equality between the presidential campaigns in 2012. But when it came to tech, there was a gross underestimation of the Trump campaign’s savvy. Foer: Let’s start with the public square. At the core of so much unhappiness with the internet is its toxicity. But then we’re in such complicated territory. Speech is running through these platforms. How do we think about cleaning them up without sacrificing core liberal values? Warner: In the late ’90s, when these platforms were being created, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act made a lot of sense. Platforms were neutral; they were just a way to have information flow freely into the public square. We couldn’t hold the platforms responsible for that free flow. But somehow, by around 2016, more than half of the American people were getting their news from Facebook, let alone social media at large. Suddenly, that 1990s framework might not be exactly
right. The social-media companies fight any changes to Section 230 as if it will provoke the complete destruction of the public square. Obviously, that is not the case. Because there have been changes. There have been changes around child pornography. And you can’t print how to make a bomb. Most recently, we’ve imposed restrictions around sex trafficking. Some of my colleagues have been very active in this space. I don’t want to steal their ideas. But perhaps there is a decency doctrine that might be industry administered. Or is there some kind of mechanism we could impose that would say, if you don’t have some kind of self-cleanup, there will be legislative changes? Foer: Isn’t there a danger of a slippery slope, where the government gets involved in regulating speech? Warner: But with foreign influence, we couldn’t get Congress to move. The companies have finally started to self-regulate with paid political advertising. But we’ve really not moved beyond that. Foer: Why, as we make these initial forays into regulating this space, shouldn’t we start to worry about threats to speech? Warner: We’ve had pretty vigorous debates within published-news organizations, within traditional edited publications about what constitutes acceptable speech. It hasn’t limited free speech. And, of course, you can’t scream “Fire!” in a crowded theater. How far should we go down the path of regulating these spaces? I think you can have that debate without seriously undermining the public square. And I think the companies are starting to realize it is in their self-interest to be part of this discussion. Look at the number of people, particularly younger people, who are bailing on these platforms because of the preponderance of bots and this disproportionate screeching on either end of the political spectrum. Foer: Isn’t it a fiction to claim that tech platforms are a public square? Because, in reality, there’s so much invisible manipulation and editing that shapes discourse on them? Warner: Yeah. And I think there is another false premise that most people have not fully understood. They think these services are all free. They’re not free. They are taking your personal information,
(continued on page 17)
16 • Oct. 17, 2018
Calendar
The LEGACY
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
10.18, 7:30 p.m.
The University of Richmond and American Civil War Museum are partnering to host a lecture focusing on The Civil War and our understanding of the Confederacy. The event will be held Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorum. “After Charleston and Charlottesville: The Future of Confederate History” focuses on what historians have learned about society’s understanding of the Confederacy over the last several decades and where our focus should be moving forward. The discussion will feature two of America’s most prominent Civil War historians, Edward Ayers, University of Richmond TuckerBoatwright Professor of the Humanities, and Gary Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia. Ayers is also the author of The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil War and Empancipation in the Heart of America, a 2018 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize and Avery O. Craven Award winning book that recounts the lives of the ordinary men and women of the Civil War. “I hope that people will understand that the Civil War is still the touchstone for all Americans today,” said Ayers, who serves on Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s Monument Avenue Commission. “We will try to unravel the importance of this event that changed all of world history.” This event is the Department of History’s annual Elizabeth Roller Bottimore lecture. The lecture is currently sold out, but there is a waiting list.
10.30, 5: 30 p.m.
The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities invites the Richmond community to an RVA Table Talk event focused on ageism. Sponsored by Altria Group, RVA Table Talk to be held at Temple Beth El (3330 Grove Ave., Richmond., creates opportunities for community members to engage in challenging conversions about diversity and inclusion. Each session focuses on a specific topic and participants have the opportunity to share stories, perspectives, and ideas regarding issues facing the community. This RVA Table Talk session is cosponsored by the Greater Richmond Age Wave, Virginia Center on Aging, and VCU Department of Gerontology. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required The program will include dinner, a presentation, reflections, and conversation. Table discussions will provide attendees with deeper opportunities to connect, learn, and build skills. Visit http://www.inclusiveVA.org/ RVAtabletalk
Sex Offender Helpline
Submit your calendar events by email to: editor @legacynewspaper.com. Include the who, what, where, when & contact information that can be printed. Deadline is Friday.
The helpline provides support to communities on issues related to accessing sex offender registration information; responsible use of information; sexual abuse prevention resources; and accessing crime victim support services. The tips program provides the public an opportunity to report registrants who are failing to comply with registration requirements. Tips can also be provided at www.parentsformeganslaw.org. This program is not intended to be used to report police emergencies.
Oct. 17, 2018 • 17
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
(from page 15) which gives them value to then sell to advertisers. But where’s the transparency about the price of this exchange? I mean, there’s less price transparency on the internet than there is in health care. And look how screwed up that market is. Foer: I just came back from Europe and the European Union has new privacy rules, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s supposed to create transparency. But as I navigated the web from Europe, what I saw is a patina of responsibility, accountability, and transparency, but also massive amounts of bureaucracy. All these things that are supposed to be easy are actually quite hard for users. Warner: One hundred percent. GDPR, I think, went over the top. And it did layer on too much of a bureaucratic structure, and not in a user-friendly way. We’re still relatively early in implementation, so will there be improvements? Maybe. But that’s one of the reasons I’m still open to market-based solutions. Foer: I’m skeptical of market-based solutions. Listening to the tech executives and the way that they’ve dissembled, it’s hard to trust them to self-regulate. Warner: Agreed. But here’s my concern: that there may be so much clunkiness with GPDR that it becomes a proxy for old-style government regulation. Foer: What type of old-style government regulation do you fear? Warner: There’s a normal process for a regulatory agency to make a rule. By the time you make a rule, the technology’s passed it by. So here’s an idea. I even put it in the paper. Is there an analogy, and it’s not by any means perfect, to the securities world? Finance has lots of complexity. But you do have an entity like finra. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is an industry-run group that self-regulates. It is literally a first line of defense, more minimal than the Securities and Exchange Commission. I think you will need a government backstop. But is there a way to think about the first line of defense, a set of rules that might not necessarily be government regulation, but the industry policing itself? And I’m not sure that would work, but it would be something to think about. Foer: When senators took a lot of heat for the Facebook hearing, I actually thought they did a pretty decent job. Warner: The first one? Foer: Yeah.
Warner: You’re a minority of one. Foer: You know better than me. But take finance or air-traffic control, both very complicated things. When you hold hearings on them, you’re going to seem like a generalist, right? It’s hard to be a senator and be an expert on complicated systems. And yet we find some sort of way to regulate those systems. The finance example seems to me a pretty good one. There might be many problems in the way we regulate finance, but we also find ways to make the world safer for investors and consumers. Warner: And clearly we have not limited innovation in finance. One of my concerns in this: that we set an American regulatory regime, or an American/European, or even an American/Western regime. Most of these companies now, the main leaders, are American. And we hobble them. Then these Chinese entities that aren’t constrained by these restrictions take the market, steal the market—with even worse perversions in terms of privacy or government manipulation. I would also make a critique of some of the tech companies that, because of their desire to break into the Chinese market, are willing to sacrifice the family jewels. Foer: Should we be putting greater pressure on these companies to not go into China, given the risks? Warner: I think there needs to be a higher-level conversation warning the companies, so they can’t later claim, “Well, we didn’t know.” And I think there are serious questions when you have American companies doing joint intellectual development around AI products in a country like China. We didn’t see the American military-industrial complex doing joint nuclear-bomb development with the Soviet Union. Foer: Right. Warner: We just passed a defense budget of $713 billion, biggest one ever. China has a defense budget of roughly $150 billion. China is spending the difference between the two budgets on AI, quantum computing, 5G—a series of other areas where we should be taking the lead. We’re buying the world’s best 20th-century military. But in the realm of cyber and disinformation, our competitors are already our peers, if not better. What we saw in 2016, and what we’ve seen recently, is what I would call “first-stage manipulation.” You suck in an individual based on a traditional phishing expedition. But I see a second stage. This is where you have a hack like the cyberpenetration of the credit agency Equifax. A foreign entity
or someone comes in, amasses a huge amount of personalized information. They contact us with data that would clearly make us respond, because it is our personal information. We will be greeted with a fake video of a trusted individual, whether it is a politician, a market maker, or a CEO. And then you’ve got the possibility of mass chaos. Foer: Yikes! Warner: From a governmental standpoint and from a platformcompany standpoint, people will acknowledge that possibility, but nobody’s doing enough to prep for that world. Foer: Why are we so slow-footed when it comes to protecting ourselves in this sort of way? Warner: The Kauffman Foundation has pointed out since about 1990 that 80 to 85 percent of all net new jobs have been created by startups. Now, not all start-ups are technology based, but the start-ups that have captured our attention are the Facebooks and Googles. So this has been a job creator. It has been a job creator that’s also captured the imagination of the millennials and the younger generations. Not only the Valley and the tech companies disdain regulation, but frankly there’s been our own kids’ disdain. A sense that government and politicians don’t understand it. And it has been a tenet of the Republican Party that you don’t regulate. Regulation by nature is bad. And that’s until everything hits the fan and then you— Foer: But it did hit the fan! Warner: And we’re still only talking, not acting. Back to my paper, I think there are still coalitions to be built here. I know, Frank, you’ve got antitrust ideas. I’m not convinced those are the right solutions yet. I am also concerned about competition from China. And perhaps there is a way that market forces can come in and help get us some of our goals. And that’s where price transparency comes in. Foer: But you talked about some of the errors that you witnessed. And there’s so much carelessness when it comes to the management of the public square, the management of data. Why not establish countervailing powers here? The companies have operated with impunity because there’s no sense that they’re ever going to be held accountable. Warner: I think there is a recognition that the beast is awakening in terms of the government. There’s going to be an outcry, and we’re one event away from a reaction, maybe an overreaction, from the government.
You’ve already got Europe acting on GDPR, and you have California starting to act on questions around identity and bots. So I think they’re realizing going back to the old days isn’t going to work. Some of the older incumbents in tech are starting to get that they’ve got to change. Foer: Let’s talk about Amazon. You have this very, very dominant firm that is going to be setting the agenda for the future of work. How do you think about Amazon? Warner: I think that you have traditional product companies where the ability to invent a better product always exists. With Amazon, you have a company that’s less about product; it’s more just incredibly successful execution skills. Plus a lot of data. Compare that to Facebook and Google: Is there ever an ability to really break up their market dominance? Even if you’ve got a better app, you can never match them on data. Look at the number of companies that are going public within technology right now. It has dramatically declined. If you look at the app world, your whole plan is an exit to Facebook and Google. I’m not sure that’s the healthiest ecosystem. Foer: It feels like the Democratic Party, which, as you said, was asleep with these issues for a very long time, is starting to awaken. There will be a big debate about where the Democratic Party positions itself in relationship to the market. Warner: It’s going to be fascinating from just the pure political end to see those who rightfully question the size and power of any large company, to see how far they’re willing to go, particularly if they’re talking about a 20th-century toolbox of policies to use against them. Especially if you contrast that to the normal affinity the vast majority of millennials and younger generations still have for these companies. Foer: So you think there’s a risk that the Democrats overshoot and alienate millennials by being too tough on tech? Warner: Yeah. I’ve done a lot of work and thinking around the future of work. I’ve convened sessions where I’ve brought companies and advocates to talk about the gig economy. Some of my Democratic colleagues’ reaction was, “Oh, this episodic work-on-demand is horrible. We need to think about this whole issue in the context of 20th-century labor, classic labor classification, and try to move everybody back into it.” And one of my other colleagues, on the younger side, stood up and said, “Before we go against all of Read the conclusion online at legacynewspaper.com
18 • Oct. 17, 2018
804-644-1550 (office) • 800-783-8062 (fax) ads@legacynewspaper.com
Classifieds
Ad Size 3.4 inches - 1EMPLOYMENT, column(s) X 1.7 inches)ANNOUNCEMENTS, LEGAL,
ServingThe Richmond LEGACY 409 E. Main St. #4 (mailing) Richmond, 804-644-1550 (office) ads@legacyne
FOR SALE, SERVICES
1 Issue - $37.40
Thank you for your interest in applying for opportunities with The City of Richmond. To see what opportunities are available, please refer to our website at www.richmondgov.com. EOE M/F/D/V
PRINT & DIGITAL AD SALES EXECUTIVE
Rate: $11 per column inch
The LEGACY is looking for a reliable, Includes Internet placement highly-motivated, goal-driven sales PUBLIC NOTICE Please review the proof, make any needed changes and return professional to join our team selling print by fax or e-mail. If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may not be inserted. and digital advertising in the Richmond Notice is hereby given that the Virginia Department of Transportation and Hampton Roads areas. is accepting written comments through November 1, 2018, regarding Ok X_________________________________________
the restriction of through truck traffic for the following routes:
Duties include: Building and Xmaintaining relationships Ok with changes _____________________________ with new/existing clients Meeting and exceeding monthly sales goals REMINDER: Deadline is over Fridays 5 p.m. Cold calling new prospects the@phone to promote print and online advertising space
Route 1135 (Tipton, Hill, and Milhorn Streets) from Route 1141 (South Street) to Route 1/301 (Jefferson Davis Highway). Route 1141 (South Street) from Route 144 (Harrowgate Road) to Route 1135 (Tipton, Hill, and Milhorn Streets). The proposed restriction is 1.05 miles.
DENTAL INSURANCE Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details. Qualifications: 409 E. Maincoverage St. #4 (mailing) • 105 1/2 E. Clay St. (office) NOT just a discount plan, REAL Proven experience with print (newspaper) and/ Richmond, VA 23219 for 350 procedures. or digital (website) advertising sales; 804-644-1550 (office) • 1-800-762-806 (fax) Phone and one-on-one sales experience; 844-709-6890 or ads@legacynewspaper.com Effective verbal and written communication http://www.dental50plus.com/28 skills, professional image and; Ad# 6118 Familiarity with Richmond and/or Hampton Roads areas.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP #SCC-18-015-BFI Payday Lending Database The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is seeking proposals to provide an Internetaccessible Payday Loan Database System Services Solution that will be accessible on a real-time basis by all Virginia licensed payday lenders and the SCC through its Bureau of Financial Institutions (Bureau). An optional pre-proposal teleconference will be held on October 11, 2018, 10:00 AM Eastern. Proposals are due October 25, 2018, 2:00 PM Eastern. An electronic copy of RFP# SCC18-015-BFI can be obtained at: http://eva.virginia.gov. The State Corporation Commission welcomes and encourages proposals from small, women and minority-owned businesses, including proposals from small, women and minority-owned prime contractors as well as prime contractors who propose to use small, women and minority-owned subcontractors.
Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged and Disenfranchised (RIHD)
P.O. Box 55 Highland Springs, Virginia 23075 (804) 426-4426 NEW Email: rihd23075@gmail.com Website: http://www.rihd.org/ Twitter: @rihd
The proposed alternate route for trucks is via Route 144 (Harrowgate Road) from Route 1141 (South Street) to Route 1/301 (Jefferson Davis Highway), and via Route 1/301 (Jefferson Davis Highway) from Route 144 (Harrowgate Road) to Route 1135 (Milhorn Street). The proposed alternate route is 1.25 miles. Comments can be sent to VDOT Residency Administrator, 3301 Speeks Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112.
Ad Size: 5 inches (2 column(s) X 2.50 inches)
Compensation depends on experience and 1 Issue (Oct. 10) - $55 includes a base pay as well as commission. Please support Bridging The Gap In Rate: $11 per column inch The LEGACY is an African-American-oriented weekly Virginia's efforts to continue to provide reentry Includes Internet services to returning citizen “Overcoming newspaper, circulation 25,000, with placement a website Barriers” that they face in life. We are asking featuring local and newsany andneeded advertising. Please review thenational proof, make changes and return by fax or
that you e-mail. If your response is not received by deadline, your ad may notmake
tax deductible donation to our
be interest inserted. to ads@ E-mail resume and letter of organization. We gratefully appreciate your legacynewspaper.com detailing your past continued support of our goals to help others. Ok X_________________________________________ sales experience. No phone calls please.
We have opened an additional office in News, and making plans to operate an additional office in Saluda, where we’ve REMINDER: Deadline is Fridays @ 5 p.m. been offered office space, a four bedroom house and double wide trailer on 10 acres HEALTH/PERSONALS/MISCELLANEOUS of land for transitional housing for formerly incarcerated person. Ok with changes X _____________________________ Newport
IF YOU HAD HIP OR KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY AND SUFFERED AN INFECTION between 2010 and the present time, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Attorney Charles H. Johnson
1-800-535-5727
It is our vision to offer housing, job readiness training, employment and opportunity for individuals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia for a second chance at life “To Get It Right” For more information: Richard Walker, 804 248-6756
www.LEGACYnewspaper.com
COIN SHOWS Richmond Coin and Currency Show, October 1921, Fri-Sat 10-6, Sun 10-3 Acca Shrine Center, 1712 Bellevue Avenue, Richmond. Free parking, admission, and appraisals. Weekend Raffle! www.richmondcoinclub.com, Bill Scott 804-3501140 MISCELLANEOUS SAWMILLS from only $4397.00. MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill. Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship! FREE Info/ DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com 800 567-0404 Ext.300N NORTH CAROLINA LAKEFRONT PROPERTY DOCKABLE LAKE LOTS FOR SALE! LAKE HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA. Gated community in Western, NC. Offering underground utilities, fishing, boating, swimming & more. Call now! ** (828) 312-3765 ** SERVICES DIVORCE–Uncontested, $395+$86 court cost. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Telephone inquiries welcome-no obligation. Hilton Oliver, Attorney (Facebook) 757490-0126. Se Habla Español. BBB Member. WANTED TO BUY OR TRADE FREON R12 WANTED: CERTIFED BUYER will PAY CA$H for R12 cylinders or cases of cans. (312) 291-9169; www.refrigerantfinders.com
Oct. 17, 2018 • 19
156- Procurement 1012 HAMPTON SOLICITATION CITY OF HAMPTON Tuesday, November 13, 2018 3:00 p.m. EST – RFP 19-27/CLP Services Contract from qualified From qualified consultants to provide Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) and related services. This is for various Solicitor projects on and “as needed” basis for either, City, State and/or Federally funded projects. Tuesday, November 13, 2018 4:00 p.m. EST – RFP 19-28/CLP On-call professional engineering services Contract From qualified consultants to provide water Resources engineering, and related services. This is for various City projects on an “as needed” Basis for either, City, State and/ or Federally funded projects Tuesday, November 13, 2018 4:00 p.m. EST-RFP 19-25/EA Event Management and Vendor Services
For additional information, see our web page at http://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts A withdrawal of bid due to error shall be in accordance with Section 2.24330 of the Code of Virginia. All forms relating to these solicitations may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information call; (757) 727-2200. The right is reserved to reject any and all responses, to make awards in whole or in part, and to waive any informality in submittals
Minority-Owned, Woman-Owned and Veteran Businesses are encouraged to participate. Karl Daughtrey, Director of Finance
Retrieve knowledge by reading newspapers! Thank you for picking up your copy of The Legacy
Reach over 50,000 Legacy readers a week in RVA & HR! Advertise here. Call 804-644-1550
Save up to $111/month* on your Medicare supplement insurance plan.
Call Now!
Annual iod Election Per to October 15 December 7
Call for a fast and free rate quote today. No cost. No obligation.
Call 1-855-772-0153 • Helps pay for things Original Medicare doesn’t cover • Predictable Monthly Costs • Some plans have no deductibles and no co-pays • No Referrals Needed • Nationally Recognized Providers