Driven from land in Zimbabwe, couple in their 50s seize opportunity in N.C.
AYDEN - In Zimbabwe, Wally Herbst would’ve left this kind of hard and dirty work to his hired hands. But in North Carolina, stripped of his vast African ranch and starting over at 58, his only hands are his own. So he bends to his filthy task, the removal of a bloated, dead pig that weighs more than 200 pounds, its stink thickening in the humidity of the July afternoon. He ties a simple knot with a piece of rope — a “bit of African technology,” he says — and pulls a loop tight around the pig’s hind legs. Using a 4-foot board as a ramp, Herbst yanks the carcass into the bed of a pickup.
In Africa, Herbst worked a 13,000-acre farm, part of which had been in his family for generations. He grew paprika that was exported to Spain, ran a successful safari business, raised cattle and employed more than 150 people during the busy harvest seasons.
That life ended in 2002 when men armed with automatic weapons evicted the Herbst family from its farm. In a land redistribution campaign overseen by President Robert Mugabe, political loyalists seized thousands of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe and turned them over to impoverished blacks.
The seizures wrecked the country’s agricultural infrastructure, leading to extensive food shortages and stratospheric inflation. The United Nations estimates that 1 million people have lost their livelihoods and homes as a result of the redistribution.
Herbst and his wife, Helen, are among them.
Theirs is a refugee story turned upside down. They were not poor political dissidents, but successful farmers whose skin color and economic achievement made them vulnerable in a violent, hostile environment.
At an age when most couples are spoiling their grandchildren and mapping retirement plans, the Herbsts packed four suitcases for a chance at the American dream. In Africa, the couple lived among giraffes and elephants, and hunters from overseas paid big money for the right to hunt sable antelope on their land.
In Ayden, south of Greenville, their first home was a one-bedroom apartment across the street from a Piggly Wiggly.
Nearly broke when they arrived a year ago, the Herbsts need to save money so they can eventually retire. Wally secured a visa and a job with a large hog operation near Greenville. It’s grunt work, but he does not complain.
As if to prove this, he finishes his gruesome chore, pulling another pig that has succumbed to natural causes into the back of the pickup. It will be taken to a compost bin.
Wally smiles.
“It keeps me young.”
Dispossessed
Wally is built like a middle linebacker, with a strong-willed attitude to match. Helen, 53, has the red hair and fair complexion of her Irish ancestors, and she is the chatty one. In an African accent that exudes its British ancestry, she shares their story:
Wally and Helen, both born in Africa, were married in 1977 and have three children. They lived and worked in rural Matabeleland, a region in southwestern Zimbabwe.
Wally employed about 30 permanent workers, who lived in traditional African huts on the property. Their homestead was a three-bedroom, two-bath house that, until 15 years ago, depended on generators for electricity.
Chaos and violence has defined Mugabe’s 28-year presidential reign. In the 1980s, he dispatched troops to attack a rival tribe in a campaign that became known as the Matabeleland atrocities.
It was during this time that Wally found a mass grave on the farm. The police removed about 20 skulls, including those of children.
By 1997, Mugabe announced his plan to seize white farms and redistribute the land. Five years later, Helen was home eating lunch when an employee rushed to tell her that police were parked at the gate and wanted to speak with her.
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The brisk pace reflects predictions that general election turnout will set records this year
Louise Renner, 79, voted Thursday for the first time since 1976. Using a walker, she inched down Fayetteville Street from the Sir Walter Apartments to be one of the first to cast her ballot at the Wake Board of Elections office in downtown Raleigh.
Renner declined to reveal whom she was voting for but said that she wanted to make a statement by voting early.
“I’m so burned up with the way this country is being run,” she said. “It’s not just one thing, but everything.”
Val Simpson, 66, used to think that she would not live to see a black candidate with a real chance of becoming president.
“I’ve seen it all — the dogs, the marches — I’ve come full circle,” said Simpson as she stood in line outside the elections office near downtown Durham. “Thank you, Jesus, that I’m here to see it. Thank you.”
Civic duty, the sense they were making history or just the desire to get voting over with sent thousands to the polls for the first day of early voting in an election season expected to set turnout records.
Statewide vote totals were not available, and efforts to reach Gary Bartlett, executive director of the State Board of Elections, were unsuccessful. But in Durham, voters arrived at the election headquarters before 6 a.m., knowing they wouldn’t be able to get in until 9 a.m., said local elections director Mike Ashe. More than 6,250 people had voted in Durham by the end of the day.
“This is huge,” Ashe said. “It doesn’t take a genius to know this is a big election. There’s no incumbent president, no incumbent governor. Commissioners, taxes, we’ve got everything on this ballot. Obviously, the presidential election is driving this train.”
More than 6,000 Wake voters had cast ballots by 5 p.m., said Cherie Poucher, the county’s elections director. She said she was startled when she got to work and saw the line outside the building. “This election is of more interest than any other general election in the 18 years that I’ve been here,” she said.
N.C. a swing state
The presidential campaigns are paying unusual attention to North Carolina this year, with polls showing a tie between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. No Democratic presidential candidate has won the state since Jimmy Carter did in 1976.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin visited the state Thursday. McCain is coming to the state Saturday, and Obama is returning Sunday.
The atmosphere was electric Thursday as voters crowded polling places around the state.
Kenny McLawhorn, 18, a UNC-Chapel Hill freshman from Kinston, participated in his first election Thursday. He voted a straight Republican ticket, even though he said he was not happy with the way President Bush has conducted the war in Iraq.
“McCain I see as not as far right as Bush is,” McLawhorn said. “He’s more moderate, and Obama’s too far left.”
McLawhorn said early voting was convenient and exciting because North Carolina has become a swing state this election.
Both parties have emphasized early voting this year, but the feeling that Obama could win here appeared to energize his supporters.
When poll workers at Wake’s election headquarters unlocked the doors at 8:30 a.m., there were more than 50 early birds in a line that wrapped around a corner of the building. The Obama vibe was strong, with a handful wearing his name on buttons, T-shirts and, in one case, a baseball cap. As the line moved forward, at least two people loudly exclaimed to each other that he was why they were there.
At N.C. Central University in Durham, hundreds of students marched across campus to a polling place set up in a former church.
Carolyn Edgerton, 63, had been there hours earlier, waiting in a line that had grown to at least 40 by the time the doors opened.
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Fallout from U.S. economy feared
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley has told state agency leaders to cut their budgets by 2 percent in case the national economic downturn takes a toll on the state’s revenues.
So far the state’s finances are faring well considering the economic crisis facing the nation. But top advisers to Easley said Thursday that cutting back now would make it easier to react if the state’s sluggish revenues worsen.
“Given the problems with the national economy and given the volatility in the markets, it would be irresponsible to just think everything would be fine,” said Dan Gerlach, a senior budget adviser to Easley, who has a few months left in office. “It is the fiscally responsible action to make sure that the next administration has sufficient reserves to manage the potential situation.”
The cut is actually a reversion, which means the state holds back 2 percent of current agency budgets. A 2 percent reduction amounts to roughly $400 million from the $21.4 billion state budget that lawmakers passed in July. The total will probably be lower because public schools, college financial aid and Medicaid are exempt from the cuts.
The reductions could mean fewer classes for students at community colleges, which typically see a spike in enrollment during tough economic times.
Wake Tech President Steve Scott said full-time enrollment is up roughly 10 percent over the previous academic year. He said state officials gave him advance warning two months ago that budget reductions could be on the way. The college is looking to trim expenses and reach out to private donors for help. It also has received an additional $500,000 from the county to help with the opening of new facilities.
But Scott said that likely won’t be enough to prevent cuts in the spring semester.
“We went ahead and offered the classes in the fall with the assumption that we would have a million dollars more than it looks like we’re going to have come springtime,” Scott said. “So that could be exceptionally problematic, and we’ll have to turn people away. That is what it boils down to.”
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Rising prices, depreciating property values and stagnant salaries are forcing many American homeowners to sell their homes.
(NewsUSA) - For many Americans, good credit isn’t here to stay -; rising costs are putting many formerly well-to-do homeowners behind on their mortgage payments.
In April 2008, delinquencies on prime loans, a $12 million dollar market, doubled. And the economy doesn’t look to have an upswing anytime soon. Home prices continue to drop. In July, the unemployment rate reached a four-year high. Homeowners face higher bills but make less money.
Adjustable mortgages, which were appealing when property values were on the increase and interest rates were low, now mire many Americans in financial danger zones. Some borrowers will see their interest and principal payments more than double even as their homes lose value. Many homeowners will not be able to cover their debts even if they sell their homes.
At the same time, banks feel more reluctant to approve or refinance loans. In this environment, default and bankruptcy rates look likely to increase. Between April and July, California alone reported 121,000 notices of default on loans.
Some companies are looking to navigate the down housing market, not only to turn a profit, but also to help homeowners recover their homes. For example, Deer Park Development Corporation, a Nevada-based company, buys foreclosed homes in Arizona, Nevada, California and Florida. With over 35 years of experience in real estate, the corporation’s brokers and agents know how to identify the homes that will turn a profit.
When the company finds a promising home, it works with the homeowner or bank to purchase the home at a 50 percent discount. The company negotiates with homeowners so that people can rent their homes after the sale. When the lease expires, Deer Park Development Corporation allows former homeowners to repurchase their properties at a predetermined price.
Currently, the company is searching for investors looking to profit from the down housing market. For more information, visit http://www.deerparkdevelopmentcorp.com .
(NewsUSA) - America’s private, job-based benefits system is one of the most successful in the world. The benefit plans within the system hold more than $6.1 trillion in assets and cover approximately 150 million workers, retirees and their families. The job-based benefits that give millions of workers health coverage and the opportunity to enjoy a financially secure retirement are more critical than ever.
Since 2001, the Labor Department has made great gains in its efforts to safeguard the pension, health and other employee benefits crucial to millions of workers. And we are continuing to improve the system to make benefits more accessible and secure.
This administration succeeded in enacting the Pension Protection Act of 2006 - the most sweeping reforms of retirement plan rules in over three decades. These reforms have improved the solvency and the transparency of traditional pension plans, better ensuring that retirement promises made to workers are kept.
We are boosting participation in 401(k) and similar plans through automatic enrollment, helping many more workers and their families build a nest egg for a secure and comfortable retirement. We are also making it easier for workers to get quality, professional investment advice to inform their retirement savings decisions.
And the Labor Department’s efforts have produced record-setting results. Since 2001, our enforcement and outreach programs have yielded monetary results of nearly $11 billion on behalf of workers and retirees and have led to the indictment of more than 800 individuals for crimes involving benefit plans.
In addition, the participant assistance program handled nearly 1.3 million inquiries that helped individuals understand their benefit programs and recovered nearly $545 million to pay pension and health benefits of working families.
The Department’s successful stewardship benefits millions of Americans, both as workers and investors. The Department of Labor put the tools in place for workers to plan and save for their retirement, and now it is up to each of us to save so we can achieve our retirement dreams. For more information or assistance, call 1-866-444-3272 or visit the Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa today.
(ARA) – What do a recent global crackdown on Internet child pornography and the arrest of Dennis Rader, the infamous “BTK” serial killer have in common with the Sept. 11 attacks on America? All are high profile crimes investigated not only by conventional police investigators, but by those specially trained in computer forensics, a new area of crime fighting.
Computer forensics is a branch of forensic science pertaining to legal evidence found in computers and digital storage mediums. Experts in this field investigate data storage devices such as hard drives, USB drives, CD-ROMS, floppy disks, etc., identifying, preserving and analyzing documentary and other digital evidence.
While most of the attention given to people working in this field comes from the work they do with police to help solve high profile crimes, that is not the only role they play. Individual companies are hiring forensic computer experts to perform such roles as determining the root cause of a hacker attack, collecting evidence legally admissible in court, and protecting corporate assets and reputations from crimes such as white-collar fraud.
Andrew Hildebrand, CPA, CVA, JD and dean of business programs at DeVry University in Fort Washington, Penn., offers this example of just how important a computer forensics expert’s role is in a corporate investigation of financial crime. “First a CPA would be contacted by an attorney to work on proving financial fraud. The CPA would need to have financial records and data, some of which may be in electronic format,” he says.
“Many times in these types of fraud cases, the suspect has attempted to cover-up the crime by deleting various documents, such as MS Word memos and MS Excel spreadsheets,” Hildebrand adds. “Once the accountants have some idea of what they are looking for, we can work with the computer forensics professional to recover the deleted material. During every step from seizure of the computer through to court testimony, the computer forensics professional will use their expertise to ensure that the data is recovered and the laws of evidence are respected.”
Realizing the growing need for trained professionals with this area of expertise, schools such as DeVry University, one of the country’s largest, publicly held, degree-granting higher education systems in the U.S., have developed special degree programs to train the experts of tomorrow. DeVry University offers an accelerated bachelor’s degree program in Computer Information Systems with a specialized track in computer forensics that can be completed in three years. As they are pursuing their degree, students learn how to follow the trail of computer clues that are left behind when someone commits a crime of technology. They also learn how to document evidence and how to coordinate with law enforcement to track the movements of the bad guys.
“Students will be prepared for jobs such as security auditor, security specialist, security administrator, security analyst, Web security manager, security director, digital forensic investigator, privacy officer and compliance officer,” says Rajin Koonjbearry, an instructor at DeVry University in Dallas. “These jobs are in high demand and will continue to grow because of new and changing regulatory requirements.”
Among the career avenues available for students graduating with a specialization in computer forensics:
* Law Enforcement. Police departments and sheriff’s offices nationwide are looking for computer forensics professionals to help them investigate computer-related crimes.
* Corporate. Those with a computer forensics background can help companies protect their computer systems from outside attacks.
* Private Organizations. Any private organization with its own network needs computer forensics professionals to maintain surveillance on their systems.
* Software Programmers. The advice that the computer forensics degree holder can provide a software company about the stability of their programs is always welcomed.
“We are responding to the changing IT industry in order to ensure DeVry University graduates are prepared to excel in emerging industry areas,” says Eddie Wachter, Ph.D., dean of academic affairs at DeVry University Central Florida. “Professionals who know how to protect companies and consumers from cyber crime will be in great demand in our increasingly networked world, and the new specialized options give our students the edge in this evolving industry.”
To learn more about DeVry University’s Computer Information Systems (CIS) degree program, log on to http://www.DeVry.edu .
WASHINGTON - The Democratic presidential nomination his, Barack Obama reached out Wednesday to mend fences with his defeated rival as Republican opponent John McCain tried to frame the fall campaign on his own terms. “I think he has exercised very bad judgment on national security issues and others,” McCain said.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was angling to become Obama’s running mate and her aides ramped up the speculation on that matter Wednesday. “I think a lot of her supporters would like to see her on the ticket,” Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said. But Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs cautioned “there is no deal in the works.”
Clinton has yet to acknowledge Obama’s victory in the bruising Democratic race and her aides - also dodging that conclusion - said on the morning talk shows that she would take a few days to decide what comes next for her. Obama spoke by phone with her Tuesday night and both sides predicted he and Clinton would sit down together before long.
“When the dust settles and it makes sense for her, he’ll meet whenever she wants to,” Gibbs said. “She’s accumulated a lot of votes throughout this country. We want to make sure that we’re appealing to her voters.”
Read More:News & Observer
(NewsUSA) - The latest “flavor of the week” in federal immigration enforcement bills is the Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, which relies on the electronic employment verification system (EEVS), which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calls “E-Verify.”
EEVS sounds easy. Employees fill out an I-9 form proving that they are authorized to work in the U.S. The employer enters this information into a computer, which searches the Social Security Administration (SSA) and DHS databases. If the information provided matches the database, the employee is eligible to work. If not, the employee has a short time to fix the glitch with SSA; if they do not, they must be terminated.
The SAVE Act would require the country’s 7.4 million employers to participate in a mandatory EEVS program. Currently, 55,000 employers use E-Verify - fewer than 1 percent of employers. Adding over 7 million employers to the E-Verify program would cause widespread chaos:
U.S. citizens would be adversely affected: Employees who receive a non-confirmation from E-Verify are often fully eligible to work. The error may be due to a name change, adjustment of immigration status or a data-entry error. SSA estimates that 17.8 million of its records contain such discrepancies - an error rate of 4.1 percent.
E-Verify spurs discrimination: Contrary to state policy, 47 percent of employers using E-Verify entered their employees’ information before the employee’s first day of work rather than after hiring, as required by law.
These employers, fearful of fines and hassles involved with non-confirmation notices, racially profile their prospective employees to begin with and avoid hiring those who appear foreign-born, or refuse to hire those who do not “pass” the E-Verify test. Others encourage those who receive non-confirmations to not contest them; still others take advantage of the non-confirmation status to require their workers to work longer hours under poorer conditions.
It is clear that E-Verify is not ready for prime time. Neither the DHS nor SSA databases have reached the level of accuracy required for a mandatory electronic employment verification system to function fairly and efficiently. Rather than enacting harsh new “enforcement only” measures like the SAVE Act, Congress should get back to the hard work of enacting smart, workable immigration reform that serves America’s interests by protecting employees and employers alike.
For more information, visit The American Immigration Lawyers Association at www.aila.org.
“Lord, Save Us from Your Followers” takes a look into the contentious world of the Christian faith.
(NewsUSA) - Although nine out of ten Americans claim a belief in God, public expression of faith is more conflicting than ever.
Even as discussion of religion floods the media like never before, the rhetoric is divisive and hyper as the 2008 elections loom on the horizon. Fed up with the angry, strident language filling the airwaves that has come to represent the Christian faith; author, director, and follower Dan Merchant set out to explore the collision of faith and culture in America.
“To me, the division of America, this separateness, isn’t getting any of us anywhere,” writes Merchant. “And both sides are making the same mistake - they think the so-called ‘culture war’ is a winnable war. Some think, eventually, one side will win out over the other. I don’t see it that way. I’m concerned that calling it a Culture War presumes a few things, like if it’s a war, there is an enemy. This kind of adversarial posture serves to further entrench us in our own positions. The sad fact is our country is polarized because we like it. It’s much simpler to pretend the world is black and white. An ‘us vs. them’ attitude is simpler than critical self-reflection and allows us to blame the other.”
Merchant’s journey, which actually begins in famine-ravaged Ethiopia, opens a panoramic view of how God’s people are viewed by everyday Americans and the world-at-large. From the man-on-the-street blitz of “Bumpersticker Man” to the controversial and moving “Confession Booth” at Gay Pride Day, Lord, Save Us from Your Followers delves into all the hot-button issues with candor, humor and balance. With exclusive interviews with comedian/senatorial candidate Al Franken, former Sen. Rick Santorum, noted evangelical Tony Campolo, conservative radio host Michael Reagan and others, no stone is left unturned in this engaging, unpredictable and challenging look at the conflict over religion in America.
Dan Merchant is an award-winning television writer/producer, novelist and frequent church attendee. Merchant has been happily married for 20 years and is the father of two teenage boys.
For more information, visit www.lordsaveusthemovie.com.
Third Annual Essay Contest Gives Kids Chance to Thank Outstanding Drivers
“America’s school bus drivers are collectively doing an outstanding job of safely transporting our children to and from school every day,” says John O’Leary, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses, the leading manufacturer of school buses in the United States. To recognize the contributions individual drivers make to children’s safety every year, Thomas Built sponsors an annual Children’s Choice School Bus Driver of the Year essay contest.
With their parents’ help, children in kindergarten through sixth grades can nominate their favorite drivers by submitting a 90-word essay on what makes their driver so special. Now in its third year, the contest runs until August 1, 2008. Winners earn a $1,000 educational savings bond and laptop computer for the nominating child and a $1,000 Visa gift card for the nominated driver. All winners and runners up also receive Thomas Built Buses jackets and Saf-T-Liner C2 school bus lunch boxes. To enter the contest, visit www.thomasbus.com/contest for complete rules and an entry form.
Completed forms and typed or legibly printed 90-word essays should be mailed to: Children’s Choice Essay Contest, HMH, 1435 W. Morehead St., Suite 140, Charlotte, NC 28208.
School buses are the safest and largest mass transportation system in the United States, according to research by the School Bus Information Council (SBIC). Consider the following eye-opening facts about school bus safety:
* Each year, the nation’s 450,000 yellow school buses annually make 8.8 billion student trips carrying 24 million children, the SBIC reports.
*While nearly equal numbers of children ride the school bus as use other modes of transportation in getting to school, in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available, five passengers were fatally injured while riding in school buses. By contrast, every year about 800 school aged children lose their lives on their way to school while either riding in private passenger vehicles, walking or biking, according to the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences.
* Long gone are the dubiously maintained and equipped school buses you might remember from your own childhood. Today’s buses have safety devices that range from specially cushioned high-backed seats, and flashing red and yellow warning lights to rollover protection, enhanced braking systems and buses can now be equipped with optional three-point lap-shoulder belts for every seat without reducing passenger capacity.
* School bus drivers undergo rigorous special training, must hold commercial drivers licenses, and submit to criminal background and substance screening tests.
“Modern school buses are outfitted with extensive safety devices but one of the most important contributors to your child’s safety is the bus driver,” O’Leary says.
To nominate your driver for “School Bus Driver” of the year, visit http://www.thomasbus.com/contest for complete rules and an entry form.
