Not All is as it First Looks - The Devil is in the Details
My daughter Aubrey, loves to bake. Photo (left) shows a chocolate cake creation she made this week. Beautiful isn't it? We all love her
baking... so does Bandit, our dog. Before we could have it for dessert, he had it for his main meal (photo right)! Now, did she tell her older brother what happened to the cake before he helped himself to a piece? You guess.
Family and Public Policy
Well you have been under a rock this week if you are not aware of the numerous national public policy events that do, or will in the future, impact the families we work with. To name a few:Farm Bill Did Not Pass Last Thursday
Farm Bill is important legislation that impacts our work. Why did it not pass in the house? The details matter. Here is a information to help understand from MPR, "Up until the last round of amendment
votes, Peterson said he had enough Democrats on board. Then two
amendments made it into the bill. One amendment eliminated a provision
authored by Peterson to stabilize the milk market. Eliminating the
provision lost some Democratic votes in the final tally, Peterson said.The bigger blow, Peterson said, was a
Republican amendment that passed with just one Democratic vote to allow
states to launch pilot programs requiring food stamp recipients to work
for their benefits. .....
If no extension happens, a 1949 farm law kicks in. Ironically, the
rejection of this farm bill means no cuts or changes to the food stamp
program, which can continue without new legislation. The new bill would
have also ended direct payments to farmers. Instead, farmers can expect
another government check, due to this deeply divided Congress." Continue to follow this important public policy and implications for our work.Supreme Court rules on DOMA and Prop. 8
From the Washington Post, "But in striking down a key part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the court declared that gay couples married in states where it is legal must receive the same federal health, tax, Social Security and other benefits that heterosexual couples receive. In turning away a case involving California’s prohibition of same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, the justices left in place a lower court’s decision that the ban is unconstitutional. The ruling means that same-sex marriage is now sanctioned in 13 states and the District of Columbia — a list representing more than a third of the population of the United States."
Immigration Bill
Many Minnesota families will be impacted by passage of the Immigration Bill. But, the Immigration Bill is not law yet. The Senate passed its version and the House is not there yet. It is premature to think the Senate version will be the version the House passes. But do look at the previsions of the bill, they include: border security, path to citizenship, high and low-skilled workers, and family immigration. Again, the details is what facilitates or inhibits the the passage of legislation.
Ramadan Begins July 9
"Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Islam uses a lunar calendar—that is, each month begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the solar calendar used elsewhere, Islamic holidays "move" each year. In 2013, Ramadan begins at sundown on July 9th. For more than a billion Muslims around the world—including some 8 million in North America—Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity. Ramadan focuses on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (God)."Scholarship News
Kunkel, K., Hurtado, G., Conrad, S., Routh, B., Joeng, J.& Harrison, M. (2013) Lessons in a box make a difference for Head Start Youth. Journal of Extension, Jun 2013, http://www.joe.org/joe/2013june/rb4.php
