Everything there is to know about Lloyd Robinson can be found pinned on a navy KCPD hat.

“That’s my history right there,” Robinson says pointing at it, stroking each medal and pin.

There’s a crest from Saint-Lô, France, where he was stationed most of his time in World War II, that fills him with memories of adventures with Captain Griffin and trucks filled with gasoline exploding. A gold Star of David reminds Robinson of his relationships with Jews during the war, a gold hook tells tales of German prisoners who worked for him.

Robinson, 94, lives alone in a humble wooden house in Mission, and has since his wife Martha passed away six and a half years ago. His pale blue eyes are hidden by wrinkles and bristling grey eyebrows that fan out like a garden rake, but those blue eyes light up when you ask him about anything on his hat. He has trouble breathing, and can’t speak for more than 20 seconds without having to take a few seconds to catch his breath again, but that doesn’t stop him from pointing out each medal or pin and telling you story upon story about where they are from, and how they are significant in his life.

“The Lord has blessed me with… with an incredible memory,” Robinson said.

Jake Crandall | Harbinger Online

He’d rather not speak about what they did, though.

Born and raised in Ottowa, Robinson and could tell you about growing up and dreaming of being a Chemical Engineer for a big corporation. About how he can remember buying his mother the first washing machine invented, and having to crank the side of it when he came back from college at the University of Kansas and wanted to get laundry done. He could tell you about how he almost fought in the famous “Battle of the Bulge,” because his general, who according to Robinson, “hated his guts,” and frequently tried to send him to the front lines.

Twenty pins and mementos hang on Robinson’s hat. Some war medals. Some walnut scrapings he’s found in his back yard that look like a smiley face. Some abstract pins that remind him of past friends, like the Jayhwak pin, that reminds him of Ernest Lindley, the seventh Chancellor of KU, who was the best friend Robinson ever had. He’d love nothing more, though, than to get one more medal before he passes away: a purple heart.

“You see…when I was walking on [Utah Beach] my leg hit a steak in the ground and cut through three layers of clothes and caught my leg… right by my knee,” Robinson said. “Of course, people don’t usually care about the engineer who got a scratch on their leg… but I slept in a foxhole with two mosquitoes that night and it got… infected a little. I don’t know, I just think it’d be… really nice to be able to show my great-grandchildren… their old grandpa got a purple heart.”

Robinson has sent a letter to the government, and is waiting on a reply.

In the mean time, Robinson doesn’t do much now-a-days. He tries to keep up with is three children and grandchildren, but he mostly putters around his old wooden house and reminisces. He has a study where he keeps everything. Every award. Every old picture. The walls are littered with newspaper clippings of important dates. Pictures of him and Martha sit quietly on his desk. He attributes his length of life to his old 1986 pick up truck, or as he calls it, his “alter-ego.”

“The Lord has blessed me with… an incredible memory.”

After being diagnosed in 1985 with Colon Cancer, doctors predicted Robinson to live no more than three years. He had a simple procedure by a local doctor, who is now deemed one of the best doctors in the country, and after, was cancer free. After the surgery, half of Robinson’s large intestines were gone, which explains why he can’t speak for more than 20 seconds without taking a break. Robinson walked out of the hospital, and spotted an ‘86 Chevy, and fell in love. He bought it, and has kept it ever since. The car is bent out of shape, and has worn rusty with age, and costs about $2000 a year to keep running, but in Robinson’s mind, it’s worth the money to keep it.

“The way I see it… if I can keep that truck running… then… I will keep on going,” Robinson said. “That truck is running like a top now, and I’m in good physical shape as well. I’ve been blessed to live this long…and see…what I have seen.”

Forget about First Fridays at the Crossroads. Come and see artwork created by your peers at the annual SME Art Fair.

The show will officially commence at 7 p.m. on Monday Dec. 5, but art teachers will be setting up displays throughout the week prior to the fair, allowing students to view the works, even if they are unable to attend the fair.

The Art Fair will feature artwork from students of all grade levels and art classes. Displays will be scattered throughout the school, but will be primarily occupying the second and fourth floors.

The pieces will be judged by outside judges and awards in the categories of photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, jewelry and digital art will be given out at an awards ceremony on Dec. 8.

Student Council gets ready for Culver’s Night

Student Coucil will be hosting a Culver’s Night this Wednesday Nov. 30 at the Culver’s on 7953 State Line Rd.

Members of the Student Council will assist the Culver’s staff by serving food to attendees. Students will be working from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with 15 percent of the proceeds from all sales going to the Can Drive benefitting the Johnson County Christmas Bureau (JCCB).

This Culver’s Night is the penultimate event benefitting the Can Drive and represents the end of StuCo’s largest fundraiser of the year.

So far East has reaised 6,053 cans, while the money will not be totalled until after the Panda Express Night on Dec. 6 where 15 percent of the proceeds for the entire day will be donated to the JCCB.

COMMUNITY
PV City Council places zoning moratorium

The Prairie Village city council voted 11-1 on Nov. 10 to put in place a nine-month moratorium on all rezoning requests for the site of former district middle school Mission Valley and its surrounding properties.

The vote comes along with a formal Request for Proposal from the city seeking firm to coordinate public input of the planning process for the site.

Prior to the vote, commercial real-estate development company RED backed out of an agreement with the city to fund the planning process.

Some members of the council as well as the surrounding community hope that the land may be still used as a school. RED and Kansas City Christian have supposedly met, but no agreements have been made public.

New Wal-Mart coming to City of Mission

A new 150,000-square-foot Wal-Mart store is planning to come to the city of Mission. Wal-Mart plans to build the store at the $200 million Mission Gateway development that will take the place of the former Mission Mall (Johnson Drive and Shawnee Mission Pkwy).

The plan comes six years after a 2004 plan by Wal-Mart to buy and tear down the mall and to build a 203,000-square-foot Super Wal-Mart. A petition against the purchase garnered 1,970 signatures by Mission residents, and the Cameron Group of Syracuse, N.Y, instead bought the mall.

Gateway will also have a 70,000-square-foot, 2.5 million gallon aquarium as well as 150,000 additional square-feet of retail, 150,000 square-feet of office space, 300 apartments, a 35,000-square-foot movie complex and a 45,000-square-foot fitness center.

STATE
Brownback readies for new budget proposals

Gov. Sam Brownback wants to change the way Kansas distributes around $3 billion of state aid to its school districts.

The changes to the funding formula being discussed include calls for a new baseline for state funding per pupil to school districts without the complicated weighting factors that are in place. Most importantly, the bill proposes lifting the cap on how much districts can raise for their schools is being discussed.

Other legislation for the upcoming session includes moving away from Kansas’ reliance on income taxes as well as the drawing of new district lines after the 2010 Census.

WORLD
Euro zone in crisis

The focus of Europe’s debt crisis shifted last week, from Greece and Italy westward to Spain and France.

New coalition governments were formed in Greece and Italy who are now enjoying a brief truce in their battles with the markets. Now all eyes are on Spain, who is experiencing a struggling economy emerging from elections, and also to France where a new austerity program is being implemented and watched closely.

The Euro Zone debt crisis is very troubling for the United States and to markets around the world as the International Monetary Fund asks the U.S., who is it’s largest contributor, for more money to help fund euro bailouts.

Meanwhile the U.S.’ national debt reached the $15 trillion mark on Nov. 16 according to USdebtclock.org.

What Happened:

The prisoner swap between two sparring countries, Israel and Palestine, has created more of a stir than expected.

The reason? Israel received one soldier, Gilad Shalit, in return for around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has, in the past, made deals similar to this. In 1985, Israel released 1,150 prisoners in return for three Israeli soldiers. This is due to the dedication of the country to their army—each Israeli is required to serve in the army—as well as a strong value of life.

Shalit has been captive for just over five years now; in that time, Israel has launched an invasion into the Gaza strip that was the first since their withdrawal a year earlier. In these five years, Israel and Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, have negotiated through Egypt to bring about a deal that would ensure Shalit’s safety and in turn return hundreds of Palestinian soldiers. Both countries have rejoiced in the return of prisoners, but some such as Israeli Ron Kehrmann worry that the deal has set a “base price”—the price of one Palestinian life for one Israeli life—for the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.

Why You Should Care:

The conflict between Israel and Palestine has gone on now for decades. America’s involvement in the Middle East has been closely tied to the relationship between these countries in both financial support and military involvement. While the swap indicates that there is some level of cooperation going on between these two countries, analysts at BBC News predict that there won’t be any breakthroughs due to the swap.

Disagreements between Palestine and Israel will continue to be a force within American politics and international diplomacy. This specific instance between the two countries is telling of the stalemate that continues to exist. Teens will undoubtedly have to deal with the tensions that lie between Palestine and Israel in the future, in fields from business to politics, from education to religion.

GOP Debates

What Happened:

As the Republican Primaries draw near, the Grand Old Party has struggled to find a candidate that holds a strong base of supporters. As of now, it seems that Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Texas governor Rick Perry and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza Herman Cain are the frontrunners for the nomination, on which Republicans will vote on Jan. 3.

Although Romney currently holds the lead in Gallup polls with a 20 percent backing from Republicans, each candidate has had their moment in the lead. This has led to competition from candidates, creating tension within debates. On Oct. 17, the debates in Washington, D.C. turned nasty as Perry accused Romney of lying about hiring illegal immigrants. Likewise, Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum accused all three frontrunners of supporting bank bailouts.

Heated debates such as these have given a “claw-your-way-to-the-top” mentality to the issue of the Republican presidential nomination. With time running out, the Republican Party has yet to band behind a contender who will most likely face President Obama in the 2012 election.

Why You Should Care:

Being politically aware isn’t just for those seniors who can vote in the 2012 election. The Republican primaries will determine who runs against Obama— therefore having a significant impact on the likelihood of Obama serving a second term. Likewise, watching these debates can show who can think on their feet as well as providing an opportunity to get a sense for where candidates stand on issues ranging from energy concerns to taxes to education. For students, simply becoming acquainted with these issues can build a basic understanding of politics.

The heated nature of these debates also show the lack of unity currently seen in the Republican Party and the rifts between viewpoints in American politics. It is increasingly important for students to be aware of all viewpoints in an increasingly polarized nation.

Muammar Gaddafi

What Happened:

After 42 years of rule over Libya, Muammar Gaddafi is dead. On Oct. 20, Libyan rebel forces captured and killed him in his hometown of Sirte, where he had been hiding since the fall of his government caused by the same rebel group who caught and killed him. Out of the recent speculation on Gaddafi’s death, a young rebel Senad el Sadok el Ureybi came forth on Oct. 24 as the murderer, confessing to the two gunshots found in Gaddafi’s head and chest.

Over four decades before the rebellions started in earnest, Gaddafi took power in a military coup. He had since ruled as a dictator, using oil as a key resource and lashing out at the uprisings in 2011. As Gaddafi’s forces retaliated, American and European forces began a series of bombings on Libya in March that fed into the violence and destruction of the country.

Because of the brutality and lack of generosity that Gaddafi demonstrated during his time in office, his death has been widely celebrated throughout Libya and the world. However, this has caused a rise, according to the New York Times, in “death porn,” or graphic photos and videos of Gaddafi’s body. This has also brought up concerns over the prosecution of such rebels—although the country is rid of a dictator, the rebels may need to be brought to court. Libyans plan to have elections in the spring, but may have trouble uniting their fractured country.

Why You Should Care:

Gaddafi’s death is yet another example of the “Arab Spring,” or the series of rebellions in the Middle East that have been taking place in the past year such as the revolution in Egypt. The photos of his death also call for a discussion of what is “right” to put out as public information, just as it was with the death of Al Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden.

And for those of you who pay for your own gas, prices may go down as one factor of the oil industry is simplified—Gaddafi, who caused unrest in and manipulated the oil industry, is now out of the picture.

Brazil: It’s rare to not see Brazil on the contenders list. As five-time winners of the coveted Cup, the Samba Kings seem to have a pedigree of excellence born into their players, demonstrated by the likes of Pele, Rivaldo and Ronaldo. This year’s crop (featuring Kaka, Alexandre Pato and Maicon to name a few) is as deep and talented as ever.

England: As soccer’s birthplace, England would be expected to be perennial contenders for the sport’s greatest competition, right? Wrong. Traditionally, England has been an underperforming squad, save their 1966 World Cup triumph, which took place in England. Not qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament has thus far provided extra inspiration to new manager Fabio Capello and his squad.

Spain: Coming off a European title at UEFA Euro 2008, Spain will need to evade upstart squads like matadors eluding angry bulls. A big red target on their uniforms may not be enough to stop perhaps the most technically-skilled team in the entire tournament, however. With a midfield that has a tough time finding a place for Cesc Fabregas, arguably the best player in the English Premier League, Spain will be more than a tough out for hungry opposition.

The brief- The recently passed health care bill, known commonly as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, contains a large variety of measures designed to reduce spending and increase coverage. In a March 21 New York Times piece, Rep. James Clyburn, it was “the Civil Rights Act of the 21st century”, while House Republican leader John Boehner declared “shame on us [for passing this bill.]” Whatever side you lean towards, here are the facts.

What it means for you- The most immediate effect for teenagers is that they will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance policy until they’re 26 years old. Previously, laws varied state by state. Most states did not require insurance companies to allow children to stay on their parents’ plans for that long.

One of the bill’s most important and bipartisan provisions that will take effect in 2010 is that insurance companies will not be allowed to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Insurers are also prevented from dropping people when they become ill. By 2014, that rule will be extended to adults.

For the time being, adults with pre-existing conditions will be able to join a temporary high-risk insurance pool . Basically, a group of people who are “high risk” (likely to collect on insurance payments) buy insurance in a group. By doing so, they’re able to get lower prices – similar to buying groceries in bulk.

In 2014, those high-risk pools would be replaced by health insurance exchanges, created and managed at the state level. The health insurance exchanges are actually marketplaces for people without insurance, and also small businesses. Theoretically, this will keep prices lower for those consumers.

The individual mandate – which says that most Americans must have health insurance – is one of the most controversial aspects of the bill, and will also take effect in 2014. For families without insurance, the fine will be either 1 percent of their income or $95 for each uninsured person (capped at $285) in the family. This mandate is also one of the foundations for the legal challenges to the bill. According to a March 23 Yahoo News article, attorneys general from 13 different states plan to challenge the bill.

Besides health insurance exchanges, several other measures are designed to provide health care for more Americans. Medicaid, government funded healthcare for the poor, will be expanded so people who are 33 percent over the poverty line can still apply for it. Tax credits will be given to employers with less than 25 employees who help pay for their employees’ health care.

Funding for the bill will come primarily from cuts in Medicare and Medicaid benefits, as well as payments to those who treat patients in those programs. More funding will come from tax on “Cadillac insurance plans”, which are simply high-cost plans.

Economy

The brief- The US recession was, and is, an extraordinarily complex series of events. Nevertheless, there are some widely agreed upon factors.

One major factor was the subprime loan crisis. In very simple terms, here’s what happened. As New  York Times business journalist Gretchen Morgenson said in an NPR interview, the crisis can be explained simply as “very lax lending and extremely large uses of borrowed money.”

In the real estate market, banks began to loan money to people with poor credit — people who may or may not have been able to pay back the loans — so that those people could buy houses. One reason for this is that, like in the Great Depression, the housing market was rising, and houses became more valuable. People who bought houses that they couldn’t afford assumed that, since prices usually went up, they could just wait for their houses to become more valuable. When their houses rose in value, they would be able to pay back the loan.

The downfall- For a while, this theory was accurate. But eventually, the prices stopped rising and leveled off. Homeowners worried that prices would go down, so they began to put their houses on the market. But far too many houses were put on the market. This created too much supply and not enough demand — there were more houses on the market than buyers, and so, just as the homeowners feared, their houses were worth less.

Thus, banks worried about their investment and began asking homeowners to pay back their loans.  Many of those homeowners either couldn’t sell their house at enough value or couldn’t sell it at all. Banks then became more reluctant to loan money, and continue to be reluctant to do so, which makes it difficult for the economy to grow.

Afghanistan

The brief- In a speech given by Pres. Barack Obama on Dec. 1, 2009 at U.S. Military Academy at Westpoint, he announced an additional 30,000 troops will be deployed in “the first part of 2010,” and troops will start to come home by July 2011. Obama defined the goal to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda,” and outlined the three ways that goal would be met:

Partnership with Pakistan-Obama said in his address that we must recognize that the stability of Pakistan is tied to success in Afghanistan. This stability will be achieved by helping Pakistan to fight extremists and foster democracy.

UPDATE: East’s Coalition group has teamed up with the Student Council and SHARE to raise money for relief efforts in Haiti. “East Ships to Haiti” will begin on Jan. 25. All donations will be going to Heart To Heart International, a major relief organization based in Olathe, sending supplies to Haiti.

Donation jars will be in the counseling office, the main office and on the fourth floor by the main stairwell all week. StuCo and Coalition members will also be collecting in the parking lots and during lunch on Thursday and Friday. Officials will also be collecting money at school activities such as the musical Footloose and sporting events (minus the Rockhurst game which is Coaches vs. Cancer).

On Tuesday Jan. 12, the already-impoverished island nation of Haiti was hit with a magnitude—7.2 earthquake, the most catastrophic natural disaster to hit the region in over 200 years. More than 3.5 million people have been affected by the immense destruction; according to Haiti Relief Kansas City, officials have reported that the death toll could reach and easily exceed 100,000, whereas others argue that the number could climb above 500,000.

The Red Cross has stated that the effects of the earthquake have left over one third of Haiti in need of emergency care. The organization has released an additional $9 million dollars, on top of their initial $1 million, toward bringing basic supplies to the country. The Red Cross posted an update in their newsroom that, “As of January 16, the American Red Cross has raised more than $87 million for relief efforts.”

The electricity in Port-au-Prince went out Jan. 12, leaving the city in complete darkness by nightfall. Arthur Brice of CNN wrote that, upon visiting the capital, “sirens could be heard at times, but the predominant sounds in the pre-dawn darkness were the shouts and screams from the thousands of people who spent the night in a dark park across the street.”

Entire towns were leveled by the shock waves, leaving families crushed or severely injured by the rubble and survivors calling out for help. Ted Ledwith of UNICEF wrote that rescue teams have had to “comb the rubble” for victims. Major roads, neighborhoods, crowded hospitals and schools crumbled to the ground, leaving the survivors with nowhere to turn. Thousands of people have resorted to sleeping outside in the open to avoid a temporary shelter being destroyed in one of the numerous 4.5 magnitude aftershocks that have shaken the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

On Wednesday, an aftershock totaling a 5.9 on the Richter scale, hit the capital at 6:03 a.m., waking those who had been sleeping outdoors and causing those who had gone to seek refuge to flee from their trembling shelters. According to the Huffington Post, the tremors lasted only seconds, but successfully sent thousands into panic. On Monday, the NY Times has stated that “even after an aftershock, the biggest danger facing survivors was untreated wounds and rising disease.”

The Haitians have lost the basic supplies they need to survive, namely clean water, food, medical care, and bedding, forcing many survivors to use garbage bags as makeshift beds as they sleep on the streets, going hungry. The number of victims has been growing steadily since Tuesday, and CNN has reported that “the streets were choked with pedestrians and residents.”

The Associated Press released the devastation in numbers Saturday in the Huffington Post: “People in Haiti needing help: 3 million. Bodies collected for disposal so far: 9,000. Number of people being fed daily by the United Nation’s World Food Program: 8,000.” The State Department has said that there have been 16 Americans confirmed dead, with thousands of others marked as missing.

Charity organizations as well as prominent Web sites have taken up the responsibility to promote the cause. The word ‘Haiti’ has earned a spot as a trending topic on Twitter and a section called ‘Spotlight on: Haiti’ dominates the homepage of YouTube. Facebook groups and pages such as ‘Haiti Earthquake Relief Kansas City’ and ‘Haitian Earthquake Relief’ provide links for users to easily donate to the nation in need.

Haiti Relief Kansas City, a local charity, provides the opportunity to donate online as well as gives instruction on how to put together a care package. By texting the word ‘HAITI’ to 90999, one can donate $10 to the cause, and by visiting the World Vision website, a donation of a larger amount can be made. The nonprofit organization UNICEF is also accepting donations, giving 100 percent of the money donated to earthquake relief in Haiti. According to the New York times, as of late Sunday the Red Cross had collected pledges of $103 million, about $22 million of which came through the text-messaging program.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has created a Web site for family members in Haiti and abroad to help search for their missing loved ones. As of Sunday morning, more than 21,600 people had registered on the site. Users can post pictures and information about missing persons and rescue teams in Haiti do their best to find and confirm the location of each person.