A Q&A with the 51st Miss Cheyney University followed her coronation earlier this month. Eventually, Tamiah Morrison, the titleholder, revealed that she was losing one of her major senses -- an ultimate result that she was forewarned of growing up.

I didn't expect the bitter-sweet revelation. In May, I nodded my head in support of her impending reign for 2023-2024. At that time, CU shared on Facebook Morrison's statement as Miss Cheyney elect. 

"My [platform] A.V.E.N.G.E.R.S stands for Assertive, Visionary, Encouraging, Noble, Genuine, Ethical Revolutionary and Strong," She later continues, "We... encourage students to join organizations... form their own platform to engage one another and formulate lifelong connections.... That is why my slogan is “Be Your Own Hero” I would like to motivate my peers to not only step out their comfort zones but to TRY NEW THINGS, PUSH TO BE THE BEST THEM... and BEAT THE ODDS society has put against them...." (Emphasis mine.)
​
Please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU. I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

The Cheyney Challenge is an initiative of alumnus Mr. Bright. I committed to it on WURD's Radio Courtroom in 2015, and began donating the following year. ​

I appreciated the text-based material as a primary format of instruction for dense or technical material. But I also enjoyed the videos with high-quality imagery that reinforced it. (I've never seen so many server rooms depicted before.) The <Redacted> skits and acting, especially Keith's journey from family business to information systems security and the expressed competence of the woman newly promoted to management. The guidance [counselor] and the professor, who otherwise shared little of their professional experience, also provided continuity throughout the course.

Related: "Cybersecurity and Cyberwar" (2020)
Related: My super-brief history using computer technology (2021)
Related: Artificial Intelligence x Human Cognition (2020)
Related: Google: The for-profit public library (2020)
Related: This LinkedIn course helped me spruce up my resume and profile (2019)

Cheyney students began a new school year this month while I almost forgot about the #CheyneyChallenge. It was only after I observed the Blue Supermoon last night that I remembered. And today I made my most recent donation of $18.37.

I'm adhering to a regular sleep schedule for the first time in a while, but I'll credit the Blue Supermoon to my remembering this time.

At any rate, please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

One presidential candidate is speaking up for people who are not traditionally among reliable voters. Cornel West -- scholar, activist, public intellectual, and theologian -- has called for "housing justice" for renters paying high rent-to-income and the homeless as part of his presidential campaign. The call for a federally backed cap on rent is part of that.

West started by urging the Seattle City Council to pass rent control legislation introduced by Councilwoman Kshama Sawant. Last week, however, 6-of-8 council members voted it down. It was a decision that ended an opportunity for the city to accommodate more of its residents.

Speaking of accommodation, Seattle was the place I first used accessible crosswalks. The signal to walk was automated, so it required no push of a button; and a chirping bird sounded for an audible queue to cross. That was in 2000 or 2001. Nowadays, the visual-and-auditory automation of crosswalks isn't uncommon in the commercial centers of major U.S. cities.

Except for its well-to-do, upwardly mobile, or financially stable residents, though, I consider Seattle a non-livable city. I've had the impression that it's somewhat like Silicon Valley and the Bay Area: a pricey region that, in part, attracts transplants in well-paying and high-demand fields. In recent years, I've coupled that impression with one that it's another costly West Coast city with rampant homelessness.

I've even come across the hint of homelessness there in contemporary fiction. Barry Eisler -- thriller novelist and former Ivy League-trained attorney -- depicts a homeless character in the action scene(s) of at least one of his Livia Lone books and another in The Chaos Kind (which I intend to finish). Both are set in Seattle. In contrast, I don't recall the presence of a homeless character in The Killer Collective or A Clean Kill in Tokyo. Both are set in Japan.

Maybe my impression of its affluence was not unfounded. Based on earned income alone, half of all households in Seattle bring in more than $105,000 a year (2017-2021). Stated another way, 50% of households in Seattle bring more than $35,000 above the national median. Further, its poverty rate (10%) in that period is slightly less than the national average (11.6%).

So why rent control for residents of this prosperous city, for example?

1. When adjusted for cost of living, 10% may be an underestimate for poverty there.
2. The low poverty rate may disqualify rent-burdened households from affordable housing subsidies or programs (i.e. Section 8 or public housing).
3. The majority of its housing units (54.8%) are not occupied by their owner(s), suggesting that it's renters who do.
4. ​Income aside, half of renters pay more than $600 above the national median gross rent.
5. Rent control would factor in a locale's cost of living.
6. Rent control would include housing not occupied by the incentivized owner, and is, therefore, non-dependent on public housing availability.

With Tavis Smiley, Cornel West co-authored The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto (2012). According to its description, he and Smiley partook in an 18-city poverty tour. Barack Obama was president at the time, and I remember that "middle-class"  was his stated constituency du jour. West was also one of the myriad speakers at the Moral March on Washington and to the Polls (Poor People's Campaign) last year. 

Whether or not West wins the presidency -- or the Green Party nomination -- he and his campaign are poised to set the stage for rising rents, income-stressed rents, and renters themselves on political campaign trails.

West has issued regular press releases since he announced his candidacy for president. For further info on his campaign, visit CornelWest24.org.

* Rounded to the nearest $1,000

A post on "Cornel West to Seattle City Council: 'Vote YES on rent control. It is a moral imperative.'" (Cornel West for President)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find her writings and commentaries, including the one on "Cornel West to Seattle City Council: 'Vote YES on rent control. It is a moral imperative.'", at landturn.com/blog.

Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

Related: Why I think Biden's Black Agenda won't work (2020)
Related: Why this winter is deadlier for the homeless (2020)
Related: Environmental Committee: Proposal on Harrisburg Fire Safety, Prevention (Mar. 2021) 
Related: Japan: The world's oldest population (2019)
Related: Public Intellectuals in Politics (2019)
Related: "Frankenstein in Baghdad" (2023)

One summer night, some years ago, I woke up in the complete darkness of a university library. At the side of each desk, tree tops that blanketed the hillside were visible from a cozy, personal-size window. There in the upper stacks, atop the campus, I dozed off at one of those desks in my favorite part of that library.

Cheyney's L.P. Hill Library doesn't compare in scenery, size, or scale, but it's no less a resource for students, faculty, and staff. Recently, I learned that a flood in January caused damage to it. Ironically, I was last at the Cheyney library 4 years before the flood, and it was under construction at the time.

The flood of L.P. Hill Library marks the third of such notable Black or Black-owned institutions in recent years. Third World Press (Chicago) also flooded in January. And in 2020, the Marian Anderson Museum (South Philly) had flooded as well.

Thanks to the ALA's Building Library Capacity Grant, the L.P. Hill Library will, as a start, replace the iMac computers that were well-used by students and faculty.

At any rate, please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation and promotional campaign for America's first HBCU. I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

The Cheyney Challenge is an initiative of alumnus Mr. Bright. I committed to it on WURD's Radio Courtroom in 2015, and began donating the following year. ​

Please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU. I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

​Related: May Cheyney Challenge (2023)​
Related: June Cheyney Challenge (2020)
Related: June Cheyney Challenge (2021)
Related: June Cheyney Challenge (2022)
​Related: January Challenge Challenge (2023)

Note: Thanks again to Myrna for sharing this cited article with me several days ago. My email response to her was edited below for typos, and extended for clarification and further commentary.

If Air-gen technology were stackable or far larger than a fingernail, then it could be deployable for the energy needs of, say, a vehicle. Those factors are what UMass engineering professor Jun Yao and his colleague, graduate student Xiaomeng Liu, are working on. Yao also noted that storage is an issue, but a different one.

The Air-gen generates an electric charge imbalance from the humidity that percolates its tiny pores, which are far thinner than hair strands. However, most any material smashed into particles will do if those microscopic pores are present. 

Electricity converted from moisture? That reminds me: Given the storage, this would be more efficient for electric vehicles than charging stations or operating wind turbines in the peak hours of the night, like in Texas.

A post adapted from an email response to "Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material" (D. Rosenzweig-Ziff)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find her writings and commentaries, including the one for "Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material" by D. Rosenzweig-Ziff, at landturn.com/blog.

Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

Related: How to Switch to Renewable Energy in Pennsylvania (2021)
Related: How to Switch to Renewable Energy in Pennsylvania, II (2021)
Related: Environmental Committee: How to Switch to Renewable Energy in Pa. (2021)
Related: Why oil companies in Africa could concede to reforestation (2019) 

Many of the Cheyney students who were sophomores or juniors during the height of the coronavirus pandemic graduated this month as the class of 2023. Much congratulations! 

It was only last month that Cheyney lifted its COVID restrictions, following the end of its designation as a national emergency by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Curtis Stockley, IV had a little to say about that. CU's 2023 valedictorian is also a first-generation college student who, at age 12, lost his father.

“I believe my purpose is to act as a beacon of hope to the youth who come after me," he said. "I want to show them they are more than their environment and that their fate is determined by their aspirations and work ethic in the face of hardships.” (Emphasis mine.)

I appreciate that Stockley acknowledges that hardships (as opposed to setbacks) might be the condition with which the next generation contend. He studied Social Relations and concentrated in American Political Studies.

Jazmin Walker joins him as salutatorian. Among her leadership roles, The Keystone Honors Academy Scholar studied Communications and minored in Psychology.

​Please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU. I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

The Cheyney Challenge is an initiative of alumnus Mr. Bright. I committed to it on WURD's Radio Courtroom in 2015, and began donating the following year. 

Related: April Cheyney Challenge (2023)
Related: May Cheyney Challenge (2020)
​Related: May Cheyney Challenge (2021)
​Related: May Cheyney Challenge (2022)
Related: January Challenge Challenge (2023)
Related: Monster helps kids build emotional intelligence (2023)
Related: "Where the Crawdads Sing" (2020)
Related: "La Chica Salvaje" (2020)

Related: May Cheyney Challenge (2023)
Related: April Cheyney Challenge (2020)
Related: April Cheyney Challenge (2021)
Related: April Cheyney Challenge (2022)
Related: January Cheyney Challenge (2023)

Good lecture!

In 1-on-1 breakout sessions, attendees had the opportunity to [respond to] questions posed after each segment. I liked that: the exchange of thoughts and perspectives with someone who did the same.

One of the memorable moments was a clip of Joe Biden in his late 20s. The interviewer asked his thoughts on bribery in politics. The circumstance Biden raised struck a chord with me: The next course of action on part of the bribee when in agreement with the briber.

Moreover, the multiple versions of bribery in state government were my lecture takeaways. And the real-life examples of current and former state lawmakers who took that extra plate?

​... smh. Too funny.

MarchOnHarrisburg's 25+ city "Disrupt the Corrupt" tour has pledged stops within 1 hour of each person in PA.

​Next stop is Pittsburgh April 14-15. Find the nearest one at disrupt-the-corrupt.org.

Please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU. I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.
​
As mentioned at the beginning of the year, I've had no automated donations deducted from my bank account since 2021. That remains the case so far in 2023.

Also see January Cheyney Challenge below.

As of this month, I made no attempt to re-enroll in the university's online payment system. I'll probably call and let the Cheyney Foundation know about this before my April Cheyney Challenge.
​
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

Cheyney stamped its 186th birthday in a big way this month. Aside from Founder's Day, here are two of them:

According to ESPN Front Row, the Lady Wolves were the first HBCU basketball program -- men's or women's -- to play in a Division I Final Four Championship. "The Lone Wolves" -- about that 1982 squad -- premiered on SportsCenter yesterday.

Official trailer here: youtu.be/KM3lUwBL53c

And in honor of Black History Month, Urban Outfitters is selling limited-edition Cheyney merch designed in part by Mitchell & Ness. All proceeds go to Cheyney. 

Shop here: www.urbanoutfitters.com/celebrate-black-history-month

​At any rate, please join the #CheyneyChallenge, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU. I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

The Cheyney Challenge is an initiative of alumnus Mr. Bright. I committed to it on WURD's Radio Courtroom in 2015, and began donating the following year. ​

Jubalyn ExWilliams (she/her) is affiliated with the Capital Area Greens (CAG). In 2020, she began petitioning door-to-door after the state rejected a COVID exemption for the Green Party of Pennsylvania. 
​         
In summer 2022, she petitioned again to help statewide Green candidates get on the ballot. The last day of petitioning was with Howie Hawkins, national Green Party co-founder and presidential candidate removed from the 2020 PA ballot. 
In regard to CAG, her respective input and contributions have resulted in:                     

Related: About Me: Politics (draft) (2022)

Bribery is still legal in Pennsylvania.

Martin (state senator, R-Lancaster) already campaigned in 2020, receiving money from the likes of PPL and other electric utility companies named in the article below. In addition, he JUST won the chairmanship of the state-money committee (Senate Appropriations), which -- in my view -- is one of the most powerful committees in state government. 

The 2023-2024 legislative session has just begun, and Martin is in as chair of his respective committee. So why a fundraiser now?

And then came Regan (state senator, R-York), who forced a peaceful protester on a cane to the ground so he can get a plate.

I guess the former U.S. Marshal is very much a Pa. politician, too. 

Gone get that money.

Michael Badges-Canning -- the peaceful protester -- is a retired educator, small farmer, 2022 candidate for Lieut. Governor, and mayor of Cherry Valley Borough (Western Pa.).

A comment on "Pa. lawmaker moves protester outside HBG fundraiser" (J. L. Micek)

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find her writings and commentaries, including the one on "Pa. lawmaker moves protester outside HBG fundraiser" by J. L. Micek, at landturn.com/blog.

Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

Related: "Disrupt the Corrupt Tour" stop in Harrisburg a thumbs up (2023)
​Related: "Gift ban does not see House vote, but advocates say 'there's still time'" (2022) (Republished)
​Related: The marijuana advocacy one Pa. legalization lawmaker overlooked (2021)
Related: Environmental Committee: Proposal on Harrisburg Fire Safety, Prevention (Mar. 2021)
​Related: About Me: Politics (draft) (2022)

Great script.

Notice that his companion didn't write off the Feelings Monster.

"It's okay" wasn't a reference to the monster's feelings, but a consideration that he might not be up to verbalizing them at the moment.

Still, his companion is considerate enough to stick by his side (in lieu of talking).
And guess what? The Feelings Monster begins to talk.
​
Microsoft Reflect is an app for educators, young learners, and their classmates to exercise Emotional Intelligence with each other.

A post on "Microsoft Reflect - All the Feels - Naming disappointment" originally appeared on my Facebook page on date above

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find her writings and commentaries, including the one on the video "Microsoft Reflect - All the Feels -- Naming disappointment," at landturn.com/blog.

Commemorating 5 years of landturn.com​ (2019 - 2023)

Related: Environmental Committee: Halloween Tradition at Fire Station (2021)
Related: Environmental Committee: Research on Basic Fire Safety (Jan. 2022)
Related: Environmental Committee: Tree Canopy on Cameron Street Flood Zone (Aug. 2022)
Related: Diploma withheld despite no consequence established for dress code violation (2022)
Related: "Where the Crawdads Sing" (2020)
Related: "La Chica Salvaje" (2020)
​Related: "CROWN: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" (2020)
Related: "Trombone Shorty" (2021)
Related: Why satellite more useful than WiFi to fight kidnapping in Nigeria (2021)

Cheyney has revised its motto.

Not only "a national treasure" or "the nation's oldest HBCU," the university has re-branded itself "the nation’s first HBCU" or -- as worded on its homepage at the time of this writing -- "the nation’s first HBCU—established in 1837." (For more, see ​cheyney.edu/who-we-are/the-first-hbcu.)

Please join the #CheyneyChallenge in 2023, a monthly donation campaign for America's first HBCU. 

I made my most recent donation of $18.37 today.

As a note, I've been unable to re-automate my donations after updating my payment info and or payment method. None has withdrawn my account in 12 months via the school's online payment system. I'll see what I can do from my checking account.

Hopefully, many more small donors have better luck.
​
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
cheyney.edu
Est. 1837

The Cheyney Challenge is an initiative of alumnus Mr. Bright. I committed to it on WURD's Radio Courtroom in 2015, and began donating the following year. ​

Related: March Cheyney Challenge (2023)
Related: January Cheyney Challenge (2022)
Related: January Cheyney Challenge (2020)
Related: January Cheyney Challenge (2021)
Related: Why Booker's sights for HBCUs has my support (2019)
Related: One way to boost enrollment at HBCUs (2020)
Related: How Hennessy partnership can payoff for HBCU students (2019)

The Cheyney Challenge is an initiative of alumnus Mr. Bright. I committed to it on WURD's Radio Courtroom in 2015, and began donating the following year. ​

Related: November Cheyney Challenge (2022)
Related: December Cheyney Challenge (2020)
​Related: December Cheyney Challenge (2021)
Related: Why Booker's sights for HBCUs has my support (2019)
Related: One way to boost enrollment at HBCUs (2020)
Related: How Hennessy partnership can payoff for HBCU students (2019)

Note: Post slightly edited for terseness and a typo from original comment to "Internat'l mission to U.S. elections: correspondence." Redundant last line citing news article omitted.

In reference to state lawmakers determining their own districts, I noted above that the "politics of state legislatures are skewed by the high stakes inherent to the two mass parties' attempt to tip the scales of power between themselves."

Similarly, a recent Capital-Star article suggests that maintenance of a two-party establishment is a critique of this mechanism.

"Political observers long have noted the gerrymandered boundaries of state House and Senate to advantage the big two political parties.. [sic]" (Dec. 2)

Obviously, I agree that gerrymandering has the two legacy parties as its (either-or) beneficiaries. I cannot, however, say that it's a consideration for opponents in PA or elsewhere.

Carol Kuniholm, co-founder and chair of Fair Districts PA, is quoted in that article as saying, "Just a few legislative leaders, mostly from very safe, one-party districts, control the agenda and block bipartisan solutions that would benefit the people of Pennsylvania. That's why we want to fix Harrisburg."

I think... opposition to gerrymandering is the prospect of a single-party district and therefore lack of representation -- albeit, the legacy bipartisanship. I stress the legacy bipartisanship because a single-party district might be favorable to independent and third-party candidates on the opposite end of the political spectrum.

​A Keystone candidate, for instance, might make headway among moderate voters in a Democratic district, or a Libertarian candidate among suburban and younger conservatives in a Republican district.

A comment on "We want to fix Harrisburg: Reformers summit seeks solutions to state government's woes" (F. Pizzoli) 

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania. You can find her writings and commentaries, including the one on "We want to fix Harrisburg: Reformers summit seeks solutions to state government's woes" by F. Pizzoli, at landturn.com/blog. 

Related: Internat'l mission to U.S. elections: correspondence (2022)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania (2021)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, II (2021)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, III (2022)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, IV (2022)
​Related: Reaching out to statewide, third-party candidates for Harrisburg candidate forum (2022)

Greetings, <Redacted> and <Redacted>:
 
I'll save you an excuse for my not responding a week ago, more or less, but I sincerely apologize for the delay.
 
The [OSCE/ODIHR] findings on the 2022 general election (has) informed me that the majority of U.S. states (33) authorize their legislatures to modify boundaries for Congressional districts and preferential votes. I believe the politics of state legislatures are skewed by the high stakes inherent to the two mass parties' attempt to tip the scales of power between themselves. I find this evidenced by generous campaign financing... [that] permits... concealment, as referenced by the [OSCE/ODIHR] press release, of monetary contributions [from] non-profit organizations. If 2022 mailers and Youtube commercials here in Pennsylvania are any indication, then there appears to be more non-profits providing anything from monetary assistance to multimedia aid than there are headline candidates.​

Thank you to the OSCE for continuing its mandate despite a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM). I'll share these provided links and subsequent final report with my social media, friends, and political colleagues.
 
Regards,
 
Jubalyn ExWilliams
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
landturn.com
XXX-XXX-XXXX

Related: What influenced me to reconsider participation in electoral politics (2019)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania (2021)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, II (2021)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, III (2022)
Related: Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, IV (2022)
​Related: About Me: Politics (draft) (2022)
Related: Opportunity for Pa. third-party candidates despite gerrymandering (2022)
Related: Reaching out to statewide, third-party candidates for Harrisburg candidate forum (2022)
Related: "Disrupt the Corrupt Tour" stop in Harrisburg a thumbs up (2022)

Anybody catch the blood moon before dawn this morning?

Brought some binoculars to see some of the moon's features, but the view was dark and the reddish cast too subtle. For me, the shadow was far more visible to the naked eye.

Now that I think of it, I didn't see the face of the moon. The moon doesn't rotate on an axis like the Earth, does it?

On a related note, I went to a magnet school that remains a NASA Explorer School. Today I honored the school by visiting its Web page for the 2nd, maybe 3rd, time in my life.

I see the mural of the 4 little astronauts -- one of the middle two... [for which I] was a model... -- was redrawn and painted over with 4 new little astronauts.

[The original mural was up for] 30 years, so I'm not mad.

Decades from now, at my memorial service, please start my obituary with a little humor:
​
"Jubalyn was an astronaut! For 30 years!"

A Facebook post that originally appeared on the date above.

Jubalyn ExWilliams lives in Pennsylvania (United States). You can find her writings and commentaries, including "Blood Moon: When I learned NASA Explorer School repainted astronaut mural I was part of," at landturn.com/blog.

Related: Former astronaut trainee, 82, to fulfill dream aboard commercial space flight (2021)
Related: Is new U.S. Space Force another reason to ratify Outer Space Treaty? (2020)
​Related: Why satellite more useful than WiFi to fight kidnapping in Nigeria (2021)
Related: Dark Skies in Pennsylvania (2022)
Related: August Cheyney Challenge (2023) 

OSCE
For the 2022 mid-terms, I corresponded with election observers in Pennsylvania from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Correspondence surrounded a perspective of small-party access to the electoral process, public reception to that representation; and obstacles to campaign efforts by its candidates.

General Election
​Like 2022, I corresponded with OSCE observers dispatched to Dauphin County, Pa. for the general election between presidential headliners Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
​
Final OSCE report on the 2020 general election: www.osce.org/files/f/documents/7/7/477823.pdf​.
​
Apparently, the international monitors were barred from Pennsylvania polls under state law. Little did I know that state law would be but one obstacle to a representative election.

Jan. 2021
As a recent poll watcher, I raised multiple objections with the County Election Board for the renaming of a third-party, write-in candidate and an independent write-in candidate in the official tally. ("Ballot Access in Pennsylvania," "Ballot Access in Pennsylvania, II")

​To ensure the recognition of eligible challengers and third-party candidates in local campaigns, I ran for the Harrisburg School Board just weeks before the special election in 2021.

​Though unsuccessful and $0 in campaign funds, I garnered enough votes to maintain a ballot line not guaranteed to third-party candidates in general, and Green Party candidates in particular.​​
​
Jan. 2020
I consider my Jan. 2020 commentary "Americans also have medical debt" a viral post that provided the political inspiration for Biden's expansion of Executive Order 14009 in 2022.

​Medical Debt
In reference to an NBA player working with RIP Medical Debt, I noted that medical debt is highest in the United States. The Price We Pay, written by a surgeon at Johns Hopkins, brought this distinction to my attention. And it was the surgeon's book that I'd review after my "Medical Debt" commentary later that month.

A note on the geographic degree of separation between myself and Joe Biden via a high-profile Democratic operative with multi-generational ties to Penn State is forthcoming.

Nov. 2020​
One of my works was also the basis of a ten-part series by PennLive in 2020.

​That November, I emailed a health official and two of the leaders from a homeless advocacy group to suggest church pews, then-vacant gymns, etc. to meet the need for more beds. ("Ways to provide more beds for the homeless in Harrisburg") (Also see landturn.com/blog/this-winter-is-deadlier-for-the-homeless.)

​Homelessness
A response came less than a month later, when PennLive published its series on homelessness with multiple angles similar to the points of my email (e.g. "Scenes from a homeless shelter on a cold night amid the coronavirus").

​Leadership for one organization of which I'm a member also switched one of its planks to homeless charity from a stated interest in human trafficking awareness the month before.

At the time of this writing, the PennLive articles remain accessible to paid subscribers only. The irony that this paid exclusivity stemmed from an act of civic engagement first occurred to me only 15 months later.

Sept. 2021
Less significant but still annoying, "Spotted Lanternfly in Harrisburg" -- about the invasive species on the Riverfront -- seemed to reincarnate itself five days after I posted it.

An article with points presented in the same order as my own appeared in another publication as "Spotted, Smashed: Harrisburg City forester offers tips for dealing with spotted lanternflies". ​

For example, my blog ends, "But first thing's first: If you see one, 'Kill it! Squash it, smash it... just get rid of it.'" 

​The article ends, "The bottom line? Roane says, if you see a spotted lanternfly, smash it."

NAACP Environmental Committee
In 2021, the Pennsylvania State Conference approved my proposal for the vacant Environmental Committee of the Harrisburg NAACP. (Committee Proposal: landturn.com/blog/fires-in-harrisburg)​ As a result, I've served as founding chair of the branch committee since then. 

​Fire Safety/Prevention
More than 17 monthly progress updates on our development (June 2021 - Present) of a free educational product on fire safety and prevention is available at landturn.com/naacp.

State of the City, 2022
In her first State of the City address, Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams lauded the fire department more than 3X longer than any other. I believe the 17 updates by the Environmental Committee up to that point provided much of her talking points and disproportionate proficiency.
​
A note on the political degree of separation between myself and the mayor is forthcoming. 

​Green Party
Like summer 2020, I petitioned on foot as part of the statewide effort to gain ballot access not guaranteed to statewide Green candidates. The last of four days was with Howie Hawkins, Green Party co-founder and 2020 presidential candidate. Two days later, a small delegation of members and I delivered the requisite 5,000 signatures then approved by the Pennsylvania State Department.

Unlike 2020, state-level Democrats filed no lawsuit, which ousted Hawkins from the battleground ballot in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that year. ("Howie Hawkins campaign: my statement") (Also refer again to "Ballot Access in Pennsylvania.")

As a result, the 2022 ballot was extended to Green candidates for Governor, Lieut. Governor, and Attorney General in Pennsylvania.

Related: PA Green Party Steering Committee: bio (2023)
Related: What influenced me to reconsider participation in electoral politics (2019)
Related: Reaching out to statewide, third-party candidates for Harrisburg candidate forum (2022)
​Related: Presidential Howie Hawkins campaign: my statement (2020)
Related: Internat'l mission to U.S. elections: correspondence (2022)

Almost six months ago, I demanded the following individual keep away from me. Upon my May 9 demand, he has had access to when I come and go and thus my schedule.

​That day, he learned that security footage caught him running down a corridor of the building to which I returned from the same establishment. (See "Alert" below). Initially, he denied ever being at the establishment, but would later walk down the corridor with more stuff to finish his errand there.

"Forget your camera," he shot back.

Three days later, he installed his own.

​Prior to the May 9 altercation, he'd lurk multiple times a night in the corridor outside a private space where I work. When I say "night" in this instance, I mean "After 12, Before 6." (RIP Sam Salter.)

Three weeks ago -- during the first-third of October -- one of the most notable incidents of his lurking or mirroring me since then reccurred. I performed a routine activity, but on a day I had not previously. In the mid-40s, it was the chilliest morning of the fall at the time.

The front of the building was about a 15-second walk away. It was then that I noticed the individual at the intersection there ahead. He stood across the street from the building, and the establishments that lined the block.

In a short-sleeve T-shirt, the individual held a phone to his ear. Per security footage, he had left the building -- at least the corridor -- 40 minutes earlier. The building has no waiting area.
​
A cell phone to his ear, the individual moved his lips a moment, but made no apparent sound. Despite crossing into an oncoming traffic lane, he watched me at a 90-degree angle. And despite his slow-motion strides (and shorter stature), he reached the building from across the street before I did.

He entered.

I entered.

Beyond the vestibule, he ran through the building, trampling the new hard-surface floor the whole time. Within 30 minutes of his return (and 70 minutes after he left the first time), the individual left the building again. Despite the cooler temperature earlier, he wore a jacket only now.

The first time I saw him standing across the street from the building, it was in the springtime. That's when I learned he smokes. Only it was the side of the building, near an eatery I'm not sure was open for business even then.

Where he stood was also across from a window in which I hung a sign. It displayed a message and organizational website.

The window was closed, so I didn't know he was watching it. Not at first anyway.

Once I left the building, I noticed the individual across the side street facing that window. Ignoring me, he crossed the street back to the building in a slow motion. He then dropped the cigarette he was smoking, and went inside.

This was in the weeks before the May 9 altercation, during which I screamed and barked on him.

"STOP following me!"

​Get AWAY from me!"

"I'm NOT interested!"

​In August, I altered my routine as best I could and the time frame during which I leave. In September, I even looked up the individual on a couple social media sites and blocked him right away.

Neither worked.

Putting on my face mask and gloves, grabbing my belongings, tidying up, and my keys in tow, I'd prepare to lock up before leaving. With only his person, the individual would cut down the corridor and leave the building ahead of me.

As mentioned in my original Alert below, this individual turns me off, nor am I attracted to him. After the trampling incident three weeks ago, I had had enough. I went to the police that day and filed a report in person.

Related: September Cheyney Challenge (2022)
Related: October Cheyney Challenge (2020)
Related: October Cheyney Challenge (2021)
Related: October Cheyney Challenge (2023)