How to Beat Unemployment

Posted on November 6, 2011 by LBCommuter

When asked to name the biggest problem facing the country, Gallup poll found that 35 percent of Americans said unemployment.

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The unemployment rate remains at 9 percent with around 14 million Americans looking for work. TheBureau of Labor Statistics says that more than 8 million people are working part-time, but would rather be working full-time. Another 1 million are classified as “discouraged workers,” which mean they would like to look for work, but don’t think there are jobs out there for them.

It is taking longer to find a job with the average duration of unemployment at 36.9 weeks in January, the highest level since 1948.

Some of the ways to beat unemployment are easily accessible to you. Start your job search with a good resume and refresh your resume frequently. Practice an interview with questions (which can be found online) with a friend. Questions like: Why do you want this job? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

The Unemployment Office has programs, which can be checked out online, like The Oregon Self Employment Assistance Program (SEA) that help eligible unemployed workers set up a business on a full-time basis and still receive full unemployment benefits.

Another program the Unemployment Office offers is the Training Unemployment Insurance Program (TUI). To qualify as a dislocated worker, an individual must be certified as a dislocated worker by meeting the criteria under the Workforce Investment Act, or be certified by the Employment Department.

There are other programs on the unemployment website to help. If you are on unemployment, please notify unemployment before you go to school, so that you can take advantage of their programs and keep your benefits.

Check out the internet! Youtube.com is filled with hundreds of suggestions on starting over, or making money, while on unemployment. If you decide to work for yourself, you can go online and get your own web address for as little as $3.95 a year on Yahoo.com, for example.

A lot of the local companies only do applications online. This makes it easier to get employed as it is not based on appearance or the employer’s first impression, but is based on the information you include.  However, there are nearly 14 million Americans who are out of work and looking, as well.

Anne P., 26, has been actively looking for work for six months and has only had one call back. They did not think she had enough work experience. Being so young, non or little work experience is a deficit, but how do you correct this if no one will hire you in the first place? Even the minimum wage jobs are looking for more experienced workers.

Mark, 32, has former work experience, but does not want to continue working for minimum wages. Therefore, like so many people at school, he is continuing his education to get a better job.

I am unemployed and am caught in the middle as I am looking for work and trying to go to school. When I told Unemployment Office four weeks ago that I was going to school full-time, I lost my unemployment benefits immediately.

Now I am in the process of enrolling in the Training Unemployment Insurance Program (TUI) and have to wait for them to decide whether I am eligible for unemployment, while going to school and keeping my benefits.

Beating unemployment becomes a job in itself. Send out as many resumes as you can online, or in person. Sell yourself to a future employer once you have an interview,  or go to a technical school or college to get better skills.

Nora Palmtag, Contributing Writer

Living with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome

My grandson was approximately 9 months old and stew was cooking in the crock pot. The cord for the pot was behind the table, which was against the wall with the cord under the table at the back with chairs all around. He pulled the crock pot down on the chair he was standing behind. Thank goodness that chair was there because he was only burned on his lower stomach and upper thigh.

The burns were severe and he had to be rushed to Emanuel Hospital, where they watched over my grandson.

The doctors were concerned that he could pull something that heavy, why he was not in more pain, and why he was not crying and acting like other babies, who had come in with severe burns.

We took William Eisaiah to Portland for testing approximately 6 months later and it was determined he had autism, which explained all of these symptoms. He now shows all signs of having Asperger’s Syndrome.

What is Autism and Asperger's Syndrome? How does it affect the family? Is there any cure?

“Autism is a severe developmental disorder” and “most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors.”[1] “The condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain functions, affecting the development of the person’s communication and social interaction skills.”[2]

Because autism symptoms vary greatly, two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have strikingly different skills. In most cases, though, severe autism is marked by a complete inability to communicate or interact with other people.”[3] We are so grateful that Eisaiah is a high functioning, funny, and super smart autistic person.  He is teaching himself to read, count, and talk in three different languages.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is sometimes accompanied by Asperger Syndrome. “Asperger Syndrome was first described by a German doctor, Hans Asperger, in 1944 (one year after Leo Kanner's first paper on autism).”[4]

Some of the older members of our family do not understand autism/asperger and think we are too soft on him and Eisaiah just needs discipline and not routine.  However, Eisaiah, like so many autistic children, do not understand violence and will try to reciprocate.

 “Having a conversation with a person with autism may feel very much like a one-way trip. The person with ASD might give the impression that he is talking at people, rather than with or to them. However, there will be much less exchanging of ideas, thoughts, and feelings than there might be in a conversation with a person who does not have autism.

A number of children with ASD do not like cuddling or being touched like other children do.  Often it is a question of practice and anticipating that physical contact is going to happen.  My grandson, Eisaiah, must have a hug and kiss from anyone who leaves our home.

A person with autism usually finds sudden loud noises unpleasant and quite shocking. Eisaiah is very sensitive to smells and hears extraordinarily well, as he can tell a plane is above before you can see it.

The higher the severity of the autism the more affected are a person's speaking skills.. People with autism will often repeat words or phrases they hear - an event called echolalia.  Echolalia is one of the symptoms which Eisaiah has, which can really annoy a person if you do not know it is part of his condition.

A person with autism likes predictability. Routine is his/her best friend. To others, these repetitive behaviors may seem like bizarre rites.

People with autism often have obsessions.”[6] Fortunately, Eisaiah has a number of obsessions, including Thomas the Train, Cars the movies, and languages.

 “The most important point we want to make is that autistic individuals have the potential to grow and improve. Contrary to what you may hear from outmoded professionals or read in outmoded books, autism is treatable. The earlier these children receive appropriate treatment, the better their prognosis. Their progress though life may be slower than others, but they can still live happy and productive lives. “[7]

For the families of an autistic child, this diagnosis can be heartbreaking and upsetting to their pre-conceived ideas for their child’s life.  What does it mean to the rest of the family?  How will it affect the child’s future?

Our family is continually learning how to cope with autism/asperger and hope that Eisaiah be able to use his intelligence to improve his own life, with our help.  Most of the time, he seems so normal that people are upset that he is not completely potty trained at four years of age, who is 75 pound 4 feet tall little man.

These questions need to be discussed with health professionals and use whatever resources are available to help with any improvements that can be made to have a better quality of life.

“Because autism is an incurable disease, many parents seek out alternative therapies.”[8] 

We are trying an alternative natural vitamin, protandum, to see if this will help with the symptoms of asperger, which Mrs. Gould, who works at LBCC cafeteria has tried and found improvements for her autistic 9 year old son. Mrs. Gould has helped me understand that the destructive behavior is normal, like punching holes in things, and taking toys away when he is bad works better than even time out. (email her @ginvest_07@yahoo.com)

Since there is no cure for either of these disorders, it is imperative that the child be diagnosed and screened as soon as the symptoms appear for a better chance at normalcy or as close as a person with autism and asperger’s syndrome can get.

At A Glance:

“These are some common autism symptoms:

Social skills

·         Fails to respond to his or her name

·         Has poor eye contact

·         Appears not to hear you at times"

Language

·         Loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences·     

 ·         Can't start a conversation or keep one going

·         May repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them

Behavior

·         Develops specific routines or rituals

·         Becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals

·         May be fascinated by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car

·         May be unusually sensitive to light, sound and touch and yet oblivious to pain"  

“Often individuals with Asperger's syndrome have many of the behaviors listed below:

Language:

          lucid speech before age 4 years; grammar and vocabulary are usually very good

          conversations revolve around self

Cognition

          obsessed with complex topics, such as patterns, weather, music, history, etc.

          often described as eccentric

           I.Q.'s fall along the full spectrum, but many are in the above normal range in     verbal ability and in the below average range in performance abilities.

          many have dyslexia, writing problems, and difficulty with mathematics

Behavior

          movements tend to be clumsy and awkward

          odd forms of self-stimulatory behavior

          socially aware but displays inappropriate reciprocal interaction”5]

 [1] http://www.autism.com/fam_whatisautism.asp

[2] http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/

[3] http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-MADS00348/Autism?q=autism&qpvt=autism

[4] http://www.autism.com/fam_whatisautism.asp

[5] Asperger's Syndrome, Written by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.( http://www.autism.com/fam_whatisautism.asp)

[6]http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/

[7] http://www.autism.com/pdf/families/adviceforparents.pdf

[8]  http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-MADS00348/Autism?q=autism&qpvt=autism

Sewer and Water Hikes in Albany

Nora Palmtag | Contributing Writer
The City of Albany needs to raise the price of water and sewer service in order to meet debt payments and have enough money to keep the systems running, according to the city staff. According to the Democrat Herald, the sewer rate was not raised last year as the council used $840,000 from the Pepsi settlement to subsidize the sewer fund.
The average water rate will be increased by $1.15, or 3 percent across the board, on Feb. “The increase is expected to yield an additional $110,000 in water revenue during the rest of this budget year, which ends June 30,” per Shepard in city council meeting this week.
The sewer rate increase of 9 percent will be required on July 1, but will not be considered for vote until May of this year.
“The sewer rate increase would raise residential sewer rates by between $3.50 and $4 per month for average usage, Shepard said” at the city council meeting Thur, Jan. 26.
“While personnel costs are being reduced, other costs are going up, and major expenses loom for fixing troubles in both water and sewer systems,” as outlined by Public Works Director Mark W. Shepard in memos to the council.
Shepard stated that one issue that will require the rate increase is the Riverfront Interceptor, a sewer main, which can’t handle heavy rains and will cost $10 million to stop the overflow of the Willamette River. Also, there are problems with 90 miles of asbestos cement water pipes that are nearly 70 years old which damage streets and private property.
“Albany borrowed more than $77 million to pay for expansion of the sewage treatment plant and build the Talking Water Gardens treatment ponds,” “obligating itself to annual payments of $5.6 million through 2032.” And “in the water department, payments on a $40.5 million water bond issued in 2003” amounts to a “$2.3 million a year through 2034,” as reported by the Democrat Herald.
Even realtors are aware of these increases. Lepman Properties states on its website that “Water and Sewer rates rising!” and “the City of Albany determines your sewer bill for the year based on your water usage during the winter months.” “To protect yourself from rising sewer bills you need to conserve your water usage.”
The good news is the increases are being staggered by six months and will give the citizens some time to budget for this crunch and hope the economy will be doing better or the job market improves.

An Evening with Jane Goodall

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By Lockerz

Jane Goodall with some of her students. by Nora Palmtag

Dr. Jane Goodall is many things to many people: primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, UN Messenger of Peace, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, dedicated to animal welfare issues. But she is best known for her 45-year study in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania on the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. She is considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.

The evening started with Dr. Joe Bowersox, the Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics and director of the Center for Sustainable Communities at Willamette University, introducing university president Stephen Thorsett, who had the distinctive pleasure of introducing Dr. Jane to the audience.
Dr. Jane, as she is known by her students around the world, immediately captured the audience’s attention by inviting all her kids from Roots & Shoots (a youth oriented community service program) and JGEMS (The Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School) to help her do the chimp call she had shown them.
She is always teaching, no matter what she is saying. She reminded the kids that she was afraid to speak in front of large audiences sometimes. Always have notes with you, you may not need them or use them but it will help your speech go better.
The chimps that she studied help to prove that they are intelligent, using tools and farming, with distinctive personalities, feelings and emotions, just like man. Their behavior has proven time and again that they are worth saving and we are arrogant if we do not see this.
Talking about the Chimps and how the environment has changed from when she first went to Africa, she was shocked when she went back a few years ago and the forest has been decimated and no new-growth had been done and the human encroachment was extraordinary. The people, who were encroaching on that environment, could not be blamed as they had not other recourse, according to Dr. Jane. She finally found private funding through an American businessman to start reforestation and get adequate care for the displaced people.
One of the great things she continually expressed was the thanks to her mother who supported her in her work and even went to Africa with her as the government there would not let an unaccompanied young woman go off into the mountains without an escort. Her mother went with her for the 6 months so that she could study the chimps in their environment. She kept stressing this cooperation, support, encouragement, love and commitment from her family, which enabled her to do her lifework with the chimps. Her son, Hugo Eric Louis (Grub), still lives in the little guest house in Tanzania next to Dr. Jane’s house on the shore of the Indian Ocean.
“Roots & Shoots” is a program that Goodall founded in Tanzania in 1991, with a small group of students.
According to ”Roots & Shoots” the goal is “about making positive change happen–for people, for animals, and for the environment. Through service-learning projects, meaningful youth-led campaigns, and a powerful, interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe.” Mandy Rude, a volunteer and student at Willamette University, remarked that it is refreshing to see young children at Roots & Shoots because it shows hope for the future of this country.
Zoe and David, 12-year-old students from the Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School, who are both members of “Roots & Shoots” attended the meeting. Zoe, an extraordinary person, with her bubbly personality and a hair style with streaks of orange, is very into the environment.
Z0e and David explained that at the beginning of each year, all the students and their parents go on a field trip to Opal Creek. Quoted from the Opal Creek Website, “The 35,000 acre intact watershed, spanning ridge top to ridge top, that surrounds Jawbone Flats is one of the last remnants of the forests that once blanketed the entire western slope of the Cascades. Jawbone Flats provides the perfect context to get away from the distractions of everyday life and to connect with the ancient forest.” The children stated that they take field trips to the different places, where they want to study the environment, like the Aleutian Islands. They also adopt an animal, and then travel to the animal’s endangered location to help save it.
At the end of the talk by Dr. Jane Goodall, there was a huge line-up of children waiting to ask questions. There were several children of different backgrounds and nationalities, so inquisitive and unafraid to step up and ask their questions. Take for example, Eddy, a very lively 8-year-old in the audience, interested in the world around her, whose parents brought her to see Goodall to learn more about how to save the environment.
Dr. Goodall had spent the day before with these children from her namesake school and had inspired them so much. They were so animated and intelligent. If she ever comes to town again, please take the time to buy a ticket (to save the environment or help Dr. Jane save it) and have a good time which is well worth it. A fun evening was had by all!

Esther Chapman, Teacher Extraordinaire

 Watching Esther Chapman, clad in her typical college attire, at work is a lot like watching the energizer bunny in action with brains.

Chapman looks like a student, being youthful and small of stature, but when she is in front of the class, you get caught up in her enthusiasm and knowledge of mathematics.  Amazed by the information Chapman imparts in such a fast-paced fashion, it is surprising how much of that information is being comprehended.

Esther is an exceptional teacher.

Chapman takes the time to make sure she is familiar with each student's name and schedule time to help whenever needed.  Using the best interactive slide system, Chapman puts the problems on her interactive slide show and helps the student understand the answers, making sure all students participate in the class.

Sharon Rodecap, Mathematics Department Chair, who has known Chapman for about two years, said, Chapman, “is never content to do the minimum, always goes above and beyond what is required of her.”  Rodecap described Chapman as creative, very energetic and always positive, the “cheerleader of the students”.

When asked about Chapman as a teacher, James, a student in her class, said, “I felt a little like an experiment in how Esther Chapman is planning on directing future classes. Which is alright in my opinion, but it does make things hard. For instance she wants to throw a lot of activities, worksheets, chapter reviews, brush-ups, tests, journal entries, and now a proficiency test at us.”

James, also, said, “I like the positive and energetic way she describes math to the class.”

We agree that Chapman is very strict, when it comes to rules in her class but this is the very nature of mathematics.  But this is a good thing as the student is ready to go on to the next step successfully.

 However, her class is not a class you can miss or stop doing the homework or special projects.

James said, Chapman “really wants to make math exciting and fun to learn and it shows in her presentation.  She's very clever in how she deals with homework as well. Assigning a homework but only requiring you to show 2-3 problems she picks out that you've done allows her to lower the demand of how much work she has to check, while still making it so you have to do all of the work.”

Brie Wood, in math angle in the Learning Center, said Chapman is a great tutor and very helpful to students at the Math desk.  Wood has known Chapman two years and said she is very well-rounded in physics, chemistry, as well as math.  Chapman is always enthusiastic, loyal and dedicated, according to Wood.  Wood sees Chapman as a very caring person, who values her friends.

What’s not to like.  Ben, also at the math angle, agrees that Chapman is a great person and teacher and a great asset to the math department.

Not afraid to admit when she has made a mistake, Chapman is the epitome of a good leader and teacher, by putting learning first.

Esther Chapman, mathematics teacher, is very active in her church.  When she is not tutoring math and physics, which is her major, Chapman likes to veg out and stay pretty low key.  The other activities she enjoys are dancing, socializing with her friends, jewelry work, and artwork.
m called optimath with older people, where she excelled.

After taking astronomy in high school, Chapman realized that math, astronomy, physics, and chemistry are all related.  Coming to LBCC, Chapman was a full-time tutor and was encouraged by teammates to go for the mathematics teacher position, which she got.

Chapman, a joy to behold, is one of the most positive and knowledgeable teacher at this campus.  She shows each day why math is important in our life on campus and at home.

Ending Segregation in Mississippi

Ending Segregation in Mississippi

My town, Clarksdale, Mississippi was divided by color and, being Black, like me, you could only go across town if you are working in a white home.  Even little children knew to be afraid and stay in their place in every facet of their life, if they did not want to get hurt.

This meant using the right fountain, door, bathroom and side of the street.

Tired of the lousy books, with their awful words and torn pages, coming from the white school each year, I persuaded my mother and the school district to allow me to go to the all-white school across town.  It was a hard fight which had to be won in court by my mother and the NAACP.

Get up, dress my best and wait for my taxicab to arrive because I decided to go to an all-white school in Mississippi in 1964 is my normal routine.  The taxi contains four black maids and Mr. Johnny, the cab driver, and following the cab is the car containing 2 marshals.

Because the cab contains four other Black females, no one can tell which one is me and, therefore, I am safer from revenge and hatred.  My family is so poor that the cab is paid by members of the community and the NAACP each week.

 Arriving at the school, I am met by jeers, slurs, and other horrible words, along with spit and spitballs from most of the white children.  This is only the beginning of the story of Elnora Fondren Palmtag.

Dr. Robert Singleton, Freedom Rider

Freedom riders were groups of youth who traveled in buses to the South to help promote, encourage and change segregation in the Deep South.

Dr. Singleton spoke at The Forum, Wednesday, Feb. 8 from Noon to 1 p.m. in the Forum building, room F-104, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW, Albany to a crowd of approximately 200 people.

In 1961, a busload of freedom riders was attacked and the bus was burned.  This attack only encouraged more riders to come forward to help.

“Singleton was with the wave of Freedom Riders who went to Mississippi in the summer of 1961 to protest against the state’s Jim Crow laws.”

 "On July 30, 1961, Singleton, along with more than 300 other Freedom Riders, was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, where the riders were tried, fined and incarcerated at Parchman Farm."

Having been raised in the foster care system in the north and educated in California, Dr. Singleton was aware of covert racism in housing and employment.

However, when he went to the South, Singleton was made aware of the overt racism which affects all aspects of life, from where a person eats, drinks, walks or uses the rest room.

The freedom riders, mainly, tried to change public and interstate restrictions on people of color traveling across state lines in the United States during the 60s.  The group would enter a restaurant and sit at the counter which had a sign on it that stated "For Whites Only" and would not move until forced to leave.

His group of freedom riders was arrested when they would not leave a "White Only" bus terminal, as blacks were made to wait outside and sit at the back of the bus.  They were all arrested, including his wife, Helen, who had to have a cell by herself, in Parchman Prison, which is for men only
.

 Parchman is the oldest, built in 1901, and the only maximum security prison in the Mississippi delta, housing 4840 prisoners.

For those who don't know, Parchman is a notorious black hole, where people have been known to disappear.  "It was a hell-hole.  I was 175 pounds going in and 155 pounds when I came out," Singleton said.  The food is inedible, except when there are important visitors, which Dr. Singleton said could be detected by the change in the smell of the food.  “Boss Hog”, the warden, as he was called by the prisoners, ran the prison with an iron fist and made sure the prisoners were aware of their helplessness and his power.

“The jailers hated us and they did what they could to show that,” said Dr. Singleton.

Dr. Singleton continues to speak out about his experiences and the need for action.  He stated that the Occupy Movement will be a force to be reckoned with when they have a common voice and purpose, clearly stated and acted upon.

Dr. Singleton quoted Martin Luther King when he said, “the arc of history bends toward history” but Singleton amended it to say, “I would amend that and add ‘if people would just get off their butts and do something about it.”

Chelsea, the DAC coordinator, stated, "it was wonderful to have this level of diversity brought to our campus, to have such a piece of our nation's history brought to light for all those who attended.."

In his current position on the faculty at Loyola Marymount University, he teaches Labor Economics, Urban Economics, Regional Economics and Local Economic Development. Dr. Singleton served simultaneously as a faculty member at the Graduate School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles, and as the founding director of the UCLA Center for African-American Studies. In his current position on the faculty at Loyola Marymount University, he teaches Labor Economics, Urban Economics, Regional Economics and Local Economic Development.

---

http://grahamkislingbury.mvourtown.com/2012/02/08/stories-of-the-freedom-riders-that-need-to-be-told/

http://democratherald.com/news/local/freedom-rider-singleton-speaks-at-lbcc

An Evening with Jim Lehrer

Everyone knows Jim Lehrer, the correspondent who has moderated the presidential debates since 1988 and has been hailed as “the Dean of Moderators”.

However, the surprise of evening of Feb. 3, 2012 was the voice of the funny and knowledgeable Jim Lehrer, the educator. Lehrer spoke to future journalists of the Northwest in a small conference room at the elegant Heathman Hotel.

After attending the Missouri School of Journalism, Lehrer worked 30 hours on obits, cop beat, weather reports, and answered phones. Per Lehrer, “journalism is always learning. If you are not always learning, then you are not doing a good job as a journalist”.

“When you are going down the street and you hear a siren, if you don’t want to know why the siren is on, then don’t go into journalism”, said Lehrer.

Assume there is at least one other side to all stories. Never assume and carefully separate.

“Do nothing you cannot defend”, said Lehrer.

When asked about the new computer technology, Lehrer said, “new world order is the World Wide Web and should be accessible to all as there is a new crew of gatekeepers of the news. It will be a different type of journalists from his day- “no longer a bunch of old white guys running everything.” If you don’t want to read about it, don’t say it.

Even though there are no longer a few major publications, there will always be a place for the written word for the good journalist. If you see journalism as a search for the truth, you will never be a good journalist because journalism is the fact business, not the truth business.

As a journalist, we must make sure no matter how technology affects us, we must acknowledge that news is only news after legitimate news people go through it. Content must rule the day as long as it is credible.

Asked about the nastiness of the campaign, Lehrer said, “We are losing good candidates due to this invasive and intrusive nastiness. The only way to truly avoid the nastiness is to watch your step from the seventh grade and check out your date’s past also.”

90% of the voters have already decided whom they are voting for. The debates are really to weed out the field. This is not the best situation but it is the best we have.

Why should a person seeking to be a journalist listen to Mr. Lehrer? If you have not heard his name, where have you been?

When only 16, Lehrer wanted to “play ball for Boston but the coach told him to come up with a back-up plan”. Thank goodness his coach advised him to do this. He wrote a paper on Charles Dickens’s Tale of Two Cities and got an A. His teacher made the comment “Jimmy, you are a good writer.”
This thankfully started him on his present illustrious award-winning career.

Lehrer went into the Marine Corp/Infantry Officer Corp, just like dad and brother. It was a non-decision. Going in as a punk farm kid from a community where everyone was alike, Lehrer was taught that there are all types of people on whom he was dependent, eliminating all clichés. You are only as strong as the people on each side of you in the Marines. The Marine Corps taught him discipline, bearing, and leadership. “You are shown that being responsible for others is not a choice.”
“From 1959 to 1966, he was a reporter for The Dallas Morning News and then the Dallas Times-Herald. He was also a political columnist at the Times-Herald for several years and in 1968 became the city editor,” per PBS Newshour.

“Lehrer began his career in journalism at The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times-Herald, where he covered the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. From 1970 to 1973, Lehrer anchored the local single-story news show, Newsroom on KERA-TV, the local Public Broadcasting affiliate station in Dallas. Lehrer began working with PBS network in 1973, and in 1975 developed and co-anchored The MacNeil/LehrerReport with Robert MacNeil” for 20 years, according to Wikipedia.
Per Mr. Lehrer, PBS News Hour is one of the fastest growing, most enhanced, and expanding news media. PBS is one of the few shows that continues to collaborate with others.

Mr. Lehrer has written 21 books, two memoirs and three plays. His latest novel is entitled Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain, by Jim Lehrer, my view from the Middle East and is on sale now. On the jacket of his book,Tension City , “Lehrer isolates and illuminates what he calls the “Major Moments” and “killer questions” that defined the debates."