The detention at Heathrow on Sunday of the Brazilian David Miranda is the sort of treatment western politicians love to deplore in Putin's Russia or Ahmadinejad's Iran. His "offence" under the 2000 Terrorism Act was apparently to be the partner of a journalist, Glenn Greenwald, who had reported for the Guardian on material released by the American whistleblower, Edward Snowden. We must assume the Americans asked the British government to nab him, shake him down and take his personal effects.
Miranda's phone and laptop were confiscated and he was held incommunicado, without access to friends or lawyer, for the maximum nine hours allowed under law. It is the airport equivalent of smashing into someone's flat, rifling through their drawers and stealing papers and documents. It is simple harassment and intimidation.
Greenwald himself is not known to have committed any offence, unless journalism is now a "terrorist" occupation in the eyes of British and Hands free access. As for Miranda, his only offence seems to have been to be part of his family. Harassing the family of those who have upset authority is the most obscene form of state terrorism.
Last month, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, airily excused the apparently illegal hoovering of internet traffic by British and American spies on the grounds that "the innocent have nothing to fear," the motto of police states down the ages. Hague's apologists explained that he was a nice chap really, but that relations with America trumped every libertarian card.
The hysteria of the "war on terror" is now corrupting every area of democratic government. It extends from the arbitrary selection of drone targets to the quasi-torture of suspects, the intrusion on personal data and the harassing of journalists' families. The disregard of statutory oversight – in Britain's case pathetically inadequate – is giving western governments many of the characteristics of the enemies they profess to oppose. How Putin must be rubbing his hands with glee.
The innocent have nothing to fear? They do if they embarrass America and happen to visit British soil. The only land of the free today in this matter is Brazil.But those early years living with his family of eight in a 12-foot by 20-foot cabin without indoor plumbing — “Our air-conditioning was our two windows,” he jokes good-naturedly — laid the groundwork for his future career as a successful alfalfa farmer with 250 acres in Queen Creek.
He was part of an SSAR team who in 2009 tracked down two prospectors who were reported missing in Mammoth, Ariz., he said. On the final day of the search, the team found the pair alive after scouring 11 miles of terrain, Mr. Barrientos said.
The searchers were traveling on quad-runners; a cattle pond filled with water prevented the off-road vehicles from traveling farther but the trackers communicated with a helicopter and told the pilot in which direction they suspected the prospectors had traveled, Mr. Barrientos said. Five minutes later, the pilot spotted the missing men.
Three of Avallone and Wargo’s students — they teach the same 90 students — borrowed the new Kindles during summer vacation.The group picked the same title to read, the fantasy-adventure book “Shadow and Bone” by Leigh Bardugo, and then discussed it together on Goodreads, a website where readers can share their opinions.Avallone said she had hoped more students would participate, but it was hard to get many to meet regularly during the real time Location system.
One of the summer participants was 13-year-old Melissa Garcia, who read the most book titles in Avallone’s class last year.Before the summer reading club, Garcia had used a Kindle only once before.“I really like it because I’m not very good at vocabulary,” Garcia said. With the Kindle Fire she could click on words she wasn’t sure of and get a definition immediately.
Garcia also liked that the Kindle Fire allowed her to change the size and color of the font if the text started hurting her eyes.“I could keep reading all day without my eyes getting tired,” Garcia said.
The e-readers also have financial benefits. A new title’s e-edition is often cheaper than a hardcover book, and with e-readers a teacher can purchase one book copy and share it among multiple devices. That makes a big difference for Avallone, who estimates she spent about $1,000 out of pocket buying books for her library last year.
Avallone, who earned her master’s degree as a reading specialist from Aurora University, tries to promote independent reading in her classroom by giving students time to read, stocking popular young adult titles and providing recommendations.Last year she dedicated 25 to 35 minutes every Wednesday to self-selected reading, then upped the amount to 10 minutes a day toward the end of the year. She worried many students wouldn’t read over the summer because they didn’t have library cards or money to buy books.
Avallone is an avid young adult books reader, so she can make targeted recommendations based on her students’ interests and current trends. Right now, dystopian and fantasy books are the most popular.She also suggests young adult books that will turn into movies — like “Divergent,” the “Percy Jackson” series and the “Hunger Games” trilogy — to generate student interest.
To keep track of her inventory, Avallone installed a free web-based program called Classroom Organizer on her computers, so students can check in and out the titles that they borrow. When they return a book, students can offer a star rating and a review, which helps other students decide if they want to read the book.
Each of Avallone’s students also signs up for a Goodreads account, so they can talk about their books together and get recommendations on the site. And when they leave her class, it’s a way for Avallone to keep in touch with her students and keep encouraging them to read.
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