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Auditions for Romeo + Juliet, the Rock Concert!
Place: 202 Park Lane, Thomaston, GA 30286
Map It
Date: Monday, September 8, 2014 and Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Time: 6 pm to 9 pm
Fee: $75.00
River Arts Productions, a newly founded drama troupe and talent agency in Middle Georgia dedicated to providing opportunities for young performers in stage, television, and film, announces auditions for its upcoming production of Romeo + Juliet, the Rock Concert! Experience Shakespeare's classic play in an updated and exciting new way.
Actors, singers, and dancers in all age categories will be needed for this workshop production. Main characters will be cast out of high school, college, and middle school students. Singers and dancers in the elementary grades will be utilized greatly in the chorus. Singers please bring sheet music or an accompaniment disk.
Auditions will take place at Park Lane Play Place and Fine Arts Center, 202 Park Lane, Thomaston, GA on Monday September 8th and Tuesday, September 9th from 6pm-9pm. Details about the workshop and directions to the facility are available by clicking here for Map. Otherwise contact us at 706.741.9882.
River Arts Productions
the upcoming full length musical production of
Romeo + Juliet, the Rock Concert
You are invited to Sign Up today!
This Workshop Production prepares the student to participate in River Arts Productions' upcoming full length musical production of Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, the Rock Concert.
In this Workshop Production, students will explore the following topics:
- Introduction to Theatre History
- How to Develop a Shakespearean Character
- Comic Improvisation
- Voice & Diction for the Shakespearean Stage
Certificate Presented Upon Class Completion
The Workshop is to be taught by Mr. Jeff Ballaro
Workshop Production Begins: September, 2014
Questions? firstname.lastname@example.com
To Register
"Romeo + Juliet Workshop Production"
please email us at:


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House and Home / Sarah Richardson
Happy Monday! To kick this week off with some fall inspiration, how about a dream house tour? I'm in love with this gorgeous shingled New England home, with interior design by Sarah Richardson. The house is huge, but it's still cozy and so charming. Enjoy the tour!
Do you love it?
Designer: Sarah Richardson / Find more details and images of this house here!

subset: commoncrawl


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Dr. Andrei Harabor and Dr. Cristina Harabor invite everyone to a free public event to kickoff Sahaja Yoga free guided meditation classes in Winnipeg.
The event will be this Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, for two sessions 1:30-2:30 p.m. and 3:00 – 4 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to join in for both sessions to go deeper into the knowledge and experience the true benefits of attaining the state of "self-realization."
One can sit in a chair with no hard poses, or on the floor if they prefer.
The event will be at Henderson Library in Winnipeg, 1050 Henderson Highway in Meeting Room One.
There is no experience necessary and everyone is welcome to RSVP to save your spot by text or call Paula at 289-242-2755 or drop in with friends.
The word Yoga is an ancient Sanskrit language word that means "union" or "connection." Sahaja means "spontaneous" and "born with."
Dr. Andrei Harabor will offer a presentation from his experience in the medical field about the health benefits of practicing Sahaja Yoga meditation, as well as offer a guided meditation session and chakra workshop.
Sahaja Yoga will offer free classes at rotating libraries throughout Winnipeg from November 2017 to March 2018. The best way to find out when the next classes are, is to subscribe to the website www.free-meditation.ca/archives/20317


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Amnesty International on Wednesday renewed its call for the United States to set up an independent investigation of the abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan, at Guantanamo Bay and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The organization denied it was seeking to influence the U.S. presidential election with its 200-page report, but expressed disappointment the issue had not been prominent in the campaign.
"We feel that this is the last chance to get it on the agenda of the candidates," Amnesty International spokeswoman Theresa Richardson said in London.
Richardson added that six months had passed since the photographs of Iraqi prisoners being humiliated at the Abu Ghraib were first shown on U.S. television. "It's taken this long for us to pull this report together," she said.
The organization noted it had first called in May for an independent investigation, perhaps by the U.S. Congress.
The report called for a commission with subpoena powers and full access to secret information and agencies. To insure impartiality, the commission should include international experts, it said.
Short of such a full inquiry, Amnesty International urged the U.S. government to unequivocally condemn torture and ban it by legislation, ensure access to prisoners, abolish secret detentions, ratify relevant international treaties and pay reparations to victims.
Abuse not confined to Abu Ghraib
Amnesty said military investigations have shown that alleged U.S. abuses have not been confined either to Abu Ghraib or to a few soldiers.
"[Yet] there remains a need for a full commission of inquiry that takes a genuinely comprehensive and independent look at the U.S.A.'s 'war on terror' detention and interrogation policies and procedures, and examines the activities of all government agencies and all levels of government," the report said. "Full accountability is crucial."
Three U.S. soldiers have been sentenced to prison terms of between eight months and eight years for abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Two more soldiers are due to stand trial early next year.
However, the highest-ranking soldier indicted so far is Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, who received the eight year sentence. No senior officers have been charged, although several have received letters of reprimand or were relieved of command.
In September, eight former generals and admirals wrote "there are now dozens of well-documented allegations of torture, abuse and otherwise questionable detention practices" in prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, and they urged in a letter that President Bush appoint an independent commission to investigate.
In a report that drew heavily on investigation already undertaken by U.S. authorities, the London-based human rights organization accused the United States of tolerating abuses of prisoners in its war on terror and falling short of the standards it routinely applies in criticizing other governments.
"The photographs of torture and ill-treatment of detainees in Abu Ghraib prison did not come out of the blue, but followed numerous allegations of abuse in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay raised with the U.S. authorities over the previous two years," Amnesty International said.
"When it suited the U.S. government's aims in its buildup to the invasion of Iraq, the administration cited Amnesty International's reports on torture in that country. When the alleged abuse involved U.S. agents, its response was denial and disregard for the organization's concerns," the report said.


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A database of quotes
There is an organic affinity between joyousness and tenderness. Religious rapture, moral enthusiasm, ontological wonder, cosmic emotion, are all unifying states of mind, in which the sand and grit of selfhood incline to disappear, and tenderness to rule.
Character | Enthusiasm | Mind | Organic | Rule | Tenderness | Wonder |
Lydia Sigourney, fully Lydia Huntley Sigourney, née Lydia Howard Huntley
One of the principal ingredients in the happiness of childhood is freedom from suspicion - why may it not be combined with a more extensive intercourse with mankind? A disposition to dwell on the bright side of character is like gold to its possessor; but to imagine more evil than meets the eye, betrays affinity for it.
Character | Childhood | Evil | Freedom | Gold | Mankind | Suspicion | Wisdom | Happiness |
Faith always contains an element of risk, of venture; and we are impelled to make the venture by the affinity and attraction which we feel in ourselves.
Quite often, as life goes on, when we feel completely secure as we go on our way, we suddenly notice that we are trapped in error, that we have allowed ourselves to be taken in by individuals, by objects, have dreamt up an affinity with them which immediately vanishes before our waking eye; and yet we cannot tear ourselves away, held fast by some power that seems incomprehensible to us. Sometimes, however, we become fully aware and realize that error as well as truth can move and spur us on to action. Now because action is always a decisive factor, something really good can result from an active error, because the effect of all that has been done reaches out into infinity. So although creative action is certainly always best, destroying what has been done is also not without happy consequence.
Action | Error | Good | Happy | Life | Life | Power | Truth |
The love of truth is often mentioned, the hatred of truth hardly ever, yet the latter is the commoner. People say they love the truth when they pursue it, and they pursue it when unknown: not therefore because of any felt affinity to it in their souls.
Friends must desire to live as much as possible together and to share their work, thoughts, and pleasures. Good-fellowship and sensuous affinity are indispensable to give spiritual communion a personal accent; otherwise men would be indifferent vehicles for such thoughts and powers as emanated from them, and attention would not be in any way arrested or refracted by the human medium through which it beheld the good.
It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created in years or even generations.
Love | Will | Wrong | Companionship | Think |
The path to healing is through the act of land conservation, an act that in a hundred different ways shows our sense of hope and affinity by reconnecting us with the life around us. It's a rekindling of what is most meaningful inside each of us. Conservation is a way for humans to reengage with the world, a way to extend our best definitions of humanity.
Conservation | Hope | Humanity | Land | Life | Life | Sense | World |
Walter Raleigh, fully Sir Walter Raleigh
The necessity of war, which among human actions is the most lawless, hath some kind of affinity with the necessity of war.
To discover the rules of society that are best suited to nations, there would need to exist a superior intelligence, who could understand the passions of men without feeling any of them, who had no affinity with our nature but knew it to the full, whose happiness was independent of ours, but who would nevertheless make our happiness his concern, who would be content to wait in the fullness of time for a distant glory, and to labor in one age to enjoy the fruits in another. Gods would be needed to give men laws.
Age | Labor | Men | Nature | Need | Society | Time | Society | Happiness | Understand |
Confession frees, but power reduces one to silence; truth does not belong to the order of power, but shares an origincal affinity with freedom: traditional themes in philosophy, which a political history of truth would have to overturn by showing that truth is not by nature free--nor error servile--but that its production is thoroughly imbued with relations of power. The confession is an example of this.
Error | Example | History | Nature | Order | Power | Truth |
Then if the first argument remains secure (for nobody will produce a neater one, than the length of the periodic time is a measure of the size of the spheres), the order of the orbits follows this sequence, beginning from the highest: The first and highest of all is the sphere of the fixed stars, which contains itself and all things, and is therefore motionless. It is the location of the universe, to which the motion and position of all the remaining stars is referred. For though some consider that it also changes in some respect, we shall assign another cause for its appearing to do so in our deduction of the Earth's motion. There follows Saturn, the first of the wandering stars, which completes its circuit in thirty years. After it comes Jupiter which moves in a twelve-year long revolution. Next is Mars, which goes round biennially. An annual revolution holds the fourth place, in which as we have said is contained the Earth along with the lunar sphere which is like an epicycle. In fifth place Venus returns every nine months. Lastly, Mercury holds the sixth place, making a circuit in the space of eighty days. In the middle of all is the seat of the Sun. For who in this most beautiful of temples would put this lamp in any other or better place than the one from which it can illuminate everything at the same time? Aptly indeed is he named by some the lantern of the universe, by others the mind, by others the ruler. Trismegistus called him the visible God, Sophocles' Electra, the watcher over all things. Thus indeed the Sun as if seated on a royal throne governs his household of Stars as they circle around him. Earth also is by no means cheated of the Moon's attendance, but as Aristotle says in his book On Animals the Moon has the closest affinity with the Earth. Meanwhile the Earth conceives from the Sun, and is made pregnant with annual offspring. We find, then, in this arrangement the marvellous symmetry of the universe, and a sure linking together in harmony of the motion and size of the spheres, such as could be perceived in no other way. For here one may understand, by attentive observation, why Jupiter appears to have a larger progression and retrogression than Saturn, and smaller than Mars, and again why Venus has larger ones than Mercury; why such a doubling back appears more frequently in Saturn than in Jupiter, and still more rarely in Mars and Venus than in Mercury; and furthermore why Saturn, Jupiter and Mars are nearer to the Earth when in opposition than in the region of their occultation by the Sun and re-appearance. Indeed Mars in particular at the time when it is visible throughout the night seems to equal Jupiter in size, though marked out by its reddish colour; yet it is scarcely distinguishable among stars of the second magnitude, though recognized by those who track it with careful attention. All these phenomena proceed from the same course, which lies in the motion of the Earth. But the fact that none of these phenomena appears in the fixed stars shows their immense elevation, which makes even the circle of their annual motion, or apparent motion, vanish from our eyes.
Argument | Beginning | Better | Cause | Earth | Harmony | Means | Opposition | Order | Phenomena | Position | Revolution | Size | Space | Time | Will |
Paul Ehrlich, fully Paul Ralph Ehrlich
In order to pursue chemotherapy successfully we must look for substances which possess a high affinity and high lethal potency in relation to the parasites, but have a low toxicity in relation to the body, so that it becomes possible to kill the parasites without damaging the body to any great extent. We want to hit the parasites as selectively as possible. In other words, we must learn to aim and to aim in a chemical sense. The way to do this is to synthesize by chemical means as many derivatives as possible of relevant substances.
Love is the affinity which links and draws together the elements of the world... Love, in fact, is the agent of universal synthesis.
For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people. As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything "chosen" about them. The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this.
Better | Bible | Change | Experience | God | Legends | Nothing | People | Religion | God | Bible |
René Margritte, fully René François Ghislain Magritte
One night, I woke up in a room in which a cage with a bird sleeping in it had been placed. A magnificent error caused me to see an egg in the cage, instead of the vanished bird. I then grasped a new and astonishing poetic secret, for the shock which I experienced had been provoked precisely by the affinity of two objects -- the cage and the egg -- to each other, whereas previously this shock had been caused by my bringing together two objects that were unrelated.
Error |
Robert Aitken, fully Robert Baker Aitken
Affinity, affinity. All beings are made up by affinity. The whole universe, through every dimension, forms a vast net of affinity that is all of a piece--a multi-dimensional web. With any movement within the web, everything moves. Each gesture, each blink brings a new kind of equilibrium and new kinds of interplay throughout the net. This is a never-ending process from the unknown past to the unknown future, and through all other dimensions including the eternal present. Touches that bring joy and harmony bring new interplay and new equilibrium. Touches that cause suffering and death bring new interplay and new equilibrium as well.
Cause | Death | Eternal | Harmony | Joy | Past | Suffering |


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the officially unbelievable Ronde van vlaanderen
BREAKING - This weekend the Ronde van Vlaanderen will start afterall! Cycling in Flanders, Flanders Classics and Sporza joined forces to create a radio play: The Officially Unbelievable Ronde van Vlaanderen. We will transport cycling fans to an era of unwritten, thrilling cycling history - just as if you were listening to the commentary to a genuine, live cycling race.
This will, without any doubt, be the most exciting Ronde ever - because it is so much more than just another race. Get ready for a story with some incredible plot twists, featuring cameo appearances by heroes from one hundred years of cycling history such as Eddy Merckx, Johan Museeuw, Fabian Cancellara, Mario Cipollini, Briek Schotte, Bradley Wiggins, Fausto Coppi and the Van der Poel family. It is a race into which a full century of anecdotes and tales having to do with the Tour of Flanders have been incorporated, and in which both male and female riders participate: Marianne Vos, Yvonne Reynders, Jeannie Longo and Annemiek van Vleuten will also be competing alongside the male cyclists.
Don't miss this unique storytelling concept and tune in this weekend. Rob Hatch and Matt Stephens will take you along on the virtual 2020 Tour of Flanders with exceptional live commentary. The story can be listened to on www.cycling-in-flanders.cc.
#unbelievablerondeBack to Stories


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There are several "down" sides to patients' heavy use of healthcare information gleaned from the Internet, including misinformation, the tendency toward self-diagnosis or self-treatment, request for additional treatments of medications during appointments, increased seeking of second opinions, and diminishing of satisfaction and trust in their physician's approach, if it differs with the results of their own independent Internet searches.1 It might even be said that for some patients, Google is the "first opinion" and their own physician is the "second opinion."
To shed light on approaches to communication with patients regarding their use of the Internet, MPR interviewed James A. Ellzy, MD, a family physician in Washington, DC, and a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
How do you perceive the role of the Internet in modern-day life?
This is the information age, where almost everyone has access to the Internet. This applies not only to medicine but also to other fields; law, accounting, gardening, and just about every other profession. People are also expected to be more self-sufficient and to use the Internet themselves for professional services that used to be provided by others in the past. For example, people used to book cruises or air travel through a travel agent, and now we do it on our own, with information at our fingertips that was once reserved only for a select few in a given industry. We have all had to adjust to this rapidly changing reality.
Do you have patients who use the Internet for medical information prior to coming to see you?
I have many patients who have done research online. In fact, I assume they have looked up their condition before they came in, especially if they have had symptoms for several days or longer. Of course, if a person had an accident and ended up in the emergency department, chances are that neither they nor their family members have had the opportunity to research the condition. But for chronic or long-term conditions, it's almost a given that they have consulted the Internet before consulting me.
Do you notice differences in the types of patients who use the Internet?
In my experience, initially it was the younger age group that was using the Internet, but it seems to be more equal now. In fact, elderly patients have more time to look things up on the Internet and also more medical problems going on.
This article originally appeared on MPR


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'Gun violence has no place here;' mourners seek justice at vigil for teen killed in Cambodia Town
The move back to Long Beach was only going to be temporary for Gelinda Keo and her children.
After staying with her sister for a few months, the family moved into its own apartment in North Long Beach earlier this year.
"We were staying with her temporarily until I got back on my feet and was able to get our own place and I just barely rented the place for one month there—and my son died," said Keo.
Landis Lim, 17, was gunned down Feb. 28 while playing video games in a friend's garage in Cambodia Town.
Monday night, the community gathered for a candlelight vigil at MacArthur Park, less than a mile from where Lim was killed, to mourn his death and call for justice and an end to gun violence.
Continue read article at: https://lbpost.com/news/gun-violence-has-no-place-here


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Reflex sight application
Reflex sight is designed as replacement for mechanical sight, for quick and accurate
target acquisition in day and night conditions.
With appropriate mounting adapter, reflex sight can be mounted on various weapons.
Main parts
Main parts of reflex sight are:
- Anodized aluminum housing
- Light emitting diode
- 9 position intensity regulator and On-off switch
- Multi layer dichroic mirror lens
- Coin slot type windage and elevation click adjustments
- Mounting adapter


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School's out
My 2012 tour of schools ended with a flurry of activity in the lead-up to the festive break. Flip Trips, I call them.The pre-Christmas itinerary started at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Wakefield, with two talks and readings to the whole of Years 7 and 8, followed by a writing workshop with year 8s and 9s in the afternoon.
Then I called in at St Aidan's Church of England High School, in Harrogate (two year-group talks, and two workshops, with a VERY busy book-signing session in the lunch hour), before heading down to Birmingham to give a talk and reading and to run a couple of writing workshops at Arden School, in Solihull. I was one of four authors invited to Arden as part of the school's Inspiring Writing Week . . . they had Simon Armitage coming in the following day!
Wrapping up the tour for this year was a short hop to Laisterdyke Business & Enterprise College, in Bradford, to meet a group of Year 12 and 13 students. This wasn't an official Flip Trip, as such – I was there on behalf of Leeds Trinity University, where I teach creative writing, to present a prize to one of Laisterdyke's sixth-formers, Shazia Bibi, who came third in a national poetry competition organised by LTU as part of One Community Month.
Her prize (I hope she isn't disappointed!) was a signed copy of Flip.


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Capula Investment Management
7 Clarges Street, London W1.
Investigate the market to find overflow space in Knightsbridge, while also looking at total relocation options within the West End, to accommodate the client's forthcoming option to break the lease.
The acquisition of 23,700 sq.ft. of new Grade A offices in one of Mayfair's most exclusive new developments for the company's corporate headquarters. The company exchanged contracts within three weeks of the commencement of legal formalities.


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Beauty Doesn't Rinse Off, Bathroom Wood Sign, Bathroom Decor, Home Decor
Beauty Doesn't Rinse Off, Bathroom Wood Sign, Bathroom Decor, Home Decor
Looking for the perfect way to add personality to your bathroom? Look no further than our bathroom wood signs! Whether you're looking for a cute and adorable sign or something hilariously sassy, we've got you covered. Our signs are the perfect addition to any bathroom, and they make the perfect gift too! So don't wait any longer, add a little personality to your bathroom with a wood sign today!
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TomCast from TomDispatch.com
Supported by the TomDispatch Fund
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Would You Like Jobs with That?
Andrew Kroll, a DC correspondent for Mother Jones magazine, talks about unemployment, America's barbell economy, and his recent TomDispatch article "How the McEconomy Bombed the American Worker."
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Ocala Environmental Lawyers
Michelle Diffenderfer
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The LII Lawyer Directory contains lawyers who have claimed their profiles and are actively seeking clients. Find more Ocala Environmental Lawyers in the Justia Legal Services and Lawyers Directory which includes profiles of more than one million lawyers licensed to practice in the United States, in addition to profiles of legal aid, pro bono and legal service organizations.
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Colorado Settlement Opens Door For Fintech Lenders
Colorado may soon witness an influx of new fintech lenders following the conclusion of a long-running legal case
- |
- Written by Banking Exchange staff
Lenders Avant, Cross River Bank, Marlette Funding and WebBank had been in a battle with state authorities since 2017 over the fees and interest rates they had been charging, which were considered to be in excess of the permitted levels under state law.
Utah-based institutions WebBank and New Jersey-based Cross River had always maintained that the interest rates were legal because they were exporting the terms in from their home states – a perfectly legal practice.
However, Colorado's authorities maintained Avant and Marlette were the actual lenders because of the financial relationship they have with the companies.
The case concluded on Tuesday (18 August) with the Colorado authorities and the lenders reaching a settlement deal. The companies involved in the case have agreed to make a $500,000 donation to the Colorado MoneyWi$er program, a grant program focused on system-wide K-12 financial literacy.
The settlement has significant repercussions beyond the companies involved, however, as it means fintechs can now qualify for safe harbor in the state as long as they comply with new rules such as a ban on interest rates exceeding 36% APR.
Under the new rules, fintech lenders partnering with banks in the state of Colorado must also allow the bank to control all terms of a loan and have absolute approval authority over marketing content. Regulators must be able to freely examine and audit the fintech at any time.
"As the first state to establish a responsible safe harbor for consumer lending programs that include a bank partnership, Colorado is giving consumers who would otherwise be unable to secure credit access to innovative and transparent financial services products," said James Paris, chief executive officer of Avant, who described the settlement as a "pivotal moment" for consumers.
"Our team worked closely with the Colorado Attorney General and his team to create a safe harbor that defines responsible partnerships between banks and fintechs and, ultimately, resolves the true lender issue in a manner that creates certainty for everyone."
In a media statement, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the agreement would increase levels of protection for Colorado consumers and would "create a model" for how other lenders should comply with state law.
"Protecting consumers from predatory loans is among my top priorities as Attorney General and we take the 36% lending cap very seriously," Weiser added.
"Many Coloradans are hurting financially due to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and they are susceptible to unscrupulous lenders who take advantage of them, lending at rates far above what Colorado law permits."
Tagged under Compliance, Technology, Fair Lending, Feature3, Fintech, Feature, Mobile, Online, Tech Management, Compliance Management, Compliance/Regulatory,


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Mindfulness Training among Individuals with Parkinson's Disease: Neurobehavioral Effects
Objective. To investigate possible neurobehavioral changes secondary to a mindfulness based intervention (MBI) training for individuals living with Parkinson's disease (PD). Background. In the context of complementary medicine, MBIs are increasingly being used for stress reduction and in patient populations coping with chronic illness. The use of alternative and complementary medicine may be higher in patients with chronic conditions such as PD. However, behavioral effects of mindfulness training in PD have not yet been reported in the literature and this points to an unmet need and warrants further examination. Methods. A total of 27 out of 30 PD patients completed a randomized controlled longitudinal trial. Questionnaires and the UPDRS I–IV were obtained at baseline and 8-week follow-up. Results. Significant changes after the MBI were found including a 5.5 point decrease on the UPDRS motor score, an increase of 0.79 points on Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) pain item, and a 3.15 point increase in the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire observe facet. Conclusions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative analysis of neurobehavioral effects of MBI in PD.
1. Introduction
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic disease consisting of motor and nonmotor symptoms. Dopaminergic substitution remains the golden standard of treatment. Despite current advances in the understanding of the complexities of the disease process itself and the mechanisms of pharmacological therapy, no established secondary neuroprotective or curative interventions are available to offer to people living with PD. People living with PD may be faced with and often describe a worsening of motor symptoms, such as tremor and freezing of gait in stressful situations. They also experience nonmotor symptoms such as depression and anxiety, which stressful situations may exacerbate. It has been suggested that nonmotor features of PD, including cognitive impairment, depression, and anxiety, impact health related quality of life more than other determinants including physical parameters [1]. It has been hypothesized that stress contributes to the development of PD and that depression may exacerbate the symptoms of PD (for a review, see Hemmerle et al. [2]).
As such, absence of a perspective to improve may motivate patients to utilize complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches such as mindfulness training. The use of CAM is reportedly higher in patients with chronic conditions in general [3] and neurologic conditions in particular [4]. Worldwide it has been estimated that between 25% and 76% of people with PD utilize CAM [5]. In the USA, a 2001 survey of ambulatory clinics reported that almost 40% of the patients with PD had used CAM [6]. Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) was first conceptualized and used in The Stress Reduction Clinic by Kabat-Zinn as a complementary intervention in a hospital setting to serve as a referral service to physicians and other health care providers for patients with chronic pain [7, 8] or patients who were not responding sufficiently to treatment or who were dissatisfied with conventional therapies [9].
Patients may ask advice of their allopathic health care practitioners regarding the use of mindfulness training as a CAM approach. However, health care providers may be limited in offering guidance to interested patients due to scarce efficacy data. To help address this, the aim of our study was to investigate possible behavioral changes secondary to a mindfulness based intervention (MBI) for individuals living with Parkinson's disease.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
For participant inclusion to the study, experienced neurologists verified all the patients for the following set of criteria: (1) diagnosis of PD according to the UK Brain Bank Criteria, (2) patients in Hoehn and Yahr stages I–III, (3) lack of features suggestive of atypical parkinsonism, (4) exclusion of usage of neuroleptics or other drugs that induce parkinsonism 60 days prior to inclusion, (5) optimally treated with PD medication and unlikely to require anti-PD medication adjustments in the next 3 months, (6) stable dose of all medications for 30 days prior to inclusion, (7) lack of cognitive dysfunction as evidenced by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA) (score ≥ 26), (8) no known unstable or life threatening concomitant disease, (9) no previous mindfulness training, and (10) commitment to attend all eight MBI classes and perform the prescribed daily homework.
A total of 30 individuals with PD were randomized 1 : 1 into mindfulness based intervention (MBI) or usual care (UC) arms of 15 participants each. Randomization was conducted by a blinded investigator. The groups were comparable at baseline with respect to age, gender, and disease severity (Table 1). Of these, 27 completed the controlled longitudinal trial. Fourteen participated in an 8-week MBI and 13 received UC alone consisting of regularly scheduled visits to a movement disorders specialist or neurologist or as needed. Two patients, allocated to the UC group, dropped out for personal reasons (not considered relevant to the study) during follow-up and one patient of the MBI group discontinued study participation due to acute back pain. The medication remained stable in 26 out of 27 patients. During the study, one patient in the UC group had an increase of 50 mg levodopa and 50 mg sertraline, as deemed necessary by the subject's general practitioner.
2.2. Mindfulness Based Intervention
The intervention consisted of a mindfulness based intervention (MBI) closely following mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) as described by Kabat-Zinn [10]. The MBI consisted of 2.5 h meetings on eight consecutive weeks without the one-time full-day session in the sixth week of practice as described in MBSR. In order to facilitate the development of the capacity for mindfulness, the key components of formal mindfulness exercises in meditation, yoga, and the body scan were practiced during the eight sessions. To facilitate the integration of mindfulness into daily life, instructions were given on how to practice and integrate mindfulness in everyday activities such as eating, walking, or performing household chores. Participants also received instructions in using mindfulness for coping with stress in daily life. Audio recordings containing 45 min guided mindfulness exercises (meditation, yoga, and the body scan) were given with instructions for daily home practice corresponding to the course sequence. Time spent in mindfulness practices, as reported by the participants, was recorded weekly for each participant. The MBI was conducted by two experienced mindfulness teachers. All participants in both the UC and the MBI groups received regular, optimal medical care during the duration of the study. UC patients were offered the MBI two months after the study completion.
2.3. Questionnaires
Patient questionnaires and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) [11] were conducted at baseline and after the 8-week training. The investigator scoring, including UPDRS motor scoring, was performed by a movement disorders specialist who was blinded as to study allocation arm of the participant while the participants were experiencing on-effects of their medication.
The UPDRS is divided into four subscales: subscale I (nonmotor experiences of daily living), subscale II (motor experiences of daily living), and subscale IV (motor complications) which are patient and caregiver-oriented questionnaires. UPDRS Subscale III (motor examination) is an objective assessment of the patient's motor abilities. Each question has a 5-point scale, where 0 means an absence of symptoms and 4 represents severe symptoms.
In the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) of 39 items, five domains of mindfulness "skills" are assessed: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, and nonreactivity to inner experience [12]. Adding up the domains results in a total score of an approximation of mindfulness "skills." Items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale from "never or very rarely true" to "very often or always true." The subscales of the Dutch FFMQ have been shown to have good internal consistencies.
The PDQ-39 is a subjective questionnaire to assess QoL in patients with PD [13]. The questionnaire consists of thirty-nine questions, which are divided into eight subscales (mobility, ADL, emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognition, communication, and bodily discomfort). Each question has a range from 0 (no problem) to 100 (continuous problem/unable to do it).
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a questionnaire to evaluate the severity of depressive mood states. It scores components like hopelessness and guilt feelings, as well as fatigue and other physical symptoms. It consists of 21 questions, rated between 0 (no symptom impact) and 3 (maximum symptom impact) with a maximum score of 63 [14].
All participant-reported outcome measures were entered into a database by personnel blinded to group assignment. All investigator rated scales were administered by a blinded assessor. Standard protocol approvals, registration, and patient consent forms were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (#NCT01607697). All participants gave written informed consent.
2.4. Statistical Analysis
A repeated measures ANOVA with as within subjects variable the questionnaires and between subjects variable the group (Mindfulness Based Intervention Group vs Usual Care Group) was carried out on data obtained from the questionnaires completed at baseline and after 8-week follow-up. Attendance to the training sessions and amount of home practice time were recorded.
3. Results
Significant change was obtained for the UPDRS motor III score (F = 4.39, ), demonstrating motor changes for the MBI group (pre-M = 27.43 versus post-M = 21.93), while no significant changes could be obtained for the UC group (pre-M = 27.92 versus post-M = 29). This revealed that after the MBI a decrease of 5.5 (20.05%) points was found on the UPDRS motor score (see Figure 1). No significant effects were obtained for the other subscales on the UPDRS.
A significant interaction effect (F = 11.07, ; see Figure 2) was obtained for the FFMQ observe facet of the scale indicating that for the MBI group there was a significant increase after treatment (M = 27.29) in comparison with before treatment (M = 24.14). For the UC group, no difference was obtained between before (M = 23.69) and after treatment (M = 23.54). No significant effect was obtained for the other facets of the FFMQ. This indicates a 3.15- (13.04%-) point increase in the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire observe facet.
A marginal significant interaction effect (F = 3.50, ; see Figure 3) was obtained for Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) pain score, suggesting an increase of 0.79 (10.53%) points for the MBI group and decrease of 0.69 (8.63%) for the UC group.
The total PDQ-39 score and the Beck Depression Inventory did not reach significance.
Attendance rate at the training sessions of the MBI group was 97.3%. Participants reported spending a total of 32,244 min performing the key components over the 8-week training with an average of 55 min per day. The average time spent on practicing each key component was 47.45% on meditation, 30.76% on yoga, and 21.79% on body scan.
4. Discussion
Differences in three behavioral measures between the MBI and the UC groups were observed in this study population of people with Parkinson's disease after following 8 weeks of a mindfulness based intervention training. Significant changes after the MBI were found including a 20.05% decrease on the UPDRS motor score, an increase of 10.53% on Parkinson's disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) pain item, and a 13.04% increase in the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire observe facet.
The single-blind movement disorders specialist rated UPDRS motor score improved 5.5 points in the MBI group and the UC group had a 1.08-point worsening. A change of 5 points has been suggested to be the most appropriate cut-off score for a clinically meaningful improvement after an intervention [15] and within the moderate range of clinically important differences in UPDRS motor score [16]. In our study, a single-blind wait list control paradigm was used. The placebo effect should be considered in the interpretation of the significant changes in motor function as measured on the UPDRS in this study. Placebo effect in PD is a well-known phenomenon and placebo induced release of endogenous dopamine in the striatum has been reported [17]. The strength of belief of improvement can directly modulate dopamine release in patients with PD [18]. Positive expectations regarding mindfulness abound in the popular press and this has important implications for the interpretation of this study and for the design of future clinical trials using mindfulness as an intervention in PD. At the time of the study design, no generally accepted validated control group paradigm had been published in the literature.
The FFMQ is a widely used self-report rating scale in mindfulness based intervention research which aims to measure mindfulness skills through five subscales: nonreactivity to inner experience, observing, acting with awareness, describing, and nonjudging of experience [12]. The observing facet of the FFMQ refers to noticing or attending to internal and external experiences. Mean score of the MBI group increased by 3.15 points, and the score in the UC group decreased by 0.15 points after the intervention. It has been hypothesized that the mindfulness "skill" is related to high levels of observing. Meditators who have a high total score on the FFMQ consistently have high observing-facet scores. The converse is found in nonmeditators [19].
Pain reported on the PDQ-39 increased modestly but significantly in the MBI group by 0.79 points and decreased in the UC group by 0.69 points. Minimally clinically important differences in PDQ-39 of 2 points may be defined as the difference that is subjectively meaningful to the patient [20] which neither study arm achieved. However, when taken together with the increase in FFMQ observe findings in the MBI group, the change in the reporting of pain in this study population may be of interest. In mindfulness training, participants are asked to actively observe sensations in the body. This could be the underlying cause of an increased reporting of pain in our population although this stands in contrast to reports that mindfulness has been associated with an attenuation of pain reporting in other populations [21]. Pain is a troublesome, frequently reported and complex, multifactorial nonmotor symptom in PD and the exact relationship between the disease and pain remains to be elucidated [22]. Perhaps future examination of three key components of mindfulness training and their impact on PD may lead to "dosing" (determining the appropriate use of) each key component to lead to better outcomes. These studies may find a basis in recent neuroimaging findings that have begun to provide insights into the neurobiological mechanisms associated with the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness training has been shown to promote increases in regional brain gray matter density (GMD) on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in heterogeneous populations seeking stress relief [23]. Pickut et al. recently showed significant changes in GMD in a group of people with PD after 8 weeks of mindfulness training in brain areas possibly relevant to the pathophysiology of PD [24].
The degree of participation of the individuals in this study was high demonstrating the adherence to a MBI in people with PD. The attendance rate at the training sessions of the MBI group was 97.3% and the level of self-reported engagement with home practice averaged 55 minutes per day. As a group, participants reported spending time practicing each key component as 47.45% on meditation, 30.76% on yoga, and 21.79% on body scan.
5. Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first explorative quantitative analysis of behavioral effects of mindfulness training in people living with Parkinson's disease. We conducted a longitudinal single-blind randomized controlled trial on a diverse population of individuals with PD who were not preselected based on an a priori hypothesis of who might benefit most from mindfulness training. PD induces an increasing loss of both motor and nonmotor functions over time in the affected individual. Currently, there is no cure or established secondary neuroprotection for PD. Even with advances in symptomatic treatment, there is a need for adjuvant person-centered therapeutic approaches to help improve the well-being of people who are faced by this disease in daily life. The role of nonpharmacological interventions in the treatment of motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD is being established. The integration of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches, including MBIs, in medicine may offer people with PD the possibility to influence personal health through a greater locus of control regarding their disorder and thus restoring some degree of self-determination and empowerment during the disease process [25].
Mindfulness training, as taught by qualified and experienced teachers, may offer a more participatory medicine, empowering the individual by engagement to learn how to strengthen internal resources to help cope with chronic disease. Mindfulness training may help to restore some degree of self-determination in the experience of living with PD. This is in line with person-centered research that employs scientific methods that are holistic, integrated, and transdisciplinary [26].
Caution must be used in the interpretation of the results presented here and we acknowledge some limitations of this study. First, the existence and longevity of behavioral changes need to be established. Thus, future larger, randomized controlled longitudinal studies are warranted to verify our results. Secondly, this study lacks an active validated control group to identify mindfulness training specific effects from general effects of a group intervention such as social support or positive expectancies that may play a role in the placebo effect.
The findings of this study may demonstrate the feasibility of and adherence to a program of mindfulness training for individuals living with Parkinson's disease.
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.
The authors thank the individuals living with Parkinson's disease for their participation in this study. The authors thank Dirk Vandevijvere for support in project management and data collection.
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It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Meditation: When I worked in the hospital as a chaplain, I encountered many families and individuals who were experiencing death. I remember it was the first anniversary of my wedding day when I sat with a young woman whose husband was dying. It tore my heart having to see her say good-bye to her husband, when I was able to go home and embrace mine. I also remember working with premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit. My twin girls had been delivered healthy and full-term, while these babies were struggling to live. I accompanied many couples on their journey of saying "good bye" to their beloved baby. When we encounter death, it changes us. We suddenly don't take our husband or our children for granted anymore. We cherish every moment. We intentionally kiss each other good bye in the morning or say more than once a day that we love each other. We also pay more attention to those we work with every day. We refrain from superficial talk and gossip and instead seek to have meaningful conversations. We have limited time on Earth and with each other. So we live each day, each conversation and each encounter to the fullest, as if it was the only and the last one we have.
Prayer: Loving God, often we feel surprised and even terrified by death. We don't expect it, as we try not to think about it, because we often fear it. You invite us to befriend the notion that we have limited time. You want us to live more fully and more mindfully in the here and now. Time is precious. Moments with those we love are gifts we are not taking for granted. And so our attention is heightened. Our words focus not on trivial things, but on what truly matters. We live attentively. We pay attention to where You want us to be present and be a witness of Your love today. And we are grateful. Amen
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV)


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Finding an excellent family dentist in Huntsville, AL is an essential aspect of protecting your dental health. Building a relationship with a dental provider who has your best interest at heart and knows your health history can help you achieve and maintain a healthy smile from now and into retirement.
What to Look for in a Family Dentist Near 35801
Ask some important questions when you're looking for your ideal family dentist in Huntsville, such as:
- How long have you been practicing at this location?
- Do you see children, and if so, at what age?
- What type of continuing education do you and your staff participate in?
- Is your office equipped with advanced technology? How does it benefit your patients?
Taking a tour of your prospective dentist's office will also help you determine if their facility is clean, modern, and well-equipped for your family.
You might also consider scheduling a consultation to discuss your treatment needs with your prospective dentist. This is a great time to ask questions, discuss treatment philosophies, and even see before and after pictures of their work.
Your Huntsville, AL Family Dentist
Dr. David King provides friendly, compassionate, and comprehensive dental care for families in Huntsville, AL. If you're looking for an exceptional family dentist in the 35801 area, don't hesitate to contact King Dental today at (256) 880-1884 to schedule your next appointment.


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Packing & Moving Household Goods/Oil Paintings
Each oil painting should be covered over with a non-acidic clear plastic wrap and then bubble wrapped or wrapped in a paper pad, or foam wrap, and then placed in a picture box or a flattened out box, taping the ends shut once it's inside. Bubble wrap can leave impressions of the bubbles on oil paintings so be sure to use the non-acidic clear plastic wrap over the oil so that this doesn't happen.
Another option is to cover the oil painting with glassine. This is like wax paper, except a LOT larger. It is non-acidic. And it is available from most moving companies. When loading the packed Oil Paintings into a truck, keep them on their edge, do NOT lay flat, and keep closer to the floor rather than the roof where the temperatures are a lot hotter.


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When it comes to marketing tactics, unfortunately there is no "Best if Used By" dates. But that doesn't mean what worked last year -- or even last week -- will work today. In fact, some of the most popular digital marketing trends have reached the end of their shelf life and are well beyond their expiration dates.
As you are updating your inbound marketing strategies for 2018, consider tossing out these overused, under-performing marketing trends to make room for strategies that increase brand awareness, capture qualified leads, and help your sales teams increase revenue.
Check out the infographic from the folks at Kuno Creative below.
Originally published Nov 1, 2017 6:00:00 AM, updated January 27 2022


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From LGBTQ Nation: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/11/trans-politicians-didnt-fare-well-2017-still-gained-key-victories/
By Gwendolyn Smith
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
2018 has not shaped up to be a repeat of the large gains in transgender candidates as 2017, but two state level wins and the victory in Massachusetts makes this a solid growth year regardless.
The biggest wins are in New Hampshire, where Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker picked up seats in the state House. They join Danica Roem as the only transgender people currently serving in a state legislature in the United States.
Cannon, last year, won a seat on the Somersworth School Board, while Bunker is new to politics.
The two trans men in the state level races, Finnigan Jones, candidate for Texas House District 94, and Everett Maroon, who ran for the Washington House of Representatives in District 16, both lost.
Two other candidates for state positions remain undecided at this time: Amelia Marquez's bid for the Montana House of Representatives, to represent District 52, is still uncalled, while Brianna Titone is losing by just 200 votes in her run for Colorado house district 27.
The biggest trans race this year was that of Christine Hallquist, who ran for Governor of Vermont. Hallquist, a former energy executive lost her race against incumbent Phil Scott. She would have been the highest-ranking transgender politician.
Other trans candidates did not fare well, Lis Regula, candidate for Portage county, Ohio, auditor, as did Mia Satya and Martin Rawlings-Fein, both candidates for the San Francisco School Board.
Bigger than any of these races, however, was the victory in Massachusetts for Question 3. The voters rejected referendum on a law barring discrimination against transgender people in public spaces. The law also allows the use of restrooms and other sex-segregated spaces by transgender people.
Continue reading at: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/11/trans-politicians-didnt-fare-well-2017-still-gained-key-victories/


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Engineered stone will continue to see the fastest growth / Australia is second market behind the US
Global demand for countertops especially for kitchens and bathrooms is projected to rise 2.3% annually through 2021 to nearly 500 million m². Ongoing strong advances in developing markets such as China, India, and Brazil will account for the majority of demand. However, demand growth is expected to decelerate somewhat through the forecast period compared to 2011-2016 as construction activity in the large Asia/Pacific region will slow following a period of robust gains.
These and other trends are presented in "Global Countertops Market" (2nd Edition), a new study from The Freedonia Group, an industry research firm based in Cleveland, USA.
Of special interest for traders of countertops should be Australia, where the study expects the market to reach 4.15 million m² in 2021. The country is the second in demand worldwide lagging only the US.
Fastest Growth for Engineered Stone
Engineered Stone will continue to see the fastest growth of any countertop material, boosted by rising interest in its style and its favorable performance and durability. The rising price competition that stems from an expanded capacity will further propel volume sales as engineered stone becomes increasingly affordable to a larger market.
Solid surface, now the market-leading material in terms of total global countertop sales in volume terms, will also gain market share. This growth is fueled mainly by its intensive use in the fast growing markets of the Asia/Pacific region, where it is a readily-available, basic countertop material.
Kitchens Largest Market for Countertops
The kitchen market, which accounted for two-thirds of global demand in 2016, will continue to be the best opportunity for countertops, supported by the large residential market. In developing countertop markets, the kitchen is often the first place that homeowners choose to install countertops, as competition from pedestal sinks holds strong in bathrooms.
Further demand support will come from developed markets, such as US, Canada, and Australia, due to rising interest in large kitchens and remodeling kitchens on a regular basis.
"Global Countertops Market", 2nd Edition (published 04/2017, 269 pages) is available for $6300 from The Freedonia Group.
Source: The Freedonia Group


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Charlton Heston has unfortunately become best known for his pro-NRA stance. This obscures much of his great work in films. He has played many of history's best characters, including Michelangelo, Ben-Hur, Moses, John the Baptist, Marc Antony, and Henry the Eighth. In honor of Mr. Heston, here are the 10 best quotes from his acting career.
"A true man is not afraid to show himself, his inner self. He relies on who he is rather than what he is."
Gideon (1999) – Addison Sinclair
"One way or another, if you're persistent, fortune always smiles on you."
Alaska (1996) – Colin Perry
"I'm a seeker too. But my dreams aren't like yours. I can't help thinking that somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man - has to be."
Planet of the Apes (1968) – George Taylor
"There is a beauty beyond the senses, Nefretiri - beauty like the quiet of green valleys and still waters, beauty of the spirit that you cannot understand."
The Ten Commandments (1956) – Moses
"All border towns bring out the worst in a country."
Touch of Evil (1958) – Mike Vargas
"It's a good way to stay alive while you're at peace."
Arrowhead (1953) – Ed Bannon
"Love cannot drown truth."
The Ten Commandments (1956) – Moses
"Oh, there were women. Lots of women, lots of love-making, but no love. You see, that was the kind of world we'd made. So I left, because there was no one to hold me there."
Planet of the Apes (1968) – George Taylor
Touch of Evil (1958) – Mike Vargas
"I have always thought that one should move through life accumulating silent victories. I believe that you are such a man, Gideon. One who walks the quiet road."
Gideon (1999) – Addison Sinclair
Interested in more movie quote lists?


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Yes, this is another political rant. Because it's relevant to my life and the livs of my disabled/Autistic comrades.
Last Year
Barack Obama, our 44th president, paved the way, and opened many doors for us.
*Same sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states.
*He signed legislation making it illegal to discriminate against LGBTQIA people.
*He wanted universal healthcare for all.
*He wanted to expand both Social Security and Medicare.
*He lowered interest rates so that more people could afford to buy homes.
*He made the Affordable Care Act the law of the land. No, it's not perfect, and it is fixable, but it should NOT be taken away again.
*He was working to bring back community policing.
*And childcare for single working mothers.
*He did away with the subminimum inhumane wages that employers were getting away with paying Disabled people and did much to improve the rights of Disabled people, and strengthen the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Now, unfortunately, a *creature* has taken over who threatens all of this and even more devastating actions that will threaten the lives of poor people, Muslims, Disabled people, elderly people, veterans, women, People Of Color, LGBTQIA people, and even the very fabric of our Constitution itself.
Even freedom itself.
I refuse to let that creature win. I will die fighting him.
I will fight for our Democratic party to rise up and become our party again.
Though i am not able to give financially, or march in protests, i can still speak out as long as i have the internet and a computer.
I am a proud progressive liberal who will not rest until i see the above things i listed be the law of the land.
The rich and wealthy should all be made to pay more taxes, because they can afford it—-so that all of us can have decent lives who otherwise would not be able to have decent lives. Poor people. Elderly people. Disabled people. Veterans. Children.
So that our aging and crumbling infrastructure can be repaired and rebuilt.
So that this nation can become a place where all of us can be truly free to pursue life, liberty, happiness, and success.
So that our nation will become truly inclusive of everyone, whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheist, heterosexual, LGBTQIA, People Of Color, Disabled, Elderly, children, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and so on.
I will not stop fighting for these things, because we have come a long way.
And i'm not going to lie; we still have a long way to go.
But we cannot afford to go back to things the way they were before Barack Obama became our 44th and best president, ever.
We cannot afford to go back to the way things were before we had a good social safety net for our most vulnerable citizens.
We cannot allow this creature to wall us in and prevent people from coming to The United States Of America to have a better life.
We also cannot ignore the racism, violence, racial profiling, and murders of Black people that is still continuing to happen.
So we fight.
And we fight as hard as we can. Doing what we can do and are able to do.
We cannot let that authoritarian creature win.
And one year later, now that the neon orange creature has been here one full year, he has worked to dismantle many of the good things Obama did for us.
*He took us out of the Paris Climate Accord.
*He has managed to piss off every one of our allies, and alienating us from these countries for the first time ever.
*He has dismantled the Iran Agreement.
*He has dangerously escalated tensions between us and North Korea, and now, for the first time since WWII, we face the threat of nuclear annihilation.
*He has repeatedly come to the defense of Neo-Nazi, and white supremacist groups who are hell bent on violence towards those who are Jewish, Muslim, and PoC.
*He enacted a racially motivated travel ban against seven Middle Eastern countries, even though none of them pose any threat to our country.
*He tried, unsuccessfully, to ban transgender people from serving in our military.
*He has dismantled hundreds of Federal protections for LGBTQ people, PoC, Seniors, Disabled people, veterans, food safety, and our environment itself.
*He signed a tax bill that is set to go off a like a bomb within two years or less, and start hurting, gravely hurting, those who are poor children, PoC, veterans, disabled, elderly and middle class people. The rich and wealthy? Will never be affected by this Draconian tax scam bill—in fact, they will prosper even more, off the backs of all the rest of us.
*He is set to dismantle net neutrality
*He is set to dismantle heating assistance for poor people.
*He wanted to do away with Meals On Wheels for seniors, also. I don't know if he has succeeded in doing that or not.
*He has tried several times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, plus gut Medicaid for over 800 million poor, elderly, and disabled Americans.
*He has cruelly ignored the plight of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the tiny island, instead, he mocked them and mocked and then snubbed the mayor of San Juan. He thought it was "cute" to stand there and throw rolls of paper towels into a crowd of Puerto Rican citizens, and called it helping. HA!
*He has done away with DACA, and now as of March, if no one steps in to save DACA, millions of Dreamers who came here as children, will be forced to go back to countries they don't know, because they were brought here as infants and toddlers.
*He is set to weaken the Americans With Disabilities Act.
*He has already signed legislation making it harder for nursing home residents and their families to file abuse complaints.
*He is set to turn our entire coastlines into unisghtly oil drilling machines, where instead of clean ocean waters, you will now see rows and rows of oil drilling rigs dotting the horizon. This will further pollute Mother Earth.
*He is set to also turn much of our protected lands, and even National Park lands into oil drilling fields.
One year later, and the damage has already begun.


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The Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and Peace (CIDJAP) is a social organ of the Catholic Church, committed to the implementation of the Catholic social teaching.
It was registered in Abuja as number 7461 by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a non-governmental, non-profit, research and development organization.
This organization which started in 1986, from a lowly background has grown to be top of the list as an example of a success story in the arena of integral human development. It has evolved rapidly from modest beginnings to become one of Nigeria's foremost and easily one of the most versatile, dynamic, effective and patently credible NGOs in Nigeria.
It is classified as the best example of providers of grassroots emancipation and holistic human development.
Through its numerous projects in the area of education and child sponsorship/scholarship programme, prison and human rights struggle, primary health care and general health provision, housing and community development initiatives, micro-credit and loans portfolio, democracy monitoring and good governance projects, caritas and social assistance for the indigent and the downtrodden of the society, conflict resolution and peace-building, Muslim-Christian dialogue, corporate social responsibility, women and youth's rights and HIV/AIDS, it has touched the lives of millions of people by relentlessly pursuing its tripartite causes of Justice, Development and Peace.
These virtues have been the ideals to which we have been committed and by which we are driven. We have maintained a clear focus which is to serve the needs of our people.
CIDJAP is recognized by many local, national and international agencies and organizations. Our motto is: "If you want peace work for justice".
Our logo is a map of Africa showing two hands shaking one another – a symbol of hope, openness to dialogue and friendship, sign of solidarity.


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We're starting a movement to humanize the conversation around immigrants and their families in the U.S., provide a legal path to employment for guest workers, and bring an end to undocumented immigration and the exploitation of undocumented workers.
Illegal The Project
We Support Immigrants, Industries, Our Economy, And Our Country
Lawmakers have tried for a generation for wholesale immigration reform, yet we have not moved the ball much. It is a huge topic that involves many complex issues. So, it makes sense that we try another way, by focusing on making improvements one lane at a time so that we can repair the entire road.
Illegal The Project's mission is to push for incremental changes to current immigration laws that can have a meaningful impact rather than getting bogged down in "comprehensive reform" that often gets stalled due to various objections.
Making improvements to the current guest worker program will have an immediate impact on the US economy and reduce overall immigration (including illegal immigration), by providing a program that works well for guest workers, who know they can return to their home country instead of feeling compelled to bring their families to the U.S.
Please Watch This Short Documentary:
Path To Prosperity - Improving The U.S. Guest Worker Program
Together, we will help our industries thrive, provide a legal path to employment for guest workers, and bring an end to undocumented immigration and the exploitation of undocumented workers in the U.S.


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A couple of months ago, a weekend vacation was planned for some birthday celebrating among good friends. While on this vacation, a Saturday happened to pass. The day of the long run. Here is my (unforgivably belated) story of the long run exploration of Hood River countryside:
On a weekend excursion, some running buddies and I took to stomping some new trails out in Hood River. Usually, our group leader plans an out and back route, but this particular Saturday we decided to play it by ear and see which road caught our eye and called our feet. Our tentative plan was 8-10 miles… I was hoping for closer to eight, since I had missed the long run the previous weekend, but with no definitive plan, we were at the mercy of Hood River's roads, our feet, and the willingness of legs to keep moving.
The landscape was breathtaking. The weather was Perfect. We could not have picked a better time to get out for a run.
And shortly after becoming only slightly lost trying to cross ravine, followed by a steep downhill, and a set of very long stairs, we were back at our starting point – and ready for brunch!
My friends will tell you that I do take in the atmosphere on our long runs; or rather that I become extremely goofy and the affect of endorphins on my system is like a kaleidoscope filter that makes even the most unappealing mud puddle a fantastically brilliant mirror of the gloriously colorful world around me. I am a snap-happy photographer on each and every run, with the most beautiful model ever; the landscape. I hope you enjoy the pictures; I take great pleasure in my on-the-go iPhoneography. 🙂
Do you find yourself marveling at the glory of the world after each run?
What is your "running filter" ?
With joy in Running (and taking photos!),


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Last night I stopped at the store to pick up one thing when a bald man with a little girl wearing a soccer uniform stopped me. "Excuse me, do you know where the hair bands are? I know you don't work here," he added quickly with a wry smile and a little shrug. The little girl's blonde hair that looked like all seven-year-old girls at the end of a long day at school. I wasn't sure how the hair was going to fit in the hair band once we got it, but luckily I didn't have to worry about that. I started to point towards the aisle, but then realized I wasn't sure, so I walked with them. We found the hair bands and I was about go back to my aisle when I realized, he might not know what to get. I stood there with them explaining we wanted to try to find the smallest size and picked some rainbow colored ones from the bottom of the display. "Are these ok?" I asked the little girl. She shyly nodded her head, her dad thanked me again for my help and I walked away with a smile. I was happy to make that brief connection with a stranger and help out when they needed it most.
Have you ever thought of it that way, that you can have a momentary connection with a stranger? What do I even mean by the word connection? Connection to me, is interacting on a personal level with someone. A connection is taking the extra time to slow down and give your full attention to someone else. In our busy lives we interact with hundreds of people a day. Many times we buzz around and keep things on the surface – hi, how are you, how are the kids. You rattle off the standard questions to be polite without truly listening to the answers. Or if you are answering the questions you reply with the standard answers – I'm good, they're great, we're so busy. It happens out of necessity because in our daily lives we just don't have time to sit and have deep conversations with everyone who crosses our path each day. We can however slow down just enough to take an extra minute with a friend, co-worker or neighbor and giving them your full attention ask what they've been up to. You can instantly reconnect with a friend by sending them a simple text "I'm thinking about you." How do you know if you've connected? It feels different. It warms you up, makes you feel good and brings a smile to your face.
How do we connect with our kids? The best way to connect with your kids is to meet them where they are. What does that mean? It means if they are a little boy that loves cars, you get down on your hands and knees and push the cars around his imaginary world. A teenage girl might connect on a trip to Starbucks or a walk around the mall or even by flipping through a catalog sharing why she does or does not like a certain pair of shoes. Babies can connect at bath time by splashing, giggling and playing in the water. Toddlers love to explore and share their discoveries with a friend who looks at the discoveries with the same level of wonder. It doesn't have to be fancy, hard or take a lot of money. All it truly requires is your attention.
At the core of it all every person wants the same thing, they want to feel like they matter. They want to feel like you understand them and are interested in what they are going through. By connecting with someone you give them that validation. It energizes both people. It builds both people up. It gives them confidence and security that there is someone else out there that supports me. A connection can last a moment or a lifetime, both are vital. A connection can happen in person, on-line, via phone or even just by reading a blog post………..
Heart-FULLy Yours,
Leave a Reply.
June 2021
I started writing this blog because I wanted to have deeper conversations beyond "How are you?", "Busy", with other parents. Over the years I've shared personal stories, articles, authors and topics to facilitate conversations with parents about the joys and the challenges of parenting.


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Seven young men are in the grips of the Asankragwa District Police Command for alleged robbery.
They are Ayipah, 21, Emmanuel Sonata, 22, Silas Bota, 24, Amos Coffie, 21, Thomas Adu, 20, Kwabena Ayarko, 23 and Daniel Obiri Korang, 24, all small scale miners.
Briefing the Ghana News Agency, the Asankragwa District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr Kingsley Owusu-Bempah said on December 24, at about 2130 hrs, Mr Kwabena Yeboah, a businessman at Asankragwa came to the charge office in a Mitsubishi Pick-up with bullet holes in the wind screen and reported that whilst on his way from Moseaso to Asankragwa, about seven armed men ordered him to stop.
He said when Mr Yeboah failed to comply, the armed men started firing gun shots and some of the bullets hit his wind screen but he managed to escape.
Based on the information, DSP Owusu-Bempah said the police begun its investigation and on the same day at 2140 hrs, the police had a tip-off that three young men had gone to the Catholic hospital at Asankragwa with gunshot wounds on the thigh of one of them.
He said the police went to the hospital and arrested Ayipah, Sonata and Bota.
The District Police Commander said during investigations the police detected that the three suspects were among the robbers who had attacked Mr Yeboah and that whiles firing at the victim, a bullet hit one of the suspects.
DSP Owusu-Bempah said the suspects then mentioned names of their accomplices.
He said on December 25, with the help of the Moseaso watch committee, the police managed to arrest Coffie, Adu, Ayarko and Obiri Korang.
The suspects then lead the police to the outskirts of Moseaso, near the cemetery and they retrieved two out of the three guns they used in carrying out the operation.
He said the police were making tireless efforts to recover the remaining guns and that the suspects are still in detention as investigations continues.
Source: GNA
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