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Rena D. Callahan, MD
Breast Medical Oncology
Santa Clarita Cancer Care
27235 Tourney Road
Valencia, California 91355
Dr. Rena Callahan is a hematologist oncologist who practices in Santa Monica and Santa Clarita. As an associate clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen school of medicine, she is active in the breast cancer research and treatment program. She is board certified in hematology and medical oncology, and sees a wide variety of malignancies and blood disorders.
Dr. Callahan is dedicated to providing patient-centered care, and including her patients in clinical decision making so that their individual goals are met.
Dr. Callahan received her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she graduated Alpha Omega Alpha, with high honors. She completed her internal medicine and hematology/oncology training at UCLA. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Yale University.
Dr. Callahan has spoken about the evolving treatment of breast cancer at both local and national meetings.
Medical Board Certifications
Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2011
Hematology, American Board of Internal Medicine, 2011
UCLA School of Medicine, 2011
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, MD, 2004
What insurance is accepted?
Super doctors, Southern California, 2021
Super Doctors Southern California Rising Stars (2018, 2017, 2016)
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation, "Healthcare Hero" 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Commendation for Excellence in Medical Student Teaching, UCLA, 2007
Medical Oncology| Hematology| Cancer Genetics +2 more
Santa Monica Parkside Cancer Care
2336 Santa Monica Boulevard
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
757 Westwood Plaza
Treating side effects of cancer therapy
Evaluation of an NP-based model of palliative care delivery within an oncology clinic. Sarah F. DAmbruoso, Neil Wenger, Anne Coscarelli, Sara A. Hurvitz, Christopher Pietras, Meghan Nechrebecki, Jennie Kung, Rena Desai Callahan, Jonathan Wade Goldman, Parvin F. Peddi, Drakaki Alexandra, Samuel A. Skootsky, and Anne Margaret Walling Journal of Clinical Oncology20173531_suppl163-163
R J Hartmaier, S E Trabucco, N Priedigkeit, J H Chung, C A Parachoniak, P Vanden Borre, S Morley, M Rosenzweig, L M Gay, M E Goldberg, J Suh, S M Ali, J Ross, B Leyland-Jones, B Young, C Williams, B Park, M Tsai, B Haley, J Peguero, R D Callahan, I Sachelarie, J Cho, J M Atkinson, A Bahreini, A M Nagle, S L Puhalla, R J Watters, Z Erdogan-Yildirim, L Cao, S Oesterreich, A Mathew, P C Lucas, N E Davidson, A M Brufsky, G M Frampton, P J Stephens, J Chmielecki, A V Lee; Recurrent hyperactive ESR1 fusion proteins in endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer, Annals of Oncology, Volume 29, Issue 4, 1 April 2018, Pages 872–880, https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdy025
Jennifer S. Woo, Neda A. Moatamed, Peggy S. Sullivan, David Y. Lu, Rena Callahan et al. (2015) Comparison of Phosphohistone H3 Immunohistochemical Staining, Ki-67, and H&E Mitotic Count in Invasive Breast Carcinoma. Journal Of Breast Cancer Survival - 1(1):1-11.
Ponec, R., Peddi, P., Callahan, R. "Parp inhibitors in Breast Cancer: Latest Evidence." Current Breast Cancer Reports. Vol 9, 2017.
Rena Callahan. Ado-Trastuzumab Emtansine in Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. J Adv Pract Oncol. 2014 Mar-Apr; 5(2): 134–139.
Rena D. Callahan, Patricia A. Ganz. "Side Effects of Systemic Therapy: Neurocognitive, Cardiac, and Secondary Malignancies." Diseases of the Breast, 5th edition, Ed. Jay R. Harris, MD, Marc E. Lippman, MD, Monica Morrow, MD, and C. Kent Osborne, MD. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, May 2014, 1224. ISBN: 978-1-4511-8627-7.
RD Callahan, SA Hurvitz. HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Current Management of Early, Advanced, and Recurrent Disease. Current Opinions in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2011 Feb. 23 (1):37-43.
R.Callahan, R. Patel, D.Chan, M.Allison, B. Dicarlo, L. Bosserman, A. Kennedy, L.M. Zehngebot, J. Miller, A.E. Giuliano, B. Spivack, L.S. Lin, D.J. Slamon, S.A. Hurvitz. Phase II Trial of Presurgical Treatment with Trastuzumab (H) or Lapatinib (Ty) or the Combination of Trastuzumab and Lapatinib (H+Ty), Followed by Six Cycles of Docetaxel (T) and Carboplatin (C) with Trastuzumab (TCH) or Lapatinib (TCTy) or the combination of Trastuzumab and Lapatinib (TCHTy) in Patients with HER2+ Breast Cancer. 2010 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, December 2010.
Richard P. Tonino, Pierre J. Meunier, Ronald Emkey, Jose A. Rodriguez-Portales, Charles-Joel Menkes, Richard D. Wasnich, Henry G. Bone, Arthur C. Santora, Mei Wu, Rena Desai, and Philip D. Ross. "Skeletal benefits of Alendronate: 7-Year Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporotic Women." J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2000. 85: 3109-3115.
Rena Desai Callahan, K. Rajender Reddy. "Liver Disease in Pregnancy." The Clinician's Guide to Liver Disease. Ed. Reddy KR and Faust T. Philadelphia: Slack, 2006: 211-230.
Russell J. Stumacher Memorial Award, for academic and artistic excellence, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2004
Glasgow Rubin Award, for academic excellence, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 2004
Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, inducted 2003
Yale Class of 1956, Summer Fellowship for Study Abroad, 1996
uclahealth.org/community-cancercare
uclahealth.org/community-cancercare/santa-clarita
uclahealth.org/santa-clarita
uclahealth.org/community-cancercare/santa-monica
uclahealth.org/community-cancercare/smoncologyparkside
uclahealth.org/breasthealth


AUGUST 2011 - Kathy "Kat" Southern started StudioKat Designs seven years ago but kept her day job with the city for another 18 months until eventually "retiring" with 29 years of government service and 4 patterns on the market. She now has 22 handbag patterns and 2 purse insert patterns.
Originally from Connecticut, Kat spends most days at home in Winston-Salem, N.C. designing, writing her newsletter, blogging, packing patterns, handling correspondence, etc. Because her studio is in her home, she finds it difficult to NOT work. She relaxes by traveling with her husband. and specially loves collegiate sports and visiting her grandson in Charlotte. And as if she wasn't doing enough, she plays the clarinet in her church orchestra.
Presently, she's in the process of finishing a new pattern for fall and chronicling the process on her blog. StudioKat is venturing into the notions business with the addition of two items to their product line; a brand new invisible sew-in magnetic snap perfect for handbags and black & white striped zippers in six different sizes. They will be ready for release in September. Kat doesn't play favorites with her family of bags, " My favorite bag is pretty much always the one I am working on right now." Why not visit Kat and her bags at studiokatdesigns.com or her blog studiokatdesigns.blogspot.com. and on Facebook - StudioKatDesigns and Twitter- StudioKat.


There are 3 nature attractions found in Binna Burra, Qld. The major types of nature attractions listed here are parks and waterfalls. You may find a list of all categories of Binna Burra attractions on this page. Click on a category to find all attractions of Binna Burra of that type.
Find nature attractions in Binna Burra and nearby locations using the following map.
Following is the list of all nature attractions found in Binna Burra. The nature attractions are sorted by their popularity, which is calculated based on the number of visitors, user ratings and couple of other factors. You may sort them alphabetiacally by their names using the 'Sort By' option bellow.
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Home > Residencies > Casson & Friends
Casson & Friends
Tim Casson is a choreographer, educator and performer, creating for theatre, public, unusual and online spaces. With his company, 'Casson & Friends', Tim brings together diverse collaborators including composers, computer programmers, psychologists, and often the public – to create 'People Powered Performance' that is accessible, interactive, joyful, and often starts with a conversation.
The company creates work for theatres, public, unusual and online spaces; often using technology within and around their work to create innovative and meaningful ways for people to engage with and enjoy dance. The work strives to be accessible to everyone, celebrating the creativity within us all, and helping people feel part of something bigger.
Since starting in 2012, the company has created 12 productions including 'Choreocracy', 'Night at the Theatre', and the World Record Breaking, 'The Dance WE Made'. Tim has also worked with Stopgap Dance Company, Opera North, Skånes Dansteater in Malmö, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Festival Quartiers Danses in Montreal.
During Tim's Remote Residency he plans to continue to research his project 'PREPPERS' – a verbatim dance theatre project about hope, human resilience, optimism, and how we survive the toughest of situations.
At the start of 2019 Tim became interested in Emergency Survival and Preparedness in the United Kingdom. This led him to interview members of the survival and preparedness community, from survival psychologists to local councillors, emergency planners and those who personally prepare (aka 'preppers'). These interviews became the foundation for the 'PREPPERS' project.
Originally due to be developed and premiered in Summer 2020, the 'PREPPERS' project was paused (ironically) due to the global pandemic – one of the very things he had been researching. The world has changed significantly over the last 12 months, and as such emergency preparation is something that more people are talking about. 18 months since his first round of interviews, Tim will take time to interview further members of this community including academics, more 'prepping' enthusiasts, and those who have started 'prepping' in light of recent events. These new interviews will continue to inform the project and develop Tim's verbatim dance theatre practice.
Headshot image credit: Rachel Cherry
Dancer image credit: Alisa Boanta
www.cassonandfriends.com
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www.twitter.com/casson_friends
www.youtube.com/c/TimCasson
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Macoto Murayama
Caroline Wendling
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The LLama Butchers: Lobsters Are People, Too!
Either the good folks at PETA are just looking for cheap headlines, or else somebody has been drinking sea water out of Casco Bay. What else would explain the proposed Lobster Empathy Center?
SKOWHEGAN, Maine - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has sent a proposal to the Somerset County commissioners to lease their jail for the world�s first Lobster Empathy Center.
The central Maine county is constructing a new jail and has put the century-old jail in downtown Skowhegan up for sale. The Realtor handling the sale called the offer "likely a publicity stunt."
"A prison is the perfect setting to demonstrate how lobsters suffer when they are caught in traps or confined to cramped, filthy supermarket tanks," PETA wrote in a June 2 letter to the commissioners. "The center will teach visitors to have compassion for these interesting, sensitive animals while also commemorating the millions of lobsters who are ripped from their homes in the ocean off the coast of Maine each year before being boiled alive."
PETA said the center would include educational displays and "testimonials from top independent scientists confirming that lobsters feel pain just like other animals."
PETA said the center would feature interactive exhibits such as a human-size lobster trap where visitors can have their fingers wrapped in large rubber bands that will remain on for their entire visit.
"At that point, visitors can be moved to a small, filth-strewn glass tank where they will be crammed together and confined for up to an hour," the proposal states.
The center also would include a concession stand that would include faux lobster treats, and children would receive free stuffed toy lobsters labeled "Lobster Are Friends, Not Food."
"Mainers have been dragging lobsters from their ocean homes for generations," said PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "It�s time for them to learn that these fascinating animals deserve more than being treated as mere commodities."
Yips! to Chris Johnson at Midwestern Conservative Journal who dubs the proposed center "Dachau-On-The-Kennebec".
Oh, and as for being confined to a small, filth-strewn glass tank and crammed together for an hour? Heck, I do that every day. It's called riding the metro.
From the comments, "weapons grade stupidity". I'm stealing that line.
Eyut - that one's a keepah.
Interesting, sensitive (and tasty, tasty) animals . . .
On second thoughts, mebbe Uncle and all his myrmidons oughta come up heah for the summah ovah ta that tank at Skowhegan like them PETAs want. Might do um some good. Put them rubbah bands on their hands for a while anyway'll keep um outta our pockets.
I am reminded of the article in the Castine ME paper that said the Black Fly had been put on the endangered species list... It was the April 1st edition.


Explore the Grey Suits of the InStitchu collection. The Grey Suit is classic, yet versatile, and can be paired with almost any colour palette or print. InStitchu's Grey Suits are all made to measure and come completely customisable to your unique style.


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IMDb 'Known For's
My Last Tweet
Unfriending Facebook
Getting COVID
My Taiwan Movie
What Trump Said When About COVID
Betty Lundegaard (1930-2019)
Aftersun (2022)
Glass Onion (2022)
Empire of Light (2022)
Say Hey, Willie Mays! (2022)
Vengeance (2022)
The Cagneys
Sinners' Holiday (1930)
The Doorway to Hell (1930)
Other Men's Women (1931)
The Millionaire (1931)
The Public Enemy (1931)
Smart Money (1931)
Blonde Crazy (1931)
Taxi! (1932)
The Crowd Roars (1932)
Hard to Handle (1933)
Picture Snatcher (1933)
The Mayor of Hell (1933)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Lady Killer (1933)
Jimmy the Gent (1934)
He Was Her Man (1934)
Here Comes the Navy (1934)
The St. Louis Kid (1934)
Devil Dogs of the Air (1935)
G-Men (1935)
The Irish In Us (1935)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Frisco Kid (1935)
Ceiling Zero (1936)
Great Guy (1936)
Something to Sing About (1937)
Boy Meets Girl (1938)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
The Oklahoma Kid (1939)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
Torrid Zone (1940)
The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
Captains of the Clouds (1942)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Johnny Come Lately (1943)
Blood on the Sun (1945)
13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
The Time of Your Life (1948)
White Heat (1949)
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
The West Point Story (1950)
Come Fill the Cup (1951)
Starlift (1951)
What Price Glory (1952)
A Lion Is In the Streets (1953)
Run for Cover (1955)
Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
The Seven Little Foys (1955)
Mister Roberts (1955)
Tribute to a Bad Man (1956)
These Wilder Years (1956)
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
Shake Hands With the Devil (1959)
The Gallant Hours (1960)
One, Two, Three (1961)
Movie Reviews - 2022
Movie Reviews: Chronological
Movie Reviews: By Genre
Personal Pieces
What Liberal Hollywood?
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WARNING: SPOILERS
Ben Affleck's "Argo" is the type of movie Hollywood never makes any more: a thriller for adults, steeped in history and humor. The tension at the end is so heightened I almost got a headache. But it's what they do at the beginning that is particularly noteworthy.
"Argo" is about a true-to-life, supersecret CIA mission, declassified in 1997, in which a lone operative, Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), flies to Iran in January 1980, in the midst of the hostage crisis, to rescue six American foreign service officers who have taken refuge in the Canadian embassy.
Written by Chris Terrio
Directed by Ben Affleck
Starring Ben Affleck
And how does the movie begin? With context.
Affleck and screenwriter Chris Terrio, and Warner Bros., have the audacity to show us, in storyboard fashion, a short history of Iran and its shahs, and of the election in 1950 of Mohammad Mosaddegh, an author and lawyer, who nationalized British and U.S. petroleum in his country, and who was overthrown in a coup orchestrated by MI6 and the CIA three years later. His replacement was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom we all knew as the Shah of Iran, whose lifestyle was profligate, whose police force was ruthless, and who attempted to westernize his country, angering Islamic clerics. This helped lead to his own coup d'etat in 1979, which brought to power the Ayatollah Khomeini. Later that year, Iranian students overwhelmed the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Thus began, in a sense, our modern age.
The crowd looks a little bigger today
"Argo" begins on that day, Nov. 4, 1979, with demonstrations outside the U.S. embassy, and embassy officials inside saying things like, "The crowd looks a little bigger today, doesn't it?" Then one Iranian jumps the wall. Another. A stream. Metal cutters arrive to cut the chains of the gate and the students flood in. They pound on the doors of the embassy. They break windows.
There's an obvious innocence to the people inside. They don't know that history is being made. They don't know the modern age is about to begin. So while some officials shred documents, and a security officer, aware of the lessons of My Lai and Kent State, warns his subordinates not to fire at anyone in the crowd, and then blunders outside thinking he can actually calm the crowd, six officials, helping Iranians obtain U.S. visas, debate whether or not to leave. One of the six finally says, "If we need to go, we need to go now," and they exit the building with the visa-seeking Iranians, then find themselves on the streets in a hostile country. When Washington D.C. gets the news about the embassy takeover, they, too, don't know the modern age is about to begin. In a bout of early optimism, one official says of the Iranian president, "Bani Sadr says it'll be over in 24 hours."
Then the screen goes black. Then these words appear: 69 days later.
The best bad idea
At this point we're introduced to Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), calm in demeanor, prone to drink, and with stylized hair and beard similar to Michael Douglas in "The China Syndrome." In a motel room full of Chinese takeout boxes and crushed Miller High-Life cans, with the TV on, he's sleeping it off, fully clothed. In a bad leisure suit. It's the 1970s.
When Mendez arrives at a meeting at Langley, he finds out about the six, and the various idiot schemes being propagated by officials. No. 1? Airlift in bicycles and have the six bike the 300 miles to the Turkish border. "Or you could just send in training wheels and meet them at the border with Gatorade," Mendez responds.
It's an OK line but give Affleck credit. He gives most of the best lines to his stellar supporting cast. At one point Mendez's CIA superior, Jack O'Connell (Bryan Cranston), says, "Carter's shitting enough bricks to build the pyramids." When he pitches Mendez's movie scheme to Secretary of State Cyrus Vance (Bob Gunton, temporarily freed from warden duty), Vance's contemporary, played by Philip Baker Hall, asks, "You don't have a better bad idea than this?" and O'Connell responds, with deference, "This is the best bad idea we have. Sir." There's something very American about that. We are a country made up of best bad ideas.
Mendez then contacts a friend, legendary Hollywood makeup man John Chambers (John Goodman), who guides Mendez through the Hollywood scene and who finds him a producer, Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), who declares, as they go through scripts, "If I'm going to make a fake movie I want it to be a fake hit." They find one: "Argo," a sci-fi flick. He and Chambers begin a running gag about the title: "Argo fuck yourself." If there's any justice, you'll be hearing that a lot this fall.
But even in Hollywood we get serious moments. Mendez is separated from his wife and kid, and, in a moment of camaraderie, he asks Siegel about his family. Siegel says he has two grown daughters whom he sees once a year. He says, with no self-pity, "I was a terrible father." He gives this excuse without excusing himself. "It's a bullshit business. You come home to your wife and kids, you can't wipe it off." Great line. Great line reading. You don't have to live in Hollywood to identify.
Spielbergian
So the plan is for Mendez to travel to Iran as a Hollywood producer, scouting exotic locations (sand dunes, etc.) for a post-"Star Wars" sci-fi flick. There are write-ups in the trades, storyboards created, publicity, a meeting with potential investors at the Beverly Hilton. In the distance, the Hollywood sign is crumbling.
At the Canadian embassy in Iran, Mendez is greeted less as rescuer than as the man who will get them all killed. But authorities are closing in. Iranian officials already know six embassy officials are missing. They're piecing together shredded documents, like pieces from a jigsaw puzzle, that will reveal names and faces. They don't know it but they need to get out now.
Is the tension at the end too much? Too heightened? Too unreal? At the airport, an angry bearded official doesn't believe them and checks out their story, as, back at the U.S. embassy, the face of one of the six is pieced together and tied to a clandestine shot of "the movie crew" going through Tehran's market. Officials then storm the Canadian embassy, phone calls are made, and police cars and jeeps roar down the runway after the Swiss Air jet about to take off with our heroes. It's all very Spielbergian.
Why the terrorists won
It's also effective and fascinating and witty and historically important. It's a feel-good story about a feel-bad time. I remember those times. I was in high school. The sense of impotence the country felt because of the hostage crisis led directly to the election of Ronald Reagan and his own-brand of Hollywoodish feel-good fantasies. We've been doubling down on those fantasies ever since. In this way the terrorists won.
How about Ben Affleck? After "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town," he's now 3 for 3. "Argo" is a fun movie for smart people. Argo fucking see it already.
© 2012 Erik Lundegaard
{Blog} {Movie opinions} {Movie reviews} {Book reviews} {General articles} {Bio}
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Szentgerliczei Gagyhy Márton Vencel Dénes (Etéd, 1873. november 7. – Budapest, 1923. július 20.) író, pedagógus, irodalomtörténész.

Életpályája
Szülei: Gagyhy Lajos és Szabó Julianna (1848–1913) voltak. Tanulmányait a budapesti egyetemen, Grenobleban és Párizsban végezte el. 1896-tól Egerben, Pozsonyban, Székesfehérváron és Budapesten oktatott.

Irodalomtörténeti munkái mellett több regénye és novelláskötete jelent meg. Az akkori lapokban számos elbeszélése volt olvasható. Életrajzi könyvet írt az unitárius egyház alapító püspökéről.

Sírja a Fiumei Úti Sírkertben található.

Művei
 A Rákóczi-kor elbeszélő költészete (Budapest, 1904)
 Élet és Álom (Budapest, 1907)
 Mária nővér (Szentgotthárd, 1911)
 A troubadourok (Budapest, 1912)
 Dávid Ferenc (Kolozsvár, 1926)

Jegyzetek

Források

 Romániai magyar irodalmi lexikon

További információk

 Unitárius kislexikon. Budapest, Magyar Egyháztörténeti Enciklopédia Munkaközösség, 1999.

1873-ban született személyek
1923-ban elhunyt személyek
Magyar írók
Magyar irodalomtörténészek

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zack@carolinafarmtrust.org
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Farmer Spotlight: Meet Christina Benton – A farmer whose purpose is to improve food access
The Carolina Farm Trust
Farmers, Fruits, Newsletter, Spring, Vegetables
Christina Benton, Farmer, Food access, Janco Community Farms
Photo Courtesy of Christina Benton
Spring brings light and hope, a much-needed sentiment after last year's gloomy anxiousness for our health and well-being of our loved ones, as well as the threatening worries of our country's economic condition.
Many of us struggled as we saw, or even experienced first-hand, the already unjust structures of our current food system hitting economically distressed communities, low-income households, and Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color with the hardest blow.
But, just as spring brings light, there are also luminaries who shed the light of kindness when it's most needed.
When you meet Christina Benton, you meet a farmer who not only grows a traditional market farm but goes beyond to think about who might receive her produce on the other end. Her main focus is ACCESS.
After leaving her job as a forensic anthropologist and moving back to North Carolina, Christina wanted to alleviate a current pain point in our food system. She founded Janco Community Farms, a model centered around the idea of taking unusable lots in food apartheid areas, food deserts, and low-income housing communities around Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Then, Christina turned them into small food production areas to feed fresh and nutritious food for those who lacked access. But, once the pandemic hit, Christina thought of expanding the one thing she knew how to do: grow food to feed others.
Her vision grew when she contacted Carolina Farm Trust (CFT) to see if there were any opportunities available to expand her mission. In her own words, it happened serendipitously.
"Our largest lot was only a ¼ acre, and I reached out to Zack – just being a new farmer and BIPOC woman – to see what options there were to access land to expand and be able to feed more than the local community I was feeding", Christina states.
It so happened that there was a need for a farmer to manage a property in Statesville, NC and Christina took Zack (President/CEO of CFT) up on the offer. Fast-forward to today and she is farming on-site, growing a plethora of assorted veggies and herbs to get ready for her official launch on March 28th, 2021. When asked about her big dreams and the future of urban farming, she said,
"My goal is to be a food hub and to be able to replicate this idea in metropolitan areas across the country. I want to be able to touch all aspects of food from growing it, to harvesting it, to delivering it to customers. One day I would like to own a food truck or small restaurant."
This is why Christina's focus is centered around urban farming – the growing and producing of food in a city or heavily populated area – for the sole reason of wanting to give the urban community a chance to get involved and hands-on in the process. Even if you come from an underserved community, Christina believes that farming is a path for self-sustainability.
"What I am trying to show people is that you do not need to have land, you could simply grow a plot of tomatoes or a potted pepper plant on your patio", she said optimistically.
Christina's son watering the greenhouse (Photo courtesy of Christina Benton)
The beauty of urban farming is that it makes the connection between the typical urban person to the food they get on their tables. Instead of a child answering that their food came from the supermarket, they will proudly say that it came from the ground through the hands of a farmer.
One of the biggest detriments of our food system is that it has diminished the connection between people and food, making it almost superficial. Urban farming brings the focus back by establishing small farms around metropolitan areas for the open sight of everybody, making food something that is not far removed from daily life.
"It just makes sense to be able to grow the food that you eat. When we lived in Jamaica for half a year, there were fruit trees in the yards everywhere and we could go pick mangoes, jimbilins (Jamaican starfruits), and lemons for free. It was just access," Christina said, reminiscing. "I wish we could replicate that in the States. The trees that line the city streets should be apple and pear trees and we could easily pick fruit out as we are walking."
On March 28th, 2021, Christina inaugurated her mobile market bus to start bringing access to those who cannot come to her. She plans to work with both cities, Charlotte and Statesville, to bring fresh produce to public housing and retirement communities, as well as transit centers. The bus will be in operation every week and will act as a walk-in market bus in addition to delivering online orders to people's doorsteps.
Janco Community Farms' Mobile Market Bus ready to hit the streets (Photo Courtesy of Christina Benton)
Farming, as we well know, is about the connection between food and people. Changemakers like Christina are one of many farmers that are blending access and equity to create wellbeing and health. After all, everybody should have the access to eat fresh, local food, not as a privilege or social standing, but as a human right.
Support Christina by ordering online at jancocommunityfarms.com or visiting the on-site farmer's market this spring!
Written by: Daniella Cardenas
CFT Marketing & Communications Associate
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Man admits using glass in bar assault
A man has admitted hitting his assault victim on the head with a glass during a night out in a Lerwick pub.
Graham Maconnachie, 43, whose address was given as Glasgow's Craigbo Court, overreacted when he was offended by comments made by the man during some bar-room banter.
He acted in "the heat of the moment", leaving his victim with a cut to the left hand side of his face.
Maconnachie admitted the assault to injury at the Thule Bar in Lerwick on 6th July last year when he appeared in the dock today.
The case was originally laid down for trial by jury. But Maconnachie pleaded guilty to a reduced plea.
Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said it was a "classic case of when the drink is in the wit is out".
The court heard Maconnachie had been in the pub, where he had gone with his partner for a night out, and met his victim.
Banter started between the two, but it began to deteriorate. Mr MacKenzie said it was "accepted" the complainer made comments which were offensive and verbally aggressive.
But Maconnachie's spontaneous reaction was a "gross overreaction".
His victim was taken to hospital, but was first able to provide police with a statement. He discharged himself that night.
Defence agent Keith Tuck said Maconnachie accepted he had overreacted.
He said his client had been "looking for a quiet evening" when he went to the bar with his girlfriend, who is now his wife.
Maconnachie's victim was there with a number of his male colleagues.
Drink, he said, had been taken on all sides.
"He had been drinking, had a glass in his hand and accepts he over-reacted."
Mr Tuck said Maconnachie had been "ashamed and concerned" by the incident.
Sheriff Philip Mann adjourned the case for background reports to be compiled.
He told Maconnachie: "This is a serious matter because of the fact you used a glass and it caused injury. The use of a glass in heated circumstances when drink has been taken can so easily result in catastrophic circumstances."
Maconnachie was released on bail until 24th June.
James Maconnachie
Lerwick Sheriff Court
Thule Bar
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A man who left his footprint on another man's face after repeatedly stamping on his head has had his sentence deferred for reports. Matthew Robert…
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Surprise at long wait for Aberdeen court date
A man who pleaded not guilty to assault charges will have to wait until April 2023 to go on trial in Aberdeen. Defence agent Tommy…


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A Japanese company developed new AI system can understand 10 languages at same time
According to The Asahi Shimbun, for possible use in international airports and other multilingual venues, a polyglot artificial intelligence (AI) system is available for accurately recognizing, and separately understanding, overlapping voices in up to 10 languages, including Japanese, English and French.
The technology, developed by electronics giant Mitsubishi Electric Corp., can recognize speech made simultaneously by more than one person in different languages almost instantaneously and with high precision.
Conventional voice recognition technologies are language-specific.
"Our system can be taught to recognize accurately what each speaker has said, even when a speaker, or speakers, have switched the language halfway through, or when someone else has begun speaking in a different tongue, as long as the languages involved have been learned in advance," said Takaaki Hori, a research scientist with the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, in describing the technology.
The multilingual technology characteristically does not need language-specific expert knowledge, such as a dictionary of pronunciations because it relies on "deep learning," an AI technology that uses a "neural network," which imitates a nerve circuit.
Mitsubishi said its technology has combined a method for inferring temporal correspondence relations between voice and a string of characters and a separate inference method that emphasizes connectedness of the sound and text of a character string.
The system, when taught multiple languages, achieved a voice recognition accuracy of more than 90 percent when five languages (Japanese, English, French, German and Italian) were spoken in low-noise environments. The accuracy remained above 80 percent when a total of 10 languages were used, with the addition of Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Dutch, the officials said.
The system can work on a small, stand-alone computer system, such as a personal computer for playing video games, without connection to the Internet or other resources. It could be used, for example, in transcribing conversations from a video containing speech in multiple languages.
Extensive tests are planned in the future for assessing practicability, such as the extent of speech recognition capabilities in bustling areas and other noisy environments, to make the technology more practical, the officials added.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201903070003.html
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/10-ai


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Hardline newspaper report sends Iran foreign minister to hospital
Oct 9, 2013, 8:03 pm SGT
http://str.sg/ZqTz
DUBAI (REUTERS) - Iran's foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator went to hospital with pains brought on by a hardline newspaper quoting him as saying President Hassan Rouhani's phone call with President Barack Obama was a mistake.
Mr Mohammad Javad Zarif's brief visit to hospital is a pointer to the strength and possible rancour of the debate within Iran over the speed and extent to which the Islamic Republic should attempt to patch up its many quarrels with the West and the United States in particular.
Mr Zarif is to lead his country's negotiating team in talks with six major world powers in Geneva next week, the first round of negotiations since Rouhani's election in June breathed new hope into decade-old talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
Iranian Parliament speaker and former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani described the talks as a "window of opportunity", telling reporters in Geneva the two sides should focus on confidence-building.
Mr Rouhani, a relative moderate, and the US-educated Zarif led a diplomatic drive to dispel distrust of Iran's intentions at the United Nations in New York last month. The trip culminated in the first phone call between the presidents of Iran and the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, often viewed as a hardliner, backed Mr Rouhani's diplomatic overtures, but said some were "not proper", a possible reference to the call - giving the president's critics a chance to snipe at his initiative.
The hardline newspaper Kayhan said on Tuesday that Mr Zarif had told a closed-door session of Parliament's national security and foreign policy committee that Mr Rouhani's conversation with Mr Obama had been a mistake, as had the length of Zarif's own private meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
An infuriated Mr Zarif denied saying any such thing, and said the newspaper report had affected him physically.
"This morning, after seeing the headline of one newspaper, I got severe back and leg pain. I couldn't even walk or sit," he wrote on his Facebook page late on Tuesday.
Cancelling several engagements, Mr Zarif decided to rest at the ministry and held meetings with deputies "while resting".
"When four to five hours of rest did not solve the problem, at 5 p.m. I left my office ... and went to the hospital. Thank God, the MRI showed my problem was more due to nerves and a muscle spasm and will be solved through exercise," he wrote after returning from hospital some four hours later.
"In any case, it was a bitter but very informative day for me. I learned that whatever I want to say, to say it publicly, because otherwise the market for abuse is very active." Without naming Kayhan, whose editor is appointed by Mr Khamenei and is usually considered to reflect his views, Mr Zarif said it was unfortunate that a confidential meeting in Parliament had been leaked.
"Worse than this is that individuals who see themselves as the judges of my honesty, and who praise my honesty in a small headline, published with the biggest headline possible a quote attributed to me which does not conform with what I said."
Though Mr Khamenei is the ultimate authority on all matters of state, especially the nuclear file, there is often a vigorous debate between subordinates in the government, Parliament and security apparatus that frequently spills into public before the supreme leader gives his final word.
Western powers say Iran's uranium enrichment programme is aimed at achieving a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran denies the charge and says it only wants the technology for generating electricity and for medical research.


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Home Movies Movie News
Watch 'Deadwood' Gunslingers Fight Modernity in New Trailer
Seth Bullock, Al Swearengen reunite to face their old enemy George Hearst in trailer for upcoming film sequel
Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen find themselves up against a familiar foe when George Hearst returns to bring the new state of South Dakota into the modern age in the new trailer for Deadwood: The Movie, premiering May 31st on HBO.
The film sequel to the beloved Western is set 10 years after the series wrapped, with the characters reuniting to mark the official statehood of South Dakota. In the new clip, Bullock and Swearengen — the U.S. Marshal and crime boss, played by Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, respectively — must put their rivalry on hold when now-Senator Hearst of California (Gerald McRaney) returns to Deadwood with big plans. "Hearst won't take long before he honors the rigors of his putrid fucking nature," Swearengen deadpans to Bullock.
The clip teases Hearst's efforts to shape Deadwood to his liking as new telephone polls go up and he tires to take land belonging to Bullock's deputy, Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie), while threatening Trixie (Paula Malcomson), the prostitute who famously shot Hearst in the show's final season. Amidst all the scheming and intrigue, the trailer also teases plenty of quintessential brawling and gunslinging.
Much of the original Deadwood cast returned for the film, along with the creative team, including creator David Milch. Milch, however, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and though he was able to write the script — and do minor rewrites during the shoot — his memory and faculties have started to slow.
"Certain complications were present throughout, and compounded as time progressed," Milch told Rolling Stone of battling the disease while filming Deadwood. "I'm thankful to report my writing process has remained largely as it was. Each day is as it comes. We endeavor to meet life on life's terms — not impose our ambitions on it, to be useful within the present moment."


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SEG Racing Academy Experiences
SEG eRacing U19/U23 Series
Tips & differences
The Academy signs Thymen Arensman for the upcoming two years
Thymen Arensman, the current junior Dutch Cyclocross champion, will join the team for the next two seasons starting in 2018. The 17-year has finished his time as a junior and will debut in the U23 circuit as a rider of the SEG Racing Academy. "I have a very good feeling about joining the team. I am really attracted by the professionalism of the team and its staff as well as the international program that the races in. As a first year U23 everything will be about learning, and trying to improve and get better", says Arensman who recently finished in 12th place in the junior time trial at the Worlds Championships.
The young Dutchman started the the season claiming the national title in the junior cyclocross championships early in January, before sizing notable results on the road. Arensman finished in second place in the overall classification of Austria's OberÖsterreich Juniorenrundfahrt and in the junior time trial at the national road race championships. He also took third in the GC of Internationale Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt, and finished in the Top 10 of the Nations Cup's Trofeo Karlsberg. "Right know I considered myself as and all-rounder. I can climb, time trial and I like cobbles. But one of my challenges this year is see to what type of rider I can develop into" highlights Thymen.
The international program that the Academy follows will allow Thymen to develop himself as a rider as a he will be able to test himself in a variety of terrains. "Because of my cyclocross background I think that I can go well on the cobbles, and Paris-Roubaix is a race that I really like. Also, I look forward to challenge myself in some GC courses with time trials and lots of climbing" says the ambitious Dutch rider, who represented The Netherlands in today's junior road race in Bergen. Arensman animated the race and was only caught inside the last kilometer of the race after a brave effort.
Bart van Haaren, Academy Manager, highlights the versatility of the young Dutchman:
"We are looking forward to start working with Thymen. He showed his potential this year in several demanding races where he put some impressive results. Besides his CX focus in the winter, Thymen is a rider that goes well in a lot of different terrains. Together with the performance staff we will create an extensive plan to further discover and develop Thymen's strengths."
SEG RACING ACADEMY © 2017
website by divide by two
Stay up-to-date with all news and special content around the team and the academy!


2bcreative were instrumental in getting the right name and identity for PRIME restaurant.
We had many name choices to talk through and discuss but in the end both client and 2bc knew we had to go with Prime. The new Steak & Seafood Restaurant on the banks of the River Ness, was opened early in 2018 and has gone from strength to strength since its re-brand. New signage, menus, window graphics and business cards were all in place well before launch day.
Prime is owned by Cru Holdings who also have Scotch & Rye, Bar One, Dows Bar & Bistro, The Keg and their latest addition High Spirits in Falkirk. A young company going places.


Discussion in 'Archived Threads 2001-2004' started by Jon Robertson, May 11, 2002.
Fight Club - the commentaries are pretty sound and interesting, and I can't fault the transfer or sound on any level, but the second disc is just repetitive filler. It's always nice to give the Angle button a workout, but I found it annoyingly bitty and very unfulfilling.
Big trouble in little china disappointed me. The new commentary is entertaining I suppose but in general they talk very little about the movie. The deleted scenes on disc 2 is very extensive as well, but the disc is still a gathering of old material. A good documentary was the one thing I missed the most.
Requiem for a dream as well dissappointed me for pretty much the same reasons as Magnolia.
Gee, I don't even particularly care for the transfer. Not only is this a surpassingly ugly film (yeah, I know it's intentional--so was "Traffic," which was equally offensive-lookng--and the DVD isn't at fault in either case), but the transfer has a distracting amount of EE.
For the life of me I can't figure out why directors insist on placing barriers between the audience and the visual elements of the film. Anyone interested in this topic should listen to the interview with Roger Deakins on the "Man Who Wasn't There" DVD; Deakins eschews the use of diffusion filters and the like. OTOH, I'm not thrilled with Deakins' own color manipulations on "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?" Multiple viewings can make one tired of this sort of thing in a hurry.
Art, shmart. I want to see the movie.
I agree partially with the opinions here about Fight Club. While I don't find any fault whatsoever with the audio/video presentation (I can't see any EE at all), I think the extras, besides the commentaries, are way overrated.


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Put your stimulus cash toward credit card debt, not student loans: Here's why
Many families could be looking at more money than they've ever seen at once when you add stimulus cash of up to $1,400 a person on top of a healthy income tax refund.
So — if you haven't already spent it — what's a solid plan of attack to save it?
"If someone has credit card debt, I think the best use of any money would be to pay it off," according to George Papadopoulos, a certified public accountant and financial adviser in Novi.
The average rate that consumers are paying on credit card debt is 16.15%, according to CreditCards.com.
The rate on your cards could be much higher if you have bad credit or built up debt on a credit card issued by some retailers. The average rate for those with bad credit is 25.3%, according to CreditCards.com.
"Credit card debt must go," Papadopoulos said. "The sooner the better. It is impossible to build wealth when you carry credit card debt paying egregious interest rates on it."
Families with credit card debt had around $6,300 in such debt on average, according to the 2019 Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances. More than 45% of families reported a credit card balance after their last payment.
A stimulus payout — and a tax refund — could make an enormous difference in dealing with one's bills.
A family of four, for example, could be looking at up to $5,600 in stimulus cash as part of the latest round of payments.
Once you pay off credit card debt, many financial advisers suggest that consumers of all ages take a hard look at emergency cash on hand. Having enough money set aside can shore up your mental well being — and cover many bills — if you lose a job or face a stock market meltdown.
"It allows people to let the long term investment portfolio do its thing — which is fluctuate, sometimes wildly — without having to sell at inopportune times to survive," Papadopoulos said.
"It is very important to have a fat emergency fund account," he said.
In general, experts say people should consider having three to six months in savings to cover their everyday bills in case of a job loss or other emergency.
The temptation to spend instead of save in 2021 is clearly out there.
The latest round of stimulus cash has many turning on the "spending faucet," according to Anand Talwar, deposits and consumer strategy executive for Ally Bank.
By contrast, the first round of stimulus checks in the spring of 2020 prompted one of the most extraordinary periods of personal savings in recent history.
"People were certainly hunkering down," Talwar said.
Now, he noted that data from Ally's customers indicated a 43% spending surge among customers who received the stimulus checks in March. Much of the big spending involved airline travel and clothing. People were twice as likely to spend that stimulus money than to spend a tax refund, based on Ally's data.
As more people are vaccinated and see a light at the end of the tunnel, more are willing to book a trip or spend on work clothes, as some expect to head back into the office soon. Increasingly, Talwar said, many consumers are more confident about the future than they were a year ago when the pandemic began.
The third round of stimulus by its nature was more likely to be spent, Talwar said, because it was a bit more targeted by income thresholds than the first two programs to reach those who really needed the money.
The full $1,400 goes to single people earning up to $75,000. But it phases out quickly after that and is completely phased out for those earning more than $80,000.
A full payment of $2,800 goes to a married couple filing a joint federal income tax return earning up to $150,000. The phaseout begins after that and ends at $160,000. Families with children also received more money in the third program.
Right now, Talwar said, people aren't giving up long term savings goals. He's hopeful that many people maintain healthy savings habits and avoid "revenge spending" — where people make up for lost time in 2020 by spending lavishly or carelessly, take your pick, in 2021.
Diane Swonk, chief economist for Grant Thornton, noted in an April report that the saving rate hit 27.6% — more than $6 trillion — which is below the peak of 33.7% reached in April 2020. "Most of the stimulus checks were saved or used to pay off bills that accumulated late last year," she wrote.
She added, though, that more consumers are likely to tap into that money as "more vaccinations ramp up and warmer temperatures reopen outdoor venues."
She wrote: "The key to getting the bang for the buck on stimulus checks is herd immunity, which would allow a fuller reopening of the economy."
Here's what to consider if you want to save some money, instead of spending it all:
What to do in your 20s or 30s?
While it might be tempting to put some extra stimmy cash on a hot stock, many financial planners warn this isn't a sure bet.
"I would definitely not advise trading individual stocks using apps like Robinhood," Papadopoulos said.
"If they decide to go for it, they must go in with the mindset that it is all gambling (which it definitely is) and they must be OK to lose it all. If they are indeed OK with that, go ahead and good luck, they will need it."
Instead, experts say that younger consumers should tackle their rainy day fund — and pay down some debt.
Savers, Papadopoulos said, should consider looking for higher rates offered by online savings banks, which are "many times over what the regular banks will pay." Ally Bank, for example, has no monthly maintenance fees and no minimum deposit requirement. The annual percentage yield on savings is 0.5% for the digital account.
Rates for regular savings accounts at some major banks are just 0.01% in this low-rate environment.
Some credit unions pay 0.1% on regular savings. Some banks pay higher rates, such as 0.15%, if you have more than $10,000 in savings.
Many millennials might consider setting aside extra cash toward a specific goal, such as a down payment on a home.
Talwar said some people stay better focused on their savings goals if they visualize why they're saving that money, such as a honeymoon or a kitchen renovation. You also want to look at what big bills you have hanging over your head already — and see how some extra cash can give you some breathing room.
"If you're mired in debt, stimulus money can really feel like a lifeline," said Melissa Joy, president of Pearl Planning, a wealth adviser in Dexter.
"First, make sure that you have some cash on hand for when things go wrong," she said.
But take time to understand what debt makes sense to pay down now — and what doesn't. Do you have some credit card rates that are relatively low? Pay off the debt that carries the highest interest rate first.
Should you try to pay down student loans with stimulus cash?
Joy said you also want to evaluate whether any of your student loan debt can be forgiven — think public service loan forgiveness — and consider what loans might never be forgiven, including private student loans.
Unlike federal student loans, private student loans don't qualify for federal student loan forgiveness programs.
It might not be the best idea right now for many student loan borrowers.
Remember that we could see some broad student loan forgiveness later this year, said Mark Kantrowitz, author of "How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid."
President Joe Biden has said that he supports $10,000 in student loan forgiveness.
But others — including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts — are calling for $50,000 in student loan forgiveness.
"Given that the amount of forgiveness and eligibility criteria are unknown at this point in time, borrowers should not take any actions that might make them ineligible for loan forgiveness, such as paying off their debt or refinancing federal loans into private student loans," Kantrowitz said.
In general, if someone already is looking at more than $50,000 in student loan debt, he said, there's unlikely to be any harm in making extra payments on their loans, even when it's not required.
As part of financial relief offered during the COVID-19 emergency, there is a pause on repayment, a temporary 0% student loan interest rate, and a pause on collections for borrowers with federal student loans held by the Department of Education through Sept. 30.
Any borrower who expects to receive loan forgiveness in the future should not make extra payments when they are not required to do so, Kantrowitz warned, as that just reduces the amount of forgiveness they will eventually receive.
"Borrowers who still have jobs and are able to continue making payments on their student loans should bank the money or pay down higher-interest debt first. It's a good opportunity to build or bulk up your emergency fund," Kantrowitz said.
After the details of student loan forgiveness are announced, he said, borrowers can use the banked money to pay down student loan debt as appropriate. Pay down the loans with the highest interest rates first.
What about your 30s or 40s?
"When you're in your 40s with kids, you are likely feeling the tug-of-war between competing money priorities," Joy said.
"You need a bigger emergency reserve as expenses can pop up anywhere."
After taking care of an emergency fund, she said, try to bulk up savings in retirement plans or IRA plans if they are options.
Or you may want to add more money to a 529 plan for college savings.
"Your 40s can be game-changing accumulation years," she said.
"While it can feel comfortable to pay off a mortgage," Joy said, "I typically encourage people to first look at other debt, savings and investment. Interest rates are so low now that if you have a reasonable interest rate (on a mortgage) other financial decisions may make sense to come first."
Now could be a good time to boost your contributions into your 401(k) plan or set up a Roth IRA.
Talk to your 401(k) provider about bumping up your savings rate out of your regular paychecks.
Look into opening a Roth IRA or contributing more money into one.
A key point: The money you've saved into the Roth — your own contributions — can be taken out at any time without paying a penalty or taxes.
You'd often face a 10% penalty if you withdraw Roth IRA earnings before age 59½. So if you've set aside $5,000 and have $1,000 in earnings, you'd pay a $100 penalty or 10% on the $1,000 in earnings if you withdrew the entire $6,000.
A Roth IRA provides tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. Once you've owned your account for five years and if you're age 59½ or older, you can withdraw any money you've earned when you want to and you won't owe any federal taxes or face penalties.
And there are some specific situations where you can avoid the penalty, too, such as if you're permanently disabled or you use the money in the Roth for qualified education expenses, such as college tuition for a child.
For the 2020 and 2021 tax years, you could contribute up to $6,000 a year, or up to $7,000 if you are 50 or older. Contributions for 2020 must be made by May 17. You are allowed until April 15, 2022, to make contributions to your 2021 Roth IRA.
What if you're in your 50s or 60s or already retired?
"My goal with clients is to have them debt free before retirement," Papadopoulos said.
"In my career, no client has ever complained about paying off their mortgage early."
Or you might want to set aside cash for future medical bills.
Joy said if you are pre-Medicare age and participating in a high deductible health plan, she suggests contributing to a health savings account.
Consider putting extra money into a Health Savings Account, which lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses.
"Do you have access to a health savings account? That's another great savings and investing vehicle which can get you a tax break as well as access to tax-free funds when earmarked for health care," Joy said.
"Medical expenses are high in retirement and HSA funds can really help out," she said.
If you have adequate cash on hand to pay current medical bills, she said, a health savings account can be a great investment for future medical needs.
"Withdrawals from your HSA are tax-free as long as they go for medical expenses," she said.
"So your Medicare premiums, prescription payments and a whole host of medical expenses in retirement can be tax-advantaged when taken from your HSA."
But once you're already using Medicare, she said, you cannot put aside more money into an HSA.
Then, she said, savers can consider taxable investments or bulking up emergency reserves to pre-fund early retirement expenses for one or two years so that you limit the need to withdraw money — and drive up taxes -- out of a regular 401(k) or taxable retirement account.
ContactSusan Tompor via stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter@tompor. To subscribe, please go to freep.com/specialoffer. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.


At the last week-end on June 30 two big fight-nights went on on the both sides of Atlantic ocean. So, what's happen in the USA and Europe!?
Indio, California: Cornelius "K9" Bundrage, 39, defended his IBF light-middleweight title against Cory Spincs, 34, whom he did beat already for the very same belt one year ago. Bundrage started very strong and had Spincs on the canvas in the first round with the huuuuge right swing. From the second Spincs came back and using his foot work and counter punch got even some points in his own favor. Whatever, Bundrage keeps pressing Spincs backwards and in the 7-th with another big right hook had him down, this time very heavy. Cory got up, but gets knocked down again just few seconds later with another right. Cory runs and tries to suffer, but just some 30 seconds till the bell one more Bundrage's short right hook catched him, this time it's over! Cornelius Bundrage now 32 (19 KO)-4 (2 KO), Cory Spincs- 39 (11 KO)-7 (3 KO).
Cuban Erislandy Lara, 29, unanimously by points (95:94, 98:91, 99:90) beats Freddy Hernandez, 33, of Mexico in 10-rounder. Lara now 17 (11 KO)-1-1, Hernandez 30 (20 KO)-3 (1 KO).
In featherweight former American Olympian Gary Russell Jr., 24, by TKO in the 3-rd round beats hard-hitting Mexican Christopher Perez, 22. Russell Jr. now still unbeaten 20 (12 KO)-0, Perez 23 (14 KO)-3 (1 KO).
In Lodz, Poland, Roy Jones Jr.,43, upsets previously unbeaten Polish cruiserweight prospect Pawel Glazewski, 29. Judges scored the fight as split decision- 96:93, 96:94 to Jones and 95:94 to Glazewski. Now Roy Jones Jr. 56 (40 KO)-8 (4 KO), Pawel Glazewski 17 (4 KO)-1.


If you don't believe the Kavanaugh hearings were part of a larger struggle – "war," if you will, against our federal system of checks and balances, you are not paying attention.
Don't take my word for it. Here is a link to an article by historian Christopher Browning (about which another friend alerted me – I have good friends). (https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/10/25/suffocation-of-democracy/).
Change the date from the 1920s to 2018 and his words still describe the America we are living in.
These are only snippets of this brilliant article that will shake you to your core, but a must read nonetheless since avoiding the truth is never a good option, especially in a crisis.
The hard reality is that our nation is divided precisely because we are at war over what kind of country we want to have and the future we are creating right now.
Trump Republicans want an America I don't want to live in.
Their values are not my values. Their attitude toward immigrants, racial minorities, and GLBTQ Americans is not my attitude. Their beliefs they call Christian are not my beliefs.
When you think about it, we actually are in a fight that feels like a war, primarily because everything I believe in seems to be under assault.
What is more, having finished Woodward's book, Fear, the most obvious and honest conclusion to reach is that Trump is totally incompetent as President, mainly because he has no interest in being informed about anything, nothing, not even the smallest issue.
The man just doesn't care whether what anyone else says because he believes he is right about everything. His senior staff spend all their time trying to keep him from plunging the world in war, undoing critical alliances, or undermining our economy with tariffs nations discovered in the 19th c. were a bad deal for everyone.
Without a doubt Kavanaugh was a skirmish in a very real war Trump is waging against competence, science, and values.
Nothing says it better than that, which means that the only thing that can save us is for those of us who see what is happening to take up the mantle of responsible citizenship.
November is the first step and it is a HUGE one. To say this is the most important election in our nation's history is an understatement.
Winning control of the House will stop Trump in his tracks. Even if Republicans retain control of the Senate (and they may not), they will not be able to pass a single piece of legislation without support from House Democrats.
If you have any doubt about how critical that will be, listen to an unlikely voice in support of Democrats winning the House and even the Senate.
Max Boot is conservative scholar, writer, and pre-Trump Republican who serves as the Jeanne J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
He says Trump is the most dishonest and unprincipled President in our nation's history, and a danger to everything we hold sacred as a democracy.
He further says that every American who is paying attention to facts rather than Fix News and company must vote a straight Democratic ticket in November.
Let me say again. Boot is a highly respected conservative and former Republican, and he is saying the key to saving our country is for all Americans to vote Democratic in the mid-terms.
And here's the thing. I believe that is exactly what we are going to do.
In spite of Trump being President, I still believe in the common sense wisdom of the majority of Americans, and I believe that majority will vote to stop the gradual suffocation of our democracy taking place at the hands of Donald Trump on November 6.
I'm glad you've shared Browning's insightful article with your blog subscribers. I was stunned when I read it, primarily because it has confirmed my own fears as a lowly BA history major somewhat obsessed with the inter-war history of Germany. Later in life I was privileged to know several older German immigrant friends, now deceased, who lived that history. Their tales were almost unbelievable, or perhaps stories I didn't want to believe. Unfortunately we seem to be living a parallel history that the GOP is blind to.
Bob, it's the Republicans who confused me the most. They live in the same country we do, and their children and grandchildren will share the same future ours will. What are they telling them now to justify their disregard for basic values, common decency, and a commitment to telling the truth? Thanks for the reference for the article.
Jan, for the life of me I can't understand why there aren't a few republicans in the senate who don't use their power to change the direction we are headed. Surely there are good, smart republicans who see this crap. Even the handful of "moderates" who we count on to bring sanity to the party nearly always fall in line with Trump when the chips are down. I judt don't get it. What are we missing?
Wilbur, I think what we are seeing is the result of the radicalization of the Republican Party that began with Newt Gringrich in 1990s. The have purged most moderates and will soon have none. It will never again be the GOP it once was.
You have deftly melded Blow's (figurative) "call to war" with Browning's scholarly and scary comparison, along with your own declaration that "Trump Republicans want an America I don't want to live in." I share your view that their values and Christian(sic) beliefs are not mine!
Not being familiar with him, I am glad you introduced me to Max Bolt. That a man who is a highly respected conservative and former Republican would say that the key to saving our country is for all Americans to vote for Democrats in the mid-terms is astounding! And refreshing.
Thank you, my friend, for yet again standing tall for what is right!
Thank you for your reply, Bill. The Browning article ought to be required reading for all Americans before the mid-terms. Re Max Boot, I am becoming convinced that the most potent anti-Trump voices right now are former Republicans like him who are genuine conservatives while maintaining a commitment to facts and the rightful place of government, and feel like Trump has hijacked their party with the help of sycophant Republicans in Congress.
I fully agree with your last sentence. Just hope there are enough of them?!
From the People proceeds the power of the State.
– But where does it proceed to?
Yes, where is it proceeding to?
There's some place it's proceeding to.
The policeman proceeds through the station gate.
– But where does he proceed to?
Look, there's the whole lot on the march.
– But where are they marching to?
Yes, where are they marching to?
There's some place that they're marching to.
They wheel through the gate and under the arch.
– But where are they wheeling to?
The power of the State turns right about.
– What can be in the air?
And yells: Get moving there!
– But moving why and where?
It yells: Get moving there!
Why should it query that?
What cheek to query that!
And something falls down flat.
What was it fell down flat?
What made it fall like that?
The power of the State sees something spill.
There's something in the (dirt).
What's lying in the (dirt)?
Something's lying in the (dirt).
– The People, why, that's it!
Can that really be it?
Yes, that is really it.
Nigel, I think Bill said it best. Thanks, again.
The poets usually "get it." Thanks for sharing that wisdom with Jan's readers!


Fifty Buns are waiting to meet you and help you through this rough life. Forty were originally done as part of a donation drive, but the rest are all-new, never before seen!!
Proceeds from this zine will be given to the ACLU on a monthly basis.


text:
Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.

The concept and reverence for goddesses appears in the Vedas, which were composed around the 2nd millennium BCE. However, they do not play a vital role in that era. Goddesses such as Lakshmi, Parvati, Durga, Saraswati, Sita, Radha and Kali have continued to be revered in the modern era. The medieval era Puranas witness a major expansion in mythology and literature associated with Devi, with texts such as the Devi Mahatmya, wherein she manifests as the ultimate truth and supreme power. She has inspired the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Further, Devi and her primary form Parvati is viewed as central in the Hindu traditions of Shaktism and Shaivism.

Etymology

Devi and deva are Sanskrit terms found in Vedic literature around the 3rd millennium BCE. Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is devi. Monier-Williams translates it as 'heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones'.
Etymologically, the cognates of devi are Latin dea and Greek thea. When capitalised, Devi maata refers to the mother goddess in Hinduism. Deva is short for devatā and devi for devika.

According to Douglas Harper, the etymological root dev- means "a shining one", from *div-, "to shine", it is a cognate of the Greek dios, Gothic divine and Latin deus (Old Latin deivos).

History

The worship of Devi-like deities dates back to period of Indus Valley civilisation.

The Devīsūkta of the Rigveda (10.125.1 to 10.125.8) is among the most studied hymns declaring that the ultimate reality is a goddess:

The Vedas name numerous cosmic goddesses such as Devi (power), Prithvi (earth), Aditi (cosmic moral order), Vāc (sound), Nirṛti (destruction), Ratri (night) and Aranyani (forest); bounty goddesses such as Dinsana, Raka, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati and Mahi are among others are mentioned in the Rigveda. However, the goddesses are not discussed as frequently as gods (devas). Devi appears in late Vedic texts dated to be pre-Buddhist, but verses dedicated to her do not suggest that her characteristics were fully developed in the Vedic era. All gods and goddesses are distinguished in Vedic times, but in post-Vedic texts, particularly in the early medieval era literature, they are ultimately seen as aspects or manifestations of one Devi, the Supreme Power.

Devi is the supreme being in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism; in the Smarta tradition, she is one of the five primary forms of Brahman that is revered. In other Hindu traditions, Devi embodies the active energy and power of Deva, and they always appear together complementing each other. Examples of this are Parvati with Shiva in Shaivism, Saraswati with Brahma in Brahmanism and Lakshmi with Vishnu, Sita with Rama and Radha with Krishna in Vaishnavism.

Devi-inspired philosophy is propounded in many Hindu texts such as the Devi Upanishad, which teaches that Shakti is essentially Brahman (ultimate metaphysical Reality) and that from her arises prakṛti (matter) and purusha (consciousness) and that she is bliss and non-bliss, the Vedas and what is different from it, the born and the unborn and all of the universe. Shakti is Parvati, Shiva's wife.  She is also mentioned as the creative power of Shiva in Tripura Upanishad, Bahvricha Upanishad and Guhyakali Upanishad.

Devi identifies herself in the Devi Upanishad as Brahman in her reply to the gods stating that she rules the world, blesses devotees with riches, that she is the supreme deity to whom all worship is to be offered and that she infuses Ātman in every soul. Devi asserts that she is creator of earth and heaven and resides there. Her creation of the sky as father and the seas as mother is reflected as the 'Inner Supreme Self'. Her creations are not prompted by any higher being and she resides in all her creations. She is, states Devi, the eternal and infinite consciousness engulfing earth and heaven, and 'all forms of bliss and non-bliss, knowledge and ignorance, Brahman and Non-Brahman'. The tantric aspect in Devi Upanishad, says June McDaniel, is the usage of the terms yantra, bindu, bija, mantra, shakti and chakra.

Among the major world religions, the concept of Goddess in Hinduism as the divine feminine, has had the strongest presence since ancient times.

Examples

Parvati

Parvati is the Hindu goddess of love, beauty, purity, fertility and devotion. She is the mother goddess in Hinduism and has many attributes and aspects. Each of her aspects is expressed with a different name, giving her over 1008 names in regional Hindu mythologies of India, including the popular name Gauri. Along with Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity) and Saraswati (goddess of knowledge and learning), she forms the trinity of Hindu goddesses.

Parvati is the wife of Shiva – the destroyer, recycler and regenerator of universe and all life. She is the mother of Hindu gods Ganesha and Kartikeya.

Rita Gross states, that the view of Parvati only as ideal wife and mother is incomplete symbolism of the power of the feminine in the mythology of India. Parvati, along with other goddesses, are involved with the broad range of culturally valued goals and activities. Her connection with motherhood and female sexuality does not confine the feminine or exhaust their significance and activities in Hindu literature.She manifests in every activity, from water to mountains, from arts to inspiring warriors, from agriculture to dance. Parvati's numerous aspects, states Gross, reflects the Hindu belief that the feminine has universal range of activities, and her gender is not a limiting condition.

In Hindu belief, Parvati is the recreative energy and power of Shiva, and she is the cause of a bond that connects all beings and a means of their spiritual release.

Devi is portrayed as the ideal wife, mother, and householder in Indian legends. In Indian art, this vision of ideal couple is derived from Shiva and Parvati as being half of the other, represented as Ardhanarishvara. Parvati is found extensively in ancient Indian literature, and her statues and iconography grace ancient and medieval era Hindu temples all over South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Lakshmi

Lakshmi, also called Sri, is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity (both material and spiritual). She is the consort and active energy of Vishnu. Her four hands represent the four goals of human life considered important to the Hindu way of life – dharma, kama, artha, and moksha. She is the mother goddess in Hinduism. She is also part of Tridevi which consists of Lakshmi, Parvati (goddess of power, fertility, love, beauty), and Saraswati (goddess of music, wisdom, and learning).

In the ancient scriptures of India, all women are declared to be embodiments of Lakshmi. The marriage and relationship between Lakshmi and Vishnu as wife and husband, states Patricia Monaghan, is "the paradigm for rituals and ceremonies for the bride and groom in Hindu weddings."

Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest the recognition and reverence for goddess Lakshmi in the Scytho-Parthian kingdom and throughout India by the 1st millennium BCE. She is also revered in other non-Hindu cultures of Asia, such as in Tibet. Lakshmi's iconography and statues have also been found in Hindu temples throughout Southeast Asia, estimated to be from second half of 1st millennium CE. In modern times, Lakshmi is worshipped as the goddess of wealth. The festivals of Diwali and Sharad Purnima (Kojagiri Purnima) are celebrated in her honor.

Saraswati

Saraswati, is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning. She is the consort of Brahma.

The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in Rigveda. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic age through modern times of Hindu traditions. Some Hindus celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami (the fifth day of spring) in her honour, and mark the day by helping young children learn how to write alphabets on that day. She is also part of Tridevi which consists of Saraswati, Parvati (goddess of power, fertility, love, beauty), and Lakshmi (goddess of material wealth, prosperity, and fortune).

Saraswati is often depicted dressed in pure white, often seated on a white lotus. She not only embodies knowledge but also the experience of the highest reality. Her iconography is typically in white themes from dress to flowers to swan – the colour symbolizing Sattwa Guna or purity, discrimination for true knowledge, insight and wisdom.

She is generally shown to have four arms, but sometimes just two. The four hands hold items with symbolic meaning – a pustaka (book or script), a mala (rosary, garland), a water pot and a musical instrument (lute or vina). The book she holds symbolizes the Vedas representing the universal, divine, eternal, and true knowledge as well as all forms of learning. A mālā of crystals, representing the power of meditation, a pot of water represents powers to purify the right from wrong. The musical instrument, typically a veena, represents all creative arts and sciences, and her holding it symbolizes expressing knowledge that creates harmony. The Saraswatirahasya Upanishad of the Yajurveda contain ten verses called "dasa sloki" which are in praise of Sarasvati. In this Upanishad, she is extolled as You are the swan gliding over the pond of creative energy, waves and waves of creative forces emanating from your form! Radiant Goddess resplendent in white, dwell forever in the Kashmir of my heart.

Saraswati is also found outside India, such as in Japan, Vietnam, Bali (Indonesia) and Myanmar.

Durga and Kali

Vedic literature does not have any particular goddess matching the concept of Durga. Her legends appear in the medieval era, as angry, ferocious form of mother goddess Parvati take the avatar as Durga or Kali. She manifests as a goddess with eight or ten arms holding weapons and skulls of demons, and is astride on a tiger or lion. In Skanda Purana, Devi Bhagvata Puran and other purans Parvati assumes the form of a warrior-goddess and defeats a demon called Durg who assumes the form of a buffalo. In this aspect, she is known by the name Durga. In later Hindu literature, states Jansen, she is attributed the role of the "energy, power (shakti) of the Impersonal Absolute".

In the Shaktism traditions of Hinduism, found particularly in eastern states of India, Durga is a popular goddess form of Parvati. In the medieval era composed texts such as the Puranas, she emerges as a prominent goddess in the context of crisis, when evil asuras were on the ascent. The male gods were unable to contain and subdue the forces of evil. The warrior goddess, Parvati, kills the asura, and is thereafter invincible, and revered as "preserver of Dharma, destroyer of evil".

Durga's emergence and mythology is described in the Puranas, particularly the Devi Mahatmya. The text describes Kālī's emerging out of Parvati when she becomes extremely angry. Parvati's face turns pitch dark, and suddenly Kali springs forth from Parvati's forehead. She is black, wears a garland of human heads, is clothed in a tiger skin, rides a tiger, and wields a staff topped by a human skull. She destroys the asuras. Literature on goddess Kali recounts several such appearances, mostly in her terrifying but protective aspects. Kali appears as an independent deity, or like Durga, viewed as the wife of Shiva. In this aspect, she represents the omnipotent Shakti of Shiva. She holds both the creative and destructive power of time. Kali, also called Kalaratri, is called in Yoga Vasistha as Prakṛti or "all of nature". She is described in the text, state Shimkhanda and Herman, as the "one great body of cosmos", and same as Devis "Durga, Jaya and Siddha, Virya, Gayatri, Saraswati, Uma, Savitri". She is the power that supports the earth, with all its seas, islands, forests, deserts and mountains, asserts Yoga Vasistha. She is not to be confused with the Kali Yuga, which is spelled similarly yet holds a different meaning. The Kali Yuga is presented as a threat to Mother India, with pictures from the nineteenth century depicting the age as a "ferocious meat-eating demon" in comparison to India's depiction of "a cow giving milk to her children".

The largest annual festival associated with the goddess is Durga Puja celebrated in the month of Ashvin (September–October), where nine manifestations of Parvati (Navadurga) are worshipped, each on a day over nine days. These are: Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidaatri.

Tridevi

In the feminist Shaktidharma denomination of Hinduism, the supreme deity Mahadevi manifests as the goddess Mahasaraswati in order to create, as the goddess Mahalaxmi in order to preserve, and as the goddess Mahakali (Parvati) in order to destroy.  These three forms of the supreme goddess Mahadevi are collectively called the Tridevi.These Tridevi are said to be the Shakti of all the Gods or Deva. Like Mahasaraswati is the Shakti of Brahma; Lakshmi is the Shakti of Vishnu; and Mahakali is Shakti of Shiva.

Sita

Sita, an incarnation of Lakshmi, is the wife of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu. She is shakti or prakriti of Rama as told in the Ram Raksha Stotram. In Sita Upanishad, a shakta Upanishad, Sita is extolled as the supreme goddess. The Upanishad identifies Sita with Prakrti (nature) which is constituted by "will" ichha, activity (kriya)  and knowledge (jnana). The Upanishad also states that Sita emerged while furrowing, at the edge of the plough. She is extolled as one of the Panchakanya for her virtuous qualities; taking their names destroys all sins.

Her life story and journeys with her husband Rama and brother-in-law Lakshmana are part of the Hindu epic Ramayana, an allegorical story with Hindu spiritual and ethical teachings. However, there are many versions of Ramayana, and her story as a goddess in Hindu mythology. Her legends also vary in southeast Asian versions of the epic Ramayana, such as in the Ramakien of Thailand where she is spelled as Sida (or Nang Sida).

In Valmiki Ramayana, Sita is repeatedly expressed as manifestation of Lakshmi, as the one who blesses abundance in agriculture, food, and wealth. She is referred to golden goddess, wherein after Rama (Vishnu) is bereaved of her, he refuses to marry again, insists that he is married solely and forever to her, and uses a golden image of Sita as a substitute in the performance of his duties as a king. Sita, in many Hindu mythology, is the Devi associated with agriculture, fertility, food and wealth for continuation of humanity.

Radha

Radha means "prosperity, success, and lightning." She is the female counterpart and consort of Krishna. She is also considered as the internal potency of Krishna. In Puranic literature such as the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, she is known as the Goddess of love and is also described as the "Prakriti" along with goddess Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati and Gayatri. She has figured prominently in the poems of Vidyapati (1352–1448) as a cosmic queen and later became inspiration behind many forms of art, literature, music and dance. She is also seen as the incarnation of Lakshmi. Some traditions worship Radha as the lover consort of Krishna while many other traditions worship Radha as the married consort of Lord Krishna.

Radha was made famous through Jayadeva's Gitagovinda poem which was written in 12th century. It is a lyrical drama, a "mystical erotic poem" which describes the love of Krishna and Radha. Some other texts which mentioned Radha are – Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana, Devi Bhagvata Purana, Matsya Purana, Narada Pancharatra, Brahma Samhita, Shiva Purana and Garga Samhita.

Radha was born in Barsana and every year her birthday is celebrated as "Radhashtami". She is described by scriptures as the chief of gopis. She is also revered as the queen of Barsana, Vrindavan and her spiritual abode Goloka. Her love affair with Krishna was set in Vraja and its surrounding forests. It is said that "Krishna enchants the world but Radha can even enchant Krishna due to her selfless love and complete dedication towards him".

Radha has always been a part of the bhakti movement symbolising "yearning of human soul drawn to Krishna". In South India, she is considered as Bhumidevi.

Though goddess Radha has more than thousand names but some of her common names used by devotees are – Radhika, Radhe, Radharani, Madhavi, Keshavi, Shyama, Kishori, Shreeji, Swamini ji (in Pushtimarg), Raseshwari, Vrindavaneshwari and Laadli ji.

Mahadevi

In the sixth century when Devi Mahatmya came into practice the name Devi (goddess) or Mahadevi (Great Goddess) came into prominence to represent one female goddess to encompass the discrete goddesses like Parvati and so forth. In the Hindu mythology, Devi and Deva are usually paired, complement and go together, typically shown as equal but sometimes the Devi is shown smaller or in the subordinate role. Some goddesses, however, play an independent role in Hindu pantheon, and are revered as Supreme without any male god(s) present or with males in subordinate position. Mahadevi, as mother goddess, is an example of the later, where she subsumes all goddesses, becomes the ultimate goddess, and is sometimes just called Devi.

Theological texts projected Mahadevi as ultimate reality in the universe as a "powerful, creative, active, transcendent female being." The Puranas and Tantra literature of India celebrates this idea, particularly between the 12th–16th century, and the best example of such texts being the various manuscript versions of Devi Bhagavata Purana with the embedded Devi Gita therein.

Devi Bhagavata Purana gives prime position to Mahadevi as the mother of all-encompassing the three worlds and gives her the position of being all of universe – the material and the spiritual. In the Upanishadic text Devi Upanishad, a Sakta Upanishad and an important Tantric text probably composed sometime between the ninth and fourteenth centuries the Goddess is addressed in the most general and universal of terms, as Mahadevi, and represents all goddesses as different manifestations of her. The Lalita Sahasranama (Thousand names of Lalita (Parvati) states that Mahadevi is known by different synonyms such as Jagatikanda (anchors the world), Vishvadhika (one who surpasses the universe),  Nirupama (one who has no match), Parameshwari (dominant governor), Vyapini (encompasses everything), Aprameya (immeasurable), Anekakotibrahmadajanani (creator of many universes), Vishvagarbha (she whose Garba or womb subsumes the universe), Sarvadhara (helps all), Sarvaga (being everywhere at the same time, Sarvalokesi (governs all worlds)  and Vishavdaharini  one who functions for the whole universe).

The Mahadevi goddess has many aspects to her personality. She focuses on that side of her that suits her objectives, but unlike male Hindu deities, her powers and knowledge work in concert in a multifunctional manner. The ten aspects of her, also called Mahavidyas (or great forms of her knowledge) are forms of Parvati and they are: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhairavi, Bhuvanesvari, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala.

Tantra and Devis

Tantric literature such as Soundarya Lahari meaning "Flood of Beauty", credited to Adi Shankaracharya a shakta or tantric poem, is dedicated to the Supreme Deity of the sect, Parvati who is considered much superior to Shiva. It celebrates Parvati and her feminine persona. It is an approach to the tantra through Parvati.

In Shakti Tantra traditions, Devis are visualized with yantra and are a tool for spiritual journey for the tantric adept. The adepts ritually construct triangle yantras with proper use of visualization, movement, and mantra. The adepts believe, state John Stratton Hawley and Donna Marie Wulff, that "to establish such yantra is to place the macrocosm within oneself", and doing so can yield temporal benefits, spiritual powers or enlightenment.

A tantric text titled "Vigyan Bhairav Tantra", 'Vigyan' meaning "consciousness" is a conversation between Shiva and Parvati rendered in 112 verses, elaborates on "wisdom and insight of pure consciousness."

Devi Puja is the worship of Parvati which is observed through four forms of Devi Yantra; the first is Tara that exists in the realm of the fourth chakra representing the spiritual heart; Saraswati emanates in the first chakra; Lakshmi forms the second chakra; and Parvati is at the heart of the third chakra and completes the chakra. Worship through this Yantra leads to the realization of "cosmic energy" within oneself.

Matrikas

Matrikas, that is, the mothers, are seven or eight female divinities, which are depicted as a group. They are all forms of Parvati. They are Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshvari, Indrani, Kaumari, Varahi and Chamundi or Narasimhi. The Matrikas concept are important in Tantric traditions. They are described in the Isaanasivagurudevapaddhati, as creations to facilitate Lord Shiva face his adversary Andhakasura. All the Matrikas are depicted in a sitting position, Lalitasana, and bedecked with heavy jewellery.

Scholars state that the concept of Matrikas as powerful goddesses emerged in the early 1st millennium AD, and possibly much earlier.

The idea of eight mother goddesses together is found in Himalayan Shaivism, while seven divine mothers (Sapta Matrika) is more common in South India.

See also
Deva (Hinduism)
Shaktism
Shakti Pitha
Saundarya Lahari
Shakti

References

Bibliography

 Wangu, Madhu Bazaz (2003). Images of Indian Goddesses: Myths, Meanings, and Models. Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, India. .
 Hawley & Wulff (1996), Devi: Goddesses of India, University of California Press,

External links

 Devi: The Great Goddess, An Exhibit Smithsonian
 Devi: Manifestations and Aspects, The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
 Shrimad Devi Bhagavatam  Translation by Swami Vijñanananda
 Devi, a Proto-Indo-European Goddess

Mother goddesses
Names of God in Hinduism


@ParadoxComic: Who ever that is, it's someone who's up to no good.
Eerie red mist trying to feel up a planet. That's bound to end in disaster.
Awww, he's holding Lajos' heart! How sweet.
evil bunbun from paradox?! <3 .w.
Well, this can only end horribly.
His bed looks comfy I wonder if he'd wanna trade?
I think that's the sun, and whoever it is I'll bet its Moira up to no good.


Come on up South of the Border and celebrate Mardi Gras Northwoods' style!
This Carnivale season, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Fat Tuesday right here in the North Woods. There will be a bonfire on the lake, Mardi Gras mask painting and decorating with a Northwoods flair, a special Cajun themed menu, and drink specials for those with beads or carnival masks or costumes or mukluks.


I started flying in 2005 and right away was drawn to XC flying. I am especially fond of flatland flying where I feel there are no limitations on choosing my route other then the clouds. I try to take part in competition once in a while but rather for practice.
Paragliding is also a great way of exploring a world for me. I flew in Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Brazil and all around Europe from Sierra Grande to the Nordcapp. When choosing destinations I look for XC potential. In Brazil I broke polish open distance record 368km in 2013 and declared goal 318km in 2014. On the polish ground I hold a tandem record 128km and also broke an unofficial territorial record flying 313km from the spot just half an hour away from my home.
Nonetheless I am constantly looking for big flights opportunities as there are few thing compared to the final glide in the sunset light after a fulfilling flight.


text:
HomeMedia Personality Rasheed Abubakar, Celebrates 8-year Relationship With Renowned Author, Abayomi Mumuni - Pens Emotional Tribute
Media Personality Rasheed Abubakar, Celebrates 8-year Relationship With Renowned Author, Abayomi Mumuni - Pens Emotional Tribute
Exactly this time eight years ago, in the wake of the 2011 general elections, I was invited as a journalist with Encomium Ng back then to cover the unveiling of the now defunct CPC's gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Ambassador Abayomi Mumuni Nurain by Mrs Lucy Ajayi, the current Executive Director, Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board.
In fact, I wanted to send an I.T student because the candidate to be unveiled by the new political party, founded by President Buhari, was neither of the ruling #ACN nor PDP, the then leading opposition party in Lagos. However, my instincts (as guided by Allah) told me, "Rasheed, you must go", and I went. AlhamduliLlah, I didn't regret attending the press briefing because Allah has used this man of uncommon honour and integrity to do great things in my life in the last eight years.
I still remember how I prayed he won the 2011 governorship election, as he truly meant well for Lagosians. I marvelled at his beautiful master plan for the new Lagos of his dreams during my exclusive interview with him then. He is not like the usual Nigerian politician, whose main business is politics. He is the president of the London-based Wall Street Global Finance Limited and CEO of several multinational companies home and abroad. He is also a renowned global security expert whose books have had a positive influence on the war against terror all over the world. But, as Allah has destined, he didn't win the election. He also wanted to contest against Governor Ambode in 2015, but later stepped down for the latter following the merger between ACN, CPC, and other parties, which led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
I later got to know how close he was to President Muhammadu Buhari. Thisday Newspaper, in an article published in 2015, described Mumuni and Buhari as "siamese twins", noting that their relationship was another classic example of friendship made in heaven. According to the newspaper, Buhari, who is seeking re-election as Nigeria's President, highly respected Mumuni's views on political issues since their days in ANPP and CPC, before moving to APC.
Why am I saying this now, one may ask? It has no link with the current elections. It may also interest you that this selfless man jettisoned his ambition to re-contest after pleas from friends and associates. However, I felt excited when I saw a Facebook notification this afternoon, celebrating our 8 years of friendship on the platform. Thank you, Facebook, for giving me the opportunity to celebrate this great man who has quietly empowered thousands of Nigerians, even without holding any political office. May Allah reward you abundantly for your service to humanity, Aare Jagunmade 1 of Lagos.
- Rasheed Abubakar| Tuesday, February 26, 2019