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'Profit before people' is fascism, and fascism killed my son
Me and Mike on his wedding day.
Eleven years ago today, I brought my son home to die.
I can't describe to you how that feels. Unless you have lived it, you can't even begin to know.
It was the end of hope, if you can imagine that.
Early that morning, my son and I sat in his living room. I had a cup of coffee, he had finished his. He looked so thin, so frail, but I still hoped we might have a few months, a road trip to the Northeast, just a little time.
"I'm ready for this to be over, Mom," he said.
He had fought like hell for three years — the first year of that fight devoted to having someone who could help him take notice of his plight. In Savannah, at Memorial Health System, he had been ignored — at one time, spending 11 days in a hospital room not being seen by a single doctor because they had written him off as not profitable enough to deserve to live. They even neglected to treat a life-threatening infection that developed in his surgical wound.
We had gotten him a consultation with Dr. Herb Hurwitz at Duke University Medical Center, and Hurwitz had adopted him. Hurwitz and his team fought like hell for my son, but it was too late already by the time we got to them.
Two weeks ago, Mike had been told he needed to gain two pounds. I had gone to the Duke Chapel that afternoon to beg for those two pounds. I just wanted more time. I wasn't ready to let go of hope. In hindsight, I wasn't ever going to be ready to let go of him.
We got to the clinic and Mike slipped off his leather coat and stepped on the scale. He had lost a pound. This was it. It was over.
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said, "I tried!" If only I could forget that moment. If only I could erase the image.
Dr. Hurwitz's eyes filled with tears as he said, "You're a good person, Mike. You don't deserve what's happening to you."
I have since found that most Republicans are cautious with their sympathy. They want to know whether he was working when he got sick, as though unemployment deserves the death penalty.
When I call them out on it, they insist, "some people just want a handout."
First of all, nobody "just wants a handout." People want the dignity of access to lifesaving care.
Secondly, health care is not ever a handout. It is a basic human right, and we have a word for people who would deny others a basic human right that they, themselves, have. We call them fascists.
If you think my son deserved to die because insurance companies wouldn't cover him and doctors at Memorial Health System in Savannah, Ga., wouldn't care for him, you are a fascist in my book. "Profit before people" is about the shortest accurate definition of fascism there is.
I think that moment when we realized there was nothing more we could do was when I became convinced that my heart would stop when his did. I couldn't picture life without him, so I would go with him.
As we were headed back to the parking garage, Mike turned around in his wheelchair and said, "What do you think I have, Mom? Two weeks?"
"God, I hope it's more than that," I said.
It wasn't. In two weeks to the day, he would die. His heart would stop and mine would keep beating.
If you think I sound pissed as I watch the Democratic Party try to prepare me to accept another "centrist" candidate for president, another 1960s-era Republican who doesn't care how many people die as long as the economy is growing, you're right. I am.
You can curse me all you want for refusing to play that game any longer. Somewhere near a half million people have died the same way my son did in these last 11 years.
I do what I do so your child won't die the way mine did.
I have every right to withhold my vote from people who don't care enough about these human lives to fight for them.
In fact, I expect the same commitment from everyone who knows we need a universal health care system NOW. Not in another 11 years, but within two.
Believe me, I'd rather be with my son than be battling this kind of ignorance here now.
DO NOT try to convince me to vote for another right-winger for president. The creature currently squatting in the White House is not my fault. I voted for your "centrist" in 2016. You didn't learn from that defeat. You will not get my vote again unless you put up an acceptable candidate.
Eleven years ago today, I learned what it was to lose all hope. We would have exactly two weeks left with my son.
Sign the petition, and nothing will happen
Rep. John Ager is another of the representatives we elected from what was supposed to be a safe Republican district. We did not do it by signing online petitions, but by making phone calls and knocking on doors and getting out the vote. Here, John is speaking to the crowd of about 200 people at the March for Truth.
I don't even keep count of how many times I've been asked to sign one or another online petition, as though it would make any difference at all in public policy.
Let me be honest here — I don't ever sign them because they are meaningless. Government lawmakers and policymakers don't give a damn about what we think. They care only about the people who fund their campaigns. That's it.
Every time someone posts a petition on my timeline on Facebook, I explain that I don't sign online petitions, and people argue that of course signing a meaningless petition is "taking action."
No, it isn't. Sitting at your computer and typing in your name and address is effortless, and the people in power know that. You risk nothing because you have done nothing. They know you're not likely to get off your butt and take any real action.
A million signatures is one thing, but a million faxes, phone calls, e-mails or visits from real human beings shows them we mean business.
If you want to fill out a form that makes a difference, fill out a voter registration form, and follow it up by filling out a ballot. That's what will make a difference.
Work to get a worthy candidate elected. Make phone calls, knock on doors. You can make phone calls after work, even for a half hour once a week. Get that candidate's name out there.
I know this works because I live in the most gerrymandered district in the most gerrymandered state in the nation. In 2014, our Republican state representative was considered safer than anyone. He was going to be the next Speaker of the NC House.
But then something amazing happened. We, his constituents, got mad. Enough was enough. He refused to listen to us, hearing instead only the monied interests who had paid for his election.
I made calls, I showed up to knock on doors, and registered Republicans were happy to hear someone was running against him. People turned out to vote, and we sent that little weasel home.
That was in 2014. So, what happened to the seat in 2016? The Republicans couldn't find anyone to oppose Brian Turner. He ran unopposed.
Across the county, Nathan Ramsey, a moderate Republican, was elected in 2012, and he was bullied into voting with the extreme right wing of the party.
Something good happened there, too: John Ager, a farmer who had never been in politics, decided to run. Again, his supporters worked hard and he won, both in 2014 and 2016. And no one ever signed an online petition saying his election would be a good thing.
These people who are trashing our Democracy think they're safe. They don't care what we want and no petition is going to change their behavior. The only way to make things better is to send them home, and you don't do that with online petitions.
So, go ahead, sit at your desk and type in your name on meaningless petition after meaningless petition, and do you know what will change?
Not a damn thing, that's what.
I know the petitions' sponsors want you to think differently, but petitions are what they use to raise money. You sign their petition decrying the injustice du jour and then a screen pops up asking you to donate money, so — what? They can generate more petitions?
Get up off your butt and get out there. Attend a march, meet other human beings who share your interests and work with them to make change. Meet and talk to the candidates who are opposing those in power. Find out how you can help.
We don't all have to engage in civil disobedience and get arrested. There are plenty of ways to be active without risking arrest. But we all need to find real ways to contribute because Democracy is participatory, and signing an online petition is not participating, it's lazy.
Holding out hope for the party
February 26, 2017 a world of progress, letters, media, progressive living, progressive media center No comments
Kitty Schaller holds my favorite sign from Saturday's rally.
I was ready to make a very public exit from the Democratic party if Tom Perez won the chairmanship, but other events Saturday raised my hopes for the party.
It started with the precinct cluster meetings in the morning. I'm vice-chair of my precinct (45.1 in Buncombe County, NC), and in previous years, the chair, John Parker, and I had to scramble to get five people out to a meeting so we could have a quorum. We had to make calls and get people to the meetings so our precinct wouldn't lose our "organized" status.
"Can you just stop by for a half hour while we vote on resolutions and elect officers?" we begged. We were able to keep organized, but barely.
Yesterday, instead of begging for people to show up, we had 16 people, several of whom were young and progressive. The others were from a retirement community, and I was afraid they might be conservative Democrats like the ones who killed several progressive resolutions last year, but they were old-style progressives who decided to become active again so we could take our party back from pro-corporate influences.
Last year a conservative banker convinced people to vote against a resolution calling for re-regulation of the banks and against a resolution calling for a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. He wouldn't stop talking until he had the votes to defeat these two resolutions.
This year, the banker was nowhere to be seen and both resolutions passed unanimously, along with resolutions calling for an immediate raise in the minimum wage to $15, plus one calling for a single-payer health care system. In all, we passed nearly a dozen progressive resolutions, all unanimously.
I wrote two resolutions — the ones calling for the $15 minimum wage and Medicare for all — and most of the precincts passed them without amendments. One precinct leader asked if the minimum wage resolution could be amended to phase in the $15 over three to five years. I told them no. If you're making $7.25 an hour, five years without a living wage is not an option. The raise is needed now, and in five years, inflation adjustments should have it up to about $20. People need to be able to feed, clothe and shelter their families NOW, not in five years.
"Well, these a pretty conservative people," the precinct chair said.
"Those are the very people we need to outnumber to take the party back," I said. "Go ahead and write your own resolution, but mine stays as is."
These new party activists were Bernie Sanders supporters, determined to move the Democratic Party back to its FDR progressivism, back to the days when LBJ signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts. They were inspired by the organization, Our Revolution, which is comprised of progressive fighters.
I left the precinct meeting with renewed faith that we can do this.
From there, I went to speak at an Our Revolution rally downtown. We had 500 people turn out to call for improvements to our health care system, from support of keeping and improving the ACA, to a public option in the marketplace, to single-payer.
I told my son's story and reminded people that 45,000 Americans died the same way every year before the ACA took effect. We're still losing 15,000 to 20,000 in states that haven't expanded Medicaid.
What I saw yesterday was a determination to take the Democratic Party left again.
When it was announced that Tom Perez won the party chair election, we were encouraged by the fact that the election was close and that our candidate, Keith Ellison, is now the vice-chair and that Perez has vowed to work closely with him.
I am encouraged. We have to remember that the Republican right wing has worked since the 1960s to achieve what it has, and that in one election cycle, we progressives have made remarkable progress.
So, let's follow the Indivisible playbook. Let's take this nation back in the 2018 elections, despite gerrymandering, despite voter suppression laws. We are the majority. If we work for this, and most importantly, if we vote, we will not fail.
So, what's next?
Nine of us spent the day together, much of it holding hands to make sure nobody got lost. What a day!
We birthed a movement yesterday.
Millions of us came out to tell the people in power that we will not tolerate the dismantling of the social contract we have built over the last 300 years.
We came out and showed the world what a peaceful demonstration looks like. More than a million people in Washington demonstrated without a single arrest. Not one.
While we waited in a line a half mile long to board a train to the city, we sang freedom songs, chanted and learned a little about each other.
Things even got silly as we chanted, "What do we want? A RIDE! When do we want it? NOW!"
It took us four and a half hours to get from the bus to the rally, but we never lost our cool. We were part of it from the moment we stepped off the bus, together in our desire to pursue justice and prevent the carnage the 1 percent wants to release on our country.
Signs ranged from simple two-word slogans (Dump Trump) to profane (This pussy grabs back) to clever (Can't comb over sexism) to profound ( I march because she deserves every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve her dreams).
One of my favorite signs from the Women's March in Washington.
My little group of nine women never got into the march area because there was no room. We got close and then couldn't move in any direction until someone else moved back and we followed, all holding onto each other. We did that three times as we tried to get across the mall to meet the North Carolina delegation, and weren't successful.
No matter, we were there. We were part of history, and we won't ever forget that.
While the official government count was 500,000, the mayor of DC said at noon (as crowds of us were still trying to get into the city) there were 680,000. Before the Administration shut down its Twitter account, the Metro Police estimated 1.5 million people. Now, there's a real fact.
This is as close as we could get.
Then, the alternative-fact-er in chief came out and said he had 1.5 million people at his coronation.
He did not. Metro Police told us there were empty seats on every train into the city on Coronation Day. An elevator operator at L'Enfant Plaza told us he was able to squeeze in a quick nap or two, but that on March Day, he hadn't had a single break.
There are those who say the march was all white people whining about losing, but the diversity was everywhere I looked. I walked beside blacks and whites, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Pagans and more.
This was not about losing an election (which actually, we didn't, since we won the popular vote by 3 million). We were there for a purpose: to tell the people in power that we expect them to use it with wisdom, compassion and justice.
Now we have to show them we mean it.
I know how wonderful yesterday felt; I'm still basking in the joy of its solidarity. I plan to spend all day today basking in it.
But we have work to do, and lots of it.
What is your next step? What will you do to ensure we keep our liberties intact and move forward rather than backward toward hate and division?
The man who won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote by 3 million is already talking about "alternative facts." I call them lies and I will continue to call them out. We all have to do that.
They know that if you repeat a lie enough times, people begin to believe it. It's how we got climate change deniers. It's how people came to believe Hillary Clinton is a murderer. It's how that man "won" the election.
This government already is talking about dismantling the entire social contract we have built — public education, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, Veterans services, disability services and more.
They actually are in the minority, but the public apathy they have fostered, the distrust of government, have had a profound effect on our elections.
We must vote, at the very, very least. As they try to take away our votes with laws aimed at suppressing the votes against them, we have to turn out in numbers so large that they'll still lose.
And our votes must be informed votes. We must learn about the issues so that the "alternate facts" don't blind us.
We need our legislators to know our names because we call, write and e-mail each of them at least once a week. If enough of us do that, they'll know we'll send them home if they don't do OUR business.
Several years ago, when I approached Rep. Mark Meadows and introduced myself, he sneered, "Oh, I know who you are." I was thrilled. I'm trouble.
We all need to be trouble, to keep showing up at demonstrations and letting our legislators know that we're watching what they're doing and how they're voting.
We need to run for office, locally, at the state and at the federal levels.
I felt an energy yesterday that I haven't felt in many, many years. There was an air of hope that we can change the course of history, and I believe we can.
But we won't change anything if we just go home, share photos and say, "I was there."
One friend, a former editor, just bought the Internet domain, www.alternativefacts.me, where I believe he will call out lies. He's known to call out fake news posts; I assume he'll do that and more with his web site.
You don't have to build a web site, but you can call out lies on social media when you see them. Before you share a story, find another source so you know it's true. I'm pretty careful, but I've been fooled a couple times when I didn't check.
It is our job to continue the work we started yesterday.
We birthed a movement. Now we must nurture it, grow it, work for it and make sure it makes the difference we need.
What are you going to do next?
Hoping won't stop this. We must resist.
My friend and Moral Monday colleague, Rev. Curtis Gatewood being arrested last week — again — in protest of the unjust actions of the NC General Assembly.
Stop pretending that the Electoral College or the Department of Justice will come to our rescue like a prince in shining armor to stop the Orange One from taking office on Jan. 20.
The election was in all likelihood stolen by a combination of Russian interference and a little tampering with the technology by GOP operatives, but we are creatures of habit and we won't hold a new election, nor will we hand the office to the person who won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.
We have been trained to be lazy and accept what happens — that's why more than half of us didn't even bother to vote in the most important election of our lifetimes.
It's not going to happen, so just get over it.
Blaming voters for the slow-motion coup that has been plotted and executed since Nixon devised the Southern Strategy will not change things, it will only serve to further divide us.
Trying to persuade people who voted for him that they were conned won't work, either, because they have been brainwashed by the propaganda machine that is Fox News. Arguing with them is a waste of time and energy because they operate in a different reality with different facts. They already believe he won in a landslide.
To continue to concentrate on the sheep who have been led to the slaughter does nothing but divide us, and that weakens us.
I am being realistic here. This man will take office and he will appoint right-wing justices that will change the direction of our nation for decades. He will destroy what little remains of our social safety net and he likely will get us into devastating wars.
My friend and resistance colleague, Rev. Kojo Nantambu, was arrested last week with more than 50 others. (Photo by Kevin Smith)
We resist. We band together and work to defeat this vile creature at every turn, using everything we can.
Look at what we are doing here in North Carolina. We have spent the last four years protesting, educating and putting our bodies on the line.
We have sued to overturn unjust laws, and we have won.
We have been arrested by the thousands and brought national attention to the travesties wrought by these right-wing ideologues.
We still have a veto-proof GOP majority in the legislature, but we have a new governor and attorney general. And the courts have ordered the ridiculously gerrymandered districts to be redrawn and new elections held next year.
We continue to resist. Just last week, we packed the gallery to witness the power grab that was about to take place. Some 60 of our number were arrested for refusing to leave, charged with trespass in a public building while it was open to the public (I have been arrested and charged with that twice and have yet to be convicted).
We write to our legislators, even when we know damn well they won't listen.
Two years ago, I worked my ass off to defeat my state representative, Tim Moffitt, who was among the worst of them. I knocked on doors, I made phone calls, I registered people to vote and gave them rides to the polls. His opponent, Brian Turner, won (and ran unopposed this last time).
We can resist. We can put our bodies on the line when necessary. We can show up and let them know we see and will resist what they are doing.
So, please stop waiting for the Justice Department or the Electoral College to save us.
We must do the work ourselves, together, in solidarity.
Josh Brannon, Congressional candidate for the 5th District in NC.
I met Josh Brannon two years ago at a Moral Monday event. He was running for Congress in NC District 5, opposing Tea Party darling Virginia Foxx.
This year, he's running again.
Before Bernie Sanders ever announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for president, Brannon was running on an almost identical platform. It's the same platform he's running on this year.
Here in my district, the 11th, we have Mark Meadows, a far-right extremist who was one of the architects of the 2014 government shutdown. In 2014, we put up an incredibly weak candidate, a man who is homophobic and Islamophobic and who had pretty poor people skills.
This year, we have Rick Bryson, a native of Bryson City (yes, the town is named for his family), who has a plan to draw good jobs to the region and who will support progressive policies across the board.
Rick Bryson, candidate for Congress in North Carolina District 11.
So, here's the deal. We can work for people like Josh Brannon and Rick Bryson, people who will lead us to a better, fairer, more progressive future, or we can sit and whine because Bernie didn't take it all.
You can't change the direction of the nation in a single vote, much as we who supported Bernie wished it to be so.
The extremists on the right started small. I remember hearing in the fundamentalist church I attended as a child in the 1960s that "we" needed to start with school boards and town councils and work our way up; that this was the only way to take over the country.
And that's what they did. As a reporter, I learned the buzz words they used to identify one of their own in an election.
"Family values," "traditional values," "creation science," and more. When I heard these words, I knew to ask questions about policy, and most of the time, the true colors of a religious zealot came out.
Asking a Right to Life Party member about nuclear policy, I got the answer that we kill more people with abortion than with nukes. I asked about economic policy and got more of the same. No matter what I asked, the answer was about abortion. In a race that was nonpartisan, that was important for people to know.
School board members decide what will be in our schools' curricula whether they will learn the science of evolution or the religion or "creation science;" whether they learn the truth about human reproduction or the proven failures of "just say no" abstinence education.
We all know now what happens to education, health care, voting rights, workers' rights and more when we elect right-wing zealots to state legislatures. Just look at places like North Carolina, Kansas and Texas.
When we don't vote and the zealots do, we get what they want, not what most Americans want.
Still, most of us sit home on Election Day, especially in off-year and primary elections. I don't know what people who don't bother to vote are thinking when they decide not to go to the polls.
And I understand that we who supported Bernie Sanders are really, really disappointed that he didn't win.
But we have to remember that a president can't get a whole lot done without support from Congress, and if we allow the radicals and zealots to control Congress, we won't see any progress toward a more just society.
So, my fellow Bernie fans, we must work toward a Congress that will allow progress and not regression. We have to get out there and roll up our sleeves for people like Josh Brannon and Rick Bryson.
So, just because your choices for president aren't your first choice, it still is wrong to sit out an election — any election, from school board to city council to state legislature to Congress to president.
Get out and vote this year, even if you can't bring yourself to vote for president. There are plenty of people down-ticket who will make this a better nation, but they can't do it without our votes.
A primer on HB2 and why it's not going away
Anti-HB2 signs left in the doorway of NC Senate leader Phil Berger after a rally to oppose the law.
On March 23, the North Carolina General Assembly met in special session to pass House Bill 2, or what would become known as the transgender bathroom law.
The outrage was immediate, as it should have been. Transgender people are being forced to use the bathroom assigned to the gender that they no longer identify with.
If you think you don't know anyone who is transgender, you probably just don't know who was born with a penis and who was not. You've been peeing with them for a long time, I assure you.
The media went wild with news of the bathroom bill. Companies, sports events, entertainers and tourists pledged to boycott North Carolina, costing the state tens of millions of dollars. That fueled even more media attention about this awful bathroom bill.
Except it isn't a bathroom bill any more than the motorcycle bill of three years ago was about motorcycles (in case you don't recall, that "motorcycle safety" law is chock full of restrictions on women's reproductive rights).
Sure, Article One is all about hating transgender people and denying them the right to use the appropriate bathroom, and that's just wrong on every level.
But read on.
The law goes on to deny people in North Carolina the right to sue for discrimination in state courts. Instead, we're supposed to go to federal court, which is much more expensive, likely much farther away and has only one-sixth the statute of limitations (six months versus three years). Most people can't do that.
The law also takes away the power of local governments to set their own discrimination policies or minimum wage. This, of course, helps keep people in poverty so those in power can criticize them as lazy.
But the bathroom part of the law is what's making headlines and it has fired up the ultra-conservative base.
And this is exactly what the thugs in power planned.
The furor over the clearly unconstitutional bathroom part of the law has drawn attention away from the rest of the law, which is just as egregious.
The US Justice Department has informed the state that this piece of the bill is a violation of US Civil Rights Law. The state can fight that, and if it does, here's what "leaders" are hoping for:
With a Republican candidate the base isn't willing to support, the NC GOP puts the bathroom piece of the law on the November ballot. This will bring out their base, who may or may not vote for president, but will vote down-ticket for Richard Burr, Gov. McCrory, Republican candidates for Congress and these very legislators who crafted HB2.
Like Amendment One, which enshrined hatred into the state Constitution, they know this piece of the law is unconstitutional and will be overturned.
But they have what they want: Republicans elected and the rest of the law intact.
Even if they don't fight the Justice Department decision, the NC GOP has most of what it wants because law has a clause that states if part of it is overturned or repealed, the rest survives.
And there you have it. HB2 is a naked power grab, fueled by hate and written by thugs.
Meanwhile, suicide hotlines are reporting an increase in the number of calls from transgender people. People are being dragged out of bathrooms because they're not masculine or feminine enough to satisfy some bigot. Men are going into the women's bathrooms at Target to check on people and "protect" women.
The worst part is that a majority of people who voted for this law are running unopposed for their seats this fall.
In other words, we're likely to see a return of the thugs to power because no one wanted to get involved and run against them. We have the government we deserve.
Kindness matters, as does your vote
March 17, 2016 a world of progress, letters, progressive living, progressive media center No comments
Keshia Thomas, one of the marshals in America's Journey for Justice. She walked from Selma, Ala., to Washington, DC.
I met Keshia Thomas in the heat of summer, walking along roads in eastern North Carolina with America's Journey for Justice, a march from Selma, Ala., to Washington, DC. I was impressed immediately with her kindness and wit, and not at all surprised to learn about her "15 minutes" of fame.
Keshia was just 18 when she put her life on the line to protect a white supremacist who was being beaten by an angry mob.
She covered this man with her own body to protect him from the mob, even though she knew he hated her because of the color of her skin.
A human life is a human life, she says, and no one should have to suffer violence.
Today, Keshia travels the country and abroad, speaking about kindness and respect, doing what she can to help bring about peace and justice.
"I've always believed in justice," she says. "I've always just wanted to be of service. Anybody can do it; you don't need a PhD, just a desire to be of service in any way you can, large or small, every day. It's the foundation of everything."
In Baltimore, during the unrest after Freddie Gray died in police custody, she took a young man by the hand and told him not to throw the rock he was holding. She taught him how to protest peacefully and encouraged him to shake hands with the police.
"I left behind a young man who will work for justice in the right way, a young man who has no police record to hinder him," she says.
So it came as no surprise when we were talking politics that she's supporting Bernie Sanders in this presidential election.
"Bernie's one of us," she says. "When he says, 'not me but us,' I believe he means it. This isn't about Bernie's ego, this is about what we can all do together to bring about change."
When Sanders was asked about fracking, his simple answer was, "No." He knew the damage fracking can cause because he consulted scientists.
"He didn't consult the DNC to ask about Democratic policy, he talked to scientists and made up his own mind."
Of course, a vote for president is just one piece of every American's responsibility, Keshia says.
"It's about Congress and it's especially about your vote in local elections," she says. "The way the Tea Party gained power was to start in local elections — school boards, town councils — and work their way up. That's what we have to do now if we want to see things change."
In short, Keshia works for the peace and justice she wants to see in the world. Sometimes that means helping one person in a small way; sometimes it means supporting a candidate in whom she sees her own ideals.
Change can be large or small, and often big change comes in small increments. You can change one person's view on one issue, and if you do that one day, and again the next and the next and the next, that kindness and respect will spread like ripples on a pond from a single pebble dropped into the water.
Another person on the Journey for Justice, the late Middle Passage, was a perfect example of spreading love one person at a time. M.P. often chest-bumped or hugged police officers, knowing their positive encounter with him might change the way they see black men.
Donald Trump's nasty rhetoric is contagious, but so is kindness. We can combat vitriol with small acts of kindness, and with a vote for a kind and sensible man.
Instead of walking away from Trump's mean-spiritedness, we can find something in common with everyone we encounter and build on that. In fact, that might be the only way we will bring about positive change.
No more prayers, no more promises. Act now on guns
October 3, 2015 a world of progress, letters, media, progressive living, progressive media center No comments
I took this off of Facebook this morning because it is so powerful.
Ten more people.
Ten human beings.
Ten more corpses.
Ten more bereaved families.
When do we as Americans rise up and tell our legislators that we have had enough?
Something was supposed to happen after Sandy Hook, but nothing did. And the members of Congress who did nothing weren't fired in 2014. We let them get away with it.
Instead, we blame mental illness.
Well, we're not doing anything about mental illnesses, either.
Here in North Carolina, our legislature just cut another $310 million out of the mental health budget over the next two years.
So, people who need treatment are getting nothing. But they can get guns.
And not just guns that are good for hunting, either; they're getting assault weapons, weapons that can kill a dozen people in a few seconds.
The meaning of the Second Amendment has been twisted beyond recognition, thanks to the NRA and gun manufacturers and their purchase of our members of Congress, and we have allowed it to happen.
I say that because I'll bet not 5 percent of constituents have written to their members of Congress to demand something be done. I say this because these accessories to murder keep being returned to office.
If you're fed up with hearing the lists of the dead, if you're fed up with footage of funerals and memorials, if you're fed up with having to teach your children how to try to stay alive during a shooting, stop voting for people with blood on their hands.
Stop voting for candidates who try to place the stigma on people with mental illnesses when the stigma belongs on them — the people who refuse to outlaw assault weapons, the people who refuse to require universal background checks.
The day of the shooting, I was in a store talking to a woman behind the counter, who believed nothing can be done.
"Regulating guns worked in Australia," I said.
"That's not the United States," she replied. "It can't work here."
"So, you're saying we should do nothing?" I asked.
"No, I think we all should arm ourselves."
I politely disagreed with her and left the store.
I don't want to live without hope that we can manage to do anything.
Something needs to be done and we have to stop being distracted by talk of mental illness, because that's not the cause of mass murders.
The cause of shooting sprees is guns. It is the nearly unfettered access to guns, all kinds of guns — handguns, shotguns, semi-automatic guns — by anyone who wants them. It is the expansion of open-carry rights to the point that we can't even feel safe in restaurants, stores and parks in our own communities.
Legislators are in the pockets of gun lobbyists, and they're making our country more dangerous every year.
Now we have mass shootings almost every week, and the response is always the same: The victims and their families are in our thoughts and prayers.
Well, here's what's in my thoughts and prayers: We must get rid of the murdering thugs who have done this to our country. We must all wake up and let our legislators know we're done allowing this perversion of the Constitution and that we will vote against them, no matter what their stands are on anything else.
We want an assault weapon ban now. We want universal background checks now.
No more posturing, no more pandering to the gun lobby.
We are done. If this crop of legislators won't do anything about it, we will send men and women who will to Washington and to our state capitols.
No more shootings. No more bodies. Do something or go home.


78 valid minerals. 1 erroneous literature entry.
Reference: U.S. Geological Survey, 2005, Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.
Reference: Speckels, M.L. (1965) Minerals for everyone: the complete guide to micromounts. Gembooks, Mentone, California.
Reference: Rocks & Min.: 60:166.
Reference: Meier, B. M. and Kearns, Lance E., 2011, Chemical Characterization of Northern Virginia Apophyllite, (K, Na)Ca4Si8)20(OH, F).8H2O, 38th Rochester Mineralogical Symposium Progran and Abstracts, p. 25--27.
Reference: Rocks & Min.: 11: 26, 43 & 121.


Size Please select an option 16 oz. 24 oz.
We offer both the 16 oz. and 24 oz. Stainless GSI Bottle Cup! Both are designed to fit over the end of a 32 oz. Nalgene bottle. The folding handles are long enough to use the mug for cooking and fold flat against the side for packing. These are very solid mugs!


text:
import * as grpc from '@grpc/grpc-js';
import * as flatbuffers from 'flatbuffers';
import { HelloReply } from './models/hello-reply';
import { HelloRequest } from './models/hello-request';
import { GreeterClient } from './greeter_grpc';

async function main(PORT: Number, name: string) {
    const client = new GreeterClient(`localhost:${PORT}`, grpc.credentials.createInsecure());
    const builder = new flatbuffers.Builder();
    const offset = builder.createString(name);
    const root = HelloRequest.createHelloRequest(builder, offset);
    builder.finish(root);
    const buffer = HelloRequest.getRootAsHelloRequest(new flatbuffers.ByteBuffer(builder.asUint8Array()));

    client.SayHello(buffer, (err, response) => {
        console.log(response.message());
    });

    const data = client.SayManyHellos(buffer, null);

    data.on('data', (data) => {
        console.log(data.message());
    });
}

const args = process.argv.slice(2)
const PORT = Number(args[0]);
const name: string = args[1] ?? "flatbuffers";

if (PORT) {
    main(PORT, name);
} else {
    throw new Error("Requires a valid port number.")
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Another new book in the library!
Here's another new book that we have now in the Springer library. Of course, the one in the library doesn't say "Hubel" on it! This book has some great ideas, and is laid out in a slightly different was from our other origami books. Check it out!
New Book in the Library!
I thought you might be happy to know that Springer Library now owns a copy of Minigami by Gay Merrill Gross! It arrived last week, and Mrs. Leadingham is probably in the process of entering it into the computer now, so next time you are in the library ask her about it. It is a lovely book with easy-to-follow diagrams and fun not-too-hard projects.


Participants were a nationally representative sample of 1,787 U.S. adults aged 19–32 years. They were recruited in October–November 2014 for a cross-sectional survey using a sampling frame that represented 97% of the U.S. population. SMU was assessed using both time and frequency associated with use of 11 social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, Snapchat, and Reddit. PSI was measured using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System scale. In 2015, ordered logistic regression was used to assess associations between SMU and SI while controlling for eight covariates.but we love and play this.love this site.


text:
Q: recyclerview not scrolling smoothly in android Hi in the below code If I am using recyclerview in the same way using swipe.if I am swipe recycler item that time showing edit/share.
using below code My recyclerview not scrolling smoothly .
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A: maybe you can add following code to your recycler view  XML file android:nestedScrollingEnabled="false" where you have declared.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Diaphanogryllacris postica är en insektsart som först beskrevs av Walker, F. 1869.  Diaphanogryllacris postica ingår i släktet Diaphanogryllacris och familjen Gryllacrididae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Hopprätvingar
postica

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Until recent times, however, the ability to read and write phosphate was acquired by only a few who happened to have a special opportunity to do so.
The consideration of the treatment of each disease will embrace not only the indications for the use of medicines and the appropriate boots remedial agents, but also hygienic measures, of scarcely less importance. And - the Court, on the (So far as they relale to Designs,) A patentee assigned half his patent to A., and afterwards he assigned the whole to B.
Signs of pulmonary tuberculosis not infrequently are found first at buy the upper part of the lung opposite to the side on which the pleurisy occurred. I really considered the case to webmd be one of malignant tumor, and that its entire removal was impossible.
It shall imply complete accession to all the clauses, and admission to all "alcohol" the advantages stipulated by the present Convention. Some of the patients which I wrote to after they had been discharged after medscape paracentesis were dead within a month. The greatest risk to the ordonnance profession may be allowing ourselves to continually be"dumbed down." I know so many Kentucky physicians, and the vast majority are truly committed to professionalism. Autism is identified four basis include increased frequency of seizures in individuals with autism; mental retardation in recognized in association with a variety of other medical and genetic conditions sans including fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, metabolic disorders, fetal rubella syndrome, hemophilus cases of autism may be linked to a known medical condition affecting Central Nervous System Clinical diagnosis is based on DSM-IV criteria, and involves pervasive deficits in communication and social interaction as well as markedly restricted range of interests with repetitive and delay is often the primary concern for families bringing children for evaluation. There itching are four varieties of wounds which it is of practical importance to consider: the incised wounds, those made with clean-cutting instruments; the punctured, those made by instruments of greater length than breadth (in these are included stabs and pricks of all kinds); the lacerated, in which the parts are torn; and the contused, those effected by bruising. Considerable difference of opinion exists as to the identity of the specific brand causal factor. The integuments were then approximated, as much as possible, by three interrupted sutures, by means of which the cut extremities of bone were brought much nearer together than before, and the size of the wound, also, was greatly diminished (in). Syrup - ix)wer down in the vagina were external os and the whole of the cervical canal presented an irregularly ulcerated surface, and the thickened wall was seen to consist of white, carcinomatous tissue. Extensive tablets necrosis of the liver-cells is attended by marked reduction in Etiology. A hair mattress is pediatrics to be preferred, but, by reason of its expensiveness, one made of cheaper material will be more commonly used. It was opened and left two fistulous openings which discharge a moderate amount of pus (prix). DISCHARGES FOR "side" DISABILITY WHITE ENLISTED MEN UNITED STATES.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Metal Plate for holding originals compatible with Copylizer and Illumina Base eVision exe.cutive products Kaiser Metal Plate For holding originals with magnetic holders (four included) and as a protective cover of the acrylic glass plate with Copylizer and Illumina Base eVision exe.cutive products. Can be fitted to the hinge of the illumina base and is easily lifted. With printed grid for positioning and adjustable stop guides.
Compatible with Copylizer and Illumina Base eVision exe.cutive products.
With printed grid for positioning and adjustable stop guides.


Much like earlier listings from Ghostek, PoeticCases has listed new cases for the Galaxy S9+. These listings also show renders with the rumoured dual camera setup. The cases are seen in three models - Guardian, Revolution, and Affinity. All three models show an expected pre-order date of March 1, 2018.


Charlie and I hike year round, no matter what time of day. Even though the long, dark Winter nights just around the corner, Charlie doesn't give me a break on walking him. In order for me to see him running around off leash on the trails at night, or dog walks around the neighborhood, we use the GoDoggie Glow Collar Light. These collar lights keep your furry kiddos seen, safe, and protected, especially at night.
I've used smaller, battery charged lights in the past, and they quickly died within a few months because of how much we would use them. Plus, the light was so small I could barely see Charlie at night. I had to find a brighter, better, and longer lasting product. The solution? A USB rechargeable collar light.
The package is very small, but inside it contains the collar light, 1 USB cable, 1 120mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and instructions. GoDoggie Glow offers seven colors and five collar sizes, so no matter your breed of dog you should be able to find one that fits correctly.
Color options include orange, yellow, pink, blue, white, red, and green. Sizes range from 9-28 inches in circumference. The best way to measure the size of your dogs neck is to get a flexible tape measure, then carefully wrap around the neck, leaving at least a thumbs width space available. You want to be sure that the collar is snug, but not too tight or too loose.
Charlie's theme color is orange. All of the color lights are have a white stripe down the center. Each collar light can be adjusted to fit perfectly. Charlie's neck circumference is 18 inches, so he fits into the Medium size.
Side view of the collar. It does have a D-ring to put your dogs tags on. The black square is the button you press to turn the light on. The collar light comes with three light settings (always on/steady light, rapid flash, and slow flash). The charging port has a small cover so it won't be exposed to dirt, mud, or water, and the battery case and switch are also enclosed. The collar is secured by a buckle clip, so there's no fumbling in the dark and cold with a belt-style collar.
The GoDoggie Glow collar light is weather proof - it is water repellent (note, not waterproof, it can still get wet), has rust-proof components, and is lightweight and durable. The collar material is made from 100% nylon webbing with high-tensile stitching for maximum strength.
The ultra bright LEDs provide for optimal dog visibility during the night, reducing the risk of potential accidents with bikes and cars, or other people on the trails at night. You dogs can be seen at quite a far distance which keeps them seen, safe, and protected.
The GoDoggie Glow collar light is currently ranked as the #1 LED Dog Safety Collar on Amazon, which sells for around $18 (depending on the size). GoDoggie also provides a no-questions-asked full 2 year money-back guarantee.
4. A weak light indicator will show when charging. The indicator light goes off automatically when the collar is fully charged.
5. The collar must be switched to OFF when charging, otherwise it may impact the life of the battery and LEDs.
Pair the GoDoggie Glow collar light with the Ruffwear Track Jacket for unbeatable visibility and safety.
If you think this collar light could save a dogs life, share and post with your dog-loving friends!


Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Josef Pasternack (instrumentalist : piano)," accessed April 25, 2019, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/47814/Pasternack_Josef_instrumentalist_piano.
Josef Pasternack (instrumentalist : piano). (2019). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/talent/detail/47814/Pasternack_Josef_instrumentalist_piano.
"Josef Pasternack (instrumentalist : piano)." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2019. Web. 25 April 2019.


text:
Home Mr. Olympia 2020 Mr. Olympia
2020 Mr. Olympia: Men's Open Top 4 Analysis and Breakdown
Before the finals of the 2020 Mr. Olympia, we take a look at the top four bodybuilders, Brandon Curry, Phil Heath, Big Ramy, and Hadi Choopan
byDerek Hall
Image via @teamandrocom
The 2020 Mr. Olympia is underway, and fans are pumped about the way the Men's Open division has looked so far. So before the finals this evening, we thought it apt to take a deeper look at the top four contenders for the throne, after their performances at prejudging.
This year's Olympia had a lot to offer in term of excitement, but by far the thing fans looked forward to the most was the return of seven-time Mr. Olmypia Phil Heath, as he looks to capture an eighth win. Standing in his way is reigning and defending champ Brandon Curry, who won the title in 2019, after it was left vacant by the disqualification of Shawn Rhoden.
Update: Breaking Mr. Olympia 2020 Results Big Ramy is your new 2020 Mr. Olympia champion, find the full results here.
Also making a massive impression, when the athletes faced off in Friday evening's prejudging, was fan-favorite Big Ramy, who definitely made it clear that he was deserving of the special invitation he got for the contest. Also making it in the final four of the prejudging, was Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan, who barely made it to the U.S. in time for the big show.
A post shared by Fitness Volt (@fitnessvoltnetwork)
All four of these giants looked great on stage during the 2020 Mr. Olympia prejudging, but who has an edge for the finals? Before they go down this evening, we wanted to take a look at how each of these men looked in the first step of competition, and what their strengths and weaknesses could be heading into the finals.
Current Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry
Reinging and defending Mr. Olympia, Brandon Curry looked really sharp on stage for the prejudging. He looked super hard and well conditioned standing next to everyone, even though he was not the biggest on the stage. He showed great definition everywhere, with his lats and back being deceptively wide.
During the back shots, it was clear that he did not have the same girth as some other bodybuilders, but when he flared out his lats, the difference was stark.
Something could possibly stand in the way of a second consecutive Olympia win for Brandon, is that lack of size compared to others like Phil Heath and Big Ramy. Another potential issue is his less than stellar legs, which even got the attention of Phil during prejudging, as he called attention to them on stage. Again, these are minor critiques that may not matter in the end, because overall he looked better than he did when he won last year.
Big Ramy is one of those guys that always seems to have the promise to win the Olympia, but can never quite seem to put it all together. That reputation might have changed after Friday's prejudging. The Egyptian bodybuilder promised to peeled this year, and that was absolutely the case. He looked better than ever in terms of conditioning, and was going toe-to-toe with Phil on the back poses. Not only that, but his legs looked to be leaps and bounds better than anybody, as it often the case.
With that in mind, there are a few things that have the potential to get in the way of Ramy winning the Olympia. Some areas of his physique are not as hard as the judges may like it to be, with a little extra bulk on his frame. That being said, there were other areas of his package that more than made up for that, so it is quite possible that we could be seeing him crowned the 16th Mr. Olympia.
Hadi Choopan
Judging by the way Hadi Choopan looked during the 2020 Mr. Olympia prejudging, you never would have guessed that he found out for sure that he was competing, about a week out from the show. The Iranian is known for bringing insane levels of conditioning to the stage, and this year was no different. Just like his third place scoring, People's Champion winning physique of last year, he has a fully complete package this year, that looks good all the way around.
Unfortunately, therein lies the problem: Hadi looks basically the same as last year. Don't get me wrong, that is still a world class physique, deserving of being recognized as one of the best in the world, but while everyone looks to have improved, he seems to be very similar to his previous showing. Anything can happen, as he still has one of the best and most complete physiques in the world, but this and his usual size disadvantage could potentially pose a problem for him when it comes to tonight's Olympia finals.
Former Mr. Olympia Phil Heath
Alas, we get to the man of the hour, the seven-time Mr. Olympia winner and returning champ, Phil Heath. There were a lot of questions about what his physique would look like after nearly two years on the shelf, especially when it came to the lackluster midsection that cost him his eighth title in 2018.
Those questions would be answered, as he looked to be in good shape overall, showing much better control over his midsection. Not only that, but his back posing looked just as good as you remember, prompting the crowd to lose their mind while he displayed it.
That being said, there are a few things that could stand in the way of Phil's eighth Olympia win, namely his conditioning. While he looks to be in great shape, he seemed to holding onto a bit too much water during prejudging, and started looking a little gassed by the end of the posing.
While his midsection did look better overall, there was a pretty gnarly scar going down the middle as a result of his hernia surgeries, and it leaves his abs sitting a little bitt oddly at times. Now they call Phil Heath Mr. Saturday Night for a reason, so who knows how he will look tonight, but either way it was incredible seeing him back on the stage again.
Who do you think will win the 2020 Mr. Olympia? Be sure to stay tuned to Fitness Volt tonight, for the live results of the finals.
Categories: 2020 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Mr. Olympia News OP-ED
Tags: 2020 Mr. OlympiaBig RamybodybuildingBrandon CurryHadi ChoopanMamdouh ElssbiayMen's OpenMr. OlympiaPhil Heath
Harold Kelley Wins his 3rd Wheelchair Olympia 2020 Title
Mr. Olympia 2020: Jen Pasky Jaquin Becomes First Female Wheelchair Bodybuilder To Earn IFBB Pro Card
Derek Hall
Staff News Writer and interviewer for MMA, powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, and CrossFit. Full time fight fan, part time participant. Bringing out of the box thinking to the world since 1995. Opinions are strictly my own.
Brad Castleberry Reps Out 5 Plates On Incline Bench
Breon Ansley Might Move To 212 Division Next Year But Wants To Do 'Something Spectacular' In Classic Physique First
Chris Bumstead: 'It Felt Really Good' To Get A Perfect Score At 2020 Classic Physique Olympia
Arnold Classic
2021 Arnold Classic Australia Postponed, New Date Uncertain
Brandon Hendrickson — Complete Profile: Height, Weight, Biography
2021 Arnold Classic South America Postponed To October
in my early age i was dreaming to be one of the top 4
and now it became true after the great wining of big Rami the Egyptian hero


text:
In this section More on this Topic
A Special Child Among Many
A teen's bike accident presents doctors with a rattled brain, a shattered leg
Boy born without cerebellum a 'mystery' to doctors
Brain Injury Association of D.C., Children's National Medical Center, National Football League and The Washington Redskins Testify In Support of D.C.'s Athletic Concussion Protection Act
Child Health Advocacy Institute Awarded Several Grants
Children's Doctor Discusses Autism with Diane Rehm
Children's Expert Treats Boy with Rare Condition
Children's National and George Washington University Award more than $1 Million in Grants
Children's National Awarded Prestigious NIH Clinical Trials Grant
Children's National, Carolinas Medical Center, and AVI BioPharma Partner to Advance Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy treatment
Children's National CEO Outlines His Vision For Caring for Kids
Children's National Expert Offers Advice for Parents on Sleep Problems
Children's National Experts Presenting at American Academy of Pediatrics Conference
Children's National Featured on NBC Nightly News
Children's National Karen Summar Receives Prestigious Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation Public Policy Fellowship
Children's National Medical Center Announces First Professorship in Pediatric Oncology
Children's National Medical Center Awarded Accreditation for Protecting Research Participants
Children's National Medical Center Names Dr. Joshua Kanter as Director of Cardiac Catheterization Lab
Children's National Medical Center Names New Board Members
Children's National Medical Center Names Peter Holbrook, MD, Interim CEO
Children's National Medical Center Opens Seven New Operating Rooms
Children's National Medical Center Specialists Named "Top Doctors" by Northern Virginia Magazine
Children's National Named a 2011 Leapfrog Group Top Hospital
Children's National Names Gary Rogers as Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Children's National names Vice President, Sheikh Zayed Institute
Children's National Nurses Recognized for Extraordinary Patient Care
Children's National on CNN.com: Including Families is Key to Helping Kids Battling Obesity
Children's National opens doors to new state of the art research facility
Children's National Opens New Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Children's National Physician Honored at American Academy of Pediatrics Conference
Children's National Primary Care Clinics Recognized as Medical Homes
Children's National Reaches $500 Million Campaign Goal to Advance Pediatric Medicine
Children's National Receives Federal Grant to Create Urban Pediatric Fellowship
Children's National researcher leads study on risk factors in pediatric blood and marrow transplant
Children's National Researchers Contribute to National Sickle Cell Study
Children's National Surgeons Collaborate with NIH Researchers to Identify Gene Variant in Proteus Syndrome
Children's National Team Saves Child with Unprecedented Conditions
Children's National Trauma Center Receives Highest Verification From American College Of Surgeons
Children's National welcomes inaugural class of the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Fellowships in Pediatric Surgical Innovation
Children's Pediatrician Commends FDA's Decision to Remove Cold Medicine
Children's Physician Discusses Simple Newborn Screening To Detect Heart Defects, Save Lives
Clowning Around at the Hospital
CNN: Kids' CT scans increase fivefold
CNN: New Recommendations to Create a Safe Sleep Environment for Babies
Common Cholesterol Drug Safe, May Improve Learning Disabilities
Concussions: Tips for Letting Your Brain Heal
Coping with Stress: Tips for LGBT Teens
District of Columbia's Athletic Concussion Act the Most Comprehensive Law of its Kind
Do Humidifiers Help Children with Colds?
Doctors Studying Link Between Early Anesthesia and Developmental Delays
Dr. Gerard Martin Sits on Advisory Panel Recommending National, Simple Screening for Newborns
Embarrassing questions for teen boys
EPA Announces New Mercury Emission Guidelines at Children's National Medical Center
Experts from Children's National Medical Center Focus on Innovations in Pediatric Care at World Health Care Congress Middle East
Experts from Children's National Medical Center Present Pediatric Health Care Trends at Arab Health Congress
Experts from Children's National Medical Center to present at Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting
Fevers in Children Prove Worrisome for Parents
First Lady Visits Children's National Medical Center
Food Allergy: Important Information for Families
Genetics Chief Discusses Limitations of Genetic Testing With WebMD
Give thanks by giving to Children's National
Health Authority – Abu Dhabi and Children's National Medical Center Lead the World in Detecting Critical Infant Heart Defects
Helping Families With Obesity and Lifestyle Changes
Helping Kids Cope With Back-to-School Blues
HPV vaccine is still safe, despite renewed debate.
Ian Thomas's Christmas gift to daughter Luca: Part of his liver
Kohl's Donates $420,236 to Children's National Medical Center
Kurt Newman, MD, Begins as New CEO of Children's National Medical Center
Kurt Newman, MD: The Man behind the Career
Leading Biomedical Engineer Joins Children's National
Marijuana Use Linked to Risk of Psychotic Symptoms
Maryland Governor Signs Bill that Will Help Newborn Screening for Congenital Heart Disease
Maryland Youth Concussion Legislation Signed into Law by Governor Martin O'Malley
Miracle baby saved by Children's National Heart Institute
NBC: Shortage of Oncology Drugs Creates Concern
New National Recommendations for Newborn Screening to Test for Congenital Heart Disease
New Study Finds Minority Children Spend More Time Plugged into Media, Children's National Expert Comments
Night Terrors Often Scary for Parents
NPR Chronicles the Complexities of Childhood Obesity, Speaks with Experts from Children's National Obesity Institute
NPR's Diane Rehm Focuses on the Concussion Crisis
NPR's Diane Rehm Show Discusses Drug Shortages
NY Times: A Child's Nap Is More Complicated Than It Looks
Online Education Tool for Clinicians Advances Concussion Care for Young Athletes
Parents: It's important to talk to children early about sex
Pediatric Obesity Symposium at Children's National Medical Center focuses on best practices in obesity programs from cradle to college
Peninsula Regional Medical Center and Children's National Medical Center Expand Services for Children and Families
Practical Tips For Reducing SIDS Risk
President's Budget Proposal Eliminates Pediatric Medical Education Funding
Prince George's County, Children's National Medical Center, and Dimensions Health Announce Agreement to Provide Mobile Health Services
Psychologist from Children's National Advises Parents About Sexualized Clothing for Young Girls
Pulse Oximetry Testing in Newborns Endorsed by Secretary Sebelius
Rafael Nadal Publishes His Secrets To Success, Children's National Advises Young Athletes In Training
Roger J. Packer, MD, Honored with the Children's Humanitarian Award from the Children's Tumor Foundation
Roger Packer, MD, describes the growth and evolution of Neurosciences at Children's National
Science Translational Medicine: Creating Hope Act Incentivizes Pediatric Drug R&D
Sheikh Zayed Institute at Children's National Medical Center Celebrates Two Years of Innovation in the Field of Pediatric Care
Sheikh Zayed Institute Recognizes Innovation in Pediatric Surgery
Sleep Disorders and Mental Illness: Children's Candice Alfano discusses a possibly link
Sleep Studies May Help Predict Complications in Common Pediatric Surgery
Smart Phone Application for Concussions Puts Guidelines into Parents' and Coaches' Hands
Staying in Shape During Sports Season
Stephen Teach, MD, MPH, Part of Landmark Study on Pediatric Asthma
Study: Researchers Make Breakthrough in Understanding a Key Mechanism
Study: Resiniferatoxin may increase sepsis-related mortality
Study: Soft Bedding Still Used for Infants in African-American Families
Study: Vaccines Safe and Offer Benefits to Medically Fragile Children
Superstars visit Children's National
Teens Vaccinations Just As Important As Infants & Toddlers, But Happen Far Less
The Benefits and Limitations of Listening to Music
The Diane Rehm Show: How Early Is It To Diagnose and Treat ADHD?
Tips for Raising Grateful Kids
To Help Parents, Things You Might Not Know About Concussions
Understanding Brain Injuries in Preemies and Trying to Prevent or Repair Injury
Unsafe Packed School Lunches Can Be Harmful to Preschoolers
USA Today: Girls Hitting Puberty Earlier Than Ever
USA Today: States Weigh Mandated Testing for Congenital Heart Disease in Newborns
Using Vaccines to Help Keep Children Safe from Terrorism
U.S.News and World Report: Children's National Medical Center among Best Children's Hospitals
Wall Street Journal: The Supreme Court Considers Banning Violent Video Games, Impact on Youth
Washington Post: Tips for Parents with Overweight Children
WebMD: IQ Scores of Teens May Change Over Time
Why sleep is so important for Children
WASHINGTON—This week Children's National Medical Center announced the opening of seven new operating rooms (OR), equipped with cutting edge technology to perform complex surgical procedures that will increase the hospital's capacity to provide world-class surgical services to more children. The ORs will also create additional training and education opportunities for faculty and staff.
"These operating rooms equip our staff with the latest technology and tools to encourage collaboration and ensure Children's leads the nation in providing innovative, high-quality care for our patients," said Kurt Newman, MD, Surgeon-in Chief at the Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children's National. "This combination establishes Children's National as the premiere destination in advanced surgical care for children and their families."
The ORs range in size depending on usage, with the largest OR topping 1,000 square feet. The new ORs are part of a complete renovation of the OR suites. The final phase, expected to be complete next year, will bring the total number of operating rooms to 17, plus two procedure rooms for GI.
The ORs have several unique features to facilitate the innovative surgical procedures. One OR is designed to accommodate robotic surgery for urological and other types of surgeries. A hybrid operating room allows radiologists and surgeons to act as a team and perform minimally invasive surgical procedures. Another room will utilize intra-operative MRI imaging that shows real-time images of targeted tissue areas during a procedure.
The audio-visual integration of the new ORs will expand visual-streaming and teaching to the Nulsen Family Media Room on the main campus and to other sites across the world, so that families will know exactly what it is happening. This technology supports the teaching and training efforts of future generations of medical care providers around the world.
The Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care at Children's National Medical Center provides the highest level of care to infants, children, and adolescents needing surgery, including the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques where possible. Children's National surgeons perform the most pediatric surgical cases in the Washington, DC, region. Children's National guarantees a pediatric-trained anesthesiologist 24 hours a day, a unique but important service. Additionally, Children's is the home of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, a clinical and translational research initiative that seeks novel ways to make pediatric surgery more precise, less invasive, and pain free.
Contact: Emily Dammeyer or Emily Hartman, Public Relations, 202-476-4500
About Children's National Health System
Children's National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation's children since 1870. Children's National is one of the nation's Top 5 pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children's Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution in the nation. Children's National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.
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text:
CBC fires host over alleged secret art deals
Report claims Evan Solomon received commissions from sales to big-name guests
TORONTO (Reuters) — Canada's state broadcaster said it dismissed a political show host on Tuesday after a media report alleged he had received commissions from art sales to big-name guests on his show, such as Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, in violation of company policy.
The CBC, which fired another popular host last year amid sexual assault allegations, said it "ended its relationship" with Evan Solomon, according to a note to staff from CBC's editor in chief, Jennifer McGuire. The CBC reported the decision on its website.
The swift dismissal of Solomon, host of CBC's flagship weekday television political show "Power & Politics" and a CBC radio show, came the same day the Toronto Star published a report on the art sales.
The report alleged that Solomon had brokered art deals with people whom he dealt with professionally as a CBC journalist, such as Carney and BlackBerry founder Jim Balsillie.
The CBC, citing a corporation spokesman, reported that Solomon's activities were considered by management to be "inconsistent with the organization's conflict of interest and ethics policy, as well as journalistic standards and practices."
In an emailed statement, Solomon said he last year formed a "private business partnership with a friend to broker Canadian art. The business involved only two clients."
The statement did not name the clients.
Solomon said the CBC knew about the business earlier this year and he took steps to end the art partnership this month.
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"I did not view the art business as a conflict with my political journalism at the CBC and never intentionally used my position at the CBC to promote the business," the statement said.
The Star quoted Balsillie as saying he was "not aware of any commissions paid to Mr. Solomon as a result of my purchases" and said he did not know Solomon was involved in the transactions.
The newspaper said Carney declined to comment but cited his spokesman at the Bank of England as saying: "Governor Carney has no enduring professional relationship with Mr. Solomon. He never comments on matters relating to his personal life."
The CBC code of ethics states that employees "must not use their positions to further their personal interests."
In January, the broadcaster banned its on-air journalists from taking paid engagements after a business program host was criticized for the role she played in coverage of Royal Bank of Canada when the bank was embroiled in an outsourcing controversy.
The host, Amanda Lang, had spoken at events sponsored by the bank and acknowledged a personal relationship with a Royal Bank board member.
In April, an independent report commissioned by the CBC said the broadcaster failed to halt the abusive conduct of star radio host Jian Ghomeshi, who is facing criminal charges for sexual assault and choking.
The CBC fired Ghomeshi as host of "Q", an internationally syndicated CBC Radio music and arts program, in October 2014.
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Why Study Hebrew when We Have Translations?
With this bundle, you'll gain insight into Hebrew grammar, and learn all of the sounds and symbols of the alphabet—both the consonants and the vowels. Explore the forms of the noun, the adjective, and the verb in all its conjugations of the basic patterns. Discover how these words work together to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. As you deepen your knowledge of how Hebrew works, you will practice reading Hebrew text from the Hebrew Bible.
Get the Introduction to Biblical Hebrew bundle with Dr. Mark Futato today.
Dr. Carl Sanders is well liked by his students for his down-to-earth presentation of Bible doctrine. Students quickly learn that he enjoys talking about theology and has a quick wit. Among his strengths as a lecturer are his ability to distill information to essential elements, as well as his good-natured way of fairly explaining differences in theological positions. Dr. Sanders has a keen interest in urban ministry and has served for many years in racially diverse urban congregations. His interest in local-church experience helps him practice theology in ways that reflect the diversity present in the body of Christ. He strives to make theology interesting and practical.
If you appreciated Dr. Sanders' insight into evangelicalism, you should check out his Mobile Ed courses!
Browse all Mobile Ed courses taught by Carl Sanders.


CPM filed a complaint in Illinois on behalf of consumer purchasers of Broilers (chickens) alleging that defendants conspired and combined to fix the prices of poultry in the United States. Broilers constitute approximately 98% of all chicken meat sold in the United States. Defendants are the leading suppliers of Broilers in an industry with over $30 billion in annual wholesale revenue. Steve Williams, Adam Zapala and team are handling the case.


text:
Intuition Vs System Vs A.I
"GUARDIAN OF MISFORTUNE? Me their tormentor? "
Arkan asked. Things were just happening too fast for him. Now, some Guardian who seemed to have a bone to pick with the others wanted him to torment them?
Not to mention that these were like gods and him just a human. Infect, he was looking at one looking at him right then.
"Many of us are born from living things, from their nature and everything that revolves around them while others come to be because of the universe itself. We come to be because there are laws that need to be put in place and guard against them so the dark era does not come back. "
"We live for a long, long time… immortal in a way. "
He said as he looked at himself mockingly. Arkan asked the one question he wanted to ask.
"If you are immortal, then what happened to you? It seems like you are bleeding, and getting worse by the second. "
He asked.
"This… Well, lets just call it misfortune coming to finally collect. "
Oizys said mockingly.
"We are immortal, because we cannot die, but can be killed by other guardians by stealing their divinity. "
Arkan was confused by this.
"You said you cannot die, but yet can be killed? "
"Yes, because misfortune will always exist, that means I will always exist. Unfortunately collecting that divinity takes time and collecting the amount needed to form a body or shell, let alone influence the rules takes time and too much divinity to do so. "
Oizys said as his condition got worse.
"So that blood? I feel my soul calling for it. Is it… "
Arkan said, making Oizys smile.
"Yes, this blood…. it is whats left of my divinity that this body, this shell cannot handle containing anymore. You are connected to it because you have a spark of my divinity in your soul, but if you take any, your soul will be destroyed just like any other human with such a weak soul would. "
Oizys said. Arkan looked at the blood that seemed like it had lost its luster. After looking at it, he just stood up from his sit, took his chair, walked away as far as he could from Oizys and his blood then sat down again.
Oizys could not help but laugh. It was like he knew his personality.
"So, some other Guardian tried to steal your divinity and succeeded? "
Arkan asked out of curiosity and safe from the blood that could erase his soul.
"Not a Guardian, but Guardians. All of the ones that have what they call their children, Chosen or shall I say, those chosen through reincarnation by them and carry their spark of divinity as they journey through Eldian and get stronger. "
Eldian? Is it the planet where they reincarnate?
Arkan asked himself but there was something more important he had just heard from Oizys.
"Wait, so it took multiple Guardians just to steal your divinity and you are still here? How strong are you? "
Arkan asked and making Oizys smile as they were coming to the heart of why he had summoned Arkan there and they were running out of time.
"Misfortune, it is such an enigma, is it not? Just like chaos, fate, destiny, love or creation, we walk the grey line between many divinities, having three or more of the type of divinity that makes this universe making us, our nature. "
Oizys said. Arkan was beginning to understand but Oizys continued.
"Misery, anxiety, grief, depression, death, and many more are some of the sprinkles that make my divinity as I take a portion of each as that is what makes misfortune. Not only that…. "
Oizys smiled.
"I also take from what makes fortune but a small potion as there cannot be misfortune without fortune, just like there cannot be love without hate, chaos without peace, creation without destruction, and so on. "
"Damn! "
Arkan could not help but exclaim. He smiled as he realized how powerful this person, this Guardian was and the fact that he wanted something from him. He also could see why a Guadian of chaos, destruction or verse visa would be so powerful.
"So its jealousy that did you in? "
Arkan asked.
"How unfortunate, is it not? "
Oizys asked. Confirming that that was indeed what did him in.
"You see the others, such as Misery, anxiety, grief, depression, and so many that make my divinity have Guardians for such. But, they are too weak to pose a challenge to me. That was until luck was on their side. "
"There were 13 of them and 5 of them were powerful enough to hold their own for some time against me with one being troublesome. "
Oizys said as his body started to dry up. There was even less blood in him at that point.
"Ohhh…. "
Arkan said, not sure what to take from what Oizys just said.
"Lust, disease, hate, mischief, luck, sinister just to name a few out of the 13, and the most troublesome of them all, DEATH. "
Arkan unconsciously gulped when he heard the last name. Oizys did not allow him to cower over such a deadly name that loomed over every living thing nor did he let him ask why such a fore would want to fight and steal his divinity and so he continued.
"Ever wondered why Truck kun sends all those people to a different world but before they get there they meet a Guardian? "
He asked and that question snapped him out of his stupor. It was a question he and Alax always debated about.
"Because all you gods get bored and putting us in such situations is fun to watch for you. "
He said the point he would always rise when talking to Alax about this.
"Wrong… Well, that just comes with the package. You should ask yourself why meet with a Guardian if that was the point. Don you remember something important I said? "
Oizys said as he pointed at Arkans belly button.
After a few moments, Arkans soul reacted and he realized something.
Not a Guardian, but Guardians. All of the ones that have what they call their children, Chosen or shall I say, those chosen through reincarnation by them and carry their spark of divinity as they journey through Eldian and get stronger.
Arkan remembered his words. Oizys nodded.
"That spark is our nature. As that person reincarnates, that spark of divinity will bring such travesties around that person that match the nature of the spark whose Guardian that park belongs to. As that person gets stronger, defeating the very nature that is in his very soul, we get more divinity and more control over its nature. "
He continued.
"If that reincarnate has the spark of the Guardian of Chaos that persons life will be full of chaotic events that could take their life at any time, same as the spark of diseases in which that person will have to deal with diseases for the rest of their life and so on. "
Arkan gulped again as he came to a realization.
"So someone with the spark of misfortune….. They will have to deal with misfortune for the rest of their lives. "
Arkan said unconsciously, not wanting it to be true.
Oizys did not disappoint, but he had another surprise for him that calmed his heart.
"But, there is no misfortune without fortune, chaos without peace, a disease without a cure, and love without hate. So the saying goes WHAT DOESNT KILL YOU, MAKES YOU STRONGER. "
There was a light at the end of the tunnel after all. That was until Oizys continued again.
"But, just like it is hard to find a cure for any infection like it is hard to find peace through the chaos, it will be as hard to find fortune through all the misfortune that will rain upon you. "
This made Arkan look down at the floor and say nothing for some time. He looked up and saw Oizys smiling again.
It was amazing how a Guardian of misfortune would smile so much while even on the brink of death and how his smile was still as warm as the first time he saw the dying Guardian.
"That is why Truck kun chooses those suitable with our nature and sends them to us, with you being an exception as I used a considerable amount of what was left of my own divinity to bring you here without his help. "
"What do you mean? "
"You have sailed the dark murky waters of misfortune for all your life and dealt with the creatures that dwell within those waters while you were only a child. Moreover, you thrived in it until someone holding an incredible power put you down. "
Oizys said, making Arkan remember Danny and his gun.
"Now you can start afresh and conquer that deep dark sea as you will have the power to challenge anyone who brings a gun to a sword fight, let alone a bazooka. Lasers are everything after all, right? "
Oizys knew him well.
Arkan smiled at the reference but still took it as the mention of lasers instantly improved his mood.
"That is the spirit. So, do you accept the offer? To reincarnate as my Chosen for the first time?
Oizys said as his skin started to dry like the desert itself.
Arkan had always wanted to reincarnate and no matter what Oizys wanted him to do, Arkan would never lose the opportunity to reincarnate into a magical world. That was if he could get the power to shoot lasers.
He nodded and hoped that he would receive some if not all the powers he had fantasized about.
"So, it is time to get you ready to kill all the reincarnated who are in Eldian. All 13 of them, well, except for one. "
Oizys said and making Arkan stand up.


text:
Home Independent Independent News Leader of Bayshore area drug trafficking organization sentenced to prison
Leader of Bayshore area drug trafficking organization sentenced to prison
A Monroe County, Pennsylvania, man has been sentenced to 200 months in prison for his role in distributing large quantities of heroin and cocaine in the Bayshore area of Monmouth and Middlesex counties, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced on Dec. 3.
Guy Jackson, 49, of Effort, Pa., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Jackson also admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine. Martinotti imposed the sentence on Dec. 3 via videoconference, according to the press release.
The sentence follows a coordinated takedown in November 2018 of 15 defendants charged in a federal criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. To date, 13 defendants have pleaded guilty, according to the press release.
Supplier Gregory Gillens was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2020, to 10 years in prison. Co-defendant Daniel McHugh was sentenced to 90 months in prison; co-defendant David Nagy was sentenced to one year and one day in prison; co-defendant Shavar Williams was sentenced to time served, which amounted to approximately 14 months in prison; co-defendant Daryl Jackson was sentenced to five years' probation with 10 months of home detention; and co-defendant Brian Hall was sentenced to three years' probation with eight months of home detention, according to the press release.
Co-defendants Krystal Cordoba, Daniel Alfano, Tyler Scarangello, Christy Dube, Richard Gethers and Lashawn Mealing are awaiting sentencing.
Defendant Deberal Rogers has been indicted, and charges were dismissed against one defendant, according to the press release.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, from May 2017 to November 2018, Jackson and others engaged in a narcotics conspiracy that operated in the Raritan Bayshore region of Middlesex and northern Monmouth counties.
Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages pursuant to court-authorized wiretap orders, controlled purchases of heroin and cocaine, the use of confidential sources of information, and other investigative techniques, law enforcement personnel learned that Jackson regularly supplied large quantities of heroin and cocaine for further distribution.
Some of the heroin distributed by the conspiracy contained fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid.
In addition to the prison terms, Martinotti sentenced Jackson to five years of supervised release. Four vehicles Jackson used in the course of the drug conspiracy, as well as in excess of $10,000 in cash that Jackson admitted was proceeds of drug trafficking, were previously seized and administratively forfeited.
Honig credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, Jersey Shore Gang and Criminal Organization Task Force (including representatives from the Bradley Beach Police Department, Brick Township Police Department, Howell Police Department, Marlboro Police Department, Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, Toms River Police Department and Union Beach Police Department) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch, Jr.; special agents of the FBI, Philadelphia Division, Scranton Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; the Matawan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas J. Falco Jr.; the Holmdel Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Mioduszewski; the Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Burton; the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, under the direction of Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey; the Old Bridge Police Department, under the direction of Chief William A. Volkert; the Keansburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief Wayne Davis; the Hazlet Police Department, under the direction of Chief Ted A. Wittke; and the Aberdeen Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Alan Geyer, with the investigation leading to this week's sentencings.
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Tools and techniques for change management.
Managing change is about helping organisations, teams and individuals make sense of and adapt to the changes happening around them.
Steps, tips and information to help you manage change effectively including information on individual reactions to change and guidance on leading change.
A range of techniques that can help you to understand, plan, communicate and manage change and resistance to change amongst your staff, volunteers and stakeholders.


As a blog owner, one of your many tasks is to increase the traffic and get a great good ranking in the search engine results. Increasing the loading time and speed of your website will allow your visitors to view more pages in a short period of time. You only have a second or two to convince a visitor to stay on your site, and if it's taking too long to load… you've already lost them!
Here are some of the top WordPress plugins being used to increase loading time and speed issues on sites.
W3 Total Cache. This is one of the best WP plugins when it comes to increasing website loading speed and reducing loading time. It will cache every portion of your site and therefore increasing the loading page of your site. It will increase the download speed through fast delivery.
Lazy Load Plugin. This WP plugin configures your site to load the images only in the portion visible to your visitors or user. Hence it will increase the loading speed in visible areas and will load the image slowly in the invisible part. Because images are the main portions of the page that pulls the loading speed, the Lazy Load plugin can be used to enhance the loading speed of your website.
Plugin Organizer. This plugin will allow you to organize other plugins that are installed on your site. You create a list of order in which the plugins are loaded and arrange them in a way that the primary plugins will be loaded first and the rest will be loaded in progression. Also, you can disable a plugin from the loading list therefore increasing site speed and reducing loading time.
WP Minify. As the name suggests, it minimizes the size of files. This plugin is playing an important role in reducing the loading time of your web pages by combining the CSS and JS files. The combined files are compressed, improving the loading speed of the site. WP Minify combines your blog with the Minify engine and reduces the files.
WP Smush.it. Using this plugin you can integrate WordPress with Smush.it, improving the loading speed of your site. The images that are uploaded into the media library runs automatically from Smush.it and will get compressed. Image compression reduces the size of the page and therefore reducing the load time of the page. If you want to compress an image that has already been uploaded using Smush.it, you can simply do that on WP media library and click Smush.it.
The more plugins that you use, the more time it will take to load the page. But these plugins are designed to increase significantly the loading speed of your website. To install any of these plugins on your blog, simply search for their name from within the "PLUGINS" area when you are logged into WordPress on your blog.