Do you need drug rehab? Find out what happens in a drug rehab and find out whether you'll get more out an intensive residential experience or whether you'd be better off in an outpatient program. Learn more about effectiveness statistics and the costs of drug rehab, as well as what you can expect to get for your money - and discover the may different types of drug rehabs out there Christian, low-cost, wilderness based, single gender and many more) so you can select a program that matches your needs and wants.
When you've got a serious problem with drugs or alcohol and when you come to the realization that you can't stop using on your own – it's time to get help.
But what sort of help do you need – do you need to go away to a drug or alcohol rehab? If you need drug rehab, what kind of drug rehab do you need or want, and what are the options available anyway?
Also, how long is drug rehab going to take and how much is it going to cost!?!
Addiction treatment of any kind works best when a treatment program is matched to the needs and wants of the individual. There is no one-sized-fits-all answer to drug or alcohol addiction and what works for one person may not work for you. That being said, by gaining an understanding of your options and of what's available you become a better informed consumer and have a greater likelihood of finding a drug rehab (or other type of treatment program) that's going to work well for you.
Here is a brief overview of the drug rehab experience and of some of the options you have available to you.
A drug rehab is a residential treatment facility that provides drug and alcohol addicted people an intensive and wide ranging addiction treatment experience.
Getting out of an environment of temptation and away from access to drugs or alcohol to build an initial period of abstinence.


text:
With Time 107.5
13 Jan 2021 1.24 pm Time 107.5
Rishi Sunak has been asked to encourage local authorities to make discretionary grants a higher priority
The Barking and Dagenham Chamber of Commerce is calling for more financial support for small and medium sized businesses.
Chambers across London have written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, warning that companies are struggling to pay rent, utilities and other bills, after being forced to close due to Covid-19.
Although financial support has been made available during the pandemic, they say smaller businesses are being treated unfairly and having difficulty accessing government funds.
They want Mr Sunak to pressure local authorities to make discretionary grant applications for smaller businesses a higher priority.
Jamie Banks, President of Barking & Dagenham Chamber of Commerce, said: "The Government has put together a package for business which has certainly provided useful support for many, but there are clear gaps which need to be filled if we are not to see a swathe of British industry and commerce either collapse completely or be in too weak a state to be able to help the recovery…"
The government is offering companies 'business rates relief' to help reduce the financial impact of lockdown.
However, in their letter to the Chancellor, the Chambers say some small and medium businesses pay rates as part of their rent and are not benefiting from this support.
The letter also highlights the difficulties faced by self-employed people and calls for an alternative to Universal Credit for those who cannot access the government's Self Employment Business Support Scheme.
If you would like to find out more about the Barking and Dagenham Chamber of Commerce, you can do so here.
Tags: Business, Barking and Dagenham, Coronavirus
Man in hospital after stabbing in Ilford
Police officers are at the scene of a stabbing in
Redbridge leader joins mayor to demand more cash for the self-isolating
Cllr Jas Athwal and Mayor Sadiq Khan are calling for more
YMCA Romford distributes gifts to those in need
Young people have been given food and gifts (credit:
Two men charged following abduction and police chase in Forest Gate
They are due in court today Two men have been charged in
One woman dead after fatal collision in Corringham
A lorry hit a pedestrian at the London Gateway terminal
Queen's Hospital celebrates birth of 18 babies on Christmas Day
Mum Hardeep was able to bring her baby home to Ilford five
Investigation underway after shots fired in Forest Gate
The incident happened in Dunbar Lane (credit: Google

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


With Christmas Day falling on a Monday, many people will spend the weekend getting ready for the holiday. If you can catch your breath for an hour or two, there are some worthy new things to do, including a visit from a world-class acrobatics troupe, special screenings of holiday movies, a concert by an American original, a Broadway tour, and an unforgettable holiday concert.
With a couple of exceptions, the events are happening on Thursday and Friday. If you're looking for something to do on Saturday or Sunday, check out our list of the best holiday events, many of which continue throughout the holidays.
Below are the best ways to spend what little free time you might have this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
The word Varekai means "wherever" in the Romany language of the gypsies, the universal wanderers. This production, which will run at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco through Saturday, pays tribute to the nomadic soul, to the spirit and art of the circus tradition, and to those who quest with infinite passion along the path that leads to Varekai. It will feature all the amazing acrobatics and storytelling for which Cirque du Soleil is known.
The adventures of Kevin McCallister as he fights off burglars after being left home alone at Christmas has become one of the go-to holiday movies over the years. You can see and hear it in a new way when the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams' Oscar-nominated score live. The film will play once on Thursday and once on Friday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Lee Greenwood is an icon in country music, with more than 30 albums to his credit and one everlasting hit, "God Bless the U.S.A." This one-night-only performance at Moody Performance Hall, titled A Tennessee Christmas, will include songs from Greenwood's two Christmas albums, Christmas to Christmas and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, as well as selections from his 19 other albums.
Two worlds collide in the Lincoln Center Theater production of The King and I. One of Rodgers & Hammerstein's finest works, winning either Best Musical or Best Revival of a Musical each time it's been staged on Broadway, it boasts a score that features such beloved classics as "Getting To Know You," "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Hello Young Lovers," "Shall We Dance" and "Something Wonderful." The production will run at Winspear Opera House through December 31.
If you've only ever seen the holiday movie classic It's a Wonderful Life on TV during its annual showings on TBS and the like, you owe it to yourself to see it on the big screen. The Majestic Theatre has teamed up with the Texas Theatre to show the film in which Jimmy Stewart learns that he's touched the hearts of more people than he knows.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra's annual winter tours have become a beloved holiday tradition over the past 20 years. 2017's tour is a completely updated presentation of TSO's The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, a rock opera featuring fan-favorites like "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Good King Joy," "Christmas Canon," "Music Box Blues," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day." The concert will play twice on Friday at American Airlines Center.


text:
Q: Android - getNetworkInterface and needed permissions got a strange problem here.
I have a function which reads the NetworkInterfaces and gets me the WiFi-Interface name.
This worked properly 2 weeks ago with the only permission "android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE".
This week i mainly tested with 3G and did some minor changes to the overall code and today i noticed 'NetworkInterface.getNetworkInterfaces()' doesnt work anymore, giving me a "permission denied" exception. Few secs later my dear friend google tells me i need INTERNET permission...
-> I never ever used INTERNET permission in this project ???
So what could be wrong? Any way to get the NetworkInterfaces without using the internet permissions? It works again if i add it but idont really want to use it just for that.
    Enumeration<NetworkInterface> interfaces = null;
    try {
        interfaces = NetworkInterface.getNetworkInterfaces();
    } catch (SocketException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You must try our Water Sports when you are in Cebu Philippines !
We Offer You The Best Water Sports Services Ever In Cebu !!
Good price, Safe and Professional !
Come and Join us on a high speed Jetski tour.
Our Banana boat ride seats up to eight people. You can share all the excitement and thrill with your family and friends!
Jump the wakes behind our high-speed boats!
All our Island hopping tours are Exclusive so you can enjoy pristine waters of Mactan Cebu with your family and friends at your own pace! We can arrange your Island hopping tour according to your requirements.
You can do snorkeling in a protected marine sanctuary.
sea the under water world.
Our Best seller and all in Water Sports Package (whole day tour) !


text:
Бори́с Та́дич (; род. 15 января 1958 года, Сараево) — сербский государственный и политический деятель, председатель Демократической партии. Президент Сербии (2004—2012).

Биография

Ранние годы и происхождение
Родился в городе Сараево в семье преподавателя Белградского университета Любомира Тадича и врача-нейропсихиатра Невенки Тадич.

Образование
Начальную и среднюю школу окончил в Белграде. Изучал социальную психологию в Белградском университете. Был преподавателем психологии в 1-й Белградской гимназии.

Политическая деятельность
Основатель и первый директор Центра по развитию демократии.

Член Демократической партии с 1990 года. Председателем партии избран в 2004 году через год после убийства Зорана Джинджича.

После бульдозерной революции с ноября 2000 по июнь 2001 года в должности министра телекоммуникации входил в состав правительства Югославии. Также выполнял функции министра обороны в совете министров Сербии и Черногории.

Во главе Сербии
Является сторонником европейской интеграции; один из ключевых пунктов его президентской программы — скорейшая интеграция Сербии в Евросоюз. Победил во втором туре президентских выборов в 2004 году, получив 53 % голосов, опередив националиста Томислава Николича. В должности президента Сербии сменил Предрага Марковича. В 2008 году в первом туре с небольшим перевесом проиграл президентские выборы Томиславу Николичу, однако одержал победу во втором туре, став президентом во второй раз.

4 апреля 2012 года объявил о досрочной отставке с поста президента Сербии. Формально сложил полномочия 5 апреля, после того как известил о своей отставке председателя Скупщины.

Личная жизнь
Владеет английским, сербским и французским языками.

Женат вторым браком, вторая жена — Татьяна Тадич (урождённая Родич) 1958 г.р., от второго брака имеет двоих детей.

Примечания

Ссылки

 Борис Тадич
 Президент Сербии

Политики XX века
Политики XXI века
Члены Демократической партии (Сербия)
Выпускники философского факультета Белградского университета
Правители Европы XXI века

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Over the past 12 months, at House Meetings, the children have continually raised the issue of the school playground. Throughout the school, the children felt like they could have more to do during their free times. In January 2017, the children were challenged with making suggestions for what equipment they would like to see in a Trim Trail, if we could get one installed.
The teachers wanted to find out more about the value of children's lunchtimes, so every class completed a questionnaire. We found that the children enjoyed being activity and doing exercise but did not link this with relaxation. Older children in the school thought that time to relax was important, but favoured watching television, playing computer games and being with friends over being active.
In February 2017, our new Trim Trail was installed onto the playground, which included some of the ideas the children had put forward. This was made possible by using the Sport Premium Funding and a generous donation from Friends of St John's. We are very grateful for all the fundraising and effort that they put in to help contribute to this project.
Now the Trim Trail is installed, the teachers have spent Summer '1' half term working with their classes to help the children to understand the value of physical activity to relaxation. Take a look at what we have been up to below!


Interested in Program in Communication and Information Studies? Admissions officers are waiting to hear from you!
Rutgers University offers a Master of Communication and Media (MCM) program that prepares students for careers in a wide range of areas such as management, communication campaigns, communication research, journalism, digital media, strategic communication, public relations, marketing, advertising, non-profit communication and corporate communication. It also prepares them for doctoral-level study.
The program attracts students with varied professional, educational, and cultural backgrounds. This gives them the opportunity to work within a diverse community that thrives in a collaborative learning environment.
Its 36-credit curriculum was designed with maximum flexibility to accommodate the needs of working professionals. Students can take 3 to 12 credits of courses per semester, which allows them to complete the program at their own pace. They can choose one of seven specializations or select courses from various specializations to focus on multiple areas of interest. Plus, they have the option of earning their degrees on a full-time or part-time basis, and they can complete courses on the weekends as well as on-campus, online, and in a blended format. Most MCM students work full time and MCM classes are at night or online to accommodate working schedules.
Communication and Media Studies is a general specialization in which students take a self-designed course of study that draws across any MCM specialization as well as courses in other areas of the School of Communication and Information (SC&I). Courses in organizational communication, mediated communication, health communication, social interaction, knowledge management, and media studies are offered throughout the year. Many of these courses are cross-listed with the school's Ph.D. program or Master of Information program.
The Strategic Organizational Communication specialization emphasizes theory-informed, research-based study of organizational process, structure, and interaction, as well as use of new communication technologies in organizational and societal contexts. Courses examine organizations in a variety of contexts including businesses, nonprofits, civil society, and government. This specialization may be especially appealing for those who have goals for careers in organizational leadership, corporate communication, advocacy, administration and/or management, training and development, consulting, change management, stakeholder relationship management, and social media management.
The Digital Media specialization is intended for journalists and other media or communication specialists who wish to retool and gain understanding of 21st century media. This includes study of grassroots reporting and advocacy. The specialization will ensure students are conversant in digital video capture, editing, and production as well as social media management. This specialization is completely online, although face-to-face or online electives in other specializations are available to these students.
- Digital media production and interface design (among other electives being developed).
The Health Communication specialization is intended for students who wish to specialize in various contexts related to community wellness and health interaction such as public health communication; facilitated provider-patient communication; health campaigns and advocacy; and community health and wellness.
Students who have interests in health organizations may wish to combine study in this specialization with study in the Strategic Organizational Communication specialization.
The Communication and Media Research specialization is intended for students who wish to take a more research-oriented course of study. It is also designed for those students who may wish to pursue a Ph.D. program after completing the MCM degree. These students have somewhat different requirements (nine credits of core; three credits of research practicum; three credits of teaching internship; 21 credits of electives and also a zero-credit Colloquium requirement). In addition to coursework, these students will be involved in empirical research with a faculty member; assist in teaching a course; and focus their study and capstone project with a research orientation.
The Leadership Communication specialization emphasizes theory-informed, research-based study of the communication demands on leaders in this fast paced, complex organizational environment. We explore the competencies needed to be an effective communicator in all three main modalities: one to one, one to many and various 'e' forms of communication. This specialization may be especially appealing for those who have goals for careers in organizational leadership, want to improve their personal leadership communication skills or add to their professional leadership/management credentials.
This Public Relations specialization is designed for those public relations professionals to enhance their professional credentials or those who wish to enter this fast growing and dynamic profession. We explore the competencies needed to be an effective public relations practitioner in this dynamic, complex and social-driven environment. We offer you both the emerging theories of the practice of public relations as well as the skills you need to have to compete successfully in this profession. Many of our courses are taught by highly experienced senior public relations practitioners.
Faculty members in the School of Communication and Information are excellent teachers, researchers, and practitioners. They emphasize original research and cutting-edge theory. They also focus on the knowledge and skills necessary to interpret and manage the complex communication, information, and media processes in today's digital world.
Richard Dool, DMgt is one of the school's distinguished faculty members. He's a teaching professor and the director of the MCM program. He has been teaching and publishing in the areas of leadership communication and organizational renewal and transformations since 2003. He's also a former Chief Executive Officer and Global Executive Leader.
Established in 1766, Rutgers University receives top rankings for excellence in teaching, research, and service. In fact, "U.S. News & World Report" ranked Rutgers among the top 25 public universities in the nation and designated it one of the Best Global Universities. Timeshighereducation.com ranked it within the top 150 universities in the world.
Rutgers University's main campus is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the northeastern region of the United States. It also has campuses in Newark and Camden as well as satellite locations throughout New Jersey and around the world.


text:
LOL Of The Week: Mitt Romney Accidentally Speaks The Truth!
@Lolgop Lolgop
May 28 | 2012
Documenting the explosion of lies from the mouth of Mitt Romney would be a full time job – for instance, MaddowBlog's Steve Benen easily comes up with dozens a week. Even Politifact — which strives to suggest that Republican politicians sometimes tell the the truth—has found Mitt's "Pants on Fire" at least 13 separate times, or one more than Michele Bachmann, whose definition of veracity is "I read it in the Gmail."
Mitt Romney learned a crucial lesson from his father George, a man who blew his chance to be President with a single "gaffe." The lesson?
Never let them catch you telling the truth.
In 1967, George Romney said the military had "brainwashed" him about Vietnam. It was a brave turn-of-phrase, illustrating growing distrust of the military leadership during the Vietnam War. Such candor did not sit well with the GOP base—despite the tendency of the Republican leaders to seek deferments and National Guard posts for their sons – which summarily dumped him.
This Shakespearian drama cost America the good Romney, leaving us instead with Mitt, who will say nothing that might displease the GOP base. And because there's so little to say that pleases the GOP base without forfeiting the November election, Mitt must concoct lies about this President that appeal to his party's paranoia.
It's used car salesman politics. It might work once but won't win repeat customers.
What complicates Mitt's pursuit of the White House is his occasional impulse to blurt out the truth. Sometimes he just wants to prove how smart he is.
That's why he came out for the anti-recessionary stimulus in 2009. That's why he supported a national mandate like Obamacare — until he didn't. That's why he now claims credit for a rescue of the auto industry that tried to destroy. (And that's why he said that he likes to fire people.)
Last Wednesday, Mitt utter something so startling that he was completely ignored by the right wing media, which must have sensed that this outburst could colllapse his candidacy and the Republican Party platform. If the tri-corner hat-wearing Medicare recipients in the Tea Party indeed heard his heretical remarks, their failure to rise up in fury just proves how completely hollow their movement is.
In a single sentence, Mitt admitted that everything the GOP has been saying about the economy since 2009 is a lie. Asked why he wouldn't cut spending immediately, the presumptive nominee said: "Well, because if you take a trillion dollars, for instance, out of the first year of the federal budget, that would shrink GDP over five percent."
In those few words, Romney asserted that government spending directly grows the economy. Everyone has known this simple fact for decades, of course. But Speaker John Boehner and House Budget Chair Paul Ryan have spent years telling us that government spending shrinks the economy – the Big Lie that helped them win a Congressional majority in 2010.
Businessman Mitt knows this Big Lie is dumber than a box of Palins, as does every Republican who insists that any cut in defense spending will damage growth.
Rejecting this lie could end the ongoing depression for the working class today — as the GOP leaders know. If unemployed teachers, veterans, and firefighters were put to work tomorrow, job creation would skyrocket. That's what happened during the Reagan recovery and the so-called Bush recovery. But the GOP is committed to sabotaging this economy — and Mitt Romney just accidentally acknowledged it.
Mitt Romney, this is your very best LOL since you said Rick Santorum isn't conservative enough to be your running mate. But we know you'll top it before November.
Suggest your LOL of the week to @LOLGOP.


text:
Disney Princesses vs. the Apocalypse
Joelle Monique December 16, 2018 1 like
With Ralph: Breaks the Internet breaking box offices everywhere, now seemed a good a time as any to explore the best part of the film. No, not the visualization of the internet, but the virtual D23 convention floor and the princess green room behind the scenes. In my first screening of the film, the audience nearly fell out of their seats laughing during the princess sleepover.
It got me thinking, about American audiences and their connection to the Disney princess royal court. In 2038, the princess line will be a hundred years old. That's a long time to be fantasizing about escaping dragons, losing glass slippers, and true love's first kiss. But of course, in 2018 the princesses are looking to a little more than getting married. They're winning their own hand in marriage, befriending tigers, and winning wars.
Naturally, I began to think if they can do all of that, could the Disney princesses survive the apocalypse? Using skills, experiences, their support group, and a highly complex scientific equation I calculated how long each Disney princess would survive the end times.
Snow White willingly sleeps in an empty but clearly lived in a cabin, with seven beds. She does this immediately after a woodsman tries to carve her still-beating heart from her chest. Too kind to refuse, she ate an apple with a skull on it. This girl is sweet, but she has zero survival skills.
Snow White would die in the immediate aftermath of a cataclysmic event.
Aurora ( Sleeping Beauty)
Aurora likes to twirl and sing through haunted forests alone. If a witch tried to poison you two minutes after you escaped the womb, wouldn't you feel cautious around strangers? A single prick to the finger knocks Aurora out. There's no conceivable apocalypse that Sleeping Beauty could hope to survive.
Would live for 12 hours, take a nap, then die.
Cinderella is such a pushover she allowed her step-mother's to erase her birth name from existence. Everyone just knows her as "the little cinder girl," because she's always perceived as being dirty. While cleaning all day and night has probably fortified Cinderella's body and mind, but every woman in the land is going to hate the new princess. They all had a shot to be her. Resentment will be thick in the air.
Would starve after hiding out in the castle for 2.5 months.
Sweet. Kind. Anna. The first princess of the people. She opened the gates of the palace to the people and helped give her sister the courage to lead the people. For the purposes of this study, the sister will be analyzed on their ability to survive independently of one another. Anna has a suicidal snowman and buff lumberjack boyfriend. If the world end in ice, she'll freeze to death. If it ends in fire, she'll drown.
Would like for four months until mother nature brings the pain.
Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
Under the sea, Ariel could probably survive 3,000 different types of doomsday scenarios. But the love of her life is on land. Her daughter can swim in the sequel film. Ursala isn't likely to help
Eric gets the gills or fins he needs to survive under the sea. Protected from most natural predators underwater, above water, Ariel will be vulnerable on two feet.
Dies running back to the ocean four and a half months in.
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Belle is brilliant. Anything she doesn't know she can learn later. But her old man is going to slow her down. Belle would do anything to keep him safe. If Adam were still the beast, they might have a chance. But his frail human body will be of no help when facing down radioactive woodland creatures.
Dies trying to cross bridge out of town 5 months after the nuclear blast.
Rapunzel (Tangled)
Good with a frying pan and new to literally everything outside of her tower, Rapunzel is a survivor. She endured years of emotional abuse and isolation, but still had the emotional dexterity to love. However, on closer inspection, most of Rapunzel's success is won with luck. Her friend group runs deep. Her parents aren't going to risk losing their daughter. Not after they just got her back. But people tend to rebel when their basic needs can't be met.
Would live for 8 months until the next festival of lights when the rebellion strikes.
Tiana (Princess and the Frog)
Tiana is smart, a big dreamer, and incredibly accomplished. Though she's survived heartache, surviving nuclear fallout would be a much more complicated task. Her restaurant, Tiana's Place, could be a shelter during the storm, but more people means more disease, which means the likelihood of survival plummets. Frogs are very sensitive to their environments, so trying to change back wouldn't help her in the long run. I'm sorry to say, Tiana would not be long for this world.
Tiana's place would stand for 350 days before being whipped out by disease.
A non-violent diplomat, Pocahontas has a 50/50 chance of survival. Having a grandmother in tree form could be helpful. The deep root connections will warn the princess of oncoming danger. Her curiosity would almost certainly be her downfall. Pocahontas has a history of not heeding warnings and jumping into danger for the thrill of it.
Would survive four years and be killed trying to understand the zombie hoard.
Jasmine (Aladdin)
Having lived in a gilded palace her entire life, and with little political skills, no connection to her people, aside from the street-rat she married, Jasmine does not have a lot of survival tools at her disposal. The genie could help but is no longer under any obligation to do so. Raja, her beloved pet tiger, could get Jasmine through the first couple of months, maybe even years of the apocalypse. But we all know what happened to that other pet tiger. RIP Shiva.
Jasmine would live for fifteen years until Raja passes from old age.
If post-apocalyptic teen movies have taught us anything, it's that using a bow and arrow will be essential for surviving the new world order. Merida has perfect aim and could easily take out the pions when the local government enforces military order. If she can talk her mom into turning back into a bear, they'll be a formidable force for any creatures or humans roaming their woods.
Merida would survive for 25 years as queen of the wood.
The oceans are rising. Lands below sea level are in danger of becoming flooded. That's of little consequence when the ocean is your best friend. With the entire village of Motunui behind her, and a land creating goddess there's nothing Moana couldn't survive. If the ocean gets too high, Moana can ask Te Fiti to build her a mountain for her and her people.
Moana would rule her island peacefully for 50 years.
Elsa (Frozen)
If the world goes by ice instead of fire, Elsa will be the queen of the Earth. A natural loner, Elsa won't need a group to survive. She can do bad all by herself. With the ability to make shelter naturally appear, Elsa can survive pretty much anything. Her only downfall would be if an outside group decided the magical witch lady is evil.
Elsa would survive the first 100 years.
Listen, Mulan hid her gender, snuck into the army, and won a war almost entirely by herself. She's got sword skills, political savvy, and is a good friend. People were willing to lay down their lives for her when the Huns came barreling down the mountain. They'll stand up to a zombie horde, nuclear explosion, or rising waters because they trust her. Mulan's one of the few princesses with all the unique skills required to survive the end times.
Mulan is timeless and therefore can never die.
What We Learned at Ralph Breaks The Internet Press Day
Box Office: 'Ralph Breaks the Internet,' 'Creed II' Pack a Major Punch Over Thanksgiving Weekend
Box Office: 'Ralph Breaks the Internet,' 'The Grinch' Repeat Before 'Spider-Man' Swings Again
Review: Disney's Ready Player 'Ralph'
'Wreck-It Ralph 2' Looks Just as Much Fun as the First One
Meet the New Characters of Disney's "Ralph Breaks the Internet"


text:
The Chamber Choir is Georgia Tech's premiere mixed vocal ensemble. Founded in 1998, the choir has established itself as one of the foremost college vocal ensembles in the Southern United States. Singers are selected through audition, and the Chamber Choir attracts the finest choral musicians on the Tech campus. Its members are principally all-state-level singers who have extensive background and experience in ensemble singing. The Chamber Choir performs challenging literature with a special emphasis on Baroque, and modern works. The GT Chamber Choir was recently featured with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, New Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, and Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. The Chamber Choir also recently won the top prize in the First Annual Conference of Music and Architecture at the University of Texas-Austin. The Chamber Choir was recently featured at the College Music Society National Conference, and served as the chorus in the Atlanta Ballet production of Mozart's Magic Flute.
Dr. Jerry A. Ulrich
julrich@gatech.edu
(404) 894-8992 Officers
chamberchoirofficers@lists.gatech.edu
If you would like to visit us, we rehearse on campus in West Village room 175 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 until 5:45.
You can request a performance from the Chamber Choir. Our officers will contact you shortly about the details of your request.
Dr. Jerry A. Ulrich, Director
ASCAP award-winning arranger/composer Jerry Ulrich is originally from Illinois, where he received his early training in music and developed an interest in songwriting. His compositions and arrangements are in the catalogs of seven publishers. He has composed commissioned works for professional choirs and orchestras, including the Grammy-award winning Orchestra of St. Luke's, and has written music for colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad.
Dr. Ulrich is Director of Choral Activities at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he directs the Chamber Choir and the Georgia Tech Glee Club. Dr. Ulrich came to Atlanta from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the Fame school) in New York City. His choirs have been featured in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Barclay's Center, Madison Square Garden, and on national and international television and radio.
Dr. Ulrich's prior teaching experience includes university positions in Ohio and New York. During 1990-1991 he was Visiting Fulbright Professor of Music at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in Glasgow; recently ranked sixth in the world of performing arts education. His early training included four years singing with legendary choral conductor Robert Shaw in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus and Chamber Chorus.
Auditions for Fall 2021 will be from 2:00–7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 24th. The audition includes a basic music theory and vocal technique quiz, All-State level sight-reading, tonal memory and vocalization exercises, and a short interview. Please note that there is no solo requirement.
You can sign-up for an audition on this spreadsheet. Once you have chosen a timeslot, please also fill out our information survey to help us collect some helpful information!
Location is TBA (likely West Village or the Couch building), but we will let everyone who signs up for an audition know as soon as those details have been determined.
If you have any questions or have a time conflict, please email the officers at chamberchoirofficers@lists.gatech.edu
The Georgia Tech Chamber Choir was founded in 1998 in order to provide especially skilled vocal musicians the means to perform a more challenging choral repertoire. Under the direction of Dr. Jerry Ulrich, the Chamber Choir has become known for its proficiency, artistry, and professionalism. Over the last decade, this group has performed in various venues across the Southeast to critical acclaim.
The Chamber Choir has recently established a reputation for its use of multimedia presentations during its performances. In 2008, the choir participated in a large-scale multimedia production entitled Phos Hilaron. Performed in Atlanta, St. Simon's Island, and North Carolina, the program included world-renowned authors Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. The presentation featured photography, animation, and videos, along with live accompaniment provided by the Chamber Choir.
In the spring of 2009, the Chamber Choir brought to Atlanta a production entitled Beginnings and Endings (and Life in Between). This concert focused on themes of creation, aging, death, and the afterlife. The capstone of the concert was Copland's In the Beginning, a complex work which sets the creation narrative from the Book of Genesis to music. In addition, the concert featured a moving piece inspired by the events of September 11th with text from John Donne's Death Be Not Proud and music by Dr. Ulrich.
Later that year, the Chamber Choir performed a concert celebrating music in worship titled Hymn of the Universe at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Selections from that concert, such as Bach's Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott and Durufle's Ubi Caritas, also returned for the Florida tour in early 2010. This series of concerts was followed by performances for Georgia Tech Alumni and for medical professionals at a local conference. The 2009 - 2010 season concluded with a concert at St. John United Methodist Church, entitled The Flower of Youth, in which the Chamber Choir performed Ginastera's Lamentaciones de Jeremías Propheta and Barber's Agnus Dei.
For the 2010 - 2011 season, the Chamber Choir presented Bach's masterpiece, Mass in B Minor, in collaboration with the New Trinity Baroque orchestra, a period-instrument ensemble. The Chamber Choir performed the work in Atlanta, Birmingham, Sarasota, and Tampa. Audience members heard this iconic piece performed in the Southeastern premiere of the Breitkopf edition, edited by Joshua Rifkin. The season ended on a strong note with Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, an exciting collaborative performance with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Arnie Roth.
The Chamber Choir began the 2011-2012 season by participating in the Music in Architecture-Architecture in Music international symposium at the University of Texas in Austin. The Choir received great reviews for performing Dr. Frank Clark's creative and nuanced multimedia piece Theatre of the Imagination, which was declared the number one exhibit at the symposium. Dr. Clark's piece was performed again in the November concert titled Theatre of the Imagination: A Journey Through Choral Music of the Past 75 Years along with several other selections including Górecki's Totus Tuus, Pärt's An den Wassern zu Babel saßen wir und weinten, and Webern's Cantata No. 1.
In the spring of 2012, the Chamber Choir collaborated with another Baroque period orchestra, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, to perform Handel's Dixit Dominus as well as Dr. Ulrich's newest piece Psalm XLVI, a contemporary piece composed for a Baroque orchestra and choir in response to Handel's work. This concert series was seen at Roswell Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. To end the season, the Chamber Choir combined with the Georgia Tech Women's Chorus, Georgia Tech Chorale, and Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Marilyn Brown to perform Theofanidis' The Here and Now, Ulrich's Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth, and choir member A.J. Kolenc's video game medley Fus Ro Dah. This was the Chamber Choir's first collaborative effort with the rest of Georgia Tech's music groups.
Spring 2013 was one of the choir's busiest semesters. Early in the semester, we sung Berstein's Chichester Psalms along with the Lovett Choir, accompanied by organ, harp, and a small percussion ensemble. We then extended our collaboration with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra by peforming Handel's Messiah. This concert had particular historical significance for being the original Dublin version of the piece, with special care taken to assure that the performance was authentic to the way it would have originally been heard. Finally, towards the end of the semester we performed once again with the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra for a 'Movie Magic' concert, featuring pieces from popular film scores and classical pieces uses in films such as Mozart's Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana.
Fall of 2013 saw the choir collaborating with the other vocal ensembles at Georgia Tech (Chorale and Women's Chorus) for the 'Reflections and Rebirth' concert. The Chamber Choir performed Respighi's Laud to the Nativity with professional instrumentalists and vocal soloists.
This is an exciting time to be a member of The Georgia Tech Chamber Choir and an excellent opportunity to support this evolving group of vocal musicians!
Abigail Dugger
Neha Embar
Rachael "Germany" Germany - Publicist
Delta Ghoshal
Ciera Hudson
Savanna Panackal
Bethany Ponder
Claire Smith - President
Meghana Embar
Kaitlin Evans
Cassidy Manning
Emily Salmond
Lacey Shaffer
Jessica Terry
Bingyue Zhao
Ore Amosu
Nealie Glasser
Aska Hughes
Abigail Jacobs
Emma Johnson - Financial Manager
Carson Myers
Sailor Stevens
Sharnali Ghoshdastidar
Thendral Govindaraj
Ananya Kansal
Grace Mallon
Alex Matlack
Chapin Smith
Mechelle Chen, accompanist
Morgan Ziegelski - External VP
Jalen Borne - Manager
Will Buxton
Elie Diaz
Noah Horton
Chad Bullard
Drake Munnicha
Stephen Eick
Donald Gee
Gabe Jones
Tyler Peppenhorst
Ryan Schoenberg
Jayce Schwartz
Joey Steele
Daniel Buckly
Connor Bushnell
Jacob Blevins
Ryan Ogilvie
Elijah Shaw
Matthew Spencer
Sameer Suri - Internal VP
Marshall Todd
Tyler Cochran
Austin Cournoyer
Matthew Fisher
Joey Homiller
Rohith Sudhakar
Bruce Yang
Request Performance Member Login


The Michigan based law firm of Hopkins & Forhan represents clients throughout the Detroit area and all of Michigan in a variety of complex motor vehicle accident, medical malpractice, personal injury, wrongful death and small business litigation cases.
We offer our clients more than 70 years of combined experience in the practice of law, all of it spent serving the people of Michigan. We pride ourselves on the personalized service we provide to every client. You will deal directly with one of the partners throughout your case. If questions or concerns arise during your case, your attorney will personally respond to your inquiry.
Contact our office today to discuss your case with a lawyer. It won't cost you anything to get your questions answered. We handle most cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that if we don't recover damages in your case, you don't pay a fee.
We are available during regular business hours and by appointment evenings and weekends. You can reach us by phone at 248.681.0034 or 248.540-3363 or via e-mail.


I left for Brazil 8 months ago without any clear idea of what to expect. Of course I had hidden expectations going in, but now that I have lived there for an extended time, it has become weirdly difficult to put myself back into my head space of the end of August to remember what I thought I'd find in Brazil. So, I decided to ask around to find out what my peers from my hometown think of when they think of Brazil.
Looking at this list now, I find it easier to remember my own preconceptions about these things. Rio de Janeiro and the rainforest were definitely the first associations I had with Brazil. I thought of the Amazon, tropical plants, and amazing biodiversity; part of the reason I was so excited to go to Brazil to work with wildlife. This definitely did not reflect my experience though. I was, in fact, roughly 4,000 km from the rainforest. I still got to experience and learn about an amazing variety of animals, including toucans, parrots, macaws, and monkeys, but many of these came into our care because they aren't native to the region of Brazil I was in at all. So I definitely retained my associations of bright, strange beautiful plants and incredible biodiversity, but the rainforest itself was never part of my year — though it is still definitely on my bucket list!
Rio itself was my second association before leaving. I had heard songs and had romanticized images of the city in my head, mostly formed by songs and the pixar movie "Rio". I had also studied the city through the lens of the 2016 olympics, and the restructuring of the city. However, visiting it in person and the news and views about Rio we were surrounded by in Florianopolis created different associations for me. Now, I think of the military intervention in the favelas this spring, drug cartels, amazing geography, beautiful scenery, and crazy stories. I think of a city whose glory days seem to be fading into the past, but a city with the capacity to capture the hearts of most who visit there — with the exception of many manezinhos (people from Florianopolis) who find it dirty, smelly, dangerous, and definitely not worth the hype it gets from tourists. I never went to visit Christ the Redeemer or "Big Jesus", though he did look over you from almost all points in the city. Most of my friends who went to see him said it was something you had to do just to say you had done it.
Bright colors definitely stands true to my experience. Just the week of Carnival was a crazy blur or colors from floats and costumes and lights. Colors popped from the walls from the amazing street art you are bound to find around every corner. The water is a different shade of brilliant blue every day, bordered by beautiful shades of green from the surrounding forest, and shifting tones of beige from the sand. I saw more different kinds of flowers than I ever had in my life and tried bright fruits whose names I don't remember and discovered that there were constantly colors surrounding us the human eye can't even see. Even taking colors literally and ignoring metaphoric associations with emotion, Brazil was the brightest, most colorful place I can think of.
Beyond Lochte and water quality, the olympics presented a new set of problems to Brazilian society, particularly in Rio itself. The 2016 summer olympics did not provide the boost to the city and country that it was meant to.
Music is definitely a huge one. Bossa Nova, Samba, and Brazilian funk and the big ones people generally think of. In country I also experienced reggae, reggaeton, forró, axé, and the Brazilian version of country music. I personally love a nice samba most, but that is probably because my host family loves to samba and I have warm memories of dancing in the kitchen or churrasqueira on Sundays.
My friend who said Portuguese was her association with Brazil is very smart and worldly. Since coming back, the most common question I have gotten from people about language is "So are you fluent in Spanish now?". Since Portuguese was such an integral part of my experience, this question still manages to surprise me every time. I can already feel my Portuguese slipping away as I barely speak, and I am anxious to study it in college and return to (and move beyond) my former level of proficiency.
Warmth — Brazil was hot. Even on days when it rained I'd be sweating. My hair was a big frizz ball at all times and I can't think of a single time I wore long sleeves while I was there. It also rained a lot, but not in a way that cooled the air down. I don't miss the humidity, but I do really really miss the sun. And I was really unprepared for the first week back in the States with temperatures in the 50s, and then snow when I returned home to New York. All in all, though, I don't miss Brazilian weather. It always did its best to be the most inconvenient it possibly could.
Soccer is actually huge. We saw soccer everywhere, heard about soccer from everyone, and discovered that it was an easy way to make friends. The World Cup itself is an association that I, as a German, tried not to bring up too much in Brazil. Let's just say that saying "7-1" is an easy way to get Brazilians riled up. Though actually, a lot of the Brazilians I met claimed they weren't die hard fans of the national team — they prefer to put their energy into rooting for their regional teams. Gremio, from Porto Alegre, was very popular in Florianopolis. Our neighbors shot of firecrackers almost every game they won.
The person who said beaches hit the nail right on the head. My year in Brazil was filled with beaches. I would be surprised if there were a single week that I didn't see the ocean. Before coming to Florianopolis, though, my mental images of Brazilian beaches were of Ipanema and the other beaches of Rio — crowded, kind of dirty, and filled with thieves and girls in teensy tiny bikinis. The small bikinis held true, but my favorite beaches in Floripa were much emptier than the image I had of Brazilian beaches and more likely to be filled with surfer dudes and sunburnt Argentinian tourists than thieves and drug dealers. The beach was one of my happy places in Brazil. The sight of the ocean was always enough to turn my mood around 180 degrees when I was having a bad day, and feeling the rhythm of the waves was the best way I found to ground myself when I was feeling a little lost.
Gang violence, though I never personally experienced it in country, was a favorite topic of my host parents. According to them, drug wars and gang violence have gotten much worse in the last couple years as gangs from Rio and Sao Paulo look to extend their territory into the South. I heard about drugs on the beach and was warned to be careful every time I left the house, let alone when I was traveling. There were a few incidents that made it onto the news while I was there, but I never personally felt unsafe. Maybe I was just incredibly lucky, but my experience was formed by a lot of grim warnings and thankfully no horrible personal stories to tell. Gang violence is, of course, a bigger issue in the big cities, especially in light of the current situation in Rio.
For working in the broad field of environmental preservation, the topic of deforestation was surprisingly absent in my day to day. Of course it is a big issue — just look at google maps satellite pictures of the border between Brazil and Argentina. However, the main environmental concern in the community I was working with was ocean pollution. (Which, considering the geography and the organization I was working with, makes a lot of sense).
All of these associations are based in real aspects of Brazil. Some were more integral to my experience than others, and they all reflect some sort of truth about the country, but after seven months there I formed a new set of associations and memories that mean so much more to me than the things I thought of before. Now, I think of twirling in the backyard with my sister and eating acaí with friends by the lagoon and little monkeys stealing food and long conversations over dinner. I still don't have a complete view of the country, but my associations with Brazil now are much more personal.


text:
Understanding Trauma
Leah Tripp
Terms like "trauma" often conjure up images of terrible accidents, violence, or war in our minds. We tend to associate the concept of trauma with a singular event that inflicts deep psychological pain.
However, trauma can often be a product of ongoing negative experiences, and many children who have been adopted or are in foster care have experienced trauma of some kind. In order to love and care for these children in the healthiest way possible, it is important to understand the way trauma impacts emotional and psychological well-being.
Childhood trauma can be caused by a variety of situations, but most often hinges on experiences of abuse (verbal or physical) and neglect. Abuse and neglect have a long lasting impact on children due to the fact that these traumas occur while they are still cognitively developing.
Children who experience neglect and abuse during their formative years are receiving mixed messages regarding who to trust, what behavior is appropriate, and how to interact with people as a whole. The people they naturally trust (parents), have put them in danger in one way or another, thus making it difficult for them to identify what is safe and what is not.
In some instances, this instability can cause changes in a child's brain structure. According to Counseling Today, children that are exposed to chronic neglect and abuse begin perceiving everything as a threat in order to defend themselves, which alters the prefrontal cortex. Their brain is constantly in "survival mode" rather than "learning mode," which sometimes makes it more difficult for them to develop cognitive skills at a normal rate.
It is vital to understand that any child who has been removed from their biological parents has experienced trauma in some way. The severity of this trauma ranges based on situation, but it is there nonetheless.
Recent studies have shown that even infants, who are often deemed "too young to remember," experience trauma.
According to the Center for Youth and Family Solutions, unborn babies are capable of auditory processing as early as the second trimester. This means that when a child is born and then removed from the voice that they heard in utero, their brain experiences confusion and depravity.
While it is important to understand the instances and effects of trauma, it is also important to realize that the symptoms of emotional trauma can be decreased through coping strategies and interventions by the child's caretakers.
While counseling and other professional interventions are highly recommended, emotional support on behalf of family members, foster parents, and adoptive parents is vital to helping a child who has experienced trauma.
Often, childhood trauma is a result of repeated patterns of instability. Therefore, showing a child who has experienced trauma that they are in a safe, secure environment with people who love and care for them is integral to the process of growth and healing. If you'd like to be a part of providing a child with stability and safety, consider reaching out to AGAPE of North Carolina regarding foster care, adoption, or respite care.
For more information regarding childhood trauma and parenting, visit the U.S. Children's Bureau for resources.
In behavior, counseling, Foster Care, Fostering Services, parenting Tags trauma, Foster Care, parenting
Newsletter - First Quarter 2019
Our spring newsletter is out and we have so many good things to share! We know you will enjoy the article "Focus on the Future", staff and board member spotlights and more. Please enjoy our newsletter here.
In Adoption Services, counseling, donation, Change for Life, Foster Care, staff, Newsletter Tags newsletter, Foster Care, adoption, staff
Staff Spotlight: Kia Carter
Kia Carter is passionate about community.
As a social worker with AGAPE of North Carolina for a little over 2 years, Carter has seen just how important relationships, community, and connection are within foster families, but also within the agency itself.
Carter's steadfast belief in the life-giving quality of community has led her to implement several initiatives, new to AGAPE this year, to nurture growth and connection among foster families.
One of these initiatives combines education and technology, as Carter is attempting to create an online study book for foster parents who are in the process of receiving their continuing education hours. Carter's career as a social worker has shown her just how helpful support programs like this can be for busy families.
"I know it can be hard to get the 10 hours that they need every year to continue their licensing, so I want to try and make it as convenient as I can with information that I know will be helpful for all of our foster parents."
Carter also speaks to the importance of AGAPE's quarterly connection gatherings as a means for foster families to support one another. These meetings allow foster parents within the agency to meet one another and share advice and encouragement. Carter explains that these meetings allow foster parents to support one another through challenges, and celebrate together in victories.
In addition to providing community for current foster families, these gatherings also give Carter hope for the future in terms of implementing a mentoring program for new foster parents. She explains that while she, as a social worker, can offer practical advice and experience, she realizes the value in hearing from someone who has truly been where you are.
"When you have someone who has gone before you and done what you are in the process of doing it is nice to have someone to talk to that gets it."
While the concept of a mentoring program is still in the works, Carter explains that any program that creates community has its root in the gospel, and therefore, is worth creating and cultivating within an organization like AGAPE, which Carter says functions as a family in itself. AGAPE functions like a tight-knit family, and therefore seeks to create communities for those involved with its services.
Carter ends by sharing her ultimate motivation for her upcoming initiatives: her faith.
"Community is life-giving—and essential to following Christ. Scripture says that's because we're better together than we are alone."
In counseling, Foster Care, Fostering Services, mentor, volunteer, parenting Tags Foster Care, family, staff, support
Staff Spotlight: Mary Arnold, Director of Social Services
On January 1st of 2019, Mary Arnold officially stepped into her new position as AGAPE of North Carolina's Director of Social Services.
The position is new to AGAPE. Previously, the work done by a Director of Social Services was being carried out by Executive Director Kimberly Scott in addition to her responsibilities as director.
To delegate these responsibilities, Arnold, previously a social worker with AGAPE, began training in August to accept her upcoming role as Director of Social Services.
Arnold's responsibilities include managing and directing AGAPE's contracted social workers, facilitating intake of children from various counties, communicating with foster families regarding potential placements, keeping foster family files up to date, managing licenses, and being available to social workers if they need any assistance.
While Arnold admits this position has been a learning experience, her passion for the job and the people she works with is evident.
"I love it. I love being very personal and getting to know the all the social workers and so many families... I get to know them and talk with them"
In addition to working closely with social workers and families, Arnold also has a hand in deciding where a foster child should be placed, an aspect of her work that is new to this job.
Arnold explains that placing children is often a complex process; factors like age, location, family dynamics, and trauma history are all at play when she is making the decision of which family would best match a particular child.
"It's like putting puzzle pieces together," she remarks.
The job can be difficult, and Arnold does not shy away from this aspect of her position, explaining that getting placement calls and not being able to place children is one of the hardest parts of her job. She sees trauma and pain come through her email inbox regularly.
Despite this, Arnold says those heartbreaking emails and phone calls "remind me why I do what I do. It's what makes me passionate about recruiting foster parents."
This passion for children bleeds into Arnold's personal life as well; she explains that her job has caused her and her husband to consider becoming foster parents, explaining that she cannot do the work she does and not take a moment to look at herself, to reflect on how she could be a potential solution to a problem.
When asked what she would tell potential foster parents who are afraid to take the first step into foster care, Arnold says:
"Trust in God. I know that's so much easier to say than do... but there's so much more reward when you take a leap of faith and go through the valleys... When you walk with these kids, when you are Jesus to them, when you come to the other side with them, you're going to get the greatest reward."
In Adoption Services, counseling, volunteer, Fostering Services, mentor, staff, social services Tags staff, Foster Care, volunteer, serve
Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome
By Jordan Upton
Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome (PADS) is not a formally recognized disorder but is a term that has been used since 1995 to describe feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression that some parents feel following an adoption. PADS usually affects adoptive mothers and can be attributed to a variety of factors.
The adoption process itself can be an emotional rollercoaster, but challenges may continue even after parents have brought their child home. There may be bonding issues, residual emotions about infertility, overwhelming pressure to be perfect, or a let-down that occurs after accomplishing a major goal or life milestone, like getting married or graduating from college.
Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome may present itself through:
● Loss of interest or enjoyment in activities you used to enjoy
● Fatigue or loss of energy
● Excessive guilt
● Feeling powerless
● Feeling worthless
● Sense of hopelessness
If you or someone you know may be experiencing these feelings post-adoption, don't hesitate to ask for help. Reach out to a therapist or counselor. Contact AGAPE staff for their guidance and referrals. Take time off - whether it's time off work or a day away from home to clear your head - take care of yourself so you can better take care of others.
Remember, you are not alone. A study by Purdue University found 18-26% of adoptive mothers reported depressive symptoms within the first year of bringing home a new baby or child.
Asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of. You, your child, and your family as a whole will benefit when you are honest about your feelings and seek help to be and feel your best.
https://www.adoptionstogether.org/blog/2013/01/07/why-arent-i-happy-recognizing-post-adoption-depression-syndrome/
https://www.seleni.org/advice-support/2018/3/16/post-adoption-depression https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120322FoliResearch.html
In Adoption Services, Adoption, behavior, counseling, parenting Tags parenting, adoption, depression
Why We Do Respite
Your donations support and equip foster families in your community who are opening their loving, Christian homes right now to children in need. Other Christian families assist them in this mission work by occasionally providing respite. Please watch & listen as the Williams family shares why they became Respite Providers.
In Adoption Services, Change for Life, counseling, donation, Foster Care, Fund Raiser, parenting, volunteer Tags fundraiser, Foster Care, Change for Life, adoption
A Reunification Story: We Just Hugged
Bonnie Hendrix is now 30 years old. As we speak on the phone I hear the playful and raucous laughter of Bonnie's two children, aged four and two, and Bonnie frequently has to take a sidebar from our conversation to answer questions posed by her curious kids. I was put in touch with Bonnie to hear and share her story. AGAPE has had a large impact on her life: she was adopted when she was two months old and recently was reunited with her birth mother.
Bonnie's adoptive parents, Randy and Joyce, were on AGAPE's Tennessee-based waiting list to be placed with a baby. When the couple heard no news of any children needing a home, they switched to AGAPE of North Carolina. After making this switch to the North Carolina branch, the couple was contacted about the birth of Bonnie while they attended a baseball game. Bonnie jokes "...it's always funny I get to tell people that my mom was at a baseball game on my birthday." This is one thing that surprised me while speaking with Bonnie about such intimate and dramatic details of her life: her unwavering sense of humor. The openness and willingness to discuss such events in her life with a relative stranger were both pleasantly surprising and uplifting.
Bonnie grew up in a happy home with Joyce and Randy as her adoptive parents. Two and a half years after taking Bonnie home, Joyce surprisingly became pregnant and the couple welcomed another girl into their family. Bonnie was raised knowing that she was adopted. Bonnie tells me how her mother explained to her that "I had not grown under her heart but in it", and that her parents had always welcomed and supported Bonnie's idea of finding her birth mother if she ever wished to do so. It is easy to see how caring and compassionate Bonnie's parents are, especially considering how hard situations like those could be. Three years ago Bonnie decided to embark on that journey.
Bonnie contacted director of AGAPE, Kim Scott, who supported Bonnie's search fully and helped in every way she could. Bonnie explains the process of filing the paperwork and sending in money to receive information on her birth mother. She was then told the information would take up to 90 days to find its way back to her. "I waited all summer and exactly on the dot 90 days later I got an email that said that they found her and that she really wanted to meet with me." I asked if this 90 day wait was as grueling and stressful as I imagine it would be, to which Bonnie replied succinctly: "I immediately started freaking out".
The two decided to meet during Bonnie's fall break because she is a teacher. Joyce (Bonnie's adoptive mother), Bonnie's husband, and her then two and a half year old and six month old kids made the trip to AGAPE of NC's offices. Bonnie impatiently paced the waiting room for 45 minutes waiting on her birth mother to arrive. "She was running late...she was terrible at directions which made me laugh because I'm also terrible at directions" Bonnie tells me. And then she arrived. I could feel the tension as Bonnie was telling me the story and could only imagine how this moment would feel. I was anxious as to how this story would end. And then Bonnie tells me with all of the sincerity and simplicity she had exuded throughout our conversation: "We both just started crying as soon as we saw each other. And we just hugged and it was great".
While this was the only time Bonnie and her birth mother, Wendy, have met in person, they maintain contact over the phone and the internet. Wendy lives in South Carolina while Bonnie and her family live in Tennessee. Wendy had two other daughters, making them Bonnie's half-sisters, and while Bonnie has not met them in person they have been in touch using Facebook. As we end our conversation Bonnie tells me that this journey has been a "really great experience" and that by contacting her birth mother it has "benefitted my whole family and I make a lot more sense to myself now".
I was privileged to hear Bonnie's incredible and uplifting life story. AGAPE is honored to have had a part in placing Bonnie with her incredible adoptive parents as well as helping her contact and reunite with her birth mother.
In Adoption Services, counseling, Fostering Services Tags adoption, Foster Care, reunification
Staff Profile: Meet Social Worker Marilyn Bredon
When speaking with Marilyn Bredon, two things become apparent: her love of working with children and her faith in God. These pillars in her life led her, in January 2018, to join Agape of NC as a social worker II.
Marilyn has been an advocate for children since she was a child herself. As a Christmas gift when she was young, Marilyn was given a doll and named it Baby Sister. She knows that her parents had entertained the idea of adoption on their own, but with her insistence of wanting a baby sister, they adopted a two year old girl when Marilyn was five. When completing the adoption paperwork, five year old Marilyn piped up to give their home address and phone number, feeling very included in her sister's adoption.
Marilyn and her sister, like their parents before them, grew up in the Church of Christ. Marilyn participated in youth group, and when she was old enough she became a leader in the children's church Sunday morning service. She was also a leader during Vacation Bible Schools and taught bible study. In college, she ran a "Mothers Morning Out" program. Marilyn's work with children has truly been a lifelong calling.
After college, Marilyn moved to North Carolina with her husband. While living in Durham and working for Durham County Child Protective Services, they had three children. A job opportunity moved them to Virginia, where their fourth child was born. Marilyn swears this move was all God.
In Virginia, she was diagnosed with ocular cancer. She had an ocular melanoma wrapped completely around her optic nerve. Fortunately, one of the nation's leading doctors with that expertise was working in Richmond. Marilyn was his last surgical patient. When the job opportunity turned out not to be what their family expected, and they moved back to North Carolina, Marilyn realized God's real purpose in moving them to Virginia - that specific place at that specific time- was so this doctor could save her life. She has been cancer-free since 2001.
Upon their move back to North Carolina, Marilyn spoke with Nicole Spickard, whose father started AGAPE. She applied in the fall of 2017 and officially started work in January 2018.
There is no such thing as a typical day in her work. What families and children need may change every day, depending on who is involved and what is happening. She was the social worker for Salem House, and is currently working with two other families that are fostering children. She may be visiting, calling, texting, and/or emailing the foster parents on any given day to discuss the children in their care. If there are older teenagers currently in care, she'll check in with them via texts and calls too. Marilyn also helps people who are working to become licensed foster parents or renew their licenses. Some days are hectic - like during the recent July Fourth holiday when she needed to find last minute respite care after late notice of closure from a daycare. But other days, like when she receives adorable school pictures of happy children in care, balance it out.
In Adoption Services, counseling, Fostering Services, mentor Tags staff, Foster Care, adoption, Agape
Third Quarter 2018 Newsletter
Summer has come to an end and we enter autumn with open arms and lower humidity! This is also the time of year that begins our Annual Change for Life Campaign. While considering your support for the coming year, read and enjoy our current Newsletter here.
In Adoption Services, Change for Life, counseling, donation, Fostering Services, Fund Raiser, Newsletter Tags newsletter, Foster Care, adoption, counseling
Why You are So Important!
By Kimberly Scott
Director of AGAPE of NC
In 2017, experts warned that North Carolina's foster care system is in a predicament. The state's Division of Social Services began noticing in late 2012 that the number of children coming into foster care was exceeding the number exiting the system. With over 11,000 children in NC already in foster homes, our foster care rate is reportedly the highest it has been in the last 10 years and is steadily rising. Many causes factor into the situation:
physical and mental trauma, abuse or neglect;
parental substance abuse, including the opioid crisis
we hear so much about;
parental incarceration;
a reduction in federal funds for mental health services.
The bottom line is that the number of children currently in our North Carolina foster care system is rising faster than the number of foster families available to support them. It is AGAPE's Christ-focused mission to fill as much of that gap as possible with Christian counseling and foster homes where these children will be loved and come to know Jesus.
At present, AGAPE of NC has over 30 kids in care with our 25 foster families. Thankfully, we are blessed with another 25 new families pursuing licensure right now. We also have at least a dozen families providing respite foster care. But AGAPE needs more of YOU because the children need more from us.
So, when AGAPE of NC asks YOU to
consider becoming a foster parent or a respite care provider;
donate items or funds needed to supply SALEM HOUSE;
start saving your spare change now because AGAPE's 3rd Annual CHANGE FOR LIFE! fundraising campaign will kick off in September 2018;
volunteer your time & talents; and
pray for AGAPE and those who need us...
know it is ALL for the children and families God wants us to serve. "And the King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40 (NIV)
In Adoption Services, counseling, donation, Fostering Services, Fund Raiser, Newsletter, volunteer Tags Foster Care, fundraiser, staff, adoption, volunteer
Staff Profile: Meet AGAPE of NC's Director, Kim Scott
Executive Director Kimberly Scott knows that her involvement with AGAPE was not her plan, but God's. As a young girl, Kim often told her family that she wanted a job for God, and took comfort in her mother's response that "we all have a job for God." This thinking led her to a life of service and helping others.
Originally from Texas, Kim earned her Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her husband, an engineer, received calls from headhunters and was offered jobs around the world. She was pregnant when her husband asked if she'd rather move to North Carolina or Germany. With two toddlers and another baby on the way, Kim thought it best to stay in the States. She envisioned the move to North Carolina as a starting point for a life of travel; they would stay a couple years then check out other places. But things don't always go as we plan, and 19 years later Kim is still enjoying life in NC.
After relocating to NC, Kim was lucky to stay home with her children until they all began school. At that time, she started her own private practice. One day, her minister walked into the office with a new client. Until then, her minister didn't know that she was a licensed clinical social worker. After seeing her practice and learning of her qualifications, Kim's minister approached her about AGAPE. He was on the organization's board of directors and the search committee for a new executive director.
Kim wasn't looking for a job. She had been in practice for years and had about 15 people working for her. She said, "I was doing great where I was," and even joked, "I had a great boss - me!"
But after several interviews where she learned more about the meaning and mission of AGAPE, Kim found herself thinking 'if they'll have me, I am here.' When they officially offered her the position of executive director in October 2013, Kim said, "Of course! Of course, I'm going to take this job. No, wasn't even an option."
Nearly five years into her role as executive director, Kim says, "I feel truly blessed to be part of this organization, and just to be able to be part of people's lives in such a profound way."
Kim has a hand in every aspect of AGAPE - making presentations about foster care, raising awareness, recruiting foster families and board members. She manages the staff and helps with financial planning. She receives calls daily about kids needing placement and works to find a match for them. In short, she does everything she can to fulfill AGAPE's mission of strengthening families through compassionate Christian outreach.
In Adoption Services, counseling, Foster Care, Fostering Services, Newsletter, volunteer Tags Foster, staff
Second Quarter 2018 Newsletter
We hope you will read and enjoy our current Newsletter here.
In Adoption Services, Adoption, counseling, donation, Foster Care, Fostering Services, Newsletter, volunteer Tags newsletter, Foster Care, adoption
Fostering That Became Adopting
On May 11th, the Friday before Mother's Day, ABC Evening News with David Muir chose to spotlight the Peters family as their 'Persons of the Week'. Sharis and her husband, Thomas, wanted children but due to fertility issues they were unable to conceive. Faced with expensive fertility treatments, the couple instead sought other avenues in order to fulfill their desire for children. This led the couple to begin fostering in 2010. Sharis and Thomas were contacted about siblings Miles, 3 years old, and Jasmine, 5 month old. After bringing Miles and Jasmine home, the couple fell in love with the children, and 10 months later, the Peters received another call from their social worker that baby Jade, Miles and Jasmine's sister, had been born. Baby Jade was the exclamation point to this happy couple's fostering story. Sharis and Thomas have officially adopted all of the children who are now 11, 8, and 7.
"Being a foster parent and becoming an adoptive parent has meant everything to me," she said. "There's nothing else I'd rather be doing with my life." Sharis says. She goes on to describe the overwhelming joy she has felt on this journey beginning with fostering and ending with the adoption of her children. Sharis advocates for the importance of fostering, not only for the joy that those who foster feel, but more importantly the need for these children to receive the love and care they deserve.
"You don't have to be perfect to be a foster parent. You don't have to be perfect to be an adoptive parent. You don't have to be rich. You don't have to own your own home. You don't have to be perfect," she said. "You just have to be able to love somebody and accept their love. That's all you really need to do."
AGAPE of North Carolina helps create happy endings just like this with our foster care services, adoption services, and counseling services. If you are interested in enriching your life as well as changing a child's life in an extraordinary way, are interested in helping promote the AGAPE mission, or want to donate to the organization, please visit www.agapeofnc.org.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/couple-ad...
In counseling, Adoption Services, Foster Care Tags adoption, Foster Care, National Foster Care Month
Staff Profile: Meet the Mentor of Salem House
With the help of donors, board members, and the community, AGAPE of NC was able to open the Salem House in 2017. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this house allows for young men aged 18 to 21 who are near to aging out of the foster care system to reside with a house mentor. Here they gain invaluable resources such as job training, resume building, and life skills that will be utilized after their stay at the Salem House.
Currently there are four residents at Salem House under the tutelage of Mr. Larry Dais. Mr. Dais, a recent retiree from the electronic industry, is the foster parent who serves as guardian, teacher, and mentor to these four young men. When asked how he became involved with AGAPE, Dais explained, "There's a gentleman I go to church with, Joe Hall, and he is a member of the board of directors of AGAPE. And he approached me one day and asked if I would be interested in fostering these 18 to 21 year old boys. And I thought about it for a week or so, and thought it might be something I'd like to do." This was only the first step on the path that would lead Larry to the Salem House.
The next step for Mr. Dais was to become certified in Foster Care, which is a North Carolina statute to serve in this capacity in the system. After training alongside Mrs. Grace Hepler for ten to eleven months, which included exhaustive and extensive research on scenarios, state rules and regulations, as well as understanding the values associated with AGAPE, Mr. Dais passed his state licensure test in June of 2017.
When asked what a typical day at the Salem House looks like, Larry explained that school and work are first and foremost. Any remaining time available around those two areas include family-type interactions with each other where adult responsibilities such as chores and budgeting are discussed. Additionally, Larry stated his intent to teach the boys skills like writing a resume, how to perform well during an interview, and how to properly fill out job applications. Larry also has hopes of bringing in volunteers to show their certain areas of expertise, such as cooking, to the residents of the house.
When asked about what members of the community can do to help the Salem House and the foster care community as a whole Mr. Dais said that they need "volunteer[s] to teach these boys about life; how to be adults. We could even have families come in to talk about family dynamics. Hopefully one day these young men will become dads or fathers. And with these break-ups and disconnects they've gone through in their lives, I'm sure a lot of them have no real model for how to be a dad, how to be part of a family. So I would just really encourage folks to get involved."
Whether you are in the Winston-Salem community and are willing and able to volunteer your time to help these boys learn how to expertly navigate adulthood, or you just get the word out about the Salem House, Mr. Dais strongly urges to be an advocate for not only AGAPE and the Salem House in particular, but of fostering as a whole and describes his short time fostering as incredibly satisfying. Donating your time, money, or materials to worthwhile projects such as the Salem House benefits all involved and helps to maintain a community of love, care, and fellowship. Even if it is as small as donating a jar of peanut butter. As Mr. Dais told me, "We could always use another jar of peanut butter."
In donation, Foster Care, Fostering Services, counseling Tags Salem House, Foster Care, volunteer
First Quarter 2018 Newsletter
The news is out, read all about it! Download now to catch up on all that AGAPE of NC has been doing this year.
In counseling, Adoption Services, Fostering Services, Foster Care, Fund Raiser, Newsletter Tags Foster Care, newsletter, adoption, counseling
Women Who Helped Pave The Way
In 1980, the week of March 8th was declared International Women's History Week by President Jimmy Carter. This historic week was established to honor the great female leaders who fought for the rights of women and for equality for all such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Sacagawea. This historic week was eventually extended to the entire month of March and new additions of great women who impact our society are written in the history books daily.
AGAPE of N.C. would not be as successful as it is today without the help of some truly inspiring women who helped pave the way for advancements in foster care, adoption, and counseling services. Here are three women who played vital roles in altering the landscapes of these areas for not only women but for everyone involved in them.
Edna Gladney, born in 1886, was an advocate for children's rights and the improvement of conditions for disadvantaged children. Edna and her husband helped establish the Texas Children's Home and Aid Society in 1910 and she would be the superintendent until 1961. The Texas Children's Home would later be renamed the Gladney Center for Adoption. In 1936, Mrs. Gladney lobbied in Texas for the removal of the word "illegitimate" from children's birth certificates, removing a long-standing stigma placed on children placed into adoption. Gladney would also successfully campaign for adopted children to receive the same inheritance rights as biological children as well as the recognition of being legally adopted as opposed to the children being "under long-term guardianship". Edna Gladney fought her entire life for the rights of disadvantaged and adopted children and she radically changed the face of the field.
Melanie Klein was an influential psychologist who dramatically changed the field of child psychology. Klein, born in 1882 in Austria-Hungary, worked as a peer to Sigmund Freud and was a lead in psychoanalysis theory, becoming the first person to use this kind of therapy with children. Klein's direct work with children helped disprove some controversial theories some psychologists, like Freud, had of children. Thanks to Klein's work, we are better equipped to understand the needs and wants, emotionally and mentally, of children in far more ways than we were previous to her groundbreaking work. Not only did Klein alter the face of children's psychology, but of psychology as a whole.
Edith Cowan was born in Australia in 1861. Cowan had a turbulent and unpleasant upbringing and because of this, she would dedicate her life to the rights of women and children. Cowan helped establish the Karrakatta Club in Perth, Australia in 1894, making it the first women's club in the country. This club helped women find their own voices to lobby against the injustices they felt were being perpetrated against women and children. She also helped to form the Women's Service Guilds in 1909 and was a co-founder of Australia's National Council of Women. Later, Cowan helped to establish the Children's Protection Society and devoted her time to advocate against children being tried as adults in the court system. Her role dramatically influenced the implementation of children's courts in Australia, and Cowan would serve on the bench for eighteen years, making her one of the first female Justices of the Peace ever. In addition to her role in the role of children in the judicial system, she also strongly advocated for educational reform in order to advance and emphasize the importance of knowledge in children.
While there are countless other women who have influenced the various areas that AGAPE of N.C. focuses on, these three women deserve to be lauded and showcased. We here at AGAPE we applaud strong and courageous women and are indebted to all who advocate for the rights and equality of all.
In Celebrity Speaker, Adoption Services, counseling, Foster Care, Fostering Services Tags Foster Care, counseling, adoption, women
Fall/Winter 2017 Newsletter
Here we are wrapping up another busy and exciting year for AGAPE of NC. Read about it in our current newsletter.
In Adoption Services, counseling, Fostering Services, Newsletter Tags adoption, Foster Care
Building Your Foster Family Village, Part 2
by A Fostered Life
Building your foster family village, by A Fostered Life, continues today with part 2. We hope you enjoyed Part 1 of this series, and if you haven't watched it we recommend you watch it first.
In this video, Christy discusses not hesitating to take the time needed to find the right people to make up your village. She covers pediatricians, dentist, psychiatrist and more.
In counseling, Fostering Services Tags Foster Care, National Foster Care Month
The Wounds You Cannot See
by Kia Carter
Physical wounds often get more attention than our emotional ones. I believe this is because we can see our physical wounds and so can everyone else, so we know that we must tend to them.
For many of us, if we can not see the injury we assume there must not be a wound that needs
healing. However, the most significant wounds we suffer are often hidden from our sight. Physical wounds can leave physical scars, but emotional wounds scar our ability to trust others. To be sure, both types of wounds always leave a mark, but emotional hurt erodes trust and chips away at relationships.
At its root, trauma emerges out of our woundedness. This can be one of the toughest parts about fostering or adopting. As a foster parent, you have to earn back the trust that you never violated; you must work to redeem the hard places that you never created. You must
heal wounds that you never inflicted. Emotional wounds can heal, yet the scars will always remain. However, I believe that the scares of these children are capable of telling a beautiful story of redemption.
No child enters foster care or becomes available for adoption unless something beyond their control has gone wrong. Those who gave life to the child, who was supposed to care for them, protect them, teach them, and support them could not, would not or did not. As such, the parent-child relationship, one of the foundational and most important of all earthly relationships, was broken or severed. This is an emotionally-wounding experience. We want our children's story to be one of beauty and gain and not one of loss and pain. But we must remember that God is not writing fairy tales with our lives. God is writing a real-life story that involves broken people living in a broken world. But this story does not end in brokenness—the story of God is a story of hope.
Foster care and adoption is an invitation to enter a child's world, an invitation to enter into the trauma that they have faced and become an agent of God's healing power. It is in this healing that we find hope. Dr. Karyn Purvis, the author of the book, The Connected Child, reminds us that children who were harmed in a relationship will come to experience healing through positive relationships. God's grace and redemption entered the relational trauma of humanity and into our lives.
A miracle is an unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God.
The miracle of foster care and adoption is that through loss, and despite it, God chooses God's infinite goodness and kindness to make something beautiful—weaving the broken pieces of our lives together into a place where hope lives and wounds heal.
In Adoption Services, behavior, counseling, Fostering Services Tags adoption, Foster Care
AGAPE's Counseling Services Are Here for You
by Lydia Huth
If you are facing a challenge in your life, AGAPE's counselors are here to help you! Our services are not limited to foster care and adoption, as our counselors see cases of depression, anxiety, and marriage issues, as well as behavioral and oppositional cases.
When you see one of our counselors, you will find your session is grounded on a comforting and uplifting spiritual foundation. Instead of focusing on temporary behavioral changes, executive director Kimberly Scott describes that AGAPE counselors highlight "use of the Holy Spirit to encourage and maintain change." Our goal is for you to find lasting peace in Christ.
Concerned about fitting counseling into your schedule? AGAPE is happy to work with your needs. Our counselors offer flexible scheduling and can meet with you in your community, at your home or in the AGAPE office.
Are you ready to take a step towards a better you? We are currently accepting new patients. Find out more about our services HERE, or contact us to set up an appointment by phone at 919-673-7816.
In counseling Tags counseling


text:
Daily Kickoff: Emhoff to Poland + Holocaust remembrance in Abu Dhabi
Senate bill seeks to honor diplomats who saved Jews during the Holocaust
Morningstar, Jewish groups at loggerheads over commitments to fix anti-Israel bias
House vote on Ilhan Omar's Foreign Affairs seat appears increasingly uncertain
Chuy García's record on Israel comes under scrutiny in Chicago mayoral race
Daily Kickoff: Jacky Rosen outlines how Senate can advance Abraham Accords
Rosen highlights potential for air- and missile-defense, water projects through Abraham Accords
Daily Kickoff: Gillibrand says she's 'never been more optimistic' about Middle East
in the race
Ruben Gallego enters Arizona Senate race
'I've never been more optimistic' about the Middle East, Gillibrand says after Abraham Accords trip
call out
Marc Stanley presses for AMIA bombing accountability during Senate hearing
The nominee to be ambassador to Argentina also discussed his Jewish heritage and values during Tuesday's confirmation hearing
Screenshot/SFRC
Marc Stanley testifies via video in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Marc Rod
Marc Stanley, the Biden administration's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Argentina, said "there should be a demand" that the Argentinian government and judiciary fully investigate and prosecute the 1994 terrorist bombing of the Associación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
The attack, which was carried out by a Hezbollah-linked Lebanese suicide bomber and which investigators believe was directly organized by senior Iranian government officials, is still officially unsolved in Argentina. Stanley, speaking at his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, described the bombing as "a huge issue" and called on the Argentinian government to properly address the attack.
"This is not a Jewish issue. This an affront on Argentina," Stanley said. "Eighty-five people died and they weren't all Jews… I think all Argentines should be upset about it, and I think there should be a demand of this government, the judiciary [to] prosecute and find out who's responsible and get justice."
He praised Argentina for recent steps addressing some of the individuals and groups linked to the attack, including "finally" designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2019, and said he was "pleased" that President Alberto Fernández was "outraged" that an official linked to the bombing was appointed to a leadership role in the new Iranian government.
During his opening statement, Stanley — a former chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council and leader in other Jewish charities and political groups — described his family's immigrant heritage as "a family story that is unique to the American promise."
"That story finds its roots in small villages in Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. My father's family first made their way to Brooklyn, New York, with little to their name. My mother's father fled pogroms in the early 1900s and landed in London, before his daughter eventually crossed the Atlantic at the age of 19 to reach America's shores as well," Stanley said. "My parents met at Jewish singles dance on Long Island, and after marrying and having two sons, moved to Dallas, built a business and planted the seeds of a fruitful life. "
He added that his career and his activism have been motivated by his Jewish values.
"Throughout my life, public service, the pursuit of justice, the desire to give back and repair the world — what in Judaism we call tikkun olam — have always been a central part of my identity: as a young intern and staffer on Capitol Hill, as a lawyer, as a volunteer, as an activist in everything from the fight to rescue Soviet Jewry to the cause of a safer State of Israel to leadership roles in local and national nonprofits and serving in state and federal government," Stanley said. "Now, if confirmed, I have the chance to continue forging that path on behalf of our nation."


The one-time richest man in Russia has vowed to finance democracy campaigns in his homeland after an Irish court lifted freezing orders on 100 million euro in an investment fund.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky's war chest was ordered to be handed over five years after being withheld as part of investigations into money laundering.
The exiled former oligarch, once the head of the now defunct Yukos oil and gas company, was jailed in 2003 after falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the money was first seized while he was in jail in 2011.
Mr Khodorkovsky, who was pardoned and released from detention in 2013 and now lives in London, said he welcomed the decision of the District Court in Dublin to release the fund.
He said the decision in the case showed the money was not the proceeds of crime.
In a statement he said he had indicated that he will use some of it "to support the work of the Open Russia movement", a campaign founded in 2014 to focus on justice, human rights and free and fair elections.
Mr Khodorkovsky, who claims his incarceration over alleged unpaid taxes was politically motivated, remains one of Mr Putin's foremost critics. He was named a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International.
The multimillion investment fund based in Dublin was first frozen following an application by the fraud squad in Ireland.
Mr Khodorkovsky secured the release of the money after taking a civil case and making an application under the Republic's Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.
The Yukos energy company was broken up and its assets transferred to a number of state-owned companies following his imprisonment.


text:
Habala () is a small mountain village in 'Asir Region of Saudi Arabia. It can be reached by car from Abha within one hour. It is located in a valley almost 300 metres below the peak of the front mountain. It was originally inhabited by a tribal community known as the "flower men" because of their custom of wearing garlands of dried herbs and flowers in their hair. In the past, the village was only accessible by rope ladder, and in fact, the name Habala comes from the Arabic word for rope. They were supposedly fleeing the Turks at the time of the Ottoman Empire.

In the 1990s, during a push to promote tourism in the region, a cable car was built to provide access to the traditional village with its stark mountain views. In consequence, however, the local "flower men" were dispossessed of their homes and forced to move into a modern village created for them in the valley below. When they refused to move, they were evacuated forcibly by the Saudi Arabian National Guard. Today, some of the original inhabitants are allowed back up to the village, but only to perform their traditional dances for tourists during the summer months. The village had already been evacuated, and no one was living there.  Therefore, it was already empty in 1990 when the cable car was built. A more likely story is that because they were no longer suffering from persecution from the Ottomans, and life in the area was now safe, they had no reason to live in such as inaccessible place.
Visiting Habala

Located about an hour's drive from Abha, Habala is accessible for visits daily by tourists. The cable car runs from about 10am - 6pm during the high season and 2pm - 6pm during the low season. Many of the traditional buildings in village have been converted for use as restaurants/cafes during the high season. Two areas of the village are accessible to tourists, with the main area near the exit from the cable car and a trail leading to a separate section with additional buildings that serve as a museum during the high tourist season.

See also
 Sarawat Mountains

References

Populated places in 'Asir Province