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A.M.O. Brewery

fruit beer

26 – 29 May 2021: Seasonal release: AMORA

Enjoy the summer heat with our seasonal fruit beer: AMORA Mulberry Lemon Saison. The word for “mulberry” in Portuguese is Amora, and these fruits are coming straight from a grower in the Algarve! Super juicy, bright purple, and sweet. We add a touch of lemon peel (local Portuguese lemons of course!) to provide some citric freshness.

“Saison” is a beer style traditional to parts of Belgium and France, and it uses a special yeast and a range of grains. A.M.O.’s Amora follows this tradition, using a yeast that imparts a slightly herbal taste, which really complements the wild berry flavours. We also use oats and malted wheat, in addition to the malted barley, to brew a beer that fully expresses the saison style. Enjoy!

15 May 2021: Pink Sunglasses on a Saturday

This Saturday marks two occasions: it’s the first time we’re open again on a Saturday after lockdown, and we’re using the day to bring back Pink Sunglasses – Raspberry Session Ale. We first released this beer in October 2020, just at the tail end of summer. This year we’re prepared! We brewed this beer to be ready for this sunny Saturday in May, and we’ll keep it coming all summer long.

Intense raspberry aroma, pale pink colour, low bitterness and low acidity make it a pretty pleasant drink to enjoy on a hot day. At 4% alcohol, you can stay refreshed during an afternoon or evening drinking session. Put on the Pink Sunglasses and relax.
Label art by F. V. Reilly.

3 Sept 2020: Pink Sunglasses beer launch

Don’t let yourself get too discouraged; put on the pink-tinted glasses and take a new perspective. This is the idea behind pink sunglasses!

True, beer won’t solve your problems; but the fresh intense aroma and taste of raspberries in this light beer will make you smile. Add good company, and good conversation, and it’s a good time! At only 4% ABV, you can enjoy a social drinking session knowing you can still stay focused on our wide, pink-tinted world.

Available for a short time, and back next summer! Label art by F.V. Reilly.


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Either I am getting old, becoming wiser, or just plain running out of energy…possibly all three.  Let me tell you what brought these thoughts to my mind today.

Adventist Christian Theatre was at the Linthicum Maryland SDA Church today.  It was our first performance of the year.  The church received us well and the kids had a lot of fun.  I was probably the only person there who was not feeling happy and content about the program, quite the opposite as a matter of fact.  You see, I’m the director.  I’ve been directing the A.C.T. drama ministry for about twenty years now.  I know I used to be much more of a perfectionist than I am today, at least when it comes to directing the kids.  Twenty years ago, when I first started A.C.T., I would push the kids in rehearsal requiring them to perform a skit to perfection at least three times in a row before I would allow it to go on stage as part of our program.  Perfection.  No missed lines, no missed cues, no garbled words, it had to be absolutely perfect.  This passionate pursuit of theatrical perfection earned me the title: “drama Czar’…It was not given as a term of endearment, believe me.

Twenty years later I find that I have lost that intensity.  Whereas before a skit had to reach a level of perfection before being staged, today I actually put two skits into the program that the kids had not yet been able to get completely through even once!  When, with worried expressions combined with fear and foreboding, they asked me what to do if they messed up, I told them not to worry, whatever happens happens and God is the one responsible for making the skit powerful and meaningful to the audience.  We just do our best and leave the rest to Him.  I know that if any of my student actors from twenty years ago would have heard me say that, they would take it as a sign that the end of the world was near and Armageddon was eminent.  Like I said, I’ve gotten old, wiser, or just plain tired…I’m thinking a little bit of all three.

You see, when I was just a young and foolish lad, I took it upon myself to try and bring all that I did, be it drama or teaching class, to the highest level of perfection that I could.  I had this belief that the better I could make something the better God could use it…I have since learned this is quite the dysfunctional belief.  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t always endeavor to give God our best at whatever we do, but it can become exhausting, both physically and spiritually, when you believe that the effectiveness of what you do for God is dependent on your ability.  Today was another live example of that truth.

The kids did, in my estimation, OK with their acting and presentation.  I saw all the flaws and mistakes they made.  I also saw and heard the audience brought into God’s presence and closer to Jesus–despite all the mistakes.  I don’t believe we should ever use the term “Christian” drama as an excuse to do poor drama, but I also believe that when we give God our best, at whatever level of skill that is, and honestly leave the results to Him, that He can and will take what we freely give Him and make it into exactly what He wants it to be.  God doesn’t use just loaves and fishes to miraculously feed thousands, He also uses you and I, in ways we can never imagine, to bring spiritual nourishment to others.

So don’t let fear ever keep you from doing whatever God has called you to do.  It doesn’t matter if your the best or even the worst at speaking, singing, playing, teaching or even acting.  Give it your best, give God the rest, and watch Him use you to change the world–or at least the world around you.

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I keep hearing these days that happiness is a choice. Apparently, it’s up to me to make it happen.

“Okay,” says I, “I’ll give it a try.” I decide to decide to be happy. Then along comes a crummy encounter, and I react in my usual crummy-encounter sort of way. I get upset, and I’m not happy. No surprises there.

But a moment later, I remember: I can choose to be happy. So, I strive to turn the crumminess into gratitude and goodness. I call on my powers of reason for support. I affirm repeatedly that this particular setback is no big deal, and…

It doesn’t work. Now I’m not only unhappy, I am frustrated by the result of my ineffective effort.

Well, that wasn’t much fun! “Next time,” my brain implores, “let’s just let the unhappiness run its course. No more striving to make it go away.”

I am back at square one. My original reactive emotions are poised to pounce at the slightest hint of a negative intrusion. My life continues to go up and down, as it did before.

Is that as good as it gets?

Wait a minute. Here comes another theory. If I can accept my unhappy reaction to every crummy encounter, it will lose its grip, and I will sooner be happy again. I can hardly wait for another opportunity to give this a try.

Surprisingly, this helps. I still get unhappy when something unpleasant occurs, but not for quite as long. I think I’m on a roll.

Let’s see, what’s next? Maybe I need to meditate more. Om, sweet Om.

And that helps, too. Until… Whamo! Suddenly, a karmic bomb explodes in my path, and it wounds me to my core. Om, kablooey!

That’s when it hits me. It must be my social conditioning. I’ve been programmed to wish that things were different when I don’t like how they are. Is that the problem?

“Bingo!” said a voice from somewhere far away. “You’ve got to work with what is.”

The trouble is, I don’t want to. When things are not to my liking, wishing they were different is as automatic in me as needing to eat when I’m hungry.

That same voice interrupted again. “You don’t need to eat when you’re hungry, you are simply giving in to an urge. What you need is self-control. Face the music and dance to it. You don’t always get to choose the tune. The one that plays is the one that is calling you out, and it will play on a loop until you decide to cheerfully give it a whirl.”

Cheerfully? Are you kidding? If I get a flat tire, I have to cheerfully get out and change it? In the cold and rain? That’s asking a lot.

“That’s what life does,” said the voice. “It asks a lot. But if you give a lot back, you find that you’re not unhappy anymore. It’s the best way to be.”

Well, I am hardly free of reactive emotions. But they don’t run me ragged like they used to, and meeting them with an understanding smile works well to quiet them down. Challenges are part of life’s daily docket, and it seems the better we get at facing them calmly, the more they test our mettle. The last part of the climb is usually the steepest and most exacting.

Like everyone else, I am trying to win my release from what causes me to hurt. Changing a flat tire cheerfully in the rain, slogging through a swamp of red tape, or dealing with a personal disaster, is a test of right attitude that can often be hard to get right. You know you got it wrong when it upsets you.

What’s funny is that the answer is so plain and simple. And yet, we fight it with our egoic desires as if they had the power to free us. The truth is, we cannot be happy if we make it conditional on getting what we want. Only in choosing to want what we get will happiness truly be ours, unaffected by flat tires, red tape and even personal disaster.

What comes of itself, let it come. Swami Kriyananda showed us how. No matter how severe the trial, he always made the most of it. And no one I have ever known was happier.


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GAZA – A 21st Century Tragedy

Gaza July 2014

Gaza July 2014

Everyday I get up and read the news from Gaza. I think about my old man who served in North Africa in WW2 and was a fervent supporter of the state of Israel. He admired the spirit that was invested in creating an economically powerful nation state out of the ashes of the Nazi holocaust. But I wonder what he would think today of Israel today with its apartheid, its walls, its bombardment of a civilian population hemmed in… imprisoned and encircled by the Israeli army.

Any outside observer can see that Hamas’ rocket attacks are stupid and pathetically ineffective against the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and its Iron Dome defence system. They come across to this viewer as symbolic, a sign of resistance as opposed to a real threat to Israel. In reality, they’d be better off aiming then at the Israeli’s West Bank Barrier – the most offensive wall in the world.

The Israeli response to the rocket attacks and the tunnels that link Gaza with the outside world and evade the blockade has resulted in death and destruction.The impact and extent of the devastation in Gaza is truly shocking. The IDF leave behind a legacy of trauma and a next generation committed to resistance. During the Blitz, which lasted 8 months, the Germans bombed London for seven consecutive nights and killed 20,000 civilians. People didn’t give up. And ask yourself how many post WWII generations has it taken to accept the German people as fellow Europeans and not the enemy.

Above: the destruction in Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood, Saturday, July 26, 2014

Considering 20th century history it would be deeply ironic and tragic if Israel were to be prosecuted for war crimes but they are sailing close to the wind. Attitudes within their nation state are hardening and those people committed to peace and living in harmony with their Arab neighbours are spat upon. We in the world outside have to do what our politicians are reluctant to in relation do in all those countries that openly abuse human rights and impose economic and cultural sanctions.

The whole of the middle east presents a depressing cycle of death on a daily basis whether in Iraq, Syria, Egypt or Gaza. In fact, worldwide, politics fueled by religion remains a wickedly dangerous combination and for the foreseeable future I see no respite. That said, we, as people, continue to have a duty to evolve our own collective responses to the daily tragedies that confront us.

About Paul Brad

Freelance journalist / Publisher Editor - Straight No Chaser magazine & From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz: A History Of The UK Jazz dance Scene by Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove / Music Fan: Interplanetary Sounds: Ancient to Future / Cultural Event Consultant & Activist / Nei Jia practitioner
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1 Response to GAZA – A 21st Century Tragedy

  1. Pablo Navarrete says:

    I agree with a lot of what you write here, Paul. Let’s also not forget the role our own British government has is the ongoing tragedy being inflicted on the Palestinians – this article in today’s Guardian made very good points I thought:

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text:
Journey to Portugal
Guest at the O'Neills'

1866: Journey to Portugal

12 January

Return to Copenhagen from Basnæs. Checks in at Hotel d'Angleterre. He is given two rooms on the 1st floor, as the violinist Ole Bull is staying in the two rooms he had earlier on the 2nd floor. HCA no longer has any interest in Ole Bull, as a person or an artist.

26th January: (and the following days)

Several arrangements are held to bid HCA farewell, before his departure. For example, on 26th he reads fairy-tales at the home of actor Lauritz Eckardt for an audience consisting of, amongst others, the Swedish actor and writer Frans Hedberg and the Danish-Norwegian writer Magdalene Thoresen.
Later on the same day he reads aloud at the home of the theatre steward Gottlob Berner, where there are theatre people and others present. One of the guests is the owner of Berner's house, Ernst Bilsted and his family (e.g. the daughter Anna Felicia, later married to Hillerup). Bilsted, master of the royal hunt at Høvdingsgaard Estate, is HCA's "friend" (as it says in the diary, 26th). [Ernst Bilsted is HCA's old friend from school days. They meet again in January 71].

28 January

Sees "Kejserens nye Klæder" (The Emperor's New Clothes) printed in a newspaper in Portuguese from Rio de Janeiro.

31 January

Departure from Copenhagen, after having on this and the previous day said good bye to both the king and queen, the crown prince (the later King Frederik VIII) and Princess Dagmar.
HCA expects the journey will cost 900 rdl.
Sails from Korsør to Nyborg, then by train to Strib, by coach to Middelfart, ferry to Kolding, coach to Haderslev and by train to Altona railway station/Hamburg. Then by bus to Haarburg and from there by train to Celle. On through Hannover, Rheine.

7 February

Crosses the border of Holland to Utrecht. Here he meets the Dutch priest and poet, Jan ten Kate, as well as the writer and HCA translator, J.I.D. Nepveu. The latter gives HCA his translation of HCA fairy-tales into Dutch. Continues to Amsterdam on 10th.

10th February - 14th March

In Amsterdam. Is welcomed by the Danish merchant brothers, Andreas Ludvig and Georg Brandt. Stays with Andreas Ludvig. Whilst here, HCA spends time with e.g. the composer and conductor J.J.H. Verhulst, who feels that the Danish Gade is one of Europe's greatest composers at the present time. During a concert, Verhulst includes a symphony by Gade, in honour of HCA's visit.
Disagrees somewhat with his host on matters concerning religion. HCA takes exception to the Dutch caste treatment of the Jews.

14th - 18th March

In Leiden. Stays with the writer Johannes Kneppelhout. Whilst here, HCA receives by mail a book by a young Dutch writer, which is about famous people. HCA is equalled in the book with Napoleon and Mozart. (In the diary (15th) he comments: "I am quite embarrassed to see it". All the same, he wastes no time in visiting her and giving her a copy of his portrait card).

18th - 23rd March

In the Haag.

1866: Guest at the O'Neills'

23rd - 29th March

In Belgium. In Antwerpen from 23rd - 26th (visits the painter Nicaise de Keyser at his atelier) on is in Bruxelles from 26th - 29th.

29th March - 13th April

In Paris. On 1st April, he accompanies Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (the later King Frederik VIII) to the races in Vincennes,

"where indeed I was seated on the imperial grandstand. It was also entertaining when we bolted through the boulevards in a carriage with the outriders at full speed, and saw the Parisians lined up to get a glimpse at the young Danish prince"
(unpublished letter to Mrs Scavenius at Basnæs, written 27th April).

On 2nd April, HCA visits the painter Lorenz Frølich, who has begun preliminary sketches for intended illustrations for HCA's fairy-tales. Visits Rossini (4th April). During his stay in Paris, HCA gets an idea which becomes the framework of the story "Dryaden" (The Wood Nymph), published in 1868.

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Sunday Retold: The road to Emmaus

I thought I’d share with you a reading from my book, The Bible Story Retold, and something from Prayers and Verses, as we continue thinking and praying through Easter this year.  As with all the Sunday Retold series, I hope it will be of help for all ages, wherever you find yourself.

The road to Emmaus by Daniel Bonnell

Things often emerge while walking.  Conversations can be deeper.  These two disciples, possibly husband and wife – Mary, wife of Clopas was at the foot of the cross – were leaving Jerusalem, their world fallen apart, talking over all that had happened.

Maybe, when we are out walking, we can be open to noticing the ways we need to talk through our fears and sadnesses, and then, be open to the possibility of a new perspective, a new vision, a new life.  It’s worth noticing how Jesus gave them time and space to tell them their story from their own perspective, and then, how he invited them into a new way of looking.

On the road

Two of Jesus’ followers left Jerusalem that day, walking to the village of Emmaus.  While they walked, they began to talk about all that had happened.  And as they shared their grief and bewilderment, Jesus joined them and walked with them. But they did not know who he was.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.

They stopped, and stood still on the white, dusty road. “Are you the only one from Jerusalem who doesn’t know what’s been going on?” said Cleopas.
“Tell me!” said Jesus.
“There was a prophet called Jesus of Nazareth, a true man of God. But the chief priests handed him over to be killed, and he was crucified.” Clopas paused. “We had hoped he was the one God had promised from long ago.  But then…. today, some of the women went to the tomb and came back saying it was empty, and that Jesus was alive!” For a moment, hope glimmered in Cleopas’s eyes, but then he shook his head.

“But don’t you see?” Jesus said.  “Haven’t you read the teachings of the prophets?  Don’t you know that these things had to happen?” And so he began to explain.  It was as if he were unrolling scroll after scroll along the road before them – all the Law, and all the teachings of the prophets – letting them see that the Messiah had to suffer and die and rise again.
“Stay with us, it’s getting dark!” the pair said as they came to Emmaus.  So Jesus stayed at their home.  Then, at the table, he took bread, and blessed it, and broke it to share with them.  In that breaking and sharing of bread, their eyes were suddenly opened and, with a gasp, they recognized it was Jesus who sat before them. But then he slipped from their sight.

“Did you feel it too, as we walked along? That buning – that deep, rising joy – that sudden understanding?” they asked each other as they grabbed their cloaks.  And they set off back to their friends in Jerusalem through the thickening darkness, laughing with joy, and leaving their supper on the table.

You can read the story in Luke’s gospel

From Prayers and Verses

When we are sad, help us to speak of our sorrow, and hear words of hope.  Help us know you walk with us, as you walked with the two on the Emmaus road.  Help us to recognise you in the breaking and sharing of bread, as you warm our hearts with your joy.

Please feel free to share my work, saying where it is from.

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text:
Commitment defined

Commitment follows trust and is defined as ‘an exchange partner believing that an ongoing relationship with another is so important as to warrant maximum efforts at maintaining it’ (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). Implicit in this definition is the perceived importance and high value of the relationship to the committed partner.

Garbarino and Johnson (1999) propose that customer satisfaction, perceived service quality, perceived value, trust and commitment are generally regarded as the basis of consumer behavior with respect to marketing organizations. Their research amongst visitors to a New York off-Broadway repertory theatre company, however, reveals that for high relational customers (consistent subscribers), trust and commitment, rather than satisfaction, are the mediators between component attitudes and future intentions.

How is commitment created?

According to Hocutt (1998), commitment may be regarded as a function of:

• Satisfaction with the service provider (bonding),
• Quality of alternative providers,
• Investments in the relationship.

Commitment is stronger when satisfaction levels are high, the quality of alternatives is perceived to be poor and when the investment is large.

How can trust and commitment be encouraged and nurtured?

A genuine customer orientation

The terms marketing and customer orientation can be used interchangeably. Customer orientation implies achieving organizational goals through a genuine concern and motivation to satisfy customers. This requires a clear understanding of customers through marketing research and, where appropriate, through empathy, dialogue and proximity within a RM framework. This also requires the development of systems, structures and a culture around customer needs and wants.

An efficient customer care and service mechanism inspired, and run, by well-trained staff

In order to create mutual understanding between supplier and customer, mechanisms must exist for efficient and effective contact between the two parties. The use of Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques and the empowerment of customer-facing staff can ensure that this contact can promote satisfaction.

Clear safeguards and redress mechanisms

Companies must accept that it is inevitable that transactions will occasionally fail and dissatisfaction will result. Proper mechanisms for recovery, which incorporate fairness and promptness, should be in place. Also any guarantees and warranties must be clearly communicated to customers, and ‘small print’ must be avoided.

Sharing of and confidentiality of information

RM implies the customization of products, which depends on a good understanding of the customer’s situation and requirements. This requires the sharing of information and knowledge which must be treated as confidential. Many customers are reluctant to pass on their details to producers for fear of the information being passed on to other companies or generating junk mail.

Sharing of power

By committing resources to the acquisition and retention of customers, the supplier surrenders some of its freedom, or power to discontinue the relationship, if the customer becomes increasingly difficult to satisfy. This in turn gives the customer greater power to negotiate the terms of the relationship. It is important to stress, however, that this works both ways. As the relationship continues, the customer will also see a greater risk in switching to a new producer, and the customer’s stake in the relationship will grow.


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Why we should focus on health and happiness instead of weight loss

For several months earlier this year after watching the documentary Embrace, I was struggling a little to figure out where I fitted into the whole self-love/body confidence conversation as a personal trainer.

Let’s face it, the fitness industry has a tendency to focus on looks above health. Even if it’s not said verbally or in writing, the fitness ‘faces’ of social media, gym marketing and the way ‘fit’ people are portrayed in the media mostly involve pictures of women(and men) with ripped abs, toned muscles and hyper-bendy bodies. Kudos to them; they’ve worked hard for it.

However, this drives a focus on outward appearance rather than what’s going on inside and is often unrealistic for your average person to achieve. We’re often made to feel a little shamed if you don’t want to push yourself beyond your limits (often at the risk of injury, whether we experience it now or later as a result of repeated actions over time). Even worse, rest, recovery and lapses in health/fitness routines are a sign of weakness; it’s all or nothing. We literally have no idea what balanced health and fitness actually looks like any more – let alone how we could ever hope to achieve it! Our intuition has gone and has been replaced with meal plans, fasting and deprivation diets, calorie counters, short-term focused weight loss challenges and bootcamp intensives. These sometimes be a good starting point, or practices may be useful when used in moderation, but looking at the big picture they often will fail us – both physically and psychologically – in the long term.

When being ‘healthy’ becomes easier

As a woman who has had issues being comfortable in my own skin in the past, Embrace was an eye-opener that made me question the messages I’ve been giving clients and readers throughout my career in the fitness industry due to what I had been taught in PT school and had drilled into me over years working in a gym environment. I no longer wanted to deliver 6-Week shape up/weight loss/nutrition overhauls in the way I used to. After almost 10 years of experience as a trainer, I’ve seen that these only reinforce detrimental yo-yo dieting and on/off fitness habits. This tends to work kind of okay when you’re in your 20’s but beyond that it starts to get tiring to keep up with and more difficult to ‘fix’…

Don’t get me wrong – I know full well that too much body fat isn’t so great for your health and our outward appearance can be a reminder of this. I’ve been a key example after all. As a woman with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), my symptoms remain under control if I’m at a healthy body weight – I really struggle to feel confident and positive when my weight increases and the symptoms return. I’ve been up and down with my weight in the past, tried different diets, done back-to-back hours’ worth of exercise. But it’s only been in recent years after taking on a more holistic approach to my lifestyle that I finally feel things have been easier and more balanced with my own health and fitness. And this is what we all need to practice if we want to avoid health/fitness burnout.

The problem with focusing on weight loss for better health

Since I was 16 and had my PCOS diagnosis, I was told I had to lose weight and keep it under control. This advice from doctors (which was compounded by the message sent by the fitness industry, personal trainers I have paid as a client, the gym environment I have worked in and my own journey to be a personal trainer) means I’ve essentially spent around 15 years of my life focusing on my weight more than my health. Then you add media into the equation – what we ‘should’ look like, the size we ‘should’ be to be ‘normal’, the weight range we ‘should’ be in and I’m pretty sure all this messed me up quite profoundly when it came to the psychology of what ‘healthy’ actually is.

I used to be a gym bunny training for hours on end doing cardio and weights, following the advice of personal trainers and online exercise forums. I lost plenty of weight and looked great, but I was in the gym ALL THE TIME, had little life outside of it and was bloody burned out the majority of the time if I’m really being honest with myself. I was so obsessed with my calorie intake I had to log every mouthful in an app on my phone and I’d beat myself up if I had ice cream or a piece of cake. Sure, I looked healthy on the outside, but do those habits sound like I was leading a healthy, balanced life? As I get older I’ve known more PTs, gym bunnies and fitness fanatics hitting burnout mode and looking for something else.

Since I hit my 30’s, the invincibility of my 20’s has lessened. I’ve had a number of injuries, I’ve had limited mobility due to surgery recovery. I’ve been stuck on bed rest for multiple months thanks to a pregnancy complication. Having babies sealed the deal that I no longer cared about getting to my perfect BMI weight. I’ve found a more balanced approach to my exercise and eating habits – and yes, I still eat gluten, sugar and carbohydrates, and don’t miss meals – that is more moderate but more manageable so that I can maintain it consistently. Regardless of whether I’m at home, on holiday, sick or otherwise.

Having babies has meant my body has been through so many internal and external changes I had a choice to either accept my stretchmarks and softer appearance or stress over it all. I didn’t want to make myself separate meals from my family and I didn’t have the time or energy to put into those long hours of exercise I used to (or the energy to put into short intense exercise).

Finding balance in life – a sense of moderation – and being consistent with it has helped improve my health and happiness far more than focusing on weight loss ever did, but you know what? It still led me to a healthy weight. I just achieved it in a much easier and sustainable way.

Turning it around: Focusing on better health for weight loss

When we focus on health practices; eating a variety of foods that are nutritious, increasing positive thoughts, drinking plenty of water, sleeping more… they are all things that help our body to find its place of equilibrium which includes a ‘normal’ weight given enough time.

The sad thing is that modern society has conditioned us to believe weight loss and appearance is the most important thing above all else. I’m seeing this to be most prevalent in clients who are women and am now starting to hear from parents that this language is coming from their primary school-aged children who are so concerned about getting ‘fat’ that they are restricting their eating habits.

Something has to change in the way we are thinking about things, and I believe the more we do to remove the emphasis on weight loss from the fitness and health industry the better. We become so desperate to look for the answers to lose weight that we’ve lost the intuition behind our own health and wellness. Then we need to be told what foods to eat, how to do our cooking, how to move our bodies, how to be happy; this is all well and good for ideas, but the problem is that we’re all unique individuals and our personal answer is going to be just as unique.

As a fitness professional I used to run weight-loss focused challenges and bootcamps, but over the past year I’ve been shifting away from this emphasis. I don’t want my clients to be pushing themselves for that weight loss goal for 6 weeks, building a raft of fitness and eating habits that won’t last in the long term only to return to their normal life and lose it all again.

Instead I’m now working on plans to help my clients with a more holistic approach. I may not get the fast weight loss results the rest of the fitness industry seems to be gunning for, however, I’m feeling much more socially responsible that I’m teaching them habits to help get sustainable results in the long term.

Doing more harm than good?

The latest thing in fitness right now is HIIT, high intensity, crossfit-style exercise which can sure get some amazing results in a short time and are being pitched as the best type of exercise for weight loss, however, the types of exercises that are being incorporated into these training sessions are also driving injury rates up.

Repetitive high impact movements may be fun in your 20’s, but what happens when those hundreds and hundreds of squat jumps over time wear away at your joints and you’re left with little to work with in your 30’s? We’re now even seeing yoga injuries from seasoned yogis because of people trying to bend themselves in ways your body isn’t designed to; after hours of sitting during the day getting our joints to open into sweeping backbends and scorpion handstands wears away at the ligaments and other structures around the pelvis and spine. Scary stuff. Do you still want to be able to squat, lunge and bend in your 40’s? Your 50’s? Later?

Some of us find these activities fun and motivational – I love to have a great workout – but we shouldn’t be doing it for the sake of losing weight and we do need to bear in mind the risks we are taking by participating in these kinds of activities.

There are so many ways to get our body moving it’s just not necessary to jeopardise our mobility later in life. We need to ditch the ego and find a different purpose behind the way we are moving. To me this is very much a part of showing ourselves self-love and kindness.

Finding our own health intuition

Let’s bring back the focus on intuitive eating, exercise and wellness. Finding actual happiness – not just through more money, more material possessions, more work. When you’ve lost touch of your intuition it’s usually not just a matter of snapping your fingers to sort it, you need to actively practice getting it back. The mental/psychological side of things is so often overlooked in the health equation these days as you can’t physically see the thoughts in your brain.

What activities do you love doing? When you eat fresh fruits and vegetables how does that make your body feel compared to eating junk food? Do you notice when you are actually feeling signs of hunger before eating or fullness after eating? What helps restore your sense of balance? What do you enjoy cooking at home? What makes you laugh and feel happy? What are you grateful for?

Get exercising with other people and make it a social occasion. Look for opportunities to get outside and feel the grass/sand/leaves between your toes. If you’re hating the gym, you don’t have to go! Find another activity that you actually enjoy and commit yourself to doing it. Involve your family in your workouts if you have little ones, there’s so much they can learn. If you’re exercising and a joint or muscle is sending out alarm bells, don’t just push through it; honour your body’s alarm system and respect that it’s telling you that activity may injure you in the long term.

When these things happen, our bodies have a tendency to find their own state of homeostasis and weight loss and management just happens as part of the process. In the end it gives the same result; but the journey along the way is a helluva lot more positive.

Image / NZ Real Health

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Are Amsterdam Coffeeshops a Serious Health Hazard?

An Overview

The Bulldog - Amsterdam's First Coffeeshop
The Bulldog – Amsterdam’s First Coffeeshop

Are Amsterdam Coffeeshops a Serious Health Hazard? Dutch official policy, since the late 20th century, has been to openly tolerate all recreational use of Cannabis and three other drugs under certain circumstances.

Policy of Toleration

It surprised me to learn that many a tourist, visiting the glorious city of Amsterdam, is generally convinced that the sale and use of Cannabis in the Netherlands are legal. Regrettably, to date, the Dutch government has not legalized the use of hashish and marihuana. Instead, they maintain a policy of toleration. The so-called coffeeshops in the Netherlands are the regular venues for the public sale of Cannabis products.

This policy is partly a pragmatic one. Lawmakers’ reasoning behind it is to effectively control a situation that seems to be unsolvable. This reasoning is put forward as an alternative to criminalizing the use and sale of soft drugs aggressively. The Court of Appeal of The Hague ruled that their policy of toleration serves a legitimate interest, that of fighting organized crime and the containment of nuisance.

Recreational use, possession, and trade of non-medicinal drugs, as described in the Opium Law, are all technically illegal under Dutch law.

Legal Cannabis Countries

In the US, there are now several states where Cannabis is legal, but Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize weed. Israel allows marihuana for medical use. And recently, Canada followed suit with complete freedom for medical and recreational use.

Weed has recently become legal in Canada. The growing of the plant, it’s sales and use, are no longer punishable by law. Within one day, the weed stores ran out of stock. Good news for Canada, but weren’t the Dutch once the world leader in terms of Cannabis?

The Netherlands adhered to this policy for many years and Cannabis may be sold under strict conditions. That was extremely progressive 30 years ago, but it is no longer the case. Since 2004, policy in Belgium is moving more in the direction of the Dutch model, and some German legislators are urging to experiment based on the Dutch model. After long parliamentary debates in 2004, Switzerland rejected the proposal to follow the Dutch model.

Regulation of Hard- and Soft-drugs

The Dutch Drug Policy Foundation issued a petition in 2011 to force better regulation for the increasing difficulties concerning drug legislation in general. They sustain that drug criminality represents more than half of the total cases in the Netherlands and that present legislation is a fiasco. The foundation aims to regulate, primarily, the four most widely used drugs: Cannabis, XTC, Amphetamine, and Cocaine.

Despite the astronomical cost to law enforcement, drugs are generally available, and use is increasing rather than decreasing. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 35 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders, while only one in seven receive treatment. Contrary to popular perception, in the Netherlands, criminal law is the only thing that currently regulates the most widely used drugs.

No Quality Control

Over the past century, many countries, but especially the United States, have waged war against forbidden, mind-altering substances. Unfortunately, those prohibitions were not based on harmfulness. Scientific research shows that legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than many illegal drugs. As a result, the policy is, in many cases, countless times more damaging than the drugs themselves.

There has been a time when heroin, cocaine, opium, and cannabis were legally available and used both as medicine and for recreation. Historically, the Netherlands had significant interests in opium and cocaine production and trade.

It would probably not be desirable to go back to that type of free market, but it is crucial to realize that these publicly available resources did not lead to large-scale disruption at the time.

The risk of drug abuse increased many times by what was called “Prohibition” in the US: the ban on certain drugs. It shows the mechanism of how the market was given to criminals, how it stigmatizes users, and how it makes society less secure than a system with meaningful, strict regulation.

Directive: Allow under Regulation

Current policy – which prohibits drugs – does not consistently achieve its objectives. It makes society more dangerous instead of safer. Society needs regulation to minimize the risks associated with drugs.

Those who have a user disorder should get help. For them, an illegal market is not a solution to the problems. To reduce damaging use, regulated control, and educating ‘use in moderation’ is better than stigma.

Hazardous Chemicals and Insecticides

Unlike Israel, the Dutch government does not regulate or check the use of hazardous chemicals and insecticides in the production of high-grade marihuana for recreational use, broadly available in coffeeshops. As a result, it seems that Amsterdam coffeeshops present a serious health hazard.

Legal but Not Commercial

People should have the right to make decisions on their own bodies. Nevertheless, the promotion of resources by commercial companies can present an obvious danger. The keyword to consider in progressive legislation is, therefore, Non-commercial.

  1. World Drug Report – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
  2. A Guide to the Drug-Legalization Movement
  3. Drug Policy of the Netherlands

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Flower Essences

Flower Essences – a holistic approach for behavioral issues

Flower essences are a safe, non-toxic, and effective way to address emotional and spiritual imbalances for ourselves and our companion animals.    The underlying principle for using flower essences is that one’s state of mind is the primary cause of stress, illness and dis-ease.    Flower essences have been compared to art and music in their ability to interact with the subtle energy body and awaken specific qualities within the recipient.

An English surgeon, Dr. Edward Bach, developed a therapeutic system using flower essences in the early 1900s.  Bach identified 38 healing remedies for the known negative states of mind.  Bach believed that one could be restored to a positive state of mind by the energies found in flowering plants, bushes and trees.   Bach was one of the early pioneers of connecting our emotional state of being to our physical state.   Bach believed the whole being needed to be considered in treating an illness not the symptoms alone.

In today’s holistic community flower essences are typically categorized under energy medicine.

My first experience with flower essences was in 1997 when I participated in a Tellington TTouch weekend class.    The class had an excess of large dogs that were participating since many had displayed   dog upon dog aggression.   Initially there was a great deal of tension in the class exhibited by the dogs and their human companions.    I witnessed the use of Bach Rescue Remedy which seemed to take the edge off the stressed dogs and gave the guardian and the animal the ability to relax and learn.   And of course the instructors’ skill with Tellington TTouch was also very beneficial.

Since my first introduction to the flower essences, I have used them for myself and my companion animals as well as with shelter animals.   Some activities where I have used flower essence with animals are:

  • Visits to the veterinary
  • Auto and airplane travel
  • Visits to the groomer
  • Thunderstorms
  • Any celebration where fireworks are being used
  • Aggressiveness
  • Separation anxiety
  • Hyperactivity or excitability

Many times the anticipation we note in our companion animal is a result from our own personal stress and the human can also take flower essences to restore their own natural balance.    Based on my own emotional aspect I have tried several of the original Bach remedies and have found them to be effective.

The original Bach remedies include alcohol as well as the Bach Rescue Remedy.    Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets is an alcohol free blend of several of the 38 Original Bach Flower Remedies developed by Dr. Edward Bach.

The Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets is a blend of rock rose, impatiens, clematis, Star of Bethlehem and Cherry Plum and is recommended for use to assist an animal with different emotional expressions of an animal when confronting stressful situations.

More and more people are reconnecting with a more natural approach to health for themselves and their companion animals.  The use of flower essences by many holistic veterinarians, animal behaviorists and trainers is much more common now than even five years ago.

Flower essences are typically applied under the tongue – dropping a few drops from the stock bottle using an eye dropper.   Many times I have placed a couple of drops on the underside at the top of the animal’s ear (note- not in the ear).   Some people use a mister.   I usually give the remedy about 30 minutes prior to the anticipated event.

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United States Army veteran receives top honor at Texas A&M

By Emily Berger

Courtesy photo by Texas A&M Foundation

COLLEGE STATION — Army veteran in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was awarded one of the highest honors at Texas A&M University.

Raymond Dilworth, an animal science major, received the Senior Merit Award given by the college to its top 30 graduating seniors.

Dilworth enlisted in the army in 2009 and achieved the rank of staff sergeant. In 2011, he was awarded the Purple Heart while serving with the First Infantry Division in Afghanistan. Today, Dilworth draws upon his experiences to teach future military leaders by serving as a mentor through Delta Company, the Combat Veteran Company in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.

“As a student veteran and a cadet, Ray Dilworth leads by example in achieving academic excellence,” says retired Marine Corps Col. Gerald Smith, director of the Texas A&M University Veteran Resource and Support Center. “His respect and loyalty for others is evident through his selfless service.  His integrity and faithfulness to our country and campus provides an example for others to follow.”

Texas A&M has repeatedly been ranked as one of the best four-year colleges for veterans, living up to its military-friendly tradition. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is home to 148 of the 1,150 student veterans on campus. With Dilworth’s military experience and farming background, he found the college to be a good fit.

After returning to Texas in 2015, Dilworth and his wife, Mallory, started Sage Rose Farm in Bedias, where they and their children, Edyn Rose and Sage, raise goats, chickens, and a herd of Beefmaster cattle. Dilworth, who grew up on a farm, now uses his education to supplement his practical skills. The knowledge that he gained through the animal science program has helped not only him, but also his fellow farmers, who he teaches even as he continues to learn.

“When I was younger, I always saw myself as a soldier, a policeman, or a firefighter—something to serve the community and the nation,” Dilworth says. “Through animal science, I can do the same thing by providing food for people. I’ve always looked up to those that are willing to put others above themselves, and this is another way to do that.”

For Dilworth, a degree from Texas A&M means even more than personal betterment or serving his community—it means setting an example for his children to follow. Leaving a successful career to further his education shows how important college is, which he hopes will inspire Edyn Rose and Sage as they grow older.

“I want my kids to be successful, and one of the best ways for them to do that is to get a college degree,” Dilworth says. “If they get their Aggie ring, it’d be a bonus.”

Dilworth will be graduating in May 2018. He aims to continue growing Sage Rose Farm and to get involved with 4-H with both of his children, to further teach them the value of agriculture.

via source Navasota Examiner  |  United States Army veteran receives top honor at Texas A&M

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Maggie Tucker at maggie.tucker@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.

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Random Rant: Medaka Box is Awesome!

Hello and welcome. Today we’ll have a little talk about Medaka Box. This anime has two seasons of 12 episodes each and falls into the genres of action, comedy, ecchi, martial arts, and school life. Our protagonist is Medaka Kurokami, the lively and beautiful president of the student council. She’s not only loving, gorgeous, and a good leader; she’s also an excellent martial artist. Her one major flaw is her self-righteousness, which she even acknowledges at one point.

Medaka and her friends on the student council fill the requests of students, which are written down and put into the “Medaka Box.” Why go out of their way to take so many requests? Because Medaka wants more than anything to help others. Medaka Box is an exciting anime with lots of action and some fanservice. Honestly, I have no idea why it isn’t more popular. But to try understanding why, I will list some pros and cons of the show. I thought this would be better as a rant than a series review. Note: I personally love Medaka Box, so I may be a bit biased even if I’m trying to be fair. Bear with me.

Pros and Cons

Con: Production Weaknesses

I love Medaka, so I wanted to get the difficult stuff over with first. There are several weaknesses of quality in this anime, including poor character development for most of the supporting cast. The members of the student council such as Zenkichi and Akune are developed decently enough, but other interesting characters are largely left out. This is especially true in season 2. There are way too many enemy characters that, instead of having personalities, just have one weird quirk or trait. I would have loved more interesting villains as well as more detail about the side characters. Still, considering the amount of action and the number of characters, it’s about average quality development for a short series.

Another weakness is that the plot is a little awkward and somewhat formulaic. The first season was much better with creative plot progression, but the second season was basically one fight per episode and then onto the next challenger. For season one, the problem was that the Myouri arc in the last three episodes didn’t seem to fit in too smoothly with the previous episodes. It’s a little awkward. However, I think the stories for both seasons are good overall. Every plot has a few problems. Honestly I was being really critical here just because I’m trying to be fair.

Pro: Excellent Fights

As I mentioned in the introduction, Medaka Box is a high-action anime. I really enjoy watching the fight scenes in both seasons. They were exciting and empowering. Shounen fans should eat this right up. Though I don’t consider Medaka a shounen anime per se, it has a similar feeling of powerful people pitted against each other, with the main characters becoming stronger with progress. The fights feature some superhuman abilities sometimes, but also martial arts. It’s always a pleasure for me to see martial arts in anime.

Con: No Realism

There is a stark lack of realism in Medaka Box. That’s not really a problem for me most of the time, so clearly I’m grasping at straws to think of cons. But I guess there are some people who expect at least a certain level of realism in anime. In that case, Medaka box will probably be annoying. Characters can survive almost anything. Serious injuries heal quickly. The physical abilities of the characters are exaggerated, and their weapons and special moves can be a little absurd. If you compare this anime to something like The God of Highschool, it’s less supernatural, but it’s also less realistic with wounds and blood.

Pro: Positivity

One of the greatest pros of Medaka Box is its overall positivity. There’s some amusing comedy here and there. Classic themes like friendship, cooperation, and individual value appear in this anime, too. Beyond that, there’s something I can’t quite describe; there is a kind of positive mood in this show’s atmosphere or tone. It feels heartening. If you compare it to the recent martial arts anime God of Highschool, the friendships and positive themes are much deeper and don’t feel forced in Medaka Box. The upbeat air of this anime is a big part of what keeps making revisit it.

Con: Lower Budget Art

Another potential con is the art/animation in Medaka box. It isn’t especially aesthetically pleasing or detailed, but instead is stylized a particular way. The art reminds me of a comic book (which I like). Although I think the action scenes are well-animated, I’m not a very good judge of that. All I can really tell with my abilities is that the art/animation was made on a lower budget. But consider that Medaka Box was not a high budget production, and that more time was spent on fast fight scenes than character detail. You wouldn’t be unhappy with it, unless you dislike the stylization, or only watch high budget anime series.

Pro: Strong, unusual Female Lead

The #1 strength of Medaka Box is its protagonist. If Medaka hadn’t been the boisterous woman she is, the show would have lost half its value. For me, in fact, I wouldn’t even like Medaka Box if the main character was a typical male shounen hero; in that case it’s no different from a dozen other shounen anime with martial arts. But Medaka is her wonderful self. I adore seeing a character like her in an anime.

I just can’t stress enough the awesomeness of anime that feature a unique and confident female lead. Not only are main female characters rare; when they do appear, they are often poorly written. Not so with Medaka. She has so many good qualities; not just things like being strong, but also, being loving and empathetic. Medaka isn’t perfect, and she’d be lost without her friends. But even her imperfections are fascinating to me. The character of Medaka is what makes this show shine.

Neutral: Fanservice

Whether fanservice is a pro or con depends on your opinion as well as the particular examples of fanservice. For me, I might have different opinions on each series. I dislike many ecchi shows because of being shallow or having ethically problematic elements. But I love a few ecchi shows like Kill la Kill or Darling in The Franxx. When it comes to Medaka, I don’t have any real issue with the fanservice, which is mostly of Medaka herself by the way. It’s pretty mild for ecchi, focusing on boob shots, cleavage, skirt shots, and swimsuits. This one is up to you. Pro or con?

To me, the pros here outweigh the cons. The last pro in particular is the most powerful, in my opinion. What about you? While the purpose of this anime rant is to applaud Medaka Box as my favorite lower budget fighting show, I’m also interested in reader opinions. Have you seen Medaka Box, and what kind of impression did it leave? If you haven’t seen the anime, do you think you would watch it given the pros and cons that you read about? If you have any thoughts, please drop a comment! That’s it for today, so thanks for reading!

One comment

  1. Hmm. Interesting. I went back in my blog and reread what I wrote in 2012. I thought I had dropped the show after a three-episode trial – but it turns out that I watched the first 4 episodes (to finish a story arc) – then dropped the series. Maybe I’ll have to revisit this series – but it won’t happen soon as I have a backlog of better shows yet to watch.

    What I wrote after episode 2: “There was a time when Gainax was my favorite studio – back in the days of Gunbuster, FLCL, and Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. (And can you say, Evangelion?) But the best directors are gone, and today Gainax is a shadow of its former self. Gainax used to be cutting edge; now it’s just ordinary. There was nothing special about the art, direction, music, seiyuu, or writing for Medaka Box. These episodes weren’t totally bad – they simply didn’t have the edge and dazzle of shows from Shaft and KyoAni. This series is OK filler, but with my time constraints, I probably won’t follow this show.”

    Liked by 1 person

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City of No Imagination

I have been in some cities where they allow in the imagination of various groups to decorate the fire hydrants tastefully to enhance an area of the city. Not us. We are boring. When I was young, down south, they were all red, then when I was a teenager, I remember a mass repainting of them all to silver. Here they are a flat boring yellow – both sides of the river, different states, same boring yellow, different style caps.

Below are some of the more creative ones google had in their picture library which I thought were awesome and wanted to share. The gumball machine was really cool.

I vote for more creativity that displays real talent, not just slapping on paint to be different. In Cee’s Fun Foto weekly challenge, she sent us off to find fire hydrants, possibly looking for ones similar to what google has… we don’t have those here.

And while the saying may be true below…..

True that!

Try to remember to always be kind.

5 thoughts on “City of No Imagination

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Monday, December 17, 2012

The Gun Conversation

Why are we still having this conversation? Why are we still debating whether we should regulate assault and military style (whatever that is) weapons and limit large purchases of ammunition? Why are we still beholden to an organization that believes that the United States Constitution guarantees an unlimited, unfettered, absolute right to a gun, despite a giant clause at the beginning of the Second Amendment that clearly refers to  militias? Do we have absolute free speech rights? Religious rights? Rights to assembly? No. These are all regulated activities. We need to regulate guns.

I've read the arguments about how a weapons ban or more regulation would not have stopped this horrific shooting. I've listened and watched as talking head after talking head drones on about how politically difficult it is for a Democratic president to pursue controls on weapons because it would be political death.

I've had conversations in person and on social media with people for whom their weapon seems to be their most cherished possession.

"If they come for my gun I'll give them the bullets first!"
"Over my dead body!"
"From my cold dead hands!"
"First it's my gun, then they'll come for my house and my family!"
"What we need is for every teacher and principal to be trained in how to use a gun and to be issued one for their classroom."

Clearly I don't understand the mania, the attachment, the fear, the anger, and the entitlement that many people have with their guns. I'm not advocating taking anyone's gun away who can't prove that they're responsible enough to carry one. I'm questioning the idea that we don't have to ask more questions, or do more background checks or limit what kind of gun people can buy and how much ammunition they can get at one time. There are responsible ways to do this. We regulate so many things in our society from marriage to driver's to pet licenses, from who can be a teacher and a police officer to how fresh the meat and dairy has to be in our food stores.

But guns? Weapons that can destroy lives? Kill children? Apparently not more than the way we regulate them now, despite the fact that the system doesn't work. When a system doesn't work and results in people's deaths, you fix it. That's what we need now.

Are there ways around these proposals? You bet. And people will find them. But the point is to put them in place and see how they work because what we have now has led to one of the bloodiest, tragic, heartbreaking years this country has seen in quite a while. Gun deaths are preventable. Let's prevent them.

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Annapolis Statehouse
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Help Historic Ellicott City

Date: August 2, 2016

Many of you have asked what you can do to help Historic Ellicott City recover from the disastrous
flooding that shocked and saddened us all this weekend. Preservation Maryland, the state's oldest preservation organization, has set up a Flood Recovery Fund with the goal of raising money for the recovery, repair, and restoration of affected properties. If you are interested in learning more or making a donation, please visit their website

Add to Calendar 01-08-2016 35 Help Historic Ellicott City DD/MM/YYYY


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Illustration of four people around a laptop screen and a smoke-like cloud coming out of it above them

Shine a light

Nichole Banducci was with her family when wildfire flames, fanned by Santa Ana winds, raced over the Santa Monica Mountains. As the deadly Woolsey Fire descended into Malibu in the early morning of Nov. 9, 2018, Banducci, her husband Brian, in-laws and three children prepared to evacuate. They loaded their dog, cat, rabbits and belongings into two cars, a van, a truck and their 1964 Shasta Oasis trailer, and headed out. Less than an hour later, flames ravaged Banducci’s Malibu Park neighborhood, destroying her home. The loss Banducci experienced with the Woolsey Fire not only challenged her physically and emotionally, but also served as a point of inspiration. Now, the wellness advocate and educator will debut a new online program in early 2020 called “Fortify Against Stress” that she developed to equip others with the tools they need to improve their well-being.

When you experience a trauma, your body’s automatic response to stress causes heightened potential for anxiety and depression,” said Banducci, who earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations in 1993 and an MBA from USC Marshall in 2001. “The subsequent emotional, physical, and hormonal/chemical changes to your body set the stage for ongoing mental health concerns. I’m hoping I can help my clients better understand this.”

Banducci, along with other USC Annenberg alumni, faculty and students, are leveraging their expertise across communication, journalism and public relations to help advance the public’s understanding of and conversations about mental health. With one in five adults and one in six youth in the United States experiencing a mental illness each year, their work has perhaps never been more pressing.

Open conversations

 “It’s become more mainstream to talk about mental health, and I’d love to say that we — the media — have played a role in that,” said Jacqueline Howard, who earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism in 2010 and is now a reporter for CNN Health. “Reducing the stigma attached to talking about mental health really is our responsibility as communicators.”

Over the course of her career, many of Howard’s reporting assignments have led her to delve into the complexities of mental health. One especially poignant series she co-wrote for CNN centered on the topic of suicide following the death of Anthony Bourdain, the host of CNN’s popular travel and food show Parts Unknown.

“What I’ve learned is that with every story related to, not just suicide, but mental health in general, you need to allow those affected to tell their stories their way,” Howard said. “I’ve realized we — the journalists — are just the avenue through which they can do that.”

Listening to and sharing the experiences of mothers like Timoria McQueen Saba, whose postpartum hemorrhage nearly killed her, drove another CNN article Howard wrote exploring rising maternal mortality rates following childbirth.

In addition to highlighting how black women are disproportionately more affected than women of other races by pregnancy mortality, Howard explored how Saba was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of the hemorrhage.

“[Saba] stayed awake at night with images of the blood flashing in her mind,” Howard wrote. “She now knew the feeling of her ‘body losing life,’ she said, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Howard continued to chronicle Saba’s healing process as she connected with a social worker who devised a treatment plan that combined therapy and restorative yoga.

As a 2019-20 National Fellow at USC Annenberg’s Center for Health Journalism, Howard is continuing this investigation into rising maternal mortality as well as the role of postpartum mental health care in preventing suicide, which studies have shown is a leading cause of death for women during this period.

“In today’s world, where news can come at you so fast, the fellowship allows me to really dig into some of the biggest challenges in health and health journalism in a way that I can’t do in a breaking-news environment,” she said.

Michelle Levander, the center’s founding director, believes that reporting such as Howard’s is vital because it allows expert storytelling to affect community and societal change. She noted that investigations related to mental health make up a significant number of the projects currently underway at the center, which marked its 15th anniversary in 2019.

In keeping with the Center’s “Impact Reporting” model, those projects have changed policy around mental health in communities across the country, bringing new resources for trauma-informed approaches and programs.

Supported by an “impact reporting” model, the center’s fellows have helped change policies around mental health in communities across the country, bringing new resources for trauma-informed approaches and programs.

“Mental health has traditionally been something of a ‘news desert’ topic,” Levander said. “While the center has supported a number of projects related to mental health, I feel there’s way more to be done.”

Into the spotlight

Hollywood A-listers are one group that has played an integral role in helping to fill this gap in the media’s coverage, Howard noted.

“We are seeing a major shift in lifting the stigma as celebrities talk publicly about their mental health,” she said. “I think journalists and news outlets are seizing this opportunity, too, as they seek to connect with their audiences on a more personal level.”

Yet, even with actors such as Kristen Bell, Gina Rodriguez and Jon Hamm increasingly opening up about their own struggles, a recent landmark study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (AII) revealed that few of the characters they portray across popular film and TV series exhibit mental health conditions and those that do are routinely dehumanized.

Conducted in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and funded by the David and Lura Lovell Foundation, the study examined 100 top-grossing films and 50 popular TV series to evaluate the prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, suicide and autism spectrum disorders, among other conditions. Results showed that fewer than 2 percent of all film characters and roughly 7 percent of TV characters experience mental health conditions on screen.

Dr. Stacy L. Smith, AII’s founder and director and the study’s lead author, said the entertainment industry continues to be out of sync with reality despite close to 20 percent of the U.S. population experiencing some form of mental health condition or illness per year, according to a recent National Institute of Mental Health report.

“The prevalence of mental health conditions among the audience far outpaces the characters they see on screen,” said Smith, associate professor of communication. “This presents a distorted view of the world for those who live and thrive with mental health conditions, but never see their stories represented in popular media.”

Beyond the results, the report provides strategic tools and solutions to help entertainment professionals write more authentic depictions.

For example, only 5 percent of film and 9 percent of TV characters were shown in treatment, while 22 percent of film characters and 62 percent of TV characters were shown in or mentioned therapy. By incorporating depictions of treatment and different kinds of therapies for mental health conditions, content creators can help advance an important message to audiences that effective treatments are available.

“Most Americans understand that mental health is a critically important part of their overall health. And yet, mental health literacy among the general public remains low,” said Dr. Christine Moutier, AFSP’s chief medical officer. “By showing audiences people who live with and manage their mental health in an authentic way, we can encourage people, and those who surround them, to be more sophisticated in managing their mental health.”

Wellness through community

One group that the AII study discovered is virtually absent from media portrayals of mental health conditions is the LGBTQ community. There were no LGBTQ film characters with a mental health condition across the 100 top films of 2016 and only eight TV characters across 50 popular shows in 2016-17. The lack of LGBTQ characters shown in this capacity is striking, as the National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that mental health conditions are nearly three times more likely to occur among members of the LGBTQ community.

Hoping to identify ways to better serve those who identify as LGBTQ, doctoral student Traci Gillig focused on the interventions, interpersonal relationships and structural factors that influence their health and well-being — and the well-being of those who are part of other marginalized groups.

She partnered with a nonprofit called Brave Trails, which launched in 2014 as the first leadership camp in the western United States for LGBTQ youth, to conduct her dissertation research.

“Their programming is part traditional summer camp — hiking, arts and crafts,” said Gillig, who has worked with Brave Trails since its founding. “They also offer resources and activities that pertain specifically to the campers’ LGBTQ identities, helping them navigate the stressors that can come from that.”

She first met the camp’s founders when she was volunteering at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. As she worked with them, she saw an opportunity to connect their new camp with research. What started as a small project eventually grew in scale and spanned five years, becoming the foundation for her dissertation.

“As the sense of community at Brave Trails continues to grow, the question becomes, what sort of outcomes does that have for youth, and how can we learn from what they’re doing and offer up information that applies to other efforts?” she said.

“The fact that we found significant reductions in depressive symptoms over time was evidence for the benefit of programming that’s not explicitly therapy, but that helps affirm people’s identities in other ways,” added Gillig, who is now assistant professor of communication at Washington State University.

Her latest line of research looks at how people outside of marginalized populations perceive marginalized groups and will offer more insights on how to use media portrayals and other interventions to help shift attitudes, while also generating understanding and supportive policies.

Gamifying healthy behavior

For nearly three decades, Lynn Miller, professor of communication and associate dean of research, has also been working to develop intervention tools that can help improve the well-being of those in the LGBTQ community.

Her chosen medium, however, might not be what you’d expect. Miller and her team have designed an interactive video game that aims to prevent risky sexual behavior in men who have sex with men.

Using an innovative approach, which they call Socially Optimized Learning in Virtual Environments (SOLVE), the game immerses players in an interactive world in which they go on a “virtual date.” Real-life challenges like whether to ask a partner to use a condom are simulated, while interventions embedded throughout encourage players to change decisions to reduce risky sexual behaviors. Players also have the option to make the same choices again.

One of the game’s goals is to normalize a player’s desire to have sex, thus reducing shame associated with the desire, Miller explained. Studies have found, she added, that shame can often be a contributing factor in depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. While research has also shown that people who harbor shame are less likely to make healthy choices, Miller’s game offers a possible way to rewire this dynamic.

Over the last year, Miller and her team have begun exploring how the gaming tools they have developed can be adapted to target those suffering from depression and social anxiety.

“One thing we’re trying to emphasize is normativity,” said David Jeong, who earned his PhD in communication in 2017 and is now a postdoctoral research scholar in Miller’s lab. “I think this is something that could be applied to any type of health issue, including mental health, in which some sort of shame-type element is involved.”

In one game, a person with social anxiety enters a crowded bar and makes choices about who to interact with — or not. Such virtual experience, Jeong maintained, could help that person cope better in the real world.

“Many depressed or anxious individuals see things differently, and we’re trying to capture, in a game, how they understand the world and what affects their reactions,” Miller said. “Once we understand that, we can fine tune the game to encourage these individuals to adapt and to grasp what a life without depression might look like.”

Telling the story of mental health

Understanding the world of “Generation Z” — usually defined as people born since 1997 — has also become increasingly urgent. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 70 percent of U.S. respondents ages 13 to 17 indicated anxiety and depression were major issues among their peers. And Centers for Disease Control data shows that the suicide rate for Americans between 15 and 24 has reached the highest rate since 1999.

For Kaleigh Finnie, her struggles with mental health began in her teens. Her father, Shaun, said that despite Kaleigh’s bubbly outward appearance, his daughter could be moody and had received some counseling for anxiety. By her senior year of high school, she seemed to have improved significantly. Yet, unbeknownst to everyone, Kaleigh continued to struggle with mental health issues throughout her freshman year at USC Annenberg, and in the summer of 2015, while back home in the Houston area, she took her own life.

As the family came to terms with their loss, they eventually decided to partner with USC Annenberg to establish the Kaleigh Finnie Memorial Endowment, which was launched in September. The merit-based fund provides scholarships and awards to USC Annenberg undergraduate and graduate students who hope to contribute critical research and generate important conversations around mental health.

In October, students submitted 25 proposals, from which a committee selected six to receive funding this Spring.

“As part of their applications, several of the recipients bravely shared their own personal struggles with mental health,” said Suzanne Alcantara, assistant dean of student services. “Their ideas for how to begin to turn the tide for their generation were incredibly inspiring.”

Senior public relations major Joelle Ferguson plans to use the support to help USC continue to improve their communication strategies around mental health awareness and resources on campus.

“I, along with so many other students, can identify with Kaleigh’s experience,” Ferguson said. “During my senior year of high school, I lost both my mother and grandfather, and by my sophomore year at USC, I developed symptoms of depression.”

Her project, which begins with holding a town hall to focus on students’ perspectives on wellness and campus resources, will culminate with the development of a university-specific online course that seeks to inform students about self-care and resources beginning at orientation.

Other award recipients include Daric Cottingham, who is pursuing a master’s in specialized journalism. He plans to create a podcast called Smile and Wave to provide a platform for individuals to share their own stories and feel less isolated. Andrea Moore, who is earning her master’s in communication management while working as a staff member within USC Student Health’s Office for Health Promotion Strategy, will build a social media marketing campaign aimed at educating USC faculty on how to adopt best practices in addressing student mental health in their classrooms.

Senior journalism major Dan Toomey’s proposal to establish a health and wellness desk in USC Annenberg’s Media Center will also receive support. As a managing editor for culture and outreach at Annenberg Media, Toomey said the funding will bolster the recruitment and training of student journalists specifically focused on mental health. He sees this not only as a chance to create internal workplace change within the media center, but also an external impact for the entire USC campus.

“I’ve conducted interviews with dozens of students, professors, administrators and parents around mental health issues,” Toomey said. “Each of these talks has conveyed to me the same message about mental health: We need more communication.”


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text:
Ann Sterzinger Is Not Lying About Being Raped, But You All Sure Are Crazy.

So apparently there were some Internet bloodsports last night over the important question of whether I was actually raped or not.

(I’m not sure who all was involved; I’ve been told, but A. Most of those involved seem to be the sort of bearded doughy replicas of each other who should have never been born and almost know it, but they yell really loud on the Internet so that’s an ephemeral “scene.” In about six months I won’t need to preface stuff like this with an insincere apology for forgetting which one is which anymore. I think some of the names were like “Irony Fleas” and “I Get Sweaty Every Month” and “Fedora Hats Are the Only Ones You Can Wear In the Vatican”)….

Durrrrrr. The “she wasn’t raped!”crowd really had to go to some strange lengths to double down on this one, because arguing that women who have repeatedly defended their worst enemies from fake rape charges are definitely those most likely to make fake rape charges against random strangers.

Yep. Them’s the kinda bitch most likely to pretend to be raped, go to the hospital to get evidence taken (which involves being stuck with lots of needles, one of my major-minor neuroses, as well as being pumped full of so many antibiotics I have either been shitting my spleen out or constipated ever since), and then flee across the country to a half-assed living situation where they are bitten by fleas and stricken by typhus. Making this case would be a hard job even for an old-school classical sophist—whereas these skinks can barely make a good argument for running out of a burning building.

In other words, if I had ANY propensity to make fake rape charges, Matt Forney—who has spent the past three years accusing me of being his ex-girlfriend, possibly one of the worst crimes a person could be charged with, simply because I decided in 2015 that dating this lump of weird compulsive-lying protoplasm would actually be the worst possible thing I could do with my life, and the best revenge you can take against a girl who won’t date you is to pretend she dated you (Jesus, this indicates a level of self-hatred so appalling it risks dragging you into the kind of compassion spiral that gets people into these quagmires in the first place)—would be spending the rest of his life in jail, because everyone from Rachel Haywire to Matt Himself has accused him of raping me.

But because I was drinking at the time, stupid me, I don’t recall whether he raped me or not, thank god. (I mean, OK, the alcohol is to thank for blotting out the memory, but it created the situation. And this is how that Homer Simpson joke about not blaming the beer got written.) So, as many chances as I’ve had to put this goof behind bars, complete with witnesses who would have sold their own siblings into slavery to testify against him, I have not done so, because I think putting someone in jail for something they didn’t do is one of the most immoral acts you can commit, and I didn’t even want to CHANCE doing that.

Course, most people don’t know me personally, so I can’t expect you all to believe this sight unseen. However, their case would be much easier to make if I were making money at this. It might even make some sense.

But ever since it became clear that the Chicago Police Department wasn’t going to do anything about the fact that my rapist was probably still peacefully living a couple doors down from me, my impromptu flight across the country has actually been a living hell, and hardly profitable. I’ve actually spent all of my money on airline tickets, antibiotics*, failed attempts to make my current home livable, and a noise-blocking tent to cover my bed with so at least I can sleep through current roommate Edwin’s horrendous music. EXCEPT THE FUCKING BED TENT NEVER ARRIVED, so I’m down $200 and still have not had seven hours’ solid sleep in AT LEAST A MONTH. I am beginning to dream while standing upright. I think I hear voices. I think people are in the house when they aren’t.

… also, B. I’ve never been good with proper names, since I went to a high school of 100 people, which explains some of my perplexikity when it comes to all y’all’s silly high-school-games mentality, especially when it continues way too long into “adulthood”; I guess it’s like reindeer games but you don’t give anyone presents. (Note: If you have no idea what this article is about, that means you aren’t wasting your life being an Internet weirdo, so good job.)

Not that I have any privacy here; it’s a weird group living situation where sometimes I look up and the landlord’s buddy the porn star is hanging out in the kitchen. (And this isn’t even an hallucination.) I can’t type much more about the situation, because [I’m trying to remember who’s threatened me with what if I say or do what, but I’ve basically been threatened with something or other for doing everything from posting about flea foggers on Facebook to how I brush my teeth]. My cats escape every time someone leaves a door open (which is often, because everyone who comes in here has to be told just how sneaky they are) and go get more fleas. So, my last doctor (by “my doctor” I mean I paid her $25 to prescribe me random antibiotics over the Internet) said I have typhus, but I might have more stuff now. Or less stuff. Can some fleas give you things that cancel out the typhus fleas? Come on, anti-typhus fleas! Go, little critters, go! Whee! I could probably undress and inspect myself visually for insects right now, come to think of it; I think I’m actually alone for once right now, but I’m not sure.

Jesus, I could have proven that just by sending you a link to anything he’s ever said or done. I didn’t need to get FUCKING TYPHUS.

Sigh. Alas, many computer addicts have never met reality, so what looks to normal people like sitting in a lonely, messy Dew Den doubling down on ridiculous lies is their idea of a fun Saturday night. (Dear PMS Sweat Guy: the greenscreen isn’t fooling anyone. You should rethink this whole transition.)

Just because you’re colorblind and addicted to Ding-Dongs doesn’t mean you can’t call me a coke whore.

Fortunately, the bloodsports video got so gross and pointless that I think YouTube removed it in order to stop their servers from melting down due to sheer disgust. Congratulations to all involved; you have actually shamed computer circuits into ceasing to function.

Anyway, sincere thanks to Jim Goad and John Steele, both of whom were dragged in and rolled their eyes with an “of course she was raped, you morons,” because they know what typhus is. They also know about the birds and the bees, but we can save that for a later lesson.

(Like all of my stories, this one is confusing as shit. OK, so the hospital round of antibiotics were to protect me from STDs; the second round was to cure the UTI that the STD antibiotics gave me, and then the third round, which is ongoing, is a not-very-successful attempt to cure the skin/perhaps full-system infection I’ve gotten from the vermin living in my new home.)

Tsk. In response to the deluge of non sequitur “questions” that Matt Forney just posted in the comments (Asking shit like: “Why would you leave a door unlocked if you can see into the future and tell that the somewhat elevated risk of rape in a building where there are generally a lot of good people and one neighbor who keeps crazy dudes as pets is going to turn out to actually become a data point?” [I paraphrase for comic effect]), I have decided not to waste my Christmas Eve on that shit.

Instead, his silly ass is blocked from my Medium account (never thought I’d have to do THAT, jeez louise), and I’m going to take a walk, enjoying the Mexican polkas floating upon the 65-degree bay breeze that are apparently an LA Christmas tradition. Since I’m from Wisconsin, this actually kinda takes the edge off the homesickness. Have a very polka Christmas! If I get raped, though, the irony will probably cause me a fatal stroke, so wish me luck.

Dept. of I Can’t Resist: OK, I AM going to grace one of his questions with a reply of sorts, because it highlights how far the dude has wandered from reality and how little he cares about the truth, and —well, it’s just motherfucking hilarious: Matt, it’s NOT POSSIBLE TO CHEAT ON YOUR GIRLFRIEND WHEN YOU HAVEN’T MET HER YET. Unless… wait a minute. Did they let Matt be the second female Doctor Who and not me?! If he’s in an episode of Doctor Who right now, then I am going to be seriously pissed off.

I Can’t Resist #2: Actually, if I ever get the time, I will answer their silly questions. It will amuse me. Unfortunately I am screwed for time at the present moment. Goddamn it, I have so much shit to do. How is anyone on this planet EVER BORED?

Author of NVSQVAM, DISASTER FITNESS, the upcoming ELEKTRA’S REVENGE sci-fi epic, & the action novella SEINE VENDETTA. Editor of YOU’RE ALL PUSSIES.


text:
Stuck in traffic yet again
my mind wanders, unimpinged
by the need to pay careful attention
to the car on front also frozen in place.
I am back in school listening carefully
as the teacher explains the problem:
“You are at point B and I am at point A.
The points are 100 miles apart and we
each leave for the other point
at exactly the same time, 10:00 A.M., you
driving at a constant 40 mile per hour,
I at a constant 30 miles per hour.
At exactly what time will we
be able to wave to one another?”
The car in front begins to move,
ending my revery, so I cannot
tell the teacher that we’ll never
wave to each other because
I am far too young to drive.


text:
Bristol, PA asked in Appeals / Appellate Law for Pennsylvania

Q: Hello, I have filed a writ of mandamus and the status with the Court is "awaiting answers". Answers from whom?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Charles William Michaels
Charles William Michaels
  • Appeals & Appellate Lawyer
  • Baltimore, MD

A: Answers, I suppose, from whoever is on the other side. There must be some one or some entity who is required to respond.

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text:
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