The clock on the wall of Gymnastics Training Center (GTC) reads five, and the young gymnasts swarm around the coaches waiting for warm-up announcements. At the sound of Coach Ross' voice, the girls jump up and run for the spring floor to begin their forty-five-minute warm-up routine. Weekday practice goes until 8:30—every night, non-stop.
With leotards, bare feet, and spandex shorts, the group of girls train at a frenetic pace five days a week. Lilly, a ten-year-old level-four gets home from school around 3:30 in the afternoon, and has only an hour before she is told to get ready for practice. In this pre-practice hour, Lilly must complete all of her homework or else there is no gymnastics for her that night. She also must eat, and rest her body for practice. Lilly's dream is to go to the Olympics.
Everyone watches gymnastics when the Summer Olympics roll around. Armchair judges grimace when the Russian judge docks a tenth of a point for a shaky landing. Americans cheer as their tween compatriots flip, jump, leap, and turn across their television screens, but few know what it truly takes to be an Olympic gymnast like 2016 champion Simone Biles. Not even the hard-working Lily understands all the sacrifices that are soon to come.
At the 2016 Olympic Games the average age of the female gymnasts was nineteen years old; the youngest was only sixteen. Meanwhile, the average age for the 2016 male gymnasts at the 2016 Olympic Games was twenty-six. Female competitors peak between sixteen and twenty year old. If you are not at the Olympic level by the time you are sixteen or seventeen, chances are you will not make it as an Olympian. However, college gymnastics is not out of the question, and most gymnasts who do not want to end their career after high school continue in college.
As I walk around the Simsbury, Connecticut based GTC, the young gymnasts are preparing for their December season. As their coach, I am watching the girls who are running full force into a stationary event (vault), flipping on a four-inch-wide piece of wood (balance-beam), defying gravity by throwing their body into the air and performing multiple flips (floor), and swinging from their hands around a bar (uneven-bars). Each event is occupied, and each event must be mastered to succeed at any level.
Ten-year-old Caitlyn walks across the beam, hitting every pose; she is performing a pressure routine for all her level-four teammates to judge. Pressure routines are when one gymnast performs their routine while their teammates watch intently—all the pressure on them. This mentally prepares the gymnast's mind for a competition. In a competition, their teammates are not the only ones watching though. There are parents, other competing gyms and their gymnasts, and the fifty-some competing gymnasts' family and friends—not to mention the eight judges who will critique every flexed toe, bent knee, wobble, and fall.
The intensity increases the higher the level the gymnasts compete. Think of the levels in karate: a novice starts with a white belt, and every belt color brings a different challenge and intensity, as they aim for their black belt. At GTC, fourteen-year-old level-nine Ariel is training for the possibility of making it to Eastern's, which is a competition for level-nine gymnasts to compete against the entire Eastern United States.
Ariel grips the bar and swiftly swings from the bottom to the top bar, like a monkey holding on with just her hands. Ariel works day in and day out to impress any possible university scouts at her competitions, as her dream is to compete in college gymnastics.
At GTC, the coaches expect their gymnasts to work hard. They train their gymnasts not only in the sport but also in life. They teach the girls that working hard will allow them to reach their goals. For instance, if the gymnast is given the assignment to perform five beam routines in a row without falling, they must stay on that event until they are finished, even if the rest of the group has moved on. This type of discipline teaches the gymnast that they must stick to something until they have finished. The girls develop a strong work ethic which can help in other aspects in life.
However, a coach can only do so much. Eventually the gymnast must realize that success comes from them—and is determined by how hard they work, and how committed they are. "Natural talent can only take you so far," Ross adds. For instance, a gymnast who has had talent since a young age (girls start as young as eighteen months at GTC) usually doesn't have to work as hard. However, as time goes on and they continue to progress in the sport, there will come a time when their poor work ethic in practice will catch up to them, and they won't be able to perform the more advanced skills. This wake-up call can either make or break a naturally-talented gymnast. I have seen girls recommit themselves to the gym, and others quit the sport because of this.
Total commitment can sometimes be a challenge for tween-aged gymnasts. Due to the number of hours a gymnast is in the gym each week, and the competitions lasting five hours every weekend, girls miss out on the normal teen experience. A gymnast does not live a normal "kid" life. They eat, breathe, sleep, and live gymnastics, and they love it. Or they burn out.
On top of all the mental strain, gymnastics is a very body-demanding sport. I was a gymnast for twelve years. I began when I was five, and retired at the age of sixteen. After working out for twenty hours a week, for five years straight my body began to tell me it needed to stop. With back pain, and sciatica at the age of sixteen, I could no longer continue the sport, and I had to give up my dream of competing in college gymnastics. In my career I won state titles, and placed fourth in my regional meet, so I was planning for more wins my next season. Unfortunately, I did not compete my next season due to the amount of pain in my back. I was devastated.
This is the story for many young gymnasts. This sport pushes your body, and after a while your body can no longer keep up—which results in a very short career. Some other injuries include broken or sprained wrists, broken noses, toes, and fingers. I've suffered from most of them. There can also be very dangerous injuries including head or neck traumas, paralysis (depending on if a gymnast lands wrong on their neck), and blown out knees. Most girls are done with gymnastics by the time they graduate high school, if not before.
The girls pass me on the spring floor and I yell out to level-four Kaelin to point her toes, and straighten her legs. She responds with a head nod and asks me, "Is this better?" as she demonstrates exactly what I was looking for. At just eight-years-old, and an entire career ahead of her, we will see whether Kaelin will realize her Olympic dream. She will most likely reach her peak between thirteen and sixteen, and the level she achieves at her peak will determine whether her gymnastics career will continue onto national television.
The 2022 summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, and the new set of hopeful Olympic gymnasts are preparing to realize their dream. I haven't purchased my airline ticket yet, but I may have to so I can see America dominate in this physical and graceful sport once again.


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Home - How to address fake news?
How to address fake news?
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Photo of two parrot birds with speech bubbles saying fake news against a blue sky background. Photodynamx, Dreamstime.com
The three days Asia Media Summit which ends today, was a forum for some 600 delegates from 42 countries deliberated mostly on combatting disinformation, including fake news, how to adapt to digital revolution, envisioning the media in the 4th Industrial Revolution and media credibility.
Even the Prime Minister got into the act of talking about the scourge of fake news in his keynote address and urged participants to step up the fight against fake news and disinformation, warning against the evolution of technology that spawns cybercrimes.
He stressed that fake news and cybercrimes severely threatened individual rights as well as regional and global security and called for the strengthening of law enforcement and professional ethics to curb the dissemination of fake news, insults, hateful speeches, incitement and discrimination and conflicts between races and religions, all of which could harm social security.
Mr. Hun Sen also called on all relevant entities to collectively increase close cooperation within the bilateral, regional and global frameworks to fight against fake news and cybercrimes.
Having said that, Cambodia, which is a prime breeding ground for fake news and misinformation dissemination from media stake holders, registered or otherwise, legal or otherwise, there is no law to combat fake news or its dissemination.
It also does not have the capacity to block, monitor or act against the purveyors of fake news and information disinformation. Many of these fake news, in terms of words, photos, videos, audios, text messages through social media networks but yet today in Cambodia, there are tens of online media outlets with various fancy sounding names without paying attention to the damage they cause to the victims of such news as long as the money keeps rolling in.
According to Wikipedia, fake news, also known as junk news or pseudo-news, is a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread via traditional news media (print and broadcast) or online social media.
The false information is often caused by reporters paying sources for stories, an unethical practice called checkbook journalism. Digital news has brought back and increased the usage of fake news, or yellow journalism. The news is then often reverberated as misinformation in social media but occasionally finds its way to the mainstream media as well.
Fake news is written and published usually with the intent to mislead in order to damage an agency, entity, or person, and/or gain financially or politically, often using sensationalist, dishonest, or outright fabricated headlines to increase readership. Similarly, click bait stories and headlines earn advertising revenue from this activity.
In Cambodia, there are many examples of fake news. This range from the fake news disseminated by an opposition leader in 2013 on Election Day which set of riots, vehicles burned, properties looted and was exacerbated to become a security nightmare for the government and the people.
In the context of the US and its election processes in 2016, fake news generated considerable controversy and argument, with some commentators defining concern over it as moral panic or mass hysteria and others worried about damage done to public trust.
In January 2017, the UK House of Commons conducted a parliamentary inquiry into the "growing phenomenon of fake news."
However, is the fake news phenomenon the result of technological evolution or is it self-inflicted curse on society as a whole?
The evolution of media technology compelled fake news to be spread and shares faster than a credible news agency could verify facts and publish the truth as which has been duly verified by journalists.
As journalist Kayla Matthews had written in a piece published by the World Economic Forum, people today are increasingly reliant on smartphones, smart speakers and other gadgets. Most can't imagine going more than a few hours without using a computer, and some of them spend most of their workdays sitting in front of the computer.
This shift towards a tech-centric culture means people are at a much higher risk of being gullible or falling prey to fake news and even disseminating them as truth because they are so believable but are also opening themselves up for another danger in today's world, cyber-attacks and cybercrimes.
Social media has contributed immensely towards cybercrimes and cyber-attacks with supposedly encrypted data being breached, intercepted and manipulated for devilish purposes and yet, very few countries in the world must adopt stern legislation to control fake news and cybercrimes or cyber-attacks.
Last records available on the cyber sphere shows that only Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, the EU, France and Russia have enacted some form of laws and legislations to curb fake news either by targeting big data companies who do not do enough to curb fake news and also platform owners who are a party to the dissemination of such fake or hate crimes.
As for cyber crimes., according to the United Nations Trade and Development organization, 138 countries (of which 95 are developing and transition economies) had enacted such legislation. However, more than 30 countries had no cybercrime legislation in place.
It stated that 72 percent of the world's countries had cybercrime legislations, nine percent of the countries had draft legislations, and 18 percent had no legislations and one percent with no data at all.
Amidst all these, the 16th Asian Media Summit would have missed its objectives and golden opportunity if no joint communique or resolution is adopted to combat fake news, cybercrimes and cyber-attacks as a package as one is related to the other and one is equally potent and inherently dangerous to civil society as the other.
Human rights activists fear laws to curb so-called "fake news" could be abused to silence opposition but what about the rights of those who have been affected by these fake news, lives and families destroyed, credibility and businesses in ashes and some driven towards suicide?
Surely these victims have rights too. If no severe punishment is mooted out, any conference on media anywhere in the world will end up as a conversation event, back slapping and fooling one's self in a prophecy of self-inflicted doom.
Nop Vy and Pen Bona discuss fake news with Khmer Times COO Kay Kimsong. KT/Mai Vireak
Journalists to combat fake news
Prime Minister Hun Sen opens the Asia Media Summit yesterday in Siem Reap province. KT/Khem Sovannara
Media urged to step up against fake news
A panel of media professionals speak about tackling fake news in Singapore. KT/May Titthara
Journalists debate fake news scourge
Officials from three ministries attend a fake news workshop yesterday. KT/Chor Sokunthea
Government to tackle fake news frenzy
Tags: 4th Industrial Revolution, Asia Media Summit, fake news
Towards the 34th Asean Summit
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More than 290,000 Missourians have health coverage through the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. In the months leading up to the recent presidential election, the ACA was a sticking point for both sides. President elect Donald Trump repeatedly called the ACA a disaster and promised to repeal and replace the law.
Repeal and replace makes for a good platform but is easier said than done.
President elect Trump's stance on the ACA has changed a bit since the election. His position has softened and he's said publicly that he's willing to retain certain aspects of the law and replace or eliminate specific portions. Specifically, Trump has said that he hopes to keep protections for people with pre-existing conditions and to allow children to stay on their parents plans until their mid-twenties.
Republican members of Congress have been trying to repeal the law for years but they haven't had the votes to do so, until now. Republicans hold majorities in Congress and there will be a Republican President in January. It will be interesting to see if repeal continues to be a priority or if prior discussions of repeal were posturing and rhetoric.
A complete repeal, without a replacement plan, would have severe implications on the health care delivery system and may cause the system to unravel all together. I don't foresee that happening. Instead I would suspect that bits and pieces of the law are changed. Trump is pro business so opportunities for insurance providers to sell across state lines may come into play. An increased emphasis on health savings accounts might also be a priority.
I would suspect that Medicaid reform will be a priority at both the state and national level. One way Medicaid could be reformed would be to switch to a Medicaid block grant system. Trump hinted at using Medicaid block grants during his campaign. A block grant system would allow for the federal government to disperse Medicaid funding to states and then states could create eligibility requirements.
Campaigns are full of promises and campaign promises, more than any other, are meant to be broken. The ACA is the law of the land and the health care system has adjusted and is functioning according to rules. A total repeal will be difficult and without a suitable replacement it could be disastrous.


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AIB are allegedly 'spying' on customer's social media accounts
If you have a bank account with AIB, you might want to take note!
Amy Bell
AIB have been accused of playing 'Big Brother' after it came out that they 'spy' on its customers' social media accounts.
The Irish Independent reported that the AIB banking group are going through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media accounts for comments on its service.
The bank said that it "helps us understand your behaviour."
It has been reported that as part of the new mortgage application process, customers are now required to sign a consent form to give permission to allow them look at your social media accounts.
Mortgage broker Karl Deeter of Irish Mortgage Brokers has accused the bank of invading the privacy of customers by spying on them.
He said: "I'm confident that people would not be comfortable knowing that the bank can play Big Brother with their social media information."
Mr Deeter said mortgage borrowers could not tell the bank not to examine their social media accounts if they wanted to be approved for a loan.
"You can't opt out, so what do you do?"
AIB issues serious warning as new scam targets customers
He said other lenders did not have similar provisions in their mortgage consent forms.
The Independent said that a form has a section headlined 'Data Analytics' and states that AIB: "Analyse the information that we collect and hold on you through channels, such as social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.).
"This helps us understand your behaviour, our relationship with you and also our position in a market place. Our analysis helps us to offer you products and services content we believe will be of interest to you."
A spokesperson for the bank told the publication that it 'complies with all data-protection requirements.
They said: ""We use personal information provided on AIB Group social channels solely to respond to and deal with customer comments or queries or for such other purpose for which it is provided.
SuperValu forced to issue new warning as phone scam targets customers this week
"We never analyse individual customer social media accounts or use our customer service or other social media data in any way to analyse individual customer behaviours."
They said that the engage in "regular social listening, where we monitor social media trends and sentiment towards our brand on social media."
LifeThe baby names predicted to make the most money in the futureThey will be earning the big bucks


James Wood's took to Twitter on Thursday to denounce the platform where he has more than 1.5 million followers, urging fans who said they have been "shadow banned" by the social media platform to sell off any stock they had in the company as punishment.
I urge every @Twitter user who has had an acoount shadow banned to sell all stock holdings in @Twitter. Hit these creeps in their stock value. It's the only way to fight this bias. We fought @facebook (stock down) and @CNN (ratings down) and won. It works! @Twitter next.
In a followup, the actor tagged Twitter founder and chief Jack Dorsey, advising him to be smarter than his social media rival Mark Zuckerberg.
Woods is the latest high profile conservative to sound the alarm after Vice News accused the company of "shadow banning" in a recent article. The piece contended that a number of GOP officials were not auto-populating in the site's search bar, but that their Democratic counterparts did not face a similar issue.
President Trump himself elevated the issue to national attention on Thursday, tweeting that it was "illegal and discriminatory" and he would "look into" it.
"Twitter "SHADOW BANNING" prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints," he wrote.
In a lengthy Twitter thread yesterday, the company's chief of product Kayvon Beykpour said the issue was the result of a "machine learning" snafu that downgraded accounts deemed "unhealthy" to positive conversation on the website.
"In May, we started using behavioral signals and machine learning to reduce people's ability to detract from healthy public conversation on Twitter. This approach looks at account behavior and interactions with other accounts that violate our rules," Beykpour explained.
Twitter did not provide an explanation about why all those accounts just happened to be for conservative users. Reps for the company declined to offer any additional comment.


Compared with various trade markets, the currency market is 100 times larger than the New York Stock Exchange, and it is also 3 times as large as the bond market and equities market combined. International currency markets consist of commercial companies, central banks, hedge funds, banks, investors and retail forex brokers. It is the market, where participants from all over the world have the opportunity of speculating on different currencies. International currency markets are considered to be extremely efficient, as they are very large and liquid. Currency market is virtual, which means that there is no central physical location that is considered to be the foreign currency market. International currency transactions occur in a global computer network of banks and brokers throughout the world.
The currency pairs are usually expressed with the base currency, which is the first currency in the pair and it is followed by the quote currency. For instance, in the currency pair USD/JPY, American dollar is the base currency and the Japanese yen is the quote currency. The currency exchange pairs are associated with an exchange ratio. Let's observe the following example: EUR/USD: 1.2836 / 1.2839. Here the first price represents the demand price, it is the Bid price or the cost of selling the euro. The second price is known as the Ask price or the cost of buying one unit of euro in dollars.
The difference between the sell and buy prices is known as spread. The smallest unit of measurement for a currency is known as pip. For most currencies, it is considered the fifth decimal digit. Since currencies are usually quoted to four decimal points, the last digit is the pip. For instance, if a price changes from 1.0745 to 1.0747, this would be a change of 2 pips.
Nowadays many people choose currency market, as it offers investors countless advantages, including leveraged trading, high liquidity, 24 hour availability and low transaction costs.


Linda's been selling properties in Perth since 2013. She has received REIWA High Achiever Awards for 2013-14 and 2014-15, continuously demonstrating her outstanding performance in real estate.Her amazing talents in property marketing is such a gift which produces great results that her clients just keep coming back to her for their property needs whether upgrading, downsizing, or building their property portfolios! She respects the diversities of different cultures, understands her client's needs and communicates well in English, Mandarin (Chinese) and Hokkien.


The CEO of the Vanguard Group, the low-cost mutual fund giant, said today that his company will soon be offering personalized investment advice and management for small investors—for less than a third of the typical cost.
F. William McNabb III, Vanguard's Chairman, President and CEO, told a crowd at Consumer Reports' headquarters today that the company is planning a new program, Personal Advisor Services, that would provide ongoing, one-on-one advice and portfolio management to its retail customers for 0.3 percent annually, or $3 for every $1,000 invested. Customers with as little as $100,000 in investments would be eligible. The company expects to roll out the service within 12 to 18 months.
"You should be willing to pay for advice, but not too much," McNabb said, adding that investors should not pay total fund and advisory fees of more than 1 or 1.25 percent. "We'll give the advice for 30 basis points, and we'll make it personalized."
An investor with under $250,000 in assets typically pays portfolio management fees of at least 100 basis points, or 1 percent, according to a 2013 survey of registered investment advisers by WealthManagement.com. Half of the surveyed advisers reported charging 1.1 percent and upward to those investors. Investment fees of all kinds are often cited as the principal culprit in reducing investors' returns.
The Vanguard program would include "comprehensive financial planning, ongoing portfolio management, access to financial advisors, and a highly personalized web experience," a Vanguard spokesperson told Consumer Reports. "Advisors will help clients identify their goals, develop a plan, and stay on track to achieve their financial goals." The service will be conducted via web, e-mail, phone, and videoconferencing. Vanguard is currently piloting the program with a pool of retail clients close to retirement age.
McNabb said he expected the typical 401(k) of the future also would include tailored advice for participants. But his company has no current plans to introduce the 30-basis-point advice model to the retirement plans it administers.
Vanguard offers different tiers of advice to retirement-plan participants depending on the service an employer chooses. For instance, participants may have free access to Financial Engines, an independent retirement planning tool. Vanguard currently provides no personalized portfolio advice for plan participants with assets below $500,000, but its annual management fee for assets between $500,000 and $1 million is 0.7 percent—lower than the industry average.
McNabb said he expects that in 10 years, auto-enrollment and auto-escalation—in which participants' contributions increase automatically over time—would be universal in 401(k)s. And, to address the difficulty many small investors face deciding where to put their money, choices would be simpler: 8 to 15 funds, with target-date funds at the core.


The Firearms Awareness Club serves to educate its members and the general public on proper firearm safety procedures, firearm use, and self-defense and firearm law. FAC strives to create a forum for healthy and balanced conversation regarding firearms in our society. Students from any side of the gun-debate issue can freely participate in the club to educate themselves or help educate the general public on this extremely important topic. Opportunities include attending range sessions to learn how to safely use a variety of firearms, participating in forums, listening to keynote speakers, and serving in Pro Bono events to educate the public on firearm and self-defense law.


A refreshing, mildly tart, farmhouse saison brewed in collaboration with our friends, Mitch and Bre, to help celebrate their marriage. Brewed with oats, Skagit Valley wheat, barley and triticale malts; estate-grown Cascade and Centennial hops; dry-hopped with Citra and Jarrylo hops; and, of course, it was brewed with lots of love! Rose hips are the fruit of our native wild rose plants and add citrusy and tart flavors to this beer.


Last week Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) brought David Miller, DNP, MSN, BSN, CNL, CRRN, onboard as the company's Director of Clinical Services for Home Health and Home Nursing. Celeste Clarke, PhD, LCSW, IPI's Director of Human Resources, asked David some questions to help us all get to know him better.
Just over a month ago Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) brought Danilo Coité, MD, onboard as the company's new CEO to help drive success and growth while continuing the mission and passion for providing complex patient care in the home. Dr. Coité brings a unique blend of medical and business expertise and looks forward to embarking on projects aimed at developing IPI's brand and helping to establish new and innovative ideas to embrace opportunities that lie ahead. Earlier this week we asked him a few questions to allow all of us to get to know him better.
Are you up for the challenge of high acuity specialty home care?
For nearly 30 years, Independence Plus, Inc. has been providing people with complex medical and respiratory needs the opportunity to live fulfilling lives at home.
There is no doubt that social media is an important communication vehicle for individuals and businesses alike. At Independence Plus, Inc., we use it to help others experience what healthcare at home means to us.
A new year and another opportunity for new grad nurses!
Happy New Year from all of us at Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI)! As we begin 2017 we are grateful for our patients and their families and we look forward to another year of providing people with complex medical and respiratory needs the opportunity to live fulfilling lives at home. One aspect of IPI that makes us very proud is our commitment to hiring newly-graduated nurses. We are kicking off the year with the 16th Cohort for our Home Nursing Residency, a unique employment opportunity for RN's and LPN's with less than one year of experience.
Leadership changes at Independence Plus, Inc.
Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) is pleased to announce an executive leadership change that will help drive the success and growth of the company while continuing our mission and passion for providing complex patient care in the home. After 30 years at the helm of the company she founded, IPI's President & CEO Tamara M. Müller will transition to a new role in order to dedicate more time to outside projects primarily related to chronic pulmonary disease management and innovative medical devices. She will remain IPI's Chairman of the Board.
Family caregivers are an essential component of the work that Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) does to provide the best possible care for our medically complex, ventilator-dependent patients. While their job is not always easy, the devotion they show can make a profound difference in the lives of their loved ones. Kayla and her husband Kevin are two such people. Their son KJ was born just shy of 26 gestational weeks. He spent a year and a half in the hospital, before coming home with IPI's skilled hourly home nursing in May 2015.
Whether you're a night nurse by trade or pick up an overnight shift every now and then, check out our "Tips and Tricks" for surviving the night shift in home care.
Almost three years ago Independence Plus, Inc (IPI) began an education and training initiative known as 'IPI Connect'. Administrative and field clinicians are invited to monthly IPI Connect meetings to help build a more connected professional network for our clinicians and offer open discussions on topics directly related to the care we are responsible for delivering to our medically complex, ventilator-dependent adult and pediatric patients. To allow more of our nurses to participate, we are providing a wrap-up of each topic via our blog.
A great friend of mine sent me a wonderful message attached with a photo titled "Anatomy of a Nurse." It included "a mind that's always assessing," "warm heart," "warped senses of humor," "eyes that have seen it all." It also included "aching back," "empty stomach", "full bladder," "tired feet," and "dry, chapped hands." As I continued to read, although my friend was thoughtful with great intentions, the nurse in me said "wait a minute, that's not a good anatomy." It is not okay to be hungry, have back pain, nor a full bladder. We would not tell our patients that those things were "okay." Most of us would use these as teaching opportunities and educate our patients on the risks and benefits, as well as alternatives to positive self-care. So why do we think it is acceptable for us?
In honor of National Respiratory Care Week, Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) would like to take a moment to thank our dedicated and talented team of Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCP's)! The role of an RCP is to restore and improve lung health to patient's lives. Our RCP's are our go-to experts when it comes to respiratory care and services at home for our patients with complex medical and respiratory needs. Our RCP's visit our ventilator-dependent patients a minimum of one time per month, delivering equipment and supplies, performing equipment checks and trach changes, checking vital signs, listening to lung sounds, measuring oxygen levels, and much more.
October 14th marked the first anniversary of me working as a Registered Nurse. Time has surely flown by and I can definitely say that I made the right career choice. When asked "do you like it?" I instantly smile, nod my head, and then I tell them, "I love it!" My first year as an RN has been eventful, emotional, and satisfying. I provided care for patients that passed away—expected and unexpected—and each death affected me in different ways. After one patient's death, I was so devastated that I considered shifting paths in nursing. No longer wanting to build close relationships with patients, I solely wanted to provide care from a distance—health fairs, forums, and increased participation in health care reform. However, being personable and relationship-building is the reason why I wanted to become a nurse in the first place.
Each fall Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) nurses and clinical educators come together over the course of six days to take part in our Annual Skills Competency Training. Annuals is an essential part of Independence Plus' nursing education and training program, but it's also a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues we don't get to see as often as we would like! We take this time to remember why we all work so hard to provide the quality care and services our medically complex patients need and deserve, and this year we asked some of our nurses what they have learned from caring for patients in the home.
If you have been a patient, a patient's family member, or an employee of Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) in the past decade, you may already know Shineka. Although she spent her first 10 years at IPI working within payroll and benefits, for the last few years she's also been assisting with our after-hours on-call scheduling. In May, she was promoted to Scheduling Manager, a challenging role that has her at the helm of a department that works 24/7 to ensure that the needs of our nurses and patients are met.
Education is at the forefront of everything we do at Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI). Upon hire, our nurses are immersed in a hands-on training and education program designed to prepare them to provide the best possible care for patients with complex medical and respiratory needs living at home. Once they are working in the field, the education keeps on going. Each fall, IPI nurses and clinical educators come together over the course of six days to take part in our Annual Skills Competency Training.


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Governor Hochul Chooses Rep. Antonio Delgado as New Lieutenant Governor
On May 3rd, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Rep. Antonio Delgado as her new Lieutenant Governor. In her announcement, Governor Hochul called Delgado the "right person for the job" and praised his time in Congress working to help small businesses, veterans and those struggling with student loan debt.
"I know he'll fight tooth and nail," the Governor said. "Just like he's been doing in Congress, pushing for quality, affordable healthcare. Supporting the small businesses, something that's deeply personal to both of us. And working hard to bring jobs back to his district. Making sure that our veterans get more than just recognition and a 'thank you for your service.' They have to have the resources to continue and have the support they need, whether it's housing or education or jobs. And he's working hard already to ensure that every single community comes back from that pandemic. And he was supportive of the rescue plan, his bill had direct support for communities which delivered over $130 billion in aid for local government. He gets it. He knows where the power truly lies. Antonio is someone who's been in the public arena for all the right reasons. He doesn't just talk, he gets results."
Delgado was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on Wednesday, May 25th. During the ceremony, Delgado said he is "humbled" to be a partner with the Governor and all New Yorkers, and said he is dedicated to listening everyone.
"Whether you're for me or against me. Whether you agree with me, or you don't. I'm here to listen to you, to hear you out, to serve you. To make your lives and your family's lives better," Delgado said. "I know people are feeling pain. I know it. We have to right this ship and create more equity and access points to opportunity and care." He continued, saying, "we need leaders who are committed to doing the important work of elevating our collective consciousness so that we may see ourselves in each other, and realize that we are actually all one. People are feeling detached. Detached from their government, from their community, from one another. There is substance abuse and mental health crises. People are feeling more and more isolated, prone to the perils of social media platforms that shred all genuine forms of human interaction. More and more people have less and less access to their own government. As money continues to overwhelm our political system and squeeze the vast majority of Americans out. It's putting a profound strain on our democracy. We must take this problem head on and we can. It just takes work. And it takes love. Love of democracy, love of country, love of neighbor, and love of New York. New York has long been at the forefront of progress in this country. A woman's right to vote, right to choose, gay marriage, gun reform, labor movement, environmental movement, all ahead of the national curve. New York has always been a leader in a time of trouble, always a beacon of hope and light in times of peril and darkness. This is who New York is. We love New York because New York loves people. All people. It is the epicenter of multiculturalism, of what it means to be multi-religious and multiethnic, it is the epicenter of tolerance and acceptance. Of progress of our collective effort to perfect our union. In New York, every community counts. We are the Empire State and we will live up to our ideals."
The new Lieutenant Governor will also be on the ballot for the June 28th Democratic Primary after former Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin removed his name last month. Delgado is likely to face a competitive primary against Diana Reyna, who was chosen by Tom Suozzi to be his "running mate," and Ana Maria Archila who was chosen by Jumaane Williams. Archila secured several endorsements from powerful Democrats this week, including Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris. "New Yorkers are facing an affordability crisis and need real solutions, including affordable housing, better paying jobs, and quality healthcare," Gianaris said. "Ana Maria is exactly the independent voice that working families need to make sure that the state government is focused on their needs – not the interests of billionaires and big corporations."
It is important to remember that candidates running for Lieutenant Governor run in their own primaries, separate from the gubernatorial candidates that may have picked them as their "running mates." Whichever candidate wins the primary for Lieutenant Governor is then added to the Democratic ticket for Governor when the two offices are elected together in November.


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Chicago Mayor Surrenders to Mob Over Columbus Statues
Leah Barkoukis | July 24, 2020 8:41 AM
Santiago Covarrubias/Sun Times via AP
Two statues of Christopher Columbus fell victim to the cancel culture mob sweeping America early Friday morning after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered their removal, wrongly believing it would ease tensions in the city.
"This action was taken after consultation with various stakeholders," her office said in a statement. "It comes in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently pull the Grant Park statue down in an extremely dangerous manner. This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city's symbols. In addition, our public safety resources must be concentrated where they are most needed throughout the city, and particularly in our South and West Side communities."
The Grant Park statue came down at 3 a.m. and the Columbus statue in Arrigo Park was removed hours later.
George Washington law professor Jonathan Turley called the move an "act of surrender" solving absolutely nothing.
My concern is that this was an act that confirmed that rioting and violence can prevail. In the end, it was not the statue but the rule of law that was at issue in Grant Park. Both were lost in the dead of night.
As on so many other unilateral decisions by mayors, the action was taken without pre-warning and in the middle of the night. The concealment of the operation befitted the character of the decision. [...]
This is why an Antifa leader recently declared "we are winning." It is because politicians like Speaker Nancy Pelosi have shrugged off the destruction of statutes in declaring "people will do what they do." Now, Mayor Lightfoot is saving them the trouble of toppling statutes. She will do it for them in a plea for peace. (Jonathan Turley)
Last week, the Grant Park statue was the scene of a tense confrontation between demonstrators and police, approximately 18 of whom were injured.
Just incredible that the Mayor of Chicago's answer to an angry mob ambushing her police at the Columbus statue is....to tear down the statue.
— Leigh Wolf (@LeighWolf) July 24, 2020
Ordering the removal of the statues also marks a reversal of Lightfoot's previous belief that taking them down would be erasing history.
Tags: CHICAGO LORI LIGHTFOOT LAW AND ORDER


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Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation hosted its third annual gala in New York City
Nov 06, 2014 by BHI
Supporters gather at Gotham Hall to support foundation and its mission
Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation Third Annual Gala
NEW YORK – Nov. 6, 2014 – On Tuesday, October 7, 2014, the Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation (BHCF), a recognized 501 (c) (3) organization, hosted its third annual fundraising gala at Gotham Hall in New York. The Gatsby-themed event was attended by more than 150 people.
The BHCF team and its host committee gathered with all of their supporters, friends, and those looking to support a worthy cause for an evening of fine foods, cocktails, entertainment, and an opportunity to learn more about the foundation and its mission. Guests from around the world were in attendance, including scientists, economists, doctors, lawyers, philanthropists, athletes, singers, and film/TV celebrities. Chairman, Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon Dr. Brian Mehling, CEO John Ferguson, COO Doreen Santora, President and Co-Founder Eddie Amarante, Dr. Doncheng Wu, a stem cell scientist based in China, Patty Hillkirk, Founder and Executive Director of Camp Dreamcatcher, Italian singer Nadia Lanfranconi, and representatives from the Sean Kimmerling Testicular Cancer Foundation were among some of the guests who attended the gala event.
The evening began with cocktails and an hors d'oeuvres reception, followed by a welcome from Eileen Craft, Mistress of Ceremonies. After an elegant sit-down dinner and presentations the guests enjoyed silent and live auctions with items including "An Evening with Derek Jeter," "Top Chef in Home Experience," "One Week at the Villa in Cannes," "Sunday's Final Round of the Masters," "Hamptons Hideaway, Southampton, NY," "Rao's Chef in your Home," "A Week in the City," and "Silver Oak Wine Experience." There was also various sport's memorabilia autographed by legends such as NY Yankees David Wells, Don Larson and David Cone, Mariano Rivera, Tiger Woods, Mickey Mantle, NY Giant Eli Manning, and many others.
The evening's entertainment included David Raleigh, lauded by Time Out Magazine as the "Nat King Cole" for a new generation and Sarah Charness, who captivated the audience with her vivacious performance and the vibrant sound of her trademark hot pink, six-string electric violin. Guests danced the night away to the tunes of DJ Marc Vano, an Amsterdam-based entertainer. Additionally, Anish Shah , a New York-based comedian performed his award-winning act.
The guest speaker was Patty Hillkirk, founder and executive director of Camp Dreamcatcher, an organization dedicated to providing resources for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. "We are very grateful for all the help that BHCF has provided us over the years. We appreciate our partnership and look forward to working together for many years to come," said Ms. Hillkirk.
Dr. Mehling stated, "We want to thank everyone who partnered with us on our journey to help people across the globe. For without you, our organization would not be able to provide the resources, raise the awareness, or provide the treatments that have touched and changed so many lives. There is a bright future ahead of us and together, we will continue to enhance the lives of so many people."
The Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation is a recognized 501 (c) (3) organization, dedicated to increasing the awareness of global inequalities in healthcare, as well as providing charitable medical care and education to adults and children in impoverished areas. The foundation raises capital in order to support medical centers and clinics by providing medicines vital to basic human survival, by performing advanced medical treatments otherwise not accessible to certain geographic regions, and to finance research and development in stem cell therapies and cellular regenerative medicine. BHCF also supports children around the world who have been orphaned as a result of disease and/or war. In order to raise awareness of these situations, BHCF produces documentary films that bring much needed attention to the plight of those with limited or no access to healthcare. The provision of these resources to less developed areas enables the medically underserved to benefit from high quality care and treatment. For more information please visit www.bluehorizonfoundation.org.


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By Tom Torkar
Drones: realising the potential, reducing the risks
The low-cost of buying and operating remotely piloted aircraft (drones) for commercial use has opened up a world of opportunity. The technology, catapulted by developments in military drone use, has overtaken the current legal and regulatory framework, leaving significant gaps of knowledge and new risks to manage.
Drone users must ensure they comply with the existing regulatory regimes which apply to their use, and be aware of the likely developments. The regulatory world will catch up and drone pioneers must prepare for a legislation and bylaw backlash.
Why are we using drones?
Drones are being used for wide and varied commercial uses including the aerojournalism, police surveillance and geographic mapping.
The use of drones to map and collect data will also provide a deluge of data which will be of great value to business beyond the real-time use for the drone.
There are also novel opportunities for entrepreneurs; a company already offers a post-cremation drone service to scatter ashes, and new calls from the likes of Amazon Prime Air and Googles' Project Wing for specific air routes to allow for direct to door ecommerce deliveries.
What are the legal issues?
Civil Aviation Regulation
More drones flying mean that the risk of collision is inevitably enhanced – between March 2014 and March 2015, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recorded six 'near misses' where a drone came within 20ft of an airliner. Globally a similar picture emerges.
The correct regulation of drones falls within the remit of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK, but the degree of regulation currently depends on the weight and use of the aircraft.
Drones weighing 20kg or less – are…
classified as 'Small Unmanned Aircraft' (SUA) and are exempt from the majority of regulations that would normally apply to manned aircraft – provided they are for domestic use.
The user must;
Be able to maintain unaided visual contact with the SUA
Not fly in restricted airspace or at a height of over 400ft.
Where SUA's are equipped with a camera, regulations are tighter, they must not be flown over or within 150m of congested areas or assemblies of more than 1,000 persons or within 50m of vehicles, buildings, structures or persons.
Drones weighing over 20kg – are …
subject to strict rules, equivalent to those for manned aircraft, unless an exemption applies, pilots of drones weighing over 20kg must:
obtain a Certificate of Airworthiness;
register the drone on the UK Register of Civil Aircraft;
obtain flight permission from the CAA;
obtain an approved pilot qualification.
Recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft or any person in an aircraft is a criminal offence and The CAA has warned that pilots will face prosecution if they put the safety of other aircraft at risk. The first example of successful UK prosecution for drone offences was in 2014 when a man was fined for flying a drone fitted with a camera within 50m of Jubilee Bridge and within restricted airspace over a nuclear submarine facility..
Safety by design
The responsibility of safe drone use does not just fall on the user. Manufacturers have recognised the importance of technology in developing drone safety.
For example, Geo-fencing, is an on-board GPS and mapping system (also known as "cyber fences") which prevents drones from flying into restricted airspace. There is a recognised need at the European Commission to encourage investment in technologies that are required to integrate drones into the aviation systems covering European airspace.
Existing data protection and privacy laws, as well as criminal laws in respect of harassment, are designed to protect citizens' fundamental rights such as the right to privacy and the protection of personal data.
One of the biggest challenges for commercial exploitation of drones is dealing with privacy and data protection which often give rise to public concern. The use of "surveillance" drones, especially by the police, leads to "Big Brother" concerns.
While any user has the potential to infringe data protection law, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) focuses on ensuring non-domestic drone users (as opposed to 'hobbyists') to comply with data protection legislation. The ICO has adapted guidance on the use of CCTV to take into account drones that are fitted with a camera. Personal data (data that enables the identification of a living individual) collected by drones for commercial use must be processed fairly and lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA)
Drone users should also be aware that improper drone use may infringe privacy, breach confidentiality or even harass others. By way of an example, it is possible that footage identifying a neighbour in their garden may infringe that person's right to privacy if published. The risk of infringing privacy is likely to be reduced if inclusion of footage of that person is only incidental, for example at a sporting event
The health and safety risks
The potential for drones to cause personal injury and damage to property is likely to be considered less significant when compared with the risks posed by manned aircraft, but with an increase in flights, health and safety risks (and the risk of negligence claims) should be considered. The personal injury risks of drones were recently highlighted when Enrique Iglesias sliced his fingers open and fractured his hand attempting to hold onto a camera-carrying drone during one of his performances – and no doubt injuries to children and hobbyists are commonplace.
As with aviation risks, manufacturers are also taking steps to improve drones from a health and safety perspective. Health and safety guidelines will require that drones and their packaging are accompanied with adequate warnings and user instructions. An automatic 'Return to Home' feature triggers the return of the drone and automatic landing where battery life reaches 10% is built into the latest quadcopter drones, meaning that drones should not be in a position where they drop out of the skies when power fails.
Regulation for the future?
Current UK regulation of drones under the specific civil aviation rules coupled with the application of existing privacy laws is relatively clear-cut, although there are uncertainties in the approach to enforcement of those laws, and how they will cope with the explosion of use. The civil aviation rules will surely develop and change. The launch of a US publication 'Drone Law Journal' gives us some indication of the growth in this 'aerial legal minefield'.
The European Commission suggested that safety rules, including on remote pilot and operator qualifications, should be developed by the European Safety Agency and further that the requirements should be harmonised at a global level. The thrust of the declaration is to protect drone users and manufacturers from a complex web of new rules and regulations stunting the growth of the industry, while enhancing public confidence and safety.
Businesses that want to take advantage of the opportunities drones can bring, should work with their legal advisors to understand current legal requirements but also plan for the inevitable future legal developments. A new 'Law of Drones' is already on the horizon.
For further information, please contact Tom Torkar at tom.torkar@michelmores.com or 01392 687626
SWDigital Forum
The next SWDigital Forum at Michelmores will be discussing the law of Drones and commercial opportunities.
Date: Tuesday 17 November 2015
Time: 12pm - 2.30pm
Cost: Free of charge – limited spaces
Venue: Woodwater House, Pynes Hill, Exeter EX2 5WR
To register your interest in the next SWDigital Forum please contact Naomi Morris on 01392 687655 or events@michelmores.com, or join the linkedin forum South West Digital Forum
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