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Facing the Unimaginable
I was nine years old when I got my first inkling of the Holocaust. My mother told me about Mrs. Summers, whose daughter was a friend of my sister. An officer had tattooed a number on her arm, when she was incarcerated in a Nazi camp. I don't think I quite got it: a person branded with a number like a horse or a steer in one of our cowboy movies? It didn't make sense, and it was scary.
Mrs. Summers visited local schools, showing students her tattoo and talking about what had happened to her family. Germany sent her money as retribution, and she used it, my mother explained, to have a gold charm designed with her camp number. It was her way of showing them what she thought of their "blood money": Never forgive, never forget.
Looking back, I think Mrs. Summers' story held plenty of information. For a girl my age, the whole truth was unimaginable.
A few years later, my mother took me to see "Judgment at Nuremburg" with Spencer Tracy. It contains graphic images of the Nazi horror and moving performances depicting the kind of nightmares that haunted many families. Around the same time, I saw "The Diary of Anne Frank," and I discovered that girls and boys my age were victims, too. Some scenes from those films have stayed with me.
Today, there is new urgency to teaching about the Holocaust. Only 400,000 Jews who survived or fled the Nazi regime are still alive, according to the Claims Conference, an organization that sends compensation to survivors.
At the date of this writing, seventeen states require schools to teach secondary students about the Holocaust. Parents and Sunday schools have many options for laying the groundwork to teach young people about this singular event. The material is so shocking students need time to absorb the information.
As a starting point, teachers or parents could order a picture of a survivor displaying a tattoo from the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.
Movies and books like Number the Stars, The Island on Bird Street, and The Book Thief are a good introduction for middle school students and older.
The Holocaust Museum also has short clips on a variety of topics, such as survivor messages
Parents and teachers can also find videos on YouTube, such as The Holocaust: Questions and Answers for introducing the history of the Holocaust or for previewing a book on the subject.
A straight-forward text with witness testimony and photographs in books like the one I wrote, The Holocaust: Never Forget, is an option for junior high school students and older.
Learning about the Holocaust should be a process that only slowly reveals the unimaginable truth.
April 2, 2021 · History
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DeepMind's AI can spot eye disease just as well as top doctors
Technology 14 August 2018
By New Scientist and Press Association
The AI was able to detect eye problems from scans as well as doctors
Moorfields Eye Hospital
DeepMind's artificial intelligence can now spot key signs of eye disease as well as the world's top doctors.
Anonymous diagnostic data from almost 15,000 NHS patients was used to help the AI learn how to spot 10 key features of eye disease from complex optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal scans.
An OCT scan uses light rather than X-rays or ultrasound to generate 3D images of the back of the eye, revealing abnormalities that may be signs of disease.
The system has the potential to prevent irreversible sight loss by ensuring that patients with the most serious eye conditions receive early treatment.
Too much information
DeepMind's new system was developed alongside scientists at Moorfields, University College London.
Pearse Keane, from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, said: "The number of eye scans we're performing is growing at a pace much faster than human experts are able to interpret them.
"There is a risk that this may cause delays in the diagnosis and treatment of sight-threatening diseases, which can be devastating for patients. The AI technology we're developing is designed to prioritise patients who need to be seen and treated urgently by a doctor or eye care professional.
"If we can diagnose and treat eye conditions early, it gives us the best chance of saving people's sight."
The study showed that it was able to triage patients with more than 50 eye conditions correctly in more than 94 per cent of cases, matching the performance of leading experts from around the world.
The programme does not make a definitive diagnosis of its own. But on the basis of clinical signs such as holes in the macular, the central region of the retina, or blocked retinal veins, it can swiftly recommend which patients should be seen urgently by a specialist or simply placed under observation.
In many cases blindness can be prevented by the early detection and treatment of eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder and head of Applied AI at DeepMind Health, said: "These incredibly exciting results take us one step closer to that goal and could, in time, transform the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with sight-threatening eye conditions, not just at Moorfields, but around the world."
The team believes the AI could be rolled out across 30 UK hospitals in less than three years.
Brain damage spotted
The study was one of two demonstrating the effectiveness of AI screening of patients.
The other programme, developed in the US, was able to identify signs of brain damage caused by stroke, haemorrhage and hydrocephalus from CT (computed tomography) X-ray scans in just 1.2 seconds.
Lead researcher Eric Oermann, from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, said: "Such a triage system can alert physicians to a critical finding that may otherwise remain in a queue for minutes to hours."
Derek Hill, Professor of Medical Imaging Science at University College Hospital, said: "These papers provide further evidence that artificial intelligence will soon be routinely supporting doctors in streamlining diagnosis and treatment of numerous illnesses."
Journal reference: Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-018-0107-6
More on these topics:
Magazine issue 3191 , published 18 August 2018
Weird circles in the sky may be signs of a universe before ours
Fortnite is coming to Android, but players risk downloading malware
An AI was tasked with creating proteins with anti-microbial properties. Researchers then created a subset of the proteins and found some did the job
The US government is suing Google – again
A new US government lawsuit alleges that Google has harmed innovation and raised costs for internet users by attempting to monopolise the digital advertising industry
Collision review: How CERN's stellar secrets became sci-fi gold
Margaret Drabble, Luan Goldie, Steven Moffat and Stephen Baxter are among the top writers in Collision, an anthology that transmutes CERN's elusive research into science fiction

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GOPAL गोपाल – Chapter 2
November 29, 2018 Filed under:
Stories - Fiction
Stories - Mini-Novels
Stories - Travel
Gopal was aware of the route to Dhaka but had little comprehension of how long it would take to make it to the Hindu homeland, India. Travelling ten hours a day by foot would take a week to get to the border, that is assuming they could get help with food along the way. He was tempted to return to his home and dig up family savings but after seeing violence that took his family's life at the hands of the mob finally concluded it wouldn't be safe to travel there.
He and his sisters were about to leave when there was a knock at the front door. They quickly hid in the linen room while the para-medic in charge of the hospital went to a window to view the front door in dim light of the bulb above the entrance door. Seeing there was no mob there he opened the door and the one knocking fell on the doorstep. He was severely wounded and unable to rise. The para-medic pulled him inside and quickly shut the door calling to one of his Christian helpers.
They took him to theatre and began an examination. The man was covered in cuts and bruises and barely able to speak. The para-medic did not have a doctor's experience and knowledge but had watched to learn as each foreign doctor had shared their knowledge. The para-medic probed gently to try and determine if there was internal damage and while the patient winced, he gave no complaint. Examination complete the para-medic sat and stared at the patient wishing he were equipped with a doctor's training and knowledge. He could fix many health issues, but internal damage was beyond his limited talent.
Gopal motioning his sisters to stay hidden crept into the examining room to see if he knew who'd come in for treatment at such a late hour. He crept in and startled the para-medic who wearily told him he shouldn't be in this area as it was to be kept infection clear. Gopal nodded and was about to leave when he noticed something familiar about the patient. He went in closer to look despite attempts to be held back. He sucked air in shock. It was his brother Ashish.
Ashish noticed a shadow suddenly appear above him and opened his eyes. It was his brother Gopal. His efforts to reach there had not been in vain. His eyes flicked to his knotted garment and when Gopal failed to understand the signal, he raised his arm painfully to touch the knot then whispered softly. Suddenly Gopal understood. He untied the knot while the para-medic looked on questioningly. There still dirty from a hasty excavation was all the family buried savings. Ashish again pointed his finger at Gopal and waved then closed his eyes. By next morning Ashish was dead.
As they'd lingered until their brother died Gopal and his sisters hid in a locked room through the next day. They anticipated leaving the next night and heading for Dhaka. Now they had money it would make their journey much easier but beyond Dhaka Gopal had no idea what the best way to get to India would be, or for that matter if they'd be allowed to enter.
Next day the Imams of the village Mosques met together to try and make sense of the carnage the previous day. In an hour of questionings around the village they were able to find the mob had been incited by rumors Hindus had desecrated a Mosque. None of the Imams had knowledge of any desecration and continued to probe. Eventually the source of rumors was traced to a group of village leaders who had they eyes on Hindu property.
The Imams summoned them to a meeting and eventually pulled the truth out of them. They were unrepentant. They'd done it in the name of God and that was their excuse. No infidels had a right to live in their village.
The Imams shook their heads sadly. They understood the depth of feeling over those migrations at the time of partition, but their village Hindus had chosen to stay and live among them. They were part of the village family and had rights. They told leaders they'd be making a report to Dhaka and they could expect the severest punishment for inciting a mob to do this terrible thing. The leaders begged to be forgiven and agreed to reinstate all properties confiscated.
Guessing that any Hindu would probably take refuge in the Christian hospital Imams walked there and went inside to talk with the in-charge paramedic. They were appreciative of the work done by the hospital to benefit their village and quickly put the man's mind at ease. They explained what had happened and what they'd done to try and rescue the situation including their actions against ring leaders.
They inquired if there were any Hindu's there and after learning most of them had fled were even more sorrowful. They learned the Christian community had taken refuge there and asked to meet all those who were there as refugees. They assured there would be no further incidents and that pressure placed on any of them should be reported to the Imams who would defend them and act against aggressors. They'd send messages of reassurance to Hindus in communities along the river and invite those fleeing to come back and take their rightful place in the village once again.
Gopal gave salaam to the Imams and thanked them for their intervention. This was a new turn of events. He asked permission for one of the Imams to accompany him to his father's property to access damage and see if it were safe to go back. What if this should happen again despite the Imam's intervention? How could he and his sisters run the property by themselves now there was no family to help? What had happened to his father's cows? Grief took the place of terror now and he wept uncontrollably.
When they arrived, they found families had occupied his father's property. The Imam drove them off with the curses of heaven sending them scurrying on their way. It was Gopal's property now. No longer would there be any encroachment of property, no more need for night watch duty to see it didn't happen. The fear of the Imams was on the community as they reflected on loss of life they'd inflicted for no good purpose. All cows were returned with a substitute for the one eaten in victory the night before. Gopal and his sisters decided to trust the Imams and stay.
When it came time for rice planting season Gopal wondered how they could plant the area which previously served a whole family. Then the Imam who'd accompanied him back home arrived with villagers who'd given encouragement in the stoning of Gopal's family. Those who'd taken an active part in the murders had been judged and sentenced long ago. Under the watchful eyes of the Imam the paddy fields were planted and when it came time for harvest the Imam appeared again with his conscripts. This would be repeated each time of planting and harvest until through contacts in the various Hindu communities on the river the sisters were settled in marriage and Gopal and his future wives produced heirs to manage the property themselves. Never again were those terrible scenes repeated in the village Deviganj.
As there was no further possibility of bringing in foreign doctors the Christian hospital remained as a clinic until eventually a local Christian doctor could be encouraged to use that facility as a private practice. As the village grew eventually this was supplemented by a small government hospital.
Once again Hindus and Moslems in the village of Deviganj lived peacefully together under watchful eyes of the Imams..
"© Copyright Ian Grice,
ianscyberspace 2018 All rights reserved"
mini novels
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Excellent story, Ian 🙂
I cannot imagine how it would be to go through something like that…sure glad it had a happy ending but sad about the lose of the brother. Another great story sweet Ian and I enjoyed it very much. Hugs
Thank you for your continuing friendship and support. I'm so glad you enjoy my stories.
it amazes me how other live in their countries. This was a clear look at differing cultures and was handled with sensitivity and very readable!
Thanks for that encouragement Barb. 🙂
A happy ending, Ian.
Thanks for reading and commenting Eric. 🙂


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SBS preaching to the converted on refugees
Published: June 28, 2011 6.38pm EDT
David Nichols, The University of Melbourne
David Nichols
Lecturer - Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne
David Nichols receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
University of Melbourne provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU.
Go Back To Where You Came From participants prepare to go on patrol in Baghdad with the US military. AFP PHOTO/ HO/ 2011 CORDELL JIGSAW/SBS
SBS' recent three-part series Go Back to Where You Came From is, simply, a manipulative piece of media spin calculated to redress the balance of a media spun too far towards racist insularity.
The intentions are unquestionably good; the program is well-made or, rather, it is a creditable copy/pastiche of similar commercial tosh; and the intended audience, the converted who always want to be preached to, appear to have swallowed it whole.
If you haven't seen it – and, by the way, it's probably only essential viewing if you have strong antipathy towards refugees aspiring to live in Australia – the concept is thus: "six Australians with strong views on the subject" of what we naively call "boat people" have been invited to come on a journey which might change their minds.
Whether they have been induced to go on the trip with financial or some other incentive is never made clear in the program; are these people so firm in their desire to not know truth, that they will go out of their way to face their ignorance head-on?
They are presented to us as three men and three women living suburban lives although at least one, retired social-worker Raye, is actually presented as rural. Their backgrounds are quickly summarised to the degree we understand them as types.
Their political outlooks are varying degrees of conservative bar one, the Newcastle country singer Gleny, who from the outset is certain "I'd love to have a refugee come and stay with me."
The others are a closed-minded mixed bag. Adam, a Cronulla lifeguard from "the Shire" (that is, Sutherland) is appalled by the Australian government's willingness to continue "housing criminals", by which he means "illegals".
He staunchly wears his sunglasses on the back of his neck to the end of the series. Roderick, a "centre right government-hating freedom-loving libertarian" but also, somehow, a Young Liberal, has a range of crisp, funky conservative t-shirts ("Keep Right", "Tony Abbott" and Julia Gillard as "same tree, different lemon") and enough nous to never deviate strongly from his party line.
Darren is a cipher, who like Roderick keeps his true feelings to himself (admitting late in the series that he has been profoundly affected by what he has seen, but not to the extent of altering his opinion). Raye is an oddity whose hostility towards refugees seems to stem from a detention centre having been opened up on land adjoining her farm, at which she rather stiltedly claims she would happily shoot its residents.
The show's piece-de-resistance, however, is the youthful Raquel, who ticks a hundred boxes in the middle class checklist of signs to watch out for if you're worried your child might be becoming a bogan, beginning with her slurred drawl and her freely expressed distaste for "Africans".
The six go on a journey that takes them through a version of the refugee experience in reverse – meeting displaced persons now settled in Australia; an abortive boat ride to nowhere in particular; holding camps in Malaysia, then in Africa; and then to two places where political upheaval caused millions to flee.
Periodically, they are visited by the photogenically steely-eyed Dr David Corlett who prods all but Gleny to see if their attitudes have changed.
In the middle of this, Raquel is the one most focused upon and the most extreme within the show. She has no insight, and even her confessional conversion to an enlightened position towards the end seems as unbelievable as much of the drivel she has been delivering throughout.
The camera loves her, and the writing and editing of the show infantilises her (her terror, for instance, at using primitive toilets – which, by the way, is nervewracking for many global tourists).
I would imagine that, while for most of the viewers of this show – would you watch a program like this unless you wanted to see racists punished? – the schadenfreude runs particularly hot as Raquel gets her comeuppance.
Yet the brief biographical snippets of her short life suggest a different program might as easily have been made presenting Raquel as a victim: that she left school at 14, and her family home soon after, indicates some hard knocks indeed.
"We've all got hearts, we've all got feelings," she says at one point, defensively as well she might; many in the audience no doubt derided her for this as ardently as they laughed at her "I'm not no fucking refugee."
Audience response is individual and difficult to generalize about. I can only guess that the vast majority of viewers of Go Back to Where You Came From (GBTWYCF) enjoyed skillfully crafted television, uncritically, and had their own prejudices – towards people who would "turn back the boats" – cosily confirmed.
To my mind, in the final analysis GBTWYCF is one more symptom of a polarized society. Perhaps it asks the wrong questions, or is too literal when it comes to attempting to foster empathy.
While personally I believe Australia is not taking a hundredth of the refugees it should, I am uncertain as to whether GBTWYCF is a constructive exercise, though of course you can't blame SBS for showing a program that would do more good in prime time on Channel 9 – you can only blame Channel 9 for not taking on such a project.
A commercial station could have rated through the roof with this kind of thing.


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Let us not deal now with the wisdom or morality of firing events that result in injuries or deaths. It is quite conceivable that an activity of security forces may be erroneous or even malicious - depending on the reasoning and the personal quality of the people involved. Yet, it is important that public debates on this issue shall be conducted logically and fairly. The public must not let particularistic and political interests be disguised as binding moral principles.
This subject deserves a comprehensive research (those that we know are quite inadequate) but in this brief article, I would like to share an approach that, in my mind, could serve clarity, as opposed to the hypocrisy and inaccuracy that characterize the prevalent public discourse.
Let me start by discussing the concept of the "black flag". The source of this expression is a court ruling in the case of the Kafr Kassem massacre. Civilians were put to death after being captured outdoors during a security curfew - of which they were not aware. That was an atrocious event carried out by members of an Israeli security force who relied on an order they apparently received. The presiding judge could not find at the time the legal grounds to convict them for the crime they committed by obeying an order, and he introduced the concept that an order cannot serve as an excuse for a blatantly appalling act. He described it as a "black flag" that waves above such an order.
Subsequent legislation provided that disobeying an illegal order is permissible, while obeying an order that is evidently illegal has become an offence. Indeed, it is clear that the deliberate murder of innocent civilians is evidently illegal - but not every illegal or improper action should be viewed as if a "black flag" is waving above it. This would cheapen the memory of the Kafr Kassem massacre, which should stay a disgraceful blemish in our history. As for those who use this expression in more trivial circumstances, such as any deviation from the rules of opening fire, or in cases of collateral damage in actual combat - I suspect that they have ulterior political motives.
Another contention was voiced: "The soldiers fired although there was no imminent danger to their lives". This odd assertion is repeated in a persuasive tone, leaving the public perplexed: Were these soldiers recruited for years of hard and perilous service just in order to defend their own lives? It is quite strange that nobody protests against this claim. "The value of Human Life" serves as a rationale to paralyze military activity, and it sometimes seems that the military legal authorities apply strict criteria even when weapons are used against enemy forces. I am not concerned here with legal analysis. After all, the legal system should serve our real values.
Obviously, war conditions are not suitable for strict observance of human rights. Whenever we kill an enemy soldier, it is quite likely that we hurt a good person, loved by his family and perhaps important to all humanity, who was sent to his mission by his country. His loss may be truly tragic, but this is the reality of war. For pacifists, this is the end of the story - they would not fight and one can respect their position. I for one choose to fight and share the responsibility for the killing, in a situation where other values overrule the value of "Human Life". Such values do exist!
Then what if war is not declared officially, when enemy combatants wear no uniform? What if they surround themselves, their bases and their facilities, with civilians? What if many of them deliberately attack peaceful population, taking advantage of our "instructions for opening fire"? Are their rights superior to those of soldiers and commanders in a regular enemy army?
And what if they are in retreat after committing or attempting a murder - is it forbidden to pursue and shoot them because the soldiers can get away alive? And what if "civilians" conduct a surveillance operation against us? What if they attack an outpost with just sticks and fists? Should we then surrender and leave the place? Yes, there are those among us who wish for this result - and thus weaken our chance to defend ourselves.


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Q: Machine learning to detect wear on a machine axis I have a machine that moves with one axis in the same direction (basic position A to end position B). While driving, the torque is measured and recorded every 10 milliseconds. This looks something like this:
Time [t] | Torque [Nm]
0 | 2.5
10 | 4.0
20 | 4.7
30 | 5.6
40 | 6.0
50 | 5.5
60 | 5.1
70 | 3.2
80 | 2.1
90 | 1.5
100 | 0.2

The torque is therefore almost identical for a new machine. On a "very old" machine, the situation is different: the torque is constantly increased (signs of axis wear), or there are some outliers in the record (e.g., torque greatly increased at 50 milliseconds compared to a new machine).

What I need now is a prediction for wear or failure of the axis!

What I have:
Very much data from an axis movement coming from a new machine (the data should therefore be considered "GOOD").
What I do not have:
Data of an axis movement of an old machine (defective axis, increased torque, axis wear, etc.)
My basic idea is:
I want to use Machine Learning to train the data to the "GOOD" state. With the help of machine learning, a prediction (probability of a defect or wear) or a classification (GOOD or BAD) should then be carried out.
My approach:
Regression or classification (supervised learning)
My question is:
Does this approach make sense, or would you choose a completely different approach?
Is it even possible what I intend to do?
Thanks in advance

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Chicago Illinois Nursing Home Safety Concerns
A list of safety concerns, health violations, opened investigations, incident inquiries, dangerous hazards, and filed complaints on statewide long-term care homes can be reviewed on Illinois Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov database websites. Many families use this data to determine the best facility to place a loved one who requires the highest level of hygiene assistance and skilled health care.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two out of five stars concerning health inspections, one out of five stars for staffing issues and two out of five stars for quality measures. The Cook County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Austin Oasis that include:
Failure to Immediately Notify the Resident, the Resident's Doctor or Family Members of a Change in the Resident's Condition Including a Decline in Their Health or Injury
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 8, 2016, the state investigator documented the facility's failure to "notify the physician of a resident refusing medication." This failure "applies to [one resident] reviewed for medications."
The state investigative team observed a medication pass involving a Registered Nurse when a resident stated, "I'm getting the wrong medication." The Registered Nurse said, "she [the resident] always refuses her medications." The resident's dated, "I'm getting medication for diabetes, and I am not diabetic."
The investigators reviewed the facility Medication Administration Record (MAR) showing that the resident "refused seven days of [their medication] involving "five doses" of one medication and "eleven doses" of another medication that was ordered to be given twice daily."
The surveyors reviewed the resident's Progress Notes dated from June 13, 2016, to November 8, 2016, that shows that there was no "communication with the physician of [the resident] refusing ordered medications." A review of the resident's Care Plan indicated that on May 18, 2016, the resident "presented behavioral symptoms with refusing medication and blood work."
However, the resident's Care Plan does not show that the resident was being educated "on the effects of the medication's purpose and its refusal." The resident's "Care Plan is without any new interventions being indicated since May 18, 2016."
As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the facility Director of Nursing who stated, "when the initial is circled in the Medication Administration Record (MAR)," it indicates a refusal. The surveyors say that the "facility's Refusal of Medication and Treatment policy revised December 2013 indicates that if the resident refused medications or treatment, it should be documented with the date and time, and the physician should be notified."
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated November 22, 2017, the state survey team documented that the facility failed to "notify the physician after holding insulin medication [on six occasions] for one resident reviewed for medication administration."
A Licensed Practical Nurse stated on 11/22 2017 that they withheld the resident's ordered insulin medication dose at 9:00 AM. The nurse explained that it was because "I did not feel comfortable giving [the medication since the resident's] blood sugar was 86." The LPN said that they did not want the resident "to bottom out."
The LPN said that "he did not completely eat [his] first tray." However, when the resident asked for another tray, he ate all of that. Follow-up blood sugar was [in the] 90s. Sometimes [the resident's blood sugar level] does not go above 100." The LPN said that they were not sure why the physician ordered two different medications and that there was "no written order on when to hold [the medication]." The LPN "did not contact the physician after holding [the resident's insulin medication]."
During an interview with the attending physician on November 22, 2017, the doctor said "I told them to phone me with blood sugars, especially [when it is] below 100. Hold it [the medication] and call me."
The investigators reviewed the resident's blood sugar levels that were documented in their medical record that showed the resident had levels below to 100 on six obvious occasions between November 2, 2017, and November 22, 2017, and one possible level lower than 100 that was noted with an illegible entry. The investigator said that "there was no nursing documentation [that the attending physician] was notified [that the resident's medication] was withheld." The Director of Nursing stated that the staff must "hold blood sugar medication, should call [the doctor]."
Failure to Ensure That Every Resident's Medication Regimen Is Free from Unnecessary Drugs
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 24, 2018, the state investigators noted that the facility failed to "provide supporting documentation and diagnoses for the use of Keflex antibiotic medication for [one resident]." The nursing home also failed to document the "use of antidiarrheal medication for [one resident of four residents reviewed for the indication for medication usage."
Failed to follow established protocols when administering antibiotic medications – IL State Inspector
One incident involved a severely, cognitively impaired male resident who requires "extensive assistance with dressing, ambulation, transfers and hygiene/bathing." The resident's physician's orders are based on the rationale "for the use of antibiotic as palliative preventative for redness and puffiness of the eye. There is no documentation seen or presented in [the resident] having any infection or needing an antibiotic."
The investigators reviewed the resident's MDS (Minimum Data Set) that revealed a "third dose of Keflex on April 19, 2018, should not have been administered yet has initials that it was administered." The investigators interviewed the Wound Nurse on the afternoon of April 19, 2018, who stated, "she was concerned about [the resident's] bump with a scab and puffiness from a previous fall."
The Wound Nurse said that they were worried that the resident "may pick at the scab due to impaired cognition." The wound nurse said, "she called the physician and asked for an antibiotic as palliative and preventative measures" saying that "she was not concerned that [the resident] had no infection.
During an interview with the facility Director of Nursing, it was revealed that the facility follows the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program to minimize or prevent "risks associated with the unnecessary or prolonged use of antibiotics through the use of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. The program includes the use of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)" guidelines.
The CDC view involves the understanding that "when a patient takes an antibiotic when it is not needed, the patient gets no benefit and is unnecessarily exposed to preventable and potentially serious health problems. Each time an antibiotic is used, it can increase the risk that future infection will be resistant to antibiotics."
Failure to Develop, Implement and Enforce Policies to Prevent Mistreatment, Neglect or Abuse of Residents
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 12, 2017, the state surveyor noted that the Nursing Home had "failed to follow its own Abuse Prevention Policy by employing a Nursing Assistant who had a disqualifying conviction." The surveyors documented that the newly hired Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) "has a domestic battery conviction on record and should not be working" at any nursing home.
A facility employee stated, "that the facility did a background check back on February 10, 2017, and the results were sent to the facility on February 14, 2017." The report revealed that the new employee "had a disqualifying conviction." The staff member said that the newly hired CNA "was notified by mail [concerning the battery conviction] and is just now calling and five months later to get a waiver."
The staff member said that "when she called the facility and spoke to the HR Director, the Director stated, "they knew nothing about [the CNA] having a disqualifying conviction."
The surveyors interviewed the facility Administrator on the afternoon of July 11, 2017. The Administrator stated, "that he did not know anything about [the CNA's] disqualifying conviction until yesterday [July 10, 2017] when [the employee] notified him that he was trying to get a part-time job and the disqualifying conviction became an issue."
The investigators reviewed the facility's Illinois Department of Public Health healthcare Worker Registry form dated February 14, 2017, that revealed a criminal history and had a hit of disqualifying.
Failure to Provide Proper Care and Treatment to Residents to Prevent the Development of a New Bedsore or Allow an Existing Pressure Wound to Heal
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated November 29, 2016, the state surveyor noted that the nursing home "failed to implement pressure ulcer plan interventions and failed to provide pressure ulcer treatments as prescribed by the physician." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved three residents "reviewed for pressure ulcers."
The surveyors reviewed the facility's Weekly Pressure Ulcer Surveillance Report dated October 5, 2016, indicating that one resident "did not have any wounds present." However, the facility Director of Nursing stated that the resident "had a wound debridement while in the hospital from November 2, 2016, through November 21, 2016." A review of the resident's hospital records dated November 2, 2016 "did not include documentation of surgical procedures."
A review of the facility's October 26, 2016, Weekly Pressure Ulcer Surveillance Report shows that the resident "had facility-acquired deep tissue injuries on October 6, 2016." The documentation shows a resident had wounds to the left medial heal, left medial arch, left medial bunion area, left lateral heel, left lateral arch, left lateral metatarsal, right medial ankle, right medial heel, right medial arch, right medial bunion, right lateral arch, right medial hand, right medial knee (Stage II) and left medial knee (Stage II)."
A review of the facility's report showed that the resident developed "sixteen deep tissue injuries" between October 5, 2016, and October 6, 2016." The facility reported that the resident "acquired the pressure ulcers on October 6, 2016, while in the hospital." However, "the resident's facility census report indicates [that the resident] was not hospitalized until October 10, 2016."
Injured or Abused While Residing at Austin Oasis? We Can Help
Do you believe that residents, caregivers or visitors victimized your loved one while living at Austin Oasis? If so, contact Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 today. Our law firm fights aggressively on behalf of Cook County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Chicago. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim.
Our skilled attorneys can file and successfully resolve your nursing home abuse or mistreatment case to hold those who caused your loved one harm financially accountable. The attorneys accept all personal injury claims, nursing home abuse suits, medical malpractice cases, and wrongful death lawsuits through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement postpones the requirement to make a payment to our law firm until after we have successfully resolved your claim for compensation through a negotiated out of court settlement or jury trial award.
We provide each client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation for your damages. We can begin representing you in your case today to ensure you receive adequate compensation for your damages. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Austin Oasis Inspection Abuse and Neglect Lawyers | Nursing Home Law Center LLC


Typically, I am not one to place at the feet of pop culture all the ills of our society, but I must admit that as I watched, completely mesmerized by Rihanna's performance, the NBA All-Star half-time show, I lamented the near-fall of Western civilization. I know how comforting it is to abdicate personal responsibility and blame pop culture for all our troubles, but as I watched Rihanna I felt sorry for young, impressionable boys and girls who see her as a role model. As an educator, I see her influence daily in the young girls who easily and happily imitate her and the young boys who desire her—and there she was on stage shaking her body for all the world to ogle.
When Kanye West appeared on stage, I must admit the only thought going through my head was a prayer that his pants would be situated correctly on his waist. They were not, and I was forced to think about another day of battles that I would wage with wayward teenage boys who mimic hip-hop culture's fascination with prison life. As many know, the baggy-pants culture—boys wearing pants so low that their underwear shows—originated in prison, as prisoners were stripped of the belts and shoelaces often used in suicide attempts and as weapons. The result, of course, is that gravity won, and pants fell below the waistline and exposed undergarments. For the past 15 years, the style has had staying power—so much so, that the high school teenagers who follow it now weren't even born when the trend started. So, they imitate a style that they neither know nor understand—or, if they do, it is even sadder to think of them emulating a culture that originated in prison, a place created to take away their freedom. Is it ironic, then, that the teenagers who look to articulate their artistic freedom and to express their individuality ape a culture that signifies imprisonment? In some way, that would be like my wearing shackles and fetters as jewelry.
I don't expect to win this war anytime soon, but that doesn't mean I won't speak out against a practice that I fear is detrimental to our students' health. Wearing saggy pants sends a message that a student wants to be something he probably is not: a gangster. And when you send that message, you invite unwelcome attention, expectations, and responses. A thoughtful friend who ignores pop culture by not watching television opined: "Idols of pop culture are not real people. They are victims and creations of their own and other people's greed and just as fantastical as characters in a Grimm fairy tale (or maybe worse, as they are more sinister, more bizarre, and scarier)." These pop icons, as she pointed out, are not to be believed or emulated, for they are figments of active (and greedy) imaginations.
"Wearing saggy pants sends a message that a student wants to be something he probably is not: a gangster. And when you send that message, you invite unwelcome attention."
Now, I'm not a prig, as my iPod will attest, but as I see how strongly pop culture works on my students, I cringe. Rock 'n' roll and hip hop have always caused a stir and purposely pushed the envelope—from Elvis Presley's appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," to Jim Morrison's arrest for alleged indecent exposure at a Florida concert, to Marvin Gaye's crooning, "Let's Get It On," to Prince's seductive gyrations on stage, to 2 Live Crew's raunchy lyrics—but there was often something political or substantive in the music. Even Madonna, the artistic mother of Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, Rihanna, and other "self-empowered" women of today, sought to tackle important issues such as teenage pregnancy ("Papa Don't Preach"), racism ("Like a Prayer"), and materialism ("Material Girl" is a sendup of Marilyn Monroe and that empty culture).
As much as Madonna pushed standards of taste, she was also shaping culture in important ways. She promoted and reinvented self for personal gain, but also to inspire change in our culture for the good. Today's artists promote and reinvent self simply to serve and promote self. It's an incredibly empty, selfish, yet mesmerizing and captivating reason for creating art.
Would that it were so easy to keep children from desiring to be Rihanna, a strikingly beautiful and surprisingly talented young woman with the world seemingly wrapped around her finger, or Kanye West, a wildly gifted and breathtakingly wealthy young man with millions seemingly poised to listen to his every word.
So, as an educator, I work daily, like the stonecutter in Jacob Riis' quotation: "When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before." We need to continue to hammer away at this culture, hoping to give our children examples of integrity, intelligence, kindness, and compassion.
Michael C. Obel-Omia is the head of school at the Paul Cuffee School in Providence, R.I.
"Commentary: Untangling Hip-Hop for the Classroom," February 9, 2011.


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Careers at FNIGC
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The First Nations Community Survey (FNCS) is a unique initiative designed to provide a more holistic view of First Nations communities and allow First Nations the ability to explore the relationship between community level factors and individual well-being.
Founded in 2005, the FNCS is conducted by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC), a non-profit First Nations organization, in collaboration with its Regional Partner organizations (representing 10 provinces and two territories).
The FNCS was created as a companion to FNIGC's First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS, or RHS) and First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education, and Employment Survey (FNREEES, or REEES), and surveys select First Nations communities about a series of 12 themes, which represent the range of issues their community faces.
Unlike the RHS or REEES, which interviews thousands of people living in hundreds of First Nations communities in an effort to produces national averages, the FNCS is a targeted online survey that asks select community members a series of questions about real-world factors, ranging from shelter, infrastructure and housing to education, employment and social services.
When taken with results from the RHS and the REEES, the FNCS offers a rare and valuable look at life in First Nations communities that can be used to advocate for change.
For example, the information collected in the FNCS will help First Nations communities understand how factors like a safe clean water system, a community centre, or a First Nations-run school can have positive impacts on the health and well-being of their people.
To download the most recent FNCS report, click here: Placing Individual Health in Context: Report of the 2008/10 RHS Community Survey.
The First Nations Information Governance Centre presents our newest online course:
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An X-51A WaveRider Hypersonic jet failed its test today with a big splash in the Pacific Ocean.
The Air Force said that the X-51A WaveRider was dropped from an Air Force B-52 bomber this morning above the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center. The Hypersonic jet cruised for about 16 seconds before a faulty control fin caused the jet to drop into the Pacific.
The plane crashed before the "scramjet" engine, which is capable of propelling the WaveRider at more than five times the speed of sound, was turned on.
ABC notes that the X-51A Hypersonic Jet has had two previous successful tests. Two years ago, the WaveRider traveled at more than five times the speed of sound. The Air Force was hoping to improve on that mark during today's test.
Today's failed X-51A Hypersonic test leaves the Air Force with just one WaveRider jet left. It's unclear when the Air Force will attempt another test with the plane.


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The Long, Murderous Arm of the Law Has Killed Troy Davis
Tonight, we mourn not only Davis's life, but all of those lives that have been destroyed and taken in the name of a criminally unjust system of law and order.
Kai Wright, Jamilah King Sep 21, 2011 11:13PM EDT
Photo: AP Photo/The Savannah Morning News
Let us not mince words: The state of Georgia just murdered Troy Davis. The state coroner will list homicide as his cause of death. But he wasn't the first and, sadly, he won't be the last person slaughtered in the name of U.S. law and order. There are today dozens more people scheduled to be killed by states, according to Amnesty International. Their likely deaths represent the ultimate act of perversity in a system that destroys untold thousands of primarily black and brown lives every day.
The execution came following a harrowing and wrenching night for Davis's family and supporters all over the world. Hundreds had gathered for a vigil outside of the Jackson, Ga., prison where Davis was put to death. Literally minutes before Davis's scheduled 7 p.m. execution, the U.S. Supreme Court delayed the killing in order to review a final appeal. A little over three hours later, news broke that the court had refused to block the execution. He was slain at 11:08 p.m. eastern.
As the world waited those agonizing hours, the crowd chanted, sang songs and prayed. Perhaps the most moving speaker of all was Davis's 17-year-old nephew DeJaun Davis-Correia. Jen Marlowe has reported for Colorlines.com on how DeJaun grew up visiting his uncle in prison, and was inspired by his plight to get involved in the fight against inequity in the criminal justice system. In an interview with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman outside of the prison, DeJaun said pointedly, "I am Troy Davis, we are Troy Davis, and you could be Troy Davis, too, Ms. Amy Goodman."
Amnesty International director Larry Cox offered that, importantly, the massive movement that developed around this case offers an opportunity to question this country's values. And it offers a chance to engage the many people who are repulsed that the state would murder in our names and yet remain silent about it. "We have to take people who were against the death penalty and never did anything about it," Cox told Goodman, and mobilize them. "Now is the time."
Davis's case offers a bracing and depressing illustration of capital punishment's many problems. In their eagerness to prosecute a black man for murdering a white cop, local officials set in motion a killing machine that, once turned on, is near impossible to halt without executive intervention. Much has already been written about the details of Davis's case; no reasonable observer can deny there is significant doubt as to his guilt. But our criminal justice system is anything but reasonable. Those who don't come into contact with it can sit in self-satisfied assurance that our cops and courts measure out blind justice that keeps society well ordered. The evidence simply does not support that fantasy, as Davis's life and death so dreadfully illustrate. In fact, if we are to judge our criminal justice system by its outcomes, it is built to round up masses of black men, transfer public funds to private companies to warehouse them, and then kill them in cold blood.
Colorlines.com will write much more about this case and about criminal justice reform broadly in the coming days and weeks. For tonight, we mourn not only Davis's life, but all of those lives that have been destroyed and taken in the name of a criminally unjust system of law and order. Can this nation do no better? Georgia Rep. John Lewis perhaps put it best. "Do not weep for Troy Anthony Davis, he will be with God," Lewis tweeted as his state committed murder, "weep for Georgia and for our Nation. Capital punishment is barbaric."
A Sister Who Fought for Her Brother's Life, While Clinging to Her Own
William Jelani Cobb Reports from the Prison Gates
Wanna Make Troy Davis the Last Death Penalty Victim? Here's How to Start
A Wrenching Night of Global Solidarity as Georgia Kills Troy Davis
A Circle of Prayer for Troy Davis--and the Country That Would Kill Him


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J A L A N D H A R E D I T I O N
Erratic water supply irks residents
Nawanshahr, October 29
Residents of the local Teachers Colony, New Teachers Colony, Ravidas Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Musapur Road, Bakkerkhana Road, etc, are sore over the erratic supply of drinking water, thanks to the apathy of the Municipal Council (MC), which has not been getting the water works situated near Baba Balak Nath Mandir repaired for the past 10 years.
Amritsar doctor to attend Brisbane conference
Amritsar, October 29
Dr US Dhaliwal, a former principal of Guru Ram Das Medical College, Amritsar, and a former head of the Surgery Department at Government Medical college, Amritsar, will demonstrate his research on button-hole cholecystectomy at the international conference of surgeons on November 7 Brisbane (Australia).
Drug peddler arrested with heroin
Phagwara,October 29
The police has arrested an alleged drug peddler, identified as Sandeep Kanda, of the local Mohalla Kaulsar and recovered 5 gm of heroin from his possession.
Zonal youth festival results
Woman commits suicide
Man, son booked in murder case
5 gang members, two drug peddlers arrested
3 peddlers held
Butcher shot at, injured
2 ex-cricketers held on kidnapping charge
Woman set on fire in village
Ex-servicemen rally held
Control drug menace or quit, Khaira tells Badal
Fake currency racket busted; 5 arrested
Robbery at house
Raj Kumar Narang, president, INTUC, Punjab, while talking to mediapersons here today, said though the state government as well as the local Municipal Council had been claiming of providing basic civic amenities, like drinking water and sewerage, to every nook and corner of the town, but it had not bothered to get the water works situated near Baba Balak Nath repaired. Consequently not only the residents of nearby localities, but also the adjoining interior localities of the town - Mohalla Bhucheran, Sharda, Gandhi Chowk and Ghas Mandi - had been facing the scarcity of drinking water supply.
"Ironically, the Municipal Council has been paying the electricity bill of the 'abandoned' water works," said Narang, while issuing an ultimatum to the Municipal Council to get the water works repaired within a month, otherwise he would mobilise the residents of the affected localities to launch a stir.
Vice-president of the International College of Surgeons, Dr Dhaliwal has done a lot in this specialised field of surgery since 1994, when he evolved the novel method of removing stones from gall bladder. He also mastered a similar technique for removing bile duct stones. Dr Dhaliwal has performed button-hole surgery in more than 15,000 cases in the past about 20 years.
He is the only surgeon from the country to take part in the this conference.
The accused was produced before the Judicial Magistrate, who sent him to judicial custody.
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A pretty astounding number if you think about it.
So, why do they attract millions of guests from around the world each and every year?
Besides the sheer beauty, most can agree that there's just Something a bit different that awaits you when visiting a National Park.
National Parks welcome you to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and escape into some of the most unique, diverse, and breathtakingly, scenic landscapes that nature has to offer. It's no wonder they're often referred to as "National Treasures."
The intensified colors of the Grand Canyon walls, viewed from a river-raft at sunrise cannot be described. It can only be experienced.
The same can be said for straining your neck while on horseback in order to see the towering waterfalls pour over the massive slabs of granite in Yosemite National Park. Or, witnessing the force of Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone.
These truly amazing voyages can be as adrenaline filled as a helicopter flight or as peaceful as a morning stroll to discover peaks perfectly reflected in the calm waters of a mountain lake.
While the parks have certainly become pristine playgrounds in which to plan an endless list of unforgettable activities, the unexpected and the unplanned experiences often prove to be equally as rewarding.
Lasting memories await. When and where will Your National Park Adventure begin?
*Coming Soon* Share your experiences, wildlife encounters, and pictures of your favorite National Park with other park enthusiasts. Submissions will be taken and posted on the site.


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"I write to make peace with the things I cannot control…
On November 8, 2014 November 7, 2014 By Christina's WordsIn Quote
"I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create red in a world that often appears black and white. I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts. I write to begin a dialogue. I write to imagine things differently and in imagining things differently perhaps the world will change. I write to honor beauty. I write to correspond with my friends. I write as a daily act of improvisation. I write because it creates my composure. I write against power and for democracy. I write myself out of my nightmares and into my dreams. I write in a solitude born out of community. I write to the questions that shatter my sleep. I write to the answers that keep me complacent. I write to remember. I write to forget.
I write because I believe in words. I write because I do not believe in words. I write because it is a dance with paradox. I write because you can play on the page like a child left alone in sand. I write because it belongs to the force of the moon: high tide, low tide. I write because it is the way I take long walks. I write as a bow to wilderness. I write because I believe it can create a path in darkness.
I write as ritual. I write because I am not employable. I write out of my inconsistencies. I write because then I do not have to speak. I write with the colors of memory. I write as a witness to what I have seen. I write as a witness to what I imagine.
I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like love, to form the words, to say the words, to touch the source, to be touched, to reveal how vulnerable we are, how transient we are. I write as though I am whispering in the ear of the one I love."
– Terry Tempest Williams
Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
Terry Tempest WilliamsWriting
"Variation On The Word Sleep" by Margaret Atwood
"The Reverse Side" by Stephen Dunn
One thought on ""I write to make peace with the things I cannot control…"
theabrooke
Reblogged this on Thea Brooke Bibliotherapy.


The Area 48 Color sets yet higher standards for color accuracy due to the new BB&S SALUTTM software system.
After 5 years of research, BB&S has developed a proprietary procedure and color algorithm to ensure precise color matching.
The BB&S SALUTTMsoftware system maintains consistency in CCT points chosen when dimming, eliminating Kelvin drift.
Area 48 Color is the most compact and powerful, full-color LED panel light on the market today. Designed to exceed the demanding criteria of cinematographers and lighting directors working with today's high-resolution cameras, it provides unparalleled color accurate illumination in both white light and R/G/B.
Totally free of the color shift inherent in most panel fixtures even while dimming from 100% to zero.
Wider Color Gamut: For full color with extreme accuracy, it incorporates R/G/B plus cool white and warm white LEDs (2700°K and 5600°K) that are selectively binned for quality. Allows outstanding saturated and tinted color rendition, and white light range 2500°K-10,000°K.
Better Skintones: For superior rendition and challenge of achieving natural looking skintones, BB&S' method of refining the color mix ensures that essential wavelengths necessary for generating a natural look are present and consistent over the white spectrum.
Flicker free: Without flicker at any framerate or color shift, the Area 48 Color delivers smooth 8/16-bit DMX/RDM dimming all the way to zero.
Quiet on the Set: Silent-operating Area 48 Color has no forced cooling, no fans - no audible noise.
Eliminates Color Shift: Built-in BB&S SALUTTM software system maintains consistency in CCT points chosen when dimming, eliminating Kelvin drift.
Unique Touchscreen: On-fixture touchscreen provides local control over the ON/OFF function, Kelvin tweaking, plus/minus green, all colors and of course dimming.
Compact: 36cm/14" wide, by 28cm/11" high, by 13cm/5" deep and weighs 10-lbs/4.6kg, including on-board power supply to ease transport and simplify mounting on stands or grids with the PSU yoke-mounted.
Cost Effective: Area 48 Color is unsurpassed in quality and durability, yet has an affordable price and low operating cost.
An optional V-Lock/Gold Mount step up adapter will be available soon.
So it is well suited for stands or lightinggrids with the PSU mounted on the yoke.


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Climate Change Pollution
US Emissions Have Cost the World $1.9tn in Climate Damages Since 1990: Study
by Martina Igini Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Jul 13th 20222 mins
Researchers at Dartmouth College found that the world's top emitters have collectively caused US$6 trillion in income losses from warming from 1990 to 2014. US emissions have inflicted by far the biggest damage.
The US, China, Russia, Brazil, and India have collectively cost the world a staggering US$6 trillion between 1990 and 2014 – equivalent to about 11% of annual global GDP, a new analysis from Dartmouth College found. The world's top 10 emitters – rounded out by Indonesia, Japan, Venezuela, Germany, and Canada – have collectively caused more than two-thirds of global financial losses.
The report, published in the journal Climatic Change on Tuesday, calculated climate damages caused by a single nations' emissions among a sample of 143 countries for which data is available.
Researchers put the US ahead of China – currently the world's largest emitting country – and the other big polluters in terms of financial damages that its emissions have caused to other nations since 1990. Climate change has caused major economic losses by damaging agricultural yields, reducing labor productivity and curbing industrial output.
Unsurprisingly, the study also revealed that poorer, warmer countries in the Global South – despite inflicting the least damage through emissions – suffered the greatest losses, providing the scientific basis for climate liability claims between individual countries and highlighting once again the immense inequity between developing nations and the Global North.
Countries like Mexico and the Philippines lost US$79.5 billion and $34 billion respectively from emissions generated by the US. Conversely, colder, richer nations like Russia and Canada gained $341 billion and $247 billion respectively, the study showed.
Such disparity can be explained by the fact that countries with cooler temperatures have benefitted from longer agricultural growing seasons and lower death rates as global warming contributed to a progressive rise in temperatures.
Image: Economic Damage Caused through Emissions by Country, 1990-2014
"The responsibility for the warming rests primarily with a handful of major emitters, and this warming has resulted in the enrichment of a few wealthy countries at the expense of the poorest people in the world.", Dartmouth College assistant professor of geography and senior research author Justin Mankin said in a statement.
Climate liability has been a sticking point in climate talks. Less than a month ago, climate negotiators gathered in Germany for the first time since the Paris Agreement's rulebook was brought to a close at COP26 in Glasgow. Despite the push for setting up a loss and damage financing facility that would force wealthier nations to compensate for the mounting losses, the issue was prevented from being added to the agenda for the upcoming COP27 climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
You might also like: Climate Finance: Are the Rich Nations Doing Enough?
Martina Igini
Martina is the Managing Editor of Earth.Org. She holds two BA degrees, in Translation/Interpreting Studies and Journalism, and a MA in International Development from the University of Vienna. After working at the United Nations Global Communication Department in Vienna, she joined a newspaper in Italy as a reporter before moving to Hong Kong in 2020. Her interests include sustainability and the role of public policy in environmental protection with a focus on developing countries.
martina.igini[at]earth.org
14 Biggest Environmental Problems of 2023
Jan 9th 202316 mins
15 Largest Wildfires in US History
Climate Change Guides Policy & Economics Solutions
4 Key Takeaways From David Attenborough's 'A Life on Our Planet'
Oct 8th 20205 mins
https%3A%2F%2Fearth.org%2Fus-emissions-climate-damages%2F


We are excited that you have taken the opportunity to visit us on our website. The Spirit of Journey Church is centered around our faith walk with God. We are all on a spiritual journey, though some are further along than others.
The assurance we have is that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be with us from the beginning to the end. This relationship we have with Christ enables us to share with others who can help guide us and with those who are seeking guidance for their lives. No matter where you are on your Journey keep going forward in Christ.
ABOUT DR. GEORGE A. ASHFORD, JR.
Born in Columbia, SC, Dr. Ashford is a second generation Methodist minister. He is a graduate of South Carolina State University with a BS degree in Marketing. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary, Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Ashford's specific duties at the Journey are Pastor, Shepherd, Nurturer, and Vision Caster. His beautiful family includes his wife, Olisa, and two sons, George Adrian, and Geordan Alexander.
The name "Journey" was birthed through the vision of Pastor Ashford. Maturity in Christ happens through continuous growth. We are all on a spiritual journey that leads us toward God. As we travel our path, we understand more fully the God who loves us and the paths that God has for us. Thus, we share the journey both with those who can help guide us and with those who look to us for support along their journey.
Journey is a Christian church connected with the South Carolina United Methodist Church. You may find out more about the United Methodist Church at www.umcsc.org. We mix a modern style with some of the traditional practices of the Christian church. We are committed to making disciples.
Journey began in 2007 meeting in small groups across the greater Northeast Columbia area. The church performed special outreach projects within the community. On Easter Sunday 2008, Journey officially began weekly Sunday worship at the Clemson Road location.
Journey resided in three locations prior to our current sanctuary on Longreen Parkway.
At Journey, we do not have visitors, we have guests. We have prepared for you! Whether you are a member, frequent flyer, or first time guest, remember to invite your F.R.A.N.S. (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, and Neighbors). We look forward to worshiping with you!
Each Sunday is a new emotional experience. Worship at Journey is not meant to be a spectator sport. Everyone is invited to join in with passion and energy praising God. Worship planning begins on Monday. We envision light changes, songs, audio, graphics and sermon themes. The goal each week is to create an interactive worship experience which inspires all to follow Christ. Our aspects of worship include an inspirational sermon series, contemporary songs, gospel, visual effects, and praise dancing.


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Tickets available: Monday, December 16 for Members and Friday, December 20 for General Public
ACADEMY SCREENINGS AT-A-GLANCE
Saturday, January 4
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
Sat, Jan 4 | 4-5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Private reception for Aspen Film Members, Passholders and Academy Screenings Volunteers.
Please join us to raise a glass as we kick off 2020 and our 28th Academy Screenings.
CATERED BY LeRoy Dampier
BOMBSHELL (108 min)
Sat, Jan 4 | 5:30 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow, and Margot Robbie star in BOMBSHELL, a look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time. Based on the real scandal, BOMBSHELL tells the story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created Fox News. Directed by Jay Roach and written by Charles Randolph, the film also stars Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Mark Duplass, Rob Delaney, Malcolm McDowell and Allison Janney. (USA, 2019)
DIRECTOR Jay Roach
WRITTEN BY Charles Randolph
WITH Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, with Malcolm McDowell, with Allison Janney, and Margot Robbie
DISTRIBUTED BY Lionsgate
1917 (119 min)
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic's George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones' Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake's own brother among them. (USA, 2019)
DIRECTOR Sam Mendes
WRITTEN BY Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
WITH George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch
DISTRIBUTED BY Universal Pictures
Sunday, January 5
THE ELEPHANT QUEEN (96 min)
Sun, Jan 5 | 2:30 PM | Isis Theatre
THE ELEPHANT QUEEN is Athena, a majestic elephant matriarch, who leads her family across an unforgiving, yet cinematic natural landscape made up of grasslands and woodlands, dotted with seasonal waterholes. The elephants share their home with a cast of supporting character species who provide texture and richness to the elephants' ecosystem – from a toenail height perspective. Athena, as leader of her herd, anticipates the coming dry season and knows there are lean times ahead. As the waterholes dry up, she has no choice but to take her family on a treacherous journey across even more foreboding landscapes, as the majestic creatures seek refuge until the rains fall again. (United Kingdom, Kenya, 2019)
DIRECTOR Mark Deeble, Victoria Stone
WRITTEN BY Mark Deeble
WITH Chiwetel Ejiofor
DISTRIBUTED BY Apple+
THE TRUTH (106 min)
Sun, Jan 5 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Fabienne is a star; a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns from New York to Paris with her husband and young child. The reunion between mother and daughter will quickly turn to confrontation: truths will be told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed. (France, Japan, 2019) English and French with English subtitles
DIRECTOR Hirokazu Kore-eda
WRITTEN BY Hirokazu Kore-eda
WITH Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Clémentine Grenier, Manon Clavel, Alain Libolt, Christian Crahay, Roger Van Hool
DISTRIBUTED BY IFC Films
UNCUT GEMS (135 min)
From acclaimed filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie comes an electrifying crime thriller about Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score. When he makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win. (USA, 2019)
DIRECTOR Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
WRITTEN BY Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
WITH Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch, Keith Williams Richards, Mike Francesa, Jonathan Aranbayev, Noa Fisher, Abel Tesfaye
DISTRIBUTED BY A24
THE KINGMAKER (101 min)
Mon, Jan 6 | 2:30 PM | Isis Theatre
Centered on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, THE KINGMAKER examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family's improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda's present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice presidency. To this end, Imelda confidently rewrites her family's history of corruption, replacing it with a narrative of a matriarch's extravagant love for her country. In an age when fake news manipulates elections, Imelda's comeback story serves as a dark cautionary tale.(Denmark, USA, 2019) English and Tagalog with English subtitles
DIRECTOR Lauren Greenfield
WRITTEN BY Lauren Greenfield
WITH Imelda Marcos, Imee Marco, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Andres Bautista
DISTRIBUTED BY Greenwich Entertainment
THE APOLLO (98 min)
Mon, Jan 6 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
The HBO documentary THE APOLLO, helmed by Oscar®- and Emmy®-winning director Roger Ross Williams, chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of New York City's landmark Apollo Theater. The feature-length film weaves together archival clips of music, comedy and dance performances; behind-the-scenes verité footage of the team that makes the theater run; and interviews with such artists as Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Pharrell Williams, Common, Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson. While uncovering the rich history of the internationally renowned theater that has influenced American music and culture for 85 years, Williams also examines the current state of race in America, following a new multimedia adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates' best-selling book "Between the World and Me" as it comes together on the theater's grand stage. (USA, 2019)
DIRECTOR Roger Ross Williams
WRITTEN BY Cassidy Hartmann, Jean Tsien
WITH Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Pharrell Williams, Common, Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson
DISTRIBUTED BY HBO
LES MISÉRABLES (102 min)
Inspired by the 2005 riots in Paris, LES MISÉRABLES follows Stéphane (Damien Bonnard), a recent transplant to the impoverished suburb of Montfermeil, as he joins the local anti-crime squad. Working alongside his unscrupulous colleagues Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga), Stéphane struggles to maintain order amidst the mounting tensions between local gangs. When an arrest turns unexpectedly violent, the three officers must reckon with the aftermath and keep the neighborhood from spiraling out of control. (France, 2019) French with English subtitles; France's 2020 Academy Award selection for Best International Feature Film
DIRECTOR Ladj Ly
WRITTEN BY Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini, Alexis Manenti
WITH Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djebril Zonga, Issa Perica, Al-Hassan Ly, Steve Tientcheu, Almamy Kanoute, Nizar Ben Fatma, Raymond Lopez, Luciano Lopez, Jaihson Lopez, Jeanne Balibar, Omar Soumare, Sana Joachaim, Lucas Omiri
DISTRIBUTED BY Amazon Studios
INCITEMENT (123 min)
Tue, Jan 7 | 2:30 PM | Isis Theatre
In September 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin announces the Oslo Accords, which aim to achieve a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians after decades of violence. Yigal Amir, a law student and a devoted Orthodox Jew, cannot believe that his country's leader will cede territory that he and many others believe is rightfully – by the word of G-d – theirs. As the prospect of a peaceful compromise approaches, Amir turns from a hot-headed political activist to a dangerous extremist. Consumed by anger and delusions of grandeur, he recruits fighters and steals weapons to form an underground militia intent on killing Palestinians. After his longtime girlfriend leaves him, Amir becomes even more isolated, disillusioned, and bitter. He soon learns of an ancient Jewish law, the Law of the Pursuer, that he believes gives him the right to murder Yitzhak Rabin. Convinced he must stop the signing of the peace treaty in order to fulfill his destiny and bring salvation to his people, Amir's warped mind sees only one way forward. (Israel, 2019) Hebrew with English subtitles; Israel's 2020 Academy Award selection for Best International Feature Film
DIRECTOR Yaron Zilberman
WRITTEN BY Ron Leshem, Yaron Zilberman
WITH Yehuda Nahari Halevi, AmitayYaish Ben Ousilio, Anat Ravnizky, Yoav Levi, Dolev Ohana, Raanan Paz, Sivan Mast, Daniella Kertesz
CITIZEN K (126 min)
Tue, Jan 7 | 5 PM | Wheeler Opera House
Oscar® winning writer/director Alex Gibney's revelatory CITIZEN K is an intimate yet sweeping look at post-Soviet Russia from the perspective of the enigmatic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former oligarch turned political dissident. Benefitting from the chaos that ensued after the dissolution of the U.S.S.R., Khodorkovsky was able to amass a fortune in financing and oil production and became the richest man in Russia. But when he accused the new Putin regime of corruption, Khodorkovsky was arrested, his assets were seized and following a series of show trials, he was sentenced to more than ten-years in prison. Today, as an exile living in London, he continues to speak out against Putin's two-decade stranglehold on power. Expertly researched and photographed, Gibney uses Khodorkovsky's story as a way to explore the complex interplay between oligarchy and government and its destructive effect on democracy, in Russia and beyond. (United Kingdom, USA, 2019) Russian with English subtitles
DIRECTOR Alex Gibney
WRITTEN BY Alex Gibney
WITH Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Vladimir Putin, Leonid Nevzlin, Boris Berezovsky, Igor Malashenko, Anton Drel, Boris Yeltsin, Alexei Navalny, Tatyana Lysova
JUST MERCY (137 min)
JUST MERCY is the true story of young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battles for justice in Alabama. Stevenson refuses to back down as he fights a legal system without mercy stacked against him and his clients at every turn. One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a man whose clear innocence means nothing to the corrupt and compassionless forces Stevenson doggedly takes on.
DIRECTOR Destin Daniel Cretton
WRITTEN BY Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham, Bryan Stevenson
WITH Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson
DISTRIBUTED BY Warner Bros.
ACADEMY SCREENINGS PASSES & TICKETS


Sports is like a three-legged stool.
This means positively reinforcing and recognizing the efforts of the player. Think of the way you want to be treated at work, if you are constantly receiving criticism about the way you do your job, it is likely that your passion and love for what you do is going to be affected negatively. Your kids are no different. Give them something to build their confidence and let them know that all you expect from them is their best effort. If the player gives their best effort, and the coach focuses on the fundamentals – the results will come. So praise the effort!
Focus on the fun of youth sports and work with your child at home. We are all busy, but spending a little time with your player is of the utmost importance. Take ten minutes out of your busy day to play catch, shoot hoops or bump the volleyball in the backyard. Do this everyday, and you'll see your player improve faster. You'll also build a stronger sports bond with your player. Besides, its not as easy as you might think, and you could probably use the practice yourself! Don't forget the treats on game day – even older players like an after game treat. Healthier choices are better, but I prefer Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Your job as a parent is NOT to coach your kid from the sidelines on game day. Your job is to cheer for the team and pass out high fives when something great happens. However, if you have an interest in helping or coaching, let your coach know that you'd be willing to assist. Too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the soup, but every coach needs a hand from time to time. Talk to your coach and see what you can do to help.
Not happy with your coach? – If you think you can do a better job, GREAT! – but wait for next season. Give your coach the respect he deserves for taking the lead role this season. Use this season to take some notes for when you assume the coaching role next season. Lastly – make sure your player is on time and attentive to what the coach is doing.
Some parents make the mistake of thinking that the result of their child's youth sports event, somehow reflects on their success as a parent. As if winning a youth sports contest means their doing a good job as a parent. WRONG! Your success as a parent is reflected in your child by their attentiveness, respect, and effort they show in their activities. Coachable kid = Good Job Mom and Dad.


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Health budget 2020 has sucked funds from core areas and passed on to health insurance
This year's budget estimate for India's Health Ministry is at Rs 67,111.80 crore. This is up by just 3.75% from last year's budget estimate.
Health Health Budget Sunday, February 02, 2020 - 12:12
Anoo Bhuyan Follow @AnooBhu
India's healthcare budget over the last few years appears to be in a cycle of "robbing from Peter to pay Paul." Money has systematically been moved from core components like maternal and child health, and passed on to health insurance, for the government's Ayushman Bharat scheme. The annual budget for 2020-2021 announced on Saturday shows the same trend.
Despite many statements by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her speech today, that healthcare was an important element of the three pillars of this new budget, the Health Ministry's allocation has barely budged. Here is the big number: This year's budget estimate for India's Health Ministry is at Rs 67,111.80 crore. This is up by just 3.75% from last year's budget estimate, which was Rs 62,659.12 crore.
The other major shift in healthcare announced in the budget is that the government is looking to withdraw from public health in district hospitals, and hand over some of that to the private sector in a public-private partnership model. This move has been designed to expand the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
National Health Mission's budget barely changes
For years, nearly half of the Health Ministry's budget has always been spent on core activities in the National Health Mission (NHM) for urban and rural areas. The NHM focuses on disease control as well as maternal and child health. But the budget for the NHM has been stagnating over the last few years, while money for the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been increasing.
So in this year's budget, NHM has been allocated Rs 33,400 crore. This is a drop by 1.15% of last year's revised budget estimate, where the ministry in fact revised its estimate for NHM would to Rs 33,789. The usual trend with important budget heads is to increase allocations, based on the previous year's revised estimate, but with NHM, the reverse is taking place.
Health Budget, 2020-21
Head Budget Estimate 2019-20 (in crores) Revised Estimate 2019-20 (in crores) Budget Estimate 2020-21 (in crores) Change from Budget Estimate (in %) Change from Revised Estimate (in %)
NHM 32995 33789.6 33400 1.227458706 -1.153017497
Rural Health Mission 27039 27833.6 27039 0 -2.854822948
Urban Health Mission 950 950 950 0 0
Ayushman Bharat 6400 3200 6400 0 100
Total Health Budget 62659.12 62659.12 65011.8 3.754728761 3.754728761
Under the NHM, the rural health mission's budget has in fact stayed the same – It was allocated Rs 27,039 crore in 2020-2021 and also in 2019-20. Once again, this is even though the revised estimate last year was higher by nearly Rs 800 crore. But this year's budget allocation has not budged.
Meanwhile, the allocation for the NHM's urban health mission has stayed the exact same as last year – Rs 950 crore, which was the revised estimate for 2019-20 as well.
Ayushman Bharat is rewarded richly
This brings us to Ayushman Bharat, which is one of the only heads in the entire health budget which bucks this pattern of stagnancy or decrease.
On the whole, the scheme has been allotted Rs 6,400 crore in this year's budget – and while this is the exact same amount that was also allotted in last year's budget, seemingly a 0% increase, it's important to note that the revised estimate for last year is Rs 3,200 crore – the scheme's allocation this year has doubled its revised estimate last year. In the year before, ie., 2018-19, the actual expenditure on the scheme was a little less than Rs 2,000 crore. We can see that the scheme has gone from about Rs 2000 crore to Rs 6400 crore in just three years of operation.
So on the one hand, NHM which needs a lot of money, reflected even in its revised budget, was not granted an increase. But Ayushman Bharat, which made use of just half the budget allocated to it last year, was still given a huge chunk.
Ayushman Bharat scheme, which was announced in various iterations since 2017 and launched in 2018, has promised an insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family for 10 crore families. The government has called it the 'world's largest healthcare scheme.' While Ayushman Bharat promises to cover 500 million people, it also leaves out about 700 million of the population.
The scheme also promised 1.5 lakh health and wellness centers. In this budget, for rural areas, Rs 1,350 crore has been allotted for this and Rs 250 crore for urban areas. This has barely changed between last year and this year.
Government to boost private sector hospitals
In 2017, the NITI Aayog announced a plan to privatise some parts of district hospitals for the provision of treatment for non-communicable diseases. Four states – Haryana, Punjab, Odisha and Tamil Nadu – were reluctant to participate, saying that this model would not hold private players accountable.
In 2019, the government announced plans to make hospitals into an 'industry' and to give 'viability gap funding' to private players to set up hospitals in areas they may not want to venture into, all for Ayushman Bharat.
Now, this budget has announced a cozy deal for private hospitals, which builds on these earlier announcements. The Finance Minister said that viability gap funding would be given to private players to set up hospitals, in marginalised areas which don't have hospitals empaneled under Ayushman Bharat. She also said that medical colleges will be attached to these district hospitals in a public-private partnership.
However although the government has specifically announced a boost to medical education, this is not entirely reflected in the budgetary allocation. One budget heading for this is 'Human Resources for Health and Medical Education,' which looks into upgrading state government medical colleges and new medical colleges at district hospitals. In this budget it has received Rs 4,686 crore. This has increased just 4.13% from 2019-2020 revised estimate which was Rs 4,500 crore.
But there has been a substantial increase in funding for the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) which intends to build AIIMS and government medical colleges. Rs 6,020 crore has been allotted for this, in 2020-2021. This is up by Rs 1,287 crores, from Rs 4,733 crore from last year's revised estimate.
Boosts to Swach Bharat and Jal Jeevan will also impact healthcare
Although not managed by the Health Ministry, the government's focus on ending open defecation via the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Jal Jeevan Mission which will bring piped water to houses, will both have major impacts on health and sanitation.
On open defecation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that Swachh Bharat Mission would get Rs 12,300 crore in 2020-2021. The Jal Jeevan Mission has been allocated Rs 11,500 crore.
Nutrition of mothers and children is also not managed by the union ministry and is largely overseen by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The government has allotted about Rs 35,600 crore for nutrition related programmes.
The government had earlier suggested a 'bridge course' to meet India's shortage of doctors especially in rural areas. By this course, the government proposed that practitioners of traditional medicine would be able to legally practice some western medicine. This met with a lot of opposition from medical bodies who said this would legalise quackery.
Now this budget has proposed another kind of bridge course for increasing the numbers of nurses, paramedical staff and care-givers who might want to work abroad. About Rs 3,000 crore has been set aside for skill development, including for this bridge course.
The government has also announced a health cess linked to medical devices. Since 2017, the government has been closely regulating the prices of medical devices with an eye on boosting the domestic medical device manufacturing sector. On Saturday, the Finance Minister announced a new customs duty of 5% on imported medical devices and the money collected from this would be channeled into "creating infrastructure for health services in the aspirational districts."


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Kansas National Guard members return from Biden inauguration
Kansas will soon celebrate its 160th birthday
Shawnee County announces new health officer
City of Manhattan facing budget issues, looking at raising taxes or cutting services
Topeka police say gunshot victims who came to Sonic shot accidentally
NLCS sweep puts damper on Cardinals' 92-win season
by: STEPHEN WHYNO, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 16, 2019 / 12:22 PM CDT / Updated: Oct 16, 2019 / 12:22 PM CDT
St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina reacts after being hit by a pitch during the eighth inning of Game 4 of the baseball National League Championship Series against the Washington Nationals Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
From one corner of a sullen clubhouse came the glass half full view of the St. Louis Cardinals' season.
"People did not think we were going to be here," veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright said. "I think if you had asked Cardinals (fans) in spring training if we got to the NLCS, would they be happy? Most of them would probably say yes."
On the opposite wall several locker stalls away came a harsher review.
"Everybody always counted us out," second baseman Kolten Wong said. "I guess now the haters, they can agree with us that we weren't the best team right now."
They're both right. The Cardinals exceeded preseason expectations and came from 5½ games back in June to win the NL Central and advance to the NL Championship Series. But 48 strikeouts and six runs in a four-game sweep at the hands of the World Series-bound Washington Nationals put a damper on a season of growth in St. Louis that players believe will set the foundation for more winning to come.
"Proud of this group," said Yadier Molina, the veteran catcher and clubhouse leader. "We got a good group of guys that care about winning. Obviously we didn't play good, we didn't hit the ball, but that's a part of baseball. We've got to learn from this and move on."
As Wong said, it's a tough ending, but the Cardinals will get over it. And the 29-year-old was plenty bullish on his team's progress.
"I can't tell you how much I love every single guy in this clubhouse," Wong said. "Even though we were getting counted out nonstop, it made us become closer, made us become more brothers."
The positives bridging 2019 into 2020 are evident. St. Louis found an ace in 23-year-old Jack Flaherty and a strong No. 2 starter in 25-year-old Dakota Hudson. The core group of hitters who went cold against Washington is still largely in its prime.
After his first full season as manager, Mike Shildt cultivated strong relationships with his young players and is optimistic.
"This is a complete team that just got through performing and competing," Shildt said. "But experience is a good teacher. You always look to grow from it. We will."
Hours after an easy fly ball dropped between him Wong and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt during a disastrous first inning in Game 4, right fielder José Martínez was already thinking ahead to how the lessons will help.
"Now we have the idea how to win," Martínez said. "It was a fun year. Hopefully everything stays the same here."
Left fielder Marcell Ozuna is a free agent and didn't end on a great note: 3 for 16 with eight strikeouts in the NLCS after 29 home runs and 89 RBIs during the season. But the biggest question facing St. Louis is the future of Wainwright, who's 38 and weighing a return for a 15th major league season.
"I hadn't even thought about," Wainwright said. "We'll talk about it over the next couple of weeks."
If Wainwright, who went 14-10 with a 4.19 ERA this season, talks to his teammates about it, there won't be much of a debate. Goldschmidt said Wainwright proved he can still pitch, and 2020 would allow the righty to further mentor the younger arms.
"I really want to play one more year with that guy, so hopefully he comes back," Molina said.
St. Louis clawing back to make things interesting in Game 4 was evidence for some of the fight this team showed all season — and should take into next year.
"It's a special team that is down and could easily have packed it in," Shildt said. "A lot of positives took place, but not enough of them."
The mixed emotions could follow the Cardinals into the winter and to Jupiter, Florida, when they report to spring training in February. That's their next opportunity to show that going 92-70 and winning a NLDS in 2019 was actually a positive.
"We battled through a lot of stuff this year," Wainwright said. "Our ultimate goal was to win the World Series, and I know our fans' is too, so we're all disappointed I think, collectively. We could've done better and we didn't."
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Survey for proposed bridge replacement to start Monday