text:
The Hats of Mike Calitri
Written by Bridget Reilly, Interview by Angela Giovine
Happenings sat down with Phillies Bench Coach Michael Calitri for a conversation about the road to the 2022 World Series from his perspective and to reflect on his own career journey in the sport.
Red October. It's a fever that takes hold of the Philadelphia area once in a while. It's equal parts party, emotional roller coaster, and magic. From the players to management, to the fans, everyone plays a part in the recipe for Red October to emerge. It may seem like luck that Mike Calitri, or "Cal" as he is affectionately known throughout the industry, was given the promotion from Quality Assurance Coach to Bench Coach in the middle of the 2022 season. But Calitri, a man who has worn many hats and seen the game of baseball through many lenses, has spent decades in the sport; on the field, in the front office, and coaching in the dugout, sponging up countless pieces of data from various different vantage points in order to put himself in the position to offer value in this time and place. Just like the science of advance scouting, Calitri's career is a series of calculated chances, putting himself in a position to broaden his experience and to learn from others of the past and present.
"Each little step along the way, I've met these people that have been able to teach me something new. And then when I got over to the Phillies, it was like… let's give all this knowledge back and reboot a program here that can help the Phillies advance to the playoffs."
– Mike Calitri,
Bench Coach Philadelphia Phillies
The Boston native grew up around the game in a not-so-different passionate fan-base city to where he is now. He attended and played at Xaverian High School and went on to play in college at Clemson University. Upon graduating, he went into the minor leagues, where Calitri signed with the Cincinnati Reds for three seasons and then was traded to the Boston Red Sox minors for a year.
"If you can play for the team you grew up watching. It's really amazing to be a little boy and then all of a sudden you're an adult and playing," he said.
In 2005, Vanderbilt University baseball head coach Tim Corbin, who was a former Clemson assistant coach and recruited Calitri, called with a job offer to be an Assistant Coach/Director of Baseball Operations for an up-and-coming team. It was the job offer that changed the trajectory of his career.
"I was fortunate that places I've been led me to my next occupation," Calitri said.
Out of Left Field? The Analytical Approach.
Through this new position, the program grew and Calitri had the chance to meet many major league scouts, including several of the Tampa Bay Rays. This was his stepping stone to talk with Andrew Friedman, who was the General Manager of the Rays at the time (currently he is President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers). What the Rays were doing was something entirely new to the game of baseball. Calitri said to him: "I don't want to work for any of the other 29 teams. I look at what you're doing here and I want to be a part of this and this process and learn from you."
Calitri was hired in 2009 as an advance scouting coordinator at the time of Moneyball — the famous sportsbook by Michael Lewis about baseball analytics published in 2003 and made for the big screen in 2011. At the time, Tampa was at the forefront of the analytical approach to baseball, and all of Calitri's chips were in. As a smaller market team, they utilized analytics to find young, evergreen stars to make the program successful. Bigger market teams will empty their pockets for big-time players, and if it doesn't work out in their favor, they can fall on their stadium sales, sponsorship, and more to pay for it.
"[There] were Goliaths in that division…You can be consumed by the fact that they can spend so much more than you," he said. "Here is this club in Tampa that decided that they were going to do things a little differently and they benefitted immensely from going a different way."
Four years later, Calitri moved on to a traditional major league scouting job in Cleveland thanks to a former player of Corbin's and Calitri's at Vanderbilt, Carter Hawkins, who worked in the front office for the Indians (Carter is currently General Manager of the Chicago Cubs).
In Calitri's time there, scouting professional players, the team went on a run for a couple of years. In 2016, they lost in the World Series (4-3) to the Chicago Cubs and lost in the ALDS (3-2) to the New York Yankees in 2017. This playoff push attracted others to Calitri, in pursuit of the same thing.
World Series Wonders
Above: Phillies Bench Coach Michael Calitri celebrates with his wife Ciara (née Egan), and children; Emiliana (9), Graziella (6) and Cristiano (3) Calitri. Photo Credit: Miles Kennedy
Until this year, the Philadelphia Phillies have not made the playoffs in 11 years. At the end of the 2017 season, they were on the hunt to find talent to make them a playoff-caliber team. Philly needed someone who had been a part of this newer-age thought process of strategy on the major league side.
"It's been a nutty year. It's actually been a nutty five years, really since I began with the Phillies," said Calitri who was hired in the late fall of 2017 as the manager of Advance Scouting and Quality Assurance, one similar to his role at the Rays.
Prior to the 2018 season, the Phillies did not pour resources into this analytical world of the game. Upon the arrival of Calitri and others, many strategy plans were made going into each game, finding any marginal benefit to help win games.
"It's really a balancing act. Honestly, you could know as much about a guy mathematically as you would want to know, but they're still humans," he said. "There are so many things that are unmeasurable and that's the art of it all."
It's an insight that comes from the combination of years of studying the game with years of playing the game.
It's in an effort to put players in a position to win. Part of that, this season, was managerial changes.
On June 3, 2022, the Phillies fired manager Joe Girardi and coaching assistant Bobby Meacham after the team's rough start. In turn, former bench coach Rob Thomson was promoted to manager, and Calitri was promoted to Thomson's former position as bench coach.
Thomson and Calitri have a relationship built on trust, and Thomson saw Calitri's effort to learn from him and understand more about the game from another perspective. "It was a massive step for me," Calitri said, but it was one that turned the corner for baseball in the city.
After the changeover, the Phillies won 20 games in a month from June 3 to July 3. This boosted morale extremely and continued to push them to squeeze into the playoffs come October.
It was a shock to the system.
"The city was thirsty for it. The ownership group was of course thirsty for it. The players and coaches were definitely ready to do this," he said.
Calitri described the postseason as simply a celebration of how far they've come. At the pinnacle of their season, it was one massive party and the fan base support was unmatched, even compared to Boston, he said.
"Even when we went to Houston, it just wasn't the same. The Philly fans — it's like the 10th player."
Following the loss of the World Series to the Astros (4-2), Calitri said the team and staff are decompressing for the next couple of weeks. However, there are less than 100 days until spring training and soon enough this team will return to the field in the hopes to make a similar run once again.
"You just hope that what they experienced and how they played in the last few weeks, is something that they'll have as experience going into next season…" Calitri said. "I think that's what makes teams go on a bit of a run. You get a core group of players that get this kind of amazing taste in their mouth and they want to replicate that every year."
By Hunterdon Happening|2023-01-06T13:34:34-05:00January 1st, 2023|Community, Culture|
About the Author: Hunterdon Happening


Life today can be very complex. Just have to consider all the things we "own" that are supposed to make life simpler, but they need to insured, maintained, updated, repaired, renewed, protected, etc. There's always something that needs to be attended to, just to keep our nice, new, modern life functioning. From here it seems that a life of simplicity is a long, long way away and, if a simple life was suggested, most people would say "that would be boring" or "I couldn't do without such-and-such".
What would happen if we did lead a life of simplicity?
Let's imagine having a life of simplicity.
The first step to simplicity is reducing the number of "things" we have or appear to own. If we were leading a simpler life, we'd have less stuff and we wouldn't be in a constant state of desiring more stuff (see The Story of Stuff).
Ok, so we have less stuff and less desire for stuff, so we're definitely spending less money on things. We're actually saving money just by not wanting so much! This wouldn't be a good thing for the big corporations who thrive on our desire (which they fuel) to have more things and newer things.
Amazingly, we very quickly get to the point where we don't need so much money. How easy was that? And imagine how much daily pressure that could release from our lives. We haven't done much yet in terms of leading a life of simplicity yet, already, we have more money and we're under less pressure.
Another significant step in living a life of simplicity is eating simple meals and not eating so much. We realise that food is just an enabler for the human body to keep functioning and we feed it just what it needs. No more. We often confuse food with social interactions with friends and family at our homes or restaurants, but food isn't needed for a pleasant and meaningful social interaction, we've just become accustomed to this being so.
Since we're eating less and focusing on simpler foods, with less complicated rich food in our diets, we're naturally healthier. We are no longer giving our bodies health challenges every time we eat.
Now, how are we feeling. We don't want things so much. We're eating more simply so our mind is starting to work more clearly. We're now starting to notice that there are less occasions where we might feel envious or jealous. Certainly, we're not going to be as bothered by comparing what we have to what our neighbours have. We are searching for different things, like less pressure and better health and peace of mind, and these things are quickly coming our way.
We feel a lot of weight lifting from our shoulders. It feels like we're starting to leave the "rat race" behind. Our stress levels are dropping quickly and the constant "pressure to keep-up" that we used to feel is starting to appear in the rear-vision mirror.
Quite simply, because our desire for more stuff has diminished significantly and we're eating simple foods, the amount of collective pollution we're imposing on the world has dropped. But there's another effect in play as well.
Now we're starting to feel like people can really feel. We are part of humanity and nature. There's no real competition and we're all a part of life together. We don't want to do anything that would have a negative effect on anyone else or on nature. We don't want to pollute and we actively seek ways to reduce our destructive effect.
Now we start to feel the oneness with all other parts of humanity and nature, and we begin to feel the natural urge to do things that are collectively helpful. We begin to want to serve others and we're very happy doing so. We find that serving others is a very positive experience for ourselves just as much as it is for the other.
Another thing we've noticed now is that our growing life of simplicity has led to us having less clothing and a reduced desire to update our clothing as fashions change. This is a result of our reduced desire for things and our intention to reduce our negative effect on the environment in which we all live and prosper. It's also because we're now feeling that we don't have to use clothing to define and justify ourselves to the rest of humanity.
The simpler life we're now leading is not boring and there's no desire to return to the way things were. In fact, the amount of joy we feel from very simple things in life is far greater than any fleeting joy we felt in our previously burdened life. We're starting to feel the real happiness that we're all entitled to.
Remember those days when we worried about how our investments were performing? They are long gone. We're comfortable in our new, simpler life and somehow feel that everything in the future will work out just fine.
Because we're living a simpler life and buying less stuff, it seems like retirement is not going to be a big problem, like we used to think and stress over constantly.
That longing to get that new car with those new gadgets and modern appearance is now gone. Wow, what a relief. We're happy with any car, and even prefer simpler transport options when they're available.
Now we're definitely feeling that we care more for our neighbours and fellow humans compared to things like how our retirement fund is performing, whether we get that new promotion and can afford to buy the thing we've been longing for, or whether we'll be able to pay back that mortgage. Our concern is now drifting firmly towards the wellbeing of ourselves and those around us.
A feeling that we've rarely truly felt before, a feeling of peace, is coming into our life more and more. Beginning a new life of simplicity has resulted in a fundamental feeling of peace and contentment.
And we're noticing that we're not getting sick very often, actually, hardly at all. Was it really the type of life we used to live that was making us sick? Feeling more peace, having reduced stress and pressures, and eating simply seem to be a good recipe for physical health.
Now the really surprising thing. We feel moments of immense joy. We haven't really felt this before, at least not with such a profound sensation, and we can't even say why it arrives. We just have moments, that are getting more frequent and longer, where a wave of joy just floods over us. No single incident seems to be the cause of this, but we're very happy to be feeling this deep joy more and more. Maybe joy is just what should be there when all of the other unnecessary things are taken away.
The moments of joy that we're feeling more often now seem to stop time. The past and the future become really unimportant when we feel such joy in the current moment. In a state of profound joy, nothing that happened in the past or could happen in the future seems to matter much at all.
It's at this point, that you realise that we might well be on the fast road to heaven. A simple decision to live a life of simplicity has led to deep joy, a feeling of enlightenment and the lifting of stress, worry and pressure. What a good decision that was.


The milling process for your custom plastic enclosure begins with placing the selected sheet material (ABS, polycarbonate, HIPS, etc.) on one of our CNC Router beds. Currently our bed sizes are 48" x 48" (4 machines), 48"x120", and 48"x96". Our Weeke and AXYZ routers have added features to more economically run complex plastic parts and offer a larger plastic enclosure size. With some parts we are able to combine necessary saw groove features at our CNC routers with the use of a different style milling bit.


text:
C4X Discovery
All Press Releases In the News Interviews
Press Release Board Changes
Eva-Lotta Allan appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the Board
Board further strengthened with the appointment of Natalie Walter
4 July 2018 - C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a pioneering drug discovery company, today announces that Eva-Lotta Allan and Natalie Walter have been appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Non-Executive Director respectively, with immediate effect.
Sunday, 24 June 2018 - Sunday Times
In the News The magic pill that could 'end all addiction'
Scientists in Manchester are working on a drug to kill cravings.
After spending his youth hooked on drugs and alcohol, comedian Russell Brand came to a conclusion: addiction is a disease. For him it began with overeating as a child, and by the time he reached young adulthood, Brand had moved on to crack cocaine and heroin. Today, despite being clean for 15 years, the entertainer is adamant that he is still an addict — and that it is a medical condition.
Thursday, 14 June 2018 - European Mediscience Awards 2018
In the News C4X Discovery wins Best Technology Award at the European Mediscience Awards
We are delighted to have won the Best Technology Award at the European Mediscience Awards. Thanks to the organisers for a great evening.
Wednesday, 13 June 2018 - WIRED
In the News Virtual reality is helping chemists discover new life-enhancing drugs
Blue skies, streaked with clouds – an unending expanse of grid to stand on – and one massive molecule: in the drug-discovering virtual world, for the first time, scientists can get up close and personal with the drugs they're designing. Grabbing hold of a virtual molecule, floating in space before them, using two lightsaber-wielding claw-like hands, the chemist can get as close to touching the desired structure as is (meta)physically possible.
"Starting to use VR was quite transformative, because all of a sudden the molecules become part of my world and I can manipulate them in space just ahead of me, like you would do comparing two oranges and two apples," says Thorsten Nowak, medicinal chemist at C4XD. With the VR platform, drug discovery "became as visual as it can really ever be".
Thursday, 03 May 2018 - Proactive Investors
In the News C4X Discovery 'turns engine right over' with landmark Indivior deal
Clive Dix, chief executive of C4X Discovery Holdings plc (LON:C4XD), discusses with Proactive's Andrew Scott their licensing deal with FTSE 250-listed Indivior for its addiction behaviour suppressant, C4X3256.
It is the first major partnership for C4X, which will receive US$10mln up front and a further US$284mln dependent on how successful the drug proves.
Press Release Collaboration with e-Therapeutics to identify novel mechanisms for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease
1 May 2018 – C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a pioneering drug discovery company, announces that it has entered into a joint research collaboration with e-Therapeutics plc (AIM: ETX) to identify novel mechanistic insights into Parkinson's Disease (PD). The collaboration utilises both companies' drug discovery technologies, in particular C4XD's Taxonomy3® novel target identification platform and ETX's Network-driven Drug Discovery (NDD) capabilities. Teams from both companies will use the outputs from C4XD's Taxonomy3® genetic analysis of PD and apply an NDD approach to identify novel intervention strategies which it is expected will lead to new approaches for the treatment of PD.
Press Release Interim Results for the six months ended 31 January 2018
12 April 2018 - C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a pioneering drug discovery company, today announces its interim results for the six months ended 31 January 2018.
Press Release C4X Discovery signs licensing agreement with Indivior for addiction programme worth up to $294m
C4XD receives $10 million upfront, potential milestones totalling $284 million plus royalties
29 March 2018 – C4X Discovery Holdings plc (AIM: C4XD), a pioneering drug discovery company, today announces that it has signed a licensing agreement with Indivior UK Limited (LON: INDV, "Indivior") to further develop and commercialise C4XD's oral Orexin-1 receptor antagonist ("C4X3256") for the treatment of addiction. C4X3256 aims to treat addiction by targeting the "craving" process itself and, therefore, can be applied across a broad range of substance use disorders. The treatment of addiction represents a substantial area of unmet medical need, forecast to be worth an estimated $13 billion per annum in 20181.
Registered in England and Wales with registered number 09134041. Registered office: Manchester One, 53 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LD, United Kingdom.
Design and Hosting by Dave Sage
Copyright © 2007 - 2021 C4X Discovery Holdings plc.
Inflammatory Diseases
Additional Programmes
Taxonomy3®
Conformetrix
Corporate Collaborations
Financials and Company Documents

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home Lifestyle Parenting Between mum and dad, who are you closer to?
Between mum and dad, who are you closer to?
Benedict Akpan
The relationship between parent and child is of fundamental importance because it protects the child and stabilizes his or her development and maturity into adulthood. For this reason, the parent-child relationship enjoys special legal consideration. Increasingly, various tiers of governments have become more involved in the relationship, especially when a child is abused or neglected. In addition, parental roles have shifted over time, forcing the law to move with the changes. Legal rights that were once the sole province of the father are now shared with the mother, and in general, the law seeks to treat both parents equally. The Next Edition sought peoples' opinion regarding who, between mothers and fathers, children are closer to.
Mr. Mfon Emmanuel:
"I am closer to my dad because he emphasizes more on matters and he understands me better than my mom who is mostly emotional and sentimental about issues."
Anietie Udoh:
"I am closer to my mom because she is always loving and understanding, she creates room for me to tell her what is bothering me and also finds a way to proffer solution to the problem."
Mr. Emuche Nnaji:
"My dad died when I was 14 years old, so I don't know much of him but all I can remember is that I am closer to my mom than my dad for this obvious reason. My mother would always let me get away with my troubles unlike my dad who would never hesitate to punish me to serve as reminder."
Mr. Kingston:
"Hmmm! This is hard to answer but I will say I am closer to my mum than my dad. The reason being that my dad is long gone so I have long been left with my mom. She is always willing to listen to every detail and ensure she tries to satisfy your need to the best of her ability."
Nathaniel Christopher:
"I am close to my mom because she is so caring and soft-hearted, unlike my father who is a strict disciplinarian and a no-nonsense man."
Mrs. Louisa Christopher:
"My dad, reasons? I don't know."
Edidiong Edet:
"I'm closer to my mom because she has been my source of inspiration and assistance. She has been there all the way, unlike my dad who is always very busy and not always in the house let alone having time to listen to your problems."
Femi Ademola:
"She doesn't just act like my mom but also like a friend and a sister to me. Am so closer to my mom than any other person."
Mohammed Abdullahi:
"I am closer to my mom because I never got to know my father. My father was late before I turned a year old so, I don't know anything about him or if I would have been closer to him than my mom. But as it stands I am who I am today because of my mother so I am close to her."
Mr. Samuel Jonas:
"I am closer to my mom because she carried me in her womb for nine months before bringing me into this world and since then she has been responsible for me. She has single-handedly raised me and made me who I am today, unlike my father whose responsibility was to impregnate her and go about his business."
Mr. Zachariah Idris:
"I am close to my parents equally because they have both been there all the way and they both raised me to be the man I am now."
Mr. Musa Saheed:
"I am close to both of my parents because they gave me life and made me who I am now. They are both loving and understanding"
Solomon chuks:
"I am closer to my mom than my dad because she is easier to talk to than my dad."
Faith Ini:
"I am close to both of my parents because they both treat me the same and have time to listen if I have anything to say at any time."
Emmanuel Obiazi:
"I never was close to any of them until I lost my father 11 years ago and the reality of life dawned on me that life is a struggle and only the living can survive. Now, I am close to my mom because she is the only one around and she is always there to listen as life has made it so."
Funke Adekunle:
"I like dad more because he is caring, understanding, loving, and accommodating also he is friendly and fun to be with."
Mrs. Elizabeth Patrick:
"I am closer to my dad than my mom because my dad is always there for me and will provide all I want or need even if he has to borrow, unlike my mom who when she says she doesn't have and that is the end of it. My mom is not the type who will cover you when you falter instead she will be the first to condemn, expose, ridicule, and disgrace you in public without thinking of the consequences and this habit of hers is also provocative, my dad is always having issues with her for this.
In conclusion, be patient with your parents. They love you deeply and are emotionally involved with you. They may become too vigorous as they set their guidelines for you to follow. Give them the room to misunderstand and to make one or two mistakes as human beings that they are. Also, recognize their authority and be grateful for their discipline. While doing that, have it at the back of your mind that such discipline may set you on the right path. So, do not choose between your parents or accord more respect to one than the other.
Nigerian newspaper
Previous articleConstitution review, another promise kept, says Saraki
Next articleLagos residents count losses of flood


text:
Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Military Personnel "Assessing the Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Programs"
In 1994, Bonnie Carroll founded TAPS after the 1992 death of her husband Brigadier General Tom Carroll, who was killed along with seven other soldiers when their Army National Guard plane crashed in the mountains of Alaska. Since its founding, TAPS has provided care and support to more than 100,000 bereaved military survivors. In 2021 alone, 9,246 newly bereaved military survivors came to TAPS for care. This is an average of 25 new survivors coming to TAPS each and every day. Of the survivors seeking our care in 2021, 27% were grieving the death of a military loved one to suicide.
Chairwoman Speier, Ranking Member Gallagher, and distinguished members of the House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is grateful for the opportunity to provide a statement on issues and concerns of importance to the families we serve.
TAPS appreciates the opportunities provided by the quarterly VA and DOD Survivors Forum, which serves as a clearinghouse for information on government and private sector programs and policies affecting surviving families. Through its partnership with the VA and DOD Survivors Forum, TAPS shares information on TAPS programs and services that support all those grieving the death of a military loved one.
Strengthening Military Suicide Prevention And Awareness
Since TAPS was founded in 1994, our nation has lost more than 7,000 active duty service members to suicide (DCAS Reports). Of the more than 100,000 military survivors TAPS now cares for, 19,432 are grieving the death of a loved one to suicide. Each day, TAPS works with seven to eight new suicide loss survivors calling for support. At 27%, suicide is one of the leading causes of death grieved by new survivors seeking TAPS services and support.
It was not that long ago when the topic of suicide was not openly discussed or addressed. There was a time when there were no suicide-specific positions within the DOD or VA, no Veterans Crisis Line, no programs, no task forces, no committees, no social media support, and no collaborative dialogue on this topic. As we know from long-term survivors who finally found a place of connection and support, TAPS was a pioneer in welcoming military suicide loss survivors with compassion and care, turning no family away, and has been instrumental in bringing about historical change needed to address military suicide prevention.
In 2009, I co-chaired the DOD Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces (DOD Task Force Report). Our first field hearing was at the annual TAPS National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar, where Task Force members heard from impacted survivors, professionals in support roles, and military leaders. This work led to the eventual formation of what is now the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) and expansion of the National Veterans Crisis Line, among other countess initiatives and programs acknowledging the need to make suicide prevention in the military a top priority. This was one of the first times that collective voices of suicide loss survivors were being acknowledged by military leadership as lending valuable insights to contribute to prevention efforts.
Suicide Is Preventable, Not Inevitable
Suicide is a complex, multi-factored event, very rarely caused by a single contributing issue, and prevention efforts require a holistic, public health approach. Messaging must instill hope and be encouraging. In many cases, suicide is preventable, not inevitable. Help is available, it works, and with it, people can stabilize during an emotional crisis and go on to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
The overwhelming majority of people who struggle with thoughts of suicide do not die by suicide, but instead access the resources and learn the skills needed to live full lives. The answer, which cannot be a single approach, must consider long-term prevention strategies and comprehensive crisis responses, including postvention after a suicide. The Department of Veterans Affairs National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide, 2018-2028 report stressed the need for collaboration with partners and communities nationwide to increase suicide awareness and prevention efforts as part of a comprehensive public health approach.
Recent findings and updated data underscore that while suicide does not discriminate, some populations are at higher risk, such as within the military community. This may seem counterintuitive as military members are screened through recruiting, stress tested at basic training, employed, housed, provided medical care, and have social connection with mission focus so they should be a lower risk than the civilian population, yet due to contributing factors such as undiagnosed traumatic brain injury, chronic nerve pain and tinnitus from deployments, sleep deprivation that is pervasive in the military culture, toxic leadership, hazing and bullying, the risk for this population is higher.
There must be continued research to support strategies and develop programs that reach and support these populations. While some groups are at higher risk, we must avoid stereotypes, unsafe messaging, or misinformation of groups by generalization, or by implying that all members of a particular population are suicidal and have PTSD or other mental health issues.
Military Culture and Command Climate
Messaging from the highest level of leadership, all through the ranks, must endorse "help seeking" behavior as a sign of courage and strength, as something that makes a person that much more operationally ready, healthier, capable, and fit. How we talk about and treat those who are struggling with mental health issues or thoughts of suicide, or fail to do so, is critical. Actions, as well as language, matters.
How mental health and suicide is addressed is essential when considering prevention. Misinformation, myths, stigma, and lack of confidentiality can be just some of the contributing factors that actually perpetuate suicide behaviors or result in suicide deaths. Shaming, harassing, hazing, or bullying someone for mental health concerns or seeking care can exacerbate a crisis for those who are vulnerable. Such negligent, incompetent behavior must not be tolerated under any circumstances.
MAJ (Ret) Orpah Mervene Polk, Surviving Mother of SPC Nicholas T. Polk
"My name is MAJ (Ret) Orpah Mervene Polk. I'm a critical care RN, and want to tell you about my son, SPC Nicholas T. Polk who died while on active duty March 14, 2021. The investigation, such as it was, concluded that he died by suicide.
Nicholas was an extremely motivated and happy U.S. Army Cavalry Scout when he graduated from Basic Training and AIT at Fort Benning in April 2019, and was deployed afterwards to Poland with the 1st Infantry Brigade in Europe. It was there that the intimidation and bullying began from NCOs in his unit. He would call me from Poland in tears and didn't understand why they treated him so badly. He would say, "I know I'm green and the newbie Mom, but I'm doing my best and everything they tell me to do". I felt so helpless being so far away, and couldn't help except to encourage him. He thought it would get better after they deployed back to Fort Riley, but it didn't.
Nick was constantly told by a particular NCO that his goal was to get rid of Nick one way or another. Four of Nick's fellow soldiers confirmed with me that this NCO often called him names like "Lard-ass Polk", "Piece of Shit Polk", and told Nick, "Polk, why don't you do the Army a favor and kill yourself". In formation just a week before Nick died, he said "Ignore Polk, he's just a waste of space". Nick tried to hide his humiliation. He talked to the chaplain several times about it, but I think the Chaplain didn't really think it was a problem. I learned this from the text messages I reviewed on Nick's phone, after receiving his personal belongings back from CID.
I spoke with Nick the Friday night before he died. He was going out with friends and wanted me to call him the next morning so we could take care of his W2 and taxes. His last words were "I'll talk to you tomorrow Mom, I love you". I couldn't reach him all weekend and his body was found Sunday. They notified me Monday. The medical records I received said that his medical doctor and mental health clinician said they saw no signs of him wanting to hurt himself or anyone else, and if he did take his life, they felt he wasn't in his right mind.
His autopsy showed no illegal drugs or alcohol, but his hands and feet were bound together. He had told me and several of his friends that he felt like he was being followed, felt unsafe, and his truck had been vandalized several times in the months prior to his death. He had been very depressed, was having frequent 'night terrors', and had been seeing a mental health counselor for some time, but he told me he would never take his own life.
I don't know what really happened to my son that night, but I do know that his NCO bullied him relentlessly. My son had a beautiful heart, always tried to help anyone who needed it, wanted to stay in the Army (in a different unit) and serve his country.
The Army I knew, loved and served in, didn't treat their soldiers the way my son was treated. Nick's Company Commander was great and brought his platoon from Fort Riley, Kansas to Gainesville, Florida to his funeral to honor him. They had a very nice memorial service for Nick at Fort Riley a month later. That doesn't bring back my only child or make up for his death, which I feel strongly was caused by the gross mistreatment he was subjected to by his NCOs. This should not happen in our Army or to any other family!"
Recommendation: As part of leadership development skills, ongoing training should be mandated around suicide prevention and supporting service members with mental health issues.
Recommendation: Leaders should encourage, support and acknowledge self-help. Those who stigmatize, haze, harass, bully, isolate or unfairly punish service members entrusted in their care must be held accountable.
Destigmatize Help-Seeking Behavior
Through years of aiming efforts towards reducing the stigma surrounding suicide, TAPS recognizes that the most alarming concern is the pervasive fear that seeking mental health care will negatively impact career development and advancement opportunities. It can be tremendously powerful for those in leadership positions to share "success stories" of how seeking help did not negatively impact one's career, but made the individual stronger and more successful because of it.
Evidence supports the importance of safe messaging and language in terms of suicide prevention, where antiquated language can cause harm and lead to increased suicide rates. Examples of such terms may include, but not be limited to: "committed suicide" which should be replaced with "died by suicide"; "failed attempt" or "unsuccessful suicide attempt" should be replaced with "suicide attempt" or "attempted suicide"; and "suicide epidemic" should be replaced with "concerning rates of suicide."
The DOD Task Force Report included a strategic initiative calling for the military to "develop effective postvention programs to support families, service members, and unit leaders after suicide." The Task Force also stated the following on unit memorials, "The death of a service member from suicide should not stymie the honoring of the decedent's life and service." This resulted in an important shift in direction because it began to connect suicide to illness and injury, not bad behavior or selfishness. Commanders, chaplains, and other leaders began to talk about mental health as an illness that needed treatment.
Another key recommendation from the Task Force was to "Keep suicide prevention programs in the leadership lane and hold leaders accountable at all levels for ensuring a positive command climate that promotes the well-being, total fitness, and 'help seeking' of their Service Members. A significant focus on developing better tools to assist commanders in suicide prevention must be undertaken."
TAPS strongly believes the recommendations from the Task Force are as relevant today as ever. Leaders must create a command climate that destigmatizes "help seeking" behavior, and promotes mental health and wellness as critical components of suicide prevention. Many surviving families of suicide tell TAPS that they were afraid to tell anyone about their loved ones' struggles, with the deceased suffering, sometimes for years, before a crisis propelled them into care– unfortunately, too late for these families.
Recommendation: DOD must work with the Services to destigmatize "help seeking" behavior among service members, break down barriers to treatment, and normalize and improve access to mental health services.
Recommendation: Leadership and all key personnel should have training around safe messaging, guidelines, language, and reporting as pertaining to suicide.
Prioritize Mental Health and Wellness
Mental health care is a vital part of wellness and readiness. Survivors consistently share that there is not enough downtime to care for mental health in the military, daily readiness does not incorporate mental wellness, and access to mental health care can be a difficult obstacle. A holistic approach to treating mental health care contributes to overall health and readiness.
Service members may be more likely to seek help for medical or physiological concerns, as with exhaustion, sleep disturbances, injury or pain, before seeking mental health care, and therefore offers opportunities for screenings and to identify certain exposures that could increase risk, as with occupational specialties. Service members may be hesitant about or even prolong seeking care out of fear it could interfere with their work performance or delay military orders and/or deployments. A sense of trust and connection to their medical providers contributes to positive experiences while receiving care during their time in the service.
TAPS survivors relay that the care their service members often received, when marked by uncertainty, confusion, and sudden changes, caused them to lose trust in the process. Talking about thoughts of suicide with an established provider, when they are not necessarily intent or have a plan for suicide, should be seen as positive in that the service member is trusting a professional enough to share some of their deeper struggles.
After serious concerns over recent significant increases in soldier suicides in Alaska, the Army has mandated wellness checks with behavioral health counselors for all soldiers stationed in Alaska. In an epidemiological study conducted by the Army Public Health Center's Behavioral and Social Health Outcomes Program, the findings identified multiple risk factors to include contributors such as sleep deprivation and chronic pain. Alaska's Army leadership, led by Major General Brian Eifler, has made suicide prevention a top priority, and has had conversations with subject matter experts including TAPS to gain insight on prevention efforts as well as postvention response for unit stabilization and family care. We applaud these positive efforts to save lives.
Additional variables that might contribute to the psychological well-being of service members needing specialized care include, but are not limited to: military sexual trauma; changes in identity, especially during transition periods as with discharge or retirement from the military; substance use concerns often leading to self-medication of underlying issues; and grief-related concerns, such as losses related to the death of military comrades or battle buddies.
Recommendation: Embed qualified and specially trained mental health providers in units to normalize mental health and ease of access to care, just as with physical health medics and sick bays.
Recommendation: Mental fitness should be held in as high regard as physical fitness, with an emphasis on total wellness, making overall health, nutrition, and especially sleep, all priorities.
Recommendation: Encourage social integration and healthy lifestyles. Examples include making adequate sleep a priority and removing hard alcohol from convenience stores on base, or at minimum make it less accessible.
Recommendation: Specific exposures as with Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) are critical to evaluate, such as those exposed to environmental toxins while deployed, experiencing hearing loss or tinnitus, suffering from injury or chronic nerve pain, exposed to concussive blast trauma and/or with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and extensive combat exposure.
Postvention Is a Critical Component Of Suicide Prevention
TAPS has learned from working with suicide loss survivors that postvention is a critical component of any comprehensive suicide prevention strategy. Survivors often tell us their service member who died by suicide was "grieving" a loss of some kind: a friend, a comrade, a job, their identity, or their very sense of meaning and purpose in life. Helping service members grieve losses can reduce their suicide risk. Suicide postvention care and suicide prevention care are equally important for families who have lost a military loved one to suicide.
Now in its 14th annual year, TAPS has hosted the National Military Suicide Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp. This is the only event of its kind in the world for military survivors bereaved by suicide. This signature TAPS event has provided tens of thousands of military suicide loss survivors with support and resources to inspire healing. While the program has numerous benefits for our families, stories and testimonials shared have taught TAPS, DOD, and the VA, and many others how to better prevent suicides through postvention as a resource.
The TAPS Suicide Postvention team has developed a research-informed, best-practice based TAPS Postvention ModelTM for survivors that decreases isolation and risk for mental health issues such as suicide, addiction, anxiety, and depression, and therefore increases social connection, peer support, and growth that all promote healing following the suicide death of a service member or veteran. The publication, "TAPS Suicide Postvention ModelTM: A comprehensive framework of healing and growth," provides more information about TAPS' approach in caring for survivors bereaved by suicide loss. Reference to TAPS model and supporting evidence can be found on the Defense Suicide Prevention website as cited in the "Postvention Toolkit for a Military Suicide Loss" for commanders.
Supporting Suicide Loss Survivors and Military Families
Each survivor brings a unique and devastating story of loss with multiple contributing factors of their loved one's death. The same is true for suicide loss survivors who often face compounded loss. Not only have they lost their service member or veteran, but they may have also lost their connection to the military community, critical military support services, financial stability, and their sense of identity, purpose, and future.
Before the death of their service member, an active duty family may not have been connected to their local community, depending on how recently the family changed their duty station. A veteran's family may have already lost ties with the military during the transition from active duty or National Guard and Reserve status to veteran status. As such, compounding factors can contribute to a sense of isolation for suicide loss survivors, placing them at greater risk for mental health issues from the lack of a sense of belonging and the lost connection to support.
The emotional crisis their loved ones were experiencing did not simply disappear with their suicide; but rather, is often transferred and absorbed by those coping with the death. As the following personal testimonial addresses, postvention for survivors is imperative to reduce risk and increase prevention.
Carolyn Colley, Surviving Sibling of SPC Stephen Colley, Maj. Alan Colley, and Matthew Colley
"Since leaving the military as a Disabled Veteran and graduating from law school, my career has centered around advocating for military and veterans' issues, working for the VA, and volunteering as a peer mentor for TAPS.
In 2007, months after returning from Iraq, my brother SPC Stephen Colley, US Army, died by suicide at his home on Fort Hood. Ten years later, my brother Major Alan Colley, US Army, also died by suicide after twenty years of military service. And just last year, the unimaginable happened again when my brother Matthew Colley also died by suicide.
Beyond the massive loss of our service members and veterans, we must acknowledge the ripple effect of each loss. I know countless siblings, parents, children, and loved ones who themselves now experience suicide ideation and/or major depression due to their suicide loss. Those who experience the loss of a fellow service member also experience feelings of survivor's guilt. For those who are still here, but suffering - we need to invest in efforts that focus on their health and their survival.
Having experienced suicide loss three times and having been immersed in suicide prevention as a non-clinician, I have observed suicide within the military community as largely approached from a medical and mental health or clinical, standpoint. With countless organizations that do grassroots outreach and engagement with the military community, we must accept their offers to help, and invest in filling the obvious disconnect between services for our service members, veterans, and military families.
We MUST do more to go beyond suicide prevention awareness and focus on changing how we think and act around suicide. We should promote positive leadership and uphold standards of care. We must begin implementing more concepts that save lives."
Survivors report that getting helpful information from the DOD about suicide risk factors, including lethal means and addiction issues, creating safety plans, and offering a network of support and resources might have made a difference in saving their loved ones. TAPS believes that encouraging service members to include loved ones of all relationships, whether family members or friends, as part of their support system is also important. Loved ones often notice behaviors of concern and can encourage or escort service members into care.
Recommendation: Proactively offer information and trainings to military families on topics related to mental health, suicide awareness and prevention.
Recommendation: Suicide loss survivors must be offered the highest level of care and services after the death of the service member.
Recommendation: Acknowledge disenfranchised survivors who are often overlooked, such as service members or military comrades who suffer a suicide loss of a battle buddy and provide them with quality postvention response.
Recommendation: After a suicide within a unit, leadership should promote and provide immediate, quality postvention care with trained responders to help with unit stabilization and identifying those who may be at risk or in need of care.
In addition to providing care for the service member, special consideration must also be given to addressing the mental health needs of military family members and their own possible risk for suicide. Coping with mental health challenges within a military family can add stress for the service member, as well as other members within the family, who may need additional support and care.
DOD recently released its Calendar Year (CY) 2020 Annual Suicide Report (ASR), the third year of reporting military family data. The report included key statistics on military family members who died by suicide:
Military spouses who died by suicide: 53% male, 47% female, 79% under the age of 40, and 29% were currently serving at the time of their death.
Military dependents, ranging from 12 to 23 years old, who died by suicide: 76% male, 63% under the age of 18, and 6% were also service members at the time of their death.
Recommendation: Include the mental health needs of military family members among prevention initiatives.
Recommendation: Upon the death of a military family member, provide immediate, comprehensive postvention care.
Addressing Lethal Means Safety
TAPS has supported more than 20,000 bereaved survivors of military or veteran suicide loss. We know from thousands of cases how serious the issue of lethal means safety is to addressing military and veteran suicide, and why awareness campaigns and training are so critical for prevention efforts. Here is one personal testimonial:
"My husband, Richard Stumpf, an active duty U.S. Marine Drill instructor, died by suicide in 1994 with his service-issued weapon in the workplace. My life and the lives of all those exposed to his death irrevocably changed that day. I was pregnant full-term at the time of my loss and gave birth several days later after being rushed to the hospital at the same time as his funeral.
One of the many things I have learned through my experiences in terms of preventing suicide, which research supports, is that lethal means safety, particularly with safe use and safe storage of firearms, is as critically important today as it was when I lost my husband in 1994, given the exponential lethality and high rates of firearm-related suicides in the military and veteran communities."
Many TAPS survivors wish they had been provided proactive counseling on lethal means safety planning before their loved one died. The time for learning about these issues is right now, not in a moment of crisis. Prior education and awareness, during service time as well as in transition periods, make everyone better prepared to respond when faced with a situation requiring a potential intervention. Discussions on lethal means safety can be challenging when firearms are a large part of military identity, but these critical conversations must happen because they have the potential to save lives.
Recommendation: DOD should provide standardized training on the topic of lethal means safety to be shared with service members and their families through support services, social media campaigns, and public service announcements.
Recommendation: DOD should ensure lethal means training is included in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) curriculum.
Recommendation: DOD should help train civilian providers on lethal means safety to strengthen suicide prevention efforts.
Increase Awareness and Education
How we respond after a suicide is critical in preventing future suicide. Using the TAPS Suicide Postvention ModelTM in response to a suicide offers such a lens to this approach.
Over the years, TAPS has developed many powerful partnerships within the Government and Civilian sectors, providing valuable contributions of what we have learned in providing postvention care. This has helped reduce risk and keep survivors safe while encouraging adaptive grieving after suicide loss.
Based on the Model and its approach, some of these collaborations include but are not limited to, the DOD's Suicide Postvention Tool Kit, the "After a Suicide" eCourse, currently offered on millifelearning.com through Military OneSource, and several proprietary trainings provided to military installations who have requested our postvention support. Additionally, TAPS has provided individual consultation and training to both military leadership and government contractors for emergency postvention response for unit and/or workplace stabilization after a suicide.
Recommendation: DOD should continue collaboration with TAPS to partner on Suicide Postvention Resources and trainings for service providers, clinicians, chaplains, and leaders as part of mental health and suicide prevention efforts.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors thanks the leadership of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and its distinguished members for holding this important hearing to discuss suicide prevention programs in the military community. TAPS thanks you for the opportunity to testify, on behalf of thousands of surviving family members grieving the death of their military loved one to suicide. It is our honor to share insights and actionable recommendations that will help save lives.


text:
CBR TV: Dinesh Shamdasani on the Advantages of Valiant's Shared Universe
by CBR Staff
in Comics, Comic News, Movies, Movie News
When Valiant Entertainment entered the comic industry in 1989, they burst onto the scene in a way many weren't expecting. The company experienced tremendous growth, leaving a major mark in comics before going on to make a bigger mark in the world of video games.
And now, Valiant's sights are set on making the same sort of impact in the world of film.
Valiant Announces Film Universe With "Bloodshot," "Harbinger" and "Harbinger Wars"
Valiant Entertainment CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani spoke with CBR TV about company's upcoming movie slate from the world famous CBR Tiki Room at WonderCon 2015 in Anaheim, CA. And although the interview took place before the company's big announcement regarding confirmed films based on "Harbinger," "Bloodshot" and "Harbinger Wars," the company's philosophy on how they will be approaching those films will remain the same: just like their approach to their comics.
"It's a question of quality," Shamdasani said. "We haven't said a lot about them because we're not the type of company that talks a lot about hype and hot air. We like to say, 'Here's what's going to happen.' For instance, 'Bloodshot' at Sony. That leaked and we had to play a little bit of catch up and make the announcement, but it was out of our hands. We want to build everything to be as good as it can be before we let the world in because we don't want to give false expectations."
Now seems to mark the perfect time for Valiant to venture into the entertainment industry, according to Shamdasani, as the tone of the current era of comic book films falls more in line with Valiant's own publishing tone. "We saw the whole Avi Arad Era -- you could say -- of comic book movies and then it changed with [Christopher] Nolan and Batman, and Iron Man and the Kevin Feige Era is a different tone. It's a more mature tone."
CBR TV: Dinesh Shamdasani on How Nine-Figure Investment Affects Valiant's Future
However, that mature tone doesn't come without its constraints -- at least when it comes to Marvel and DC films. "Also, we're not owned by a giant corporation. So, Marvel can't do a Ghost Rider film -- I'm assuming -- or a Punisher film -- I'm assuming -- because of Disney," he said, referencing the dark, violent nature of those characters and Disney's more family-friendly tone. "We don't have constraints. In fact, we look at it as an opportunity in that they're constrained in these ways and we aren't constrained in these ways. So we can tell the kinds of stories in film as we have in comics that they can't tell."
Shamdasani clarified, explaining that the tone of the Marvel films doesn't always match the tone Marvel's publishing division. "I love Ghost Rider and I love Punisher, and I'm hoping they do those films, but I'm wondering how much of Disney's brand means that they have to marginalize those characters at the moment."
Tags: valiant entertainment, dinesh shamdasani, cbr tv, bloodshot (movie), wondercon2015
Hasbro Recreates Jim Lee's X-Men #1 Cover For SDCC-Exclusive Posters


text:
Josh Duggar's Molestation Confession Comes to Light in Latest Hearing
By BreAnna Bell - December 1, 2021 09:04 am EST
Josh Duggar's molestation confession has been introduced in the latest hearing as part of his ongoing child pornography trial. A close family friend Bobye Holt, whom members of the family referred to "Aunt Bobye" testified in court that Duggar once confessed to molesting four younger girls years prior to the family gaining reality TV fame –– on March 30, 2003, when he was just 15 years old.
According to People Magazine, Bobye testified in court that Josh once confessed to fondling young girls saying that he started as young as 12 years old. "[Josh] explained that Jane Doe four was sitting on his lap during Bible time and he touched her inappropriately," she said. "He said it happened that day. On that date, he told us that he touched her vaginal area," she continued.
Bobye, who served as somewhat of a counselor for Josh when he stayed with her and her husband in their home as a way to curb his " "temptations," told the court some of his other confessions. She recalled Josh further confessing to touching three other girls inappropriately by grabbing their breasts and groping their genitals. On one occasion, she said the girl involved "went and told his parents what he had done and he confessed."
In another instance, she said, "When she was sitting on his lap he put his hand under her pantaloons and under her panties." There was also an occasion where he "said that he went to [one of the girls] as she was sleeping and got up under her blanket to start touching her and she woke up and hit him."
"I went to go tell Jim Bob and Michelle but they said they didn't want to hear it," Bobye continued in court, making sure to note, "People began to be aware. … Something else happened in Little Rock that made Josh leave our home." She mentioned that the cause was unrelated to inappropriate touching.
As many remember, Josh confessed to molesting several young girls following the publication of a 2006 police report filed by Jim Bob Duggar. He apologized in a statement saying "as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends …. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life."
When his father Jim Bob took the stand, the patriarch denied knowing the details of Josh's molestation confession. He told the court repeatedly when asked, "I don't remember," adding, "It's been like 18, 19 years ago. … a long time ago." He acknowledged Josh came to him and his wife in 2002, but the couple said they "were shocked this had happened," Jim Bob said, "but we were thankful he came on his own and told us."
"He had told me that he had touched some of the girls when they were sleeping on their breasts … they didn't wake up," he continued. "We tried to handle things in house," he added, continuing, "It was a very difficult time in our family's life." He excused Josh's behavior by saying he "had crossed some line right at that age of curiosity, at 14, your hormones are kicking in."


If you can't draw it, put another decoration made of icing sugar or another cake as the ears of Minnie mouse. However, to make it different from Mickey Mouse, you need to put ribbon between the ears. Use polka dot theme for the whole layer of cake since Minnie Mouse loves wearing polka dot. Don't forget to put the name of a baby so the guests will know her name. You may also put the whole picture of Minnie Mouse on top of cake so it is much simpler than making her ears. You can make it from icing sugar and place it on the round or square cake so you can get the whole head of this lovely character for your Minnie Mouse baby shower cake. Put another additional decoration to make this special cake look good.


text:
CBS SPECIAL [UPDATED]
Air Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Episode Title: "40TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS"
SECOND ROUND OF PERFORMERS SET FOR THE "40TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS," TO BE BROADCAST LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, MAY 17 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
Big & Rich, Sara Evans and Tim McGraw Set to Perform
Big & Rich, Sara Evans and Tim McGraw have been set to perform at the 40TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, to be broadcast live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Tuesday, May 17 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. They will join previously announced performers Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts and George Strait.
First-time nominees Big & Rich are up for three awards including Top New Artist, Top Vocal Duo and Video of the Year (for "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy"). John Rich has also received two additional nominations as associate producer of Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" (nominated for Single Record of the Year) and Here for the Party (nominated for Album of the Year).
Evans has been nominated for nine Academy of Country Music Awards, including current nominations in the Top Female Vocalist and Album of the Year (Restless) categories. Evans has had four past nominations for Top Female Vocalist and two nominations for Vocal Event of the Year.
McGraw leads this year's nominations with six nods in the Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist categories along with four nominations for "Live Like You Were Dying," including Single Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Video of the Year.
During the broadcast, 11 awards honoring the past year's elite in country music will be handed out. Awards will be presented to Entertainer of the Year, Top Male Vocalist, Top Female Vocalist, Top New Artist, Top Vocal Group, Top Vocal Duo, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Vocal Event of the Year and Video of the Year. He is also nominated in two of these categories as producer. McGraw's 10 past wins include two for Top Male Vocalist, two for Vocal Event of the Year, two for Single Record of the Year and one each for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Top New Male Vocalist. If McGraw wins Entertainer of the Year, he will be honored with the Merle Haggard Award, which recognizes the Academy's triple-crown winners of Entertainer of the Year, Top New Male and Top Male.
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 with a mission to support, promote, and enhance the advancement of the country music industry worldwide. The Academy, which is comprised of more than 3,800 professional members and a newly established Associate Membership, is headquartered in Burbank, Calif.
THE 40TH ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS is produced by dick clark productions, inc. Dick Clark and R.A. Clark are the executive producers; Barry Adelman, the producer.


text:
Realization of national transformation programmes are discussed at vide conference session
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held regular video conference session with the participation of the heads of number of ministries and departments, hyakims of velayats and Ashgabat. Priority matters of social and economic development of the country including the issues of the realization of national reform programmes, preparation to coming remarkable dates as well as other important subjects of the state life have been reviewed during the session.
First, the President of the country called Hyakim of Ahal Velayat Sh. Amangeldiyev who reported about the situation in the region, rate of construction of different facilities, measures for provision of living houses, kindergartens and schools with heating and reliable work of power and gas supply systems. Besides, the Hyakim also informed on the preparation to the celebration of International Neutrality Day and New Year.
Having listened to the report, the Head of the State pointed at the necessity of accountable approach to the completion of seasonal agricultural works on the fields according to the standards and addressed number of specific instructions to the Hyakim about the construction of social and cultural facilities built in accordance with National rural programme with the strict adherence to the deadlines and quality of works.
Concerning the winter season, Head of the State Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov ordered to hold under control the reliability of the work of heating systems in living houses and educational institutions, proper power and gas supply of the population. Having noted the importance of high level of organization of coming remarkable dates, the President of Turkmenistan gave relative instructions to the head of regional administration.
After, Hyakim of Balkan Velayat S. Satlykov reported on the situation in the western region of the country including on the measures for timely and organized conduct of seasonal works in agricultural complex, provision of coordinated work of heating systems, course of construction of important facilities under National rural programme, preparation to the celebration of the Neutrality Day and New Year. Speaking of agrotechnical activities in the fields of the velayats, the Leader of the Nation requested to pay special attention to the readiness of the equipment to the next year sowing campaign. With regards to the construction of the facilities on the territory of the velayat, the Head of the State demanded to approach the quality and adherence to the timeline with full responsibility.
The President of the country pointed at the deficiency in the activity of the municipal service divisions, which are responsible for the supply of heating, power and gas to the population. In this regard, President of the State Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov ordered to take urgent measures for their elimination, having established the control of the work of all division of municipal service of the velayat.
Speaking of the organization of national holidays, the President gave relative instructions.
The session was continued by the report of Hyakim of Dashoguz Velayat M. Bayramguliyev, who informed on the course of seasonal works in agricultural complex, fulfilment of the objectives of National rural programme including on the situation at the construction sites, measures for the supply of heating to living houses and social facilities, provision of gas and power for the towns and villages.
The Head of the Administration also informed on the work for preparation of cultural events on occasion of International Neutrality Day and New Year.
Having listened to the report, the President requested to increase the rates and efficiency of works in all branches of national economy complex of the region as well as gave number of assignments regarding the provision of coordinated activity of all relative structures. The Head of the State noted the importance of strict control of the deadlines and quality of construction of different facilities.
Speaking of the measures for steadfast improvement of social and living conditions of the people and services to the population, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded to pay utmost attention to these subjects. Having noted the shortcomings in the work of municipal services, Turkmen leader highlighted the necessity of unremitting control of proper operation of heating systems and stable power and gas supply.
The Head of the State also emphasized the importance of the preparation of the events on occasion of coming holidays.
Hyakim of Lebap Velayat T. Atahaliyev made report of the situation in the region, course of construction of the facilities that were planned according to National rural programme. Besides, the Head of Administration reported on the measures for the arrangement of coordinated work of heating, gas and power supply systems in the velayat as well as on the preparation to coming celebrations.
Having noted that the works in the velayat, same like everywhere in the country, have to be on systematic base and bring actual results that requires the cooperation of all involved structures, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov instructed the Hyakim to provide permanent control of all activities in agricultural complex and construction of important facilities according to the quality and ecological safety requirements.
Having pointed the attention that the issues of social provision of the population have to be under permanent control, the Head of the State requested to arrange proper operation of the heating of living houses, schools and kindergartens according to winter season as well as to take immediate measures for non-admission of the failures in stable supply of electricity and gas.
Having noted the necessity of high level of celebration events on occasion of International Neutrality Day and New Year, the President of the country gave specific instructions to the Head of regional administration.
Hyakim of Mary Velayat D. Annaberdiyev reported on complex work, agrotechnical activity and practical measures for preparation of lands and equipment to the next season held in the velayat. The information on the course of construction of the facilities in the velayat as well as on the programme f cultural public events timed to the coming holidays were given in the report.
Speaking of the subjects of successful solution of the tasks for realization of National rural programme, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov highlighted that the work in this direction has to be under the attention of the heads of relative structures. The Head of the State highlighted the necessity of the increment of the rates of construction of the facilities in the velayat, provision of good work of heating systems in the houses and social facilities as well as power and gas supply systems.
Having made special mention of the preparation to the celebration events, the President addressed the Hyakim with number of instructions.
After, Hyakim of Ashgabat Sh. Durdiliyev spoke at the video conference. The Hyakim reported on the situation in the capital, provision of order and cleanness in accordance with modern requirements and on integrated measures undertaken for the modernization of social infrastructure. The information about the fulfilment of the assignments given by the Head of the State earlier, preparation of the programme of cultural and public events on occasion of coming holidays was also given.
Having highlighted that the main city of the country has to be exemplary by all indicators, the President of Turkmenistan demanded to hold under permanent control all issues of greening and ecological condition of the capital. Having pointed at the existing deficiencies in work of capital municipal services, Head of the State Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov demanded to arrange proper and uninterrupted operation of all links of urban engineering and technical infrastructure including heating, power and gas supply systems.
At the same time, the Head of the State gave instructions on the preparation of high organizational level of the activities and international events in Ashgabat, having noted that our capital deservingly placed among the most beautiful cities in the world has to give the best impression to the guests.
Minister of Internal Affairs I. Mulikov was next to report on the work undertaken for the prevention of crimes as well as on the prevention of road transport accidents.
Having listened to the report, the President expressed the discontent with regards to the lack of the control of the work of community police officers, whose duties are to control and report the situation.
The President demanded the Head of the MIA to hold under control the activity of the structures under his supervision, which are to provide public order, strict abidance and comprehensive protection of legal rights and freedoms of the citizens.
Besides, the Head of the State addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs with number of orders regarding the fire prevention events and enforcement of work of Traffic Control Service.
Having called the State Minister, Chairman of the State Concern Turkmengaz M. Archayev to video conference, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed the interest in the status of the solution of priority objectives and existing issues.
Reporting on the situation , the leader of the branch informed on the progress of number of international projects and on the measures undertaken for uninterrupted supply of domestic consumers with gas as well as on the delivery of gas to export pipelines.
The information on existing big unpaid debts for Turkmen natural gas that was supplied to Iran according to bilateral agreements and the contract with National Gas Company with the Islamic Republic of Iran was presented. The consensus on this issues was note achieved during meetings and talks with the representatives if Iranian side. Iranian partners offered to appeal to International Court of Arbitration for mutually acceptable and objective solution of this problem.
Having listened to the arguments of the Head of the State Concern Turkmengaz, the President of Turkmenistan instructed to support the proposal of Iranian National Gas Company on appeal to International arbitration and to prepare relative documents for further proceedings.
Source: State News Agency of Turkmenistan
Posted in Information
First Caspian Economic Forum on the pages of new publication
Show Jumping Tournament is an important stage of preparation to 2017 Asian Games
The Heads of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan note positive dynamics of cooperation
Turkmen taekwondo fighters successfully compete at the Martial Arts Games in Minsk
The status and prospects of Turkmen-Austrian trade and economic partnership are discussed in Ashgabat


Ambassador Danny Ayalon speaks to CBS news about the meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump.
Ambassador Danny Ayalon speaks to Fox Business Channel about the meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump.
Ayalon and the Truth about Israel advocacy organization which he founded, have just released the latest in its series of short video primers on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict.
Ambassador Danny Ayalon discusses the new Israel-US relationship under President Trump.
Ambassador Danny Ayalon speaks to the Jewish Journal about his expectations of US President Donald Trump.
Ambassador Danny Ayalon speaks to i24 News about the Paris Peace Conference and how it will push peace further away.
Ambassador Danny Ayalon discusses the recent terror attack in Jerusalem on ILTV's "Israel Weekly".
In this interview with Mark Golub on JBS, Danny Ayalon reacts to John Kerry's speech that lambasted Israel.
In this CNN interview, Danny Ayalon responds to John Kerry's disappointing speech that lambasted Israel.