Meet the businesses collaborating for the good of the SME ecosystem | News – Speciality Food

Posted on by

From distilleries collaborating to produce hundreds of thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer to service providers offering free support and up-to-date advice to startups, independents are coming together and switching efforts to keep the industry alive

Jason Gibb, co-founder of Bread & Jam, starts: I always thought that the food and drink startup community was an incredibly supportive, collaborative group, but the way weve reacted during the COVID-19 crisis has exceeded even my expectations.

Jason has seen a huge number of service providers offering free support and up-to-date advice to startups. At Bread & Jam, for example, we ran a successful free daily webinar for two weeks focusing on ways to mitigate the impact of the crisis through online videos, blogs and forums like the FoodHub on Facebook, he explains.

Weve seen several websites pop up that aggregate info on producers who are offering D2C deliveries, most notably Stock Up Small and the Food & Drink Festival. And weve seen entrepreneurial brains flexed to the max with everything from shared fulfilment facilities (like Snaffling Pigs amazing offer to fellow brands) to clever marketing stunts like Signature Brews Pub in a Box which comes complete with snacks, music quiz, beer matts, an exclusive playlist and of course delicious beer. Weve obviously been hit extremely hard, some may not make it, but many I believe will come out stronger.

Coming togetherFourth generation family cheesemaker Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses has brought together small artisan food and drink producers and retailers from across the North West to create The Butlers Larder a service delivering fresh produce to doorsteps in the North West and West Yorkshire.

After a very local trial in Longridge, Goosnargh and Grimsargh, Butlers has brought together more suppliers and built an online platform so that it can reach even more households and involve even more small businesses. Its curated selection of food and drink essentials (from cheese, milk, yoghurt and eggs to fresh bread, fruit and vegetables, tea and coffee) from artisan producers in the North West, means that people can taste the best that the region has to offer while supporting small producers at a time when they really need it.

Matthew Hall, fourth generation owner, says, Its a difficult time for many small businesses and we have found a way for them to continue doing what they do best, knowing that they can get their products to people in their own homes.

As a 4th generation family business we have great links with makers, producers and artisans across the North West. We put passion, care and innovation into everything that we do, and we want to work with partners who share our values so that together, we can reach as many homes in the North West as possible with exciting brands and delicious fresh produce, he adds.

Producer partners include Fiddlers Lancashire Crisps, Hawkshead Relish and Andertons Butchers. You can see the full list of partners here.

Switching efforts In Wales several gin distilleries have collaborated to produce and give away more than 200,000 bottles of desperately needed hand sanitiser to frontline services, essential workers and community care providers since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Welsh Drinks Cluster, which represents Wales alcohol and soft drinks producers, the hundreds of thousands of products distributed to-date have been produced by just four distilleries, but this is just the start.

Currently, the organisation is working with 15 distillers across the country to help them switch production in response to the national call out for hand sanitizer. Wales craft gin and rum producers are set to become a vital supplier for communities across the nation and the first to receive the products free of charge have included hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries and the Royal Mail.

Dyfi Distillery, the producers of Pollination Gin, was one of the first to sign up. Danny Cameron, co-founder, explained: Like many distilleries, our thoughts turned to producing alcohol-based hand sanitiser some weeks ago. We have the ethanol and equipment required, the World Health Organizations approved recipes are simple, and the need for the product was more than apparent.

The challenges all distilleries initially met with were a combination of compliance and access to the other raw materials required. Thankfully, by collaborating with various authorities and Drinks Cluster, we were ultimately able to go into production, and distribute hand sanitiser free charge to 31 local front line organisations as a sincere thank you for every single person who is out there helping others, he added.

View original post here:

Meet the businesses collaborating for the good of the SME ecosystem | News - Speciality Food

Protecting The High Seas: Researchers Use Big Data to Identify Biodiversity Hotspots – Noozhawk

Posted on by

Often considered desolate, remote, unalterable places, the high seas are, in fact, hotbeds of activity for both people and wildlife.

Technology has enabled more human activity in areas once difficult to reach, and that in turn has brought a growing presence of industries such as fishing, mining and transportation in international waters the ocean beyond 200 nautical miles from any coast.

This increase is cause for concern to people like UC Santa Barbara researchers Douglas McCauley,Morgan Visalliand Benjamin Best, who are interested in the health and biodiversity of the oceans.

That no nation has jurisdiction over international waters has, at least historically, maderegulation very difficult and puts sensitive and essential ocean habitats and resources at risk.

The high seas are the planets last global commons, said Visalli, a marine scientist at the Benioff Ocean Initiative at UCSB. Yet marine life and resources on the high seas are at risk of being overexploited and degraded under the current fragmented framework of management.

"The world needs and deserves a comprehensive legal mechanism to protect high seas biodiversity now and into the future.

So when the United Nations turned its efforts toward negotiating the first global high seas treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, the scientistsleapt at the chance to put their expertise to work.

To kickstart this research, ocean scientists and high seas experts from 13 universities and institutions gathered in a series of workshops at UCSB. Together the team developed a standardized, data-driven strategy to identify hotspots of biodiversity potentially deserving of protection in the high seas.

One of the goals of these United Nations negotiations is to develop a pathwayfor the establishment of marine protected areas in the high seas, said Visalli.This creates an incredible opportunity to leverage new global data assets and data-driven planning tools to identify areas of the high seas that have outstanding conservation value and could be considered high priority areas for spatial protection.

The researchers results are published in a paper in the journal Marine Policy.

Marine protected areas designated parks in the sea where special measures are taken to protect biodiversity are among the most powerful and effective tools marine scientists and managershave at their disposal to look after marine biodiversity, maintain ocean resiliency and enhance the productivity of fishery resources that operate just outside of these parks.

But to get the most out of marine protected areas, they need to be put in the right places. Researchers in this collaboration used big data and an optimization algorithm to try tobalance the benefits of protectingcertain locations with high biodiversity against costs, such as the loss of fishing in that area.

Their aim was to find win-win solutions for the possible placement of these high seas protected areas.

It is a historic moment for our ocean, said McCauley, a professor of ecology at UCSB and director of the Benioff Ocean Initiative.

Places like New York City, that famously included parks for nature and people in their zoning plans before things got busy, have benefited immensely from that foresight. This is our Central Park moment for the high seas.

The researchers took more than 22 billion data points organized into 55 layers that included information on conservation-related factors such as species diversity, ocean productivity, threatened species and fishingin locations across the high seas, which cover about two-thirds of the global ocean.

They also future-proofed their analysis by including data layers describing the predicted diversity of species in a future ocean altered by climate change.

This is important because climate change is rapidly altering our oceans, McCauley said. Our approach illustrates one way to protect the biodiversity oases ofboth today and tomorrow.

Each hotspot identified in this analysis was special for its own unique reasons.

The research highlighted, for example,the Costa Rica Dome, a dynamic nutrient rich region that attracts endangered blue whales and leatherback sea turtles; the Emperor Seamount Chain, a string of extinct underwater volcanoes that are home to some of the oldest living corals; and the Mascarene Plateau, an area in the Indian Ocean that has the largest contiguous seagrass meadow in the world and provides habitat for many globally unique species.

These and other notable biodiversity hotspots across the globe could constitute the critical mass needed to achieve long-term marine sustainability goals, according to the study, and are worthy of consideration as the first generation of high seas marine protected areas.

Decades in the making and nearly close to completion, the high seas treaty negotiations were set to embark on their fourth round this month, but have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary results from this exercise were presented by UCSB scientists at the United Nations during the third negotiation session for the treaty last August.

This analysis, the researchers say, disproves the misconception that there is not enough good data about biodiversity in the high seas to strategically plan for high seas protected areas.

We have high hopes, McCauley said. We hope that the United Nations will indeed deliver a strong treaty later this year that includes measures to set up these new international ocean parks. And that science-based analyses, such as these, give them confidence that researchers and experts stand ready to help them strategically put these parks in smart places that will maximize the benefits that these parks will yield for people and nature.

Continued here:

Protecting The High Seas: Researchers Use Big Data to Identify Biodiversity Hotspots - Noozhawk

Upcoming ‘Sea of Thieves’ Update Will Change the High Seas – Exclusively Games

Posted on by

Sea of Thieves has tucked away its second anniversary under its belt, retreading bits and pieces of past events to give newcomers and old timers alike a taste of just how far the experience has come. Now, as revealed in a new update video, the adventures are about to heat up even more. Picking up in the wake of the Heart of Fire update, the nefarious undertakings of Captain Flameheart, Stitcher Jim, and the Masked Stranger are now in motion and when everything will finally come to a head is yet to be determined. But the threat is real, and as the stakes begin rising so does the level of involvement players will be able to undertake.

On April 22nd, players will be able to dive into the Ships of Fortune update. This update is aimed at overhauling key aspects of both Adventure mode and Arena mode. For Adventure mode, factions and reputation gains are being overhauled to give players the ability to wave the banner of different factions in favor of special unlockables and increased rewards of treasure and reputation gain the more they progress. Whether youre sailing on behalf of the Gold Hoarders, the Order of Souls, or the Merchant Alliance you can now represent the three main factions your way.

But beyond that, a new faction joins the fight in the form of The Reapers Bones. If youve been enjoying the rewards of the Masked Stranger and her dastardly deeds, from Reapers Chests to double-gold payouts on treasure, then youll love that this faction is now sending you out with the sole purpose of sinking the ships of other factions. This is perfect for those who see Sea of Thieves as a hunting ground. This is likely going to make already hostile encounters heat up quite a bit, because now there is more incentive beyond just the plundered loot of sunken ships. What better time to introduce a new mechanic to the combat system than with this addition? Now players will have the chance to revive their fallen allies in the heat of combat. Done carefully, ship-boardings and other encounters can now not only be prolonged but become much more intense.

It will be interesting to see how that change fairs within the Arena as well, boasting its own set of changes encouraged to make the matches more frantic and less of a war of attrition. Match times have been decreased, and objectives have been redesigned in a way to keep the fight going until the end. Its looking like the update is going to be full of plenty of changes that overhauls the games core components just enough that no one will feel like theyve been keelhauled.

Excerpt from:

Upcoming 'Sea of Thieves' Update Will Change the High Seas - Exclusively Games

Review: ‘Sea Fever’ Is a Contagion Thriller On The High Seas – Pajiba Entertainment News

Posted on by

For centuries, mankind has traversed, fished, and polluted the ocean, masquerading as its master. But still, we just scratch at the surface of its terrain and mysteries. The ocean is a world untamed, containing creatures far bigger than we and far beyond our understanding. Such a creature is at the center of the outstanding sci-fi horror film Sea Fever.

Written and directed by Neasa Hardiman, Sea Fever follows the journey of an average Irish trawler as it sets forth to find a rich cache of fish. A hefty haul is needed by the boats married co-captains (Dougray Scott and Connie Nielsen), who are behind in their debts and in their crews paychecks. To make ends meet, they agree to allow a marine biology student on board to observe and survey the marine life they encounter. But things are tense from the moment Siobhn (Hermione Corfield) steps on deck. Not only is she cringingly socially awkward, but also shes a redhead. And allowing a redheaded woman aboard a boat is a bad omen for superstitious sailors. Nonetheless, they cast off, chasing a big catch and seeking good fortune. But what theyll find is a strange, glowing creature that brings nothing but hardship and horror.

Though a creature feature, this clever low-budget thriller doesnt boast the kind of showy monster sequences of Jaws, The Meg, or John Carpenters The Thing. Instead, it favors a more under-the-skin approach to terror. Hardiman gives us glimpses of a sea beast massive, menacing, and beautifully bioluminescent. She offers blue goo that sludges about the trawler as an oozing if ambiguous threat. And she introduces a life cycle that throws mankind back into the food chain, and, oh yes, there will be blood. But the richest tension in Sea Fever comes not from its monster but from those driven wild by it.

Hardiman sets up a sensationally suspenseful dynamic aboard her ship with a series of culture clashes. First off, shy Siobhn prefers her samples and studies to people, hovering over a microscope to turn her back on an office birthday party. Shes also an intellectual snob, who looks down her button nose at these scruffy blue-collar workers. And she lets them know it with carelessly offensive remarks, like blithely asking their brilliantly inventive engineer, Why dont you have a better job? Its little wonder this tight-knit crew doesnt immediately embrace this stuck-up, erudite barnacle of a girl. But making matters worse is their cultural conflict of science versus superstition. On a dark night, they share nautical folklore, which Siobhn initially finds little more than curious. But when this mysterious creature breaches the boat and infects their water supply, its the crew who is skeptical as Siobhn begins to plead about potential parasitic contamination.

Heres where Hardiman pulls some inspiration from The Thing. The crew begins to eye each other, this outsider, and their own reflections, wary of signs of infection. Every open wound is a reason to worry. Every emotional outburst a potential symptom. And every nautical mile they draw closer to shore pushes them closer to a point of no return. On top of all of this, the scant hours this team sleeps means they are susceptible to mental breakdown, delusions, and sea fever. So they may not be able to believe their eyes. What is real is uncertainand unnerving.

Lean but intense, Sea Fever is a stellar horror-thriller that hooks us with its class conflict, then reels us in with a tale of monsters, mayhem, and impossible choices. Its cast brings an earthy earnestness that grounds the film from its dockside introductions, making its sci-fi beast feel all the more real and terrifying. From theres, Hardiman embraces the claustrophobic vibe of the run-down trawler, trapping her audience with its heroes and their fear there is no escape. Hardiman ratchets up the tension with bursts of blood, sparks of violence, and a climax thats suitably explosive for this setting and scale. And then, most remarkable of all, she gives us a finale that is deeply satisfying and suitably and strangely beautiful.

Sea Fever is available on VOD.

Kristy Puchko is the managing editor of Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter.

Header Image Source: Bright Moving Pictures

Next Article

Read more here:

Review: 'Sea Fever' Is a Contagion Thriller On The High Seas - Pajiba Entertainment News

Cruise lines turn to virtual cruising to give a taste of life on the high seas – The Telegraph

Posted on by

I cant help but feel a tinge of jealousy as I read about Danny Bradleys cruise around the Caribbean. Dolphin watching in the Dominican Republic, a sun-soaked beach in Jamaica, a day of sun, sea and cocktails as his ship sails from one island to another. And here we all are in lockdown in the UK.

As, indeed, is Danny. But while most of us are mourning holidays cancelled due to Covid-19, he has been livening up his lockdown by living his cruise virtually onsocial media.

Loving our balcony with these gorgeous Caribbean Sea vistas, he writes on his first day at sea on Marella Cruises ship Marella Discovery 2. Believe me Danny, so am I! By day four he is off for a bit of culture and beach time on a tour in Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. I can but dream!

The cruise his first with Marella was due to end this week in Jamaica but he loved it so much that plans to stay on for another virtual week as its a different itinerary. Lots of people have had their cruises cancelled and are feeling down in this crisis so this was a fun way to turn it on its head, he says. Will he ever do a real cruise again? I will certainly rebook with Marella as soon as I can, he promises.

Original post:

Cruise lines turn to virtual cruising to give a taste of life on the high seas - The Telegraph

Tired of ‘Frozen?’ Here are a few less obvious kids movies to stream – Martinsville Bulletin

Posted on by

This combination photo shows, The Beatles, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison arriving in Liverpool, England for the premiere of their movie "A Hard Day's Night," on July 10, 1964, left, a scene from the film "Apollo 11," center, and a portrait of Buster Keaton, the sad-faced comedian, in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 1955. (AP Photo, left, CNN/Neon via AP, center, and AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) Weeks of quarantine with kids have a way of burning through a movie collection.

Even with the libraries of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus and others, there are plenty of households that have already had their fill of "Frozen" and overdosed on "Onward." In the best of times, the canon for kids movies can feel limiting. Disney overwhelms.

But there's a wider world of movies out there for young ones. We'll assume they've already accrued a solid foundation of some of the essentials: "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Iron Giant," Pixar, the Muppets, et cetera. So here's a few slightly further afield options all available to stream, rent or are free that your kids might not have seen.

"Fly Away Home"

The outlines of this 1996 film, with Anna Paquin and Jeff Daniels, suggest a familiar and schmaltzy kind of family movie, but it's handled with such grace that it rises above the ordinary. Also, the geese are really great. A 13-year-old (Paquin) moves in with her estranged father (Daniels) in rural Canada after the death of her mother. She adopts an abandoned nest of goose eggs, raises them and teaches them to fly South for the winter. Available to stream on the Criterion Channel. The director, Carol Ballard, and the cinematographer, Caleb Deschanel, also crafted a movie of pastoral beauty and sweet child-animal camaraderie in 1979's "Black Stallion," which is streaming on Amazon Prime.

"Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro"

For streaming Studio Ghibli films, we'll have to wait until they collectively hit HBO Max when it launches in May. (They are available outside the U.S. on Netflix.) They are so good among the most wondrous in cinema you might just go ahead and buy copies of "My Neighbor Totoro," "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke." But for now, you can stream the feature-film directing debut of Hayao Miyazaki, the animation master and co-founder of Ghibli. "The Castle of Cagliostro," on Netflix, isn't as well-known as Miyazaki's best. But the director's verve and imagination is already on display in this, a caper that continues the exploits of the debonair thief Arsne Lupin. Here Lupin discovers the loot from a casino heist is counterfeit.

Buster Keaton

No child raised on Buster Keaton can turn out bad. It's just a fact. Most even young children recognize, and laugh their heads off at, his genius. Keaton's features are widely available, but many of his equally brilliant shorts can be streamed for free. Among them, "One Week," in which he tries to assemble a house; "The Goat," wherein Keaton is mistaken for a murderer; and "Cops," in which he angers the entire Los Angeles police force.

"Stop Making Sense"

Concert films are an underutilized source of entertainment for kids. Jonathan Demme's glorious Talking Heads documentary, available for digital rental and to stream for free via Vudu, is a good place to start. And since David Byrne slowly assembles his band beginning with just himself, an acoustic guitar and a tape deck, on "Psycho Killer" "Stop Making Sense" offers a good step-by-step education on how to build a post-modern funk extravaganza. Plus tips on wearing big suits and dancing with floor lamps. (See also: "A Hard Day's Night," on Criterion Channel and "The Last Waltz" on Amazon Prime.)

"The Three Caballeros"

There are forgotten Disney treasures, too, including this trippy 1944 gem streaming on Disney Plus. On his birthday, Donald Duck receives a package from his friends in Central and South America. Inside are film reels that bring a handful of individual tales and travelogues that Donald leaps into, too. It's a loving if overly exotic celebration of South America with some fabulous and surreal moments that blend animation and live action. The movie was produced as part of the wartime "Good Neighbor" policy to bring the Americas together and ward off any appeals from Axis powers. All of which is to say: "The Three Caballeros" isn't your average Disney movie.

"Apollo 11"

This hit 2019 documentary, on Hulu, simply follows the moon mission from launch to rescue, without talking heads and with large amounts of previously unseen IMAX footage. It's a propulsive time-capsule, one that the intervening 50 years has made only more stupendous. "Apollo 11," like the archival "For All Mankind," captures the all-ages thrill and glory of the moon landing.

"Pirates! Band of Misfits"

Aardman Animations has been reliably churning out delights, from "Wallace and Gromit" to "Shaun the Sheep," for decades. "Pirates! Band of Misfits" (2012) came and went somewhat quietly and didn't spawn a franchise. But the Aardman charm is there on the high seas, too. Streaming on Hulu.

"Boy"

Taika Waititi does kids better than any working filmmaker today. Well before his Oscar-nominated "Jo Jo Rabbit," Waititi was making comic and big-hearted films about childhood, including his Oscar-nominated short, "Two Cars, One Night," and this semi-autobiographical sophomore feature, inspired by that short. James Rolleston stars as an 11-year-old Maori boy and Michael Jackson fan whose dimwitted ex-convict father (a mulleted Waititi) returns home. Available on the free, public library streaming service Kanopy.

More entertainment news:

'The Mandalorian' Docuseries Coming to Disney+ for Star Wars Day

Worth Watching: Vampires Back in the 'Shadows,' 'Mrs. America,' 'Chicago' Finales, 'Riverdale' Does 'Hedwig'

'NCIS' Producers on Gibbs' 'Softer Side,' Episode 400 & Ziva's Season 17 Return

Follow this link:

Tired of 'Frozen?' Here are a few less obvious kids movies to stream - Martinsville Bulletin

Death on the high seas; the mysterious death of a humble fishing observer – Stuff.co.nz

Posted on by

On a sweltering but calm afternoon, EritaraAatiKaierua left the island of Pohnpei, Micronesiaon his final journey. Aboard a rusting Taiwanesefishing vessel he sailed south-east, leaving behind mangrove swamps on the shore line, and passing low coral atolls, beyond the breakwater beforereachingthe deep-blue of the Pacific.

He would never leave that ship. In less than five weeks, the 40-year-oldwould be dead, found lying on the floor of his locked cabin with a brutal head wound and bruising to his neck.

Kaierua's deathis now under investigation by Kiribati police, with assistance from Fijian pathologist.The father-of-fouris the tenthPacific fisheriesobserver to die on the lawless high seas in the last decade.

The tragedy hassparked a call for more protection for this vulnerable workforce, who oftenface hostility from captains and crews. And it's brought to light the mysterious deaths of two more i-Kiribati monitors in the last three years.

READ MORE:* Caught*Forced labour fishing tainting tuna supply*'Scorched-earth approach to fishing': Conservationists says Govt lobbying for fisheries*50 fishing boats refuse MPI observers in 18 months, data shows

Facebook

Eritara with his wife Tekarara Kabangaki.

Kaierua grew up on the Tarawara atoll in Kiribati, a central Pacific island nation that straddles the equator.

The sea was his playground and he and sisterNikora "Nicky"Kaieruawould play hide and seek on vessels moored in the lagoon."He was my best friend in childhood,"she said.

Their father was a ship's engineer and from the age of four, Kaierua dreamed of being a sea captain.

He graduated from a marine training centre and began sailing the world's oceans, working on cargo and oil ships. But these voyages took him away from his wifeTekararaKabangaki and their three young children, and in 2012 he took a job as a fisheries observer, working for the Kiribati government.

These watchdogstravel aboard fishing fleets, tracking their catches including any endangeredspecies by-catch. They make sure fishermen are following the rulesand not dumping unwanted fish overboard. It's vital toprotect oceans andpreserve fishstocks.

But it's dangerous and isolating work and they sometimes face hostility from the crews they are watching. Tuna is a multi-billion dollar industry and the Pacific is it's most lucrative fishing grounds.

H??l??ne Petit/WWF

Tuna contributes about US$42BN to the global economy, with a significant chunk of that caught in the Pacific Ocean.

Observer programmes are run bygovernments and regional fisheries management organisationsbut the monitors have no power to stop or sanction illegal activity. They can only watch, record and report.

In the past decade, ten observershave lost their lives on the vast stretch of ocean, with at least five under a cloud of suspicion. But the sea rarely gives up her secrets and these deaths have never been prosecuted.

"We've seen several instances over the last decade of observers that have gone missing or who have died under suspicious circumstances," says Alfred "Bubba" Cook, an ocean conservationist for the World Wide Fund for Nature.

"They are responsible for collecting information that can ultimately be used in investigations against that vessel and its crew. They're in a position where they're, at best, a nuisance and, at worst, a threat to the crew andthe company.

"So they're constantly in a position of being subject to threats, intimidation, bribes."

WWF

Bubba Cook is Western and Central Pacific Tuna Programme Manager at the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Kaieruaexperienced some of these tensions. In 2016, he told his sister about attempts to bribe him over a shark fin catch.

And in the year before he died, a crew turned on him after they were forced to offload tonnes of tuna in Tuvalu after officials check his log and found that it didn't match that of the captain. NickyKaierua, 42,says her younger brother felt his life was put in danger.

"Eritara got so scared... After that incident, he would go out to do his work, come back and lock himself up in his room.

"Inthe mess room, he was so fearful of being poisoned that he would grab the sailors food rather than eating the serve allocated for him.

"Most of the timehe would eatnoodles and biscuits, his own rations, in his room. He came off that boat and he reported it to Kiribati Fisheries."

His next posting was aboard a sister ship, and NickyKaierua said he was afraid. "Putting him aboard the sister boat showed safety wasn't a priority. But he came back alive and he was really thankful for that.

"The system appears to lack safety risk management. Had there been a robust and effectivesystem with a good reporting, lives could have been more protected and accidents could have been prevented."

Supplied

The WIN FAR NO.636 is currently being held in Kiribati while police investigate the death of an observer.

Kaierua's last voyage was aboard Win Far 636, a 30-year old tuna purse seiner, owned by Kuo HsiungFishery, based in Taiwan's Kaohsiung City. The local Kiribati agent for the vessel was the government-owned company, Central Pacific Products Limited (CCPL).

According to Kaierua's log, seen by his family, he boarded the vessel at 2.20pm on February 13. The vessel's tracking technology was switched off so their voyage is unclear.

His death was reported on March 3 in waters off Nauru. The Taiwanese government alerted the multi-national regulatory body Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Kiribati government.

The mainly Vietnamese crew opted to sail to Kiribati, but arrived a day later than expected. The ship was immediately impounded when it arrived.

Two of the crew were arrested, but thenreleased after questioning.

An autopsy revealed Kaierua died of a severe blow to the back of the head. On March 29 local police opened a murder inquiry.

Stuff understands he was found partially laying on his mattress which was on the floor. There was blood on his nose and there was food on his chest and neck.

supplied

Nicky Kaieru lost her brother Eritara at sea. She wants a thorough police investigation.

Mamara Ubatoi, of the Kiribati police, told Stuff the crew were cooperating: "According to the pathologist Eritara was murdered...We also have information that the [ship'] signalling device was off around the date and time of Eritara's demise," he said.

"We are still suspicious when they didn't report to Nauru and took so long for them to come to Kiribati. The case is still under investigation."

NickyKaierua said herfamily are anxious for answers and want a "solid" investigation. "I know the police are giving it their best shot but I also know police are not 100 per cent familiar with accidents at sea.

"We wantto get to the bottom of this. For the industry to learn from, for the observer programme or fisheries industry to learn from and to prevent the re-occurrence and mainly justice for my brother.

"We are hoping, we are praying."

She said her brother was conscientious and took his job seriously. "He was obedient, you know. He never broke the rules, even as a child."

Uati Tirikai heads Kiribati's fisheries observer programme. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Neither CCPL, the Ministry of Fisheries norTaiwan's Fisheries Agency answered questions.

supplied

Eritara Aati Kaieru "adored" his children.

MAONNIKI NAWII

The investigation has drawn attention to two other i-Kiribati deaths since December 2017, which the Association for Professional Observers, and WWF says they were previously unaware of.

Maonniki Nawiiwas found dead in his cabin aboard the Yu Wen 301 on December 18, 2017. He'd failed to show up for breakfast.

The vessel was in Papua New Guinea waters, but the captain request it dock in the Marshall Islands. Itwas instead directed to Honiara and Solomon Islands police carried out an investigation, at the request of Kiribati. It's understood authorities concluded that he died of "hypertension."

His wife couldn't be reached for comment, but she marked the second anniversary of his death on Facebook, saying: "They said that he slept and never woke up but [I] don't trust what they said." A relative added: "He was found on the job unable to wake up...it's a suspicious case. That's why we don't trust what was reported on him. He passed and lays to rest now next to everyone under the shade of the house."

Little is known about the death of Antin Tamwabeti, who is believed to have died by suicide, onshore.

FACEBOOK

Maonniki Nawii was found dead in his cabin after he failed to show up for breakfast.

Kaierua'sdeath has sent shockwaves around theobserver community, which has long been calling for greater protection and safety conditions.

In 2010, Charlie Lasisi's body was found, bound in chains, off the coast of WestSepik, Papua New Guinea in March. Six Filipino crew members were acquitted of his murder.

WesleyTaliawas reported missing in the waters of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, in 2015.

Larry Gavin went missing at sea in 2016 but his disappearance is so mysterious, there was no record of which ship he was working on. There was never an investigation into his death.

Fijian UsaiaMasibalavu was lost in 2016, after reportedly falling ill two-weeksafter boarding a vessel that left Pago Pago, American Samoa.

In the same year, Josh Sheldon, from the US, died of an advanced MRSA infection allegedly contracted on a Vietnamese longline fishing vessel.

James Numbaruwent missing in Nauru waters in June 2017. He was aboard a Chinese-flagged purse seiner and his body was never recovered, but the crew said he'd fallen overboard.

Cook fears there may be more. "Consider that we didn't even know aboutMaonnikiuntil a little more than a week ago.How many more do we not know about in the last 30 years of observer deployments?"

Keeping track of harassment andcasualties is difficult because systematic recording is non-existent, and the investigation of complaints falls into a bureaucratic black hole, with governments andregional fisheries management organisation slow to follow up and reluctant to prosecute.

In2015, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), responsible for fisheries regulations in the region, implemented safety and security measures to protect observers.

But Liz Mitchell, of theAssociation for Professional Observers, says these must go further.

"There must be some accountability.

"I'd like to see a measure in place that would require these vessels have astorage capacity for their CCTV footage. So, that ifsomething happens there's that evidence. Right now, I think what they're doing is just taping over it every day."

Supplied

Eritara Aati Kaieru "never broke the rules."

Covid-19 travelrestrictionsmeantNickyKaieruawas the only one of four siblings who could make it back to Kiribati to bury their brother. The rest are scattered around the world.

Her "biggest worry" is forKaierua's widow Tekarara, herchildren and their financial future."She seems to be braver than me right now. She's got emotional strength but I know she is crying inside.

"The kids are missing their father, they keep thinking he is coming home. He was a very good father, he adored his kids."

UNICEF

Kiribati operates an observer programme, deploying people to monitor tuna catch across the region.

See the article here:

Death on the high seas; the mysterious death of a humble fishing observer - Stuff.co.nz

All the cruise ships that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard – Business Insider – Business Insider

Posted on by

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic hit the cruise ship industry like a rogue wave.

Cruise ships like the Diamond Princess, the Grand Princess, the Ruby Princess, the Oasis of the Seas, and the Zaandam became the focus of international headlines after crew members and passengers fell ill with COVID-19.

Those widely-publicized outbreaks have helped to upend the entire seafaring business, with shares plummeting for industry giants like Carnival. And government officials in the United States have taken action by extending a no-sail order for cruises for at least another three months.

It is likely that the number of COVID-19 cases linked to cruise ship crew members and passengers will only go up in the weeks to come, as thousands of crew members are still stranded on stricken ships.

Here's a look at the cruise ships at the center of the coronavirus crisis on the high seas:

Ruobing Su/Business Insider

More here:

All the cruise ships that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard - Business Insider - Business Insider

Fossil discovery that changes the history of monkeys in the Americas – Somag News

Posted on by

32 million years ago, animals dominated terrestrial landscapes. Now, a new archaeological discovery changes what is known about the first monkeys on the American continent. Until recently, pot-bellied monkeys and white-capped capuchin monkeys were believed to have been the only primates to cross the Atlantic towards the Americas on small patches of land and vegetation. A new find in Peru has just included some more adventurers from the seas: those of the extinct species Ucayalipithecus perdita.

4-tooth fossils have been found on the banks of the Yura River, near the Brazilian border. Despite being few records, they can bring a lot of information. Teeth, because of their strength, are the easiest to last for millions of years. In addition, it is the dentition of mammals, in everlasting change, that can bring information about what type of animal is being analyzed.

Interestingly, the fossils found are quite similar to the monkeys of the extinct parapithecids group, which were believed to have lived only in Africa. Finding them in South America shows that they also crossed the ocean and found new land. This journey was purely random and had luck, but it spread the animals across the globe.

It is also worth remembering that, in this period, known as the Late Eocene, Africa and South America were closer. The two continents were 1.5 thousand to 2.1 thousand kilometers apart. Currently, both are 2,800 kilometers from each other. In other words, the journey through the seas was a little less long.

The fossils were found by scientists led by Erik Seiffert of the University of Southern California. I have to admit that I was much more skeptical about rafting until I saw a video of blankets of vegetation floating through the Panama Canal, with trees upright and maybe even bearing fruit, explains Seiffert about how monkeys would have made their own. travels.

However, the monkeys hardly had the intention of throwing themselves into the sea. Most likely, intense storms took coastal primates to the high seas, where they found a way to stay alive in these makeshift rafts. It was up to the sea currents to spread the different African monkeys to different points of the American continent from North to South.

Read this article:

Fossil discovery that changes the history of monkeys in the Americas - Somag News

Princess Annes Interview on Prince Andrew, Harry and Meghan & Life as a Royal – Vanity Fair

Posted on by

She declines to identify herself as a feminist; rather she says she wants to see every young person achieve their full potential. She became patron of Opportunity International U.K. (which helps young entrepreneurs in some of the poorest countries in Africa) in 1998 to do just that, but she also remains steadfastly loyal to her oldest charities and is deeply proud of her 50 years of work with Save the Children, for which she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. But she says its not her legacy thats important but whether the organization as a whole has made the sort of difference that it really wants to. So, you know, you look at the Save the Childrens adverts and you think, Has nothing improved? When actually, yes it has, but that doesnt get you any more funding.

I dont think this younger generation [of royals] probably understands what I was doing in the past.

Its not just about, Can I get a tick in the box for doing this? No, its about serving. It comes from an example from both my parents way of working and where they saw their role being. I mean, my father served. It was a more direct form of service, I suppose you could argue. And the queens has been a lifelong service in a slightly different way, but they both have that perspective of service which is about working with people. Remarkably for someone who has always seemed so driven and confident, it took her time to find her voice on the world stage. It took me probably 10 years before I really felt confident enough to contribute to Save the Childrens public debates, because you needed to understand how it works on the ground and that needed a very wide coverage. So my early trips were really important.

And she worries that the younger generation of royals may be in too much of a hurry to change the royal familys tried and tested approach when it comes to philanthropy. Describing herself as the boring old fuddy-duddy at the back saying, Dont forget the basics, she cautions, I dont think this younger generation probably understands what I was doing in the past and its often true, isnt it? You dont necessarily look at the previous generation and say, Oh, you did that? Or, You went there? Nowadays, theyre much more looking for, Oh lets do it a new way. And Im already at the stage, Please do not reinvent that particular wheel. Weve been there, done that. Some of these things dont work. You may need to go back to basics.

Over the years the princess has traveled extensively, clocking up visits to Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina with Save the Children, but she has reluctantly scaled back her overseas travel in part because of logistics and in part because the younger royals do the lions share of overseas work.

She has plannedpandemic permittingto be in the States this fall to visit the New York branch of the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity of which she is president, and the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island, which has asked her to be its new patron. It was very kind of them to ask, she says, adding that lighthouses have always fascinated her. How [Robert] Stevenson built those lighthouses [along the coast of Scotland] is just phenomenal. Theyre very important and need to be maintained, and thats a part of the maritime sector Im interested in, and I like trying to raise that profile.

Being at sea is a personal pleasure and on the rare occasions she does get time off, she enjoys sailing up the West Coast of Britain with her husband, Vice Admiral Laurence.

Its just my husband and I, she smiles.

This summer had been set to be a busy one, if travel and social restrictions are relaxed, so the high seas may have to wait. (At press time, the Prince of Wales had tested positive for coronavirus. Princess Anne was safe and well at her home Gatcombe Park, and following government guidelines.) The queen is rumored to be planning a special birthday celebration for her daughter (who turns 70 on August 15) while courtiers are gathering representatives from her many charities and organizations for a special get-together at Buckingham Palace. And yet, the princess is just like anyone else reflecting on a milestone birthday. Well, it would be nice if it were just another year passed, she says, but I dont think thats going to happen.

Visit link:

Princess Annes Interview on Prince Andrew, Harry and Meghan & Life as a Royal - Vanity Fair

Building Spiritual Readiness in the Time of COVID-19 – United States Army

Posted on by

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. During this time of social distancing, working from home, and being separated from others, some people may experience tough times. They might be looking for answers, question their role in the world, and be faced with unique stressors.One way to address the challenges may be by building spiritual readiness, according to the Army Resilience Directorate in Washington, D.C.The directorate divides resiliency, or readiness, into five components: spiritual, physical, psychological, social, and family. Some people may think spirituality means religion the traditional definition but over time, more have come to view spirituality and religion as two separate, but interconnected, topics.The Army Public Health Center defines spirituality as a sense of connection that gives meaning and purpose to a person's life. The Center points out that spirituality is unique to each individual.Spiritual readiness has several definitions, according to Chaplain (Col.) David Deppmeier, RHC-P command chaplain.For people of faith, a relationship with God answers those questions of identity and purpose as people created by God to know him and serve his purpose, Deppmeier said. Their walk with God yields insight and guidance, and provides hope and contentment as they navigate the challenges of life.But, Deppmeier said, religious faith is just one aspect of spiritual fitness.Its important to remember that many people have a spiritual worldview that doesnt involve a belief in God or a transcendent power, Deppmeier said. They may be guided by a philosophy or their own morality or core values, apart from a religion.Deppmeier said spirituality is a key part of many peoples lives.A persons spirituality isnt just a once-a-week experience that results from a religious service, Deppmeier said. Its the central part of who they are because it guides their belief system, moral conduct, and outlook on life.Chaplains encourage Soldiers and their family members to find hope, strength and resiliency through their own faith tradition, Deppmeier added.Deppmeier said that spiritual readiness is an integral part of the Armys program to ensure the health and strength of its Soldiers.Throughout our Armys history, our leaders have recognized the importance of caring for the religious needs of our Soldiers and their families, he said. Our Army leaders have always understood that spiritual readiness is a central part of a Soldiers overall readiness.There are a number of ways to build upon spiritual readiness, during self-quarantine, working from home, or being physically separated from others, Deppmeier said.I suggest setting clear goals to develop a spiritual resilience program, he said. I once read a study that indicated that people who actually write their goals down on paper accomplish 95 percent more than those who dont.Deppmeier suggested that people may want to set aside some time each day to meditate, pray, or read religious or devotional materials.Another goal may involve deciding to attend regular worship services in order to receive encouragement, experience fellowship, and deepen an understanding and faith in God, he added.Deppmeier said there are additional ways to build spiritual readiness apart from religious services or practices, especially if people are unable to leave their homes.Since many of us are experiencing isolation from others, its a great time to set a goal to read a book a week or month on any topic that will inspire or encourage you, he said. Its easy to check out e-books at your local library and start a reading plan. Get your spouse or loved one involved in reading a book together and it can deepen your communication.Deppmeier said the RHC-P pastoral staff is always available to Soldiers, civilians and families and that their role goes far beyond what is normally associated with the chaplain.Our chaplains lead religious services, provide counseling, and conduct religious support training events, he said, such as ward appreciation events for staff members, or classes on topics like suicide prevention, coping with grief, or managing stress or anger.Other methods of building spiritual readiness found on APHCs Spiritual Health include yoga, meditation, and downloadable brochures containing information to outside resources.One advantage to being at home, Deppmeier said, is that people may find themselves with more time in which to work on their own spiritual readiness.I often hear the complaint, If I only had more time! he said. I know were all busy, but well only have the time if we make the time, and we always make time for the things most important to us.HELP IS AVAILABLEThe Army has a variety of resources available to help build and maintain resiliency. These resources are there for Soldiers, civilians, retirees, and their families. Many are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Because so many Regional Health Command-Pacific staff members are working long hours, working from home, or are self-quarantining with their families, were sharing their contact information to reach a wider audience.Regional Health Command-Pacific Behavioral Health: Lawrence Edwards, lawrence.a.edwards3.civ@mail.mil; Warren Aoki, warren.k.aoki.civ@mail.mil; Michael Martella, michael.a.martella2.civ@mail.mil.Regional Health Command-Pacific Chaplain: Chaplain (Col.) David Deppmeier, 808-594-8031, david.j.deppmeier.mil@mail.mil; Staff Sgt. Michael Kuehne, 808-741-3049, michael.k.kuehne.mil@mail.mil.Regional Health Command-Pacific Master Resiliency Trainer: Sgt. 1st Class David Baker, 808-800-1450, andrew.d.baker5.mil@mail.milArmy Resilience Directorate: https://readyandresilient.army.mil/index.htmlArmyFit: https://armyfit.army.mil/Army Public Health Center Spiritual Fitness: https://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/healthyliving/bh/Pages/SpiritualHealth.aspxComprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness: https://readyandresilient.army.mil/CSF2/index.htmlMilitary Crisis Line (U.S.): (800) 273-8255 or DSN 111; Press 1. Text: 838255Military Crisis Line (Korea): 0808-555-118 or DSN 118Military OneSource 24/7 Support: 800-342-9647Psychological Health Center of Excellence: 866-966-1020; 24/7 outreach

Read more:

Building Spiritual Readiness in the Time of COVID-19 - United States Army

NCR readers share how they keep spiritually grounded, part three – National Catholic Reporter

Posted on by

NCR recently asked how to keep spiritually grounded in a pandemic crisis. Readers responded with how they deepen their faith life and spiritual practice by discovering new prayers and rituals or participating in livestreamed events. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

A very spiritual friend of mine, whom I phoned the day after my country went into lockdown, drew my attention to the following text:

"Bow down, then, before the power of God now,so that he may raise you up in due time;unload all your burden on to him,since he is concerned about you.Keep sober and alert,because your enemy the devil is on the prowllike a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledgethat it is the same kind of sufferingthat the community of your brothersthroughout the world is undergoing.You will have to suffer only for a little while:the God of all gracewho called you to eternal glory in Christwill restore you,he will confirm, strengthen and support you.His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen."(1 Peter 5:6-11 JB)

It came to her attention, seemingly, by accident. But we know that God answers our prayers, often in ways we do not expect. I have decided to read it every day of this crisis and to pray that by God's power a better world will emerge post COVID-19.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

I am 81 and live on my own. This crisis brings home to me how little I have done to show my love to the needy and how powerless I am without my Savior, Jesus Christ. God's presence has become much more real to me.

BERNARD THOMAS HARRINGTONKatikati, New Zealand

***

I've joined streaming spiritual and faith sharing opportunities, including those led by Jesuit Fr. Jim Martin. I also watched a virtual Lenten mission led by Cardinal Sean O'Malley on CatholicTV and streaming online.

I am also a daily user of the app "Pray As You Go," which is produced by the Jesuits of Great Britain. Daily reflections, devotions and of course many versions of the examen are contained within the app. It truly has something for everyone.

I also subscribe to "Give Us This Day," a daily prayer resource.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

The Gospel for the last weekend in January was the story of Jesus asleep in the storm-tossed boat, with the disciples waking him with their statements of fear ("Do you not see that we are perishing?"). I've been carrying that story ever since, which has been increasingly in my mind and heart as the coronavirus crisis has escalated. I have also been praying with a reflection, on that same Gospel, written by St. Augustine about waking up the Christ who is asleep inside of us during times of tumult.

PAUL CHRISTIANBoston, Massachusetts

***

Centering Prayer has been a daily practice of mine for the past 15 years. I do it twice a day, first thing in the morning and again before dinner. I facilitate a group session each Thursday evening. As I begin each session, I consent to God's action and presence in my life. I then sit in silence. I use a sacred word whenever a thought creeps in to remind me to return to my silence and alert receptivity of God's presence. At this time of the coronavirus, I feel more called to periods of silence and the stabilizing impact that it has on my life. Centering Prayer is practice developed by Fr. Thomas Keating, the founder of Contemplative Outreach.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

I am so thankful for my faith always and its sustaining impact especially in times of difficulty.

ROBERT J. FERKENHOFFNokomis, Florida

***

I am finding Sulpician Fr. Raymond E. Brown'sThe Death of the Messiaha great resource right now. I am only reading the commentary sections of his magnificent work but it gives me an opportunity to very slowly and sometimes prayerfully follow Jesus through the night after the Last Supper. I take Brown's commentary in small doses and that has proved to be the best way for me to spend a part of each day as I shelter at home.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

I think for the most part my faith and an appreciation for the Communion of Saints that is so deeply implanted in our faith, makes me more aware of those who are suffering from the coronavirus but also of those who are tending to them.

DONALD CASEYMahwah, New Jersey

***

As a queer Catholic, I'm compelled by the power of the rosary. I've been praying it daily with particular affinity for the hail holy queen at conclusion. The protection, comfort and healing offered by the Blessed Mother nurtures my soul. I hope to see a resurgence of the rosary and its reclamation by folks on the margins, the vulnerable and the forgotten. I hope it gives folks with more privilege a sense of perspective and a thirst for justice.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

My spiritual practice has allowed me to maintain a sense of routine and structure during uncertain times and it connects me with a higher power to rely on when so many things are out of my hands. It's also been helpful for my partner (an atheist) to see the power and solace of spiritual practice. I bought a rosary for him as a gift!

MATT GALKOWSKINew Orleans, Louisiana

***

Spiritual resources:

Connecting with old friends in various locations. Connecting with my six siblings via text and "virtual cocktail hour." My husband and two daughters who are home from college.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

Having the luxury to spend uninterrupted time in prayer each morning because I have no place to go, no appointments to make, etc., has been wonderful and I am very grateful.

JODEE FINKCresskill, New Jersey

***

This trying time of isolation is not new to me. I experienced it once before in Northern California when many of us, who were survivor/advocates in the clergy abuse crisis, were shunned/shamed out of our parishes and forced to find an alternative, spiritual life. Saying the rosary and Marian devotions, once consoling, went out the door because I associated them with those who had humiliated us.

Each Sunday for 20 years, my husband and I celebrated an ersatz Mass at our kitchen table, using the readings for the day and Gospel commentaries by William Barclay and Charles Spurgeon. We elevated bread and wine remembering our Lord's sacrifice and his earthly persecution (so like ours). We prayed for the church and our perceived enemies. Sometimes our adult children and their friends joined us.

Now we live on a beautiful, 10-acre property near Glacier Park. Although our parish church is closed and we have no close friends there, we are blessed with the presence of four of our children nearby and my retired, missionary brother and his wife nearby. Currently, spending online time with Pope Francis at daily Mass is my delight. Together my husband and I start each morning with readings from daily devotionals, a chapter from one of Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr's marvelous books, then recite "Our Father," "Hail Mary," "Glory Be," "Morning Offering" (redesigned to fit our times) and Augustine's Holy Spirit prayer.

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to say that, both in our previous life in California and our current life here in Montana, NCR has always served us well as our personal support and church in exile.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

Memories of my devout parents, the education received from the Sisters of Charity as well as the mentoring and example by fellow Catholic-Christians along life's journey support me well during this second crisis in my life.

NANCY McGUNAGLEKalispell, Montana

***

When Pennsylvania's governor put on the stay in place order and all my volunteer activities were cancelled, I breathed a sigh of relief and saw this time as a retreat. As the weeks have passed, I have kept a "City Liturgy" that I found on Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister's Monasteries of the Heart website. So my day has been structured around a simple way to remember to be continually in the presence of God. I start each day with reading Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr's daily meditations, the readings of the day and a half hour of Centering Prayer. Throughout the day, according to my "City Liturgy," I remember to come into God's presence. In the early evening, I read another meditation or scriptures, journal and do another half-hour of Centering Prayer. Just before bed, some friends and I pray together in communion for a few minutes. This continuing retreat has united me with God and the world in our universal suffering. I have found joy and peace and oneness.

In what ways, if any, has your faith helped you to deal with the crisis?

My faith has shown me that God is in this crisis. There is no way to separate us from God.

BARBARA J. BAKERLewisburg, Pennsylvania

View original post here:

NCR readers share how they keep spiritually grounded, part three - National Catholic Reporter

Stay Safe by Practicing Religion and Spirituality from Home – Merrillfotonews

Posted on by

Lincoln County, WI On March 24, 2020, Governor Evers issued a Safer at Home order, directing Wisconsinites to stay at home in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. This order is in effect until Friday, April 24, 2020, or until a superseding order is issued.Safer at Home allows individuals to leave their homes for limited essential activities, including shopping for groceries, obtaining medicine, and caring for a family member in another household. Essential businesses and operations are also allowable, though physical distancing and other safety measures are required to keep employees and customers safe.The order no longer allows for gatherings of more than 10 people in a room or confined space at a time. A confined space is not only limited to indoor gatherings, but also includes any defined space, including parking lots and festival grounds. This includes religious gatherings, drive-in services, weddings, and funerals. Any gathering with fewer than 10 people must still adhere to physical distancing requirements by staying at least six feet from others and stayinghome if you are sick. It is also important to limit gatherings only to people living within the same household to avoid transmitting the virus through social networks.Physical distancing is our only defense against this virus. Community, faith- and spiritual- based organizations have an important role in slowing the spread of COVID-19, especially among high-risk populations. These organizations often nobly serve those who are most vulnerable, including people with heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. These community members are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness.This is a challenging time for all and we have to make big sacrifices for a little while to protect the health of our community, said Shelley Hersil, CHES, MPH Health Officer for the Lincoln County Health Department. For many in our communities, coming together to practice our religious and spiritual beliefs provides hope, strength and social connectedness. We look forward to the day we can again allow in-person gatherings to take place. In the meantime, we ask that you stay connected with one another through phone calls, video chats, text messages, and other ways.Religious and spiritual leaders should continue to stay up-to-date on information related to the pandemic and actively disseminate accurate and timely information. This includes developing information-sharing systems with partners, including local health officials, and communicating this information to regular attendees, people being served by the organization, and the broader community.Thankfully, with modern technology there are many creative options available for staying connected and nurturing spiritual health during this challenging time. Many churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other places of worship are offering services through television, radio, podcasts, and livestreams on the Internet. Individually, and as families, taking time to be mindful, meditate, and pray is important for spiritual health while we all do our part to keep our community safe while staying safer at home, says Hersil.We sympathize with congregants of faith- and spiritual-based organizations that miss the services and fellowship, but the goal is to keep everyone safe and healthy by following the practices put in place by the Safer At Home order.If you have questions or immediate needs related to COVID-19, call 2-1-1 or text COVID-19 to 211-211. For up-to-date information, please frequently monitor the Lincoln County Health Department website Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and follow our Facebook page Lincoln County Health Department Home, and follow @DHSWI on Facebook and Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram. Additional information can be found on the Wisconsin DHS website for updates and at the CDC website.

Link:

Stay Safe by Practicing Religion and Spirituality from Home - Merrillfotonews

COVID-19 and the Spiritual Life | Dale M. Coulter – First Things

Posted on by

The coronavirus is altering social existence in ways that we can and cannot yet perceive. Even after a vaccine finally defangs the virus, society will feel the impact of COVID-19 for decades, if not longer. The same was true of the Black Death that first hit Europe in the mid-fourteenth century.

One of the Black Deaths most significant effects was its acceleration of certain spiritual trends that had already been steadily growing. During and after this period, Christianity saw the blossoming of an interior spirituality that had been forged in the reforms of the twelfth century. In the words of the great historian of mysticism, Bernard McGinn, the flowering of mysticism (12001350) produced a late medieval harvest for the spiritual life.

The loss of church leaders and the constant scandals of the institutional church in the late Middle Ages meant it was ill-equipped to deal with the challenges posed by the plague. What took its place was a spirituality centered in religious orders and lay religious life. With many rural villages devastated and clergy migrating to major cities like London, this spirituality was fostered in monasteries or even normal homes rather than local parishes. Espoused by men and women, it sustained the faithful even as it further called into question institutional order. Its key themes were a focus on the humanity of Christ, a program of meditation and contemplation, and a return to the simplicity of being a Christ follower. These themes can also provide us spiritual comfort in the battle against COVID-19.

The ravages of the Black Death led many to warn that medieval Europe stood under the judgment of God. Plays depicted hells torments and preachers unleashed fiery rhetoric. With more than 30 percent of the total population succumbing to the illness (in some places more than 50 percent), it was easy to reach this conclusion. As a counter to these pronouncements, spiritual writers picked up on the Franciscan turn to the humanity of Jesus, especially his crucifixion. In the crucified Christ, medieval writers saw Gods entrance into the suffering of humanity in order to redeem.

Julian of Norwich went so far as to claim that Christs emaciated and bloody body resembled our foul, black death, which our fair, bright, blessed Lord bore for our sins. In becoming the plague victim, Jesus conquered sin and death and revealed that there is no anger in God. To be sure, Julian saw wrath woven into the structures of creation as they meted out sickness and death and the pain of sin that wounds the soul. But the crucified Christ, she said, pointed toward a conquering love that takes suffering and redeems it to bring humanity into union with the triune God.

Pain and suffering do not have the final say over human existence. Instead, they become a means by which God redeems souls who, through prayer, follow the footsteps of the crucified. In her response to the plague, Catherine of Siena made it clear that suffering on its own only destroys. Yet even the pain of illness can be converted to life, if the ravaged soul turns it into a means of clinging to the crucified one in prayer. This is the path to union with Christ. The point for Catherine was not to assert the necessity of suffering but to offer those caught up in the pain of life a way to utilize that pain for the souls final end, namely, its return to the creator from whom it came. Christs own suffering showed the way.

Both Catherine and Julian were gesturing toward a pedagogical purpose for pain and suffering grounded in the crucifixion. Not only did the ravages of life humble the soul, they forced the person to enter into its inner depths to find answers. This required a turn to the interior life. Quoting Scripture, Thomas Kempis told his readers, The kingdom of God is within you. Turn with all of your heart to the Lord and forsake this miserable world. . . . Learn to despise outward things and to give yourself to things inward, and you shall see the kingdom of God come within. For the kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Pain and suffering cast human frailty into relief, thereby compelling the person to gaze into her own soul, which is to do nothing less than peer at the mirror of God.

Medieval writers premised the turn to the interior life on a rejection of the external world. This did not mean denying the goodness of creation, but rather recognizing that the goods of creation pointed back toward the goodness of the Creator. As long as humans fixated on created goods, they would not make the ascent back to their true home. Even more to the point, a constant outward gaze was simply a failure to reckon with who we are and where we are going.

The most intense Germanic traditions of the late Middle Ages saw this path as involving radical detachment, an emptying of created things to make room for divine things. In England, the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing referred to the turn to the interior as moving through a cloud of forgetfulness in which the person lost sight of the goods of creation. The vicissitudes of temporal existence destabilize the soul both because nothing temporary can provide a permanent foundation and because the constant changes of the impermanent constantly change the person.

Accompanying this turn to the interior life was a spiritual program that moved from meditation on the self to meditation on Christ and finally to meditation on the God revealed in Christ. The final movement into God was a contemplative elevation, an ecstatic uplift that grace alone could bring about.

The late medieval antidote to the Black Death was not a reassertion of the institutional order of the church. Instead, it was an invitation to turn within and find Christ, something anyone could do in his or her home. With so many churches temporarily closed around the globe, pastors and priests need to become spiritual directors, guiding their flocks as they turn within and find the crucified God.

Dale M. Coulter is associate professor of historical theology at Regent University.

View post:

COVID-19 and the Spiritual Life | Dale M. Coulter - First Things

Spiritual Health Matters in the COVID-19 Crisis – MedicineNet

Posted on by

APRIL 15, 2020 -- On Friday, March 20, an identity-protected Georgia physician told CNN's Sara Sidner, "It's the first time in my career that I've been afraid."

The COVID-19 pandemic would be frightening even without insufficient ICU beds or ventilators. But when shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) have prompted the CDC to recommend that providers reuse their "one-time-use only" face masks, healthcare professionals now find themselves vulnerable and exposed in literal and unprecedented ways.

Clinicians have always spent their careers on the tenuous threshold separating life and death. Never in our lifetimes, however, have the existential concerns of clinicians themselves been made quite so legible. And never in recent history have they faced the complex moral questions that this public health emergency will inevitably provoke.

The impact of clinician well-being on patient perceptions and quality of care was substantiated well in advance of this coronavirus outbreak. More than merely a health crisis, the pandemic is also a global spiritual event. Attending to the spiritual well-being of clinicians is well aligned with current recommendations published in Annals of Internal Medicine to "deploy designated wellness champions in health care systems and practices to field clinicians' concerns." Efforts to demystify the discipline of spiritual health will be helpful to these initiatives in the difficult days ahead.

A few notes to help clear the way:

"Who believes in that stuff?"

More of us than many of us might think.

Western medicine makes its home in a rationalist environment that appropriately relies upon scientific evidence to ensure ethical care. At this moment in human history, however, it's worthwhile to recognize the contemporary healthcare setting as a cultural backdrop all its own, a meeting ground for the clinical encounter that is governed by a distinct set of accepted beliefs, norms, and values.

One consequence of the Cartesian dualism that dominates Western medicine is the survival of a 20th-century artifact: a persisting association of spirituality with anti-intellectualism. This is frequently observable in the comments sections of online articles about medicine and spirituality. It is also representative of a striking disconnect: 95% of Americans and 76% of US physicians believe in G-d, a universal spirit, or a higher power.

To be clear, these individuals might not be religiousmany might never set foot in a house of worshipbut they still believe in G-d or Something.

Hence, despite the increased emphasis of recent years on patient-centered care, healthcare remains culturally oriented to "Other-ing" those whose scientifically unproven spiritual beliefs help them navigate the existential crisis of illness. This can engender a "splintering of the selves" among the majority of clinicians who secretly share those unproven spiritual beliefs. Rather than risk professional embarrassment, the spiritual needs of healthcare professionals are often suppressed and left at loose ends.

"What spiritual needs? I honestly believe there's nothing out there."

Even among those who believe there's nothing "out there," there is still something "in here."

Spirituality, which may or may not include identification with a Divine being, a specific faith group, or religious practice, is aptly defined as "the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred. "

Connectedness, meaning, and purpose are essential human needs that are as true for all healthcare professionals as they are for everyone else. This is the essence of spiritual health.

How can contemporary professional chaplains help their colleagues?

Board-certified healthcare chaplains (and chaplains working/training under the auspices of board-certified chaplains in USDE- or ACCET-accredited clinical pastoral education [CPE] programs) are extensively trained to witness and accompany persons across all belief systems, including secularism. We are a built-in resource for hospital staff and administrators alike.

Board-certified chaplains do not proselytize and we are not mental health professionals. We read the subtitles of human interaction and help persons to engage with meaning-making by drawing from their own belief systems. Just like the way chaplains formulate, relay, and execute spiritual care plans for patients and families, we can also help clinicians and healthcare leaders strategize and plan for their own spiritual self-care and that of their teams.

Leadership matters

As New York Governor Andrew Cuomo succinctly and skillfully recommended at his March 23 press briefing, the current goal for most of us should be to stay "socially distanced, spiritually connected." For clinicians on the frontlines who do not have the luxury of social distancing, specific workplace encouragement to tap any and all of their best inner resources may be especially beneficial.

Healthcare leaders who are willing to create initiatives to meet spiritual needs within their organizations and, more important, who are willing to be seen using and advocating for using those resources are uniquely positioned to inspire a cultural shift.

The ability to spiritually connect with ourselves, with others, and with whatever/Whoever deeply sustains us is vitally important to our well-being as we scale this unnerving societal hurdle. May we all feel the freedom to attend to our spiritual health, and in doing so, may we recognize that we are also legitimately helping to sustain our patients, our colleagues, our families, and the world.

Elizabeth J. Berger is an advanced practice, board-certified chaplain and a graduate of Columbia University's master of science program in narrative medicine. Named a 2020 Top 100 Healthcare Leader by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare, Elizabeth speaks about spirituality in medicine. Elizabeth teaches medical humanities and professional formation at Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. She is also an ordained member of the Jewish clergy. Contact her at [emailprotected]

References

2020 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Read more:

Spiritual Health Matters in the COVID-19 Crisis - MedicineNet

Chaplains and Spiritual Care in Hospitals During the Coronavirus Pandemic – The New Yorker

Posted on by

Kaytlin Butler, a chaplain at Mount Sinai Hospital, often tells the sick that they do not have to be alone. She says it to them even now, when hospitals have barred many patients from receiving visitors. In the past few weeks, Butler has been saying it to them over the phone, reaching the suffering in rooms that no one can enter except masked medical staff. She has been saying it to patients families, also over the phone. And, if a patient is sedated and no family can be found, she has prayed outside the door, trusting that the person in the bed will feel connectedto her, to everyoneby that ineffable thing that she calls God, but for which many people have many names. Butler does not care if they call it God. She cares that they feel loved.

Butler, twenty-six, is one of eight chaplains on Mount Sinais Spiritual Care team. The team, which also has four residents, includes two rabbis, a Jewish woman who is not ordained, a Seventh-day Adventist, a woman who is inspired by Buddhism, and an evangelical Christian. (The hospital is also served by two Catholic priests, who are sent by the New York archdiocese.) The staff are divided by unit: pediatrics chaplain, cardiology chaplain. Butler, who expects to be ordained as a Presbyterian minister later this year, is the hematology and oncology chaplain. Right now, though, all of the chaplains are also COVID-19 chaplains.

Chaplains, who provide existential support in secular contextsfrom prisons to colleges to airportshave been working, in some way or another, since ancient royals staffed their courts with priests. Their job, as Butler sees it, is to accompany people who did not want or expect to be where they are, and to comfort their loved ones. Her priority, when doing that job, is to listen. Butler wants to hear any story that the people she is working with might want to tell, or any fear or hope or desire that they might be ready to express. Her goal, as she listens, is to help people make meaning of their circumstances. That is true if the diagnosis is cancer, or if the diagnosis is the novel coronavirus.

Butler has a cubicle on the second floor of Mount Sinai, upstairs from the chapel and across the hall from the synagogue. Her window used to look out on Central Park. Now the view is of the tented field hospital run by Samaritans Purse, an evangelical organization led by Franklin Graham. Each day, medical staff refer patients to Butler for chaplain visits, or relatives call the hospital to ask for chaplain services. On a recent Friday morning, Butler had received three requests. One was to make a call to a COVID-19 patients daughter, since the patient, who was intubated, could not speak. Butler got on the phone and prayed with the daughter, who wondered if there was any way that she could address her mother, who spoke a language besides English. Butler stood outside the mothers room with her cell phone on speaker. The family was Catholic. From a cardboard box, Butler chose a scapular and a rosary and put them in a plastic bag for a nurse to take to the patients bedside.

The other two calls were to COVID-19 patients. Both of them were Pentecostal Christians. Butler dialled one, a woman, from her office phone. The woman told Butler that, though she was afraid, she also felt loved by both her family and God. Butler affirmed the womans feelings, and then she made the other call. This time, the patient told Butler that he was afraid that God was punishing him. The man wanted to tell Butler how he had angered God: he had done something of which he was ashamed, he said, and he was sure that this was Gods retribution. Butler listened to him as he explained what he had done. She asked him if he could forgive himself.

No, he replied. He couldnt.

God has a lot more grace for you than you have for yourself, she told him. When I listen to you, I hear someone who really loves the people in his life, and is deeply faithful, and takes responsibility for his actions.

They said a prayer for peace together, and when Butler hung up she felt uneasy. She was sad for the man, and she felt powerless. But what more could she do than call again and hope that he would still be there to pick up the phone?

Recently, a nurse asked Butler where God was in all this. Butler does not believe that there is one right answer to that question. For myself, I dont see the disaster as something that is made or wrought by God, she said. I think God shows up in the places where people are trying to save lives and clean up this mess that others have mismanaged. Butler told the nurse that God was right here, crying with us.

That afternoon, Butler got a call from a group of doctors. A COVID-19 patient, intubated and sedated, didnt have long to live, the doctors told her, but no one could identify any family members. Would she go to his door and say a prayer for him? Upstairs, Butler could see the man through the doors glass. She put a hand on the door and closed her eyes. Butler calls God She, and its in the love that people show others that Butler sees Her. But when families request prayers for loved ones, she honors their traditions. For Muslims, she says the Shahada. When the patient or the family are Christian, she says an extemporaneous prayer, and sometimes an Our Father, which she finds particularly beautiful. If they are not religious, she says a neutral blessing.

No one knew if the man in the room was religious or not. Butler decided to sing an Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you / May the wind be always at your back.... And, until we meet again / May God hold you in the palm of his hand. Butler hoped that, if he could hear her, he would not object.

Butler lost her mother when she was eight years old, in a dune-buggy accident near Pelham, Georgia. The town was small: four thousand people, maybe fewer. When she was in middle school, her father, a Southern Baptist, got married again, to a woman who had grown up Mormon. In a peculiar compromise, the two agreed to attend a Presbyterian church outside Atlanta, where Butler was moved by ministers who spoke about equality and justice. In college, in Georgia, she majored in international affairs and religion, minored in Arabic, and studied abroad in Morocco. Then she went to the progressive Union Theological Seminary, in New York, where she hoped to study both her faith and those of others. Butler wanted to do all the things that her mother, who died at twenty-eight, did not get to do. Next, Butler thought, she would go to law school.

Instead, she found that she was called to ministry. After seminary, she began a chaplaincy residency at Mount Sinai, where her clinical supervisor was David Fleenor, an Episcopalian priest who directs the hospitals clinical pastoral education program. The residency was something of an accidentButler had needed a job, and this one had presented itself. She had never spent much time in a hospital, and she had one year to learn a new profession. But, one day, when Butler was going through something hard, she was moved to see Fleenor crying along with her. She understood, then, that this was the job: sitting with someone in their pain.

Recently, Fleenor has been acting as the director of Mount Sinais spiritual-care program; the usual director, Fleenors wife, is out sick, with what the couple assumes is the virus. (Fleenor had come back to work in late March, after being out sick himself.) Usually, the teams eight chaplains and four residents are not enough for the patient volume at the hospital, which has more than eleven hundred beds. Now, the team was down by threetwo were out sick, presumably with COVID-19; the other was on maternity leaveand the hospital was fashioning extra rooms out of tarp in its atriums, to accommodate more than six hundred COVID-19 patients. The need had become tremendous, and Fleenor and Butler had developed a new deployment plan to triage care. The plan divided the hospitals patients into three tiers: COVID-19 patients in the I.C.U., other patients with the virus, and everyone else. The tiers werent hierarchical; the idea was merely that categories might help the chaplains reach those who were most in need. For example, it might not make sense to dial a virus patient in the I.C.U., if that person couldnt pick up; instead, the staff could call lonely people in tier two.

The care itself had its own complications. For weeks, Mount Sinais COVID-19 chaplaincy has been conducted exclusively by phone. Some staff, like Butler, still come into the hospital. Other chaplains are working from home. But, when making phone calls, all of them have modified their usual language. Chaplains help the dying and the recovering alike, but Fleenor knows that many people perceive them as angels of death, bearing last rites or bad news. He asked his staff to describe themselves as members of the patients care team, there to provide spiritual support, rather than as chaplains. This seemed to be working well.

View original post here:

Chaplains and Spiritual Care in Hospitals During the Coronavirus Pandemic - The New Yorker

Special Report: Welcome to the New Age of Spiritual Luxury – Highsnobiety

Posted on by

Highsnobiety Q1 is the first in a series of quarterly insights weeks dedicated to the business behind youth culture and what makes our market tick. For full Q1 coverage, head over to our Q1 hub.

In this edition of FRONTPAGE, we explore how in todays increasingly spiritualized world, fashion is poised to become a new vessel that leads us the way.

In Paris, on the final Sunday morning of womens fashion month in late January, Kanye West had something to preach.

During a last minute summoning, 150-odd fashion insiders including Simon Jacquemus, A.P.C.s Jean Touitou, and Balenciagas CEO Cdric Charbit gathered for a surprise edition of Wests Sunday Service in Paris historic Bouffes du Nord theater. Since January 2019, Wests traveling, non-denominational Christian masses have seen high-profile attendees like Kid Cudi, A$AP Rocky, and Katy Perry sing to a mix-mash of Wests back catalog and Christian gospel classics performed by the 100-something Sunday Service choir, fully cloaked in YEEZY uniforms. Wests choir leader evangelized: A lot of time we put our faith in material things, but those things wont fulfill us. We love Jesus Christ more than an expensive outfit.

Despite early warnings following the Covid-19 outbreak during Milan Fashion Week, the group sang, danced, and united in close proximity. Sisters Kim Kardashian West and Kourtney Kardashian attended the passionate 90-minute religious ceremony in latex bodysuits by Balmain. Singers cried, others were ecstatic. A single face mask was seen. It was the church of the present.

The next night that same group of editors and many fans came together outside the futuristic Espace Niemeyer for the launch of YEEZY Season 8. Now, West had something to sell. Yes spiritual awakening made it back into a single garment, a guardian angel printed on a sand tank top. Before the show, fellow journalists and I asked Kanye whose YEEZY business does over a billion dollars in annual sales why he had brought Sunday Service to Paris. To spread the Holy Spirit, thats my job as a Christian, he explained, adding how his faith has directly impacted his fashion business.

West isnt the only person in the fashion-hip-hop-complex who has made a louder and louder habit of proudly announcing his faith. Rappers including A$AP Rocky, Skepta, Yasiin Bey, Stormzy, and Jaden Smith have long referenced spirituality in their work and interviews. But in fashion, the relationship is more playful and precarious. For decades, surface-level appropriation of religious symbolism, imagery, and costumes have occasionally popped up on the runways of Riccardo Tiscis Givenchy, John Gallianos Dior, Karl Lagerfelds Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Each has looked to the visual aesthetics of religions including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism to sell clothes, but the spirituality of its makers has always been kept at the level of innuendo.

However, with a new generation of consumer comes a much less ironic outlook on the existence of a high power. As Gen Z-ers and millennials who, according to Boston Consulting Group, will make up approximately 61 percent of the global personal luxury goods market by 2026 are finding new guidance in spirituality, its no surprise the global fashion industry, hungry for a slice of the youth culture pie, is increasingly latching on to new age spirituality in their marketing and product design.

We think many creatives are genuinely interested in things that inspire them, so its not surprising that some of us would be focused on infusing these ideas and practices into our work far ahead of others, explain Advisory Board Crystals founders Remington Guest and Heather Haber. As their name suggests, the Los Angeles-based label founded in 2015 sells crystals such as opal aura citrines and orange cactus spirit quartz alongside limited-edition gear that has elements of the crystals tied to it. The label has also created merch for rappers like Lil Wayne and Migos. On the other hand, a lot of creatives, and especially a lot of the industry of brands, follow trends to get their ideas, and theres that side that leads to the more disingenuous aspect of it all, the founders add.

Through religious symbolism, astrology readings, tarot cards, crystals, and yin and yang signs, brands both big and small are aiming to buoy the next generations appetite for the metaphysical. Zodiac motifs covered couture gowns at Maria Grazia Chiuris debut couture collection for Christian Diors Spring 2017 show; Dapper Dan launched his Harlem Gucci boutique designed with chakra symbolism that same year; and the following year, Vetements dropped a range of star sign tees and rain coats.

Today, boutiques like Browns Fashion sell sets of crystals, brands like Alighieri by Rosh Mahtani are looking to crystal readings and sound baths as fresh avenues to present their new collections, and everyone from Givenchy, Valentino, Moschino, Rick Owens, Supreme, Noah, Ganni, and Brother Vellies are incorporating spiritual symbols into their designs.

However, spirituality that only touches the product-level surface falls short of what our generation is seeking. Earlier this month, Highsnobiety launched Inner Life, a capsule collection aimed to connect with our inner selves. Tackling topics that are closely connected to happiness and giving thought starters is important, especially to a younger audience, explains Highsnobietys Herbert Hofmann, who oversaw the creative direction and launch of the project. Its about focusing on your inner life and finding out out what matters beyond superficial social media presence and suggested lifestyles that arent mentally healthy.

To fully sense where the relationship between our generation and spirituality is heading, and how brands can mirror the fundamental fulfillments found in higher forces, we first need to understand whats changed.

Over the past four decades, traditional religion in the US and Europe has been in decline. According to Pew Research Center, religious nones those who say their religion is nothing in particular, or self-identify as atheist or agnostics made up roughly 23 percent of the US adult population in 2018. Its a notable increase from 2007, when a similar Pew Research study was conducted and only 16 percent of Americans were nones. In 1991, the total stood at just six percent.

At large, religiously unaffiliated people in the US, Europe, and in Latin America were mostly concentrated among young adults far more so than any other demographic, with 35 percent of millennials self-identifying as nones. And the median age is getting lower.

About a quarter of US adults 27 percent now say they think of themselves as spiritual but not religious, says Claire Gecewicz, a research associate focused on religious research at Pew Research Center. Its an eight percent increase compared to five years ago.

While organized religions set-in-stone rules around ethics are increasingly at odds with the social mores of the next generation, the need for guidance in an increasingly polarized world is still clearly felt. A closer look at US and UK-based millennials and Gen Z-ers shows that 80 percent of them say they feel a sense of spirituality and believe in a higher power, according to Virtue. In the age of Covid-19, natural disasters, Trump, and Brexit, we want to believe the human race will sort itself out. Enter: some kind of mystical force.

I think it comes down to wanting to believe that theres something out there beyond ourselves and our immediate reality, explains Maude Churchill, a London-based writer and editor, who in 2016 released The New Spirituality report for Protein Agency. I think religion is just as toxic as politics in so many ways. And spirituality is what you make of it. Its just such an intrinsic part of humanity.

Next to the many external macro factors adding to the infatuation of new age spirituality, the gradual erosion of the traditional norms that once made up (and continue to make up) our identity like gender, nationality, religion, and age have equally played a part in consumers searching for new modes of guidance, argues Churchill, who in her report states that through social media, culture now arrives splintered through a myriad of filters, which results in too much noise that distracts from a true awareness of ourselves.

Its not a coincidence that the shift is coming at a time when it really feels like the world is going to shit and kind of falling apart, she says. We cant stop the way the environment is affecting us, but we can feel like my horoscope today is telling me something of the times with how Im feeling.

The idea of spirituality giving you a sense of purpose dates back to the New Age movement, which spread through occult and metaphysical religious communities of the 1970s and 1980s, spinning like crystal-colored aftershocks from the beatnik and hippie movements of the decades prior. Pioneering architects of the faction included American theosophist David Spangler and the late Ram Dass, who strived to create a sense of community within the decentralized movement. Traditional occult practices including astrology, yoga, meditation, mediumship, tarot readings, and later crystals were tools used by the movement to achieve personal transformation.

Very much regarded as an alternative lifestyle from the mainstream, unlike its wider acceptance today, the New Age movement made a profound impact on Western youth culture at the time, many of whom were introduced to the movement through numerous specialized bookstores which started popping up. Among them was designer and Gucci collaborator Dapper Dan.

[Spirituality] came to me when I was turning my life around, Dap told Highsnobiety when we spoke at length in his Milan hotel last year. At 23, Dap stepped foot into a historical bookstore called Tree of Life on 25th Street in New York, a popular Mecca for New Age believers, to learn about metaphysics. So I went in there and got a book called Back to Eden, [and] they didnt have it so I walked up to this guy that looked so spiritual as if he had a halo. He said, No brother, but look right here, showing me a book called Mans Higher Consciousness by Hilton Hotema. That book altered my whole life.

By the mid-1990s, the New Age movement was dying. After losing much of its momentum throughout the decade before, things went silent. Then came the internet.

The internet and especially social media changed everything, explains Susan Miller, founder of Astrology Zone and astrologer to the stars. Miller is the undisputed pope of astrology, and at 1.5 million unique visitors a month, 200 million page views a year, and an average dwell time of five minutes per person at any given time, her website, astrologyzone.com, is an astrological St. Peters Basilica.

Shes done readings for Raf Simons, taught her craft to Emma Stone, and counts Pharrell, Jennifer Aniston, Lindsay Lohan, Katy Perry, Kirsten Dunst, and many more among her readers. She advised Cameron Diaz on the right timing to buy property. She correctly predicted Beyoncs wedding year, Britney Spears comeback, and President Obamas re-election. But most of all, Miller is proudest of being the first to recognize the potential of bringing spirituality to the masses online. On December 14, 1995, she went live with her first post.

What I think millennials really like about astrology is the rising sun, which dictates their profession, says Miller, whose monthly horoscopes often clock in at 40,000 words. I think our society has trusted science so much that weve gone just one direction with no ability to incorporate astrology, [but] we have a human need for it. We need to make sense of all this.

Its where a genuine connection with fashion comes in, adds Miller. Creative people love astrology with its rich structure and detail. Their right brain wants to know what else is possible. How else can they push the boundaries of their lives and make it more interesting? It gives them ideas. They want progress, and astrology guides the way.

Miller sees truth in many things. She believes Kanye is doing great things in the world of spirituality. She believes life is supposed to be hard, otherwise we would all become marshmallows. And she believes astrology gives you ideas, shows us that were systematically tested and rewarded, and will tell you when to do the counterintuitive.

Most of all, she believes that public perception around spirituality is changing. People talk about it now because its acceptable. Were influenced by the social mores of the times, [and astrology] gives enlightenment, so why shouldnt we talk about it?

The American public agrees. Pew Research Centers Claire Gecewicz says that roughly 65 percent of Americans between 18 and 29 now accept at least one New Age belief including astrology, psychic foresight, reincarnation, and spiritual energy found in objects.

This shift has been fueled by the seamless digital integration of New Age ideas, which has renewed many peoples interest in spirituality. For our generation, finding a spiritual community outside of our direct culture has never been easier. Whats changed is the collectivity that has surrounded spirituality is now deeply rooted in individualism. Social media has made spirituality accessible by rebranding itself as a satirical tool for self-reflection.

If you look at astrology through the filter of Instagram, it acts, it behaves, it communicates like a meme, explains Churchill. We share memes as a way to kind of interact with one another, but when you have this added layer of both being Scorpios, for example, it reaffirms the bond even more.

Pioneering figures like Miller, along with spirituality apps including Co-Star, The Pattern, and Time Nomad, have come to prominence at a time when many young people are finding a new openness towards alternative science and New Age beliefs. Its connectedness 2.0.

Im deeply suspicious about the degree to which its actually a trend, says Banu Guler, founder and CEO of Co-Star. The New York-based, AI-driven horoscope app is hyper-personalized to each users entire chart based on NASA data interpreted by astrologers, and shows daily compatibility with friends on the app and in person. I think a lot of this stuff really just gives people avenues to have deeper relationships with others, where you talk about deep-seated fears and anxieties and hopes and dreams. Thats what real relationships are about.

Guler, a fashion veteran who once served as director of product and design at VFILES, founded Co-Star in 2017 as a democratized platform for young people to connect. Today, the company has over 7.5 million registered users, with 5 percent of 18 to 25-year-old American men having used Co-Star. To date, its raised investment shy of $6 million and has been used in 192 countries.

Both astrology and fashion are conduits for connection. Everyone desires connection, but there isnt a common language to facilitate any of it, explains Guler. When you look at astrology and fashion, you see people use them as an excuse to get together, to signal what theyre into, to find a shared language to develop this real, deep connection. They spark needed conversation in a sea of small talk, whether on social or at these weird shows, or literally through the clothes or signs themselves. Walking up the street and seeing someone whos wearing the same obscure designer makes you say, Were the same kind of person. It creates a powerful moment of real recognition and an intense connection.

The parallels between the function that both spirituality and fashion fulfill in our lives are indeed no longer as far-fetched as they once were. Fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry are constantly racing to quench the ever-evolving tastes of the super-consumers which push the worlds collective aesthetic drive. Their cultural impact has reached beyond expensive products alone.

In light of this, fashion brands have evolved to encompass what you would expect of an older sibling, close friend, or even something bigger. From frequent, two-way communication to consistent accessibility, to taking an active stance for what is right be it sustainable practices, politics, or worker welfare we expect brands to align with our personal values and beliefs. Winners in the space therefore need to look deeper at the forces driving young shoppers to spirituality in the first place. Far beyond product alone, theyll adopt the spiritual characteristics around self-growth, identity, and create a unified cause for the group theyre selling to.

Those that successfully do so win us over. True brands are bigger than life. Public perception aside, brands like Supreme, JW Anderson and Gucci hold up a mirror to society. They increasingly urge us to pay attention to causes like equality, anti-gun violence and Covid-19 relief, educate us on culture, and are vessels for connection, ultimately turning consumers into fans. They make us strive to be better, and sell us a belief that guides us where they go (i.e. we listen to the Louis Vuittons and New Balances of this world more than we do the leaders of our country when they tell us to stay home during this Covid-19 epidemic).

Fashions biggest current challenge with adopting spirituality to connect with youth culture is to not follow the same literal path it did when it decided to appropriate streetwear. In the early 2010s, the demographic driving the luxury market forward started skewing younger, and fashion brands scrambled to absorb streetwear and its creators as a gateway to prosperity and as a means of connection with its new audience.

This last decades tried and true approach of elevating working class dress codes by producing Made in Italy leather sneakers, artisanal hoodies, and overpriced graphic tees took consumer behavior too literally. It pushed the needle for some, but most others missed the mark and found themselves following culture instead. In this climate, winning brands were able to learn from streetwears drop system, adapt to the way it spoke with its community in order to be part of it, and made products responsive. And, in effect, they successfully gained the trust of a new tribe of shoppers.

The same lessons apply to the fashion industrys adoption of New Age spirituality. Those who speak honestly to their customers and seek to understand them will find a way to surf through this sea change. Those who dont and confuse this change in zeitgeist for a trend will end up with sale racks full of cringe-worthy products.

For the kids lining up outside Supreme and Dover Street Market, brands are as much an extension of their identity as they are a way to connect with others in the know. The community created around these brands and retailers isnt simply a fortuitous outcome of their efforts so much as its a consequence of the community itself, who have united around a shared cause. For true fans, products themselves solely serve as a trophy of belonging and identity the ultimate main drivers of brands acting as guiding lights for inner self-improvement.

As Maude Churchill of Protein puts it: The rewards [of a product] are not just monetary, they engender a kind of devotion that no clever marketing campaign or influencer gifting could ever replicate.

This shift in devoted worship is something weve already observed in celebrity culture, where the role of the once exclusive and private celebrity has changed into a more spiritual one. Social media has given celebrities a direct line to their followers, having regained control over their personal brand in the process. Its why we collectively listen to DJ Khaleds words of wisdom, buy what Kylie Jenner tells us to buy, and dress the way Kanye dresses.

As London skater, artist, and designer Blondey McCoy put it in his Highsnobiety cover story in late 2019, when it comes to mass devotion, theres little distinction between the 155 million people that live by Selena Gomezs truth on Instagram or the faith others have in Jesus. Having something to aspire to is necessary in human life. Whether that worship has slipped to celebrities or makeup tutorials over religious figures, theres no absolute truth, neither in religion or pop culture, McCoy explained, referring to the inspiration of his latest solo art show Stella Populis, which explored the manifestations of super-fanaticism related to the parallels between religion and pop culture. Celebrities want to be remembered after theyre dead.

And so do many brands, but most arent there yet. Brands like YEEZY, Fear of God, Daily Paper, and Online Ceramics get it right. They live and breathe the beliefs theyre pushing out into the market without relying too heavily on literal aesthetics. They democratize their connection with their audiences by transparently offering a full look into their universe, allowing consumers to be part of their brand narrative, and often extending their offering beyond fashion alone.

Earlier this month, Advisory Board Crystals launched Abc.Xyz, a dedicated Instagram and webpage serving as an extension of the brands universe and collective language. The visual moodboard, which the founders call their version of a modern day bookshop, includes everything from crystals to artworks, books and film posters everything but product.

It all has to make sense and be part of a bigger picture, explain Abcs Guest and Haber, who say the page is just one part of a bigger brand story created in 2015. We felt its one way of helping our community deal with whats happening in the world at the moment. Nothing comes in the way of the bigger picture.

In fashion, that bigger picture thinking around the foundations that make up spirituality is suitably taking ambiguous forms. Zilver, the eco-concious, genderless line founded by Brazilian designer Pedro Loureno, creates entire collections based on star signs, his latest being based around Cancers. The brands purpose, however, goes deeper on a spiritual level when communicating with its clients.

Over the last couple of years, fashion has been on the opposite side of spirituality. The speed of the system isnt sustainable for the people working in it and consuming it, he explains. When I think about spirituality, I feel this challenging moment [with Covid-19] is giving us an opportunity to rethink the value of time and our place on the planet.

In fashion, [spirituality] is illustrated genuinely and successfully when the clothing is implying a look that has nothing literal, and [instead] seems to have a surreal unexplainable value. What matters is how those references are treated, adds French menswear designer Boramy Viguier, whose spiritual influences run deep through his brand. Since its inception in 2017, Viguier has paired each individual garment with a tarot card, received by the buyer. He believes being successful, however, means taking it to the next step: [In the end] you can confront yourself to subjects that are greater than you, or just care about what the next sneaker collaboration is going to look like.

It gets to the crux of how the relationship between our generation and brands has changed. The kids who are driving the luxury market forward today have grown up with streetwear, which at its core was never as much about the end product as it was about finding like-minded peers and serving as a space to come into your own. Now matured, those expectations havent changed, they have simply been carried over to luxury brands. Our intense devotion for brands has gotten to the extent where we see them as a religion. When consumerism has become a subculture in its own right, we expect brands to share our values, connect us and guide us forward. When uncertainty hits the world, we want to associate ourselves with those who have the ability to fill the emptiness that made us look to spirituality in the first place.

For more insights on youth culture, subscribe to our Insights Newsletter.

Toronto-born, bred in The Netherlands, living in London.

Read Full Article

View original post here:

Special Report: Welcome to the New Age of Spiritual Luxury - Highsnobiety

Peace and Spirituality in Times of Fear and Gossip – RiverBender.com

Posted on by

While we can often see these days seemingly filled with fear and gossip, one man hopes to bring peace and spirituality to the area. Jason Harrison, President of The Riverbend Ministerial Alliance, has presented a challenge to the community. He is asking that all local church leaders, elders, and the entire faith community come together on Friday, April 9th and Sunday, April 11th, in prayer.

Although unable to physically bring people together, Jason is hoping that he can help to bring a little hope during an uncertain time.

We dont know when this pandemic will end, Jason says, but, I believe it is our responsibility, as the faith community, to spread hope ALL the time.

He explains his vision as being one that sees all faiths coming together to pray for the people within the community and especially for small business owners and those who are unable to work right now.

He plans to focus his prayers on strength to ones physical body, as well as, to the mind and soul. He also wants to ask for prosperity during the current financial crisis.

Jason says he has been praying for victims of child abuse and domestic violence, that they are not suffering or having to endure physical or mental pain because of the statewide stay-at-home order.

He hopes that, since churches are unable to have their regular services, that this will be a way to help unite while spreading the peace, hope, and love that is so greatly needed during these uncertain times.

Subscribe to our Podcast and listen to today's headlines.

Print Version Submit a News Tip

Read the original here:

Peace and Spirituality in Times of Fear and Gossip - RiverBender.com

Spiritual Well-Being, Your Connection With The Superior Force Of Our Universe – The Costa Rica News

Posted on by

Spirituality and religiosity have a positive impact on health so that higher levels of spiritual involvement are positively associated with indicators of greater general well-being and quality of life.

Spirituality can be defined as the essence of a person, as a search for meaning and purpose in his/her life. Religiosity, one of the dimensions of spirituality, refers to how much an individual believes, follows and practices a specific religion or belief.

Spiritual wellness is considered by many families as the center of their life, which facilitates or promotes the sharing, loving and compassionate of each member of the family. It is the sensation of a force that helps people transcend themselves, that accompanies them on a daily basis and helps them focus on what is considered sacred for each one of us.

How to maintain spiritual well-being?A)Regular prayer.B)Regular fellowship with other believers: This helps us grow spiritually and maintain our foundations, whatever your religion or belief is. Acknowledging to depend on others, that we all need each other to help us maintain our emotional health. This can be done through union with other families or social groups in ministry and sharing responsibility. (If we serve others, they will want to serve us.)C)Accepting personal limitations: People often like to achieve more than they can control, this makes them very sensitive. Asking the Superior force to help us accept all that we cannot change.D)Learning to wait and knowing how to manage change: Few things in life remain stable. We constantly change our position, ministry, financial status, and friends. Ask the Superior force to help you cultivate what is stable in your life such as devotions, family meals, quality time, etc.E)Evaluate: Take time to evaluate your spiritual and practical purposes and priorities. To do this, attend retreats, sometimes alone, sometimes with other members of your ministry.

How do you know that you are spiritually well?-We have an attitude of hope towards life.-Our home is lived as a sanctuary for each of us.-We enjoy interacting with our family.-We feel a strong connection to our ancestors.-We have a feeling of security about everything that happens around us.-There is a sense of peace around us.-We believe that love is a powerful force that holds us together.-It is easy for us to share our spiritual values and ideas with others.-Our personal religious beliefs are compatible and not antagonist with others.-We feel connected to nature and the world around us

Finally we can say that, spiritual well-being is an essential element in peoples lives due to the meaning of eternity and hope. The feeling of an internal force that helps people to transcend themselves, that accompanies in the day and allows them to orient themselves towards what they consider sacred. Whoever has achieved spiritual well-being is very clear about the meaning of their existence.

Link:

Spiritual Well-Being, Your Connection With The Superior Force Of Our Universe - The Costa Rica News

Baptism works slowly and spirally – Global Sisters Report

Posted on by

Baptism is a process. There is a special time for its ritual at the heart of the community. But the awareness of our deep identity may only come slowly and spirally.

It might come only slowly because it is too profound to be absorbed fast. Like a balm, it slides along the skin of our soul, permeating each pore, hydrating the dryness of our inner self, which is tired of seeking outside what abides within.

It is the water that opens our soul to the Ruah, the water that cleanses the dust from our eye, so we are able to comprehend, bit by bit spirally who we are.

Spirally, yes, since like any relationship it has its different seasons: A day of winter may be followed by an experience of spring for a period of time, then back to winter. It depends on our personal and social reality, and on the emotions and life changes we experience our personal and social pain, injustice, joy or renewal.

To enter into the spiral dynamism of the Ruah is a safe refuge. She understands processes and spirals, and if we remain quiet, she does her work.

It is in this movement of the Spirit in and through us that baptism, received ritually once, acquires its meaning again: "You are my child, in you I find pleasure." And the wheel of life starts to roll again, leaving the anger and the pain and the loneliness behind, and offering the water, the meaning and love needed, like air to breathe anew.

One of those deep breaths in the Ruah, filled with new fresh air for me, happened a few years ago in Wicklow, Ireland. A small community of Dominican sisters offers an integrated sabbatical program on "the New Story." It is a 10-week immersion in the study and the experience of the beginning of every kind of life in its different forms; of inner and outer life, through the lenses of present-day science and diverse spiritualties, especially Celtic spirituality.

The place is called An Tairseach, which means "Threshold" in Gaelic. It houses the ecology and spirituality center whose mission is "to grow in awareness that the Earth is our own home and home to all living beings."

And it happened that the experience, generously provided by a grant from the sisters, was a threshold of a new baptism for me.

I was getting near the end of my rope with the patriarchal-clerical model, whose presence is still dominating our church in Spain. I needed to create a space within me and around me that was safe from its tentacles!

And while it is true that the power comes from within, but it helps if you can get immersed for a while in the deep, warm waters of baptism. Those sisters and their program were for me the hands, mind and heart of the Ruah.

I did experience personally and in community an entrance, through their threshold, into a deeper comprehension of everything: science, mysticism, myself.

Now, a few years later, I experience that the gifts of "becoming" priests, prophets and shepherds given to us in our baptism have acquired a new meaning. I see my priesthood as a profound call to consecrate everything my hands and my mind and heart touch: the planet within the universe in its multiple facets; the air, the water, the earth itself, the mountains, the forests, the animals; and foremost the suffering people especially those in deep search of meaning which is the kind of poverty and injustice I am called to address.

To be prophets is an amazing challenge for today's people of all ages. We are at a threshold as a civilization, and a new paradigm is emerging. We are the midwife of new ways of living, therefore of thinking and worshiping and relating with everybody and with everything.

This is not new to anyone anymore; what is new to me is that after having been touched by a new comprehension, my call to be prophetic takes a turn in the spiral of life, a turn from which there is no return. And that means a change of attitude about who I am and what I do with my mind's energy, my creativity, my religious vows.

How much better I understand now the "listening" to the cry of the Earth, far and beyond the obedience to somebody else's vision of ...

Or how the sharing of everything I am and I have is acquiring a dimension that I never suspected I would experience: to collaborate with the planet, far and beyond the repressive guilt of never being poor enough.

The same wonderful vertigo happens with my invitation to unconditional love not to abstain from love, but rather to participate in a life of giving love, creativity, compassion and passion to care and heal the Earth and its inhabitants.

Yes, I like to see the unfolding of the experiences that this new baptism has ignited in me. And, I dare to say, that as a consequence, many people have been touched by it.

Thank you, sisters, caretakers of the Earth, for your new ways of consecrating life, of being prophets and excellent shepherds whose pastures are as green as those in Ireland.

[Maria Magdalena Bennasar (Magda) of the Sisters for Christian Community is from Spain. She has worked in teaching, conducting retreats and workshops, creating community and training lay leaders in Australia, the U.S. and Spain. Currently, she is working on eco-spirituality and searching for a space to create a center or collaborate with others.]

Original post:

Baptism works slowly and spirally - Global Sisters Report