Noteworthy: Notes from our business community and everywhere else – The Sylva Herald

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THE FIRST FRIDAY BOOK GROUP will meet at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 in room 129 of the Jackson County Senior Center. The book to be discussed is The Traveling Cat by Hiro Arikawa. The November selection is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. For more information, call 586-4940.

Cullowhee Valley School is having its annual yard sale from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 12. The yard sale helps middle school students earn money to go towards their annual trips to Camp Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina. Community members can reserve a table for $30 by visiting the front office staff by Wednesday, Oct 2.

The CommUnity Square Dance is 7-9 p.m. Saturday at Reid Gym at Western Carolina University. The caller will teach and call all dances to live old-time music. No experience or partner is necessary. For more information contact Pammanottus@gmail.com.

Harris Regional Hospital will host a reception and dedication ceremony for anyone affected by breast cancer. The event will take place at noon Thursday, Oct. 3 at Harris Medical Park, 98 Doctors Drive, Sylva. Attendees will be allowed a time to place a card on the tree of hope in celebration and/or memory of a breast cancer patient. Refreshments will be served.

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Noteworthy: Notes from our business community and everywhere else - The Sylva Herald

Wolfpack on verge on mainstream ascension while using Raptors as model – Yahoo Sports

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The Toronto Wolfpack are one win away reaching the top level of Rugby League. (Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

The Toronto Raptors won the NBA championship for the first time. Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian player to win a Grand Slam event in singles. Now, the Toronto Wolfpack have an opportunity to emerge into the Canadian mainstream in what has proven to be a banner year for the country.

Since their inception in 2016, the Wolfpack, by and large, have been treated as a curiosity looming out of Torontos Liberty Village which also inhabits Major League Soccers Toronto FC. Oddly enough, TFC was once seen as the citys little brother until a MLS Cup title in 2017 ended their fight for legitimacy.

Now, the Wolfpack are on the brink of reaching the same relevancy, with an opportunity to advance to the Super League, the top-tier rugby league competition based out of England.

It would be massive, Wolfpack fullback Gareth OBrien said to Yahoo Sports Canada about the prospect of being promoted. We were over there when the Raptors won the NBA playoffs, the championship there. We actually sat in the airport when Bianca won the US Open, so I think there's a real buzz around the country at the minute. We've had some big wins.

So, this would be massive for the sport. Another big win for the city as well. So hopefully we can get the job done.

If you look past the romantic notion of a team breaking out of their cocoon, so to speak, the Wolfpack demand your attention. Toronto is 26-0-1, with its lone loss coming against Toulouse on March 9. Since then, it has racked up 22 consecutive victories. Furthermore, the Wolfpack are slated to clean up during awards season, sweeping the Player of the Year nominees with OBrien, Jon Wilkin and Andy Ackers vying for the honour.

Wolfpack head coach Brian McDermott joined the team ahead of the 2019 season and has been taken aback by the city and sports culture that surrounds it.

Just in Toronto in Canada, but certainly in Toronto I've been pleasantly shocked with how well-known the team is, McDermott said.

You go around a couple of establishments, they've got some memorabilia, some shirts, some photographs of players in there. I was walking through the city a couple of days ago, with a t-shirt on, walking back from training and what do you call the lollipop ladies (crossing guards) over here? One of the guys said 'hey, well done, great season, finish it off.' And it's just good to walk around a city that is as big, and well-known and is famous as Toronto that they're aware of what we're doing.

I think you can magnify that if we're in a higher echelon, in the top competition. The club has an ambition to emulate the Raptors. It's going to take a few years to do that, but that's where it starts and it starts with something like that.

Wilkin spent the past 17 seasons with St. Helens and helped the club finish first during the Super League regular season in 2018. A decorated veteran who has thrived at every level, winning caps for England internationally, Wilkin was attracted by the opportunity to help a new club dripping with potential rise to the occasion.

Ultimately, that's the aim of what we're doing, isn't it? To raise the profile of rugby league, Wilkin said. The club has done some great things. Some success for the city of Toronto, I think is always well-received. I feel the momentum growing behind the Wolfpack as a franchise.

But, winning a trophy, getting into Super League, playing at the top level of sport would be incredible. And hopefully that's the start of really growing the Toronto Wolfpack.

The 35-year-old glowed about his experience in Toronto, which is on par with any experience hes had during his career.

The club's in a great position, it would add fantastically to rugby league as a brand in North America, in Canada. There's a huge opportunity for the game of rugby league, Wilkin said.

The people of Toronto love it. The matchday experience here is pound-for-pound the best matchday experience I've been involved in in my time in rugby league. I've played in test matches in Sydney, I've played in Grand Finals, Challenge Cup Finals in front of 85,000 people at Wembley, Old Trafford, 80,000 people. And the best matchday experience, pound-for-pound is the Allan Lamport Stadium. And that's not something to be sniffed at.

A team boasting all three player of the year candidates, and a coach of the year candidate in McDermott would certainly be a compelling draw for any Toronto-based sports fan. Its been a championship summer in Toronto, and with a dominant team, a winning culture, and a market always ready for a winner, theres no reason why the Wolfpack shouldnt enter the mainstream with a promotion to the Super League.

More Wolfpack from Yahoo Sports Canada

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Wolfpack on verge on mainstream ascension while using Raptors as model - Yahoo Sports

Free cancer screenings to be provided at third annual Live Well Ascension event – WBRZ

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GONZALES, LA - Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales and the Gonzales Area Foundation are teaming up to provide free access to a host of cancer screenings at the third annual Live Well Ascension event.

Live Well Ascension is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. 1 p.m. at Jambalaya Park in Gonzales. Other health screenings, food and entertainment will also be available at no cost. Cancer screenings will include breast, colorectal, oral, prostate, skin and blood pressure and glucose checks.

All screenings are available to those who have not been screened for cancer in the past 12 months. Appointments are required for breast cancer screenings only. To make an appointment for a breast cancer screening, call (225) 215-1234.

All other screenings are open to the public and do not require an appointment. For additional information, visit marybird.org/livewellasc.

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Free cancer screenings to be provided at third annual Live Well Ascension event - WBRZ

Ascension Island’s hydroponics lab is revitalizing life on the volcani – Air Force Link

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ASCENSION ISLAND AUXILIARY AIRFIELD (AFNS) --

Space has been the center of conversation in the news and entertainment. There was even a movie about future human inhabitants on Mars! But how would that happen? How would we be able to sustain growing food? Mars, a dry and dusty planet, would not be able to support human life organically.

And just like the case would be on Mars, the food choices on Ascension are very limited and depend completely on what supplies are flown to the island.

If youve ever been to Ascension Island, or even looked at photos online, the island doesnt differ much from Mars, said Cathy Little, Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield agricultural specialist.

Supplies, including food, are flown to the island because Ascensions water cycle, soil and topography make it very difficult for anything to grow on the island what does grow, you cannot or would not want to eat, until recently.

Introducing Ascension Islands own personal garden, the hydroponics laboratory.

Hydroponics, or the process of growing plants in sand, gravel or liquid instead of soil, can be seen in the movie The Martian. Though it seems like something only a screenwriter could come up with, the agricultural team on Ascension Island has taken the idea and run with it.

The hydroponics lab isnt a laboratory in the traditional sense, Little said. Our facility is an 8,721 square foot greenhouse that has two vine crop bays and one leaf crop bay.

In the greenhouse, the team on Ascension uses two different systems to grow fresh produce on the volcanic island. For vining crops, like tomatoes and peppers, they use a nutrient injection system, bucket system and Perlite, which is a naturally occurring volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content. For leafy crops, like lettuce and herbs, they use a nutrient film technique, where a very shallow stream of nutrient-filled water is re-circulated past the bare roots of the plants.

Though the lab has grown over the years, hydroponics is not new to Ascension Island.

During World War II, the shipping of fresh vegetables overseas was not practical and remote islands where troops were stationed were not a place where they could be grown in the soil, said Rick Simmons, hydroponics expert, in a 2008 article. In 1945, the U.S. Air Force built one of the first large hydroponic farms on Ascension Island, using crushed volcanic rock as a growing medium.

Growing conditions havent changed since World War II; therefore, the need for hydroponics still exists, Little said. Just as it was in 1945, shipping fresh vegetables to a remote island is not cost effective and with the lack of arable soil on the island. We face the same dilemma as our forebearshow to reduce costs and meet the nutritional needs of the troops and contractor personnel stationed here.

With the revitalization of the hydroponics lab, Little thinks a shift could be on the horizon for Ascension Island.

In addition to having a virtually limitless supply of fresh produce and reducing the cost of transportation, morale is greatly improved knowing that produce, picked that very day, is awaiting everyone in the base dining hall, Little said. Hydroponics allows us to meet demands, reduce costs and provide nutritional value for our personnel.

As the team continues to experiment with different crops, they hope to expand the size of the lab and the list of what theyre able to grow.

If we were to operate at a full greenhouse capacity, we could produce enough fresh produce to feed the entire population of Ascension Island, Little said. Thats about 700 people.

For the 45th Space Wings Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield, neither the sky, nor Mars, is the limit.

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Ascension Island's hydroponics lab is revitalizing life on the volcani - Air Force Link

UFC Copenhagen, The Morning After: The unlikely ascension of Jared Cannonier – MMA Mania

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Jared Cannonier closed at just about a 2-1 underdog to Jack Hermansson. In enemy territory Denmark is certainly a bit closer to Sweden than it is to Cannoniers home base of Phoenix, Arizona Cannonier shucked off takedown attempts, scrambled from bad positions, and put the hurt on Hermansson to score a second-round knockout win.

Once again, Cannonier pulled through as an underdog, the latest unlikely result in a pretty long sequence of unlikely events.

Lets take a step back in time to 2015, when Cannonier was a Heavyweight newcomer with seven professional fights to his name. He debuted against Shawn Jordan, an underrated Heavyweight who knocked him out in the first round. Already, there was much to be concerned about, factors that hurt the odds of Cannonier ever finding success as a contender.

First and foremost, Cannonier was training out of some little-known gym in Alaska, and all of his previous victories came in The Last Frontier. Equally as important was that Cannonier was a late starter, a man who didnt take his first professional fight until the age of 27. A couple years prior to his debut, Cannonier weighed more than 300 pounds. In truth, this all reads like a recipe for a UFC washout.

Cannonier did return to better success, picking up a knockout win of his own before dropping to Light Heavyweight a division as desperate for new contenders back in 2016 as it is today. He inspired hope further by walking down and beating up a true prospect in Ion Cutelaba, but then it all fell apart: Cannonier lost three of his next four bouts, revealing some glaring weaknesses in his technical game.

So at the age of 34, having lost his two previous fights, Cannonier dropped weight classes a second time. Rarely is this a strategy that works as intended. Often, weigh class changes produce the opposite result and are frequently desperate move made from a fighter in dire need of a career renaissance.

Against all odds, Cannonier has thrived. He was thrown to the wolves against David Branch, who was still ranked in the Top 10 and coming off a knockout victory over Thiago Santos. Cannonier pummeled him, forcing the veteran to exhaust himself in pursuit of the takedown before clubbing him with power shots. He followed it up with a dissecting Anderson Silvas lead leg, showcasing the type of patience and precision that makes a contender.

Still, the 35 year old entered last nights main event slot as a significant underdog. It wasnt hard to see why: Hermansson was on a hell of a tear, and his expertise on the mat seemed the perfect answer to Cannoniers powerful kickboxing.

Had Cannonier fought like he did opposite Branch, it would have been. Instead, Cannonier put on the smartest, most measured display of kickboxing and takedown defense yet. On the mat, Cannonier scrambled like he was a lifelong wrestler, escaping to the fence and limp-arming his way out of bad positions. On the feet, Cannonier jabbed and slashed the calf, ripping apart Hermanssons base quickly. The MMA Lab deserves a lot of credit for their coaching, because Cannonier has neatly picked up most of the gyms defining habits and made great use of them.

I dont know that Cannonier will capture the title or even fight for it. His best two victories came against similar stylistic opponents, men desperate to land the takedown and avoid exchanges. The top of the division will not fight with such a strategy, and he may still prove vulnerable to getting boxed up (similar to his 2017 loss to Jan Blachowicz).

It ultimately doesnt matter though. Relatively ate in his life, Cannonier was able to discover his talent for martial arts. Hes taken the necessary steps to make the most of it. There was no reason to believe that Cannonier would be a top five-ranked contender in 2019, but Killa Gorilla made it happen. His success is a testament to his hard work and efforts, and its also a reason why MMA remains so much fun.

For complete UFC Fight Night 160: Hermansson vs. Cannonier results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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UFC Copenhagen, The Morning After: The unlikely ascension of Jared Cannonier - MMA Mania

Ascension presidential candidates focus on leadership in last forum before early voting – The Advocate

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GONZALES In their last public forum Wednesday before early voting, the four candidates seeking to be elected Ascension Parish's next president emphasized leadership skills they said could chart a new course for parish government, restoring the faith of residents by tackling inefficiency and substandard infrastructure.

Addressing familiar concerns like growth-induced strains on roads, drainage and sewer, the candidates spoke about the lack of trust residents have in parish government, the failure of past leaders to make decisions on key problems, and the parish government's organizational shortcomings.

The candidates Ricky Diggs, Murphy Painter, Rick Webre and Clint Cointment portrayed the primary election on Oct. 12 as a critical moment in the parish's future.

The current parish president, Kenny Matassa, is not seeking reelection. Last year, he was acquitted over a bribery charge. He also has had to grapple with the aftermath of the August 2016 flood and public outcry over new home development and lagging infrastructure.

"We have a serious leadership problem, and many of the candidates spoke about it," Cointment, a Gonzales surveyor who lost narrowly to Matassa in 2015, said during the televised Ascension Chamber of Commerce forum Wednesday.

Painter, Webre and Cointment are Republicans; Diggs is a Democrat.

In the question-and-answer format of this and earlier forums, the candidates haven't been asked to debate one another directlyand have generally avoided challenging each other.

But Webre, the former parish homeland security director who made a last-minute decision to qualify after resigning from office in disgust with current administration, took on his opponents twice Wednesday without naming them directly.

Webre is the brother of interim Sheriff Bobby Webre, the former chief deputy who is seeking election to replace former Sheriff Jeff Wiley, but Rick Webre argued he is outside the same parish political climate.

Rick Webre said his presidential opponents are representatives of two political factions that have been fighting each other for years to the parish's detriment and, if one of them is elected, would send the parish backward.

"Well, these two political camps are not running against me. They're running against all of you, the voters," Webre said, pointing his finger to the audience. "This election is your opportunity to reclaim your authority. It's your opportunity to transfer parish government back to its rightful owner, which is the taxpayer."

Like Webre, Painter emphasized his years of public service, first as a chief deputy in the Ascension sheriff's office and later as the head of the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control for about 15 years, and talked about his ability to create cultural change in government organizations.

He reiterated that he would let data drive his decision-making but also said the parish's various demands would not come without a cost, saying Ascension residents aren't "in Disney World."

Painter's comments came in response to questions about a public-private partnership the current administration and Parish Council are considering with Ascension Sewer, a consortium whose partners include Bernhard Capital Partners Management and Ascension Wastewater Treatment.

The partnership would put up the cash for a $225 million plan to bring a consolidated sewer system to the Prairieville, Dutchtown, Geismar and Gonzales areas about a third of the parish but proposes monthly user fees starting at $56 and going up 4% annually for at least the first 10 years.

The negotiations have remained behind closed doors, and the administration has not made public key documents outlining the deal's parameters.

Cointment, who said he doesn't have enough information about the plan, said he would capitalize on existing parish infrastructure in the Prairieville area to bring it consolidated sewer service while the details of the partnership were developed. He added that fee increases proposed by partnership would be another tax.

In contrast, Painter said he does want to vet the deal but is open to it, saying passing on the opportunity would only mean more cost in the future.

"You can argue that fees are taxes, or whatever you want, but the bottom line of all our problems are roads, drainage and everything else is somebody has to pay the tab for that," he said.

Diggs is a military veteran, retired teacher and coach, and maintenance manager who oversees multimillion dollar industrial turnarounds.

While Diggs didn't always show the detailed depth in the parish's affairs, he portrayed himself as an outsider unencumbered by the way things are done or the politics of moment. He said he hasn't accepted any endorsements or donations.

He said his skill is bringing people together to coordinate major projects with tight timelines but he's also a minister who would apply biblical principles to his management of the parish.

"I bring real change, true change and positive change, and the change I bring is pure," Diggs said. "I don't have any other prerequisite, except to serve the people of Ascension Parish."

Early voting for the Oct. 12 primary starts Saturday and ends Oct. 5, excluding Sunday. A runoff election, if necessary, would be held Nov. 16.

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Ascension presidential candidates focus on leadership in last forum before early voting - The Advocate

Ascension Episcopal cruises to district-opening win against Jeanerette – The Advocate

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JEANERETTE Senior running backs Jaime Cordova and Asa Freeman combined for four touchdowns as Ascension Episcopal opened District 7-2A play with a 41-8 win against Jeanerette on Thursday night.

The Blue Gators (3-1, 1-0) took advantage of great field position en route to building a 34-0 halftime lead. Ascension coach Matt Desormeaux's offense started four first-half drives in Jeanerette territory, including two that began inside the Jeanerette 20-yard line.

"I was pleased," Desormeaux said. "I thought if we came out and played the way we're supposed to, we should come out on top.

"You never know going into a game like this, playing against a team that's physical and athletic. But our guys executed and I was pleased, especially because we didn't feel like we played great last week. I know Jeanerette can be dangerous."

The rugged Ascension Episcopal defense held Jeanerette (2-2, 0-1) to minus-12 yards of total offense in the first half and recorded 10 tackles for loss during the game.

"That's one thing we've been preaching," Desormeaux said. "We haven't been doing a good job of taking care of our gaps the last few weeks. So we focused this week on gap responsibility, each person doing their job, and I thought our guys did a good job of doing that tonight."

Junior quarterback Cole Simon completed 6 of his 12 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

"Cole does a good job of making his reads and getting the ball where it needs to go," Desormeaux said.

Freeman, who rushed for 118 yards on 13 carries, gave the Blue Gators a 6-0 lead with a 22-yard run around the right side with 10:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Later in the first, Cordova added two touchdowns to push the lead to 20-0.

"Those guys have had a great offseason," Desormeaux said of Freeman and Cordova. "They're both seniors who have had a great four years in the weight room. That contributes to it, and we preach to keep moving our feet after contact."

After being hampered by injuries earlier this season, the Blue Gators are getting back to full strength as a district showdown with Catholic-New Iberia looms next week.

"We were a little banged up after the North Vermilion game," said Desormeaux, a Catholic-NI alum. "We had some guys here and there nicked up, but for the most part, we're OK. Ethan Leoni played defense tonight. He was out last week. He helped us out on the defensive line."

In a Week 1 win over Erath, Leoni led the team in rushing with 137 yards and two touchdowns.

"We challenged our guys after North Vermilion to get better at practice every day and treat every day as a game, and our guys did that," he said.

"It's going to be the same focus next week. We know who we're going against the reigning district champs that own our district so we want to go in there and take it away from them."

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Ascension Episcopal cruises to district-opening win against Jeanerette - The Advocate

Health systems using a focused approach in the drive to Zero Suicides – ModernHealthcare.com

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A pastoral letter from Californias Catholic bishops on caring for those who suffer from mental illness noted that American society is seeing rising rates of depression and anxiety, with the impact being an alarming increase in the rates of suicide, among both men and women of nearly every age group. The letter concluded with an urgent call to respond.

With support from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and other combined efforts, health systems around the country are responding.

Catholic health systems in particular are called to care for the most vulnerable, to provide them hope and healing. Those who suffer in silence, loneliness and despair embody vulnerability in this day and age. As the bishops made clear in their letter, Consider this stark contrast: A person with a medical illness, such as cancer, will usually receive an outpouring of sympathy and support from their parish and community; a person diagnosed with a mental illnesssuch as depression, crippling anxiety or bipolar disorderfrequently experiences isolation and inadequate support, often because of the unjust social stigma of mental illness.

Many faith-based and secular health systems have stepped up their efforts to focus care delivery on discovering, referring, and treating for depression and suicidal ideation, often working as part of community efforts. For example, Studer Family Childrens Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola, Fla., screens for depression and suicide risk upon admission to the pediatric emergency department and then again upon inpatient admission.

If patients screen positively, they are referred for appropriate care to address directly their underlying symptoms. And Ascension Via Christi in Kansas is collaborating with others in the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition to promote and implement evidence-based approaches, local research and community change to reduce the impact of suicide, with the ultimate goal of zero suicides in the county.

Supporting these and similar efforts, in 2017 SAMHSA created the Zero Suicide initiative, offering grants of up to five years to implement comprehensive approaches to suicide prevention in health systems. As of last year, the agency had awarded more than $61 million in grants for suicide prevention programs to be distributed over several years.

Ascension is one year into its five-year Zero Suicide grant, which we are using to create the Ascension Zero Suicide Collaborative Network. The collaborative will serve patients in Indiana, Tennessee and Michigan, seeking to transform primary care, behavioral health, medical/psychiatry, OB-GYN, residency clinic and emergency department services. The collaborative network will serve individuals ages 25 and older in diverse urban and rural settings with special outreach to U.S. veterans, people with substance use disorders and individuals with social determinants of health barriers, among others.

So far, we have almost tripled our goal for screenings and exceeded our goal for referrals by over 700%. We have trained over 500 members of our mental health-related workforce, and we have provided services to those being referred 100% of the time, doubling our goal.

This is just one example of the type of focused approach that health systems across the country are taking to address the tremendous problems of mental health and suicide.

What do these efforts mean in real terms? Take the example of Alexis DeJean, a project coordinator at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis. She provides specialized training to colleagues so they can make calls to patients whose mental health may benefit from follow-up. Those staffers appreciate the training, which theyve used not only with patients but with family members and friends. Several patients also have shown enormous appreciation for the calls, telling Alexis how much the outreach has helped them.

Caregivers across the country like Alexis are beginning to pierce through the silence, loneliness and despair of depression to let patients know that they care and are there to help. In the sphere of suicide prevention, this type of genuine, caring outreach is needed to save lives.

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Health systems using a focused approach in the drive to Zero Suicides - ModernHealthcare.com

Senior trio leads St. Amant to win over East Ascension in district opener – The Advocate

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ST. AMANT The St. Amant volleyball team hasnt been hitting on all cylinders this season, but the Gators found a groove Wednesday night as they started off district play with a 3-1 win over East Ascension.

The Spartans won the first set by a score of 25-19, but the Gators were too tough the rest of the way. St. Amant (7-6) swept the next three sets by scores of 25-21, 25-16 and 25-23. The contest was similar to last seasons district opener, when St. Amant dropped the first two sets at East Ascension before rallying for a five-set win.

We have been struggling a lot in the past couple of weeks with individual play, St. Amant coach Allison Leake said. Its not so much team play, but we have some young girls we are trying to fill spots with.

St. Amant got strong play from three seniors Aubrey Dwane (10 kills, 16 digs), Elaine Anderson (five kills, three blocks) and Lacey Harvey (six kills, three blocks). Also coming up big were juniors Gracie Duplechein and Olivia Rome, who each had 15 assists.

The youngsters who helped round out the effort were freshman libero Maggie Ladner and freshman hitter JaLynn Davenport.

It all added up to a key district win over for St. Amant over one of its biggest rivals.

(East Ascension) is a great team, Leake said. We have one of the toughest districts in the state because of the three (Ascension) Parish teams. We have great athletes in this parish.

East Ascension (12-4) was paced by Truli Josephs 17 kills and nine digs, and Daisha Mosleys 14 kills and six digs. Londyn Brown (21 assists, 14 digs) and Abby Lebourgeois (10 digs) were also key contributors.

If we cant pick up our mental game were going to struggle, East Ascension coach Jamie Gilmore said. It was a mental breakdown. We fought hard and we played well, but at the end we didnt do our job.

After winning the first set, the Spartans trailed 21-20 in the second set before falling 25-21. In the fourth set, East Ascension led 23-19 and was poised to force a deciding fifth set. Instead, the Gators scored on kills by Harvey and Julia Kramer, and then let the Spartans self destruct.

East Ascension was unable to return the next two St. Amant serves to tie the game 23-23. The Spartans had hitting errors on the following two points as St. Amant finished off the match with a 25-23 win.

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Senior trio leads St. Amant to win over East Ascension in district opener - The Advocate

Ross rampant again as Rangers rout Jabloteh 5-0 to hand Ascension title to Defence Force – Wired868

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Terminix La Horquetta Rangers leapfrogged San Juan Jabloteh on their final match day, to claim second spot in the Ascension Invitational Tournament Division One after clobbering the San Juan Kings 5-0 at the Phase 2 Recreation Ground on Friday night.

It was a victory that was also celebrated in Tetron, as it confirmed Defence Force as champions of Division One with 25 points and a game to spare. The Army/Coast Guard combination will bank TT$250,000 for their troubles while Rangers are due TT$125,000 for their second place finish.

Army should expect a champions guard of honour when they take the field on Sunday at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex to face table-proppers Matura Re-United from 4pm.

There will still be something to play for in Diego Martin though as Cunupia FC challenge Police FC from 7.15pm in the second game of a double header, knowing that a win will take them over Jabloteh into third spot, which is worth TT$75,000.

Jabloteh assistant coach Marvin Gordon is therefore hoping for a big favour from the Lawmen.

We were always aiming for a top three position and we did well, said Gordon, after their loss to Rangers. For me I think we did well in this competition with the roster we have. When you look at the two teams who on top of us tonight, Defence Force and La Horquetta Rangers, and you judge their roster against our roster, I think we did well.

We knew coming to La Horquetta would be a difficult task but we always wanted to come here playing for somethingeither first, second or thirdwhich we came to play for tonight.

Hopefully the Lord smile on us and by the end of weekend we stay third.

On Friday night however, Jabloteh received no favours.

After a cagey start to the game, La Horquettas skipper Jamal Creighton pounced on a rebound to tap the ball beyond the helpless Jabloteh goalkeeper Christopher Bigette in the 30th minute. But it was Rangers second goaljust before the intervalthat really rubbed Gordon the wrong way.

I think [the second goal] was the turning point in the match tonight for me. I thought that call was really bad, said Gordon.

Jabloteh lost possession after a tussle in their half and Tyrone Charles sprung the counter. He charged into the box and picked out a free Aikim Andrews, who hammered a shot into the bottom corner.

Jodel Brown with the football, right in front of the referee. Foul committed and the referee never give the foul and out of that same play, they scored the second goal, continued an incensed Gordon.

Gordon wasnt the only one who felt aggrieved by the decisions on the pitch.

Young talented midfielder Jodel Brown caught a flung arm in his face by Rangers star Kadeem Corbin andas referee Rashby McPhie allowed play to continuemade it his business to let Corbin know exactly how he felt. It was a feisty and lengthy square off between the two that, luckily, did not go further than verbal barbs.

The Jabloteh staff, however, felt that the situation was getting the better of heated Brown and replaced him at the half.

Jodel Brown is exceptional in terms of talent [and] the sky is the limit once he can get his attitude right, said Gordon. I am a little disappointed in my guys because I think we should have shown a little more mental toughness tonight, even though things were going against us in the first 45 mins. Because we wasnt playing bad football.

And they definitely werent. Brown was tenacious and showed glimpses of his talent but it was Shaquille John who squandered the San Juan Kings best opportunity. Hakim Baird overlapped down the left and squared to John but the forward couldnt keep the effort down and it cannoned off the bar.

For everything Baird could do, though, opposing left back Ross Russell Jr could do better. In the 59th minute, the energetic full back got on the end of a scramble in the box to make it three, before he scored arguably goal of the game with a sweetly timed volley after the ball bobbled up perfectly into his path.

Without question, Russell has been a revelation in the Ascension Invitational and his efforts have not gone unnoticed by National Senior Team head coach Dennis Lawrence, who gave him his debut against Martinique in Concacaf Nations League action earlier this month.

I think Ross Russell has been one of the most consistent players in the team, said Quamina. [He] plays with his heart.

Tyrone Charles then put the final cherry on top of the comprehensive win with a simple finish after Bigette innocuously palmed down a Russell cross onto the strikers foot from six yards. It was Charles first goal since his opening round hat trick against Matura on 10 August.

Quamina was keen to focus on the positives after their first win over a Pro League opponent in the Ascension.

The talk was that we couldnt beat a Pro League team and we just tried to keep on working, working and [knew] we would get it right, said the Rangers head coach. But we need to keep humble and try not to get carried away with this result. Football was out of La Horquetta for a long time This is a real good event for community football and community building.

(Teams)

Terminix La Horquetta Rangers (4-2-2-2): 1.Glenroy Samuel (GK); 23.Kennedy Hinkson, 18.Jevon Morris, 12.Caleb Sturge, 17.Ross Russell Jr; 15.Keron Cummings, 8.Jamal Creighton ( C); 7.Aikim Andrews (24.Kishon Hackshaw), 45.Kadeem Corbin (11.Jomoul Francois); 10.Tyrone Charles, 77.Samuel Delice (13.Jameel Antoine).

Unused substitutes: 20.Jabari St Hillaire (GK), 5.Leslie Joel Russell, 6.Kevon Goddard, 16.Hayden Tinto, 21.Keyon Edwards, 33.Keion Goodridge.

Head coach: Dave Quamina

San Juan Jabloteh (4-2-3-1): 30.Christopher Bigette (GK) (C); 26.Kerdell Sween, 17.Carlyle Mitchell, 24.Taryk Sampson, 12.Hakim Baird (28.Brandon Semper); 6.Jamal Spencer (4.Nical Stephens), 8.Delon Jagassar (29.Josiah Daniel); 10.Sean Bonval (25.Jair Edwards), 14.Jodel Brown (13.Keshawn Hutchinson), 15.Kadeem Hutchinson; 7.Shaquille John.

Unused substitutes: 35.Erskine Johnson (GK), 16.Jercole Pierre, 22.Elair Brewster, 29.Josiah Baird.

Head coach: Keith Jeffrey

Referee: Rashby McPhie

Man of the Match: Ross Russell Jr (Terminix La Horquetta Rangers)

Ascension Invitational results

Division One

(Friday 27 September)

Terminix La Horquetta Rangers 5 (Jamal Creighton 30, Aikim Andrews 42, Ross Russell Jr 59, 89, Tyrone Charles 90+1), San Juan Jabloteh 0 at Phase Two, La Horquetta.

Upcoming fixtures

Division One

(Sunday 29 September)

Prison Service FC v Guaya United, 4pm, San Juan North ground;

QPCC v Club Sando, 4pm, St Marys College ground;

Cunupia FC v Police FC, 4pm, Diego Martin Sporting Complex;

Defence Force v Matura ReUnited, 7.15pm, Diego Martin Sporting Complex.

Division Two

(Saturday 28 September)

Bethel United v Harlem Strikers, 3.30pm, Mt Gomery Recreation Ground;

(Sunday 29 September)

UTT FC v Marabella Family CC, 4pm, UTT, O Meara;

Police FC v Club Sando Uprising Yths, 4pm, Teachers Training College, Valsayn;

Petit Valley/Dgo Martin Utd v Moruga FC, 4pm, St Anthonys College Ground;

Erin FC v RSSR FC, 5.30pm, Erin Recreation Ground;

San Fernando Giants v Deportivo PF, 4pm, Mannie Ramjohn Stadium Training Field.

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Ross rampant again as Rangers rout Jabloteh 5-0 to hand Ascension title to Defence Force - Wired868

About Half of Americans Expect to Be Wealthy Someday – Motley Fool

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Call it American optimism.

Just over half of Americans (51%) believe they will be wealthy one day, according to a new survey conducted by MagnifyMoney. That's a particularly stunning number when you consider that the average American thinks you need $2.27 million to be considered wealthy.

It's also quite a leap of faith to be confident in your eventual wealth when the median household worth for Americans over the age of 75 (the wealthiest age group) is only $264,800 -- meaning half of those households have less. Even the average net worth of that age group -- a number pulled higher by the extremely wealthy people on the top of the scale -- comes in a $1,067,000, not even half of what is viewed as wealthy.

What this guy considers "wealthy "may not match your definition of financial success. Image source: Getty Images.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, experience does a number on this financial optimism: While 66% of millennials surveyed still see wealth in their futures, only 25% of Baby Boomers do -- likely because they understand that if they are not already well on their way to rich (or there already), they probably won't get there.

There was a lack of clear consensus across the pool of respondents about what the best way to accumulate wealth is. Real estate was the top answer, named by 28%, while the stock market came in second at 19%.

Whatever a person believes about their future prosperity, they're unlikely to wind up wealthy if they don't take some coordinated steps to make it happen.

"Unfortunately, 23% of Americans currently are not doing anything to build wealth," wrote Jacqueline DeMarco for MagnifyMoney. "On the bright side, 36% are saving for retirement and 29% are investing in the stock market."

There is, of course, some wiggle room here: The MagnifyMoney survey didn't define what being wealthy means, so respondents may not have had a specific monetary value in mind.

"About 55% of Americans reported believing that being wealthy ultimately means having the ability to live comfortably without concern for their finances. Meanwhile, 43% defined it as feeling financially secure," wrote DeMarco.

That's a somewhat encouraging set of figures, because a hard worker who plans for their future has a fair shot at achieving financial independence. That may not mean "wealth" in the traditional sense, but for most of us, getting to the point where we can live our lives without having to worry about money would be victory enough on the financial front.

The sooner you start, the easier it will be to make that happen. You don't have to earn a lot of money to eventually achieve financial independence, but you do have to have a plan and the discipline to see it through.

If one of your dreams is to someday stop having to worry about money, start working toward it now. Evaluate your finances, and get trustworthy professional help with crafting your retirement plan. And most important, prioritize long-term security over short-term wants. That's not always easy, but it's a path most people can follow that will eventually pay off.

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Wall Street Is Wrong: You CAN Retire On $405K. Here’s How. – Forbes

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Today I want to show you how you can retire on $405,000and with just five buys, too! Put together, these five stocks and funds hand you a 7.4%-yielding portfolio that will pay you reliably for decades.

First, though, lets quickly run through how our 5-buy portfolio will workand how it proves the so-called experts, who say you need a million dollars or more to clock outare dead wrong.

A Million-Dollar Retirement for $405K!?

To be smack in the middle of income in America, you need to bring in about $30,000 per year. So, at a 7.4% yield, youd need to invest $405,000. In other words, thats how much it takes for a person to retire and be middle class in America.

I know what youre thinking: That sounds great, but where the heck am I supposed to find a safe dividend that high anywhere in the market?

Fair questionand thats why Ive chosen a special kind of fund called a closed-end fund (CEF) to form the bedrock of our 5-pick portfolio. These fundslike the 21 in the portfolio of my membership-only CEF Insider serviceregularly pay this much and often more, with yields well into the double digits.

And for years, CEFs have been helping retirees quit the rat race earlier than the experts say is possible.

Heres how.

If you want to get $30,000 per year in income from something like the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY), youd need to invest over $1.6 million. Thats because SPY yields a measly 1.8%, a fraction of what CEFs provide.

Plus, many CEFs let you diversify beyond stocks, as these funds go further afield, into areas like bonds and real estate investment trusts (REITs), helping insulate you from a market crash.

Interested? Read on and let me show you the keys to high-yield financial independence.

Pick #1: A Mortgage and Bond Fund From the Biggest Name in CEFs

The PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (PDI) yields 8.3% and even pays you a dividend every month instead of every quarter. That high payout comes from its combination of corporate and mortgage-backed bonds, which are handpicked by PIMCO, widely seen as one of the best bond-investment companies in the world.

PDI has been growing its dividend since inception, in addition to paying periodic special dividends, which is why its been delivering a total return that crushes the market over the funds lifetime!

Also, since PDI doesnt invest in stocks, itll help you diversify in case of a market correction: note how the orange line above is much smoother than that of SPY. Thats because of the funds lower volatility and bigger income stream, which help you weather short-term downturns. PDI investors have been sleeping well at night for years.

Pick #2: Boring Utilities and Exciting Outperformance

I wouldnt blame you if you said the Gabelli Utility Trust (GUT) sounds boring: a utility fund with a stable portfolio, GUT boasts a no-drama 8.4% dividend thats been a mainstay of high-income investing for years. But no matter how boring its investments sound, GUTs results are anything but dull.

With more than double the total return of the S&P 500 over 20 years, GUT has proven that you can beat the market for a long time, again showing that a long retirement on a reasonable nest egg is possible.

Pick #3: The New Kid on the Block

The 5.8%-yielding Blackrock Science & Technology Trust II (BSTZ) is one of BlackRocks newest funds. Managed by the firms tech and growth-stock team, who have been crushing the market in other funds for years, BSTZ has the promise of long-term outperformance, thanks to BlackRocks unique access to the market.

Simply put, because it has over $6 trillion in assets under management and is a creditor for many companies in tech and beyond, BlackRock knows where to go for big returns.

A nice thing about BSTZ is that it goes far beyond FAANG stocksFacebook (FB), Amazon.com (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Google (known as Alphabet [GOOGL])to find hidden gems that havent already been bid up in the tech world.

In addition to private firms you cant easily buy, like C3 AI, BSTZ also holds names like Twilio (TWLO) and IAC/Interactive Corp. (IAC), which are still up over 25% in 2019, even after recent market volatility.

Think of BSTZ as a way of buying into the best of private and public tech firms before they turn into the next Google, all while benefiting from BlackRocks market access and research capacity. Those were the secret weapons that have made BlackRocks other tech funds outperform, so expect this one to do the same over time.

Pick #4: Profit Like a LandlordWithout the Hassle

The Cohen & Steers Quality Income Realty Fund (RQI) is a way you can get rich off of real estate without dealing with tenants or maintenance. Thats because RQI invests in many different companies that hold thousands of different properties between themand professional managers pick up and distribute the rents to RQI shareholders.

Does this system work? You bet. With a 6.2% yield, RQIs passive income stream is a main part of its success story.

With nearly double the markets returns, RQI is another index-buster thats seen investors happily enjoying massive gains for nearly two decades. And the fact that RQI, as a real-estate fund, survived the subprime-mortgage crisis and still delivered outperformance just proves how powerful this CEF is.

Pick #5: Tap an 8.3% Yield With This Savvy Business Investor

Business-development companies (BDCs) have a unique model: by pooling together investors capital and lending it to mid-sized firms that dont want to deal with banks, BDCs have carved a niche that gives you a large income stream and diversification away from stocks.

Many people dont know about BDCs, but they should; many of these companies yield over 7% and have massive long-term returns.

Ares Capital Corporation (ARCC) is a prime example. One of the largest and most successful BDCs, it has crushed the market and survived recessions while giving investors a growing dividendcurrently at 8.3%.

There are two main reasons for Aress success. First, its size lets it diversify widely, to ensure it isnt too exposed to one market or another. Second, Aress depth of knowledge and experience in private corporate lending help it find the best deals.

The Final Word

As I just showed you, you can create a diversified high-yielding portfolio that crushes the market and makes retirement on a reasonable nest egg possible. Dont believe the fearmongers: financial freedom is closer than you realize.

Michael Foster is the Lead Research Analyst for Contrarian Outlook. For more great income ideas, click here for our latest report Indestructible Income: 5 Bargain Funds with Safe 8.5% Dividends.

Disclosure: none

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Wall Street Is Wrong: You CAN Retire On $405K. Here's How. - Forbes

Mary Kay Announces Initiative to Educate Women Around the World – Preston Hollow People

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Women could add 12 trillion dollars to the global GDP by 2025, according to a McKinsey Global Institute study. Investing in female entrepreneurs can help realize this projection and bring us closer to gender parity at the same time.

Mary Kay Inc., a leading advocate of womens empowerment and entrepreneurship, has announced the Womens Entrepreneurship Accelerator, a multi-partner initiative designed to inspire, educate, and empower women entrepreneurs around the world.

With no qualifying barriers to participate, the ground-breaking initiative is a strategic collaboration developed in consultation with six United Nations agencies: UN Women, United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), UN Global Compact (UNGC), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Accelerator will offer a guided digital curriculum supplemented by on-the-ground training and mentorship.

In addition, it will serve as an advocacy platform to eliminate entrepreneurial roadblocks for women, ranging from digital literacy to legal reformenabling women to fully participate in the growth of their local and national economies.

The Accelerator will support global efforts to encourage businesses to establish and expand relationships with women-owned businesses, including corporate procurement. Future expansion of the program will include funding opportunities accessible to women who complete the curriculum.

Mary Kay has empowered women through entrepreneurship and supported their aspirations for financial security and independence for more than 56 years, said Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer of Mary Kay. Private and public-sector organizations must work together to ensure all women entrepreneurs have access to the tools and education they need to make their dreams of financial independence a reality, lifting up their families and communities.

The Womens Entrepreneurship Accelerator initially will be available in six languages, with more to come as the program expands to 192 countries. The Accelerator also will convene an advisory committee of entrepreneurs, celebrities, and advocates to oversee the expansion and promotion of the program.

An informed woman with money in her pocket is an empowered woman. With the growing number of female innovators active today, womens entrepreneurship and empowerment are strongly on the rise, said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women. The advocates from across the world who are joining forces to create the Womens Entrepreneurship Accelerator will enable more women than ever to become knowledgeable entrepreneurs, cultivate financial independence, and support their local communities.

Arancha Gonzlez, executive director of the International Trade Centre said at ITC they look forwardto joining the Womens Entrepreneurship Accelerator through its SheTrades Initiative to achieve real progress on achieving SDG5 to empower all women and girls.

With this partnership, we will empower women and girls to pursue their entrepreneurship dreams, and equip them with the skills needed to turn those dreams into business success, she said.

The Womens Entrepreneurship Accelerator is the latest in a series of recent steps taken by Mary Kay to empower women and improve their lives around the world.

Earlier this year, Mary Kay added its name to a growing roster of businesses and corporations committing to the Womens Empowerment Principles, a joint project of the UN Global Compact and UN Women developed to emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality.

Mary Kay is also a signatory of the UN Global Compact, the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative. During the United Nations General Assembly, Mary Kay will sponsor the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge, the first global business competition for women entrepreneurs convened by renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.

To learn more about the Womens Entrepreneurship Accelerator, visitwww.WE-accelerate.com.

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Mary Kay Announces Initiative to Educate Women Around the World - Preston Hollow People

Column: If you’re old enough to be $20000 in debt, you’re old enough to be called an adult. – The Maneater

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Sofi Zeman is a first-year journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about interpersonal growth and interaction.

The second Pomp and Circumstance is blared over the loudspeaker of your small-town high school, and the instant you enrolled in the college of your choice, it happened to all of us. After four long years of high school, were finally here. Weve grown up. At least, thats what everyone continues to say. Weve packed our bags and moved out of the house in pursuit of higher education. So, now is the time. We have officially entered adulthood, right?

Wrong. While this concept may have been widely viewed as the truth in past generations, it is not the case today. Yes, we have all moved on to the next phase in our lives, but many would argue that this does not necessarily define adulthood. So, what does? Does being in college make us adults, or are we something just short of that? In the eyes of the law, every person that is 18 years or older is classified as an adult. We can vote and be tried to the fullest extent of the law in a legal manner, neither of which seem to be a matter that a child would deal with. Yet there is so much that goes into adulthood that has nothing to do with age.

A primary reason that many cannot seem to identify as grown-ups is a lack of financial independence. As college students, some of us are primarily making our way through these next few years with some financial help. Some would argue that having this parental safety net ties 20-somethings down to stay home longer and move out of the house later in life. This state of financial comfort can lead to a young adults regression into the high school living mentality, where this financial cushion is not being used as a tool to make a career and living. Instead, it is being taken advantage of and wasted on counterproductive matters. Rather than choosing to find a stable job or save up for the future, some adults opt to allow their guardians to support them entirely, beyond an appropriate time frame. However, there is a major difference between using the resources you have and wasting them away. Understanding this distinction plays an important role in defining adulthood. Needing help to fund your education does not reduce you to a child. College is expensive. Believe it or not, there are very few who can pay for it all on their own. But, an important part of growing up is finding some sort of financial responsibility along the way.

The concept of being a student forms its own safety nets. Its true, there are things that college students dont have to worry about that people out in the real-world deal with daily. Many of us arent obligated to pay for our own insurance or support anyone. Getting fired from a job means a lot less to many of us than it does to people older than us. Although, we experience major stressors in our own lives. Weve left home and were beginning to establish ourselves in the world. In this next part of life, students will have to begin making serious decisions by themselves, decisions that can have major impacts, which sounds like a real-world dilemma.

Others have argued that college students arent adults because some simply do not know what theyre doing. Its been said before, and sure to be said again, that we are all destined to find our own path in life. Whether you agree with this mantra or not, college is commonly known as the place people go to find out who and what they want to be. Although, in many cases, it takes some time to get there. Not having our futures all figured out can make us view ourselves and our peers through an immature lens. Then again, why has having a path become a necessity in being taken seriously? There are countless people well beyond our years that dont have the slightest clue of what they want to be. Its entirely understandable to not have everything in life perfectly lined up because there are few adults that are allowed this luxury. Finding a purpose isnt a matter of adulthood, its a matter of life.

Its clear that most college students dont have a perfect career lined up for them in the near future, or have exactly what they want to do figured out but this does not mean they arent approaching adulthood. There are countless students still trying to figure out the basic building blocks of growing up. Yet, maturity levels vary. There are people out there that have been forced to grow up a lot faster than others, which can make all the difference.

So, what exactly defines adulthood? Everyone has a different perception of this and how it applies to college students. Well, whatever phase this is, its definitely well past childhood.

Edited by Bryce Kolk | bkolk@themaneater.com

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Column: If you're old enough to be $20000 in debt, you're old enough to be called an adult. - The Maneater

Middletown entrepreneur chosen to participate in SEG’s 2019 Health & Wellness Accelerator – What’sUpNewp

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Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) announced today that 12 social ventures from Rhode Island and Massachusetts are participating in its 2019 Health & Wellness Accelerator program. The Health & Wellness Accelerator offers an industry-tailored curriculum and advising, customized face-to-face instruction, peer learning, and access to a network of industry experts in addition to the entire SEG Advisor network to help social entrepreneurs grow their health-related businesses.

The purpose of SEGs Health and Wellness Accelerator program is to stimulate innovation in Rhode Islands health and wellness sector and to help create more successful, sustainable do well, do good businesses, leading to healthier communities for all. The three-month program culminates with a Pitch Night on Thursday, December 5, at SEGs coworking space at 10 Davol Square in Providence.

This years Health & Wellness Accelerator is delivered in partnership with Brown University and is funded by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Real Jobs RI Initiative, Newmans Own Foundation, and Delta Dental of Rhode Island.

Participants chosen for SEGs 2019 Health & Wellness Accelerator are as follows:

ASTRO Arts, Sports, and Technology Resource Organizationchampions equality by building community around common interests in arts, sports, and technology.

Founder: Justin Pasquazzi of Cranston

Bird & Beehelps Rhode Island women start or grow their families with hormonal health, fertility, and postpartum programs.

Founder: Kate Issa Naranjo of Providence

The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health(The CSPH) is dedicated to providing culturally inclusive, medically accurate, and pleasure guided sexuality therapy, education, and professional training.

Executive Director: Alicia Gauvin of Cranston

Connector LLCprovides a platform to facilitate the process for getting people suffering from addiction into treatment programs as swiftly as possible.

Founder: Timothy Sullivan of Providence

Dementia Training for Lifeimproves the lives of individuals living with dementia, by training the community that cares for them.

Founder: Laurie Gunter Mantz, OTR, CADDCT, CFRDT, of Cranston

Groundations, LLCspecializes in working with the age 60+ market on improving quality of life and functional movements.

Cofounder: Jennifer Brine of Somerville, Mass.

IMMAD Impairment Measurement Marijuana and Drivingis developing a patented, objective test of marijuana impairment in vehicle drivers for use by roadside by law enforcement.

Founder: Denise A Valenti, OD, of Quincy, Mass.

New Beginningsis a community-centered program using occupation-based activities to promote health and well-being for persons with mental illness.

Co-founders: Mary Brinson, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, of Cranston; Bethany Pratt, OTD, OTR/L, of South Kingstown

The Rose Center for Learningis a wellness community aimed at increasing access, reducing stigma, linking trained professionals, and promoting a culture of hope for mental health.

Founder: Jennifer Berton, Ph.D., LICSW, of Middletown

Taylor Healthcreates a positive environment in which we provide healthcare that fosters autonomous choice and sexual acceptance for the most vulnerable people.

Founder: Temperance Taylor, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, of Providence

The Tipping Pointempowers and teaches single moms to achieve financial independence and wellness.

Founder: Allison Giuliano of Cranston

UpRiseHercreates and holds inspired space and collaborative community through female-centric co-working, education, and advocacy to help women manage their beautiful, multifaceted lives.

Founder: Shannon Sexton Potter of Warwick

About Social Enterprise Greenhouse

Social Enterprise Greenhouse creates positive social and economic impacts across Rhode Island by supporting social entrepreneurs and enterprises with the business tools and networks they need to thrive. We operate statewide out of three programming sites in Providence, Newport, and Pawtucket/Central Falls. Our network of 400+ enterprises and 300+ business and community leaders contributes time, expertise, and funding to grow Rhode Islands social impact ecosystem. We promote a culture of equity and inclusion within our network, across our programs, and throughout our ecosystem. To learn more, visitwww.segreenhouse.org.

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Middletown entrepreneur chosen to participate in SEG's 2019 Health & Wellness Accelerator - What'sUpNewp

A new standard by Financial Accounting Standards Board should be reconsidered | TheHill – The Hill

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In April of 2009 the American people were in the depths of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. An estimated 10 million Americans had lost or were about to lose their homes, the unemployment rate was nearing 10 percent, and roughly $17 trillion of U.S. household wealth had been lost. People on Main Street were focused on maintaining the ability to feed their families and wondering if Americas best days were behind us. It is also when the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) largely vacated its mark-to-market accounting principle. Outside of a few articles in business journals and financial news outlets the decision went relatively unnoticed.

Despite the lack of attention, FASBs decision was no small event, and it most certainly did not come easily. At the time critics accused FASB of giving in to political pressure accusations to which board members took great exception. In a Wall Street Journal article dated April 3, 2009 then-board member Lawrence Smith reiterated the importance of the Boards independence while going on to say they cannot ignore whats going on around us. I commended FASBs decision to end mark-to-market then and continue to do so today. A month later the S&P 500 bottomed out at 666 and the United States economy slowly started rebuilding.

To say mark-to-market was the only culprit of the recession oversimplifies the crisis. The blame for a downfall that brought the country to its knees and severely crippled the worlds economy cannot be solely blamed on an accounting standard. However, vacating the standard was an honest acknowledgement that it did severely exacerbate the devastation and served as an excellent example of the threat posed by insufficiently studying the economic effects of an accounting standard the entire financial system must follow.

Most of us have heard George Santayanas famous quote: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Apparently, those wise words never made it to Norwalk, Conn., where FASB is only a few months away from implementing its new Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) standard, the largest change in accounting since 2009. While FASB will vigorously argue that CECL has been years in the making, members of the board have also admitted there has not been, nor will there be, an economic impact study performed despite repeated warnings that the procyclical nature of CECL will have similar effects to mark-to-market in a downturn. In a July 23, 2019 op-ed former FDIC Chairman William Isaac and executive director and law professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School, Thomas Vartanian stated, A similar rush by FASB in the face of unanswered concerns resulted in disastrous financial consequences in 2008 when mark-to-market accounting was redefined by FASB. In addition, during a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee earlier this year JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon stated, CECL will constrain banks at precisely the wrong time.

So why does FASB continually neglect to conduct studies on the economic impacts of its standards? Simply put: they dont have to. Under current law, FASB and its overseer, the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) are independent, private-sector organizations that fall outside the purview of the laws that govern regulatory rulemaking and require adequate assessments before implementing standards. The fact of the matter is, prudence for the sake of the greater good has not yet made its way onto FASBs agenda.

Accounting standards should not be a political issue, and FASBs independence has served as a laudable method of keeping standard setting and the economic implications that come with it out of the political fray. However, when independence leads to complacency and that complacency threatens U.S. consumers, businesses, and the greater American economy, it is time for our citizens representatives to step in.

This week I am introducing a bill that will force FASB to follow the Administrative Procedures Act and abide by the same rulemaking guidelines in place for every federal financial regulator, including the Federal Reserve. The APA requires regulators to make proposed rules available for public comment, use the feedback to form a final rule, and perform a cost benefit analysis if a rule is considered economically significant. In addition, this legislation would require FAF to consider the impact their accounting principles will have on the U.S. economy, market stability, and availability of credit something FASB has admitted to me they did not consider while promulgating CECL. This bill will not take away FASBs independence, but it will force them to perform the due diligence they have proven unwilling to do.

Rules and regulations cannot prevent every economic downturn. However, it is irresponsible for Congress to stand by and allow shortsighted, hastily-implemented standards to add fuel to the fire. Particularly when the process producing that standard is eerily reminiscent of disastrous actions taken only a decade earlier.

Blaine LuetkemeyerWilliam (Blaine) Blaine LuetkemeyerA new standard by Financial Accounting Standards Board should be reconsidered Senate bill seeks to bring freedom back to banking On The Money: Dems inch closer to demanding Trump's tax returns | Consumer chief pressed to undo Mulvaney's work | IRS says average tax refund up MORE represents Missouris 3rd District. He is ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions.

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A new standard by Financial Accounting Standards Board should be reconsidered | TheHill - The Hill

Music and spirituality at the end of life – OUPblog

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Music and spirituality are two mediums frequently almost ubiquitously partnered in cultures around the world with the intention of enhancing engagement with the divine. Spiritual practices are infused with music to intensify the transpersonal components of worship, meditation, and ritual. Correspondingly, musical encounters are infused with spiritually-based beliefs and practices to provide individuals connections with themselves and others in uniquely powerful ways.

For many, this easy, reciprocal flow from music to spirituality may come as no surprise: both are malleable mediums responsive to the people engaging with them and the settings in which they are engaged. For instance,Amazing Graceperformed at a funeral in a church with a large congregation might be led with a louder volume, increased pressure, and heightened resonance to match the congregations energy as they worship through song. In contrast,Amazing Graceperformed bedside in a hospital room with a patient and caregivers might embody quieter, more prayerful qualities intending to comfortingly hold the patient in their depleted physical state and engender intimate musical sharing.

As music and spirituality intertwine, their boundaries become increasingly fluid to the point that distinguishing between one and the other becomes trivial. To be spiritual is to be musical, and to be musical is to be spiritual.

A similar malleability is also present in individuals health journeys. Objective characteristics of health such as symptom acuity/chronicity; treatment dosage and frequency; and curative versus palliative outcomes are subjectively experienced in response to the individuals values, morals, and disease trajectory. For instance, one persons 6 out of 10 pain is their daily baseline and thus easily managed, while anothers 6 out of 10 pain is breakthrough and requires treatment. Similarly, one person may prioritize the improved quality of life offered by palliative care while another may prioritize the potential increased longevity offered by curative treatments.

These dynamic, emergent qualities of music, spirituality, and health are a result of each being culturally situated phenomena. That is, the manner in which music, spirituality, and health are conceptualized and engaged with is directly informed by the distinct cultures in which they manifest. This leads to a fraught but important question: If music, spirituality, and health are each unto themselves complex phenomena derived from cultural factors, how do all three interact when they intersect in a singular encounter?

Board-certified music therapists frequently navigate this encounter in hospice. Hospice is a philosophy of care that prioritizes quality of life with six months or less to live, putting critical health issues at the forefront with limited time to facilitate resolution and closure. At such a juncture, spirituality can be a critical resource for patients and families who are simultaneously managing in the moment and preparing for the future. The type of resource spirituality can become (e.g., comfort in ritual, strength from scripture or peace through prayer/meditation/worship) is determined by the specific faith traditions of the patient not just an identified denomination but the explicit experiences patients engaged in as part of their spiritual practice.

Music therapists assess those faith traditions for each patient and, coupled with a similar assessment of patients music traditions, craft music experiences that help patients become aware of and engage with their spiritually-based resources. These culturally informed clinical music processes interweave music, spirituality, and health in a way that affords patients agency in dictating the circumstances of their death. Yet, contemporary discussions in the music therapy literature have tended to frame spirituality from such a broad and generic stance that it becomes difficult for music therapists to locate spiritually-based resources in patients.

To address this limitation, my co-author (Cathleen Flynn) and I recently authored a paper that explored a specific culturally informed music, spiritual, and health intersection: music therapy for Christian patients and caregivers during imminent death. Using this intersection as a foundation, we developed a theoretical model positioning music therapy as a psychospiritual ministry providing patients and caregivers access to a faith-based resource the Holy Spirit that assists with transcendence as end-of-life transitions neared.

Transcendence, a difficult concept to lock down, is a movement beyond the typical, readily accessible experiences that define our day-to-day to experience the self and other in new ways that push beyond our known thresholds. For Christian patients who are imminently dying, that transcendence is vertical, an upward trajectory that moves them closer to an integration with the divine as they move beyond the corporeal. For Christian caregivers, that transcendence is horizontal, an outward trajectory that moves them closer to mortal support structures that assist in their transition to bereavement. The Holy Spirit, an intermediary between the mortal and divine, is the faith-based avenue through which these different but concomitant transcendences occur. From this vantage point, the music therapist assumes a ministerial role, constructing dynamic music experiences that facilitate interactions with the Holy Spirit promoting patient and caregiver transcendence.

Such explicit framing is ethically fraught. First, we do not argue that adopting a Christian lens is the only way or the correct way for music therapy to be practiced in hospice; rather, we introduce this theoretical model as a broad template for conducting spiritual assessments of patients from diverse traditions and beliefs. Second, this is a person-centered model wherein any implementation of Christian theology into music therapy processes is cued by the patient rather than introduced by the music therapist; this is an essential aspect as it avoids the perception that music therapists might leverage privilege to proselytize to patients. Third, there are numerous avenues for ethical and effective clinical support of Christian patients and families at the end of life, and this model is not meant to be a linear prescription; rather, it is an exploratory avenue that opens a multitude of additional doorways for providing psychospiritual care.

As the baby boomer generation continues to advance in age, it will be increasingly important that healthcare systems are well positioned to provide comprehensive end-of-life care addressing mind, body, and spirit as equal partners in whole-person health. Music and spirituality continue to be important day-to-day aspects for many people, and exploring diverse permutations of music, spirituality, and health intersections can be an important contribution to this pursuit of the good death.

Featured Image Credit: selective focus photo of brown guitar on white pillow by Kari Shea. Royalty free viaUnsplash.

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Music and spirituality at the end of life - OUPblog

Princess Diana’s Relationships With Psychics and Spiritual Healers – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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Princess Diana is known for her relationships with psychics and healers for critical information about her life. throughout her later years, she was becoming increasingly more paranoid. She felt like she couldnt trust anyone, and in turn she sought help from these types of people. According to the latest episode of Fatal Voyage Diana: Case Solved, she felt the need to check in with her numerous psychics all the time. She was definitely not the only famous woman to ask these types of people for help.

These psychics were there to listen to Diana only, not judge her, and that is understandable given her position that she would want someone to just listen. But it is plain to see that these people contributed to her paranoia. Sally Morgan, known as Psychic Sally, was one of these people whom Diana came to rely on.

I came into her life when she was really making decisionsfor her own happiness. And she had made a decision that shes the only one thatcould make herself happy, Morgan recalls. She wasnt going to rely on anyoneelse. I think she felt she had a lot of reasons to worry about an early death.She felt that. There were times when she would ring me three or four times aday and then there were times when she would ring me once a day, normally inthe morning.

Diana also looked to Simone Simmons a spiritual healer, forguidance. They would spend hours together on the phone. We met at the end ofthe 1993. By 95 we were firm friends. 96 I mean, we were literally, how do Iput it? Saw each other at least five times a week wherever Diana was in theworld she would phone me, Simmons says.

If Diana couldnt get through to Simmons, she would leavemessages for her instead. They became the best of friends. She wanted to constantlycheck in with her throughout the day and keep her updated on everything thatwas going on.

Its understandable how all this talk of the future anddeath could only fuel Dianas increasing paranoia. Another spiritual advisor,Rita Rogers, says she warned Princess Diana about an impending premonition.Rogers had regular visits with Diana and believed that the brakes in her car wouldbe tampered with. She also claims to have had a feeling of danger whenmeeting Dodi Fayed for the first time.

Simmons remembers how the psychic actually toldDiana that the Queen would die over a phone call. Such talk only increasedthe Princess clear paranoid state that something was about to happen.

She said, Rita has told me the Queen is going to die nextyear. This would be in 1994. She said that would mean that Charles would beKing and she would be Queen, Simmons recalls. Actually, I was shocked. Thefollowing year, she told me Rita had told her the Queen would abdicate. Shesaid it in all seriousness, she believed it. I asked her: I dont suppose thishas come from the same person who said the Queen was going to die?

Princess Diana also revealed to Simmons that she was driving home and her brakes appeared to fail. The scare really shook her to the core. One time she was driving home from seeing me and she said her brakes failed in heavy traffic. She bumped into the car in front of her and after making sure the driver was OK, she abandoned her car and jumped into a taxi to go home. Simmons says. She was terrified. She said Theyre trying to bump me off.

Princess Dianas relationships with healers, psychics, and the like only increased her ever-growing paranoid state. She was, however, correct that something was going to happen and she died in a tragic car accident in 1997.

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Spirituality and Health 3 Ways Faith Helps to Overcome Stress – spokanefavs.com

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Your spirituality andhealth are connected. Here are 3 ways faith helps to overcome stress.

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Stress can cause you tofeel lower than youve ever felt. Constant worrying about what could go wrongcan leave you feeling on edge and hurt your relationships. This can stress youout even more than you already were.

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Anxiety can take a tollon your physical health, along with your mental state. When you spend too muchtime stressing about things out of your control, youre only hurting yourselfmore. A positive mental state is the best thing you can do for your health.

Diseases are created inthe body and mind from the imbalance and disturbance ofuniversal elements. When yourefeeling physically unwell or hurt, you should trust in your faith. Spiritualhealing will use your positive energy to improve your overall health.

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To obtain hope, youshould practice spiritual activities. These can help you feel closer to God andcreate a happier life. Trust that your belief in a higher power can help youfeel more hopeful and witness how much happier you become.

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Perhaps you dont knowwhats at the root of your problems. This alone could cause you to feeloverwhelmed and stressed out more often than youd like. Depression, physicalpain, and anxiety can be from past life regression.

If you believe your pastlives could be hurting your present, you could be a great candidate forregression therapy. Working with your therapist, youll:

Its okay to feelskeptical if youve never done this before. You canread moreabout it first.

Hello Faith, Goodbye Stress

Now that youve learneda few ways that faith can help you overcome stress, its time to begin. You canlive a happier and better life when you accept that your spirituality andhealth are connected. Visit the health section on our site for other ways youcan improve your wellbeing.

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Spirituality and Health 3 Ways Faith Helps to Overcome Stress - spokanefavs.com

Book Review: My Year of Living Spiritually by Anne Bokma – Raise the Hammer

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Book Review: My Year of Living Spiritually by Anne Bokma

Making use of her eagerness to find answers to life's questions yet relying on her reporter's skepticism to remain objective, Bokma invites readers to vicariously experience her 12-month sampling of spirituality.

By Doreen NicollPublished September 25, 2019

I'll admit, it's been a very long time since I have been able to sit down and read a book. Don't get me wrong, I love reading. In fact, I read at least one newspaper a day - sometimes more, seemingly endless articles and reports, and information to make me a better teacher. Still I wasn't able to sit down and read a book from beginning to end. That is, until I started devouring Anne Bokma's new release, My Year of Living Spiritually.

Bokma, the Hamilton-based award-winning freelance journalist and creator of the fantastically popular Six-Minute Memoir which tasks Steel Town locals with creating themed short stories about their lived experiences, has outdone herself one more time.

We meet Bokma in mid-life. She is not in crisis, but she is looking for something more. That lays the groundwork for her year of living spiritually, chronicling each month's journey to find greater depth of meaning, connection, simplicity and ultimately inner peace.

This book is for those who think for themselves and want to have a spiritual life without the baggage associated with organized religion. Bokma, who left the Dutch Calvinist Canadian Reform Church at 20, joined the growing group of individuals who may or may not believe in God, but who share a deep connection to nature and the earth. Known collectively as spiritual but not religious (SBNR) Bokma tells us it's the fastest-growing faith group in the Western world.

Making use of her eagerness to find answers to life's questions yet relying on her reporter's skepticism to remain objective, Bokma invites readers to vicariously experience her 12-month sampling of spirituality.

January is the month of hope and fresh starts, a chance to try out new morning routines and to once and for all, put an end that obsession women have with busyness. By the end of the year, only the most essential practices remain.

February finds Bokma creating sacred space on a budget while trying to avoid spiritual appropriation. Ultimately, Bokma morphs her altar into a collection of meaningful keepsakes and personal items that show she is charting her own spiritual path.

In celebration of a secular Lent, Bokma gives up her beloved wine for 40 days beginning in March. Fortunately, Bokma's husband let her in on a well-kept secret: Catholics have a fallback plan that allows them to 'break the fast' on each of the six Sabbaths of Lent. This makes getting through the ritual much more manageable and agreeable for everyone concerned.

In April, Bokma explores improving her inner dialogue with the help of a 'Soul Coach.' She also spends quiet time in a sensory-deprivation chamber, better known as a float tank. When that quest for quiet goes well, Bokma opts to spend 48 hours alone in a secluded luxury tree house retreat, where she rediscovers the wonders of spending time disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with nature.

May finds Bokma 'Forest bathing' - walking in the woods and talking with the trees to find out how to make life matter. During this existential experience Bokma observes, "How like a dew drop we are, I think, so often trembling and hanging on for dear life." Ain't that the truth.

Her spiritual journey takes her on a pilgrimage to Concord, Massachusetts where Henry David Thoreau spent two years living, walking, playing his flute and writing about the local plants and animals.

Thoreau was also a founding member of transcendentalism based on the belief that people and nature are inherently good. Transcendentalism established the distinction between religion and spirituality. It's in Thoreau's beloved Walden pond that Bokma conducts her own spiritual baptism.

June brings the antithesis of May, when Bokma actively searches for her voice. She starts the chapter with a quote from the French singer Edith Piaf: "Singing is a way of escaping. It's another world. I'm no longer on earth."

Many of us are unable to relate to Piaf's adoration of singing. Possibly someone told us when we were young that we couldn't carry a tune, or perhaps, like Bokma, our first solo performance in front of a sizable crowd didn't sound quite the way we thought it would.

Joining a weekly neighbourhood drop-in group that sing together at a local pub gives Bokma the confidence and freedom to toss aside her self-consciousness, "like a bouquet thrown by a drunken bride," and find her true voice.

Then a private music lesson goes well and Bokma is encouraged to keep singing "for the joy of it." Her next stop is the Hamilton-based choir Singin' Women, made up of homeless and precariously housed women and their allies. Yet, all cares evaporate when the singing begins.

After a couple of revelationary singing retreats, as well as some time spent with a choir singing for chronically ill and dying patients, Bokma realizes singing in a group is not only good for body and soul, it also increases social connectedness, a sense of belonging and all of that is good.

This is a powerful chapter that can trigger tear-filled moments. It's a good place to stop reading for the day in order to process Bokma's spiritual journey through the first half of 2017 as well as the intense feelings that readers may experience.

July is certainly a great month to take a trip, but it's a psychedelic trip with therapeutic overtones that Bokma embarks on with the help of an ayahuasca ceremony, holotropic breathwork and some magic mushrooms. Her guided experiences take Bokma through the process of letting go of children and motherhood and realizing the everlasting bond between mothers and daughters, but it also gives the reader a brutally honest account of her relationships with her own two daughters and especially her husband, Jeff.

August is a busy month dealing with Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) that encapsulates pretty much the entire dogma of organized religion and leaves individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, perfectionism, and a sense of being unlovable. It's also the chapter that asks you to think of Jesus as a protector and a radical who challenged the authorities of his time.

This is also the time that Bokma explores her local Unitarian church, whose welcoming philosophy includes believing in inherent worth and dignity, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and respect for the interdependent web of all existence.

Bokma also explores a very long list of secular gatherings, including drumming circles, secular alcoholics anonymous meetings, storytelling events, death cafes, and the Women's March on Washington, in order "to nurture that shared ethical basis."

September brings an exploration of supernatural states like chakras, reiki, tarot card readings, past-life regression therapy and mediums.

October is spent meeting Tim, the brother Bokma never knew she had. It was also spent exploring all aspects of death and coming to terms with it over dinner with a group of women friends.

November ushers in the ultimate spiritual practice - gratitude as well as rebuilding relationships.

December becomes the month Bokma lets go of exhausting Christmas traditions (two years ago I also decided to give money, chocolate, and a few trinkets, go out for Chinese food, and then see a movie) and declutters and organizes not only her house but her personal life.

Being the same age as Bokma, I often found myself thinking I tried reiki or tarot readings, OMG that same thing happened to me at that age, or I remember feeling the exact same way when I encountered that situation. There's a familiarity, unity, perceived sisterhood, and natural comfortableness that comes with these shared experiences.

Interspersed throughout Bokma's spiritual journey are interesting, often heart-wrenching stories of her life. It was a privilege to share in Bokma's year of self-discovery and learning to love herself. I can hardly wait for the next chapter.

My Year of Living Spiritually by Anne Bokma, published by Douglas and McIntyre (2019)

Doreen Nicoll is a feminist and a member of several community organizations working diligently to end poverty, hunger and gendered violence.

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Book Review: My Year of Living Spiritually by Anne Bokma - Raise the Hammer