Monthly Archives: June 2022

Stephen Asma: My father’s experience with morphine in hospice showed me the healing joy of altered states – Chicago Tribune

Posted: June 11, 2022 at 1:21 am

My father died this year of cancer. In the end, he was brought home from the hospital to die with his family around him, and Im grateful for that. He was resigned to his inevitable end, and we were able to say goodbye.

Under the careful ministrations of hospice nurses, my father experienced his final day on a morphine-fueled trip that would have made psychedelic pioneer Timothy Leary jealous. As far as I know, it was his first and last extended psychedelic experience. None of the health care providers ever mentioned to us (or to him) that hed be visiting the origin of the universe, seeing God and reliving his emotional childhood. But thats what seemed to be happening as we sat around his bed.

Some research suggests that DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine) is produced inside the dying brain and sparks a hallucinatory near-death experience including feelings of transcending your body, traveling through alternative realms, communicating with sentient entities and so on. Its unclear whether the morphine or the DMT is more responsible for the final magic carpet ride.

If the psychedelic experience is transformative and I think it is then it seems a cruel irony to have it at the end of your life. Thankfully, though, we dont have to wait for our near-death trip or ask our shady friend to score some LSD or even travel to lick the psychotropic skin of the Colorado River toad. We need only to pay closer attention to the weirdness of our nightly dreams and our daily imaginings, which are also psychedelic to varying degrees.

In what ways can the psychedelic imagination be transformative? The science of psychedelics is having a renaissance, and the research is helping us understand the mind better and provide fresh therapeutic options. Psychotropic substances engender psychological and philosophical states that reveal important features of the self and consciousness. They can reduce the vigilant executive functions in the frontal areas of the brain and release the mind into the involuntary sphere of free association and mind wandering what neuroscientists call the default mode network, or DMN. These altered states loosen the tyranny of task-based consciousness, and they also suspend the egos usual dominance letting us feel connected to everything.

Research at the MIND Foundation in Berlin and the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research is revealing that psychedelics are better than many antidepressants for treating certain kinds of depression. But even healthy people can benefit from psychedelic experiences.

After the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment, the West came to see nature as a giant machine and human beings as fungible cogs. We stopped thinking about nature as symbolic, purposeful or infused with drama. Great advances came from this mechanistic model, of course, including medicine and technology. But something was lost in the disenchantment of nature and mind. Some poetry and meaning seemed to slip away.

Psychedelic imagination can reenchant nature and self, activating purposeful and even poetic perspectives that were expunged by modernism. Such experiences may also help us find universal hidden grammars of imagination. Are there common archetypes uniting us all throughout the ages from the shaman painters in Frances Lascaux caves to writers Dante Alighieri, Aldous Huxley and Philip K. Dick?

Altered states are surprisingly common ground for artists and religious people, though they rarely notice the connection. As piano great Bill Evans once said, art should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise. Its easy to rediscover part of yourself, but through art, you can be shown part of yourself you never knew existed.

Instead of anxiety about the weird parts of our psyches, our culture should teach us to grapple with them and integrate them starting at an early age. Tripping balls is not just for bohemians. Your conservative grandma is probably going on a magical mystery tour, too, whether she wants to or not.

If I had known that my father was going to rocket across the universe at the end of his life, we could have talked to him and helped him prepare. Hearing him spontaneously cry out in wonder, fear and joy was difficult. My brother looked at me at one point and said, Hes on one hell of a journey now. I felt some comfort at the idea that he wasnt having random pleasures and pains but maybe making some kind of pilgrims progress.

Since his passing, several people have confided in me that their loved ones also had a psychedelic end. Its far more common than we think. Your loved ones and you, too, may be on that same journey one day. It would be better if we had a more open-minded and honest way to prepare for it.

Stephen Asma is professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago. He is the author of The Evolution of Imagination, On Monsters and Why We Need Religion, among other titles.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

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Ukraine Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI …

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Ukraines economic freedom score is 54.1, making its economy the 130th freest in the 2022 Index. Ukraine is ranked 44th among 45 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages.

Five years ago, the Ukrainian economy was gaining strength, but growth slowed in 2019, and the economy contracted in 2020. Growth resumed in 2021. During that half-decade, economic freedom has generally trended upward. Aided by score increases in labor freedom and monetary freedom, Ukraine has recorded an impressive 6.0-point overall gain of economic freedom since 2017 but is still in the middle ranks of the Mostly Unfree countries. Fiscal health is somewhat positive, but investment freedom, financial freedom, and rule of law exhibit weaknesses.

IMPACT OF COVID-19: As of December 1, 2021, 91,860 deaths had been attributed to the pandemic in Ukraine, and the governments response to the crisis ranked 40th among the countries included in this Index in terms of its stringency. The economy contracted by 4.2 percent in 2020.

Long known as the Breadbasket of Europe because of its fertile black soil, Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe north of the Black Sea. In the eight years since the Maidan revolution, Ukraines political landscape has been transformed. Rival businesspolitical networks continue to exercise significant influence, but a generational change is in progress. Actor and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a political newcomer, won the April 2019 presidential election, and his party won an absolute majority in July 2019 parliamentary elections. Russias illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and destabilization of the eastern Donbas region continue to damage the Ukrainian economy, which relies heavily on the production of wheat and exports of industrial and energy products.

Property rights and secured interests are protected by law, and the recording system is generally reliable, but enforcement is undermined by corrupt courts. In 2021, in an effort to unleash productivity and investment, the government ended a 20-year moratorium on the sale of farmland. The judiciarys susceptibility to political pressure, corruption, and bribery weakens public confidence. Government integrity remains severely compromised.

The top individual income tax rate is 20 percent, and the top corporate tax rate is 18 percent. Other taxes include value-added and property taxes. The overall tax burden equals 19.2 percent of total domestic income. Government spending has amounted to 43.0 percent of total output (GDP) over the past three years, and budget deficits have averaged 3.5 percent of GDP. Public debt is equivalent to 60.7 percent of GDP.

Regulatory decisions are characterized by a high degree of arbitrariness and favoritism. A change has been made to speed up the review and issuance of patents. There is a skilled computer software workforce. Most state-owned enterprises rely on government subsidies to function and cannot compete directly with private firms. Subsidies for natural gas were reimplemented in 2021.

Ukraine has 20 preferential trade agreements in force. The trade-weighted average tariff rate is 3.2 percent, and 150 nontariff measures are in effect. Despite progress, lingering bureaucracy deters much-needed growth in private investment. Nonperforming loans continue to be a drag on the banking system. The capital markets lack of development limits financing options.

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How would India fare on a modified misery index? Better than US & UK, worse than most others – ThePrint

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Back in the 1970s, macro-economic management in the advanced economies faced a novel challenge. Inflation and unemployment, instead of moving in opposite directions through the ups and downs of the business cycle, went in the same direction.

The high unemployment reflected slow economic growth, or stagnation. The combi-term invented to describe this phenomenon was stagflation. That word is in vogue again now, after half a century, as economies confront the simultaneous prospect of low-to-zero growth and high inflation.

Economists in the 1970s devised a concept to describe what people were experiencing under stagflation: A misery index, which basically added up the rate of consumer inflation and the rate of unemployment. If one were to construct such an index today, what would it show?

To no ones surprise, misery is highest in the countries known for economic mismanagement and/or congenital problems: Turkey, Argentina, South Africa. After that come two of the Brics economies (war-affected Russia and Brazil), keeping company with Pakistan and Egypt. Next comes India. Not very flattering, for sure, but the leading European economies and the US are not far behind.

Two modifications were made to the misery index. One was to add the prevailing rate of interest. That makes the picture much worse for poorly-placed countries like Turkey, Brazil, Russia, and Pakistan since high inflation usually brings with it high interest rates. But it also opens up the misery gap between India and the wealthy countries, since these latter typically have much lower rates of interest, in line with their traditional low rates of inflation.

So far, it doesnt look great for India, which ranks more than halfway down a list of 20 economies chosen to represent the major economies in each region.

The second modification added per capita income growth rates since these reduce economic hardship. This helps India (which in 2022 is expected to remain the fastest-growing large economy) to improve its score but not its rank, though it helps to level the ground vis-a-vis the advanced economies which usually have low rates of growth, even after adjusting for stagnant or declining population numbers. With all four factors (inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and income growth) taken into account, India remains in 12th position in our list of 20.

A good complement to the modified misery index, which basically looks at how people are faring, would be an indicator of the stability of economies in turbulent times, such as now. Back in 2013, the runaway growth of Indias twin deficits (fiscal and current accounts) led to its being listed as one of a fragile five.

Also Read: Corporate India has never had it so good, but under-consumption continues to undermine economy

How does India do today? The big surprise is that it does better than both the US and the UK! On the other hand, it does worse than almost all the others, barring Pakistan and Egypt. As for warring Russia, it does surprisingly well because of its large trade surplus as do Germany and the Netherlands, for the same reason.

What about the second- and third-largest economies in the world, China and Japan? Based on their scores, both countries appear to be models of economic management. They score the best on the misery index, in its original form and with modifications, and they do better than average on the twin deficits, though it is worth noting that Chinas growth rate has come down to normal levels (around 5 per cent) while its fiscal deficit has grown. The signs of stress are beginning to show.

Such measurements capture only part of the full reality of lived economic experience. One could therefore add other measures, like absolute income levels and poverty (since that determines ones capacity to deal with difficult times), and also inequality.

The greater the inequality, the less is the chance of inter-generational mobility, something that is captured through yet another measurement construct appropriately dubbed the Great Gatsby Curve which was thought up by an economist on US President Barack Obamas team. To the extent that India does not do well on these measurements either, the country has a lot of food for thought as it prepares to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its freedom from colonial rule.

By special arrangement with Business Standard

Also Read: For India, economic disorder is a reality to be reckoned with, but it also presents an opportunity

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"Don’t Want RBI To Become Extension Of Government": Ex CEA Arvind Subramanian – NDTV Profit

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Ex chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian has called for institutional freedom

As the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised its outlook for inflation to 6.7 per cent for the current fiscal, up from its previous projection of 5.7 per cent, former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian said that the central bank has reacted late to rising prices.

In a freewheeling chat with NDTV over a host of issues ranging from global economy, importance of social harmony, India's investment climate as well as on the need for institutional freedom, Mr Subramanian, while reacting to RBI's outlook on inflation, expressed disappointment that though prices have been rising for almost three years, it was late in taking measures to check them, which showed a certain loss of institutional independence.

What has been disappointing is that it is not just that inflation has been high and RBI has been late to react to it, but it smacks of certain loss of institutional independence. Mr Subramanian said.

The former chief economic adviser said that RBI has been keeping the upper ceiling for inflation at 6 per cent but its target is 4 per cent, therefore much more action should have been taken. In economic parlance, RBI is like Supreme Court. We don't want conflict among these institutions, but we don't want RBI to become an extension of the Government.

When inflation goes up, RBI is meant to raise rates to control it. But it has not done it because Government's interest burden goes up. We call it fiscal dominance, which means that fiscal situation dominates monetary policy. So RBI is trying to do what Government wants it to do, rather than bringing down inflation, Mr Subramanian explained.

Emphasising on the importance of institutional freedom, he said that if institutions are not going to be robust as they should be, then it takes a toll on broader investment climate, therefore the question as to why foreign investors are choosing other nations like Vietnam etc (over India), becomes relevant.

On being asked whether rate hikes which are impacting EMIs and loans and putting pressure on the common man are going to continue, Mr Subramanian said that though RBI is mandated to bring inflation down to 4 per cent levels, it has kept the forecast for this fiscal at nearly 7 per cent (6.7 per cent).

Some global prices may cool off but RBI has to show that it has the desire and will as well as independence to achieve that (control inflation), he said, while adding at the same time that rate hikes are likely to continue for some time, depending on external situations.

Quizzed whether India can be an investment destination in the wake of China's economic slowdown, Mr Subramanian said that India's Atmanirbhar policy is proving to be a deterrent in this.

We have Atmanirbharta policy, so India is not really an attractive place as we have become protectionist and have raised tariffs. So this policy is a problem in attracting investment which can service the global market, the former chief economic adviser said.

Mr Subramanian also blamed arbitrariness in investment policy as another deterrent in India becoming an investment hub.

To be fair to the Government, it has started negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs). But there is tension between such pacts and Atmanirbharta We will have to abandon this policy as FTAs require doing away with trade barriers, the economist noted.

He said that there was too much arbitrariness in investment policy as some companies are favoured over others, which has turned away foreign investors.

We need independent institutions, steady rules and social harmony as well as better Centre-State relations, to attract investors. For the moment we are missing that, Mr Subramanian pointed out.

Underlining the significance of cooperative federalism, which he said was visible when the Centre had framed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in consultation with states, Mr Subramanian said that spirit of consultation was missing while framing the farm laws.

However, he added that Centre alone was not to be blamed, as states too were guilty of indulging in populism or rather imitative populism.

Here, the Centre has to take lead and create an atmosphere of trust. These are challenging times and both Centre and states have to come together, Mr Subramanian emphasised.

Highlighting the significance of social harmony in creating a conducive investment environment, the economist said when you have social conflict for a long time, then it takes a toll on investment. Many countries have tried to suppress such conflicts but it catches up, as can be seen in Sri Lanka.

When conflicts become weaponised (like in Ukraine), it is the people who aremost vulnerable, he said.

In such a conflict we forget that if we have so many Indians working abroad whoare vulnerable to weaponised interdependence. We have Indians in Gulf countries and overseas governments might get annoyed if social harmony is disturbed in India. These are flammable things and may happen anytime and their repercussions could be massive, Mr Subramanian cautioned.

So we need social harmony for ourselves and for maintaining stable relations with other nations in order to attract investmentTherefore social harmony and peace are very important, he emphasised.

On the global economic scenario and its impact on Indian economy as well as inflation, Mr Subramanian said that currently the spectre of global stagflation is being seen right now.

World Bank has revised the forecast for global economy and for it, anything less than 2 per cent is considered a recession. We will not only have high international prices of fuel and fertiliser, but also there will be a global slowdown. This will be a double whammy for India, as we are not just net importer of oil but will also face price shocks from global economy. At the same time, exports willfall. So both on growth as well as on inflation side, there are going to be shocks for India, he summed up.

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Howard County Government Closings for Juneteenth National Freedom Day on June 20th – Howard County Government

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While county parks, Gary J. Arthur, North Laurel and Roger Carter Community Centers, and the Meadowbrook Athletic Complex will be open on the 20th, the Kiwanis-Wallas Hall, Belmont Manor and Historic Park, Ellicott City Colored School Restored, Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, Robinson Nature Center, Firehouse Museum, Patapsco Female Institute, and county historic sites will be closed.

The Regional Transportation Agency (RTA) will operate on a regular weekday schedule; for more information on RTA, call 1-800-270-9553 or visit http://www.transitrta.com. All parking regulations and fees will be in effect on June 20th. The 9-1-1 Center, Police and Fire departments remain staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For emergencies, call 9-1-1; for non-emergencies, call 410-313-2200.

County operations will resume on Tuesday, June 21st, at regular business hours.

CLOSED on Monday, June 20th County Government Offices Courts Animal Shelter 50+ Centers Historic SitesEllicott City Colored School RestoredBelmont Manor & Historic Park Firehouse MuseumBaltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station MuseumRobinson Nature Center Patapsco Female Institute Kiwanis-Wallis Hall

OPEN on Monday, June 20thAll trash, recycling, yard trim and food scrap servicesAlpha Ridge LandfillCounty ParksGary J. Arthur, North Laurel and Roger Carter Community CentersMeadowbrook Athletic ComplexRTA Regular Weekday Schedule All parking regulations and fees will be in effect.

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‘Life and Dignity for All’ is theme of USCCB’s Religious Freedom Week – Arlington Catholic Herald

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WASHINGTON Life and Dignity for All is the theme of this years Religious Freedom Week of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The observance opens June 22, the feast day of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, both English martyrs who fought religious persecution. The week ends June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and includes the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which is June 24.

This year, as we approach the Supreme Courts decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, the USCCB is especially mindful of the debates around our country about abortion, said a news release about Religious Freedom Week. The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in bearing witness to the Gospel of life and serving all who will be affected by these discussions and their outcomes.

The Dobbs case involves a Mississippi law banning abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy. An initial draft of a Supreme Court opinion in the case that was leaked May 2 indicated the high court is set to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision, which 50 years ago legalized abortion nationwide.

The court also is expected to overturn its 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which affirmed Roe and prohibited regulations that created an undue burden on women seeking an abortion.

If the final ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization overturns Roe and Casey, the issue of abortion would be returned to the states.

Another major area of concern continues to be protecting the religious freedom of U.S. Catholic institutions, such as schools, hospitals and child welfare service providers, to carry out their missions with integrity and in accordance with their religious beliefs, the USCCB news release said.

In particular, protecting Catholic adoption and foster care will become even more vital, as we take new steps in building a culture of life and dignity for all in the United States, it said.

To build a culture of life and dignity for all, the Catholic Church must support women and children, the release added.

To that end, the USCCBs Committee on Pro-Life Activities in 2020 launched the Walking with Moms in Need nationwide initiative. Its aim is to engage every Catholic parish in providing a safety net to ensure that pregnant and parenting moms have the resources, love and support they need to nurture the lives of their children.

In starting the initiative, the U.S. bishops said they want to ensure our Catholic parishes are places of welcome for women facing challenging pregnancies or who find it difficult to care for their children after birth, so that any mother needing assistance will receive life-affirming support and be connected to appropriate programs and resources where she can get help.

Among its goals is to help Catholics recognize the needs of pregnant and parenting moms in their communities, enabling parishioners to know these mothers, to listen to them, and to help them obtain the necessities of life for themselves and their children.

Another focus of Religious Freedom Week is international, the USCCB release said. The USCCBs Committee for Religious Liberty has collaborated with the Office of International Justice and Peace to raise awareness about religious liberty in China and in solidarity with people throughout the world who suffer for their faith.

The USCCB provides Pray-Reflect-Act resources at http://www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek. Each day focuses on different religious liberty topics and this years daily themes intersect with life issues.

Through prayer, education and public action during Religious Freedom Week, the USCCB continues to advocate for the essential right of religious freedom for Catholics and for those of all faiths, the release added.

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A vision of freedom: Afrofuturism picked as theme for MSU Juneteenth celebration – MLive.com

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EAST LANSING, MI - What is Afrofuturism? To Matt Dery, the author who coined the term in 1994, its speculative fiction that treats African-American themes, and addresses African-American concerns through the lens of science fiction, fantasy and technological themes.

To Julian Chambliss, a Michigan State University English professor, speculation is only a part of the definition.

I often define it as the intersection between speculation and liberation from an African-American or African-diasporic perspective, he said, referencing the migration of enslaved African people to the Americas. Its about thinking about freedom, thinking about liberation. Thinking about safety and equity.

Chambliss is the keynote speaker at MSUs Juneteenth celebration, which will explore Afrofuturism as its main theme.

The celebration starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17, at the Breslin Student Events Center. It is the universitys second Juneteenth celebration,. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in the United States.

What were doing is acknowledging the history of enslaved Africans in this country, the oppression that took place during the period of slavery, but just this journey toward liberation in various ways since then, said Jabbar Bennett, MSUs chief diversity officer. Whether its social, educational, professional or cultural.

The Juneteenth celebration shows MSUs commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, said MSU President Samuel Stanley.

Afrofuturism helps people go beyond definitions of Black people typically imposed by our culture, Bennett said. That is why it was selected as this years Juneteenth theme, he added.

It pushes this internal or cultural sort of ideas and aspiration opposed to the framing or the parameters in which many people have placed over Black people over the years, he said. It breaks out of the box.

Chambliss explored Afrofuturism as a theme in his lecture Afrofantastic. It can be viewed here.

African expressions of liberation go back to the formation of the country, Chambliss said, citing Black people petitioning for freedom in state legislatures during the American Revolution. While Dery came up with the term Afrofuturism in the 1990s, Black art has demonstrated its tenets throughout American history, such as the Harlem Renaissance, jazz and more.

More recent examples include the Marvel Studios movie Black Panther, the HBO series Watchmen and the work of filmmaker Jordan Peele, Chambliss said. Each operate in the Afrofuturist sphere in different ways, he said.

Black Panther is basically a what if, he said. What if Africa had not been the victim of imperialist expansion and colonial exploitation?

Watchmen reclaimed the Black historical event of the Tulsa massacre on Black Wall Street in 1921, he added, while Peeles work explores Black identity in white power structures.

Speculating around liberation really calls attention to choices that are made that allow the system to function and also highlights that you can make a different choice, he said of the works.

The Juneteenth celebration will also feature art displays of the Harlem Renaissance, Black Wall Street exhibitions, a fashion gala, live music and refreshments, the release states.

By recognizing Juneteenth, MSU sends the message that we value the strength, perseverance and contributions of our African American community, Bennett said.

The turn toward Afrofuturism as a theme for the Juneteenth celebration is exciting, said Chambliss. It offers the opportunity for our community to recognize the enduring legacy of an African American vision of freedom.

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Tether is an instrument of freedom and ‘Bitcoin onramp, says Tether CTO – Cointelegraph

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On a sun-splashed day in the Swiss Alps, the chief technology officer of Bitfinex and Tether, Paolo Ardoino, shed light on the Plan B Lugano strategy, Tether as an onramp into Bitcoin (BTC) and crucially his favorite pizza toppings.

Fresh off the plane from Norway, where Ardoino attended an increasingly Bitcoiner-friendly event, the Oslo Freedom Forum, the Italian explained that, in contrast to the WEF,there was no shilling in Norway.

Tether was invited to speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum as the stablecoin is increasingly considered an instrument of freedom. Tether has been adopted by the Myanmar government while the Ukrainian government has accepted crypto donations, including Tether, since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ardoino cites Turkey and Argentina as examples. The Turkish lira has lost 50% of its purchasing power and crypto, often seen as a hedge against uncertain currencies, is experiencing a second wave of interest. Ardoino also conceded that:

Regarding the Plan B strategy in Lugano, where Bitcoin and Tether are de facto legal tender in the Swiss city, Ardoino shared that educational models in Switzerland are being shared across to El Salvador.

Related: Tether launches crypto and blockchain education program in Switzerland

Ardoino also critiqued Satoshi Nakamoto's choice of pizza toppings.Bitcoin Pizza Day occurred the day before the WEF, a day where Bitcoiners around the world eat and attempt to pay for pizza with Bitcoin.The creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, famously enjoyed pineapple and jalapeos on pizza, to whichArdoino commented, nobody is perfect.

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Rose Lavelle and the freedom to be herself – How her OL Reign and USWNT form has taken off – ESPN

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At 24 years old, Rose Lavelle announced herself to the world with a stunning goal in the 2019 Women's World Cup final to help beat the Netherlands and seal another trophy for the U.S. women's national team. She lifted the Bronze Ball later that day, a nod to her superlative performances throughout the tournament, and in many ways, a star had arrived.

Breakout major tournaments have a way of presenting players' journeys as linear paths made of singular moments, when they are really one step in an arduous trek that requires great timing. Lavelle was exceptional in that final -- no surprise to anyone who had tracked her ascent -- but she was also still a young player striving for more consistency.

Now, with the World Cup next year, and before that this summer's qualification tournament, the CONCACAF W Championship, Lavelle is truly in her prime and playing better than ever. Much of that has to do with a return to the National Women's Soccer League, where she is a focal point as the No. 10 for OL Reign.

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"Rose is obviously a super dynamic player, so we want to give her that freedom to do that," OL Reign and U.S. teammate Megan Rapinoe said. "She kind of has to be a reins-off kind of player."

Away from the spotlight in France in 2019, Lavelle played only six games for her then-club, the Washington Spirit, because of a combination of injuries and availability issues as the NWSL played through most of the World Cup. Manchester City soon swooped in for the U.S. star after her breakout summer, but Lavelle's time in England was largely marked by injuries and head coach Gareth Taylor's curious propensity to play her out of her best position, in dedicated wide areas, when she was healthy.

Lavelle left England after one season to come back to the NWSL and join the Reign, who traded a first-round draft pick and $200,000 to acquire her NWSL rights in anticipation of her eventual return to the league. Her midsummer arrival coincided with the return of Laura Harvey as Reign head coach, along with loans for Lyon stars Dzsenifer Marozsan and Eugenie Le Sommer -- but the Reign were upset by the eventual champions, the Washington Spirit, in the semifinals.

The Reign are among the favorites again this season, Lavelle's first full season with the club. Since her arrival, she is playing the most confident and consistent version of Rose Lavelle to date, both for club and country.

"Freedom" is the operative word for unlocking the best of Lavelle. At her best, she is a human highlight reel, a player who boasts the kind of creativity and vision on the ball that's historically rare among American players. That special quality has been clear since her senior international debut in 2017 on a frigid March day in New Jersey, when she was named player of the match against England. Lavelle is different from her USWNT peers in the best way, and to reach her potential, she requires an artistic license that allows her to try unconventional ideas.

Harvey's plan so far in the 2022 season affords Lavelle the ability to drift out of the traditionally central areas of the No. 10 role and find the game, which includes floating into wider, higher positions. While roaming the final third, Lavelle can then better combine with the Reign's front line thanks to overlapping support from fullback Sofia Huerta. The result is Lavelle not only generating opportunities in higher areas, but finishing them, too.

She increasingly does this for the U.S. national team, too, where head coach Vlatko Andonovski's system encourages Lavelle to exchange places with the No. 9. (Lavelle and Catarina Macario forged a seamless partnership in those roles earlier this year, but Macario tore her ACL last week and will be out for the foreseeable future.)

Lavelle ranks in the top 10 in the NWSL this year (regular season and Challenge Cup combined) for chances created, while her pass percentage in the attacking third is top-three in the league among players with three or more goals, per ESPN Stats & Information. All of that is to be expected from a world-class No. 10, which Lavelle is, and much of it was on display under the blazing summer sun in France three years ago.

Now, at 27 years old, Lavelle is a more complete player in ways both obvious and more discreet. Take her goal on May 29 against San Diego Wave FC as a prominent example. With Huerta standing over a free kick near the corner, Lavelle made a darting, diagonal run toward the near post after losing her marker and buried a diving header for the game's only goal.

"I don't think I'll ever score a goal like that ever again," Lavelle said through her signature laugh. She was being humble, of course: After all, she nearly scored on a great header 10 seconds into the prior match, against the Kansas City Current.

With all the attention paid to her attacking prowess, the most overlooked thing about Lavelle is her defensive ability. Among players with at least three goals, she has the most ball recoveries (94) while her 42 tackles are surpassed by only two players in the league, per ESPN Stats & Information.

She does all of this defensive work in high areas, quickly converting them into opportunities for her team. Even as a No. 10 whose primary role is to create chances and break down defenses, Lavelle carries a significant defensive burden for both the Reign and the USWNT in their three-player midfield formations.

"Rose Lavelle is the best at defending in transition in the world," Andonovski said in September. "There's not a player that transitions as well as she does."

It was an eye-popping statement from the U.S. coach given the number of great, two-way midfielders in the world, from mainstays like France captain Amandine Henry to U.S. teammate Samantha Mewis. It was also an acknowledgment of the progress made by Lavelle in the time since the world first took notice of her.

In this form, she is primed to be a greater force for the U.S. at next summer's World Cup and a focal point in the Americans' quest to three-peat as champions. She also might be piece the Reign need to finally win an elusive NWSL Championship.

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Rose Lavelle and the freedom to be herself - How her OL Reign and USWNT form has taken off - ESPN

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A symbol of freedom, unity and hope | The American Legion – The American Legion

Posted: at 1:19 am

Dear American Legion Family and Friends,

At 7 p.m. Eastern on June 14, Flag Day, Americans everywhere will stop what they are doing and stand together for the annual Pause for the Pledge. They will recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag and nation in unison.

Since 1777, when the first official flag of the United States was adopted, Old Glory has stood as a symbol of unity, democracy, freedom and hope for all of us.

We see Old Glory around us as it proudly flies from homes, businesses, government buildings and from the hands of young and the old during patriotic parades. It soars in the fields of battle, and it serves as a blanket of freedom draped over the casket of a fallen servicemembers, law enforcement officers and veterans. Our American flag is a reminder of sacrifice and service, and of strength.

The values embodied by our flag are mirrored by The American Legions commitment to promote peace and good will on earth, to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.

That commitment is visible on Flag Day when American Legion members conduct flag retirement ceremonies with youth to show future generations proper flag etiquette and respect. As Legionnaires who have proudly served under the flag, it is our responsibility to pass on its meaning and instill respect for Old Glory.

The American Legion is actively promoting patriotism and reinvigorating pride and respect for the American flag by building awareness about why the U.S. flag matters through our Rally Around the Flag campaign.To support the campaign, a series of U.S. Flag Code and Rally Around the Flag social media graphics are available for download that can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These individual graphics break down the U.S. Flag Code, as well as feature historical notes, fun facts and voices from history about the American flag.

You can start sharing these social media graphics by visiting legion.org/flag/resources.

I also encourage you to share why the flag matters to you. You can share your story on Legiontown.org under the heading Rally Around the Flag.

As I walked the hallow grounds of Utah Beach during my recent visit to Europe, I saw a tiny American flag in the sand near the historic beach that helped free Europe from tyranny. It was a reminder no matter the size of the ultimate sacrifice paid under the Red, White and Blue, and of the freedom and unity that Old Glory means. Long may it wave, wherever it may stand.

Veterans Strengthening America

Paul E. Dillard

National Commander

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A symbol of freedom, unity and hope | The American Legion - The American Legion

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