Podcasts about vital statistics

Sarah Chew is a Science Programs Manager at the Society for Women's Health Research, where she helps plan and execute a range of science programs, while supporting strategic planning and communications efforts across the organization. With a diverse background in public health, Chew has experience in non-profits, city government, and health insurance. She previously served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Commissioner in the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she provided strategic support and project management for bureau processes and staff. She has also worked as a Senior Manager at UnitedHealthcare Community & State and as Program Director for Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia. Before graduate school, Chew supported a portfolio of comparative effectiveness research projects at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) in the Communication and Dissemination Research program. Chew holds a Master's in Public Health with a certificate in Health Promotion Research and Practice from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a BA in Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University. For more information about the Society for Women's Health Research, please visit: https://swhr.org/. If you enjoy this podcast, please click "subscribe" wherever you listen to episodes and we hope you'll consider leaving us a review. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UKAGHW, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ukaghw, or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/active-girls-healthy-women. Sign up for the Active Girls Healthy Women newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/h6e30b or learn more about our Program here: https://linktr.ee/ukaghw. If you want to help us sustain the Champions of Active Women podcast, please consider donating to the University of Kentucky Active Girls Healthy Women Program at https://give.uky.edu/campaigns/47165/donations/new?aft=87003cbf2438ea9d126a47dbe0395353  

Roman and Jason discuss the decline in measles mortality rates in the US which has fallen by 98% before the first measles vaccine was introduced in 1963. Roman shares data from US vital statistics data and a chart showing the decline and mortality rate for measles in the United States. They also discuss similar data from England, where measles and other health problems were a big killers in the early 20th century, but by the time the vaccines came out, there was almost a 100% decline in mortality. Roman explains that the mortality decline was not influenced by the vaccine at all, as it was due to poor living conditions and the introduction of clean water, sanitation, hygiene, improved nutrition, and a revolution in science. https://dissolvingillusions.com/ https://www.cdc.gov/ Save the date! April 4-6, 2025 Empowered Investor LIVE in Irvine, California https://empoweredinvestorlive.com/ Today's sponsor http://jasonhartman.com/connected offers real estate investors access to Connected Investors' PiN (Property Intelligence Network) software. This tool provides nationwide property data, including features like unlimited individual property skip tracing, comprehensive property reports, and a Contract Genie for generating legal documents. Subscription options are available on a monthly or annual basis, with the annual plan offering additional benefits such as a dedicated product specialist. The platform emphasizes its commitment to providing accurate, up-to-date information to assist investors in making informed decisions. Visit http://jasonhartman.com/connected today!  #vaccines #measles #disease #health #history #publichealth #sanitation #nutrition #DissolvingIllusions #RomanBystrianyk #vaccinationdebate #immunization #infectiousdiseases #mortalityrate #historicaldata #diseasereduction #naturalimmunity #healthfreedom Key Takeaways: 2:18 Meet Roman 2:51 Thesis of "Dissolving Illusions" 4:30 Vital Statistics rates in the US 1940-1960 and other charts https://dissolvingillusions.com/ https://www.cdc.gov/ 8:20 Life is the 1800s 11:46 Polio 13:27 The "V thing" and Pertussis Vaccine and the total deaths in England 15:43 Sponsor: JasonHartman.com/Connected 16:59 The autism connection and allergies  21:26 Whooping cough, scarlet fever, dihptheria, typhoid, TB, Cholera 25:19 Flu and The Amazing Decline 26:21 The Corona Vaccine    Follow Jason on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM & LINKEDIN Twitter.com/JasonHartmanROI Instagram.com/jasonhartman1/ Linkedin.com/in/jasonhartmaninvestor/ Call our Investment Counselors at: 1-800-HARTMAN (US) or visit: https://www.jasonhartman.com/ Free Class:  Easily get up to $250,000 in funding for real estate, business or anything else: http://JasonHartman.com/Fund CYA Protect Your Assets, Save Taxes & Estate Planning: http://JasonHartman.com/Protect Get wholesale real estate deals for investment or build a great business – Free Course: https://www.jasonhartman.com/deals Special Offer from Ron LeGrand: https://JasonHartman.com/Ron Free Mini-Book on Pandemic Investing: https://www.PandemicInvesting.com

******Support the channel******Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar:https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars:https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars:https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars:https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars:https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website:https://www.thedissenter.net/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter:https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here:http://enlites.com/ Dr. Daniel Hoyer is Senior Research Associate & Managing Director for Seshat: Global History Databank, Research Scientist with the SocialAI Research Group, and Founder of SODY. He is the author of Figuring Out The Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History. In this episode, we talk about cliodynamics, the use of science, data and maths to study history. We first discuss what it is and how it works, and how it applies to debates like the Big Man vs. Big Ideas debate and whether history repeats itself. We then get into the phenomenon of inequality and elite overproduction. We discuss whether inequality is inevitable; competition, social unrest, and revolution; and how revolutions can be prevented. We talk about why we live in an age of polycrisis, and possible solutions to it.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ANTON ERIKSSON, ALEX CHAU, AMAURI MARTÍNEZ, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, IGOR N, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, NIKLAS CARLSSON, GEORGE CHORIATIS, VALENTIN STEINMANN, PER KRAULIS, KATE VON GOELER, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, MASOUD ALIMOHAMMADI, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, ERIK ENGMAN, LUCY, YHONATAN SHEMESH, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, PEDRO BONILLA, CAROLA FEEST, AND STARRY!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, AL NICK ORTIZ, NICK GOLDEN, AND CHRISTINE GLASS!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, BOGDAN KANIVETS, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

Velocity, Virtues, Volume Control, Vitality, Verify/Verification, Validity/Validation, Values/Value your values/know what's valuable (to you), Verbing, Versioning, Variety, Vital Statistics, Visualizing/Visualization, Vivid, Vulnerable, Virtual Overlay/Virtual Spaces, Versatility… Continue reading →

Monday, January 19th, 1953 was the last time Willie Torrence saw his wife, Rose. On Tuesday, Willie called the police and learned that a body of a woman matching Rose's description had been found. Join us as we try to make heads or tails of a case fraught with racial tension and sparse news coverage.Tea of the Day: TWG 1837 Black TeaTheme Music by Brad FrankThis episode is sponsored by Kyoot Tees.For a full list of sources, go to https://tea-time-crimes.simplecast.com/episodes.Sources:By William A Fowlkes, “Woman's Slayer Still Free.” New Pittsburgh Courier, Sat, Feb 07, 1953, Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/40111565/Obituary, Mrs. Rosa Bradley Torrence, The Atlanta Constitution, Thu, Jan 22, 1953, Page 28, https://www.newspapers.com/image/398007330/Obituary, Torrence, The Atlanta Constitution, Fri, Jan 23, 1953, Page 23, https://www.newspapers.com/image/398007574/By George Coleman, “Torrence Case Suspect is Indicted on Murder Charge.” Alabama Tribune, Fri, Feb 27, 1953, Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/554730305/“City Orders Family Vacate Bombed House.” The Atlanta Constitution, Thu, Apr 28, 1949, Page 10, https://www.newspapers.com/image/397759629/Department of Commerce - Bureau of the Census: Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930 Population Schedule, Retrieved June 29th, 2024 from https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2298451:6224Department of Commerce - Bureau of the Census: Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1940 Population Schedule, Retrieved June 29th, 2024 from https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/50802384:2442“Negro Tenants Guarded in Rubble.” The Atlanta Constitution, Wed, Apr 27, 1949, Page 20,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/397759553/“Atlanta Woman Beaten to Death.” California Eagle, Thu, Jan 29, 1953 ·Page 1, https://www.newspapers.com/image/693598503/“Wealthy Woman Beaten to Death.” Spokane Chronicle, Sat, Jan 24, 1953, Page 2,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/566321803/“Rich Negro Woman Found Beat to Death in Atlanta.” Alabama Journal, Sat, Jan 24, 1953 ·Page 1,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/457048878/“Suspect Indicted in Sewer Death.” The Atlanta Journal, Sat, Feb 21, 1953, Page 7, https://www.newspapers.com/image/968741277/“Negro Lady Killed, Stuffed into Sewer.” Beatrice Daily Sun, Sun, Jan 25, 1953 ·Page 8, https://www.newspapers.com/image/507433478/“Mistrial Declared in Murder Trial of Major Bailey.” The Black Dispatch, Sat, Apr 18, 1953 ·Page 6,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/872012484/“Atlanta Woman Who Moved into White Neighborhood is Found Dead in City Sewer.” The Black Dispatch, Sat, Jan 31, 1953, Page 5, https://www.newspapers.com/image/872011484/“Bailey Case Winds Up in Mistrial as Atlanta Jury Hangs.” New Pittsburgh Courier, Sat, May 23, 1953, Page 10, https://www.newspapers.com/image/40111880/“Seeks Hole in Murder Confession.” The New York Age, Sat, May 23, 1953, Page 12,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/40477532/“ Bailey Case Declared Mistrial By Judge As Jury Panel is “Hopelessly Deadlocked.”” Alabama Tribune, Fri, May 22, 1953, Page 1,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/554731109/Atlanta Scene by Alyce Martin Ware, and “Willena Torrence Allen Selected English Ave Teacher of the Year.” The Atlanta Voice, Sat, May 13, 1978 ·Page 4, https://www.newspapers.com/image/519871810/Obituaries - Torrence, The Atlanta Constitution, Fri, Nov 02, 1956, Page 18,  https://www.newspapers.com/image/397505884/Obituaries - Mrs. Willena T. Allen, The Atlanta Constitution, Wed, Aug 27, 1997 ·Page 82, https://www.newspapers.com/image/403353798/National Archives at Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Applications for Headstones For U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941; Retrieved on June 29th, 2024 at  https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/821686:2375Georgia Department of Health and Vital Statistics, 1914 - 1940; Retrieved on June 29th, 2024 at https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/60041277:2562“Seeking to Tell a Story: Political action from slavery to civil rights.” Archives Research Center at AUC Robert W. Woodruff, https://digitalexhibits.auctr.edu/exhibits/show/seekingtotell/segregation“This Day in History.” By History.Com Editors https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kkk-founded“Ku Klux Klan in the Twentieth Century.” New Georgia Encyclopedia, Published July 7th, 2005 and edited Aug 12, 2020, https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/ku-klux-klan-in-the-twentieth-century/A 'Forgotten History' Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America : NPR,  MAY 3, 201712:47, HEARD ON FRESH AIR hosted by Terry Gross with guest Richard Rothstein author of “The Color of Law.”

Katherine “Kate” Julia Daily, of Henrico, age 64, passed away June 18, 2024. Kate was born and raised in Carle Place, New York, the daughter of Dolores Daily and the late Richard Bolton Daily. In addition to her mother, she is survived by her daughter, Katrina LaLuna Kashinejad; her sisters, Johanna “Noni” Daily and Marta Sorensen; and numerous cousins. She was a dedicated employee of the Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics. She will be remembered for her love of animals, sense of humor and friendship. A memorial service will be planned in the fall.Article LinkSupport the Show.

It's Wednesday, June 5th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Tiananmen Square massacre anniversary Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. In the weeks leading up to the massacre in 1989, students were leading pro-democracy protests in Beijing. In response, the Communist Chinese government forcibly put down the protests, killing hundreds if not thousands. China's military also arrested leaders in the underground church which had fueled the protests.  Persecution of Christians in Hong Kong Speaking of China, the country's persecution of Christians continues and is spreading to Hong Kong.  Since 2020, China has extended control over Hong Kong. This has led to the arrest of church leaders and the closure of some religious groups. Many Christians have left Hong Kong for the United Kingdom, making the Chinese church the fastest growing one in Britain.  Hong Kong Christians put out a commemorative prayer for the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Despite authorities banning candlelight vigils, the prayer says, "Let us, in the great light of the Lord's amazing grace, light a candle in the depths of our souls, to continue their unfinished aspirations in the prayers and shadows, never to be lost or forgotten. O Lord! Let there be light in our hearts.” In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” United Kingdom blocks puberty blockers Last Wednesday, the United Kingdom issued new restrictions on puberty blockers for children in England, Wales, and Scotland.  The emergency ban lasts from June 3 to September 3, 2024. During the timeframe, doctors cannot prescribe the transgender drugs to people under 18. The new policy also introduced indefinite restrictions to the prescribing of these drugs by primary care providers in England's National Health Service.  Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Biden caps southern border illegals to 2,500 per day Ahead of the U.S. presidential election, President Joe Biden issued an executive order yesterday to curb illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The order limits asylum requests once the average number of daily border encounters hits 2,500. The number of daily encounters is already above that. So, the order is expected to go into effect immediately.  It will stay in effect until the number of daily encounters drops to 1,500 or lower. The last time border encounters were at that level was 2020. Texas and Florida responsible for half of America's new jobs In the last five years, just two states were responsible for over half of new jobs in America. Those states are Texas and Florida.  The conservative states feature lower wages which is attractive to companies wanting to create jobs, and lower cost of living which is attractive to workers. Not surprisingly, many people with remote jobs moved to states, like Florida and Texas, which have a lower cost of living. Meanwhile, liberal states with high wages and cost of living fell out of the top 10 job-creating states. They include California, New York, Washington state, and Massachusetts. California used to be the top job creator between 2014 and 2019. Now, it's at the bottom.  How Indiana cut abortions by 98% The Indiana Department of Health released a report on abortions in the state for the first quarter of 2024. Remarkably, there were only 45 abortions during the first quarter, down from nearly 2,000 during the first quarter of 2023. That's a 98% decrease! Indiana's abortion ban went into effect last August. It outlaws abortions at all stages of pregnancy with some exceptions.   Arkansas had no abortions in 2023 Meanwhile, a report from the Arkansas Department of Health's Vital Statistics found there were no abortions reported during the entirety of last year. The state started enforcing its abortion ban in 2022. Before that, yearly abortions were over 3,000. Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral restored by December after fire The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France was devastated by fire back in 2019. Since then, hundreds of companies and craftsmen have been working to restore the cathedral by December of this year. Last month, workers restored the iconic cross on the cathedral's roof.  A project manager told CBS News it was a miracle that the cross didn't burn a lot. The restored cross spans 40 feet and weighs over 3,000 pounds. In other Notre Dame news, Lego just released a 4,383-piece model of the cathedral. It's the first model of a religious structure the toy company has released since it produced a model church in 1957.  The Worldview: A “five-minute dose of freedom” In response to my request for Worldview listeners to email me at Adam@TheWorldview.com to share what the newscast means to them, I heard from Max Wood in Macon, Georgia. He wrote, “John 8:32 tells us that we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free. In a world of fake news, biased news, and propaganda, The Worldview is a daily reminder of what is true and just and inspires us to seek the ultimate truth in God's Word. Thank you for your five-minute dose of freedom every day.” 9 Worldview listeners gave $1,750 Toward out Friday, June 7th goal of raising $28,550 to help keep the newscast on the air, 9 Worldview listeners stepped up to the plate. Our thanks to Wyatt in Summerdale, Alabama who gave $5, Linda in Palmdale, California who gave $25, as well as Jason in Grand Junction, Colorado and Sheila in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania – both of whom gave $50. We also appreciate the generosity of Nancy in Ketchikan, Alaska who gave $100, Sullivan in Las Vegas, Nevada who gave $120, Sammy in Pallara, Queensland, Australia who pledged $25/month for 12 months for a gift of $300, Bill in Castle Rock, Colorado who gave $500, and Kelly in Las Vegas, Nevada who pledged $50/month for 12 months for a gift of $600. Those 9 Worldview listeners gave a total of $1,750. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please. (sound effect of drum roll) $3,230 (audience cheering) We have only three days left to raise $25,320.  I wonder if there might be 4 Worldview listeners who could each give $4,000 to jumpstart this week in a major way! But whether you can give $4 or $4,000, please make the donation that God has placed on your heart.  Just go to TheWorldview.com, click on “Give,” select the dollar amount you'd like, and click on the recurring button if that's your wish. Let's see how God will move through you! Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, June 5th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

We look at the legacy of Naomi Drake as an infamous Race Flagger during her 16 year stent as the Registrar of the Bureau of Vital Statistics for the City of New Orleans. We discuss the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. We also discuss Race, Racism/White Supremacy. What is is and how it works. We use clips of an interview of author Gail Lukasik on Gus T. Renegade's C.O.W.S. Radio podcast along with clips Neely Fuller Jr discussing counter racist codification.

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode, H.B. discusses the importance of getting the vital statistics of a book of the Bible before you study individual texts in that book.  Here's the principle: A proper introduction to the book leads to a proper interpretation of the text.  What vital statistics should you discover?  The Author The Audience or Recipients  Date of Writing  Place of Writing  Key Terms Key Verses  Key Persons  Key Places  The Occasion  The Point or Purpose  The Doctrinal Themes  The Structure  View of Christ  Special Characteristics  Textual Difficulties  Theological Significance  For contact, resources, or information, visit hbcharlesjr.com 

Riordan returns to the office of Vital Statistics in San Mateo. _______ Preorder a copy of GEISHA CONFIDENTIAL, the latest August Riordan book Follow me on Mastodon.social Subscribe to my newsletter

Promise us this, you'll make a commitment to your health today. Because on Big Dog Talk, we're dedicating this episode to a cause that's hit close to home - Breast Cancer Awareness or Pinktober. Your hosts, Big Charles and Big Shay, are here to guide you through crucial facts about breast cancer, its impact, and how we can collectively play our part to reduce the risk. We share personal experiences, vital statistics, and the importance of early detection.Breast cancer doesn't just happen. It has risk factors that we can control, and we're uncovering each one in this episode. Unravel the importance of a healthy lifestyle and its role in preventing breast cancer with us. We discuss maintaining an ideal weight, being active, consuming a healthy diet, and keeping alcohol consumption in check. Furthermore, birth control, breastfeeding, and self-examination aren't just buzzwords - they're significant aspects to consider in your journey to health. As we close this episode, we want to remind you - we're in this fight together. You're not alone in your journey towards health, nor are you alone in your struggle with breast cancer. We've established that education is vital, but so is application. We're challenging you to make a difference today, especially in the African-American community. Know your blood type, adjust your diet accordingly, and always remember - early detection is key. Tune in, educate yourself, and let's change the narrative around breast cancer together.Support the show

Today on PIJN News, the latest on the dealings of the Biden administration and the war in Israel with Dr. Anthony Harper. Dr. Chaps reports that in 2022, the number of abortions in Kentucky fell by almost 43%, citing the Cabinet for Health and Family Services' Office of Vital Statistics. Also, Dr. Chaps reports that Loren Cunningham, an author and founder of the prominent Christian youth organization Youth With a Mission, has died from cancer. He was 88 and had a large influence on the life of Dr. Chaps. Get free alerts at http://PrayInJesusName.org © 2023, Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD. Airs on NRB TV, Direct TV Ch.378, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, GoogleTV, Smart TV, iTunes and www.PrayInJesusName.org

I wanted to inspire more people to consider learning their Human Design because it has had such a positive impact on my life. Along with other tools,It has brought me so much peace,  joy and  success to my life; which is an amazing way to live! I honestly did not realize that personal growth does not have to be as uncomfortable as I was making it.Now I want to give you access to a life free of needless suffering!  In this episode I speak with Taylor V, a Master Certified Coach, HD expert, and self-proclaimed Offer Architect. She co-founded Offer Design School where she uses a mix of sciences (like Human Design), coaching, and strategy to help everyday people fearlessly make money with out-of-the-box offers.You might want to consider getting a Human Design Chart before the episode or having your chart in front of you. It certainly is not necessary but could possibly enhance the episode for you. Here is the link.https://www.geneticmatrix.com/free-foundation-chart/If you love Taylor's take on Human Design as much as I think you are going to, you will find the links for how to connect with her and her free course that she mentions in the episode below.https://www.offerdesignschool.com/course/hd-free-playIf you do not have a birth time on your birth certificate, you can call your Vital Statistics in your birth county and ask if your birth time  info is available. If it is, they usually require you to send  a self addressed stamped envelope to the address of the place and charge a fee. Make sure you specify it is the date time you want, not your birth certificate.

As we know, Wales waited 64 years to reach a second World Cup. But is that the longest period between appearances on the game's biggest stage? Who else has waited as long, or is still waiting...? Fel y gwyddwn ni, roedd Cymru'n aros ers 64 mlynedd i gyrraedd ei hail Gwpan y Byd. Ond ai hynny'r cyfnod hiraf rhwng ymddangos ar lwyfan mwyaf y gêm? Pwy arall fu aros cyhyd, neu aros o hyd....?

For a lot of financial services businesses, data got no game. Meanwhile, other industries have found ways to turn data collection and analysis into a serious competitive advantage. Out on the sports field, performance analytics are enabling athletes and coaches to reach peak performance, helping teams win and getting fans closer to the action. In this episode, comedian Olga Koch takes one for the team by asking: Can data get financial services to the top of their game? Joining her is Adir Shiffman executive MD of Catapult Sports and Andrew Walsh CEO of financial technology company Iress for a fun and frank chat about the game-changing potential of data.  What sexy stuff are you doing with data? Tell us at upfront@iress.com.  Get bonus content from this episode including more from Adir and Andrew plus our guide to doing great things with data on the upfront blog at iress.com/upfront.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest edition of the #DDFootyPod D-Man, Dubul Dee, Big Sam, FBJ & Shoot The Defence Host Stel discuss the #premierleague relegation battle, predictions for the top 7 spots, and much much more! #EPL #Football #Debate #Sports #FIFA22 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDFootyFactory_ Instagram: https://instagram.com/ddfootyfactory_ D-Man: https://twitter.com/ilfenomeno25 Dubul Dee: https://twitter.com/dubuldee Big Sam: https://twitter.com/BigSamA79

As we close out Black History Month this year, I wanted to put the spotlight on Black Maternal Health. This episode will be a 2-part series, dedicated to this topic.Maternal health has long been a concern in America for women of all races. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has found that about 700 women die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth every year. However, black women fared the worst, dying 2.5 times more often than white or hispanic women. That is why, I'm so thankful to have this chat with Daneen Sekoni today. I know you'll find her overall positivity and prospective of life, faith, and parenting infectious.Source: cdc.gov - National Vital Statistics System-‘Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2019 by Donna L. Hoyert, Ph.D. Division of Vital Statistics

"we're all playing that mighty organ called London"

2021 was a year of illiteracy.  There has been plenty of research on the mRNA Vaccines for Covid 19, the virus itself and Coronavirus mitigation.  No one is reading it.  Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique and lifting/life coach/ gym-chalk covered philosopher reviews the yea r 2021 and a little 2020.  PART ONE.

Just a small message to help some podcasters out there!!! Sponsor: : https://hellofresh-ca.o5kg.net/c/2544961/791027/7893 Code: HFAFF80 Offer: $80 Discount ($50 - $20 - $10) Including Free Shipping on First Box! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wvuncommonplace/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wvuncommonplace/support

Episode Notes This week in 1923… The Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics opened in 1912, and the man hired to lead this new department was Walter Plecker. Following the passage of Virginia's Racial Integrity Act, Plecker threw himself into enforcing a racialized society, declaring that his office has the greatest power in the state to combat race-mixing.

------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Daniel Hoyer currently holds a postdoctoral position working with Dr. Peter Turchin on the Deep Roots of the Modern World, part of the SESHAT: Global History Databank Project, a large-scale, interdisciplinary and comparative project hosted by the Evolution Institute and the University of Oxford. He is the author of Figuring Out The Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History. In this episode, we focus on Figuring Out The Past. We start by discussing some possible limitations of (narrative) History, and what SHESHAT's approach has to offer. We talk about many different kinds of patterns we find across societies and across time, and how societies are similar but also differ from one another. We discuss cultural evolution, how it works in different domains, and things like rates of innovation. We ask why societies rise and fall. We discuss the role religion plays in society. We also talk about how to make sense of some of the statistics presented in the book, particularly the ones related to standing armies, collective rituals, monuments, and cultural tools like calendars, law codes, and bureaucracy. Finally, we ask if it is possible to use these date to understand contemporary events and to predict future events. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, OMARI HICKSON, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, IDAN SOLON, ROMAIN ROCH, DMITRY GRIGORYEV, TOM ROTH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, ADANER USMANI, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, AL ORTIZ, NELLEKE BAK, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, NICK GOLDEN, PAULO TOLENTINO, AND JOÃO BARBOSA! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, SERGIU CODREANU, LUIS CAYETANO, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, VEGA GIDEY, AND NIRUBAN BALACHANDRAN! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, JAMES PRATT, AND MATTHEW LAVENDER!

SUMMARY If you're wearing a mask to hide mental health challenges, why not swap it for a superhero cape and brainpowers so strong they're sure to save the day! Sharon Blady, PhD (comic book geek, former Manitoba Minister of Health, founder of Speak Up: Mental Health Advocates) and Dr. Simon Trepel (a psychiatrist and member of Sharon's treatment team) openly talk about Sharon's multiple diagnoses, what's helping her heal, and how you, too, can embrace neurodiversity and load your mental health toolkit with superpower solutions. They also touch on the impacts of stigma and childhood trauma on mental health, the effects of COVID-19, the need for resilience, and the importance of strong doctor/patient relationships. TAKEAWAYS This podcast will help you understand: Personal experiences from a person with multiple mental illness diagnoses, and those same experiences from the vantage point of her psychiatrist An individual's experiences with post-partum depression, ADHD, OCD, Bipolar 2, and suicidal ideation Challenges and opportunities associated with multiple diagnoses Mental health “superpowers” and how they can help promote personal healing and support others Superhero Toolkit Benefits of neurodiversity (seeing that brain differences such as ADHD and autism are not deficits) Impacts of stigma (structural, public, and private) and reducing its negative effects “Resilience” from personal, professional, and community perspectives Impacts of COVID-19 on mental health Doctor/patient relationships and what makes them work   SPONSOR The Social Planning & Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC) is a leader in applied social research, social policy analysis, and community development approaches to social justice. The SPARC team supports the council's 16,000 members, and works with communities to build a just and healthy society for all. THANK YOU for supporting the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Summit and the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast.   RESOURCES Speak Up: Mental Health Advocates Inc. Embrace Your Superpowers program Managing Multiple Diagnoses of Mental Illnesses The Importance of a Complete Diagnosis: Managing Multiple Mental Illnesses Neurodiversity in the Modern Workplace   GUESTS  Sharon Blady, PhD Sharon Blady is former Minister of Health and Minister of Healthy Living for the Province of Manitoba, an academic, and a comic book geek turned mental health superhero who empowers others with her fandom-based Embrace Your Superpowers program. Using her lived experience of multiple mental health and neurodiversity diagnoses, she helps others better understand and achieve improved mental health and well-being. Her diagnoses became a source of strength – Superpowers – which she harnessed and directed for personal, organizational, and community growth. Sharon's life experiences range from being a single mom on social assistance, to being responsible for a $6-billion health department budget. She is a survivor of domestic violence, cancer, and suicide, along with being a published author, entrepreneur, and public speaker. Email: sharon@speak-up.co Phone: 204-899-4731 Website: www.speak-up.co Facebook: @SpeakUpMHA Twitter: @SpeakUp_MHA & @sharonblady Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-blady/ & https://www.linkedin.com/company/speak-up-mha Simon Trepel, MD, FRCPC Simon Trepel is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with more than a decade of experience assessing and treating kids and teens. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba, where he teaches medical students, residents, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and family doctors. Simon is also a clinical psychiatrist with the Intensive Community Reintegration Service at the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Center. Simon is co-founder and consulting psychiatrist for the Gender Dysphoria Assessment and Action for Youth clinic, and consulting psychiatrist for the Pediatric Adolescent Satellite Clinic, where he primarily works with children and adolescents in Child and Family Services care.​ Simon has worked with Vital Statistics as well as Manitoba school divisions providing his expertise in child and adolescent gender dysphoria. He has spoken to audiences on a range of topics, including gender dysphoria, video game addiction, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and neuroplasticity.​ Websites: https://matc.ca/ (Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Center) Email: sptrepel@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/simontrepel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-trepel-md-619a76b8/   HOST Jo de Vries is a community education and engagement specialist with 30 years of experience helping local governments in British Columbia connect with their citizens about important sustainability issues. In 2006, she established the Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) to “inspire community conversations for sustainable change.” FOF's highly acclaimed events include Building SustainABLE Communities conferences, Reel Change SustainAbility Film Fest, Eco-Blast Kids' Camps, CommUnity Innovation Lab, Breakfast of Champions, and Women 4 SustainAbility. FOF's newest ventures are the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Summit and HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast. Website: Fresh Outlook Foundation Phone: 250-300-8797   PLAY IT FORWARD The move from mental health challenge to optimal restoration becomes possible as more people learn about various healing challenges, successes, and opportunities. To that end, please share this podcast with anyone who has an interest or stake in the future of mental health for individuals, families, workplaces, or communities. FOLLOW US For more information about the Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) and our programs and events, visit our website, sign up for our newsletter, and like us on Facebook and Twitter.   HELP US As a charity, FOF relies on support from grants, sponsors, and donors to continue its valuable work. If you benefited from the podcast, please help fund future episodes by making a one-time or monthly donation. Sharon Blady, Dr. Simon Trepel Interview Transcript You can download a pdf of the transcript here. The entire transcript is also found below: RICK  0:10 Welcome to the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast. Join our host Jo de Vries with the Fresh Outlook Foundation, as she combines science with storytelling to explore a variety of mental health issues with people from all walks of life. Stay tuned! JO  0:32 Hey, Jo here. Thanks for joining me and my two guests as we conduct a brain tour that will take you on a journey of discovery, from mental illness all the way to mental health superpowers and superheroes. This great conversation is brought to you by the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia. My first guest is Sharon Blady, founder of SPEAK UP: Mental Health Advocates Inc., and former Minister of Health and Minister of Healthy Living for the province of Manitoba. She knows firsthand how getting mental health or neurodiversity diagnoses means living with stereotypes and stigma associated with those labels. She also knows there's a way to reframe those stereotypes and define assets that empower us instead. Sharon's lived experience, combined with a lifelong love of comic book superheroes, successful treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy, and robust peer support, gave her the perspective and tools she needed to see her mental health challenges as assets or superpowers that she now harnesses and manages for better mental health and success. Helping us navigate Sharon's brain tour is Dr. Simon Trepel, a psychiatrist with more than a decade of experience assessing and treating kids and teens. He's an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, where he teaches medical students, residents, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and family doctors. He's also a clinical psychiatrist with the Intensive Community Reintegration Service at the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre, and co-founder and consulting psychiatrist for the Gender Dysphoria Assessment and Action for Youth Clinic. Welcome to both of you, and thank you for embarking on this journey of disclosure and discovery with me. SHARON  2:39 Thank you. It's great to be here, Jo. SIMON  2:41 Hey, Jo... yeah... thanks for having me as well. JO  2:43 I know the relationship between doctor and patient is sacred, so your willingness to help us better understand that connection is brave, and so very much appreciated. First, we're going to dive into Sharon's story, peppered with Simon's clinical perspective. I think this is going to give you a whole host of insights. Sharon, let's start with you. When we spoke to prepare for this episode, you talked about being born with quote, "different brain things," unquote. Can you tell us that story, starting with you being an energizer bunny and chronic overachiever right from the get-go? SHARON  3:27 Yes, that was my very articulate way of self-identifying, but that's how I felt as a kid... that there was just something different about me. And it wasn't just that I felt that way. I kept getting told that I was different, and not always in a good way. Sometimes I did receive positive encouragement in school and always did well. The first time my parents had to ever deal with the principal, and my being in the office, was because in grade three I had decided I wanted to drop out because I felt there was nothing more that they had to teach me because I was spending more of my time helping other students. And it all just seemed so boring. That's what would eventually get me into advanced programs and stuff like that. So, it was just that thing where I was always doing things and not intending to be one step ahead of things, but finding myself there and then kind of getting simultaneously rewarded and punished for it. So, it'd be like, yeah, there's a great grade, but then you get the side-eye from your classmates. And then I get my father. His tendency was to say that, on one hand, yes, you're my child, you're so smart. But don't think you're that smart... don't get too confident or cocky. So, there was never 100 percent security in it. It's the way I lived in terms of the university and how I was managing things. I remember a girlfriend and I… the joke was that no one would have thought of giving us mental health or neurodiversity diagnoses. More that the joke was made to zap us both in the butt with tranquilizer darts to slow us down so that everybody else could keep up. That was my childhood. JO  4:57 What were your teenage years like? SHARON  5:00 Oh, a roller coaster. I was always good in school, but I got into the IB (International Baccalaureate) program, and it was the first year that they had the IB program in school. So, I think in some respects, they weren't ready for us. We were that first class... 50 of us kids that were used to being chronic overachievers… outsiders… were all suddenly in one small school that only had a total of 350 students. I was, again, still doing well in school, but I found my own people and then went off in directions that had me going to The Rocky Horror Show and doing all of this wonderful world of exploration and finding like-minded people. That was when my second round of visits with the principals started to happen. But again, that weird place where it's like, how do you discipline the kid that's in the advanced program for doing a thing, because they're supposed to be there as a role model. And also, that thing, like the seven colors in her hair, might not actually be a disciplinary issue. It's just you've never encountered it before as a principal. So, I was all over the place. I was doing really well in school and was the very untraditional captain of the cheerleading squad where we cheered to punk rock songs like Youth Brigade. And then I was also in Junior Achievement and, in fact, was the president of the Company of the Year for all of Canada in my final year. Yeah, so again, chronic overachiever... energizer bunny. JO  6:25 What happened that triggered your first experience with mental illness? How was it treated? And how well did you respond? SHARON  6:34 It was actually a while after my first son was born. I was 25, I was a grad student, I was doing my master's degree. I had been going out with somebody that had been a classmate, but when he found out that I was pregnant, ran the heck away. Of course, he also ran the heck away, because the day I found out I was pregnant, I also found out he was cheating on me, and basically said, "Don't let the door hit your butt on the way out." So, I moved back to Manitoba from BC. I had my son, and didn't feel very well, and I couldn't figure out what it was. Because it was, "I've got this kid, I'm doing my master's degree, I've got support from my family," and then one day, I had... after feeling all of this up and down and trying to juggle everything... the overwhelming desire to drive my car off the side of a bridge. And was really the red flag, and something stopped me in the same moment that my wrist almost turned to do that. Another part of my brain went, "That's not the rational thought that you think it is, that's not going to save you or your child the way you think it is." And that's when I sought out help, and would end up with a postpartum diagnosis. And then that would go on to being diagnosed as chronically depressed, and then I spent some time on Luvox. The GP that was looking after me… I wasn't receiving any therapeutic care… I wasn't receiving any kind of counseling or supports that way… it was just medication. I was eventually on the maximum dosage, and it was making me physically ill, so I did a very unsafe thing and I went cold turkey. I was lucky to then connect with a psychotherapist that helped me and introduced me to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. And that's where my really first positive journey happened. But I have to admit, I probably lived the first three, four years, five years of my eldest son's life in a real, foggy, ugly place. That's where the journey started. And it's led to other things and seeking out care has been intermittent and based on things like addressing being assaulted by my ex-husband. Other basic traumatic events have triggered seeking out care. And it's now working with Simon that I've really had that opportunity to go back and dig through a lot of stuff and learn more about myself. And she's like a superhero geek kind-of-way retcons my narrative in the sense that I've realized my understanding of things has changed, especially as we've dug deeper and I've learned more about my brain and what my diagnoses are, as opposed to what I thought they were, and what others had told me they were in those shorter forms of treatment and care. SIMON  9:12 That might be a nice place for me to maybe step in a little bit if you guys don't mind. Sharon's covered a lot of things simultaneously… I'm going to try to have a foot in Sharon's side and to be preferential and biased in Sharon's behalf. But, I also want to take a bit of a meta sense, as well and take a look at what Sharon has said through the lens of maybe how people with mental health challenges or superpowers are sometimes treated by the system or by their families or even by themselves. So, we backed up a little bit to the beginning when you asked Sharon about her childhood. She talked about having lots of energy and being an overachiever. And she was told that she was different, which is an ambiguous message. “Difference” doesn't let a child necessarily understand that that's good or bad. And the child is left to struggle with, "Am I special? Yes. But do I fit in? No." That is the mixed message that a "different" label gives us as children, and we struggle as well to make sense of that. And we are, simultaneously, as Sharon mentioned, rewarded for our special features, our cognitive abilities, but at the same time it isolates or sometimes distances us from other connections that we can have in social circles and with peers and things like that. So, Sharon felt ahead of others, which then makes her feel separated from others, which then makes her aware of pure jealousy. And then she mentioned this mixed message from her father to be, “Hey, you're good, but don't become arrogant.” And I think that's a big understanding of Sharon's struggle to really understand, "Am I a good person or not?" And this is ultimately what leads us to struggling with our sense of self-esteem and sense of identity. You then went on to talk about the teen years and, again, Sharon is propelled to this academic special status of IB program. But you hear her own worries about the school's ability to contain and nurture that in a good way by her own misgivings about it being, quote, "the first year the IB program is in effect." And so again, the theme is, "I'm not sure the adults can handle us... I'm not sure the adults and the systems and the parents can handle us special kids." And you hear the same thing when she talks about getting in trouble, and the rebel phase of, I think it was, pink hair, and getting into trouble despite good marks. And she remarks, "Yeah, it was really tough for the principal because he'd never encountered it before." But he had, Sharon, many times. The principal had encountered many rebellious yet academically talented kids who weren't getting clear messages at home about who they were, and letting them shape a  foundation and identity that gets stable over time, then becomes something for them to fall back on in later years. When they struggle, or even fail at things, they're able to tell themselves, "Hey, that's okay, I'm good at stuff." But when you get a mixed message for so much of your life, and so many systems, you end up falling back on yourself, and you're not sure if you're going to catch yourself. So, you start to wonder if you're able to get helped by the adult authority or systems that are supposed to be catching us. And then we move on to university degree, and we hear Sharon talk about these awful experiences with a partner, and yet she glosses over it very quickly. And you hear the avoidance in her about talking about that very traumatic rejection and separation that happened abruptly at a time when she needed help the most. And see here, there's no ability to process that trauma. And so, when she gets home, all of a sudden, she wants to drive into traffic, and she doesn't understand why. But yet it's the lack of processing that trauma that sits in the basement of our mind and the sub-cortex and waits like a monster until we are at our lowest, and then it shows and rears its ugly head and attempts to take everything from us because we don't feel like we have anything there. JO  12:47 Sharon, I know that you have had multiple diagnoses with different mental health challenges. Can you explain to us how that unfolded? SIMON  12:59 How about, “Sharon, how you doing?” Because we talked about a lot of things just now. And I think an important part of doing these type of interviews where we are laying bare our souls and our histories is that we can go too far. And we can open up too much. And I took Sharon's lead from how far she went in hers. But I think at this point, I'd like to sort of check in with all of us because we've really unloaded some very heavy things. And we don't have to act like it wasn't heavy, Sharon? Well, it's not just for sharing. It's also for our host. JO  13:29 I love this back and forth. I think it's brilliant in that we combine lived experience with a clinical perspective of that lived experience. And I think that's very, very positive. And as you mentioned, Simon, it must be positive for Sharon as well. SIMON  13:48 Exactly. And when we unload things like this, we feel exposed. When we feel exposed, really, again, the sub-cortex of our brains, our basement where our amygdala (which is our fear and emotion center) sleeps beside our hippocampus (which is our library), and that retrieves our memories. And when those two get intertwined in the dance of trauma, they end up opening up these boxes again, when we're not always ready. And so, I always make sure whenever we're talking about traumatic events that I take the lead of the patient, but then when I do the step that seems like I'm being asked to do, we stop and we take a breath, and we reregulate our nervous systems, to make sure that we're still on the same page, and it still feels safe, because therapy doesn't always feel safe, but it should always feel caring and kind and make sure that you are checking back with people. So, you're walking together. And I hope I've given you some time now, Sharon to sort of articulate what it is that you want to maybe say at this point. SHARON  14:47 Thank you for the processing time. I want to thank Simon for how he picked up on how I had said things. And so that in that time to process what I recognized was, for example, that tendency to gloss over things or to say things quickly and sort of dismiss the traumatic aspect of it. And that I've kind of conditioned myself to just telling that story, and that sometimes it has left me raw and open and vulnerable. And that I would just keep moving on not recognizing that it was effectively taking a psychological or a mental scab, and leaving it open to possibly getting infected. And so that's one of the really interesting processes. SIMON  15:31 Oh, I like that. I like that metaphor. SHARON  15:33 Well, that's what I've loved about this process, and about being able to share this today here in this manner, because I've come to realize that so many things that I had taken as normal... they were my normal, they were my habits, they were my whatever. But they weren't. And they maybe got me through the thing at the time, but that they weren't the way things had to be... they weren't a mandatory default setting… that they could be changed. And that even some of the language that I use is, again, a process or part of that, again, what I had internalized. And so that's what I always love about feedback. And the support that I get from Simon is that recognition of, oh my god, am I still using that language? Oh, really? Okay. I thought I'd made some growth here. Yes, I have made some growth, but I'm still carrying around some baggage that I didn't realize I had. I thought I dropped that emotional Samsonite back two weeks ago, but somewhere along the line, I decided to pick up the carry-on version of it after all. And, so what can I do to process that... SIMON  16:35 I hate to interrupt you, Sharon at this point, but we often talk about again, in trauma, this idea of a win-lose or black-white, or yes-no. But when we get into this idea you are doing it again, you're selling yourself short when you say, "I thought I made some growth, but if I made a single mistake, I obviously haven't." SHARON  16:47 Again, and that's what I appreciate, because it's a black and white thinking that I've normalized. So, I'm enjoying the growth. I appreciate the reminders. Jo had the question about the different diagnoses, and I have to say that, because I've been given a variety of things over time, I didn't view them necessarily as negative. Some people will look at mental health labels and neurodiversity labels as negative and other, and I found ways of reframing that, but I still found them as identifying mechanisms or filters that I would run things through. And what I've come to realize in the time that we've worked together is that while those were, I guess you'd say, things that I could use to ground and navigate with. I think it's Maya Angelou that said, "You do the best you can, and then when you learn more, you do better. Some of the diagnoses that we've talked about that I ascribed to at one point, and then realizing that they were mislabelings. I'm glad that I had them for the time that I was there to get me through the thing. It's nice to go back, and that's where I use that term about retcon and go, "Oh, that wasn't really the thing that I thought it was. And now I can adapt to it differently having a better sense." And I would have to say that the one thing that I was most surprised to sort of learn about myself, was just how much of my own mental health has been shaped by trauma of all the different things that I've been dealing with. That is not one of the ones that I would have put near the top of the list or is having had the most influence. SIMON  18:26 That's powerful, and it's because we as a society demonstrate one of the symptoms of trauma, which is avoidance. In my clinical work, and in my everyday life, we are all desperately trying to avoid talking about traumatic things. And that's the reality. JO  18:41 Simon... a question for you. A few of the diagnoses that Sharon had were ADHD, OCD, bipolar two, PTSD. Do you often have patients with multiple diagnoses like that? And if so, isn't it incredibly difficult to diagnose if a person has more than one problem? SIMON  19:05 Well, yeah, but we're not textbooks. We are complicated things. And so, there's many, many reasons why somebody may or may not have a diagnosis at a certain time, and maybe why someone might look like something at one point, but they'll change over time. So, for instance, children, children to teenagers, teenagers to adults, our brains are qualitatively changing over that time, not just in size, but in how they work. A child is not a mini adult... a child is a qualitatively different animal, so to speak. I think that's first of all. So, really, what we're learning is that the brain undergoes incredible amounts of development over our lifetime. And we know that, for instance, in ADHD, while 7% of children are born with the psychological diagnosis of ADHD, according to our latest studies, by the time you reach 18 years old, we know that only 50% of people are going to have ADHD, which is about 4% of adults. And the reasoning for that is because we know as the brain develops and matures naturally over time, if given the right supports and the right conditions, and you will naturally develop the ability to regulate yourself in unique ways as you develop more skills, have good experiences, and accomplish things, and believe in your ability to manage yourself. And we see those things. You can be diagnosed as ADHD as a child, never having been treated or medicated and end up not having ADHD as an adult just by the power of development of the human brain and neuroplasticity. But there's also other things that happen. For instance, you might learn skills that allow you to be more organized, and so you no longer meet criteria for ADHD because you've learned skills that compensate for it, the same way maybe somebody with diabetes might learn how to regulate their diets. They don't have to rely on as much insulin. So, I think we're all regulating our chemistry in different ways all the time. And lastly, we're not in Star Trek or the Jetsons yet, so we don't have the ability to scan a human brain and say, "Okay, well, now we know exactly what this is." So, if somebody comes in talking about hearing a voice or feeling delusional, or being disorganized, and it looks like something called psychosis, well, psychosis is a really a general term that can be many, many things… anything from a bonk on the head, to paranoid schizophrenia, to somebody using math for the first time, to somebody having an autoimmune disorder that's causing an inflammation of the cerebral arteries in the brain. So, there's many reasons why we present the way we do, and sometimes it's not clear in the beginning. Lastly, PTSD and trauma is a great imitator, it can look like almost anything in medicine. We talk about lupus sometimes looking like many, many, many different types of disorders from many different areas. And I feel that in psychiatry, in particular, child, adolescent and young adult psychiatry, I see that trauma looks like many things before it finally gets figured out to be what it is. JO  21:52 Sharon, how did your understanding of the diagnoses and yourself change as your treatment with Simon unfolded? SHARON  22:01 I would have to say the greatest thing was that recognition of what he just explained about PTSD. And I love his comment about the societal avoidance of trauma. Because when I think about my childhood, or the way I used to think about it in terms of or even how well I was in it, it was that… well, you know, my folks are together, I live in a nice house, I've got my brother, I've got my cousins, I've got this, I'm doing well in school. I never would have thought of things necessarily as trauma... trauma was for somebody else that lived far away, that didn't have a stable roof over their head, that lived in a warzone, that kind of thing. So, it was again, not that eight-year-olds necessarily have the clinical or academic understanding of adverse childhood experiences, so the notion of trauma didn't really enter my life until I got to things like dealing with an abusive ex, dealing as an adult recognizing what I had experienced with my father, and what he considered discipline, was, in fact, abuse, and that it was both physical and emotional, psychological, that kind of thing. But that was like, again, in retrospect. So, I understand now exactly how the labels... I go, okay, that's the thing. If that's what I've got, at least I know what I'm up against, at least I know how to deal with it. And so, the understanding that there was something actual masquerading, and that my trauma responses, I think that's the other part, was things that I thought were other things were now like, "Oh, that's a trauma response. Okay, I didn't realize that. Well, that shines a whole new light on it." So, I have to say that's the one thing is that it's given me a lot more, or an ongoing sense of self-reflection. Not that I ever figured out, I never thought that I had it all figured out, but it's encouraged me to keep a growth mindset about my own mental health and neurodiversity. And that there are things that I can always learn about myself so that I can really learn better, healthier ways of coping and adjusting and just moving through life. JO  24:08 Simon, what are you learning about Sharon's unique brain during all this? And is her response to her trauma similar to other people's responses who have experienced similar trauma? SIMON  24:23 I'll take the second part first, if that's okay. What's really fascinating to me about trauma is that every single human being that's ever existed, has experienced something traumatic, but not all of it becomes something that we call PTSD, or a fundamental change in how your brain works after that event. And that's what separates it. We can be scared, and we can struggle by something for a few days, and then our brain essentially gets back to factory settings. Or we can have a really horrific event happen and our brain can then change. And they can do two different ways. And so often people think of trauma, like somebody has been to war or has been raped, really something we think about something truly savage has happened. And that is one type of trauma. And that is the classic type of PTSD you think about. But we are now becoming very aware, our eyes have been opened to another type of trauma called complex PTSD, where it doesn't have to be savage, at least not savage through the eyes of an adult, but is savage through the eyes of a child. So, for instance, if you are a harsh parent to a child, you are a big, much larger individual. And if you scare, intimidate, or otherwise terrorize a child in the act of trying to be a parent to teach something, you are actually in some ways putting that child through a savage event, and that can be scary. And when the person that lives with you scares you, that can easily become something we call complex PTSD, and it fundamentally changes how our brain works. And so that's something that has to be recognized. And it doesn't recognize that, as Sharon said, "I didn't realize how much trauma affects me," but it's like putting a lens over your reality from childhood. And so, you start to recognize that when we see this happen in other ways, for instance, in religion, or even in more severe things like cults, for instance, where children are very young or sort of shaped in a certain way, it becomes very difficult for them to disentangle themselves from those perhaps bias messages from their childhood, or perhaps healthy messages. I'm not going to moralize on these things right now, but my point is, what we learn early affects us, and sometimes it can affect us for a very long time. So, savage or harsh, either one can create trauma. And so that's the first message. The second one is Sharon's brain is unique, but I don't know where to start, actually, like we've already mentioned lots of things. And so, I honestly think that the most unique part of her brain is simultaneously the ability to experience everything she's been through, and then be able to look at it and really allow her to renegotiate who she is, again, looking back, which is the power we all have. And so, I really am honored about and privileged to work with somebody who is so strong and doesn't know it all the time, but is so strong, they're willing to walk back and say, "Let me look at my childhood, again, with my kinder eyes, with my more neutral, healthier eyes, with eyes that aren't afraid, in the same way anymore... and let me see what was truly there. And let me look in the shadows, then find out they're not as scary. Let me look into my eyes and see that I matter all the time, not just when my Dad's in a good mood." And these kinds of things become extremely powerful moments for anybody, but in particular, people willing to risk the discomfort of therapy with somebody who's willing to go there with them, but also take care of them along the way. And that's what Sharon and I have been able to create. JO  27:56 Sharon, what have been your biggest challenges along the way?  SHARON  28:01 Wow. I'd have to say that it's been breaking belief cycles and habitual cycles that reinforce the trauma behaviors. So, whether, like I said before, it's the use of language or the comparative competitive thinking, or even recognizing, as I'm recognizing my own strength, because I have to say that there's a lot of things where I would describe the situation or thing that I'd accomplished and kind of felt that it's like, well, anybody would do that under those circumstances, and not allowing myself to recognize the specialness, of maybe something that I had done or accomplished the uniqueness of it. And whether that was academically, politically, it was just oh, this is what I had to do at the time. Or, gee, anybody in my shoes could have done it. And so, I think the biggest challenge will be in that assignment. Okay Simon... I'm curious what you have to say, cuz you're always good at reminding me when... SIMON  29:02 Well, again, when you are putting yourself in the crucible of your own personal accomplishments, you have to remember that earlier on it was compounded into you that you can't get cocky. Yes. And so, what you end up keeping with you is that what seeming like an innocuous message from your father when you brought home 105% on that math test, and he said, "You know, don't get too full of yourself because no one likes an arrogant person," and you didn't know what to do with your accomplishment. And you see how long you carry that. And so, what I challenge you to do is to put that down and say, you don't have to worry about the backhand when you do a perfect forehand. Yeah, I just made that up. But that sounds great. SHARON  29:41 Yes, it does, I agree, and that's probably the biggest challenge right there is living in those things.  SIMON  29:48 Or maybe you should not have to worry, because that's not reasonable for me to suggest that you shouldn't worry when the person there perhaps is a vulnerable narcissist and needs to extract his self-esteem from you in some way. And as a child, we are unequipped to even imagine that as possible from the gods that we sort of worship. Right? Yeah, sorry to be so powerful. I'm just in that kind of mood today... loving it! JO  30:15 Sharon, you touched on your challenges. What have been your key moments of personal growth and resilience? SHARON  30:23 Well, it has been the aha moments like those and recognizing that I'm allowed to celebrate these things. And in fact, I should be encouraged to celebrate them. And that it's okay, and that I'm not being cocky and celebrating. Yes, I was the Health Minister dammit, and I was responsible for the $6 billion budget, and I think I did it well. People are allowed to have another opinion. That's their opinion and their business, but I don't have to diminish myself anymore around those things. Earlier on in my own experience, like I said, I've learnt to get through things by reframing them. And that came from experiences with my son and finding the assets. So, I have been able to go, "Yeah, you know what, you might say I have this thing, and that makes me difficult to manage or whatever. But I've also got this other positive aspect of it." So, it was that process of the reframing, which would turn into that superpower language that I use, because being the Energizer Bunny can be very useful and productive. And being somebody that gets told that they can't sit still, and they can't focus, also means that, you know, I pulled together pretty damn good master's theses, and I connected some really interesting dots in some other places, both in my academic and political life that other people hadn't got to. And that in some respects, I was surprised that, "Why is it taking me to do this? How come nobody else thought of this, because once I got here, this seemed really obvious.?” So that reframing is health. SIMON  31:55 Or, how about one ever talks about Steve Jobs and Elan Musk never sitting still. JO  31:59 Yeah, exactly. SHARON  32:03 Yeah, well, and that's the other part of it, too, is that some of it's even been gendered, in a way.  SIMON  32:08 In a way... some of it? All of it! SHARON  32:10 Yes. Yes, I was the Chatty Cathy doll that was a know-it-all and this and that... but I'm sure boys... SIMON  32:16 No, you weren't, you were a woman with an opinion. SHARON  32:18 Yes, but that's how I was... SIMON  32:20 ... like a human being. Yeah, exactly. SHARON  32:22 But that's how I was labeled when I was growing up was that it was... SIMON  32:25 ... no, that's the microaggression. SHARON  32:27 And that's the thing that has to be unlearned, because I'm watching my granddaughter right now, who's also recently been diagnosed with ADHD. And one of the messages that came home was that we need to get her to learn to be quiet, and to behave herself in class. And I was just like, "Oh, you do not tell a young girl who has got a voice and an opinion and is able to articulate thing well... you don't put baby in a corner.” SIMON  32:55 Particularly in 2021. SHARON  32:57 Yes, exactly. SIMON  33:00 I thought we just learned these lessons.  SHARON  33:03 This was it. So, it was like, we work with her on how to focus, manage, empower, but do not make her quiet, because that would be doing to her in 2021 what was done to me in 1971. SIMON  33:17 Well, yeah, talk about a replay. JO  33:20 So, what you might be saying, Sharon, is that your granddaughter... her ADHD may be a superpower for her. SHARON  33:27 Oh, it honestly is. Like this kid, it blows my mind, honestly, sometimes the things that we'll watch her do, and then process and be able to articulate back. When they went to Drumheller, guess who came back like the little dinosaur expert, and that she was, again, connecting dots and doing things. She's now a big sister, and I think one of the things that she's also got is a sense of compassion there, where she understands her little brother in a way that while he's not even two weeks old, I mean, she wanted to sit down and read all of these books so that she could be a good big sister, and she read some bedtime stories. And I think that there's a compassion that she's acquired because she knows what it's like to be treated particular ways, to make sure that she's going to be her little brother's defender. She's going to be a good big sister. SIMON  34:21 Let's not do that to her.  SHARON  34:22 Okay, that's a good point. Let her be her. SIMON  34:25 Let's not sign her up for a job without discussing it with her first, because we've got all sorts of great plans, but John Lennon had some song about that or something. I'd like to challenge us, as well, to circle back the last two minutes and let's reframe something. What is the school telling her by saying she needs to learn to be quiet… what are we actually missing in that message? Because, if we see it as a pure criticism, we might be missing some wisdom in there that is helpful for us to think about. Because superpowers... when you discover heat vision as a child, you don't make microwave popcorn for your parents, you burn a hole in their curtains is what you do. And so, we're not talking about that... we're acting like the superpowers are easy to handle, and the person who has them knows how to wield them. But I think what we're hearing the school say is that she has something cool that makes her unique, but it also interferes at times, and we don't want that to hurt her. JO  35:25 Before digging in deeper was Sharon and Simon. I'd like to acknowledge a major HEADS UP! sponsor... the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia. SPARC BC is a leader in applied social research, social policy analysis, and community development approaches to social justice. The council's great team supports 16,000 members, and works with communities of all sizes to build a just and healthy society for all. Thanks yet again, to all of you great folks for your ongoing support. So, Sharon, let's circle back... we've been talking about superheroes and superpowers. And I'd like to hear the story of how that all got kicked off for you. SHARON  36:17 Well, I'm a comic book nerd. I fell in love with superheroes at about a year-and-a-half when the Spider-Man animated show came on TV, and I found myself fixed on the screen. And I just never broke away from that, and it's gone down into other different fandoms over time. So, I've got a whole bunch, I'll spare you the list, but what happened was in raising my kids, especially having two boys, we were surrounded by comic books and action figures and Marvel movies. So, it was just familiar. We had favorite characters, and this and that. And, so what happened was when my second son was born in 2003, I noticed some things about him very early on, especially once he started school, it became really obvious. He was not interested in learning to practice his writing, he would just scribble, he had a very strong auditory sense, like, go to a movie with his kid, do not ever try to debate script with him, because he will have picked it up. And he can come back, like literally with the phrasing, the cadence, the tone, that kind of thing. And that was his gift. But he was struggling in school, and he always had problems. He was told that he was daydreaming. He was having problems with reading and math. So, they would just send him home with more stuff, and he just was super frustrated. And as much as I'd asked for psychological assessments, I was told that he was too young and will get by. And they kept passing him from one grade to the next, where things just kept getting progressively harder and harder, because he didn't have the skills. And he was eight years old, and he just melted down one day and said, "Mommy, if you love me, you wouldn't send me to school anymore. Because I'm a failure, I'm broken. And I'm not going to do well there. And it's just it's not worth it." And I found myself saying to him, as he rattled off each of these different things that were wrong with him. I found the flip side. "Oh, so what you're telling me is that you think you're oversensitive to this and that, well, I see empathy there, I see caring, I see strategic thinking." And we flipped all the things and found assets. And I said, "Sweetheart, you're not broken... you're like an X-Man... you have mutant superpowers. And it's just a matter of figuring them out and figuring out how to harness them. So, we're going to do for you what Professor X does for the X-Men," and I use the example of Cyclops with laser vision. I said, "Think about Cyclops... you can blow up buildings and save his friends to do all these things and take down the bad guys, whatever. But if he doesn't put his visor down in the morning, guess who's gonna set his underwear on fire while he gets ready for school?" So, we use the example of Cyclops, and what I found myself doing at first I was like, "Oh my gosh, did I just blow smoke at my kid?" And then I realized how I had been coping and managing since that diagnosis of postpartum, and the different tools that I had been given intermittently, and what I had learned on my own... taking those tools and then researching and doing things further on my own,... was that I had been reframing, and I had been finding assets, and that actually previous to that diagnosis the thing is like the kind of thinking that I had with ADHD... well, that had been an asset. As long as I was checking off the right boxes and I was getting rewarded, that was an asset that was a spidey sense that I was hiding. And that why is it as soon as things helped out on me at a diagnosis of postpartum, that suddenly there was like, “Whoo, I've got a thing wrong with me… it's a diagnosis...  bad, broken.” And I saw that it's stigma, that kind of thing. That's what I started doing, and that's where we started really trying to Identify within our own family, what were the assets that we had. And it was things like hyperfocus, it was creativity, and that's just the language that we started using, because we also found that it was neutral. The superpower is inherently neutral... it's what's done with it. It goes to Simon's comment about burning the hole in the drapes or making the popcorn, right. It is what it is... now, am I going to be stigmatized and end up someone like Magneto, who becomes the antihero and become reactive and defensive? Or am I going to become someone that's more like a Professor X and the X-Men and use my powers for my own benefit, but also for the benefit of others. And that's where I realized that a lot of the things that I had been doing were about using those powers to help others. So that's where it came from. It was basically me trying to parent my little boy who was broken, and to help him build a toolkit until he could get proper clinical diagnosis and support. It was our way of getting through things. JO  41:06 How have you evolved that program? I know now that you're offering the toolkit, for example, to other people. Tell us about that. SHARON  41:15 I guess it's been about a decade now or so since that originally happened. I was using that language with my kids, which crept into my language at work. So, you want to see political staff, which have the minister in a meeting, use the word “superpowers.” That was on the list of words that the minister wasn't allowed to use. And also, not allowed to talk about neuroplasticity, or anything else that will get the opposition a front-page headline where they can call me quirky or a flake or something. And they tried, but it was a case of going through that and deciding that after coming out of office, and after working at another organization, that I wanted to share that, because as I encountered different people that went, "Oh my gosh, that's an interesting way of looking at it." And so, I realized, and also watching my son and other people I'd  shared it with, that it had a destigmatizing approach. I'm not a clinician, and I'm not someone that's trained as well as Simon is... I'm someone with lived experience who has trained in things like peer support, and, that for me, it's a language that I find helpful in taking these big complex ideas and making them relatable, and making them a conversation that we can have, without it being again, scary or distancing. So, I can talk about anxiety and talk about Spider-Man. And we can have conversations around Peter Parker, and Spider-Gwen, and Miles Morales, and find out that people have empathy for those characters in a way that they might not have for themselves, or someone they know what that diagnosis is. So, it creates that little bit of a safe space. I guess how I put it is I take mental health seriously, but I don't always take myself seriously. And if I can share stories and do things and introduce people to tools and perspectives, or especially introduce kids to ways of handling their emotions, because a lot of times it manifests more emotionally, where they see it as positive. I've seen the results with my son, who specifically has got some powerful reframing tools. That's what it is. And so now it's a program called Embrace Your Superpowers. And I've since encountered another fandom that I've been dived way too deep into, and I have another program based on the music of Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS), and just published an article in a peer-reviewed journal out of Korea on the mental health messaging within their music and how they model things like CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), peer support, and some other therapies. JO  43:43 Wow, that's amazing. Simon, can you put all this into clinical/neuroscience/neurological context? SIMON  43:54 You mean, as assistant Professor S? JO  43:56 Yes. SIMON  43:59 Like that one... Sharon... Professor S? SHARON  44:00 Yes, yeah. SIMON  44:01 Pretty close... yeah... not bad. And as a psychiatrist, I didn't want to say sex because then I have to say something about my mother... it's embarrassing. So no, I really can't summarize it in some perfect way. But I can talk about Sharon's use of superheroes as a way for her to lovingly and empathically discover herself. And I think that when you think about how difficult Sharon's life is… especially early on was, maybe not so much now, which is awesome… but as a child, she didn't have a hero that was safe to look up to. And when kids don't have a hero that's safe to look up to they find them. They find them in teachers, or they find them in pop culture, or they find them in rock and roll, or they find them in fandoms. And Sharon was really lucky to be able to find such an awesome fandom that gave her such positive messages, that allowed her to start to say, "Wait a minute, different is unique." It gave her the idea that adults could be nice, that they could do things that were selfless that did not have to hurt other people. That adults could do big things and handle things. That they could be role models. That adults could be strong, and that people could look up to them and still be safe in doing so. And these are all contrary to the messages that Sharon had been experiencing in her own life. And so, this was a very much a place for her... a cocoon for her... to be able to develop safely in her own mind and her own psyche to survive how harsh childhood was with all the adults in her life that were not sending her comfortable messages. In fact, they were quite mixed, and they were quite barbed. So, I think that I would start off by just saying it's awesome to think about this way, and in Sharon, teaching other people how to have more empathy for themselves. We always work on the idea that what we do for others we're actually doing for ourselves. And so, it brings us back to the idea that Sharon is doing this, in fact, for herself, which then makes me wonder if I'm doing this for myself, and it makes me feel good to help other people. So perhaps, I'm selfishly also baked into the system here and doing some of the same things. But that's okay, because you can reach a point in your life where you can give to others without taking anything away from you. And that's the other idea about how things are not a zero-sum game, things are not black and white. In fact, we can generate kindness and love on the spot as humans, and we have this beautiful ability to do so. And that's, as well, what superheroes do... they love the human regardless of the situation, because they know the person's always trying their best. And that's one thing that I always make sure I work on with everybody... I will truly believe that everybody is trying to be as successful as possible at every moment, including when we don't want to get out of bed, we just calculate that. That's all we have that day, and that's the best we can do. And I just want to make sure Sharon continues to embrace those parts of her because they are easily the most powerful parts that really do have the ability to generate almost infinite abilities to believe in yourself. JO  47:02 Sharon, you mentioned earlier… neurodiversity, and I'm really interested to know, first of all, from you Simon, what that means, and what that means to people like myself and like Sharon, who have mental health challenges. She may not be considered, quote, "normal" unquote, from a mental health perspective, but look at who she is. Look at what she's accomplished. Look at how she's helping people. So, can you just respond to that? SIMON  47:37 Absolutely. I'll back you up a little bit. Sharon's as normal as anyone else... there's no such thing as normal. This is the lie that we've all been sold very early on in our lives, that there is something called "normal." And, by the way, that normal is also perfect. And that's also the thing we all wanted to aspire to be. But it's really a story of conformity... the language of normal or perfection is actually language of conformity. And so, the reality of it is, we are all so different. If you go into a field and look at 100 cows, but then you put 100 people in the field beside them, you look at the people, humans are really unique. I'm not suggesting cows aren't unique...  cows are pretty neat, too, but humans are exponentially more unique. And because of the freedom that we enjoy, because of our prefrontal cortex to imagine ourselves in almost any scenario we like, we're walking around with a holodeck in the front of our skull. So, we all have that. But what neurodiversity truly speaks about, it's recognizing that in the great, great ghetto blaster of Homo sapiens, the equalizer is spread uniquely throughout all of us, all of Homo sapiens is a spectrum. And so, we do cluster sometimes around some tendencies such as gender, but we're learning that not everybody experiences a “normal” quote/unquote, as we've been sold, gender. In fact, there is intersex conditions, there is agender, there is gender fluid, there is genderqueer, there is non-binary. So, there is no such thing as normal. There is just this incredible adventure called being a human being. And the only limitations we're going to put on that are the ones we put on ourselves. JO  49:16 So, Sharon, how did your understanding of neurodiversity help you to see yourself in a different light? SHARON  49:23 Well, it goes definitely to what Simon said... one of my favorites expressions around this is "normal is just a setting on a dryer." That's the only place it's a useful term. SIMON  49:34 And it doesn't always work for the clothes in the dryer either. SHARON  49:37 Exactly, exactly. It might not be the setting you need. Again, when my youngest one was finally tested and given diagnoses that said that he had discalculate dysgraphia and dyslexia, these are things that are called learning disabilities. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, he just learns differently, and that he learns in ways, that again, it's this idea of along a spectrum, and so it's a case of wanting to take the stigma away from it. There is all of this diversity. And that somewhere along the line, somebody came up with some sort of liberal, conformity-based normal in the supposed center, and that the rest of us were put out on the margins. And we have a disability or like with ADHD, the idea that it's a deficiency, and I'm like, “Okay, no, no, I don't have a deficiency disorder. I can hyper focus. My ability to focus is divergent, and it can be hyper focused, it's not deficient.” The term, variable attention stimulus trait is one that I've come across as an alternative. And I appreciate that one, because it's the idea that I just have greater variety in my stimulation range. It's not better or worse, that idea of positive or negative. So that's why I tend to use the term neurodiversity, where other folks would tend to use terms like a learning disability or some kind of a challenge or something, again, something that implies other or negative. It's like, no, there's this wonderful spectrum that exists. And that's what we need to understand and appreciate. And then the other thing that I've come to realize, especially, I guess you'd say, in real time with my son's experience… and then I'd say, in retrospect, with my own on this journey with Simon… has been that those of us that have that kind of a diagnosis or a label, will inevitably have some kind of traumatic or mental health issue. Because you're going to experience anxiety, you're going to be stressed out, you are going to overthink and self-judge and do all of these things. When you are being treated as other in the classroom, because you're not reading the same way, you're not writing the same way, you're not allowed to hand in a video presentation instead of an essay. And so instead, you're beating yourself up for two nights trying to get two paragraphs on a piece of paper. Whereas if you had been left to give an oral presentation, or maybe my son had a geography assignment that by God, if you'd been able to do it in Minecraft, to build this world that he created for this class, he would have knocked their socks off. But instead, it was knowing we need five paragraphs on a piece of Bristol board and a picture. And that just wasn't his thing. So that's for me, neurodiversity is about we need to challenge how we see each other, how we teach, how we work, because we're missing out. There's a lot of us that I call sort of shiny sparkling stars that, you know, you're trying to take those shiny, pointy stars, and that's what you're trying to shove into the round hole, not just a square peg. But you're trying to shave off all of my shiny pointy stars to stick me in a boring round hole. And we all lose. SIMON  52:44 And I think really the other thing we have to mention is that we need to treat education like fine dining, but instead we treat it like the drive thru. Yes. And so, if we don't talk about that, we're going to blame the teachers for everything. And it's not their fault. Schools, education has been undervalued, underfunded, and quite frankly, is not sexy or cool. Even though I think it's the best thing ever. SHARON  53:07 Yes. SIMON  53:09 We don't look at teachers as heroes, yet, they are probably one of the highest skilled and the most patient and most saint-like versions of humans that have probably existed in our society. And I'm not joking, the ratios are too high and unmanageable for teachers to spend the qualitative time to actually help kids learn in the best ways they learn. So, what they do is they bundle kids… and I know sounds like a [Bell] MTS package…but they bundle kids into packages of classrooms where the median learning style will get served the best. But what we have to start doing is recognizing there might be seven or eight unique learning styles, and then streaming our children into those enriched learning environments. So, they simultaneously get to enjoy their easy way, while working on the other seven types of learning that they're not good at. So that everybody starts understanding that there's no deficit for those people. We all have deficits, because we don't have everyone else's skills, but that's a qualitative aspect about being human. We're all capable of learning to greater or lesser degrees, but we're all capable of learning, period. And we're gonna find some ways that we do it easier across the board, which is going to work in many environments, but it's not going to work in all environments. So, the challenge for all humans is to enjoy what you got and flaunt it, and be celebrated. But at the same time, celebrate learning the other things you don't do well, and we're not going to blame the student because the school doesn't know how to approach their unique learning challenges. We're going to help fund the school, we're going to elect people that take education seriously, and we're going to start to really give our kids a fighting chance to develop self-esteem and identity and an actual career that they feel fulfilled by. JO  54:53 Simon you mentioned that we can all learn. How does neuroplasticity play into that? SIMON  55:00 Our brains have changed dramatically since the beginning of this podcast. That's how our brains are a dynamic ocean of neurons and waves that are sending electrical signals to each other all the time. Every single thought you have is like playing a single note or several chords on a keyboard at the same time. That's why people say we only use 10% of our brain, because if we used all of it at once would be like playing every key on the piano at the same time, and you would not make sense of what that was. Neurodiversity and neuroplasticity, in particular, talks about the idea that our brains are shaped by our genes that sent templates for them, but then having great amounts of potential to be shaped in dramatically unique and different ways. By our experiences, in particular, if those experiences are harsh, they can hardwire in some ways and rigidly keep that template baked into the system for sometimes decades at a time. And on the other side of the spectrum. If our young brains are nurtured… like an orchid in a garden that understands the conditions under which they will thrive the best… then the human brain doesn't seem like it has limits, and we see that in our neurodiverse populations that are allowed, because they're so separated in so many other aspects. If you have severe autism, for instance, we see human abilities that are beyond anything we could ever imagine. And that's all within the human brain. JO  56:29 You can't discuss mental health without talking about stigma. Sharon, what kinds of stigma have you experienced? Be it structural, public, personal? And if you have experienced that, how have you reduced the impacts of that in your life? SHARON  56:46 I might not have identified it as stigma as a child. But there was definitely that sense of being othered. I wouldn't have had that word. I remember when I was first given the postpartum diagnosis, and I remember the doctor asking about if there was any history of mental health issues. And then going back to my folks and being given this adamant, "NO," that there was nothing. Okay, they're very defensive. And yet, at the same time that I was given this adamant "NO," it was then followed up with my mother's explanation about how she and her two sisters all spent some time on Valium in the 70s, while six of us peasants were all young and growing up together. There's been a lot of self-medication on both sides of the family, and how those that had nothing to do with those behaviors, nothing to do with that. And there was this real sense of denial, and, How dare I ask these questions? And I still have some family members, from whom I am estranged because, How dare I talk about mental health? How dare I be the crazy person? And as I said, I had been given a diagnosis of bipolar which again, through work with Simon, realize that behaviors that were seen in there, it seemed like the thing at the time, but we're realizing those because trauma hadn't been addressed appropriately. So, my son, his father to this day still asks, and because my son lives with me predominantly, has had the gall to say... my son would come back, and this is pre-COVID, would come back from a visit. And you know, so how did your visit go? Oh, well, Dad asked, "What's it like to be raised by a bipolar mom?" And, "Am I okay?" And, "Am I safe?" And then, when I went public with my mental health, as the Minister of Health, part of the reason why I did that was because I wanted people to know that I was somebody with lived experience, I wasn't just a talking head. And it had to do with a particular situation, where we had just lost someone to suicide, and that the system failed this person, and hadn't been able to meet his needs. And as a result, we lost this wonderful artist. And that broke my heart, because I always looked at that job as if the system can't look after me and my family, then it's not good enough. And if we lost this person, I saw the situation, I guess, from both sides. I saw myself as the potential parent in that situation, and also the potential adult child who was lost. And I remember my staff, people were flipping out about how the minister cannot discuss this, because we're gonna have to deal with peop

In this episode, I chat with Daniel Hoyer from Seshat about looking at history through a statistical lens. We discuss the Seshat Databank and his new book, Figuring Out the Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History.   Let's Stay in Touch! You can join the conversation in our Facebook Group, the History Fangirl Podcast Community, or come say hi on Instagram!     My Travel Websites History Fangirl - Culture & History Travel Guides in the USA, Europe, and Beyond Sofia Adventures - Balkan Travel Blog Oklahoma Wonders - Travel in Oklahoma & Route 66   The theme music for the podcast is "Places Unseen" by Lee Rosevere.  

The topic of today's episode is “What is the filibuster?” And does it have a future? My guest is https://www.brookings.edu/experts/molly-e-reynolds/ (Dr. Molly Reynolds), who is a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. She studies Congress, with a focus on how congressional rules and procedures affect domestic policy outcomes. She also supervises the maintenance of the “https://www.brookings.edu/multi-chapter-report/vital-statistics-on-congress/ (Vital Statistics on Congress),” Brookings' long running resource on the first branch of government. Importantly, for our episode today, Molly is the author of the book https://www.brookings.edu/book/exceptions-to-the-rule/ (Exceptions to the Rule: the Politics of Filibuster Limitations in the US Senate).

Stories in this episode: A journey to learn more about his grandparents leads Jeff across the world to old chapels, monasteries and hidden towns only to find dead ends––until a chance encounter on a remote mountain side; KC’s inherited pocket watch had long since become a plaything for his kids, until a close inspection of the watch yields an inscription that broadens his definition of “family.” Show Notes:  To see pictures and links for this episode, go to LDSLiving.com/thisisthegospel Transcript:  Sarah Blake  0:03  Welcome to This Is the Gospel, an LDS Living podcast where we feature real stories from real people who are practicing and living their faith every day. I'm Sarah Blake hosting today in place of KaRyn Lay. I'm happy to report that KaRyn is on the mend after a rough week recovering from COVID-19. Our theme today is "Family Ties." But before I get into that, I want to talk about rock climbing. I am not a cool rock climber, but I have seen some movies. So I happen to know that most of the time rock climbers are clipped in to a whole coordinated system of ropes that are connected to secure anchor points. And then the other end of the rope is held and watched over by other climbers. But there is also this insanely dangerous thing called free soloing where you climb without any ropes. You may have seen or heard about the documentary about climber Alex Honnold's record-breaking, totally legendary, free solo ascent of the El Capitan cliff face in Yosemite National Park in 2017. My husband and I watched that movie at an IMAX movie theater so the screen was several stories tall and the heights were dizzying. I was clutching the edge of my seat and my heart was pounding like I was actually attempting the climb myself. And I felt like I lost about a pound in just hand sweat despite the fact that I already knew how it ended with Alex Honnold surviving the climb. And again, and again, I found myself kind of absent mindedly reaching down to find a seat belt in my movie theater chair, just so you know, I couldn't fall off El Capitan. So this brings us back to the concept of family ties. Family ties is a phrase that we use in English to describe the connections that bind us to our families. For some people, these connections are biological. For some people, when they hear the phrase family ties, they think about the obligations and duties that we owe to each other. For some people, these ties have a lot to do with your shared family culture and expectations about how you live and make choices. And hopefully, for most of us, these family ties are also just about plain love and enjoyment of one another. But I want to say that these family ties, whatever they look like, are part of the coordinated system of ropes that we need while we climb through life. In our spiritual and emotional lives, we all deeply deeply crave to be clipped into reliable ropes with somebody we trust on the other end. And I think that feeling that I had, as I reached for the imaginary seatbelt in the movie theater, I think that's how we feel if we imagine a life without any of those family ties or connections to other people. It makes your emotional palms sweat. Think of climbing through life ropeless, just one slippery handhold away from falling through space. To know where we fit in a web of other people, and how we are tied into the past and connected in the present, and how our connections might last into the future, I think that's a very basic human need and it's part of our eternal and our spiritual DNA. And this week, we have two storytellers exploring these ideas with tales of family ties, and the lengths that we go to find them and the ways that they find us. First, we will hear from Jeff. Jeff  3:23  I think, I think this story really begins with my curiosity about my grandfather because we were so close growing up. He actually wanted me to be a professional golfer so he put a golf club in my hands at age two. But that gave us a lot of time on the golf course and in a golf cart talking and, and sharing stories and things like that. However, he would never tell me where he was from or about his childhood or about his parents or anything like that. Both he and my grandmother would refuse to give me any more information than three points. And that was number one: He was born in the former Yugoslavia. Number two: he was raised in Worland, Wyoming. And number three: he changed his name from Mijušković to Marks. I didn't know anything about his family. I didn't know where he was from. I didn't know what his childhood was like. And if I ever asked any questions, he would always put his fingers to his lips and tell me to shish. My dad, he never even knew anything about his parents. And if I ever asked him about it, he didn't know any more than those three things either. And both of his siblings have since passed away. So I don't have any other way of knowing anything about my grandparents. And it kind of made me sad when he did pass away in 2000 that I just didn't know enough about him because of how special he was to me. Well, in my career, I've spent many years as a pediatric dentist as a remote EMT, spending time in humanitarian clinics all around the world. So I'm used to traveling into remote areas and kind of booking crazy flights and going from place to place. Well 10 years ago, right after the Haiti earthquake, I got called to serve as a volunteer as a first responder there to help with the devastation from that tragedy. And on the flight, there was a gentleman sitting next to me, another volunteer, we were all in scrubs. And he was wearing scrubs with a University of Wyoming logo on them. And I turned over to him and just out of curiosity, I just asked him about his scrubs. And he said that he was a Wyoming fan because he came from a small town in Wyoming that I would have never heard of. And when I asked him about what that town's name was, he said that it was Worland, Wyoming, of all the places and I said, "That is crazy because my grandfather was raised in Worland, Wyoming." He said, he asked me a little bit more about me and where I'm from and also about my name. And he said, "Tell me your last name again?" And when I told him it was Marks, he said, "You wouldn't happen to be related to the Mijušković, are you?" Out of all the things. that most random thing. And I just was completely blown away and he even told me on this trip, that if we make it through this trip, it was kind of a it was kind of a crazy humanitarian aid adventure he, he said, "If we make it through this, I want to meet back in Wyoming so I can show you all about your family show you everything about your family." And so we went back there and he took us straight to the cemetery and I saw  Mijušković gravestone. I saw the two gravestones of my great-grandparents. So these are the parents of my grandpa George. So my great-grandfather, Joseph, who died in 1951. And my great-grandmother, Meliva, who died in 1983. And this I was fairly emotional about this because, again, not knowing anything about my family, seeing the gravestones where my, my ancestors were buried was very special to me. And I had never done anything with family history work, genealogy, anything, my entire life. This sparked kind of this spirit inside me not only of curiosity, but of really, something deeper. Something kind of more organic of who I am and where I come from. And finding my own identity through my grandfather was was kind of a fun adventure. At this point, I came home and spoke to our family history consultant to have her direct me to a 1920 census. And I saw my great-grandfather's name on there, my great-grandfather Joe and his family on this census coming from the former Yugoslavia in a country called Montenegro. So, again, now I have dates. I have names of family members, I even have a country in the former Yugoslavia, which is again, nothing that I ever had before. I was then told that if I was going to find out any more information, she even tried to do some research for me and couldn't find anything else, but I was going to really need a death certificate for my great-grandpa Joe. So I sent a fax over to the Department of Vital Statistics in the state of Wyoming to try to request my great-grandfather's death certificate. And after sending that fax at work, I went and saw a patient that day. And that patient's name, the mom's name, I see kids. And so like the mom's name was Maria, Danlavich. And that of curiosity, and this is literally five minutes after I sent this fax, I went to her and said, "You know, I've seen your kids for years and I've never even put two-and-two together. But I've been doing this family history work and I just sent this fax, and your last name looks an awful lot like my grandfather's last name. And I just wondered what country you're from your family's from?" And she said that she's from the former Yugoslavia in a country called Montenegro. She told me she said, "If you ever wanted any help, you know I'm more than happy to help you with anything but you might want to start with some emails or some letters to the government, if you want to try to find out anything about your family since you're kind of at a dead end here with that trip to Wyoming." And, and since she spoke Montenegrin, which is like a dialect of Serbian, she offered to translate a letter for me saying, you know, "These are my great grandparents, this is my grandfather I'm trying to find any information I can about my family, this is their information, their birth dates, their death dates, where they're buried, is there any information you can provide for me?" And months went by and I never heard anything. So I got on my phone or even on my computer and started doing a little bit of research on how – what it would take to get from Seattle to Montenegro. Just for kicks, if I were to take that letter that she translated for me, go to Montenegro, and even if I had to go door to door to try to find anything more about my family, again, the spirit was burning inside of me to really find out more and it just wasn't enough. I wasn't satisfied with my trip to Wyoming and with this other stuff. And there had to have been something that I can maybe relate to or connect with, on a deeper level that would be meaningful for me and for my family. And I guess after having children, I kind of – I've got two boys now, and I just, you know, I want them to know where they come from. I want them to be able to connect with their past as well. So I went and looked at roundtrip ticket from Seattle to Montenegro – kind of going more directly – was over $6,000. And so of course, I'm not going to be going to Montenegro. I thought well, it's just that's discouraging. I'm not doing this. I guess the Wyoming information is all I'm ever going to get. And then right around that same time, Iceland air established service SeaTac airport where I live, and because I had served my mission there, I was a little bit more excited about the fact that they were running some free stopovers in Iceland on the way to Europe. Doing a little bit more research, if I were to go from Seattle to Montenegro through Iceland, the entire flight with that free stopover was $780. And so I immediately hit the enter button, bought the ticket and then told my wife that I was going on this trip. The only thing that I had with me on this flight over to Montenegro was a few things in my bag. And then these letters that were translated by this patient of mine, spelling out that I'm looking for my great grandparents, and if there's any information they can offer, that would be amazing. So I took these letters over there and I got off the plane and felt immediately a little overwhelmed. I mean, I couldn't read any of the signs, the people didn't speak English, I just didn't know what I had gotten myself into. I got transportation up to the town of Niksic, Yugoslavia, which I discovered was the town where my grandfather came from on that death certificate that came back to me from the department of vital statistics in Wyoming. And driving along this kind of main – it's not really a highway, but this this road that kind of heads up towards Niksic is on kind of a mountain ridge. And there was an adjacent or a parallel ridge on the other side, that just looked pitch black. And all of a sudden that kind of goes really steeply down into the valley where Nicksic – or the city – is. And there was quite a bit of snow on the ground. And for some reason, that was kind of fun to picture my grandfather coming from this place. Because I guess after serving my mission in Iceland, I prefer colder climates. It was really fun for me to kind of see where he came from. And it kind of, I don't know, for some reason, it just brought a smile to my face, knowing that that's where that's the town where he grew up. So I get into Niksic, and I didn't know where I was going to start, but I saw a church or a cross up at the top of the skyline, and knew that I would maybe get more information at a church then maybe even looking in a phone book where I couldn't read the language, I couldn't even navigate any of anything. And surrounding this church was a cemetery, almost surrounding the entire thing. And so I went from gravestone to gravestone with the little tablet that I had trying to kind of translate, trying to figure out which one was a Mijušković gravestone, and it took me hours, and I couldn't find one. I mean, and in all of my stuff, I'm tromping through the snow, nothing's happening. I was a little bit discouraged until I walked around the front of the cemetery, past the church to a funeral home, which I assumed was a funeral home, there was flowers out front, and a nice little lady that was just standing out in front. And I went up to her – because she was smiling – and I went and unzipped my backpack, I handed her one of my letters, and she was nice enough to read it. She called somebody and read it to them, and then she went inside, and I could hear some beeping sounds almost like a fax machine, and then she brought it back out and handed it back to me and blew me a kiss. And that was day one. So nothing had happened. I was obviously frustrated because she didn't have any information for me. She didn't tell me what the person on the phone said, nothing ever happened with that. The next day I started going around to the maybe, the government offices in Podgorica, in the capital city. I thought, well, what if I just went to some of the kind of the more government offices and the bigger buildings there just to see if there's somebody that could point me in the right direction. And I ran into this guy named Gordon Stojovic who was a ministry official. And so he invited me into his office, I gave him the letter and he read the letter, but didn't read it all the way. He kind of just read a few of the words and then asked me if I wanted to go and look around the town. In kind of broken English, as best he could, he at least invited me to get into his car. And we went from coffee shop to coffee shop, while he smoked cigars the whole time and telling me all about his beautiful country, and the architecture and everything about this place. And it was really fun to just kind of hang out with him and to see the city. But I was kind of on a time crunch, and I really needed to find out stuff about my family. So at the end of the day, I said to him, I said, "Gordon, I really love this and thank you so much for inviting me and, and showing me around your town, but I'm really looking for something to do with my family here. If there's any kind of help you can give me." And he goes, "What you look for is miracle." I said "That's exactly what I'm looking for!" And he said, "Well," he said and quote, "The Serbian Orthodox monastery of Ostrog is the most frequently visited pilgrimage site in the Balkans." He said, "Miracles come to those who visit the upper level." So I thought, "Well, that's exactly what I need to do then. I need to go to this monastery, I need to go to the upper level, maybe my whole family will be waiting for me or there will be open books. It'll all be ready for me and I'll have my entire family history right there and this will be amazing." So I took a big long journey the next day up to this monastery and it was up closer to wear Niksic was, just at the kind of on the other side of the mountain there. And driving up this road was crazy. If you google this monastery, it's one of the most, I mean, beautiful monasteries you've ever seen. But the road that goes up to it is this crazy, long, windy road, that takes quite a bit of time to get there. There's no railings on the side, the road is cut through the mountain, like through tunnels. And it is, it's quite a journey. And so I finally get up to the top of this road and get to the monastery, and again, it was almost breathtaking, the way that it's carved out of the mountain, it's painted white, but it literally is carved out of the mountain really high up on this cliff. Again, people come from all over the Balkans to worship their patron saints here. And I was, I was very impressed almost from a, you know, I know when we see our temples, we have that same kind of feeling of awe and beauty, and that's, that's what this felt like to me. And so I went up there, I knew that I had to get to the highest point of this middle tower, and there wasn't anything there other than there was a candelabra and a couple of photos of Christ on the wall. And that was it. And I thought, "Well, that was not exactly what I was looking for here." But looking out the window from this perch I, I prayed. And I prayed hard to see if maybe this miracle could really come that I could find something out about my family. And after about an hour or so it just didn't happen. Nobody came in, nobody talked to me, I didn't see anybody, I didn't see anything else that would indicate anything about my family. So again, once again, discouraged, I went down and got in the car and went to a little coffee shop kind of at the base of the main windy road there in a town called Povija. And I went into this coffee shop and from the coffee shop, there were three roads that kind of branched out from this coffee shop. One that went up to the Ostrog Monastery, one that went back down to the capital city of Podgorica from whence I came, and then there was another road that went around the back and kind of up – just randomly up the mountain. And it was kind of more of a dirt road, a smaller road. And there was obviously nothing up there. But for some reason, I decided to go ahead and travel that road. So I drove around the backside of this coffee shop and started going up this dirt road, not knowing where it was going to go. And then it branched off, it went a little bit, there was kind of more of a main road, and then even a smaller dirt road off to the left. And of course I went off to the left. So I started driving up the smaller dirt road until I run into a guy just standing there in the middle of the road. And he looked ironically, a little bit like me, he was a little bit bigger guy, he didn't have any hair on his head, he was wearing a big, puffy, blue parka. And, but there was nothing around. There was no car, no bicycle, no motorcycle, I don't know how he even got there. There was no homes, no telephone wires, I just it just looked a little strange having him just standing out there in the middle of the road. And I did the exact same thing that I did with the lady at the funeral home, I got out of the car, I smiled at him, I handed him a letter. And he read it and did the exact same thing. He turned and grabbed the phone out of his pocket and started calling somebody and reading the letter to them. Halfway through the letter, he points to the letter and says "Mijušković?" And then he pointed to me and said "Mijušković?" And I started jumping up and down saying, "Mijušković!" pointing to myself thinking that maybe this is it. He understood Mijušković, and maybe he knows something about this. And so he pointed for me to get in my car and to follow him and he started running up this dirt path. So I drive up to a long side of him and point into the passenger side kind of saying, "Hey, you know, would you like a ride?" And he shook his head and kept on waiting for me to follow him. And so I go up this dirt road, he finally tells me to stop. And then to go up even a smaller little path. I mean, this is literally like a little hiking trail up through the brush. And to follow him up into here. Now, this sounds a little creepy, right? I'm up in the middle of Montenegro and this guy is having me go up into this little trail up into the bushes. And who knows what's gonna happen here, but he just didn't seem like a scary guy. I mean, for crying out loud, he had a good look and haircut, I could trust him. So I get out of the car and follow him up this path. And he points to an old old house. And I mean, I don't even know if you could call it a house because all it really was is rocks and a couple of little partial walls almost really broken down and dilapidated. So he pointed to it and said "Mijušković," and then he pointed to another house on the other side of the trail and said, "Mijušković" and kept pointing to both of these houses saying, "Mijušković, Mijušković, Mijušković." And he almost started kind of hitting his head a little bit and smiling kind of just frustrated that I couldn't understand what he was saying. But he was clearly telling me that these two houses had something to do with the last name or the name of Mijušković. So we got done with that. He didn't want to keep the letter he handed it back to me and so I drove off and that was the next day. And so that was all that I had come up with. I now just have two photos of these two houses and obviously not a lot of other information. I get done with this day and I go again through government offices and finally run into the President of the Historical Society in Montenegro. So I thought, "Okay, this guy's got to have something for me, right?" I mean, this guy knows the history of Montenegro. He maybe knows the history of that area, and maybe can tell me a little bit about my grandpa and his family. So his name was Bronco Bondović. And so I go into his office and his secretary was there as well. And then a young girl, she spoke like better English than anybody in the whole country put together this far. So she told me that she was home from school that day and meeting her mom at work, who was the secretary of this Bronco Bondović. So I thought I'd go through her since they didn't speak any English. And she was amazing to just say to them that I was looking for my family, and they read the letter. And then I showed this Bronco my phone where it had the two photos of these two houses. And he went over and grabbed a book out of a bookshelf and brought it over to me and said to me, that all Mijušković descendants in the world come from two brothers in the late 1600s. And remnants of their home still stand on the Kunak mountainside in the town, or above the town of Povija. And this just completely blew me away. So I assumed that the Kunak mountainside was that road that I had gone up behind the, you know, coffee shop where I was. And that all Mijušković descendants, including me and my grandfather, came from one of those two houses where these two brothers lived. And I just, I can't even explain what this felt like. I was grateful more than anything. I was very grateful at that moment that he knew something about the Mijuškovićs and that I came from one of those two houses. I was also curious because I have one brother, and I also have two boys. And so there was just that connection, there was the two brothers and I was one of two brothers. And my kids are two brothers. And I don't know, for some reason, this was just a, it almost felt like a family reunion. I almost wanted to hug this guy and I just, but that would have been awkward for him. But I was so excited about all of this and just knowing that maybe I was on the right path here. And so after meeting with Bronco, the president of the Historical Society, I finally heard back from my patient that had translated the letter for me saying that she had a contact who could maybe help me since he was a UN translator in Montenegro. And he met me in that same building where I was going from door to door trying to find government officials. And when I finally met up with Oliver, it was such a treat because he told me all about Montenegro and the people of Montenegro and the geography and the history. And I was able to understand a little bit better about a little bit more about the country and about my ancestors even and so he offered to make some phone calls for me. And he started with the town that was on that death certificate of Niksić, Yugoslavia, or Niksić, Montenegro. First one that picked up the phone was a gentleman named Ilija Mijušković. And his name is spelled I-L-I-J-A, which ironically looks a little bit like Elijah, but it is IIija. So we met with him at this Povija coffee shop, the one that I had gone to before at the base of the Ostrog Monastery and Ilija asked if he could question me about a few things about my childhood and about my upbringing. And it was good that we had Oliver there, the UN translator, because Ilijia spoke zero English at all, like he couldn't even say hello. But it really was a fun meeting. And Ilija asked me questions that I just was a little surprised to answer. He said, he would ask me things like my upbringing and my, my brother, my parents, their birth dates, what I did for a career and what my education was in what classes I took in college, and in my graduate training, I mean, really took to an incredible amount of detail. And after about an hour of this, I said, "Listen, this is amazing." And I asked Oliver to tell him, I really appreciate meeting with him. And it's so fun to meet an actual Mijušković. But I'm really trying to find out more stuff about my family. But then he said, his eyes kind of lit up a little bit and he was not known, he did not smile at all. He had a big furry mustache. And you can tell he was very stern and stuff, but his eyes kind of lit up and said, "Well, let's go down to the cemetery so I can show you some things." And on the way to the cemetery, he said in these words. He said in the late 1600s, and again about the time that those two brothers were there in those homes, an Ottoman Turkish army executed 72 members of the Mijušković tribe inside a cave fire in the town of Povija and to Mijušković brothers survived. And I just thought, "You know what an incredible story." And Ilija took me to the gravestones and showed me a few things and said that most of the gravestones from my family weren't going to be there because they were all destroyed during these wars. But he said, specifically, "I want to show you this one over here." So we walked me over next to the little chapel that was there. And this chapel was just tiny. I mean, maybe two people could fit in this chapel. But the gravestone next to it, he pointed to this. And I looked up there and Oliver translated for me, and it said at the very top, "Here rest Marco Mijušković." I looked at the death certificate that I had with me and showed Ilia. And it did indeed show that Joseph's dad, father, was Marco Mijušković. So he told me that this was my great, great-grandfather. This was really amazing for me to see this, because, you know, obviously not having any other information Besides this, he had passed away in 1912, and was buried in this spot. And to see this was, was very special for me, and to even feel that the DNA inside this cemetery, or inside this grave, was the same DNA that runs through my blood. And I just, that was special for me to kind of be able to connect with my great, great-grandfather in that way, knowing that my grandfather came from this line in this town. And I just felt something really special there. So then I was about to kind of finish things up, I had taken my photos and I basically had spent $780 to go to Montenegro and find my great, great-grandfather, and it was worth every penny for me to see where he was from, I was kind of ready to go. I mean, I had told Oliver and Ilija, I said, "Gosh, this has been great. Thank you so much. I've got to get going here pretty soon. And I really appreciate all this information." And then Ilija was writing some stuff down on a piece of paper, and Oliver said to me said, "Hey, Jeff, you might want to come over here and take a look at this." And I looked down at the piece of paper that Ilija is scribbling on, and it was a family tree, a handwritten family tree of over 1,800, 1,900 names. And it was a pretty large piece of paper. And I saw, I noticed on this family tree that there was one single track of names that went up, and then branched off with two names, and then huge tree branches off of those two names. And what Ilija explained to me is that the two brothers that lived in those two homes are the two brothers that branch off into these two big trees. Ilija went on to tell me that he has been doing research on the Mijušković family line for 47 years, and that he had put all of this information together on this family tree so that he can eventually publish a book about the Mijušković family name and about all the Mijušković ancestors from the 1200s all the way up until now. What was amazing to me is that he pointed out that one of the brothers was a farmer, one of them was a priest, and that I come from the farmer side of the line. My heart was exploding, I just I couldn't believe that I had found all of this information, my whole ancestry line from the 1200s all the way up until my my great-grandfather Joseph. He then pointed out that there was a little squiggly line at the end of Joseph's line. And it was the only one on the entire page of 1,900 names. Oliver explained to me that Ilija had been looking for my grandfather all of these years that that was the one link that he didn't have on this family tree because my grandfather had changed his name from Mijušković, to Marks. And that was the one name that he didn't have. And he couldn't complete his book until he knew what happened with Joseph's line. And that's why he asked me all of those questions and wanted to write this book. We go back to the coffee shop. And he said to me, that he really wants to write this book, but he doesn't have enough money to publish a book. And so I asked him how much it cost to publish a book there in Montenegro. And he said it would be about 100 Euros. So I gave him 100 Euros, which at the time, I think was about $120. And you can tell his eyes got watery. And he said that he was going to dedicate the book to me and wrote down right there and all over translated this. He said, "My brother Jeff Marks gave me 100 Euros to publish the 47-year history of the Mijušković tribe. He came from America to find his family. And we finally found each other." And this is where it all came true for me where I got to connect with him on a completely different level and that he was looking for me as much as I was looking for him. He had been doing this research for 47 years and was 86 years old at the time. So he wanted to give me these 1,900 names so that I knew where I came from. And in Montenegro, he says that they don't hug but he says that because we're brothers now that we can hug at the end. And so we hugged and now we're family and that was really special. He started calling me his brother, no longer just my name because he says that, and, and Oliver even told me that in their country, brother is a term of endearment And I can only relate to this too because we're members of the Church, but that they call each other brother or sister, even if they're an aunt or an uncle or a distant relative, because they feel a kinship with them. And they share the same DNA, they share the same family stories, the same history. He felt like we are, we're connected in a totally different way. And I was able to really understand him. And he was able to understand me on a totally different level. But I think his looking for me, for this many years, or at least for my grandfather was very special to him because I came to him, you know, he would have never gone to America to find my family or to find George or his gravestone. But Oliver told me how emotional Ilija was about me connecting to him and now making this whole book happen and his whole story happened and that he was just so grateful that we were able to connect. He wrote me another letter, an email, and I could tell it was done with Google Translate. But it said, "Please come back to our homeland very soon so that we can read, so we can write the history of our brotherhood together. I have your book." My son, Max, and I went and traveled over to Montenegro to go pick up this book. We met with Ilija and Ilija really sat down with Max and and wanted to tell him about his family's legacy and the legacy of his last name. And not only handed him this beautiful hardbound family history book of not only the 1,900 male names that were on the handwritten family tree that he had. But now we've got women and children in this book, and we're over 3,000-something names. And each one of the members of this family on this family tree have a paragraph inside this book, including me now, because that's why he asked me all those questions. He also gave Max another book that was just titled "Mijušković" And it was hard bound as well, a little bit thinner. On the inside of this was a picture of the Ostrog Monastery. He told me that my family, specifically my family line, were the protectors of the ostrog Monastery. And this monastery is famous I mean in, in, especially in Eastern Orthodoxy. And so for, for him to say this was really amazing to me. And so he told me a little bit more about the Ostrog Monastery and how our family protected it. And most of our family members died protecting it through these, you know, Turkish invasions all throughout the centuries. Also, he took Max and me down to the cemetery, again, wherein a monument was erected a Mijušković monument, talking about the people the Mijušković that actually protected the Ostrog Monastery. And that that is their legacy. And so he wanted to do a family picture down there. And so I've got this great shot of Ilija and Max and me sitting at the base of this, this monument. And I still talk to Ilija, I'm constantly looking for a way to go back and be with him as my family now because with George gone, he's my new brother.   Sarah Blake  33:12  That was Jeff. I hope Jeff doesn't mind if I share that one of the challenges we had in editing his story was that every single detail was important. I would think we can cut this bit about the coffee shop, right? Just for time. But then, nope, that detail and connection were important because they led to the next connection, and the next one and the next one until finally, it led to the connection with Ilija and through him a connection to thousands of his ancestors and relatives. It is mind boggling to think how Jeff's sort of impulsive decision to go to Montenegro was actually an answer to Ilijas prayers after 47 years of work on his family history. And it is amazing to see how they both were led every step of the way, even in the seemingly random steps by a loving Father who wanted to give them this connection they needed. Jeff also talked about how in this family history search, he felt like he was working with God to do something that needed to be done. I liked that a lot. And I'm going to keep thinking about it, what it means to be working with God to take the actions that make the connections that tie us closer to our families. Our next storyteller is KC. You might recognize KC as a previous storyteller, and also he is my husband. His story is about a different kind of family tie that he found closer to home. Here's KC.   KC  34:37  In 1969, my parents built a house in the foothills of South San Jose, California. And about a year later, another couple built a house next door, the Rudd's. My parents took a plate of cookies over to their house to introduce themselves. And there was an instant connection when it was realized that my dad had been the flight instructor for their son in the Navy. My dad had taught their son Charles to fly fighter jets and trained him to go fight in the Vietnam War. So there was an instant bond between our families. And that bond would grow over the years both through good times and also through a lot of tribulations. The first of those being that Charles was killed in an airplane crash in Vietnam trying to land on an aircraft carrier in very rough seas in the dark of night. In fact, I'm named after Charles. I was born two years after his death and my parents named me Kevin Charles Blake, in memory of Charles Rudd. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of tragedy. A couple years later, Harriet's husband died of a heart attack. My father was the first one over there, helped to move him and administer CPR until the paramedics arrived, but unfortunately he passed. And my mom was there to comfort Harriet during that time. And then in 1983, my father was killed in airplane crash in Angola, Africa. And Harriet became a listening ear and a source of comfort for my mom as she navigated being newly widowed. My brothers and I always had a very close relationship with Harriet. In fact, we didn't call her Harriet, we called her Hottie Dot. I think we call her Hottie Dot because our little mouths can't pronounce Harriet at the time and Hottie Dot was what came out. And that stuck. And Hottie Dot was like a grandma to me and my brothers. She was just a warm, loving, and extremely caring person. I remember going over to her house and she would always have Jazz music playing at her house and she would always have a bowl of cashews sitting on the counter and we eat cashews and listen to Jazz music. And Harriet came from a rich Italian heritage. And she was always making Italian food and trying to feed us. I remember a frittatas. I remember, rich Bolinas meat sauce over pasta. And it was like having an Italian grandma. And she was also the person that I ran to when I cut my finger really badly on my Scout knife when I was seven years old and my mom wasn't home. I remember running over there and she was able to bandage it up until my mom could get home and we could go to the doctor and get stitches. And later, Harriet traveled with us to England and toured all over England with my, my brothers and I and my mom. And she just was part of the family. Harriet was an extremely positive person, she just always was full of hope and happiness. And even in the toughest of times, I remember her saying, "This too shall pass." She just had hope in the future. And even, even when she contracted lung cancer in 1993. And that year, I remember her, just watching her deteriorate and being a lot of pain. And I would go over to help her with things around her house. And I just remember her still smiling and saying, "This too shall pass." Harriet didn't have any close living relatives when she died. And so because of this, my mom became the executor of her will and estate. And she had given almost all of her assets to charity. But my mom was in charge of getting her house ready for sale, cleaning everything out and, and just dealing with all of her stuff. And a lot of that stuff just ended up sitting in our garage for years and years. And about eight years ago, I was helping my mom clean out her garage, and I found this old jewelry box. It was locked and I thought it was really intriguing, of course. So I picked the lock and opened it up and it was full of costume jewelry, nothing, nothing valuable. Most of it was really fun 70s broaches and, you know pretty, pretty out of date stuff, but really fun stuff. Anything of value that had been metal or precious stones had been sold before Harriet's death, but there was one item in there and it was a beautiful old pocket watch. So I was able to do some research on the internet and I found out that this pocket watch made in 1925 was worth a total of about $18 nowadays, which is a real shame when you think of all the craftsmanship and the just the beauty of this piece. But because of that we stuffed everything back in the box and my mom said, "Why don't you take this and your kids can play with it someday?" So I took the box and several years later my daughter became interested in the jewelry box and started pulling out the jewelry and playing with it. Over the years, that pocketwatch came out dozens of times and we would play with it,  but nothing too interesting about it. And then one day, I was looking at it and I realized that the back panel of the watch would pop open. And I'd never realized this before. And inside, you can see all the gears and inner workings and it was beautiful. And then I realized that there was an engraving on the back of that, and it says, "Presented to H.A Cavassa by the employees of Peninsula Drug, December 25, 1925." Now, I don't think I'd ever heard the name "Cavassa," really before if I had I was younger, but I figured this this must have been Harriet's father. So this was really intriguing. And so we started doing some family history research on on H.A. Cavassa, and we were able to find out that it was Harry A, Cavassa, Harriet's father, and he immigrated from Bologna, Italy around 1895. And he had gone to the University of California, Berkeley and graduated from pharmacology school there. And in 1904, he started the first pharmacy in South San Francisco. And remember, this is right before the 1906 earthquake, so he would have been there during the earthquake and subsequent destruction of most of actual San Francisco. Now south San Francisco's its own city, but I'm sure that the whole community was affected by that. And so that drugstore turned into a chain of drugstores called Peninsula Drug, and eventually he married a nurse, Lillian Heifers, who worked for the doctor with whom he shared a building with and they had three daughters. The youngest of which was Harriet. And Harriet, is named after her father Harry, I'm sure that Harry was hoping he'd have a son and he could name that son Harry Jr., but he only had daughters so he had to name one of them after him. And so that's where Harriet comes from. And Harriet had two children, Charles and another daughter lost to sickness in childhood. And none of Harriet's sisters had children either. And so with the death of Harriet's sister, Marianne in 2001, there was no other living member of this family line. Since discovering the inscription on the pocketwatch, it really sparked our family's interest in family history, as we've done some of the work for Harriet and her family, and learned more about them, and thought about how our families have been interconnected through the years, and now how our families will be connected through eternity because of, of this bond that we're forming by doing their work. It's really made me appreciate how important these relationships are. The relationships we have with our family members and those who we choose to make our family members. I know that part of who I am today is definitely because of, I had Harriet in my life and her example. And I love that God chose to create a small miracle by putting that pocketwatch in our way so that we would rediscover that connection with Harriet and her family. I see it as a small miracle in my life to be a part of that. Sarah Blake  43:14 I am holding Harriet's pocket watch right now. I find it so beautiful. And it also feels a little magical how it just kept showing up until we finally really looked at it and let it lead us to their family. Someday we will get their temple work done, but for now I have a feeling that it is good just that we remember them – that they're not forgotten. These were people who made connections that mattered all through their lives. Harry A. Cavassa was so beloved by his employees that they chipped in to buy him a nice watch for Christmas in 1925. And Harriet was the one that little Casey ran to with a cut finger, and the one who taught my mother in law how to cook Italian food and to survive as a new widow. In all of these actions, all these connections are the ropes that made them family and that keep us family. This feels especially poignant to me right now, because here in the United States, it's the week of Thanksgiving, and the Covid–19 pandemic is raging worse than ever. This year, what we thought of as family or traditions or connections are not feeling very normal. This year, your Thanksgiving dinner might be you eating alone and doing puzzles over zoom. There are thousands of families with loved ones in the hospital who they can't visit or even speak to. So many people are showing love in the most counterintuitive ways this year. By canceling travel plans as my sister just did, or by isolating in a bedroom as my other sister has been doing for the past two weeks, or sleeping in the garage as we hear of health care workers doing so their families won't get sick. And let us never forget the families this year who are coming to terms with a more permanent separation. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said, "Whatever problems your family is facing, whatever you must do to solve them, the beginning and the end of the solution is charity, the pure love of Christ. Without this love even seemingly perfect families struggle. With it, even families with great challenges succeed." The tie that really binds our families and the rope that anchors and protects us, no matter what our family looks like, is this pure love of Christ. His pure love for us, and his transformative ability to help us love one another. Christ's pure love is strong enough to transform our strange virtual gatherings into holy and happy Places. And I know it is strong enough to turn strangers into family. And it is strong enough to envelop us in the arms of his comfort, even when we feel completely alone. When I visualize what a family tie looks like, for me, it is a lot more than a shoelace, or an apron string, or even more than a climbing rope. I personally find comfort envisioning a sturdy net made of the kind of crazy knots my little kids tie, quadruple gazillion knotted into a tacky grandma's macro, a hanging plant basket sort of thing. And I like to imagine that each of the little actions we take makes one more knot in that net, tying us all safely together so that no one has to free solo up these crazy cliffs of 2020. Whatever your holidays are looking like this year, I hope that you find ways to tie lots of messy little knots between you and all your people. Your biological family who's in the house with you, your church family in their separate homes, the colleagues on your screen and your zoom call, your neighbors and friends and delivery guys and grocery store cashiers – all the people who connect and hold us and give us a sense of place. This year, I think it's going to take all of our best creativity and positivity and just plain hard work, to feel the connectedness that we crave. And I also think it's going to take a lot of help from our Savior. But I know that we can do it because ultimately whatever our families on earth might look like, we are all children of our heavenly parents and part of their family and being connected to others is what we were made for. That's it for his episode of This Is the Gospel. Thank you to our storytellers, Jeff and Casey. You can see Jeff's pictures with his son Max and his new brother Ilija at the Ostrog Monastery and pictures of Harriet's pocket watch in our show notes at LDS living.com/Thisisthegospel. You can also get more good stuff by following us on Instagram or Facebook @thisisthegospel_podcast. All of the stories in this episode are true and accurate as affirmed by our storytellers. And of course, if you have a story to share about living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, please call our pitch line and leave us a story pitch. The best pitches will be short and sweet and have a clear sense of the focus of your story. Call 515-519-6179 to leave us a message. Finally, if today's stories have touched you or made you think about your discipleship a little more deeply, please share that with us. You can leave a review of the podcast on Apple, Stitcher, or whatever platform you use. And if you can't figure out how to leave a review we even have a little highlight on our Instagram page that can help show you how. Every review helps the podcast show up for more people who need this kind of light in their lives. This episode was produced by me Sarah Blake, with story production and editing from Erika Free, Katie Lambert, and Casey Blake. It was scored, mixed and mastered by Mix at Six studios. Our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. You can find past episodes of this podcast and other LDS Living podcasts at LDS living.com/podcast.   Show Notes + Transcripts: http://ldsliving.com/thisisthegospel See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

40,000 Minnesotans die year in year out.  This is normal vital statistics.   A large percentage of those deaths are the elderly.   Also, a fair percentage  of expected Minnesotan deaths are from respiratory infections.  Year in Year out. Vital statistics comprises a number of important events in human life including birth, death, fetal death, marriage, divorce, annulment, judicial separation, adoption, legitimation, and recognition. The term “vital statistics” is also applied to individual measures of these vital events.  Your public health department then takes deaths and categorizes them further by age, race, sex and disease.  By looking at these absolute and categorized numbers, we can see if the current pandemic is actually  causing "Dark Days".   Don't bee hoodwinked.  Knowing math and statistics matter.   WE need real information on Covid so we can fight it efficiently, not scare tactics that have no mitigating success. Dr. Fred Clary, founder of Functional Analysis Chiropractic Technique and lifting/life coach/ gym-chalk covered philosopher opens a conversation on how  know publicly disclosed vital statistics can change your viewpoint on life. 

Bob and Tim don’t always have to agree. In fact, it often makes for a more interesting podcast. And while they have both proclaimed a fandom for Pearl Jam, this listening party of their third album got a bit heated. Who loved it? Who loathed (parts) of it? And what does it all mean for their '90s credibility? Hear a divisive discussion on an overly packaged disc that did not include the dance hit "Vibeology." It's Pearl Jam's 1994 VITALOGY (look THAT word up). 00:00:00 PRE-SHOW PRATTLE - note-taking practices 00:00:54 THE CD IS NOT …. SPELLBOUND — how a Paula Abdul episode might start 00:03:06 THE CD IS … VITALOGY - package art 00:06:03 LAST EXIT - not all aboard the Pearl Jam train 00:10:59 SPIN THE BLACK CIRCLE - (pssst, its about records) 00:18:13 NOT FOR YOU - third album problems 00:25:04 TRMOR CHRIST - not-so religious experience 00:26:37 NOTHINGMAN - can’t find a Vedder Man 00:31:24 WHIPPING - manifesto metamorphosis 00:37:09 PRY, TO - and try to not be a song 00:43:28 CORDUROY - can’t find a better vest 00:45:13 BUGS - would they rather hear “Pry, To” again 00:48:35 SATAN’S BED - and still talking about “Bugs” 00:51:02 BETTER MAN - can’t be briefer, man 00:52:28 AYE DAVANITA - brought to you by Google Chrome 00:54:04 IMMORTALITY - could have ended here 00:54:53 HEY FOXYMOPHANDLEMAMA, THAT’S ME - art project or art product? 00:58:28 VITAL STATISTICS - does this work as an album? 01:01:36 CLOSING - contacts, plugs and no catch phrase 01:04:38 SPECIAL BONUS AUDIO - finger distance For full show notes visit www.nahpods.com. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

We had a successful game of Mork Borg which lead to wondering how many statistics is enough to have a game that feels complete. D&D gave us the first six, Vampire took it to nine, and Apocalypse world made them feel more thematic. We get into the weeds of statistics and what they do and represent and try to find the sweet spot of what needs to be on your character sheet. Twitter @justonemorefix Facebook  Just One More Fix Podcast Support us on Patreon Gonna Geek Network  

What’s required for three people to be listed as parents on birth certificates, for children of a same-sex couple, who were conceived with sperm from a friend, who also wished to participate in raising the children?The British Columbia Family Law Act attempts to contemplate a wide range of modern scenarios, involving surrogates and other assisted reproduction. Unfortunately, not every eventuality can be anticipated, as demonstrated by a recent court case. Two women, in a long term committed relationship, with the assistance of sperm donated by a male friend, entered into a verbal agreement to conceive two children. Everyone involved agreed that all three people would cooperate in raising the children.After one of the children was conceived, the trio reduced their agreement to writing. Unfortunately, the Family Law Act specified that such an agreement needed to be in writing, prior to a child being conceived. As a result, the Registrar of Vital Statistics refused to register all three people as parents. While the second child was conceived after the agreement was put in writing, another problem arose: the online form to register the birth of a child only has two spaces for parents’ names to be listed. The two mothers listed their names and the trio sent a letter, the same day, to the Registrar of Vital Statistics asking to have the father added to the registration. The Registrar refused to make the requested change.While the judge who heard the case found that the Family Law Act attempted to deal with every possible circumstance, the language of the act permitted a judge to intervene where there was “any uncertainty” and this was sufficient to permit the wishes of all three parents to be accommodated such that they could all be listed on the birth certificate of the first child.As for the online form, with only two spaces for parents to be listed, the judge utilized language that permitted the correction of a “technical error” so as to add the father to the birth registration. The online form has not been updated and parents in a similar circumstance should contact The Registrar of Vital Statistics directly, rather than filling out the form.Also discussed is a Court of Appeal decision dealing with the impact on sentencing where someone pleads guilty but disagrees with aggravating facts being alleged by the Crown. While a sentence would never be increased as a result of an accused person choosing to have a trial, there can be a reduction in sentence as a result of a guilty plea because it can demonstrate remorse, avoid a complaint from needing to testify, and save time. Where someone pleads guilty but denies aggravating factors alleged by the Crown, a hearing can still be required. How much, if at all, a sentence should be reduced in these circumstances can depend on whether the Crown is successful in proving the agitating circumstances alleged. Finally, a case from Ontario is discussed. At the height of the housing boom in 2017, the defendant made an unconditional offer to purchase a home. The offer and an $80,000 deposit were accepted by the seller. Before the deal was set to complete the Ontario government introduced a 15% foreign buyers tax and the housing market fell by 20 – 30%. The buyer did not complete the purchase and the sellers ended up selling the home for $600,000 less than the accepted, unconditional offer. While the prospective purchaser argued that the contract had been “frustrated” by the introduction of the foreign buyers tax the Ontario Court of Appeal disagreed and ordered her to pay the $600,000.Follow this link for a transcript of the show and links to the cases discussed.

The vitality of vital statistics: an interview with Alan Lopez by Future Science Group

In-depth look at the departments of Vital Statistics & Emergency Preparedness.

http://bit.ly/2TVL8DH That's the YouTube video to this audio. https://officeofman.wordpress.com Call to Texas vital statistics department to talk about fraud only to be lied to.

One of the main reasons why you do not pay your self first, reach your financial goals or ever put money away for a rainy day is because you have no external accountability. Being held accountable is why you pay any of your bills at all. There is a negative result if you fail to pay your bills and avoiding that pain is why you make is happen month in and month out. In today's podcast we go over an example of the 5 white boards that all Top Producing Real Estate agents use to hold themselves accountable to the dollar productive activities on a daily basis. To get more info and you free coaching call go to our website www.SiasFirst.com and click on the Free Coaching Call tab. You will get your 6 free books and be well on your way to improving your Real Estate business and becoming a Top Producer yourself. Join the conversation on Facebook @SiasFirst or on Twitter @BusinessBrosPod. Music by www.bensound.com Courtesy of Tim & Julie Harris Real Estate Coaching We have never met, interviewed or coached a single top producing agent that does not use some sort of visual accountability system. What you will need, 5 individual white boards 18x24 or 1 dedicated whiteboard wall, Not too thick whiteboard markers (colorful), Whiteboard cleaner. Why it works: External Accountability. Have you ever noticed, virtually every month you are able to cover your monthly basic overhead one way or another? Sure sometimes your late on a bill or two but by and large you figure out how to make enough money in Real Estate to cover your bases. You receive an email alert, paper bill in the mail, you are reminded that you are accountable for these items. Rent or mortgage payment, car, credit card, cell phone… If you don’t pay these obligations in time there is an immediate negative effect. Don’t pay your cell phone, no service. Don’t pay credit card, no credit. Don’t pay your car payment, repossession. SECRET: Most agents know exactly how much they need to “get by” and strangely, that’s almost EXACTLY how much they are earning. Exercise:  Figure out your required overhead. How much do you have to make to avoid some sort of pain? What is that dollar amount? In California on average its about $6500 per month Average home in CA sells for around $500,000 at 3% with a 65% agent split that is about $9,750 per closing That means in CA you need 8 closings per year to pay the bills and surprise surprise, according to the National Association of Realtors, most agents sell less than 12 properties per year. So why is it then, that it’s so hard to accomplish the financial goals that you set each and every year? Pay off consumer debt like credit cards or high interest loans. Save money on reserves. Pay cash for things like cars and clothes. Take the vacation you plan but never take because you don’t want to charge it on a credit card. Put the kids in private school after taking them out during the last recession. Be able to afford the luxuries you deserve as a result of your hard work.  SECRET: It’s hard because no one is BILLING YOU FOR THESE THINGS! What would you do if you have a bill that came in every month for $1000 that was called “Mandatory Savings, please remit immediately”. Chances are you would take it more seriously and figure out a way to pay that bill too just like you pay all the other bills that have accountability attached. What does this have to do with whiteboards. SECRET: Your financial goals in life are related directly to the consistent flow of leads, listings and closings you can create on almost a DAILY basis. Lack of external accountability works against you. What if you don’t take a new listing this week? Nothing happens immediately but 60 days from now, when you don’t have a closing, you’re feeling it and wondering what happen. What if you don’t reduce that overpriced listing of yours? Ah, it’ll sell eventually. Unless it doesn’t, because you weren’t focused on getting it sold with urgency. What if you don’t call back that lead in your voicemail? Eh, they’ll call you back if they’re serious. All of those though patterns create CASH SPURTS. Spurts in motivation and spurts of occasional action results in spurts of income. SECRET: VISUAL ACCOUNTABILITY, surrounding your everyday, makes you take action faster and more consistently and eliminates this thought: “I’m getting ready to someday feel like possibly taking action if the sun is out and I’m broke enough to feel pressured to get to work”. (How profitable is THAT?!) SECRET: All top producers utilize the magic of Visual Accountability. Now that you’re convinced you have to do this, How do you set them up? 5 White boards or 5 sections on your wall. Each board gets the following: LEADS, ACTIVE LISTINGS, ACTIVE BUYERS, PENDINGS, CLOSED TRANSACTIONS. Use one color for buyers and one color for sellers and if you are doing both sides of the deal you can write them up twice. Once for buyer and once for seller. Keep boards up to date DAILY. LEADS: Write 1-15 on the left hand side of the Leads board. You’ll need at least 15 active leads at all times (some mixtures of buyers and sellers). Across the top of the LEADS board write the following: NAME / SOURCE / MOTIVATION / TIME FRAME / PRICE RANGE / NEXT ACTION. Example: Bob Smith / sign call / 1st time buyer / buy before holidays / up to $280k / call on friday to check financing ACTIVE LISTINGS: Write on the left hand side the number of active listings you must have at all times according to the Real Estate Treasure Map, which is found on the website as part of the Premier Coaching Program. Let’s say you have to have 10 listings at all times. Write 1-10 on the left hand side of the listing board. NOTE: Only Active, non-pending listings go here. If they are in contract in any way, they go on your pending board instead! ADDRESS / SELLER / SOURCE / CURRENT PRICE / SELL-ME-NOW PRICE / EXPIRATION DATE Example: 123 Hot Listing St / Smiths / referral / $350k / $325k / Dec 31 This holds you accountable to getting it sold on time and reminds you that 10 showings or 2 weeks (NAR rule), then you need to take a look at the price. ACTIVE BUYERS: Write a minimum of 3 active buyers at all times (Harris Real Estate Coaching Rule). Every agent, no matter how experienced or inexperienced must be working with 3 active buyers at all times. Some of you may be buyer heavy and can work with 5-8 buyers who are pre-approved, motivated buyers at all times. Write your number on the left side. Across the top: NAME / SOURCE / MOTIVATION / TIME FRAME / PREAPPROVED / NEXT ACTION Example: Greg Thomas / Open House / Move-Up / Before Easter / BofA Pre-Approved PENDING BOARD: Write across the top NAME / SOURCE / ADDRESS / CLOSING DATE / PRICE Example: Jones / 1800HH / 123 Sold It / March 31 / $515K CLOSED DEAL BOARD: This is the most important board of all. This is where the truth comes out. Based on your Treasure Map, write down the number of closings that you need to meet or exceed all of your goals. 1-32 will work for most of you.  Across the top: ADDRESS / SOURCE / CLOSED DATE / DAYS ON MARKET / COMMISSION Example: 456 Awesome Client / USAA Relo / July 31 / $4750 Secrets to making sure this works Trust the system. Don’t re-invent the wheel. All you need to know is that every top producer before you has used whiteboards and they work like magic. Keep them updated. They are the VITAL STATISTICS of your real estate business. Take them seriously Use one color for buyers and one color for sellers. At the end of the year your whole real estate practice will be reflected on the CLOSED board. At a glance you will see number of buyers, sellers, average days on the market, average net commission, average sales price and the source of your deals. Forget about your spreadsheets. They are out of sight, out of mind. White boards work… did we mention they are magic? Set this up TODAY. Maintain it every day.

One of the main reasons why you do not pay your self first, reach your financial goals or ever put money away for a rainy day is because you have no external accountability. Being held accountable is why you pay any of your bills at all. There is a negative result if you fail to pay your bills and avoiding that pain is why you make is happen month in and month out. In today's podcast we go over an example of the 5 white boards that all Top Producing Real Estate agents use to hold themselves accountable to the dollar productive activities on a daily basis. To get more info and you free coaching call go to our website www.SiasFirst.com and click on the Free Coaching Call tab. You will get your 6 free books and be well on your way to improving your Real Estate business and becoming a Top Producer yourself. Join the conversation on Facebook @SiasFirst or on Twitter @BusinessBrosPod. Music by www.bensound.com Courtesy of Tim & Julie Harris Real Estate Coaching We have never met, interviewed or coached a single top producing agent that does not use some sort of visual accountability system. What you will need, 5 individual white boards 18x24 or 1 dedicated whiteboard wall, Not too thick whiteboard markers (colorful), Whiteboard cleaner. Why it works: External Accountability. Have you ever noticed, virtually every month you are able to cover your monthly basic overhead one way or another? Sure sometimes your late on a bill or two but by and large you figure out how to make enough money in Real Estate to cover your bases. You receive an email alert, paper bill in the mail, you are reminded that you are accountable for these items. Rent or mortgage payment, car, credit card, cell phone… If you don’t pay these obligations in time there is an immediate negative effect. Don’t pay your cell phone, no service. Don’t pay credit card, no credit. Don’t pay your car payment, repossession. SECRET: Most agents know exactly how much they need to “get by” and strangely, that’s almost EXACTLY how much they are earning. Exercise:  Figure out your required overhead. How much do you have to make to avoid some sort of pain? What is that dollar amount? In California on average its about $6500 per month Average home in CA sells for around $500,000 at 3% with a 65% agent split that is about $9,750 per closing That means in CA you need 8 closings per year to pay the bills and surprise surprise, according to the National Association of Realtors, most agents sell less than 12 properties per year. So why is it then, that it’s so hard to accomplish the financial goals that you set each and every year? Pay off consumer debt like credit cards or high interest loans. Save money on reserves. Pay cash for things like cars and clothes. Take the vacation you plan but never take because you don’t want to charge it on a credit card. Put the kids in private school after taking them out during the last recession. Be able to afford the luxuries you deserve as a result of your hard work.  SECRET: It’s hard because no one is BILLING YOU FOR THESE THINGS! What would you do if you have a bill that came in every month for $1000 that was called “Mandatory Savings, please remit immediately”. Chances are you would take it more seriously and figure out a way to pay that bill too just like you pay all the other bills that have accountability attached. What does this have to do with whiteboards. SECRET: Your financial goals in life are related directly to the consistent flow of leads, listings and closings you can create on almost a DAILY basis. Lack of external accountability works against you. What if you don’t take a new listing this week? Nothing happens immediately but 60 days from now, when you don’t have a closing, you’re feeling it and wondering what happen. What if you don’t reduce that overpriced listing of yours? Ah, it’ll sell eventually. Unless it doesn’t, because you weren’t focused on getting it sold with urgency. What if you don’t call back that lead in your voicemail? Eh, they’ll call you back if they’re serious. All of those though patterns create CASH SPURTS. Spurts in motivation and spurts of occasional action results in spurts of income. SECRET: VISUAL ACCOUNTABILITY, surrounding your everyday, makes you take action faster and more consistently and eliminates this thought: “I’m getting ready to someday feel like possibly taking action if the sun is out and I’m broke enough to feel pressured to get to work”. (How profitable is THAT?!) SECRET: All top producers utilize the magic of Visual Accountability. Now that you’re convinced you have to do this, How do you set them up? 5 White boards or 5 sections on your wall. Each board gets the following: LEADS, ACTIVE LISTINGS, ACTIVE BUYERS, PENDINGS, CLOSED TRANSACTIONS. Use one color for buyers and one color for sellers and if you are doing both sides of the deal you can write them up twice. Once for buyer and once for seller. Keep boards up to date DAILY. LEADS: Write 1-15 on the left hand side of the Leads board. You’ll need at least 15 active leads at all times (some mixtures of buyers and sellers). Across the top of the LEADS board write the following: NAME / SOURCE / MOTIVATION / TIME FRAME / PRICE RANGE / NEXT ACTION. Example: Bob Smith / sign call / 1st time buyer / buy before holidays / up to $280k / call on friday to check financing ACTIVE LISTINGS: Write on the left hand side the number of active listings you must have at all times according to the Real Estate Treasure Map, which is found on the website as part of the Premier Coaching Program. Let’s say you have to have 10 listings at all times. Write 1-10 on the left hand side of the listing board. NOTE: Only Active, non-pending listings go here. If they are in contract in any way, they go on your pending board instead! ADDRESS / SELLER / SOURCE / CURRENT PRICE / SELL-ME-NOW PRICE / EXPIRATION DATE Example: 123 Hot Listing St / Smiths / referral / $350k / $325k / Dec 31 This holds you accountable to getting it sold on time and reminds you that 10 showings or 2 weeks (NAR rule), then you need to take a look at the price. ACTIVE BUYERS: Write a minimum of 3 active buyers at all times (Harris Real Estate Coaching Rule). Every agent, no matter how experienced or inexperienced must be working with 3 active buyers at all times. Some of you may be buyer heavy and can work with 5-8 buyers who are pre-approved, motivated buyers at all times. Write your number on the left side. Across the top: NAME / SOURCE / MOTIVATION / TIME FRAME / PREAPPROVED / NEXT ACTION Example: Greg Thomas / Open House / Move-Up / Before Easter / BofA Pre-Approved PENDING BOARD: Write across the top NAME / SOURCE / ADDRESS / CLOSING DATE / PRICE Example: Jones / 1800HH / 123 Sold It / March 31 / $515K CLOSED DEAL BOARD: This is the most important board of all. This is where the truth comes out. Based on your Treasure Map, write down the number of closings that you need to meet or exceed all of your goals. 1-32 will work for most of you.  Across the top: ADDRESS / SOURCE / CLOSED DATE / DAYS ON MARKET / COMMISSION Example: 456 Awesome Client / USAA Relo / July 31 / $4750 Secrets to making sure this works Trust the system. Don’t re-invent the wheel. All you need to know is that every top producer before you has used whiteboards and they work like magic. Keep them updated. They are the VITAL STATISTICS of your real estate business. Take them seriously Use one color for buyers and one color for sellers. At the end of the year your whole real estate practice will be reflected on the CLOSED board. At a glance you will see number of buyers, sellers, average days on the market, average net commission, average sales price and the source of your deals. Forget about your spreadsheets. They are out of sight, out of mind. White boards work… did we mention they are magic? Set this up TODAY. Maintain it every day.

Seren talks to Gemma Beale, communications coordinator at Vital Statistics and all-around interesting human, about juggling projects, the difference money makes to everything and the danger of over-empathising when you're supporting vulnerable people.

As industrial manufacturers seek innovative new ways to improve productivity, product life cycle management is becoming an increasingly important factor in business success. In today’s podcast, we explore how statistical data can provide the process visibility required to make efficiency savings across the supply chain and improve production outcomes.

Walter Plecker - the first registrar of Virginia’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, (1912-1946) who created the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 - aka "Pencil Genocide" having changed race designations on birth records by hand.  Our special guest tonight is Dr. Arica Coleman (African American / Native American) Author and College Professor. She:kon and Thanks for joining Native Trailblazers!  The award-winning Native themed online radio show.  Listen in Every Friday at 7pm EST - Join the chat - Here's How  Website & mailing list: www.NativeTrailblazers.com   Vincent Schilling www.Twitter.com/VinceSchilling  Delores Schilling www.Twitter.com/DelSchilling Native Google+ Community - Here

LONDON—Inequalities in cancer care delivery and overall spending have had a big impact on cancer survival rates in Europe, according to Michel Coleman, Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He gives Peter Goodwin his analysis of data emerging from the Eurocare 4 study in 23 different countries, recently published in the European Journal of Cancer.