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A Cookout Favorite! Simple Ginger Chicken Kabob Appetizer

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon  ground ginger
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, stems removed

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine first five ingredients. Stir in chicken and onion; allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Soak wooden skewers in water. On each skewer, thread a piece of chicken, onion, mushroom and another chicken piece.

Place on a broiler rack. Broil 5 in. from the heat, turning and basting with marinade after 3 minutes. Continue broiling for another 3 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

Here’s What To Make For Dinner – MIND Diet Approved

In the wake of findings presented at the International Alzheimer’s Association conference in London this week, researchers have found that the risk of dementia was reduced by at least a third in the elderly by following a Mediterranean style or the similar MIND diet. To read more details on the results of this study click here.

Quadruple Citrus Ginger Black Cod

MAKES 4 SERVINGS • PREP TIME: 15 minutes • COOK TIME: 20 minutes (plus 20 minutes to marinate)

This delicious recipe following in the MIND diet fashion, is the perfect opportunity to test out the diet on your friends and family. Especially elderly loved ones that refuse to give up their butter! This dish incorporates most all citrus groups, with a healthy addition of extra virgin olive oil, ingredients meld into the most delicious marinade. Added with fresh delicious black cod, oven cooked to perfection, this is one surely everyone will enjoy!

This dish can flawlessly be substituted with other fish such as salmon, sea bass, or halibut as well.

(Forewarning: When shopping for fish, make sure to use your eyes and nose. Search for a cut where the fish is moist and glistening with no flat, brown edges. If the fish seems to look dull, avoid it. Similarly, fish that smells fishy or that has any ammonia smell, please do a hard pass on it. Your stomach will thank you for it. Don’t be shy to ask your fish monger questions. Find out exact shipping schedules. The black cod should be very meaty.) 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • 4 3.5-ounce black cod fillets, pin-bones removed
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon of dried dill weed
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley or mint

 

AdobeStock by Sentot Setyasisw..
AdobeStock by Sentot Setyasisw..

Directions:

In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, olive oil, orange zest, lemon zest, grapefruit zest, ginger, and cayenne. Place the cod in a baking dish and season each piece with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Pour half of the citrus mixture over the cod and turn to coat well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Remove the cod from the refrigerator, uncover, and add 2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the dish. Bake just until the fillets are tender and a meat thermometer reads 137°F; it will take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining orange juice mixture and the mustard in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour the reduction over the fillets, sprinkle with the parsley or mint, and serve immediately. Pair the dish with a nice warm napa slaw or beautiful mix of ancient grains. ENJOY!

Leftovers, if any, should be stored tightly wrapped in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a maximum of 1 to 2 days.

Things You Need To Know Before Going White Water Rafting

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It takes a group of bold individuals to spend their time white water rafting. The act of roaring down a fast body of water in a flimsy raft isn’t for the faint of heart. But for those looking for adventure, it can be an awesome thrill-seeking activity. Not many activities allow you to experience extreme amounts of excitement in the great outdoors like white water rafting. But before you grab your raft and your adventurous friends, there are a few things to consider.

For rafting newbies, it is important to be accompanied by an experienced guide who can help you traverse down the river. The guide undoubtedly understands the water better than you do, and they will know how to properly direct and handle the boat. If you try to do this on your own, you could easily flip the raft, which could lead to serious injury. It is also critical that at least one individual in your party is trained in CPR and that everyone in the group wears helmets and life vests. Taking these precautions ensures that your white water rafting adventure is safe, as well as exciting.

Before you hit the water, it is a good idea to brush up on proper rowing techniques. Your experienced guide professional can teach you these techniques so that you can help steer the raft to safety. A cool thing about white water rafting is that even people with disabilities can partake in the sport. As long as a person can demonstrate proper rowing techniques through arm movements, they can participate in an exciting white water rafting exhibition. One must also to remember to wear loose-fitting and comfortable clothing that does not restrict the movement of the arms. Make sure that everyone is on the same page and follows the instructions of the guide. This way, the raft will make it safely down the river.

AdobeStock By Dane Deaner
AdobeStock By Dane Deaner

Beyond safety considerations, there are also logistical considerations that should be taken into account before booking a white water rafting trip. One should inquire about the equipment and the experience of the rafting guide. It is also useful to know the cost per person, and the cost of equipment rentals. Sometimes groups with a large number of people in their party can receive tremendous discounts. This is especially true for students and those going as part of a company outing. Checking out the weather conditions before-hand is also a very good idea. While a storm can mean a roaring river, nobody wants to go white water rafting in the rain!

Finally, the duration of the trip should be taken into account. This way, you can plan the rest of your vacation. For advanced white water rafting adventurers, a multi-day white water rafting trip can be a great experience. This involves taking camping gear on the raft and setting up tents after a day of rafting. When you wake up, you can hit the river for another fun day of rafting.

White water rafting is an outstanding outdoor activity that almost anyone can enjoy to one degree or another. With proper planning, you can ensure that your white water rafting adventure is a great experience that you can remember for the rest of your life.

Schools Out! Online Degrees The New Learning Alternative

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The online learning environment is continuously evolving, offering a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow. With increasing tuition costs, budget cuts and limited course selections. These challenges have caused many students to search for education alternatives. Today, more than four million students are currently enrolled in online degree programs, and over seven million taking at a minimum of one online course as part of a degree program. Online education is a very popular higher education alternative and schools are adapting to this method given Covid-19 social distancing.

Rent or Buy Textbooks at eCampus.com

The schools that offer online education continue to expand their degree programs and course selections. This growth has all but eliminated the initial skepticism. Online education is just as effective as the face to face, classroom education. In fact, some believe it offers more value to the student.

AdobeStock by Nick Morrison
AdobeStock by Nick Morrison

E-Learning gives the student a simple, flexible schedule. This removes the face to face requirement, and everyone involved can partake at a time that meets their schedule needs.

Most E-Learning technologies integrate course materials, lectures, quizzes, and exams plus multiple other learning tools, into a school platform, or dashboard. This online educational user experience and the integrated multimedia has proven to create better retention, a richer and much more effective learning experience. An online program takes full advantage of the power of social and multimedia. Giving the ability to engage students, through live or videotaped lectures, webinars, infographics, all which have shown scientifically to improve memory.

The online education environment offers enhanced classroom involvement, giving all students the opportunity to gain an understanding of their classmate’s views. Whereas in a typical classroom, introverted or shy classmates tend to keep their thoughts to themselves.  When interacting online it naturally improves the student’s communication skills.

Besides the online course program, the additional benefit of online courses is the opportunity to become functionally effective with communication technologies, such as video conferencing, learning to convey messages effectively via webinars or Skype. An online education will provide a richer, more interactive education all around.

 

 

10 Warning Signs Of Bipolar Disorder

According to NIMH, bipolar disorder affects 4.4% of the U.S population. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms listed below, just know you are not alone and there are valuable treatment options. Don’t start to panic, treatment is available and sometimes getting accurate testing from a medical professional will reveal how to successfully manage your symptoms and live the life you deserve.

Bipolar disorder describes psychosis, and it was once referred to as a manic depression. Nowadays, it is sometimes called a mood disorder. It is a serious disorder that is characterized by recurring episodes. That is why it is very important to act when you notice the first warnings of this disorder. People suffering from bipolar disorder go through extreme cycles of mood changes, from depression and emotional pain to excitement and euphoria.

1. Lack of interest

This sign is manifested as a sudden lack of interest in things that were usually interesting for that person. They either lack interest or don’t enjoy those things any more.

AdobeStock by Tony Tran

Why is it Called the Red Sea?

Curious about why the Red See is called the Red Sea? Well we have your answers!

Selfies Could Be The New Way To Verify MasterCard Payments

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Selfies, long the rage on social networks like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook may now have a serious application as payment card giant MasterCard announced it will start using selfies to verify payments.

500 pilot users will now take a photo instead of keying in PIN numbers, a method MasterCard chief product security officer Ajay Bhalla says is targeted at youth, who are estimated take over 100 million selfies per day according to search company Google.

Bhalla said that Mastercard has partnered with all phone manufacturers on the new biometric security method.

“The new generation, which is into selfies … I think they’ll find it cool. They’ll embrace it,” Bhalla said. “This seamlessly integrates biometrics into the overall payment experience.

“You can choose to use your fingerprint or your face – you tap it, the transaction is okayed (sic) and you’re done.”

The U.S. based trial, which will be extended to other markets shortly, will have users hold their mobile phones at eye-level and blink once when instructed for the checkout process to complete.

The blink test is designed to stop attackers from using another photograph, though the new verification process will still lack a method of revocation. If a hacker group is able to impersonate a user, the only way to stop an attack is to not allow authorization through selfie (or fingerprint).

A password on the other hand can be easily revoked and a new one issued in its place, stopping the hackers yet allowing the user to continue making purchases.

Bhalla says the company is sensitive to privacy concerns and the images will not actually be sent to MasterCard but instead be converted to a format that will allow authentication but not be viewable to the human eye.

MasterCard is exploring other ways of removing the painful PIN numbers as well. Its currently experimenting with voice and and heartbeat recognition to help speedily and reliably approve transactions.

Cajun Meatball Appetizer Recipe

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Looking for an easy, tasty treat to bring to the family BBQ or potluck dinner? Well, here we have it. Our Cajun meatball appetizer is a delicious, semi spicy treat the whole gang can enjoy.

This easy to follow meatball appetizer recipe will be your go to for years to come. Your kids may even ask you to share with them the secret to these tasty treats.

Cajun Meatball Appetizer Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce 1/2 cup peach preserves

Prep Time

This simply Cajun meatball appetizer recipe only takes 15 minutes of prep time. With an addition 30 to 40 minutes of cook time, you’ll be serving your guests in no time!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) while you lightly grease a medium baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the ground beef, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, onion, bread crumbs, milk, and egg.

Form the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until there is no pink left in the middle.

In a small bowl, combine the barbecue sauce and peach preserves.

When meatballs are done, place them in a serving dish and toss them with the barbecue sauce mixture!

 

Check out more of our Tasty treats!

 

 

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The Florida Gulf Coast: The Unexpected Place For Relaxation

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It’s not all about Disney world or South beach. Make your next vacation a relaxing one on the Florida Gulf Coast.

Helmet Care & Maintenance

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After your horse, helmet care should be your next priority. Helmets have a lifespan and it may not be as long as you thought. Is it time to retire your helmet?

Equine Therapy: Horses Helping With Mental Health

Horses have had many uses throughout history, but equine therapy is one of the many incredible things horses can do. From war veterans to those with disabilities, horses are here to help with mental health! 

Wildfire Preparation and Evacuation Tips For Horse Owners

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As fire seasons become more devastating, wildfire preparation and evacuation tips for horse owners becomes more important. We can’t just wing it, there are lives and livelihoods at stake! 

With climate change advancing at alarming rates, being prepared for the worst case scenario is vital. Preparing and evacuating takes planning and practice to ensure to best results. Having an efficient plan that covers all possibilities increases the potential that you and your horse make it out alive. Here are wildfire preparation and evacuation tips for horse owners.

wildfires preparation and evacuation tips for horse owners

Wildfires have become much more destructive in recent years, making it the upmost importance for horse owners to be well prepared for an emergency.

Open Ventilation & Frost-Free Hydrants

It’s not just the fires we have to worry about, it’s also the smoke. Horses have large lungs with no way to filtrate the dangerous  toxins from the smoke. Keep the horses safe with proper ventilation and reduce the amount of exercise when smoke is visible. Additionally, provide plenty of water and keep a close watch on the air quality index. 

You can also keep your horses and property safe from wildfires by installing frost-free hydrants or dry hydrant connections to existing water sources. Keep a minimum of 33 yards of defensible space around the barn and/or house. During a fire consider generators or solar power to run pimps and appliances after power goes out.

Steel and Tile Roofs

These types of roofs are more able to resist flames that are spread from cinders. Cinders are what often causes a fire from the ground floors, which is most often where flammable materials are stored.

Xeric Landscaping

Xeric landscaping helps reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. This type of landscaping can help reduce flammable vegetation around structures. Consider fire wise plants around your property to help protect against blowing cinders. There are no fireproof plants but some can help catch the fire and enable it to spread more slowly. Avoid landscaping with mulches made from combustibles and placing plants too close to structures.  

Evacution plan for Wildfires and Horses

Having an evacuation plan for you and your horses is paramount. Every year the strategy should be reviewed and updated. Here are some evacuation tips for horse owners.

Evacuation Exit Route

Avoid leading horses down roads and highways. This is dangerous because it puts you and your horse in more danger to passing cars and roadside fires. Instead, have your trailer hitched to your truck at all times loaded and ready to go with all the necessities.

If the fire is too close and there isn’t time to load, let the horses loose and close all the entrances and gates so they cannot re-enter. Ensure you are paying close attention to evacuation warnings as the come in.

Evacuation Kit

Always be sure to pack water, medicines and foods in the trailer ahead of time. Keeping the trailer packed and ready to go will reduce the time it takes you to evacuate. Additionally, ensure you have all your travel documents and identification packed as well. This is especially important if you are being housed at a public shelter or private facility.

It is important to note that there are few horse clothing that are fireproof. Avoid synthetic and nylon halters, lead ropes and tack. This could cause serious burns to both the horse and owner.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice truly does make perfect, even in this situation. Ensure your horse is comfortable loading onto the trailer in a rush. Constantly make sure that your trailer and truck are packed with the essentials. It is important to make sure you have an exit plan that everyone in the barn is aware of.

Practice the evacuation plan with everyone at the barn and find signs of weakness. Coordinate with local fire stations to get their input and ensure there are no flaws. An extra tip is to put evacuation plans all over the property so everyone can become familiar.

Final Thoughts

Wildfire preparation and evacuation tips for horse owners help but at the end of the day, it takes practice. Hopefully, you will never have to experience this emergency but it is always better to be prepared. Keep you and your horse safe by doing your research, staying up to date and having a seamless plan that everyone understands.

What Everybody Ought to Know About The Effects of Sexual Assault

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Recently with all the news about Bill Cosby and R. Kelly there have been a lot of talk and television media attention that has followed.
If you follow me you know I don’t watch television very much as I am so busy doing other things and I refuse to let such negativity in my space.
The one of the few series I do watch still is Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve watched since day one and the latest episode dealt with sexual assault. About how it can affect you through your whole life.

I thought in my own life that I was past mine. I forgave my rapist and got counseling and thought I was good.
But as I watched this episode, so many things hit me. The smell that can bring you back to the  moment. The random flash of watching something on television, the memory that you thought was gone, can be brought back in a instant.
This episode was it for me, this brought me right back there, the feelings, the emotions and the hurt.

So many people ask why did the victims wait so long to step up and this episode addressed that as well.
Because especially if you knew your abuser, then somehow you must have wanted it, is the most common. The way you dressed, maybe you had a drink with him, or like me smoked a joint with him.

Society is so quick to judge the victims and it makes it hard for us to come forward. Maybe like these men, they are famous so you think who’s going to believe your story.
Maybe like me your beating yourself up so much that you don’t need anyone’s else help to beat you up and say it’s your fault.

Or maybe your ashamed, what will your family think? Your spouse or significant other?
I freely took the ride with him, I knew him, I smoked a joint with him so it had to be my fault, I said a million times.

It is never your fault when you say no and they continue, repeat after me, it is never your fault!
It doesn’t matter if your naked in their bed and you change your mind, it’s your choice to say no, even then.

If a man and I use that term loosely here, keeps going when you said no, that my dear is RAPE plain and simple.

Why do we blame the victims? Why is everyone saying they should have said something earlier? They are hurt, they are devastated, they are in shock, they are afraid, they feel guilty, there are a million reasons why we don’t step up or step up right away.

None of them makes it our fault. None of them lets them off the hook for their horrible behavior.

Watching this show took me right back to that moment and maybe some women need that jolt to move them to the next stage of getting justice. So I take off my hat to this show for hitting on the realities of today. For showing what we really go through, how this lasts for years, for decades of a womens life. For standing up and being a voice for so many of us that didn’t have one.

This is why I write this blog every day, to be a voice for others that may not have one. To speak out against injustice, to make a difference and to inspire others. We all get to do this, as we live in a free world, for now anyways, we still live in a country with free speech. So we need more shows like this, more people like me and you to take a stand and say this is not right. We do not need to blame the victims and glorify the abusers because they are rich and famous. We demand justice even if it’s years later, it is our right and they need to pay for their crimes and the affect it had on our lives.

Trust and believe if they did it once and got away with it, they did it again. So if one peson comes forward it gives courage to the many others still out there, hiding and hurt.

So today my friends, remember you can be that one voice, you can stand up for the millions, you can be that Rosa Parks and say no more!
And as I say at the end of every blog it’s up to you to…
“Be the change you want to see”                                                                                                                justsmmservices.com

The awkward kiss felt around the world

Recently at the 50th NAACP Awards ceremony, Beyonce’ earned the title of “Entertainer of the Year”  The attention quickly turned from a positive occasion overshadowed by a negative with the awkward kiss felt around the world.

Power star Omari Hardwick is being stung by all of the news outlets and Beyonce’ fans after the actor kissed the singer twice at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday.

There is two sides here going in on this fight, the Beyonce’ fans which hve cried out foul play and the Hardwick fans that say it was an accident and unplanned.
Personal as a women I do know how uncomfortable it is if a man invades your personal space and creeps you out. But as a human I also know that sometimes we do things because we are nervous or not intentionally that we go Wtf? Why? Yuggg! We have all been there. When we walk away from someone we may like shaking our heads because we said something stupid or were just awkward in their presence. We beat ourselves up for days and weeks sometimes.

I obviously don’t know the actor personally but can tell you that he is a kisser as famous Fly jock, Tom Joyner recently said on his morning radio show. The actor even kissed him and other men at a recent award show.
I get it, I am a kisser, I am not a perv, I am Italian, we kiss, that is how we were raised. You kissed when you greet people and when they are leaving, it’s no big deal. And I can tell you there have been awkward kisses in my life.

My ex-husband had a cousin that when you went in to kiss hello he would always go for the wrong side, resulting in missed or very awkward kisses, it was the running joke in the family for years.

Sometimes we are overtaken by emotion, or especially if you were to meet someone you admired or respected, you become a geek in that moment. Hell, we have all been there, maybe this was Omari’s moment.

Why are we so quick to prosecute someone today? Why can’t we take a step backwards and look at the reason’s. This man is a kisser, he is an equal opportunity kisser at that, maybe it wasn’t meant to be like that, he was nervous, maybe she was his dream girl and he was finally getting to meet her, we don’t know but for God’s sake why blow it out of proportion when you didn’t get so bent out of shape when #45 spoke from his own mouth that he grabbed women by the pussy. Hello! Let’s be real here!

This was just an awkward kiss, come on people even I who have been raped and sexually harassed in my life time wouldn’t make such a huge deal with this.
We are getting too strict, too politically correct, every move, every thing we do is criticized, broken down and analyzed.

We are human, even if they are famous, they are human. Cut everyone some slack today maybe just maybe if we put ourselves in someone’s else’s shoes, if we came from a place of compassion instead of criticism the world would be a better place and we would be talking about more important subjects and not a awkward kiss.

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“What happened to us as a country?”

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My question today is what happened to us as a country?

We use to love and help our neighbors, I remember my parents, they were always helping out our neighbors. People would stop and take the time to talk, to lend a hand, to get to know your neighbors.

Now we are so busy with our own lives, with keeping up with the Jone’s that we don’t even know who the Jones are, so how the hell can we keep up with them?

We have become a selfish, self-center world, it’s all about me, what have you’ve  done for me for lately? It has become a what can you do for me world and it’s not getting better, in fact it’s getting worse. We have raised a whole generation of ungrateful, you owe it to me, I don’t have to work for anything because it’s coming to me, bunch of ingrates.

Great job and we wonder why the world has become like it is now.
Where is our love and our compassion? When I bought my first home, we were the youngest couple on the street. After Hurricane Wilma we went house to house with each neighbor to help the fix the next house.
We cut down trees, we made sure they were okay, had food and water, tarped their roofs, then we all moved onto the next neighbor until we did the whole block.

That was truly a show of love and compassion but do we have to wait until a tragedy to do that? No, we knew our neighbors before that, we helped each other out long before this, because that is what you’re supposed to do.

When I moved into my new home as a single mom, my neighbors came by, helped me with things I couldn’t do and we’ve become fast friends since then. When I am cooking, I will bring over their favorite meal, when one of my neighbors recently move, I was the first to come and help pack and move him.
My neighbor who was a stranger at first is now my guardian angel, he even came to my rescue during hurricane Matthew while I was out of the country and my girls were here alone. He boarded up my home, brought everything in and made sure my girls were alright. This man who at first was a stranger is now my hero.

 

Yes, these are the things you just do because you have basic human compassion. When my new neighbor moved in I invited her to a party to meet everyone in the neighborhood and we are great friends now. We also got yet another single women across the street and as soon as she moved in we went over and told her if she needed anything we were there for her.

This is what you call a neighborhood, we all know each other’s names, we keep an eye on each other, we lend a helping hand, we have love and compassion for each other. This is one neighborhood, so why can’t we do this is every neighborhood, in every town, every city, every country?

Why is it them vs us? I live in a predominantly Spanish area, I go to a predominantly black church, I don’t see it as us vs them, I see it as a people loving each, other no matter what color, what religious beliefs, what sexual preference, people who all bleed the same color. What is so hard to see here?
We all bleed the same, we all grieve the same, we all love the same, we all want the best for our families so why can’t we all see this?

Why must there still be racism so many years after Dr. Martin Luther King speech?
Why are we burning our neighborhoods and our flags because we don’t like who is president? Why are we getting worse and not better after having our first black president? Why are we going backwards and not forward? It’s because we have no love or compassion, that’s why.

So today my friends, remember love and compassion can take us a long way, it can make you know your neighbor, it can open your heart to others struggles and want to help out. It can turn hate into love and we can really use some love today…be the first one, take the first step and like I always say at the end of every blog…be the change you want to see, it all starts with you.

 

“Be the change you want to see”

“Quiet simply, don’t stick to your own lane”

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Author: Francesca Villardi

It’s funny someone recently said to me that maybe I should stick to my lane, writing inspirational blogs and not throw my hat into the arena of politics.

That maybe my doing so would make me lose readers. If you read my blogs, you know I write about life, I write about the good, the bad and the ugly. I write about love, peace and of course my love life or lack thereof one.

I write about what touches my heart, what makes me passionate and what makes me want to speak out.

So it could be anything, it could be dating or friendship or life or politics, it only has to do with what touches my heart that day.

It happened to be this weeks politics and what’s going on in the world.

Look, I only care about compassion for one another, I care about love, I care about respect for another human being just because we are all the same, we all have the same emotions, the same feelings, we all bleed the same color for God’s sake.

I wish I could say I only write “Inspirational” blow smoke up everyone’s ass, to make them feel good, all the time, blogs and as much as I am Tinkerbell this is the real world, with real world issues.

I always say I am Tinker bell but even Tinker bell gets knocked down occasional and gets pissed off, don’t believe me watch Peter Pan again, Tinker bell had a temper.

I write about life, all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly and as far as I know, for now anyway, we still live in America, the land of the free, including free speech.

If people want to stop reading my blogs because we have a difference of opinion, or because they are racist or homophobic or narcissistic or that only their point of view or their beliefs are the only ones that should be spoken, then there is the door and don’t let it hit you on the ass on the way out!

I wrote nothing that wasn’t the truth about what has happened with your president and the people he picked for office all of it is “real news”

As for my “opinion” that is exactly what it is, my opinion and until I get hauled off and put in jail, I will keep writing about what I see as injustice.

I preach love, I believe in equal rights for everyone, EVERYONE!

I don’t think one person is better than another, I don’t believe in class, race, religion or sexual discrimination, Hello!! Again in case you have forgotten, we all bleed red.

I refuse to sit back and say it’s okay to go back to the 50’s where all of this…this that is rearing its ugly head again, racism, sexism, homophobia and religious prosecution was okay, it’s not okay.

It has never been okay and it will NEVER be okay again!

This is something I am passionate about, this is a topic that I will keep talking about until I’m dead. I am making this my mission, to show love, to give love, to love one another. I am here to make sure everybody knows that it’s not okay to hate, to call names, to ridicule, to belittle others that don’t look like you, act or think like you.

These are the principals that America was built on, we were the land that everyone came to flee from prosecution, to believe in whatever they wanted to, to give their families a better life.

The land of the free, the home of the brave.

Not just the brave that believed in what you believe in, not to turn everyone into the step ford wives (If you young ones didn’t get that, YouTube it)

We were all created different, unique, with different ideas, that is what makes this world so special, that we are not all the same.

And once upon a time, our once great country opened her arms to everyone and accepted the differences but not anymore and that my friends is sad.

So if this turns you or others off, if my not blowing smoke up your ass every day turns you off, then turn me off. As far as I know, it’s still a free country, as of now…

But tread lightly because if less and less people speak out, if everyone sits back and thinks it’s okay for this kind of behavior to take place, you won’t have to worry about your rights, because you won’t have any anymore and this won’t be the land of the free.

It will be the land of only what I believe, that you look like me or think like me.

But until that happens, I refuse to “Stick to my lane”

“Be the change you want to see”

 

Fed Up With Government Officials? Read this.

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Sometimes I shake my head when I read something in the news that makes me flip a nut, I cannot believe people in power actually say the stupid shit they do. I remember when Representative Tila Hubrecht called pregnancy that results from rape “A gift from God” While she was arguing that abortion should be illegal, even in the case of rape and incest.

Now if you know me or read my blog you know I was a victim of rape when I was 15 years old. I was a virgin, a scared little girl who found out that besides having to endure something horrific as a rape, now found herself pregnant by such rape.

Now tell me Representive Hubrecht, was this a “Gift from God”
A teenager who had her whole life ahead of her, who didn’t ask to be raped, now pregnant? This is what you call a gift? Are your frigging nuts? Have you lost your frigging mind??

What do you know of being raped? Nothing because if you did you would never say something as stupid as this!

Do you know what it feels like to cross a picket line, when people are spitting on you, calling you a baby killer?
Or have a cold hearted doctor tell me that I shouldn’t cry now, that I should have thought about this before I spread my legs…wait…was he a relative of yours maybe? Because he sounds as cold hearted as you do.

No, you know none of this nor do you care what a 15 year old would do with a baby when she was just a baby herself.

You people that are so against abortions, who call us names, who want abortions to go back into the back alleys, have no solution to these young women. There is no plan in place to help these women keep a baby yet your so fast to pass judgement, to stand on your high and mighty soap box condemning the rest of us, yet offering no solution while you all run back into your glass mansions at night.

Believe me this was no “Gift from God” this ruined my life, this changed who I was, who I was supposed to be.

Yet your brilliant idea is to slap the rapist on the hand and let him off and then leave us stuck with a child we never wanted with no help from anyone.

And now with Cheeto man’s new “no health care plan” even less help and definitely no psychological help, as this is a “preexisting condition” to deal with.

As long as it doesn’t affect you or yours, your good. As long as health care is free for you and your political friends, who cares about the rest of us minions. As long as you’re going home to your big homes, in wonderful school districts, as long as you have your minimum wage nannies to watch your children, cooks, drivers and all the good life has to offer, who cares how a 15 year old deals with being molested or being raped. That a child that has run away from hell, now has to have to figure out how to raise this “Gift”

Get a frigging grip Bitch!! Wake the fuck up! This is real life, this is the real world, which obviously you don’t live in.

You just can’t throw around words like this, make laws like this, that will affect millions of women and not have a plan to help. Are you and your holier than thou friends planning on supporting these children?

Are you giving tax cuts, day care, free college or financial help to these women who under yours and the new Hitler’s regime? Who will now even have less help?
No, you people aren’t planning to do anything but look down and wave your self-righteous finger at the victims.

 

So today my friends, I beg of you get on the phone, call your Representatives, call your government officials, let them know your outrage, let’s stand up and throw these morons out of office.

In his term in office, Cheeto man has fired the FBI chief who was investigating him and 24 others. They arrested a member of the press because they didn’t like the questions they asked and yet they have morons like this running our country.

We are not United, we are divided. We are supposed to help our neighbors, love one another, have compassion, this is what we are made to do.
Yet where is that compassion? Why are we letting this happen?

If they want to put me in jail for my freedom of speech, go ahead but I will not go down without a fight, I will scream peace, love and compassion till I am taken home and if you any of you has a heart, you should be screaming as well.

“Be the change you want to see”

First Lady Ivanka Trump slaps away the hand of her Husband, the president

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I will never forgot watching our first lady not once but twice slapped away the hand of her husband, the president.

It was really sly but with today’s technology and slow motion cameras, we all got to see it clearly. I thought that maybe she’s had enough,
It should have been clear to her, when the first day they went to the White house, he got out of the car and started walking up the steps without her, not even looking back at her. While President Obama, helped his first lady out of the car and held her hand while helping her up the stairs.

That was a statement heard around the world as well, no respect for your wife and the country’s first lady. But hey, didn’t we realize this when he said he like to “Grab them by the pussy”  So, maybe she’s close to done, maybe she didn’t want to be first lady, maybe she knew he would be the laughing stock of the world and that would be her title for life, laughing stock’s wife.

Maybe she was happy in New York, hanging with her friends, spending his money, only having to deal with him occasionally. But now she is thrown into the spotlight and she has to be there for all of these events, but you can clearly see she is not comfortable in the first lady role.

There is only so much a women will put up with, especially when you are constantly disrespected. He is the typical narcissistic and control freak, it’s all about him, always.
You are just there as trophy wife, to do what he says, to talk to you whichever way he feels like. You are his property, period.

I don’t think I’ve ever saw her smile, I don’t think she ever looked at him with loving, proud eyes like Michelle looked at her husband with.
No, she’s here because she’s forced to be here, it’s her duty as first lady like it or not.

But little telltale signs that she is close to done are cropping up, the eye rolls, the slapping away of his hand, the look of I don’t want to be here, I am dying here.

Yes, I know these signs all too well, all women who have been in abusive relationships know these signs, as well, as we have all been there.

I feel sorry for her, because she has the biggest narcissist in the free world, he already spoke many times how he sees women, as objects, as a  piece of meat, something to be seen and not heard. He has been loud and clear in his opinions over the years.

And now she is stuck, to grin and bear it, all while inside she is starting to despise him, if she doesn’t already.

Yes, men like that do have the upper hand for a while but eventually we become so dead inside we don’t care, about the titles, the money, the fame, we just want out. It’s as if you are suffocating and your slowly dying and you will do anything to get out, to get air. That is when you will run, you won’t care about all the things you thought were important in the past.

You will give it all up for your freedom, to have your life back on your terms. I don’t know how she is going to survive the next years, if Cheeto man gets that long in office.

But I myself will be praying for her, she had the hardest job, she has to pretend every day that she likes him, that he doesn’t make her sick every time he looks at her, every time he touches her. Yes, if she makes its through without losing it, she should get the Oscar for best performance.

So today my friends, remember not everything is what it seems, you would think being first lady would be something you dream about but at what cost? At what cost is worth your self-esteem, your heart and your soul?

There is always a cost you must pay, nothing is free when you give your power away, when you trade your soul for power and money.

Just listen to that inner voice, listen closely and then take a long, hard up close and personal look at what abusive looks like with our first lady and decide wisely.

“Be the change you want to see”

“Me Too”

I remember when Facebook had a campaign for women against violence, for the month of October, which is National domestic violence month. Now this has come up again with the prosecution of Bill Cobsy and now with R. Kelly.

Any woman that had been sexual harassed or had been abused sexually, physically, or mentally by a man, they wanted you to change your status to say “Me too”

As I changed my status, I have to tell you I was shocked about how many women put that on their status, women that I would have never dreamed that were abused, put that on their status.

This is why I speak about this all the time, as it is near and dear to my heart, being not only a women in a verbally abusive marriage but as a rape survivor as well.

It’s because you never know who out there is being abused, it doesn’t matter if they have a college degree, it doesn’t matter if they come from a upper-middle-class family, it doesn’t matter if they’re Street Smart or savvy, any woman, anytime, anywhere, from any background, of any religion, of any color, can be abused.

 

You can be sexual harassed at work by your boss or coworker, but you need the job so you put up with their comments.
You can be sexual molested by family, by family friends or by people you looked up to and trusted. You can be raped by someone you know like I was or a stranger or like so many of the millions of women out there, you can be in a verbally or physically abusive relationship.

All of these are crimes against women and a lot of men out there think this kind of behavior is okay or acceptable. Well, hell it’s obviously okay for our president to do it, so why not me, is their mentality!

In the case of verbal abusive, I have been asked over and over “You were a smart, independent women, how could this happen to you?”

The main reason that it happens is, that it doesn’t present itself like what it truly is, in the beginning. This goes for any of the predators, from above, they know what they are doing and they are good at it.

No, see he is a charmer, he’s sweet, maybe the most romantic man you ever met. It’s when he gets you to trust him, to fall in love with him, when little by little he starts saying something, making little comments, then he will apologize, send flowers, he will swear he loves you more than anyone else has.

You will forgive him, until the next time, but trust me it doesn’t happen overnight. He’s waiting you out, making you more and more dependent on him. Then he will tell you he doesn’t like your friends, that your family is too bossy or nosey, they don’t know what you two have, so maybe you shouldn’t be hanging out with them so much. Your in love, your most likely a pleaser so you listen, you start cutting off the people you love.

See it goes on for as long as it does because a lot of us don’t feel worthy, we may have started out feeling worthy in a relationship but somehow little by little the person that you’re with breaks you down, one word at a time, one fight at a time, one comment at a time until you realize you don’t even know who you are anymore and you’re believing all that they say about you.

Yes, it’s a slow tedious process but they’re willing to wait it out, they know that once they do, they’ll have you under total control. You’ll believe anything they have to say, they will actually even get you to start agreeing with them.

They could start a fight with you and you’ll end up saying you’re sorry, this is how much control they’ll eventually get from you.

Why is this so shocking? Because you never know what happens in a person’s life, you never know what they’re hiding behind that smile. You’ll never know how their heart is breaking, every single day because they only show you what they want you to see.

You see the big house, the fancy lifestyle, the image they are portraying to the world. I can’t tell you how many people said to me “Oh, you have the perfect family” when actually we were a dysfunctional mess.

This is the problem with us in this world today, we don’t show emotions, because emotions are scary things. Everyone wants to be the strong one, everyone wants to show the world who they think they should be and not who they truly are, because the truth is, we are all broken, we all hurt, we have all been used and abused.

But the one thing about all of that is, that these things that happened to us aren’t who we are, they don’t define who we are unless you let them, they are just lessons that we learn.

Lessons that we teach the next generation, that we use to help to uplift others in the same situation, so that they know that know this isn’t going to break them, that this is just a test for your testimony.

This is not going to be the end, this is just a start of a different beginning but you must know your worth, you must find the strength, turn to family, to friends, go get counseling, go to a church, pray, join a support group, call a hotline…there are so many outlets out there.

Talk to others, let’s start the conversations, now that this has opened the door, reach out to others, let them know you know your in pain, maybe they are waiting to tell someone and this was the first step to opening up that door.

You might be the gift they are praying for, this might change our views on domestic violence, on sexual harassment, on sexual abuse against women everywhere, this might be our stance on stopping this.

You may be the next Rosa Parks, you have a voice, you have worth, you are smart, beautiful, caring, independent women, so speak up, tell someone, be the whistle blower, don’t settle, don’t stay when you see the warning signs, they will just get worst.

So today my friends, I am so glad for this campaign, to start this dialogue between us, to stand together, to lift each other up, to give love and support to those who say “Me too”

“Be the change you want to see”

 

If Todays World Doesn’t Scare You, read this.

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My question today, to all of you out here is… aren’t you worried?

If today’s world doesn’t scare you, then you are living under a rock.

We should be afraid, be very afraid because we are thisclose to having our freedom’s taken away from us.

In the last year alone, 2 journalist were arrested for asking questions our “government” didn’t want to answer.

A single mom with a sick child at a town hall meeting asked about health care for her child was thrown out and scared with the government taking her child away from her.

3 activist were recently arrested for protesting Jeff Sessions in a congressional hearing.

Native Americans were arrested and dragged off to jail for protecting the land that we once stole from them but now want back…sacred land no less.

American journalists were banned from a meeting recently with “Cheeto man” What the hell? Where is our freedom of speech?

The list goes on and on…Hell, I might be arrested for writing this soon, so where do we draw the line? When it’s too late?

I will tell you when it’s too late, before you even realize it’s happening. Look at the past, look at all of these dictators that are out there, they all started small, one arrest here, one there, then people disappearing into the night, before long we are too scared, they were too big and by then we had no rights left.

People open your eyes, read up on these past dictatorships, see how they started, all the same way.

It’s like being a victim of abuse, it’s not all at once, it’s one step. Okay, you will let me get away with that. Okay, so let’s try this, okay, she’s good with that so now let’s try this. Oh wait, too much, too soon so let’s back up, let’s put on that I am a great guy face. Okay, they bought it, so let’s take this away and before you know it your gave all your power away and you have none left.
Your stuck, you’re afraid, you can’t speak up or leave.

Yes, these dictators do the same thing, little by little…before you even realize it, your freedom is gone. These are the dictators that came before;

Adolf Hitler
Romania’s Nicolae Ceausescu
Kim Jung Un
Fidel Castro
Mussolini
And there are many, many more I can name. These men were  narcissistic, egotistical, money hungry, power seeking men, not unlike “Cheeto man”

This is America, the land of the free. We are free to speak our minds, free to protest, free to ask and demand answers.
This is what our Constitution is about, this is what we fought wars for, this is America people…for now anyway.

Unless we rise up and demand our first amendment rights, unless we unite, we speak out, unless we flood the internet and our government officials with our voices then the joke will be on the American people. And this is no laughing matter people! This is your freedom we are talking about.
This is what I do every day, I get to speak my mind to people all over the globe, people every day get to have a say, to like or hate my blogs, to speak their peace about me or about what’s going on in the world, because of this very important thing called freedom of speech.

 

This is why people use to want to come to America, why they would risk their lives to live here, because we were a land of compassion, we had freedom’s, we cared about others and their lack of. This country is not becoming great, no, this country is becoming a fascist country caring only for the rich, the powerful, the few that look and think like each other.

We should be ashamed of ourselves, we should read up about how easy it is to fall into a dictatorship, we should all go to Ellis Island and read what the world thought about us…what use to make us great…something we have forgotten.

 

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

 

Today my friends, remember your voice still has power, call your government officials today, protest, write, blog, speak out before it’s too late.

As for me I will keep speaking out, until they arrest me, until they take the breath out of me. I will continue to do my 1st amendment right, freedom of speech until it is no longer there! And as I always say at the end of every blog. “Be the change you want to see”

How to win a political argument and make a difference

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It has been an few years since the signing in of the president, Donald Trump. I have seen more friendships go up in smoke than ever before since then. I have seen people attacking others, people name calling, people showing the absolute worst side of one another, all in the name of politics.

I have seen some things on social media that are downright racist being said by “so called” friends, it is sickening. I have also seen friends stand up for rights like never before, people who are truly afraid of what is going to become of our great nation. People drawing a line in the sand and saying this is not alright.

Me? Well I refuse to delete friends based on their political views, I believe this is America and we have the right to free speech, no matter how stupid I might think your views are or aren’t, you still have a right to post your feelings.

I believe in women’s rights, in a women right to have the say over her body. I believe in America being a melting pot, in what the Statue of Liberty stands for. I believe in freedom of speech.
I believe in equality for everyone. Who are you to judge and say only I get equality, based on what? Being white?

I believe we have the right to bear arms (But no one needs a gun that shoots 1000 rounds in 2 seconds, sorry)
I believe in the good in people, no matter what their race, religion or sexual preferences are.

I believe that we can all get along and love one another if we realize that we have so many similarities instead of differences. If we realize that we all bleed red.

The country is going crazy and we need now more than ever, to be tolerate of others points of view.
We also need to stand up for what is right, so if your passionate about what you believe in. Take all the time and energy you have in posting on social media, take a stand, protest, do what you have to, to have your voice be heard and what to show what you believe in.

Protest, start a change in your neighborhood, start a pay it forward action, do something good don’t just stir the shit pot.

Put your frigging money where your mouth is, volunteer, give back, start a movement, don’t just give it lip action, do something. Nothing changes when nothing changes…

It takes just one person to make a change…Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and so many other brave people who stood up and said enough is enough. They stood up and said I refuse to put up with this and I alone will be the first to stand up and say so….be that person.

Look I write this blog every day, thousands of people see my views, some will love me and some will hate me, that’s life but I am free to share them, no matter how you feel, that is what is so great about this country.

So today my friends remember why we love this great country so much, why people are willing to die to try to come here. It’s because we have freedom of speech, we get to say what we feel and guess what? We also get to not see what people say (There is a special button for that on social media, in case you didn’t know)

Let’s try to be tolerant of others points of view, let’s spread the word of love, compassion and tolerance instead of hate and anger.
Let’s start a worldwide movement of love…wow what a concept. Remember what I always say in every blog….
“Be the change you want to see”

My Personal Experience With Closet Racism

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Closet racism is something all of us come face to face with throughout our lives. But how do face and deal with it head on?

Japan To Drop Swastikas From Maps

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Japan is planning to cease its usage of swastikas on maps used by foreign tourists after receiving a large number of complaints that the symbols are offensive or difficult to understand. The country had used the swastika symbol to identify the location of Buddhist temples. The swastika has been associated with Japanese Buddhism for many centuries before the Nazis came to power in Germany in the 1930s.

With the country planning to host both the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, the Geospatial Information Authority (GSIA) of Japan wanted to clear up any potential misunderstandings for foreign visitors. As a result, the authority has released a new symbol that will replace an old symbol that largely resembled the swastika of Nazi Germany.

In the place of a swastika, a symbol of a three-story pagoda will now be used. The symbol will be officially unveiled at the end of March. The GSIA believes that the new symbol will be both less offensive and easier to decipher. This change will not be applied to maps that are in the Japanese language.

Additionally, the GSIA will also replace other symbols that were difficult for foreigners to understand. An “X” that was used to represent a police box will soon be replaced by a symbol of a saluting officer. A cross that is supposed to represent a church, but could easily be mistaken for a graveyard will also be replaced.

The GSIA said in a report, “Japan needs to create an environment where foreign visitors can easily use transport and find accommodation. For that purpose, it is especially important to disseminate multilingual maps that are easy for foreigners to understand.”

In addition to the upcoming major events in the next few years, Japan has experienced an influx of tourists in recent months. This is largely because of a weakened Japanese yen and relaxed visa regulations for visitors from China and other Asian countries.

Last year, nearly 20 million people visited Japan, which is an all-time record. Tourism had been reduced in recent years because of the tsunami in March of 2011 and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

5 Important Things To Know When Considering Health Insurance

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Whether you are thinking about selecting a health insurance plan at work for you or getting your own, there is a chance that you have some questions about health insurance and costs. Here are five things everyone who is shopping for health insurance should know:

  1. Understand the insurance plan

Before you have enrolled yourself for a health plan, it is best that you find out more about the coverage. You can get a copy of details from the insurance company. You should look for things like the certificate to see what services are covered under the plan, what are the service limitations and what is not covered. You must also know how to access your insurance when you need it.

2. Your health plan is an insurance policy

The health plan that you have chosen is going to be your insurance policy. It is a legal contract that says you will make premium payments to the insurance company in return of which you will get certain benefits. It is a not a bank account in which all the premiums you pay each month are stored. It is a promise that the insurance will pay for all the costs involved when you make a claim.

3. Your employer’s plan might not be the best insurance deal

Your employer might be offering health insurance which may not be costly to your needs. It can always give you access to the group plans but if you are paying for this insurance and you are in good health, it is better to get your own policy. For the same price, you can get your own health insurance which may offer a better coverage.

       4. The insurance might not cover your prescription drugs

We all know health insurance plans don’t cover all doctors. Similarly, they don’t cover all benefits as well. Your insurance policy might not cover certain drugs and certain benefits such as maternity coverage

5. Lowest premium plan is not always cheap

Many individuals are attracted to the lowest premium plan for the insurance. It may seem cheap but it is the other way round. You have to submit the co-pay which can be costly. You also have to pay the annual deductible. It is the amount that you have to pay before you use your insurance for some major expense.
Choosing the right health insurance policy is not an easy decision, but it is an important one.

Here’s A Quick Way To Understanding Medicare

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Medicare is a social insurance program available to all citizens. Its funding is provided on a single-payer basis, meaning that the person receiving the benefits has contributed to the program through taxes throughout their lives. Some exceptions to this rule are people suffering from certain disabilities. It first appeared in the late 50’s under President Eisenhower, and was enacted by Congress under President Lyndon Johnson.

Who is eligible for Medicare?

The vast majority of Medicare benefits recipients are people over 65 years-old, the main demographic for which Medicare was originally put in place for. However, the modern version also covers younger residents with certain disabilities. Other conditions like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and end stage renal disease are also covered, regardless of the age of the beneficiary.  

The Medicare Program in a Nutshell

There are four main parts of Medicare: Part A, B, C and D. Part A deals with hospital stay insurance, part B with medical insurance, C with medical advantage plans and D with prescription drug plans. It’s important to note that Medicare does not cover the entire cost of hospitalization, medicine or other medical services – for the most part, it only covers 50%, the rest having to be covered out of pocket or through additional insurance plans.

In order to apply for the most basic plans, Part A & B, you will have to either visit the Social Security office, or go to www.socialsercurity.gov. You can also contact them at 1-800-772-1213. Enrolment for Part A is, for the most part, automatic for most people. However, to get Part B you will have to, in most cases, enroll yourself. There are also instances where you may not want Part B, and you will have to follow a simple procedure to drop it. Enrolment in Part B is not possible if you’re not enrolled in Part A of Medicare. For those receiving disability benefits, enrolment in Part A and B is done automatically after 24 months of receiving them first. Part A and B is applied automatically to people receiving retirement benefits.

Pros, Cons, Wait Times and Comparison with Private Healthcare

From an idealistic standpoint, Medicare is a great healthcare plan as it is mandatory from the State’s perspective to offer it to aged citizens or people suffering from certain disabilities. Its funding comes from universal taxes, so there’s no extra you need to pay for the program once you reach 65 or qualify based on disabilities or certain conditions. However, as mentioned before, Medicare does not cover the entirety of treatment, medical services or hospitalization.

In comparison to private health insurance plans, Medicare can be more inefficient, but more manageable from a finance standpoint. Private insurance is not as transparent as Medicare, meaning patients rarely know what the cost for certain coverage is. What’s more, Medicare cannot be denied to patients based on preexisting conditions. One issue with Medicare is that wait times are on the rise, and compared with private insurance, this really stands out most of the time. Delays in treatment and/or investigations lead to a significant number of complications for the patient.

In the end, Medicare is a state-sponsored, single-payer health insurance program, and from that perspective, it is not only a positive aspect, but a necessary one as well. And while it can be improved, there’s still a case to be made about how much that improvement can be stretched without it becoming unfair towards people who don’t want it or prefer private insurance plans.

Revolutionary New Glue Could Shake Up Electronics Industry

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An innovative new type of metal glue that sets at room temperature might be able to put an end to delicate soldering techniques that are used in various electronics. The glue was created by a team of researchers from Northeastern University in Boston.

The research team was led by Northeastern Professor Hanchen Huang, who represents the school’s department of mechanical and industrial engineering. Along with two PhD students, Professor Huang named the glue “MesoGlue”. Their research was published this month in the academic journal Advanced Materials and Processes.

By using the glue, electronics makers would be able to connect small parts with extreme precision and security. At the present time, these connections require soldering techniques. Such soldering is often conducted by hand, and it is an incredibly delicate procedure that leaves little room for error. Should the soldering come undone for any reason, the device can fail to work properly.

The glue works by taking advantage of tiny metallic nanorods that are just 10 to 20 nanometers wide. They are coated with iridium on one side and gallium on the other. The nanorods are arranged in lines, similar to teeth on a jacket’s zipper. When the teeth become interlaced, the iridium and gallium make contact, becoming a liquid. The core of the metallic nanorods converts that liquid into a solid in order to form a strong bond. The entire process can be completed in less than one minute.

Professor Huang explained, “It happens at room temperature, pretty much with just your fingertip pressure.”

And unlike standard polymer glue, MesoGlue remains strong at extremely high temperatures and under high pressure. The glue is also an outstanding conductor of heat and electricity, and it resists the leakage of air or gas.

It is expected that the glue will be primarily used to attach components to circuit boards without soldering. This would eliminate the risk of damaging the circuit board, which has been a longtime problem in the creation of circuit boards. The glue could also be used in heat sinks, which are the components that prevent electronics from overheating.

For more than a decade, Professor Huang and his team have been working on nanorod technology. The team has already received a provisional patent for MesoGlue, and they have launched a company to sell the product.

While the glue is expected to be far too expensive for ordinary household use, it should make waves in the electronics industry. It is also likely that MesoGlue will see a large amount of use by manufacturers of military equipment and by aerospace companies. Still, it could take several years before MesoGlue is ultimately integrated into various manufacturing processes.

Multimillion Dollar Robot Butler; Could Become the Next Home Innovation

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It may be a while before we have robotic human-like butlers cleaning our homes. However, a team of researchers and developers from Florida known as Team IHMC and their United States government Atlas robot (a multimillion dollar investment by Google) are trying their best to make it a reality.

The robotics team from the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (Team IHMC) is “teaching” the humanoid Atlas robot how to perform common human housework and chores. It is proving quite difficult – even for the incredibly intelligent team members that earned second place in the 2015 Darpa Robotics Challenge.

Atlas is what is known as a semi-autonomous system. The robot’s operator directs the robot where to be and what position it should take, such as where to place its hands on a vacuum cleaner. Then, the humanoid robot determines a plan of how to accomplish that task. For some tasks, Atlas’s actions are human-like and logical. Other tasks and chores require a re-thinking of how to complete the job in a manner that is very different from the way a person would perform the action.

A robot operator at IHMC, John Carff, said that, “It takes a lot of patience and out-of-the-box thinking to be a robot operator. When you approach a task or situation you’ve never seen before, you need to think of as many different ways of completing that task as you can and figure out what approach would be best for the robot. Many of the tasks Atlas performs are done a lot differently than a human would do the same task.”

One example of this is a humanoid robot’s actions of using a jack to move a pallet. A human has the coordination and thought process to stop the jack from rolling backwards or forward when pushing the handle to lift the pallet. However, Atlas needed to approach the task from the side of the jack, and it used its foot to stop the jack from moving forward as the pallet was raised.

For Team IHMC, the whole exercise was a great way of testing new code and algorithms beyond simply running the Robotics Challenge tasks time and time again. For the rest of the world, it means that our humanoid robot butlers will not be cleaning our houses any time soon.

What The Hail! 2 Things Car Owners Should Know About Mother Nature

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You may have heard that the Denver area had a bit of a hail storm. If you were on the road at the time, you heard it literally, in the form of hundreds of ice balls pinging off your car. Or watching from inside your house or office.

Once the storm is over, you will have to contend with the damage? What if all those hail stones left dozens of tiny dents on your hood, or even shattered your windshield, as happened to many Denverite’s

This is what the affected car owners should know.

Insurance

Standard insurance policies, also known as collision insurance, won’t cover the body damage done by hail stones, because it didn’t happen during a car accident or liability coverage, won’t cover this damage.

You’d need to have an additional “comprehensive insurance’’ plan in order to have your hail damage covered, and even then, you’ll probably be paying a deductible for the repair.

Anyone who had their windshield cracked or shattered by hail might have better luck. “It would just be like a stone getting kicked up and hitting your windshield,’’.

Check to see if your insurance policy includes glass coverage. If it does, you’re covered and probably with no deductible.

Repairs

If we’re talking dozens of tiny dents all over the body panels of your car, you have a few paths forward, the first is to just leave it alone.

Then it’s just an appearance issue, it’s not really affecting how the car is going to perform.

If you’re looking to resell your car at some point in the future, the fact that it’s covered in dents will devalue your car. But if you plan to keep the car until it’s ready for the junkyard, and aren’t worried about it looking good on the road, then those little dents aren’t going to hurt you.

If you decide to pay for repairs, the standard route is to take the car to your usual dealership or body shop, but most likely this route will not be the cheapest option.

Look for companies who specializes in” PDR,  paintless dent removal, a method that pops dented areas back into place, but can’t get rid of scratches or chips. These companies have specialized tools, and push the dents out from the inside, as long as the paint isn’t cracked, This is  a workable solution.’

Although there are kits at some hardware stores that will let you try this method on your own, but you should use caution with this approach. Let the PDR professionals repair it.

The hail dents tend to be a little harder. They have to be literally massaged from the inside to get the dent out. The PDR technicians are talented and experienced with hail damage. When they’re done, you can’t see any dents.

The reputable shops, will prepare the estimate, review your insurance, arrange a car rental, and provide updates all the way through the repair. When the car is delivered, it will be on time, quality assurance and with a life time warranty. Some of these shops, will cover your deductible, pay for your rental and offer you a cash incentive. Zero out of pocket repair, this is the best option.

Medicare Part A, B, C or D, What?

 Medicare is a social insurance program available to all citizens. Its funding is provided on a single-payer basis, meaning that the person receiving the benefits has contributed to the program through taxes throughout their lives. Some exceptions to this rule are people suffering from certain disabilities. It first appeared in the late 50’s under President Eisenhower, and was enacted by Congress under President Lyndon Johnson.

Who is eligible for Medicare?

The vast majority of Medicare benefits recipients are people over 65 years-old, the main demographic for which Medicare was originally put in place for. However, the modern version also covers younger residents with certain disabilities. Other conditions like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and end stage renal disease are also covered, regardless of the age of the beneficiary.  

The Medicare Program in a Nutshell

There are four main parts of Medicare: Part A, B, C and D. Part A deals with hospital stay insurance, part B with medical insurance, C with medical advantage plans and D with prescription drug plans. It’s important to note that Medicare does not cover the entire cost of hospitalization, medicine or other medical services – for the most part, it only covers 50%, the rest having to be covered out of pocket or through additional insurance plans.

In order to apply for the most basic plans, Part A & B, you will have to either visit the Social Security office, or go to www.socialsercurity.gov. You can also contact them at 1-800-772-1213. Enrolment for Part A is, for the most part, automatic for most people. However, to get Part B you will have to, in most cases, enroll yourself. There are also instances where you may not want Part B, and you will have to follow a simple procedure to drop it. Enrolment in Part B is not possible if you’re not enrolled in Part A of Medicare. For those receiving disability benefits, enrolment in Part A and B is done automatically after 24 months of receiving them first. Part A and B is applied automatically to people receiving retirement benefits.

Pros, Cons, Wait Times and Comparison with Private Healthcare

From an idealistic standpoint, Medicare is a great healthcare plan as it is mandatory from the State’s perspective to offer it to aged citizens or people suffering from certain disabilities. Its funding comes from universal taxes, so there’s no extra you need to pay for the program once you reach 65 or qualify based on disabilities or certain conditions. However, as mentioned before, Medicare does not cover the entirety of treatment, medical services or hospitalization.

In comparison to private health insurance plans, Medicare can be more inefficient, but more manageable from a finance standpoint. Private insurance is not as transparent as Medicare, meaning patients rarely know what the cost for certain coverage is. What’s more, Medicare cannot be denied to patients based on preexisting conditions. One issue with Medicare is that wait times are on the rise, and compared with private insurance, this really stands out most of the time. Delays in treatment and/or investigations lead to a significant number of complications for the patient.

In the end, Medicare is a state-sponsored, single-payer health insurance program, and from that perspective, it is not only a positive aspect, but a necessary one as well. And while it can be improved, there’s still a case to be made about how much that improvement can be stretched without it becoming unfair towards people who don’t want it or prefer private insurance plans.

How To Avoid Injury And Relieve Back Pain

Millions of Americans of all ages have experienced neck and back pain at some point in their lives. Neck and back pain is sensitive to stress, and it can be caused by the straining of muscles, and herniated intervertebral discs.

Back pain can be caused by a multitude of problems within the complex, interconnected network of spinal muscles, nerves, bones discs and tendons.

  • Large nerve roots in the low back that go to the legs may be irritated
  • Smaller nerves that supply the low back may be irritate
  • Large lower back muscles may be strained
  • Bones, ligaments or joints may be damaged
  • Disc may be degenerating

 

Adopting a bad posture such that neck and spine alignment is overstressed will certainly cause neck and back pain. One of the most common scenarios that lead to developing the neck pain. Generally, this happens when you are asleep. It can also happen while performing the tasks like reading a book in the bed without using a pillow.

Back pain can happen at anytime, twisting, turning, over reaching, being exhausted will cause your spine to misalign.

The most common of neck pain is an uncomfortable sleeping position. In this case, the use of pillows is recommended. Keeping your head too high or too low on the pillow will cause a slight misalignment of the spine and the neck, which might become the cause of neck pain. Back pain, discomfort and exhaustion might also be caused by the same sleeping position. This posture is not good for the muscles, and they try to gain a better position by stretching or compressing. In doing so, back pain or neck pain arises.

It is hard to avoid neck or back pain, trying to adopt a better posture, strengthen your back muscles,  exercise and stretching, where proper fitting shoes, look at orthotics, use correct pillows for sleep,  all of these things will encourage better circulation of blood, while preventing the neck and spine from undergoing any kind of stress.