The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said it had set aside the sum of N1.6 billion for women empowerment programme called the National Women Empowerment Fund (NAWEF).

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Sen. Aisha Jummai Alhassan, made this disclosure at a town hall meeting with women groups in Dutse.

Alhassan said that NAWEF is part of the FGs Social Investment Intervention Programme known as the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

She explained that the programme was being implemented by the ministry in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BoI), the administrating bank for the fund.

The GEEP is a micro-credit programme for men and women, boys and girls and out of the GEEP fund, a sum of N1.6bn, has been set aside exclusively for women.

Both NAWEF and GEEP are financial inclusion and microcredit programmes,she said.

She said the aims of NAWEF and GEEP were to provide micro-credit facilities for men and women; reduce poverty among rural dwellers and provide skills development, training and business support, especially for women.

According to her, the aims are also to assist in rebuilding the economies of rural areas through financial inclusion.

Alhassan said that the programmes were meant to build strong partnership between the federal and state ministries of women affairs, the BoI and development partners.

The partners, according to the minister are, the World Bank, African Development Bank, UN Women, UNIDO among others to provide a solid platform for implementing the programmes.

She added that the NAWEF and GEEP had 13 important features that every beneficiary needed to know.

NAWEF is exclusively for women, who engage in production enterprises while GEEP is for both men and women; artisans, farmers, market women or entrepreneurs, who engage in productive enterprise.

According to her, each beneficiary can get between N10,000 and N100,000 as loan, which is payable within six months, with one month grace after disbursement, before repayment starts.

However, the minister said that each beneficiary should belong to a registered association; cooperative society or any other trade organisation, which had a minimum of 10 members and a maximum of 20 members.

Every group, she said, must have a group leader, but not compulsory for existing organisations with a large membership.

That is those who have more than 20 members and with national spread, for example, women organisations such as NCWS, FOMWAN.

Application can be made in groups of 20 members from their different branches at State or Local Government levels, she explained.

According to her, the loans will be paid directly into beneficiaries personal accounts, not the group account.

Alhassan stated that each applicant must have his or her personal account, which must have BVN that could be used for verification.

The loans will be disbursed and repayment will be collected through local banks and money agents in order to reach remote areas with no banking facilities.

The loans are interest free and no collateral is required but there is an administrative charge of five per cent, which is to cover the banks expenses for administering the fund.

The application forms are also free and accounts can be opened in any commercial or Micro-finance bank.

These are some features one needs to know about the two programmes, Alhassan told the women group.

According to her, the Federal Governments aim is to reach those who have no income or working capital to undertake productive means of livelihood.

The minister, however, warned that the NAWEF or GEEP should not be seen as the distribution of free money or government largesse for buying wrappers and other luxury goods.

Therefore, to ensure the sustainability of this programme and to depart from the past failed ones, sanctions have been put in place to prevent abuse of the programme.

These two initiatives will also help rebuild the Nigerian economy and complement other economic empowerment strategies of the Federal and State Governments, as well as those of development partners.

I am hopeful that the NAWEF and GEEP programmes will be successful, so that they can be expanded in the near future.

Already, identification forms are pouring into my ministry, demonstrating a huge demand for financial services to cater for the Nigerian women and men.

I encourage all the states of the federation to participate actively in these programmes, as it will promote financial inclusion and livelihood opportunities for women, especially in the non-oil sectors to reduce poverty.

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FG sets aside N1.6b for women empowerment - Vanguard News - Vanguard

Life & Style > The Spotlight

To educate children on the operation of a small business and help teach important life skills, Lemonade Day will be coming back for year two in Louisville next spring. To learn more about this wonderful endeavor and how its changing the community, we spoke with Lemonade Day Louisville City Director Lauren Coulter.

What is Lemonade Day?

Lemonade day is a fun and interactive way for kids to learn how to start their own business using a lemonade stand. The program has 15 lessons that teach the basic principles of creating a product, buying materials, paying back investors, then deciding what to do with the profit. The kids are encouraged to spend some on themselves, save some for the future and share with a person or organization in their community. These lessons are taught through a workbook and are then put into action through an experiential event the creation of their actual lemonade stand. All participants receive a backpack that contains the training materials, a mentor guide for mentor participation, and fun rewards, such as a piggy bank for their savings, from our partners. The program is entirely free to participants.

What is its history in Louisville?

Lemonade Day national has been around for 10 years now, but we just had our first Lemonade Day here in Louisville. We will be having our second Lemonade Day in Spring 2018!

Why is it important for the greater community?

The foremost objective of Lemonade Day is to empower youth to take ownership of their lives and become productive members of society the business leaders, social advocates, volunteers and forward-thinking citizens of tomorrow. Financial literacy is acquired through skills that are often learned outside of the traditional classroom. Many children in Louisville have no one to teach these much needed skills. Lemonade Day participants acquire 21st-century skills in the specific areas of goal-setting and problem solving, and they gain self-esteem all of which are critical skills for future success.

How do you hope it affects change in Louisvilles youth?

The Lemonade Day program builds healthy communities through targeting six of the 40 Developmental Assets to include Social Competencies (Planning and Decision Making), Positive Identity (Personal Power, Self-Esteem, Sense of Purpose, Positive View of Personal Future) and Empowerment (Community Values Youth).

The Louisville community benefited from the Lemonade Day program this year as evidenced by participants who reported in their lemonade stand business results. Participants saw average revenues of $247, with the highest revenue stand selling $572 of lemonade and goodies. The average profit was $202; 90 percent of participants paid back their investor. Additionally, 90 percent of participants shared a portion of their profits with the community, with an average share amount of $80. These shared donations were given to local organizations like Cedar Lake Lodge, WHAS Crusade for Children and Blessings in a Backpack. We hope that year two will bring increased program participation. We would expect to see these results expand throughout the Louisville community, propelling a wide variety of youth to success they likely would not have pursued otherwise.

Any big developments on the horizon?

In year one, we piloted Lemonade Day in six of the YMCA CEP sites, reaching 180 kids through this avenue alone. An additional 200 kids participated one on one, working through program materials with a mentor. Our goal is build on each of our recruitment channels, increasing our involvement with YMCA CEP sites and one on one child-parent/mentor participation throughout the Louisville community. Our goal for the next two years is to grow participation in this project in areas of Louisville where increases in education, and specifically in financial literacy, would have the greatest impact. The Greater Louisville Projects (GLP) 2015 Competitive City Report showed that four neighborhoods (Russell, Portland, Phoenix Hill/Smoketown/Shelby Park and South Central Louisville) have the greatest challenges and barriers in the areas of health, education, employment, earning potential and even life expectancy, and therefore have the most potential to benefit from this program. Our goal would be to employ targeted recruitment strategies in these neighborhoods, working closely with trusted organizations in these neighborhoods (churches, community centers, etc.) to help increase awareness and participation.

How can readers get involved?

We would love to engage more kids in Lemonade Day! Whether it be through social organizations, youth clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girl and Boy Scouts we would love to engage more kids. If readers would like to bring Lemonade Day to their group, they can reach out to me at lauren@lemonadeday.org. Additionally, we are raising funds for year two of this endeavor. They can give online at louisville.lemonadeday.org. VT

Lemonade Day

Spring 2018

louisville.lemonadeday.org

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Spotlight on Lemonade Day - Voice Tribune

Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

To celebrate the incredibly prolific, influential and diverse body of work left behind by Prince, we will be exploring a different song of his each day for an entire year with the series 365 Prince Songs in a Year.

Lets make one thing clear right from the start. Princes P. Control isnt a song about spaying or neutering your cats.The lead track on 1995s The Gold Experience LP, P. Control (which because of its chorus is often referred to as P- Control ) is actually an amusing yet effective anthem for female empowerment. Its also one of Princes most impressive forays into hip-hop and stands as a sharp counterpoint to a lot of the misogynist gangsta rap that was clogging radio airwaves at the time.

Of course, using such a taboo word in the chorus more specifically, one that isso frequently used in a derogatory manner when speaking about women led many to assume Prince was at least temporarily taking the wrong side in the battle for gender equality.

But he made his stance clear in the introduction to the house mix of the song:

This is a tale about control Feline, that is But please dont be a victim of the 30 second bite Listen 2 the words carefully They are meant 2 uplift and enlighten All the members of the female persuasion So that no woman ever becomes a slave Yeah!

For Prince, those words werent merely lip service; the notion of, and dedication to, female empowerment was present right from the start of his career. At a time when women musicians were hired primarily as backup vocalists, he regularly had women playing instruments in his groups. His first touring band contained keyboardist Gayle Chapman. Later, guitarist Wendy Melvoin and keyboardist Lisa Coleman became both his most valued collaborators and the most visible members of the Revolution. Around that same time, Prince helped make percussionist Sheila E a solo star. And during his most fruitful recording years, his albums were engineered by Susan Rogers.

As Wendy and Lisa, who were also a couple while they were in Princes employ, told Out in 2009, his decision to have women in the band was very calculated and rooted in the Sly and the Family Stone mentality. Having them play up their sexual orientation just enough to be provocative but not so much that it was blatant was, in Lisas words, validating.

I felt slightly protected by it, which is really ironic, Wendy added. There was so much mystery around him and he never had to answer to anybody or anything and I was so young and dumb that I thought I could adopt that philosophy.

Over the next 25 years, women like Rhonda Smith, Rosie Gaines, Candy Dulfer and Andy Allo performed and recorded with him. His final band, 3rdeyegirl, consisted entirely of three women, guitarist Donna Grantis, bassist Ida Kristine Nielsen and drummer Hannah Welton. After his death, Jezebel published a lengthy article chronicling his personal and professional relationships with women musicians.

Given Princes proficiency on numerous instruments and exacting standards, the women were chosen as much for their talent as for their image. Welton found her time with Prince to be a welcome change from the traditional misogyny in the music industry. Weve been inspired by his style and him telling us how he wants people to see us, she told the Guardian. Theres a way to be portrayed as beautiful, and even sassy and sophisticated, yet still powerful. None of us will ever compromise our look and feel as if we have to go out there wearing next to nothing to be noticed. Thats what the industry has become these days and the music is suffering; people are over-compensating for their music not being very good. [W]omen first have to stand up for themselves and stop degrading themselves, stop compromising. We talk about these things with Prince a lot.

P. Control follows the life of the uniquely named title character, starting with her beatdown at the hands of several school friends over a hoodie. The maturing character tells her bullies off, brushes the dirt off of her shoulder, and keeps moving towards a masters degree and a successful career. As the story unfolds, P-s take-no-crap attitude extends to some fairly relentless suitors and ultimately leads to an encounter with Your Captain With No Name, as he refers to himself in the songs first verse. While the pickup game is certainly laid on thick in P. Controls last 16 bars, The Artist makes it clear that he is pitching woo with the utmost respect.

While never released as a single, P. Control is one of The Gold Experiences best known tracks. Prince managed to edit the song creatively enough to perform it on VH-1s Fashion & Music Awards in 1995. Joined by the New Power Generation and Mayte Garcia (who would become Princes wife less than a year after the show aired), the energetic performance features crowd surfing, a mock-fight between Prince and keyboardist Tommy Barbarella, and a cast of dancers acting out the songs lyrics.

Princes impending religious conversion meant that P. Control wasnt performed much in concert (it didnt make an appearance in a Prince set after 1996), but the artist liked the song enough to inclue a remixed version on his 1998 rarities collection Crystal Ball.

While Princes early aversion to rap is pretty well documented (check out The Black Albums Dead on It for proof), P. Control found Prince comfortable enough to deliver a hip-hop song that doesnt sound the least bit forced or unconvincing. Its a highlight of his 90s catalog, powerfully rebuking misogyny and tipping a hat to strong women everywhere.

By Mike Joseph, David Lifton and Matthew Wilkening

Prince: 40 Years of Photographs, 1977-2016

Next: Prince Turns His Guitarist's Phone Number Into a Hit Single

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Prince's 'P. Control' Makes a Unique Case for Female Empowerment: 365 Prince Songs in a Year - Diffuser.fm

It feels good to see goodness in another person. And it feels good when the goodness in us is seen. Acknowledging this gives strength to the goodness.

Dale Carnegie, the interpersonal skills author, once stated, nothing else so inspires and heartens people as words of appreciation. You and I may soon forget the words of encouragement and appreciation that we utter now, but the person to whom we have spoken them may treasure them and repeat them to themselves over a lifetime. Carnegie encourages us to focus on personal strengths and to back up our statements with evidence. Evidence gives our statements credibility and believability, so people know your observations about them are sincere.

I chose the field of social work for this very reason. At the heart of social work is the strengths perspective and its philosophy that looking for peoples strengths means you will find them. When applied beyond the field of social work, it is also referred to as the strength-based approach. Dennis Saleebey, one of the academics credited with codifying this practice, stated that individuals have vast, often untapped and frequently unappreciated reservoirs of physical, emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, social, and spiritual energies, resources and competencies. In other words, each of us is much more than our problems. We have all kinds of strengths and abilities, which help us to survive the challenges we meet. Another important principle of the strengths perspective is that people have the capacity to learn, grow and change.

As a clinical social worker, I provide mental health treatment for patients and their families. Recently, I was working with a young patient who was suicidal and struggling to get her father to listen to her feelings. The father was, by his own admission, bottled up and initially barely able to speak to me about his daughter. One day, he telephoned and proceeded to yell at me for a long time. I used the strength perspective to listen to him yelling at me. I remembered that for him this was a good sign. He was calling me. Instead of focusing on the fact that he was yelling, I was focusing on the fact that he had called. He was finally engaging in his daughters treatment even though he was telling me all of the reasons why he was not able to listen to her. When he was done, he felt better, and I praised him for the fact that he clearly wanted to help his daughter but that listening to her feelings was uncomfortable for him. I praised him for calling me.

Hundreds of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of praise in promoting positive behaviors, both in academic performance and work performance. Praise also has been demonstrated to reinforce positive behaviors in nonpraised adjacent individuals (in other words, hearing someone else get praised also feels good) through vicarious reinforcement. In order for praise to effect positive change, it must specify the particulars and must be delivered sincerely and credibly. In this way, praise tends to promote health of body and mind. Science demonstrates it is quite possible that by empowering people throughout their lives we actually immunize them against mental-health disorders such as depression.

There is a Turkish proverb that says, No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back. A road that is always before us leads to empowerment through choosing the positive in ourselves and in others. The father who yelled on the telephone at me ultimately came in for a family meeting, listened to his daughter, and praised her for being brave enough to tell him how she felt. It seems to be a law of nature that our thoughts and feelings are encouraged and strengthened when we say them out loud. When we articulate the goodness in ourselves and others, we feel connected, hopeful and happy.

Robin Barstow is a child and adolescent clinical social worker at Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook.

Original post:

Nothing is more empowering than when others see the goodness in us - Bangor Daily News

Rita Aciro Lakor is ranked among the top players of womens rights activism in Uganda.

Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA |She has been involved at different levels and stations for the last 18 years and today she is the executive director of Uganda Womens Network (UWONET), one of the biggest NGOs working on gender transformation and empowerment of women.

While it serves as a job that puts food on the table, Aciro says she does it as more out of passion. She refers to her childhood whenever she tries to explain where it all started.

She says, even as a child, she had the innate talent of being a good speaker and an ability to influence others. She recalls that on many occasions at Mary Reparatrix Boarding School Bugonga in Entebbe and at Kololo Secondary School, Aciros teacher told her that she would turn out to be a person of influence. The words came to pass, she says.

Also, as in most African societies, Aciro observed several injustices against women and girls in families and society. She says that while she was never a victim of what she fights for, she is pushed to fight for other women to ensure that they too enjoy equal rights especially in an era where the fight has been underrated.

When you look at the domestic sphere, nobody wants to talk about it and yet there is so much injustice and discrimination at the family and community level that penetrating such an area will take us many more years, says Aciro.

Issues on violence in homes, incest, marital rape, widow inheritance, disinheriting widows and orphans in communities are some of the issues that nobody wants to talk about, she says.

And as society tolerates such injustices as it is socialised to believe that it is the norm, women are most affected.

Her entry into the womens NGO world started in 1997, when enrolled as an intern at UWONET. Soon she was standing out among her colleagues as not only doing the job well but also working with passion. Even when she did not keep in there for so long, she still worked within the same areas and indeed after 10 years, she was sought for to take up leadership at the NGO.

I was taken up by what I love to do best but the testimony of the ability, commitment and passion for leadership was proven, she says.

Aciro says that womens advocacy is not just about talking but also addressing issues from a factual point of view. This requires a lot of research. She says, in contrast to popular view, NGO work is hard work that involves selling resourceful issues that affect society to stakeholders.

Aciro says her work today is in line with her desire to prove that a woman can do whatever a man can do and even better. It started at an early age and associating mainly with boys.

I am very competitive and I found this character in boys because I always wanted to prove that I can do whatever they did or even better, she says.

Aciro is married and her husband of 18 years has been supportive of the causes she pursues. She says she aspires to remain independent both mentally and financially even at home and is not the kind of wife who believes that its men who are supposed to provide for the home.

Regarding her work and passion, Aciro says many challenges affecting the womens movement remain.

We need to connect dots on how policy and governance agenda has an implication on the things that happen to women at a personal level; for instance issues of forceful land acquisition and the impact on food security.

Ritah Aciros Liteside

Any three things we dont know about you?

I am a very determined and positive person. At times people look at me as a hard person but I have a very soft heart and I am a very forgiving person; where I sense trouble, I withdraw. I am also a struggler and theres nothing negative that comes my way to pull me down.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Having consent to make certain decisions in life.

What is your greatest fear?

I fear for what may happen to my two sons when I am gone so I always pray for life to see my sons through adulthood.

Which living person do you most admire?

I admire Miria Matembe for her fight for rights beyond hers.

What is the greatest thing you have ever done?

I have been able to turn around the organisation that I work for and that to me, it is the greatest I have done. I can underestimate the fact that I have taken the organisation to the women at the grassroots level and made them feel as part of it unlike what it was before.

What is your current state of mind?

At peace.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

The superiority of men; the thinking that men are better than women in all social, economic and political aspects and yet we have not given them equal opportunities and platform is just not fair. Right from after birth, the treatment, the language used to both and what starts at home has a reflection in the public sphere.

What does being powerful mean to you?

As a student of leadership and governance, I understand power as the ability to influence positively.

On what occasion do you lie?

We all tell lies either indirectly to protect somebody or for anything.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

There is nothing more that I can ask God for.

Which living person do you most despise?

Those who oppress and violate rights of humanity.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Being respectful and confident are very crucial.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Confidence and doing what she believes is right.

Original post:

RITA ACIRO: Passion for empowering women - Independent

Interscope Records

After months of speculation, some leaks and a steady stream of singles trickling out from the top of the Hollywood Sign, Lana Del Reys Lust For Life dropped on Friday morning (Jul. 21).

The albums tone was set from very first single Love, a hopeful departure from Del Reys usually dark, melancholic fare. The sprawling sixteen song record, her longest to date, is as much a beacon of light as it is a politically-charged reminder of where America is now.

Outside of the shift in themes perhaps notably the outright feminist God Bless America And All the Beautiful Women In it, in which she uses the Statue of Liberty to represent the women left standing amidst the chaos Lana Del Reys fifth release is exciting because of the involvement of other musicians.

From two A$AP Rocky collaborations to appearances by Sean Ono Lennon and Stevie Nicks, LDR proves herself to be a gateway between classic rock and hip-hop; a unique artist capable of keeping one foot in past influences with the other firmly planted in the future.

Regardless of what you think of Lana Del Rey, this exactly the kind of hopeful, poignantly political pop record that we need right now. Lanas lost absolutely none of her edge, but maintains a beautiful outlook on the future. Even as she watches Trumps America unfold from the top of the Hollywood Sign, the girl who was born to die has found her lust for life, and we couldnt be happier for her.

Scroll further down for a track-by-track breakdown of Lust For Life.

Love

The opening track, performed for the first time at this years SXSW at a surprise showcase, also ushered Lana into a new era of sound. Love, taking place against a sparse drum beat and floaty string production, is perhaps the happiest we have ever seen (or heard) the singer. From the somber reflections of heartbreak that put her on the map, shes evolved with this hopeful, minimalistic ode to everyone whos ever been young and in love.

Lust for Life (feat. The Weeknd)

The title track also boasts the albums first feature, with none other than frequent collaborator The Weeknd. The sumptuous, unapologetically poppy track sees both of these gloomy heartbreakers brooding to, and about, each other, but in the hopeful tone of lovers with a future. They sing They say only the good die young / That just aint right / Cause were having too much fun and the lustfor life and otherwiseis palpable. Starboy and Stargirl are reunited at the top of the Hollywood Sign, and the world couldnt be better.

13 Beaches

Del Rey had to give us a touch of somber wandering; it wouldnt be a Lana Del Rey record otherwise. It hurts to love you / But I still love you / Its just the way I feel, she bemoans as she wanders thirteen beaches to find the one where she can be alone. Its a song that speaks to the lonely, star-filled poet that she remains at heart. Lanas learned to smile through the tears, but that doesnt mean shes not still quietly shedding a few.

Cherry

A sensual, sensory experience, LDR conjures cherries, wine, rosemary and thyme amid a sexy downbeat. The slow-burning track is pure, diluted midsummer, and as delicious to listen to as the bodily pleasures that inspired that inspired the song. Would we expect anything less from the self-proclaimed Queen of Coney Island?

White Mustang

Not to be confused with White Ferrari (Im fully kidding; Frank Ocean fans, do not come for me), Del Rey takes a top-down ride in a lovers white mustang. Ever since we saw her hold her own against lumbering motorcycle gangs on ride and driving down a long highway in the video for Burning Desire, weve been waiting another road-trip ready bop. Melancholic motor junkies, rejoice.

Summer Bummer (feat. A$AP Rocky & Playboi Carti)

Turning up the star power by two for A$APs first appearance on the album, Lana plays with the trap beats she began to favor in Honeymoon, and what better pair to traipse this world alongside her than her hip-hop JFK and Cash Carti? She trades verses about lovers not being bummers while Carti and Rocky shower her with, um, compliments: Her sophistication makes you want to quit the bitch youre dating. Cant argue with that logic (or with the delectable beat).

Groupie Love (A$AP Rocky)

A more soulful turn than Summer Bummer, this Rocky duet contemplates the life of a groupie as she has to share her man with the rest of the world. Every time you look up / I know what youre thinking of / You want my groupie love, she swoons. You can perfectly imagine the scene from the National Anthem video where Rocky blows her a kiss and she holds it to her heart.

In My Feelings

What sounds like another doleful ballad turns out to be a bait-and-switch. In My Feelings sees Lana Del Rey at her most independent, as she tosses aside an old lover, devouring the word looooser with a relish befitting of everything shes achieved. She sings about laughing as she takes no prisoners, takes down names, makes good love and makes good money, too. Somebodys obviously been watching Lemonade.

Coachella Woodstock In My Mind

Although some of you might roll your eyes (or, for the purists, openly gasp) at the comparison of Woodstock to Coachella, Del Rey makes a point here about the power and atmosphere of music festivals, and the kind of communities we should all enjoy. When you think about the fact that this song was written amid the backdrop of impending nuclear threat, it becomes an uplifting beacon of hope, a snapshot of joy in the middle of trying times.

God Bless America And All the Beautiful Women In It

Lana Del Rey hasnt played with acoustic guitar sounds since covering Leonard Cohens Chelsea Hotel No. 2, and the opening eventually builds into the electronic orchestra that usually bolsters her work. This song is notable for using the imagery of the Statue of Liberty to empower American women. Listen closely, and theres criticism amidst the empowerment: two gun shots sound every time she sings God bless America.

When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing

Another anthem for the young, Lana Del Rey contemplates the end of America as she surveys the damage, and encourages everyone suffering to keep on dancing. She maintains, in the most political of reality checks, the message of hope that bolsters the entire record: Its only the beginning / if we hold on to hope / Well have a happy ending.

Beautiful People Beautiful Problems (feat. Stevie Nicks) The track that every single music blog has been salivating over since the announcement of these two witchy women teaming up does not disappoint. An ethereal anthem to troubled love by the two women in the world most familiar with the topic, Beautiful People features Stevie Nicks immediately distinguishable voice at its best, playing with Del Reys soft whispers and raising them to new emotional heights.

Tomorrow Never Came (feat. Sean Ono Lennon)

With a refrain that makes a gentle nod to Bob Dylans Lay Lady Lay and Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, Lana Del Rey and Sean Ono Lennon are steeped in classic rock as interpreted by the new generation of musicians. These two show off their musical chops and their deep emotional ties to an era of American music so many think is dead. I adored you / And I just wanted things to be the same, they sing to each other amid soft guitar and Beatles-esque production that would bring the most stone-hearted doubters to tears.

Heroin

A tender song about death in an album full of life, Del Rey pays tribute to the drug thats taken so many of her icons. Its impossible to not think of Lou Reed and The Velvet Undergrounds song of the same name as the track builds to an intensity, to Del Rey writing on the walls in blood and st.

Change

Lana Del Rey hasnt sang over a piano barebones like this since Old Money, a heartbreaking track from Ultraviolence that samples the love theme from Franco Zafirellis Romeo and Juliet. This song, doubling as both personal empowerment and a blanket statement about keeping hope alive during times of great turmoil, is by far her most powerful and heartbreaking as she attempts to be honest, capable, and beautiful in the face of instability.

Get Free

The final track, building into a Beach Boys-like melody, is a song of intense relief after so much contemplation and turmoil. Equal parts calm and danceable, this is the perfect ending to an album so full of deep philosophical thought. She revisits the theme of having a war on her mind, subverting it by finally living her own life away from somebody elses game. Its this independence that gives Del Rey her lust for life, and makes this the perfect closer to an album full of contemplations of intense growth.

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Lana Del Rey's 'Lust For Life': A Track-by-Track Breakdown - PopCrush

Sex Heroes is an ongoing HuffPost Q&A series byVoices Editorial Director Noah Michelsonthat explores the lives and experiences of individuals who are challenging, and thereby changing, mainstream cultures understanding of sex and sexuality.

Andrew Gurza has dedicated his life to sharing his unique experiences as a queer cripple.

The 33-year-old disability awareness consultant, who has cerebral palsy, is the creator of DisabilityAfterDark, a brand that includes podcasts, blogs and presentations about sex, sexuality and disability. According to his website, DisabilityAfterDark offers a unique glimpse into sex and disability that shines a light on the intersectionality of sex and disability, the fun found in sex and disability, and the vulnerability of sex and disability that we very rarely talk about.

Gurzas unflinching approach to these topics, which are often considered taboo (if theyre discussed at all),makes his work enormously compelling, thoroughly necessary and unlike anything anyone else is currently undertaking. The consultant, who is non-ambulatory and a wheelchair user,recently chatted with HuffPost about why he refers to himself as a queer cripple, the biggest challenges he faces when it comes to sex and what he wants everyone to know about having sex with someone with a disability.

Tell me why youve chosen the terms queer and cripple to describe yourself. Ive seen some people especially upset about your use of cripple. I have chosen the words queer and cripple as my chosen descriptors with very specific intent and purpose. First, I use queer in part because I never really felt like I fit into the gay community as it were. My body and experiences didnt fit that mold at all. I also didnt like how many stereotypical assumptions of MSM [male-seeking-male] sexuality was ascribed to the word gay. Queer encompasses, for me at least, that I dont need to adhere to any of those stereotypes that force so many gay men into these narrow homonormative boxes. Queer says, Fuck your boxes, I am doing this my way.

Cripple is a whole different monster entirely. Id be lying if I said that I didnt enjoy the shock value in that word, but it does go so much deeper than that. Cripple, when I use it, allows me to take ownership of everyones misconceptions of disability; it allows me to preemptively say, I know what you may think about disability. I know that youre scared of me; I know you think Im different from you, and guess what? I am. Im owning that as best as I can when I use that word. It is a term of personal empowerment for me. I wouldnt use it to describe another disabled person without their consent, but for me it helps me navigate the experience of disability with an honesty that I think is really important.

To the people who have been upset, I say this: Until you experience disability the way I do, you have no right to police my language.

The pieces you write and the discussions you have about your sex life are really unlike anything Ive read or heard before. What made you decide to be so open and honest about such personal matters? If I really think about it, I made the choice to be so open because I had never seen anything like that out there. Whenever we talk about sex and disability if we dare it is in this painfully sanitized way that tends to tell you nothing about the person with a disability, their sex or what they actually want it doesnt shed any light on how it really feels, and I wanted to take a stab at that. It has also been a cathartic experience for me, writing about this stuff. It allows me to get it out, to tell someone my true feelings.

Alejandro Santiago Photography

Is there anything you consider too personal to write about? When it comes to disability, queerness and intersectionality, I dont think so. This topic is still so shrouded in mystery which is actually just a fuckton of ableism that I think we need those raw, uncomfortable stories to shake things up. People always ask me, What is sex and disability like? That question is precisely why we need this intensely personal narrative.

What kind of responses have you gotten? I have gotten a breadth of responses from people ranging from praise and thanks to strongly worded letters and emails denouncing my work and what I write about. In either case, it means Ive hit a nerve. The fact that I got people talking about it and thinking about it even if they dislike what I am saying means that my goal of bringing a real-life discussion of sex, sexuality, queerness and disability to the forefront of our communitys conscience has worked. Im OK with that.

Why is sex such an important subject for you? Its important because with respect to disability and sex, especially as it intersects with queerness, the subject is all but nonexistent. That sucks. What if LGBTQ+ people had nothing to read that represented them? Thats how so many queer disabled people feel. They want to read about their experiences too, and I want to be one person to provide them that chance. It may also be important to me because I like sex. So, theres that.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face regarding sex? Some of my biggest challenges are: 1) Getting to have sex at all. Finding someone who wants to get naked with the Queer Cripple has been surprisingly difficult. I talk, write, podcast and present a lot on the subject of sex, disability and queerness, but I dont actually get to have that much. Any takers? 2) One of the other biggest challenges I have with sex is finding an emotional connection on the rare occasions that I do have sex. I want sex that means something, and I sometimes feel upset that in my quest to be your No. 1 Queer Cripple, Ill engage in sex that is devoid of feeling because I think to myself, No one else has been here in months, I had better take what I can get. 3) Its challenging to feel sexy, queer and disabled when you constantly have to prove to other people you are sexually viable and worth a good fuck.

You also write about the emotional and psychological side of sex and sexuality as a queer disabled man. My writing on the psychological side of sex, disability and queerness helps me to answer the question How does sex and disability feel? Tapping into the psychological stuff also helps to flesh out the worldview of disabled sex in a way that we dont ever see. I also think when non-disabled people read that stuff, it helps them see sex and disability as more than just two people in chairs getting it on. It shows them that these experiences mean something. And, writing this stuff undoubtedly helps me work through my own shit. Definitely.

Alejandro Santiago Photography

What are the biggest misconceptions about sex when it comes to being a queer person with a disability? The biggest misconceptions are: 1. I cant have it wrong. 2. I dont want it Ha! I would say I have a higher sex drive than most. 3. Specifically in terms of queerness, a lot of LGBTQ+ men assume I must be passive, or a boring lay. They have a lot to learn. There are so many more, but those are some highlights.

What do you want someone who doesnt have a disability to know about having sex with a person who does have a disability? I want them to know that it is OK to not have all the answers. Its OK to have questions, and its OK to ask. Its all about how you ask, though. If you wanna get to know me and/or get naked, please dont start with: So, does your dick work? Ugh. Also, dont ask me, How did you end up in a chair? as that assumes that I was once able, and therefore closer to your definition of normal. But, you can ask: Hi. I see you have a disability or You disclosed [you have a disability] for individuals with invisible disabilities I think youre really cute, and I had some questions about your disability. May I ask them as I undress you at your place? That response is totally acceptable. In all seriousness, I want non-disabled people to know that my disability informs a lot of who I am, so please acknowledge it before we have sex. Ive had guys tell me before we met up that my disability was not an issue only to discover that it really was too much for them. That blows and not in the good way.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Is there a sex hero you think deserves to be covered on HuffPost?Send an email to Noah Michelson.

Originally posted here:

Here's What This 'Queer Cripple' Wants You To Know About His Sex Life - HuffPost

Girls on the Run of the North States registration for the fallseason is now open. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that inspires girls in 3rd through 8th grade to be joyful, healthy and confident. The volunteer-led program brings together groups of 8-15 girls for a ten-week program that encourages personal development, team building and connection to the community.

We start by helping the girls get a better understanding of who they are and whats important to them. We then look at the importance of teamwork and healthy relationships. And, finally, the girls explore how they can positively connect with and shape the world - we are nurturing the 'whole' girl. Claire Johnson, executive director.

"Girls on the run taught me never to give up. I made lots of friends and I met a lot of very nice coaches throughout the season. The coaches built up my confidence by teaching me how to be strong and believe in myself. Girls on the run taught me to collaborate with other girls. The 5K seemed very hard but once I was finished I felt like I could do anything. Now I'm not afraid to try new things. I love GOTR." ~Evelyn, age 8

This fall, Girls on the Run programs will be offered at over 35 locations throughout Butte and Glenn counties. Each team will meet two times a week for 75-90 minutes after school and participate in research-based lessons that use dynamic discussions and fun running games to teach life skills and build confidence. The season will culminate in a 5k event that brings together family, friends and community members to celebrate the girls growth throughout the season.

Our fall season will begin the week of September 4, 2017 and run through the week of November 13, 2017. Our Fall GOTR 5K Fun Run will be held Saturday, November 11, 2017 at 9 am at Bidwell Parks One Mile Recreation Area.

More information about the program, active schools and registration can be found on the Girls on the Run of the North States website at gotrnothstate.org. The program fee for the fall 2017 season is $125. Discounted rates are offered based on yearly, household income. The program fee includes registration for the end-of-season 5k event, a shirt and finishers medal.

About Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a national physical activity-based positive youth development program for 3rd-8thgrade girls. Participants develop and improve competence, feel confidence in who they are, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care, create positive connections with peers and adults and make a meaningful contribution to community and society. Each session is led by trained volunteer coaches. Each ten-week program concludes with participants completing a celebratory 5k event which gives them a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Girls on the Run has served over 1.4 million girls since its inception in 1996.

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Girls on the Run of the North State set to offer empowerment program at more than 35 schools - Gridley Herald

The Savara Womens Advancement Program (SaWA) by Savara Mudigi, a vocalist and a member of the award winning band Sauti Sol, has kicked off its core component, a training program for young women. This has come after a successful launch that featured the SaWA tournament at Camp Toyoyo and the SaWA Concert that featured a Sauti Sol performance in Eastlands.

The SaWA program seeks to inspire and motivate young women to live amazing and impactful lives so as to reach their full potential. The first phase of the training program was rolled out on 8thJuly 2017 in Eastlands, Nairobi.

The project seeks to empower women, motivating them to reach their individual goals while providing the skills and tools they need to achieve those goals. Ultimately, the program hopes to tackle unemployment, inequality in competence and intelligence, and domestic violence.

The SaWA program comprises of eight full day seminars over a period of four months from July 2017-October 2017, plus a boot camp for the 50 ladies on completion of the course. It targets 50 women aged between 18 and 25 years and training focuses on equipping the participants with life skills to make them successful and respected members of the society.

The four major topics to be covered include mindset transformation, facilitated byRe-Wire founder, Angela Kagume.The 50 ladies will also undergo personal financial management with Sheba Njagi. The first cohort of the empowerment are also set to be tutored on art and music by Chiki Onwukwe as well as benefit from a mentorship program providing them with insights into their careers via internships, job shadowing or worksite visits.

See more here:

Sauti Sol's Savara Initiates Women's Empowerment Program SaWA ... - Capital FM Kenya (press release) (blog)

It's 10:52 p.m. and Chris Bianco is still working. He's sending emails when most of the country has finished their shifts and are already deep in REM sleep.Bianco has no doubt already spent all day at one of his several restaurants, or maybe even all of them, and an hour short of midnight, he's still at it.Which makes it either all the more remarkable or all the more typical that he's tackled the major project of a cookbook.

"We are the measures of balance," he writes. "Crispy, chewy, thin, thick, spicy how we like things is personal to understanding nuances, and how to get to those places and profiles is the roadmap of a journey." That's the vision for his new book, Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Foods I Like(Ecco, 2017), which will be released on Tuesday, July 25.

If that sounds like the musings of a man who rarely stops thinking, whose inner narratives are never paused by a comma or period, then you heard right. And his cookbook? It's not really a cookbook. It's more like spending the day with the James Beard-winning, Oprah-hailed, Jimmy Kimmel's fellow fly-fisherman chef who has stopped what he is doing to teach you how to cook something astounding in 15 minutes.

There are recipes for pizza, for meatballs, for focaccia, for Sunday gravy, beets roasted with fig leaves, custard, and lemon cookies. There's also Chris in every recipe; a story, an inspiration, a family tale. The book is more than a book; it's a Chris Bianco omnibus, taking a willing participant through the Candy Land of his restaurants, creations, and motivations.

"I tried my hardest with a limited skill set to one day leave this physical place better than I found it ... maybe just an inch," he says.

The narrative chronicles his career, which started in a small kitchen behind a grocery store in central Phoenix. He then dives into his relationship with sourcing, using the best ingredients possible, and his philosophy that food is a collective experience to be shared, modified, and fit to each individual who tackles a recipe.

"The book is about empowerment of our personal worth as it relates metaphorically through food," he explains. "And it already existed before you turned a page."

The magic potion for his pizza dough has been traversing the internet for about a decade, but those who have tried it knowthat while it's a great recipe, it really can't be replicated unless you have Bianco's oven, his flour, and whatever other magic it takes to make the pizza served at his restaurants. But, combined with entries like gnocchi, lasagna, and risotto, isn't he worried about giving away the store?

"I've always given up recipes or sources, letting transparency, and intention tell the story," he says. "Recipes to me are only notes, to make music is for us to find a genre that fits our person, and to play it with purpose and a whole heart."

And there's no favorite recipe. "I would like to, and do think, that they are all significant in their own way," he says. "Like your kids."

Speaking of kids, paging through Bianco's book, with its very personal narrative and staple recipes from Bianco's close-knit family,it easy to wonder if perhapshe had his children in mind as he compiled the chapters. It reads like a tribute or a legacy, for them and for us.

Bianco writes in his book that it was 30 years ago, when he was just a kid from the Bronx, that he won two free plane tickets to anywhere in the United States. For reasons that are still a mystery to him, Bianco chose Phoenix. Mesmerized by the sky during that first encounter, he returned. He made Phoenix his home and put the city on the culinary map with pizza that was dubbed by many to be the best in the country.

Which begs the question: Whose hometown boy is he? Does he belong to Phoenix, or to the Bronx?

"Finders keepers," he replies. "It's funny about where we are from. You think you know, then you spit in an ancestry.com cup and the dots start to connect. But there is always where you land and end up that has its influence and that gives you your accent. My wife, Mia, goes back three generations here; my kids were born here. Phoenix feels like home to me more than any place I've ever been."

So that settles it. He's ours.

Even at 6:45 a.m., the time stamp on the final email in our conversation.

Bianco: Pizza, Pasta and Other Food I Like,will be published on July 25. Chris Bianco will be reading at Changing Hands, 300 West Camelback Road, at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 31. Tickets are $34.99 and include one copy of the book and admission for two people.

More here:

Chris Bianco Talks About His New Book, Culinary Empowerment, and Phoenix - Phoenix New Times

From left: Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany Haddish in Girls Trip. ( Universal Pictures / TNS )

Starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee. Opens Friday in GTA theatres. 122 minutes. 18A

There is a positive and life-affirming message about sisterhood and personal empowerment in Girls Trip.

But you have to wade through an awful lot of clutter to get there. Or perhaps dross would be a more accurate description.

The film is audacious and unabashed in its determination to draw laughs from material that takes vulgarity to the extreme. Some of it works while a lot of it is just head-shakingly awful.

The plot is straightforward: four women, best pals since college 25 years earlier, reunite for the first time in quite a while to party hardy at the annual Essence Music Festival can you say product placement? in the Big Easy.

Ryan (Regina Hall) is a successful self-help author and guest speaker at the event, hoping to land a merchandising deal with a mega-retailer (if only she can overlook the activities of her cheating louse of a husband).

Sasha (Queen Latifah) is a journalist who has sold out, barely scraping a living with a celebrity-gossip blog. Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a glammed-down helicopter mom to two kids while Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is the sassy, libidinous one with major impulse-control issues.

With four credited screenwriters, the too many chefs maxim applies the script is loose and lazy, with more focus on antics and bad language than plot and character development.

Words like bitch, ho and the dreaded N-word flow freely, and how tiresome and anti-feminist it is to hear women repeat the mantra that what all a woman with the blues needs is something big and black.

Two scenes drew horrified peals of laughter from the audience at a recent public screening, one involving golden showers and a second featuring full frontal nudity by a homeless man.

Still, the film is not a total writeoff. Theres some good chemistry among the four principals and a fine performance from Hall as Ryan, a torn woman whose life looks way better on the outside.

And Queen Latifah brings her usual solid screen presence, along with some sweet melancholy, to the role of Sasha.

Theres clearly a ready audience for Girls Trip it certainly tickled funny bones at the advance screening and theres a resolution that is genuinely warm and redemptive.

But a comedy thats so determined to shock the laughs out of you isnt going to be everyones idea of a fun trip to the movies.

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

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Girls Trip goes too far, far too often: review - Toronto Star

Following the release of shocking figures that more than half of the UK's hospital admissions for eating disorders were under 20-years-old and some of them under 10, social media has copped much of the blame for contributing to the development of eating disorders in "the Facebook generation."

Teen and pre-teen eating disorders have been on the rise, with children as young as seven being admitted for treatment in Australia, and anorexia nervosa among the most common disorders affecting adolescent girls.

A study from the University of Haifa recently found that the more time adolescent girls spend in front of Facebook, the more their chances of developing a negative body image, and various eating disorders.

But even though the studies found that Facebook was a contributor, the researchers said that ultimately it was up to the parents to control those habits, so parents are encouraged to get involved in their daughter's media exposure.

"This study has shown that a parent has potential ability to prevent dangerous behavioural disorders and negative eating behaviour in particular," researchers said.

Girls whose parents were involved in their media usage " who knew what they were viewing, reading, and what websites and social networks they were visiting " showed more personal empowerment, forming a protective shield against eating disorders.

Read more:

Does Facebook cause eating disorders? - Dhaka Tribune

For the last one month, a sleepy little village, Paraunkh, 110km from Kanpur, has been sending up prayers to goddess Pathri Devi. The goddess has clearly listened to them. Today, one of their own, Ram Nath Kovind, has become the 14th President of India. Today, the village will celebrate like never before.

The villagers talk about how difficult life was for the Dalit family, how father Maikulal Kori eked out a living for his family of nine children by running a small grocery store, how Ram Nath learnt his first lessons under the ancient pipal tree, how sharp he was, how fast he learnt things and remembered those, how spiritual he was.

His old classmates still reminisce about the little boy reciting Ramayana and Gita at a tender age; that they all walked barefoot eight km every day to attend high school in a village nearby. Unlike many of his mates, Ram Nath had gone to Kanpur to pursue higher studies and eventually to practice law in Delhi in the 1970s.

By the time he became personal assistant to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai in the late 70s, the village had realised that they had a star in their midst. When in 1994, he became a Rajya Sabha MP, they had stopped being surprised.

As Bihar governor Kovind reportedly played a role in reducing the bitterness between PM Modi and Nitish Kumar.

The rest is history: Ram Nath Kovind developed Paraunkh into a "model village", using MP funds paved roads, high school for girls, a State Bank of India branch, electricity meters in every house even donating his ancestral home to the village (which became a place for solemnising marriages).

Ask anyone and they will show you the way to the family home partly in ruins and partly a community centre. Services are free for all who live in this village, says Anil Kumar, Kovinds nephew.

Not just the village, he has contributed to the development of Kanpur city as MP, developing stretches of barren land into some of the best places to live in from Indira Nagar near IIT to the Maharishi Dayanand Vihaar in Kalyanpur with well-tiled, shining roads, trees and steel chairs for the elderly to rest.

Like that little village, one out of nearly seven lakh villages in India, no one really knew of Ram Nath Kovind, when his name was announced on June 19 as the NDA presidential candidate.

Prime Minister Modi had to diffuse the confusion through a series of tweets: Shri Ram Nath Kovind, a farmers son, comes from a humble background. He devoted his life to public service & worked for poor & marginalised. With his illustrious background in the legal arena, Shri Kovinds knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will benefit the nation. I am sure Shri Ram Nath Kovind will make an exceptional President & continue to be a strong voice for the poor, downtrodden & marginalised.

Ram Nath Kovind was always close to senior RSS leaders, especially Dr Krishna Gopal, RSS joint general secretary, in-charge of coordination with the BJP. But he had come in the good books of the BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. A Kori Dalit (a caste group that forms the biggest Dalit chunk in UP after Jatavs and Passis), he was the face BJP President Amit Shah chose, to cobble together a non-Jatav Dalit alliance against BSP chief Mayawati. Kovind had accepted the high command wish with grace: from BJPs Dalit Morcha president, a national position, he became the BJP general secretary in UP, a state-level post.

His regard for party discipline had reached the PMs ears. During the Bihar Assembly election campaign in 2015, the PM showcased Shriman Ram Nath Kovindji in his speeches, as someone who has given his all to the welfare of the oppressed, the dispossessed, the Dalit, the backward and the extremely backward all his life.

In August 2015, Kovind was appointed the governor of Bihar one whom Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has hailed as an ideal governor, impartial, a stickler for constitutional propriety and one who, unlike many of his predecessors, always consulted the CM.

As Bihar governor he reportedly played a role in reducing the bitterness between Modi and Nitish Kumar. Quiet, humble, modest and a stickler for rules, his Patna Raj Bhavan never saw him lose his temper, nor refuse an invitation from the staff.

He liked to spend time with books, watching television only for news. Father of a son, Prashant, and a daughter, Swati, Kovind and his wife Savita believed in living simple, spartan lives.

President Kovinds is a classic story of Dalit empowerment, one that is also closely linked to the identity politics of the Hindi heartland, especially at a time of rising caste-violence and escalating assertion by the electorally formidable Dalit community.

Also read: 5 things to expect from Ram Nath Kovind as he inches towards Rashtrapati Bhavan

Originally posted here:

From farmer's son to President, Ram Nath Kovind's story is a case of Dalit empowerment - DailyO

Kimberly Davis My Fire, the first collaboration between Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nile Rodgers and two-time Grammy nominated music producer Tony Moran, nabs the #1 spot on the Billboard Club Play Chart this week. The song jumps over Ed Sheerans Castle On The Hill and takes the spot previously held by Katy Perrys Swish Swish featuring Nicki Minaj.

It is Kimberlys first single to top the Billboard chart, but her third single to place. Get Up reached #12 on the Billboard dance chart in early 2010. With You climbed to the #4 spot in the spring of 2014.

Songwriter Mike Greenly had a hand in all of Kimberly Davis Billboard tracks, co-writing Get Up and With You with composer, Jim Papoulis and My Fire with Tony Moran and Audrey Martells.

My Fire is a song about personal empowerment. Its meant to remind people that even on their darkest days, there is a fire inside that will light a path to where theyre meant to be. The song merges elements from Club, Disco and Nile Rodgers own unique brand of Funk for a next generation fusion of Electronic Music meets Soul.

We spoke with Kimberly Davis the morning she learned her song had taken the #1 position.

Congratulations on #1, Kimberly! Oh my goodness, I cant believe it!

The first thing I have to ask is how do you feel about all of the comparisons to Whitney Houston and Deborah Cox? I am constantly compared to them! I have to laugh.

Of course its meant as a compliment, but do you worry that people may assume you want to follow in their footsteps when the truth is you want to carve your own path as Kimberly Davis? I adore both Whitney and Deborah and have even been lucky enough to sing background for both ladies in the past. I definitely take it as a compliment, who wouldnt? But I also feel that even though we are similar, I am my own artist.

How did My Fire come to be? My Fire was conceived by Tony Moran, Mike Greenly and Audrey Martells. I know all three personally so when it came to "who can we get to sing this song?, they all agreed it had my name on it! I immediately took to the song. It just needed to be touched by Nile Rodgers who is also a big fan and appreciates me as we tour the world together with Chic. And voila, "My Fire" was born!

How has your fire changed through the years as youve fought your way through the music business? My fire has not changed at all. All artists should know that if you want to pursue this business, your fire cannot change. It hasn't been easy but my passion for music and business has kept me on top of my game.

Describe a time when it was particularly tough to keep the flame burning. I had an opportunity to replace one of the girls in En Vogue for a world tour. The deal was all set until, the next morning, the World Trade Center fell to the ground (9/11). I was distraught and I realized that it just wasn't meant to be. That has been my mantra ever since: "if it's meant to be, it will happen".

What is like touring the country with CHIC? Is every night a time warp back to the 70s? Nile Rodgers and Chic are the best things since sliced bread. Who knew that singing all his songs as a child would take me to an audition where I could sing them for real and continue singing them for eight years now? Its totally a disco party every time we hit the stage. Nothing is better than seeing all the people we affect musically. Its incredibly awesome!

Its an aggressive schedule! Are you doing it old school on a tour bus? Yes, this tour is on a bus and it can be very hectic! Luckily, our band is family and we keep each other sane. Our drummer, in particular, is comic relief during our delirious moments. Also, all the fun places to eat on the road make us happy. Food calms the savage beasts.

Whats your favorite Chic song to perform? I would have to say, I Want Your Love. It has always been my favorite. It was the song I auditioned with. In the new show, we do a slow, soulful version of "Get Lucky" which is becoming one of my faves as well.

Will you be featured on the new Chic album, Its About Time? Absolutely! I am all over the record!

Any plans for a solo album? Yes, a new album is in the works as is finding the perfect follow up to "My Fire". So many fantastic new doors have opened since the song has been making its way to #1 so stay tuned.

Final words? Stay fierce, but always stay humble.

Nile Rodgers and Tony Morans My Fire featuring Kimberly Davis is being released globally through Mr. Tan Man Music and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon as well as all other online retail outlets. Its music video is available on YouTube.

FACEBOOK: Kimberly.Davis.79462

WEBSITE: Kimberlydavisshesangz.com

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My Fire Sets Billboard Chart Ablaze as the New #1 Dance Song in The Country! - HuffPost

A lot of raunchy R-rated comedies get knocked for belatedly introducing an element of sentiment, lesson learning, or other soft-heartedness in the final stretch. So give Girls Trip some credit for getting sentimental right up front, where everyone can see. Before the opening credits have finished rolling, voice-over narration is lamenting the distance that can grow between even the tightest of friendships and hyping up the audience for a reunion of characters who have barely been introduced. It may be shameless, but its honest.

Like the quartet of diverging college pals recently reunited for Rough Night, the ladies of Girls Trip have achieved varying levels of professional and/or romantic success in their years apart. Ryan (Regina Hall) is the polished, poised, and in-demand author of a series of books, the latest of which begs for some kind of karmic punishment with the title You Can Have It All. Sasha (Queen Latifah), once a promising journalism student, now runs a flailing gossip blog following the years-ago dissolution of a potential business with Ryan. Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a rule-following mom still recovering from her divorce, while Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is unphased by any such setbacksin her first big scene, she blithely ignores the HR rep attempting to fire her from her indistinct office job.

Together, the women call themselves the Flossy Posse, and reunite for Ryans trip to New Orleans to promote her book alongside her picture-perfect husband, Stewart (Mike ColterLuke Cage himself!), at the Essence Festival. Girls Trip itself represents a number of movie-set reunions: Latifah and Pinkett Smith co-starred in Set It Off, which gets a winking shout-out here; director Malcolm D. Lee and screenwriters Kenya Barris (Black-ish) and Tracy Oliver made Barbershop: The Next Cut with Hall, who has appeared in several of Lees other films (including the recent and reunion-centric sequel The Best Man Holiday); and Barbershop spin-off Beauty Shop featured Latifah. Whether its through actual offscreen familiarity or just an overflow of charm, the four women create a believable group dynamic out of thin writing, though Haddish stands apart by gleefully nabbing scenes and laughs from her more famous co-stars.

The movie places the women at Essence Fest for a mix of drunken shenanigans and empowerment, which means set pieces predicated on oral sex tutorials or spraying urine bump up awkwardly against starstruck footage of Ava DuVernay, Terry McMillan, Morris Chestnut, and an impressive array of musicians (including Common, Maxwell, Faith Evans, Ne-Yo, and Estelle, among others). Lee proves he can goose outrageousness at least as well as the Farrelly brothers or Todd Phillips, and its fun to see a little more freedom from producer Will Packer, whose other projects often obsess over courtship and domestication. But many of the biggest laughs are more casual, in little dialogue digs or smaller moments, like the way Dina explains that shes not going to start any trouble as she calmly removes her earrings, clearly preparing for a confrontation. Lee has a better handle on this smaller-scale material; a late-movie dance-off scene isnt cut together for the intended maximum delight.

Photo: Universal Pictures

Some of the bigger stuff does workLatifah has a spectacularly silly absinthe-fueled moment where she makes out with a lampbut the movie could use more scenes where its characters just get to talk to each other, snipe at each other, and revel in their shared history. Girls Trip is more inclined to use the quieter moments for its belabored dramatic side, as problems in Ryans marriage become more visible to the rest of the Flossy Posse. There isnt much suspense about Stewarts honor, because the men of Girls Trip come in two basic varieties: blandly handsome cads and blandly handsome gentlemen. The movie needs them, though, because alongside its marital drama, Girls Trip still wants to sell some aspirational fantasy; Ryan may be conflicted over her husband, but her seemingly vast personal wealth never appears threatened. After parodying her immaculately manufactured notion of having it all, the movie refuses to puncture it outright. The script more or less turns around and says she just needed a slightly different configuration of all than she thoughtgentleman instead of cad, plus more time with the girls. This is all ultimately portrayed as an easy (and enriching) fix, backed up by a climactic festival speech so long, unfunny, and empty that it feels like Ryan is about to announce her candidacy for office.

Some celebration is still in order. This is the rare mainstream movie to boast black women in four unequivocal leading roles, in a summer where diversity in comedy skews more toward knocking off Bridesmaids with slightly younger white people. Girls Trip functions as a belated rite of passage for Hall, Latifah, Smith, and Haddish: Like so many movie stars before them, theyre placed front and center for a big crowd-pleasing comedy thats a little too long, squishy, and sloppy for its own good.

Previous Movie Review Amnesia wont let you forget for a second what its really about

Next Movie Review Killing Ground is an especially brutal reminder to stay out of the woods

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Girls Trip mixes raunch, empowerment, and squishy sentiment - A.V. Club

With Carrie Bradshaw and Hannah Horvath in retirement, Jill Weber of Bravos Odd Mom Out has ascended to her rightful place as the pre-eminent New York social diarist on television. The brainchild of creator, writer, and executive producer Jill Kargman , who also plays the leather harness-clad goth mom on the cult cable hit, Jill has given us three seasons of wack Upper East Side trend-spotting, from status cemetery plots to the social warfare that is the kindergarten admissions process. Its only fitting, then, that in season three, which airs its second episode tonight, Odd Mom Out trains its keen satirical eye on a distinct cultural issue of the Trump times: Ivanka-esque faux feminism.

The vessel for this hilarious yet all-too-true plotline is Jills sister-in-law, socialiteturnedhandbag designer Brooke Von Weber (played to perfection by Abby Elliot), one of the only people standing after a Bernie Madofflike Ponzi scheme fells the Upper East Sides bank accounts. (For shamesome people even had to relinquish their art advisers!) Rising like a phoenix in a powder pink power suit, Brooke concludes that her best branding move in this time of crisis would be to pay it forward with an initiative to empoweror as she calls it, empow- her underprivileged women.

Women dont need a handout; they need a hand up, she says in her eureka moment. Give an impoverished woman a bag, so they have a bag for a day. But teach that woman to make a bag? Well, she can eat forever!

Never mind that Brooke is painfully out of touch: Her empow- her initiative, through which Indian women will make her high-end bags, all but amounts to slave labor, but its all about optics. Brooke is the kind of feminist from afar who only symbolically did the Womens March and who is merely launching this initiative out of self-interest. This is my chance to prove that I am an insp- her -ation, a lead- her , and above all, a give- her , she says in next weeks episode.

A wealthy New York handbag designer spouting handy feminist catchphrases to further her brand . . . sound familiar? Whether this was intentional shade in Ivanka Trumps direction (Kargman is an outspoken Trump critic on Twitter) or just more eye-rolling at the abuse of the word empowerthe same word Kim Kardashian West has used to describe her nude selfieswith respect to so-called feminism, Brookes branding scheme smacked as mighty similar to a scene from a recent New York Times profile of Ivanka Trump. It describes how, in 2013, Trump, her husband, Jared Kushner, and a cohort of employees huddled around a whiteboard brainstorming a catchy yet accessible slogan that would make Ms. Trump and her eponymous fashion and accessories brand more friendly to the mass market. They settled, as we all well know, on #WomenWhoWork and, according to the Times , swiftly set about tailoring her image to fit the concept.

Odd Mom Out wrapped its third season before that New York Times article dropped, making its viewpoint all the more prescient. Its become trendy to adopt the mantle of womens empowerment (ahem, empow- her -ment) for the benefit of ones personal brand, spouting buzzwords when, in fact, theres no substance behind themkind of like purporting to be an advocate for the empowerment of women and girls, as Trumps Twitter bio touts, while working as a key adviser for a president who supports defunding Planned Parenthood, has been repeatedly accused of sexual assault, and openly lambasts womens appearances on Twitter. Odd Mom Out nails the hypocrisy of faux feminism as perfectly as it has crunchy, Brooklyn-style parenting. Brooke launching an empowerment initiative for ostensible slave labor says it all: Its only empowerment if it translates to women wielding actual power.

Odd Mom Out also deserves props for finding a way to somehow make this feminist cluster fuck funny. On next weeks episode, a continuation of the empow- her -ment plot, Brooke tells Vanity Fair s Derek Blasberg (in a cameo appearance) that, when in the Hamptons, she actively supports efforts to eradicate female sea sickness on yachts. But Blasberg does her one better. I heard Tory Burch is starting a foundation to empower gold diggers to stand up to their oppressors and divorce their husbands, he says, earnestly. Its called Melanias Tower.

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Odd Mom Out Takes on Ivanka-Esque Faux Feminism - Vogue.com

At times in our lives, we can all benefit from the help and support of another and personal therapy can make a huge positive difference.

With therapy rooms in Great Barr,Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, I work on the basis that we are all unique and individual. This is reflected in Your therapy, therefore,my primary ethic is to ensure that you are at the forefront of everything we do, after all, your therapy is about and for You.

Asan experienced Counsellor and Psychotherapist, Iam Accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and a UKRCP registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist. As well as seeing individuals on a one to one basis, I also see couples for Relationship Counselling.

Appointments are available in the daytime and evening in north Birmingham(close to the Scott Arms crossroads, just off the A34 that links Walsall and Birmingham City Centre)and in Sutton Coldfield (near Banners Gate). Both locations are very easy to find, offer ease of parkingand arein easy reach of Birmingham, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and West Bromwich. My FAQ page has address and map details.

Feel free to contact me I am happy to provide as much information as your require to allow you to make an informed choice. If you have any questions, would like any additional information or if you would like to set up an initial appointment, please contact me.

Im often asked about what happens in the first therapy session. Heres an article I published that gives an insight Click here.

Hypnotherapy is a very effective way to help you become a non-smoker. Information on how this works Stop Smoking Main Page

In follow-up to the previous two articles, below are some mindfulness exercises to experiment with. Experimenting with techniques is really important to find what you prefer and what fits best for you. Often we are advised to do things that may have been wonderfully beneficial or even life-changing for the person telling us, but it may not suit ourselves.

Read more .

I have recently been asked forthe address of my Facebook page Here it is- https://www.facebook.com/personalempowermenttherapy

If you have time, please share

Wishing you a lovely day

Duncan.

It is extremely hard to feelanxious or stressedwhen we have a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what we have in life. We are surrounded by such rich splendour and we have all created truly brilliant things in our lives, however, often these parts of us feel distanced and not felt. Read more .

Mindfulness is increasingly being recognised as being very effective to help people manage anxiety and depression. Put very simply, it is the practise of focusing our attention on being in the here and now without wishing it were different. It is enjoying the present when things are good and not holding onto it when it changes and being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way. Read More .

Throughout our lives we encounter a vast range of experiences and many can indelibly ink themselves into our memories whether pleasant or unpleasant. Unpleasant and harmful experiences can often create symptoms of trauma that can stay with us for some time. Read more ..

It can be very easy for us to slip into unhealthy eating and drinking patterns and often this can be gradual which results into us putting on extra weight. Losing this weight isnt easy and not being as we would like to be can begin to chip away at our self esteem. It can also alter our behaviours for example it can influence how we dress or we may go out less or become a little less confident. Read more .

Keeping a journal can bring great benefits and you can do this in a number of ways. A valid point to remember is that this is your journal and often we can place undue pressure on ourselves to write every day or can give up if weve missed a few days or weeks. This is Yours so if you find it a help to write once a week, month, quarter then do so. Read more .

With seemingly an ever increasing number of therapies available, it can be hard to decide what to look for to ensure you have the help and support that is going to be best for you. From the greater researched and evidence based therapies of Counselling, CBT, Psychotherapy and EMDR to Life Coaching and complimentary therapies such as Hypnotherapy and Reflexology. Read more ..

We have been very fortunate to be able to show the pictures of Gary Davison. Garys artistic depth and expertise isexpressed through his photography and we are grateful to be able to incorporate them on this website. For more information on his photos, please go to facebook.com/gary.davison

Managing any strong emotion can be a challenge for us as when we are flooded with strong feelings, our ability to think rationally diminishes significantly. Anger is one of our primary emotions and is often sparked by frustration or injustice. Read more .

Attending any appointment for the first time can be a daunting prospect and this is especially true of Hypnotherapy due to the many myths that accompany it and the nature of the therapy.

So in the first session, what can you realistically expect? The information that is stated below relates to how I work and there maybe differences between different therapists. Read more.

In the previous article Do you value your sleep, it raised some significant points as to why sleep is so important for us to be able to function at our best. Its one thing to be appreciate this but achieving this cannot always be easy. Read more .

Sleep is a fundamental for our wellbeing and recent research emphasis this greatly.

Read more .

Therapeutic writing is very widely used form of self help. Writing is a form of expression and any form of expression helps us to manage and deal with our emotions. When faced with issues and problems in life, it can be very easy for our thoughts to spiral, go round in circles and meander down some dark negative alleyways and as this happens, our emotions become engaged.

Read more .

Its been 5 years since the smoking ban was introduced in England and it has been hailed as bringing huge benefits. It has brought about huge behavioural changes, for example, where for many its a natural act for smokers to disappear to the designated areas and for others, it has altered whether they go out socially or create their social interactions at home.

Read more .

Feeling inspired and being inspired can provide such powerful positive feelings. Often this means getting in touch with a thought, feeling, way of being or an emotion that we truly connect with.

Read more

From today, we are able to offer coaching and counselling via Skype. This can be done directly or through http://www.mootu.co.uk. It is very easy to useand begins with booking a session. To do this, simply email me or call and well arrange a mutually convenient time and I offer a free 15 minute taster to allow you to become familiar with talking to me over Skype.

As the New Year gets under way, we often look to make positive changes to ensure this year is a great year. Making it is not always easy. Read more

Relaxation is often under-estimated as a great way to alleviate stress. Living in the UK can be very stressful with a multitude of perceived demands that we place upon ourselves such as the need to earn a certain amount, to have our status needs met, to perform well as a friend, family member, work colleague or cope with demands such as brining up children or meeting our monthly outgoings. Also, we can feel a sense of guilt if were not being productive or if were not busying ourselves. Read more .

The way we view life can often influence our emotions and how we behave. We tend to attach meaning to things that happen to us such as the manner in which someone talks to us, how our team performs, watching the news etc.Read more

CBT has been given a lot of press over the last few years. This is largely due to it being an evidence based therapy meaning that organisations such as the NHS can see the differences that are being made. It is can also be a very effective therapy to allow people to free themselves from their self limiting thoughts and beliefs and for them to have tools and strategies to manage their lives effectively. Read more

An investigation by The Guardian has found that prescription rates for anti-depressants in the north of England are up to 3 times higher than in the south. NICE guidelines clearly state that pills should not be the first resort in helping mild to moderate depression and instead favour talking therapies such as CBT or Counselling as these work better and do not have risky side effects.

Read more

Life pressures often take their toll on our relationships. From long hours to the time and effort required to care for children. It is very easy for us to become distanced from our partner and for us to fall into routine ways of being where the enjoyment we used to share is less.

Read More

The tips below are to allow people to manage panic attacks and their symptoms. Some or all may be relevant and useful and these are only a guide of the more common ways to manage anxiety.

Read more

Panic attacks (also known as anxiety attacks) can be a terrifying ordeal as our mind gives a strong reaction to something it perceives as a threat. Read more ..

Weve moved offices and as such the landline number has changed from 0121 356 1276 to 0121 580 8015. If you dial the old number though, there is a recorded message to advise you of this change. My mobile remains the same and is probably the quickest way to get in touch.

Regards

Duncan (Quinney)

The Anxiety page of this website has been updated to include lots more information click here. Included now is information on Panic Attacks, General Anxiety Disorder, OCD, Eating Disorders, Substance Misuse and Phobias. As always, should you require any further information, feel free to email or call me. Regards Duncan

The NHS and Government are in the midst of their initiative Improving Access to Psychological Therapies which is pretty much as it sounds. It was found that there are a number of barriers to people gaining the support and help they may benefit from such as lack of NHS counsellors, long waiting lists, lack of awareness of what is available and the perceived stigma attached with seeking psychological support. Read more ..

A new page has been added. Click here Life Coaching in Birmingham. Having trained as a Coach some years ago, I am now offering this for appointments in Great Barr, Birmingham and in Sutton Coldfield. The Birmingham therapy room is at the Scott Arms betweem Walsall and Birmingham City Centre and close to West Bromish too. The Sutton Coldfield therapy room is walking distance from the town centre. I also provide Counselling, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy at these locations too.

As always, feel free to contact me if you would like any further information or if youd like to set up an initial appointment.

Hypnotherapy can help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety is a human emotion experienced by everyone and if you imagine a scale of 1 to 100, where 1 is very low and 100 is very high, our anxiety levels are on that scale somewhere at all times. Sometimes we may be veering towards the upper end, other times we may move towards the lower end. For some people, anxiety can be particularly prevalent and they may feel that they are towards the top end of the scale for a lot of the time and are finding it hard to control this. Read more .

There are a number of reasons as to why exercise is good for us from the obvious physical effects but also from a psychological perspective. Exercise increases the release of natural opiates within the brain called endorphins which is chemically similar to morphine.

Read More

Counselling is a growing industry and the attendance of counselling and therapy is at last becoming more and more accepted. There has been, and to some extent, there still is a stigma attached with seeking psychological help as though those who engage with such therapies are perceived to be in need or are weak.

Read more.

Anxiety is a universal human emotion felt by everybody. We all sit on the scale between experiencing no anxiety to experiencing extreme anxiety and we can move up and down this scale daily, hourly or even by the minute. For some, their anxiety can be felt much more than others whether this be a temporary reaction to current stresses or pressures or whether its a long-term effect. Read more

Many large organisations now provide personal support to their employees which can bring many benefits to both employer and employee.

Read more .

The government have stated that they aim to cut the number of smokers by 50% over the next 10 years. Estimates show that currently approximately 21% of the population smokes with the aim to reduce this to 10%.

Please read more

Stress can be described as an imbalance between a persons demands and their ability to cope with those demands. The personal demands that cause this stress are ultimately imposed by the individual, therefore stress, to an extent can be indirectly self imposed.

Read more ..

Counselling is a talk therapy and many people gain great benefits from being able to openly and safely explore their inner world. Gaining a greater understanding and self awareness can often be the first steps towards making positive change or experiencing your world in a better way. Read more .

A panic attack is the bodys reaction to fear, however, it happens in normal situations when there is no need to feel fear. They are very common, occurring in about 5% of the population (1 in 20 people) . Read more .

It can be said that were all natural born non-smokers, and smoking is a temporary habit that will end at some point. Its the individuals choice whether this ends at the grave or in choosing to improve your life and free yourself.

Read more ..

With the festive season upon us, the subsequent New Years resolutions will sping into action and many people will seek to gain the freedom of being a Nonsmoker. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and increase your life expectancy. Read on Further .

I often wonder how the stigma once attached to seeking counselling has lessoned over the last decade. It maybe traditionally un-British to talk about ones feelings and the general belief has always been that there must be something wrong with a person if they needed counselling. Read on further ..

So, having made the decision to see a counsellor, having found one or been referred to one and booked an appointment, you now wait wondering what to expect in your first session. Making this step takes courage and strength as by this point youre likely to have acknowledged that theres an issue or set of issues, even if youre unsure of the exact details. Read on further .

Im pleased to announce I have launched my new website.

The new-look website is to enable users to navigate it easier to find out the information you want even quicker.

Visit link:

Counselling and Hypnotherapy in Personal Empowerment

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Personal Empowerment | Prometheism.net - Part 27

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, July 16, 2017, 10:54 PM

Margherita was certain that her son was going to die.

It was an October afternoon, and the Staten Island mother had been summoned to the home of her opioid-addicted 29-year-old.

She found him in the basement, ranting and raving, his eyes a scary shade of gray.

I knew this was the last day of his life, Margherita recalled.

Alicia Palermo-Reddy shares stories of opioid addiction

Her familys first call was to 911. The second was to a Staten Island nurse named Alicia Palermo-Reddy.

Margheritas family had first reached out to Palermo-Reddy for advice just a few days earlier.

To Margheritas surprise, Palermo-Reddy showed up at the emergency room and coached her on how to get the struggling young man into treatment.

Three days later, Margheritas son, who had resisted intervention attempts for years, was on a plane to an inpatient drug program in Texas.

A health bill retreat from opioid crisis

That was eight years ago. Margheritas son, who has remained drug-free, now has a steady job, a wife and three children.

She saved our lives, Margherita said of Palermo-Reddy.

Since then, Palermo-Reddy has helped hundreds of Staten Island families like Margheritas.

Working in her spare time and free of charge, shes quietly become the unofficial coach, mentor and therapist to an ever-expanding network of parents and addicts touched by the citys opioid crisis.

NYPD says calling 911 during drug overdose won't lead to arrest

Shes responsible for my son and so many others, Margherita said. I dont know what her reasons are. I dont know what drives her. Thats why I say shes an angel.

Growing up in Staten Islands Huguenot neighborhood, Palermo-Reddy never imagined that she would become a one-woman addiction help line.

Palermo-Reddy was working as a dental assistant before she landed a job as a registered nurse at a Staten Island hospital 12 years ago.

The 47-year-old mother of two, now known as the addiction angel, was shocked by what she saw when she started picking up overtime shifts at the hospitals detox unit.

NYC doctor busted for writing unneeded painkiller meds

When I heard about heroin growing up, I thought about people in trailer parks with no teeth and black feet, Palermo-Reddy said. Seeing these young, beautiful kids with sores on them and heartbreaking stories was very disturbing to me.

The more and more that I saw it, I realized theres a big problem out here that nobodys talking about.

Word of her work with addicts spread quickly in the tight-knit South Shore.

Soon, Palermo-Reddys phone was lighting up with desperate phone calls and texts from friends and friends of friends who had relatives battling opioid addiction.

Anti-overdose drug Naloxone to be offered at N.Y. state courts

Many of the callers were in the same seemingly hopeless situation: an adult-aged son or daughter who was resisting intervention attempts.

These are mothers saying, Were at a loss. We dont know what to do, said Palermo-Reddy, whose three nephews suffered from addiction. How do you not help these people?

In those early days, Palermo-Reddy would guide the callers as best she could and urge them to attend local support groups.

Several parents told her they had tried meetings but were turned off by them. So Palermo-Reddy began organizing her own support groups in the backyard of her mothers home.

Doctors provide enough opioids to drug up all Americans for weeks

Demand was so great she moved them into a local school. Then she started a Scared Straight program for young people that regularly draws more than 100 people.

As her reputation grew, Palermo-Reddy realized she needed to arm herself with more information. She went to a local courthouse to learn about restraining orders. She talked with cops to understand the circumstances under which they will remove someone from a home. She went to detox centers to find out about admission policies and insurance issues.

Along the way, she honed her own tough-love approach.

Palermo-Reddy believes family members often enable the addicts drug use by setting red lines and then failing to act on them.

Family angry at dentist who gave addict painkillers

An addict doesnt want to be an addict. Hes allowed to be an addict, Palermo-Reddy said. I dont want you to bury your kid, so Im going to tell you like it is. With this disease, you dont have time to waste.

Palermo-Reddy has developed a reputation for being available at all hours of the day and dropping everything to help a family in need of counseling.

One Staten Island mother recalled reaching out to Palermo-Reddy on a Friday night last year.

My son had just called me and said he had relapsed, said the mother. (Palermo-Reddy) was out to dinner and still she said, Ill meet you in Staten Island. Ill meet you at the house.

U.S. to crack down on opioid treatment programs: Bloomberg

In that late-night meeting, Palermo-Reddy mapped out a plan to send the 26-year-old son to a 30-day drug-treatment program in Florida. Hes now 14 months sober.

Alicia was with us every step of the way, the mother said.

Among the many recovering addicts Palermo-Reddy has helped is a 46-year-old former Cond Nast business director.

If I failed, I would rather tell my parents, my girlfriend, anybody but Alicia, said the man, who has been sober since last May. I know how much she cares about me and she has no reason to.

Cops bust Staten Island heroin ring that sold deadly dose

Palermo-Reddys all-consuming role hasnt always been easy on her husband, Dennis, and children, Frank, 23, and Jacquelyn, 27.

Shes gotten better, said Jacquelyn. At my bridal shower, she was on the phone texting with parents. I had to tell her to put her phone away. Thats how bad it was.

On a recent Thursday night, about 30 people gathered in the auditorium of the Our Lady Star of the Sea Church for one of Palermo-Reddys monthly meetings.

There was a retired firefighter whose 30-year-old son was in the throes of opioid addiction, the parents of a 23-year-old who had been sober for three months and a burly recovering addict who had been clean since March.

Emotions were raw.

You get to the point where after 15, 20 years of this bulls---, you say, Wont you just die already, one father said.

Another father recalled having to threaten a doctor who kept prescribing his drug-addled son pain pills.

I told the doctor, You give him another pill, Im going to beat you to death, the man said.

Palermo-Reddy conducted the meeting like a hard-edged Dr. Phil, offering uplifting messages of personal empowerment and sharply worded pieces of advice.

As long as you remain weak, the addict is going to remain sick, she told one parent. You need to learn to stay two steps ahead of the addict and never allow him to manipulate you again.

At one point, Palermo-Reddy explained that one of her recovering nephews lives with her.

Hes 35 years old. I cannot prevent him from relapsing again, Palermo-Reddy said.

I support him. I encourage him. We love him. If he relapses, his bags would be packed before he would even have to tell me. He would know to pack his bags. Hes out.

The meeting ended after 9 p.m., and Palermo-Reddy walked out with a family she had never met.

The son had relapsed multiple times before finding out that he had cancerous brain tumors. He beat the cancer, then relapsed again, but was newly sober.

You have a powerful story. Get yourself clean, Palermo-Reddy told him. I want to see six months, and then Ill have you come speak with me.

The man nodded his head and smiled.

Whether he knew it or not, the odds were small that six months would pass before Palermo-Reddy would be seeing him again.

Alicia Palermo-Reddy invites readers whose lives have been touched by the scourge of opioid addiction to send her their stories. She will select a limited number to publish and offer her experience with similar cases. Names will be withheld for the sake of privacy but must be verified before publication. She can be reached at addictionangel@nydailynews.com.

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Nurse dedicates life to helping hundreds beat drug addiction - NY ... - New York Daily News

Robbinsville, NJ -The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association urges Americans to take action to reduce their personal risk factors for stroke, the No. 5 leading cause of death.

Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain and occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.

The American Stroke Association notes that an estimated 80% of strokes may be prevented if people started taking better care of themselves. This includes making healthy lifestyle choices like eating better and moving more. While some stroke risk factors cant be helped, like family history, race or age, most can be modified, treated or controlled, including obesity, smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Through the American Heart Association and American Stroke Associations scientific research, the EmPowered To Serve movement and the efforts of passionate volunteers, Americans have better access to resources to prevent heart disease and stroke and are positively impacting health outcomes in their communities for generations and celebrations to come.

EmPOWERED To Serve exists to improve health within multicultural communities. Community can be defined in many ways and EmPOWERED To Serve embraces that. You may consider your extended family, neighborhood, or church your community. It may be your apartment complex, school, or the city or social organizations in which you participate. EmPOWERED To Serve has something for everyone looking to improve their health and make an impact on health within their communities.

We need your help spreading heart disease and stroke awareness to your communities. As a leader in your community, you have the power to shape the future. EmPOWERED To Serve is looking to increase healthy living behaviors, enhance the chain of survival, and expand access to a healthy lifestyle. For more information please visit http://www.empoweredtoserve.org.

The American Stroke Association also urges everyone to learn the warning signs of a stroke by remember the simple acronym FAST:

For more information in either English or Spanish, please visit strokeassociation.org

Follow this link:

American Stroke Association Urges EmPOWERMENT - Atlantic Highlands Herald

Value-led Leadership is fundamental in any career path and it is rooted in who you are and what matters to you the most. Whether you are a junior in a company or the CEO of your own, staying strong to what you believe in and your principles is relevant to all of us at any stage of our career. As working environments evolve and enter into an age of emergent leadership, it's important now more than ever to lead through values. Having founded and run Whitebox London for 11 years, I strongly believe a conventional leadership model is quickly dying and running a business which instills trust, encourages personal vision, continually inspires and promotes empowerment is the answer to unlock the human potential we invest in.

Self-reflection as a Leader

Even after many years of guiding and leading others, I am always looking at improving my leadership technique and reflecting on what I believe in. In order for me to lead and inspire others, I must understand myself first to make the right decisions. We as people are constantly changing and it is necessary for me to assess how every version of myself strengthens these values and how I translate that in the workplace. To be a good leader, we must be receptive to our surroundings and to be an even greater leader we must turn our observations into actions in the best way possible to suit our organisation.

Trust through Authenticity

Pretending to be someone youre not in business is a waste of time these days. People are smarter than ever and are able to judge you, read you and question you before youve even walked into a room. Instilling trust through authenticity is very important for me with all my stakeholders. Being transparent with them makes them loyal, gives them that personable connection they seek and this value is integral for me in the running of Whitebox.

Management to Empowerment The Now

With the rise in technology and globalisation over the years, I have had to adapt my leadership style since the birth of Whitebox 11 years ago. We have moved from leading through hierarchy to creating an environment that leads through collaboration. This gives employees at any level the opportunity to add value and help contribute more towards the end goal of an organisation. When we create a culture that inspires and encourages interconnectedness, the need to manage and control employees disappears. They no longer need managing in a conventional sense, but need empowering instead. It is important for me to continue to learn and change my leadership style in order to keep up with competitor brands while staying true to my values and what I believe in.

Were living in a world of increasing uncertainty and can no longer adhere to traditional leadership models to help us progress. The future of leadership in business lies in values, instinct, authenticity and making the right choices. They say the older you are the more stuck in your ways you get and even though Ive been in this business for over 11 years, it is important now, more so than ever, to accept the change and learn to evolve with it.

Pioneers for Change is a seed-bed for innovative thought. An activator of personal potential. A catalyst for collective energy. A community to drive social change. Pioneers for Change is an initiative of Adessy Associates.

Adessy Associates believes social and business objectives are mutually reinforcing. We equip organisations with sustainability / social responsibility strategy, management and communications to enable a sustainable future. We focus on benefit for people, planet and profit with bespoke services that harness sustainability, innovation, consciousness and purpose. We are proudly B Corp certified.

Do you have a story of positive change or social impact to share? Contact us to discuss being featured on the blog.

Eroshan graduated in 1996 with a Bsc (Hons) degree in Information System Design and embarked upon his professional career in London with Accenture. After spending 3 years there, he moved on to Barclays Capital where he was a Business Analyst overseeing the implementation of IT systems as required by the bank. In a bid to combine his passions of real-estate and design, Eroshan founded Whitebox London in 2005; aiming to create high quality turnkey homes in central London for discerning clientele.

Eroshan Meewella is one of the founders of Whitebox, a bespoke property development and interior design firm that offers its clients the highest levels of quality and refined finishing.

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Wake up to the day's most important news.

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Value-led Leadership - HuffPost