Daily Archives: February 8, 2021

Intramuscular Or Smoked Cannabis May Be The Future Of Managing Acute Pain – The Fresh Toast

Posted: February 8, 2021 at 11:24 am

It has been said that happiness is all about increasing pleasure and limiting pain. As such, pain is a pressing issue in many peoples lives. Whether chronic (lasting years) or acute (often stemming from a recent trauma), pain can be debilitating. Due to this nature, millions of Americans and others find themselves relying on opiates.

However, research is finding alternatives. Following up on 2018 research that found that cannabinoids may increase patients pain threshold while also making pain seem less unpleasant, a December 2020 meta-analysis comprehensively reviewed the available medical literature on cannabinoids and acute pain.

Photo by Anupong Thongchan/EyeEm/Getty Images

After searching through the available data, the analysis selected six studies. Of these six studies, 2 were American, 2 were Canadian, 1 was British, and 1 featured contributions from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Five of them studied orally administered cannabinoids, while one studied the effects of intramuscular cannabinoids.

Throughout the research, the group given orally administered cannabinoids did not differ significantly from the controls, who were given a placebo yet, the intramuscular patients saw a significant improvement in acute pain.

RELATED: Survey Says Americas Favorite Way To Kick Opiates Is Cannabis

The analysis went on to posit that this may be due to the differences in the metabolization of cannabinoids administered in various ways: Specifically, oral absorption of cannabinoids is slow and variable with maximal plasma concentrations occurring 60120 min post-ingestion but can be delayed upward of 6 h. Cannabinoids are subjective to significant first-pass liver metabolism, which further reduces the bioavailability. Utilizing transdermal, inhaled, or oral transmucosal formulations allows for direct plasma uptake and avoidance of the first-pass effect. Inhaled cannabinoids reach peak effect in 10 min and plasma levels are maintained for several hours.

Here, the available data seems to suggest that alternative methods to traditional oral consumption methods may be more effective at treating pain. Water-soluble oral administered cannabis may also be an adequate alternative as it also has a faster activation time. However, cannabinoid-based treatments did increase the presence of nonserious adverse effects. It did not increase the presence of severe adverse effects, which maintains its potential as a novel treatment method for acute pain.

RELATED: Acute And Chronic Pain Affects Millions How Can Cannabis Help?

The study concludes by noting all of the studies were focused, if not solely based, on THC. While THC has a strong potential as a pain reliever, CBD is also a viable research candidate for novel treatment methods. Competitive and varied markets are fertile environments, and so expanding and exploring cannabis as a medicine will only enrich science and empower the consumer.

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Intramuscular Or Smoked Cannabis May Be The Future Of Managing Acute Pain - The Fresh Toast

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BioShock: 10 Things In The Video Game That Only Make Sense If You Read Ayn Rand – TheGamer

Posted: at 11:23 am

Few games ever reach the heights of literary reference thatBioShockdoes.The original has stood the test of time because of its gameplay and innovative setting. While we can't say that everything in the game was about Ayn Rand and whatthe series wants to teach about a philosophy,playershave a deeper experience when they know the author's work. The themes, characters, and even plot devices in the game are a criticism (in an academic and literal sense) of the ideas she unleashed in the 1950s.

RELATED: 10 Years Later: 15 Things You STILL Didn't Know About BioShock

However, the page count for the original edition of Atlas Shrugged, Rand's magnum opus, came in at an uber-healthy 1,168 pages. Her nonfiction does not mince words either, so it's understandable if the more intriguing details of what's in BioShock escapes a player.Dig into all that Bioshock truly has to offer by learning a bit more about the inspiration behind the games.

Ayn Rand uses the phrase "Who is John Galt?" as the central metaphor for Atlas Shrugged. Characters use it as a way to express futility or to dismiss something as unknowable. Beyond the obvious connection between names, the character who drives the plot of BioShock has other parallels with Rand's heroic protagonists.

"Who is Atlas?" posters found throughout Rapture maintain the spirit of mystery from Atlas Shrugged, but it's more of a taunt than in the 1957 novel. While Atlas in BioShock wants to taunt Andrew Ryan, "Who is John Galt?" is more of a sigh than a threat until the end of the book. However, that doesn't mean this isn't a great plot device that creates incredible if unlikely theories.

Men and women who hold the world on their shoulders abandon a society filled with "leeches" in Atlas Shrugged. Rand's novel suggests that if people like Elon Musk or Bill Gates retreated from public life, the "evil moochers" of the world would burn everything to the ground without "real entrepreneurs" to improve everyone's lives. In other words, Objectivism (the philosophy behind Rand's works) suggests thatsociety needs the rich unless people want to watch everything crumble into dust.

RELATED: The 5 Best Sci-Fi Games Of All Time (& The 5 Worst)

When Andrew Ryan describes why he chose to build Rapture under the sea, it's reminiscent of John Galt telling the protagonist of Atlas Shrugged about his secret mountain retreat. In Rand's world, when takers start oppressing the makers, the latter should refuse to give others anymore of their brilliance.Regardless of the next game's location, fans can only guess what the setting of BioShock 4 will have to say about thistopic.

Conservatives in America have adopted Ayn Rand as a heroic figure, but that number would dwindle if more knew she was an atheist. Some have assumed that theinspiration for the phrasepictured above came from Ken Levine. But it was the intellectual mother of modern Libertarian philosophy who viewed God as an illogical crutch for the weak-minded.

During a national TV interview, Rand literally "tsk-tsked" at the concept of believing in God. After all, when humans are capable of building skyscrapers, what use is there for spiritual intervention? The real heroes worthy of worship in Objectivism create tangible results and don't feel entitled to their success like a king or queen.

Players arenot in Rapture much longer than ten minutes beforethey get their first plasmid injection. It's easy to understand why anyone can get their hands on these after the collapse. But how could something so dangerous go so unregulated? Even the most hard-nosed capitalists could see that the ends may not justify the profits with this invention, right?

In Rand's style of laissez-faire capitalism, the market decides everything. Ifsomeone makes a product that kills people, they won't buy that product, and they'll go out of business. However, we see real-world failures of this concept with items like cigarettes. If someone wanted to sell a product that gave people superpowers on the streets of Rapture, Andrew Ryan would have no problem letting that happen despite the potential ramifications.

This famous phrase from the game could have sprung out of the mind of Ayn Rand herself. The philosophy of Objectivism's central tenet is that people make money according to their contributions. In other words, Rand would have suggested that a janitor shouldn't get paid as much as the CEO because he has nothing to do with profitability.

But the author takes that concept to new heights in her most well-known novel Atlas Shrugged. The brilliant minds of the world who make products and take the economy's wheel abandon society because they're tired of people "stealing" their profits. The problem with valuing a person based on their economic value plays out in horrific ways in Andrew Ryan's underwater city.

Art Deco architecture heralds back to a golden era of prosperity in America. In fact, that's enough to provide a contrast to BioShock's narrative by itself. However, Rand had so much love for skyscrapers that she made the protagonist of her novel "The Fountainhead" an architect. While that novel didn't sell as well as her next one, there are clues about how Ken Levine frames his vision of Objectivism's endgame in the design for Rapture.

RELATED: 25 Hidden Things In The BioShock Series Only Super Fans Found

Ayn Rand fled Soviet Russia in 1926 and fell in love with the skyline of New York. Skyscrapers are more than phenomenons of a capitalist society to her. Atlas Shrugged uses steel manufacturing and the buildings created from it as a metaphor for the best of humanity's values and ideals. For Bioshock, the beauty of the buildings belies the terrors within.

Atlas Shrugged divides society intobinary categories: creators and moochers. The former builds innovative products or companies that change how people live and provide jobs to the masses. The latter benefits from the brilliance and successes of others while complaining about their awful lot in life. Setting the merits (or lack thereof) within this context is at least one way to build a dystopia in video games.

The "Makers & Takers" posters found in Rapture mirror Rand's heavy-handed metaphor from Atlas Shrugged albeit in a cuter way. Ryan the Lion is the hero of these cartoons while Peter the Parasite is the most menacing-looking mouse in BioShock history. No matter what metaphor he may have chosen, Ken Levine must have spent time lugging Ayn Rand's novel to and from the office while developing the game.

It's notable that "brilliant" businessman Andrew Ryan allows his underwater retreat for super Republicans to fall apart due to a "working man" antagonist. The player is told during a critical point in the gamethat "They come to Rapture thinking they're gonna be captains of industry, but they all forget that somebody's gotta scrub the toilets."

While it's easy to criticize Ken Levine's choices as knocking people over the head with a setting as a living metaphor, this subtle moment is possibly the best criticism of Objectivism in the game. For all the posturing about "captains of industry" having a rightful claim to ownership and riches in America, no one can accomplish any of it without someone to clean the bathrooms at the end of the day.

When they get tired of being torn down by their "betters," the result is some version of the political statements about Rapture in BioShock (and we're going to have to learn how to deal with it).

Andrew Ryan's prophetic and famous warning ties perfectly into Ayn Rand's philosophy. One of the core concepts of Objectivism is that people make money according to their value to the market. If you choose to follow and never contribute, you can't expect to receive more in life than what your choices have brought to you.

RELATED: BioShock: The 10 Worst Things Andrew Ryan Has Done

This ties in directly withone of the most memorable quotes from BioShock:"We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us." While BioShock centers around the illusion of choice in a laissez-faire capitalist society that mutated, Rand focused on socialism as the thief of humanity's noble ambitions. Taking the central tenets of Objectivism and providing a critique of it was the perfect device for literary criticism within the plot.

Children make an appearance in Ayn Rand's work, but that's the extent of their interaction with adults. After establishing a world of makers and takers in a novel like Atlas Shrugged, there's no room left forconsidering how to raise a child in her philosophy. The Simpsons even provided commentary on this phenomenon in Rand's work in Season 4 Episode 2, "A Streetcar Named Marge."

While no one goes so far as to call children looters or moochers, it's notable how littlea group of humans is dealt with in Ayn Rand's fiction. One can argue that she only mentioned or used children for whatever value they could bring to the equation. In Rapture, that math gave us the Little Sisters and their half-frightening, half-adorable relationship with the Big Daddies. Itwas so important to the creators that they wanted to have gamers play as a Little Sister in BioShock 2.

NEXT:The 14 Best Underwater Games, Ranked

Next 10 Naruto Characters And Their Perfect Pokemon Partner

Aaron Wolfe is a freelance writer from Seattle, WA. He has experience as an English Language Arts Teacher with reading and writing specialist endorsements. Aaron also worked with Microsoft Partners to transition businesses to cloud solutions. He's a life-long gamer and PC enthusiast with a passion for collecting retro games.

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35 of Ayn Rand’s Most Insightful Quotes on Rights, Individualism, and Government | Gary M. Galles – Foundation for Economic Education

Posted: at 11:23 am

Alisa Rosenbaum was one of the most controversial writers in Americas history. Why, then, have few people heard of her? Because both peoples plaudits and their intemperate attacks have been aimed at the new name she adopted after leaving Russia for AmericaAyn Rand.

Her influence is beyond question. She sold more than 30 million books, and decades after her 1982 death, hundreds of thousands more sell each year. Atlas Shrugged has been ranked behind only the Bible as a book that influenced readers lives.

Some are devoted enough that Randian has become a descriptive term. Others use her name only to disparage opponents. Still others disagree with some of her ideas (e.g., while Rand was an often-strident atheist, capitalism is clearly defensible on Christian principles, and most historical defenses of liberty employed Christian rationales which conflict with Rands reasoning), yet find a great deal of insight in her analysis of liberty, rights and government.

As we mark the anniversary of Rands February 2 birth, consider some of her most insightful words:

However much some adore Ayn Rand and others despise her, those who seek wisdom wherever it can be found will find serious food for thought in her words on liberty, rights and government.

When so many promote the cognitive dissonance of pursuing supposed collective or social justice by the unjust expedient of violating the rights of individuals who make up society, she can stimulate our thought about foundational questions. And that is crucial, because, as George Mason said, No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.

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35 of Ayn Rand's Most Insightful Quotes on Rights, Individualism, and Government | Gary M. Galles - Foundation for Economic Education

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If Senators Wont Kill the Filibuster, They Should at Least Sweat for It – The Nation

Posted: at 11:23 am

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell speaks during a news conference. (Tom Brenner / Pool via AP)

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The US Senate was a mistake. Its a fundamentally antidemocratic institution that gives political power to land instead of people, and it was structured that way at the request of slavers who worried about losing their right to hold people in bondage. Abolishing it should have been part of the conditions of surrender at Appomattox.1

As it is, nothing can be done to change the Senates antidemocratic structure. (Article V of the Constitution literally mandates that equal representation of the states must be preserved in the chamber.) But something can be done about the Senates anti-majoritarian nature. Ending the filibuster is one way to make the Senate less beholden to a ruthless minority and more responsive to the majority of its members. Its also the only practical way for Democrats to move their agenda through Congress, because many Republicans just proved theyd rather overthrow the government than work with the Biden administration.2

Unfortunately, senators generally like the filibuster.It gives each and every one of them the power to grind democratic self-government to a halt.That was made evident at the start of the new Senate term, when minority leader Mitch McConnell staged a week of parliamentary temper tantrums to try to force the Democrats to promise they wouldnt end the filibuster. He finally relented when Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema reiterated their long-standing commitment to keeping it intact.3

But what does that promise really mean?4

The filibuster refers generally to the ability of any senator to delay or block a vote on a bill. But when people talk about ending the filibuster, what they really mean is reforming the rules of cloture. Cloture is the procedure that ends Senate debate and allows the body to vote on legislation and move forward with the peoples business. Its this process that needs to be changed.5

The cloture rules have been rewritten multiple times over the course of US history. The current rules have been in place only since 1975. Thats when thenSenate majority leader Mike Mansfield, a Montana Democrat, pushed a change to Rule 22one that allowed the Senate to achieve cloture with a three-fifths majority (60 votes) as opposed to two-thirds (67 votes), which had been the rule since the Wilson administration. That would have been fine, but Mansfields new three-fifths majority applied to the total number of senators (all 100) instead of those who were actually in the building at the time a vote was taken. That massively changed how the filibuster could be deployed. Instead of minority senators having to be physically present for the entire filibuster, only a single one needs to be there. In addition, since 1970, Mansfield had allowed the Senates work to proceed on two tracks, meaning members could continue to debate and vote on other bills while one was held up by a filibuster, awaiting cloture. The age of the talking filibusterthink Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washingtonwas over.6

One can see why all this sounded very progressive in 1975. On paper, the change made for less gridlock. In practice, it has been a disaster. The use of the filibuster has skyrocketed, largely because it costs the members of the minority nothing. They dont have to talk; they dont even have to be present. And they dont have to explain to the American people why C-Span is showing Ted Cruz reading Atlas Shrugged for eight hours a day while Americans suffer and die.7Current Issue

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Fixing this doesnt require centrist Democrats to abandon the filibusters anti-majoritarian principles in favor of aggressive progressive policies; it simply requires them to go back and fix one of their own mistakes. Letsto borrow a phrasemake the filibuster great again. Lets require the minority to do something to exercise it. The people who are against cloture should have to be in the chamber, all day and all night, to vote against it. The Senate should have to stop all other business until one side or the other relents.8

Im confident Democrats would win these battles, if only they would fight them. I can imagine an army of volunteers providing food, water, and moral support to Democrats as they battle to the last to preserve the Affordable Care Act. I can imagine Republicans looking like fools as they filibuster Covid-19 relief. And I can imagine both parties using the filibuster only as a last-ditch effort to protect some cherished belief, not as a de facto requirement that nearly all bills must get 60 votes to pass.9

Are Manchin and Sinema against that? Do they have a principled reason to support the cowards filibuster?10

We dont have to nuke the filibuster (though many of us would still like to). We just have to make senators show up to work and account for their actions. Thats not too much to ask. And if it is, well, thats just another reason we should abolish the whole chamber and start over.11

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If Senators Wont Kill the Filibuster, They Should at Least Sweat for It - The Nation

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Steve Braunias: Why The Bachelorette has me thinking about euthanasia – New Zealand Herald

Posted: at 11:21 am

Bachelorette Lexie Brown, before the reality kicked in. Photo / TVNZ

OPINION:

No. No, it hasn't got any better, not by a hair, not even by a Planck length (the smallest possible size for anything in the universe, equivalent to around a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a cm across), but a good and indeed very gratifying development of the latest series of The Bachelorette is that it hasn't got any worse.

Episode three on Monday night had a lightness of being, as though it had thrown in the towel. It didn't pretend it had much life left in it. It didn't rage against the dying of the light. It was as though the show had signed up for last year's referendum result: euthanasia.

Or maybe it bucked the result of that other referendum and was stoned.

Either way, it made for very mellow viewing. Hottie Lexie, the show's trophy bride waiting at the altar for her favoured drongo, went to the zoo with one of the drongos. I cannot remember his name. It may have been Jack, Jock, Spock or Sprongo.

They looked at some giraffes. The giraffes were very tall. There were trees in the background. The day was overcast. A zookeeper said a few words. Lexie and Jack/Jock giggled, dragged their feet, yawned.

There was something woozy about their date. At one point I thought the giraffes were going to say a few words, too, but it was possible to detect a harsh reality at the margins. That is: Spock/Sprongo doesn't stand a chance.

Their date was in the friend zone. It got nowhere near the erotic zone. It wasn't physical, it wasn't chemical, it just didn't look right. And actually, this crucial absence is beginning to look evident in a number of Lexie's eligible drongos.

There's that guy who got plastered in a previous episode on a glass and a half of red. He doesn't look right next to Lexie; she looks like she wants to run away, politely. There's that American guy who comes across as aggressive, surly, competitive, and those vibes don't make him look right next to chilled-out Lexie; she looks like she wants to run for the hills, fast.

And then there's that guy with an apartment in Paris. "I don't know if I'm cool enough for him?", said Lexie, her rising inflection soaring to the height of a giraffe. He's not that cool. He wore a pair of dungarees. But he doesn't look right next to her, either. She looks like she wants to run, and reflect on why it is that cool is often synonymous with deeply boring.

7 Feb, 2021 03:45 AMQuick Read

But the guy with his hair in a bun looks right next to her. He was the one who said to her the second they met, "Hello, gorgeous". She chose him as her very first date. The whole series could easily have wrapped up then and there. Jock/Spock, Plastered Guy, American Psycho, Cool Boring Guy and most of the others just don't measure up to Bun Guy.

The Bachelorette could be heading for a quick exit euthanasia, swiftly.

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Steve Braunias: Why The Bachelorette has me thinking about euthanasia - New Zealand Herald

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Portugal: Parliament Gives the Green Light to Assisted Suicide – FSSPX.News

Posted: at 11:21 am

Taking advantage of the re-election of President Marcelo Rebelo for a second term as head of state, the Portuguese Parliament has just voted for the decriminalization of euthanasia in the country. A decision that comes as the health system is at the end of its rope due to the virulence of the COVID-19 epidemic, which has resulted in a record number of deaths since the start of 2021.

Do not speak of euthanasia but simply of a medically assisted anticipation of death, a soft way of designating the thing, voted on January 29, 2021 in a country at the head of which a fervent Catholic, in the person of Marcelo Rebelo, has just been re-elected.

The final version of the text, made public on January 26, and voted on three days later, provides that only national citizens legally residing in national territory, having made a free and informed decision, may have recourse to euthanasia. But in fact, it is much more a question of assisted suicide than euthanasia.

As the European Institute of Bioethics (IEB) notes, the new law does not require suffering to be caused by injury or disease, but only that it be concurrent with them. Likewise, it does not matter whether the patients suffering is able to be alleviated or not: suffering which is intolerable but which could be alleviated can thus pave the way for euthanasia.

Everything is based, in short, on a subjective assessment of the patient which must be validated by the medical profession: the door opens to all abuses, since the text even provides that psychological suffering is one of the causes of assisted suicide.

But thats not all: the existence of a terminal illness is not required for the law to apply, euthanasia being allowed for people with permanent injuries of extreme severity. Thus, a severely disabled person, physically or mentally, is eligible for euthanasia.

The law still provides for possible sanctions for health centers that fail to apply the new euthanasia provisions, even though conscientious objection is still recognized for health workers. This could pose formidable problems for Catholic clinics and hospitals.

After its adoption, the law will be sent to the Head of State, who will be responsible for promulgating it, and Portugal will then become the fourth country of the European Union (EU) to provide a legal framework for the physical elimination of the most vulnerable, after Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

President Robelo does, however, have the option of vetoing the text, or sending it to the Constitutional Court for prior review. But the head of states veto could be overturned by a second MP vote.

The Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) expressed sadness and indignation at the adoption of this law which violates the principle of the inviolability of human life enshrined in our fundamental law.

The CEP has appealed to protect life, especially when it is the most fragile, with all the means and in particular with access to palliative care, which the majority of the Portuguese population does not yet have.

As the IEB specifies, 70% of Portuguese patients likely to benefit from palliative care do not have access to it due to a lack of sufficiently trained staff. As it is well known that access to appropriate care provides relief to patients, who then no longer wish to be euthanized.

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Portugal: Parliament Gives the Green Light to Assisted Suicide - FSSPX.News

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FOTAS: The real story behind the numbers | Features | postandcourier.com – Charleston Post Courier

Posted: at 11:21 am

Figures dont lie and liars dont figure.

That old expression is important when we quantify the accomplishments over the years at the Aiken County Animal Shelter. This success story is a result of the continuous dedication of the shelter staff, FOTAS cherished volunteers, our county government and a change in attitude throughout Aiken County.

FOTAS was formed in 2009 when the intake and euthanasia rates at the shelter were, putting it mildly, horrible. In 2014, because of the tremendous private/public relationship in the county, the much-needed new shelter was built.

Lets take a look at some comparisons between 2013 (the year before the new shelter) and 2020:

As you can see, too many animals still end up at the shelter as strays or surrenders, but the trend is (finally!) downward. Three specific reasons account for this downward trend.

1. TNR/RTF (Trap, Neuter, Return/Return-To-Field). Homeless, outdoor, community cats are trapped and brought to the shelter by a citizen. The cats are fixed at the shelter through the sponsorship of FOTAS and the county and then returned to their natural habitat. Spaying or neutering just one male and one female cat can prevent more than 2,000 unwanted births in just four years. The county began its TNR/RTF program in 2016. In 2020, 1,410 cats participated in this program.

2. Home-to-Home. FOTAS began its Home-to-Home program in 2019, where animal owners who can no longer keep their pet can go to the FOTAS website and promote their pet for rehoming free of charge. This program allows the pet to be adopted directly from the original owner to the new one, eliminating the trauma and stress (both owner and pet) of having to surrender a beloved friend to a public shelter.

3. Spay/neuter. More pet owners are fixing their pets. The county and FOTAS make it easier for citizens with financial need to fix their pets through their spay/neuter voucher and Fido-Fix-A-Pet programs.

While the number of animals adopted, transferred to no-kill partner shelters and returned to their owners has steadily increased, the changes in the number of animals saved or euthanized tells the most important story:

In 2020, the number of animals saved increased by 2,481, an increase of 148.56%.

In 2020, the number of animals euthanized decreased by 3,483, a decrease of 96.03%. Only 144 animals were euthanized in 2020 because they were too sick to treat or too dangerous/aggressive.

These two statistics speak for volumes about the dedicated support of the volunteers, fosters, donors, adopters and shelter staff as well as County Councils commitment to the betterment of the county shelter and the animals in need in our community. All the lifesaving programs, all the cooperation and all the love is working. On behalf of the homeless animals of Aiken County, THANK YOU!

Their lives are in our hands.

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FOTAS: The real story behind the numbers | Features | postandcourier.com - Charleston Post Courier

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Wildlife in Need’s Tim Stark expected to make plea to keep animals during final court hearing Monday – WHAS11.com

Posted: at 11:21 am

He's expected to make the case about why the exotic animals housed at the facility belong to him personally.

INDIANAPOLIS Nearly one year to the day after WHAS11 first exposed allegations of neglect and abuse at Wildlife in Need in Southern Indiana, the non-profit's founder will face a judge for the final hearing in the state's case against him Monday morning.

The hearing will start at 9 a.m. in Indianapolis, where Tim Stark is expected to make a case about why the exotic animals previously part of Wildlife in Need belong to him personally and not the non-profit. The state is expected to argue that all animals and property were part of the non-profit which has officially been dissolved.

A Look Back At the Case

WHAS11 aired the two part investigation into allegations of neglect and abuse at Wildlife in Need in February of 2020, after interview seven former staff members. Their claims were backed by more than 500 pages of state and federal records.

"He's been operating since 1999- this has always been something that's been swept under the rug", former volunteer Jordan Jones told WHAS11 in January of 2020.

The former employees described dirty cages, injured animals that didn't get vet attention and a lack of food and water. The documents highlighted unethical euthanasia, missing or fabricated records and too few staff for too many animals, among other serious allegations. The failed inspection reports dated back nearly ten years.

When WHAS11 took the allegations to Tim Stark, he didn't deny them but blamed his staff.

Stark said, "Kind of funny how they'll sit there and say well look at this it wasn't clean, well look at that it wasn't done. Well- who's freaking job was it? It was theirs."

Then WHAS11 took the allegations the USDA and on the same day the investigation aired, the federal agency revoked Stark's exhibitor's license. Several days later, the Indiana Attorney General filed a lawsuit against him accusing him of embezzling non-profit money and aiming to shut him down for good.

Director and Chief Counsel of the Consumer Protection Division Betsy DeNardi said, "We include allegations that animals were neglected to show that the corporation, the non-profit is not fulfilling its mission."

The next month, March, an inspection at the Charlestown property proved animal experts' fears were validated and several months later the court approved a motion to move all of the animals to other sanctuaries for the remainder of the case... despite major push back from Stark.

"I'm losing my life right now. Everything I've worked for," Stark said, as animals were removed from the property in September.

More than 200 animals were ultimately removed during an operation that involved swat, police, and court officials.

But a final count showed not all animals were accounted for. Some were missing from the property. The judge asked Stark to turn them over or face contempt of court but that didn't happen. When deadlines were missed the judge issued a warrant for Stark's arrest and in September Stark fled the state.

"It's been a very unusual road and you're dealing with a character. A character who doesn't believe he needs to subject himself to the authority of the court and has indicated that numerous times", Scott Barnhart with the Attorney General's Office said.

Stark was eventually arrested in New York State in October and extradited back to Indiana. He faced jail time and apologized to the judge for his behavior, blaming bad medication.

Former Wildlife in Need volunteer said, "I think when he got into it he may have had good intentions but he let greed get the better of him and I think that's why we're here today- that's really why we're in Indianapolis and why he's in cuffs and why he's behind bars."

Wildlife in Need is officially dissolved on paper, meaning the non-profit cannot show animals to the public, host events or collect donations. But what happens to the animals? Who do they belong to? Those questions set to be answered in the courtroom starting Monday morning.

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Wildlife in Need's Tim Stark expected to make plea to keep animals during final court hearing Monday - WHAS11.com

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Bizz Buzz Feb. 7, 2021 | Business | gjsentinel.com – The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Posted: at 11:21 am

Harmony Animals Matchmaker and Sanctuary, a non-profit shelter at 2527 W. Pinyon Ave., is opening a pop up thrift store for fundraising.

The shelter takes in small animals, mainly dogs, from higher capacity shelters and those on euthanasia lists. Founded in 2018, Harmony Animals is operating out of Director Danielle Dyers dog daycare and groomer Barks Play and Stay.

Dyer wants to move to a larger operating space, so the nonprofit has been lent a spot at an old food bank at 562 W. Crete Circle No. 102 for the thrift store. Harmony Animals needs to raise $250,000 by June 1 to facilitate the move. Theyve raised $7,000 so far, Dyer said.

You can get T-shirts, facemasks, and just about anything you need, she said. Were taking all kinds of donations, which are tax deductible. Were also looking for volunteers.

The thrift store is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. 7 p.m. but donations are accepted all week, Dyer said. For more information, you can call Harmony Animals at 970-783-1919 or email the shelter at info@harmonyanimals.com

n The employment agency Express Employment Professionals has announced the promotion of Sara Ogdon to operations manager of its Grand Junction office at 725 Pitkin Ave.

Her new role will include setting goals and prioritizing activities for the office, according to a news release.

Ogdon is a very dedicated individual with commitment to job seekers and employers in the grand valley, Owner Nina Anderson said in the news release. She is committed to continuing the great customer service the community has come to expect from Express Employment.

For more information on Express and its services, you can call 970-242-4500 or visit its website expresspros.com/grandjunctionco.

n The law firm Ireland Stapleton is welcoming Sarah Abbott to its Grand Junction office, at 200 Grand Ave. Suite 202.

Abbott previously worked as an attorney in Denver and Montrose, according to her LinkedIn account. She has a variety of specialties, including drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, advising on employment matters, intellectual property and real estate, among others.

Were proud to have Sarah on the Ireland Stapleton team, Jeff Hurd, Director in the Grand Junction office, said in a news release. She combines in-depth knowledge of Western Slope business matters with extensive experience in corporate, real estate, and regulatory matters.

Abbot can be called at 970-822-1306 or emailed at sabbott@irelandstapleton.com.

n Grand Junction Volkswagen, at 653 Market St., has been recognized for its customer service.

It received a 2021 Consumer Satisfaction Award from the website DealerRater. The award is given to the top 10% of dealerships with the most positive reviews on the website, according to a news release.

Customer service is our top priority everyday. 2020 definitely created some unique challenges, Grand Junction Volkswagen Owner Ron Bubar said in a news release. We had to re-create our customer service experience by keeping our distance, while still delivering essential high quality auto service to our customers.

Grand Junction Volkswagen can be reached via phone at 970-255-6677 or you can visit its website grandjunctionvolkswagen.com.

Do you know about an area business opening, closing, moving or changing? Email bizbuzz@gjsentinel.com.

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Quotes and news – February 7, 2021 – Times of Malta

Posted: at 11:21 am

Sorrow, outrage

After the Portuguese parliament legalised euthanasia the countrys bishops expressed sorrow and outrage: To legalise death in this context [of the pandemic], rejecting lessons this pandemic has given to us on the precious value of human life, which the community in general and health professionals in particular are trying to save with extraordinary efforts, is a contradiction.

The bishops stressed that the legalisation of euthanasia means giving up on alleviating suffering and giving the wrong idea that a life marred by pain, and suffering does not deserve more protection and becomes a burden on oneself, on other people, on health services and on society as a whole.

Now more than ever, we are determined to accompany the sick with care and love in all the phases of their earthly life and especially in the final one.

In his Angelus last Sunday, the pope said: Carry a copy of the Bible in your pocket or in your bag, in order to read it during the day, to listen to that authoritative word of Jesus. And then we all have our problems, we all have our sins, we all have spiritual malaises ask Jesus: Jesus, you are the prophet, the Son of God, he who was promised to us to heal us. Heal me! Ask Jesus for healing, from our sins, from our ills.

Speaking to Italian catechists, Pope Francis said: In this year marked by the isolation and sense of loneliness caused by the pandemic, we have often reflected on the sense of belonging that underlies a community. It has undermined established practices and habits and thus provokes us to rethink our community. We have realised, in fact, that we cannot get by alone, and that the only way to come out of crises better is to come out of them together no one is saved alone, we come out of it together re-embracing with more conviction the community in which we live.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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