Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

We tend to associate entrepreneurship with opportunistic founders operating out of bustling Silicon Valley hubs or perhaps more specifically the five American tech giants whose combined market value, it was reported recently, has increased by $1.3 trillion in the past year.

In fact, entrepreneurship exists wherever you are. The sharing economy is producing millions of micro-entrepreneurs who are putting dormant assets to good use. Necessity entrepreneurs in the developing world are supplementing incomes, boosting economic growth, and extending products or services to those who need them.

And some like Cherie Blair will find other ways to be their own boss.

Mrs Blair is one of few First Ladies to convincingly step out of her husbands shadow. Perhaps thats because she was never in it: in the same year they met, she became a barrister, and was the only wife of a Prime Minister to work full-time while her husband was in office. She was a founding member of Matrix Chambers, and more recently set up Omnia Strategy.

Though the list of accolades is exhaustive, one senses that she is most proud of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which was set up in 2008 to unleash the potential of female entrepreneurs in developing nations.

If the Blair family felt melancholic on 27 June 2007, as removal men emptied their belongings from Downing Street in front of a huddle of cameramen and reporters, it did not show. Tony Blair himself had that day received an unprecedented standing ovation in the Commons. Opportunity awaited.

For Mrs Blair, the decision to set up a foundation focused on womens economic empowerment had personal experience at its core.

I was brought up by a mother who was a single parent with help from my paternal grandmother, she recalls. I witnessed how difficult it was for her when my father abandoned us. From a very early age I understood that a woman needs to be in control of her own money. I did it through the law as a self-employed barrister Ive essentially always been an entrepreneur.

Mrs Blair was a beneficiary of her time: the first of her family to go to university, where she thrived, taking first-class honours. During Tonys tenure as PM, she toured the globe visiting womens projects, and quickly realised the challenges that many faced.

All those personal reasons made me aware of this gap in the womens entrepreneurial space. If you can give women the ability to earn and spend their own money, then we see a transformative effect, she says emphatically. Help a woman and you tend to help a family. More than that a community.

The foundation has supported over 160,000 businesswomen across more than 100 countries since 2008. It creates teaching videos, internet forums and apps to help women who would otherwise not have access to training.

As Mrs Blair is acutely aware, the quantity and quality of entrepreneurship still rests on the rules in place that support or hinder it. This is especially true for female entrepreneurs.

In the UK, women are behind roughly one in three businesses, and the rate of entrepreneurialism has grown faster in the past decade among women than men. While this is encouraging after all, entrepreneurship offers an accelerated route to economic empowerment and gender equality we know that women-led firms tend not to reach the same scale as those led by men.

The barriers to growth, according to Mrs Blair, are the same regardless of geography. Just as we hear horror stories of venture capitalists asking female founders what their husbands think of the business here in the UK, two thirds of the women in the countries where the foundation operates have experienced stereotyping and discriminatory remarks.

The foundations chief executive, Helen McEachern, formerly of Action Aid, points to the enormous structural issues in many of these nations. The odds are stacked against women, and when it comes to economic power, we are moving backwards.

In fact, based on the current rate of progress, it will take well over 200 years to close the economic gender gap completely. To Mrs Blair, this is simply not good enough.

Automation has affected men, but also jobs traditionally held by women. New roles are more STEM orientated (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), where women are underrepresented. There is the perennial issue of childcare, against a backdrop of systemic views on what women and men should do.

The foundation is less concerned by the problem than its potential solutions. We are seeing more women enter what has historically been a male preserve. But while many developing nations have equal or higher rates of entrepreneurial activity among women than men, these are often vulnerable, informal micro-businesses.

Which is where the foundation comes in, to provide training, organise mentoring, and share knowledge, inspired by women across the world and supported by partners, donors and collaborators.

The opportunity here is huge, according to Mrs Blair. Women entrepreneurs could open new frontiers in every field of business, bringing us closer to solutions for the worlds most pressing problems, and transforming the way we live our lives.

Mrs Blairs understated offices, nestled in a quiet street in W1, are worlds apart from the nations where the foundation works. Sitting in her yoga gear, the trailblazing barrister, campaigner and author reels off statistics and anecdotes passionately.

She is inspired near-daily by the women she has encountered, but one touched her more profoundly than most. Dhanashree, an Indian micro-entrepreneur, lost her hand operating a noodle-making machine in her grocery store several years ago. The foundations workshops equipped her with the skills and confidence she needed to take her aspirations forward. She now runs a number of small-scale enterprises including dress-making and milk-selling.

The success of the foundation hinges on a willingness from mentors to give up precious time to support these women. But they are passionate to the point of gushing, McEachern says. Mentoring has long been viewed as one of the best vehicles for encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship, and has acted as a boon to female founders across the globe.

Nor is it a one-way street. With technology rapidly advancing, for instance, its not uncommon for mentors to be mentored by their mentee in areas such as coding, the hottest new apps, and social media.

Mrs Blair adds: Bank of America Merrill Lynch gives us over 100 mentors every year. They see it as talent development. And if youre a company doing business across the world, it gives employees insight into what life is really like in a given country.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the foundation would launch a new phase: a 10m mentoring campaign to help 100,000 female entrepreneurs in just three years. The 100,000 Women campaign was unveiled at Davos and has the backing of Hillary Clinton. Mentors will be paired with an aspiring entrepreneur in another country, provided with training, and asked to give two hours a month.

Their goal is ambitious, but as Clinton has said of the foundations work, it is the right thing to do.

Main image credit: Getty

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Like a boss: Cherie Blair on helping women start their own business - City A.M.

Reinvention is tough to pull off, which is why the Australian pop vehicle Sam Sparro didnt aim to reinvent himself with his new album Boombox Eternal. Instead, the 37-year-old singer-songwriter went back to his roots and created a 12-song album directly inspired by the 80s beats of musical icons like Janet Jackson, Madonna, and Prince. Sparro first grabbed attention with his stylized and self-made 2008 single Black and Gold. The song fast-tracked his ascension to fame, quickly becoming a pop standard that was covered by the likes of Adele, Katy Perry, and Ellie Goulding. With his sophomore album Return to Paradise in 2012, Sparro proved once and for all that he was ahead of the game, creating thematically cohesive queer pop music with unconventional production. Its been eight years since Sparros last album, a break that was dedicated to recovery from his struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. With the emergence of the new decade, Sparro has come out stronger with Boombox Eternal, an exuberant love letter to his dearest influences and his 8-year-old self. For Interview, Sparro called up his friend and frequent co-writer Adam Lambert to discuss making queer music and reminisce about one particularly wild Halloween party with Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus.

ADAM LAMBERT: Your last album was back in 2012, which I loved by the way. What happened between then and now? What kept you from releasing a new project?

SAM SPARRO: Thank you. Well, girl, its so funny because weve been friends for, god, I want to say almost 12 years?

LAMBERT: I know. You wrote a song with me on my first album, For Your Entertainment.

SPARRO: We go way fucking back. Do you remember when I was living in that loft?

LAMBERT: Yeah, I think I came to a party there once.

SPARRO: I was going through a total fucking personal crisis. I was like, smoking crack and drinking alone when I lived there.

LAMBERT: Shit. So, theres that.

SPARRO: It feels really good to just be super honest and open about my life now. I just feel ready. Honestly, the time in between Return to Paradise, which is when I was trying to get myself together, and nowso much of that time was just about getting well.

LAMBERT: And now youre sober, correct?

SPARRO: Seven years.

LAMBERT: Thats amazing, congratulations. After all that time getting sober and getting everything back together, what finally motivated you to get back in the studio for this project?

SPARRO: Ive done some collabs and co-writes very selectively because I dont like random people in my space. I finallyand I know you can relate to thisI felt like I stopped chasing a hit. I stopped chasing whatever was on the radio, or what I thought people wanted me to make. I just was like, Fuck it, Im going to make exactly what I want to make. Which is a very nostalgic pop album celebrating my childhood. Life is too short. We just have to make what we love so we can stand next to, and be proud of it. I think people respond to that.

LAMBERT: At the end of the day, if youre going to put yourself out there and put your name on something, it has to be something that you love. It cant be something thats plugged into some sort of commercial trend, that everyone says is the new thing, if it doesnt work for you. It just doesnt make any sense. I completely relate to you on that.

SPARRO: I mean, its nice when those two things line up.

LAMBERT: You have to play the game, to a point. I think having that artistic integrity is super important. Its the only thing that we can really claim as ours. Hats off to you, I think thats great. I was just listening to the album before this phone call. What I love about it is that its so specific. I hear your influences in it, I hear the time period that youre honoring. It is fully nostalgic. My favorite kind of artistry is when you reference something and then put a twist on it. Thats you in there, I hear you.

SPARRO: I feel like this, more than any other project, is me not just as a songwriter and a singer, but really as a producer. Im super proud of the production that Ive done on this album. The vocal production, making that really modern and polished, does bring it into the contemporary landscape. I feel like Kanye West a little bit when people are like, Well, what are you listening to? And Im like, Im listening to myself because my music is the shit.

LAMBERT: I do the same thing. Absolutely.

SPARRO: Youve really inspired me a lot over the years. I admire you so much. Im so glad were friends and Im so glad we work together. Im just so proud of you and this record that youve made, as well. Because its the best stuff youve ever done.

LAMBERT: Thank you for that. Do you think this liberation that were both sorts of in the midst of has anything to do with where were at in the music industry, regarding queer people? Its obviously changed a lot.

SPARRO: When we were starting our careers, there were so few queer artists.

LAMBERT: Remember, girl? It was a desert.

SPARRO: Crickets. It wasnt considered an asset. People were trying to tone us down all the time.

LAMBERT: There was so much fear that you had to deal with. The people that you were doing business withwhether or not they were homophobic wasnt the main issue. Well, we dont think this will work. We dont think this will get put on the radio. We dont think people will like this. There was this attitude that anything queer was negative.

SPARRO: They were constantly trying to find ways to say that without saying it. It was just always these microaggressions from executives in the business. Now weve seen, because of the internet, that theres a space for everybody, and everybodys voice matters. Theres so much room for all types of identities. Its changed a lot since we both started. For better and for worse.

LAMBERT: I do think that the markets really saturated now. Theres a lot of new music, so its easy to feel like youre getting lost in the shuffle. But I think youre right. I think its easier than ever to find your audience because there arent all these gatekeepers, and people arent afraid of what youre making. I know that I felt much more liberated when I was working on this project, in the sense that I could put the music out. I moved off of the major label system for this project. There are some disadvantages, but overall, I feel a sense of empowerment.

SPARRO: This is my first album without a major label as well. There are definitely struggles, but also, I feel so free. Its worth making the sacrifices of all of the perks of the major label system to be able to sleep at night.

LAMBERT: When I put together a tour or one-off shows of my new music, thats what matters to me. I want to be able to get up on stage and love every song. Ive had moments in the past with some of the other tracks that Ive done, even if theyve been great pop songs, the heavy lifting has been done by a different producer and another writer. This is the style thats, quote, unquote, cool. I dont feel like its me, I feel like Im posing. There have been a few moments of that, and when I realized it on a tour a couple of years ago, I was like, Ah, shit. You cant let this happen again.

SPARRO: We live, we learn. We learn what we can deal with, and what we cant.

LAMBERT: As artists, were sensitive. You end up becoming your own worst critic. And youre your own worst enemyIve been that to myself. It causes you to overthink and to forget the big picture, and I think as we get older, its a little easier to zoom out, and be like, Ah, okay. Broad strokes.

SPARRO: I did an interview earlier today, and they asked me, If you could talk to your eight-year-old self, what would you say? Its a very Rupauls Drag Race question, but I thought about it for a second, and I thought, I would tell myself: be nicer to yourself.

LAMBERT: [Laughs.] Weve all heard it for years, but it feels more clear to me nowthat if youre not loving yourself or enjoying what youre doing, how is the audience going to? Side note: Black and Gold was my fucking jam. I remember when that came out, it was my workout song, it was my getting ready song, it was my driving song. It was just so cool. How did that first big hit come to be?

SPARRO: Ive kind of gone back to the way it was then, in a lot of ways. I was super autonomous. I was making tracks in my bedroom, on my laptop. I had no money, I had a very cheap and disgusting microphone that I recorded half of that album on. I had a mini keyboard that was missing two keys. I was doing all my own graphic design, I was making flyers, I was doing little shows at the Echo and at the Roxy with my friend Jesse on my laptop. I was just doing so much of it myself.

LAMBERT: Do you feel like thats where the real creativity was really pumping?

SPARRO: Ive come to feel that Im not necessarily a part of the music industry. But Ive started to see myself as more of a multimedia artist that makes music. The cover of Black and Gold is a selfie with a logo that I designed. I love making stuff, dressing up, doing the shoots. [Black and Gold] was on Myspace, then Radio 1 played it. Then I signed with Universal.

LAMBERT: Myspace, oh my god.

SPARRO: Myspace, girl.

LAMBERT: Myspace was it.

SPARRO: The legend. The only.

LAMBERT: The moment.

SPARRO: The icon. We were coding. We thought we were hackers.

LAMBERT: Didnt Black and Gold get covered by Katy Perryand Adele?

SPARRO: And Ellie Goulding. That song has somehow become a standard. Its in every karaoke bar Ive been to around the world. People sing it for their American Idol auditions.

LAMBERT: Thats just so cool. Your new album,I was flashing back to being in my bedroom in the early 90s. Its so fresh. What are a couple of specific songs or artists that directly influenced this project for you?

SPARRO: Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation was a big influence. Dangerous by Michael JacksonI was obsessed with that one. I wore that tape out. My mom had to buy me a new one. Weirdly, in hindsight, thinking about this album, another influence is Prince,Sign O the Times era. Actually, the Batman soundtrack. That was amazing.

LAMBERT: Lyrically, what are you singing about?

SPARRO: A big part of the album is escapism and love and joy. That was a big thing in the 90s, too. Looking toward a brighter future where theres no racism or sexism. But then, theres heavier material. Save A Life is about contemplating suicide, which was something I experienced. And pressures about modern anxiety, which is a big part of our lives today.

LAMBERT: Its like a slice of your life, literally. On a personal level, you recently got married. Did that directly influence any of the songs?

SPARRO: I had a muse that I was in love with that inspired all the love songs here. Also, having someone in my life that is so different from me. I am emotional, Im impulsive, Im intense. Hes so grounded and so stable. Having him in my life has grounded me in a lot of ways.

LAMBERT: I was so sad that I had to miss it, because I was traveling. I was on tour. I was bummed. I want them to develop this hologram technology so we can just beam in for things.

SPARRO: I think theyre not that far away. That Miley Cyrus episode of Black Mirror?

LAMBERT: Ashley O. I love Miley. Where is Miley? Lets call Miley. Shes so hot.

SPARRO: I was thinking about, just as you said that, that Halloween party that you had where she was dressed as Lil Kim and I performed. Wasnt Snoop [Dogg] there, dressed in the Scream mask?

LAMBERT: I think he was. There was a lot of smoking going on. That was a wild party. What do you think is next for you?

SPARRO: I went so long in between making albums, and Im actually already halfway through my next album. Not to jump so far ahead, but Im really excited about it. Its definitely less nostalgic. Its electronic, its dance-y, theres elements of house and weird electronica.

LAMBERT: I cant wait to hear it. Sam, Im so glad that were still friends, and that we are interviewing each other for Interview Magazine. Its so cunt.

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Sam Sparro and Adam Lambert Are Part of the Rhythm Nation - Interview

Services and studies

Dayspring Church Apostolic Worship begins at 11:15 a.m. at the church, 2127 Doctors Park Drive, Columbus. On Sunday, the church will be inspired by, A Special Lady. This is taken from Judges 4 where, I will surely go with thee is the prevailing response. Every visitor will receive a free gift.

The Sunday Education Session starts at 10 a.m. and covers the First Mission of the Twelve, as shared in Luke 9:1-10.

Bible Study is Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and is a Group Session sponsored by Heart Changers International, LLC on Depression, Stress and Grief. These help build our Personal Empowerment and walk.

Our Prayer of Power starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and is preceded with requests and instructions on prayer.

The Celebrate Recovery Group session starts at 6:30 p.m.

Ignite is the Youth Growth Session that happens every third Friday.

For more information please call (812) 372- 9336, or email dayspringchurch@att.net.

East Columbus United Methodist Sunday events begin at 9 a.m. at East Columbus United Methodist Church at 2439 Indiana Ave. in Columbus, with fellowship time in the foyer with beverages and snacks. Worship begins at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School begins at 10:40 a.m. for all ages and Bible interests.

First Presbyterian Jesus performed many healing miracles, but one with unique details is in Mark 5:1-20, which the sermon will focus on: Story from the other side of the tracks.

Worship begins at 9:30 a.m., 512 Seventh St., in Columbus. Infant and toddler care is available 9:15 a.m. to noon. The Mens and Womens Support Groups meet on Fridays at 7 a.m., and a second Mens Support group (working age men) meets every Monday at 6:15 a.m.

People in the community in need of a meal are invited to our Hot Meals offered at 5 p.m. Friday. (please enter through the glass doors on Franklin). We are an LGBTQ-friendly church. Open and affirming to ALL.

Information: fpccolumbus.org

First United Methodist On Sunday, Jan. 26, at the 9 a.m. Traditional Service and 11 a.m. The Table, Reverend Sarah Campbell will deliver the message, Light in the Darkness at the church, 618 Eighth St. The scripture will be Isaiah 9:1-4 and Matthew 4:12-17.

Sunday School for all ages begins at 10:10 a.m. Child care is available during the service.

Information: 812-372-2851 or fumccolumbus.org.

Flintwood Wesleyan The church is located at 5300 E. 25th St.

Sunday services are Amplify (non-traditional) at 9 a.m. and The Well (traditional) at 11 a.m in the main sanctuary and led by Rev. Wes Jones, Senior Pastor. Sunday School classes at 10 a.m. in their regular room.

The Prayer Team meets at 8 a.m. Adult Choir Practice is 5 to 6 p.m.

Sunday evenings Celebrate Recovery begins with a meal at 5:25 p.m. in The Friendship Center and the meeting starts at 6 p.m. upstairs in Curry Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Connections, a ladies study group, led by Pastor Teri Jones. The group meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 10 a.m. in The Friendship Center.

In the Beginning, a small group Bible Study, meets Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. They are now meeting in the basement of the church in the young adult classroom. They are studying the book of Genesis. You can start at any point so new members are welcome to join.

Wednesday activities begins with a meal at 5:30 p.m. The program, iKids (Ignite Kids) On Fire For Jesus! starts at 6:15 p.m. This program is for kids in Pre-K through the sixth grade. The Prayer Team meets at 6:15 p.m. in the Prayer Room. Youth meets at 6:30 p.m. downstairs in the church. Bible study is at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary.

Thursday: Cub Scout Pack # 588 will meet when events are scheduled and Boy Scout Troop # 588 will meet at 7 p.m.

Small group Cover to Cover is a Christian book club that meets the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. AM to select a new book and discuss the book they just read. Group meets in The Friendship Center. If interested contact Kim Rutan at 812-343-2217 (call or text) or via email at flintwoodoffice@gmail.com.

For further information, call 812-379-4287 or email flintwoodoffice@gmail.com. Church office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our website is http://www.flintwood.

Garden City Church of Christ Starting Jan. 5 at the 10 a.m. service, Garden City Church of Christ is hosting a four-week sermon series called Reset. Everyone in the community is invited to attend.

The topics of the series include Reset My Heart, Reset My Mind, Reset My Voice and Reset My Hands.

Garden City Church of Christ is located at 3245 Jonesville Road, Columbus.

For more information about the church, visit gardencitychurch.com or call 812-372-1766.

Grace Lutheran Rev. John Armstrong will preach on Sunday. Worship is at 8 and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 a.m.

Alpha, an introduction to the Bible continues Tuesday, Jan. 21, 6-8 p.m.

Searching Scripture continues Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6-8 p.m.

Old Union United Church of Christ Scriptures for the 10 a.m. Sunday service will include Isaiah 9:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, and Matthew 4:12-23. The message will be A New Possibility.

Sunday school will be at 9 a.m. with fellowship at 9:40 a.m.

The church is located at 12703 N. County Road 50W, Edinburgh.

Petersville United Methodist Church The Rev. Stormy Scherer-Berry will give her message, Claim Your Vocation, at the 9 a.m. worship service on Sunday morning at the church, 2781 N. County Road 500E, Columbus. The theme this week continues with the idea that God has called us, not just by name, but to a special purpose.

Scriptures from Isaiah 9 and Matthew 4 will be shared by liturgist Patsy Harris; Teresa Covert will give the childrens sermon, and the choir will provide special music, directed by Kathy Bush.

The loose change offering for the coming six months will be given to the Love Chapel Food Bank. The goal for the Hope Food Bank is 2020 items for the year. A time of fellowship will follow the service.

The Bakers Dozen Bible study group will meet on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Larry and Connie Nolting; the Journey Bible study group also will meet on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Chris Kimerling. The Sit and Stitch group will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, also at the Noltings. All three groups welcome new members.

Choir practice is Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the church with Kathy Bush directing. Prayer Time is Thursday morning at 10 a.m. in the church fellowship hall led by Barb Hedrick.

Information: 812-546-4438; 574-780-2379

Sandy Hook United Methodist The church will be having a Bible study on the book of Ruth for six winter Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. starting Jan. 8 through Feb. 19 (there will be no study January 29). This video-based study is part of the Epic of Eden Bible studies.

Please contact the church office at 812-372-8495 or office@sandyhook.org if interested in participating (so books can be ordered).

The church is located at 1610 Taylor Road, Columbus.

St. Paul Lutheran The third Sunday after Epiphany will be celebrated Sunday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 6045 E. State Street, at the 8 and 10:45 a.m. worship services with Pastor Doug Bauman presenting the message The Great Light in Darkness and Death based on Matthew 4:12-25.

Christian Education classes for all ages will begin at 9:30 a.m. Vicar Fickenscher will lead worship at the 2:30 p.m. Spanish Service with Spanish/English Sunday School following at 3:30 p.m.

Open enrollment for the 2020-2021 preschool and kindergarten registration begins on Monday, Jan. 27. Classes are for children who are 3, 4 or 5 by Aug. 1. Information: 812-376-6504 or stpaulcolumbus.org.

Financial Peace University classes will begin Monday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m. at the church. Classes teach how to beat debt and make a plan for the future together. Information: philburbrink@gmail.com

Information: 812-376-6504.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus On Sunday at 10 a.m., Good Without God: Religious Humanism in the 20th Century will be presented by the Rev. Nic Cable and Lori Swanson.

Unitarian Universalism has been influenced by many sources and traditions of truth and wisdom. One of these was the humanist movement in the 20th century. From the Humanist Manifesto (1933) to the present, the church will explore how a non-theistic worldview has shaped who humanity is today.

The church is at 7850 W. Goeller Blvd., Columbus.

Information: 812-342-6230.

Westside Community Pastor Robert Vester will lead the service this Sunday at 10 a.m. at the church at the corner of West State Road 46 West and Tipton Lakes Boulevard.

The childrens program for children through sixth grade meets at the same time as the 10 a.m. worship service.

For more information on studies or small groups that meet throughout the week, contact the church office at 812-342-8464.

Music

North Christian Church The church is looking for singers to join their Chancel Choir. Rehearsals are Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the church, 850 Tipton Lane, Columbus.

For more information, contact the Music Director, Travis Whaley, at music@northchristianchurch.com.

Events

Community Church of Columbus An eight-week parenting course entitled Parenting with Love and Logic is designed for parents of children ages 6 and under. Starting Tuesday, Feb. 18th at 6:30 p.m., the course will be offered at Community Church of Columbus, 3850 N. Marr Road, as part of the Tuesday Connection series. Dinner is also available each week at 5:30 p.m. along with child care at no cost.

First United Methodist Tuesday evenings from Jan. 7 to Feb. 25, the church will host a grief support group. Meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. The group will explore grief using Julie Yarbroughs book, Beyond the Broken Heart: A Journey Through Grief. It will take place in the Blue Room (Room 216) at the church, and is open to anyone. To register, or for more information, call the church office at 812-372-2851.

On Jan. 26, the church will host its first Life Planning Seminar. Possible topics include end-of-life planning, assisted living and funeral planning, and financial planning topics like retirement and college planning. There will be a dinner at 5:15 p.m. with the session to follow at 6 p.m. Anyone in the community is welcome to attend.

North Christian Church The Centering Prayer Group that meets in the North Christian Prayer Chapel, Lower Level #6, on Friday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. This is a drop-in prayer group, meaning that you can come as your schedule allows. Familiarity with Centering Prayer and its spiritual practices is not necessary. For more information, consult the Centering Prayer page at northchristianchurch.com.

St. Paul Lutheran An eight-week grief support Bible study entitled, Hope When Your Heart Breaks continues on Monday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. in the churchs Conference Room. Those learning to live without a loved one are welcome.

St. Peter Lutheran Church On Sunday, Jan. 26, the church will host a soup supper and Euchre party 11750 W. County Road 930S, Columbus.

The soup supper will start at 5 p.m. and admission is $5. The Euchre party starts at 6:30 p.m. and admission is $5. Proceeds will go to Love Chapel in Columbus and Anchor House in Seymour.

Zion Lutheran Church The church, at 1501 Gaiser Drive, Seymour, will hold its Annual Ham and Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings Sunday Feb. 9, from 4 to 7 p.m. The public is invited.

A freewill offering will be taken. Proceeds will go to mission projects. Carry-out will be available. Call the church office with questions at 812-522-1089.

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Religion news Jan. 25 - The Republic

The Pleasanton Community of Character Collaborative will host the 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 27, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pleasanton at the Club.

The breakfast, which draws community leaders from throughout the Tri-Valley, is to remember and honor the legacy of Dr. King. This years keynote speaker will be Kym Johnson, executive director of BANANAS, a state-designated child care resource and referral agency, who will talk about care and compassion in local communities.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Awards for 2020 will be presented to Jeffery and Danielle Pennewell, Todd Utikal, and Ann King. A special award will be presented to Tri-Valley Haven.

Entertainment will be provided by Pleasantons newly appointed teen poet laureate, Kanchan Naik.

The two-hour breakfast and awards presentation begins at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are available at pleasanton.org.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2020 Legacy Award Winners:

Jeffery and Danielle Pennewell

Jeffery and Danielle Pennewell are changing the world one kind word at a time. As a part of a "Choose love" curriculum, Jeffery Pennewell and his 5th grade dual immersion class at Junction Avenue School in Livermore created Words Matter, a project designed to show students the power of their words good and bad and how a small act of kindness can have a positive impact on someone's day.

The kids decorated small cards with motivational quotes and compliments and Jeffery and his wife, Danielle, a human resources professional and life coach, handed them out in the middle of Union Square in San Francisco. They were able to record the reactions of some of the recipients in order to show the kids the impact of their work.

The owner of SideTrack Bar + Grill, Utikal is being recognized for volunteering with a variety of nonprofit organizations, helping others raise funds through his restaurant, his willingness to always call out the good he sees in people, and the courage to call out the things that need to change.

Born and raised in the Tri-Valley, he has called Pleasanton home since 2003. As a student at Saint Marys College, he helped coordinate blood drives and weekly meal service for the homeless in Peoples Park in Berkeley. After graduating with a degree in business and accounting, Utikal worked various jobs in the hospitality and service industry, including

three years as the youngest assistant cruise director for Holland America Cruise Lines.

He later began booking cruises for Frosch Travel, while pursuing a real estate license. He has now worked in the mortgage industry for nearly 20 years, while also maintaining his travel business.

In 2015, he began developing the concept of a casual, family friendly restaurant in downtown Pleasanton. Three years later, he and mentor Skip Hinsley opened SideTrack Bar + Grill.

Ann King and Tri-Valley Haven

Now in its fourth decade, Tri-Valley Haven continues to be a vital community resource serving adults and children who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, or homelessness. It not only provides a safe place for people who need to be protected, it is also committed to helping them move on and build a culture of personal empowerment. It remains an essential component of the safety net for families in need in the Tri-Valley.

Since 1997, Safe Haven has been led by Executive Director Ann King, who grew up in an Irish Catholic family in the Midwest, where social issues were common dinner topics and community involvement was the norm for her family. After earning a Masters Degree in social work in 1987, she has worked as a service provider and manager specializing in domestic violence, sexual assault, ex-offenders, homeless populations, and poverty.

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Fellowship Breakfast to Honor MLK Jr. on Jan. 27 - Livermore Independent

A hymn-fest titled "Epiphany! Let Your Light So Shine" will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 2021 S.W. 29th.

The bell choir from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church will be featured, along with a mass choir composed of members from First, Faith, Our Savior's and Trinity Lutheran churches in Topeka and St. John Lutheran Church in Alma. The concert is in celebration of the Epiphany season.

A freewill offering will be received, and a reception will follow. The concert is sponsored by the Lutheran Fine Arts Council of Topeka.

In other religion news:

The annual Women's Conference of the Topeka Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will take place from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Topeka Stake Center, 2401 S.W. Kingsrow Road. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me," from Philippians 4:13, is the theme of the conference for women ages 16 years and older. After a short opening session on the conference theme, women will be able to attend three classes on topics such as personal revelation; emotional resilience; dealing with adversity; financial fitness; continuing education; meal planning and food storage; and addiction prevention and recovery. Lunch will be provided. Before the conference, at 9 a.m., women may help assemble freezer meals that will be given to the Topeka Rescue Mission and the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment. The conference is free and open to women in the community. For more information, call Tracie Haddock at 785-478-1235.

The Topeka City Mission Union Early Morning Service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 1100 S.E. Washington. The Rev. T.D. Hicks will bring the year's challenge message. Musical selections will be rendered by members of the Antioch church. Hair-care products for veterans will be provided by the Antioch church.

St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, 2222 S.E. Madison, will offer fish, chicken and rib dinners from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1. The cost is $10 for chicken and fish and $13 for rib dinners. All dinners will include a choice of two sides, dessert and drink. Sides will include spaghetti, green beans, potato salad and baked beans. Proceeds will benefit the church's annual pastor's anniversary celebration. Call 785-207-4054 or 785-207-6357 for deliveries or carry-out orders.

Topeka Bible Church, 1101 S.W. Mulvane, will begin its next session of GriefShare at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3. This 13-week video-based class and support group is for people who are grieving the death of a person close to them. Each session lasts until about 8:30 p.m. The fee for the class is $15 per person for materials and is due at the first session. Participants are encouraged to register in advance at http://www.DiscoverTBC.com. Visit http://www.GriefShare.org to find other class locations and dates in northeast Kansas.

Faith Temple Church, 1162 S.W Lincoln, will have its annual bishop appreciation services from Friday, Feb. 7, and Sunday, Feb. 9. The event will honor Bishop R. K. Lassiter Sr. for 45 years in pastoral ministry. The event will include a service at 7 p.m. Feb. 7, with the Rev. Keith Newton, of Kansas City speaking, and a service at 11 a.m. Feb. 9, with Bishop James Everett, of New Jersey, speaking. For additional information, call the church at 785-235-1834.

Homemade chocolates and other treats will be offered for sale during the annual "Taste of Chocolate" event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Central Congregational United Church of Christ, 5221 S.W. West Drive. Guests may fill a 4-by-4-by-2-inch box with their choice of chocolates for $7. Cakes, pies, cheesecakes and other items will be packaged by the piece and sold separately. This year's event will feature candies made from recipes in the churchs 1913 cookbook.

Proceeds from the sale will aid the ongoing mission work of Central Congregational Church, which supports community programs such as Doorstep, Lets Help, the Sheldon Head Start School and the Topeka Justice Unity Ministry Project, as well as several individual local schools.

Miracle Life Church, 3136 S.E. Minnesota Ave., will have an "Old-Fashioned Black History Program" at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8. The theme is "We've Come a Long Ways." The program will feature old songs,skits and poetry.

Zsolt Eder and Friends will present a concert featuring the Italian and French Baroque music of Corelli, Couperin, Vivaldi and Monteverdi at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701S.W. 8th Ave. The concert is part of the cathedral's Great Spaces Music & Arts Series. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students. Advance tickets are available at http://www.greatspaces.org or at the door.

Creation Club will begin the first of its monthly meetings at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, at Kansas Avenue United Methodist Church, 1029 N. Kansas Ave.

Harveyville United Methodist Church will have a taco salad fundraising dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at Mission Valley High School, 12913 Mission Valley Road near Eskridge. The dinner will take place during the basketball game between Mission Valley and Marais des Cygnes Valley High School. The suggested donation is $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.

Miracle Life Church will have a "Valentine's Sweethearts" dinner and dance at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at the church, 3136 S.E. Minnesota Ave. The cost is $25 for couples and $10 for singles. For reservations or more information, call 785-224-9952, 785-231-8159 or 785-408-8874.

Kansas Avenue United Methodist Church will have its annual chili and vegetable soup supper from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. The cost is $8 for adults and $3.50 for children 10 and under. The menu includes chili or vegetable soup, relishes, drink and dessert. Carry-out will be available. The dinner is sponsored by the church's New Spirit class.

Doorstep will have its 17th annual Operation Soup Line fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Stormont Vail Events Center Agriculture Hall, near S.W. 17th and Tyler. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. The menu will include chili, chicken tortilla or Portuguese green soup, along with dessert and drink. Local celebrity servers and entertainment will be featured. Delivery will be available for 10 or more meals that are ordered in advance. Call 785-357-5341 for deliveries by Feb. 21. Proceeds will benefit Doorstep, a Topeka social service agency supported by more than 50 local congregations.

Barry Crawford will present a Lenten lecture series on "The Lost Gospels" from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Sundays, March 8, 5 and 22, at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1701 S.W. Collins.

TobyMac will be the headliner at the "Hits Deep Tour 2020" at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at Sprint Center, 1407 Grand Blvd. in Kansas City, Mo. Also performing will be Tauren Wells, We Are Messengers, Ryan Stevenson, Aaron Cole and Cochren & Co. Ticket prices range from $19 to $135. For more information, visit http://www.sprintcenter.com or call 816-949-7000. Group discounts are available.

Jerry Schemmel, a radio announcer with the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball team, will be the featured speaker at the 59th annual Kansas Prayer Breakfast at 6 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 S.E. 6th Ave. Tickets are $20 each or $200 for a table of 10. Reservations are requested by March 1. For more information, call 785-380-2901 or visit http://www.kansasprayerbreakfast.net.

MercyMe will present its "20/20 Tour" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 20, at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, 19100 E. Valley View Parkway in Independence, Mo. Also featured in the concert will be Jeremy Camp and David Leonard. Tickets range from $30 to $155. For more information, call 800-653-6000 or visit www1.ticketmaster.com.

Bethel Music, Matt Maher, Martin Smith of Delirious?, Unspoken, Apollo LTD, Peabod and Elle Limebear will be featured in "The Roadshow Tour" at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, 9100 E. Valley View Parkway in Independence, Mo. Tickets are $20 to $65. Family four-packs are available for $99. For more information, call 800-745-3000 or visit http://www.silversteineyecentersarena.com.

The seventh annual Easterfest event is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at Garfield Park, 1600 N.E. Quincy. The event will feature a parade at 10 a.m. followed by an Easter egg hunt, a health fair, live music, a petting zoo, vendors, pony rides, face-painting and food trucks. Admission is free.

The annual State of Kansas Holocaust Commemoration Service will take place at 1 p.m. Monday, April 20, at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 S.E. 6th Ave. The speaker will be Megan Felt, program director of Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project, which is based in Kansas. Participants will include Kansas clergy, political leaders, choirs and students. A reception will follow the program. Admission is free.

Grammy Award-winning Christian music group Casting Crowns will present its "Only Jesus" tour at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at the Stormont Vail Events Center, near S.W. 19th and Topeka Boulevard. The special guest will be Matthew West. For more information, visit http://www.castingcrowns.com.

Temple Beth Sholom, 4200 S.W. Munson, will have its 55th annual Blintze Brunch from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 26.

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Topeka religion roundup: Church to hold hymn-fest with musicians from several local congregations - The Topeka Capital-Journal

Hull wants to become the first UK city to test a weekly universal basic income for its residents after a cross-party group of councillors formally backed the idea.

The proposal would mean every adult would be paid a basic sum potentially between 50 and 100 a week regardless of income, and do away with the need for welfare.

People receiving disability payments would instead get the equivalent sum in universal basic income (UBI) and there would be higher payments for pensioners and lower sums for children.

The ambitious scheme has been trialled with varying success in Finland, the US and Kenya but the idea has been gaining traction in a number of UK cities, particularly in the north of England.

Matt Jukes, the chief executive of Hull city council, will write to Sajid Javid, the chancellor, to request permission to pilot UBI after winning the backing of councillors last week.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, had promised to allow trials of UBI if Labour won last months election, with Liverpool and Sheffield earmarked as two pilot cities. The Conservative government, however, has been less keen on the idea. It said previously that the proposal would not work for those who need more support such as disabled people and those with caring responsibilities.

Sam Gregory, who chairs a UBI lab in Sheffield in support of the scheme, said Hulls backing was an important moment for basic income in the UK. He said: Three major northern cities Liverpool, Sheffield and Hull have now asked to host pilots of this radical new idea, because the Westminster way of doing things has failed these communities for far too long.

Even the Conservative councillors in Hull voted for this motion, saying that they were open-minded about a pilot in the city. We dont know if UBI is the answer, but theres a growing consensus between different political parties that we need to test it out.

UBI trials in Finland, the only advanced economy to pilot a widespread scheme, found that people receiving basic incomes were happier, but they were no better and no worse at finding employment than a control group.

Economists on both left and right have argued for UBI as a source of personal empowerment, providing citizens with more choice over work, education, training, leisure and caring. Others argue that UBI would be too expensive and would be difficult to set at the right level, and believe higher spending on public services would work better.

Jack Haines, a Liberal Democrat councillor on Hull city council, said Britains welfare system was broken and that UBI could be a better way of helping those most in need. He said: Hull is a progressive city and Im proud the Liberal Democrats here as well as the other parties have chosen to try out this new policy, which has the possibility to transform the city and the country.

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Hull asks to be first UK city to trial universal basic income - The Guardian

Beto ORourke began 2019 as a political phenom, but ended it as an also-ran. The much-hyped former U.S. representative from El Paso initially rode a wave of optimism from his nationally watched Senate campaign, but struggled to gain support in the presidential race. It was an underwhelming end of a chapter for a man who was once viewed as the great hope for Texas Democrats.

But even thoughto the dismay of many supportersORourke opted not to jump into the crowded Democratic primary to take on Senator John Cornyn, he had no intention of watching 2020 from the sidelines.

His 2018 race against Ted Cruz, and the down-ballot Democratic wave that came with it, signaled that Texas is now a bona fide battleground in 2020. Democrats could potentially take control of the state House for the first time in two decades. A battery of state and national Democratic organizations is now committed to spending big money on Texas legislative and congressional races. And the eventual Democratic presidential nominee might actually make a real play for the states 38 electoral college votes.

So whats ORourkes role in this? He saw an opportunity in the 20,000 volunteers in Texas who provided the organizing jet fuel for his Senate campaign. That statewide political operation was unparalleled in Texas, and even the nation. It was ORourkes magnetic charisma and aspirational call for a new kind of politics that attracted masses of volunteers in the first place, and only he could get that going again. But this time, he wont be a candidate.

In late December, ORourke launched a new venture called Powered by People that aims to reignite his organizing network, calling on volunteers to put their energy into block-walking and phone-banking for Democratic candidates in key districts and statewide campaigns to defeat Cornyn and Donald Trump. ORourke believes that Powered by People can be a powerful force in what is already a crowded 2020 landscape in Texas.

I just dont know that theres any other statewide organization that is so singularly focused on raising, organizing, and mobilizing volunteers as we are, ORourke told the Observer. I felt like we had something that was very unique to bring to this and a very unique vision for how we can be helpful to Texas.

Flipping state House and congressional seats in the suburbswhere many of the Democratic targets are locatedis squarely in ORourkes wheelhouse. He made huge inroads there in 2018, helping convert a dozen House seats. Now, Democrats need to pick up just nine more to take control of the House. That happens to be the exact number of House districts still held by Republicans despite ORourke having beaten Cruz there. In several more, he was well within range. The Democratic path to winning the Texas House, it seems, was paved by ORourke. Not only can we do this; in a way, we have done this before, he says.

With Powered by People, ORourkes first priority is the special election for House District 28 in suburban Fort Bend County. On January 28, Democrat Eliz Markowitz will face Republican Gary Gates in a runoff for the seat, which has long been a GOP stronghold. While the race is on the Democratic radar, it wasnt near the top of the list: Trump easily won the district in 2016, and incumbent John Zerwas was reelected in 2018 by 9 percentage points. But ORourke came within just 3 percentage points of Cruz in the district, and when Zerwas unexpectedly retired, Democrats saw an opportunity. Support flooded in from all directions.

The special election is a weathervane for the Texas suburbs. If Markowitz can pull off an upset or even come close, that will set off alarm bells for Republicans and bolster Democrats electoral prospects.

To help assemble an organizing infrastructure for volunteers in the district, ORourke turned to Fort Bend County resident Katherine Stovring, a super-volunteer on his 2018 campaign. She not only knocked on an estimated 10,000 doors, but built up a volunteer army in Fort Bend suburbs like Katy, Fulshear, and Sugar Land. Without a ton of supervision or guidance, she developed her own network and methodology and has been incredibly effective at reaching voters, ORourke says.

Trumps election motivated Stovring to get more involved in politics, and ORourkes campaign became a vehicle. She focused almost all of her time in the suburban Houston House District 132, canvassing for ORourke and Dems all down the ballot. State House candidate Gina Calanni ended up ousting the Republican incumbent by just 113 votes. I have never felt more powerful in my life, Stovring told the Observer.

This empowerment of volunteers was central to ORourkes 2018 campaign. It was harnessed through a strategy called distributed organizing, which elevates volunteers from menial task-rabbits for campaign staff to active parts of the operation with significant responsibilities. Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign pioneered the model, and when ORourke was convinced to employ it in in 2018, he hired Bernie campaign alum Zack Malitz to run his Senate field organizing program.

It grew into one of the most formidable campaign machines in modern politics. Hundreds of volunteers across the state turned their homes into pop-up campaign offices, committed to training volunteers, and led local canvassing efforts. By the end of the campaign, ORourkes volunteers had knocked on 2.8 million doors, sent more than 10 million texts, and made 20 million phone calls. In its final push ahead of Election Day, the campaign was hitting 340 doors a minute.

Beto is one of the best organizers this state has seen in recent memory, Malitz told the Observer. He was relentless in building a volunteer organizing operation that gave volunteers real responsibility. The result was what Malitz says was likely the largest voter-outreach operation in the states history: The possibility that hell rebuild his organizing machine is potentially game-changing in 2020.

Despite ORourke being the ostensible figurehead of Powered by People, he is not in charge in House District 28. That role is filled by Stovring, who is deeply connected in the area and knows how to quickly assemble a volunteer operation.

Since launching the group, ORourke has made Fort Bend County a second home. And though hes no longer a candidate, its clear that the energy within his volunteer network has not gone dormant. Its the Beto effect, Stovring says. If you look at core team organizing at the local level, all of us are people who Beto got off the couch in 2018. Now were more experienced and we know what were doing.

In the two weekends leading up to early voting in Fort Bend this past week, Powered by People mobilized 900 people for block-walking shifts and knocked on about 24,000 doors. The early voting period saw a huge uptick in turnout compared with the special elections initial open primary back in November.

Of course, ORourkes Powered by People is far from the only player in town. State and national Democratic organizationsincluding the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committeehave pumped in more than $1 million to help Markowitz, including last-minute injections for TV ad buys.

ORourke stresses that his group is committed to working in tandem with those organizations. Hes had conversations with state Representative Celia Israel, who is coordinating the House Democrats campaign efforts, and other grassroots groups like Flip the Texas House, for which he has already helped raise money.

In HD-28, ORourke has raised about $20,000 for Markowitz through email blasts and social media posts. But fundraising is not where he sees himself making the biggest difference. Like his 2018 campaign, ORourkes new venture is centered on a romantic belief in the power of door-knocking and personal interactions. For him, one volunteer like Stovring is more valuable than a $500,000 ad buy. So finding the Katherine Stovrings of Texas and really making sure that the power is in their hands is critical, he says, to scaling up an operation similar to 2018.

What distinguished ORourkes Senate campaign was his resistance to the traditional tactics of polls, talking points, TV ads, and glossy mailers. It was his struggle to maintain that outsider vibe while also succumbing to the norms of a national campaign that made his short-lived presidential bid feel discordant.

But hes as committed as ever to the sort of DIY approach that can make political engagement much more personal. Beyond the electoral goals of his new project, he hopes to continue to reorient the way that Texas politics is done.

I really hope that this is at least in part the antidote to the cynicism that you have in politics right now the kind of corporate automated politics that is sort of a turnoff to so many people, he says. In a very digital automated age, this manual labor and human effort, I think thats the thing.

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He May Not Be a Candidate, but Beto ORourke is Rebuilding His Texas Organizing Machine for 2020 - The Texas Observer

There were a few raised eyebrows last week when Rebecca Long-Bailey, at her slick launch event in Manchester, unveiled the cornerstone of her Labour leadership pitch: aspirational socialism. Its fair to say that previous attempts to articulate the two together have failed to convince. Andy Burnham made his own version of aspirational socialism the central pillar of his largely forgotten leadership bid in 2010, though the focus of his proposals was more on individual social mobility than any discernible commitment to socialist transformation.

Long-Baileys vision of aspirational socialism is evidently more substantial, even if it has yet to be fully fleshed out. In her set-piece speech, she criticised the view, widespread in modern politics, of aspiration as mere social climbing helping the more fortunate individuals make their way up the career ladder and leaving it at that. Far from being indifferent to individual self-fulfilment, Long-Baileys aspirational socialism appears to regard collective uplift and the empowerment of working class and marginalised communities as a necessary precondition for it. Her broader point is that socialists aspire (or at least should aspire) to change society decisively for the better, and not simply to fill their own boots.

Still, theres something instinctively jarring about this attempt to reconceptualise socialism as aspiration. Under the New Labour governments, and in the years since then, aspiration has served as a euphemism for catering to the interests of the middle classes over those of people lower down the social hierarchy. Both Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn were often criticised for being out of touch with the aspirations of the upwardly mobile, and for not speaking in a language that would resonate with them. In the wake of Labours 2015 election defeat, for example, Miliband was roundly rebuked for, among other failings, having supposedly done too little to appeal to would-be John Lewis shoppers.

The trouble with this discourse on aspiration is that it doesnt reflect the reality of life in Britain since the financial crisis, whatever relationship it previously bore to it. A survey from the Social Mobility Commission published this week appeared to indicate that social mobility had gone into decline in Britain, with regional inequality a factor; respondents in northern England were more pessimistic about their future prospects than their southern counterparts. Especially among young people stuck in the rental market, talking about aspiration in the old way just sounds like a tasteless joke. Their overriding aspiration is merely to keep their heads above water, and the only mobility theyre experiencing is downward.

Where the Tories once positioned themselves as thrusting torchbearers for aspiration, the actual results of a decade of Tory-led government have made that much more difficult, as Phil Burton-Cartledge has pointed out. Feeble wage growth, runaway house prices and rents, mounting personal debts, the paucity of secure, fulfilling and dignified work, and an increasingly inadequate social safety net have all combined to undermine the aspirations of many who had previously imagined themselves to be on a steady ascent into the ranks of the comfortable middle classes. Thus the Conservative right has been deprived of one of its most potent ideological props, forcing it further down the path of nativism and tawdry culture war.

But even if this sort of individual social mobility were attainable, would it make Britain a fairer, healthier and happier society? The economist Chris Dillow has suggested that prioritising the pursuit of social mobility over that of equality risks lending gaping social inequalities a patina of legitimacy, while piling additional pressure and shame on to those who are unable to make their own way up the ladder.

The odd problematic term has crept into Long-Baileys talk of aspiration she has referred, for instance, to working-class voters aggrieved that other people are getting handouts. But she still approaches it more in terms of social empowerment than individual self-improvement. This aspiration to build collective working-class power has been the guiding inspiration of the British labour movement since its foundation. It is a striving in the face of ferocious opposition, and despite countless defeats and disappointments to give working people greater control over their lives and surroundings, instead of casting them adrift to fend for themselves, and to create the conditions that allow them to reach their full personal, intellectual and creative potential.

In power, however, Labour has tended to function in a more paternalistic mode, with minimal input from those below. As Ralph Miliband put it, Labourism in government (both local and central) has been above all concerned with the advancement of concrete demands of immediate advantage to the working class and organised labour. These have been kept within tightly-drawn boundaries, preventing them from leading in turn to other, potentially more ambitious demands. Long-Baileys emphasis on constitutional reform and economic democracy, and her work under Corbyn as an architect of the green new deal and alternative models of ownership, point to an encouraging understanding of the need to go beyond these limitations, and of the necessity of doing so.

Long-Bailey hopes that in aspirational socialism shes found a way to communicate radical ideas in a media environment largely unreceptive to them, and of signalling to Labours lost voters that she heeds their concerns. But building a genuinely empowering and aspirational socialism would necessitate a distinct break from the partys established traditions of administering palliatives from above. What remains to be seen is whether the ideological baggage attached to aspiration as a term will allow it to be redefined convincingly by the left, and whether this socialist reappropriation of distinctly Blair-era language can be made to cut through. Long-Baileys underlying message is nonetheless correct. Socialism is about transforming society in order to put people in charge of their own lives and what could be more aspirational than that?

Tom Blackburn is a founding editor of New Socialist

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Yes, aspiration can be a socialist idea if the left can rid it of its baggage - The Guardian

CHICAGO, Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TransUnion Healthcare (NYSE: TRU) today announced that its Insurance Discovery solution was recognized as a revenue cycle unicorn by KLAS, a global research and insights firm addressing the healthcare IT (HIT) industry. TransUnion Healthcare was included as one of the companies featured in the KLAS Revenue Cycle Unicorns 2019 report.

The designation comes at a time when hospitals are struggling to collect on care provided. Earlier this month, the American Hospital Association issued a report that found hospitals spent $41.3 billion providing uncompensated care in 2018, an increase of 7.5% from $38.4 billion in 2017.

To meet the needs of its more than 1800 hospital and health system clients, TransUnion Healthcares Revenue Protection solutions, including Insurance Discovery, have identified more than $6.4 billion in net revenue and cash. TransUnions solutions now enable its clients to recover more than $1.2 billion annually, helping reduce uncompensated care by nearly three percent.

Receiving the revenue cycle unicorn distinction in KLAS report further reinforces the value of our innovative solutions. TransUnion Healthcares revenue recovery solutions help providers address complex reimbursement challenges. Our suite of products and technology-enabled services help improve patient financial experiences whilemaximizing reimbursements and accelerating cash flow for hospitals and health systems, said Dave Wojczynski, president of TransUnion Healthcare. We greatly value the extensive research and in-depth industry insights provided by KLAS and are proud to receive this recognition.

In its latest annual report, KLAS examined those healthcare revenue cycle technologies that are outside the traditional healthcare revenue cycle management market segment and have the potential to disrupt the market. TransUnion Healthcares Insurance Discovery offering, part of TransUnion Healthcare'sRevenue Protection suite of solutions, was recognized by KLAS because of its unique approach to helping hospitals identify insurance coverage across all accounts.

Solutions were examined individually through the lens of the customer experience. TransUnions Insurance Discovery was selected for significantly improving revenue recovery for hospitals and health systems by searching for missed valuable coverage across a providers entire set of patient accounts.

In addition to converting self-pay accounts to an insured status, the solution also reviews Medicaid accounts to identify Medicare or Commercial coverage that should be billed as primary, and identifies Medicare/Medicaid dual eligible accounts for cost report preparation. TransUnion Healthcare continues to invest millions of dollars in research, development and acquisition of new data and technology to make its Insurance Discovery solution the most effective in the industry.

KLAS is a research firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by enabling provider and payer voices to be heard. By working with thousands of healthcare executives and clinicians, KLAS gathers data on software, services and medical equipment to deliver timely reports, trending data, and statistical overviews about the healthcare industry. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Founded in 1996, KLAS has been providing transparency to the healthcare industry for over 20 years.

The complete KLAS Revenue Cycle Unicorns 2019 report can be found at https://klasresearch.com/report/revenue-cycle-unicorns-2019/1535.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)

TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

TransUnion Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary of TransUnion, is a trusted provider ofRevenue Protectionsolutions that prevent revenue leakage by helping over 1,800 hospitals and 500,000 physicians engage patients early, ensure earned revenue gets paid and optimize collection strategies.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunionhealthcare.com

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TransUnion Healthcare's Insurance Discovery Solution Recognized by KLAS as a Revenue Cycle Unicorn - GlobeNewswire

When Halsey confesses, Man, Im a fing liar, at the close of her new album Manic, on track 929, it comes as a revelation that, perhaps ironically, Manic is the most truthful work of Halseys career.

After two concept albums Badlands and Hopeless Fountain Kingdom theres something profound about an album finally created by and for Ashley Frangipane. Starting Manic with a song named after herself and embedding intimate touches throughout, its clear that Halsey has delivered on this idea, providing a heartfelt and personal window into her own life.

To find Halsey at her best, look for when shes at her most vulnerable. In Manic, that would be More, a devastating ode to Halseys desire to have children. Despite three miscarriages and a long list of barriers in her way, she has continued to strive for motherhood. More conveys this tragic concept beautifully, with the lyrics Wooden floors and little feet / a flower bud in concrete reverberating throughout the entire album. When Halsey declares Im so glad I never ever had a baby with you on her alt-country single You should be sad, the blow is felt all the more acutely, and when she utters I've stared at the sky in Milwaukee / and hoped that my father would finally call me on 929, it dawns on listeners that maybe her desire to be a mom grew out of the neglect she experienced as a child.

Beyond her ability to create a fascinating narrative, Halsey knows how to design a downright fantastic track sequence. All of her transitions are consistently respectable, its the five-track stretch from Forever (is a long time) to Without Me that fully shows off Halseys dexterity in crafting an entertaining sequence of songs. Each track seamlessly flows into the next, anchoring Manic by developing a compelling core for the entire album. To connect the songs, Halsey uses a variety of methods, including an earnest voicemail by John Mayer at the end of 3am, congratulating her for the chart-topping Without Me.

At the heart of this five-track progression is the one-minute-long Dominics Interlude. Despite being such a short song, it effectively ties together the sequence by connecting lyrically to the preceding Forever (is a long time) and sonically to the subsequent I HATE EVERYBODY. Additionally, Dominic Fikes vocals add some spice to the section, preventing each song from running together.

The other featured artists on Manic also join in for interludes. Alongside Dominic Fike, Halsey managed to assemble an irresistible list of collaborators, including SUGA from BTS and Alanis Morissette. Despite each of these two interludes clocking in at upward of two minutes, they both still effectively segment Manic. Halsey and Alaniss shouts of Your py is a wonderland help pick up the pace of Manic while simultaneously paying tribute to Halseys sexual empowerment and bisexuality. SUGAs Interlude reverses that effect, slowing the tempo back down with some gentle Korean bars.

Wedged between these two tracks is killing boys, which opens with none other than a sample from a deleted scene from the 2009 horror movie Jennifers Body. Youre killing people. No, Im killing boys, it begins, before eventually moving into an impassioned progression of kicking down doors, keying Ferraris and Kill Bill allusions. Its not the first time weve seen an angry Halsey. You should be sad and Without Me each represent the emotion in their own way, but killing boys is definitely the only track where it seems like Halsey is actually having fun.

Halsey, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 17, set out to create an album modeled after the mania she regularly experiences. The title, Manic, reflects this goal for the album, and Halsey admirably finds success in encapsulating the feeling in each song. On clementine, a song taking inspiration from the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, she asserts, I'm constantly, constantly havin' a breakthrough, or a breakdown or a blackout.

That sentiment is reflected elsewhere on Manic, especially on the misleadingly-named I HATE EVERYBODY, when she bluntly sings, So I just keep sayin' I hate everybody / But maybe I, maybe I don't. But perhaps nowhere is Halsey as strong in portraying mania as in the single Graveyard. With a simple gasp for air, Halsey captures the desperation she faces on a daily basis. That struggle perfectly describes Manic, an album entirely her own in every way.

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Halsey's 'Manic' is meaningful and heartfelt or something like that - Duke Chronicle