Washington C.H. City Manager Joe Denen

Editors note: Washington Court House City Manager Joe Denen submitted the following to the Record-Herald as an appeal to the community as COVID-19 cases continue to surge.

We approach the holiday season with anticipation of the joy that renewing family bonds brings to us all. Like many of us, I have grown weary of the virus news. I yearn for a return to mental and physical normalcy; however, like you, I know that we have a duty to perform for the benefit of the whole community, our families and/or friends.

We know what should be done. We understand what social distancing is. The necessity of hand washing, or the use of hand sanitizer, is now second nature. The advisability of mask wearing or the use of other facial coverings is not new news.

I have no desire to argue the political nature of the virus question. We hear and experience division in our public lives all to often. I am writing to ask you to again rededicate your attention to slowing the virus.

Nearly all of us know a person that has become ill with Covid-19. Fortunately, many of those illnesses have been mild. Unfortunately, a growing number of us have had the experience of losing a friend, co-worker, or family member to this disease.

I recognize that hand washing, masks and social distancing are not technological wonder weapons in our struggle with Covid-19; however, these sanitary practices are the tools we have at hand. Locally, we are experiencing an apparent upswing in virus spread. Therefore, I now ask you to help protect yourself, your family, our community and our economy by doing what you can do to help.

Wash your hands, keep your distance and increase use of your mask. Shop locally and limit travel outside of our community and be especially careful around elderly people or people with health issues that increase their risk of illness. Do not live in fear live with the empowerment that you can and are making a difference.

While the holiday season will lift our spirits, the season presents challenges and choices. Family in times of distress and uncertainty is a powerful source of strength; however, if we completely disregard virus precautions this holiday season, we may expose our families, our very source of strength, to the illness we seek to defeat.

I am worried about the approaching holiday season. I think about my parents, uncles, aunts and others. I think about the time lost in personally seeing these people these past several months. I despair at the thought of smaller or more radically changed family celebrations.

I will not presume to tell you what to do. The goal is getting more people to adopt simple if inconvenient virus precautions. Telling you what to do is not likely to get the desired result. People naturally resist bureaucratic regulation and in consequence we drown in debate.

We have this spring, summer and fall argued enough for the next decade. The hour for argument has passed. The hour for composed thought and action is upon us. All that I ask is that you reevaluate your attention to virus precautions. This holiday season please think about how your family will address the need to limit the virus threat.

The virus has complicated our personal lives, our work lives and delivered to many sickness and to some death. To those families that have suffered loss, I offer condolences. I ask you to renew your dedication to virus precautions so that the risk of suffering to your family and friends may be limited.

You, not the government, or social media, or the news media can make a difference. You make choices every day. Do I pause and wash my hands? Am I impatient in the line at the grocery and crowd closer to the person in front of me? Do I have virus symptoms that I am ignoring? Choice after choice, daily a multitude of opportunity to make a difference.

I understand that not all choices are simple. Childcare has presented many families with hard practical choices. Who stays home with quarantined children? How do we adjust to changes in the schools schedule? Is it safe for grandparents to care for children? Those choices are hard choices and many families do not have an abundance of options.

While a vaccine offers hope and our local Health Department prepares every day for the arrival of a safe and effective vaccine, we must bridge the gap. Further, even after a vaccine begins to be available, the need to maintain virus precautions will remain for some time into our future.

Not an endless future of illness and deprivation, but a realization that closing the chapter on Covid-19 will require our cooperative efforts.

Let us be thankful that we have the blessings of family and friends. Thankful that simple tools and the discipline to use those tools offers a means to do battle with the virus. Thankful that local doctors, nurses and hospitals have gained valuable experience treating people ill with the virus.

I am thankful for you, thankful that you care, thankful for your calm, thankful for your grit. I ask you to please make a difference.

Washington C.H. City Manager Joe Denen

https://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2020/11/web1_denen.jpgWashington C.H. City Manager Joe Denen

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WCH city manager makes appeal to the community - Record Herald

Craig Russell in 1988, two years before his death.

Queeries is a weekly column by CBC Arts producer Peter Knegt that queries LGBTQ art, culture and/or identity through a personal lens.

30 years ago, we lost one of the most fabulous entertainers Canada has ever birthed: Craig Russell. Anactor and female impersonator(he disliked the label "drag queen,"although his influence on the drag that would come after him is considerable), we here at CBC Arts have honoured the legacy of Russell multiple times. I wrote a piece looking back at the impact of his 1977 film Outrageous! back in a 2017 edition of this column, and our 2019 interactive project Superqueeroes featured a tribute to Russell byToronto drag icon Allysin Chaynes.But none of that remotely compares to the glory that is now available viaBrian Bradley's new biography Outrageous Misifts: Female Impersonator Craig Russell and His Wife, Lori Russell Eadie.

The book released last month through Dundurn Pressdetails not only Russell's life but the life of Lori Jenkins, the woman he surprised a few folks by marrying in 1982 (he publicly identified as gay, after all). The two remained married until Russell's death, and OutragousMisifitsextensively documents their strange and beautifulunion, which started with Jenkins being a obsessed fan of Russell's. It's more than worth a second-wave quarantine read, particularly if you have interest in the history of Toronto's gay community, as Bradley's book essentially doubles as a primer for decades ofthe city's gay scene.

I chatted with Bradley about the undertaking, and how he hopes it contributes to legacy of both Craig and Lori.

Congratulations on writingsuch a remarkably thorough and well-researchedbook.What was the most challenging part of such an undertaking?

The most challenging part was not so much in finding sources or archival material in fact, I thought places like the ArQuives, Toronto Archives and Toronto Reference Library made it easy. I was also blessed to receivepersonal items including journals, day planners, scrapbooks, things like that. The hard part was taking the time to really evaluate what Craig really meant by his actions or things he said.

Craig stayed in persona most of the time, and it was through impersonation that he expressed himself. He sometimes said things he did not mean as a cover for emotion, or [to]shape his narrative in the way he wanted to. I feel like I spent more time thinking and analyzing what was really behind words and actions more than anything.

Tell me a bit about your own history with Craig Russell. When did you first hear of him and how did that evolve into the becoming an expert biographer?

I first heard about Craig when I was not quite 14 and pretty naiveto the world, to people andto myself as an emerging queer person. It was a commercial for a CBC Life andTimes documentary about him, and it left me gobsmacked. I remember thinking how feminine he was, how curious his work was I knew nothing of Craig and all that he did. I didn't aspire to be like thatI aspired to understand it and learn about his place.

When I started my work around 2008, when I knew a lot more about gay culture and the arts, it was obvious there was a lot to learn about this person, so many intrigues to be understood. I thought I would churn out a fun, outrageous feature story, but I came to see it was his humanity, and the humanity of the woman who identified as his wife, that had the most appeal despite all the fun, sensational, outrageous things that happened around them. Their humanity needed to be explored and situations explained. Both Craig and Lori experienced an incredible amount of trauma in a time when trauma was not talked about. I needed to learn and write about it not to exploit them, but to show how human they were despite seeming so different.

What are some of the main things you want readers to take away from the story of both Russell and Lori Russell Eadie?

In terms of Craig and Lori, I want people to take away how human they were, how trauma shapes us and how despite our trauma, we can overcome. It is important we all take the time to consider people moreto bring understanding, support and love when sometimes our inclination may be to take space or give judgment. I have demonstrated how special and talented Craigand Lori were they were masters at their crafts and all they contributed to our cultural history. One was front and centre, the other backstage and away, and both have equal value to our history. People like Craig entertainers get recognized,and they deserve to be. People like Lori don't get recognized as much, but they have an equally interesting and valuable story to tell.

Beyond a biography, the book also serves as an essential resource on the history of Toronto's gay community, something still way too undocumented. What's one thing that stands out to you that you learned about that history from writing the book?

There were many key events in history that were absolutely pivotal in shaping queer history and the road to rights and inclusion. Some events are relatively known, like the bathhouse raids in 1981;other eventsnot so much, like our own Battle of Church Street that was akin to the Stonewall Riots, [or] John Damien's decade-long fight after he was fired by a provincial government entity for being gay, or the unrelenting struggle with oppression as the hands of law enforcement acting out of ignorance. My only regret in writing Misfits is that I could not go deeper with these points in history and share other voices and experiences. It was loud and clear though that after decades of work for rights, inclusion, safety, community, voice and place, we haven't reached a place of complete inclusion,and at times there is as much volatility in the queer community as there was 50 years ago.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a softie. So with that in mind, the one thing though that stands out the most that I really learned about our queer history was the strength and empowerment of people when they found community and identity in an unfair era when it was easier to blend in. It was so clear to me how much people need community, then and now, and that finding community and embracing identity was so empowering [that]it helped people face the lack of acceptance that was around them, be that on a street, in a bar, anywhere else.

I think of the story of the Toronto drag queen,going out and feeling fabulous at the St.Charles, who was pelted with eggs by one of the ignorant gawkers outside. She didn't cower, run home afraid or stop going. She went home, changed [clothes] and went right back out to do what she wanted to do. Craig was an example of this. He was an obvious target in a pretty hateful era, and his safety was at risk going out as much as everyone else's. A friend of his asked him to tone it down to be safe, [but]Craig wouldn't. He told them he could get away with a lot more dressed up as Tallulah Bankhead than he could being little Craig Eadie from Toronto.

What do you hope this book lends to the legacy of Craig and Lori?

I hope it shows them as much part of our queer and cultural history as it shows them as two people who were just like everyone else, who need the same things, who aren't unlike you. We need to let people explore who they are and let them have that journey. While we may appear so different and that is okay, [we should] also understand emotionally we all have the same needs. We need to be kinder to each other. We all need to be seen, understood and loved.

You can order your copy of Outrageous Misfits here.

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Craig Russell revolutionized Canadian drag, and he finally has the outrageous biography he deserves - CBC.ca

It has been 117 weeks since Greta Thunberg first went on strike. Hulu exclusive documentary I am Greta chronicles a year in the life of the teenage Swede who became the unlikely and reluctant global face of environmental activism, starting with her renowned 2018 school strike and concluding with a two-week cross-Atlantic sailing trip because its environmentally sustainable and taking an airplane really, really isnt to New York to address the 2019 Climate Action Summit. And it may be one of the years best docs.

The Gist: Aug. 2019: A static camera fixes on Greta Thunberg as she sits on a sailboat, which bounces heavily on choppy waves. She describes the last several months of her life as a surreal movie. Cut to: images of devastating forest fires and floods, with the voices of world leaders, politicians and commentators disregarding humanitys effect on global climate change. Jump back to: Aug. 2018. Greta sits on the sidewalk outside Swedens parliament building with a hand painted sign reading SKOLSTREJK FOR KLIMATET. I dont need to translate it. You should know what it says. If you dont, well, Ill say it again you should know what it says.

Gretas father, Svante Thunberg, says she knows more about climate change than most politicians, partly thanks to her having an almost photographic memory for the facts and stats that interest her. She speaks plainly about the roots of her interest: She saw a film in school about climate change, and subsequently fell into a years-long depression during which she wouldnt eat or speak for long stretches of time. Eventually, she decided to act on her existential fears and speak out. She implored her parents to stop eating meat and traveling by air. She compiled fact sheets about how Earth is in the beginning stages of an extinction event. Her school strike became an international story thanks to social media and news outlets. Before she knew it, Arnold Schwarzenegger was talking up her activism, and she was standing in front of world leaders, fearlessly chastising them for their inaction and ignorance. The future of our planets children is bleak, she insists, and its very much the fault of the preceding generations.

The school strike became a global movement, with teens around the world ditching school to organize rallies and raise awareness for climate change. She and her father attend the rallies, traveling across Europe by train and electric car, sustaining themselves on organic beans and pasta. They go to the United Nations summit in Poland. Svante tries to get her to tone down the harsh rhetoric in her speech, and she refuses. Shes told shell be lucky to meet the U.N. secretary general; she ends up sitting right next to him, which doesnt affect her tone in the slightest: Since our leaders are behaving like children, we will have to take the responsibility they should have taken long ago. He looks bemused? A little pissed? Vaguely tolerant? Frankly, who gives a shit how he feels. Shes uncompromising, and she needs to be, and he needs to hear it.

Soon enough, Gretas having lunch with Schwarzenegger. She meets Frances President Emmanuel Macron, and he seems to not quite know how to interact with her. Shes not much for small talk; her brow is always furrowed. Behind her stern expression, Greta has an infectious giggle, but we hear it only rarely in this film. Shes frequently greeted like a rock star at rallies, taking the stage to the roars of thousands of school-striking teenagers. She meets the Pope. She gathers allies for her movement as she goes. Dickheads like Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Piers Morgan and Donald Trump insult and bully her, and she shrugs, laughs it off. We get glimpses of stressed-out Greta she misses her dogs, her horse, her sister, her mother but for the most part, in the moments shes in the spotlight, shes nonplussed by all the attention. She steps to the podium at a London climate conference: Is the microphone on? she asks. Is my English OK? Because you lied to us. You gave us false hope. Go get em, Greta.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Thematically, I Am Greta is a logical extension of An Inconvenient Truth and its sequel. Its also a Snowden-like study of a prominent and righteous world figure captured at the peak of their influence.

Performance Worth Watching: A 16-year-old girl telling world leaders in so many words to get their shit together will not be upstaged here, there, anywhere, ever.

Memorable Dialogue: Why would I need an education if theres no future?, Greta retorts when a stranger asks why she isnt in school.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: In one scene, an interviewer clueless, I might add asks Greta about how she suffers from Aspergers syndrome. She calmly replies that she doesnt suffer, she just has it. She considers it her superpower, and I am Greta is underscored by its omnipresence. Without Aspergers, would she have the singular focus to follow through on her urgent need to deliver the message about climate change? No, the film suggests. And thats why its a fascinating profile of Greta, and inspiring without being manipulative.

On one level, the doc is a portrait of personal sacrifice the bathroom on the sailboat? Its a bucket but Greta doesnt seem too interested in typical teenage stuff. Her quest isnt easy, but her father says it makes her happy, and its not a stretch to say its therapeutic. Its also a portrait of a physically small person with a loud, assured voice, a person who on one hand seems so fragile, a single life battling literal and figurative hurricanes and fires, but on the other, she exudes extraordinary strength, manifest in the courage it takes for her to look an existential threat right in the eye. Superpower? Sure seems like it.

I am Greta is biographically thin. Youll need to read elsewhere that her mother was an opera singer who traveled the world, but quit because her daughter insisted she stop traveling by airplane. The pragmatic aspects of her European tour go unaddressed (who pays for all the travel?), something that may have grounded the narrative somewhat. But the films occasional quiet, poetic moments transcend the divulgence of mere details. It assumes we already know how the ice caps are melting, and global temperature is rising, and weather systems are haywire, causing more intense hurricanes and wildfires than ever before you know, all the stuff Al Gore talked about, but didnt shove right in the faces of world leaders because hes a politician. I am Greta is a portrait of civilian power, of Gretas personal empowerment in the face of a greater purpose. Its poignant and potent.

Our Call: STREAM IT. I am Greta doesnt have to do much beyond capturing its subjects earnest, genuine charisma and it does so, quite capably.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

StreamI am Greta on Hulu

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Stream It Or Skip It: 'I Am Greta' on Hulu, a Powerful Portrait of an Activist at the Peak of Her Influence - Decider

More than five months into her tenure as Chief of Ordnance and commandant of the Ord. School, Brig. Gen. Michelle M.T. Letcher has well-established the fact she is a hard-charger.

First and foremost, Im really passionate about my service, said the Illinois native who took over her duties June 16.

I love serving in the United States Army, she continued, and I really do believe the work all of us do collectively contributes to our national security and a world that is safer, more stable and secure. I feel like I have to drive really hard because I want to leave my children a world that is more secure and safe. My service is very personal to me. I probably push pretty hard because there are so many things we can do to make many things so much better.

Although Letchers assertion is an upfront declaration about who she is as a Soldier, it only provides snippets about her methods of operation, her values and how she views her role as CoO.

Its an honor and a privilege (to be a part of the Ordnance Corps), but I dont know if I see myself as the head of the organization, but rather a teammate with responsibilities inside the organization, she said. Ive always found Ordnance Corps Soldiers and leaders to be innovative and very passionate about their skillsets. The thing that excites me is being a part of the team here and the changes I already see in place to constantly move our Army forward. Its truly inspiring.

Letcher heads an organization chiefly responsible for training personnel and developing doctrine. The Ordnance Corps is the third largest branch in the Army, comprised of more than 100,000 active and reserve component Soldiers trained in the mechanical and maintenance career fields as well as explosive ordnance disposal, ammunition and explosives safety. The ordnance schoolhouses located here and at various locations throughout the country trained more than 175,000 personnel last year.

As diverse and complicated the mission is for the corps and schoolhouse, Letcher said she approaches her duties and responsibilities with consideration to four fundamental questions: What do we want to accomplish this year? What do we want to accomplish in developing the corps? Where do we see the design of the corps in the future? How do we care for our people?

The latter is an issue monumentally important to Letcher.

Obviously, across the Army were conducting listening sessions as we try to get after sexual harassment/sexual assault, suicide awareness and extremism, she said. So, communicating with Soldiers at all levels and understanding each other (is important). We can help build the Army they want to serve in. Its a reflection of all of us in society. It cant be a reflection of a few in society. For me, the People First aspect is really where leaders apply themselves.

Gen. James McConnville used the People First term in speeches and interviews upon being named Army Chief of Staff in 2019. It became part of a broader strategy emphasizing the requirements to attract and retain Soldiers and civilians and focusing on the human element as the basis for all successes.

Letcher said she has long-believed Soldiers and civilians are the strength of an organization and aspires to build a culture of trust serving as a foundation for empowerment and innovation within the Ordnance Corps.

I want people in the organization to help me shape where we take it, then help me measure where we want the organization to go, she said. What I hope well see gets away from the way weve always done something to building a transformational force.

Complacency and outdated convention, added Letcher, are among the impediments to thriving workplaces. Whats important is providing challenge and opportunity as a means to motivate and excite people so they can feel real positive about transformational change and get us out of our comfort zone and (away from the idea of) saying thats the way its always been.

Letcher also said she encourages a diversity of skillsets and attributes people bring to the team and harnessing all of those positive attributes to drive change.

Mindful of how much progress the Army has made in the area of diversity over the course of her 25-year career, Letcher commended Project Inclusion a recent service-wide initiative for promoting acceptance and expanding opportunities for all who choose to serve.

Tying this to her personal experience, she said, When I came in the Army, women couldnt serve in combat roles. Ive watched the Army transform quite a bit since I became a second lieutenant in many positive ways. Its really just opening that aperture so people feel empowered to communicate.

As an experienced leader, Letcher said she values listening just as much and endeavors to teach others to do it well.

One of the discussions I have with lieutenants and at the (59th Ordnance) Brigade is, after 25 years in the Army, I can have a conversation with you and tell if something is off. Our young captains and lieutenants dont have that experience. One thing I help leaders do is help them identify risk. In the past, if Soldiers did something wrong, wed just write them up as bad Soldiers. Today, we ask ourselves why did that Soldier miss a formation? Is something going on at home? How do we teach people to understand the next layer of what a problem is? Its all about getting involved. Its what Gen. (Paul Funk, TRADOC commander) would say is being positively intrusive. Leaders have to figure out whats the right time to ask the right questions and help people get on the other side of what theyre going through.

When making decisions, Letcher said she is first and foremost informed by policies and regulation but also by gut feeling.

One thing I think leaders sometimes underestimate and you have to know yourself is intuition. As you become more experienced, your intuition becomes more informative. It guides me to paying more attention to something. I call that friction on the battlefield. If I intuitively pick up there might be a problem somewhere, Ill try to figure out if its something I need to solve. I also go back to Army doctrine, regulations and policies, to determine if something systemic is causing the problem or hindering its solution.

At the leader level, problem-solving is essential, but the ability is useful to all ranks, said Letcher.

If you come up on a problem whether youre in the Ordnance Corps or not the first thing you should do is ask, What can I do to help solve the problem? Can I solve this at my level? Sometimes you come across people who pass the problem along (and some problems have to be brought up the chain of command), but empowering people to solve problems at the lowest levels is really, really important. And as a leader, empowering them to do it without undercutting their ability to take ownership is even more so.

Due to her quarter century of service, Letcher can list a number of experiences that have made it easier to empathize with troops. She enlisted as a quartermaster, training as a 57E laundry and bath specialist here prior to commissioning as an air defense artillery officer in 1995. She became an ordnance officer in 1997, and since then, has completed numerous assignments to include deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

On the domestic front, Letcher is married to another Soldier, Col. Kenneth W. Letcher. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, she was commanding general of the Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., and suddenly found herself fulfilling roles of mother and father following the deployment of her husband.

I had three boys to raise and educate at home, she said. I had the same challenges as others and tried to balance it all while working fulltime not teleworking as a single mother. I think these challenges are important to share because I dont think they come off the table with the position held.

As the mother of boys 11, 14 and 16 years of age, Letcher said it is a difficult challenge for many to strike the correct balance between work and family life. She and her husband received a bit of advice on the subject from her husbands former boss, then - Lt. Col. and now - Gen. Stephen Lyons: Its about quality time and not quantity time.

So, what we do is that when were present, were present, said Letcher, noting they try to reframe from work preoccupations. For me, I dont bring my computer home at night. If Im going to work, I stay at work, but if Im going home I mean I have my phone but I dont bring work home. My husband does the same thing. We are very present.

Letcher, the 42nd Chief of Ordnance, is only the third woman to hold the position in the organizations 208-year history.

Brig. Gen. Rebecca S. Halstead (2006-2008) and Brig. Gen. Heidi J. Hoyle (2018-2020) preceded her.

Original post:
A Corps Leaders Perspective: Chief of Ordnance passionate about serving in U.S. Army - Public Affairs Office of Headquarters, US Army Combined Arms...

Equitas Small Finance Bank has launched a new product aimed at women, Eva. Along with 7% interest in savings account, it also offers Free Health Check-up and unlimited teleconsultation with women doctors, gynaecologists and mental health experts. It offers PF waiver and discounted Gold Loan rates for women customers, along-with 25-50% discounts on lockers.

Eligibility?

Eva is available for all women - salaried/homemakers/businesswomen/senior citizens/transwomen as well as Non-resident women.

The Product is based on the concept of Relationship Value, and customers will not be charged any non-maintenance fees.

Exclusive reward points for shopping & dining on debit cards as well as for booking Recurring Deposit, makes this product the best that has been offered to women in the industry so far.

Commenting on EVA launch, Murali Vaidyanathan, President & Country Head - Branch Banking, Liabilities, Product & Wealth, Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited said, Equitas Small Finance Bank has a past filled with moments of empowering people especially women from all sections of society through products and provisions that help them become informed, involved and independent with their financial decisions,.

Meanwhile, Equitas Small Finance Bank announced Smriti Mandhana Indian Woman cricketer as the new Brand Ambassador.

Smriti Mandhana said, I am really glad to be an instrumental part of Equitas Small Finance Banks motive of promoting financial empowerment to all sections of society. It is a great privilege to be associated with the brands positioning as a socially responsible bank.

Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited is the largest SFB in India in terms of number of banking outlets, and the second-largest SFB in India in terms of assets under management and total deposits in Fiscal 2019, as per a CRISIL report cited by the bank.

Excerpt from:
Only for women! 7 pct interest, PF waiver and gold loan discount in this savings account - Equitas Small Fi... - Zee Business

Gary McDonald Business Editor

17 November, 2020 01:00

STARTING a business is, by its very nature, challenging under any circumstances. More so in the midst of a pandemic.

Many business founders and entrepreneurs, though, have more obstacles to overcome than applying for a bank loan or sourcing stock.

That includes defying incredible personal odds - and having to deal on a daily basis with a personal multiple family tragedy which made international headlines and which still reverberates around a small Co Down community nearly two decades on.

In September Tierna McComb (30) from Ballymartin near Kilkeel launched The Cyber Closet, an online ladies fashion boutique offering high quality affordable apparel sourced from major fashion capitals in France, Italy and Spain.

In the grand scheme of things, there's little remarkable in that (online shopping penetration is huge in the UK, where e-commerce sales last year were valued at 688 billion - and rising).

But Tierna's back-story is one of an extraordinary young woman (and now a new mother) who was touched by indescribable tragedy, but who has shown a strength and fortitude to recover and become a role model for so many people around her.

Her grandfather Mickey Greene (54), her father Michael junior (32) and her little eight-year-old brother, also called Michael, all died when the fishing boat in which they were trawling for prawns perished in mysterious circumstances in February 2002 in the sea off Kilkeel.

The Greene family and wider community were plunged into overwhelming grief when the Tullaghmurry Lass failed to return from an early morning fishing trip on Valentine's Day, taken while young Michael was on half-term holiday.

After enduring an unbearable five-week wait before the wreckage of the vessel was discovered on the seabed seven miles out, and then another three weeks for the bodies to be recovered and returned to their loved ones, the funerals in April 2002 marked one of Kilkeel's darkest-ever days.

Tierna (Greene), then just 12, and her sister Stephanie were inconsolable as they each carried pictures of their lost father and younger brother behind the coffins.

"The pain never goes away. You just have to learn to cope with it," Tierna says.

"I saw how my mum struggled. But she always told us to follow our dreams, and this instilled a perseverance in me which has brought me to the point now of starting up The Cyber Closet."

Her fledgling business (https://thecybercloset.com) has already caught the attention of television and radio presenter and fashion model Lisa Snowden, as well as Irish influencer Rachel Gorry (who herself has been touched by tragedy after her husband died from cancer earlier this year at the age of just 29).

"I'd had the idea of setting up my business for a couple of years, but then I got pregnant, and when my son was born a year ago - he's called Michael - that drove me to finally get it going.

"Why a clothes store and why now? Well, I've found many local and national boutiques to be over-priced, and I decided I'd source and sell my stock at a price I personally would be willing to pay if I was the customer.

"Certainly my margins are extremely low, but I'm happy to keep it like that," adds Tierna, who has a forensic science degree from Preston and then studied in the medical field in London, where she met her now-husband Shane, who teaches economics at Sacred Heart in Newry.

Tierna, who also works assisting anaesthetists in hospital theatres two days a week, says she is a huge advocate for empowering other women.

"Unfortunately, in fashion, social media pressurises us all to compare ourselves to unrealistic standards through an unrealistic lens, and with empowerment in mind, I decided to include myself in the majority of business photos on my Facebook page.

"This was a particularly hard thing for me to do, so soon after giving birth to Michael, because like everyone I have many insecurities and 'bad days', so hopefully me wearing the clothes or footwear in photos will also inspire women to wear them and to embrace their own unique bodies."

Tierna says early feedback from her business is hugely encouraging, and her followers on Instagram (thecybercloset_irl) and Facebook (The Cyber Closet Irl) are growing by the day.

"When you shop with The Cyber Closet, know that youre supporting a family and, in my case, a dream I always had."

Originally posted here:
Tierna McComb overcomes family tragedy to become the height of fashion - The Irish News

Frazzled by a daily diet of coronavirus stress and divisive politics, Truett Davis signed up for a weeklong silent retreat.

Unplugging from life in a serene forest or mountainside refuge, though, wasnt an option during the pandemic. Ill be sitting in front of my Zoom camera with my eyes closed, said Mr. Davis, a 26-year-old New Orleans yoga instructor, shortly before he stopped talking last month.

Avoiding distractions is essential to silent meditation retreats. In pre-pandemic days, participants typically had to give up all talking and technology, eat simply and focus on their inward journeys. Now, zenning out at home can present a far bigger challenge. No idle chitchat with family members. No alcohol. No sex. No Netflix .

Mr. Davis made it easier for himself by driving 500 miles away and hunkering down in an unoccupied house owned by his parents. He predicted one of the tough parts would be to avoid belting out tunes in the shower. I didnt cheat, he said after he resumed speaking.

Others have rented hotel rooms, Airbnbs or recreational vehicles to get away from temptations. Yet some say there are advantages to staying in a bedroom with the door shut. If they can hone their concentration skills while people clang pots in the kitchen and leaf blowers blare outside, they might be able to keep that inner peace longer.

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Silent Meditation Retreats Move Homeand Real Life Intrudes - The Wall Street Journal

PORTVILLE Forest bathing, also known in Japanese culture as taking in the forest atmosphere, or shinrin-yoku, will be offered at the Lillibridge property, 1974 Lillibridge Road, at Pfeiffer Nature Center from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

Participants will meet in the parking lot of the property and wander through the woods, taking in the wonders of the beautiful location through all five physical senses as well as the sixth, intuitive sense.

Led by Jessie Lampack Slattery, local registered yoga teacher, this session of the forest bathing series will focus on giving thanks. Slattery said all participants are asked to walk in gratitude for that which we are given and for that which we are not given, as well. Finding peace in being content with what is, will be our theme

Participants will be asked to leave their phones off and cameras at home as the group unplugs for an hour and resets their internal systems.

We will breathe and gently stretch along the way, soaking in the healing qualities of our planet, she said. Studies show that forest bathing can reduce blood pressure, lower cortisol levels which decrease stress, improve concentration and memory and actually boost the immune system.

The event will be a slower and more mindful pace than an average hike, so dress appropriately for cold temperatures. Slattery said participants should prepare to turn inward and find yourself expanding and connecting with even the trees themselves.

The cost is $5 per person and can be paid at the time of the program. Due to COVID safety measures, social distancing and masks covering the mouth and nose are required. The group size will be limited to 10 participants and pre-registration is required.

Space can be reserved by emailing naturalist@pfeiffernaturecenter.org. or by calling the office at 933-0187 by Nov. 18. Include a contact phone number and participants will be contacted to confirm the reservation.

In the event of freezing rain or extreme temperatures, the program will be canceled. If the weather appears questionable, look for a cancellation notice on the top of Pfeiffers website home page.

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Forest bathing-moving meditation offered at Pfeiffer | Local - Olean Times Herald

Hailey Stessman OPINION EDITOR

Before 2020, the way that I dealt with stress was through meditation. At the time, it was easy to close my eyes and let all of my responsibilities and worrying thoughts slip away. I would simply play free meditation music on Youtube, turn off the lights, and fall into a relaxed state of mind. But with the complete chaos that this year has shown us, it quickly became difficult to quiet my thoughts. Calm music and dimmed lights just wasnt enough.

So with a bit of researching and scrolling through the app store on my phone, I decided to try a few meditation apps out. However, I immediately stumbled upon an obstacle. Almost every single meditation app that is offered requires a subscription or payment to use its services. But with my impulsive nature, I agreed to pay the cost of ensured mindfulness.

For example, the first app that I fully paid for was Headspace. On their website, Headspace has one singular mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world. A free trial allows users to use their free basics course that outlines the essentials of meditation. Once your free trial is up, you have the option to choose a subscription plan. For $69.99 a year, you can access Headspaces full library of guided meditations, courses, and soundscapes. Thankfully, they offer a student plan where the cost is lowered to $9.99 a year if you provide confirmation that you are a student. (I chose the latter option.)

At first, I was incredibly impressed with the app. I thoroughly enjoyed the wide array of guided meditations along with the freedom of changing your listening preferences. As someone who has struggled with falling asleep, I greatly appreciated the Sleep section that includes Sleepcasts, Wind Downs, Nighttime SOS, Sleep Music, Soundscapes, and a Sleep Radio. The Headspace app helped give my meditation practice structure that I was lacking previously.

However, as my responsibilities began to pile up and the state of the world fell into disarray, I abandoned the Headspace app. In full honestly, I completely forgot that I had the app on my phone. Every now and then I would open the app, scroll through the meditations and then log out without even pressing play.

Then I started to wonder, Why do I have to pay for mindfulness?

I think its important to establish that therapy and mindfulness are two separate things. In most cases, you have to pay to meet with a therapist and receive those services. But mindfulness is its own entity that has been taught to be void of any fees. It has been ingrained in our heads through media and spiritual outlets that mindfulness is free and can be practiced anywhere at any time of the day. So why was I spending my money on something that can be attained at no cost?

Our society has become so centered around capitalistic structures that even our mental health has become a commodity. It all comes at a cost. Not to mention, the act of using an app to feel mindful felt contradictory.

If you are struggling with calming your thoughts or need a space to relax, I would encourage you to look elsewhere before paying for a meditation app. For example, Youtube has a plethora of free guided meditations, music, and courses that touch on mindfulness and meditation techniques. You should not have to pay a fee to feel at peace.

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OPINION: The Problem with Meditation Apps - Gateway - The Gateway

Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the 4th World Day of the Poor on November 15, drawing from the Parable of the Talents to offer a reflection on the beginning, the middle, and the end of our lives.

As well, he offered an insight into who could be symbolized by the bankers that would have returned the one talent with interest.

Here is the full text of his homily:

~

The parable we have just listened to has a beginning, a middle, and an end, which shed light on the beginning, the middle and the end of our lives.

The beginning. Everything begins withagreat good.The master does not keep his wealth to himself, but gives it to his servants; five talents to one, two to another, one to a third, to each according to his ability (Mt25:15). It has been calculated that a single talent was equivalent to the income of some twenty years work: it was of enormous value, and would be sufficient for a lifetime. This is the beginning. For us too, everything began with thegraceof God everything always begins with grace, not with our own efforts with the grace of God, who is a Father and has given us so many good things, entrusting different talents to each of us. We possess a great wealth that depends not on what we possess but on what we are: the life we have received, the good within us, the indelible beauty God has given us by making us in his image All these things make each of us precious in his eyes, each one of us is priceless and unique in history! This is how God looks at us, how God feels towards us.

We need to remember this. All too often, when we look at our lives, we see only the things we lack, and we complain about what we lack. We then yield to the temptation to say: If only! If only I had that job, if only I had that home, if only I had money and success, if only I didnt have this or that problem, if only I had better people around me! But those illusory words if only! prevent us from seeing the good all around us. They make us forget the talents we possess. You may not havethat, but you do havethis, and the if only makes us forget this. Yet God gave those talents to us because he knows each of us and he knows our abilities. He trusts us, despite our weaknesses. God even trusts the servant who will hide his talent, hoping that despite his fears, he too will put to good use what he received. In a word, the Lord asks us to make the most of the present moment, not yearning for the past, but waiting industriously for his return. How ugly is that nostalgia, which is like a black mood poisoning our soul and making us always look backwards, always at others, but never at our own hands or at the opportunities for work that the Lord has given us, never at our own situation not even at our own poverty.

This brings us to thecentreof the parable: the work of the servants, which isservice. Service is our work too; it makes our talents bear fruit and it gives meaning to our lives. Those who do not live to serve, serve for little in this life. We must repeat this, and repeat it often: those who do not live to serve, serve for little in this life. We should reflect on this: those who do not live to serve, serve for little in this life. But what kind of service are we speaking of? In the Gospel, good servants are those whotake risks. They are not fearful and overcautious, they do not cling to what they possess, but put it to good use. For if goodness is not invested, it is lost, and the grandeur of our lives is not measured by how much we save but by the fruit we bear. How many people spend their lives simply accumulating possessions, concerned only about thegood lifeand not thegood they can do. Yet how empty is a life centred onour needsand blind to theneeds of others! The reason wehavegifts is so that we canbegifts for others. And here, brothers and sisters, we should ask ourselves the question: do I only follow my own needs, or am I able to look to the needs of others, to whoever is in need? Are my hands open, or are they closed?

It is significant that fully four times those servants who invested their talents, who took a risk, are called faithful (vv. 21, 23). For the Gospel, faithfulness is never risk-free. But, father, does being a Christian mean taking risks? Yes, dearly beloved, take a risk. If you do not take risks, you will end up like the third [servant]: burying your abilities, your spiritual and material riches, everything.

Taking risks: there is no faithfulness without risk. Fidelity to God means handing over our life, letting our carefully laid plans be disrupted by our need to serve. But I have my plans, and if I have to serve. Let your plans be upset, go and serve. It is sad when Christians play a defensive game, content only to observe rules and obey commandments. Those moderate Christians who never go beyond boundaries, never, because they are afraid of risk. And those, allow me this image, those who take care of themselves to avoid risk begin in their lives a process of mummification of their souls, and they end up as mummies. Following rules is not enough; fidelity to Jesus is not just about not making mistakes, this is quite wrong. That is what the lazy servant in the parable thought: for lack of initiative and creativity, he yielded to needless fear and buried the talent he had received.

The master actually calls him wicked (v. 26). And yet he did nothing wrong! But he did nothing good either. He preferred to sin by omission rather than to risk making a mistake. He was not faithful to God, who spends freely, and he made his offence even worse by returning the gift he had received. You gave me this, and I give it to you, nothing more. The Lord, for his part, asks us to be generous, to conquer fear with the courage of love, to overcome the passivity that becomes complicity. Today, in these times of uncertainty, in these times of instability, let us not waste our lives thinking only of ourselves, indifferent to others, or deluding ourselves into thinking: peace and security! (1 Thess5:3). Saint Paul invites us to look reality in the face and to avoid the infection of indifference.

How then do we serve, as God would have us serve? The master tells the faithless servant: You ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest (v. 27). Who are the bankers who can provide us with long-term interest? They are thepoor.

Do not forget: the poor are at the heart of the Gospel; we cannot understand the Gospel without the poor. The poor are like Jesus himself, who, though rich, emptied himself, made himself poor, even taking sin upon himself: the worst kind of poverty. The poor guarantee us an eternal income. Even now they help us become rich in love. For the worst kind of poverty needing to be combatted is our poverty of love. The worst kind of poverty needing to be combatted is our poverty of love.

The Book of Proverbs praises the woman who is rich in love, whose value is greater than that of pearls. We are told to imitate that woman who opens her hand to the poor (Prov31:20): that is the great richness of this woman. Hold out your hand to the poor, instead of demanding what you lack. In this way, you will multiply the talents you have received.

The season of Christmas is approaching, the holiday season. How often do we hear people ask: What can I buy? What more can I have? I must go shopping. Let us use different words: What can I give to others?, in order to be like Jesus, who gave of himself and was born in the manger.

We now come to theendof the parable. Some will be wealthy, while others, who had plenty and wasted their lives, will be poor (cf. v. 29). At the end of our lives, then, the truth will be revealed. The pretence of this world will fade, with its notion that success, power and money give life meaning, whereas love the love we have given will be revealed as true riches. Those things will fall, yet love will emerge.

A great Father of the Church wrote: As for this life, when death comes and the theatre is deserted, when all remove their masks of wealth or of poverty and depart hence, judged only by their works, they will be seen for what they are: some truly rich, others poor (SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM,Homilies on the Poor Man Lazarus, II, 3). If we do not want to live life poorly, let us ask for the grace to see Jesus in the poor, to serve Jesus in the poor.

I would like to thank all those faithful servants of God who quietly live in this way, serving others. I think, for example, of Father Roberto Malgesini. This priest was not interested in theories; he simply saw Jesus in the poor and found meaning in life in serving them. He dried their tears with his gentleness, in the name of God who consoles.

Read more: Pope sends moving message to funeral of martyr of charity

Thebeginningof his day was prayer, to receive Gods gifts; thecentreof his day was charity, to make the love he had received bear fruit; theendwas his clear witness to the Gospel. This man realized that he had to stretch out his hand to all those poor people he met daily, for he saw Jesus in each of them. Brothers and sisters, let us ask for the grace to be Christians not in word, but in deed. To bear fruit, as Jesus desires. May this truly be so.

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Parable of Talents is meditation on beginning, middle, end of life: Pope Francis homily (Full text) - Aleteia EN