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"Roots" by Lyanna L., licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. ____________________________ The town of Dunedin claimed the Florida orange as its symbol. Safety Harbor had the grapefruit. But when members of the Peace4Tarpon marketing team were trying to design a new poster, the group’s vice-chair, Mary Sharrow, suggested another image of native flora: the red mangrove. Those trees, known officially as Rhizophora mangle and colloquially as “walking trees,” populate Tarpon’s shoreline. At first,...

After a deadly shooting, the debate always, it seems, breaks down like this: One side argues for gun control, and the other argues there is no research proving those measures work. There is, in fact, little research into gun violence at all —especially compared to other causes of death in the United States. The modern origins of the impasse can be traced to 1996, when Congress passed an amendment to a spending bill that forbade the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using money...

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — This desert resort town some 100 miles east of Los Angeles, in the sprawling Coachella Valley, is known for many things: Its spectacular setting, nestled next to towering Mount San Jacinto; its vibrant gay and lesbian community (fully 100 percent of the City Council identifies as LGBT); and its midcentury modern architecture. It’s also known, perhaps above all, as a haven for old people: The median age here is about 54, compared with 36 for the rest of California. The...

The state of Tennessee locked Regenia Bowman in solitary confinement for more than six months because she had a skin infection. Bowman wasn’t violent, and she hadn’t threatened anyone. She was free on bond when she walked into a courtroom in Bledsoe County in April 2014 to answer charges of selling prescription painkillers, a violation of her probation on a similar charge. During the hearing, when it looked like Bowman was headed to jail, her lawyer revealed she was sick with what turned out...

The Trump administration is revising a little-known, century-old rule to penalize immigration applicants whose American-citizen relatives receive social assistance, reports say. Washington calls the draft rule a safeguard against the misuse of tax dollars; immigrant rights advocates warn that it could drive United States citizens into abject poverty. The " public charge " provision of the U.S. immigration law aims to bar immigrants who would become dependent on state resources, unable,...

Last week, when Congress lifted spending caps put in place during the Obama administration with a budget extension bill, lawmakers also carved out space for a new federal initiative. An act within an act buried on page 534 of the bill, the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act launches a federal campaign to promote health, jobs, family, and savings across social programs. So what, exactly, is a social impact partnership? The new law imagines federally fueled, locally driven,...

BERLIN — Contrary to what you may sometimes hear, school shootings are not unique to the United States. Germany, for instance, went through a string of devastating attacks between 2002 and 2009. Between 1996 and 2008, major school shootings also occurred in Finland and Scotland, among other places. But in Europe, there hasn't been a major high-casualty gun attack on a campus in almost a decade. Meanwhile, Wednesday's shooting in Florida was at least the sixth of its kind in the United States...

The clinic is unassuming, in an office building just blocks from the revitalized downtown strip in Winter Garden, Fla., 30 minutes from Orlando. As you head up to the third floor, you might share the elevator with pregnant women making small talk in Spanish, a grandmother holding a newborn in a carrier, or a white woman with a baby strapped to her chest in an eco-friendly wrap. When you enter the Birth Place, a friendly, bilingual receptionist greets you. After you’ve checked in, you can...

The International Transformational Resilience Coalition (ITRC) is offering 4 free 1-hour introductory webinars next month on methods for helping individuals and groups constructively cope with the traumas and toxic stresses of climate impacts, and use them as catalysts to increase wellbeing. For more information and to register see below. Introduction to Transformational Resilience for Climate Change When : Tuesday March 13 from 12 noon--1 pm Pacific Time To register for this webinar click...

I really enjoyed chatting with Andi Fetzner, MS on Why Knowing Your Adverse Childhood Adversity (ACE) Score Is As Important To Your Health As Knowing Your Cholesterol Score last night! Andi & I covered how to c alculate your ACE score, get strategies for increasing resilience & preventing or healing ACE related issues! To take the ACE Survey, go to http://marygiuliani.net/adverse-childhood-experience-ace-q …/ To reach Andi Fetzner visit: https://originstraining.org/

Ever heard of the “Red Zone?” Many of us understand that when something enters the red zone, it can prove to be a daunting situation. For example, if your car overheats, and the temperature gauge moves into the red zone, it’s important to check the engine to see what’s going on. Otherwise, the car may overheat or cause a fire, and you may find yourself stranded and standing on the side of the road. Wikipedia has a few examples of the Red Zone: Unsafe areas in Iraq after the 2003 invasion A...

The entire ACE Overcomers staff joined the Valley Learning Community on February 13, 2018 in Clovis, California for a 1-day seminar on RESILIENCY . Strategies 2.0 facilitated the training, that brought together representatives from the following counties: Fresno, Kern, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Kings. Strategies 2.0 offers free training, consultation, peer learning, and other professional development opportunities both in-person and online. The day consisted of a...