Community Linkage

February 16, 2011 By Guest Contributor

ProPublica: Journalism in the public interest reports that the process of discharging disabled borrowers education debt isn’t working. “Education Department Bureaucracy Keeps Disabled Borrowers in Debt” “Under federal law, borrowers who develop severe and lasting disabilities after taking out federal student loans are entitled to have their debts forgiven. The system was meant to be compassionate: to spare former students who become disabled from a lifetime of ruined credit, garnished benefits, and spiraling debt. But an investigation by ProPublica and... Read more

Teen Voices the Realities of Living with ADD

February 15, 2011 By Guest Contributor

At the Witches’ Voice there is an essay by Katryna who candidly writes about life as a teen with ADD/ADHD. “ADD/ADHD: How to Make it into a Positive Journey” www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmd&c=words&id=14318 “I think my main problem with ADD/ADHD is how people try to “fix” it, and how they handle this “problem”. They try to make you concentrate by doing negative things, such as taking away your TV, or freedom, or whatever other privileges you might have if you can’t concentrate. They... Read more

Unless You Know The Mystery

February 14, 2011 By Guest Contributor

For a very long time I moved through the world tied down to the most reviled person I knew. Myself. This other person rode along in my body, giving constant snarls and criticism on everything I did. The relationship was similar to the initially toxic symbiotic relationship of Melanie and Wanderer in The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I felt alien in my body, in the world yet not experiencing it. I feed off of and needed the attention of others.... Read more

Disaboom Article and/or Video Contest

February 12, 2011 By Guest Contributor

The deadline for the Disaboom website article and video contest is Tuesday, Februrary 15th. They are accepting any topic, though I’m sure it has to be disability related. The winner’s submission will be posted at disaboom.com. Check out the contest page for more information www.disaboom.com/contests/disaboom-contest-submit-article-andor-video-today-to-win Read more

Interview with Author and Professional Psychic Alexandra Chauran

February 11, 2011 By Guest Contributor

Alexandra Chauran is professional psychic and owner of Earthshod.com. Her book, Crystal Ball Reading For Beginners, is being released by Llewellyn Worldwide in July. I had the opportunity to interview her through email. Image: Closeup of Alexandra Chauran in front of tree leaves holding a crystal ball. Masery: How did you end up a Harley riding, married woman, in Renton, Washington? Alexandra: Those are a lot of questions, right off the bat! Well, first of all, Harley Davidson motorcycles are... Read more

BBC Two Video – How Subtitles Are Made

February 10, 2011 By Guest Contributor

The BBC Two program See Hear has a video up about Red Bee Media, the BBC’s subtitling company. It shows how subtitles are created and what can be done to improve subtitle quality. If you’ve watched TV with subtitles, especially live, and wondered why captioning was off by almost a minute or the words made no sense, watch the video to find out. I’m sure Red Bee Media’s process is similar to captioning technology in other countries. The results can... Read more

Community News Linkage

February 9, 2011 By Guest Contributor

Happy News reports on a music and dopamine study from McGill University, Canada “Musical Chills: Why They Give Us Thrills” www.happynews.com/news/1142011/musical-chills-why-give-us-thrills.htm Sociologist Publishes Research On Religion And Adolescents “Religion plays an important role in the lives of teenagers, according to the findings published in the book “A Faith of their Own: Stability and Change in the Religiosity of America’s Adolescents,” co-written by Melinda Lundquist Denton, an assistant professor of sociology at Clemson University.” www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/216033.php Thanks to the Witches’ Voice on... Read more

Are you prepared for a medical emergency?

February 8, 2011 By Guest Contributor

Image: Red emergency bag labeled with a white equilateral cross. It was almost midnight and my sister was holding my hair and shoulders to keep me from falling off the bed as I vomited again and again. My husband tried to calm me. We had tested my blood sugar and it was normal unlike just six months before when I ended up in the ER with a blood glucose of 400. I wasn’t keeping any stomach medication or water down.... Read more

When Big Women Go BAD: Body Awareness Divas Part 2 (Artistic Nudes Pictured in This Post)

February 7, 2011 By Guest Contributor

On Imbolc, I joined almost three hundred women via the phone and Skype for “Fat Positive Art & The Fat Body Beautiful with Substantia Jones and Her Models.” The call was part of a Body Love Telesummit hosted by Golda of bodylovewellness.com. Substantia Jones, which is her art name, is an award winning photographer who has exhibited through out the Eastern US. Her work has appeared in various publications including the New York Times. She spoke during the call about... Read more

When Big Women Go BAD: Body Awareness Divas Part 1

February 4, 2011 By Guest Contributor

My Winter Solstice and Lunar Eclipse ritual included a promise to myself and a prayer to the Goddess and the Universal Divine asking for assistance in keeping that promise. That promise was to love myself. To love and accept myself for who I am and by doing so I would be empowered to live my life to the fullest. For me that includes caring for my health, making new friends, and getting beyond fear of failure to do what I... Read more