Category Archives: Viva!

Hungarians protest Orban’s education reforms

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Hungarian teachers were joined by other unionized workers in protesting the government’s bid to centralize public education. This is not the first time thousands have protested Orban’s government, but he remains popular.

Adele Charms L.A. Crowd With Pre-Grammy Concert at the Wiltern

Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Hanks, Sam Smith, Emma Stone, Katy Perry, Woody Harrelson, John Mayer, Orlando Bloom were all in attendance.read more

Source: Adele Charms L.A. Crowd With Pre-Grammy Concert at the Wiltern

The singer attracted an Oscar-nominated crowd including Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Sam Smith, and Emma Stone who were seen standing together. Lawrence was caught on video dancing with her Hunger Games co-star Woody Harrelson to Rolling in the Deepas John Mayer, Shania Twain and Orlando Bloom were seen exiting the venue according to TMZand the Daily Mail.

Adele — who was introduced to the stark stage by her carpool karaoke pal, The Late Late Show host James Corden — opened the concert with her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Hello.” The 16-song set (including a reprise of “Hello”) struck a balance between new and old material, and featured seven cuts from her latest album, the Billboard 200-topping 25. In addition, she played earlier singles like the Hot 100 leaders “Rolling in the Deep,” “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Someone Like You” (all from 21).

When All You’re ‘Left’ With Is Righteousness.

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We live in a world profoundly divided by ideology. A world where we are continually exposed to extreme differences; differences that often result in conflict.

In the circles I frequent, extreme conservative and right-wing sensibilities are a source of dissonance and frustration for many. And, I myself, can become offended and/or royally pissed off by the words and actions of others. News and social media offer me nonstop fodder to ignite this dissonance.

At times I take the bait… rallying with others together in favor of this-and-that… and rising up opposed to him or her.

And yet more and more I’m realizing that when we roll our eyes or condemn or grow frustrated with another human for not speaking or behaving in the manner that we would expect, we are missing the point entirely.

Maybe it’s not our politics or our beliefs that define how effective we are… perhaps it’s the character with which we show up and navigate the realities of a shared humanity.

Consider this: When you are offended, your psyche imagines it’s been attacked. Yet in reality it’s only a belief, a mental and/or emotional construct that is under fire. Something is rubbing up against what you know to be true and you feel a need to defend it.

But before you fire back, pause, and ask yourself: Do you really want to wage a war? Even if the cause you represent makes you feel 100% justified, is it necessary that you fight back in order to gain ground?

Maybe your answer is Yes, but I challenge that. As human history has shown us, violence and divisiveness do not change minds, they destroy lives. If you are like me, and you don’t believe in fighting wars, then check yourself as to how you approach everyday conflicts in your life.

We are on the brink of electing a giant bully as a nominee for president. And people on the left (and right) keep asking: How could this be happening?! How could someone like him be an option for so many? Yet the more I look around at the way so many of us handle conflict in our everyday lives, the less surprised I am.

Trump is a living-and-breathing representation of what happens when the human shadow is allowed to run amok. Left or right — when we point fingers, label others, and allow our ideology to keep us from being curious and willing — we are no different than him.

Just because our labels are more flowery and politically correct, it doesn’t make them any less divisive.

Politically, it doesn’t matter much if you swing left or right.

If you draw hard lines when it comes to difficult truths, then there is a fundamental flaw in your aim.

Do you really want people to open their minds?

Then open yours. Wider than ever.

Has rolling your eyes and/or shaming someone for their beliefs ever worked to open a heart and ignite the love you hope to inspire?

I seriously doubt it.

Judging others for their ignorance reveals to them your arrogance, not your intellect.

Instead of wagging your finger in someone’s face, why not offer up a nugget of wisdom? Here’s a tip: Wisdom = vulnerability + personal experience. It’s not the same thing as a political soundbite you read on the internet.

Tell them how you overcame your own biases and judgement. And ask them how they inherited theirs. Create a dialogue that has the potential for truth-telling, versus shaming them for a mental construct they most likely played little part in creating.

In a divided world, there is a desperate need for safe spaces where we can openly speak what is in our minds and hearts without fear of condemnation. Where we can practice owning our truth and saying, “Hey, I know this might not be popular, but here’s where I’m at as of now.”

Another side note: this is not an argument for emotional or spiritual bypassing. It’s not an invitation to turn up your headphones and tune out the troubles of the world in the name of good vibes. No. It’s a call for honest to goodness human-to-human dialogue where hard truths are welcome and heard.

There are many ways to stand up for what you believe in… and I wholeheartedly believe that the world will become a peaceful place when we really get that the good fight isn’t really a fight at all. It’s a confidence firmly rooted in integrity and sovereign self-expression.

And by the way, I’ll be learning and practicing right alongside you, so no need to knock me off of any high horse. We are all doing the best we can. And yet I believe we will all do better when, left or right, we acknowledge that we are in this together.

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IMG_2394-3_web-small - Version 3Candice Schutter is a life coach and writer. She’s the author of two comprehensive online coaching programs, and has been a somatic educator since 2001. In September 2015, she was inducted into the Atheneum Writing Fellowship through The Attic Institute. She is currently working on her first full-length book.

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40 Rare and Interesting Photos of Indigenous Sami People of The Nordic Areas and North Western Russia from the Early 20th Century

The Sami people (also Sámi or Saami) are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sami are the only indigenous people of Scandinavia recognized and protected under the international conventions of indigenous peoples, and are hence the northernmost indigenous people of Europe.

Sami ancestral lands span an area of approximately 388,350 km2 (150,000 sq. mi.), which is approximately the size of Norway, in the Nordic countries. Their traditional languages are the Sami languages and are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family.

Traditionally, the Sami have pursued a variety of livelihoods, including coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding. Their best-known means of livelihood is semi-nomadic reindeer herding. For traditional, environmental, cultural, and political reasons, reindeer herding is legally reserved only for Sami people in certain regions of the Nordic countries.

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Sami man on Reindeer sledge in Lappland Sweden

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Sami group early 1900 eds and Lavvo tents in Tromsdalen

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Sami mother and children. Grotli, Oppland, Norway

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A semi-nomad Sami Children Northern Sweden Norway late 1800 (likely from 1884, Bonaparte).

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Mountain Saami group in Lyngen Norway. 1928

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WHO Interim Case Definition For Zika Virus Disease

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Zika Rash – Credit Wikipedia

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The World Health Organization has released an interim case definition for identifying suspected, probable, and confirmed Zika Virus Disease infection. 

Since the majority of cases are expected to be asymptomatic or mild – and given the limited availability of laboratory testing – most infections will never be identified, much less confirmed.

We see a similar situation every year in the United States with the West Nile Virus.  Only about 20% ever develop symptoms, and the vast majority of those are mild cases – called West Nile Fever – with probably only 2%-3% of those being identified.

Serious illness – due to neuroinvasive WNV – accounts for less than 1% of all cases.  In 2015, 1,360 neuroinvasive WNV cases were reported in the United States, resulting in 119 deaths.

Which means that there were probably more than 100,000 mild West Nile Fever cases that went unreported last year. It is likely that more than a million Americans have been infected with the West Nile Virus over the past 16 years, and never even knew it. 

Although we are still learning about the Zika virus, the same pattern appears to be true in Central and South America, with only a very small percent of cases experiencing serious illness or complications.

Zika virus disease

Interim case definition
12 February 2015

These interim case definitions have been developed for the purpose of providing global standardization for classification and reporting of Zika virus cases. WHO guidance for the surveillance of Zika virus disease is currently being developed.

WHO will periodically review these interim case definitions and update them as new information becomes available.

Suspected case

A person presenting with rash and/or fever and at least one of the following signs or symptoms:

  • arthralgia; or
  • arthritis; or
  • conjunctivitis (non-purulent/hyperaemic).

Probable case

A suspected case with presence of IgM antibody against Zika virus1 and an epidemiological link2


Confirmed case

A person with laboratory confirmation of recent Zika virus infection:

  • presence of Zika virus RNA or antigen in serum or other samples (e.g. saliva, tissues, urine, whole blood); or
  • IgM antibody against Zika virus positive and PRNT90 for Zika virus with titre ≥20 and Zika virus PRNT90 titre ratio ≥ 4 compared to other flaviviruses; and exclusion of other flaviviruses


Notes

1 With no evidence of infection with other flaviviruses
2 Contact with a confirmed case, or a history of residing in or travelling to an area with local transmission of Zika virus within two weeks prior to onset of symptoms.

CDC Advice: Pregnant And Living In A Zika Prone Area

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Four weeks ago the CDC released their interim travel recommendations on Zika, recommending that Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.

With the continued expansion of the virus, however, in the months and years to come it is likely that millions of pregnant women will see the virus come to them. 


For Americans, the greatest risk right now is in Puerto Rico (see MMWR: Local Transmission Of Zika Virus In Puerto Rico), but it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to eventually see limited outbreaks in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and other states where the Aedes mosquito can be found.


With that eventuality in mind, the CDC has begun producing public health messaging for  pregnant women who live in areas with potential Zika exposure.