Friday, September 15, 2017

Ideas, Actions, and Inspiration for a Better Tomorrow - September 15 Edition

9/11


“It’s important to remember that good things can sometimes be born of tragedy, especially at a time when so many Americans are dealing with so much adversity. Storms in the South. Wildfires in the West. A nationwide opioid epidemic. And of course, Monday was the 16th anniversary of 9/11.

On that day, Victor Saracini, 51, was the captain of United Flight 175, the airplane that hijackers directed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Inside that building, on the 84th floor, Patrick McGuire, 40, was working at Euro Brokers Inc. His plan to evacuate had been interrupted by an announcement that the situation was under control.

Each man left behind a wife and children — the Saracinis have two daughters, the McGuires have two sons and two daughters. On Sept. 9, Victor Saracini’s younger daughter, Brielle, and Patrick’s McGuire’s older son, Sean, wed in Austin, Texas, in front of a gathering that included their mothers, Ellen Saracini and Danielle McGuire. It’s the second wedding this summer for the Saracinis. Brielle’s sister, Kirsten, was married in June. Ellen Saracini said she is certain that Victor, whom she describes as a “real participating father,” would have been thrilled with their daughters’ choices.”



Hurricane Irma, Pets


“Between 800 and 900 dogs — and a handful of cats — became guests of the Hyatt Regency Orlando on International Drive this weekend after hundreds of Hurricane Irma evacuees headed here from other parts of the state.

“We’re always dog-friendly,” hotel manager Kevin Kennedy said on Saturday night.
Marcus Newton and his daughter Adison, 11, from Vero Beach planned this trip to Orlando nearly two months ago and decided to keep the reservation as an evacuation plan.

“I couldn’t imagine leaving them in a shelter,” said Adison, referring to their two dogs Reagan and Riley.

Mia Gallow drove up from Naples on Wednesday with her golden retriever Scout to avoid the storm.

“I’m actually from California, so I’m used to earthquakes and fires,” Gallow said. “This is my first hurricane.”

Gallow said she was surprised how many dogs you can spot in the lobby at any given time.”



Wellness, Health



“If you’ve visited a health website in the past five or so years, you know that sitting is the new smoking. Now, there’s more data to add to the pile of research showing that excessive sitting is hazardous to your health: a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people who sat for longer uninterrupted periods of time had an increased likelihood of dying over the course of the study. But on a more hopeful note, the study suggested that getting up at least every half hour could help.

Excessive sitting has been linked to everything from increased risk of obesity and depression to heart disease, as Clifton Leaf pointed out in Tuesday’s Fortune Brainstorm Health newsletter. This new study comes from researchers at institutions including Weill Cornell Medical Center, University of Michigan and Columbia University Medical Center.”



Health Care, Insurance


“Coming less than two months after progressives and America’s families won a huge victory by preventing GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and to decimate Medicaid, the bill marks a new, less defensive Democratic position. Vigilance and unity are still needed to protect against attempts to undermine recent historic health improvements. But this bill aggressively advances the debate over how best to advance the progressive goal of achieving high-quality, affordable health care for everyone.

Maybe we should hit pause before we get on this bandwagon. The overriding goal among progressives is to ensure that health care becomes a basic human right — truly and affordably available for all, irrespective of income, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, and geography.

But there are several paths to universal health care coverage. Single-payer can be one of them — but it isn’t the only one. Indeed, many countries have reached the goal using methodologies other than single-payer, including varying blends of public and private coverage.
Too many progressives and others fail to distinguish between “universal coverage” and “single-payer.” The terms are used interchangeably in private conversations and in the national arena.”



Travel


“This was where I was a year ago: aware that I was ruining my trip, but unable to stop myself from doing it. Now that I’ve had time to process — and thanks to Jaime Kurtz, Ph.D., and her book "The Happy Traveler: Unpacking the Secrets of Better Vacations" — I can see quite a few factors that contributed to my guilt-laden discontent in Paris. For me and anyone else who’s ever found solo travel wrought with burden and shame as opposed to the wonder and delight they were promised, I’ve laid out my mistakes and how I plan to prevent or work through them, with help from Kurtz, on my next solo trip.”




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