MLK 2018 Round-Up
January 15 is our annual celebration of the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recognition of the contribution that he made to enhancing freedom for all Americans. For many this day serves as more than a holiday or a time to catch up on sleep or family activities. It is a time to realize the importance for all Americans to be recognized “not by the color of their skin, but for the content of their character.” For this reason, many will be marking their MLK celebration as a day of service – a time for all of us as citizens to take responsibility for creating a “greater nation and a finer world to live in.”
For some, this year’s celebration of MLK day may be exceptionally poignant as calls for greater equity among Americans, fair treatment at work for all people, and attention to economic inequalities seems to ring with as much passion as it did 50 years ago in 1968. While on this day we will hear many recounts of Dr. King’s Dream rooted in the American Dream, it is also appropriate to consider some of the last words he left us with on his last day in Memphis in support of the striking sanitation workers.
“Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled…the cry is always the same: “We want to be free.
Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”
While we take this time to remember Dr. King’s Dream and devote ourselves to the noble idea of Freedom for all, let us also continue to follow Dr. King’s legacy in doing the work to make that noble dream a reality. Instead of just another day off, let us use this day as a time to regroup, regain our focus, and re-connect with our fellow citizens so that we all may continue the work in making our country a better place for ourselves and for our future generations. For as Dr. King reminds us, “The time is always right, to do what is right.”
- The Three Evils of Society
- What is Your Life’s Blueprint
- Letter from a Birmingham Jail
- I Have a Dream
- I Have Been to the Mountaintop
It’s Official: Trump Administration to Start Letting States Add Work Requirements to Medicaid |Governing
The Trump administration early Thursday initiated a pivotal change in the Medicaid program, announcing that for the first time the federal government will allow states to test work requirements as a condition for coverage. The announcement came in a 10-page memo with detailed directions about how states can reshape the federal-state health program for low-income people
For some receiving disability benefits, the desire to work will never cease | The Washington Post
Last year, The Washington Post explored how rural American communities have been reshaped by the significant growth in disability programs over the past two decades.
As the series of articles progressed, we heard from readers nationwide about their experiences with disability benefits. A common theme emerged from their stories.
For Some With Intellectual Disabilities, Ending Abuse Starts With Sex Ed | NPR
In the sex education class for adults with intellectual disabilities, the material is not watered down. The dozen women and men in a large room full of windows and light in Casco, Maine, take on complex issues, such as how to break up or how you know you’re in an abusive relationship. And the most difficult of those issues is sexual assault.Katy Park, the teacher, begins the class with a phrase they’ve memorized: “My body is my own,” Park starts as the rest join in, “and I get to decide what is right for me.”
The Sexual Assault Epidemic No One Talks About | NPR
Pauline wants to tell her story — about that night in the basement, about the boys and about the abuse she wanted to stop. But she’s nervous. “Take a deep breath,” she says out loud to herself. She takes a deep and audible breath. And then she tells the story of what happened on the night that turned her life upside down.
Why Louisville Is Becoming America’s Aging Capital |Forbes
What do you think of when someone says Louisville, Ky.? The Kentucky Derby? Louisville Slugger baseball bats? Bourbon? How about the lifelong wellness and aging care industry?
Turns out, Louisville (population 1.3 million) is home to America’s largest cluster of aging care businesses, such as nursing homes, home-based health care, hospice and other senior living services. Think health care and health insurance behemoth Humana, as well as Kindred Healthcare, Trilogy Health Services, Atria Senior Living and Signature HealthCare, all headquartered here.
Randolph Bourne’s 1911 essay on disability shocked society. But what’s changed since? | The Guardian
I hadn’t heard of Randolph Bourne until my cousin, a writer, suggested I seek him out. It turns out that 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Bourne’s death. He was a wunderkind among American intellectuals, one of the country’s leading social critics, and a pioneer for people with disabilities – including me.
My ignorance of Bourne was embarrassing, because I have also written about my physical handicaps. When I was eight years old, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour and other ailments, and for the past 21 years have lived in a wheelchair.
Disability Insurance Needs Reform | AEI
The 2017 report of the Social Security trustees, released in July, shows the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund will be depleted of its reserves in 2028, five years later than projected in the 2016 report. New applications for disability benefits are coming in below the rates that were projected the previous year. Some policymakers might conclude that these new projections relieve them of the responsibility to pursue serious reforms of the DI program. They would be mistaken. Even with the recent slowdown in disability claims, the DI trust fund is in severe financial distress and probably would already be insolvent were it not for stopgap legislation, passed by Congress in 2015, that temporarily shifted tax revenue from the retirement side of Social Security to pay for disability benefits. But shifting payroll tax receipts in this way is not a permanent solution to the problem because the retirement program is also racing toward insolvency and cannot afford the lost revenue.
Anti-aging? Good Luck With That | The Huffington Post
Anti-aging is all the rage these days. There are plenty of procedures, secrets, creams, “cliniques”, diets, retreats, supplements, attitude adjustments and yoga poses to support anti-aging. You can check it out on Google. In my own life, people tell me age is just a number. I don’t disagree. It is just a number. They say that you are never too old to try. I agree with this as well, but it depends on what you are trying to do. They say that 60 is the new 40. Here is where I do disagree. My experience tells me that 60 is 60.
No hand, no problem: Cougars top laner MistyStumpey thrives despite disability | ESPN
A dramatic, machine-generated fog and a computer screen separated Ian Alexander from the crowd at the DreamHack Denver 2017 American Video Game League Collegiate League of Legends Championship in October.
Aladin’s smart lamp lights the way for your aging relatives | CNET
The wall-mounted Aladin smart light from French startup Domalys uses motion detection to keep an eye on the elderly and alert you if they fall. One trend I’m keeping an eye out for at CES 2018 is smart home tech designed to help caregivers keep an eye on the the elderly. Aladin, a wall-mounted smart light (or “magic lamp,” as its makers call it), is a good example. With multiple motion detectors inside of the fixture, Aladin can light the way for anyone getting up in the middle of the night. If they should fall, the device can send their loved ones a notification telling them that they need help.
Parents fight to record school day of son with disabilities | ABC News
A Maine teen with autism and a rare neurological syndrome that affects his speaking ability cannot talk to his parents about his school day the same way other students can. So his family is fighting for the right for him to carry an audio-recording device to ensure he’s being treated properly when they aren’t watching.
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