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Music Can Improve Executive Function and Mental
Health

post from Kmareka.com on 11 May 2008 08:11:00 PM. © Kmareka.com

(Cross-posted on my private practice site.)

I have been thinking about music recently, ever since a colleague of mine questioned whether there is scientific proof of the effectiveness of music therapy. Hence, I started doing a little Googling on the subject and learned about a kind of therapy for ADHD called “Interactive Metronome.” If you visit the site, you can watch a short demo video of how the Interactive Metronome therapy works.

I can see why this therapy can be valuable, and it also reminded me of why learning to play an instrument can be important to the health and development of every child. Learning the counting and rhythm of music is a great way to integrate self-regulation. Once you get to the point of being able to play music, the activity can be wonderful for helping you to shift your mood. As explained in the following video produced by the Berklee School of Music, Music Therapy program, music can help with decreasing anxiety or depression. Music also helps the body relax and helps a person’s whole being get more involved in the moment.

video details and more

More information on music therapy can be found here.

Read The Full Article:
http://kmareka.com/?p=1834

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This American Life: "The Giant Pool of Money "

post from Thumb Jig on 11 May 2008 08:03:00 PM. © Thumb Jig

(View Original)

A special program about the housing crisis. We explain it all to you. What does the housing crisis have to do with the collapse of the investment bank Bear Stearns? Why did banks make half-million dollar loans to people without jobs or income? And why is everyone talking so much about the 1930s? It all comes back to the Giant Pool of Money.

This American Life: "The Giant Pool of Money"

Read The Full Article:
http://thumbjig.blogspot.com/2008/05/this-american-life-giant-pool-of-money.html

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The Most Superdelegate of All

post from Connecting.the.Dots on 11 May 2008 08:00:00 PM. © Connecting.the.Dots

A 90-year-old man may turn out to be a swing vote for the Democratic nomination. Robert Byrd is President Pro Tempore of the Senate, third in line of presidential succession behind Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi.

Tomorrow, if the polls are right, Hillary Clinton will defeat Barack Obama in his home state of West Virginia by more than 2 to 1, and in the past year, she has been wooing Byrd by cosponsoring with him a vain resolution to "deauthorize" the war in Iraq.

As a superdelegate, Sen. Byrd has not declared a preference as yet, but his choice may depend on how well his memory serves him.

In October 2002, he passionately opposed giving George W. Bush a blank check to invade Iraq, but Hillary Clinton took the Senate to disagree, "from the perspective of a Senator from New York who has seen all too closely the consequences of last year's terrible attacks on our Nation. In balancing the risks of action versus inaction, I think New Yorkers, who have gone through the fires of hell, may be more attuned to the risk of not acting. I know I am.

"So it is with conviction that I support this resolution as being in the best interests of our Nation."

The following March, just before bombs began falling in Baghdad, Byrd told the Senate chamber, "(T)oday I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart...We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance...There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11."

John McCain rose to disagree, and Hillary Clinton was silent. When he exercises his power as a superdelegate, will Robert Byrd remember that?

Read The Full Article:
http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/2008/05/most-superdelegate-of-all.html

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Indie Musician of the Week (Someday): The Divine
Madness

post from Moue Magazine on 11 May 2008 07:59:12 PM. © Moue Magazine

If the Lost Boys were going to throw a masquerade ball in the Catacombs, The Divine Madness would be the band they would hire to play the gig. I became aware of the band when I was working at an online magazine that assigned me a writeup on their music.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://mouemagazine.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/indie-musician-of-the-week-someday-t
he-divine-madness/

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Mayor bans Moldovan gay pride parade

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 11 May 2008 07:45:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Moldova wants to join the EU? Good luck with that.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/288423354/mayor-bans-moldovan-gay-p
ride-parade.html

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Convention producers moving forward

Obviously convention planning must go on before the nominee is known, and some broad outlines are being put in place:

The Democratic National Convention Committee didn't wait for candidate input before designing the huge podium to be in the Pepsi Center in August. Good choice. They had the podium design ready in February. "In this world we're in, where we don't know who the candidate is as of today, it's really helped," said Ricky Kirshner, who has produced every national convention since 1996 for the Democrats. This year, he'll be joined for the first time by a co-producer. While Kirshner handles the production end, party strategist Mark Squier is responsible for crafting the political messages.
...
It'll mean plenty of business for local theatrical production. In Boston, more than 50 percent of production money was spent locally (the committee will not release any Denver financials). At least one local scene shop will be used, although the contract hasn't been offered yet, and the convention will use 25,000 hours of labor by local stagehands.

Alvarado Construction is doing the Pepsi Center build-out - it gets access to the Pepsi Center on July 7 - much of which involves providing tents and infrastructure for the 15,000 journalists expected. "No matter how good a convention you do," Kirshner said, "if the media is not happy, you didn't have a good convention."- Rocky Mountain News

The blue balloon in the picture shows where the podium will be. I don't think those seats behind the balloon will have very good sightlines.

Read The Full Article:
http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/convention-producers-moving-forward.html

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Website Group Promotes Violence at DNC Denver
Convention

post from The Francis L. Holland Blog on 11 May 2008 07:33:00 PM. © The Francis L. Holland Blog

Hat Tip to Pirate Satellite:

I wonder what the above group is really about. They have a website claiming to be a non-profit organization:

R68 believes the excitement and energy generated by this major event in our city can and should be used as a catalyst to bring new people into existing social change organizations, to involve more people in mass political activism, and to empower people to create community-based alternatives to a failed two-party system.
The events and demonstrations during the DNC can and should be used to build a broader movement that will last well beyond the convention itself, a movement that will build connections among organizations and different constituencies. The experience of working together for this major event will carry over past the convention to allow different constituencies to work together, and support each other, in the coming years. Recreate68.org

It seems to me that only a bunch of idiots would put up a public website announcing their intention to cause violence and civil strife in Denver, and only someone equally foolish would register his name (and e-mail and IP address) as a participant in such a group.

You can't "recreate sixty-eight" when the nominee of the Party will be history's first Black nominee (or history's first woman nominee), so the entire premise is absurd. Without knowing more, I am certain there will be one Government agent provocateur in such a group for each dolt foolish enough to register in such a thing.

This year, with Barack Obama as the nominee, the only beneficiary of civil strife at the Convention will be the Republicans, who will be handed a new "law and order" issue to run on in November against Barack Obama.

Certainly, the afrosphere will call upon Federal, State and local police forces to gaurantee the safety of the participants at the Convention as well as any demonstrators.

Read The Full Article:
http://francislholland.blogspot.com/2008/05/website-group-promotes-violence-at-dn
c.html

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Has Anyone in West Virginia Seen Obama

BY TAYLOR MARSH He’s due to show up sometime tomorrow. But Lambert asks a good question. Oh, and you won’t find him in Kentucky either. Although Obama didn-??t attend the[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=27656

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It's The War, Stupid

Few would argue that anything other than the economy will be the most important issue to voters in[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2008/05/its_the_war_stupid.html

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In Memoriam

Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather)This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of country singer Eddy Arnold, civil rights pioneer Mildred Loving and ice cream mogul Irvine Robbins, as well as the 24 servicemembers killed over the last two weeks in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Icasualties, there have been 4,075 confirmed [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/11/in-memoriam-6/

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