Posts
Friday, March 03, 2023
strong at the broken places
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.”
― A Farewell to Arms
Whales
Young women are criticized for this vocal tic — but it helps whales survive
A new study in the journal Science finds many of the marine mammals vocalize in a strikingly similar way to humans
“The similarities we find are really striking,” said Coen Elemans, a voice scientist at the University of Southern Denmark who co-wrote the study. “This is the first evidence of broad register use in any animal, besides humans.”
Among Americans, vocal fry can be divisive. Some find the low, guttural voice to be grating. Others warn the raspy tone makes prospective employees less hirable. Radio stations get complaints about hosts who end their sentences with the scratchy voice.
But the ranks of vocal friers are growing, particularly among younger women. Many who speak with a creak view criticism of vocal fry as sexist social policing of women’s voices. And plenty of celebrities today — including Kardashian, Johansson and Perry — often talk in that gritty register, according to Elemans.
Among whales, the creaky voice is critical to the massive mammals’ survival.
How whales use their ‘voice’Elemans and his colleagues found that toothed whales use the normal and falsetto registers to communicate with each other. They reserve the vocal fry register for navigation.
Able to dive more than a mile underwater, many of these whales hunt in nearly complete darkness. The animals use sound to find their way underwater, sending out powerful pulses and listening to the echo to spot their meal.
Toothed whales rely on vocal fry to make their echolocation clicks, according to the study. Under the sea, air is precious — and whales likely evolved to use the lower register for echolocation since it uses air the most efficiently.
Vocal fry, according to Elemans, “has definitely brought toothed whales very far.”
His team’s series of experiments showed that whales produce their wide repertoire of sounds with the same organ — the phonic lips in their nose, which vibrate much like a larynx does in humans. To reach that conclusion, his team filmed tissue motion on trained bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises with a high-speed camera, and also taped wild whales with a small sound-recording tags.
“They show, to some extent, that the physical mechanism is the same as the one we use,” said Andrea Ravignani, a comparative bioacoustician at Aarhus University in Denmark and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. He wrote an opinion article on whale vocalization in the same issue of Science.
He added, “The finding is quite unexpected and mind-blowing.”
Most reprehensible is the fact that these alleged crimes were carried out on the backs of our most vulnerable
PROVIDENCE — The visits for opioid addiction treatment were supposed to last 45 minutes, but they were so perfunctory, authorities allege, that the supervisory counselor at the Providence-based chain earned the nickname “the five-minute queen.” And the fraud scheme was so brazen that Recovery Connection Centers of America once billed taxpayers for 28.5 hours of psychotherapy by a single counselor in one 24-hour day, prosecutors say.
Now, the company and its leaders are facing federal criminal charges. Recovery Connection Centers of America has locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and serves 1,600 to 1,800 patients in the two states who need therapy and medication for addiction treatment, authorities say.
Through the scheme, patients with substance use disorders were deprived of treatment they needed while private and federal health insurance programs were ripped off to the tune of millions of dollars, authorities allege.
“Today’s charges should serve notice that we are not going to stand by in the face of this kind of fraud that victimizes a vulnerable population by shortchanging them of critical help while defendants help themselves to federal taxpayers’ money in the process,” US Attorney Zachary Cunha said at a news conference in Providence announcing the charges.
Michael Brier, 60, of Newton, Mass., described in court documents as the owner and operator of the company, and Mi Ok Bruining, 62, of Warwick, R.I., the former supervisory counselor and alleged “five-minute queen,” were taken into custody Thursday, authorities said.
Brier, Bruining, and the company itself were charged in a criminal complaint with health care fraud, authorities said. Brier faces additional charges of aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and obstruction. Attorney information for the defendants was not available.
The charges come as Rhode Island grapples with historically high levels of fatal overdoses driven by an opioid epidemic that shows little sign of abating.
Authorities said Brier falsely purported to practice medicine and wrote prescriptions for suboxone using the names of doctors without their permission. Brier is not a doctor. In fact, he was a convicted tax cheat, prosecutors say. To cover his tracks, Brier signed a false and back-dated document, authorities say.
The center actually should never have opened, Cunha said: Brier used another person’s identity to apply for federal health care funding. He wouldn’t have been able to get that under his own name because of his record, authorities said.
The matter came to the attention of authorities through billing analysis, Cunha said. One of the red flags was the amount of billing, which on some days would have been impossible.
Authorities are working to seize Brier’s $2 million home in Newton, a 2020 Mercedes Benz, and a 2019 Lexus, as well as the company’s primary site on Wickenden Street in Providence, authorities said. Brier is accused of laundering millions in fraudulent proceeds through investment accounts, luxury cars, student loan payments, home renovations, and tens of thousands invested in an oceanfront resort in Panama. Authorities are also taking steps to seize bank accounts, some of which have more than $1 million.
Bruining was taken into custody at her Warwick home, authorities said. Authorities said they believe Bruining trained the chain’s counselors on how to fraudulently bill and instructed them to see patients for 5 to 10 minutes at most, even as insurance programs were paying for much more. According to charging documents, Bruining, in an interview with law enforcement, described her own way of counseling as checking with a patient to see if they relapsed. If the patient was in good shape, the appointment would be short — a “drive-by,” Bruining called it, according to authorities. Some patients interviewed by authorities said they never got the full 45 minutes of therapy, according to court records.
Joseph Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said health care fraud costs taxpayers tens of billions of dollars every year.
“Most reprehensible is the fact that these alleged crimes were carried out on the backs of our most vulnerable: those struggling with substance abuse dependencies seeking to get their lives back on track to become productive members in our communities,” Bonavolonta said.
In the wake of the law enforcement action, federal and state health authorities are working to make sure patients can continue to get therapy and medication treatment for opioid use disorder in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Rhode Island patients who need a prescription can call 401-606-5454, and patients who need behavioral health referrals can call 410-414-LINK.
Massachusetts patients who need a prescription can call 617-414-4175, and patients there who need of behavioral health referrals can call 800-327-5050 or use helplinema.com
The company’s website lists locations in Attleboro, Brockton, Burlington, Dartmouth, Dedham, Fall River, Hyannis, Natick, Pawtucket, Plymouth, Providence, Boston, Springfield, Taunton, and Worcester.
Recovery Connection Centers of America is not affiliated with the Recovery Centers of America in Massachusetts, the latter company and federal officials said.
This story has been updated throughout with additional information.
Sunrise over Precious Blood Cemetery
This morning I drove in and walked around the top of the hill at Precious Blood Cemetery as the sun was rising. I stood and made a 40 foot shadow. I admired the still glass top of Harris pond off in the distance and listened to all of the birds singing. I am glad I have my hearing and I do not live in a submarine or a soundproof house. I love admiring the shapes of bare trees and the distance perceptible in every direction. All of this changes when the leaves fill in with a wall of green and loud lawnmowers and angry caretakers return. I'm savoring the ever-changing moments. What is your legacy. What have you accomplished on Earth. Have you laughed enough, cried, read lots of good books? Created music stories images, dances? Made anyone's life better? I'm thinking about these things as so many friends have died recently. How do we remember them? How do we hope to be remembered?
Homemade Ricotta Cheese from She Loves Biscotti
This is my favorite food blog: https://www.shelovesbiscotti.com/
During my youth, most Italian families made their own wine, their own sausages, cheese, prosciutto, tomato sauce, pickled vegetables, jams, jellies, pasta, bread…I could go on, but you get my point.
Imagine my surprise when I realized not everyone had homemade soppressata hanging in their cold room!
I realize now what a privilege it was to have been exposed to so much passion when it came to food. When I think back to my grandparents and my parents (and to a whole generation of immigrants), I am always impressed by how food helped preserve their identity.
The philosophy is easy -enjoy and share food with family and friends.
https://www.shelovesbiscotti.com/creamy-homemade-fresh-ricotta-cheese/
Thursday, March 02, 2023
Cocoa Toast
https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2020/01/26/the-ultimate-healthy-double-chocolate-biscotti/
Healthy Double Chocolate Biscotti
These biscotti are perfect for any chocolate lover! They’re crisp, crunchy, and completely packed with decadent dark chocolate flavor (similar to 72% dark chocolate!). These cookies taste incredible on their own, but they’re also fun to dip in coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate for an extra chocolaty treat! Leftovers should keep for at least two weeks if stored in an airtight container, and they also freeze (and ship!) really well. This recipe is easily doubled to make more, too!Ingredients
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this and see Notes!)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp (28g) finely diced dark chocolate (see Notes!)
Instructions
Conceived in Suicide Month
My mother loved to tell me she was suicidal and reading Emily Dickinson when she was pregnant with me so she named me after her. I was born a month early and could never read Emily Dickinson because all I heard from my sister was "She stayed in her room and wrote poetry until she died, and you're named after her." Thanks a lot. No thanks.
Driving
Driving is so weird after so many years of walking. It's fun and strange and often frustrating but also interesting!
FLYING THRU SPACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brooke Borel:Just keep at it.
Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?
Of course, but I usually just step away from the computer and either take my dog for a walk or go for a swim at the YMCA. Getting away from it for a little while usually helps.
What’s your advice to new writers?
Just keep at it. The only way to get better is to practice and to share your work with smart writers and editors who will push you to do better. Oh, and stay curious about everything. The best stories come from asking a lot of questions and wanting to learn more, more, more.
Albert P. Valliere OBITUARY
Albert P. Valliere, Jr., 74, of North Smithfield, died October 18, 2020 at Hope Health Hulitar Hospice Center, surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Paula (Smith) Valliere. Born in Woonsocket, he was the son of the late Albert and Celia (Petrin) Valliere.
Albert was the President and CEO of Nationwide Construction and was regularly recognized for his outstanding leadership, his considerable contributions to his community and his commitment to Do well by doing good.As Al's business grew, he became particularly invested in supporting and building quality housing that could be affordable to everyday Rhode Islanders. He gave generously of his time, knowledge and expertise as a strong advocate, sharing his insights with state and local policy makers to better understand the challenges to developing affordable housing.
You can hear Al talk about his work here: Albert Valliere | 2017 Smart Growth Awards You'll notice that his voice breaks with emotion at the 1:52 mark when he says, Its about giving back, its about creating opportunity, that makes me happy. This is a quintessential Al moment, brimming with pride, conviction, passion and unexpected emotion. It is worth a listen just to hear his voice, which was distinct and gravelly and turned heads at a party, Who is that?
Albert was a rockstar triathlete and in 2001 he rode his bike 200 miles on Route 100, from the Canadian border to the MA border. He regularly participated in the Ride the Rockies in Colorado and RAGBRAI, an annual cycling tour across Iowa. He was a beast of a biker but swimming was actually his best event. His friend Joe Maguire called him A fierce yet gracious competitor who would often complete the one-mile swim as quickly as guys in their 20s, much to their chagrin.When friends asked Al how he was doing he always answered, Best shape of my life! - and it was always true. Al got so much joy and satisfaction and reward from his life as a triathlete. He was such a wide open person, curious and excited and interested - and on his cycling trips he regularly introduced himself to strangers and made loud and ridiculous jokes for the benefit of anyone within earshot, often laughing at his own joke before he was finished with it.
He would laugh until he cried and his laughing alone would make people laugh. He would often dress as Santa Claus at Christmas time, riding his bike around neighborhoods in Rhode Island and waving at whoever happened to be out. His favorite post-ride treat was a cone (or two or three) of soft serve ice cream which he referred to as a twirly whirly. On his birthday four years ago he called his daughter Vanessa after a bike ride, twirly whirly in hand saying, I thought I would do 70 miles for my 70th birthday but I did 85 instead.
Al was sometimes called Big Al - ironic because of his small stature and appropriate because of his giant personality. He was full of contradictions like this. He was a star athlete and took great care of himself but could sit down in front of the TV and eat an entire box of cereal with his hands (if his wife Paula didn't come over and gently tug the box from his grip.) He was a master estimator and organizer and contractor, but don't you dare ask him to fix or build anything or put together a Christmas present that comes with instructions. His guys at Nationwide would laughingly say, He's great in the office but keep him off the building sites! He makes us crazy!Al liked peace and calm and quiet in the sun on the beach, but he also loved to run into the water, surrounded by kids, screaming budda budda! at the big waves. He loved watching movies and would always comment, What a beautiful piece that was. What a great piece. But when asked about the film the next day, he wouldn't remember a single moment from it. He was articulate and considerate, but also loved to swear. He swore when he was angry, he swore when he was happy and he loved to throw in the occasional swear to set you at ease and to essentially say: It's okay. We can swear. We can be easy with each other. We can be regular people. You don't have to check yourself with me. Be who you are, please.
He was an alcoholic who got sober. A person who yelled and apologized. A beautiful and constant work in progress. He was flawed. Like you and me. He'd be the first to tell you that.
Al was beyond devoted to the family he was born into: his sisters Cecelia and Pauline and his brother Paul. He was nurse to his mother when she became ill and passed away at their family home in North Smithfield. Later in his life he had the opportunity to be a kind of father to his young nephew, Victor Valliere, who grew up to be a source of love, strength and pride. He was also immensely proud of his two daughters, Nicole and Vanessa and bragged about them regularly. He spent a long car ride teaching them how to properly shake peoples hands. He embarrassed them by dancing or making monkey sounds in aisles immediately after the credits were over at a movie theater. He cried in front of them when he was sad and when he was moved and when he was laughing so hard he couldn't stop. They waited for him at tables in restaurants while he went to say hello to everyone he knew (which was everyone).Whenever Nicole and Vanessa left the house he would always say, Be careful, huh? He worried about them. He loved them and they loved him. He surprised them at his 40th birthday party at Chan's, where he held court, telling jokes to all assembled for over an hour. That party was thrown by his wife Paula, with whom he celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary in September of this year.
In a family video that was made for Paula's 70th birthday Al said, Best thing I ever did was to fall in love with you, I'm so lucky to have had you by my side all of these years. Its been a decent run. His love for his daughter Nicole's kids, Sydney and Jackson, was so big and so complete, it was almost surprising. His capacity for loving them was overwhelming. In 2018 he finished an email to his daughter Vanessa with the words, Why not enjoy the ride. We only come this way one time. Let's make the best of it!! He made the best of it and wanted others to do the same.
Visitation
We will all hear stories of him for years to come. He lived big. He loved fiercely and was fiercely loved.
Along with his wife, Paula, Al is survived by two daughters, Nicole and Vanessa Valliere; his nephew, Victor Valliere; his brother, Paul Valliere; two sisters, Pauline Valliere and Cecelia Florentz; as well as Jackson and Sydney Valliere, the two grandchildren that brought him astounding joy.
Visitation will be held, Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 1 - 4pm in the Holt Funeral Home, 510 South Main St., Woonsocket. All other services will be private. Social distancing guidelines will be implemented upon your arrival. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Recycle-A-Bike.
Sat, Oct 24, 2020 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Holt Funeral Home510 S Main St
Woonsocket, RI 02895Holt Funeral Home
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Albert P. Valliere, please visit our floral store.
Mrs Paul
Mrs Paul had bulging sad eyes like the cartoons. She was always waiting, waiting for her husband to focus on her but what made him attractive was his passion for everything in life. Somehow she never figured that out and after he died she withered away in weeks.
It was so simple yet so profound.
It was so simple yet so profound. So obvious yet so overlooked. One word at a time. One sentence. One book. It mimicked the structure of life. One moment. One day. One life. As books were written in words, life was lived in moments. The word I was paying attention to would lead to the next. The moment I was living in now would roll into my future. When I went back to write, I noticed that when I focused on the words in front of me, the fears about the rest of the book dissolved. The same thing happened when I focused on the moment. Actually, when I focused on the moment, two things happened: I didn’t have the time or mental space to worry about the future, and because I was paying attention to the moment, the future took care of itself. Because the future was the result of moments, and when I was living as presently in the moment as possible, I didn’t have to worry so much about what could be. When I took care of the dishwasher now, I didn’t have to find time to do it later. When I did well on my work presentation, I didn’t need to worry about the security of my job, the scrutiny of my boss, later. When I focused on this chapter, I didn’t need to fear the one after it. And that’s when I began trusting myself, in a way I never had before. I trusted myself to live in the present, in a way that would take care of my future self. And the more I trusted myself, the less I saw myself worrying about the future.
LAUREN MARTIN
Wednesday, March 01, 2023
Dark Chocolate is keeping them up at night.
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/health/13real.html
Chocolate can stir affection and awaken the taste buds, but some people wonder if it can have a less pleasant side effect: keeping them up at night.
But there is an alternative. White chocolate does not contain any theobromine, and little if any caffeine.
what we actually fear is not having a home within ourselves.
“We think it is the aloneness we fear, but I believe what we actually fear is not having a home within ourselves. For so long, I did not trust my own landscape. I had believed the stories I learned about it, and I had taken every chance to avoid living there and learning her. Sobriety forced a closeness to myself and to life that was at first excruciating. It burned, and it burned, and it burned. But in the ashes from burning all the things I was not, I found her. I found me.
And then I could finally be found by others.”
―“...I realized it wasn't in spite of her pain that she was doing these things but because of it. She knew exactly what it took to walk though the fire. That is what I recognized in her. That was why I believed her.”
―“This is the 10 percent withholding. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but right then they agreed it was okay to lie to each other - even if only a little...But they were always operating just left of center, hovering around the truth of who they were, unwilling to life the film from their eyes.
It was a lot safer this way, but it was also extraordinarily lonely...
It would have been a risk to call him out on the little fudging of the truth...she would have had to withstand a moment of discomfort...it might have allowed then to actually fins an honest ground zero from which to build something.”
―“...much the same way as I feel about becoming a mother: it has brought me right up to the nose of life itself and forced me to look it straight in the face. At first, the nearness was too much; there was nothing to protect me from the immediacy of things - not from the bright lights or the sharp pain. But then, eventually, I came to realize that this is what it means to be alive - to not look away from any of it - and that all I was really doing before was pretending: floating through my days half-numb, half involved, half-awake, thinking I was really living when in fact I was missing it all.”
―“Lying and withholding is the cheapest, easiest way to control others. You control their perception, control their response to you, control who you need them to be, In telling the truth, I was surrendering control with the hope that it would lead to something different. I hoped it would lead to something real.”
―“It’s supposed to be difficult. It’s supposed to take everything you have. It’s supposed to take longer than you want and to change you, completely. This often won’t feel good when it’s happening, but nothing worth having ever does.”
―“It is counterintuitive that restriction might offer expansiveness.”
―“Maybe it’s helpful to linger there for a minute, in the terrible and the necessary. To start to see them as the same. Maybe in this way, pain is not such a problem.”
―
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