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Daily Archives: October 16th, 2013

Field of Nightmares


The city council of Springfield In their inimitable fashion has denied approval of a zoning change  allowing locating the “Helping Hands” organization to a building previously occupied by Ace Sign Company. This location while located next to a retirement facility is an ideal location for this agency. The objections appear to be the same ones that has caused the neediest and homeless of Springfield to be shuffled from one location to another by a city ordinance of some sort. No one wants  the homeless (which is why they are homeless in some cases) , no one wants to see them or be near them, except the organizations like helping hands. There have been locations touted that would take the homeless out of the downtown area and away from the resources that helps support them. Most of the folks are homeless due to overcrowding in mental facilities, loss of employment and thereby housing or other overflow facilities. Some are military veterans who deserve better. It appears that the city leaders want to hide the problems instead of correcting them. The situation is that no one wants to see the issue for what it is failure by the city leaders to address a problem that has been around for years and now want it to go away quietly. Why not just buy a field and put them in it with a fence around it? It worked for Hitler!

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Whose Well Being Is It?


Recently  the  CEO of   the Springfield Urban League has been selected to the Board  of security bank, while this is quite an honor for her as CEO  of The Springfield  Urban League ,it is  less of an honor for the Head Start program administered  by the Springfield Urban League. Since 2010 the program has steadily declined due to funding cuts coupled with while the administrators seemingly prospered. After several plus years of  lack luster administration  Head Start is losing 2 to 3 locations due to administrative  errors in judgment and infighting against a duly elected Union. Through the determined and pointed  opposition to unionization many longtime employees were dismissed to the detriment of the program and its clients (which is most of the Eastside). It is certainly wonderful that that the CEO has been accorded this  honor  but what about the clients (parents and children) and employees of Head Start? This is a situation where  a prominent person whose personal and public espousals indicate that their service area  is  their prime focus but their actions  tell another story. Ask the parents and employees of Head Start if their well being is being secured by this organization.

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20 Is The New 40


The common theme is women should have mammograms beginning at 40, that is apparently not necessarily so. Recently my daughter (36) after her own normal self exam, discovered an abnormality. Upon seeing her medical provider , the abnormality was biopsied and discovered to be “pre cancerous”. After further examination and tests it was discovered that it is indeed an early stage cancer. The treatment will be chemo first to shrink it then surgery to remove it . This will take place over a period of at minimum 6 months. The point being that women should be taught to self exam, and start taking mammograms at 20 years instead of waiting until 40. I know there is a lot of information on Breast Cancer but often many women ignore or cannot afford exams beyond the self exam. It is incumbent upon all families to have records on the family health as well as the currently popular genealogical trend. There is no shame in recording all ancestral health issues regardless of the type and cause. These records will allow for better overall treatment of your family’s health and possible prevention of catastrophic illnesses in the future. In many cases lack of health information is a no win situation. Steps to take:

1. Make sure your children have regular medical and dental care

2. Have all medical records (ancestral and current) available to the family.

3. Do not take your health for granted

4. Eat as healthy as you can.

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