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News News Blog News Feature

UTHSC to Open Health Hub in Soulsville

UTHSC via Facebook

This summer, residents in the Soulsville community will be able to access convenient and affordable healthcare thanks to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), the Soulsville Foundation, and the Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation.

The UTHSC Health Hub: Soulsville will be located at 870 East McLemore Avenue. UTHSC officials say the primary care facility will take a “neighborhood approach to healthcare,” and serve adults and children.

“The UTHSC Health Hub: Soulsville will address health and social needs of the community through individualized and empowering care that builds on existing community strengths and assets,” Jim Bailey, MD, executive director of the Tennessee Population Health Consortium and Robert S. Pearce Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, said in a joint statement. “UT Health Science Center seeks to work in partnership with the residents of Soulsville to meet essential health needs and foster wellness and abundant life in the community.”

Residents will be able to access health coaching, school nursing serving three community schools, and youth intervention services. Mental health counseling will also be available after the program’s second year.

The health hub will also offer screening for obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and social needs. Individual and group health coaching for diabetes prevention and self-management and tobacco cessation will be available.

“The care will be targeted to the residents of Soulsville, and personnel for the hub will be from the Soulsville community or deeply rooted in the community,” UTHSC said in the statement.

UTHSC officials say the Soulsville center will use the same approach used at their other facilities in Uptown at 534 North Second Street and the ShelbyCares facility located in the Westwood neighborhood at 3358 South 3rd Street.

“Health coaches at these two facilities have completed more than 4,000 total visits, more than 2,000 individual coaching visits, and served more than 1,000 unique patients,” UTHSC said.

Soulsville Foundation CEO Pat Mitchell Worley says Soulsville has “a lot to be proud of,” but there is also a need for access to healthcare. Worley said she is “thrilled” to partner with UTHSC on this project.

“Their commitment goes beyond offering just health education — they’re bringing essential primary care and mental wellness services directly to our students and neighbors. We are on a shared mission to help Soulsville USA thrive,” Worley said.

The health hub will open this summer in a temporary location, while the permanent space at 870 East McLemore Avenue is being renovated.

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News News Blog News Feature

Overton Park Conservancy’s Preview Of New Trails

Overton Park Conservancy Executive Director Tina Sullivan. Photo by Kailynn Johnson.

The Overton Park Conservancy provided a “very early look” of the proposed new trails at Overton Park.

Officials said it would probably be several months before the trail opens to the public as they have to pull invasive plants and cut the trails.

In 2023 the conservancy and the Memphis Zoo worked together on a solution regarding parking on the Greensward. Historically, the zoo has used 12 acres of the Greensward for overflow parking. However, last year the zoo agreed to return this land to free public parkland under the conservancy’s management.

“The acreage, which was once slated to be home to a new Zoo exhibit space, has been behind a chain-link fence for years, disconnected from the 126 acres that the conservancy began managing in 2012,” the conservancy said in a statement. “As we prepare to remove the fence, the conservancy has enlisted a professional trail designer to create a new path that links up to the existing Old Forest trail system, maximizes views, and traverses the varied topography of the space.”

On Wednesday morning the Overton Park Conservancy hosted a walking press conference inviting media to be among the first to go behind the fence. The conservancy’s executive director Tina Sullivan and director of operations Eric Bridges hosted a walk on the proposed trail to share their expected plans for opening the space.

During the preview, Sullivan honed in on the natural beauty of the area as well as how carefully they’re going about planning and designing the trail system. The conservancy is putting a heavy focus on enhancing the innate characteristics such as log placement and sycamores. 

“A place like this is so important in an urban area like Memphis,” Sullivan said. “To get another dozen acres of this kind of habitat and this kind of deep, immersive, nature experience for Memphians — it’s such a joy. It’s such a gift to the people of Memphis.”

Sullivan said they hope to preserve and steward the space for future generations. She added that the preservation also improves the park experience from all directions.

“If we were not to have gotten this particular tract of forest back then [the] viewshed from across the Greensward would have been compromised,” Sullivan said. “We would have  potentially been looking at the backside of an exhibit or parking lot. We are especially grateful to the zoo that they saw the benefit of preserving this tract of land and the conservation value. We have a lot of opportunities to work together to research [and] study what’s back here and how to preserve it for future generations.”

Bridges said they will soon be starting the process of invasive removal, and as a part of their grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development a team from Nashville will begin the process of an initial reduction.

“It’s not a one and done,” Bridges said. “The goal is whenever you remove something you create a growing space. Something was there and something’s going to fill that space. It’s really critical that you guide the next invasive.”

Bridges added it will be their “test ground” for an ecological restoration strategy.

“We’re good at the removal business. Now we’re going to get into the restoration business, which is that next step,” Bridges said.

This restoration process will likely include replanting and seeding and “guiding the forest” as Bridges put it.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Go Wire-to-Wire in Win Over Wizards

Trey Jemison shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards.
Trey Jemison shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards. Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE for Getty Images.

In their second wire-to-wire victory of the season, and the first one at home, the Memphis Grizzlies snapped their five-game home court losing streak. With a final score of 109-97, the Grizzlies broke the Washington Wizards’ two-game winning streak on the back of a career-high scoring game from Trey Jemison.

Let’s get into it.

Tuesday night saw the return of Tyus Jones to FedExForum for the first time since he was traded to the Wizards last summer. The Grizzlies organization put together a lovely tribute video to Jones, who spent four seasons in Memphis.

It’s still all love for Tyus Jones from the fellas.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well from three-point range. Washington ended the night shooting 30.6%, and Memphis shot 24.2% from beyond the arc.

Poor ball security didn’t hurt the Grizzlies this game, even while allowing Washington to convert 18 turnovers into 23 points. This might be a function of the Wizards being that bad. Washington is one of the few teams struggling harder than Memphis this season.

But the Grizzlies dominated the Wizards in second-chance points (23-2) and paint points (66-50). Their 66 points in the paint tied the team’s season high.

Memphis is missing one of the most prolific paint scorers in the league in Ja Morant, which was borne out by the Grizzlies having led the league in points in the paint since Morant’s rookie season. This season, without Morant, Memphis is now last in the league.

The hodge-podge of two-way players and 10-day contract guys that made up most of the playing roster for the Grizzlies Tuesday night was able to get it done. The 25-point lead they held at the half was tied for the largest lead at any point in a game this season.

Trey Jemison led Memphis with a career-high 24 points, and added 6 rebounds and 2 blocks while shooting 11 of 13.

Luke Kennard added 13 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 3 of 6 from three-point range and 5 of 11 overall.

Santi Aldama put up 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

From the second unit:

GG Jackson led the bench with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

GG Jackson said “not in my house”.

Jake LaRavia added 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies are back at it again tonight, on the home court. They face off against the Charlotte Hornets tonight. Tip-off is at 7 PM CDT.

Categories
Fun Stuff News of the Weird

News of the Weird: Week of 03/14/24

Not Likely

• Roderick Jackson of Waskom, Texas, is suing Walmart for $100 million — or “unlimited free lifetime shopping” at any location — in relation to a vague incident from an Omaha Walmart in March 2021. NBC News reported that Jackson alleges there was a “false pretense of shoplifting” that was a violation of his civil rights “based on race/color.” Walmart responded that the suit is “almost identical to a lawsuit he filed against our company in 2021 that was dismissed.” The earlier suit said he suffered emotional stress and pain from the handcuffs. [NBC News, 1/11/2024]

• Joao Pimenta da Silva, 71, of Minas Gerais, Brazil, repeatedly dreamed that gold lay deep under his home, the New York Post reported. To that end, over a year ago, he began digging a hole in his kitchen floor that ended up being 130 feet deep and about 35 inches in diameter. But on Jan. 4, Pimenta’s dreams died when he lost his balance and plunged to his death at the bottom of the cavity. His neighbor Arnaldo da Silva tried to discourage the project, but Pimenta was convinced his dream would come true. In the fall, he suffered head injuries and broken bones. [NY Post, 1/8/2024]

Wait, How Many?

And you thought your glovebox full of unpaid parking tickets was impressive. Police detectives and patrol officers arrested Ahyoka Keith, aka Carol Ann Sumner, on Feb. 16, two weeks after she was charged with an astonishing 322 felonies and 327 misdemeanors by the Spring Township police department in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Keith is an over-the-road trucker, and her 649 warrants were related to the theft of thousands of dollars from a relative. [WPMI NBC15, 2/20/2024]

Long-Term Lending

More and more libraries across the country have converted to fine-free lending, and that’s a very good thing for one patron of the Licking County Library in Ohio. WPDE ABC 15 in Columbus reported that an Instagram post shared by the library included video of a poetry book that recently had been returned — about 93 years late. The patron had found the “Heart Throbs” poetry collection at a relative’s house and discovered the due date card inside the front cover, last stamped “Nov 9 ’31.” WPDE estimated the total fine would have been approximately $5,770. [AP, 2/13/2024]

Not Getting It

A 42-year-old resident of Ajax, Ontario, was arrested and charged with impaired driving on Feb. 20 at the Durham Regional police station, where he had driven to complain … about his arrest for public intoxication from earlier that morning. The man asked to speak with a supervisor when he arrived at the station, but officers noticed he seemed to be intoxicated, and, after confirming he had driven himself, issued a breathalyzer test, which the man failed. His license was suspended and his vehicle was impounded.
[DurhamRegion.com, 2/20/24]

Need for Speed

The Hockenheimring racetrack in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, was the setting for a Guinness World Record-setting run recently. The speed reached — 92.24 mph — might not sound so impressive, but Fulda University engineering student Marcel Paul attained that velocity in a toy car. Paul spent 10 months modifying the miniature Porsche with the goal of beating the 88 mph made famous by the time-traveling DeLorean DMC-12 in the Back to the Future movies, and in the process created the world’s fasted ride-on toy car. Said one user in the comments on Paul’s Instagram video of the milestone event: “Hell no that looks dangerous.” [Yahoo News, 2/20/2024]

Bleepin’ Birds

Eight potty-mouthed parrots are set to rejoin the rest of their flock at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Boston, United Kingdom, after zoo officials decided that recent efforts to help the dirty birds clean up their act in isolation had shown promise. Steve Nichols, who serves as chief executive of the park, still isn’t sure what will happen when the birds are reunited with their more well-behaved peers. “We could end up with 100 swearing parrots on our hands,” Nichols said. “Only time will tell.” For now, the park does not plan to take down its signs warning visitors of the potential for foul language. [BBC, 2/21/2024]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Can Elections Heal Rather Than Divide?

Looking past right-left divisions (Photo: Djama86 | Dreamstime.com)

“Elections, when done right, are tens of millions of tiny healing moments.”

I read that line on my LinkedIn feed and immediately stopped scrolling. I’ve been dreading 2024 for several years, in fear of the increasing division in our country.

But what if we flip that narrative? What if we look upon 2024 as an opportunity to change our national dynamics, deliberately using the coming months to create American connection?

It’s possible. Research shows that we are so divided into our tribes that we don’t really know each other. One study found Republicans believed 30 percent of Democrats are atheist or agnostic. The reality? Only 8 percent of Democrats identified that way. Democrats believed that 38 percent of Republicans earn more than $250,000. The facts? Only 2 percent did.

There’s a lot more common ground than we think. We need to get to know each other again. Understanding our neurobiology helps. We are hardwired to sense a threat if we feel isolated, looked down on, or treated unfairly. We shut down or lash out — not great for our communities.

Fortunately, we also are hardwired to thrive when we feel connected, respected, and treated fairly. We feel safe and open to collaboration and creative thinking.

How can we deliberately use this election year to reduce our sense of threat and increase our feeling of connection and community?

As individuals, we can get curious about this amazing country of ours. How do other Americans arrive at their points of view on issues and candidates? Ask, “What experiences have led you to that belief?” and see how well you can listen to learn. You’ll probably find the other person is more complicated than you expected, and they will do the same with you. You just might have more in common than you thought.

There are also things we can do at the community level to foster a sense of belonging and fairness.

• Organize small events or initiatives that bring different sorts of people together in your community. Perhaps a food drive to help those in need or a park clean-up day as spring comes. Add some socializing time to an event that is already planned — like bringing drinks and snacks to a PTA meeting. Nurturing community works with our neurobiology, making us feel safer and more connected.

• Hold community leaders to high standards. Urge your local candidates to pledge publicly to “keep it clean,” treating each other and voters with respect and not using hateful or divisive speech. Expecting better election talk from leaders is key to creating the communities we want for our families.

• Support our wonderfully robust American civic culture. Can you talk with others about the importance of voting, particularly to young people? Can you join a nonpartisan registration drive, such as those run by the League of Women Voters? Can you offer rides to the polls? Can you be a poll worker? All of these serve the connection and fairness needs we have, enabling our communities to thrive.

Our elections are ours to control. We can make them healing rather than hurtful. We have the tools and we have time. What can we do, starting now?

Melinda Burrell, PhD, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a former humanitarian aid worker and now trains on the neuroscience of communication and conflict. She is vice-chair of the National Association for Community Mediation, which offers resources for community approaches to difficult issues.

Categories
Astrology Fun Stuff

Free Will Astrology: Week of 03/14/23

Dario Bronnimann | Unsplash

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I will never advise you to dim the flame of your ambition or be shy about radiating your enthusiasm. For the next few weeks, though, I urge you to find ways to add sap, juice, and nectar to your fiery energy. See if you can be less like a furnace and more like a sauna, less like a rumbling volcano and more like a tropical river. Practically speaking, this might mean being blithely tender and unpredictably heartful as you emanate your dazzling glow.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Some spiritual traditions tell us that the path to enlightenment and awakening is excruciatingly difficult. One teaching compares it to crossing a bridge that’s sharper than a sword, thinner than a hair, and hotter than fire. Ideas like these have no place in my personal philosophy. I believe enlightenment and awakening are available to anyone who conscientiously practices kindness and compassion. A seeker who consistently asks, “What is the most loving thing I can do?” will be rewarded with life-enhancing transformations. Now I invite you to do what I just did, Taurus. That is, re-evaluate a task or process that everyone (maybe even you) assumes is hard and complicated. Perform whatever tweaks are necessary to understand it as fun, natural, and engaging.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you have a relative your parents never told you about? If so, you may find out about them soon. Do you have a secret you want to keep secret? If so, take extra caution to ensure it stays hidden. Is there a person you have had a covert crush on for a while? If so, they may discover your true feelings any minute now. Have you ever wondered if any secrets are being concealed from you? If so, probe gently for their revelation, and they just may leak out. Is there a lost treasure you have almost given up on finding? If so, revive your hopes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Pablo Neruda wrote this to a lover: “I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.” That sounds very romantic. What does it mean? Well, the arrival of spring brings warmer soil and air, longer hours of sunlight, and nurturing precipitation. The flowers of some cherry trees respond by blooming with explosive vigor. Some trees sprout upwards of 4,000 blossoms. Maybe Neruda was exaggerating for poetic effect, but if he truly wanted to rouse his lover to be like a burgeoning cherry tree, he’d have to deal with an overwhelming outpouring of lush beauty and rampant fertility. Could he have handled it? If I’m reading the upcoming astrological omens correctly, you Cancerians now have the power to inspire and welcome such lavishness. And yes, you can definitely handle it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Speaking on behalf of all non-Leos, I want to express our gratitude for the experiments you have been conducting. Your willingness to dig further than ever before into the mysterious depths is exciting. Please don’t be glum just because the results are still inconclusive and you feel a bit vulnerable. I’m confident you will ultimately generate fascinating outcomes that are valuable to us as well as you. Here’s a helpful tip: Give yourself permission to be even more daring and curious. Dig even deeper.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Unexpected mixtures are desirable, though they may initially feel odd. Unplanned and unheralded alliances will be lucky wild cards if you are willing to set aside your expectations. Best of all, I believe you will be extra adept at creating new forms of synergy and symbiosis, even as you enhance existing forms. Please capitalize on these marvelous openings, dear Virgo. Are there parts of your life that have been divided, and you would like to harmonize them? Now is a good time to try. Bridge-building will be your specialty for the foreseeable future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Many of you Libras have a special talent for tuning into the needs and moods of other people. This potentially gives you the power to massage situations to serve the good of all. Are you using that power to its fullest? Could you do anything more to harness it? Here’s a related issue: Your talent for tuning into the needs and moods of others can give you the capacity to massage situations in service to your personal aims. Are you using that capacity to its fullest? Could you do anything more to harness it? Here’s one more variation on the theme: How adept are you at coordinating your service to the general good and your service to your personal aims? Can you do anything to enhance this skill? Now is an excellent time to try.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist Carl Jung said, “One of the most difficult tasks people can perform is the invention of good games. And this cannot be done by people out of touch with their instinctive selves.” According to my astrological assessment, you will thrive in the coming weeks when you are playing good, interesting games. If you dream them up and instigate them yourself, so much the better. And what exactly do I mean by “games”? I’m referring to any organized form of play that rouses fun, entertainment, and education. Playing should be one of your prime modes, Scorpio! As Jung notes, that will happen best if you are in close touch with your instinctual self — also known as your animal intelligence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Can Sagittarians ever really find a home they are utterly satisfied with? Are they ever at peace with exactly who they are and content to be exactly where they are? Some astrologers suggest these are difficult luxuries for you Centaurs to accomplish. But I think differently. In my view, it’s your birthright to create sanctuaries for yourself that incorporate so much variety and expansiveness that you can feel like an adventurous explorer without necessarily having to wander all over the earth. Now is an excellent time to work on this noble project.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You picked Door #2 a while back. Was that the best choice? I’m not sure. Evidence is still ambiguous. As we await more conclusive information, I want you to know that Door #1 and Door #3 will soon be available for your consideration again. The fun fact is that you can try either of those doors without abandoning your activities in the area where Door #2 has led you. But it’s important to note that you can’t try both Door #1 and Door #3. You must choose one or the other. Proceed with care and nuance, Capricorn, but not with excessive caution. Your passwords are daring sensitivity and “discerning audacity.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My second cousin has the same name as me and lives in Kosice, Slovakia. He’s a Slovakian-speaking chemical engineer who attended the Slovak University of Technology. Do we have anything in common besides our DNA and names? Well, we both love to tell stories. He and I are both big fans of the band Rising Appalachia. We have the same mischievous brand of humor. He has designed equipment and processes to manufacture products that use chemicals in creative ways, and I design oracles to arouse inspirations that change people’s brain chemistry. Now I invite you, Aquarius, to celebrate allies with whom you share key qualities despite being quite different. It’s a fine time to get maximum enjoyment and value from your connections with such people.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): My Piscean friend Jeff Greenwald wrote the humorous but serious book Shopping for Buddhas. It’s the story of his adventures in Nepal as he traveled in quest of a statue to serve as a potent symbol for his spiritual yearning. I’m reminded of his search as I ruminate on your near future. I suspect you would benefit from an intense search for divine inspiration — either in the form of an iconic object, a pilgrimage to a holy sanctuary, or an inner journey to the source of your truth and love.

Categories
News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Sassy Stolen Song, Tweet of the Week, and That Smell

Posted to Nextdoor by Jennifer Jordan

Memphis on the internet.

Sassy Stolen Song

Memphis troubadour Jeff Hulett turned out a gut-wrenching tune of loss and disappointment last month.

“Did you hear about Sassy girl?” he sings in a new song on Soundcloud. “The 250-pound statue of a neighbor in Cooper-Young.”

In one of the most Memphis things ever, Hulett’s song details the recent theft of Sassy, a beloved Sasquatch statue stolen in the neighborhood.

Tweet of the Week

“Happy Women’s Day to all the intelligent, beautiful, courageous, kind, and strong women out there,” MGLW Memphis, a parody account, posted to X last week. “And also Marsha Blackburn.”

That smell

Photo: Annie Pm | Unsplash

Neighbors on the Ring app wondered about/were grossed out by a “strange smell” all over Memphis last week.

From Cordova, across Midtown, and into Downtown something smelled “like manure or something sulfuric.” Ring users blamed “mulch, just mulch”; maybe something they stepped in; Bradford pear trees in bloom; Memphis Light, Gas & Water activity; a sewage leak; a gas leak; a cat; and, to one neighbor, “Memphis tends to stink.”

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Snapshots of the Moment

Photo: Representative John Gillespie | Facebook John Gillespie

John Gillespie, the Republican incumbent in state House District 97, has kept a relatively moderate profile in the two terms he’s served since winning his seat over Democrat Gabby Salinas in 2020, focusing on non-ideological matters like drag-racing bans and deviating from GOP orthodoxy on gun legislation.

But all that may be changing. Gillespie is now following the lead of the House Republican leadership and another Shelby County GOPer, state Senator Brent Taylor, in sponsoring hard-line crime legislation destined to strip away local law-enforcement prerogatives.

A controversy arose last week after a cell phone video was circulated of a conversation in Nashville in which Gillespie appeared to be assuring the visiting parents of the late Tyre Nichols that he would hold up on seeking an immediate vote on his bill to nullify city council restrictions on the kind of preemptive traffic stops that would end in the savage beating death of young Nichols by MPD officers who are now facing trial for murder.

Instead, Gillespie put the bill on the floor for a relatively quick party-line passage.

The incident may loom large in this year’s legislative elections, in which Gillespie will be opposed by businessman Jesse Huseth, a Democrat who has already released a statement deploring Gillespie’s conduct of the matter.

• Tami Sawyer, recent winner of the Democratic nomination for General Sessions Court clerk, is keeping her activist’s hand in, blogging her discontent with both a pending appearance at the University of Memphis by Kyle Rittenhouse, the youth acquitted of killing two people at a Kenosha, Wisconsin, protest event, and Rep. Gillespie’s short-circuiting whatever commitment he may have given on rolling his bill.

• A hat tip to my daughter Julia Baker of The Daily Memphian for noting that the aforementioned Brent Taylor, notorious for his constant verbal and legislative targeting of local DA Steve Mulroy, is on the same page as Mulroy regarding the need for a new crime lab in Memphis.

• Veteran watchers of presidential State of the Union addresses over the years are used to seeing 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen ready on or near the aisle for banter or conversation as the president — of whatever year or whatever party, for that matter — is either headed to the podium or finishing up afterward and headed out.

Those aisle seats have to be staked out well in advance, and Cohen, using staffers early on to help hold down a place, is something of a master of the art.

Sometimes he shares local artifacts with the passing chief executive. In 2008, he was seen on national television handing George W. Bush a University of Memphis booster’s cap to be autographed. Watching at home, then Tiger basketball coach John Calipari saw it all and later got in touch with Cohen, putting in a bid for the cap and pledging to get it into the U of M Sports Hall of Fame. Cohen turned it over, but the cap never made it to its intended destination. Not long afterward, Coach Cal — cap presumably in tow — decamped to the University of Kentucky.

Always Cohen manages to have something to say. Last Thursday night, he caught Biden going in and took the time to encourage the president to pitch his remarks to the Democratic side of the assembled audience of lawmakers and to give the Republicans hell. Presumably Biden already had that strategy in mind. In any case, that’s what happened.

Categories
At Large Opinion

Zoned Out

Port St. Joe, Florida (Photo: Google Maps)

How was your Sunday morning wake-up? I imagine, like me, you were still a little drowsy because in Memphis, as in most of the USA, except Arizona and Hawaii, we all “sprang forward” for Daylight Saving Time, meaning 8 a.m. magically became 9 a.m. overnight, and meaning it’s darker outside when you wake up and there’s more daylight when you go to bed. It will take most people’s bodies a few days to get used to the change because our circadian rhythms get all fouled up.

Circadian rhythms are the 24-hour cycles that regulate essential bodily functions and processes — the release of hormones and such — including the sleep-wake cycle. They work by helping to make sure that the body’s processes are optimized at various points during a 24-hour period. The term “circadian” comes from the Latin phrase “circa diem,” which means “around a day,” which seems a little vague to me, but this is coming from people who wore togas and probably partied a lot.

Oddly enough, I got a head start on the whole process last week. That’s because I was visiting my brother and sister-in-law at their Vrbo near Port St. Joe, Florida. It’s a place where time waits for no one, and where you’d better keep an eye on your phone or you’ll be late. Or early. It depends. A watch is no good here. If your car’s clock updates automatically when you switch time zones, you will need to pick up a flux capacitor at AutoZone. Your phone will soon be googling itself.

See, Port St. Joe is in a little time peninsula of its own. The line of demarcation between Eastern Standard Time and Central Standard Time is a bit wacky hereabouts, running like a string tossed on a rumpled blanket: north, south, east, and west through Gulf County, the last piece of land before the Gulf of Mexico puts a stop to this linear nonsense.

Port St. Joe is on Eastern Standard Time, but it’s possible to drive a couple miles due east and be in the Central Standard Time zone. Meaning you could — depending on where you’re staying — arrive at the beer store in Port St. Joe at 5 p.m. and get home to drink those Bud Lights on your deck at 4:15 p.m. Time is a flat circle, baby. When 5 o’clock rolls around again, did those beers really exist? I say no. Also, if you do this 24 times as fast as possible, you could save a day. In theory. And get really drunk.

Why do we keep doing this twice-a-year ritual, which many studies have shown to be a health hazard that negatively affects sleep cycles, causes heart attacks, and spurs mental health crises, including suicide rates, in the fall? In a new poll conducted by the Associated Press/Center for Public Affairs Research, seven in 10 Americans said they would prefer not to switch back and forth for daylight saving time. Consensus! See, Americans can agree on something!

Er, but well, no. It turns out that four in 10 Americans would like to see their clocks stay on standard time year-round, while three in 10 would prefer to stay on daylight saving time year-round. Urgh. Another 3 in 10 say they prefer the status quo, switching back and forth between daylight saving time in the summer and standard time in the winter. These are the people who know how to reset the clock on their stove. Bastards.

A 2019 article in the Journal of Health Economics says: “As all mammals, humans respond to environmental light, the most important signal regulating our biological clock. However, human beings are the only animal species that deliberately tries to master nature … adjust[ing] their schedules responding to incentives to economic and social coordination.” This explains why my dogs were blissfully eating their morning kibble at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, unaware that I’d served them breakfast an hour later than usual. Then again, what’s time to a dog? Day and night. There’s probably a lesson for us there, from one species of mammal to another. Arf.

Categories
News News Feature

Business Risk Management

Photo: Loic Leray | Unsplash

Focusing time and resources into developing a strong risk management strategy can help your business prepare for the main risks that can impact its success. There isn’t a singular plan that works for all businesses, but there are a few core components that should be addressed.

Internal Controls

Your business’ strategy should include internal control policies. Internal controls are the processes and documentation used to govern your overall operations. These protocols typically promote transparency, prevent fraud, and ensure business proceedings are compliant. Incorporating internal controls can help you mitigate fraud and set a tone of accountability throughout your organization. Here are a few internal control best practices you may want to consider in your plan:

• Documenting all key business policies and procedures and making them readily accessible to all employees

• Dividing up responsibilities that involve sensitive information, compliance, and audit-related tasks so that a checks and balances system is created

• Establishing anti-fraud controls for quicker detection and prevention of workplace fraud

Cybersecurity

Cyber-related risks have grown these past few years as cybercriminals have become more sophisticated and relentless with their schemes. A solid risk management strategy accounts for the actions your organization will take should a cyber incident occur to minimize its impact as much as possible. This component may include your organization’s documentation on security protocols, business continuity plans, IT recovery plans, and more.

What’s most important is that you work with your IT team to identify potential risks and develop policies around them so your business is prepared to act and secure its systems if a data breach were to happen. The better positioned your teams are to handle a cyberattack, the less havoc such an attack could cause on your data and operations.

Insurance Options

Insurance is specifically designed to help policyholders mitigate risk — no matter the type of coverage. From protecting against physical damage to providing funds to cover a cyberattack, there’s a range of insurance types available for business owners. Regularly review your coverage options to ensure they’re still meeting your needs and that there are no gaps present. Some policies to consider:

• Commercial Property: Covers the physical aspects of your business, such as your office space and the tools used to operate

• General Liability: Covers costs related to claims involving bodily injuries or property damage to others

• Fleet Auto: Provides auto coverage for a vehicle rather than a driver so there’s more flexibility on who can drive company vehicles

• Workers’ Compensation: Offers medical care and cash benefits for employees who become injured or ill due to their work environment

• Directors and Officers (D&O): Commonly covers fees for legal needs, settlements, and financial losses when the business is held liable

• Cyber Liability: Offers financial coverage for businesses that experience a data breach or related cyber incidents

• Business Crime: Provides coverage for losses due to fraud, embezzlement, theft, forgery, or any other business crime

Building Resilience

Perhaps the most vital aspect of your risk management strategy is its ability to build resilience and adapt to new risks. To achieve this, it’s imperative that your strategy outlines actionable steps for each risk you’re aiming to mitigate. Any team members who will need to be involved in action plans should know their role and responsibilities so they can best do their job when it’s needed most.

If a certain risk should become reality for your business, be sure to assess how well your plan worked or where improvements need to be made so you can update your processes effectively and stay agile for the future. The less ambiguity you have within your strategy, the more clarity your team has to protect your business.

Addressing every risk your business will face is an impossible feat, but a comprehensive strategy could make a world of difference. Protect your business from the people and things that can harm it by making risk management a priority.

Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Partner and Private Wealth Manager with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.