Insight ::: 10.24.2022

DR.

THE

Dan NormanDan

SAFFI: Addressing the root causes of oppression, violence

By Brenda Lyle-Gray

“Our protocol convening The Healing Circle is how we should be engaging with each other,” said Dr. Bravada Garrett Akinsanya, founder and CEO of The African American Child Wellness Institute and co-host of the Friday edition of The Conversation with Al McFarlane.

CTC selects Grinch team

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) named the cast and creative team that will bring to life Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, playing from November 8, 2022, through January 8, 2023. Opening night is Saturday, November 12 at 7 pm. This is the 10th time CTC has produced this show, which they originally commissioned and premiered in 1994. It also marks the fifth time CTC Company Member Reed Sigmund will embody the character of The Grinch.

CTC Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius directs the production, with choreography by Linda Talcott Lee and music by Mel Marvin. The book and lyrics are by Timothy Mason adapted from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss.

“Ted Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, found himself turning into a grinch when he thought of the commercialization of the holidays,” said Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius. “He wanted to create a story that celebrated the values of community, of

kindness, and of generosity, and to remind us of the true meaning of the holidays. He also wanted to show that both individuals and communities can truly change. Communities can welcome those who are different and in doing so become stronger and more robust. It is in that spirit of the joy of community and the possibility of change that we bring you this production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

A miserly and miserable, ever-so-cantankerous Grinch has observed the despicable Christmas joy of the Whos with disdain, from a distance, for decades.

Enough!

In this favorite holiday story, filled with music and Seussian rhymes, he conceives a dastardly plot to destroy the holiday they love. It’s the smallest of the Whos, tiny Cindy Lou, who extends a hand. Through the combination of kindness and community, we witness not only a change in the course of Who-History, but the size and capacity of the cantankerous Grinch’s heart.

Social Security bene

By Fatima Hussein Associated Press

Millions of Social Security recipients will get an 8.7% boost in their benefits in 2023, a historic increase but a gain that will be eaten up in part by the rising cost of everyday living.

The cost-of living adjustment — the largest in more than 40 years — means the average recipient will receive more than $140 extra a month beginning in January, the Social Security Administration said Thursday.

While Social Security recipients welcomed the benefit increase, many said it wasn’t enough to cover the impact of inflation.

It’s “not much help,” said 85-year-old Shirley Parker, who lives in Chatham on Chicago’s South Side, Home maintenance costs and high grocery prices are cutting steeply into her budget.

“Food is ridiculous. I come out with a bag full of groceries — $50 — don’t have about 10 items,” she said.

The Social Security COLA was established to help seniors and other recipients manage the higher cost of food, fuel and other goods and services How

“Since the moment I applied that first dab of green makeup, ten years ago, The Grinch has been my absolute favorite role to portray,” said Reed Sigmund. “It’s a character that’s endlessly rich with opportunities to dynamically explore the full spectrum of human emotions. And I love stories of transformation. This story reminds us that fear and hate are easy, but difficult growth and change are more rewarding for ourselves and our communities. Plus, it comes at a time of year when I get to pound gallons of Christmas cookies. This is a show I can’t wait to celebrate once more.”

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas runs November 8, 2022, through January 8, 2023, in the UnitedHealth Group Stage. This show is best for all ages. Tickets can be purchased at https:// childrenstheatre.org/whatson/how-the-grinch-stole-2223/#book or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $15.

Dr. Seuss’s How the

ts to jump by 8.7% next year

well it does depends on what inflation does going forward.

A separate government report Thursday showed inflation newly accelerating. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4 percent for September after just 0.1 percent in August and is up 8.2 percent for the past 12 months. Jobless claims for unemployment benefits rose for the week.

The stock market opened lower on the inflation news, but recovered by middday..

The Social Security Administration said the estimated average monthly Social Security benefit for all retired workers will be $1,827 starting in January, according to an agency fact sheet.

The boost in Social Security benefits will be coupled with a 3% drop in Medicare Part B premiums, meaning retirees will get the full impact of Social Security increase.

“This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned,” said Social Security Administration’s Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi.

Colby Nelson, a

spokesman for the AARP, said the benefits increase “will provide much needed relief to millions of Americans.” He called the annual cost-of-living increase “more crucial than ever as high inflation remains a problem for older Americans.”

Several government indexes show that inflation hits older Americans harder than the rest of the population. Medical costs are a big part of the burden.

The Social Security announcement comes just weeks before the midterm elections, and at a time when Democrats

and Republicans are sparring about high prices now and how best to shore up the program financially in the future.

President Joe Biden has pledged to protect both Social Security and Medicare. “I’ll make them stronger,” he said last month. “And I’ll lower your cost to be able to keep them.”

William Arnone, chief executive of the National Academy of Social Insurance, an advocacy organization for Social Security, said the

“In our African cultural tradition, important conversations take place in a circle where everyone has equal access to the center which is a place of power. We refute the hierarchal nature of the way power is not shared in American tradition. Although virtually assembled, we can spiritually envision our connection in that circle,” she said.

“We acknowledge that we reside on land stolen from our Lakota brethren. We honor our elders because it is their shoulders we stand on, and, because they are closest to our ancestors.”

“We honor our ancestors because they are

closest to our Creator,” she said.

“As we pass the virtual talking stick among our hosts and guests, we welcome new knowledge through the disbursement of trusted and often vital information from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and philosophical perspectives coming from wonderful connections in the Twin Cities and around the country and our world like special guest, Dr. Elizabeth Hoorn Petersen, founder and director of the South African Faith and Family Institute (SAFFI),”

There was a mighty, awe-inspiring, mystical aura

Coming next week:

Part 3 in a four part series on elevating African American and African community awarenes and engagement on improvements for the Hwy 252/I94 Corridor that runs through North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center.

Supreme Court rejects appeal from Dylann Roof, who killed 9

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Dylann Roof, who challenged his death sentence and conviction in the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation.

Roof had asked the court to decide how to handle disputes over mental illnessrelated evidence between capital defendants and their attorneys. The justices did not comment Tuesday in turning away the appeal.

Roof fired his attorneys and represented

himself during the sentencing phase of his capital trial, part of his effort to block evidence potentially portraying him as mentally ill.

Roof shot participants at a Bible study session at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

A panel of appellate judges had previously upheld his conviction and death sentence.

Roof, 28, is on federal death row at a maximumsecurity prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. He can still pursue other appeals.

Grinch Stole Christmas!

Based on the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss Book and lyrics by Timothy Mason Music by Mel Marvin Directed by Peter C. Brosius Choreography by Linda Talcott Lee A Children’s Theatre Company Original Production November 8, 2022, through January 8, 2023 UnitedHealth Group Stage

Best enjoyed by all ages Lap passes available for children 3 years and younger. Runtime: Two hours with one 15-minute intermission.

Creative Team Director |Peter C. Brosius Choreography by | Linda Talcott Lee Musical Director | Victor Zupanc Musical Director | Denise Prosek Scenic Designer | Tom Butsch

Dr. Elizabeth Hoorn Petersen: Founder and director of the South African Faith and Family Institute (SAFFI)

Columnist

CTC

Children’s Theatre Company brings audience favorite to Minneapolis Nov. 8, 2022- Jan. 8, 2023

photo/Grace Beahm

Dylann Roof enters the court room at the Charleston County Judicial Center to enter his guilty plea on murder charges on April 10, 2017, in Charleston, S.C. The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Roof, who challenged his death sentence and conviction in the 2015 racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation.

photo by Kaitlin Randolph

Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas

photo/mphillips007

The

seniors

SAFFI

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The mismeasure of weight and the mistreatment of obesity

Afrodescendientes

Haití: Ia dignidad

Actualmente en el mundo existen conflictos internos, en muchos países, que la prensa

occidental no refleja en sus páginas porque son guerras y procesos de desestabilización del “tercer mundo”. Toda la prensa occidental está centrada en la crisis entre Rusia y Ucrania, o la profunda crisis energética estructural que vive Europa, la inflación, el cambio climático, el miedo a una guerra nuclear que

acabaria con el planeta, crisis que básicamente está provocada por el mismo modelo neoliberal que ha clavado un cuchillo en el corazón de la madre tierra.

Haití: El costo de la dignidad histórica Hoy día la República de Haití es uno de esos países

que no aparece en la prensa mundial. Haití vive uno de sus peores momentos de desestabilización política y económica como resultado de haber sido el primer país de la diáspora africana triunfante en la historia de las Américas. Occidente nunca aceptó que una pequeña isla

pudiera, a finales del siglo XVIII, oponerse a los sistemas de las Repúblicas occidentales y ser gobernada por africanos y sus descendientes.

A Haití nunca se le perdonó haber creado el primer ejército internacional afrodescendiente para liberar a otras naciones del colonialismo europeo bajo el pacto de

Alejandro Patio y Simón Bolívar para liberar a seis naciones: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia y Panamá. A Haití nunca se le perdonó haber reconocido al vudú como su mayor expresión espiritual por interpretar el mundo de una manera diferente a la religión católica y protestante.

Haiti: Dignity

Currently in the world there are internal conflicts, in many countries, that the Western press does not

ect in its

pages because they are wars and processes of destabilization of the “third world”.

All the Western press is focused on the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, or the deep structural energy crisis that Europe is experiencing, inflation, climate change, the fear of a nuclear war that

would end the planet, a crisis that is basically caused by the same neoliberal model that has plunged a knife into the heart of mother earth.

Haiti-The cost of historical dignity

Today the Republic of Haiti is one of those countries

that does not appear in the world press. Haiti is experiencing one of its worst moments of political and economic destabilization as a result of having been the first triumphant African diaspora country in the history of the Americas.

The West never accepted that a small island

could, at the end of the 18th century, opposed the systems of the Western Republics and be ruled by Africans and their descendants. Haiti was never forgiven for having created the first international army of African descent to liberate other nations from European colonialism under the pact of

Alexander Patio and Simon Bolivar to liberate six nations: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Panama.

Haiti was never forgiven for having recognized Vodun as its greatest spiritual expression for interpreting the world in a different way from the Catholic and Protestant

Haiti: Dignidade

países, que a imprensa ocidental não reflete em suas páginas por serem guerras e processos de desestabilização do “terceiro mundo”.

Toda a imprensa ocidental está focada na crise entre a Rússia e a Ucrânia, ou a profunda crise estrutural energética que a Europa vive, a

inflação, as alterações climáticas, o medo de uma guerra nuclear que acabaria com o planeta, uma crise que é causada basicamente pela mesmo modelo neoliberal que enfiou uma faca no coração da mãe Terra

Haiti O custo da dignidade histórica

Hoje a República do Haiti é um desses países que não aparece na imprensa mundial. O Haiti vive um de seus piores momentos de desestabilização política e econômica por ter sido o primeiro país da diáspora africana triunfante na história das Américas.

O Ocidente nunca

aceitou que uma pequena ilha pudesse, no final do século XVIII, opor-se aos sistemas das Repúblicas Ocidentais e ser governada por africanos e seus descendentes.

O Haiti nunca foi perdoado por ter criado o primeiro exército internacional de ascendência africana para libertar outras nações do

colonialismo europeu sob o pacto de Alexandre Patio e Simon Bolívar para libertar seis nações: Venezuela, Colômbia, Equador, Peru, Bolívia e Panamá.

O Haiti nunca foi perdoado por ter reconhecido o Vodun como sua maior expressão espiritual por interpretar o

dignité

africaine

Haïti-Le

qui

de

Atualmente

d’ascendance

Afrodescendientes

en juego

Desde el siglo XIX hasta nuestros días, Haití ha sido asediado por invasiones militares, golpes militares, la imposición de gobiernos títeres sangrientos como el de Françoise Duvalier que transformó el vudú en una religión de terror, y creó el ejército paramilitar llamado Tonton Macoutes.

Con el sacerdote y presidente Beltrand Arístides, elegido democráticamente, de 1991 a 1996 y luego de 2001 a 2004, Haití logró un momento de estabilización política hasta que Aristedes fue depuesto por un golpe de Estado. La intervención militar con ayuda humanitaria de las tropas de

las Naciones Unidas bajo el comando del Ejército Brasileño, conocida como Minustah (Misión de Estabilización de las Naciones Unidas en Haití) de 2004 a 2017, contribuyó a sembrar el cólera, violaciones a mujeres y dejó sin padres a más de diez mil niños y niñas, entre otras tragedias. Tras el

asesinato del primer ministro haitiano Jovenel Moise (7 de julio de 2021) por un comando paramilitar, se inició un ciclo de violencia permanente que continúa hasta el día de hoy. Actualmente, un sector del gobierno reclama una nueva intervención militar, mientras que un sector

at stake

religion. From the 19th century to the present day, Haiti has been besieged by military invasions, military coups, the imposition of bloody puppet governments like that of Françoise Duvalier who transformed Voodoo into a religion of terror, and created the paramilitary army called the Tonton Macoutes.

With priest and president Beltrand Arístides, democratically elected from 1991-1996 and then 20012004, Haiti achieved a moment of political stabilization until he was deposed by a coup.

The military intervention with humanitarian aid from the United Nations troops under the

em

mundo de uma forma diferente da religião católica e protestante. Desde o século 19 até os dias atuais, o Haiti foi assediado por invasões militares, golpes militares, a imposição de governos fantoches sangrentos como o de Françoise Duvalier que transformou o Voodoo em uma religião de terror, e criou

o exército paramilitar chamado Tonton Macoutes . Com o padre e presidente Beltrand Arístides, eleito democráticamente de 1991-1996 e depois 2001-2004,

o Haiti alcançou um momento de estabilização política até ser deposto por um golpe.

A intervenção militar com

command of the Brazilian Army known as Minustah (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) from 2004 to 2017, contributed to sowing cholera, rapes of women, and left more than ten thousand boys and girls without parents, among other tragedies. After the assassination of Haitian Prime Minister

Jovenel Moise (July 7, 2021) by a paramilitary commando, a cycle of permanent violence began that continues to this day.

One sector of the government is currently calling for a new military intervention, while a sector of the Senate of the National Assembly and the people reject military

del Senado de la Asamblea Nacional y el pueblo rechazan la intervención militar.

Considero que organizaciones como la Comunidad del Caribe (CARICOM), la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), Petrocaribe, ALBA (Alianza

Bolivariana de las Américas) y un sector de pa ayuda humanitaria de la ONU podrían contribuir a la estabilización de Haití habilitando a Haití para reclamar su papel en la historia... como un pueblo digno del mundo.

Beltrand Arístides, uchaguzi wa kidemokrasia, kuanzia 1991-1996 na kisha 2001-2004,

ajuda humanitária das tropas das Nações Unidas baixo o comando militar do Exército Brasileiro, conhecida como Minusta (Missão das Nações Unidas para a Estabilização do Haiti) de 2004 a 2017, contribuiu para semear cólera, estupros de mulheres e deixou mais de dez mil meninos e meninas sem pais,

entre outras tragédias. Após o assassinato do primeiro-ministro haitiano Jovenel Moise (7 de julho de 2021) por um comando paramilitar, iniciou-se um ciclo de violência permanente que continua até hoje. Um setor do governo está atualmente pedindo uma nova intervenção militar,

intervention.

I believe that organizations such as The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Petrocaribe, ALBA (Alianza Bolivariana de las Américas) and a UN humanitarian aid sector could

contribute to the stabilization of Haiti, enabling Haiti to claim its role in history... as a dignified people of the world.

bini’aadantinimo ka helay ciidamada Qaramada Midoobay ee loo yaqaan Minusta (Howlgalka Xasilinta Qaramada Midoobay ee Haiti) intii u dhaxeysay 2004 ilaa 2017, waxay gacan ka geysatay beerista daacuunka, kufsiga

haweenka, iyo in in ka badan toban kun oo wiilal iyo gabdho ah ay waalid la’aan yihiin,

enquanto um setor do Senado da Assembleia Nacional e o povo rejeitam a intervenção militar.

Acredito que organizações como a Comunidade do Caribe (CARICOM), a Comunidade de Estados Latino-Americanos e Caribenhos (CELAC), Petrocaribe, ALBA (Alianza

Bolivariana de las Américas) e um setor da ajuda humanitária da ONU podem contribuir para a estabilização do Haiti, permitindo que o Haiti possa reivindicar seu papel na história... como um povo digno do mundo.

celui

prêtre et président Beltrand Arístides, élection démocratique, de 1991 à 1996 puis de 2001 à 2004, Haïti a atteint un moment de stabilisation

Haiti ilipata muda wa utulivu wa kisiasa hadi alipoondolewa madarakani kwa mapinduzi.

Uingiliaji kati wa kijeshi kwa msaada wa kibinadamu kutoka kwa wanajeshi wa Umoja wa Mataifa unaojulikana kama Minusta (Misheni ya Udhibiti wa Umoja wa Mataifa nchini Haiti) kutoka 2004 hadi 2017,

ulichangia kupanda kwa kipindupindu, ubakaji wa wanawake, na kuwaacha zaidi ya wavulana na wasichana elfu kumi bila wazazi, kati ya zingine. majanga.

Baada ya kuuawa kwa Waziri Mkuu wa Haiti Jovenel Moise (Julai 7, 2021) na komandoo wa kijeshi, mzunguko

wa vurugu wa kudumu

ambao unaendelea hadi

Sekta moja ya serikali kwa sasa inataka uingiliaji mpya wa kijeshi, wakati sekta ya Seneti ya Bunge la Kitaifa na watu wanakataa kuingilia kijeshi. Ninaamini kwamba mashirika kama vile Jumuiya ya Carribbean (CARICOM),

Jumuiya ya Amerika ya Kusini na Karibiani (CELAC), Petrocaribe,

politique jusqu’à ce qu’il soit renversé npar un coup d’État. L’intervention militaire avec l’aide humanitaire des troupes des Nations Unies connue sous le nom de Minusta (Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti) de 2004 à 2017, a contribué à semer le choléra, les viols de femmes, et a laissé plus

de dix mille garçons et filles sans parents, entre autres tragédies. Après l’assassinat du Premier ministre haïtien Jovenel Moise (7 juillet 2021) par un commando paramilitaire, un cycle den violence permanente a commencé qui se poursuit à ce jour. Un secteur du gouvernement appelle

actuellement à une nouvelle intervention militaire, tandis qu’un secteur du Sénat de l’Assemblée nationale et le peuple rejettent l’intervention militaire.

Je crois que des organisations telles que la Communauté des Caraïbes (CARICOM), la Communauté des États d’Amérique latine et des

Caraïbes (CELAC), Petrocaribe, l’ALBA (Alianza Bolivariana de las Américas) et un secteur d’aide humanitaire des Nations Uniesnpourraient contribuer à la stabilisation d’Haïti permettant à Haïti revendiquer son rôle dansnl’histoire... en tant que peuple digne du monde.

BMI: The mismeasure of weight and the mistreatment of obesity

By Julie Appleby

People who seek medical treatment for obesity or an eating disorder do so with the hope their health plan will pay for part of it. But whether it’s covered often comes down to a measure invented almost 200 years ago by a Belgian mathematician as part of his quest to use statistics to define the “average man.”

That work, done in the 1830s by Adolphe Quetelet, appealed to life insurance companies, which created “ideal” weight tables after the turn of the century.

By the 1970s and 1980s, the measurement, now dubbed body mass index, was adopted to screen for and track obesity.

Now it’s everywhere, using an equation — essentially a ratio of mass to height — to categorize patients as overweight, underweight, or at a “healthy weight.”

It’s appealingly simple, with a scale that designates adults who score between 18.5 and 24.9 as within a healthy range.

But critics — and they are widespread these days — say it was never meant as a health diagnostic tool.

“BMI does not come from science or medicine,” said Dr. Fatima Stanford, an obesity medicine specialist and the equity director of the endocrine division at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She and other experts said BMI can be useful in tracking population-wide weight trends, but it falls short by failing to account for differences among ethnic groups, and it can target some people, including athletes, as overweight or obese because it does not distinguish between muscle mass and fat.

Still, BMI has become a standard tool to determine who is most at risk of the health consequences of excess weight — and who qualifies for oftenexpensive treatments. Despite the heavy debate surrounding BMI, the consensus is that people who are overweight or obese are at greater risk for a host of health problems, including diabetes, liver problems, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular problems.

The BMI measure is commonly included in the prescribing directions for weight loss drugs. Some of the newest and most effective drugs, such as Wegovy, limit use to patients who have a BMI of 30 or higher — the obesity threshold — or a lower level of 27, if the patient has at least one weightrelated medical condition, such as diabetes. Doctors can prescribe the medications to patients who don’t meet those label requirements, but insurers might not cover any of the cost.

While most insurers, including Medicare, cover some forms of bariatric surgery for weight loss, they might require a patient to have a BMI of at least 35, along with other health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, to qualify.

With medications, it can be even trickier. Medicare, for example, does not cover most prescription weight loss drugs, although it will cover behavioral health treatments and obesity screening. Coverage for weight loss medications varies among private health plans.

“It’s very frustrating because everything we do in obesity medicine is based on these cutoffs,” said Stanford.

Critics say that BMI can err on both ends of the scale, mistakenly labeling some larger

St.

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director of the Institute for Domestic Violence in the African American Community.

Dr. Peterson described meeting Dr. Williams as a gift, acknowledging his work as one of the first scholars doing culturally specific work in the field of domestic violence.

After meeting Petersen, visiting her in Cape Town, South Africa,

people as unhealthy and people who weigh less as healthy, even if they need medical treatment.

For eating disorders, insurers often use BMI to make coverage decisions and can limit treatment to only those who rank as underweight, missing others who need help, said Serena Nangia, communications director for Project Heal, a nonprofit that helps patients get treatment, whether they are uninsured or have been denied care through their health plan.

“Because there’s such a focus on BMI numbers, we are missing people who could have gotten help earlier, even if they are at a medium BMI,” Nangia said. “If they are not underweight, they are not taken seriously, and their behaviors are overlooked.”

Stanford said she, too, often battles insurance companies over who qualifies for overweight treatment based on BMI definitions, especially some of the newer, pricier weight loss medications, which can

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and seeing her work with the South African Faith & Family Institute (SAFFI), in action, and Williams welcomed her to the U.S. on several occasions over two decades, enabling her to share her story and the essence of her work with faith leaders of nine denominations.

“I had a calling when I was very young, holding fast to the belief that we must nurture people,” Petersen said. “In my teenage years, it was clear I was supposed to work with men who abused their intimate partners and that I had to work with religious leaders on the faith dimensions of gender-based violence, patriarchy, and the common exclusionary practice of male dominated religious leadership that is still in place case today.”

“Women have seldom been regarded or encouraged to be faith leaders, nor is that my role. I work

cost more than $1,500 a month.

“I’ve had patients doing well on medication and their BMI gets below a certain level, and then the insurance company wants to take them off the medication,” Stanford said, adding she challenges those decisions. “Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.”

While perhaps useful as a screening tool, BMI alone is not a good arbiter of health, said Stanford and many other experts.

“The health of a person with a 29 BMI might be worse than one with a 50 if that person with the 29 has high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea, or a laundry list of things,” said Stanford, “while the person with a 50 just has high blood pressure. Which one is sicker? I would say the person with more metabolic disease.”

Additionally, BMI can overestimate obesity for tall people and underestimate it for short ones, experts say. And it does not account for gender and ethnic differences.

Reed Sigmund | Grinch Logan Warner | Who Boy Mabel Weismann| Who Woman Glenn E. Williams II | Who Man Matthew Woody |Brother Boo/Mini Max Monica Xiong | Who Girl/Mini Grinch

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire for more than 250,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to

with religious leaders, coming alongside them to strengthen their capacity as they intervene with individuals and families that, painfully, had been affected by such dysfunction.”

After graduating as a social worker in 1993, the first job Petersen embarked upon was in a shelter for abused women and children in South Africa. It was a time right at the brink of the end of apartheid. Most of the women who came with their children were Black. It was clear to her then that their children had probably never experienced a Black man that had not been violent and abusive, she said.

“I recall how my eight siblings and I came home from school or church quite often complaining about all that was wrong with apartheid society living. And our parents pointed out, ‘You’re disturbed about whatever is wrong because God wants you to do something about

Case in point: “Black women who are between 31 and 33 BMI tend to have better health status even at that above-30 level” than other women and men, Stanford said.

Meanwhile, several studies, including the longrunning Nurses’ Health Study, found that Asian people had a greater risk of developing diabetes as they gained weight, compared with whites and certain ethnic groups. As a result, countries such as China and Japan have set lower BMI overweight and obesity thresholds for people of Asian descent.

Experts generally agree that BMI should not be the only measure to assess patients’ health and weight.

“It does have limitations,” said David Creel, a psychologist and registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute.

“It doesn’t tell us anything about the difference between muscle and fat weight,” he said, noting that many athletes might score in the overweight category, or even land in the obesity range due to muscle bulk.

Instead of relying on BMI, physicians and patients should consider other factors in the weight equation. One is being aware of where weight is distributed. Studies have shown that health risks increase if a person carries excess weight in the midsection. “If someone has thick legs and most of their weight is in the lower body, it’s not nearly as harmful as if they have it around their midsection, especially their organs,” said Creel.

Stanford agrees, saying midsection weight “is a much better proxy for health than BMI itself,” with the potential for developing

win the coveted Tony Award® for regional theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony® nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad).

CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.

CTC is the most significant provider of accessible theatre education opportunities in the region.

Every year, thousands of children experience theatre for the first time at CTC. Our

it!’ It was their extraordinary wisdom not garnered from formal education, but by their faith and seldom giving certain issues energy they knew they could not control. That was the heritage they left inside of us -- to be the voice for those who had little freedom to speak. To change the direction of their lives and ours, as well,” she said.

After Petersen’s mother suddenly transitioned to the company of our ancestors in 2007, she knew her work was to start an institute that tackled the root causes of the oppressive systems of belief in which Black women and children historically had been forced to live.

“The honor of women and children is the foundation of a healthy society,” Petersen said. “Our sacred teachings compel us to take care of women and children and firmly uphold the principle of equality. To violate the most vulnerable members of our society is to spit in the face of God. In all congregations, there are survivors and perpetrators. It is our moral responsibility to reflect seriously on how we can support the struggle of women and children for full dignity in our homes, in our communities, and in our religious institutions and to treat each other with respect. We cannot turn a blind eye to domestic violence, and we cannot deny that it exists.”

What SAFFI seeks to do is to tackle the root causes of oppression and violence, byproducts of the twin evils of white supremacy and patriarchy. It was a concept Peersen said she struggled with as she began to learn English at the collegiate level. “In 2009, we

cially set out to train field workers that were supposed to be facilitators. I wanted them to start out in their own communities and introduce the work of SAFFI to faith leaders through a sensitive workshop. This kind of work had never been done before. The questions the workers confronted had more to do with patriarchy than the critical work needing to be addressed in changing mindsets of how women and children should be treated,” she said.

conditions like fatty liver disease or diabetes “directly correlated with waist size.”

Patients and their doctors can use a simple tool to assess this risk: the tape measure. Measuring just above the hipbone, women should stay at 35 inches or less; men, 40 inches or less, researchers advise.

New ways to define and diagnose obesity are in the works, including a panel of international experts convened by the prestigious Lancet Commission, said Stanford, a member of the group. Any new criteria ultimately approved might not only help inform physicians and patients, but also affect insurance coverage and public health interventions. Stanford has also studied a way to recalibrate BMI to reflect gender and ethnic differences. It incorporates various groups’ risk factors for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Based on her research, she said, the BMI cutoff would trend lower for men as well as Hispanic and white women. It would shift to slightly higher cutoffs for Black women. (Hispanic people can be of any race or combination of races.)

“We do not plan to eliminate the BMI, but we plan to devise other strategies to evaluate the health associated with weight status,” said Stanford.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

student matinees and education programs demonstrably benefit the community from the intergenerational conversations sparked by our world premieres, to the sequential skill-building that happens in our Theatre Arts Training to the pre-K focus of our Early Childhood Initiative. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. childrenstheatre.org.

The shelter was only the first part of her work. She had to convince the women that a Black male should work in the shelter, and be a role model for the children. “It really set me up for the critical work of helping faith leaders understand what belief system governs them, and discover what God expects of us in our intimate lives and relationships.”

“It’s like some people of faith really don’t want to engage with their own humanity, a reminder of their own darkness,” Petersen said. She said she asked the faith leaders who had come aboard “Why do you focus on certain theological questions and Sunday school stories? Why have you gone on for decades preaching the same themes that can easily be misinterpreted and don’t serve the people? Where are the resources within your own faith tradition?”

“That’s the essence of our work,” she said. “We’ve developed training over the years, and it’s very much merged with academic research and practice. The two speak to each other. The main focus must be the work of mental health and faith practitioners. We cannot ask a magistrate to clarify scripture like, ‘if a man says, ‘the Bible says I am the head of the home and women must submit’. Or if a woman, victim, survivor says ‘…but I am married and we are of one flesh,’ but she knows and everyone else knows he’s sleeping around and is sexually violating her.”

“We cannot ask social workers or the police to make sense of it all. It’s the sacred responsibility of faith leaders to fill that role,” Petersen said.

“SAFFI creates safe spaces for religious heads to critically reflect on theologies that inform the way we interact with each other in intimate relationships.”

Petersen calls upon leaders from all faiths to support survivors, hold perpetrators fully accountable, and offer the possibility of healing for them too. “We, as people of faith,

enfolding Dr. Petersen. We had heard much about this pioneering healer from Healing Circle colleague, Dr. Oliver Williams, former executive

photo/Piotrekswat

Dr. Fatima Stanford: BMI can be useful in tracking populationwide weight trends, but it falls short by failing to account for differences among ethnic groups, and it can target some people, including athletes, as overweight or obese because it does not distinguish between muscle mass and fat.

need to break the silence and acts of violence against women and children. I call upon all faith leaders to step into true leadership on this issue. We must take a stand. We must be in alignment with God,” she said.

And Dr. B., closed the Healing Circle program saying, “We acknowledge these special moments with our sister, Dr. Elizabeth Petersen and are in gratitude for having received

Thursday announcement is “no cause for celebration,” since the benefit will not help all recipients catch up to the impact of inflation, especially if price increases continue in 2023.

“There’s already indications that healthcare inflation is going to be through the roof next year,” Arnone said.

Margaret Toman, a 78-year-old in Garner, North Carolina, who had stopped working to take care of her mother who has since died, described the 8.7% increase as “quite stingy.”

“I think most of us who are older receiving Social Security are grateful for that Social Security,” she said. “But that gratitude sometimes covers up or replaces a certain feeling of anger at having paid into a system for so long and still struggling to survive.”

About 70 million people — including retirees, disabled people and children — receive Social Security benefits. This will be the biggest increase in benefits that baby boomers, those born between the years 1946 and 1964, have ever seen. The last time a COLA was higher was in 1981, at 11.2%.

Willie Clark, 65, of Waukegan, Illinois, says his budget is “real tight” and the increase in his Social Security disability benefits could give him some breathing room to cover the cost of the household expenses

acclimation, confirmation, affirmation, and the gift of substantiation which connects human beings to all living things, the earth, the wind, and everything around us. As

he’s been holding off on.

Still, he doubts how much of the extra money will end up in his pocket. His rent in an apartment building subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is based on his income, so he expects that will rise, too.

Social Security is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes for 2023 is $160,200.

The financing setup dates to the 1930s, the brainchild of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who believed a payroll tax would foster among average Americans a sense of ownership that would protect the program from political interference.

Next year’s higher payout, without an accompanying increase in Social Security contributions, could put additional pressure on a system that’s facing a severe shortfall in coming years.

The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released in June says the program’s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035.

If the trust fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 80% of scheduled benefits, the report said. Medicare will be able to pay 90% of total scheduled benefits if the fund is depleted.

In January, a Pew Research Center poll showed 57% of U.S. adults saying that “taking steps to make the Social

we enjoy the knowledge of connection, we are never alone. We’re always present in a greater I am because we are; and we are because I AM! And so it is!”

Security system financially sound” was a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year. Securing Social Security got bipartisan support, with 56% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans calling it a top priority.

Some solutions for reforming Social Security have been proposed — but none has moved forward in a sharply partisan Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday the COLA announcement is a reminder that “extreme MAGA Republicans are openly plotting new schemes to slash seniors’ benefits and raise their costs – including by threatening to cause an economic catastrophe by holding the debt limit hostage for their toxic agenda.”

Earlier this year, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., issued a detailed plan that would require Congress to come up with a proposal to adequately fund Social Security and Medicare or potentially phase them out.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., publicly rebuked the plan and Biden has used Scott’s proposal as a political bludgeon against Republicans ahead of midterm elections.

“If Republicans in Congress have their way, seniors will pay more for prescription drugs and their Social Security benefits will never be secure,” Jean-Pierre said.

Claire Savage in Chicago and Hannah Schoenbaum in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

A journalist sought to amplify the voices of Minnesota’s communities of color

Sahan Journal,