Born in 1941 in Brooklyn, Bernie was the younger of two sons in a modest-income family. After graduation from the University of Chicago in 1964, he moved to Vermont. Early in his career, Sanders was director of the American People’s Historical Society. Elected Mayor of Burlington by 10 votes in 1981, he served four terms.
Before his 1990 election as Vermont’s at-large member in Congress, Sanders lectured at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and at Hamilton College in upstate New York.
There are too many negative events occurring in our world as we speak. I have already seen posts that attest to that. Mind you, I get my news here …. not through the TV. I feel I’m more educated and updated through you.
However, I wanted to start today with a bit of inspiration, motivation and something uplifting. I hope you enjoy this …. it came through my Facebook timeline today.
I may be behind and some may have already seen this. It’s an inspiration for me today.
~~Meet Rion Paige~~
This young lady from Jacksonville FL blew away the X-Factor judges with the appropriately named Carrie Underwood song Blown Away.
But you might notice something a little different about this 13-year-old powerhouse singer. Rion has a congenital condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which has caused permanent damage to her arms, causing her hands to be fixed in an a bent position. She is also blind in her right eye from glaucoma.
Even the sometimes cantankerous Simon Cowell was smitten with Rion, saying:
“I remember the day I met Carrie Underwood and I remember predicting this girl was going to go on and do special things with her life. And I’m gonna say the same thing about you, Rion.”
What is Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita?
Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) is a disease of newborns resulting in decreased flexibility of the joints. Symptoms differ drastically from person to person, including stiff joints and muscle weakness. The areas that are most likely to have lack of movement are the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, and feet. The lack of movement, unlike many other diseases, does not get worse as time goes by. However, it is necessary to seek treatment to prevent further impediments of the joints.
What causes Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita?
There are many causes of the disease, some of which are inherited. Before birth, four possibilities exist that limit joint movements:
abnormal development of muscles
inadequate room in the uterus for the baby
malformed central nervous system and spinal cord
tendons, joints, bones, and joint linings which did not mature correctly
The decrease in range of motion is also caused by extra tissue that has formed around the joint, prohibiting movement. Out of 3000 births, only one is apt to develop AMC, and only 30% of those are genetically related.
This Florida girl isn’t going to let anything get in the way of her dream. Watch as she inspires the judges with her performance of Carrie Underwood‘s “Blown Away”!
A dear blogger friend taught me about this concept.
You can find Michelle here: http://mchelsmusings.wordpress.com/
“IOTD is image of the day, a concept I came up with. I teach visual meditative therapy – or in easy terms – a mini mental holiday. For some people it is very difficult for them to get their image right. I post an image a day for people to use in their mini mental vacay. Some are serious, some are silly, and some are just beautiful!”
It Is What It Is 