Clients are Given a Voice at Brain Injury Rally

Clients Are Given a Voice at Brain Injury RallyBy Jonathan Whitlock

Funding for services is extremely important to individuals with brain injuries.  Early in April, the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania announced their plans for a rally in Harrisburg, supporting continued funding and services for those affected.  Upon hearing about this from Acadia’s COO, Jack Poplar, the Acadia clients organized an outing to participate in the event, which was scheduled for Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

  On the day of the event, ten clients and four staff from Acadia traveled in 2 large vans to the State Capital in Harrisburg to join the rally.  After making our way through the enormous lines at the security check, we joined the crowd in the Rotunda, where there are classic marble floors and walls, and a picturesque mural on the ceiling.  The rotunda was filled with advocates and survivors, many of them holding signs with messages supporting continuance of funding.   

   Four advocates and seven state legislators took turns talking about the matter of funding, each illustrating the issues of limited funding and delays in eligibility for services.  Several family members of those with TBIs shared heart wrenching stories about their individual journeys, and gave specific examples of funding challenges.  These focused on the need for immediate availability of such services as attendant care at the home, as well as community-based programs, such as Acadia and UDS - Adult Enrichment.

  The advocates also endorsed the need to create a brain injury advisory board, to give the survivors an opportunity to influence their own services. Additionally, they advocated for the passage of a law, giving PA citizens the chance to make informed decisions in choosing their insurance coverage. Their last point illustrated the need to take action to prevent brain injury, which includes education in schools and communities. Increasing awareness will hopefully reduce the number of brain injuries. 

  After the speakers were finished, there was a chance for citizens to mingle with the legislators.  We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch downstairs in the café, where many legislators meet to eat.  Upon embarking back to Acadia, we were enthused about at the opportunity to participate in the rally and make ourselves heard to the state representatives.

The Avengers Review

In my last article, I gave a preview of this year's summer blockbusters, the first of which was The Avengers, a film that Marvel studios has been building up to for years. The Avengers was an enormous project and huge gamble on Marvel's part. So many different pieces had to come together—from the writing to the acting to the marketing—for this project to be successful. And it all hinged on this one film. And guess what? It worked - Beautifully! Sure, there were a few bumps along the way (Thor and Iron Man 2 weren’t the blockbuster hits or critical successes as they could have been), but The Avengers was every bit the film it was supposed to be. Not only is The Avengers a worldwide phenomenon, but it's an incredible movie. I realize, of course, that I am only one of millions who have praised this film. Audiences and critics around the world love The Avengers. I say the more the merrier.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the kind of movie that absolutely everyone (who is old enough) should see. The Avengers is one of those rare action comedies where both the action and the comedy are extremely well done, and incredibly well balanced. There’s a huge battle at the end of the movie that takes place in New York, in which Black Widow turns to Hawkeye and says, “This is like Budapest all over again, huh,” to which he replies, “You and I remember Budapest very differently.”

The villain of this movie is Loki, Thor’s stepbrother, who starts out the film by opening a portal into the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters from his realm of Asgard, so that he can steal an immensely powerful object called the Teseract. Loki threatens to subjugate humanity under his rule believing that subservience is our “natural state.” Eventually, The Avengers are assembled to try and stop him. Samuel L. Jackson plays SHIELD director Nick Fury, who gathers Iron Man/Tony Stark, (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/The Hulk, (Mark Ruffalo), and SHIELD agents Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Baton/Hawkeye  (Jeremy Renner) on The Avengers own private airship which serves as the primary set piece for the movie and where Loki willing gets taken prisoner (it’s all part of his plan).The Avengers exchange some very funny and well written scenes of dialogue where they try (and fail) to work together as a team. Screenwriter Joss Whedon has a knack for witting ensemble pieces and this film is no exception,. Whedon also directed the movie, and I was very impressed at how well-put together the action scenes are. All the action is clearly shot: you can tell who is doing what. The fights are also well paced and high energy.  One of the best aspects of the film is that while it is a two-and-a-half hour movie, it doesn’t really feel like it’s that long while you’re watching it. The film is so engaging and high-energy t that while there is a lot of movie, the events seem to fly by. On the negative side, the film makes an effort to weave in essential exposition about plot and characters that were first established in the Avengers tie-in films to better make this a stand-alone film. For the most part, I’d say it’s successful at hat. However, I would say the film takes too many elements from Thor to make at least that movie recommended viewing for context. Granted, I was just more confused by having seen that movie because Thor’s powers are supposed to me gone by the end. The film tries to justify Thor’s presence and continued use of his powers in a quick exchange between Thor and Loki, but it comes off as a bit forced. I might also recommend Iron Man 2, since that was the introduction of Nick Fury and Black Widow, and there was a lot of discussion of the Avengers Initiative. With this kind of movies it always helps to at least be familiar with the source material, but I think the Marvel movies have done a great job of condensing 60+ years of continuity and making it comprehendible to a wider audience. The Avengers film didn’t need to delve into the back-story of the Chitauri the alien warrior race that Loki convinces to fight for him. Al that matters to the story is that the Chitauri take part in the invasion-of-New York fight scene at the end of the film. In brief, this is a film for everyone. I saw it twice, and that's really the best possible compliment I can give this film.

Colin V.

No Self Control

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCfmgghYiFE

This is the song "No Self Control" by Peter Gabriel. It was filmed lived for his P.O.V. concert video, & if you look closely, you can see Steve Van Zandt & Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band at the beginning of the video. I like how they used the backlight during the bridge.

Creek Mary's Blood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJqWwt6d5-E&feature=related

This is the song "Creek Mary's Blood" by the Finnish heavy metal band Nightwish featuring John Two-Hawks. It was filmed live at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, for their "End Of An Era" concert DVD.  I like it because i have the DVD.