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Sankalpa is a holistic centre that works with people who are seeking support to detox off methadone.

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Archive for July, 2011

40 Extraordinary Things Happening right now!

Monday, July 25th, 2011
  1. A soldier of sorts is diligently fighting the fight so you don’t have to.
  2. Someone who suffered from a severe injury last year is back on their feet.
  3. A small group of people are building something that will soon make the impossible possible.
  4. Somewhere on Earth a double rainbow is stretched from one end of the horizon to the other.
  5. One of the next Billboard-chart-topping musical artists is patiently rehearsing in her garage.
  6. A piece of literature is being written that will eventually change your perspective on life.
  7. Young children all over the world are singing and dancing before they even realize there is anything that isn’t music.
  8. A friend is helping a friend rise above thoughts of suicide.
  9. Someone is thinking what you’re thinking, but hasn’t said anything yet either.
  10. Two people in your hometown are falling in love.
  11. Somewhere someone is admiring a breathtaking sunrise, and somewhere else a surreal sunset.
  12. People of various religious backgrounds are in temples, churches, mosques and other places of worship praying, wholeheartedly, for world peace.
  13. Someone who has struggled with their weight for the last several years is standing on a scale and smiling.
  14. Hundreds of cute elderly couples are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.
  15. A baby girl just took her first few steps without falling.
  16. Two best friends are laughing so hard they aren’t even making any noise.
  17. A future world leader is in grade school at recess.
  18. Someone is in the process of sincerely forgiving a seemingly unforgivable act.
  19. There’s a kid studying hard somewhere who aspires to get to where you are in life.
  20. A firefighter is running into a burning building to rescue a perfect stranger.
  21. Someone in your vicinity genuinely wants to be your friend.
  22. A young mom is lying in a hospital bed and holding her newborn baby twins for the very first time.
  23. Someone is taking a shower and singing happily at the top of their lungs.
  24. There is someone out there who smiles when they think of a specific moment they once shared with you.
  25. An alcoholic just celebrated one full year of sobriety.
  26. Volunteers in major cities all over the world are working at homeless shelters caring for those who are less fortunate than themselves.
  27. A young man is pulled over on the side of the road helping a young woman change a flat tire.
  28. A high school athlete just broke her own personal record.
  29. Two teenagers just received their very first kiss ever from each other.
  30. A husband and wife who were drowning in debt five years ago proudly hold a balance of zero on their credit cards.
  31. Someone is hugging a friend who desperately needs it.
  32. A new small business owner just wrapped up his first profitable year working for himself.
  33. A grandfather is holding his granddaughter’s hand and they’re both smiling from ear to ear.
  34. Someone just placed their spare change in the charity collection cup at the grocery store.
  35. A small group of friends are sitting around a table sharing funny stories and cheerfully reminiscing about the good old days.
  36. A breast cancer patient just found out her cancer is in complete remission.
  37. Someone out there is missing you and looking forward to your next visit.
  38. Honest people are working for various government entities to help protect your basic human rights and civil liberties.
  39. An emergency room surgeon is in the middle of saving his patient’s life.
  40. Someone is holding the door open for the person behind them.

Californian Prisons Judged to be Cruel and Unusual

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered California to reduce its number of prisoners by 30,000 in the next two years, as overcrowding has led to conditions the court judges say are ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ – prohibited under the U.S. constitution.

The area of mental health has been found to be particularly lacking, with overcrowding increasing and worsening mental health problems, as well as leading to long waiting times for even the most basic forms of treatment.

Prison is meant to punish, but it is also meant to rehabilitate. In our recent group discussions of rehabilitation at Sankalpa, we talked about the meanings of the word. Its origins are French, and it essentially means ‘to make fit again’ – to restore ability.

You commit a crime, you suffer the punishment; fair enough. But unless we take the rehabilitation part of prison seriously, and begin to look at ways of increasing the abilities of prisoners, they will never be ‘fit again’ for society. Whatever we might think about the human rights of prisoners, for our own sakes, we should want prisoners to become more able – more able to work, more able to stay within the confines of the law, more able to look after themselves and their families. Wouldn’t that make things better for everyone?

See:

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/06/california-ordered-to-

shrink-n.html