Par Excellence

Day 83: Free Hugs

What would you do if a random stranger offered you a free hug?

Juan Mann was doing just that: offering free hugs to strangers in a busy Sydney, Australia airport. 

"I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.

Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.

So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words Free Hugs on both sides.

And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.

Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time" (extracted on 5 July 2010 from http://www.freehugscampaign.org/).



From standoffish curiosity to high-spirited enthusiasm, free hugs eventually warmed the hearts of even the hardened Sydney City Council who banned free public hugging without liability insurance.  After gathering a 10,000-signature petition from the public to reverse the decision, well, today, keyword Free Hugs into youtube.com.  You'll find videos and comments from Romania to Croatia, Texas to Argentina, Italy to Turkey and a few points in between, as global hug campaigns abound!

May we all find a way to turn our sad into life-giving joy for ourselves by giving joy to others.  May we all begin to experience more similarity than difference as we look at humanity and the humans we rub shoulders with each and every day!

Week 14 Week Program: Download Program_v1`2_20100705_Wk14

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 82: Be Happy

Alki Lighthouse, West Seattle, USA

Life on Alki is seldom boring.  I've seen hundreds of wedding parties from a few cultures posing for pictures or an actual ceremony.  I've seen tourists from around the globe swarm our little peninsula each sunny day from March to September.   I've been asked for directions so many times that I can direct people east, west, north, and even south without pausing to think. 

Love Me Some Alki Skating!..

I've seen film crews clog our one-lane streets and  I've seen celebrities randomly stroll into our local businesses, including Edie Veder, Julia Roberts, and Meg Ryan.  I've seen the Seattle contingent of Hands Across America join hands across our 1-mile stretch of sandy beach to take a stand on off-shore drilling.  I've seen pipe-line waves crash against our seawall during a 100mph storm. I've seen Seafair pirates come ashore directly from a navel transport.  I've seen a massive bald eagle being dive bombed by furious crows as he gazed from a jetty at low tide.  I've seen seals and whales breaching.  Yet, with all of this at-times spectacle, none of it prepared me for Sadie.

Yesterday I was walking around the point to warm up for a hill climb.  Right before the lighthouse, I saw her.  Retrieving a pine cone thrown by her human, Sadie-the-three-legged yellow Labrador gleefully turned and hopped toward me.  She dropped the cone at my feet. Her fourth leg flopped uselessly as she spun in circles.

I made the first pitch and the next and a few more after that.  At some point, I was able to pat her on the head and thank her.  I swear that I saw Sadie grin as she snatched yet another toss from mid-air.  I chatted with her human.  He told me that she was born like that and his wife refused to have her put to sleep.

May we all find our happy and empower ourselves and the world around us regardless.  May each of us ask ourselves what works in our lives, what we want more of, and happily trot toward that.

Okay - after a bit of a break - I'm back to blogging about what works in this world.  Please let everyone know.  (I had a few things come up, including the death of my beloved cousin Edie.)  Also, I'll be publishing a schedule on Sunday for next week. 

Thanks again for all of your support, encouragement, and following!  As I was navigating through a storm of change, your readership and loyalty were beacons to me.  Here's to discovering even more of what works and creating clear world visions of what we want more of. 

Oh yes!  Based on so much of your feedback, I'm launching a community website and Facebook group: www.clearworldvisions.com. Please keep letting me know what you would like to see more of in our community. I'll keep you posted on the development 8-)

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 81: Renewable Alaska

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)
 

Million Dollar View

(Extracted on 31 March 2010 from http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Photos_Million_Dollar_Bridge.htm.)

If there is one thing that I know for certain about Alaskans, that is that they seldom compromise.  I learned this while supporting ventures from The Elbow Room in Unalaska to Pelican Seafood in, yes, Pelican, Alaska.  Hard and tough as nails when they make up their minds about something.  Alaskans mean business.

Ever wonder who manages all of the natural resources that Alaskans prize the most?  A business-meaning group of lawyers, managers, commercial fishermen, adventurists, and writers called The Renewable Resources Foundation.

The Foundation is not taking the abundance of resources for granted.  The group is acting as stewards of the future.  Protecting everything from fish habitat to mining regulations and how that affects surrounding resources is their domain.

Well?
(Extracted on 31 March 2010 from http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Sea_Otter_Photos.htm.)

Want to help?  Their current mission is “. . .raising public awareness of the potential for disaster caused by the proposed open pit gold and copper sulfide mines in the Pebble mining district of Southwestern Alaska”  For which, they “. . .are seeking your support, and involvement to help save fishing and hunting resources by asking you to:

1) First, review the information on our website and;

2) Then, JOIN the Renewable Resource Founda DONATE if you agree that the Pebble Mining district is an incredibly bad idea for the Bristol Bay watershed of Alaska. Your membership fee or donation will be used to educate the citizens of our state and our great nation about the danger to Alaska's fishing and hunting resources and the habitat upon which they depend..

2) Also, encourage every organization that you belong to, to study the mining proposals, and applications on record for mining permits in Bristol Bay, and then ask the organization to educate all their members about the threat posed by the mine and the mining district. We can arrange Speakers for any organization!

3) Please tell everyone you know about the threat;

4) Respond to Pebble news stories with your own letters to the editor and call-ins to
radio stations” (extracted on 31 March 2010 from http://www.renewableresourcesfoundation.org/take_action.htm).

 

Anchorage Daily News
letters@adn.com
(Letters to the editor, must be 250 words or fewer)

Anchorage Daily News - Compass
compass@adn.com
OpEd/Compass Piece (675 word limit)

Juneau Empire
editor@juneauempire.com
(Letters must be 400 words or fewer)

Homer News
letters@homernews.com

Bristol Bay Times
bbtimes@nushtel.com


Kenai Peninsula Clarion
http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/lettertoeditorform.shtml

Whatever it is that we are passionate about, may we join together and let our voices be heard.  May we too mean business when something is important to stewarding the resources of our future.

 Tomorrow the Random Pick is about Stories for Change.  PTHA had a cultural in-service gathering for all staff today.  First we were invited to partake in a Mohawk ceremony followed by two presentations.  The second presentation captured the audience with the power of digital storytelling.  I wanted to share http://storiesforchange.net/ with you followed by a surprise Hot Topic the next day.

 

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 80: Cooperation

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

Investment

Gribbles are not cute regardless of how I squint and try to think of the higher good. Worse yet, these little shrimp-like creatures chew the dickens out of wood and plant material.  Yes, a bit like termites. 

When will this story get better?  Here's the cool part of gribbles. Gribble produce a special enzyme when they digest.

And? Here it is.  "It has been suggested that the enzymes used by limnoriidae [gribbles] to break down wood may be useful for producing sugar from non-food biomass, such as wood or straw, in a sustainable way. This could then be used to produce alternative fuel" (extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2009/gribbles-bioenergy/). 

There's more.  "Professor McQueen-Mason said: 'Producing sugar from non-food biomass, such as wood or straw, in a sustainable way is one of the biggest challenges we face. The problem is that the sugars that we need to use are tied up in the stems of plants, in complex polysaccharides of the cell walls. If we can get these sugars out of biomass, in a cost effective manner, they can be fermented to produce the liquid biofuels we need to replace petrol.

Most animals that consume wood have digestive tracts packed with microbes that help to digest the cell wall polymers, but the gribble’s is sterile, so it must produce all the enzymes needed to break down the wood itself. We have done extensive DNA sequencing of the genes expressed in its gut, and we have detected cellulases never seen in animals before. We want to see if it’s possible to adapt the gribble digestive enzymes for industrial purposes.'

Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, said: 'Investing £27 million in this new centre involves the single biggest UK public investment in bioenergy research. The centre is exactly the sort of initiative this country needs to lead the way in transforming the exciting potential of sustainable biofuels into a widespread technology that can replace fossil fuels. The expertise and resources of the University of York makes it well placed to make a valuable contribution to the new BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre and help to make sustainable, environmentally-friendly bioenergy a reality'" (extracted on 29 March 2010 from (extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2009/gribbles-bioenergy/).

Yes, seldom to be outdone when it comes to research, Britain is on the hunt.  Now, that really works in my mind.  Rock that cooperation Lord Drayson  et al!  May we all take a page from your fascinating book.  May we also take a second look at who and what we are looking to and at for collaboration.

Tomorrow will be a story on the Renewable Resources Foundation who protects the ongoing viability of Alaska's fish and game resources and their habitat. Followed by a Random Pick for Wednesday that I haven't quite picked yet.

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 79: Designing Energy

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

 
LEED Certified +

If you think that you are seeing a lawn on the top of the building above, you are.  Portland is progressive.  I discovered this when my mother lived there.  If there is a way to make a public project more eco-friendly, count on Portland, OR, USA to accomplish just that in some never-thought-of-before way.

The sky gardens at the new Oregon Health & Science University building are teaming with flora built into the exterior of the new Center for Health & Healing design.  "The Oregon Health & Science University is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for all Oregonians through excellence, innovation and leadership in health care, education and research.  One of the largest employers in a city and a state known worldwide for leadership and dedication to conservation and the environment, OHSU’s CHH building represents the state-of-the-art in integrative design, involving the hard work and input of many multi-disciplinary professionals. . ..

 

The Center is linked to Marquam Hill by the Portland Aerial Tram, which has proved to be a major success. According to OHSU, this highly efficient passenger conveyance between their facilities is estimated to eliminate 2 million vehicle miles and 93,000 gallons of gasoline annually, and reduce yearly greenhouse emissions by more than 1,000 tons.  OHSU CHH has both extensive greenroofs (or ecoroofs) and intensive greenroofs (roof gardens), with a mixture of public and private accessibility" " (extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.greenroofs.com/blog/2010/03/19/gpw-oregon-health-science-university-center-for-health-healing/).

Yes, this is a state-of-the-art facility.  Yet, it also integrates sustainability principles that will offset a portion of the cost of patient care many times over for the life of the building.  This means the building is 61% more energy efficient than the building code for Oregon state. (For a full outline of the rigious standards for the state click here.)  This mixed-used building also reclaims rain water to irrigate the insulating layer of lawn on the roof and saves $68-88,000 in annual water bills in the process.  That's about 2.1 million gallons of potable water per year.

“After deducting tax credits and other financial incentives, the green premium for this building was a mere 1.13% of the total project cost. The facility’s return on investment will be just over one year, after which the energy savings are projected to be $600,000 annually” (extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.greenroofs.com/blog/2010/03/19/gpw-oregon-health-science-university-center-for-health-healing/).

“This is a remarkable achievement given the complex array of uses and systems that were needed in the building.  We had to capture every opportunity to integrate together function, architecture and engineering.  This is really the result of a great collaborative team effort.  We have set a new standard for OHSU and for other projects in Portland.” ~ David Crawford, chief financial officer of the OHSU Medical Group (press release).

May we establish a way to collaborate and improve our public systems in each of our local areas.  May we re-think how we approach our individual building projects and add emerging sustainability in creative ways.

Tonight will be the truth about Gribbles. You may be a bit surprised what gribbles nibble. Followed by a story on the Renewable Resources Foundation who protects the ongoing viability of Alaska's fish and game resources and their habitat.

Weekly Program: Download Program_v1`2_20100329_Wk13

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 78: Barefoot Change

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

That's the Way!
(Extracted on 28 March 2010 from http://www.barefootguide.org/what-is-guide.htm.)

The Barefoot Collective?  Really?  Uh, hello!  Can we say Do Gooders?

Yes, I can and will proudly.  The Barefoot Collective is doing global good by putting the power of change back in the hands of those who want change.  Instead of ram rodding with a best-practice model that may create a power-over change, The Barefoot Collective is doing things differently.

Power
(Extracted on 28 March 2010 from http://www.barefootguide.org/download.htm.)

Don't get me wrong, I sincerely support acts of generosity and kindness.  However, who hasn't seen charity go a bit wonky and hurt more than it helps?

So how is The Barefoot Collective putting the within and with back into organizational power?  They put together The Barefoot Guide, which can be downloaded below.
 

The Whole Book
(pdf format 21.4M)

Download

(If you have any downloading problems please email us: contact@barefootguide.org. 

A Barefoot Guide to Working with Organisations and Social Change by The Barefoot Collective is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.barefootguide.org.)

Awesome~!
(Extracted on 28 March 2010 from http://www.barefootguide.org/who-is-barefoot.htm.)

The collective writes, "The guide, with its supporting website, includes tried and tested concepts, approaches, stories and activities. It's purpose is to help stimulate and enrich the practice of anyone supporting organisations and social movements in their challenges of working, learning, growing and changing to meet the needs of our complex world. Although it is aimed at leaders and facilitators of civil society organisations, we hope it will be useful to anyone interested in fostering healthy human organisation in any sphere of life... .

In this book we offer a perspective on why organisations exist, the real roles they play, and on the importance of supporting the sovereignty of local organisations and social movements for meaningful social change. You will find here a range of approaches to understanding ourselves and our roles as leaders and facilitators, as we try to understand and facilitate change in organisations. In addition, the significance of relationships and power dynamics in organisations and organisational change processes are explored. We provide some tools for reading organisations, including how organisations tend to move through various phases of development, how we might facilitate change and the challenges we all face in implementing or sustaining change. Finally, the guide gives support to processes of building learning organisations, how we can continually learn both from our own experiences and the experiences of others"  (Extract on 28 March 2010 from http://www.barefootguide.org/what-is-guide.htm).

At least curious?  Download it, you might like it.  Yet, please give credit where credit is due.  And may we take a look at the significance of our relations, power dynamics, and change processes.  Whether within ourselves, our families, our friendships, our work, and our leadership may we facilitate sustaining and effective change to support the process of learning from our experiences and the experience of others.

Tomorrow will be a story about the cutting-edge design of the new Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health & Healing.  Yes, some very cool stuff afoot at the U of O.  Followed by the truth about Gribbles.  You may be a bit surprised what gribbles nibble.

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 77: Picken Em Up

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

Unstoppable T. Boone
(Extracted 27 March 2010 from http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/t-boone-pickens-new-wind-farm-500-megawatts.php.)

Not one to be knocked off center for too long, T. Boone Pickens is back at it.  Texas may not be into his windy ideas, but that didn't stop the billionaire soothsayer.

Next week, T. Boone will be unveiling his next venture with General Electric.  According to the Dow Jones Wire Services on 5 March 2010, "he is putting together deals to develop 500 megawatts of U.S. wind power with turbines made by General Electric Co. (GE), and will make a formal announcement in 30 days."

If T. Boone pulls this off, that means he'll be putting 324 wind-powered turbines into service that could offset about 3,337 tons of coal-generated power per day.  There are some mathematical assumptions in this number.  General efficiency ratings for a coal-fired plant and the energy mass or carbon and moisture content of the coal, though plus or minus, that's still a wad of carbon not being pumped into our ozone.

T. Boone Pickens Award Speech to the American Security Council Foundation on
4 February 2010 

 
And T. Boone is not stopping there.  He's being the change that he wants to see.  Hunting with a rifle instead of a shot gun, T. Boone plans to reduce US dependence on foreign oil by 50% in less than seven years.  How's he plan to do that?  By transitioning class 5-8 semi-trucks to natural gas.

So simple, and yet, so the sweet spot. Remember the land-fill reclamation project Waste Management is undertaking?   Oh yes folks, a change is a blowin on in. 

Rock on T. Boone!  Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.  May we put our money where our mouth is.  May we listen to our internal wisdom and do something about it one choice at a time.  As tree-hugging Maud from Sweden showed us, choices large and small add up.

Tonight will be a surprise random pick for Sustainable Change.  Hint, a practical do-it-yourself guide for leaders and facilitators wanting to help organisations to function and to develop in more healthy, human and effective ways as they strive to make their contributions to a more humane society. Then on Sunday, the story will be about the cutting-edge design of the new Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health & Healing.  Yes, some very cool stuff a foot at the U of O too.

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 76: Amazing Grace

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

Unassuming Greatness
(Exctracted on 26 March 2010 from http://littlemerrysunshine.blogspot.com/2010/03/todays-heroine-grace-groner.html.)

 

The story of Grace Groner is truly amazing.  She never drove and walked where she needed to be.  She bought her clothes from rummage sales and thrift stores.  She lived for years in an apartment until a friend willed her a tiny one-bedroom home with plain furniture and a hulking television in affluent Lake Forest, IL, USA.  She never married.  She retained three $60 special-issue stocks that she purchased in 1935 and reinvested the dividends for seven decades.

What's so amazing about frugal Grace?  Orphaned at 12-years of age, she and her sister were taken in by George Anderson a member of a leading family in Lake Forest and a friend of her parents.  The Andersons sent Grace and her sister to college.  After which, Grace began a 43 year secretarial career at Abbot Labatories. (Note the life-changing event?) 

Her attorney and long time friend, William Marlatt, said, "She did not have the (material) needs that other people have. She could have lived in any house in Lake Forest but she chose not to. She enjoyed other people, and every friend she had was a friend for who she was. They weren't friends for what she had."

What makes Grace so amazing to many was her unassuming sweetness yes.  Yet, it was the way that she payed forward the life-giving gift that she and her sister Glady were given that has jaws dropping. 

Remember those stocks that Grace bought in 1935 along with the re-invested dividends? Both were valued at $7,000,000 after her death on 19 January 2010 and she willed that value to her alma mater Lake Forest College.

Her gift will net $300,000 per year in dividends and interest.  That money will be distributed in scholarships to young women who will also have an opportunity to live in Grace's cottage.

The lives her selflessness will touch may result in hundreds upon hundreds of additional lives being touched.  As our gift to the memory of Grace, may each of use remember and appreciate the life-changing gifts that we've been given.  May we find at least one way to pay it forward and change a few lives for the better in the process.  May we ask ourselves before we buy, toss, or want whose lives we could change for the better by making a different choice.

Saturday morning will be about windy T Boone Pickens and what he's up to now.  Followed by a surprise random pick for Sustainable Change on Saturday night. Then on Sunday, the story will be about the cutting-edge design of the new Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health & Healing.  Yes, some very cool stuff a foot at the U of O.

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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Day 75: Power Within

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

Joy
(Extracted on 25 March 2010 from http://www.vso.org.uk/Images/Katiren-Deschamps-Malawi_tcm79-26381.jpg.)

VSO who?  Sounds like some club for officers, right?  Nope, if you fall between the ages of 18-75 years of age, Volunteer Service Organisation is there to help you serve.  That's because VSO is all about being there to fight poverty in developing countries worldwide.  "VSO's high-impact approach involves bringing people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action, and change lives to make the world a fairer place for all" (extracted on 25 March 2010 from http://www.vso.org.uk/about/).

Ranging from supporting families tormented by child sacrifice to education to psychotherapy of war victims, VSO may be old news to UK residents.  Yet, Britain, please give yourselves credit for housing a globally life-changing organisation for over half a century!  VSO makes the impossible possible.

The world vision of VSO is ". . .without poverty in which people work together to fulfill their potential. This is a world in which people of all cultures are seen as equal, learn from each other and share a common sense of rights and responsibilities as global citizens" (extracted on 25 March 2010 from http://www.vso.org.uk/about/how-we-work/vso-strategy.asp).  Their vision and strategic framework can be read at Focus for Change.  Their 2008-2009 annual review can be read by clicking here.

The way their focused focus produced results last year, well, it seems VSO is galloping toward word equity and harmony.  May we find a way to make our world just a bit fairer and peaceful too.  May we learn from one another and share in the common experience of rights and responsibilities as global contributors.

So tomorrow is about Grace.  A tiny and unpretentious woman who surprised a college, city, town, nation, and now world with a $7,000,000 donation to her alma mater. Then Saturday morning will be about windy T Boone Pickens and what he's up to now.  Followed by a surprise random pick for Sustainable Change on Saturday night.

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
..

~

 

Day 74: Algae What?

by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)

Imagine a substance that produces more oil and meal on a single hectare then any traditional crop.  Imagine a ". . .world that thrives on energy, food, and healthy substances that conserve the environment at the same time they satisfy human needs.  Aquatic Energy has imagine this future and is creating it today" (extracted on 24 March 2010 from http://www.aquaticenergy.com/).

In a world where food and fuel are constantly rising, the secret of algae is getting out.  As one of the fastest-growing plants, affordable algae can effectively address both the need for food and fuel alternatives.  Algae "can replace fossil fuels, boost nutrition in foods and provide essential ingredients for vitamins, cosmetics and other life-enhancing products" (extracted on 24 March 2010 from http://www.aquaticenergy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=66).  And algae can do this without producing pollution and toxins into our over-burdened systems.

 

Algae have other pluses as well. "Algae, like corn, soybeans, sugar cane and other crops, grows via photosynthesis (meaning it absorbs carbon dioxide) and can be processed into fuel oil. However, the slimy aquatic organisms yield 30 times more energy per acre than land crops such as soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The reason: They have a simple cellular structure, a lipid-rich composition and a rapid reproduction rate. Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and other harsh conditions -- whereas soy and corn require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons" (extracted on 24 March 2010 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/03/AR2008010303907.html).

Ready to sign up for a bit of pond scum to fuel your ride and add protein to your smoothie?  This could be a viable future as the carbon dioxides are absorbed.  May we find even more ways to turn the scum in our lives into life-giving energy.  May we rethink how we approach the supposedly undesirable in our lives.

Tomorrow will be about VSO.  The leading indendent international development organisation that facilities volunteerism to fight poverty in developing countries.  Followed by a story of amazing Grace who got her clothes from rummage sales, yet donated over $7,000,000 to her college alma mater. Definitely a story that will make you think twice. 

Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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