President Trump got on the phone

And commuted the sentence of Roger Stone.

Commuting the crime

Means he won’t serve the time.

While others more worthy are left on their own.

Are you a fan of room escape games? How about room escape games you do by yourself and can possibly die if you screw up? Good! Then Indigo Studios Seven Doors is your game!

As you probably guessed by now, Seven Doors is an interaction adventure game where you are blindly thrown into 7 different rooms and have to figure out how to get out with little or no clues. Each room has everything you need in it to solve the puzzles and get to the next room, but it an’t easy.

Each room in Seven Doors has a different theme and objective and the room name kinda sorta gives you a hint on what you have to do to get out. You just have to look around and find things in the room to use, and all items are used automatically when they are needed so you don’t have to do too much “try this item on this thing” messing around. Sometimes there are no items to be used and you just have to figure out how to get out by trial and error. The puzzles range from hard to “uh?” and like I said there are no hints or help, you are totally on your own. But with enough wandering, messing with things, and pure dumb luck you can figure out what you have to do. Oh and did I mention you can die? Because you can…and you will…a lot.

You use the directional or WASD buttons to move — and you can jump too — and pick things up with. You move the camera, which is first person, around with the mouse. Possibly the most annoying part of Seven Doors is the movement. It’s clunky if you don’t have a good graphics card and while holding items is not an issue since the character will hold it till you hit the mouse button to drop it but it can be tricky to try to place an object where it needs to go. You get used to it but still it can make a challenge a bit more challenging.

One thing Seven Doors Does well is make you feel isolated and alone. There is no music or sounds, cept for the occasional screaming from the character, unless it’s part of the puzzle which gives you even more of a feeling of being alone and lost. It is not explained in the beginning why you are there either and especially whether or not or not you are a willing participant. All you know is that each room will “test one of your strengths.” Whatever that means (insert suspicious eye emoji.)

Seven Doors Is challenging, scary, gives you a sense of isolation, and fun! The controls are wonky and can add some unnecessary challenge to the game but like I said you get used to it. It’s especially fun if you’ve ever done a room escape and thought “you know I totally want to try this on my own!” You know, without the risk of never escaping and possible death. So I give it 4 outta 5 baby dragons!

So if I haven’t scared you off yet you can pick up this game for yourself at the steam store Steam for only $6.99. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

BY SANDRA GUY

Experts tout the benefits of breastfeeding, but few explain how to help women who find it difficult to produce breast milk.

That’s top-of-mind during August — National Breastfeeding Month — and the first week of August, recognized as World Breastfeeding Week. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend women breastfeed exclusively for six months, and continue for another six months by combining breastfeeding with foods such as grains, fruits, proteins and vegetables.

Experts say breast milk contains the fat, protein, vitamins and antibodies that ensures babies grow, fend off viruses, and potentially lower their risks of asthma, allergies, respiratory illnesses and other health problems.

Studies show mom can benefit, too, by losing pregnancy weight faster and lower risks of breast and ovarian cancer.

One possible help to moms who find breastfeeding a challenge — and a natural remedy to boot — comprises Milk Thistle and its components.

As with most natural remedies, a dearth of scientific studies exists. So there’s no scientific conclusion that Milk Thistle benefits milk production. But random tests have shown that the supplements can help regulate cholesterol, blood sugar and boost secretion of the hormone prolactin. Pregnant women’s prolactin levels jump 10-fold to stimulate milk production.

Be sure to clear any supplements and their dosage with your doctor or a lactation expert.

Examples of how you can try Milk Thistle include:
• Tea: Put one teaspoon of ground, crushed or chopped seeds from the milk thistle plant into 8 ounces of boiling water, and let it seep for 10 to 20 minutes.

• Remove the spines from the milk thistle plant and eat the buds and leaves, either raw or cooked.

• As an ingredient in nursing teas or other supplements to aid breast-milk production.

Successful breastfeeding has even been linked to higher child IQ and lower childhood obesity, so it’s worth the effort in the long run, experts say.

I returned to full-time work (from home) last week for the first time since April, after taking more than a month off and working part-time for the month of June. I’m very lucky that my company allowed me the time off and that I got to go back to work – I know many don’t have that option.

As much of the country has opened up (for better or worse), many parents I’ve been talking to are at least starting to return to some form of regular childcare – many daycares are now open, and others have turned to hiring a nanny or utilizing family to help out. While there are still some risks tied to childcare, especially outside the home, the good news is many parents are able to get back to work, knowing that their kids are taken care of.

Now, I know there are a LOT of resources on how to be productive while working from home – some good ones are here and here. But for people who are transitioning back into full-time work (whether they took time off to watch the kids or were laid off), it can feel particularly jarring. I experienced many what-not-to-do moments this past week, and so I’ve shared my thoughts below so that others might be able to have a smoother transition than I did.

My tips for returning to full-time work:

Prep your environment. This is the one thing I actually got right from the beginning. I started with a clean slate on my desk and found some trinkets around the house that could liven it up a bit (think: fake plant, candle, metallic pineapple). I don’t have a big lavish office right now, so adding some greenery and a little reflective light makes the space feel fresh and new.

Reach out to your colleagues. If you’ve been away from work for a while or just haven’t had the time to connect with co-workers, now is the time to start setting up those Zoom coffee catch-ups. Not only might this help smooth your transition back into the team culture, but with childcare in place you might find yourself with a little more time to dedicate to nurturing your work friendships. Plus, I missed all the best happy hours while I was working part-time, and I need to make up for those FOMO moments.

Take mindful breaks. Do your breaks entail going downstairs to see what everyone (partner/kids/nanny/grandparents/dog) is up to, and then you end up making a snack and chatting for 20 minutes? Oh that’s just me? Ok cool. Well, if you do find yourself in this position, try to better structure your breaks and give them purpose. Maybe you take two quick breaks in the morning to refill your coffee, and a longer early afternoon break for lunch and to move around a bit. Now that I’m no longer taking two-mile stroller walks every day, I’m finding that proactively getting up to move around is key to be able to focus throughout the day.

Hide your phone. Like, legit hide it. Research shows that just having your phone nearby can impair your ability to think and concentrate. The science says that because of the great benefits our phones provide, i.e. connection with others, an endless source of knowledge and information, etc., they are constantly calling to us like a gravitational pull. Sure enough, my first couple of days back I left my phone out on my little desk and I had the constant urge to check it. I noticed that when I hid it out of sight (not just face down) I was much less likely to reach for it and actually forgot it was there.

Set your expectations. Things might have changed a lot since you left or they might not have changed at all. Whether you were on vacation for a week or you didn’t work for three months, you’ll need to get your groove back. Allow yourself the freedom to re-learn your job and, where you need to, reinvent yourself and your role. I myself went back to work excited to jump back in, but knowing that it might take a little time to settle back into the flow.

Whatever work situation you’re facing, change is hard. Adapting well is harder. Going “back to” your old life is not an option. Whether you’re a working parent, taking care of your kids full-time, a homeschooling parent, or physically going to work every day, the pandemic upended life for everyone in different ways.

I know there are still many families trying to figure it all out. I worry about the women who are being pushed out of the workforce because, when it comes to choosing between work and our children, we will always choose our children. We know that working moms are disproportionately affected by covid-19 and that they are the ones more likely to take time off or have to leave their jobs entirely to provide childcare. While it may be a tremendous opportunity to spend more time with your children, being forced to give up work isn’t exactly a heartwarming feeling. My heart goes out to those moms, and all of the parents trying to figure it out right now.

And while I realize it’s not much in the way of consolation, all I can think is that it’s not forever. And that’s the one thing that we can all be sure of. I’ll be sending all the love to the moms and dads trying to making it work, albeit a little differently these days.

In the last month, Chicago’s record-breaking violence has managed to get equal coverage along with the Coronavirus. The sheer number of shootings and killings have been mind-boggling but the attention-grabbing stories have been the number of babies, toddlers, and young teens that have been shot down. Providing some gruesome heart-grabbing television and newspaper headlines, not only in the Chicago area but all across the Country.

By most estimates, a full one-third of Chicago’s homicides are unintended targets. Gang shooters are letting go at half-court and into vehicles and parks and gatherings with very little or no thought about the innocence who are among the victims, a list that is growing more day after day. The feverish push to control territories and the lucrative drug trade has set off gang wars that have reduced City leaders to babbling and knee jerk excuses that have finally been noticed by the mainstream press. Mayor Lightfoot has received very little criticism for her failed strategies to take control of the out of control mayhem in her city.

If we look back at Rahm Emanuel’s 8 years as mayor, the press constantly held his feet to the fire for his violence control strategies. Karen Lewis, the President of the Chicago Teachers Union even went as far as calling him “Mayor MURDER.” Imagine what she would nail Lightfoot with today “Mayor Murder Incorporated” would probably fit nicely. This morning the Chicago Tribune in a scathing editorial stated Mayor Lightfoots efforts to control violence have been inadequate (myself I would have added GROSSLY)  AND GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER AS A CANDIDATE, PROMISED TO ADDRESS CRIME THROUGH A SPECIAL AGENCY, BUT ONLY CREATED MORE BUREAUCRACY.  There it finally happened! holding politicians accountable.

Last week after another weekend of unprecedented slaughter,  Chicago’s Top Cop announced a new attempt to take on the gangs. Don’t believe for one minute he didn’t get the wink and nod from the Mayor, it has her written all over it.  See the headline below.  Chicago’s new specialized unit will consist of officers who will be deployed in neighborhoods to participate in community service projects, such as ATTENDING PRAYER CIRCLES, PEACE, AND NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP EFFORTS.

This from a guy whose goal was to keep Chicago’s murders in 2020 at 300. We are now at 386 and are on pace for over 700 if the current trend continues. Imagine if we applied this strategy to NERO playing the fiddle while Rome burned. Chicago’s cops will be praying and cleaning up the neighborhoods while Chicago’s citizens are shooting and killing and being killed. Those cops in those prayer circles had better pray hard while they are there because they are going to need all the help they can get.

What’s happening right now to a once-proud great City, indeed once called “The City of Big Shoulders” is it’s being tested like no other time in its great history. How will its leaders respond? I’m going to quote two Kennedys, both U.S. Senators, one who is deceased of course and needs very little introduction, the late Bobby Kennedy and brother of President Kennedy, the other a very little known Senator serving today in the U.S Senate from Louisiana. Back when Bobby Kennedy was the Attorney General of the United States he quoted a phrase that is still used today. EVERY SOCIETY GETS THE KIND OF CRIMINAL IT DESERVES: WHAT IS EQUALLY TRUE IS THAT EVERY COMMUNITY  GETS THE TYPE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IT INSISTS ON.” Every politician in the State, and most especially Chicago should contemplate those words. Which is it going to be, both for the criminal it deserves and the Law enforcement it insists on?

A few days ago Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana told a nationwide audience that “CHICAGO IS THE LARGEST OUTDOOR SHOOTING RANGE IN AMERICA”. Who the hell is going to argue with that? He further stated” TO KILL A CHILD YOU MUST BE A NIHILIST GOON WITH NO VALUES WHATSOEVER. BUT THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DEFUND THE POLICE, WHEN WE REFUSE TO FIX OUR SCHOOLS, AND WE UNDERMINE THE FAMILY UNIT.” In my opinion, Chicago needs help. Chicago needs federal help. Chicago needs federal agents to work with Chicago’s cops. Chicago needs Federal Charges, Federal Courts, Judges, and Federal Sentencing. Prayer circles, cleaning up neighborhoods, and delivering food to the needy may have a future at another time. It’s time to listen to the two Kennedys. Both have quotes worth listening too. Politics aside, how many more will be slaughtered before a leader emerges and gets it?

There’s no debate! Nobody should have named anything after Steven Douglas.

Let’s start the wrecking crew working by renaming Douglas Park to…what else but Douglass Park, after Frederick Douglass.

Note to D. Trump:  The late Frederick Douglas