MICHAEL NEWTON

Born in Yorkshire, grew up in South Wales. I loved music from an early age, and I learned many instruments while playing drums in a punk band. I was accepted into College at 16 years old to study music and electronics.

I graduated 1980 during the beginnings of electronics and computers in music.I had an exciting career commuting between LA and London. So I started out an early adopter of tech when a revolution was happening. 

I met my wife in San Diego. We had a great life. My wife suffered with depression that became worse, so we relocated to the rural Midwest to be closer to her Mom and sister. I got a regular job in IT, so I could be a better caregiver. Several years passed, and I suffered a stroke. Shortly thereafter, my wife’s sister and mother died accidentally. This was all too much for my wife’s mental state so she took her own life.. 

This left me 2 dogs and 2 cats stranded in the rural Midwest with no support and less than adequate health facilities or therapists. So I turned to music as my therapy. I first had to figure out my recording systems, and I entered music in step time because my tremors in my right hand made playing impossible. I wanted to document my progress in music and to date have written nearly 1000 tracks on Soundcloud created whilst volunteering for a theater post production audio and scoring a series of local radio plays. However my reading, writing, and speech needed help. I cussed a lot, which is a normal symptom post stroke, and people say I am blunt. This amount of trauma will do that to a person.

I managed to contact an old friend musician Lightyear in Florida, and via Skype, embarked on a book study every Sunday until my reading and speech improved. I went to therapy groups and was just about to venture into the real world when the pandemic hit.

If I wasn’t isolated before I was now. I had been using a virtual reality headset for exercise and meditation, and although I had worked with 3D modeling software in my career, I still lacked the motor control to build anything in VR. I discovered Social VR and with the help of music industry friends like Lightyear who were dealing with challenges due to COVID 19 persuading them to join me in building worlds in VR. Group therapy and support meetings began to flourish covering all kinds of mental health issues in a tailored space – people say they feel more present  compared to zoom.

Using social VR i have reconnected with old industry friends and made new ones. The VR community is growing organically with community input. New experiences are being created in media, education and support groups. I have seen theatrical productions conceived, cast and rehearsed in VR gone to comedy clubs talk shows all created by the VR community.

To this end, I help co host a weekly event virtual discussion of content creation where we help foster the community in our story-based mentorship. Whether you are a seasoned professional, content creator, or just curious, this is the place for you to turn dreams into reality, and it is truly a mind blowing event.

My life has had its challenges,but I am optimistic about the future. Social VR, I believe, will be the next generation of media, and I am so glad to play some part in it to help share it with the world.

Devin Gardner was a 2010 Watkins  Award Honoree from Detroit Michigan.  He is a former high school national top 10 ranked quarterback who eventually started at the University of Michigan. Devin was an undrafted free agent of the New England Patriots. He ultimately played professionally in Japan for a few years. Devin is now a Sports Broadcaster, a youth sports advocate, a podcaster, and is considered one of the greatest University of Michigan Sports Broadcasters'. 

David Bieri is Associate Professor of Urban Affairs at Virginia Tech, with a joint appointment in the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience (GFURR) and in the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). His main research and teaching interests are at the intersection of regional economics, public finance and economic geography.

Dr. David Bieri is Associate Professor of Urban Affairs at Virginia Tech, with a joint appointment in the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience (GFURR) and in the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). Dr. Bieri also holds an endowed appointment as Faculty Fellow in the VT Program in Real Estate. His current research examines spatial features of credit flows, focusing on the dynamics of urbanization and the evolutionary development of the monetary-financial system as a joint historical process. Dr. Bieri also writes about regulatory aspects of international finance, global monetary governance, and the history of economic thought.

Prior to joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, Dr. Bieri was a faculty member at Taubman College at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. From 1999 until 2006, Dr. Bieri held various positions at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, most recently as the Adviser to the CEO. From 2002 to 2004, he was Head of Business Development in which capacity he was responsible for new financial products and reserve management advisory for central banks. Prior to joining the BIS, Dr. Bieri worked as high-yield analyst at Bankers Trust in London and in fixed-income syndication at UBS in Zürich.

Bieri received his Ph.D. from the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech. He holds a M.Sc. in corporate and international finance from the University of Durham (UK) and a B.Sc. (hons) in economics from the London School of Economics.

Patrick Neville is an American politician and a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 45th District, which includes much of Douglas County. A Republican, Neville currently serves as the Minority Leader of the House, having been elected to this position at the beginning of his second term in January 2017.

Law Enforcement Appreciation Day organizer Ron MacLachlan beaten w/longboard & bullhorn by BLM/Antifa.

*BLM/Antifa advance notice to police they intended to “shut” us “down.” Police Chief knew. #TheyLetItHappen @denverpolice @jaredpolis @mayorhancock #DenverAnarchoTyranny pic.twitter.com/xHprcnkc0S

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) July 20, 2020

Malkin informed CM that the organizer of the event, Ron MacLachlan, "was beaten with a huge skateboard and bullhorn after leading a group prayer." His head was bruised and bloodied by the incident. There are pictures of MacLachlan's injuries and videos of some of the melee from the confrontations on Malkin's Twitter page.

https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/pro-police-rally-disrupted

Author. Attorney. Evangelical. Focused on justice, truth, hope & freedom. Every life is full of inherent worth. Best use of spare time? Cooking. Opinion Columns and Educational/Legal Research by Kristi Burton Brown: Live Action News: https://www.liveaction.org/news/author/kristi-burton-brown/ Charlotte Lozier Institute: https://lozierinstitute.org/team-member/kristi-burton-brown/ Townhall: https://townhall.com/columnists/kristiburtonbrown/

Kristi Burton Brown, an associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, is an attorney focusing on First Amendment and sanctity of life issues. She has worked on pro-bono projects for Life Legal Defense Foundation, Live Action, Child Evangelism Fellowship’s parent organization, and Alliance Defending Freedom. She is also journalist and editor for Live Action News and a contributor to The Christian Post.

Longtime Anti-Abortion Activist Kristi Burton Brown Could Be the Next CO GOP Leader

As Chair of the Colorado GOP, I will build an effective state-wide collaboration network that works with our grassroots and advocacy organizations, our elected officials, and our candidates to win back our state.

I am a unifier and a collaborator. I know the only way we move forward is when we strategize together and do not divide ourselves.

I will transform the State Party into a service-oriented organization for our county parties and our candidates instead of a top-down, control group.

I will reform and revitalize our communications strategy, broaden the reach of our Party, and go directly to the voters.

We must expose the Democrats (and WE WILL!), but we must go a step further and paint a future-focused, forward-facing, positive vision for Colorado. It’s about Jobs, Kids, and the American Dream.

Grassroots and Party benefactors believe in my plan and are already committed to coming alongside me to build a vibrant State Party. We will implement business models and grow our small dollar donor program for longterm success.

I will work to recruit effective candidates across the state who represent their diverse districts. We must ensure that candidates have the resources and training necessary to win.

https://www.kbbcolorado.com/endorsements

https://www.facebook.com/KristiBurtonBrown/

California native and owner of Sanddune Stepper, Matt Dahl, currently resides off the beautiful Colorado River in Parker, Az. For the last 53 years, Matt has dedicated himself to training (training for what?). Everyday Matt proves wrong the myth old men can’t reclaim their movement and MANHOOD. Today at 67, Matt still throws on the skates, hops on the Harley or jet ski and rides.