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Cannabis is often thought to be less harmful than other drugs. But is that true? Some waxes, oils, and syrups have dangerously high THC levels–close to 100%. But since cannabis is thought to be safer than other types of drugs, these products are often unregulated.  For perspective, a high dose of THC is considered 15% or over. Back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the average THC content was not even 2%. High doses of cannabis can lead to addiction, poor memory, vomiting, psychosis, a permanent psychiatric disorder, and suicide. Weed is the number one drug used by elementary and high school students, so many parents may have the additional concern of their child using cannabis and being inadver tently exposed to such dangerous levels.  With THC levels being so…

DAPCO Beginnings Destiny and Purpose Community Outreach, founded by Towana Parker, has been providing vital support services to strengthen at-risk families in Wayne County since 1997 and in Washtenaw County since 2007.  Parker said it all started with “a group of women led by me that were small business owners [who] wanted to do something charitable in the community.” They started off by volunteering in residential girls' homes as mentors and used their own financial resources to purchase needed items for the girls “I never dreamed of running a nonprofit agency, but a seed was planted when someone told me that we could avoid using our financial resources if we decided to form a nonprofit agency and ask for charitable donations through companies, corporations, and grants,” Parker said. And, thus…

A Family of Activists You could say being a voting rights activist is in Ann Arbor resident Leslie McGraw’s blood.  It all began back in 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee when her great-granduncle Elbert Williams, an African-American civil rights leader, and four others founded a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first known NAACP member to be lynched for his civil rights beliefs and activities. Elbert Williams’ legacy Although African Americans were legally allowed to vote, racially biased voter registration obstacles made it impossible for them to do so in Haywood County, where Brownsville is located, as well as three other counties in the state. The goal of their chapter was to register African-American voters so…

Hello November!  Not sure how it happened, but it’s here.  And that, my friends, means that the holidays are just around the corner.  You know, the most wonderful time of the year.  Or is it?!  Well, it can be pretty wonderful for sure, but it’s also wildly busy.   So, it’s time to bring in the big guns - some easy dishes that everyone likes, but are worthy of this time of year to fill in the gaps in between the various holidays. We tend to put all of our effort into our holiday entertaining - but it’s great to have a handful of seasonal weeknight meals that pile on the flavor and are so satisfying, but also a little extra special. This dish is just that!  Pair it with your…

Family time is important and creates core memories for children as they grow. And family time is even more precious for those raising children with life-threatening conditions. These families spend so much of their time in hospitals and doctor’s offices that finding time and money to create moments that matter can be difficult.  That’s where A Kid Again Michigan comes in. The statewide chapter of the national nonprofit providing cost-free, year-round Adventures to kids with life-threatening conditions and their families recently reached a magnificent milestone in almost a year…helping more than 1,000 Michigan families create 1,000 stories.  Adventures are moments of carefree fun for A Kid Again families who spend their days in hospitals, and often experience surgeries, medical appointments and more.  The Ronne’s son, Lucas, who has several life-threatening…

On Friday, Oct. 21, the Ann Arbor District Downtown Library hosted congressman Jamie Raskin and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell in conversation about Raskin’s new memoir “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy.” The book follows his journey through navigating his son’s suicide, the capitol riot on January 6, 2021, as well as leading the impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump.  [caption id="attachment_1221" align="alignnone" width="300"] Raskin signing a copy of his new memoir. Photo by Mishal Charania.[/caption] “I started writing it as a love letter to our lost son Tommy, and then it became kind of a love letter to America at the end,” Raskin said. “I learned most about how personal democracy is to everyone, and how much we depend on democracy in ways we don’t even…

by Kimberly Blaker Many parents today never experienced a world where computers weren't a standard household fixture, let alone a world without the Internet. When the World Wide Web first became available to the public in 1991, it was archaic compared to today. Yet at the time, it was quite the phenomenon. But the rapid speed of technological progress over the past couple of decades will resemble the crawl of a tortoise in another decade or two as technology continues to advance at an exponential rate. In fact, according to Ray Kurzweil, a world-renowned inventor, thinker, and futurist, “We won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century – it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today's rate).” If you have any doubt, Kurzweil has a remarkable thirty-year…

“We have an entire society whose needs are not being met by anyone...not by their families, their community, their state, or their country.” Nasra Mohamad-Salah is referring to what she believes is a significant gap in adult residential care. To meet this need, in 2019 she founded True Residential Care, an Ann Arbor adult care facility for those with memory problems, dementia, Alzheimer's, traumatic brain injuries, and developmental or cognitive delays. A different approach The gap Mohamed-Salah’s facility fills is specifically care grounded in compassion. She believes an individual’s care plan should be specifically tailored to that person. “It starts with making sure someone is emotionally in a place where they can connect. Medication and food alone are not enough. I can focus on the things they are not getting…

The anxiously awaited annual Concert for Peace, formerly known as the John Lennon Birthday Concert, will be held November 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ark and will feature 16 performances.  This community-focused event brings together like-minded people from different backgrounds with the common goal of peace. “It is really a wonderful community event because you can come and see 15 or 16 different acts,”  “And the peace community has a pretty nice cross-section of humanity there.” Buhalis has been an instrumental person in the Concert for Peace since its inception. Peace Concert History Chris Buhalis, musician, emcee, and founder, said, “I’ve been involved with every one of the Vets for Peace Chapter 93 peace concerts since 2008. All of the money raised goes to Vets for Peace Chapter 93…