My Hobby and Interest - Research

  January 24, 2025   |   Nora Broderick The Science of Music’s Healing Power Ed Large's journey has taken him from playing bluegrass to helping Alzheimer's patients improve their memory M usic can be so omnipresent in daily life – blasting out of tinny Bluetooth speakers at the beach, wafting through the aisles at the grocery store, filling the background of an ad on TV – that many of us give it little thought. But for neuroscientist Ed Large, director of the Music Dynamics Laboratory at UConn, music and thought are inseparable. In November, Large was recognized at the Music Has Power Symposium in New York City, organized by  The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function  (IMNF), for his work in understanding the power of music to boost brain function. The symposium, which brought together scientists and musicians alike, was the perfect forum for Large, who went from playing bluegrass to being recognized for his groundbreaking work regarding the ability of mus...

NPR Maine Public White House response adds to confusion on federal funding freeze January 29, 2025 By Barbara Sprunt, Elena Moore, Deirdre Walsh, Asma Khalid, Tamara Keith The Office of Management and Budget has rescinded  its call for a pause on payments for federal grants and other programs , according to a copy of an agency memo shared by Democracy Forward, which led a legal challenge over the effort. But the White House said that only the original memo calling for the freeze had been rescinded — not its effort to review federal spending. The new memo says the heads of executive departments and agencies should contact their general counsels "if you have questions about implementing the President's Executive Orders." "Facing legal pressure from our clients and in the wake of a federal judge ruling in our case last evening, the Trump-Vance administration has abandoned OMB's ordered federal funding freeze," Democracy Forward said in a statement on Wednesday....

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January 28, 2025   Nonprofits, Public Health Leaders, Small Businesses File Suit to Block OMB Attempt to Halt Essential Services A coalition of organizations filed a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the White House Office of Management and Budget from pausing all agency grants and loans, as revealed in a  memo  issued January 27, 2025.  Plaintiffs, represented in the legal challenge by Democracy Forward, include the National Council of Nonprofits, the American Public Health Association, Main Street Alliance, and SAGE. “This reckless action by the administration would be catastrophic for nonprofit organizations and the people and communities they serve,” said  Diane Yentel, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits . “From pausing research on cures for childhood cancer to halting housing and food assistance, shuttering domestic violence and homeless shelters, and closing suicid...

  Collins, Senate Appropriations chair, calls OMB funding pause ‘far too sweeping’ by  Alexander Bolton  - 01/28/25 12:45 PM ET Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, called a new memo from the White House budget office  freezing the disbursement of federal loans and grants  “far too sweeping” and warned it would have a substantial impact on the delivery of federal services. “I think there is benefit in taking a look at federal spending,” Collins told reporters. “But this is far too sweeping and will have an adverse effect on the delivery of services and programs.” “I do appreciate that the administration did not apply it to Social Security, Medicare direct benefit programs, but nevertheless it does have a large impact on the provision of a lot of services and programs,” she said. Collins made her comments moments after Senate Democrats warned the latest directive from President Trump’s Office of Management and B...

  Governor Mills' Statement on Trump Administration's Pause on Federal Funding January 28, 2025 Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement today in response to a memo issued by the Trump Administration yesterday directing a temporary pause on the disbursement of all Federal funding, except for Social Security and Medicare: "I am deeply concerned about the Trump Administration's directive to halt nearly all Federal loans, grants, and other financial assistance. Like many of my fellow governors, I have serious questions about the extent and scope of his decision; the impact it will have on Maine people and businesses, especially the most vulnerable in our state; and his legal authority to issue such an edict. My Administration is evaluating the effects of this order, including its impacts, but it is already clear to me that it is causing entirely needless chaos and confusion across Maine and the nation that will turn into real and serious harm if it continues. T...

 From the Harvard Business Review - Diversity and Inclusion What Comes After DEI How a new framework built around fairness, access, inclusion, and representation can succeed where DEI has failed.  by  Lily Zheng Summary.    While backlash to DEI has challenged how many companies and practitioners approach creating more equitable workplaces, fewer have considered whether DEI work itself has room to improve. A new framework, built around the core outcomes of fairness, access, inclusion, and representation (FAIR) that DEI was supposed to achieve for all, offers a new direction. Instead of the performative, individual-centered, isolated, and zero-sum methods of the current mainstream approach, DEI work must evolve to become outcomes-based, systems-focused, coalition-driven, and win-win. And by emphasizing fairness in policies, broad accessibility, inclusive cultures, and trust-based representation, organizations can better address the needs of all employees and...