The word festival might make you think of loud music and sleeping in a tent.

A festival, however, can be more of a show of a nation’s culture and tradition. Festivals bring people together in a unique bond of brotherhood and camaraderie. Would you like to be a part of these celebrations? The chances are you would adore the opportunity to experience such cultural journeys. We share some festivals celebrated in various parts of the world that bind people with joy and gaiety.

Holi (India, Nepal, and Pakistan)
Ushering in spring is the “festival of colors,” also known as the “festival of love,” Holi. Held every year in late February or early March, Holi celebrates the victory of good over evil. The festival begins on the night of Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and the following day is the burst of colors: Holi.

Of the many legends associated with Holi, there's one that says that it’s a celebration of the victory of Lord Vishnu and Prahlada over the latter’s father, the power-hungry Hiranyakashipu. Another legend goes that the festival celebrates Radha’s deep love for Lord Krishna. Some associate the festival with Lord Shiva, the destroyer of evil.

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (Fes, Morocco)
It is probably the world’s finest music festival, which was launched in 1994 under the patronage of King Mohammed VI. The festival is a celebration of the ancient city of Fes founded around the late 8th or early 9th century and showcased the rich traditions in spirituality and the arts.

Featuring around 60 different concerts and shows, the artists performing in the festival keep changing every year. There’s an array of musicians who have performed at the festival. Multimedia performances are held all along the festival, and there are nights of the mystic sacred Sufi Music.

Mount Hagen Cultural Show (Papua New Guinea)
Despite being the world's second-largest island after Greenland, Papua New Guinea has a low population of only 8 million people living on a large island. Home to more than 7000 cultural groups, Papua New Guinea has enough variety in its culture, and you need time to experience it thoroughly.

Held annually since 1964 in the Western Highlands, the show brings together various cultural groups to foster brotherhood and prevent feelings of animosity. There are representatives from more than 100 tribes who showcase their culture in vibrant costumes playing enchanting music.


Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China)
The Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival is unique. It is held in biting cold in Harbin, where temperatures plummet to -31°F. Yet, people flock to Harbin as the city showcases some of the world’s largest ice sculptures in a month-long festival. The sculptures are displayed at two of the main exhibition areas: the recreation area on the banks of the Songhua River showcasing giant sculptures and the Ice Snow World, which opens its doors only at night. There are other attractions as well, like alpine skiing, ice lantern exhibitions, and the unthinkable- a swim in Songhua River's ice-cold water.

Semana Santa (Spain)
The Holy Week, in much of Latin America, is called the Semana Santa. It’s an extravagant celebration of the holiday here in Spain featuring processions of Catholic brotherhoods whose origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Though the central elements remain largely the same, there’s plenty of variety in the celebrations from one region to the other. The cities of Malaga and Seville see the most elaborate celebrations while things tend to be far more somber in Valladolid and Zamora. Penitents march along in colorful robes covering their faces. Bound by chains and shackles, many walk barefoot carrying candles or crosses.

Smart Way to Book your Tickets
You might be eager to book your trip to one of these festivals. Of course, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them had to postpone until further notice. However, you can prepare for the future. And one way to prepare is to get the best deal for traveling. Tools like Atlas VPN are great at helping users find exclusive deals. Change your virtual location by connecting to a VPN server, and you will find better deals for many goods. For instance, festival tickets, car rentals, or plane tickets are one of the possible things to be discounted.

Festivals are a celebration of brotherhood and fraternity. They are a display of the culture and tradition of a region. Some of them have their origins in religion, while some showcase music and art. Festivities make you forget your worries and immerse you in joy and happiness. Join the celebrations for the experience of a lifetime.

Writing an argumentative essay is an academic project commonly assigned to students. While crafting the essay is already challenging in itself, choosing the right topic can also be tricky. Some topics have been written about so many times before they have become stale. Among such, one area you can look at is mental health. In this post, we explain what an argumentative essay is and offer a list of mental illness argumentative essay topics that double as persuasive speech topics about mental health.

What Is an Argumentative Essay

As the term itself suggests, an argumentative essay is a type of essay that presents an argument concerning a topic. This argument may be a position on a contentious issue, a specific claim, or any such similar statement. The purpose of this essay is to convince the reader to recognize the argument as valid.

Tips on Writing an Argumentative Essay on Mental Health

Completing an argumentative essay about mental health can be a little daunting. After all, this topic can get complex and, in some instances, even controversial. That does not mean you should not write about it. In fact, writing about mental health can be a very educational experience. Whatever topic you choose, keep in mind the tips below to make the writing process faster and easier.

1. Choose a fresh topic. There are many topics to choose from. But a lot of these have been selected before, thus making them somewhat boring to professors. When writing your argumentative essay on mental illness, try coming up with a fresh topic. Consider an angle no one else has written about before. Make the paper surprising to keep your reader hooked.

2. Keep it fact-based. Psychology and psychiatry fall squarely within the realm of the sciences. Therefore, mental health essay topics should be based on sound scientific information. Be sure to conduct adequate research and choose only reputable sources. Avoid skewing details just so you can embellish your arguments. Twisting facts or distorting the truth to strengthen a point is never an option.

3. Observe sensitivity and empathy. There’s a lot of stigmas affecting mental illness essay topics. People diagnosed with mental health conditions are already gravely misrepresented on various platforms. So make sure you write with sensitivity and empathy. Avoid using offensive or derogatory words, use accepted or standard terminology, and do not include myths or misconceptions.

4. Know your reader. Not all readers are the same. Some readers may have more knowledge of mental health than others. Create a profile of your reader, including their possible level of knowledge regarding the topic, their attitudes, and any assumptions they may have. This will help you write a paper that they can comprehend and connect with.

5. Advocate for progress and social change. Unless you have no choice about the position or specific subject, try to write in a way that advocates for positive transformation. Mental health is an important subject, as issues affect millions of people around the world. Who knows, your essay might not just get you a good grade but also inspire your reader to take action.

Issues related to mental health are ideal topics for argumentative essays. But because of the nature of this subject, doing the essay can be hard. These tips are designed to smoothen the process. So make sure you follow them as you complete your essay. 

Argumentative Essay Topics About Mental Health

The important thing to remember when writing your essay is that the topic should be debatable. There is no use in advancing an established fact as your argument. The topics listed below are written as questions since they can be answered in different ways. The answer will serve as your thesis.

Should the DSM V be reviewed and revised?
Are Americans overdiagnosed with mental health conditions?
Are Americans overmedicated?
Are American children overdiagnosed with mental health conditions?
Is there a link between the number of working hours and the risk of developing mental illness?
Is the importance of mental health downplayed in popular culture?
Is social media bad for mental health?
Should mental health treatment be free?
Should reparations be paid to people diagnosed with disorders removed from the DSM?
Are current depictions of mental illness in film and television beneficial or harmful?
Is there a link between artistic talent and mental illness?
Is the American mental health system lagging behind compared to other countries?
How strong is the evidence linking COVID-19 to mental health illness?
Should mental health illness caused by COVID-19 be covered by health insurance?
Is working from home better or worse for mental health?
Should health insurance coverage for mental health be expanded?
Is there a hidden epidemic of mental health illness in the United States?
What is the best way to address drug dependence?
Which diagnosis in the DSM V should be removed?
Does social media contribute to the development of narcissistic personality disorder?

Because of the similarities between argumentative and persuasive essays, mental health argumentative essay topics may also be considered as persuasive essay topics on mental illness. In fact, the similarities in these types of essays and their speech counterparts make them also appropriate as mental health persuasive speech topics.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a police officer with the Bozeman Police Department? Do you often question why the Bozeman Police Officers do what they do or wonder what challenges the community faces? Is it really possible to solve crime in an hour or less?

The Bozeman Police Department is proud to sponsor the thirteenth session of our popular Citizen’s Police Academy.

This FREE class will meet every Wednesday evening from 6:15-8:30 pm over the course of eight weeks with an opportunity to ride along with our patrol officers in their beat! The academy starts September 22, 2021 and will run through November 10, 2021.

One of the main objectives of the Citizen’s Police Academy is to have fun while fostering stronger communication between the citizens of Bozeman and our police department. It is also to enhance citizen understanding and awareness of the role of the Bozeman Police Department.

This will be a hands-on training with an emphasis on student involvement. Classes about the department and criminal justice system will be offered to the students so there can be a better understanding of the services the Bozeman Police Department provides to our community. Students will learn about the different divisions, such as patrol, detective, and support services.

If you are interested in attending this high-energy event or have questions, contact Community Resource Officer Marek Ziegler at mziegler@bozeman.net or at 582-2969. You may also find this application via Bozeman Police – Community Involvement - Citizen’s Police Academy or directly at Citizens Police Academy | City Of Bozeman

Don’t delay, this event fills up fast!

Outreach Bozeman- A partnered program between Bozeman Police Department, HRDC, City of Bozeman, and the Downtown Bozeman Partnership

The City of Bozeman, HRDC, Downtown Bozeman Partnership and Bozeman Police Department have partnered to launch a pilot program, Outreach Bozeman. The purpose of Outreach Bozeman is to educate, communicate, and work with our business community to provide the resources and knowledge needed to understand and respond to our homelessness needs with compassion and understanding. We want to ensure our approach is sensitive to the unique needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, while also responding to the safety concerns of the greater community.

Outreach Bozeman is aimed at education, outreach and involvement and is currently providing the following resources available to our businesses, property owners and community members. The following resources are now available, and data will be collected and updated regularly.

• Downtown Partnership Business Resources:
      o Homelessness Resource Toolkit: PDF Document

• HRDC Resources:
      o De-Escalation Trainings will be provided to businesses, schedule and information will be sent through email platforms. The first de-escalation training was held on July 30, 2021 and the next will be held this fall. HRDC’s Outreach Specialist(s) will conduct street outreach.
      o Homeless Services: Homeless Services | The HRDC - Bozeman & Livingston, MT

• Bozeman Police Department Services and Resources:
      o Bozeman Police Officer is teaming up with HRDC for weekly Downtown walk-arounds to speak with persons experiencing homelessness and businesses.
      o Contact: Community Resource Officer – Marek Zeigler, mziegler@bozeman.net
      o Police non-emergency line – 406-582-2000

For more information contact the Downtown Bozeman Partnership at 586-4008 or check out our website at https://downtownbozeman.org/news/outreach-bozeman.

Bozeman, MT— The Bozeman Public Library will feel a little different this fall as longtime Children’s Librarian Cindy Christin is set to retire on August 6, 2021. The City of Bozeman and the Bozeman Public Library wish Cindy the best as she takes on this next part of her life and thank her for over three decades of work spent in the Library. 


Cindy Christin started part-time at the Bozeman Public Library in August 1988. Over the past few decades, Cindy has started Books & Babies, Little Ones toddler storytime, Turn Off the TV week (and Library Sleepover), Kids Book Club, Creative Workshops, Ready2Read early literacy programs, including Ready2Read Reach Out to childcare programs, the Library PlaySpace project providing blocks and other play materials, the Outdoor PlaySpace, and other services for families with young children.


Cindy will continue to organize the Children’s Festival of the Book, which is planned for Saturday, November 13 featuring author Chris Barton and illustrator Don Tate. This will be the 12th year bringing award-winning creators of children’s books. She will also stay involved with early literacy projects with the Montana State Library, and the Collaborative Summer Library Program which provides summer reading materials and resources nationwide.

 
On the topic of her retirement Cindy says, “I hope to spend more time doing all the things I love outside of my job: time with friends and family, reading, playing and listening to music, hiking and walking, and maybe a few new activities!”
 
She adds that she will miss so much about her work, “Most of all I will miss the interactions with families and children on a daily basis, getting to know kids and watching them grow up, and helping readers find books. If I’m lucky I’ll still get to see families around town, and on visits back to the Library!”

 
Susan Gregory, Library Director says, “There are some people in this world who, because of their instinctive understanding of a child’s spirit, will enrich a child’s life in a profound, lifelong manner. Cindy Christin is one of those people.  Her joy in working with children and their families is almost tangible.”

 
She adds, “It’s impossible to count how many children have discovered the wonder of books, words and ideas because of Cindy’s influence not only in Bozeman but through her early literacy work at a state and national level.  We will miss her very much but we’re excited for her future plans and we’re thrilled that she will continue to produce our annual Children’s Festival of the Book.  Her delight in working with our littlest patrons and their loved ones is contagious!”

 
Cindy will continue to work as the Children’s Librarian until her last day on August 6, 2021. All patrons are encouraged to drop by to wish her well. For those wanting to share their appreciation with Cindy there will have a banner in the atrium for people to leave a note. This is for patrons of all ages to leave their mark, just like Cindy has left her mark on patrons of all ages!

A $2.2 million federal grant will help support students enrolled in a Montana State University program that aims to recruit and graduate American Indian and Alaska Native nurses.

The four-year Nursing Workforce Diversity grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration will allow the MSU College of Nursing to offer scholarships to 15 American Indian and Alaska Native nursing students enrolled in its Caring for Our Own Program, or CO-OP. When combined with other funding opportunities, such as the college’s Indian Health Service Scholarship and Montana Advantage Nursing Scholarships, the college is now able to offer funding to almost all of the program’s students, according to Laura Larsson, CO-OP program director and a nursing professor.

Larsson said the college is thrilled to receive the grant.

“The Nursing Workforce Diversity funding mechanism was the original funding source for CO-OP when it started back in 1999,” she said. “It is a privilege to continue to receive this highly competitive, foundational funding source.”

Larsson said a record number of students, 72, are currently enrolled in CO-OP, including seven students who are pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree to become nurse practitioners. Students from every American Indian reservation in Montana are enrolled in CO-OP, she noted, as well as students from throughout the region and across the United States.

Started in 1999, CO-OP aims to recruit and graduate Native American nurses, particularly those who will work in Indian Health Service facilities on reservations or in urban settings. CO-OP supports both undergraduate and graduate students with advising and, if needed, tutoring. Through the program students receive financial assistance with tuition, books, fees and supplies. Many students and graduates also say the informal support from CO-OP peers and administrators was crucial to achieving their dream of becoming a nurse or nurse practitioner. 

By offering resources and support to students, Larsson said, CO-OP and the College of Nursing intend to recruit more American Indian and Alaska Native students so nurses in the state will reflect the percentage of Montana’s population who identify as Native American. A second goal is keeping American Indian and Alaska Native students in school across all College of Nursing programs at equivalent rates to their white counterparts. Finally, they want to ensure that American Indian and Alaska Native MSU nursing graduates continue to pass the NCLEX-RN licensing examination or the nurse practitioner certification board examinations at equivalent rates as their classmates. The ultimate goal of CO-OP is to help improve the quality of health care in Native American and Alaska Native communities by increasing the number of qualified Native American and Alaska Native nurses who are prepared for practice, management and leadership to serve Indian Country.

Larsson said the college is committed to diversifying the classroom and the workforce. To that end, it has been updating and revising its processes that drive those outcomes.

“Ongoing education and cultural awareness training for all students, staff and faculty continue, even as we have celebrated more than 20 years of CO-OP,” Larsson said.

Larsson noted that in Montana, American Indians represent 6.5% of the population, but only 3.2% of the nursing workforce identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. Nationally, American Indian and Alaska Native nurses represent only 1.2% of the nursing workforce.

“All the current literature suggests that individual health outcomes are improved when you have a nurse who shares your cultural background,” Larsson said. “Increasing the number of American Indian and Alaska Native nurses in the workforce is critical to Montana’s health.”

For those who pursue a career in nursing, the degree can provide economic benefits, too.

“Diversifying the workforce improves health outcomes and also helps improve socioeconomic status in rural communities,” Larsson said. “Nursing careers are well-paying jobs. We think the CO-OP program tackles the issues of rural isolation, health and poverty all at once.”

One hundred twenty-one students have completed the Caring for Our Own Program since its inception, according to Larsson, and more than 100 of those graduates are licensed nurses working in Montana. In addition, 10% of the program’s graduates have chosen to enroll in MSU’s doctoral nursing program.

“We’re seeing a really strong association with completing the baccalaureate here and then completing our Doctor of Nursing Practice program,” she said. “There are also other students who do a doctoral program somewhere else, which is great, especially because the majority of them are still practicing in Montana.”

The Lame Deer Service Unit of the Indian Health Service on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation has employed a number of CO-OP graduates in recent years, according to Mardell Nichols, director of nursing. Historically, the facility has been short of nursing staff, and the problem was exacerbated by COVID-19, she said. The Lame Deer clinic currently employs three CO-OP graduates, she said, and five additional CO-OP graduates have worked there in previous years. All have proven to be top-notch nurses, she said.

“They’ve all been very well prepared,” she said.  “We see a lot of motivation and desire to learn, and (the CO-OP graduates) are active in the local community, as well.”

Debby Bends, CEO of the Lame Deer Service Unit, said the value of having Native American nurses work in the community extends beyond the culturally sensitive health care they provide. They also serve as role models for area youth.

“There is a huge benefit to seeing nurses out in the community,” she said. “Our young girls and boys see that they, too, can excel. They, too, can achieve a degree, whether in nursing or another field. They, too, can achieve their dreams.”

Sarah Shannon, dean of the MSU College of Nursing, said the Caring for Our Own Program is a treasured part of the College of Nursing.

“Our college’s mission is to enhance the health of the people of Montana, our nation and the global community through education, creation of knowledge and service,” Shannon said. “CO-OP is the most important way that we truly live that mission. The College of Nursing is committed to educating the nursing workforce that will address Montana’s needs today and tomorrow, particularly our tribal communities.”

Larsson said CO-OP’s progress is encouraging.

“It’s absolutely wonderful to see that in just one generation, we can witness meaningful movement on solving the problem of having enough American Indians in nursing,” she said. She added that seeing 10% of CO-OP graduates going back to nurse practitioner school, the future looks even better.

“You can see that in just 20 years, if we maintain this momentum, we can begin to solve the critical shortage of health care providers in rural parts of Montana,” Larsson said.

The MSU College of Nursing educates students on its five campuses to be professional nurses capable of working in a variety of settings. It is the largest supplier of Bachelor of Science-prepared nurses in Montana. It is also Montana's only public provider of graduate nursing education and offers a Master of Nursing degree focused on rural clinical nurse leadership and a Doctor of Nursing Practice program that prepares students for certification as family nurse practitioners or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. 

More information about the MSU College of Nursing is available at montana.edu/nursing/. To learn more about the college’s Caring for Our Own Program, visit montana.edu/nanurse/.

As a Montana State University research team prepares to send a novel space computer to the moon in 2023 for its ultimate test, a high-altitude balloon flight in South Dakota last week marked yet more progress on the technology while offering a unique student experience.

When the Rubik’s Cube-sized computer prototype lifted into clear sky above Sioux Falls on July 27, dangling beneath the jellyfish-like helium balloon, it was the culmination of more than a year of hard work by electrical engineering master’s student Justin Williams and three other MSU students participating in the launch at a facility run by the balloon contractor Raven Aerostar.

"It was kind of stressful watching the balloon go up, waiting to see the signal show up on our phones,” said Williams, a Kalispell native who earned his bachelor’s in computer engineering from MSU in 2020. “When the data started coming in, we all took a big breath of relief.”

As it hovered for more than 30 hours at altitudes up to 70,000 feet, above the protection normally afforded by Earth’s atmosphere, the prototype was subjected to the high-energy radiation particles it’s designed to withstand using a creative new approach. Traditionally, computers operating on satellites and spacecraft have costly and cumbersome circuitry made of special materials to resist the radiation emitted by the sun and other celestial bodies. The MSU-developed technology, called RadPC, instead combines multiple ordinary computer processors with innovative software to create on-the-fly redundancy, allowing computations to continue even if radiation disrupts the computer's sensitive memory.

Last week’s mission added to a long list of RadPC prototypes flying on high-altitude balloons, small satellites and the International Space Station, each advancing different aspects of the technology. All the tests involved the RadPC computer performing various pre-programmed tasks while monitoring whether the computer recovered from any radiation events. The latest balloon flight was focused on testing an external computer memory system that Williams designed. He and others will analyze the data in coming months to see how the prototype performed.

"It’s kind of surreal when you’re so focused on getting the hardware to work but then step back and remember that thing is going to the moon,” Williams said. “You realize how cool it is to be working on this.”

Brock LaMeres, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, came up with the RadPC concept more than a decade ago. Since then, development of the technology has involved 70 undergraduates, 17 graduate students and nearly a dozen faculty, including staff engineers in the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory housed in the Department of Physics in MSU's College of Letters and Science. The project has been fueled by roughly $5 million in funding, mostly from NASA.

In 2019, RadPC was one of 12 science and technology payloads that won a coveted spot to journey to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a human presence on the moon in 2024 as a step toward a manned mission to Mars. The program is intended to serve as a demonstration of commercial landers developed by private companies, and the MSU payload will be bolted to the side of a lander called Blue Ghost that’s being developed by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace.

“Every one of these flights is maturing the technology, getting it to a point where we’re proving that it works and that it could actually be used on spacecraft,” LaMeres said. “It’s cool because the whole team is working together on this same computer technology, but each student has their own piece of it to work on leading up to the lunar mission.”

Zach Becker, a nontraditional undergraduate student majoring in electrical and computer engineering, designed the system that relays and stores the RadPC data for analysis. He’ll continue to work on a similar system for another RadPC prototype that’s set to visit the space station next year.

"It's pretty amazing to be able to write computer code that will operate in space,” Becker said. “To live in Montana and work on this, it’s a tremendous opportunity.”