Three Tips for Learning New Languages

Possessing more than four decades of experience in the social work and mental health fields, Patricia Lynn Hough serves as staff supervisor at St. Francis Animal Shelter in Venice, Florida. In addition to her role at the no-kill animal shelter, Patricia Lynn Hough fills her time by studying foreign languages and is proficient in German, French, and Spanish.

Whether you want to learn another language for a career or to satisfy your own passion, becoming multilingual may seem almost impossible. Below are three ways to enhance foreign-language learning:

Start with a language core
The core of any language involves words that express images, memories, emotions, and colors. By learning the core of a language first, you are more capable of thinking in your target language and keeping it alive in your head. This makes it easier to learn additional aspects of a language and reach fluency.

Focus on your passion
Learning a new language is always difficult, no matter how many other languages you know. To ensure you stay motivated throughout the learning process, focus on choosing languages that you are passionate about. Without passion driving your motivation, learning a language is less likely to be successful.

Optimize your time
Rushing the process is one of the worst things you can do when learning a language, because it keeps you from understanding the proper accents and refining your knowledge. Instead, optimize your time by scheduling specific times to practice every day. To maximize efficiency, try practicing while cooking, commuting, or working out.

Two Independent Film Festivals to Attend in Florida

With experience ranging from psychiatry to charitable medical service in foreign countries, Patricia Lynn Hough now serves St. Francis Animal Rescue as its staff supervisor. In her leisure time, Patricia Lynn Hough enjoys attending independent film festivals.

Independent film festivals have sprung up all over the country and continue to offer a unique opportunity for visitors to experience a diverse range of creative films. The state of Florida is home to at least two of these, the Miami Independent Film Festival and the Melbourne Independent Film Festival.

The Miami Independent Film Festival just completed its second year. Founded in 2015, the first annual festival took place in 2016. The following year, the event received more than 900 film submissions from 64 nations. For more information about this festival and how to attend next year's event or to make a film submission, visit www.miamindiefest.com.

The Melbourne Independent Film Festival will take place from October 20th through 21st at Premiere Theaters Oaks Stadium 10. This year's event includes the Tie Up Loose Ends script competition in which competitors take an existing script and finish it themselves. Filmmakers then film the winning script ending and present it at the festival. For more information, visit www.melbournefilmfest.com.

Must-Try Thai Dishes

Holding an MD and a PhD in sociology and social psychology, Patricia Lynn Hough was a psychiatrist and assistant professor for more than a decade. Now semiretired, she serves as the staff supervisor at St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice, Florida. In her free time, Patricia Lynn Hough enjoys experiencing different cultures and their cuisines, including food from Thailand. 

Thai cuisine features unique flavors and aromas that have helped certain dishes become popular around the world. Other Thai dishes are just as flavorful but less well-known. Below are a few Thai dishes worth trying regardless of their popularity.

- Laap. A rustic dish that originated in northeast Thailand, laap consists of minced meat seasoned with a variety of herbs, fish sauce, and rice powder. The dish is frequently served alongside sticky rice, which most Thais eat by hand.

- Tom Yum Goong. Combining salty, sour, sweet, and spicy into one dish, this soup contains tomatoes, shrimp, mushrooms, and lime leaves. The soup can be ordered with cream and coconut milk.

- Phat kaphrao. This street food brings together flash-fried meat and basil along with plenty of garlic and chili seasoning. The mixture is served over rice and frequently is topped with a fried egg.

- Gang massaman. Originating in southern Thailand, this sweet curry sauce is made from coconut milk, curry paste, and seasonings and is usually served over chicken and rice.

A Few Facts about Mental Health in the United States

The staff supervisor at St. Francis Animal Rescue in Venice, Florida, Patricia Lynn Hough collaborates with the shelter’s veterinarian to provide medical care. Prior to this position, Patricia Lynn Hough had a successful career in social work and psychiatry.

In the United States, estimates are that one in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. Despite this, general society still places minimal importance on mental health. 

Maintaining mental health is beneficial to physical health. People without depression, stress, or anxiety experience decreased physical pain and improved immune function, and their life expectancy is longer. 

People who are not depressed, stressed, or anxious are less likely to commit violent crimes or become victims of violent crimes. They are less likely to lash out at those around them, so their children have a smaller risk of being abused.

Benefits of mental health extend beyond the individual to business and society. Mental health treatment is believed to reduce medical visits by 90 percent and drop overall medical treatment costs by 35 percent. 

Individuals who are mentally healthy are significantly more productive at work and are better at helping their companies grow and succeed. Poor mental health leads to increased workplace accidents and decreased work attendance. 

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 200 million workdays are lost every year because of depression. Individuals with depression and anxiety use sick leaves more frequently and for longer periods of time.

Ensuring a Healthy Diet for Your Cat

Patricia Lynn Hough is a former psychiatrist who stays active in a supervisory capacity at St. Francis Animal Rescue (SFAR), a Venice, Florida, no-kill shelter. With a longstanding passion for animal health and welfare, Patricia Lynn Hough ensures that the cats at the cage-free facility have the proper medications and are prepared for adoption by loving owners.

Adopting a cat is a long-term commitment that begins with keeping the pet happy and healthy. A cat's stomach is not designed for the same foods eaten by humans, so learning to feed the cat the right kind of food is important. 

Generally lactose intolerant, a cat may get an upset stomach or worse if it is fed dairy products such as cheese and milk. Even commercial cat treats may present an issue if they are given too often, which can result in obesity and corresponding health issues. 

The way to avoid these problems is to feed the cat a nutritionally complete cat food made by a respected company. Most cats, given a choice, prefer a combination of canned and dry food. To avoid overfeeding, carefully read the cat food labels and set out an amount of food that is appropriate for the age and weight of the cat.

A Look at Some of the Different Forms of Yoga

 


An experienced social worker and animal shelter employee, Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough enjoys keeping active. One of Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough’s favorite pastimes is yoga.

As people begin to research yoga studios, they may find the multitude of types to be overwhelming. Beginners often choose hatha yoga, which is a slow-moving type that focuses on basics. Practitioners of this variety typically focus on finding the right posture and holding it for a few breaths.

Another good option for beginners, Bikram yoga takes place in a heated, humidified room. Furthermore, one will find that all Bikram studios rely on the same sequence of postures over the course of 90 minutes, thus facilitating the practice’s rapid adoption. Bikram beginners should go slow and take breaks when needed.

A more challenging form of yoga, Ashtanga mimics Bikram in maintaining an order for its poses. In Ashtanga, there are six series of varying difficulty that individuals work through as they progress.

A generally high-intensity type of yoga, Ashtanga is somewhat less intense than Vinyasa, which focuses on breath and movement together. Individuals do not remain in poses very long, so Vinyasa provides a great workout.

Another popular style of yoga is Iyengar, which often uses props like ropes, straps, and blocks. In Iyengar, teachers are very picky about body position and working effectively within the existing range of motion.

Key Advice for Traveling to Developing Countries

Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough serves as a staff supervisor with St. Francis Animal Rescue in Venice, Florida. An avid traveler in her free time, Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough particularly enjoys visiting developing countries.

When visiting developing countries, individuals need to keep certain things in mind. For example, patience is necessary when traveling throughout the developing world. Sometimes, vans meant for six people will accept three times that number. Traveling can take much more time than expected, depending on the condition of bridges, roads, and the like. 

Travelers should also expect to get ripped off to some extent. Often imagining that they can haggle for the same prices as locals, many of these individuals will get agitated, if not hostile, when the vendor refuses to make concessions. In general, foreigners pay more, but chances are good that the purchase price is still relatively low given conversion rates. Haggling skills are important in developing countries. Part of haggling entails walking away after pointing out that the price is too high.

In general, travelers should avoid giving money to people on the street, but supporting local business is a different matter. The best way to help the local economy is to avoid chains and make purchases from area vendors instead.

How the ASA Used Social Science to Influence Policy

 



A staff supervisor at the St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice, Florida, Patricia Lynn Hough received her PhD in sociology from Freie Universitaet Berlin, where she graduated magna cum laude. Patricia Lynn Hough is also a member of the American Sociological Association (ASA), where she serves on the committee on women's issues.

Established in 1905, the ASA is the premier organization for sociologists in the United States. With more than 13,000 members, the association is committed to advancing sociology not only as a profession in the service of public welfare but also as a scientific discipline.

The ASA is an active entity that uses social science to effect change. One recent example is the organization's key role in influencing the US Supreme Court’s June 2016 ruling in the affirmative action case of Fisher v. the University of Texas at Austin. The case challenged the school's admission process, which used race as a factor in deciding acceptance.

For its part, the ASA supported the university in this admission model, citing scientific research that listed the educational benefits of a diverse student body, including better classroom environments and a decline in prejudice. The Supreme Court eventually sided with the university, allowing it to continue its current admission system.

The Parliament of the World's Religions

 


Longtime medical professional Patricia Lynn Hough is currently semiretired but applies her expertise as a supervisor at St. Francis Animal Rescue. Outside of her professional endeavors, Patricia Lynn Hough has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations and charities. Among these, she was a volunteer and attendee of the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions, held in Barcelona, Spain.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions is a global interfaith movement that began in 1893 as part of an effort to foster religious dialogue among all faiths. In 1988, the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions was founded as a nonprofit organization to promote this mission.

The Barcelona, Spain, parliament drew over 9,000 attendees from more than 70 countries. The event was held July 7, 2004, through a partnership between the Universal Forum of Cultures and UNESCO. The event focused on providing attendees with strategies to work toward a better world, while also promoting peace, justice, and living together in harmony. In addition to the 2004 event in Spain, parliaments have been held in locations in the United States, South Africa, and Mexico.