#Autism Funding vancouver

[mrssamtmworld]

Childhood Education Programs Vancouver - Tutoring Vancouver - Mrs Sam

Website: https://www.mrssam.ca/vancouver/

Most of the students come to our center with poor grades initially but start showing significant improvements after a few months and eventually scoring straight A’s in their school work. These students come in with little or no interest in their studies initially but later develop high enthusiasm in learning from our Childhood education programs Vancouver tutors. 

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[strongintherealgay]

I just want to address comments like this because while I agree we need to just implement this on a larger scale, I want to explain why we need studies.

I genuinely love that folks are asking this! This is only one of many direct cash transfer (DCT) programs in the past couple of years. In fact, I first found out about this study because I'm researching DCT for work as a youth homeless services provider. A few months ago I traveled to NYC to learn more about DCTs, as well as other topics related to serving youth experiencing homelessness. This is happening across the US & Canada right now. Other places, too, but this is where my current research is focused on.

New York, Colorado, New Hampshire, California, and Washington have all had DCT or DCT-adjacent pilot programs, some of which either released their findings or even began within the past month. Hell, Alaska gives a check to their residents every year, which is much more complicated than that really sounds. This news about Vancouver, BC is huge news. There are some programs giving around $1,500 a month for longer periods of time, while some in the past have been low levels of support. Something is better than nothing, but we all know that $500 a month is not getting anyone into stable and safe housing. Vancouver's program is promising when you look at what larger payments can do.

Obvious statements aside, we needed all of these programs. Most have been small scale, but we need to remember that every penny spent was a fraction of what was probably fought for. These DCT programs are often government funded, but they're not government ran. It's your local non-profits that have been fighting your elected officials for months or even years for this. I work directly with the youth at my job and yet I still do the research for this. In less than a month I'm going to speak in front of elected officials, funders and community members about this needlessly divisive topic.

We all know the answer, but unfortunately the people who have all the money refuse to budge until they have the facts in writing. Which requires these smaller studies. If you want the change, push your elected officials.

Edit: I think the autism is really latching onto this part of my job recently

Source

Source

[fuckyeahalexedler]

Canucks Autism Network: Congrats to Alex Edler for winning the Vancouver Canucks Daniel & Henrik Sedin Community Leadership Award! 🏆 Every season, Alex hosts deserving CAN families at #Canucks games through the Eagle's Nest program. And no matter what, he is always there post-game to meet them personally and put a smile on our participants' faces! Thank you, Alex & Canucks for Kids Fund! 💙💚

[scifigeneration]

Eclipse of reason: Why do people disbelieve scientists?

by Bryan Gaensler

If you’ve been paying attention, you know that on Aug. 21, we’re in for a special cosmic treat: the Great American Eclipse of 2017.

The moon’s shadow will track a 4,000-kilometre course across the continental United States from coast to coast, beginning with Depoe Bay, Ore., and end after 93 minutes in McClellanville, S.C.. As a result, tens of millions of Americans will be treated to that rarest of natural wonders: a total eclipse of the sun.

Canada, unfortunately, won’t experience a total eclipse, but the view will still be impressive: The sun will be 86 per cent eclipsed in Vancouver, 70 per cent in Toronto, and 58 per cent in Montreal. Canadians who want to experience totality from the comfort of home will need to wait until April 8, 2024 (Hamilton, Montreal and Fredericton), Aug. 23, 2044 (Edmonton and Calgary) or May 1, 2079 (Saint John and Moncton).

In the meantime, back here in 2017, everyone is focused on Aug. 21. Under the path of the eclipse, schools will be closed, traffic will be a nightmare, and hotel rooms at the Days Inn are on offer for $1,600 a night.

Absolute faith in eclipse predictions

What is remarkable among all this excitement and frenzy is the lack of “eclipse deniers.” Nobody doubts or disputes the detailed scientific predictions of what will happen.

I will be watching the eclipse from Simpson County, Ky., where I expect I will be joined by thousands of others, all of us knowing in advance that totality for us will begin at 1:26:44 p.m., and will end 141 seconds later. It is inconceivable to any of us that the predictions will be wrong by even a single second.

Not one person will argue beforehand that the jury is still out on eclipses, that scientists have tampered with the data, that eclipses are faked by NASA, that exposing children to eclipses causes autism or even that eclipses are a Chinese hoax. Across the continent, there will be climate deniers, creationists, anti-vaxxers and flat-Earthers looking upwards through their eclipse glasses, all soaking up this wondrous moment along with everyone else.

[Editor’s note: Astrophysicist and popular science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson also echoed this article’s core assertion while it was in editing.]

This presents a puzzle: Why do people distrust or dispute so many aspects of science, but unanimously accept, without question, the ridiculously specific predictions on offer for every eclipse?

Why the selective denial of science?

One possible reason is that we’ve been right on eclipses every time before. But for most people, a total eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Most people won’t have experienced such predictions first hand, and will have to take it on trust that what’s happened before for others will happen again for them.

Another explanation might be that, unlike the case for climate change or vaccinations, the science behind eclipses is simple and uncontroversial. While it’s true that astronomers have been making reasonably accurate eclipse predictions for thousands of years, the required calculations are highly complex, extending far beyond the mathematics covered in high school or even in many university courses. Most people would find it difficult to reproduce or confirm any of these eclipse predictions for themselves.

Actress Jenny McCarthy, who has been a prominent advocate of the false belief vaccines are linked to autism, sought to win support from lawmakers at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in this 2008 file photo. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The more likely answer is that eclipses are not a threat. There is nothing at stake. Eclipses do not endanger our way of life or our standard of living. Nobody fears that eclipses might have economic implications, could challenge our belief system or threaten our children. There are no anti-eclipse lobby groups trying to set the narrative, and there are thus no well-funded advertising campaigns or scientific studies that aim to raise doubts in our minds or to subtly shape our thinking.

Laws of science

Eclipses are agenda-free. The science — and the resulting extraordinary experience — are left to speak for themselves.

The problem is that we don’t get to pick and choose what scientific facts or consensuses are controversial, and which are not. The same strict laws of science are everywhere.

So if you’re comfortable putting down your non-refundable deposit for your eclipse hotel, if you let a steel tube flying at 30,000 feet carry you to a town under the path of totality, if on the morning of Aug. 21 you check the weather forecast hoping for clear skies, if you pay for breakfast with your credit card, and if that afternoon you snap a picture of the eclipse with your smartphone, then you have staked your bank balance, your August vacation and your very life on the fact that science is testable and reproducible, and that faulty theories can’t withstand extended scrutiny and testing.

Total solar eclipses are a strange

cosmic coincidence

and a remarkable, awe-inspiring experience. But they are also a profound reminder that when the emotions, money and politics are stripped away, none of us, at our core, are science deniers.

Bryan Gaensler is Director of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

[omgstupendousbouquetbasement]

WHO Decries 'Collective Failure' as Measles Kills 140,000

Measles infected nearly 10 million people in 2018 and killed 140,000, mostly children, as devastating outbreaks of the viral disease hit every region of the world, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

In figures described by its director general as "an outrage," the WHO said most of last year's measles deaths were in children under five years old who had not been vaccinated.

"The fact that any child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease like measles is frankly an outrage and a collective failure to protect the world's most vulnerable children," said the WHO's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus.

FILE - Signs posted at The Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Wash., Jan. 30, 2019, warn patients and visitors of a measles outbreak.

The picture for 2019 is even worse, the WHO said, with provisional data up to November showing a three-fold increase compared with the same period in 2018.

The United States has already reported its highest number of measles cases in 25 years in 2019, while four countries in Europe — Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and Britain — lost their WHO "measles-free" status in 2018 after suffering large outbreaks.

An ongoing outbreak of measles in South Pacific nation of Samoa has infected more than 4,200 people and killed more than 60, mostly babies and children, in a battle complicated by a vocal anti-vaccination movement.

Globally, measles vaccination rates have stagnated for almost a decade, the WHO said. It and the UNICEF children's fund say that in 2018, around 86% of children got a first dose of measles vaccine through their country's routine vaccination services, and fewer than 70% got the second dose recommended to fully protect them from measles infection.

Highly contagious

Measles is one of the most contagious known diseases — more so than Ebola, tuberculosis or flu. It can linger in the air or on surfaces for several hours after an infected person has been and gone — putting anyone not vaccinated at risk.

In some wealthier nations, vaccination rates have been hit by some parents shunning them for what they say are religious or philosophical reasons. Mistrust of authority and debunked myths about links to autism also weaken vaccine confidence and lead some parents to delay protecting their children.

Research published in October showed that measles infection not only carries a risk of death or severe complications including pneumonia, brain damage, blindness and deafness, but can also damage the victim's immune memory for months or years — leaving those who survive measles vulnerable to other dangerous diseases such as flu or severe diarrhea.

The WHO data showed there were an estimated 9,769,400 cases of measles and 142,300 related deaths globally in 2018. This compares to 7,585,900 cases and 124,000 deaths in 2017.

In 2018, measles hit hardest in Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Somalia and Ukraine, the WHO said, with these five nations accounting for nearly half of global cases.

Robert Linkins, a specialist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the data were worrying: "Without improving measles vaccine coverage we're going to continue to see these needless deaths. We must turn this trend around."  

from Blogger https://ift.tt/2riyq8T via IFTTT

[entirebodyexercise]

Top 10 charity walks

1. End drunk driving Strides for Change Where: 25 locations nationwide When: Numerous dates from April to October Distance: 5 km Having started in 2005, this occasion includes 25 strolls across the country, profiting Mothers Against Drunk Driving's neighborhood chapters and projects. Numerous individuals at each place lace up with red MADD shoelaces, several commemorating closed one killed or injured by damaged vehicle drivers. If the 5-km range appears very easy, focus on rate, and pump your arms to go quicker. Stridesforchange.ca.

2. Fight third-world poverty World Partnership Walk Where: 10 cities across Canada When: May and June Distance: Around 5 km Now in its 27th year, this stroll for the Aga Khan Foundation is Canada's biggest yearly event committed to eliminating global hardship. In 2014, virtually 40,000 participants increased over $6 million for programs that consist of offering kids vaccinations in Mozambique as well as assisting entrepreneurs in Egypt. Up the stake by establishing an objective for yourself: First-timers ought to aim to complete a 5K in 60 to 90 mins, recommends Lee Scott, a personal instructor as well as pet parent of Wow Power Walking in Toronto. Well-trained speed pedestrians must establish their sights on finishing in 30 to 45 minutes. Worldpartnershipwalk.com.

3. Beat breast cancer Mother’s Day Walk Where: Even more than 80 malls/locations across Canada When: Mother's Day weekend (May 7 and also 8) Distance: Varies This walk for the Bust Cancer Society of Canada is commonly an interior event at malls across the nation. But this year the Sarnia, Ont., and Mississauga, Ont., occasions will certainly going outside. There are some advantages to staying inside, however, claims Barb Gormley, a walking instructor in Toronto. "Shopping mall walking is excellent for anybody, yet specifically for people that have balance issues or are older. It's cool and the floor surface is nice as well as, so you will not journey." Mothersdaywalk.ca.

4. The paws cause Friends for Life Walk-a-Thon Where: Across Ontario When: May and September Distance: 5 km " Your canine is the ideal workout partner, rain or luster, he'll exist waiting at the door to go with a walk," claims Gormley. "Dogs can not hear justifications, so their proprietors have the tendency to excel walkers." Take your pooch on the utmost journey around the block to support the Ontario Culture for the Prevention of Ruthlessness to Animals. Walkathon.ontariospca.ca.

5. Stop violence against women Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Where: Across Canada When: May to October Distance: Around 1.6 km Firemen, beefy law enforcement officer and bankers in matches press into high heels as well as click-clack with towns across the country on behalf of the White Ribbon Campaign to finish violence against women. Females rate to take part, states the project's director of advancement, Nick Rodrigue, "but we urge them to wear apartments." Walkamileinhershoes.org.

6. The vision quest See It Our Way Where: Toronto When: May 29 Distance: 5 km Walking 5 km is one point, doing so without being able to see is quite an additional. The stroll, arranged by the Ontario Foundation for Visually Damaged Kid, motivates people to hike a route blindfolded-- with an overview-- on behalf of support early-intervention solutions. Ofvic.org.

7. Booty patrol Push for Your Tush Where: Eight areas in Ontario, Alberta and also British Columbia When: May to July Distance: 1, 5 or 10 km Colon Cancer Canada's walk raises recognition regarding the condition (which is highly treatable if captured very early), motivates screening and also increases funds for study. As well as the option of distances provides something for everybody. Coloncancercanada.ca.

8. Walk and talk against autism Walk Now for Autism Where: Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, as well as London, Ont. When: June and September Distance: About 3 km This stroll for Autism Speaks Canada elevates funds for advocacy, household services as well as biomedical research. As well as it brings thousands together for a rare opportunity to meet others affected by the condition. "Sometimes parents are shamed when a youngster has a fit," says Paula Stamp, a leading fundraising event that has a six-year-old boy with autism. "You come to this walk and also it matters not if your child has a meltdown. Every person is approved." Autismspeaks.ca/ walk-now-for-autism.

9. Choose your charity The Great Walk Where: Vancouver Island When: June 4 Distance: 63.5 km Billed as "The United States and Canada's toughest promise walk," this event by the Tahsis Lions Club takes individuals from around the globe through crushed rock logging roadways, from Gold Stream to Tahsis on Vancouver Island. The route, which winds via woodlands and also past the Pacific Ocean, takes the typical person 8 to 16 hours, as well as you could raise funds for any charity of your option. Greatwalk.com.

10. Join our teams! This year Chatelaine staffers are walking to support some causes near our hearts. (We're pleased sponsors, also.) Join us in Toronto or pick a place close to you:

Walk to Fight Arthritis Where: 24 locations When: May 15 Distance: 1 or 5 km

MS Walk Where: 160 locations When: April & May Distance: 5 or 10 km

Walk for ALS Where: 78 locations When: May, June & September Distance: 5 or 10 km

[lastsonlost]

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg heads a coalition between the Conservatives and the Progress Party, which is the third largest party in the country with 29 of the 169 seats in parliament.

The party leader, Siv Jensen, told the Aftenposten newspaper that she was against forbidding circumcision.

The reportedly last-minute and chaotic voting schedule meant that the proposed compromise - banning state funding for circumcision - failed.

Ms Jensen insisted the move was not designed to target minorities and that her party had consistently defended Israel.

The vote in Norway comes a day after Belgium’s Parliament of Wallonia voted in favour of banning ritual slaughter, which would affect Jewish kosher and Muslim halal rituals. It comes into effect in September 2019.

“This is very sad,” Ervin Kohn, a Jewish community leader in Norway, told Aftenposten.

“They [the Progress Party] must know they won’t get a majority for this in Parliament. It seems like they want to send a signal that we are unwelcome in the country.”

He tweeted encouragement for Norwegian voters to support “any other party” in the election this autumn.

Another opposing voice came from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, general director of the European Jewish Association. He wrote a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call for collaboration between European Jewish organisations and government to prevent the proliferation of anti-Jewish legislation.

“I have no doubt that the State of Israel – the state of the Jewish people – cannot remain indifferent to it, and I call on you to exert all your political influence in order to prevent the exclusion of Jews from life in various European countries,” the letter read.

At its national conference, the Progress Party also voted against the wearing of hijabs in public schools. The move follows the party’s third deputy, Aina Stenersen, calling last September for the ban of full-body swimsuits worn by some Muslim woman.

FrP’s former leader, Carl Hagen, wants to ban municipal employees in Oslo from wearing the hijab and other religious symbols.

The party also voted in favour of dual citizenship, and is assured of a majority vote in favour of the measure in Parliament. If someone holds dual citizenship and is found to have violated asylum or immigration regulations, the party argued it would be easier to strip that person of Norwegian citizenship and deport them.

FOR MORE ON WHY CIRCUMCISION IS FUCKED......STRAPPED IN!!

Intactivist linksThis list is mostly an effort to consolidate old bookmarks and fix links I'd bookmarked that were broken. It'll be updated as I find new links, or have to fix broken links. Be aware that links to images or videos are probably NSFW, given that this is a discussion involving genitals.

My writing on the topic:

No Justification for routine neonatal circumcision, part 1, fallacious medical arguments

No Justification for routine neonatal circumcision, part 2, unmerited social support The first article includes a lot of links to information supporting the assertions I've made.

Those links are also included among the links below on this page.

Videos:

Doctor Discusses Circumcision Controversy

The Prepuce Anatomy and Physiology of the Foreskin Video I originally had linked here was removed from youtube, but this one is excellent.

Child Circumcision: An Elephant in the Hospital   ♦

Whose body, whose rights

Difference Between: Male & Female Circumcision

Discussion after screening of the movie "Cut."

Related to Cut, the Film: Debate with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Eli Ungar-Sargon offers facts and logic; Rabbi Shmuley preaches, ridicules, and mocks, even after hearing evidence.

Brian D Earp, scientist and ethicist; discusses why there's no moral difference between male and female circumcision. ††

More from Brian D Earp on comparing male circumcision to female circumcision †††

Brian D. Earp; Female genital mutilation and male circumcision: toward an autonomy-based ethical framework

The Penis - Sex education 101  ††††

Water Bear Brigade: Circumcision, male and female

Doctors on Circumcision:

doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

Doctors Opposing Circumcision HIV Statement

Medical Association Position Statements

Doctors Opposing Circumcision - Publications

Medical Organizations Statements on Circumcision

How the circumcision solution in Africa will increase HIV infections

Circumcision as a prophylactic against STIs and cancer

NORM COHEN: Circumcision AIDS Fraud

U.S. Navy Finds That Circumcision Does Not Prevent HIV or STIs

Male Circumcision and the HIV/AIDS Myth

Circumcision and Sexually Transmitted Infections

Circumstitions.com: Circumcision and the HIV prevention myth

Circumcision in HIV-infected men and its effect on HIV transmission to female partners in Rakai, Uganda: a randomised controlled trial

PrePex in Rwanda: Male Circumcision Associated with Higher HIV Transmission and Higher Profits

Sub-Saharan and African randomized clinical trials into male circumcision and HIV transmission: Methodological, ethical, and legal concerns

STD prevalence over time: Europe vs U.S.

American Cancer Society: Penile cancer and circumcision

Circumcision the most common risk factor for hepatitis B & C infection in men in Nigeria †

Phimosis: Is circumcision necessary?

Anatomy and function

Functions of the Foreskin: Purposes of the Prepuce

Fine-touch pressure thresholds in the adult penis

Study: Circumcision Removes Most Sensitive Parts

Damage

Leaked Audio Shows Doctors’ Association LYING About Effects Of Circumcision On The Penis

Ritual circumcision and risk of autism spectrum disorder in 0- to 9-year-old boys: national cohort study in Denmark

Adult Circumcision Outcomes Study: Effect on Erectile Function, Penile Sensitivity, Sexual Activity and Satisfaction

Alexithymia and Circumcision Trauma: A Preliminary Investigation

Circumcisionharm.org

Male circumcision and sexual function in men and women: a survey-based, cross-sectional study in Denmark Circumcision was associated with frequent orgasm difficulties in Danish men and with a range of frequent sexual difficulties in women, notably orgasm difficulties, dyspareunia and a sense of incomplete sexual needs fulfillment.

Estimated U.S. Incidence of Neonatal Circumcision Complications (physical only) Affecting Males Born between 1940 and 1990

100+ circumcision deaths each year in United States

Lost Boys: An Estimate of U.S. Circumcision-Related Infant Deaths

Toddler's tragic death after circumcision

Baby dies in circumcision

A Gallery of Botched Circumcisions[NSFW]

Male Circumcision: Pain, Trauma and Psychosexual Sequelae

Study Links Circumcision to Personality Trait Disorder

Other Research:

72 peer-reviewed studies

Circumcision and law

Is circumcision legal? Does it matter?

Changes in the practice

Circumcision: Then and Now (How the procedure has become more dramatic)

Timeline of the medicalization of circumcision **

From Ritual to Science, the Medical Transformation of Circumcision in America

Mythbusting

Myths about Circumcision You Likely Believe

More Circumcision Myths You May Believe: Hygiene and STDs

NoCirc PA (archive) Myths vs Facts

Follow the money:

Circumcision: Who Profits?

Wrinkle Treatment Uses Babies' Foreskins

Interest in circumcision more than foreskin deep

Sale of Neonatal Dermal Fibroblasts is quite lucrative.

Hair Loss Treatment Uses Baby Foreskins

Human Foreskins are Big Business for Cosmetics

Babies’ foreskins used to make cosmetics. Is this ethical?

The Foreskin Mafia

American Bias (1) (2)

Circumfetish

NoCirc.com Articles on Circumcision

For Jewish Readers:

How “Cut” Saved My Son’s Foreskin: A Movie Review By Diane Targovnik

Cut, the film Q & A

Jewish Circumcision Critics Integral in National Circumcision Debate

Jewish Circumcision: An Alternative Perspective by Jenny Goodman, MD.

On Alternative Rituals by Ronald Goldman, Ph.D.

Jewish Intactivism: Circumcision Resources

Jewish Intactivism Part II

Jewish Intactivism Part III, More Jewish Parents Are Skipping Circumcision, Keeping New Sons Intact

Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 1

Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 2

Jewish Voices: The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 3

Jewish Circumcision Resource Center

Jews Against Circumcision

Beyond the Bris

Brit Shalom

What is a Jewish Bris Shalom (Covenant Without Cutting)? A 'Bloodless Bris' is Becoming Popular Among American Jews How Judaic is circumcision? An Israeli Hebrew scholar on Biblical intactivism.

100+ Rabbis and Celebrants who lead intact covenant ceremonies worldwide.

Song for a Brit Shalom.

Bris B'lee Milah Ceremony

A Bris Shalom Ceremony

Judaism, the Foreskin and Human Rights.

Rabbis on a Brit Shalom / Covenant without Circumcision

Humanistic Jewish Movement is Increasingly Intactivist

Jewish Ethical Advancement, the Foreskin, and Human Rights | Part 1.

Jewish Ethical Advancement, the Foreskin, and Human Rights | Part 2.

Jewish Ethical Advancement, the Foreskin, and Human Rights | Part 3.

Israeli Intactivist Groups (Mostly in Hebrew)

Israeli Association Against Circumcision / Intact Son

Protect the Child / Eran Saddeh

Kahal (Jewish & Israeli Parents of Intact Sons)

Intactivism Spreads in Israel. This Time by Jews. (Israeli Intactivist Ads)

Jewish Intactivist Resources and Groups

Cut: A Movie by a Jewish Intactivist.

Questioning Circumcision. A Jewish Perspective By Ron Goldman, Ph.D.

Beyond the Bris Weblog by Rebecca Wald.

Jews Against Circumcision (Bay Area)

Jewish Intactivist Families: Jewish Parents' Experiences Keeping their Sons Intact.

Jewish Family in Vancouver Canada Opts for a Brit Shalom

A Jewish Father's Brit Shalom Journey

Laura Stanley: A Jewish Woman and Midwife Denounces Circumcision

Tikkun: Michael Kimmel: The Kindest Un-Cut: Feminism, Judaism, and My Son's Foreskin

Circumcision Questions (Letter from an Intact Jew). | Published in the Northern California Jewish Bulletin.

Jewish Daily Forward: Outlawing Circumcision: Good for the Jews? By Eli Ungar-Sargon. Published in the Jewish Daily Forward.

Dear Elijah: A Conservative Jewish Father's Letter to His Intact Son | Published on Peaceful Parenting.

Stacey Greenberg: My Son: The Little Jew with a Foreskin

The debate on neonatal male circumcision isn't and shouldn't be about women, but here are some links for those who think it should.

How Male Circumcision Harms Women

Why feminists should be anti-circumcision

Similarities in Attitudes and Misconceptions toward Infant Male Circumcision in North America and Ritual Female Genital Mutilation in Africa

Neonatal circumcision vs female circumcision - though comparison should not matter to the discussion on the right or wrong of performing circumcision on infants, here are some links for those who think it should.

FGC vs MGC

Difference Between: Male & Female Circumcision

On the Good for the goose, good for the gander front, many arguments used to support neonatal circumcision are the same arguments used to support female circumcision

Female circumcision does not reduce sexual activity

The Association between Female Genital Mutilation ( FGM ) and the Risk of HIV/AIDS in Kenyan Girls and Women (15-49 Years)

Yes to female circumcision?

Medical benefits of female circumcision

INDONESIA: Health official claims 'female circumcision is not genital mutilation'

Two studies have reported that FGC is associated with decreased risk of HIV.

*Note - many of these links I obtained either from

this page

or by researching broken/outdated links on it. I've put them here to have them in a place that's easy to find. I will update this page as I run across new links.

[ladystylestores]

Hong Kong, Stimulus, Huawei: Your Thursday Briefing

The U.S. is considering slapping tariffs on exports from Hong Kong — the same as those applied to goods from mainland China — in response to Beijing’s plan to enact new security laws and tighten its grip on the city.

A strong police presence prevented the protesters from surrounding the city’s government offices. Demonstrators who chanted slogans in malls were quickly rounded up and herded onto police buses.

The police appear more determined to quash the protests and better equipped to do so, our correspondents report. This raises questions about the future of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, which has relied heavily on marches and outdoor rallies to drum up support.

The National People’s Congress, meeting in Beijing today, is expected to adopt a resolution calling for the new security legislation, which democracy advocates say will target dissent.

Dive deeper: Here’s a guide to the protests, which have increasingly become a direct challenge to China’s ruling Communist Party rather than to the territory’s leadership.

The Japanese cabinet approved more than $1 trillion in stimulus funding that includes a combination of subsidies to companies and to people. Parliament is expected to approve the measure next month.

In Brussels, the European Union’s executive arm said it wanted to issue bonds in capital markets to raise 750 billion euros, or $860 billion, to finance the bloc’s economic recovery.

The fund will distribute €500 billion worth of grants — free money that will not be added to national debt — to all 27 member states, with Italy getting the largest slice, followed by Spain.

Related: The main partners in the world’s largest automaking alliance — Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi — announced a plan to survive the coronavirus’s devastating impact on the car industry. Under the new arrangement, Nissan will be the dominant partner in Japan, China and the United States, while Renault will take the lead in Europe, Russia, Africa and Latin America. Mitsubishi will be in charge of the rest of Asia.

Huawei executive is closer to U.S. trial

A Canadian court ruled that prosecutors had satisfied a critical legal requirement to extradite Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of the Chinese technology giant, to the U.S., where she would face trial on sweeping fraud charges.

Mrs. Meng will have another chance to fight for release at a June 15 hearing on the argument that her rights were violated during her arrest.

She was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018 at the request of the United States and indicted the following month.

Background: The case has thrust Canada into the middle of a diplomatic struggle between the U.S. and China: over trade, theft of technology secrets and whether Huawei’s efforts to help countries build 5G mobile networks present a threat to national security. The court decision is expected to further strain Canada’s own relations with China.

If you have 5 minutes, this is worth it

A Michelin-starred chef feeds the poor in India

The Michelin-starred chef has overcome logistical hurdles, corruption and unwanted marriage proposals to send food packages and hot meals to those in need in his home country.

Here’s what else is happening

SpaceX launch: Two NASA astronauts are scheduled to blast off from U.S. soil to the International Space Station, the first U.S. launch of a crewed mission in nearly a decade. Liftoff is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. Eastern at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday (that’s 6:33 a.m. today in Sydney).

Anime studio fire: Shinji Aoba, 42, recovered enough from the injuries he suffered in a fire at an animation studio in Kyoto last July to be arrested on suspicion of setting it. The attack killed 36 people and injured dozens more, and further shocked Japan for its targeting of a symbol of the country’s popular culture and a major soft-power export.

Locusts in India: With coronavirus infections steadily rising, a heat wave in the capital, and 100 million people out of work, the country now has to fight off a new problem. Scientists say a locust invasion blanketing half a dozen states in western and central India is the worst in 25 years.

Trump tweets: In a first, Twitter has added information to refute inaccuracies in some of President Trump’s tweets, after years of pressure over its inaction on his false and threatening posts.

Snapshot: Above, the Quai d’Anjou in Paris during the coronavirus lockdown. Our photographer Mauricio Lima has followed in the footsteps of Eugène Atget, an early 20th-century father of modern photography who shot an empty city, getting up early to capture Paris’ architecture during a moment of stillness.

What we’re reading: This essay by Marilynne Robinson in The New York Review of Books. Steven Erlanger, our chief diplomatic correspondent for Europe, writes, “The author of ‘Gilead,’ one of the best American novels, tries to think through what this virus shows about the United States, and asks what kind of country we want it to be.”

Now, a break from the news

Watch: “Douglas” is the new Netflix special by the comedian Hannah Gadsby. The Times Magazine interviewed her about life on the autism spectrum, online trolls and how trauma plays into comedy.

Listen: Here are seven works of music that speak to the coronavirus time warp, in which days creep along but months vanish in a flash.

And now for the Back Story on …

A reporter’s tips on recovering from Covid-19

Maggie Astor, one of our political reporters based in New York, and her husband became sick with Covid-19 in late March and managed to recover at home.

Maggie wrote about the ordeal and shared some valuable advice, especially on how to maintain a healthy state of mind during the illness. Here’s an excerpt:

Having Covid-19 is intensely stressful. It’s not unusual to feel depressed or anxious, or to have panic attacks. Don’t be embarrassed to talk to your doctor about your mental health — it’s just as important as your physical health.

It’s also OK to not be OK. You don’t have to handle this “well,” whatever that means. You just have to get through each day. So go ahead and cry, binge Netflix, do a jigsaw puzzle, reread the entire “Animorphs” series — whatever gets you through the day.

Some people have mild symptoms for the first few days and then suddenly get sicker. Some have fevers that go up and down repeatedly. Some are sick for two weeks straight, then have a few symptom-free days, then relapse. Some have lingering symptoms for months.

This is both maddening and very common. Give yourself as much time to rest as your job and financial situation will allow. For me and for several colleagues, that meant nearly three weeks of sick time.

Since tweeting about my experience last month, I’ve received many emails from people in the “this will never end” phase. I share the same screenshot with all of them: a text I sent to a friend on April 5.

“Why do I even bother giving good news when it’s only going to last a few hours?” I wrote. “I’m just so tired of this. I don’t know how to keep dealing with it.”

Every day, more people will hit that wall — and every day, more people will find their way past it. They will feel alone, but they won’t be.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Carole

Thank you To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about the threat that the coronavirus is posing to the U.S. Postal Service. • Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Prize for Malala Yousafzai (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • Jeffrey Gettleman, our South Asia bureau chief, recently appeared on CBS News to talk about the coronavirus in Mumbai.

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[hub-pub-bub]

The Ontario government cut funding for the province’s two public library services in half this month to help tackle its deficit.

The news came as a shock to many, including NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, whose criticism, in particular, highlighted how fundamental libraries are to the communities they serve.

An initiative from Montreal's NDG borough is inspiring literacy in children by bringing the books to them in the form of mini-libraries. (Aired Fri, Jan 4)

It would be a mistake, says John Pateman, chief librarian at the Thunder Bay Public Library, to think of libraries solely as places that lend books, just as it would be a mistake to pretend the service cuts won’t affect libraries across the province.

READ MORE: Funding for library services slashed by half in Ontario budget

“Any reduction in those resources will get passed on, at some point, to the library,” Pateman says.

“There’s a horrible way in which governments who’ve got this austerity mindset see libraries as a simple cut — a soft cut — not understanding there will be short, medium and long-term impacts that will probably cost them more.”

The problem, says Pateman and a handful of other experts in the field, is that while libraries have been transitioning into community hubs, becoming one of the last free and truly welcoming public spaces in an increasingly polarized world, not everyone thinks of them beyond a place to borrow books.

WATCH: The importance of encouraging your kids to read and write

In reality, says Martha Radice, an urban anthropologist and professor at Dalhousie University, libraries are about information sharing, be that books, technology, a cooking class, a reading circle, morning tea time, and evening talks.

“The really key thing,” she says, “is that everybody has a really solid understanding that libraries are for everybody… That kind of accessible, welcoming, inclusive space is absolutely fundamental to a well-functioning democracy.”

In 2013, the Toronto Public Library did a deep dive into its own economic impact. It found that for every dollar invested in the library, it offered a return of $5.63. Since then, other libraries across the country have used the same cost-benefit analysis to see their return on investment, ranging from $2.36 for the Sault Ste. Marie public library to $7.85 for the Newmarket public library.

The body of research touting the economic and social impacts of libraries goes back decades. Leslie Fitch and Jody Warner co-authored a 1998 book called Dividends: The value of public libraries in Canada, which dug into a similar period of fiscal restraint that “did not leave libraries untouched.”

What they found jives with what Pateman says today: the economic benefits of public libraries are “frequently overlooked.” Not only do they help with combating low literacy levels nationwide, which an estimate then found cost the economy more than $10 billion every year, but they also help locally.

READ MORE: Halifax Public Library introduces new autism tool kit

Studies from Nova Scotia and B.C. found that library traffic meant more shoppers for local businesses, building on American studies which show that dropping a library into a community would usually bump its economic value.

You can’t overlook the value to society, says Dawn Ibey, director of library experience at Vancouver Public Libraries.

WATCH: Reading club helps Canadian children develop love of books

“One of our most important roles right now is about building social capital,” she says.

“We are developing within our community a respect for diversity, a sense of belonging, a sense of empathy, and the ability for individuals to get information and engage with civic life.”

It is especially necessary for people from low socio-economic backgrounds, from marginalized communities, and — often — for people who are isolated: the senior who feels increasingly alone as he ages, the young person who doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere yet.

READ MORE: Sackville Public Library will soon open as emergency shelter during extreme weather

“Providing that commercial-free space that works towards being inclusive and welcoming and respecting diversity is critical. It’s critical,” Ibey says.

In Thunder Bay, a city that’s been in the news repeatedly for systemic racism and violence against Indigenous people, Pateman says the librarians are attempting to decolonize, to rework their spaces into a place that will bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together, that will improve happiness, health and education.

READ MORE: Is poor health a problem you can fix by yourself? Not when you don’t have money

“These are big agendas we’ve set ourselves,” he says — and it starts with very loudly engaging the community in the process.

Far too many still “think of the library as being a very traditional institution,” he says, but it isn’t.

In 2018, the Vancouver Public Library logged nearly 100,000 Wi-Fi sessions, an increase of over 18,000 from the year prior. So, Ibey says, think of the library also as a bridge to a “connectivity divide.”

How many people need access to the internet for life and work but can’t because they don’t have the money or the technology or they’re newly arrived to Canada and need help accessing and downloading government forms? In that sense, she says, the libraries are “a lifeline in the modern world.”

It’s a unique lifeline, Pateman says.

Hospitals, police and universities all have very specific mandates, he says.

“We’re the only place where anybody can come in and use us and that gives us a great opportunity.”

READ MORE: Reality check: does social assistance disincentivize people from working?

[hencoplumbingservices]

Innovative Services NW receives $2,017 grant

Find out how to get the best plumber in Vancouver Washington

The Vancouver nonprofit Innovative Services NW received a $2,017 grant from the Autism Speaks Norma and Malcolm Baker Recreation Grant fund to put toward training.

Although those on the autism spectrum “have immense potential in the workplace,” the behaviors associated with the disorder can impact a person’s ability to secure and maintain employment, according to a news release from Innovative Services NW.

Using the grant, the organization will offer applied behavior analysis training to staff, families, employers and other community stakeholders. “By teaching a basic understanding of positive behavior support de-escalation strategies, the goal is to have supportive community members who know how to respond to quickly resolve challenging behavior, maintain the client’s dignity and increase the successful employment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder,” the news release said.

[Read More …]

Find out how to get the best Vancouver Washington plumber

[battybat-boss]

School Shootings: Psychotropic Drug Use by School Shooters Merits Federal Investigation

“As a forensic psychologist, I have tested/evaluated 30 teenage and young adult murderers, and almost all of them had been in some kind of 'treatment,' usually short term and psychoactive drug-oriented, before they killed.” - David Kirschner, Ph.D., New York

Group Warns Against Increasing Mental Health Funding in Response to Parkland Florida Shooting

by CCHR International The Mental Health Watchdog February 20, 2018

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health watchdog that has investigated school and other mass shootings since the Columbine High School Shooting in 1999, warns about pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into more mental health services in response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on Valentine's Day.

While the nation is reeling from this senseless tragedy, CCHR cautions against acting on mental health experts' advice to increase mental health funding or to enact stronger involuntary commitment laws as violence prevention measures. The group says an investigation into the shooting must include what psychotropic drugs the alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, has been prescribed and the fact that he had apparently undergone “behavioral health” treatment which did nothing to prevent the murderous outcome.

A 2016 Florida Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) report indicated that he was regularly taking “medication” for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).[1]

CCHR International's investigation into school violence reveals that at least 36 school shootings and/or school-related acts of violence have been committed by those taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs resulting in 172 wounded and 80 killed (in other school shootings, information about their drug use was never made public-neither confirming or refuting if they were under the influence of prescribed drugs or undergone other behavioral therapy.)[2]

At least 27 international drug regulatory agency warnings have been issued on psychiatric drugs being linked to mania, violence, hostility, aggression, psychosis, and homicidal ideation (thoughts or fantasies of homicide that can be planned).

CCHR says that training teachers and others in detecting and predicting violent behavior won't curtail the problem because there's no definitive science on how to do this, even according to psychiatrists and psychologists.

“There is no instrument that is specifically useful or validated for identifying potential school shooters or mass murderers,” according to Stephen D. Hart, a psychologist at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.[3]

An American Psychiatric Association's (APA) task force report admitted that “Psychiatric expertise in the prediction of 'dangerousness' is not established….”[4]

Cruz, 19, charged over the Parkland, Florida shooting, is a prime example of the failure of the mental health system, CCHR points out.

Cruz had been diagnosed at various times with “developmental disorder,” “depression,” “autism” and “ADHD,” according to a Florida Department of Children and Families Services (DCFS) report.

It was also reported that he had OCD or ���Obsessive-compulsive Disorder.” None of these labels can be reliably diagnosed as there's no test to confirm them. None of the labels or treatment given to him worked to prevent what occurred on 14 February 2018, when Cruz shot and killed 17 people and injured 15 more.[5]

Expecting better mental health treatment to solve America's problems with gun violence is a forlorn hope.

“It's promising something that we can't deliver,” Marcia Valenstein, a mental health services researcher at the University of Michigan, told BuzzFeed News.[6]

At least 27 international drug regulatory agency warnings have been issued on psychiatric drugs being linked to mania, violence, hostility, aggression, psychosis, and homicidal ideation.

For years, Cruz had been a client at Henderson Behavioral Health in Florida, until the fall of 2017.[7]

For years, there were reports of his self-harm, cutting his arms, trouble controlling his temper, aggression, assaulting students, verbal abuse, banging his head, and yet in 2016, a therapist with Henderson Mental Health “deemed Nikolas to be no threat to anyone or himself at this present time,” according to the police report.[8]

Teachers disciplined him and referred him to counseling and police responded to at least 36 emergency 911 calls to his home over a six year period.[9]

CCHR says that teachers and police have put an unwitting and unearned trust in behavioral-psychiatric experts-a trust that has failed not only them but also Cruz, children and teachers who died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, their families and a nation now mourning.

That failure is further highlighted by Henderson's claims that through its participation in behavioral and other research, it is “able to incorporate cutting-edge knowledge of behavioral health disorders and enhanced service delivery to promote recovery and improve the lives of the people we serve.”[10]

Its website says those services include medication (psychotropic drug) management; psychotherapy, psychiatric evaluations, crisis counseling and intervention.[11]

The center participated in an antipsychotic drug study that the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded titled “Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) Study.”[12]

Henderson has trained 536 mental health providers, including in domestic violence, safety and security.[13]

Yet, the clearly troubled signs Cruz exhibited were either missed or ignored or, arguably, the “treatment” exacerbated his behavioral problems. Whether Cruz has been prescribed antipsychotics is not known.

CCHR says that although there can be numerous reasons for mass murder, violent crime and suicide, the prevalence of psychotropic drug use in the pediatric and adolescent population is a potential catalyst for violence in a percentage taking them.

David Kirschner, Ph.D., a New York psychologist explained:

“As a forensic psychologist, I have tested/evaluated 30 teenage and young adult murderers, and almost all of them had been in some kind of 'treatment,' usually short term and psychoactive drug-oriented, before they killed. After each episode of school killings or other mass shootings, such as the Aurora, Colorado, Batman movie murders and Tucson, Arizona, killing of six and wounding of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others, there is a renewed public outcry for early identification and treatment of youths at risk for violence. Sadly however, most of the young people who kill had been in 'treatment,' prior to the violence, albeit with less than successful results.”[14]

A review of scientific literature published in Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry regarding the “astonishing rate” of mental illness over the past 50 years revealed that it's not “mental illness” causing the problem, but, rather, the psychiatric drugs prescribed to treat it.[15] Since the introduction of antipsychotics in 1955 and the newer Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, like Prozac, in 1987, both are documented to be linked to violent effects.

A statistical analysis of more than three decades of data shows that in 2011 the United States entered a new period in which mass shootings were occurring more frequently.[16] The annual number of mass-shooting incidents tripled from an average of five per year between 2000 and 2009 to approximately 15 per year since, according to a 2013 U.S. Justice report.[17]

In the 1970s, 150,000 American children were taking stimulants for “ADHD.” By 2014, this had reached 4.3 million-a 2,766% increase.

The proportion of U.S. children and teens (aged 0-19 years) taking antidepressants between 2005 and 2012 increased from 1.3% to 1.6%, despite the Food and Drug Administration “Black Box” warning in 2004 that antidepressants may induce suicidal behavior.[18]

Between 2002 and 2009, pediatric prescriptions for atypical (newer) antipsychotics increased by 65%, from 2.9 million to about 4.8 million. A staggering 90% of those prescriptions are off-label, according to a 2012 study published in JAMA Psychiatry, with ADHD and disruptive behavior accounting for about 38% of all antipsychotic use in children and teens.[19]

Almost 20,000 prescriptions for the antipsychotic risperidone (generic of Risperdal), quetiapine (generic of Seroquel) and other antipsychotic drugs were written in 2014 for children two and younger, a 50% jump from 13,000 just one year before, according to the prescription data company IMS Health. Prescriptions for the antidepressant fluoxetine (generic of Prozac) rose 23% in one year for that age group, to about 83,000.[20]

Researchers took the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System data and identified 31 drugs disproportionately associated with violence.

These drugs, accounting for 79% of all the violence cases reported, included 25 psychotropic drugs.[21]

Their findings, published in Public Library of Science ONE, included 11 antidepressants, six sedative/hypnotics and three drugs for treatment of ADHD. The specific cases of violence included: homicide, physical assaults, physical abuse, homicidal ideation, and cases described as violence-related symptom.[22]

Drug Withdrawal Effects Create Violence

Withdrawal from psychotropic drugs has also been linked to violent or aggressive behavior. Post-withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants “may last several months to years.”

Symptoms include disturbed mood, persistent insomnia, emotional lability, irritability, depression, impaired concentration and memory, and poor stress tolerance, according to a study published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2012.[23]

British psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff and others reported in The Journal of Psychoactive Drugs:

“It is now accepted that all major classes of psychiatric medication produce distinctive withdrawal effects which mostly reflect their pharmacological activity.” Further, “Just like the various substances that are used recreationally, each type of psychiatric medication induces a distinctive altered mental and physical state….,” the researchers reported.[24]

Withdrawal from psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, is associated with distinctive withdrawal or discontinuation syndromes, which are suppressed and are significant, “because they may be-and probably often are-mistaken for signs of relapse.”

Dr.  Kirschner adds more to this argument:

“Most of the young murderers I have personally examined had…been in 'treatment' and were using prescribed stimulant/amphetamine type drugs before and during the killing events. These medications did not prevent but instead contributed to the violence….”[25]

CCHR says that pouring more funds into a mental health system that keeps failing and continues to use “treatments” that may induce violent and suicidal behavior in a percentage of those taking them, is a recipe for future disaster.

The survivors of the Parkland shooting, the families of those killed and the community at large deserves answers and accountability.

CCHR is calling on families with knowledge of a loved one who has experienced treatment abuse and for whistleblowers who have concerns about any behavioral facility to contact CCHR by calling 1-800-869-2247 or by reporting the abuse here.

Read the full article at CCHRint.org.

References:

[1] “Florida Agency Investigated Nikolas Cruz After Violent Social Media Posts,” The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2018, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/florida-agency-investigated-nikolas-cruz-after-violent-social-media-posts/ar-BBJg8kH?ocid=ob-tw-enus-677; Brianna Sacks, “Authorities Were Called To Alleged Florida School Shooter Nikolas Cruz's House More Than 35 Times,” BuzzFeed News, 16 Feb 2018, https://www.buzzfeed.com/briannasacks/authorities-were-called-to-alleged-florida-school-shooter?utm_term=.ynyqp60aV#.qhoMG0vb4.

[2] https://www.cchrint.org/school-shooters/.

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/predicting-violence-is-a-work-in-progress/2013/01/03/2e8955b8-5371-11e2-a613-ec8d394535c6_story.html?utm_term=.b09e546246de.

[4] Joseph J. Cocozza and Henry J. Steadman, “The Failure of Psychiatric Predictions of Dangerousness…,” Rutgers Law Review, 1976 Summer, 29(5): 1084-1101.

[5] Op. cit., Brianna Sacks, BuzzFeed News.

[6] “The Latest: Florida Shooting Survivors Call For Action,” BuzzFeed News, Feb. 15, 2018, https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/florida-school-shooting?utm_term=.acN0Vl3zW#.dq468Rk3o.

[7] Jose Pagliery and Curt Devine, “School shooter showed violence and mental instability at home, police reports reveal,” CNN, 17 Feb 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/16/us/florida-shooter-cruz-records-police-calls-to-home-invs/index.html.

[8] Op. cit., Brianna Sacks, BuzzFeed News; Richard Fausset and Serge F. Kovaleski, “Nikolas Cruz, Florida Shooting Suspect, Showed 'Every Red Flag,'” The New York Times, 15 Feb 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/us/nikolas-cruz-florida-shooting.html; Tim Craig, Emma Brown, Sarah Larimer and Moriah Balingit, “For years, schools tried to get help for accused Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz,” Boston Globe, 19 Feb 2018, https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/02/19/for-years-schools-tried-find-help-for-florida-shooting-suspect-nikolas-cruz/WnXemxzEZkSjV6olgQpkLJ/story.html.

[9] Op. cit., Brianna Sacks, BuzzFeed News; Op. cit., Tim Craig, Emma Brown, Sarah Larimer and Moriah Balingit, Boston Globe.

[10] http://www.hendersonbh.org/who-we-are.php.

[11] http://www.hendersonbh.org/crisis.php.

[12] http://www.hendersonbh.org/research-projects.php.

[13] http://www.hendersonbh.org/outcome.php.

[14] “Mass Murderers and Psychiatric Drugs,” Behaviorism and Mental Health, 22 Sept. 2014, http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2014/09/22/mass-murderers-and-psychiatric-drugs/.

[15] “Anatomy of an Epidemic: Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America,” Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, Volume 7, No. I, Spring 2005, http://pt.cchr.org/sites/default/files/Anatomy_of_an_Epidemic_Psychiatric_Drugs_Rise_of_Mental_Illness.pdf.

[16] “Rate of Mass Shootings Has Tripled Since 2011, Harvard Research Shows,” Mother Jones, 15 Oct. 2014, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/mass-shootings-increasing-harvard-research.

[17] “Holder: Mass shootings triple,” Associated Press, 21 Oct. 2013, http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/us-mass-shootings-tripled-098617.

[18] https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/tl-tlm060716.php.

[19] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-children-take-antipsychotic-drugs/.

[20] https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/11/us/psychiatric-drugs-are-being-prescribed-to-infants.html.

[21] Thomas J. Moore, Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furbert, “Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others,” Public Library of Science ONE, Vol. 5, Iss. 12, Dec. 2010, http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0015337.

[22] Ibid., Thomas J. Moore, Joseph Glenmullen, Curt D. Furbert, Public Library of Science ONE.

[23] “Patient Online Report of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor-Induced Persistent Post-withdrawal Anxiety and Mood Disorders,” Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics,  19 Jan. 2012, https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/341178.

[24] Joanna Moncrieff, M.B.B.S., David Cohen, and Sally Porter, “The Psychoactive Effects of Psychiatric Medication: The Elephant in the Room,” J Psychoactive Drugs, Nov. 2013; 45(5): 409–415; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4118946/.

[25] “Mass Murderers and Psychiatric Drugs,” Behaviorism and Mental Health, 22 Sept. 2014, http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2014/09/22/mass-murderers-and-psychiatric-drugs/.

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[creekycoffee]

I've been really stressed out because I've been on the waiting list 4 this program that helps people with autism, and I got in but now they are putting me on hold again because the lady can't get in touch with my doctor to get a letter that he has to write indicating that I have autism. But he already wrote the same letter to the government so I would get disability funding. So I don't know why he can't give that letter to her, like maybe he doesn't want to because he's afraid because he doesn't know what type of autism I have.

So if he doesn't write it I'll have to go to a different doctor that the lady indicated in Vancouver. And like I'll have to go through an even longer process and who knows how long this will take. It's like I've been going to doctors for the last 2 years and this isn't sorted out yet. It's just making me so anxious I just want it over with. That's the thing that sucks in Canada everything is free and good but you have to wait so long for everything in the US you can just pay and get it over with.

[omgstupendousbouquetbasement]

WHO Decries 'Collective Failure' as Measles Kills 140,000

Measles infected nearly 10 million people in 2018 and killed 140,000, mostly children, as devastating outbreaks of the viral disease hit every region of the world, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

In figures described by its director general as "an outrage," the WHO said most of last year's measles deaths were in children under five years old who had not been vaccinated.

"The fact that any child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease like measles is frankly an outrage and a collective failure to protect the world's most vulnerable children," said the WHO's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus.

FILE - Signs posted at The Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Wash., Jan. 30, 2019, warn patients and visitors of a measles outbreak.

The picture for 2019 is even worse, the WHO said, with provisional data up to November showing a three-fold increase compared with the same period in 2018.

The United States has already reported its highest number of measles cases in 25 years in 2019, while four countries in Europe — Albania, the Czech Republic, Greece and Britain — lost their WHO "measles-free" status in 2018 after suffering large outbreaks.

An ongoing outbreak of measles in South Pacific nation of Samoa has infected more than 4,200 people and killed more than 60, mostly babies and children, in a battle complicated by a vocal anti-vaccination movement.

Globally, measles vaccination rates have stagnated for almost a decade, the WHO said. It and the UNICEF children's fund say that in 2018, around 86% of children got a first dose of measles vaccine through their country's routine vaccination services, and fewer than 70% got the second dose recommended to fully protect them from measles infection.

Highly contagious

Measles is one of the most contagious known diseases — more so than Ebola, tuberculosis or flu. It can linger in the air or on surfaces for several hours after an infected person has been and gone — putting anyone not vaccinated at risk.

In some wealthier nations, vaccination rates have been hit by some parents shunning them for what they say are religious or philosophical reasons. Mistrust of authority and debunked myths about links to autism also weaken vaccine confidence and lead some parents to delay protecting their children.

Research published in October showed that measles infection not only carries a risk of death or severe complications including pneumonia, brain damage, blindness and deafness, but can also damage the victim's immune memory for months or years — leaving those who survive measles vulnerable to other dangerous diseases such as flu or severe diarrhea.

The WHO data showed there were an estimated 9,769,400 cases of measles and 142,300 related deaths globally in 2018. This compares to 7,585,900 cases and 124,000 deaths in 2017.

In 2018, measles hit hardest in Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Somalia and Ukraine, the WHO said, with these five nations accounting for nearly half of global cases.

Robert Linkins, a specialist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the data were worrying: "Without improving measles vaccine coverage we're going to continue to see these needless deaths. We must turn this trend around."  

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