#onset massachusetts

[harveyspictures]

Some photos of a sunset in Onset Massachusetts. August 9 2023

[xtruss]

Where Will Autumn's Colors Appear First? Reuters/Illustration USA Today

Fall Foliage Predictions: These Maps Show When And Where To See Peak Colors

— Doyle Rice and Janet Loehrke | September 01, 2024

The blistering summer of 2024 will soon be coming to an end, and that means fall leaf peeping can't be far behind.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, leaves can change their color from as early as mid-September all the way through early November. "Typically, the second and third week of October are the peak times, but it shifts depending on where you live and your local weather conditions," the Almanac said.

Warm, sunny days are good for vibrant fall colors, but only if they are accompanied by cool nights, according to the Weather Channel. Precipitation can also affect the color show – extreme drought and excessive rainfall are both detrimental to foliage.

A warm period during fall will also lower the intensity of autumn colors, the U.S. Forest Service said. The latest forecast from the Climate Prediction Center shows that a warmer-than-average fall is likely for nearly the entire U.S.

Where and when leaves are predicted to change

Here's a county-by-county breakdown of how the 2023 foliage changed across the U.S.:

Source: Smoky Mountains 2023 Fall Foliage Prediction Map: Graphic Janet Lochrke/USA Today

New England boasts some of the most colorful fall foliage displays. Every year, about ten million leafpeepers visit the region to enjoy the beauty of fall. Typically, northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and northwest Maine experience peak early in October.

Parts of New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania must wait until late into October, according to ExploreFall.com.

A breakdown of how the foliage changed across the U.S. in 2023:

Source: Smokey Mountain.Com. Graphic Janet Loehrke/USA Today

Drought Can Affect Fall Colors

According to the U.S. Forest Service, a severe summer drought can delay the onset of fall color by a few weeks. Drought was particularly harsh in the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachians this summer, which could delay the fall foliage season there, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok.

Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, as of August 29; Graphic Janet Loehrke/USA Today

How Leaves Change Color In The Fall

As the amount of daylight gets shorter in the fall, chlorophyll production in leaves slows down and eventually stops. Chlorophyll gives leaves a green color, so when these pigments are not visible, carotenoids, which produce yellow orange and brown colors, show through, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Bright light and excess plant sugars are abundant during the season, and they help produce anthocyanins, which add red to plants.

Source: The National Forest Service, SmokyMountains.com, ExploreFall.com

[thatsonemorbidcorvid]

“In theory, group counseling to address the root causes of abusive behavior sounds promising. If batterer intervention programs make abusers less violent and, as a result, victims safer, why wouldn’t it be a preferable alternative to sentencing someone to, say, a year in jail, as Majors faced? But decades after the first programs were established, we have limited and highly contradictory research on how well they work. Some studies have found batterer intervention programs reduce future violence; others conclude they have little to no impact. The National Institute of Justice says results are “mixed.” Complicating matters, batterer intervention programs aren’t a monolith, and curriculum and quality varies wildly from one to another…

But while batterer intervention programs may prove effective when abusers attend, a huge portion of participants simply don’t. Anywhere from 15 to 58 percent of participants fail to complete treatment, often with few consequences. A 2022 state audit of California batterer intervention programs, including those in L.A. County, where Majors is expected to attend, found that probation officers and program providers frequently failed to inform the court about absences and other probation violations, including serious ones, such as contacting a victim under a protective order. In California, like in Massachusetts, those who completed the programs had a lower rate of reoffending than those who dropped out — 20 percent compared to 65 percent — but notably, nearly half of the domestic-violence offenders reviewed by the state did not complete the program. The “system has not adequately held offenders accountable,” the audit concluded, adding that these issues “have plagued the batterer intervention system for at least three decades, creating a critical need for statewide guidance and oversight.” Without proper supervision, these programs can end up functioning as literal get-out-of-jail-free cards.”

One evening last summer, I logged onto Zoom to observe a virtual counseling program for men who perpetrated domestic violence, run by a Boston-based group called Emerge. There were nine men of various ages and ethnicities and backgrounds on the call. Some were at home, video-conferencing from their bedrooms, one was in the car, and another was taking a leisurely walk outdoors, his sunglasses blocking his eyes from view. Emerge has a set format for these classes, which run weekly for 40 weeks and are generally populated by men court-mandated to attend by a judge. Participants begin by identifying themselves and the name of the person they abused, serving, it seemed to me, a dual purpose—centering the victim at the onset of the session and promoting responsibility. At Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s Hi, I’m John and I’m an alcoholic. At Emerge, it’s Hi, I’m John and I’m an abuser.

The walker, whom I’ll call Jeremy, was doing his weekly check-in with the group when David Adams, the co-founder of Emerge and one of two facilitators on the call, asked him a direct question: What was the abuse he committed that landed him in the program? Emerge encourages men to talk candidly and in detail about their abuse — what preceded it, what they did, how it impacted their partner — and accept feedback from the rest of the group about their behavior. The hope is that participants will begin to recognize and interrogate their own patterns of abuse and, over time, undergo the slow and uncomfortable process of change. To be successful, this intervention model requires active, incisive coaching by group leaders, Adams explained in a paper describing the program, as left on their own, “abusive men tend to give superficial or highly skewed reports of their interactions with their partners.”

Jeremy, still walking, began describing his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. They both struggled with insecurity, he said, leading to arguments over stupid things. “We were both wounded birds, just trying to soar through the sky, and we just, kind of like, we didn’t have very good communicative skills,” he said. Adams stopped his digressive answer there. The question, he reminded Jeremy, was how exactly did he abuse his partner? Now, Jeremy’s voice sped up. “Just like … pushing … I like, pulled her down the stairs, but like two … two stairs, you know?” he replied. “It wasn’t like I dragged her down a flight of stairs and she was all beat up or nothing crazy like that.” He went on: “I don’t want to reflect on my past because I am accountable for my actions, and stuff like that. But it was again, like I said, based upon our insecurities and not having good communicative skills.”

In Jeremy’s telling, his physical violence toward his girlfriend was caused by their mutual insecurity. It was only a few stairs. Nothing crazy. It is exactly this type of thinking that batterer intervention programs, as they are called, are designed to combat. Emerge, circa 1977, was the first such program in the U.S., born at a time when feminist activists were demanding national attention to the neglected issue of domestic violence. As hotlines and shelters sprung up for victims, Adams said, the natural next question within the movement was what to do with the men causing harm?

In the years since, programs have proliferated (over 2,500 exist, according to one count) and are now fully integrated into the criminal-justice system. These days, if you are convicted of a domestic-violence offense, it is likely you’ll be mandated to go to one. Millions of men have attended, including celebrities such as Mel Gibson, Christian Slater, and Chris Brown, who bragged about completing the class on Twitter: “Boyz run from there [sic] mistakes.. Men learn from them!!!” he wrote. (Four years later, a judge granted another woman, Karrueche Tran, a five-year restraining order against Brown, who she said he threatened to kill her.) And earlier this month, Jonathan Majors was sentenced to a 52-week batterer intervention program in California after being convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.

In theory, group counseling to address the root causes of abusive behavior sounds promising. If batterer intervention programs make abusers less violent and, as a result, victims safer, why wouldn’t it be a preferable alternative to sentencing someone to, say, a year in jail, as Majors faced? But decades after the first programs were established, we have limited and highly contradictory research on how well they work. Some studies have found batterer intervention programs reduce future violence; others conclude they have little to no impact. The National Institute of Justice says results are “mixed.” Complicating matters, batterer intervention programs aren’t a monolith, and curriculum and quality varies wildly from one to another.

Most states have legal standards that regulate programs, but oversight falls to different departments with distinct goals. In California, for example, the Probation Department is in charge. In Massachusetts, it’s the Department of Public Health. Generally, participants are mandated to attend once a week for anywhere from 8 to 52 weeks (the longer the better for real change, Adams says). While models range, most programs are a mix of therapy and education, covering topics such as conflict-resolution skills, effects of abuse on partners and children, and how to take accountability. With victims’ consent, Emerge checks in with them throughout the 40 weeks to see if there has been any additional violence or threats and assess victims’ sense of safety. If a perpetrator refuses to own up to his actions or suggests he might commit more violence or stops attending, programs are typically supposed to communicate with probation, courts, and even the partner in question. “If we get somebody 12 weeks into our program who’s still blaming his partner, then we put that in a letter,” Adams said, which can be helpful to partners who are trying to make a decision about whether to stay in the relationship.

Adams, a psychologist who grew up with an abusive father, is a true believer in the power of these programs to save lives. When I asked him about the dismal research on effectiveness, he said studies often lump together participants who quit with those who complete it. Truly changing someone’s deep-seated and long-held thought patterns and beliefs takes time, he explained. “Many of the studies look at somebody who dropped out after one session and reoffend and count that as a program failure,” he said. “If substance-abuse programs were evaluated that way, they would all be considered to be failures.” He directed me to a 2015 pilot study conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School that assessed three batterer intervention programs in Massachusetts, including Emerge. It found that participants who completed such a program were 28 percent less likely to recidivate — measured as an arrest for a future domestic-violence-related crime — than those who failed to complete the program. Stated another way, those who dropped out were three times more likely to be arrested for domestic violence again than those who completed the work. (Of course, evaluating a program’s success using future arrests reveals only the tip of the iceberg, as domestic violence is chronically underreported to police.)

But while batterer intervention programs may prove effective when abusers attend, a huge portion of participants simply don’t. Anywhere from 15 to 58 percent of participants fail to complete treatment, often with few consequences. A 2022 state audit of California batterer intervention programs, including those in L.A. County, where Majors is expected to attend, found that probation officers and program providers frequently failed to inform the court about absences and other probation violations, including serious ones, such as contacting a victim under a protective order. In California, like in Massachusetts, those who completed the programs had a lower rate of reoffending than those who dropped out — 20 percent compared to 65 percent — but notably, nearly half of the domestic-violence offenders reviewed by the state did not complete the program. The “system has not adequately held offenders accountable,” the audit concluded, adding that these issues “have plagued the batterer intervention system for at least three decades, creating a critical need for statewide guidance and oversight.” Without proper supervision, these programs can end up functioning as literal get-out-of-jail-free cards.

In 2016, I was invited to attend a conference on batterer intervention in Dearborn, Michigan. For three days, I listened as leaders in the field, many of whom had been working on this issue since the ’80s, described what they’d learned. Session titles, such as “Real Change, Real Challenges: Moving Forward Through the Backlash” and “Let’s Set the Record Straight!” reflected a sense of frustration with how outsiders perceive the work. I left with the impression that many batterer intervention practitioners genuinely believe that reforming abusers is a critical step — maybe even the critical step — to reducing domestic violence yet is chronically underfunded, the ugly duckling of the movement to stop violence against women. Few advocacy groups are interested in raising money for programs that help abusers, especially if it seems like it might divert resources from victims.

Bringing us back to Jeremy, the Emerge participant. After he finally acknowledged to the group that he pushed his girlfriend down “two” stairs, Adams called him out. He noted that Jeremy kept referring to the core problem as “our” insecurities, as if his girlfriend’s insecurity played a role in the violence. “You’re taking responsibility for your abusive behavior means it’s 100 percent a choice that you’re making. Regardless of how insecure or whatever the other person’s feelings are, right? It has no relevance.”

“I comprehend everything you’re saying,” Jeremy responded guardedly.

Adams continued. “I’m just recommending that you think differently about it, because if that’s the way you continue to think about it, then you’re not responsible. You’re saying, ‘Well, if I get into another situation where both people are insecure, then of course I’m going to be abusive,’ as if one follows naturally from the other.” At this, Jeremy squirmed and frowned. The audio cut out for a few seconds.

Once he was reconnected, he conceded the point. “I should have said ‘my insecurity,’” he said. “I absolutely agree to what you’re trying to say. And my mind-set changes in each group that I come into.”

When asked what Jeremy hoped to get from the program, he said he wanted to learn from his mistakes. “I want this lesson to have an effect, a very big impact in my behavior, my lifestyle and everything.” Of course, it’s easy to say that, whether you really mean it, and some men do fake their way through the classes without genuinely engaging with the content. Regardless, Adams said, “fake it ’til you make it” can still produce an impact.

I asked Adams how Jeremy was doing, nine months after I observed him in class. He’s still attending, Adams said, which is something. He’s taking somewhat more responsibility, but he still deflects from time to time. There’s still more work to be done.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Today in Christian History

Today is Friday, June 21st, 2024. It is the 173rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; Because it is a leap year, 193 days remain until the end of the year.

431: When they discover that Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria intends to open the Council of Ephesus without waiting for the arrival of Patriarch John of Antioch, who is supposed to be its president (John has been delayed by flooding), bishops of the East sign a formal act demanding delay. Cyril will ignore them and condemn Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople because of his christology and order John to break communion with him.

1579: Francis Fletcher, chaplain to Sir Francis Drake, reads from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer somewhere in California on “the first Sunday after Trinity”—the first time the English prayer book is known to have been used in the New World. A number of Indians gather to watch. Captain Drake's rough sailors, who have just plundered their way up the Spanish coast, lift their hands to heaven and pray God to open the eyes of the Indian idolaters “to the knowledge of him and of Jesus Christ the salvation of the Gentiles.”

1663: The men of Groton, Massachusetts, vote to make Samuel Willard their pastor “for as long as he lives.” Several years later an Indian raid will destroy the town and Willard will move to Boston where he will rise in prominence.

1691: John Flavel, a godly pastor in Dartmouth, England, preaches his last sermon, taking as his text 1 Corinthians 10: 12 “Wherefore let him that stands take heed lest he fall,” urging those who are careless of their Christian profession to show a deeper concern for their souls. He had written books urging full committment to Christ and was known for his passion in prayer. For instance, once learning that a sea battle was in progress and knowing that many Dartmouth boys were in the navy, he led his people in prayer and fasting. Not one of Dartmouth’s many sailors died.

1834: (pictured above) Cyrus McCormick, a Christian inventor and businessman from Virginia, patents the world’s first truly workable reaper. He will make a fortune from it, much of which will go to charity.

1837: Angelina Grimké addresses a large “mixed” audience of men and women in Boston, Massachusetts, the onset of bringing many women into active participation in the movement to abolish slavery, but also conclusively repulsing gender discrimination in her lectures.

1846: Death of Isaac McCoy, a missionary to American Indians. McCoy and his family had endured great privation and hardship in their pioneer life. He had been criticized for urging the transfer of Indians from their ancestral lands, but his writings show he was concerned they were being corrupted by contact with whites.

1853: The First Congregationalist Church in Chicago burns to the ground. Set ablze by enemies because of its opposition to slavery. The Congregationalists will dedicate a new, bigger church building just four months later.

[baberoe-archive]

Quick! A last poem before I go / off my rocker. Oh Rachmaninoff! / Onset, Massachusetts. Is it the fig-newton / playing the horn? Thundering windows / of hell, will your tubes ever break / into powder? Oh my palace of oranges, / junk shop, staples, umber, basalt; / I’m a child again when I was really / miserable, a grope pizzicato. My pocket / of rhinestone, yoyo, carpenter’s pencil, / amethyst, hypo, campaign button, / is the room full of smoke? Shit / on the soup, let it burn. So it’s back. / You’ll never be mentally sober.

on rachmaninoff’s birthday, frank o’hara — a moodboard for lewis nixon

[imaginarycircus]

I can't do much these days thanks to early onset arthritis and a total lack of cartilege in my hip. Thank you, hEDS. I bedazzled myself a cane and people keep asking me about it so I've opened an etsy store and now I will have ice cream because I can't drink while taking pain meds. I will fight you if you tell me that ice cream is not medicine.

There are rhinestones lurking all over our dining room. They are not as awful as glitter, which we all know is the VD of craft supplies.

I use only crystal flatback rhinestones which cost more than glass or resin, but have much better sparkle. It's hard to photograph the sparkle and shimmer, at least it is for me, with an iphone, but you can see it in the videos. So. Um. *taps feet* I don't know what I am doing exactly. Most canes are bespoke, or made to order. What if no one ever buys one? Well, obviously I'll be fine and I'll have my hip replaced with a karaoke microphone looking thing. The ball part kind of looks like BB-8's head.

wtf did it put the word shop in the link thinger photo? UGH. One cool thing though. If you have a cane people get right out of your way. People can be so nice sometimes. I feel bad because I'm really slow these days and they have to stand there while I tortoise by. I try to make them go first, but some won't do it.

[howieabel]

“During the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Eastern Massachusetts, mid-nineteenth century, there happened to be a very lively press run by working people, young women in the factories, artisans in the mills, and so on. They had their own press that was very interesting, very widely read and had a lot of support. And they bitterly condemned the way the industrial system was taking away their freedom and liberty and imposing on them rigid hierarchical structures that they didn’t want. One of their main complaints was what they called “the new spirit of the age: gain wealth forgetting all but self.” For 150 years there have been massive efforts to try to impose “the new spirit of the age” on people. But it’s so inhuman that there’s a lot of resistance, and it continues.” ― Noam Chomsky, Occupy

[backgrid]

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson Bring 'The Drama' To Life at Iconic Massachusetts Gallery

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson Bring 'The Drama' To Life at Iconic Massachusetts Gallery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79AIGhJzcNE On location in Andover, MA, the Addison Gallery of American Art was transformed into the fictional Cambridge Art Museum for the filming of the movie 'The Drama.' Stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson were seen immersed in their roles during production. 📷: Patriot Pics / @backgrid_usa For licensing inquiries, please email us at usasales@backgrid.com #backgrid #onset #thedrama #robertpattison #zendaya CONNECT WITH US! =============================== Instagram: https://ift.tt/alkY5tK TikTok: https://ift.tt/srJHYmS Twitter: https://twitter.com/BackgridUS About Backgrid: Backgrid is the ultimate go-to source for all things celebrity news. Committed to authenticity and transparency, we pride ourselves on bringing you the latest stories. We're not just reporting the news, we're capturing it - bringing you exclusive and candid shots of your favorite stars as they go about their daily lives. From the red carpet to the streets, we're always on the scene, ready to deliver the latest scoop. © Backgrid BGUS 3089300 via backgrid https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYwFyFjFUSRcwYCIxHmRBMQ November 20, 2024 at 12:47AM

[tallmantall]

James Donaldson on Mental Health - A Year of Record-High Suicide Rates

Leah Kuntz Psychiatric Times The suicide rate in the United States recently reached its highest peak since 1941. According to new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the United States recently reached its highest peak since 1941. The provisional number of suicides in 2022 was 3% higher than the final total number of suicides in 2021—and the 2022 final total number of suicides is likely higher than current counts.1,2 What can we learn from these statistics? Exploring the Trends “Is this really an out-of-the-blue story, and are we surprised by the rise? Or is this that steady rise that we have continuously seen over the years?” Fuad Khan, MD, a psychiatrist in Dover, New Hampshire, who is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, told Psychiatric Times. At a glance (Figure 11,3), it is easy to say the issue of suicide in the United States is worsening; however, the reason behind this troubling increase is multifactorial and complicated. Figure 2 shows the rate of suicide progression over the past 100 years, indicating a fairly steady increase since 2000, when the rate was at its lowest, at 10.4 per 100,000 individuals.4,5 The suicide rate increased in 2022 to 14.3 suicides per 100,000 individuals; although it is not quite as high as the rate in 1941 (15), it is troubling compared with the suicide rate a decade ago (2012; 12.6). The highest rate of suicide in the past 100 years was in 1931, at 21.9, during the Great Depression.5 Are we headed toward such an increased rate in the 2030s? Figure 2. Progression of Suicide Rates Over the Past 100 Years, Part 14,5 Figure 2. Progression of Suicide Rates Over the Past 100 Years, Part 24,5 Method of suicide may play a crucial role in the current increased rate. More than 50% of suicides in the United States are completed via firearms, the most lethal of suicide methods (Figure 3).4 Approximately 90% of attempted suicides using a gun result in death; comparatively, only 13.5% of drug poisonings result in death.6 According to research, blocking access to firearms could elicit a drop of suicides. Researchers in a Connecticut study estimated that 1 suicide was averted for every 10 to 20 gun seizures between 1999 and 2013. Furthermore, 21 of the 762 recorded gun-removal cases in the study ultimately ended with the person committing suicide after they were again eligible to purchase a gun or after their guns were returned by authorities.7 A more recent follow-up to this study in Indiana found similar results, with researchers extrapolating that 1 life was saved for every 10 gun seizures.8 Figure 3. Method of Suicide4 “Firearms can be a polarizing and political issue, so it is important to not shy away from talking about it, and when you do, be nonjudgmental and frame it as a health and safety issue,” said Margie Balfour, MD, PhD, psychiatrist and chief clinical quality officer at Connections Health Solutions and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona in Tucson. As of June 2023, 21 states had passed Extreme Risk laws, which allow authorities to remove firearms temporarily from individuals who could be considered dangerous to themselves or others (Figure 4).9 Laws like these are associated with drops in suicide; Indiana saw a 7.5% drop in gun suicides in the decade following the law’s passage, and Connecticut’s rate dropped 13.7%.10 The 2023 data will likely not be released for several months. Understanding the Causes and Solutions Figure 4. States With Red Flag Laws9 With an increased suicide rate, what role should psychiatry in general and clinicians specifically play in prevention? Psychiatric Times spoke with experts in the field to better understand the causes and the possible solutions for preventing suicide. CAUSES Trauma “Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have observed increasing rates of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and suicide. As a trauma practitioner, I attribute a lot of it to the accumulation of chronic stress and trauma in our population due to the pandemic as well as other traumatic events (shootings, wars, racial trauma, etc) that have been happening in the US and the world,” said Viktoriya Karakcheyeva, MD, director of behavioral health services at GW Resiliency & Well-being Center and adjunct assistant professor of clinical research and leadership at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, DC. “According to research, depression to a large extent is a stress- and trauma-based disorder.11 Exposure to trauma and other distressing life events accounts for approximately 50% of major depression. The most impactful life events that are linked to depression and suicide are losses, separations, and humiliations. Our population has experienced a fair share of those in various proportions and intensity, which contributed to the increasing depression and suicide rates we see right now. So it is not 2022 being a traumatic year in itself, rather an accumulation of trauma over the period of time that produced such a tragic effect.” COVID-19 “Death by suicide is a complex phenomenon associated with a wide array of risk factors and causes that vary based on demographics. Due to the high degree of complexity, including inherent limits of data collection related to cause of death, we can only speculate about the potential reasons for the record high numbers in the US,” said Rhonda Schwindt, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, a tenured associate professor at The George Washington University School of Nursing. “One possibility is the lingering effects of the COVID epidemic. A possible connection between suicidal ideation, attempts, and death among individuals living with long COVID is currently being studied, which may shed some light on the increase of deaths by suicide in 2022. There is also a consensus among experts in the field that suicide rates often decrease during a crisis, such as an epidemic, only to climb as individuals attempt to cope with, and adjust to, the long-term effects.” “Individuals are still feeling the effects of the increases in mental health symptoms and disruption in social relationships associated with the COVID pandemic, which affected young people particularly hard. Workforce shortages have worsened existing problems with access to mental health care, especially in rural areas,” said Balfour. A Broken Health Care System “Right now, we are at a point where suicide is seen as a mental health problem. It is thrown at the mental health care system—the most poorly funded and poorly supported health care specialty,” Khan told Psychiatric Times. “Suicide is a multifaceted problem that has its roots in the social structure; the way that society is trending; the narrow focus that this is only the problem of health care and especially mental health care, which is poorly funded; and the fact that the solutions for individuals in crisis go beyond what health care can provide.” Increased Loneliness “Social isolation and loneliness are huge risk factors for mental health issues and depression and suicide specifically. Promoting social engagement in our communities such as participation in community activities and groups can greatly increase a sense of connection, particularly in our senior male population,” said Karakcheyeva. “The loneliness that we are facing, through and post pandemic, is strong. We will probably see more and more scientific studies of loneliness in our general population, which will be helpful eventually,” said Michael F. Myers, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York. “It was not that long ago that loneliness was considered a bad word. If somebody described themselves as lonely, others sort of thought, ‘Oh, they are pathetic.’ There is stigma associated with that, especially in terms of gender. At least some women talked about loneliness, but very few men would.” #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleFind out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundationwebsite www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com Link for 40 Habits Signupbit.ly/40HabitsofMentalHealth If you'd like to follow and receive my daily blog in to your inbox, just click on it with Follow It. Here's the link https://follow.it/james-donaldson-s-standing-above-the-crowd-s-blog-a-view-from-above-on-things-that-make-the-world-go-round?action=followPub SOLUTIONS Telepsychiatry “There is global shortage of mental health clinicians, and as a result, many people go without the help they need. We need to remove barriers to telepsychiatry, especially in underserved regions; increase funding for psychiatric/mental health training programs; and eliminate state regulations that prevent advanced-practice nurses from practicing to the full extent of their licensure,” Schwindt told Psychiatric Times. Screening “Most individuals who die by suicide have seen a medical or mental health professional in the 3 months leading up to their death. This means that there was an opportunity during any of those visits to ask about suicidal thoughts,” said Tia Dole, PhD, chief 988 lifeline officer of Vibrant Emotional Health in New York, New York. “The most effective screening is one that actually happens. Of course, some biases come into play. For example, clinicians do not ask people about suicidal ideation based on their presentation, appearance, or identity. We want folks to be asked, no matter who they are or how they seem.” Myers recommends 5 screening protocols: Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow-up Evaluation–Patient Safety Screener, Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage for Clinicians Pocket Card, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Scale for Suicide Ideation, and Ask Suicide-Screening Questions Toolkit. “Having been a decades-long clinician myself, but also a clinical researcher in this area, I think when clinicians pay attention to some of the risk factors in our populations, it heightens our own our vigilance, our screening,” added Myers. 988 “The more we can get public health messages out there, the better. The 988 number is one of the long overdue initiatives,” shared Myers. “It is simple, just 3 digits. Before, for some individuals who were desperate to call someone, a 1-800 number could be daunting. Maybe they could not even remember all the digits or did not have the strength to punch in all those numbers. Now we have to make sure there is continued funding for 988.” Clinician Resources Lastly, although it is important to combat the epidemic of suicides, acknowledging how a patient’s suicide affects the clinician is also critical. “You can go to a therapist. You can speak to your spouse or your friends. You need to really talk about yourself and how you are doing, not so much the specifics of the treatment. That kind of support is very, very helpful. I have certainly used it a lot through my entire career,” said Myers. Specifically, Myers recommends several resources for clinicians who have lost a patient to suicide. The Coalition of Clinician-Survivors is a group that provides support to clinicians who have experienced a suicide loss (cliniciansurvivor.org). “Losing a Patient to Suicide: Navigating the Aftermath,” is an article in Current Psychiatry that focuses on clinician concerns following a patient suicide.12 Collateral Damages: The Impact of Patient Suicide on the Physician is an educational film that shows several clinicians speaking about their experience of losing a patient to suicide.13 Read the full article

[wareham-community-television]

Summer of Love Week 2 was last night!

Can you spot Camera Duck in the second picture?

[harveyspictures]

The Vagabonde at anchor, August 10, 2023

[circleintegrativepsychiatryg]

Depression is a common mental health condition that affects millions globally, yet its symptoms can often go unnoticed or be dismissed. This guide aims to shed light on the subtle indicators that may signal the onset of depression, promoting awareness and fostering a proactive approach to mental well-being.

[colepainting]

Arthur Cole Painting Corporation

Since most commercial facilities are not alike, it makes sense that when professional painters begin planning any commercial floor coating project, they consider every aspect of the job, from square footage to chemical and impact resistance to timelines.

That’s why the Massachusetts painting contractors from Arthur Cole Painting Corporation have collected some important things for you to consider here when it comes to commercial floor coating!

Scheduling is Essential

Unlike residential floor coating, where a homeowner can easily prepare the area for coating in a day or so, commercial floor coating jobs require much more preparation and coordination. Some important considerations include allowing enough time to clear areas, and working with the painting contractor on scheduling the project with a minimal amount of interruptions to your daily business. This often means scheduling work for off-hours, or outside of peak business hours to make it easier on both staff and painters.

Give the Area to Be Coated a Thorough Inspection

Prior to the onset of your commercial floor coating job, it is important to carefully inspect the area that will be coated to ensure it has been properly cleared and there are no visible signs of floor damage such as mold, water damage, cracks, etc. These things may require repair before commercial painters can get to work.

Choose the Right Coating

You may want to consult professionals for this stage as well as give it the proper research. Choosing the right coating for your facility flooring is essential. There are many different types out there, each with specific applications like slick-free floor coatings, and heavy-duty chemical coatings. Commercial enterprises that offer more industrial services may want to invest in a more durable, polyurea coating that prevents cracking and is also chemical-resistant. However, at this stage, it’s also important to take your budget into account to ensure you can afford such coating material.

Post Floor Coating Installation Maintenance

Once your Massachusetts painting contractors have completed their commercial floor coating job, it is important to take the proper steps to let your new floor coating dry before using your floor again. Depending on what coating you’ve had installed, there will be a strict drying time that will be needed for the floor to cure. Flooring that was coated with more heavy-duty materials, specifically ones in which large machinery operates or vehicles park will take longer to cure. Generally speaking, most commercial floor coating systems take from 18-24 hours to completely dry and cure. Another day should also be left in between installing equipment or heavy vehicles.

Contact us today for commercial floor coating services!

If you’re in need of commercial floor coating, industrial painting, and more contact us online to request a quote or call (508) 799-9019 or (844) 409-8512 (Toll-Free).

[graphicpolicy]

Oni Press Unleashes Let Me Out – A Queer Horror Debut from Emmett Nahil and George Williams in October!

Oni Press Unleashes Let Me Out – A Queer Horror Debut from Emmett Nahil and George Williams in October! #comics #comicbooks #graphicnovel #lgbt #lgbtq

Oni Press has announced the forthcoming debut of Let Me Out –  a riveting queer horror story from Massachusetts-based writer Emmett Nahil and British illustrator George Williams. Set in the suburbs of New Jersey in 1979, Let Me Out deals with the early onset of “satanic panic” as religious fervor and conservatism sweeps their community and the nation. The graphic novel will be released on October…

[heartcarepa]

Heart attacks affect more than your health

Heart attacks affect more than your health

The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that a third of heart attacks and strokes occur in Canadians who are mid-career. The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study that tallied the economic impact. A heart attack or stroke has a high financial cost. Get top cardiologist philadelphia at Heart Care Consultants. Heart Care Consultants is the best cardiology center philadelphia.

Researchers from the Universities of Manitoba and Toronto, Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as Statistics Canada, examined a database which linked hospitalization records and income tax records for the years 2005-2013.

Researchers studied more than 24 000 people aged 40-61 who suffered a stroke, heart attack or cardiac arrest. Participants had to be employed in the past two years to be eligible for the study. The participants were compared with healthy people of similar age.

The annual income loss for those who suffered a cardiac arrest was $3,834 (Canadian dollars, 2012). The financial impact on those who survive a cardiac arrest witnessed by others was $11,143. People who suffered a stroke experienced the biggest financial loss. The financial loss for them was $13,278.

These figures represent a range of losses between 8 and 31%.

Researchers identified a number of factors that contributed to income loss. Unsurprisingly, loss of employment was the biggest factor. After three years, the employment rate of those who suffered a heartattack dropped by five percent. The fall-off in employment rates was almost 13 percent for those who survived a cardiac arrest and just under 20 percent for those who suffered a stroke.

After the onset, heart disease caused a five to twenty percent drop in earnings for those who continue to work.

Other factors were involved. Patients with lower incomes initially suffered the greatest loss in income. The longer a patient stays in the hospital, the more income and employment are lost. Other illnesses, such as chronic kidney diseases and chronic obstructive lung disease, also increase the amount of earnings lost.

The authors claim that other studies have produced similar results but this is the largest study of its type.

There were a few surprises, though the findings were not completely unexpected. The biggest surprise for me was the fact that factors which had no effect on income after a stroke or heart attack turned out not to be the case. I thought that women would suffer more than men in terms of income loss, but both men and women suffered the same. I thought that being married would protect me from income loss. However, married patients also suffered the same losses as those who were divorced, widowed, or single.

I also thought that patients who are employed would have less income than those who are self-employed, because I assumed employment was more likely associated with short-term disability coverage. Also, I was wrong.

Declare bankruptcy

Researchers found that the massive loss of income has major consequences. Families who borrow money in order to stay afloat can end up declaring bankrupt. Stress from a precarious income may lead to depression and anxiety, which can negatively affect blood pressure and heart disease.

It's not only the patient that is affected. The family is also affected. Loss of income makes healthy family members pick up the slack. Losing income can affect career plans for the patient's kids. Let's also not forget that those aged 40-61 are at their highest earning years. It is during this time that people tend to pay off their mortgages and save money for retirement. An illness that is serious can derail your retirement plans.

According to the authors, more research is required to better understand the economic impact of heart disease and stroke. It's easy to see how to help patients. The biggest income drop is experienced by those who have suffered a stroke. This is due to the disability strokes cause. As we learned this season in White Coat Black Art stroke rehabilitation is slow and insufficient in many rural and distant parts of Canada. This needs to be addressed.

I also believe that the federal government could use other methods to address income disparities caused by catastrophic illnesses. Tax credits are one option. It can provide income supplements to those who are unemployed, or underemployed after a stroke or heart attack.

Some may say this is rewarding patients who have a lifestyle that increases the risk of developing heart disease. I believe that addressing the income loss up front will reduce the need to access government pensions early. This will save provinces and territorial governments the costs of dealing with health problems that are exacerbated by income loss.