Mentally ill people are four times more likely to be victims of violence, the BBC has today reported.
This alarming statistic is based on a review of research looking at how often people with a range of disabilities had experienced violence in the previous year, and how this compared with non-disabled people. After combining the results of 26 previous studies, researchers found that more than 24% of those with a mental illness had been physically attacked in the previous year, as had more than 6% of people with intellectual impairments and more than 3% of people with all types of disability. People with disabilities were generally more at risk of violence than non-disabled individuals.
Although it had some limitations, this large well-conducted review supports previous research suggesting that people with disabilities are at increased risk of violence, and those with mental illness are particularly vulnerable. Most of the previous studies it looked at were in high-income countries including the UK, so the findings are particularly relevant for this country.
Further research on this important issue is now required to understand the magnitude of the problem in the UK and to develop further public health strategies to protect vulnerable groups.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from Liverpool John Moores University and the World Health Organization (WHO . It was funded by the WHO Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability. The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet .
The BBC’s report was fair and included comments from independent UK experts.
What kind of research was this?
This was a systematic review and meta-analysis combining the results of previous research on violence against people with disabilities. It looked both at studies reporting on the rates of recorded violence against disabled adults, and at those that examined risk of violence to disabled adults compared with non-disabled adults.
The authors point out that about 15% of adults worldwide have a disability, a figure that is predicted to increase because of ageing populations and the rise in chronic disease, including mental illness. People with disabilities seem to be at increased risk of violence because of several factors including exclusion from education and employment, the need for personal assistance with daily living, communication barriers and social stigma and discrimination. The authors also say that there is an increasing number of media reports highlighting cases of physical violence and sexual abuse of disabled individuals living in institutions, but point out that formal research to quantify the problem is scarce.
What did the research involve?
The authors searched 12 online research databases to identify any studies that had reported on the prevalence of violence against adults with disabilities, or their risk of violence compared with non-disabled adults. They searched for all relevant studies published between 1990 and 2010. They also used additional methods to look for further studies, including hand searching reference lists and web-based searches.
To be deemed suitable for inclusion, studies had to meet various criteria. For example, their design had to be either a cross-sectional, case-control or cohort, they had to report on specific disability types, and they had to report violence occurring within the 12 months prior to the study.
All the identified studies were independently assessed by two separate reviewers using accepted criteria for assessing the quality of research. Individuals in the studies were grouped according to the type of disability: non-specific impairments (physical, mental, emotional or other health problems , mental illness, intellectual impairments, physical impairments and sensory impairments. The types of violence examined were physical violence, sexual violence, intimate partner violence and any violence.
The researchers calculated prevalence rates and the risk of violence faced by disabled people compared with non-disabled people, using standard statistical methods.
What were the basic results?
The researchers’ initial search identified 10,663 studies on the subject, but only 26 were eligible for inclusion. Overall, these studies provided data on 21,557 individuals with disabilities.
Of these studies, 21 provided data on the prevalence of violence among disabled people, and 10 provided data on the risk of violence compared with non-disabled people. By combining their results, researchers found that over the previous year:
- 24.3% of mentally ill adults had been subjected to violence of any type (95% CI: 18.3 to 31.0%
- 6.1% of adults with intellectual impairments had been subjected to violence of any type (95% CI: 2.5 to 11.1%
- 3.2% of adults with any impairment had been subjected to violence of any type (95% CI: 2.5 to 4.1%
However, the researchers did note significant differences between individual studies (heterogeneity in their prevalence estimates. Heterogeneity provides an indicator of how suitable it is to combine the results of different studies, with greater heterogeneity suggesting studies are of lower compatibility with each other.
When they pooled the results of studies comparing disabled with non-disabled individuals they found that, overall, disabled people were 1.5 times more likely to have been attacked than non-disabled people (odds ratio: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.09 to 2.05 .
There was also a trend for people with specific types of disability to experience more violence, but not all associations were significant:
- People with intellectual impairments were 1.6 times more likely to have been physically attacked than people without intellectual impairments (results from three studies; pooled odds ratio: 1.60; CI 95%: 1.05 to 2.45 .
- Mentally ill people were no more likely to have been physically attacked than non-mentally ill people (three studies; pooled odds ratio: 3.86; 95% CI: 0.91 to 16.43 .
- People with non-specific impairments were no more likely to have been physically attacked than those without (six studies; pooled odds ratio: 1.31; 95% CI: 95% 0.93 to 1.84 .
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers conclude that adults with disabilities are at a higher risk of violence compared with non-disabled adults, and that those with mental illnesses could be particularly vulnerable. However, they add that the available studies have methodological weaknesses and that gaps exist in the types of disability and violence they address. They also point out that good studies are absent for most regions of the world, particularly low-income and middle-income countries.
Conclusion
Violence and abuse against anyone is not acceptable, but there is an even greater need to ensure that vulnerable groups who may be less able to help themselves receive adequate protection against this type of victimisation. This valuable systematic review helps to establish the proportion of people with disabilities who have experienced violence, as well as how this compares to people without disabilities. The estimates it provides may prove useful for planning services and policies to protect vulnerable individuals, such as people with mental health issues.
However, the review does have several limitations, many of which the authors acknowledge:
- The studies were limited to looking at violence within the 12 months before each study, which means the review probably underestimates people’s lifetime exposure to violence.
- It is not clear from some of the studies whether the violence was a cause or a result of people’s health conditions, i.e. whether disability led to violence, or if violence caused people to develop disability such as mental health issues. This factor could particularly affect studies of people with mental illness, which form a large proportion of the studies included.
- The studies included in the review varied in quality, with only one achieving the assessors’ maximum quality scores. The researchers say that combining the results of individual studies was severely hindered by lack of methodological consistency between studies, including variations in samples used, definitions of disability and violence, and methods of data collection. When they pooled the study results there was significant heterogeneity (differences between individual studies in the proportion of people who experienced violence, making it difficult to give an accurate estimate of the prevalence. Also, many studies failed to include comparison groups, which are needed to compare risk of violence between those with and without disability.
- In studies that did compare people with and without disability, overall there were higher odds of experiencing violence in those with any disability compared with those with none, but analyses by individual type of disability did not consistently give significant associations.
- Regardless of whether or not people have disabilities, they may be unwilling to report violence or abuse and, therefore, the rates reported in the reviewed studies may not reflect what happens in reality.
Despite these limitations, this is a valuable attempt to quantify the prevalence and the risk of violence faced by disabled people. Further high-quality research on this important issue is required to understand the magnitude of this problem if strategies are to be developed that can help prevent it.
Links To The Headlines
Mentally ill 'at high risk of being victim of violence'. BBC News, February 28 2012
Links To Science
Hughes K, Bellis MA, Jones L et al. Prevalence and risk of violence against adults with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. The Lancet, Early Online Publication February 28 2012
The state of abortion access in Canada
Features
Sarah Vitet — Capilano Courier (Capilano University
VANCOUVER, B.C. (CUP — In 1988, Dr. Henry Morgentaler challenged Canada’s abortion regulations in the Supreme Court of Canada, where they were struck down and found to be in violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
A year later, another case was brought to the Supreme Court in regards to fetal rights, after a man tried to get an injunction so that his ex-girlfriend could not have an abortion (Tremblay v. Daigle . The final ruling declared that a fetus has no legal status in Canada as a person, both in Canadian common law and Quebec civil law.
Since then, Canada has had no laws regulating abortion access. However, there continue to be multiple barriers for Canadian women faced with unwanted pregnancies, including societal perceptions and stigma and lack of access in rural and remote areas.
Access denied
In Prince Edward Island, the government does not provide any abortions at all on the island.
“P.E.I. does send some women to Halifax,” explains Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. “They will pay for their abortion in Halifax, but it’s an onerous process for women to go through. Confidentiality is lost because of the paperwork, and they have to get approval from a doctor there, which adds to the delay.”
Women are required to travel off-island at their own expense, and the only other option for women facing an unwanted pregnancy in P.E.I. is to travel to the clinic in Fredericton and pay around $800 for the procedure. “So [abortion is] really just an option for women who can afford it,” says Arthur. “Which is discriminatory, because young women, or low-income women, can’t even afford to get off the island.”
The P.E.I government will only fund abortions that happen in a hospital, not a clinic, and the woman must have a referral from two doctors. In 2011, only 49 women from P.E.I. received an abortion at the hospital in Halifax, while 73 women went to the clinic in Fredericton and paid for the procedure themselves.
According to Arthur, this has resulted in women attempting self-administered abortions in P.E.I. Psychologist Colleen MacQuarrie,
as reported by the CBC, conducted interviews with women in PEI regarding abortion. She recalls talking to a “14-year-old who found herself pregnant and was desperate to not even tell anyone she was pregnant, and so engaged in two weeks of intense self-harm, ingesting different chemicals, just doing anything she could to bring on a period.”
The Health Minister in P.E.I., Doug Currie, says the status quo is acceptable and abortions are just one of a number of health services that the Island has chosen not to perform in order to save resources. "To me, it’s not about the political discussion, it’s more about another service," he
told the Charlottetown Guardian.
Arthur argues that this is a weak excuse and notes that all hospitals have the equipment to perform a miscarriage and other standard procedures. “So, it’s all set up and ready to go, they can do abortions. It’s a bad excuse, except they don’t have a doctor there to do it. The anti-choice movement in P.E.I is strong, and no doctor there is going to do abortions because of the harassment they would get,” says Arthur.
There are reportedly eight obstetricians in P.E.I., a profession in which abortion training is part of their instruction; however, the government claims that no doctor has ever applied for privileges to perform abortions on the Island and been refused.
“Keeping P.E.I. ‘Canada’s Own Life Sanctuary,’”
reads an advertisement by the Right to Life Association in P.E.I. The organization is one of many groups who disagree that abortion should be made available on the Island.
“We certainly made it clear to the minister that we’re really just beginning our campaign,” association spokeswoman Anne Marie Tomlins
told the
National Post
. “It’ll get as big as it has to get to make things go away.”
With no intention of implicating the Right to Life Association, it is worth mentioning that doctors do have reason to be nervous when deciding whether to become an abortion provider or not: Dr. Garson Romalis, a provider from Vancouver, was shot and seriously wounded in 1994, and then attacked again and stabbed in 2000; the Toronto Morgentaler clinic was fire-bombed in 1992; and two other Canadian doctors were shot between 1995–97.
Globally, abortion providers have been the victims of escalating acts of violence, including harassment, stalking and kidnapping, and even arson and murder. In the United States, the Christian terrorist anti-abortion group, called Army of God, are responsible for many of the above-mentioned acts, as well as bombings, the assassination of providers and anthrax threats.
Stigma and distance
Prince Edward Island is not the only province limiting abortion access. A 2003 study by the Canadian Abortion Rights Access League found that fewer than one in five Canadian hospitals provide abortion services, nationally, and those hospitals are located only in larger communities.
New Brunswick, like P.E.I., does not fund abortions unless they are performed at a hospital. As there are only two hospitals that can perform abortions in N.B., the demand is higher than can be met, so the rest of the abortions are performed at the unfunded Morgentaler clinic in Fredericton. This means women must pay for the procedure themselves.
The preliminary findings of a federally-funded study by Christabelle Sethna and Marion Doull indicated that “nearly 23 per cent of women who have obtained abortions in a freestanding clinic had to pay for it up front; 15 per cent travelled more than 100 kilometres from home.” Clinics perform roughly 45 per cent of all abortions in Canada.
Manitoba did not fund abortions done at clinics until 2004, when a non-profit clinic successfully sued the provincial government to pay for abortion procedures. Quebec had similar restrictions, but in 2008 ruled that all abortions would be funded, without any limitations. In the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, abortions are accessible only in the capital cities, but the territorial governments do pay travel costs for women from remote areas.
Although access in B.C. is better than in other provinces, the public stigma regarding abortion continues to make the process difficult, and services are still limited to larger communities.
When Mary Scott tried to get an abortion in Penticton, B.C., she faced both geographical and societal barriers: “There’s no actual place in Penticton to get one [an abortion], so if you lived in Penticton, Summerland, etc., you had to go out to the one clinic in Kelowna," Scott explains. Penticton is a one-hour drive from Kelowna. "They only do abortions on Tuesdays and are incredibly hard to get a hold of."
Kelowna is well-known for being a community with active anti-abortion groups. As reported in the
Globe and Mail
, “protesters stage weekly vigils outside the Kelowna General Hospital, [and] a doctor has to be flown in from Vancouver to perform abortions.”
Scott says that due to protesters, the clinic did not have an answering machine, and every time she went past the clinic she was yelled at and called “a murderer.” When she went in for her ultrasound, Scott says that the nurse told her she was “wasting taxpayer dollars,” and she was given very little advice or guidance.
Globally
While Stephen Harper
has been popularly quoted as saying, “As long as I’m Prime Minister, we are not reopening the abortion debate,” Conservative backbenchers continue discussing the issue in the media, and in the past have brought forward private member’s bills in attempts to give personhood rights to fetuses, or ban coercion to have an abortion.
In April 2011, the federal government denied funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF , which had applied for an $18 million grant. Later in the year, the Canadian International Development Agency did grant IPPF with a $6 million grant over three years. The renewed funding has been criticized by anti-choice advocates such as Conservative MP Brad Trost,
who said that IPPF should not receive federal funding due to its support for abortion.
IPPF is an organization that promotes and advocates sexual and reproductive health and freedom internationally, as well as provides information and education, promotes access to services, and campaigns in order to improve legislation and remove barriers to services. Their website says they do provide "safe abortion services," including providing qualified practitioners in clean conditions.
The CIDA funding for IPPF is to go towards services in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan, and Tanzania.
In 2001, the United States, under then-president George Bush, reinstated a policy which prohibited funding to non-governmental organizations performing or promoting abortion. Once the policy took effect, the rates of induced abortion rose in sub-Saharan Africa, leading researchers to speculate over the connection. A study done at Stanford University in 2011 concluded that “reduced financial support for family planning may have led women to substitute abortion for contraception.”
A 2007 World Health Organization study indicated that 67,000 women die each year due to complications from unsafe abortions, primarily in countries where abortion is not permitted under the law.
Medically necessary
John Hof is the president of the Campaign Life Coalition of British Columbia, which he describes as “the political activist arm of the pro-life movement in B.C.” The CLC puts on various campaigns both nationally and in individual provinces, including the 40 Days for Life campaign, the Defund Abortion Rally, and the Pro-Life day of Silent Solidarity.
“Planned Parenthood,” says Hof, “should not receive a penny of federal funding.”
One of the goals that Hof and the CLC are working toward includes “defunding of abortion from the medical services plan.” However, this has been attempted previously, with little success.
In 1995, under pressure from the Committee to End Taxpayer-Funded Abortions, the Alberta government attempted to define “medically required” abortions as versus those that are not medically necessary in an effort to fund only those deemed required. The Alberta Medical Association and the College of Physicians and Surgeons were asked to clarify the distinction, but they refused.
“You have to leave it up to the doctor to decide, based on the patient’s best interest,” says Arthur. “We can’t distinguish between different types of abortion as to whether they are medically necessary or not, because that would require women having to state their reason and then someone having to decide whether their reasons are legitimate or not, and it just won’t work. You can’t have decisions being made around women’s health that are not related to what the woman needs herself.”
Arthur also notes that not funding abortion would be discriminatory, as women who are well-off could easily get an abortion, “but it’s the poor women and the disadvantaged women who are stuck, and that’s unjust,” she says.
The ARCC also emphasizes that defunding abortion or imposing restrictions would be a violation of women’s rights to life, liberty and security of person under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“Abortion must be funded because it is not an elective procedure, any more than childbirth is,” Arthur writes. “Pregnancy outcomes are inescapable, meaning that a pregnant woman cannot simply cancel the outcome — once she is pregnant, she must decide to either give birth or have an abortion. To protect her health and rights, both outcomes need to be recognized as medically necessary and fully funded, on an equal basis.” This echoes the sentiment expressed by the Morgentaler Clinic, “Every mother a willing mother.”
According to Hof, “Eliminating the child should never be suggested as a solution with total disregard for subsequent effects on the mother and the child.” He believes that “in a civilized society it [abortion] should not be tolerated.”
In a 2010 online Angus Reid poll, 39 per cent of respondents responded positively to the statement, “The health care system should only fund abortions in the event of medical emergencies.” Another poll reported that 27 per cent of Canadians describe themselves as “pro-life.”
However, the ARCC warns that popular opinion polls are not a good way to make decisions regarding women’s health. “Voter opinion on this issue has been shaped by anti-choice misinformation, as well as lingering prejudice about women who have abortions,” they say.
Arthur also explains that 90 per cent of abortions happen by 12 weeks, the other eight per cent happen by 16 weeks, and one to two per cent are done by 20 weeks. Only roughly 0.3 per cent of abortions happen after 20 weeks, and in those cases there are major complications, such as serious fetal abnormalities, or extremely young women who were unaware of their condition.
“Late-term abortions are the ones that are the most desperately needed of all, done for medical reasons, and so it’s ridiculous to criminalize those,” says Arthur. “The idea of criminalizing abortion would just be from the myth of women having a lot of abortions, but that doesn’t happen,” she says.
Coercive forces
Hof explains that another goal of the CLC is to ensure “protection for women being coerced into abortion.”
In 2010, Bill C-510 was put forward in order to amend the Criminal Code, and would make it illegal to coerce a woman into having an abortion. It was put forward by Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge and was not supported by Stephen Harper. Threats and illegal acts, such as coercion, were already illegal under the Criminal Code, and the bill did not turn into law; but it did spark conversation in regards to various influences over women’s fertility.
A 2010 study by the Guttmacher Institute found that women in abusive relationships were often coerced into childbirth: “Pregnancy promotion involves male partner attempts to impregnate a woman, including verbal threats about getting her pregnant, unprotected forced sex, and contraceptive sabotage,” the study read. Seventy-four per cent of respondents reported experiencing this kind of coercion.
The concern over coercion in regards to pregnancy and abortion is evident from both pro-choice as well as anti-choice groups. Crisis pregnancy centres such as Birthright International advertise that they are “here to help you in making a decision about your pregnancy,” but critics suggest that they are misleading, and exist in order to coerce women out of having abortions.
“I have nothing against anti-choice places if they want to help women … [and] give them resources and support to have their babies,” says Arthur. “The problem with these hotlines and these crisis pregnancy centres is that they are very deceptive. You see, all the advertising [says], and they say, they will help you with all your options … but in fact, that’s not what they get … They engage in all the standard misinformation tactics, and scare them [women] and confuse them with really unprofessional counseling techniques.”
Prevention
A 2010 report by the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada showed that there has been a 36.9 per cent decline in Canada’s teen birth and abortion rate between 1996 and 2006, owing to an increase in contraception and birth control use.
In Canada, however, the Medical Services Plan does not universally fund birth control or contraceptives, though there are advocates that say they should.
In the United States, the Obama administration announced that all health insurance plans must cover birth control as preventative care for women, as it is also more cost-effective than dealing with unwanted pregnancies and births. Many Conservative and Republican leaders have spoken out against the requirements, although they do not officially come into effect until 2013.
Globally, countries with the best access to contraceptives and sex education have the lowest abortion rates. The Netherlands, for example, have one of the lowest abortion rates in the world, and they have fully funded birth control, as do many other European countries with similarly low abortion and teen pregnancy rates.
In regards to the Canadian government funding birth control, Hof does not believe we should add more costs to the health care system. “Birth control and contraception are life style choices. In no other situation do we facilitate choices by financially supporting them with tax dollars,” says Hof. “We don’t buy people cigarettes if they choose to smoke. We don’t use tax dollars to enable people who choose to do drugs to do so. The suggestion that people’s choice to use birth control should be paid for with tax dollars is wrong on so many levels,” he says.
However, Arthur counters that we give people free health care, regardless of why they need it, including smokers with lung cancer and people with addiction: “Ninety-eight per cent of women have used contraception at some point,” she says. “The main cause of abortion is unattended pregnancy, and the main cause of unattended pregnancy is no use or improper use of contraception.
"Women still have to pay for that, in most cases, and it’s expensive," she said. "Contraception is essential preventive health care for women — and all of society.”
-30-
“We've had bird flu and swine flu - now scientists have found BAT FLU,” says the Daily Mail. The newspaper reports that the strain “could pose a risk to humans if it mingled with more common forms of flu”.
The Mail has gotten in a flap over the flying mammals based on new research that found type A flu virus in fruit bats captured in Guatemala in Central America. The discovery in bats is new as the virus is typically found in winged birds, and not winged mammals.
Researchers collected 316 bats of 16 different Latin American species. Types of flu virus were found in three,little yellow-shouldered bats, a fruit eating variety common across Central and South America. After analysing the genetic code of the bat flu virus the scientists concluded it contained segments that were significantly different from those found in known influenza A viruses. They also found that some aspects of the bat flu virus could work inside human lung cells grown in the lab. This led them to conclude that the virus has the potential to mix with human flu virus, which could, in rare circumstances, lead to the creation of a new flu strain that is capable of causing a flu pandemic, like bird flu or swine flu.
Despite this warning, scientists have not been able to grow the new bat virus in chicken eggs or human cells, which is possible with existing flu strains. This suggests that the immediate risk of infection to humans is small. Rather than highlighting a danger to human health, this study is likely to guide further research that may improve the understanding of potential pandemic flu threats to humans in the future.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from Centres for Disease Control and Prevention outposts in Atlanta and Guatemala, and was funded by the agency’s Global Disease Detection Program.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed science journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS .
The story has appeared on several online news sites and in the Daily Mail. In its headline the newspaper suggests that bat flu “could pose a threat to humans”. While the inclusion of the word “could” makes this a fair statement, the article does not make clear that the immediate risk to humans is very low. Generally, the tone of the piece emphasises a potential risk from the virus. It says there is a hypothetical risk of transmission to humans if they eat food contaminated with traces of the virus. Again, the risk of this happening seems low.
What kind of research was this?
This study was laboratory research looking at the genetics of a specific strain of type A flu virus found in bats captured in Guatemala. Originally, the bats had been examined as part of a study looking at rabies, which revealed that bats were able to carry certain forms of the flu virus.
As their names suggest, new pandemic flu strains such as the high-profile bird flu and swine flu strains often originate in animals, typically waterfowl and pigs. Usually, non-human flu strains do not cause serious harm in the original host, for instance, bird-flu does not cause death to most birds and human flu is not usually fatal to healthy humans. However, animal flu strains have the potential to swap genetic material with human strains and create a new virus strain capable of infecting and harming humans. It is the mixing of genetic material and the creation of these new viruses that represents the main danger of new flu pandemics.
The researchers say that early detection, characterisation and risk assessment of flu viruses in their animal hosts before they spread to humans is “critical” to protect public health.
What did the research involve?
Researchers collected 316 bats from 21 different species from eight locations in southern Guatemala over the course of two years.
Researchers swabbed the bats’ bottoms to gather traces of any influenza virus A. The swabs were tested in the laboratory for signs of flu genetic material using standard molecular biology techniques. Tissue samples from the bats’ mouths, livers, intestines, lungs and kidneys were also tested for flu virus.
Researchers then examined the genetic code of the viral material that had been detected in the bats and looked at how similar they were to other flu viruses that have previously been decoded.
To demonstrate ‘proof of theory’ that the bat virus could function within human cells the scientists created a mini version of the flu virus’ genetic material. They placed this into human lung cells in the laboratory and assessed whether certain functions of the bat virus could be carried out within a human cell.
The researchers attempted to grow the virus strains in a variety of mammalian cells (including bat cells and human lung cells grown in the laboratory to study how infectious the strains were to these different types of cells.
What were the basic results?
Three of the 316 bats tested positive for influenza virus A from their swabs. All three samples were collected from little yellow-shouldered bats, which is a fruit-eating bat that is abundant throughout Central and South America.
In these three bats, all of the further samples taken from the liver, intestine, lung and kidney tissue tested positive for flu virus genetic material.
Researchers found that a specific genetic sequence within the virus, containing the code for making a vitally important flu protein called haemagglutinin, showed differences from the previously documented strains. In one of the bats the genetic material coding for a second crucially important flu protein, called neuraminidase, showed “extraordinary” differences from other known flu viruses.
In influenza A viruses the forms of haemagglutinin (H and neuraminidase (N proteins on the surface of each virus provide the main basis for the way it will be named and classified. For example, the combination of these proteins found in the recent swine flu outbreak meant it was known as H1N1, while the latest bird flu scare was caused by a virus known as H5N1. There are many influenza A virus subtype combinations circulating in animals in the wild. In this research the H proteins found in the samples were so different from other types of influenza that the authors say it could be classified as a new subtype, which they called “H17”. In one of the samples the researchers say they could not classify its N type as there were so many different and unusual types of N proteins.
The scientists reported that attempts to grow the virus in human cells in the laboratory and chicken embryos were unsuccessful. This suggested the virus differed from other known viruses, which can be grown under these conditions.
The researchers demonstrated that some functions of the bat flu virus had the potential to work inside laboratory-cultured human lung cells.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers conclude that “despite its divergence from known in?uenza A viruses, the bat virus is compatible for genetic exchange with human in?uenza viruses in human cells”. This leads them to suggest that there is potential for the bat virus to mix with existing human flu viruses creating a “new pandemic” virus that could pose a threat to human health.
Conclusion
This study of the genetic material of flu virus A in three fruit bats in Guatemala provides important new information to those involved in flu research and pandemic awareness. Previously, non-human flu strains were thought to be confined largely to birds and pigs, but this study highlights the potential for bats also to harbour flu viruses that could potentially threaten humans, given the correct sequence of rare events. The awareness this research provides may lead to a better understanding of the potential risks posed by bat flu to humans in the future.
The following points should be considered when interpreting the results of the study:
- It is important to realise that the researchers have found a new segment of genetic material in the bat flu virus that is different from other flu strains sequenced. They have not discovered a completely new virus in bats that is capable of infecting humans, and so the immediate threat to humans is likely to be minimal.
- As yet, scientists have not been able to grow the bat flu virus in chicken eggs or human cells, which is possible with all other commonly occurring flu strains. Given that they were actively trying to grow the virus and failed, this also suggests the immediate risk of infection and harm to humans is small.
- The potential threat the authors and the media warn against for the future is that the new bat virus genetic material could mix with other flu strains to create a new strain that will be capable of infecting and harming humans, like swine flu and bird flu. To date, there is no evidence that this has happened so there is no cause for immediate concern.
- Fruit bats in Guatemala do not bite people, so direct transmission of the bat virus to humans is unlikely. A suggested route of virus transmission has been if bat droppings contaminate food that is then eaten by people. This could allow the bat flu and human flu genetic material to mix, potentially creating a new strain capable of a pandemic.
This study provides no evidence to support or refute the implication that if someone were infected with the bat virus now it would be harmful, and the risk of this bat strain causing a pandemic is not known at the present time. However, a series of rare events would need to happen in sequence for a pandemic to occur. Despite the rarity, this has happened before in the case of other pandemic flu strains including swine and bird flu, although the initial transmission from these species has generally occurred through sustained close contact with livestock, such as sleeping among the droppings of chickens reared in the home.
Following the discovery of this new form of flu it will surely be explored further by agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which would report any evidence of risk to the World Health Organization and its flu surveillance teams, which constantly monitor and evaluate any potential flu-based threat.
Analysis by Bazian
Links To The Headlines
We've had bird flu and swine flu - now scientists have found BAT FLU (and it could pose a threat to humans . Daily Mail, March 1 2012
Scientists report first evidence of flu in bats. The Daily Telegraph, March 1 2012
Links To Science
Tong S, Li Y, Rivailler P et al. A distinct lineage of influenza A virus from bats. PNAS, Published online before print February 27, 2012
If there is one good aspect to the ALP leadership ballot on Monday it is that we were able to sort fact from anecdote.
Prior to the vote we were told anything, from Rudd having
40-plus votes, to even him being a mere
nine votes short (according the Opposition! . After all the months of anecdotes and months (and months of "speculation" the cold fact was a mere 31 votes were cast for Kevin Rudd.
Anecdotal evidence often struggles when faced with facts, and yet the problem is that anecdotes are much easier to report and consequently that is what gets more coverage (or at least more prominent coverage . Anecdotal evidence can be good for giving a personal flavour to statistics and data, but can be equally bad when it begins to trump statistics and data.
We can see the impact of anecdotal evidence in the recent changes to laws relating to wind farms in Victoria and
New South Wales, where despite
no scientific link to health issues, "people living within two kilometres of proposed wind farms will have the right to veto them". Bad policy as a result of anecdote.
In asylum seeker policy, the anecdote is so beloved that it usually finds its way into the headline and the facts are buried. Such as when a few weeks back we saw the following "
exclusive" with the headline: 'Welcome, asylum seekers - Chris Bowen and Julia Gillard's ship of fortune'.
And the opening paragraph running with:
To fulfil a promise to move an influx of families out of detention, the Gillard Government is now fitting out each home with up to $10,000 worth of furnishings and electronics.
Which all sounds shocking, until later in the article you find:
An average family of five is eligible
for $7100 worth of goods, while larger families of more than nine people
can
be provided with up to $9850 in furnishings. [My emphasis in bold]
Was there any evidence in the report that many (or any homes have been fitted out with "up to $10,000 worth of furnishings"? That would be a "no".
But who needs evidence when there are newspapers to sell and tensions to inflame?
At such time you almost wish to adopt the position of
Mr Gradgrind from Dickens' Hard Times where he says "NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life".
In economic reporting the anecdotal evidence also gets a good run. We see this when we read reports of families struggling on
$258,000 a year, with the headline of 'Every time we get ahead, they hit us again' but within the report there is no context such as a mention that the average household for a similar couple would be
around $76,000.
We also get it from business owners such as Gerry Harvey. In
in November last year the Herald Sun ran an article with the headline: 'Online shoppers kill the Christmas sales show - Gerry Harvey'.
And yet on Monday the NAB Online Retail Sales Index
found that "only 4.9 per cent of overall retail spending of about $216 billion in Australia went to sales through the internet". And in even
better news for Australian retailers the NAB survey found, "that almost three quarters of online sales in 2011 were made with domestic retailers and the remaining 27 per cent with overseas-based retailers". So that means only around 1.3 per cent of all retails sales were going overseas via the internet.
A case of the facts giving the anecdote a nice smack.
Similarly when we read news of layoffs at Qantas and ANZ the coverage would suggest that the economy is in free fall and the unemployment situation is going up. And then we see the unemployment rate (via the
ABS :
But you can understand why the media and political parties love the anecdote – it is the human element. It is a bit like the Harry Truman line about the difference between a recession and a depression: "It's a recession when your neighbour loses his job; it's a depression when you lose your own."
Data and statistics are in effect like reading about your neighbour's job; the anecdote is like reading about your own – which are you more likely to pay to read? And it is certainly understandable that someone who has lost their job doesn't really give a rats about the unemployment rate and that it may have gone down.
But such things do matter when you're reporting on the national economy – because the part does not always represent the whole. While anecdotal evidence may make good copy and for good sound bites we should be wary when we hear it reported alone – especially when it comes to policy, either by a political party or in the media.
Currently the Government is conducting a
review in the Fair Work Act. In industrial relations, the anecdote is a big winner – there are many lobby groups (on either side willing to pitch their case, and all know the anecdote goes down well in the media. Thus we get claims such as the
Australian Industry Group suggesting the Fair Work Act is stifling productivity. And yet when we look at the data of GDP from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics we see it has been declining over the past decade and neither Work Choices nor the Fair Work Act (which came into effect in July 2009 have had much impact either way (leading to the point that perhaps we need to raise our eyes a bit and look at other things that affect productivity such as infrastructure and research and development .
One of the big claims regarding the Fair Work Act is that it would cause (and is causing a "wages breakout". This has been a line pretty much being spouted since Fair Work Act came into effect.
In February 2010 The Australian was able to report that
Peter Walsh was worried with the headline, 'Former Labor finance minister warns of wages blowout'.
FORMER Labor finance minister Peter Walsh believes the $50,000 pay rise without productivity trade-offs won by offshore oil and gas workers could lead to a repeat of the 1974 wages breakout.
By December 2010, the business community (and
The Australian was worried:
[Headline]Wage fears: perfect storm begins to brew as industry braces for breakout
ANXIETY about wages pressures and labour market shortages in the business community are growing by the week.
And the policy response from Canberra only seems to make matters worse.
Into 2011 the worries remained. In May, Liberal Senator Eric Abetz could see
the signs:
[Headline] Coalition warns on pay 'break-out'
In a speech to the Australian Industry Group yesterday, Senator Abetz warned of an incipient wages ''break-out''.
Sadly, by June Liberal MP
Jamie Briggs was also deeply concerned:
[Headline] Coalition warns strike ruling will herald a wages breakout
Liberal MP Jamie Briggs told The Australian Online that Labor's workplace laws were a "cancer within the economy".
"Ultimately this stuff is the beginning of the wage breakout," he said.
And then last November following the Government's decision to back the equal pay claim for more than 150,000 community sector workers, The Australian felt the need for an
editorial in which it suggested in the headline… wait for it…'Gillard's intervention risks a wages breakout'.
When the decision on the community sector workers was handed down on February 1, the Australian Industry Group's Heather Ridout
was worried that it would create "huge risks" and would "lead to a raft of union claims in other industries."
Fortunately for all of us last week, on the very day that Kevin Rudd decided to resign as Foreign Minister and thus stomp over every other bit of news in the political world, the ABS released the latest in its series of data on the
Labour Price Index.
It found that in the last quarter, "The index for all employee jobs in Australia rose 0.9 [per cent], in trend terms", and that yearly, "The rise in the trend index through the year to the December quarter 2011 for all employee jobs was 3.7 [per cent]."
Now that sounds rather meaningless by itself, so let's have a look at some graphs so you get a bit of context, and start to sort the fact from the anecdote (if the claims of a wages breakout can even warrant that label
Hmm. I'm struggling to see a wages breakout in quarterly terms. Maybe if we look at the annual change we'll see it:
Now maybe since July 2009 there has been a surge in wages, but to find evidence of it I think I'd need to read the graph upside down.
Maybe we need to look at the change in the Wages Price Index compared to inflation – to see if there has been a "real wages" breakout.
Nope.
The good thing is the data is also broken down into various industries. Now we all know that mining is booming and that the Fair Work Act must be leading to a wages break out there. After all Terry McCrann
wrote just three weeks ago:
In short: "Go west, young person, to get a big wage" might only threaten the BHPB bottom line.
But if you can get the big wage without having to go west, simply because of a generalised wages breakout, we all have a problem. And the RBA would be thinking about lifting interest rates.
Yep there was a boom in Mining wages (the red line throughout 2008. But since the Fair Work Act has been in effect? Errr no.
Last Thursday, just to slap down the anecdotal evidence even more, the ABS released the
Average Weekly Earnings. So wages break out?
Nope.
Now anecdotes can be good and can serve to highlight a point. But when they are used alone what you can find is that more often anecdotes reveal what people think are the facts – or what lobbyist would like you to think are the facts – rather than what actually is the case. In fact we hear not so much anecdote as "claims"
I do not suggest we take a
Mr Gradgrind position because "facts alone" would be a dull, utilitarian life indeed. But let us not forget them either; for without facts the anecdote can become a lie represented as truth. And that is not good for policy, politics, or media reportage.
Greg Jericho is an amateur blogger who spends too much of his spare time writing about politics. His blog can be found
here. View his full profile
here.
The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will be invested globally over the next 4 to 5 years in hardware, software and services companies developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications and enable the seamless connection between vehicles and any connected device, including mobile devices and sensors.
"Technology has become an integral component of everyday life, with consumers demanding uninterrupted access to the Internet and the constant flow of information, news, entertainment, and social media," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. "Automobiles must be able to provide these same consistent and engaging computing experiences, but in a safe manner. The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will drive the development of technologies to enhance the in-vehicle experience of the future."
The announcement is part of Intel's ongoing work with automakers and in-vehicle infotainment suppliers to help integrate advanced technologies into cars. Ultimately, the connected car will have the intelligence and context awareness to offer the right information, at the right time and in the right way to keep drivers and passengers informed, entertained and productive while maintaining optimal safety. Once the car becomes connected, it can also communicate with the cloud, the transportation infrastructure and even other vehicles to provide additional services such as advanced driver assistance and real-time traffic information to optimize the flow of traffic.
"The car is the ultimate mobile device," said Staci Palmer, general manager of Intel's Automotive Solutions Division. "By 2014, automobiles will be among the top three fastest-growing areas for connected devices and Internet content.¹ Intel's experience in developing personal computing, software, security and cloud computing technologies will bring a new level of innovation to the car to enhance the driving experience for both drivers and passengers."
To help realize that vision, areas of investment for the Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will include technologies that advance the next generation of in-vehicle infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems and seamless mobile connectivity. This includes new in-vehicle applications and development tools, next-generation ADAS technologies and multimodal capabilities such as speech recognition, gesture recognition and eye tracking optimized for the connected car.
In addition to the Intel Capital Connected Car Fund, Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini also announced today at an event in Karlsruhe, Germany the opening of a new global Automotive Innovation and Product Development Center, an academic outreach program focused on IVI and telematics, and expansion of Intel Labs Experience and Interaction Research in automotive.
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
About Intel Capital
Intel Capital, Intel's global investment and M&A organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, health, consumer Internet, digital media, semiconductor manufacturing and cleantech. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$10.5 billion in over 1,218 companies in 51 countries. In that timeframe, 196 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 291 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2011, Intel Capital invested US$526 million in 158 investments with approximately 51 percent of funds invested outside the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
1 Gartner: Automobile of the Future: The Ultimate Connected Mobile Device (ID: G00175335
The NHS Cooperation and Competition Panel has approved the proposed takeover of Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust by Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
It means that the merger is likely to be completed by April with a public consultation on services expected to follow. Bosses at the debt-burdened Trafford General say they need to join forces with another trust as its costs are now unsustainable.
Category: Health News
Created: 2/28/2012 2:06:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/29/2012
A new way of processing embryos during IVF treatment can improve the chances of pregnancy by more than a quarter, The Daily Telegraph today reported.
The story is based on research evaluating a new system for incubating newly fertilised embryos during IVF treatment. The new system is designed to protect the growing bundles of cells from environmental stresses that might affect their development. In conventional systems, the embryos had to be transferred between different devices to perform all the various stages of IVF treatment, but the new system allows a range of functions to be performed in a single sealed unit that regulates the temperature and quality of the air around them. This research found that in the conventional system 30% of embryos successfully developed to the ‘blastocyst stage’, which is seen five or six days after fertilisation, compared with 40% in the new system. The new system was also associated with an increase in clinical pregnancy rates during the period that it was introduced.
The findings are interesting, but they do not add up to an IVF “ breakthrough”, as is suggested by The Daily Telegraph. The new method of incubating embryos sounds promising, but no randomised trial has yet been undertaken into its effectiveness. Further good research is needed to investigate whether it can improve pregnancy and live birth rates.
This method of culturing embryos in a laboratory for five to six days after fertilisation before implantation in the womb is called blastocyst transfer. Transferring the fertilised embryo to the womb two to three days after fertilisation is called embryo transfer.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from Newcastle Fertility Centre, University Hospital of North Tees, Northumbria University and Newcastle University. It was funded by the Medical Research Council. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Library of Science (PLoS ONE .
The study’s findings were overplayed by the papers. The Daily Telegraph reported that it could increase pregnancy rates by more than one quarter. This is a measure of relative increase, highlighting that the number of successful pregnancies rose by around 25%.,However, it is more useful to look at the ‘absolute’ figures, which describe how many people actually conceived out of all those people that used IVF. The absolute increase in clinical pregnancy rates associated with the new system was actually about 10%, with IVF leading to pregnancy in 32-35% of participants in the years before the new system was introduced, and this figure rising to 45% in the year the new system was introduced.
Also, it is not clear if other improvements in IVF occurred over this period and whether these contributed to the increase in successful pregnancies. The Daily Mail misleadingly reported that the new method gave a 40% greater chance of success.
What kind of research was this?
This research reports on various studies relating to the development of a new system of culturing embryos in the laboratory, designed to improve their viability and, eventually, the chances of successful pregnancy.
The authors point out that culturing embryos for implantation into women typically involves the use of open-fronted microbiological safety cabinets, with standalone incubation chambers. This means embryos may need to be removed from the incubator to check on their development in the safety cabinet. This can expose them to changes in temperature and air quality, as well as chemical contaminants, all of which may disrupt cell processes that are key to development.
To protect embryos from the possible impact of environmental stresses, the researchers developed a new fully enclosed chain of pressure-sealed workstations featuring integrated incubators and built-in microscopes, allowing them to incubate and examine developing embryos all within a single apparatus. The workstations were designed to link to adjacent treatment rooms in which women had their eggs retrieved and embryos implanted. The system is designed to provide a controlled environment from the time eggs are harvested from the woman’s ovary until embryos are transferred to the womb.
What did the research involve?
The authors undertook three pieces of research:
- They compared the temperature and air quality of their new enclosed system and the old open system in three separate laboratory experiments.
- They compared embryo development in the enclosed system with that in the conventional system, using mouse embryos.
- They compared the development of human embryos before and after the installation of the new systems.
They then collected data on patients during the period when the new equipment was being fitted and validated. They used this to compare pregnancy outcomes in three consecutive groups of patients - those who had treatment when conventional open-fronted cabinets were used, those who were treated when a temporary laboratory using conventional equipment was in use and those who were treated when the refurbished laboratory using the new enclosed system was in place. To control for differences between patients, they confined their analysis to couples undergoing their first treatment cycle, in which the woman was 37 years or less and had had 10 egg follicles harvested.
What were the basic results?
In their preliminary research they found that the enclosed system was more successful at maintaining temperature and air quality than the conventional system.
- They found that the proportion of human embryos that had developed to the ‘blastocyst stage’ by day seven was 30% for the open system, compared with 40.1% in the new enclosed system. An embryo is called a blastocyst once it has developed for five to six days after fertilisation.
- They say analysis of 600 embryos revealed that the increased rate of blastocyst formation coincided exactly with the change from the open to the enclosed system.
- They also found that embryos produced in the new system contained significantly more cells and had ‘accelerated development’ compared with those cultivated in the open-fronted system.
- Experiments with mouse embryos cultured in the two systems also showed more embryos developing to the blastocyst stage under the enclosed system than in the conventional system.
- Finally, when they compared groups undergoing treatment at different times they found that those treated in the enclosed system had a clinical pregnancy rate of 45.3%, compared with a rate of 32.2% for those treated when the conventional system was in place. A rate of 35.6% was seen while the temporary laboratory was in use. A clinical pregnancy was defined as a heartbeat on a scan at seven weeks gestation.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The new enclosed system, say the researchers, protects embryos from changes in temperature and air quality and promotes improved development.
Conclusion
The new system of culturing embryos sounds like a promising development but further research involving couples undergoing IVF treatment is required to assess whether it improves pregnancy and live birth rates. In particular, the patient data offered by the researchers were not taken from participants in a controlled trial, which means that many other factors might have affected pregnancy rates.
As the authors point out, improved outcomes over this period might have been due to a general improvement in assisted conception procedures during the period of the study, although they say they tested for this possibility.
This may well prove to be a useful technique for IVF, and the researchers have demonstrated its feasibility. More research with a control group of patients is needed before we can be certain of its benefits and lack of harms.
Analysis by Bazian
Links To The Headlines
IVF breakthrough improves pregnancy chances by a quarter. The Daily Telegraph, March 1 2012
New IVF method gives 40% more chance of success: Lab mimics conditions in the womb. Daily Mail, March 1 2012
Links To Science
Hyslop L, Prathalingam N, Nowak L et al. A Novel Isolator-Based System Promotes Viability of Human Embryos during Laboratory Processing. PLoS ONE 7(2 : e31010
Category: Health News
Created: 2/28/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/28/2012
Gloucester County College’s Center for People in Transition will offer an assortment of financial, healthy living and federal assistance workshops during the month of March.
DEPTFORD TWP. —
Gloucester County College’s Center for People in Transition will offer an assortment of financial, healthy living and federal assistance workshops during the month of March.
All are free of charge unless otherwise noted. To register, please call 856-415-2222 or email
peopleintransition@gccnj.edu.
The workshops are:
“Intermediate Computers" — This 40-hour computer class covers additional skills required to become proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel. It has 20 hours exclusively allocated for Word and 20 for Excel topics. The class will meet Monday and Wednesday beginning this Monday through April 18 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The cost for displaced homemakers is $40. Non-displaced homemakers will pay a $100 fee.
“Forgiveness — A Healing Journey” — This eight-week workshop series is designed to help individuals overcome traumatic events that occurred in life. Topics include emotional and physical abuse; neglect and coping with various levels of anger. Dr. Jennie McQuaide, Licensed Professional Counselor, will also educate participants on how to champion self-destructive behaviors that inflict pain and affect loved ones. Sessions run Tuesday, March 6, 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17 and 24 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
“Financial Strategies for Divorcees" — This workshop, specifically designed for the divorced, demonstrates financial coping strategies for women upon ending a marriage. Topics include how to navigate financial paperwork and to create proactive, critical timelines for personal budgeting and saving. The seminar, scheduled for Wednesday from 12 to 1:30 p.m., is taught by Financial Advisor Monique Castillo.
“Stop, Drop and Roll — Extinguishing Flames of Stress” — Certified Professional Life Coach Sharon Roth-Lichtenfeld will help individuals avoid burnout both in their professional and personal lives through identifying physical and emotional symptoms of stress. Coping mechanisms to avoid, reduce or alleviate stress will be covered Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
“Managing Stress in Your Life” — This seminar will help participants identify life stressors and coping strategies to overcome issues, ranging from the loss of a loved one to financial setbacks. Relaxation techniques will also be demonstrated. The session will meet Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with Jennie McQuaide, Licensed Professional Counselor.
“Child Support” — The New Jersey Child Support Program for Public Awareness will give a one-hour information session regarding general child support services. All current New Jersey support offerings and how to access them comprise topics covered. Carmel Bolden will meet with all interested individuals on March 12 from 1 to 2 p.m. or from 7 to 8 p.m.
“Financial Fitness for Life” — FDIC Financial Consultant Wanda Hardy will illustrate the basic principles of money management to empower and equip individuals for sound financial planning. A $10 refundable check made payable to the Financial Wellness Institute, Inc. is required to hold a seat — it will be returned with attendance to the workshop on March 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“Financial Aspects of Divorce”— This one-night workshop is designed to help navigate the complicated process and stressful ordeal of divorce. The class covers the broad range of monetary issues faced when going through divorce and is designed to help avoid costly mistakes, clarify expectations and start planning for a “successful” divorce. Financial Advisor Joseph Johnson will present on March 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“How to be Trigger Happy” — Certified Professional Life Coach Sharon Roth-Lichtenfeld will provide tips and tricks to beat the emotional roll coaster associated with divorce, separation or a severe medical diagnosis that changes one’s life. How to recognize stress, sadness and depression symptoms — and how to stay calm and happy despite — will be covered on March 21 from 7 to 9 p.m.
“Financial Strategies for Widows” — This workshop, uniquely designed for widows, demonstrates financial coping strategies for women upon losing a significant other. Moreover, topics such as retitling assets, determining income and how to meet monetary deadlines will be covered. The seminar, scheduled for March 22 from 7 to 9 p.m., is taught by Financial Advisor Monique Castillo.
“Laws of Separation and Divorce”— Attorneys from the Gloucester County Bar Association’s Family Law Committee will discuss equitable distribution, custody, visitation, alimony and other issues associated with divorce. Additional topics include setting realistic goals, establishing timelines and grounds for divorce; selecting and assisting an attorney. Barbara Moore will present March 22 from 7 to 9 p.m.
“Understanding Your Investments” — This one-night class will provide the information needed to plan for a secure financial future by better understanding investments. Topics covered include stocks vs. bonds, mutual funds, tax-deferred investing, risk management and estate planning. Main Street Financial Advisor Joseph Johnson will present on March 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“Peace Talks on the Home Front”— Licensed Professional Counselor Jennie McQuaide will assist individuals in identifying their own unique communication methods in order to promote a healthier lifestyle. This workshop features specific strategies for communicating assertively to avoid or reduce conflict at home. Differentiating discretion between former spouses, extended family members and children to strengthen relationships will be covered. This workshop will be held on March 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Newseum
Mitt Romney’s weaknesses have been front and center in the Republican presidential campaign. Less discussed but no less important are his opponents’ weaknesses. None of Romney’s rivals has shown the breadth of appeal to be a true threat to win the party’s nomination.
For months now, the restless Republican search for a Not-Mitt -- a Great Red Hope -- has been described as the central dynamic of the GOP race. But I don't think that is really the story. The real reason so many Republican primary voters are holding their noses, gritting their teeth and still voting for Romney is there's simply no other qualified candidate who is running.No, it's not over, any more than a 15 run lead in the seventh inning at Fenway is, but yes, it is. Two months ago, I listed the
That is the real story.
four reasons Romney would be the nominee: Santorum, Perry, Gingrich and Paul. What's changed? Nothing.
Put aside Mitt Romney’s wife’s Cadillacs and Rick Santorum’s fringe fetishes, and the Republican predicament as we head toward Super Tuesday is clear. Despite Romney’s wins Tuesday, the GOP is cracking up because the party’s most fervent supporters are misguided or clueless about what the country needs to do to solve its biggest problems, and none of the Republican candidates has the wit or courage to tell them. We are watching a party implode at the hands of its base.Last week,
I wrote: "The Republican problem, which the media has to dance around in order to sell their product, is the Republican primary voter." Yes, there's something wrong with their base, and no, there's nothing wrong with pointing it out.
Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum fought each other to nearly a draw in the Michigan primary and may actually have to split its delegates, but together they may have lost Michigan for their party by running campaigns that were completely disconnected from the lives of middle-class voters and pushed ever farther to the right margins of American politics.NY Times:
“Everybody’s got to rethink how we approach legislating and governance in the United States Senate,” Ms. Snowe said in an interview on Wednesday. She shook her head at how “we’ve miniaturized the process in the United States Senate,” no longer allowing lawmakers to shape or change legislation and turning every vote into a take-it-or-leave-it showdown intended to embarrass the opposition.WaPo editorial:
VIRGINIA’S GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 82 percent of whose members are men and 3 percent of whose members are physicians, has taken upon itself the task of ordering up procedures between women and their doctors — specifically, ultrasounds for women seeking abortions.TPM:
The purpose of this exercise in coercion is to discourage women from ending their pregnancies. Forced on the legislature by anti-abortion lawmakers, nearly all of them Republicans, it is a prime example of ideology, nanny-state paternalism and arrogance trumping plain good sense.
Top Republicans are working overtime to mask palpable concern within their party over a Thursday Senate vote to roll back an Obama administration rule requiring most employers to provide workers with contraceptive coverage in their health benefits.Remember the old saw about the Democrats ignoring their base and the Republicans fearing theirs? From The Times to Snowe to TPM, everyone knows how this will end, and not well for the GOP. Reminds you a little of the payroll tax cave in the House, don't it? Except this time, the GOP can't cave. They can't. No one in their base will vote for them in November if they do, and at this rate, they lose tremendous amounts of independent and a goodly number of R votes if they don't. Who wants to be them?
Yet despite a growing sense that the GOP has veered into politically dangerous territory, a full-scale retreat would embarrass the party, and alienate a powerful segment of its conservative base. And that’s left Republicans little choice but to press ahead, illustrating the dangers they’ll face if election year politicking turns further from the economy toward culture war fights that voters thought were settled decades ago.
Maybe Rick Santorum is helping Mitt Romney after all: Santorum’s wacky statements about college and snobbery, along with his upset stomach over a 52-year-old John F. Kennedy speech, are distracting attention from Romney’s extremist economic ideas.Charles Blow:
So far, the base of the Republican party has sent Mitt Romney a message: They’re not yet convinced that he’s their guy.Ed Rogers:
Tuesday, on the verge of his victories in Arizona and Michigan, Romney, in extraordinarily blunt terms, told the base how he felt about them:
It’s very easy to excite the base with incendiary comments. We’ve seen throughout the campaign if you’re willing to say really outrageous things that are accusative, attacking of President Obama, that you’re going to jump up in the polls. I’m not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am.I must admit, I was stunned by this. In one statement he was able to label the Republican base as easily excitable, enamored of “incendiary comments,” and thirsty for “outrageous things” to be said about President Obama. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Romney still has his challenges, but no one thinks he would create a debacle in November. For the first time, I heard an informed pol say that we would have a better loss with Romney than we would with Santorum. This experienced campaign hand went on to say that we could lose much of the suburbs with Santorum and less so with Romney.That’s not exactly good news for the GOP, but it was interesting to hear.See all of the above posts. If Republican strategists think this is a winning strategy in November, we should be paying their salary.
Education vital to curbing Saskatchewan’s rise in infections: doctor
News
Tannara Yelland — CUP Prairies & Northern Bureau Chief
SASKATOON (CUP — While the recent HIV epidemic in Saskatchewan has made headlines — the rate of annual new infections is at least twice that of anywhere else in Canada on a per capita basis — people on the front lines attribute the startling rate of infections to larger and more systemic problems such as poverty.
When Ken Ward was diagnosed with HIV in 1989, he initially told everyone that he had cancer because “it seemed a lot more acceptable.”
“Being an addict, we deal with loneliness no matter what,” said Ward, who is from the Enoch Cree Nation west of Edmonton, Alta. “But also being double-impacted with the diagnosis, I knew that I had to keep this secret quiet because of fear. Fear of not being accepted, or [of being] targeted... Trusting has always been a big issue with me, ever since I was molested in a residential school and raped at 13.”
However, after his mother accidentally leaked his HIV-positive status to organizers of a rally in 1990, Ward went public with his diagnosis. He has spent the last 20 years doing advocacy work for HIV and AIDS patients in Canada, and was one of the first aboriginal men in Canada to go public about his diagnosis.
Struggling with addiction for almost 20 years, as well as being molested and bouncing through various foster homes, Ward has lived through many of the experiences that are disturbingly common among Canada’s First Nations population.
“I think three quarters of my family were dysfunctional, mostly alcoholics,” Ward said.
As with so many others in Canada and especially in Saskatchewan, drug use led directly to Ward’s HIV diagnosis: he was infected by a shared needle. This is fairly typical of Saskatchewan’s infection trends, says Dr. Stephen Helliar, who has worked at the Westside Community Clinic in Saskatoon for 31 years.
“There is some sexual transmission,” he said, “but by far the largest number [of those infected] are injection drug users.”
Working among Saskatoon’s poor and homeless communities for three decades, Helliar has seen the current epidemic develop firsthand. And while he confirmed that the vast majority of new cases are among drug users, he says the larger community should be aware of the high infection rates around them.
“In 2007, we had roughly maybe 30 people who were HIV positive at the Westside [Clinic]; we now have somewhere around about 340 to 350,” he said. Helliar personally sees about 100 of those patients.
When asked about what he sees as the causes of Saskatchewan’s HIV problem, Helliar stressed the fact that HIV “has become a disease of poverty” and other similar social determinants of health, such as housing and addiction. Thus while it is true that there are a disproportionately high number of aboriginal people in Saskatchewan being infected, this is due to the fact that aboriginal people are disproportionately affected by poverty.
“I think the first thing [the government] needs to do is work on the whole issue of poverty and try to relieve that,” said Helliar, “and the housing situation and relieve that, as well as putting in more human resources to deal with HIV.”
The provincial government is in the process of implementing a four-year strategy to deal with HIV; its four focal points are education, prevention and harm reduction, research, and clinical management. The main goals of the strategy include improving life and housing for current HIV-positive people; working to prevent both addictions and new HIV cases; and to reduce the stigma and isolation HIV-positive people experience, both in life and, most importantly, in the medical community.
“They’ve certainly increased the number of health workers that are working with this issue,” Helliar said. “And so in that way it’s helped, but we are still being overwhelmed by this problem. Yes, there has been an improvement, but it’s certainly not enough.”
Both Ward and Helliar acknowledged the prejudice that many members of the medical community still hold toward HIV patients. Ward says loneliness and isolation are among the most difficult things for people to deal with when they are diagnosed.
“I’m really pleased that the nurses are now coming to the forefront and wanting to understand, because they’re usually the welcome mats [for] anybody who’s diagnosed,” said Ward.
Still, he says, more needs to be done. Child and family services, correctional workers and more medical professionals all need to receive thorough education to combat prejudice.
Helliar echoed Ward’s concerns. Many health care workers, he says, either don’t want to treat HIV-positive patients who are addicted to drugs or don’t put forth the effort to make the patients feel welcome.
“They’re certainly made to feel that they’re not wanted there.”
The key to changing this, Helliar says, is education.
“Try and get people [in the medical profession] to understand why people become addicted, and that people, even if they have an addiction problem, are human beings and need to be treated with the same respect that you would treat any person.”
Another key problem that goes hand in hand with both injection drug use and the over-arching problem of poverty is homelessness. Ward hinted at having led a very transient lifestyle earlier in his life, saying he had been “what you might call a ‘gypsy.’” From residential schools and foster homes to his younger adulthood, Ward “just migrated from city to city most of my life.”
Helliar says this is also typical of many patients he sees, and is a huge impediment to treating patients properly. Whether it be diabetes or HIV, chronic illnesses are significantly harder to treat when the patient does not have a stable, consistent home to return to.
“HIV in general has become a disease of poverty,” Helliar said, “and the vast majority of the people that live in poverty are more likely to get HIV. Our aboriginal community lives in poverty, and therefore First Nations people are certainly a large percentage of the people that we see that are HIV positive.”
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Category: Health News
Created: 2/28/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/28/2012
Vernon Hershberger of Loganville, WI, who leases his cows to a "food buyers club," has been charged with operating a retail food establishment without a license, operating a dairy farm as a milk producer without a license, operating a dairy plant without a license and violating a holding order of his dairy products issued by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP .
Hershberger maintains that he does not need a state dairy license because he sells unpasteurized milk and raw-milk products to about 100 buyers through a private club, not to the general public. The DATCP contends that the Wisconsin Food and Dairy Code covers any farm selling milk and milk products, and that Hershberger must abide by the code.
"If Hershberger is convicted of the charges against him, it could have a chilling effect on consumer access to raw milk for those who don't own and board their own cows," wrote attorney Pete Kennedy in the
commentary.
Kennedy pointed out that last year, a Dane County Circuit Court judge ruled that a farm in Elkhorn, WI also needed to comply with state dairy regulations.
In that case, Judge Patrick J. Fiedler said the families who reported they were boarding their cows for a fee and then getting the milk were, in fact, running a dairy farm.
"They do not simply own a cow that they board at a farm. Instead, plaintiffs operate a dairy farm. If plaintiffs want to continue to operate their dairy farm then they must do so in a way that complies with the laws of Wisconsin," Fiedler wrote in his ruling.
In 2010, legislation that would have allowed Wisconsin dairy farmers to sell unpasteurized milk directly to consumers was vetoed by then Gov. Jim Doyle, who cited public health concerns. A bill now under consideration would allow a dairy farmer with a license and a grade A permit to register with DATCP to sell unpasteurized milk and milk products.
Vernon Hershberger's next hearing on his case is scheduled tomorrow (Friday at the Sauk County Courthouse, and will be preceded by a support rally.
Raw milk advocates have recently had several setbacks to their cause for unregulated sales. In addition to a four-state outbreak of at least 80 Campylobacter infections traced to raw milk sold by a Pennsylvania dairy, the federal government obtained a permanent injunction against a different Pennsylvania raw milk producer who was delivering milk across state lines.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study showing that the rate of disease outbreaks linked to raw milk was 150 times greater than outbreaks linked to pasteurized milk.
Category: Health News
Created: 2/29/2012 8:05:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/29/2012
Category: Health News
Created: 2/28/2012 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/28/2012
Category: Health News
Created: 2/28/2012 11:01:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/28/2012
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is monitoring social media very closely, with no better proof than the department's newly public 2011
Analyst’s Desktop Binder (with the redactions you'd imagine . Its mission includes scouring the Internet for any perceived threat — and federal officials tracking all tweets related to the D.C. Metro system.
Homeland Security focuses on "news stories, media reports and postings on social media sites concerning Homeland Security, Emergency Management, and National Health for operationally relevant data, information, analysis, and imagery," according to the documents. Analysts track their findings in a daily log with 14 categories, which include terrorism, cyber security, fire, immigration, nuclear, and notably, transportation security. They have a Severity Chart that helps determine the urgency of these different issues bubbling to the surface of the media and social media sites they're surveying online. The government pays a contractor, Fairfax-based General Dynamics, in the millions to monitor social media, as we've learned from the
hundreds of pages acquired by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC and released this month.
The Homeland Security National Operations Center focuses on many, many keywords when sifting through social media. Two big ones?
"WMATA." "Metro."
- (Photo: Department of Homeland Security
In Washington, D.C., technologically savvy riders follow and participate in the major daily discussions surrounding our transit agency through the Twitter hashtag #WMATA. Scores of tweets chronicle the state of the Metro every day, from its Metrorail delays to its alleged failings to its curiosities to its busted escalators to its accounts of new features and frustrations. It's quite an emotional, ongoing discussion, and the government is watching all of it. Homeland Security sees all the regular Twitter characters, from @FixWMATA to @GGWash to @Hell_on_wheelz to @wmataplusside.
Say hi, everybody. Uncle Sam is watching your thoughts pass by on a daily basis and has for awhile. EPIC's documents include a $1.16 million contract with General Dynamics from April 2010 to "provide media monitoring and social media/networking support services."
The keywords tracked through the Homeland Security program are legion and go far beyond "WMATA" and "Metro." Other words include: police, hostage, bomb, North Korea, worm, ricin, plume, swine, AMTRAK, delays, cocaine, subway, shootout, Islamist, tremor, and hostage. Two other major cities' transportation agencies are included among the infrastructure security keywords: BART and MARTA. A hierarchy of suspicion will accompany anything that evolves into one of the Homeland Security's "Items of Interest." The government seeks to corroborate information with media (first tier source:
Washington Post,
third tier:
Washingtonian .
The officials issue corrections if they distribute incorrect info via their "Items of Interest" as well, which is something, I guess. A February 2010 report suggests the government has looked at a broad number of social networking sites and explicitly named ones such as Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Flickr, Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon, Wordpress, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Livejournal.
In mid-February, Homeland Security defended their practice before Congress.
"It's not about the who,"
explained Homeland Security's Mary Callaghan to House representatives on Feb. 16. "it's about the what ... It's the event."
She maintains that Homeland Security is interested in providing "situational awareness" and maintains concern for people's privacy. The binder includes language about what the government isn't authorized to do: "We will not report on Private citizens no matter if they are witnesses, victims, observers or some other way connected to an event," it states.
EPIC objects to this federal program and says in
a Feb. 22 letter to Congress that there's no legal basis. The organization condemns the keywords listed in the binder as "broad, vague, and ambiguous." "The search terms are in no way limited to weather disasters or terrorism related threats as DHS indicated they are. The terms that DHS has chosen to monitor," EPIC notes, "sweep in vast amounts of First Amendment protected speech that is entirely unrelated to the Department of Homeland Security's mission to protect the public against terrorism and disasters."
What do you think, D.C.? Let your voice be heard. We know someone's listening out there, after all.
Category: Health News
Created: 2/27/2012 2:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/28/2012
Category: Health News
Created: 2/27/2012 2:05:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/28/2012
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