Psychologists suggest more humility is needed in the social, behavioral and life sciences

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Rink Hoekstra and Simine Vazire, psychologists with the University of Groningen and the University of California, Davis, respectively, have published a Perspective piece in the journal Nature Human Behavior calling for more humility in the social, behavioral and life sciences. In their paper they outline a methodology for imbuing intellectual humility into the paper writing and publishing process.

As Hoekstra and Vazire note, there has been a crisis of sorts in the social, behavioral and life sciences over the past few years, involving multiple reports of the inability to replicate results in academic papers. The authors contend that this is due to a lack of intellectual humility and suggest that there is too much bragging and not enough acknowledgment of the limitations inherent in such work. They suggest a more humble approach is needed if the factors that led to the crisis are to be changed, and they have created guidelines aimed at changing the publishing process. They believe this will restore faith in the work being done.

The suggested changes include making titles and extracts more honest in their descriptions of the work and the achievements. Similar changes need to be made in introductions; researchers need to stop exaggerating the impact of their work and certain elements of the work itself. Methods sections need to remain true to their intended purpose—outlining the work in a way that allows others to replicate what was done. Unflattering details should not be omitted, nor should explanations of why decisions were made. They also suggest that researchers alter their focus in the results section; instead of including only the positive aspects of the research, they suggest giving readers some insight into some of the challenges faced or examples of things that did not work out as planned. And then finally, in the discussion section, they suggest researchers avoid trying to give ironclad results when they are not warranted. In many social science experiments, they note, results may suggest a finding rather than actually showing it exists.

The team concludes by noting that changing perceptions of researchers in the softer sciences will not be easy but failing to do so could prove disastrous for everyone in the field if changes are not made.

A global effort to understand why some people are resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infections

More information: Rink Hoekstra et al, Aspiring to greater intellectual humility in science, Nature Human Behaviour (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01203-8

Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour 

© 2021 Science X Network

FAKED SCIENCE
McMaster University puts ecology professor on leave after investigation into a 'series of concerns'
Dan Taekema 

© Supplied by McMaster University Jonathan Pruitt, a McMaster University professor and Canada 150 Research Chair has been placed on paid leave following an investigation by the university.

McMaster University in Hamilton has placed a high-profile science professor on paid leave following an investigation into what it describes as a "most serious matter."

Jonathan Pruitt is an evolutionary ecologist who was awarded a coveted Canada 150 Research Chair — a federal program designed to attract the world's top researchers to Canada.

McMaster has described him as an "internationally recognized" academic who studies the "collective traits of different animal societies" — including ants, wasps and spiders — and how those traits affect their survival.

Pruitt joined McMaster in 2018, coming from the University of California, Santa Barbara. However, following a "series of concerns that were raised, both internal and external to the university," he has been placed on administrative leave, according to McMaster spokesperson Wade Hemsworth.

Pruitt did not respond to a request for comment sent through his university email address.

McMaster did not provide any specific details on the concerns that led to Pruitt being placed on leave, but did say they were investigating under the university's policies, including its research integrity policy.

The Hamilton Spectator previously reported some scientific journals and academic colleagues raised issues with some of his data, which led to academic articles being retracted.

Calls for more transparency

One of the academics whose work with Pruitt was later retracted was Nicholas DiRienzo, who described news his former collaborator had been put on leave as a "relief" — mainly for the students working with the professor now.

DiRienzo was an assistant professor at the University of Arizona at the time of their collaboration and is now working as a data scientist in the private sector.

He said he and other academics found issues related to Pruitt's use of data and had a stressful time spending "hundreds of hours exploring data, writing reports, working with editors," in an effort to do what "we could to correct the record on papers we were directly involved in and access to data on."

Now "the field as a whole needs to know what of his science is valid and what isn't," he said.

DiRienzo said he doesn't believe his interaction with Pruitt had a deep impact on his career. However, the same can't be said for graduate students whose body of work is essentially all shared with their supervisor, he said.

"McMaster should have made this decision a year ago when at that point multiple papers had been retracted across multiple journals. All those retractions required us to deeply demonstrate that he manipulated data," DiRienzo wrote in an email to CBC.

DiRienzo called on McMaster to be more transparent about the investigation into Pruitt, adding that the repeated requests he's made for more information have been met with a "generic answer" from the university saying they're not going to release their report publicly.

More information is needed so scientists can better understand what happened, he said, noting some journals have said they're waiting for an outcome of the investigation before retracting papers.

"They're digging deep into his history of work and have access to much more information," said DiRienzo.

Pruitt restricted from teaching, research

Manipulating, changing or omitting data and findings is considered research misconduct under McMaster's policy.

Under the policy, a finding of research misconduct can result in consequences ranging from a letter of concern to sanctions including withdrawing research privileges, suspension or dismissal.

McMaster said its investigation into Pruitt is complete.

"Additional interim measures are in place restricting Pruitt from any engagement in teaching and research, including any access to research funding," according to Hemsworth

.

© Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press Jonathan Pruitt (third from the left) poses with some of the other Canada 150 Research Chairs in Gatineau, Quebec in 2018.

Pruitt's own dissertation at the University of University of Tennessee, Knoxville, now carries a note stating "this paper has been withdrawn."

A spokesperson for the University of Tennessee said Pruitt currently holds a PhD, but did not respond directly to questions about the note on his dissertation or what it means for his work.

"The University of Tennessee is committed to integrity in all of its research endeavours, including student work," read a brief statement emailed to CBC.

"The university is prohibited from disclosing student information, including the presence or absence of a research integrity investigation."
'Progress continues'

Hemsworth said Pruitt will remain on leave until the process is complete, though the university does not know how long that will take.

In the meantime, he added, Pruitt's students from this term are being transition to a new instructor who will be in place this week.

DiRienzo said despite what happened, the field has "done a wonderful job rallying behind" those whose work was impacted.

Pruitt was a "major player" in several areas of research but he was only one academic.

"The lines of research that were valid have been progressing just fine as plenty of other scientists kept plugging along doing science the right way," said DiRienzo.

"If anything this whole experience has shown how [when] even aggressive scientific fraud gets weeded out, the record corrects itself, and progress continues."

Eleven-year-old girl who bathed in hot spring diagnosed with gonorrhea: Case study

The girl developed the symptoms after bathing in a busy hot pool at the edge of Italy's Specchio di Venere (Mirror of Venus)

YOU STILL DO NOT GET STD/STI FROM TOILET SEATS

Author of the article:National Post Staf
Publishing date:Nov 17, 2021

Specchio di Venere Lake (Venus' mirror) was formed in an extinct volcanic crater, fed by rainfall and hot springs. 

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

An 11-year-old Austrian girl has been diagnosed with gonorrhea after returning from a family vacation to Italy where she reportedly bathed in a hot spring.

The girl first developed symptoms after bathing in a heavily frequented hot pool at the edge of crater lake Specchio di Venere (“Mirror of Venus”) on Pantelleria Island, Italy.

According to a case study published September 17, she developed vulvovaginitis — inflammation and irritation of the vagina or vulva, usually soothed with anti-fungal cream.

Vaginal swabs tested positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a sexually-transmitted bacterial infection. Her family members however tested negative.

Researchers learned that the family members had waded into different pools at the lake, with her and her father entering one pool while her mother and sister went into another.

Although the disease can be transferred through sexual contact, the young girl adamantly denied have any contact of the kind, said researchers from New Zealand’s University of Auckland and Austria’s University of Salzburg in the study.

Instead experts believe the warm temperature, acidic nature of the water and presence of organic particles could explain why she was infected with the virus. Historical reports of gonococcal epidemics in children’s hospitals also show the disease traced back to common baths, the study stated.

Her pediatrictian recommended whey baths for two weeks to restore her vaginal flora and settle her symptoms. By week four, her swab came back negative.

Although the story ends well for the girl, “this is not a diagnosis to be missed,” the researchers wrote in the study, published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports . “A presumption that a gonococcal infection is diagnostic of sexual abuse can be dire, with children wrongfully removed from their parents’ care and their caregivers facing false charges of sexual crimes.”

They suggested adding a sign, a shower and antibacterial soap near the hot springs, to educate visitors on the risks of bathing frequently in the shallow pools.

RICHIE RICH WHITE KID & FAMILY GET AWAY WITH RAPE
Man who raped four teenagers gets no jail time, judge says: 'Incarceration isn't appropriate'

The judge did not elaborate on why he did not impose jail time on Christopher Belter

Author of the article:
Washington Post
Timothy Bella
Publishing date:Nov 18, 2021 • 

Christopher Belter

 PHOTO BY NIAGARA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

A New York man who pleaded guilty to rape and sexual abuse for assaulting four teenage girls during parties at his parents’ home will not face jail time after a judge on Tuesday sentenced him to eight years probation.

Niagara County Court Judge Matthew Murphy said he “agonized” over the case of 20-year-old Christopher Belter, who was accused of committing the crimes when he was 16 or 17. Belter pleaded guilty in 2019 to a series of felony charges that included third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse, as well as two misdemeanor charges of second-degree sexual abuse.

Although Belter faced a maximum sentence of eight years in prison, Murphy concluded that jail time for the man “would be inappropriate” in a ruling that shocked the courtroom.

“I’m not ashamed to say that I actually prayed over what is the appropriate sentence in this case because there was great pain. There was great harm. There were multiple crimes committed in the case,” Murphy said, according to WKBW. “It seems to me that a sentence that involves incarceration or partial incarceration isn’t appropriate, so I am going to sentence you to probation.”

Belter, of Lewiston, N.Y., will have to register as a sex offender as part of his sentence. Murphy told Belter in court that the probation sentence would be “like a sword hanging over your head for the next eight years.” The judge did not elaborate on why he did not impose jail time.

Steven Cohen, an attorney for one of the victims, denounced the judge’s sentencing, saying to reporters on Tuesday, “Justice was not done here.” He told The Washington Post on Wednesday that his client, who was joined by some of the other victims in the courtroom, was “deeply disappointed” in the sentencing.

Judge Matthew J. Murphy III.

“My client threw up in the ladies room following the sentencing,” Cohen said. “If Chris Belter was not a White defendant from a rich and influential family, in my experience . . . he would surely have been sentenced to prison.”

Barry Covert, Belter’s attorney, declined to comment. After the sentencing was handed down, the defense attorney told reporters that Belter regretted what he did as a teen.

“He is tremendously remorseful for what he has done,” Covert said, according to the Buffalo News. “There are clients who are never able to empathize with their victims no matter how much counseling they receive. Chris isn’t one of them.”

From a rich and influential family

The crimes took place between February 2017 and August 2018 at Belter’s parents’ home in a wealthy neighborhood of Lewiston, a few miles outside Niagara Falls. During that time, three 16-year-old girls and a 15-year-old girl were assaulted in four separate incidents, according to the judge.

IT WAS A FAMILY AFFAIR

The “party house” label at Belter’s family home was fueled by his mother, Tricia Vacanti, now 50; his stepfather, Gary Sullo, 56; and Jessica M. Long, 42, a family friend, who allegedly supplied teen girls with alcohol and marijuana, according to state police. The three adults, who police say helped groom the women for sexual assaults by Belter, have pleaded not guilty in Lewiston Town Court to misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and unlawfully dealing with a child. None of them returned requests for comment on Wednesday.

“It’s not a party house case. It was a house of sexual assault,” Peter Wydysh, the assistant district attorney in Niagara County, said during the sentencing. “That is what happened there. That is not something we should look past.”

The fourth teen who was assaulted by Belter gave what Murphy described as a “gripping statement” of how she focused on a plant while she was being raped.

It was a house of sexual assault

“During the rape, he told her to stop being such a baby. She focused her attention on the leaves of the plant as she cried during the attack,” Murphy wrote, according to the News. “The Defendant told her that, if she stopped resisting, it wouldn’t hurt as much.”

In 2018, Belter, then 17, was charged with first-degree rape, third-degree rape and sexual abuse for the assaults. As part of a plea deal, Belter pleaded guilty in 2019 to lesser felony charges of third-degree rape and attempted first-degree sexual abuse. The judge at the time, Sara Sheldon, placed Belter on two years interim probation and gave him the chance to apply for youthful offender status in his sentencing, which would have lessened the maximum prison time and allowed him to not register as a sex offender.

Sheldon, who has since retired, predicted Belter would struggle to comply with the restrictions placed on him in his initial probation — and she proved right. Belter acknowledged in court last month that he had violated his probation by installing software on his personal computer that allowed him to view pornography, which was restricted. Belter had told his probation officer that he had been watching porn since he was 7 years old, the News reported.

When Murphy denied him youthful offender status and ruled last month that Belter would be sentenced as an adult, the judge wrote that the 20-year-old had “recently been treated with medication to lessen his libido.”

“The assumption when Judge Murphy denied youthful offender status was that Chris Belter would receive prison time,” Cohen told The Post. “There were absolutely no consequences for the defendant’s repeated violations of Judge Sheldon’s terms of probation.”

Before the sentencing was announced, Belter addressed the courtroom that he had “come to feel deep shame and regret for my actions,” according to WKBW. He addressed the victims in attendance, saying, “None of you deserved to be in this situation.”

“I hope each of you could close that wound I gashed,” he said. “I know though, that a scar will remain that will serve as a reminder of the evil of that night.”

Belter is due back in court on Dec. 3 to determine what level of sex offender he will be classified as moving forward, Cohen said.

Winds whip up volcanic ash from 1912 eruption in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Volcano scientists issued an alert Wednesday, warning that a cloud of ash — from an eruption more than century ago — was headed toward Alaska’s Kodiak Island.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The ash is from the powerful 1912 eruption of Novarupta, a volcano on the Alaska Peninsula that dropped volcanic ash that is still visible today.

Strong northwesterly winds in the vicinity of Katmai National Park and Preserve and Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes on Wednesday kicked up the loose volcano ash.

“Generally, this time of year, we get these some these northwestern winds that can come down from the Katmai region and really scour some of the free ash that that’s deposited from the 1912 eruption and then bring it up to height," Hans Schwaiger, a U.S. Geological Survey research geophysicist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, told The Associated Press.

Winds were expected to carry the ash about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast toward Kodiak Island, and an aviation alert to aircraft was issued for the low-lying event. Scientists estimated the cloud would not go above 7,000 feet (2,133.6 meters).

Some of these events can cause a light dusting of ash in nearby communities.

“This particular one looks like it’s not as ash rich as some of the other ones so there’s probably going to be negligible ash fallout from it,” Schwaiger said.

The three-day Novarupta eruption, one of the world’s largest, began June 6, 1912, and sent ash as high as 100,000 feet (30,480 meters) above the Katmai region, located about 250 miles (402 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates 3.6 cubic miles (15 cubic kilometers) of magma erupted, about 30 times what spewed from Mount St. Helens in Washington state 40 years ago.

The Novarupta eruption was the most powerful of the 20th century and ranks among the largest in recorded history.

The ash was deposited in what is now known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, depositing about 600 feet (183 meters) of ash in places.

High winds and dry, snow-free conditions will produce these ash clouds intermittently, the observatory said in a statement, adding that there is no eruption in place.

The statement said all seven of the volcanos in the Katmai area, including Novarupta, remain at the lowest level of green, or normal.

Kodiak Island has a population of about 13,000 and is home to a large U.S. Coast Guard base. It is accessible only by airplane and ferry boats. The fishing industry is the predominant business on the mountainous island.

Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press

WATERSPORTS BANNED AT NASCAR

Brass Against Singer Apologizes for 

Peeing on Fan’s Face as NASCAR 

Permanently Bans Band From Its Venues

WILL TRUMP SHOW UP EVER AGAIN?

Tue, November 16, 2021, 

The post Brass Against Singer Apologizes for Peeing on Fan’s Face as NASCAR Permanently Bans Band From Its Venues appeared first on Consequence.

The old adage “there’s no such thing as bad press” apparently doesn’t apply when you intentionally urinate on a fan’s face in the middle of a festival performance. At least that seems to be the case for Brass Against and their singer Sophia Urista, who on Tuesday night issued yet another apology for her actions this past weekend at Welcome to Rockville Festival in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“I have always pushed the limits in music and stage. That night, I pushed the limits too far,” Urista wrote in a statement posted to her personal Twitter account.

“I love my family, the band, and the fans more than anything and I know that some were hurt or offended by what I did. I apologize to them and want them to know that I didn’t mean to hurt them.”

“I am not a shock artist,” Urista added. “I always want to put the music first. I’m grateful for all of your continued love and support.”

As previously reported, during Brass Against’s set at Welcome to Rockville last week, Urista singled out a male fan in the crowd with a beer can on his head. She called him up onto the stage while the band was covering Rage Against the Machine’s “Wake Up.” She then told him to lie down on the stage, at which point she pulled down her pants and urinated on his face. The man, seemingly thrilled by the act, then proceeded to stand up and spit the liquid into the audience.

At least on social media, Urista’s antics have been well received by fans. “Your band should be thanking you, you’ll get the attention your band deserves because the music is fantastic,” wrote one Twitter user. “You do you. Artistic expression should not have to be apologised for. If anyone has a problem they need to reassess where they are in life and perhaps find something real to be offended by,” added another. Another person wrote, “You did nothing wrong and actually it was probably the coolest thing someone is rock has done for an untold number of years.”

But corporate interests aren’t so thrilled. On Thursday, Brass Against was banned from performing at NASCAR properties (Welcome to Rockville was held at Daytona National Speedway.)

“Daytona International Speedway doesn’t condone the inappropriate actions that took place during Thursday’s Welcome to Rockville event,” said NASCAR spokesman Russell Branham. “We are working with promoter Danny Wimmer Presents to address the issue. The band will not be included in future programming at NASCAR venues.”

Welcome to Rockville promoter Danny Wimmer Presents also excluded mention of Brass Against from its recap of the festival sent to publications including Consequence on Thursday.

On the plus side, Daytona Beach Police has ruled out criminal charges against Urista.

Consequence has repeatedly reached out to Urista for comment, but she has not responded.

Brass Against Singer Apologizes for Peeing on Fan’s Face as NASCAR Permanently Bans Band From Its Venues
Alex Young

Canadian booksellers are struggling, but not in the way you might think

Jackson Weaver 

Erik Ko actually had some good news coming out of the pandemic. While most entertainment industries saw reduced business and closures, his actually saw a bump.

With movie theatres, nightlife and restaurants closed, people instead turned to the more solitary pursuit of reading — and lifted a long-suffering industry to a level of popularity not seen in years.

"The demand all of a sudden, like doubled, tripled," explained Ko, co-founder of Manga Classics and CEO of Udon Entertainment — both Ontario-based publishing companies. Though he said the market is just about as good as it has ever been in the 20 years he's worked in it, there's a problem, and it's shown most clearly by one of their best sellers.

During an interview with CBC News, Ko holds up one of his company's biggest hits from this year: a manga adaptation of Anne of Green Gables.

YOU REALIZE THAT MANGA IS NOT ANIME

MANGA IS AN (ADULT)SEX COMIC IN JAPANESE POP CULTURE WITH A FETISH FOR YOUNG GIRLS AND PANTIES.

© Eli Glasner/CBC Erik Ko, co-founder of Manga Classics and CEO of Udon Entertainment, poses with the manga adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, one of Manga Classics' most popular titles. Ko says they can't keep it in stock due to global supply issues and a paper shortage

"It is one of the most popular titles that we have, and we are out of this," Ko said, shaking his head. "It's going to be next April before we can actually get stock back."

Demand, but no supply

Ko is far from alone.

While booksellers around the world want to sell books to readers, and readers are hungry to buy them — in 2020, both the United States and the United Kingdom saw their largest annual increases in over a decade — a worldwide paper shortage and a global shipping crisis mean they're having a difficult time keeping up with that demand.

In Canada, while total sales in 2020 decreased due to widespread retail closures and cancelled new releases, ebook sales trended upward. According to BookNet Canada, COVID-19 is no longer severely limiting book buying in 2021, and readers are now specifically looking to buy more physical books from physical bookstores.

Paper mills inundated with new orders are also facing a pulp and paper shortage, and are struggling to deliver paper quickly to printing companies, who themselves have more orders than they can manage and can't outsource them overseas due to the worldwide shipping crisis.

Ruth Linka, president of the Association of Canadian Publishers and an associate publisher with Vancouver's Orca Books, said that every year, they wait to see if any of their titles make it onto award lists and school reading lists — something that invariably bumps demand. They usually order more books to meet that demand and receive them within a couple months.

This year, several Orca titles made it onto the Forest of Reading school list — the largest reading award program in Canada. But that required extra printing for two books, (Heart Sister by Michael F. Stewart and Riley Can't Stop Crying by Stéphanie Boulay) which wasn't able to be done on time, so they were removed from the list.

"It's frustrating because, you know, we put two years worth of work into getting a book. And before that, the authors put in who knows how many years writing the book," Linka said.

All of that work comes down to a small window of marketability for most of their books, usually only a couple of months. "Or maybe, if we're lucky, a few years in the market."
Costs rise, prices haven't

Problems brewing for years in the book industry erupted into a full-scale storm during COVID.

The North American printing industry has been shrinking for a decade, causing many printers to go out of business or consolidate. Now, printing companies that still exist here are being forced to deal with increasing orders.

At the same time, the cost of wood pulp has exploded due to environmental initiatives and rising demand elsewhere, particularly cardboard used in increasingly high volumes thanks to the rise of internet shopping. That's caused the cost of paper to increase and supply to become more scarce.

Finally, the cost of overseas shipping has as much as quintupled, prompting more companies to attempt to print their titles domestically.

Linka said Orca was already planning to shift a large portion of their printing back to Canada, but they're now competing with other companies looking to do the same.

She said it's ultimately making it more difficult to field the costs of printing books in a market where consumers are rarely willing to pay more.

"For instance, a picture book for kids hasn't really changed in its retail price in 20 years," she said.
Authors losing out

Authors, meanwhile, are fighting another battle.

Canadian children's writer Paola Opal had two books slated for publication this year, which she was hoping would benefit from a December sales bump.

Instead, Opal said, the files "are sitting in China somewhere with the printer," on an indefinite wait list.

"If I look at my sales, it always spikes during the holiday season, so to miss the holiday season is the worst part," she said. "With these two new titles not hitting shelves, that takes basically a whole year's worth of royalties out of the flow."

Opal said the uncertainty is making it even more difficult to continue writing and has forced her to look for ways to subsidize her work.

© PaolaOpal/Etsy Canadian children's book author Paola Opal says publishing delays for two of her books means she's been forced find other ways of subsidizing her work, like creating an Etsy shop to sell merchandise of her characters, including holiday cards featuring Perry the Polar Bear.

For her, that's meant opening an Etsy store to sell merchandise of her characters. While that's helped her bottom line, she says it's just one more distracting element of an industry that already requires so much beyond writing.

"I've had to start to think creatively about how can I still make money off of doing the thing I love … but not depend so much on the book hitting the shelf at a certain time?"

Opal says she hopes to see her books and readers return by spring, though that timeline is far from fixed.

With publishing insiders projecting the wood pulp and paper shortage to last possibly until 2023, and no real signs of the domestic printing industry expanding, the future of the book industry is as unreliable as it's current publishing schedule.

SCHADENFREUDE
The Doctor Who Called Ivermectin a 'Wonder Drug' Caught Covid

Taylyn Washington-Harmon 

MENS HEALTH


Touted by Joe Rogan and Aaron Rodgers, the anti-parasite drug Ivermectin has been treated as miracle drug of sorts among anti-vaxxer circles. Rumors of it effectiveness led to increased sales of the drug at pharmacies and some people using the veterinary version of the drug (yes, the kind meant for horses) as a preventative or treatment for Covid.

© Tom Williams - Getty Images Dr. Pierre Kory of Wisconsin caught Covid despite using Ivermectin weekly, an anti-parasite drug in anti-vaxxer circles claimed to prevent coronavirus.

One of the drug's biggest promoters, Dr. Pierre Kory, a critical care doctor based in Wisconsin, claimed to take the drug weekly last December during a U.S. Senate hearing. Eight months later, he contracted Covid-19, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Wednesday. Kory has not publicly stated if he is vaccinated against the disease.

Kory has testified twice to the U.S. Senate in support of ivermectin, stating that it is a "wonder drug" with "miraculous effectiveness" against COVID-19. The Journal Sentinel reports that he has since doubled down on taking the drug as treatment.

Previously reported by Men's Health, Ivermectin's use as a Covid-19 treatment has been widely discredited by doctors and researchers alike. Claims for the drug had gotten so out of hand that even the FDA had to remind people that they are not horses and should not use horse medicine.

"The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals," the administration said in a statement. "Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions like rosacea."

As of October 2021, there have been 1,810 reported cases of ivermectin poisoning across the country, compared to 499 within the first 10 months of 2019, reports the Journal Sentinel.

Hate to break it to you, but right now the best defense we have against Covid-19 is vaccination and mask wearing.

Toronto teens say they were accused of witchcraft and abandoned in Congo

Mary and her  siblings came to Canada as permanent residents in the spring of 2021.

© (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, file) A poster featuring ruling party presidential candidate and former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary is displayed on the road leading to the airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo on Dec. 17, 2018.

Their parents were killed nearly a decade ago in the aftermath of a catastrophic civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Their grandmother, who lives in Toronto, agreed to take care of them.

But things started going bad for the kids soon after they arrived in Toronto.

They say their aunt, who also lives with their grandmother, had a dream that Mary stole her bank card and permanent resident card.

The kids say their grandmother also had a dream that Mary was a witch, and that she stole her aunt's cards because she was possessed by evil spirits. They say their grandmother then contacted a Congolese pastor, who told her how to rid Mary’s body of the “so-called witchcraft.”

“(Mary) was locked in her room every day, hands and feet tied from the morning to the evening for the prayer of the pastor, to deliver her from witchcraft,” said Mary’s brother Stephen.

Mary, who is 14, and her two older siblings, who are 15 and 16, say they were then put on a plane back to DRC, where they were told a powerful pastor would meet them to perform an exorcism.

But the kids say that when they got to the airport in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, no one was there to meet them. That’s when they say they realized they were on their own, with no money and no way home.

Global News has concealed the children’s identities because of the risks they face and because of their age.

“We felt traumatized,” Mary said.

Experts say this case exposes gaps in Canada’s child protection laws and the laws that govern international air travel for unaccompanied minors.

That’s because there are no rules or regulations that prohibit children over the age of four from leaving Canada alone, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).

What rules do exist for kids who travel alone are almost entirely up to airlines to decide and the government doesn’t proactively evaluate these rules to determine if they’re reasonable.

There is also “no Canadian legal requirement” for children to carry a letter with them that says they have permission to leave the country. This is true regardless of a child’s age and whether the child is travelling alone, with one parent, or with someone else.

“I think that’s extremely dangerous,” said Ratna Ghosh, a professor of childhood education at McGill University.

“I'm just astounded that Canada, of all places, is not looking at children's rights when they see three children going on their own, without any supervision.”
Denounced as a witch

Global News has reviewed immigration applications and sworn statements made by the children that describe their experiences in Toronto and after they returned to Kinshasa. Global News also interviewed the kids and their temporary guardian in Kinshasa.

The kids say everything started falling apart at their home in Toronto when their aunt’s bank card and permanent resident card went missing and when their grandmother accused Mary of being a witch.

The kids say things got worse after the Congolese pastor told their grandmother to lock Mary in a room.

“It was torture,” Mary said.

The children say they were afraid the abuse would continue, so Mary called a friend who called the Toronto Police Service (TPS). But when the officers arrived at their home, they couldn’t communicate with the kids.

“(Mary) tried vainly to ask them to help us, but they didn't understand French and we couldn't understand what grandma was telling them in English,” Stephen said.

Global News asked Toronto police about the children’s claims.

A spokesperson for the force said officers were called to the family’s home on June 25 and June 27.

The first call was about a complaint that a teenager assaulted a child. The officers spoke to the complainant “via another family member” and no charges were laid, police said.

The second complaint was about a teenager assaulting an adult. Police said officers “carried out inquiries” at the home and that the complainant “did not want to pursue charges.”

“On both occasions, everyone at the address appeared in good health and officers found no evidence to suggest any other issues,” said TPS spokesperson Connie Osborne. “As part of our standard procedure, Children’s Aid Society was notified.”

The kids say that after the police came to their home, their grandmother was afraid their aunt might be arrested.

They say this fear, along with the accusation of witchcraft, is why they believe they were sent back to Kinshasa four days after the second visit from police.
Witchcraft in the DRC

Accusations of witchcraft aren't uncommon in the DRC.

Roughly 13,500 children are denounced as witches in Kinshasa each year, according to UNICEF. Many of these kids are shunned by their communities and end up living on the streets.

When Mary and her siblings arrived in Kinshasa they say they had no one to take care of them.

They also say their grandmother, who stayed in Toronto, kept their permanent resident cards and told them they were forbidden to contact any family members.

“This is how our misfortune began,” Stephen said.

The kids say they then called a friend, who contacted someone in Kinshasa and asked him for help.

“These are African beliefs, voodoo witchcraft,” said Sam Llunga, the man who was asked to help the kids.

Global News has used a pseudonym for Llunga to protect the children’s identities.

Llunga says he went to the airport in Kinshasa to pick up the kids and then brought them to a nearby hotel.

He says he then called members of the Congolese community who live outside the DRC, who offered to pay for food and accommodation, plus legal expenses to try and get the kids back to Canada.

“There is poverty, there are no jobs. And there are all these stories that the pastors are putting in the heads of men, women, and many families. It destroys families,” Llunga said.

A 2019 report prepared by UNICEF says the belief in witchcraft in the DRC is driven by “false prophets and pastors” who run evangelical churches and charge fees for exorcisms and other ceremonies.

The report says ignorance, poverty and war are reasons why so many people continue to believe in witchcraft. It also says bedwetting, bloated stomachs and disability are seen as “proof” that a child is possessed.

And while UNICEF says it’s not aware of any cases where a child was killed because of an allegation of witchcraft, there are examples of children who die after an accusation. This includes abandoned kids who become victims of crime and kids who die following botched surgeries performed by pastors.

A recent article in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian also documented a spike in “witch-hunt murders” in the DRC.

The report quoted Congolese officials who said eight women were either lynched or burned to death in South Kivu province in September after they were accused of being witches.

Colonial history of witchcraft

Michel Chikwanine, a former child soldier who was kidnapped by militants in the DRC when he was five years old, is an author, speaker and United Nations fellow for people of African descent.

Chikwanine believes unscrupulous pastors and evangelical churches are responsible for spreading falsehoods about witchcraft.

He also says there’s a colonial history to the belief in witchcraft that’s rooted in the false ideas that anything African is bad and that if someone is struggling, it’s because they’re not a good Christian.

Read more: Tanzanian albino children, attacked for body parts used in witchcraft, seek care in US

“For many African communities, especially for the Congolese community, their first explanation (when something goes wrong) is that it's because the devil is in them,” Chikwanine said.

“During colonialism, when they were acting out, when they were speaking their own languages in school, Europeans were telling them, ‘it's because you have the devil in you.’”

Chikwanine, who came to Canada as a refugee in 2004, also says that the way new immigrants are integrated into Canadian society is insufficient and that more needs to be done to make sure people understand the law and the resources available to them.

“You do a seminar when you come into Canada about Canadian laws, etc. But it's not robust enough for people to understand truly how different culturally it is, especially for older generations,” he said.
Gaps in child protection

Ethiopian Airlines confirmed the three children departed Canada on a flight that left Toronto. The airline said the children used adult fare tickets and that unaccompanied minor service was neither requested nor provided.

This is consistent with Canadian regulations, given the children’s ages.

Read more: Efforts ramp up to find girl allegedly abducted by grandparents in Calgary and taken overseas

But child welfare advocates say this case should serve as a lesson for Canadian lawmakers because it exposes shortcomings in the rules for kids who travel alone.

Lindsay Lobb, a senior support service manager at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, says these gaps put kids at risk of human trafficking, forced marriages and parental abductions, which is when a parent leaves Canada with their child without the other parent’s consent.

“We have seen that over and over and over again,” she said.

Video: International parental child abduction

Lobb says parental abductions often happen during custody disputes. She said kids sometimes end up going to countries where either their mother’s rights aren’t recognized or where a father doesn’t need permission to travel alone with a child.

She also says that while many Canadians might think every country requires proof of consent from both parents or guardians before allowing a child to cross its borders, this isn’t a guarantee.

“We have left children to fend for themselves,” Lobb said. “We don't have people stepping in to question why they're traveling somewhere and under whose direction.”

When asked to respond to concerns about kids travelling alone or without parental consent, Transport Canada, the ministry responsible for air travel, said that the issue of child protection is a matter of provincial jurisdiction and that it “falls outside of (its) key area of activity.”

“All provincial and territorial child protection laws contain a duty-to-report provision that requires everyone to report suspected child abuse to the authorities, including in the context of potential international travel by a child, with the scope of that duty varying by jurisdiction,” said Transport Canada spokesperson Simon Rivet.
Journey back to Canada

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said the government is aware of the children’s case, but refused to answer any specific questions, despite having a signed consent letter that authorized it to do so.

The children’s lawyer, Michael Battista, provided copies of the kid’s applications for new permanent resident documents, which were approved by the government on Oct. 29.

Global News also reviewed copies of the kid’s visas to re-enter Canada, which were issued at the Canadian embassy in Kinshasa.

Llunga, who became the kids' legal guardian in the DRC, says Global Affairs Canada also purchased tickets for them to fly back to Toronto in early November.

The kids are now being cared for by a special immigration division of the Children’s Aid Society and have been placed in foster care.

They say they never want to see their grandmother again.

They also say there should be stricter rules for anyone under the age of 18 who leaves Canada alone. This should include screening that asks kids to explain the purpose of their trip and who will take care of them once they arrive at their destination.

Police forces in Canada should also be required to communicate with kids who are in distress in their own language, either directly or through an interpreter who is not a family member, they say. This is especially true when the kids speak French, one of Canada’s two official languages.

For now, the kids are happy to be starting their lives over again in Canada.

“It’s a new beginning,” they said.

Judge throws out two Malcolm X murder convictions
 

This Library of Congress handout photo shows Martin Luther King, Jr.(L) and fellow civil rights leader Malcolm X in 1964

Muhammad A. Aziz

Muhammad A. Aziz

Andrea Bambino and Maggy Donaldson
Thu, November 18, 2021,

A New York judge on Thursday threw out the convictions of two men imprisoned for decades over the 1965 assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X, acknowledging a gross miscarriage of justice in one of the most high-profile murders in American history.

Judge Ellen Biben granted the exonerations of Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam to a burst of applause from the courtroom, a historic move that amends the narrative behind one of the US civil rights movement's deepest wounds.

"I regret that this court cannot fully undo the serious miscarriages of justice in this case and give you back the many years that were lost," the judge told Aziz and the family of Islam, who died in 2009.

For more than half a century the official record has held that three members of the Black nationalist group Nation of Islam -- which Malcolm X had recently renounced -- shot the iconic leader when he arrived to speak at the podium of a Harlem ballroom.

Aziz, Islam and a third man, Mujahid Abdul Halim, were convicted in 1966 -- but historians have long cast doubt on that thesis.

Halim -- now 80 and released from prison in 2010 -- confessed to the murder but maintained the innocence of the other two.

And in 2020, the case was reopened following the release of a Netflix docuseries "Who Killed Malcolm X?"

The 22-month investigation conducted jointly by the Manhattan district attorney's office and lawyers for the two men found that prosecutors, the FBI and the New York Police Department withheld evidence that would likely have led to their acquittal.

Aziz, 83, was sentenced to life in prison in 1966 but was released in 1985. Also sentenced to life, Islam was released in 1987 and died in 2009.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said the probe made "clear these men did not receive a fair trial" and apologized on behalf of the law enforcement community for the "decades-long injustice."

"We can't restore what was taken from these men and their families, but by correcting the record, perhaps we can begin to restore that faith," Vance said.

- 'Corrupt to its core' -

After Malcolm X was shot dead on February 21, 1965, Halim was taken into custody at the scene with a bullet wound to the leg.

Aziz and Islam were arrested several days later. Both denied involvement in the assassination and provided alibis for where they were at the time of the shooting.

"The events that brought us here should never have occurred; those events were and are the result of a process that was corrupt to its core -- one that is all too familiar to Black people in 2021," Aziz told the court.

"While I do not need this court, these prosecutors, or a piece of paper to tell me I am innocent, I am very glad that my family, my friends, and the attorneys who have worked and supported me all these years are finally seeing the truth that we have all known officially recognized," he added.

Saying the convictions "deceived and cheated" the public, civil rights attorney David Shanies told the court the two men became "victims of the same racism and injustice" that Malcolm X had battled.

Shanies and the Innocence Project, a nonprofit which has secured the exoneration of hundreds of wrongfully convicted prisoners in the United States, collaborated with Vance's office in re-investigating the case.

- Lingering questions -

The wrongful convictions mean the true perpetrators -- who are believed to be dead -- may never be held accountable for killing a towering figure whose teachings still underpin today's struggles for Black rights in America.

The lengthy investigation did not identify the assassins or offer an alternative explanation for the murder.

And key questions remain, namely how did US intelligence, which had long surveilled Malcolm X, not know the leader was under threat or do anything about it?

Born Malcolm Little in 1925, Malcolm X became one of the most influential African Americans of the 20th century along with Martin Luther King Jr.

As a young man he fell into petty crime and while in prison became a devout follower of the Nation of Islam, a religious and political organization that advocates Black nationalism.

Upon his release, he changed his surname to "X," symbolic of the original name of his family lost under slavery.

He rose to prominence as a minister and spokesman for the NOI, advocating Black self-dependence and esteem. He also did not shy away from the use of violence for self-protection.

Becoming disillusioned with the group, Malcolm X broke away in 1964, forming the short-lived Organization of Afro-American Unity to continue advocacy for Black rights.

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