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Profane Snapchat center of high court speech case

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After having a really bad day in 2017, Fourteen-year-old Brandi Levy posted a profanity-laced Snapchat post which has, improbably, ended up before the the U.S. Supreme Court in the most significant case on student speech in more than 50 years. (April 26)

20 anarchist communities around the world


Erin Daley 2021-04-15
ESPRESSO

ANARCHIST GAMES

20 anarchist communities around the world


Throughout history, communities with anarchist philosophies have sprung up around the world. Members have formed intentional communities, stateless societies, and autonomous regions, sometimes through tightly controlled memberships, other times through loose associations for a common cause. Here’s a look at 20 anarchist communities around the world, some that are still functioning today.



 © Instagram @christiania_freetown_denr

Freetown Christiania – Denmark

Founded in 1971 as a “permanent squat in a former military complex,” Freetown Christiania is an intentional community of roughly a thousand members located on nearly eight hectares (20 acres) in Copenhagen. The self-reliant, DIY community, famous for its tolerance for using and selling marijuana, has supported itself over the years by operating bars and restaurants, organizing cultural events, and manufacturing bicycles.

Still operating today, the “breakaway anarchist commune” is now subject to Danish regulations and struggles to maintain its original anti-establishment values due to rising costs caused by tourism and gentrification.

See photo on Instagra





During the Ukrainian Revolution (1917 to 1921)

Which overthrew the old regime, and the Bolshevik uprising which, after signing a peace treaty, “allowed the Germany and Austria-Hungary Axis alliance to occupy Ukraine,” Nestor Makhno, a prisoner released during this tumultuous period, attempted to set up a “stateless society organized under anarchist principles.”


In 1918, rejecting political parties, dictatorships, and a centralized state, the Makhnovists fought to reclaim the land to create worker-based communes and cooperatives. At their peak, they had amassed 100,000 troops and controlled an area occupied by roughly 7 million people. By 1921, however, they were defeated by the Bolsheviks.



Shinmin Prefecture – China

Between 1929 and 1931, in Manchuria’s rural province of Shinmin, 2 million Korean migrants operated their own autonomous anarchist region. Villagers set up their own form of government through assemblies and councils, which oversaw “agriculture, education, finance, military affairs, and health.”

Despite organizing a militia, the self-governing communities were ultimately unable to defend themselves against attacks by Japan and the Stalinists.






Zomia – Southeast Asia

You won’t find Zomia on an official map. The term was coined by Dutch historian Willem van Schendel in 2002 to describe the vast and remote mountainous area in Southeast Asia, spanning from the Vietnamese highlands to the Tibetan plateau and over to Afghanistan.

In his 2009 book The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia, Yale professor James C. Scott argues that the area’s 100 million inhabitants, made up of a wide mix of small ethnic groups, live in stateless “egalitarian societies” free from “taxation, conscription, and forced labor.”




Rojava – Syria

Rojava (the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) is a decentralized autonomous region in northeastern Syria that is actively resisting the Islamic State. The area, established in 2012, is home to some 5 million residents—a mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmen, Yazidis, and other groups who have come together to promote “radically democratic and decentralised self-governance, equity between genders, regenerative agriculture, a justice system based on reconciliation, and inclusion of minorities.”

The area is currently facing “extreme violence and genocide” from the Turkish invasion, which seeks to crush the movement and occupy Rojava.






Puerto Real – Spain

The seaport of Puerto Real in southern Spain is home to a unique community of shipyard workers who successfully organized and resisted the proposed shipyard closures with the help of the anarcho-syndicalist union CNT.

In 1987, the shipyard workers began engaging in direct action, including blockading the main road in protest. Building on their success, they went on to fight for other causes, including health and economic issues

This past summer, six blocks of downtown Seattle were occupied by protesters clashing with police following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police.

After police ceded the zone, known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest or CHOP, the area became an impromptu, largely peaceful autonomous commune, with protesters making demands such as defunding the Seattle Police Department. Less than a month later, however, CHOP was dismantled by police, due in large part to the four shootings which took place there, two of which were fatal.

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AKA THE DAY OF MOURNING IN CANADA AND AROUND THE WORLD

Vaccinated people can ditch the mask outdoors in many cases: CDC

You can ditch the mask walking your dog or dining outside with friends if you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19. But keep it on for any outdoor crowded events like concerts, parades and sporting events.


Wearing a mask in public spaces indoors also remains a must.

That’s according to new guidance released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people considered fully immunized -– a milestone achieved two weeks after a person’s final vaccine shot.

CDC relaxes mask guidelines for vaccinated people outdoors

In a press briefing Tuesday announcing the change, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the latest research suggests transmission outdoors is rare, with indoor settings posing a "20-fold" increased risk. The CDC plans to further loosen suggested rules as more people become vaccinated and case numbers decline, she said.

"The more people who are vaccinated, the more steps we can take towards spending time with people we love doing the things we love to enjoy," Walensky told reporters on 

Tuesday.

MORE: As debate swirls, colleges weigh whether to mandate COVID-19 vaccines

The new guidelines could pave the way for states and local officials to relax mask mandates now that vaccination rates are climbing. Among the new federal recommendations is that vaccinated people can consider themselves safe attending church, shopping at the mall or going to the gym, although the CDC still recommends wearing a mask in those indoor settings.

The primary reason for urging caution, the CDC says, is because it’s not clear whether a vaccinated person can transmit the virus.

Studies show the vaccine is extraordinarily effective in preventing a person from getting seriously ill after becoming infected. But less is known about whether they could still carry the virus and infect others who aren’t vaccinated.

© Reading Eagle Vi/MediaNews Group via Getty Images Women sit at a table outside Farmhouse Kitchen, June 5, 2020 in West Reading, Penn.

"In public spaces, the vaccination status of other people or whether they are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 is likely unknown. Therefore, fully vaccinated people should continue to follow guidance to protect themselves and others, including wearing a well-fitted mask, when indoors or in an outdoor setting or venue where masks are required," according to the CDC.

Less than a third of the country has been fully vaccinated, meaning much of the population remains at risk. And while rising vaccinations are credited for helping to blunt the impact of the pandemic – states are reporting a nearly 17 percent decline in the last week -- the U.S. daily case average is still nearly 55,000.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, has said previously that he would want to see that number drop below 10,000 a day before states consider pulling back on mitigation measures like mask mandates. Until then, people can protect themselves by getting vaccinated, he said.

© Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images A man wears a mask as uses his cellphone in Times Square on March 5, 2020, in New York City.

"Even when you're talking about variants, indoors, outdoors -- get vaccinated and you will certainly have a degree of protection," Fauci said Tuesday.MORE: 3 things scientists have learned about vaccine hesitancy: Analysis

Last month, Walensky said she feared "impending doom" as cases appeared to be back on the rise after a massive post-holiday surge. On Tuesday, the director said that curve is now "stabilizing," which she attributes to rising vaccination numbers. But, she warned, future success could vary by region.

"Where we have low areas of vaccination, we are going to potentially see more outbreaks, which is why I think it's really, we have to be careful," she said.

The MIT study that said social distancing does little to stop COVID-19 indoors didn't look at the main way the virus spreads

Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce
cschusterbruce@businessinsider.com
4/27/2021

© RichLegg/Getty 

 High school students in a social distanced classroom. 

An MIT study published Tuesday suggested social distancing did little to limit airborne coronavirus transmission indoors.

But the study didn't look at whether social distancing stops coronavirus spreading via other routes.

The virus can also spread in larger droplets when people cough or sneeze, or via direct contact with surfaces.

A study published Tuesday in a world-leading medical journal said that 6-foot social distancing indoors did little to stop the spread of coronavirus indoors - but it didn't take into account all the ways the virus spreads.

Crucially, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study focused on airborne transmission of very small droplets. The study didn't look at whether distancing stops the virus spreading via two other possible routes: first, larger respiratory droplets, and second, direct contact.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronavirus mostly spreads through large respiratory droplets. This can happen when people are within about 6 feet or each other for a prolonged period, and an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, launching droplets from their mouth or nose into the air and onto other nearby people.

It is also possible to catch coronavirus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and subsequently touching the mouth, nose, or eyes. This is called direct contact. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, according to the CDC.

Social distancing could stop the virus from spreading in these ways, according to the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO).

Bryan Bzdek, research fellow at the Bristol Aerosol Research Centre at the University of Bristol, told Insider that physical distancing reduces exposure to the largest droplets, which "travel like cannonballs" and settle on the ground quickly.

He said distancing helps reduce exposure to smaller aerosol droplets, too, because their concentration is always highest nearer the source, i.e., a person's mouth and nose.

"If you are standing farther away, there is more time for that plume to dilute, reducing exposure," Bzdek explained.

The MIT researchers didn't advocate scrapping social distancing entirely. They said in a joint statement Sunday that the study indicated the 6-feet rule was "insufficient" to stop airborne transmission of coronavirus indoors.

In "well-mixed" spaces, where effectively everyone in the room is breathing the same air, no-one is safer from airborne pathogens at 60 feet apart than at 6 feet apart, Martin Byzant, professor of chemical engineering and applied mathematics at MIT, and John W. M. Bush, professor of applied mathematics, said.

People must also limit the time they spend in an indoor space, they said. According to the study, risk depended on the number of people in a space, the type of activity, ventilation, and mask-wearing.

Byzant and Bush created a guideline for policy makers, schools, and individuals to gauge the risk of catching coronavirus indoors based on these factors.

Bzdek told Insider that in a poorly ventilated space, like the ones considered in the study, the aerosol levels would gradually build up over time, increasing exposure with time spent in the room. But the fact remains that the guidance was based on just one route of transmission, and the authors' physics-based models assumed coronavirus particles always spread evenly throughout a room.

Howard Stone, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, who was not involved in the study, told MIT News that the analysis was a valuable tool for estimating the maximum time to spend indoors with others, but it was a "rough estimate."

Read the original article on Business Insider

MIT COVID study shows indoors, masks may be more important than social distancing
Sean Buckley 

CNET 4/27/2021

Wash your hands. Wear a mask. Stand at least six feet away from others. These are the guidelines many of us have lived by for the past year, all of them suggested in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, MIT researchers are taking a closer look at the six-foot recommendation to see how effective social distancing really is.

© Provided by CNET New MIT study examines the benefit of wearing masks. James Martin/CNET

The short answer? In certain situations, six feet of distance isn't enough to protect you on its own and you should probably still wear a mask.

The real answer? That's a little complicated. The paper says that in "well-mixed spaces, one is no safer from airborne pathogens at 60 ft than 6ft," but the context of this statement depends on the size of the space, how well ventilated it is and what the persons in the room are doing.

Researchers specifically designed the study to mimic the conditions of certain kinds of indoor "superspreading events," such as the Skagit Valley choir practice that resulted in the infecting 53 of 61 attendees. In other words, researchers were only targeting the transmission of small aerosol droplets in a "well-mixed" indoor space with only moderate ventilation -- one where the air moves around frequently enough that potentially infected particles don't have time to settle.

© Provided by CNET Martin Z. Bazant / John W. M. Bush

For example, the formula researchers devised for calculating indoor safety guidelines suggest that if an infected person was riding on a commercial airline with 100 other people, other passengers would be at risk of infection within 70 minutes. If all of the passengers wore masks, however, that space could be safe for up to 54 hours.

With data like that, it's possible to conclude the study says social distancing isn't effective, but the authors are quick to point out that the paper examines only one method of transmission under very specific conditions. In a statement, the researchers said that their findings had been "mischaracterized by some on social media and in the news," stating that the paper makes a point of calling out the benefits of social distancing and mask-wearing in conditions outside of the study's purview.

"The value of social distancing in limiting COVID-19 transmission by respiratory jets is made clear in the last section of our paper, 'Beyond the well-mixed room,'" they said. "Our study highlights that face masks can be an extremely effective indoor safety measure."

The researchers have built an online tool to help readers calculate how their formula estimates risk for differing room sizes, occupancy levels and mask-wearing behavior. 

Staying 6 feet apart indoors does almost nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19, MIT study finds

mguenot@businessinsider.com (Marianne Guenot) 

4/27/2021

© REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha 

People eating behind individual plastic screens at a restaurant in Bangkok on May 8. 

The widely used 6-foot rule does little to prevent COVID-9 exposure indoors, MIT researchers found.

The risk of exposure from an infected person is similar at 6 feet and 60 feet, one researcher said.

The study said mask-wearing, ventilation, and what a space is used for were bigger variables.

The widely used rule of staying 6 feet away from others does little to affect the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in indoor spaces, according to a new study out of MIT.

According to MIT researchers, the rule is based on an outdated understanding of how the coronavirus moves in closed spaces.

They said other variables - like the number of people in a space, whether they wear masks, what they are doing, and the level of ventilation - were much more important.

The 6-foot rule is used in various forms around the world: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises 6 feet of separation indoors and outdoors, while in the UK the figure is 2 meters. In much of Europe, the figure is 1 meter, which is also recommended as a minimum distance by the World Health Organization.

But while such distancing rules are easy to remember, and purport to suit any situation, the new study says they may not be that useful.

The study was released online ahead of its publication in the peer-reviewed journal PNAS on Tuesday.

It says a better way of controlling indoor exposure is to do individual calculations based on variables for that space.

In some cases, the exposure level might be the same at 6 feet as at 60 feet, one of the study authors has said.

Martin Bazant and John Bush, both MIT professors in applies mathematics, developed a formula to estimate how long it would take for a person to hit dangerous levels of exposure from one infected person entering a room.

The calculation is more sophisticated version of the traffic-light system previously proposed by MIT. It takes into account the number of people in the room, the size of the space, what they are doing, whether masks are being worn, and what kind of ventilation is in place.

Using this calculation, it could be that the level of exposure is high in some spaces even if people are more than 6 feet away. It could also be lower than expected.

"The distancing isn't helping you that much, and it's also giving you a false sense of security because you're as safe at 6 feet as you are at 60 feet if you're indoors. Everyone in that space is at roughly the same risk, actually," Bazant told CNBC.

Scientific understanding of how the coronavirus moves in the air has challenged earlier assumptions about how best to adapt to minimize its spread.

At the beginning of the pandemic, it was widely believed that the virus traveled via heavier droplets ejected during exhalation, sneezing, or speaking.

But evidence has long suggested that the virus instead floats around on lighter aerosol droplets that can stay suspended in the air and travel much farther than first thought.

In their calculation, the MIT researchers took into account the effect of having people in the room, and their behavior, on how long the virus would stay suspended in the air.

In a calm environment, these particles would slowly drift to the ground, the researchers said in their study.

But in an environment in which the air is moving around the room and people are talking, eating, singing, and sneezing, the drops can be suspended in the airflow and mixed throughout the room longer.

The effect can be counteracted by ventilation or filtration to get the virus particles out of circulation in the room.

A website made available by the researchers shows how this model works in different scenarios.

For example, if an infected person walks into a classroom hosting 25 people, none wearing masks and all speaking, everyone would be at risk from the coronavirus within 36 minutes, the website says. It doesn't matter if they follow the 6-foot rule.

By contrast, if all 25 people in that room were wearing a mask, the air would be safe to breathe for 20 hours, it said.

If they were all singing without a mask, they be at risk from the virus within three minutes.

Public-health bodies have started to acknowledge that the 6-foot rule is not a catchall. In March, the CDC advised that the 6-foot rule could be brought down to 3 feet in K-12 schools.

This weekend, the CDC also updated social-distancing guidance for children in summer camps, saying they can be within 3 feet of one another except when eating or drinking.

It also suggested that disinfection of surfaces might not be necessary in public spaces, urging an end to what some have called "hygiene theater."

As for rules dictating social distancing outdoors, Bazant said they are "kind of crazy," CNBC reported. The infected air "would be swept away," Bazant said, making the rule irrelevant.

Unless the space outdoors is crowded, Bazant said, he would feel comfortable being as close as 3 feet even without masks.

Experts have told Insider that when it is possible to stay more than 6 feet away from people, wearing a mask outside is not always necessary.
Read the original article on Business Insider

Call for new approach to end silence over miscarriage

By Katie Hunt, CNN 4/27/2021

Miscarriages are common. Some 23 million pregnancies worldwide end in miscarriage every year -- that's 15% of all pregnancies or 44 each minute, according to new estimates published in The Lancet medical journal on Monday.

© Getty Images A new system that provides women suffering miscarriage with physical and mental health support is needed, found new research published in The Lancet medical journal.

However, existing care and support for women and couples is "inconsistent and poorly organized" and amounts to little more than patients being told to "just try again," said the authors of three new studies on the causes, treatment and scale of miscarriage around the world. A new system is needed to ensure miscarriages are better recognized by health care practitioners and women are given the physical and mental health support they need, the researchers said.

"Many womn have concerns over the unsympathetic care they receive following a miscarriage -- with some not being offered any explanation, and the only advice they receive being to try again. This is not good enough, and we must ensure women are properly supported," Siobhan Quenby, a professor of obstetrics at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, said in a news statement. Quenby is also deputy director of Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research and was one of 31 experts who authored the three studies.

The actual number of cases is likely "considerably higher," as many miscarriages are managed at home and go unreported or they are undetected. However, the research said recurrent miscarriages are much less common, with 2% of women having experienced two miscarriages and less than 1% of women having three or more, according to a review of published scientific literature.

While definitions of miscarriage vary, it's generally defined as the loss of a pregnancy before viability, the authors said.

Misconceptions about pregnancy loss

Miscarriage is often misunderstood by women, men and health care professionals -- and misconceptions persist.

For example, the authors said, women might believe it's rare -- when it affects one in 10 women across their lifetime -- that there are no effective treatments, and that it could be caused by lifting heavy objects or previous contraceptive use. These misconceptions often prevent women from seeking help.

And when women do seek help, they often need to attend many clinics to find a cause for miscarriage, and there is rarely one place that can address all their needs, according to the research. Patients are often treated by multiple practitioners, who frequently give conflicting advice. This can add to women's distress as they process the loss.

An editorial published by The Lancet alongside the research said that for too long, miscarriage had been "minimized and often dismissed."

"The lack of medical progress should be shocking. Instead, there is a pervasive acceptance," the editorial said.

Recently, celebrities like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Chrissy Teigen have helped chip away at the long-standing culture of silence around miscarriage and baby loss by sharing their own stories.

"Miscarriage causes devastation to large numbers of couples in every country; there is silence around miscarriage from women and their partners, health-care providers, policy makers, and funders," the researchers said.

Given the fragmented system that exists in most countries, the authors proposed a new system of miscarriage care and treatment that they said governments and health care providers should make universally available:

After a first miscarriage, women should have their physical and mental health needs evaluated and be provided with guidance to support future pregnancies.

If a second miscarriage occurs, women should be offered an appointment at a dedicated miscarriage clinic for full blood count and thyroid function tests, as well as a discussion of their risk factors. Women who have had two miscarriages and then get pregnant should be offered extra support and early scans for reassurance.

After three miscarriages, additional tests and treatments should be offered including genetic testing of pregnancy tissue, as well as pelvic ultrasound and, if necessary, parental genetic testing.

Study coauthor Chandrika N. Wijeyaratne, a senior professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, said in a statement that there needs to be a minimum service available globally for women who have had recurrent miscarriages.

"Women -- and sometimes their partners -- who do not have children face discrimination, stigma, and ostracism in many cultures worldwide, but miscarriage prevention remains a low public health priority in many low- and middle-income countries, where there are many competing health care priorities and services for women can be especially limited."


Miscarriage risk factors

The new research highlighted several factors that have been linked with a higher risk of miscarriage.

These include increasing age for both men and women and having a very low or high body mass index. Ethnicity may play a role as well: Black parents were more likely to experience pregnancy loss when compared to White couples. Smoking, drinking alcohol, persistent stress, working night shifts, and exposure to air pollution and pesticides have also been associated with an increased risk in miscarriage.

While there is limited evidence, some treatments including progesterone, a hormone essential to a healthy pregnancy, could help women who experience miscarriages, the research said. However, much more research is needed, including new clinical trials and dedicated research centers with expertise in genetics, developmental and reproductive biology, and data science.

"Not all miscarriages could be avoided, but the insidious implication that miscarriage, like other women's reproductive health issues, including menstrual pain and menopause, should be managed with minimal medical intervention is ideological, not evidence based," said the editorial that accompanied the research.

This new body of research should, it added, "catalyze a major focus on miscarriage for the medical research community, for service providers, and for policy makers. The era of telling women to 'just try again' is over."

The doctor behind 'The Vagina Bible' wrote a new book on menopause, and she says she's skeptical of the startups targeting middle-aged women

pyeo@businessinsider.com (Patricia Kelly Yeo) 15 hrs ago

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© Peacock Alley Entertainment Dr. Jen Gunter in 2019. 

Gynecologist Jen Gunter's new book debunks myths about menopause.
Gunter said most startups that are trying to tackle menopause aren't selling anything new.

Her expert advice for those approaching or in menopause: quit smoking, exercise, and eat healthy.

Menopause - medically defined as the stage after a biological female's final menstrual period - is as universal an experience as first starting your period in puberty.

Accompanied by declining levels in sex hormones and eventual loss of fertility, the experience of going through menopause isn't exactly well-depicted in media or commonly spoken about - so Dr. Jen Gunter wrote her second book about it.

"Menopause is puberty in reverse," she writes in "The Menopause Manifesto," set to be published May 25. Unlike pregnancy, menopause will happen in all biological females who live past a certain age, yet few honest, accessible, and women-centered discussions on the reproductive transition exist, Gunter said.

Beyond the loss of period and measured hormonal declines, menopause symptoms can vary widely. Common ones include changes in body temperature, mood, sleep, weight, and sex drive.

Intended to be an inclusive, educational and historical guide to the fertility transition, "The Menopause Manifesto" is Gunter's follow-up to The New York Times-bestselling "The Vagina Bible" published in 2019.

Gunter, a practicing gynecologist in the Bay Area, also dispenses science-backed health advice for women across the board.

Having first spoken out against Goop's controversial jade eggs in 2017, Gunter is a vocal online critic of health misinformation and the many forms misogyny can take within it.

Speaking to Insider, Gunter said she was inspired to write "The Menopause Manifesto" largely due to the negative stereotypes women approaching menopause face around their sexual value and social worth, as well as the lack of easily understandable, de-stigmatized information on the biological transition.

Similar to her first book, it cuts through the misogyny embedded in conventional Western medicine to talk about women's health to debunk myths and provide historical and social context. Her 25 years of clinical experience and her personal experiences with premenopause, the long and varied phase leading up to it, guided its writing as well.

Gunter's focus on aging women is happening at a time when there's been a"menopause product boom," and calls for increased venture funding. Though she said that women over the age of 45 have been "treated like a silent demographic," Gunter expressed skepticism about the increased attention to the estimated $600 billion market.

"If you need calcium, you can take a calcium supplement," she said. "Why do you need one branded for menopause? Is that like a pink tax, plus a menopause tax on top of it?"

Instead, Gunter offered three general health recommendations for those either already in or approaching menopause: quit smoking, exercise, and eat a healthy diet - with plenty of fiber.
Venture-backed menopause startups aren't doing anything new

"The Menopause Manifesto" draws upon dozens of scientific studies evaluating the evidence for different approaches to managing menopause symptoms, most of which are caused by declining levels of the sex hormone estrogen.

One of the first mainstream medical treatments for menopause that might come to mind is hormone replacement therapy. In her book, Gunter rejects the term for its value-laden connotations, preferring to use the term menopausal hormone therapy, or MHT.

"While MHT can be helpful for many people, it really needs to be looked at as one part of the puzzle," Gunter said. "Often the focus seems to be on estrogen, as opposed to the whole experience."

Other approaches beyond MHT and lifestyle recommendations, Gunter found, have little evidence for wellness and alternative health products in treating the symptoms of menopause. In "The Menopause Manifesto," she devotes seven chapters to both medical treatments and unregulated products, including dietary supplements, bioidentical hormones, birth control, and MHT.

Although Gunter said she would need to consider each product on an individual basis, she's wary of slickly marketed products, particularly supplements and other combination products that market themselves as blanket solutions.

"Things claim to be 'ovary support' or 'menopause support,' but that's a medically meaningless term," she said. "Most people don't need to take a supplement."

With the exception of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, the data on efficacy for most menopause-targeted supplements, including popular multivitamins, remains spotty and scarce, according to "The Menopause Manifesto." Despite the billions of dollars consumers pour into the supplement industry, food remains the best way to get micronutrients.

In the last year, she said a handful of startups have pitched her menopause-related ventures, none of which seemed to be different for existing free resources for menopause patients.

"Someone pitched me some app that women would sign up for and pay for with all the guidelines [for menopause]," Gunter said.

"And I'm like, 'The North American Menopause Society has one and it's free! How is your app different from that?' Then there's just a big silence."
Her doctor's advice for managing menopause symptoms is science-backed and likely unsurprising

Menopause symptoms can include hot flashes and brain fog. Gunter pointed to some ways to improve health and well-being during that time.

Gunter's recommendations for people in menopause are simple: quit smoking, strive for the American Heart Association's recommended 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise, and learn how to eat healthier - including hitting the broadly recommended daily 25 grams of fiber.

"The science of nutritional studies is really challenging for a lot of reasons, but the takeaway really is that people need to eat more vegetables," she said.

In addition to getting enough fiber, Gunter added we'd likely all be a little bit better off with trying to eat more plant-based protein and minimizing processed food. More accessible, high fiber, healthy food would improve public health overall, and reduce people's risk of other conditions like hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer.

"I guess what people can benefit from isn't sexy," she added. "Nobody wants to buy a book about the hundred joys of fiber."

Gunter also highlighted adding weight-bearing exercise, since strength training can help mitigate the effects of bone loss and accelerated loss of muscle mass that occurs during menopause.

What works for one person may not work for another, but Gunter is firm in her belief we all probably need to move our bodies more - a message that's often lost in Instagram-friendly advertising for women's health products.

"If health and wellness is something that appeals to you - exercising and learning how to eat better and prepare meals is good, but there isn't a specific pillow or bed sheet or supplement that's going to help with menopause," she said.

 Ontario’s failed plan for paid sick leave falls flat 

REAL FAKE NEWS
NY Post Reporter Resigns, Says She Was 'Ordered to Write' False Kamala Harris Story

J. Clara Chan

THEWRAP

4/27/2021

© TheWrap New York Post Kamala Harris cover

The Post's Laura Italiano says the article about Harris' book was her "breaking point"

A New York Post reporter who wrote a since-retracted article about migrant children getting a copy of Vice President Kamala Harris' book as part of "welcome kits" said she resigned on Tuesday after she was "ordered to write" the story.

"Today I handed in my resignation to my editors at the New York Post," reporter Laura Italiano tweeted. "The Kamala Harris story — an incorrect story I was ordered to write and which I failed to push back hard enough against — was my breaking point."

Video: Right wing falls for bogus story about Kamala Harris (MSNBC)
Duration 2:40

A spokesperson for the Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fox News Walks Back Report That Kamala Harris' Book Was Given to Migrant Kids (Video)

The story originally was published last Friday, promoted on the Post's Saturday front page and amplified by Fox News and prominent Republicans like RNC chair Ronna McDaniel and Sen. Tom Cotton. But according to fact-checking from other outlets, including The Washington Post, Harris' book, "Superheroes Are Everywhere" has not been handed out to children as part of "welcome kits" at a shelter in Long Beach, California. One single copy of the book was donated during a donation drive, Long Beach officials told The Washington Post.

On Monday, the incorrect New York Post piece was taken offline briefly before a heavily edited version was reposted with an editor's note that read, "The original version of this article said migrant kids were getting Harris' book in a welcome kit, but has been updated to note that only one known copy of the book was given to a child."

Undocumented workers in B.C. worry COVID-19 vaccine could get them deported

Duration: 02:10 

4/27/2021

Many undocumented workers in British Columbia are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine over concerns that if their status is revealed at a vaccination clinic, they could be deported.

CANADA

Parliamentary report calls for ‘coercive control’ to become crime
Duration: 02:01

 cbc.ca

 4/27/2021
A parliamentary report and an aligning private member’s bill calls for "coercive control" to be added to the criminal code.

Six Nations elected chief endorses building moratorium, calls for unity with Confederacy ahead of hearing on land claims

Six Nations Elected Chief Mark Hill has signalled his support for the development moratorium within the Haldimand Tract declared by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council last week.

“We reiterate and acknowledge their call for the moratorium,” Hill said, noting the elected council’s “major” land claims lawsuit against the federal government is scheduled to be heard in court late next year.

“It would not be responsible to allow continued development in an uncertain legal environment,” Hill said. “The government of Canada owes Six Nations potentially in the trillions of dollars in relation to our lands.”

Hill made the comments during a virtual press conference on Monday while discussing the importance of finding common ground with the Confederacy on issues such as clean drinking water on the reserve, new long-term and palliative-care facilities, and the need for a permanent home for Kawenni:io Language School, which has been without a fixed address for its 30-plus-year history.

The Confederacy — made up of hereditary chiefs and clan mothers — announced any developers wishing to build along the Grand River need to first go through a consultation with the Confederacy’s development arm, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute.

“In terms of the (consultation) process, we need to make sure the people are part of that process as well, and what that looks like,” Hill said.

“We need to all be held accountable for our actions, and again, be accountable to our people.”

The federal government has said the elected and hereditary leadership — often at loggerheads over who is the legitimate authority on Six Nations — must smooth over their long-standing differences before negotiations can begin over the future of 1492 Land Back Lane, a planned Caledonia housing development presently occupied by Six Nations land defenders.

“We have to develop that road map together in order to get to unity,” said Hill, who characterized recent talks between the two councils as “optimistic.”

“Our people have said over and over again that they would like to see the two bodies work together,” he said.

“What that looks like is the big question.”

The chief said one positive to come out of the pandemic was how representatives from both councils collaborated on public health measures.

“We’ve come together on this issue, and it’s that beauty of when our people do come together, we can really flourish,” he said, expressing hope the two councils can join forces “and once and for all address our long-standing land issues.”

“We have to make sure that we’re keeping Ontario and Canada accountable, because this is very much part of their issue as well,” Hill said.

J.P. Antonacci, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M CHARTER SCHOOLS
Former Obama White House adviser arrested for allegedly stealing over $200,000 from charter schools he founded

By Sonia Moghe, CNN 

© C-SPAN/FILE Seth Andrew speaks about charter schools on C-SPAN in 2017

A former White House senior adviser for the Obama administration who helped found a network of charter schools is accused of allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the schools and attempting to launder the funds in order to get a lower interest rate on a mortgage for a Manhattan apartment, according to federal prosecutors.

Seth Andrew was charged by prosecutors in the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York with wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to a bank.

Prosecutors say Andrew helped create a network of charter schools based in New York City in 2005, and left the network in 2013 for a job at the US Department of Education, and later became a senior adviser in the Office of Educational Technology at the White House, where he continued to be paid by the charter school network. Prosecutors say Andrew left his role in the White House in November 2016 and cut ties with the school network in January 2017.

Andrew was taken into custody Tuesday in Manhattan and released on a personal recognizance bond after an initial appearance, SDNY spokesman James Margolin said. Andrew's attorney, Michael Yaeger, said Andrew will plead not guilty and is reviewing the government's case. No plea was entered Tuesday, Margolin said.

Andrew was the founder of Democracy Prep Public Schools, a network of more than 20 public charter schools from Harlem to Washington, DC, according to an email sent to Democracy Prep families and alumni Tuesday morning that was released to CNN.

CEO Natasha Trivers said that Democracy Prep alerted the appropriate authorities once it learned about the unauthorized withdrawals.

"Seth left our network in 2013. His alleged actions are a profound betrayal of all that we stand for and to you and your children, the scholars and families that we serve," Trivers' email said. "To be clear, at no time did the alleged crimes pose any risk to our students, staff or operations in any way."

Trivers also added that the activity did not have "any adverse effect on our scholars or the functioning of our schools" and that the school system has since instituted financial safeguards, which lead to the discovery of the withdrawals.

According to a criminal complaint filed on April 20 and unsealed Tuesday, prosecutors allege that between March and August of 2019, Andrew used his former association with the network of schools to allegedly steal $218,005 of the school's reserve money by using his email address affiliated with the schools to email a bank employee and convince them that he was still associated with the school, which he was not.

The complaint states that after allegedly stealing the school network's money, Andrew "attempted to conceal the source of the stolen funds ... and make it appear that the stolen funds belonged to a non-profit organization that Andrew founded, and currently appears to control."

Prosecutors allege Andrew misrepresented that he "lawfully controlled" the money in order to obtain a discounted mortgage interest rate to buy an apartment in Manhattan.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Sustainable engineers Kenoteq are reinventing the brick

Rebecca Cairns, CNN 

4/27/2021


Although we're surrounded by millions of them every day, most of us don't think about bricks too often. For thousands of years, the humble clay-fired brick hasn't changed. The building blocks of modern suburban homes would be familiar to the city planners of ancient Babylon, the bricklayers of the Great Wall of China, or the builders of Moscow's Saint Basil's Cathedral.

© Kenoteq Gabriela Medero, co-founder of Kenoteq, came up with the idea for the K-Briq over a decade ago.

But the brick as we know it causes significant environmental problems, by using up raw, finite materials and creating carbon emissions. That's why Gabriela Medero, a professor of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, decided to reinvent it.

Originally from Brazil, Medero says she was drawn to civil engineering because it gave her passion for maths and physics a practical outlet. As she became aware of the construction industry's sustainability issues, she started looking for solutions. With her university's support, Medero joined forces with fellow engineer Sam Chapman and set up Kenoteq in 2009.

The company's signature product is the K-Briq. Made from more than 90% construction waste, Medero says the K-Briq -- which does not need to be fired in a kiln -- produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks. With the company testing new machinery to start scaling up production, Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.


The problem with bricks

Although they're made from natural materials, there are problems with bricks at every step of their production.

Bricks are made from clay -- a type of soil found all over the world. Clay mining strips the land's fertile topsoil, inhibiting plant growth.

In conventional brick production, the clay is shaped and baked in kilns at temperatures up to 1,250°C (2,280°F). The majority of brick kilns are heated by fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change.

Once made, bricks must be transported to construction sites, generating more carbon emissions.

Globally, 1,500 billion bricks are produced, every year. Laid end-to-end, they would stretch to the moon and back 390 times.

The environmental footprint of different bricks reflects multiple factors including the type of kiln, fuel, and transportation. But with so many produced, their impact adds up, says Medero.

Enter the K-Briq. To make it, construction and demolition waste including bricks, gravel, sand and plasterboard is crushed and mixed with water and a binder. The bricks are then pressed in customized molds. Tinted with recycled pigments, they can be made in any color.

© Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Images

 A brick kiln in West Sussex, in the south of England.

Earlier this year, Kenoteq won its first commission -- to supply bricks for the Serpentine Pavilion 2020 in London's Hyde Park (although the project has been postponed until summer 2021 due to the current pandemic). Designed by architectural studio Counterspace, the building will incorporate K-Briqs in grey, black and 12 shades of pink. The Pavilion's lead architect, Sumayya Vally, says that as a recycled product, the K-Briq appealed to her. It "embodies" the past through its use of old materials, she says, adding that because the bricks can be customized, they allow "the designer to be a part of the construction process of the material," creating unique opportunities in architecture.


Why can't old bricks be re-used?

In the UK, around 2.5 billion new bricks are used in construction every year -- and about the same number of old bricks are demolished. A seemingly simple solution to the brick production problem would be to re-use old bricks.

© Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images A clay quarry in Andalusia, Spain

But it's not that straightforward. According to Bob Geldermans, a climate design and sustainability researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, reclaiming bricks is an expensive and "labor-intensive process."

According to the UK's Brick Development Association, old brick structures need to be carefully dismantled and the bricks cleaned of mortar with hammers and chisels. Reclaimed bricks are used to help renovate historic buildings or for other specialized projects but for mass construction, the process is too costly.

An additional barrier is that there's no standardized way to check the strength, safety or durability of reclaimed bricks.

Medero says that K-Briqs could solve both these problems.

According to Medero, the K-Briq will be comparably priced to conventional bricks. Additionally, as a new product, the K-Briq has been subjected to rigorous assessment at the materials testing lab at Heriot-Watt University, and is in the process of being certified by regulators. Medero claims that K-Briqs are stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks, and provide better insulation, too.

Scaling up

Kenoteq currently operates one workshop in Edinburgh, which can produce three million K-Briqs a year. Medero is looking at scaling up -- but it's hard to create a revolution in construction.

Geldermans says that the industry is notoriously slow to change -- adding that legislation often lags far behind innovation, so construction companies are not incentivized to adopt sustainable practices and materials.

Stephen Boyle is the program manager for construction at non-profit Zero Waste Scotland which, along with organizations including Scottish Enterprise and the Royal Academy of Engineering, has provided Kenoteq with funding. He attributes the industry's conservatism to a "chicken and egg" situation. Innovative startups need large contracts to allow them to scale, he says, but struggle to become competitive without a large operation already in place.

But despite the challenges, Kenoteq is far from being the only company trying to make construction more sustainable. Other innovators include Qube, an India-based startup creating bricks out of plastic waste, and the ClickBrick which eliminates the use of cement through modular stacking (think real-life Lego).

There are signs of change. In Scotland, the government is reviewing a circular economy bill which encourages businesses to think creatively and economically about how they reuse and recycle materials. Boyle says that there are "contractors who would use [K-Briqs] tomorrow," if they were being produced on a large scale.

Over the next 18 months, Medero plans to get K-Briq machinery on-site at recycling plants. This will increase production while reducing transport-related emissions, she says, because trucks can collect K-Briqs when they drop off construction waste. "We need to have ways of building sustainably, with affordable, good quality materials that will last."

3 SLIDES © Kenoteq

Gabriela Medero and Sam Chapman, co-founders of Kenoteq, say they have created a sustainable alternative to traditional fired clay bricks.

China to report first population decline since 1949 despite relaxing one-child policy

Financial Times 4/27/2021


China is set to report its first population decline since records began in 1949 despite the relaxation of the government’s strict family planning policies, which was meant to reverse the falling birth rate of the world’s most populous country.

© Provided by National Post China’s birth rates have weakened even after Beijing relaxed its decades-long family planning policy in 2015, allowing couples to have two children instead of one.

The latest Chinese census, which was completed in December but has yet to be made public, is expected to report the total population of the country at less than 1.4 billion, according to people familiar with the research. In 2019, China’s population was reported to have exceeded the 1.4 billion mark.

Trade minister dodges questions on whether Canada has curbed potential forced-labour imports from China

The people cautioned, however, that the figure was considered very sensitive and would not be released until multiple government departments had reached a consensus on the data and its implications.

“The census results will have a huge impact on how the Chinese people see their country and how various government departments work,” said Huang Wenzheng, a fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think-tank. “They need to be handled very carefully.”

The government was scheduled to release the census in early April. Liu Aihua, a spokesperson at the National Bureau of Statistics, said on April 16 that the delay was partly due to the need for “more preparation work” ahead of the official announcement. The delay has been widely criticised on social media.

Local officials have also braced for the data’s release. Chen Longgan, deputy director of Anhui province’s statistics bureau, said in a meeting this month that officials should “set the agenda” for census interpretation and “pay close attention to public reaction”.

Analysts said a decline would suggest that China’s population could peak earlier than official projections and could soon be exceeded by India’s, which is estimated at 1.38 billion. That could take an extensive toll on the world’s second-largest economy, affecting everything from consumption to care for the elderly.

“The pace and scale of China’s demographic crisis are faster and bigger than we imagined,” said Huang. “That could have a disastrous impact on the country.”

China’s birth rates have weakened even after Beijing relaxed its decades-long family planning policy in 2015, allowing all couples to have two children instead of one. The population expanded under the one-child policy introduced in the late 1970s, thanks to a bulging population of young people in the aftermath of the Communist revolution as well as increased life expectancy.

Official data showed the number of newborns in China increased in 2016 but then fell for three consecutive years. Officials blamed the decline on a shrinking number of young women and the surging costs of child-rearing.

The real picture could be even worse. In a report published last week, China’s central bank estimated that the total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman was likely to have in her lifetime, was less than 1.5, compared with the official estimate of 1.8.

“It is almost a fact that China has overestimated its birth rate,” the People’s Bank of China said. “The challenges brought about by China’s demographic shift could be bigger [than expected].”

A Beijing-based government adviser who declined to be identified said such overestimates stemmed in part from the fiscal system’s use of population figures to determine budgets, including for education and public security.

“There is an incentive for local governments to play up their [population] numbers so they can get more resources,” the person said.

The situation has led to calls for a radical overhaul of China’s birth control rules. The PBoC report suggested the government should “completely” abandon its “wait-and-see attitude” and scrap family planning entirely.

“Policy relaxations will be of little use when no one wants to have [more children],” the paper said.

TOPICS FOR YOU

Credit Suisse must face lawsuit over U.S. 'volatility' crash

By Jonathan Stempel 

4/27/2021

© Reuters/ARND WIEGMANN FILE PHOTO: Logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse is seen in Zurich

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit accusing Credit Suisse Group AG of causing huge losses by defrauding investors in a complex product for betting on stock market swings that lost 96% of its value in a single day.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said investors could try to prove Credit Suisse intended to collapse the market for its VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short-Term Exchange-Traded Notes ("XIV Notes") through just 15 minutes of its own trading of futures contracts.

Set Capital LLC and other investors in the proposed class action claimed they lost $1.8 billion, while the Swiss bank reaped at least $475 million in profit at their expense.

The 3-0 decision adds to problems facing Credit Suisse, which recently lost $4.7 billion when the hedge fund Archegos Capital Management collapsed, and has been sued over its ties to Archegos and another client, the failed supply chain financier Greensill Capital.

XIV notes imploded on Feb. 5, 2018, when the Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 4.1% and unexpected market turbulence punished investors betting on low volatility.

Circuit Judge John Walker said investors could pursue claims that Credit Suisse manipulated the market for the notes while downplaying the risks in offering documents.

"The complaint plausibly alleges both motive and opportunity to commit a manipulative act, as well as strong circumstantial evidence of conscious misbehavior or recklessness," he wrote.

Credit Suisse spokeswoman Candice Sun declined to comment.

Michael Eisenkraft, the investors' lawyer, said: "We look forward to prosecuting these claims vigorously."

The price of XIV notes plunged as low as $4.22 from $108.37 during the collapse. Credit Suisse later redeemed them at $5.99 each.

When dismissing the case in September 2019, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan adopted a magistrate judge's findings that Credit Suisse had simply taken advantage of market conditions, and was not trying to defraud investors.

The appeals court returned the case to Torres.

The case is Set Capital LLC et al v Credit Suisse Group AG et al, 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 19-3466.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

DC police officer: 'It's been very difficult' seeing elected officials trying to whitewash brutal insurrection

By Paul LeBlanc and Caroline Kelly,

 CNN 4/27/2021


A DC Metropolitan Police officer who was brutally assaulted while defending the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection said Tuesday evening that it's been difficult to watch some elected officials and others "whitewash" the episode in its aftermath.

© Brent Stirton/Getty Images Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Michael Fanone, who was stun-gunned several times and beaten with a flagpole during the attack, told CNN's Don Lemon on "CNN Tonight" that "some of the terminology that was used, like 'hugs and kisses,' and 'very fine people,' is like very different from what I experienced and what my co-workers experienced on the 6th."

Though Fanone didn't name Donald Trump specifically, the former President falsely claimed in an interview with Fox News last month that the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol behaved properly with law enforcement and there was "zero threat" to the building.

Trump also claimed that some of the rioters "went in, and they are hugging and kissing the police and the guards."

His false account conflicts with reams of video evidence of the violence that broke out on January 6, criminal charges filed against participants, law enforcement officials' testimony, police officers' accounts of the violence and lawmakers' descriptions of the fear they experienced that day.

Fanone suffered a heart attack and a concussion during the insurrection and is now dealing with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I experienced the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life," he said Tuesday. "Let alone my policing career, which spans almost two decades. It was nothing that I had ever thought would be a part of my law enforcement career, nor was I prepared to experience."

Federal prosecutors have filed charges against Thomas Sibick, who allegedly participated in the assault of Fanone. Prosecutors said Sibick was seen in police body-camera footage assaulting Fanone while he lay on the ground outside the Capitol during the riot.

During the brawl outside the Capitol, Sibick allegedly grabbed Fanone's badge and radio, and he later posted a photo of himself holding a police shield on Facebook, court filings say.

"I want people to understand the significance of January 6," Fanone said Tuesday. "I want people to understand that thousands of rioters came to the Capitol hell-bent on violence and destruction and murder."