He went viral in an awkward campaign video that featured him repeatedly saying hi with an emotionless, thousand-yard stare at famous spots in his constituency. He twerked merrily on Dancing with the Stars wearing neon Lycra. He once proclaimed with unintentional double entendre in a news interview about national flags, that the French, for instance, love the coq.

That was the old David Seymour. The New Zealand lawmaker is the leader and sole member of parliament for ACT a minor, libertarian party that has at times in its history been plagued by the inadvertent comedy of its eccentric members. The 37-year-old wears a sober suit and a quiet, serious demeanour when he meets the Guardian at his parliamentary office in Wellington.

The new David Seymour dialled down the antics two years ago, quit alcohol he lost 14kg (I was 18% beer! he says) and gained about an hour a day and emerged as the serious public policy nerd he claims to have been all along.

It could pay off: in the latest Colmar Brunton poll ahead of Septembers election, the ACT party polled at close to 5%, reaching the threshold that would allow five other members to join Seymour in parliament and make them a stronger prospect for a coalition deal with the main opposition, the centre-right National party (which is still lagging in the polls).

ACT has always had a much more expansive public policy agenda than usually voters were frankly interested in, he says. Ive always thought that theres too much politics and not enough policy out there.

His fortunes appear to have changed partly because Seymour took centre stage in his questioning of the Covid-19 strategy of the wildly popular Labour coalition government while National was in disarray over a leadership crisis. And he spearheaded a law change that will legalise voluntary euthanasia, if the majority of New Zealanders vote for it in a referendum in September.

But the change has also, he admits, meant some people dont know what to make of him.

Its the great irony, Seymour says. Until two other New Zealand lawmakers published autobiographies recently, he added, I was the only sitting politician who had written a book or twerked on TV. So theres a paradox there, right?

The earlier stunts were necessary because its really fucking hard to get people to know who you are, he says. Two months before the 2014 election, when he first stood in the wealthy Auckland constituency of Epsom, he had personally knocked on 7,000 doors, commissioned enormous billboards, and written to every home three times.

A focus group revealed that three in 20 people knew who he was. He won the seat because of a long-time deal between ACT and National.

Now, 77% of his electorate knows hes their MP, Seymour says.

He knows well the criticism from his detractors: he has the least to do of any lawmaker in parliament; he was handed his seat on a platter; he is a racist, or at least courts racists; his free market policies reveal an empathy deficit.

None of that, he says, is true, but the suggestion he was gifted a seat seems to gall him the most. Voters in his wealthy electorate among them captains of industry dont vote on command, he says, and if National pulled their support for him tomorrow, he would still win.

I work harder than most local MPs and people acknowledge that, he adds. Its so annoying.

Seymour has no life, he tells the Guardian. Years ago he built his own sports car, with which he once fatally hit a constituents cat (they are still angry at him about it, even though Seymour donated, in Jethros honour, to animal charity the SPCA), and rides an e-bike. But he cannot name a hobby beyond dinner with friends because he works every weekend.

The work has put paid to a series of relationships and he is currently single. There are two-and-a-half million women in this country and none of them are that desperate, he adds, with a flash of the old, quirkily-awkward Seymour.

In keeping with his libertarian principles, he opposes on free speech grounds the hate speech laws proposed by the government. A cartoonist once portrayed him being kissed by Hitler and David Duke.

But he does not relish an American-style polarisation of debate, he says, and worries the country is losing its local flavour to public disagreement. We are just importing so much of our narrative, he adds.

Seymour has sympathy for people who are minorities he says (he considers himself a minority because of his political position; he also has Mori heritage). Its not that I dont get it.

People who hate others for their race or religion are small-minded and stupid, he adds. But I do think the world is getting better.

When it comes to hate speech laws, however, adjudicators are always highly politicised, he says, and the remedy is worse than the cure.

Seymour enjoys a cult youth following online (some of it perhaps ironic, a hangover from his old persona); the televised twerking led to invitations to speak at schools about the importance of being yourself.

I am a bit quirky and I dont really care what people think and Im still quite successful, he says. Thats quite powerful for anxious kids.

The politician who grew up in the city of Whngarei, in New Zealands north, and studied electrical engineering after boarding school says he can retire from politics once the ACT party is bigger than just him.

At this election, he says, National is the only party he could conceivably support in power but the centre-right group and Labour are no different, he says, and he would like to build a consensus so the ACT could, in future, support either side in government.

Meanwhile, hes urging an open discussion about Covid-19; most people want to keep the country locked down but he favours travel bubbles for relatively safe countries. The government should partner with the private sector to augment the countrys public health response and exploit economic opportunities.

He also wants reduced debt, regulatory reform, and prizes his past achievements in support of charter schools. So far, so libertarian; he was the only MP out of 120 to vote against prime minister Jacinda Arderns gun reforms after the Christchurch terrorist attack.

But he is campaigning, too, on home ownership for lower-income people, and reducing the flights lawmakers make to parliament (he believes in change to avert the climate crisis if it can be done costlessly).

As for the empathy deficit, Seymour cites his work on the voluntary euthanasia law, and the connections he has built with the terminally ill, as proof to the contrary. All my friends are dying, he says.

I certainly want to be a good person and make people happy, he adds, but he doesnt always click as quickly with people as others do.

But lets face it, Im an electrical engineer. So all these people who are really empathic, why dont we do some maths and see how you go?

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ACT's David Seymour: 'I dont really care what people think and Im still quite successful' - The Guardian

Nick Cave has opened up about how he deals with writers block in the latest instalment of his Red Hand Letters page.

In his latest letter, Cave explains how he deals with writers block when writing song lyrics.Cave explains that such block can feel extraordinarily desperate for a songwriter but that in time, they emerge, leaping free of the unknown.

Cave said: In my experience, lyrics are almost always seemingly just not coming. This is the tearful ground zero of song writing at least for some of us. This lack of motion, this sense of suspended powerlessness, can feel extraordinarily desperate for a songwriter.

But the thing you must hold on to through these difficult periods, as hard as it may be, is this when somethings not coming, its coming. It took me many years to learn this, and to this day I have trouble remembering it.

Nick Cave (Picture: Getty)

He continued: The idea of lyrics not coming is basically a category error. What we are talking about is not a period of not coming but a period of not arriving. The lyrics are always coming. They are always pending. They are always on their way toward us.

But often they must journey a great distance and over vast stretches of time to get there. They advance through the rugged terrains of lived experience, battling to arrive at the end of our pen.

Cave went on to reassure his fan not to lose heart if the lyrics struggle to arrive.

He said: Our task is both simple and extremely difficult. Our task is to remain patient and vigilant and to not lose heart for we are the destination.

We are the portals from which the idea explodes, forced forth by its yearning to arrive. We are the revelators, the living instruments through which the idea announces itself the flourishing and the blooming but we are also the waiting and the wondering and the worrying. We are all of these things we are the songwriters.

You can see the full letter here.

Last month, Cave performed a virtual gig at Londons Alexandra Palace.

In a five star review of the show,NMEsaid: Bearing a title bleak even for such a prince of darkness, new song Euthanasia slots in gracefully to the deeply emotive 21-song set.I look for you underneath the damp earth / I look for you in the night sky, croons Cave, grief-stricken. But there is hope here too and an eventual feeling of acceptance, of coming-to-terms with it all

Finishing with a stark but lovely Galleon Ship the only full song to be taken from 2019s harrowing Ghosteen tonight Cave stands and silently trots off towards a shaft of light coming in through an open door. He might still be alone, but after a performance like that, were with him all the way.

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Nick Cave opens up about writers block in new Red Hand Files letter - NME

LIFE EVENTSBy Karolina Waclawiak

Do you know how to euthanize a bird? If not, you will just a few pages into Life Events, Karolina Waclawiaks astute and distressing new novel.

Technically, euthanizing a bird isnt that hard. All you need to do is make a concoction of simple syrup, a crushed anti-inflammatory pill and a crushed anti-anxiety pill, and administer it via an eyedropper. But as the protagonist, Evelyn, discovers, the agony was in the waiting. She has to sit by him for hours, watching him die after dropping the mixture onto his tongue, hoping he would take the sip that would finally dull his pain.

We meet Evelyn at 37, aimless, jobless, in the last stages of her dying marriage and consumed with grief over her parents impending death. Its in this state that she notices a hummingbird in distress on the patio of her Los Angeles apartment, and resolves to put it out of its misery.

A few weeks later, Evelyn enrolls in a program for so-called death doulas, or people who come to patients homes to prepare them for euthanasia and be with them until the end. The narrative follows her training and then her work with three very different patients. Evelyn approaches the job with true devotion, but she fails at detachment a requirement in this position. Evelyn is too present, too involved, too reckless to the point of having to seek a Plan B pill after an encounter with one of the patients.

The job wouldve been unbearable if not for the alcohol and anti-anxiety pills that Evelyn takes to dull her own pain. Waclawiak accomplishes a brilliant feat here, creating an atmosphere of almost palpable, effortful dullness that presides over the entire novel. With so much opportunity for raw emotion, the author seems to avoid it at all cost, going for exceptional clarity instead.

In the absence of any real emotional attachment to the characters, the reader is forced instead to engage intellectually, to actually face the tough questions about our own inevitable death.

In the novel, the death doulas have to make sure that their patients make an informed decision rather than an emotional one; so as part of their training, they have to fill out the same questionnaires they give to their patients. In these passages the reader cant help pausing and applying the questions to herself. One of the toughest questions asks what degree of livelihood constitutes a life worth living, on a scale from 100 percent (full health) to 0 percent (death). By 60 percent, mobility was reduced and disease was significant, Evelyn explains with clinical matter-of-factness. Consciousness could waver between full, drowsy and confused.

Imagining yourself functioning at 60 percent is scary enough, but its fully terrifying to think what will happen to you at 30 percent or below. An easier option would be to just keep your head in the sand and not think about death at all. And this is exactly what a majority of Americans are doing.

The health crisis we are living through has exposed many uncomfortable truths about our collective state of denial. Most people have reacted to the threat of Covid-19 as if this were the only possible cause of death, as if theyd never before fully considered their mortality. Tallying the pandemics daily fatalities with fanatical persistence, these individuals and public health officials are ignoring all the other deaths, praying for a vaccine that will allow them to finally relax, as if the prevention of one specific disease could render one immortal.

And even before Covid-19, our medical and cultural institutions would put so much effort into defeating death, which actually means prolonging life by just weeks or days at the cost of horrible suffering. Meanwhile, so little effort is put into helping patients accept their eventual death, effectively encouraging them to ignore mortality.

Waclawiaks Life Events provides a powerful argument against that attitude. The novel offers you a hand, gently helping you pull your head out of the sand to accept the inevitable.

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You Cant Avoid Death, but You Can Make It Easier - The New York Times

San Antonio Pets Alive! has taken in two dogs whose owner has died of COVID-19.

SAN ANTONIO San Antonio Pets Alive! is helping two furry family members move on after their owner died from the novel coronavirus, showing that it isn't just human relatives who are affected by loss during the pandemic.

Jase, a terrier mix, and Bentley, a purebred boxer, are going through a crisis.

Without their beloved owner, they were in need of a place to stay," said Olivia Schneider, SAPA! marketing and development director.

Theyve gone through so much. Its been a traumatic experience for these sweet animals to hope for their owner to come home that they love so much, she said.

The shelter took the pair in after the death of their human. Schneider said the shelter, known for focusing its efforts on animals at risk for euthanasia, is hard at work staying prepared for these situations.

We dont only just pull animals that are at risk of euthanasia. We also do public intake, Schneider said. Jase and Bentley were two animals that were public intake animals; they didnt come through the city shelter.

She said that the best things pet owners can do for their animals is take care of themselves so they can be there to take care of their animals. But, should the worst happen, SAPA! is prepared to step in and help displaced animals.

Especially in COVID-19, weve greatly shifted and adapted our operations, Schneider said. As always, were here to save lives in whatever way we possibly can.

Schneider, meanwhile, is also encouraging people to have a plan in place for their pets should something happen to them during the pandemic.

Make sure that, if you do fall ill, that someone can come and take care of your animals, and you do have almost a succession plan, she said. If you do pass away or youre unable to take care of them, (make sure) that those animals have a safe place to go.

Being together has been a comfort to Bentley and Jase, but Schneider says getting them into new homes is a top priority, even if that means they have to say goodbye.

"To be in a different place now, but still together, it would be really meaningful. But at the end of the day, we have to do whats best for Bentley and Jase, and thats getting them adopted.

San Antonio Pets Alive! assessed the dogs' medical needs when they arrived and found that Bentley was positive for heartworm, which can lead to serious complications. Jase appears to be healthy.

Anyone hoping to help with the animals medical bills can visit http://www.sanantoniopetsalive.org/medical.

People looking to adopt an animal can click here to begin filling out an application.

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Why it's important to have a plan for your pets during the pandemic - KENS5.com

1. Emma Green: The Anti-Abortion-Rights Movement Prepares to Build a Post-Roe World

Bachelder agreed to financially back an SBA List test program in Georgia called PLANthe Pregnancy and Life Assistance Networkthat would compile and publicize resources already available to women dealing with unplanned pregnancies, modeled after a version of the program in Northern Virginia. In theory, its an ambitious effort to find common ground between hard-core anti-abortion-rights activists and people who want to help pregnant women but may not be convinced that abortion should be completely banned.

2. The Jewish Case Against Abortion

Whatever few differences there are between Jewish morality and Christian morality, the issue of abortion is not one of them. That is why the NCJW statement is a great distortion of both Judaism and Christianity. Indeed, those Jews and those Christians who endorse abortion have been overly influenced by a secularist culture that is in principle hostile to the morality taught by both these great, often overlapping, traditions. On questions like abortion and euthanasia, it is what the late Pope John Paul II called a culture of death.

3. Kristen Day & Xavier Bisits: The Democrats Biden Doesnt Want

The Democrats of 2020 will barely give a thought to policies that make it easier for women to choose life, such as government-funded hospital care for women giving birth, or palliative care for infants with prenatal diagnoses. Such policies, previously central to Democratic values, violate the core tenet that abortion is normal.

4. BBC: Beirut Explosion

Whats really noticeable as you walk the streets here is that every second person seems to have a broom in their hand. There are clear-up teams everywhere, but its pretty low tech: tiny teams of people with pans and brushes to clean up an entire citys devastation.

5. Michael Gerson: Covid-19 threatens to overwhelm the developing world

Across Africa, health systems are already fragile. Covid-19 is like a battering ram against a paper wall. In crowded slums, the exhortation to socially distance is a cruel joke. And most African countries are already dealing with an assortment of deadly infectious diseases that are infinitely complicated by the addition of a new one.

6. Steven D. Mosher: Catholicism a Casualty of Chinas New Cultural Revolution

It is not merely that the CCP is suspicious of, or even hostile to, religious faith in China, although it is certainly both. Rather, it is the case that the party conceives of itself as a secular religion and is determined to impose that religion on the people of China by deploying all of the considerable resources that a hi-tech, one-party dictatorship has at its disposal. This is the environment in which Catholic bishops, priests and laity are forced to operate in todays China. It is an environment of constant propaganda, surveillance and intrusion by hostile agents of the state.

7. Stephen P. White: Waiting for the McCarrick Report

The longer the McCarrick report is delayed, the longer the open wound of distrust between the flock and the shepherds will fester.

This distrust, by the way, is damaging to the faithful and to the Church as a whole. It is also damaging to those whose names have been tainted by their proximity to McCarrick men who, if they are innocent of wrongdoing, deserve to have their names cleared.

8. Crux: Pope says fighting clerical abuse fosters deeper respect for life

Fighting abuse [means] fostering and empowering communities so that they are capable of keeping watch and announcing that all life deserves to be respected and valued, especially that of the most defenseless who do not have the resources to make their voice heard, Francis wrote.

9. We need to talk about what school closures mean for kids with disabilities

For a lot of families of kids with disabilities, virtual learning this spring meant nothing, Maria Hernandez, executive director of the nonprofit VELA, which helps parents in the Austin, Texas, area navigate special education for their kids, told Vox. It meant one phone call; it meant one packet.

And now, parents worry about a fall with more of the same uncertainty over whether schools will be able to provide from a distance the resources their kids need. At the same time, some students with disabilities also have underlying conditions and complex medical needs that make the physical reopening of schools a frightening prospect.

10. Fr. Wilson D. Miscamble: Mayor Pete at Notre Dame

The Buttigieg appointment illustrates that the universitys leadership has embraced a defective understanding of Notre Dames Catholic mission. Anyone can see that the Church suffers from significant challenges in restoring trust after the failure to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and a properly constructed course on trust, taught by someone with convictions in line with the Catholic faith, could do much good. But that is not what Our Ladys university has chosen to do.

11. Susan Codone: Public Theology Isnt Just for Academics

When I was given an opportunity to speak directly to the church culture that silenced me, I unearthed a deeply held personal theology of traumathat my relationship with God rests upon his grace alone, and that he redemptively rescues and restores me from suffering Ive experienced by the abuse of power.

12. The Washington Post: He asked to play a piano at a store. His performance went viral, and the owner gave him his first piano.

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Twelve Things that Caught My Eye Today: Preparing for a Post-Roe World & More (August 7, 2020) - National Review

Lake Travis Spay & Neuter Advocacy Program launched in the Lake Travis area in July. (Courtesy Lake Travis Spay & Nueter)

With the high number of unaltered pets in our community, one of the most effective ways to reduce the pet population in the Lake Travis area is by spaying or neutering our pets, Phil Storin said in the release.

Through a partnership with Wags Hope & Healing, a Hudson Bend-based animal rescue, LT SNAP offers monthly transportation services to PetPALS, a spay and neuter clinic located in nearby Marble Falls. The service is available for pet owners living within the Lake Travis ISD boundaries for a fee of $30 not including the $95 required for the veterinary procedure, which according to the release can increase a pets lifespan. LT SNAP will meet pet owners at Lake Travis United Methodist Church and accompany the owners dog or cat to the procedure.

More information on the transportation service and registration can be found on the organizations website. 512-971-4676. http://www.laketravissnap.com

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Lake Travis nonprofit works to reduce animal shelter intake and euthanasia numbers - Community Impact Newspaper

Posted: Aug 5, 2020 / 12:11 PM CDT / Updated: Aug 5, 2020 / 12:11 PM CDT

Every week we introduce you to a new pet looking for their forever home in our Central Texas Vet Pet Of The Week segment. Today, we are introducing you to our new fury friend Skye.

Texas Humane Heroes rescued her yesterday and she is officially up for adoption. This sweet girl is one and half years old and were told she is great with other dogs and with kids.

Skye has lots of energy so an active family would be a great fit. She is house trained, and crate trained which is a huge plus!

Find out more about our Pet of the Week and other adoptable pets by clicking HERE.

And help support TXHH by ordering a t-shirt. Proceeds help rescue animals from euthanasia across Texas. Plus, they are very comfortable and SO SOFT.

Their Killeen Adoption Center is hosting their monthly low-cost vaccination clinic on August 8 from 9-11a. No appointments required, but masks are required.

The rest is here:

The Skyes The Limit With Texas Humane Heroes - KXAN.com

CARTERVILLE (WSIL) -- Six animals are up for adoption, and only one cat makes the list, in this edition of Pets of the week.

Bugg is a 4-year-old German Shepherd mix who weighs about 70 pounds.Bugg has left all his puppy nonsense behind him, but he still knows how to have fun. He loves to play and cuddle, and right now he's working on his leash-manners because he doesn't realize how strong he is. You can meet him at the Humane Society of Southern Illinois in Murphysboro.

Corrina was owner surrendered when she was about 4-months-old. She is very friendly and has been raised around kids. Contact the City of Salem Animal Control in Kell to learn more about Corrina.

Roxy is about 4-years and is a Pyrenees/Pitbull mix. She is spayed and needs to be in a home with no small children or other animals. Her adoption fee at Williamson County Animal Control is $85.00.

Sicily is a 1 to 2-year-old Beagle mix who was rescued from an out of state shelter. That shelter was going to euthanize her, but now she has a second chance. She is up for adoption at Jefferson County Animal Control in Mt. Vernon.

Cain and Abel are 3-month-old Lab/Shepherd mixes who were rescued from a kill shelter in Tennesse. Their euthanasia date was set, but luckily a network of rescue groups helped them make it to safety at Saving Grace Canine Boot Camp in Mt. Vernon. The pair is scheduled for neuter and microchip, so they will soon be ready for adoption.

Lola is about 8-years-old and shy at first. She is spayed and housebroke and loves to be with you at all times. Lola is up for adoption at Wayne County Humane Society in Fairfield.

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Pets of the Week: August 6, 2020 - WSIL TV

San Fulgencio City Council just launched an improved service to manage the rescue and adoption of lost and found animals. This includes a no-kill policy for strays.

The city council contracted Anquimar, a company based in the Torre-Pacheco municipality, with managing stray animals within the Valencian region for the next year.

The new service focuses on the collection and handling of stray animals. It provides veterinary services such as microchipping, vaccines, castration, and passports. Photographs of animals within the service will be published on Anquimars website and social media to facilitate collections and adoptions.

We have wanted to fulfill the promise made to the citizens to change this service and guarantee that no type of sacrifice will be carried out except in very extreme cases, due to incurable illness or great suffering of the animal, Ana Mara Villena, Councillor for Animal Welfare, told The Olive Press, Spains leading expatriate newspaper.

Villena added that the town of San Fulgencio supports progressive animal welfare policies. Residents are encouraged to report any stray animals to the local police or the Department of Animal Welfare.

No-kill shelters avoid killing healthy or treatable animals, even when the facility becomes full. Like the shelters in San Fulgencio, many reserve euthanasia for terminally ill or suffering animals as a last resort. Critics of no-kill shelters suggest that this may lead to additional animals living on the street, leading to increased suffering.

According to the Humane Society, an animal welfare nonprofit, adoption is good for the adopters, the adoptee, and the shelters, too. It reduces the number of euthanizations and avoids contributing to puppy farms and other factory-farming style breeding facilities.

Many celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson, Ellen DeGeneres, George, Meghan Markle, and six-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton support shelters and the adopt-dont-shop ethos. Hamilton has adopted two dogs himself, including Roscoe and the late English bulldog Coco, who he saved from euthanasia.

In the U.S., the animal welfare nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society aims to help make the nation entirely no-kill by 2025. The number of euthanized shelter animals has fallen steadily. In 1984, approximately 17 million animals died shelters. As of 2019, that number has fallen to around 733,000.

Originally posted here:

This Spanish Town Just Passed One of the Strictest No-Kill Policies for Stray Animals - LIVEKINDLY

by Zofia WijaszkaAugust 6, 2020

"We're all going to die at some point," says Jason (played by Chris Messina) at some point in She Dies Tomorrow, written and directed by Amy Seimetz (Sun Don't Shine). Those words brought me back to one particular moment of my childhood. It was late evening, and I was already lying down in my bed. The light was on because I refused to sleep in darkness. Suddenly, a horrible feeling came over me, and the few-year-old me started wailing. I ran to my parents, crying my eyes out. They hugged me and looked at me with concern in their eyes. "I'm very afraid of dying," I choked out. I don't remember the rest, or what my parents told me. But Neon's latest release made me think of that moment and every other one when I had a feeling of death creeping behind me. Seimetz makes sure that the audience will think about the film long after and crafts a narrative based around visualizing an eerie sense of anxiety and its contagious impact on others.

When Amy (played by Kate Lyn Sheil) wakes up, she's sure that she's going to die tomorrow. She doesn't mean suicide. She's simply convinced that some unknown force, maybe an accident or a health condition, will kill her. When struggling with the unbearable dread of the end coming, she picks her urn and plans to become a leather jacket after her undeniable end arrives. The feeling of horror escalates, accompanied by stimulating notes of "Le Portail Ouvre" by Mondo Boys. The idea of dying and that paranoia is infectious. Soon, her friend Jane (Jane Adams) feels the same way. Shared fright also attacks Jason (Messina), Susan (Katie Aselton), Craig (Kentucker Audley), and Tilly (Jennifer Kim). The chain reaction wakes the deepest, darkest realms of their anxiety and terror. Conviction about their impending death makes all the characters do things they'd never do before: euthanasia of lovaed one, or riding a monster truck-like vehicle.

Although She Dies Tomorrow takes its time and develops slowly, it eventually transforms into a gratifying display of madness. The first-rate cast chosen by Seimetz gives terrific performances. Their characters and the facts about them are not important only their feelings and emotions. The audience has no idea where Sheil's character works or what she does in her life. We only know one matter: she's dying tomorrow. While slowing spiraling into insanity, the characters' actions hold an odd familiarity, such as Amy gently hugging the surface of the cold wall. Or Jane, telling the doctor (played by Josh Lucas) about locking everything before going to sleep yet still thinking about someone breaking in and brutally raping her. Any viewer can relate to the concerns of these characters and perceive them on a personal level.

Despite the fact that the roles are not fully developed and lack multidimensionality (that, however, is fixed by focusing on the feeling of lunacy and loneliness above all else), the direction is absolutely superb. The movie works loosely as an autobiography, one of the dark chapters of Seimetz's life. The director admitted that while she was dealing with anxiety from the past, she had no idea how it influenced loved ones around her. With the help of a brilliant cast and elements of fiction, she creates a picture that haunts the viewer.

Light and the use of lighting has a very significant place in Seimetz's She Dies Tomorrow. In crucial scenes where paranoia pervades someone's mind, we observe the play of pink, blue, red, and green neon lights on startled facial expressions that give off a mysterious, gloomy atmosphere. Even the scene when the title card appears on the screen maintains that elevated mood, guided by disturbing opera music. While focusing on the main character, Seimetz uses every element around the aforementioned surface of the wall, or the wood floor. All of this works together with the person in a each scene, creating a disturbing whole.

She Dies Tomorrow is a film that proves that words are more powerful than anything else. As we struggle with this global pandemic, this filmmaker offers another consideration - thoughts can be very contagious as well. The film helps envision the way that anxiety and fear can rule someone's life. Sometimes it's invisible while the person feels flames burning inside their body. That's what Seimetz showcases: the anxious feeling of death that paralyzes the characters although we can't see it. Every one of us has had feelings like those portrayed in this. It can hit suddenly. Occasionally it appears when something aches and we think, "oh no, I hope it's nothing serious, I hope it's not going to kill me." The movie left me with this odd feeling for some time. She Dies Tomorrow is an exceptional feast for the eyes and a treat for the mind it's worth viewing.

Zofia's Rating: 4.5 out of 5Follow Zofia on Twitter - @thefilmnerdette

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Review: 'She Dies Tomorrow' is an Eerie Depiction of Dreading Death - First Showing

The Los Angeles Zoo announced Thursday the deaths of African lion pair Hubert and Kalisa.

The Zoo said in a press release that they made the difficult decision to euthanize the 21-year-old partners "due to their declining health and age-related illnesses that diminished their quality of life."

"Hubert and Kalisa lived far past the expected lifespan of African lions, and they inevitably began to suffer from age-related issues. Of course, we did not want them to suffer physically and wanted to do what was best for them," Beth Schaefer, the Zoo's Director of Animal Programs, said.

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"With very heavy hearts that also contain gratitude for having known them, animal care and veterinary health staff came to the consensus that humane euthanasia was in the best interest of their welfare as their quality of life had diminished."

Kalisa was born in 1998 and Hubert in 1999. They met at the Woodland Park Zoo and were moved to the LA Zoo 6 years ago. Hubert fathered 10 cubs throughout his life, and though he and Kalisa never had cubs together, the LA Zoo said in a news release the two were life partners and loyal companions.

"Kalisa and Hubert were often seen sleeping together and grooming one another," Schaefer explained, noting that visitors often commented on the obvious bond between the two lions.

"You cannot think of Hubert without thinking of his companion, Kalisa; theyve been an inseparable couple for years," Alisa Behar, the Zoo's Curator of Mammals added.

The average life expectancy for African lions that live in the wild is in the mid-teens, while it is about 17 years for those in Zoos. CEO & Zoo Director of the LA Zoo, Denise Verret noted that the longevity of Huberts and Kalisas lives is a testament to the expert care of the Zoos veterinary and animal care teams.

"Hubert and Kalisa are an iconic part of the LA Zoo experience, and our staff and guests have been touched by their loyal companionship," Verret said.

The African lion, which is native to the savannas, arid woodlands, and semi-desert regions from south of the Sahara Desert to South Africa, is categorized by the IUCN Red List as vulnerable due to human-wildlife conflict, prey depletion, the illegal trade of lion body parts for traditional medicine, trophy hunting, and disease.

Excerpt from:

LA Zoo Mourns the Loss of Beloved African Lion Pair - NBC Southern California

Reading Time: 3 minutesProfessor of Bioethics at the University of Notre Dame, Margaret Somerville.

A Professor of Bioethics at the University of Notre Dame, Margaret Somerville, is calling the spread of euthanasia legislation around the world akin to an extremely dangerous slow moving pandemic not unlike the COVID-19 pandemic at large.

It seems to be infectious one jurisdiction after another and the carriers of that information is the pro-euthanasia lobby, she told The Catholic Weekly.

They believe they are doing something good and that it is a compassionate, merciful response but [euthanasia] is extremely dangerous at a societal level.

Professor Somervilles comments come in response to the most extreme euthanasia legislation to date in Australia to be presented to the Tasmanian Upper House in August through Independent MLC Mike Gaffney.

Gaffneys Tasmanian End-of-Life-Choices Bill, which models itself on similar legislation in Victoria and Western Australia, takes an extreme turn where, unlike euthanasia legislation on the mainland, there is no proviso requiring terminal illness within the next 6-12 months as a criteria for euthanasia.

Instead, in Gaffneys Bill, euthanasia is defined as: a disease, illness, injury, or medical condition of the person that is serious, incurable and irreversible.

This definition would open the door for people with conditions such as Type 1 Diabetes or Chronic Asthma to meet the eligibility criteria, said Ben Smith of Live & Die Well a Tasmanian group advocating for better palliative care as a euthanasia alternative.

Tasmania has above average in the highest percentage population with chronic illnesses and highest percentage of the population with disabilities. We are a vulnerable population, he said, noting the states population, on average, the most elderly and vulnerable in Australia.

Live & Die Well is hoping to either block the bill or force substantial amendments mandating increased provisions for palliative care.

He warned the Bill could slip through Parliament under the distraction of the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill has not been properly thought through. The COVID-19 lockdown period has been a major distraction to members of the public and medical professionals, [and] has limited their bandwidth to scrutinise the bill.

In order to ensure the protection of the vulnerable, the Gaffney Bill should be fully consulted with the public via an independent inquiry before it is debated in Parliament.

Other states are currently doing enquiries for bills such as this with life and death decisions. Its important there is proper due diligence.

Tasmania has not had an enquiry in this area since 2009. We are well overdue to look at this properly.

Professor Somerville acknowledged the noble intentions of the pro-euthanasia lobby.

But she emphasised the unacceptability of hasty policy making applied to issues of terminal illness, disability and chronic pain citing improved approaches to palliative care and pain relief as viable and more human alternatives.

The pro-euthanasia lobby aims to relieve suffering and to be compassionate and those are absolutely good motives but to do it this way is ethically unacceptable, said Dr Somerville.

With our advanced research on pain and methods dealing with it largely we can do that without killing the person and in fact its been shown in research; eliminating pain extends life.

Related articles:

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Euthanasia is the 'new pandemic' says UNDA professor - The Catholic Weekly

A horse at the Belmont Park racetrack diedThursday afterbeing let out from a barn stall and falling onto the street, according to the Nassau County Police Department, which arrested and charged a former Belmont employee with burglary and reckless endangerment of property in the incident.

The man, Ramzan Antooa, 38, of Elmont, had been seen by racetrack security personnel at about 7:45 p.m. "deliberately releasing a two year old female horse from a barn stall,"according to a news release from Police Officer Tara Ortiz, a department spokeswoman.

"The horse fell once on the street pavement, causing her to suffer fatal injuries," according to the release, which said Antooa was arrested while "still at the scene,"2150 Hempstead Tpke. in Elmont.

The release said the horse died due to the fall, but according to the state Gaming Commissions Horse Racingdatabase, the horse "ran loose and fell. Injuries sustained in fall subsequently necessitated euthanasia."

The horse was an unraced thoroughbrednamed Pasta, according to Patrick McKenna, a spokesman for the New York Racing Association, which operates New Yorks three major tracks: Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.

The police department's news release saidAntooa was a racetrack employee, butMcKenna said Antooaisa formeremployee of Pastas horse trainer.

Antooa was arraigned Friday at First District Court in Hempstead, where he was freed without bail, according to online court records, which said the case was before Judge Martin J. Massell and is due back in court Sept. 21.

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The burglary charge is a felony and the endangerment a misdemeanor, the records say.

A phone number for Antooa couldnt be located, and the practice of the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which the records say represented him at arraignment, is not to comment to the press aboutindividual cases.

McKenna wrote in an email that the case was immediatelyreferred to the Nassau police, and "we continue to assist them in the course of their ongoing investigation into this criminal matter."

Belmont Park opened in 1905 and hosts the Belmont Stakes.

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City Hall.

Excerpt from:

Man accused of deliberately releasing horse that died at Belmont - Newsday

The ACT partys new climate change policy tells MPs to get their own house in order, by slashing meetings of Parliaments House of Representatives by a quarter.

Leader David Seymour said that Parliamentarians were hypocrites for pointing the finger at the public for climate change solutions and should instead look at cutting their own emissions.

Instead of preaching about the planet, politicians should lead by example when it comes to addressing climate change by committing to individual action that will have real, measurable benefits, Seymour said.

Parliament has talked about putting solar panels on the roof and turning the Beehive green, but these changes would make little difference when MPs fly en masse into Wellington 30 times a year, he said.

READ MORE:* Euthanasia referendum: How assisted dying laws work around the world* Scrap and replace the RMA, official report to Government says * ACTs David Seymour is no longer a man alone

The ACT proposal is to change Parliaments sitting calendar so MPs sit for four days a week during 23weeks of the year. MPs currently sit for three days a week, over 30 weeks.

This would reduce the number of flights taken by MPs, and carbon emissions, by around 25 per cent, Seymour said.

Ross Giblin/Stuff

David Seymour wants MPs to spend fewer weeks in Parliament.

The policy would not only reduce emissions and save the taxpayer money, it would have an additional benefit, he said. Seymour said the policy would mean MPs could also have a better work-life balance.

Theres been much discussion in recent times about work-life balance and the pressures on MPs families. Spending fewer weeks, but the same number of days, in Wellington, and less time travelling, would reduce the time pressure on MPs, leaving more time to be productive at work and home, Seymour said.

If MPs cant take a small, positive step towards a cleaner planet, what hope do we have of addressing long-term climate change? he said.

Robert Kitchin/Stuff

ACT deputy leader Brooke Van Velden is running for the party in Wellington central.

The policy was launched at ACTs Wellington Central campaign launch on Wednesday night. The party is running Brooke van Velden in the seat. Van Velden is the partys deputy leader, sitting at number 2 on the partys list.

With ACT polling around 5 per cent, van Velden is likely to make it into Parliament, the first time ACT will have more than a single MP since the 2011 election.

Im excited to be standing for the act party in Wellington Central this election, van Velden said.

The ideas of ACT are needed now more than ever because ACT has a plan for recovery that doesnt saddle my generation with debt for years to come and this is a real concern for younger people and especially the people of Wellington,

We can get people into affordable housing and take care of people at their most vulnerable with ACTs priorities at this election, she said.

See the rest here:

ACT wants to slash the number of weeks Parliament meets, saving money and emissions - Stuff.co.nz

When we talk about euthanasia, what exactly do we mean? Today, we usually hear about euthanasia in the healthcare context. For our purposes, euthanasia amounts to doing, or not doing, something to intentionally bring about a patients death. Because theres so much confusion surrounding the term, lets make sure we understand what euthanasia is not.

It is not euthanasia to administer medication needed to control pain. Thats called good medical care. It is not euthanasia to stop treatment that is gravely burdensome to a patient. Thats called letting the patient exercise the moral option to refuse extraordinary medical means. It is not euthanasia to stop tube-feeding a patient whose diseased or injured body can no longer assimilate food and water. Thats called simply accepting death.

In these circumstances, pain control, refusing extraordinary means, and stopping feeding may all allow death. Butand this is crucial to our understandingunlike euthanasia, their purpose and intent is not to bring about death.

Actually, euthanasia could be called a form of suicide, assisted suicide, or even murder, depending on the patients level of involvement and consent. To define euthanasia this way, though, seems to diminish its threat. After all, arent there laws or, at the very least, strong social taboos against suicide, assisted suicide, and murder?

Unfortunately, when it comes to the sick and disabled, this is no longer entirely true. And the rationale and cultural forces behind the movement that brought this about threaten even more to tear down the legal and social barriers to killing.

Most of us know about Jack Kevorkian and his efforts to help ailing people commit suicide. Many of us may not realize, though, that Kevorkians maverick image masks a serious crusade that is building on emerging legal and cultural trends. Our society is poised to accept euthanasia on demandand worse. What we dont know about that could kill us.

In sum, it is vitally important to understand that everyones most basic rightthe right to lifeis in jeopardy when our law and collective morality no longer view all persons as equally worthy of life, solely on the basis of our common humanity. Not only is it the right thing to do, it is also in our own best interests to protect and cherish weak and vulnerable members of our human family.

In order to do that, we must educate ourselves and others about the growing threat of euthanasia, vigorously oppose its legalization, and pray for the wisdom and compassion to properly comfort, care for, and dissuade those considering suicide.

The information on euthanasia is a PowerPoint Presentation (2007) prepared for American Life League by Julie Grimstad, executive director of Life is Worth Living, Inc.

More:

Euthanasia - All.org

The topic of assisted dying or voluntary euthanasia has long been debated in New Zealand, and is fraught with emotion on both sides.

Those opposed say euthanasia weakens societys respect for the value and importance of human life and can lead to worse care for the terminally ill. Arguments in support of assisted dying say it is a person's right to choose when and how they die, and euthanasia affords them the right to die with dignity.

On September 19, New Zealanders will get to vote on a piece of legislation which would allow eligible terminally ill adults the option to request medication that would end their life, through assisted dying.

Iain McGregor/Stuff

On September 19, New Zealanders will vote in not just the general election, but two referendums including whether the End of Life Choice Act should be passed into law.

Here we break down some of the main arguments posed by those on both sides of the End of Life Choice Act debate.

READ MORE:* Euthanasia referendum: What is assisted dying? The End of Life vote explained* Act 'offers choice, not compulsion' * Euthanasia debate: Is there dignity in death, or does palliative care kill?

Assisted dying, or euthanasia, is defined in the End of Life Choice Act as a doctor or nurse practitioner giving a person medication to relieve their suffering by bringing on death, or, the taking of medication by a person to relieve their suffering by bringing on death.

It is currently illegal in New Zealand, and is considered aiding and abetting suicide under Section 179 of the Crimes Act (1961).

Under the current law, those who commit the offence of assisting or encouraging someone to take their life can face time in prison regardless of whether a suicide attempt is made or not.

To be eligible for assisted dying under the proposed act, a person must be suffering from a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months.They must have significant and ongoing decline in physical capability, and experience unbearable suffering that cannot be eased.

A person would not be eligible if the only reason is they are suffering from a mental disorder or mental illness; have a disability of any kind; or are of advanced age.

Its a polarising topic: more than 39,000 people made submissions on the End of Life Choice Bill before it was passed by MPs.

A recent University of Otago paper on 26 studies into New Zealanders' euthanasia views over the past two decades found 68 per cent were in support, nearly 15 per cent in opposition and the remainder unsure.

CHOICE, CONTROL, COMPASSION

Many in support of assisted dying believe people should have the choice to die with dignity, on their own terms, without the threat of breaking the law.

Former hospice physician and palliative care specialist Dr Libby Smales says what the legislation really offers and why the Yes for Compassion spokeswoman is in support of it is choice.

Supplied

Dr Libby Smales, a retired hospice physician, says people should be afforded the option to choose how they die to prevent unbearable suffering.

Yes for Compassion believes terminally ill New Zealanders should have choice and control at the end of their lives, including the option of requesting life-ending medication.

The group was formed to make sure the public is well-informed about the legislation ahead of the vote in September, and states its collective expertise spans medical, legal, political, Mori and religious perspectives.

They say the law would give people with terminal illness control of how, when and where they die; at home, with loved ones around them, avoiding prolonged and painful deaths giving them back the control their illness has taken away, they state.

They say choice is really, really important for those whose disease or life has become untenable and want to dodge the rest of the horror, she says.

123RF

A person would not be eligible for assisted dying simply because they are elderly. People must be suffering from a terminal illness that would end their life within six months.

People forget the act and assisted dying is voluntary ... for most people it wont be necessary.

This legislation would make a real difference to people facing a terrible fate, allowing them dignity in death they may otherwise be robbed off, Smales says.

The importance of choice is echoed by the End of Life Choice Society, an advocacy organisation seeking a law change to allow assisted dying.

President Mary Panko says choice is absolutely fundamental to the act, as the conversation about assisted dying should come down to what an individual patient wants.

If a person went to their GP or into hospital with a problem they may be presented with a range of options whichever treatment or path they pursue is their choice.

We absolutely believe people in the last stages of their lives should have that choice too, she says.

Panko says data in the United States shows, on average, those accessing assisted dying typically shorten their lives by just 10 days a reprieve instead of encouraging people to just hang on.

Under the status quo, many who are desperately ill are terminally sedated without any say in the matter it is often the doctors choice or the familys choice, Panko says.

Ninety-five per cent of the population will never need the act or be eligible, but passing it into law would allow the decision to be made by those few who do, she says.

CHRISTINE CORNEGE/Stuff

New Zealanders will be able to answer a yes or no question relating to the End of Life Choice Act in the referendum.

RISK TO THE VULNERABLE

On the other hand, many of those opposed to assisted dying believe legalising euthanasia would place pressure on vulnerable people those with disabilities, mental health issues and terminal illness to access assisted dying for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden on others.

Palliative care consultant Dr Sinead Donnelly is the deputy chair for Care Alliance, an umbrella group of organisations, including the major providers of palliative care in New Zealand, which believes the legislation of euthanasia and assisted suicide is unnecessary, unsafe and unwise.

They believe the act puts vulnerable [people] at risk of coercion often very subtle and which doctors are not trained to detect, Donnelly says.

Under the act, two doctors are required to sign-off the patient, but they don't need to have had any longstanding relationship with or prior knowledge of the person.

Kevin Stent/Stuff

Dr Sinead Donnelly, palliative medical specialist, addressing the Justice Select Committee on the End of Life Choice Bill.

The group also opposes that a person could be eligible under the act without seeing a psychiatrist to assess whether they could simply benefit from mental health support instead, Donnelly says. Under the act, a psychiatrist may be consulted if the two doctors are not satisfied.

They are concerned an older person who feels they are a burden on their family will turn to assisted dying as an option not for the right reasons, and a doctor with little palliative care training or understanding would feel the answer could be euthanasia.

Donnelly says the act has so many holes in it ... making it dangerous for vulnerable people.

Even if you philosophically support assisted dying, this act should not be the one [legislated], she says.

Those opposed also say the bill is a step into the unknown for New Zealanders with disabilities.

Groups such as DefendNZ say the availability of assisted dying could leave those eligible feeling they now have to justify ... the expense of keeping them alive, and why they're putting their family and caregivers through the burden of caring for them.

Currently, it is universally accepted that sick, disabled and elderly people are cared for until their natural death. The availability of assisted dying as a legal option would make staying alive optional, instead of the default position we have at the moment, it says.

SOOTHING SUFFERING

Smales, who directed a Napier hospice for 20 years, says even with excellent palliative care, some New Zealanders still suffer unbearably at the end of their life.

While New Zealand doesn't have its own figures, Australian research found between 5-6 per cent of patients still suffer terribly in a way a medical team cant alleviate, in spite of good palliative care.

People talk about this happening in small numbers, but if youre one of them, they dont appear small.

Suffering isnt just pain, she says, it is entire bodily systems failing: your bowels, your breathing.

Relieving this suffering is another main argument those in support of assisted dying hold.

Smales says she has heard many moving stories about those who chose to have a quiet, peaceful, planned death versus those lonely, violent deaths of those who are suffering.

She says a difficult death can cast a long shadow it is terrible for the person dying and torture for their family.

This legislation will make a big difference to people who are facing a terrible fate.

However, relieving suffering by ending a persons life is something many doctors including those working in palliative care say is at odds with why they are in the profession.

123RF

Doctors Say No, an open letter opposing assisted dying, says doctors are not necessary in the regulation or practice of assisted suicide. Leave doctors to focus on saving lives and providing real care to the dying, they say.

AN EROSION OF TRUST

Organisations such as Hospice New Zealand state that good palliative care is founded on a trusting relationship between a patient, their family, whanau and health professional. This relationship is undermined by euthanasia, they say.

This was echoed by close to 1600 New Zealand doctors who have signed their names to an open letter in opposition of assisted dying, titled Doctors say No.

The group, led by Donnelly, states it is committed to the concept of death with dignity and comfort, including the provision of effective pain relief and excellence in palliative care.

It argues proper palliative care makes euthanasia unnecessary, and says giving proper pain relief in palliative care, even if it may hasten the death of a terminally ill patient, is ethical and legal.

We believe that crossing the line to intentionally assist a person to die would fundamentally weaken the doctor-patient relationship which is based on trust and respect, the open letter states.

Doctors also expressed concern about the six-month period described in the act, saying prognosis is informed guesswork rather than an exact science.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

Professor Rod Macleod is never surprised when those in the end stages of life say they want to die, but says he has never met a patient who would be better off dead. He says good palliative care can wrap around a person, preventing any need for assisted dying.

University of Auckland professor and palliative care specialist Rod Macleod says he has cared for 15,000 patients in his more than 30-year career, none of whom I've thought would be better off dead.

But Ive had plenty who have asked.

Macleod, Hospice New Zealand's clinical advisor, says the organisation which represents all hospice services in the country believes euthanasia has no place in palliative care.

Those who ask for euthanasia are often at the beginning of their palliative care journeys, and feel hopeless or afraid fearing loss of dignity or being a burden. Once they get the support they need, those requests for early death fade away, he says.

Macleod is never surprised when people say they no longer want to live like this, but says palliative care can change the way people live without the need to hasten death.

He says it is the role of society to protect the most vulnerable, while assisted dying legislation would give them the perception there are lives not worth living.

For more Stuff coverage on the euthanasia referendum, click here.

Link:

Euthanasia referendum: The arguments for and against legalising assisted dying - Stuff.co.nz

Q My cat BarB so named because I found her as a kitten hiding under my barbecue grill now lives in my house and doesn't venture outdoors. Her veterinarian insists she needs rabies vaccination. Why is this necessary, if she's a committed homebody?

A BarB should be vaccinated for rabies to protect herself and you from the deadly disease.

In the United States, the cat is the domestic animal that most often tests positive for rabies, and the bat is the most commonly infected wildlife species.

Rabid bats bite indoor cats if they meet on the balcony or when the bat enters the home through a torn window screen or flies down the chimney. Some indoor cats are bitten when they escape for even a short time from the home or car.

If BarB's rabies vaccination isn't current and she is exposed to a rabies-infected animal, your county and state laws dictate what follows. That step could range from a stressful and expensive months-long quarantine, usually at an animal shelter or veterinary hospital, to euthanasia.

If she bites you, a veterinary staff member or a visitor in your home, the stakes are even higher.

That's to prevent BarB from transmitting rabies to humans, where the disease causes a gruesome death.

Globally, 59,000 people die every year from rabies. In this country, most human cases result from a bat bite inside the home.

In January, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published the most recent analysis of rabies data, the reports from 2018, when three people in this country died of rabies.

That January, a 6-year-old Florida boy died after having been bitten by a bat. In August, a 69-year-old Delaware woman died of raccoon rabies, despite no known contact. In November, a 55-year-old Utah man died of bat rabies.

Like other people bitten by bats, the man didn't know he'd been bitten while shooing bats from his house. If he wasn't aware of the bite, you know BarB won't alert you if a bat ever bites her.

So, keep her rabies vaccination current, even though she's always indoors.

Q Our veterinarian diagnosed our dog Crew with epilepsy and prescribed medication, which has significantly decreased the frequency and severity of his seizures. About the only time Crew has a seizure is soon after someone visits our home. Is this unusual?

A Many humans with epilepsy recognize that certain factors, most notably stress but also sleep deprivation, infectious disease and hormonal changes, can precipitate seizures.

The same is true in dogs, where epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder.

In a recent study, veterinarians questioned families of 50 epileptic dogs about factors that precipitated their seizures. The researchers learned that lifestyle events and whether the dog was sterilized played a role.

Seizures occurred in 42% of females during their heat cycles and in 33% of unsterilized males exposed to a female dog in heat. So, it's important to sterilize any dog diagnosed with epilepsy.

Other factors that elicited seizures were visitors to the home (in 30% of dogs); a change in the dog's life situation (27%); changes in the daily routine, altered sleep patterns or going to an unfamiliar place (24%); hot weather (22%); stress or excitement (21%); fear (19%) and intense exercise or illness (16%).

Minimizing whatever precipitating factors affect the individual dog can help improve seizure control.

So, let your veterinarian know about Crew's increased seizure frequency when people visit. Your vet may prescribe an additional medication you can give Crew to decrease anxiety and seizures when visitors are expected.

Lee Pickett, VMD, practices companion animal medicine in North Carolina. Contact her at

vet@askthevet.pet

Go here to see the original:

ASK THE VET: Indoor cats need rabies vaccination - Arkansas Online

Christine Cornege/Stuff

Cannabis referendum: New Zealanders will vote in September in the Cannabis legalisation and control referendum.

The Detail is a daily news podcast produced for RNZ by Newsroom and is published on Stuff with permission. Click on this link to subscribe to the podcast.

In less than five weeks, New Zealanders will vote on two polarising issues in referendums, held at the same time as this years general election.

But how much do you really know about the issues at play? How familiar are you with what the End of Life Choice Act and the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill?

And importantly: is it referenda or referendums? (According to Arthur Pomeroy, emeritus professor of classics at Victoria University, its referendums.)

In todays episode of The Detail, Emile Donovan speaks to journalist Caralise Trayes and researcher Dr Marta Rechter about the two referendums this year, and what they could mean for the future of cannabis and assisted dying in New Zealand.

READ MORE:* Euthanasia referendum: What is assisted dying? The End of Life vote explained* Euthanasia referendum: Should assisted dying be legal in New Zealand?* Reforming cannabis laws is a complex challenge, but New Zealands history of drug reform holds important lessons* David Seymour is standing for ACT in Whangarei - but he's not that David Seymour

The assisted dying referendum is binding - the cannabis referendum is not.

This means the legislation pertaining to assisted dying is all ready to go: its been passed through parliament and approved by a majority of MPs. The only question is whether the country wants to sign off on it.

Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

As part of September's election there will be a referendum on euthanasia.

The cannabis referendum, on the other hand, is non-binding: even if 99 per cent of the population vote in favour, the governing party or parties could, theoretically, decide not to implement it - though doing so would be politically questionable.

Also the cannabis legislation hasnt yet been finalised: its still a bill, and in order to become an Act it still needs to pass through the parliamentary process: three readings in the House where issues can be raised and debated, and a select committee process where the public can make submissions and raise their concerns.

Freelance journalist Caralise Trayes has written a book about the assisted dying referendum called The Final Choice

She says there are still blind spots in many peoples understanding of the legislation.

Refusing treatment and do not resuscitate orders require medical professionals not to intervene in what is naturally occurring. These are already legal.

Euthanasia, assisted suicide or assisted dying requires a direct intervention with the intention to bring death.

First up, you have to be eligible: you have to be over 18, you have to be a Kiwi citizen or permanent resident. You have to have a prognosis with less than six months to live. You must have an ongoing decline in physical capability and experience unbearable suffering which cannot be eased.

robert steven/Stuff

The assisted dying referendum is binding - the cannabis referendum is not.

You also need to be able to make an informed decision about dying.

A prognosis of six months or less to live would be made by a doctor - but making that judgment in the first place can be fraught.

Were using this as such a strong, defining factor ... but its not always accurate. There have been cases where doctors get prognoses very wrong.

Any mental health issues a person has would not be factored into whether a persons application was granted, Trayes says.

Meanwhile, the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill has a straightforward premise, says Dr Marta Rechter from Massey University.

The main premise is that the bill proposes to legalise use, possession and sale of cannabis.

People aged 20 and over - it would be legal for them to use, possess, and buy cannabis from licensed suppliers.

Dr Rechter says the legislation still has many grey areas - for example, how it deals with the idea of advertising marijuana, in an age where marketing and promotion stretch much further than TV screens or radio adverts.

She says it also needs to clarify the social equity components, to help ensure people and communities whove been historically disadvantaged by cannabis criminalisation can be involved with the new industry.

Go here to read the rest:

The Detail: The two polarising referendums Kiwis will soon vote on - Stuff.co.nz

Sigmund Freud had said that we are all convinced of our immortality. Discussing death is considered macabre, ghoulish and in morbid taste. But the unexpected deaths due to the pandemic are making us review our this cannot happen to me certitude.

A good death refers to one free from avoidable distress and suffering for the patient, family and caregivers; generally in accordance with their wishes; and reasonably consistent with clinical, cultural and ethical standards. Death should not be considered an isolated event a moment in time.

It is a process, and like all journeys, we need to prepare by relinquishing roles and responsibilities, completing financial arrangements and saying goodbye. Wherever possible, should it not behove the attending clinician to consider patient preferences for treatment, a specific dying process, pain-free status, emotional well-being and dignity should be ensured.

To quote Shakespeare, O, let him pass. He hates him. That would upon the rack of this tough world. Stretch him out longer.

A circle of support is relevant not just at the moment of death, but throughout the dying process. The journey towards death is as much about getting to know oneself as during any part of life. Learning to recognise our needs, be they medical, emotional or spiritual, becomes more relevant when we are closer to death. Earlier recognition is a major part of enabling a good death. Death is an inevitable part of life. Having the option to influence quality of death may generally suffice. Some wish to hasten the process. Several countries have laws allowing doctor-assisted active euthanasia. At no point in history have people lived as well as the present generation. So why not focus on the quality of our death as well?

A bad death is usually associated with violence, pain, dying alone, being kept alive against ones wishes, loss of dignity, and being unable to let ones wishes be known. Most individuals would prefer to die at home, at peace, with family members present. Do we want to be kept alive at all costs or do we not want to be resuscitated? Knowing our wishes makes it easier for the family and the healthcare provider.

COVID-19 deaths could be considered a bad death. It is devastating for the bereaved kin, whose grief is compounded by social isolation and inability to provide practical and emotional support.

The associated high stress is due to financial problems and worries about the health and quarantine of the whole family. Physical discomfort, difficulty in breathing, social isolation, psychological distress, lack of preparation, treatment falling short of expected respect and dignity, and lack of privacy supplement occasional ostracism.

The family members are deeply distressed when they cannot bid goodbye, when the death is unexpected, when it is perceived to be preventable and treatments did not comply with the patients preferences. The last is often discounted particularly in a pandemic. Many of the face-to-face interactions that support older adults as they mourn, including time-honoured religious rituals and funeral services, are often prohibited, compounding the problem.

When in active neurosurgical practice, I had personally managed over 2,500 deaths. Primary importance was always given to the quality of life. Patient and family wishes took precedence over using tomorrows cutting-edge technology. Retrospectively, viewing things from the quietude of retirement, I wonder if the quality of death should also have been specifically discussed. In the 2015 Quality of Death Index Report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, India was ranked 67th among the 80 countries studied. Why should enabling good death be confined to palliative medicine specialists, a truly endangered species in India?

Should the beneficiary and the healthcare provider not discuss this every time along with management options? Many countries have death cafes where people drink tea, eat cake and discuss end-of-life care and death. Today, we have the choice of a good death. It is essential that we make a living will when we are in good physical and mental health.

Quality of death is as important as quality of life.

(The author is a past president of the Neurological Society of India)

drkganapathy@gmail.com

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Live well die well - The Hindu

For those who dont know the background, Chris was diagnosed three years ago with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrigs disease. This disease involves the death of the motor neurons of the nervous system, leading to gradual paralysis. It is 100-per-cent fatal. We did not know how many years Chris would have when the diagnosis came in. Turns out, it was almost three.

Chris decided early on that he wanted some good to come from his illness, so he signed up for every medical study he was eligible for. He also decided that while he might die from ALS, it was not going to define his life. Even as his legs began to give out, he made a trip to Germany to see our family there. As his fingers and voice gave out, he communicated with us via his tablet and a tracking device that let him type via his eyes. Even as his breath started to give out, he could still nod and smile, and speak volumes just with his eyebrows.

I remember speaking with my sister Miriam just a few months ago and telling her how amazed I was of our brother who just kept on going, courageously. She summed it up in one sentence: Chris has a lot to live for. Keep in mind that, at this point, our brother was stuck in a wheelchair, being fed through a tube. And yet, he had a lot to live for. His greatest joy was being with people, especially his family and friends. They were what he lived for.

Still, Chris knew death was a certainty. We all know it, of course, but it is quite another thing to be able to name the cause of our death and to have a time frame for the outcome. Early on, Chris made sure everyone knew that he had no intention of asking for euthanasia, an option which is allowed in society but which our Catholic faith rejects.

Im proud of my brothers courage in sticking to his guns, but I can also now see what that courage costs. There is no room for triumphalism here, just great compassion for those who make a choice consistent with Catholic ethics and for those who, in the face of suffering they may find meaningless, choose otherwise.

The progression of the illness was slowly affecting Chris breathing. The weakness of his diaphragm meant that he eventually needed aBiPAP machineto help him sleep, and later pretty much all the time. His inability to cough properly also meant that crap would eventually start to accumulate in his lungs. Poor Chris would have coughing fits that would last for hours and hours. These could be calmed with morphine, but the underlying problem would not go away.

Eventually Chris had to go on a morphine pump, which administered a fairly regular dose. The morphine allowed him to rest, but of course also made him drowsy. I also knew from my time as a palliative care chaplain years ago that morphine also has side effects that can shorten life.

Some might wonder if that was in itself a kind of euthanasia, but it isnt. In Catholic ethics we call this theprinciple of double effect, which basically means that you can do an action that is in itself morally good (or at least morally neutral) that might have a negative side effect as long as your intention is the good part of the action, not the negative part, and that the good outweighs the negative.

Chris decline over the next few days was marked. His breathing was shallower and his heart rate began to increase. On the day he died, July 8, his heart was beating so fast he was in danger of cardiac arrest. It was time to say goodbye.

Chris had always wanted to remain at home, and so he had. The family now gathered there: his wife and three daughters along with our mother, our sister and myself. A couple of boyfriends of the girls were also present for moral support. We began by giving everyone a chance to have some one-on-one time with Chris.

There was no set formula: we each had permission to say that we wanted to say, or to say nothing at all. We could go individually or accompanied. There was also no special order we went when we felt ready.

This very human process took about an hour. In that time the doctors arrived and the nurse prepared extra sedatives so that Chris would be comfortable. We then gathered for a time of prayer, medical personnel included.

I gave Chris theanointing of the sick and prayed theApostolic Pardon:

Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May He open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy. By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

With these prayers concluded after about 10 minutes, the doctors removed the mask Chris used to breathe. Death was now inevitable. Again, some people might wonder if this new step was, in fact, an act of euthanasia. In our Catholic understanding, however, it is not. The body is designed to keep itself alive via our own human powers. Technology can extend those powers, but if they are removed then it is simply nature taking its course. Chris, who had been so opposed to euthanasia, had also said that he was OK with us going this route when it was time. He knew the difference.

I had explained to my family that the first set of prayers we had just prayed were for him as a living man, to strengthen him and prepare him for his final journey. We were now in a shared sacred space.

I then switched to the prayers known as thecommendation of the dying, which, as I explained to my family, were our way of accompanying Chris on this final stage of his journey. The prayers consist of a number of Bible passages in a kind of poetic arrangement, along with a few other prayers. I did most of the talking, reading the words aloud, although I will admit I stumbled when I came to this prayer:

I commend you, my dear brother, to almighty God, and entrust you to your Creator. May you return to Himwho formed you from the dust of the Earth. May holy Mary, the angels and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. May Christ who was crucified for you bring you freedom and peace. May Christ who died for you admit you into His garden of paradise. May Christ, the true Shepherd,acknowledge you as one of His flock. May you see the Redeemer face to face, and enjoy the vision of God forever. Amen.

It was the opening words, I commend you, my dear brother, that threw me. In our Catholic prayers we call each other brother and sister all this time but in this case, I was saying it for my actual brother. It caught me by surprise and I needed a bit of a break. My niece Maya took over, reciting one of the psalms. And why not? These prayers are open to anyone to pray.

The commendation of the dying continued for about 15-20 minutes, like a lullaby for him as he fell asleep into eternity. The Bible, in fact, describes Christian death as a falling asleep, and we could see it with our eyes.

Chris continued to breathe for some minutes after the machine was removed, gently and without struggle. Eventually it slowed down to something imperceptible and not long after the doctor listened for his heartbeat. Death took place around 5:15 p.m. Or should I say, the entrance into eternal life took place at that time.

We started the process of calling people to let them know and we kept vigil with Chris body until the funeral home arrived. I made the sign of the cross on his forehead at one point. It was my way of honouring his body, which had been a temple of the Holy Spirit for 48 years.

I share this story because I know that not everyone is so blessed as to live and die in this way. We had a chance to say goodbye and to accompany Chris on his final journey. Yes, we are blessed. Thank you, Lord, for this blessing, hard as it is. Look after Chris, please, and all of us. May we greet him again in Your kingdom.

-Bishop Thomas Dowd is the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Montreal. This is an edited version of an article that was originally published at thomasdowd.ca

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Bishop Dowd: The story of my brother's death - Grandin Media