How Religion and LGBTQ Rights Intersect in Media Coverage – Center For American Progress

Introduction and summary

The movement for LGBTQ rights in this country has gained widespread support among religious Americans of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Yet for too long, media narratives have painted a picture of secular LGBTQ rights activists positioned against anti-LGBTQ opponents who are motivated by their religious convictions. This study shows that the way media outlets frame these stories, based on whose perspectives they include or do not include, can play an influential role in setting political agendas. As public opinion in faith communities and nationwide support for LGBTQ rights have shifted dramatically in recent years, does news media coverage of the intersection of faith and LGBTQ rights reflect this changed landscape? The Center for American Progress examined this issue by studying articles that appeared in select national and local newspapers across a 15-month period.

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The context for this study was the broad acceptance of LGBTQ rights by religious groups in the United States. Large majorities of every major religious group favor nondiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ people. Majorities in every major religious groupwith the exception of white evangelical Protestantsalso support marriage equality. Religious Americans strongly support LGBTQ rights, and this reality should be reflected to ensure fair and accurate media coverage.

This studys top finding is that news media coverage of religion and LGBTQ rights more often cites religiously identified sources that oppose LGBTQ equality. This overall finding starkly contrasts with the support for LGBTQ rights expressed by religious Americans. While 66.3 percent of religiously identified sources expressed negative or anti-LGBTQ sentiment, public opinion polling of religiously affiliated Americans suggests that only 25.8 percent oppose nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people.

Other major findings include:

This study leveraged qualitative content analysis to review news articles published by four national publications (The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post) and 10 local publications (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Dallas Morning News, The Denver Post, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, The Charlotte Observer, The Detroit News, The Houston Chronicle, The Kansas City Star, and The Tennessean) between April 2019 and June 2020. The authors analyzed a total of 458 national and 195 local news articles addressing the intersection of religion and LGBTQ issues. The 1,880 sources who were identified in these articles were analyzed for their individual type, organization type, religious affiliation, and overall sentiment toward the LGBTQ community and related issues. Messages in favor of LGBTQ equality were coded as positive, those opposing LGBTQ equality were coded as negative, and those asserting perspectives that were neither positive nor negative were coded as neutral. This study primarily interrogates the 951 religiously identified sources in these articlesfor example, individuals who cited my Christian faithas well as their positive or negative sentiment toward LGBTQ equality. The categories that were used for individual type and organization type were derived from a relevant previous study conducted by the University of Missouris Center on Religion and the Professions.

Figure 1

This study is a comprehensive review of relevant articles published in specific outlets across the United States, yet the religious affiliations of the articles sources are not reflective of Americas diverse religious landscape. (see Figure 1) A similar study conducted by GLAAD in 2012 demonstrated an outsize focus on evangelical Christian sources; this CAP study encouragingly demonstrates a more representative proportion of nonevangelical Christian sources. However, there remains minimal representation of growing groups of non-Christian faiths, including Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims who, combined, make up approximately 3 percent of the U.S. population.

Figure 2

The study found that sources sentiment varied significantly depending on their religious affiliations. (see Figure 2) Sources affiliated with evangelical Protestantism, general religious perspectives, and unspecified Christian perspectives comprised the highest shares of negative sources of the religious affiliations that appeared in the study. Eighty-five percent of evangelical Protestant-identified sources espoused anti-LGBTQ views in the study. While polling indeed suggests that this religious group is the least supportive of LGBTQ equality, this still amounts to an overly negative representation of evangelical perspectives on LGBTQ equality. The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) indicates that less than half of this religious group opposes LGBTQ equality: 38 percent of white evangelical Protestants oppose LGBT nondiscrimination protections, and 46 percent oppose same-sex marriage. Similarly, approximately 54 percent of Roman Catholic-identified sources espoused anti-LGBT views, whereas the PRRI indicates that 23 to 26 percent of Catholic groups oppose LGBT nondiscrimination protections.

The negativity of the Christian unspecified and general religious categories is noteworthy. In multiple cases, American Christianity as a whole was portrayed as being inherently opposed to LGBTQ rightsan inaccurate depiction of the majority of American Christian attitudes. For example, some articles used overgeneralized terms such as religious-minded voters and Christians to describe opponents to same-sex marriage:

Christians say secular activists are trying to make it impossible for those who dont accept same-sex marriage to do business; same-sex couples say they are looking for the same rights in the public square that straight people have.

The Republican firebrand, who as chief justice defiantly opposed gay marriage and defended the public display of the Ten Commandments, has maintained a following among some religious-minded voters. Our religious liberty is presently under assault as Christians, he said.

Portraying religion and LGBTQ rights as inherently contradictory is directly related to the efforts of some conservative Christians to reframe their anti-LGBTQ advocacy as a matter of religious freedom, thereby making it more difficult to challenge in the public square. By failing to identify specific Christian denominations or traditions, and in many cases simply leaving the self-identification of an anti-LGBTQ actor as religious, journalists are seemingly unintentionally conforming to this intentional political strategy by the religious right.

Of all religious affiliations included in this study, mainline Protestant and Jewish sources had the highest proportions of positive views. This reflects the pro-LGBTQ attitudes of these religious groups reported in public opinion polling.

Figure 3

This study also found that a significant portion of positive sentiment was accounted for in articles mentioning Buttigieg, the former Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and the proposed schism within the United Methodist Church over same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy. (see Figure 3) These two highly covered events had a significant effect on the average sentiment of religiously identified sources cited in published articles. As the first openly gay major presidential candidate and a high-profile Democratic politician who spoke openly of his Episcopalian faith, Buttigiegs candidacy challenged the so-called God versus gays framing that has been prominent in national news media coverage. And as a high-profile denominational conflict, the proposed split of the United Methodist Church brought the voices of LGBTQ-affirming clergy and community members to the fore.

Notably, approximately 47 percent of religiously identified sources were positive. When the sources from articles mentioning Buttigieg or the United Methodist Church were omitted, this proportion dropped to approximately 39 percent. This suggests that these two major stories led to the increased visibility of pro-LGBTQ people of faith, likely spurring increased journalistic interest in these key political events in which positive faith sources were central to the storyline.

Buttigieg publicly asserted his LGBTQ identity as part of his vision of faith:

My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man and yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God.

He challenged the notion that the Republican Party and its conservative values have a monopoly on faith in the political square:

Buttigieg, who is vocal about his Christian faith, told the crowd gathered that he wasnt afraid to make faith and values part of his campaign, proving and asserting that God does not belong to a political party.

Values, Buttigieg said, no longer belongs to one side of the aisle.

While ideologically diverse United Methodist congregations navigated the uncertainty of an impending split, LGBTQ-affirming United Methodist clergy and congregants were elevated in local and national news coverage:

Tampa Bay area church leaders who support inclusion say its about time. That included the Rev. Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, who faced possible discipline for officiating at a same-sex wedding that violated church rules. Its a great day for inclusion for the United Methodist Church.

Rosenquist, who is the lead pastor at First United Methodist Church, said that denying LGBTQ marriage would give a message of lack of inclusivity and lack of tolerance. She believes that goes against Gods message of love. Not only do we welcome you, but we offer you full rights and privilege, Chappell said.

This study found a significant relationship between the sources role in the news storycategorized by individual typeand their sentiment. (see Figure 4) Most sources consulted in the sample of articles were religious spokespersons, activists/advocates, and community members.

Community members perspectives on LGBTQ issues did not mirror those of religious spokespersons. They also represented the highest proportion of pro-LGBTQ perspectives among the individual source types. However, religious spokespersons were consulted approximately two times more than community members in the sample and thus had greater influence on the overall findings.

Figure 4

In some stories, community members and religious spokespersons were cited together to highlight intrafaith tension, as was the case with the debate over Brigham Young Universitys honor code, in which hundreds of students protested the enforcement of specific prohibitions on same-sex relationships and other activities. As religious congregations across the country grapple with LGBTQ inclusion, community members are arguably as important to consult as official religious spokespersons in order to understand the viewpoints of broader religious communities. The importance of consulting community members is underscored by recent polling indicating that while the majority of American adults identify with a specific faith tradition, three-quarters of this demographic report making important decisions without consulting religious leaders.

Figure 5

Examination of the religious affiliations of individual types also demonstrates that a majority of activists/advocates and politicians/government officials were reported as generically Christian or religious. (see Figure 5) In contrast, a majority of religious spokespersons were identified with their Christian denomination or congregation, such as mainline Protestant or evangelical Protestant. Furthermore, despite the existence of a broad coalition of pro-LGBTQ faith activists, the majority of activists/advocates who were identified as generic Christian or religious were negative. (see Figure 4)

These trends further suggest that the particular belief systems of activists/advocates and politicians/government officials are often reported as representing all or the majority of Christians or generally religious Americans. For example, one article described the anti-LGBTQ advocacy of the Family Research Council as supporting Christian causes:

Tony Perkins, the president of Family Research Council, a group that supports socially conservative and Christian causes, said on Friday that the news was tremendous for children, birth moms and adoptive families. Thanks to President Trump, charities will be free to care for needy children and operate according to their religious beliefs and the reality that children do best in a home with a married mom and dad, Mr. Perkins said in a statement.

Figure 6

Among articles that featured party-identified politicians/government officials, the authors found a significant statistical relationship between party sentiment and faith identification. (see Figure 6) At first glance, 24 percent of positive, Democratic officials were identified with their faith, whereas 23 percent of negative, Republican officials were identified with their faith. However, when Buttigieg is omitted as a source from the sample, only 10 percent of pro-LGBTQ Democratic sources are identified with their faith. (see Figure 7) Thus, without citations of Buttigieg, anti-LGBTQ Republican officials would be identified with their faiths more than two times more than pro-LGBTQ Democratic officials would be identified with their faiths. This further emphasizes the substantial role Buttigieg played in shifting the narrative that religion is contradictory to LGBTQ rights in the political arena.

Overall, Republican officials were religiously identified more often than Democratic officials, and the overall share of religiously identified pro-LGBTQ officials was less than that of anti-LGBTQ officials. This dichotomy positions religiously identified Republicans, approximately 91 percent of whom espoused anti-LGBTQ views, as the political authority on religions intersection with LGBTQ rights in the legislative arena. Yet 78 percent of Democrats in Congress identify as Christian, and 96 percent of the 116th U.S. Congress self-identifies with a religion. As anti-LGBTQ advocates increasingly assert religious liberty to justify their positions, this right-wing monopoly on faith is likely working to the disadvantage of the LGBTQ rights movement at large. For example, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) was the only religiously identified source cited in an article regarding anti-LGBTQ legislation:

[Gov. Kemp] and other supporters see it as a noncontroversial way to defend against what they view as a siege on Christian values.

In the few instances where pro-LGBTQ politicians asserted their faith in response to the anti-LGBTQ position of their colleagues, readers can glean majority religious perspectives on LGBTQ rights that are clearly reflected in public opinion polling. For example, one article provided Kentucky Sen. Phillip Wheelers (R) justification for homophobic comments related to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) posing with drag queens:

What I thought indecent was the fact that they wore outfits that mocked the Christian religion and mocked traditional values, Wheeler said. Thats what Ive got a problem with, is the mockery and the fact that the governor would pose and support that.

The author also cited Gov. Beshears response:

[Gov. Beshear] said Thursday that he was proud to make history with his appearance. Its time to move beyond the hatred and the division and treat everyone the way that theyre supposed to be treated, he said. For me, its a matter of faith, morals and doing whats right.

To provide another example, Lt. Gov. Dan Perry (R-TX) recently vocalized his support for a bill that would enable state-licensed professionals to deny people services based on their religious beliefs:

Its unfortunate that were living in a day and time that people of faith, that are very well balanced, cant practice their faith openly in the public square anymore. So thats the reason why I took this on. But its that important to me because its not about the here and now. Its about where were all going to spend our eternity.

In the same article, Sen. Royce West (D-TX) invoked his own faith to challenge the bill:

[Sen. West] likened the bill to earlier civil rights debates when politicians cited their religious beliefs to enact racist policies, calling the bill a subjective and not objective bill.

I go on and on about how our religious beliefs have been perverted by some people in this country, West said Wednesday. I think this is a perversion right now. This is going to be a seminal moment in the history of this state.

Figure 7

The study also found a significant relationship between sentiment and the type of organizations with which sources were cited. (see Figure 7) In the sample, sources were predominantly associated with religious and advocacy/political organizations. Roughly 8 out of 10 businesses and social service organizations that identified with a religious tradition espoused the highest proportions of negative sentiment. This is likely reflective of ongoing legal battles regarding business owners and social service organizationsfor example, the debate around adoption agenciesand prompts further inquiry as to why anti-LGBTQ sources that are religiously identified are presented as the majority voice on these issues. For example, dozens of non-religiously identified businesses weighed in on the debate around anti-LGBTQ policies in Floridas tax credit scholarship program, condemning discrimination and withdrawing their donations. Notably, only 11 percent of religiously identified businesses were associated with pro-LGBTQ perspectives. This trend differs from the overall study findings: 2 in 5 businesses, religiously identified or not, demonstrated pro-LGBTQ perspectives, and 3 in 4 of businesses that were not publicly identified with a religious affiliation demonstrated support for LGBTQ equality.

Additionally, advocacy/political organizations were divided nearly evenly in positive and negative sentiment. However, the language used to identify anti-LGBTQ advocacy/political organizations varied among news stories. For example, the Alliance Defending Freedoman organization that represents some of the anti-LGBTQ businesses and social service organizations described in the news articleswas identified simply as a conservative advocacy organization in one article and a conservative Christian organization in another article by the same publication. Such inconsistencies in journalists identification of anti-LGBTQ sources can significantly affect readers interpretation of the news event. While the reason for these inconsistencies is unclear, journalists should avoid identifying anti-LGBTQ sources as religious while omitting religious leanings for pro-LGBTQ sources, even when both may be religiously motivated.

Since its contemporary emergence in the 1980s, the religious right has intentionally and deftly saturated media narratives around LGBTQ rights, to the virtual exclusion of pro-LGBTQ religious voices. Given Pew Research Centers finding that a majority of LGBT Americans are people of faith and that people of faith have remained on the front lines of the movement for LGBTQ equality since its inception, the medias historical framing of religious and LGBTQ interests as contradictory is both inaccurate and erasive. Furthermore, scholars have found that such media frames can substantially influence political agenda-setting and the publics understanding of these issues.

This study found a meaningful improvement in the proportion and diversity of pro-LGBTQ sources of faith cited in news articles regarding issues at the religion-LGBTQ rights intersection, compared with the 2012 GLAAD study. This shift is likely due in part to Buttigiegs bold candidacy and the tide-shifting split of the United Methodist Church, as well as years of robust advocacy by national organizations and local faith communities that continue to educate religion reporters and elevate pro-LGBTQ voices of faith. However, anti-LGBTQ faith voices remained the slight majority of religiously identified sources that were cited in more than 650 local and national newspaper articles between April 2019 and June 2020, which does not reflect the majority-progressive positions of Americans of faith on LGBT issues.

To advance more accurate, inclusive, and effective representations of Americans of faith on LGBTQ issues, CAP offers the following recommendations for journalists, policymakers, business leaders, and everyday people of faith.

Journalists must make an intentional effort to consult more diverse perspectives when writing stories regarding the issues at the religion-LGBTQ rights intersection. While the provocative comments of famous white evangelical religious leaders and well-resourced anti-LGBTQ advocacy organizations may be the most accessible, polling data of religious Americans on LGBTQ issues make clear that these loud voices are not representative of everyday Americans. Journalists could better represent religious Americans perspectives on LGBTQ equality by increasing their coverage of growing non-Christian religious groups (see Figure 1) and by intentionally consulting religious community members rather than primarily deferring to official religious spokespersons. (see Figure 4) Thus, journalists must consult more diverse sources to reflect actual trends of public opinion in these communities and more accurately depict influential news events.

The high proportions of negative, unspecified faith sources (Christian unspecified, general) compared with specified faith sources suggest that journalists inadvertently present the minority perspectives of religious Americans who are opposed to LGBTQ rights as generally Christian or generally religious. (see Figure 2) While this may be in part due to how certain activists/advocates and community members self-identify in media appearances, it is the role of journalists to do due diligence to identify their sources and their organizational affiliations beyond religious, Christian, or even conservative Christian. The diversity in opinion among Christian subgroups alone makes clear that further specification will lead to more accurate stories. When journalists only cite the self-identification of a major leader such as Jeff Sessions as Christian, they inadvertently play into the intentional political strategy of religious-right actors to position themselves as the broad authority on issues of faith.

In legislative debates regarding LGBTQ rights and religious liberty, it is especially crucial that pro-LGBTQ politicians of faith cite their own beliefs to counter politicians who deploy religious language to justify anti-LGBTQ policies. This study found that if citations of Buttigieg were excluded from the sample, more than two times more anti-LGBTQ Republican officials cited their faith than pro-LGBTQ Democratic officials. Buttigiegs news visibility as a gay man and practicing Episcopalian had a notable impact on both the studys overall findings (see Figure 3) and the partisan nature of how religious identity was paired with pro- and anti-LGBTQ positions. (see Figure 6) These trends underscore how if even a few high-profile politicians assert their faith more publicly and regularly in LGBTQ-affirming discourse that implicates religion, it can substantially affect how the public perceives these issues.

Business leaders of faith must be vocal in supporting LGBTQ rights and in referencing their religious values or tradition when doing so. The overwhelming majority of religiously identified sources associated with businesses espoused anti-LGBTQ views (see Figure 7), thus positioning those sources attempts to discriminate against LGBTQ people through litigation as the authority on business-related issues in the public square. Given the demonstrated power of LGBTQ-affirming corporations in influencing legislative outcomesfor example, the Equality Act and Tennessee religious freedom legislationand ongoing litigation efforts by anti-LGBTQ businesses, this is especially important for advancing LGBTQ inclusion in the private and public sector.

The Trump administration has empowered religious-right actors who support the individuals, organizations, and corporations that seek to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. As supported by this study, despite improved visibility of pro-LGBTQ people of faith, the minority voices of the religious right continue to occupy the mantle of religion in news media coverage of LGBTQ issues. This misrepresentation has likely strengthened the profile of anti-LGBTQ advocacy priorities in the public square. As many Americans optimistically transition into a new administration on the shoulders of the monumental Title VII ruling that affirms the civil rights of LGBTQ Americans, the country faces impending challenges of anti-LGBTQ litigation under dozens of conservative, lifetime federal judges. This research provides valuable insights into the current news media landscape and advocacy openings for the movement for LGBTQ equality at large.

Media coverage of LGBTQ issues and religion should fairly represent the views of religious communities in the United States. This comprehensive CAP study of recent media coverage in select national and local media outlets shows that there are more religiously identified anti-LGBTQ sources cited than religiously identified pro-LGBTQ sources. Journalists have a responsibility to improve the diversity of voices in their coverage and to make sure religious communities voices are accurately represented.

Rucha Modi is a research consultant with the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress.

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons is a fellow with the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center.

Maggie Siddiqi is the senior director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center.

Rasheed Malik is a senior policy analyst for Early Childhood Policy at the Center.

The authors would like to thank Dr. James Desveaux, associate director of the Center for American Politics and Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles; Kyle Nelson, Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles; and Dr. Debra L. Mason, professor and director emerita of the Missouri School of Journalism and the Center on Religion and the Professions, for their assistance with this report. The authors would also like to thank CAPs Art and Editorial teams for their contributions.

This appendix contains further details about the authors sample identification and qualitative content analysis procedures.

This study sought to understand the following questions:

To explore these research questions, the researchers identified a sample of articles published by four national publications (The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post) and 10 local publications (The Denver Post, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Detroit News, The Kansas City Star, The Charlotte Observer, The Tennessean, The Houston Chronicle, and The Dallas Morning News) published between April 2019 and June 2020. This time frame was identified based on recency and research feasibility. The 14 publications were identified based on their circulation numbers, publishing company, and geographic location, taking into account states of particular interest based on their existing LGBTQ nondiscrimination legislative and judicial conditions.

More than 3,500 articles that addressed LGBTQ rights and religious issues in proximity were identified with media monitoring software through a Boolean search (LGBT* OR LBGT* OR L.G.B.T OR L.G.B.T. OR L.G.B.T.Q. OR L.G.B.T.Q OR Gay* OR Lesbian* OR Transgender* OR Bisexual* OR Nonbinary OR Queer* OR Homosexual*) NEAR/30 (Faith* OR Religion* OR God* OR Church* OR Clergy* OR Spiritual* OR Rev. OR Reverend* OR Bishop* OR Mosque* OR Temple* OR Synagogue* OR Chapel* OR Pastor* OR Rabbi* OR Imam* OR Monk* OR Priest* OR Christian* OR Protestant* OR Catholic* OR Evangel* OR Islam* OR Muslim* OR Jew* OR Judaism OR Mormon* OR Hindu* OR Buddh* OR Bible* or Quran* OR Torah* OR Talmud*) NOT (Category: Arts) NOT (Category: Fashion) NOT (Category: Music) NOT (title: op-ed) NOT (title: opinion) and manually reviewed for relevance and duplicity (e.g., an Associated Press wire piece that ran in several publications). Opinion and commentary pieces and sports, arts, entertainment, obituaries, and international articles were omitted from the article pool through the Boolean search and manually. However, U.S. sources cited in international subject articles (e.g., Secretary of State Mike Pompeo) were included.

The researcher in this study used a combination of human-coding and computer-aided textual analysis to analyze the identified articles and the sources cited within each article. The 653 articles that were included in this study were coded for headline, publication, author(s), and date of publication. Qualitative content analysis software was used to flag terms of interest from the aforementioned Boolean search within the article text, for more precise review by researchers. All 1,880 sources that were cited addressing issues at the religion and LGBTQ intersection within the articles were categorized by their individual type (academic/educator, activist/advocate, business representative, community member, journalist, medical/psychological expert, politician/government official, religious spokesperson, or witness/bystander); organization type (not identified, advocacy/political, business, educational institution, governmental, media organization, recreational, religious, research center/think tank, social service organization); religious affiliation (not identified, general, atheist/agnostic/humanist, Buddhist, Roman Catholic, interfaith, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, evangelical Protestant, historic Black church, mainline Protestant, Native American religions, or Indigenous African religions). The categories for individual type and organization type were derived from a previous study conducted in 2012 by the University of Missouris Center on Religion and the Professions.

Individual type, organization type, and religious affiliation were determined through the information available in the article text. Notably, sources individual type may differ from their organization type. For example, Buttigiegs individual type was most often coded as politician/government official since he was often identified as the mayor of South Bend Indiana, and his organization type was most often coded as advocacy/political since he was often reported in the context of his 2020 presidential campaign. Additionally, while this report explores primarily religiously identified sources, all sourcesincluding those coded as not identified for religious affiliationdiscussing issues at the religion and LGBTQ intersection were coded. For example, in the cases where Buttigieg was not identified with his faith, his religious affiliation was coded as not identified, even though the researchers are aware of his religious background.

Religious affiliation determinations for Christian sourcesmainline Protestant, evangelical Protestant, Roman Catholic, historic Black church, other Christian, or otherwere made according to guidelines by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion and Public Life. Sentiment was determined both by the explicit language and underlying meaning of the sources quotes, or the authors characterizations of the sources messages as related to LGBTQ issues. Pro-LGBTQ messages were coded as positive (e.g., United Methodist Church pastor affirming LGBTQ inclusion in their congregation); anti-LGBTQ messages were coded as negative (e.g., Roman Catholic school official asserting religious liberty as justification for firing a gay teacher); and messages that were neither positive nor negative were coded as neutral (e.g., academic religion expert delivering an objective assessment of the impact of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints baptism policy).

After the article coding was completed, the researcher created cross tabulations of the categorical data points and used chi-squared tests for figures 35 and 78 when all expected values for cells were greater than 5 to determine statistically significant (p < 0.05) associations between categorical variables of interest (e.g., religious affiliation and positive/negative sentiment).

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How Religion and LGBTQ Rights Intersect in Media Coverage - Center For American Progress

Maplewood PD says their efforts to reshape policing culture starts with who they hire – TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

The meeting was brief and all business, but it was positive.

Just two months into her new position as community policing coordinator, Officer Emily Burt-McGregor is still feeling her way through the job. Her goal, however, is clear: to create positive interactions with Maplewood residents now, in order to hopefully prevent negative intervention from other officers later.

What does that look like?

Earlier this month it looked like an officer and a property manager sitting down for a chat about lease options regarding drug use in an apartment complex. The manager wishes the police would respond faster to calls. The officers show up, but can do nothing about the smell of weed in the hallway thats long-since dissipated.

The department would like the property manager to use her lease options to evict drug users when it becomes known to her. Roles and responsibilities are defined. Concerns noted and action steps discussed.

For Grace Fielder, property manager at Maple Ponds Homes, the personal visit is meaningful because it shows the department is taking her concerns seriously.

Its definitely nice to know that I have a specific person to go to when things do arise, she said.

Burt-McGregors position is just one piece of a multi-pronged approach the Maplewood Police Department has been using to change its culture from strictly law enforcement to more of a community-policing approach. Their efforts are getting noticed.

In September, the department was honored with the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerces Leaders in Local Government award. Also, Ramsey County is poised to embed a social worker into the department in January, the first in the county outside of St. Paul, to help with mental health calls.

Maplewood was one of the first cities that approached us and wanted to begin the conversation, said Ann Barry, Ramsey County director of social services. We felt they were ready.

Following the race riots of the 1960s and the upheaval of the Vietnam War protests, police departments in the United States began to reassess their goals and philosophies.

Community policing became the buzzwords of the 1970s through the present, a style which focuses on controlling underlying causes of disorder in a neighborhood. Departments worked on increasing opportunities for positive contact with residents to improve trust and help officers become familiar with residents and their concerns.

In the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, police departments have also had to learn to work with an influx of non-English-speaking immigrants that began in the 1950s.

And with an increase of drug use, among other factors, mental health calls have increased substantially.

The Maplewood Police Department has confronted all of these challenges head-on, hoping to adapt to their changing community while remaining tough on crime.

What were trying to do is bring about a cultural change within the police department so that our staff understands whos in our community, understands who our residents are and the different cultures that are here, explained Scott Nadeau, Maplewoods public safety director. Its really a great two-way exchange where our community gets to know our officers and sees them as people, not just as a uniform that shows up when bad things happen.

The police shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights in 2016 had a profound effect on Maplewood. It played into the hiring of Nadeau in 2017, who had built a reputation for himself in Columbia Heights as a chief who wanted to do more than just law enforcement.

I think that he is a visionary, said Maplewood Mayor Marylee Abrams. I think what he is doing is more transformative than what I would typically characterize as being, you know, police reform. Reforming sounds like you kind of take everything thats old and just remix it. And I dont think that thats what were doing at all.

So, what are they doing?

Nadeau has attacked the problem on three fronts: reshaping the departments staff to better reflect the citys population, increasing police-community outreach and reaching out for help from Ramsey County regarding mental health calls.

Since Nadeau started, there has been a 125 percent increase in hiring of non-traditional police officer candidates. Thirteen of the last 18 police hires have been women and/or people of color.

How did he do this? Four ways: intentional recruitment and marketing, changing the hiring process to allow non-traditional applicants, allowing community members to craft interview questions, and using entry-level and volunteer positions to support the department.

He created a recruiting committee that seeks out candidates who fit their police departments goals. These members go to job fairs, visit colleges and work on getting the word out about Maplewoods priorities.

We are looking for community-centric people that dont see their jobs necessarily as just law enforcement, Nadeau said. The majority of what we do is assisting people in crisis. Its disputes, its non-enforcement activities. We are trying to find the people that have that big-picture view of what policing is and the importance of going out and solving problems in the community in a way that doesnt always include enforcement.

He created an online application process that asks more open-ended questions in order to get a better sense of the candidates skill set, philosophy and mindset.

The city and department developed the multicultural advisory committee, which advises on hiring and allows community members to ask interview questions.

Nadeau also used alternative hiring methods to fill entry-level paid and volunteer positions. One of those is Pathways to Policing, a program that allows a candidate with a four-year degree to change careers to become a police officer. For recruits selected for the program, the city covers the cost of law enforcement in-class and tactical training and pays the recruit up to 70 percent of a starting officers salary.

Maplewood has brought on three candidates this way, one of them being Officer Burt-McGregor who used to work for the U.S. Postal Service.

It was a total game changer because it pays you not only for your education, but it pays you while youre in school, she said. I could go to school, I dont have to go deeper into debt and Im still getting an income.

The department also utilizes the community service officer position, which is a paid, part-time post, and the reserve program, which is on a volunteer basis, as another way to job shadow officers.

When Nadeau took over the department, officers were participating in a few dozen hours of community outreach per year. In 2019, that number increased to 2,000 hours. Every public safety employee, which includes police, fire and EMS, is required to participate in at least 15 hours of outreach per year, as part of their work.

Opportunities in 2019 included nearly a dozen events at apartments, shelter and mobile home communities, monthly programs with senior citizens to educate them on financial scams and other safety issues, and youth events.

Maplewood police hosts annual junior high police academies for students, mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters programs, and participates in bicycle and helmet giveaways at community events.

Alesia Metry, a retired Maplewood officer who has been hired back on a part-time basis to help with community outreach events, says its not just the community that benefits, but the officers as well.

When I was a patrol officer, I loved community outreach, she said, telling a story about a student with behavioral problems she met with once a week and saw marked improvement. It helps us see these are real people these are moms, these are kids, these are great people.

In 2019, the Maplewood Police Department responded to 461 calls for a person in crisis, 86 calls for suicides in progress andhandled 698 calls where the primary cause for law enforcement presence was mental illness.

To try to get in front of this, the department has a mental health outreach team in which police, firefighters and paramedics work together to identify people in the community who are at risk and then try to work with them by making regular visits.

Added to that could be a full-time employee from the Ramsey County Health Department embedded in the police department to assist on mental health calls. The county board is expected to vote on it by the end of the year.

This will be someone trained in both mental health and social work who will work with law enforcement and the person, the family and everyone on the scene, explained Barry, the countys social services director. That could look like de-escalation. It could look like connecting someone to services. They will work side by side with law enforcement to help them understand mental health issues, what it looks like and how to help.

Nadeau hopes to use the hire as a single point of contact for officers struggling to navigate mental health resources.

No one has all of the resources youd ever want, Nadeau said. But we knew that working together, we could leverage resources and professions and talents in a way that we can be more productive. And now to have this problem-solving ability through the social worker, I think it will really help us to potentially get to that next level of being able to solve this.

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Maplewood PD says their efforts to reshape policing culture starts with who they hire - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Construction to begin on crucial stretch of I-10 in 2021, affecting drivers across the Valley – Community Impact Newspaper

Hundreds of thousands of drivers traverse the Broadway Curve section of I-10 each day, and the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin construction on the 11-mile stretch of the freeway in 2021 in the regions largest freeway redevelopment project to date.

Maricopa County, including the East Valley, continues to grow year after year, ADOT spokesperson Tom Herrmann said. If we were to do nothing, we would be approaching a gridlock.

Construction will take place on I-10 between I-17 and Loop 202, including the Broadway Curve. The project will affect freeways in Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe and the town of Guadalupe. The Broadway Curve project marks the states first major freeway reconstruction effort, Herrmann said.

This is a much-needed improvement to I-10, Herrmann said. The Broadway Curve sees about 300,000 vehicles a day and is the second-busiest section of Arizona freeways.

According to data from ADOT, officials expect the number of drivers on this segment of the freeway to grow by 25% by 2040. The project is expected to save drivers 2.5 million hours annually otherwise spent in traffic, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments, the entity responsible for planning Maricopa Countys major highway improvements.

Jenn Daniels, former Gilbert mayor and current member of the Arizona State Transportation Board, said the project is a massive undertaking.

Ultimately this project will improve access at businesses, Daniels said. It will help with the weekday traffic and, specifically, cut down on the amount of time that people ultimately will spend commuting or trying to access this particular area or navigate through this particular part of our region.

Herrmann said ADOT expects to finalize the construction contract by early 2021, and the project is slated to begin in mid- to late 2021 and take about three years to complete. The project is expected to cost about $643 million, but the final cost will be determined in the negotiation process, Herrmann said. Funding for the project stems from Proposition 400, a dedicated sales tax for transportation approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004, Highway User Revenue Fund and federal funds.

Project details

Throughout the course of the project, construction crews will widen I-10 from four to six general-purpose lanes and two HOV lanes between 24th Street and US 60, according to ADOT.

Herrmann said ADOT will be building a collector-distributor road system between Baseline Road and 40th Street to separate local and through traffic on I-10. Drivers getting on or off the freeway in these spots will stay in the new lanes to get on and off the freeway, Herrmann said.

What that will do is make traffic flow more safely and ultimately make I-10 safer, Herrmann said. A lot of people right now are switching lanes very quickly because of how the exits are lined up. Its difficult even when traffic is light, you have to quickly merge. This will not only help keep traffic flowing, but it will prevent the I-10 from getting more congested and make it much safer with these specialized lanes for entering and exiting.

The project will also add a fourth general-purpose lane on I-10 from US 60 to Ray Road and will modify the connection at SR 143, Broadway Road and US 60 to improve traffic flow and safety to and from Sky Harbor Airport. Herrmann said crews will also replace ramps at I-10 interchanges at SR 143 and US 60 with new ramps, including building new bridges.

ADOT will also add three pedestrian bridges to connect communities, Herrmann said.

Im really excited about the collector-distributor roads, said Kristin Myers, a transportation planner with the Maricopa Association of Governments. As a user of the system, I do have to maneuver through traffic coming in to work and going out to different places. It will be nice to use these and have less congestion and to not have to go on the mainline freeway.

Myers said the improvements will allow for drivers to spend less time in traffic, with rush hour estimated to move 37% faster.

It will be a complete improvement, Myers said. For commuters, its a 2.5 million-hour savings per year.

Economic effects

The Broadway Curve is known as a key commerce corridor connecting the East Valley and downtown Phoenix as well as connecting the region to Sky Harbor Airport.

Herrmann said the corridor is integral to the Valleys export-based economy, with products manufactured here and sold elsewhere bringing new money to the state. He said ADOT has been working closely with trucking associations and local businesses to spread the word about the project ahead of the start of construction.

The Maricopa Association of Governments estimates the project will create $658 million in new economic activity for the area.

ADOTs expansion of the Broadway Curve is indicative of the state and regions intentional infrastructure planning, ensuring our busy commuter corridors meet the demands of our growing market, said Chris Camacho, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. Modern and dependable infrastructure allows for easy and reliable access to the region and consumers, which is vital in securing new businesses to Greater Phoenix.

Daniels said the roadway improvements will also improve access to 4,637 businesses.

It will have a current impact, Daniels said. But it will grow local business sales by a substantial amount when there is better access.

Chandler Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Terri Kimble said the widening of the Broadway Curve is a long time coming.

As a major intersecting hub of commuters for the Valley, the initial construction project may be cumbersome to commuters for the duration of the project, but the payoff here will be huge, Kimble said. Its a chance to open up and expand the transportation infrastructure allowing access to top employers for our workforce.

Herrmann said ADOT and other officials are aware construction will create challenges as crews work to expand the freeway and cause temporary road closures or blockages. He said most of the work will be done at night and on weekends to mitigate traffic congestion.

There will be short-term challenges and inconveniences in exchange for long-term benefits, Herrmann said.

Daniels said, in order to maintain the infrastructure of Maricopa Countys freeways and roadways, managementeven if it is a temporary inconvenience to driversmust occur.

"Weve invested billions of dollars in this system, Daniels said. What a travesty it would be if we walked away from the system and said, Its going to take care of itself. It doesnt. Transportation will never take care of itself. I kind of look at transportation as like a living, breathing organism, and it just requires constant diligence and keeping it alive and healthy, just like any other living thing.

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Construction to begin on crucial stretch of I-10 in 2021, affecting drivers across the Valley - Community Impact Newspaper

Op-Ed | How to Fight Anti-Black Racism in Fashion Schools – The Business of Fashion

This year has put another pandemic front and centre in fashion schools: anti-Black racism.

Over the summer, fashion schools released a flurry of statements on their social media platforms condemning anti-Blackness in response to the murder of George Floyd and the re-energised Black Lives Matter movement. But thousands of students and faculty members quickly called out what they saw as hypocrisy, leaving comments and creating new accounts to document practises that devalue and discriminate against Black lives at fashion school.

In my own conversations with Black students at the fashion school where I am Chair, I learned firsthand how fashion education undermined their love of fashion. These students said they learned about white fashion history in classes that ignored or trivialised Black fashion histories; they said faculty questioned the relevance of their designs when they were grounded in Black narratives or assumed they were creating work about their experiences as Black people; they said that they rarely had Black teachers and that they were judged harder than their white peers.

At my school, we are on a journey to radically transform our curriculum and culture. Based on the approach my colleagues and I have put into practice, here are five steps that fashion schools can take to create the conditions for racial justice. While these steps can be used to advance social justice more broadly, given the recent BLM uprising and the calls for fashion schools to address anti-Blackness, my examples confront and address anti-Black racism specifically.

1. Own up to racism and discrimination

Fashion schools need to recognise how theyve inflicted trauma upon generations of Black students, faculty and staff. Academic leaders must create the time and space to apologise to their schools Black communities. These apologies should name the harm that has been caused, and voluntarily invite those who have been impacted to share their suggestions for change.

To redress the harm they have caused, fashion schools should take concrete steps towards reconciliation with Black communities. They should offer complimentary studio access, career mentorship and continuing education to Black alumni who were denied the opportunity to develop their potential and interests during their fashion education. At the same time, schools should offer ongoing workshops for faculty to help prevent anti-Black racism in the future. Workshops should teach them about racial injustice in fashion education, encourage deep reflection, and start their journey of learning about Black fashion histories and practices.

2. Develop a collective and comprehensive vision for justice

Embedding justice into fashion education has to be everyones work. However well-intentioned, creating equity committees limits anti-racism to those already committed to change and often to the Black staff and students who experience racism every day. It is vital that all faculty and staff play a role in advancing justice in everything they do because injustice shapes the entire system of fashion education, from student recruitment to developing course content to faculty hiring.

Rather than assume, schools should hold workshops to find out how their community understands justice in fashion education. Workshops should focus on the experiences and interests of Black students and faculty, but must also engage all stakeholders for the entire community to feel invested in change. The objectives that come from these workshops should be established as the schools guiding principles that direct all planning and decision-making because justice must be intentional and deliberate to result in meaningful change.

3. Embed justice into curriculum

Once the guiding principles have been established, schools must embed them into their curriculum. Programme directors and curriculum committees should first evaluate and revise their mandatory classes the course descriptions, learning objectives and content. These revisions should acknowledge and teach multiple and parallel fashion histories and systems, as well as the impact of colonisation and slavery on these fashion systems. In my school, we include a section in all course outlines that explain how the class honours our guiding principles. It allows us to hold ourselves accountable to teaching about Black fashion world views, cultures and practices.

Educators should also introduce new elective courses that offer students opportunities to deepen their knowledge and skills in Black fashion histories and practices. New electives might include Carnival fashion design and Black queer fashion histories. Alongside curricular revisions, schools with fashion research collections should acquire new objects to provide students with ample access to garments designed and worn by Black people. Schools will also need to develop sliding scales for guest lecturer honorariums. Due to discrimination in employment, many Black speakers and critics have to take time away from paid work to accept invitations to visit classes.

4. Welcome diverse ways of being

Fashion schools have often been hostile places for Black students and faculty. Current approaches to inclusion invite them in, but expect assimilation into white culture. For many prospective Black students, this hostility starts with the application process because they do not have access to the same training and support as their white peers to develop their portfolios. One approach to help prospective Black students might be to hire the schools Black alumni to host workshops for Black youth. At these workshops, alumni can share their experiences and mentor those youth who want to apply to fashion school. Schools should also redesign portfolio requirements to encourage diverse ways of knowing and practising fashion. But this redesign will only work if schools retrain faculty who evaluate portfolios. As the gatekeepers for schools, faculty need to recognise the barriers many Black students face and deliberately welcome them.

Once Black students start their education, schools need to cultivate culturally relevant student groups and mentorship programmes to support them in the face of continued anti-Black racism and discrimination. In my own school, Professor Caron Phinney established a Black Fashion Students Association to provide space for Black fashion students and alumni to discuss topics facing Black people in fashion and to host Black fashion professionals to share their experiences and mentor students in the group.

One of the most crucial steps fashion schools should take to eradicate the hostility facing Black students is to hire Black faculty who will reflect them and bring urgent knowledge into schools. However, there are significant barriers preventing Black faculty from gaining employment. To start, most job postings dont take systemic barriers to higher education and employment into account; they narrowly define job requirements and thereby limit who is deemed qualified. Hiring committees need to develop job postings that may better attract Black applicants and rethink qualifications outside of traditional understandings of success. For example, postings should consider community activism, public education and micro entrepreneurship as equivalencies to terminal degrees, academic experience and jobs at renowned fashion brands.

Current approaches to inclusion expect assimilation into white culture.

Faculty evaluation and promotion committees must develop new metrics for assessing Black faculty or they risk inviting their new employees into workplaces that do not allow them to flourish. Black fashion faculty are called on by students at their universities and beyond for guidance because they are often the only experts in their fields. Schools need to credit this time-consuming, invisible labour. Assessments of faculty must also equally reward research beyond journals and exhibitions to include public education and community work. It is only by valuing a range of contributions that Black faculty will advance to leadership roles in fashion education.

5. Establish partnerships that facilitate justice

Fashion schools must develop new partnerships and revenue streams to support Black students and faculty. For example, they should consider extending their teaching and research expertise into the fashion industry. My school takes what we are doing in the classroom and offers executive education on anti-racist and inclusive fashion practices for fashion organisations.

With this revenue, fashion schools can create scholarships and bursaries dedicated to Black students. The combination of racial and class barriers that many Black students face require them to hold multiple jobs to afford the costs of tuition and materials for class. As a result, these students are exhausted with less time and energy to focus on school-work compared to their white peers. Partnerships and revenue streams can also be used to hire new Black faculty members through endowed professorships, such as named Chairs in different areas of Black fashion, and to support cluster hires of several Black faculty members concurrently.

Fashion schools should develop relationships with Black-owned fashion businesses and Black-focused non-for-profit organisations. Rather than financial support, these partnerships can facilitate student internships and in-class projects. They allow schools to extend learning and mentorship opportunities for students beyond the status quo of white fashion organisations and professionals. These relationships can also provide pipelines for student and faculty recruitment.

Applying these steps will start the process of redressing the historic and continued injustices that Black communities face in fashion school. But justice is only the start. Liberation is that which justice ultimately strives towards. Then and only then will fashion education be transformed.

Ben Barry is Chair of Fashion and Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Ryerson University and incoming Dean of Fashion and Parsons School of Design.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Business of Fashion.

How to submit an Op-Ed: The Business of Fashion accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. The suggested length is 700-1000 words, but submissions of any length within reason will be considered. All submissions must be original and exclusive to BoF. Submissions may be sent to opinion@businessoffashion.com. Please include Op-Ed in the subject line and be sure to substantiate all assertions. Given the volume of submissions we receive, we regret that we are unable to respond in the event that an article is not selected for publication.

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Op-Ed | How to Fight Anti-Black Racism in Fashion Schools - The Business of Fashion

Seeing ‘a huge gap’, activist’s goal is to bring accurate COVID information to people of color – CT Insider

Crystal R. Emery said she knows that if Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people are going to protect themselves from COVID-19 and become willing to be vaccinated, the messenger is as important as the message.

Emery, a New Haven-area filmmaker who is quadriplegic, has never let her disability stop her from improving the lives of other people of color. She has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which affects the bodys peripheral nerves, as well as diabetes.

Now, Emery, 59, has teamed up with a range of people of color including churches and other community groups, to bring accurate information to people who have been mistrustful of media and who may receive inaccurate information from social media.

Nobody knows what to believe. Nobody knows what is real, Emery said. All of the Black and brown people were not getting the right information from sources that they respect. Those same communities have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, suffering disproportionately in the number of cases and deaths.

Through a video series, texts and infographics, Emery and her organization, URU The Right to Be, has launched Our Humanity, a project of really dealing with peoples mindsets and belief systems, she said.

Theres a huge gap here, and what I do well is creating information that lowers peoples defense mechanisms and that allows a new way or a different way to look at something, Emery said. It allows a clearer understanding of what those issues are.

Photo 8P3PDOTK ne122020CrystalCovid.5

She has the backing of former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and once and future Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, clergy, including the Rev. Boise Kimber and Bishop Theodore Brooks in New Haven and the Rev. Charles Stallworth in Bridgeport, and community leaders, including former New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and Karen DuBois-Walton, president of the Housing Authority of New Haven.

COVID has made the reality of racial and ethnic disparities in health care more stark than ever, Emery said. The CDC, the American Medical Association have all come out and said racism is a public health crisis, she said. The first part of bridging that gap is really creating prevention awareness that really looks like us. We have over 70 videos made by Black and brown doctors.

Its videos, its Instagram Live every Wednesday, where I have different experts speaking, where people can ask questions, make comments, Emery said.

Our goal is to reach at least 200,000 to 400,000 Black and brown people across the state, Emery said.

Online workshops will be offered in English and Spanish and faith and community leaders will be trained to disseminate information.

I call them community educators, Emery said. You have the direct touch but then you have the people that they touch.

Because getting both COVID and the flu is a no-win situation, she is working with Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center on both testing and immunizations.

There is so much to teach: how to properly wash hands and keep jewelry clean, understanding who youve come in contact with. You may think your bubble is two levels deep but in actuality its 10 levels deep, Emery said. You have to do this person by person. You cant send an email. If it was that easy, a lot fewer people would have become infected with the coronavirus, she said.

The infographics have been created by Shanina Knighton, a nurse and infection prevention researcher at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, who has focused on getting the details across in an easy-to-understand way. The advice to wear a mask isnt helpful if someone doesnt know to keep it up over the nose or how to keep it clean, Knighton said.

Knighton said she would walk up to people and ask them if they understood her posters. If you dont understand it within 15 seconds of looking at it, I kept going back to the drawing board to make sure things make sense, she said.

DuBois-Walton said Emery has been an amazing whirlwind of activity. Shes just laser-focused on informing people of color and making sure the messaging thats developed is the messaging that will resonate in those communities, she said. She added she hoped the state would follow suit in its efforts to get Black, brown and Indigenous people tested and vaccinated.

Im so excited to be working with her on something thats right here in her backyard, DuBois-Walton said.

Kimber, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church and president of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association, said hes been working with Emery to get the message out to the community that is affected the most. Thats where I feel that the state ought to be spending some time in how theyre going to get into the community.

He said the Black church is a primary way to reach the Black community and the churches have been made available for drive-through flu shots. We would hate for our people to get the flu and COVID at the same time, Kimber said. Theres nothing but death there.

Another supporter, the Rev. Abraham Hernandez, associate pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in East Haven, said, I believe that it is necessary to have a calculated and intentional effort, because its evident that the message has either not been effectively communicated to our people or we may need more of it.

Hernandez is executive director of the Connecticut chapter of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, representing 300 evangelical churches. We believe the houses of worship are institutions of trust as well as community service agencies, he said. Our medical experts are people the community looks up to and trusts and our hope is to support those on the front lines by ramping our communication efforts.

Hernandez said Emery has the heart of a lion. She is so passionate about our minority communities and she has always been 100 percent committed to shining a light on the shortfalls. She chooses to be part of the solution. Were all in this together.

The Rev. Charles Stallworth, senior pastor of East End Baptist Tabernacle Church in Bridgeport, as well as a state representative, said Emery is putting forth a great effort. There are multiple outlets right now, so the struggle is which one is going to be most relevant, which one is going to be funded.

He said there has been mistrust about the COVID vaccine, because there was a perception initially to be a rush getting something out by the Trump administration. But while not wanting to force it on people who dont believe, Stallworth said he is trying to be as informative as possible and will get vaccinated when he is able to.

He called Emery one of those few persons that you get to meet in a lifetime who against all odds is out front leading. Her compassion and concern for others is remarkable.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382

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Seeing 'a huge gap', activist's goal is to bring accurate COVID information to people of color - CT Insider

Poll: Tennessee voters split along party lines over COVID-19, presidential election outcome and priorities – Chattanooga Times Free Press

NASHVILLE Tennessee voters are divided along partisan lines over issues ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election's outcome, according to a new Vanderbilt University survey.

"Political partisanship is the ultimate factor shaping Tennesseans' beliefs on every vital issue of the hour the pandemic, the economy and the election," said Dr. John Geer, the Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and co-director of the Vanderbilt-Tennessee poll. "The disparities in decision making between Tennessee Republicans and Democrats are at an all-time high, a signal to the new administration on the challenges that lie ahead to unify America."

The survey of 1,007 registered Tennessee voters was done between Nov. 18 and Dec. 8 and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.6 percentage points. Vanderbilt University's Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions conducts the survey twice annually. It is directed by Geer and Josh Clinton, the Abby and Jon Winkelreid chair and professor of political science.

Republicans "overwhelmingly doubt the validity of the results of presidential election," according to Vanderbilt, which says just 12% of Tennessee Republican voters surveyed said they were confident that national votes were counted fairly and accurately. That compares to 97% of Democrats.

Even when assessing the accuracy of the vote count within Tennessee, which Republican President Donald Trump easily won over Democrat Joe Biden, Tennessee Republicans had more doubts about the accuracy of the results than did Democrats. Poll directors said that finding suggests Trump's repeated attacks on the process extended into red states and his own supporters.

Just 15% of Republicans polled here think Biden is the legitimate winner, while 70% think Biden is trying to "steal the election," according to the Vanderbilt survey.

Meanwhile, 95% of Democrats told pollsters they think Biden is the legitimate winner. And 70% of Democrats believe Trump, who still hasn't accepted the results, is trying to "steal" the election. At the same time, 35% of Republicans said they don't think Trump should concede after the Electoral College certifies the votes, which occurred this week after the survey was conducted.

"In no other time in recent history have we seen voters so skeptical and dissatisfied with election results," Geer said. "Even those voters satisfied with the outcome remain concerned that the opponent is trying to steal the election. Such obstinance must be curbed or could result in a long-term decline in the public's faith in democratic institutions."

When vaccines to protect people from COVID-19 become available to the public the first round are being distributed this week 75% of Tennesseans polled stated they are likely to get vaccinated.

But more than one out of three Republicans surveyed 36% said they are unlikely to get the vaccine, compared to just 15% of Democrats, according to pollsters. That comes despite increased concerns and awareness of the coronavirus at the community level.

For example, 80% of registered voters surveyed said they know someone who has contracted coronavirus, a finding that is consistent in urban, suburban and rural communities as well as partisanship. And 66% are concerned that they or a member of their family will get infected, a rise of 6 points from Vanderbilt's spring poll. Concern among Republicans polled rose 17 percentage points from last spring's poll, going from 37% to 54%. Concern among Democrats remains high at 88%, up 6 percentage points from spring.

Sixty-two percent of Tennesseans polled believe the pandemic is now a large or extremely large public health problem, an increase of 34 percentage points across urban, suburban and rural communities since last spring. Among Democrats, 83% think the pandemic is a large or extremely large public health problem, up 32 percentage points from the spring 2020.

But only 47% of Republicans think COVID-19 poses a large public health problem, according to the poll.

Polarization also impacts socializing and travel plans. Despite raised awareness and concern for COVID-19, 32% of Tennesseans said they don't plan to change how they would normally celebrate the holidays with family and friends. Fifty-two percent of Republicans said they won't change their plans, compared to only 14% of Democrats.

Just over one out of every five Republicans surveyed 22% said they don't usually wear a mask or face covering in a store or public place where they encounter other people. That compares to zero percent of Democrats and 11% of registered voters who are independents. Vanderbilt officials say a zero percent finding is "rare" in polling and underscores the "dramatic polarization" on mask wearing.

But Republicans, Democrats and independents do share something in common. They are somewhat or very concerned that the pandemic has harmed student learning, with 87% to 88% worried it has diminished learning for students at the elementary, middle school students and high school levels.

"It's clear that Tennesseans increasingly see the negative impact of the pandemic on their communities, especially as an inhibitor of public health and a quality education for their children," said Clinton. "Yet there still remains significant, intentional resistance to the CDC's top recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus."

The latest poll found Tennesseans' confidence in the U.S. economy rebounded to fall 2016 levels at 53%, up from 35% in the spring. Confidence in the Tennessee economy increased from 51% to 67%.

But Republican Gov. Bill Lee is taking a first-time hit in his job approval ratings, which dropped from 64% in May to 57% in the latest Vanderbilt poll.

The governor has come under fire from the medical community and Democrats who accuse him of not doing enough to stop the state's spiraling COVID-19 infection rates and now rising deaths.

"Democrats' approval of Gov. Lee declined by a significant 22 percentage points, which likely reflects dissatisfaction with his response to the pandemic among Democrats and independents," Clinton said.

But he noted Lee's approval among Republicans remains the same as it was in May, saying the governor's support in his Republican base "remains strong."

Thirty-seven percent of Tennesseans surveyed, meanwhile, said the pandemic continues to be the leading priority for Tennessee state government, followed by the economy (28%) and education (13%).

But there's a partisan split there as well: 64% of Democrats prioritized the pandemic, education (13%) and the economy (8%). But 40% of Republicans surveyed cited the economy as their top priority followed by the pandemic (19%) and education (13%).

Health care was the top priority for 9% of Tennesseans polled, followed by infrastructure at 5%.

Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.

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Poll: Tennessee voters split along party lines over COVID-19, presidential election outcome and priorities - Chattanooga Times Free Press

America’s future is dark unless we start working together and caring about each other – USA TODAY

Joan Blades, Opinion contributor Published 7:00 a.m. ET Dec. 21, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden appealed for unity Wednesday in a Thanksgiving-eve address to the nation asking Americans to "steel our spines" for a fight against the coronavirus that he predicted would continue for months. (Nov. 25) AP Domestic

It has becomenormal to disrespect and even dismiss the humanity of people we dont agree with. This is dangerous and at odds with our ideals.

I first became involved in politics in 1998 when my husband and I shared a one-sentence petition with less than 100 of our friends and family asking Congress to censure the president and move on to pressing issues facing the country.

Love Bill Clinton or hate him, a huge number of Americans agreed that the impeachment was polarizing and not good for our country.The petition went viral. Since that time I have seen polarization escalate to a point where we seem incapable of effective governance.

Many of us are appalled that addressing the COVID-19 pandemic became polarized. Important conversations are necessaryabout schools, business, faith community gatherings, mental health and health.We need to be able to weigh the costs and the benefits of our actions.

But in our current state of distrust, anger and fear we appear to be incapable of productive engagement. As a result we have lose-lose outcomes. How did wearing a mask in public spaces become a political statement? Thedata is clear that mask wearing protects us, especially the most vulnerable.

The result of this election puts our stunningly different understanding of our country in stark relief.Millions of people are wondering How can those voters see things so differently?It is time for us to answer that question.We must commit to curiosity and listening.(Photo: Getty Images)

Media, leaders and we ourselves have made it possible to live in parallel narratives where we dont share agreement about even fundamental facts. It has becomenormal to disrespect and even dismiss the humanity of people we dont agree with. This is dangerous and at odds with our ideals.

It is time for us to step up to the challenge of restoring a shared narrative. We can be more intentional about choosing our news media. We have to stop consuming media tuned to catch our attention through focusing on our fears, anxiety and anger.

We can choose leaders whocall us to work together and model respectful engagement across differences.Most important, we can choose to have caring relationships with people who hold differing views from us.

The result of this election puts our stunningly different understanding of our country in stark relief.Millions of people are wondering How can those voters see things so differently?It is time for us to answer that question.We must commit to curiosity and listening.

We can own our part of this downward spiral and commit to turning things around. Itwill at times be uncomfortable and confusing.It also will be enriching and fun. Treasured friendships and nuanced understanding are natural outcomes of this kind of investment.

And itwill take patience. It took time for us to become this dysfunctional.

Restoring the capacity to collaborate is essential to producing long-term change. Our polarized swings from left to right and back again have the impact of a wrecking ball. What is created by one group is demolished by the other. Agreements that are embraced by a strong majority are immensely more robust.

I do not ever want to have another election season like we just endured.I want our communities and government to do the hard work of looking for solutions to complex problems so that we have everyone's best ideas in the room and the agility to adapt and learn from our efforts.This requires shared vision and some trust.

The good news is most people want a fair society, a robust economy and a healthy environment.There are many theories about how we achieve this, but once we understand this core vision is shared, perhaps we can treat each other with more grace and forgiveness.

We are experiencing a pandemic, climate disruption and a reckoning with our history of racial oppression.There are no easy answers. But we can do this. We must.

Joan Blades is a co-founder ofMoveOnandLiving Room Conversations.

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America's future is dark unless we start working together and caring about each other - USA TODAY

I Am a Fourth-Generation RunnerHeres What the Sport Means to Me and My Family – Well+Good

My name is Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel. I am Kul Wiasa Lakota and a citizen of the Kul Wiasa Oyat, the Lower Brule Indian Reservation in central South Dakota on the Missouri River.I am a fourth-generation, Brings Three White Horses runner. My great-grandfather ran. My Lala (grandfather) Nyal Brings ran. My Ina (mother) Terra ran. Every time I run, I run for them. I run for my family. I run for my relatives.

I feel like I was born to run, even if I rejected it at times. My Lala took me on my first run, which ended on an uphill back home. I kept thinking: How is this fun?! But I saw the joy it gave him, so I stayed with it. Both my mom and grandfather had dreams to qualify for the Olympic Trials, and now that is my dream too: in the marathon. My Lala Nyal was a mid-distance runner for the University of South Dakota and was inducted into the USD Hall of Fame for his running accomplishments. Lala Nyal competed in the mile a few times with his friendly rival Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota; he adopted my mom and me after my grandfather passed away), with Nyal taking the victory. (Mills later won gold in the 10K at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.) My grandfather never mentioned this to us until Mills told us at Lala Nyals funeral. My mom and I were shocked to hear itbut the unmentioned victory shows the humility that my Lala had. My Ina Terra was a sprinter and my Lala was her coach. They both looked ahead to the 1988 Olympic Trials and planned every race and workout for her to reach that goal; however, her path led her to become an incredible pediatric, dialysis, oncology, and now COVID-19 nurse.

The best thing about running on the trails is that it helps me connect with Uni Maka (Grandmother Earth) and gives me a deeper appreciation of the lands that Native people cared for, which inspires me to keep protecting her for our next generations.

So, it was my At (dad), who really helped me to develop mental toughness for running and to believe in myself. I went from running as a tradition because of my family, to running for the representation of Native athletes, to loving running for just me, to running intersecting with my passion of advocacy. I mostly focused on the longer distances like the mile, relays, as well as running cross country in high school. Then in college, I really fell in love with running for myself and all that it gave back to me. I started with 5K and 10K races, then moved down to the shorter distancesa mile, 3K races, and relays. After college, I moved back up to longer distances, racing half marathons and eventually marathons, and in the last two years, I have been enjoying trail racing, which reminds me so much of cross country but is indefinitely harder. The best thing about running on the trails is that it helps me connect with Uni Maka (Grandmother Earth) and gives me a deeper appreciation of the lands that Native people cared for, which inspires me to keep protecting her for our next generations.

Running has given my life structure and helped to propel me forward, and it has also connected me to a new family, one that supports me as well as the amazing initiatives and fights led by Native organizations. In 2016, I ran my first marathon for the Running Strong for American Indian Youth at the Boston Marathon to help fundraise for their programming. In 2019, I ran the Boston Marathon again, as a chaperone to help raise funds for Wings of America. It was this race, and this moment, that I saw the power of my passions for advocacy and running intersect. I ran in prayer, dedicated 26 miles to 26 Indigenous women and girls, and began #RunningForJustice to help raise awareness to bring an end to this epidemic that impacts Indian Country. I saw the opportunity to share the competitive platform I have with those I care about, with those no longer here anymore, and bring along my relatives and communities.

Yes, I want to run fast, yes I have goals, but at the end of the day, its not about a medal, a record, or a fast time.

Being a fourth-generation runner is also about representation. As a Native athlete, I want to let other Native people and people of color know that these spaces can, and should, include us. Recently, I signed my first ever shoe contract with Altra Running as a professional Team Elite runner and became a professional runner with RABBIT Pro. After I signed my contracts, I kept thinking of my Lala Nyal and my Ina Terra, and that this is for our family and for Indian Country. Yes, I want to run fast, yes I have goals, but at the end of the day, its not about a medal, a record, or a fast time. Its about being intentional with my running to impact social change, to run in prayer, and to make space for Indigenous relatives missing and murderedfor Black lives murdered. Its about justice across all our movements and for all our communities most impacted by white supremacy, racism, and systemic oppression.

With my running, I am trying to create opportunities to call and bring people in. I want to help uplift, center, and provide education for people to know that Native people are still here. We are our own storytellers and we can control the narrative of our past, present, and future. In October, I organized an Indigenous Peoples Day 5K, 10K, and half marathon virtual run for anyone to participate and learn from Native people and to support Native-led heart work. In June, I partnered with Seeding Sovereignty to launch a virtual 5K, Running for the Health of All Nations to help raise funds to support our efforts in providing masks, hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes, and supplies to Indigenous communities impacted by COVID19. In November, for Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month, I organized the Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month Run and Wellness Challenge. These were such successes and was truly beautiful to see the support that came in.

Soon, Im launching the Running on Native Lands Initiative through my organization, Rising Hearts, and I have a bonfire campaign that ends on December 24 to help raise funds for Rising Hearts. And next year, Im organizing the Running on Native Lands virtual 5K, 10K, and half marathon, which will take place from February 1 to 10th, 2021.

So many of us are running with purpose. This year, I finished a 360-mile prayer run from Bears Ears National Monument in Utah to Salt Lake City, UT to raise funds to support SLC Air Protectors and Urban Indian Health Center of Salt Lake and carry and offer prayers for our relatives and communities. This was a powerful prayer run and I learned so much. Eleven Native runners from across Turtle Island (North America) came together to run in prayer. And then, I ran the Truthsgiving 30 miler Prayer Run. Not only is running is medicine but the laugher and joy we felt being together, was another unexpected medicine I felt.

Running is medicine. Running is healing. Running is family. Running is tradition. Running is prayer. And running is advocacy. This is why I run and what motivates me. Im excited to keep on running.

Read more here:

I Am a Fourth-Generation RunnerHeres What the Sport Means to Me and My Family - Well+Good

Just in Time for the Holidays: Your Book Recommendations – Josh Kurtz

Earlier this year, we published two articles about a reading list that two lawmakers state Sen. Cory V. McCray (D-Baltimore City) and Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery) assembled for their colleagues after consulting with a range of experts.

They were inspired by a retired Navy admiral and former NATO supreme commander, James G. Stavridis, who had written a book in 2017 called The Leaders Bookshelf, which is essentially a recommended reading list of 50 books for aspiring leaders.

Perhaps the single best way a leader can learn and grow is through reading, Stavridis has said.

McCray and Korman essentially compiled an A list the true essentials divided into five distinct subject areas, and a B list of equally good reads over a broader set of topics.

After we published the recommendations of Korman, McCray and friends, we asked readers to provide their own lists of suggested reading for people in leadership positions. The response was overwhelming.

Now, with apologies for the delay, but just in time for late holiday gifts or pre-2021 General Assembly session gifts we finally present the readers recommendations, in their own words. They are listed in the order in which we received them:

Gus B. Bauman, attorney and former head of the Montgomery County Planning Board

The greatest, most profound non-fiction book ever written by an American is The Education of Henry Adams (1918), by Henry Adams. No American who purports to lead other human beings in either the governmental/political realm or the business realm should be permitted to do so without reading and reflecting upon this deeply thoughtful, fascinating so-called autobiography (really, an excursion into American philosophy: how should one think and act in a complex democracy and ever-changing world?).

Jim Rose, Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform

Senator Charles Sydnor (D-Baltimore County) mentioned he was reading Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, by Emily Bazelon.

David Reel, Maryland director, Quantum Communications

A Sense of Urgency, by John P. Kotter

Getting More, by Stuart Diamond

Churchill on Leadership, by Steven Hayward

Therese M. Hessler, president & CEO, Ashlar Government Relations & Consulting

Start with Why, by Simon Sinek

This is a must read for anyone in a leadership role. Start With Why shows that the leaders whove had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way and its the opposite of what everyone else does. It provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

Daniel Golombek, retired NASA scientist

I recommend The Education of a Christian Prince by Erasmus of Rotterdam and Immanuel Kants Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch.

Erasmus book, written in 1516, is as prescient as any current book about political leadership could be. The teachings he suggests be given to leaders are extremely un-Machiavellian, and probably the ones we need; e.g.:

Follow the right, do violence to no one, plunder no one, sell no public office, be corrupted by no bribes.

The tyrant looks upon nothing with greater suspicion than the harmonious agreement of good men and of cities; good princes especially rejoice in this. A tyrant is happy to stir up factions and strife between his subjects and feeds and aids chance animosities. This means he basely uses for the safeguarding of his tyranny. A king has this one interest: to foster peaceful relations between his subjects and straightway to adjust such dissensions among them as chance to arise, for he believes that they are the worst menace to the state that can happen. When a tyrant sees that affairs of state are flourishing, he trumps up some pretext, or even invites in some enemy, so as to start a war and thereby weaken the powers.

The second book is a short essay that complements Erasmus. Kant wrote that countries should be republics and harmoniously work together. In fact he describes (in 1795!) a federation very similar to the current European Union.

Jamie Kendrick, senior project manager, Mead & Hunt

The Truly Disadvantaged, by William Julius Wilson.

I read this book in college 25 years ago. it shaped my worldview of what it means to be poor and living in inescapable poverty and just how miraculous it is when someone does.

Patricia Helfrich

The American Crisis: What Went Wrong, How We Recover, by writers from The Atlantic.

Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women, by Christina Lamb

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Ray Feldmann, Feldmann Communications Strategies

Red Ball Express and Dorie Miller: Greatness Under Fire. Written by Elkton High School history teacher Dante R. Brizill, these two books celebrate the achievements of Black Americans during World War II. Red Ball Express is the true story of unsung heroes from World War II who drove the trucks that supplied American armies in Europe. Three out of every four of these men were Black.

Dorie Miller tells the true story of Doris Dorie Miller, a Black cook on the USS West Virginia who became a hero when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. During the attack Miller manned anti-aircraft guns, for which he had no training, and tended to the wounded. He was recognized by the Navy for his actions and awarded the Navy Cross.

Cover My Dreams In Ink, a poignant memoir written by Annapolis author Jessie Dunleavy about her late son, Paul, who died in 2017 of an accidental opioid overdose. Jessies book shines a light on the human toll of the war on drugs and drives home the urgency for drug policy reform. It is a tremendous resource for families who are dealing with the horrors of drug addiction, especially opioid addiction.

Kelby Brick, director, Governors Coordinating Offices, Office of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

I would like to suggest War Against the Weak: Eugenics and Americas Campaign to Create a Master Race by Edwin Black. A must read for any public leader interested in basic human rights as this outlines how American corporate philanthropies launched a national campaign of ethnic cleansing in the United States, helped found and fund the Nazi eugenics of Hitler and Mengele and then created the modern movement of human genetics.'

Patrick Roddy, partner, Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC

Role of a Lifetime, by Lou Cannon.

I did not like Ronald Reagan and famously told a boss that America would never vote for an actor but this book explained to me his gifts as a politician including his ability to use fictional metaphor as if it were reality (the conversation with Charles McDowell about the VMI movie scene is worth the whole book)

Robyn Elliott, partner, Public Policy Partners

I wanted to recommend March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. This graphic novel is hands-down one of the best books that Ive ever read. With just over 100 pages to tell John Lewis story about student sit-ins at lunch counters in the 1960s, every word and every pen stroke has to convey both the fact and meaning of this part of our history. I dont think a stand-alone narrative could have captured this story as well. The illustrations and concise narrative are worth more than 1,000 words. This book is priceless in the truest meaning of the word.

M.Q. Riding, director of marketing and communications, Chesapeake Utilities

My recommendation for a book to read is Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand It is a quintessential novel on the rebirth of independence with a woman as a strong protagonist.

Christopher Costello, Public Sector Consulting Group

The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America, by Philip Howard

Del. Jazz M. Lewis (D-Prince Georges)

Here are a list of good reads in no particular order:

Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. He discusses the struggles of growing up in Baltimore and generally forgotten about urban America.

Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance, provides similar takes on forgotten rural America from a more conservative perspective.

Strangers in Their Own Land, by Arlie Russell Hochschild, gives an in-depth view of conservatives from their own eyes. I think it is important to understand those you disagree with in order to make real progress on policy.

Leadership, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, examines the leadership lessons of four American presidents.

Man of the House, by former U.S. House Speaker Tip ONeill. A lesson on cultivating power and being effective.

Saving Capitalism, by Robert Reich, summarizes how income inequality has grown in America and provides a roadmap to doing something about it.

Youre More More Powerful Than You Think, by Eric Liu. This is about civic engagement and is officially non-partisan. I use lessons from this book whenever I talk to students.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, by Kerry Patterson and others. If you are to lead, you will need to build consensus and negotiate. This is a great way to navigate difficult conversations without compromising your values.

Rules for Radicals, by Saul Alinsky a primer on community and labor organizing that has been used effectively over the years.

The Breakthrough, by Gwen Ifill a veteran journalists take on the impact of Barack Obamas electoral victory and its creation of a pathway for other Black and relatively new political leaders.

Hassan Giordano, Mr. Politics, owner, DMV Daily Media Group

I would suggest The Prince, Art of War, 48 Laws of Power and 33 Strategies of War, which I believe were all mentioned, as well as a great read by John J. Pitney Jr., The Art of Political Warfare, and one that would make for a great read in this moment, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin.

Eric Sterling, executive director of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation

Tribes on the Hill, by Jack McIver Weatherford is an anthropological study of the U.S. Senate from the mid-1980s. What would be useful for Maryland legislators is to think about how the features, relationships and problems that were facing the U.S. Senate can be instructive now.

Weatherford was a professor of anthropology who was doing field work on the staff of Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio). He points out the site of the Capitol much earlier was a gathering place for trade and barter by the Native peoples from other areas along the Mid-Atlantic region. He notes the familial and kinship relationships that exist for generations. And he describes the interest-based tribes that exist on Capitol Hill, such as the tribe that supports military appropriations in Maine, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, California, Washington state, etc. He also identifies different kinds of ritual and performance roles played by different Senators and analogizes how they compare to roles played by leaders of Native peoples.

Weatherford identifies a critical problem arising from open meeting rules and government in the sunshine pressures. Real deliberation is often tentative, and bargaining can look sordid when done in public and thus the unflattering work is not done in public, leaving the primary activity in the meetings of the committees to be ritualistic. The pressure to take a position on the record and to make sure that ones opinion is counted means that more and more of the activity is performative. The senators become consumed with issuing statements for the record on this bill and that, in this committee and that.

The ability of the senators to spend time with each for the purpose of finding common ground and compromise to pass legislation becomes reduced, and the necessary work gets delegated to staff, to parasenators, who operate in the corners. The senators stop talking with each other, other than with a handful of allies, or in a very stilted way.

The need to exchange information about what other senators are actually thinking and want from one another is met in a way that I did not expect and thought was quite insightful. It is the lobbyists. Weatherford compares lobbyists, going from office to office, gathering intelligence, to the way bees incidentally gather and spread pollen as they seek nectar, and that the lobbyist intelligence sharing is as essential to the production of legislation as bees are to the pollination of fruit. With no bees, there is no harvest; with no lobbyists there is no legislation.

Weatherford ends with a warning that the ritual demands of appearing at every subcommittee meeting, and making a statement on every issue leads to a kind of non-productive frenzy. He dramatically compares the ritual behavior of appeasing the need to be on the record to the need of Aztec priests for prisoners to make the ritual human sacrifices demanded by their gods. The demand for sacrificial victims leads the Aztec nation to ever-more extensive and expensive wars to find the necessary prisoners to sacrifice. Thus, Weatherford argues, the consequential wars weakened the Aztec nation making it vulnerable to conquest by the relatively weak forces of that Spain could place on the ground in Mexico.

Patrick H. Murray, chief of staff to Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D)

The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made and The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III. These books are reminders that relationships and reputations are the currency of our realm and, leveraged properly, are invaluable in shaping public policy.

Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America, The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker, and Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior.

These books were required reading for the students in my Campaigns & Elections class this fall. They examine the role of group identity in political behavior. Identity Crisis and Steadfast Democrats rely heavily on data. All three books will burst your partisan bubble and challenge your assumptions.

Last, but certainly not least: William F. Zorzi, senior contributor to Maryland Matters

For years, philosophers and historians have warned us with some variation of Edmund Burkes admonishment, Those who dont know history are doomed to repeat it. But the truth of the matter is that we as a race have been repeating the same moronic mistakes for years with little to no thought of the experience and fallout.

Those mistakes dont really need to be detailed. You know what they are; you dont have to look too far into the distance or past to find them. Nevertheless, history can be instructive as we peer blankly into the future.

I was intrigued and heartened a bit by the list of books assembled by Sen. Cory V. McCray (D-Baltimore City), Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery) and their associates, and published by Maryland Matters, as volumes that should be found on the bookshelf of any state legislator aspiring to understand and master the political game.

McCray and Korman came up with the idea from a 2017 book by retired U.S. Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis and R. Manning Ancell, The Leaders Bookshelf, published by the Naval Institute Press in Annapolis.

It makes perfect sense that good legislators would want to school themselves on government, politics and leadership through the experiences of the best and worst in those areas. But I never realized how broad a collection that might be until I stared down the expansive lists of suggested books, ranging from Lucille Cliftons collected poems to The Bible.

Despite how all-encompassing those lists aspired to be, I thought there were a few holes in them that needed plugging, notably, but not exclusively, in the category of Maryland-specific Politics and Government History. What follows is a list of some of the books I would include, with some comment. Naturally.

Thimbleriggers: The Law v. Governor Marvin Mandel, by Brad Jacobs of The Evening Sun, published in 1984 by Johns Hopkins University Press.

This is the part of the Marvin Mandel story that seemed to slip the former governors mind in his 2010 memoir, Ill Never Forget It that is, the federal governments racketeering and mail fraud case against him and five members of his cabal in the little matter of a racetrack bill (and more).

Among the Baltimore Democrats five codefendants was one Irving Kovens, the bankrolling political padrone whose stable included William Donald Schaefer as city councilman, mayor and governor.

Time somehow seems to heal most reputations, and the stain on the Mandel name has just about been remediated. But for a while, the Mandel political corruption case, with all its tentacles, seemed to be Marylands Scandal of the Century.

There is no intention here to tarnish Mandels wings in the centenary of his birth, but the State House antics and alleged graft (including a double-secret-reverse veto override on legislation transferring racing days for fun and profit) involving this gang are quite educational and make for entertaining reading for all the wrong reasons.

Jacobs, a lifelong political writer for The Evening Sun who took leave from his position as the papers editorial page editor to write the book, also spends time comparing Mandel & Co. to The Ring, featuring Maryland bossisms greatest characters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, former U.S. Sen. Arthur Pue Gorman and I. Freeman Rasin, who could easily keep up with Tammany Halls best.

Honestly, even at a presumably digestible 250 pages, Thimbleriggers can, at times, be a tough read. It covers a lot of ground and touches on a lot of characters. It traces the intricacies of the Mandel conspiracy and the dizzying back-and-forth of the case, and still manages to offer a short course on the states political history of the preceding century along with a dash of high-minded moralizing (as editorialists are wont to do).

But its worth it.

Acclaimed author William Manchester, another Evening Sun alum, who wrote the foreword, called the book a fascinating political autopsy of Marylands Marvin Mandel.

Indeed.

After his 1977 conviction, Mandel did 19 months of a three-year term (reduced from four) at the federal prison camp on Elgin Air Force Base near Pensacola, Fla., before President Ronald Reagan commuted his sentence at the request of defense attorney, Arnold M. Wiener, and the persistent urging of lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano thus freeing him in 1981.

The book ends there, in 1981 but the Mandel tale did not.

A few years later, attorneys for Mandel et al petitioned the U.S. District Court in Baltimore to reconsider the convictions, based on a Kentucky case that the Supreme Court tossed out in 1987, finding that the federal government had overreached in prosecuting certain alleged violations of the mail fraud statute.

A federal judge in turn vacated the earlier guilty findings, and Mandel declared victory and vindication.

The 4th Circuit affirmed the decision on appeal, but not everyone least of all, the government was convinced that eliminating the convictions on what many saw as arguably a technicality absolved Mandel and his cronies of wrongdoing, especially after Congress the following year amended the law to close the loophole created by the Supreme Court action. (The government appealed the 4th Circuits Mandel decision to the Supreme Court, but the justices refused to take up the case.)

In the end, Mandel got his law license back, returned to Annapolis as a lobbyist and even eventually was embraced by the GOP, which made sure his memoir, Ill Never Forget It, was published by its thinly disguised non-partisan think tank, the Maryland Public Policy Institute.

The Great Game of Maryland Politics, by Barry Rascovar, former deputy editorial page editor of The Sun of Baltimore, published in 1998 by The Baltimore Sun Co.

In a collection of his Sunday columns on State House politics, Rascovar covers the political history of The Free State for the two decades preceding the millennium. Love him or hate him, Rascovars insights which continue today on his politicalmaryland.com website are spot on and invaluable in tracing how Maryland got to be where it is now.

Plus, spread throughout, the book features the editorial cartoons by the late, great Mike Lane, formerly of The Evening Sun. Whats not to like?

The Great Game of Politics, by Frank R. Kent, also formerly of The Sun, published in 1923 by Doubleday, Page & Co., is what today would be called a deep dive into precisely how a political machine works, from top to bottom, with all the ugly barely cosmeticized, as well as an examination of the other finer points of, uh, governance. Its chapters were serialized in The Sun.

This could be the granddaddy of all political books by a reporter who went on to cover the goings-on in Washington and became the nations first syndicated political columnist before all the pundits and prognosticators and the television talking-head class with dime-a-dozen opinions.

In a sense it is dated the world does not operate the way it did 100 years ago but there are still some revealing seemingly germane explanations. The books subtitle probably says it best: An Effort to Present the Elementary Human Facts About Politics, Politicians, and Political Machines, Candidates and Their Ways, for the Benefit of the Average Citizen.

For most of his career, Kent wrote a political column under the standing head of The Great Game of Politics for The Sun, first focusing on local and state politics and then turning his attention to Washington and what later became known as inside the Beltway meaning Interstate 495, not I-695. The older he got, the more conservative he grew.

Excerpt from:

Just in Time for the Holidays: Your Book Recommendations - Josh Kurtz

The 10 best ear pressure points – Medical News Today

Although it is not yet proven how acupressure works, there is some evidence to suggest that when performed properly, it may help relieve pain and tension around the body. Activating ear pressure points may help ease symptoms of tinnitus, headache, earache, and more.

Acupressure is a type of alternative or complementary medicine. It has played a vital role in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years.

The core technique of acupressure therapies involves applying pressure with the fingers to certain points on the body. The applied pressure sends a signal to the body to start healing itself.

Many believe that, if applied regularly and to the right areas, acupressure can help treat symptoms related to the ears and prevent symptoms from returning.

The following are acupressure points that may help a person find relief for ears- and head-related problems.

The ear apex, or erjian, is a pressure point used to treat a variety of symptoms. It is at the very top center of the ear, also called the apex.

According to a 2011 study, applying pressure to different auricular pressure points, which are on and around the ear, may have specific therapeutic results.

Many believe that stimulation of the ear apex pressure point can play a role in alleviating migraines and help with earaches and tension headaches.

The acupressure point located at the crown of the head, in line with the tips of the ears, is also known in TCM as the Governor Vessel 20, GV 20, DU 20, or baihui. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that activating this pressure point may help with tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a condition in which a person hears a noise, such as humming or ringing, in their ears when there is no outside source of the sound.

The daith point is at the smallest fold of cartilage in the ear, just above the opening to the ear toward the front.

According to the American Migraine Foundation (AMF), some people pierce the daith because of the reported relief to migraine pain.

However, the AMF add that reports of success are purely anecdotal and that there is no research to support this theory. Acupressure practitioners claim that activating this pressure point may help with tension or migraine headaches.

Learn more about daith piercings and migraines here.

The union valley, also known as the LI 4 or the hegu pressure point in TCM, is an acupressure point located in the skin between the forefinger and thumb. This pressure point may help alleviate pain in various parts of the body.

An older study from 1999 recommends using hand acupressure points to address any ailment for which people typically recommend acupressure.

There is a point located along the hairline near the temple, one on each side of the head. Acupressure practitioners refer to this point as ST 8 or touwei.

In a 2006 study, researchers found that using these two points provided an effective treatment for tinnitus.

Applying pressure to the temples may help alleviate ear and head pain.

The evidence is anecdotal, although some people may find relief for their headaches or earaches by rubbing their temples when the pain starts to come on.

In the center of the forehead, just above the bridge of the nose and between the eyes, is a point known as the third eye. TCM practitioners also refer to it as yintang or EX HN 3.

Activating this pressure point may help alleviate pain in the head, eyes, and ears.

There is anecdotal evidence that this point may also help with tinnitus.

There is an acupressure point located at the center of the base of the skull. TCM practitioners refer to it as GV 16 or fengfu.

According to a 2015 study, applying pressure to this point is good for relieving local pain and pain in other areas of the body.

Ear gate, also referred to as ermen, san jiao 21, or SJ 21, is right in front of where the earlobe starts.

Many believe that applying pressure to ear gate can help alleviate head pains and tinnitus.

The pressure point located slightly behind the earlobe may help with tinnitus, earaches, and headaches.

There are several studies that look at the effectiveness of acupressure.

Although the studies vary in size, quality, and the condition they analyze, most find that using acupressure to treat various conditions has favorable results.

A 2015 review of studies looked at data on acupressure of the ear for treating a variety of illnesses, including pain in different parts of the body.

The researchers found that acupressure can positively affect peoples symptoms. However, it is still unclear what the exact mechanisms of acupressure are.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) state that activating acupuncture pressure points may play a role in decreasing the occurrence of tension headaches and fending off migraine headaches.

The NCCIH caution that while it is reasonable for people with chronic pain to consider acupuncture as a possible solution, there is no consensus in clinical practice guidelines about acupuncture recommendations.

A person interested in using acupressure should seek guidance from their doctor, who may provide information or refer them to a certified acupuncture specialist, who can provide therapy and instruction.

See the article here:

The 10 best ear pressure points - Medical News Today

When to go to the emergency room. And when not to. – UAB News

Emergency departments are crowded, and patients might want to consider alternative care options such as urgent care centers.

Emergency departments are crowded, and patients might want to consider alternative care options such as urgent care centers.Hospital emergency departments are pretty busy places at the best of times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become busier still. Wait times are up, and space is limited at hospital emergency departments across Alabama.

We are busy, said Andrew Edwards, M.D., interim chair of the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine. We have patients presenting with COVID-19-like symptoms. We have patients with major emergencies such as stroke, heart attack and traumatic injury. And we have a lot of patients who come to us for a variety of conditions, some of which might be better handled at alternative care sites, which would reduce the overcrowding we see in the EDs.

Edwards is quick to affirm that the UAB emergency departments at the main hospital, UAB Highlands Hospital and the freestanding facility at Gardendale are safe for patients who need emergency medical care.

One unfortunate result of the coronavirus pandemic is that people are scared to go to an emergency room when they have a medical issue that requires emergency care, Edwards said. People experiencing heart attack, stroke or other significant health issues should not delay getting medical care for fear of contracting the virus.

But UAB also offers several alternative care options for those conditions or illnesses that, while serious, may not require the services of an emergency department.

We have several options that patients can use outside of the emergency room that may be appropriate for some medical issues, Edwards said. One is simply your primary care physician, who can now often be reached quickly through patient portals and telemedicine. Another is UAB Medicines Urgent Care Clinic in Southside.

The most common medical conditions seen at UABs emergency departments that fall outside of the most serious issues such as stroke, heart attack and trauma include general aches and pains, arthritis symptoms, shortness of breath, headache, cough, joint or back pain, and high blood pressure. While some of these symptoms could indicate a major emergency, many could fall into the category of issues well suited to alternative care options.

If you are not sure, by all means, go to the nearest emergency department, Edwards said.

Options outside of the emergency room include:

Our emergency departments are open for business, Edwards said. But as we deal with the overcrowding and large volumes that we are experiencing now during the pandemic, we want to remember that there are other options that can be considered.

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When to go to the emergency room. And when not to. - UAB News

You’re Their Santa’: Teen Gives Gifts to Hospitalized Children on Christmas – NBC10 Boston

With a first-hand understanding of life with a Traumatic Brain Injury,Meredith Casey organized a campaign to deliver gifts to children who will wake up in the hospital on Christmas Day.

Casey, a Freshman at North Reading High School, suffered a life-changing brain injury five years ago. She since created a non-profit, the Mighty Meredith Project, dedicated to raising awareness about Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and helping others with a message of kindness at the heart of her organization.

The motto: "Be Kind, Its Good For the Mind."

Many of this year's fundraising events for the Mighty Meredith Project were cancelled due to the pandemic, but that didnt stop her from spreading kindness.

Right now, Casey is in the middle of running a Fill The Box campaign, an annual toy and gift card drive that benefits the Child Life organizations at the two hospitals where she continues to receive care:The Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center and Boston Children's Hospital.

About 250 gifts were delivered to neurology clinics at the two hospitals Friday and will be handed out to children on Christmas.

My neurologist comes up to me with tears in his eyes and is like, 'Youre Santa Clause. Youre their Santa Clause, Meredith,'" Casey said. "And everyone in my community helps so I think it brings the community together, especially this year. Its going to be something special.

The presents were wrapped by North Reading High School students this year as part of their community service credits. In the past, Casey has held wrapping parties with friends,but had to adapt this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The goal is to gift $20,000 to the hospitals. Donations can be made at the Mighty Meredith website, through Amazon, or by downloading the completewish listand dropping items off at a designated site.

The community also banded together to write 500 thank you notes to first responders, each with a $5 dollar gift card to Dunkin' inside.

"Just a little thank you for all you do," Casey said.

Meredith Casey prepares 250 presents to be delivered to children who will spend Christmas in neurology clinics at Boston hospitals.

Casey was only 11 years old when she suffered a life-changing brain injury on Dec. 15, 2015.

I was in fifth grade," Casey recalled. "I was picking up my science homework - a fluke accident - and I stood right up into my granite counter top.

After feeling sick for days, doctors told Casey she had a concussion. But over the next few months, her health continued to decline.

Months went by, I had my first MRI scan - nothing," Casey said. "Second MRI scan- there was a blood clot found at the base of my brain.

During this time, Casey lost her balance and needed a cane. She went to physical therapy, tried alternative medicine and endured endless tests. Finally, medical professionals came to a diagnosis- a Traumatic Brain Injury. A condition that affects her every single day of her life.

I live in chronic pain. Everyday pain," Casey said. "People ask me on a scale of one to 10 - I hate the scale, I hate the scale so much - scale of one to 10 its a seven. People say, 'Thats so high.' Im kind of used to it at this point. I dont know what a day without pain is like.

She chose to battle that pain through the Mighty Meredith Project, which is built on three pillars; mighty smart, mighty giving and mighty kind.

I started it to raise awareness for traumatic brain injuries, give back to the medical community and my favorite- promote kindness," Casey said. "It really sprouted from the kindness that other people showed me during my toughest of days.

That kindness came from the community, doctors and child life-specialists who became an integral part of her life.

Continued here:

You're Their Santa': Teen Gives Gifts to Hospitalized Children on Christmas - NBC10 Boston

Cannabis And Pain Management: Is Alternative Plant Medicine Becoming The New Norm? – The Fresh Toast

Did you know that in 2019, chronic pain impacted one-third of the U.S. population? This number continues to rise, and so does the consumption of various substances to help manage and/or combat pain.

Currently, different NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), acetaminophen, and opioids are used the most often for the treatment of pain. However, theres no guarantee that these drugs will be fully effective in eliminating pain nor is there a guarantee that these drugs wont cause any adverse side effects.

Nowadays, cannabis and its many cannabinoids are being pursued more because of their medicinal and therapeutic properties.Overall, though, alternative plant medicine is becoming a part of thousands of peoples routines and lifestyles for numerous reasons. Here are a few main reasons why.

Oftentimes, when someone experiences pain, their primary mission is to eliminate it and use or consume a product to achieve relief. Before treating pain though, its important to understand the characteristics of the pain itself, the severity of it, and the nature of it. For example, is the pain acute or chronic? Is it neuropathic or inflammatory pain? Is the pain caused by an injury, illness, ailment, or a new medication? After understanding the type of pain, finding an appropriate treatment method is the next step.

RELATED: What We Can Learn About Cannabis From Chinese Medicine

When evaluating numerous treatment methods, its essential to understand the efficacies of different treatment options and potential adverse effects/reactions. From here, an individual should be able to find a suitable treatment method that aligns with the type of pain theyre experiencing.

Although opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and various OTC (over-the-counter) drugs tend to be the norm for pain management and/or relief, cannabis and its array of beneficial cannabinoids are growing in demand and usage.

Specifically, to avoid potential adverse side effects and/or the risk of drug addiction or dependency, for many, opioids are taking a back seat, and cannabinoids are being pursued instead. Despite traditional medicines demonstrating their efficacy in many different situations and among different people, issues can still arise post-consumption.

RELATED: More Women Switch Out Pharmaceuticals For Medical Marijuana

For example, NSAIDs can be beneficial, but theyve also been associated with severe complications involving the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal systems. Next are opioids, which have proven their effectiveness in different situations, but theyve also demonstrated their ability to cause cognitive deficiencies, motor impairment, and respiratory depression. Opioids also unfortunately represent a substantial addiction and dependency risk among specific groups of individuals.

As time goes on, alternative plant medicine, such as cannabis, numerous cannabinoids, and terpenes, are slowly changing the way pain management is viewed and/or executed.

Photo by Esther Kelleter/EyeEm/Getty Images

The cannabis plant contains over 100 cannabinoids, but some of them are more well-known such as Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Numerous cannabinoids are medically and therapeutically beneficial in multiple ways, but CBD, THC, Cannabichromene (CBC), and Cannabigerols (CBG) analgesic properties stand out. So far, it has been found that CBC contains both anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Whereas, CBG has proven its stronger analgesic activity than THC.

Aside from different cannabinoids analgesic properties, various terpenes found on the cannabis plant are analgesics as well, especially myrcene. One 2008 study expanded on this and stated that: Myrcene is analgesic, and such activity, in contrast to cannabinoids, is blocked by naloxone suggesting an opioid-like mechanism. Another terpene that contains analgesic and anti-inflammatory attributes is -caryophyllene.

RELATED: Why Cannabis Is Better Than Opioids

In addition, cannabinoid analgesics have generally been well-tolerated within clinical trials. The World Health Organization (WHO) also reported that CBD is non-psychoactive, non-toxic, non-addictive, and has a good safety profile.

Although theres more to learn about cannabinoids and pain management, various surveys of cannabis users have shed light on the substitution of cannabis products for opioids. Specifically, one 2017 survey focused on American and Canadian cannabis users, and the following was reported: Our findings are consistent with prior surveys of American and Canadian marijuana users in which substitution of marijuana for opioids was prevalent due to better symptom management and fewer adverse and withdrawal effects.

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Cannabis And Pain Management: Is Alternative Plant Medicine Becoming The New Norm? - The Fresh Toast

The year QAnon went global – Coda Story

Along with a lethal global pandemic and an all-encompassing sense of existential dread, 2020 will be remembered as the year when an unhinged online conspiracy theory about a powerful global child abuse ring broke out into the real world, then went truly mainstream.

While coronavirus death tolls and a polarized U.S. presidential election race dominated the headlines, QAnon supporters took to the streets around the world, spreading disinformation during Black Lives Matter marches, agitating at anti-lockdown protests and egging on the anti-vaccine movement.

From Australia to the Balkans and even further afield, QAnon emerged from the bowels of the internet, morphing into a big tent conspiracy theory that offered an ideological home for a wide range of supporters. Right wing and populist politics have dominated, of course, but the theorys alternate universe has also been embraced by wellness influencers, musicians and even celebrity chefs. Nowhere has been safe.

Dave Stelfox

Over the past three years, QAnon has proved so sprawling and deranged a conspiracy theory that no idea is too outlandish and no location too far flung to be folded into it. After all, when a movement breaks into the global mainstream by proposing that a cabal of Satan-worshipping VIP pedophiles is using the non-existent basement of a Washington D.C. pizza joint to harvest a fictitious, eternal-life-giving enzyme from the blood of pre-schoolers, all bets are off.

Still, Australia and New Zealands adaptations of the Q doctrine are notably berserk. The region has lately established itself as an epicenter of the theory that grave threats are being posed to national sovereignty and personal liberty by Agenda 21 a perfectly normal, 23-year-old non-binding U.N. resolution that aims to help governments and NGOs promote sustainable development. As wrongheaded as it may be, its a position that has been successfully mapped onto Qs paranoid blueprint by numerous influencers, including celebrity chef turned one-man troll factory Paleo Pete Evans.

As with everywhere else it has gained a foothold, QAnon has been quick to take advantage of Oceanias coronavirus denial movement. In September, protesters at an Auckland anti-lockdown rally were seen carrying placards that advanced its narratives, alongside images of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as Adolf Hitler and calls to Ban 1080, a reference to a government rodent extermination program.

Meanwhile, latching onto QAnon has rocketed Billy TK, a Maori blues guitarist who has played with Carlos Santana and supported Black Sabbath, to a level of fame he never quite achieved in music. Now, he is the countrys best-known conspiracist thinker and leader of the populist party Advance New Zealand.

Predictably, rumors of ritual child abuse have also abounded some of them so inventive that they give the U.S. a run for its money. Claims have been made that numerous politicians, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have spent months under house arrest for such crimes. (Apparently, the proof could be clearly seen in the fit of their trousers.) However, most impressive was the idea that regional Covid-19 restrictions were, in fact, an elaborate ruse to facilitate the use of hundreds of miles of storm drains beneath the city of Melbourne to traffic underage sex slaves. Talk about going down the rabbit hole.

Oleksandr Ignatenko

As we reported earlier in 2020, QAnon has found a welcoming home in Germany, spreading its bizarre theories within Covid-19-denialist and rightwing anti-government circles. A recent study of coronavirus-skeptic activity on the messaging platform Telegram identified 12 key channels, half of which have amplified QAnon narratives. The most prominent among them is that of Attila Hildmann, one of the nations best-known and strangest conspiracists.

As a far-right German nationalist of Turkish heritage, Putin fanboy and celebrity vegan chef, Hildmann is a baffling and troubling figure. He has also embraced many aspects of the QAnon belief system particularly the notion of Satanic ritual child abuse carried out by a nefarious deep state elite.

As noted by Paul Thomas, chair of religious studies at Radford University in Virginia, such narratives of evil have the potential to spark acts of extremist violence by casting believers as warriors of absolute good. That point has already been proven in the U.S. by the likes of Edgar Maddison Welch, a father of two from North Carolina, who stormed Comet Ping Pong, the family restaurant in Washington D.C that found itself at the heart of the Pizzagate hoax, armed with an assault rifle.

Back in June, Hildmann used the public space in front of Altes Museum in Berlin as a rallying point for his followers. In July, the institution banned him for making a string of antisemitic remarks. He retaliated by telling his 100,000-plus Telegram audience that the Pergamon altar an ancient Greek monument housed in the museum was being used for rituals by powerful global Satanists. To back up his allegations, he added that Chancellor Angela Merkel lives nearby and takes part in the ceremonies. In October, an unknown assailant carried out what has been described as the biggest attack on art and antiquities in post-war German history, spraying 70 of the museums exhibits with an oily liquid.

Lately, Hildmann has taken an adversarial stance to QAnon. Echoing the theories of the sovereign citizen Reichsbrger movement, he has proclaimed that the U.S. has occupied Germany since 1945 and that Q is a CIA plot to cover preparations being made by NATO for nuclear war against Russia and Turkey. An unexpected turn, but one that does nothing to lessen the influence the theory has had on this self-proclaimed conspiracy preacher and his devotees.

Mariam Kiparoidze

QAnon has spread far beyond its base of die-hard Trump supporters and now its making serious inroads to the world of wellness, spirituality and alternative medicine.

In September Marc-Andr Argentino, a PhD researcher of right-wing movements at Concordia University in Montreal, coined the term pastel QAnon. He was referring to online posts that peddle outlandish conspiracy theories, couched in the delicate-colored aesthetics and ethereal language typical of the wellness industry. This branding is the polar opposite of raw QAnon, he tweeted.

As QAnon has moved from the political fringes to mainstream, some high-profile wellness figures have jumped on board. For instance, the well-known U.S. obstetrician and alternative medicine practitioner Christiane Northrup has posted QAnon-related content on social media, using phrases such as The Great Awakening the belief that there will come a moment when all of the movements pronouncements will be revealed to the world as true and promoted the coronavirus conspiracy Plandemic video.

Qs proliferation has created a schism within the wellness community. In September, more than 100 prominent accounts in the U.S., including the yoga teachers Seane Corn and Hala Khouri, shared a joint statement on Instagram.

We are aware that QAnon originated on the dark web of hate and white supremacy, and have repackaged their message to appeal to spiritual communities, it read. Dont be fooled. The true intent of QAnon is to spread misinformation, blame, conflict, and sow racial division in our country.

Influencers and practitioners trying to counter disinformation have been met with a vicious backlash from online commenters.

Researchers and members of the wellness community are not surprised by QAnons advance within it. The lifestyle particularly appeals to women and young mothers seeking self-improvement. QAnon portrays itself both as privy to vital secret information and bravely battling child sex abuse. Many of the soft-hued social media posts feature hashtags such as #savethechildren, #endsextrafficking and #dotheresearch.

The wellness community is also often skeptical about Big Pharma and conventional medicine, instead advocating that its members find their own personal paths towards healing. QAnons extreme anti-coronavirus-vaccine stance knits into that position seamlessly.

Traditionally, the wellness industry has been quite inclusive for alternative worldviews and belief systems, said the Finnish yoga teacher and wellness practitioner Mia Jokiniva. I think its the same language that QAnon is using and sounds familiar to many people who are in this industry, because it has always been a part of what we do.

Katia Patin

Across the Balkans, QAnon offshoots are latching on to a number of already popular anti-vaccination and coronavirus denialist narratives. In Serbia, one-third of people polled in October by the Belgrade Center for Security Policy said that they do not believe in or have serious doubts about the existence of the coronavirus. A broader Western Balkans survey taking in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia showed that more than 75% of people believe in at least one of several prominent Covid-19 conspiracy theories.

The results are alarming, according to Marija Ignijatijevic, a researcher at the organization. It speaks to how much people are confused right now during this pandemic.

Such thinking has given QAnon a foothold in the region, albeit modest compared to other parts of Europe. Followers of BalkAnon Facebook groups have only ever numbered in the tens of thousands and nearly all such pages were successfully shut down in the platforms recent purge.

However, supporters have attempted to co-opt activism surrounding a chilling story closely linked to one of QAnons signature obsessions. Since the 1960s, thousands of newborns have disappeared from maternity wards in Serbia and the wider region. Just this year, the nations government passed a bill to finally investigate claims by parents who believe their children were victims of a criminal group collaborating with doctors to sell babies to adoptive parents. Pressure groups have organized protests in Belgrade to draw further attention to the issue, with QAnon supporters joining under the slogan For our children. In this rare instance, the movements fixation on child trafficking is backed up by overwhelming evidence and a government inquiry that has the support of the Council of Europe.

Overlapping with mainstream right-wing organizations, Q adherents are also busy whipping up long-standing animosities toward the regions migrant and refugee population. In October, one of the most popular Balkan QAnon Facebook pages posted a code of ethics, referring to its followers as patriots and promising to clean our countries of scum.

Burhan Wazir

For a once marginalized genre like rap music, niche interests and wild theories are often the key to success. The hip-hop group Public Enemy once endorsed the teachings of the black separatist group the Nation of Islam. Jay Electronica is a follower of the Five Percent Nation, a group which believes the world is run by that one tenth of the worlds population.

Unsurprisingly, a shapeshifting conspiracy theory in which President Donald Trump is portrayed as a lone warrior fighting a shadowy network of powerful individuals engaged in Satanic pedophilia, has attracted no shortage of commentary. Earlier this summer, rapper Ice Cube shared a photograph showing a banner on a bridge above a highway. It read, MEDIA IS COMPLICIT #TREASON Q.

In fairness, Cube, who has previously used his influence to highlight a range of issues, including police brutality and racism, may not have noticed the Q when he shared the image. The same cant be said of Dutch rapper Lange Frans, a Trump supporter, who released the QAnon-referencing track Lockdown earlier this year. While the song doesnt mention the movement by name, its lyrics dont require sophisticated code breaking skills to decipher: Welcome to the most fun festival/ You dont need a ticket because youre already there/ This is the fall of the cabal.

An equally paranoid view of the world can be heard in Fuck System by Polish rappers Kali x Major, released earlier this month. In one verse, which compiles a rogues gallery of bad actors, the rappers take aim at all our corporate and religious overlords: One thing is certain, we serve the Freemasons/ Big Pharma, Monsanto, the Vatican, the QAnon elite, the luminaries, Valhalla, Trump.

With the defeat of President Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, it is difficult to predict what happens to the QAnon conspiracy its followers could see the victory of President-elect Joe Biden as confirmation of their ideas, or they could stratify into new and separate groups. As attention has diverted to the beginning of the end of the pandemic and the mass rollout of vaccines across the world, some musicians seem to have already found new causes to rail against.

Earlier this month, Pete Rock, a widely respected DJ and producer, came out as one of hip-hops leading vaccine skeptics. Vaccine shit is real stupid. How you giving vaccine to people who arent sick??? he asked, in a now deleted tweet. Rock later doubled down, Where is the vaccine for A.I.D.S./HIV? Where is the vaccine for cancer? Diabetes?? Smh.

One social media user came up with a well-aimed response. Seat belt shit is real stupid. How you giving seat belt to people who arent in a car crash?

Gautama Mehta

At first glance, Jair Bolsonaros Brazil is a perfect fit for QAnon. The president, a staunch Trump ally, came to power on the back of a right-wing movement with a longtime fixation with pedophilia, childhood sexuality, and conspiracies. During his campaign, Bolsonaro supporters accused the opposition of spreading gay kits in schools and distributing penis-shaped baby bottles in order to advance a homosexual agenda.

So analysts of far-right politics werent really surprised when Q flags and slogans were seen at rallies in the run-up to municipal elections in November. A few candidates were open QAnon adherents; none of them won elections.

QAnons arrival in Brazil has been greeted with debate as to how much attention the movement should be given.

My worry is the very few activists who are trying to promote QAnon in Brazil, who are really small, they become middle-size or maybe big because of Brazilian press coverage, said Pablo Ortellada, who runs a lab at the University of So Paulo analyzing online political discourse.

Were in that dilemma. Do we make a bigger deal of this and make exposure, or is this really a threat? said David Nemer, a Brazilian researcher on fake news at the University of Virginia. Nemer added that, despite the risk, he believes there is a public-interest case for exposing the sometimes subtle QAnon messages embedded in the rhetoric of Brazilian politicians.

Perhaps the biggest threat to actual public safety is the Bolsonaro-promoted misinformation regarding Covid-19 vaccines. Possibly still traumatized by his encounter with a mob of emus, the president recently mused that the Pfizer vaccine could turn people into alligators. Some saw in his bizarre remarks an echo of a QAnon-linked theory that vaccines cause genetic mutations.

Isobel Cockerell

Long before the pandemic and the rise of QAnon, elements of the reactionary right and anti-establishment movements were busy preparing the ground with vaccine skepticism, climate crisis denial and all manner of other conspiracy theories. Now, while support for political populists is apparently declining, belief in shadowy plots and clandestine schemes is becoming ever more widespread. Accordingly, demagogues around the world are embracing an array of bizarre ideas in the hope of electoral gain.

In the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, QAnon followers became an important part of Donald Trumps base. As a result, his campaign was filled with dog-whistles and nods to them, from sharing delusional conspiracies that Barack Obamas administration killed Navy SEALs to retweeting 14 QAnon social media accounts in a single day.

Now, Trumps European counterparts are following his lead. In the U.K., Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage has founded a new party focused on fighting coronavirus restrictions, albeit in a slightly milder way than some hardline conspiracist thinkers might like.

Activists who cut their teeth in Italys Five Star Movement, such as senator Bartolomeo Pepe and congresswoman Sara Cunial, are also crossing over into QAnon territory. In the spring, Cunial made a speech to parliament calling Bill Gates a vaccine criminal. Pepe has been sharing Q drops on his Facebook page since 2018, and former communications director Claudio Messora now runs a blog that is one of the main sources of Italian QAnon content.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the upstart Forum for Democracy party has collapsed amid allegations of antisemitism and far-right extremism, prompting its flamboyant leader Thierry Baudet to parrot a list of Q-related talking points including the idea that George Soros created the coronavirus to steal our freedom.

The movements growth is easy to explain. QAnon is even more seductive than populism, offering its followers secret knowledge and a feeling of belonging to an exclusive club. Its very empowering, especially right now, for people who have been out of work for a long time or who are locked down because of the pandemic, said Mike Rothschild, who is writing a book about QAnon. Theyre very isolated, theyre disconnected, and heres Q, and its giving them this sense of self-importance.

As we enter the post-Trump era, some believe that populisms days are numbered. But it may just be giving way to murkier political currents, in which delusion reigns supreme.

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The year QAnon went global - Coda Story

Study uncovers neural predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy outcome for patients with anxiety and dep … – PsyPost

Individuals who exhibit greater brain activity in response to angry facial expressions may be more likely to benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), according to new neuroimaging research. The findings, published in Psychological Medicine, could help mental health professionals choose the most effective treatments for patients with anxiety disorders and depression.

As a licensed psychologist, I am continuously reminded of the pervasiveness of depression and anxiety disorders, which commonly co-occur and are frequently associated with interpersonal difficulties that substantively reduce quality of life. Fortunately, CBT for anxiety and depression can help, said study author Heide Klumpp, an associate professor and director of the Clinical Cognitive Affective Neuroscience Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

However, people differ in the extent to which they benefit from CBT which focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors to better manage negative emotions. Symptoms and demographic information are not good predictors of response to CBT.

Yet, accumulating data from neuroimaging studies suggests brain regions that underlie facial expressions, an important interpersonal signal, may predict individual differences in CBT outcome, Klumpp said. Developing brain-based profiles to help determine who is and who is not likely to benefit from CBT could aid in guiding which treatments a person should receive from an assortment of treatments with different mechanisms of action.

In the study, 90 individuals with depression and/or anxiety completed an emotion recognition task as the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record their brain activity. The procedure was conducted twice: Once before and once after 12 weeks of CBT.

The researchers found that patients who had shown a greater activity in a particular brain region during the emotion recognition task tended to experience the greatest improvement after treatment.

Following CBT, about half of the participants with depression and/or an anxiety were considered to be responders as they experienced more than a 50% reduction in symptom severity,Klumpp told PsyPost.

A data-driven classification approach identified two brain-based subtypes.The subtype characterized by more brain activity to angry faces in a visual area (i.e., superior occipital gyrus)before CBTconsisted of more responders than the subtype representing less brain activity in the region, despite subtypes having similar levels of depression and anxietybeforetreatment. After completing CBT, the difference in brain activity between subtypes remained and the one with less brain response to angry faces had more anxiety and depression symptoms, Klumpp explained.

Angry faces can signal interpersonal aggression that may be encountered relatively frequently.Findings suggest it is possible to identify distinct brain-based subgroups that have clinical implications; here, individuals with more reactivity to angry facial expressions in a visual processing region are more likely to benefit from the skills learned in CBT.

The findings are a step toward improving the ability to choose the most effective treatments for psychiatric disorders. Klumpp was also involved in research indicating that activity in other brain regions, such as the insula and amygdala, can help predict treatment outcomes as well.

But as with any study, the new research includes some caveats.

The number of participants in the study was relatively small so it will be necessary to replicate findings in a larger sample, Klumpp said. Since CBT was not compared to an alternative treatment such as medication and there was no waitlist (i.e., no treatment) group, we cannot conclude findings are unique to CBT.

Also, the processing of emotional facial expressions involves an array of brain regions that are part of large networks, thus, it would be important for future studies to examine the clinical utility of neural network-based approaches.

Lastly, it cannot be assumed that the patient subtypes represent abnormal brain activity, Klumpp noted. Indeed, anxiety and depression symptoms range from nonexistent to severe as opposed to all-or-none. Therefore, it could be useful to identify brain-based groups that capture meaningful divisions along a mental health continuum before treatment and then evaluate their response to a treatment or combination of interventions to tailor treatments to the individual to increase therapeutic gains.

The study, Brain response to emotional faces in anxiety and depression: neural predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy outcome and predictor-based subgroups following therapy, was authored by Heide Klumpp, Jagan Jimmy, Katie L. Burkhouse, Runa Bhaumik, Jennifer Francis, Michelle G. Craske, K. Luan Phan and Olusola Ajilore.

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Study uncovers neural predictors of cognitive behavioral therapy outcome for patients with anxiety and dep ... - PsyPost

Naturopathy – How Not to be a Doctor and Harm the Public Good – News Intervention

Naturopathicmedicine is a distinct primary health care system that blends modern scientificknowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine. It is based on thehealing power of nature and it supports and stimulates the bodys ability toheal itself. Naturopathic medicine is the art and science of disease diagnosis,treatment and prevention using natural therapies including: botanical medicine,clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation,traditional Chinese medicine/acupuncture, lifestyle counselling and healthpromotion and disease prevention. Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors

Naturopathyis a cornucopia of almost every quackery you can think of. Be it homeopathy,traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, applied kinesiology,anthroposophical medicine, reflexology, craniosacral therapy, Bowen Technique,and pretty much any other form of unscientific or prescientific medicine thatyou can imagine, its hard to think of a single form of pseudoscientificmedicine and quackery that naturopathy doesnt embrace or at least tolerate. Dr. DavidGorski

Naturopaths claim that they practice based on scientificprinciples. Yet examinations of naturopathic literature, practices andstatements suggest a more ambivalent attitude. NDhealthfacts.org neatlyillustrates the problem with naturopathy itself: Open antagonism toscience-based medicine, and the risk of harm from integrating these practicesinto the practice of medicine. Unfortunately, the trend towards integratingnaturopathy into medicine is both real and frightening. Because good medicineisnt based on invented facts and pre-scientific beliefs it must be groundedin science. And naturopathy, despite the claims, is anything but scientific. Scott Gavura (Science-Based Medicine)

Naturopathic training does not prepare them to be primary care physicians.Their profession is not science-based, does not have a science-based standardof care, and is largely a collection of pseudoscience and dangerous nonsenseloosely held together by a vague nature is always best philosophy.

This is one of those situations where most people will not believe that thesituation can be as bad as it really is. This is similar to when I describe topeople, who are hearing it for the first time, what homeopathy actually is.They usually dont believe it, because they cannot accept that something sononsensical can be so widespread and apparently accepted in our society. Thesame is true when I tell people about the core chiropractic philosophy of lifeenergy (at least for those chiropractors who have not rejected their roots), orabout what Scientologists actually believe.

One common reaction is the no true Scotsman logical fallacy. Defenderswill insist that what we are describing is the exception, and that a realnaturopath is not like that. Obviously there will be a range of practice(especially since there is no standard), but the pseudoscientific treatmentsthat make up naturopathy are not the exception. They are at the core of theireducation and their philosophy. Dr. Steven Novella

Naturopathic medicine is an eclectic assortment ofpseudoscientific, fanciful, and unethical practices. Implausible naturopathicclaims are still prevalent and are no more valid now than they were in 1968. Kimball C. Atwood

Naturopathic medical school is not a medical school inanything but the appropriation of the word medical. Naturopathy is not a branchof medicine. It is a combination of nutritional advice, home remedies anddiscredited treatments Naturopathic practices are unchanged by research andremain a large assortment of erroneous and potentially dangerous claims mixedwith a sprinkling of non-controversial dietary and lifestyle advice. The Massachusetts Medical Society

Naturopathy[1]is, and always has been, a declaration of pseudoscience and pseudomedicinemixed together with truism dressed-up in cheap makeup to appear legitimate,respectable, even advanced and modern, and real, as per the first statement atthe top in contrast to reliable and respected voices following it. Ignorance ina tutu is still ignorance.

Its notan alternative way of knowing, a different form of medicine, or a novel line ofthought. Its not cheaper than medicine because real medicine works on thecases needing it and, therefore, utilize the finances of patients properly,i.e., effectively.

Naturopathsare not doctors, medical doctors, or real MDs. By peddling nonsense assensible, they harm the public good and, thus, become a negative force insociety, as purveyors of illegitimate practice. Why deal a light critique toindividuals harming public in the most important areas of life, for example,medical care or health?

In turn,as self-proposed practitioners for the betterment of the health of the public,they detract attention and legitimacy away from real medical doctors, realmedicine, in addition to the finances of the public. If alternative medicinebecame effective, then it would become non-alternative medicine, also known asmedicine. So, whats the point of it, in the first place?

As notedin Freethought for the Small Towns: Case Study,Canadians and Others Convictions to DivineInterventionism in the Matters of the Origins and Evolution, Making a Buck as a Mountebank Astrologers, Mediums,and Psychics, The Message of William Marrion Branham: ResponsesCommentary, The Fantastic Capacity for Believing the Incredible,religious fundamentalism, pseudoscience, and pseudomedicine, play off oneanother, as gullibility in the pulpit informs gullibility in the wellnessmarketplace, and vice versa.

Oneignorance feeds into another. Whether in the local Township of Langley or inthe wider province of British Columbia, even in small towns including FortLangley, this is the nature of the pseudoscience and pseudomedicine landscape.Bad people, even thinking themselves good, bilk the public earning good money,even bad money or minimum wage income.

Theseindividuals and, more fundamentally, fraudulent practices, should be combatteddirectly, even at the legislative level as they have been enforced in countrieslike the United States largely through legislative efforts. Why such a directedeffort at legislation rather than randomized double-blind trials? Let me knowhow those homeopathic studies turn out.

InBritish Columbia, widely, when you do a search, you can find more than 100places, so associations, colleges, clinics, centres, integrative clinics, medicalcentres, practitioners, and so on. All devoted to a pseudoscientific practice withinone province. All either harming the bank accounts through fraudulentpractices, or, potentially, harming the public.

Personally,they should not be able to operate in British Columbia generally, or in theTownship of Langley in particular. Its easily viewable as a wide range ofpseudomedicine postulated as real medicine while without proper medical credentials,only fake qualifications, as in real to the fake medicine while faketo the real medicine.

Theresa large number of practitioners and clinics of naturopathy, includingassociations, colleges, and institutes, such as the College Of NaturopathicPhysicians Of British Columbia and the BC Naturopathic Association/BCNA.

Its a literal zoo with the number of them. In a general search of the Canadianprovince of British Columbia, one set includes Dr. Janine Mackenzie ND, AbbyNaturopathic Clinic: Dr. Cristina Coloma ND, Horizons Holistic Health Clinic,Edgemont Naturopathic Clinic, Boucher Naturopathic Medical Clinic, Dr. AggieMatusik, Integrative Naturopatic Medical Centre, Dr. Marisa Marciano, ND, Dr.Melanie DesChatelets ND, Vitalia Naturopathic Doctors Vancouver, Dr. Grodski White Rock Naturopathic, Dr. Lindsey Jesswein, ND, Noble Naturopathic, LocalHealth Integrative Clinic, Dr. Carlson-Rink C., Dr. Andrea Gansner NaturopathicPhysician, Dr. Lorne Swetlikoff, BSc.,, ND, Polo Health + Longevity Centre, ANew Leaf Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. E. DSouza-Carey, ND Family Health Clinic.

Another,second set includes Family Health Clinic: Naturopathic Medicine and MidwiferyCare, Integrated Health Clinic, Dr. Jiwani, Naturopathic Physician SurreyClinic (Not Vancouver) Autoimmune Weight Loss, Dr Andrew Eberding NaturopathicDoctor, Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, Meditrine NaturopathicClinic, Vancouver Naturopathic Clinic, Selkirk Naturopathic Clinic, Cross RoadsNaturopathic clinic, OZONE THERAPY BC: Dr. Walter Fernyhough, Dr. Allana PoloN.D Polo Health + Longevity Centre, Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic MedicineInc, Dr Eric Chan, Dr Tawnya Ward, Dr. Rory Gibbons, Naturopathic Physician,Dr. Caroline Coombs Naturopathci Doctor, Dr. Brian Gluvic, KitsilanoNaturpathic Clinic, Agency Health, and Richmond Alternative Medical Clinic.

There theres the third set with Arc Integrated Medicine Delta & Surrey Naturopathic Doctors, Dr. Kali MacIsaac, Naturopathic Doctor, Aspire Naturopathic Health Centre Naturopath North Vancouver Dr. Emily Habert, ND, Dr. Hal Brown, Red Cedar Health Ray Clinic, Lonsdale Naturopathic Clinic, Metrotown Naturopathic and Acupuncture, Yaletown Naturopathic Clinic, Flourish Naturopathic, Northshore Naturopathic Clinic, and Dr. Jonathon F. Berghamer.

Thefourth set includes Dr. Scarlet Cooper, ND., Dr. Terrie Van Alystyne,Naturopathic Physician Whistler, Butterfly Naturopathic, Dr. Jason Marr, ND:Naturopathic Doctor, Peninsula Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Karen Fraser, YaletownIntegrative Clinic, Serenity Aberdour ND Horizon Naturopathic Inc, Dr.Tasneem Pirani-Sheriff, ND, Avisio Naturopathic Clinic & VitaminDispensary, Dr. Robyn Land, Naturopathic Physician, Springs Eternal NaturalHealth, Dr. Alaina Overton, Cornerstone Health Centre: Maryam Ferdosian, ND,Dr. Kim McQueen, BSc, ND, Dr. Safia Kassam, and Restorative Health.

Thefifth set of them include Dr. Esha Singh, ND, Dr. Bobby Parmar NaturopathicDoctor, Lansdowne Naturopathic Centre, West Kelowna Integrative Health Centre,Dr. Shalini Hitkari, ND, Dr. Jolene Kennett, Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. KarinaWickland, ND, Dr. Phoebe Chow Lumicel Health Clinic, Dr. Maltais Lise,Vitality Wellness Centre, Dr. Lisa Good, ND, Dr. Heidi Lescanec, ND, Dr. RodSantos, ND, Inc., West Vancouver Wellness Centre, Dr. Kully Sraw, NaturopathicPhysician, Juniper Family Health, Dr. Peter Liu, ND, Garibaldi Health Clinic,Dr. Kayla Springer, ND, and Dr. Donna Ogden, ND, MSc, Naturopathic Doctor.

Thesixth yes, theres more set includes Dr. Cortney Boer, ND, Burnaby HeightsIntegrative HealthCare Inc., Dr. Amelia Patillo, ND, Jamie Sculley, Dr. EwingRobert J., Central Park Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Kira Frketich, Living WellnessCentre, Dr. Jennifer Brown, ND, Dr. Randi Brown Naturopathic Doctor, WestShore Family Naturopathic Ltd., Rejuv-Innate Naturopathic Clinic-Dr. JamieGallant, Dr. Tonia Winchester, Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor TonicNaturopathic, NaturopathicVictoria.net, Fourth and Alma Naturopathic MedicalCentre, Cheam Wellness Group, Maureen Williams, Dr. Meghan Dougan, ND, Dr.Brittany Schamerhorn, ND, and Dr. Jenna Waddy.

Theseventh almost there set includes Inner Garden Health, Dr. Brit Watters,ND, Dr. Laruen Tomkins, ND, The Natural Path Clinic Inc., Elizabeth Miller, Dr.Jennifer Moss Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Penny Seth-Smith, Seeded Nutrition,Northern Centre for Integrative Medicine, Aqua Terra Health, Dr. Kelsea Parker,ND, Maple Ridge Naturopathic Clinic, Newleaf Total Wellness Centre, VitalityIntegrative Health, Dr. Orissa Forest, BSc, ND, Acacia Health Dockside, Dr.Megan Kimberley, Naturopath, Dr. Landon McLean Healthcare, Back to Our RootsIndigenous Medicine, and N.A. Hemorrhoids Centre.

Theeighth set is Legacies Health Centre, Kelowna Naturopathic Clinic, MarseillesRemedy Traditional Oil Blend, Lani NYkilchuk, ND, Dr. Heather van der Geest,ND, Hummingbird Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Elli Reilander, ND, BodaHealth, TheNatural Family Health Clinic, Dr. Chelsea Gronick, Naturopathic Doctor, Dr.Carla Cashin, ND, Dr. Karen McGree, Saffron Pixie Yoga & Naturopathy, WildHeart Therapies and Farmacy, Dr. Andrea Whelan, Well+Able Integrated HealthLTD., Dr. Kim Hine, ND, Dr. Graham Kathy, Dr. Emily Freistatter, NaturopathicDoctor, Inner Garden Health.

The ninth set is Dr. Emily Pratt, BSc, ND, Inc., Life Integrative, Dr. Michael Tassone, ND, Harbour Health: Massage Therapy, Physiotherapy, Chiropractor, Naturopath, Broadway Wellness, Spokes Clinical Naturopathy, Dr. Fulton Lynne, Electra Health, Dr. Macdonald Deidre, Ray Lendvai Naturopathic Physicians, Dr. Maryam Ferdosian, ND, Yinstill Reproductive Wellness, Prajna Wellness, Fountain Wellness & Physiotherapy, Qi Integrated Health, Paradigm Naturopathic Medicine, Apex Chiropractic Coquitlam, Kamloops Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Carmen Anne Luterbach, and Dr. Mar Christopher.

The final and tenth set is Dr. Lawrence Brkich, The Phoenix Centre, Cave Cure & Therapies, Twisted Oak Holistic Health, Coast Therapy Maple Ridge, Balance Natural Health Clinic, Dr. Theresa Camozzi, ND, BC Pulse Therapy, Naramata Lifestyle Wellness-Best Naturopathy, Meditation, Weight Management Centre Okanagan, Acubalance Wellness Centre, Ltd., Dr. Milanovich David, Catalyst Kinetics Group, and Dr. Kimberly Ostero, BSc., ND, and Kontinuum Naturopathic Medicine, Inc.

Theobvious benefit in these titles compared to the astrologers, mediums, andpsychics, is the appearance of professionalism, while, in a mysterious manner,acquiring an entire reputation based on a fallacious premise, pseudomedicine,in addition to a false title.

Itsless turtles, turtles, turtles, all the way down, and more falsehoods all theway down, and to the top. People with all the accoutrement of theprofessional and medical world while, in fact, lacking the substance, thecontent, and so mimicking, or parroting, the forms and stylings of them.

A shame, a scandal in the province, a waste of the publics dime, a tax on the wellbeing of the province as a whole because real medicine exists, and ignorance without proper medical bases, while idiotic in its proposition and imbibing by the general public. Everyones to blame here; while, some are more culpable than others.

Thisshows both a failure in critical thinking on the part of the public, individualsentering into the schools for training, and a firm action on the part of theproper authorities to regulate public health in such a manner as todelegitimize failed philosophies from the 1800s proposed as modern medicine.

Asstipulated, succinctly, by the skeptic Wiki, RationalWiki, the titles of ND inBritish Columbia naturopaths and naturopathic physicians, self-proclaimed, asin Naturopathic Doctor, does not mean a doctor, a physician, or a medicaldoctor.

Thesetitles, ND, remain false proclamations of credentials and qualifications, byand large, rejected by both mainstream medicine and mainstream science. Theseare a manner in which to attempt to co-opt the earned legitimate legacy ofmodern medical science and modern science, as per credentials, e.g., MD, withillegitimate pseudoscience and pseudomedicine.

In fact,the issue in North America is widespread, as stated by RationalWiki, in Alternative Medicine Education, thereare actually 7accreditedinstitutionsin North America that award this degree (as of 2012), 5 in theUnited States(Bastyr University, National College ofNatural Medicine, National University of Health Sciences,SouthwestCollege of Naturopathic Medicineand University of BridgeportCollege of Naturopathic Medicine) and 2 inCanada(Boucher Institute ofNaturopathic Medicine, and Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine).Forthose who want a shorter route, it is also widely available fromdiploma mills.

Theseindividuals will use the title of Dr. If you dont believe me, then I wouldpropose looking at the ten sets above. How often does the use of the term Dr.get used in the public face of the institutions?

Next, wecan ask about the private face. How many? How often? It is probably more, andmore forcefully, because Dr., rightfully, earned the title because theeducation is more difficult and the positive effects on society far more great.

That which was known as health fraud in prior generations through consistent efforts continues to be regarded more as medicine rather than medicine.

It should be halted, deconstructed, and shown for its farcical foundations and direct, and indirect, harms on the public.

[1] Even Wikipedia, as a minor resource, itstates:

Naturopathyornaturopathicmedicineis a form ofalternativemedicinethat employs an array ofpseudoscientificpractices branded asnatural, non-invasive, or promotingself-healing. The ideology and methods of naturopathy are basedonvitalismandfolk medicine, rather thanevidence-basedmedicine(EBM).Naturopathic practitioners generallyrecommend against followingmodern medical practices, including but notlimited tomedical testing,drugs,vaccinations, andsurgery.Instead, naturopathic practicerelies on unscientific notions, often leading naturopaths to diagnoses andtreatments that have no factual merit.

Naturopathy is considered by themedical professionto be ineffective and harmful, raisingethicalissues about its practice.In addition to condemnations and criticism from the medical community, such as theAmerican Cancer Society,naturopaths have repeatedly been denounced as and accused of beingcharlatansand practicingquackery.

Assistant Editor, News Intervention,Human Rights Activist.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. He focuses on North America for News Intervention. Jacobsen works for science and human rights, especially womens and childrens rights. He considers the modern scientific and technological world the foundation for the provision of the basics of human life throughout the world and advancement of human rights as the universal movement among peoples everywhere. You can contact Scott via email.

Excerpt from:

Naturopathy - How Not to be a Doctor and Harm the Public Good - News Intervention

Commentary: Mainers benefit most from medical cannabis time to leave it alone – Press Herald

Cannabis is now Maines most valuable cash crop. The industry is thriving, providing tremendous revenue to the state without assistance from the federal government such as Paycheck Protection Program relief, earned income credit or FDIC banking privileges.

Crucially, it is Maines medical cannabis industry that is the states largest cash crop, with industry sales on track to hit $266 million for 2020. Thats more than potatoes, at $184 million, and more than twice milk, at $124 million.

This has been accomplished through the hard work and commitment of small independent growers working through Maines 21-year-old Medical Marijuana Program, not the new adult-use marijuana industry.

The growth has occurred despite an extended state of emergency that has devastated or destroyed many Maine businesses and put thousands out of work. Maine needs our local growers to offset the loss of revenue from businesses affected by the pandemic.

The Maine Medical Marijuana Program has improved quality of life for Mainers, generated huge income and sales tax revenues for the state, created more than 7,000 direct jobs and supports thousands of other Mainers through ancillary jobs such as contractors, accountants, electricians, attorneys and more, again all during a devastating pandemic.

The medical marijuana program is a uniquely statewide industry. It is vibrant in rural as well as urban communities.

Despite the persisting negative stereotypes of people who work in the marijuana industry, the level of voluntary compliance with laws and regulations (including tax and fee payments) by Maines registered medical providers is exemplary, contributing $12 million this year to the state in the form of sales taxes alone. Maines medical marijuana program is known throughout the country as a model for privacy, access, quality and variety.

Importantly, the value of these Maine jobs and tax revenues is in addition to the most important purpose of Maines Medical Marijuana Program to safely and affordably provide access to high-quality medicine for patients suffering from a variety of mental and physical illnesses and conditions. On that front, the the program is also a success. Medical cannabis gives patients, working with doctors and caregivers, an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals and improves the lives of nearly 65,000 Mainers.

Yet with new rules being developed by the Governors Office of Marijuana Policy and the next legislative session upon us, we must fight to prevent the imposition of extreme processes, out-of-state interests and regulations that would undermine the programs success.

The imposition of broad, mandatory product testing is an example of one potential new policy. There is no data to conclude that this costly and burdensome process leads to improved health outcomes or that it provides reliable information about adulterants, potency or quality.

And it would certainly disadvantage small Maine growers while benefiting large, out-of-state corporations with deep pockets.

Caregivers are not opposed to reasonable oversight including testing measures, such as spot and voluntary testing, which is the agricultural norm and would be both more affordable and effective.

Further, Maine medical cannabis providers already offer information by recording and reporting sales to the state, and the sheer amount of declared, taxed sales demonstrates compliance.

Maine is known for native and cultivated products: lobster, blueberries, maple products and, yes, marijuana. Maines marijuana caregivers are an essential part of the states public health infrastructure and small-business industry and should be seen and supported as such. If we are to continue to drive the states economy, we need to stay the course and support the Mainers behind our most valuable cash crop. This revenue was created in Maine, for and by Mainers, and by Mainers. We should be allowed to keep it that way.

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Commentary: Mainers benefit most from medical cannabis time to leave it alone - Press Herald

If women are hesitant about the vaccine, it’s because the health industry hasn’t earned their trust – The Guardian

Sign up for the Week in Patriarchy, a newsletter on feminism and sexism sent every Saturday.Why are women hesitant about getting the coronavirus vaccine?

Mike Pence took his sweet time when it came to routinely wearing a mask in public. The vice-president was a lot less hesitant about embracing the coronavirus vaccine, however. On Friday, just a couple of days after the US reported the highest number of new coronavirus cases and the most deaths since the pandemic began, Pence received the vaccine live on television. It must be nice to be protected from your deadly policy failures.

Pence is not the only man to have been skeptical of masks: plenty of studies have shown men worry masks are not masculine. However, it seems there arent the same fears about vaccinations. Men are more likely than women to say they planned on getting a coronavirus vaccine, according to three recent US surveys. A National Geographic survey found 69% of men surveyed said they were somewhat likely or very likely to take the vaccine, compared to 51% of women. A Pew Survey found that 45% of women would probably not or definitely not take a vaccine, as compared to 33% of men. A Gallup poll found 60% of women would take the vaccine compared to 66% of men.

This data is somewhat surprising: conventional wisdom, backed by lots of global research, is that women are more likely than men to take the pandemic seriously and comply with public-health regulations. So why the hesitancy about getting vaccinated?

One theory is that the anti-vaxxer movement, which is dominated by women, has infiltrated more mainstream female spaces. Recent research from researchers at George Washington University found members of online communities previously undecided on vaccines groups for pet lovers or yoga enthusiasts for example are increasingly connecting with anti-vaxxers. Its like a tumour growth, one researcher said.

Online misinformation, which Big Tech has done far too little to control, is an incredibly serious problem. Nevertheless, we should be wary about blaming hesitancy around vaccines entirely on Facebook et al. One reason women are disproportionately attracted to alternative medicine is because traditional medicine hasnt exactly done a brilliant job of earning their trust. Womens health concerns are often dismissed: one study found women with severe stomach pain had to wait 33% longer to be seen by a doctor than men with the same symptoms. Womens health problems are also massively under-researched: there is five times more research into erectile dysfunction than premenstrual syndrome, for example, despite the former affecting 19% of men and the latter affecting 90% of women. In the US, medical research trials werent required to include women until 1993 because womens bodies were considered too complex and hormonal.

Its not just women who have good reason to be wary of the health industry, of course. Considering the history of anti-Black medical racism in America, its not exactly surprising that the Pew Survey found that fewer than half of Black American adults say they intend to get a coronavirus vaccine, compared to 61% of white people. Black Americans have been experimented on (one word: Tuskegee) and forcibly sterilized. Black pain hasnt been taken seriously by the medical establishment because of enduring racist notions that Black people have thicker skin than white people. Minorities are also underrepresented in clinical trials, which can result in technology and treatments that dont meet their needs. Pulse oximeters, for example, which measure the oxygen levels in your blood and have been increasingly in use due to the pandemic, can give misleading readings in people with dark skin. A new study has found that misleading results happen three times more often for Black people. Probably because the colour of light used in the pulse oximeter can be absorbed by skin pigment. Which would have been something researchers would have caught straight away if they took diversity seriously.

There is often a lot of sneering when it comes to distrust of medicine and science. People who dont enthusiastically embrace vaccines are cast as uneducated and irrational. However, if history is anything to go by, it is perfectly rational for women and minorities to be wary of the medical establishment. To be clear: Im not saying there is any reason to be hesitant about the coronavirus vaccine, which has been shown to be safe. Im saying that you dont change peoples minds by sneering at them or calling them stupid, you do it by earning their trust. And the health industry still has a long way to go when it comes to doing that.

Rigid gender stereotyping limits childrens potential and is fueling Britains mental health crisis, according to the findings of a new report commissioned by gender equality charity, the Fawcett Society. Stereotypes significantly limit career choices, the report says, and are at the root of girls problems with body image issues as well as higher male suicide rates.

you can blow up Trump Plaza. Atlantic City is auctioning off the chance to virtually push the button that starts the long-anticipated implosion of the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino building.

A survey by Women Who Tech found that 48% of female tech employees today have experienced harassment at work; 42% saying the harassment was perpetuated by a supervisor. Of those harassed, 43% said the harassment was sexual.

11 women and only five men were named to management positions in city hall in 2018, breaking rules that stipulate one sex shouldnt account for more than 60% of nominations to management positions.

However, women still only represent 28% of all S&P 500 board directors.

Read this and weep I certainly did.

Incredibly, Denmark has become only the 12th country in Europe to recognize sex without consent as rape, although momentum for change is building, an Amnesty International Womens Rights Researcher said.

This year weve had owls in Christmas trees. Weve had koalas in Christmas trees. Now we have a racoon in a Christmas tree: please watch this hilarious video of a woman attempting to evict a sneaky raccoon from his festive hideaway. This is also the last newsletter before Christmas so, if you celebrate the holiday, enjoy! And make sure you check your tree for stowaways.

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If women are hesitant about the vaccine, it's because the health industry hasn't earned their trust - The Guardian

Plants Used For The Treatment Of Diabetes – Technology Times Pakistan

By Zarfe Ayesha, Athar Mahmood, Safura Bibi, Mah Rukh

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is known to be the most common metabolic disorder worldwide. Based on WHO reports (2004), the occurrence of type II diabetes affects more than 170 million individuals worldwide.

It is estimated that the total number of people suffering from diabetes will reach 239 million by the year 2010. If diabetes is neglected over long periods of time, the metabolic abnormalities are capable of contributing towards the development of complications such as nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular. In short, diabetes causes and will continue to cause morbidity, mortality, and long-term complications thus deserving every attention to solve, or at least minimize, disease-related problems.

The ever increasing reports on traditional medicine from different parts of the world support this trend. In countries where traditional medicine plays a dominant role in imparting the primary health care, vegetables, culinary herbs, and medicinal plants are one of the main choices in the management of diabetes. Contrary to insulin dependent DM (IDDM), non-insulin dependent DM (NIDDM) could be partially managed by using herbal products already widely practiced throughout the world. In this aspect, plants can be considered as an effective dietary adjunct in the management of DM and a potential source for the discovery of orally active antidiabetic agents. Fraction of about 250,000 higher plants has been screened in depth for their hypoglycemic activity, and an even smaller number has been researched to identify the active ingredients.

F.religiosahas been shown to possess a wide spectrum ofin vitroandin vivopharmacological activities: antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, antitumor, antiulcer, antianxiety, anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, immunomodulatory, estrogenic, endothelin receptor antagonist, apoptosis inducer, cognitive enhancer, and antihypertensive.

Decoction prepared from the bark is used in treatment of diabetes. The plant is believed to contain several bioactive principles including tannins, saponins, polyphenolic compounds, flavonoids, and sterols.

Jamun has been reported to be used in numerous complementary and alternative medicine systems of India and, before the discovery of insulin, was a frontline antidiabetic medication even in Europe.

Eugenia jambolanais one of the widely used medicinal plants in the treatment of diabetes and several other diseases. The plant is rich in compounds containing anthocyanins, glucoside, ellagic acid, isoquercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and hydrolysable tannins (1-0-galloyl castalagin and casuarinin).

Momordica charantiais a popular fruit used for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is often used as a vegetable in diet. Bitter gourd contains bioactive substances with antidiabetic potential such as vicine, charantin, and triterpenoids along with some antioxidants. Several preclinical studies have documented the antidiabetic and hypoglycaemic effects ofMomordica charantiathrough various hypothesised mechanisms.

Several studies have demonstrated antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities, inMomordica charantiahowever, the antidiabetic activity has been widely reviewed.

Antidiabetic properties of tulsi were appreciated in Ayurveda. A significant reduction in blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and urea along with a simultaneous increase in glycogen, hemoglobin, and protein in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats has been observed when rats were supplemented with ethanolic extract ofO. sanctum. Leaf extract ofO. sanctumL has been reported to stimulate the physiological pathways of insulin secretion.O. sanctumL. showed serum glucose-lowering effect when the extract was given to normal rats for 30 days.O. sanctumL. is reported to reduce the serum level of cortisol and glucose in male mice showing its antiperoxidative effect.

Pterocarpus marsupiumis reported to have not only hypoglycemic property but also-cell protective and regenerative properties, effects which have been attributed to the flavonoid content in the plant.

Several studies have demonstrated that fenugreek seed extract, mucilage of seeds, and leaves can decrease blood glucose and cholesterol levels in humans and experimental diabetic animals. The therapeutic potential of fenugreek is primarily due to the presence of saponins, 4-hydroxyisoleucine and trigonelline, an alkaloid and high-fiber content.

The antihyperglycemic effect has been correlated with decline in somatostatin and high plasma glucagon levels.

Aqueous extract ofG. sylvestrehas been reported to cause reversible increases in intracellular calcium and insulin secretion in mouse and humancells with type 2 diabetes. Regeneration of the cells in the pancreas might raise the insulin levels.G. sylvestrecan also help prevent adrenal hormones from stimulating the liver to produce glucose in mice, thereby reducing blood sugar levels. A group of triterpene saponins, known as gymnemic acids and gymnemasaponins are found to be present inG. sylvestrewhich are responsible for the reported pharmacological properties.

Biological and therapeutic functions of garlic are basically due to the organosulphur compounds they possess. These chemical components are thought to exhibit numerous biological effects including lowering of cholesterol and glucose, cancer prevention, and antimicrobial propertie. Studies have proved that the consumption of garlic significantly decreased fasting blood sugar levels. Diallyl trisulfide has been proved to improve glycemic control in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Incorporation of garlic juice resulted in better utilization of glucose in glucose tolerance tests performed in rabbits, while allicin at a dose of 250mg/kg was 60% as effective as tolbutamide in alloxan-induced diabetic patients.

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Plants Used For The Treatment Of Diabetes - Technology Times Pakistan

2020: The Protests That Didnt Make It – Outlook India

This year, the Indian subcontinent will be reviewed as a researchers delight. Repressive state, an agitated civil society, countrywide protests, and an international surfeit of support ---- we have a major case study brewing for all the scholars of democracy around the world.

Look, here it crumbles! True. But to what extent are these pointers effective in mapping such a breakdown? Instead, as we see the country erupt in protests with the students, workers and veterans gather up as comrades-in-arms with the farmers in these wee hours of the blessed year that 2020 has been, the BJP- led central government has managed to move ahead with several bills that did not make enough noise but worked just as subtly to bring up a massive set of changes to the basic fibre of minimalist protection meted out to the most underprivileged. It is at this intersectional concept that of what construes the underprivileged that the rights of the economically deprived, the religious minorities, the linguistically challenged and the regionally peripheral fire-play.

While taking off from the anti-Citizenship Act protests earlier this year, that the civil society uproar, bereft of significant consolidation and sustenance, has basically aided and abetted, albeit unintentionally, the governments long time ploy to change the socio-legal provisions that have kept this global south unit of a developing- underdeveloped fabric running. This has, however, resulted into doing away with the very residues of the welfare state that was once referred to as the Nehruvian model.

Continuing to debate how the modern political formations in India conceptualize the social and political restructuring, the Centre has, since last one year, passed on several legislations which directly and indirectly give effect to this phenomenon. These transformations thus warrant a comprehensive breakdown to understand how structural democracy abets crises when there is no actual transformation, for which they are established in the first place. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 not only bifurcated the state into two Union Territories but empowered and emboldened the Centre tremendously to legislate on matters not under its legal jurisdiction earlier. This has set an undemocratic precedent, truncating upon the power sharing mechanisms and federal asymmetries forever. This should, however, be read with the growing fetishisation of Kashmiris and an inflated sense of Hindu dominance against Muslim Kashmir, which continues to be exhibited till date.

Second in line, The New Education Policy 2020 was vastly criticized for being exclusionary and impervious. However, it is important to note that the policy is designed to further consolidate the long drawn ideological project which the ruling government cherishes. The current glorification and eventual revival of a largely constructed ancient Indian Hindu culture, envisaged by the policy, not only solidifies the Hindutva project further but also embeds it deeper, impacting the social fabric of the society as perceived in mainland India.

One instance could be the recent amendments to the Medicine Bill 2020 that include consolidating and setting up a national commission to control the education and practice of the Indian systems of Medicine that now has a huge diversion of funds towards the study of Yoga and Ayurveda while the country still reels under underpayment of doctors and amenities crunch at public medical facilities. It is not to hold any prejudices towards alternative medicine, but what stands alarming is that the Bill aimed at ensuring ease of access for the public and curbing corruption in medical practices does not have anything concrete except the continuous mention of a centralised board to look after further encouraging alternative medicine amidst a pandemic that has got the whole world engrossed into improvising clinical healthcare.

History bears witness to the fact that any totalitarian regime harbour on the construction of suspect communities. The application of extraordinary laws has always found minorities at the receiving end. While in India, history hangs high on Muslim community and it has been the first to be brought under the purview of such laws. The changes in UAPA, which gives a state-wide authority to arrest anyone deemed as a suspect by the state. The numerical analysis of all the arrests under such laws refer to a worrying trend that it has always been a tool of repression to be unleashed against the minorities. The Citizenship Act should thus be understood in this broader framework to understand how it would become another exclusionary instrument to perpetuate violence against what have been construed as the suspect community.

In the similar vein, while the Essential Commodities Amendment Bill 2020 envisions vesting more powers to the Centre to regulate the production in certain sectors and empowering to decide upon what would constitute the essential commodities, an attempt that had been in motion since late January 2020, the pandemic only paving a smoother way for the same. Similarly, All of the recent changes in existing laws like the Companies (Amendment) Bill- which relieves privileged defaulters from punitive action brought about by the state and additionally dilutes the existing Corporate Social Responsibility provisions towards aiding the corporates, The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill that imposes the burden of huge reductions to defaulters on loans on public sector banks.

The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, the Industrial Relations Code and the Major Port Authorities Bill reflect a centralizing trend: empowering Centre more than actually bringing in any transformational mechanism. Apart from setting up boards at local levels with Centre- nominated representatives to make decisions on port properties, it also conveniently renamed the Calcutta port (one of the denoted Major Ports) after Sangh ideologue Shyamaprasad Mukherjee. The board, according to the 2020 amendments, is also the adjudicating body in public-private partnership (PPP) disputes, leaving to imagination whose interests it will seek to protect in case of contentions.

The slow injection of absolute centralising tentacles of the state under the Narendra Modi government will now set the national and diplomatic behaviour of India at an antagonistic parallel against the course and crux of global solidarities against inequality and oppression. While gauging the implicit, these bills passed over this period of 1 year did not make it to the angst of the protesting mass, however, have been equally deteriorating to those three ancient words we hold so dear: liberty, equality, fraternity.

Under the garb of pandemic and protests, the current government passed several other laws, like the anti-conversion law, which couldnt gain much attention yet hold significance as far as the state-society relations are concerned-potentially changing the democratic discourse in India forever. All of the recent changes in existing laws, and several newly added ones, reflect a centralizing trend: empowering the Centre more than actually bringing in any transformational mechanism.

While the Opposition boycotted the parliamentary proceedings protesting against the new farm rules, the government passed the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 in the month of September. Although, the Act added Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi to the official languages list, however, the inclusion of Hindi and the promotion of Devanagari script created apprehensions in the civil society bodies who perceived it as threatening and detrimental to further introduce centralizing tendencies to the vernacular practices.

An amendment aimed at further amending the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, prohibits the transfer of any foreign contribution to another person. It aims at centralizing the administration of foreign contributions while establishing a strict control over the voluntary organisations and political associations that receive such contributions. The move has also resulted in the merger of three nationalized banks which has received a huge backlash. The government in order to hide its incapability to recover loans from corporate houses has proposed to merge banks and consolidate their governance. This would however squash the banks functional aspects and hamper the employment in the banking sector.

The Industrial Relations Code 2020 sought to combine the provisions of three erstwhile laws. These are the Trade Unions Act 1926, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, and the Industrial Disputes Act 1947. The code not only undermines the purpose of unions by reframing the constitution of representation but also the culture of strikes at such spaces. It does this by asking for a sixty-day advance notice prior to starting a strike and expanding the definition of strike to include a concerted leave by 50 per cent of workers or more on a given day. The number of workers to be employed in order to be answerable to the government during lay-offs and retrenchment has been raised from 100 to 300, in the pretext of encouraging employment whereas, this raises the number of workers who are now set vulnerable to unconditional lay- offs from 99 to 299 without any public monitoring.

These are only a few instances of the governments thought-out and perpetual attempt at ridiculing any notion of bettering the publics standards of living, feeding incessantly into the privileged pockets. As the year ends, it stands to be reviewed as to what extent the mass will interpret these legislative adventures in these extraordinary times.

(Views are personal, and do not necessarily reflect those of Outlook Magazine.)

(Muzammil Yaqoob is a postgraduate from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and currently works freelance with the Centre for Studies in Developing Societies, New Delhi andAishwarya Bhattacharyya is currently pursuing her PhD at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)

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2020: The Protests That Didnt Make It - Outlook India