Monthly Archives: June 2022

Down Goes Brown: A brief history of teams getting blown out in the Stanley Cup Final – The Athletic

Posted: June 20, 2022 at 2:47 pm

So that was, uh, interesting.

Coming off a thrilling Game 1 battle that felt like a borderline classic, the Lightning and Avalanche served up a plot twist in Game 2, with Colorado caving in the defending champs to the tune of 7-0. It was a stunning spectacle, as a Tampa team thats seemed almost invincible over the years got lit up like they were an undermanned beer league squad.

So now what?

It goes without saying that nobody is counting the Lightning out. They just came back from a 2-0 series deficit against New York in the last round, and theyve earned the benefit of the doubt. After the way the last three seasons have played out, plenty of us wont be ready to close the door on Tampa until the final buzzer sounds on their fourth loss. Maybe not even then.

But still Game 2 wasnt just another loss. It was an all-time butt-kicking, one of the most lopsided results in Stanley Cup Final history. And that had me wondering: Can we learn anything from similar games, and how the rest of the series played out after a major blowout?

Lets find out. Before Saturday night, there had been 14 games in Stanley Cup Final history in which one team scored at least seven goals while winning by at least five. Four of those were from the olden days, and we probably cant learn much from them. That leaves us with a nice even 10 games from the post-expansion era to look at.

Maybe well find a pattern heading into tonights Game 3. Or maybe well just remember some blowouts.

The series: The 1973 final was a rematch of the deeply weird 1971 edition, which had seen the Habs win the Cup in seven games and then immediately fire their coach for it. This time, Montreal came in as overwhelming favorites, having posted 120 points in just 70 games during the season. The Hawks were good, having won the West Division, but they had their work cut out for them.

The game: This one actually looked like it was going to be a blowout in the other direction, as the Hawks scored twice in the games first minute to take a 2-0 lead. It was all Montreal after that, though, with two goals from Jacques Lemaire and multi-point games from names like Guy Lafleur, Frank Mahovlich and Yvan Cournoyer chasing Tony Esposito from the Chicago net.

The rest of the way: Things settled down in Game 2, with Montreal winning 4-1. The Hawks got some revenge with a 7-4 win in Game 3, lost Game 4, and then won a truly wacky 8-7 classic at the Forum to stay alive in Game 5 before Montreal finished the series in six.

The lesson: Im not sure there is one, as this series had plenty of twists and turns still waiting in the wings. If youre a Tampa fan, thats probably what you want to hear.

The series: The 1980 final was a good one, and the Flyers were the favorites. This was the year theyd had that ridiculous 35-game undefeated streak, helping them to first-place overall in the standings. The Islanders had finished well back, and were laboring under the reputation of a regular-season powerhouse that could never win the big one.

The game: Game 1 was a 4-3 overtime classic wait, that sounds familiar that the Islanders won on a Denis Potvin goal. Needing a strong performance to even the series, the Flyers got four points from Bobby Clarke and a hat trick from Paul Holmgren, and probably also some stuff from guys who didnt go on to become their GM.

The rest of the way: The Islanders essentially shrugged off the loss, heading home to win both Games 3 and 4 by comfortable margins. The Flyers extended the series in Game 5, but the Islanders captured their first Cup on Bob Nystroms overtime game winner in Game 6.

(And since Flyers fans will set my house on fire if I dont mention it yes, Game 6 is also the Leon Stickle game.)

At the time, it felt like an upset. In hindsight, not so much, as this was the start of the Islanders dynasty that featured four straight Cup wins.

The lesson: More good news for todays Lightning fans, as we hit our first example of a team on the wrong end of a blowout still winning the series. Even better, its another Game 2 where the losing team gets to head back home. And since were already comparing the current Lightning to the dynasty-era Islanders, its almost too perfect.

Feels inspiring, right Tampa fans? You may want to stop reading right about now

The series: Yes, its the very same Oilers/Islanders matchup weve been using as the comparison to this years Avs/Lightning, with the veteran dynasty meeting the young champs-in-waiting. The two teams had met in the 1983 final, with the Islanders sweeping. This was the rematch, and the two teams had split the first two games.

The game: The Islanders opened the scoring, but it was all Oilers from that moment on. Even given all Edmontons talent, it was a stunning result we hadnt seen the Islanders lose a playoff game like this since that 1980 loss to the Flyers.

The rest of the way: We all nodded grimly about the Islanders having the heart of a champion, and how theyd surely respond with their best game of the series. And then

The series: No, thats not a typo. This is the same blowout happening all over again in the very next game of the same series.

The game: Wayne Gretzky opened the scoring two minutes in, and we were right back to the all-Edmonton show. The Oilers were up 6-1 by the midway mark, and the Islanders looked utterly defeated.

The rest of the way: With Game 5 in Edmonton (these were the days of the 2-3-2 format), this one almost felt like a foregone conclusion before the puck even dropped. It mostly was, with Gretzky scoring twice in the first and the Oilers leading 4-0 at the second intermission. The Islanders did show some of that heart, with two Pat LaFontaine goals early in the third, but it was over. The two blowouts were the moment the young Oilers served noticed that it was their time, and the Islanders dynasty was over. Almost four decades later, theyve never been back to a final.

The lesson: Look, Lightning fans, I told you to stop reading.

The series: A year after beating the Islanders, now it was the Oilers looking to defend their title. But they had to get past an excellent Flyers team to do it. (Look, I promise this post will feature teams other than the Oilers, Islanders and Flyers, just stick with it.)

The game: The Flyers had taken Game 1 before dropping three straight, although all of them were close. This one wasnt, as the Oilers led 4-1 after one period and 7-2 after two.

The rest of the way: There wasnt one, as this blowout ended the series.

The lesson: If youre rooting for Tampa, or just a long series, I guess the takeaway here is that at least Saturday night didnt actually end the series. Yet.

The series: This was the post-Gretzky Oilers, returning to the final after a one-year absence and looking for their fifth Cup in seven years. Standing in their way was Ray Bourque and the Presidents Trophy-winning Bruins, who were the slight favorites. The first game had been a triple-overtime classic, ending on a goal by unlikely hero Petr Klima.

The game: The Bruins fell behind 2-0 early but rallied to tie it. Edmonton didnt pull away until late in the second, scoring three goals in four minutes to go up 6-2.

The rest of the way: Boston did win Game 3, squeaking out a 2-1 win, but theyd follow that with lackluster performances in Game 4 and 5 to lose the series.

The lesson: This one stings a little if youre a Lightning fan, since it feels so familiar. Youve got the Game 1 comeback followed by the heartbreaking loss in overtime, then the Game 2 blowout. If anything, the depressing lesson here is that even a win in Game 3 may not do much more than prolong the inevitable.

(Also, losing this series eventually leads to Bourque requesting a trade and ending up in Colorado, so this was probably every Avalanche fans favorite section in this post.)

The series: The 1990-91 North Stars were quite possibly the greatest Cinderella story in NHL playoff history, a genuinely awful team that hit its stride just in time to pull off three major upsets in a row. That led to a Stanley Cup Final date with Mario Lemieux and the Penguins, a mediocre regular-season team with jaw-dropping star power including eight Hall of Famers.

The North Stars gave them a series but couldnt stop Mario because nobody could back then, and were trailing 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Minnesota.

The game: The Penguins scored two minutes in and never stopped, posting the most lopsided blowout in Stanley Cup Final history.

The rest of the way: The North Stars got beat so bad that a week later, they were taken apart in a dispersal draft. (No, really, that happened. The 1990s NHL was weird.)

The lesson: The Avalanche might not be the Penguins and the Lightning sure arent the North Stars, so Im not sure theres anything we can really learn here. But we should still point out the obvious: Were seven games into this list, and this is the first blowout that was actually as bad as what we saw on Saturday. All the other games, as bad as they were, ended in five-goal deficits. Theres still lots of hockey left to play, but Game 2 really was historically one-sided.

The series: This was the Avs first year in Colorado, with the newly-acquired Patrick Roy in net and a talented roster in front of him. They faced an underdog Panthers team that had clutched and grabbed its way to the final because they had been inspired by a dead rat. Look, I told you the 1990s NHL was weird.

The Avs took the opener 3-1, setting up Game 2 in Colorado.

The game: Peter Forsbergs first-period hat trick, which to this day remains the last one in Cup Final history, jump-started the Avalanche and led to this one being a laugher. When Jon Klemm is scoring multiple goals against you, its bad.

The rest of the way: The Panthers settled down heading back home, but it didnt matter. Games 3 and 4 were close (with Game 4 going into overtime), but the Avalanche won both to capture the franchises first championship in a four-game sweep.

The lesson: If youre a team from Florida and you lose a Game 2 blowout in Colorado, dont even bother trying the rest of the way because youre doomed.

Also, thanks to the 1996 Panthers ushering in the Dead Puck era, we now get to skip ahead 15 years to find our next game

The series: The Presidents Trophy-winning Canucks entered the series as strong favorites over the Bruins, then earned a 2-0 series lead with a pair of squeakers in Vancouver. Heading to Boston for Game 3, the Bruins needed a win.

The game: This one was actually scoreless through one, but all Bruins after that. They scored four unanswered goals in the second, then kept pouring it on in the third.

The rest of the way: More than any other series weve seen so far, this is the one where the blowout game really did feel like the inflection point. The Bruins won Game 4 by a 4-0 final, and while the Canucks did earn a 1-0 win in Game 5, it was the only one theyd get the rest of the way as the Bruins went on to capture the Cup in seven games. Boston outscored Vancouver 13-3 in the four games after this blowout.

The lesson: This is a fun one, because it can go either way. Avalanche fans can see it as proof that a true blowout really can be series-defining, the sort of thing that even a team as good as that 2011 Canucks squad just cant be expected to bounce back from. Lightning fans could point out that all we learned was that a 2-0 series lead doesnt mean a thing, and a strong Game 3 back on home ice can change the course of a series.

But yeah, the real lesson here is that if the Bruins win a Game 3 by a blowout, theyre definitely winning the Cup. Gosh, I wonder what the last game on our list will be

The series: After splitting the first two in Boston, the Gloria-inspired Blues returned home to host a final game for the first time in 49 years.

The game: A last-second goal in the first period gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead and seemed to deflate the Blues and their crowd. Theyd roll from there on, delivering a statement win.

The rest of the way: Do you even remember this game? Im assuming that Blues and Bruins fans do, but it barely resonates with me even though its so recent. Thats because it really didnt have much impact, with the Blues winning the next two games, followed by the Bruins forcing a Game 7 in Boston that the Blues won.

The lesson: Sometimes, a blowout is just a blowout, and two good teams move past it.

A few interesting things, I hope. For one, that Saturday night blowout really was one for the history books it was only the fourth time in Stanley Cup Final history that a team had lost by seven or more. And in each of the other three cases 1991, 1996 and 2011 the team that won the big blowout went on to win the series. In fact, the team on the losing end only went on to win one more game combined, with five losses.

The outlook gets a little bit better for Tampa if we look at the overall list, although just a little bit. Of the nine series we just looked at, the team that won the blowout game went on to win seven. That opens the door to some hope for the Lightning, who can look at the 1980 Islanders or the 2019 Blues for inspiration. That 2019 final is probably the best example for the one game is no big deal crowd; its the most recent, and the blowout barely ended up mattering.

But generally speaking, blowouts in the Stanley Cup Final do seem to tell us something, and its that one of the teams is really good. We already knew that with the Avalanche. Now we see whether the Lightning can do the unlikely but not the impossible by digging their way back.

(Top photo: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today)

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History comes back to life in Marblehead – Itemlive – Daily Item

Posted: at 2:47 pm

Crew members prepare a newly-restored cannon for a blast at Fort Sewall in Marblehead. (Magella Cantara)

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MARBLEHEAD Hundreds took a trip back in time to 1644 in celebration of Fort Sewall Saturday.

Saturdays event held a dual purpose for the iconic fort to celebrate its completed restoration and the 100th anniversary of the fort being returned to the towns custody by the federal government. Consisting of approximately two-and-a-half acres located off of Front St. at the mouth of Marblehead Harbor, this public park was formerly a military reserve.

Established in 1644, the fort is one of the oldest coastal fortifications in the nation, the town said in a statement. For years, Fort Sewall was known as the Marblehead Fort or the Fort on Gales Head, and it earned its current moniker in 1800 to honor Samuel Sewall, the chief justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

The Fort Sewal Oversight Committee had a few key goals for the $1.5 million restoration that allowed this historic piece of land to come back to life.

The first thing was safety, second was accessibility, the last was education, said Larry Sands, the chairman of the oversight committee.

The forts bomb proof quarters, which were built in the late 1700s received an upgrade without interfering with its naturally historic character, Sands said.

We did some renovations to make the inside accessible. We changed the floors and things but, one of the parts of this project in the educational piece is funding of a Fort Ranger program that will start next summer and well have tour guides up here, he said. One of the final things that we are doing is building furniture for the inside and that is from the Glovers Regiment which is what Im a part of. We received a $2000 grant from Essex Heritage to fund purchasing materials.

At the event Saturday morning, the newly added canon fired, leaving a cloud of smoking gunpowder hanging in the air.

After the first fire, the crowd clapped and cheered while chanting in unison, Hip Hip Hurrah!

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Fear-extinction and the end of self-loathing in the metaverse – TNW

Posted: at 2:43 pm

Facebook blew it. It doesnt matter how you feel about the name change or the whole metaverse thing. Any way you slice it, Metas rebranding has been a public disaster. And its because hardly anyone can explain just what the hell the metaverse is.

Nearly everyone on the planet knows what Facebook did, but almost nobody has a clue what Meta is all about. You can blame Mark Zuckerberg, Metas marketing team, or the nihilistic nature of social media (of which, ironically, you can also blame on Mark Zuckerberg et al.,).

But the simple fact of the matter is that trying to explain the metaverse is a bigger challenge than even the most visionary of technologists could have envisioned.

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Further reading: The metaverse isnt a place its a mandatory upgrade for reality

If you ask futurist Jason Silva, the metaverse is the question for which we exist to answer. Its the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland that asks who are you? His talk at TNW Conference 2022 was a tour de force speech that laid bare exactly what the future of us entails.

His big idea involves what he describes as the entry of humanity into the Cyberdelic Age. This era of social and technological change is defined by the concepts of virtual and digital technology merging with psychedelic technology.

It sounds a little wacky from the outside looking in. But these arent metaphors. Silvas meaning is literal: theres a glut of research indicating that psychedelic substances can have a hugely positive impact on humans experiencing mental health crisis.

So where does the metaverse fit in? It depends on how you look at it. If you see the future as a place where human drones spend their lives in existential dread of reality, you might envision a world where we lose our humanity.

Its easy to picture a paradigm where we waste our lives away inside of goofy-looking face helmets made by the same company that propelled Candy Crush and Farmville into billions of peoples lives.

That future is so close you can taste it. Its just a few steps away from where we are right now. But, as Silva told the TNW audience, we tend to view the future through the frame of our past:

Human beings, our brains, evolved in a world that was linear and that was local and now we live in a world that is global and exponential.

He explained how just 25 years ago the idea of having a computer in your pocket that was slimmer than a deck of cards and more powerful than a $60 million mainframe from the 1970s would have seemed incredible.

And, in another 25 years, its likely well reach incredible new planes of technology in the fields of virtual reality, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.

When you combine those things future technology and psychedelics you get the Cyberdelic Age.

That sounds catchy, but whats the reality? According to Silva, its seeing yourself inside out.

And thats the answer to the question where does the metaverse come in? Silva treated the audience to a series of videos which did an amazing job describing the concepts in play you should check out his YouTube channel to see what Im talking about.

But the gist is this: the metaverse is a new layer for reality that will allow us to interact with each other in a much clearer and intimate way.

Silva asked the audience to imagine the world before language was invented, in hopes it would shine some light on how vastly different the future could be perhaps even the near-future, thanks to the exponential nature of technological advancements.

Today, modern communication involves video chats, text messages, and phone calls. In the metaverse all those things will still exist, but the additional layer will be our ability to invite others into our thoughts.

How do you explain to your therapist why a nightmare that seems innocuous to everyone else is so scary to you? How do you describe PTSD to someone without reliving the stories that caused it?

And, just as importantly, how do you describe to someone else how beautiful they are to you? How do you explain the way that sunshine makes you feel? How do you share your most treasured thoughts, the memories that define where you came from and how you became the person you are, to those who cannot see them as they are inside your head?

Today, people believe that AI is on the verge of sentience. Weve seen the human genome cracked and, as Silva pointed out to the crowd, modern vaccines literally work like a code that tells the human body how to fight disease.

The metaverse is a place where AI will be able to show other people exactly what we see and feel inside of our brains. Its a place where we can finally invite others to see things from our point of view.

It is a place where, as Silva puts it, we can go from making art to being art.

And if we can picture a Black Mirror future where humans exchange the spark of us that makes us special for a dystopian nightmare where physical contact is replaced by mindless consumerism, then we can also imagine a better one.

Jason Silva paints the believable and achievable notion that all of this technology, combined with a global social paradigm shift towards the most efficacious treatments for the catastrophic mental health pandemic, could result in a transhuman society where everyone of us has the opportunity to thrive.

It isnt every day a futurist explains how Moores Law, Darwins Theory of Evolution, virtual reality and psychedelic substances will one day combine to form the culmination of humanitys endeavors toward happiness.

But, then again, the TNW Conference doesnt happen every day either. Click here to get ready for TNW 2023.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Just Showcased One Of Its Most Effective Metaphors Yet – /Film

Posted: at 2:43 pm

Identity is the theme of this week's episode, and the main plot revolves around Spock, whose long-distance relationship with hisfiance, T'Pring(Gia Sandhu), is a little strained. She wants to learn more about his "human" side, which he hasn't even fully explored, and it makes him uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Dr. Aspen arrives on the Enterprise after requesting their help with some space pirates, and they have some unasked-for but excellent advice for Spock:

As someone who spent more than 30 years of their life trying to fit into boxes, that advice hit hard. I grew up watching "Star Trek: Deep SpaceNine," and had always identified strongly with Jadzia Dax, a Trill who had the memories of men and women despite currently presenting as a woman, but it took me much longer to have the language for myself: I'm non-binary. The very concept is confusing to some, and Spock wrestles with the idea of the "in-between"himself when exposed to the idea of a third option: "That is nonsensical.If I am not human or Vulcan, what am I?"

Dr. Aspen later reveals that they have been playing with identities, and are actually the leader of the pirates, Captain Angel. They manage to take over the Enterprise and try to ransom Spock to T'Pring in exchange for their husband, a Vulcan prisoner. Spock manages to save the day by faking an affair with Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) so that T'Pring can save face and refuse the exchange. It's a very human decision, based on a gut feeling, and it forces Spock to truly confront a part of himself that he had chosen to ignore.

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FDA Making COVID Vax Decision Based on a Study of 10 – Verve Times

Posted: at 2:43 pm

May 23, 2022, Pfizer-BioNTech1 announced preliminary results from their Phase 2/3 trial evaluating a three-dose vaccine schedule for children 6 months to under 5 years of age would be submitted to the FDA for emergency use authorization (EUA).

Many in mainstream media are hailing this development as important to childrens health, writing, many parents of these very young children have been really anxious to get their kids vaccinated2 and Parents hoping to get their youngest children vaccinated against COVID-19 got some encouraging news Monday.3

Yet, despite the continued push by mainstream media to encourage parents to vaccinate the very young, the Vaccine Monitor Survey from KFF4 found only 18% of parents with children under age 5 are planning to get their child vaccinated immediately.

KFF reports that a larger number 38% are planning to wait to see the side effects the vaccine may have in younger children before making a decision and 27% have indicated they will definitely not have their child injected. Importantly, the survey also found that Just over half of parents of children in this age range say they do not have enough information about the vaccines safety and effectiveness for children under age 5.5

While information about vaccine injuries from the COVID-19 jab has been difficult to find on mainstream media, it is apparent from these numbers that many parents are concerned about their childrens safety and want more information before theyre willing to risk their health.

A paper published December 15, 2021, in JAMA6 referenced the previous survey by KFF,7 which found 27% of parents of children 5 to 11 years old were interested in giving their children the jab, which is a 9% drop from the survey in 2022. The paper8 sought to smooth the waters with parents who were hesitant to vaccinate their children by attributing fear to misinformation and a misunderstanding of what EUA means.

It is interesting to note that the author of the paper has received research grants from Pfizer and Moderna, and also serves on the advisory boards for Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Merck.

The JAMA paper states the KFF survey found the primary reason parents were concerned were reasonably the long-term and serious adverse effects, including future fertility issues.9 According to the author, these concerns were addressed and disproven based on just one years worth of data.

Pfizers announcement that they were seeking an EUA from the FDA for children 6 months to under 5 years is based on 10 symptomatic COVID-19 cases identified from seven days after the third dose and accrued as of April 29, 2022.10

While the study included 1,678 children who received three doses of the formulation, the stated 80.3% efficacy in children is based on just 10 cases. The number is so low that even outspoken vaccine advocate Dr. Paul Offit co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine11 expressed dismay at the number, saying:12

I mean, 10 children youre talking about 10 children. Its a small number, so its really hard to comment or this as something more general since you dont know because the numbers are so small.

Pfizer announced these results after delaying the EUA application process to gather more data.13 Initially, children in the study did not produce a significant immune response after two doses, so the company delayed the request until they could give the children a third dose.

The trial reportedly was evaluating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.14 Curiously, Pfizers claim of 80.3% effectiveness in children comes on the heels of a New York state Department of Health study that showed vaccine efficacy in children ages 5 to 11 years old fell to 12% in two months after vaccination.15

In other words, 7 out of 8 kids who were vaccinated had no benefit from the vaccine two months after receiving the jab. The data taken from 365,502 children showed a striking difference between children ages 11 and 12. The effectiveness against infection in 12 year olds was 67%, but in 11-year-old children, it dropped to 11%.16

The data from the U.S. were consistent with a report from Britain17 that showed effectiveness against symptomatic infection dropped 22.6% after two months in adolescents aged 16 to 17 years.

Interestingly, the Pfizer press release published May 23, 2022, mentioned the word safety 22 times while discussing the COVID-19 vaccine for children, and wrote the shot was well-tolerated among 1,678 children under 5 years of age with a safety profile similar to placebo.18 The vaccine being used on the younger children is one-tenth the strength given to adults.19

Yet, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)20 recorded 1,878 adverse events in children aged 5 and 10,029 in children aged 6 to 11 from data published as of May 13, 2022.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics,21 as of May 2022, 35% of 5- to 11-year-olds received one dose and only 28% received both doses of the vaccine. If you extrapolate the adverse event numbers using 35% of the pediatric population that received at least one dose, there would have been 34,020 adverse events if 100% of children in the U.S. aged 5 to 11 years had been given the shot.

It seems highly unlikely that 11,907 adverse events in children 5 to 11 reported to VAERS after at least one injection would have resulted in only mild or moderate22 events in children aged 6 months to under 5 years, or that the shot could have a safety profile similar to placebo.

Moderna is also stepping up to the plate and requesting an EUA for a low dose shot in children younger than age 5. The data they have submitted show the vaccine is effective 37% to 51% of the time against the COVID variant omicron.23

Paul Burton, chief medical officer for Moderna, spoke with ABC News, saying,24 I think for these little children, they really represent an unmet medical need. I would be hopeful that the review will go on quickly and rigorously but if its approvable, this will be made available to these little children as quickly as possible.

Its more likely that young children represent an untapped financial windfall for the company, since the vaccine has proven to have dangerous side effects,25 while the death rate in children from the infection itself is far below any other age group.26 But, if the vaccine is added to the pediatric vaccine schedule, and if its mandated like other childhood vaccines, it will become an evergreen market representing billions of dollars to the drug companies.

Each year the CDC records vaccine effectiveness for flu shots for all vaccine types in all age groups. The FDA may find the COVID jabs 37% effectiveness rate acceptable since the flu vaccines adjusted effectiveness is similar, ranging from 34% to 68% in children ages 6 months to 8 years during the 2015-2016 through the 2019-2020 flu seasons.27

While the flu shot is a one-jab, annual event, thus far, the CDC recommends multiple jabs with the COVID vaccine.28 This means an adult may receive up to five injections of an mRNA shot with unknown long-term effects, which has not proven to effectively protect people against an infection.29

Since the effectiveness of the COVID jab in adults and children drops in just weeks, its highly likely the same will happen in children 6 months to under 5 years. Again, the combination of a mutating virus, waning immunity and federal approval for a vaccine is a prime example of an evergreen business model.

According to data released by the CDC,30 82.7% of the U.S. population over age 5 have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. According to the CDC, this is 258,133,282 people as of May 24, 2022. This is the sound bite youve likely been hearing in the news. But theres something else thats worthy of noting.

While the data show that 70.8% of the population are fully vaccinated by CDC criteria, 11.9% of the population who initially received the first vaccine have not gone back for the second dose.

The CDC also keeps data on the number of people who have had their first booster or second booster, and as of May 24, 2022, 48.4% of eligible people 12 years or older have received their first booster and just 20.5% of eligible people 50 years or older have received their second booster.

It is important to note that the CDC recommends boosters for people 5 and older31 but they are not currently publicly tracking that data. This means roughly 17.3% of the population eligible for the vaccine did not receive any doses. When you add that together with the 11.9% who did not go back for their second dose, it appears that 29.2% of the population have now decided they either will not take the vaccine at all or will not take another.32

In this fascinating interview with Alix Mayer, we discuss the nefarious reasons why our children are being aggressively targeted for the COVID-19 injection, even though CDC data show they are not a serious risk. Mayer is board president of the Childrens Health defense California chapter and is herself vaccine injured from a series of vaccines she received 20 years ago, before traveling out of the country.

Shes a graduate of Duke University and Northwestern University with an MBA in finance and management strategy. Historically, VAERS has shown that many vaccines have a questionable safety profile, especially when theyre combined. Yet data from 2021 and 2022 have suggested theres never been a vaccine as dangerous as the experimental mRNA gene transfer injections for COVID.33

The lack of transparency and accountability has been a chronic problem within the industry, but the hazards associated with the COVID jabs have really highlighted this issue. Because the injections are still under EUA, they have legal immunity against liability for vaccine injury.34

As Mayer points out, what you may not realize is that although the FDA appeared to approve and license BioNTechs Comirnaty,35 the shot continues to be administered under the EUA. One reason for this is that once a product is fully licensed, the company also becomes liable for injuries.36

And, since the pharmaceutical companies understand how dangerous the shots are, they dont want to be financially liable for injuries. So, to get immunity for a vaccine not administered under an EUA, they must have the product placed on the childhood vaccination schedule, under which theyre not personally liable if their vaccines injure someone.37,38

Once on the childrens schedule, it also allows the government to mandate the shot. As noted by Mayer: This is the holy grail if youre a vaccine manufacturer of a COVID vaccine right now. You want it to be fully licensed, but not put it on the market until you get it on the childrens schedule.39

The reason the pharmaceutical industry is pushing for vaccines in young children is clearly based on financial interests. VAERS records show 117 children under 18 have died because of the vaccine and 48,833 have reported adverse events and injuries as of May 13, 2022.40

It is crucial to share this information with parents who are making lifelong decisions for their children and to support your local politicians whose stated goals are to protect your freedoms.

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4 Books to Read About Race, Cannabis Law, and the War on Drugs – GreenState

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This week, for the second time in our nations history, the country recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday. Juneteenth (June 19th) is a hugely important date in Americas history and in particular in the history of Black Americans. It commemorates the day that, in 1865, U.S. soldiers announced to enslaved persons in Galveston, Texas that they were free. The announcement came over two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

While this was a big step toward racial equity in the United States, the treatment of Black people and minorities in general is far from equitable today. Many of our social practices and laws continue to discriminate against certain communities, keeping racism and, in some cases, even the practice of slavery alive.

The mass incarceration of minority groups for cannabis-related offenses has had a devastating effect for millions of United States citizens and their families. In commemoration of Juneteenth this year, weve created a reading guide for those looking to learn more about this subject.

Here are four books that will help you understand Americas drug war and its effects on minorities:

This book by writer and activist Michelle Alexander was published in 2010. It takes aim at the public perception that the election of President Obama would usher in a new era of colorblindness in the US.

In her counter to this claim, Alexander highlights the laws put and kept in place by the War on Drugs which have led to the incarceration of millions of Black men. The New Jim Crow exposes the disproportionate and devastating impact drug laws have had on Black communities.

RELATED: CBD: An Alternative to Opioids?

Originally published back in 1997, this book by Dan Baum is a scathing indictment of the nature of the drug laws in place in the United States from a political perspective.

While there have been certain changes to laws regarding drugs in the United States since its publication, the sentiment of the author remains soberingly relevant. This is the book to read if you want an insight into how drug laws affect Black communities in practice, and who benefits from them.

RELATED: Weed for warriors: How legal cannabis could treat the opioid crisis among US Veterans

This book by historian and scholarElizabeth Hinton looks at the war on drugs (as well as the war on poverty) as a vehicle for mass incarceration in America. While giving a comprehensive overview of the war on drugs, Hinton challenges the belief that Americas prison problem originated from drug laws. Instead, she blames the rise of mass incarceration on the first social welfare programs in the United States.

RELATED: Emerald Triangle cannabis farmer on glamping, law, and the ever-evolving challenges of the legal weed industry

This book takes a closer look at how decades of racism in the United States helped to shape a drug policy that continues to disproportionately impact racial minorities today. Written by Doris Provine, it looks at the history of drug use in America right back to the temperance movement of the early 1900s and highlights the interwovenhistory of the anti-drug policies and racism in America.

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Rig Rundown: The War on Drugs [2022] – Premier Guitar

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Bandleader Adam Granduciel on how single-coils, the Deads Wall of Sound, and cascades of chorus build his live tones. Plus, bassist David Hartley gets weird, wild, and wonky.

For nearly two decades and across five albums, The War on Drugs founder and frontman Adam Granduciel has narrated our complex modern lives while his band has scored our dreams.

The captivating moods of their music, much like us, morph from dense melancholy to saturated, swirling madness and everywhere in between. Granduciel often layers his Springsteen-meets-Young proletariat prose atop a post-rock soundscape, but the heartbeat of their impressive, expansive live shows is their gear and how it is implemented.

I could play the whole tour with two or maybe three guitarsa White Falcon, Strat, and maybe a Jazzmasterbut I bring all these out just for fun, he says with a laugh as he considers his trove of axes.

So, lets have some fun already! Before a full evening of The War on Drugs jams in support of 2021s I Dont Live Here Anymore, PG was invited to Nashvilles historic Ryman Auditorium. We covered Granduciels growing guitar collection, got the skinny on how Jerry Garcias monstrous setup played into the bandleaders theatre rig, and we took in a cockpit view of his stompbox squadron full of tone ticklers, sizzlers, and wigglers. In addition, bassist David Hartley showed off a trio of Ps, an armada of Ampegs, and demod a fuzz that has ended his quest for razing tones.

Brought to you by DAddario XPND Pedalboard.

If youre a fan of Rig Rundowns or Kurt Vile & the Violators, youve already seen this Strat. The above Fender American Vintage 57 reissue was once owned by Jesse Trbovich, whos flanked Vile for years. Trbovich landed a true-blue 70s Olympic white Strat and needed to unload this to make room. Granduciel quickly raised his hand as a landing spot because he really enjoyed how comfortably the neck played. And since bonding with it, he likes its low-output single-coils because he can juice it with pedals. (Its worth noting that Trbovich put in a Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Strat Surfer Series in the middle position, allowing him to have hum-canceling operation in the second and fourth position.) All of Granduciels electrics take Ernie Ball 2220 Power Slinkys (.011.048).

When this thing is in my hands, I can react with it, and it becomes this whole other animal. It can be unwieldy, but this guitar plugged into a cranked Princeton or small tweed sounds incredible, allows Granduciel. So, as you can imagine, this 1969 Gibson SG is Adams right-hand when it comes to recording, but, as he explains later in the video, it doesnt coexist pleasantly with his live setup. He scooped this gem at Rivington Guitars in New York City.

Granduciel had lusted after this vintage offset for weeks when seeing it listed on Reverb by Chelsea Guitars. The listing was removed and he thought that it was gone forever. A few months later, he was in NYC and decided to stop into the shop and, low and behold, the sunburst Jazzmaster was on their bench in pieces. Apparently, the original buyer from the Reverb listing was after a birth-year model (1964, as listed on the Reverb page), but when he removed the neck its pocket revealed a 1963 date. He traded in the guitar for a proper 64 and, fatefully, Granduciel didnt let a second pass before offering to buy it. Alongside the SG, this is another heavy hitter for recording.

During a 2018 tour of Australia, Granduciel scored this 1966 Fender Jazzmaster that looks swanky with a matching black headstock. He claims the rhythm circuit in this one sounds killer, while the lead circuit is super bright and used on Occasional Rain. In addition to being a remarkable instrument, he loves that it reminds him of a short span of time that included a wonderful tour of Down Under, earning a Grammy for Best Rock Album, and the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl.

Cracks arent meant to be beautiful, especially on guitars, but looking at the 66s backside reveals a twisted thumbprint.

This 1965 non-reverse Firebird was upgraded by its previous owner with a set of Lollar P-90s. If you recall the last Rundown with TWOD, Granduciel added a Bigsby, but that has since been removed.

This Fender American Vintage 65 Jazzmaster has been a dependable dynamo for Adam. He prefers it because he knows what hes going to get sonically and he can throw it around without worry. The newer pickups offer a snarlier tone, so it gets used for songs like Pain, and the top-end sear helps him cut through the seven-piece live band.

This new-ish Gibson Hummingbird gets busted out for C# tunes and features a LR Baggs M1 soundhole pickup.

Not quite the famed Wall of Sound procured by the Dead and audio engineer Owsley Bear Stanley, but Granduciels evolving setup is heading in that direction.

Since our last Rundown, Adam has ditched the Hiwatts (although he admits to enjoying that era of TWOD) for the Alembic F-2B Stereo Preamp that was used by Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour. He describes its circuity as mimicking the front end of a Fender Dual Showman. Theres just so much clean headroom and theyre so creamy. And I dont know what it is, but single-coils and P-90s just come to life here in a way that other amps dont, so maybe thats why Jerry and David used them so much. The Mesa/Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 295 powers the Alembic. He does run a direct line signal from the F-2B to FOH for a clean DI option.

In the video, Granduciel challenged me to guess how many speakers are in the oversized cab, and I said four. Seemed logical but, as he quickly pointed out, the Marshall 2041 Lead Organ has only a pair of Celestion (pre-rola) 12" speakers. The Alembic runs through this pillar of power.

The other side of Adams grand equation is a 1960s Fender Bandmaster head that hits a Marshall 1960BV 4x12.

As we alluded earlier, his beloved 1969 SG doesnt jive with his Alembic-Fender setup, so he incorporates its humbuckers into his live rig by plugging into the 5W Swart STR-Tremolo. The SG and Swart typically dance for Thinking of a Place, but Granduciel admits to kicking it on with the Fenders during the heat of battle and treating it like a tremolo pedal for parts of Pressure and other jams. To the right of the Swart youll notice a pair of Rockman Tom Scholz (yeah, the Boston legend) Power Soak attenuators throttling the Alembic and Fender.

The band uses this AKAI Professional MPC Live II for additional drum machines for the show.

They are harnessed by four Boss FV-500L Foot Volume Pedals controlled by Adam that allow him to bring the samples into the room mix. Additionally, the band syncs their modulation to it, so everyone is locked in. (The MPC clocks or syncs the pulsing of the tremolo for the band. Adam uses a Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 2, while bassist David Hartley uses a Malekko Goatkeeper.)

Heres a crows-nest view of Adam Granduciels massive pedal playground.

Most of what Adam does with his feet is simplified by this Custom Audio Electronics R-ST 24 + 2x PSS MIDI controller.

Heres one of the sections of Granduciels expanding pedalboard that includes a Wren and Cuff Tri Pie 70, a MXR/Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Line Driver, an Ernie Ball Expression Tremolo, anElectro-Harmonix 1440 Stereo Looper, a Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper 2, a Strymon TimeLine, a Boss DC-3 Digital Dimension, and a Morley ABC Pro (for switching amps). A Boss TU-3s Chromatic Tuner keeps his guitars in check.

Heres the meat and potatoes of Granduciels spreading stomp setup: (top left) a Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter, another MXR/Custom Audio Electronics Boost/Line Driver, DigiTech Hardwire RV-7 Stereo Reverb, ADA Flanger, JHS Bun Runner, J. Rockett Audio Designs Archer, MXR Flanger, Moutainking Electronics Loud Box, Crowther Audio Prunes & Custard, a Fulltone OCD, and a trifecta of Eventides that rest on the right sidea Space, TimeFactor, and H9. Everything gets current by either a MXR Custom Audio Electronics MC403 Power System or the Eventide PowerMax.

At first glance, youd probably mistake this for a 60s or 70s Fender P, but as bassist David Hartley attests, this is a 2002 Fender Precision named Clovis that he acquired brand new almost two decades ago. Part of Clovis charm for Hartley is that its the lightest P hes ever held, making their Evening With shows a little easier on the back. Its stock aside from him swapping out the standard anodized gold pickguard for the tortoiseshell. He uses La Bella 760FS Deep Talkin Bass Flats (.045.105).

Another 4-string that does a lot of heavy lifting for Hartley is this 1983 Fender Fullerton 62 Reissue Precision Bass. While this one isnt as light as the previous P, he does love how much it sustains.

And occasionally youll see Hartley put down all the guardrails and dance with this Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass. The connection with this one came through when he heard how much vocal tonality it has. Its a highly expressive instrument.

The Ps come to life thanks to this boulder of bass tone: a pair of Ampeg Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT amps that hit an Ampeg Heritage SVT-810AV. The SVT on the left is a backup and Hartley plugs into the normal channels.

Prior to this run, Hartley toyed with the idea of just plugging his Ps into a DI and his Ampeg. Clearly, that plan changed and hes probably having more fun because of it. His stomp station contains a pair of Boss GE-7 Equalizers (one to help Clovis pop a bit more and the other helps brighten up the ambient drone of the Gamechanger), an Eventide H9, a Gamechanger Audio Plus Sustain Pedal, a Mountainking Electronics Megalith, a Malekko Goatkeeper, a Keeley Super Mod Workstation, and a MXR Phase 90. A Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner keeps his Ps sounding right.

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Tech to Task Force: Manipur Takes Its ‘War on Drugs 2.0’ to New High, Rs 142-crore Contraband Seized in 70 – News18

Posted: at 2:42 pm

With the porous Indo-Myanmar border exposing Manipur to the Golden Triangle of drug trade and mafias, the state has launched a War on Drugs 2.0, making it a part of the 100-day agenda of the CM Biren Singh-led new government. The Ministry of Home Affairs, too, has made fighting the drug menace in the state its top priority.

The organised drug mafia, with abundant resources, uses various ways and means to push narcotic substances such as heroin, opium, ganja and synthetic drugs such as crystal methamphetamine, pseudo-ephedrine, W.Y. Tablets etc. into the state and further to other parts of the country.

In its new avatar, the War on Drugs initiative has an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).

The exercise comprises a multi-pronged strategy, which covers the legal, social, human resources and technological aspects to deal with the drug menace.

The state government has started choking the transit routes by deploying a dedicated 247 Highway patrol of eight GPS-enabled vehicles in Senapati and Kangpokpi districts on NH-2 as a pilot project. A compressive state highway security plan for three major National Highways NH-2, NH-102 & NH-37 connecting Manipur to Myanmar, Assam and Nagaland is in the pipeline. Once the scheme is enforced, the drug peddlers will have no option, but to stop using Manipur as a transit route for drug trafficking, said experts.

In the past five years, drugs worth Rs 3,213 crore (value in the international market) have been seized and 1,674 cases have been filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act leading to 2,104 arrests.

Further, the police have seized 170 kg heroin, 6,920 kg ganja, 1,265 kg opium, 520 kg brown sugar, 725 kg synthetic drugs, 16 lakh psychotropic tablets and 63,000 bottles of drug syrups. In addition, 13,894 acres of illicit poppy cultivated areas and 20 acres of cannabis (ganja) cultivated areas were destroyed.

After the formation of ANTF on March 20, the state has witnessed an increased crackdown on illicit drug peddlers, which has led to registration of 146 cases under the NDPS Act, 174 arrests and seizure of 18 kg heroin, 135 kg opium, 85 kg WY tablets, 44,000 capsules and 24,000 bottles of drug syrups along with destruction of 381 acres of illegal poppy cultivation.

Within 70 days, the Manipur Police have seized contraband valuing approximately Rs 142 crore in the international market.

The Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC) has been tasked to generate high-resolution data to identify areas which have been subjected to illegal poppy cultivation in remote areas. The map obtained from MARSAC has been corroborated with the images obtained from drones. On the basis of this data, relevant provisions of the NDPS Act have been applied on landowners and village chiefs allegedly for poppy cultivation. The process will be a deterrent to any prospective illicit poppy cultivator, said experts.

In a first, the ANTF organised a state-level seminar-cum-workshop on War on Drugs 2.0. It was inaugurated by CM N Biren Singh in the presence of chief secretary, DGP Manipur and other senior police officers.

This exercise was extended across the state by organising six workshops for 300 officers across 16 wings of District Police and Armed Police, so they can handle drug cases effectively.

The state has empowered officers of the Armed Police of Manipur (Manipur Rifles & Indian Reserve Battalions) under relevant sections of the NDPS Act on the lines of Central Armed Police Forces like Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force. It is likely to further intensify the crackdown on illicit trading of drugs as Manipur Armed Police personnel are deployed across the State of Manipur, including hilly and remote areas.

A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by the IGP and ANTF, has been constituted to expedite the NDPS Act cases and for timely filing of charge sheets, besides ensuring higher convictions. The list of pending NDPS cases has been prepared and drug peddlers have been booked under Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT NDPS) to ensure they dont get bail. This provision under the PIT NDPS has been drafted on the lines of the National Security Act (NSA), stipulating one year of preventive detention without bail, extendable up to two years.

To garner support, public awareness programmes have been chalked out through more than 70 events in the hill districts. The inaugural event started with the final match of a prominent local football tournament featuring many national/ISL level players which was attended by DGP Manipur and IGP Zone in the presence of around 2,000 locals. In addition, the Manipur government has decided to keep Drug-Free Manipur as the theme for International Yoga Day.

ALSO READ | This Manipur Youth Fought Drug Addiction, Built Indias First Transgender Football Team

Promotional strategies have been devised and a social media campaign has begun, with the launch of a dedicated Twitter handle War on Drugs, Manipur & Facebook page, War on Drugs, Manipur. Daily achievements of the state are highlighted through it.

The government is also focussed on providing alternate livelihood for those involved in drug trade. Steps are being taken to identify alternative means of livelihoods to wean away people from indulging in illicit cultivation of poppy in remote and hilly areas of Manipur due to lack of job opportunities.

The District Level NCORD Committee has been constituted for identification of target population, appropriate schemes and implementation of alternative livelihood and monitoring of the implementation. The proposed alternatives need to be based on local agro-climatic zones, traditional occupation and after weighing all pros and cons related to forest, agriculture, tribal development, horticulture, planning departments, etc. economic activities based on prevailing agro-climatic zone like horticulture, poultry, piggery, bee-keeping, floriculture, herbal plants etc., with emphasis on high value, low volume produce.

The state is striving to increase the market linkage to ensure right price for local products. Co-operative societies are being formulated to make these activities commercially viable.

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Tech to Task Force: Manipur Takes Its 'War on Drugs 2.0' to New High, Rs 142-crore Contraband Seized in 70 - News18

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The Coming War On Abortion Drugs – HuffPost

Posted: at 2:42 pm

Medication abortion can be obtained in a few different ways, but typically people set up an appointment at their local abortion clinic and are sent home with a bag of pills to be taken over the next 72 hours.

Leigh was recently one of those people, making the 20-minute drive to a clinic in Washington, D.C., to come home with a handful of abortion pills and Netflix their way through the abortion from the comfort of their bed.

I was thankful I didnt have to be in a clinic, that I could be at home in familiar surroundings and just try to relax as best as I could, they said. (Leigh, who is nonbinary, is using a pseudonym for privacy reasons.)

But obtaining abortion pills in a clinic setting is becoming increasingly more difficult depending on where you live.

In the last few years, anti-choice lawmakers have ramped up their efforts to restrict access to in-person clinic care by using targeted regulation of abortion providers, also known as TRAP laws, and other medically unnecessary restrictions, such as state-mandated waiting periods between the consultation and getting the pills prescribed, required counseling thats not based in science or laws that force people to listen to fetal activity before accessing an abortion. In states like Oklahoma and Texas, which have extreme abortion bans, people are forced to take multiple-day journeys out of state just to access a handful of abortion pills.

Since in-clinic access has all but disappeared in many red states, some providers have moved online, allowing people in certain states to access abortion pills by mail. States including California, New York and Colorado allow telehealth for abortion before the 10-week mark, through online pharmacies like Hey Jane and Abortion On Demand. This means that a physician can virtually prescribe and send abortion pills right to your doorstep, allowing you to manage your abortion from the comfort of your home.

And its clear theres a growing interest in accessing abortion pills from these online pharmacies. Before the Supreme Court draft decision leaked in early May, Elisa Wells, co-founder and co-director of Plan C, an advocacy organization that provides people with information on how to obtain abortion pills, told HuffPost her website averaged around 2,500 visitors every day. The night the draft decision leaked, Wells said her website saw 16,000 visitors. The next day, it had 56,000 visitors.

But with more awareness of the benefits of and easy access to abortion pills, comes more attacks from abortion opponents. Heavyweight anti-choice groups like Susan B. Anthony List and Americans United For Life stated at the start of this year that restricting abortion drugs is a top priority in 2022. Already, 19 states have banned prescribing medication abortion via mail or by virtual telehealth visits.

This year alone, Missouri lawmakers introduced bills that would equate mailing abortion pills to drug trafficking. In Kentucky, lawmakers created a public database that lists the name of medication abortion providers so that people can anonymously report any purported violations of the states abortion laws. Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill making it a felony to mail medication abortion, punishable by a $50,000 fine or up to 20 years in prison a similar law passed in Texas last year. And all of the draconian abortion bans in places like Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho apply to both procedural and medication abortions.

In the face of these unjust laws and unjust court decisions, this is what we want people to know: There is something you can do, Wells said. Well tell you where to find these pills, how to use them, how to get support and what you need to know about the landscape around using pills for self-managed abortion, including the potential legal risk.

As access to in-clinic and telehealth abortion dwindles in red states, some women and birthing people will prefer self-managing their own abortions because its easier than navigating the ever growing list of barriers. And many will simply be forced to self-manage their abortions because they dont have any other options.

Thankfully, self-managing your own abortion with medication looks very similar to one done in a clinic or via telemedicine. A self-managed abortion is done outside of a traditional health care setting, often when a person obtains abortion pills not from a physician and undergoes an abortion without medical assistance. Because medication abortion is extremely safe and effective, it will ensure that we dont go back to the pre-Roe days of botched abortions that left so many dead.

There are several ways to to get abortion drugs outside of the traditional health care setting, including in Mexico, where misoprostol is widely available over the counter. People can also go through Aid Access, an Austria-based nonprofit that prescribes medication abortion via mail to all 50 states.

Aid Access can offer telehealth abortion anywhere in the U.S. despite specific state restrictions because their provider is based in Austria. This allows the group to circumvent U.S. regulations that penalize providers, and prescribe medication free of legal risk. Obtaining abortion pills through Aid Access is not technically characterized as a form of self-managed abortion because patients are guided through the process by a physician. But most people who need to go through Aid Access are likely navigating state restrictions or bans on abortion.

Managing an abortion outside of traditional health care settings brings with it certain legal gray areas.

People have been targeted for criminalization for self-managed abortion in this century in numerous states where prosecutors misapply laws that were never intended to be used against somebody for ending a pregnancy, said Sara Ainsworth, the senior legal and policy director at If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.

One of the reasons we understand that that happens is, in addition to the political opposition to abortion, is that theres so much stigma that surrounds abortion generally, she added. The idea that it must be illegal if someone is managing an abortion on their own is unfortunately very pervasive.

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Duterte to Sara on drug war: ‘Take over’ – The Manila Times

Posted: at 2:42 pm

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte, stressing the importance of shielding the youth from the harmful effects of illegal drugs, wants his daughter and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio to continue his advocacy.

"Take over," the outgoing leader said at an event in Valenzuela City last Sunday.

"Ikaw na... Kunin mo 'yang trabaho (You do it. Get the job)," he said.

Duterte pointed out that the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte-Carpio will soon lead, will play a vital role in ensuring school-aged children will not be influenced to be drug users.

"'Yang Department of Education, maraming bata diyan (there are a lot ot children involved). Do not ever allow contamination diyan sa kanila (among them)," he urged.

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The President likewise encouraged his daughter to not hesitate in ruling with an iron fist and just "do it" if it would mean having a drug-free school system.

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