https://rennydiokno2015.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/these-posters-show-your-brain-on-drugs/
Day: 04/08/2015
Beautiful rendition of ‘Creep’ incorporates old-school sound
It’s official, Postmodern Jukebox can masterfully cover any song and make it sound like it belongs in a different decade. This time, the band has tackled Radiohead’s ’90s hit “Creep”, turning the song from a weird alt-rock rage-fest into a smooth ballad complete with a horn section and piano.
Funny story… I used to have a Radiohead t-shirt with Creep on the front and “I wish I was special” on the back. One day when I wore it to the grocery store, an older lady came up to me from behind, tapped me on the shoulder and said: “You know, you are special. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” (See, there are nice people in the world.) At first, I didn’t know what she was talking about… Me, special? Until I got home and took off the t-shirt. 🙂
Photographers Photography!
https://maniaphotography.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/morning-flute-by-zakies-28/
Morning Flute by zakies.
When Compassion Fails
https://catchafallingstarbook.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/when-compassion-fails/
Ruben [Vela] was an eighth grade boy who came to my class late in the school year. He had moved south from big-city San Antonio, Texas to our little rural school because of family upheaval. He was a slight, short, skinny child with large, liquid brown eyes and a haunted stare that could pierce your soul. Almost from day one he was the center of attention for one of the eighth grade attack roosters in our little school. Vicente Feyo (not his real name) was a beginning Gold-Gloves boxer following in his older brothers’ footsteps…
The child was dying before my eyes. I had to do something. Our principal was a good man with a good heart, but Vicente had parents who were very prominent and powerful in our little South Texas Hispanic community. He couldn’t handle having to risk backlash in reprimanding Vicente over something that he told me, “…is just part of our Mexican-American culture. Boys just have be macho and strut in front of the girls. He doesn’t really mean anything by it.”
One day, after class, I pulled Ruben aside and tried to talk to him. “What can I do to help?” I asked. “I am not going to put up with him acting like that in class, or in this school,” I said, “but what else can I do?”
“You can’t do anything, man. You are a gringo teacher. This has to be between me and him. You just don’t understand, man.”
I didn’t understand. I thought teachers were heroes…
Rule Proposed on Providing Mental Health ‘Parity’ in Medicaid Program
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/Medicaid
A federal law that passed in 2008 was supposed to ensure that when patients had insurance benefits for mental health and addiction treatment, the coverage was on par with what they received for medical and surgical care. But until now, the government had only spelled out how the law applied to commercial plans.
That changed Monday, when federal officials released a long-awaited rule proposing how the parity law should also protect low-income Americans insured through the government’s Medicaid managed care and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans. The proposed regulation is similar to one released in November 2013 for private insurers…
The proposal would mean that plans no longer could have hard limits on coverage such as a certain number of mental health visits in a year. And if a patient were to be denied treatment for a mental health or substance use disorder, the insurer would have to explain why…
Me And My Shadow #2
https://painkills2.wordpress.com/?s=%22me+and+my+shadow%22
(Photo taken 3/31/2015.)
Brainy quotes on Orange
http://ordinaryhandsome.com/2015/04/09/and-the-whole-world-smiles-with-you/
“There is no blue without yellow and without orange.” Vincent Van Gogh
“California is a fine place to live – if you happen to be an orange.” Fred Allen
“I like to peel it and share it with friends. You can spread the love with an orange.” Gina Rodriguez
“Some think love can be measured by the amount of butterflies in their tummy. Others think love can be measured in bunches of flowers, or by using the words ‘for ever.’ But love can only truly be measured by actions. It can be a small thing, such as peeling an orange for a person you love because you know they don’t like doing it.” Marian Keyes
“Try not thinking of peeling an orange. Try not imagining the juice running down your fingers, the soft inner part of the peel. The smell. Try and you can’t. The brain doesn’t process negatives.” Douglas Coupland
“When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out – because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside.” Wayne Dyer
“You can’t compare an apple to an orange. It will cause a lot of self-esteem issues.” Craig Sheffer
“Google is my best friend and my worst enemy. It’s fabulous for research, but then it becomes addictive. I’ll have a character eating an orange, and next thing I’m Googling types of oranges, I’m visiting chat rooms about oranges, I’m learning the history of the orange.” Liane Moriarty
Just Another Suicide
http://bblonigan.com/2015/04/03/just-another-suicide/
Well, there was a fifteen year boy here in McKinney, TX who committed suicide. I looked at his picture in Facebook. He is good looking kid…
Suicide is discussed today. My daughter says that a lot of kids are depressed. It is not unusual for friends to think and talk about suicide. If properly processed, that talking stops the isolation and hopelessness that so often accompanies depression. Bullying is also discussed. Allegedly, purposefull plans of prevention and no tolerance is in place. Well, if that is the case, then one thinks that this kid just “fell through the cracks.” No, that is not accurate thinking. This is a failure, pure and simple
4/7/2015, Friend of Texas teen who committed suicide arrested after providing gun to fight bullies: cops
A 17-year-old boy said he wanted to help protect his friend from bullies when he provided him with a stolen handgun, not knowing he’d use it to kill himself instead, court documents claim. That teen, Jordan Sharifi, is now facing felony charges following the discovery of Raymond Howell’s body lying in a drainage ditch in McKinney, Texas Thursday morning…
School officials have said that they’ve found no reports of bulling involving the young student; however, Howell’s family has argued that claim, telling CBS News that the alleged abuse was so bad that the teen wanted to transfer schools…
He was arrested Friday for fabricating or tampering with evidence — a third-degree felony — theft of a firearm — a felony — and making a firearm accessible to a child — a misdemeanor. His bond has been set at $100,000 for each of the charges.
It’s the school that should be punished for being oblivious. And how about teaching kids about gun safety, too, along with all the anti-drug messages?
Does it hurt to type?
http://www.arthritistoday.org/what-you-can-do/everyday-solutions/work/typing-without-pain.php
Baker was the lead investigator in a study of typists with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is more likely to affect patients’ wrists and hands than other forms of arthritis.
People compensated by floating their wrists above the keyboard, typing with fewer fingers or straightening fingers they couldn’t bend – none of which are good for people with arthritis in the hands. “Workers should make sure the workstation fits them, and not try to fit themselves to the workstation,” Baker says…
LightIO – the leader of touchless computing
http://www.ergonomics-info.com/computer-ergonomic-keyboard.html
I used to have an ergonomic keyboard, and I loved it. 🙂
http://forums.webmd.com/3/rheumatoid-arthritis-exchange/forum/2290/1
girls_raised_in_the_south posted: I’m wanting suggestions on a ergonomic keyboard designed for users with rheumatoid arthritis. I’ve checked Arthritis Foundation and their Ease-of-Use products. I’ve checked the national rheumatoid arthritis website. I’m in an acute stage, and I’d appreciate your useful (and speedy) suggestions.
mike201 responded: Interesting question Southern Girl but I come from much further South – Australia! Your best bet is to use software called Dragon Dictate. You can then use your voice and the computer will type. Many newer computers and Apple in particular have a similar feature built in…
girls_raised_in_the_south replied to guess98224’s response: I hope the software works well for you. I’m glad the “dragons” were developed. My MD just wrote a prescription for a Kinesis keyboard with “independent” hands. We’ll see.
This is only the 2nd keyboard I have ever found that has larger keys and not just larger print…
http://www.arthritisforum.org.uk/cgi-bin/showthread.pl?threadid=3416&offset=725
Subject: Re: Computer input device for arthritis sufferers?
I don’t use a mouse anymore as it was too painful. I use a trackpad these days. Much easier. I think with touchscreen and latest technology there isn’t such a problem any more.
I use a graphic tablet with a pen as I can’t use a mouse.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis-pictures/great-gifts-for-people-with-ra.aspx#03
With Dragon NaturallySpeaking (which costs anywhere from about $75 to $200), the world’s best-selling speech recognition software, all you do is speak out loud and your computer types your words.
The software is up to 99% accurate and is a great gift idea for the friend who is active online, but if it’s out of line with your budget, ergonomic keyboards are available at different price points, and may also help with hand and wrist joint pain.
http://www.warm-mouse-heated-keyboard.com/arthritis-may-be-exacerbated-by-computer-use-pg-178.html
A new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh has examined this topic in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia (FM). The study involved 315 arthritis patients who completed a specially-designed survey that contained questions on computer use, discomfort experienced while using a chair, desk, keyboard, mouse and monitor, and problems associated with each piece of equipment.
Of the three categories of disease, significantly more respondents with FM reported severe discomfort, more problems and greater limitations related to computer use than those with RA or OA…
The researchers say it was expected that those with RA and OA would have more problems manipulating the keyboard and mouse than those with FM because of their restricted movements but in this study those with FM reported more problems.
The researchers suggest this may be due to a number of reasons – people with FM may have increased clumsiness due to abnormalities in sensory processing or fatigue, they have diffuse rather than localized pain that may affect manipulation, or because those with movement limitations, such as RA and OA, have found it easier to adapt their environment than those with unpredictable diffuse pain, such as FM…
ValueRays® Warm Mouse Gray: $29.95
Mental Illness, Treatment, and Stigma in Girl, Interrupted
http://crumpledpapercranes.com/2014/12/29/mental-illness-treatment-and-stigma-in-girl-interrupted/
Susanna Kaysen, admitted to the hospital for mental exhaustion and a suicide attempt, is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder…
Susanna explicitly questioned her diagnosis during her hospitalization. She felt that what others perceived as inappropriate, tiring behavior were hallmark characteristics of young adulthood. She criticized the DSM as a vague collection of generalizations, often subjectively applied to those who do not conform to social norms…
Pain Hangover
https://painkills2.wordpress.com/?s=surviving+a+pain+storm
I forgot to mention how greasy foods also help me survive a pain storm. I just got back from Pelican’s and my order included not one, but two orders of nice and greasy french fries. Perhaps greasy food works on a pain hangover like it works on an alcohol hangover, because for some reason, I feel a tiny bit better. No, the pain hasn’t decreased, but I really, really love french fries, and I don’t eat them very often. And now that I’ve had a month’s worth of grease in one sitting, I’m gonna turn my attention to some awesome ranch dressing…
But seriously, I’d trade both the french fries and the ranch dressing for some good bud… in a heartbeat.
Feds: Catching pain patients with PDMPs more important than catching rapists
http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/04/07/darren-sharper-police-failure-stop-rape-spree
Further review: Inside police failure to stop Darren Sharper’s rape spree
News of the Sept. 23, 2013 incident quickly shot up the ranks. New Orleans’ police superintendent and top prosecutor were briefed. In the weeks that followed, police records show that Williams gathered evidence. He got a warrant to collect a sample of Sharper’s DNA. It matched a swab taken from the woman’s body. Witnesses told of seeing Sharper with the intoxicated woman at a club, and later at his condo. Video footage confirmed Sharper and the woman had been together.
It wasn’t enough for the district attorney’s office. This was a “heater”— police shorthand for a high profile case. Prosecutors were hesitant to move too quickly on a local football hero with deep pockets and savvy lawyers, according to two individuals with knowledge of the investigation. They held off on an arrest warrant…
Sharper did not—and continued an unchecked crime spree that ended only with his arrest in Los Angeles last year after sexually assaulting four women in 24 hours. In March, Sharper owned up to his savagery. He agreed to plead guilty or no contest to raping or attempting to rape nine women in four states. The pending deal allows his possible release after serving half of a 20-year sentence—a strikingly light punishment that has drawn widespread criticism…
The ProPublica and Advocate investigation thus reveals wider problems in the prosecution of sexual assaults in America. More than 20 years after Congress and state legislatures reformed laws to put more rapists in prison, police and prosecutors do not take full advantage of the tools at their disposal.
One key part of the change was to make it easier to use a suspect’s history of sexual assaults at trial. But prosecutors and police often do not seek out other possible victims. One recent assessment called the reform effort “a failure.”
The FBI also created a database to contain detailed case descriptions to help police capture serial rapists who operate across state lines. But it is seldom used. Of 79,770 rapes reported to police in 2013, only 240 cases were entered into the database—0.3 percent.
Today, studies show that only about one in three victims report sexual assaults in the first place. Of those reports, Department of Justice statistics show, less than 40 percent result in an arrest, a far lower figure than for other major crimes such as murder or aggravated assault…
It’s not mandatory for police to use this database of serial rapists, but it will soon be mandatory for doctors to use PDMPs for pain patients, or anyone who is prescribed certain prescription medications.
All Things Chronic 