Author: Leonard Buschel

LOTS MORE 3-POINT SHOTS, WHY NOT? – April 1, 2023 – The National Basketball Association will no longer test or penalize its players for marijuana use under its new and pending seven-year collective bargaining agreement, according to news reports. The tentative deal was reached between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) on Saturday for the 2023-24 season, according to a statement released by NBPA. Since day one, the goal of the NBPA in this negotiation was to protect our players, enrich their lives on and off the court, and establish a framework that recognizes our players as…

POWDERS CAN KILL – April 4, 2023 – The company announced the proposed settlement in a securities filing. J&J’s subsidiary LTL Management also refiled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after its first attempt was thwarted, the filing said. More than 60,000 claimants have committed to support the proposed resolution, which would require approval in bankruptcy court, the filing added. “Resolving this matter through the proposed reorganization plan is both more equitable and more efficient, allows claimants to be compensated in a timely manner, and enables the Company to remain focused on our commitment to profoundly and positively impact health for…

AND BACK AGAIN – April 6, 2023 – he Lost Women of Science podcast is made for the ear. We aim to make our transcripts as accurate as possible, but some errors may have occurred nonetheless. In addition, important aspects of speech, like tone and emphasis, may not be fully captured, so we recommend listening to episodes, rather than reading transcripts, when possible. CAROL SUTTON LEWIS: This is the second episode of our series about Marie Nyswander. If you haven’t heard the first episode, stop now and go back and listen to that one. This episode will make much more…

AUDIO – THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON ART – April 3, 2023 – “Creativity is making new connections, new synapses,” says Ivy Ross, vice president of hardware design at Google and co-author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Despite growing evidence that arts can improve performance in many areas, activities like music and drawing have fallen out of favor in education and our culture.”Children who engage in the arts are better learners,” Ross says. “Students with access to art education are five times less likely to drop out of school and four times more likely to…

AND IT’S NOT A SAINT BERNARD – April 7, 2023 – While one dog later died, Coco managed to make a recovery after he was treated for alcohol withdrawal. Coco remained under sedation for four weeks to avoid suffering any fits. Coco ‘required round the clock care’ Woodside Animal Rescue Trust wrote on social media: “Canine alcohol withdrawal, a first for us.” “We would like to introduce you to the newest member of Dunroamin Special Care Unit, a lovely boy called Coco,” they went on to write. “Coco has been with us for over a month, having required intensive care…

BUT IT’S OK FOR DANNY TREJO? – April 6, 2023 – In an Instagram video Tuesday, Lopez announced her new brand of flavored spritz cocktails, called Delola. “I have been grinding nonstop for decades, and more and more, I realize the importance of enjoying life,” Lopez says in the ad. “I just wanted to create something better. Better tasting, better ingredients, something I want to drink with my friends and family, and that is Delola.” Click@CBSNews

VIDEO – AND MARRIED TOO! – March 31, 2023 – The “Si te Nota” singer did not reveal what drug he was addicted to. Guaynaa got clean when he was getting to know Pons, who sat with tears in her eyes as he told his story. “It was the moment when Lele and I were also getting to know each other. I knew that if I continued in that world I would lose her. Thanks to my parents, her, and my willpower, I am living my new life,” he said. Guaynaa, 30, and Pons, 26, said “I do” on March…

VIDEO – WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT FRIDAY –  April 5, 2023 – The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country and spans much of Maryland. Some parishes, schools and congregations had more than one abuser at the same time — including St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, which had 11 abusers living and working there between 1964 and 2004. One deacon admitted to molesting over 100 children. Another priest was allowed to feign hepatitis treatment and make other excuses to avoid facing abuse allegations. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released…

VIDEO – SUPER MARIO BROS. CUT THEIR PERUVIAN –  April 4, 2023 – ‘You are giving your kid access to stuff that is proven to be as addictive as cocaine, not everybody has active parents!’ ‘As much as I sympathise there are positives that come from gaming.’ Julie Cook and Lisa Dallman debate whether video games should have a health warning. Click@YouTube

VIDEO – LOST WEEKEND OF DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES –  April 2023 – Drug and alcohol addiction is a topic that has been explored in cinema for decades. It is a sensitive subject that must be handled with care to depict the brutal truths about addiction. These films can be hard to watch due to the physical and emotional agony that the characters go through. Many films, such as Beautiful Boy, starring Timothee Chalamet, are based on true memoirs from those who struggled with addiction. Other films may be pure fiction, but honestly portray the suffering that one goes…

“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn’t save itself because it wasn’t cost-effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut, 1922-2007

CHAG SAMEACH! – April 2, 2023 – In the age of smart phones and internet, your Seder-booking experience is breeze. Yet, those who are in treatment centers may have a hard time experiencing the “freedom” of attending a seder. The Jewish Recovery Center (JRC) and The Jewish Federation (JFS) have jumped into action, coordinating with safety protocols of the local treatment centers to pull off a “Passover miracle” for its patients. According to the JRC, Jewish residents in treatment will have the opportunity to celebrate Passover, the holiday marking the ancient Hebrews’ deliverance from the Egyptians, during a special sober…

FREE FALLING – March 19, 2023 – California, home to nearly 40 million people, has nearly one-third of the nation’s homeless population, and their numbers are growing much faster than in other states, according to an analysis of federal data by the Public Policy Institute of California. Tent encampments have popped up on sidewalks and under freeway overpasses, and people in clear mental health crisis are a common sight on city streets. The initiative would be partially funded by general obligation bonds that would raise between $3 billion and $5 billion to go toward construction of “campus-style” facilities along with…

VIDEO – SOBRIETY IS CONTAGIOUS – March 19, 2023 – “I was on probation for some pretty serious felonies and if I revoked I was going to go back for a long time,” said Coleman. “My drug addiction was really strong. I was the guy that you see stealing, walking down the road with a backpack, scabs all over his face, head down, dirty clothes, homeless. It was bad.” Almost four years ago, Coleman turned his life around. Crediting his significant other for keeping him on track. While also serving as an inspiration to others. “My girlfriend is very good…

THE FRONT LINE IS DANGEROUS – March 20, 2023 – There are a great many things a person could be doing every day, Graham continued, but never enough time to do them all. So harm reduction workers and community organizations need to be strategic about where they put their efforts. When workers feel like it’s impossible to do their jobs at their best, she said, that can contribute to burnout. Both the researchers and the VANDU workers said that increases in funding and resources would help address this issue, as it would allow organizations to hire and train more people,…

NOT A TEST YOU WANT TO ACE – March 27, 2023 – Despite her outward successes, a number of unresolved adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) created vulnerabilities for Malory. Mal was raised by a loving single mother who struggled with alcoholism. On two occasions, at ages 6 and 13, Mal was separated from her mother while she was recovering. During the second separation, Mal moved in with her “normal” aunt and uncle, and had to change schools. She felt shame and fear of being judged for her mother’s condition, so she’d never invited friends to her home. Her mother was Mal’s…

VIDEO – EDUCATION THAT SAVES LIVES –  March 20, 2023 – Lawson says he grew up in a broken home raised by his mother and grandmother, he has never met his father. He says he tried to fill the void by turning to alcohol, weed, and pills. One thing led to another, Lawson says he started selling drugs, got arrested, and even overdosed. His near-death experience and faith made him want to change, so he attended Greater Piedmont & Teen Challenge where he learned to overcome his addiction. “Ultimately what would have helped me when I was young was actually…

VIDEO – HOW SWEET IT ISN’T –  Feb. 28, 2023 – People with existing risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, were twice as likely to experience a heart attack or stroke if they had the highest levels of erythritol in their blood, according to the study, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. “If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s on par with the strongest of cardiac risk factors, like diabetes,” Hazen said. Additional lab and…

WORKING FROM HOME WILL DO IT EVERY TIME – March 23, 2023 – Despite being a child prodigy, by the time he was 28 he had reported his first hearing problems. Whether Beethoven contracted syphilis has been debated for decades, but it is known that he enjoyed the company of prostitutes and his own doctor between 1806 and 1816 insisted he did indeed have syphilis. By the time Beethoven was 44 or 45, he was totally deaf, and unable to communicate without written notes which he passed back and forth to his colleagues, visitors and friends. ow, a team of…

VIDEO – REST IN PEACE –  March 20, 2023 – Mom on a mission to reduce stigma about drug addiction after son’s death – NBC 15 WPMI  Click@YouTube

YOU GO GIRL – March 30th, 2023 – The 37-year-old told presenters Holly Willoughby and Joel Dermott: ‘It is weird. My life has changed so much. I’m four years clean and sober, I have a new husband, we’re sorting our lives out in America.’ Lily has always been open about her drink and drug abuse, particularly when she released her memoir My Thoughts Exactly in 2020. Last year, Lily revealed she didn’t know if she would ever be able to get on stage sober again following her Glastonbury performance with Olivia Rodrigo. “I didn’t know whether I’d be able to…

IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT – March 28, 2023 – Why, despite multiple reports from Silicon Valley whistleblowers revealing that technology companies are using manipulative designs to prolong our time online, do we feel personally responsible? Why do we still blame ourselves and keep seeking new self-help methods to decrease our time online? The tech industry is appealing to our deeply ingrained cultural beliefs of personal choice and responsibility. Tech companies do this directly when faced with allegations that they are addicting users. We can choose to set our phones on “do not disturb” or “focus times.” We can set Instagram…

CHANGE IN MOTION – March 31, 2023 – The black and white video essay illustrates in painful simplicity how social media addiction and fear of being disconnected, termed nomophobia, can impact young people. Researched and produced for her English class, Myers’s work found its way into a 111-page lawsuit in which her home district, the largest in Arizona, is suing TikTok, Meta, YouTube, Snap and Google for allegedly targeting and addicting young people through harmful product design. They are one of dozens. Myers says she drew inspiration from independent research, documentaries and real-life observations, of bullying, hate speech, addiction, eating…

THE ONLY ‘DISEASE’ THAT KILLS OTHERS – March 31, 2023 – The daughter of former U.S. intelligence director John Negroponte was sentenced Friday to 35 years in prison in the fatal stabbing of a friend after a drunken argument at a Maryland home, prosecutors announced. Sophia Negroponte, 30, of Washington, D.C., was convicted in January of second-degree murder in the 2020 death of 24-year-old Yousuf Rasmussen. Guidelines called for a sentence of 15 to 25 years, but Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann went beyond those guidelines, citing a need for community protection and rehabilitation, and calling her a…

NO EASY JOURNEY – March 30, 2023 – “I plan to make my NewsNation show the show that really tackles mental health and the substance use disorder crisis in this country in a thoughtful way,” Vargas says. “We’re doing the news of the day, which often involves the crisis at the southern border and the fentanyl crisis in this country. It’s absolutely true — as I heard a former colleague and friend of mine, John Miller, say on CNN, We’re all focused on the supply of fentanyl as this huge problem. Nobody’s talking about the demand — and he’s right.…

SCIENCE MAY ONE DAY…TODAY? – Mar. 24, 2023 – The clinical study involved people with alcohol use disorder who weren’t seeking any form of treatment, and Mason predicts that apremilast may be even more effective among people who are motivated to reduce their alcohol consumption. “It’s imperative for more clinical trials to be done on people seeking treatment,” Ozburn said. “In this study, we saw that apremilast worked in mice. It worked in different labs, and it worked in people. This is incredibly promising for treatment of addiction in general.” An estimated 95,000 people in the United States die every…

MORE THAN BUSY – April 2, 2023 – Experiments have shown bees can experience PTSD-like symptoms, recognize different human faces, process long-term memories while sleeping, and maybe even dream. Buchmann is part of a small but growing group of scientists doing what he calls “fringe” research seeking to understand the full emotional capacity of bees. His research has radically changed the way he relates to the insects – not only does he now avoid killing them in his house, he has also significantly reduced lethal and insensitive treatment of specimens for his research. “Two decades ago, I might have treated…

AGING WELL – April 4, 2023 – His age-defying physique has been a topic of interest for many years.  On his special day, let’s take a closer look at the practices that have helped him maintain his enviable physique over the year, and with no meat?  Click@NewsBytes

FRIENDS WITH MONEY – March 20, 2023 – First, it’s hard to believe that Matthew Perry, one of the stars of the television sitcom Friends, is still alive after everything his body has been through. Second, his candid sharing of stories about himself and others surprised me, and probably surprised those he spilled the beans about. If you picked up a Peoplemagazine or US Weekly anytime between 1994 and 2004 you saw stories and photos about Matthew and the numerous starlets he was dating, but wow, he shares a lot about some of them. His mother and father are famous,…

VIDEO – THE CITY OF BROTHERLY DEATH – March 21, 2023 – The US Drug Enforcement Administration issued an alert Monday about the widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer also commonly known as “tranq” or “tranq dope.” “Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in the alert. “DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 states. The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained…