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HuckleB

HuckleB's Journal
HuckleB's Journal
May 2, 2016

If You Love Underdogs, Then It's Time To Celebrate LEICESTER CITY, EPL Champions!

Leicester City have won the Premier League title in one of the greatest sporting stories of all time.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35988673

"Leicester started the campaign as 5,000-1 outsiders for the title after almost being relegated last season.

But they have lost just three league games in what has been described as a "fairytale" and the "most unlikely triumph in the history of team sport".

Closest challengers Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and last year's champions Chelsea, have all failed to match the Foxes' consistency across the season.

"In terms of domestic football, Leicester City winning the Premier League is the greatest achievement ever and I think it will never be surpassed," former Leicester midfielder Robbie Savage told BBC Sport.

..."


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Nothing like this has happened in a US league. This is incredible.

Yes, a good distraction is worthy, now and then.

May 2, 2016

Who Has Read "The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen, This Year's Pulitzer Winner For Fiction?

Viet Thanh Nguyen wins the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for 'The Sympathizer'
http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-viet-thanh-nguyen-pulitzer-prize-fiction-sympathizer-20160418-story.html

"...

The Pulitzer committee lauded "The Sympathizer" as "a layered immigrant tale told in the wry, confessional voice of a 'man of two minds' -- and two countries, Vietnam and the United States."

Nguyen, who lives in Los Angeles, was born in Vietnam; his family came to the U.S. as refugees in 1975. "The Sympathizer," which follows a wickedly smart double-agent for South Vietnam, begins at the end of the Vietnam War, moves to Southern California and eventually winds up on a film set not unlike "Apocalypse Now." Part thriller, part political satire, "The Sympathizer" is sharp-edged fiction.

...

Nguyen explained, "The book is confession from one Vietnamese person to another – it was always designed to be addressed to Vietnamese people – anyone else who’s reading they are not the intended audience, at least not in the novel. I thought I was writing the book for myself, but to reach a larger audience it would have to speak to multiple audiences – from the feedback I’ve received, they’ve responded very positively to the book too."

Talking to the Times in 2015, Nguyen explained his perspective in creating the character. "You have a much happier life if you just see things from one point of view. You have no ambiguity," he says. The protagonist of "The Sympathizer" -- who goes unnamed throughout the book -- has to see two sides, constantly judging others and himself in a moral morass.

..."


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And a short interview with the author:

Pulitzer fiction prize winner: 'People fear refugees'
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36088984

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I'm about half-way through, and it's amazing, so far. So many issues dear to the hearts of DUers are explored.


May 2, 2016

People with Albinism in Malawi Face 'Total Extinction' -- Body Parts are Used in Witchcraft

Malawi's estimated 10,000 albinos face "extinction" if they continue to be murdered for their body parts for use in witchcraft, a UN expert has warned.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36168742?ocid=socialflow_facebook

"Ikponwosa Ero said that the situation "constitutes an emergency, a crisis disturbing in its proportions".

Her call came after two men received a 17-year jail term for murdering a 21-year-old woman with albinism.

Ms Ero said Malawi police have recorded 65 attacks, abductions and murders of albinos since the end of 2014.

...

Tanzania's albino community: 'Killed like animals'

Albinos were targeted because of beliefs that their body parts "can increase wealth, make businesses prosper or facilitate employment", said Ms Ero, the UN human rights council's expert on albinism.

..."


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May 2, 2016

Colombia Legalises Gay Marriage

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36166888

"Colombia's top court has legalised same-sex marriage, making the country the fourth in Latin America to do so.

Gay couples were already allowed to form civil partnerships, but Thursday's ruling extends them the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples.

Earlier this month the constitutional court dismissed a judge's petition against equal marriage rights for heterosexual and homosexual couples.

Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have previously legalised same-sex marriage.

..."

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May 2, 2016

Twenty Things Most Chiropractors Won’t Tell You

http://edzardernst.com/2013/10/twenty-things-most-chiropractors-wont-tell-you/

"1. Chiropractic theory and practice are not based on the body of knowledge related to health, disease, and health care that has been widely accepted by the scientific community.

Most chiropractors believe that spinal problems, which they call “subluxations,” cause ill health and that fixing them by “adjusting” the spine will promote and restore health. The extent of this belief varies from chiropractor to chiropractor. Some believe that subluxations are the primary cause of ill health; others consider them an underlying cause. Only a small percentage (including me) reject these notions and align their beliefs and practices with those of the science-based medical community. The ramifications and consequences of subluxation theory will be discussed in detail throughout this book.

...

4. Our legitimate scope is actually very narrow.

Appropriate chiropractic treatment is relevant only to a narrow range of ailments, nearly all related to musculoskeletal problems. But some chiropractors assert that they can influence the course of nearly everything. Some even offer adjustments to farm animals and family pets.

...

19. Don’t expect our licensing boards to protect you.

Many chiropractors who serve on chiropractic licensing boards harbor the same misbeliefs that are rampant among their colleagues. This means, for example, that most boards are unlikely to discipline chiropractors for diagnosing and treating imaginary “subluxations.”

..."
May 2, 2016

The First Woman To Put Her Face On Packaging Got Trolled Like Crazy

"You ought to feel solemn... that your face pervades the mind of the nation like a nightmare," wrote one early hater.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-first-woman-to-put-her-face-on-packaging-got-trolled-like-crazy

"As every single person on the Internet knows, women who dare to enter the public eye are regularly pilloried. Message boards are rife with misogyny. Trolls lurk under every tweet. "Don't read the comments" has become a necessary mantra.

But as 19th century apothecary Lydia E. Pinkham might attest, none of this is particularly modern. In the late 1800s, Pinkham's face became among the most recognizable in the world—and this brought consequences. Until she came along, the only woman whose image showed up regularly in public was Queen Victoria.

When Pinkham first put herself on a bottle of her bestselling Vegetable Concoction, men sent her hate mail, harping on her haircut and her "cast-iron smile." Journalists mixed her up with other famous women. College choirs made fun of her in song. All because she dared to put her portrait on a label.


Before becoming a well-known medicine maven, Pinkham had led a relatively quiet life. She was a schoolteacher, mother, and dedicated abolitionist in her hometown of Lynn, Massachusetts. She got into preparing medicines at the age of 56, through knack and necessity: the economy was tanking, her family needed money, and she happened to have a great recipe for a much-needed drug.

..."


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Alas, things have not changed much.

May 2, 2016

I was suffering from postpartum depression. My licensed naturopath recommended beer and marijuana...

I was suffering from postpartum depression. My licensed naturopath recommended beer and marijuana to help me sleep.
http://www.naturopathicdiaries.com/marijuana-beer-for-sleep-with-postpartum-depression-naturopath/

"...

Over the course of many years, I invested heavily in naturopathic treatments, eventually becoming financially and spiritually dedicated to it. I sought care from many naturopaths, and even traveled out the state several times for care from “specialist” NDs who promised to fix what they called “immunodeficiency.” I received many prescriptions for expensive supplements, had vitamin C dripped into my veins, and was lectured heartily about avoiding dietary poisons such as yeast, sugar, and simple carbohydrates. I was constantly reminded that only I could heal myself by carefully following these treatment plans.

Inevitably, the treatments would not work. The naturopaths would always ask about any possible deviation from their treatment plan. Had I truly been dedicated to the plan? The failure was always on me, and, of course, not the inherent ineffectiveness of their methods.

...

Instead of offering something I had come to expect, the ND suggested I drink a beer and smoke marijuana before bed in order to “set myself up for success.” She claimed that I would fall asleep more easily. With just one good night of sleep, she said, I would get back on track, and eventually, my mood would improve.

...

In a state of hopelessness, I convinced myself that using marijuana and beer as substitutes for pharmacological intervention was a rational choice. These were natural substances, after all, recommended by a licensed doctor.

..."


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