Review of: Your Child’s Disorder May Be Yours, too.
Author: Benedict Carey
Date of Publication: December 9th, 2007
Student: Carolina Flores
Link:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/fashion/09diagnosis.html
By the age of 2, Jeremy Schwarz was a child that had a sensibility all his own, being affectionate and distant at the same time and more focused on objects and patterns rather than people around him. Then he was diagnosed with high functioning autism.
The child’s father found in his son’s diagnosis a new language to understand his own life, his sensitivities, his diffidence through school… all echoed through his and Jeremy’s behaviour.
Researchers have long known that many psychiatric disorders and developmental problems run in families. Attention and developmental disorders like autism also have a genetic component. The diagnosis may spread from the child to other family members, forcing each to confront family frustrations. It is a surprise because the child is the first one in family to get a through evaluation and history. However, diagnosing an adult about his or her child has its risks. They may exaggerate about their behaviour and their children’s.
To make a proper diagnosis, doctors like to see some evidence of a problem in childhood — evidence that can be hard to come by.
Children long for evidence that they aren’t the only ones who are going through these difficulties.
This problem can alter the present if parent and child have common ground. Jeremy’s father became in some way the translator of his son.
It is believed there are a lot of parents of kids with this diagnosis who have at least a little bit of the traits their kids have but because of the stigma that societies associate with disabilities, they are inhibited from embracing that part of themselves.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Discrimination Versus Opportunities
Original Name: ‘Fight AIDS, Not People with AIDS’
Author: Lulwa Shalhoud
Source: Arab News
Date of Publication: December 7th, 2007
Link: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=104375&d=7&m=12&y=2007
Student: Carolina Flores
A 46-year-old Saudi Arabian man with 2 wives and 11 children is actually suffering job discrimination as he is infected with the AIDS virus.
He used to work in an airport but he had to leave work when his friends and colleagues learnt about his disease. They started to treat them in a different way.
The standard procedure in the case a person has a viral infection is that officials verify if the person –in this case diagnosed with AIDS- is a foreigner, and he or she is deported. Accompanied by the police, he was put in an isolation room. After his citizenship was verified, he was released from custody. He was treated as if he were the most dangerous person in the world.
Actually, there are now treatments that exterminate the virus completely but the patients have to take it throughout their lifetimes so that they have normal immunity.
AIDS patients have the right to have any job as long as they can work. Otherwise, they could drift into forbidden practices like drugs or prostitution for money.
I think AIDS and HIV patients should be given the opportunity to have a job and not precisely for charity but for necessity. Let us not forget they have to support themselves and their families. It is ridiculous to keep on stigmatizing these diseases and learn more about them. We should think that perhaps is not the viruses which are killing these people, but our ridiculous prejudices.
Author: Lulwa Shalhoud
Source: Arab News
Date of Publication: December 7th, 2007
Link: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=104375&d=7&m=12&y=2007
Student: Carolina Flores
A 46-year-old Saudi Arabian man with 2 wives and 11 children is actually suffering job discrimination as he is infected with the AIDS virus.
He used to work in an airport but he had to leave work when his friends and colleagues learnt about his disease. They started to treat them in a different way.
The standard procedure in the case a person has a viral infection is that officials verify if the person –in this case diagnosed with AIDS- is a foreigner, and he or she is deported. Accompanied by the police, he was put in an isolation room. After his citizenship was verified, he was released from custody. He was treated as if he were the most dangerous person in the world.
Actually, there are now treatments that exterminate the virus completely but the patients have to take it throughout their lifetimes so that they have normal immunity.
AIDS patients have the right to have any job as long as they can work. Otherwise, they could drift into forbidden practices like drugs or prostitution for money.
I think AIDS and HIV patients should be given the opportunity to have a job and not precisely for charity but for necessity. Let us not forget they have to support themselves and their families. It is ridiculous to keep on stigmatizing these diseases and learn more about them. We should think that perhaps is not the viruses which are killing these people, but our ridiculous prejudices.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Absinthe Returns in a Glass Half Full of Mystique and Misery
Review of: Absinthe Returns in a Glass Half Full of Mystique and Misery
Student: Jesica Suparo, English Language IV
Author: EDWARD ROTHSTEIN
Published: November 12, 2007, New York Times.
Artists have a different perception of the world and the aspects of it. It is widely known that, through history, some well-known artists have used stimulants such as drugs and alcohol which “helped” them in producing stunning pieces of work. But there is one that had an outstanding role from the rest: Absinthe. A brief description of it would be that it is a highly alcoholic berverage (usually 68 to 80 percent) anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called Grand Wormwood or Absinth Wormwood; together with anise, fennel, coriander, mint and other herbs. Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir/tincture. In the 17th century it was used to treat venereal disease, intestinal worms and drunkenness. By the 19th century absinthe was used by French soldiers in Africa as an antiseptic, to ward off insects and to treat dysentery. Despite this, it was better known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. At the end of the 19th century absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug. After connecting violent crimes supposedly committed under its influence, absinthe was banned in 1906 in Switzerland, and by 1915, it was prohibited in a number of European countries and the United States. The revival of absinthe distelleries took place in 2000, along with regulations and controlls over it.
But the controversy began much earlier along with its preparation rituals and myths that grew around it; when artists which consumed it began to feel the effects of this drink: such was the powerful effects that led Hemingway’s character Robert Jordan, in “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” to describe it as “(…) an opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy(...)”. This is, for sure, not just another drink. It has a special place in the history of modern culture. Poems were written about it under the names of: the green fairy, the green goddess, the green muse, the glaucous witch and the queen of poisons. Skip to next paragraphPicasso, Van Gogh, Manet, and Degas painted about it. It seems that absinthe raises an awakening of the consciousness along with the lulling, inevitable dumbness of drunkenness. As Oscar Wilde said: “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see them as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”
Sources:
www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/arts/12conn.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=arts
http://www.wikipedia.com/
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Student: Jesica Suparo, English Language IV
Author: EDWARD ROTHSTEIN
Published: November 12, 2007, New York Times.
Artists have a different perception of the world and the aspects of it. It is widely known that, through history, some well-known artists have used stimulants such as drugs and alcohol which “helped” them in producing stunning pieces of work. But there is one that had an outstanding role from the rest: Absinthe. A brief description of it would be that it is a highly alcoholic berverage (usually 68 to 80 percent) anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the medicinal plant Artemisia absinthium, also called Grand Wormwood or Absinth Wormwood; together with anise, fennel, coriander, mint and other herbs. Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir/tincture. In the 17th century it was used to treat venereal disease, intestinal worms and drunkenness. By the 19th century absinthe was used by French soldiers in Africa as an antiseptic, to ward off insects and to treat dysentery. Despite this, it was better known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. At the end of the 19th century absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug. After connecting violent crimes supposedly committed under its influence, absinthe was banned in 1906 in Switzerland, and by 1915, it was prohibited in a number of European countries and the United States. The revival of absinthe distelleries took place in 2000, along with regulations and controlls over it.
But the controversy began much earlier along with its preparation rituals and myths that grew around it; when artists which consumed it began to feel the effects of this drink: such was the powerful effects that led Hemingway’s character Robert Jordan, in “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” to describe it as “(…) an opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy(...)”. This is, for sure, not just another drink. It has a special place in the history of modern culture. Poems were written about it under the names of: the green fairy, the green goddess, the green muse, the glaucous witch and the queen of poisons. Skip to next paragraphPicasso, Van Gogh, Manet, and Degas painted about it. It seems that absinthe raises an awakening of the consciousness along with the lulling, inevitable dumbness of drunkenness. As Oscar Wilde said: “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see them as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”
Sources:
www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/arts/12conn.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=arts
http://www.wikipedia.com/
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Get over your fears by facing them
Review of: Get over your fears by facing them
Ducking what scares you only aggravates your anxiety
Student: Jesica Suparo, English Language IV
Author: By Maureen Farrell
Published: Oct. 26, 2007 ,
Link: http://www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc
Ducking what scares you only aggravates your anxiety
Student: Jesica Suparo, English Language IV
Author: By Maureen Farrell
Published: Oct. 26, 2007 ,
Link: http://www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc
We all suffer from some kind of fear: fear of being on stage, fear of certain animals or fear of overcrowded places. But sometimes, these mere fears which seem natural become a paralyzing state of phobia. Feeling paralyzed from a simple thought is not normal at all; and our body responds to these fears in several ways: sweat, palpitations, dizziness and even heart attacks. In the last years, these consequences exist under a new label: Anxiety Disorders. AD is provoked by specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorders. With this explanation, we can think that only a small amount of the world’s population may suffer from this, but, in fact, everyone experiences some kind of anxiety in some level.
The article explains how the most common fears -fear of flying, giving a speech or even going to a party- are treated through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy that involves changing behaviors and thoughts to overcome depression, self-loathing and fear. It is valuable to highlight two characteristics of CBT: first; this therapy is not based on the notion that fear bubbles up from repressed childhood memories, instead, CBT focuses on treating fears in the here and now by rewiring our perceptions of them. Second; CBT do not administrate pills to its patients. The trouble with taking pills is that, while they may mitigate anxiety for a short time, they don't really address the fear long term; worst case, they lead to dependency. The other problem, says Greenberger: “Anti-anxiety medicines can limit the effectiveness of exposure-therapy (such as CBT) by altering the "phobic conditions."
We should think about the origin of our anxieties: are they provoked by real, tangible episodes and inconveniences or are they the dramatic result of our thoughts? We should be able to separate the real from the unreal. If we are afraid of something real, for example, the fear of being trapped in an elevator, you should start by staying in a closed room for a while, and then, little by little, you may come to the point of taking as many elevators as possible; always bearing in mind why you do it and that the purpose of it is to overcome a fear by facing it. On the other hand, if the fear is unreal and has no real motive, we should be more careful; because the only thought of a situation which is not likely to happen but symbolizes a potential risk for us, produces anxiety. Of this, Dr. Greenberger says: "Catastrophic thoughts lead to fear, which leads to avoidance, which leads to more catastrophic thoughts,"…"It's a vicious cycle that exacerbates the fear over time." The most effective way to get over your fears is by facing them.
Source:
www.forbes.com/home/index.html?partner=msnbc
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Saturday, December 8, 2007
A day to remember
In a few days will be remembered the 20th World Aids Day, and many highlight the need to fight continued prejudices against people with HIV/Aids. Estimation about the figure of people with this infection has been reduced by the UN, however, the number still stands at 33 million.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela speaking at a concert in Johannesburg, stated that to stop the Aids epidemic from expanding, it is necessary to break the cycle of new infections. South Africa has more HIV infections than any other country. Moreover, Aids campaigners said more must be done especially in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission and called for renewed efforts to focus on helping women.
Despite the fact that almost three-quarters of Aids-related death during 2006 were in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people living with the virus has increased everywhere.
Different ceremonies were held in different cities all around the world such as a giant Aids ribbon running the length of its side in India or the international concert in Johannesburg.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, has said that he is spiritually close to the victims of Aids. However, the Vatican still opposes the use of condoms as a means of fighting the epidemic. Roman Catholics all around the world, on the other hand, believe condom use helps save lives.
Despite these declarations, I believe that all the efforts must be done to reduce the expansion of the disease and to help those already infected with the virus to take more decent life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7003969.stm
Former South African President Nelson Mandela speaking at a concert in Johannesburg, stated that to stop the Aids epidemic from expanding, it is necessary to break the cycle of new infections. South Africa has more HIV infections than any other country. Moreover, Aids campaigners said more must be done especially in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission and called for renewed efforts to focus on helping women.
Despite the fact that almost three-quarters of Aids-related death during 2006 were in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people living with the virus has increased everywhere.
Different ceremonies were held in different cities all around the world such as a giant Aids ribbon running the length of its side in India or the international concert in Johannesburg.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, has said that he is spiritually close to the victims of Aids. However, the Vatican still opposes the use of condoms as a means of fighting the epidemic. Roman Catholics all around the world, on the other hand, believe condom use helps save lives.
Despite these declarations, I believe that all the efforts must be done to reduce the expansion of the disease and to help those already infected with the virus to take more decent life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7003969.stm
Thursday, December 6, 2007
A 'Dead' Man Still Has Something to Explain
Review of: 'A dead man has some explaining to do'
Student: Carolina Flores
Author: Sarah Lyall
Published: December 6th,2007
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/world/europe/06canoe.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin
John Darwin was declared dead almost five years ago and it was a surprise for the police as he walked into a police station to claim he is alive but he has no idea what happened to him during these years.
In March 2002 Mr Smith, a kayaking enthusiast was reported missing by his wife and his body was not found for obvious reasons now.
All his family seems to be astonished, except for his wife, who has always been waiting for this. She always speculated her husband did not die in the accident he had in 2002 while he was canoeing, and he did not die in fact. Mr. Smith seems to have lost his memory and he does not remember anything that happened after a family vacation in 2000. However, he will have to face further questioning as it seems that the police suspect about his disappearance. It is believed he has had financial problems before disappearing and the police is already looking into any prove to clear their suspects.
They cannot explain about the mysterious disappearance of this man but they think there was a reason for Mr Smith to walk to the police station and they will try to find out what it was.
Student: Carolina Flores
Author: Sarah Lyall
Published: December 6th,2007
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/06/world/europe/06canoe.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin
John Darwin was declared dead almost five years ago and it was a surprise for the police as he walked into a police station to claim he is alive but he has no idea what happened to him during these years.
In March 2002 Mr Smith, a kayaking enthusiast was reported missing by his wife and his body was not found for obvious reasons now.
All his family seems to be astonished, except for his wife, who has always been waiting for this. She always speculated her husband did not die in the accident he had in 2002 while he was canoeing, and he did not die in fact. Mr. Smith seems to have lost his memory and he does not remember anything that happened after a family vacation in 2000. However, he will have to face further questioning as it seems that the police suspect about his disappearance. It is believed he has had financial problems before disappearing and the police is already looking into any prove to clear their suspects.
They cannot explain about the mysterious disappearance of this man but they think there was a reason for Mr Smith to walk to the police station and they will try to find out what it was.
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