Hi. My main background is in the earth & life sciences, but I now predominantly explore topics in the broad area of bioethics. That's about equality, fairness, justice, diversity and inclusivity. It's also about people's biases, the associated otherization and everything that this can result in. That includes poverty, homelessness, poor health, shabby looks, shrinking personal bubbles, exposure to chemical and noise pollution and lots more. It's also about law, philosophy, speciesism, science & technology, forensic psychology, politics and public policy (governance). Diversity and inclusivity are much bigger challenges than I used to believe. I for example now think that society's lack of genuine acceptance and support for people whose brains work very differently can among other things result in destructive behaviours for which the forensic psychology term is sadistic stalking or resentful stalking.
There was Jess Gillam. I ended up completely in tears – as in “I died and went to heaven” – when she played “Where the bee dances”.
The rest of the world had disappeared. There was just this piece, this performance. Nothing else.
Portsmouth and its relentless ugly hate, greed, utter misery, violence, its stupid glorification of hate, greed, corruption and violence and all the rest of it had disappeared completely and no longer mattered in any form, way or shape. It no longer existed.
And this, this exactly probably is the perfect embodiment of the explanation why Portsmouth and I never got along. Something like this is so many trillion lightyears away from the place, it’s completely irreconcilable.
I don’t know what made that performance so stellar, so immensely moving, but nothing else comes to mind that comes close. She played her heart out, Jess did.
The orchestra outdid itself too, obviously inspired by her.
I can no longer listen to it, and watch it, but some of you can. Nobody in Portsmouth will. That I know.
This is a follow-up to my previous post about her, about her possible motive.
We tend to think of such people as clever, scheming and cunning, don’t we? Lucy Letby certainly was scheming, but her notes have revealed how utterly miserable she was, so she wasn’t feeling superior to others. The fact that she’s rotting in prison now tells us that she wasn’t very clever either.
Seriously criminal behavior almost always comes at a great cost to the people who commit these crimes, too. Just consider how this whole thing must have taken over her entire life.
When you think of the victims, you get overwhelmed by their side of the experience and all you see is evil-doing. But what is it, evil?
The people who get fooled by the easy smiles and eager helpfulness of the likes of Lucy Letby have a lot to answer for too.
That not all is well within the NHS at management level has been known for years as well.
Yet calling out things that aren’t right and should be remedied will almost always get you vilified. That’s because it is metabolically costly for the brain to consider opinions that upset one’s firm beliefs, if it’s not political.
Similarly, most of us have the tendency to believe that if a person smiles a lot and appears very eager to help, she must have a matching character.
(I got this latter bit of wisdom from a paper about psychopathy. We tend to associate certain behaviors with certain character traits, but there may be no correlation at all. We are too eager to take things at face value. We also tend to assume that children who smile a lot aren’t being abused at home, for example.)
Anyone seriously interested in the questions that new technologies like CRISPR force us to consider (except those of us who have no conscience and are not capable of remorse) and willing to put their teeth into it may want to dive into the following older publications to start developing a perspective on these issues.
These papers will make you aware of ableist bias and fashion effects as well as legal aspects, whereas scientist and technologists tend to have scientific constraints and consequences on their mind, such as off-target effects.
This, the scientific experiment with the puzzles shown in this video, this is how prolonged narcissistic abuse works, how stalking or domestic violence often affects victims, and it’s also how the English class system works.
To be precise, the rigged, impossible-to-solve puzzles result in a form of gaslighting. They deny people their own view of reality (such as “I am reasonably smart so I can easily solve such a puzzle”) and thus start distorting it.
They also distort reality for anyone observing what goes on and who does not know that three of the puzzles are rigged. They trick them into believing that these three candidates are so “stupid” that they can’t even solve a simple puzzle that was designed for 10-year-olds.
(31 August 2023, 23:30: For some reason, DW changed this video in the course of today. I haven’t watched this new version yet. The version I watched earlier today had Donald Trump and Boris Johnson in it, among many others. Tomorrow, I will watch the new version to see what’s different. DW changed more than just the thumbnail. Why did DW change this video today? Why today?)
(31 August 2023, 23:44: Yet now the new URL for the video makes a bird video show up in this post when I look at it on my phone instead of on my tablet? Come to think of it, I also had technical troubles while posting the original post.)
(Below is what it looks like while I am editing the post on my tablet, tethered to my phone.)
This is how some psychopaths and narcissists operate. Because (other) people tend to associate certain behaviors with properties like kindness, they tend to assume that these latter properties are present when they are in fact absent as soon as they see the behaviors. They let themselves be fooled because they prefer pleasant emotions or ideas over threatening ones.
In this example, imagine wat might happen if the man conducting the experiment does not reveal that half of the puzzles are rigged. Imagine what might happen if someone goes through his entire life like this. People will fall for the superficial charm and perceived authority of the person who is conducting the test and they’ll dismiss the three “victims” as losers.
(Afterthought: I think that psychopathic and autistic people are equally bewildered by how the rest of us function and can feel equally lonely and misunderstood, rejected even. They both find emotions challenging but in opposite ways. So they study others to figure out how to make the best of life and fit in as well as they can. I think that autistic people often have a problem associating certain words, conclusions and behaviors with specific contexts; they make different associations or none at all. Context is challenging for them.)
(This reminds me of a woman who once told me that when she was a child, she thought that only she was having thoughts. Then one day, she was observing a boy and realized that he was thinking too, to her surprise. And that surprised me.)
People with disabilities are more likely to experience human trafficking than their peers. Why is their risk greater and why are they not being adequately protected?
This new mini podcast series explores research into the intersection between trafficking and people with disabilities. We learn that people with disabilities face greater difficulty finding living wage employment [1] and increased healthcare costs,[2] and how this is associated with increased trafficking vulnerability.
“Applying disability critical race studies in the trafficking field is important as it allows us to get this intersection between trafficking, disability and race that is so prevalent, where survivors of color, especially disabled survivors of color, are being ignored or marginalized by the law-and-order framework trafficking.” Rachel Rein, Attorney at law
Because people with disabilities are more exposed to vulnerabilities such as poverty,[3] it drives risk-taking that traffickers are ready to exploit. In addition, traffickers deliberately target those they think they can isolate and control.[4]
Law enforcement, emergency responders and the public, are often not aware of these increased risks that results in nothing being done, even when exploitation is clear.[5]
To unpack this, today we are launching a 3-part podcast series to explore this topic together with our new partner Human Trafficking Search. In each episode, we talk with a different researcher who shares their perspective and learning on the intersection of disability and modern slavery
Episode 1: Andrea Nichols is Professor of Sociology at Forest Park College and a Lecturer in Washington University in St. Louis’s Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department
Episode 3: Rachel Rein is an attorney and author of multiple law review articles as well as a student note on applying disability critical race studies to human trafficking in the U.S.
Brendan Hyatt, our podcast host, has written an accompanying article published on Human Trafficking Search titled “Disability and Modern Slavery: lack of attention can be as harmful as deliberate malice”. An abridged version is published on Freedom United: https://www.freedomunited.org/disability-and-modern-slavery/
A bit of stress is a normal part of our daily lives, which can even be good for us. Overcoming stressful events can make us more resilient. But when the stress is severe or chronic – for example caused by the breakdown of a marriage or partnership, death in the family or bullying – it needs to be dealt with immediately.
That’s because repeated stress can have a huge impact on our brain, putting us at risk of a number of physical and psychological problems.
Repeated stress is a major trigger for persistent inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation can lead to a range of health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. The brain is normally protected from circulating molecules by a blood-brain barrier. But under repeated stress, this barrier becomes leaky and circulating inflammatory proteins can get into the brain.
The brain’s hippocampus is a critical brain region for learning and memory, and is particularly vulnerable to such insults. Studies in humans have shown that inflammation can adversely affect brain systems linked to motivation and mental agility.
There is also evidence of chronic stress effects on hormones in the brain, including cortisol and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). High, prolonged levels of cortisol have been associated with mood disorders as well as shrinkage of the hippocampus. It can also cause many physical problems, including irregular menstrual cycles.
Mood, cognition and behaviour
It is well established that chronic stress can lead to depression, which is a leading cause of disability worldwide. It is also a recurrent condition – people who have experienced depression are at risk for future bouts of depression, particularly under stress.
There are many reasons for this, and they can be linked to changes in the brain. The reduced hippocampus that a persistent exposure to stress hormones and ongoing inflammation can cause is more commonly seen in depressed patients than in healthy people.
Chronic stress ultimately also changes the chemicals in the brain which modulate cognition and mood, including serotonin. Serotonin is important for mood regulation and wellbeing. In fact, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to restore the functional activity of serotonin in the brain in people with depression.
Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption is a common feature in many psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, play a key modulatory role in sleep. Elevated cortisol levels can therefore interfere with our sleep. The restoration of sleep patterns and circadian rhythms may therefore provide a treatment approach for these conditions.
Depression can have huge consequences. Our own work has demonstrated that depression impairs cognition in both non-emotional domains, such as planning and problem-solving, and emotional and social areas, such as creating attentional bias to negative information.
In addition to depression and anxiety, chronic stress and its impact at work can lead to burnout symptoms, which are also linked to increased frequency of cognitive failures in daily life. As individuals are required to take on increased workload at work or school, it may lead to reduced feelings of achievement and increased susceptibility to anxiety, creating a vicious cycle.
This is because stress may force the brain to switch to a “habit system”. Under stress, brain areas such as the putamen, a round structure at the base of the forebrain, show greater activation. Such activation has been associated with hoarding behaviour. In addition, in stressful situations, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which plays a role in emotional cognition – such as evaluation of social affiliations and learning about fear – may enhance irrational fears. Eventually, these fears essentially override the brain’s usual ability for cold, rational decision-making.
Overcoming stress
So what should you do if you are suffering from chronic stress? Luckily there are ways to tackle it. The UK Government Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing has recommended evidenced-based ways to mental wellbeing.
We know, for example, that exercise has established benefits against chronic stress. Exercise tackles inflammation by leading to an anti-inflammatory response. In addition, exercise increases neurogenesis – the production of new brain cells – in important areas, such as the hippocampus. It also improves your mood, your cognition and your physical health.
Another key way to beat stress involves connecting with people around you, such as family, friends and neighbours. When you are under stress, relaxing and interacting with friends and family will distract you and help reduce the feelings of stress.
Learning may be a less obvious method. Education leads to a cognitive reserve – a stockpile of thinking abilities – which provides some protection when we have negative life events. In fact, we know that people are less likely to suffer from depression and problems in cognition if they have better cognitive reserve.
Other methods include mindfulness, allowing us to take notice and be curious of the world around us and spend time in the moment. Giving is another – volunteering or donating to a charity activates the reward system in your brain and promotes positive feelings about life.
Importantly, when you experience chronic stress, do not wait and let things get the better of you. Early detection and early effective treatment is the key to a good outcome and good wellbeing. Remember to act in a holistic manner to improve your mood, your thinking and your physical health.
And you don’t have to wait until you are overwhelmed with stress. Ultimately, it is important that we learn from an early age to keep our brain fit throughout our whole life course.
This can be about losing your sister or mother to cancer or Alzheimer’s, your live-in lover silently leaving in the middle of the night, your best friend moving to Siberia, or even your health having taken a bad turn.
This Autumn, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman will be back in the UK rubbing shoulders with this Government despite his horrendous human rights record. It’s important that we stop this visit – there are grave consequences when we give the green light to dictators who commit horrendous human rights abuses.
Just six months after Mohammed bin Salman last visited to the United Kingdom, in 2018, the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. US intelligence concluded in 2021 that the Crown Prince approved the murder. [1]
We’re fearful for our client Salman Alodah, a Saudi Arabian scholar who like Khashoggi, doesn’t echo the Saudi Arabian government’s position. He has been detained in solitary confinement for six years and faces the risk of a death sentence for expressing his opinions.
Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership is throwing billions of pounds into fixing its reputation and trying to appear progressive but we know that is far from the reality. This is why this visit cannot go ahead – lives are at risk.
With the support of powerful governments allowing him on the world stage, the Crown Prince will believe he can do anything without consequence. Say NO to the death penalty. Say NO to the British government’s ties to the death penalty. Say NO to Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the UK. There is no place for dictators like him in our country.
She was delivered by a difficult birth. She’s always been motivated to become a nurse by the desire to help babies who arrived on the world after a difficult birth, her friends have said.
That struck me as strange.
So I did a web search.
If you do a quick internet search, without actually clicking on any links, you will already notice that difficult births can affect the babies not only through effects on physical health including brain development but also on their psychological well-being, sometimes because the mother too is profoundly impacted by the difficult delivery.
(Keep in mind that affected brain development can also have effects on the development of the personality.)
Lucy Letby is an only child so she may have been under a tremendous amount of pressure to be the perfect child, always smiling, always saying hello to everyone, appearing to be very kind, working hard and being called geeky and awkward but also dancing salsa. Trying hard to fit in and look perfect?
She seemed to be a blond woman in all the photos, but her hair’s actually medium brown. A police officer called her “beige”.
She’s apparently had thyroid problems since age 11 and the fact that she was able to graduate at all apparently was such a major and to some degree unexpected accomplishment for her that her parents supposedly placed an advert in the local newspaper to congratulate her.
She wanted to stop babies who had difficult births to have to go through what she went through.
(NO, I am NOT trying to excuse her.) (Yes, the medical crises she caused may also have given her an opportunity to shine but that does not strike me as her main motivation.)
It also explains why she did things such as talk about the happy time of a baby’s bath after the baby had passed away and the parents were overwhelmed with grief.
Yes, her notes show that she was highly conflicted over what she did. The brakes in her brain – the brakes that modulate behavior – weren’t working properly.
Does it beat the young pelican that tried to steal an osprey’s catch and when that didn’t work out tried to eat the osprey instead? Captured by the same Florida-based photographer.Continue reading →
Like badgers? Foxes? Don’t like seeing them killed just because? If you stand up for them, you may be branded a domestic terrorist. Yes, in today’s England, protesting means that you may go to prison.
You may also receive threats.
“We could organise a car crash, we could organise poisoning you, we could organise all of these sorts of things.”
Besides that there are many more electric vehicles here, hence considerably less noise, than where I spent the previous fifteen years, I am also noticing other differences.
What does it mean when you’re walking on the pavement and a car that approaches and passes on the other side honks and the driver holds up his index finger?
Is there any standard zebra etiquette? If so, does it involve that thank-you gesture that I’ve never mastered and seems to resemble the tipping of an imaginary hat or is that something that only men do?
“If neurodegeneration begins on the right side of the frontal or temporal lobes, patients tend to struggle with compulsive or inappropriate behaviors and emotional regulation. These symptoms include loss of empathy for others, disregard toward social and legal norms, loss of drive, overeating, and repetitive behaviors like tapping a pencil incessantly.
But if it starts on the left side, patients have difficulty with understanding and communicating language. They lose the meaning of words, leading them to speak nonsensical gibberish, or lose the ability to form words, making it difficult to converse.
As the disease progresses, behavioral and linguistic symptoms eventually overlap.”
Note the startled look of surprise on the face of the woman sitting next to the singers when the pianist starts playing. There’s some wonderful coincidence going on there. Maybe those two were in the middle of rehearsals for this particular Verdi performance?
Now have this for dessert:
And might this be suitable as seconds?
I added the latter without having read the book or watched the video. After having watched the film, I can say that it’s very suitable.
I’ll add the following too.
This Dutch eatery owner and her husband were attacked; her husband was stabbed and died. Now she can no longer support herself. Thankfully, people around her started a crowdfunding campaign for her to keep her afloat.
In addition to the Groningen Protocol, we also have the Maastricht Principles. Both are named after Dutch cities, one is in the north-east and the other in the south-east.
Critically, the Maastricht Principles state that: “Human development must be decoupled from the destruction of Nature and the overconsumption of natural resources to achieve the realization of the human rights of present and future generations and the integrity of nature and natural systems.”
I have copied and pasted the above from the following essay:
For some procedures, Brits depending on the NHS wait years. Some therefore go abroad. Others go private within their own country.
Medications usually aren’t free either if you rely on the NHS, is my understanding.
(NHS = national health service)
In the Netherlands, you pay a monthly public insurance premium of around 130 euro or more. That’s not all. There’s a threshold amount which the public insurance doesn’t cover and so you have to cough up it yourself. My understanding is that the latter doesn’t apply to everything medical; some things apparently don’t have the threshold and are fully covered. Also, if you’re on low income, you can apply for tax credits in support of your monthly premium payments.
In the Netherlands too, as in the UK, there are backlogs. They appear to be Covid-related. It can also be hard to find a primary care physician whose practice still accepts new patients, just like in the UK.
No country currently seems to have an ideal healthcare system, perhaps with the exception of Cuba. I’ve read that the French healthcare system is pretty good, too, but I have no experience with it.
I too helped out as a child. I helped out my dad in his business, I picked fruits and vegetables at home, and I picked fruits at my grandmother’s (pocket money). I also dusted and cleaned at home in the weekend and did dishes and so did my sisters (and this was when my mother was still alive).
Child labor??? Trafficking??? Modern slavery?
In this case: neocolonialism. Why not focus on real modern slavery, in the US and in the UK and so on?
Another example of how health inequity comes about is when older adults are ridiculed and seen as fussy attention-seekers if they want to be in good health. Bad health is not a must for older adults.
Here is what I suggest you say to any medical professional (or other person) who treats you as if you are a 3-year old, just because you are disabled or over 45, black or female or indigenous or lower class.
“You are committing an epistemic injustice.”
“You are depriving me of my epistemic agency.” [or “taking away” or “eroding”]
Feel free to add the word “dear”, “son”, “child”, “sweetie”, “Madam” or anything else that you think fits well, but does not distract too much from the main message. (You want the person to feel puzzled or surprised, off-balance but not personally insulted.)
They won’t expect that and it will likely shut them up for a moment. It may give you a chance to speak and be heard instead of getting tossed out with the trash again.
You have unique knowledge and that knowledge is as valuable as the doctor’s or the nurse’s.
The word “epistemic” is often used in the field of bioethics.
Bioethics is a combination of law, science, medicine, technology and philosophy. (Mentioning philosophy is overkill to some degree as philosophy is part of the foundation of law as well, but few people know that and there is a lot of philosophy in bioethics.)
