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  • Government of Canada Renews Investment in Largest Canadian Study on Aging

    Minister Tassi visits the CLSA Biorepository and Bioanalysis Centre

    Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Institutes of Health Research

    With Canada’s demographic landscape shifting as its older adult population continues to grow,  long-term studies focusing on the health of older adults are not only important for this growing older population, they also provide the knowledge needed to ensure the health of future generations. This is why longitudinal studies — when the same cohort of people is followed over time with continuous or repeated monitoring of health outcomes — are so important. They track the trajectory of the health of a population as it ages, providing insights into how Canadians can live healthier and longer lives.

    To capture data and insights on how to maintain healthy lives as we age, today the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister of Labour, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced an investment of $61.5 million from the Government of Canada for the next phase of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). This funding includes $52 million from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and $9.5 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

    The CLSA is the largest and longest study of its kind in Canada, and includes over 50,000 Canadians between the ages of 45 and 85 whose health will be tracked for at least 20 years. Led by Dr. Parminder Raina at McMaster University, Dr. Susan Kirkland at Dalhousie University, and Dr. Christina Wolfson at McGill University, the CLSA is a collaboration between 160 researchers located at 26 institutions across the country.

    Since 2010, CLSA researchers have collected data from participants in the study at three-year intervals. This investment will ensure that the collection of this vital data continues. Researchers worldwide have been accessing CLSA data for insight into a wide range of areas such as healthy aging, mental health of older adults, and age-friendly environments.

    Quotes

    “The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging is more important than ever before – with both an aging population, and the many impacts on the health and wellbeing of Canadians from the COVID-19 pandemic that will be felt for years to come. This investment will benefit all Canadians for many years to come.”

    The Honourable Patty Hajdu
    Minister of Health

    “Congratulations to Dr. Parminder Raina at McMaster University and his team across the country for building a world-leading research platform. This funding will allow the CLSA team to continue to augment our knowledge of the social and health factors that affect how people age and support our Government’s efforts to help all Canadians live long, healthy, and fulfilling lives. This important work will help support evidence-based decision making that will benefit Hamiltonians and communities across Canada.”

    The Honourable Filomena Tassi
    Minister of Labour

  • The US Department of State Presents: A Whirling Porcelain Coral Reef Draws Attention to the Cost of Climate Change

    With a mission of cross-cultural exchange, Art in Embassies curators work with ambassadors to create temporary exhibitions for the representational spaces of US embassy residences. Exhibitions coincide with an ambassadors’ term and, as with AIE collections, AIE exhibitions are intended to serve as tools of cultural diplomacy.

    coral s, anemones, reef dwelling invertebrates

    This installation is a celebration of Indonesia’s coral reefs, while also pinpointing the human-caused damage that infects the vibrant systems. “Corals, anemones, sponges and other reef-dwelling invertebrates coalesce into a cyclone-like spiral with colorful healthy corals at the eye of the storm, their tentacles and branches dancing in the current,” explains Courtney Mattison. “Toward the edges and tail of the swirling constellation, corals sicken and bleach, exposing their sterile white skeletons — a specter of what could be lost from climate change. Yet at its heart the reef remains healthy, resilient and harmonious.”

    Indonesia is located at the heart of what is called the “Coral Triangle” or “Amazon of the Sea.” This environment is host to more invertebrate species than can be found anywhere else on the planet, in addition to thousands of species of fish which thrive in the rich ecosystem. Mattison hopes that her handmade constructions of the Coral Triangle’s diverse specimens produces an excitement in viewers while sparking an interest to protect the delicate balance found in Indonesia’s coral systems.Mattison and another work

    Mattison exhibited another recent installation titled Afterglow (Our Changing Seas VI) in the group show curated by Barbara Matilsky, at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington which ended January 6, 2019. Mattison traveled to Bali  to unveil a 60-foot-long community-based coral installation she designed for the Coral Triangle Center in Sanur, Bali titled Semesta Terumbu Karang—Coral Universe. The work features over 2000 elements sculpted by a team of over 300 volunteers, coral reef conservationists, and Balinese artisans. You can see further conservation-based projects by Mattison on her website and Instagram.

    Other online exhibitions:

    https://art.state.gov/exhibitions-a/

  • Ferida’s Wolff’s Backyard: Yellow Bird and New Growth

     Yellow Bird

    Yellow Bird

    There are many kinds of birds around our house – sparrows, crows, blackbirds, cardinals, pigeons, robins, chickadees and geese, just to name a few. They hang around our gardens, munching on seeds, and each time I open my front door I am greeted with the flapping of wings as sparrows vacate our front bushes. That’s usual. A few days ago, however, there was something not usual in our driveway; a brilliant, yellow canary was munching on a plant strip right outside our door.

    I wondered where it came from. Did it escape from a cage in someone’s house? Was it a wild variation that flew in from somewhere else? I thought that I might offer it some food and shelter in case it was a loose house bird and unused to being outside but as soon as I took a tiny step forward, it yelled at me in bird talk and flew off.

    I watched for it later that afternoon and the next day, hoping that if it had been a needy house bird it would find its way back for shelter. But I didn’t see it again. I hoped that it would be safe on its own. It was certainly a surprise to see a canary in the wild but also a joy that remains in my visual memory.

    A canary is part of the finch family:

    https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/finch-or-canary-whats-the-difference/

    Climate; Canary in the Coalmine: Impact of Climate Change on Birds; By following birds, we learn about the greatest threats they and our communities face. And we find ways to address them.

    Editor’s Note: The Story of the Real Canary in the Coal Mine; Used until 1986, the humble canary was an important part of British mining history, Smithsonian Magazine; ttps://review.gale.com/2020/09/08/canaries-in-the-coal-mine/

    ©Ferida Wolff for SeniorWomen.com

     

    new growth image

    New Growth

     I kept seeing what I thought was a dead tree on my walks through my community. The trunk and upper branches were severely cut and mostly bare. I wondered how long it would be before it would have to come down. Then something happened – it started to show new growth, with new bottom branches putting out lots of green leaves. It wasn’t done with its life yet.

    The new growth was coming out just as the pandemic appearing to be easing. It seemed like a it was speaking to all of us. For the past year we have been huddled into ourselves, like the tree, but we were just waiting for enough of us to get vaccinated so that we could extend our activities, expand our personal connections, and get back out in the world.

    I smile at the tree metaphor whenever I pass. I hope that it continues to flourish and show the world its power and beauty. And I wish the same for the rest of us, too.

    Editor’s Note: Tree Growth Characteristics: Trees are fascinating. The largest of all woody plants, they have well-defined stems that support a crown of leaves. The growth form varies by species and can be categorized. This publication has been created to provide professional foresters, arborists, students, *Extension personnel, advanced homeowners and others a general understanding of how trees grow. Specifics will include primary vs. secondary growth, allocation of photosynthate, shoot growth patterns and crown shape.

    *Who are the extension personnel? In the US, an extension agent is a university employee who develops and delivers educational programs to assist people in economic and community development, leadership, family issues, agriculture and environment. Another program area provided by extension agents is 4-H and youth activities.

  • GAO Health Care, Private Health Coverage: Results of Covert Testing for Selected Sales Representatives Listed on Healthcare.gov GAO-21-568R, August 10

    GAO-21-568RPublished: Aug 10, 2021. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2021 

    Fast Facts

    Since 2014, millions of Americans have purchased health insurance through exchanges — or marketplaces — established under the Affordable Care Act.

    Our investigators posed as people with pre-existing conditions seeking health insurance to test if sales representatives listed on healthcare.gov from 5 states used deceptive practices. Of the 31 sales representatives we contacted:

    • None engaged in deceptive marketing practices that misrepresented or omitted information
    • All referred us to an appropriate plan that covered pre-existing conditions
    • Most explained that the less-expensive plans allowed since 2018 might not cover pre-existing conditions

    Stethoscope atop medical bills

    What GAO Found

    Since 2014, millions of consumers have purchased individual market health insurance plans through the health insurance exchanges — or marketplaces — established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Sales representatives listed on Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) healthcare.gov website can also sell other types of health coverage arrangements that may cost less but may not cover all pre-existing conditions as comprehensive PPACA-compliant plans do. GAO performed 31 covert tests on selected sales representatives listed on healthcare.gov. These tests involved stating that the (fictitious) applicant had pre-existing conditions — either diabetes or heart disease —and requesting coverage for these conditions to see if the sales representative directed the applicant to a comprehensive PPACA-compliant plan or a PPACA-exempt plan that does not cover what the fictitious applicant requested. As part of these tests, GAO gauged whether the selected sales representatives engaged in potentially deceptive practices, such as making false or misleading statements about coverage or omitting material information about coverage.

  • CFPB Report: Mortgage Servicers’ Pandemic Response Varies Significantly: Supervisory Data Show Some Servicers Struggled to Assist Borrowers

    CFPB

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today (August 10th) published a report detailing 16 large mortgage servicers’ COVID-19 pandemic response. The report’s data metrics include call handling and loan delinquency rates, and they highlight the industry’s widely varied response to the pandemic. For example, many servicers managed to handle high call volume with an average hold time below 3 minutes, while others reported keeping callers waiting for as long as 26 minutes. The CFPB expects servicers to compare the report’s findings to their own internal metrics to identify opportunities for, and demonstrate concrete efforts toward, improvement.

    “Many emergency mortgage protections are winding down, and servicers have had ample time to prepare for the millions of distressed homeowners who need their assistance,” said CFPB Acting Director Dave Uejio. “Today’s report should inform servicers’ own data reviews as they determine whether they are doing enough for borrowers. Servicers who find themselves at the bottom of the pack should immediately take corrective steps. The CFPB will hold accountable those servicers who cause harm to homeowners and families.”

    The CFPB used supervisory data from 16 large servicers to understand how they are interacting with homeowners during the pandemic and whether those interactions are effective. The CFPB is monitoring key data metrics, including:

    • Call metrics to understand how servicers managed the volume of homeowner calls. The metrics in the report include Average Speed to Answer (ASA) and Abandonment Rates (AR), a measure of how many borrowers disconnect from servicing calls prior to completion. Most servicers reported abandonment rates of less than 5% during the reporting period, while others exceeded 20%, and one peaked at 34%.
    • Pandemic forbearance exit metrics to determine the support provided to homeowners transitioning out of COVID-19 hardship forbearance programs. Many servicers saw increased delinquent exit rates in March and April 2021, and some servicers were clear outliers. For federally backed loans, 3 servicers, which used the same sub-servicer, had relatively higher delinquent exit rates for one or more serviced portfolios – consistently exceeding 50%.
    • Delinquency metrics to identify, among other things, variation of homeowner delinquency rates among servicers. Overall delinquency rates ranged from about 1% to 26% for both federally backed and private loans. (Differences in delinquency rates may reflect the differing composition and risk profile of each servicer’s portfolio.)
    • Borrower profile metrics to determine whether and how servicers track borrowers’ race and limited English proficiency (LEP) status. Nearly half of servicers in the report clearly stated that they did not collect or maintain information about borrowers’ LEP status, which may lead to borrowers not receiving needed language assistance. Some of the servicers also reported not maintaining data on borrowers’ race, which may raise the risk of fair lending violations.
    • Pandemic assistance enrollment metrics to understand the types of assistance programs offered to homeowners and whether homeowner applications to those programs were accepted or rejected. Forbearance was widely available for borrowers with both federally backed and private loans, and the reported denial rates were consistently low for both loan types.

    The CFPB continues to encourage servicers to enhance their customer communication capabilities and outreach efforts. Servicers should educate and assist borrowers in avoiding delinquency and enrolling in widely available assistance and loss mitigation options. The CFPB will continue its oversight work through examinations and enforcement, and it will hold servicers accountable for complying with existing regulatory requirements, as well as the amended Mortgage Servicing Rules that take effect August 31, 2021.Read the full Mortgage Servicing Metrics Report.###The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a 21st century agency that helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives. For more information, visit consumerfinance.gov.

  • Jo Freeman Writes: Sex and the Democratic Party – In Brooklyn

    Janette Rankin

    Janette Rankin with fellow Representatives: Four years before ratification of the 19th Amendment secured American women’s constitutional right to vote, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress. Rankin was sworn in as a representative for Montana on April 2, 1917. She served a second term in the House of Representatives in 1941; National Archives Museum

     
    Fifty years ago, when I first began looking for information on women in politics, the world was a different place.  The only History of Democratic Women I could find was a 40-page pamphlet published by the Democratic Congressional Wives Forum in 1960.  There were no updates.  That year there were only eight women in Congress; a Democratic Women’s Caucus was inconceivable.  Politics was a male domain.
     
    In Brooklyn, where I live now, Shirley Chisholm (below, right) was “exploring” the possibility of running for President in 1972.  In Chicago, where I lived then, I ran for Delegate to the Democratic Convention so I could get her name on the ballot.  No one in the establishment – black or white – took her seriously, but in that year’s presidential primaries she got 400,000 votes in 14 states.Shirley Chisholm
     
    By the time I moved to Brooklyn in 1979, women were breaking barriers, but politics was still a male world.  Chisholm had been joined in the House by Elizabeth Holtzman from Brooklyn (who would run for Senate and lose in 1980) and Geraldine Ferraro from Queens (who would run for Vice President in 1984 and lose).
     
    Jump ahead to 2021.  There are 123 women in the House (9 from NY) and 24 in the Senate (1 from NY).  How much has changed was manifest at a street rally to “Pray for Haiti” organized in East Flatbush on July 26, 2021.  I was invited to it by Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, who is also the Chair of the Kings County Democratic Committee.  (I’m one of three thousand members of the KCDC).
     

  • Annandale-on-Hudson, New York … With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972 – 1985

    pattern and decoration

     

    The Hessel Museum of Art will is presenting With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972–1985, the first full-scale scholarly North American survey of the groundbreaking yet understudied Pattern and Decoration art movement. Including painting, sculpture, collage, ceramics, textiles, installation art, and performance documentation, the exhibition spans the years 1972 to 1985 and features forty-five artists from across the United States. It is fitting that this exhibition be presented at the Hessel Museum as co-founder Marieluise Hessel was an early and strong advocate of Pattern and Decoration and numerous works from her collection will be on view.*

    With Pleasure examines the Pattern and Decoration movement’s defiant embrace of forms traditionally coded as feminine, domestic, ornamental, or craft-based and thought to be categorically inferior to fine art. This expansive exhibition traces the movement’s broad reach in postwar American art by including artists widely regarded as comprising the core of the movement, such as Valerie Jaudon, Joyce Kozloff, Robert Kushner, Kim MacConnel, and Miriam Schapiro; artists whose contributions to Pattern and Decoration have been under recognized, such as Merion Estes, Dee Shapiro, Kendall Shaw, and Takako Yamaguchi; as well as artists who are not normally considered in the context of Pattern and Decoration, such as Emma Amos, Billy Al Bengston, Al Loving, and Betty Woodman. Originally on view at MOCA Grand Avenue from October 27, 2019 to May 11, 2020 and organized by MOCA Curator Anna Katz, with Assistant Curator Rebecca Lowery, the exhibition will be on view at the Hessel Museum of Art June 26 – November 28, 2021. It is accompanied by a fully illustrated, scholarly catalogue published in association with Yale University Press.Jerome Powell

    Often described as the first contemporary art movement comprised of majority female artists, Pattern and Decoration — or P&D, as it is commonly known — defied the dominance of modernist art by embracing the much-maligned category of the decorative. P&D artists gleaned motifs, color schemes, and materials from the decorative arts, freely appropriating floral, arabesque, and patchwork patterns and arranging them in intricate, almost dizzying, and sometimes purposefully gaudy designs. Their work across mediums pointedly evokes a pluralistic array of sources from Islamic architectural ornamentation to American quilts, wallpaper design, Persian carpets, and Japanese Imari ware ceramics. Pattern and Decoration’s maximalist, eclectic citation of all things ornamental flew in the face of the reductive, cool aesthetics of minimalism, modernist ambitions to purity and self-reflexivity, and conceptual art’s demotion of the handmade. Most importantly, it was intended as a recuperation of forms and techniques historically discredited on the basis of their “femininity” and their status as craft. Shaped and driven in large part by feminism and the development of feminist art historical methods that demystified the logic and rhetoric of value assignation, Pattern and Decoration artists understood modernism as a puritanical art of exclusion — of progressively stripping away or excluding forms and materials deemed extraneous — and sought to create an art based on both aesthetic and political principles of inclusion.

  • How to Talk With Someone About COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: “There’s so much tension that people don’t want to risk a relationship”

    image of hand pushing back

    With less than half of the United States fully vaccinated, you’ve probably wondered, “How should I talk to hesitant friends or family members about getting their COVID-19 shot?” Now, Stanford Medicine researchers specializing in health education have developed guidelines to help facilitate those awkward conversations.

    “We’re trying to find common ground between different audiences to create guidelines that catalyze conversation about vaccination, not stifle it,” said Rachelle Mirkin, MPH, administrative director of health education, engagement and promotion at Stanford Health Care, who led the effort.

    Moreover, these conversations either aren’t happening or they’re often divisive, said Emilie Wagner, a healthcare strategy consultant who teaches at Stanford and who helped Mirkin and Nicole Altamirano, program manager for digital experience strategy, conduct the research. “There’s so much tension that people don’t want to risk a relationship. Yet, if it goes unaddressed, the tension just naturally mounts.”

    The team wanted to understand why some people are reluctant to adopt COVID-19 prevention measures — including wearing a mask, social distancing and being vaccinated — and wanted to learn how to facilitate better communication with vaccine-hesitant individuals.

    So far, they’ve discovered that traditional messages — such as the need to protect yourself and others or the enticement of getting kids back to school — don’t move the needle when it comes to persuading hesitant people to get a vaccine. Having a personal, empathetic conversation with people works better than presenting statistics and facts at them.

    Mirkin and her team conducted an extensive literature review of vaccine hesitancy, using the information to create a list of 25 talking points they thought might sway those who are vaccine hesitant.

    They then interviewed health care providers, hospital administrators and a small group of older white adults who were vaccine hesitant, but only regarding COVID-19. Somewhat surprisingly, these participants weren’t generally against vaccines, said Mirkin. Some had already received a two-part shingles vaccines, which can have significant side effects including fatigue, muscle pain and fever.

  • A Sad Day for New York: Independent Investigators Find Governor Cuomo Sexually Harassed Multiple Women, Violated State and Federal Laws: Executive Chamber “Rife with Fear and Intimidation”

    Gov. Andrew Cuomo

    Sexual Harassment Included Unwanted and Inappropriate Groping, Kissing, Hugging, and Comments That Accusers Called “Deeply Humiliating, Uncomfortable, Offensive, or Inappropriate”. Executive Chamber “Rife with Fear and Intimidation,” Enabled “Harassment to Occur and Created a Hostile Work Environment”

    The independent investigators appointed by New York Attorney General Letitia James — led by Joon H. Kim and Anne L. Clark — today released their report into the multiple allegations of sexual harassment by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. After nearly five months, the investigators concluded that Governor Cuomo did sexually harass multiple women — including former and current state employees — by engaging in unwanted groping, kissing, and hugging, and making inappropriate comments. Further, the governor and his senior staff took actions to retaliate against at least one former employee for coming forward with her story. Finally, the Executive Chamber fostered a “toxic” workplace that enabled “harassment to occur and created a hostile work environment.” The investigators find that Governor Cuomo’s actions and those of the Executive Chamber violated multiple state and federal laws, as well as the Executive Chamber’s own written policies. Above, right: Andrew Cuomo by Pat Arnow 

    The investigation was conducted after, on March 1, 2021, the Executive Chamber made a referral, pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 63(8), for Attorney General James to select independent lawyers to investigate “allegations of and circumstances surrounding sexual harassment claims made against the governor.” Kim and Clark were chosen to lead the investigation on March 8, 2021.

    “This is a sad day for New York because independent investigators have concluded that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and, in doing so, broke the law,” said Attorney General James. “I am grateful to all the women who came forward to tell their stories in painstaking detail, enabling investigators to get to the truth. No man — no matter how powerful — can be allowed to harass women or violate our human rights laws, period.”

    Starting in December 2020, multiple women came forward with allegations that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed them. Over the course of the investigation, the investigators interviewed 179 individuals. Those interviewed included complainants, current and former members of the Executive Chamber, State Troopers, additional state employees, and others who interacted regularly with the governor. More than 74,000 documents, emails, texts, and pictures were also reviewed as evidence during the investigation.

    Backed up by corroborating evidence and credible witnesses, the investigators detail multiple current or former New York state employees or women outside state service who were the targets of harassing conduct on the part of the governor.

  • Keeping the Lights On: Minor League Baseball Relief Act Provides Emergency Assistance to Hard Hit Clubs

     Minor League Baseball

     

     

     

     

    US Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and US Representatives Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-06) and David McKinley (R-W.Va.-01) introduced the Minor League Baseball Relief Act, legislation to provide emergency assistance to Minor League Baseball (MiLB) clubs who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    “Tennessee is home to numerous Minor League teams that have been adversely impacted due to COVID,” said Senator Blackburn. “For over 18 months, these teams have had to shut their doors to families who would have loved a night out at the ballpark. The Saving Minor League Baseball Act will ensure our local teams can keep their doors open and Volunteer State spirit alive.”

    “Minor League Baseball brings communities together, providing affordable family entertainment and job opportunities across the nation. This legislation will allow minor league teams to return to normal operation and result in saving baseball in many communities. We all appreciate Senator Blackburn’s leadership in this important effort,” said Randy Boyd, owner of Boyd Sports.

    “My partner, John Woods and I, along with our dozen plus local owners of the  plus local owners of the Chattanooga Lookouts, are incredibly thankful for Senator Blackburn’s efforts on behalf of Minor League Baseball. The Lookouts went nearly 620 days without being able to play a baseball game, causing us to lose more than 90% of our revenue. This has created a hole we will be digging out of for years to come. The relief effort Senator Blackburn is championing would allow us to stabilize our business, rebuild our staff and continue to serve our fans and community as the team has since 1885,” said Jason Freier, owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts.

    “This bill will help keep Connecticut’s cherished minor league teams in the game,” said Senator Blumenthal. “The pandemic put America’s past time on the bench and deeply strained already cash-strapped minor league teams. Communities rely on minor league teams across the country for local jobs and small business vitality, and young baseball fans first discover their love of the game there. I’m proud to lead the effort to provide an assist to these beloved teams when they need us most.”

    “In times both good and bad, our national pastime of baseball connects us to one another and to the nation we love. Yet, the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has put many of our local Minor League clubs in distress, necessitating targeted support to keep our favorite teams afloat,” said Representative Matsui. “In Sacramento, we take our sports seriously, and the Sacramento River Cats and their fans embody the passion, energy, and civic pride of our great city. The collective spirit and support for our team lifts the entire region up, and this legislation will make sure teams like these across the nation will continue to bring our communities together for years to come.”

    “Minor League Baseball is a point of pride to hundreds of small cities and towns across the country,” said Representative McKinley. “Like many other small businesses in other industries, minor league clubs are struggling from the economic impact of the pandemic. Many of these teams are at risk of closing their doors if they don’t have additional assistance to make it through this crisis. This bipartisan legislation will ensure Minor League Baseball as we know it can survive and keep America’s pastime alive.”