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  • American Psychological Association: Celebrating Diversity Was a Major Theme of Their 125th Meeting

    By Jo Freeman

    Celebrate Diversity was a major theme of the 125th meeting of the American Psychological Association as it met in Washington, D.C. Aug. 3-6.

     Diversity can mean many things, though these days it usually means demographic diversity.  Of its 65,000 members 58 percent are women and 54 percent are white.  Over 38 percent are over 65. Stress image

    Illustration from the APA

    There almost three times as many people in the labor force with an appropriate professional degree who told the Census that psychology is their occupation.  Of these almost 70 percent were female and slightly over 80 percent were white. 

    The gender gap in both the psychology labor force and in APA members has increased over the years as male psychologists retire and females enter at a more rapid rate than young men.   It is particularly large for ethnic psychologists.  The gender gap is biggest among blacks and smallest among whites, with Asians, Hispanics and  “other” in between.

    Unlike the other social sciences, psychology is thriving.  While the supply of trained psychologists in the labor force has remained constant since 2005, the demand has grown.  Quite a few employers purchased booths in the exhibit area just to advertising that they were hiring and interview potential recruits.  They ranged from clinics in Hattiesburg, MS to New Zealand.

    The military was also well represented with 30 different sessions devoted to military themes, and 17 to veterans.   By comparison, “women’s studies” had 37 sessions and “men’s studies” had 14.  Nine different booths were rented by military or veteran exhibitors and another half dozen by other federal entities.

    Aging adults got some attention, but not as much as children.  For example, there is “an enduring misconception that HIV is a disease of the young,” but even in countries with advanced health care systems “almost half of all people living with HIV are 50 or older.” This was the conclusion of Mark Brennan-Ing, Ph.D., director of research and evaluation at ACRIA, a non-profit HIV/AIDS research organization in New York City.

     Another big problem for the older population is social isolation, which often leads to premature death.  Approximately 42.6 million adults over age 45 in the United States are estimated to be suffering from chronic loneliness, according to AARP’s Loneliness Study.

    ©2017 Jo Freeman for SeniorWomen.com

  • The Eclipse Megamovie Project: An App to Add Images for Lasting Photo Archive

    By Robert Sanders, 

     The Eclipse Megamovie project has released an app that makes it easy for citizen scientists with smart phones to photograph the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse and upload the images to the project, a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley, and Google to provide a lasting photo archive for scientists studying the sun’s corona.

    The app, created by Ideum, is available for Android phones through Google Play store and for iPhones through iTunes’ App Store.

    UC Berkeley astronomer Alex Filippenko, an admitted eclipse addict, advises on safe viewing and why you shouldn’t miss this rare event, the Great American Eclipse; Video by Roxanne Makasdjian and Stephen McNally

    When downloaded and installed, the app walks users through a simple process to point your smart phone at the sun using an appropriate filter to protect the camera’s sensors. Once protected and pointed properly, the camera determines where you are and automatically starts taking photos of the sun 15 seconds before totality at your location, snaps periodic shots throughout the total eclipse — which will last a maximum of 2 minutes, 40 seconds, depending on where you are — and takes a series of photos during the 15 seconds after the total eclipse has ended to capture the “diamond ring” effect.

    The app will even beep to remind you to remove the filter during totality and replace it afterward.

    Once within range of Wifi, the app will prompt users to upload the images and other data, such as location, to the project.

    “The app is going to do everything for you, so you just need to enjoy the eclipse,” said solar physicist Juan Carlos Martínez Oliveros, who is part of the Eclipse Megamovie team at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. “The idea is to create a unique new type of dataset that can be studied by scientists for years to come. It’s really an experiment in using crowd-sourcing to do solar science, which will hopefully pave the way for much future work.”

    Oliveros urges users to practice beforehand, so as to be prepared when the big day arrives. The app has a practice mode with which users can snap photos of the sun or moon (see Oliveros’ video demonstration).

     

    UC Berkeley solar physicist Juan Carlos Martínez Oliveros demonstrates how to use the Eclipse Megamovie app. Stephen McNally video

    The total solar eclipse — the first visible from the continental US since 1979 — will traverse the entire country in a band about 70 miles wide, beginning the morning of Monday, Aug. 21, on the Oregon coast and ending 90 minutes later, in mid-afternoon, off the coast of South Carolina. Many millions of people along the path of totality are expected to watch as the moon eclipses the sun, while even more outside the path of totality will see a partial solar eclipse. Check out the Eclipse Megamovie Simulator to preview what you will experience on Aug. 21.

    Anyone planning to observe the eclipse should obtain a pair of certified eclipse glasses (see American Astronomical Society recommendations). While the glasses should be removed during the couple of minutes of totality, they must be worn when looking at the eclipse leading up to and following totality, or when viewing the partial eclipse from outside the zone of totality.

  • From Harvard Medical School, Via the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner: Murder Is Her Hobby, Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

    Murder is her hobby

    Frances Glessner Lee, Red Bedroom, about 1944-48. Collection of the Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, courtesy of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Baltimore, MD

    Frances Glessner Lee (1878 1962) crafted her extraordinary Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death exquisitely detailed miniature crime scenes to train homicide investigators to “convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and find the truth in a nutshell.”

    These dollhouse-sized diorama composites of true crime scenes, created in the first half of the 20th century and still used in forensic training today, helped to revolutionize the emerging field of forensic science. They also tell a story of how a woman co-opted traditionally feminine crafts to advance a male-dominated field and establish herself as one of its leading voices. * Murder Is Her Hobby will be on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery from Oct. 20 through Jan. 28, 2018.

    The exhibition is the first public display of the complete series of 19 studies still known to exist. For the first time since 1966, 18 pieces on loan to the museum from the Harvard Medical School, via the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, will be reunited with the ‘lost nutshell,’ on loan from the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, courtesy of the Bethlehem Heritage Society.

    “These dollhouses of death are a fascinating synthesis of art and science,” said Stephanie Stebich, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “Showcasing the Nutshells at the Renwick allows us to appreciate them as artworks of superior craftsmanship and to highlight Frances Glessner Lee’s genius for telling complex stories through the expressive potential of simple materials.”

    Lee, the first female police captain in the US, is considered the ‘godmother of forensic science.’ She was a talented artist as well as criminologist, and constructed the Nutshells beginning in the early 1940s to teach investigators at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Legal Medicine how to properly canvass a crime scene to effectively uncover and understand evidence. The equivalent to virtual reality in their time, her masterfully crafted dioramas feature handmade elements to render scenes with exacting accuracy and meticulous detail, each component a potential clue designed to challenge trainees’ powers of observation and deduction.

    Lee’s commitment to realism is seen in every element of the Nutshells, from the real tobacco used in miniature hand-burnt cigarette butts and tiny stockings knit with straight pins, to the angle of miniscule bullet holes, the patterns of blood splatters and the degree of discoloration on painstakingly painted miniature corpses.

  • National Institutes of Health Twitter Chat: The Importance of Clinical Trials and The Clinical Research Process

    Discovery’s three-part documentary, First in Human, which follows the experiences of patients, their families, doctors, researchers, staff, and caregivers at the NIH Clinical Center, will air on three sequential Thursday evenings: August 10, 17, and 24, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. First in Human is narrated and executive produced by Emmy®, Golden Globe®, and Critics Choice® winning actor Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, Hidden Figures), in collaboration with John Hoffman (Weight of the Nation, Sleepless in America).

    To further educate the public about clinical research and the NIH, we are planning social media events around the three episodes. We invite you to join us in any of these events using #FirstinHuman:

    Twitter chat

    August 9, 2017 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET

    The twitter chat will focus on the importance of clinical trials, and the clinical research process. John Hoffman, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Clinical Center CEO Dr. James Gilman, and several researchers featured in First in Human will be responding to questions about the film and the importance of clinical research. @Discovery will host.

    Use #FirstinHuman to join and help promote. We are attaching our twitter chat promo image which you should feel free to use on your social media channels.

    Live Tweeting

    August 10, 17 & 24 from 9:00 – 11:00 pm ET

     

    @NIH will be live tweeting all three episodes. Follow along and join the conversation using #FirstinHuman.

    These are both exciting and challenging times for NIH and for the NIH Clinical Center. The strides made in treating and curing diseases during our first 60 years have saved, lengthened and improved countless lives, and brought us to the threshold of even more exciting future discoveries.

    We are committed to continuing our work as the research hospital for the nation; leading the nation and the world in making groundbreaking scientific discoveries that improve the lives of patients and their families; training our next generation of physician-scientists; and working together and sharing what we have learned with colleagues across the country and around the world.

    We invite you to join us in celebrating our past accomplishments and in looking forward to the fruition of our current efforts, as well as yet-undreamed-of ways of turning discovery into health. We hope you will join us in celebrating our 60th anniversary.

    John I. Gallin, M.D., director of the NIH Clinical Center from 1994-2017

    surgeons at work

    Scrapbook of Photos

    A scrapbook of photographs of the Clinical Center through the years — from 1948 to 2013.
    Clinical Center Dedication Ceremony

    Reflections
    Clinical Center Grand Rounds flyer

    Special 60th Anniversary Clinical Center Grand Rounds Lecture
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    Dr. Robert M. Watchter, MD speaking at a Grand Rounds lectureSpecial Events

    • First in Human Documentary
      Aug. 10, 17 and 24
      First in Human is a 3-part documentary airing on Discovery that captures the real-life experiences of doctors, researchers, staff, patients and their caregivers, at the NIH Clinical Center.

    Lecture Series

    • Grand Rounds Lectures
      Wednesdays, Noon – 1:00 p.m.
      Lipsett Amphitheater

      Clinical Center Grand Rounds are weekly presentations on state-of-the-art discoveries geared toward physicians, allied health professionals and non-clinical scientists. Lectures occur from August through June from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in Lipsett Amphitheater in Building 10 on the NIH Bethesda campus. All lectures provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits offered by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

    • Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series
      Wednesdays, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
      Masur Auditorium

      The NIH Director’s Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, commonly referred to as WALS, features leading researchers from around the globe. Lectures occur on most Wednesdays from September through June from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Masur Auditorium in Building 10 on the NIH Bethesda campus.

    • All Lectures

  • Consumer Reports: Do Americans Take Too Many Prescription Medications? Rushed Into Taking Medications Too Quickly?

    Americans are taking more prescription pills than ever before — and more than people in any other country. But Consumer Reports (CR) warns that all those pills may not be necessary and might do more harm than good.Pills

    In a cover story for its September issue, Consumer Reports delves into America’s pervasive, expensive, and sometimes harmful, pill habit. The package examines the reasons behind the nation’s ever-increasing use of pills, the growing tide of risk that consumers face — and includes a doctor-approved plan to potentially take fewer medications, avoid dangerous side effects, and feel better.

    More than half of Americans now regularly take a prescription medication — four drugs, on average — according to a new, nationally representative CR survey of 1,947 adults. Many in that group also take over-the-counter drugs as well as vitamins and other dietary supplements. Fifty-three percent of those who take prescription drugs get them from more than one healthcare provider, which increases the risk of adverse drug effects. And 35 percent of those taking prescription drugs say a healthcare provider has never reviewed their medicine to see if they can stop any of them.

    Americans often rush, or get rushed, into taking medications too quickly. For example, doctors sometimes prescribe medications for common problems like insomnia or heartburn without suggesting lifestyle changes first. Or, they diagnose the “pre-disease” state of a condition — for example, mild bone loss or slightly elevated blood pressure — and immediately start a drug regimen instead of starting with lifestyle measures.

    For its special report, CR reviewed the medical literature and offered expert advice on how to work with doctors and pharmacists to analyze an individual’s drug regimen. CR reviewed drug lists submitted by 20 Consumer Reports readers to see whether the organization could find problems and did, alerting those readers of the potential risks. CR also dispatched 10 secret shoppers to 45 pharmacies across the US to see how well pharmacists could quickly identify potentially problematic drug interactions.

    “We can see that when consumers ask if they can stop taking at least one of their medications, in the majority of cases, their doctors agree,” said Ellen Kunes, Health and Food Content Development Team Leader for Consumer Reports.

    Consumer Reports identifies 12 situations where people can try lifestyle changes to address symptoms without the possible side effects of medication; they include: ADHD, back and joint pain, dementia, mild depression, heartburn, insomnia, low testosterone, osteopenia, overactive bladder, prediabetes, prehypertension, and obesity.

    The number of prescriptions filled by Americans each year, for both adults and children, has soared by 85 percent over two decades — from 2.4 million in 1997 to 4.5 million in 2016 according to the health research firm Quintile IMS. Meanwhile, the U.S. population increased by only 21 percent during that time.

    Much of that medication is lifesaving or at least life-improving. But a lot is not. The amount of harm stemming from inappropriate prescription medication is staggering. Almost 1.3 million people went to US emergency rooms due to adverse drug effects in 2014, and about 124,000 people died from those events, according to estimates based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

    Forty-nine percent of people who regularly take prescription medication asked their prescribers whether they could stop taking a drug, CR’s survey found. Seventy-one percent of them successfully eliminated at least one medication.

    CR’s report includes a three-step plan to take more control of your meds, advice on when and how you need a “brown bag” review of your medications from a doctor or pharmacist, and what older adults must know about drug risks. 

  • Congress and FTC: Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017; Illegal Robo Calls; Safe Harbor Program and Collection of Personal Information From Children

    There is one summary for S.81. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.  Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017FTC Building

    This bill directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection to advise the FTC on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (robocall) fraud targeting seniors.

    The office must: (1) disseminate to seniors and their families and caregivers information on the most common fraud schemes, including methods of reporting complaints either to the FTC’s national toll-free telephone number or to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, where complaints become immediately available to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, state attorneys general, and other appropriate law enforcement agencies; (2) provide, in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, publicly available information regarding the FTC’s enforcement action; and (3) maintain a website as a resource for information on fraud targeting seniors.

    The FTC must establish procedures through such office to: (1) log and acknowledge the receipt of complaints by individuals who believe they have been a victim of such fraud in the Consumer Sentinel Network and to make such complaints immediately available to federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities; and (2) provide individuals with information on such fraud as well as the most common schemes.

    FTC Escalates the Fight against Illegal Robocalls Using Consumer Complaints to Aid Industry Call-Blocking Solutions

    FOR YOUR INFORMATION

    The Federal Trade Commission has approved TRUSTe’s proposed modifications to its safe harbor program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.

    The FTC’s COPPA Rule requires, among other things, that operators of commercial websites and online services directed to children under the age of 13, or general audience websites and online services that knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, must post comprehensive privacy policies on their sites, notify parents about their information practices, and obtain parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing any personal information from children under the age of 13.

    The FTC’s COPPA Rule includes a “safe harbor” provision that allows industry groups and others to seek Commission approval of self-regulatory guidelines that implement “the same or greater protections for children” as those contained in the COPPA Rule. Companies and organizations that participate in an FTC-approved safe harbor program will, in most circumstances, be subject to the review and disciplinary procedures provided in the safe harbor’s guidelines in lieu of formal FTC investigation and law enforcement. 

    In a Federal Register notice, the FTC sought comment on proposed changes to TRUSTe’s existing safe harbor program, including the addition of a new requirement that participants conduct an annual internal assessment of third-parties’ collection of personal information from children on their websites or online services. The Commission received six comments on the notice.

    The Commission voted 2-0 to approve the modifications to TRUSTe’s safe harbor program.

  • Briefing Summary “Chronic Pain in Women and its Relationship to Opioid Addiction” July 12, 2017

    Speakers at Chronic Pain + Relationship to Opioid Addiction

    (l. to r.) Cindy Hall, President, Women’s Congressional Policy Institute, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Jerome Adams, Indiana State Health Commissioner; photo by Sylvia Johnson

    On July 12, 2017, the Women’s Congressional Policy Institute (WCPI) sponsored a briefing, “Chronic Pain in Women and its Relationship to Opioid Addiction,” in cooperation with Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Lois Frankel (D-FL), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues (Women’s Caucus), and Reps. Mimi Walters (R-CA) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Vice-Chairs of the Women’s Caucus.  The briefing was the twelfth event in a women’s health series sponsored by WCPI over several years, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Cindy Hall, President of WCPI, thanked the Foundation for its support and its work to improve the health and health care of all Americans through its support for research and programs working to help build a national Culture of Health.

    Members of the Women’s Caucus

    Serving her third term representing the 21st District of Florida, Rep. Lois Frankel serves on the Foreign Affairs and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. Rep. Frankel stated that the issue of drug addiction is incredibly timely, is a huge problem in her district, and that she would be staying to listen to the briefing in its entirety because of its importance.

    Serving her third term representing the 5th district of Indiana, Rep. Susan Brooks chairs the Ethics Committee, serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee where she is a member of the Health Subcommittee and has authored several bills on the topic of drug addiction. Rep. Brooks mentioned Indiana’s HIV outbreak as one of the many consequences of the opioid epidemic.

    Speakers

    Nora D. Volkow, MD
    The first speaker was Nora D. Volkow, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIDA supports most of the world’s research on health aspects of drug use and addiction.

    Dr. Volkow’s work has been instrumental in demonstrating that drug addiction is a disease of the human brain. As a research psychiatrist and scientist, Dr. Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects and addictive properties of abusable drugs. Her studies have documented changes in the dopamine system affecting, among others, the functions of frontal brain regions involved with motivation, drive, and pleasure in addiction. She also has made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and aging.

    Dr. Volkow stated that she would be discussing the topic of opioids on two levels: the opioid crisis in general terms and how the opioid crisis is unique as it relates to women. Three notable concerns about the opioid crisis were cited by Dr. Volkow:

    The number of people dying.  In 2015, 33,000 people died from an opioid overdose. The impact on the health care system as it relates to maternal mortality and economics is substantial.

    This is a crisis born out of the health care system.  We need to change the practice and structure by which we provide care as it relates to the treatment of pain and the treatment of substance use disorders, including opioid addiction.

    This epidemic has affected a vast set of individuals who normally and traditionally are not associated with drug taking.  In the epidemiological data for all patterns of drug taking, women have much lower prevalence ratings than males. However, in the opioid crisis, equivalent numbers of females and males are impacted.

    Opioid prescriptions are predominately utilized to address very severe pain. Opioids can be lifesaving when prescribed properly and used for the indications for which they are prescribed. As a consequence of overuse, opioids are particularly prevalent in the misuse data. There are three classes of prescription medications that are generally misused: opioid analgesics, stimulants, and sedative hypnotics. Dr. Volkow stated that whether you are taking heroin or an opioid for pain, the drug activates and binds to the mu receptors of the brain and inhibit sensations of pain. The brain consists of a network that allows an individual to perceive pain, but also the emotional reactions to it. The problem lies in other areas of the brain (accumbens) where the opioid targets and the individual receives pleasure. The pharmacological effect is so powerful that it can activate a chain of events that can result in addiction. The main cause of opioid death is when the drug binds to the receptors in the brain stem that control breathing. When the drug manipulates that area it triggers respiratory depression, and an individual can stop breathing.

    In the 1990s, a campaign was launched to treat pain very aggressively because the outcomes of pain left untreated were incredibly poor. The number of prescriptions skyrocketed during this time, but we did not yet have a clear understanding of the effects opioids had on chronic pain as doctors typically prescribed opioids for patients with acute pain. Today, Americans consume 80-85 percent of the opioids in the world. The over-prescribing has led to diversion, abuse, and addiction/overdose for individuals who have never before had a history of dependency.

    Dr. Volkow presented a comparison map of overdose death rates in the United States. In 1999, only small pockets in West Virginia and New Mexico had high incidences of overdosing. In 2015, the whole country was affected by this crisis with overdose death rates scattered in high levels across the US. Opioid abuse is unusual in that women and men are about equivalent in their use, which typically is not seen for other substance use disorders.

    Since 2011, aggressive campaigns to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions have been introduced with some success. Dr. Volkow stated that between 2010-2015 opioid prescriptions decreased by 15 3 percent, but there needs to be a further reduction. Researchers and health care providers were expecting death rates to decrease equally over this time period, but the overdose rate continues to increase. Dr. Volkow noted that 4-6 percent of individuals prescribed opioids become addicted and turn to heroin because it is cheaper and more accessible than prescription drugs. Eighty percent of the new heroin users in the US started with prescription opioids, which explains the continual increase in deaths despite the decrease in opioid prescriptions.

  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Tricking Consumers Into Expensive Pay-by-phone Fees

    handset from the 1940s

    Rotary dial telephone made out of Bakelite, Wikipedia; Kornelia und Hartmut Häfele

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today issued a bulletin warning companies about tricking consumers into expensive pay-by-phone fees. The Bureau is concerned about companies potentially misleading consumers about the purpose and amount of certain pay-by-phone fees or keeping them in the dark about much cheaper payment options. The bulletin also reviews guidelines to help consumer financial companies comply with the law. 

    “The Bureau is warning companies about tricking consumers into more expensive fees when they pay bills by phone,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “We are concerned that companies are misleading consumers about pay-by-phone fees or keeping them in the dark about much cheaper or no-cost payment options.” 

    The bulletin is available at: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/201707_cfpb_compliance-bulletin-phone-pay-fee.pdf 

    Most financial service companies give consumers several options to make payments. Some consumers may choose to pay bills by phone using an automated system or speaking with a live customer representative. Companies may charge different pay-by-phone fees depending on what method of payment the consumer uses, such as payment by electronic check, debit card, or credit card. Consumers may also be charged an additional fee to expedite phone payments, though many companies offer consumers no-fee or lower-fee pay-by-phone options that post after a delay. In its supervision and enforcement activities, the Bureau identified harmful practices regarding pay-by-phone fees such as: 

    • Misleading consumers about pay-by-phone fees: The Bureau is concerned about companies misrepresenting the purpose and amount of pay-by-phone fees, which can result in consumers incurring charges for services they don’t need. For example, a recent Bureau enforcement action alleged that a company and its service provider misled consumers into paying a $14.95 pay-by-phone fee by deceptively calling it a “processing” charge. The fee was actually for posting payment to the account the same day. Consumers paying by phone ended up being charged for expedited payment even though most of them did not need to post payment on the same day. Moreover, many were not aware of no-cost payment alternatives that would post after a delay. 
    • Keeping consumers in the dark about much cheaper payment options: Some companies do not disclose their fees in writing upfront to consumers. Instead, they may depend solely on phone representatives to disclose the relevant fees to consumers before the charge is imposed. These representatives may then fail to inform consumers about significant price differences between available pay-by-phone options. This may substantially harm consumers who wind up using much more expensive options because they are not informed that significantly cheaper options are available. 

    The CFPB does not mandate any particular way to inform consumers about pay-by-phone options and fees. However, the Bureau expects companies to review their practices for potential risks of violating consumer financial laws and to address any issues.  Appropriate risk management and due diligence can help companies avoid harming consumers through unlawful practices and help them comply with federal laws. The CFPB recommends that financial institutions take steps to ensure that they are following laws related to pay-by-phone fees. Companies should review state and federal laws to confirm they can charge such fees, and review their policies and procedures. Companies should also review consumer complaints about fees that are charged. 

    The CFPB will continue to monitor the practices of companies that assess pay-by-phone fees for potential violations. The Bureau will use all appropriate tools to assess whether supervisory, enforcement, or other actions may be necessary.

     

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    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.

  • Ferida’s Backyard Blog: Whitetail Deer, Tiger Lilies and Adaptable Geese

    Young Hungry Deer

    By Ferida Wolff

    Young Hungry Deer

    We live on a fairly ordinary street, nature-wise. The animals we mostly see in our backyard are squirrels, chipmunks, a groundhog here and there or an unexpected skunk. The birds are more varied with a variety of finches, blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, a woodpecker every now and then. The usual suburban mixture though sometimes we get a surprise.

    Earlier this year we saw some adult deer making their way in the back of our houses on their way to, well, who knows where. They were in a group of five and looked healthy. This morning we had a deer walk into our yard and slowly make its way into the garden behind our dining room.  

    Most of the time when I see a deer, I am charmed by its understated beauty but this time I gaped at it for another reason; it was young, a fawn on its own, and it seemed malnourished. Its bones were visible along its hide. The mother in me wanted to whip up a nourishing breakfast but I know that feeding a fawn is not the good for the animal. It was moot anyway, as our visitor inspected the hydrangea bush just beyond the window, moved along the back of the house, and was gone.

    So much of our natural habitat is being shifted into living quarters for humans. There are deer crossing signs on many roads now, with occasional duck or turtle crossing warnings.

    It would be great if animals and people could live side-by-side peacefully. It would be terrific if we humans could do that too, letting each other live and thrive and express ourselves with respect and tolerance. May none of us be hungry for the basics of a good life.

    Facts about whitetail deer:

    https://americanexpedition.us/learn-about-wildlife/whitetail-deer-facts-information-and-photos/  

     

    Tigers, Tigers Everywhere!

    Tiger Lilies
     
    Look at all the tigers! Not the animals – the tiger lilies. They seem to be everywhere, blooming in attention-catching orange. The house on the corner has a yearly display. Gardens up and down the street, around the corner, and through the neighborhood have bursts of orange that are hard to ignore.
     
    I love to anticipate the arrival of my tigers. They are full and beautiful. Best of all, they keep coming back! Sometimes, however, they can take over, spreading into places where other flowers need their own space. A small price to pay, I think, for the beauty they offer.
     
    Life is like a garden, isn’t it? Some of what we encounter is short term, like annuals, while some, like perennials, is lasting. Both kinds of flowers add to the joy and diversity of the garden, even as our varied experiences help us to appreciate the range and complexity of our existence.  
     
    A quick review of plants in general:
     
    Tiger Lily info:
     

    Adaptable Geese

    Geese and family
    It was a rainy day. We were just coming home from a round of errands, wondering what the rest of the day would bring, when we saw a family of geese strolling across the wet street. The goose (female), gander (male) and goslings (babies) were completely at ease in the middle of the road. Fortunately, it was a side road and not too busy. We turned to the right, another car edged toward the left, and the goose family slowly, slowly moved toward the curb.
     
    Geese are no strangers to this area. We see lots of them flying in vee formation on their way south. Sometimes they land by a pond or a grass field for a rest. But more of them seem to be making their homes locally now. There are plenty of lakes and streams around to keep them happy and the temperatures generally are not too frigid. But this is new for the Canadian geese that traditionally have flown further south.
     
    Times and temperatures change. The geese, which were recently endangered, are now flourishing thanks to wildlife agencies. And many have made their peace with new environments. They are adaptable.
     
    It’s something we can think about. When nature changes, it’s not only the geese that must adapt. Temperatures are rising. The ocean is heating up and heading inland, threatening some shore communities and islands. Some areas are becoming parched and fires are more common and difficult to control. Extreme weather patterns are cropping up.  
     
    Can we change our habits to help minimize the effect of global climate change? Can we recognize the importance of our behavior on nature? Will we need to be as adaptable as Canadian geese?
     
    Why do some geese stay?
     
    Extreme weather changes:
     
    Observing mild weather:
     

    ©2017 Ferida Wolff for SeniorWomen.com

      

  • UN Report: Conflict-related Sexual Violence as a Weapon of Terrorism

     

     

    Yazidi resistance fighters in Sinjar, Iraq, 2015

    By Dulcie Leimbach, WUNRN (Women’s United Nations Report Network)

    Moving away from strictly categorizing rape and other sexual abuse against women as a weapon of war, the new annual report from the United Nations on sexual violence against women in conflict addresses its increasing use as a weapon of terrorism. The report also documents how mass migration has led to further sexual violence against women through human trafficking by extremist groups like ISIS and has enabled a flourishing black market in such trade across the world.

    The report was spotlighted at a UN Security Council debate on women, peace and security on May 15. The document also tackles problems associated with post-sexual-violence: stigma; contracting of infectious diseases; handling of children of rape; loss of livelihoods and destitution; and other social taboos and damages that can ruin victims for life.

    By acknowledging sexual violence as a weapon of terrorism, the report says, global actions to stop terrorist financing can include a link to this criminality and be tied into relevant sanctions regimes. Rape has been recognized as a war crime by the UN and international tribunals and courts for decades.

    The report, covering all of 2016, comes from the office of the UN secretary-general, António Guterres. It is a yearly endeavor made possible by the UN special envoy on sexual violence against women in conflict and certain UN agencies. The envoy office has changed leadership recently, with Pramila Patten of Mauritius coming aboard in mid-June, replacing Zainab Hawa Bangura of Sierra Leone.

    The term “conflict-related sexual violence” in the report refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage and “any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity” inflicted on women, men, girls and boys directly or indirectly linked to a conflict.

    The report covers 19 countries for which credible information is available, collected by UN specialists. It also features a list of 46 parties using sexual violence against women in conflict, with the majority being armed terrorists like Al Qaeda and Boko Haram. National military and police forces are hardly immune, however, to such crimes, with Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria also featured in the list.