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Social mobility in education
October 10, 2019 November 22, 2019 Categories UNIVERSITY PRESSFeaturedLeave a Comment on Social mobility in education
Lamar hosts Texas Tribune discussion on higher ed
Texas Tribune editor Ayan Mittra, left, moderated a panel discussion on social mobility in higher education featuring Ashley Williams, Millicent Valek, Kenneth Evans and Ginger Gossman, Monday, in Gray Library. UP photo by Olivia Malick
Lamar University hosted "A Conversation on Higher Education & Social Mobility," presented by the Texas Tribune, Monday, in the Gray Library.
The discussion was moderated by Tribune editor Ayan Mittra. Panelists included LU President Kenneth Evans; Ginger Gossman, senior director for innovation and policy development for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Millicent Valek, president of Brazosport College; and Ashley Williams, economic opportunity policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities.
The panel focused on how Texas colleges and universities serve their lower-income populations in order for them to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
In 2015, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board implemented the 60×30 Plan, which states that by 2030, at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate or degree.
"We are very close to our first benchmark year in 2020 — we have four student-centered goals and we are making progress toward the right direction in all of the goals," Gossman said. "We are moving up. But we are not moving fast enough to meet our first benchmark in 2020, so we still definitely have some work ahead of us.
"There is only one place where we are not moving up, and that is the high school to higher education direct enrollment."
Evans said that strong relationships between universities and the institutions they recruit most from encourage higher matriculation rates.
"We have to make sure we are identifying core areas of competencies and skill levels that are necessary to be successful in the workplace," he said. "We also need to make sure that the handoff between community colleges are as seamless as possible."
While the plan is a start to improve the rates of people earning degrees, there are additional measures that can be taken to help students succeed, Valek said.
"I hope the legislature does hold a session on higher education," she said. "The legislature did a phenomenal job of working with public education this time, and that was long overdue.
"In that remedy, they put in some requirements for the handoff between high school and higher ed in the college and career readiness component. So, from my perspective, that just makes a natural point where we ought to focus and work."
Valek said the area that 60×30 is farthest behind on is the matriculation rate between high school and into higher ed.
"We have a whole untapped market there of folks who are going nowhere and some of them may be going into the workforce or they may not have a plan at all, but I think a lot of work on that nexus is very important," she said.
Williams said that Texas colleges and universities cannot achieve the goal of the 60×30 Plan unless more funding is handed down by the legislature.
"There has to be more of a prioritization from the Texas legislature of higher education," she said. "And by prioritization, I mean money. For decades really, but especially beginning in 2000, the Texas legislature started investing less and less in higher education. In 2003, the legislature voted to deregulate tuition, meaning that Texas public colleges and universities could charge unlimited tuition to students and families.
"So, the burden of paying for higher education in Texas has significantly shifted to the backs of students and families. Without state investment and prioritization of higher education, I think it would be very difficult to achieve that goal."
Another issue facing students, especially lower-income students, is how they will pay for their education.
"We are able to help students through private funding — we have secured a considerable amount of gifts that make it possible for scholarships to be directed towards students," Evans said. "We help them through our financial aid space and navigate in that rather complicated environment."
Evans said that Lamar offers help to students whose families may not be able to navigate the education payment system, but that because graduation rates of those groups is six-plus years, funding is not always available for them.
"In the context of a student who is working full or part-time, often a first-generation student frequently coming from a family that doesn't have the socioeconomic wherewithal to help underwrite them, a graduation rate of six, seven or even eight years is a tremendous accomplishment, when you consider the amount of time that they're working," he said.
Williams said it is important that whatever plans are put in place to address student debt be mindful and adaptive to minority students.
"Not everyone experiences debt the same way," she said. "An average is just that — an average. It can obscure what's beneath that number. For example, black and brown students are especially impacted by student debt. A recent SMU report showed that for the average black student, in order to get a four-year degree, everything else being equal, they have to borrow about $7,000 more than their white counterparts.
"There's a lot there. There's historical and racial wealth gaps and additional challenges that these students face, so solutions that are considerate and equitable in their approach would be one important focus."
Valek said that Brazosport College has tested a few programs that might improve student success and increase student support.
"When students achieve even a little bit of success, they are more encouraged to continue and earn their degree," she said.
To watch the entire panel discussion, visit texastribune.org.
Olivia Malick, UP editor
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This week kicked off with a bang! We chose our exterior paint colour (yay). And when I say 'we chose', you know I actually mean 'Bonnie chose' and funnily enough it was the first colour Bon picked out of the 5000 choices from the Taubmans Colour Chart. So what colour did she choose?
MINK SCORPIO HALF by Taubmans. It was sample #1 of the paint swatches on the brick wall – a gorgeous light grey – the lightest we've ever chosen. With white trims, in Snowdrop of course, our house is going to have a light, fresh, breezy feel.
This week we also completed our plumbing and electrical rough-in, ripped down walls, put up new ones and installed our structural beams to make the house solid again. Good news is we had our first visit from the Certifier and passed with flying colours. Phew! We also got a surprise visit from an asbestos inspector and he gave us a clearance certificate too. Double-phew!
To finish off the week, we all hit the hairdressers. Now don't get me wrong, we don't usually co-ordinate our trips to the hairdresser but we're filming some content for Taubmans next week so had to make sure we were looking fresh. Quite frankly, for one of the Birds (not mentioning any names), it was an emergency visit - her grey roots were almost down to her ears (the fact she's just popped out a baby is no excuse in my opinion). So on Thursday night we sent these pics to each other saying "I want to look like this when I leave the hairdressers tomorrow". Can you guess who sent which pic?
To be honest with you, we were a tad disappointed when we left the hairdressers. Not sure if our expectations were too high or the hairdresser was just off his game that day - but we didn't come out looking anything like those pics. Ez's attempt at balyage bombed as she ended up with a small strip of dark roots - she had to go back and get it redone. Bon still can't work out why she doesn't look like the picture!? Um..... perhaps #thosecheekbones #thatnose #thoseeyes. Just saying.
Woo-hoo week 3 is here! We'll be fixing all the exterior cladding with new Hardie Planks and painting the outside of the house. We're pumped for the moment our painter, Peachey, will get out his spray gun to paint the brick! It's magic! If you want to see him spraying our last house check out our YouTube channel Ep 7.
Our trademark French doors will also be installed next week and plastering will begin. It's amazing how the new house starts to take shape once the Gyprock goes up.
How can you afford to buy the houses and renovate them?
For the houses we renovate, we usually need approx. $1m to buy and renovate them. One of the biggest things that makes this possible is splitting the bill three-ways, meaning we each bring $333k to the table. Where that $333k comes from varies for each of us but it's basically borrowed money that we have used our own homes/assets as security for that loan or line-of-credit. We don't use the house we are purchasing as security for a loan. We can't, because we are buying it in our company name and at this early stage of our business, we cannot borrow money as a company. This is something we hope to do in the future as we get more runs on the board. Our best advice would be to speak to experts in the field of financial planning and accounting so they can advise you based on your personal situation - that's what we did.
Don't forget to follow our story on Snapchat [threebirdsrenos] for a sneak peek of our House 4 transformation.


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2022 NBA All-Star Game logos now featured at Script Cleveland signs
Mentor-on-the-Lake man fatally struck at railroad crossing
6 p.m. weather forecast January 20, 2022
Andrew Berry comments on Jarvis Landry's future with Cleveland Browns
Speaking to reporters, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry discussed wide receiver Jarvis Landry's future with the team.
Author: Ben Axelrod
Published: 12:58 PM EST January 11, 2022
Updated: 7:01 PM EST January 11, 2022
CLEVELAND — As they enter the offseason, the Cleveland Browns find themselves facing several key decisions that will affect their ability to shape their roster. One of those happens to be whether or not to retain wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who is entering the final season of the five-year, $75.5 million contract he signed in 2018.
RELATED: More Cleveland Browns coverage from WKYC
While there is no disputing Landry's status as a veteran leader and fan favorite -- in addition to being arguably the Browns' top wide receiver -- the reality remains that the five-time Pro Bowl selection's value may no longer match his contract. Entering the final year of his contract, the 29-year-old Landry is due to make $16.6 million, $15.1 million of which Cleveland can save by waiving or trading him, with just $1.5 million in dead cap space.
Such savings would likely be attractive to the Browns as high-priced extensions for Myles Garrett, Nick Chub and Wyatt Teller begin to kick in. It's also not a stretch to say that Landry's production in each of the last two seasons -- he tallied 72 catches for 840 yards and three touchdowns in 2020 and 52 catches for 570 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 -- hasn't matched his own sizable salary.
Asked about Landry's future with the franchise on Tuesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry praised the LSU product, but declined to discuss specifics regarding a potential departure.
"I think everybody on this call knows how much respect we have for Jarvis Landry and really what he has meant for our team and organization over the past several years," Berry said. "He has been a productive player for us really since the day that we traded for him, and he has been really a key piece in terms of how the team and organization has evolved over the last several years."
Should Cleveland waive or trade Landry, it would only increase the Browns' need to improve their wide receiver room in the offseason ahead. Currently, Donovan Peoples-Jones is slated to return as Cleveland's top receiver next season after catching 34 passes for 597 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.
Andrew Berry expects Baker Mayfield to be Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback in 2022
3 Things About the Browns: Jim Donovan, Stephanie Haney wrap up 2021 season
Mike Polk Jr. recaps the Cleveland Browns season
Browns DT Malik McDowell arrested; charged with battery of an officer and public exposure

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Will shared memory be released when the container is destroyed or stopped When I run a docker image with ipc=host and call shmget to allocate a shared memory in container, I can run ipcs -m to display this shared memory information on the host. And when the container stopped or removed, the shared memory is reserved, I must remove the shared memory manually.
So if a container run with ipc=host,the allocated shared memory by container will not be destroyed when the container stoped or removed.
But if I use the default ipc mode to run the docker image, I can not use ipc -m to show the shared memory information on the host.
Is there any method to know the shared memory is destroyed or not when container is destroyed or stopped. Or from the perspective of docker implementation, will shared memory be released when the container (do not run with ipc=host) is destroyed or stopped?

A: I think the answer is yes. All resources allocated by docker will be released when it stop or removed. But for host mode, some resources belong to the host, container DO NOT release it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Newsday: Greg Logan talks about the differences between this year's club and last year's and how tough it has been for the club to stay prepared with this schedule. Ted Nolan praised his players. Bill Guerin will be evaluated to determine his playing status.
It's a lot better. Everybody says we brought a lot of guys in, but we brought a lot of good people in. And all the guys from last year knew what kind of system we had and they helped with the coaching of the other players."
"Every game is going to be down to the last period and maybe the last five minutes," Nolan said. "Our goaltender loves playing in those situations, and our kids [on defense] are feeling a little bit more comfortable. Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais are getting more experience as we go, and they're getting out there the last couple of minutes. It's good to play those kind of games, especially when you win them."
NY Post: Dan Martin showed up for a rare game day article and the lead was to ask about the attendance differences between this year and last year? He also asked Ted Nolan about the differences between playing on the road, reported Freddy Meyer practiced with the club Sunday, will be with the team tonight and got a quick word on Miroslav Satan's game winning goals.
"We have to take the same attitude with us," Satan said of the Isles, who haven't left Long Island since Oct. 18. "If you want to be successful and be at the top, you have to be able to do the same things away from home. That's what good teams do."
"It doesn't matter where we play, whether here or in Africa, if we play like we have been, we'll be fine," he said following yesterday's skate. "Everything's falling into place right now."
So let's recap, the person who writes the headline (not Greg Logan) for Newsday cannot even spell the title correct, the NY Post writer who barely covers the team and did not cover the Penguin, Ranger or Devil games comes back and the lead in his article is to ask the coach about last year's attendance after he earlier tried to dispute a sellout against Washington with the three paragraphs he was given for game coverage?
Will the Post even send Dan Martin to Philadelphia or will the club get another A.P article tomorrow? This update was not filed from Philadelphia or he did not include it in the heading.
Personally, the A.P will do a better job than Martin regardless who seems to have a lot more enthusiasm for his other assignments on high school and college sports. Can Greg Logan make somewhat of an effort to tell us who went on the road trip or is that asking too much?
Philadelphia Inquirer : Tim Panaccio's article is on the Flyers special teams which scored four of it's five goals on the power play (one empty net goal) and are doing a good job short handed. Simon Gagne (concussion symptoms) Sami Kapanen are not expected to play against the Islanders.
Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio's article is about the Sound Tigers efforts in their win Sunday at home against Hershey.
"Mentally, we had to get a game where we got a lead and finished it off," Tambellini said. Kip Brennan scored his first on a late power play to finish it. "Systematically, we were pretty sound (Sunday) in all aspects of the game," coach Jack Capuano said. "We've got to continue to do that. Joey made some key saves, but for the most part we kept them outside the dots, especially in the first period."
York Daily Record & Harrisburg Patriot News : Cover the Hershey Bears.
NY Post: Larry Brooks writes about the injustice of Versus not showing the Hall of Fame induction tonight in the US live or on tape delay and questions with his usual sarcasm why the " Versus will be all over the critical and compelling match in Florida between the Hurricanes and the Panthers in Florida. " He also writes by scheduling five games on a night that should remain dark, the NHL essentially guaranteed that the mundane playing of early-season matches would in large part overshadow a marquee event like the Hall of Fame inductions.
So where was Larry Brooks in other years to lobby against this injustice? For a while he was on the induction committee if I recall correctly? I do not remember a calls from Brooks to shut down the NHL when Pat Lafontaine was inducted or Clark Gillies or Al Arbour.


I have just watched the video of Sir Kenneth Robinson's 2006 speech 'Do schools kill creativity?'. It is posted on Article19, in The Evil Imp's blog.
Luckily I have parents who always support me, and they never raised me to believe one job is more worthy than another, its what makes you happy that is more important. And I also already thought my english teacher was an idiot. So he just confirmed everything my instincts had told me.
But if you ever find your self defending your career choice point them in the direction of Sir Kenneth.
yes. i'd like to hear more from him!
We will tell TheImp should he ever stop howling and come out of the upstairs cupboard!


Without sacrificing performance, this projector boasts a compact size for easy transport and installation. The gadget offers a 2.4-inch LCD TFT display, which projects 20 to 100-inch pictures with 1080p full HD. This device supports iPad, iPhone and smart devices using android system for added convenience.
Projector system: 2.4-inch LCD TFT display.
Picture zoom: electrical zoom by remote.
Lens: 3 glass lenses, manual focus.
Lamp type: LED 20W (20,000 hours).
Keystone: 15 degree physical correction.
Supports iPad, iPhone, Android smartphone-tablet PC.
Compact size for easy transport and installation.
Machine size: 17 x 11.5 x 7 cm.
Package detail: 1 piece/carton, (net weight) 0.7 kg, (gross weight) 1 kg.
Native resolution: 480 x 320, 720P 1080P.
Image flip: 360 degrees flip.
Aspect ratio: 16:9 and 4:3.
Interface input: ATV / HDMI / USB / AV / VGA / SD.


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// Bug 690168 - Support Allow-From notation for X-Frame-Options header.
"use strict";

SimpleTest.waitForExplicitFinish();
browserElementTestHelpers.setEnabledPref(true);
browserElementTestHelpers.addPermission();

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Palmetto é uma vila localizada no estado americano de Luisiana, na Paróquia de St. Landry.

Demografia
Segundo o censo americano de 2000, a sua população era de 188 habitantes.
Em 2006, foi estimada uma população de 187, um decréscimo de 1 (-0.5%).

Geografia
De acordo com o United States Census Bureau tem uma área de
2,3 km², dos quais 2,3 km² cobertos por terra e 0,0 km² cobertos por água. Palmetto localiza-se a aproximadamente 10 m acima do nível do mar.

Localidades na vizinhança
O diagrama seguinte representa as localidades num raio de 28 km ao redor de Palmetto.

Ligações externas

Cidades da Luisiana

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Q: dijkstra algorithm priority queue When we are writing dijkstra algorithm with priority queue why we are not check about the visited node?
while (!pq.empty())
    {

        int u = pq.top().second;
        pq.pop();

        // Get all adjacent of u.
        for (auto x : adj[u])
        {
            int v = x.first;
            int weight = x.second;

            if (dist[v] > dist[u] + weight)
            {
                dist[v] = dist[u] + weight;
                pq.push(make_pair(dist[v], v));
            }
        }

A: It does check the previous value of the node in dist[v], which I assume stores the current best distance from the root (or u) to node v. If a new path is found to v which is shorter than the previous shortest one, it is reinserted into the priority queue because it may now provide shorter paths to other nodes. If this new distance to v is longer than the previous, then it is left alone. This is why there is no else in the implementation.


A Filipino nurse recently won Dh100,000 (P1.4 million) at a mall following a shopping spree during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).
Angela Mortos, a Filipino nurse based in Dubai, was overwhelmed when she had won the Dh100,000 jackpot. As per Gulf News on Feb. 5, Mortos was able to join the City Centre Mirdif's Million Dirham Wheel campaign after spending around Dh2,000 (around P28,000) during the DSF held over the weekend.
With a sleight of hand, Mortos spun the raffle wheel and hit the jackpot, instantly making her a millionaire — in the Philippines, at least.
Mortos already has plans on what to do with some of her winnings. As per the report, she wants to give a portion of it to the janitor who works in the building where she resides.


Near the main road, about 75km north of Dush towards Kharga City, are the ruins of Qasr el-Zayyan, one of the largest and most important ancient settlements in Kharga Oasis.
One of the chain of fortresses built during Ptolemaic and Roman times, the settlement was known in ancient times as Takhoneourit, meaning 'The Great Well', which the Greeks called Tchonemyris. Tchonemyris was the associated settlement, a little to the west of the fortress. This was until recently unexcavated, but there seems to have been some clearance work in recent years and the settlement too has high mudbrick walls.
Tchonemyris was obviously of great importance as a major water source in antiquity and would have been a place where travellers would stop to rest or spend the night. A major desert route ran from the town of Esna to Qasr el-Zayyan during Roman times. On the road from Dush to the fortress and on to Qasr el-Ghueita about 7km to the north, ancient travellers would have encountered numerous wells and farming communities, many of which still remain today.
The land surrounding the fortress constitutes the lowest part of the Kharga depression at 18m below sea level. Though the fortress sits on a slight rise, this is one of the few Kharga fortresses not situated on high ground with a good view of the surrounding countryside. Perhaps Qasr el-Zayyan took more of an agricultural role than a defensive one because of the availability of water in this part of the Oasis. The community here must have been quite large and prosperous. It is also on the low ground that the cemeteries of the ancient community are to be found.
The rectangular mudbrick enclosure walls of the fortress measure 26m by 28m and are still well preserved. Inside the fortress enclosure were the living quarters of the Roman garrison and modern clearance by the Supreme Council of Antiquities have uncovered rooms containing kilns and hearths, a water cistern and a cache of Roman coins as well as bronzes and glass objects. The remains of the Great Well, covered by a domed mudbrick roof, can still be seen close to the enclosure wall on the western side.
Within the fortress walls there is a temple dedicated to the god 'Amun of Hibis', who was known to the Romans as Amenibis and other deities of Hibis are also mentioned. This small sandstone temple measured only about 7.5m by 13.5m when it was first constructed during the Ptolemaic Period, but was renewed during the Roman rule of Antoninus Pius (AD138-161) and a brick hall, 22m long, was constructed in front of the main structure.
The temple is entered through a sandstone gate in the southern side of the enclosure wall which depicts a dedicatory inscription in Greek: "To Amenibis the great god of Tchonemyris and to the other gods of the temple, for the eternal preservation of Antoninus Caesar, our Lord and his whole house . . . the temple and vestibule were restored by the prefect Avidius Heliodorus, Governor of Egypt". The inscription also names Commander-in-Chief of the troops, Septimus Macro and Plinius Capito, General of the Forces. The dedication is dated 11 August AD140, in the third year of the Emperor Caesar Titus Aelius Adrianus Antonius Augustus, the Pius.
The main temple building comprises a court leading to the sanctuary or offering chamber which has an elaborate cult-niche in the rear (north) wall. In the antechamber there is a staircase leading to the roof from where much of the temple can be seen.
The site was visited during the latter part of the 19th century by the German geographer, Georg Schweinfurth, who found pottery, coins, glass and cast bronzes within the enclosure. Modern restoration of the temple was undertaken in 1984-1986 by the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation and more recent extensive excavation and reconstruction by the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Qasr el-Zayyan lies about 30km to the south of the city of el-Kharga and not far from the fortress of Qasr el-Ghueita. It can be easily reached by road and a 4×4 vehicle is not necessary. Tickets for the temple cost EGP 25.


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Argentina
 Cerro Azul – comune della provincia di Misiones
 Brasile
 Cerro Azul – comune del Paraná
 Microregione di Cerro Azul – microregione del Paraná
 Cile
 Cerro Azul – stratovulcano della regione del Maule
 Costa Rica
 Cerro Azul – rione del distretto di San Sebastián
 Ecuador
 Cerro Azul – vulcano delle Isole Galápagos
 Messico
 Cerro Azul – comune di Veracruz
 Perù
 Distretto di Cerro Azul – distretto della provincia di Cañete


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Gilroy residents Jacob Vasquez (from left), Fernando Sanchez and Joseph Saavedra died in 2020-21 from accidental fentanyl poisoning. Contributed photos
FeaturedLocal NewsNews
Overdose deaths in U.S. reached record high as pandemic spread
Loss of treatment access, rise of fentanyl availability to blame (via The New York Times)
By: Roni Caryn Rabin
Americans died of drug overdoses in record numbers as the pandemic spread across the country, federal researchers reported Wednesday, the result of lost access to treatment, rising mental health problems and wider availability of dangerously potent new street drugs.
In the 12-month period that ended in April, more than 100,000 Americans died of overdoses, up almost 30% from the 78,000 deaths in the prior year, according to provisional figures from the National Center for Health Statistics. The figure marks the first time the number of overdose deaths in the United States has exceeded 100,000 a year, more than the toll of car crashes and guns combined. Overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2015.
Administration officials said Wednesday they will expand access to medications like naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose, by encouraging states to pass laws that will make it more widely available and promoting its use by Americans.
"I believe that no one should die of an overdose simply because they didn't have access to naloxone," said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of National Drug Control Policy. "Sadly, today that is happening across the country, and access to naloxone often depends a great deal on where you live."
Although recent figures through September suggest the overdose death rate may have slowed, the grim tally signals a public health crisis whose magnitude was both obscured by the Covid pandemic and accelerated by it, experts said.
In Santa Clara County, overdose deaths—specifically from the powerful opioid fentanyl—rose from 27 in 2019 to 88 in 2020, according to authorities. This year, the county is on track to record more than 100 drug overdose deaths before Dec. 31. The crisis has prompted local families to try to raise awareness of the dangers of street drugs any way they can.
"These are numbers we have never seen before," said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The fatalities have wide repercussions, since most of them occur among people ages 25-55, in the prime of life, she added.
"They leave behind friends, family and children, if they have children, so there are a lot of downstream consequences," Volkow said. "This is a major challenge to our society."
The rise in deaths—the vast majority caused by synthetic opioids—was fueled by widespread use of fentanyl, a fast-acting drug that is 100 times as powerful as morphine. Increasingly, fentanyl is added surreptitiously to other illegally manufactured drugs to enhance their potency.
Overdose deaths related to use of stimulants like methamphetamine, cocaine, and natural and semi-synthetic opioids, such as prescription pain medication, also increased during the 12-month period.
Fentanyl's ubiquity and the unique social conditions caused by the pandemic have combined to create a perfect storm, experts said. While some drug users seek out fentanyl, Volkow said, others "may not have wanted to take it. But that is what is being sold, and the risk of overdose is very high."
"Many people are dying without knowing what they are ingesting," she said.
People struggling with addiction and those in recovery are prone to relapse, Volkow noted. The initial pandemic lockdowns and subsequent fraying of social networks, along with the rise in mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, helped create a health maelstrom.
So, too, did the postponement of treatment for substance abuse disorders, as health care providers nationwide struggled to tend to huge numbers of coronavirus patients and postponed other services.
Dr. Joseph Lee, president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, said community and social support that was lost during the pandemic, along with the closing of schools, contributed to rising overdose deaths.
"We're seeing a lot of people who delayed getting help, and who seem to be more sick," Lee said.
The vast majority of these deaths, about 70%, were among men ages 25-54. And while the opioid crisis has been characterized as one primarily impacting white Americans, a growing number of Black Americans have been affected as well.
There were regional variations in the death counts, with the largest year-over-year increases—exceeding 50%—in California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Kentucky. Vermont's toll was small but increased 85% during the reporting period.
Increases of about 40% or greater were seen in Washington state, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota, Alaska, Nebraska, Virginia and the Carolinas. Deaths dropped in New Hampshire, New Jersey and South Dakota.
"If we had talked a year ago, I would have told you, 'Deaths are skyrocketing.' But I would not have guessed it would get to this," said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, medical director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Most of those who died probably already suffered from addiction, or were in recovery and relapsed, an ever-present risk exacerbated during times of stress and isolation, Kolodny said. And many of those with an addiction to synthetic opioids very likely became addicted after being given prescription opioids by medical providers.
"Teenagers are routinely being given opioids to this day when their wisdom teeth come out," he said.
President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act includes $1.5 billion for the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders, and $30 million to fund local services for people struggling with addiction, including syringe exchange programs.
Federal funds can also be used now to buy rapid fentanyl test strips that people can use to check whether drugs have been laced with fentanyl.
But critics say the response has been inadequate given the magnitude of the public health emergency. They have called for new funding streams to provide universal access to treatment, and for treatment centers in every county that offer same-day access to substance abuse treatment.
For example, physicians still need federal permission to prescribe buprenorphine, a first-line treatment for opioid use disorder, which limits the number of providers.
"If you really want to see deaths come down, you have to make it much easier for someone who is addicted to opioids to access treatment, particularly with buprenorphine," Kolodny said. "It has to be easier to get treatment than to buy a bag of dope."
c.2021 The New York Times Company
Roni Caryn Rabin
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Gareth Bale announces retirement from professional football
Leave a Comment / football / By admin
Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 33.
Bale made the surprise announcement on Monday in a statement posted on his social media channels.
It brings an end to a career that saw Bale excel for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and LAFC, while also establishing himself as one of the greatest players in Welsh football history.
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"After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football," Bale said in a statement.
"I feel incredibly fortunate to have realized my dream of playing the sport I love. It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life. The highest of highs over 17 seasons, that will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me."
At club level, Bale started his professional career at Southampton, and his form there earned him a move to Tottenham in May 2007. He joined Spurs as a left-back but was soon shifted to a position on the left of Tottenham's attacking line, and he then established himself as one of the best players in the world.
He won an array of individual awards for his performances at the Premier League team, and in September 2013, Madrid signed Bale on a six-year deal for a then-world-record fee of €100 million.
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— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) January 9, 2023
In Spain, Bale won three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and five Champions Leagues (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022). Although he was frozen out in the latter stages of his Madrid contract, he contributed some historic moments for Los Blancosincluding his stunning overhead kick in their 3-1 win over Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final.
Towards the end of his Madrid career, he spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan back at Spurs. And after one final season back at Madrid, he left the club in June 2022 at the end of his contract and signed a 12-month deal with LAFC.
He made 14 appearances in the States, and his greatest contribution came with a 128th-minute extra-time header in the MLS Cup final that saw LAFC draw the game level 3-3 against Philadelphia Union. That forced the match to a penalty shootout, which led to LAFC securing their first major trophy.
"To show my gratitude to all of those that have played their part along this journey feels like an impossibility," Bale added. "I feel indebted to many people for helping to change my life and shape my career in a way I couldn't ever have dreamed of when I first started out at 9 years old.
"To my previous clubs Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and finally LAFC, all of my managers and coaches, backroom staff, teammates, all the dedicated fans, my agents, my amazing friends and family, the impact you have had is immeasurable."
Bale's last act in football was playing for Wales in the 2022 World Cup, where he earned the last of his record-breaking 111 caps in their 3-0 defeat to England. He captained the team into that competition and, in announcing his retirement, issued a separate statement addressed to his "Welsh family."
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He calls time on his international career as the most capped Wales men's player with 111 appearances, sitting alongside his record-setting 41 goals. He helped the team to their journey to the semifinals of Euro 2016, alongside spearheading their campaigns at Euro 2020 and the recent World Cup, in what was the Welsh men's teams first appearance in the World Cup since 1958.
"My journey on the international stage is one that has changed not only my life but who I am," Bale wrote. "The fortune of being Welsh and being selected to play for and captain Wales, has given me something incomparable to anything else I've experienced.
"I am honored and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the red wall, and together have been to unexpected and amazing places."
Bale has not announced what his next plans are: "I move on with anticipation to the next stage of my life," he wrote in his retirement statement. "A time of change and transition, an opportunity for a new adventure."
Whatever form that new adventure takes, he says he will keep a close eye on his Wales team.
"So for now I am stepping back, but not away from the team that lives in me and runs through my veins," he added. "After all, the dragon on my shirt is all I need."
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