themanchestereveningnews--2019-07-01--Prison officer who plotted to smuggle steroids into jail walks free as judge says she was groomed

Prison officer who plotted to smuggle steroids into jail walks free as judge says she was 'groomed' by bodybuilder inmate

A besotted prison officer got involved in a plot to smuggle anabolic steroids behind bars after she fell for an inmate who had set up a drugs racket from his cell.  Sally McGrath, 25, agreed to sneak the bodybuilding drug into the jail after she began a secret nine month romance with convicted crack cocaine dealer Ashley Keany.  The officer an operations instructor at Category B Garth Prison near Leyland, Lancashire, also sent 32-year old Keany explicit pictures of herself which he kept in his cell and swapped lovey-dovey texts after he apparently illegally acquired a mobile phone.  One message McGrath sent to Keany read: ''Ok babes, I’m going now, love to you. I have been feeling reluctant about bringing the steds home for him. How much money am I taking to your nana’s?”  Police uncovered the racket after McGrath was found smuggling illegal tobacco into the 900-inmate prison during a search by prison colleagues.  Officers raided her home and found cylinder packages containing Testosterone propionate in her bedroom, along with £1,700 cash in £50 notes and a number of mobile phones which proved she was in contact with Keany - who was serving eight years for conspiracy to supply crack.  A diary was found in Keany's cell containing her bank details and statements showed multiple amounts being deposited into and withdrawn from her account under the reference “AK”.  In a statement McGrath said: ''I have let myself and others down. Looking back I put myself and my work colleagues in danger and I didn’t think about the effect on them. I am full of regret for what I have done.”  McGrath's career in the Prison Service is now in ruins after she was given a 21-month sentence suspended for two years having pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property and attempting to being a list A article into prison.  Keany - currently at Doncaster prison - admitted similar charges and was jailed for 42 months.  Burnley Crown Court was told the discovery of the racket emerged when McGrath, of Longton, Preston was searched as she arrived for work on November 29 2017.  Prosecutor Peter Barr said: “She had wraps of cylinder shaped items in her coat pocket which contained tobacco which is a prohibited item and a search was conducted at her home address.  ''In her bedroom there were further wraps containing tobacco as well as two 60ml cylinder shaped packages containing testosterone propionate. Also found in her bedroom was £1,700 in cash. This was described as being in high denominations, namely £50 notes.  “Also found was a love letter addressed to Keany, which included his prisoner identification number. A number of mobile phones were seized from her possession.  "Messages and photographs indicated that she was in a relationship with Keany.  The texts identified that both of them made an arrangement for items to be brought into prison, and that there would be payment for those items.  “An expert police drugs officer who examined the phones helped to establish the different colloquial terms used on the text messages.  "He said there was a conversation where McGrath said: “Ok babes, I’m going now, love to you. I have been feeling reluctant about bringing the steds home for him. Another message read: “How much money am I taking to your nana’s?”  ''The officer said “steds” is a reference to “steroids”.  In another message, Keany said: “Yee how big is them steds?” and McGrath replied: “Two little bottles of Bio Oil, not big”.  The officer assumed this meant the liquid was the size of a bottle of Bio Oil. As a result of the search on McGrath’s address, a search was also conducted at Keany’s cell in prison.  “A number of explicit photos of McGrath were found as well as a diary which included a bank account number and sort code of her bank account. Officers made enquires to obtain the bank details and statements held by McGrath.  “Two platinum accounts as well as an Instant Saver bank account were discovered. These statements identify themselves as there are a number of deposits and withdrawals with no legitimate explanation to explain them.  "The references were made out as “AK”. There were a significant amount of withdrawals and deposits.  “Officers involved in the mobile phone extraction also found another mobile phone in McGraths’s car which was parked in the car park. These messages between them were saved on her phone as “Ash 2” and these messages showed a relationship between them and an arrangement for a transfer of steroids in prison.  “Her involvement was through peer pressure or influence. There was an abuse of her position of trust in her employment in the prison service. It is impossible to say what the underlying offence was and what the money was going to be used for.”  Keany had 85 offences on his record.  He had been a leading member of a gang which supplied heroin and crack cocaine from the banks of the River Ribble at the Avenham Park in Preston in 2013.  He and ten others were jailed for as total of 80 years in 2015 after police secretly filming drug deals taking place in broad daylight, with one woman buying crack as she wheeled a young child in a pushchair.  Officers discovered a loaded gun hidden in the base of a tree.  In mitigation for McGrath, who now works as a lorry driver, defence lawyer Nina Graham QC said: “She was a young woman in confusion and she was reluctant to believe his overtures to her were not genuine.  "She had a naive attitude towards him and she did not want to get him into any trouble. Her role was that she did what she was asked and she was someone who was misguided by the emotional pressures she was under.  “The money going through her account was also coming out, it was not going to her. She was a conduit. Her benefit was not financial but she thought it was emotional. She was a very young, immature and vulnerable young woman.  Miss Graham added: ''She had been in an abusive relationship and she had very little training. She was an operations instructor, somebody who supervises workshop activities.  "She had very little support, low rated pay, and she would be in a room with several inmates, she tells me one time there were 30, four of which were serving time for murder.  “She was encouraged by one of the offenders, who didn’t come across as violent, this defendant was polite, kind and caring of her. She fell hook, line and sinker for it, whether it was genuine or not is not for me to say.  “She relied on that as a crutch throughout her difficulties of her job and her personal difficulties. At the very least it must have been clear to any inmate or staff member that this was not robust. She was targeted and she succumbed. She was unsupported, scared, manipulated and emotionally tied.  “She decided she met the love of her life and started thinking about the future. What was in her mind was an idealised fantastical relationship. She had dreams of their future together spending time together walking a dog, and sat in the sofa drinking tea. She accepts she was foolish.''  In mitigation for Keany, Sharon Watson said: “He accepts he manipulated and used Miss McGrath to his own advantage but he did have genuine feelings for her.  They were looking to build a future together and buy a house and she had been asking him if he was saving money.  “He is clear that he is deeply sorry and ashamed for the position she finds herself in. He accepts he is central to her downfall and he regrets that very much.''  Sentencing Judge Sara Dodd said: “You both played a leading role but Ashley Keany you expected sufficient financial gain. Drugs are a valuable commodity in prison and that will have been known to you.  ''There is no doubt you were the driving force behind the offences. You used and manipulated Miss McGrath as you requested her to bring prohibited items into prison, you called it 'blagging her'.  "She was particularly vulnerable. Sally McGrath, you did what you did out of infatuation. You were, in fact, groomed.''  McGrath was also ordered to complete 240 hours unpaid work.

newsdesk@men-news.co.uk (Amy Walker, Simon Smith)


theseattletimes--2019-11-16--AP PHOTOS: Spanish bodybuilders compete for national crown

ESTEPONA, Spain (AP) — In the sunshine outside a large convention center in the southern Spanish city of Estepona, some very fit-looking people in scanty clothing applied fake tans and rehearsed statuesque poses.  They all had one thing in mind: to win Spain’s annual national bodybuilding championship.  This year’s 51st edition, organized by the Spanish Bodybuilding Federation, drew more than 500 contestants from across the country. It took place over two days.  Most of the contestants came with other members of their clubs or teams. They helped apply the fake tans, directed poses and gave last-minute tips to the contestants.  The center buzzed with people getting ready, resting on mats or exercising. Contestants did push-ups, lifted weights, drank protein shakes and ate from lunchboxes.  On the stage, a presenter entertained the audience, and loud techno music was played to encourage contestants during performances.  Men and women, sorted by weight or height, smiled broadly at the panel of judges while presenting their best poses.  Backstage, the next group of nervous contestants waited to walk onto the stage. Some did last-minute exercises to pump up their muscles, others posed in front of a mirror. There was not much interaction among them — all were completely focused on making an impression on the judges and reaching the final round.  Five couples took part in a Couples’ Bodybuilding competition. The first round consisted of posing as the judges ordered; then it was time for each couple to perform a chosen routine.  There were some basic dance moves, interspersed with calculated poses rehearsed to perfection, all to the rhythm of music.  Long hours of hard training combined with a strict diet and the determination to be the best in the country drive these athletes, day after day and month after month.


thesun--2019-06-19--Best foam rollers seven of the best self-massage devices to to ease out those muscles

Best foam rollers – seven of the best self-massage devices to to ease out those muscles

NOTHING ruins a workout more than when the body is tied up in muscle knots– which is why foam rollers have become the fitness fan’s favourite new accessory.  Far from being the fad many dismissed them as being a few years back, they’re now considered crucial in helping recovery and muscle growth.  Deep-tissue massages are now a mainstay in most gyms and training centres, and fitness fans are bound to have seen them in many shapes and sizes strewn around, but which is the right type to have at home?  Beginners tend to favour the soft, long variety, but while others get the ‘ah factor’ through a more intense session with a denser roller.  Our pick of the best foam rollers will help you find the perfect one for you to roll with.  Nothing breaks the fitness flow more than having to click and pause through a ‘How To’ video on YouTube.  That's why you’ll love the Near Field Communication (NFC) tech built into this roller, guiding you through all the relevant exercises and instructions to match your pace.  Made from high-density EVA material, its raised edges ensure judder-free relief in breaking down knots and loosening muscle joints.  If you’ve ever had to work with a chewed-up, warped out of shape roller, you’ll be after one that can withstand the wear and tear of regular use.  Despite using less foam than previous versions yet twice as firm, the TriggerPoint Grid’s hollow core provides even more durability and is built to last a lifetime.  For those in need of a roller capable of supporting heavier weights, go for the TriggerPoint Grid 2.0.  It may look like a torture device, but an absolute dream-stick for those who like their physiotherapist to show them no mercy.  The extra-hard foam spikes press harder than most rollers, working their way around bones and deep into muscle attachments. Not for the faint-hearted.  For those who want to inject some fun and energy into their warm-up and cool-down routine, this vibrating roller comes with four settings to dramatically help boost range of motion.  A handy USB port means you can charge your phone to keep that high-intensity playlist running.  A foam roller workout helps increase blood flow to muscles and mobilise your joints in preparation for the run. After the session, it aids in reducing tension both in body and mind – ideal to speed up that all-important recovery.  Made with recycled stainless steel cased in Non-toxic EVA foam, the Mobot is great at targeting trigger points and leaving the body feeling loose and supple.  Available in a range of colours and styles, this cute little roller (the most popular size is just 0.7 litres) also twins as a fab water bottle!  Not everyone will be after an intense rolling session. If you’re injured or, say, pregnant, you may even risk putting undue pressure on the spine or bruising a muscle with the traditional cylindrical variety.  With four ergonomic zones designed and contoured to fit your body and target difficult to reach trigger points, the Rollga gets the job done with minimal effort.  Guaranteed to help you discover your “aah” spot!  Save yourself the expense of a spa treatment to recover from your hotel gym workout by taking your roller with you!  Folding away at just 1.85” thick, this is easily the most portable roller on the market.  And yet, it’s surprisingly firm, with its multi-angle foam isolating knots and relieving muscular trigger points with ease. Also great for those who love to yoga on the go.  Fancy taking up cycling this year? Check out our selection of the best road bikes you can buy.  Enjoyed our roundup of the best foam rollers? Check out our fantastic health and fitness recommendations, on our dedicated health and fitness page.   We’re dedicated to finding the best products at the best prices, so head over to the Sun Selects page for more recommendations.  This article and any featured products have been independently chosen by The Sun journalists. All recommendations within the article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click a link and buy a product we may earn revenue: this helps to support The Sun, and in no way affects our recommendations.


thesun--2019-06-28--Coronation Streets Shayne Ward shows off his muscles in tight shirt after dramatic weight loss

Coronation Street’s Shayne Ward shows off his muscles in tight shirt after dramatic weight loss

CORONATION Street's Shayne Ward has shown off his muscles in a tight shirt after his dramatic weight loss.  The actor has transformed his look after signing up to a personal trainer 13 weeks ago.  Speaking on This Morning today, the 34-year-old revealed he wanted to look trim for future roles after leaving the cobbles behind.  He said: "That's why I'm getting myself into great shape, hopefully.  "You look to putting it out there to Line of Duty.... I'm throwing it out there.  "It's probably already been filmed, but I love the show. Or the Bodyguard."  He added: "It's always good to be camera ready."  Shayne is thought to have lost more than three stone over the last three months, although he didn't reveal the total today.  Fans first noticed his transformation when he picked up a gong at the British Soap Awards for Best Single Episode.  His character Aiden Connor committed suicide in the long-running soap and his performance was praised by his industry peers and viewers for his powerful performance.  Got a story? email digishowbiz@the-sun.co.uk or call us direct on 02077824220.  We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.


thesun--2019-07-24--Im a size 8 bodybuilder and my husbands a 5XL couch potato but if people stare Ill give them some

I’m a size 8 bodybuilder and my husband’s a 5XL couch potato but if people stare I’ll give them something to worry about

THEY say opposites attract – but does marital bliss really exist when one half is madly in love with working out? A warring couple from North Yorkshire made headlines last month for divorcing after she said his obsession with bodybuilding drove her mad – and she was prosecuted for “controlling behaviour”.  What is it really like to be with someone hooked on the gym? JENNY FRANCIS meets three couples who have very different ideas about how to keep their relationships fit and healthy.  MUM-of-four Samantha Brander, 33, has been a gym obsessive for a year. She lost 5st, became a size 8 body-builder and now trains twice a day and enters competitions. Samantha, of Stirling, is married to Campbell, 34, a primary school teacher who is a size XXXXXL. She says:  "In 2017 I worked in a bakery, weighed 13st and had never set foot in a gym. But I reached a point when I knew I needed to change. In March 2018 I hired a personal trainer. Within a month I was going to the gym seven days a week.  I had met Campbell at school and I wasn’t overweight back then. But Campbell has always been large. He’s a wonderful person, his size never bothered me. We began dating when we both worked at Burger King.  We have Owen, 11, Calvin, nine, Lexi, seven and Poppy, four, and used to enjoy nights in with takeaways. Now Campbell’s lucky if I sit down for ten minutes. He has taken on extra responsibility with the kids, ensures the fridge has my special dietary needs and knows I get moody from sore muscles.  I’ve made huge lifestyle changes but he struggles with having time to get fit. I’m so tired, so go to bed before him. I don’t mind that he doesn’t join me in the gym but I worry about his health. I’d never force him, but have suggested he tries my personal trainer. He’s agreed.  I feel so great having lost weight but sometimes feel bad he hasn’t been able to. No one stares at us in the street and my friends never make comments.  If they did, I’d give them something to stare at. It shouldn’t matter we look 7 different if we love each other.  Campbell says: “When she started working out it was a big change but I loved that she had a new hobby. I’ve always been much bigger than her, so it’s just been the way we are as a couple. I struggle to eat healthily as I work long hours and put a lot into my job as a teacher.  “I think because I’ve always been big, I’ve never got along with sport or exercise. I don’t have much time to cook healthy meals or go to the gym. I play computer games to relax.  “People see us as little and large but we work because we love each other. We never get nasty comments, not that I’ve ever heard. Seeing her on stage competing makes me so proud, as it’s so different to my world.”  TRAIN technician Richard Birchmore spends four hours a day in the gym. The 46-year-old size XL, of Braintree, Essex, competes in strongman contests and eats 6,000 calories a day. His partner Jacqui Maizels, 53, a recruitment consultant, is a size 16. She says:  "I work full-time and have two older children from a previous relationship. We met on Tinder three years ago. I could tell he was fit but had no idea about the extent of it. My ex-husband wasn’t a gym-goer, so it was all new to me.  I don’t exercise. The only thing I do at weekends is go for a walk. Sometimes I do feel like I’m single as he’s never at home. He works ten-hour shifts and goes straight to the gym. Most days he gets home at 10pm, so I have dinner by myself.  When we first started living together I had to get used to having little room in the fridge, as it’s filled with chicken, veg and eggs. My favourite weekend activity used to be getting a takeaway and eating it on the couch, but that’s banned when Richard is home.  He has an “approved foods” list and cake isn’t on it. He drops his sweaty workout kit everywhere, which means I’m always picking up after him. When we are together he hands me the muscle rub. His constant training means his sex drive is low.  He often gets moody and snappy but I’ve learnt to leave him to it. My friends think it’s funny that I’m dating a guy so keen on the gym. They squeeze his muscles, which is a bit weird. I love his body. Underneath his hard exterior he’s a softie."  Richard says: “I’m addicted to working out. I spent 22 years in the Navy and when I left I needed something to keep me fit, so I started power lifting.  “Three-hour workouts are normal for me. In one competition I pulled a 12-tonne double-decker bus. I eat six times a day. Two chicken-based meals, one fish-based, one steak and the others a mixture. Sometimes I go on a water diet. It’s perfect Jacqui’s not into exercise. It would never work if we were both so busy and strict.  "When she bakes I can only look on with envy. She puts up with my diet and grumpiness and doesn’t moan when I fall asleep while she’s trying to tell me about her day. I love her body and how chilled she is. She’s perfect.”  PLUS-size pageant contestant Megan Goldberger, 21, only dates men with muscles. The size-22 retail worker from Cardiff has been with nightclub DJ Manny Karmengele, 23, for seven months. She says:  "I always go for muscly, fit guys who take care of themselves. When we connected on Instagram I fancied him instantly as he was a bodybuilder. A guy with big muscles can protect me and make me feel safe – that’s the turn-on. It comes at a cost though, as Manny’s lifestyle is extreme.  As a DJ he sometimes doesn’t finish work until 6am, but instead of coming to bed for a snuggle he goes for a run.  After a run he goes to the gym for at least an hour. I text him in the day because that’s my one window of opportunity to get a response before he heads back to the gym.  We don’t see each other half as much as I’d like. I have to book date nights with him two weeks in advance, and even when I do, he’s always super-tired, which means we don’t often have sex.  I have always eaten what I want and don’t enjoy exercise at all. I used to worry about my figure but I’ve learnt to love my body and don’t intend spending hours in the gym to change it.  I love eating out but it can be tricky, as Manny is obsessed with what he eats. I’m so proud of how committed he is to attaining the perfect body. People find our relationship strange as we are so different. Some people definitely stare at us but dating him makes me feel even more sexy."  Manny says: “I have always been into fitness, but over the past few years I’ve stepped it up. The gyms I go to are open 24 hours so I can fit my training around work. Bodybuilding is my major priority and I have to date a girl who understands that.  “I give Megan my schedule in advance and she’s happy to fit in around me. If I dated girls obsessed with the gym like me, we’d never see each other. Her curves are sexy and I love how carefree she is.”


thesun--2019-12-30--Conor McGregor shows off incredible body transformation as UFC star looks jacked with bulking muscle

Conor McGregor shows off incredible body transformation as UFC star looks jacked with bulking muscles ahead of return

CONOR MCGREGOR showed off his incredible body transformation as he continues to make final preparations for his UFC return against Donald Cerrone.  The Notorious makes his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon against veteran Cowboy on January 18 having not fought since his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.  The Dublin southpaw will make his comeback at welterweight at UFC 246, having only fought at 170lbs twice, losing to Nate Diaz and then winning the rematch in 2016.  McGregor is gearing up for a big year with a rematch against bitter rival Khabib as well as Jorge Masvidal following his comeback against Cerrone.  And the former two-weight UFC champion's hard work appears to be paying off after he shared a picture of his dramatic transformation online.  McGregor uploaded a topless picture to flaunt his jacked muscles with the caption: "Who the f**k is that guy?"  SunSport previously reported how fans were left fearing he has piled on too much muscle and will once again struggle with his fitness.  McGregor is notorious for his heavy hands that guided him to featherweight and lightweight belts.  But the Irish star has long been accused of having cardio problems, having fatigued in bouts against Diaz and in his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather.  And on his latest picture, one commented: "Looks like he's gonna get tired."  Another said: "I just see a guy who will gas if his opponent survives a round."  A third added: "Hope he's been working on his cardio as well! If not it's gonna be a bad night."  UFC boss Dana White has admitted he has allowed the former two-division champion to return at 170lbs and still be next in line for Nurmagomedov’s 155lbs title next.  Returning at welterweight also opens the door for McGregor to face Jorge Masvidal - who in November beat Diaz at UFC 244, winning the ‘Baddest Mother F***er’ belt.  And the Irish star seemed to take a thinly-veiled dig at the rest of the division bt tweeting: "Weight cuttin p*****s".


thetelegraph--2019-02-03--Israeli mosque prayer caller fired over bodybuilder photos

Israeli mosque prayer caller 'fired over bodybuilder photos'

A prayer caller at a mosque in the Israeli city of Acre is appealing for his job back after being fired over photos posted online of him in a revealing outfit at a bodybuilding contest, he says.  Ibrahim al-Masri said he lost his job as chief muezzin of the Al-Jazzar Mosque after local officials came upon the photos of him at the state bodybuilding championship in 2017.  "Each sport has a specific type of clothing. Football has its own, tennis has its own, swimming has its own. Same thing for bodybuilding," Mr Masri said, referring to the wire-thin briefs competitors typically wear.  "I never dreamed this would happen. Because I know that Israel is a democratic country, and if someone makes a mistake, they can fix it," Mr Masri said.  "But to fix a mistake with another mistake? It’s not right."  Around 20 percent of Israeli citizens are Arab. Mosques and other non-Jewish religious institutions are supervised by local officials who report to the Interior Ministry.


bbc--2019-02-12--No men allowed the gym getting women fit and into work

‘No men allowed’ – the gym getting women fit and into work

Women in Turkey are more likely to be overweight than men and less likely to own their own business.  But a chain of women-only gyms in the country is helping change things.


bbcuk--2019-08-23--A street gym in Brixton is helping young people

Terroll Lewis set up Brixton street gym after the success of his workouts in the local park.  He posted them online as he could not afford to join a gym at the time.  The urban gym provides a safe place for kids in the community to go and keeps them off the streets.


eveningstandard--2019-01-02--Best home multi gym equipment and machines

What better way to kick start a new year than by creating your own personalised hub of fitness, tailored to your preferred way of training.  Racking up loads of equipment is one thing, but as a personal trainer what I have come to realise is to reach your goals, whether it be cardiovascular, muscular or mental, you really don’t need much to create a fun and challenging workout using your own bodyweight or calisthenics training. For this reason multi-gym structures are by far my favourite way to exercise and the ones I would really recommend if you are looking to create a solid, interesting and efficient structure to take your training to the next level.  Basically a multi gym is a combination of a variety of different pieces of equipment creatively merged together to create a functional training facility that can cater to a variety of different training disciplines.  Not only are they very space efficient and cost-effective compared to buying a load of different machines and equipment, but they are also incredibly long lasting. Manufactured to be sturdy and withstand years of use, the simplicity of most designs means there is little room for design fault and error.  Depending on your fitness goals there are a huge variety of multi gyms in the industry to explore. If you’re into more functional a Crossfit style training rig would be your best bet; however, if strength training is your thing and you want to build more muscle, you would steer towards the designs that include cable machines and lifting benches.  Most brands will create a pamphlet with a number of different exercises you can carry out on your new piece of equipment, so if you do not currently have a training programme or trainer to show you the ropes, worry not.  Here we look at eight machines across a wide range of budgets all perfectly suited to the home.  I would recommend buying a TRX kit as a staple item in anyone’s home-gym, not to mention they are great for travelling too. For home use, just attach the padded wedge to the end of the straps and place across the top of a door and close - the wedge will hold the resistance and allows for a huge range of exercise for both the upper and lower body. The whole thing bundles up to the size of a loaf of bread and can be used in other settings like the park or even a hotel room - a blessing for both frequent and occasional travellers that want to maintain their routine.  The TRX is also fantastic for building strength, power and increasing mobility for both new and advanced training. Once you have the basics down it's great to play around with different movements; whether you want to work on explosive power training, challenge yourself with single leg work or even create some mini HIIT workouts, you have so many options to keep things interesting and fun with a TRX. If you own or are looking to invest in a multi-gym structure these can easily be added and removed as you fancy.  Marcy creates a great range of products that combine a lot of elements into one machine. This is exactly what the RS5000 Power Rack does. It includes all the essentials for free-weight training, cable training and bodyweight training to equip the everyday fitness fanatic for whatever they might need.  Mixing all of these types of training together can create inventive and challenging workouts that will really help you take your routine to the next level.  Another favourite for more functional training but still with a few savvy resistance-training additions. The rig is incredibly space-efficient and allows you to perform an array of different movements. You can cover all your compound strength training; squats, overhead press, deadlifts - as well as working on smaller muscle groups with the Lat Pull Down and bodyweight training on the dip and pull up bars.  Note that weights are sold separately so remember to factor this into your spending budget. This multi gym comes with thirteen height adjustable positions for bars and attachments, a lat pull down bar, straight bar, dual foam padded hand grips and ankle strap. Six weight plate storage bars with Olympic plate attachments and spring collars and an integrated crossbar for bodyweight training, including pull ups and suspension training. A fantastic all around buy at a very budget friendly price.  If powerlifting is your thing the simplicity of this ensemble might be just what you need to cover all your basics. Perfect for building total body strength and developing muscles in both the lower and upper body as well as having the option to also perform exercises with specific core activation, the rack would be a wise addition for someone with a specific goal and training programme to follow.  Again with the addition of the pull up bar there is also the option to perform isometric holds and clip on a TRX for more targeted suspension training. For the affordable price I would say its definitely worth the investment and will cater to most of your foundation training.  See all multi gyms from Argos  Slightly more on the larger side, the Marcy Multi Gym was built with the idea to equip a very large range of different movements and skills and even allows two people to train at the same time, which is great on the motivation front.  This multi gym is perfect for heavy compound training and lighter isolation movements, the addition of the rower in the bundle is a huge bonus too with regards to keeping up one’s cardiovascular system and mixing a different type of exercise into your routine.  Easy to assemble and transport this multi-functional rig is great for more Crossfit / Strongman style of training. The more hardcore gym-goers will love playing around with the various bodyweight exercises here, such as pull-ups and dips, but also leaving room for the addition of ropes and Kettlebells to really change things up.  You could also add in a TRX station and play around with super setting more high intensity movements and isometric holds.  Another innovative Technogym product, the multifunctional UNICA bench is the perfect option for those looking to build some serious strength in a small space. Compact in size and able to fit into tight spaces it's great if you are looking to target and isolate specific muscle groups.  Created with an interesting biomechanical design the UNICA comes equipped with resistance bands which is a great addition for warming up selected muscle groups pre-training and helping to stretch them out post session. A beautiful and well built piece of equipment for the high-end home gym.  Technogym equipment is renowned for its efficiency and class which is why this product has a higher price tag compared to the other multi gyms; however, if you are looking to redefine your wellness and work on your strength with more controlled movements, flexibility, posture and breathing, it’s a great option. The Kinesis comes equipped with a wellness ball and ankle weights too so there are hundreds of exercises you could do, basic and more advanced. A stunning multi gym in terms of both aesthetics and function when money isn't a factor.  The takes our top pick based on size, budget and function. The TRX offerers a sincere workout that beginners and more advanced athletes will enjoy and is also a great addition to other multi gym rigs. The is also a great option that offers a wide range of training in a sturdy but compact size. At just under £300 the Weider multi gym is a solid investment for 2019 and beyond.  ES Best product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter


eveningstandard--2019-01-05--Best London gym packages 2019

Best London gym packages 2019

The New Year is all about setting resolutions that you hope to achieve throughout the year, and while most of us might fall short in the first few days of January – Hello Dry Jan- we’re here to help you achieve the fitness goals no matter what type of exercise you're after.  If you are looking to get in better shape but lack either the know-how, the motivation or you don’t want to make a commitment to a specific place, investing in gym packages at studios across London may be a more effective solution than a traditional gym membership.  These studios specialise in classes with trained instructors and feature state-of-the-art equipment as well as stylish décor – because if you don’t share a photo of your training on Instagram, did it really happen?  Challenge yourself this year and start how you mean to go on.  Conveniently located near Covent Garden and Holborn in Aldwych, the 2019 package for Sweat It will help fulfil your resolution with focused classes and unique training options.  Each day, classes specialise in a particular area, while the weekend is reserved for full body. Half the class is spent on cardio where in the intervals, you are encouraged to push yourself on the treadmill with different activities that put a fun twist on running.  The second interval is mat work to help you tone in the specific area that you are working on.  The studio is offering five classes in five days for just £65 for the whole of January - this is a 67 per cent discount on the five class bundles that typically cost £97.50.  What’s more, by signing up to the package, you will be automatically entered into a draw to win a three months free membership – and there is no limit on how many times you can purchase this, so the more you buy, the more chances you have to win.  £65 | Sweat It | Buy it now  With what seems like a new studio popping up every week, you may or may not have heard of F45. One of the fastest growing training networks, the studios specialise in 45 minute high-intensity, circuit training classes where each day is devoted to the same class in the studios across the city.  To kick-start your fitness journey, new users can trial a weeks’ worth of training for £20 and then you’ll be completing the F45 eight-week challenge in no time.  If you are moving houses or jobs, a traditional gym membership in one set location may not be a viable solution. Core Collective, on the other hand, offer no complicated contracts, joining fees or notice periods, you simply pay for a tier of classes that can be cancelled at any point. Tier 1 offers 12 classes per month for £145, Tier 2 allows you to have 20 classes per month for £210 and Tier 3 gives you 30 classes per month for £250, which makes each class just £8.33.  Offered for a limited time, you can use the tiers at both the Kensington and new Knightsbridge location, while also making the most of the in-house café for smashed avocado toast and the Malin + Goetz products in the changing rooms.  You have probably spotted a 1Rebel class on your Instagram feed as the photogenic studios have quickly become a firm blogger favourite, but do not underestimate the epic classes where the Rumble (boxing), Ride (spinning) and Reshape (high-intensity – treadmill and mat work) are some of the best in London.  From January, 1 Rebel is offering a 20 per cent discount on all passes for two months with the code ES1REBEL. The passes are all no-contract 'pay-as-you go' for a flexible and commitment-free approach to gyming. Choose between the four packages on offer, from the Fresh Meat – for newbies and Rebel Pass – a rolling contract that can be cancelled at any time, to the the traditional packages with class blocks and the Ride Unlimited where you can spin in any of 1Rebel’s studios across London.  Back by popular demand, Another_Space is relaunching its Resolution 21 that is designed with the principle in mind that it takes three weeks to form a habit.  The studio – that offers three variations of classes – encourages gym goers to complete 21 classes in 30 days. With this package, you can work on your strength and flexibility with a Yoga session, tone and burn calories at a high intensity or HIIT class or strengthen your core and stamina at a spinning Cycle class.  The Resolution 21 package is available to purchase from January 2-31 for £275 and can be used across both the Bank and Covent Garden studios.  Located in the heart of the city at Blackfriars and Moorgate as well locations in Richmond, Oxford and Fitzrovia, Digme offers a wide range of workouts for all levels.  Offering yoga, cycle and HIIT classes, Digme play host to a range of classes that have a variation on the theme so that you can complete the exercises with a specific goal in mind. Spin at either the 45 minute Ride class, performance-based Perform or dance Beat class, where no data is recorded. The high-intensity classes are broken down into the interval Matrix class, Matrix Run, Matrix Core, ramped up Matrix Meta. There are also yoga classes and a free run club every Monday at the Rathbone Square studio.  For January, the gym is offering two different packages so you can get into your best shape ever, whether you are a budding or seasoned gym goer.  The introductory offer allows you to purchase three credits for £19.99 at a discount from £24.99. Alternatively, the ten credit pack, which includes one credit for a friend, is available for £129 if you buy before January 1 or £149 throughout January – reduced from £169.  Prepare for a Yoga class like you have never experienced before with FLY LDN where you salute to the sun against the backdrop of cinematic visuals and a carefully-curated playlist.  For January, the studio is offering a package entitled the ‘Sweat Games’ where the more class blocks that you purchase, the more classes that you win. If you buy five classes, you win one. Take 10 classes and win 3. Take 20 classes and win 5. The person who takes the most classes in January wins unlimited training in February.  ES Best product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter


eveningstandard--2019-01-14--This free gym class rewards you with Deliveroo credit

We’re now halfway through January which means those who started the year with good intentions may be starting to fall off the gym-wagon.  Yet, if you need an incentive to keep on top of your exercise habit, food delivery service Deliveroo has joined forces with the YMCA to launch a nationwide gym class that rewards all participants with Deliveroo credit to choose a free takeaway.  Those who complete the 40-minute workout will be able to pick a post-workout meal of their choice – whether that be something filling like a curry or something healthy like a rice paper roll.  The ROO-T Camp classes will be free and available in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff and will be a mixture of cycling, stair climbing, balance and weight lifting.  Joe Groves at Deliveroo said: “Through our partnership with the YMCA we hope to help more people on their own personal journey to achieve their fitness goals for 2019. With such a vast range of restaurants on the platform, it’s easy to find the perfect post-workout meal on Deliveroo.”  The fitness classes launch next Monday, January 21. To book into one of these classes and receive your Deliveroo credit, call your relevant YMCA.


eveningstandard--2019-01-18--Netflix and treadmill Five fitness films to keep you motivated at the gym this January

Netflix and treadmill: Five fitness films to keep you motivated at the gym this January

It’s January. Your New Year’s resolution was to join the gym. You’ve done that. It’s been three weeks. So you figure you have to go.  But how do you pass the time on the fancy machines, desperate to take your mind off the sweaty mess of getting in shape? Netflix.  Yes, it’s time to download the smartphone apps and get downloading your favourite series or films to keep you company during your workout. And there are also plenty of inspiring programmes to motivate you on your journey.  Here are five fitness films (and shows) to watch at the gym:  Originally aired in 1977, the 90 minute film followed five-time Mr Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger as he prepared to compete for his sixth title. Then 28, the bodybuilder and professional powerlifter was the very top of his game.  Not only was Schwarzenegger a fitness inspiration, he later went on to become one of the most iconic actors – best known for The Terminator – and serve a couple of terms as the 38th Governor of California. And he’s about to be Chris Pratt’s father-in-law.  As the number suggests, the sequel to Generation Iron tells the story of a new batch of bodybuilders training to reach their ultimate goal.  The documentary includes action shots as well as talking heads, describing the fitness journey as the young stars push themselves to the limit.  The milestone documentary, which came out in 2017, will prove the perfect push for anybody training for long distance runs. And anybody with aspirations to be the fittest person on, well, Earth.  As well as training techniques, the film explores the history of the sport and its popularity.  The ultimate documentary to get you in shape, and over to the weights section, follows those on the quest for muscles through gruelling training regimes and high-intensity fitness programmes.  But, be careful, the inspiring documentary wasn’t the best received by fans.  This documentary is all about an aspiration figure to look up to in the shape of Rich Froning Jr. Back in 2016, the show followed the athlete as he challenged for his fourth CrossFit Games title – the most won consecutively in history.


eveningstandard--2019-01-24--German woman kicked out of gym because her workout top was apostoo revealingapos

German woman kicked out of gym because her workout top was 'too revealing'

A German woman who wore a crop top to her local gym has said she was asked to leave because she was “distracting” other gym-users.  Marny, 22, tweeted a photo of her workout clothes alongside the caption: “Just got kicked out of my gym, because my clothes were too 'revealing' (see photo) and were confusing the men in the gym. What century are we in again? So sad.”  The young woman told the Standard she had been using the gym in her hometown Constance, Germany, for two years and was shocked by the response to her "normal" sportswear.  The tweet attracted hundreds of comments as people online shared their support for Marny.  Marny and her boyfriend were visiting the gym as normal and she had decided to wear a new workout top, which showed a few centimetres of bare skin across her stomach, she said.  While she was working out on the treadmill, Marny said one of the female trainers approached her and told her “she couldn’t train like this”.  “I was just looking at her confused because I didn’t know what she meant,” Marny said.  “I was shocked, because it wasn’t a sports bra and even if it was, why not?”  Marny said the trainer added that it was “distracting for other guests around”.  She has now told gym staff that she wants to cancel her membership and will not be coming back.  She said: “It was a bad day, I was really sad, really upset.  “I felt like I had been thrown back into the 1800s.”  She was told gym policy was that men could not wear tank tops and women could not wear their sports bras uncovered.  Marny posted the photo on Twitter to her 100 followers after the incident and was surprised by the amount of attention it received.  “There was uproar in my hometown but then I also saw people in the UK talking about it," she said.  Marny added that most people were supportive telling her to complain to the gym and to “call it out.”  But she said she only wanted to raise awareness that people were still being told what they should wear.  “All genders should be able to wear what they want to wear,” she said.


eveningstandard--2019-01-29--Lidl is selling an affordable new range of at-home gym equipment including a rower bike and vibrat

Lidl is selling an affordable new range of at-home gym equipment, including a rower, bike and vibration plate

Budget retailer Lidl has launched a new range of at-home fitness equipment – and, naturally, it's very affordable, with prices starting from £3.99.  The Crivit range spans everything from resistance bands, push up bars and forearm trainers at the lower end of the price spectrum (£3.99 each) to larger equipment, like rowing machines and bikes (£199 and £229 respectively) at the other.  Fancier gadgets include a vibration plate (£79, above) which features push-up handles and resistance bands to help define and tone muscles, while there's also the Medina ab trainer (£17.99), if you fancy having a go at getting a six-pack by the summer.  Always wanted to try out suspension training? Now you can do it from the comfort of your own home, as Lidl is also selling a bargainous Crivit suspension trainer with pulley for under a tenner (£9.99).  For weightlifters there's a 10.5kg dumbell set (£15.99 or 2 for £26) or kettlebells of varying weights, including 6kg (£6.99), 10kg (£9.99) and 14kg (£14.99), as well as a workout bench (£29), perfect for strength and resistance training.  To finish off your at-home sweat sesh, the supermarket is also selling a range of fitness accessories, including Bluetooth in-ear sport headphones (£13.99), as well as the Garmin Vivosport fitness tracker (£99) through which you can monitor activity, calorie burn, sleep and stress levels.  Flavoured protein powders and other exercise performance enhancer supplements also feature within the range, which launches in stores on January 31.  Who needs a gym membership now?


delawareliberal--2019-05-29--Capitalism Is Now A Legitimate Diagnosis Says World Health Organization

Capitalism Is Now A Legitimate Diagnosis, Says World Health Organization

Capitalism is now classified as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” according to WHO.  The stress, depression and lack of feeling in control that comes with capitalism are finally being formally recognized by the medical community: Capitalism is now an official workplace syndrome.  The International Classification of Diseases, or the ICD-11, the World Health Organization’s handbook that helps medical providers diagnose diseases, classifies capitalism as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from exploitation induced chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”


fortune--2019-01-17--Vaccine Hesitancy Joins Climate Change on World Health Organizations 2019 Global Health Threats Lis

Vaccine Hesitancy Joins Climate Change on World Health Organization’s 2019 Global Health Threats List

The World Health Organization has released its list of global health threats for 2019. Unlike some of the health challenges on the list, at least one, vaccine hesitancy, is entirely solvable.  Vaccine hesitancy is described by the WHO as “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines,” and it threatens to reverse immense, immeasurably important public health progress over the past century. Vaccines prevent at least 2-3 million deaths annually, and the WHO notes another 1.5 million lives could be saved by vaccines. Anti-vaccine (or anti-vax) propaganda is one cause for the decline in vaccinations, but complacency about getting immunizations and even just the inconvenience of keeping up with vaccine schedules causes many more to skip out on these often life-saving shots.  Vaccine-preventable diseases including measles and diphtheria are on the rise, with measles cases up 30% worldwide. That’s a staggering increase considering the measles vaccine has been widely available for decades, typically paired with the vaccines for mumps and rubella.  Another important vaccine the WHO mentions by name: the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer.  In the wide-ranging report, the WHO also notes that the world will experience another global influenza pandemic. Authors of the report wrote, “The only thing we don’t know is when it will hit and how severe it will be.” The report also makes note of the 2018 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which reached the million-resident city of Butembo in December.


fortune--2019-02-06--Philip Morris Health Campaign Rebuffed by World Health Organization

Philip Morris International Inc. is trying to burnish its image, most recently among the international, socially conscientious elite at Davos. But even as its upcoming earnings are expected to underscore its migration away from cigarettes, the World Health Organization says it’s not buying into the idea that the tobacco giant is “healthier” than before.  The maker of Marlboro cigarettes has been working hard to change its narrative by pushing what it calls lower-risk alternatives. With its earnings on Thursday, the company will reveal just how pressing the need for reinvention is: Cigarette sales are expected to fall yet again, and a new nicotine device in which it’s placing most of its hopes, IQOS, may have mixed results in its biggest market, Japan.  But Chief Executive Officer Andre Calantzopoulos says it’s hard to make headway in a shift away from cigarettes with the WHO still characterizing it as a bad actor.  “The WHO continues to refuse to even have a conversation with us,” Calantzopoulos said in an email after the company returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, where it called for a truce between “anti-tobacco lobbies” and the industry. If the WHO and tobacco companies are able to work together, Philip Morris says they can better encourage adult smokers who would otherwise keep buying cigarettes to switch to vaping or other alternatives it calls lower risk. It projects that by 2025, at least 40 million Philip Morris cigarette smokers will have switched to smoke-free products.  “If I get support from the World Health Organization, and we stop the ideological debates and focus on the real needs of the people, that can happen much faster,” Calantzopoulos said in an interview at Davos.  But the health organization doesn’t want to work with a company that still supplies 813 billion cigarettes a year to smokers outside the U.S. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the organization’s rules prevent it from engaging directly with tobacco companies “partly because tobacco companies have misled health authorities and the public about the risks associated with tobacco use.”  “This includes promoting so-called light and mild tobacco products as an alternative to quitting, while being fully aware that those products were not less harmful to health,” he said in an emailed statement.  The WHO couldn’t immediately provide an expert to explain any scientific differences between the company’s research and its own.  Meanwhile, Philip Morris continues to try to reshape its image. In January, it took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, titled “A Tobacco Company That Actually Cares About Health. How Did That Happen?” Around 300 employees at the company’s digital unit are working on projects like how to use publicly available data to encourage smokers who would otherwise continue using cigarettes to switch to smoke-free products, said Chief Digital Officer Jamie Suarez.  The company got a good reception at Davos from parties other than the WHO, Suarez said, noting that he understands it’s difficult for the world to believe that a solution to the harms of cigarettes have come from cigarette companies themselves. “We’re a tobacco company with a history we can’t change,” he said. “But what we’re saying is true.”  With fourth-quarter results on Thursday, the company that spun off from U.S.-focused Altria Group Inc. in 2008 will reveal how IQOS sales are going. Investors will also look for more information on how Philip Morris plans to deal with the potential for new competition as sister company Altria seeks to help its new investment, Juul Labs Inc., sell its rival vaping device internationally.  “Time is of the essence for them to demonstrate there’s a future beyond cigarettes,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Ken Shea. On IQOS, “the jury’s still out on whether this can be the transformational platform that the company is hoping it can be.” Philip Morris sells IQOS, which it says has less toxicants than cigarettes, in around 43 countries, and is still seeking approval for Altria to sell it in the U.S.


fortune--2019-01-18--UN World Health Organization Staffers Report Racism Sexism Corruption

UN World Health Organization Staffers Report Racism, Sexism, Corruption

The World Health Organization is seeing an uptick in internal reports from staffers of misconduct and wrongdoing, and officials at the United Nations’ global health organization say this is a positive sign that things could begin to change within the agency, according to the Associated Press on Friday.  On Thursday, the AP reported that WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ordered an internal probe to address complaints included in a series of anonymous emails sent to the agency’s top managers over the past year. Some of the complaints sent to the organization’s management centered on accusations of racism and sexism. And some even mention possible corruption, such as one that suggests money earmarked for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 2018 Ebola outbreak was misspent. (The outbreak began last year but is still ongoing.)  Thursday was a hectic day for the global health organization. It was also when the WHO released its annual list of the year’s top global health threats. In addition to climate change and specific infectious diseases, a new threat appeared on the 2019 list: vaccine hesitancy, which refers to factors such as difficulty of getting to a clinic but also anti-vaccine propaganda that keeps individuals from taking advantage of the availability of potentially life-saving immunizations.


fortune--2019-03-11--Another Flu Pandemic Is Inevitable World Health Organization Says

Another Flu Pandemic Is Inevitable, World Health Organization Says

The World Health Organization released what it’s calling the “most comprehensive and far-reaching” strategy for fighting influenza Monday, reminding the world that the threat of a pandemic is “ever-present.”  “The question is not if we will have another pandemic, but when,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement. “We must be vigilant and prepared—the cost of a major influenza outbreak will far outweigh the price of prevention.”  The WHO Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030 urges every country to have a plan to fight influenza and contribute to global preparedness. It also focuses on the development of improved vaccines, antivirals, and treatments to distribute worldwide.  While the danger influenza poses to public health is well recognized during a pandemic—such as the H1N1 virus of 2009, which infected at least one in five people worldwide within the first year—the WHO strategy says the “substantial morbidity and mortality” of the flu is “often underappreciated in the context of year-round seasonal influenza.”  WHO estimates there are 1 billion cases of influenza around the world each year, with 290,000 to 650,000 influenza-related respiratory deaths. The organization recommends an annual vaccination as the most effective prevention, especially for those at higher risk of contracting the virus.  This year’s flu season is ongoing, with as many as 26.3 million people infected, resulting in 31,200 deaths.


hitandrun--2019-08-22--Banned Microplastics Pose No Risk to Human Health Says World Health Organization

Banned Microplastics Pose No Risk to Human Health, Says World Health Organization

No evidence microplastics in water harm human health. As folks rush to stop everything from exfoliating soaps to plastic straws in the name of preventing water pollution, here's another reminder that they're following the ban-first-ask-questions-later model that's all too common among governments. According to a new study from the World Health Organization (WHO), "no data suggests overt health concerns associated with exposure to microplastic particles through drinking-water."  "Microplastics"—small pieces of plastic, generally defined as less than five millimeters long—can come from bigger pieces of plastic breaking down and also from the "microbeads" sometimes used in products like body wash and toothpaste.  The federal government banned microbead usage in cosmetics and toiletries back in 2015, and states have also passed their own bans. But "microbeads are not a recent problem," notes the National Ocean Service. "Plastic microbeads first appeared in personal care products about fifty years ago, with plastics increasingly replacing natural ingredients. As recently as 2012, this issue was still relatively unknown."  Now, the WHO review has found no evidence that these microplastics are a danger to human health, despite being "ubiquitous in the environment and…detected in marine water, wastewater, fresh water, food, air and drinking-water, both bottled and tap water." In analyzing 50 previous studies on the subject, WHO researchers determined that "microplastics greater than 150 μm are not likely to be absorbed in the human body and uptake of smaller particles is expected to be limited."  Furthermore, they found "a low health concern for human exposure to chemicals [in plastics] through ingestion of drinking-water, even in extreme exposure circumstances." As for "chemicals and microbial pathogens associated with microplastics" in water, "no reliable information suggests it is a concern."  As the WHO notes, this doesn't mean there are no environmental risks to overabundant plastic use. But the group cautions that "care must be taken…so that addressing one problem does not simply result in the creation of a new one." (See, for instance, the new, non-reusable paper straws McDonald's has employed to replace its recyclable plastic ones.) It adds that the "benefits of plastic must also be considered before introducing policies and initiatives. For example, single-use syringes play an important role in preventing infections. Priority management actions should be "no regrets," in that they confer multiple benefits and/or that they are cost-effective."  Damon Linker on The New York Times' 1619 Project:  For those who haven't been following along, this past weekend the paper devoted the entirety (just under 100 pages) of The New York Times Magazine, along with a separate stand-alone section of the Sunday paper, to a breathtakingly ambitious and ideologically radical undertaking—nothing less than the telling of the story of American history, perhaps for the very first time, "truthfully." Inside, a note from NYTM editor Jake Silverstein informs his readers that it is wrong to trace the true origin of the United States to the founding of the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, or to the landing of the Puritans at Plymouth Rock in 1620, or to the publication of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Instead, the Times proposes to overturn such mythmaking in favor of an effort to "reframe American history," treating 1619 as "our nation's birth year."  Linker considers the Times project important, illuminating, and ambitious, but he takes issue with the "reframing American history" bit. "Achieving that goal has required the Times to treat history in a highly sensationalistic, reductionistic, and tendentious way, with the cumulative result resembling agitprop more than responsible journalism or scholarship," Linker writes, offering a critique of some of the specific pieces (including a nuanced read of a piece challenging views on slavery and capitalism).  A reminder how vastly the U.S. outpaces other countries on defense spending:  Or, as Cato's Julian Sanchez commented, "NATO doesn't make us blow $690 billion a year on welfare for Raytheon. That's pretty much on us."

Elizabeth Nolan Brown (elizabeth.brown@reason.com)


naturalnews--2019-01-27--World Health Organization declares anti-vax movement to be a top global health threat just like th

World Health Organization declares anti-vax movement to be a top "global health threat" just like the climate change hoax... the vaccine deep state grows desperate

(Natural News) The deep state is utterly petrified that the general public is finally waking up to the Great Vaccine Hoax – so much so that, in a desperate attempt to scare people into still getting vaccinated, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently put out a fear-mongering claim that vaccine refusal represents one of the biggest global health threats of 2019.  In addition to things like air pollution, “climate change,” a global influenza pandemic, and dengue fever, “vaccine hesitancy” is now classified by the WHO as a global health crisis, as “vaccine hesitancy threatens to reverse progress in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases” – vaccine hesitancy, as defined by the WHO, constituting any refusal or delay in getting vaccinated, assuming vaccines are readily available, according to official government guidelines and schedules.  According to the WHO, somewhere between two and three million deaths are prevented every year as a result of vaccination – though concrete data to back this up remains murky, if not completely non-existent. If more people were to agree to get vaccinated, the WHO contends, upwards of 1.5 million more deaths could be avoided – though, again, there’s no valid scientific evidence to back this claim, either.  “Measles, for example, has seen a 30 percent increase in cases globally,” the WHO claims, ignoring the fact that MMR vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella not only cause more measles, but also cause more deaths from measles, compared to non-vaccinated individuals who contract measles naturally.  Mother Nature's micronutrient secret: Organic Broccoli Sprout Capsules now available, delivering 280mg of high-density nutrition, including the extraordinary "sulforaphane" and "glucosinolate" nutrients found only in cruciferous healing foods. Every lot laboratory tested. See availability here.  It’s important to keep in mind that measles is much like the chicken pox in that it’s a relatively harmless disease when contracted naturally. As depicted in an old episode of “The Brady Bunch,” for instance, contracting measles has never historically been all that big of a deal – and once a person recovers from it naturally, he or she has lifelong immunity, unlike the temporary “immunity,” at best, that’s afforded by MMR vaccines.  At least the WHO admitted in the same statement that this 30 percent increase in measles cases globally is, in fact, caused by other things besides not getting vaccinated – though we would contend that not getting vaccinated plays no role whatsoever in causing more cases of measles.  “The reasons for this rise are complex, and not all of these cases are due to vaccine hesitancy,” WHO states. “However, some countries that were close to eliminating the disease have seen a resurgence,” it adds, suggesting that this automatically points to people not getting vaccinated.  But once again, there’s no evidence to prove this – just hearsay. And that’s why parents are increasingly deciding to forego vaccines for their little ones, instead choosing to allow them to develop natural immunity without the need for deadly chemicals, aborted human fetal tissue, and the many other toxins found in government-sanctioned vaccines.  Flu shots are also declining in popularity, as revealed in a recent report published by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).  According to Dr. Julie Morita, CDPH’s Commissioner, a whopping 83 percent of local parents refused to get flu shots for their children at Lurie Children’s Hospital. And an impressive 14 percent of local parents, the same report found, refused vaccines of all types, pointing to a growing trend of parents doing their homework independently, regardless of what health officials tell them.  Instead of flu shots and vaccines in general, Vaxxter recommends that you “[w]ash your hands frequently (but not obsessively); make sure your 25-OH Vitamin D level is between 80 and 100 nmol/l; take Vitamin C Ascorbates 3000mg/day; (and) avoid white sugar, white flour and white rice.”  For more related news, be sure to check out Vaccines.news.


newsweek--2019-01-12--Carbohydrates or at Least Certain Kinds are Good for you According to the World Health Organizati

Carbohydrates, or at Least Certain Kinds, are Good for you, According to the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization has recently announced that a high-fiber diet of good carbohydrates can potentially reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease the possibility of related diseases like diabetes, strokes and colorectal cancer.  “Here we have got very strong evidence that a high-fiber diet, which for the majority of people is at least high-ish in carbohydrates, has an enormous protective effect – a wide range of diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer benefit from a high-carbohydrate diet,” Professor Jim Mann of the University of Otago in New Zealand told The Guardian this week.  In the WHO report, published in The Lancet medical journal, so-called “good” carbohydrates such as oats and whole-grain bread, cereal and pasta help protect against the onset of heart disease and early death.  The kicker: the study goes against the grain of trendy low-carbohydrate diets, which may irk food manufacturers pushing such diet products, reported The Guardian.  Professor Jim Mann of the University of Otago in New Zealand told The Guardian that research from the latest study “does contribute to the debate considerably.”  The study revealed that individuals throughout the world eat less than 20 grams per day, but it recommends that a person should eat at least between 25 and 29 grams of fiber per day, with 30 grams even better.  Those who eat the most fiber result in a 15-to-30 percent reduction in deaths from all causes, including heart disease.  Specifically, the study showed that such a high-fiber diet reduces coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer by 16-to-24 percent.  The results? The high-fiber diet means 13 fewer deaths and six fewer cases of coronary heart disease for every 1,000 people who eat high-fiber foods, compared with those who do not.  Mann also gave another tip in maintaining weight under the new, if not controversial, report:  “Fiber-rich whole foods that require chewing and retain much of their structure in the gut increase satiety and help weight control and can favorably influence lipid and glucose levels,” said Mann.  The WHO defines an unhealthy diet as one of the major risk factors for a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other conditions linked to obesity. Specific recommendations for a healthy diet include: eating more fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains; cutting down on salt, sugar and fats. It is also advisable to choose unsaturated fats, instead of saturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids.  Furthermore, WHO provides a broader solution world-wide, posting on its website that “Improving dietary habits is a societal, not just an individual problem. Therefore it demands a population-based, multisectoral, multi-disciplinary, and culturally relevant approach.”


newsweek--2019-01-22--Migrants and Refugees Do Not Bring Exotic Communicable Diseases to Countries World Health Organiz

Migrants and Refugees Do Not Bring 'Exotic Communicable Diseases' to Countries, World Health Organization Report States

The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken aim at the myth that migrants and refugees bring diseases to the countries they arrive in, with its first report on the issue of migrant and refugee health in the European region. In the report, WHO dispels the falsehood that irregular migrants and refugees spread sickness among host communities—an argument that has long been used to justify anti-immigration views and policies.  According to the World Health Organization's findings, which were based on a review of more than 13,000 documents, "there are indications that there is a very low risk of transmitting communicable diseases from the refugee and migrant population to the host population.  Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in a statement on the report shared on the United Nations websitesaid: "The refugees and migrants that come to Europe, they do not bring any exotic diseases with them—any exotic communicable diseases.  "The diseases that they might have there are all well-established diseases in Europe, and also we have very good prevention and control programmes for these diseases. This applies both for tuberculosis, but also HIV/AIDS."  While the new WHO report is focused on migrant and refugee health in Europe, its message carries relevance in the U.S., particularly in light of President Donald Trump's repeated claims that migrants bring "large-scale crime and disease" to the country.  Late last year, Trump used the claim to rail against Democrats for wanting "open borders for anyone to come in" to the U.S., which he claimed would bring "large-scale crime and disease" into the country.  While the WHO's study, which covers 53 countries falling under the organization's "European region," did not find evidence of increased transmission of diseases between migrants and refugees and those living in the countries they arrive in, it did say that migrants and refugees are themselves at greater risk of developing diseases during the migration process.  Citing data from the United Nations' International Organization for Migration, the report notes that more than 50,000 migrants and refugees have died in the Mediterranean area since the year 2000, having significant "health repercussions" on surviving family members and communities.  "The social determinants of health will act along the displacement and migration continuum…and societal conditions are significant factors in the health and well-being of refugees, migrants and communities," the report states, adding that "many of these factors lie outside the direct influence of the health sector."  "As a consequence, the conditions encountered during their journey, as well as the living, working and aging conditions at their destination, can have negative health repercussions for many refugees and migrants," the report states.  It also asserts that a number of diseases appear to affect refugees and migrants more than host communities, including diabetes, which researchers found affects refugees and migrants with "higher incident, prevalence and mortality rate," particularly among women.  The study also found that while displaced populations are at a lower risk of all forms of cancer, except for cervical cancer, they are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease at a more "advanced state," putting them at greater risk of "considerably worse health outcomes than those of the host population."  The report also says that other illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, tend to affect refugees and migrants more than the communities in the European countries they arrive in. That finding, researchers said, is particularly applicable to unaccompanied minors who the study found suffer from higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  The WHO also highlighted the challenges that undocumented immigrants around the world face in obtaining access to health care services.  “I don’t think that in most of the countries the illegal migrants have access to the health system services,” Jakab said. “So that is an area where we have to do substantial additional work and conviction of the countries, because, the best way to protect their own population and the refugees is to give them access.”  In addition to dispelling myths around the health of migrants and refugees, the WHO's report also demonstrated how perceptions of a rise in the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe have been overinflated in some countries.  “International migrants make up about 10 percent of the population in the European Region, that is about 90 million,” Jakab said. “Out of this, less than 7.4 percent are refugees and in some of the European countries, citizens estimate that there are three or four times more migrants than there are in reality.”


prepareforchange--2019-09-18--World Health Organization WHO Warning About Wireless Radiation Smart Meters Cell Phones Brain T

World Health Organization (WHO) Warning About Wireless Radiation, Smart Meters, Cell Phones, Brain Tumors Children 0- 14 (Video)

In nearly every community around the world where wireless Smart Meters have been installed, a percentage of residents complain of health effects, from wireless radiation, that started after installation. The residents often did not know that smart meters had been installed.  Utilities claim Smart Meters are safe, and compare them to cell phones.  However, cell phones, cell towers, wi-fi and other wireless devices can also affect you.  The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies wireless radiation as a 2B carcinogen, based on studies linking cell phone radiation to brain tumors!    target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf  Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children age 0- 14  http://www.abta.org/about-us/news/brain-tumor-statistics/The National Toxicology Program found a statistically significant increase in brain cancers from exposure to cell phone frequencies. http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/results/areas/cellphones/index.html Now imagine Smart Meter Radiation to this equation. Reducing your EMF exposure can benefit your overall health and wellness. Some 65 million American homes already have Smart Meters, and more homes are being converted all the time, even against the will of some homeowners. And yet many doctors agree that smart meters are a potential health threat due to constant releases of radiation. What many people don’t realize about Smart Meters, is that Smart Meters emit such an enormous amount of radiation that it is capable of penetrating the walls of your home and impacting your entire families health. Add Cell phones and other wireless technology and it’s like sitting on a radiation contamination site 24/7 365 days a year, as you will see from the video below. Despite all the evidence to the negative health effects of wireless radiation, the governments around the world are pushing the Smart Meter agenda.  Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm.


prisonplanet--2019-05-29--UNs World Health Organization Removes Transgender as Mental Disorder

U.N.’s World Health Organization Removes ‘Transgender’ as Mental Disorder

The U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO) has officially removed the term “transgender” from the classification of mental disorders.  As expected, during WHO’s annual assembly in Geneva on Saturday, the member states adopted the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases – the first update of the classification list in 29 years.  Ken Zucker, editor of Archives of Sexual Behavior, tweeted the announcement:  According to the U.N. health agency, gender identity disorder is no longer classified as a mental disorder, NHK World Japan also reported. Instead, gender identity disorder will be called “gender incongruence.”  This article was posted: Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 2:55 am


slate--2019-04-29--Why Parents Shouldnt Fret Over the World Health Organizations New Screen Time Guidelines

Why Parents Shouldn’t Fret Over the World Health Organization’s New Screen Time Guidelines

Scan the headlines on any given day, and you’ll likely find at least one about the perils of “screen time.” We’re addicted to our smartphones! Binge watching is killing our sex lives! So, it follows we may be even more concerned about how increased time spent in front of screens might be affecting the most impressionable among us: Won’t someone please think of the children?  This week, the World Health Organization answered by releasing a new set of recommendations about activity, behavior, and sleep for children younger than 5 that included specific directives about what it termed “sedentary screen time.” According to these new WHO guidelines, children between 2 and 5 should be limited to only 60 minutes of screen time per day (and the less the better). Children under 2, it says, should not spend any time with screens at all. WHO’s new screen use recommendations bear similarity to guidelines issued in 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommend that children under 18 months get no screen time, kids between 2 and 5 should limit their use to an hour, and ideally, any screen time should be spent “co-watching” with engaged adults.  In a former life as a developmental psychology researcher studying how children learn from watching others, I met thousands of parents with children under 5 who came into the lab for research. In the waiting room, I saw how families took radically different approaches to their offspring’s screen use. Some parents proudly told me about their screenless lifestyle, clearly wanting me to validate them as having made the right decision. Others had no qualms about sitting their kids down with their phone. Others did the same but kept apologizing to me for it, as if they were sure that researchers like me would judge them for their parenting choices. I generally wasn’t—I’m not a parent, and the one thing I took away from that job was that parents really want to do right by their kids. But I can see why it touched a particularly sensitive nerve, given how society’s love for judging parenting choices is merging with the greater cultural conversation around whether our digital devices are rotting our brains, changing our attention span, and maybe toppling democracy.  I imagine hard and fast rules like those issued by WHO might exacerbate that inclination to judge parents. Just scroll through social media (oh no, even more screen time!), and you’ll see lots of people taking the new recommendations to mean that screens are dangerous for young children. The guidelines also obscure something more significant when it comes to how best to think about screen time: It’s not the screens that are bad, necessarily—it’s how we use them. And if we dig into the research the WHO used as the basis of its recommendations, the conclusions are much messier than the tidy guidelines it recommends.  To put together its report, the U.N. agency looked at thousands of existing studies examining links between things like young children’s physical activity and sedentary behavior (including sedentary screen use) and certain outcomes, such as obesity and motor and cognitive development. But these studies were a mixed bag when it came to their methodology and findings, and didn’t necessarily find connections between increased screen time and adverse outcomes. Some studies found that more screen time was associated with obesity, for instance, but other studies didn’t find any connection. In its full report on the guidelines, WHO acknowledges that “for the critical outcomes, there was moderate to very low-quality evidence for screen time and adiposity [obesity], motor and cognitive development and psychosocial health” and that the overall quality of evidence it reviewed on sedentary time with or without screens “was rated as very low.”  We know that kids primarily learn from playing, moving, talking, and watching other humans.  What’s more, if we look a little closer, it seems the agency’s recommendations for limiting screen time are not actually based on the idea that more screen time is necessarily harmful. Instead, it appears to rely on evidence that shows that more physical activity most likely benefits young children and that less screen time to achieve that won’t harm them. What essentially boils down to a “let kids play!” recommendation also comes out in other guidelines in the WHO report, including suggestions that children should not be restrained—sitting in strollers, high chairs, or strapped to a caregiver—for more than an hour, again to give more opportunities for children to exercise.  What we know from decades of child development research also squares with this more nuanced reading of the evidence. We know that kids primarily learn from playing, moving, talking, and watching other humans. The time they spend with a screen is time that could, in theory, involve some of these types of learning. The problem with screens is not necessarily that they’re screens; it’s that they can be addictive, that they’re not always conducive to being active and observant of the world, and that, perhaps most significantly, they present an opportunity cost to kids. If kids spent hours a day sitting silently staring at a blank wall, it wouldn’t do them good, either.  But the overarching takeaway is that there’s still so much we don’t know about screen time and young children. This is, in part, because how difficult its effects are to measure. You can’t just throw 100 kids into a lab and control their every move. Instead, researchers must work around real kids living in real families in the real world, who live vastly different and complex daily lives. It’s also because the technology is moving faster than research. To understand how screen use affects children, we need to follow them for years, which means waiting for a generation of kids to grow up. But consider that any researcher that may have started work just five years ago probably didn’t account for factors like the rise of smart speakers, interactive children’s shows on Netflix, or the first steps toward virtual reality. Even if they did, collecting data and publishing an academic paper can take another few years. By the time new research is out, there’s likely already another shiny new innovation vying for kids’ attention.  Still, there are many talented researchers working on unraveling questions around screen use. One important nuance they’ve found is that not all screen time is created equal. As education policy expert Lisa Guernsey has written about for Future Tense, over the past decade, an increasing number of studies has shown that children, even at very young ages, can benefit from using media when it’s designed for learning and helps catalyze conversations. For instance, psychologists have found that kids are more likely to learn words from videos that build in interactivity, like allowing kids to click on a box to see what’s inside, as opposed to videos that they passively watch. Similarly, kids are more likely to learn words from someone they’re talking to on Skype than from passively watching a video. That’s because a FaceTime call to grandma is more interactive than watching Peppa Pig on YouTube. Similarly, watching Peppa Pig with your parents and talking about it is more interactive than just passive watching.  It’s also worth noting that some research has shown that a good old-fashioned book or face-to-face game may invite more genuine connection, since adults tend to get sucked into passively enjoying screen media’s bells and whistles, too. Several studies have found that when parents read an e-book with their kids, they’re less likely to ask story-related questions and engage in conversation about the narrative compared with parents who read traditional books to their kids.  Of course, keeping these devices away or making sure that the only screen time your child gets involves deep engagement and follow-up is easier said than done. Again, I’m not a parent, but I’ve seen the wonders a tablet can do for a bored toddler on a multihour flight or at a restaurant with parents who just want to have an hour with their adult friends without hiring a sitter. And there’s no evidence that kids who end up in front of screens so a parent can get dinner started, put a load of laundry in, or, God forbid, just take a few minutes for themselves will be ruined for life.  Fixed guidelines on screen time like those from WHO may be well-intentioned messaging to remind modern parents to give their kids opportunities to lead active lives (nuance isn’t catchy). But they are arbitrary and, for some families, may be unrealistic. That doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t try to keep unsupervised screen time for young children to a minimum. Or that they shouldn’t be mindful of giving their kids opportunities to move, interact, and build meaningful relationships. But we should remember that kids are resilient. That extra 15 minutes of Paw Patrol probably isn’t going to be what makes or breaks their middle school algebra grade, their ability to make friends, or their job prospects at 25. With a caring parent, they’ll probably be just fine.  Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.


sottnet--2019-06-01--Burnout is an official medical diagnosis World Health Organization says

Burnout is an official medical diagnosis, World Health Organization says

Comment Alerts with Push Notifications are here!  Logged in users can take advantage of our new Alerts system for Reader Comments. You'll automatically get alerts whenever anyone posts on any articles that you previously commented on. Just click the bell icon in the upper right corner of the screen.  You can also visit your Personalize page and enable Web Push Notifications.  Finally, don't miss your very own Recent Comments page (click the bell to see the link).  Need an account to use these new features? Sign up now!


sputnik--2019-09-22--World Health Organization Says Tanzania Might Be Hiding Ebola Cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that it is concerned that Tanzania may be hiding Ebola cases.  The WHO released a statement on Saturday saying that it had learned of unofficial reports that a woman suspected of having the disease died in Dar es Salaam and that people she had contact with were quarantined.  "On 10 September 2019, through its regular event-based surveillance process, WHO was made aware of unofficial reports regarding the death of a person with suspected Ebola Virus disease (EVD) case in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania. The identified contacts of the deceased were unofficially reported to be quarantined in various sites in the country", the statement read.  "To date, the clinical details and the results of the investigation, including laboratory tests performed for differential diagnosis of these patients, have not been shared with WHO."  The organisation raised concerns about "insufficient information received by WHO" not allowing for a "formulation of a hypotheses regarding the possible cause of the illness".  "At this stage, WHO is not aware of signs of a widespread transmission of any illness related to these cases, however investigations, including with the support of WHO Collaborating Centres, should continue to reach a diagnosis and further inform the risk assessment."  On September 14, the Tanzanian authorities officially assured the UN health organisation that Ebola was non-existent in the country, but did not respond to WHO queries and have declined to conduct further testing to confirm if the hemorrhagic fever, which has so far killed 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is present among the patients.  The WHO deployed an investigation team to look into the death on 12 September, declaring that it intends to inform member states of the results.  The Ebola crisis in the Congo drew international attention in May as the deadly disease struck across the country.  The largest Ebola outbreak in West Africa so far led to the deaths of more than 11,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between December 2013 and April 2016.


tass--2019-02-21--Russia to send humanitarian aid to Venezuela through World Health Organization channels

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Moscow will send medicine and medical equipment to Venezuela through the channels of the World Health Organization (WHO), a diplomatic source informed TASS.  "The cargo with medicine and medical equipment will be delivered through WHO channels as part of Russia’s contribution to the organization," the source said. "The ceremony will take place at the Caracas international airport."  "On Thursday, 7.5 tonnes will be delivered, a second delivery is planned, but the timeframe is unclear. First aid kits with medicine, medical equipment and consumable items will be delivered to Venezuela," he continued. "This would help supply four hospitals with emergency units.".  In other media


theguardianuk--2019-05-03--Ebola death toll in Congo to pass 1000 World Health Organization warns

Ebola death toll in Congo to pass  1,000,  World Health Organization warns

The number of people killed by the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to exceed 1,000 on Friday, the World Health Organization has warned.  Weekly infections have been rising since late February, with attacks by armed groups and a failure to win community trust undermining the response to the epidemic.  Since the outbreak began in August, 1,510 cases have been recorded in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, according to figures released by the DRC’s ministry of health on Thursday, while 994 people have died of the disease.  An experimental vaccine, thought to be highly effective, is being offered to frontline workers as well as known contacts of Ebola patients and, in turn, their contacts. But this resource-intensive strategy depends on response teams having safe and quick access to affected areas.  In a statement released this week, the World Health Organization warned the security situation remains volatile and “a major impediment” to such work.  Reported cases of Ebola underwent a “considerable, although not unexpected rise” following an attack on Butembo hospital last month, in which Dr Richard Valery Mouzoko Kiboung, an epidemiologist, was killed, the WHO added. Each time facilities are attacked, services are wound down, further aggravating the epidemic.  More than half of Ebola infections so far have affected women, and almost three in 10 involve children under 18 years of age, according to available data.  Repeated attacks on health centres, as well as the high number of patients not seeking help from specialist Ebola workers, have prompted calls for agencies to do more to address community mistrust.  “The sad reality is that community engagement is not at the centre of the government’s and WHO’s strategy for the Ebola response,” said Tamba Emmanuel Danmbi-saa, humanitarian program manager for Oxfam in DRC, who added that far greater emphasis and funding have been allocated to medical aspects of the response.  “We are talking about a context where people have been subjected to continuous armed attacks, people have lost loved ones, properties and are in perpetual situation of displacement.”  The wider needs of communities have received little attention from international donors, said Danmbi-saa: “With Ebola, now they see all these donors, all these actors are coming, inundating their communities and villages – for a threat that is not visible.”  This has contributed to suspicions and rumours about Ebola, not least beliefs that it is a money-making business for agencies, or that the disease does not really exist.  “The Ebola crisis itself has exposed the enormous gaps in the humanitarian response,” added Kimberly Bennett, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in DRC. “There has been an extensive neglect of communities.”  The humanitarian response plan for DRC, which is funded separately to the Ebola response, requires $1.6bn (£1.2bn) but is only 12% funded. Among people who have been displaced by conflict in North Kivu, almost 90% are living on just over a meal a day, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council.  On Thursday, the health ministry announced a further 10 deaths from Ebola, seven of which were community deaths, meaning people had not sought care from an Ebola treatment centre.  Delays in isolating patients and vaccinating contacts at risk, as well as high transmission rates within general health facilities, have all contributed to growing case loads.  WHO teams have met with local residents as part of efforts to empower communities, and the organisation said it has had some success in persuading people to accept care from Ebola teams.  The risk of the disease spreading nationally or across borders remains very high, according to a WHO assessment.  On Friday, 18 humanitarian groups warned that tens of thousands of people have fled to the border with Uganda, following violence in Kamango, Beni territory, near to the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu.  The NGOs, including Oxfam, said they had received reports that people have been prevented from crossing the border at sixteen official crossings. Some are crossing illegally and not being screened before entering Uganda, while others have been forced to return to villages they fled, where there is a risk of further violence.  The WHO has appealed for greater resources to support the Ebola response and said on Friday that there is a funding gap of £54m.


theonion--2019-05-28--World Health Organization Director-General Classifies Gaming Disorder As Disease After Son Spends Be

World Health Organization Director-General Classifies Gaming Disorder As Disease After Son Spends Beautiful Day Inside Playing ‘Overwatch’

In a bold move that could have ramifications throughout the gaming industry, the World Health Organization officially classified gaming disorder as disease this weekend after Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ son spent an entire beautiful day inside playing Overwatch.  The revision to the ICD-11 listing of diseases and health problems was adopted after Ghebreyesus observed his son sitting inside, staring at a screen for “eight fucking hours straight” despite the fact that it was 70 degrees outside and there was’t a cloud in the sky. The new entry defines gaming disorder as “a pattern of persistent and recurring behavior in which a kid wastes an entire day sitting on his ass like a slug when he should be outside playing in the sun.”  “Based on my wide-ranging review of a good-for-nothing kid’s entire wasted Saturday, we have determined that it’s a fucking shame someone would loaf about playing these games instead of running around with their friends, riding a bike, or playing a game like normal kids used to,” said Ghebreyesus. “Frankly, I don’t care what you do—climb a tree, throw rocks at a cat—just get the hell out of the house. There is something wrong with this generation. This disorder is a serious problem for the little shits who need to get some fresh air.”  There has been some blowback from gamers and industry representatives, who claim the classification was rushed and didn’t take into account that Ghebreyesus’ son’s team had almost taken the second checkpoint in King’s Row. However, the World Health Organization has stood by its decision, recommending that anyone suffering from a gaming disorder get outside right now unless they want their systems to be thrown in the goddamn garbage where they belong.

The Onion on Onion Gamers Network, shared by The Onion to The Onion