All posts tagged: worsen

Gangs Make Advances as Conditions in Haiti Worsen

Gangs Make Advances as Conditions in Haiti Worsen

Published by skeptic

United Nations —  Haiti’s gangs have made advances in Port-au-Prince, a U.N. official reported Thursday, with political parties inching toward forming a transition government and new bloodshed roiling the troubled Caribbean nation. Police in Port-au-Prince confirmed that a major gang leader, Ernst Julme, known as Ti Greg, was slain in a clash with security forces. Julme led the Delmas 95 gang. Addressing a news conference from Haiti via videolink, Ulrika Richardson, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the country, said daily life had become defined by roadblocks and the sound of gunshots, describing “enormous” amounts of people displaced as gangs “take over” neighborhoods in the city. The country has been rocked by violence since late February, when the country’s gangs launched a coordinated offensive, raiding a prison and releasing thousands of inmates as they demanded Prime Minister Ariel Henry resign. Henry, stranded in Puerto Rico after the violence shut down the main airport, has since agreed to step down and allow the formation of an interim government. But negotiations have been slow despite pressure from neighboring …

When Words Worsen Symptoms | Psychology Today

When Words Worsen Symptoms | Psychology Today

Published by skeptic

This guest post was written by Dr. Blease. “Gosh, you look absolutely terrible!” Many of us have heard these words uttered when we’re not feeling at our best. Perhaps we’re lying low with a virus, feeling exhausted, or even feeling like we could vomit. Hearing these words, however, may make us feel even more ghastly — quite literally. In my and my co-authors’ new book, The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick, clinicians, psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, philosophers, and ethicists delve into one the most fascinating but overshadowed phenomena in healthcare — the nocebo effect. The nocebo effect is sometimes characterized as the ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect. The latter refers to those positive health benefits that can arise when we expect to feel better and do. The nocebo effect is those adverse outcomes that arise from negative expectations. Fascinating studies suggest that, like our loved ones being too candid, the words our clinicians use might influence nocebo effects. Beyond COVID-19, a growing body of research shows that nocebo effects may be commonplace in …

Climate change may worsen the spread of ocean noise

Climate change may worsen the spread of ocean noise

Published by skeptic

acidic: An adjective for materials that contain acid. Acidic materials often are capable of dissolving away some minerals such as carbonate, or preventing their formation in the first place. Atlantic: One of the world’s five oceans, it is second in size only to the Pacific. It separates Europe and Africa to the east from North and South America to the west. climate: The weather conditions that typically exist in one area, in general, or over a long period. climate change: Long-term, significant change in the climate of Earth. It can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests. colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member. computer model: A program that runs on a computer that creates a model, or simulation, of a real-world feature, phenomenon or event. data: Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in …

EU plan for medicine stockpile could worsen UK’s record shortages | Drugs

EU plan for medicine stockpile could worsen UK’s record shortages | Drugs

Published by skeptic

The EU is to stockpile key medicines that will worsen the record drug shortages in the UK, with experts warning that the country could be left “behind in the queue”. The EU is seeking to safeguard its supplies by switching to a system in which its 27 members work together to secure reliable supplies of 200 commonly used medications, such as antibiotics, painkillers and vaccines. But the bloc’s move to insulate itself from growing drug shortages threatens to exacerbate the increasing scarcity of medicines facing the NHS, posing serious problems for doctors. “Europe is securing access to key drugs and vaccines as a single region, with huge influence and buying power. As a result of Brexit the UK is now isolated from this system, so our drug supplies could be at risk in the future,” said Dr Andrew Hill, an expert on the pharmaceutical trade. Britain is experiencing a record level of drug shortages, with more than 100 – including treatments for cancer, type 2 diabetes and motor neurone disease – scarce or impossible to …

Iowa blizzard: Winter blast could worsen an unrepresentative way of picking nominees

Iowa blizzard: Winter blast could worsen an unrepresentative way of picking nominees

Published by skeptic

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Most Iowans won’t be out Monday night. Never mind that it’s forecast to be well below zero, with wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees, and the roads may still be icy from a set of snowstorms that hammered the state this past week. It’s because they’re not registered with the Republican Party, which is kicking off the presidential nominating season with its famous caucuses. Or because they don’t want to make the commitment to attend, which involves getting to the nearest of 1,500 caucus sites and sitting in a room — potentially for hours — for the chance to vote on the party’s presidential nominee. But the winter weather, intimidating even for Iowa, will make an already unrepresentative process even less representative. Elderly Iowans, the backbone of the caucus, are wondering how they will make it to their sites Monday. Political types are mentally downgrading their expected turnout and wondering who a smaller, harder-core electorate will favor. All this gives longtime critics of the caucus even more reason …

Nova Scotia: fears extreme heat and strong winds could worsen wildfires | Canada

Published by Sam

Officials in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia say a day of blistering heat, strong winds and low humidity could lead to “extreme fire behaviour” as they work to control wildfires that have forced more than 20,000 people from their homes. Fire crews said on Thursday they were concerned about a phenomenon known as “crossover”, which occurs when temperature rises above 30C, humidity drops below 30%, winds exceed 30km/h. Officials warned that during a crossover event, fuels such as twigs and leaves on the forest floor could combust, making it easier for existing wildfires to spread. “We are looking at possible extremely fast and aggressive spread rates for firefighters on the ground,” said David Steeves of Nova Scotia’s department of natural resources. Steeves said the blaze near the community of Tantallon, which has destroyed more than 150 homes and displaced 18,500 people, has been 50% contained and has not grown. But with the extreme heat forecast, he said the situation outside of Halifax remained dangerous. “We do not want to give a false sense of …