Hot Topics
Written by admin2 on June 26th, 2009Filed under: Uncategorized
“Hot Topics” after the jump…
TIME Magazine asks: Is there a genetic link between anorexia and…autism?
There’s a new movie coming our way called “Adam,” and it features a central character with Asperger’s syndrome.
The play “Rick: The Rick Hansen Story”—one of 35 arts projects recently added to the entertainment lineup for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Games—traces a fishing trip Hansen (aka “Canada’s Man in Motion”) and his friend, Don Alder, took in August 1973. As the then-teens were hitch-hiking in the back of a pickup truck on their way home, Alder asked Hansen to switch places so he could sleep better. The truck then went off the road and Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury while Alder was uninjured.
The idea of a comedy about Alzheimer’s disease is unsettling to most people. But members of Minneapolis-based theater company Live Action Set say when it comes to Alzheimers, humor is not only allowed—it may be vital.
VH1 has picked up a new unscripted series that centers on people battling obsessive compulsive disorder.
A 33-year-old comedian and filmmaker named Mark Malkoff, who says he’s afraid to fly, has spent the month of June living on a plane. He plans to stay on AirTran flights until June 30. The airline offers wireless Internet service, so Malkoff is posting updates about his trip on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and on his blog, MarkOnAirTran.com.
A stroke victim named Russell McPhee, released from 20 years’ paralysis by Botox injections, has hailed his treatment as “a bloody miracle.”
The makers of The Sims franchise of video games have introduced a homeless father and daughter into the virtual world.
The city of Santa Ana, California has agreed to place locks on outdoor recycling bins for a dozen neighbors in the Wilshire Square district. The devices were designed to keep bears out of trash cans in Alaska, but there aren’t any bears in Santa Ana. Somewhere along the line, the city and the neighbors lost sight of the fact that the scavengers targeted by their locking-bin pilot program aren’t animals at all but a much more vulnerable species—homeless human beings.
Shamefully, ineptly, inhumanely, paternalistically…Health Canada delayed the delivery of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to some First Nations communities affected by swine flu because of concerns the alcohol content might be abused.
Over one billion human beings go hungry every day.
Dr. Peter D. Kramer, author of the best-selling book Listening to Prozac, offers anyone entering the job market today an astringent form of reassurance: “No, you’re not crazy; things are as bad as you imagine.”
Psychiatry is a relatively safe profession, but it has a hazard that is not apparent at first glance: if you are in it long enough, there may be no one to talk to about your own problems.
A psychologist, neuroscientist and philosopher got together at the World Science Festival to debate the meaning of free will. They walked onto the auditorium stage, sat down before an eager audience, and all crossed their left legs over their right. This isn’t the start of a long, bad joke.
Antidepressant use soars as the recession bites.
Mental illness is still bad for your CV.
Dr. Phil should be called a “counsellor,” say Australian psychologists.
MAJOR Supreme Court victory for parents of disabled students: U.S. Justices rule that parents who remove a disabled child from public school can be reimbursed for private instruction.
OUTRAGE as staff at Porters pub in Albert Road, Southsea, Portsmouth accuse 27-year-old Louis Kidd of faking his blindness: partially-sighted man was told to stop using his white stick by staff who thought it was a joke.
The exhibition Sight Unseen, at UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography, presents work by the most accomplished blind photographers in the world. It is the first major museum exhibition on a rich subject full of paradox and revelation.
20 amazing albino animals say “Different is Beautiful!”
Scottish golfer finally bags his first hole-in-one…three years after going blind. “It was a tremendous feeling,” said 63-year-old David Paterson. “Golf is one of the few things I am still able to do.”
Steve Joyce, a man from Droitwich, England who works as an assistant disability coordinator at the University of Worcester, is hoping to make it to the top of Mount Snowdon (3,500ft) next month—in a wheelchair!
A 64-year-old Palestinian man who has a disability and can only walk with the help of crutches says he got tired of waiting for taxis, so he took matters into his own hands…and built a homemade electric car!
Tony Clemens stands up for himself.
Tony Clemens gets a new chair.
Tony Clemens collapses from heat stroke.
Tony Clemens wonders what he’s doing out here.
Tony Clemens knows what YouTube is.
Tony Clemens is amazing.
Read all Irked posts by Tony >>
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Lewis “Codeboy 3000” Schofield updates his FriendFeed: “Thymectomy went well. Recovering at home. Remission can’t be too far away, can it?”
His mom Elyse writes about it.
The Peterborough Examiner writes about it too.
Read all Irked posts by Lewis >>
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Glenda Watson Hyatt asks: Does accessibility need an Al Gore?
Glenda Watson Hyatt recaps the last six weeks.
Glenda Watson Hyatt nominated for being a Woman of Distinction.
Glenda and her husband Darrell board a Greyhound to Whistler.
Glenda Watson Hyatt bails on jury duty.
Read all Irked posts by Glenda >>
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Stephanie Domet is editing “a gorgeous book” right now for Invisible Publishing. It’s called Migration Songs and it’s by Anna Quon!
Read all Irked posts by Anna >>
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It’s official! Pearlsong Press will publish a trade paperback edition of Lynne Murray’s new romantic comic novel, Bride of the Living Dead!
Read all Irked posts by Lynne >>
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David Roche has two upcoming July gigs in beautiful British Columbia…then July 20-22 in Las Vegas…then a comedy tour with Josh Blue in the Fall…and September 25-27 at the world-famous Carmel Authors and Ideas Festival.
David Roche updates his MyFace blog with a terrific new post.
Read all Irked posts by David >>
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Josh Blue: the man who puts the “cerebral” in cerebral palsy.
Josh Blue hopes to move to the point where audiences are comfortable with his CP, allowing him to use other material.
Read all Irked posts by Josh >>
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Craig Grimes intrepidly rides the 1 km long Pânico Zipline in Brazil!
Read all Irked posts by Craig >>
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Stuart Baker-Brown’s magnificent photography turns up on Flickr.
Read all Irked posts by Stuart >>
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Karen Putz goes to Vegas!
Karen Putz wakes up with a Vegas headache.
Karen Putz tweets Marlee Matlin, Kirstie Alley, Good Morning America, Ann Curry, Katie Couric, Oprah, Tony Robbins, Lisa Rinna, and Liz “Doyenne of the Blogosphere” Strauss.
Karen Putz quotes John Denver.
Karen Putz forgets her son’s birthday.
Karen Putz is feeling a bit sad.
Karen Putz is on Facebook.
Karen Putz’s life is richer because she’s deaf.
Karen Putz arrived to a dead car battery.
Karen Putz’s oven door fell off.
Karen Putz gets syndicated.
Karen Putz named to national position.
Read all Irked posts by Karen >>
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Drew’s mom is feeling Ugh. Yuck. Blah.
Read all Irked posts tagged “Drew” >>
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Nic Askew’s film “Lighter, or Darker” screens alongside Jim Carrey, Melissa Etheridge, Eckhart Tolle and even Donovan.
Read all Irked posts by Nic >>
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Mat Fraser performs at the Coney Island Circus Sideshow.
Read all Irked posts tagged “Mat Fraser” >>
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Anya Peters FINALLY tells someone about her book.
Read all Irked posts by Anya >>
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Karen Stuebing says: I love me some rural decay.
Read all Irked posts by Karen >>
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Julia Barry is a woman running a business.
Read all Irked posts by Julia >>
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Philip Patston tackles an extremely important issue.
Read all Irked posts by Philip >>
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Rabbi Marc Wilson writes a powerful one about hatred and Erik von Brunn.
Read all Irked posts by Marc >>
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A feature on exclaim.ca hails the movie Orgesticulanismus as “well articulated, thoughtfully constructed and generates the intended reflection.”
The film screens at the Rooftop Films Underground Movies Outdoors series.
Read all Irked posts tagged “Orgesticulanismus” >>
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Paul Aflalo’s wonderful documentary Surfing The Waste: A Musical Documentary About Dumpster Diving gets profiled on citynews.ca.
Read all Irked posts by Paul >>
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Donna Williams writes on her blog: There’s nothing autistic about killing people.
Nobody Nowhere, the forthcoming biopic about Donna’s life, now has a MySpace page.
Donna & The Aspinauts recently welcomed two new members to their band.
And two Aspinauts experience Tourette’s tics.
Read all Irked posts by Donna >>
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Erniebufflo.wordpress.com writes a glowing review after Netflixing “a really great documentary called ‘Kicking It,’ which is about the Homeless World Cup.”
An eye-catching poster advertising the Homeless World Cup turns up in a New Zealand bus shelter.
Read all Irked posts tagged “Homeless World Cup” >>
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@mikegonet tweets about an Irked story. @glenp tweets about it too!
@wtrevor tweets about an Irked story. @EventsNewZealand tweets about it too!
The top blind students from across the United States and Canada will put their knowledge of the braille code to the test in the only national academic competition for blind students in the country—The National Braille Challenge.
A 14-year-old Floridian named David Ashby says an accident involving his sister forced him to suspend his 1,100-mile walk to highlight the needs of homeless kids. Ashby’s sister, Aubrey, suffered a brain injury when she fell face first off her bicycle.
A year ago Corey Eighmy’s cerebral palsy got worse and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Now he spends most of his days indoors, so being out here at Andy Dalton Shooting Range is special. Today he learns to shoot a gun.
There are 4 billion mobile phones in the world; 2.2 billion of those are in the developing world. Cell phone technology is helping developing nations prepare for disease threats such as a new strain of swine flu, an outbreak of measles or the increased spread of HIV.
Palo Alto, California-based drugmaker Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc has put the development of three drugs (to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and restless legs syndrome) on hold, in a bid to save cash as it seeks to resolve interest payment issues with its bond holders.
Researchers at the University of B.C. have created the world’s first animal laboratory experiment that successfully models human gambling. The study followed 32 rats as they “played the odds” so scientists could develop and test new treatments for gambling addiction.
The Morongo Basin Humane Society Animal Shelter is nearly broke, and it almost had to close its doors in these tough times…until a medical marijuana dispensary came to the rescue.
BOOK EXCERPT: Buzz (First-Man-On-The-Moon) Aldrin has detailed his battle with depression and alcoholism in a new memoir.
For soldiers who have been severely disfigured in Iraq and Afghanistan, getting back to life can be difficult, but “Operation Mend” is offering some hope—the program provides reconstructive surgery for veterans who were severely disfigured during combat.
Former U.S. Army Sgt. Danny Ingram leads the annual Mid-South Pride parade. He was one of the first soldiers discharged under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
A RAPIDLY GROWING SILENT PROTEST: Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of spectacular photos against H8.
San Diego medical center uses virtual reality therapy to treat phobias and PTSD.
A new compound called XBD173 that counteracts anxiety in mice and humans may treat panic attacks without the side-effects of existing drugs.
New research dismisses the widely held notion that a “depression gene” makes a person facing stressful life events more likely to develop depression.
The New York Jets’ loquacious rookie coach Rex Ryan has no trouble speaking his mind. Reading and writing, though, have made Ryan cringe since grade school.
VIDEO: Dyslexics are being helped to understand the written word, through a system created for…spies.
The Detriot Tigers’ Dontrelle Willis is back on the disabled list, for the second time this season, because of an anxiety disorder.
Don’t feel sorry for Flint, Michigan political icon Vera Rison, 70, who has been steadily losing her eyesight due to diabetes and high blood pressure. As she’s told you before, she’s “one of the strongest women you’ll ever meet.”
Eight months ago, David Herkt suffered a severe and disabling stroke. This is his story of what happened that day, and what happened on the road back.
Harbor House Memory Care and the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association of Wisconsin will host a community presentation about living with Alzheimer’s disease from a person diagnosed with the disease.
Widow of Alzheimer’s patient urges Silver Alert law.
HELP WANTED: The wheels of independence are spinning more slowly at The Bike Clinic in Colorado Springs these days. Since 1993, the shop’s sole wrench turner, Peter Sprunger-Froese, has been refurbishing secondhand bicycles and giving them away to the homeless, the broken and the downtrodden who need reliable transportation but lack the means to pay for it. But requests for his volunteer services have mushroomed in tandem with the bad economy.
New face of homeless: hardworking, healthy and addiction-free.
Khadijah Williams went from homeless to…Harvard.
Contemporary abstract artist Susan Olmetti, who has “overcome bipolar disability,” will feature her newest works, “The Jonah Series,” along with an installation of her all-wearable art, in a self-arranged and produced event.
Even when seeking a healthy diet, some people push it too far. We get into trouble when eating healthy food becomes an obsession. The condition has been named “orthorexia nervosa.”
Dr. Michael Evans shares his favourite insomnia resources and best tips with The Globe & Mail.
