Singer Katy Perry poses at Elton John’s 70th Birthday and 50-Year Songwriting Partnership with Bernie Taupin benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the UCLA Hammer Museum at RED Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, U.S. March 25, 2017. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
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ENTERTAINMENT 03/10/2018 12:15 pm ET Updated Mar 10, 2018
Nun Battling Katy Perry Over Convent Sale Dies In Court
Hours before her death, Sister Catherine Rose Holzman asked the singer to “please stop” trying to buy the property.
By Hilary Hanson
A nun involved in a legal battle over Katy Perry’s bid to buy a Los Angeles convent collapsed and died during a Friday court appearance related to the dispute.
Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, of the Sisters of the Most Holy And Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was 89, according to ABC 7. Her cause of death was not immediately clear.
Holzman was among the nuns fighting for the ability to sell their former hilltop convent in Los Feliz to local businesswoman Dana Hollister — a desire in direct opposition to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ wish to sell the property to superstar Katy Perry.
The nuns, who haven’t lived in the property since 2011, sold the convent to Hollister in 2015. The L.A. archdiocese subsequently sued her, saying the sisters didn’t have the authority to sell the convent. Perry spent more than $2 million in legal fees fighting the small group of elderly nuns, according to Curbed LA.
The convent boasts gorgeous views of the San Gabriel Mountains and downtown Los Angeles. Hollister had plans to turn the convent into a hotel, while Perry reportedly wants to live there.
DANNY MOLOSHOK / REUTERS
Pop star Katy Perry spent more than $2 million fighting a group of elderly nuns for the ability to purchase their former convent.
In 2016, a judge sided with the archdiocese and Perry and invalidated the sale to Hollister, clearing a path for Perry to buy the convent. In November of last year, a jury found that Hollister had intentionally interfered with the sale to Perry and a judge ordered her to pay millions to the archdiocese and the singer.
The nuns fear that because Perry’s $14.5 million offer was made to the archdio receive any money from the sale, Billboard reported in 2015. They also have issues with the singer herself.
“Katy Perry represents everything we don’t believe in,” Holzman told Billboard. “It would be a sin to sell to her.”
At the time of Holzman’s death on Friday, she was in court for a post-judgment hearing on the case, TMZ reports.
Euthanasia Activists Want to Expand Assisted Suicide to Children and Mentally Disabled People
Life News
February 22, 2018 3:50 pm
Already there are impatient calls to expand medically assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Thaddeus Pope, JD, PhD, the influential Director of the Health Law Institute and Professor of Law at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota and writer of the Medical Futility Blog, wrote an article last December titled “Medical Aid in Dying: When Legal Safeguards Become Burdensome Obstacles” for the American Society of Clinical Oncology Post. (According to ASCO, it “has taken no official position on medical aid in dying”.)
Mr. Pope notes the “uniformity and similarity” of the six current medically assisted suicide statutes but brings up four so-called “safeguards” affecting the “next-generation issues: the justifiability of prevailing eligibility criteria and procedural requirements” that will allegedly need to be addressed. (Emphasis added)
The first is “Expanding From Adults to Mature Minors” which Mr. Pope characterizes as “unduly restrictive” in part because “Many states already allow terminally ill mature minors to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment”. (Emphasis added)
Mr. Pope’s second issue is “Expanding From Contemporaneous Capacity to Advance Directives”, stating that “All six statutes require that the patient concurrently have both a terminal illness and decision-making capacity. But this dual mandate excludes many patients who have no other exit options” such as those with “advanced dementia”. (Emphasis added)
The third issue he cites is “Expanding From Terminal Illness to ‘Reasonably Predictable’” because:
“(T)his rigid time frame excludes patients with grievous and irremediable conditions that cause suffering intolerable to the individual. Some medical conditions may cause individuals to irreversibly decline and suffer for a long period before dying. Instead of demanding a strict temporal relationship between a medical condition and death, these statutes might be more flexible and instead require that death be ‘reasonably predictable’.” (Emphasis added)
Mr. Pope’s final issue is “Expanding From Self-Ingestion to Physician Administration”:
“First, it excludes patients who lose the ability to self-administer before they otherwise become eligible. Second, self-ingestion is associated with complications. For example, around 3% of these patients had difficulty ingesting or regurgitated the medication. Other patients regained consciousness after ingestion.” (Emphasis added)
And, as in most of the previous issues, Mr. Pope approvingly cites the rapidly expanding assisted suicide situation in Canada:
“Canadian patients avoid all these problems (with self-ingestion), because physicians usually administer the medication. As a result, only 5 of more than 2,000 Canadian patients who used medical aid in dying self-ingested the lethal medication.” (Emphasis added)
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Ironically, there is one so-called “safeguard” that Mr. Pope would like to see tightened:
“that the prescribing or consulting physician refer the patient “for a mental health specialist assessment” if “there are -indications of a mental disorder.” Yet prescribing and consulting physicians have referred only 5% of medical aid in patients who are dying. Leading experts argue that this rate is probably too low relative to the expected rate of impaired judgment. Others are “surprised by how rarely the prescribing or consulting physicians refer patients for a psychiatric consultation.” (Emphasis added)
This discrimination in suicide assessment is not acceptable for any suicidal person-except now, of course, for a person requesting medically assisted suicide.
Conclusion
Without a strong resistance movement, these proposals are only just the next step in the death agenda. So far, much of the public, government officials and medical professionals have been shielded from the real truth by euphemisms and false reassurances from assisted suicide supporters, a mostly sympathetic mainstream media and often spineless professional and health care organizations. We all must educate ourselves to speak out before it is too late.
LifeNews Note: Nancy Valko, a registered nurse from St. Louis, is a spokeswoman for the National Association of Pro Life Nurses.
Breeding to death: Puppy Mills tied to Euthanasia
WECT-TV6
February 22, 2018 12:29 pm

According to the Humane Society of the United States, two million dogs are put down in shelters every year because there’s no one to adopt them. (Source: WECT)
NORTH CAROLINA (WECT) –
The numbers are alarming. According to the Humane Society of the United States, two million dogs are put down in shelters every year because there’s no one to adopt them.
But is pet overpopulation a problem of our own making? Rescue advocates say puppy mills are also breeding two million dogs a year, litter after litter of designer dogs, displacing animals that already exist but can’t find a home.
Erica Geppi, The North Carolina Director for the Humane Society of the United States, says there is a direct and obvious correlation between the excessive breeding in puppy mills, and the need to euthanize animals in shelters.
“It’s an issue that if you see it, you can’t unsee it, and if you let it perpetuate, that it’s one of those things that says a lot about our state unfortunately that we don’t value that type of moral action for those that we are entrusted in the care of,” Geppi told WECT of North Carolina’s lack of any regulation on dog breeding. Repeated efforts to pass minimum standards for dog breeders have passed the State House, but failed in the State Senate.
Coming up in a special report, a heart wrenching look at excessive breeding, animal euthanasia, and the toll it takes on the shelter workers who have to put these animals down. A closer look at the problem, and what you can do about it, Wednesday on WECT at 11.
What This Little Girl Wants After Losing Her Entire Family In An Arson Attack Will Bring You To Tears
nikunj.koladiya
February 21, 2018 2:35 pm
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There are some stories that just get to you. For one reason or another they just touch your heart in a way that you really can’t understand. This is definitely one of these stories for me. To be honest it’s hard to even write about. Especially around the holidays. This little girls name is Safyre Terry. Her story is an absolutely tragic one, and may make you shed a few tears if you have kids of your own. Take a look at her story and her plea to people on the internet and see if you can find it in your heart to want to help this amazing little girl.

In 2013, Safyre’s home in Schenectady, New York was burnt to the ground. She suffered very serious burns across her entire body. The blaze that caused her house to burn down was actually an arson attack, making things even worse.

The fire that destroyed her home also destroyed her family as well. Her father and three other siblings were all killed in the blaze. The only reason that Safyre survived is because her father shielded her body from the blaze. She has endured over 50 operations, along with the loss of her hand and foot. The burns cover more than 75% of her body. She is scheduled for another operation on January 5th.

Her aunt, Liz Dolder, bought a tree to hang Christmas cards on this year. At the sight of it, Safyre got instantly excited and wanted to fill the whole thing up. Liz told her that probably wouldn’t happen. They normally get around 10 cards a year, and the tree holds 100. Liz is now determined to give this amazing little girl the only Christmas present she really wants though. She is appealing to the whole world for cards by using the Facebook group Safyre Schenectady’s Super Survivor. She wants to give a little girl who lost literally everything a chance to have a happy Christmas.
Like I said before, this story was pretty hard to write about. Safyre has endured so much in her short life. The least we can do as a society is send her a card and wish her a Merry Christmas. If you would like to send a card to Safyre (and let’s be honest, if you don’t want too after reading that then I question if you have a heart) you can send them to P.O. Box 6126 Schenectady, NY 12306 USA. Let’s all give this girl an amazing Christmas!
Share The Story Of This Orphaned Burn Victim With All Your Friends And Get Them To Send Her Cards!
Florida Shooter Had Bloodcurdling Reaction When He Entered Court Today During Victims’ Funerals
Parents wait for news after a reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)

what do you think
February 22, 2018 10:56 am
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Life for the teenagers in Parkland Florida who’s high school was the scene of a mass shooting on Wednesday will probably never be the same. It’s unlikely that they’ll ever forget that day, no matter how hard they try. and it’s even less likely that they’ll ever be able to forget the friends they lost that day. The death of 14 students and three teachers leaves a hole in that community that nothing will ever fill again.
The monster that is responsible for these horrific events was leisurely walking down the street when he was apprehended. All reports indicate that he has taken a completely nonchalant approach to the entire proceedings. He appeared in court today for the first time, and his total lack of emotion had a chilling effect on those who saw it.

Nikolas Cruz is the defendant responsible for 17 deaths, but his actions left a mark on far more people. The survivors and the family of those who died were left speechless at the way Cruz has acted as if he’s been busted on petty theft instead of facing life in prison. Daily Mail reports that his hearing was held at the same time as the funeral of one of the kids that he ruthlessly murdered in his rampage:
“Nikolas Cruz, the teenage gunman who slaughtered 17 people in a high school massacre last Wednesday, appeared in court on Monday.
The 19-year-old did not look up once as he sat at the defense table in a red prison jumpsuit.
It was a procedural hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Cruz was joined by his sympathetic public defender Melissa McNeill who last week put her arm around his shoulder as he faced a judge. She described him as a ‘broken person’.
The hearing was at the request of his defense and was to do with documents which the defense want to keep sealed.
Judge Elizabeth Scherer granted their request and said the document was ‘solely’ to do with them having access to Cruz. She did not say what the files contained.
Cruz is being held in a maximum security prison on 17 counts of murder.
On Monday, he shuffled out of court with shackles around his waist and feet.
As Cruz appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale, funerals for his victims continued near the school.
On Monday, 14-year-old Alaina Paige was laid to rest at a funeral at her Mormon church.

Grieving students brought pink flowers to the service.
Among the mourners were children who brought stuffed animals for comfort.
Hers was the most recent of 17 funerals which will take place as a result of Cruz’s rampage.
In a statement released earlier in the week, Alaina’s family said she ‘served her community’. She, like fellow victim Peter Wang, was a member of the JTROC cadets.
‘Alaina loved to serve. She served her community through her participation in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas JROTC program and her countless hours of service as a volunteer for the ‘Helping Hands’ program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.’
The kind-hearted teenager also went to Florida last year to help with the clean-up after Hurricane Irma, her family said.

‘Her selfless service brought peace and joy to those that had lost everything during the storm.
‘While we will not have the opportunity to watch her grow up and become the amazing woman we know she would become, we are keeping an eternal perspective.
‘We are grateful for the knowledge that Alaina is a part of our eternal family and that we will reunite with her.
‘This knowledge and unabiding faith in our Heavenly Father’s plan gives us comfort during this difficult time.’
Luke Hoyer’s funeral was also taking place.

The 15-year-old’s family eulogized him earlier in the week, telling The Sun Sentinel in an obituary that he was a boy of ‘simple tastes’.
‘He loved his family, his dogs and his friends.
‘Luke didn’t need to say much; just having him around made the room feel warm and welcoming.
‘His smile and good nature will be greatly missed by those that knew and loved him. We will continue to feel his presence in our hearts and souls.
‘He will always be our Lukey-Bear,’ they said.
The funerals of Meadow Pollack and Alyssa Alhadeff were both buried on Friday.
Three adults were also killed.
They were Aaron Feis, 37, Scott Beigel, 35, and Chris Hixon, 49.
All three men died trying to protect students from Cruz’s bullets. On Sunday, Beigel was buried by his fiancee.
Separate services were also held for Jaime Guttenberg, 14, and Alex Schachter, 14.”
These are just some of the people who left their homes on Wednesday without knowing that it was their last day on earth. These are the people whose memories we will have to carry on, and who the court system has to find justice for. If you would like to see pictures and ages of each of the victims of last Wednesday’s attack, they can be found here.
A complete lack of empathy is that is being displayed by Cruz is a classic symptom of a sociopath. If he were being wrongly accused, that would be an emotion, if he has just snapped and did something he regrets, that’s a different emotion. There’s none of that, there’s just a person who doesn’t seem to grasp the gravity of anything, and it’s chilling. That’s who prison was designed for; the people who haven’t learned anything, and who are still a danger to the world. He’s who prison was invented for, and we sure hope he enjoys it.
It is said that some 30,000 people in and around Houston, Texas, are in need of temporary shelter in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Some of these people cannot return to their homes yet because of rising flood waters, while for others, there is no home to return to. So many have lost so much, and according to the National Weather Service, it isn’t over yet. Now, when tragedy such as this strikes, who do we think would logically be among the first to reach out, to offer whatever assistance and aid they could? Why yes, the churches, of course. Well, let me tell you a little story about one megachurch in Houston.
You have all heard, no doubt, of Mr. Joel Osteen, pastor of Houston’s Lakewood Church, a 16,800-seat indoor arena complete with plush carpeting and fountains. Seems like a perfect place to shelter at least several hundred of…
Hundreds of military officials – including some of the highest-ranking brass in the Navy – are accused of helping a shadowy Asian merchant fleece Uncle Sam for tens of millions of dollars… and you probably haven’t heard a peep about it.
It’s called the “Fat Leonard” scandal, and the investigation into bribes and corruption one of the biggest in U.S. military history. The Navy has investigated 440 people, including 60 admirals, for possibly taking bribes in exchange for phony government contracts and sweetheart deals.
That means the Navy suspects that up to one-third of all its admirals were on-the-take from a foreign agent.
“Fat Leonard” is Leonard Glenn Francis – a 6’3”, 360-pound Malaysian businessman who makes his money servicing naval vessels in the Pacific.
He bribed the Navy’s elite with the finer things in life that only a crooked businessman could provide: Money, the finest liquor, luxurious trips…
COMMON SENSE: The Uranium One scandal is being mis-categorized. It’s being looked at as corruption by Hillary, Mueller, Rosenstein, Holder, and perhaps even Obama. Although it does involve corruption, I believe it is a mistake to view it this way.
Instead, it should be categorized as a National Security breach. For a semi-hostile foreign power to be allowed to own 20% of our uranium, the essential ingredient for making nuclear weapons, is not just a bad deal, it is also treasonous, and it should be dealt with as such.
According to the New Your Times, about one-fifth of the uranium purchased by Uranium One cannot be accounted for. This is not just unacceptable, it is also criminal negligence. This should not be looked at as a partisan issue—not at all. Many people are involved from both parties. Remember, atomic bombs do not discriminate. They kill everybody.
A politically connected Teamsters union boss was indicted Wednesday on federal charges alleging he extorted $100,000 in cash from a local business.
John Coli Sr., considered one the union’s most powerful figures nationally, was charged with threatening work stoppages and other labor unrest unless he was given cash payoffs of $25,000 every three months by the undisclosed business.
The alleged extortion occurred when Coli was president of Teamsters Joint Council 25, a labor organization that represents more than 100,000 workers in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana.
Coli, 57, an early backer of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was charged with one count of attempted extortion and five counts of demanding and accepting prohibited payment as a union official.
I have written before about the greatest long term risks facing our planet as noted by the World Economic Forum – the global water crisis and poorly reacting to climate change. I would add that population growth would pose further risk.
When I first wrote about this, a British missionary in Nigeria noted he would place corruption high on the list. Why? His reasoning is the leaders of countries throughout the world skim off the top and place friends and family in places of power to do the same. So, the majority of folks become disenfranchised as money and investment are compromised and go into the pockets of these leaders.
This disenfranchisement leads to terrorists being listened to until it is too late. It leads to leaders controlling the messaging often using people’s fears to control them. It leads to a breakdown in institutions to help people and guard against…
I’m glad for the occasional opportunity to explain the realities of police work and the law. Unfortunately, such opportunities often arise because of gross violations of proper police procedure and the law. This is a case in point from Fox News:
Here is a list of unconscious behaviors and traits we develop in the situation of chronic emotional neglect or if we were raised by self absorbed or narcissistic parents :
Developing self destructive defence mechanisms which inclued, displacement, repression of feeling and effects, denial of affect, withdrawal and isolation, projection and addictions (destructive self soothing defences.)
Acting against the self due to the fact you have absorbed negative perceptions of yourself and taken them into your self which manifests in :
self blame,
despair (pereceiving you are inauthetic or flawed, unable to help yourself),
hopelessness (aligned to despair but more to do with the feeling you cannot improve things or help yourself),
helplessness (not knowing what to do or say, not being able to act to assert in the face of injustice, or prevent abusive acts against the self, repeating similar mistakes),
The term ‘narcissism’ comes from Greek mythology, where beautiful, proud Narcissus fell in love with his own image in a pool of water. It’s not a story with a happy ending because unable to leave, Narcissus wasted away and died. But the two-sentence story neatly captures the core tenants of narcissism – it’s a preoccupation with ourselves that can ultimately mean less than favourable outcomes.
Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP Mona Rodriguez holds her 12-year-old son, J Anthony Hernandez, during a candlelight vigil held for the victims of a fatal shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
In Ecclesiastes, it is written that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:4). Now is a time to mourn, a time to weep. Now is a time to grieve with those who grieve and hurt with those who hurt. And now is a time to turn to the Lord and ask Him to have mercy on our nation and heal our land.
Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent flooding in southeast Texas are a terrible tragedy marked by a loss of life and property that will leave deep scars. However, Texas is not alone, and we here in the U.S., engrossed in our own drama, have largely ignored the even more damaging storm and accompanying floods in South Asia, where the death toll is estimated at more than 1,200. Just this morning, flooding caused a building collapse in Mumbai, and thousands more are at risk of collapse due to their foundations being weakened by the flood waters. Millions, not thousands, of people across the region are seeking emergency shelter.
A headline in the ‘letters to the editor’ section of The Guardian yesterday asks the question:
Why more coverage of floods in Texas than in South Asia? Are American lives simply worth more?
While I have the greatest sympathy for those who have…
This documentary examines the plight of Houston’s poor and minority communities a month after Hurricane Harvey. As with Hurricane Katrina, they have fared much worse than Houston’s well-to-do. Many have been left homeless after flood waters contaminated with raw sewage, lead, arsenic and benzene rendered public housing facilities uninhabitable. Despite the 20 billion dollars of federal assistance Houston has received post-Harvey, former public housing residents are getting no help in being rehoused.
Houston’s environmental justice movement has spent years fighting the oil, gas and chemical plants adjacent to their schools and neighborhoods. Routine aerial emissions of benzene and other toxic chemical are already responsible for high rates of asthma and cancer. Located in a flood plain, oil/gas and chemical storage tanks and public housing facilities are subject to annual flooding.
Environmental justice activists are demanding a significant proportion of the $20…
Good evening, #Martinisers. I want to take this time to share with you a video that I have just seen on YouTube, but first, I want to briefly tell you about my experience as a victim of bullying both as a child and in recent years.
As I have mentioned many times, I have autism, and that, along with being a chubby kid, was the reason why I was bullied in middle and high schools. I was called names like “fat boy,” the r-word, “crybaby,” and “handicapped” to mention a few, and other boys, mostly African American, beat me up, stole homework assignments from me, and mad fun of things I wrote and said. The bullying really sent my self-esteem straight to hell, and as my adulthood progressed, I would have bouts of depression, contemplate suicides, and have some issues with authority. I am 43 years old now, and my…
I was thrilled when I went to Facebook today and saw that Julian Lennon and Whoopi Goldberg are supporting the Lupus Foundation. In the early 1990’s I was diagnosed with Lupus based on a medical test. I was put on steroids which caused me to gain a huge amount of weight. I also became stuck at my job because leaving my job at the time would have meant that I would lose my medical insurance.
Having medical insurance with this diagnosis was not easy either. Everything that I saw a doctor for, the insurance company said it could have been caused by Lupus. Having this diagnosis was making my life a nightmare. Yet the only symptoms I seemed to have were swelling feet and ankles. I stayed on the steroids for about 2 years. Over the 2 years my weight continued to increase. Since I myself worked in the medical…
It is rather strange that a condition which should have easily
been identified on the basis of common sense was not
recognized by the psychiatric profession until relatively
recently. The term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder did not
appear in the American Psychiatric Association manual until
1980. The reason this is important is because it indicates an
attitude that can have bearing on recognizing the problem and
instituting proper treatment.
After World War I, soldiers who showed symptoms of anxiety,
irritability, nightmares and inability to cope with life were
considered to have “a bad state of nerves” which was termed
“shell shock.” It was thought that they were cowards who
wished to evade combat. They were subject to shame and
threatened with court-martial. It wasn’t until 1941 that the
first clinical study entitled The Traumatic Neuroses of War
was published.
The author, Dr. Kardiner, pointed out that war neurosis was
considered by many physicians to be a “hysterical neurosis,”
and that this term led people to think that the patient was
weak willed, malingering and trying to get something for
nothing. After World War II, a more enlightened attitude
developed, with the realization that prolonged combat could
break even the strongest soldier, and that the psychiatric
casualties of war were as real and as inevitable as gunshot
and shrapnel wounds. It was not until the Vietnam war that the
condition of “traumatic neurosis” was legitimized.
The resistance to recognizing that trauma can have long-term
psychological effects still persists. Although there is
sympathy for those who were victims of catastrophic trauma
such as an earthquake, tornado or terrorist attack, there is a
less positive attitude toward people who sustained personal
trauma. As a result, people who have suffered personal trauma
are hesitant to seek help for their problems. They may do
their utmost to cope and may actually function quite well, but
the unresolved residuals of the trauma may cause emergence of
symptoms at any time. Shame and guilt may result in the memory
of the trauma being buried in the subconscious mind, beyond
one’s awareness.
Children who suffered abuse or molestation may have
difficulties in school performance and socialization. A
variety of pedagogic and psychological techniques may be used
to help them, but as long as the trauma remains a secret and
unattended, they are not likely to succeed. The emotional
aftermath of childhood trauma may cause serious disturbances
in marriage and in parenting. People seeking psychological
help may not even recall traumatic events of childhood. These
must be skillfully elicited and dealt with.
Young children are extremely impressionable, and childhood
trauma may have a much greater impact than similar trauma in
adulthood.
After World War II, some psychiatrists tried to treat the
combat neurosis by administering sodium amytal (“truth
serum”). Under the effect of this drug, some patients were
able to recall and describe the trauma. However, mere
recollection did little to relieve their symptoms. What is
necessary is an understanding and integration of the
experience into consciousness. One must become aware of the
emotions incident to the trauma, how they have caused the
memory to be walled off and how they are affecting one’s
current behavior.
Symptoms of PTSD can occur anywhere from days to years after
the trauma. Their effect on a person’s functioning may range
anywhere from minimal to totally disabling.
The primary symptoms fall into three categories:
Hyperalertness, Intrusions and Suppression.
Hyperalertness means that the person is constantly on guard,
as if danger is lurking and may occur at any moment. He is
easily startled by noises or by any unexpected movement. The
ring of an alarm clock or someone entering the door without
knocking may trigger a reaction. The mind may perceive these
as a threat, and the body may respond with the features of the
“fight or flight” reaction. A person with hyperalertness may
find it impossible to relax. He may have difficulty in falling
asleep and may awaken several times during the night, with or
without nightmares. Sleep deprivation may result in poor
concentration, impaired memory and moodiness.
People who live with expectation of danger may actually
precipitate some mishap. The tension and suspense that
something terrible is going to happen may be so intolerable
that they do something “to get it over with.” They may start a
business venture and do something to make it fail. They may
have a good relationship and act in a manner that will make
the other person reject them. They may be more prone to
accidents. Each failure or accident may reinforce their
feeling that the world is stacked against them.
The consequences of their anxiety breeds more anxiety in a
vicious cycle that is reminiscent of the words of Job, “I felt
great anxiety, and what I feared would happen did happen to
me” (Job 3:25).
A person should experience joy in life. People with morbid
expectations may be unable to accept feeling joy. They may
fear that if they enjoy something they may lose it. One young
mother with PTSD said that she dreads walking over to the
baby’s crib for fear that she would not find the child alive.
“I don’t feel I deserve to have such a beautiful baby.” There
was no logic to this fear. It was a symptom of her expecting
something terrible to happen. Parents with PTSD who have
morbid expectations may be so overprotective of their children
that they cause them to become hyperalert and anxious and
stifle their growth.
Intrusion means that the traumatic incident keeps coming back
and intruding into their awareness. Any one of many things
that is in any way reminiscent of the traumatic incident may
cause the person to feel he is reliving it. This is called a
“flashback.” In order to avoid flashbacks the person may
restrict his activities to avoid something that may trigger
one. The person may avoid reading a newspaper, a book, or
meeting people who may in some way trigger a flashback. He may
become isolated and socially withdrawn. For example, some
Holocaust survivors may avoid reading anything referring to
the Holocaust, or even meeting other survivors for fear of
experiencing a flashback of terror. Night terrors in the way
of dreams are intrusive.
People who have experienced a personal assault at night may
not leave their homes at night. A child who leaves the home at
night may trigger an intrusive thought, and they may forbid
their children to go out at night.
Suppression refers to keeping the thought out of awareness.
Because it is a subconscious process it should more correctly
be referred to as “repression.” It is similar to the bodily
defense of fainting upon an acute pain so that the pain cannot
be felt. Some people describe the experience of a trauma as
though it was not happening to them. This repression can occur
both at the moment of the trauma or at any time later.
Something which is too painful to realize may be banished from
awareness
Clinically, this is especially important in cases of child
molestation. The memory of the experience may be so laden with
the negative feelings of fear, shame and guilt, that the
person may not recall it. Nevertheless, the memory exists in
the subconscious mind, from where the noxious feelings of
fear, shame and guilt associated with the incident continue to
exert their effect. The person may be depressed and/or have
problems ranging from low self-esteem to loathing oneself,
without a clue as to why one feels that way. She may employ
any of the coping tactics described in my book Life’s Too
Short. Difficulties in interpersonal relationships and
disturbances of marriage may be the result of such incidents.
Because the causative trauma is not recalled, the person may
attribute these difficulties to a variety of other causes,
none of which are true. Even in therapy, the focus may be on
resolving these other causes, which does nothing to alleviate
the problem because the real cause is not addressed.
Some people may recall a traumatic incident and even describe
it, but the memory is devoid of emotion and meaning. Allowing
oneself to think about the memory might bring back the painful
feelings one wishes to avoid.
Rape is one of the most devastating traumas a human being can
experience. Proper management of the acute trauma may help
forestall severe PTSD, but support and therapy may be
necessary for a longer time. A man who had been mugged at
night developed a fear of night. He took a job where he worked
from 11PM to 8 AM, because that enabled him to stay awake all
night. He was frightened of being defenseless when asleep.
The feeling of loss of control that is characteristic of
trauma may result in strange ways of trying to gain control.
Some people may develop superstitions or magical thinking.
Some people may say that they had premonitions of a disaster
and that they have omens about what may happen. Some may
convince themselves that they brought the trauma onto
themselves, and although this may cause them to feel guilty,
the idea of “I caused it” can mean “because I made it happen,
I can make it not happen.” Ironically, the painful feeling of
guilt may provide a modicum of relief because it may give them
a sense of control. This may also explain recurrent
nightmares.
The two symptoms, intrusion and suppression, have opposite
effects. Intrusion tries to bring the trauma into awareness,
and suppression tries to keep it out of awareness. The person
with PTSD is caught in the middle, vacillating between states
of intense emotion and no feeling at all. This why the person
may be unstable and unpredictable, alternating between
impulsive behavior and no action at all.
With so many possible symptoms, mood alternation and
unpredictable behavior, the person with PTSD may be
erroneously diagnosed and treatment may be ineffective. It is,
therefore, important to be aware of PTSD, to prevent it when
possible, to recognize it early, and to institute proper
treatm
Read ways to stop puppy mills: Adopt a pet, take action against pet stores that sell mill-bred puppies, support laws that regulate and reduce breeding …
Investigative reporter John Boel has exposed much of the corruption taking place in the “child protection” system in Kentucky. His reports were broadcast in the
In 2006 and 2007 investigative reporter John Boel exposed much of the corruption taking place in the “child protection” system in Kentucky. His reports were broadcast in the local media at that time, and included some amazing interviews with former CPS whistleblowers, documenting the depth of the alleged corruption within Kentucky CPS.
In a report aired originally on WLKY Target 32 News, news anchors begin the story by explaining that the station had to go to court just to get permission to air their investigative report, because the State of Kentucky attempted to censor their report from the public.
Reporter John Boel states that they were “being swamped with complaints” against CPS in Kentucky. He explains that his report gives an “in-depth look” into Kentucky CPS which exemplifies what they were hearing from so many other families who were coming to them.
Boel reports that children are often removed quickly with no evidence of parental wrong-doing, and that the State retaliates against those who try to fight back.
Corrupt Kentucky Family Court
The investigative report shows a confidential video tape from an actual custody trial that was recorded in family court. Boel states:
While it may take weeks, months or years to take someone’s freedom away in a circuit court, it only takes 17 minutes to take 3 …. children away in a family court.
The video footage then clearly shows that the mother in this case had no true representation in family court. The caseworker states that the children were taken into state custody due to “educational and medical neglect.” No records were allegedly provided, only the opinion of the caseworker. After 17 minutes, the judge terminates the mother’s right to her children.
State of Kentucky Retaliates Against Those Who Try to Fight Back – Including Attorneys
The mother allegedly appealed the ruling and fought back, which resulted in the State removing her other 3 children, and 14 children from her extended family.
Next, Boel interviews an attorney who took this family’s case, attorney Bob Bishop, and his wife Jennifer Bishop. Jennifer explains how her husband was incredulous that such abuses in the system were happening.
She then explains that CPS came after them also, removing their own adopted daughter from their home.
They said “if you don’t cooperate with us, we’re going to take all your children, and charge you with emotional abuse.”
Corrupt State of Kentucky Makes Money from Adoptions
In his next investigative report, reporter John Boel explains that one of the motivations for the State to remove children from parents even when parents have done nothing to warrant such a removal, is to receive federal reimbursement funds for the adoption program.
In his follow up report in 2007, John Boel receives “confidential” family court tapes showing just how the system works, and how the actions of some caseworkers even disturb some of their fellow caseworkers. Records supporting parents seem to “disappear.” They also reveal conflicts of interest between case workers and foster parents who may be related to the case worker placing the child into the foster home.
Watch these 3 reports here:
CPS Whistleblowers Speak out on Abuse in Kentucky CPS
In this 4th report, John Boel explains that CPS whistleblowers reveal how Kentucky families are harassed, and CPS workers are pressured to boost State adoption numbers.
He starts out his report by interviewing former CPS social worker Pat Moore, who was fired because she refused to ignore abuses in a foster home. She sued the State of Kentucky, and settled for $308,000.00. Moore allegedly refused to carry out an adoption for foster parents because they had criminal records, and a convicted sex offender was allegedly visiting and caring for the foster children. CPS tried to over-rule her decision to oppose the adoption and push it through quickly.
Boel interviewed her attorney, who stated that he believed the motivation for CPS to approve adoptions to convicted criminals was to receive federal funds available for adoptions.
Adoption Business: Placing Orders for Babies that CPS Fills by Kidnapping
Next, Boel interviews another CPS whistleblower, but one who wanted to keep her identity concealed because she was so afraid of retaliation. The former CPS worker explains how CPS is all about statistics, about how many children can be placed into adoption, since State and Federal reimbursement funds are all tied into statistics. She explains that CPS workers are encouraged to put more children into adoption.
She even relates one story of how someone who could not have children “placed an order” for a baby:
Someone could not have a child and wanted a child. So, within the community this certain person saw a family that was in distress, was having a hard time, and relayed to (CPS) workers that they would like those children. And that is exactly what is happening….
Next, Boel interviews a former CPS supervisor who also conceals her identity because she fears retaliation. This person tells Boel that if an order for a child was delayed or denied, her supervisors would come in and try to overrule local decisions.
This one family was promised a child. And when it happened that the child was going to be reunified with the parents, they called our regional office, and our regional office came down on our county and they harassed the birth parents… because they did not agree with our decision.
Kentucky CPS Power: Take Away Children at Will
These CPS whistleblowers also confirmed that CPS can and does take away children simply to retaliate against people who try to fight or expose the system:
I can call in a report tomorrow, and I can make it seem very real, to the point that a family will be investigated. And whoever gets it could come up with a substantiation, of let’s say “neglect,” and it might not be true. But it doesn’t matter.
Watch this shocking report here:
Are Things Any Different in Kentucky Today?
Brenda Maney’s children, taken by CPS in Kentucky. Source: Maney family.
We could find no evidence that John Boel’s investigative reports on Kentucky CPS back in 2005 through 2007 resulted in any changes for the better.
Earlier this year, Health Impact News reported on the story of the Maney family in Kentucky, which suggests it might be business as usual in Kentucky CPS.
Brenda Maney of Richmond, Kentucky spoke to our reporters and told us her story, which is published here. Brenda reports that a well-meaning friend called CPS in Kentucky to actually help her through some difficult times, but that instead of helping, CPS allegedly took her children away, even over the objections of local police.
Brenda is facing a hearing on May 7, 2015 to permanently remove her parental rights.
Supporters are encouraged to call the governor of Kentucky and legislators to advocate for the return of Brenda Maney’s children. Governor Steve Beshear may be reached at 502-564-2611, or contacted here.
The Senator for Brenda’s district is Senator Jared Carpenter, who may be reached at 502-564-8100 Ext. 730, or contacted here.
Representative Rita Smart represents her district. She may be reached at 502-564-8100 Ext. 607, or contacted here.
John Boel now works for a different news station, WAVE3. He has told Health Impact News that he can only cover the stories his news management assigns to him, and he is not currently covering any Kentucky CPS stories. Contact his station and ask them to cover the Maney family story (and the Naugler family story!) and their court case on May 7. WAVE3 can be contacted here
…heart-breaking stories of CPS corruption, including how children are being taken away unnecessarily and put in very abusive situations. Her conclusion is that “there is no responsibility and no accountability in Child Protective Services.”
It’s not nice to call names. But when it comes to narcissists, calling them out is really a matter of survival for those dealing with their abuse, as wel…
Roving writer, author of The Narcissist Family Files Blog
Behind the Narcissist Mask: The Bully, Coward, Liar and Fraud
03/16/2017 09:38 pm ET
TONY WEBSTER, CREATIVE COMMONS
It’s not nice to call names. But when it comes to narcissists, calling them out is really a matter of survival for those dealing with their abuse, as well as for those who don’t understand the profound harm they do. All narcissists wear a mask, or false persona. And when you strip away the narcissist mask you find weakness and vulnerability that would be pitiable if it weren’t so astonishingly vicious.
The Narcissist Mask
But chances are you won’t ever remove the narcissist mask, because he defends it at all costs with a full arsenal of preemptive controlling and abusive tactics. Whether as a young person overvalued with excessive praise and indulgence or undervalued with neglect and/or abuse (or an impossible combination of those parenting styles), the narcissist is in essence an emotionally stunted child with an adult savvy for ruthless manipulating. The narcissist mask is what he wears to assert a face of superiority and entitlement, protecting himself from intolerable feelings of invalidation, otherwise known as “narcissistic injury.”
The Narcissist Bully
Narcissists are classic bullies. They ambush, attack without cause, and prey on the most vulnerable within their grasp, usually those who love and depend on them, namely their spouse and children, who as a result carry lasting emotional and physiological trauma.
Narcissists often also abuse employees, susceptible friends, and “underlings” such as waiters and clerks. Exploiting their power over others in any way possible feeds their endless need to feel superior, and their lack of empathy gives them free range to abuse without the troubling hindrance of a conscience.
The Narcissist Coward
Many of us come out of invalidating (sometimes severely) home environments, but we do not become compassionless sadists. Narcissists are cowards who are fundamentally terrified of themselves and anyone who might see through their mask. Their driving motivation in life is to shield themselves from threatening emotions that trigger their deep-seated sense of inferiority, or narcissist injury.
Often narcissists strike and run, initiating surprise attacks and retreating before being confronted with the consequences of their rage. Narcissists also may behave passive-aggressively, cloaking their rage in self-pitying performances meant to induce guilt and blame.
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Whatever hurtful tactics they use, narcissists virtually never take responsibility for their behavior. Instead, they are masterful at denying and projecting their abuse onto others, most often those they have abused, further exacerbating the harm they do.
The Narcissist Liar
The narcissist mask is a lie designed to protect her from truths she cannot bear. Again, this feels like a pity plea moment, and indeed pity for the narcissist is understandable. But pity for the narcissist is dangerous territory that often leads those already victimized into a position for further abuse.
Narcissists are liars who continuously attempt to control others’ perceptions of them and, when they can’t, resort to nasty, often violent reprisal. The narcissist may cast himself as a highly principled person, but in reality he is only concerned with his own needs and is too weak to face life’s truths, especially those that threaten his defenses. He may talk a good game, but when it comes to the truth, he stonewalls, blames and shames others, and always deflects accountability.
The narcissist may, for example, rage at her son for getting an A- grade instead of an A, because she feels threatened by her son’s academic success, she is angry about a fight she had with her spouse, or she is projecting a self-centered expectation of perfection.
The Narcissist Fraud
Narcissists are by nature frauds who lie, exaggerate, and brag about themselves and denigrate others to bolster their image. They hate themselves but hate others even more, and everything they do is in service of asserting a superior face no matter what reality exists inside themselves or within their family.
A dictionary definition of fraud is
a person or thing intended to deceive others, typically by unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities.
Narcissists are classic frauds—at love, parenting, friendship, and any other important relationship in life. Because they lack the ability to recognize and empathize with others’ experiences and emotions, narcissists are incapable of authentic intimacy, kindness, or selfless giving.
Julie L. Hall’s articles on narcissism regularly appear on her blog The Narcissist Family Files and inThe Huffington Post and PsychCentral.com. She is the author of the forthcoming memoir about life, and a few near deaths, in a narcissistic family (read excerpts).
Do you know someone who is self-centered? Discover the traits of a self-centered person and find out how to deal with people who are self-centered. The latest…
The death toll in Texas now reaches 44 and rising. Over 20,000 homes are flooded and the costs is put at $50 billion.
That is appalling.
But spare a thought for the Asians. They too have experienced unprecedented flooding due to increased rainfall as a result of warmer air.
The death toll in India, Nepal and Bangladesh is now 1200 and rising and millions are now homeless.
In America the homeless are being put up in temporary shelters, clothed, fed and have clean water. Their life will be miserable but they have help.
In Asia there is nowhere for most people to go. No food to eat, no dry clothes and no fresh water to drink. They are drinking unclean water and thousands will die of waterborne illness. There is no help forthcoming. Most are subsistence farmers and have lost everything. They will wait for the water to recede and…
Over the past couple of years, the incredible Project Shoebox has gathered hundreds of boxes from you generous people to gift during the cold winter months. This year Project Shoebox isn’t running again, HOWEVER, some charities that support homeless and vulnerable people are running their own collections. So you can still donate and support. Also big thanks to Mali who has tirelessly pushed Project Shoebox in the city. Much respect.
There’s plenty to show the number of homeless people in Cardiff and across the UK is increasing. The Wallich publish figures of the number of people they support on a monthly basis, and while this isn’t an absolute figure, you can see the rough trend.
As I headed upstairs to get James up this morning, I heard him giggling… Normally, this is a sound that thrills my heart, but I know James all too well and at 07:30 in the morning it is rare to get so much as a grunt out of James…. Giggling meant trouble; my heart sank…
Sure enough, as I entered James’ room, an all too familiar scene greeted me (and my senses!)… James occasionally, overnight while he is relaxed and sleeping, does a ‘Number 2’. The good news is that he still wears a pad at night, the bad news is that if he wakes up early, he will start to play… Whoever discovers him in the morning will usually shout for help with the words “Brown alert!”
This morning, as I was once again cleaning James, his bed, his room, you surely can’t blame me for sighing (not…
John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (KJV)
We all know that light conquers darkness. If you were in a pitch dark room & lit a match, that tiny match would dispel a surprising amount of darkness.
Jesus referred to Himself in the above Scripture as the light of the world for a reason. Light also gives life- look at plants, as an example. Without light, they won’t survive. Like light, Jesus gives life- eternal life. If you follow Him, He will make clear what path to take in your life. He also can show you things you might not have noticed before. (If it wasn’t for Him, I don’t know if I’d know anything about narcissism.)
In your journey of healing from narcissistic abuse…
The list of Hollywood sexual predators continues to grow each day. Like the revelation of the priest abuse in the Catholic Church at the start of this century, victims can now speak out as others take the brave step in going public.
There is the psychological aspect to all of this. In cases of sexual abuse, especially at a younger age, victims may not even recall the event until an older age when they feel safe, or when they read about someone else and it triggers a memory.
The abuse in Hollywood, like that in the Church, as it is in other leadership positions, speaks to a deeper issue of power and human nature. Many of the Hollywood cases involve minors, but many do not. The predator takes advantage of others as he or she (although most often he) feels like they have the power, or the right, to do…
Poverty in America is about the massive corruption scandal behind homelessness and the dearth of affordable housing for low income Americans.
Despite the nearly ten years that have passed since the 2008 economic crisis, 2.5 million Americans are made homeless through home eviction every year. The limited stock of affordable housing has no way of absorbing this many new renters. This, in turn, drives up rents at a time when real wages are decreasing. In many cities, families are forced to pay over 50% of their income in rent – a precarious situation leaving them one family emergency away from the streets.
This documentary focuses on two grossly inadequate federal programs dedicated to increasing access to affordable housing. The first is the Section 8 voucher program enacted in 1968. Under this program, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards vouchers to…
Andrew Oberle, 31, was attacked by two chimpanzees five years ago in South Africa. He is now opening a trauma care program at St. Louis University Hospital, to help other people with trauma.
Las Vegas shooting victim Tina Frost began recovery in Baltimore on Monday as President Donald Trump praised the strength of the shooting’s survivors and called the perpetrator a mentally unstable individual with a “sick mind.”
The increasing number of accusations of sexual harassment or assault by famous actors and producers in Hollywood—the latest is Kevin Spacey—carries two lessons: the practice is far more prevalent than many believed (and I’m one of those who had no idea), and if a powerful man does it once, they’ve probably done it before (viz., Bill Cosby). I was going to write about Kevin Spacey this morning, and in particular Brendan O’Neill’s defense of him in Spiked, “Kevin Spacey is innocent” (what he means is that Spacey’s “not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt”, since Spacey was accused of fondling an underaged boy, but it was 30 years ago and Spacey doesn’t remember it)—but then I woke up this morning to read that Spacey has been accused by at least eight more people of inappropriate behavior on his “House of Cards” television show:
Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
A headline in the ‘letters to the editor’ section of The Guardian yesterday asks the question:
[Nurse Puts Dying Baby Next To Her Twin. She Gives …] 
…heart-breaking stories of CPS corruption, including how children are being taken away unnecessarily and put in very abusive situations. Her conclusion is that “there is no responsibility and no accountability in Child Protective Services.”
Do you know someone who is self-centered? Discover the traits of a self-centered person and find out how to deal with people who are self-centered. The latest…
[Adopted Dog Returned To Shelter 11 Times, But Then…] 
Source: 
THE WORLD GONE MAD 