Bill Gates funds Dutch malaria project which uses insecticide-laced netting

DutchNews, December 12, 2015

A house in Tanzinia fitted with the eave tubes. Photo: In2Care

A Dutch company has a key role in a malaria prevention project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the tune of €9m. 

Wageningen-based In2Care is part of the five-year project which is being coordinated by Penn State University researchers. The aim is to investigate a new method for preventing the transmission of malaria. 

The method involves limiting mosquito access to houses by screening windows and installing tubes under the eaves that contain a unique type of insecticide-laced netting developed by In2Care. 

The beauty of the technology is that the people living in the house don’t have to do anything. ‘It is passive technology,’ In2Care director Bart Knols said. The netting in the tubes requires replacing every few months but the system is low cost and suitable for most types of African houses. 

An earlier project, funded by the EU, showed the tubes reduced indoor mosquito densities by up to 90%. 

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Institut Pierre Richet in Ivory Coast are also involved in the project.

Mexico issues first permit to grow and use marijuana

Yahoo – AFP, December 11, 2015

A man shows medical marijuana at a greenhouse in Mexico City
on November 30, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yuri Cortez)

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican health authorities issued Friday the first permit allowing four individuals to grow and use their own marijuana for recreational purposes, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

While the permit opens a crack in Mexico's prohibitionist policies, the government health watchdog Cofepris stressed that the authorization is limited to those four people only.

The group, part of the Mexican Society for Responsible and Tolerant Personal Use (SMART), is pushing for full legalization of marijuana, arguing that it will help reduce the country's relentless drug violence.

Their legal victory has set a potential precedent for others to seek similar permits while forcing President Enrique Pena Nieto and Congress to debate whether to change the country's marijuana laws.

For now, Cofepris underlined in a statement that under the current laws marijuana "is still an illegal substance" and its cultivation and sale remain forbidden.

But the four SMART members -- two lawyers, an accountant and a social activist -- are allowed to "sow, grow, harvest, prepare, possess, transport and consume marijuana for recreational uses," Cofepris said.

They are not permitted, however, to sell it to other people or use marijuana in front of children, pregnant women "or people who do not give their consent."

The SMART members say they have no intention of using marijuana. Their goal, they say, is to force the government's hand.

While Pena Nieto has repeatedly voiced his opposition to legalization, he has convened experts to a national debate in several states between January and March to decide potential new regulations.

Congress, meanwhile, is discussing a bill that would legalize the import and consumption of medical marijuana.

Related Articles:

Mexico's top court opens door to recreational pot use

Mexico leader wants expert debate on pot legalization

Dutch remain happy with life, more positive about Muslims

DutchNews, December 11, 2015

The Dutch are positive about their own personal situations but worried about the prospects for the next generation, according to a major new report on society in the Netherlands. 

On average, people give their own lives a score of 7.8 out of 10, in line with the results two years ago. The survey, by the government’s social policy think-tank SCP, was carried out in February before the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and the rise in refugee numbers.

The survey is carried out every two years. ‘The Dutch are relatively positive about the way society is, notably positive about national politics and more than averagely pro-Europe,’ the report states. 

‘However, the rise in concern about the future is notable. People expect the next generation will find the going tougher.’ 

In particular, crime is considered less of an issue and ideas about Muslims have also improved ‘strongly’, the survey shows. In 2004, just one-third of those questioned said most Muslims respected others, but this has now risen steadily to 55%. 

In 2004, 47% of people thought there were too many immigrants in the Netherlands, but that has now dropped to 36% – albeit a four percentage point rise on the last survey in 2013. 

Boorish behaviour

However, there has been an increase in the number of people who are embarrassed about the behaviour of their fellow Dutch nationals. Two years ago, 31% were left red-faced about bad manners and loutish attitudes but that has now risen to 36%.

‘We are all proud of our tradition of freedom of speech, but we are embarrassed about the loutishness it can generate,’ said SCP deputy director Robert Bijl. 

Almost six in 10 are also concerned about the lack of ‘norms and values’ in present day society, the survey showed.

Related Articles:

New research shows 85% of the Dutch are satisfied with life

Why Dutch Children Are the Happiest in the World (And What We Can Learn From It) - (Update)
Many Dutch people are feeling happier in 2014


"Not Your Father's New Age" / "Paradign Shift" (3) - Feb 14/15, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… The New "Listening" Body

Number three: There'll never be a time in Human history that is more profound than this one, when it comes to how the body is listening to what you are saying. There is a process, and always has been, where the cells of the body are on alert to what the boss - you - wants. For years, we have been asking you to talk to your body, talk to your cellular structure. Now we're going to tell you that it's listening, even when you don't realize what you're automatically saying! It's now listening 24-7. So what are you saying to it?

This is now a time where negative dialogue will have more personal influence on you than ever before. Think about what you are saying in life as you move around socially. What is your attitude when you say it, and how often do you say it? Your body is listening. Dear Lightworker, part of your spiritual evolution is that the body, the innate, is now aware of everything. Now, you may say, “Well, that's nice.” It's more than nice; it's profound! If you don't listen to this and understand it, you will keep you aging in the same old way you have. This is why we have spoken of affirmations more than ever before. This is far more than just positive thinking. Every time you open your mouth, you have the potential to give instructions to your body, and it listens to you when you talk to it. Unfortunately, your habits are to tell your body that you are unworthy!

I want you to think about what you're saying. When somebody asks you about your health, about your spirituality, about your intent, or about your aging, do you say the words, “I am working on it. I am trying”? The result is the cells of your body say, "Well, she's working on it - she is trying," but (implied), "She doesn't have it yet." I want you to listen to yourself when you talk. Are you giving "less than" messages to your own body?

Perhaps I've said enough, but almost every single one of you comes from a culture that is proud of demeaning itself in some way. It's an old habit from old ways that are supposed to represent a gracious countenance. Someone wants to give you a gift or celebrate your birthday. How many of you automatically say, "You shouldn't have"? Do you realize that your actions and words are saying, “I don't deserve it" to your own innate? Your actions say, “I am unworthy.” Don't you think your body hears this or sees it? It does. It is time to get out of the unworthy closet, Lightworker! You are alive with God inside! Don't be afraid or ashamed to proclaim, “I am healthy, I am healed, I am youthing, I am in charge of the situation.” Not, “I'm working on it” or, “I'm trying.” That tells your body that it may happen someday, but not today. That's the difference. “I am worthy of happiness. I am worthy of a peaceful situation in my life. I am worthy of a solution in my life.”

When someone wants to give you a gift or celebrate your birthday, automatically say, "Thank you for this wonderful gift!" Your innate will hear, "I am worthy of this gift of appreciation from others." Then love them for it. ….”

ADHD diagnoses soar 43 percent in United States

Yahoo – AFP, Kerry Sheridan, December 8, 2015

Often treated with pharmaceuticals as well as psychological counseling and
 therapy, ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is now diagnosed in more
 than one in 10 American youths, researchers said December 8, 2015 (AFP Photo/
Philippe Huguen)

Miami (AFP) - The prevalence of ADHD diagnoses soared 43 percent in the United States in the first decade of the century, with more than one in 10 youths now diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, researchers said Tuesday.

ADHD is the most commonly identified mental disorder in the United States, often treated with psychological therapy and prescription stimulants like Ritalin to improve behavior and focus.

Its precise causes are unknown, though some research has pointed to difficulties during pregnancy, exposure to toxins and family history as playing a role.

The findings in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry show that 12 percent of American children and teens had ADHD in 2011, a significant rise over the 8.4 percent reported by parents in the same survey taken in 2003.

When researchers looked specifically at teenagers, they found the diagnoses had risen 52 percent since 2003.

"This analysis suggests that 5.8 million US children ages five to 17 now have this diagnosis, which can cause inattention and behavioral difficulties," said lead researcher Sean Cleary, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.

While ADHD has traditionally been more common among boys than girls, researchers found that parent-reported prevalence for girls diagnosed with ADHD rose 55 percent in eight years -- from 4.3 percent in 2003 to 7.3 percent in 2011.

Among boys, it rose 40 percent.

The data for the study came from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, a part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

'Sharp jumps'

"We found rising rates of ADHD overall and very sharp jumps in certain subgroups," Cleary said.

Hispanics in particular reported an 83 percent rise in ADHD diagnosis during the eight-year study period.

The rate of ADHD rose 107 percent among non-English speakers, and 71 percent among children with parents in so-called "other" parent marital situations -- such as living with a single father, legal guardian, or grandparent, the study found.

Study authors said their research was not designed to look for the underlying reasons for changes in prevalence.

However, past studies have suggested the recent rise in US prevalence of ADHD may include changes in special-education policy or increased public awareness of ADHD.

Other studies have suggested that there has been no objective rise in ADHD since the 1960s, but rather changes in definition and diagnosis that account for more cases being recognized.

According to Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, the latest data is "not surprising" and "supports the general impression that more children and adolescents are being diagnosed with ADHD."

However, Adesman -- who was not involved in the study -- said that while the statistics are convincing, "it does not help us understand why these increases are being observed."

Related Articles:

Psychiatrists want action on over-prescribing of Ritalin for ADHD children

Children's hyperactivity 'is not a real disease', says US expert

"Common Questions from Non-Lightworkers" - Feb 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) 

"... Question Three: Is there life on other planets?

... I will tell you, as long as you stay in 3D, you'll still be getting in little metal cans and air suits and going to planets. As soon as you begin the quantum age, however, you will simply wish yourself there, because you will be entangled with everything and can go with intent. If you don't believe this now, you will later, for what I give you is true. It may be lifetimes and lifetimes from now, but the group that is before me is the group that is going to come back over and over. The difference is that you're done coming back in an old energy. This is a new energy.

When you come back, dear one, everything you know will be in your DNA and be on top [available]. You're not going to have to go through what you did before. As soon as you decide to look around and open the door [metaphor for free choice to awaken], everything you've learned this time around will be right there.

This is the attribute of what you would call "a child of new consciousness," which you have labeled with a color - indigo. The child remembers who they are. They are conceptual, and you believe they have to be taught from scratch! Hardly! They remember! Do you understand what is taking place? We told you this last time, but we want to review something with you: The animal on the prairie drops its calf and within hours, the calf is up, running with the herd. Did you know that the calf instantly knows who its enemies are, what water to drink that doesn't smell right, and what berries to eat that are not poison? Where did that come from? How did that infant animal know these things? The answer is that this information was biologically inherited. You call it instinct. But when you have a Human baby - nothing! It doesn't know anything but that it's hungry. It requires 20 years of teaching! Aren't you tired of that? Did you ever think about why the animals have so much knowledge to begin with and you have so little? Does that seem correct for the top of the evolutionary ladder? It's time for that to change.

You're starting to see it, even with the indigos. They come in knowing. That's why they're so impatient. You're trying to teach them things they already know instinctively. Just like the calf on the prairie, they come in knowing. Some of them try to teach you. That doesn't always go well. That was question three...."

Human Evolution –  27 Sep 2008 (a message from Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

“.. What do you think the Human brain can really do? What do you think it's built to do? Let me give you an example of what your society has come to accept as an "unbalanced person." Some of you think it's a "sick person." Let me talk about the autistic one. Let us talk about autism in what you call the most severe case.

Blessed is the autistic one who has come to this earth to show you what future Human evolvement looks like! They spend a lifetime trying to figure out linearity and it frustrates them. Blessed is the savant who the earth looks at and calls unbalanced. For the Humans who do this cannot see what they don't understand. The autistic one is able to get up off the paper and be in color! Many of the autistic ones can do what your calculators can do on your desks, did you know that? And they don't need a calculator! Give them a problem - two digits multiplied by three digits. Now watch how fast they give you the answer. Because they're not linear! Ask them what weekday the 13th of August will be in 2012, and they'll tell you, and they don't need a calendar. You might say, "What kind of a mind can do that?" I'll tell you - a nonlinear one without the walls in the brain that you have.

Have you ever thought about that? The autistic have a nonlinear mind. The barriers are dropped. Can you imagine the frustration of this Human? Here he is in a world of black and white while he is in color. Not only that, you want him to go in a straight line when he is used to all directions at once. This also explains why the only energies that will work to calm him are interdimensional ones - music, art, and love. Does this start to make sense to you? (see below)

What is taking place, dear ones, for all to know and see and understand, is that very, very slowly you have the linearity of the Human brain starting to be reduced. Unlike the autistic, it will be in ways that will still be balanced and make sense. In other words, you will be able to move in and out of quantum thought any time you wish in order to live in a linear, 3D existence, but have quantum consciousness. It will be a return to a form of consciousness that Lemurians had, but with the wisdom of the ages that you have collected. This will not be fast, but the forerunners of that are already here.

I'm going to give you some attributes of Human evolution in a moment, but let's return to the autistic ones. Many reading this are very concerned about autism. You wish to know why there are so many autistics being born. You say it's beyond coincidence that there are suddenly so many! There's more autistic children being born today than there ever have been on this planet. Humans are scurrying around wanting to know what's wrong. Is it the chemistry of the food? Perhaps it must be vaccinations! Some are saying, without any proof, "Yes, that's it - vaccinations must be it." You are grasping at almost anything to solve the puzzle of why so many autistics are arriving.

Yet very few Humans, if any, have looked at the puzzle and said, "Perhaps we're evolving, and this is the first wave of what we're going to see?" Not mentally unbalanced, but nonlinear thinking! This is, indeed, the case. You are seeing a form of evolution and you are calling it odd and unusual. It's simply those who are coming in early with activated quantum DNA. This early forerunner has DNA activated in an uncontrolled way, and so learning is needed to know how to make sense of it all. This is what they are doing, and each generation of savant will have a better time of it, figuring out what is linear and what is not.

Watch the autistic child go through what they must do (autism in its most severe form). They are so nonlinear that there is incredible frustration in trying to linearize even the Human voice as you speak to them. They will do the same actions over and over and over, trying to linearize the nonlinear. The linear walls are gone in their brain, and they have to learn to build the ones that they need. Humans then see them as a problem, and it's not a problem. It's a form of gifted children who are helping this planet to grow. Blessed are those who come into Earth as the new wave of consciousness to show you where it's going. They are setting the stage for a new kind of Human. For this quantumness will develop in a balanced way where many will have the autistic talents where they want them, and the linear when they want that. That's what the Human mind is capable of - being quantum when they wish to be. That's a return to the way it was given to you. 

Let me tell you something that's nonlinear in your life. We have said this so seldom. You're given two quantum things as a Human Being, two things that pass between the other side of the veil and this side of the veil that are absolutely quantum, not linear. They have structure, but they are not linear. Perhaps you haven't even thought about them? I'll tell you what they are - art and music. There is no limit to the number of notes that you can hear at the same time, which your brain can listen to and put together. There's no limit to the number of symphony orchestra players that can come together in harmony on one stage. The more you add, the better it gets! Try that with lecturers [smile]. Did you ever think about that? There's no limit to the number of colors that you can comprehend and resolve in certain patterns. They are beautiful and have communications within them all. Music touches your heart. Now you know why. It's interdimensional. It's quantum. It was designed to do that. Now, apply that same scenario to communication and you'll see where you're going. This is Human evolvement. It's beginning on this planet. It will go slow, but that's what's going on. .. ‘’

Blind couple left stranded in woodland after attack on guide dog

DutchNews, December 7, 2015

A guide dog in action

A blind couple were abandoned in woodland after their guide dog was attacked by another dog on Sunday, local broadcaster AT5 reports. 

The couple, named as Jasper and Marion, were left stranded in Diemerbos with their dog Ian, who was bleeding and unable to lead them to safety, after the other dog’s owner fled the scene.

‘The owner shouted at us to call our dogs to heel, but his dog went straight into a fight with Ian,’ said Jasper. ‘He [the owner] had difficulty separating his dog from Ian. We spoke to the man but he ran away. Marion tried to go after him but he got in his car and drove off.’

Ian was given emergency treatment by a vet but it is unclear if he will be able to resume his work as a guide dog.

‘Incidents like these can cause long-term anxiety towards other dogs,’ said Peter van der Heijden of the Royal Dutch Guide Dog Foundation (KNGF). ‘That would make Ian unsuitable for guide work. Guide dogs need to be 100% dependable in their work.’

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Councils want changes to welfare rules, plan experiments with ‘more friendly’ approach

DutchNews, December 7, 2015

Junior social affairs minister Jetta Klijnsma is in talks with four Dutch cities about experiments they want to run to relax the rules governing welfare benefits. 

Utrecht, Groningen, Wageningen and Tilburg want to overhaul the current welfare rules so that claimants would not have to continually apply for jobs and go on ‘reintegration’ courses, the Volkskrant says on Monday. 

The councils think a more friendly approach will work better and cost less than the current regulations. The four cities will meet Klijnsma again next week with more concrete plans. All experiments with alternative ways of dealing with welfare benefits (bijstand) have to be approved by her. 

The Volkskrant says a number of other cities, including Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Amsterdam, are also working on new ways of dealing with welfare claimants. 

‘Many people on benefits become paralysed by all the rules and checks,’ Eindhoven councillor Saskia Lammers told the paper. In particular, the government’s tone in dealing with claimants and its lack of trust in them have an impact, she said. ‘We have to stimulate rather than sanction,’ she said. 

Soft

In June, Utrecht city council said it planned to begin experimenting with a ‘basic income’ to replace the current complicated system of taxes, social security benefits and top-up benefits, if the government gave approval. 

Other cities, including Groningen, Maastricht, Gouda, Enschede, Nijmegen and Wageningen, are said to be looking along the same lines. 

VVD councillors in many councils oppose the ‘softer’ approach, the Volkskrant says. ‘You get the most out of people by challenging them, not allowing them to sit around doing nothing,’ said Amsterdam VVD councillor Marianne Poot. 

Rules

At the moment, someone claiming bijstand is required to apply for a number of jobs a month, take part in reintegration sessions, follow courses and do voluntary work. Council have to check they are meeting the conditions and to reduce benefits if they are not. Claimants who find a part-time job are allowed to keep up to €196 a month on top of their benefits.

Related Articles:

More Dutch cities may join in ‘basic income’ experiment

Utrecht city council to begin experiments with a basic income

This Dutch City Plans to Give Residents a Universal ‘Basic Income’

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Why Should We Support the Idea of Universal Basic Income?

UN aims to 'end poverty' with 2030 agenda for sustainable development

Canada to become first G7 nation to legalize marijuana: government

Yahoo – AFP, 5 Dec 2015

Canada will next year become the first country in the G7 bloc of leading
economies to legalize marijuana, the government said (AFP Photo/Yuri Cortez)

Ottawa (AFP) - Canada will next year become the first country in the G7 bloc of leading economies to legalize marijuana, the government said Friday in a speech by the governor general.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised the move during the recent election campaign that swept his Liberals to power, after two previous administrations failed to follow through on a similar pledge.

Fewer crime suspects, but one in six is now over the age of 50

DutchNews, December 3, 2015

The over-50s account for an increasingly large percentage of registered crime suspects, according to new research by the national statistics office CBS. 

In 2007, one in eight suspects was over the age of 50 but that has now risen to one in six, the CBS says. 

The reason for the shift is an overall drop in the number of suspects. While the number of over-50s has shrunk by 10%, the number of registered suspects under the age of 50 has gone down by 33%. Among 16 to 18-year-olds, the drop was as high as 50%. 

The over-50s are most likely to run foul of the law for shoplifting, drunk driving and assault, the CBS said.

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Dutch feel there’s less vandalism: police say they are right

Police figures show 4% drop in recorded crime, more bikes stolen

New York goes a record 11 days without a murder

Tough case to crack: the mystery of Britain's falling crime rate


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… "Wow, Kryon, how long is that going to take?"

The Humans in the room control that and those listening later and reading. When you leave this room, what are you going to do? Go home, report this, rub your hands together, and wait for it to happen? It won't. For the Humans in the room and the old souls hearing and reading have got work to do, and I've told you this before. You've got work to do.

There's an alliance that you're going to have to create with one another and with another group - the young people of Earth. The youth of this earth are changing the way things work. Can you see it? You're not supposed to sit around and watch them either, because they need you, old soul.

It's time for you to align with the indigos and the concepts of the youth of the planet. Do not think for a moment that their age shows their wisdom. These two attributes are not commensurate with one another; they're not linear. These young people may be older souls than you are! Don't think that because they've got technology that you don't understand that you can't be one with them. Their technology is social networking, the very thing we are talking about, where everyone can talk to everyone. The new consciousness on the planet starts in two areas - the children and the old souls.

Conclusion

This is the message of the day. The recalibration of awareness is going to change systems, education, government and finance. Those who don't choose to be spiritual at all will still move with a new awareness, for they will be aware of something that they are not aware of now - a softer way of living.

We close with a trite statement that we've given before, but that many have stated in jest: "If women ran the world, they would never send their sons to be killed on a battlefield."

Many laugh. How trite, how simple minded. Indeed, there have been women leaders who have put wars together; they had to. They sent their sons, so that's not really a correct statement. However, it's more right than you may think, dear ones.

So now I will make the statement I have made over and over in these recalibrated channellings: "When recalibrated Humans run the world, there will come a day when they will never send their sons into the battlefield." You see, awareness will change all of that. They will eventually see the wisdom of unification, new ways to settle issues, and the intuitive attribute of putting things together instead of tearing them apart.

There will be a time when government armies will not need to be large, and weapons will not be as powerful. Slowly, government won't need them. Slowly, slower than you want, these things will happen as the old soul carries his light and looks at the masters of the planet and emulates them.

You've all heard it: There will come a time when the masters will come back to Earth, and there are many who are waiting for this. However, it has already happened! They couldn't come back until the alignment was right and now it is right. This is what you are feeling in 2012 and beyond. It's starting to happen, and they're back. But they're not back as corporeal Human Beings. They're back as the energy of recalibrating of the awareness of God.

I wouldn't say these things unless they were true. Watch for these things, dear ones. Remember where you heard them first and when some of them start to occur in your news. And when you see the earth working in this fashion, dear one, maybe you'll realize that what I have given today is real.

Be circumspect. There is no perfect timing. Humans will create all this at their own pace. Do not be in fear of the things that might follow, for I say it yet again that the old energy will show itself soon in survival mode and it won't be pretty.

In this beginning of new energy, stand tall and turn on your light. Darkness will shirk before you. That is the truth of the day.

I am Kryon, in love with humanity.

And so it is.

KRYON.

Dutch to restrict e-cigarettes to over-18s

DutchNews, December 4, 2015

The cabinet will today slap a minimum age of 18 on electronic cigarettes in an effort to stop youngsters smoking, according to RTL news. 

In addition, advertising e-cigarettes will be subject to the same rules as traditional tobacco products. 

The changes are being incorporated into the Dutch laws on tobacco which will be discussed in Friday’s cabinet meeting, the broadcaster says. 

The decision follows research by the public health organisation RIVM earlier this year which shows e-cigarettes are more dangerous than thought. 

The chemicals included in the smoking mixture include nicotine, propylene glycol and glycerol, aldehydes, nitrosamines and metals. Inhaling these can irritate and damage the airways, cause palpitations and increase the risk of cancers, the RIVM said. The RIVM is now researching the impact of e-cigarettes on passive smokers.

Pope: Condom issue is 'morally complicated'

Pope Francis has dismissed a question about condoning condoms in the fight against AIDS, saying that the world is facing bigger issues. The pope left Africa after visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic.

Deutsche Welle, 30 Nov 2015

The Roman pontiff admitted that condom use is "one of the methods" which could prevent the spread of HIV, while talking to journalists aboard the papal plane on Monday.

Francis was flying back to Rome after a five-day tour in Africa, when a reporter asked him if the Catholic Church should allow the use of condoms to combat the spread of AIDS.

The head of the Catholic Church did not provide a definite answer on the "morally complicated" issue, criticizing the question instead.

"I don't like getting into questions or reflections that are so technical when people are dying because they don't have water or food or housing," he told the German reporter, according to the AP news agency.

"The problem is bigger than that," he added.

Pope Francis also pointed to slave labor, environmental exploitation and arms trafficking as some of the more significant problems facing humanity.

Questions like condoms and AIDS can be addressed when the other issues he mentioned are resolved, according to the pontiff.

Abstinence against AIDS

The topic of AIDS and HIV has taken a back seat during the pope's visit to the three African countries.

However, the Vatican chief took the time to visit the HIV-infected children at a Uganda hospital, and thank the church's health care workers for looking after the infected.

AIDS is the number one cause of death among adolescents in Africa.

Francis' predecessor Benedict XVI sparked international criticism during his 2009 Africa visit by saying that condoms could make the AIDS situation worse.

The previous pope later admitted that using condoms was justified in some cases, but insisted they were not a "moral solution."

The Church discourages Catholic believers from using artificial birth control methods. Instead, the Vatican recommends abstinence as a way to stop AIDS.

dj/gsw (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Related Articles:

Pope says Catholics do not need to breed 'like rabbits'

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  3 - Longer Life is Going to Happen, But…

Here is one that is a review. We keep bringing it up because Humans don't believe it. If you're going to start living longer, there are those who are frightened that there will be overpopulation. You've seen the way it is so far, and the geometric progression of mathematics is absolute and you cannot change it. So if you look at the population of the earth and how much it has shifted in the last two decades, it's frightening to you. What would change that progression?

The answer is simple, but requires a change in thinking. The answer is a civilization on the planet who understands a new survival scenario. Instead of a basic population who has been told to have a lot of children to enhance the race [old survival], they begin to understand the logic of a new scenario. The Akashic wisdom of the ages will start to creep in with a basic survival scenario shift. Not every single woman will look at herself and say, "The clock is ticking," but instead can say, "I have been a mother 14 times in a row. I'm going to sit this one out." It's a woman who understands that there is no loss or guilt in this, and actually feels that the new survival attribute is to keep the family small or not at all! Also, as we have said before, even those who are currently ignorant of population control will figure out what is causing babies to be born [Kryon joke].

Part of the new Africa will be education and healing, and eventually a zero population growth, just like some of the first-world nations currently have. Those who are currently tied to a spiritual doctrine will actually have that doctrine changed (watch for it) regarding Human birth. Then they will be able to make free choice that is appropriate even within the establishment of organized religion. You see, things are going to change where common sense will say, "Perhaps it would help the planet if I didn't have children or perhaps just one child." Then the obvious, "Perhaps I can exist economically better and be wiser with just one. It will help the one!" Watch for these changes. For those of you who are steeped in the tradition of the doctrines and would say that sounds outrageously impossible, I give you the new coming pope [Kryon smile]. For those of you who feel that uncontrolled procreation is inevitable, I encourage you to see statistics you haven't seen or didn't care to look at yet about what first-world countries have already accomplished on their own, without any mandates. It's already happening. That was number three.….”

Russian TV host reveals HIV-positive status live on air

Yahoo – AFP, 2 Dec 2015

Russia accounted for 60% of all diagnoses of HIV across Europe in 2014,
according to the World Health Organisation (AFP Photo/Florian Schuh)

Moscow (AFP) - A well-known Russian television host announced live on air that he is HIV-positive, an unprecedented revelation in a country with rising infection rates but where HIV/AIDS remains a largely taboo subject.

Pavel Lobkov, a presenter on the independent TV station Dozhd and a former news anchor on state television, made the announcement during a show on Tuesday evening, on World Aids Day.

He is the first Russian public figure to openly declare himself HIV-positive.

Russia has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, with around 1,000 new cases diagnosed each month and a total of almost a million people known to be infected, with the real total likely to be much higher.

Lobkov, 48, said that he learnt of his condition more than a decade ago, in 2003, after asking to be tested at a private clinic.

Describing the brutal way in which he was informed of his status, Lobkov said he saw "HIV+" written in red on his file and that the doctor told him he could no longer receive treatment at the clinic because "you are HIV positive."

The room "had an open window, very low down," he said, hinting that he had contemplated suicide.

"Today I accomplished a serious feat in my life," he said of his revelation.

Lobkov is known for being outspoken. He was fired from the state NTV channel in 2012 -- a move he said was prompted by his attendance of opposition demonstrations against Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency.

His disclosure of the fact that he is living with HIV won praise from many Russians.

"Such a step has a huge meaning for everyone with the status," human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov wrote on Twitter.

But the journalist also sustained a stream of online abuse, mostly maligning gays.

In a Facebook message on Wednesday, he thanked those who had voiced support for his "battle with medieval attitudes" and "total everyday lying".

"I started perestroika with myself, as Mikhail Gorbachev told us," he added, referring to the economic reforms of the late Soviet era.

The World Health Organisation last month said that Russia accounted for 60 percent of all diagnoses of HIV in Europe in 2014, with heterosexual sex the main route of transmission of the virus which is spread through contact with contaminated body fluids.

A public health campaign in Moscow urges people to be faithful to their partners, rather than promoting condom use.

Russia also does not approve methadone replacement therapy for drug addicts, which allows them to stop injections, preventing them from contracting HIV from tainted syringes.