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See One Daughter’s Touching Letter for Her Father with Down Syndrome on His 50th Birthday

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:16:04 GMT

Facebook

The bond between a father and a daughter is something incredibly special. Ask most girls and they’ll tell you that their dad was their very first love. But for one daughter in particular, she faced some trials precisely because her father was born with Down Syndrome. Richie Anne Castillo – who lives in the province of Cebu in the Philippines – was mocked and bullied for having a father who was “different” in some people’s eyes, yet she’s proven that her dad is just as amazing as everyone else’s despite being “special.” In fact, he is special, in the most amazing way!

So on her father’s 50^th birthday, Richie Anne decided to write a Facebook tribute to her father about how proud she is of him, and how she thinks that the rest of the world should know about it too.

She begins her post writing, “Dear Dad. Today marks a very special and very miraculous moment of your life. You turn 50 today and I am so blessed that you continue to live such a long and beautiful life. Doctors are still amazed by it! I know you won’t be able to read this because I don’t know if you have Facebook, but I want the whole world to know how proud I am that you are my dad. I want the whole world to know how beautiful you are inside and out.”

Facebook

She continues her post by explaining what her childhood was like. While people made fun of her and meanly called her “abnormal,” she couldn’t understand it at first since all she saw was the man who was her dad, not someone with a disability. She shared, “Dad, it took me so many years before I gathered enough courage to face everyone because not all may know the whole truth because it is quite confusing. Back in grade school, I would be picked on and bullied because they said you were different. As a kid I didn’t see you as different, I saw you as my dad.”

She continues, “I didn’t understand why they were making fun of me and calling me abnormal. I understood this later on and it made me a coward. But you deserve more than the coward daughter that I am. You deserve love, understanding, patience and acceptance as any individual with Down Syndrome should. Here I am composing a birthday greeting to you because I’ve never done such a thing. You deserve so much more.”

Facebook

She goes on to pay tribute to her father by telling him how strong and brave he has been his whole life. She writes, “Dad, you are the strongest and the bravest human being I know. For almost all your life, you have allowed doctors to insert needles in you, surgeries here and there, a lifetime doing dialysis, and a long list of limitations. But you seldom complain.”

Richie Anne also shares that much of the reason why her father is so strong is because of his relationship with God. She continues, “You are the strongest because after all those surgeries, procedures, and nights at the hospital, you managed to say ‘Wa ko mahadlok mamatay kay ni salig ko sa Ginoo’ (I’m not afraid because I trust in the Lord.) You always put a smile on your face after a long day at the dialysis center, or after a hypoglycemic episode. You are the bravest because you have been through so much and you never, not even once been afraid. I cannot imagine putting myself in your shoes.”

Facebook

In a heartbreaking turn in her post, Richie Ann also explains the struggles that her father faced throughout his life and the pain he has had to endure. She writes, “I have seen you at your worst when you would break down and say that you are tired. Hearing those words ‘Kapoy na. (I’m tired)’ or ‘Sakit kaayo. (It really hurts)’ made me cry for days and I couldn’t bear going back to the hospital anymore. I have seen you cry because your knee would hurt cause of the fluid. I can’t feel your pain, but how I wish I could take your place so you wouldn’t have to feel any pain anymore.”

She adds, “You lost your teeth, but that never bothered you or kept you from eating the food that you love. You always lose your postiso (dentures) man gud. HAHA! Wa nuon kay ngipon (you don’t have teeth) and I know you do it purposely! I had forgotten how you looked like with teeth or with hair.”

Facebook

Richie Anne also apologizes to her dad for her absence and how she hid him from her life. She goes on to say, “Dad, no amount of words can sum up to how sorry I am for being an absent daughter. I’m sorry for not bringing you to the beach more often or I don’t bring you your favorite dimsum food or I don’t visit you more often than I should. If there is one thing I regret, it is hiding you from my life because I’m still the same little kid who was afraid of getting bullied. But I love you more than you could ever know, Dad and I am inspired by you always. I’m inspired at how much you love the Lord and I came to love the Lord myself and its amazing at how incredibly intelligent you are.”

Facebook

Towards the end of her letter, she writes, “Everyone adores you and you know that. You could always put a smile and a laugh on everyone’s faces. You annoy people a lot too but we love you anyways. I understand that you have good days and bad days (your bad days are our bad days as well haha.) You can be mean at times and you push everyone away, including me. But that’s just you and it’s okay. It’s okay to be different.”

She then ends her post with, “I could go on and on talking about you but it would be too long. Happy 50th birthday, Daddy! Thanks for always calling me your one and only baby girl because I always will be. I am strong and brave because of you and I love you so much, dad. I think I’m big enough now to defend myself from the bullies. Lots of love, your daughter.”

Richie Anne’s tribute was posted on her Facebook page on June 2, 2019, and since then, it’s received over 250K reactions, 6.6K comments and 77K shares. Netizens from all over commented about just how wonderful a daughter she is, with many others saying that her tribute to her father brought them to tears. But mostly, it has shown the world that no matter what kind of circumstances families may be in or have in their lives, there is no greater power in the world than unconditional love.

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Brand New Bill Could Require Cops to Have Liability Insurance for Brutality Lawsuits

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 03:19:17 GMT

Aklit

The United States is still reeling from the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, and the public is demanding justice. Protests began on May 25 with protestors clamoring for law reforms, justice for Floyd and all the other innocent men and women that have died at the hands of incompetent police, and these riots haven’t totally stopped. What people truly want is an end to is police brutality and for government to acknowledge the lack of actual transformative change when it comes to the nature of law enforcement on every single level.

But many wonder, what will actually make the police force change their ways? New York lawmakers propose a brand new revolutionary insurance bill that they believe will have police officers thinking very hard before they decide to brutalize civilians, by making them pay directly out of their paychecks.

This particular bill has been proposed by State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx), who has chosen to introduce the bill. According to the New York Law Journal, this bill “would hold all officers across the state personally liable for their actions while on duty by requiring them to obtain insurance policies that would cover civil lawsuits filed against them in case they are taken to court for excessive force or other abuses.”

Sen. Biaggi shares that it’s her hope that this proposed bill “would create a firm disincentive for police misconduct and end the impunity that officers enjoy in favor of real financial accountability.”

Apparently under the present law, any officer that faces a lawsuit is given representation by a local law department, which taxpayers actually pay for regardless of the verdict or the settlement.

But under Biaggi’s proposed bill, cops would be the ones required to get their own liability insurance which would then cover any claims for acts “during any period of time that such officer is performing duties within the scope of employment.” But despite these particular costs to the police officers, local government would still be made to pay for the basic insurance policy in order to pay for any tort litigation costs.

The New York Comptroller’s Office shared in a report that the NYPD tort claim settlements were as high as $230 million alone for the Fiscal Year 2018. Incredibly, the New York Post also shared that this was only for 6,472 cases of “alleged wrongdoing” or “alleged misconduct.”

Sen. Biaggi explained, “While taxpayers bailout law enforcement who engage in misconduct, those same officers too often evade meaningful accountability.” And this is why her proposed bill for requiring cops to pay for their own liability insurance in order to dissuade wrongdoings or transgressions shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Personal liability insurance isn't a novel idea. Nurses and hairdressers carry personal liability insurance too.https://t.co/ISetoGXsMf

— Alessandra Biaggi (@SenatorBiaggi) July 13, 2020

She went on to say, “Officers who have misconduct claims brought against them may see their premium go up and will be required to pay those costs. The purpose of this bill is to establish a financial disincentive for police misconduct and create accountability for abhorrent behavior.”

New York lawmakers also support another revolutionary bill. This one will also require police officers to lose their retirement benefits and state if they are dismissed for “serious” acts of misconduct.

Senator Luis Sepulveda (D-Bronx) explains, “We are at a pivotal moment for anti-racist and police reform, and it is clear that law enforcement officers must face greater accountability.” He added, “Taxpayer dollars should not be funding public benefits for state employees who commit heinous or illegal actions,”

Advocates for police accountability have been pushing for mandatory police liability insurance for officers for some time. Anywhere from “leftists to libertarians” have been in support of this “common-sense way”, mostly because they believe that police officers are getting away with abusing their authority and not having to be accountable since they are not financially liable for the fallout.

A law Professor at Northern University, Deborah Ramirez, told NPR “If you were [were] a reckless driver, if you engaged in multiple instances of drunk driving or hitting civilians or motor vehicle homicides, your premiums would go sky high. And you would be priced out of driving. Similarly, officers who engage in reckless or dangerous behavior can be priced out of policing by high premiums that reflect the actual risk that they post to us.”

“The liability insurance approach would also act as a sort of early-warning system,” she added. “[W]e need some independent risk assessment here. Because they are public officers, because they do carry a badge and a gun, they should be subject to some risk assessment score card.” Ramirez went on to say, “And if the police won’t create it – because it’s very hard for the police to police themselves – then insurance companies can, and they do that in a number of contexts.”

It seems strange that nurses, doctors, lawyers and even hairdressers are required to have personal liability insurance in their type of work, but police officers are not.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the idea of mandatory insurance for individual officers, it has been blocked in a number of places where the police are at fault for the murders of innocent men and women like in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed – which then caused the riots in the first place. Professor Ramirez also feels that it’s because of the cop unions that have protected these police officers for years, relieving them from any type of accountability when it comes to police brutality cases.

Ramirez exclaimed, “It hasn’t become a reality because we have very politically powerful unions for whom this is something they care about a lot. They want to be totally immunized from any responsibility – financial or job responsibility – for dangerous, reckless policing … But the moment is different now. The political calculus has changed.” She also shared, “This is a moment when real reform can take place.”

But the real question remains, will lawmakers listen?

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UN Peacekeepers Said to Have Fathered Numerous Babies with Haitian Girls as Young as 11

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 03:58:54 GMT

Indian Express

As if Haiti hasn’t suffered enough, a study has come out that talks about how United Nations (UN) peacekeepers that were in charge of protecting the disaster-struck nation mostly due to the 2010 earthquake and 2016’s Hurricane Matthew, saying that these men actually fathered hundreds of babies with both local women and girls as young as 11. And to make matters worse, they left these females to support and raise these babies alone, and in extreme poverty nonetheless.

A study was published by Sabine Lee of the University of Birmingham and Susan Bartels of Queen’s University. In the paper, they talk about the experiences of those said to be safeguarded and protected by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, otherwise known as MINUSTAH.

According to the researchers, their studies were based on at least 2,500 conversations with Haitians talking about the experiences of some of the women and girls that lived in the areas held by peace operations. They also said that of the 2,500 people they spoke with, at least 10% spoke about “stories about peacekeeper-fathered children.”

According to these stories, “Girls as young as 11 were sexually abused and impregnated” between the years 2004 to 2017. One man even described these women as “left in misery” to take care of their children alone, many getting kicked out of their homes and left to defend themselves and their young children with no help from anywhere.

DreaminTV

These abandoned children have been given colloquial nicknames like “’Petit MINUSTAH’, ‘bébés casques bleus’ (blue helmet babies), or ‘les enfants abandonnés par la MINUSTAH’ (the children abandoned by the MINUSTAH),” which are all monikers that basically mean these children will have labels their entire lives.

When the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations was asked for a comment about whether they are taking “the issues raised in the study seriously,” Secretary General António Guterres said, “We have unfortunately seen cases involving MINUSTAH peacekeepers over the past years, although allegations have been generally declining since 2013.”

One of the conversations between the researchers and one of the Haitians proved a harsh reality, where they shared, “They put a few coins in your hands to drop a baby in you.” But for girls that had no other way to earn money or know where to get their next meal, it was a difficult means to a very sad end.

This isn’t the first time that a UN mission has been riddled in controversy, considering their mission in Haiti has been one of the longest so far. In fact, the MINUSTAH was already linked to a former sex ring in Haiti when 134 Sri Lankan peacekeepers were found to have used nine innocent children in their illegal workings from 2004 to 2007. And before that, back in 2010, Nepalese soldiers had caused a cholera outbreak that reputedly claimed at least 10,000 lives.

ReliefWeb

OxFam, a group whose tagline is “The power of people against poverty,” actually lost donors in the thousands last June after the group was accused of covering up an investigation. The accusation alleged that there were some staff members that paid for sex during the time they were in Haiti in 2010.

Even worse, the MINUSTAH has been implicated in a number of other horrific matters like “gang rape, the rape of a mentally challenged 14-year old boy, exploitation and unexplained deaths, torture” and more.

Some might remember that the United States Marines actually occupied Haiti between 1915 to 1934, and continue to be on the ground until today. Back when Bill Clinton was the President of the United States, a military operation in Haiti led by the U.S. called “Operation Uphold Democracy” ensued in order to remove the military regime that had taken over Haiti in the 1991 coup d’etat. But it is also notable that the Clintons “have a long and controversial relationship with the Caribbean nation.”

An article in The New York Times also highlights the fact that despite the studies’ authors not estimating the exact number of girls that were impregnated and left behind, but they did say that both aid workers and legal experts agree that “the problem has been pervasive, and that the United Nations has failed to assist the women.”

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Birth Rates Around the World are Collapsing at ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Rates and The Global Impact ...

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 01:55:56 GMT

Singularity Hub

The global population is set to peak around the year 2064 at a whopping 9.7 billion people, but that number isn’t going to last forever. Studies show that by the time the 21^st century is almost over, the numbers will be as low as 8.8 billion. It might sound like a huge number, but the possible negative impact on the planet is quite worrisome.

In an interview with BBC News, Professor Christopher Murray said, “That’s a pretty big thing; most of the world is transitioning into natural population decline. I think it’s incredibly hard to think this through and recognize how big a thing this is.”

“It’s extraordinary, we’ll have to reorganize societies,” he added.

Although most people have talked about how the growing population is doing the planet more harm than good, research has shown that the lower numbers will eventually cause ‘profound social changes’ in a number of countries all around the world. In fact, if governments don’t issue some new policies when it comes to reproductive health, their economies are going to suffer in the long run.

Researchers from the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics conducted a new study which was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. It showed that fertility rates are dropping, and expected to continue to fall at quicker rates as the years pass.

Unlike the 1950s, where women were recorded giving birth to an average of at least 4.7 children, by 2017, the birth rate has decreased by almost half at 2.4. But the new research suggests that by 2100, that number will collapse even further to a staggering 1.7.

Professor Murray exclaimed about these projections, “That is jaw-dropping.”

CNN Business

These studies have also shown that there are 23 countries, including Spain, Portugal, Japan and Thailand, that may possibly find their populations decrease by more than half by century’s end.

Meanwhile in China, which is well-known to have the highest number in population all across the globe, is expected to grow to at least 1.4 billion people in the next four years. But research also shows that this number will reduce to 732 million by 2100. When this happens, India will take its place as ‘the most populous nation.’

And perhaps the decline in Japan’s numbers is one of the most alarming of all. While the country’s population peaked in 2017 at 128 million people, it’s expected to fall to a troubling 53 million by the end of the century as well. That’s over half of the current population today. Italy follows closely afterwards, thought to fall massively from 61 to 28 million.

Many might be wondering why these studies are so worrisome, especially because smaller populations tend to be better for the environment. But it’s the other issues that people don’t think about when it comes to a lowered population rate. According to Murray, “That would be true expect for the inverted age structure 9more old people than young people) and all the uniformly negative consequences of an inverted age structure.”

“It will create enormous social change. It makes me worried because I have an eight-year-old daughter and I wonder what the world will be like,” he also said.

Smaller populations mean that governments will have higher healthcare costs but less people to care for the elderly. It will also create more pressure for the elderly to work longer and retire later on when they should already be enjoying their lives. Poorer countries whose governments are strapped for cash will also have a ‘shrinking tax revenue base,’ making it harder to fund the country’s needs like infrastructure, education and better retirement packages for their citizens.

Japan is the perfect example of a nation that has ‘struggled to remain competitive’ since their population lacks people in the workforce and has more senior citizens that need caring for. Because of this, their government has had no choice but to raise the retirement age from 60 to a worrisome 65 to 71.

Many wonder why there has been such a large decline in fertility and population growth, but studies show that one main reason is because women not only know so much more when it comes to reproductive health, but because they also have easy access to contraceptives.

WebMD

Another Professor, Stein Emil Vollset, explained “Responding to population decline is likely to become an overriding policy concern in many nations, but must not compromise efforts to enhance women’s reproductive health or progress on women’s rights.”

Because of this, researchers suggest that countries dealing with population declines should come up with new policies to not only help improve reproductive health, but to also find ways to boost fertility rates. Professor Murray iterated, “We need a soft landing.”

Some countries have chosen to deal with their dropping population by allowing people to legally immigrate to their shores. But Professor Murray shared, “We will go from the period where it’s a choice to open borders, or not, to frank competition for migrants, as there won’t be enough.”

But if numbers continue to drop, then finding people to migrate might not even be an option. Professor Ibrahim of the Abubakar of University College London (UCL) went on to say, “If these predictions are even half accurate, migration will become a necessity for all nations and not an option. To be successful we need a fundamental rethink of global politics.”

“The distribution of working-age populations will be crucial to whether humanity prospers or withers,” he also shared.

People shouldn’t conclude that a lower population also means that those that are on the planet will have ‘more material prosperity.’ Professor Murray warns, “I find people laugh it off; they can’t imagine it could be true, they think women will just decide to have more kids.”

He added, “If you can’t [find a solution] then eventually the species disappears, but that’s a few centuries away.”

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A Gorilla That Lacks Pigmentation On Her Fingers Surprised Many With Her Shocking Resemblance ...

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 02:51:10 GMT

DeMilked

There was a fun party held at Zoo Atlanta not to long ago to celebrate the 6th birthday of their gorilla, Anaka. To share this joyous occasion with others, the zoo employees took photos of their girl and shared it to their followers on Facebook. People sent it their birthday greetings for Anaka. However, while mostly everyone was sending their birthday wishes, others were more observant of the photos and noticed a peculiarly interesting detail.

The gorilla showed a unique pigment on her hand. In the close-up photo of the pink patch, a lot noticed that part of Anaka’s hand looks almost human-like. Yes, this is understandable, considering that gorillas have opposable thumbs. Another similarity is that interestingly enough, all primates have individual and unique fingerprints and toeprints, which are also used for identification purposes, much like human beings.

Unlike most from the animal kingdom, primates also have fingernails and toenails instead of claws, which are used to open and scrape things, cleaning and scratching.

The zoo also shared on their website that it’s not only Anaka’s skin that is unique about her, but her personality and character as well.

“[She’s] often barking at her mom and others to get a prime spot for food and juice. She is often seen riding piggyback on her brother and sisters.”

Some people commented that perhaps Anaka has vitiligo, a long-term skin condition that makes some patches of skin lose their pigment. Morena Lale did comment though that while she asked the zoo about it, they did not confirm this. “I asked this question … and this is their reply: ‘Well, her skin pigment has always been like that and hasn’t changed over the years, so we think it’s just a cool birthmark.’”

Doesn’t Anaka’s hand closely resemble a human beings?

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33-Year-Old Health Journalist Exposes ‘Flawless’ Instagram Models And Shows True Body ...

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 05:02:13 GMT

Insider

Scrolling through social media will show hundreds, if not thousands of flawless and seemingly perfect models. These self-proclaimed models post their picture-perfect physical attributes as a marketing tool to sell another fad diet, healthy shakes and other things that is supposed to convert us to become as beautiful and as perfect as they are. However, these posts are not 100% honest and Danae Mercer has proven this by exposing all the blatant lies seen on a daily basis in social media.

A health journalist based between Dubai and London, Mercer shared with Bored Panda that:

“We’ve been fed perfection for so long. It’s only going to get worse, with all the built-in video editing tools that Instagram and TikTok have, where it’s easy to smooth your skin or shrink your nose in a single click. So I think we need to shout about normal bodies and body image constantly. It helps us remember that social media isn’t real and that there’s a whole lot more to feeling good about ourselves than a 10-second insta snap.”

Researchers have stated that using Instagram is positively associated with self-objectification among women in the last couple of years. They show risks of obsessing over society’s accepted beauty ideals and the comparison of appearance with those who are popular on the internet that more often than not, lead to serious appearance-related self-esteem issues.

Danae Mercer

Going against these unachievable beauty standards is what sets Mercer apart from the rest of these self-proclaimed models, that earned her over 1.1 million followers on Instagram alone.

“My Instagram feed is focused on making gals feel normal. I deal a lot with angles and posing, a bit with eating disorders, and loads with uplifting quotes that are designed to make women feel good. It’s the sort of stuff that makes me feel better in a day.”

Aside from the important topics she tackles, you can’t miss out on the adorable photos of her rescue kitty, Kiki.

Danae Mercer

As someone who is very passionate about body confidence, Mercer retells the story of how she came about this way:

“When I was 19, my mom died and I developed a pretty severe eating disorder. In the year that followed, I struggled with body image and feeling comfortable in my own skin. It wasn’t until I hit my 30s — I’m 33 now — that I started to really own all the parts of me – including my wiggles, jiggles, and things that previously made me feel self-conscious.”

Danae Mercer

She added that her love for herself and her body stems from having a supportive community of women.

“I started posting this kind of content a year ago, and every time I do, I’m constantly reminded just how normal it is to have stretchmarks, cellulite, wobbles, whatever. How human it is. And how incredible it feels when you can be yourself in all the ways — and have amazing women letting you know they’ve got those things too.”

Danae Mercer

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