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Business Journals
4 days ago
- Business Journals
After Hours: My Sister's House 24th Anniversary Gala
My Sister's House is a nonprofit that serves survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in the Sacramento region, with a special focus on Asian and Pacific Islander women and children.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
New study investigates autism spectrum disorder prevalence
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that includes a variety of differences or challenges with social communication and interaction, restricted interests, repetitive behaviour, and sensory processing differences. A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 16 sites across the US has found that rates of ASD in children aged between four and eight years were higher in 2022 than in previous years. This study adds data to support the trend of an increasing prevalence of ASD across the US, but the study found the situation was more complex than simply rising prevalence rates. This study found that in 2022, the observed prevalence of ASD was 32.2 per 1,000 children, meaning that approximately 1 in 31 children had ASD, a notably higher estimate than that of 2020 (26.1 per 1,000 children). The prevalence varied widely across sites in this study, with the highest prevalence observed in the California study site. Race and sex were also investigated, and a higher prevalence of ASD was seen in Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI), Black, and Hispanic children than in White children. Additionally, the prevalence was higher, as observed in previous studies, in boys than in girls across all study sites. The study also investigated why the prevalence of ASD in young children appears to have increased between 2020 and 2022. Since the last study period, the screening rate for ASD in young children has increased, in large part due to campaigns toeducate medical professionals who work with previously underserved communities. Increased screening, especially in low-income, A/PI, Black, and Hispanic communities, has resulted in improved case detection and higher prevalence rates. In the US, GlobalData epidemiologists have noted an increase in diagnosed prevalent cases, with a forecasted increase from approximately 3,207,000 cases in 2025 to 3,267,000 cases in 2031. This increase is observed across all ethnic groups. Total prevalent cases of ASD, which include cases that are both diagnosed and currently not diagnosed, are expected to increase from approximately five million in 2025 to 5.1 million by 2031. This study is released against a backdrop of concern for increasing ASD rates across the US. It is important to note that while the study only comments on changes between 2020 and 2022 in ASD prevalence, there is a longer trend of increasingprevalence of ASD lasting nearly two decades. This is in part due to changes in the definition of ASD, which was formerly called 'autism,' to include a broader variety of disorders under the umbrella term ASD. Changes in definition, combined with increased screening and awareness, contribute chiefly to the increase in prevalence of ASD in this age group. This supposition is further supported by studies investigating the subgroup of children who have high support needs, including 24-hour-a-day support and care, limited verbal communication, and intellectual disability co-occurring with autism. The rates of this subtype of ASD have increased only very slightly, if at all, over the last ten years. So, while ASD diagnosis and prevalence are on the rise, it is important to keep in mind that the primary use of this information must be meeting the needs of these children and ensuring that all children are given the support they need to reach their full potential. "New study investigates autism spectrum disorder prevalence" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
The Spinoff
6 days ago
- General
- The Spinoff
Your life in three certificates
Work stories from the office of births, deaths and marriages. On a grey Wellington day, there's a grey Wellington street, and on that street there's a grey, medium sized building. Hanging outside this building is a small sign with the vaguest of governmental names. The Department of Internal Affairs. Through the automatic doors, across a bright foyer and up a grey lift, there's a grey office. Many years ago I worked there in a small team known as births, deaths and marriages, or as it was affectionately called, hatch, match and dispatch. Myself and a few others issued birth, death and marriage certificates. The process was mostly automated, but there were enough unique cases to justify a team of us parsing through requests and figuring out what was going on. It was a combination of data-entry, customer service and detective work. On an individual level these certificates are necessary to get a passport, enrol your kids in school, open a bank account, vote in an election or learn your great grandparents' middle names. At a national level, life event data guides policy, informs public health decisions and tracks demographic shifts. The head of BDM has the old-timey job title of Registrar-General. Previous Registrar-General Jeff Montgomery stepped down in 2023 after 10 years in the role. One time when he visited our office, he told me there were official robes for the role that are kept at Te Papa. I asked if he had ever tried them on and he said only once, when he first got the job. He may have even mentioned a ceremonial mace. While writing this piece, I asked Jeff about the robes and he told me that he had been joking. When he wasn't keeping a straight face, Jeff oversaw all life event registrations, including being the final arbiter on what you could name your baby. As I came to learn, every field on these certificates is contested in some way or another. Names can't resemble a title or rank, can't be swears or include numbers, and can't ridicule the child. A name has to be around 100 characters or less, but you can change your name as many times as you like. There was a rastafarian-adjacent religion in the bush somewhere that encouraged their followers to regularly change their names to long, pious strings of words. All name changes are recorded on your birth certificate, and it was an exciting day when I got to issue a two-page certificate. Unlike the days when a leak in the roof or a fire in a local archive could wipe out decades of paper records, the modern system of recording life events in New Zealand has a near 100% coverage. After stepping down, Jeff moved to Fiji to work on registrations in the Pacific. 'About 50% of births and 80% of deaths in the Pacific still go unrecorded.' Jeff says. 'with considerable variation across the region – from some countries with 100% coverage, to others below 20%.' He's working with governments and organisations to move 'towards every Pacific Islander having the official recognition they deserve, from birth to death, which really means the chance to fully participate in their societies.' Records in the New Zealand system go right back to 1840 and while historic personal details were interesting, the attitudes recorded on old records were just as eye-opening. I'd often come across Māori men and women in their 70s with their names registered as 'Boy' or 'Girl'. At various points, government workers had been sent out to rural areas to register births, but had prioritised speed over recording the child's name. Sometimes the details omitted are shocking, other times it's what is included. Horrible words I had to look up to fully understand. Retarded, cripple, mongoloid. From 1912 it became law to record the 'Degree of Māori blood' on birth and death records, which then became standard for over 50 years. The phrases they used were Full Māori or Half-Caste. On a birth certificate, the field for 'parents' is another battleground. The adoptions team sat around the corner from me, and I'd often see redacted details on birth certificates. For closed adoptions before March 1986, birth parents can decide whether or not their details remain hidden on their child's birth record. The info can stay hidden for up to 10 years, then the birth parents are able to call and renew (known as 'endorsing') the block for another decade. A colleague told me that for one closed adoption, the restrictions on the parents' details were due to expire that day (after a 10-year block). The birth parents had called that morning to keep their details hidden, just ahead of their child, who had called in the afternoon to ask who his parents were. The calls were only a few hours apart. Wading through the records revealed the complexity of people's lives. Common historic scenarios were well known in the office. For example, when a young woman got pregnant but wasn't married she would sometimes be hidden away by her family. They might have said she was sick for a year, or away visiting relatives. Then her parents would announce a surprise baby of their own. Whoops! But in reality, their new child was their grandson. Many decades go past and that child applies for a birth certificate. The system can't automatically find the record with the details they've provided, so it would be bumped to me to figure out what was going on. In one case, after some searching, I confirmed with my boss that there was an application for a certificate where the customer had put down his grandparents as his parents. 'So what happens now?' I asked. 'This is how he finds out,' he told me. So I gave him a call. In my best phone voice I let the customer know that I couldn't find any birth certificates with the details he supplied. 'Oh yea.' Are there any other details they could be under? 'Nah.' Is there a chance your sister could have been your mother? 'Yea could have been.' Let me take a look (fake typing in the background to make it sound like I was searching). Oh yea there's a record here, looks like your sister is your birth mother. 'Oh yea.' I'll send this birth certificate out to you now then 'OK.' Anything else I can help you with? 'No thanks, bye.' He didn't sound surprised, but clearly was not a man of many words. Maybe he always knew. Or maybe it was the kind of all hands on deck family where it just didn't matter (I could see that his sister/mother had died a number of years prior). Like many of the older people I spoke to, it was his first time applying for a birth certificate, so that he could get a passport to visit the grandkids in Australia. While chatting to customers I would hear, in the background, young babies crying, grieving widows and wedding planning. In some countries you can only get married in a church or authorised venue, but in Aotearoa you can wed anywhere on land or at sea. Some marriage certificates have locations like 'On a boat 20km off the coast of Whakatāne' or 'Tarn Bivvy'. To be fair, you're also allowed to be born and die anywhere you like. In another rare lack of bureaucracy, you don't need to legally change your name when you get married. You can hyphenate, take your partner's surname, or keep the one you had. Most places will accept a marriage certificate as proof of a new surname. Birth certificates are often ordered by parents for their child. Death certificates are often ordered by children for their parents. Some of my long-serving colleagues (since retired) recognised unusual surnames, and would marvel at the fragments of family stories that they had seen play out over many years. After I left I got married and had kids, and wondered if anyone in the office noticed. Every piece of information on a birth, death or marriage record has been contentious, regressive, or breaking new ground at some point. From adoption details, to social change like marriage equality, to new frontiers like throuples wanting to all be on a birth certificate. Life records are a colourful space. At the centre of it all is a grey public service office, on any grey Wellington day, printing certificates.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Beloved Utah fashion designer's friends remember his life and his last moments
Arthur "Afa" Ah Loo, pictured with Rep. Verona Mauga. Ah Loo died at Salt Lake City "No Kings" protest. (Courtesy) Those familiar with Arthur 'Afa' Ah Loo's fashion work can quickly identify cohesive characteristics in his pieces — they are freeflowing, comfortable and fitting for every size. Ah Loo himself shared a lot of his gowns' nature, his friends say, as a soft spoken, yet strong presence in his family and the Utah Pacific Islander community. His friends and family haven't recovered from the shock of hearing that self-described peacekeepers at the Salt Lake City 'No Kings' rally shot three rounds at an armed man at the protest, unintentionally killing Ah Loo. Some still use present tense when speaking about him, and many of them wish they could wipe away the widespread images of his fatal wounds to substitute them with memories of his life. Richard Wolfgramm, Ah Loo's close friend, got to witness many of the moments that built his reputation. He saw Ah Loo's many late nights in his studio working on a gown, videocalling his two children while his wife Laura put them in bed. There was also constant talk about art and how seriously Ah Loo took his civic duties as a new American citizen. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We read about gun violence in this country all the time. It's just really shocking that it happened to someone that you know and someone that you love, that it happened so fast,' Wolfgramm said. Wolfgramm also saw Ah Loo saying goodbye to his wife and kids at his studio before taking a Lyft to the protest together on Saturday, their final moments together. As they marched, he heard his friend speak about how this was the third protest he had attended in a week. Then, Wolfgramm heard gunshots and screams just steps away on State Street that sent him running. They were separated, Wolfgramm didn't see what happened, but realized something was wrong after Ah Loo didn't answer multiple calls. It was afterwards, when looking at a video he had been recording when the shots were fired, that he saw images of his friend laying on the ground. 'I was horrified, because that's the last image I saw of him,' he said. 'Was him laying in the street with a bullet hole to his head.' The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. At about 3:30 a.m. in the hospital he and a group of family and friends were told that Ah Loo hadn't survived. 'We all just left in a state of shock,' Wolfgramm said on Monday. 'You know, I'm just really getting over my shock right now.' Ah Loo's name is recognized internationally, whether for being the first Samoan to be featured in 'Project Runway,' or for dressing many in his distinct flowy pieces — including red-carpet looks of 'Moana 2' stars. He was born and raised in Samoa and moved to the U.S. after making a name for himself in the fashion industry. But, many in Utah also know him for being an involved member of the community, finding ways to empower the next generation of Pacific Islander artists. Ah Loo co-founded the nonprofit Creative Pacific with his friend Benjamin Powell, an organization that promotes culture, creativity and innovation, especially among Pacific Islander communities. While Ah Loo had a specific style for his pieces — and a signature hat look for himself — he was also open to designing any type of wardrobe, Powell said. He served on boards and mentored people on their design efforts. 'Afa was a loving soul, very giving of his time, very giving of his service and the work that he did,' Powell said, 'and just an all-around, really, just genuinely, a good soul.' Ah Loo may have had a very public-facing career, but he wasn't one to speak in front of crowds. According to Powell, he was more of a 'quiet mover and shaker.' 'He wasn't a loud person. His work really would speak for itself, which I think, is what set him apart in many ways,' Powell said. 'Because his quiet ways of doing things were still very effective and impactful with people that he came across.' Taylorsville Democratic Rep. Verona Mauga, who is also Samoan, also remembers Ah Loo with fondness after knowing him for over 10 years. She describes him as someone who could create anything from scratch. 'He was able to connect people and reach people in ways that other people just weren't able to do,' she said about Ah Loo. 'It was a gift of his to gather and to connect people.' Before the shooting, the rally protesting President Donald Trump's second-term policies was peaceful and beautiful, Mauga said. 'It was great until it wasn't.' 'It's very sad and unfortunate that Afa passed away violently when he was someone who stood up for others and cared about equity and equality and people being treated fairly,' Mauga said. '(He) also often said things like, it's important to stand on the right side of history. And I know that's why he was marching.' After the assassination of Minnesota lawmakers Saturday and the shooting at West Valley City's WestFest carnival that ended in three deaths, Mauga says there needs to be an important conversation about public safety. 'This is a conversation that needs to happen with community and with government,' she said. 'Too much has happened this weekend, and we need to re-evaluate things and see what we need to do to make Utah safer.' Thinking about all of those details that made Ah Loo the person his community loved, and then the situation in which he died, angers Wolfgramm. 'I am so sick to my stomach (with) the revelation that's just coming out right now,' Wolfgramm said, referring to a peacekeeper shooting his handgun after seeing Arturo Gamboa holding an AR-15 style rifle at the protest. Before the shots rang out, nonviolence and unity defined 'No Kings' protest Wolfgramm is conflicted, however, because he doesn't know what he would have done as a peacekeeper in their situation. Utah is an open carry state, but Gamboa's intentions for having a rifle during the protest are unclear. Still, he wishes the event peacekeepers had left trained law enforcement to deal with the situation. 'When I look at their actions, I see the actions of amateurs, and I see panic,' Wolfgramm said. 'And I don't know what I would have done in that situation, but my brothers in law enforcement, they are people that are trained specifically for things like this.' Like many, Wolfgramm met Ah Loo through his art, and then formed a friendship that lasted over 10 years with their shared Pacific Islander heritage and interests. He found in Ah Loo a warm, kind, talented and generous friend, but also someone who was fun to hang out with. 'People don't know this about him, but Afa has a beautiful singing voice, and we go to karaoke a lot. I think people are often surprised when he's up there singing,' he said. Wolfgramm also remembers Ah Loo as a devoted father and husband, present even when his job obligations kept him out of his house. 'When we went to the rally, I drove and parked my car at the studio, and we took a Lyft over to Pioneer Park. When I got over there, his wife and his two kids were there. They were leaving the studio. We were all saying our goodbyes and hugging outside. And then they left, and we waited for the Lyft,' Wolfgramm said. 'Those were his final moments with his family.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Advertiser
19-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Vulnerable migrants having abortions due to visa fears
Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66) Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66) Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66) Migrant women working in rural Australia are carrying unplanned pregnancies, having unwanted abortions or even giving their babies to authorities due to fear, poverty and poor healthcare coverage. This is the "unseen population" that NSW general practitioner Trudi Beck wants every Australian to know about. Dr Beck, a GP obstetrician from Wagga Wagga, told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that she routinely sees pregnant Pacific Islander workers, who are not entitled to free or subsidised healthcare in Australia. The vast majority of those women opted for an abortion, though it didn't always appear to be their preference, Dr Beck said. The women, who are usually working under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, fear they will breach their visa conditions if they cannot work due to pregnancy. "I find it really difficult to provide termination services for a woman where that's not her deeply-held desire ... that's the crux of the matter for me," Dr Beck told the inquiry sitting in Griffith on Thursday, in sometimes emotional evidence. "If this woman was in her home country and had the means to live above the poverty line, she would have this baby. "That is just such an ethics and values clash for me and that's what makes me want to reach out to people to say: can we make this better?" Some women who could not access abortion services in time gave birth in their home countries while on annual leave, Dr Beck said. The inquiry has been told PALM workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because their visa does not allow them to change employers, forcing some to abscond. Many disengaged workers have settled in the NSW Riverina, where they live in hiding, Leeton Multicultural Support Group chairman Paul Maytom said. Mr Maytom said 10 pregnant migrants have approached the organisation for help, including one woman who gave her prematurely-born baby to authorities after her older child was also taken in as a ward of the state. "She said, 'I didn't know what to do because I have no money, so I agreed to it, but I want my babies back', Mr Maytom said. "That's tough." Griffith domestic violence service Links For Women supported 47 female PALM workers in 2023-24. The women were assaulted by either male employers or their co-workers, forcing them to flee, manager Madeleine Rossiter said. It's estimated more than 40,000 people are enslaved across the nation, subject to violence, threats, punishing hours, low pay, poor housing and restricted movements. More than 16,000 are believed to be trapped in modern slavery in NSW, one of the few states that does not regulate the hire companies central to migrant recruitment. The inquiry continues. Reports of modern slavery can be made to 1800 FREEDOM (1800 37 333 66)
