I have followed Dr Jordan Peterson for years; sometimes I believe he goes to far. This conversation with Piers Morgan Uncensored covers important issues that all people should be aware and then discuss with others.

Posted on September 21, 2024 by michelleclarke2015
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Eurasia Review follow it: Ralph Nader: Public Radio, Public Media And Local News Deserts – OpEd

Posted on September 21, 2024 by michelleclarke2015
  • Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader: Public Radio, Public Media And Local News Deserts – OpEd

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By Ralph Nader

The late sixties was a heady time for the civic pioneers who persuaded Congressional lawmakers to provide the American people with radio and television programs with real news – local and national – and also report what civic advocates and civic communities were proposing or doing. In 1961 commercial television stations were described by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Newton Minow as a “vast wasteland,” before the National Association of Broadcasters. The audience was startled. (He could have included radio in his critique.) But things only got more commercial, profit-driven, and violative of the Communications Act of 1934 standard of providing for the “public interest, convenience and necessity,” information needs of viewers and listeners.

Encouraged by pragmatic visionaries like the former president of CBS Fred Friendly, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Ford Foundation, Congress acted and, in 1969, gave birth to Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and in 1970 the National Public Radio (NPR). They were mandated to be publicly-funded serious news gatherers, featuring presenters and reflectors of diverse voices, political and civic institutions, culture, and people in their communities. Commercial entertainment, music, sports, and incessant advertisements were left for the commercial stations.

As Bill Siemering, one of the organizers and first program director of NPR, said in 1970: “National Public Radio will not regard its audience as a ‘market’ or in terms of disposable income…”

Fast forward, NPR’s budget, mostly stripped of Congressional funding, became reliant on funding from corporations and wealthy donors and has indeed become a “market” with all that such commercialization entails for its programming priorities and biases.

Today, NPR and its affiliate stations have about 30 ads an hour using the repetitive phrase “support for this station comes from…” It has too many entertainment-celebrity stories, too much music time (especially after 6:00 pm on weekends), too little local content being produced by NPR’s hundreds of local station affiliates, too much self-censorship regarding corporate malfeasance and power, too much indifference to the civic community, too much aloof smugness. Many of their editors and reporters are uncommunicative and many of their managers are obsessed with raising money and shaping programming decisions accordingly.

NPR has been largely ignored by Congress because the former critics – conservative Republicans – now like its receptivity to their opinions and because commercial interests like Walmart, Chevron, Eli Lilly, Amazon, Raymond James Brokers, and large Banks advertise and support NPR and PBS. As a result, there has been a serious absence of supportive Congressional hearings and oversight. The House Energy & Commerce Committee did, however, hold a hearing because House Speaker Mike Johnson believes NPR needs to be held “accountable for its ideological bias and contempt for facts.” Speaker Johnson is not known for his appreciation of facts.

Public media escapes scrutiny and higher expectation levels by its audience because comparisons with the rancid commercial radio/TV stations makes it look good. NPR and PBS do have some good programs – documentaries, features from the field, and some investigative reports, especially when, for example, NPR collaborates with nonprofit media groups like Pro Publica.

However, its news slots raise the issue of mimicry of their commercial counterparts. Top-of-the-hour news by NPR is just like that of CBS or ABC – just three minutes or less of often the same news bite stories. The local affiliates are not much better with the exception of several stations like WNYC-FM (New York) or WAMC (Albany), WGBH (Boston), KQED-FM (San Francisco), and KAXE (Northern Minnesota) that have numerous full-time local reporters. Restoring public media to its founding purposes is more essential than ever as financing for the private press has collapsed and 1800 counties now lack a daily local news source.

Michael Swerdlow, the author of our report, “The Public’s Media: The Case for a Democratically Funded and Locally Rooted News Media in an Era of Newsroom Closures” , demonstrated that NPR’s “commercialization means that public media remains reliant on the satisfaction of corporate donors and is obsessed with treating its ‘audience’ as a market….” This has meant that many of its talented, experienced reporters are underchallenged, working on routine, repetitive abbreviated deliveries that invoke pathos.

Our report is designed to spark support to return Public Media to its original public interest missions and decrease corporate domination on its national and local station Boards of Directors. The report notes that “The United States spends $3 per person, New Zealand spends $21, Canada spends $33, Australia $53, Japan spends $67, the U.K. spends $97, and Germany spends 41 times more at $124.” Public Media needs more adequate public and per capita funding. The Public Media must become structurally more open to the civic communities’ information needs and inputs which were the legislation’s original inspiration.

Swerdlow’s report is deep on constructive reforms, innovative proposals, and references to other Western nations’ approaches to governance and funding of their Public Media. His analysis explains how the collapses of the “business model” for local for-profit news media – hundreds of daily and weekly newspaper closings or retrenchments – leaves Public Media with even greater responsibilities to fill gaps created by the spread of news deserts in county after county.

We invite audiences to raise their expectation levels for Public Media’s daily performance and demand an annual public budget of about $10 billion dollars (the cost of two-thirds of an unneeded aircraft carrier) to provide the information and two-way engagements with the audience that gives meaning to the functioning of our First Amendment protections. We also invite PBS and NPR staff to share their concerns about the decline of Public Media with us by sending an email to: info@csrl.org or sending a letter to the address below.

You can receive a printed copy of our report by sending a check for $15.00 to: CSRL, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC, 20036 (a PDF version is available online at CSRL.ORG).

You should find it troubling, fascinating, empowering, and quite original in its analysis, data, and recommendations.

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Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is a politician, activist and the author of Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!, a novel. In his career as consumer advocate he founded many organizations including the Center for Study of Responsive Law, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the Center for Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Clean Water Action Project, the Disability Rights Center, the Pension Rights Center, the Project for Corporate Responsibility and The Multinational Monitor (a monthly magazine).

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Eurasia Review follow it: When Vladimir Putin Was Pootie-Poot – OpEd

Posted on September 21, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

When Vladimir Putin Was Pootie-Poot – OpEd

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By Adam Dick

United Sates President Joe Biden has spent most of his presidency refusing to talk with Russia President Vladimir Putin. This is despite — or maybe because of — the fact that such discourse could have led to an agreement ending the US government’s proxy war against Russia.

Instead of talking out a resolution to the fighting, Biden has kept pumping dollars, weapons, and intelligence to the Ukraine government, resulting in a rising death toll and expanding war. Also advanced has been the risk of drawing the US and Russia directly into a war against each other that could go nuclear.

Still, Biden will not pick up the phone or fly on a plane to talk things over with the president of Russia. “I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now,” said Biden on July 11, 2024 in response to a reporter’s question at one of Biden’s rare press conferences. We know Biden loves his vacation time, but, really, isn’t ending the Ukraine War and preventing its further escalation a good enough reason to start chatting with Putin? How about putting in a little effort to give peace a chance?

Long, long ago, during the presidency of George W. Bush, a US president not only regularly talked with Putin, including in in-person meetings, he even had an affectionate nickname for the Russia president. For Bush, Putin was Pootie-Poot. How things have changed.

Not every American president before Biden had a cute nickname for counterparts among the long line of Russia leaders, and Soviet leaders during the decades when Russia was subsumed in the Soviet Union. Yet, they all were willing to talk. This includes Ronald Reagan who called the Soviet Union an “evil empire” and pushed for increased US military spending to counter what he presented as a Soviet threat. Reagan met with and kept in regular contact with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, succeeding in putting in place arms control deals between the nations. Other US presidents, while directly and by proxy militarily countering the “red spread” and “Soviet expansion,” kept in communication with Soviet leaders. They wanted to be dedicated cold warriors while minimizing the risk of outright war between the US and Soviet Union.

Biden should give Putin a call. And when Biden makes that call, why not give Putin a nice nickname too? Doing this may run counter to Biden’s nature, but it could be the first step down the path to peace.

Unfortunately, there is little indication that seeking peace is even a small component of the Biden administration’s agenda.

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Adam Dick

Adam Dick is a Senior Fellow at Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Adam worked from 2003 through 2013 as a legislative aide for Rep. Ron Paul. Previously, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Board of Elections, a co-manager of Ed Thompson’s 2002 Wisconsin governor campaign, and a lawyer in New York and Connecticut.

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Liberal Entitlement period outcomes. How Liberalism Self-Destructs. Spectator TV – Fareed Zakaria

Posted on September 21, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

142,015 views Jun 19, 2024 WESTMINSTERFreddy Gray is joined by Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and columnist for The Washington Post. They discuss liberalism, the state of America, and identity politics. They also cover Fareed’s new book, Age of Revolutions, which asks one central question: what are the causes of the seismic social disruptions we are going through and the political backlashes that have ensued?

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Nature: CERN prepares to expel Russian scientists — but won’t completely cut ties. ….”Although JINR’s constitution states that its research must be for peaceful purposes, the lab has close ties with the Russian military, say Grynyov and Tetiana Hryn’ova, a Ukrainian physicist at the French national research agency, CNRS, who works on the ATLAS experiment….”

Posted on September 21, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

Nature

  • NEWS
  • 18 September 2024

CERN prepares to expel Russian scientists — but won’t completely cut ties

The laboratory has ended its agreement with the nation, but will continue working with a Russian nuclear-research institute, raising tensions among researchers.

Some of the 1232 dipole magnets that bend the path of accelerated protons are pictured in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in a tunnel of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
A tunnel in the Large Hadron Collider, CERN’s particle accelerator. Credit: Valentin Flauraud/AFP via Getty

Europe’s particle-physics laboratory CERN will expel hundreds of scientists who are affiliated with Russian institutions on 30 November unless they move to establishments outside of the nation. The date marks the official end of the lab’s collaboration with the Russian Federation, following CERN’s decision to cut ties with the country after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

But tension over CERN’s relationship with Russia remains among researchers, because the organization will continue to work with Russia-based scientists through an agreement with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), an intergovernmental centre in Dubna, near Moscow. JINR’s arrangement with CERN is separate from Russia’s. The decision to not cut ties with the lab has divided researchers, some of whom point to its relationship with the Russian state, which continues its deadly war in Ukraine.The countries maintaining research ties with Russia despite Ukraine

Allowing JINR-affiliated scientists to be part of CERN projects is “a big mistake”, says Borys Grynyov, director of the Institute for Scintillation Materials in Kharkiv, Ukraine, who represents Ukraine as an associate member on the CERN Council, the organization’s governing body.

Neither the JINR nor the Russian ministry of science responded to Nature’s requests for comment. CERN spokesperson Arnaud Marsollier says: “The CERN convention is very clear on the fact that we do peaceful fundamental research.”

Russia’s departure could be painful for CERN, based near Geneva, Switzerland, which was founded after the Second World War to bring together nations for the peaceful pursuit of science. CERN began collaborating with the Soviet Union in 1955. Although Russia has never been a full member state — and its observer status has now been suspended — hundreds of scientists affiliated with Russian institutions contribute to independent experiments on its flagship particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

Collaboration cancelled

In 2022, the CERN Council responded swiftly to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, condemning deaths from what it called an “an unlawful use of force” in the conflict, and calling out the involvement of Russia’s ally Belarus. The lab introduced restrictions on scientists travelling and moving materials between Russia and CERN. And it pledged to end agreements with Russia and Belarus when they lapsed, a decision formalized in December 2023. CERN’s agreement with Belarus expired on 27 June, ending the contracts of around 20 researchers. And from 1 December, Russia-affiliated scientists will no longer be able to access the CERN site, and must hand in any French or Swiss residency permits they hold.

Experiments will feel the loss of Russian expertise, say Hannes Jung, a particle physicist at the German Electron Synchrotron in Hamburg, and member of CMS, one of the major experiments at the LHC. “It will leave a hole. I think it’s an illusion to believe one can cover that very simply by other scientists,” he says. Jung is a member of Science4Peace Forum, an organization that campaigns against restrictions on scientific cooperation and argues that collaborations should continue working with Russian scientists.Data hint at Russia’s shifting science collaborations after year of war

Others say that the impact of Russia’s departure has been softened by the researchers having had two years to prepare. Staff at LHC experiments have helped ‘essential’ scientists who wanted to stay to find positions in institutions outside of Russia. Marsollier estimates that around 90 scientists have moved from Russian to non-Russian institutions since 2022, and fewer than 20 are still looking for new homes.

“If you really wanted to stay, and you could prove you can do something [scientifically], in these last two years there have been lots of opportunities,” says one Russian physicist working on an LHC experiment, who is concerned about speaking openly and asked to remain anonymous. The physicist switched affiliation in 2022, after their institute published a statement in support of Russia’s war.

Russia’s funding agencies and institutions contributed around 4.5% to the LHC experiments’ combined budget; this is now covered by other members of the collaborations. The loss of Russia’s expected contribution to the High-Luminosity LHC, a high-intensity upgrade scheduled for 2029, will cost CERN an extra 40 million Swiss francs (US$47 million).

Science vs politics

Since the invasion, CERN’s management has had to balance calls from some member states to isolate Russian institutions and those who argue that science should operate outside of politics. In 2023, CERN resolved a stalemate over how to acknowledge the contributions of Russia-affiliated scientists in papers, by agreeing to list their names alongside their Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).

Some researchers think that CERN has not gone far enough in distancing itself from Russia. In June, the CERN Council — made up of member-state representatives — voted against ending the collaboration with JINR. Restrictions will apply to the relationship, for example prohibiting joint scientific meetings or new projects. But ongoing work for around 270 JINR-affiliated scientists at CERN will continue.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin examines the heavy-ion collider ring of the NICA (Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Faility) complex during a tour of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna.
Russian president Vladimir Putin visited JINR earlier this year. Credit: Alexander Karakov/POOL/AFP via Getty

Others point out that CERN has gone further than many other scientific organizations. ITER, the world’s largest nuclear-fusion project, near Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France, has kept Russia as a member country, because the organization’s set-up makes it effectively impossible to remove the nation. The European XFEL, an X-ray free-electron laser in Schenefeld, Germany, has temporarily barred Russia-affiliated scientists from using the facility, but still retains official partnerships with Russia.

Jung and other members of Science4Peace see the decision to continue working with JINR as positive. “I have the feeling it marked a bit of a change in the way things are handled,” says Jung. The organization has called for JINR’s ongoing collaboration agreement to be a conduit for communication with Russian scientists more widely.Nature’s Take: how the war in Ukraine is impacting science

But Ukrainian physicists have strongly opposed the collaboration, emphasizing JINR’s connection with the Russian government, which provides more than 80% of its funding.

Grynov is concerned about the JINR arrangement because he says that it allows a government-linked lab linked to retain access to cutting-edge scientific and technological information that could in some way aid the war effort.

Although JINR’s constitution states that its research must be for peaceful purposes, the lab has close ties with the Russian military, say Grynyov and Tetiana Hryn’ova, a Ukrainian physicist at the French national research agency, CNRS, who works on the ATLAS experiment. She points to JINR brochures that highlight research with military applications, such as drone fuel cells, and documents on the institute’s website that show collaboration with companies in Dubna that manufacture missiles.

CERN works with institutions in other countries that have separate military ties. But “when missiles made in Dubna are now falling on my colleagues’ heads, it becomes more unacceptable”, says Hryn’ova.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02982-6

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Irish Legal News: Mental health bill reaches major milestone

Posted on September 20, 2024 by michelleclarke2015
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mental health

Mental health bill reaches major milestone

20 Sep 2024Clock iconReading time: 2 minutes

Mental health bill reaches major milestone

Major reforms to mental health legislation have cleared second stage in the Dáil.

The 202-section Mental Health Bill 2024 will replace the existing Mental Health Act 2001.

It provides for an updated involuntary admission and detention process for people with severe mental health difficulties, including a revised set of criteria for admission, as well as an overhauled approach to consent to treatment for involuntarily admitted people.

It also expands the Mental Health Commission’s regulatory function to include all community mental health residences and services, including all community CAMHS.

Some of its changes are intended to bring mental health law into “closer alignment” with the principles of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Acts 2015 and 2022.

Mary Butler, minister for mental health and older people, said: “The Mental Health Bill is a really important piece of legislation and is our opportunity to put in place more person-centric mental health legislation that will further modernise, reform and protect the rights of people with mental health difficulties in the decades ahead.”

She added: “Individuals receiving treatment under the Mental Health Bill 2024 will be empowered to play a more active role in making decisions about their care and treatment, and there will be closer alignment between the Mental Health Bill and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Acts 2015 and 2022.

“Additional safeguards will also be put in place for individuals, such as additional safeguards on the use of restrictive practices, and provisions providing for the involvement of family members or carers in a person’s treatment in cases where the person has given their explicit consent.

“The bill will also benefit all people who access a wide range of mental health services by introducing, for the first time, a comprehensive system of registration and regulation of community mental health services, including all community CAMHS.”

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Halal mortgages are becoming popular in America. We are talking Islamic Finance and the way to gain home ownership. Source: The Conversation, Fast Company

Posted on September 20, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

09-17-2024 NEWS

Halal mortgages are becoming popular in America

Halal mortgages are a tool of Islamic finance that offer an equitable way to gain homeownership. In 2024, 25-plus banks had made halal mortgages available.Halal mortgages are becoming popular in America

[Photo: JamesBrey/E+/Getty Images]

BY The Conversation 3 minute read

The growth of “halal mortgages” over the past 20 years has expanded financial access to homeownership for many Muslims. Halal mortgages provide interest-free loans in keeping with Islamic beliefs.

These mortgages are available in 80-plus countries that have a significant Muslim population, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, Bahrain, Indonesia, and Pakistan, where they account for the vast majority of the global $3.9 trillion Islamic finance economy.

Access to halal mortgages has been growing in the United States. Until 1997, no financial institution was willing to offer halal mortgages, but in 2024, more than 25 banks had made them available.

The Conversation asked Shariq Siddiqui, assistant professor and director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University, to explain halal mortgages.

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What are halal mortgages?

Halal mortgages are a tool of Islamic finance and offer an equitable way to gain homeownership. They emphasize risk-sharing and mutual cooperation with the aim of checking unfair exploitation and wealth accumulation in the hands of a few. In such a system, money is a means of exchange rather than a commodity that generates profit.

What are the religious roots of Islamic finance?

The Muslim holy book, the Quran, and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sunnah, prohibit riba, (interest), maisir (speculation) and gharar (uncertainty or uneven risk).

For example, the Quran says, “O you who believe, do not eat up the amounts acquired through ribā (interest), doubled and multiplied. Fear Allah, so that you may be successful.”

Over time, Muslims have sought to develop systems that adhere to these rules. These include bonds that do not receive interest but are based on profit-sharing; socially responsible mutual funds that comply with ethical rules; and insurance that provide protection through a communal fund.

Since World War II, however, monetary policies in the global financial market are largely based upon interest.

How does Islamic financing work in modern context?

In the modern context, Muslims use contract law for economic activity and offer home mortgages without interest. For example, as an attorney, I would develop mortgage contracts that would allow buyers and sellers to transact without interest. This “mortgage” contract would be recorded with the county.

Traditionally, there are three kinds of halal mortgages. In the first, known as ijara, the bank purchases the property and leases it to the homeowner; the homeowner pays rent, principal payments and bank charges; the buyer’s share in the home remains the same until the entire loan is paid off.

Diminishing musharaka is another type of joint ownership plan between the bank and the buyer. The buyer makes principal monthly payments and pays bank charges rather than interest. With each principal payment, the ownership of the buyer increases and the bank’s ownership decreases.

In the third type, murabaha, the bank purchases the home and resells it immediately to the buyer at a higher price – termed as profit. The buyer typically pays a 20% down payment. Thereafter, the buyer makes fixed interest-free payments until the loan is paid off.

What is the availability of halal mortgages in the US?

In 2001 and 2003, respectively, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae started buying Islamic mortgage products to provide extra liquidity in the U.S. Islamic finance market. These government-backed housing giants work under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and are one of the principal means of bolstering homeownership in the United States.

These mortgage buyers have grown to become the main investors in Islamic mortgages. For example, Freddie Mac has invested in Guidance Residential, one of the largest halal mortgage companies in the U.S.

What are the advantages?

These systems ensure that there is mutual risk-taking between the bank and the homebuyer. For example, should the homebuyer be unable to keep up payments, their prior principal payments are protected and not consumed by the interest. Furthermore, if the home loses value, both homebuyer and bank proportionally lose out on the principal value of the home.

They require greater transparency on costs, fees and responsibilities; both parties are required to work together and fulfill their obligations.

This reduces the risk of failures like the subprime lending crisis, when banks overvalued homes and financed mortgages that buyers could not afford, leading to a global recession in 2008.

What are the downsides?

Halal mortgages are more expensive and more difficult to enter into, as they require a down payment of at least 20%. Furthermore, they are not available in every state in the United States.

Additionally, many Muslims are unwilling to deposit their money in banks, if those banks are required to pay interest or earn part of their revenue based upon interest.

Shariq Siddiqui is an assistant professor and director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Flicking through channels; the documentary was by Louis Theroux in the mega prison in Miami, a prisoner spoke of his addiction and wanted to be able to act on his desire even if other prisoners or staff were present. This is first time I ever heard of masturbation addiction; we do know about porn addiction.

Posted on September 20, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

What to Know About ‘Masturbation Addiction’

Masturbation is considered a healthy and pleasurable activity, but can it become an addiction?

Cavan Images/Getty Images

Self-stimulation is an integral part of human sexuality that provides a natural way to experience pleasure, explore sexual techniques, and satisfy sexual urges.

How often one person masturbates can differ widely from another. And just because you may engage in self-pleasuring more frequently than others doesn’t mean it’s something to be concerned about.

Still, if you feel you masturbate too much, you may be wondering if it’s possible to become addicted. And if so, what can you do if you’re experiencing masturbation addiction?

Can you be addicted to masturbating? 

The term “addicting” is commonly used to describe many things, from TV shows to food items like chocolate. For instance, you might hear someone refer to a new candy bar or the latest Netflix series as “addicting.”

However, addiction is not merely an intense feeling or urge to do something you enjoy. It’s a complex brain condition characterized by the inability to stop using a substance or engage in a behavior despite the negative consequences it causes.

Because masturbating releases “feel good” chemicals in the brain, like other addictive substances and behaviors, some believe compulsive masturbation could be considered an addiction.

For example, approximately 40 studiesTrusted Source have found people with hypersexual behavior may share the same brain changes observed in people with clinical addictions.

However, masturbation addiction is not recognized as a mental health condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This is also the case for other sexual-related behavior categories, such as sex addiction and porn addiction.

Instead, these are commonly referred to as compulsive sexual behaviors and sometimes grouped with hypersexuality disorder or out of control sexual behavior (OCSB).

Although masturbation addiction isn’t recognized in the DSM-5, it can still cause distress, feelings of shame, and social or relationship issues. This can profoundly impact a person’s life, making it feel like a genuine condition for someone experiencing it.

What are the signs?

Masturbation is a natural and healthy activity that has several health benefits. It can relieve stress, help you sleep, promote a positive mood, and help you learn more about your sexual responses and needs.

But when does the frequency of masturbation cross the line from healthy to problematic?

According to a survey reported by the International Society of Sexual Medicine, masturbation is more common than sexual activity with a partner.

In men 18 to 59 years old, the frequency of masturbation ranged from once a week to a few times a month. About 20% of men reported masturbating two to three times a week, and less than 20% masturbated more than four times a week. Women reported masturbating once a week or less.

If you masturbate more than this, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem. The number of times a person engages in self-pleasuring varies among individuals.

However, if your frequency causes you concern, you might want to see if there’re any signs that you may be compulsively masturbating.

Commonly reported signs of masturbation addiction are:

  • masturbating so frequently that it interrupts other aspects of your personal or professional life
  • difficulty waiting to get home to masturbate, resulting in self-pleasuring in uncomfortable or inappropriate places
  • engaging in masturbation as a response to stressful situations or emotional discomfort
  • genital irritation or other symptoms of injury
  • difficulty reaching orgasm with a partner due to a loss in genital sensitivity
  • feeling overwhelming guilt or shame after masturbating
  • inability to reduce or stop masturbating even though you want to

In general, if masturbating becomes excessive or obsessive for you, that might be an indication it’s time to talk with a sexual health professional.

What are the possible causes?

Excessive masturbation can sometimes occur in people with certain health conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Some drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and certain prescription medications for Parkinson’s disease can also lead to an increase in self-stimulation.

Aside from health conditions, drugs, and prescription medications, other factors that might lead to compulsive masturbation include:

  • a history of sexual or physical abuse
  • a family history of behavioral addictions
  • living with cultural or religious expectations
  • ease of accessibility to pornography

One study found that the hormone oxytocin and altered DNA pathways in the brain might play a role in hypersexual disorder, a condition also characterized by compulsive sexual behavior. Further research is needed, but scientists suggest this discovery could lead to new treatment options.

Is frequent masturbation harmful?

Overwhelming evidence suggests masturbation has no real negative side effects for most people. Still, if it becomes excessive, it can cause:

  • emotional and psychological distress
  • irritated skin on or around the genitals
  • problems with performance when engaging in sex with a partner
  • intimate partner relationship difficulties

For some people who morally or religiously oppose masturbation, engaging in self-stimulation can cause shame and low self-esteem. These feelings can also make it seem as if any amount of masturbation is too much, leading to intense feelings of guilt even if masturbation occurs only occasionally.

What to do if you want to reduce masturbation

If you feel you might be experiencing masturbation compulsion or addiction, the first step is to consider discussing it with a therapist or other mental health professional.

Keep in mind that all health professionals practice complete confidentiality, and nothing you talk about will go beyond you and your therapist.

Treatment options for masturbation compulsion or addiction include psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, to identify the root cause of the behavior. You and your therapist can then work together to create coping strategies and ways to reduce or eliminate compulsive masturbation.

Things you can do yourself to reduce your time spent masturbating include:

  • avoiding triggers such as pornography
  • engage in other activities like exercise or new hobbies
  • spend more time with others in social situations
  • examine how you deal with stress and emotional discomfort and adopt new coping strategies
  • break it down into a manageable goal by handling one urge at a time

You could also seek out a support group either in person or online to have a safe place to discuss your concerns and learn new ways to manage sexual behaviors.

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Next steps

Just because masturbation addiction isn’t a clinically diagnosable condition doesn’t mean it’s not real for those experiencing it. If you are concerned your masturbation frequency or urges are becoming problematic, know you are not alone, and there are options available that can help you overcome it.

You can find a counselor or therapist specializing in sex therapy through the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists (AASECT) directory. You can also find a list of sexual health professionals through The American College of Sexologists International.

If you feel uncomfortable visiting a mental health professional, there are online therapy options that might work for you.

Online support is also available at Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous and Sex Addicts Anonymous.

For men who wish to reduce or stop masturbating, NoFap is a community-based sexual health platform that supports compulsive sexual behavior. However, there is some debate on its benefits.

Masturbation feels good and can be good for you. Ultimately, how much you do it is a personal decision based on your needs. If it’s not harming your personal or professional life or causing you distress, it’s a perfectly natural activity to enjoy at your discretion.

But if you feel it is causing problems in your life, there is help available to provide the support you need to manage it better.

Last medically reviewed on June 22, 2021

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Medically reviewed by Janet Brito, Ph.D., LCSW, CST-S — Written by Kimberly Drake — Updated on June 22, 2021What Is Sex Addiction?

If you have difficulty breaking free of intrusive and repetitive sexual urges and thoughts, you might be living with what some people refer to as sex addiction.

Compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) or hypersexuality is commonly referred to as sex addiction. However, sex addiction as a condition is not formally accepted by all members of the medical community.

Though a diagnosis of sex addiction does not formally exist, compulsive sexual behavior can result in significant emotional pain and other devastating consequences.

Many people may ask, “Is sex addiction a real thing?”

In reality, compulsive sexual behavior goes beyond desire, and it’s a challenging reality for many people who live with it.

In fact, approximately 3% to 6% of the general population experiences symptoms of compulsive sexual behavior.

CSBD involves a variety of complex and intense unwanted sexual behaviors and fantasies that, at times, may become harmful to you and others.

The condition can be managed, though. It might require seeking the help of a health professional and committing to long-term treatment.

Language matters

In this article, we use “sex addiction,” a term written about, studied, and discussed in psychology and counseling groups and 12 step programs. Still, there is no evidence to suggest that sex addiction exists or that symptoms of compulsive sexual behavior may be explained as an addiction.

However, this is not to imply your symptoms and concerns aren’t valid or real. This clarification refers to formal terminology only.

Defining sex addiction

Though sex addiction is a prevalent term, it is controversial and often misunderstood.

There’s no evidence that suggests sex can be defined as an addiction or that repetitive and persistent sexual behaviors are explained by one.

However, compulsive sexual behavior disorder refers to a long-standing pattern of repetitive sexual behaviors, fantasies, and urges.

These impulses may cause you great distress and friction in your relationships and make daily tasks, such as working or studying, more challenging.

The pattern of repetitive sexual activities and urges could also be explained by out of control sexual behavior (OCSB).

This is a newer concept that refers to a behavioral pattern instead of a clinical disorder as defined by Michael Vigorito, a sex therapist in the District of Columbia and co-author of “Treating Out of Control Sexual Behavior – Rethinking Sex Addiction.”

OCSB refers to intrusive and hard-to-control sexual urges, thoughts, and behaviors.

In CSBD and OCSB, your sexual thoughts, urges, and behaviors may become the main focus of your life. This could lead you to leave other aspects of your life unattended.

Despite the potential problems these impulses may cause you, stopping them might feel beyond your control, even when that’s your intention.

Although misunderstood and stigmatized, what many people categorize as “sex addiction” doesn’t refer to a personal choice.

These behaviors might not be something you do for pleasure or something you can turn on and off at will.

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What causes compulsive sexual behavior?

The causes of long-term uncontrollable sexual urges and behaviors are not well understood. People of all ages may experience the condition and for different reasons.

It’s probable that a combination of factors leads to compulsive sexual behaviors, including:

  • chemical imbalances in the brain
  • underlying or co-occurring mental health conditions
  • childhood experiences
  • childhood relationships with parents or guardians
  • other lifestyle influences

Not all potential causes of sex addiction can be traced to trauma or underlying mental health conditions, though.

Preliminary research Trusted Source suggests an imbalance of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, may also impact sexual behaviors.

If you have a frontal lobe lesion, tumor, or seizure disorder, you may also have a greater chance of experiencing hypersexuality.

Diagnosis of ‘sex addiction’

The diagnosis of CSBD or hypersexuality is sometimes challenging. This stems, in part, from the lack of consistency in fitting some of these behaviors within one mental health condition.

Although excluded from the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), compulsive sexual behavior and what many call “sex addiction” are frequently seen in clinical settings.

The decision to remove it from the manual was controversial. Some mental health professionals who often see it firsthand and care for people living with symptoms didn’t agree with the exclusion.

Hypersexuality can still be diagnosed using the manual, though, by assigning it to the “Other specified sexual dysfunction” category.

On the other hand, the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition (ICD-11), includes compulsive sexual behavior disorder as a formal diagnosis. It is classified under impulse-control disorders, not addictions.

The ICD-11 is a diagnostic manual maintained by the World Health Organization to provide a global language for reporting and diagnosing diseases.

The ICD is not commonly used by mental health professionals in the United States. However, it’s consulted in many instances where the DSM-5 doesn’t offer specific diagnostic criteria for a given condition, such as in this case.

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Irish Legal News: European Commission loses court battle over €1.5bn Google fine

Posted on September 20, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

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European Commission loses court battle over €1.5bn Google fine

19 Sep 2024Clock iconReading time: 2 minutes

European Commission loses court battle over €1.5bn Google fine

A nearly €1.5 billion fine imposed on Google by the European Commission has been annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

The Commission imposed the fine, totalling €1.494 billion, on the search giant in 2019 after finding that it had abused its dominant position in the online search advertising intermediation market.

The decision related to Google’s AdSense for Search (AFS) service, which allows third-party publishers to display Google ads on their own websites’ search result pages.

Publishers seeking to use AFS were asked to sign service agreements with clauses restricting or prohibiting the display of ads from services competing with AFS.

The Commission argued that these “anti-competitive contractual restrictions” were illegal under EU antitrust rules.

In today’s judgment, the General Court upheld the majority of the Commission’s findings but annulled the decision by which the Commission imposed the fine on Google.

It said the Commission had, inter alia, failed to take into consideration all the relevant circumstances in its assessment of the duration of the contract clauses that the Commission had deemed abusive.

In a statement, Google said: “We are pleased that the court has recognised errors in the original decision and annulled the fine. We will review the full decision closely.”

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“Artists cancel exhibition at the Central Bank over its approval of prospectus for Israeli bonds. Recommend subscribing to Dublin InQuirer, for more local news.

Posted on September 20, 2024 by michelleclarke2015

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Artists cancel exhibition at the Central Bank over its approval of prospectus for Israeli bonds

It says it was required to do so under EU law. But genocide is just wrong, says artist Steven Doody.

by Laoise NeylonSeptember 18, 2024

Annmarie Kilshaw and Steven Doody of the Interrupted Collective.

The exhibition “Systems” was due to start today at the Central Bank of Ireland on North Wall Quay.

It was on the line-up for the Five Lamps Art Festival, the annual neighbourhood showcase of talks, exhibitions and performances. 

But the artists in the Interrupted Collective have cancelled the show, after an article in The Ditch noting that the bank had approved a prospectus for the sale of Israeli sovereign bonds which help to fund, among other things, its military. 

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