Marijuana’s main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers’ breast milk in a small study that comes amid evidence that more U.S. women are using pot during pregnancy and afterward.

Experts say the ingredient, THC, has chemical properties that could allow it to disrupt brain development and potentially cause harm, although solid evidence of that is lacking.

The new study involved 50 nursing mothers who were using pot and provided breast milk samples to researchers at the University of California, San Diego. Lab testing found small amounts of THC, the psychoactive chemical that causes marijuana’s “high,” in 34 of 54 samples up to six days after they were provided. Another form of THC and cannabidiol, a pot chemical touted by some as a health aid, were detected in five samples.

The study authors said “it is reasonable to speculate” that exposing infants to THC or cannabidiol “could influence normal brain development,” depending on dose and timing.

The results echo findings in case reports from years ago, when pot was less potent than what’s available today, said study co-author Christina Chambers, a pediatrics professor. It’s not known if the amounts detected pose any risk, but she said her research team is studying children whose moms’ were involved to try to answer that question.

Two small studies from the 1980s had conflicting results on whether pot use affects breastfed infants. One found no evidence of growth delays; the other found slight developmental delays in breastfed infants, but their mothers had used pot during pregnancy too.

Most pediatricians encourage breastfeeding and its health benefits for infants, but “they’re stuck with a dilemma” with infants whose mothers use pot, Chambers said.

A new American Academy of Pediatrics report recommending against pot use while pregnant or nursing acknowledges that challenge.

“We still support women breastfeeding even if using marijuana but would encourage them to cut down and quit,” said Dr. Seth Ammerman, a report co-author and Stanford University pediatrics professor.

“In counseling patients about this, it’s important to be nonjudgmental but to educate patients about the potential risks and benefits,” Ammerman said, to ensure “a healthy outcome for themselves and their baby.”

The study and report were published Monday in the journal Pediatrics .

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has similar advice.

The academy report says its advice is based on theoretical risks to developing brains, but it acknowledges conflicting evidence and a dearth of research. Some studies have linked pot use during pregnancy with lower birth weights or preterm birth, along with developmental delays and learning difficulties in older children. But additional factors including women’s use of other drugs during pregnancy complicated the results, the report says.

Marijuana is legal for recreational use in nine states and Washington, D.C., and for medical use in 31 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

As more states legalize marijuana, its use is increasing along with the “false impression” that it is safe, the academy’s report says. Ammerman said caution makes sense, given the uncertainties.

According to U.S. government data, about 1 in 20 women report using marijuana during pregnancy. Estimates for use among breastfeeding mothers vary, but a study in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, put the number at almost 20 percent among women in a government supplemental food program.

The report, study and a journal editorial all said more research is needed.

Last year, a federal advisory panel said lack of scientific information about marijuana poses a public health risk.

Research has been hampered by federal government restrictions based on its view that marijuana is an illegal drug.

That has contributed to a stigma and shaded doctors’ views, said Keira Sumimoto, an Irvine, California, mother who used marijuana briefly for medical reasons while pregnant and breastfeeding. She said smoking a joint daily helped her gain weight when she was sick before learning she was pregnant, and eased childbirth-related pain, but that she quit because of backlash from marijuana opponents.

She said her daughter, now 8 months old, is healthy and advanced for her age.

Sumimoto runs @cannabisandmotherhood , an Instagram account that she says aims to present truthful information about marijuana so women can make their own choices.

She said she agrees with advice to be cautious, but that the academy’s stance is “is just a little too much.”

“The fear is taking over and the need and want to understand this plant is being ignored by the stigma,” Sumimoto said.

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

Marijuana’s main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers’ breast milk in a small study that comes amid evidence that more U.S. women are using pot during pregnancy and afterward.

Experts say the ingredient, THC, has chemical properties that could allow it to disrupt brain development and potentially cause harm, although solid evidence of that is lacking.

The new study involved 50 nursing mothers who were using pot and provided breast milk samples to researchers at the University of California, San Diego. Lab testing found small amounts of THC, the psychoactive chemical that causes marijuana’s “high,” in 34 of 54 samples up to six days after they were provided. Another form of THC and cannabidiol, a pot chemical touted by some as a health aid, were detected in five samples.

The study authors said “it is reasonable to speculate” that exposing infants to THC or cannabidiol “could influence normal brain development,” depending on dose and timing.

The results echo findings in case reports from years ago, when pot was less potent than what’s available today, said study co-author Christina Chambers, a pediatrics professor. It’s not known if the amounts detected pose any risk, but she said her research team is studying children whose moms’ were involved to try to answer that question.

Two small studies from the 1980s had conflicting results on whether pot use affects breastfed infants. One found no evidence of growth delays; the other found slight developmental delays in breastfed infants, but their mothers had used pot during pregnancy too.

Most pediatricians encourage breastfeeding and its health benefits for infants, but “they’re stuck with a dilemma” with infants whose mothers use pot, Chambers said.

A new American Academy of Pediatrics report recommending against pot use while pregnant or nursing acknowledges that challenge.

“We still support women breastfeeding even if using marijuana but would encourage them to cut down and quit,” said Dr. Seth Ammerman, a report co-author and Stanford University pediatrics professor.

“In counseling patients about this, it’s important to be nonjudgmental but to educate patients about the potential risks and benefits,” Ammerman said, to ensure “a healthy outcome for themselves and their baby.”

The study and report were published Monday in the journal Pediatrics .

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has similar advice.

The academy report says its advice is based on theoretical risks to developing brains, but it acknowledges conflicting evidence and a dearth of research. Some studies have linked pot use during pregnancy with lower birth weights or preterm birth, along with developmental delays and learning difficulties in older children. But additional factors including women’s use of other drugs during pregnancy complicated the results, the report says.

Marijuana is legal for recreational use in nine states and Washington, D.C., and for medical use in 31 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

As more states legalize marijuana, its use is increasing along with the “false impression” that it is safe, the academy’s report says. Ammerman said caution makes sense, given the uncertainties.

According to U.S. government data, about 1 in 20 women report using marijuana during pregnancy. Estimates for use among breastfeeding mothers vary, but a study in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, put the number at almost 20 percent among women in a government supplemental food program.

The report, study and a journal editorial all said more research is needed.

Last year, a federal advisory panel said lack of scientific information about marijuana poses a public health risk.

Research has been hampered by federal government restrictions based on its view that marijuana is an illegal drug.

That has contributed to a stigma and shaded doctors’ views, said Keira Sumimoto, an Irvine, California, mother who used marijuana briefly for medical reasons while pregnant and breastfeeding. She said smoking a joint daily helped her gain weight when she was sick before learning she was pregnant, and eased childbirth-related pain, but that she quit because of backlash from marijuana opponents.

She said her daughter, now 8 months old, is healthy and advanced for her age.

Sumimoto runs @cannabisandmotherhood , an Instagram account that she says aims to present truthful information about marijuana so women can make their own choices.

She said she agrees with advice to be cautious, but that the academy’s stance is “is just a little too much.”

“The fear is taking over and the need and want to understand this plant is being ignored by the stigma,” Sumimoto said.

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

Playwright Neil Simon, a master of comedy whose laugh-filled hits such as “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park” and his “Brighton Beach” trilogy dominated Broadway for decades, has died. He was 91.

Simon died early Sunday of complications from pneumonia in New York, said Bill Evans, his longtime friend and the Shubert Organization director of media relations.

In the second half of the 20th century, Simon was the American theater’s most successful and prolific playwrights, often chronicling middle class issues and fears.

Starting with “Come Blow Your Horn” in 1961 and continuing into the next century, he rarely stopped working on a new play or musical.

The theater world mourned his death, with actor Josh Gad calling Simon “one of the primary influences on my life and career.” Playwright Kristoffer Diaz said simply: “This hurts.”

Simon’s stage successes included “The Prisoner of Second Avenue,” “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Plaza Suite,” “Chapter Two,” “Sweet Charity” and “Promises, Promises,” but there were other plays and musicals, too, more than 30 in all. Many of his plays were adapted into movies and one, “The Odd Couple,” even became a popular television series.

For seven months in 1967, he had four productions running at the same time on Broadway: “Barefoot in the Park”; “The Odd Couple”; “Sweet Charity”; and “The Star-Spangled Girl.”

Simon was the recipient of four Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, the Kennedy Center honors (1995), four Writers Guild of America Awards, an American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement honor and, in 1983, he even had a Broadway theater named after him when the Alvin was rechristened the Neil Simon Theatre.

In 2006, he won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which honors work that draws from the American experience. The previous year had seen a popular revival of “The Odd Couple,” reuniting Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick after their enormous success in “The Producers” several years earlier.

Simon received his first Tony Award in 1965 as best author, a category now discontinued, for “The Odd Couple,” although the comedy lost the best-play prize to Frank D. Gilroy’s “The Subject Was Roses.” He won a best-play Tony 20 years later for “Biloxi Blues.” In 1991, “Lost in Yonkers” received both the Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. And there was a special achievement Tony, too, in 1975.

Simon’s own life figured most prominently in what became known as his “Brighton Beach” trilogy: “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Biloxi Blues” and “Broadway Bound”, which many consider his finest works . In them, Simon’s alter ego, Eugene Morris Jerome, makes his way from childhood to the U.S. Army to finally, on the verge of adulthood, a budding career as a writer.

Simon was born Marvin Neil Simon in New York and was raised in the Bronx and Washington Heights. He was a Depression-era child, his father, Irving, a garment-industry salesman. He was raised mostly by his strong-willed mother, Mamie, and mentored by his older brother, Danny, who nicknamed his younger sibling, Doc.

Simon attended New York University and the University of Colorado. After serving in the military in 1945-46, he began writing with his brother for radio in 1948 and then, for television, a period in their lives chronicled in Simon’s 1993 play, “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”

 
…

From: MeNeedIt

John Cronin has never been one to let disability hold him back. The 22-year-old from Long Island, N.Y., was born with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes developmental and intellectual delays. Motivated by his family’s love and encouragement, Cronin teamed up with his father 18 months ago to open a business. But not just any business. John’s Crazy Socks sells, you guessed it, socks. And as Faiza Elmasry reports, it’s a business worth $4 million. Faith Lapidus narrates.
…

From: MeNeedIt

John Cronin has never been one to let disability hold him back. The 22-year-old from Long Island, N.Y., was born with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes developmental and intellectual delays. Motivated by his family’s love and encouragement, Cronin teamed up with his father 18 months ago to open a business. But not just any business. John’s Crazy Socks sells, you guessed it, socks. And as Faiza Elmasry reports, it’s a business worth $4 million. Faith Lapidus narrates.
…

From: MeNeedIt

It’s a good idea for people to get an annual physical … and it’s important for animals, too. The London Zoo hosted its annual weigh-in for thousands of its animals recently, enticing the creatures with food to get their measurements. The documentation process is an extensive and time-consuming exercise for the zoo keepers, but a crucial one, say zoo officials. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.
…

From: MeNeedIt

The metalcore band We Came as Romans says vocalist Kyle Pavone has died at 28.

The Troy, Michigan, group tweeted about the death Saturday, saying: “Kyle’s tragic loss came too early in his life and those of his bandmates. All are devastated by his passing.” The death was confirmed by a band publicist, Amy Sciarretto. No further details about the cause were released.

A group of friends founded the band under another name in 2005. Pavone joined in 2008. The group’s 2013 album,”Tracing Back Roots” hit No. 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart and No. 1 on Billboard’s independent album chart.

A week ago, Pavone tweeted a line from the band’s song “Promise Me”: “Will i be remembered or will i be lost in loving eyes.”
…

From: MeNeedIt

The metalcore band We Came as Romans says vocalist Kyle Pavone has died at 28.

The Troy, Michigan, group tweeted about the death Saturday, saying: “Kyle’s tragic loss came too early in his life and those of his bandmates. All are devastated by his passing.” The death was confirmed by a band publicist, Amy Sciarretto. No further details about the cause were released.

A group of friends founded the band under another name in 2005. Pavone joined in 2008. The group’s 2013 album,”Tracing Back Roots” hit No. 8 on the Billboard 200 album chart and No. 1 on Billboard’s independent album chart.

A week ago, Pavone tweeted a line from the band’s song “Promise Me”: “Will i be remembered or will i be lost in loving eyes.”
…

From: MeNeedIt

In historic Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, musician Jamey Turner is playing a most unusual instrument, the glass harp. This harp actually consists of ordinary stemmed glasses filled with water that Turner plays with his fingertips by rubbing the rims to create a range of musical tones. He performs music such as “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony or the famous theme from the Star Wars movies.

The people who stop by are awestruck by the glass harp music Turner has been showcasing on a street corner in Alexandria for more than 25 years. It doesn’t take long before they drop dollar bills or larger amounts into a donation basket to show their appreciation for Turner.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Nicole Schwarss, a visitor from Germany. “I’ve never heard something like this before.”

Almudena Casdaneda from Mexico was spellbound.

“It’s a very different way to play music,” she said, “and it seems difficult to do, and to remember which cup sounds which way.”

Second nature

But to 78-year-old Turner it’s second nature because he started playing the glass harp some 50 years ago. Although he also plays other instruments, the glass harp is his passion. He got the idea as a young age from his father. When he was 6 years old, he said, he heard his dad playing around with a glass of water at the dining room table and he liked the sound a lot.

Turner sets up his instrument, consisting of 60 glasses, on a wooden soundboard anchored with rubber bands, which keeps the stemware from breaking. He uses inexpensive glass instead of crystal, which he says rings too long and doesn’t give him control of the notes.

Turner tunes each glass to a different pitch by partially filling them with distilled water, which he said gives better sound than water with chemicals and minerals. Then he uses a turkey baster to squirt additional water into the glasses to fine-tune them.

As Turner rubs his dampened fingertips around the rims, the smaller bowls produce higher pitches, while the larger ones resonate deeper tones. The more water in any of the glasses, large or small, will also lower the pitch.

Turner actually “auditions” his glasses at stores before he buys them. 

“I explain that I’m looking for a few that I can make music on. Then I usually find only one or two that will have a good sound,” he said.

Audience participation

Turner loves having an audience and teaching people about his instrument. He explains how he plays the chords. He gave some visitors the opportunity to play music with him, by having them rub the rims of the biggest glasses.

Joeli Pepe, a girl from New York, was all smiles as her glass vibrated a bass tone.

“I didn’t know it made that much sound,” she said.

She also learned from Turner that the glass harp was popular in the 1700s when classical composers like Mozart wrote music specifically for the instrument. There have been 400 pieces written for the glass harp. But Turner plays all kinds of music, from contemporary jazz, to country, to the U.S. national anthem. He amazed a Chinese visitor by playing a tune that is popular in China.

Turner said he has been able to make a living as a glass harpist and has even played with top U.S. orchestras. He has performed at numerous places around the country, including the Easter Egg Roll at the White House, for various embassies in Washington, and at Walt Disney World in Florida. A few years ago, he got to perform in Japan.

With so few people playing the glass harp, Turner is hoping the next generation will keep the instrument alive.

“I think it is gaining in popularity,” he said. “A lot of people have seen me on YouTube, and so I’ve seen a lot of people experimenting with it on YouTube.”

“People can’t help but smile when they hear the glass harp,” said Turner, as he played Happy Birthday to a little girl who gave him a big grin.
…

From: MeNeedIt

In historic Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, musician Jamey Turner is playing a most unusual instrument, the glass harp. This harp actually consists of ordinary stemmed glasses filled with water that Turner plays with his fingertips by rubbing the rims to create a range of musical tones. He performs music such as “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony or the famous theme from the Star Wars movies.

The people who stop by are awestruck by the glass harp music Turner has been showcasing on a street corner in Alexandria for more than 25 years. It doesn’t take long before they drop dollar bills or larger amounts into a donation basket to show their appreciation for Turner.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Nicole Schwarss, a visitor from Germany. “I’ve never heard something like this before.”

Almudena Casdaneda from Mexico was spellbound.

“It’s a very different way to play music,” she said, “and it seems difficult to do, and to remember which cup sounds which way.”

Second nature

But to 78-year-old Turner it’s second nature because he started playing the glass harp some 50 years ago. Although he also plays other instruments, the glass harp is his passion. He got the idea as a young age from his father. When he was 6 years old, he said, he heard his dad playing around with a glass of water at the dining room table and he liked the sound a lot.

Turner sets up his instrument, consisting of 60 glasses, on a wooden soundboard anchored with rubber bands, which keeps the stemware from breaking. He uses inexpensive glass instead of crystal, which he says rings too long and doesn’t give him control of the notes.

Turner tunes each glass to a different pitch by partially filling them with distilled water, which he said gives better sound than water with chemicals and minerals. Then he uses a turkey baster to squirt additional water into the glasses to fine-tune them.

As Turner rubs his dampened fingertips around the rims, the smaller bowls produce higher pitches, while the larger ones resonate deeper tones. The more water in any of the glasses, large or small, will also lower the pitch.

Turner actually “auditions” his glasses at stores before he buys them. 

“I explain that I’m looking for a few that I can make music on. Then I usually find only one or two that will have a good sound,” he said.

Audience participation

Turner loves having an audience and teaching people about his instrument. He explains how he plays the chords. He gave some visitors the opportunity to play music with him, by having them rub the rims of the biggest glasses.

Joeli Pepe, a girl from New York, was all smiles as her glass vibrated a bass tone.

“I didn’t know it made that much sound,” she said.

She also learned from Turner that the glass harp was popular in the 1700s when classical composers like Mozart wrote music specifically for the instrument. There have been 400 pieces written for the glass harp. But Turner plays all kinds of music, from contemporary jazz, to country, to the U.S. national anthem. He amazed a Chinese visitor by playing a tune that is popular in China.

Turner said he has been able to make a living as a glass harpist and has even played with top U.S. orchestras. He has performed at numerous places around the country, including the Easter Egg Roll at the White House, for various embassies in Washington, and at Walt Disney World in Florida. A few years ago, he got to perform in Japan.

With so few people playing the glass harp, Turner is hoping the next generation will keep the instrument alive.

“I think it is gaining in popularity,” he said. “A lot of people have seen me on YouTube, and so I’ve seen a lot of people experimenting with it on YouTube.”

“People can’t help but smile when they hear the glass harp,” said Turner, as he played Happy Birthday to a little girl who gave him a big grin.
…

From: MeNeedIt

Musician Jamey Turner chose an unconventional career path by becoming a glass harpist. He plays music with glasses filled with water. He uses his fingertips to rub the rim of the glasses to create a range of musical tones. VOA’s Deborah Block watched Turner play the glass harp in Alexandria, Virginia, where people seemed to be awestruck by the sounds he created.
…

From: MeNeedIt

A Russian artist is going back to the roots of photography, rejecting the digital trappings and the assembly-line convenience of the modern age, by designing and creating wooden cameras the way they were built a hundred years ago. Combining craftsmanship with the principles of old school photography, some consider his creations art forms in themselves. And as VOA’s Julie Taboh reports, his wooden cameras, and the unique photographs he takes with them, are attracting buyers from around the world.
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From: MeNeedIt