Latest news with #addicted
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jake Tapper tears into ‘unethical, sleazy' Hunter who acted like Biden family's ‘chief of staff' despite being ‘prone to horrible decisions'
CNN anchor Jake Tapper tore into former president Joe Biden's son, Hunter, for acting like 'chief of staff of the family' in recent years, despite his record of questionable behavior. 'It's bizarre because I think he is provably, demonstrably unethical, sleazy and prone to horrible decisions,' Tapper told Katie Couric in an interview that aired on Tuesday, as Tapper and his co-author, Axios reporter Alex Thompson, promoted their book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which paints a highly critical picture of Biden's final days in office and 2024 campaign. 'Look at the record,' Tapper continued. 'After his brother died, he cheated on his wife with his brother's widow and then got her addicted to crack. That's just one thing I could say. I don't have a lot of personal regard for him.' The Independent was not immediately able to reach Hunter Biden for comment. The book contains a number of damning allegations about Biden and his inner circle, including that he forgot the names of aides and political ally George Clooney alike. It also alleges that the president began to rely on cue cards and teleprompters even for rudimentary remarks, while limiting his access to members of Congress and his cabinet. One source reportedly told Tapper that as the president's health declined, the presidency was 'at best, a five-person board with Joe Biden as chairman of the board." Other reporting has suggested that despite Hunter Biden's many scandals, the president viewed him as his closest political adviser. The Biden camp has largely dismissed the book's reporting. President Biden's spokesperson Chris Meagher has said he is 'still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental fact, the evidence points to the opposite — he was a very effective president.' Naomi Biden, Hunter Biden's daughter, compared the book, which comes out today (May 20), to 'political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class.' 'Put simply, it amounts to a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck,' she wrote on X. 'It relies on unnamed, anonymous sources pushing a self-serving false narrative that absolves them of any responsibility for our current national nightmare.' The release of the book comes at a troubled time for the former president, who announced over the weekend he had been diagnosed with an 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer.
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- The Hindu
The great porn experiment of the 21st century: an epidemiological natural study
In a recent divorce ruling, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court adjudicated a case where the husband accused his wife of being addicted to pornography, alleging that it amounted to cruelty within the marriage. But the court ruled that private viewing of adult content does not qualify as cruelty. While the court addressed the question through the lens of individual autonomy and marital privacy, the judgment invites a deeper inquiry: can pornography consumption be considered an addiction? Because the judiciary recognises substance addiction—like alcoholism or drug dependence—as valid grounds for divorce under the charge of cruelty. But pornography sits in a grey area. It is not a chemical substance but a sensory stimulus and leaves no visible scars on the body after consumption. However, it shares unsettling similarities with known addictive behaviours. The origins of erotic art The human fascination with erotic imagery is ancient. The sensuous murals of the Ajanta caves etching expressions of sexuality have always had their place in art. But never before in history could humans instantly access, stream, and interact with vast oceans of visually stimulation erotic material—free, anonymous, and available twenty-four hours a day. Today, an ordinary person can access more bodies, fantasies, and acts than a medieval king could dream of in his harem. The human brain is wired to respond to novelty in sexual mating. The Coolidge effect is a unique mammalian behavioural pattern that refers to the biological tendency to be re-stimulated by a new mate or stimulus. Modern pornography capitalises on this evolutionary trap with endless scrolls, categories, and ever-changing scenarios. It is not just about arousal; it is about novelty. This novelty acts as a supranormal stimulus, referring to artificially enhanced stimuli that hijack natural reward systems. Globally, studies suggest that pornography consumption is more prevalent among males than females, with self-reported surveys indicating that approximately 60–70% of young men and around 30–40% of young women engage in regular viewing. However, these numbers vary widely by age, cultural context, and methodology. The most reliable study to date—a nationally representative Australian survey—found that 4.4% of men and 1.2% of women 'considered themselves addicted to pornography'. India lacks large-scale, peer-reviewed research on pornography use. Much of the available data is based on self-reporting that is prone to bias. The line between habit and harm Pornography use is not classified as an addiction by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 & the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The ICD-11 does acknowledge 'Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder', which includes persistent and distressing patterns of sexual behaviour like porn use, but places this under impulse control disorders, not addictions. This hesitation reflects a deeper scientific dilemma: where do we draw the line between habit and harm, between high-frequency use and clinical pathology? The difficulty in categorisation begins with the elusive nature of the behaviour itself. In the case of substances like alcohol or nicotine, thresholds can be defined in grams, blood levels, or measurable physical harm. With porn, the metric is psychological: does it interfere with daily functioning, does it cause distress, does it lead to compulsive patterns? The model includes impaired control (such as cravings or failed attempts to stop), functional impairment (neglect of work, studies, or relationships), and risky use (continuing the behaviour despite adverse consequences). This is further complicated by the fact that porn is sensory stimuli, not a physical drug like tobacco nor a tangible engagement like gambling. It doesn't require a casino, partners or money; unlike alcohol, it doesn't leave a smell or a hangover. All it needs is a smartphone and a closed door. This ease of access powered by the digital revolution makes porn consumption nearly frictionless. This invisibility makes it harder to measure, regulate, and study. The scientific community faces another challenge: there is no real control group or animal model. With the explosion of internet access post-2000, nearly all adolescents and young adults today have been exposed to pornographic content, often before they experience partnered intimacy. In this sense, our generation lacks a 'control group' or 'baseline', making it impossible to determine the long-term psychological effects of this exposure. When everyone smokes, lung cancer becomes normal. Unlike substances that can be tested in animal models to study addiction pathways, pornography—being a visual and cognitive experience unique to humans cannot be replicated in lab rats or monkeys. There is no rodent equivalent of compulsively watching or endlessly scrolling through nude mates. This absence of animal models has hampered the routine route of scientific enquiry and stalled the progress of understanding porn consumption. Porn use and the brain Neurobiological evidence about porn use however, is accumulating. Functional MRI studies have shown that people with compulsive porn use display altered activity in brain regions involved in reward processing, such as the ventral striatum and amygdala. Repeated exposure to high-stimulation erotic content results in what neuroscientists call 'sensitisation'—heightened response to cues—and 'desensitisation'—the need for more extreme or novel content to feel the same level of arousal. Over time, changes in the prefrontal cortex may weaken impulse control, mirroring what is seen in substance use disorders. These structural and functional changes are mediated by key neurotransmitters: dopamine, which regulates pleasure and reward; glutamate, which governs learning and habit formation; and serotonin, which modulates mood. Just like alcohol or cocaine, pornography also appears to rewire the brain. Clinically self-reported porn consumers reported heightened anxiety, insomnia, poor concentration, irritability, and relationship dissatisfaction. There is also growing concern about body image issues, unrealistic expectations about sex, and emotional detachment in intimate relationships. Pornography and the Young Person | Women Uninterrupted podcast - Season 5, Episode 2 An ongoing, natural experiment In epidemiology, natural experiments refer to large-scale phenomena not designed or controlled by scientists but observed historically to understand their impact. The widespread and unregulated consumption of digital pornography may be such an experiment. Just as Marie Curie worked with radioactive isotopes before understanding the dangers, or as Hollywood once glamorised cigarette smoking as a symbol of sophistication, we may be living through a phase of cultural naivety. We are normalising a behaviour whose long-term effects on brain development, social bonding, and emotional regulation we have yet to understand fully. No fixed threshold can define 'what's too much,' but science agrees that the brain is malleable. Whether this adaptation is healthy or harmful depends on the context, the individual, and the consequences. But as researchers continue to debate, as platforms continue to evolve, and as generations continue to consume, one thing becomes increasingly clear—we are in the midst of one of the largest unregulated psychological natural experiments in human history. And the results may take decades, if not longer, to fully unfold. The Madras High Court judgment appears well-aligned with existing medical consensus. Whether future evidence shifts this perspective remains uncertain, but for now, labelling porn use as cruelty lacks the clinical backing needed for such a legal conclusion, even though consuming it is not advisable. (Dr. C. Aravinda is an academic and public health physician. The views expressed are personal. aravindaaiimsjr10@
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Don't trust the climate doomers spooking us with lies
'Climate change will make Earth a living hell!' claims popular astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I don't believe him. The media say, 'All Arctic ice will soon melt away! Polar bears are dying off! Global warming causes food shortages!' Bunk, bunk, bunk. They are addicted to scaring us with climate myths. Myth 1: It's worsening droughts. The Environmental Defense Fund wins donations partly by claiming, 'Climate change is worsening drought!' Media morons parrot the claim. It's just not true. The EPA: 'The last 50 years have generally been wetter than average.' Globally, there's been no increase in drought. Heartland Institute Research Fellow Linnea Lueken notes, 'The media . . . completely ignore previous years where there were record-low amounts of drought. Every individual drought that occurs in the United States, or anywhere in the world, is not evidence of catastrophic climate change. It's weather.' Myth 2: Climate change is worsening wildfires. During California's wildfires, silly people at NBC News ranted, 'Climate change, creating infernos larger than ever!' Bunk. US Forest Service data shows fires burned much more in the 1930s. But the climate has gotten warmer! Doesn't that dry trees out and cause wildfires? No, laughs Lueken. 'One degree of change does not dry out all of the brush . . . The real driver of these issues is land management.' Poor land management. California restricts clear-cutting — removing almost all trees in an area. And they don't allow small fires to burn like they once did, naturally. So overgrowth builds up and fuels bigger fires. Also, today's wildfires affect more people not because of climate change, but because there's more suburban sprawl. More people build more houses in the path of grass fires. Myth 3: Sea-level rise will soon cause catastrophic damage. In 2004, The Guardian wrote, 'A secret report . . . warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas . . . by 2020!' By 2020 . . . Last I checked, European cities were OK. 'Sea level rise is absolutely occurring,' says Lueken, 'but it's been slow . . . About a foot per century. There is no way that people wouldn't be able to adapt to it.' Exactly. More than 100 million people already live below high-tide sea level thanks to dikes like those Holland built years ago. And the Dutch built them without the modern equipment we have. Adjusting to rising water makes more sense than recent environmental policy, like moves to ban gas-powered vehicles and giving money to politically connected windfarm developers. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters That costs a fortune, but it will make no noticeable difference. Climate change is real and may cause real problems. But we can adapt to them, rather than getting hysterical about myths. One last myth: Coral reefs are disappearing! The BBC writes, 'Coral islands in Australia at risk of disappearing.' According to National Public Radio, 'Scientists Say the Great Barrier Reef is Officially Dying.' It's just not true. '2024 actually saw record coverage for the Great Barrier Reef,' says Lueken. 'Corals thrive in tropical conditions.' Between 2019 and 2024, coral coverage more than doubled. I'm embarrassed for my profession. It pumps out nonsense. 'It drives me absolutely batty every time one of these claims is made,' says Lueken. 'All it takes is a quick Google search to pull up publicly available data on any of these conditions.' 'If the good news is so obvious, why would they keep reporting bad news?' I ask. 'Good news doesn't grab headlines . . . [and] research funding and grants.' That's key. It took me years of reporting before I realized that scientists who gave me the best, most alarming and interesting quotes were often just . . . wrong. It isn't that they lie on purpose; it's just that the more you study a problem, the more you worry about it. On top of that, a scientist who says it's not a problem, or it's a manageable problem, doesn't get attention. Or those big government grants. If you want money and attention, you need to scare people. John Stossel is the author of 'Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
As March Madness sets in, help is available in West Virginia for gambling addiction
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — During March Madness, many people follow the NCAA Tournament brackets and make wagers with friends. Occasionally, gambling may become more than a social past time and may begin to interfere with the finances and emotional health of those who gamble. Local WWII veteran, Purple Heart recipient dies at 98 Addictions experts say a preoccupation with gambling, making larger bets, chasing losses and a compulsion to gamble are all signs of a gambling addiction. Roy Shrewsbury II, the vice-chairman of the West Virginia Lottery Commission, said there is help available in West Virginia for those who suspect they may be addicted to gambling. 'We have various options that you can use, one of them being to call 1-800-GAMBLER,' Shrewsbury said on Monday, March 17, 2025. 'That's a helpline to help you if you have gambling issues.' Raleigh County Commission honors WWII veterans Shrewsbury said the hotline provides a variety of resources and help. In addition, he said that the West Virginia Lottery Commission can provide extra help by barring someone who is addicted to gambling from entering state gaming establishments for one year. Shrewsbury directed those who need help to visit the West Virginia Lottery website if they have more questions about responsible gambling and resources for help. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
$21 per trip on Interstate 4. Florida is addicted to tolls
We now know the top price for using Interstate 4's new express lanes — $21 for a one-way trip. In some places, $21 a day would get you a lease on a pretty nice car. Here, you'd just get to drive that car … for about 20 minutes. Of course nobody will be forced to use the express lanes in Seminole and Orange counties. On days when I-4's free lanes are clogged, you're welcome sit in standstill traffic, ride SunRail or just stay home. So transportation officials are celebrating what they call 'dynamic' pricing. Other places call it 'congestion' pricing. Donald Trump, though, calls it unacceptable. At least when they do it in New York. In one of his early actions, Trump ordered New York to end the practice. 'CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,' Trump posted on Truth Social in January. 'LONG LIVE THE KING!' Trump's transportation secretary called the surge pricing 'a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.' Apparently, it's a slap in the face when blue states do it, but something to be celebrated when red states do it. How high could I-4 tolls go with new system? $21, FDOT says, but not often There are certainly key differences between I-4's express lanes and the New York proposal. Mainly that people on I-4 can always opt to use the free lanes, even though they may be slow and undesirable. But both programs have the same premise — providing driving options only to those who can afford to pay. The real issue isn't just I-4's new toll lanes. It's that Florida is addicted to tolls in general. Florida is the most-tolled state in America. They're a high cost of living in a supposedly 'low-cost' state. See, Florida can rightfully boast about its low taxes. But when you don't collect income taxes —and also give billions of tax breaks to special interests and allow 99% of corporations to dodge corporate income taxes altogether — the state doesn't have much money to spend on services for residents. So Florida scrimps on everything from public schools to services with people with disabilities, ranking 49th in per capita government spending. We're apparently fine stiffing teachers and kids in wheelchairs. But when we really want to pay for things — like roads — we have to come up with creative ways to finance them. So Florida levies tolls more liberally than any other state in America. A study from 2015 found that, while the average state had about 100 miles of tolled roads, Florida had more than 700. We've added many more since. And within Florida, the Orlando metro has more toll roads than anywhere else. In other words: You live in the most-tolled community in America's most-tolled state. We should probably slap that on a bumper sticker, since we're all sitting in traffic anyway. Florida leads nation in toll roads Some people love tolls. In fact, toll cheerleaders often say: If you don't like toll roads, just don't take 'em! Do you know who says that? People who don't have to take them. You try living in Ocoee and getting to your job at the Magic Kingdom without ever using a toll road. Or driving to downtown Orlando from Alafaya out east or in Winter Garden out west. It can be the difference between an 18-minute drive and a 40-minute one. Well, why would someone who works at Disney live so far away? Because not everyone can afford to live close to where they work. That is, in fact, what Trump was getting at when he was gunning for New York's congestion pricing. Not everyone can afford to live in a penthouse on Park Avenue. Some have to live in New Jersey. Or Bithlo. Even if it's not their first choice. And Central Florida has few other options. As this newspaper has written time and again, Central Florida has some of the worst mass transit offerings in the country. (Recall this installment from the Sentinel's 'Laborland' series a few years back: 'It takes her 3 hours to travel 15 miles by bus. Orlando's public transit is failing tourism workers.') It takes her 3 hours to travel 15 miles by bus. Orlando's public transit is failing tourism workers So we keep adding tolls. Originally, the state said the maximum price to use I-4's new express lanes would be $14. Now they say it's $21 — up to $3 for each segment with seven segments eastbound and six westbound. State officials say they don't expect the prices to be that high very often. More often, it will be only 50 cents a section, for a total of $3.50 one way. The price to use these lanes will be very reasonable when nobody really needs to. Florida needed the tolls to pay for the 'I-4 Ultimate' project — the first of two I-4 road rehabs with a total price tag of $5 billion. (Keep that price in mind the next time someone starts screaming bloody murder about how much rail costs.) I'll say this about the I-4 rebuild: Traffic flows better now. But the express lanes are just part of the reason why. The project also involved complete overhauls to interchanges and redesigning stretches of the road that used to most frequently see bottlenecks. Still, the most visible change is the addition of the express lanes. The state's slogan is: 'I-4 Express is there when you need it.' They should add an addendum ' … if you can afford it.' That's really the motto for much of Florida's road-building for the last 20 years, providing the best new road options for those willing and able to pay every time they get in their car. smaxwell@
