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Articles by Ben O'Mara
Keeping my dead wife’s books safe for our son helped me let go of guilt
‘Pulling out her paperbacks and carrying them with me through the house connected me to something weird and cosmic,’ Ben O’Mara writes. Photograph: Horst Friedrichs/Alamy As I removed my dead wife’s favourite novels from the bookshelf, a photo of her fell to the ground and a wave of guilt swamped me. The photo was of my wife with her sister in the 1980s. They were toddlers. My wife’s eyes, wide and bright, and her hair, blond and shaggy, looked just like our four-year-old son.
Keeping my dead wife’s books safe for our son helped me let go of guilt
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Opinion | Swimming after wife's death helps us endure grief | Newcastle Herald | Newcastle, NSW
I once loved swimming. Now though, whenever I go for a dip our local pool, especially with my son, it fills me with dread. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading BUY 6 MTHS / GET 6 FREE All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia Not that my gorgeous son causes me to feel down. He is just a toddler and loves to splash and play in the water. I am jealous of his sense of play.
Ben O'Mara | How I cope after Meta stole my dead wife Gemma Carey's books | Newcastle Herald | Newcastle, NSW
My heart sank when I saw Gemma Carey's books and other writing appear in the LibGen dataset of pirated works used by Meta to train its artificial intelligence (AI) software. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading 50% off EOFY Sale All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia Gem, my wife, and mother to our son, died unexpectedly late last year.
People living in poverty or disadvantage are three times more likely to die from COVID than the wealthy
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Newly released Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data people living in poverty or disadvantage are three times more likely to die from COVID than the wealthy. This statistic is alarming, but it gets worse when we begin to look more closely at particular communities.
Australia is failing marginalised people, and it shows in COVID death rates
Newly released Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data people living in poverty or disadvantage are three times more likely to die from COVID than the wealthy. This statistic is alarming, but it gets worse when we begin to look more closely at particular communities. ABS data show the rate of death from COVID for people living in Australia who were born overseas was almost than those born in Australia when standardised for age (6.8 deaths per 100,000 vs 2.3 deaths).
Building trust with migrant and refugee communities is crucial for public health measures to work
Credit: Shutterstock During COVID-19 we've seen racism and discrimination against migrant and refugee communities erode trust between them and authorities. So as the Delta variant spreads, we must find ways to build that trust. With greater trust, we can improve contact tracing and the chance of people following public health advice. This is essential if we are to help prevent more infection, illness and death.
Building trust with migrant and refugee communities is crucial for public health measures to work
During COVID-19 we’ve seen racism and discrimination against migrant and refugee communities erode trust between them and authorities. So as the Delta variant spreads, we must find ways to build that trust. With greater trust, we can improve contact tracing and the chance of people following public health advice. This is essential if we are to help prevent more infection, illness and death.
Do multilingual androids dream of a better life in Australia? Effectiveness of information technology for government translation to support refugees and migrants in Australia
EVIDENCE REVIEW Ben O'Mara Corresponding Author E-mail address: bomara@swin.edu.au https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3506-5934 Department of Media and Communication, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia Correspondence Ben O'Mara, Department of Media and Communication, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia.
‘And me I’m in a rock ’n’ roll band’: on pill-testing and valuing musicians
When I first saw Australian band Ammonia perform live, way back in the late 90s at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, they played their hit song ‘Drugs’ with gusto. The gig was a ripper. ‘Drugs, and money,’ screamed Dave Johnstone, lead singer, his sneakered feet pounding the stage. ‘But there’s nothing I’m gunna do about it.’ Us punters in the crowd bounced on the pub’s sticky floor, cheering them on.
It stinks, but not of Melbourne
When I jumped off the St Kilda Road tram at the National Gallery of Victoria, I noticed the strong, earthy smell of ‘petrichor’ – what scientists call the smell of rain. I was not yet inside Sissel Tolaas’ exhibition SmellScape: Melbourne_PastPresentPast but my memory had already been triggered by the scent of the oil that’s released from the earth into the air before rain falls. The oil was probably in the dirt on the nature strip near the tram stop.
A medically supervised injection facility matters for Victoria - and for more inclusive mental health support
The report from the parliamentary inquiry into a pilot medically-supervised injecting centre in Victoria has been released, and it has failed to make a definitive statement recommending the establishment of a centre in North Richmond. The Victorian government has said it hasn’t changed its stance against an injecting room, despite the report finding drug use has reached crisis levels in North Richmond. Of the submissions to the inquiry, 46 of 49 supported a trial centre in North Richmond.
Reducing dependency on opioid painkillers in rural and regional Australia
Dependency on morphine, codeine, oxycodone and other opioid painkillers reflects what we already know about life in the small towns of Australia. Outside major cities, people tend to have poorer health and reduced life expectancy. Long travel times to health services, small health facilities and greater demand for doctors makes accessing support for improved health difficult. But living in country Australia doesn't have to be a prescription for poor health.
There's a big problem with opioid dependence in rural Australia -- here are some ways to tackle it
Between 2008 and 2011, the rate of people treated for dependency on morphine in rural and regional Australia was roughly double that of their major city counterparts. Dependency on morphine, codeine, oxycodone and other opioid painkillers reflects what we already know about life in the small towns of Australia. Outside major cities, people tend to have poorer health and reduced life expectancy.
How we can reduce dependency on opioid painkillers in rural and regional Australia
Between 2008 and 2011, the rate of people treated for dependency on morphine in rural and regional Australia was roughly double that of their major city counterparts. Dependency on morphine, codeine, oxycodone and other opioid painkillers reflects what we already know about life in the small towns of Australia. Outside major cities, people tend to have poorer health and reduced life expectancy.
How To Reduce Dependency On Drugs Like Valium With Alternative Therapies
Benzodiazepines (such as Valium and Xanax) are depressant prescription drugs used most commonly for anxiety. But evidence suggests dependence on these medications is increasing and side effects are common, so we increasingly need to look to alternative therapies. Benzodiazepines cause sedation by slowing down nerve activity in the central nervous system and the messages travelling between the brain and the body.
How to reduce dependency on drugs like Valium with alternative therapies
Benzodiazepines (such as Valium and Xanax) are depressant prescription drugs used most commonly for anxiety. But evidence suggests dependence on these medications is increasing and side effects are common, so we increasingly need to look to alternative therapies. Benzodiazepines cause sedation by slowing down nerve activity in the central nervous system and the messages travelling between the brain and the body.
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