May 25, 2019 03:56 PM
(This post was last modified: May 25, 2019 06:44 PM by C C.)
High school student's life after transgender students join her sport (sports)
https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/arti...-her-sport
EXCERPT: . . . “It’s very frustrating and heartbreaking when us girls are at the start of the race and we already know that these athletes are going to come out and win no matter how hard you try,” Selina told The Daily Signal. “They took away the spots of deserving girls, athletes … me being included.”
While the debate over transgender athletes and fairness is complex, the situation in Connecticut has brought forth another complicating layer: Plenty of parents and high school girls appear to object to the participation of biological boys in girls sports, but fearing public bullying and backlash, they’re not speaking out. Publicly, at least.
The stakes of remaining silent are high: Policies are being formed in real time at the local, state, and federal levels regarding transgender individuals, student athletes, and sports. Most prominently, on March 13, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced HR 5, the Equality Act, a bill that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under federal civil rights law.
The legislation would create a civil right for male athletes to self-identify as females at any time, critics say, without any evidence of physical changes to their bodies. When the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, or CIAC, said biological boys who identify as girls can compete as girls in sports, most track athletes remained mum. Connecticut is one of 17 states that allow transgender high school athletes to compete without restrictions, according to Transathlete.com, a website that tracks state policies in high school sports across the country.
Encouraged by her mother, Bianca Stanescu, who has been in the forefront in challenging the state policy, Selina is one of the few students, if not the only one, giving a voice to countless others who appear to feel the same way. “Everyone is afraid of retaliation from the media, from the kids around their school, from other athletes, coaches, schools, administrators,” Selina explained. “They don’t want to drag attention to themselves, and they don’t want to be seen as a target for potential bullying and threats.” (MORE)
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SEMI-SARDONIC THOUGHTS: Green states on the map are stated at transathelete dot com to be inclusive without any hormones and surgery. Any requirement for routinely wearing "female" apparel isn't mentioned -- but the very suggestion that there is a special way of dressing and acting designated as "female" would itself seem to go against certain niches of feminism, if not the (conflicting?) social mindset establishing and patrolling these trans matters.
While the girl "Selina" above might have a subtext resonance of "protagonist or outspoken crusading hero" affixed to her at some anti-Establishment or going-against-the-grain website like say Quillette, bear in mind how that can relativistically change elsewhere. She could instead be conceived of as "whiney" by journalism outlets that conform to whatever current standards for what constitutes the territory of taboo topics and undesirable thought orientations. A kind of "stop being self-interested and get with the program and any pretentious posturing it advocates ... you bitter, bigoted little New England redneck".
Bear in mind also that some of the "biological boys who psychologically identify as girls" might not actually want to compete with biological girls. But I'm not sure how that makes any sense in contrast to those dressing and acting the part, undergoing hormone treatment and surgery. I mean, the latter could ask to only compete with boys (for the sake of appearing noble, followed by their request being declined) and still potentially be distinguishable from the ordinary boys (be noticed, get crowd attention). Whereas "verbal-only" boys as girls could (in theory at least) not present any outward and behavioral sign that they are distinct from the conventional males they would be competing with (if such a request was accommodated).
The risky use of video game ‘loot boxes’ is associated with problematic gambling behaviors (games)
https://www.psypost.org/2019/05/the-risk...iors-53745
EXCERPT: Engagement with “loot boxes” — randomly generated prizes of undisclosed value that can be attained or purchased within a game — is correlated with gambling beliefs and problematic gambling behavior in adult gamers, according to a study published in Addictive Behaviors. [...] The researchers found excessive engagement with loot boxes was associated with measures of problem gambling, supporting the view that loot boxes are a ‘gamblified’ feature of modern video games.
“Our study demonstrates that the risky use of loot boxes (e.g., a preoccupation with them, ‘chasing’ desired items, and difficulty reducing or stopping use) is moderately associated with problematic gambling behaviors and gambling-related cognitive bias. Moreover, these associations appear to be stronger than the association between risky loot box use and a typical measure of problematic gaming,” Gabriel Brooks told PsyPost. The results are in line with previous research, which found that there is a significant relationship between problematic gambling behaviors and spending money on loot boxes. (MORE - details)
Genetic Factors May Help Explain Athletic Sudden Death (sports)
https://www.sapiens.org/body/genetic-ath...den-death/
EXCERPT: Occasionally, some of the fittest people in the world—from Olympic athletes to football players—die suddenly after a bout of strenuous exercise. Why only some people fall victim isn’t clear, but a new genetic study offers a hint.
One of the risk factors for athletic sudden death is having a single copy of the abnormal gene variant for sickle cell, a condition called “sickle cell trait” (SCT). People with two copies of this abnormal gene variant have sickle cell anemia, a disease that can turn red blood cells into rigid, sticky, sickle-shaped cells that can restrict how much oxygen gets to the body, block blood flow, cause pain, and lead to blindness or death.
SCT, meanwhile, is generally considered benign most of the time. The conventional wisdom is that people with SCT do not normally have symptoms—except under extreme conditions, like at high altitude, or during intense exercise. In one study that included 13 U.S. college football players who died suddenly of exertion, the risk of death for SCT players was 37 times higher than for players without the trait.
But the reality is a little more complicated, says Lorena Madrigal, a biological anthropologist at the University of South Florida. Some SCT athletes rise to the level of professional football players and experience no problems. Other SCT individuals report having pain after moderate activity. “There’s such tremendous diversity,” says Madrigal.
Now Madrigal and colleagues propose one possible reason for this variation. In the May issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Madrigal and a team of biological anthropologists, a geneticist, and medical doctors show that a small set of gene variants might control the severity of SCT’s effects. Monitoring for those genes, they argue, could reveal who is at highest risk and promote understanding of this often overlooked medical problem. (MORE)
https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/arti...-her-sport
EXCERPT: . . . “It’s very frustrating and heartbreaking when us girls are at the start of the race and we already know that these athletes are going to come out and win no matter how hard you try,” Selina told The Daily Signal. “They took away the spots of deserving girls, athletes … me being included.”
While the debate over transgender athletes and fairness is complex, the situation in Connecticut has brought forth another complicating layer: Plenty of parents and high school girls appear to object to the participation of biological boys in girls sports, but fearing public bullying and backlash, they’re not speaking out. Publicly, at least.
The stakes of remaining silent are high: Policies are being formed in real time at the local, state, and federal levels regarding transgender individuals, student athletes, and sports. Most prominently, on March 13, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced HR 5, the Equality Act, a bill that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under federal civil rights law.
The legislation would create a civil right for male athletes to self-identify as females at any time, critics say, without any evidence of physical changes to their bodies. When the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, or CIAC, said biological boys who identify as girls can compete as girls in sports, most track athletes remained mum. Connecticut is one of 17 states that allow transgender high school athletes to compete without restrictions, according to Transathlete.com, a website that tracks state policies in high school sports across the country.
Encouraged by her mother, Bianca Stanescu, who has been in the forefront in challenging the state policy, Selina is one of the few students, if not the only one, giving a voice to countless others who appear to feel the same way. “Everyone is afraid of retaliation from the media, from the kids around their school, from other athletes, coaches, schools, administrators,” Selina explained. “They don’t want to drag attention to themselves, and they don’t want to be seen as a target for potential bullying and threats.” (MORE)
- - -
SEMI-SARDONIC THOUGHTS: Green states on the map are stated at transathelete dot com to be inclusive without any hormones and surgery. Any requirement for routinely wearing "female" apparel isn't mentioned -- but the very suggestion that there is a special way of dressing and acting designated as "female" would itself seem to go against certain niches of feminism, if not the (conflicting?) social mindset establishing and patrolling these trans matters.
While the girl "Selina" above might have a subtext resonance of "protagonist or outspoken crusading hero" affixed to her at some anti-Establishment or going-against-the-grain website like say Quillette, bear in mind how that can relativistically change elsewhere. She could instead be conceived of as "whiney" by journalism outlets that conform to whatever current standards for what constitutes the territory of taboo topics and undesirable thought orientations. A kind of "stop being self-interested and get with the program and any pretentious posturing it advocates ... you bitter, bigoted little New England redneck".
Bear in mind also that some of the "biological boys who psychologically identify as girls" might not actually want to compete with biological girls. But I'm not sure how that makes any sense in contrast to those dressing and acting the part, undergoing hormone treatment and surgery. I mean, the latter could ask to only compete with boys (for the sake of appearing noble, followed by their request being declined) and still potentially be distinguishable from the ordinary boys (be noticed, get crowd attention). Whereas "verbal-only" boys as girls could (in theory at least) not present any outward and behavioral sign that they are distinct from the conventional males they would be competing with (if such a request was accommodated).
The risky use of video game ‘loot boxes’ is associated with problematic gambling behaviors (games)
https://www.psypost.org/2019/05/the-risk...iors-53745
EXCERPT: Engagement with “loot boxes” — randomly generated prizes of undisclosed value that can be attained or purchased within a game — is correlated with gambling beliefs and problematic gambling behavior in adult gamers, according to a study published in Addictive Behaviors. [...] The researchers found excessive engagement with loot boxes was associated with measures of problem gambling, supporting the view that loot boxes are a ‘gamblified’ feature of modern video games.
“Our study demonstrates that the risky use of loot boxes (e.g., a preoccupation with them, ‘chasing’ desired items, and difficulty reducing or stopping use) is moderately associated with problematic gambling behaviors and gambling-related cognitive bias. Moreover, these associations appear to be stronger than the association between risky loot box use and a typical measure of problematic gaming,” Gabriel Brooks told PsyPost. The results are in line with previous research, which found that there is a significant relationship between problematic gambling behaviors and spending money on loot boxes. (MORE - details)
Genetic Factors May Help Explain Athletic Sudden Death (sports)
https://www.sapiens.org/body/genetic-ath...den-death/
EXCERPT: Occasionally, some of the fittest people in the world—from Olympic athletes to football players—die suddenly after a bout of strenuous exercise. Why only some people fall victim isn’t clear, but a new genetic study offers a hint.
One of the risk factors for athletic sudden death is having a single copy of the abnormal gene variant for sickle cell, a condition called “sickle cell trait” (SCT). People with two copies of this abnormal gene variant have sickle cell anemia, a disease that can turn red blood cells into rigid, sticky, sickle-shaped cells that can restrict how much oxygen gets to the body, block blood flow, cause pain, and lead to blindness or death.
SCT, meanwhile, is generally considered benign most of the time. The conventional wisdom is that people with SCT do not normally have symptoms—except under extreme conditions, like at high altitude, or during intense exercise. In one study that included 13 U.S. college football players who died suddenly of exertion, the risk of death for SCT players was 37 times higher than for players without the trait.
But the reality is a little more complicated, says Lorena Madrigal, a biological anthropologist at the University of South Florida. Some SCT athletes rise to the level of professional football players and experience no problems. Other SCT individuals report having pain after moderate activity. “There’s such tremendous diversity,” says Madrigal.
Now Madrigal and colleagues propose one possible reason for this variation. In the May issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Madrigal and a team of biological anthropologists, a geneticist, and medical doctors show that a small set of gene variants might control the severity of SCT’s effects. Monitoring for those genes, they argue, could reveal who is at highest risk and promote understanding of this often overlooked medical problem. (MORE)
