Smoke

• Sudden unexpected infant death, or SUID, occurs in infants less than 1 year old who die suddenly and unexpectedly without an obvious cause before investigation, accounting for about 3,400 deaths annually in the U.S..
• These infants die from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, or other ill-defined and unknown causes.
• Compared with nonsharing infants in our study, bedsharing infants were more likely to have the following characteristics:

Among nonsharing infants in the study, only one-third were sleeping in the recommended back position, and three-quarters were in sleep areas that had soft bedding such as pillows, comforters or bumper pads at the time of death. Three-quarters of all the sudden unexpected infant deaths in our study were affected by multiple unsafe sleep factors.

Why it matters

• Rates of sudden unexpected infant deaths overall in the U.S. have changed only minimally in the past 20 years, but racial-ethnic disparities [in these deaths are widening] due to increasing rates among non-Hispanic Black infants.
• Our study suggests that the majority of these deaths are preventable by following the guidelines for safe infant sleep as outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

• Even with knowledge of the recommended practices, many parents find it difficult to follow the recommendations.
• Others may choose not to follow them or may not follow them all of the time.
• Bedsharing may also be a common cultural or preferred practice, so not doing so might go against one’s beliefs or preferences.

What’s next

• Much more research is needed to find the most effective ways to teach families about safe infant sleep.
• There are currently a number of studies underway using innovative methods to engage and educate parents, starting in pregnancy and continuing after the baby is born.

Fern R. Hauck receives funding from NIH. She is affiliated with American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on SIDS.

• Bruce Pascoe is best known for his natural history, Dark Emu, which argues that systems of pre-colonial food production and land management in Australia have been dramatically understated.
• At last count, the book had sold at least 360,000 copies of the original edition – and many more in the form of adaptations, translations, children’s and overseas editions.
• Since the publication of Dark Emu in 2014, Pascoe has had to endure extraordinary public scrutiny, as well as vehement attacks on his personal and professional reputation.

• In light of the last ten years, Black Duck: A Year at Yumburra is a healing and necessary book.
• The farm is a deliberate project designed to test, extend and materialise some of the ideas put forward in Dark Emu.
• The meaning of Yumburra, Pascoe tells us, is Black Duck, the “supreme spiritual being of Yuin country”.

Six seasons on the farm

• Through more than 60 subtitled journal entries, accompanied by numerous photographs and sketches, Pascoe charts the activities of his days.
• These include labouring chores on the farm, visits paid and received (both there and interstate), thoughts, visions and experiments with food and agriculture, and memories and reflections on relationships reaching far back into childhood.
• Pascoe describes life on the farm as solitary at times, but also active.
• Daily farm work includes clearing watercourses or fixing tools and machinery, and at these times his friendships with the nonhuman are forged in both subtle and overt ways.

• Despite their vigilance, the Spur-winged Plover loses a lot of chicks to eagles and foxes […] Their calls are ever-present on the farm.
• If the horses gallop, an eagle passes, a dingo wakes or a car arrives, you hear about it instantly.
• You can’t make friend with Birran Durran Durran because everything is a threat in its opinion.
• Despite their vigilance, the Spur-winged Plover loses a lot of chicks to eagles and foxes […] Their calls are ever-present on the farm.

• There is a sense of time moving on through the seasons.
• Yumburra, too, was affected by that event, leading one of the farm workers to rename a whole section of the farm “Apocalypse Valley” in the aftermath.
• “The unbridled pleasure I used to take in the forest, waters and shores is now tinged with sadness and dread.”

A true storyteller

• The author is respectfully light on detail on these matters, but the reader is left in no doubt about their deep importance to him.
• Pascoe’s authorial style sometimes comes across as a touch too lackadaisical and larrikin-esque, drifting as if unmoored.
• And yet, he’s a true storyteller – and no sooner have you hesitated, than he reels you in again, and has you marvelling with him at the grandchildren’s handstands and cartwheels on the paddle board on the river, or at the cunning of the dingo pair who’ve taken out a young Buru (kangaroo) by gripping him by the ears and drowning him.
• I assume it was the same animal because she made a great point of making sure I was watching her expertise.
• It might be a romantic thought or a wish for longevity of a friend but, whatever the case, I enjoy the personality.“

• Sometimes Pascoe quotes from her journal entries, discrete and beautifully rendered observations of wildlife on her own nearby property.
• But as I was reading, I found myself wondering how else Lyn contributed to the book, and on what terms.

Connection to culture and Country

• For anyone with lingering doubts about Pascoe’s commitment and connection to Country, this book will set them straight.
• It is a quiet, funny, warm and insistent call to return to and care for Country.

Julienne van Loon has been a recipient of funding from Creative Australia, Creative Victoria and ArtsWA.

• Iveda ® (NASDAQ:IVDA), the global solution for cloud-based AI, today announced a collaboration with ClearView Asset Protection to help improve local public safety systems, such as AMBER Alerts, major interstate highways, sports stadiums, and more.
• Deploying IvedaAI, local law enforcement can be quickly notified, analyze and report situations from video data to help locate, track, and isolate danger in real-time.
• Public services, like AMBER Alert, allows law enforcement to notify the public, broadcasters and state transportation officials to be on the lookout for the child and persons of interest.
• “By working together with ClearView Asset Protection, we are continuing our mission to deliver solutions that help protect the people and places that matter most, implementing cutting-edge technology for the greater good,” said David Ly, Iveda CEO and founder.

• We Are Innovation hosted the webinar “ Innovation Meets Regulation: The 2024 Effective Anti-Smoking Policies Global Index .” This powerful talk embarked on the official start of the campaign dedicated to the launch of the anti-smoking index .
• The webinar, featuring Members of the European Parliament, regulatory experts, economists, and innovation experts, shed light on the regulatory frameworks regarding anti-smoking policies from the most prominent global authorities in the field.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240408705665/en/
  Federico N. Fernández stated, “At We Are Innovation, we work on issues that require innovative approaches and solutions.
• By embracing a forward-thinking approach, we can effectively address the problem of smoking,” summed up Tetiana Rak.