This is a brief overview of what individuals with Autism and High Functioning Asperger's experience on a daily basis.
A study titled 'We belong' looks at life experiences, goals and service needs/gaps for those on the spectrum.
It gives 'us' - better known as nuerotypicals, some insight from those that know the symptoms only too well. Although there are a few characteristic traits that effect everyone on the spectrum, the severity of their impact still varies considerably, from one individual to another.
I'd be interested to hear other people's experience and/or views on Autism.

An interesting clip raising a number of different points relevant to a video's success on the internet, or more so, the different elements that can cause it to go 'viral'. Whether it be the subject matter or a particular image, it seems the power of it's ability to go viral lies within it's divisiveness. It seems to be in our nature to want to choose a side when it comes to any kind of conflict. Whether individuals are passionate or not about whatever their news feed is throwing at them, they still tend to be thrust into a point of view. Even if only because a number of 'friends' or associates have passed comment on the aforementioned video, which then inevitably adds to its spreading on the net. Not to mention the fact that humans are curious by nature, which is often enough of a catalyst to see what everyone is referring to, thus being drawn into the web.

Well said @epicfails and @ricearoni27!
Yes, George Orwell's '1984' novel was what first sprung to mind upon reading the article. As mentioned earlier, it is both ironic and alarming, the parallels that can be drawn between a book published over 60 years ago, and today's 'safety surveillance' as we know it. While there are those who would disrepute such claims - it seems hard to ignore.
I agree, with the aforementioned 'right to privacy' - where is the line drawn?

The impact of divorce is often distressing on all involved, but more so, on the children. There can be far reaching effects on them, even into adult life. While the article touches on some of the emotions and feelings children may experience, during and after a divorce; there are also numerous complexities created in their approach to inter personal relationships in general. Often children of divorced parents, develop trust issues and insecurities related to commitment. Usually they don't expect anything to 'last' or go the distance, so to speak, tainting their view of marriage as an institution.
Without running the risk of sounding melancholy and futile about divorce and the impact it has on the children, there are also many amicable separations. Particularly with new Family Law legislation and it's focus on the importance of access with both parents. While in the past, generally the mother always won custody of the children.

Although this article is based on America's issue of obesity, and the many 'quick fix' fad diets circulating; I feel that Australia could be heading in the same direction. Firstly, Australians as a culture, tend to imitate many things from America, especially in the regard to our fast food chains. One area we have not matched them with as yet, are our portion sizes - Americans tend to have, or offer, everything in 'super huge' sizes!
There are a number of fad diets the article refers to, including the 'High protein/Low Carb' diet, the 'No Sugar' diet, and the ERFYT (Eat Right For Your Type) - which refers to your blood group and may also known as the 'Cave man' diet.
Many of them claim to get maximum results in shedding weight in next to no time, which in turn often means the dieter's put the weight back on once they resume their normal eating patterns.
There appears to be a number of common elements amongst all 'fad diets' including:

> cutting out entire food groups at any one time
> drastically lowering individual's daily calorie intake
> short-term fixes until the dieter returns to their regular eating patterns
> many don't have scientific evidence-based research to back up their claims
> some claiming not to require exercise as a supplement to the overall health plan

A good rule of thumb, when considering any new eating plan, is to look at the research which validates it's findings. As we've discussed in class, a variety of study groups from different sources are paramount to validate research claims, including both primary and secondary methods.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is mentioned in the article, which is a global means of determining whether or not someone is within the healthy weight range for height or at the obese end. This is an effective tool that individuals can use to help determine their weight loss (or gain - which isn't mentioned) goals. It allows, at the very least, a clear concise picture of where a person's health is compared to their peers and globally.

According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), America no longer sits at #1 as the most obese country. It has been surpassed by Mexico (32.8%), followed by NZ (26.5%), Chile (25.1%) and then Australia (24.6%).
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/

What I have taken away from this article, is:
a) don't believe everything you read,
b) look out for clever marketing tricks of the trade.... promising big rewards for very little, and
c) do your research!!!

In my opinion, we need to apply a couple of general rules for a happy healthy lifestyle which includes a good balance of all food groups with moderation being the key. Cut out or down on fast/pre-packaged foods and some form of exercise. Input should equal output.

Thanks for reading, Melissa.