How I celebrated Canada Day (We are a young 151)

On the weekend I went to Cloverdale to learn and ride an interurban electric vehicle. Thousands of volunteer hours have brought the last four vehicles back to life in the Museum/garage clearly seen in the back ground. I loved riding on the track with my Brazilian student and hubby. We enjoyed Canada day with all these precious folks who love our heritage and our past. Since the invention of the tire, most of these vehicles were burned down, and replaced by buses. We enjoyed waving to the cars that had to stop for the interurban. We rolled through corn, and blueberry fields, as well as bridges over the Serpentine River. I highly recommend if you life in the Lower Mainland that you take the family on this fantastic ride. Everyone also gets to ride on a velocipede. We were treated to flags, canada flag pins, delicious cake and coffee, and good matured people.

This is not my husband but I was unable to copy and paste his picture. BUT this is a rail velocipede, and locally we have the only working one in the world that we are aware of.. The parts when they were received seemed like an ordinary bicycle, and they had to figure it out...

Two Drivers of the interurban electric locomotive

• true stories

Mother’s anguish over daughter who was driven to suicide by her boyfriend

IN just five months, Kellie Sutton went from a fun, bubbly person to someone whose spirit was broken. Her family’s fight for justice has led to a landmark conviction.

Emma Pietras

The SunApril 9, 201810:59am

Kellie Sutton’s death has led to a landmark conviction.Source:The Sun

IN just five months, Kellie Sutton went from a fun, bubbly person to someone whose spirit was so broken she felt death was the only way out.

The mum-of-three, 30, was driven to kill herself after suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her bullying boyfriend Steven Gane, 31.
Last week, in a landmark case, Gane, a former soldier, was found guilty of controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship.
It is believed to be the first time a conviction for the offence has been secured after the death of a victim.
Gane, who was also found guilty of actual bodily harm and assault, was jailed for four years and three months.
Judge Philip Grey told him: “Your behaviour drove Kellie Sutton to [kill] herself that morning.
“You beat her and ground her down and broke her spirits.”

The mum of three was described as fun and bubbly before she met Gane. Picture: The SunSource:The Sun

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Police hailed the sentence as a “milestone” in the use of new coercive and controlling legislation, a concept only criminalised in 2015.
Coercive control is when someone makes a victim feel dependent, isolated or scared.
It is also known as “gaslighting” from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a killer tries to make his wife think she is going mad.
In court, family and friends described Kellie as “bubbly and independent” when she first started going out with Gane in March 2017.
But during their five-month romance she became quiet, anxious and isolated. She took her own life last August.
Messages she had sent to Gane and friends were read out during the two-week trial at St Albans Crown Court.
In one she told him: “I’m fed up of this s**t prisoner life.”
In another she claimed: “All you are going to do is moan and beat me all afternoon.”

Kellie Sutton with Steven Gane. Picture: The SunSource:The Sun

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She texted one friend: “Don’t come over today. Steve wants to do something ­— apparently punch my head in like he said.
“He is not happy I’ve invited you over.
“So now I’ve gotta pay the consequences. It’s OK, I’m used to it now.”
The court also heard Gane checked her underwear to make sure she was not cheating and kept her bank card.
Once he choked her because she’d gone out without telling him. Another time he split her head open.
Kellie’s mum Pamela Taylor, 53, told The Sun: “Having to listen in court to what she went through was harrowing. He is pure evil.
“We were close but Kellie never told me anything was wrong.
“I know why — she didn’t want to upset me.
“And whenever I was with them he was fine.
“To me, they were like a normal couple.”
Kellie, who has children aged 14, 11, and four, from previous relationships, had been single for two years when she met Gane in a pub near her home in Welwyn Garden City, Herts.
Her friend Alexia Spathas, 30, took an instant dislike to Gane.
Alexia, a hairdresser, said: “She was a single mum with three kids and he must have sensed she was vulnerable.
“He moved in within weeks and started doing things around the house and buying things to make her feel like she relied on him.
“I told her to stay away from him because he seemed controlling.”
But Pamela, a retired warehouse worker, was pleased for her daughter.
She said: “I was happy she had someone in her life.”
Mum and daughter lived down the road from each other and used to speak every day.
She said: “I’d go round for a cup of tea and a natter after the school run.
“She used to text me all the time. We’d chat about East Enders.
“Before he came along we were together all the time.”
But Pamela, who split up from Kellie’s dad Ian in 2001, saw less of her daughter as the relationship went on.

Kellie Sutton told her mum not to worry. Picture: The SunSource:The Sun

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Kellie admitted Gane could be “moody” and was sometimes jealous.
She said: “She told me he accused her of being unfaithful. But Kellie wasn’t like that ...
“He seemed to want to take her away from her family.”
Kellie, who had studied beauty therapy, suddenly stopped wearing make-up and jewellery.
Pamela said: “I’d ask if she was OK and she’d say, ‘I’m fine, don’t worry, Mumzy’. That’s what she called me. She didn’t like to worry anyone.”
Pamela believes the abuse escalated when two of Kellie’s children went to stay with the youngest child’s dad.
On June 3, Kellie was due to go to Bournemouth to visit her middle child, who lives with her paternal grandparents, when Gane attacked her.
Medical records show she went to an urgent care centre in St Albans needing treatment for a 3cm gash to her head.
Pamela said: “She told us they were play-fighting and she banged her head. Now I wonder if it was to stop her going away.”
A month later the police were called to Kellie’s home after neighbours reported hearing the couple arguing.
She texted a friend to say she had tried to end the relationship.
Then in August, Kellie was found unconscious at home by Gane.
Paramedics got her heart beating but she never regained consciousness.
Three days later her life support machine was switched off.
Unaware at the time of Gane’s campaign of abuse, the family struggled to comprehend why Kellie killed herself.
Pamela said: “She adored her kids. Why would she do that?”
Kellie’s brother Steven Sutton, 32, a trainee engineer surveyor who lives with their mum, added: “She was not the type of girl to do that sort of thing. She wouldn’t have hurt herself.
“She must have felt so scared. I think she saw her only way out was to end it herself. She got that low.”

Mum Pamela says Gane is ‘pure evil’ after the death of her daughter. Picture: The SunSource:The Sun

Days after Kellie died, Gane was arrested and then charged.
A friend of his had told detectives Gane had called him over the summer saying he had lost his temper and “bust Kellie’s head open”.
In another call after Kellie’s death, Gane was making jokes about her suicide.
With Gane now behind bars, DI Sally Phillips of Hertfordshire Police said: “Kellie was unable to tell her story. However we were still able to prosecute Gane.”
Seven months on, the family are still struggling to come to terms with their loss.
Pamela said: “I tell myself she is abroad. It’s easier. I will probably never say she is gone.
“I still text her. I tell her what’s going on, what I’ve been up to and what the kids have been up to.
“I know she doesn’t get them but it makes me feel better.
“We have justice but he will probably be out in a few years.
“Kellie is gone for ever. I’ve lost a daughter. The children have lost a mum.”
Now the family are speaking out to raise awareness of coercive control.
Steven said: “I never knew it existed until this happened.
“I want victims to know there is help out there. The law is on your side.”
Pamela added: “I hope other women will read her story and get help.
“If it helps someone come forward, that’s what matters.”
Dr Jane Monckton-Smith, a forensic criminologist specialising in coercive control, said: “It’s still somewhat untested in the courts and may not always enter the thoughts of investigators — it soon will.
“This case has established that it is possible.”
This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished with permission
If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit its website.

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How to talk about suicide

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Stuff Going On

As I comfortably sit in my cool living room with my leg raised, I can't help but think of the heatwave that has killed many on the Atlantic Coast from Canada to the United States. I spoke with my friend in Guelph Ontario today, and she feels stranded in her apartment. It is even hot to retrieve her mail, in the main entrance of her building. It feels like 40 Celcius on the street. She is an active lady, who has to stay indoors to stay cool at this time.
 I hear on the news that 3 young people died  who fell into a feeder pool at Shannon falls near Squamish, B.C. They fell 30 feet. Summer does not pass without incidents, and tragedy. A very difficult rescue operation is underway to find the bodies. Also, the gang shootings in Surrey, BC, where I live has dominated the news. The Sikh community is speaking to the mayor to see what can be done for additional protection of Surrey's citizens. Apparently, gang members are recruited even as young as 10 years of age.
We can throw up our hands and say there is nothing we can do, or do small steps to be the solution to these problems. Please continue to pray for the  Thailand children who are stranded in the flooded cave. The children do not know how to swim, and they may not be rescued during the monsoon season. They may not be able to rescue them for many months.

Bullied Ohio girl, 15 leaves behind suicide note-older article

Bullied Ohio girl, 15, leaves behind suicide note reading ‘thanks for all the pain’ 

By Nina Golgowski

| NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |

May 20, 2014 | 8:15 PM

Cora Delille, 15, from of Pickerington, Ohio, killed herself after leaving behind a suicide note revealing her perceived inability to go on after struggling with bullies, boyfriends and her parents' broken marriage. (Corra_A_Delille/via Instagram)

A 15-year-old girl struggling with bullies, boyfriends and her parents' broken marriage killed herself after leaving behind a suicide note, reading "thanks for all the pain."

Cora Delille was found dead in her Pickerington, Ohio home's bedroom last week, along with the painful, handwritten page which police say addressed some of her accused tormenters by name.

"She named like maybe four, maybe five kids. Just first names only," Pickerington Police Commander Matt Delp told the Daily News Tuesday.

Of those names, two were allegedly names of ex-boyfriends — one of which broke up with her the night before she died.

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But there were allegedly other struggles far beyond fellow classmates.

"She had a lot of issues going on in her life," said Delp. "Her boyfriend broke up with her, she didn't know if her mother loved her. There were a lot of other things going on in her life other than bullying."

A police investigation into her bullying claim has turned up few leads, though a few students did say that they witnessed it firsthand, according to Delp.

In her schools' files he said there were no reports of it. An online search of her social media accounts also didn't turn up anything crucial, he said.

The anguished teen named a handful of students in her note, two of which were described by police as ex-boyfriends. (Corra_A_Delille/via Instagram)

Shockingly instead, it's the days after her suicide that police say people have posted vile comments about her online.

"I think there are stupid people out there who like to get a rise out of people," reasoned Delp of the appalling activity.

Asked whether the commenters may be people she knew, Delp answered: "Those people could be from Iowa. It's the Internet."

Delp said that he doesn't expect any charges to be pressed against anyone named in her letter.

Even the allegations of bullying that authorities believe they've confirmed weren't more than name calling, which isn't a misdemeanor.

"It's obviously an issue which we in society need to address," summarized Delp. "I think it's human nature to do it, maybe we're messed up as a species."

A request for comment from the Pickerington School District was not returned.

Man Kills Himself in Court After Hearing Prison Sentence

Suicide is on the Rise. Depression Therapy is limited.

PostEverything Perspective

Suicide is on the rise. Depression therapy is limited. Let’s try psychedelics.

If dying patients have the 'right to try' drugs not approved by the FDA, why not those contemplating suicide?

by Ira Byock July 3 at 4:49 PM

Ira Byock is a palliative care physician and chief medical officer of the Institute for Human Caring of Providence St. Joseph Health in Torrance, Calif. His books include "The Best Care Possible."

Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness characterize severe depression, which can lead to suicide. Might psychedelics be the answer? (iStock)

An unnerving aspect of our times is the rise of unthinkable events such as mass shootings and rampant opioid overdoses. To that list we can add rising rates of suicide. Each year 45,000 Americans take their own lives. Many reasons drive them, but a final, common pathway involves feeling helpless and hopeless. Traditional psychotherapy and medications go only so far in treating these hallmarks of severe depression. But novel therapies exist, with the potential to effectively treat depression and save the lives of people contemplating suicide: It’s time to seriously consider psychedelics.

President Trump recently signed into law a bill intended to grant patients who are expected to die access to medications that might extend their lives. The federal law follows similar “right to try” initiatives in more than 30 states that let incurably ill patients try drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA’s own Expanded Access program (also called Compassionate Use) does so, as well. Why not extend these provisions to prevent suicide by people suffering  from persistent depression?

[Suicide rates are rising sharply]

As Michael Pollan details in his book, “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence,” plant-based psychedelics have been used for millennia by indigenous people for mind-altering benefits. In 1938, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann synthesized LSD, and a few years later he discovered its profound psychoactive properties. In the 1950s, the Sandoz company made the drug available to psychiatrists interested in treating ailments such as depression, anxiety and addictions. By the time LSD and similar drugs were outlawed in the 1970s, more than 1,000 medical papers had been published documenting the drugs’ therapeutic potential. In recent years, the FDA has permitted a few new clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapies, using improved methodologies. The results have been striking. When prescribed to carefully screened patients, under the care and monitoring of health professionals, these medications appear to be highly beneficial and safe.

Psychedelics are not intoxicants in the usual sense; they do not dull a person’s senses or induce sleepiness. Side effects include temporary changes in sensory perception and diminished coordination and fine-motor function. These occur mostly during the first few hours of a session. The drugs are not toxic to the brain or other organs. “Bad trips,” the terrifying episodes of panic that occasionally occurred during recreational use of these drugs, are exceedingly rare when the psychedelics LSD or psilocybin are administered in monitored, supportive settings and patients are prepared in pre-session counseling.

In contrast to currently approved antidepressants, which must be taken daily and typically require weeks to take effect (or not), psychedelics are administered in medically supervised settings, usually during one or two six-hour sessions, and their therapeutic effects are immediate. In clinical studies, as many as 80 percent of patients experienced substantial relief from depression, including those whose illness had persisted through multiple courses of treatments. The neuropharmacological and psychological mechanisms for the improvements in people’s mental health are also different from those of existing antidepressants. Research subjects commonly described a shift to a more positive worldview, accompanied by a deepened sense of meaning and connection to others, and an enhanced appreciation for the intrinsic value of their lives. Notably, the benefits often endure for many months after even a single treatment.

At present, the main barriers to expanded research and therapeutic use of these medications are regulatory. LSD and psilocybin remain Schedule I drugs, which makes clinical use illegal and research burdensome. But building on successful preliminary studies, the FDA may permit the start of a few Phase III clinical trials of psilocybin — a critical step to approval. If successful, within a handful of years, doctors may be able to administer psychedelics again.

[Thank Republicans for your ‘right to try’]

Another route to legality may shorten the wait for suffering patients, however: including the drugs in the “right to try” and Expanded Access programs. Psychedelics fit the criteria. People living with incurable conditions — cancers and neurodegenerative conditions, such as ALS — often experience anxieties, grief and depression associated with the progressive debility and impending death. Many contemplate suicide. Indeed, terminal illness defines the one category for which ending one’s life is gaining social acceptance. In seven states and the District of Columbia, doctors can legally prescribe lethal medications to dying patients who want the option of ending their lives. Since Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act was enacted in 1997, roughly two-thirds of people who requested lethal prescriptions were motivated by feelings of being a burden, loss of control, lack of enjoyment of life, and a sense that life was not worth living. Clinical studies of psychedelics-assisted therapies for people who are dying and experiencing emotional and existential suffering have shown notably positive results.

I am troubled by the normalization of physician-hastened death as a solution to suffering, yet it is fair to ask: If dying people have a right to die and take drugs to hasten death, shouldn’t they also have a right to try drugs that might alleviate their distress?

And if larger-scale studies confirm the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapies, why wouldn’t we cautiously expand access to those treatments to non-physically-ill sufferers? Treatment-resistant depression is, after all, a life-threatening condition that can end in suicide. Currently, in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada, people with persistent suffering who are not terminally ill, including those with depression, may qualify for assisted suicide and euthanasia. Although this seems chilling to me, I’m in the minority. When the New York Times published an online debate on the issue, a large majority of commenters felt that the option of hastening death should be available for people regardless of their physical condition.

Perhaps we could save the lives of some suffering people who see no escape from their despair. It would be wrong to dismiss the opportunity of this cultural moment. It would be right to try.

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