Now, Albuquerque is changing the way it responds to 911 calls like the one Maestas placed for her sister. In addition to police and paramedics, residents have access to a third branch of public safety: behavioral health responders.
“We’re not law enforcement, so we’re not here to cite you,” said Mariela Ruiz-Angel, director of Albuquerque Community Safety, or ACS, an independent agency alongside the police and fire departments that can be sent out by 911 dispatchers. “We’re just here to check on you. How can we help?”
2. In Extremely Rare Case, a Woman With HIV Has 'Cleared' The Virus Without Treatment
An anonymous woman from Argentina has become only the second person known to ever show no detectable traces of an HIV infection without receiving a stem cell transplantation treatment to cure it.
The so-called 'Esperanza patient', named after her hometown in Argentina, was first diagnosed with HIV-1 in 2013 – but after eight years of follow-up checks and a total of 10 commercial viral load tests, there appears to be no sign of active viral infection in her body, nor any evidence of HIV-1-associated disease.
3. My favourite Thanksgiving tradition... 6 years and counting!
Valley grandma and man she mistakenly texted reuniting for sixth Thanksgiving/
4. Monarch butterflies return to California after a year of record low numbers
There is a ray of hope for the vanishing orange-and-black Western monarch butterflies.
The number wintering along California’s central coast is bouncing back after the population, whose presence is often a good indicator of ecosystem health, reached an all-time low last year. Experts pin their decline on climate change, habitat destruction and lack of food due to drought.
5. There's a link between being kind to others and happiness, UBC researcher says
Today marks World Kindness Day, and it turns out that being kind toward others may be key to our own happiness, a psychology expert says.
Studies have shown a "causal link where, when people behave in this generous, kind way, they actually end up happier themselves," said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychology professor and happiness researcher from the University of British Columbia (UBC).
6. Toronto company is making shoes that grow into apple trees to eliminate plastic waste
A Toronto designer created a pair of shoes that eventually turn into an apple tree after he spent seven years in the fashion industry and looked for more sustainable choices.
Toronto resident Luc Houle, 33, created Johnny: The Shoe That Grows Into A Tree and launched a Kickstarter to get his product made.
7. Swiss government: Same-sex couples can marry starting July 1
Switzerland’s executive body announced Wednesday that same-sex couples can get married starting on July 1 next year, making good on the resounding support Swiss voters expressed in a referendum.
The Federal Council officially said that starting Jan. 1, Switzerland would recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who wed in in other countries instead of continuing to treat the unions as simple civil partnerships.
That's it for this week. Until next week, stay safe and don’t forget to share this newsletter with your friends :)