Second graph, second sentence of release the URL should be http://www.gaspinfo.com/flash_vid.html (sted http://www.gaspinfo.com/association/presentations/GaspFlash/ gaspflash.html) and the URL in the eighth graph, should be http://www.gaspinfo.com/donations.html (sted http://www.gaspinfo.com/en/contact-donations.asp).
CHICAGO & TORONTO (Business Wire EON) March 10, 2008 --
Second graph, second sentence of release the URL should be http://www.gaspinfo.com/flash_vid.html
(sted http://www.gaspinfo.com/association/presentations/GaspFlash/
gaspflash.html) and the URL in the eighth graph, should be http://www.gaspinfo.com/donations.html
(sted http://www.gaspinfo.com/en/contact-donations.asp).
The corrected release reads:
GASP ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES TO END THE DEADLY CHOKING GAME
Today marks the official launch of GASP (Games Adolescents Shouldn’t
Play), a nonprofit organization that fights the deadly Choking Game with
the most powerful weapon at our disposal: education. Set up by families
of Choking Game victims and joined by educators, law enforcement and
medical experts, GASP is determined to prevent the over 100 annual
deaths and incalculable suffering caused by this “game”
by publicizing the tremendous dangers in schools and homes across North
America.
GASP launched a new web site today – www.gaspinfo.com
– offering preventive information including
warning signs and educational kits for download and mail order with
videos, presentations and brochures to arm schools, churches and other
community groups in eliminating this deadly practice among their
children. Everyone is encouraged to watch the shocking and at times
graphic flash presentation created by GASP to grab the attention of
young people and force an understanding that the Choking Game is no game
at all - http://www.gaspinfo.com/flash_vid.html.
The video tailors its style to teens but has hard-hitting information
about the potential effects of this practice –
seizure, permanent brain damage and death – as
well as a recording of a real 911 call from Samuel Mordecai who found
his 13-year old twin brother Gabriel dead in his bedroom after playing
the Choking Game alone.
“The information provided by GASP has the
power to save young lives. Today's youth are bombarded by challenges to
seek new thrills and extreme experiences. The Choking Game may have
deadly consequences if the child is using ligatures about the neck and,
more importantly, playing alone,” said Thomas
Andrew, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner, State of New Hampshire. “Fatal
suspension can occur at levels far less than standing height, including
from bedposts and even doorknobs. The time window in which this kind of
catastrophe can occur can be amazingly narrow.”
"The cases that we've identified in Canada, and what seems to be coming
out in many of the news reports, is that the children that die are ones
who do it as a solitary behavior," says Dr. Andrew MacNab, a professor
of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and one of the
doctors studying this phenomenon in Canada. MacNab conducted a survey in
schools in Ontario and Texas which found that 68 percent of children
around age 12 had heard about the Choking Game.
Called by many other names like Pass-out Game, Blackout, Flatliner,
Space Cowboy, and Airplaning, this practice is attractive to a
wide-range of youths, especially high-achieving kids that know to avoid
drugs and alcohol and think this is a safe alternative. “This
can be a habit-forming and often deadly practice that our youths are
either practicing or know someone who is practicing. We must get the
word out to kids who just don’t know the
level of danger they are putting themselves in. To make an impact, we
need the efforts and donations of concerned citizens across North
America and I encourage you to visit the GASP web site to get started,”
said GASP Executive Director Aaron Nack.
The GASP volunteer board, led by Nack, has hired Scott Metheny, a police
officer in Pennsylvania and expert speaker on the Choking Game, to
present to parents, community groups and professionals throughout the
U.S. and Canada. Metheny will also train others to be GASP speakers.
Metheny learned of the Choking Game while teaching a DARE class in
September of 2005 and has since presented over 200 times including last
year at the International DARE Conference and the National Association
of School Resource Officers Conference. He has appeared on numerous
television shows including TODAY, Good Morning America, It's Your
Call With Lynn Doyle, CNN, and Fox News.
“The kids know of this as a fun game, not a
deadly activity,” says Metheny. “When
they see their friend twitching on the floor, they think it’s
funny and they think it’s safe. They don’t
realize that their friend is having a seizure and the feeling they get
is their brain cells dying off. They also don’t
realize that playing this game alone is more dangerous than Russian
roulette. We have to tell them that this game is not worth dying for.”
To help GASP create and distribute educational materials to end the
Choking Game, and to receive an educational kit in return, please make
donations at http://www.gaspinfo.com/donations.html.
About GASP
The Choking Game is a misunderstood activity causing death and
disability in today’s youth. It often begins
with teens choking each other as a way to get high without the risk of
getting caught with drugs or alcohol. It ends with kids dying or
suffering permanent brain damage each year. GASP is a global nonprofit
campaign that fights this “game”
with the most powerful weapon at our disposal: education. Most people
have no idea how dangerous the Choking Game is until it hits close to
home—but we can prevent suffering by
publicizing the danger in our schools and homes. Together, we can stamp
out this deadly game in your community. To find out more, download or
order materials and videos, and to make a donation, visit our web site
at www.gaspinfo.com.
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