Several govt. ministries and agencies closed amid confirmed COVID cases – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Cabinet Office has announced a series of closures of government ministries and agencies for cleaning and sanitization due to the presence of staff members testing positive for COVID-19.

According to a statement, the Ministry of Public Service and National Insurance, and the Public Service Commission closed its offices at the Meeting and Augusta Streets Complex Wednesday and will reopen today at the normal time.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture advised that the National Sports Authority closed for cleaning and sanitization of its premises and will not reopen until next week Wednesday.

The Ministry of Transport and Local Government also announced the closure of the South Beach Post Office to facilitate the appropriate cleaning and sanitizing.

The post office location will be closed until October 20.

Postal services will continue on Monday through Friday between 9am and 3pm at the General Post Office at Town Center Malls, and all other sub-offices on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Additionally, the Cabinet Office also advised that the Department of Inland Revenue on Carmichael Road closed its office until further notice.

All services are available remotely from http://www.vat.revenue.gov.bs, read the statement.

For the convenience of the public, taxpayers can log into their accounts and through the accounts dashboard request services.

All other non-account holders can reach the department via telephone at 225-7280 or taxinquiries@bahamas.gov.bs.

The Department of Inland Revenue apologizes to the public for any inconvenience caused by its closure.

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Several govt. ministries and agencies closed amid confirmed COVID cases - EyeWitness News

Employed persons urged to withdraw from food assistance – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS Across The Bahamas employed persons continue to show up for food assistance.

Food Assistance Task Force Chair, Susan Larson, has called on people to withdraw from the program.In a statement, she said: The task force was designed by the prime minister to assist the most vulnerable people in our country; people who were impacted by Hurricane Dorian and persons whose employment status was disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As people return to work, we are calling on them to withdraw from the program.The Food Assistance distribution program is driven by the data captured when a person registers on the RAPID database.

Employment data is requested as part of registration.

Larson said: As the economy has reopened, persons have not necessarily updated their employment status and they continue to present themselves for food assistance.There are several consequences of this, she explained. Highest on the list is that help for the countrys most vulnerable people is compromised.

Another implication is the time it takes for the task force to verify persons who have presented themselves for assistance.

This makes wait times on food lines unnecessarily long.The task force is very mindful that access to food is a basic human right and that makes helping people in need a sensitive matter.

We are calling on those people who have been fortunate enough to return to work, to update their employment status and withdraw.The Food Task Force was instituted by the prime minister and began food assistance in late May.

Since then, the government has injected $16 million into theprogram.

The non-governmental organizations that are members of the task force and function as zone leaders for food distribution have contributed significantly to the program.

Of the NGOs, Larson said: They have gone well beyond their obligations and supplemented their nearly $3 million cash contributions with thousands of hours donated by staff and volunteers.On September 17, Minister of Social Services FrankieCampbell announced that the food assistance program was being extended to October 31.

Noting the end date of thecurrentprogram is four weeks away, Larson said: People need to understand that thisphase of theprogram will be coming to an end.

Going forward,whatwe need to do is to focus on those persons who remain unemployed and help them.

If youve returned to work, please be guided by your conscience and withdraw so we can help those who are truly in need.She acknowledged the need will not evaporate overnight and said the task force was discussing trends and recommendations with the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Government recently approved additional funding for the next phase of the program to service the most vulnerable persons until December 2020.

The shape and scope of that assistance is being finalized.

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Employed persons urged to withdraw from food assistance - EyeWitness News

Local comedian charged with inciting a riot and disorderly behavior – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS A popular local comedian was arraigned in the Magistrates Court yesterday on charges of provoking a riot.

Wellington Roberts Jr., 35, of Churchill Avenue, who appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney, was charged with one count of disorderly behavior and one count of inciting a riot.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

On Wednesday, Roberts was among scores of demonstrators, including furloughed Atlantis employees, who attempted to march over the Paradise Island Bridge and to Parliament Square, but were prevented by police.

Many of those demonstrators then moved downtown and waited for the prime minister to leave Parliament in an effort to voice their concerns.

Roberts was denied bail and advised of his right to apply for bail in the Supreme Court.

His attorney Devard Francis applied for bail on his behalf.

Robert is expected to return to court on November 13 for trial.

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Local comedian charged with inciting a riot and disorderly behavior - EyeWitness News

Gov’t ‘lacked interest’ in early COVID test offer – Bahamas Tribune

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Ex-minister confirms governance group's approach

ORG said proposal made 'months ago' not acted on

Adds faster testing regime may have eased crisis

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former Cabinet minister last night confirmed the Government showed "no interest" in a proposal made "months ago" to significantly ramp-up COVID-19 testing during the pandemic's early stages.

Dr Duane Sands, ex-minister of health, backed assertions by Robert Myers, the Organisation for Responsible Governance's (ORG) principal, that the group had offered a testing solution to the Government but received no encouragement to take it forward,.

"Robert and I have been talking about this for some time," the Elizabeth MP said of COVID-19 testing. "This has been evolving." Recalling ORG's earlier proposal, he added: "There was no interest. Now there's quite a bit of interest. I think it's much needed, but at the time there was no interest."

He spoke out after Mr Myers earlier this week disclosed that the ORG proposal, which is separate and distinct from the private sector-driven Living With COVID Coalition (LWCC) solution and testing regime being developed now, did not get the necessary support from the Minnis administration.

"Believe me, the Cabinet was presented with that proposal months ago and it didn't happen," Mr Myers said of the need to introduce widespread antigen testing for COVID-19 in The Bahamas. "Now we've presented it again [through LWCC] but it's still not a mandatory requirement.

"We're going on the good graces and sensibility of accepting businesses to do something. It should have been done months ago when we first talked about it. We couldn't get them to take it up. We don't know why. That should have been done months ago. The impetus just wasn't there. Now the impetus is there."

Mr Myers said that proposal, submitted in ORG's name, offered a "lower cost" RT-PCR rest to the Government with results produced in 24 hours, backed by the more rapid antigen test that would be used by employers to test their workers. "People would have had access to a more reasonable price," he added of the ORG offer.

Many observers believe lack of testing capacity has been a major contributor to COVID-19's so-called second wave spread in The Bahamas, with results from the PCR test taking too long to come back and determine who has the virus before they spread it to others.

Dr Sands' confirmation of Mr Myers' revelations indicates the Government was slow to react to the need for ramped-up testing, seemingly believing it had contained COVID-19 in The Bahamas via a series of lockdowns and other restrictions prior to the July 1 border re-opening.

"Had they employed a faster testing regime much earlier in this pandemic I don't think we'd be where we are," Mr Myers said. "The problem is that we've not been doing enough testing or rapid testing that gets people quarantined and out of the spreading environment."

The Prime Minister's inconsistent response to COVID-19 has caused increased frustration and anxiety among many Bahamians, having performed a rapid u-turn on his August lockdown and subsequently suggesting that no such measures would be needed again as the 'second wave' appeared to be easing, only to reverse course again this week.

"It's devastating for businesses, absolutely devastating," Mr Myers said of the restrictions unveiled this week. "They were only just getting some traction back, and now they've been shut down again. It's got to be devastating for restaurants, gyms and anything like that.

"We've got to do something to get this under control, but can't do it by hope. My position is that over the next two to three weeks until November 1 we've got an opportunity, but we have to get serious about the violators and get serious about rapid testing."

LWCC is developing a technology-based screening and testing regime that will allow government entities, businesses, non-governmental organisations and churches to better protect their staff and customers from the pandemic.

The structure, which LWCC hopes to launch by mid to end-October, is designed to give all Bahamas-based entities, whether in the private or public sector, affordable access to relatively cheap mass testing that would be able to provide results within 15 minutes.

Arguing that this will be "700-800 times' more efficient" and rapid than the present testing regime, Mr Myers said earlier this week that it was designed to minimise "workplace disruption" by enabling employers to instantly detect which staff were COVID-19 positive and remove them from their premises to quarantine.

Those who prove negative can immediately be dispatched back to work, he explained, improving company productivity while also allowing industries and firms to develop their own specific COVID-19 health and safety protocols and target which staff need to be tested more frequently.

While this regime will only be available to those signing-up with the Coalition, there are no fees for joining. Instead, companies have to sign-up with its electronic platform, state how many testing kits they will require and pay for those.

"This proposal is being acted upon completely independent of the Government," Mr Myers said of LWCC's initiative. "We said to hell with it, we've got to do something and have to do it ourselves. We have to do a better job of rapid testing and getting infected people out of the workforce and community. It's the only way of getting ahead of this. It's the only way it's going to happen."

Dr Sands, who backed LWCC's efforts, said it taken "the addition of 50 percent more testing capacity to reach where we are now and we're still not there". Acknowledging that the "pendulum is moving" in favour of increased COVID-19 testing, he urged the coalition to "flesh out" its plans.

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Gov't 'lacked interest' in early COVID test offer - Bahamas Tribune

Emily Ratajkowski Shares What Empowerment Means To Her As The New Face Of Nasty Gal – Forbes

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: General view of 'Nasty Gal' with Emily Ratajkowski bill board in West ... [+] Hollywood on October 05, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by fupp/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Emily Ratajkowski is Nasty Gals newest face for their fall/winter campaign, but the establishedentrepreneur, writer, actress, model and activist most recently, Ratajkowski was commissioned by New York Magazine for a self-written essay entitled "Buying Myself Back." It garnered over 850K views in the first 24 hours and led to wide-spread public discourse on image ownership and wide-spread praise for her candid and beautiful prose.In recent years, Ratajkowski has also seen exponential success in her modeling career, where she has claimed the covers of Harpers Bazaar, Marie Claire, Vogue Italia, Vogue Australia, Vogue Spain, Vogue Germany, Madame Figaro, GQ, and Glamour Magazine, as well as InStyles British, Australian and American editions.She has worked with countless international brands, walking in the Versace, Marc Jacobs, Dolce and Gabbana and Miu Miu fashion shows. She is currently the face of LOrals hair care line Kerastase and formerly ofPaco Rabannes fragrance Pure XS.

Since 2017, Ratajkowski has successfully translated her 26 million+ followers on Instagram into a successful direct-to-consumer business via her apparel line INAMORATA, alongside her business partner Kat Mendenhall and a small team of all female employees. What started as a line of bathing suits has since expanded into a multi-category swim, lingerie and ready-to-wear brand that is designed and marketed exclusively by Ratajkowski. As the new face of Nasty Gal, Ratajkowski shares how the brand continues to empower women through their clothes and what empowerment means to her.

Nasty Gal ft Emily Ratajkowski.

Yola Robert: Why has Nasty Gal been a long time favorite for you as this is the second collection you have been the face of. How did your relationship with them come about?

Emily Ratajkowski: I grew up in San Diego wearing Nasty Gal as I definitely wasnt spending a ton of money on clothes. So, just for me, the accessibility has always been really nice. For this collaboration, I loved what they had put together and in the past I just really loved the way that they collaborated with me. It was really nice to work with them as theyre very into seeing me as an Art Director, really collaborating, which is really important to me whenever I work with a brand.

Robert: Your self-written essay entitled "Buying Myself Back" for New York Magazine was extremely empowering. Many women stay silent about these issues. Why did you feel like it was the right time to come out and share your story?

Ratajkowski: Ive been writing for a couple years now, writing a bunch of different essays. My literary agent and I decided we were at a point where we had all of the essays that Ive written thus far so we reached out to New York Magazine and they chose this piece. I was really excited because I really loved that essay and its obviously very personal, but was also represented of so much of my 20s and my life even just about image ownership and consent. But I was still really nervous because its obviously a really vulnerable essay. Telling your truth can be really scary. The thing I thought about the most, once they decided they wanted to use that piece and publish it was how it would potentially speak to other young women and in my dreamiest world, also speak to men by giving them a sense of what its like as a young woman in the world right now.

Robert: Since that essay has been published, what has the feedback been for you?

Ratajkowski: It has been overwhelming in a good way! I mean I think its a funny thing because obviously my experience as a model and as a public figure is very specific, but you know I have girlfriends, and when I share my writing with them, theyre like God its so crazy this is just every womens story. Its maybe different its not always about modeling, but that feeling of you know wanting to get someones approval and validation that men can give women and the ways we compromise ourselves, the way we can be taken advantage of and used in those situations like that is just the female experience, period. Its really nice that its brought women together and I just really hope that in the long run, it changes the way we look at power dynamics for younger generations.

Robert: Nasty Gal has always worked to empower women through clothes. How do you want women to feel when theyre wearing your edit from Nasty Gal?

Ratajkowski: I personally feel that fashion is one of those really amazing things, but I had a complicated relationship to fashion like you know when youre growing up, you dont feel cool enough, you dont feel like youre wearing cool enough clothes when I was younger and even now Ill be like God that person looks so fancy, I could never afford that. I like that Nasty Gal is accessible in that way. I also just think that fashion ,like having a zebra print dress, can really help a woman project the person she wants to be to the world and I love that clothes can feel like a tool to express ourselves.

Robert: When do you feel most empowered?

Ratajkowski: I would say I felt really empowered when that essay was published. It was really scary, again I dont wanna say like oh my God it was all amazing, but I think women sharing their stories, realities and experiences can be the most empowering thing.

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Emily Ratajkowski Shares What Empowerment Means To Her As The New Face Of Nasty Gal - Forbes

Soak in empowerment through a colorful conversation as Women of Color Unite – UConn Daily Campus

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This Wednesday, Oct. 7, the University of Connecticuts Women and Philanthropy Network hosted a vritual event, as part of a bi-monthy series, centered around the conversations of six inspiring women panelists and how their different groups and backgrounds affect them in their areas of expertise. The discussion was moderated by Manisha Sinha, the Draper Chair in American history at UConn, and included panelistsSochethMcCutcheon (UConn Law 06), Meghana Shah (UConn Law 04), Chauntay Mickens (UConn CLAS 10), Amy Lin-Meyerson (UConn Law 94) and Luz Burgos-Lopez (Neag School of Education).Photo courtesy of UConn Alumni on Facebook.

On Oct. 7, the University of Connecticuts Women and Philanthropy Network hosted an event centered around the conversations of six panelists and how their different groups and backgrounds affect them in their areas of expertise. The discussion was moderated by Manisha Sinha, the Draper Chair in American history at UConn, and included panelistsSochethMcCutcheon (UConn Law 06), Meghana Shah (UConn Law 04), Chauntay Mickens (UConn CLAS 10), Amy Lin-Meyerson (UConn Law 94) and Luz Burgos-Lopez (Neag School of Education).

The event started off addressing the issue of cultural bias by discussing how their particular backgrounds affected them and specific challenges they encountered during their careers. Shah, a partner at Evershed Sutherland law firm, had a lot to say on how her experiences as a White-passing South Asian woman came up during her work. As a child of immigrants, pursuing a law career was quite different for Shah, in that the element of being a lawyer was never passed down to her as they presumably are in richer, White families. In turn, microaggressions were a common aspect she came across during work.

The ones that Ive sort of observed for myself are things like casual shortenings of my name or calling me Megan, or something, Shah said.

On the same subject of cultural bias within the workplace, Mickens, who now works in the nonprofit sector at MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow), explained her personal battles when starting off in her job field.

Ive always had strong viewpoints on things and Ive always wanted to fight for whats right and fight for myself, but a lot of times as a Black woman, if you do advocate for yourself, it comes off as being disruptive, Mickens said. It comes off as being angry or loud and theres all these stereotypes around the angry Black woman.

The inner anxieties of being perceived as a stereotype caused Mickens to lose her voice in the pursuit of being heard. Mickens experience outlines the importance of resources and confidence-building tools for women of color on how to speak up and understand their inherent value. In light of this, Mickens also made a meaningful point about how the Black Lives Matter movement has actually shed a positive light on disruptors.

People are actually listening, people are appreciating folks that are taking charge, Mickens said.

As an Asian American woman, microaggressions were not an uncommon occurrence for Lin-Meyerson, who, when shifting gears to the topic of mentorships and their role in empowerment, provided insight on her interactions within the law field.

When I first started out as an attorney, I was offered the opportunity to match up with a more senior woman attorney as a mentor, Lin-Meyerson said. So I took it, we had an initial call and one of the first things she said to me was You should drop Lin because Amy Lin sounds too cutesy.

Lin-Meyerson did not hesitate in explaining to her mentor that Lin was actually her maiden name and she intended on keeping it. Given this one exception where her mentor was a woman, she also explained that most of the mentors she worked with in the past had predominantly been White men. However, this changed when she later joined the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), where she was able to come across mentors of more diverse backgrounds.

Mentorships in particular seemed very important to McCutcheon, the associate general counsel at Verizon, who is especially proud of how her workplace handles issues of diversity.

Sometimes we get taught that you have to pick a mentor thats at the top. Honestly, my mentors are women of color, femme folks, queer folks around me who are not in those high positions to make those decisions because you need that group of people, that family, to ground you and remind you that youre more than the production you contribute to any company or institution.

I feel like the work environment I have is a really good example of having a supportive work environment because theres a lot of messaging and we even have a learning portal of all of the various important discussions and YouTube videos and things from experts addressing racial inequality and social injustice, McCutcheon said. The company has really given us a lot of empowerment to say We want you to be who you are.

Burgos-Lopez, a second-year doctoral student, emphasized her own experiences as a Latina woman and a first-generation college student earlier in the event. She later had much to say regarding mentorships.

Not allskinfolkare kinfolk, but also be mindful of who your mentors are, Burgos-Lopez said. Sometimes we get taught that you have to pick a mentor thats at the top. Honestly, my mentors are women of color, femme folks, queer folks around me who are not in those high positions to make those decisions because you need that group of people, that family, to ground you and remind you that youre more than the production you contribute to any company or institution.

The final question of the event asked for any advice the panelists would give to those within the UConn community who might be facing particularly challenging environments today.As a lasting remark, Sinha delivered a moving statement that perfectly summarized the contents of todays discussion: It is important to champion yourself and to not feel as if your experience is any less. In fact, it may be the most valuable in the end.

Thumbnail photo courtesy of UConn Foundation website.

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Soak in empowerment through a colorful conversation as Women of Color Unite - UConn Daily Campus

Atlanta Hawks Honor the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with First-Ever MLK Nike City Edition Uniform – Hawks.com

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ATLANTA-- Today the Atlanta Hawks announced an unprecedented partnership with the estate of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and Nike with the release of its 2020 21 MLK Nike City Edition uniform. For the first time in the leagues history, the initials of an individual will be featured prominently on the chest of an official NBA game uniform. The Hawks will be donating profits from the jersey sales back into the Atlanta community to help further initiatives championed by Dr. King.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became a global symbol of the fight for racial equality through his platform of non-violence. He attended his hometowns historic Morehouse College, entering as a freshman when he was just 15 years old. While he continued to call Atlanta home, raising his family and pastoring at local churches like Ebenezer Baptist with his father, Dr. King led initiatives that caught

the attention of a worldwide audience, including the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the March on Washington. The latter is where he made his watershed I Have a Dream speech, playing a significant role in his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His life and leadership were cut short at age of 39 by an assassin, as he organized for the rights of sanitation workers in Memphis.

It is an incredible privilege to be able to represent the legacy of Dr. King, one of Atlantas native sons and one of the nations most transformative leaders. His message of equality, non-violence, and justice is as relevant today as it was in the 60s and we are proud to not only help educate legions of young fans about Dr. Kings work, but empower them to pick up his mantle and embody the change they wish to see in their communities, said Hawks Chief Marketing Officer, Melissa Proctor. We are honored that the King Estate would entrust us with these powerful initials.

Deeply connected to the tenets of Dr. Kings social activism are the roots from which the Atlanta Hawks own civic work grows. The team has a well-demonstrated commitment to building bridges through basketball to help better the community. The Hawks ongoing efforts in addressing food insecurity, access to early voting, and entrepreneurial development are directly tied to crucial issues on which Dr. King focused, including racial equality, voting rights, and economic justice. In a franchise first, profits from the sale of the groundbreaking jersey will be given to programs that help to continue Dr. Kings work regarding economic empowerment for communities of color.

"We were honored to learn of the Atlanta Hawks desire to pay homage to Dr. King's life and legacy by using him as the focus of their 2020 - 21 MLK Nike City Edition uniform design. During this challenging climate, it is our hope that this visual reminder of Dr. King's legacy will inspire people to further educate themselves on how he effected change using his philosophy and methods of nonviolence during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. We look forward to continuing to work with the Hawks to perpetuate his wonderful legacy, said Eric D. Tidwell, Esq., Managing Director & General Counsel of Intellectual Properties Management, Inc., (Manager of the Estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).

The 2020 21 Atlanta Hawks MLK Nike City Edition uniform pays homage to the worlds greatest Drum Major for Justice through personal elements woven into the design details and a thoughtfully selected color scheme. The uniform was created through a collaborative effort between the Nike design team, Hawks ownership, and the teams CMO, Melissa Proctor, V.P. of Brand Creative Shirley Zhang, and V.P. of Brand Merchandising Amy Serino.

The Colorway:

The Black, Gold and White colorway speaks to Dr. Kings determination, as well as his understated style. It is also a nod to Dr. Kings membership in the first Black Greek fraternity. Bold Vintage Gold MLK letters, outlined in Fidelity White, blaze across the uniform chest, the initials of an eternal role model whose words of equality and justice are the foundation of todays powerful activism. The stars donning both sides of the shorts represent 22 of the 29 times Dr. King was jailed fighting for justice and equality, while also paying tribute to the dedicated student freedom fighters who engaged in sit-ins all over the South. Of them, he said, "Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars." Towards the bottom of the jersey, Dr. Kings personal signature graces the authenticity tag.

Several of the design details of the uniform are inspired by architectural elements of churches where Dr. King delivered some of his most moving sermons. The uniform is bordered in White and Gold striping that lead to tapered peak at the side of the shorts mirroring the silhouette of stained-glass windows. The crown and shield symbol on the leg of the shorts is inspired by church windows and Dr. Kings personal effects. At the waistband is the Hawks Primary Icon logo encircled in black symbolizing the continuous quest of the Black community to achieve freedom and justice. This heat-applied graphic is made of a soft touch rubber. The Nike Swoosh placed at the right jersey strap, just opposite of the Sharecare jersey partner patch above the heart.

Since 2017, the Atlanta Hawks have held a multiyear partnership withSharecare, the Atlanta-based digital health company, which serves as the teams inaugural jersey patch sponsor and its partner in the Sharecare Movement a community-driven initiative launched by both organizations to make Georgia and Atlanta one of the healthiest placesin the country. In addition totheSharecare patch overthe heart of every jersey, the Atlanta Hawks and Sharecare are united by a shared passion and pride for the legacy of Atlanta andour world-changing leaders like Dr. King, whose lifes workspaved the way for happier, healthier, and more equitable futures forall.

The team will wear the MLK Nike City Edition uniforms at select games throughout the 2020-21 season. In conjunction with the MLK kit, a complimentary MLK City Edition-branded court for home games will extend the important recognition of Dr. King to the main floor of State Farm Arena. Mirroring the uniform colorway and stars detail, the court design will feature the stylized Hawks Primary Icon logo at the center which also incorporates the teams core uniform colors Torch Red and Legacy Yellow in a mosaic pattern that continues the stained-glass motif.

To learn more about the Atlanta Hawks MLK Nike City Edition uniform and watch the launch video go to hawks.com/MLK.

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Atlanta Hawks Honor the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with First-Ever MLK Nike City Edition Uniform - Hawks.com

The week in audio: Me and My Trolls; Surviving Unemployment; Dyslexia: Language and Childhood – The Guardian

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File on 4: Me and My Trolls (Radio 4) | BBC Sounds Surviving Unemployment: Reece and Sean (Radio 4) | BBC SoundsDyslexia: Language and Childhood (World Service) | BBC Sounds

Individual stories this week, those small, personal tales that indicate something larger about the world. Radio has always been the place for these; podcasts can drag them out for too long.

First up, a modern problem: internet trolling. Journalist Sali Hughes, who mostly writes about beauty and style, made last weeks File on Four about this contemporary version of ye olde worlde bullying. Hughes is on social media a lot for her work and about two years ago, she was made aware that people on a gossip website were slagging her off. Ah, internet trolls. Part of every semi-public womans life these days. Perhaps Hughes shouldnt have been bothered (dont feed the trolls!), but the gossip merchants had started to affect her work: if you Googled her name, their accusations came up quite high. She did some investigation and became very upset. Because it was more than what shed thought: the trolls were diving deep into her life, with her children, partner and dead mother all becoming part of their mad lies.

What are you meant to do in such a situation? Move away from your laptop? Shrug and move on? Block and delete? Sit down and shut up? Hughes didnt like those solutions, so, in September 2019, she made an Instagram video about what was being written and defended herself. And she made this programme.

Hughes has a precise, almost clipped, presentational voice and for some of her links, you could feel the anger in her tone: she became even more clipped, icy in her rage. She was warmer, obviously, when speaking to other people who have been affected. One Instagrammer, a makeup artist and blogger, had her pregnancy ruined when trolls accused her of drinking during her pregnancy (shed promoted a non-alcoholic wine brand). Motherhood is often used as a way of attacking women; according to her detractors, Hughes supposedly married her husband in order to get free childcare. There is a lot of women, know your place in internet trollery.

In the most surprising part of the programme, Hughes met one of her online abusers. The womans voice was spoken by an actor. Im a normal person, she said. Im a nice mum, Im a good friend how did somebody normal end up getting involved in something that was so hurtful? No one wants to think of themselves as a nasty person. But anything written online exists in the real world, as much as a newspaper article does or graffiti on a front door.

Another revealing show was Surviving Unemployment: Reece and Sean. Demotivated, living on benefits, caring for his depressed mum, Londoner Reece, 23, wants flexible work almost impossible in these days of pandemic. He talked to Sean, a fiftysomething Liverpudlian who moved down to London in 1985 to find work after three years on the dole.

Sean was an immensely evocative speaker and as he told his tale, I went straight back to the time of his youth. Thatcher in power, young people signing on, those useless YTS schemes. When Sean did his, he was put in front of a big pile of differently sized tacks and nails for weeks and told to sort them out. When he finished, his bosses poured them all out on the floor again, ready for the next YTS kid. I hope talking to Sean gave Reece the kick he needed: getting out of the house is the first step.

And finally, dyslexia. In Dyslexia: Language and Childhood on the World Service, presenter Toby Withers, who has dyslexia, remembered his childhood and spoke to his old teacher. More revealingly, he also spoke to Alex, who grew up in Japan, to English-speaking parents. Alex had no problem reading and writing in Japanese, but was dyslexic when it came to English, despite the fact that he could speak it fluently. I cant see the difference between spare and spear, he said. Linguists explained that phonological languages such as English only engage the left side of the brain; other, more graphic languages, such as Japanese or Chinese, engage both right and left. You can be dyslexic in any language, but your personal difficulties can be made harder by the language you learn. Another small tale that blossomed into something larger.

French and Saunders: Titting About Six episodes of two middle-aged women making each other laugh. There are themes for each episode, such as holidays, schools, passions and hobbies but really, as the title says, these are just half-hour shows of two old friends telling silly stories and teasing each other. Anecdotes include when Jennifer Saunders gatecrashed a Manchester United party (I remember Eric Cantona touched my leg! Did you get pregnant? wonders Dawn French), how French is exhausted from years of turning on the personality fireworks in order to make friends, and the time when Saunders managed to breed mice so small that one hid in her dads cup of tea. Lovely.

The Making of A podcast from the Female Lead, an organisation that promotes womens rights through research and data, and by spreading the word about female empowerment. The Making of is an interview show presented with engaging enthusiasm by Bea Appleby. Each guest chooses six key life moments to talk about and the result is fun and enlightening. Three episodes in, weve heard from writer Caitlin Moran, broadcaster Emma Barnett and journalist Yomi Adegoke, every one a powerhouse. Barnetts discussion of failure is great: The idea that if you try hard you will get there is not always a good thing, because there are some things youre going to be crap at.

Today in Focus Two episodes about trans rights. The first is very definitely not about being a woman, as its the story of Stephen Whittle, a trans man who has been an activist for trans rights for half a century. Whittle is moving, honest and inspiring, and his story illustrates the fight for trans recognition in the UK and Europe. Towards the end of this episode, Libby Brooks examines the backlash to reform of the 2004 Gender Recognition Act with clarity and care. Episode two discusses feminism and trans rights, the debate about single-sex spaces and wonders if theres a way that gender-critical feminists and trans activists can reconcile. Talking and listening is the answer.

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The week in audio: Me and My Trolls; Surviving Unemployment; Dyslexia: Language and Childhood - The Guardian

Doctor knows best? Why patients must be part of the solution – swissinfo.ch

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Patient advocate Judith Safford argues that without the support of the public and patients, health systems are powerless to stop the pandemic.

Judith Safford is an economist, consultant and patient expert

Even before the pandemic started, health systems worldwide needed reform. The challenges vary: changing dynamics of demography, rising costs and overpricing, shortages of qualified healthcare staff, false market incentives and poor governance, corruption, and fraud. The results are inadequate access, poor quality and/or high costs. The general perception is that current health systems must reform, because projected social, environmental and economic developments will make them unsustainable.

Patient empowerment in health care can not only improve personal outcomes, it is the logical next step.

One useful learning from Covid-19 is that without the support and cooperation of the public or patients, health systems are powerless to stop this pandemic. Patients and the public will have to be part of the solution.

This is an interesting and important insight. The history of health care has been characterised by unequal relationships, or what has been called institutionalised paternalism. The Doctor Knows Best, presents the solution, which the patient then adopts. Since Hippocrates the patient has been the problem to be solved by a health professional in a system created and run according to this philosophy.

As an economist I have learned that the market for health care is characterised by numerous failures where supply and demand do not meet to produce the best outcome. One of the main problems is information asymmetry. If you buy apples on a farmers market, your demand for apples depends on how much you need and what you are prepared to pay for the apples on display. You can get this information. However, if your knee hurts, its hard to know what you need. Unfortunately, it is generally the supplier of the treatment who will give you that information. A surgeon might say you need surgery, a clinician recommends pills and a physiotherapist says you need some exercises. Each specialist will tend to recommend a solution around her or his core knowledge. How can the patient process this information and judge, which solution is best?

Therefore, when supply dictates demand, because health care professionals decide on treatment, the result may not be optimal for the patient. Another characteristic of health care, which impedes a good result, is that the patient doesnt usually pay directly for the treatment chosen, and therefore has no incentive to look for value for money. Additionally, in many health systems, including Switzerland, salaries of senior health professions are often linked to turnover: more complicated medicine = more salary. All in all, the chances are significant that the treatment decision will be guided by other motives than the best patient outcome.

As a patient with a long and complicated medical history of chronic diseases this has been my experience on several occasions. If I am not listened to, or not taken seriously, or treated like a faulty object, terrible errors and oversights can and have occurred, which affected my health dramatically. As a patient advocate, I have also been witness to the sad stories of others, who for many different reasons have been failed by the health system.

Both approaches show weaknesses in the health care system from different perspectives, but they both point unequivocally to greater involvement of patients in decision-making. Patients are not just a liability in health care, but also an asset. They are not just the problem to be solved, they can be part of the solution.

If I think back to the way I was treated even 15 years ago, I believe that a paradigm change has started. There is way to go, but today patients are generally treated with more respect, with consideration for their feelings and acknowledgement of their suffering.

Treating patients better also opened the path to recognising that collaborative patients can contribute to their own health and well-being. A plethora of terms has emerged, which reflect these developments: patient voice, lay involvement, patient empowerment, health literacy, patient centricity and shared decision-making. Personally, I like the concept of shared decision-making.

In health care I need the knowledge, experience and advice of a specialised health expert, but I want to share responsibility for and participate in those decisions, for which I ultimately carry the consequences. I want to be in dialogue with health professionals, who recognise that I live with my diseases 24/7, and therefore I also possess valuable knowledge and expertise in managing my care, which a health professional seeing a patient for a single consultation every few months, cannot acquire.

That patients can take an active role in their care is now accepted wisdom. Most health professionals make a genuine effort to meet individual expectations and needs. I hope that health care reform will also encourage, empower and educate patients themselves to rise to the opportunity of taking a more active role in their own care, rather than adopt the passive role expected of them in the traditional care model. There seems now to be consensus, that developing real dialogue would result in better care outcomes than paternalism.

Patient involvement in individual treatment such as shared decision-making leads to better outcomes, when it is adopted. However, health systems (as defined by the WHO all the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore and/or maintain health) are still a long way from reflecting patients needs. Their power structures reflect a complex interplay of many different interest groups except the patients. Patient involvement is at most a patient council, which is generally unpaid and without formal responsibilities. Some institutions enable feedback, such as questionnaires, or scrutiny in the form of an Ombudsman. Current patient involvement in health systems is tokenism.

In the pandemic we must rethink. I believe that patient empowerment in health care can not only improve personal outcomes, it is the logical next step in the paradigm change needed to meet the challenges facing the health sector.

Judith Safford is an economist, who has dedicated her professional life to excellence in non-profit management. Affected by inflammatory arthritis since early adulthood, she is works as a consultant and patient expert. Her special interest is the involvement of patients in healthcare, particularly participation in medical research. She is a member of the Sciana Health Leaders Network, a TED speaker and writes a blog at arthritisandme.ch

According to the WHO, Health Sector Reform involves changing the rules of the game and the balance of power within the health sector. One day it will seem unbelievable that health systems were once run without using the knowledge and experience of users. I believe that representatives of the patient perspective should be working alongside managerial and clinical leaders at strategic and operational level to drive change in health systems. The principles of shared decision-making should be applied at leadership level because patient leadership in health care would improve it, through better governance, transparency, and accountability.

This vision probably seems as absurd now, as the ideas of empowered patients were just a few decades ago. It has huge implications for the existing power structures. But it is necessary step towards a health system where patient health and well-being is the uniting aim, and where space is made for love and compassion.

As the visionary patient leader, Michael Seres said, As patients we cant wait for the system to change, we dont have time.We are all patients sooner or later. In a pandemic, anybody might be in intensive care next week.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of swissinfo.ch.

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Doctor knows best? Why patients must be part of the solution - swissinfo.ch

Discovery Education and NAHT launch ‘Pathway’ | Edexec – Ed Exec

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A new digital programme to deliver high quality professional and personal development to thousands of teachers and school leaders across the UK was launched today by Discovery Education and school leaders union NAHT

Designed to support the whole teacher, Pathway is a holistic programme focused on improving teachers professional and personal wellbeing. By blending professional development with personal development, and combining Discovery Education and NAHTs expertise and reach, Pathway offers a unique approach to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that empowers teachers and school leaders to flourish during these challenging times.

Featuring powerful insights and perspectives from the UKs leading education experts, Pathway supports teachers at every stage of their career through a wide range of easy-to-access courses, webinars, resources and tools.With Pathways unique materials, teachers can identify what motivates them, analyse their professional skills, gain meaningful professional advice and manage their own wellbeing. Together, these resources can support the creation of a culture of professional learning and personal and career development in any school.

Delivered digitally and available to teachers at any time and pace, Pathway provides educators access to the training, advice and support they need to meet the challenges of the modern classroom. Pathway also includes a unique wellbeing programme written and presented by Professor Tim OBrien and Dr Dennis Guiney and a new advice hub powered by NAHT experts, which helps schools keep abreast of the latest education policies and guidelines.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said: The Pathway message is simple: In order to properly invest in the development of their teams, school leaders must first invest in themselves. As we say, if effective education considers the whole child, then effective CPD should be about the whole teacher.

Howard Lewis, UK MD, Discovery Education said: We believe that teachers wellbeing, motivation and creative ambitions deserve as much consideration as their professional skills. If teaching requires body and mind, heart and soul, then good CPD should support the whole teacher. Were delighted to partner with NAHT to deliver a programme which achieves this. Pathway will help teachers and leaders to stay motivated, develop their skills and retain agency even during these exceptionally challenging times.

The Pathway programme is structured around three core elements, which together form a virtuous cycle of continuous empowerment throughout an educators professional journey. Orientation is where educators can explore what motivates them, audit their skills and competences and plot future goals and aspirations. In navigation, participants can learn from fellow educators, school leaders and education experts through a suite of continuous professional empowerment courses and modules comprising films, thought-pieces and reflections and online discussion forums. Finally, in reflection teachers are encouraged to self-focus with an exclusive wellbeing programme, an advice hub and a professional learning portfolio to keep a record of personal and professional achievements.

Pathways contributors include some of the UKs leading education experts and include lead author and series editor Andrew Hammond, Hywel Roberts, Debra Kidd, Professor Tim OBrien, Pranav Patel and Professor Max Coates.

Teachers, leaders and schools can find out more by visiting: http://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/pathway

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Discovery Education and NAHT launch 'Pathway' | Edexec - Ed Exec

PM Modi has worked for Muslim community, while breaking sway of vote bank politics – The Indian Express

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Written by Amin Pathan | Updated: October 6, 2020 8:48:27 amPrime Minister Narendra Modi

A shamelessly propagated myth is that Prime Minister Narendra Modis relations with the Muslim community are frosty at best, bitter at worst. Any contrary opinion is treated with disdain and ridicule. Having followed this subject closely for 20 years, I am convinced that this is the right time to break free from the shackles of false narratives.

The project of portraying Modi as anti-Muslim fails the test of facts. At every step in his political and administrative career, PM Modi has done everything he can for the welfare of the community. Yes, his style of working does not fit the conventional approach it provides a refreshing alternative to how empowerment can be done without appeasement and tokenism.

It is not widely known that Modis house in Vadnagar was situated in an area where there were many Muslims. Some of his first and long-lasting friends are Muslims. When he was the chief minister of Gujarat, the two districts whose development indices shot up were Kutch and Bharuch. These are districts with high Muslim populations.

Kutch, among Indias western-most districts, was known for two things post-1947 registan and Pakistan (the desert and a long border with Pakistan). Tourists would never go there. Officials would not want to serve there. But this was until Modi became CM. After 2001, Kutchs agriculture flourished, industry came to the district, its coastal strengths were harnessed and it emerged as a vibrant tourist destination.

Opinion | Shehzad Poonawalla writes: Under PM Modi, India is no country for appeasement and victim card politics anymore

In Bharuch, the problem was law and order. Previous Congress governments and top Congress leaders allowed Bharuch to deteriorate. Children who grew up in the 1980s and 90s in Bharuch can never forget the curfews there. Such a scenario prevented wide-scale development.

Friends in Gujarat, both Hindus and Muslims, often tell me about the efforts Modi made to develop key spots linked with the Muslim community. The Sarkhej Roza in Ahmedabad witnessed massive rejuvenation and restoration works under Modi as the CM. Modi visited the Sarkhej Roza on a few occasions, including once with former President APJ Abdul Kalam. Working closely with the ASI, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation worked hard to make the Roza and its surrounding areas better. Heritage festivals were initiated, making the Roza a vibrant cultural landmark in Ahmedabad. The Sidi Saiyyed Mosque also got a facelift. As PM, Modi also took the then prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe to the mosque.Kutch is home to the Hajipir Dargah. Like all parts of Kutch, it faced massive infrastructure-related problems. Modi improved local road networks, enabling devotees to visit the Dargah.

As our PM, Modi has time and again showed that he is a leader of the entire nation. I can never forget PM Modis words at the Islamic Heritage Conference, organised in Delhi. He said (young) Muslims should be well-versed with the Holy Quran and the computer. His words have resonated across the community.

Opinion | Tavleen Singh writes: Pandemic has brought a temporary lull in hate campaign launched against Indian Muslims

At the core of his leadership is respect for human dignity. PM Modis single step of abolishing the triple talaq has ensured that generations of Muslim women lead a better life. Likewise, the decision to allow women to proceed on Haj without mehram has been hailed a major step towards their empowerment.

PM Modi has also developed a close bond with the Dargah Ajmer Sharif. The 188 toilets constructed there have helped devotees, particularly women. There has been an extensive beautification process at the Dargah, which includes the construction of Silver Katahra at Astana Sharif, a new fountain and renovation of the Nizam Gate and Akbari Masjid. Cleaning machines have been placed at the jhalra at the iconic palace and a water tank with a capacity of three lakh litres has been constructed. Besides, PM Modi has been offering chadar at the dargah of the Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer Sharif for the last six years. This is a clear reflection of his respect and obeisance to all deities and Sufi saints.

For the last many years, it has become fashionable among some sections to hate Narendra Modi. My humble question to them is: When will you stop?

After 2002, the Supreme Court of India took over most of the probes. The Nanavati Commission was formed, there was an SIT in front of which Modi himself deposed for hours. The findings of the Commission and the SIT are in the public domain. Yet, there is a refusal to believe any of these findings.

There have been many analyses of the Modi-led foreign policy but one facet that stands out is the excellent relations with the Muslim world. Bahrain, the UAE, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan have conferred on him their top honour. The crown princes of the UAE as well as Saudi Arabia have strong personal friendships with the PM. Can anyone forget PM Modis special visit to the grand mosque in the UAE? Can we forget the PM paying obeisance at Bahadur Shah Zafars mazar?

Todays Muslims, especially the younger ones among them, are fed-up with vote-bank politics. Vested interests took away their votes and scared them but delivered nothing. The community wants prosperity and opportunity. It is high time the old shopkeepers of vote-bank politics shut shop. In a new India, it is aspiration and inclusion that will speak. Modi has made a start. It is up to us to support him and nurture this great nation that has given us so much.

This article first appeared in the print edition on October 6, 2020 under the title Empowerment, not tokenism. The writer is president, Dargah Committee, Dargah Khwaja Sahab, Ajmer

Opinion | Harsh Mander writes: Nearly seven months after Delhi violence, a continuing attempt to target dissenting voices

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PM Modi has worked for Muslim community, while breaking sway of vote bank politics - The Indian Express

NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NYC ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES AND THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE PROVIDES YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE WITH VIRTUAL…

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New York, NY, Oct. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS) and The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) today announced a new partnership aimed at promoting health equity among older youth in foster care through the use of virtual programming. Through this partnership, ACS and NYAM rolled out "YouthWorks," a virtual community program that focuses on health and well-being, particularly related to COVID-19. The program uses a credible messenger model, which means that courses are taught by individuals with prior experience in the child welfare system.

"Now more than ever, as we work to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it's important that everyone understand the importance of keeping healthy and this partnership with The New York Academy of Medicine means young people in foster care will have greater access to this critical information,"said ACS Commissioner David A. Hansell. "With the help of credible messengers, the YouthWorks Virtual Community Program teaches our young people in foster care how to make healthy choices, cope with stress, maintain healthy relationships and more. This program is just one of the many ways in which ACS works to support and empower youth at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives."

"Through the YouthWorks program, ACS and NYAM are supporting youth in foster care during a vulnerable time, when COVID-19 has further compounded the isolation of being separated from their families," saidNYAM President Judith A. Salerno, MD, MS. "By facilitating access to learning and resources for health and well-being, we are empowering youth for a healthier future."

"It has been a great pleasure to partner with The New York Academy of Medicine & ACS. I believe it is these types of partnerships that can penetrate our communities the greatest and have the most impact. Our team of credible messengers relates well with the participants in the program. By interacting with folks who have once walked in their footsteps, but made it out, it gives the students great hope! Our goal through our programming is to give students the skills to boost their confidence, a plan to avoid bad decisions, and show them what's possible with hard work," saidAndre Mitchell, Executive Director, Man Up.

The YouthWorks Virtual Community program is grounded in empowerment theory, positive youth development theory, youth participatory action research, and the credible messenger model. The program is organized into topical modules, each with a standard set of activities. Live sessions and modules, that can be accessed via Google classroom, cover a variety of health and wellness topics, including: exploring innate strengths and resources to promote self-awareness and self-esteem; physical health and well-being, particularly related to COVID-19 and making healthy choices; developing and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships; building resilience and empowerment through individual work and peer interactions; stress relief through breathing, meditation, and exercise; artistic expression in all forms; personal storytelling and social justice; and entrepreneurship and career planning.

The YouthWorks Virtual Community program is currently being piloted at the Nicholas Scoppetta's Children's Center. The Nicholas Scoppetta Children's Center is a child-friendly facility that operates 24 hours a day, temporarily housing children and youth who are not placed immediately after removal from their homes. An interdisciplinary team of Child Protective Specialists, Social Workers, Nurses, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Child Care and Administrative staff provide support and clinical services to children to reduce trauma associated with child maltreatment, as well as loss and separation from their parents and primary caregivers.

In addition to YouthWorks' Virtual Community program, ACS continues to actively engage youth at the Nicholas Scoppetta Children's Center to help them cope during these challenging times. Youth have participated in summer youth employment and literacy programs to help empower and lend strength to their voices; voter registration workshops, led by the Campaign Finance Board; an African Art Exhibit activity where staff and children explored and created African-inspired art; a visit by Life Camp's Peace Mobile unit to teach youth about violence prevention and positive alternatives to violence, bullying and other forms of anti-social behavior; a library expansion to increase the number of books written by and about Black authors and protagonists in collaboration with Children's Defense Fund-NY; and back to school preparations such as a pop-up clothing boutique, a Summer Education Academy.

About The New York Academy of MedicineThe New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) tackles the barriers that prevent every individual from living a healthy life. NYAM generates the knowledge needed to change the systems that prevent people from accessing what they need to be healthy such as safe and affordable housing, healthy food, healthcare and more. Through its high-profile programming for the general public, focused symposia for health professionals, and its base of dedicated Fellows and Members, NYAM engages the minds and hearts of those who also value advancing health equity to maximize health for all. To learn more, visitNYAM.org.

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NEW PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NYC ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES AND THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE PROVIDES YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE WITH VIRTUAL...

Paltown Development Foundation and HalioDx Team Up for Colorectal Cancer Testing Center – GlobeNewswire

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Paltown Development Foundation and HalioDx Team Up for Colorectal Cancer Testing Center

COLONTOWN University Launches Secure Platform for Colorectal Cancer Patients

Marseille, France, October 9, 2020 HalioDx SAS, the immuno-oncology diagnostic company, today announced the company will be participating in COLONTOWN University (CU), a new online learning center for over 5,300 Colorectal Cancer (CRC) patients and caregivers.

COLONTOWN University is a secure online platform that hosts training and educational resources developed by PALTOWN Development Foundation and its partners. The site is launching a suite of learning centers that include the latest scientific research, clinical data and actionable resources about newer diagnostic/surveillance tests for CRC patients. CU will offer a Diagnostic and Surveillance Testing Center and a Clinical Trials Center, which provide interactive features and structured content across a range of media. As part of the initiative, HalioDx will provide educational resources to CU students (CRC patients and caregivers), on Immunoscore, an in vitro diagnostic test predicting the risk of relapse in early stage colon cancer patients and enlightening decision-making process on therapeutic options.

"We are excited to be part of this innovative platform to increase awareness of important diagnostic tests such as Immunoscore for CRC patients, said Graham Poage, PhD, Director of Medical Science for HalioDx in the US. This collaborative process gives patients and their care teams valuable information that can help facilitate conversations about these important assays.

New prognostic and predictive tests like Immunoscore can give patients important data that can inform decision-making during the course of treatment, according to Nancy Seybold, COO of Paltown Development Foundation. We are excited to work with HalioDx to help educate patients regarding their options for testing and how their personal immune response biomarker can help to understand their own cancer evolution

The new Diagnostic and Surveillance Testing Center provides an portal for patients to learn what testing might be appropriate for them, how each option might contribute to treatment decisions, and how insurance and patient assistance programs will affect out-of-pocket costs.

Immunoscore is an in vitro diagnostic test predicting the risk of relapse and response to therapy in early stage colon cancer patients by measuring the host immune response at the tumor site. It is a risk assessment tool that provides independent and superior prognostic value to the usual tumor risk parameters and should be used as an adjunct to the TNM classification. (Pags F et al. The Lancet 2018, Sinicrope F et al. JNCI cancer spectrum 2020, Mlecnik et al. JCO 2020). Immunoscore can thus improve individual patient treatment strategies, particularly the modulation of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II and stage III.

COLONTOWN UNIVERSITY supports over 5,300 patients and caregivers in its exclusive online community COLONTOWN, as well as the broader CRC community. COLONTOWN pioneered a unique model of patient-led empowerment with over 120 private neighborhoods for patients and caregivers, providing the emotional and psychosocial support they need as well as the latest science-based data to inform their care and treatment.

***

About COLONTOWN

COLONTOWN, founded in 2002 by Erika Hanson Brown, a stage III CRC patient, is the first patient-powered disease specific community under the umbrella of the Paltown Development Foundation, a 501(c)3 dedicated to addressing information needs and social isolation through training, technology, and purpose-driven community leadership. The Paltown Development Foundation is committed to expanding its unique model of online peer-to-peer health communities to provide hope and empowerment to patient leaders in the CRC space and across other disease states.

About Immunoscore

Immunoscore is an in vitro diagnostic test measuring the host immune response at the tumor site. It provides a robust, precise, quantitative, and consensus assessment of lymphocytic infiltration and has been shown to predict patient outcome and response to therapies in several indications.

In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), in its latest edition of the Digestive System Tumours, introduced immune response as an essential and desirable diagnostic criterion for colorectal cancer, in addition to traditional histological parameters.

Subsequently, Immunoscore was included in the 2020 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-up for LocalisedLocalized Colon Cancer.

Immunoscore Colon is the first IVD diagnostic test of our Immunoscore portfolio for which a comprehensive corpus of clinical data demonstrating its clinical utility associated with TNM scoring in the management of localized colon cancer has been published. Additional immune-based assays in the same portfolio are used as clinical trial assays to support translational research and clinical development. Those assays enable Multiplex Spatial Tissue Analysis and combine proprietary multiplexed immunohistochemistry, advanced image analysis and computerized algorithms.

Immunoscore is currently being investigated in a broad number of clinical studies and cancer indications for establishing its performance as a prognostic factor as well as a predictive factor for response to drugs, notably chemotherapies and immunotherapies.

Immunoscore is commercially available in more than 20 countries.

About HalioDx

The Immune Response to Cancer Diagnostics

HalioDx is an immuno-oncology diagnostic company providing oncologists and drug development organizations with first-in-class Immune-based diagnostic products and services to guide cancer care and contribute to precision medicine in the era of immuno-oncology and combination therapies.

Leveraging the pioneering work of Dr Jrme Galon, HalioDx provides a unique range of immune scoring solutions including its flagship Immunoscore assay for the assessment of the immune contexture of a tumor, as a key determinant of patients outcomes and response to cancer treatments.

HalioDx has developed a unique Biopharma partnering ecosystem for the identification of clinically relevant biomarker signatures, the demonstration of their clinical utility in trials and the development and commercialization of resulting diagnostic or companion diagnostic tests. Our programs draw on our expertise and focus on immuno-oncology, a complete suite of genomic and proteomic biomarker profiling services, a world-class data analysis and biostatistics platform, and CLIA-certified laboratories with compliant facilities in Europe and in the US to develop, manufacture, register and market in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products. HalioDx has rapidly become the preferred partner of Biopharma developing therapeutic antibodies, vaccines, chemotherapies, oncolytic peptides, and CAR-T cell therapies.

For more information, please visit our websites http://www.haliodx.com and http://www.immunoscore-colon.com and follow the company on Twitter, Linkedin and Youtube.

Immunoscore is a registered trademark of Inserm licenced to HalioDx. Brightplex, TMExplore and Immunosign are registered trademarks of HalioDx.

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Paltown Development Foundation and HalioDx Team Up for Colorectal Cancer Testing Center - GlobeNewswire

Rise of the street beat: India spits rhymes in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia – The New Indian Express

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The Indian counterculture milieu is in the middle of a metamorphosis. A perennially fertile landscape, the Indian underground has always been a hive of activity that has spawned everything from rock bands and heavy metal juggernauts to DJs and electronic artists that have made beaches and nightclubs come alive with the sound of music.

This vibrant vista is now booming with a beat that is insistent and clearly intent on imprinting itself on the collective consciousness of an entire generation of music lovers. It is a rhythmic statement of intent born out of a sense of belief that brooks no argument.

Strident, clawing at the boundaries of mainstream recognition, Indian hip-hop is poised on the brink of a massive breakthrough and it has all the potential to be bigger than anything which has preceded it so far.

Music, like all art, needs an emotional connection with a section of the community to thrive. This is where hip-hop in India has the biggest advantage because its core comprises an identity that is proudly Indian.

There have been innumerable iconic moments in underground and independent music in the country over the years but there does not seem to be any musical movement that has quite the grassroots appeal which this avatar of hip-hop seems to be enjoying.

Rap music is not new to the country. It arrived at our shores in the early nineties bearing a fun, good times lyrical agenda. The grimy underbelly of urban existence which typifies most rap music was decidedly missing.

The transformation of that aspect of rap borders on the unbelievable these days. Hip-hop is hugely personal right now and it reflects in the immense diversification of the genre in the country.

A cursory look at the rap landscape in India throws up sub-genres such as Odisha rap, Jat rap, hip-hop from the Northeast, Marwari, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil and so many more. Rappers are throwing down their rhymes in rapid fire Hindi as well and it is almost like this is the medium of expression that has unprecedented resonance with artists.

Making a NameFazilpuria has found great success in the Indian film industry. His hits include Chull and Pallo Latke but the pride he takes in his Haryanvi rhymes is evident.

There is a lot of difference between Haryanvi rap and Punjabi rap, he says. My intention is to put my language and my state on the map through my music.

That is the reason I chose Fazilpuria as my stage name. I belong to Fazilpur and so I call myself Fazilpuria. Apropos of nothing, Bhai is the standard Indian hip-hop greeting and exclamation. Nearly every statement either begins or ends with this sibling-y shout-out.

It might be an appropriation of the archetypal bro but that is probably the only parallel with other hip-hop styles across the world. The Indian rap narrative is a genre unto itself in terms of the factors that fuel it and the issues it addresses. Take Rapper Dule Rocker, for instance.

A migrant worker from Odishas Kalahandi district, Dule, whose real name is Duleshwar Tandi, has emerged as one of the biggest voices for migrant workers, many of whom were forced to walk back home following the Covid-19 lockdown.

The humility with which Dule talks about his journey as a hip-hop artist is in stark contrast to the intensity of his rhymes in songs like Me Hun Aam Aadmi and Sun Sarkaar Sat Katha.

Music director Vishal Dadlani described him as fire in one of his tweets and the scorching intensity of Dules words bear testimony to the fact.

Rapper Dule Rocker is a voice from a muddy hut in a village called Borda. The impact it has, however, resounds across the nation and may soon be global. All this without access to any recording studio, production techniques or other accoutrements that any artist anywhere in the world would take for granted. I have been through a lot of hard times, he says.

But I have never left hip-hop. I have an old laptop and I make my beats on it. He then records it on his mobile phone and uploads it on YouTube and other social media platforms. The world stops and listens.

Fuel to FireThere are three key factors fuelling the hip-hop phenomenon and individuality is perhaps the greatest of them all. The intensely personal nature of the music allows every artist to tell their own story, completely unfettered by genre trappings. Hip-hop is modern poetry, says Borkung Hrangkhwal. It becomes very personal. Unless you feel it, you cannot write it. The rapper from Tripura gained recognition with his song, Chini Haa, which translates as Our Land. People really got behind the track and it became something of an anthem. Hrangkhwal also talks aboutracism in his songs.

It is a subject he has experienced, painfully, firsthand. This goes back many years when I went to stay in Delhi for the first time, recounts Hrangkhwal.

I had stepped out for an after-dinner stroll when suddenly three guys came out of nowhere and stabbed me. I think they may have acted on the spur of the moment. I survived. It is an incident shocking in the extreme so when Hrangkhwal puts his themes of racism and alienation to a massive beat, it becomes compelling beyond description.

Quite like the whirlwind frenzy of Ayo Burn. The track finds the fantastically multi-dimensional Anushka Manchanda taking on a brand new identity and spewing vitriol on gender discrimination, marital rape, corrupt politicians and people that disrespect the environment. The song is a livewire of intensity and hits you squarely between the eyes. I have been the sort of musician who keeps asking for feedback constantly, says Manchanda who morphs into the fearsome lyrical warrior Nuka for Ayo Burn.

But for this song I felt completely fearless. Nuka is joined by rapper Kaam Bhaari on the track and together they weave a tapestry that is a series of body blows and ear candy, simultaneously.Rapper Big Deal from Odisha is a big star.

So luminous, in fact, that he hit the road with the Chief Minister of his state, Naveen Patnaik, for a series of electoral rallies. He had the crowds eating out of his hands as he stomped the stage with songs like Khanti Odia and Khussi Ta. The beginning of this road to stardom, however, was not without its scars. I was a bullied kid, says Big Deal. I had to deal with a lot of those issues while growing up. But when I found rap, it was almost like I had discovered my superpower.

Bridge Over Troubled TimesRap, at least in the Indian context, is the great enabler. It is the ultimate personal statement and allows everyone to tell their own stories the way they want to. That is perhaps the reason why rappers are so prolific with their recorded output.

While most of the nation went into a state of inertia following the pandemic, the hip-hop tribe showed no signs of taking its foot off the accelerator.

7BantaiZ, a multilingual hip-hop crew from Dharavi, Mumbai, have released Kitaab, a video that is doing the rounds on VH1.

They are also part of a huge message called Stay Home Stay Safe, which has mega Bollywood stars like Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Suniel Shetty syncing lines written by MC Altaf, 7BantaiZ and Dopeadelicz.

The BantaiZ, which translates into crew or brotherhood, are also working on an album, which will be out very soon. Rapper Big Deal has been busy finalising details of a major label deal that should find him going even more stratospheric and Manchanda created a master flourish when she conceptualised and released Mehfil-e-Hip Hop.

At the risk of stepping out on a tangent just a wee bit, like rock music has its concerts, and jazz and blues have their clubs, the meeting place for hip-hop MCs is called a Cypher. It is a place where MCs hang together, trade rhymes and perform live for audiences. It is the definitive congregating point for the hip-hop scene.

With the lockdown rendering any kind of physical gathering impossible, Manchanda had this idea of creating a cyber Cypher. Sure enough, Kaam Bhaari, Spitfire, SlowCheeta and Devil The Rhymer have collaborated on Mehfil-e-Hip Hop.

It is a fabulous recreation of what Cyphers actually are with each of these MCs bringing in their own style to the track. This is not song in the strictest sense of the word with a defined verse-chorus format. It is a free-flowing rhyme-fest with each artist adding his own flavour to the verbal potluck.

The Local TouchAnother major catalyst in hip-hops climb out of the underground is that it is not looked on as a concept imported from the West and then adapted to an Indian sensibility.

It has seeped into the very fabric of our society and feels home-grown and organic. One of the first songs we composed was Ganpati Bappa Morya, says Dopeadelicz, arguably one of the founding pillars of the Mumbai scene. Then we played at seven Ganpati pandals and the crowds there got into our music in a big way.

Listen to the Dopeadelicz track Aai Shapath and one will be convinced that this is not an Indian band doing hip-hop. It is a class rap act anywhere in the world. Period.

That is probably the reason why Indian hip-hop is expected to create major waves at the global level. Universal Music Group has signed up with Mass Appeal, the urban culture focussed entertainment company to launch Mass Appeal India.

The new entity will work towards amplifying Indias growing hip-hop culture to the world.

Mass Appeal India will sign and work with the most promising artists in the Indian hip-hop fraternity and leverage Mass Appeals global network to showcase Indian talent to a worldwide audience.

WATCH

Iconic rapper DIVINE is the first signing on Mass Appeal India. The inspiration behind the smash hit, Gully Boy, DIVINEs credentials are etched onto the foundation stone of Indian hip-hop.

His incendiary flow on songs like Meri Gully Mein, Jungli Sher and Kaam 25 pioneered the Gully Rap movement with hip-hop taking on a firm indigenous route in terms of style, delivery and language. I was first introduced to DIVINEs music through the brilliant film, Gully Boy, says Nas, one of the greatest rappers in the world and co-founder of Mass Appeal.

I am proud to announce the launch of Mass Appeal India with DIVINE as the first artist on our roster. This is just the kind of impetus rap music in India needs.

Mass Appeal India has gone into action mode straightaway. Its YouTube channel provides the perfect spectrum of the diversity of Indian hip-hop with videos dropping regularly, and showcasing emerging and established artists to an audience that is clearly gorging on it.

There is an incident Rapper Big Deal narrates which encapsulates the hip-hop phenomenon in India to a nicety. The musician doesnt live too far away from the beach in Puri and every morning there are people from the Nolia fisherman community who arrive at that beach. They are a BPL community and have not been exposed to global rap music in any way, he says. But when Big Deal cues up his music, everybody starts to groove.

There are kids that are just five or six years old and they understand the vibe of the music completely. Rhyme is the language of the new generation and it is in perfect sync.

The India SceneThere is a school of thought which stands steadfast in the belief that India predated the most widely accepted date of the birth of hip-hop by a decade.

Documented history tells us that the rap movement began in 1979 when New Jersey trio Sugarhill Gang released their chartbusting single, Rappers Delight.

But some folks at home would have us believe that it was actually Dada Moni Ashok Kumar, getting all breathless on the track, Rail Gaadi, from the 1968 movie, Ashirwaad, which birthed rap. Be that as it may, here are some milestones that shaped hip-hop in India into the burgeoning phenomenon it is today.

1991: Apache Indian stirs up the vibe with Arranged Marriage1992: Baba Sehgal releases Thanda Thanda Paani. It becomes a huge sensation.2002: Bohemia brings it into the new millennium with Vich Pardesan De2008: Mafia Mundeer, which featured Yo Yo Honey Singh and Badshah, gains prominence2011: Honey Singh releases his solo album, International Villager2012: Badshah breaks out with Saturday Saturday2013: DIVINE releases Yeh Mera Bombay2014: Naezy launches his debut single, Aafat2019: Zoya Akhtar makes Gully Boy. The film sweeps 13 Filmfare awards.2019: Universal Music Group India signs up with iconic hip-hop label Mass Appeal to launch Mass Appeal India

Indian hip-hop is poised on the brink of a massive breakthrough and it has all the potential to be bigger than anything which has preceded it so far.

10 Indian Rappers You Need to Know

Prabh DeepHis debut album Class-Sikh, released in 2017, became a marker for Indian hip-hop. It was a seminal project that weaved political rhymes with club-ready production.

AhmerLittle Kid, Big Dreams, his debut album released last year, was simultaneously a critique of the Indian government and an exploration of his identity as a Kashmiri

Meba OfiliaThe Meghalaya star first started making waves in 2016 with her first single Done Talking, showcasing her skills within R&B and hip-hop. But it was her recently released single, The Journey, that truly showcased the potential she possesses.

MC MawaliSwadesi is a hip-hop crew and community from Dharavi, Mumbai. Their numbers can swell to over a dozen, comprising mostly graffiti artists, DJs, and MCs. Their unofficial leader MC Mawali always manages to shine.

ThirumaLiThe rapper rose to prominence with his song Malayali Da, and has since racked up hundreds of thousands of views on each of his songs, some of which have easily crossed a million.

Smokey the GhostSmokeys most notable release is arguably his latest, The Human Form, as it re-introduced him to a generation suddenly aware of and excited by Indian hip-hop

Seedhe MautThe Delhi-based duo are bona fide stars in the making. Razor-sharp, incisive lyrics spat in both Hindi and English is their calling card. Theyre political, brash, and unafraid to voice their opinion where it matters most.

SiriWith Live It, a self-directed and self-funded song and video, Siri demanded attention from the industry. Thanks to its theme of empowerment and its reveal of Siris ability to rap across languagesEnglish, Kannada, and Hindithe song went viral.

Park CircusLast year, Park Circus released their eponymous debut album to critical acclaim. The eight-track record announced the Kolkata-based group as a funk-centred, old school crew.

Street AcademicsThe group released their latest album, Loop, last yearlong time fans will note that each album has a thematic output and is somehow loosely interconnected in an alternative universe that feels very much like our own.

There are three key factors fuelling thehip-hop phenomenon and individuality is perhaps the greatest of them all

Here is a fun byte

Did You KnowTheir Real Names?

Badshah: Aditya Prateek Singh SisodiaHard Kaur: Taran Kaur DhillonRaftaar: Dilin NairBohemia: Roger DavidBrodha V: Vighnesh ShivanandEmiway Bantai: Bilal SheikhSukh-e: Sukhdeep Singh DayalJ Star: Jagdeep SinghJazzy B: Jaswinder Singh BainsYo Yo Honey Singh: Hirdesh Sing

Rap, at least in the Indian context, is the great enabler. It is the ultimate personal statement and allows everyone to tell their own stories the way they want to.

Excerpt from:

Rise of the street beat: India spits rhymes in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia - The New Indian Express

Joe Biden’s 2020 appeal to the white working class can work. Just ask my dad. – NBC News

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There is a narrative in the American consciousness about who the white working class really is. Its a narrative that all too often gets caricatured and distorted in pop culture and the media, especially when talking about President Donald Trumps base.

If former Vice President Joe Biden wants to win in November, hes going to need members of this often-maligned group, generally speaking, to vote for him. And contradicting some of the mythology, his message seems to be making an impact. New polls in Pennsylvania recently showed Biden up 9 points, fueled in part by whites in the suburbs, and not just those with a college education. Meanwhile in Ohio, Biden continues to push his populist rhetoric, as he has been doing across the industrial Midwest.

A third-generation logger from Springfield, Oregon, my dad raised me in ways that allowed me to eventually become part of the so-called liberal elite.

The fact that Biden might be succeeding with white noncoastal voters might surprise some on the actual coasts, but it doesnt surprise me. Because one of those voters is my dad.

A third-generation logger from Springfield, Oregon a town reliant on the timber industry for decades and that limps along in the shadow of college town Eugene my dad raised me in ways that allowed me to eventually become part of the so-called liberal elite.

The white, working-class heterosexual man is painted with broad strokes as narrow-minded, gripping tightly to the time when their kind unabashedly ruled the world and their opinions were all that mattered. And that portrayal holds some truth white men without college degrees still prefer Trump to Biden by a wide margin. But the white working class is not a monolith. Plenty of white working-class men consider themselves moderate-leaning Democrats, voted for Barack Obama, wanted Hillary Clinton to break the glass ceiling, occasionally vote Republican and wont be voting for Trump. Plenty hunt and support gun control, see firsthand from their livelihoods that climate change is real, and teach their daughters to be feminists. Thats Dad.

He worked in one of Americas most dangerous industries, from the too-often deadly work of cutting trees, to loading logs onto trucks, to driving those trucks until his body was literally so broken he had to retire. The key was to keep working, keep providing for his family.

In the 1980s, when new environmental protections stalled work in the timber industry, Dad even moved us to Alaska for a year to take advantage of the incredible amount of logging work available for people willing to live in rough conditions.

The Alaskan logging camp was a circle of single-wide trailers around a one-room schoolhouse where my mom taught, a playground and a bear bell to ring when anyone saw a wandering grizzly. Each trailer had its own smokehouse. Groceries were flown in on a seaplane.

Other than my baby sister, I was the youngest kid in the camp, and the boys would pick on me They would call me over to play, then squirt water bottles in my face; I would run back to our trailer crying.

Dad decided to teach me to stick up for myself.

He taught me how to make a fist with my thumb in the right place so as not to break it. Then I practiced punching his massive, grease-stained hands with my 4-year-old fists.

Punching through the hand was critical. It took many tries to learn how to use the force of my whole body without losing my balance. Dad made clear to me that I should only use my new skills when I was being picked on, to defend myself. A few days later, I had my chance. With one punch, I would realize years later, I internalized Dads message that I could, must, fight societys prevailing boys-will-be-boys mentality.

At 10, I got a BB gun. Dad insisted I learn my way around firearms. Dad knew that power imbalances grow when one side is ignorant and would not tolerate my remaining ignorant of weapons that could cost, or save, my life.

I developed my nose for sexism early on, primarily because Dad smelled it first.

I developed my nose for sexism early on, primarily because Dad smelled it first. Like the time I told him about my sixth-grade band teacher. I wanted to play the tenor sax, an instrument almost my height. When I told my teacher, he said the alto would better suit me.

At home that night, he asked who else is playing the alto and who is playing the tenor? I didnt know, but he had a hunch. As I was leaving school the next day, up walks Dad, his logging suspenders over his hickory shirt. He had left the woods early for a discussion with my band teacher, while I waited outside.

A few minutes later, Dad walked out with a clenched jaw and a tenor sax. Hed had a feeling that all the boys were playing tenor sax, and all the girls directed to play the altos. And he was right.

Now, to be honest, I did not always appreciate Dads lessons in feminism. When he got me a summer job washing logging trucks because he didnt believe in womens work or mens work, I politely declined. But I did work in the mill, pulling green chain a job that Wikipedia defines as men pulling lumber off a conveyor belt to place in piles.

Also, Dads progressive attitude toward female empowerment had its limits. When I came home with a girlfriend for the first time, he struggled to understand what my sexuality meant. From his perspective, being gay meant life would be harder for me. In my adolescent mind, if he werent homophobic, he should have no issue with a gay daughter. But watching him struggle, I eventually learned that even parents who openly rail against sexism, racism and homophobia sometimes need to do their own deep, personal work.

Dad embodies the complexity of these struggles as he continues to evolve, even as the American dialogue on demographics devolves.

He sees both the similarities and differences in the struggles of various marginalized groups. Some of his understanding is rooted in growing up poor and experiencing social mobility. He understands his privilege and also sees how systems are designed to oppress swaths of people, while making a remote few rich. The obstacles he faced help him imagine the obstacles for people of color, for women, and yes, the LGBTQ population. He is not alone but remains largely overlooked. Hopefully Joe Biden has the good sense not to do the same.

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Joe Biden's 2020 appeal to the white working class can work. Just ask my dad. - NBC News

Sonya Lennon: stand on the shoulders of the fear that holds you back – Irish Examiner

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One could call Sonya Lennon many things - a fashion designer, a business person, a social entrepreneur, an innovator, a co-founder, a public speaker, a feminist, a mother. One of her friends calls her and her partner The Jam Factory. That is to say, theyre lucky. But Lennon believes that you make your own luck.

There is a book called The Luck Factor which looks at the science behind luck, Lennon tells me.

One of my best friends jokingly calls myself and my husband The Jam Factory. We are lucky, lucky to have been born in Ireland, lucky to have been born into the families we were, lucky to have been born at all!

But we are also both grafters who love what we do, and we will graft till the day we die. It helps that we like what we do - thats the first thing that makes you lucky. It is about attitude, perception and narrative. The opportunity is there and its about your mind being open to those opportunities.

This former freelance fashion stylist has successfully repositioned herself from fashion girl to motivational speaker giving talks on topics such as thinking like an entrepreneur and behavioural change.

Herself and Brendan Courtney have just launched a new podcast, she works out every day, oh, and shes just about to start a masters in Business Equality Diversity and Inclusion in IADT where her partner David is president. Tired yet?

Plus, when we speak, shes in the final stages of planning for The Irish Examiners ieStyle Live virtual event, which took place last night - as MC she was preparing to interview Glamour Editor in Chief Samantha Barry. (Last year Brendan and Sonya hosted the inaugural sellout networking and fashion event at Cork City Hall.)

Busy is one word you could use to describe her. One could also call Sonya Lennon passionate. In fact, she frequently describes herself thus throughout our conversation at the Lennon Courtney offices in the Dunnes Stores HQ.

Lennon is dressed, as is fitting, in a Lennon Courtney design, her large statement glasses more than a hint at her definitive style.

The conversation flows from the projects shes involved in, her work with Courtney, juggling motherhood and business (why do we even still say juggle? she ponders). She frequently references the ideas of leading thinkers on behaviour, social enterprise, leadership, personal development and more; she quotes from books and podcasts and she cites those whose experience shes tapping into for her new strategy for Lennon Courtney.

Equality, empowerment and confidence is at the core of everything we do at Lennon Courtney, its who we are. That all now lives within the brand. Were constantly thinking about how we can create additional value for the woman who wears our clothes, she says. We have a huge network of incredible women, they can all support each other knowing that their common purpose is each others success, she says at the time of writing.

Were launching our YouTube channel in September with Lennon Courtneys Career Guidance Tips, everything from that first interview to negotiating at a senior level.

This communal approach to things is something Lennon seems to excel at, but, while she has established or co-founded entities such as Lennon Courtney, Dress for Success and LIFT, she is also keen to stress she does not work alone, nor does she work directly on everything that she has established.

The key is that the things that I have set up are resourced, so I am not doing everything myself, she says. We have an extraordinary team on Lennon Courtney in Dunnes. In Dress for Success there is an amazing team as well as a network of about 100 volunteers including stylists, active HR professionals and mentors. We got a significant piece of funding last year through the Mn na hireann Fund and are a proud member of the Government-backed ReThink Ireland programme.

"We love that you are a partner, a patron, and a huge supporter of Dress for Success Dublin."

A big thank you from @sonyalennon and everyone here at DFSD to all the amazing volunteers from @Verizon who delivered two online workshops on 17th Sep. pic.twitter.com/wHBULgOD3k

Lennon describes Dress for Success as her first foray into organisational development. I didnt have a bloody clue what I was doing, she freely admits. But you dive in with two feet, even though you are terrified that youre going to fail or that you will succeed, because they are both unknowns, and then you dont die and its okay and you get a little bit braver and you stand on the shoulders of the very fear that held you back in the first place.

Lennon co-founded Leading Irelands Future Together or Lift with siblings Joanne and David Hession. It was Joannes idea to establish Lift to explore how we can really lift leadership. When we were setting up we went out with two surveys and asked people what the values are that need to be lifted in Ireland. The top eight were: listening; positive attitude; respect; competence; dedication and determination; empathy and understanding; accountability, honesty and integrity.

We think of leaders as being leaders with a capital L, someone standing on a stage at a podium or in the boardroom. But if we exert influence on the people around us then we are leaders. So its about looking at our behaviours, how we are influencing people and [asking] are we being the best version of ourselves around those people?

Lennon says that her realisation that business development was a creative process came as something of a welcome revelation. I hadnt joined the dots to realise that business development is a creative process. I then became more and more interested in business and leadership rather than pure fashion. It is about having the confidence to say: This is who I am. It is up to you to position yourself in this world, what you stand for, what you are capable of and what you want to achieve. Lennon sees it as a common danger to ruminate on things and she invites people to place their challenges in three columns: those they can control, those they can manage, and those they cannot control.

If you can control the challenge then you have a duty to do something about it. If it is a challenge that you can manage or influence you can still have to have a strategy for how you can lessen that challenge,

If there are things that you cant control, just take them off your rumination list because, by your own admission, there is nothing you can do about them.

One challenge she is dealing with is the fact that her mother has dementia. She says that many of the opinions she now espouses are thanks to her mother and to the values present in the family home of her youth. My mother was independent. She worked, she knew the value of economic independence for women. She always said if you are not part of the revenue, youre not part of the decision-making process. That was really drilled into me at an early age.

This powerful female mentorship is echoed in Lennons membership of a closed professional network of female entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with whom she meets every three months.

But Lennon says its not all about women helping women and she cites her friendship and work relationship with Brendan Courtney as a case in point. We enjoy each other hugely, we respect each other hugely. That doesnt mean that we dont have to mind our relationship continuously. Thats something that is important in all relationships. An unwatered plant will wither and die.

She believes that conversations with men who get it can be very powerful and that personal responsibility can be anything from a man advocating for a female colleague in a meeting to asking himself whether all stakeholders are represented in the corporate decision-making process. In other words, wheres the womans voice?

Conversations with men who get it are very powerful. Women are 51% of the population and it is insane that we are. A truer term to use would be underrepresented, we are not a minority. People have asked me why I focus on gender representation when there are so many bigger issues to solve. My response is that if we had had womens representation at decision-making tables up to now we wouldnt have this situation - we can really see that in the Covid response globally. This is not, however about a hostile gender takeover, its simply that men and women need to work respectfully together. Its better that way.

Sonya Lennon is an Audi Ireland ambassador and drives an Audi A4.

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Sonya Lennon: stand on the shoulders of the fear that holds you back - Irish Examiner

The Tinderbox of the Uniform Civil Code and Gender Equality in Islam – The Leaflet

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The debate on Uniform Civil Code has caused much furore. MOIN QAZI unravels the fallacies of the argument presented in favour of the Uniform Civil Code that poses Islamic laws as a cause of all that is bad, particularly in the context of womens upliftment.

We must all understand that Islamic Laws are far from being a rigid set of injunctions or rules set in stone. Islamic law or sharia (meaning way or path) is an immense amalgam of texts and interpretations that have evolved along parallel paths within five major and numerous minor schools of law.

Sharia is a religious code for Muslims that covers all aspects of their life, including daily routines, and religious and familial obligations, marital affairs such as marriage and divorce, and financial dealings.

Gender-just reforms are needed to help in correcting gender biases but they should be well-intentioned.

Also Read: What did the Constituent Assembly say on the Uniform Civil Code?

The reform backers believe that the state should undertake them, to use the words of the great parliamentarian Edmund Burke, with the cold neutrality of an impartial judge. And by Burkes own words, No man can mortgage his injustice as a pawn for his fidelity. The state cannot expect Muslims to jettison the core tenets of their faith.

For the Muslims, changes to Islamic law have to be made within the boundaries of the Qurans teachings if they are to be legitimate. Without the cooperation of the religious scholars, who bestow this legitimacy, the masses will not embrace change. The clerics are critical in the whole equation. The predominant hardliners among their ranks are locked in a virtual and civil war with reformers.

Islam may not always be the sole factor in the repression of women. Local, social, political, economic, and educational forces, as well as the prevalence of pre-Islamic customs, must also be taken into consideration.

A common civil code is being oversold as a silver bullet for gender justice which it is not.

In some societies, they are a pervasive influence. But, in many cases, the proper application of Islamic law remains a major obstacle to the evolution of the position of women.

Muslims are apprehensive of the states obsession with trying to create a specific type of Islam, rather than allowing them space to simply live Islam with all its beliefs, traditions, cultures, references, and various practices.

They see the civil code as a seductively wrapped gender welfare intervention that can be a powerful salient, paving the way for further intrusion into their religious and cultural values.

This slippery slope is not lost on Muslims who see it slouching toward a pernicious future for their faith. The depressing social conditions of Muslim women are a phenomenon prevalent mostly among the underprivileged.

In economically improved strata of Muslims, the sort of oppressive practices that are being talked about are a rarity. Poverty is the root cause of obscurantism in Muslim families. Economic empowerment is one tide that can lift all the boats. It enables you to provide better education, better housing, and better healthcare.

It is a virtual cycle that transforms your worldview. The biggest problems facing Muslim women today are economic. They are not likely to be solved with civil rights remedies, but they could be relieved with public and private action to encourage economic redevelopment. More than religious redemption women need economic redemption.

A common civil code is being oversold as a silver bullet for gender justice which it is not. It is certainly not going to produce the utopian conditions that are being promised.

What is urgently required is draining the swamps of Muslim poverty that are breeding unrest and frustration, leading to both physical and mental violence.

Muslim women leaders are convinced that Islam, at its core, is progressive for women and supports equal opportunities for men and women alike.

The opponents argue that those averse to customary law have several options. There are already several laws like the Indian Marriage Act, Indian Divorce Act, Indian Succession Act, and Indian Wards & Guardianship Act, which provide a secular alternative for those who want it.

This law allows Indians to marry and be governed by secular civil laws, irrespective of the faith followed by either party. Therefore, there is no need to impose on everyone a secular civil code.

Muslim women leaders are convinced that Islam, at its core, is progressive for women and supports equal opportunities for men and women alike. They would not like to wager for a law that makes them jettison their Islamic beliefs.

Deeply religious, profoundly determined, and modern in every way, they are challenging not only the unjust restrictions placed on them by their own societies. But they also oppose the tired stereotypes and empty generalisations placed on them by the West. They are arguing for womens rights within an Islamic discourse.

These women are combing through centuries of Islamic jurisprudence to cull out and highlight the more progressive aspects of their religion.

Muslim women leaders are seeking accommodation between a modern role for women and the Islamic values that more than a billion people in the world follow.

Some of the leading proponents are mendistinguished scholars who contend that Islam was radically egalitarian for its time and remains so in many of its texts.

Muslims are well integrated in Sri Lanka where they have their personal law which has been lauded by jurists. Singapore and Israel accept Muslim personal law.

Reform is an unruly horse that can go berserk unless it is properly saddled.

Aharon Layish wrote a paper in July 1973 on The Sharia in Israel. Israels Sharia court system is more efficient than the civil law alternative. While it is also evolving in conjunction with the demands of an open, modern, and developed society. Israels religious courts feature as part of the judicial system with applicants having the option of choosing whether to lodge cases in the religious or civil courts.

Sharia courts in Israel are informed by the Hanafi legal school of Sunni jurisprudence, while laws in place since the days of the Ottoman Empire also remained in force.

Reform is an unruly horse that can go berserk unless it is properly saddled.

The modern trend is for acceptance of diversity.

It is equally important for the Muslim theocracy to understand their proper role, call it religious policing, cultural policing, guardian policing, family policing, and community policing.

Their main opposition to triple talaq was to the governments legislative intent in trying to criminalise it and instill the overtly reformist legislation with an odious agenda.

The many names share one vision: a humane, compassionate, culturally refined system with a mindset of respect and demonstrable concern for improving the wellbeing of women. Especially when women have been assigned a very exalted position both by the Quran and its Messenger.

Muslims of today are now a progressive generation. Theyve very whole-heartedly embraced efforts to do away with many of their obscurantist customs and traditions that are not supported by Qurn.

Despite a large clergy being in favour of retention of the triple talaq, mainstream Muslims were never supportive of this obnoxious practice. Their main opposition to triple talaq was to the governments legislative intent in trying to criminalise it and instill the overtly reformist legislation with an odious agenda.

Kazi Syed Karimuddin, the key persona in the deliberations on the Uniform Civil Code in the Constituent Assembly, was a staunch opponent of the code. He was himself a very progressive and forward-looking Muslim, who saw to it that his children studied in the countrys premier institutions.

There is a connection between religious diversity, freedom, and growth. If they hadnt found a way to live together, religious communities could have never created a society that would function as one.

And, contrary to the fears of many, religious freedom has been important as a cultural and moral force. We must understand that all divine texts share common themes to preserve human spirituality.

No concept of prosperity, social advancement, or human rights will weaken the eternal influence of divine texts. Normative deviations from divine texts are transient. But the spiritual needs that divine texts fulfill are permanent. So is the Quran which exerts an extraordinary moral influence in the life of an ordinary Muslim.

(Moin Qazi is a development professional. Views are personal.)

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The Tinderbox of the Uniform Civil Code and Gender Equality in Islam - The Leaflet

What the REFORM Alliance’s victory means for criminal justice reform | TheHill – The Hill

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As California faces thehighest number of coronavirus cases in the country, Gov. Gavin NewsomGavin NewsomWhat the REFORM Alliance's victory means for criminal justice reform Newsom's EV executive order will help make California breathable again OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden would face hurdles undoing Trump environmental rollbacks | Biden team weighs climate 'czar': report | Donald Trump Jr. urges hunters to vote for his father MORE (D) has responded by ushering in a number of criminal justice reforms, includingchanges to the systems of adult probation, juvenile justice and policing.

The reforms will effectively reduce incarceration, save taxpayer money and refine the attention of overburdened probation officers. Theyre a welcome transformation of state law.

Specifically,AB1950 would reduce probationary periods from three years to one for misdemeanors and five years to two for most felonies. According to theREFORM Alliance, violations of Californias probation and parole system cost the state about $2 billion per year. Furthermore,over $200 million of those dollars are spent incarcerating people for technical violations and victimless crimes. These are savings that could easily be directed instead towardsjustice reinvestment programs programs that are designed, in principle, to reduce long-run recidivism.

Reforms like this one are not without bipartisan support. The coalition of organizations supporting these types of reforms includes the Law Enforcement Action Partnership as well as the likes of #Cut50 and the ACLU, and the REFORM Alliance. Theres ample reason for progressives to support these reforms, as theyd effectively reduce incarceration the end goal for many on the left. But there are also a litany of reasons that these reforms might enjoy support on the right as well.

Marc A. Levin, the chief of policy and innovation for Right on Crime, noted some of these: AB1950 will right-size government consistent with research showing that the vast majority of reoffending occurs soon after someone is placed on probation, he told me, adding as an advantage that it would likely allow limited probation resources to focus more on those who remain on probation, resulting in more manageable caseloads and better access to treatment interventions.

After all, the right has a vested interest in promoting public safety and maintaining fidelity to taxpayers interest. Limiting probationary periods will achieve both goals. It will reduce the burden of probation officers, allowing them to direct their attention to more substantive cases. And in terms of fiscal conservatism, since probation funding is directly tied to the number of people monitored, probation limits will lead to a reduced need for probation funding. Nearlyone-quarter of Californias incarcerated population are behind bars due to probation and parole violations. Simplymissing an appointment or testing positive for drugs can result in a return to prison. A justice system that professes to care for the interests of the at-risk and marginalized cannot afford to incarcerate its citizens over petty infractions.

Probation and parole systems in our country began with noble intentions. With roots in English criminal law, theyfound initial use in the United States as a matter of giving defendants a second chance. Yet today they have, in many ways, become the very correctional institutions they were designed to replace. Returning citizens walk on eggshells to avoid imprisonment, and any small mistake can result in more prison time. Thus the system has created a kind of second class citizenship.

Rather than functioning as a critical piece of our criminal justice system, our system of probation and parole has often resulted in surveillance, repression and government control. These systems are geared towardintensive supervision when, ideally, they should be aimed at rehabilitation. Individuals under probation are typically expected to seek and maintain gainful employment, participate in programming, and, in some circumstances, avoid alcohol/drug use. The penalty for failure to comply is imprisonment.

As rapperMeek Mill found out, the system is incredibly unforgiving. He was arrested in Philadelphia as a 19-year-old on gun and drug charges. Until last year, he spent basically his entire adult life under the system of probation and supervision. He had the misfortune of dealing with a judge who extended his parole time and who threatened him with imprisonment (over driving his dirtbike without a helmet andpopping a wheelie). Although the charges were eventually dropped, his case illustrated much of what was wrong with the system.

Luckily for Meek Mill, he has been met with some measure of vindication. By partnering alongside hip-hop artist Jay-Z and CNN personality and criminal justice reformer Van Jones, he has, in conjunction with the REFORM Alliance, been able to help successfully pass meaningful criminal justice reform.

These reforms are crucial today. In the pandemic era, prisoners are among themost vulnerable populations. Allowing for a system that cycles ex-prisoners back into prison does no good.

As California and the U.S. at large continue to suffer from the COVID-19 crisis, reforms like Newsoms alleviate some of the suffering. Lets hope more states follow suit.

Brian Bensimon is an author whose work appears in the Washington Examiner, Orange County Register, and the Austin American-Statesman. He has published works on topics including criminal justice, surveillance, civil liberties and the death penalty. Follow him on Twitter @BrianBensimon.

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What the REFORM Alliance's victory means for criminal justice reform | TheHill - The Hill

Q&A with Jan Kok, candidate for the 1st Congressional District – Englewood Herald

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Party: Approval Voting Party

Residence: Fort Collins

Website: approvalvotingparty.com

What makes you the best choice for this office?

I'm the only candidate whose No. 1 issue is election reform. Government has an enormous influence on our lives. It controls our health care options, it decides who we go to war with, it takes a large fraction of our income from us in direct and indirect taxes. Thus, the type of leaders we elect also greatly affects our lives. Our vote-for-one voting method is defective. In elections with more than two candidates running, it can fail to elect the most-preferred candidate. My mission is to promote better voting methods that can make better choices of winners.

If you're elected, which one single issue will be at the top of your agenda?

Election reform. In Florida 2000, more voters preferred Gore over Bush (if you include the Nader voters who preferred Gore), yet Bush won. And it can just as easily go the other way. In 1992, more voters preferred Bush over Clinton, yet Clinton won. I will promote Approval Voting which allows voters to vote for as many candidates as they like, and whoever gets the most votes wins. Approval Voting can reduce or eliminate the wrong winner phenomenon, the spoiler and vote splitting effects, and other problems with our vote-for-one voting method.

If you're elected, what must you accomplish in order for you to consider your term a success?

Introduce a bill with the support of at least 20 co-sponsors that enables states to use Approval Voting in federal-level elections, and removes barriers to the use of proportional representation voting methods in elections for state legislatures and the U.S. House of Representatives.

What measure or measures will you push for in the new year to make strides toward economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Getting the pandemic itself under control is still high priority. Let the CDC continue its job of providing science-based information on how to prevent the spread of diseases. Businesses are doing a good job of adapting to the pandemic. Many people are now working from home. Grocery stores and restaurants are taking orders online and providing curbside and home delivery service. Doctors are seeing patients through online video calls. Students are attending classes online. I don't think the federal government can do anything to help the economy more than state governments, businesses and individuals are already doing.

What is one thing Congress can do to achieve social justice?

Repeal laws against victimless crimes. The U.S. (the land of the free) has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. That's absurd and outrageous and expensive in human and monetary costs. About half of those incarcerated are there for nonviolent drug crimes. Drug addiction should be addressed by schools, doctors and psychological counselors, not by heavy-handed government.

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Q&A with Jan Kok, candidate for the 1st Congressional District - Englewood Herald

IBM to spin off $19B business to focus on cloud computing – The Associated Press

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ARMONK, N.Y. (AP) IBM says it is breaking off a $19 billion chunk of its business to focus on cloud computing.

The 109-year-old tech company said Thursday it is spinning off its managed infrastructure services unit into a new public company, temporarily named NewCo. The separation is expected to take effect by late 2021.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said the split will help IBM focus on its cloud platform and artificial intelligence, while the newly formed company will provide services to manage the infrastructure of businesses and other organizations.

IBMs annual revenue was $77.1 billion last year. Krishna said in April at his first quarterly earnings call as CEO that the company will continue to eliminate software and services that dont align with IBMs top two focus areas for growth: cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Once a household name for its personal computers, IBM shed its PC business in 2005 and has since become focused on supplying software services to big businesses, governments and other organizations. It has worked to strengthen its cloud computing business but has struggled to compete with top cloud rivals Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

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IBM to spin off $19B business to focus on cloud computing - The Associated Press