Meet the organisers of Worthing Black Lives Matter – Worthing Herald

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The movement is also hosting a virtual call on Facebook and Zoom at 6.30pm on Friday (July 31) to speak with residents and make an equality action plan.

Founding member Anthony Onwuzurike said the groups goal was to unite the community against one common enemy: racism.

We are not making it a white versus black thing; it is an us versus racism thing, the 26-year-old explained.

As a black teenager in East London, Anthony said being stopped and searched by police for crimes in different boroughs was normal for him and his friends.

He moved to Worthing 18 months ago, adding: For me personally, I havent had any tensions from living in Worthing. I have enjoyed my time here thus far.

But he said a black colleague of his had been stopped by police for driving a nice car: He got in, went to drive off and suddenly hes being pulled up by police.

Im not surprised any more, Anthony said.

This comes as Sussex Police data showed black people were 12 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.

The Worthing group was formed in the wake of George Floyds death in the US at the hands of a white police officer, which reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Anthony said they were not linked to religious or political groups, but worked closely with other coastal BLM groups such as Brighton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth. He spoke at the BLM rally in Brighton on July 11, and the group held a peaceful protest on Worthing seafront on Friday, June 12.

The expression I live by is the only thing necessary for the perpetuation of evil is for good people to do nothing, Anthony said.

For more details about the group and how to get involved, email blmworthing@gmail.com.

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Meet the organisers of Worthing Black Lives Matter - Worthing Herald

SpaceX Astronauts Preparing To Leave ISS To Return To Earth – International Business Times

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KEY POINTS

The astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) through SpaceXs first crewed spaceflight are set to begin their journey backto Earth on Saturday. To markthe event, NASA will host live broadcasts of the astronauts return.

On May 30, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken went to the ISS aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft, which has been officially namedEndeavor following the launch. It was considered as a historic event as it served as the first time astronauts were launched from U.S. soil since 2011.

It was also an important milestone for SpaceX since it was the first crewed test flight for the Dragon spacecraft.

After spending about three months aboard the ISS, Hurley and Behnken are now preparing to return home. The return trip will take place on Aug. 1. It will begin once theDragon or Endeavor spacecraft undocks from the ISS at 7:34 p.m. EDT. It is expected to reach Earth on Aug. 2 at 2:42 p.m. EDT.

Those looking to watch the upcoming event live may do so through a special coverage on NASA TV and the agencys website. The broadcast will begin at 9:10 a.m. EDT on Saturday andwill feature a farewell ceremony for Behnken and Hurley on the ISS. The preparations for the astronauts departure will start at 5:15 p.m. EDT.

NASA will also broadcast various media events related to Dragons return flight to Earth. These include news conferences with the astronauts and officials from NASA and SpaceX.

According to Hurley, he and Behnken are looking forward to coming back to Earth after spending a couple of months in space. Aside from seeing their friends and families, the two astronauts are also looking forward to seeing the people from SpaceX and NASA who made the entire mission possible.

Its going to be incredible, Hurley told KPRC-TV. Obviously, to see our families again and all our co-workers, as Bob said, from a distance. Ideally, to see all the people whether it be at SpaceX or at NASA that contributed to this mission over the last several years.

The International Space Station's two newest crew members, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken, left, and Doug Hurley, are pictured having just entered the orbiting lab shortly after arriving aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Photo: NASA

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SpaceX Astronauts Preparing To Leave ISS To Return To Earth - International Business Times

5 DC Movie Characters Aries Will Relate To (& 5 They Won’t Understand) – Screen Rant

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DC movies offers an array of characters that capture the imaginations of audiences. From captivating heroes to cunning villains, those characters have their range of appeal that traces back to their comic origins. For people of each horoscope, they will have their preferences of which character they can identify with.

RELATED:Flash: 10 Characters From The DC Multiverse We'd Like To See

For the case of the Aries-born, they will easily appeal to those DC characters with courageous spirits and dynamic presence, but for now onlyDC Extended Universecharacters will be included. With that, here are five movie characters that Aries people will relate to, and five they wont understand.

Chato Santana/El Diablo can produce flames from his hands. But, when he first appeared onscreen in Suicide Squad, Santana stated that he condemned his fire-conjuring powers as atonement for affecting those he loved with his powers. He is deemed as the pacifist of the Squad, not wanting to descend to their anarchic nature. However, when the occasion arises, he unleashes his powers, up to his most ultimate demon-like form.

Despite his misgivings, Aries people can take pride on his strong-willed virtuosity and caring interior that gives him a moral compass.

When Victor Stone suffered a severe injury, his father Dr. Silas Stone utilizes the core power of the Mother Box that turns him into cybernetic hybrid labeled as Cyborg. In Justice League, Victor struggles to accept his fortune as a metahuman, but accepts this responsibility by using his willpower to prevent the other two Mother Boxes from complete destruction.

RELATED:5 Reasons Cyborg & Iron Man Would Make Great Partners (& 5 Reasons They Would Hate Each Other)

On the brief time that Cyborg made an impression, Aries-born viewers will not easily understand his plight. Thus, his sudden acceptance as a Justice League member might looked feeble for them.

Freddy Freeman is the archetype of the superhero fanboy who applies his handy superhero knowledge to his stepbrother Billy Batson/Shazam. His disability does not stop here from assisting Billy and boosting his popularity around Philadelphia. And his efforts are rewarded when Billy shares the wizard Shazams powers to him and his foster siblings.

Aries people can get behind Freddys giddy enthusiasm that made him courageous and street-smart. And he copes with his disability and has anoptimistic view on his foster family, despite mistreatment.

Rick Flag is the hard boiled leader of Task Force X. He supervises them on their mission to stop the Enchantress (and rescue his girlfriend Dr. June Moone) and loads a lot of information to the team. All the while, he discovers a darker secret from Amanda Waller, which puts his military cred to the test.

His by-the-books approach is what alienates from Aries people. It does not help that his gruff personality tends to be one-note and apathetic, so it is hard to root for him.

Speaking of no-nonsense authority figures, thereisRenee Montoya. An overworked and underappreciated detective, Renee finds herself in a career path where majority of her colleagues disregard her,turning her into a cynical alcoholic. Even with solving Roman Sionis case, she was not given full credit,which led to her creating theBirds of Prey with Huntress and Black Canary.

RELATED:Birds Of Prey: 10 Action Movie Ladies Who Should Join Harley Quinn's Gang

Renee Montoya is a captivating figure for Aries people. With her strong-willed determination and her daring skills, she is a fighter not to be messed with.

Amanda Waller is the government official that hatched the plan of using Belle Reves notorious powered criminals to conduct destructive missions. Her plans were thwarted in execution when the Enchantress was unleashed. Thus, the majority of Suicide Squad consisted of her covering her tracks.

Because of this, Aries people will not understand her logic, nor her brusque attitude towards the Squad. Her stone-faced sternness only makes it less credible when Aries people unravel the irresponsible decisions she made and hid.

As Bruce Waynes most loyal confidante, Alfred Pennyworth has served the Wayne family for years. Under his tenure for Bruce, he serves as a legal guardian, assistant, housekeeper, mentor, father figure and basically Batmans Batman. He is always hands-on in improving Batmans utilities and weapons, and acts as a guide in the Caped Crusaders missions.

It is that balance of jack-of-all-trades attitude, suave persona and sarcastic humor that makes him relatable for Aries-born people. Take Batman out, and Alfred is still a witty, adventurous spirit with a massive skill set.

Orm Marius is the half-brother to Arthur Curry who resents his brothers half-blood human heritage and strives to unite the seven underwater kingdoms to declare war on the surface world. With his objective nearly succeeding, he takes on the persona as the conquering Ocean Master.

RELATED:James Wan's Aquaman: 10 Interesting Behind-The-Scenes Details

With his pompous demeanor towards Arthur and his one-sided ruling style, Aries people will find a hard time sympathizing nor understanding Orm. Granted, his opposition to the humans polluting the seas is justified. But there is nothing for Aries to relate to.

Wonder Woman is the champion and princess of Themyscira, gifted with superhuman abilities and goddess prowess. However, her destiny was changed when she learned of the existence of thehuman world through Steve Trevor, propelling her to a lifelong mission to help those in need and maintain the peace.

As the current MVP of the DC Extended Universe, Diana should easily appeal to Aries-born viewers for her exceptional optimism, her charming empathy and her confident spirit that came to light on the most needed moments. She herself is a model that they can follow.

Mera is the princess of Xebel and daughter of King Nereus. She was betrothed to be married to Orm, but her allegiance is with Arthur, as his half-human, half-Atlantean blood isvital for the peace between Atlantis and the surface world. Like Arthur, she holds hydrokinetic powers that enable her to travel rapidly in water and communicate with other Atlanteans and sea creatures.

Even if she is a supportive ally to Arthur, Meras rational ideals and disciplinarian attitude will frustrate Aries people. They will feel like she is not given much dimension as a character.

NEXT:10 Female Characters The DCEU Needs To Introduce

Next Lord Of The Rings: 10 Most Expensive Props (With Prices)

Paolo Alfar is a freelance writer, based in Manila, Philippines. His passion for films is accidental when he designed a movie theater during his childhood. From there, his fondness for movies grew. And the Leo DiCaprio epic "Blood Diamond" somehow kicked off that passion.Follow him on Letterboxd at Paolo_the_TPS.

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5 DC Movie Characters Aries Will Relate To (& 5 They Won't Understand) - Screen Rant

3 Things Aerospace Investors Need to Know – Motley Fool

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The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the aerospace industry hard in 2020. The industry started the year as the star performer in an otherwise weak industrial economy. However, it will end it with investors wondering just when commercial air travel can get back to 2019 levels and what kind of industry it will be in the future? In order to shed some light on these questions, let's take a look at what Raytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) CEO Greg Hayes has said recently about the industry.

It's no secret that it's going to take years for the industry to recover, and the timing of the recovery is important. After all, analysts and investors will be penciling in earnings assumptions based on when air travel will get back to previous levels. A slowdown in air travel impacts both original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales and the aftermarket -- both key areas for engine manufacturers Raytheon and General Electric (NYSE:GE).

Aircraft engine services are big money generators for GE and Raytheon Technologies.

In this regard, the medium-term outlook appears to be worsening. For example, back in May, Hayes discussed the aftermarket during the earnings call and implied he was "assuming a 2- or even a 3-year kind of recovery here." Fast forward to a July interview with Aviation Week and Hayes said, " I would say we're looking now at getting back to 2019 in 2023, maybe 2024. It is going to be a slow recovery."

Unfortunately, it appears the outlook is deteriorating, and that may explain the recent weakness in the sector.

Data by YCharts

During the Aviation Week interview, Hayes also raised the prospect of a bifurcation in the recovery for narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. The former is seen as recovering quicker as it's "primary domestic," according to Hayes. Meanwhile, wide-body aircraft are more reliant on international and intercontinental travel -- markets seen as recovering more slowly.

If Hayes is right, then it's not good news for General Electric and Boeing (NYSE:BA). Boeing was previously hopeful of a cyclical pickup in wide-body orders beginning in 2020 and inspired by the new 777X and ongoing demand for the 787. Meanwhile, GE is impacted because its GEnx engine is one of the two options on the 787, and its GE9X is being developed for the 777X. Indeed, Boeing is already cutting production of its wide-body aircraft.

Given the current commercial air-travel environment, it's not surprising that aerospace investors have been willing to pay a premium for companies in the closely related defense sector. However, Hayes made it clear that " Defense budgets will go down, but I think the real question is where Defense Department spending is going."

Image source: Getty Images.

Hayes sees Raytheon as relatively well placed given its exposure to cyber protection, intelligence, communications, and electronic warfare. However, questions might be asked about companies with exposure to traditional military hardware like General Dynamics.

If Hayes is right, then investors should feel a bit more negative around the outlook for all the leading aviation companies. After all, no one wants to see the timeline of a recovery in commercial air travel being pushed out.

However, it's clear that Boeing and GE are set to be net losers if wide-body demand doesn't recover, particularly as it's an area where Boeing is seen as having an edge over Airbus, and GE over Raytheon. It increases the pressure on cash flow at Boeing. Meanwhile, GE's cash flow is heavily reliant on its aviation segment, and it's invested heavily in the GE9X engine for the 777X in the hope of years of lucrative aftermarket revenue to come.

Turning to Raytheon, the tardiness of a commercial aerospace recovery is obviously a concern for its aircraft engines, but its defense business looks well placed and will support the commercial business through a difficult time. Management expects $2 billion in free cash flow for 2020 as Raytheon absorbs the bulk of the COVID-19 hit. Analysts have that bouncing to something near $6 billion in 2021. Given the current market cap of $91.6 billion and the prospects of an ongoing recovery thereafter, Raytheon looks a good value stock right now.

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3 Things Aerospace Investors Need to Know - Motley Fool

Making it on your own in pandemic | Opinion – News-Press Now

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Long ago, I worked for a fellow devoted to the writings of Ayn Rand. He did not take part in this fraternity by himself.

The Russian-born Rand authored a couple of best-selling books, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, in addition to numerous articles and essays, that gave birth to a philosophy known as Objectivism.

This movement championed the individual above all else, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, she wrote.

Rand, who died in 1982, became a significant influence in the American conservative movement.

Ronald Reagan had called himself an admirer of her thinking, though that praise did not bounce back his way. They shared a hate for the Soviet Union, but the author criticized the future president for kowtowing to organized religion, for which she had little use.

During his campaign in 2016, Donald Trump called The Fountainhead his favorite book, its protagonist a builder named Howard Roark whose individualism puts him at odds with the community of collective-thinking architects.

In The Fountainhead, Rand wrote of basing self-respect on personal standards of achievements, noting that any person can fake virtue for an audience while finding it impossible to fake it in your own eyes.

Its simple to seek substitutes for competence such easy substitutes: love, charm, kindness, charity, she wrote. But there is no substitute for competence.

Competence can have a tricky semantic bearing, an agreeable word but closer in line with adeptness and proficiency than, say, mastery.

A B student might be said to have competence. Those pressing for an A grade would tend toward the exceptional.

I understand that the term American exceptionalism does not refer to a letter grade for acts carried out in this nation. Rather, the phrase points out a historical, moral and freedom-endowed superiority, this great land a harbor of democracy in a global tempest.

Of course, it didnt hurt that the United States did some things right. It parlayed vast resources into industrial might. It took the fight to oppressors in World War II. It promised that Americans would walk on another world and did just that in less than a decade.

Need a can-do country? America can.

Or could.

Maintaining your mojo in a pandemic can not be easy. The United States, though, should be built for challenges ... hence the exceptionalism.

If you look at the highly industrialized nation of the G7, the U.S. ranked fourth on Monday for the most COVID-19 deaths by population, 434 for every 1 million residents.

Japan had just eight deaths per 1 million population, with Germany at 109 deaths and Canada at 235 deaths in this accounting. (France, Italy and the United Kingdom stood at worse rates.)

Back in March, many states put individualism to work in finding personal protective equipment for health-care workers, largely because centralized supplies seemed unreliable. Four months later, shortages once more arise, only the locations having changed.

School administrators, charged with safety of the nations young, have gotten into the business of translating mixed messages coming from everywhere. Youre on your own, Washington says, but if you dont open, were cutting off some money.

Times demand the best of America. Scientists cant even coax citizens into the simplest act of civic good, the wearing of masks.

The Ayn Rand Institute, enemy of the collective and advocate of free enterprise, accepted the federal governments Payroll Protection Program money. A can-do country can do irony.

Ken Newton's column runs on Tuesday and Sunday. Follow him on Twitter: @SJNPNewton.

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Making it on your own in pandemic | Opinion - News-Press Now

Every generation gets ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ it deserves – SFGate

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Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

Photo: KAILEY SCHWERMAN/NETFLIX

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

Every generation gets 'The Baby-Sitters Club' it deserves

In the year 1989, somewhere between the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the U.S. invasion of Panama, I read 20 "Baby-Sitters Club" books.

I was 8 years old. Id recently had my first culinary experience at a Chilis Bar and Grill. The world was awash with possibility. Also, I shared a bedroom with my sister, who was four years older.

That entire year was an immersion course in things sixth-grade girls liked. Paula Abdul. Janet Jackson. That weird ball-and-chain-like Skip It toy. But her bookshelf was the true gold mine. I read everything on the shelves. "Nancy Drew." "Sweet Valley High." Even something called "Summer of my German Soldier," which I believe was about a 12-year-old girl in Arkansas somehow hiding a WWII POW? And yet, despite the fact that I was aggressively anti-babysitter at the time, I kept coming back to Ann M. Martin's "The Baby-Sitters Club." Perhaps, to steal a phrase from that hip animated cat who apparently dated Paula Abdul, opposites do attract.

Over the course of two months, which is seven weeks longer than it took me to watch the new Netflix series, I read every BSC book my sister had. I learned about Claudia and Mean Janine, who was truly a terrible snitch. I learned that Logan Bruno moved to town from Kentucky and liked Mary Anne, and that Cokie Mason needed to back the foff. I learned that Stoneybrook only features softball teams with alliterative names (Kristys Krushers! Barts Bashers!) and that Betsy Sobak is a prankster who orders gag toys from a place called Squirmys House of Tricks N Jokes, and that Mallory Pike has red hair and like 60 siblings.

For the past 31 years, I've rode hard for "The Baby-Sitters Club" in a manner that, if you didn't know me, you might mistake for irony. But I assure you, friends, my intentions were pure. The stories resonated. The characters felt full. The babysitting hotline business model complete with marketable "Kid Kits" seemed financially sound.

When I heard Netflix had created an updated show based on the books, despite the fact that it came from the executive producer of the fantastic "Broad City," and the showrunner from the equally excellent "GLOW," I was worried. Like anyone whose seminal cultural experiences have remained frozen in nostalgic carbonite, I view remakes and re-imaginings and GI Joe: Rise of Cobra cautiously, like Mary Anne when Cokie Mason is sniffing around Logan.

But over the past few days, Ive watched the entire series alongside my 5-year-old daughter. Im happy to report, fellow BSC Heads, that the Netflix "Baby-Sitters Club" is "The Baby-Sitters Club" we deserve.

RELATED:'Outer Banks' is the Show Of The Year whether you snotty bastards want it to be or not

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

**

The best "kids" entertainment is rooted in an ability to resonate on multiple levels. The ones that do it well the Pixar films, "Calvin and Hobbes," "The Muppet Show" derive their strength from a mix of adult-level jokes and narratives that also work literally. It's why you can watch Calvin go down the hill on his wagon and hear him wax philosophically about the meaning of life, and understand that the wagon represents that journey, or you can just think "godd, look at that kid going down a hill on a wagon."

This sort of narrative tightrope is harder to walk than it may seem, but BSC pulls it off. It layers in meta-references to "Gossip Girl," and winks at Alicia Silverstone's role as Kristy's mother with a crack about her "not being clueless." The first episode even calls back to "Sex and the City," as we see Kristy as Carrie Bradshaw, typing away on an essay about decorum.

Of course, some of my viewpoints have evolved in the past 30 years. For non-example, my 8-year-old self strongly believed that Kristy, always clad in a turtleneck and sweatshirt, was obviously the best and most awesomely dressed babysitter, and now I see that I was extremely correct.

The show has old bones. While the casting, and the themes (Mary Anne corrects adults when they misuse pronouns with a trans kid she babysits), and the shows aesthetics all feel very 2020, there is a nostalgic optimism, a sense of fairness and, to steal from Kristy's essay, decorum that feels so far from the current diaper barge burning on a Cuyahoga River-sized cesspool of snake oil in America that it might as well have been dug up out of a time capsule alongside a package of Snackwell's Devil's Food cookies and a "Did I Do That?" Steve Urkel T-shirt.

The girls in the show still fit the archetypes that Martin created (The athlete! The bookworm! The um, Stacey!) but they all share an old school, almost Midwestern maturity that makes me feel like each pulled a Freaky Friday with former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Take, for example, the third episode, "The Truth About Stacey."

During the episode, they find out, via an ad they watch on an iPad, that they have competition from The Baby-Sitters Agency, which is made up of shy Ayn Rand disciple orange-tinted high school girls. When Stacey tells on a rival babysitter for nearly getting a child killed while she was busy doing hand-stuff with her Goth rapper boyfriend, those high school sbirds pull a Lee Atwater and send around a video of her having a diabetic seizure to all the parents.

Now what does Stacey do about this? Does she kidnap the high schoolers cat and send her collage-style ransom notes with amusing pictures of the cat dressed up in lightly demeaning ways, as would be well within her rights given what just happened? Or, you know, just like email the parents and explain she has diabetes? No, she does not.

Instead, she essentially calls a PRESS CONFERENCE while wearing Melanie Griffiths "Working Girl" get-up and addresses all of the parents in-person. And you know why she does that? Because, unlike pretty much everyone else, the 12-year-olds in "The Baby-Sitters Club" are the adults in the room. And frankly, given how adults act these days, thats kind of condescending to the girls.

RELATED:Hulus new Andy Samberg movie 'Palm Springs' changed my entire approach to the pandemic

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

Season one of "The Baby-Sitters Club" is now showing on Netflix.

**Using highly scientific anecdotal research acquired by texting my friends, it seems a new generation of 8-year-olds has latched on to "The Baby-Sitters Club." Nearly everyone I know with kids in the 7 -to 10-year-old quadrant has seen it.

My daughter is 5, and slightly young for the show, but I had her watch it with me anyway, because well, screentime is screentime, you know? She watched for a few minutes and then asked how old the girls were. Twelve, I told her.

Wow, she said. Like most 5-year-olds, its often hard for my daughter to fathom any age beyond 8.

What do you think you can do when youre 12, I ask.

When youre 12, you can do everything, she said, her eyes still on the screen. Anything you want.

And after watching "The Baby-Sitters Club," you know what? I kind of think she might be right.

Kevin Alexander is a freelance journalist and author of "Burn the Ice: The American Culinary Revolution and Its End." Twitter: KAlexander03

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Every generation gets 'The Baby-Sitters Club' it deserves - SFGate

How Amber Heard went from a small town in Texas to centre stage in Hollywood’s most explosive trial yet – Evening Standard

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The hottest luxury and A List news

Today, the woman at the centre of the decades most salacious libel trial takes to the witness stand and the world will be watching Amber Heard. For the Hollywood actress whose career includes The Danish Girl and box office record-breaker Aquaman, this week will be her greatest starring role to date.

Heard has arrived at the High Court wearing a red bandana as a face mask, and has been smiling but silent, surrounded by a support squad of powerful women. She and her entourage of female allies, nicknamed Ambers angels by the media, have spent day and night together in the last few weeks, visiting members club Oswalds in Mayfair, and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and her wife Debbie were among guests at a party thrown in Heards honour by author Kathy Lette, who is friends with Heards barrister Jen Robinson, Amal Clooneys best lawyer pal.

So who is the woman behind the red scarf?

Heard, 34, and her sister Whitney, 31, were raised in Texas, about 40 miles outside of the state capital Austin. It was a conservative area, a very monotone presentation of society, and she still recalls the first time she saw a Muslim woman in a hijab. I was electricified.

Amber Heard at the Cannes Film Festival in2018 (Getty Images)

Their mother Patricia worked in telecommunications for the state and their father David ran a small construction firm. A keen hunter and horse broker, he liked to treat middle daughter Amber as the son he never had. They were fishing, camping and hunting companions (hunting is their bonding activity to this day), and Heard, t hough a self-described girly-girl, was raised to be tenacious. Her father taught her to ride horses aggressively and drive pick-up trucks, and scared off potential suitors with his penchant for shotguns. I was always into older men as a teenager, Heard once said, before going on to marry Depp, 22 years her senior. I never dated in my school. That was a ridiculous idea to me.

At 16, Heards best friend died in a car crash, and it had a profound effect. Raised a Roman Catholic, she declared herself an atheist, and began reading books by Ayn Rand, Ray Bradbury and George Orwell. At that time she started sending headshots to modelling agencies (shed taken part in beauty pageants as a child) and at 17 dropped out of high school to move to New York, which thrilled her from the moment she began visiting it to meet agents. I thought I had died and gone to heaven, she says of the Big Apple.

Cara Delevingne (L) and Amber Heard at the Cannes Film Festivalin 2014 (Dave Benett)

Heard insists she had no interest in modelling. After completing a home-study diploma in New York she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting and, despite her lack of contacts and her parents scepticism, began to be cast in film and TV roles. Within two years she was in American football drama Friday Night Lights and played the younger version of Charlize Therons character in North Country, a film about sexual harassment, discrimination and social justice. Her big break came with two box-office hits in 2008: martial arts drama Never Back Down and stoner comedy Pineapple Express, playing Seth Rogans high-school girlfriend. That year, she won a breakthrough award at the Hollywood Film Festival.

Among other 2008 appearances was horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, picked for distribution by Harvey Weinstein but then dropped. Its director Jonathan Levine said hed chosen Heard for the lead because there was a certain type of beauty and a certain type of innate intelligence that is not something you find every day. Certainly, not something you would find in somebody her age.

In 2011 she met Depp on the set of comedy-drama The Rum Diary. Heard reportedly beat Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley to the role of Chenault and was personally selected by Depp. The pairs insane chemistry was spotted from the start, but Depp was with his partner of 14 years, Vanessa Paradis. When they amicably separated the following year, he and Heard quietly dated were first seen holding hands at a Rolling Stones concert in April 2013.

Heard with Depp in The Rum Diary (GK Films)

Since then, her film credits have also included Magic Mike XXL and catastrophic film adaptation London Fields the producers sued her for 8 million for breach of contract. Heard countersued, accusing them of using a body double to make it appear shed starred in sex scenes she hadnt consented to. The case was eventually settled.

Heards activism stems from an early age. Her fathers company employed mostly Hispanic migrants, which instilled in her a sense of injustice of the plight of those on the Mexican side of the border. At school Heard appealed against the decision to deny a same-sex couple entry to prom, and fought against the uniform policy so she could wear a shorter skirt and remove her jacket. It seemed inherently unfair to be told I had to dress a certain way, she later explained. Why is it my burden what a boy might be distracted?

She credits her teenage experience working at a soup kitchen for intensifying her altruistic drive, and has undertaken duties for the UN, American Civil Liberties Union, Syrian American Medical Society, Amnesty International and Planned Parenthood. She and girlfriend Bianca Butti were spotted at the Womens Day march in LA this year. Heard has spoken out about the gender pay gap, victim-blaming, trans rights and abortion. I would rather go down for being who I am than to be popular for something I am not. Wouldnt you? she told young voters at a conference in New York last summer.

Amber Heard with Nicole Kidman at the premiere of Aquaman in LA in 2018(Getty Images)

Heards Instagram grid presents a familiar Hollywood showreel: award ceremony selfies with Elisabeth Moss and Aquaman co-star Nicole Kidman; laughing on the sofa with James Corden; posing on the red carpet with Arianna Huffington, Camila Cabello and Helen Mirren. Cara Delevingne appears regularly, as do transgender activists Corey Rae and iO Tillett Wright, who Heard was seen laughing with on a yacht on a recent holiday. Heard took Rae as her date to the 2019 Golden Globes, and bestie Wright, an LGBT rights campaigner and author, recently made the headlines when a 2016 blog resurfaced, describing living with Depp and Heard in their guest house and claiming to have seen Depps alleged domestic abuse.

Another witness to Depp and Heards relationship was the actresss spiritual BFF Raquel Pennington, a yoga fanatic and jewellery designer whos been pictured alongside Heard at every stage of her divorce proceedings. It was Pennington, as her next-door neighbour and friend of 18-plus years, who reportedly threw herself between the couple in 2016 when Depp was drunk and high, and Pennington who was pictured collecting a tearful Heard from an LA courtroom after the actress filed a restraining order.

Front and centre of Heards inner circle and High Court support squad is Whitney, who lives with partner Gavin Henriquez in LA. The sisters lost their mother in May and have spent lockdown together in the family home.

Amber Heard on the James Corden show in 2015 (PA)

There is a list of famous exes. Heard came out as bisexual in 2010, midway through a four-year relationship with female photographer Tasya van Ree, having dated a stream of male actors during her early years in LA. She said: I dont label myself one way or another and has called out publicists who warned her against speaking out. In 2009 she was arrested for domestic violence after allegedly grabbing van Ree and hitting her arm. The charges were dropped and the photographer has since defended her ex, saying the incident had been over-sensationalised and calling the arresting officers homophobic.

Heard moved in with Depp in LA in 2012 and saw his children Lily-Rose and Jack most weekends, taking Lily-Rose shopping. They married in 2015 at Depps home before a small second wedding on a private island in the Bahamas with Depps son Jack as best man.

Heard with Elon Musk (instagram.com)

After filing for divorce in May 2016, following the domestic abuse allegations - which are now the centre of the legal trial, with Depp insisting the claims are untrue - Heard began dating billionaire SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The pair were together for almost a year (there were hotly denied rumours of a three-way with Delevingne) but split in 2017 blaming long-distance pressures. They remain close friends, with Heard saying their beautiful relationship is now a beautiful friendship.

Heard was first spotted kissing her film-maker new girlfriend Butti in Palm Springs in January and theyve spent lockdown together in LA, flower shopping and walking Buttis dog, Birdie.

Last weeks hearing was told how a broke Depp handed his ex-wife a 5.5 million divorce settlement, which she donated to a childrens hospital and domestic abuse charity. CelebrityNetWorth.com puts her fortune at about 7 million, mostly from acting, modelling, product endorsement and work as an ambassador for LOreal. Shes produced two films: And Soon the Darkness in 2010 and Syrup in 2013.

Heard in Aquaman (AP)

Shes also a petrolhead. I spend all my money on classic cars. Ive had loads, she said in 2015, referencing her 1968 red Mustang which she had for 12 years and was stolen three times. According to divorce settlement expense documents from 2016, Heard also racks up 30,000 a month on basic expenses, including holidays in Hawaii and Italy, 1,600 a month on clothing and pet care for her Yorkshire terriers.

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How Amber Heard went from a small town in Texas to centre stage in Hollywood's most explosive trial yet - Evening Standard

Sinclair Pulls the Plug on Fauci Propaganda This Time – Bloomberg

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Photographer: Al Drago - Pool/Getty Images

Photographer: Al Drago - Pool/Getty Images

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. is one of the largest television station operators in the country, with 191 stations in 89 markets broadcasting to 629 channels. For the most part, the company operates in small, conservative metropolitan locations. Most viewers arent likely to be aware of the Sinclair brand, because the thousands of hours of programming it produces each week air on channels affiliated with such household names as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo and Univision.

So when Sinclair got set to broadcast a hit piece over the weekend suggesting that Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of its viewers might have believed they were hearing the truth instead of, say, irresponsible and dangerous propaganda.

Fortunately, Media Matters for America, a nonprofit, progressive center that monitors news organizations for what it describes as conservative misinformation, and CNN, the cable network, late last week published critiques of the upcoming show that sparked a backlash on social media and forced Sinclair to reconsider.

It did so grudgingly. We hear your feedback regarding a segment on this weeks America This Week, Sinclair noted in a tweet Saturday morning. Yet the company still seemed ready to plow ahead. Were a supporter of free speech and a marketplace of ideas and viewpoints, even if incredibly controversial, it added in another tweet. By Saturday afternoon, however, the company pulled back: After further review, we have decided to delay this episodes airing, it announced. We will spend the coming days bringing together other viewpoints and provide additional context. All stations have been notified not to air this and will instead be re-airing last weeks episode in its place.

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The episode reportedly was broadcast on at least one station, in Charleston, West Virginia, and was apparently posted to dozens of other local news sites before being taken down without explanation or correction. The episode featured an interview with Judy Mikovits, a controversial former medical researcher who also played a central role in the discredited video Plandemic. That 26-minute video went to great lengths to promote the idea that Fauci and elite globalists such as Bill Gates had pounced on the coronavirus pandemic to consolidate their power and increase their fortunes. Plandemic caused a sensation among far-right conspiracy theorists before major social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter banned it for promoting misleading medical content and other disinformation.

The host of Sinclairs Fauci smear, Eric Bolling, told CNNs Oliver Darcy that he wasnt aware of Plandemic and that he certainly didnt endorse Mikovitss theory about Fauci. During Bollings segment with Mikovits, an on-screen graphic asks, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?

Sinclair itself followed a similar route as it tried to distance itself from the controversy: At no juncture are we aligning with or endorsing the viewpoints of Dr. Mikovitz or endorsing the Plandemic documentary, the company tweeted.

Theres an easier way for Sinclair to show its sincerity when it says it doesnt endorse the views of reckless fanatics: Dont treat them as if theyre credible. Theres a difference between featuring vigorous, diverse debates over the facts and giving a platform to hysterical and tawdry conspiracy theories. Thats not about left versus right, its about objective reality versus fantasy. And if Sinclair were serious about not peddling misleading information on its airwaves, it would be more responsible about the possible fallout for people like Fauci, who is a lifelong public servant. Fauci recently said that he, his wife and his daughters have received serious threats because of advice hes given for combating the coronavirus.

It will be interesting to see if Sinclair drops the Fauci segment or airs a slightly more palatable version. I suspect Sinclair doesnt actually care very much, given its long history of promoting conservative and libertarian agendas and talking points near and dear to the heart of the companys chairman, David Smith. Smith has been a strong, vocal backer of President Donald Trump. In an interview with the Guardian two years ago, Smith said he once told Trump in a meeting at Trump Tower that Sinclair was here to deliver your message. Period. Trump has reciprocated the affection. So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased, Trump once tweeted. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.

Under Trump the Federal Communications Commission has loosened a number of regulationsin a way that made it easier for Sinclair to broaden its empire. (The one exception was the FCCs decision to scrap Sinclairs attempted takeover of the Tribune Media Co.) Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, bragged in 2016 that the Trump campaign agreed to give Sinclair better access in exchange for favorable coverage. (Sinclair has said it never made that deal.)Boris Epshteyn, a Trump spokesman turned Sinclair political commentator, is now back as an operative in Trumps presidential campaign. Members of Trumps administration have publicly disparaged Fauci of late, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before Sinclair jumped on the bandwagon.

Sinclair exercises a heavy hand over the must-run editorial programming it requires its stations to carry a practice memorialized in a devastating 2018 Deadspin video showing Sinclair anchors on various networks all repeating the same talking points from a script. Although Sinclair has insisted during multiple past controversies that its dedicated to promoting a marketplace of ideas (the same language it invoked to defend the Fauci program), time and again it has airedsensationalistic,partisan programming as news or refused to air programs that contradicted the networks political leanings.

Sinclair, which had revenue of $4.2 billion in 2019, certainly has become muscular and influential enough to merit greater scrutiny. The Justice Department last year launched an investigation of the companys operating arrangements in markets where it has a dominant presence. Earlier this year, the FCC fined Sinclair $48 million, the largest penalty it has ever imposed on a company, for a number of problematic practices including Sinclairs attempt to deceive regulators during the Tribune Media talks, andfor airing sponsored content more than 1,400 times as if it were news and failing to properly identify ittoviewers.

Sinclairs influence matters especially now that local TV news is filling the void left by the decimation of traditional local newspaper reporting across the country. The demise of local newspapersis carefully examined in an important new book, Ghosting the News, by the Washington Posts media critic, Margaret Sullivan.

The cost to democracy is great. It takes a toll on civic engagement even on citizens ability to have a common sense of reality and facts, the very basis of self-governance, Sullivan writes. When local news fails, the foundations of democracy weaken. The public, which depends on accurate, factual information in order to make good decisions, suffers. The consequences may not always be obvious, but they are insidious.

Americans still broadly trust local news reporting at a time when other media outlets are suspect. In a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, 61% of respondents said they were paying close attention to coronavirus news, and 46% relied on local news for credible information about the pandemic. While Sullivans book focuses on newspapers, one of the important questions she asks is whether TV operators have the public-mindedness and integrity to carry the mantle of local news journalism forward particularly in an era when facts and objective reality are under assault.

Sinclair hasnt offered much proof that its up to the challenge.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story:Timothy L. O'Brien at tobrien46@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Mary Duenwald at mduenwald@bloomberg.net

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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Sinclair Pulls the Plug on Fauci Propaganda This Time - Bloomberg

Editorial: Vote and make your voice heard | Opinion | timesnews.net – Kingsport Times News

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Early voting is underway for Tennessee Republican and Democratic Party members to choose their candidates for the Nov. 3 general election.

We strongly encourage you to vote. Primaries typically have lower turnout, but the ability to cast a secret ballot is our fundamental right, and we applaud those who exercise it. Then too, you help pay for primary elections and should get something for your money. As well, some counties tie their general election to the primary, and if you reside in Sullivan County, there are a number of seats you should help decide.

If youre a dyed-in-the-wool party member, you might ask why your tax dollars are being used for the opposing party to select its candidates for state and federal office. Shouldnt each political party develop and pay for its own process to determine its candidates?

Many states, including Tennessee, have an open primary process, which means that you can vote in the other partys primary which you might do, for instance, to help nominate a weaker candidate to face your partys nominee in the general election. And a system dominated by the two major parties freezes out smaller political parties such as the Libertarian, Green and Constitution parties.

But for now, its what weve got, and in the primary election Aug. 6 voters will determine party candidates for the general election Nov. 3 for such offices as U.S. and Tennessee House and Senate. In Sullivan County, voters will also cast ballots for all 24 county constables, seats on the county school board for Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7, assessor of property, and judicial retention for the Court of Appeals, Western Division. Theres also a vacancy election for a public defender, and for a county commissioner in District 11.

Both parties have crowded ballots.

Democratic voters in Sullivan County have five choices for U.S. Senate to replace the retiring Lamar Alexander and three for the 1st Congressional District seat being vacated by Phil Roe. There are no contested races for the state legislature but many contested seats for the school board and constable races.

Republican voters have a huge ballot with 15 candidates for the U.S. Senate seat and 16 for Rep. Roes seat, along with competing school board and constable races.

The primary for the U.S. House seat is heavily contested because Republicans have held it for 139 years. The last Democrat to hold it was Robert L. Taylor from 1879 to 1881.

Your vote is important, and you should not take any election for granted. Your vote is your voice in the process which governs our country, and you should make yourself heard. Early voting locations for Sullivan County are the Election Commission office at 3258 Highway 126 in Blountville; the Civic Auditorium at 1550 Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport; and Slater Community Center at 325 McDowell St. in Bristol. The hours for early voting at all three locations are 9 a.m to 4 p.m. July 27-31, and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Be sure to wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and are trained in social distancing protocols.

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Editorial: Vote and make your voice heard | Opinion | timesnews.net - Kingsport Times News

Bill Straub: Rand Paul objects to Trump’s Gestapo but then wants Dr. Fauci to be more optimistic – User-generated content

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In The Sound of Music, that wholesome hash of low-brow entertainment produced on both stage and screen, a waddle of nuns is heard crooning the tune, How do you solve a problem like Maria?:

In Kentucky, the song might be improved if Oscar Hammersteins lyrics could be edited to ask, How do you solve a problem like Rand Paul?

The Republican senator from Bowling Green often comes across as the political version of the Scarlett Pimpernel they seek him here, they seek him there. Theres never any telling which version, good or bad, is going to appear.

Assessing the Commonwealths junior senator nine years into his job is like trying to nail Jello to the wall. He obviously has proved to be an embarrassment a dangerous one at that when it comes to the federal governments handling of COVID-19. If he were to have his way, its almost sure the plague upon us would prove even worse.

The NKyTribunes Washington columnist Bill Straub served 11 years as the Frankfort Bureau chief for The Kentucky Post. He also is the former White House/political correspondent for Scripps Howard News Service. A member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, he currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, and writes frequently about the federal government and politics. Email him at williamgstraub@gmail.com

At the same time, Paul has displayed a willingness to rush in where angels fear to tread. While most of his Republican colleagues are playing Marcel Marceau when it comes to President Donald J. Trump, aka President Extremely Stable Genius, aka President Great and Unmatched Wisdom, he will occasionally offer an expression of something beyond annoyance.

Most recently Paul weighed in on Trumps decision to deploy brown shirts, Pinochet-style secret police, to Portland, OR, to stymie protesters who have taken to the streets over George Floyd, an African-American killed at the hands of police in Minneapolis, an event that understandably lit a match under the Black Lives Matter movement.

Trumps Gestapo, heavily armed and wearing camouflage outfits to apparently convince one and all that theyre real men, have displayed a propensity for randomly picking individuals up off the street, shoving them into unmarked vans and then holding them in custody for no apparent reason prior to release, all supposedly to protect federal property in the great state of Oregon.

The American Stasi, identified only by the word Police somewhere on their uniforms with no further details, has also seen fit to tear gas a group of mothers, arms linked, voluntarily standing between the secret police and protesters, whose numbers have mounted since the Gestapo was dispatched.

In other words, under Trump, the United States of America is showing signs of devolving into East Germany. And now hes talking about sending his minions into other American cities, like Chicago and Philadelphia. Most Republicans are twiddling their thumbs or changing the subject. Paul, to his credit, is not.

Writing in Reason magazine, the Bible of the Libertarian movement, Paul said, While I respect the determination to preserve law and order, sending in federal forces to quell civil unrest in Portland further distorts the boundaries, results in more aggression (including pepper-spraying and repeatedly striking a Navy veteran whose injured hand will need surgery), and has led to reports we should never hear in a free country: federal officials, dressed in camouflage, snatching protesters away in unmarked vehicles.

Sending the feds into Chicago wont make the situation there any better, either.

In a free society, Paul added, citizens should be able to easily distinguish between civilian law enforcement tasked with keeping the peace in our communities and the armed forces tasked with protecting our country from foreign adversaries.

Trying to find other Republican lawmakers who find Trumps secret police appalling is like trying to find a cold Budweiser in the middle of the Sahara. Do you think Senate Republican Leader Mitch Root-n-Branch McConnell, of Louisville, is going to cross Americas Mussolini on this issue? Oh come now. With re-election staring him in the puss, Mitch will stay mum until he figures out which side is politically advantageous and then act, picking the popular side.

It should be said that is something that Paul rarely does. Some of his decisions are, well, curious, and thats a very kind way to put it. At his worst, and its been on view on occasion, hell make your skin crawl as if youve been doused with hydrochloric acid.

Right now the celebrated libertarian is trying to deep six the next legislative effort to supply additional relief for those suffering from the economic impact of Covid-19.

The measure is still under development and there are plenty of reasons to believe its not going to provide the sort of help the nation needs. McConnell and other Republicans dont like the $600 per week bonus provided to unemployed workers and theyre seeking protections against lawsuits for businesses where workers contract the coronavirus while in the job. But the package will likely result in $1 trillion being circulated during hard times.

Paul wants none of it. He claims were losing the country and that adding trillions of dollars to the nations deficit is absurd, its obscene.

The majority of Republicans are now no different than socialist Democrats when it comes to debt, Paul said on Twitter. They simply dont care about debt and are preparing to add at least another trillion dollars in debt this month, combined with the trillions from earlier this summer.

Paul said it would be a mistake for the federal government to borrow money despite record low interest rates to stimulate the economy.

I dont think we should throw out good sense and believe in something the opposite of what we believe in because of this virus, Paul told Fox News. I think its a foolhardy notion to think you can just create money out of thin air, give it to people and that creates wealth.

The only way to survive and recover, Paul said, is to re-open the economy.

Paul, who hasnt covered himself in glory during the COVID-19 crisis, seems unable to come to grips with just how significant the problem is. Adding $5 trillion in debt during a relatively short period of time isnt particularly desirable. But more than 140,000 Americans have died as a result of the virus. The number of cases nationwide is rising a 30 percent increase over a 14-day period ending on July 21, with 65,274 new cases reported that same day.

Kentucky, in fact, is one of the states where incidence is climbing. As of Wednesday, 24,694 cases have been reported, resulting in 697 deaths. And 660 new cases were reported July 21.

Until a vaccine or some other way to fight the spread appears the only way to address the crisis is to shut things down. States like Florida and Georgia jumped the gun, leading to chaos and a rise in incidence that has overwhelmed the medical establishment. And only the federal government has the wherewithal to make sure those who are no longer getting a steady paycheck for reasons beyond their control make it through to the other side of this mess.

Re-opening things at this juncture will lead to more fatalities. The nation already is on the road to 200,000 deaths. Do you really want more?

To this point, Pauls major contribution to the coronavirus debate besides catching the disease and failing to quarantine himself as he waited for the test results has been to insult Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has spent the last few months warning about the spread.

Paul told him to display more optimism.

More than 140,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19.

Hows that for optimism?

More here:

Bill Straub: Rand Paul objects to Trump's Gestapo but then wants Dr. Fauci to be more optimistic - User-generated content

TCR Therapeutics Announces RECIST Responses with First TC-210 Dose Tested in Advanced Mesothelin-Expressing Solid Tumors – BioSpace

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- TC-210 TRuC-T cell monotherapy induced tumor regression in first five patients

- Two RECIST unconfirmed partial responses and two patients with stable disease through six months

- Manageable toxicity profile, with only one patient exhibiting TC-210-related non-hematologic Grade >2 toxicity

- Translational data demonstrated T cell expansion and cytokine production

- TCR2 to host conference call today starting at 8:00am E.T. with live webcast available online

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRR), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company with a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for patients suffering from cancer, today announced positive interim data from the first five patients treated in the Phase 1 portion of the TC-210 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for mesothelin-expressing solid tumors. All five patients showed tumor regression including two RECIST unconfirmed partial responses (one of which remains subject to independent central review) and two patients with stable disease through six months. Translational data further demonstrated TRuC-T cell expansion and activation. A manageable toxicity profile was observed with only one patient exhibiting TC-210-related non-hematologic grade >2 toxicity and no evidence of neurotoxicity or on-target, off-tumor toxicity.

We are delighted that our very first dose of TC-210 induced consistent tumor regression and clinical benefit in heavily pre-treated cancer patients, said Garry Menzel, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TCR2 Therapeutics. There are very few options for patients with solid tumors and those expressing mesothelin represent a significant frontier of unmet medical need. While these are early data requiring further study, we are encouraged by the potential of our TRuC-T cells as we continue to enroll and treat patients with the goal of quickly finding a recommended Phase 2 dose for TC-210.

Based on my prior experience working with both TCR-T and CAR-T cells, including the FDA approval of Kymriah, observing consistent clinical benefit in patients at presumably suboptimal T cell doses is quite meaningful, said Alfonso Quints-Cardama, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of TCR2 Therapeutics. These early TC-210 data suggest our approach may overcome the challenges faced by many T cell therapies in the hostile solid tumor microenvironment. Our enrolled patients have failed multiple lines of therapy, including standard chemotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors and in some cases other mesothelin-directed approaches, in indications where survival has been historically shorter than six months.

The primary objectives of the Phase 1 portion of the study are to define the safety profile of TC-210 in patients whose tumors overexpress mesothelin and to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D). Secondary objectives include overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). Exploratory objectives include the assessment of expansion, tumor infiltration, and persistence of TC-210 T cells.

Summary of trial conduct, baseline characteristics and TC-210 dose:

Key clinical findings from the first five patients treated with TRuC-T cells include:

About the Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial in Advanced Mesothelin-Expressing Solid Tumors

The Phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT03907852) is evaluating the safety and efficacy of TC-210, TCR2s T-cell receptor fusion construct directed against mesothelin. The trial is enrolling patients with mesothelin expressing NSCLC, ovarian cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and malignant pleural/peritoneal mesothelioma. The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the clinical trial utilizes a modified 3+3 design with four increasing TC-210 T cell doses. At each dose, TC-210 will be tested in two separate dose levels: first without lymphodepletion and then following lymphodepleting chemotherapy. The Phase 1 portion of the clinical trial is ongoing.

In the Phase 2 portion of the clinical trial, approximately 50 patients are planned to receive TC-210 at the RP2D in four distinct cohorts according to their cancer diagnosis: NSCLC, ovarian cancer, malignant pleural/peritoneal mesothelioma and cholangiocarcinoma. Each cohort will include ten patients, except the NSCLC cohort which will include 20 patients with eight patients to receive TC-210 as single agent and 12 patients to receive TC-210 in combination with a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blocking antibody.

About Mesothelin-Expressing Solid Tumors

Mesothelin is a cell-surface glycoprotein highly expressed in a wide range of solid tumors, including malignant pleural/peritoneal mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and others. Overexpression of mesothelin is associated with poorer prognosis in some cancers due to its active role in both malignant transformation and tumor aggressiveness by promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Of the wide range of solid tumors expressing mesothelin, non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, mesothelioma and cholangiocarcinoma represent a significant patient population up to 80,000 in the United States alone.

TCR2 Therapeutics Conference Call and Webcast

TCR2 Therapeutics will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, July 27th at 8:00am E.T. The webcast and presentation will be made available on the TCR2 Therapeutics website in the Investors section under Eventsat http://investors.tcr2.com/events. Following the live audio webcast, a replay will be available on the Company's website for approximately 30 days.

About TCR2 Therapeutics

TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for patients suffering from solid tumors or hematological malignancies. TCR2s proprietary T cell receptor (TCR) Fusion Construct T cells (TRuC-T cells) specifically recognize and kill cancer cells by harnessing signaling from the entire TCR, independent of human leukocyte antigens (HLA). In preclinical studies, TRuC-T cells have demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity compared to chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells), while secreting lower levels of cytokine release. The Companys lead TRuC-T cell product candidate targeting solid tumors, TC-210, is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat patients with mesothelin-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian cancer, malignant pleural/peritoneal mesothelioma, and cholangiocarcinoma. The Companys lead TRuC-T cell product candidate targeting hematological malignancies, TC-110, is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to treat patients with CD19-positive adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (aALL) and with aggressive or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). For more information about TCR2, please visit http://www.tcr2.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as "may," "will," "could", "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "endeavor," "potential," "continue" or the negative of such words or other similar expressions can be used to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements regarding the therapeutic potential of TC-210, future clinical development plans, the development of the Companys TRuC-T cells, their potential characteristics, applications and clinical utility, and the potential therapeutic applications of the Companys TRuC-T cell platform.

The expressed or implied forward-looking statements included in this press release are only predictions and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation: uncertainties inherent in clinical studies and in the availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical studies; whether interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial; whether results from preclinical studies or earlier clinical studies will be predictive of the results of future trials; the expected timing of submissions for regulatory approval or review by governmental authorities, including review under accelerated approval processes; orphan drug designation eligibility; regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; TCR2s ability to maintain sufficient manufacturing capabilities to support its research, development and commercialization efforts, whether TCR2's cash resources will be sufficient to fund TCR2's foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TCR2s ongoing operations; and other risks set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in TCR2s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although TCR2 believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur.

Moreover, except as required by law, neither TCR2 nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements included in this press release. Any forward-looking statement included in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it was made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor and Media Contact:

Carl MauchDirector, Investor Relations and Corporate CommunicationsTCR2 Therapeutics Inc.(617) 949-5667carl.mauch@tcr2.com

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TCR Therapeutics Announces RECIST Responses with First TC-210 Dose Tested in Advanced Mesothelin-Expressing Solid Tumors - BioSpace

Understanding Memetics – SCP Foundation

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Summary, for those in a hurry:

Memetics deals with information transfer, specifically cultural information in society. The basic idea is to conflate the exchange of information between people with genetic material, to track the mutation of ideas as they are transmitted from one person to the next in the way you could track viral transmissions and mutations. However, a meme also provides benefits to the carrier if they spread it.

Meme : Memetics :: Gene : Genetics

Memetics does NOT refer to telepathy, ESP or any imaginary psychic mental magic. These words are memetic, and if you understand them then they are having a completely ordinary memetic effect on you.

Memetics in regards to SCP objects tends to focus on the impossible rather than the mundane, regarding effects that are transmitted via information. In general, the effects themselves should remain in the realm of information. A memetic SCP would be more likely to be a phrase that makes you think you have wings as opposed to a phrase that makes you actually grow a pair of wings. If you write up magic words that make people grow wings, it should be described as something other than memetic.

Memetic SCPs do not emanate auras or project beams. They are SCPs which involve ideas and symbols which trigger a response in those who understand them.

Memetic is often incorrectly used by new personnel as the official sounding term for "Weird Mind Shit." However, that is not actually what memetic means. These words are memetic. They are producing a memetic effect in your mind right now, without any magical mind rays lashing out of your computer monitor to grasp your fragile consciousness. Memes are information, more specifically, cultural information.

Outside of the Foundation's walls the concept of memetics is not taken very seriously; it is a theory that conflates the transfer of cultural information with evolutionary biology.

meme : memetic :: gene : genetic

The idea was that certain memes prosper and others wither the same way certain genes produce stronger offspring that out-compete creatures with different genes. Also, it is easy to compare the spread and mutation of information to the spread of a virus. The reason we use the term memetic in our work is largely due to this, as the truly dangerous memes out there can spread like wildfire due to the fact that the very knowledge of them can count as an infection.

Understanding the true nature of memetic threats is critical to surviving them. You cannot wear a special set of magical goggles made of telekill to protect yourself from a meme. THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING. If you just read those words in your head with a bad Teutonic accent, congratulations on being victim to yet another memetic effect. If you did not know that phrase was an oft-repeated quote from the Simpsons then congratulations; you are now infected with that knowledge and are free to participate in its spread.

A meme perpetuates itself by being beneficial to the carrier to spread to new hosts. You now understand that THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING; you're in on the joke. However, you might have friends who aren't, and don't get it. It benefits you to explain them, because then you both have something new to laugh together about when it gets brought up. This is what makes a meme effective - how much incentive a carrier has to spread it. Unless an anomalous meme's effect is the compulsive urge for the carrier to infect others, there needs to be incentive to spread it.

An artifact can no more have a memetic aura or project a memetic beam than a creature could have a genetic aura or genetic beam. Even though you could imagine a creature with genes that allow it to produce some kind of aura or beam like a big doofy X-man, remember that the examples we have of such creatures in containment are not getting their super-powered emanations from anything resembling our scientific understanding of genetics and biology. Neither are the memetic artifacts. We contain these things specifically because we cannot understand or explain them yet. At the end of the day we're still using a clumsy concept to describe things we don't have a full grasp of.

It is very rare that anything with a dangerous memetic component could be described as hostile to begin with. We do not contain memetic threats because they are out to get us. They are threats because it is dangerous for us to merely perceive them. It is exceptionally rare for dangerous memes to even have anything resembling sapience with the exception of certain known entities which exist entirely within the medium of "cultural information" such as SCP-, SCP-732 and SCP-423.

A dangerous meme is basically a trigger that sets off something inside of you that you may or may have not been aware of. What would your knee jerk reaction be to knowing that your rival is sleeping with your one true love? How would you react if you were to unwittingly catch them in the act? That kind of sudden revelation can make a mild mannered citizen into a killer, so don't be surprised that there are other strange bits of information out there that can break the human mind in different yet equally drastic ways.

Protecting yourself from memetic threat is very tricky and can be worse than the threat itself. There are reasons that we behave the way we do, there are reasons our emotions soar when we hear just the right combination of sounds in a piece of music. Do you want to stop thinking about the Simpsons or your obnoxious nerdy friends that quote it every time you hear the phrase THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING? That would require forgetting about the Simpsons and your friends.

Do you want to survive hearing or reading the phrase " ?" Well, sadly we don't quite know what other information you need to forget or know to prevent [DATA EXPUNGED] but we're getting better. Lobotomies and pills help, and are one of the few times that the cure is not worse than the disease. The sum total of our human condition; our cultural knowledge and upbringing and memories and identity; this is what makes us susceptible to the occasional memetic compulsion.

So it's not the basalt monolith or its bizarre carvings that is making you strangle your companions with your own intestines, the problem was within you all along.

Should you ever find yourself under a memetic compulsion and aware of the fact, remember that there are certain mental exercises that you can perform which may save your life or the lives of your companions. Changing the information your mind is being presented with may just change how you react to it, and the more abrupt or absurd the change is the better.

Imagine the fearsome entity is wearing a bright pink nightgown. Draw a mustache on the haunted painting. Pee on the stone altar. Wear the terrible sculpture like a hat.

And if all else fails, bend over and kiss your ass goodbye. I'm not kidding. That could actually help.

- Dr. Johannes Sorts received a special dispensation to use the word "doofy" in this document

But seriously

This was originally intended as a piece of fiction on its own before it got stuck into the information bar with plenty of other plainly out-of-character writing guides. So here's the important things to take away:

1 - "Memetics" is a specific concept regarding information exchange. It has nothing to do with telepathy or ESP or psychic compulsions.

2 - SCP-148 has no effect on anything memetic. Don't screw this up or we will give you an incredibly hard time about it.

3 - Psychic compulsions are lame and you should think twice before using them in your new SCP, even if you avoid misusing the term "memetic" when you do it.

4 - Sorts' Rule for all memetic SCPs is "Memetic effect + crazy to death = failure."

5 - Wear it like a haaaaat!!

Visit link:

Understanding Memetics - SCP Foundation

Memetics – Dr Susan Blackmore

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Should Blackmores theory turn out to be true, theres little doubt she will be remembered as one of the great thinkers of the 20th century. Barry Lyons reviewing The Meme Machine

Je suis Charlie and why

New

My discussionwith Jordan Peterson on Premier Christian Radio, part of The Big Conversation video series from Unbelievable? Do we need God to make sense of life?. 8 June 2018

Interview with Mel van Dusen at his home in California, onGenes, memes and tremes, 08 August 2017

Dan Dennett has just sent me a link to his latest lecture at the Santa Fe Institute and theres lots about memes. June 2017.

Susan Blackmore talks to a student group at CogNovos summer school ColLaboratoire (University of Plymouth), on Consciousness in treme machines.Inspired by the students question Could the Internet be conscious? 19.08.2016 watch on Vimeo

Panel discussion, Richard Dawkins: The Rational Revolutionary, from Intelligence Squared, London 14 July 2016Podcast

AI is already evolving beyond our control the implications of a third replicator in CommentisFree September 2015

Are we here for a reason? Genes, Memes and Tremes on TV in Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, May 2015 (The whole programme is 43 minutes long, my interview is from20:21 to 26:00)

Twitterbrain how analyses of viral memes is helping track information spreading in the brain.

and a must-watch video This video will make you angry is a brilliant rant about thought germs. What a shame it mentions the word meme only once.

The Eye of the Tremes Watch our New Video. This is based on the idea that the phones, computers and servers we are building are becoming interconnected like neurons in a brain. But this treme machine has no eyes. Or does it? With the advent of drones we may have found the eye of the tremes.

Tremes v temes

I have had such trouble with the term temes that I am trying tremes instead. I am sorry if this is confusing but I hope it might help.

100 walked out of my lecture on memes. On the RDF website with hundreds of comments. Aug 2014

Practical Memetics: A huge new website by Martin Farncombe devoted to understanding memes in business and organisations, includes extracts from my work.

Paper on memes in science Kuhn et al 2014 Inheritance patterns in citation networks reveal scientific memes

A fun article on Internet memes in the Virgin Australia Inflight Mag -refers to the burgeoning field of memetics!

The third replicator

To find out more about temes, watch my TED talknow podcast in English and with a choice of subtitles in 21 other languages! or short lecture at the Hay Festival 2011 Genes, Memes and Temes read a book chaptera blog from Hassners on my lecture or read the Feature article in New Scientist .

Podcast interview with Sue on US Public Radio To the best of our knowledge about memes and temes. 29 July 2012

Jonnie Hughes article in The Independent 14 July 2012 on his new book On the Origin of Tepees.

Alan Winfields 5 minute lecture on dancing robots, from hisArtificial Culture Project at UWE Bristol. Interview on dancing robots in BBC News Technology June 2012

Q&A with Sue for Know Your Meme, April 2012

Art experiments with copying and Chinese Whispers byRachel Cohen

Richard Dawkins on memetically engineering the word bright in Atheist the Dirty Word YouTube

Edge Question 2009 What will change everything?Read my response Artificial, self replicating meme machines.

How to get rid of religion a memetic viewby Floris van den Berg

Imitation makes us human Extract.

The Loo Roll meme !

More criticisms from Mary Midgley

Memetics UK

This site began with the Bristol based memelab. I hope to provide a simple, but useful, resource for finding out what is happening in the world of memes and memetics.

About memes

Links to other memes

People

Publications

Sues publications on memes.

To watch or listen

Interview on memes with Karol Jalochowski, with subtitles in Polish, Jan 2012

Internet memes on The Pod Delusion 2010

C-Realm podcast Sue talks to KMO about memes, drugs and Zen. 28 Jan 2009

Genes, memes and temes. Lecture at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Monterey, CA, 28 Feb 2008

Is God a dangerous delusion? A debate with Alister McGrath at Bristol University, 13.11.2007

Darwin Day Lecture Darwins Meme: On the origin of culture by means of natural selection , , University of Central Lancashire, 12.02.07 Abstract

The Sci Phi Show Outcast #8, Interview on Memes, 21 August 2006

The Future of Memetics audio of a lecture given at Pop!Tech 2005

To read .

my blog at CiF is about Internet memes April 2011

The Edge Question 2010. How is the Internet changing the way you think? See my response on Self and the Third Replicator as well as previous answers.

Articles in New Humanist Natural selection applies to everything, in Aesthetica Memes, Creativity and Consciousness, and follow up to Massimo Pigliuccis objections to memetics in Skeptical Inquirer 2008.

Art and memes article

Interview for NextModernity Library.

Review of Richerson and Boyds new book Not by Genes Alone.

Interview for GEO magazine (German), December 2003Die Tyrannei der Meme.

Interview with Pascal Jouxtel for the la Socit Francophone de Mmtique, inboth French and English

Memes in Japan

and Old (1997)! Interview with Andrew Brown for Salon Magazine

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Memetics - Dr Susan Blackmore

Genetic basis of bats superpowers revealed – KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

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LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) The following is a news release from Texas Tech University:

For the first time, the raw genetic material that codes for bats unique adaptations and superpowers such as the ability to fly, use sound to move effortlessly in complete darkness, survive and tolerate deadly diseases and resist aging and cancer has been fully revealed andpublished in Nature.

Bat1K, a global consortium of scientists dedicated to sequencing the genomes of every one of the 1,421 living bat species, has generated and analyzed six highly accurate bat genomes that are 10 times more complete than any bat genome published to date, in order to begin to uncover bats unique traits.

Given these exquisite bat genomes, we can now better understand how bats tolerate viruses, slow down aging and have evolved flight and echolocation, said Emma Teeling of University College Dublin, co-founding director of Bat1K and senior author on the paper. These genomes are the tools needed to identify the genetic solutions evolved in bats that ultimately could be harnessed to alleviate human aging and disease.

As part of the consortium, two researchers inTexas Tech UniversitysDepartment of Biological Sciences, associate professorDavid A. Rayand doctoral candidateKevin Sullivan, played a pivotal role in the genome analysis.

Our lab was tasked with analyzing the portions of each genome that are made up of transposable elements, parts of the genome that can move around and potentially disrupt or alter function, Ray said. We found that, unlike most other groups of mammals, bats have an exceptionally diverse transposable element repertoire. This suggests their genomes may have the ability to change and adapt to novel environments above and beyond what a typical mammal can do. This may explain what appears to be their increased ability to tolerate viruses and live longer, healthier lives than would be expected given their size.

Ray explained that a perfectly assembled genome would have the same number of pieces as there are chromosomes for that species. For example, humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes so a very good assembly would consist of 23 pieces of assembled DNA. In contrast, bad genome assemblies have thousands of pieces, meaning the assembly is very fragmented. Because these bat genomes have very few pieces, the researchers refer to them as exquisite genomes.

To generate these exquisite bat genomes, the Bat1K team used the newest technologies of the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center, a shared technology resource in Dresden, Germany, to sequence the bats DNA, and generated new methods to assemble these pieces into the correct order and to identify the genes present.

Using the latest DNA sequencing technologies and new computing methods for such data, wehave 96-99% of each bat genome in chromosome-level reconstructions an unprecedentedquality akin to, for example, the current human genome reference, which is the result of over adecade of intensive finishing efforts, said senior author Eugene Myers, director of Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, and the Center for Systems Biology in Dresden. As such, these bat genomes provide a superb foundation for experimentation and evolutionary studies of bats fascinating abilities and physiological properties.

The team compared these bat genomes against 42 other mammals to address the unresolved question of where bats are located within the mammalian tree of life. Using novel phylogenetic methods and comprehensive molecular data sets, the team found the strongest support for bats being most closely related to a group called Ferreungulata that consists of carnivores (whichincludes dogs, cats and seals, among other species), pangolins, whales and ungulates (hooved mammals).

To uncover genomic changes that contribute to the unique adaptations found in bats, the team systematically searched for gene differences between bats and other mammals, identifying regions of the genome that have evolved differently in bats and the loss and gain of genes that may drive bats unique traits.

Our genome scans revealed changes in hearing genes that may contribute to echolocation,which bats use to hunt and navigate in complete darkness, said senior author Michael Hiller, research group leader in the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and the Center for Systems Biology.

Furthermore, we found expansions of anti-viral genes, unique selection on immune genes, and loss of genes involved in inflammation in bats. These changes may contribute to bats exceptional immunity and points to their tolerance of coronaviruses.

The team also found evidence that bats ability to tolerate viruses is reflected in their genomes. The exquisite genomes revealed fossilized viruses, evidence of surviving past viral infections,and showed that bat genomes contained a higher diversity than other species providing agenomic record of historical tolerance to viral infection.

Given the quality of the bat genomes, the team uniquely identified and experimentally validatedseveral non-coding regulatory regions that may govern bats key evolutionary innovations.

Having such complete genomes allowed us to identify regulatory regions that control geneexpression that are unique to bats, said senior author Sonja Vernes of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and co-founding director of Bat 1K. Importantly, we were able to validate unique bat microRNAs in the lab to show their consequences for gene regulation. In the future we can use these genomes to understand how regulatory regions and epigenomics contributed to the extraordinary adaptations we see in bats.

This is just a beginning. The remaining approximately 1,400 living bat species exhibit an incredible diversity in ecology, longevity, sensory perception and immunology, and numerous questions remain regarding the genomic basis of these spectacular features. Bat1K will answer these questions as more and more exquisite bat genomes are sequenced, further uncovering the genetic basis of bats rare and wonderful superpowers.

This study was funded in part by the Max Planck Society, the European Research Council, theIrish Research Council and the Human Frontier Science Program.

In addition to Texas Tech, the institutions contributing to the research are: University College Dublin; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics; Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems; Center for Systems Biology; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics; Australian National University; University of Oxford; Stony Brook University; John Jay College of Criminal Justice; University of Bristol; Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior; University of Konstanz; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; University of Montpellier; University of Greifswald; The Rockefeller University; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour; and Technical University Dresden.

(News release from Texas Tech University)

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Genetic basis of bats superpowers revealed - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

This is how much Kriti Sanon earned in a year, and how she spends her crores – GQ India

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Kriti Sanon made a splashing Bollywood debut, opposite Tiger Shroff in Heropanti, in 2014. The action-comedy made over fifty crore rupees (all India nett total), according to Box Office India, and firmly cemented Kriti Sanons arrival in Hindi cinema. But this wasnt her first rendezvous with the camera or a feature-length film.

In the same year, the actor starred in 1: Nenokkadine, a Telugu psychological-thriller, opposite Mahesh Babu. This film was also a commercial success. And since then, the actors roaring popularity has bagged her a number of diverse yet commercial flicks and a host of advertising contracts with brands like Vivel and Bata.

Last year, Kriti Sanon also made a comeback on Forbes coveted Celebrity 100 list. This list ranks celebrities based on an aggregate of their estimated earnings and fame quotient, via print and social media reach. Kriti Sanon bagged the 38th spot on it.

The list chalked up her total earnings at Rs 8.09 crore. This fortune was credited to her big 2019 releases: Luka Chuppi, Arjun Patiala and Housefull 4 and numerous brand endorsements, by the magazine. Notably, her endorsements also include a collaboration with Ms Taken, which markets itself as a Styled by Kriti Sanon brand online.

As we track her big earnings, lets also take a quick look at some of her biggest expenses, below.

The actor and her family reside at a sprawling home in Mumbais Juhu, decked with eclectic motifs, prints and furniture. According to Vogue India, the house is also equipped with a walk-in closet.

Kriti Sanon with the Audi Q7

Kriti Sanon is the proud owner of an Audi Q7. The car is capable of going from 0 to 100 kph in 7.1 seconds, and can hit an electronically limited top speed of 234 kph. Read more about it here.

The actor's a traveller at heart and spent a luxurious few days at the Niyama Private Islands in Maldives, last year. And while, we don't know when we'll be able to step foot here, we do know of four destinations that will pay for your travel and stay if you book your next holiday with them. Read all about them here.

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This is how much Kriti Sanon earned in a year, and how she spends her crores - GQ India

The best hotels for all-inclusive holidays to Crete, including family-friendly aqua parks and adults-only overwater villas – The Telegraph

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Please note our writers visited Crete prior to the coronavirus pandemic

For a laidback break without the worry of extra charges, weather, entertainment and excellent dining options, all-inclusive holidays to Crete are ideal. Most packages include premium beverages and la carte dining some even offer spa treatments and sports activities.From lazing on pristine Blue Flag beaches to discovering cultural wonders, theres plenty to see and do on Greeces largest island, but the plethora of food options, family facilities and fun activities offered at these Crete all-inclusive hotels might make it difficult to leave. Here's our pick of the best.

Adults looking for luxury Crete holidays with a 'Love Island' vibe will find this stylish resort, built around one of Europe's largest lagoon pools (inflatable giant flamingos are a nice extra touch), ticks all the boxes. Narrow bridges criss-cross the vast lagoon pool; couples lounge in sunken seating areas, or on islands dotted with beds and hammocks. Style is generally minimalist: all white with lots of blonde wood, canvas and bamboo,with retro touches in the rooms, suites and villas (from the 18 smallish second-floor pool-view rooms to the nine South Pacific-inspired overwater bungalows or 12 Island Villas with private pools).There's also a delightful light-filled spa and several restaurants.

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The best hotels for all-inclusive holidays to Crete, including family-friendly aqua parks and adults-only overwater villas - The Telegraph

Fighting fake news! Actively working on removing misinformation from platform: YouTube – The Financial Express

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YouTube on Friday said consumption of videos recommended by the platform containing misinformation is significantly below one per cent, and it is working on strengthening its systems to further reduce such instances to ensure that creators and users are protected.

YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan said the company has been actively working on removing misinformation, especially amid COVID-19 pandemic and has seen consumption of videos from authoritative sources grow 110 per cent in India during January-March 2020.

striking that balance between an open platform and our community guidelines, designed to protect everybody, is a point of conversation for us every dayOver the past years, weve been working hard to invest in the policies, resources and products needed to protect the YouTube community, he said.

Mohan added that its work has focused on four pillars removing violative content, raising up authoritative content, reducing the spread of borderline content and rewarding trusted creators the 4Rs of responsibility. consumption of borderline content or harmful misinformation videos that comes from our recommendations is significantly below one per cent and were constantly working to reduce this even further, he said.

Mohan said YouTube updated its Hate and Harassment Policies last year to quickly remove any content that violates its policies. Were also making sure that we limit the spread of Coronavirus related misinformation on our site. These efforts are built upon our work to reduce recommendations of borderline content (content that comes close to, but doesnt cross the line of violating our Community Guidelines, he said.

The company has a 24-hour, follow the sun coverage, and these teams sit across time zones, cover different languages and have different areas of expertise. authoritative source content consumption on our platform, ie videos that are coming from authoritative sources, has grown 110 per cent in India during the first three months of 2020, mainly often times because users are coming to YouTube, looking for the most relevant information that they can find about about the crisis, he said.

Last year, YouTube had launched Fact Check information panels in India, the first country where such a feature was launched. These information panels flag misinformation and offer correct insights with the fact checks being done by fact checking organisations.

Raising authoritative information and giving the proper context to users helps reduce and remove content that is violative of YouTubes policies, Mohan said. Since launch, there have been over 300 billion impressions on its information panels globally.

We also updated our policies to remove egregious medical misinformation about COVID. Were consulting with global and local health authorities as we develop these policies and weve been updating them on an ongoing basis to stay current with the science -10 updates in the past two months alone, he said.

These policies prohibit things like saying the virus is a hoax or promoting medically unsubstantiated cures in place of seeking treatment and YouTube has removed thousands of videos under these policies.

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Fighting fake news! Actively working on removing misinformation from platform: YouTube - The Financial Express

[Webinar] #FreeSpeech: Perspectives from the UK and the US on Social Media Liability for Fake News, Damaging Content and Censorship – July 29th, 9:00…

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July 29th, 2020

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PDT

Greenberg Glusker and Farrer & Co are delighted to present a joint webinar during which reputation management and media specialists from both firms will discuss:

On both sides of the Atlantic, the role of social media and search engines has been dominating the news agenda.

The debate over the extent to which Big Tech should be policing content on its platforms is one that has been bubbling for some time, but has recently exploded into the open with Donald Trumps decision to sign an executive order aimed at removing protections for social media platforms and the UK governments plans to introduce legislation to address Online Harms.

Set alongside that is the decision of a number of multinational corporations to cease advertising on Facebook and other platforms in protest at the perceived failure to do enough to remove racist, hateful and knowingly false content.

All this takes place in the context of a global pandemic (where conspiracy theories have abounded), the Black Lives Matter movement and, of course, a forthcoming Presidential election in the United States.

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[Webinar] #FreeSpeech: Perspectives from the UK and the US on Social Media Liability for Fake News, Damaging Content and Censorship - July 29th, 9:00...

Governors who took the virus seriously from the start get a boost – NBC News

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WASHINGTON Our new NBC News/Marist polls of Arizona and North Carolina tell a pretty similar story President Trump trails in both battlegrounds, as does the incumbent GOP senator.

But theres a significant difference between the two polls: North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper holds a 59 percent approval rating among voters in his state, while Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has a 39 percent rating in his state.

Whats more, Cooper, whos up for re-election this year in a battleground state, is ahead in his gubernatorial contest by 20 points, according to the NBC/Marist poll.

And the poll shows that North Carolina voters by a 2-to-1 margin say the state was right to prioritize health protocols for the GOP convention that was supposed to occur there, despite Trump calling the protocols too strict. (The poll was conducted before Trump reversed course, canceling the convention speech he had moved from Charlotte to Jacksonville, Fla.)

Its all a reminder that the governors Democratic or Republicans who have taken the coronavirus seriously from the beginning are getting credit from their voters.

And the governors who havent either by originally downplaying it, or reopening their states too early are getting penalized.

See Ducey in our Arizona poll. Or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in a recent Quinnipiac poll (48 percent approval). Or Gov. Ron DeSantis in another Quinnipiac survey (41 percent approval).

And that reminder of taking the coronavirus seriously from the beginning or not brings us to President Trump, who travels to North Carolina today to participate in a coronavirus briefing at a biotechnology firm.

As we wrote on Friday, he railed at Gov. Cooper for putting restrictions in place to combat the coronavirus.

I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed...

He ridiculed Democrats who months ago started to plan for a virtual convention.

Joe Biden wanted the date for the Democrat National Convention moved to a later time period. Now he wants a Virtual Convention, one where he doesnt have to show up. Gee, I wonder why? Also, what ever happened to that phone call he told the Fake News he wanted to make to me?

He moved his acceptance speech from North Carolina to Florida.

And then on Thursday, he canceled that in-person event in Jacksonville.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

The results from our NBC/Marist poll of North Carolina (conducted before that cancellation): Trump trails Biden by 7 points, and his approval rating in the state is 41 percent among registered voters, and just 34 percent of voters say hed do a better job than Biden in handling the coronavirus.

4,257,304: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (Thats 207,027 more cases than Friday morning.)

147,821: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far. (Thats 2,657 more than Friday morning.)

51.49 million: The number of coronavirus tests that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.

11 points: The net drop in Trumps approval rating in North Carolina since March, per our latest NBC/Marist poll.

According to ad spending data from Advertising Analytics, the Trump and Biden campaigns have spent a combined $139 million over the TV and radio airwaves as of last Friday, with the Trump camp spending a total of $95 million throughout the entire campaign and the Biden camp $44 million.

Compare that to 2016, when the combined Trump camp-vs.-Clinton camp ad spending at this same point in the cycle was $94 million $75 million for Clinton and $19 million for Trump.

The Senate Republican/White House coronavirus relief package should be released sometime today, and over the weekend Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and President Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows met with staff on the Hill to make final changes to the bill.

Heres Mnuchin on Saturday, per our Hill team.

As we said on Friday, we have a fundamental understanding and we just want to make sure all the paperwork is ready and finished so it can be introduced on Monday, Mnuchin said.

On unemployment benefits, Mnuchin said Let me just say weve actually had a fundamental agreement on this. I think the issue has just been more of a mechanical issue of how we institute it, but the fundamental issue we all acknowledged there was a technical problem, where we were in an emergency last time so we instituted this quickly and in certain cases people were paid more to stay home than they were to work.

He added, Were not going to use taxpayer money to pay people more to stay home. So were going to transition to a UI system that is based on wage replacement. Weve talked about approximately 70 percent of wage replacement. And were just going through the mechanics of that.

Dont miss the pod from Friday, when we looked at how it took Pennsylvania four weeks to count all of its ballots from its June 2 primary.

Heres our teams look at John Lewiss last trip across the bridge in Selma.

Pro-Trump super PAC America First Action is getting outspent by its Democratic rivals.

The biggest terror threat in Europe and the U.S. used to be jihadists. Now its the far right.

The president now says he wont throw the first pitch at a Yankees game in August after all.

Republicans are jockeying for power on the Hill as they eye a possible post-Trump world.

The New York Times takes a look at the Montana Senate race.

Dan Balz assesses the state of Americas global standing during the pandemic.

Local leaders in New Jersey say that Trump isnt telling the whole story about a voter fraud case.

And Politico examines the case against Kamala Harris as VP.

Excerpt from:

Governors who took the virus seriously from the start get a boost - NBC News

Why are millennials and Gen Z turning to Instagram as a news source? – The Guardian

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For many young people, clicking on to Instagram to get the latest news is now as second nature as picking up a daily newspaper once was to generations before. For a site that has traditionally been a platform for sharing lifestyle content rather than hard news, this is a shift in millennials and Gen Z, at a time when news updates seem more important than ever.

Recently published data exploring how people accessed news and information about the coronavirus pandemic found, in the US, for 18- to 24-year-olds (the age group most likely to use social media as a source), over a quarter of respondents used Instagram to access news content within the last week, while 19% used Snapchat and 6% turned to TikTok. In comparison, only 17% used newspapers to access information. Globally, figures reached even higher levels in Germany, 38% of 18- to 24-year-olds used Instagram alone to access the news, and in Argentina, this reached as high as 49%.

This trend isnt necessarily harmless. The challenge with Instagram is that its a highly visual space, Jennifer Grygiel, who teaches communications at Syracuse University, tells me, so people share memes that are more about influencing than informing and people need to exercise caution and be aware of who theyre engaging with.

The use of social media as a news source is complicated by the ability for anyone to act as a reporter, sparking concerns about factchecking, and an oft-cited claim that social media tilts influence towards those with the largest followers, regardless of their credentials. Theres also a concern that social media leads to political polarization. A recent poll suggests that just 41% of Americans trust traditional media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. Gallup, who conducted the study, have pointed to political rhetoric disparaging news organizations as a potential problem, with Republican voters significantly less likely to trust traditional media as a source.

For disenfranchised individuals social media may offer an alternative to media outlets that they have begun to doubt. Yet the very nature of social media leaves users exposed primarily to others with similar views, which research suggests can create vast echo chambers spaces where our own opinions and biases are reinforced by the voices which are filtered into our social media feed.

Amelia Gibson is an assistant professor and director of the Community Equity Data and Information Lab at the University of North Carolina. She sees the events of recent months as highlighting the ways many young people use social media as a news source. The Covid-19 crisis, combined with renewed interest in the Black Lives Matter movement, increased the desire for instant, first-hand information. Mistrust of mainstream media meant that many young people turned to their social media news feeds for information about protests, police actions and stay-at-home orders. But with a web of algorithms serving up content from news organizations, political groups or even influencers aligned to their own political beliefs and social circles, this also provoked a deepening of already-divided views and cultural rifts.

Our social media environments are still so segmented that some people really do live in different information worlds

Social media offers, on the one hand, a medium for filling what feels like a vacuum of trustworthy information sources, Gibson explains. But on the other hand, our social media environments are still so segmented that some people really do live in different information worlds. In one information ecosystem, people might read this moment [and current social justice movements] as a hopeful international awakening related to anti-racism, others read it as a time of deep existential threat. We see these different worlds clashing when people meet in real life.

For Gibson, the solution lies in a convergence of interests as social media brings attention to previously overlooked stories and rebalances the power to share news, traditional media still has a part to play.

People have always shared the news that mattered to them and their communities, she explains. I think that the difference in this moment is that news corporations are paying attention and are amplifying a moment of shared struggle I think that social media has done a lot to push social justice movements forward in the last decade but that traditional media still has a lot of power to command national and international attention.

For Grygiel, who, as a college professor, sees up close how young people are acting as both content creators and consumers, the relationship between traditional media and social sharing has reached a pivotal point. Content-creation-for-all has democratized news, but it remains an imperfect system dogged with accusations of biases, fake news and increasingly polarized viewpoints.

Although sites such as Instagram currently hold significant sway when it comes to distributing content to an internet-savvy youth, Grygiel hopes that this will push news publications to build better websites, attract advertisers and strive for independence rather than relying on social media shares. In the meantime, the need to exercise caution is of utmost importance.

Its hard to fully realize the benefits of social media because theres so much harmful content out there, they explain. Social media platforms have not always acted as good corporate citizens theyve paid a lack of attention to political advertisements that are harmful, and fail to monitor hate speech. Its important to be critical of them, but also aware that without them we wouldnt have seen the kind of documentation that we have of societal harms and transparency around injustices theres still a lot of opportunity to deliver content without social media, and if social media platforms arent acting as good corporate citizens then we need to find new and better ways of distributing news.

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Why are millennials and Gen Z turning to Instagram as a news source? - The Guardian