The message behind golds rally: the world economy is in trouble – Macau Daily Times

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Its easy to forget now but there was a time early on in the pandemic when the price of gold was in freefall.It was a curious thing, what with the virus sparking a collapse in the global economy, and it would prove in time to be one of the great head-fakes in the recent history of financial markets. For the pandemic of 2020 would soon show itself to be the driving force behind one of the most ferocious rallies the gold market has ever seen. At the close of trading in New York on Friday, bullion had spiraled to $1,902.02 an ounce, some 30% higher than the low it hit in March and just 1% off a record high set back in 2011.The virus has unleashed a torrent of forces that are conspiring to fuel relentless demand for the perceived safety from turmoil that gold provides. Theres the fear of further government-ordered lockdowns; and politicians decision to push through unprecedented stimulus packages; and central bankers decision to print money faster than they ever have before to finance that spending; and the plunge in inflation-adjusted bond yields into negative territory in the U.S.; and the dollars sudden decline against the euro and yen; and rising U.S.-China tensions.All these things, when taken together, have even triggered concern in some financial circles that stagflation a rare combination of sluggish growth and rising inflation that erodes the value of fixed-income investments could take hold across parts of the developed world.In the U.S., where the virus is still raging and the economic recovery is stalling, this debate is growing louder. Investor expectations for annual inflation over the next decade, as measured by a bond-market metric known as breakevens, have moved higher the past four months after plunging in March. On Friday, they hit 1.5%. And while that remains below pre-pandemic levels and below the Federal Reserves own 2% target, it is almost a full percentage point higher than the 0.59% yield that benchmark 10-year Treasury bonds pay.The main driver behind golds latest rally has been real rates that continue to plummet and dont show signs of easing anytime soon, Edward Moya, a senior market analyst at Oanda Corp., said by phone. Gold is also drawing investors concerned that stagflation will win out and will likely warrant even further accommodation from the Fed.U.S. bond markets have been a driving force behind the rush to gold, which is serving as an attractive hedge as yields on Treasuries that strip out the effects of inflation fall below zero. Investors are looking for safe havens that wont lose value.The mania for gold right now has trickled down to Main Street. Retail investors have helped put ETF holdings backed by gold on track for an 18th straight weekly gain, the longest streak since 2006. Meanwhile, gold posted its seventh weekly gain on Friday, and analysts dont expect the increases to end anytime soon.When interest rates are zero or near zero, then gold is an attractive medium to have because you dont have to worry about not getting interest on your gold, Mark Mobius, co-founder at Mobius Capital Partners, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. I would be buying now and continue to buy.Analysts have been predicting huge upside for gold for several months. In April, Bank of America Corp. raised its 18-month gold-price target to $3,000 an ounce.The global pandemic is providing a sustained boost to gold, Francisco Blanch, BofAs head of commodities and derivatives research, said Friday, citing impacts including falling real rates, growing inequality and declining productivity. Moreover, as Chinas GDP quickly converges to U.S. levels helped by the widening gap in Covid-19 cases, a tectonic geopolitical shift could unfold, further supporting the case for our $3,000 target over the next 18 months.Bank of Americas bold prediction was made after gold prices initially dropped in March as investors sought cash to cover losses on riskier assets. Prices quickly recovered after a surprise cut to the Feds benchmark rate and signs that the economic toll of the coronavirus would lead to massive stimulus efforts from global governments and central banks.This isnt the first time gold has gotten help from central bank stimulus programs. From December 2008 to June 2011, the Fed bought $2.3 trillion of debt and held borrowing costs near zero percent in a bid to shore up growth, helping send bullion to a record $1,921.17 in September 2011.The crisis a decade ago was all about banks, said Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at Swiss refiner and dealer MKS PAMP Group, who nows sees gold pointing towards $2,000.This time, to be honest, I do not see the end of the tunnel, he said, at least until U.S. elections in November. Steven Frank, Vivien Lou Chen & Elena Mazneva, Bloomberg

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The message behind golds rally: the world economy is in trouble - Macau Daily Times

Passion for purple revives ancient dye in Tunisia – Macau Business

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A Tunisian man has pieced together bits of a local secret linked to ancient emperors: how to make a prized purple dye using the guts of a sea snail.

At the beginning, I didnt know where to start, said Mohamed Ghassen Nouira, who heads a consulting firm.

I would crush the whole shell and try to understand how this small marine animal released such a precious colour.

Now, after years of trial and error and after getting used to the foul stench he uses a hammer and small stone mortar to carefully break open the spiny murex shells.

What happens next is part of a secret guarded so closely that it disappeared hundreds of years ago.

A symbol of power and prestige, the celebrated purple colour was traditionally used for royal and imperial robes.

Production of the dye was among the main sources of wealth for the ancient Phoenicians, and then for the Carthaginian and Roman empires, said Ali Drine, who heads the research division of Tunisias National Heritage Institute.

The industry was under the control of the emperors because it brought a lot of money to the imperial coffers, he said.

In August 2007 on a Tunisian beach, Nouira found a shell releasing a purplish red colour, reminding him of something hed learnt in history class at school.

He bought more shells from local fishermen and set out experimenting in an old outside kitchen at his fathers house that he still uses as a workshop.

Experts in dyeing, archaeology and history, as well as chemistry, helped and encouraged me, but nobody knew the technique, Nouira said.

No historical documents clearly detail the production methods for the purple pigment, Drine said.

Maybe because the artisans did not want to divulge the secrets of their know-how, or they were afraid to because the production of purple was directly associated with the emperors, who tolerated no rivalry, he said.

The only clues for unearthing the techniques lie in archaeological sites and artefacts in the Mediterranean, particularly in Tyre in southern Lebanon, and Meninx, on the coast of Tunisias Djerba island.

Phoenicians from Tyre set down the foundations of what would become the Carthaginian empire on the Tunisian coasts.

Also known as Tyrian purple, the pigment is still highly valued today and is produced by just a handful of people around the world.

They include a German painter and a Japanese enthusiast, each with their own secret techniques.

Among the buyers are collectors, artists and researchers.

The dye can cost $2,800 per gramme from some European traders, and prices can reach up to $4,000, Nouira said.

He said he had produced a total of several dozen grammes of the pure purple dye, which he sells internationally for more modest prices.

Nouira said that when he sought help from other dye-makers, one told him bluntly, its not a cooking recipe to be passed around.'

That made me even more determined. It drove me to read more and redouble my efforts.

In a wooden box where he keeps his stock, ranging from indigo blue to violet, Nouira carefully guards a dye sample from 2009 a dear memento of my first success.

I improved my methods until I found the right technique and mastered it from 2013-2014, he said.

To obtain one gramme of pure purple dye, Nouira said he had to shell 100 kilogrammes of murex, a task that takes him two weekends.

He washes the marine snails and sorts them by species and size, then carefully breaks the upper part of the shells to extract the gland that, after oxidisation, produces the purple colour.

Nouira said his greatest wish was to see his work exhibited in Tunisian museums.

Purple has great tourist potential, he added, expressing a desire to one day also conduct workshops.

But he lamented what he said was the authorities lack of interest in the craft.

In the meantime, he too is keeping his trade secrets close, and said he hoped to pass them on to his children.

Im very satisfied, and Im also proud to have revived something related to our Carthaginian ancestors.

by Kaouther Larbi

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Passion for purple revives ancient dye in Tunisia - Macau Business

Visitors fall 84% in the first half of the year – Macau News

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In the first half of 2020, the number of visitor arrivals decreased by 83.9 per cent year-on-year to 3,268,900, according to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

Same-day visitors (1,723,218) and overnight visitors (1,545,682) declined by 84.0 per cent and 83.7 per cent respectively.

Visitors from mainland China (2,339,589), Hong Kong (652,522) and Taiwan (81,628) all recorded decreases of more than 80 per cent.

According to DSEC, Macao received 22,556 visitors in June, a decline of more than 90 per cent year-on-year.

In terms of the source of visitors, the number of mainland Chinese visitors fell by 99.0 per cent year-on-year to 21,067 (93.4 per cent of total), with 11,235 coming from the nine Pearl River Delta cities in the Greater Bay Area.

Macao received 1,142 visitors from Hong Kong and 326 from Taiwan.

Visitor arrivals by land totalled 22,443 in June, and 77.3 per cent of them arrived through the Border Gate (17,344). Besides, there were just 113 visitor arrivals by air.

Since February, the Macao government took drastic measures to cut the influx of visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

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Visitors fall 84% in the first half of the year - Macau News

Cries of cancel culture are a tantrum by the powerful – TRT World

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The moral panic is a reaction by cultural gatekeepers to the democratising nature of online platforms, who otherwise cannot fathom being held accountable for their speech.

It was just five years ago that New York Magazine writer Jonathan Chaitdeclared journalism to be besieged by a system of left-wing ideological repression. Political correctness, in Chaits parlance, was a style of politics in which the more radical members of the left attempt to regulate political discourse by defining opposing views as bigoted and illegitimate.

Previously confined to academia, according to Chait, political correctness had gradually made inroads on social media and subsequently attained an influence over mainstream journalism and commentary beyond that of the old.

The main complaint of the now infamousopen letter published by Harpers Magazine does not vary from Chaits denunciation of political correctness five years ago.

Much as Chait had bemoaned that debate had become irrelevant and frequently impossible due to political correctness, the letter decries that the very norms of open debate and toleration of differences are now threatened in favor of ideological conformity.

Nor are the stakes any different this time around.

Just as Chait warned that the growth of political correctness threatened democracy itself, the letter suggests that the new set of moral attitudes and political commitments make everyone less capable of democratic participation. Chait considered political correctness to be antithetical to liberalism and the letter maintains that the lifeblood of a liberal society is at risk.

It has now become common practice for prominent writers with access to platforms which reach millions to raise overwrought concerns that the very foundation of liberalism is crumbling.

What Chait called political correctness has increasingly come to be known as cancel culture: a supposedly censorious tendency which entails an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.

Ironically, what these writers and intellectuals consider to be a threat to free speech are in fact themselves acts of free speech.

Cancel culture, if one is to call it that, is merely an indication that free speech is alive and well. There is an audience which engages with the work of others and feels free to criticise what it does not like.

The responses can take many forms: criticism and shaming on social media, letters to the editor, or boycotts of publications, TV shows, and streaming platforms. These are all responses that an audience is entitled to and they are all well within the scope of free speech.

In their erstwhile desire to denounce the encroachment of the public on their turf, the guardians of our culture complain that they no longer feel as comfortable to share their opinions as before, due to how others may feel and react.

This is what the hand-wringing over and condemnations of cancel culture actually indicate. The immunity from criticism our cultural and political establishment enjoyed for so long has now been lost.

Access to liberal values has always been shaped by political contexts, material conditions, market incentives, cultural forces, and so on. This still remains true. What has changed is the growth of the internet as an open-forum.

Amplifying voices

The audience has access to tools which allow it to direct its ire at those who previously enjoyed unfettered access to traditional media and remained blissfully oblivious to the opinions of their readership.

Blogs in the early 2000s and social media, especially Twitter, since then have allowed and even amplified the voices of marginalised groups. It is these previously unheard voices which seem to be causing so much consternation to the cultural and political establishment.

The moral panic, thus, is merely an elite reaction to the democratising nature of engagement with traditional media which social media enables.

The gatekeepers can no longer control the terms of their engagement with their audience and are now treated to an unrelenting stream of criticism. They take this not just to be a personal affront but rather a significant cultural shift.

Free speech, and liberalism generally, face no threat from a sheltered cultural and political establishment finally being challenged or exposed to contrary views. In its classical liberal formulation, free speech guarantees protection from government persecution but not necessarily a platform to broadcast your views.

No one is entitled to a Netflix special or access to the opinion pages of the New York Times and no ones freedom of speech is challenged when that access is cancelled. Never mind that many of those who are ostensibly cancelled actually go on to enjoy their lives and careers in much the same way as before.

As US House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezpointed out, no one has the right to a large, captive audience and does not become a victim if people choose to tune them out. The odds are, she continued, youre not actually cancelled, youre just being challenged, held accountable, or unliked.

It is telling that the Harpers Magazine letter contains no concrete examples of how free speech is being threatened. The consequences for dissenting and marginalised voices have always been far more severe than disagreements and social media shaming.

Advocates of Palestinian self-determination arefired from their jobs and have their lives destroyed, Muslims are thrown in prison fortranslation work, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists arethreatened by intelligence agencies, and so on.

The cancellation of unnamed individuals from marginalised groups looks very different from the cancellation of a famous writer who may have to think twice before firing off another anti-trans tweet.

What the Harpers letter, and denunciations of cancel culture generally, represent is an attempt to weaponise free speech to further constrict free speech: a list ditch effort by the self-appointed guardians of culture to ensure access remains limited to the select few.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT World.

We welcome all pitches and submissions to TRT World Opinion please send them via email, to opinion.editorial@trtworld.com

Source: TRT World

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Cries of cancel culture are a tantrum by the powerful - TRT World

Charlie Kaufman’s debut novel, ‘Antkind,’ is just as loopy and clever as his movies – theday.com

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Antkind

By Charlie Kaufman

Random House. 720 pp. $30

---

B. Rosenberger Rosenberg does not think much of filmmaker Charlie Kaufman or his work. "He sticks in my craw like no other," Rosenberg says, and it's one of the milder insults he lobs at the screenwriter and director responsible for such celebrated, mind-bending films as "Being John Malkovich," "Anomalisa" and "Synecdoche, New York." That Rosenberg correctly suspects Kaufman of being his creator and the decider of his fate has no moderating effect on his attacks. Kaufman, he says, is "a third-rate talent who no doubt despises me as much as I do him."

Rosenberg is easy to dislike. A self-described "older, intellectual writer" who reviews movies for obscure publications, Rosenberg is deeply envious of his fellow critics. He loathes most other writers and believes his essays are well known when, in fact, they may not even exist (sample title: "Swedish Hsi Dews," about Swedish palindromists). He tries so hard to prove that he's woke, "as the children today say," that he comes off as anything but. Disagreeable, arrogant and clueless, Rosenberg is no one's idea of a quarantine companion. He is, in short, an ass.

All of which makes him the ideal protagonist for "Antkind," Kaufman's loopy, loony, 720-page raspberry of a first novel. A dyspeptic satire that owes much to Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon, "Antkind" has in Rosenberg a contrarian whose tomatoes are always rotten. "Starbucks is the smart coffee for dumb people. It's the Christopher Nolan of coffee," he offers during one discursive rant. About the only things Rosenberg approves of are sex (which he seldom has) and Judd Apatow ("the Great Exception").

Why spend a minute, let alone 720 pages, with this guy? For starters, he can be outrageously funny, often without meaning to be. "Imagine a holy synthesis of Brandon Cruz from 'The Courtship of Eddie's Father' and Mayim Bialik of 'Blossom' fame and you're imagining me as a boy," Rosenberg says, totally serious. "I am the Marilu Henner of men," he brags of the extraordinary memory he claims to possess and certainly does not. His chronic misspelling of famous names (Jake Gillibrand, Tarrantinoo) is the novel's best running joke.

Kaufman, of course, is the clever one here, and he has a blast tweaking toxic masculinity, celebrity worship, political correctness, filmmaking, therapy, high art, low art and much more. Themes that have long preoccupied the writer, particularly in the films "Adaptation" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," reappear in "Antkind." Humanity's ever competing perceptions of reality, the unreliability of memory, the question of God's existence and the malleable nature of storytelling are measured again and again in this novel that is long but never dull.

"We are all of us victims of the illusion of constancy," a filmmaker named Ingo Cutbirth tells Rosenberg during a visit to St. Augustine, where he is researching a book about gender and cinema. Cutbirth, who claims to be 119 years old, has spent nine decades creating a stop motion-animation film that is three months long and features thousands of handmade puppets. Rosenberg agrees to watch the film in one stretch, pausing only for bathroom, food and sleep breaks determined by Cutbirth. It is, Rosenberg decides, "the greatest single piece of art ever created."

As Rosenberg watches the film, Cutbirth dies, and the critic dedicates his life to making sure the movie is "properly disseminated, appreciated, celebrated." He packs decades' worth of boxes filled with film reels and puppets into a rental truck and heads home to New York. But while he's inside a fast-food restaurant, the truck catches fire. Only one frame of Cutbirth's film survives. For the next 500-plus pages, Rosenberg attempts to recreate the movie through a variety of self-invented memory techniques and hypnotherapy. Soon, he can no longer tell the difference between the real world and that of the film, and he's traveling back and forth through time, pausing frequently to complain about this and that. He becomes Billy Pilgrim as played by Larry David.

Keeping up with the story is near impossible, particularly when Rosenberg finds himself embroiled in a war between a million Donald Trump robots with nuclear bombs inside their heads and an army formed by the Slammy's fast-food chain. But for all the absurd digressions and circuitous detours, "Antkind" remains propelled by Kaufman's deep imagination, considerable writing ability and bull's-eye wit.

Increasingly among the mayhem, the promise of Rosenberg's redemption also surfaces. "Perhaps this would have been the work of art that would do what no other work of art has ever been able to achieve: unite us, show us the best in ourselves, lead us on a collective journey toward compassion," Rosenberg says of Cutbirth's lost film. "I know it led me toward compassion, at least one-seventh of the way."

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Charlie Kaufman's debut novel, 'Antkind,' is just as loopy and clever as his movies - theday.com

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Is Expected To Grow At A Fast Pace During Forecast 2020 To 2025 | Report Including COVID-19 Impact…

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Global Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market 2020

The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market 2020 report includes the market strategy, market orientation, expert opinion and knowledgeable information. The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Industry Report is an in-depth study analyzing the current state of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market. It provides a brief overview of the market focusing on definitions, classifications, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, market segmentation, end-use applications and industry chain analysis. The study on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market provides analysis of market covering the industry trends, recent developments in the market and competitive landscape.

It takes into account the CAGR, value, volume, revenue, production, consumption, sales, manufacturing cost, prices, and other key factors related to the global Complementary and Alternative Medicine market. All findings and data on the global Complementary and Alternative Medicine market provided in the report are calculated, gathered, and verified using advanced and reliable primary and secondary research sources. The regional analysis offered in the report will help you to identify key opportunities of the global Complementary and Alternative Medicine market available in different regions and countries.

Some of The Companies Competing in The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market are: Columbia Nutritional, Herb Pharm, Herbal Hills, Helio USA, Deepure Plus, Nordic Naturals, Pure encapsulations, Iyengar Yoga Institute, John Schumachers Unity Woods Yoga Center, Yoga Tree, The Healing Company, and Quantum Touch

The final report will add the analysis of the Impact of Covid-19 in this report Complementary and Alternative Medicine industry.

Get a Sample Copy of the [emailprotected] https://www.reportsandmarkets.com/sample-request/covid-19-impact-on-global-complementary-and-alternative-medicine-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026?utm_source=bulletinline&utm_medium=36

The report scrutinizes different business approaches and frameworks that pave the way for success in businesses. The report used Porters five techniques for analyzing the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market; it also offers the examination of the global market. To make the report more potent and easy to understand, it consists of info graphics and diagrams. Furthermore, it has different policies and improvement plans which are presented in summary. It analyzes the technical barriers, other issues, and cost-effectiveness affecting the market.

Global Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Research Report 2020 carries in-depth case studies on the various countries which are involved in the Complementary and Alternative Medicine market. The report is segmented according to usage wherever applicable and the report offers all this information for all major countries and associations. It offers an analysis of the technical barriers, other issues, and cost-effectiveness affecting the market. Important contents analyzed and discussed in the report include market size, operation situation, and current & future development trends of the market, market segments, business development, and consumption tendencies. Moreover, the report includes the list of major companies/competitors and their competition data that helps the user to determine their current position in the market and take corrective measures to maintain or increase their share holds.

What questions does the Complementary and Alternative Medicine market report answer pertaining to the regional reach of the industry?

The report claims to split the regional scope of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine market into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa. Which among these regions has been touted to amass the largest market share over the anticipated duration

How do the sales figures look at present how does the sales scenario look for the future?

Considering the present scenario, how much revenue will each region attain by the end of the forecast period?

How much is the market share that each of these regions has accumulated presently

How much is the growth rate that each topography will depict over the predicted timeline

A short overview of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine market scope:

Global market remuneration

Overall projected growth rate

Industry trends

Competitive scope

Product range

Application landscape

Supplier analysis

Marketing channel trends Now and later

Sales channel evaluation

Market Competition Trend

Market Concentration Rate

Reasons to Read this Report

This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics

It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth

It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow

It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future

It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors

It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments

TABLE OF CONTENT:

Chapter 1: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Overview

Chapter 2: Global Economic Impact on Industry

Chapter 3: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Competition by Manufacturers

Chapter 4: Global Production, Revenue (Value) by Region

Chapter 5: Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions

Chapter 6: Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

Chapter 7: Global Market Analysis by Application

Chapter 8: Manufacturing Cost Analysis

Chapter 9: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

Chapter 10: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

Chapter 11: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Effect Factors Analysis

Chapter 12: Global Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Forecast to 2027

Get Complete Report @ https://www.reportsandmarkets.com/enquiry/covid-19-impact-on-global-complementary-and-alternative-medicine-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026?utm_source=bulletinline&utm_medium=36

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Complementary and Alternative Medicine Market Is Expected To Grow At A Fast Pace During Forecast 2020 To 2025 | Report Including COVID-19 Impact...

With a Funded Internship, Griffin Marshall ’21 Seeks An Alternative Treatment for Aquaculture – Bowdoin News

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Griffin Marshall, on a Zoom call.

While this summer he is working in a lab running experiments and bioassays, last summer he spent a lot of time in swamps.

That's because Prospective Research is searching for the next great medicine in dirt. "Dirt prospecting," Marshall calls it.

"My job last year was field work and dirt dilutions. I'd go out with waders and sterile vials, scoop up dirt, and go back to the lab," he said. After diluting the samples and putting them in an incubator, he would watch what grewsometimes blooms of rainbow-colored bacteria colonies.

Prospective Research's team is smalltwo founders, two interns, and a scientist with a background in drug development. Now that they've collected some promising bacteria strains, they're developing them in the lab to see whether they can effectively fight against bacterial, fungal, or parasiticpathogens in aquaculturespecies like shrimp, salmon, and oysters.

This summer, Marshall has a Scott and Anne Perper Internship Fund from Bowdoin to support his summer internship. The fund is one of 102 grants that Bowdoin Career Exploration and Development awarded to students this year to pursue unpaid summer internships.

Marshall is working in an emerging area of discovery: the development of antibiotic alternatives that can control the spread of disease in marine organisms. "The implications are massive," he said. "In aquaculture, density is the key. If you can increase density, you get more food. But the biggest hindrance is disease."

Antibiotics in aquacultureare problematic, mainly for the resistance that might build up to them, and countries have placed strict regulations on their use. So Prospective Research is looking for a bacteria that will act like a probiotic and outcompete pathogens in farmed fish or shellfish populations.

"It works the same way as in your gut," Marshall said. "It will decrease the overall density of the pathogenic species. Pathogens are always present, but they only become a problem when there are a lot of them."

Marshall spends his days in a small laboratory in Beverly, Massachusetts, experimenting with different ways to grow the bacteria colonies he's collected from the environment. The promising ones that can be successfully cultivated are tested with live marine species in a lab in Arizona.

As a biology major and environmentalstudies minor, Marshall said he's interested in the intersections of science and environmentalism. "This is a really cool spot, because we're looking at aquaculture, which gets at the ecology aspect, but it also has microbiology," he said.

Working in a commercial lab has also been exciting, he said. "It's been a valuable experience, because it feels like what I am doing is not just for the sake of learning but for the sake of building a business, and I'm building more connections in the science world."

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With a Funded Internship, Griffin Marshall '21 Seeks An Alternative Treatment for Aquaculture - Bowdoin News

RHOC: Shannon Beador and her three daughters have Coronavirus – Champagne and Shade

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THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY, Tamra Judge, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Shannon Storms Beador, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson (Photo by:Casey Durkin/Bravo)

While filming was shut down in many places for extended periods of time, The Real Housewives of Orange County was one of the first franchises to start back up again. Shannon Beador had the ladies over to her house, and just last week, Gina Kirschenheiter said the group was going on a trip together while quarantining.

But on Saturday, Shannon took to her Instagram to say that she and all three of her daughters, Sophie, Stella, andAdeline had all tested positive for the Coronavirus. Ginas post about the RHOC trip was only ten days ago, so it isnt clear when exactly Shannon got sick but hopefully, no one else in the group contracted the virus. It was speculated that Shannon and Emily Simpson opted out of going on the trip toLake Arrowhead.

Shannon said that she and the girls are all staying in the same house, but in separate rooms. She also thanked those medical professionals who helped them.

Braunwyn Windham-Burke left some hearts in the comments, and her mother, Dr. Deb, offered to bring them food if needed. The comments were mostly positive, besides some others that criticized Shannon and the other ladies for being reckless.

Shannon has always been a bit obsessed with health, including her alternative medicine doctor, Dr. Moon. Dr. Moon and his energy medicine center were frequently featured on the show in Shannons earlier seasons.

Meanwhile, Kelly Dodd said that the coronavirus was Gods way of thinning the herd.I wonder how Shannon feels about those comments now?

This season of RHOCis certainly going to be different, and inevitably choppy with the timeline of things. Perhaps Bravo will acknowledge the virus and show how the ladies spent their time in quarantine. Or, perhaps, theyll just ignore it altogether. Only time will tell!

Get well soon, Shannon, Sophia, Stella, andAdeline!

For more information about COVID-19, visittheCDCs websiteor the website for your states Department of Health.

The Real Housewives of Orange Countywill be back later this year.

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RHOC: Shannon Beador and her three daughters have Coronavirus - Champagne and Shade

Is this the end of Turkish secularism? – Al-Monitor

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Jul 24, 2020

The Hagia Sophia opened for Muslim prayer on July 24. As the world grapples with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans abrupt decision, many opposition figures have fallen in line to congratulate the decision.

One can understand the enthusiasm of the Islamist Felicity Party or Erdogans coalition partner Nationalist Movement Party, whose bases share strong feelings about the museum turning into a mosque. However, other parties reactions are more surprising.

Recent polls indicate only 20% of Good Party voters and 21.8% of left-leaning Republican Peoples Party (CHP) voters approve of the decision, along with 33% of the voter base of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Partys (HDP). The HDPs elected officials are the only ones who dared speak words of caution as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) promotes a monolithic expression of identity.

Muharrem Ince, a 2018 CHP presidential candidate, announced he would join the first Friday prayers if he is invited.

Timur Kuran, a professor of economics and political science at Duke University, told Al-Monitor, We are observing rising preference falsification in Turkey on a host of matters. The reactions to Hagia Sophia offer a salient example. The opposition has applauded the decision not because it approves it. Rather, it is afraid to be labeled as anti-Muslim and to be tied to Kemalisms assertive secularism.

A few intellectuals have voiced criticism of the decision, to harsh treatment by pro-government media outlets.

One of the most striking comments came from author Orhan Pamuk, a Nobel laureate. Pamuk said, There are millions of secular Turks like me who are crying against this but their voices are not heard.

Political Islam has produced several red lines that no political figure dares to cross. The fear of offending Muslim sensitivities has crippled the opposition while giving free rein for Erdogan, who gleefully grabs more power. This timidity has led to serious policy consequences in the last two decades.

For example, the Turkish government has invested unreported sums of money into alternative medicine against the advice of the medical establishment. Traditional cures are touted as having been used and recommended by the Prophet Muhammad.

Another example is womens rights, the first and worst victim of political Islam. After seeking the right to wear their headscarves in the public domain, women are being gradually pushed back into the house. Femicide has skyrocketed, while womens presence in education, workspaces and parliament has declined.

A recent International Social Survey Program poll documented a spike in the number of those who support Sharia law. The figures, which stood at 14-19% 2009, increased to 27-32% in 2019.

Diyanet, Turkeys official religious body, has an exponentially growing budget and number of personnel have become beacons of political Islam. Religious sects have gained sufficient power within the state, many argue, to form a parallel state that led to a coup attempt in 2016. While the Fethullah Gulen movement was only one of them, the others mounting reach is an open secret in Turkey.

Law professor emeritus Levent Koker told Al-Monitor, Over time the AKP became entrenched as the political instrument of the Turkish nationalist establishment, now politically using religion more efficiently and visibly, turning the Diyanet into an overt instrument of political hegemony. This does not mean that the AKP, as an Islamist party, is changing the foundational characteristics of the Turkish Republic to turn it into an Islamic polity. To the contrary, what seems to be happening now is the rise of authoritarian rule with a strong reference to religion in a historical-political context in which Islam has been institutionalized as a mechanism of state control over society. It is an open-ended question whether this authoritarian formation could be reversed or will advance to turn Turkey into a Sharia-based state. The historical background says the latter option is very remote, while the former is possible but very difficult under the current national and international climate dominated by nationalist/populist authoritarians.

Birol Baskan, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, told Al-Monitor, For now, political Islam has fallen short of legislating on matters of everyday life, but has been quite successful reaching in its main goal. For years now, discussions with titles such as Islam and democracy, Islamic economy, Islam and ecology, Islam and women and others have been based on the assumption that Islam is relevant and involved in all areas.

Baskan observed that the opposition was a tacit or open accomplice in this process. He pointed out that many mayors and CHP officials have avoided using the term corruption and instead speak of economic waste a concept with stronger resonance in the conservative circles. All these are evidence of the success of political Islam, not its demise, he added.

Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former member of the Turkish Parliament, told Al-Monitor, A majority of Turkeys pro-secular figures have unknowingly internalized the Sunni hegemonic worldview and cannot imagine a future without the Turkish states direct control over the religious domain through the Directorate of Religious Affairs.

On Al-Quds Day, the speeches by the left-leaning CHP leadership and right-wing politicians were almost identical. One of the crucial consequences of this skewed understanding of secularism, Erdemir said, is that it has made the opposition apathetic to the persecution of and discrimination against Turkeys religious minorities." He went on, "We now witness that even a tame and timid version of secularism is no longer welcome in Turkey as an emboldened Erdogan pushes a more assertive sectarian agenda.

Kuran said secularism is not dead, however. It has gone underground, where it is expanding but also metamorphosing. When it reemerges, it will probably be a more tolerant variety. What emerges will probably be a form of passive secularism rather than the assertive secularism of the 1930s and 1940s, he explained.

With limited political accountability and a struggling economy, Turkish politics is becoming increasingly volatile. Secularism is on life support and those who do not fit into the ideal Sunni Muslim mold are quietly paying the price.

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Is this the end of Turkish secularism? - Al-Monitor

Chipping Away at the Surface of Melanoma Treatment: Narrowing Down Therapies – Targeted Oncology

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With many systemic therapy options available for the treatment of patients with melanoma, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) gathered together an expert panel to create guideline recommendations for choosing the optimal agent at multiple stages of the disease (FIGURE).1 They covered 1 systematic review, 1 meta-analysis, and 34 randomized trials to compile the new set of recommendations for treating patients with various stages of melanoma.1

When asked how treatment options have changed in the last 5 years, Rahul Seth, DO, lead author of the guideline, said, Melanoma is a field that has undergone a revolution in terms of treatment options and treatment outcomes. With so many therapies available and new ones being tested every day, deciding on a treatment regimen can be difficult.

Targeted Therapies in Oncology asked Seth, an assistant professor of medicine at State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, if there were any therapy regimens not listed in the expert recommendations that he felt had merit. The short answer is no, the ASCO guideline [was] pretty exhaustive in all aspects, he said.

The guideline addresses 4 clinical questions regarding approaches to systemic treatment for different types and stages of melanoma, in addition to summarizing the trials on which the recommendations were based.

The evidence supporting the panels advice regarding systemic therapy in patients with melanoma who are ineligible for surgical resection was primarily based on a 2018 Cochrane Review, which included data from 122 randomized clinical trials through October 2017.1,2

The guideline indicates that patients with BRAF wild-type unresectable/metastatic cutaneous melanoma should be offered, in no significant order, combination ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by nivolumab, single-agent nivolumab, or single-agent pembrolizumab.

Historically, patients in this population received chemotherapy with or without interferon and/or interleukin-2 (IL-2), but therapy success was limited and toxicity incidence was high. When introduced, the CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab induced better progression-free survival (PFS) but also greater toxicity. Phase 3 results from trials comparing experimental regimens of ipilimumab (Yervoy) versus nivolumab (Opdivo; CheckMate 067, NCT01844505) or pembrolizumab (Keytruda; KEYNOTE-006, NCT01866319) showed significantly improved overall survival (OS) compared with the control arm of single-agent ipilimumab in both cases.

For patients with BRAF V600 unresectable/ metastatic cutaneous melanoma, the panel said the above regimens can be considered, in addition to BRAF/MEK inhibitor combinations of dabrafenib (Tafinlar) plus trametinib (Mekinist), encorafenib (Braftovi) plus binimetinib (Mektovi), or vemurafenib (Zelboraf) plus cobimetinib (Cotellic).

I do believe that gene mapping is necessary for patients, for there are possibilities to get targeted therapies which may benefit patients, Seth said. Efficacy can be increased, and we do recommend FoundationOne [CDx] testing if one has no options left.

Each BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination may produce different toxicity profiles; therefore, switching between regimens may be beneficial for patients experiencing unmanageable toxicities. However, there are no data regarding the effects on efficacy of such a switch.

When compared with chemotherapy, single-agent BRAF and MEK inhibitors have produced superior OS and PFS in randomized clinical trials. But when both types of agent are combined, OS and PFS are superior to those with BRAF inhibitors alone. Phase 3 trials with results supporting these recommendations include the CoBRIM trial (NCT01689519) of vemurafenib and cobimetinib, the COM-BI-v trial (NCT01597908) of dabrafenib and trametinib, and the COLUMBUS trial (NCT01909453) of encorafenib and binime-tinib, all with a control arm of single-agent vemurafenib. At this time, no head-to-head data are available to inform clinicians as to the best combination therapy.

Treating patients and handling their expectations and understanding of possible adverse effects is a huge part of practice, Seth said. I have found with more patient education [there are] better outcomes and a better quality of life.

Recommendations for second-line treatment depend on the patients BRAF biomarker status and type of first-line agent. Patients with BRAF wild-type tumors who progressed on PD-1 inhibitors may receive ipilimumab or ipilimumab- based therapy; those with injectable lesions are eligible for talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) therapy. Evidence for second-line ipilimumab is based on a single previous trial that investigated this agent following IL-2 or chemotherapy. However, because that studys first-line treatment was not a PD-1 inhibitor, the panel questioned its relevance and only weakly recommended this option.

Second-line recommendations for patients with BRAF V600 mutations include the BRAF/MEK inhibitor combinations discussed above following frontline PD-1 inhibition; conversely, PD-1 inhibitors may be considered following frontline BRAF/MEK inhibition. For either group, ipilimumab or ipilimumab-containing regimens are a suggested alternative.

Second-line therapies are chosen based on factors [related to] how the patient is doing with the current treatment, Seth said. There [are] no absolute criteria, but the clinicians decide based on the treatment options [that are out there].

Patients who are ineligible or unwilling to receive systemic therapy or participate in clinical trials may be given T-VEC as an alternative primary therapy. Evidence from the phase 3 OPTiM trial (NCT00769704) demonstrated mixed results for T-VEC versus granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, with a significant improvement in median time to treatment failure (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.32-0.54) but not in OS (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.62-1.00). Additionally, grade 3/4 toxicity was somewhat increased in the T-VEC arm.

The most recent FDA approval for a systemic melanoma treatment occurred in 2019, when the agency designated the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab as an acceptable adjuvant treatment for patients with melanoma with lymph node involvement following complete resection.3

The panel investigated different adjuvant systemic therapy options, alone or in combination, to determine the best options for use in adults with resected stage II to IV cutaneous melanoma.

Nineteen randomized trials were reviewed in this section of the guideline, most of which were found to have a low risk of bias. The panel primarily examined the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and OS rates. Recommendation 2.1 advises against adjuvant nivolumab, pembrolizumab, or combination therapy with dabrafenib and trametinib for patients with stage II disease due to the lack of positive trial data. The panel suggested that patients seek to enroll in a clinical trial instead.1

However, the panel determined that for patients with resected stage IIIA to IIID disease and BRAF wild-type tumors, a year of systemic therapy with a PD-1 inhibitor, either nivolumab or pembrolizumab should be offered. The recommendations advised against the routine use of interferon and ipilimumab in adjuvant therapy. Patients with BRAF V600E/Kmutant disease may consider the same therapies in addition to the targeted BRAF/MEK inhibitor combination of dabrafenib plus trametinib.1

It was determined that patients with resected stage III disease with minimal lymph node involvement have a lower risk of relapse, thereby making individualized therapy after shared decision-making talks with the patient preferred over a broad recommendation.1

The phase 3 CheckMate 238 trial (NCT02388906) in patients with stage IIIB/C or IV melanoma found nivolumab superior to ipilimumab in terms of RFS (HR, 0.65; 97.56% CI, 0.51-0.83; P <.001) and toxicity. A similar RFS advantage was seen with the use of pembrolizumab versus placebo in patients with high-risk stage III melanoma (HR, 0.57; 98.4% CI, 0.43-0.74; P <.001) in the phase 3 KEYNOTE-054 trial (NCT02362594).1

With no head-to-head studies available to compare nivolumab and pembrolizumab, the panel determined that either treatment plan would be an acceptable option for these patients.

Efficacy of the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib was explored in the phase 3 COMBI-AD trial (NCT01682083) in patients with high-risk BRAF V600E/Kpositive melanoma following surgical resection. With a minimum follow-up of 3 years, the targeted therapy regimen had significant improvements in RFS (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.39-0.58; P <.001) and OS (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42-0.79; P = .0006) versus placebo.

Randomized data testing the efficacy of interferon showed a significant benefit compared with observation. However, this was outweighed by the greater benefits demonstrated with more recently available agents coupled with the known toxicity of interferon, which led the expert panel to determine that interferon could not be recommended.

In the phase 3 ECOG-E1609 trial of ipilimumab at doses of 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg (NCT01274338), the CTLA-4 inhibitor had similar efficacy to interferon in terms of RFS and only showed improvement in OS at the lower dose (HR, 0.78; 95.6% CI, 0.61-1.00; P = .044). This result, coupled with data showing the superiority of nivolumab over ipilimumab, led the panel to determine that ipilimumab can no longer be recommended as a preferred agent.

For patients who have resected stage IV melanoma, the panel formed a consensus regarding single-agent nivolumab as the preferred agent based on evidence from CheckMate 238. The panel determined that pembrolizumab may be offered as an alternative to nivolumab, despite an absence of clinical data, based on similar efficacy of the 2 PD-1 inhibitors seen in key clinical trials. Dabrafenib plus trametinib may also be offered to patients with BRAF V600E/K mutations, particularly those who cannot receive or who cannot tolerate nivolumab.

Because noncutaneous forms of melanoma such as mucosal and uveal melanomaare less common than cutaneous forms, trial-based evidence is difficult to obtain due to small sample sizes. However, the panel did address a few specific studies in making recommendations for treating these patients.

Several clinical trials included subgroups of patients with mucosal melanoma but had insuff icient numbers of patients for the panel to draw conclusions. One phase 2 trial of patients with mucosal melanoma found improved RFS and OS with temozolomide plus cisplatin chemotherapy versus interferon and observation, with similar grade 3/4 toxicities between the 2 nonobservation arms. However, the panel considered those results as artifactual given the small sample size; therefore, it recommended that patients with mucosal melanoma follow the guidance given for unresectable cutaneous melanoma.

In uveal melanoma, selumetinib (Koselugo) compared with either temozolomide or dacarbazine demonstrated an improvement in PFS that was statistically significant (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30-0.71) but not clinically meaningful, and there was no difference in OS. The follow-up phase 3 SUMIT trial (NCT01974752) failed to produce improvement in either OS or PFS with selumetinib plus dacarbazine versus dacarbazine alone.

Uveal melanoma is commonly included in the exclusion criteria for studies of new therapies, making it difficult to find useful data to make treatment recommendations. The panel concluded that no specific recommendation could be made regarding patients with uveal melanoma and indicated that patients should be referred to clinical trials when possible.

No specific recommendation could be made for or against neoadjuvant therapy for resectable cutaneous melanoma. Current evidence suggests that the best option for these patients is referral to a clinical trial.

In forming this conclusion, the expert panel reviewed 4 trials. Two small trials led by Rodabe N. Amaria, MD, were terminated early and failed to produce results sufficient for drawing a conclusion regarding efficacy. The first trial (NCT02231775), which looked at neoadjuvant and adjuvant dabrafenib plus trametinib versus contemporary standard of care in 21 patients, was stopped early due to significant event-free survival improvement in the experimental arm (HR, 0.016; 95% CI, 0.00012-0.1; P <.0001). The second trial (NCT02519322) consisted of 23 patients treated with neoadjuvant ipilimumab and nivolumab versus single-agent nivolumab, both followed by adjuvant nivolumab. This trial was stopped early because patients had high toxicity rates and early disease progression.

Two other trials of different combinations of nivolumab and ipilimumab as neoadjuvant therapy failed to demonstrate a clear benefit at dose levels that did not lead to a significant increase in toxicity.

The panel concluded that potential benefit with neoadjuvant therapy may exist, and clinical trials are the best option for these patients.

There are many studies open, Seth said. I think studies looking at the BRAF[/MEK] combinations and immunotherapy will be the ones to help us in the future.

When asked about his current treatment preferences, Seth said, in the time of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], I am using immunotherapies for patients [who] are unable to get surgery.

I truly believe melanoma will become a treatable [disease], Seth concluded. The next 5 years are unknown, but we are bound to be better and more efficient in treatment.

References:

1. Seth R, Messersmith H, Kaur V, et al. Systemic therapy for melanoma: ASCO guideline. J Clin Oncol. Published online March 31, 2020.doi:10.1200/JCO.20.00198

2. Pasquali S, Hadjinicolaou AV, Chiarion Sileni V, Rossi CR, Mocellin S. Systemic treatments for metastatic cutaneous melanoma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;2(2):CD011123. doi:10.1002/14651858. CD011123.pub2

3. FDA approves pembrolizumab for adjuvant treatment of melanoma. FDA. Updated March 18, 2019. Accessed May 22, 2020. bit.ly/3btFOiG

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Chipping Away at the Surface of Melanoma Treatment: Narrowing Down Therapies - Targeted Oncology

The real face of Reading’s Christopher Columbus statue was a pioneer of a different sort – Reading Eagle

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When Monica Krick and her brother, Butch Parenti, look at the Christopher Columbus statue in City Park, they see the face and figure of their father's friend, Dr. Jesse Mercer Gehman.

The statue has generated protests in the racial justice period that followed the death of George Floyd in police custody in late May in Minneapolis. The protests expanded beyond the Floyd death.

Dr. Jesse Gehman, a native of Elverson, Chester County, grew up in Reading and was a pioneer in the field of natural health. Gehman was the model used in sculpting the Christopher Columbus statue in Reading's City Park.

Gehman, who grew up in Reading, was the model for the statue, sculpted in 1925 by Vincenzo Miserendino.

Whenever we went by the park, my dad would point out the statue and say Jesse posed for that, said Krick of Blandon.

She and Parenti of Reading credit Gehman, a pioneer in the fields of alternative medicine and naturopathy, for their father's longevity.

Their father, Nick, the well-known owner of the Keystone Meat Market at 857 Penn St., was91 when he died in 2008.

The elder Parenti, a lifelong disciple of Gehman, largely followed the naturopaths protocols for more than 70 years.

My dad listened to Jesse and was a good pupil, Krick said.

She remembers when her father developed a cyst that grew into his middle ear and bulged beneath his jaw.

Nicky, you have been a bad boy, she recalled Gehman said when consulted.

He blamed the growth on lapses in Nick's healthy diet and ordered a strict regimen of raw vegetables and fruits. After several weeks, the cyst drained and healed, she said.

Jesse had pretty much a cure for everything, Krick said. He advocated daily exercise and a vegetarian diet.

The naturopath favored eating a diet low in starchy and fatty foods, limiting consumption of meats, alcohol and caffeine and getting plenty of daily sunshine, fresh air and exercise. Outspokenly against smoking, he penned Smoke Across America, a treatise on the dangers of tobacco use, in 1943.

He also drew criticism from the established medical community due to what were seen as his unscientific methods and his anti-vaccination stance.

"Jesse could look at someone and diagnose their health problems," Krick said, noting the doctor could detect potential diseases and health conditions by examining a patient's eyes, skin and fingernails.

Dr. Jesse Gehman, a native of Elverson, Chester County, grew up in Reading and was a pioneer in the field of natural health. Gehman was the model used in sculpting the Christopher Columbus statue in Reading's City Park.

Gehman's interest in the health and strength-training movement, then known as physical culture, began during his teen years.

Typical exercise routines used by the movement often included the use of wooden clubs, dumbbells and medicine balls, equipment popular in the gymnasiums of Olivet Boys Club and Reading YMCA, where Gehman worked out.

After attending preparatory school in Massachusetts, he enrolled in the American College of Naturopathy and Chiropractic, graduating in 1925 with degrees in nutrition, naturopathy and chiropractic medicine.

The chiropractic school was established in New York in 1901, the same year Gehman was born.

He went on to complete a doctorate in natural philosophy in 1931.

Jesse Mercer Gehman poses as artist Vincenzo Miserendino puts the finishing touches on the wax sculpture to be used in casting the bronze figure of Christopher Columbus in Reading City Park.

While in his early 20s, Gehman settled outside New York, where he worked as a model, sometimes posing for Miserendino, according to an article in theReading Times, May 12, 1925. He also boxed and wrestled professionally under the name Jim Mercer.

His much younger brother, Marvin K. Gehman, later wrestled as Atomic Marvin Mercer. A World Junior Heavyweight wrestling champion, Marvin won 1,887 of his 2,327 professional matches with 368 others ending in a draw, according to the Reading Eagle, June 28, 1992.

The younger Gehman excelled in sports, particularly swimming during his years at Reading High School in the 1930s, and in the 1940s wrestled in matches at the Reading Armory.

About that time, he met the slightly younger Parenti, also a practitioner of physical culture and a wrestler. Marvin introduced Nick to Jesse, leading to a lifelong friendship, Krick said.

Krick, Parenti and their sister, Sandra Sikora, sometimes accompanied their father and stepmother their mother died in 1965 on visits to Gehman, his wife, Agnes, and their children. The Gehmans had moved to a farm inDuncannon, Perry County, where they founded a health spa and natural healing center,called the Natural Living Foundation.

Gehman served as president of the American Naturopathic Association and was in demand as a lecturer at the meetings of natural health organizations. He was honored in October 1975, by the International Vegetarian Union for his efforts in advancing vegetarianism.

Gehman died at age 75 the following year.

In addition to his second wife, Agnes Stone Gehman, he was survived by their two adult children and three children from his first marriage, according to his obituary in The News of Paterson, N.J.

Krick said she kept in touch with Gehman's family for many years and still follows many of the doctor's precepts, which she calls "Jesse-isms."

"He recognized the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise," Parenti said. He really was ahead of his time."

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The real face of Reading's Christopher Columbus statue was a pioneer of a different sort - Reading Eagle

NSW shoppers told to wear face masks to fight COVID – Tweed Daily News

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Masks are set to become the next new norm as supermarkets and shops start requiring customers to cover their faces.

Woolworths is "strongly encouraging" shoppers in Fairfield and Liverpool to wear masks in its stores, including supermarkets, BWS, Dan Murphy's and Big W.

Shane Warne, wearing a personalised SW mask, cops a parking ticket in Melbourne this week. Picture: Media Mode

The NSW government has not yet mandated masks, but Health Minister Brad Hazzard said they "worked well for The Masked Crusader, Zorro, and today can work well for us - particularly when it is part of our armoury to beat COVID-19.

"In addition to social isolating, our armoury includes constant cleaning of hands, getting tested and staying home if you have any flu-like symptoms.

"If we do all that we should be as effective as the Masked Crusader."

Apple stores already require all customers wear masks.

In a letter to Woolworths Reward customers, the chain's chief executive Brad Banducci hinted more stores could follow, explaining the outbreak in Victoria "and to a lesser extent NSW" was "an unfortunate reminder that we continue to live with COVID.

"Face masks are increasingly becoming part of everyday life. If toilet paper was the symbol of the first phase of COVID, then masks are symbolic of this phase," he wrote.

"With face masks fast becoming part of everyday life in Victoria (and indeed in many parts of Europe and the United States), it feels prudent to prepare for the same in NSW."

Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association secretary Bernie Smith said the union was urging employers to offer staff masks and training.

"Employers need to have masks for staff and staff are encouraged to wear them," he said. "And they need to have sufficient masks to be able to be changed during a shift."

Coles has asked shoppers to wash or sanitise their hands before entering stores, use contactless payment whenever possible, avoid touching faces - masked or not - and cough or sneeze into a tissue or elbow.

Susan Duffy and her granddaughters Imogen (left) and Alexis Schroder wore their masks while shopping at Liverpool Woolworths on Saturday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Among those wearing masks while out shopping at their local Woolworths store in Liverpool yesterday were nurse Susan Duffy and her grandchildren Alexis and Imogen Schroder.

Ms Duffy said she was disappointed by the number of shoppers without masks.

"Too many people seem to have forgotten we're still in a pandemic because it has been dragging on for so long they've become complacent," she said.

Ms Duffy was among the estimated one in 20 Westfield Liverpool shoppers wearing masks yesterday.

Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott yesterday warned that residents at evacuation centres during the looming storms would need masks.

Sporting superstars are obviously able to get their hands on personalised face masks.

Former cricketer Shane Warnes mask has his initials and the number 23 on it. Picture: Media Mode

Wearing a fancy black mask with an SW logo to shield him from the dangers of COVID-19, former spin king Shane Warne wasn't going to be fined for breaching the latest health regulations in Melbourne yesterday.

Pity he didn't apply the same diligence to his parking arrangements.

After a lengthy visit to an alternative medical practice, he returned to his vehicle to find a dreaded white ticket flapping under the wipers of the luxury matt black Mercedes SUV.

Warne had spent almost two hours at a traditional Chinese medicine centre in Melbourne - possibly tending to some niggling injuries from his years as the world's best spin bowler, or maybe a case of RSI in those texting fingers.

His black mask has his initials in big bold lettering together with '23' - the number he wore on his back during the 145 Tests and 194 One Day Internationals he played for Australia.

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NSW shoppers told to wear face masks to fight COVID - Tweed Daily News

Queen’s team work on link between bacterial co-infections and Covid-19 – Belfast Live

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A half a million pound grant has been awarded to scientists in Northern Ireland to find alternative treatments for Covid-19 and investigate the bacterial infections that targeted the sickest patients.

The research project will be run at Queens University by Professor Jos Bengoechea.

Available information already shows that bacterial co-infections are associated with severe cases of Covid-19 in more than half of the patients tested.

And those infections appear to have a limited arsenal of antibiotic drugs to combat them.

Using the clinical data and postmortem analysis of tissues from Covid-19 patients, scientists have a battle ahead to work out the interactions between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and bacterial infections.

They believe a patient presenting with bacterial infection alongside the virus may face a more difficult the clinical outcome and severity of Covid-19, which combined may increase the risk of death.

The experts believe it is possible that the virus and bacteria may affect each others virulence by interfering with protective defense responses within the body.

And co-presence of bacteria and the virus may increase the damage of the lungs and facilitate the virus movement into the brain and the gut.

Now that the research team from Queens University Belfast has been awarded the 500,000 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Rapid Response Fund grant, they will to investigate the role of bacterial co-infections in Covid-19, and drug repurposing for the treatment of the disease.

The grant is one of only five projects supported in the UK by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBRSC) and will last 18 months.

The team, led by Professor Jos Bengoechea, consists of leading researchers from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM) at Queens who are experts in virology, immunology and translational bioinformatics: Professor Ultan Power, Dr Connor Bamford, Dr Adrien Kissenpfennig; Dr David Simpson and Dr Guillermo Lpez-Campos.

The anticipated findings of the research will help to better manage severe Covid-19 patients and identify those at risk of complications due to the presence of bacterial co-infections.

And the research teams unique knowledge will be used to test the expected antiviral behaviour of FDA-approved drugs in the co-infection area. These drugs will be considered in clinical trials as new treatments for Covid-19.

Prof Bengoechea is Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Director of WWIEM at Queens University. He explained: There is an urgent need to develop new therapeutics to treat Covid-19 targeting the virus/bacteria co-infection scenario.

It is critical that bacterial co-infections should not be underestimated and instead be part of the plan to limit the global burden of morbidity and mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

We hope that our research exploring the role of bacterial and SARS-CoV-2 co-infections will result in finding better treatments to improve the health of Covid-19 patients and possibly even save lives.

Professor Stuart Elborn, Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences at Queens, said: Im delighted Queens has been awarded this grant from UK Research and Innovation to research the impact of bacterial co-infections in Covid-19.

This research project demonstrates Queens commitment to delivering positive impact on society and is an excellent opportunity for our researchers to use their collective expertise to improve our knowledge of this new virus and its complications to optimise the care of severely effected people with Covid-19.

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Queen's team work on link between bacterial co-infections and Covid-19 - Belfast Live

Hulk Almost Killed Thanos’ Brother With A SINGLE Punch – Screen Rant

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The Hulk may struggle to defeat Thanos in a fistfight, but when he met his brother Starfox, the former Avenger almost killed him with one blow.

Since 1962, The Incredible Hulk has been a hero known for committing daring feats of strength and overcoming massive adversity. But nearly killing the younger brother of Thanos? That's a feat worthy of specific attention in Hulk's long, exemplified superhero career.

Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema's The Incredible Hulk #300 was a crossover issue which saw Hulk, no longer coexisting with Bruce Banner, go up against every Earthbound Marvel superheroin New York City. That includes bouts with Spider-Man (wearing the symbiote), Doctor Strange, Human Torch, S.H.I.E.L.D., Heroes for Hire, and even Hulk's former colleagues The Avengers. But one particular Avenger who has the unfortunate turn of running into the green goliath is the brother of the Mad Titan Thanos, Eros a.k.a. Starfox. And he would never forget it.

Related: How Powerful The Hulk Really Is In Each MCU Movie

For those who may not know, Starfox and his brother Thanos are members of the Eternals race, with Eros being born the ideal Eternal in every way... while Thanos was created deformed and much more in line with the monstrous Deviant counter race. Though Starfox comes with the standard skill set of an Eternal such as super strength, super speed, flight, teleportation, and immortality, Eros' main asset is his pleasure stimulation technique. The technique allows Eros to make other beings feel pleasure by stimulating the brain's pleasure centers of those within about 25 feet of him, which backfires on Eros when the Eternal uses the power on the insusceptible Hulk, who responds by smashing Starfox into the arms of fellow Avenger Thor, nearly taking the brother of Thanos off the table completely.

Though Starfox's Eternal lineage ultimately saves his life in the end, the Hulk once more truly shows where his strength lies by defeating Starfox with relative ease. Without Banner anchoring the beast within, the Hulk is allowed to brawl with the Titan born hero without holding back. Similar to Spider-Man, who constantly holds back on his opponents for fear of potentially killing them, the Hulk's connection to Bruce Banner throughout the years somewhat restrains the raw potential of Hulk's power.

There are forces in the Marvel Universe that can easily match the power of The Incredible Hulk, but there is not a force that the Hulk cannot match in his own way. As far as opponents go, Hulk has faced several superheroes and aliens but defeating a royal Eternal as swiftly as he did Starfox is an impressive feat. While Thanos would prove much more of a worthy threat, the Hulk can at least mark off one Eternal as a win.

Next: Thanos vs Hulk: Who Would Win (in The Comics)?

Spider-Man Can Beat Up Superman (On ONE Condition)

Hello world, enter Bryce Morris. Bryce is currently a college sophomore attending Rowan University with experience in writing for an online blog as well as an advertising agency. One day in the not too distant future, Bryce aspires to become a comic book writer. Bryce has always had his sights set on writing and in his down time can be found either watching a Marvel movie, reading a Marvel comic, or writing for Screen Rant... either or is acceptable.

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Hulk Almost Killed Thanos' Brother With A SINGLE Punch - Screen Rant

Which True Blood Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac? – Screen Rant

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True Blood was one of those shows that seemed to do the impossible: it did something new with the idea of the vampire. With its unique blend of genres, it managed to create a show that was, for its first few seasons, eminently watchable, even for those who didnt like vampires and stories about them. While it eventually lost control of its own narrative-wandering in all sorts of bizarre directions before its overdue finale-theres no question that the series still managed to produce some of the most fascinating characters on television.

RELATED:True Blood: 5 Best & 5 Worst Episodes, Ranked (According To IMDb)

And, looking at them through the lens of the zodiac allows for a more sophisticated appreciation of these individuals and their strange characteristics.

Played with inimitable flair by Denis OHare, Russell was a powerful vampire king who also developed a taste for fairy blood. Though he only appeared in two seasons of the show, he still managed to capture the imaginations of many fans, who responded to the ways in which he seemed to wield power with an effortlessness that was as beguiling as it was dangerous.

Unfortunately, his hard headed ways ended up getting him staked by none other than his old nemesis Eric.

For most of the series, Bill was the main character Sookies abiding love interest (for both better and worse). A Civil War soldier who was turned into a vampire against his wishes, he has a deeply conflicted relationship with his own immortality and with his need to feed on blood to survive.

RELATED:The Vampire Diaries: The Best Episode of Each Season, According To IMDb

Hes also notoriously stubborn, and this resulted in quite a few spats between him and Sookie (as well as with his own fellow vampires, including Eric).

Tara is a bit of a wild child. Its not really hard to see why, really, particularly since he relationship with her mother is, to put it mildly, deeply antagonistic.

Time and again as the series progressed she found herself caught up in forces that she couldnt control, and yet she still seemed to have a pathological desire to get mixed up with exactly the wrong sort of people. Like so many Geminis, she just couldnt seem to get her life in control.

Sooke Stackhouse is, at the beginning of the series, the main character around whom all of the action revolves. She soon makes it clear that, like many a Cancer before her, shes very concerned about her own feelings, and this often leads her to do and say things that are hurtful (and sometimes downright deadly) to the people that surround her.

Eventually she became one of those characters who audiences loved to hate, precisely because she seemed to only care about her own feelings.

Jason, Sookies brother, is about as different from her as it is possible to be. With his seemingly insatiable sex drive, Jason was always getting involved with some woman or other, usually resulting in all sorts of trouble for him (and for them).

Like any other Leo, however, he also had something irrepressibly charming and charismatic about him, which made it impossible for anyone, either in the audience or in the series, to really hate him or resent him for his actions.

With his cold demeanor, icy eyes, and blonde hair (all stemming from his Nordic ancestry),Eric is the quintessential Virgo.

Its not that he doesnt have feelings or emotions; its that, for the most part, he manages to keep them under a tight leash, only releasing them when he sees some advantage to do so. Its not hard to see why hes a compelling love interest for Sookie, since that cold Virgo exterior gives him all of the appeal of the unknowable.

One of the series ongoing conceits was Sookies ability to draw very handsome men to her, despite the fact that she almost always ended up breaking their hearts. No one suffered from this more than Alcide, the werewolf that pretty firmly gave his love to Sookie.

RELATED:True Blood: 5 Couples That Are Perfect Together (& 5 That Make No Sense)

As a Libra, he really does strive for balance in his life, both between his human and wolf sides and in his relationships with the various people in his life, including and especially Sookie.

Though she was originally just a side character in service to Eric Northman, it quickly became clear that Pam had that extra something that meant she was fated to be a fan favorite.

Part of it, no doubt, stems from the fact that she has some hard edges that no amount of immortality has been able to smooth away. Its also the fact that she seems to take a delight in being a vampire and, in true Scorpio fashion, bending humans to her will.

In the zodiac, the Sagittarius is known for being a bit of an unstable sign. Theyre not bad people, exactly, but they do sometimes make themselves hard to live with because of their penchant to make bad decisions.

This is a spot-on description of Jessica, the young woman that Bill is compelled to make into a vampire. Throughout her time in the series, Jessica just couldnt seem to decide what it was that she wanted from her immortal life.

Though she only appears in the first season, Adele, Sookies grandmother, casts a pretty long shadow over the series.

Alone among the many characters that appear, she seems to actually have a good head on her shoulders, and shes often been a source of stability for Sookie, both in childhood and in adulthood. Even after her death, Sookie looks back at the time that they spent together and appreciates all of the support that her grandmother gave her.

Lafayette was another of those characters that seemed fated to be a fan favorite, despite the fact that his character actually dies in the first novel that the series is based off of.

Its hard not to love Lafayette, with his signature sass and his willingness to speak truth to anyone who asks it (and even those who dont). Like most of those who are born under the sign of Aquarius, he does have a tendency to be a bit mystical as well.

Sam Merlotte is one of those characters who just cant seem to make a decision that isnt bad. Like every Pisces, he insists on seeing the world as he wants it to be rather than as it is, and this leads him to do some pretty terrible things.

Whats more, he seems to steadfastly refuse to accept the fact that, sometimes, its best to take the logical step rather than the one based on emotion.

NEXT:True Blood Characters Sorted Into Their Hogwarts Houses

Next Scooby-Doo: Every TV Series (In Chronological Order)

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Which True Blood Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac? - Screen Rant

House Republicans Rally in Support of Police, Blast Democrats Who Call for Defunding – Josh Kurtz

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Nearly 100 people gathered outside of the Maryland House of Delegates building in Annapolis Thursday in a call for their representatives to maintain funding and support for state and local law enforcement officers.

Hosted by Dels. Sid Saab (R-Anne Arundel) and Haven C. Shoemaker (R-Carroll), Republican lawmakers and police officials showed their support for officers in the field who have faced loud and very public criticism following the death of George Floyd at the feet of Minneapolis police officers on May 25.

Every time they go out, and theyre doing work and they leave behind their wives, their husbands, their kids, their loved ones they know the risks, and what were doing now in this world is not just the risks of they might get hurt, not the risks they might get shot trying to protect us, said Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany). Were now creating the risks that their lives may be ruined, they may be tarred and feathered forever, because they were just trying to do their job to protect themselves, to protect their fellow officers, to protect us and its not good enough for somebody with a cell phone camera.

Since Floyds death nearly two-months ago, protests have erupted across the country calling for the defunding and abolition of police agencies, which House Republicans decried Thursday.

Del. Matt Morgan (R-St. Marys) called Floyds death tragic and indefensible.

But it should have been a unifying tragedy, he said.

Morgan accused Democrats of using this incident as an excuse to drive a political narrative and dismantle the police departments taking specific shots at legislators from Baltimore City who have joined in on those calls.

One-hundred eighty-five murders, he said, providing an approximate count of murders in the city so far this year. You know the last thing you need to be doing is defunding the police.

The crowd erupted in applause.

Shoemaker joined Morgan in lambasting Democratic lawmakers, saying that any silly politician that blathers about defunding the police should have his or her security detail defunded.

Shoemaker took it a step further, knocking advocates cries to divert funding to public health and safety programs.

We want the noble men and women of law enforcement to know that the overwhelming silent majority of Marylanders feel that if some criminal is breaking into our houses, we dont want a social worker dispatched to help the crook get in touch with his feelings, he asserted. We want you. With guns.

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare also spoke at the rally. His message was one of support for current officers and a warning for citizens who support the police and protesters who call for their abolition.

Folks, something bad is happening in this country and in this county, Altomare said. There is no group of people in this country in its history that have done more for poor communities of color across this nation than the American policeman. Take it to the bank.

The largely white crowd cheered.

Altomare announced Wednesday evening that he would be retiring from the post hes held since 2014. Before serving on the Anne Arundel County Police Department for 21 years, he was a member of the Annapolis Police Department. His retirement is effective Aug. 1.

To be called racist because I wear a uniform makes me sick to my stomach. I cant do it anymore and be silent, Altomare said. Thats why I retired.

The police chief debunked rumors that Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) was forcing him out, saying that Pittman called him asking him not to resign.

So far, I think hes trying to follow his heart, and I have immense respect for him as a human being, he said. I do think, however, hes caught between a rock and a hard place, and the silence of the majority is not helping him at all to make good decisions about who are the good guys and who arent.

Altomare clarified in an op-ed published in the Capital Gazette this week that his retirement is also not in any way linked to a lawsuit surrounding a 2019 event in which Anne Arundel County police officers are alleged to have used excessive force.

During the rally, Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees, who has known Altomare since his 2014 appointment, read the op-ed to the crowd.

Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees offered a final salute to Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare, who is retiring effective August 1.

There is a movement in this nation and in this county to remove the teeth of the police, DeWees read. It is wrong and it will have grave and lasting effects that you will see and feel.

Altomare wrote that the silence of constituents backs their elected officials into corners where they feel compelled to act on the word of those protesting.

The alternative is anarchy and entropy, the op-ed reads.

Altomare wrote that he is proud of the police force in Anne Arundel County, and hopes that officers will continue to hold each other accountable and do it right.

Im not leaving because I want to, the departing chief wrote. Im leaving because I will not be a part of a movement that endangers you or the people were sworn to protect.

Altomare told the crowd that he is proud of the thin blue line, and that just because it exists doesnt mean that officers act immorally or unethically. He also asserted that it doesnt mean they are perfect.

Theres 850,000 cops in this country, he explained. Of course were going to have some problems. So do elected officials; so do clergy; so does everybody else.

We hold ourselves accountable and we do the right thing.

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House Republicans Rally in Support of Police, Blast Democrats Who Call for Defunding - Josh Kurtz

‘The Objective Is to Save Lives.’ Inside the Effort to Get ICE Detainees Released During the Coronavirus Pandemic – TIME

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When 29-year-old Raul Medina Perez stepped outside of the Aurora Contract Detention Facility on July 7, after nearly 11 months in immigration detention, he was greeted by a crowd of activists in the Colorado city who raised $8,000 to pay for his bail. In a state of disbelief, he held his fist in the air and his mother, Rosa Perez, cried on his shoulder.

Rosa, a housekeeper who participated in protests every day for her sons release, says she would not have been able to pay Rauls bail on her own. When the pandemic started, when coronavirus started, it was a moment of anguish, anguish and a lot of pain because I was worried my son would get infected and I wouldnt be able to do anything about it, Rosa tells TIME in Spanish.

Some of the Aurora activists who raised money for Rauls bail tell TIME that Rauls release from detention is an example of the success of their evolving strategy, which has escalated in recent months amid the coronavirus pandemic. The national movement to end Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and to abolish ICE has existed since at least 2018, and was helped along into the mainstream by high profile progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. However, as the coronavirus spread across the U.S., killing more than 140,000 people and infecting more than 3.7 million, fears mounted for those being held in ICE detention, and calls for abolition and the release of detainees have become louder.

These activists for example, have camped outside of the Aurora facility, where roughly 400 people are still detained, for more than 50 days, protested in caravans of vehicles that drive around the facility, and have held vigils every night. But, they say, their successes happen far too infrequently.

Protesters participate in a car caravan to increase the pressure on ICE to release GEO detainees in front of GEO Aurora ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado. April 9, 2020.

Photo by Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

We believe that immigrants arent criminals and should never be criminalized, so facilities like [Aurora] shouldnt exist, period, Isabel Villalon, one of the camp protesters and a member of the organization Abolish ICE Denver, tells TIME. Thats something Abolish ICE has been fighting for for years, not only in Denver, but nationwide. Once COVID hit, that call to action became more urgent because now lives were at stake and there was an immediate need to do what we could to save lives.

Lawyers, advocates, researchers, politicians, medical professionals and the detainees themselves have criticized how ICE has responded to the pandemic. They worry that continued ICE deportations and transfers of detainees to and from facilities exposes people to the virus. They also worry about detainees being exposed to guards who come in and out of the facilities daily. Some detainees at three detention facilities, including Aurora and facilities in Texas and California, tell TIME it is difficult to regularly receive personal protective equipment (PPE). They say it is impossible to properly social distance in a detained setting with shared communal spaces. Cases of COVID-19 have also been confirmed by foreign countries receiving people who have been deported by ICE.

Several lawsuits against the Trump Administration also make these allegations. GEO Groupthe private company contracted by ICE to run the Aurora facilityvehemently denies any allegations that it has improperly responded to the pandemic.

More than 22,000 people are currently in ICE custody, according to ICE data, including children, people seeking asylum and, in some instances, violent criminal offenders (according to data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, 64% of ICE detainees as of April 2019 had no criminal convictions). As of Monday July 20, ICE reports 3,657 people who have been in ICE custody have tested positive for the virus. An additional 45 ICE employees at detention centers have also tested positive. ICE does not report the number of contracted employees who test positive, such as those who work for GEO. At the Aurora facility, for example, 12 GEO employees have contracted the virus as of July 8, according to a report by Congressman Jason Crow.

Nationally, two ICE detainees have died of COVID-19 while in custody at facilities in San Diego and Atlanta, and a third man died from the virus shortly after he was released from custody in Ohio. On July 13, ICE announced a third man died while in custody in Miami. Though his exact cause of death has not been determined, the man did test positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized on July 1 after reporting shortness of breath.

The Aurora facility confirmed its first detainee case of COVID-19 on May 21. By May 23, Abolish ICE Denver had set up a tent encampment on a grassy patch of land outside of the facility in protest. Among the roughly 50-tent set up are Kesha Davalos, her 7-year-old daughter and her mother, who have all camped out in front of the facility for weeks. Davaloss husband was detained inside the facility for about six months. On Saturday July 11, Davalos learned her husband was transferred to another facility in Colorado without notice.

This is just another reason why I should continue fighting at this encampment, she tells TIME. What [ICE is] doing is wrong. I will keep fighting for this system to go down.

While protesters remain camped outside of the Aurora facility, other detention centers and the federal government are facing lawsuits, petitions and other protest actions in an attempt to release people from ICE detention. On June 26 a judge ordered ICE to release all children in its custody by July 17though that deadline was later extended to July 27and an additional lawsuit brought against the Trump Administration by 37 families detained at ICE family residential centers calls for all parents to be released along with their children because of the risks posed by COVID-19.

On Thursday, the American Federation of Government Employees, a federal employee union, announced that some employees of ICE and Customs and Border Protection joined a lawsuit against the federal government claiming they are entitled to hazard pay for hazardous working conditions through the performance of their assigned duties brought on by COVID-19.

[ICE gets] away with things that are just beyond me, Raul tells TIME in an interview shortly after his release. They dont treat us like humans, they dont even treat us like animals. They treat us like a number, they treat us like a number or a dollar sign, and thats not okay.

Raul says that GEO is not keeping detainees safe from the virus; often, he says, up to four people live in small cells together in bunk beds only 3-feet apart. He says detainees only learned of the virus through news on televisions at the facility, and that when they did, they asked to be tested and to receive PPE, which GEO employees denied them of at first, citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance at the time that masks werent necessary. He says that as the pandemic has continued in the U.S. for several months, guards have become more and more lax on wearing masks.

Davalos, and two other women who have husbands detained in the Aurora facility, made similar allegations to TIME. Claudia Robles, whos husband has asthma and has been detained since November, for example, tells TIME that her husband has struggled to acquire soap and water and said it is impossible to social distance.

We strongly reject these baseless allegations, GEO spokesperson Christopher Ferreira said in a statement to TIME. We take our responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all those in our care and our employees with the utmost seriousness.

Additionally, ICE says it has followed guidelines from the CDC. ICE continues to incorporate CDCs COVID-19 guidance, which is built upon the already established infectious disease monitoring and management protocols currently in use by the agency, Mary Houtmann, a spokesperson for ICE, said in a statement to TIME.

On March 24, ICE confirmed its first diagnosed case of COVID-19 at one of its facilities, but it wasnt until June 9 that ICE announced it had begun mass voluntary testing beginning with two of its facilities, one in Tacoma, Wash., and the Aurora facility. ICE has since conducted similar mass testing at several other facilities. Prior, testing was conducted on a case-by-case basis when a person exhibited signs of illness.

Research by a nonprofit organization estimates that the number of COVID-19 cases in ICE detention centers could be a lot higher than reported. By building an epidemiological model, researchers at the Vera Institute of Justice, which aims to decrease incarceration in the U.S., predict that cases of the virus in people detained by ICE between March 17 up to May 15 could be more than 10 times higher than what ICE has reported.

The model suggests theres no scenario in which the numbers that have been reported to the public reflect the true scope of COVID in detention, says Nina Siulc, director of research at the Vera Institute. Its too late to know for the 66,000 people who have passed through custody, how many of them may have been exposed to or [became] positive for COVID.

A security guard stands outside of the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado on July 5, 2020.

Amy HarrisShutterstock

Since the beginning of this issue, ICE has made great efforts to be transparent, providing detailed, continues [sic] information related to COVID-19 on our public facing website, Houtmann said in an emailed statement. Any allegation to the contrary is simply not true.

Since the start of the camp protest, the Aurora Police Department has responded to at least 26 different incidents at the facility as of July 15, according to police spokesperson Matthew Longshore. These incidents range from trespassing on their private property to employees being harassed as they enter/exit the facility. One of the most recent incidents involved the protesters kicking the fence and shooting off fireworks, Longshore said in a statement to TIME. No arrests have been made.

But the protesters say that they are within their legal rights to protest what is happening inside of the facility and deny they are trespassing or harassing anyone.

The objective is to save lives, Jeanette Vizguerra, founder of Abolish ICE Denver, tells TIME in Spanish. [ICE is] risking peoples lives right nowCOVID-19 isnt going away today, its not going away tomorrow, or in weeks, but Homeland Security is still working, Homeland Security is still detaining people, still deporting people.

The protest outside the center at Aurora continues and Raul said it was comforting while he was in ICE detention to see footage of the protesters gathered outside the facility through news stories about their camp protest and vigils. His mother, he knew, was among them, and he too now plans to become a regular part of the movement.

I came out here and I felt like I was a part of this, he says. I felt like everybody was here for me and believed in me, and its such a comforting feeling and I want to be able to give that to the next person that walks out that door.

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Write to Jasmine Aguilera at jasmine.aguilera@time.com.

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Cotton called out for remarks on slavery in criticism of 1619 Project | TheHill – The Hill

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Sen. Tom CottonTom Bryant CottonWhite House, Congress talk next coronavirus relief bill as COVID-19 continues to surge Conservatives blast Supreme Court ruling: Roberts 'abandoned his oath' WSJ editorial board calls employee concerns about opinion page 'cancel culture' MORE (R-Ark.) faced criticism on Sunday afterhe claimed that the Founding Fathers viewedslavery as a "necessary evil" as part of the country's foundingwhile discussing his bill that wouldreducefederal funding for any school that includes The New York Times's 1619 Project in its curriculum.

In an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the senator accused the 1619 Project, a series of pieces by writers for the Times that examines the history of slavery in the U.S. and its role in the country's founding, of being "left-wing propaganda."

"Even a penny is too much to go to the 1619 Project in our public schools," Cotton told the news outlet. "The New York Times should not be teaching American history to our kids."

Laterin the interview, the Arkansas Republican addressed how he thought the legacy of slavery should be handled in America.

We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we cant understand our country. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction, he said.

Those remarks were sharply criticized on Twitter by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a New York Times reporter and director of the 1619 Project.

"If chattel slavery heritable, generational, permanent, race-based slavery where it was legal to rape, torture, and sell human beings for profit were a 'necessary evil' as@TomCottonAR says, its hard to imagine what cannot be justified if it is a means to an end," she tweeted.

If chattel slavery heritable, generational, permanent, race-based slavery where it was legal to rape, torture, and sell human beings for profit were a necessary evil as @TomCottonAR says, its hard to imagine what cannot be justified if it is a means to an end. https://t.co/yScNxPq6ds

Cotton responded in his own tweet, which was soon retweeted by President TrumpDonald John TrumpSeattle police declare riot amid ongoing protests Brazil's Bolsonaro says he's tested negative for coronavirus Reagan Foundation asks Trump campaign, RNC to stop using former president's name to raise money MORE, writing that Jones's statement amounted to "more lies from the debunked 1619 Project."

"Describing the *views of the Founders* and how they put the evil institution on a path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln, is not endorsing or justifying slavery," he responded. "No surprise that the 1619 Project can't get facts right."

More lies from the debunked 1619 Project.

Describing the *views of the Founders* and how they put the evil institution on a path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln, is not endorsing or justifying slavery.

No surprise that the 1619 Project can't get facts right. https://t.co/nLsb73X3Gi

Other journalists responded to Cotton's interview and subsequent remarks on Twitter, including CNN's Andrew Kaczynski, head of the network's investigative KFile unit.

"Wasn't the 'necessary evil' view of slavery of some founders as Tom Cotton cites basically completely discarded by southerns once cotton became extremely profitable? McPherson who is critical of the 1619 project writes that in Battle Cry of Freedom," he wrote, referring to Princeton University professor and Civil War historian James McPherson.

Wasn't the "necessary evil" view of slavery of some founders as Tom Cotton cites basically completely discarded by southerns once cotton became extremely profitable? McPherson who is critical of the 1619 project writes that in Battle Cry of Freedom.https://t.co/LW0D8a3fxT

"You know...very little about American history," added Politico contributing editor Joshua Zeitz in a tweet responding to Cotton. "The free labor thesis that predicted slaverys eventual demise was an antebellum theory. It post-dated the Revolution by 50+ years. And the Revolution produced an abolition moment in the North ('contagion of liberty')."

You know...very little about American history. The free labor thesis that predicted slaverys eventual demise was an antebellum theory. It post-dated the Revolution by 50+ years. And the Revolution produced an abolition moment in the North (contagion of liberty). https://t.co/cRlqFNEJ0V

Cotton's bill, if passed, would direct the Department of Education to determine which schools were using writings from the 1619 project in classrooms and reduce federal funding in a manner that reflects any cost associated with teaching the 1619 Project, including in planning time and teaching time.

A report from the nonprofit Pulitzer Center, which awarded Hannah-Jones its annual Pulitzer Prize for her work on the 1619 project, says on its website that teachers in all 50 states have accessed educational materials related to the project's reporting.

Updated at 10:20 p.m. to note that Sen. Cotton was referring to views of the Founding Fathers in his original remarks.

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Cotton called out for remarks on slavery in criticism of 1619 Project | TheHill - The Hill

Teens Demand Action for Immigrants Halted by Green Card Backlog – Ms. Magazine

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The Future isMs.is an ongoing series of news reports by young feminists. This seriesis made possible by a grant fromSayItForward.orgin support of teen journalists and the series editor, Katina Paron.

Sarvani Kunapareddys dream of going into the medical field after college was halted by the green card backlog.

The 17-year-old, alongside one million other immigrants, awaits for permanent residency from a lagging, 1990s-established quota system that leaves immigrants with advanced degrees in limbo for 151 years, according to the CATO Institute. A Senate bill could relocate unallocated visas towards health care workers, but teens like Kunapareddywho are under their parents statusare plagued with doubled tuition fees and ineligibility for financial aid because they are considered international students in college applications.

Its not just me, but theres so many people in this boat. Id say just people arent talking about it though, Kunapareddy said. Its not the front cover kind of thing.

Before COVID-19 occupied headlines, 100,000 letters were sent to Congress by the Skilled Immigrants in America (SIIA). As an SIIA advocate, Kunapareddy empowered her peers to write letters detailing the unfairness of the immigration system.

As a result, Utah Sen. Mike Lee introduced the Fairness for High Skilled Act in 2019. The proposed bill would abolish the per-country cap for employment-based categories and increase the per-country cap for family-sponsored immigration.

While it does not increase the amount of immigrants allowed in the country, the abolition of the per-country limit will provide a more fair opportunity for the immigrants affected by the backlog.

Here atMs., our team is continuing to report throughthis global health crisisdoing what we can to keep you informed andup-to-date on some of the most underreported issues of thispandemic.Weask that you consider supporting our work to bring you substantive, uniquereportingwe cant do it without you. Support our independent reporting and truth-telling for as little as $5 per month.

Through advocacy, Kunapareddy takes any opportunity to educate. In February 2018, Kunapareddy traveled to St. Louis to meet with then-state Senator Claire McCaskill, propelled by her data that captured how the backlog disadvantages skilled workers and students like her.

I try to stay cool-headed and remember that you cant control what other people think; you can only control what your actions are, she said.

She models herself after her mother, Krishna, an independent advocate who immigrated alone from India in 2006 for her masters degree in urban planning at University of Texas at Arlington, obtaining an H-1B visa, rather than a dependent on her husbands. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services states about 80 percent of H-1B holders are male.

She said it is difficult for backlogged families to advocate for their unstable residency status.

Even though there are people going through the issue, they dont want to accept it, Krishna said.

As a green card applicant under her parents, Kunapareddy is forced to reapply as an adult in four years if her parents are still stuck in the backlog. If she doesnt, she could face deportation.

Some people have been denied visas and stuck outside the country separated from their families, said Brent Renison, an immigration lawyer based out of Portland, Ore.

SIIA advocate, Prasenjit Shil, worries after he obtains residency, his nine-year-old son will face his own complications.

The way math stacks up, looks like Im not gonna get my green card until my son becomes 21 years old, Shil said.

Once a medical school hopeful, Kunapareddy set her eyes on computer science instead. University of Missouri-Kansas City, which used to be her college of interest, does not admit international students into their M.D. program.

Even people who are affected are like Oh its not a big deal, But in the end, its a very big deal, Kunapareddy said. Its going to affect how you live your life.

The Future is Ms. is committed to amplifying the voices of young women everywhere. Share one of your own stories about your path to empowerment at SayItForward.org.

The coronavirus pandemic and the response by federal, state and local authorities is fast-moving.During this time,Ms. is keeping a focus on aspects of the crisisespecially as it impacts women and their familiesoften not reported by mainstream media.If you found this article helpful,please consider supporting our independent reporting and truth-telling for as little as $5 per month.

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Teens Demand Action for Immigrants Halted by Green Card Backlog - Ms. Magazine

Fearless activist Brittany Battle: Theres no way in hell Im gonna let them intimidate me. – Triad City Beat

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Featured photo: Activist Brittany Battle speaks at a Triad Abolition Project and Unity Coalition event. (photo by Michaela Ratliff)

Brittany Battles parents still laugh about the time she led a walk-out in her eighth grade class.

I felt like my teacher was being unjust, so I inspired my classmates to walk out of this mans class, Battle says in an interview.

She has had an eye towards social justice for as long as she can remember, aligning herself with Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem shortly after moving there last year. Her involvement with the activist group recently drew her to John Nevilles case.

I cant breathe, inmate John Neville repeatedly told Forsyth County detention officers as they placed him in a prone restraint. He would later die from a brain injury caused by the restraint. Many people were outraged that the Dec. 4, 2019 death was not made public until July 8, 2020, when Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill announced five detention officers and a nurse were being charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of Neville in a press conference.

Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem called an emergency meeting and then gathered outside of the Forsyth County Law Enforcement Detention Center that same day to protest the lack of timely communication to the public and the case of police brutality. The crowd of protesters erupted into cries of, Let them go! as five protesters were arrested for leaving the sidewalk and walking into the street. Battle was one of them.

She expressed that law enforcement held positive attitudes during the local protests for the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, saying that they rode bikes alongside them and blocked off streets for their safety.

Oh, those are bad cops in Louisville, those are bad cops in Minneapolis, she predicted the police said then. But when we start talking about bad cops in Winston-Salem and Forsyth county, the light is shone in their own house. They didnt like that.

They came out there with zip ties, she recalls. They came out there with an LRAD, which is a long-range acoustic device. Its frequently used against protesters. It can make them deaf or hard of hearing. Its supposed to be inconspicuous because people think its a speaker. They admitted it was an LRAD in the paperwork of one of my comrades who was arrested. They said they warned us via LRAD not to be in the street..

And yet, Battle remained fearless.

Theres no way in hell Im gonna let them intimidate me, she says.

Battle felt her arrest was intentional, saying police targeted those they recognized from being organizers of protests in the city. The drive to continue fighting even harder for social justice after her arrest wasnt the only thing she left the protest with. She now flaunts a black splint on her right wrist as a result of the recent arrest as she waits for her follow up appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to examine the extent of her injury.

After I got released, I went to the ER first for the wrist injury they did to me, she said, and then I went right to an organizing meeting after that. There was no stopping.

In addition to amplifying the actions of Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem, Battle is affiliated with the Triad Abolition Project, a newly-formed grassroots collective of people interested in sharing ideas and resources about abolishing the carceral system, as well as educating others about the meaning of abolition. The Triad Abolition Project, in partnership with the Unity Coalition, another newly formed group in Winston-Salem with similar objectives, organized Occupy the Block Winston-Salem, an ongoing peaceful resistance in Bailey Park which started on July 15. The group intends to hold a protest every day until the four main demands of the Triad Abolition Project are met which include: responding to all questions posed by the Triad Abolition Project and the Unity Coalition, banning the use of prone restraint on any civilian, incarcerated or not, sick or not, notifying the public of any death involving an officer or deputy immediately, and dismissing all charges against protestors from July 8th and 9th arrests.

An activist on the streets and in the classroom, Battle is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Wake Forest University. She earned her masters in African-American studies from Temple University in 2012, and her PhD in Sociology from Rutgers University New Brunswick in 2019. She finds it difficult to balance her time between teaching and fighting racial injustice as her activism tends to infiltrate her classroom.

In spring I taught a class, Social Justice in the Social Sciences, she said. We talked about how social justice shows up in social theories, social research methods, and actual activist movements. I teach from a Black feminist perspective. I create syllabi that highlights the voices of Black women and Black queer folks.

She says she values elevating the voices of minorities as she was also a member of the NAACP and the Black Student Union during her undergraduate years.

Outside of activism and teaching, she can be found creating keepsake baby quilts for her friends who are new moms. She also loves to sew and create jewelry. When social-justice work gets to be overwhelming, she escapes to what she calls her happy place the beach. She also values relaxation exercises like meditation and sage burning to stay grounded, activities she incorporated into Occupy the Block.

We have people who will be coming out to lead a yoga session, she says. Every evening we have a vigil. Were out here burning sage and incense and stuff so were really taking the spiritual part of it seriously as well because this is a lot to be out here twelve hours a day. Weve gotta make sure people are taking care of themselves spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

Battle is okay with the fact that her ultimate vision abolishing the carceral state will likely not happen in her lifetime, but that doesnt mean her efforts towards it will stop.

My real motivation is that my freedom and liberation is tied up in everybody elses, she says. If there are some of us out there that arent free, none of us are. Thats what inspires me to keep doing this type of work.

Learn more about the Triad Abolition Project by visiting their website at triadabolitionproject.org.

Read more from the original source:

Fearless activist Brittany Battle: Theres no way in hell Im gonna let them intimidate me. - Triad City Beat