Select Page ::

Pirates Of The Caribbean: 5 Reasons There Should Be A 6th Movie (5 There Should Be A Reboot) – Screen Rant

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Pirates of the Caribbeanis one of the most successful and loved movie franchises of all time. Since 2003, the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and Captain Barbossa have thrilled audiences around the world and increased the demand for more movies starring those characters. However, while the original trilogy was fantastic, the movies that followed this trilogy were mixed. The most recent movie has even led many critics to describe the series as tired.

RELATED:10 Things The Pirates Of The Caribbean Reboot Needs

This article will give 5 reasons why we need a sixth movie and 5 reasons we need a reboot.

From a business standpoint, perhaps the clearest reason why there should be a sequel is characterrecognition. The main reason why many people went to watch the latestPiratesmovie, despite the poor reviews, was the chance to see another adventure from Captain Jack Sparrow.

While a reboot could be a better movie, the simple box office draw of seeing the iconic characters from the original movies is reason enough for studios to continue with a sequel.

Despite the fact that Piratesis one of the most popular and successful franchises of the last few decades, there is no denying that the box office success has been on a steady decline. This is the sign of a tired franchise and may need a reboot to fix before the franchise is too far gone.

RELATED: Pirates Of The Caribbean: The 10 Most Terrifying Moments

A reboot would draw interest in the property that was no longer there, and it would make people want to see the new reboot, even if it is just to compare it to the original.

While a reboot could easily introduce new actors that could become just as iconic as Jack Sparrow, there is no denying the star power that Johnny Depp holds. The mere mention that Depp is in a movie is bound to increase box office sales and drum up audience interest in the movie.

It is for this reason that the studio would feel more than justified to carry on with the series as it is and try to introduce some course correction.

It wouldn't be controversial to claim thatPiratesis beginning to look like a tired franchise. Since the conclusion of the Davy Jones story arc inDead Man's Chest, the franchise has been languishing in story wilderness. There has been no meaningful story arc across the most recent movies, and many are self-contained and forgettable stories.

A reboot would really help to trim the deadwood surrounding the series and allow some new actors with a new director to inject some life into the series.

One of the most exciting things about the most recent movie was the inclusion of Will Turner. The character was given a rough deal inAt World's End as he had to take over as captain of the Flying Dutchman and leave the love of his life on land. It was certainly great to see that the new movie would pick up this plot thread and help free Turner from his eternal duty.

RELATED:Pirates Of The Caribbean: 10 Hidden Details About The Main Characters Everyone Completely Missed

The most recent movie, however, ended on a kind of cliffhanger as it also teased the return of Davy Jones. So it would be great to see this given a conclusion.

Depp's performances have always been fantastic inPiratesmovies, so it was a real shock when the recent movie came out. Rather than appearing at his best, Depp seemed to be playing himself as Jack Sparrow. In other words, the Sparrow mannerisms were overdrawn and played to almost caricature level.

This certainly did not help the movie, as most of the draw to anyPiratesmovie comes from the amazing performance of Johnny Depp.

Despite the fact that Depp's performance wasn't the best in the last movie, it would still be hard to recast such an iconic character. While one could suggest that the reboot does notneedJack Sparrow, it would be very hard to imagine anyPiratesmovie without him.

Consequently, one of the main reasons why we need a sequel is that the franchise would struggle to both replace and recast the iconic Jack Sparrow.

While it would be interesting to reboot thePiratesfranchise into another movie series, perhaps a more interesting idea would be to reboot it into aDisney + series. TheMandalorianhas already shown that a series with a movie budget on the platform can be a massive success and influence popular culture.

RELATED:Pirates Of The Caribbean: 10 Worst Things Captain Jack Sparrow Ever Did

A TV series would also allow for more character development to take place and allow for a different feel than a movie reboot would.

It would be a huge injustice to end thePiratesfranchise without any closure regarding the fate of the characters.At World's Endprovided some closure for the characters and would have been a perfect ending point, yet they carried on with the series.

Consequently, we need some kind of ending that would make the series feel complete. Rebooting the series without this will only make the franchise feel incomplete.

The brand recognition forPirates of the Caribbeanis next level. It is one of the most popular film franchises of all time and has a dedicated fan base. The only issue currently is that the movie series had not managed to meet the expectations of the cinema viewing public.

The huge fan base and popularity of thePiratesfranchise is ripe for a reboot. Many would love to see how the series would change and how they would replace or recast Jack Sparrow, even if such a decision is incredibly difficult. Further, breathing a new lease of life into the series would not only lead to a fantastic movie, but also fantastic profits for the studio.

NEXT:The 10 Most Expensive Disney Movies Ever Made

NextRick & Morty: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters Of All Time

Writer living in Adelaide, Australia. Long-suffering post-graduate student and lover of pop culture from Game of Thrones to DC.

Read the original here:

Pirates Of The Caribbean: 5 Reasons There Should Be A 6th Movie (5 There Should Be A Reboot) - Screen Rant

Stafanie Taylor named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year – Caribbean Life

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Jamaica and West Indies women cricketer Stafanie Taylor was named in the International Cricket Council (ICC) One-Day International (ODI) Team of the Year.

In a year that saw some disappointing results from West Indies women, Taylors performance stood out. With the responsibility of captain on her shoulders coupled with the absence of Deandra Dottin, Taylor tapped into her unwavering work ethic to earn her place among the best ODI players of 2019.

Amassing 472 runs in 11 innings, Taylor is also listed second place in ICC Womens ODI players ranking for both batting and all-rounders.

Cricket West Indies Director, Jimmy Adams commenting on Taylors achievement said: On behalf of Cricket West Indies and the wider Caribbean public in general, I wish to recognize and congratulate Stafanie for being selected into the ICCs International One Day Team of the Year. Stafanie continues, after so many years, to be the standard bearer not just for womens cricket in the West Indies but for our cricket in general.

Taylor is the leading runs-scorer in West Indies womens cricket history, second on the all-time run-scorers in womens T20 International cricket and fifth all-time in womens ODI cricket.

The ICC Team of the Year is headed by Alyssa Healey (wicket-keeper)- Australia with Indians Smriti Mandhana second. Taylor is listed sixth on the list.

Posted 4:12 pm, December 26, 2019

2019

Visit link:

Stafanie Taylor named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year - Caribbean Life

One of the worlds biggest cruise ships is heading to Texas – The Points Guy

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Its official: Texas soon will be home to one of the worlds biggest cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean has recently said its massive, 5,484-passenger Allure of the Seas will begin sailing out of Galveston, Texas, in November 2021 following the completion of a new cruise terminal for the line at the citys port.

The announcement comes after the finalization of a deal between Royal Caribbeans parent company and the Port of Galveston to build the $100 million terminal, which has been in the works for more than a year. The two parties signed final contracts on the project on Dec.12.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

At 225,282 tons, Allure of the Seas is the fourth-largest cruise ship in the world. Unveiled in 2010, its one of Royal Caribbeans four giant Oasis Class vessels, which are more than 20% bigger than any other cruise vessels afloat. The series includes the recently unveiled Symphony of the Seas, the current size leader in the cruise world.

The arrival of Allure of the Seas in Texas will be a major milestone in the history of cruising out of the state. The 18-deck-high, 1,187-foot-long ship is more than 40% bigger than the biggest cruise vessel now sailing out of Galveston (Royal Caribbeans 3,798-passenger Liberty of the Seas).

Until now, Royal Caribbeans Oasis Class ships mostly have sailed out of the major Florida cruise hubs such as Miami and Fort Lauderdales Port Everglades, as well as select ports in Europe. Royal Caribbean also soon will be deploying an Oasis Class ship to the New York area.

We are excited to partner with the Port of Galveston to develop a world-class facility which will allow us to sail our newest, largest and most innovative ships from Texas, Royal Caribbeans president and CEO, Michael Bayley, said in a statement after the signing of the terminal deal.

Bayley said the new terminal would allow Royal Caribbean to increase its passenger count on ships sailing out of the port by 50%. In addition to Liberty of the Seas, the lines smaller, 2,252-passenger Enchantment of the Seas also currently sails out of Galveston.

Related: How to plan a cruise with points and miles

Cruising out of Galveston has been booming, with passenger numbers up more than 13% in 2018, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). This year, the port will handle more than 1 million cruise passengers for the first time. Thatll make it the fourth-busiest cruise port in the U.S., after Floridas Port of Miami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades.

Royal Caribbeans parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., will build the new terminal but wont own it. Royal Caribbean will lease the site from the port for an initial term of 20 years that can be extended. The company said the new terminal will be a two-story, 170,000-square-foot structure with state-of-the-art technology such as mobile check-in and facial recognition to expedite passenger arrivals. Construction will begin in April.

Designed for vacationers who love big, bustling megaresorts, the Oasis Class ships are chock full of more deck-top attractions and interior lounges, bars, restaurants and showrooms than any other cruise vessel.

Like its sisters, Allure of the Seas boasts three main pool areas; a separate, adults-only outdoor lounge area; an outdoor aquatheater with diving shows; an ice skating rink; two rock climbing walls; a basketball court; a massive spa; and a mall-like indoor promenade with shops, bars and places to eat. Theres also an open-air, tree-lined area called Central Park with more restaurants, bars and upscale shops; and one of the biggest showrooms at sea.

Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises

In advance of its sailings out of Galveston, Allure of the Seas will undergo a $165 million overhaul that will bring even more attractions, including the ships first deck-top water slides and one of the tallest dry slides at sea. The latter attraction, called Ultimate Abyss, will drop nine decks (from the Sports Zone on Deck 16 to the Boardwalk area on Deck 6). Royal Caribbean says this is a 10-deck drop, but dont be fooled: Theres no Deck 13 on Allure of the Seas.

Both the water slides and the Ultimate Abyss attraction already can be found on the three other Oasis Class ships.

Allure of the Seas currently sails to the Caribbean and Bahamas out of Port Everglades. Its scheduled to move to the Mediterranean for the summer of 2020 before returning to Florida in late 2020 for sailings out of Miami and Port Canaveral. Once in Galveston, itll operate seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries with stops in Roatan, Honduras; and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

Feature photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International.

More here:

One of the worlds biggest cruise ships is heading to Texas - The Points Guy

Sarepta Therapeutics Announces Partnership with Roche in Territories Outside the United States for its Investigational Micro-dystrophin Gene Therapy…

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT), the leader in precision genetic medicine for rare diseases, today announced that Sarepta and Roche have entered into a licensing agreement providing Roche exclusive commercial rights to SRP-9001 (AAVrh74.MHCK7.micro-dystrophin), Sareptas investigational gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), outside the United States. Under the agreement, Sarepta will receive $1.15 billion in an upfront payment and an equity investment; up to $1.7 billion in regulatory and sales milestones; and royalties on net sales, anticipated to be in the mid-teens. In addition, Roche and Sarepta will equally share global development expenses. Sarepta retains all rights to SRP-9001 in the United States.

The collaboration combines Sareptas leading gene therapy candidate for DMD with Roches global reach, commercial presence and regulatory expertise to accelerate access to SRP-9001 for patients outside the United States. DMD is an X-linked rare degenerative neuromuscular disorder causing severe progressive muscle loss and premature death. SRP-9001, currently in clinical development for DMD, is designed to deliver the micro-dystrophin-encoding gene directly to the muscle tissue for the targeted production of the micro-dystrophin protein.

As a mission-driven organization, we are inspired to partner with Roche with the goal of bringing SRP-9001 to patients outside the United States. This collaboration will not only increase the speed with which SRP-9001 could benefit DMD patients outside the United States, but will also greatly expand the scope of territories within which we could potentially launch SRP-9001 and improve and save lives, said Doug Ingram, president and chief executive officer, Sarepta. In addition to the validation that comes from joining forces with Roche, this licensing agreement one of the most significant ex-U.S. licensing transactions in biopharma will provide Sarepta with the resources and focus to accelerate our gene therapy engine and, if successful, bring SRP-9001 to patients as quickly as possible, potentially transforming the lives of countless DMD patients across the globe.

Said James Sabry, Head of Roche Pharma Partnering, We are excited to enter this licensing agreement with Sarepta. By working together to provide SRP-9001 to patients, we hope to fundamentally transform the lives of patients and families living with this devastating disorder for which there are currently only limited treatment options.

As part of the agreement, Sarepta will continue to be responsible for the global development plan and manufacturing build out for SRP-9001. Through its leading hybrid manufacturing platform, Sarepta will remain responsible for manufacturing of clinical and commercial supplies. Sarepta has also granted Roche an option to acquire ex-U.S. rights to certain future DMD-specific programs, in exchange for separate milestone and royalty considerations, and cost sharing.

The closing of the transaction is subject to the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and other customary conditions. The parties anticipate that the agreement will close in the first quarter of 2020.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as the lead financial advisor to Sarepta. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is also serving as a financial advisor and Ropes & Gray LLP is serving as legal advisor to Sarepta.

Conference Call InformationThe conference call may be accessed by dialing (844) 534-7313 for domestic callers and (574) 990-1451 for international callers. The passcode for the call is 2077714. Please specify to the operator that you would like to join the "Sarepta Therapeutics Conference Call." The conference call will be webcast live under the investor relations section of Sarepta's website at http://www.sarepta.com and will be archived there following the call for 90 days. Please connect to Sarepta's website several minutes prior to the start of the broadcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.

About Sarepta TherapeuticsSarepta is at the forefront of precision genetic medicine, having built an impressive and competitive position in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and more recently in gene therapies for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy diseases (LGMD), Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), MPS IIIA and other CNS-related disorders, totaling over 20 therapies in various stages of development. The Companys programs and research focus span several therapeutic modalities, including RNA, gene therapy and gene editing. Sarepta is fueled by an audacious but important mission: to profoundly improve and extend the lives of patients with rare genetic-based diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.sarepta.com.

Sarepta Forward-Looking StatementThis press release contains "forward-looking statements." Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," "intends," "potential," "possible" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding the closing of the transaction; Sareptas right to receive any upfront payment or equity investment from Roche pursuant to the agreement; Sareptas right to receive regulatory and sales milestones, and royalty payments from Roche pursuant to the agreement; Roches obligation to share global development expenses pursuant to the agreement; the continued development and manufacturing of SRP-9001; SRP-9001 expected delivery of micro-dystrophin-encoding gene directly to the muscle tissue and the expected production of the micro-dystrophin protein; the expected increased speed with which SRP-9001 could benefit patients outside the United States and expansion of territories within which Sarepta could launch SRP-9001; the expectation that the licensing agreement will provide Sarepta with the resources and focus to accelerate its gene therapy engine and potentially bringing SRP-9001 to patients as quickly as possible and transforming the lives of countless DMD patients across the globe; potential regulatory approvals of SRP-9001; and the potential launch and commercialization of SRP-9001.

These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Sarepta's control. Known risk factors include, among others, market conditions, the expected benefits and opportunities related to the licensing agreement may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected due to a variety of reasons, including any inability of the parties to perform their commitments and obligations under the agreement, challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development and manufacturing limitations; success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials, especially if based on a small patient sample, does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and early results from a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results; our data for SRP-9001 may not be sufficient for obtaining regulatory approval; Sarepta may not be able to execute on its business plans, including meeting its expected or planned regulatory milestones and timelines, research and clinical development plans, and bringing SRP-9001 to market, for various reasons, some of which may be outside of Sareptas control, including possible limitations of company financial and other resources, manufacturing limitations that may not be anticipated or resolved for in a timely manner, and regulatory, court or agency decisions; and those risks identified under the heading Risk Factors in Sareptas most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other SEC filings made by the Company which you are encouraged to review.

Any of the foregoing risks could materially and adversely affect the Companys business, results of operations and the trading price of Sareptas common stock. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Sarepta does not undertake any obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements based on events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Internet Posting of Information

We routinely post information that may be important to investors in the 'For Investors' section of our website at http://www.sarepta.com. We encourage investors and potential investors to consult our website regularly for important information about us.

Source: Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.

Investors:Ian Estepan, 617-274-4052iestepan@sarepta.com

Media:Tracy Sorrentino, 617-301-8566tsorrentino@sarepta.com

See original here:

Sarepta Therapeutics Announces Partnership with Roche in Territories Outside the United States for its Investigational Micro-dystrophin Gene Therapy...

Sickle Cell Therapy With CRISPR Gene Editing Shows Promise : Shots – Health News – NPR

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Victoria Gray, who has sickle cell disease, volunteered for one of the most anticipated medical experiments in decades: the first attempt to use the gene-editing technique CRISPR to treat a genetic disorder in the United States. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

When Victoria Gray was just 3 months old, her family discovered something was terribly wrong.

"My grandma was giving me a bath, and I was crying. So they took me to the emergency room to get me checked out," Gray says. "That's when they found out that I was having my first crisis."

It was Gray's first sickle cell crisis. These episodes are one of the worst things about sickle cell disease, a common and often devastating genetic blood disorder. People with the condition regularly suffer sudden, excruciating bouts of pain.

"Sometimes it feels like lightning strikes in my chest and real sharp pains all over. And it's a deep pain. I can't touch it and make it better," says Gray. "Sometimes, I will be just balled up and crying, not able to do anything for myself.

Gray is now 34 and lives in Forest, Miss. She volunteered to become the first patient in the United States with a genetic disease to get treated with the revolutionary gene-editing technique known as CRISPR.

NPR got exclusive access to chronicle Gray's journey through this medical experiment, which is being watched closely for some of the first hints that changing a person's genes with CRISPR could provide a powerful new way to treat many diseases.

"This is both enormously exciting for sickle cell disease and for all those other conditions that are next in line," says Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

"To be able to take this new technology and give people a chance for a new life is a dream come true," Collins says. "And here we are."

Doctors removed bone marrow cells from Gray's body, edited a gene inside them with CRISPR and infused the modified cells back into her system this summer. And it appears the cells are doing what scientists hoped producing a protein that could alleviate the worst complications of sickle cell.

"We are very, very excited," says Dr. Haydar Frangoul of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tenn., who is treating Gray.

Frangoul and others stress that it's far too soon to reach any definitive conclusions. Gray and many other patients will have to be treated and followed for much longer to know whether the gene-edited cells are helping.

"We have to be cautious. It's too early to celebrate," Frangoul says. "But we are very encouraged so far."

Collins agrees.

"That first person is an absolute groundbreaker. She's out on the frontier," Collins says. "Victoria deserves a lot of credit for her courage in being that person. All of us are watching with great anticipation."

This is the story of Gray's journey through the landmark attempt to use the most sophisticated genetic technology in what could be the dawn of a new era in medicine.

The study took place at HCA Healthcare's Sarah Cannon Research Institute and TriStar Centennial Medical Center, in Nashville, Tenn., one of 11 sites recruiting patients for the research in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Life filled with pain

When I first meet her, Gray is in a bed at the TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville wearing a hospital gown, big gold hoop hearings and her signature glittery eye shadow.

It's July 22, 2019, and Gray has been in the hospital for almost two months. She is still recovering from the procedure, parts of which were grueling.

Nevertheless, Gray sits up as visitors enter her room.

"Nice to meet y'all," she says.

Gray is just days away from her birthday, which she'll be celebrating far from her husband, her four children and the rest of her family. Only her father is with her in Nashville.

"It's the right time to get healed," says Gray.

Gray describes what life has been like with sickle cell, which afflicts millions of people around the world, including about 100,000 in the United States. Many are African American.

In July, Gray was recovering after a medical procedure that infused billions of her own bone marrow cells back into her body after they had been modified using the gene-editing technique CRISPR. Her father, Timothy Wright (right), traveled from Mississippi to keep her company. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

"It's horrible," Gray says. "When you can't walk or, you know, lift up a spoon to feed yourself, it gets real hard."

The disease is caused by a genetic defect that turns healthy, plump and pliable red blood cells into deformed, sickle-shaped cells. The defective cells don't carry oxygen well, are hard and sticky and tend to clog up the bloodstream. The blockages and lack of oxygen wreak havoc in the body, damaging vital organs and other parts of the body.

Growing up, Victoria never got to play like other kids. Her sickle cells made her weak and prone to infections. She spent a lot of time in the hospital, recovering, getting blood transfusions all the while trying to keep up with school.

"I didn't feel normal. I couldn't do the regular things that every other kid could do. So I had to be labeled as the sick one."

Gray made it to college. But she eventually had to drop out and give up her dream of becoming a nurse. She got a job selling makeup instead but had to quit that too.

The sickle-shaped cells eventually damaged Gray's heart and other parts of her body. Gray knows that many patients with sickle cell don't live beyond middle age.

"It's horrible knowing that I could have a stroke or a heart attack at any time because I have these cells in me that are misshapen," she says. "Who wouldn't worry?"

Gray says she understands the risks involved in the treatment. "This gives me hope if it gives me nothing else," she says. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Gray says she understands the risks involved in the treatment. "This gives me hope if it gives me nothing else," she says.

Gray married and had children. But she hasn't been able to do a lot of things most parents can, like jump on a trampoline or take her kids to sporting events. She has often had to leave them in the middle of the night to rush to the hospital for help.

"It's scary. And it affected my oldest son, you know, because he's older. So he understands. He started acting out in school. And his teacher told me, 'I believe Jemarius is acting out because he really believes you're going to die,' " Gray says, choking back tears.

Some patients can get help from drugs, and some undergo bone marrow transplants. But that procedure is risky; there's no cure for most patients.

"It was just my religion that kind of kept me going," Gray says.

An eager volunteer

Gray had been exploring the possibility of getting a bone marrow transplant when Frangoul told her about a plan to study gene editing with CRISPR to try to treat sickle cell for the first time. She jumped at the chance to volunteer.

"I was excited," Gray says.

CRISPR enables scientists to edit genes much more easily than ever before. Doctors hope it will give them a powerful new way to fight cancer, AIDS, heart disease and a long list of genetic afflictions.

"CRISPR technology has a lot of potential use in the future," Frangoul says.

To try to treat Gray's sickle cell, doctors started by removing bone marrow cells from her blood last spring.

Next, scientists used CRISPR to edit a gene in the cells to turn on the production of fetal hemoglobin. It's a protein that fetuses make in the womb to get oxygen from their mothers' blood.

"Once a baby is born, a switch will flip on. It's a gene that tells the ... bone marrow cells that produce red cells to stop making fetal hemoglobin," says Frangoul, medical director of pediatric hematology/oncology at HCA Healthcare's TriStar Centennial Medical Center.

The hope is that restoring production of fetal hemoglobin will compensate for the defective adult-hemoglobin sickle cells that patients produce.

Patients with sickle cell disease have blood cells that are stiff and misshapen. The cells don't carry oxygen as well and clog up the bloodstream, resulting in periodic bouts of excruciating pain. Ed Reschke/Getty Images hide caption

Patients with sickle cell disease have blood cells that are stiff and misshapen. The cells don't carry oxygen as well and clog up the bloodstream, resulting in periodic bouts of excruciating pain.

"We are trying to introduce enough ... fetal hemoglobin into the red blood cell to make the red blood cell go back to being happy and squishy and not sticky and hard, so it can go deliver oxygen where it's supposed to," Frangoul says.

Then on July 2, after extracting Gray's cells and sending them to a lab to get edited, Frangoul infused more than 2 billion of the edited cells into her body.

"They had the cells in a big syringe. And when it went in, my heart rate shot up real high. And it kind of made it hard to breath," Gray says. "So that was a little scary, tough moment for me."

After that moment passed, Gray says, she cried. But her tears were "happy tears," she adds.

"It was amazing and just kind of overwhelming," she says, "after all that I had went through, to finally get what I came for."

The cells won't cure sickle cell. But the hope is that the fetal hemoglobin will prevent many of the disease's complications.

"This opens the door for many patients to potentially be treated and to have their disease modified to become mild," Frangoul says.

The procedure was not easy. It involved going through many of the same steps as a standard bone marrow transplant, including getting chemotherapy to make room in the bone marrow for the gene-edited cells. The chemotherapy left Gray weak and struggling with complications, including painful mouth sores that made it difficult to eat and drink.

But Gray says the ordeal will have been worth it if the treatment works.

She calls her new gene-edited cells her "supercells."

"They gotta be super to do great things in my body and to help me be better and help me have more time with my kids and my family," she says.

Gray was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant. She was considering a bone marrow transplant when she heard about the CRISPR study and jumped at the chance to volunteer. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Gray was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant. She was considering a bone marrow transplant when she heard about the CRISPR study and jumped at the chance to volunteer.

Concerns about risk

Other doctors and scientists are excited about the research. But they're cautious too.

"This is an exciting moment in medicine," says Laurie Zoloth, a bioethicist at the University of Chicago. "Everyone agrees with that. CRISPR promises the capacity to alter the human genome and to begin to directly address genetic diseases."

Still, Zoloth worries that the latest wave of genetic studies, including the CRISPR sickle cell study, may not have gotten enough scrutiny by objective experts.

"This a brand-new technology. It seems to work really well in animals and really well in culture dishes," she says. "It's completely unknown how it works in actual human beings. So there are a lot of unknowns. It might make you sicker."

Zoloth is especially concerned because the research involves African Americans, who have been mistreated in past medical studies.

Frangoul acknowledges that there are risks with experimental treatments. But he says the research is going very slowly with close oversight by the Food and Drug Administration and others.

"We are very cautious about how we do this trial in a very systematic way to monitor the patients carefully for any complications related to the therapy," Frangoul says.

Gray says she understands the risks of being the first patient and that the study could be just a first step that benefits only other patients, years from now. But she can't help but hope it works for her.

Dr. Haydar Frangoul, medical director of pediatric hematology/oncology at HCA Healthcare's Sarah Cannon Research Institute and TriStar Centennial Medical Center, is leading the study in Nashville. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Dr. Haydar Frangoul, medical director of pediatric hematology/oncology at HCA Healthcare's Sarah Cannon Research Institute and TriStar Centennial Medical Center, is leading the study in Nashville.

She imagines a day when she may "wake up and not be in pain" and "be tired because I've done something not just tired for no reason." Perhaps she could play more with her kids, she says, and look forward to watching them grow up.

"That means the world to me," Gray says.

It could be many weeks or even months before the first clues emerge about whether the edited cells are safe and might be working.

"This gives me hope if it gives me nothing else," she says in July.

Heading home at last

About two months later, Gray has recovered enough to leave the hospital. She has been living in a nearby apartment for several weeks.

Enough time has passed since Gray received the cells for any concerns about immediate side effects from the cells to have largely passed. And her gene-edited cells have started working well enough for her immune system to have resumed functioning.

So Gray is packing. She will finally go home to see her children in Mississippi for the first time in months. Gray's husband is there to drive her home.

"I'm excited," she says. "I know it's going to be emotional for me. I miss the hugs and the kisses and just everything."

After living for months in Nashville, where the study was taking place, Gray packs her bags to finally go home to her kids and family in Forest, Miss. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

After living for months in Nashville, where the study was taking place, Gray packs her bags to finally go home to her kids and family in Forest, Miss.

Gray is wearing bright red glittery eye shadow. It matches her red tank top, which repeats "I am important" across the front.

She unzips a suitcase and starts pulling clothes from the closet.

"My goodness. Did I really bring all this?" she says with a laugh.

Before Gray can finish packing and depart, she has to stop by the hospital again.

"Are you excited about seeing the kids?" Frangoul says as he greets her. "Are they going to have a big welcome sign for you in Mississippi?"

Turns out that Gray has decided to make her homecoming a surprise.

"I'm just going to show up tomorrow. Like, 'Mama's home,' " she says, and laughs.

After examining Gray, Frangoul tells her that she will need to come back to Nashville once a month for checkups and blood tests to see if her genetically modified cells are producing fetal hemoglobin and giving her healthier red blood cells.

"We are very hopeful that this will work for Victoria, but we don't know that yet," Frangoul says.

Gray will also keep detailed diaries about her health, including how much pain she's experiencing, how much pain medication she needs and whether she needs any blood transfusions.

"Victoria is a pioneer in this. And we are very excited. This is a big moment for Victoria and for this pivotal trial," Frangoul says. "If we can show that this therapy is safe and effective, it can potentially change the lives of many patients."

Gray hopes so too.

Excerpt from:

Sickle Cell Therapy With CRISPR Gene Editing Shows Promise : Shots - Health News - NPR

Did Cellectis Just Provide a Glimpse of the Future of Cellular Medicine? – The Motley Fool

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

For all of the wondrous potential of immunotherapies, there have been some notable obstacles in the early goings. Engineering immune cells to attack cancerous tumors can lead to solid results shortly after administering a dose, but for many patients the effects wear off once rapidly mutating tumor cells acquire new defense mechanisms.

Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS) thinks it may have a partial solution. In mid-November, the gene editing company published the results from a proof of concept study for its "smart" immunotherapy approach. Is the technique the future of cellular medicine?

Image source: Getty Images.

Today, cellular oncology therapies genetically engineer immune cells to bolster their safety and efficacy as a cancer treatment. There are T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and others. They're often engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or T cell receptors (TCRs), which allow them to home in on and suppress specific genes in cancer cells.

While current-generation CAR T cells or CAR NK cells are capable of mounting formidable attacks on tumors at first, treatment responses aren't durable for all patients. That's because cancer cells mutate to rely on different proliferation genes, or secrete new molecules into the tumor microenvironment that neutralize immune cells. Meanwhile, overstimulating the immune system can reduce the potency of immune cells and lead to devastating side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome.

That prompted Cellectis to design "smart" CAR T cells capable of adapting to changes in the tumor microenvironment. In a proof of concept study, the company utilized synthetic biology concepts to rewire genetic circuits in three different genes of the initial T cells.

One edit made the immunotherapy more potent, but in a controlled manner to reduce off-target toxicity. The other two edits imbued CAR T cells with the ability to secrete inflammatory proteins inside the tumor microenvironment in proportion to the concentration of cancer cells.

In other words, the smart CAR T cells only asked for help from the rest of the immune system when it was needed most, which increased the anti-tumor activity of treatment and made native immune cells less likely to become neutralized. That should reduce the likelihood of triggering cytokine release syndrome, the most common (and potentially fatal) side effect of cellular medicines, which is caused by high concentrations of immune cells.

The study was conducted in mice, which means the safety and efficacy observations can't be extrapolated into humans. But that wasn't the point. The proof of concept demonstrates that the basic idea of engineering tightly controlled genetic circuits into immunotherapies is feasible. It could even allow multiple genetic circuits of the same drug candidate to be tested against one another in parallel, hastening drug development and lowering costs. Is it the inevitable future of cellular medicine?

Image source: Getty Images.

Gene editing tools are required to engineer immune cells. In fact, immunotherapies are the lowest hanging fruit for gene editing technology platforms today. It's simply easier to engineer immune cells in the lab (ex vivo) than it is to engineer specific cell types in the complex environment of the human body (in vivo).

That explains why nearly every leading gene editing company has immunotherapy programs in its pipeline. Coincidentally, all of the leading drug candidates in the industry pipeline are off-the-shelf CAR T cells engineered to treat CD19 malignancies such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), regardless of the gene editing approach used. The smart CAR T cells designed by Cellectis targeted CD22 malignancies, but the approach could be adapted to CD19 antigen.

Developer(s)

Drug Candidate

Gene Editing Approach

Development Status

Cellectis and Servier

UCART19

TALEN

Phase 2

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL)

PCAR0191

ARCUS gene editing

Phase 1/2

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP)

CTX110

CRISPR-Cas9

Phase 1/2

Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SGMO) and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)

KITE-037

Zinc finger nuclease

Preclinical

Data source: Company websites.

Will these companies eventually turn to "smart" immunotherapies with regulated genetic circuits? It does seem inevitable, especially if the approach can reduce or eliminate cytokine release syndrome and enable more durable responses.

For example, Cellectis reported that all seven patients taking part in the phase 1 trial of UCART19 suffered from at least grade 1 cytokine release syndrome, which caused complications that led to the death of one patient. Five of the seven patients achieved molecular remission, but one relapsed (and remained alive) and one died. To be fair, all patients taking part in the trial had advanced, heavily pretreated B-ALL.

Precision BioSciences has encountered similar obstacles in an ongoing phase 1/2 trial of PBCAR0191. The company's lead drug candidate was administered to nine patients with NHL or B-ALL. Three cases of cytokine release syndrome were reported, but all were manageable. Seven responded to treatment, including two that achieved a complete response, but three eventually relapsed.

CRISPR Therapeutics recently began dosing patients with CTX110 in a phase 1/2 trial that will eventually enroll up to 95 individuals, but initial results won't be available until 2020. Sangamo Therapeutics and Kite Pharma, a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences, are plowing ahead with zinc fingers,but are still in preclinical development.

Investors seem pleased with most of these gene editing stocksright now. After all, despite the obstacles, current-generation cellular medicines are delivering impressive results in patient populations with relatively few options. But upcoming data readouts could easily differentiate the pack. That could increase the need to invest in augmented capabilities, such as smart immunotherapies.

There's plenty of untapped potential in cellular medicine. Today, companies are developing drug candidates with engineered CARs and TCRs designed to test hypotheses about the function of immunotherapies. As approaches find success, measured in safer and more durable responses, the next layer of complexity will be added in an effort to find even more successful therapies. And the cycle will continue.

Therefore, it seems inevitable that the field of cellular medicine will turn to smart immunotherapies with more complex genetic edits, much like the field quickly embraced the need for engineered immune cells and off-the-shelf manufacturing processes. That said, the immediate focus for Cellectis and its peers is building a stable foundation -- and those efforts have only just begun.

View original post here:

Did Cellectis Just Provide a Glimpse of the Future of Cellular Medicine? - The Motley Fool

What is multifocal pneumonia, the illness ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff tweeted about before his death? – USA TODAY

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Edward Aschoff's cause of death, which has yet to be officially determined.

ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschofftweeted about battling multifocal pneumonia before his deathTuesday, his 34th birthday, drawing widespread attention to the disease.

On Thursday,Katy Berteau, Aschoff's fiance, revealed that battlepreceded a later presumed diagnosis.

"Edward was admitted to the hospital a week after our first visit to the ER, where he was diagnosed with multifocal pneumonia,"Berteau tweeted fromAschoff's Twitter account.

"After failed antibiotic treatment, with worsening of symptoms, we took him back to the ER and he was immediately admitted.

"After many tests - bone marrow and lung biopsies - treatment was started for a presumed diagnosis of HLH, an unregulated, over-activation of the immune system that causes it to attack itself and other healthy tissues,"Berteau tweeted.

"Within 3 days of being moved into the ICU, he passed."

Aschoff first tweeted about his condition on Dec. 5 asking his followers, Anyone ever had multifocal (bilateral) pneumonia in their early 30s as some who never gets sick and has a very good immune system?

He then replied to another tweet the same day, detailing the symptoms he had been dealing with for weeks: So I had a virus for two weeks. Fever and cough and the doctors think it turns into this multifocal pneumonia recently. Im on day 4 of antibiotics. Days are getting better but nights are basically fever and coughing and sweating.

Here's more information about the illnessAschoff tweeted about before his death:

Dr. Marc Sala, assistant professor of medicine inpulmonary critical care at Northwestern University says pneumonia is an infection of the lungs' air sacs, or tissue."Multifocal" pneumonia means that the infectionis not just affecting one partof the lung but multiple sections.

"Bilateral" means that the infection is present in both lungs.

Sala says that the more tissue infected, the more severe the pneumonia.

Pneumonia is contagious. But Sala says not much is known in the medical community about how peopleget pneumonia.

"What makes one person develop pneumonia versus another is still a developing science because it has a lot to do with the individual person," he says.

Certain characteristics such as genetic factors, a patient's immune system, medical history and age can determine whether a person is infected.

'Brighton ax murder': Decades after his daughters death by ax in 1982, a father waits for justice

Nurses who kill: Medical murderers and the mystery of the Clarksburg VA hospital in West Virginia

The common cold is one of the most well-known and established risk factors of developing pneumonia,Sala says.

"Other viruses(such as the flu) can predispose you to a compromised immune system of the lungs," he says.

Although pneumonia isn't predictable, Sala says, the best way to mitigate other viruses that could develop into pneumonia is to practice good hand hygiene, avoid people who may be sick and get the flu shot every year.

'Men should get engagement rings too': Lindsey Vonn proposes to P.K. Subban

10 lists that define the 2010s: Warming temperatures, growing cities, TIME people of the year

According to the Mayo Clinic, pneumonia symptoms can vary from mild to severe depending on the cause of infection, age and the patient's overall health.

Milder symptoms look similar to a cold or flu and can include chest pain when breathing or coughing, fatigue, fever accompanied by sweating and shaking chills, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea and shortness of breath.

Sala says that the only way to confirm a diagnosis of pneumonia is to visit a doctor to get an x-ray and physical exam.

"If symptoms arent improving with just conservative measures at home ... in the time course of several days and youre getting worse that should prompt an evaluation."

Contributing: Ellen J. Horrow, USA TODAY.

Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/12/26/espn-edward-aschoff-34-dies-multifocal-pneumonia-what-it/2746436001/

More here:

What is multifocal pneumonia, the illness ESPN reporter Edward Aschoff tweeted about before his death? - USA TODAY

The travellers within us – Myanmar Times

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

From the cradle to the grave

There is evidence to suggest that the unique microbiome of each person starts to take shape even while we are still growing in the womb. From birth and throughout life, it continues to develop and evolve, influenced by genetics, as well as environmental factors such as diet, nutrition and exposure to drugs such as antibiotics.

It is estimated that an average adult carries about two kilograms worth of microbes in their gut. In fact, the number of these organisms often outnumber our own cells. Most of the time, we may be carrying more microbial genes than human genes in our bodies. The latter aid in digestion and help produce essential vitamins (such as vitamins B and K) and maintain a healthy gut by preventing overgrowth and invasion by disease-causing microbes. But increasingly, research is finding that there is more to our microbiomes than just promoting gut health: It can impact weight, immunity, mood, behaviour, energy and overall wellness.

Some experts claim that up to 90 percent of diseases can be traced back in some way to the gut and the health of the microbiome. The gut microbiome, and its diversity, has been shown to influence many conditions not traditionally considered microbe related from whether a person develops obesity, heart disease, asthma or diabetes, to neurological conditions such as Parkinsons disease and dementia, to development of cancer, right down to how well we respond to chemotherapy and vaccines.

A new frontier

Microbiome research is an exploding field of science growing at an exponential rate. New knowledge is being added almost daily. The organisms being discovered have names not found in textbooks, being unknowable to us a mere few years ago. Unlike their disease-causing counterparts, they live symbiotically within the host and are not found in clinical specimens. But advances in genetic analysis technology have propelled the exploration of this new frontier of science.

Researchers have now identified more than 10,000 species of microbes living in and on the human body. The next challenge is to tease out and define the apparent associations between the microbiome, health and disease and develop ways to manipulate it to improve health, as we have done with antibiotics and probiotics.

The more diverse, the better

It remains to be defined how exactly the microbiome exerts its health consequences on the host or what makes a healthy microbiome. Experts agree that diversity is a good thing when it comes to gut microbes. The diversity of the travellers we carry appears instrumental in the development of a robust immune system. Association with disease is usually observed when this diversity is reduced or lost. Diet is a major influence on this diversity by dictating the environment in which certain microbes can take up long-term residence within the gut. For example, diets high in saturated fats, which are linked to conditions such as diabetes and heart disease,are also thought to reduce microbial diversity.

How you can influence your microbiome

Here are a few tips to cultivate as much diversity as possible in your gut microbiome:

Increase your fibre intake

Dietary fibre usually comes from plant-based food ingredients that are not broken down by enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract. Most adults should aim to have 25 35 grams of fibre in their diet every day. Fibre supports the growth and diversity of the microbiome and has the added benefits of lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer.

Eat a wide and seasonal range of fruits, nuts and vegetables

The variety and the types of fibres found within different fruits and vegetables are thought to support different microbial species, thereby contributing to the overall diversity.

Include fermented foods in your diet

Fermented foods such as pickled vegetables, staples of the Burmese dinner tables everywhere, have been shown to be beneficial in improving the diversity of the microbiome and gut function. Other fermented foods include yoghurt, kimchi, soybean-based products such as soy sauce and tempeh.

Avoid artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose or aspartame may be sold as sugar substitutes or are found in sugar-free beverages. These are marketed as a healthier no-calorie alternative to natural sugars, but they have been shown to disrupt the gut microbiome.

Avoid antibiotics and non-essential medicines

Antibiotics may be life-saving when taken for the right reasons. But taken unnecessarily, they indiscriminately wipe out many beneficial microbes, reducing the diversity of the microbiome with effects lasting up to years. Dangerous and pathogenic bacteria may flourish in absence of the microbiome diversity which may result in serious illness. Even non-antibiotic medications may alter gut microbiome by altering the colonic environment so best to play it safe and only take them when necessary.

Dr Thel Khin Hla is a doctor with the Myanmar Oxford Clinical Research Unit in Yangon.

Continue reading here:

The travellers within us - Myanmar Times

Pay-What-You-Can Russian House #1 in Jenner Is One of Californias Most Eccentric Restaurants – Eater SF

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

On the drive up Highway 1 along the Sonoma County coast, the road eventually begins to twist and turn and the landscape grows ever craggier, dotted with wind-battered homes. In the coastal hamlet of Jenner, about 80 miles north of San Francisco at the mouth of the Russian River, a quaint, shingled building with a sign that says Russian House #1 is perched along the road. Is it a restaurant? A community center? An experiment in spiritual development?

Yes is the answer.

Russian House #1 has no menu and no set prices for food. Its founders, Tatiana Ginzburg and Polina Krasikova, were inspired in part by their experience at Burning Man in 2014, where they witnessed an intricate barter economy in action. The restaurant also has no paid kitchen staff. Krasikova cooks most of the food and is chiefly responsible for the kitchen, though she relies on a revolving cast of volunteers. Some are neighbors. The owners do not use the word donation. Its not charity, Krasikova says. You pay according to your own sense of fairness. Some visitors pay with labor, staying to clean or chop vegetables.

In Russian Houses five-year history, Krasikova and Ginzburg have welcomed friends from all over the world, so the days flavors are liable to change depending on whos in the kitchen. Theyve hosted French, Italian, Chinese, Turkish, Indian, and Armenian friends. They cook whatever they want, she says.

Sonoma County may seem like an unlikely place to pass a sign reading Pirozhki to go, but Russian House is ten miles from Fort Ross, a rustic Russian outpost where fur traders settled in the nineteenth century. The compound is now a National Historic Landmark that draws visiting Russians and other tourists passing along this picturesque stretch of Californias coast.

The bright, windowed space inside Russian House has a grand quality, owing largely to the majestic view of the Russian River, where geese frolic. And though visitors are likely to get a good meal, Krasikova admits that eating is not the whole point here. The food, however good it is, is secondary to dialogue and communication. Thats what we want. People come for food and stay for something else.

That something else is hard to pin down: The place hosts philosophy and physics lectures and holotropic breathwork workshops, and a poster made by Ginzburg starkly lays out steps toward unleashing human potential. Its a sensibility that seems to combine 19th century Russian mysticism, a Soviet penchant for grandiose acts of bureaucratic classification, and a post-Soviet interest in New Age self-discovery. But the extra-culinary offerings can feel opaque, even to visitors well versed in West Coast wellness culture. One would have to really join the community to ascertain whether it delivers on its self-stated goal of global enlightenment.

That said, a spirit of playfulness is alive throughout the space, where complex wooden puzzles hang along the wall of a corner pantry designed to look like an old-fashioned Russian stove. Matrioshki Russian nesting dolls of various sizes and a miniature balalaika stand sentinel on a shelf above a poster featuring an 80s-style image of a matrix that says Meaning. Binders full of flyers for past events and one-day menus sit on a table near the entryway. The papers reflect the wit and humor that undergirds the Russian House project as well as a charmingly faltering grasp of English. Classical Piano Concert is Quite Possible reads one. An old menu for the Week of Consciousness Expansion lists food for the intellect (riddles and puzzles) as well as earth food (the actual buffet). Another from a past Labor Day lists prices for activities: the right to clean the floor in the kitchen costs $1; the right to bake one pirozhek costs $5; and doing a puzzle with Tatiana would run guests $10,000.

When guests arrive, they take a plate from the mismatched stacks below the table and serve themselves from a motley assortment of chafing dishes and ceramic bowls. A large insulated pot of steaming ukha Russian fish soup beckons as an obvious first course. The clear broth, flecked with dill, maintains its lightness in spite of large chunks of potato and cod.

Though Krasikova draws on traditional recipes, she spent her St. Petersburg childhood cooking and baking alongside her mother, who liked to experiment, and she calls the food she serves fusion. We get tired of cooking all the same all the time, she says, so we always experiment. She enjoys using seasonal vegetables and playing with ayurvedic spice combinations. Krasikova sometimes looks up classic Russian recipes from one of the vintage cookbooks she keeps on a bookshelf off the main room, but adds touches she thinks Californians will appreciate.

For example, when she realized guests didnt love plain kasha (or buckwheat groats, a staple grain dish in Russian cuisine), she added capers and seaweed. Instead of typical blini with buckwheat flour, she uses almond milk to make a lighter, crepe-like version. The resulting pancakes have an injera-like sponginess, and are delicious served lukewarm with a dollop of cold sour cream and a spoonful of raspberry jam. A tart cabbage-and-carrot sauerkraut (made by a neighbor) cut both the blandness of a medley of stewed vegetables and the richness of a braised dish of pork medallions and greens that Krasikova conceded was not very Russian.

Taken together, however, the meal felt Russian: heavy as a woolen blanket, warm, comforting, and filling. It was served with Ivan tea (made from fermented fireweed), an erstwhile export of the Russian empire, in delicate cups from St. Petersburgs Imperial Porcelain Factory. Krasikova refilled the cups as soon as they were emptied.

In a moment when Russian political intrigue dominates the news, it can feel quite radical and nourishing to spend a few sunny hours soaking in a spirit of Russian joy. That rare experience is whats on offer at Russian House #1, even if it isnt exactly for sale.

Pay-What-You-Can Russian House #1 in Jenner Is One of Californias Most Eccentric Restaurants - Eater SF

Kung Fu Nuns in Nepal boost their health in the fight for women’s rights – KAKE

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Swords swirl around their bodies, coming perilously close to piercing flesh. Blades flashing in the morning sun, the young women twirl, cartwheel and then kick in unison, finishing their graceful movements in a centuries old kung fu fighting stance.

Dressed alike with matching shaved heads, the women and girls finish their daily exercise and move on to their other duties as part of the Kung Fu Nuns of the Himalayas, a name they have proudly adopted.

Jigme Yangchen Ghamo has lived at the Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery perched high in the mountains outside Kathmandu since she was 10 years old.

"We are the only nunnery in all of the Himalayas doing deadly martial arts," Ghamo toldCNN's Great Big Story in June. "This is a lifelong vow that I made to the Drukpa Order, and I am very proud of my practice."

The Drukpa Order is a branch of Himalayan Buddhism, a faith which traditionally considers women second-class citizens. According toBuddhist narratives, a woman cannot achieve spiritual enlightenment unless she is reborn as a man.

"The idea was that as long as the nuns cook and clean for the monks, they can come back as a monk in their next lifetime and then become enlightened," said Carrie Lee, the former president ofLive to Love, a non-governmental organization that works closely with the nunnery to supply aid to the region.

According to Lee, discrimination toward women is a way of life in Nepal and surrounding nations. Girls are considered a burden and are frequently aborted; if they live, they have limited access to healthcare or education. They are often sold off to traffickers or marry young; wife beating and other types of spousal violence is common.

His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual leader of the Drukpa lineage, says as a child he believed the Buddhist beliefs about women to be misguided. In the early 2000s he began to promote the nuns to leadership positions.

It wasn't always well received. Local traditionalists called the action "blasphemous," Lee said, "and then they started harassing the nuns and assaulting them."

To teach the nuns self-defense, Drukpa hired a kung fu teacher in 2008. But His Holiness also hoped the training would improve the nun's confidence and self-esteem.

"I consider the kung fu art, martial art, an education," he told actress Susan Sarandon in a2014 interview. "I'm very proud of the nuns.

"I have been breaking through all these barriers," he added. "Whatever the Buddhist people say I don't mind and I don't care."

"We wake up at 3 a.m., we meditate, we bicycle and we train for three hours," Ghamo said. "The Drukpa Order is not for lazy people."

In addition to kung fu practice with swords, sticks and flags, the women jog and run up and down stairs to boost their fitness. They even learn to break bricks with their hands.

All of the physical work has a spiritual purpose, Ghamo said. "Kung fu trains us to focus our minds for meditation."

Martial arts are known for their health benefits. A2018 studyfound "hard" martial arts like kung fu can improve balance and cognitive functions that decline with age, while a2016 studyfound kung fu and karate helped with blood sugar control.

Another ancient martial art, Tai Chi, has been more thoroughly studied. Research shows Tai Chi can improvebone mineral density, reduceblood pressure, lowercholesterol, and reduce harmfulinflammation.

And the mental health benefits are just as strong. The calming, meditative trance needed to do a Tai Chi series has been shown to greatly reduce anxiety and stress, even lowering levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the blood of participants.

When a devastating 7.9 earthquake took the lives of 9,000 people in Nepal in 2015, the nuns from Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery were some of the first relief workers on the scene.

Supported by the Live to Love organization, the nuns walked to villages that government and traditional relief organizations considered too dangerous to visit.

"When the earthquake hit, our kung fu training helped us to be brave and strong," Ghamo said. "We survived the landslides, avalanches and earthquakes."

Later the nuns were able to "do a medical helicopter rescue, truck rescues, food and medicine distribution, provide solar power, and more,"they wrote on their website, even building 201 new homes after clearing the rubble.

During the cleanup, Lee said, the nuns saw young girls being given away or sold off to potential human traffickers and decided to take action. They organized bi-yearly bicycle trips, taking months to cover thousands of treacherous miles between Kathmandu and Ladakh, India. They stop at tiny villages along the way to spread a message about the value of girls and the dangers of human trafficking.

"We talk about equality and safety," Ghamo said. "We wanted to show everyone that if nuns can ride bicycles, then girls can do anything."

By showing that girls could survive the mountainous terrain, they were sending the message that "girls were strong enough to farm" and thus worth keeping, Lee explained. "They started raising awareness about what actually happens to girls when you give them away."

Many of the mothers had encouraged their girls to leave, hoping they would have a better life, Lee said. "And now when the nuns go back, these families come up to them and say, "We had no idea where our girls are going. We're much more protective of them now."

His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, their spiritual leader, joins the nuns on most of their bicycle trips. His presence adds weight to their fight for women's rights, especially in the most traditional villages.

"Because of his religious authority, equality becomes a religious mandate," Lee said. "Respecting women becomes a religious imperative wherever he goes."

The effort appears to be paying off.

"In the past 15 years, I've noticed a huge shift in some of these villages," Lee said. "Before, if I sat down with meetings, it was predominantly men. Now women are so much more vocal in these meetings. Now you see female police officers, you see female politicians and leaders."

The nuns have added a green theme to their good works. Each year they do a "Eco-Pad Yatras," a 400 plus mile hike picking up plastic litter and educating locals on ways to protect their local environments.

Many of the nuns are trained solar technicians, others assist doctors in the Live to Love eye camps, where cataracts surgeries are free of charge. Other activities include music, dance, theater, and animal rescue and care.

When Lee first began volunteering 20 years ago, the nunnery was home to about 30 nuns. Today there are more than 800, ranging in age from eight to 80. There is a waiting list for young girls who want to join the "Kung Fu Nun" revolution.

All of the nuns bear the first name of Jigme, which means "fearless one" in Tibetan.

"I learned I can do anything a man can do," Ghamo said. "Kung fu has trained meto be confident, strong and happy. The teachings help me put my compassion into action."

The rest is here:

Kung Fu Nuns in Nepal boost their health in the fight for women's rights - KAKE

An Artist Shares Her Most Striking Images of the Decade – The New York Times

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

On the eve of her 30th birthday, the artist Renee Cox, who at the time was enjoying a successful career as an editorial photographer for Essence magazine, began thinking about her legacy. She was pregnant with her first child, and things that had appeared important to her before now seemed less so. In my 20s, I could talk about a pair of shoes for an hour, she says. As I got older, that got harder to do. The 28-day cycle of her magazine work, too, was on her mind. Then, in 1990, a decisive moment presented itself. Cox was in New Yorks SoHo, having a drink with some industry friends at Jerrys, a favorite of the 90s fashion crowd. I said, Its amazing, Nelson Mandela has been released from prison after 27 years. The group paused and looked blankly at Cox. Then, someone at the table announced that theyd heard Donald and Ivana Trump were getting a divorce. Thats when I knew it was time for me to get out of fashion, she says.

In the years since, after earning an M.F.A. in photography from the School of Visual Arts and completing the Whitney Independent Study Program, Cox has established herself as one of the pre-eminent artists of her generation. Her photographs are both highly personal often depicting her naked body and using her own life as subject matter and occasionally controversial. When her piece Yo Mamas Last Supper (1996), a reimagining of the late-15th-century Leonardo da Vinci painting in which the artist appears, nude, as Jesus Christ, was shown at the Brooklyn Museum in 2001, it prompted then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani to call for the implementation of decency standards at New York City art institutions.

The last decade, in particular, has been a pivotal period for Coxs work. In 2011, during a bout of deep depression and fresh anxiety about her legacy, the artist experienced a moment of spiritual enlightenment while traveling in Bali which, she says, I realize sounds incredibly clichd. A new series of spontaneous self portraits, part of her The Discreet Charm of the Bougies project, followed soon after. Coming out of fashion, I was heavily involved in production. I knew what a shot was going to be two weeks in advance, says Cox. Now, I see a location, I throw on the clothes I want to have on I have no idea what the shot is going to be even 10 minutes before. Its about being present in the moment. Another recent series, called Soul Culture, for which Cox manipulates photographic portraits in Photoshop, draws on the formations and repetitions found in fractals and sacred geometry. People are tempted to treat artwork like Tinder and swipe right or left, she says. The objective with this work is to get people out of their head. Theyre not one-liners. Here, Cox shares a selection of her most memorable images, both professional and personal, from the past 10 years.

Excerpt from:

An Artist Shares Her Most Striking Images of the Decade - The New York Times

Ram Dass, who sought enlightenment through LSD and became spiritual leader, dead at 88 – San Francisco Chronicle

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Ram Dass, at age 71, in Woodside before moving to Maui in 2004. Photo: DARRYL BUSH, SFC

Richard Alpert had a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University and an expertise in achievement anxiety when he was hired as an assistant professor at Harvard University. There he began personal research into the medicinal qualities of hallucinogenic drugs. This got him fired, and thats when his enlightenment began.

Renamed Ram Dass, Servant of God, he became a vastly influential professor in the independent study of psychology, psychedelics and mysticism.

Dass, who lived for many years in Marin County, died at his home in the north shore of Maui on Sunday, Dec. 22. He was 88. Cause of death was an infection that spread to his lungs, said Rameshwar Das, his longtime friend and co-author. Dass had suffered a severe stroke in 1997 that left him partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, and ultimately led to his death.

Good grief is shared by all, said Hugh Romney, better known as Wavy Gravy, when reached by phone. He was our light in the dark. His book Be Here Now was the switch that turned on the light for millions.

Be Here Now, published in 1971, combined Eastern mysticism and Western psychology into a usable practice of spirituality. Still in print, it has sold more than 2 million copies. Dass two other influential titles are Be Love Now, published in 2010, and Polishing the Mirror, published in 2014.

Most recently, he co-authored Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying, from 2018. Dass and Das had been co-authoring a memoir, to be titled Being Ram Dass, which Das plans to complete. It is scheduled for publication in 2021.

Ram Dass was able to mix the Eastern practices of wisdom, love and compassion in language that is accessible to generations of Western seekers, said Das. People love his self-deprecating humor and his deep insights into practical life experience.

Richard Alpert was born April 6, 1931, in Newton, Mass. He graduated from Williston Northampton School in 1948 and went on to Tufts University, where he earned a bachelor of arts in psychology. He later attended Wesleyan University where he earned his masters degree. After earning his PhD at Stanford, he was hired to the faculty as a lecturer but left that for a tenure track job as an assistant professor at Harvard.

In the Harvard psychology department, he fell in with Timothy Leary and Ralph Metzner. The three of them started experimenting with mind-altering drugs and co-authored an academic textbook titled The Psychedelic Experience.

As part of his research, Alpert started administering psychedelic drugs to an undergraduate, which got him booted out of Harvard in 1963. Undaunted, he continued to pursue his research in Mexico.

By 1966, he was back in the Bay Area as a freelance researcher and lecturer living in Berkeley. In a state hearing regarding the drug culture, Alpert appeared to testify, dressed professorial in black-framed glasses and a business suit.

Im one of the people who causes you all the trouble, he said, before volunteering that he had taken LSD 328 times.

This helped his reputation, further enhanced by his pep talk from the stage at the January 1967 Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park, which launched the Summer of Love.

Richard Alpert was an articulate and irreverent spokesman for the whole counterculture movement of the 1960s, said Don Lattin, author of The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith and Andrew Weil Killed the 50s and Ushered in a New Age in America, published in 2010. He didnt come across as an all-knowing guru. He always seemed like just another spiritual seeker.

In this search he went to India, in the fall of 1967 to study with Neem Karoli Baba, known as Maharaj-ji. After learning yoga and meditation, he took a six-month spiritual quest into the Himalayas and when he returned in March 1968, the Western name and ego of Richard Alpert had vanished. He was Ram Dass from that moment forward.

In a nationwide radio show, shortly after his return, Dass explained the relationship with his guru, Maharaj-ji.

When Im in his presence I experience ecstasy and bliss from the depth of the love that our relationship has for me, he said. And thats a drunken kind of love where I often find myself just dissolved into tears because Ive just never experienced such profound love from any being.

Dass introduced himself at a lecture at his alma mater. Hed just come from six months of silent meditation in the Himalayas and had plenty to say. The presentation started at 7:30 p.m. and didnt end it until 3 a.m. Along the way someone turned out the lights, as a hint to wrap things up, but Dass just kept going in the dark.

That lecture changed my point of view, said Das, who had been a Wesleyan junior named Jim Lytton at the time. It went from seeing yourself as the center of the universe to seeing yourself as a grain of sand on the ocean floor.

After many years as a vagabond, always on tour or teaching retreats, Dass came to Santa Cruz in the mid-1980s before moving to Marin, living a few years each in Mill Valley, San Anselmo and Tiburon. While living in San Anselmo, Dass launched a radio show called Be Here Now with Ram Dass.

He had just moved past the pilot episode and was looking to syndicate it when he suffered his stroke.

He was very articulate, funny and irreverent, and was a popular public speaker, said Lattin. Then he lost the ability to speak and had to re-invent himself.

After lengthy rehab in both Marin and in Woodside, Dass relocated to Maui in 2004.

In 2010, he learned that he had fathered a son with Karen Saum, an undergraduate at Stanford while he was teaching there. That son, Peter Reichard, was 52 when he met his dad. Reichard lives in Greensboro, N.C., but regularly visited his dad in Maui from that point on. Dass also had a longtime partner in San Francisco, who requested not to be named in Being Ram Dass.

Among Dass projects is the Love Serve Remember Foundation, which organizes two retreats a year at a resort in Maui, attracts up to 400 seekers of all ages each session. Also part of his legacy are the Living/Dying Project, a Fairfax-based counseling service for people facing death, and Seva Foundation in Berkeley, which he co-founded with Wavy Gravy and others, to eliminate curable blindness in third-world countries.

In lieu of a memorial service, the Love Serve Remember Foundation is planning a worldwide Be Here Now Moment, with details to be posted at ramdass.org.Wavy Gravy has already contributed, with a poem he wrote Monday, Dec. 23, upon hearing of the death of his old friend: This servant of God whose light burned bright on Maui now illuminates eternity.

Ralph Metzner, Bay Area expert on hallucinogens, death and psychology, dies

From Doris Day to Lyle Tuttle, remembering the ones we lost in 2019

Go here to read the rest:

Ram Dass, who sought enlightenment through LSD and became spiritual leader, dead at 88 - San Francisco Chronicle

China races to build its own Tesla as economy slows and subsidies dry up – CNBC

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

A view of electric cars owned by a local car-sharing company in Wuhan, China.

Feature China | Barcroft Images | Barcroft Media | Getty Images

BEIJING When an idea strikes a chord with national ambition in China, the result can be millions of dollars wasted and a handful of start-ups struggling to survive in a cooling economy.

In the last few years, venture capitalists rushed to pour billions of dollars into the emerging electric vehicle industry backed by the Chinese government.

So far, it's less clear how that bet has paid off. Take a look at the recent headlines:

These are some of the handful of survivors from Beijing's efforts over the last decade to accelerate the creation of China's own electric car.

Now, Chinese auto sales are in a slump, consumer subsidies for new energy vehicles are phasing out next year and economic growth is slowing.

Start-ups didn't expect the subsidies to last this long, said Rupert Mitchell, chief strategy officer at Chinese electric car company WM Motor, founded in 2015 by a former Volvo and Geely executive.

What was not in the business plans was that China would have its first fully blown automotive downturn in Chinese history," he told CNBC in late November.

Wan Gang was an engineer for Audi in Germany before he returned to China in the early 2000s. Within 10 years, he became China's minister of Science and Technology, despite not being a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Wan convinced the central government to roll out a national strategy for developing new energy vehicles and battery technology. Beijing was eager to jump at an opportunity to become a global leader in an emerging technology, which conveniently tied into efforts to combat pollution.

As a result, the central government spent at least 33.4 billion yuan in subsidies between 2009 and 2015, according to the Ministry of Finance.

At the height of the subsidy-driven boom, the number of new energy vehicles sold in 2014 more than quadrupled from the year before, and multiplied by more than four times in 2015 to more than 330,000 vehicles, according to data from China Automotive Industry Association accessed through Wind Information.

In 2016, the Ministry of Finance said it found at least five companies cheated the system of over 1 billion yuan. That year, new energy vehicle sales grew just 53%, data showed.

High levels of subsidy misuse are not uncommon in China.

Between 2001 and 2011, about half of Chinese companies receiving direct grant subsidies for research and development were non-compliant, using the funds for other things such as private consumption and investments with higher returns. That's according to a forthcoming working paper from Philipp Boeing and Bettina Peters, both researchers at the ZEW Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. The study did not cover consumer subsidies.

The research did indicate that misuse of funds declined with time and that the actual effectiveness in Chinese government policy in spurring research and development, if monitored, increased and non-compliance was wiped out, Boeing said in an interview.

But he noted there is little impact on productivity in the long term, which is a core problem for China's economy.

Some young companies that rode on China's electric vehicle boom, however, are still confident in growth.

XPeng aims to reach breakeven in about two years, with the expectation the company is able to put about 150,000 vehicles on the road, Brian Gu, president and vice chairman of XPeng, said in an interview in late November. That's about 10 times what the company has sold since it began deliveries last December for its first commercially available vehicle.

WM Motor's Mitchell expects the company can break-even in the next 12 months, as the start-up puts greater effort into consumer marketing. The company is in the process of raising $1 billion, which he said would "fully finance" the automaker until a public offering.

Other companies are just starting to bring new electric vehicles to the market.

Aiways, a Shanghai-based start-up that touts its certification to sell to the European Union, announced in December it will begin deliveries of its U5 SUV. Guangzhou-based GAC Nio a joint venture between the traditional automaker and the start-up is set to reveal its first all-electric SUV under the Hycan brand on Friday.

Nio wasn't available for comment ahead of the company's annual product launch event on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the first "Made in China" Teslas are set to hit the market early next year at a lower price that vies with Nio.

"Looking at the last 10 years of Chinese government subsidies, we think their effect is more positive than negative," said He Hui, senior researcher on China's new energy policy at The International Council on Clean Transportation.

"We can't say our new energy vehicles are number one," she said. "But our batteries are."

The rest is here:

China races to build its own Tesla as economy slows and subsidies dry up - CNBC

Tesla confirms it secured $1.6 billion in financing for Gigafactory Shanghai – Electrek

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Tesla released a filing today confirming previous reports that it secured $1.6 billion in financing from Chinese banks in order to finance its growing operation in the worlds largest electric vehicle market.

As we discussed last week, reports from China were stating that Tesla had come to terms with several Chinese banks about financing worth more than 10 billion yuan ($1 billion USD).

Today, Tesla filed a statement with the SEC confirming their latest :

On December 18, 2019, a subsidiary of Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) entered into agreements with a syndicate of lenders in China for: a secured term loan facility of up to RMB 9.0 billion and an unsecured revolving loan facility of up to RMB 2.25 billion, in each case to be used in connection with our Gigafactory Shanghai. On December 20, 2019, proceeds from one of the new facilities were used to repay in full the subsidiarys drawn amounts on its existing bridge loan facility of up to RMB 3.5 billion, which was terminated as a result of the full repayment.

In short, Tesla used a part of the new loans to repay a previous loan and they plan to use the rest to expand Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai.

Tesla is already steadily producing and shipping made-in-China Model 3 vehicles out of Gigafactory 3, but the automaker is expected to invest in the production of more components locally and it should also start Model Y production at the factory next year.

Heres the SEC release in full:

Tesla Shanghai Fixed Asset Term Facility Agreement

On December 18, 2019, Tesla (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Tesla Shanghai) entered into a Fixed Asset Syndication Loan Agreement and a Supplemental Agreement (together, the Fixed Asset Facility) with China Construction Bank Corporation, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Special Area Branch, Agricultural Bank of China Shanghai Changning Sub-branch, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co., Ltd., Shanghai Branch, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Special Area Branch, as lenders (the Lenders). Under the Fixed Asset Facility, Tesla Shanghai may for a period of three years draw funds from time to time on a secured term facility of up to a total of RMB 9.0 billion (or the equivalent amount drawn in U.S. dollars). The proceeds of such loans may be used only for expenditures related to the construction of and production at our Gigafactory Shanghai or to repay certain outstanding debt of Tesla Shanghai, including under its RMB 3.5 billion Syndication Loan Agreement, dated March 1, 2019, under which each Lender or its affiliate was also a lender (the Bridge Loan). The Fixed Asset Facility is secured by the land and buildings at Gigafactory Shanghai and is non-recourse to Tesla or its assets.

Outstanding borrowings pursuant to the Fixed Asset Facility accrue interest at a rate equal to: (i) for RMB-denominated loans, the market quoted interest rate published by the Peoples Bank of China minus 0.7625%, and (ii) for U.S. dollar-denominated loans, the sum of one-year LIBOR plus 1.3%. Starting on the third anniversary of the first borrowing, Tesla Shanghai must also repay principal amounts on a specified schedule, such that all outstanding loans will be repaid by the fifth anniversary of the first borrowing. Tesla Shanghai is subject to certain covenants, including a restriction on liens and other security interests on assets, other than specified exceptions, as well as certain customary covenants and events of default.

Tesla Shanghai Working Capital Revolving Facility Agreement

On December 18, 2019, Tesla Shanghai entered into a Syndication Revolving Loan Agreement (the Working Capital Facility) with the Lenders. Under the Working Capital Facility, Tesla Shanghaimay draw funds from time to time on an unsecured revolving facility of up to a total of RMB 2.25 billion (or the equivalent amount drawn in U.S. dollars). The proceeds of such loans may be used only for expenditures related to production at our Gigafactory Shanghai.The Working Capital Facility will terminate and all outstanding loans will mature on the first anniversary of the first borrowing under the loan, and the Working Capital Facility is non-recourse to Tesla or its assets.

Outstanding borrowings pursuant to the Working Capital Facility accrue interest at a rate equal to: (i) for RMB-denominated loans, the market quoted interest rate published by the Peoples Bank of China minus 0.425%, and (ii) for U.S. dollar-denominated loans, the sum of one-year LIBOR plus 0.8%. Tesla Shanghai is subject to certain covenants, including a restriction on liens and other security interests on inventory and accounts receivable, other than specified exceptions, as well as certain customary covenants and events of default.

Repayment of Tesla Shanghai Bridge Loan

On December 20, 2019, Tesla Shanghai used proceeds from the Fixed Asset Facility to repay in full all of the then-outstanding obligations under the Bridge Loan, which was then terminated.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.

Tesla confirms it secured $1.6 billion in financing for Gigafactory Shanghai - Electrek

Tesla: Theres None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See – Forbes

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Photo by Justin Sullivan

Ive been saying this for a long time, and Ill say it again: the vast majority of analysts were not only overly simplistic in their assessment of Tesla, but completely wrong. On Christmas Eve, the companys share price passed $420, precisely the value at which, in August of last year, Elon Musk said he was considering taking his company out of a market that obviously had trouble understanding it, and that he had secured financing to do so at precisely $420 per share, in a tweet that cost him $20 million personally, along with another $20 million for his company.

For some time now, Ive been discussing Teslas valuation with fellow academics who specialize in finance and strategy: irresponsible skeptics trying to convince their students that the company is overvalued, that its price is the result of some kind of collective hallucination, and that Elon Musk is little more than a charlatan who has amazingly managed to fool a lot of the people for a lot of the time. For a company founded in 2003 and that went public in 2010, things arent looking too bad at all. At what point, to borrow Matthew Henrys famous question, will the deaf hear, the blind see, and the skeptics understand that we are talking about a different kind of company, one that can only be assessed on its quest to change the world we live in?

Tesla is todays true automotive trendsetter. Its exclusive commitment to developing electric cars, instead of irresponsible hybrids, has forced the industry to speed up its plans to dispense with internal combustion engines as soon as possible. The interior of more and more cars even look like the Model 3, no longer stuffed with useless clocks and buttons like the cockpit of a jet, but opting instead for a large central display and a completely redefined interface. And far from being an expensive, exclusive or a minority design icon, it turns out that the Model 3 is selling like hot cakes around the world as the company strives to build new factories in China or Germany.

When Tesla launches a new model, such as its Cybertruck, the industry comes to an abrupt halt, and for a while, there is talk of nothing else: controversy and argument while almost 200,000 people slap down a deposit to reserve one, even though no specific delivery date has been set. In short, Tesla launches revolutionary products that change the rules of the game, and all those who initially ridiculed the company fall over themselves to copy them.

In addition to redefining electric cars, the company continues to pioneer ways to recharge them at home with clean energy, while solving South Australias generating problems with batteries in record time, and above all, is able to generate unwavering customer loyalty of the kind that comes not just from knowing youve bought a great product that improves over time, but because youre taking part in a project that will change the world.

What is a company capable of turning entire industries upside down and ultimately changing the world worth? According to the markets on Tuesday, $420 per share, making it worth $75 billion, greater than traditional carmakers such as Ford or GM. But in practice, Tesla is worth more, much more. Understanding this comes down to really wanting to hear and to see. And that means accepting the evidence and that one was wrong, which in turn requires a certain level of intelligence that still seems to be sadly lacking in many quarters.

Tesla: Theres None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See - Forbes

Tesla Scores a Win in China as Local Model 3 Gets Tax Exemption – Bloomberg

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Tesla Scores a Win in China as Local Model 3 Gets Tax Exemption Bloomberg
Tesla, Elon Musk have 'proven the skeptics wrong' Fox Business
Tesla Stock Keeps Hitting Records. Analysts Are Still Cautious. Barron's
Tesla had a wild 2019. Here's what the year looked like in pictures. Business Insider
Tesla Full Self Driving Preview & Software Updates CleanTechnica
View full coverage on Google News

Go here to see the original:

Tesla Scores a Win in China as Local Model 3 Gets Tax Exemption - Bloomberg

Here’s The Story Of The Tesla Model S That Ran A Red Light And Crashed – InsideEVs

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Asking help from our readers always pays off. We recently got an example of that with the Russian Cybertruck, and this case is no different. We had a video of an entirely avoidable crash and no idea of what, when, or where it happened. We did not even know if it really happened to a Tesla Model S, as the video title says, but we had to include that information since it was the original one.

15 Photos

That was not enough to avoid bashing or rude messages trying to defend Tesla of a supposed attack. Some said it was clear it was not a Model S. That it was evident that it did not have Autopilot engaged. Those were the polite remarks. The rest is in the original text. Unfortunately, we had to see all of them in search of relevant tips. Feel free to do it yourself.

It did not matter that we said we were not sure about which car caused the accident despite the video title. We made it clear we wanted to confirm it was a Model S. We wanted to know where and when the whole thing happened. If anyone got injured. If the driver that caused the damages paid for them. We still do, but managed to answer a lot of these questions.

On December 22, on the same day the article was published, the user Sendit told us in the comments where the accident took place. It was in San Diego, more precisely at Mira Mesa Boulevard, at its corner with Lusk Boulevard. In fact, it ended closer to Oberlin Drive, as the map below shows.

After Sendit, we also got the same precise indications from Michael Reid and Alfonso Cuchi. That was how we managed to ask the San Diego Police Department about what occurred there. So far, the SDPD has not replied to our questions.

That would have helped us discover if it was a Model S involved in the crash, but now we count on them for other info. Yaro Shcherbanyuk, the video owner, also got in touch and helped us with the most crucial details of the story.

Shcherbanyuk works at Calimotive.com. He is a dismantler that is specialized in Tesla vehicles. The 2018 Model S 75D of the accident was a salvage unit sold by Copart.com. It had only 12,089 mi on the clock.

I came across this car on the auction. To my surprise, it still had the USB drive plugged in. That was the first out of 50 cars. The accident was in early October.

The video owner has no idea if Autopilot was engaged or not, but he also believes its wrongful use is a plausible explanation for the accident.

My take is that Autopilot was enabled and the driver was not paying attention and only noticed he ran the red light just as he was about to hit the first car and attempted to swerve.

To the situation on the video above, Tesla offers a very clear disclaimer:

Autosteer is intended for use only on highways and limited-access roads with a fully attentive driver. When using Autosteer, hold the steering wheel and be mindful of road conditions and surrounding traffic. Do not use Autosteer on city streets, in construction zones, or in areas where bicyclists or pedestrians may be present. Never depend on Autosteer to determine an appropriate driving path. Always be prepared to take immediate action. Failure to follow these instructions could cause serious property damage, injury or death.

That said, raising the hypothesis of it being in use as a plausible explanation for the stupid triple accident is something that can be used against the driver, not against the beta software or Tesla. Especially not with this disclaimer: you have been warned, right?

In this case, the only criticism Tesla could receive is that it cant count on its customers common sense because it is not common. On the contrary: the company should ensure its beta software is being properly used as much as possible.

With the maps, Tesla could only allow it to be activated in areas where it can be. We know there are penalties for failing to use the software the way it should, but this accident shows it may be a good idea to make them even harsher. Tesla owners can decide to destroy their vehicles if they want but crashes normally affect people that have nothing to do with such decisions.

As you can see, it was indeed a Tesla Model S, despite the claims that it wasnt. An almost new one, by the way. Sendit probably witnessed what happened, and we are waiting to hear him about that, as well as the SDPD.

It would be nice to hear what the Tesla driver would have to say about the circumstances, but we doubt he or she will ever show up. It could be worse: Autopilot could be brought to the conversation as a scapegoat like it often is.

A candid report, such as the one Rich Benoit recently gave us on bad financial decisions, would be beneficial to everyone. Something not to repeat. A chance to learn from other peoples mistakes instead of committing them yourself. Such as judging a story without adequately reading it only because you fear what it tells. If you are after the truth and not confirmation bias, it should not matter.

Read the original post:

Here's The Story Of The Tesla Model S That Ran A Red Light And Crashed - InsideEVs

Teslas new update is all about keeping eyes on the road & hands on the wheel – Electrek

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Teslas new holiday software update is full of goodies for Tesla owners, but it also has another theme: Its all about keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel.

When you install Teslas new update, the automaker calls it unwrapping present since CEO Elon Musk refers to it as a holiday update.

Its a festive update with two new video games and the TRAX music studio app, but it is also a serious update.

One could even argue that it is a great safety update.

Several of the new features that Tesla is introducing should result in owners having to spend less time interacting with the touchscreen or their phones and more time watching the road.

The most obvious one is the text message reading feature, which was lacking in Tesla vehicles, despite being popular in new cars today.

Now Tesla vehicles are able to read and write text messages through its voice command system:

You can now read and respond to text messages using your right scroll wheel button. When a new message is received press the right scroll wheel button to have your text message read out loud and press again to respond by speaking out loud. You will also be able to view messages as they come in via the Cards section of the touchscreen.

Tesla also revamped its voice command system to work better with a natural way of speaking instead of dry commands.

In general, voice commands are a great way to interact with the car while keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road, but Tesla said that they specifically focused on commands to get people to not have to touch the screen:

For this initial release, we focused on commands that minimize having to touch the screen so you can keep your eyes on the road.

Navigation, media, seat controls, and climate controls can all be controlled through voice command without having to touch the screen.

With the new update, Tesla is also introducing a Voice Keyboard:

You can now use dictation to input text in your car. Simply, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard to input text via voice control.

This is also going to result in minimizing screen interaction.

Finally, you dont even have to touch the screen to save a TeslaCam recording anymore.

You can set it up to activate when honking:

Dashcam can now automatically save clips whenever you honk your car horn to enable tap Controls > Safety & Security > Save Clips on Honk.

Of course, this is not a complete replacement of using the screen to save TeslaCam footage since you shouldnt honk unless you have to, but it will save a few clicks from some people.

Elon has been talking about making everything inside Tesla vehicles controllable via voice commands.

This looks like the first major update toward that goal, and consequently, the update should help people keep their hands on the steering wheel and their eyes on the road.

It should help with the overall safety of Tesla vehicles although some people argue that any interaction with the cars systems, even if through voice command, is a distraction.

Thats true, but people will do what people do. Its nice to at least have the option to go through voice commands if you want, and if feels safer and more convenient for you.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.

Go here to read the rest:

Teslas new update is all about keeping eyes on the road & hands on the wheel - Electrek

Teslas Semi Truck Could Bring In $2 Billion In Revenues By 2025 – Forbes

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveils the new 'Semi' electric Truck to buyers and journalists on ... [+] November 16, 2017 in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles. (Photo credit VERONIQUE DUPONT/AFP/Getty Images)

Teslas (NASDAQ: TSLA) all-electric Semi truck, which was unveiled in 2017, could go into limited production as soon as the end of next year. The Semi, which is priced starting at $150k for the 300 mile model and $180k for the 500-mile model, will cater to the Class 8 segment of the trucking market. Class 8 trucks are Heavy trucks with a weight limit of over 33k pounds. While it remains unclear if the trucking industry will take to Teslas offering, considering the range flexibility and payload capacity of diesel trucks, Tesla does have an interesting value proposition, especially in terms of lower running costs. We estimate that the vehicle could bring in revenues of as much as $2 billion for Tesla by 2025. For perspective, the company is expected to post revenues of around $24 billion in 2019. Below, we provide an overview of the U.S. trucking market and size up the potential revenues of Teslas new offering.

View our interactive dashboard analysis on Sizing Up The Potential Of Teslas Semi Truck

Overview Of The Class 8 Truck Market In The U.S.

Trefis

The Pros & Cons Of Teslas Semi Truck

Energy costs for the Tesla Semi will be less than half that of Diesel trucks, although there are concerns about payload and range

Sizing Up The Revenue Potential of The Tesla Semi

For more details and charts on the Revenue Potential of the Semi, view our dashboard analysis.

Whats behind Trefis? See How Its Powering New Collaboration and What-Ifs ForCFOs and Finance Teams|Product, R&D, and Marketing Teams More Trefis Data Like our charts? Exploreexample interactive dashboardsand create your own

See the original post:

Teslas Semi Truck Could Bring In $2 Billion In Revenues By 2025 - Forbes

Tesla releases massive new update with text message reading, Autopilot, and more – Electrek

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Danzig

CEO Elon Musk wasnt kidding about Tesla releasing an important holiday software update. The automaker started pushing the update today, and its a massive one, with new voice commands, text message reading, and new Autopilot visualizations.

Last week, the CEO announced that Tesla is working on a holiday update that would include a Full Self-Driving sneak preview, new video games, and a few more things.

Those few more things are actually important features that many Tesla owners have been waiting for.

Tesla started pushing a new 2019.40.50 update to a select few owners ahead of an expected push to the wider fleet.

In the release notes, Tesla announced some phone improvements, including the ability to read and send message texts through Teslas voice command, which is something that Tesla has been lacking and owners have been asking for over the last years since Tesla doesnt have Apple Carplay or Android Auto.

Tesla wrote in the notes:

To view messages that have been received while your phone is connected via Bluuetooth, tap the Application Launcher > Call > Messages. You can read and reply to a message by tapping an entry in the Messages list. To enable this feature, tap the Bluetooth icon on the top of the display, and enable Sync Messages. Once enabled you can also choose to play a chime whenever a new text message is received by enabling Chime on New Message.

The automaker also added the ability to see favorite phone contacts on your cars phone app.

In order for text message reading to work, Tesla notes that you need your notifications to be enabled on your phone. The company also says that it doesnt work with group texts.

With the new text reading, Tesla is also revamping its voice commands:

Voice commands have been rebuilt to understand natural language. For this initial release, we focused on commands that minimize having to touch the screen so you can keep your eyes on the road.

The company lists some examples in the release notes:

Tesla also added new Driving Visualization Improvements:

The driving visualization can now display additional objects that include stop lights, stop signs and select road markings. The stop signs and stop light visualizations are not a substitute for an attentive driver and will not stop the car. To see those additional objects in your driving visualization, tap Controls > Autopilot > Full Self Driving Visualization Preview.

It looks like its what Musk was referring to as the FSD sneak preview.

The automaker has started pushing the update to the fleet, but as usual, keep in mind that it can take days to weeks before it reaches the entire fleet.

Also, Musk said that the FSD sneak preview will only work on cars with the latest FSD computer, which means cars that we were produced since April of this year or that received the retrofit.

Here are a few more things in Teslas 2019.40.50 holiday update:

Its a bit disappointing as an FSD sneak preview.

We already knew that the new driving visualizations were coming since Tesla added stop signs and trafficlight 3D renders to its software earlier this month.

However, it kind of make sense when you think about it.

As I have been saying for a while, I see the driving visualization as some kind of confidence builder for Autopilot and eventually Teslas self-driving system.

Now that it is able to see and display traffic lights and stop signs, it will give us a sense of how it can handle intersections, which is an important step toward Teslas effort to deploy a full self-driving system.

If you get the update and have a HW3 car, please reach out (fred@9to5mac.com) with pictures or videos and your impressions. I am curious to see how accurate it is.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.

The rest is here:

Tesla releases massive new update with text message reading, Autopilot, and more - Electrek

Select Page ::