Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Growlers giving Hollowell more freedom, Agostino dominant in AHL and more – The Athletic

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Welcome to the Maple Leafs Prospect Report, an every-so-often look at the progress of Toronto draft picks and minor leaguers, with insight from coaches, staff and the players themselves.

Got a player or a coach youre interested in hearing more about? As always, let us know in the comments below.

Newfoundland Growlers head coach John Snowden has been more than impressed with rookie defenceman Mac Hollowell. The progression the 21-year-old has shown in his first full season has earned him both ice time and freedom to utilize all elements of his game.

After spending the majority of last season with the OHLs Soo Greyhounds before a playoff call-up to the Toronto Marlies, Hollowell is part of the Leafs plan to strengthen their MLB-style development system.

Hollowell, a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft, has played four games for the Marlies this season but has flourished with the ECHLs Growlers. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound defender...

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Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Growlers giving Hollowell more freedom, Agostino dominant in AHL and more - The Athletic

Giving back to those who gave us freedom. – Verizon Communications

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5G Ultra Wideband touches down in Des Moines.

Today, Verizon added another name to the growing list of 5G cities before the end of 2020: Des Moines, IA. With Verizon engineers working around the country on building 5G right, more cities, people, and places are getting access to 5G every day. On Friday, Verizon announced 5G in Los Angeles and at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. With more city announcements on the way, stay tuned to find out where 5G is coming next.

Over 300 V Teamers at 18 different locations around the country volunteered for Wreaths Across America for military remembrance services this weekend. The largest wreath-building group was in Somerset Hills, NJ, where 80 V Teamers gathered together to volunteer. During the wreath-building events, over 800 V Teamers registered for Verizons new volunteer platform, which lets employees sign up for all different kinds of volunteer opportunities. This Saturday, wreaths were laid in a coordinated ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and 1,600 additional locations in all 50 states as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.

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Giving back to those who gave us freedom. - Verizon Communications

Opinion: The danger facing journalists in Hong Kong is a threat to press freedom everywhere – Los Angeles Times

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Two deaths. Hundreds injured. More than 10,000 rounds of tear gas and half as many rubber bullets fired. More than six months of unrest. People and businesses are leaving Hong Kong as anti-government protests disrupt a city long praised for efficiency, ease of doing business and its retention of basic freedoms including press freedom that are nonexistent across the border in mainland China.

Amplifying this citys deep-seated tensions is a surge of conspiracy theories and disinformation, which fuel the escalating violence. Public trust in the semiautonomous Chinese territorys leaders, police and public institutions has been ruptured possibly beyond repair as shown by the record-high turnout of voters in recent local elections supporting pro-democracy candidates. The vote was widely considered a referendum on the governments handling of the protests.

Journalists have often worked under enormous pressure and in difficult conditions to cover these rapidly unfolding events. Yet rather than being respected as impartial witnesses attempting to bring light to facts, reporters have found themselves under attack while covering the protests and the police response.

The media have become part of the story as Hong Kongs once-vaunted press freedom has been severely impaired.

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong has sought to keep track of multiple incidents in recent months in which reporters were injured or obstructed by police while covering the unrest.

Veby Mega Indah, a reporter for an Indonesian-language newspaper, lost sight in one eye after police shot her in the face with a rubber bullet while she was covering a protest. Police forced May James, a prominent photojournalist, to remove a gas mask and jailed her overnight after she did not show her local ID to a policeman whose identity was obscured. A driver working for Hong Kongs largest pay-TV operator was hit by a police projectile, detained and left with a broken jaw after being beaten by police. A journalist with the online site Stand News has been diagnosed with a skin condition that has been linked to tear gas.

Tear gas is often fired close to or directly at journalists. Press access was restricted at a major university where protesters were in a standoff with police. And police have taken to deliberately shining flashlights and flashing strobe lights at journalists to obstruct them from taking pictures and video.

The attacks on the press have occurred even though journalists are clearly identified. They wear helmets and bright yellow vests emblazoned with PRESS and present press identification to police officers.

These events, many of them documented via video or livestreamed, have made it clear that journalists including student reporters are being targeted. There have been too many instances for them to be accidental or coincidence. It appears that a deliberate effort is being made to prevent independent reporting of events, and police in Hong Kong increasingly do not want their actions seen or recorded.

Amid the escalating violence, the Foreign Correspondents Club has been trying to help journalists in the city, including local reporters and foreign correspondents. My fellow club members and I held a series of practical workshops on things that most journalists in Hong Kong probably have not encountered how to use milk or a saline solution to douse their eyes after being exposed to tear gas or wash away the blue dye used to identify protesters, how to resist unlawful police demands and how to secure a digital footprint so sources wont be compromised. Videos of the workshop series have been made available online.

Board members of the correspondents club met with Hong Kong police officials to discuss how to improve press-police relations. Our recommendations included making sure police officers are easily identifiable and asking police to refrain from shining lights directly at news photographers and camera operators.

The protests present unprecedented challenges to the Hong Kong media, which have not faced this level of violence since communist-led protests against British colonial rule in the 1960s. The media are simply trying to do their job, which they have a right to do under Hong Kong law.

The United Nations provides a framework for maintaining good relations between the police and the press, which says the public has a right to observe and examine police actions. Journalists are the publics witnesses. The police have a duty to maintain public order, yet also to be subject to public scrutiny. They should expect the media to take photographs and video, and not interfere with reporting. Security forces have neither the authority nor the legitimacy to impose limits on freedom of the press, according to U.N. protocols.

As U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this year in defense of the worlds press: Informing is not a crime.

Hong Kong press freedom has been additionally challenged in recent years since more outlets have been bought by media owners with ties to mainland China, where the press is heavily censored and controlled by the Chinese government. Still, most foreign and local media outlets maintain their independence. Historically, they have helped keep public authorities and business figures accountable without fear for their safety or interference by authorities.

If that spirit slips away in Hong Kong, it could embolden other authoritarian-minded governments and world leaders to discredit the crucial role the press plays in societies around the world. The increasing danger facing journalists here is a threat to press freedom everywhere.

Jodi Schneider is president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong.

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Opinion: The danger facing journalists in Hong Kong is a threat to press freedom everywhere - Los Angeles Times

Jodie Turner-Smith Reflects On Finally Loving Herself: ‘I Hated Myself And Hated The Dark Skin’ – Essence

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ESSENCE cover girl Jodie Turner-Smith didnt always think she was fierce and flawless. In fact, Queen & Slim star recently opened up about her struggles with self-confidence.

In a poignant Instagram post, Turner-Smith shared throwback photos of herself, detailing how she felt at 17 years old.

Proof that the glow up has been really real. Im humbled when I look at this girl. Seventeen-year-old me. Not just because of how I look on the outside, but because I remember how I felt on the inside, she began in the lengthy caption.

I remember how badly I hated myself and hated the dark skin that made people call me ugly. How I turned my helplessness at being unable to change my outward appearance inward by constantly cleaving away any and all parts of myself that I was told made me unacceptable to others, Turner-Smith revealed.

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Proof That The Glow Up Has Been Really Real its been soooo long since ive seen these pictures, but because the internet is undefeated, i found them! a blast from the past! im humbled when i look at this girl. 17 year old me. not just because of how i look on the outside, but because i remember how i felt on the inside. i remember how badly i hated myself and hated the dark skin that made people call me ugly. how i turned my helplessness at being unable to change my outward appearance inward, by constantly cleaving away any and all parts of myself that i was told made me unacceptable to others. how i changed my voice, changed my hair, became captain of this and president of that, used my intelligence to build a wall around me, spent years in the practice of bending and shaping myself into the most acceptable form of Jodie for the people around me until there was nothing of me left but hate for a person i didnt recognise and fear that i had become someone it was impossible to come back from AND, MY GOD, IT WAS EXHAUSTING! but i say all that to say this i am grateful for the girl in these photos and for every part of this journey. because i couldnt be me, now, if i wasnt first her, then. when you know what it feels like to hate yourself, finally loving yourself is a freedom that cannot be matched by anyone elses approval also worth noting i was voted Most Likely To Succeed! but we all thought it would be in somebodys office

A post shared by Jodie Turner-Smith (@jodiesmith) on Dec 17, 2019 at 12:33pm PST

The actress admitting to changing her voice and hair to make herself more palatable. Turner-Smith wrote that she even became captain of this and president of that, used my intelligence to build a wall around me, spent years in the practice of bending and shaping myself into the most acceptable form of Jodie for the people around me until there was nothing of me left but hate for a person I didnt recognize and fear that I had become someone it was impossible to come back from.

The actress who was voted Most Likely to Succeed, called the entire experience exhausting. Turner-Smith added that shes appreciative for the journey and grateful for the girl in these photos because I couldnt be me, now, if I wasnt first her, then.

When you know what it feels like to hate yourself, she said, finally loving yourself is a freedom that cannot be matched by anyone elses approval.

Were glad that Turner-Smith fell in love with herself, so we could fall in love with her too.

Queen & Slim is in theaters now.

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Jodie Turner-Smith Reflects On Finally Loving Herself: 'I Hated Myself And Hated The Dark Skin' - Essence

Harvey Weinstein Is Trying To Buy His Freedom & Innocence. I See Right Through It. – Refinery29

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Because The Weinstein Company has declared bankruptcy, you might wonder how Weinstein is buying his freedom. This is not personal bankruptcy; it is his company. His companys insurance is covering everything, including the settlement. Even if he personally declares bankruptcy, it would still be Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He would have to liquidate some assets to pay off creditors, make a payment schedule for others, and some debts would likely be discharged or forgiven. Weinstein would simply move assets around a bit. Hes living quite comfortably at the moment, and hell never live hand to mouth. Even for surgery he goes to a luxury wing of the hospital complete with original artwork and a private chef, according to this misguided Page Six interview. He is trying to buy sympathy with headlines of bankruptcy and surgery. Just like he was doing with his walker. If this settlement goes through, as it looks like it will, Weinstein doesnt have to admit any wrongdoing. Hes not only buying his freedom, hes also buying his innocence in the civil suit.

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Harvey Weinstein Is Trying To Buy His Freedom & Innocence. I See Right Through It. - Refinery29

This Start-up Might Be the Next Gene Editing IPO – The Motley Fool

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As the old saying goes, strike when the iron is hot. That's what a new gene editing start-up named Beam Therapeutics hopes to do by conducting an initial public offering (IPO) less than two years after forming and more than a year before it asks regulators for permission to begin clinical trials. Given the excitement over genetic medicines, it might be wise to take advantage of the open window now.

Assuming the IPO proceeds as planned, Beam Therapeutics will offer investors a second chance to own a next-generation gene editing technology platform and the first next-generation CRISPR tool. Here's why investors might want to keep the business on their radar.

Image source: Getty Images.

Beam Therapeutics bears some similarities to Editas Medicine (NASDAQ:EDIT). Both trace their origins back to the Broad Institute in Boston. They share a trio of all-star scientific founders: Dr. Feng Zhang, Dr. David Liu, and Dr. Keith Joung. Each company's technology platform is built on CRISPR-based tools.

But the differences are more important for investors. Editas Medicine is developing gene editing tools that require Cas enzymes to cut both strands of DNA. While that theoretically provides the ability to delete or insert genetic sequences to treat diseases, the approach relies on innate DNA repair mechanisms. When the built-in safeguards on those mechanisms break down, cells can turn cancerous. CRISPR-CasX tools can also create unintended genetic edits, and have a relatively low efficiency.

Beam Therapeutics is developing gene editing tools based on a new technique called base editing. The enzymatic approach doesn't make double-stranded breaks in DNA. Instead, it induces chemical reactions to change the sequence of the genetic alphabet -- A (adenine), T (thymine), C (cytosine), and G (guanine) -- one letter at a time. Base editing can make A-to-G edits, C-to-T edits, G-to-A edits, and T-to-C edits.

The next-generation approach decouples CRISPR gene editing tools and the need to make double-stranded breaks in DNA, which is the most pressing concern facing Editas Medicine, CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP), and Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NTLA).

Clinical Consideration

CRISPR-CasX Gene Editing

CRISPR Base Editing

Does it cut DNA?

Yes, enzymatically cuts both strands of DNA

No

Can be used to insert new genetic material into a sequence?

Yes

No, but it can enzymatically change an existing DNA sequence

Does it trigger DNA repair mechanisms?

Yes

No

Source: Beam Therapeutics, author.

While base editing can't make every possible edit (example: A-to-T edits), it can target a number of disease-driving genetic errors. And Beam Therapeutics has inked important collaboration deals to augment the capabilities of its technology platform:

After reviewing the details, investors see that there's a tangled web of related transactions that all flow back to the Broad Institute, which is going to great lengths to extract every ounce of value from its scientific discoveries. Similar actions have caused a stir in the scientific community in recent years. If the profit-seeking terms of the non-profit research institution's agreements are too strict, then it may pose a risk to Beam Therapeutics at the expense of investors.

Image source: Getty Images.

Investors familiar with gene editing stocks will immediately recognize the programs included in the pipeline of the base editing pioneer. The lead assets take aim at blood disorders, and are part of a push to engineer better immunotherapies to treat cancer.

In beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease, Beam Therapeutics is first attempting to increase the production of fetal hemoglobin, which confers natural immunity to both conditions. That's similar to the lead drug candidate of CRISPR Therapeutics, which recently demonstrated promising results from the first two patients in a phase 1 clinical trial.

A second program in sickle cell disease aims to directly correct the genetic mutation responsible for the blood disorder. It involves changing a single base -- perfectly suited for base editing.

In immunotherapy, Beam Therapeutics is working to engineer better chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells that can be used as cellular medicines to treat various types of cancers. CRISPR Therapeutics, Editas Medicine, and Intellia Therapeutics are deploying CRISPR gene editing in the same applications, while Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) is leaning on ARCUS gene editing to do the same. The latter's lead drug candidates are in immunotherapy, a unique distinction among gene editing stocks.

Beam Therapeutics' pipeline also includes a range of potential assets aimed at gene correction, gene silencing, and more complex editing, but none have entered clinical trials. The company doesn't expect to file investigational new drug (IND) applications -- required for regulators to sign off on the start of clinical trials -- until 2021. But since the window for an IPO might be slammed shut by then, the business is exploring a market debut now.

There aren't many details in the company's S1 filing concerning a potential date for a market debut or how much money the company is aiming to raise. The filing says $100 million, but that's just a placeholder for the initial submission. The actual amount will be determined once Wall Street gets an idea of the level of interest in an IPO, which will determine the number of shares to offer and the price.

Assuming the IPO takes place, Beam Therapeutics and base editing offer investors a technological upgrade over the first-generation gene editing platforms leaning on CRISPR-CasX tools. The next-generation tools aren't perfect, and there are risks related to the agreements with the Broad Institute and sister start-ups, but this is certainly a gene editing stock worth watching.

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This Start-up Might Be the Next Gene Editing IPO - The Motley Fool

How to bring precision medicine into the doctor’s office – World Economic Forum

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Are you one of the 26 million people who have experienced genetic testing by companies such as 23andMe or Ancestry? These companies promise to reveal what your genes say about your health and ancestry. Genes are, indeed, the instruction book containing the code that makes you a unique human being. This specific code which you inherit from your parents is what makes you, you.

The genetic coding system works amazingly well, but like all systems, occasionally things dont go as planned. You may inherit a gene that increases your chance of developing a health condition and sometimes the code develops an error causing you to have a devastating disease.

If genetic testing is so powerful in analysing and understanding your health, why cant you just as easily have this same genetic information inform your care at the doctors office? To answer this question, lets first look at the field of using genetic information to drive your healthcare (often referred to as precision or personalized medicine).

Across the globe, researchers devote enormous amounts of time and effort to understand how human genes impact health and billions of dollars are invested. The knowledge of what impact specific genes have on our health has increased tremendously and continues to do so at an amazing pace. Our increased understanding of genes, and how they affect our health, is driving novel methods to halt diseases and new ways of thinking about how medications can be developed to treat diseases.

Precision medicine is a growth area

With all this money and effort being expended, why isnt the use of your genetic information a standard part of your medical care? As the Kaiser Permanente Fellow to the World Economic Forums Precision Medicine Team, I recently had the opportunity to interview leaders from every aspect of Precision Medicine to understand the barriers preventing genetic testing from becoming a standard part of your healthcare.

Those with whom I spoke included insurance companies who pay for the tests, doctors who use and interpret them, genetic counsellors who help you understand test results, diagnostic companies which develop testing, government healthcare regulators, researchers making astonishing discoveries and healthcare organizations who are determining how best to deploy genetic testing.

These interviews suggest that the science behind genetic testing and the knowledge of how genes impact health is far ahead of our ability to make full use of this information in healthcare. Moving genetic testing into your doctors office requires a complex set of technologies, processes, knowledge and payments. Though many of the barriers inhibiting this movement were unique and complex, there were some consistent and common themes:

1. The limited expertise in genetics within healthcare systems. The need for education of healthcare providers as well as the public was regularly highlighted. The use of genetics in healthcare requires specialized knowledge that is outside the expertise of most doctors. Healthcare providers simply dont have time to study this new and rapidly changing information as their hands are full just keeping up with the latest trends and findings in their specialities. Additionally, education on genetics in healthcare is needed for the public. As one person interviewed said: The public watches CSI and thinks the use of DNA and genetics is black and white; using genetics in healthcare is rarely black and white

2. The lack of sufficient genetic counsellors. Genetic counsellors are often used to engage patients prior to testing and after results have been received, providing them with the detailed and nuanced information required for many of these tests. They also support doctors when they need assistance in making decisions about genetic testing and understanding the test results.

3. To successfully embed genetics into your care, doctors need the workflows for genetic testing (receiving results and understanding the impact on their care plans) to become a seamless part of their work. Clinical decision support software for genetics should alert the healthcare provider when genetic testing is merited with a patient, based on information the provider has entered during their examination. The software should then provide a list of appropriate tests and an explanation of why one might be used over another. After doctors order the test, they believe is most appropriate, the system should inform them of the results in clear, easily understandable language. The results should inform the doctor if the care plan for this patient should be modified (with suggestions for how the care should change).

4. Coverage of payments for genetic testing. If such tests are not paid for by insurers or government healthcare agencies (the payers), doctors simply wont order them. In the US and many other countries, there is patchwork coverage for genetic testing. Some tests are covered under specific circumstances, but many are not covered at all. The major reason cited by the payers for not covering genetic testing is a lack of evidence of clinical efficacy. In other words, do these tests provide actionable information, that your doctor can use to ensure better health outcomes? Until the payers see sufficient evidence of clinical efficacy, they will be hesitant to pay for many types of genetic testing. Doctors are concerned about the same thing, according to my research. They want to see the use of these tests in large populations, so they can determine that there is a benefit to using them.

Using your genetic information in healthcare is much more complex than taking a direct-to-consumer genetic test such as those offered by 23andMe. Healthcare is a multifaceted system and doctors already have too much on their plate. As such, there must be sufficient proof that the use of genetic testing will result in better health outcomes for the populations these clinicians serve before it's introduced into this setting.

We cannot hesitate in the face of the above complexities. As I completed the interviews which revealed these barriers, I stumbled across a journal article on this very subject. Written by a prominent group of doctors and researchers from government and leading universities in 2013, it highlights these same barriers and that virtually no progress has been made in the ensuing seven years. This is why I am focusing my fellowship at the World Economic Forum on a new project called Moving Genomics to the Clinic. Taking advantage of the multistakeholder platform of the Forum, the project will quicken the pace of tackling these barriers so that the use of genetic information can become a standard part of your healthcare experience.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with our Terms of Use.

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Arthur Hermann, Fellow, Precision Medicine, World Economic Forum

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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How to bring precision medicine into the doctor's office - World Economic Forum

Form of severe malnutrition linked to DNA modification – Baylor College of Medicine News

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A group led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has identified significant differences at the epigenetic level the chemical tags in DNA that help regulate gene expression between two clinically distinct forms of acute childhood malnutrition known as edematous severe acute malnutrition (ESAM) and non-edematous SAM (NESAM).

The researchers report in the journal Nature Communications that ESAM, but not NESAM, is characterized by a reduction in methyl chemical tags in DNA and complex changes in gene activity, including both enhanced and reduced gene expression. Some of the genes that lost their methyl tags have been linked to other disorders of nutrition and metabolism, such as abnormal blood sugar and fatty liver disease, conditions that also have been observed in ESAM. The findings support consideration of methyl-group supplementation in ESAM.

Severe acute childhood malnutrition presents in two clinically distinct forms: ESAM and NESAM, said corresponding author Dr. Neil Hanchard, assistant professor of molecular and human genetics and the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor. ESAM is characterized by body swelling and extensive dysfunction of multiple organs, including liver, blood cells and the gut, as well as skin and hair abnormalities. NESAM, on the other hand, typically presents with weight loss and wasting.

The differences between ESAM and NESAM are still not fully explained despite decades of studies addressing this question. In the current study, Hanchard and his colleagues looked to better understand the conditions by investigating whether there were differences at the molecular level, specifically on DNA methylation.

The decision to look at DNA methylation was partly driven by previous studies looking at biochemical markers in these individuals. In particular, the turnover of a particular amino acid called methionine, said Hanchard.

Previous work has shown that methionine turnover is slower in ESAM than in NESAM. Methionine is a central ingredient of 1-carbon metabolism, a metabolic pathway that is key to DNA methylation. Lower methionine turnover suggested the possibility of alterations in DNA methylation.

First, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation. When we found in children acutely ill with ESAM genes with levels of DNA methylation that were significantly different from those in NESAM patients, the levels were always lower. Of the genes analyzed, 161 showed a highly significant reduced level of methylation in ESAM, when compared to the same genes in NESAM, Hanchard said.

Interestingly, a group of adults who had recovered from having ESAM malnutrition in their childhood did not show the same reduction in DNA methylation the researchers observed in childhood acute cases. This suggested that lower DNA methylation was probably related to acute ESAM.

Knowing that DNA methylation helps regulate gene expression, Hanchard and his colleagues next investigated whether there were differences in gene expression between ESAM and NESAM. They found that reduced overall methylation in ESAM resulted in a complex pattern of gene expression changes. For some genes, having reduced methylation enhanced their expression, while for others it reduced it.

Among the genes that were highly affected by reduced methylation were some of those related to conditions such as blood sugar regulation, fatty liver disease and other metabolic problems, which are also commonly seen more often in ESAM than NESAM.

Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the molecular events that likely result in the differences between ESAM and NESAM, Hanchard said. Although we still dont know why malnutrition leads to ESAM in some children, while it results in NESAM in others, our findings suggest that, once ESAM gets on its way, methylation changes are likely involved in the clinical signs and symptoms of the condition. There is also evidence that individual genetic variation also influences the level of DNA methylation. Furthermore, I am excited about the possibility that altering the molecular outcome of malnutrition with specific interventions could one day help alter the clinical outcome.

Other contributors to this work include first author Katharina V. Schulze, Shanker Swaminathan, Sharon Howell, Aarti Jajoo, Natasha C. Lie, Orgen Brown, Roa Sadat, Nancy Hall, Liang Zhao, Kwesi Marshall, Thaddaeus May, Marvin E. Reid, Carolyn Taylor-Bryan, Xueqing Wang, John W. Belmont, Yongtao Guan, Mark J. Manary, Indi Trehan and Colin A. McKenzie.

See a complete list of author affiliations and financial support for this study.

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Form of severe malnutrition linked to DNA modification - Baylor College of Medicine News

‘Polygenic’ profile could better predict disease risk for those with cancer mutations – Science Magazine

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A womans genetic background can powerfully modifiy her cancer risk from a BRCA1 mutation.

By Jocelyn KaiserDec. 17, 2019 , 4:00 PM

Women who learn that they have a mutation in the breast cancer gene BRCA1 face a wrenching decision. Their doctor or genetic counselor will likely tell them that women with such mutations have, on average, a 72% lifetime risk of breast cancer and a 44% risk of ovarian cancer. Given that, up to half decide to have prophylactic mastectomies, and many have ovaries removed, too.

But recent studies show a woman could receive a more individualized, accurate cancer risk estimate by factoring in other gene variants. A preprint posted last month finds that a person's "polygenic" background influences not only the disease risk conferred by a BRCA1 defect, but also risks from single gene mutations linked to colorectal cancer and heart disease. Some individuals were very likely to develop cancer or heart disease by age 75, the analysis showed, whereas in others the risk was not much greater than in a person without the high-risk mutation.

"It's pretty striking," says cardiologist and geneticist Amit Khera of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, leader of the study, which is on the medRxiv preprint server. "It's become clear that there are both monogenic and polygenic [disease] drivers. The future is to assess both."

"The message is a very important one for patients and clinicians," says Teri Manolio of the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. "Carriers of BRCA1 mutations or other pathogenic variants don't invariably develop disease, and genomics can be used to help parse carriers who are at lower risk." Others caution, however, that risk scores summing how dozens to thousands of other genetic variants interact with a single major disease gene aren't yet accurate enough to use in the clinic. The new paper "is teasing at the possibility, but there's a lot of work to be done," says Harvard University epidemiologist Peter Kraft.

MGH cardiology fellow Akl Fahed and others in Khera's group explored polygenic influences on the three important single-gene disorders in the United States: familial hypercholesterolemia, which leads to sky-high cholesterol levels and dramatically elevates risk of heart disease; Lynch syndrome, a flaw in DNA repair that brings a lifetime risk of colorectal cancer of about 60%; and inherited breast cancer, caused by variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2. They took advantage of databases that combine medical and genomic information from thousands of people, enabling researchers to tally how the many genetic variants with subtle effects modify disease risks and complex traits such as height.

Drawing on some 50,000 participants in the UK Biobank and 19,000 women tested for BRCA genes by the company Color Genomics, the team found that polygenic background strongly modified the risk of carrying a mutation in the key genes for the three disorders. For a small proportion of major disease gene carriers, other genetic variants boosted their overall risk of cancer or heart disease to about 80%, well above the average of 30% to 40% that Khera's group estimated for its study populations based on just the single disease gene mutations. (The team's monogenic disease risk predictions are lower than many other estimates for several possible reasons, Khera notes, including that the UK Biobank participants are healthier than the general population.) At the other extreme, the polygenic analysis suggested that a few people with those mutations have much lower risks than predicted by their single mutation alone, as low as 11% for colon cancer, 13% for breast cancer, and 17% for heart diseasenot much higher than other people in general.

Khera's group says adding polygenic data to single-gene tests could help people decide whether to take aggressive steps to head off diseasemastectomy or removal of the ovaries for women carrying BRCA mutations or frequent colonoscopies for people with Lynch syndrome. But the new study does not include enough data for clinical decisions, says genetic epidemiologist Antonis Antoniou of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Only 116 women in the UK Biobank sample had BRCA mutations, which he notes "is an extremely small number to make inferences about risks."

Two years ago, Antoniou led a study that reported on how polygenic scores influence risks in 25,000 carriers of BRCA mutations and found nearly as wide a range of overall cancer risks. His team has incorporated those data into a breast cancer risk estimator along with factors such as family history.

The MGH study is "an important and exciting paper" that complements other work, says David Ledbetter, chief scientific officer for the Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania. His team recently looked at 92,000 participants in an ongoing genomic medicine study called MyCode, focusing on those who carried mutations predisposing them to 11 rare disorders that affect traits such as height, weight, and cholesterol levels. Incorporating polygenic scores helped predict those traits, the group reported on 25 October in Nature Communications.

It may be a while before physicians are comfortable telling patients how genetic backgrounds modify the risk posed by a major disease gene mutation. But some companies already offer polygenic scores for cancer and other diseases, and tests that combine both kinds of information are imminent. Before insurance companies agree to pay for such tests, Ledbetter cautions, "They're going to want to see much more clinical validation"including for minorities, because current polygenic analyses draw on data primarily from people of European ancestry.

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'Polygenic' profile could better predict disease risk for those with cancer mutations - Science Magazine

UNC Police Investigating Series of Credit Card Thefts on South Campus – Chapelboro.com

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UNC Police is asking the public for help in their investigation of a series of credit card thefts fromdifferent medical research buildings on south campus earlier this month.

The department tweeted out photos on Tuesday morning, asking for helping identifying two people of interest in relation to the investigation.

According to an Alert Carolina post made on December 5, the thefts occurred during business hours on Wednesday December 4 inMacNider Hall, Beard Hall, the Bioinformatics Building and the Genetic Medicine Research Building among others. The post says credit cards were taken from unsecured offices and cubicles throughout the buildings.

Anyone seeing any suspicious activity anywhere on campus is reminded to call 911 immediately. UNC Police also encourage people to use smart security practices while in a work environment, like putting away visible valuables, keeping a record of all keys that have been issued and no admitting strangers into places of work.

If you have any information about the individuals, call the UNC Police Department at (919) 962-8100.

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UNC Police Investigating Series of Credit Card Thefts on South Campus - Chapelboro.com

Here’s Why You Should Avoid Betting on RPC (RES) Stock Now – Nasdaq

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RPC, Inc.s RES troubles seem to be never ending. The oilfield service provider, which has lost 51.4% of its value over the past year, is traversing rough waters amid several headwinds.The struggle is likely to continue as the companys prospects appear bleak, in view of lower expenditure from upstream companies.

The pricing chart shows that RPC has underperformed the ZacksOil And Gas - Field Servicesindustry, which has declined 29.4% in the past year.

Lets delve into the factors that have taken a toll on the firm.

Intensified competition in the domestic market has left limited room for oilfield services companies to charge premium prices for the services being offered. Moreover, slowdown of demand for pressure pumping services in shale plays mars RPCs prospects. This is evident from third-quarter 2019 results, wherein weakness stemmed from lower activity levels and pricing in the companys pressure pumping service business, which in turn affected the bottom line. Also, pressure pumping is likely to remain soft in North America. This business being RPCs biggest service line, the firms business outlook appears gloomy.

Explorers and producers are constrained by the reduction in capacity for borrowings and an increase in the cost of capital. Also, explorers are facing constant pressure from investors for higher returns instead of production growth. These headwinds are likely to lower investments by explorers and producers in the North American land market. Hence, conservative spending by customers is likely to hurt demand for the companys services.

Commodity prices will continue to remain in the bearish territory as demand for energy remains low, owing to a slowdown in global economic growth. Thus, explorers and producers are not getting enough incentives to produce hydrocarbon volumes in a massive scale. The drop in production volumes will likely keep demand for oilfield services low.

Industry Weakness

The Oil and Gas - Field Services industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 239 out of 255 (Bottom 6%). As the industry is not expected to perform impressively in the coming days, the stock will likely underperform the market.

The above-mentioned factors are being reflected in the companys downward earnings estimate revisions.

Earnings Estimate Revisions

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RPCs 2019 loss is pegged at 17 cents, which has witnessed no upward movement but 10 downside estimate revisions in the past 60 days. This suggests fall of 120.7% from the year-ago reported figure.

Given these headwinds, RPC seems a risky bet that investors should avoid at the moment. This is reflected in its Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks in the energy sector include CNX Resources Corporation CNX, Antero Midstream Corporation AM and Frank's International N.V. FI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can seethe complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

CNX Resources earnings for the current year have witnessed four upward revisions in the past 60 days versus no movement in the opposite direction.

Antero Midstreams bottom line for the current quarter is expected to skyrocket 130% year over year.

Frank's Internationals bottom line for 2019 is expected to rise 23.8% year over year.

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Here's Why You Should Avoid Betting on RPC (RES) Stock Now - Nasdaq

Personalized CF Medicine to be Tested for Rare Genetic Defects in Europe – Cystic Fibrosis News Today

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Three investigative therapies by Proteostasis Therapeutics PTI-801, PTI-808, and PTI-428 showed potential to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) patients ineligible for approved CFTR modulators after patient-specific lab models produced promising results that support a future clinical trial.

Funded by the EUs initiative HIT-CF (Human Individualized Therapy of CF), this early study was conducted on patient organoids, which are miniaturized organ models derived from patient cells.

Based on the positive results, a clinical trial in adult CF patients is expected to start in 2020. If successful, the trial results may serve as the basis for a marketing authorization applicationin Europe in 2021.

With the help of CF-Europe (a patient organization) and the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Clinical Trial Network (ECFS-CTN), HIT-CF has been recruiting adult CF patients to collect tissue samples and create organoids, three-dimensional organ models grown in the lab.

Organoids mimic several characteristics of the organ from which they are derived, and are genetically identical to the donor. As such, they allow researchers to study biological processes and response to treatments in an environment that closely resembles human organs. As organoids are basically human cells cultured outside the body, they are said to be ex-vivo models.

The idea is to screen treatment candidates in the lab using intestinal organoids, or mini-intestines, obtained from rectal tissue (biopsies) of patients, which are collected through a quick and painless procedure. Then, based on how the organoids respond to each therapeutic candidate, a group of patients will be selected to enroll in a clinical trial.

Because the organoids can help determine the therapeutic candidate most likely to give the best results, researchers can personalize treatments for each patient before starting the trial.

So far, intestinal organoids from more than 300 patients have been created, of which 65 have been used to test Proteostasis potential CFTR modulators.

Proteostasis is honored to have been invited to participate in the HIT-CF project, and is the only company in the group with a combination of novel CFTR modulators being testedex-vivo. We are very enthusiastic about the progress of the study, Geoffrey Gilmartin, MD, chief medical officer of Proteostasis, said in a press release.

The positive results obtained on organoids support the launch of a clinical trial called CHOICES Crossover trial based on HumanOrganoidIndividual response inCF EfficacyStudy that will test the potential treatments on patients whose organoids responded favorably to the agents.

The study will also evaluate if organoids are good models to identify promising CF therapies, that is, if the responses measured on organoids translate to potential clinical benefits in patients, as reflected by lung function tests (FEV1) or sweat tests.

CHOICES will be a placebo-controlled, double-blind study that includes an eight-week treatment period, plus six months of constant dosing.

The study includes Proteostasis three candidate CFTR modulators, specially intended for patients who carry rarer CFTR genetic defects. All three compounds have different modes of action. PTI-801 works as a CFTR corrector, PTI-808 is a CFTR potentiator, and PTI-428 is a CFTR amplifier.

The trial is planned to start in mid-2020, with its first data anticipated for the end of 2020.

If moving forward, CHOICES will become the first trial based on personalized medicine for CF patients.

The inequality in access to CFTR modulators is an acute problem across Europe where 1 in 5 individuals do not have a F508del mutation [the most common CF-causing mutation]. In addition, drug reimbursement policies are leading to an ever-growing gap between patients who do, and those who do not have effective treatment options, said Christiane De Boeck, Work Package Leader at HIT-CF.

At HIT-CF Europe, we believe that novel strategies such as personalized medicine and development of new treatment options are central to addressing the inequality of access across the continent. We are thrilled with these initial results and look forward to providing additional updates, De Boeck added.

Gilmartin said that in Europe more than 2,300 adult CF patients are ineligible for approved CFTR modulators, and therefore excluded from participating in clinical trials.

This projects proposed personalized medicine approach is paving a potential new way to develop and provide access to novel CFTR modulators for patients with the most dire need for treatment options that target the cause of the disease. Additionally, based on an individual patients disease phenotype, and not just the genetic designation, this approach could also create a new path towards more effective treatment for all people with CF, Gilmartin said.

Proteostasis is also running a clinical trial evaluating a combination of the three candidate therapies for the treatment of CF patients who have at least one copy of the F508del mutation in the CFTR gene.

Ana is a molecular biologist enthusiastic about innovation and communication. In her role as a science writer she wishes to bring the advances in medical science and technology closer to the public, particularly to those most in need of them. Ana holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she focused her research on molecular biology, epigenetics and infectious diseases.

Total Posts: 336

Patrcia holds her PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands. She has studied Applied Biology at Universidade do Minho and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon, Portugal. Her work has been focused on molecular genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites.

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BioReference Laboratories Showcases 2019 Growth through the Addition of Cutting Edge Tests, Greater Access to Services, and Optimized Patient…

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Elmwood Park, NJ, Dec. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioReference Laboratories, Inc., an OPKO Health Company, along with its genetics and genomics laboratory, GeneDx, Inc., and oncology, urology and womens health division, GenPath Diagnostics, are pleased to provide a 2019 business update, highlighting new tests that lead to faster diagnoses, payer relationships that provide greater access to care, and new tools that empower patients to take responsibility of their health. Work completed by the company this year reinforces its commitment to healthcare providers, patients and payers, as well as the local community and its employees.

The healthcare industry is moving towards preventive, convenient and personalized care, and the landscape is shifting to place patients at the forefront of decisions regarding their health. As we nod to our history as a physician-led laboratory, we focused 2019 on strengthening our resources and making strategic investments that reinforce our commitment to providers and patients alike. As we celebrate this years accomplishments and look to the future, well continue striving to empower consumers with the knowledge and tools to drive their healthcare in the most simple, accurate and efficient manner, said Jon R. Cohen, M.D., Executive Chairman of BioReference Laboratories.

2019 Highlights Include:

About BioReference Laboratories, Inc.

BioReference provides comprehensive testing to physicians, clinics, hospitals, employers, government units, correctional institutions and medical groups. The company is in network with the five largest health plans in the United States, operates a network of 10 laboratory locations, and is backed by a medical staff of more than 160 MD, PhD and other professional level clinicians and scientists. With a leading position in the areas of genetics, womens health, maternal fetal medicine, oncology and urology, BioReference and its specialty laboratories, GenPath and GeneDx, are advancing the course of modern medicine. For more information, visithttps://www.bioreference.com.

About OPKO Health, Inc.

OPKO Health is a diversified healthcare company. In diagnostics, its BioReference Laboratories is one of the nation's largest full-service clinical laboratories; GeneDx is a rapidly growing genetic testing business; the 4Kscore prostate cancer test is used to assess a patients individual risk for aggressive prostate cancer following an elevated PSA and to help decide about next steps such as prostate biopsy; Claros 1 is a point-of-care diagnostics platform with a total PSA test approved by the FDA. In our pharmaceutical pipeline, RAYALDEE is our first pharmaceutical product to be marketed. OPK88003, a once-weekly oxyntomodulin for type 2 diabetes and obesity reported positive data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Its among a new class of GLP-1/glucagon receptor dual agonists. OPK88004, a SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator) is currently being studied for various potential indications. The companys most advanced product utilizing its CTP technology, a once-weekly human growth hormone for injection, successfully met its primary endpoint and key secondary endpoints in a Phase 3 study and is partnered with Pfizer. OPKO also has research, development, production and distribution facilities abroad. More information is available at http://www.opko.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA), which statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar meaning, including statements regarding our ability to improve access to the 4Kscore test, whether the 4Kscore test accurately determines a mans risk of aggressive prostate cancer, whether other diagnostic tests we develop lead to fewer missed detections, faster diagnosis and more accurate treatment of various disorders, or achieve other benefits, as well as other non-historical statements about our expectations, beliefs or intentions regarding our business, technologies and products, financial condition, strategies or prospects. Many factors could cause our actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements. These factors include those described in the OPKO Health, Inc. Annual Reports on Form 10-K filed and to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, forward-looking statements may also be adversely affected by general market factors, competitive product development, product availability, federal and state regulations and legislation, the regulatory process for new products and indications, manufacturing issues that may arise, patent positions and litigation, among other factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA.

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BioReference Laboratories Showcases 2019 Growth through the Addition of Cutting Edge Tests, Greater Access to Services, and Optimized Patient...

Has Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year? – Nasdaq

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Investors focused on the Finance space have likely heard of Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR), but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Finance peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Innovative Industrial Properties is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 839 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #8. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. IIPR is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for IIPR's full-year earnings has moved 3.49% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, IIPR has gained about 61.78% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 20.19% on a year-to-date basis. This shows that Innovative Industrial Properties is outperforming its peers so far this year.

To break things down more, IIPR belongs to the REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry, a group that includes 117 individual companies and currently sits at #89 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 22.46% so far this year, so IIPR is performing better in this area.

Going forward, investors interested in Finance stocks should continue to pay close attention to IIPR as it looks to continue its solid performance.

Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (IIPR): Free Stock Analysis Report

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Has Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR) Outpaced Other Finance Stocks This Year? - Nasdaq

Ukrainian government is trying to silence those who criticize its policy, – MEP from Germany – 112 International

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The Ukrainian government is trying to silence those media that criticize its policies. Dr. Maximilian Kra, the MEP from Germany, (Alternative for Germany party) said this during a round table in Strasbourg regarding media freedom in Ukraine.

"When I look at a situation, then its not convincing and not pleasing that you have free information on the press on TV, crucial for every society. In a democracy people have the right to get information for free and to get information from different viewpoints. History testifies: every time they tried to shut their mouths to certain media, this always led to the establishment of a dictatorship and big problems in society. The government has to accept that there are media that is critical towards its own politics and that is the basis of any democratic and free society. So, when I read what is happening in Ukraine now, and I read it not just from the information I got from 112, it is openly discussed, you can read it everywhere on the internet, all these incidents are very well documented. And we have to conclude that something is wrong. Obviously, the government is fighting for its own policy not by convincing people, but also by silencing those who have other opinions and have other ideas," he said.

Kra emphasized that in this way, instead of persuasion, there is a ban on criticism, and this is incompatible with European principles.

And I think that we cant be silent to that. Ukraine is on its way to the future, which is not completely clear what it looks like but it is but it is obvious that the Ukraine has a bridge between Western Europe and Russia, looks for more connection to the European Union. That includes that it has to accept te rules of law and the freedom of speech, it has to accept that TV channels have the right to broadcast freely without any government interference. It is also a question of Western European double standards that we look very precisely on what is happening in Russia and other countries, but we are too silent on what is going on in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is important that we bring those issues into public debate," the MEP said.

Kra emphasized that it is not enough if the government proclaims itself pro-Western to be forgiven by the oppression of freedom of speech and other oppression of democracy.

Even if the government claims that it is pro-Western, we should not evaluate it by its statements, but by its devotion to European values. Despite the fact that the authorities in Ukraine do with respect to freedom of speech, I have great doubts about the pro-Western nature of this government. If they want the EU to be open to Ukraine, then the Ukrainian authorities cannot behave in this way, they must ensure the conditions under which all journalists, newspapers, television channels should have the right to freely convey their point of view and assess events . It in Ukraine If we can help it, if this question is important for the whole Ukrainian society, I would be happy to join this believe that we should be doing in the European Parliament," the MEP added.

As we reported, the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting revoked digital broadcasting licenses from 112 Ukraine TV Channel

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Ukrainian government is trying to silence those who criticize its policy, - MEP from Germany - 112 International

Waging social-justice war on the taxpayers’ dime – New York Post

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Homelessness in Seattle has reached a crisis point. Despite some $1 billion in public and private spending, more people live on the streets than ever before. But rather than focus on the causes addiction, mental illness and social breakdown progressives in local government have waged war against abstract forces of oppression.

Last week, Seattle homeless advocates hosted their annual conference under the theme of Decolonizing Our Collective Work. According to the organizers, to reduce homelessness, government should prioritize unpacking the current structures of power and examine the legacies of structural racism in our systems to co-design a path towards liberation with black, indigenous, brown and other marginalized communities.

What does all that mean?

The director of King Countys homelessness program, Kira Zylstra, used taxpayer funds to hire a transgender stripper to perform during the conference. According to The Seattle Times, the stripper, Beyonc Black St. James, danced topless in a sheer bodysuit, gave lap dances and kissed attendees. The audience representatives from the regions taxpayer-funded nonprofits and government agencies clapped, cheered and handed St. James dollar bills.

The episode illustrates a growing trend in Seattle: Municipal employees increasingly see their work as part of a broader agenda of radical social change. Over the past five years, Seattle has rapidly added personnel under the auspices of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Take Christopher Peguero, manager of the equity program at Seattle City Light. Peguero views his role as much more than providing reliable electricity to utility customers. As he explained in a recent interview on the City of Seattle blog, public utilities can be instrumental in the fight against white supremacy. Race is most central to addressing institutional oppression since it is central to historical inequity in the United States, he says. I feel that an inclusive model is the only way that we will ever reach collective liberation from institutional oppression.

The Seattle Public Schools Ethnic-Studies Task Force has launched a new math curriculum based on the idea that the Western model of instruction has disenfranchised people and communities of color and legitimized systems that contribute to poverty and slave labor.

To fight this injustice, the task force argues, schools must transition from individualistic to collectivist thinking and implement a new math curriculum that will liberate people and communities of color. Tracy Castro-Gill, the districts ethnic-studies program manager, identifies as a teacher-activist and promotes the notion that math is a tool for oppression.

Identity politics has become the dominant cultural orthodoxy of the modern Left, and it replicates itself effectively through public bureaucracy. Transgender striptease cant reduce homelessness. Racially conscious public utilities cant combat white supremacy. Nor can a resistance and liberation curriculum boost math scores.

But the pay is good: Zylstra earns $123,000 annually at King County All Home, Peguero makes $104,000 at Seattle City Light and Castro-Gill earns $108,000 a year at Seattle Public Schools.

These state-funded activist-employees are embedded in government, protected by powerful public unions and supported by the broader political culture. After the trans-stripper episode, Zylstra was placed on paid leave, but not fired; She resigned this week.

Castro-Gill, the agitator behind the math-is-racist curriculum, won recognition as the 20182019 Teacher of the Year. And Peguero, despite a stream of racially inflammatory statements on his social-media feed, continues to serve at City Light.

If Seattle progressives were truly to lay bare the current structures of power, they would only find themselves. They have controlled Seattle for a generation, yet they pretend to be outsiders fighting forces of institutional oppression and structural racism. City government employs more than 10,000 workers, all subject to rigorous diversity training and politically correct thinking. Despite the occasional p.r. fiasco, the progressive grip on Seattles political culture shows no sign of loosening.

Christopher Rufo is a contributing editor of City Journal, from which this column was adapted. Twitter: @RealChrisRufo

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Waging social-justice war on the taxpayers' dime - New York Post

No Oppression against Women Initiative calls for ‘social peace’ in Sudan – Radio Dabanga

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The No Oppression against Women Initiative has repeated its call on Sudans Sovereign Council to include women in the peace process, especially displaced women and war victims.

Women are the pillars of social peace and peaceful coexistence, Ihsan Fagiri, Coordinator of the Initiative, said in a speech on Tuesday, during the Initiative's celebrations of the anniversary of the December Revolution and the international campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

For women, the concept of peace goes beyond signing agreements. For them, it also means social peace, and health and education, she said. And the signing of international agreements that protect women's rights.

The woman activist appealed to the democratic regimes in the West to fund projects to fight poverty and wars, in order to prevent young people from risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

She also urged the Sudanese government to include single mothers, often working as food and tea vendors at markets and on the streets, in the social and health security systems.

Khartoum should ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Maputo Protocol governing the rights of women in Africa, harmonise the Sudanese laws with international agreements, and repeal all laws that consider women as inferior to men.

Fagiri further stressed that all perpetrators of women repression should be brought to justice.

On Monday, the No Oppression against Women Initiative organised a rally in cooperation with the UN Womens Organisation, honouring Fatima Ibrahim (1933-2017), women rights activist and socialist leader, and elected as first woman member of parliament of Sudan in 1965.

Radio Dabangas editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about politicaldevelopments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan.Support Radio Dabanga for as little as 2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.

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Govt suppressing the voice of youth with its hollow dictatorship: Priyanka – Business Standard

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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the Modi government on Sunday of being "cowardly" as it feared to hear the voice of people and was making its presence felt through "oppression" on students and journalists.

In a tweet late on Sunday night, she said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to listen to the voice of the youth sooner than later as his government was trying to suppress their voice and courage with its "hollow dictatorship".

"Students are being beaten by sneaking into universities of the country. At a time when the government should listen to the people, the BJP government that time is making its presence felt in the North East, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi through oppression on students and journalists. This government is cowardly," the Congress general secretary said, using the hashtag "Shame".

She said the government was afraid of the voice of the people and it was trying to suppress the youth, their courage and resolve with its hollow dictatorship.

"Modi ji do hear out that this is the Indian youth, it will not be suppressed and you will have to listen to their voice sooner than later," Priyanka Gandhi said.

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Govt suppressing the voice of youth with its hollow dictatorship: Priyanka - Business Standard

If Mohandas Gandhi were here today hed have led a `Quit Hindutva movement against the National Register – Economic Times

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To overthrow the oppression of the British Raj, Mohandas Gandhi launched his `Quit India movement.

Had he been alive today he would have launched a `Quit Hindutva movement against the suppression of civil rights and liberties by a blatantly communal regime which, in effect, is seeking to create a Partition II by driving Muslims out of India through the patently discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

What form might such Quit Hindutva movement have taken? What could unite all those who are totally and unequivocally opposed to any attempt to divide this country on the basis of religion?

One possible scenario might involve all those who of whatever faith, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian, and also self-professed atheists were to band together and in a demonstration of solidarity with their Muslim compatriots publicly declare themselves to belong to the Islamic faith.

Say if even ten per cent of the countrys total population of 1.2 billion were to do so.

Would this, or any government, be willing and able to expel millions of citizens who, taken together with Muslims, would constitute almost one quarter of the overall population?

No chance of such of movement, of course. For the simple reason that Mohandas Gandhi isnt here to inspire it, having been murdered by a Hindutva fanatic. His assassin must have been precient and had an inkling that the old man would be a formidable adversary of a future government hell bent on turning Hindustan into Hindutvastan.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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If Mohandas Gandhi were here today hed have led a `Quit Hindutva movement against the National Register - Economic Times

The Art That Defined San Francisco in 2019 – SF Weekly

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A lot of people love to see San Francisco for its arts scene: the colorful murals seem to multiply spontaneously, the citys theater is as historical as it is thriving, and the food is undeniably some of the best in the nation.

But the citys art isnt just decoration. Frequently, its a statement of reclamation for marginalized communities or an institutional symbol teeming with controversy. San Franciscos art holds a symbiotic relationship with the city itself. It encapsulates how agonizing, wonderful, and resilient San Francisco can be while reshaping the culture itself.

After a tumultuous year, heres the art that defined San Francisco in 2019.

In a move that stunned the San Francisco art community, BiP, a popular anonymous graffiti artist, announced that he was shutting down BiP. I stayed up all night thinking and Ive decided Im just walking away from BiP, BiP posted on his Instagram. I just want to be a normal guy in SF and work behind the scenes.

What prompted such a drastic move? A few days prior, the San Francisco Chronicle published a profile of BiP and his latest mural, a controversial depiction of a frowning baby carrying a gun, a badge, and a bright pink toy camera. The mural was a direct critique of the SFPD and of police brutality. In the article, Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost published the floor number and address of BiPs temporary studio. While the floor number was taken down within hours of the articles online publication, BiP claimed the damage was done, implying that a security incident at his permanent studio the following night was linked to the article. The debacle continued after that, with both the Chronicle and BiP taking different positions on the entire matter.

While the Chronicle is a powerful newspaper, BiP also has a strong following of his own. Hes invited other big names in the arts to visit his mural (The Last Black Man in San Francisco director Joe Talbot, Museum of the African Diaspora executive director Monetta White, Hamilton star Julius Thomas) and his murals can be found all over the world France, Russia, Chile, Taiwan, etc

BiP, a major influence in San Franciscos street art scene, may be walking away from the spray paint, but he isnt gone yet. A few weeks following his initial announcement, BiP came back online once again with another surprising post: Pictures of a painted version of the Chronicles emailed request to edit his original Instagram post, and a caption declaring BiPs intent to return to the arts scene, this time as a cultural tv program producer in San Francisco. Its unclear what this entails, but whats obvious is that BiP intends to keep contributing to the citys contentious art scene.

In 2018, indigenous activists brought down a racist statue from 1894 celebrating colonialism: A priest and vaquero standing triumphantly above a Native American on the ground. In 2019, Barbara Mumby Huerta, an indigenous artist and a director at the San Francisco Arts Commission, led an initiative that reclaimed space for the Bay Areas indigenous community. The Continuous Thread, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz, consisted of an art exhibit, a fashion show, and more.

For some, this is the first time indigenous people have seen themselves on the side of buses, in posters, in a gallery setting, Mumby Huerta says. Portraits of indigenous leaders, artists, and community members were all over the city, courtesy of photographers Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie, Britt Bradley, and Jean Melesaine.

Its an example of how government can take being the perpetrator of oppression, and they can acknowledge that and work with the community to address it and then shift it in a way thats positive, Mumby Huerta says. That to me is the intent. So it really is revolutionizing the way governments work with communities addressing systematic oppression in a creative way.

A Manilatown used to exist in San Francisco. It occupied five blocks of Kearny Street near Chinatown. But the Filipino enclave was wiped out when riot police evicted low-income Filipino tenants from the International Hotel. The building itself was demolished for a parking garage (which was never built).

About four decades later, the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District is poised to change the South of Market as we know it. The ongoing initiative is trying to continue the legacy of Filipinos in SoMa through cultural events, a hopeful Filipino-owned business incubator, and aesthetic changes to the streets themselves.

Even though weve been in the South of Market for over a hundred years, theres not a lot of visibility, Raquel R. Recondiez, director of SOMA Pilipinas, says. In 2019, efforts to increase that visibility include a mural of Filipino neighborhood heroes on the Bayanihan Community Centers facade. Heroes from an Olympic athlete to various community activists were painted in bright purple, red, and blue. SOMA Pilipinas also re-launched the 1975 Liwanag Art Anthology, and plan on creating another issue for 2020.

SOMA Pilipinas is also hoping to gain a foothold in San Francisco by helping Filipino-owned businesses thrive. Republika SF, which just hit its $40,000 fundraising goal this year, is going to play a big part in that. Republika plans to transform a SFMTA-owned parking garage on Mission Street into a promising Filipino-owned business incubator and retail space.

These anti-displacement efforts havent gone unrecognized. SOMA Pilipinas and Undiscovered SF, a nonprofit intending to boost economic activity for the cultural district through night markets and other ventures, recently won the Revitalization Award from the 2019 American Institute of Architects San Francisco chapter.

Theres a lot more in the works for SOMA Pilipinas, and its clear that theyll be redefining the neighborhood as we know it for the sake of San Francisco itself.

To save the soul of the city, we really need to do more to protect the historical and thriving communities of the city, Recondiez says. Weve lost half of our population in SoMa, but were still here. And were not going anywhere.

Earlier this summer, a controversy over a mural at George Washington High School came to a breaking point, collapsing into a citywide debate that grew with national attention.

The mural, a 13-panel fresco entitled Life of George Washington, depicts black slaves shucking corn and a dead Native American lying face down.

Initially, the San Francisco school board unanimously voted to paint it down. While black and indigenous leaders celebrated the decision, a group of censorship activists fought to overturn it, arguing that painting over the mural would be like whitewashing history, and that the mural was an educational opportunity to understand George Washingtons role as a slave-owner.

But counterarguments pointed out that the mural was left mostly uncontextualized, acting as more of a conduit for internalizing negative stereotypes about black and indigenous people rather than a learning opportunity. Students said the mural was hurtful and harmful.

The school board undid its vote, and the future of the mural remains uncertain.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco took San Franciscos housing crisis and hostility towards its diminishing black population and projected it on the big screen. The movie was created by two childhood best friends: Joe Talbot directed and based the film on a true story by Jimmie Fails (who also acts in the movie as himself).

You dont get to hate it unless you love it, Fails says about San Francisco. So much of that ethos comes across in the visual language of the film, which floats between dreamy montages of Fails skating through the hills of the city and the dramatically-lit conflicts that sear through the film.

But while the movie received generally positive criticism, its reception was also revealing of the lack of diversity in national arts journalism. Justin Phillips, a food writer for the Chronicle, encapsulated the phenomenon in his column.

Few feelings in my life have ever been as discomforting as being the only black man in a movie theater filled with white people watching The Last Black Man in San Francisco, and then hating the film, Phillips wrote, arguing for more diverse perspectives in the field. Especially when the white people around me clearly had the opposite opinion.

And she knows youre not composting.

The teenage climate activist was recently awarded Time magazines 2019 Person of the Year. But in San Francisco, Thunberg has already been getting the star treatment. Street artist Nino Cobre (real name: Andrs Petreselli), in collaboration with environmental nonprofit One Atmosphere, painted a portrait of Thunberg right next to Union Square. At 60 feet tall, the mural looms over passersby, reminding them of our impending climate change doom if we dont act in time (which is right now).

The mural wasnt without its critics. Some pointed out that many of the same San Franciscans excited by the mural have inhibited housing development that would help mitigate the climate crisis Thunberg is spreading awareness of. Others raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the spray paint, which One Atmosphere quickly dismissed, saying that most of the paints were hand-rolled exterior acrylics, and the spray paint that was used had minimal carbon footprint.

But at the very least, it seemed like the city government liked it. The Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation on Dec. 10, signed by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, commending the mural.

San Francisco has long been at the forefront of the environmental movement, so we were not surprised when the mural of Greta was welcomed here, Paul Scott, the executive director of One Atmosphere, wrote in an emailed statement. We were struck and grateful, though, by the amount of attention the mural received in press across the United States and throughout the world.

On Feb. 26, 2015, 21 year-old Guatemalan immigrant Amilcar Perez Lopez was killed by plainclothes officers of the San Francisco Police Department. Perez Lopez was shot six times, but the officers involved Craig Tiffe and Eric Reboli were not charged for the murder.

The tragedy and subsequent controversy surrounding conflicting evidence and eyewitness reports sparked fervent protests in the Mission, both for Perez Lopez and against Americas long history of police brutality against black and Latinx people.

Perez Lopezs memory has survived in the form of Alto al Fuego en La Misn, the largest mural to be painted in the Latino Cultural Corridor in over a decade. It blooms with roses, calla lilies, and magnolias, and is vivid with purples, pinks, and blues.

This mural not only remembers the tragedy and trauma of these police killings, but also the hope and resilience of the community that refuses to forget them, Father Richard Smith, a Mission based vicar who held a vigil for Perez Lopez, said in a press statement. It represents the ongoing struggle to purge SFPD of its decades-long racism, brutality, and corruption.

Alto al Fuego en La Misn is on the corner of 24th and Capp Streets, and will be staying up indefinitely.

La Cocina has had a big year.

The kitchen incubator focuses on food businesses run by low-income immigrant women of color, trying to promote equity in a challenging marketplace that doesnt favor working-class communities. But La Cocina has been changing San Franciscos food scene for over a decade.

This past year, theyve brought businesses like Alicias Tamales to the new Chase Center, introduced Mama Lamees Palestenian dishes to the Emeryville Public Market, and published their first cookbook with Chronicle Books.

The cookbook, We Are La Cocina, is composed of over 75 recipes from over 40 La Cocina alumni. There are bold colors and photographs by Eric Wolfinger, along with profiles of the chefs featured.

The women who are represented in the book are the heart and soul and innovation of our region, Caleb Zigas, the executive director of La Cocina, says.

Prefacing every recipe is a small note by its chef little anecdotes about the food theyre sharing, connections with their hometowns, stories about landscapes they miss:

I started cooking for my entire family at the age of eight. Maf was one of my favorites. I loved how the vegetables came from our backyard. Nafy Flatley

Where we are from there was an ojo de agua, with big trees all around it. The smell of fresh corn. Dilsa Lugo

I said I would never make it when I was older. Now I make a shitload of macaroni and cheese. Fernay McPherson

Collectively, We Are La Cocina is a testament to how equity in food businesses can transform a community.

The book really takes a look at the impact of those entrepreneurs in our community, Zigas says. You can see the changing space in our regions the challenges theyve had to face and the legacies theyll leave.

Grace Li covers arts and culture for the SF Weekly. You can reach her at gli@sfweekly.com.

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The Art That Defined San Francisco in 2019 - SF Weekly