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Redheads Converge in Wheeling for Festival of Their Own – Wheeling Intelligencer

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

Photos by Robert A. DeFrankJessica Benson of Columbus, left, watches as a clown makes balloon animals for a fellow redhead at the YWCAs first redhead festival Saturday.

WHEELING A crop of carrot-tops crowded the second floor of the YWCA in Wheeling on Saturday for the first Ohio Valley Redhead Festival.

Ron Scott Jr., cultural diversity and community director, said there was some excitement for the event. Unfortunately, though, several vendors were unable to attend as planned.

This is the first one of its kind around here, Scott said. I like to showcase and highlight different demographics and cultural groups that I feel arent getting really enough recognition or any shine, and the redhead community I found out, they have these festivals all over the country.

Scott said the closest was in Dunbar, West Virginia.

Scott said one goal is to raise awareness of skin cancer, which fair-skinned redheads are prone to. He said all donations given at the festival will go to anti-bullying programs to target bullying directed at redheaded children and adolescents.

Scott said Ohio Valley Dermatology set up a table. Scott also attempted to secure anesthesiologists to talk about the effects of pain medication on redheads. According to a study from the Cleveland Clinic, redheads are more resistant to general and local anesthesia.

They couldnt make it, unfortunately, but they had sent some information. The American Cancer Society sent some information as well, he said.

However, attendance of the communitys redheads was strong with close to 80 people arriving throughout the day.

Its been really amazing so far. Ive learned so much about the redhead community just by meeting people and organizing this event, he said.

There are some differences genetically, but in essence theyre the same person, and that difference has to be looked at as a uniqueness instead of something that you shy away from. Its just another cool thing about a group of people instead of something that keeps it separate.

Many redheaded mothers brought their children to the celebration, including Becky Lanham of Beech Bottom.

I heard about the event. I actually work for the Y and thought my kids would enjoy it, she said. Theyre talking about genetics and how we get some of our traits from our parents, our grandparents. This is the first time Ive ever heard of a redhead festival, but there are signs posted all over Wheeling.

We drove in from Columbus for it, Jessica Benson said, adding that she and her family were visiting a local relative. She brought a group of her redheaded children along.

We have two little redheads and Im a redhead myself, so when we saw what was going on we were really excited, Valerie Piko of Wheeling said. I always felt really special being a redhead, and when we found out I was expecting, we really didnt care what the genders were, we just really wanted a redhead and we ended up with two.

Entertainment included a clown and music. Libby Strong of SMART Centre Market also gave a scientific presentation on inherited traits and protection from ultraviolet light. She said it was possible to be sunburned even during cloudy weather.

There are traits that you inherit from your parents, and also some traits that also come about from different environmental factors, she said. Whether you can roll your tongue and whether you have a hitchhikers thumb red hairs kind of a similar sort of thing.

Ive worked with the YWCA on a couple of projects, and I think everything they do here is wonderful, Erika Donaghy of Wheeling said.

The YWCA also gave awards for the most freckles and to the redheads who traveled farthest.

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HBO Max Titles Including Gossip Girl Reboot & Kaley Cuocos The Flight Attendant Head To Canada Via Extended Bell Media Deal – Deadline

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

HBO Max programming including Gossip Girl reboot and Kaley Cuocos The Flight Attendant are heading to Canada after Bell Media extended its deal with WarnerMedia.

It marks the first international deal for HBO Max programming and comes on the back of WarnerMedias investor day yesterday, where the company unveiled a raft of new titles.

The deal, which begins in 2020, extends Bell Medias programming partnership with HBO and will expand HBO content to its SVOD service Crave.

Crave and CTV will air the Gossip Girl reboot, which is executive produced by the creative team behind the original series, The Flight Attendant, starring and exec produced by The Big Bang Theory star Cuoco, Dune: The Sisterhood from Denis Villeneuve, Mindy Kalings College Girls, as well as Berlanti Productions DC dramas Green Lantern and Strange Adventures, DMZ from Westworlds Roberto Patino and Ava DuVernay, Nicole Kidman-exec produced Crime Farm, YA series Red Bird Lane, Rules of Magic from Jessica Jones Melissa Rosenberg and Dana Barrata, The Shelley Society from Riverdales Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, live-action/animated comedy Tooned Out from The Lego Batman Movies Jared Stern and Robert Zemeckis and DC Super Hero Highfrom executive producer Elizabeth Banks.

Bell Media has been an important partner with its channels and platforms bringing HBO originals to viewers in Canada for many years, said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer. It is only fitting we are not only extending this relationship but also deepening it to include great new series produced for HBO Max.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the all-new Crave, were more committed than ever to ensure ongoing access to the highest caliber content, said Randy Lennox, President, Bell Media. With this new HBO Max agreement, we are expanding our long and successful partnership with HBO and Warner Bros. and demonstrating this commitment to premium content in an era of increasing competition.

Bell Media has been a long-term and strategic partner for both Warner Bros. and HBO, added Jeffrey Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. It is only logical for us to expand the relationship by adding the upcoming original programming from HBO Max as well as extend the successful relationship covering our feature films, network series, and cable programming. All of this together makes Bell Media a great Canadian home for all of these assets from WarnerMedia.

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HBO Max Titles Including Gossip Girl Reboot & Kaley Cuocos The Flight Attendant Head To Canada Via Extended Bell Media Deal - Deadline

An Epic Halloween House in Keller Turns Heads Every Year – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

A family in Keller spares no expense pulling out all the stops every year for Halloween. Their house is known as the Halloween House in their neighborhood. And youve got to see it.

The face of Gene Simmons graces the entry way of the home. A red carpet leads up to the front door.

Michele and Michael Scoma are the master creators of the Halloween house. They stared decorating inside at the beginning of September. The exterior doesnt go up until the beginning of October.

A family in Keller spares no expense pulling out all the stops every year for Halloween. Photo credit: NBC 5 News

The Scomas say they get a lot of people driving by, just taking pictures leading up to Halloween night.

Michele Scoma, who created the idea of the impressive Halloween house, calls her husband, Mike, the "structural engineer," who makes all of her creative ideas sound. Her kids help with painting props and set up each year.

A family in Keller spares no expense pulling out all the stops every year for Halloween. Photo credit: Julianne Wilson Photography

"Yeah, it's a passion. I'm a very creative person. If I'm not creating, I'm antsy. I love to make things, so Halloween really lets my imagination go crazy. I can do whatever I want. I feel like I can express myself with Halloween and do things," said Michele Scoma. "We start before the first holiday. Weve already planned like a month ago what next year is going to be already. I do like hitting the stores after Halloween and get things half price. It takes a full year of planning to do what Im going to do."

One of the questions the Scomas get every year, is do they do it this big for Christmas. That answer, is no. Halloween is the major holiday for the family.

More than 250 trick-or-treaters show up at their front door every year.

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An Epic Halloween House in Keller Turns Heads Every Year - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

‘Bryce Strong’: Judson community rallies as football player heads for round two with cancer – San Antonio Express-News

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

October 31, 2019

Bryce Wisdom hoists an orange flag emblazoned with the white letters that have come to define the Judson football season and his life.

Bryce Strong.

The schools drum line taps out an upbeat rhythm, rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat.

Holding orange balloons, Bryces classmates some he knows well, others hes never met watch from the second floor, waiting to drop them once Bryce starts his march down the red and white hallway at Judson High School.

Nick Talbot is the sports editor of the San Antonio Express-News. He graduated from the University of Florida with a masters degree in sports management and a bachelors in journalism. He was previously the sports editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He is a kidney cancer survivor.

Even though Judson was set to play at New Braunfels later that night, this isnt a pep rally. Its a sendoff for a friend, a classmate and a teammate.

Its Oct. 11, the last day Bryce will probably be able to attend during his junior year. As he prepares to fight a battle he thought hed already won, hes defiant. Cancer isnt going to beat him no matter how many times he is forced to go through chemotherapy.

Hes already lost too much.

A kidney. Part of his liver. His chance at playing college football like his brother Rashad Wisdom, a starting freshman safety for University of Texas at San Antonio.

Bryce is determined not to lose anymore.

As he begins walking down the hallway, his mother, Diana Wisdom, wipes away tears. Teachers and classmates reach out to hug him. The gathered crowd, dressed in orange to raise awareness for kidney cancer, drops the balloons and erupts in cheers and applause. More than 30 Judson High School students follow Bryce as he make the more than two-minute walk to the schools double doors.

Bryce plants the flag in the grass outside and the students begin to chant, Bryce Strong, Bryce Strong, Bryce Strong.

Bryce Wisdom, a student athlete at Judson High School who is fighting cancer, is embraced during a rally to encourage him on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. He is leaving school to undergo 25 weeks of chemotherapy.

Bryce Wisdom, a Judson High School student athlete who is fighting cancer, walks with his parents, Rich and Diana Wisdom, during a rally to encourage him on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019. He is leaving school to undergo 25 weeks of chemotherapy.

Round 1

At first, Bryce thought nothing of it. He was an athlete. A cornerback for Judson, he had taken and given his fair share of hits on the football field during his sophomore year.

The pain in his lower back would pass. And with some ibuprofen, it eventually did.

Then came the blood.

When it first happened, I was like Oh, I was working out hard. That must be why. Ive heard that can happen. Then it happened again, and I was like I dont think this is normal, Bryce said.

When it happened a third time, he texted his mother, Mom I have blood in my urine.

She took him out of school and to the emergency room. The hospital ran an MRI. Thirty minutes later, the doctors returned.

When they came back, we could tell something was wrong, Diana said.

Her intuition was right. Bryce had a tumor in his right kidney.

There are days you sit in the shower, cry and wonder, Why?

Diana Wisdom, Bryce's mother

As soon as she heard the word oncologist, Diana couldnt stay in the room any longer. She went to the hallway and broke down. She didnt want Bryce to see her overcome with grief.

You go through so many emotions in like one second; you are angry, mad, sad, Diana said. It was just horrible.

Bryce didnt cry until he got home later that day. When he did, Sean, the eldest of the four Wisdom brothers, put the challenge ahead into a perspective Bryce understood football.

He told him, You know its like football. We are going to have our opponent, and we are going to know how to kick their butt, and this is what we are going to do, Diana said. He did some research and told Bryce that there was a 99 percent survival rate and it is going to be OK. Dont pay attention to mom, she cries when you get a splinter.

Diana Wisdom wipes a tear as she stands by her husband, Rich Wisdom, during a gathering at Judson High School for their son, Bryce.

This was no splinter. It was a Wilms tumor. About 500 new cases of Wilms tumors are found each year in the United States, affecting about 1 in every 10,000 children.

Wilms tumor, a solid cancerous growth of the kidney that arises from immature kidney cells, most often affects children who are 3 to 4 years old. Its much less common after age 5 making Bryces case even more unusual.

Wilms tumors also dont usually spread.

She (the doctor) just said Wilms tumor, and we had no idea what that was, Diana said.

The Wisdoms got up to speed fast.

The MRI was Wednesday. The family visited the oncologist Friday. On the following Tuesday, March 26, doctors removed Bryces right kidney.

At first, I was freaking out because I didnt know you could just take an organ out, a kidney out, and nothing would happen, Bryce said. But then they told me, You can live with just one kidney. But I was still scared for the surgery because it is a big one, and I knew it was going to be dangerous. So I was worried.

Nineteen weeks of treatment, including 11 of chemotherapy, followed. Some weeks were better than others. Often Bryce would come home from his treatments and go straight to sleep. Other times he woke up in the middle of the night and vomited.

He lost 25 pounds, got used to wearing a do-rag as his hair fell out and accepted he would never play football again.

It was a long five months.

Watching him suffer, the sores in his mouth, the nausea. Those are the sides of cancer not everyone sees, Diana said. We clean the vomit and we put him back in the bed. Sometimes the nights are hard, and we are crying, too. There are days you sit in the shower, cry and wonder, Why?

Still, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic. Over the years, advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of Wilms tumors have improved the prognosis for children with the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. The survival rate for a Stage 2 Wilms tumor is between 95 and 100 percent.

On Aug. 23, Bryce believed his battle with cancer was over. He walked into Methodist Children's Hospitals Childrens Cancer and Blood Center with family and friends behind him, waving streamers and carrying congratulatory balloons.

As they cheered him on, he rang the bell on the wall to celebrate the end of his treatment.

We were thrilled, Diana said. I thought we would be able to slow down on all the appointments. There was just one more scan to do.

The scan, taken only 19 days after he rang that bell, showed another tumor.

This time on his liver.

Cancer patient Bryce and his mother, Diana Wisdom, watch as nurse Gloria Muniz prepares to administer chemotherapy drugs.

Never alone

In early September, Diana needed to add lunch money to Bryces school account.

It hit me do I do it for the week, a few days, a month? You dont know, she said. Everything is really just out of your control.

It was one more little thing to consider as the family learned to live from diagnosis to diagnosis.

On Sept. 17, Bryce had surgery to remove a portion of his liver. More scans followed and the Wisdoms were left with more questions than answers as they waited for the pathology report to determine if Bryce would require further treatment.

You go to the hospital and you see 6- and 7-year-old kids going through the same thing, and you wonder what happened, said Bryces father, Richard Wisdom. How did this happen? You expect people my age or older because you have been through a lot of things.

He is a football player and is athletic and it is like, why him? So much goes through your mind.

When Bryce got out of his liver surgery, the first thing he did was ask for his brothers, Rashad, Myles and Sean. Rashad, who was in the middle of class at UTSA, left and went to the hospital. Sean arrived shortly after.

Their main question was, Is he going to die? And we told them that was not the plan. And they said, Then we are good, Diana said. Then when they got there, they had their own conversation and the next thing I knew, Bryce was good.

Myles, 11, is mostly upset he cant wrestle with Bryce anymore. Rashad focuses on his studies and football.

Rashad Wisdom, who plays defense for UTSA, looks into the stands during a game attended by his younger brother Bryce, who is battling cancer.

What Rashad deals with on a daily basis of being a student-athlete, a big brother, a great teammate, I could not even justly put in words, UTSA coach Frank Wilson said. I just commend him and love what he and his family stand for; both Richard and Diana, his parents, and how theyve raised their sons. Its a beautiful thing.

When he visited Bryce in the hospital, Judson assistant coach Quinton Green could see the pain on his face after the medicine would wear off. Green, who was one of Seans teammates with the Rockets and would hang out after practices at the Wisdoms house, was almost like another older brother to Bryce.

I know I am his coach and all; but at the end of the day I feel like his brother, and it was just like seeing one of my family members going through it, Green said. I have never seen him in that light. He is usually a kid who is smiling all the time.

Now, I just dont want him to think he is ever going through this alone.

Judson junior Bryce speaks with friends before leaving school to undergo 25 weeks of chemotherapy.

Becoming Bryce Strong

There are four bracelets on Dianas right wrist: a black one with an orange kidney cancer awareness ribbon in its center, an orange one that has Bryce Strong stamped into it, a silver and orange beaded bracelet with two charms on it both in support of her son and a yellow hospital band.

The collection is a small fraction of what she has done to rally community awareness.

Pediatric cancer is here, and it doesnt discriminate, Diana said. This is just starting a conversation. Bryces story lets these kids know if they see something that doesnt seem right to say something, to tell their parents.

We were lucky. We caught it early. It was only Stage 2, and we caught it because he said something, and that is the message we want to put out there.

That message began with a gift from an outgoing coach.

Before Sean McAuliffe left in April for Cypress Ranch after leading the Rockets to two state semifinals, he ordered orange T-shirts with the words, Bryce Strong printed across the front.

Bryce Wisdom's mother, Diane, wears jewelry and assorted bracelets showing her support for him. The color orange is worn to raise awareness for kidney cancer. (Photo: Billy Calzada)

Jason Wagner, the outside linebackers coach over there, is notorious for slogans and stuff we could put on shirts, and he was like We need to get shirts made up. I was like, Thats a hell of an idea, and it went from there, McAuliffe said. It is a unique story that I believe is going to have a good ending.

When the community learned Bryces cancer had spread to his liver, it rallied around the Wisdoms, raising more than $14,000 for their GoFundMe account, set up to help with the medical bills. Diana said anything left over will go to help pediatric cancer research.

Even other teams showed their support for Bryce. When Steele Judsons biggest rival hosted the Rockets, its cheerleaders lined up and held a sign that read #BryceStrong. Knights fans in attendance did the same. And when the Steele football team broke through its banner onto the field it read, No one fights alone. United we stand.

They cant know how much it means to us, Diana said. It is hard enough to go to the games knowing Bryce cant play. But to see the other teams wearing orange bands and to see their cheerleaders with orange on and the signs up it is amazing and appreciated.

Before UTSA footballs season opener against Incarnate Word, Bryce stood at midfield for the coin toss. And despite the diagnosis that followed a month later, he watched from the stands as his brother played against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

It was a beautiful sight to see him as we came through the spirit walk, Wilson said. He waited at the end and (we) got a big hug for him and had a few words with him. And now as he gets ready to combat (the disease) with his treatment, certainly our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

Talk show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Kelly Clarkson have taken notice of the #BryceStrong movement, too.

DeGeneres tweeted at Diana after seeing a clip of Bryces sendoff at Judson, I am marching with you in my living room.

And in November, the Kelly Clarkson Show is expected to broadcast an interview with Judson ISD Superintendent Jeanette Ball and Judson High School Principal Jesus Hernandez.

Bryce has tried his best to shy away from the attention.

He loves it, but he doesnt want to be known as the cancer kid, Green said. He wants to be known as Bryce Wisdom, the football player and student athlete. I just tell him, You are getting a lot of love from people because they know the type of kid you are. Just embrace it and enjoy the fact that people care for you.

Thats the reason why Bryce was insistent on making the trip to New Braunfels with the Rockets after his sendoff.

No, he cant play anymore. The chemotherapy treatments sapped his strength, whittling 25 pounds off his already small frame.

Still, he pleaded with his mother, Diana, and his coaches to let him watch from the sideline. They countered by making sure he had a spot in the press box.

A cold front eventually put an end to even those plans. The trip was deemed too strenuous for a 16-year-old who was less than a week away from, once again, battling cancer.

It was just like getting punched in the stomach when he got this latest diagnosis. He is a great kid and comes from good, supportive family, Judson coach Rodney Williams said. He is one of those kids where you see his size and you think, There isnt any way. And then you get him on the field, and he will bite your leg off.

Judson Rockets represent their teammate Bryce Wisdom, who is battling Wilms Tumor, an aggressive form of kidney cancer

The Converse community shows their support with #BryceStrong placards for 16-year-old Bryce Wisdom during a Sept. 20 football game against Cibolo Steele. Bryce Wisdom, who is a member of the Judson Rockets, is battling kidney cancer.

Round 2

On the table in front of Bryce is an empty bag of SunChips, a wooden plaque he painted with the message BryceStrong #39 and three needles.

Soon, a respirator mask that looks like it was ripped from the pages of a comic book will cover the bottom half of his face as a bright red liquid, nicknamed the Red Devil, enters his veins through an IV.

He reaches for a piece of spearmint gum in preparation. It helps reduce the taste of metal in his mouth once the chemotherapy drugs start flowing into his body.

The first time around, Bryce was given two of the less intensive chemotherapy drugs. This round, though, will require three to four separate drugs, each with a higher toxicity profile than prior treatments, said Bryces oncologist, Dr. Jose Esquilin.

They have much higher side effects, and the impact on him is going to be much greater, Esquilin said. He is going to be tired. He is probably going to need transfusions, and he is going to lose his hair, his eyelashes, eyebrows and some more weight.

I am going to be watching and trying to minimize that, but we are definitely in a different situation.

Diana Wisdom cheers her son, Bryce, as he receives a chemotherapy treatment from nurse Gloria Muniz.

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'Bryce Strong': Judson community rallies as football player heads for round two with cancer - San Antonio Express-News

Verstappen: Hamilton and Vettel words show I’m in their heads – autosport.com

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

Red Bull's Max Verstappen says Lewis Hamilton's comments echoed by Sebastian Vettel about Verstappen's aggressive Formula 1 style after Mexico is a positive, because it shows he's "in their heads".

Hamilton and Verstappen were involved an on-track scuffle through the opening sequence of corners in the Mexican Grand Prix.

Verstappen's race was later compromised for a clash with Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas on lap five of 71.

Having gone on to win the race, Hamilton quipped afterwards that he had been "torpedoed" by Verstappen at Turn 1 - and said that the Dutchman's aggressive style meant that drivers like Hamilton give Verstappen "extra space" in wheel-to-wheel racing.

He also described Verstappen as a "magnet" for incidents, while Ferrari driver Vettel then said he completely agreed with Hamilton's viewpoint.

In the lead-up to next weekend's United States Grand Prix, Verstappen questioned Hamilton's view of the Mexico battle, before adding: "I think from my side it was a bit of a silly comment to make - because I think I'm always a hard racer, but fair.

"I think it's just not correct.

"But of course it's easy to have a dig at someone.

"From my side, it's fine.

"It's always positive when they talk about you because that means you're in their heads.

"I just focus on my driving, and I think that's enough said."

Asked what he made of being singled out by his F1 rivals, Verstappen reiterated: "I think that from my side it already shows that I'm in their heads.

"I guess that's a good thing.

"But from our side, I don't need to dig into other people in a press conference, because first of all I think it's a bit disrespectful as well, and I prefer to fight on track, which I love to do.

"And of course I like to fight hard, but on the edge, otherwise - if they want me to stay behind, it's also better to stay at home.

"You want to take the fight to them, because that's what we are here for, we are racers, we are Formula 1, I think we are the best out there, and we do fight for victories because that's what I live for."

Verstappen had lost pole for the Mexican GP after the stewards assessed he did not slow sufficiently for yellow flags on his second flying lap.

The Red Bull driver, maintaining that he only saw the Bottas crash that brought out the yellow flag and not the flag itself - repeated that he felt the stewards had been "very fair" in awarding him the penalty.

"In hindsight I also didn't need to go for that laptime, because I was already on pole position," he said.

"What was going through my head through that lap was, you don't know what the other guys are doing, if they are improving, are they beating your pole laptime.

"So, I didn't see the yellow flag, I improved my laptime, in hindsight I didn't need to do it, but also in hindsight I think next time I am anyway going to lift even if they would improve [on] my laptime just because they got lucky they were in front of the accident.

"It is what it is, but of course at the moment we are still not in a position to fight for pole position all the time, so of course I was enjoying the moment as well."

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Verstappen: Hamilton and Vettel words show I'm in their heads - autosport.com

What theyre saying nationally about Michigans win over Maryland – MLive.com

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

Michigan led 14-0 before Maryland recorded a first down, and the Wolverines continued to pour it on in a 38-7 victory Saturday in College Park.

After falling behind by two touchdowns early, the Terrapins (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) had two red zone drives, but they ended in an interception and missed field goal.

Michigan (7-2, 4-2) allowed just 25 yards total on Maryland's next five drives. By that time, it led 28-0.

Watch: Michigans Giles Jackson returns opening kickoff 97 yards for TD

The Terrapins only touchdown came on a 97-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

Here are what national headlines are saying about Saturdays blowout victory as Michigan heads into a bye week.

Jim Harbaughs Michigan Wolverines Dominate Unranked Maryland Terrapins (Bleacher Report)

Five Quick Hits: Michigan Handles Maryland, 38-7 (SI)

No. 14 Michigan rolls past Maryland 38-7 in Big Ten (Associated Press)

ESPNs Camera Angle For Michigans Kickoff Return TD Was Epic (TheSpun.com)

Terps self-inflicted blows prove costly in blowout loss to Michigan (Washington Post)

Red-zone troubles plague Maryland in homecoming loss to No. 14 Michigan, 38-7 (Baltimore Sun)

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What theyre saying nationally about Michigans win over Maryland - MLive.com

Confessed killer regrets life of drug use as he heads to prison for murder – MLive.com

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

ANN ARBOR, MI Joseph Jonathan Starr doesnt like the man he was a year ago.

An admitted frequent user of alcohol and illicit drugs in 2018, Starr said he regretted the choices he made that led him to picking up a rock and hitting Ray Anthony Mason in a fit of rage, killing him.

If I wasnt on drugs and alcohol that night, it would have been different, Starr said, as he held back tears during his Thursday, Oct. 31 sentencing. I cant take any of this back and Im sorry.

For Masons death, Washtenaw County Trial Judge Darlene OBrien sentenced Starr to 28 to 55 years in prison.

Starr, 28, pleaded guilty, Oct. 10, to one count of second-degree murder after previously rejecting a similar offer.

Mason, 58, of Ypsilanti Township, was found dead, Sept. 18, 2018, by a pair of men fishing along the Huron River near Frog Island Park, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office.

Initially, police said no foul play was suspected, but Masons death was later ruled a homicide and Starr was charged and arraigned.

(Police) investigated this case thoroughly, interviewing everyone who ever met Mason and not a single person could come up with a reason why anyone would harm him, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Vella said.

Vella found it tragic that Starr, a stranger to Mason, would have a run-in with Mason and kill him.

Starr underwent a lengthy mental evaluation at the states Center for Forensic Psychiatry where he was eventually found competent to stand trial.

Two of Masons siblings drove from their homes in North Carolina to the sentencing and spoke of their grief, still questioning why anyone would willingly hurt their brother.

(Starr) took somebody real special from me and I want to understand why, Masons sister, Marshanne Mason said. It hurts real bad. He would have done anything for anyone. Why did you do this?

His eyes puffy and red, Starr silently cried as he listened to Masons family tell the court how good of a man Mason was.

Ray was a good man who raised four kids who were not his own, his brother Martin Mason said. Ray was better than all of us. You better believe he had a family, Starr. I pray you get your life together.

As part of his sentencing, Starr was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to Masons family. Starr was credited for 408 days served.

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Confessed killer regrets life of drug use as he heads to prison for murder - MLive.com

Bray Wyatt Reacts To Universal Title Victory At WWE Crown Jewel, Heads To Miz TV – Wrestlezone – Mandatory

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

The Fiend Bray Wyatt came out on top in the red-tinged main event of WWE Crown Jewel, capturing the WWE Universal Championship from Seth Rollins. This brings both of WWEs top belts to SmackDown just weeks before Survivor Series, a curious and chaotic situation to be sure. Exactly the kind of chaos that The Fiend loves.

Celebrating his victory over Seth, The Fiend posted a brief message on Twitter. In the included photo, hes posing with the red belt, although you can actually see everything since its in black and white rather than the color of blood.

You cant kill it.

Under the red light

the Zombie man rules the Universe #YowieWowie

Theres no doubt that well hear more from the man behind the fiend as the new Universal Champion goes on Miz TV during tomorrows SmackDown. Will the champ appear from his FireFly Funhouse, or will he send the Fiend to do his talk show bidding?

RELATED:The Fiend Bray Wyatt Wins The Universal Championship At WWE Crown Jewel

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Bray Wyatt Reacts To Universal Title Victory At WWE Crown Jewel, Heads To Miz TV - Wrestlezone - Mandatory

Holly Willoughby’s flaming red clinging dress lights up Pride of Britain – Mirror Online

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

Holly Willoughby wowed the crowds in flaming red dress as she turned heads on arrival at the Pride of Britain Awards 2019.

The 38-year-old This Morning presenter donned the spectacular gown that was full length, which seemed to be the order of the night among celebrities.

She looked stunning as she arrived at the glamorous event, which is held at the Grosvenor House in London, with purple flashes on her shoulders.

Other celebrities on the red carpet included Love Islanders Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury, Amanda Holden , Simon Cowell , the cast of Strictly Come Dancing and her This Morining co-host Phillip Schofield.

This is the 20th anniversary year of the awards and Holly was once again proving why she is one of the most anticipated arrivals.

The Pride of Britain Awards are hosted by Carol Vorderman, who sat on the judging panel, alongside Christine Lampard, Susanna Reid, Eamonn Holmes.

Pride of Britain celebrates extraordinary people from across Britain who have shown incredible bravery and spirit.

The winners are nominated by members of the public from all walks of life and from all over the country.

The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB, will broadcast on ITV on 5th November at 8pm .

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@trinitymirror.com or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

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Holly Willoughby's flaming red clinging dress lights up Pride of Britain - Mirror Online

Donor conception and the cost of keeping a secret – Science News – ABC News

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Danzig

Even as a child, Matty suspected something was not quite as it seemed.

"I can remember looking at family photos and wondering where I got my red hair and freckles from."

Parents Eveline and Tony always seemed to have answers.

But when Matty turned 18, Mum and Dad finally revealed the truth about how their two children Matty and younger sister Beth were conceived.

And Matty has struggled with the legacy of their choices ever since.

When 27-year-old Eveline held newborn Matty in her arms for the first time in 1984, it felt like the most amazing moment of her life.

Her then-husband Tony was infertile, so the Perth-based couple had sought out a doctor to help them conceive using donated sperm.

They both saw it as a chance to create the family they wanted but Catholic-raised Eveline struggled with whether the decision to use the anonymously donated sperm was the right thing to do.

"I was really ambivalent because I very much am not a Catholic, or religious, and wasn't really then, but it still obviously had that bit of a hold in my head," she says.

Science friction investigates vexed very personal stories involving assisted reproductive technologies.

Eveline was also worried about the possibility her children might have other siblings from the same biological father out there. And what if they met?

In the early 1980s, using donor sperm for conception was generally kept a secret, says Kate Bourne, a counsellor with the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA).

The focus was on protecting the adults involved in the process from things like unwelcome child maintenance or estate claims down the track, and also avoiding the stigma associated with infertility.

"For a man to be diagnosed with male infertility was very, very difficult and emasculating," Kate says.

"We hear stories of couples saying the doctor even said, 'Go home, make love to your wife and we'll never really know who is the genetic father'. So it was very much the way things were done then."

Since 2005, anonymous sperm donation is no longer considered acceptable practice in Australia, but it is still very common in some places.

Back in 1983, Eveline didn't give much thought to the sperm donor's identity or that not knowing it would cause problems for her children later on.

"I just accepted it I didn't need to know."

But that was something she later came to regret.

A couple of years after Matty was born Eveline and Tony had Beth, using sperm from a different anonymous donor.

As their children grew older, Eveline wrestled with when to tell them they were donor conceived, but it never seemed to be the right time.

Matty and sister Beth were both donor conceived, using sperm from different men.

(Supplied: Eveline Durkin)

Matty and sister Beth were both donor conceived, using sperm from different men.

Tony was reluctant to reveal he wasn't Matty's biological father, fearing rejection, and he says he wanted to leave it until the children were old enough to understand.

"I think if you tell a six-year-old or an eight-year-old they might rebel there might be heartache."

It wasn't until Matty was about to leave home to start university that Eveline and Tony called a family meeting to explain their children's origins to them.

Matty remembers that "family chat" well.

"My parents were scared. And I was angry."

Incredibly though, despite having visceral feelings on the inside, Matty didn't show them at the time, having more concern for Eveline and Tony's feelings.

"I told them, 'It's fine. You've always been here for us. And this won't change anything.'"

But things weren't fine.

"I was feeling that anger and betrayal I felt like I'd been deceived for 18 years."

VARTA counsellor Kate runs workshops for donor-conceived people and their families, and understands the effect this kind of experience can have.

"The impact is often about a lack of trust and the impact on your identity," she says.

"You think that you know who you are and then suddenly the foundation stone from that is different so it results in having to sort of review your identity."

Matty was especially upset the sperm donor was anonymous, suggesting that tracking down a biological father would be impossible.

Now 35 years old and living in Hobart, Matty understands why Eveline and Tony were reluctant to disclose, but still finds it hard to deal with.

"Back when I was conceived in '83, parents were often counselled to not disclose because it would make their lives easier It didn't make our lives easier."

One of the hardest things for Matty, who uses the gender-neutral pronoun "they", to reconcile is the way their parents had skirted around the truth.

They remember asking at five or six: "Is Dad my real dad?"

"Yeah, he's your father," came the response, and Matty's red hair was explained away by pointing to other redheads in their extended family or the red tints in Eveline's hair.

Eveline accepts that Matty now sees this as a case of being lied to.

"Even when I asked questions directly, the whole truth hadn't been said. And it took a long time to process that," Matty says.

A recent selfie from Matty.

(Supplied)

A recent selfie from Matty.

Eveline has worked hard to understand Matty's distress, and done what she can to help her children deal with the consequences of finding out they are donor conceived.

Matty's father, now separated from Eveline, is sorry for Matty's struggle, but doesn't see how things could have been done differently.

"I don't regret telling Matty and Beth at that age," he says.

"I don't think we were lying to them. I think we were honest with them and telling them at an appropriate time in their lives."

Traditionally, donor-conceived children and adopted children were thought of differently by health services.

When Matty was born, there was a push to tell adopted children their biological origins while they were still young. It was understood that this was better for their development, sense of identity, and wellbeing in the long-term.

But this approach wasn't applied to donor-conceived children.

"I don't think people really thought about the person conceived from the donation treatment and what their needs might be," Kate says.

But finding out in adulthood that you are donor conceived risks a loss of trust in your parents, and in your own sense of self.

"The recommendation has gone from medical staff encouraging not to tell, to actually encouraging parents to tell," Kate says.

Kate says research suggests it is best to tell children they are donor conceived before puberty.

"It's better to start the conversation while the child is very young so that they can't ever really remember a time where they didn't know."

"This is just part of who they are. And part of their family's story."

It hasn't been an easy road for Matty's family.

Tony had been reluctant to talk about the topic, Matty says.

Five or six years ago Matty's anger forced the issue.

"I said [to Dad] something like 'Dad we're not father and child here, we're something else.' And he said 'What? Like super friends?' And that's when things changed for us.

"We could build a relationship based on the truth."

Matty now feels they can more fully celebrate what they have, and Tony's loving role in Matty's life.

"The special relationship between a father who's brought you up without having a biological connection, and has always been there, is a really special one. And that became a point of pride for my dad."

Tony and baby Matty.

(Supplied: Eveline Durkin)

Matty's relationship with mum Eveline after the revelation has been more open, but in some ways harder.

Despite the relief of sharing the news, Eveline gets very emotional every time she talks about it.

"She's seen the pain and the anguish the decision not to disclose has caused and the separation from kin has caused," Matty says.

Eveline says there is "a lot of guilt and a lot of regret" that it wasn't done differently.

"It's a work in progress for all of us and it probably always will be," she says.

However the family has reached a level of acceptance and peace.

Matty still holds some anger mainly at a society that supported non-disclosure and has placed so much weight on having your own children.

"I think a lot of people believe that if you're unable to have a child of your own, that makes you somehow less than other people. And so those pressures also were part of my parents' decision."

For Matty the cost of secrecy has been clear.

"I've lost 30-odd years of being able to grow, knowing where I've come from and that's not something that I can ever get back."

Kate says she regularly hears of people accidentally discovering they were donor conceived.

"I've had quite a few clients where they've been given [a DNA ancestry] testing kit for Christmas or for a birthday and suddenly they've discovered that their dad isn't their biological father."

"People say they would much rather find out from their mum and dad than from a test."

Matty's sister Beth is now an activist for donor-conceived people in Perth.

(ABC News: Rhiannon Shine)

Matty's sister Beth is now an activist for donor-conceived people in Perth.

Kate stresses it is never too late to share the truth.

"It's about thinking about how to do that in a loving and supportive way."

She runs a seminar that helps families with this process, and VARTA provides resources for donor-conceived people and their families.

"It should be a very proud story to be told and not a dirty little secret."

Around a year ago, after a long and complex process, involving DNA testing and searching on social media, Matty connected with their biological father, Alan.

"We just started sort of talking on Facebook and it was surreal," Matty says.

The first time Matty saw a picture of Alan, the physical resemblance was obvious, and then they found out Alan studied engineering.

A young Matty and family.

(Supplied: Eveline Durkin)

A young Matty and family.

This "put a lot of pieces into place", says Matty, who as a child used to pull their toys apart instead of playing with them.

"We share a sense of humour and we also share a fervour for robust discussion," Matty adds.

But feeling a connection to a stranger was "scary" and raised a whole lot of questions.

"What are we going to talk about? What do I want to know? What do we have in common? Will I be rejected if I approach?"

And amid all this, Matty has been worried that reaching out to their donor might hurt their dad, Tony.

Donor conception and the cost of keeping a secret - Science News - ABC News

Prystaiko: NATO developing action plan in case of Russias military attack on Ukraine – Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

Cooperation at the level of the military leadership of Ukraines Armed Forces General Staff and the NATO Military Committee is quite active.

"The task of this military unit of the Alliance is to make a plan in case of aggressive hostilities... There is a special headquarters located in Mons where action plans in case of aggression are being planned, including direct aggression. Ukrainian military are not only involved, they serve directly in Mons, there are several people whose task is to bring all the information for the Alliance's military action planning in case of aggression anywhere in the world, but of course, the Ukrainian direction is the priority now," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko announced at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine cannot rely on NATO's direct support in case of open Russian aggression but the Alliance is doing its best to prepare Ukraine for a possible attack.

"If Ukraine were a member of NATO, then Article 5 on collective defense would be used and NATO would defend Ukraine as one of its allies with every means possible. Actually, we are strategically striving for NATO membership. But since we are not a member of NATO yet, the Alliance can only provide assistance to strengthen the security and defense sector of Ukraine. In this regard, we have an absolutely agreed vision with our partners," Kuleba stressed when asked about NATOs stance in case of open Russias aggression against Ukraine.

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Prystaiko: NATO developing action plan in case of Russias military attack on Ukraine - Ukrinform. Ukraine and world news

NATO on the brink of implosion – Voltaire Network

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

The Defence Ministers of the North Atlantic Council met on 24-25 October 2019 at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The meeting gave rise to fierce clashes between Germany, the Benelux countries and France on the one hand, and the United States and Turkey on the other.

The former members of the defunct Warsaw Pact, eager to keep up their guard against Russia, smoothed the waters.

Unlike the 1966 crisis, when France had refused to place its military forces under the orders of a US General and withdrew from the NATO Integrated Command, the current conflict is not about the independence of individual members from the USA, but concerns the survival of the Alliance itself.

Germany, Benelux and France have called for a military intervention in north eastern Syria, both against the armed forces of Syria and Turkey (a NATO member), and in support of YPG Kurdish militias. For their part, the United States and Turkey argued that US forces did not have a mandate to justify their presence in Syria, and that Turkey was legally acting on the basis of its right to counter attacks from terrorists inside Syria.

This situation raises the broader question of what will become of the Alliance now that the United States has decided to step down from its imperial throne, having already taken steps in that direction.

Nature abhorring a vacuum, Germany, Benelux and France are obvious candidates, as a group, to take over the task, though they lack the necessary means. This being said, Germany prefers to remain within the framework of the Alliance,[1] while France envisions this change to take place within the structure of the European Union (that is, without both the United States and the United Kingdom).

As a historical reminder, at the time of the collapse of the USSR, the Warsaw Pact did not survive Moscows recognition of the independence of its member states. The "Brezhnev Doctrine" of 1968 justified a military intervention in member countries of the Pact if the socialist character of the Eastern Bloc was at stake. Consequently, Moscow was able to crush the "Prague Spring." By contrast, in 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev declared that Moscow was no longer in a position to dictate its law to its allies; a principle he facetiously called the "Sinatra Doctrine" (referring to Frank Sinatras song My Way). There was no repression in Hungary and, in the German Democratic Republic, the Berlin Wall came down all of a sudden.

The Atlantic Alliance also has stay-behind secret services,[2] in charge of keeping Member States in line, by resorting, if necessary, to assassination or regime-change methods. Although these services have been dissolved on several occasions, they are still active. However, it had never been anticipated that the problem would be coming from the United States.

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NATO on the brink of implosion - Voltaire Network

Think tank report outlines steps NATO needs to take to defend Baltics – ERR News

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

The report, titled "How to Defend the Baltic States" (link to PDF)examines opportunities for building up sufficient deterrence in the three Baltic countries, and, in the event that this deterrence fails, organizing the necessary warfare to drive the attacker out of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Thus far, the U.S. has not done enough to strengthen deterrence and defense on NATO's eastern flank or to encourage allies there to strengthen their own defense as called for in the U.S.' nationalsecurity strategy in 2017, report author Richard D. Hooker writes.

Last year, the U.S. allocated three times more financial aid to Rwanda than to any one Baltic country, and practically none of the $15 billion (USD) allocated by the U.S. to the European deterrence initiative reached the Baltic countries. The defense of NATO's eastern flank may be one of the most urgent national security matters, the author of the report finds.

To strengthen the Baltics, the U.S. could, for example, hand over the armored equipment already currently stored there, including M1A1 tanks, similarly to how the U.S. gave 162 tanks to Morocco, Hooker added.

The report also calls on the Baltic states to contribute more to their own defense as well, however.

In case of war, Kaliningrad must be neutralized

According to the conventional warfare scenario described in the report, in which war breaks out following an attack by Russia, Moscow needs seven to ten days to launch an offensive. At the same time, referring to several earlier assessments, it is noted that Russian units only need a few days to capture the three countries.

Nonetheless, in describing the possible defense of Estonia, the report describes how enemy forces approaching from the direction of Narva could be halted by Rakvere, or from the south near Tartu. "Some territory in the east may be lost, but retaining control of the capital is likely," the overview of Estonia notes.

The document stresses the importance of defense and deterrence activities to precede the attack, as well as describes which European-based U.S. units should be relocated to the Baltics.

According to the scenario described in the report, NATO forces should be capable of destroying Russia's Kaliningrad-based anti-aircraft capabilities by the 14th day after the conflict breaks out, following which allies can utilize their air supremacy and begin to more extensively move their units into the region. Polish and U.S. units must enter the Russian exclave as soon as the conflict breaks out, the report stresses.

After taking Kaliningrad, allied troops must also gain superiority on the Baltic Sea, at which point they will be capable of driving the warships of Russia's Baltic Fleet to St. Petersburg.

Deterrence cheaper than strike back

According to the report, the first priority should be to develop the Baltic countries' own respective defense capabilities, but at the same time improve the speed and quality of moving in additional allied forces.

In order to do so, a comprehensive action plan will need to be drawn up and U.S. and NATO support thereof ensured. The cost of necessary preparations for deterrence is not that great, the author of the report finds, especially considering NATO's great wealth, and the fact that the alternative is significantly more ominous.

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Think tank report outlines steps NATO needs to take to defend Baltics - ERR News

NATO Envoy Says Afghans Do Not Want To See A Repeat Of The National Unity Government – Gandhara

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

British diplomat Nicholas Kay is currently serving as NATOs senior civilian representative in Afghanistan. In an interview with Radio Free Afghanistan, he says not a single Afghan wants another national unity government. Instead, he says, Afghans would like to see a clear winner emerge from the September 28 presidential vote. The Afghan election commission now expects to announce the preliminary results of the vote on November 14.

RFE/RL: How important is it to NATO that this years presidential election in Afghanistan be transparent and credible?

Nicholas Kay: Its important and crucial for Afghans and therefore also for NATO. The credibility of the elections over the last several years has been reducing. We saw serious problems in the parliamentary elections last year and in 2014. It's vital that, now in 2019, the independent and electoral [complaint] commission does its job well and counts votes accurately. Afghans are absolutely depending on them to do their job so that they can trust the electoral process.

RFE/RL: The 2014 presidential elections was marred by allegations of massive fraud, and then U.S Secretary of State John Kerry was sent to Kabul. He cobbled together a national unity government, which critics say was never united. Is this going to happen again?

Kay: I havent met a single Afghan who wants to see that repeated. The Afghans I speak to want to see a clear result and a clear win for one candidate or the other, and no one wants someone from the outside to have to come in and help resolve what is an internal Afghan political problem. So this time I really hope the election result will be credible because it will be based on a clean, transparent and thorough process.

RFE/RL: The Taliban oppose the elections and have even threatened Afghan voters. According to the UNs latest report, scores of civilians were killed and hundreds more were wounded on September 28 alone. Whats your message to the Taliban?

Kay: The Taliban have shown themselves to be the enemies not only of democracy but of the Afghan people, who have clearly shown that they want democracy. Since 2001, they have participated in four presidential elections and parliamentary elections, as well. They have turned out under difficult circumstances, facing threats from terrorists, and they have shown that they want to vote to choose their leaders. The Taliban should respect the will of the Afghan people.

RFE/RL: In terms of counterterrorism assurances, has the Taliban really severed ties to transnational terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda?

Kay: There is no evidence yet that they have done that, but we know it was a part of the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban in Doha. They were negotiating verifiable, clear assurances of that. But that process has stopped and at the moment, as far as I am aware, the linkages to Al-Qaeda from the Taliban still exist.

RFE/RL: Another security threat in Afghanistan is the presence of IS affiliates. Can they re-establish their defeated caliphate in Afghanistan?

Kay: You are absolutely right. There is a presence of Daesh. Its a serious presence. They conduct terrorist attacks killing Afghan civilians. Just last week, they attacked a mosque and killed at least 69 Afghan civilians. So the Daesh presence is there, and it is a serious concern. However, the establishments of a caliphate or something like that is a very remote thing. No Afghan I have met has any wish to see either a caliphate or an emirate.

What I hear from most Afghans I meet is that they want a modern democracy that respects fundamental human rights civil and political rights, and that is what NATO is there helping the Afghans to achieve by creating the conditions [by] training and advising, assisting the Afghan National Security Forces, and I really see that march toward that modern democracy. That march is underway, and it is up to all of us now to remain committed to that mission and make sure the conditions are there for Afghans to enjoy durable peace.

RFE/RL: What do you want from the key regional stakeholders such as China, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia?

Kay: Support for a stable, peaceful Afghanistan. Support for the initiative to bring about intra-Afghan negotiations. The regional countries play a very important role, but neither the regional countries nor NATO nor any other country is going to solve this conflict, only Afghans will solve this at the negotiating table with the Taliban, the government, and other representatives of Afghanistan. The sooner we can get to that negotiating table, the better.

RFE/RL: Finally, lets talk about a potential future peace deal with the Taliban. How do you see the gains and achievements made during the years of NATOs presence in the country?

Kay: NATO has been there to train, advise, and assist the Afghan Security Forces, and I can see a transformation in their capacity and capabilities. I was last working in Afghanistan in 2006-07, and when I came back 10 years later in 2017, I could see with my own eyes that a transformation had taken place: You have capable Afghan security forces, special forces, commandos, and Air Force now, and so the progress is clear there. There is a lot of other progress that has been achieved over the past 18 years: democracy, womens rights, access to education, etc.

This is a new, modern Afghanistan. And of course, in that Afghanistan, there is as well freedom of speech, and the free media, and a very professional media, as well. All of these achievements over the past 18 years should be the foundation for a durable peace.

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NATO Envoy Says Afghans Do Not Want To See A Repeat Of The National Unity Government - Gandhara

Ukraine asks NATO to grant it status of member of partnership of expanded opportunities Kuleba – Interfax Ukraine

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba says that Ukraine has applied to NATO with a request to grant it the status of a member of the partnership of expanded opportunities.

"During the visit, Ukraine turned to the North Atlantic Alliance with a request to move to a new level of cooperation and provide Ukraine with the status of a member of the partnership of expanded opportunities," Kuleba said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

He noted that in the framework of such a partnership, Ukraine may receive priority access to certification of events that take place through NATO-Ukraine. The program also provides for: expanded cooperation in the field of intelligence; providing opportunities for representatives of partner countries to receive positions at NATO headquarters or in NATO structures.

The deputy PM emphasized that the program of expanded opportunities is not a substitute for the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP).

"We very much hope that the alliance will make a positive decision regarding our initiative," Kuleba added.

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Ukraine asks NATO to grant it status of member of partnership of expanded opportunities Kuleba - Interfax Ukraine

Why we don’t know what to eat to stay healthy – Politico

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

With help from Mona Zhang

Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Agriculture is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Agriculture subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. Learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services at http://www.politicopro.com.

Even in an increasingly health-conscious America, the federal government has devoted only a tiny fraction of its research dollars to nutrition, a POLITICO investigation found. Meanwhile, consumers are confused about what to eat and increasingly suffering from diet-related diseases.

The FDA on Thursday announced new tools for detecting worrisome non-stick chemicals, known as PFAS, in the food supply.

Billionaire activist and Democratic presidential contender Tom Steyer is rolling out his platform for rural America today, and MA has the scoop.

A message from the National Confectioners Association:

#AlwaysATreat: It's the Halloween season, and we want to make sure you enjoy your favorite treats with no tricks. Were coming together to help people manage their sugar intake and ensure that they feel empowered to make informed choices when enjoying their favorite treats. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com/HalloweenCentral

HAPPY FRIDAY, NOV. 1! Welcome to Morning Ag, where your host loves Brussels sprouts and is thankful for the genetic breeding that made them tasty! Send news tips to cboudreau@politico.com and @ceboudreau, and follow us @Morning_Ag.

WHY WE DONT KNOW WHAT TO EAT TO STAY HEALTHY: Nutrition research is an afterthought in Washington even though diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes are skyrocketing, threatening the fiscal sustainability of the U.S. health care system, reports your host and Pro Ags Helena Bottemiller Evich.

A POLITICO analysis of federal budget documents dating back decades reveals that NIH and USDA, as a share of their overall research dollars, are shrinking investments in nutrition. NIH in 2018 invested $1.8 billion, or just under 5 percent of its total budget. USDAs Agricultural Research Service spends much less: Just $88 million was devoted to nutrition last year, or a little more than 7 percent of its overall research portfolio virtually the same as in 1983 when adjusted for inflation.

To boot, theres a lack of federal leadership on nutrition research, no major lobbying force on Capitol Hill, and a nutrition science community that finds itself fighting over whether public health enemy No. 1 is processed carbs or fat or sodium or sugar. Meanwhile, consumers get a regular dose of whiplash on diet advice: One day coffee is healthy, the next its not; red wine is good for your heart, or maybe not; cheese is either a healthy source of protein and calcium, or a dangerous overdose of fat and salt.

This has prompted calls for establishing a National Institute of Nutrition, to be housed under NIH. Leading that effort is Joon Yun, a Silicon Valley investor better known for putting up millions to spur innovations to end aging. He and two high-profile allies Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of Tufts Universitys nutrition school, and David Kessler, who led the FDA during the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations are trying to build momentum on Capitol Hill.

I dont think we can afford not to have a National Institute of Nutrition, Yun said. Pros, read the profile from yours truly and Helena here.

FDA HAS A NEW WAY TO TEST FOR PFAS IN FOOD: The agency on Thursday announced it has a scientifically validated method for testing 16 different types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in food a significant step for FDA and state health and environmental authorities that are trying to determine how much Americans are exposed to the chemicals through their diet.

As part of this effort, the FDA in June released the preliminary results of PFAS testing in a limited sampling of foods, including from areas specifically affected by PFAS environmental contamination and the general food supply, via a routine program monitoring about 800 contaminants in the average U.S. diet. After applying the validated testing method to the initial results which detected PFAS, in many cases at very low levels, in 14 out of 91 samples the FDA said thats been revised to only two out of the 91 samples.

The new results: PFAS, after initially being detected in a range of foods, was only present in ground turkey and tilapia. It was also detected in milk and produce from areas with known environmental contamination; the milk was discarded and didnt enter the food supply, while the agency determined the concentrations in produce were so low they werent a human health concern.

Curious case of chocolate cake: The preliminary testing also showed extremely high levels of PFAS in chocolate cake. However, FDA determined that chocolate appears to produce false positives. To avoid this, the new validated testing includes an additional step to confirm measurements.

There are nearly 5,000 types of PFAS, which since the 1940s have been used in everything from Teflon cookware to food packaging. PFAS have been dubbed forever chemicals because they can take thousands of years to degrade. Theyre found in about 99.8 percent of Americans blood, and several of the most well-studied are linked to kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease and other ailments.

STEYER UNVEILS PLAN FOR RURAL AMERICA: The billionaire activist is rolling out his Partnership with Rural America platform today, and MA got a sneak preview. Steyer joins many of his 2020 Democratic rivals in calling for the agriculture sector to address the climate crisis, pledging to spend $50 billion helping growers adopt climate-smart practices, $75 billion building green water infrastructure and $20 billion reforming land conservation easement tax credits.

He also set a goal for agriculture to be carbon neutral by 2045, aided by revenue-generating market mechanisms that would direct at least 50 percent of the proceeds to disadvantaged communities and small- and mid-sized farmers. (Check out a profile of Steyer from POLITICOs Eugene Daniels.)

Steyer wants to establish an Office of Rural Affairs in the White House, which would coordinate his plans for the health care system, such as preventing hospital closures in remote areas while investing $100 billion over a decade in mental health and $75 billion to combat the opioid epidemic. It would also expand rural housing programs.

Support for clean energy and public lands initiatives are Steyers most robust financial commitments, where he would spend upward of $200 billion. The candidate did not detail how he plans to fund much of his rural platform, however.

EXCLUSIVE: HEMP ORG RELEASES NEW GUIDANCE: Third-party certification organization U.S. Hemp Authority is releasing new guidance procedures today, Pro Cannabis Mona Zhang has learned. The guidance establishes definitions for labels often found on cannabidiol, or CBD, products like full spectrum and takes cues from the FDAs regulations on food, supplements and cosmetics (although the agency has yet to release rules for CBD).

Amid the regulatory limbo, some in the hemp industry have taken steps to self-regulate. The goal, the organizations President Marielle Weintraub said, is to avoid what I refer to as a 60 Minutes moment where one company does something that brings down this entire industry, because it is under a microscope. Weintraub added that to keep up with CBDs rapid sales growth, her group plans to regularly update the guidelines.

USDA released its own interim hemp rules on Tuesday, but many issues still havent been addressed by federal regulators, including contaminant testing, seed certification and labeling.

The FDA on Thursday announced that an E. coli outbreak involving 23 illnesses was likely associated with romaine lettuce. No deaths were reported and the outbreak appears to be over, the agency said. However, it communicated details to help ensure full awareness by the public and to highlight the ongoing importance of industry actions to ensure the safety of leafy greens.

The Senate on Thursday passed a bipartisan package of fiscal 2020 spending bills that cover USDA and FDA, Pro Budgets Caitlin Emma and Jennifer Scholtes report. But lawmakers are still tangling over the vast majority of government funding, including over President Donald Trumps border wall, as a Nov. 21 deadline looms.

The Trump administration plans to keep some tariffs on Chinese goods for another three years, Pro Trades Doug Palmer reports, based on a Federal Register notice set to be published today.

Around 1 in 4 of the worlds pigs are expected to die from African swine fever, according to the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris. Read the story from POLITICO Europes Arthur Neslen.

Global commodity traders ADM, Bunge and Cargill are sustaining more damage from the U.S.-China trade war, reporting lower quarterly earnings in recent weeks, The Wall Street Journal reports.

A message from the National Confectioners Association:

#AlwaysATreat: At Halloween and throughout the year, were making sure that consumers have more information, options and support with smaller pack sizes, clear calorie labels and even more information online. And since 90 percent of parents use Halloween to talk to their children about balance, this month is the perfect time to talk about little treats with your little ones. Did you know most people in the U.S. enjoy chocolate and candy 2-3 times per week, averaging just 40 calories per day, including during candy moments like Halloween? To provide consumers and parents with more support this Halloween, weve developed a set of digital resources to help make this season a little less spooky. Learn more at AlwaysATreat.com/HalloweenCentral.

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Why we don't know what to eat to stay healthy - Politico

Quantum Computing: The Why and How – insideHPC

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

In this video from the Argonne Training Program on Extreme-Scale Computing 2019, Jonathan Baker from the University of Chicago presents: Quantum Computing: The Why and How.

The Argonne Training Program on Extreme-Scale Computing (ATPESC) provides intensive, two weeks of training on the key skills, approaches, and tools to design, implement, and execute computational science and engineering applications on current high-end computing systems and the leadership-class computing systems of the future. As a bridge to that future, this two-week program fills the gap that exists in the training computational scientists typically receive through formal education or other shorter courses. With around 70 participants accepted each year, admission to the ATPESC program is highly competitive. ATPESC is part of the Exascale Computing Project, a collaborative effort of the DOE Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Jonathan Baker is a second year Ph.D student at The University of Chicago advised by Fred Chong. He is studying quantum architectures, specifically how to map quantum algorithms more efficiently to near term devices. Additionally, he is interested in multivalued logic and taking advantage of quantum computings natural access to higher order states and using these states to make computation more efficient. Prior to beginning his Ph.D., he studied at the University of Notre Dame where he obtained a B.S. of Engineering in computer science and a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics.

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Quantum Computing: The Why and How - insideHPC

Editorial: Quantum computing is a competition we can’t afford to lose – The Winchester Star

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

We Americans have a habit of bragging about our feats of technology. Our chief economic and military rivals namely Russia and China seldom do. They prefer to keep their secrets.

No one in this country is certain, then, how far the state-controlled economies of those nations have gone in developing quantum computing.

What is certain is that our national security, both militarily and economically, demands that the United States be first to perfect the technology. The reason for that was demonstrated in an announcement Wednesday by technology giant Google.

Google officials claim to have achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing. They say they have developed an experimental quantum computing processor capable of completing a complex mathematical calculation in less than four minutes.

Google says it would take the most advanced conventional supercomputer in existence about 10,000 years to do that.

Wrap your mind around that, if you can.

Other companies working with quantum computing, including IBM, Intel and Microsoft, say Google is exaggerating. IBM researchers told The Associated Press the test calculation used by Google actually could be handled by certain supercomputers in two and one-half days.

Still, you get the idea: Quantum computing will give the nation including its armed forces and industries that gets there first an enormous advantage over everyone else. The possibilities, ranging from near-perfect missile defense systems to vastly accelerated research on curing diseases, are virtually endless.

U.S. officials are cognizant of the ramifications of quantum computing, to the point that Washington has allocated $1.2 billion to support research during the next five years.

If that is not enough to ensure the United States stays in the lead in the quantum computing race, more should be provided. This is a competition we cannot afford to lose.

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Editorial: Quantum computing is a competition we can't afford to lose - The Winchester Star

Quantum investment soars in the UK to more than 1bn – Management Today

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

Whats very small but set to be very big? Quantum technology, according to the UK government, which took the decision in June to reinvest in a scheme designed to move the science beyond academia and research laboratories and into commercial and practical use.

Some 1bn has already been invested in the UKs National Quantum Technologies Programme, which was set up in 2013. The government recently announced a further 153m of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (which aims to ensure that 2.4 per cent of GDP is invested in R&D by 2027) plus 200m of investment from the private sector.

This means spending by industry is outstripping government investment for the first time, a good indication that the technology has stepped beyond an initial, broadly speculative stage. "Quantum is no longer an experimental science for the UK," says former science minister Chris Skidmore. "Investment by government and businesses is paying off as we become one of the worlds leading nations for quantum science and technologies."

Whereas "classical" computers are based on a structure of binary choices yes or no; on or off quantum computing is a lot more complicated. Classical chips rely on whether or not an electron is conducted from one atom to another around a circuit, but super-cooled quantum chips allow us to interface with the world at a much deeper level, taking into account properties such as superposition, entanglement or interference.

Confused? Think of a simple coin toss. Rather than being able to simply call heads or tails, superposition allows us to take into account when a coin spins, while entanglement is whether its properties are intrinsically linked with those of another coin.

To help harness this new potential in different areas, the governments programme works across four hubs: sensing and timing; imaging; computing and simulation; and communications.

One of the key advances that quantum computing is expected to bring is not just substantially greater processing speed but the ability to mimic and, therefore, understand and predict the ways that nature works.

For example, this could allow us to look directly inside the human body, see through smoke or mist, develop new drugs much more quickly and reliably by reviewing the effect on many molecules at the same time, or even make our traffic run smoothly. Meanwhile, the Met Office has already invested in this technology to improve weather forecasting.

Image: IBM Q System One quantum computer, photo by Misha Friedman/Getty Images

What one member of Trump’s new science advisory council wants it to tackle – Science Magazine

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Danzig

Dario Gil with IBMs System One quantum computer

By Jeffrey MervisNov. 1, 2019 , 2:10 PM

The Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has yet to hold its first meeting, and the White House hasnt even announced its full 16-person roster. But one newly appointed member, Director of IBM Research Dario Gil in Yorktown Heights, New York, already has a wish list of issues hed like it to tackle.

His list includes promoting scientific inquiry and its value to policymakers, ensuring that researchers have the computational tools they need in an era of big data, retraining the U.S. workforce to be more technically literate, and updating a partnership between the federal government, academia, and industry spelled out by Vannevar Bush at the end of World War II. Gil also thinksthe government must strike the right balance between protecting national security and fostering international scientific collaboration with the rest of the world, using a scalpel instead of a blanket policy to monitor and prevent undue foreign influences on U.S. research.

I am passionate about the need for continued investment in science, says Gil, 43, who joined IBM immediately after earning his Ph.D. in 2003 and has been rising quickly through its management ranks. I want to be an advocate of its critical importance.

That full-throated endorsement of the U.S. research enterprise may hearten some scientists who feel President Donald Trump and his administration have been scornful of their contributions and the role of science in policymaking. Gil declined to characterize his political leanings and deflected a question about whether he agrees with that criticism.

Henry Smith, a professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and Gils graduate adviser, thinks Trump has been a disaster for scienceand that Gil shares those views. However, Smith says Gil also understands that tact is important in trying to influence government policy.

I think that Dario will express his views as clearly and diplomatically as possible, says Smith, who has remained in touch with Gil. He knows that if he goes in and says something too radical, it would be ignored. But that doesnt mean hes not going to stand up for what he believes.

PCAST will be chaired by Kelvin Droegemeier, the presidents science adviser, who filled a 2-year vacancy when he became director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policyin January. Gil spoke with ScienceInsider shortly after the White House announced PCASTs first cohort of seven scientists and industry leaders on 22 October. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: What haskept you at IBM?

A: Ive been having too much fun. When I graduated from [Smiths] nanostructures laboratory, I joined a group that was a natural extension of what I had been doing, pushing the limits of nanofabrication. But then I got involved in modeling, and in high-performance computing, and in applying models more broadly across different industries. And then I became responsible for all the core scientific research at IBM in the physical sciences. Then I led the AI [artificial intelligence] organization, and then I got really involved in quantum computing.

Q: What are some key issues in applying quantum science to real-world problems?

A:People are fascinated by the word quantum; theres something about the word itself and the underlying physics that fascinates people. Beyond that, they ask about the implications, and whether it will replace personal computing.

And I say, No, its not. Its bits, neurons, and qubits coming together.Its not about qubits replacing bits or taking over the world. So, lets not think about one replacing the other.

As for what it is good for, it will have a profound effect on how we discover new materials and how material science is practiced. In agriculture it could lead to a new generation of fertilizers with a totally different energy consumption to create them, or better batteries. And it has profound implications for encryption and cybersecurity, and about U.S. economic competitiveness. There are also implications for the workforce, and what we need to do to train a new generation of scientists working in this environment.

Q: Are you worried that government policies to protect research in the name of national security could go too far and hamper progress and international collaboration?

A: I think that balance in that equation is indispensable. Science itself is very open endeavor, and its very important to maintain an open attitude toward how we do basic science.

Now, as we start adding the words technology and products, it is reasonable to discuss, for each technology, the right balance among capability, national security, openness, and so on. That is not new. Weve been doing that as a country for many decades. And AI and quantum will be no different. Were going to have to find that balance. And we need multiple voices to get that right.

Casting a broad brush to include everything does not make for sophisticated policy. So, I am in favor of being more nuanced, and more precise, in each area, and approaching it with a scalpel, not with a blanket policy.

Q: Does the government need to do more to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and matheducation and improve diversity? And what have you seen that works?

A:There are two categories that we need to pay more attention to. One is formal education, and the other is once people join the workforce.

If you look at formal education, there have been some trends that have been really disturbing. For example, if you look at the percentage of women studying computer science, we are worse off than we were 35 years ago. So that is really sad, and we have to be able to reverse that trend.

And then once youve done with formal education and you enter the workforce, theres very little continuing education to cope with technological shifts. We need to pay more attention to the mechanism for invest in acquiring those new technological skills. How are we going to do it, and what are the incentives, and what is the role of the private sector and academia?

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What one member of Trump's new science advisory council wants it to tackle - Science Magazine

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