Daily Archives: June 6, 2017

Apple is going large on artificial intelligence at WWDC today – Fast Company

Posted: June 6, 2017 at 6:15 am

As they traveled across America last year, it seems Donald Trump's children saw not only potential voters, but also potential customers.

After years of spinning out hotels laden with gold leaf and marble, Trump Hotels is launching a hospitality brand positioned for a different kind of clientele. At Trump Tower tonight, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., along with Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger, announced the launch of a mid-market hotel chain called American Idea. The new franchisea big departure from the flagship, luxury Trump Hotels and the company's planned upmarket second brand, Scionwill launch with three locations in the Mississippi Delta area. The three-star rooms will range from $80 to $120 a night.

"I'm sure it's going to haunt me, but we kind of look at [the new brand] as flea market chic," said Danziger during the announcement event. "It means that in any given city, there's history," he said, explaining that the decor of each hotel will reflect the heritage and ephemera of its local community.

The younger Trumps said they got the idea to launch the new hotel brand as they traveled the country with their father during the campaign. "There's a market here that we've been missing our entire lives," said Donald Trump Jr. during the announcement event.

By creating a hotel brand for third- and even fourth-tier American cities, Trump Hotels appears to be attempting to avoid headwinds facing the company's other brands. For example, Trump Hotels' international expansion has been curtailed by conflict of interest concerns. "When the president became the president, we said we're not going to do anything internationally. So that kind of forced me into [saying] we're going to be a domestic brand," said Danziger in an interview with Fast Company.

President Trump and his family have been accused on various occasions of viewing their move into politics as a business and branding opportunity. Certainly the theme of the new franchise falls in line with the U.S.A.-first attitude of Trump's campaign, which championed the American yesteryear. During the election, Mississippi swung for Trump.

[Photo: Ruth Reader 2017] AM

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Apple is going large on artificial intelligence at WWDC today - Fast Company

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How Artificial Intelligence Has Become the Hottest Investment Destination – Entrepreneur

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You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Artificial intelligence is drawing major investments this year with many Indian start-ups and tech giants betting big on this technology to break into the market.

Tech companies are looking forward to new opportunities in AI to transform their daily operations. With the ongoing global competition in AI and companies racing for it, theres much hype around this technology. This year the tech industry has witnessed significant push for AI with investments in this technology related start-ups and companies reaching to new heights.

Lets take a look at the investment trends in this domain in 2017 and the major investments made.

Niki.ai

An Economic Times report stated that Ratan Tata-backed, AI-based conversational chatbot Niki.ai has raised funding this year from a German multinational software corporation SAP.

The Bengaluru-based start-up was founded in May 2015 by 4 IIT Kharagpur graduates Sachin Jaiswal, Keshav Prawasi, Shishir Modi and Nitin Babel. The company also raised an undisclosed amount in seed funding from Unilazer Ventures, a Mumbai-based VC firm founded by Ronnie Screwvala, in October 2015. This was followed by another seed funding round by Ratan Tata in May 2016.

Absentia Virtual Reality Private Limited

Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence and virtual reality start-up Absentia raised $1.2 million (INR 8 crore) funding in Pre-series A Funding round this year.

The funding was raised from venture capital firm Exfinity Venture Partners, whose founding parts are T.V Mohandas Pai, Deepak Ghaisas, Girish Paranjpe and V. Balakrishnan.

The start-up is developing an AI engine Norah AI that allows developers to stretch the boundaries of human imagination, creativity and expression through strategic inbuilt tools on the layers of deep learning and procedural interactive content design.

QorQL

Digital Payment player Paytm has invested an undisclosed amount in Noida-based online health tech start-up QorQL, which uses artificial intelligence and big data to improve a doctors productivity, care quality, and patient experience.

QorQL was launched in 2015 by Sanjay Singh and Dr. Shalini Singh.The start-up basically offers two solutions Qcare and Qhealth. Qcare involves a service where doctors can access patient health data and manage clinics with the help of a few clicks of the mouse. Qhealth, on the other hand, tracks health data, vitals and schedules.

Innefu Labs

Delhi-based AI start-up Innefu Labs raised $ 2 million Series A funding from IndiaNivesh venture capital fund. Innefu, founded in 2011 by Tarun Wig and Abhishek Sharma, is a research oriented information- security consulting group that specializes in meeting the information security needs of the consumer via specialized products and services.

It serves diverse industry verticals and the prominent among them are Law Enforcement, BFSI, BPOs/KPOs, E-commerce, IT/ITES, Education, Telecom etc. The start-up will primarily use funds to enhance its AI platform for predictive intelligence and facial biometrics.The start-up will utilize funds to enhance its cyber security solutions related topredictive intelligence and biometric authentication.

A self confessed Bollywood Lover, Travel junkie and Food Evangelist.I like travelling and I believe it is very important to take ones mind off the daily monotony .

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How Artificial Intelligence Has Become the Hottest Investment Destination - Entrepreneur

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Toronto welcoming artificial intelligence company back from Silicon Valley – CBC.ca

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An artificial intelligence company that uses computers, not lawyers, to sift through thousands of legal documents in search of key information is moving part of its operations to Toronto.

ROSS Intelligence co-founder Andrew Arruda calls opening a research and development centre here a "no brainer."

Arruda, one of the University of Toronto graduates who founded the company, was back on campus Monday to announce the news, calling the city "the hub of artificial intelligence development."

While the company's headquarters remain in San Francisco, "Toronto is where we always knew we had to be," Arruda told a crowd who gathered on campus for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

ROSS co-founder Andrew Arruda recounted starting the project in an unheated basement on the U of T campus. Now, the company is based in San Francisco. (CBC)

Last month, the university launched its new Vector Institute, which is aiming to bring the A.I. field's top minds to Toronto, and keep them there. Meanwhile, Mayor John Tory, on hand for the event, said he's hoping to lure more tech companies here.

"We want to be home to disruptive technologies," he said.

Tory also joked that he wished the A.I. researcher existed when he was working as a lawyer.

Arruda never met the mayor while his team was working on the project in an unheated basement of a "student housing house," but their paths crossed recently when Tory was doing a trade mission in Silicon Valley, where ROSS Intelligence had moved to be part of the well-known Y Combinator program for start-up businesses.

Tory said he believes the company made the move to take advantage of the city's "massive" talent pool.

"I've had companies tell me there is no other place on Earth they can find smart, educated people from a diverse a series of backgrounds that help them do their business internationally ... and I think that's the main factor," he said.

While both Tory and Arruda spoke at length about diversity, both down played concerns about tightening immigration rules in the U.S.

"It's always a factor," Arruda said following the announcement, but more so it's about "returning to the forefront of A.I. research and that's happening right here."

Tory said the city's legal department could use A.I. in the future, however Arruda said that will have to wait as the technology hasn't learned Canadian law yet.

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Toronto welcoming artificial intelligence company back from Silicon Valley - CBC.ca

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Public broadcasting: superfluous yet seemingly immortal – Helena Independent Record

Posted: at 6:14 am

WASHINGTON -- As changing technologies and preferences make government-funded broadcasting increasingly preposterous, such broadcasting actually becomes useful by illustrating two dismal facts. One is the immortality of entitlements that especially benefit those among society's articulate upper reaches who feel entitled. The other fact is how impervious government programs are to evidence incompatible with their premises.

Fifty years and about 500 channels ago, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was created to nudge Lyndon Johnson's Great Society -- it aimed to make America great for the first time -- the final inches toward perfection. Today, the CPB, which has received about $12 billion over the years, disperses the government's 15 percent of public television's budget and 10 percent of public radio's. Originally, public television increased many viewers' choices by 33 percent -- from three (CBS, NBC, ABC) to four.

Twenty-five years ago, Sen. Al Gore, defending another appropriation increase for the CPB, asked what he considered a dispositive question: "How many senators here have children who have watched 'Sesame Street' and 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'? ... This is one thing that works in this country." So, senators, mostly affluent, should compel taxpayers, mostly much less affluent, to subsidize the senators' children's viewing because it "works," as measured by means that Gore neglected to reveal.

Eighteen years ago, some public broadcasting officials, who understood the importance of being earnest -- and imaginative -- testified to Congress that public television's educational effects on the workforce give the economy a $12 billion boost. Fifteen years ago, however, the then-president of public television said, "We are dangerously close in our overall prime-time numbers to falling below the relevance quotient." Relevance? To what?

Today, Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, thinks we can risk terminating the CPB. This would reduce viewers' approximately 500 choices to approximately 499. Listeners to public radio might have to make do with America's 4,666 AM and 6,754 FM commercial stations, 437 satellite radio channels, perhaps 70,000 podcasts, and other internet and streaming services.

America, which is entertaining itself to inanition, has never experienced a scarcity of entertainment. Or a need for government-subsidized journalism that reports on the government. Before newspaper editorial writers inveigh against Mulvaney and in support of government subsidies for television and radio, they should answer this question: Should there be a CPN -- a Corporation for Public Newspapers?

The CPB was created "to encourage public telecommunications services which will be responsive to the interests of people." Of course: People's interests, not people's desires. The market efficiently responds to the latter. Public broadcasting began as a response to what progressives nowadays call "market failure." This usually means the market's failure to supply what the public has not demanded but surely would demand if it understood its real "interest."

One reason many Americans are becoming "cord cutters," abandoning cable and satellite television, is that they want an a la carte world. One reason ESPN has lost 12 million subscribers in six years is that it is an expensive component of cable and satellite packages and many of those paying for the packages rarely watch ESPN.

Compelling taxpayers to finance government-subsidized broadcasting is discordant with today's a la carte impulse and raises a question: If it has a loyal constituency, those viewers and listeners, who are disproportionately financially upscale, can afford voluntary contributions to replace the government money. And advertisers would pay handsomely to address this constituency.

Often the last, and sometimes the first, recourse of constituencies whose subsidies are in jeopardy is: "It's for the children." Big Bird, however, is more a corporate conglomerate than an endangered species. If "Sesame Street" programming were put up for auction, the danger would be of getting trampled by the stampede of potential bidders.

The argument for government-subsidized broadcasting is perversely circular: If the public were enlightened, there would be no need for government subsidies. But, by definition, an enlightened public would understand the inherent merits of subsidies by which the government picks more deserving winners than the market does.

However, since government-subsidized broadcasting exists, any argument for it would be superfluous, given what governmental inertia usually accomplishes for government enterprises. Long ago -- in January -- there was bold Republican talk about Congress restoring "regular order": There would be 12 appropriations bills and they would be enacted before the 2018 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Instead, there probably will be another "swallow this or shutter the government" omnibus bill in which almost everything survives by sparing almost everyone the torture of choices. This is, of course, a choice.

George F. Will is a columnist for The Washington Post.

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Public broadcasting: superfluous yet seemingly immortal - Helena Independent Record

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The Ayatollah and his immortality – Tehran Times

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On Sunday, millions of Iranians marked the 28th death anniversary of Ayatollah Rohullah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. Doubtlessly, he was one of the most consequential figures in the 1970s and 1980s.

While the Ayatollah is no longer among us, the question arises as to how he managed to reach such a reputation. To understand that, one has to bear in mind the following:

1. For many political and religious analysts, Ayatollah Khomeini was internationally acclaimed simply because of his genuine faith in God as well as courage to stand up to bullying superpowers.

2. The Ayatollah had deep belief in the peoples prowess and will to bring about changes, and asserted that a nation who is motivated enough and awakened can revolutionize the status quo.

3. Islamic thinkers argue that the Ayatollahs panacea for human beings and societies to change was a mash-up of heavenly and earthly forces. It is only through the miraculous mixing of the internal and external sources that a society can be energized so much so that it moves ahead in pursuit of change.

4. A distinction of the Ayatollah was his emphasis on justice. The late messiah saw it impossible for a given society to reach transcendence unless rulers and grassroots coexist in balance, a concept to which many rulers of the contemporary Middle East were alien.

5. Ayatollah Khomeinis thorough, deep-rooted perception of religious cause as the engine of political dynamism ignited a series of developments in the 1970s, which were for so long unseen due to sheer disregard for religion in the global community.

6. An unparalleled trait of the Ayatollah was his soul-searching spirit and high regard for ethics, turning him into a reconciliatory sociopolitical leader, a quality many of his followers chose to die for.

7. In the international arena, the Ayatollah was an adamant hero to challenge the global arrogance which favored submission and was against awakening the oppressed. To put it differently, he believed that a chain of powers, including capitalist elements and multinational cartels, sought to rule the world. And hence, fighting them was the only way to unshackle human beings.

8. Many are of the belief that Ayatollah Khomeinis Neither-East-nor-West agenda was in a sense rejection of bifurcating the world into Western and Eastern blocs. In fact, the enlightened Imam conceived of the West-East dichotomy as one of historical determinism, of which the human society needed to get rid. A new system on the basis of public will had to replace the historical determinism and this was not possible unless nations and their elites were awakened.

9. Ayatollah Khomeinis look at power and governance revolved around winning hearts and minds of human beings rather than their bodies as he believed that governments mission was to penetrate in the souls of human beings rather than imposing themselves upon societies through coercion and guns.

To come up with a conclusion, these days the Iranian nation is commemorating a leader who was among and for the people and who did his best to be close to all walks of the society. His art was to rectify the society on the basis of sublime Islamic teachings.

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Traditional & Alternative Medicine

Posted: at 6:13 am

Glimpses of Traditional Medicine 2016

Track 1:Traditional Medicine Today: Clinical and Research Issues

These are naturally occurringplant derived substances with minimal or no industrial processing that have been used to treat illness.Traditionalherbalmedicinesare getting significant attention in gworld health debates. In China, herbal medicine played a prominent role in the strategy to contain and treat SARS. 80% of African populations use some form oftraditional herbal medicine.

Related Conferences:GlobalHerbals conferenceandNatural RemediesOctober 17-19, 2016 Chicago, USA; 2ndInternational Conference andExhibition onPharmacologyandEthnopharmacologyMay 02-04, 2016 Chicago, USA;International Conference onHolisticsMedicine conferenceandHolistic NursingJuly 14-15, 2016 Philadelphia, USA; 4thGlobalAcupunctureconferenceand Therapists Annual MeetingJuly 14-16, 2016 Philadelphia, USA; 6thInternational Conference andExhibition on Traditional Medicine&Alternative MedicineSeptember 14-16, 2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands; The 2ndEthnomedicineandTraditional Medicine conference(CETM) June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; (AACMAC) 2016-AustralasianAcupuncturetherapyandChinese Medicine Annual Conference20-22 May 2016, Perth, Australia; (ICNM) InternationalCongress onNaturopathicMedicineJuly 1-3, Barcelona, Spain; 10thAustralianHomeopathicMedicine Conference, October 22-23, 2016 Brisbane, Australia;Society the Individual and Medicine,FloridaHerbalConference, February 26-28 2016 Florida, USA,Australian Traditional Medicine Association(ATMS) events,European Herbal conference&Traditional Medicine Practitioners AssociationNational Association,American Medical Association,Australian Natural Therapists Association(ANTA),World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Track 2:Challenges and Future Directions of Traditional Medicine

Approximately 80% of people today depend uponherbal medicinesas a component of their primary healthcare according to the WHO, there is still great concern about the safety and efficacy of herbal use. While herbal medicines can potentially contribute to the advancements ofhealthcaresystem, many major challenges must be overcome prior to the successful integration of herbal remedies into mainstream medicines. One of the major barriers is the current lack of accurate translations andinterpretations of TraditionalChinese herbaltexts and research by Western scientists.

Track 3:Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicinesare one type of dietary supplement. They are sold as tablets, capsules, powders, teas, extracts, and fresh or dry plants. People use herbal medicines to try to maintain or improve their health.Herbis a plant part or plant used for its flavor, scent or therapeutic properties forherbal remedies.

Many people believe that products labeled "natural" are always good and safe for them. This is not necessarily true.Herbal medicinesdo not have to go through the testing that drugs do. Some herbs, such as ephedra and comfrey, can cause serious harm. Some herbs can interact with prescription orover-the-counter medicines.

Track 4:Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicineis a healing system developed in China more than 2,200 years ago, incorporating therapies that are in some cases. One of its guiding principle is to dispel evil and support the good. In addition to treatingillness,Traditional Chinese Medicinefocus on strengthening the body's defenses and enhancing its capacity forhealingherbsand to maintain health.

Track 5:Acupuncture

Acupunctureis a form ofTraditional Chinese Medicinethat has been practiced for centuries. It's based on the theory that energy, called chi, flows through around your body along pathways called meridians Acupuncturists believe that illness occurs when something block or unbalance your chi. Acupuncture is a way to unblock or influence chi and help it flow back into balanceAcupunctureis putting thin needles into your skin at certain points on your body. This is done to influence the energy . sometimes heat, pressure, or mild electrical current is used along with needles.

Track 6:Alternative Medicine & Treatment Methods

Complementary andalternative medicineis also known as CAM.Complementary and alternative medicinetries to prevent and treat different conditions with the following techniques:Healing touch

Energy

Herbal medicines

ManyComplementary and alternative medicine therapieshave been around for centuries. But do they really work..?

There is research to show that someComplementary and alternative medicine techniquescan help with problems like pain and nausea. But othertherapiesdon't have enough medical evidence to decide if they are effective.

Track 7:Ayurveda

According toAyurvedichypothesis, everything in the universe living or not is connected. Good health is achieved when your body, mind, spirit are in harmony with the universe. A disruption of this harmony can lead to poor health and illness.

Anything that affects your physical, spiritual, or emotional well-being can cause you to be out of balance with the universe. Some things that can cause a disturbance include:

Genetic birth defects

Injuries

Climate and seasonal changes

Emotions

Age

How your body works to keep you healthy and your unique physical and psychological characteristics combine to form your body's constitution, or prakriti. prakriti is believed to stay the same for your entire life. but, how you digest food & eliminate waste can influence it.

Track 8:ArabicMedicineandUnani Medicine

HijamaCuppingby the Muslims is the application of suction cups to the skin to draw out stagnant, congested blood and Vital Force, as well as stagnant or morbid humors. By using different methods of cupping and new trends usually, theHijama cupsare made of glass, but they can also be made of bamboo, bone, horn or metal. The classical method for generating suction in the cup is to use fire to consume the air within it.

Track 9:Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathicmedicines, and treatment are a distinct primary healthcare profession emphasizing prevention, treatment & optimal health care through the use of therapeutic methods and substances that encourage individuals inherent selfhealingplantsprocess. Thepractice of naturopathic medicinesincludesevidence basednaturopathicmedicines, modern and scientific,traditional, naturopathic treatments and practicesand empirical methods.

Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014 to 2023: The WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 20142023 was developed and launched in response to the WH Assembly resolution on traditional medicine. The strategy aims to support Members States in developing proactive policies and implementing action plans that will strengthen the role traditional medicines plays in keeping populations healthy.

Addressing the challenges, responding to the needs identified by Member States & building on the work done under the World Health Organization traditional medicine strategy: 2002 to 2005, the updated strategy for the period 2014 to 2023 devotes more attention than its predecessor to prioritizing health services and systems, including traditional & complementary medicine products, practices and practitioners.

Importance & Scope: Currently the total global market of Herbal Products & Medicinal Plants is US$ 60 billion with a double digit growth. The diversified use of plant obtained products and its acceptance worldwide made the sector very promising one. As per the World Bank Report 1998, world trade in medicinal plants and related products is expected to be US$ 5 trillion by 2050.

Funding:As attention & public funding for international traditional and herbal medicine researchcollaborations grows, more detailed analysis of ethical matters in this research is warranted. Scant literature has addressed selected issues such as informed consent & independent review associated totraditional and herbal medicine research.6,7 Here we apply a practical, comprehensive & widely accepted ethical framework tointernational traditional and herbal medicine research. We examine in detail difficult questions related to social value, scientific validity and favourable risk benefit ratio. We conclude with implications for upcoming research in this field, focusing on the importance of collaborative partnership.

Funding NIH

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Budget Mechanism $127,930 (Dollars in Thousands)

Major countries of Herbal Market:The largest global markets for medicinal and aromatic plants are Netherlands, China, Italy, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, UK and the USA.

It is estimated that Europe alone annually imports about 400,000 tonnes ofmedicinal plants with an average market valueof US$ 1 billion from Africa and Asia.

Japan:has the highest per capita consumption ofbotanical medicine in the world.Botanical medicine market in Japanin 1996 was estimated at US $ 2.4 billion and sales have grown rapidly in recent years.

China:china's total output of medicinal plantsfrom both cultivated and wild harvested sources is 1.6 million tones. The total value of the finished TCM in 1996 was US$ 3.7 billion. This estimate excludes domestic consumption, the inclusion of which would result in a far higher figure. Overall sale ofbotanical medicine products in Chinain 1995 was estimated at US$ 5 billion.

Studies suggest that approximately 20% of people in theUnited States use herbal supplements, and the amount of money spent on these products exceed $4.2 billion per year.

UK:TheUK imports up to 90% of its medicinal herb requirement. The current total market is 139 million euro.

India:is a major exporter ofraw medicinal and aromatic plantsand processed plant-based drugs. Exports ofcrude drugs & essential oilfrom India in 1994-95 were valued at US$ 66,469 million. Important crude drugs included Plantogo ovata (psyllium), Panax spp. (ginseng), Cassia spp. (senna) and Catheranthus rosesus (rosy periwinkle). Essential oils included santalum album (sandlewood), Mentha arvensis (peppermint) and Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemongrass). Seventy percent of total exports from India are sent to six countries. France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. Other major importers are Bangladesh, Pakistan and Spain.

Why Amsterdam, Netherlands:Herbal/traditional products are quite popular in the Netherlands due to their longstanding presence in the marketplace. Herbal/traditional products are mainly present in cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies. Strong brands such as Anta Flu and Dampo have boosted the popularity of herbal/traditional products in this category. Consumers are tending to seek more natural and established solutions for their health problems. Most herbal/traditional products are based on very old recipes that have been handed down through the generations. Herbal/traditional products tend to be easily accessible and cheaper alternatives to standard pharmaceutical products.

Conference Highlights:

Herbal Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture

Traditional Medicine Today: Clinical and Research Issues

Alternative Medicine & Treatment Methods

Ayurveda

Arabic & Unani Medicine

Challenges and Future Directions of Traditional Medicine

Naturopathic Medicine

Major Traditional Medicine Associations and societies around the Globe:

Australian Traditional Medicine Association ATMS

Bringing science and development together through original news and analysis

European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association National Association

American Medical Association

Society the Individual and Medicine

Dimensions of Culture

Native American Legends

Australian Natural Therapists Association ANTA

World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Future Projection:Although approximately 80 percent of people today depend upon herbal medication as a component of their primary healthcare according to the World Health Organization, there is still great concern about the safety and efficacy of herbal use [1]. While herbal medicine can potentially contribute to the advancement of healthcare, many major challenges must be overcome prior to the successful integration of herbal remedies into mainstream medicine. One of the major barriers is the current lack of accurate translations and interpretations of Chinese herbal texts and research by Western scientists. Indeed, for the incorporation of safe and effective herbs into the medical system to become a reality, more researchers and doctors need to be trained in both modern medicine and herbal compendium that has been accumulated since ancient times. Additionally, to establish credibility for herbal use in the modern settings, experience-based claims from Chinese herbal medical doctors must be transformed into evidence-based claims. Finally, the question of how to address the need for both individualizing (the basis of TCM) and standardizing (the basis of modern pharmacology) treatment with herbs must be settled. Once these issues are resolved, the prospect exists for widespread use of herbal medicine as a safe, effective, and affordable form of healthcare .

The number of patients seeking alternate and herbal therapy is growing exponentially. Herbal medicines are the synthesis of therapeutic experiences of generations of practicing physicians of indigenous systems of medicine for over hundreds of years. Herbal medicines are now in great demand in the developing world for primary health care not because they are inexpensive but also for better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body and minimal side effects. However, recent findings indicate that all herbal medicines may not be safe as severe consequences are reported for some herbal drugs. Most herbal products on the market today have not been subjected to drug approval process to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness. Thousand years of traditional use can provide us with valuable guidelines to the selection, preparation and application of herbal formulation. To be accepted as viable alternative to modern medicine, the same vigorous method of scientific and clinical validation must be applied to prove the safety and effectiveness of a therapeutical product. In the present review we attempted to describe the present scenario and project the future of herbal medicine.

Traditional Medicine 2016

The6thInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicineconference: (Traditional Medicine 2016) was held on September 14- 16, 2016 at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This conference brought together an interdisciplinary group of professionals working in the field of Traditional Medicine and Alternative Medicine. The tone of the main conference was set during the opening remarks byPhilippe A Souvestre, NeuroKinetics Health Services, Inc., Canada&Phyllis L MacIntyre, Dickinson University, Canada. Throughout the conference, more than 30 experts in the field shared their knowledge with the 300 attendees of the conference.

The highlights of the meeting were the enlightening keynote lectures from:

Joshua Dunsky, Dunsky Rehabilitation and Spine Center, USA

MeLisa Gantt, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany

Lorne J Hofseth, University of South Carolina, USA

Rebecca Fung, University of East-West Medicine, USA

Philippe A Souvestre, NeuroKinetics Health Services, Inc., Canada

Phyllis L MacIntyre, Dickinson University, Canada

Ahmet Uyar, Yuzuncu Yil University, Turkey

Wen-Long Hu, KCGMH & Chang Gung University College of Medicine

Wendy Wong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Domenico V Delfino,University of Perugia, Italy

Attendee Statistics

The conference was well-attended with 300individuals attending the main conference. The majority of participants came from Europe. Please refer to the chart on the right for a breakdown of main conference attendees by continent. We also welcomed international delegates from China, New Zealand, India and from all across the United States of America.

The conference was highly interprofessional in nature with more than 30 professions represented. Major professional groups included: Traditional Medicine researchers, Practioners, Herbalists, Acupuncturists, Homeopathic Practioners, Professors, Directors, Young researchers

We are also obliged to various delegate experts, company representatives and other eminent personalities who supported the conference by facilitating active discussion forums. We sincerely thank the Organizing Committee Members for their gracious presence, support and assistance towards the success of Traditional Medicine 2016. With the unique feedbacks from the conference, Conference Series LLC would like to announce the commencement of the 7thInternational Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine to be held during October 03-06, 2017, in Dubai, UAE.

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Traditional & Alternative Medicine

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New life breathed into decades-old dream of a Cavendish extension … – Montreal Gazette

Posted: at 6:12 am

Montreal Gazette

New life breathed into decades-old dream of a Cavendish extension ...
Montreal Gazette
You may have heard this before, but there are signs the city will soon move ahead with the decades-long stalled extension of Cavendish Blvd.

and more »

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New life breathed into decades-old dream of a Cavendish extension ... - Montreal Gazette

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Comment: On the contrary adoption is a pro-life issue – The Catholic Register

Posted: at 6:12 am

In the May 21 issue of The Catholic Register Peter Stockland wrote a sincere Comment piece about the need for renewal within organizations. I agree with him on this point.

I dont mean change for the sake of change, but the meaningful integration of new people with new ways of perceiving challenges. This is not necessarily an age thing. Its about ideas and implementation. Youth does not have a monopoly on good innovation any more than age has a monopoly on good implementation.

He is quite accurate in his analysis of the culture in which the pro-life movement has been working. Losses have accrued in a zeitgeist of relentless and ferocious hostility to life, and against an ideology of personal autonomy that borders on the mad, he wrote.

What prompts this response however, is the absurdity of this statement: I recently spoke with someone deeply involved in promoting and facilitating adoption. She described a truly Byzantine regulatory regime that is the reason adoption is such a distant second choice to abortion. When I asked why more political pressure isnt applied to unravel the crazy rules, she said bluntly its because the pro-life movement monopolizes the policy space with its all-or-nothing-at-all demands on abortion.

As a member of Campaign Life Coalition, there is simply not a pro-life lobbyist I know who would agree with this statement. It is patently untrue.

The all-or-nothing assertion is a bell-whistle term which usually refers to Campaign Life Coalitions non-gestational approach to legislation. It does not reflect the many bills and motions weve supported that have never ascribed an age-limit to this protection. But unknown to many people, in 2014 my colleague and I lobbied federal MPs on the provincial issue of adoption.

In the Harper government, there were many wonderful pro-life MPs who had been touched by adoption. We were allies on this file. A pledge in the 2012 Throne Speech to make adoption more affordable was enacted in the 2013 Economic Action Plans Bill C-60. The government allowed the $11,669 adoption expense tax credit to start basically when adoption paperwork was filed. This was great news and it also signalled to me that the government might be open to doing even more for adoptive parents.

After speaking with counsellors from a local crisis pregnancy centre, we presented several concrete proposals to the federal government.

Over the course of several months, we met with ministers of state, ministry staffers and a minister. It was during the course of our lobbying, between the 2013 and 2014 Canada Action Plans, that the government increased the adoption expense tax credit to $15,000. We put a spotlight on this issue and it led to a favourable announcement. No credit was given and no credit was taken.

Yet, despite a majority Conservative government that held a preponderance of pro-life and pro-adoption MPs, plus ministers of state and ministers who were very supportive of adoption, all we saw was this tax credit increase. Was this really a Campaign Life failure, a pro-life failure or a failure of a majority government that was indifferent to the pro-life movement?

That same year, Health Canada was again reviewing the abortion pill RU-486. I worked closely with some of our trusted MPs. Again, Campaign Life drew public attention to the dangers of the deadly drug combo. At the National March For Life, we used the theme RU 4LIFE to drive the message home. According to the press, approval of RU-486, marketed as Mifegymiso, was subjected to the longest approval process in Canadian history. We absolutely take credit for that.

That was followed by the 2014 federal election, when we worked on the nomination of 40 pro-life Campaign Life candidates. And we still found time to sell fruitcakes.

Too many pro-lifers simply do not know we can chew gum and walk at the same time. This cultural marathon is really a series of organizational sprints, 365 days a year.

Should organizations involved in the pro-life movement reflect on their approaches and strategies? Yes, they should. But perhaps a glimpse into the workings of the largest pro-life group in Canada can help to rebuild confidence in us and in the movements work.

We are one organization, working alongside others, in this zeitgeist of relentless and ferocious hostility to life.

(Brownrigg manages federal government relations for Campaign Life Coalition, Ottawa.)

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Comment: On the contrary adoption is a pro-life issue - The Catholic Register

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J.Crew Mastermind Mickey Drexler Is Out–and a West Elm Exec Will Take Over – Inc.com

Posted: at 6:12 am

Retail's old guard has officially come to an end: Mickey Drexler, the "merchant prince" of retail, is stepping down as J.Crew's CEO. As reported by The Business of Fashion late Monday afternoon, after 14 years leading the company, Drexler will be replaced by Jim Brett, who is leaving his post as West Elm's president.

This is the latest dramatic fall in Drexler's storied career as turnaround agent. Most famous for his revival of The Gap in the 1990s--bringing it from a $400 million company to a $14 billion retail powerhouse--in 2002 he was abruptly fired. His redemption was at J.Crew, which he joinedin 2003. Upon arrival, he spotted a lanky designer named Jenna Lyons; and over the next decade, the two transformed J.Crew from an outdated, preppy player into a profitable, cult fashion brand.

But over the last few years, J.Crew has become the latest victim of an unforgiving retail environment. After several years of falling sales, plateauing popularity, steep pricing, and product misfires, the retailer's private equity owners, TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners, have lost patience. In April, after 26 years with the company, Lyons--the face of J.Crew who turned her nerd-chic look into a national fashion movement--abruptly stepped down as creative director. Later that month, the New York-based retailer announced a restructuring, layoffs, and the departure of its head of menswear, a department that not too long ago was a reliable profit engine in the company.

It was somewhat inevitable that Drexler would be next. A couple of weeks ago, the charismatic, 72-year-old Bronx-native admitted to the Wall Street Journal that during his J.Crew tenure he underestimated the impact technology would have on retail. "I've never seen the speed of change as it is today," he said. "If I could go back 10 years, I might have done some things earlier."

While Drexler will stay on as the company's chairman, he's chosen another turnaround agent--West Elm's Brett--to take his place. Brett is credited with turning Anthropologie into a profitable, swoon-worthy home goods utopia for women shoppers in the early 2000s. After becoming the president of William Sonoma Inc.-owned West Elm in 2010, the merchandising veteran transformed it from a bland modern furniture chain that was shuttering stores, to a dynamic $1 billion home furnishings destination, at one point resulting in double-digit revenue growth for 24 consecutive quarters. (Brett is also a former Inc. magazine columnist.)

Brett has a proven track record for cleverly tapping into every zeitgeist, from sourcing artisanal products to turning West Elm stores into cafes and community centers to even launching a new boutique hotel line. While most of Brett's career has not been in apparel--arguably his biggest learning curve--according to a statement Drexler made toThe Business of Fashion, Brett has another qualification that's been lacking. "Jim has a proven track record of pushing for innovation and growing omnichannel brands," says Drexler.

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J.Crew Mastermind Mickey Drexler Is Out--and a West Elm Exec Will Take Over - Inc.com

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6 things to do in Boulder County today, June 5, 2017 – Boulder Daily Camera

Posted: at 6:12 am

(Courtesy Photo)

More than just the 1994 Sundance surprise that launched Kevin Smith's career, it signifies a movement of low-budget (Clerks cost less than $30k, grossed $3 million) self-produced movies, often with non-professional cast and guerrilla marketing. It also captured a post-ironic zeitgeist, with its low-key dialogue, droll humor, and minimal plot. Sometimes seen as social commentary on the plight of the working class and youth without future, it has a loose structure of Dante's nine rings of hell, set in the actual convenience store and video rental where Smith worked, 7 p.m., Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder; $6-$11; 303-444-7328.

Photo Exhibit at St. Aidan's Gallery Boulder area photographer Sandy Backlund is exhibiting her work at the Muriel Sibell Wolle Art Gallery at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church through July. She has lived in Boulder County over 40 years and specializes in photographing gardens, farmers' markets, travels and the outdoors, 8:30 a.m., St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, Boulder, 2425 Colorado Ave., Boulder; Free; 303-443-2503 or saintaidans.org.

Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas The Longmont Museum's hands-on summer exhibition series for families is back with an engaging show that reveals what living, breathing dinosaurs were really like. This exhibition highlights current research by scientists from the American Museum of Natural History and other leading paleontologists around the world, 9 a.m., Longmont Museum & Cultural Center, 400 Quail Road, Longmont; $8; 303-651-8374 or longmontmuseum.org.

"Heading Home: Field Notes" by Peter Anderson Heading Home begins with Peter Anderson's dharma-bum passion for the road, which leads him through the mountains and high deserts of the American West, and eventually lands him in an eccentric end-of-the-road town full of mystics, misfits, and other mountain dwellers. This book is a gathering of "field notes" observations, recollections, and stories along the way, where home is understood as a work in progress and the way is a road that never ends, 7:30 p.m., Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder; $5; 303-447-2074 or boulderbookstore.net.

Newspapers in Lyons since 1890, Exhibit 125 years of newspapers; five different First Editions, beginning in 1890. Issues will be changed weekly, so visitors can read the news and see what was advertised and reported decades ago. Visitors can also "put themselves in the news" and take home a digital souvenir of their visit through the interactive newspaper photo booth, 9:30 a.m., Lyons Redstone Museum, 340 High St., Lyons; Free; 303-823-5271 or rockymtretreats.com/lyons-event.htm.

Confident Cooking for Teens In this fun, five-day camp, young chefs will practice essential kitchen skills and master the fundamentals of cooking. Teens will enjoy working alongside classmates learning techniques for everything from grilling and searing to making pizza and pasta from scratch. We'll get hands-on and cover all the basics such as rules for handling knives, how to read and follow recipes, measuring and mixing, and the importance of kitchen safety. Teens will build on skills throughout the week and on day 5, they'll create an impressive menu of restaurant-style dishes. Teens ages 13-17 are welcome to join this popular summer cooking camp. Classes run about two hours each and last for five consecutive days, 12 p.m., Sur la Table, 1850 29th St., Suite 1004, Boulder; $250; 800-243-0852, 303-952-7084 or surlatable.com/browse/storeLocator/storeDirections.jsp?storeId=106.

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6 things to do in Boulder County today, June 5, 2017 - Boulder Daily Camera

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Daily Archives: June 6, 2017

Apple is going large on artificial intelligence at WWDC today – Fast Company

How Artificial Intelligence Has Become the Hottest Investment Destination – Entrepreneur

Toronto welcoming artificial intelligence company back from Silicon Valley – CBC.ca

Public broadcasting: superfluous yet seemingly immortal – Helena Independent Record

The Ayatollah and his immortality – Tehran Times

Traditional & Alternative Medicine

New life breathed into decades-old dream of a Cavendish extension … – Montreal Gazette

Comment: On the contrary adoption is a pro-life issue – The Catholic Register

J.Crew Mastermind Mickey Drexler Is Out–and a West Elm Exec Will Take Over – Inc.com

6 things to do in Boulder County today, June 5, 2017 – Boulder Daily Camera

The Prometheus League

Breaking News and Updates

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Speciation + Self-Directed Evolution