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Daily Archives: July 2, 2017
The race to revive woolly mammoths using ancient DNA – CBS News – CBS News
Posted: July 2, 2017 at 8:48 am
Like "Jurassic Park," what if you could use the science of DNA to resurrect long-extinct creatures that once roamed the earth?
Efforts to do that are actually underway.
Led by Dr. George Church "the Einstein of our times," according to author Ben Mezrich a lab at Harvard Medical School is working on bringing back the woolly mammoth through genetic engineering.
The process is detailed in Mezrich's new book, "Woolly: The True Story of the Quest to Revive One of History's Most Iconic Extinct Creatures," published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster which is a division of CBS. It's also being made into a movie.
"The woolly mammoths are coming up out of the ice. So the permafrost that is slowly getting warmer, these bodies are coming out and they're taking the genetic material and then they are synthesizing it and they're placing [it] into the cells of an Asian elephant so that an Asian elephant gives birth to a woolly mammoth," Mezrich said on "CBS This Morning: Saturday." "So essentially, you're recreating the mammoth using its relative that still exists today."
Mezrich likened the permafrost to "the ring of the world."
CBS News
"It's like a ticking time bomb. It contains within it more carbon than if we burned all the forests on Earth three times," Mezrich said. "And these Russian scientists, the Zimovs, have shown since the 80s that if you repopulate it with herbivores from the Pleistocene era -- and they're using tanks to mimic woolly mammoths and they're putting bison there -- they've managed to lower the temperature of the tundra by 15 degrees. So the goal is to put a herd of woolly mammoths in Siberian tundra to keep the permafrost from melting."
Mezrich said the woolly mammoths will help the world in an out-of-the-box way.
"I mean, elephants don't get cancer, which is very strange. Elephants have thousands and thousands of more cells than us. And why they don't get cancer is in their genes. If we can figure that out, we can use this genetic engineering to solve cancer," he said.
The author also addressed the ethical concerns related to these types of genetic engineering practices.
"The idea of playing God, the idea of making a mistake, of letting something out of the lab, these things come up. And that's why you need responsible scientists. Dr. George Church is an incredibly good person and you need people like that doing this because this box is open. The Pandora's box of this technology is here," Mezrich said. "There are labs all over the world not just making woolly mammoths but doing things that 10 years from now are going to have huge repercussions. So we want responsible scientists doing this."
2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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DNA test could alter man’s life sentence – Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Posted: at 8:48 am
By Gabrielle Porter Saturday, July 1, 2017
New DNA testing is underway in a decades-old murder case after post-conviction lawyers for Verle James Mangum won the right to re-examine evidence used at his 2003 murder trial.
Mangum was convicted at trial of bludgeoning to death Clifton resident Janet Davis, 42, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jennifer, in 1996. He was 17 at the time of the murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Garfield County District Judge James Boyd ruled in November to order new testing after a series of arguments from defense attorneys Erin Wilson of Steamboat Springs and Kathleen McGuire of Denver. Prosecutors opposed the move.
We resisted (new testing), and in large part we did that because the conviction itself really wasnt based on DNA, said Chief Deputy District Attorney David Waite, adding that Mangums conviction was based on his own confession to two friends.
Wilson and McGuire wrote in motions filed with Boyd that Mangums confession was unreliable.
The statements made by Mr. Mangum were and are wholly unreliable given their content and the circumstances surrounding Mr. Mangums development and life experiences at the time the statements were made. Yet nothing related to Mr. Mangums development or life circumstances was ever investigated by his trial counsel or presented to the jury, the motion said. ... Expert testimony can and would explain how a young person could do what is almost unthinkable in the mind of an adult falsely confess to committing two murders (to friends).
Wilson and McGuire also argued that new and better technology is now available to test and retest certain pieces of evidence, and that Mangums trial lawyers mistakenly believed his DNA had been found on a comforter in Davis home.
Waite said that Boyd ultimately, I think in an abundance of caution, granted their motion for post-conviction DNA testing.
Wilson and McGuire declined to speak publicly about the case.
The newly ordered DNA testing is only the latest chapter in Mangums long and labyrinthine case.
Davis and her daughter Jennifer were found dead in their Clifton home on Feb. 15, 1996. Prosecutors initially filed murder charges against Davis husband, Jennifers father, which they dropped in 1997.
Mangum was arrested only after confessing to the crime. Despite the confession, he pleaded not guilty and was convicted by a jury in 2003.
Prosecutors asserted at trial that Mangum killed Davis after she caught him having sex with her young daughter while high on methamphetamine. He killed Jennifer as a witness, they said.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In the years after Mangums conviction, Colorado lawmakers took steps to prevent life sentences for juveniles with the passage of a 2006 law. The law also established that juveniles convicted of murder must be considered for parole after serving 40 years in prison; however, it was not made retroactive after family members of victims raised concerns, so Mangum was not considered for re-sentencing.
The Colorado Court of Appeals in 2007 affirmed Mangums Mesa County trial convictions.
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court decided life sentences without the possibility for parole were unconstitutional for juveniles, even in cases where the juvenile is convicted as an adult.
In 2016, the high court added to that ruling, deciding that it should be applied to inmates who were sentenced before the 2012 decision, effectively tossing Mangums life sentence.
Wilson and McGuire wrote in motions that the re-sentencing issue is on hold until the DNA testing is complete.
Also still pending is a motion Mangum has made asserting that his attorneys including Richard Gurley, now a Mesa County district judge provided ineffective counsel during his first trial. Mangums case has been moved to Garfield County.
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DNA test could alter man's life sentence - Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
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New Natural Selection: How Scientists Are Altering DNA to … – Newsweek
Posted: at 8:48 am
Newsweek | New Natural Selection: How Scientists Are Altering DNA to ... Newsweek Scientists are altering our genetic code and engineering new forms of material that improve nature, from flowers that can detect bombs to bacteria that secretes ... |
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New Natural Selection: How Scientists Are Altering DNA to ... - Newsweek
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Young mum praises 4 miracle moisturiser for ‘curing’ her little girl’s … – Mirror.co.uk
Posted: at 8:45 am
A three-year-old girl who has been plagued with painful eczema since birth has been cured by a 3.99 Boots moisturiser, her mother has claimed.
Evie-Rae's eczema left her bleeding, scratching and unable to sleep, the Nottingham Post reports .
Mother, Paige Sweeney, 23, from Strelley, Nottingham was desperate for a cure and took her little girl for countless appointments with a dermatologist, who prescribed the toddler antibiotics and steroid cream.
However despite attending appointments every eight weeks and trying a range of different medications, Evie-Rae's skin still flared up in painful rashes around her mouth, on her hands and in the creases at the back of her knees.
Paige decided to buy a 3.99 bottle of Child's Farm baby moisturiser from Boots while out shopping and within a week her daughter's skin had cleared up.
She said: "I've tried everything in an attempt to help Evie-Rae. She has had eczema since she was born, then when she was five weeks old she was diagnosed with a milk allergy.
"Her eczema was so painful that she didn't sleep through the night until she was two. She was constantly scratching and bleeding.
"We saw a dermatologist every eight weeks for two-and-a-half years, but nothing we tried seemed to work. It was awful to see her in so much pain."
She continued: "I saw the moisturising cream on the shelf in Boots and decided to give it a go. Evie-Rae also has a nut, soya and egg allergy, so we have to be careful with what we give her.
"Within a matter of days I could see her skin starting to clear up. I couldn't believe it. The NHS could save a fortune if they put it on prescription."
The unexpected reaction prompted Paige to post on Facebook - and the before and after images ended up being shared more than 40,000 times.
As a result, Childs Farm's founder Joanna Jensen, who launched the company in 2010 due to her own daughters' fine hair and sensitive skin, got in touch and paid Paige and Evie-Rae a visit.
Joanna said: "Paige and Evie-Rae's story is not uncommon to us - but they have shown how one small change can make all the difference.
"Since Paige shared her pictures on Facebook, the moisturiser sales have skyrocketed, flying off the shelves at the rate of one bottle per minute.
"I was delighted to meet Paige, her sister and Evie-Rae - it was the least I could do to thank them personally for sharing their experience with other parents, and doing wonders for our business.
"We are a small, rural business in Hampshire, competing in a space dominated by Global Pharmaceutical companies.
"We are constantly overwhelmed by the love and support we get for our brand from parents and their children - and all because I wanted to make bath time more fun and less itchy for my own girls."
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Young mum praises 4 miracle moisturiser for 'curing' her little girl's ... - Mirror.co.uk
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Why does your dog hate Fourth of July fireworks? It’s genetic – The Missoulian
Posted: at 8:44 am
At Jacobs Island Dog Park on Wednesday afternoon, Laura Tonnessen threw a stick into the river for her dog Thor. He barked enthusiastically, retrieving and dropping the stick at her feet. But in a few days, on the Fourth of July, Tonnessen knows Thors demeanor will change. The loud fireworks frighten him.
Hell hide behind furniture and act weird and whine, Tonnessen said.
Last year, Tonnessens friends pitbull, Cracker, ran away and was lost for three days because he was spooked by loud fireworks. It was traumatic to lose him for so long, Tonnessen said, and she makes sure to keep Thor inside on the holiday to prevent him from running away, too.
Michael Edwards, a student at the University of Montana, said his 130-pound great Pyrenees, Snowy, climbs into the bathtub, pulls the shower curtain closed with her mouth, and howls until the thunder storm or fireworks end.
If shes outside, she runs. They once found her about seven miles from their house, trying to escape the source of the noise. Animal shelters report that July 4-5 are their busiest days of the year.
When dogs bark, flee or cower on the Fourth of July, they are exhibiting symptoms of a panic disorder called noise phobia.
Fireworks and other loud noises terrify a fraction of all dogs, and their reactions sometimes endanger their health. Dogs may jump through windows, climb fences or run away for days to try to escape the sounds of patriotic celebration.
This phobia, which is a symptom of underlying anxiety issues, has recently been linked to a certain gene in dogs, says Dr. Leticia Fanucchi, a veterinary behaviorist at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Some dogs are more genetically predisposed to anxiety disorders, Fanucchi said, just like humans.
The area that is activated in our brain for fear is the amygdala, and the amygdala can be triggered long before the prefrontal cortex can process information, Fanucchi said.
Its like people who suffer from arachnophobia even if you explain that the spider won't hurt them, it activates the amygdala and makes them panic.
The amygdala is where irrational fears trigger a fight, flight or freeze response, while the prefrontal cortex controls reason and rational decision-making. Dogs panic at the sound of fireworks because they think their lives are at risk, even if they are safe at home.
Fanucchi said not all breeds of dogs carry this anxiety gene, and some are more prone to it than others. Within one breed, a dog could have the anxiety gene while another might not. This explains why some dogs dont react at all to loud noises. Those that do are typically anxious about other things, as well.
What we do know is that a good chunk of the dogs that have noise phobia do have generalized anxiety as an underlying disease, Fanucchi said. About 40 percent of the dogs that have generalized anxiety have noise phobia. So noise phobia is a big red flag that something else is going on with that dog, and it needs to be diagnosed and treated appropriately.
For this Fourth of July, its too late to start a long-term medication regimen to treat anxiety because medications typically take a few weeks to become effective, Fanucchi said. But there are other, short-term practices that can minimize dogs anxiety and keep them safe.
Creating a quiet and distracting setting for dogs can help them stay calm, said Emily Adamson, director of Organizational Advancement at the Humane Society of Western Montana. Scent therapy, like lavender spray, is popular for calming dogs, Adamson said.
Food toys and soft music (they play classical at the shelter) help distract the dogs from the source of their fear. For people who do take their dogs outside, Adamson recommends double-checking their ID tags to make sure the information is current, in case the dogs run away.
And then, theres the Thundershirt.
Dr. Lindsey Rewinkel at Pruyn Veterinary Hospital in Missoula said Thundershirts are available at pet stores and some veterinary hospitals, and serve as a dog anxiety vest.
Its a heavy fabric fashioned into a shirt that you wrap them in, Rewinkel said. Its not quite as severe as a swaddle, but the goal is to make them feel comforted. That has helped an incredible amount of dogs cope with noise phobias if they're not as severe.
Finally, there are medications vets can prescribe that sedate dogs and minimize their anxiety symptoms on the Fourth of July if none of these other practices work. Rewinkel said she always urges people to also treat the underlying anxiety issue with long-term behavioral therapy, and not just resort to medication, which can serve as a Band-Aid solution to a larger problem.
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Why does your dog hate Fourth of July fireworks? It's genetic - The Missoulian
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Gene editing tool could cure disease, or aid bioterrorism – The Daily Herald
Posted: at 8:44 am
By Jerry Coyne, The Washington Post
Some of the greatest benefactors of our species are not the recognized do-gooders but those paid to satisfy their curiosity: the scientists. Such pure and unsullied inquiry has yielded thousands of valuable byproducts, including antibiotics, vaccinations, X-rays and insulin therapy.
Jennifer Doudna and Samuel Sternbergs book A Crack in Creation describes another fortuitous discovery, a method that promises to revolutionize biotechnology by allowing us to change nearly any gene in any way in any species. The method is called CRISPR, pronounced like the useless compartment in your fridge. In terms of scientific impact, CRISPR is right up there beside the double helix (1953); the ability, developed in the 1970s, to determine the sequence of DNA segments; and the polymerase chain reaction, a 1980s invention that allows us to amplify specified sections of DNA. All three achievements were recognized with Nobel Prizes. CRISPR developed largely by Doudna and her French colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier also has a strong whiff of Nobel about it, for its medical and practical implications are immense.
The story of CRISPR is told with refreshing first-person directness in this book. (Sternberg was Doudnas student, but the book uses Doudnas voice.) It is not often in science writing that the actual discoverer puts pen to paper rather, the story is usually told by a science writer or colleague so this insider account is especially engaging.
CRISPR, an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, is a way to edit DNA. With CRISPR, we can change a sequence from ATTGGCG to ATTGGGG or to CCCCCCC, or to anything else. There are other recently developed ways to do this, but they are uniformly unwieldy, time-consuming and inefficient. The joy of CRISPR is that it allows us to edit genes painlessly: It is easily applied and seems to work well in whatever species or cell type we choose.
The history of CRISPR is a prime example of the unexpected benefits of pure research, for it began with a handful of curious scientists not intent on changing the world. In the late 1980s, scientists observed a bizarre section of DNA in some bacteria, consisting of short, identical and repeated palindromic sequences that read the same way backward and forward (e.g., CATGTTGTAC). The repeated palindromes were separated by 20-letter segments of unique DNA, segments eventually found to come from viruses that infect bacteria. People soon realized that the CRISPR region was the bacteriums immune system against dangerous viruses.
CRISPR helps bacteria remember previous viral attacks and thus prepares them for future attacks by the same virus. This is analogous to our immune system, which also remembers intruders: If you have had measles once, you wont get it again because the first exposure preps the immune system for subsequent exposures. The way bacteria do this is by storing a segment of the viruss DNA from the first attack. When the same kind of virus strikes again, the bacterium recognizes that the alien DNA segment has reappeared by matching the stored segment to the intruder DNA. Having identified the intruder as a bad guy, the bacterium can snip up, i.e. destroy, the intruders DNA, guided by the same stored DNA/intruder DNA match.
Doudna and Charpentier realized that it was possible to subvert the CRISPR system: Instead of viral intruder DNA, we can use the DNA sequence were interested in (say, one causing a genetic disease), with the result that CRISPR snips up any and all DNA molecules with the target sequence. Once DNA is snipped up, there are ways to repair it using a different sequence, including a version of the gene that does not produce disease. Presto: gene editing and a path to designer genes.
Rewriting genes has the potential to cure many genetic illnesses. People suffering from sickle-cell disease, for instance, have just a single mutated letter in the DNA coding for their hemoglobin. It shouldnt be hard for CRISPR to replace that letter in embryos or bone marrow, curing the millions who suffer from this devastating malady.
But thats just one of myriad possible edits. CRISPR can in principle cure any disease caused by one or a few mutations: not just sickle-cell but Huntingtons disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or color blindness. We could cure AIDS patients by editing out the HIV viruses that hide in their DNA. By editing early embryos, we could reduce the incidence of genetically influenced diseases such as Alzheimers and some types of breast cancer. We could make cosmetic changes in our children, altering their hair and eye color or even, in principle, their height, weight, body shape and intelligence. None of this has been tried in people, but since CRISPR works well in human cell cultures, it seems just a matter of time.
Turning to other species, we could genetically engineer either pigs or people so we could transplant pig organs into humans without activating our immune response. Weve used CRISPR to make virus-resistant farm animals, and we can now engineer insecticide-making genes into the DNA of crops, eliminating the need for dangerous sprays. As the book title implies, CRISPR allows us to bypass or undo evolution without relying on the hit-or-miss methods of selective breeding.
But of course DNA editing also raises ethical issues, and these occupy the final quarter of the book. Doudna worries about the return of Nazi-style eugenics and even had a dream about Hitler asking her for CRISPR technology. Should we engage only in somatic gene editing: changing genes in affected tissues where they cant be passed on to the next generation? Or should we also do germline editing, changing early embryos in a way that could be transmitted to future generations? While that conjures up the bad old days of eugenics, it is in fact the only way to repair most disease genes. But if we do that, should we stick to fixing genes that would debilitate the offspring, as with sickle-cell disease, or should we also change genes that merely raise the possibility of illness: those that could produce high cholesterol or heart disease?
Things get even more slippery. Should we edit the embryos of deaf parents to produce deaf offspring, so that their children can participate in deaf culture? And the ultimate taboo genetic enhancement: Should we give our children a leg up in looks or intelligence? That, after all, will provide genetic advantages only to those who can afford the technology.
Finally, how do we keep the technology out of the hands of bioterrorists? Cheap and simple CRISPR kits are now sold on the internet, allowing anyone to edit the genes of bacteria. The nightmarish prospect of engineered diseases looms. While its good to consider all these questions before the technology is widely available, Doudna and Sternberg come to few conclusions, and their extended vacillating is the books sole flaw.
Alongside the ethical quandaries come commercial ones. There is a great deal of money to be made through the licensing of CRISPR technology. We have already seen a protracted patent battle between Doudnas employer, the University of California, and Harvard/MITs Broad Institute, home to Feng Zhang, who was largely responsible for converting CRISPR from a device for editing bacterial genes into a lab-friendly tool that works in human cells. There is a lot at stake.
And this brings us an issue conspicuously missing from the book. Much of the research on CRISPR, including Doudnas and Zhangs, was funded by the federal government the American taxpayer. Yet both scientists have started biotechnology companies that have the potential to make them and their universities fabulously wealthy from licensing CRISPR for use in medicine and beyond. So if we value ethics, transparency and the democratization of CRISPR technology, as do Doudna and Sternberg, let us also consider the ethics of scientists enriching themselves on the taxpayers dime. The fight over patents and credit impedes the free exchange among scientists that promotes progress, and companies created from taxpayer-funded research make us pay twice to use their products.
Finally, let us remember that it was not so long ago that university scientists refused to enrich themselves in this way, freely giving discoveries such as X-rays, the polio vaccine and the Internet to the public. The satisfaction of scientific curiosity should be its primary reward.
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Gene editing tool could cure disease, or aid bioterrorism - The Daily Herald
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July 4: In defense of food that’s politically incorrect | The Sacramento … – Sacramento Bee
Posted: at 8:44 am
Sacramento Bee | July 4: In defense of food that's politically incorrect | The Sacramento ... Sacramento Bee As edible patriotism, hot dogs, burgers, corn on the cob and strawberry shortcake should be non-partisan traditions on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, this ... |
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Let’s get the band back together for Chicago trip – Dothan Eagle
Posted: at 8:44 am
With the disappearance of freedom of speech and fun, the recent rash of alleged, politically-incorrect, insensitive comments, and subsequent apologies, retractions and job losses, the pre-Independence Day column written for today has ceased to be.
Instead of reading this spaces usual drivel, youre on your own until further notice.
As the late Edward R. Murrow signed off newscasts, Good Night and Good Luck.
Dont know how Murrow and the CBS newsmen he assembled during/after World War II, including Troys Douglas Edwards, would handle social media, Instagram, Internet, YouTube, cell phones, lovers, truckers and thieves, ad nauseum, while ever-increasing coveys of moronic-aspiring twitters, from almost every walk of life, seemingly cant wait for their tweeters to leap into their cash registers.
Its sorta like Archie Campbells 1964 song, RinderCella, the youngest, prettiest sister who slopped her dripper.
Hard to believe, some of us baby bloomers(!) have long revisited the Summer of Love, aka 1967, while others continued happily motoring along, without looking back, attending class reunions and/or regretting mistakes made 50 summers ago.
Comedian Charlie Fleischer is credited by many for saying, If you can remember the 60s, you really werent there.
Maybe thats right for some; others of us with memories are extremely thankful for six magical words concerning the 60s: The statute of limitations has expired.
Whether and how well celebrate this July 4 aint decided, but on July 4, 1967, some 64 members of Enterprise High Schools Wildcat Marching Band celebrated involvement in the Summer of Love, in Chicago, where we represented Alabama at the 50th anniversary Lions International Convention.
Summer of Love seeds were sown in and around San Francisco in early January 67, and by summertime, more than 100,000 hippies, many festooned in vibrant paisleys, rallied at the Haight/Ashbury confluence, near where, in musically-magic 62, pre-Lady Gaga Tony Bennett had left his heart.
Long before 67s summers solstice, as it turned out, wed over-prepared afore boarding two chartered Greyhound buses for the 23.5-hour trip to Chicago; our contribution to the four-hour parade would be short and sweet.
Kris Holzapfel had provided, arguably, the highlight of our trip north when, unbeknownst to others, he sneaked a candy bar, Sessions Co. had given us, into the buss bathroom, where he stayed and stayed.
When Kris emerged, wed already noticed hed daubed chocolate specks all over his face before he suspiciously complained, ahem, about rough roads as we sped across rural Indiana and its historic Wabash River.
Simultaneously, some 50,000 Lions Club members from everywhere (thats the International part, Neal) had begun arriving in Chicago July 3, ready for numerous festivities, including the parade, which began on Michigan Avenue at Wacker Drive, and headed south some 14 blocks, ending at 9th Street.
Itd take this entire newspaper to rehash that unforgettable trip, but for 12 of us our leader, the late Bob McMillan, dubbed the Dixie Dozen, one day we played 17 venues, as the crow flies, throughout the Palmer House, Pick Congress and Conrad Hilton hotel convention venues.
Played Dixie every set and while strolling Michigan Avenue.
Since the 67 Lions gathering was the 50th, must mean thisuns the 100th and its in Chicago.
Wish now wed done what Ellwood and Jake Blues did, you know, get the band back together.
The convention runs through Tuesday.
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Let's get the band back together for Chicago trip - Dothan Eagle
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Musicians pay the price for playing politics – The Zimbabwe Standard
Posted: at 8:44 am
The song, The Blair That I Know Is a Toilet by forgotten musician Last Chiyangwa aka Tambaoga was at some point a hit and the musician was the darling of many, among Zanu PF supporters.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Tambaoga
There was no Zanu PF gathering that Tambaoga would not perform from national galas to rallies and he was a regular feature on national radio and television which then were championing the 75% local content policy.
However, a few years down the line, Tambaoga found himself falling into the abyss because of his widely-perceived political alignment to Zanu PF. He even tried to resuscitate his career in 2009 when he released an album titled Hakata, but there were no takers.
He pleaded with music followers to accept him as an artist, not a politician but no one listened to him and that marked the demise of his transitory music career.
However, it appears local musicians did not learn anything from his experience.
Last month Zimdancehall chanter Soul Jah Love was dressed down by a Zanu PF party official at a rally in Mutare, an incident that attracted an uproar from different social circles with people airing disgust at the way their superstar had been treated.
Social media went ablaze with different memes and comments alluding to the brief incident when Soul Jah Love was addressed like a nonentity.
Indeed the words used by the politician towards the chanter were harsh and unsolicited, but the response from the public appeared more politically-inclined than anything.
Yet, instead of vindicating the politician the new question is whether or not Soul Jah Love and other artists billed to perform on that day should have been at the event in the first place?
Looking at the history of politics in post-colonial Zimbabwe after year 2000 it has always been suicidal to mix music with politics, said a veteran musician who refused to be named fearing reprisals.
As soon as the countrys political landscape changed around year 2000 it became suicidal to do political music, no matter which side you are.
He singled out musicians such as the late Simon Chimbetu, Andy Brown, Marko Sibanda and Tambaoga as some of the artists who became unpopular after dining with Zanu PF.
The musicians penned songs that were pro-Zanu PF and enjoyed a lot of airplay and slots to perform at national events while their fan bases shrank.
According to the veteran musician singing against the Zanu PF government may not be so much of a good idea as well because it damages other aspects of an artists reputation.
Being denied airplay and good media coverage from State media weakens brands as seen by Raymond Majongwe, Paul Madzore and Leonard Zhakata among many others, he said.
During the colonial era singing against the Rhodesian government could get one arrested or their music could be blacklisted and not played on radio but it did not affect ones followership as the majority were the oppressed black people.
With divergent political views the reality has changed and choosing particular political inclination may create hatred from some sections of the music fraternity.
However, as the 2018 elections beacon, the country is slowly getting into the polling mode and politicians are giving it all for political expediency.
One of the effective drawcards political parties are using is free entertainment through music, especially at rallies.
There is no doubt that politics and entertainment are intertwined in Zimbabwe dating back to the colonial era as musicians played an integral part in the liberation war.
But, for musicians direct engagement with modern politics has proven to have negative repercussions.
Even youthful music groups like Born Free Crew are testimony that political alignment compromises ones relevance off politics.
Last year Oliver Mtukudzi found himself in the middle of a political storm after he performed at the ruling partys One million Man March.
Tuku is a musician and ekes a living through singing. If he performed because of that I dont see anything wrong, but he could have performed out of fear, veteran musician Hosiah Chipanga defended him then.
Chipanga, who is also a victim of political seclusion, went on to suggest that the jazz icon could have performed under duress fearing the wrath of the fist had he not agreed.
Being a Zimbabwean, he knows how to deal with Zanu PF. He knew what could have been done to him if he had turned them down. Saka unongotamba iyoyo iri kurira. [You dance according to the tune], he told The Standard Style.
When asked if he would have performed at a Zanu PF event, had he been invited, Chipanga who used to perform at galas said his presence back in the day was influenced by money.
He also explained how he fell out of favour when he started singing politically incorrect lyrics.
The same trend characterised the South African scene earlier this year with the ANC party giving musicians who professed their support time at their events but the local situation has proven special as it has other underlying influencing factors apart from personal conviction.
In a difficult economic situation the arts like any other sector has suffered as a result of diminished funding and reducing buying power among citizens and that has presumably encouraged artistes to jump at all opportunities.
While the events present opportunities for a quick buck for musicians, they have assisted in dividing fan bases in some cases and ultimately it is the artiste who faces the sour consequences while the cunning politicians occupy positions of influence.
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Musicians pay the price for playing politics - The Zimbabwe Standard
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US finances wars through inflation: Ron Paul – Press TV
Posted: at 8:42 am
The United States finances wars through inflation and that most wars are fought on inflated money, according to former US Congressman and political analyst Ron Paul.
Dr. Paul, a three-time American presidential candidate and the founder of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity,made the remarks in an interview on Friday while discussing US monetary policy and the need for a better system centered on sound money.
The senior American statesman said that from diluting gold in coins and clipping coins in the old days to using a computer to create new US dollars today, financing war through inflation is traditional.
If the people had to pay for the war as we went along, it wouldnt happen. You dont get enough taxes, you dont get enough borrowing to fight these wars, he stated.
And we have the license to steal because we issue the reserve currency of the world. And most of the countries still accept our dollar, even though were currently witnessing, in the last few days, a pretty steady attack on the dollar which I think is going to continue, and of course might get much worse, Dr. Paul said.
The money issue is a freedom issue, because if you dont like the welfare state you have to understand about money, if you dont like the warfare state, you have to understand that about money, he added.
If you care about individual, personal liberty you would have to be a supporter of a commodity...currency, of course, the history shows has always been gold along with silver -- the most preferable type of money, he observed.
The Fed, the source of trouble
Dr. Paulhas maintained strong positions against the military-industrial complex and the Federal Reserve, each of which he considers responsible for many of the ills afflicting the United States.
The basic source of the economic trouble is Americas central banking system, known as the Federal Reserve or the Fed, which cannot function in a real market economy, he once said.
In a true free market economy you have to have people work, use what they need to live on and then save money, and that dictates interest rates and tells businessmen what they should do. Well, that isnt the way it works anymore, the veteran former politician said in an interview in 2015, and warned that the biggest economic crash ever would hit the American economy.
The so-called capital comes from the Fed and they create it out of thin air. So everything is a mistake and everything is going to be volatile, he observed.
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US finances wars through inflation: Ron Paul - Press TV
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