Jewish group complains about memorabilia being sold at Ontario antiques market
A Toronto-based Jewish organization is raising concerns about the sale of Nazi memorabilia at an Ontario antiques market.The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies says one of its members was at the Roadshow Antiques South market in Pickering, Ont., over the weekend and noticed a vendor selling items that included a deck of cards printed with swastikas, stamps featuring Hitler, a Nazi flag and Hitler Youth pins.The centre said it sent a staff member to the market on Wednesday and confirmed the items were still being sold.The staff member asked customers at the market what they thought of the items, the centre said, and one woman remarked that “her (late) husband admired the Nazis.”FSWC president and CEO Avi Benlolo said he is concerned about that kind of thinking.“This kind of thing is horrific,” he said. “People are venerating the Nazis and celebrating the regime.”FSWC said it raised concerns about the vendor’s items with Pickering’s mayor, the antique market’s owner and Durham regional police.It said the display and sale of the items is hurtful to members of the Jewish community.“There’s a rising tide in celebrating the Nazis and believing that what they did was right. We are very concerned about that kind of philosophy,” Benlolo said.The owner of the antiques market said, however, that he will continue to allow the vendor to sell what he calls German — not Nazi — memorabilia because the items are a part of history.“We sell these products to Jewish people who want to show their kids that the Holocaust did happen,” said Henry Jones. “They should be out in the open for the public to decide how they feel about it.”Jones said the situation is no different from someone selling a samurai sword or pictures of the Enola Gay, a U.S. B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima during the Second World War.Similarly, Jewish museums collect German memorabilia to illustrate historic events from the past, he added.Jones did not identify the vendor selling the items that had raised concerns for the FSWC but said the man specialized in the sale of military items and has had a booth at the market for four years.Durham police said they’re aware of a vendor selling the items at the market.FSWC said the police confirmed that the situation does not constitute a hate crime, nor is it illegal to sell Nazi memorabilia.
Six stories in the news for Monday, Nov. 26———ROTATING POSTAL STRIKES TO END TODAYMail service will resume all across the country at noon today after the Senate passed legislation ordering an end to five weeks of rotating strikes by postal workers. Royal assent was granted late Monday shortly after senators approved Bill C-89 by a vote of 53-25. Four senators abstained. The government had deemed passage of the bill to be urgent due to the economic impact of continued mail disruptions during the busy holiday season. It rushed the bill through the House of Commons last week.———GM CUTS: BLAME TECH, NOT TRUMP, EXPERTS SAY Donald Trump’s tariff battles with Canada, Mexico, China and Europe have inflated the cost of steel, making it more expensive to build cars in North America. But General Motors’ decision to close factories and lay off thousands of people is more about tactics than the balance sheet, say trade observers and automotive industry experts. The company is placing a substantial bet on a future dominated by three high-tech trends that have been upending the world of the internal-combustion engine: electric vehicles, mobility services like ride-hailing apps, and cars and trucks that are capable of driving themselves.———NOVA SCOTIA GROUP RALLIED BEHIND GRIEVING FAMILYA woman who has gone through loss of her own is coming to the aid of the parents of a young girl who died in a Christmas parade accident in Yarmouth, N.S. The small town of 7,000 people was left devastated when four-year-old MaCali Cormier died Saturday night after she fell under the wheels of a float during the annual Parade of Lights. Sarah Robicheau says she understands the intense pain the loss of a child can bring, after experiencing a stillbirth in 2012 and the loss of an infant to SIDS just two years later. Robicheau has since started a local group called Anchor for Hope, which provides support for parents who have lost children.———PAROLE HEARING FOR WOMAN BEHIND RENGEL KILLINGA young woman who sexually blackmailed her boyfriend into killing a 14-year-old girl she saw as a rival more than a decade ago is set to appear before the Parole Board of Canada today. Melissa Todorovic was convicted in 2009 for masterminding the murder of Stefanie Rengel, a girl she had never met but who became the focus of her jealousy. Rengel had briefly dated Todorovic’s then-boyfriend, David Bagshaw, years earlier and Todorovic threatened to break up with him or withhold sex unless he killed his former flame. He eventually carried out her command, stabbing Rengel six times and leaving her to die in a snowbank outside her house on New Year’s Day, 2008.———WIRELESS GROUP CALLS FOR FAVOURABLE REGULATIONSCanada’s wireless telecom companies need a regulatory environment that will encourage about $26 billion worth of investments in networks over the next seven years, the head of the industry’s trade association said Monday. Former P.E.I premier Robert Ghiz, who is now CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, told a Toronto audience that the industry is pleased with a provision contained in the federal government’s fall mini-budget. He said Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s increases to the capital cost allowance — which determines how quickly companies get to write down investments in longer-term equipment — will make it easier to invest in wireless networks.———BECCA SCHOFIELD TO GET ORDER OF NEW BRUNSWICKA young New Brunswick girl who inspired people around the world to perform random acts of kindness will be honoured posthumously today with the Order of New Brunswick. Becca Schofield died in February at the age of 18 — two years after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Her movement on social media, with the hashtag #BeccaToldMeTo, quickly went viral and inspired ongoing acts of compassion and generosity. Schofield is one of 11 recipients of the award this year who are being recognized for their work in the arts, sports, community, health and justice.———ALSO IN THE NEWS:— The trial of Dennis Oland resumes today. Oland was charged in 2013 with the second-degree murder of his father, a multi-millionaire businessman and member of the prominent Maritime beer-brewing family.— The First Nations Self-Government Summit will feature a series of best practice presentations from across the country to highlight a pathway to independent nationhood in Mi’kma’ki.— Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expected to make an major investment announcement today in London, Ont., at Maple Leaf Foods.— Edward Downey, 48, will stand trial on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sara Baillie and her daughter Taliyah Marsman in the summer of 2016.— Minister of Finance Bill Morneau will participate in an armchair discussion at an event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.The Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Dozens of experts are urging Canada to choose a surgical, sector-by-sector approach when it comes to expanding its trading relationship with China rather than a sweeping free trade deal that could risk provoking the United States, says a new report.The Public Policy Forum paper, to be released Thursday, lays out a suggested blueprint for Canadian policy-makers at a time when Ottawa has struggled in its efforts to deepen business ties with the Asian superpower.The study will also arrive after Canada recently agreed to a free trade pact with the U.S. and Mexico, a deal that includes a controversial new clause requiring the countries to notify each other if they enter into trade talks with a “non-market” economy.The clause makes no specific mention of China, but the provision is being widely viewed as an attempt by Washington to single out Beijing.Even with these new constraints, the report advises Canada to chase several targeted arrangements covering numerous sectors ranging from agri-food, to natural resources, to education.A more-focused approach was preferred by most of the experts consulted for the report — even before the North American trade deal and the clause were announced last week. Many of them believe it would help Canada avoid the long, complicated process of hammering out a far-reaching trade agreement with a country as complex as China.“We settled on a set of recommendations built off the foundation of sectoral agreements, rather than comprehensive free trade, as the best means for realizing quick and significant gains,” reads the report, which is based on input from more than 70 experts, including business executives, government officials, environmentalists, Sinologists and former prime ministers.“A sectoral approach also provides the benefit of creating a pathway to a more diversified and growing trade portfolio for Canada that does not run afoul of the virtual veto given to our North American trading partners.”The document, the culmination of consultations over the last 18 months, argues that Canada cannot afford to ignore China’s size and rapid growth.As an example, the report said in 2000 China made up just four per cent of the global economy compared to the U.S. share of 31 per cent. Today, China accounts for 15 per cent and the U.S. 24 per cent.Ottawa must engage with China if it’s truly focused on trade diversification and on moving away from its heavy dependence on the U.S. market, the study said.For instance, it noted that 75 per cent of Canada’s merchandise goods go to the U.S. In the United Kingdom, however, less than 50 per cent of its goods go to the European Union, which is about the same size of the American market.As Canada looks to diversify, Public Policy Forum President Edward Greenspon said the consultations argued Canada can do more business with China”in such a way that should not offend the United States.”Greenspon said in an interview that 4.3 per cent of Canada’s export basket goes to China. In comparison, he said 8.4 per cent of U.S. exports go to China, which means Canada could double its exports before its engaged at the same level as the U.S.“So, there’s room for growth without provocation,” he said.The document said a minority of the participants thought the sectoral approach was not ambitious enough. But they found common ground on many points.Beyond the sector-by-sector approach, the document offered about a dozen other recommendations for Canada in its engagement with China. Here are few:— Strike a new deal on a co-operation arrangement in areas of shared global interest, including environmental protection, climate change and the governance of international institutions.— Take steps to ensure more clarity, transparency and predictability when it comes to Canada’s foreign investment regime, including national security reviews.— “Radically raise Canada’s game” in understanding and interacting with China — for all levels of government, the business community, financial sector, civil society and higher education.— Direct infrastructure spending, including financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, to improve inadequate transport and port facilities on the Pacific coast because the country is squandering export opportunities for industries like agri-business, forestry and energy.Follow @AndyBlatchford on Twitter
Dr Richard Pebody, PHE acting head of respiratory diseases department, said: “The flu survey is an on-line survey, which was set up during the swine flu pandemic in 2009 as an indicator of flu activity in the community. Around 7,500 people around the country are currently registered with survey and, during the winter, they voluntarily report if they have had flu-like symptoms during the previous week. A flu epidemic will hit England within a fortnight, if current trends continue, according to latest figures suggesting more than eight million people are now suffering symptoms.The new data shows a “significant excess” of deaths among over 65s in England, and among those in all age groups in Scotland and Northern Ireland.Across England, flu levels are currently approaching high levels, the statistics from Public Health England show, with a 2.5 fold rise in cases in the last two weeks.If current trends continue, it means England will reach epidemic levels within a fortnight.Health officials had been fearful about the impact of a strain of flu A (H3N2) dubbed “Aussie flu” after it fuelled the worst flu season in Australia for a decade. “The best prevention for flu, other than observing good hygienic practices, such as regular hand washing, is for people, particularly those in at-risk groups, including patients with long-term conditions and pregnant women, to get their flu jab. It is not too late to receive some benefit from vaccination.“If someone does have the flu, unfortunately there is no cure, but patients can assist their own recovery through taking plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids as it is easy to become dehydrated. Fevers and muscle ache, which are often symptoms of flu can also be improved with paracetamol or ibuprofen, if appropriate. But NHS senior managers say GPs were put under pressure by health officials to choose the cheaper option – excluding the Japanese strain now spreading through hospitals.The latest statistics suggest around 4,500 people were admitted to hospital with flu last week.Of those, 61 per cent – were suffering influenza B, the vast majority with the B-Yamagata strain.The latest report includes estimates suggesting that more than 15 per cent of people have been left suffering influenza-like illness in the past week – equating to more than 8.3 million people.Those figures come from internet-based surveillance run by PHE and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Separate statistics published today by PHE covering GP consultations show 53.1 consultations per 100,000 people in England last week, compared with rates of 37.3 per 100,000 people last week, and 21 per 100,000 in the last week of December. Health officials said levels were highest among those aged 45 to 64.The report shows 120 deaths from flu have now been confirmed in England, a rise from 85 on record last week.Broken down by region, the latest figures show Midlands and East England, which includes Birmingham, Norwich and Nottingham, was worst affected, followed by North England, including Manchester, York and Newcastle. The Royal College of GPs said the figures represented a 150 per cent rise in flu rates since the start of the year, with an estimated 31,300 patients in England attending their GP practice with flu symptoms in the week ending 14 January.Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “General practice continues to face huge winter pressures with a significant increase in patients presenting with influenza, and high numbers of patients continuing to present with other common winter illnesses.“Wintertime always brings challenges for the health service, and GP practices have prepared well in order to deliver the best possible care for patients. But patients can also help in keeping themselves safe and well during the cold weather.
Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. But the new figures suggest that B strains are now dominating, making up more than six in ten hospitalised cases last week. The vast majority of those cases involve a strain called B-Yamagata – known as “Japanese flu” – which is not covered by the vaccines most patients have received.Two types of vaccine were available to the NHS – a £5 trivalent version covering three main strains of flu, and an £8 quadrivalent version protecting against four strains. “This means number of participants at a local level will be small and figures should thus be interpreted with caution. It is just one of a range of indicators which PHE flu surveillance considers when looking at the position across the country each week.” “We do encourage patients who are ill to think hard about whether they do need to see a GP – not just in terms of reducing pressures on the NHS, but to minimise the possibility of passing viruses, such as flu, to other people, particularly in at-risk groups, such as those with long-term conditions or pregnant women.”Professor Paul Cosford, medical director, PHE said: “Our data continues to show that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms and we are seeing more people admitted to hospital with flu.“In terms of hospital admission, this is the most significant flu season since the winter of 2010/11 and the preceding pandemic year of 2009 although it is not an epidemic.“We are currently seeing a mix of flu types, including the A(H3N2) strain that circulated last winter in the UK and then in Australia. The A(H3N2) strain particularly affects older, more vulnerable age groups.
Estimated Worldwide Nonferrous Exploration Total** $13.2 billion *MEG estimates that the companies covered by the CES account for about 95% of nonferrous exploration budgets.**Includes the additional 5% of planned expenditures MEG could not obtain. Worldwide Nonferrous Exploration Total* (1,912 companies covered) $12.6 billion Worldwide Nonferrous Exploration Total* (2,085 companies covered) $13.75 billion Including Uranium Metals Economics Group’s (MEG) 19th Edition of Corporate Exploration Strategies (CES) shows that the planned 2008 nonferrous exploration budgets included in the study total $12.6 billion this year. MEG estimates that the budgets of the 1,912 companies included cover 95% of worldwide commercially oriented nonferrous expenditures. When the remaining 5% is added, exploration expenditures reach $13.2 billion-a 26% increase over last year’s estimated total and the sixth consecutive yearly increase since the bottom of the cycle in 2002. In addition, the CES study began including uranium budgets in 2007. This year’s study includes aggregate uranium budgets totalling $1.15 billion. Including uranium budgets, the total number of companies covered rises to 2,085, and the aggregate exploration budget (including the $12.6 billion nonferrous total above) increases to more than $13.75 billion. Including estimates for budgets MEG could not obtain, worldwide nonferrous planned exploration expenditures, including uranium allocations, total more than $14.4 billion. 
Excluding Uranium Estimated Worldwide Nonferrous Exploration Total** $14.4 billion Worldwide Exploration Budget Totals, 2008 However, companies seldom spend exactly the amount budgeted on exploration in a given year, tending to spend more than budgeted during the good times and less during the bad. The current global economic crisis will certainly suppress the actual aggregate exploration spending relative to the total amount budgeted, but the overall decrease will likely be tempered by the fact that many companies spent the bulk of their 2008 budget in the summer field season prior to the acceleration in market panic that began in late September. While cuts to residual exploration plans over the remainder of 2008 will likely be quite severe for many companies-particularly the junior explorers-MEG still expects the total amount actually spent on nonferrous exploration during the year to reach an all-time high, although it will be somewhat lower than the $14.4 billion total planned budget (including uranium).While major and intermediate producers with their deeper pockets have the option of continuing to fund exploration at close to previous levels, in the near term panicked equity markets and tumbling commodity prices will have severe effects on the junior explorers, since their dependence on equity financing for funding makes them the most vulnerable sector of the industry. The majority of the juniors-the drivers of the exploration upswing over the past few years-will cut exploration and development to conserve their cash in an effort to survive until conditions improve. As a result, 2008 will mark the end of the recent exploration boom, as contractions in both the number of active junior explorers and their individual budgets will take their toll on the industry’s aggregate total, regardless of what the major and intermediate companies do in 2009.Given the uncertain financial outlook for the mining industry, and the global economy in general, just how deeply explorers cut spending next year and how long the down cycle will last are impossible to predict at this point. That said, given the decline in metals prices and the continuing volatility and financial instability at the time of writing, an overall decrease in 2009 exploration spending similar in scale to the year-on-year declines during the first few years of the last downturn is certainly possible.For more information on the Corporate Exploration Strategies study, please visit http://www.metalseconomics.com/, phone +1 902-429-2880, or email: sales@metalseconomics.com.
Stay on target Researchers Use Rats to Find Out Why Coffee Makes Us PoopStarbucks Will Test ‘Greener,’ Recyclable Cups in Stores Soon More than 75 million homes have a single-cup brewing machine. They’re convenient, sure, but they also generate an estimated ten times as much waste as traditional coffee makers.Billions of Keurig’s K-Cups, Tassimo Pods, and Nespresso capsules get used up every year. Thankfully, there’s been an increased focus on sustainability from these companies recently. Nespresso, for one, started shipping pre-paid recycling bags to its customers in the EU last year. The program has been very well received, and Nespresso decided to get creative to trumpet its success.They teamed up with the legendary knifemakers at Victorinox to produce a limited edition Swiss Army knife. The company calls it “a bit of Swiss recycling history,” and it’s fitting that they chose to create a new member of their Pioneer line with this pioneering project.Like K-Cups, Nespresso capsules are made from aluminum. Each Pioneer Nespresso Livitano knife contains aluminum from two dozen spent capsules, which gets melted down and cast to form the Alox scales on the sides of the knife.It’s going to take a whole lotta knives to make a dent in the billions of aluminum single-cup containers consumers are burning through each year, but every little bit helps. Now that Nespresso and Victorinox have shown that the recycled material can meet the knifemaker’s rigid quality standards, perhaps other companies will be willing to follow their lead.In the meantime, you can always re-purpose your single-serve waste into things like tiny leprechaun hats for your St. Paddy’s day festivities or seed starters.
Posted: March 1, 2019 KUSI Newsroom, SDSU, City of San Diego provide update on stadium redevelopment project 00:00 00:00 spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreenshift + ←→slower / faster ↑↓volume mmute ←→seek . seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% XColor SettingsAaAaAaAaTextBackgroundOpacity SettingsTextOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundSemi-TransparentOpaqueTransparentFont SettingsSize||TypeSerif MonospaceSerifSans Serif MonospaceSans SerifCasualCursiveSmallCapsResetSave SettingsSAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The city of San Diego and San Diego State University announced today the establishment of negotiating teams that have begun taking proposals from real estate consultants for the SDCCU Stadium redevelopment project.City and SDSU officials are currently negotiating sale terms for a 132-acre parcel of land in Mission Valley containing SDCCU Stadium. If all goes according to plan, SDSU will re-develop the site into a 35,000-seat athletic stadium, a campus extension, a park along the San Diego River and commercial and residential space.“Before us is a golden opportunity to turn the city’s most underutilized piece of real estate into something special that will benefit the entire San Diego region,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “We will negotiate an agreement with SDSU that respects taxpayers, fulfills the will of the voters and allows for the university’s future growth.”The city entered into a memorandum of understanding with the California State University Board of Trustees that details facets of the negotiations like public records requests and consultation regarding the California Environmental Quality Act.The city’s nine-person negotiating team includes COO Kris Michell, Deputy Planning Director Alyssa Muto and Public Utilities Department Assistant Director John Helminski, while SDSU’s team includes the university’s CFO, Tom McCarron, and former president, vice president and CFO Sally Roush.Roush was SDSU’s interim president when the university broke off negotiations with FS Investors, the La Jolla-based investment firm that would eventually launch the competing SoccerCity initiative. Roush unveiled the SDSU West plan with other university officials in November 2017.“Each team member brings to the table knowledge and expertise that will be critical to the success of these discussions,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre. “I am confident they will ensure this process proceeds in a way that is fair and equitable to both the university and San Diego residents.”Voters approved the so-called SDSU West plan during the mid-term election last November, favoring the university’s plan over the venture capital-backed SoccerCity initiative. SDSU announced Thursday the selection of Clark Construction, the builder of Petco Park, to design and build the new stadium to replace SDCCU Stadium. March 1, 2019 KUSI Newsroom Categories: Local San Diego News FacebookTwitter
When an alleged drunk driver careened through the chain link fence outside of her house, Terry Mabe was shaken up. But when six months later she awoke to similar crash noises and walked outside to see her yard had again become a crash scene, she was in disbelief. “I’m still kind of in shock,” she said. “You’d think we lived on a curve, but we don’t.”Terry and her husband, Curtis Mabe, have lived in their one-story house at 9701 N.E. Burton Road, just east of Northeast 98th Avenue, for 24 years. Until this year, they’ve never had a problem with people damaging their property. But in the span of less than six months, two allegedly impaired drivers have crashed into Mabe’s yard, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.She and her husband awoke to the first loud crunch at about 3 a.m. April 14. A black Ford F-350 truck hit an electrical pole, their neighbor’s fence, the Mabes’ mailbox and their fence, then came to a stop in their driveway.The alleged driver, Edgar E. Iglesias Garcia, 27, of Vancouver fled but was quickly caught by police.He faces charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and hit-and-run.The damage from that crash was about $1,500, Terry Mabe said. In the early morning hours of Oct. 4, nearly the same scenario played out again. At about 4:45 a.m., a van crashed through Mabe’s fence, colliding with a Volvo V70 parked in front of the house. The vehicle, which belongs to the girlfriend of Mabe’s son, was then pushed over onto its side and into a neighbor’s wooden fence.
Robert Pattinson as BatmanBossLogic (@Bosslogic/Twitter)Robert Pattinson is officially set to star as Bruce Wayne aka Batman in the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed The Batman movie. Twilight fans from around the world are overjoyed with this casting update and some are even stating that now they have a reason to watch DCEU movie featuring a billionaire orphan who turns a vigilante to avenge the murder of his parents.In the upcoming DCEU movie, there a lot of things which are at stake. If we go in the past and check then apart from Aquaman and Wonder Woman, all the recently released superhero flicks have failed to impress the audience. Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman in several DC movies was appreciated by fans but the script and screenplay were not up to the mark.When it comes to Batman, everyone (both Marvel and DC fans) talks about Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. In those three films, we got to see how a superhero can actually relate to everyone. Those movies gave the antagonist some ideologies and it is always a tough task to beat the villain if he has his own philosophies, consider Thanos for that matter. Christian Bale breathed life into the character and we keep on talking about his for the generations to come. Hiring Robert Pattinson to play Bruce Wayne is surely a gamble for Warner Bros. who wants to press the reboot button on their superhero movies.Over the years, Robert Pattinson has proved that he is not only an actor with some sharp jaws that can cut throats or someone who had a high romantic endeavor with his former Twilight co-star. After wrapping up Twilight saga, Robert did star in several projects which brushed his acting skills and even enhanced him as a person. A still from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight RisesThe Dark Knight Rises, FacebookIn The Last City of Z, we got to see an extremely different side of Robert Pattinson. The 2016 film starred Charlie Hunnam in the lead role but it was Robert’s portrayal of Henry Costin that won applause. If this was not enough, then Robert amazed everyone with his brilliant performance in science-fiction movie High Life featuring him as a former criminal who is now on a voyage into deep space. The movie was well received by the critics and everyone appreciated Robert Pattinson’s performance.With films like Cloverfield, Let Me In, and Planet of the Apes II & III, Matt Reeves has proved that he knows his art and knows what he has to do to make a great cinema. Even he knows what is at stake here and chances of Robert Pattinson’s Batman movie going south are pretty slim.Robert Pattinson’s The Batman movie is currently under preproduction and as of now, there are other actors to be cast. The upcoming DCEU movie is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 25, 2021. It will be amazing to see how an actor who once played a vampire could actually become a bat.
Start-ups may be buzzing with funding, acquisitions and business models, but most of them do not realise that only a few will eventually make the cut, with the rest bound either bound to fail or languish, according to Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan.The comment comes in the context of start-ups being perceived as over-valued and many of them resorting to layoffs and cutting costs as a result of investors being less generous with their money. “Almost seventy per cent of start-ups will fail. About 20 per cent will survive but will not grow. They will remain small enterprises, and may be only five to ten per cent will become large and scale up — that is the spastics globally,” Gopalakrishnan told the media at the announcement of the 12th Innovation Summit 2016 in Bengaluru. Gopalakrishnan is the chairman of the 12th Innovation Summit 2016, which will take place on July 28 and 29 in Bengaluru. The former vice chairman of Infosys identified two Indian companies that could potentially make it to the list of leading global start-ups. “I would say Flipkart and Snapdeal — these companies have made a mark. Paytm and Freshdesk — there are so many of them actually. They have made a mark and that process will continue. May be three years from now and five years from now, you would start talking about these companies in a big way,” Gopalakrishnan, who is also an investor in Indian start-ups, said.He identified sectors where start-ups would manage to grow at a global level. “When you look at transport, hospitality, logistics — these are the companies, which will be the names in future in years to come,” PTI quoted Gopalakrishnan as saying.His choice of Flipkart and Snapdeal is interesting in the context of former co-founder of Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla identifying the two companies as “overvalued.”Ratan Tata, another prolific investor in start-ups, also said a few months ago that some Indian start-ups are “pricey”.”There are tremendous opportunities in reaching this population and the task is being undertaken by passionate young people. They need backing. Having said that, some of the valuations are pricey,” he told Tata Group publication in February this year.Gopalakrishnan agreed with the view of many investors that fresh investments are not coming into the Indian start-up space since existing investors are finding it difficult to exit. “Both private equity and venture funding have slowed down for a different reason because exits are not there. When this happens, money is not recycled,” he said.Gopalakrishnan is the co-founder of Axilor Ventures that was formed about 18 months ago to invest in about 20 Indian start-ups every year.
(Left) The different molecular structures of the two natural base pairs (black) and the artificial base pair (red and blue) cause the base pairs to absorb light at different wavelengths, as shown at right. The average solar spectrum reaching the Earth’s surface is shown in orange, and the emission spectrum from standard fluorescent lighting is in yellow. Credit: Pollum et al. ©2016 American Chemical Society To investigate how this light absorption difference may affect living cells, the researchers in the new study performed an experiment with living cancer cells from human skin (epidermoid carcinoma cells). When exposed to a low dose of near-visible light, cells that had not been treated with the artificial nucleoside d5SICS exhibited no change in cell survival. Cells that had been treated with the artificial nucleoside, but not exposed to near-visible light, were similarly unaffected. But cells containing the artificial nucleoside that were briefly exposed to near-visible light exhibited a substantial decrease in cell proliferation, indicating that the artificial nucleoside had photosensitized these cells to near-visible light, resulting in photochemical damage. (Left) When exposed to low doses of near-visible light, living skin cancer cells that contain d5SICS exhibit a large decrease in cell proliferation compared to those not exposed to the light. (Right) Cells with d5SICS exposed to near-visible light show high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as seen by the fluorescence of the ROS dye, compared to cells with d5SICS that were not exposed to the light. Credit: Pollum et al. ©2016 American Chemical Society Explore further Citation: Unintended consequences of creating the world’s first semisynthetic organism (2016, September 12) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2016-09-unintended-consequences-world-semisynthetic.html © 2016 Phys.org Based on further investigation, the researchers think that one of the most probable mechanisms of the light-induced damage is that light exposure produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside the cells. High levels of ROS are known to cause cell damage, and the living cells containing the artificial nucleoside exhibited much higher levels of ROS upon exposure to near-visible light than untreated cells did.Overall, the results illustrate the complexities involved in the ways that making even a small modification to an organism’s genetic code may have far-reaching and unforeseen consequences for the entire organism.The upside, however, is that some of the unforeseen consequences may have benefits if used in a controlled way. For instance, the researchers are currently investigating how the phototoxicity of the artificial nuceloside could be used as a method to treat cancer.”The significant phototoxic activity of d5SICS in epidermoid carcinoma cells has the potential to open new opportunities for its use in topical photodynamic therapy applications, as our group and others have recently proposed for several nucleobase analogues,” Crespo-Hernández said.The authors acknowledge funding from the National Science Foundation CAREER Program (Grant CHE-1255084 and CHE-1539808). Chemists create mimic of key vision protein More information: Marvin Pollum et al. “Unintended Consequences of Expanding the Genetic Alphabet.” Journal of the American Chemical Society. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b06822 Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society (Phys.org)—In 2014, the incorporation of two artificial letters of genetic code into the DNA of Escherichia coli gave the bacteria the distinction of becoming the world’s first stable semisynthetic organism. The modification was intended to illustrate the possibility of enabling organisms to incorporate and replicate an artificial base pair for the future biosynthesis of novel proteins. But now in a new study, scientists have discovered that the artificial base pair has an unintended consequence on living cells: phototoxicity. The new results show that the artificial base pair makes living cells more susceptible to damage from low doses of sunlight and standard fluorescent light bulbs, leading to a significant decrease in cell survival and growth.The study, titled “Unintended Consequences of Expanding the Genetic Alphabet,” is published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society by a team of researchers led by Carlos E. Crespo-Hernández from Case Western Reserve University, along with coauthors from Case Western and Columbia University.”There is currently an ongoing quest to genetically modify living cells and organisms with different purposes,” Crespo-Hernández told Phys.org. “Our work clearly cautions scientists that care must be exercised when efforts are made to expand the genetic alphabet, especially if the synthetic organisms may be exposed to light—a fact that has been hitherto overlooked.”The artificial base pair consists of two nucleosides (which are nucleotides without a phosphate group) called d5SICS and dNaM. These artificial nucleosides have different chemical structures than the natural nucleosides, which are those made of the adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine nucleobases. Due to their different chemical structures, the artificial and natural nucleosides absorb light at different wavelengths. The artificial nucleosides strongly absorb light with wavelengths in the near-visible range, or just under 400 nm. In contrast, natural nucleosides absorb light most strongly at higher energies, those with wavelengths less than 300 nm. Since everyday lighting, such as the sunlight that reaches Earth’s surface and fluorescent light bulbs, contains much more light in the near-visible range than in the higher-energy ultraviolet range, we receive significantly greater exposure to light with near-visible wavelengths. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>Anthony Davis finally gets to be seenAnthony Davis is officially a Laker, after 6 seasons toiling in the obscurity of New Orleans. Despite seeing highlights of AD, and several brief playoff appearances, he’s about to become a mainstream star as a cornerstone for the most recognizable franchise in the NBA in the Lakers.Instead of being buried on B League Pass games, Davis will now be a mainstay in countless primetime games the playoffs. It’s good for his brand and for the NBA. Guests:Doug Gottlieb, Cuttino Mobley, and Cameron Jordan Also:-Westbrook won’t change for Harden-Colin’s 2019 Browns predictions-Where Colin was right/wrong-Colin quits coffee shops
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