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Update on the latest news, sports, business and entertainment
March 25, 2017 - 2:10 pm
TRUMP-NATIONAL-SECURITY-ADVISER
Ex-CIA chief: Flynn's firm discussed removing cleric from US
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former CIA director has accused former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn of participating in a discussion with Turkish officials about possibly subverting the U.S. extradition process to remove a Turkish cleric from the United States.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the allegations made by former CIA Director James Woolsey. A Flynn spokesman says that Woolsey's claims are false and that "no such discussion occurred."
Woolsey said the discussion generally involved removing cleric Fethullah Gulen from the U.S. without going through the lengthy extradition process. The Turkish government has sought Gulen's extradition after accusing the cleric of directing a failed coup last summer. The U.S. government has rebuffed that request. Gulen, who has a green card and lives in Pennsylvania, has denied involvement.
TURKEY-EU
NEW: Erdogan: Turkey might hold referendum on EU membership
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's president says the country might pursue a Brexit-like referendum on whether to pursue European Union membership.
Speaking Saturday at a Turkish-U.K. forum in the southern city of Antalya, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the proposal as tensions are escalating between Ankara and European governments ahead of an April 16 referendum to expand the powers of the Turkish presidency.
Bringing up Brexit — the British departure from the EU — Erdogan said a similar referendum "might" be held after the April 16 vote, adding that he would respect whatever the people decided.
At a rally earlier Saturday, Erdogan lashed out those who claimed Turkey would not be let into the EU if the referendum passed.
He says "Turkey is no one's whipping boy."
US command: Mosul airstrikes were at the request of Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — An initial review of airstrikes over the past days indicates that the U.S.-led coalition has struck fighters and equipment of the Islamic State group west of the northern city of Mosul at the request of Iraqi security forces, where there were allegations of civilian casualties, the Pentagon said.
The coalition said in a statement Saturday that the airstrike was conducted on March 17.
Reports have indicated that the airstrikes have allegedly killed more than 100 civilians in western Mosul where U.S.-backed government troops are fighting IS.
The coalition said it takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and a formal Civilian Casualty Credibility Assessment has been opened to determine the facts surrounding this strike and the validity of the allegation of civilian casualties.
MANHATTAN EXPLOSION
NEW: Lawyer for bomb suspect wants attempted murder trial moved
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — A lawyer for the man accused of setting off bombs last year in New Jersey and New York, injuring more than 30 people, is seeking a change of venue for his trial on attempted murder charges stemming from a shootout with police.
Deputy Public Defender Peter Liguori said Ahmad Rahimi can't get a fair trial in Union County, citing the excessive media coverage he and the bombings have received.
Rahimi is charged with attempted murder for the Sept. 19 gunbattle with five officers in Linden, New Jersey. At the time, he was being sought for allegedly planting two bombs in Manhattan and two in New Jersey — near a charity run in Seaside Park, and in a trash can in Elizabeth.
The Union County Prosecutor's Office declined comment on the request.
TOURIST ASSAULT-TRIAL
NEW: American guilty of attacking Japanese tourist gets 22 years
LOCKPORT, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York man found guilty of attacking a Japanese tourist in a Niagara Falls park has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Robert MacLeod was found guilty of robbery, sexual abuse and assault in January following the attack on Christmas night in 2015. The 45-year-old man was sentenced Friday and got the maximum sentence.
Prosecutors say MacLeod attacked Koyuki Nakahara in Niagara Falls State Park after she asked him for directions, when she was traveling with a Japanese tour group.
Nakahara testified that MacLeod punched her and molested her. The Associated Press generally doesn't identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse, but Nakahara has previously discussed her case publicly.
MacLeod testified he had a confrontation with another woman, not Nakahara.
FORMER CONGRESSMAN CHARGED
NEW: Ex-US Rep. Stockman expects to be 'vindicated' on charges
HOUSTON (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman says he expects "to be vindicated" on allegations he conspired with staffers to bilk conservative foundations out of at least $775,000 that was meant for charitable purposes and voter education.
After a court hearing Friday, Stockman told reporters he didn't intend to plead guilty or enter into a plea agreement.
Shaun Clarke, Stockman's attorney, said the Texas Republican will fight to clear his name.
Stockman served two non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House. He was arrested this month after being charged with conspiracy to make conduit contributions and false statements.
A former Stockman campaign worker pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of conspiracy and is cooperating with authorities.
Stockman has blamed his arrest on a "deep state" shadow government that's targeting him.
TRUMP TOWER-AIRBNB
NEW: NYC says Trump Tower resident wrongly rented out on Airbnb
NEW YORK (AP) — A woman who owns an apartment at Trump Tower is being fined $1,000 by the city after they say she wrongly rented it out on Airbnb.
According to an affidavit and summons, Yelena Yelagina owns apartment 30H at 721 Fifth Avenue. The New York Times reported it was available since around September for up to $450 nightly. Renters learned the address after they'd booked reservations. The listing was later taken down.
A New York state law levies fines against people who rent out their entire living space for less than 30 days. New York City agreed in December to enforce the law only against the hosts and not to fine Airbnb. The Trump Organization says condominium rules prohibit Airbnb listings.
Calls to Yelagina rang unanswered. A hearing is set for May 4.
SELF-DRIVING CAR-CRASH
NEW: Self-driving Uber SUV struck during Arizona accident
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Officials say a self-driving Uber SUV was operating on its own when it was struck by another vehicle making a left turn at an intersection in Arizona, where the company is testing autonomous vehicles.
No one was seriously injured. Uber says its vehicles have been grounded as it investigates.
Police in Tempe say the self-driving SUV was obeying the law and the driver in the other car who didn't yield was cited for a moving violation after the Friday night crash.
An Uber statement Saturday says there were no passengers in the self-driving Volvo SUV at the time of the crash but there were two operators in the front.
Police say the Uber rolled over onto its side as a result of the collision.
CHILD STRUCK-DRIVER SHOT
Ohio police: Driver shot, killed after hitting boy, 4
CINCINNATI (AP) — Police in Cincinnati say a driver was shot and killed after his car hit a 4-year-old boy who ran into the street.
Investigators say they believe the driver got out of his car after hitting the child Friday and a confrontation broke out.
Police say 44-year-old Jamie Urton was shot several times and a passenger suffered minor injuries in the fight but was not shot.
The child hit by the car was hurt but is expected to be OK.
Police say they're looking for three suspects. They say it's not clear yet if any other circumstances led to the shooting just outside downtown Cincinnati.
ROOFTOP HOPPING-DEATH
13-year-old boy dies in fall from NY roof; 2nd teen injured
NEW YORK (AP) — New York police say a 13-year-old boy was killed and another teenager was injured as they tried to hop along rooftops in Brooklyn and plunged about four stories to the ground.
The boys were found in the back of the building in Bushwick about 5:30 p.m. Friday. The 13-year-old had severe trauma to his head and body. His 15-year-old friend had pelvic injuries but was expected to live.
Neighbors told the Daily News of New York that teens who don't live in the building climb to the top and hang out. A couch was set up on the roof. The two didn't live in the building.
In January last year, a 15-year-old girl died after she tried to jump from one rooftop to another in Manhattan and fell five stories.
AMBULANCE DRIVER KILLED
Funeral set for NY medic who died when run over by ambulance
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of mourners are packing a Bronx church for the funeral for an emergency medic killed last week when she was run over by her own ambulance.
Yadira Arroyo (yah-DEER'-ah) was killed March 16 responding to a call. Police say a man got into the truck when she got out and she was run over.
The mother of five was a 14-year veteran of the department. She was beloved by colleagues at her station house and in her Bronx community. Arroyo was a dedicated EMT who responded to calls even during asthma attacks and was a mother figure to her co-workers.
Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro says the outpouring of support shows the respect people have for their fallen colleague. He said she lived and died as a hero.
SOLDIER'S REMAINS IDENTIFIED
Korean War soldier from Massachusetts to get final farewell
HOLYOKE, Mass. (AP) — A Korean War soldier from Massachusetts is finally getting a proper farewell 67 years after he was reported missing in action.
The remains of Cpl. Jules Hauterman (HOTT'-uhr-man) are scheduled to return to Holyoke on Wednesday.
Hauterman was a medic attached to the 31st Regimental Combat Team who went missing in December 1950 during fierce fighting against Chinese forces at the Chosin Reservoir.
His remains were discovered in 1954 but were not positively identified until last year.
Because Hauterman has so few living relatives, Holyoke's veterans service department is asking residents to turn out to show their respects.
Calling hours at the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home are Thursday. A funeral Mass will be held Friday at Blessed Sacrament Church, followed by burial at St. Jerome's Cemetery.


When I first started on Twitter, as I have recounted many a time before, I thought that I was missing out on a really huge joke. I had been hearing about how great Twitter was for about 2 years, and I decided that I should at least be able to talk intelligently about why so many people thought it was great. I figured I might as well jump in and try it out. I expected that I'd send a few tweets out, people would start talking to me, and then I'd be all set.
First of all, as so many people new to Twitter do, I followed most of the accounts that Twitter suggested. Say hello to Rainn Wilson, Harvard Business Review, Yoko Ono, Fast Company, Mashable, and Michael Ian Black. I was sort of scratching my head. Do these folks reply to someone who is just getting used to Twitter? As I stuck around a bit, the answer became clear. No. No they don't.
In the meantime, I had started to follow enough people that I noticed that there were conversations going on. In fact, some people had really fun conversations. Some people could say anything and it would get retweeted. Boy was I jealous of them. I couldn't get a single person to reply to me. I tried everything. Since I was having the same problem on my blog, I was getting quite the complex. Was I doing something wrong? Was I just too new? How long did you have to stick around before you had cut your teeth enough?
In short, I was getting rather discouraged with the whole mess.
If you are here, or if you have been here recently, take heart. There are things you can do to get out of that hole.
1. Pay compliments: When you are new, nobody cares about what blog post you just wrote or the fact that you have a Facebook page. It's brutal but true. In order to get to know people, you have to be the one that asks people if they want to dance. One of the best ways to do this is to compliment a person who wrote a post you like, or if you see good news streaming by, congratulate the person. This not only creates a warm and squishy feeling for them, but it also proves you are not a bot.
3. Go. To. Chats: Now, I'm not going to lie. When you are brand new to Twitter, chats can be pretty intimidating. There are a lot of people talking, and you need to figure out how to follow the conversation. Since you're not used to being in or around conversations, this can be a bit awkward. Try it anyway. Even if you respond to just one person who is saying stuff you agree with in the chat, you will start to lay the foundation for getting to talk to people. The more people you talk to, the more people you will have the chance to get to know. And guess what? Once people know you, they tend to talk to you more!
When I attended my first ever #blogchat, I was on the verge of giving up on Twitter for all of the reasons I mentioned above. By the end of my first chat, I had what I now call "the #blogchat high." Not only had people responded to me, but I instantaneously saw the value of Twitter – real-time exchanges of ideas, help, questions, and answers amongst people who have a common interest. Crazy!
If you're not sure what chats are out there, go visit this massive Google Doc that represents the entire world of Twitter chats. It's a treasure trove of opportunity!
Now, those are the things that worked for me. What have you tried so far? What worked for you?
Great post – one I'll recommend to back me up when I keep telling my clients that I know they feel like the new nerd at school but that EVERYBODY feels that way when they start!
Thanks for that great reply, Gemma. Glad you liked the post!
I have had a twitter account for a coupla years but i only started using it recently. Had no idea about twitter chat, thanks for introducing us to the scene.
Margie, excellent article! It describes exactly what my own learning curve with Twitter has been. It is truly an art – like "real life" social situations are – to learn how to relax, not take things too personally, be genuine, not step on toes, etc. Your suggestion of chats is great – a new discovery for me as well. Sometimes I think that life on Twitter has it's own personality – days when there are responses, days when no one seems to care, days when everyone is silly, days when it's just the same-old-same-old. Perhaps it is all just projection on my part, but it also makes sense that if there can be a "political climate" there can be a "Twitter climate." Helps in the "not taking it all personally" area.
Great point, BD. Hashtags in general are great ways to see what people are talking about in regards to a topic that interests you. To that point, often you can visit a chat hashtag on a day when the chat is not going on so that you can start replying and getting to know people when it's not so busy.
Oh gosh, Claudene. Way to make me bawl!!
This was my exact experience with Twitter as well! At first, I just didn't get it. I would throw questions out and hear crickets. I would write posts like the "social media" experts said that basically sounded like a used car salesman. Once I started to be myself, people responded. I've even had my favorite author (@TerryFallis) retweet my posts! I thought I would explode from the excitement within! Being generous with sharing, while doing it in a *real* way has been the secret.
Thank you so much for starting up this conversation!
So glad to hear you got up over the hump. Few things in the online world are more rewarding once you get that Twitter ball rolling. Thanks for the comment!
Twitter maturity is a funny thing. I read your post and I thought back to how I have grown to understand and appreciate what Twitter can be…what it should be and how like anything you grow into it.
I am going to take a chance and give you three links to posts I have written about Twitter. If you read them, you will see how I have grown up.
I thinnk this is a great post. Being a relative newbie myself, I can attest to everything you've said.
One additional thing I'd add is that when you stop feeling like such an absolute dork yourself, you find that you can help others that may know a little less. We are all constantly learning.
I met a new co-follower just last night. She has @ 2.5k followers and had never really tried a chat. After the chat we exchanged some info about what she was interested in. I referred her to the same doc you have linked above. I listed a few of the chats I enjoy (including one yours, of course), and left the door open.
I have met some truly awesome, amazingly open, talented and generous people via Twitter. And now, after only a few months I can continue to pay forward the debt I owe them, 140 characters at a time.
I can't believe you've only been on Twitter a few months. You're a master at connecting people!
Thanks, Margie, I am very glad to have met you as well.
Thanks everyone. I too found Twitter way too complex. I'm a bit of a stubborn person, so I tasked myself this week to learn how to use it. I wish there was a site for newbees, I have learned so much this week but I've had to search for a lot of info. I now totally understand all the terminology that on Monday felt like I needed a dictionary! I will definitely add you to my favorites for some cool tips.
Great post – yes been there (or perhaps still am a little?) – it does take time and patience. I'm far from the biggest in terms of follow/followers/posts but I do like the interactions I have.
The blog? Still in the disappointment phase… few reads and even fewer comments. Will persist.
But … good to read your post and the commentsd which flowed from it.
I think Twitter by nature is pretty intimidating for someone new – or rather, someone familiar with Facebook. You're thrown to a world without images (except thumbnails of people's faces), games (urgh) and a whole bunch of text in 140 characters each. I know a good number of people that gave up after 5 Tweets into the vacuum chamber.


Best Wishes and Warm Greetings on the occasion of Vaisakhi / Vishu /Tamil New Year / Mesadi / Vaisakhadi / Bahag Bihu.
BSNLEU conveys it's best wishes and warm greetings to all, on the occasion of Vaisakhi / Vishu /Tamil New Year / Mesadi / Vaisakhadi / Bahag Bihu. May the new year bring peace and prosperity to all the people.


It was about a year and a half ago that I had my first #RoMaCraft; an Intemperance BA AWS from @cigarhustler. The next time I was at work I told my boss that it was something that we HAD to carry at @stashsmokeshop. Shortly thereafter we became the first RoMa dealer in Oregon, and the second in the PacNW. I've smoked a lot of of RoMas since then, and gotta say this #Aquitaine #Anthropology is probably my #1.


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Cricket-England peg back Australia with late strikes in soggy Sydney
Cricket-England peg back Australia with late strikes in soggy Sydney - Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022
By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY – England's bowlers struck twice in the final session to reduce Australia to 126 for three at the close of play on a rain-disrupted opening day of the fourth Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
James Anderson finally winkled out Marcus Harris for a 109-ball 38 and Mark Wood had Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for 28 in the following over to give the tourists a small spring in their step heading into day two.
Stuart Broad had earlier reprised his role as David Warner's nemesis by dismissing the Australia opener for the 13th time in Ashes tests just before the longest rain-interruption took a two-hour chunk out of the middle of the day.
With Australia holding an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series after big wins in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, the tourists are desperate for a good showing in Sydney to restore some pride.
Australia have plenty of batting in hand, however, and Steve Smith was six not out alongside Usman Khawaja, unbeaten on four, when another shower brought an early end to the day's play.
"Tomorrow is a huge part of the game, if we can start like we finished tonight, we can put Australia under pressure and try and get their big players out," said Wood.
"Because we've managed to get a couple of (wickets) at the end of the day, it's changed the whole perception of the day. If we get can try to get on them tomorrow, it changes the game again."
Khawaja, replacing Travis Head after the middle order batsman tested positive for COVID-19, was the only change to the side that Australia skipper Pat Cummins sent in to bat after winning the delayed toss.
There were dark clouds over Sydney's eastern suburbs when the openers came out and the rain swept in from the Pacific Ocean at regular intervals thereafter with only 46 overs completed.
Broad made the first breakthrough after lunch when a fuller length ball moved away from Warner, caught the edge of the bat and landed comfortably in the grasp of Zak Crawley at second slip.
"Me and Broady love it when we're out there, it's good fun, good funny banter," said Warner, who hit six fours in his 30.
"Today, I tried to drive the ball too straight … that was my disappointment but it's awesome to see Broady back out there, to have Jimmy and him bowling at us is great."
England struggled to make headway otherwise until deep into the extended final session when Anderson drew Harris into playing at a ball that moved away and skipper Joe Root snaffled up the edge in the cordon.
Wood had dismissed Labuschagne caught behind in Melbourne and produced a similar fizzer to remove the Australian again and give the tourists hope of making serious inroads into the batting before stumps.
Like many of England's hopes on this tour, however, it proved misplaced as a combination of obdurate batting and the Sydney weather allowed Smith and Khawaja to see out the day.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The importance of Pool Safety cannot be stressed enough. There are many options to consider. And adding this to your pool in a way that still leaves a beautiful environment is important.
We can present you with many options including child fencing, alarm options and many more.


A member of the Harry Potter family is in intensive care following a deadly car crash. Actor Jim Tavaré, best known as Tom, the Leaky Cauldron innkeeper and the saga's resident hunchback, is recovering from a head-on collision that left him with quite a few broken bones and a broken neck.
Tavare first appeared in the 2004 movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He was involved in a automobile accident this past Monday, which resulted in 15 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken leg and fractured breastbones. At this time, no further details have been revealed about what caused the accident. There was an update on the actor's official Facebook page. It came accompanied with a photo, which you can see below.
"This is Laura here. Now that his family have been informed, Jim has asked me to let you all know that he was involved in a serious car accident yesterday, a head on collision. He's currently in ICU intensive care. He has 15 broken ribs, fractures in both breastbones, a punctured lung, multiple breaks in his right leg, and a broken neck. He's had 2 blood transfusions so far and is about to go in for his first surgery. This is for real, not a movie role. Please hold some good thoughts for him as he fights his way out of this."
Laura is Jim's wife. She made the news of Tavaré's accident public, as Jim wanted to share his hospital photo assuring fans everything was going well. Jim is a well known British actor and comedian who currently lives in Los Angeles. Aside from Harry Potter, he is also known for the BAFTA-winning TV series The Sketch Show, which he co-write and starred in.
Other notable appearances include an arc on the Showtime series Californication. He was in the 2012 Killjoy sequel Killjoy Goes to Hell, and it's sequel Killjoy's Psycho Circus. He'll next be seen in the sequel I Split on Your Grave: Deja Vu. Jim's friends and family are all hoping for a speedy recovery.


On a warm, sunny June afternoon, Ashby Village celebrated the generous spirit and service of all of our volunteers with a "Summer of Love" themed Volunteer Appreciation Event. More than 80 volunteers enjoyed late 1960's music, trivia, fun facts and food like "Mom" used to make: grilled cheese sandwiches, meat loaf, Jell-O mold salads, Lipton onion soup dip with Ruffles potato chips and pineapple upside down cake to name a few. We all got into the spirit by wearing flowers in our hair, peace buttons, John Lennon round glasses, bell bottoms, fringe and lace.
As we munched on food and shared stories of "What were you doing in 1967?" we were entertained by the slideshow of photos of ourselves now and back then. It's hard to believe… were we ever truly that young? What a nostalgic trip!
Thank you to all Ashby Village volunteers! Peace and Love.
What can I say about Saturday's celebration of our Ashby Village volunteers? There are so many superlatives. " Classy" comes to mind first. Then of course there is "creative" and "thoughtful". I certainly can't forget "amazing", "clever", and "delicious" (especially those potato chips with onion dip). Oh, of course the pineapple upside down cakes and amazing grilled cheese sandwiches, and the artistic jello awed everyone.
Thank you for all the hours of planning and cooking - so many volunteers I talked to were excited and touched by the thank you celebration. One woman said that she was telling a group of friends that she's never experienced the "thoughtful and respectful way" she's been "cared for" -- "ever" as a volunteer.
You are all amazing and I'm so proud to be able to hang out with all of you!
Check out the Summer of Love Event!
NOTE: Please contact the office for digital copies of photos.


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Tickets Augusta, GA Tickets James Brown Arena Tickets
James Brown Arena Tickets
James Brown Arena Event Tickets
Formerly the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center, the James Brown Arena is one of Augusta, Georgia's most famed multipurpose performance halls. Located at 601 7th Street,, Augusta, GA 30901, the Arena first opened in 1974 and as a tribute to the "Godfather of Soul" and Augusta native, the venue was renamed for the legendary musician James Brown in August of 2006. James Brown Arena is the former home to the ECHL's Augusta Lynx, the AF2's Augusta Stallions, the Augusta Spartans, the Augusta RiverHawks and has hosted many other live events such as performances by Van Halen, REO Speedwagon, KISS, Bon Jovi and just about every other iconic band or musician you can think of. As you can see, this venue has been a premier location for the country's top performers for many years and will continue to be for many more. Get your James Brown Arena tickets today with TicketSmarter
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James Brown Arena has seating options for just about every fan and with a seating capacity of 9,167 there are plenty of options to choose from. Patrons attending live concerts have found that the first few rows in section 2 are the best because it puts you right in front of the stage and in the middle of the action, while people who have attended musicals such as Baby Shark Live! have found that the upper levels are perfect because you can see the entire stage from the elevated views. Whatever your preference, TicketSmarter has the best selection of tickets available for the James Brown Arena. Our interactive seat map allows you to narrow your search to exact locations and price, and our electronic delivery system gives you the option of downloading your tickets immediately upon purchase.
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The event schedule for James Brown Arena is packed with top-notch performers scheduled to make appearances and new events are added regularly. Upcoming events include performances by Foreigner, The Temptations & The Four Tops, CHICAGO, Travis Tritt, and many, many more. Find the performance you would like to attend by scrolling through the events listed above in order by date or you can use the filtering tool located at the top of the page to search for a specific artist or show.
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James Brown Arena ticket prices will differ depending on the event and where your seats are located. On average, $105.00 is the price you'll pay to watch a live event at James Brown Arena. Seats located in the back of the venue are always the cheapest option and can cost as low as $36.00 a ticket. Premium seats with the best views of the event can go for as high as $441.00 a seat.
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James Brown Arena has 4 live events scheduled.
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Monster Truck Nitro Tour and Kane Brown are scheduled to appear at the James Brown Arena.
Monster Truck Nitro Tour James Brown Arena tickets February 4th, 2023 at 1:30pm
TicketSmarter currently has 114 Monster Truck Nitro Tour tickets listed from $55.00 - $65.00. $55.00 is the average ticket price you'll pay to attend this event.
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James Brown Arena Upcoming Events
# of Tickets Available
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Feb 4, 2023 1:30PM
Monster Truck Nitro Tour
Feb 18, 2023 7:00PM
Whiskey Myers


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San Jose Looking More Like "Man Jose"
Men sure seem to know the way to San Jose
By Bob Redell	• Published February 11, 2009 • Updated on February 11, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Any guy who's tried to pick up chics at San Jose's Mission Ale House knows why it's called the Mission "Male" House.
And now this shocker from the Census Bureau --brace yourself: men really do outnumber women in San Jose.
The U.S. Department of the Obvious finds that there are 117 men for every 100 women in the age range of 20 to 44 years old.
It's even worse from the chromosome-Y who live in Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Santa Clara and Mountain View.
Mountain View has a ratio of 125 to 100.
This shouldn't come as huge surprise considering tech and engineering jobs in Silicon Valley are mostly held by men.
And while at first glance the stats look like a good thing for women, there is a downside for the ladies. Some say it can be overwhelming, even intimidating to venture into the bars with so much testosterone wafting through the air.
But at least they have their pick of the litter.
Dudes, you might want to drag yourself over to the wealthier parts of the South Bay, like Los Gatos, Cupertino, Saratoga and Los Altos.
For example, in Los Altos, men actually have an advantage of 85 men for every 100 women.
Bob Redell is so grateful he's already got a girl.


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Ute Ladies'–tresses
Scientific Name: Spiranthes diluvialis
Taxonomy Group: Vascular Plants
COSEWIC Range: British Columbia
COSEWIC Assessment Date and Status Change: November 2018
COSEWIC Status Criteria: B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii); C2a(i,ii); D1
COSEWIC Reason for Designation: This short, globally rare orchid occurs in Canada at only two locations in British Columbia, one of which contains a single individual. Its habitat is seasonally moist, slightly to moderately saline lakeshores that are free from overly tall/competitive species. It is primarily threatened by invasive species.
COSEWIC History of Status Designation: Designated Endangered in November 2018.
SARA Status: No schedule, No Status
Date of Listing (yyyy-mm-dd):
No schedule - No Status
Individuals of this species may be protected under Schedule 1 under another name; for more information see Schedule 1, the A-Z Species List, or if applicable, the Related Species table below.
Quick Links: | Protection | National Recovery Program | Documents
COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Ute Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis) in Canada (2019-10-09)
The orchid Ute Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis) occurs in wetlands in western North America. It is showy, white-flowered, and blooms late in the season. It is one of only two species of the genus Spiranthes known to occur in British Columbia. It is rare globally, and especially rare in Canada, where only a small fraction of the global population occurs. Note: This COSEWIC assessment was received by the Minister on October 15th, 2018.
Response Statement - Ute Ladies'–tresses (2020) (2020-01-07)
COVID-19 and the consultations on the listing of species at risk As a result of the ongoing COVID 19 situation, it is not possible to have in-person meetings. Taking this into consideration, please note that consultation closing dates have been set for both the Normal and Extended consultations for the terrestrial species considered in this document. We will work to ensure that all the known, potentially affected parties have the opportunity to contribute to the consultations and that the consultation process is flexible and sensitive to the current context. If you wish to contribute, please submit your comments by April 2, 2021 for species undergoing normal consultations and by September 2, 2021 for species undergoing extended consultations. You may provide comments by email, letters, or through the online survey. This short, globally rare orchid occurs in Canada at only two locations in British Columbia, one of which contains a single individual. Its habitat is seasonally moist, slightly to moderately saline lakeshores that are free from overly tall/competitive species. It is primarily threatened by invasive species.
COSEWIC Annual Report 2018 to 2019 (2019-10-09)
Over the past year COSEWIC assessed a total of 56 wildlife species, 2 of which were assigned a status of not at risk. Of these 56, COSEWIC re-examined the status of 25 wildlife species; of these, the majority (80%) were reassessed at the same or lower level of risk. To date and with the submission of this report, COSEWIC's assessments now include 799 wildlife species in various risk categories including 356 endangered, 189 threatened, 232 special concern, and 22 extirpated (that is, no longer found in the wild in Canada). In addition, 18 wildlife species have been assessed as extinct, 59 wildlife species have been designated as data deficient, and 199 have been assessed as not at risk.
Consultation on Amending the List of Species under the Species at Risk Act: Terrestrial Species January 2020 (2020-01-07)
COVID-19 and the consultations on the listing of species at risk As a result of the ongoing COVID 19 situation, it is not possible to have in-person meetings. Taking this into consideration, please note that consultation closing dates have been set for both the Normal and Extended consultations for the terrestrial species considered in this document. We will work to ensure that all the known, potentially affected parties have the opportunity to contribute to the consultations and that the consultation process is flexible and sensitive to the current context. If you wish to contribute, please submit your comments by April 2, 2021 for species undergoing normal consultations and by September 2, 2021 for species undergoing extended consultations. You may provide comments by email, letters, or through the online survey. The Government of Canada is committed to preventing the disappearance of wildlife species at risk from our lands. As part of its strategy for realizing that commitment, on June 5, 2003, the Government of Canada proclaimed the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Attached to the Act is Schedule 1, the list of the species provided for under SARA, also called the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Extirpated, Endangered and Threatened species on Schedule 1 benefit from the protection afforded by the prohibitions and from recovery planning requirements under SARA. Special Concern species benefit from its management planning requirements. Schedule 1 has grown from the original 233 to 622 wildlife species at risk. Please submit your comments by May 7, 2020, for terrestrial species undergoing normal consultations and by October 7, 2020, for terrestrial species undergoing extended consultations. For a description of the consultation paths these species will undergo, please visit the Species at Risk (SAR) Public Registry website at: The Minister of the Environment's Response to Species at Risk Assessments. To respond to survey questions, please go to the survey page.


Keno is a popular game that could be compared with the Giant State. It is very easy to play and extremely popular in most casinos for this reason alone.
There are 80 numbers on ping pong balls, which are usually spun, similar to the lottery. Players need to pick up to 15 numbers that they think will be drawn. Eventually the house will draw out 15 numbers and players need to match them up to get a win. Bets are place by players buying a keno ticket, where they fill out the numbers that they think are eventually going to be the big winners for the day.
Players can essentially mark the ticket with individual numbers, or they can go for clusters of numbers using a combination ticket. They can use combination tickets in order to try and find different ways to win and give themselves a better chance of a cash prize.
Different casinos will have different rules regarding payouts and the min/max bets allowed. When the dealer is ready, all bets will be stopped. The numbers are drawn and the winners are paid off; the cycle starts all over again!


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Our Fires and Fire-Sides
By John Murdoch
January 30, 1874.—On this date Mr. John Murdoch read a paper on
OUR FIRES AND FIRE-SIDES.
The subject which I have chosen is a practical one, and I hope you will consider it seasonable. Even to those in whom the organs of ideality, wonder, and wit are largely developed, this evening devoted to the grosser matters of our Fires and Fire-sides will not, I hope, be a great sacrifice.
I have chosen this subject at the present time, thinking that the exhorbitant price of fuel might induce people to give an amount of attention to the economics of our fires and fire-places which they might decline to do when coals were only at a reasonable price.
No doubt there could be a good deal of poetry and sentiment entwined around the subject. Numbers of beautiful pictures could be conjured up about our ingle-sides, our blazing logs, and our family circles, with their endearing associations and memories; but in one brief hour I can hardly dispose of the mass of matter which I have to lay before you; and in justice to myself, and in mercy to you, I shall not give more time to the subject.
"And," some one asks, "if we are not to have poetry and sentiment around our hearths, what are we to have?"
You shall have a treatise on our Fires, our Fire-places, and our Fuel.
In the first place, I need hardly mention the fact, that no question presses so heavily upon all classes of the community at this moment as that of Fuel does; and if I can do ever so little towards the solution of that question, it is my duty to do so.
Hitherto, as a rule, we have applied our fuel as if it had been an object with us to get it out of the way; or to bum as much as possible and get the least possible heat from it For example, the practice of placing the fresh coal on the top of the fire is one of the most flagrant pieces of waste of which we need be guilty. A great deal of the heat of the existing fire is expended in forcing up the chimney the gas which is distilled from the fresh coal. Large volumes of smoke escape up the chimney, or out through the house, when a fresh supply of coal is put on. The smoke which we thus waste is the material out of which, with more scientific contrivances, illuminating gas is manufactured. This smoke escapes, not only to our own direct and immediate loss, but it becomes a nuisance to the whole community; and what should be heating and lighting our houses, falls in smuts and in flakes of soot upon our persons, and upon white dresses which are spread or hung out to dry. That this is good fuel, you have abundance of proof in the fact that soot takes fire so readily when it falls back into the fire-place; and what we want is an apparatus which will burn it before it has gone up the chimney at all. Another proof is often displayed to you in the fire-place when you take time to watch it You see a jet of brown smoke escaping from a piece of fresh coal which has begun to split and crumble with the heat. Set a taper to this jet, and it becomes a bright and beautiful flame. Now, what is true of these jets of smoke is true of nearly the whole smoke together; and one of the practical questions which have been asked a thousand times is, "How can we best consume our own smoke, and convert it into heat and light?"
There have been a good many contrivances invented for this purpose, but there have been a good many—no doubt very stupid —excuses for not departing from the old wasteful way. The principle of all of them may be said to be one. You have a good example in the paraffin lamp of the present day. Without the brass dome and the glass, one-half the gas of the oil would escape in smoke, and rest in soot upon your ceilings and walls. But with the dome, the heat of the existing flame is kept in so as to set fire to part of that smoke; and when the glass is added, much even of what escapes the dome is kindled, and light comes out of darkness. The same thing is done in those furnaces in which the smoke of the fresh coal is made to pass closely over the red embers; or still better, where this gas is made to pass up, or down, or across, as the case may be, right through the strong, red fire. This is the secret of the whole affair—of consuming your own smoke, and taking both heat and light out of darkness.
The thing has been accomplished in thousands of instances, by simply placing the red fire on the top of the fresh coal. Then, as the gas or smoke escapes from the newly-heated coal, it passes into the overlying fire, is kindled, and becomes fire instead of smoke.
But the waste of fuel in these and in other respects is almost insignificant, as compared with the waste of fire after we have kindled it. The practice of putting our fire places, three sides in the wall, and only one side towards us, is surely very absurd in a country where heat is an object. At a rough estimate, we do not get more than one-fourth of the heat which is thus generated. You have, in fact, fire enough in one stupidly arranged grate or stove to give as much heat to each of three apartments as it at present gives to one, not to speak of the further heating which might be effected with what escapes by the vent.
Everyone who has seen the American stoves and ranges in use knows the very small amount of fuel which can be made to do the work of a very large fire in our ordinary ranges. And I have seen a Belgian apparatus which heated five different pans with a fire which you could put into a gallon measure. In Sweden they have carried their economical invention so far as to make one small fire cook half-a-dozen different dishes in such rapid succession as to be done simultaneously. They have a case covered with wadding, so as that it will allow scarcely any of the heat which it receives to escape. There is a cooking pan, or pot, or kettle, which fits exactly into this case. It is charged, say, with so many pounds of mutton to be boiled. It is placed in an opening in the stove, until it has begun to boil. The Swede lifts the heated vessel, and places it in the non-conducting wadding. The potatoes, the pie, the pudding, are in succession brought to the boil in the same manner, and placed in their respective non-conducting cases; and thus you see another way in which one small fire can be made to do three, four, or five times the cooking which we, in our extravagance, would think of making It do!
Instead of letting the heat away into dead walls, we should let it into one or two other rooms, and instead of letting so much heat out at the top of the chimney, make it heat one or two apartments in different storeys. This has actually been done by a clergyman near Dumfries. 'Then, there is the heating of a whole house by means of hot air pipes, by means of hot water, or by means of steam. The kitchen fire, with any of these, would render any other fire entirely unnecessary in a large house; and what people would in former years have scouted as un-British, &c., will, in the year 1875, be adopted as eminently practical and necessary, and we will wonder at our own slavish conformity to a wasteful custom.
No doubt it is pleasant to see the flame of our fires, and to watch the faces, of which we have heard so much; but these, I fancy, must give way to the inevitable, as our pleasant sailing craft gave way to the grinding and champing of the steamboat; as the pleasant stage coach made way for the iron horse and his train of unpoetical vans; and as the old system of signals from hill-top to hill-top has been banished by the telegraph.
For my own part, I look forward to the time when these hot air and hot water appliances shall have made our houses ten times more pleasant than they ever were with grates.
Let us have those appliances once in general use, and you will have every new house fitted up with means of delectable cleanliness which will give to every family at home some of the luxuries whieh cannot at present be enjoyed excepting at the cost of a visit to an establishment like Cluny Hill.
But I must pass from this mere economy in the use of fuel to the subject of how and where we are to get fuel with which to supply the more economical fire-places of the no distant future.
For my part, I do not see any good reason why we, away in the North, or why others away to the West, have waited so long to be taught the use of our peat bogs. I am afraid this waiting was only a matter of silly fashion and prejudice, begotten of a false deference to the denizens of the coal-producing regions of Great Britain. This is no mere flight of fancy; nor is it a random shaft let fly at another people. It is a well-grounded conviction of mine that in too many things—I do not say in all—we in the Highlands neglect advantages which nature has given us, for no better reason than that the example of utilizing them has not been set in the Lowlands. England and the South of Scotland have their coal beds far down in the bowels of the earth; we have ours spread out on the face of the earth. Thus, coal has had to be brought up at terrible sacrifices, physical, social, and moral; in so much, that whole populations have been, to a notorious degree and extent, demoralized, or, as some would say, brutalized—at any rate, degraded—far below the general level of our working classes. Yet, we have stood by lamenting the absence of the coal beds which cost so much, whilst our own coal beds might have been turned to account, in the light of day, and in the balmy breath of heaven. The right way of following the example of England would have been to go to work at the peat which God gave us, as she did at her own coal.
True, we have been cutting peats. But peats are not genteel. They are only fuel for poor, vulgar mountaineers ! We adopted the fire-places, too, of the coal countries, and thus shut ourselves out from the use of peats. Our peat-burning neighbours and progenitors had their fires in the middle of the floor, with none of the heat escaping into dead walls, and not much of it even escaping by the "him." They had the full benefit of all they burned.
To this night I have a lively impression, and a grateful recollection of a warning I got at a peat fire in a village inn in the southwest of Ireland nine years ago. I had travelled twenty-five Irish miles on a Bianconi, out-side car, in pelting rain, all the way from Killamey to Kenmere. Finishing my business at the latter place, I set out on a forty-two miles' journey in the evening of the same day, on another outside car, drawn by a blind horse, as it proved, and driven by a dozing coachman. About ten o'clock we came to a stage at the village of Sneem. I need not tell you that we were cold, and stiff, and hungry. I was shown into a tidy little stalllike room, to await the tea, the toast, the bacon, and the eggs. I did not stay long in my stall. I made a hurried survey, and shortly found the kitchen, bright and warm, and comfortable, and homely, where I readily received a hearty welcome from the inmates, who sat around the peat fire in the middle of the floor. I feel as if some of that warmth were still about me, and the picture of that pleasant, homely group still hanging up among my mind's furnishings and adornments. In and around that fire you can get poetry and philosophy as well as domestic economy, if you choose to hover about it. For me, I must leave it, and turn to our own peats and peat bogs.
There are fourteen years, or more, since I endeavoured to impress the public with the value of our peat mosses ; and when the country began in the beginning of last autumn, to feel the pressure of the coal famine, and when there was reason to think that there would be some weather to dry peats, I wrote to one of our local papers on the subject, urging that steps should be taken immediately to cut peats, and have them ready for the winter. Since then, numbers of others have taken the subject up.
It is far within the mark to say that in the Highlands we have 1,000,000 acres of peat bog, the depth of three feet. In Ireland there are over four and a quarter million acres, estimated at an average depth of eleven feet.
Our own million acres will give nearly five billions of solid yards; and if you assume that five yards will yield a ton of dried peat, compressed peat, or dense peat, as the case may be, we have one billion of tons of excellent fuel in Scotland, and somewhere about twelve billions in Ireland.
Now, as to the use of peat, that, as we have seen, is no innovation. There may, of course, be room for great improvements in the mode of preparation, both as regards economy in production, and pleasantness and utility in consumption.
There are many processes in which peat* even as at present prepared in the Highlands, is found more serviceable than coal; as in smelting and finishing the best descriptions of iron, and in making malt for His Gillatirm. For both of these purposes there has been a considerable traffic in peats ever since I can remember.
The using of our peat mosses would give to our own people the employment and wages which we now pay to others for the mining of coals. It would create traffic for the railways which pass over our mosses—as the Highland, the Dingwall and Skye, and the Sutherland and Caithness. It would lay bare for cultivation vast tracts of country now felt to be needed for the production of straw, hay, and turnips with which to produce more and cheaper beef and mutton.
In regard to the reclamation of land, I remember when Blair Drummond Moss was being reclaimed, and so great was the value attached to the land beneath the peat, that men were employed, and machinery was invented, to remove the peat moss into the river Forth, to be carried down the Firth, and now you will see some of the finest farms and crops in Scotland where, forty years ago, there was nothing but a brown wilderness, fit habitation for nothing but snipe!
I do not know any towns so well situated as Inverness, Nairn and Forres for turning our peat resources to account I have been on the look-out for available mosses, and I find the finest fields for such an undertaking on the south side of the Highland line, between Dava and Grantown, and Kildrummie Moss, near Nairn..
The peats which come into Inverness are brought a distance of from seven to ten miles in small carts, at a cost which you can readily understand to be enormous. To Forres they could be taken by train from Dava, and thus be less than half the price we pay for them in Inverness.
I know that many persons found coals cheaper than peats, and that coals are used in the heart of peat-producing countries. That is only analogous to the other fact that coals from Newcastle and from Lanark are burnt over the coal mines of Brora and Kilkenny. You can well understand that it would net pay the Durham and Staffordshire farmers to dig for their own use, the coal which lies under their own homesteads. The concentration of trained force and the division of labour make it better for the farmers to stick to their agriculture and for the miners to stick to their mining. If the coalmasters had no better roads to their pits than our fanners hare to their mosses, and if they had no regular traffic, they would find the production of coals just as bad, if not worse, than our ordinary citizens find the producing of peats.
With trained hands, with proper implements and machinery, with drying sheds, with good roads, tramways, and railways—all made available for turning our mosses to account—does it not stand to reason that we might have peat fuel at our doors, at least as much cheaper as it is nearer to us than coal
And what is thus, as I think, so obvious a priori, is established by facts gathered from different parts of the Continent of Europe and America.
It is reported that on the Grand Trunk Railway, peat is manufactured in large quantities, at a cost of 9s to 10s per ton, where coals were 40s, and now, in all probability, 45s or perhaps 50s per ton. Peat, there, then, where the manufacture is gone about as it ought to be with us, is not one-fourth the cost of the coal
Another test. On a train running 177 miles, the coal expenditure was found to be £6. It took £6 3s worth of wood to do the same work ; but with peat it was done for £1 10s. There, they use machinery for pulping the peat moss. It is then lifted by another machine which travels over the ground, and spreads the pulp over the grass, heather, and rushes. In this rough way it is left to dry, and afterwards gathered in shapeless masses, and burnt without any further preparation. You will observe, that in this instance, the only improvement consists in the use of machinery. There is evidently no improvement in the finished article.
In Bavaria, there are considerable manufactories of peat, simply cut and prepared as is done already in this country; and the chief use to which the article is applied is that of feeding railway engines.
In the Netherlands, peat of the ordinary description, is the staple fuel of the country; and during the season people flock in from Hanover, and from tie adjacent parts of Germany to work in the mosses, the same as the Irish reapers used to migrate to the English and Scotch harvest, and as the hop-pickers flock to Kent and Famham.
But in the Netherlands the manufacture of peat has made some progress towards the production of a perfect article of fuel So it has in Bavaria, in Prussia, in Bohemia, and in France.
There have been two principles attempted to be carried out in this improved manufacture. The one is that of compressing the peat by machinery. This finished article I wish you to remember under the name of "compressed peat." The other principle is that of so preparing and placing the material, that it will become dense in obedience to the law by which the particles of matter are drawn to each other. The finished article in this case is called "dense peat."
Of the first of these, I shall only wait to say, that machinery is used to tear up the moss, and reduce it as quickly as possible to dust. This is then placed in a machine, and so driven together by force, that it comes out in solid cakes, ready for use. I have seen them, and in form they were very much like as if you cut a large sausage in discs of about an inch and a-half in thickness.
Attempts have been made to compress the peat in a wet state, but I do not know that it has been successfully done anywhere.
One of the methods adopted is that of reducing the moss to the finest pulp, then spreading it out of a certain thickness, and allowing it to dry and solidify of its own accord.
It is a curious thing that this method is simply an improvement upon what was done by our forefathers when the more tenacious bogs had been exhausted. I have seen them take the more brittle strata of the peat, mix the substance with water, and spread it out on the sward. In the course of a few days, it had acquired a certain degree of solidity, when they entered with their bare feet, and cut it in long pieces from side to side of the patch. It was then out across into lengths of an ordinary peat, and afterwards treated in every respect as is done with peats cut in the usual way.
Now, in the four northern provinces of Holland, in Brandenberg, in Gratzen, in Bohemia, and in the French department of Oise, the old-fashioned principle is being carried out by machinery. The material is macerated by being put through a machine somewhat like that used in preparing clay for making bricks.
In some of these places, the macerated mass comes out in two continuous pieces, which are cut, either by hand or by machinery, into suitable lengths. The peats are then placed on trays, and laid out to dry in racks.
At Aibling, in Bavaria, the material is prepared in pretty much, the same way, under the direction of Dr. Herold of Munich; but instead of being formed into peats or bricks, it is cut into junks of about four inches in length. These pieces are placed upon enclined trays, on which they move, gradually passing from one tray to another, until at the end of their journey they drop off in dry balls.
At Gratzen, and at several other places, the pulp is simply spread out on a prepared surface, and levelled to a certain thickness by means of boards attached to the feet of the workers. In the course of a day or two, or three, according to the state of the weather, the stratum is cut, lengthwise and across, into something the size and shape of bricks. And such is the attraction of the particles that every peat is found in the course of drying to contract and solidify so as to leave a large space between the rows, where there was only a cut to begin with.
When they are sufficiently firm to be handled, they are lifted and placed in racks to dry.
It is to be noticed that in all the instances I have given, the excepting Aibling, the drying is done in the open air. Dr. Herold, however, has done what I have no doubt we shall do when we take the matter up—he has erected sheds, so as not only to keep off the rain, but cause a greater draught through the racks.
There is one fact which I shall mention by way of counterbalancing what a very patriotic gentleman in Rossi-shire said a short time ago. Early in the season he went manfully into the peat-cutting; but when the time for carrying them home arrived, he made inquiry, and found that to get at them you had to wade through two hundred yards of water! This "dished" his peat-cutting enterprise, and he gave the fact to the world as an evidence of the impossibility of doing anything in the matter. But mark.
In the peat manufacture of M. Colart at Fontaine-sur-Somme, the material is all taken from a marsh under water, from one to two feet in depth. The peat is actually cut under the water. And a German of the name of Brosowsky has invented a machine to be used for the purpose. What would our friend in Ross-shire say to these Frenchmen and Germans? What they would say to him, I presume, would be, to adapt his plans to the requirements of the case, and not to wait till Jupiter dried up the marsh.
Even in the German case, the finished article did not cost more than 6s per ton, including the labour of taking the raw material from under the water.
The cost at Herzfelde was 6s 6d per ton; at Aibling, 12s 2d, but expected to be reduced by Dr. Herold; in America, on the Grand Trunk, 9s to 10s; New England, 8s to 10s; New York, 9s to 10s.
I have said nothing about Box's method, which has been patented, and which has been pretty well ventilated in the press. Besides, there are some points connected with that method of which some of us are not quite sure yet.
I must not, however, pass over the fact, that we can have light as well as heat from peat. I have seen peat gas made, I have seen it burnt, and have seen it tested, and know it to be a fact that it can be made; and it is expected that the suburb of Inchecore, near Dublin, will be lighted with gas made from peat.
Another fact. You will see in this day's Scotsman that a company is being formed to manufacture fuel from the bogs of Kerry, in the south-west of Ireland.
And speaking of Ireland, as I should like to so do of Scotland, I must direct attention to the fact that a commission, originated by Mr. Edward Purdon, ex-Lord Mayor of Dublin, and proprietor of The Irish Farmer's Gazette, has just returned from the Continent with a large mass of valuable information—not merely in theory or in science—as to what has actually been done in the way of utilizing bogs to yield fuel. To the report published by this commission I am indebted for some of the most telling facts in this paper ) and when we in this country, as well as our friends in Ireland, shall have had the sense to make proper use of our bogs, we shall, if we have the good taste and honesty which ought' to characterise us, ascribe a good deal of the result to the patriotism and enterprise of Alderman Purdon, and to the information collected and made public by the other members of the commission.
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AzurRx BioPharma Receives Insititutional Review Board Approval to Commence its Phase 2 OPTION 2 Clinical Trial of MS1819 in Cystic Fibrosis
IRB protocol approval provides green-light to initiate trial at U.S. clinical sites
NEW YORK, April 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX) ("AzurRx" or the "Company"), a company specializing in the development of non-systemic, recombinant therapies for gastrointestinal diseases, today announced that it has received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval of its Phase 2 OPTION 2 clinical trial protocol to investigate MS1819 in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI).
"We are very pleased to receive IRB approval and look forward to entering the clinic," said James Pennington, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of AzurRx. "We believe it is important to have a synthetic recombinant alternative to the current porcine derived PERT treatment, and optimizing our MS1819 dose is one more step forward towards realizing this goal. We look forward to working with our clinical collaborators and participating patients to test the efficacy of a higher dose of MS1819 and enteric capsules in this study."
James Sapirstein, Chief Executive Officer of AzurRx added, "We are moving all the critical regulatory, clinical and manufacturing pieces into place to initiate the OPTION 2 trial. The FDA has reviewed the clinical trial protocol with no comments; IRB protocol approval allows us to initiate the trial at U.S. clinical sites; and the recently announced support by the Therapeutics Development Network (TDN) to conduct our clinical study allows for access to its 91 accredited U.S. care centers with established expertise in CF clinical research. We are now actively engaging clinical sites in the U.S. and Europe for the trial and, barring any coronavirus delays, look forward to initiating this trial in the coming weeks."
Phase 2 OPTION 2 Trial Design
The Phase 2 OPTION 2 multi-center trial is designed to investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of MS1819 (2.2 and 4.4 gram doses in enteric capsules) in a head-to-head manner versus the current standard of care, porcine pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) pills. The OPTION 2 trial will be an open-label, crossover study, conducted in 15 sites in the U.S. and Europe. A total of 30 CF patients 18 years or older will be enrolled. MS1819 will be administered in enteric capsules to provide gastric protection and allow optimal delivery of enzyme to the duodenum. Patients will first be randomized into two cohorts: to either the MS1819 arm, where they receive a 2.2 gram daily oral dose of MS1819 for three weeks; or to the PERT arm, where they receive their pre-study dose of PERT pills for three weeks. After three weeks, stools will be collected for analysis of coefficient of fat absorption (CFA). Patients will then be crossed over for another three weeks of the alternative treatment. After three weeks of cross-over therapy, stools will again be collected for analysis of CFA. A parallel group of patients will be randomized and studied in the same fashion, using a 4.4 gram daily dose of MS1819. All patients will be followed for an additional two weeks after completing both crossover treatments for post study safety observation. Patients will be assessed using descriptive methods for efficacy, comparing CFA between MS1819 and PERT arms, and for safety.
About MS1819
MS1819 is a recombinant lipase enzyme for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). MS1819, supplied as an oral non-systemic biologic capsule, is derived from the Yarrowia lipolytica yeast lipase and breaks up fat molecules in the digestive tract of EPI patients so that they can be absorbed as nutrients. Unlike the standard of care, the MS1819 synthetic lipase does not contain any animal products.
About Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) is a condition characterized by a deficiency of the pancreatic digestive enzymes in the intestinal tract needed to breakdown the nutrients in food so that they can be properly absorbed. This deficiency results in abdominal discomfort and pain, frequent bowel movements, steatorrhea, poor fat absorption, weight loss and chronic malnutrition.
There are approximately 90,000 patients in the U.S. with EPI caused by chronic pancreatitis according to the National Pancreas Foundation, and more than 30,000 patients with EPI caused by CF according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The current therapeutic standard of care for these patients are porcine pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) pills.
AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX) is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development of non-systemic biologics for the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal disorders. The Company is headquartered in New York, NY, with scientific operations based in Langlade, France and clinical operations in Hayward, California. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.azurrx.com.
This press release may contain certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company's belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. It is possible that the Company's actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning the Company and its business, including a discussion of factors that could materially affect the Company's financial results, including those related to the clinical development of MS1819, the results of its clinical trials, and the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Company's operations and current and planned clinical trials, including, but not limited to delays in clinical trial recruitment and participation are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 under the heading "Risk Factors," as well as the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which we hereafter become aware.
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BEIJING: Chinese scientists are designing a morphing aircraft that takes its inspiration from bees, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).
The morphing airplane is expected to reduce resistance during flight and be more fuel-efficient, CALT said on its official website.
According to the designer Hu Guotun, morphing aerospace aircraft travel through the atmosphere to space before returning to the atmosphere. In the process of re-entry, the aircraft will use its own inertial glide for a period of time. Minimizing flight resistance is vital for saving fuel.
"We have drawn inspiration from the bee's abdomen structure, which allows the bee to flex freely and control the direction of flight," said Hu.
Based on the bee's flexible abdomen structure, CALT designed a morphing nose cone for the aircraft, which changes in different stages of flight.
Through simulation, they found that the morphing nose cone can reduce aerodynamic drag by more than 20 percent.
"The morphing structure provides an efficient way for aerospace vehicles to reduce aerodynamic drag and save fuel, which is of great importance to the commercial aerospace market," Hu said.


Pericles Kondylatos designed a collection of jewellery, especially for Vassilis Zoulias' summer collection. Today I visited the boutique of Mr. Zoulias in Kolonaki and had a look at this 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' all based on shells.
Pericles Kondylatos is an artist doing more than only jewelry. Have a look at some of my previous posts about him, for example about the 8th Gazart.