2015 Robot Industry Development Report (full version)
As China's demographic dividend disappears, robots are not only replacing workers in manufacturing, but also replacing humans in the fields of military, service, entertainment, etc. "Iron Man" is not only in American science fiction movies, but is entering us. life. This report analyzes the robot industry and leading listed companies, compares the technical routes, development paths, and downstream market distribution of the robot industry in Japan, the United States, and Germany, predicts the development direction and space of the domestic robot industry, and explores the tenbager of the Chinese stock market.
(1) The service robot is a young member of the robot family, and its positioning is service. The current marketization of service robots in the world is still in its infancy, but it is growing rapidly due to the rigid drive and aging and other rigid drives and technological development. According to the reports from marketsandmarkets, the global service robot market in 2012 was 20.73 billion US dollars. It is estimated that the compound annual growth rate will reach 17.4% in 2012-2017 and reach 46.18 billion US dollars in 2017. The industry space is huge, and China will become a latecomer, and the growth rate will be faster.
(2) At present, at least 48 countries in the world are developing robots, and 25 of them have been involved in the development of service robots. In Japan, North America and Europe, there are now more than 40 types of service robots in seven types of experimental and semi-commercial applications in the field of service robots. The development is in the forefront of the countries, the Western countries are represented by the United States, Germany and France. Asia is represented by Japan and South Korea. In 2012, China formulated the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan for Service Robot Technology Development” to support the development of the industry.
(3) The emergence of Da Vinci robots indicates the advent of the third generation of surgical surgery. Medical robots, as the professional service robot with the highest unit value, are the hotspots of the current medical industry. The world's leading medical robotics company, Intuition Surgery, had revenues of $2.265 billion in 2013, with a total market capitalization of $15.96 billion. In the next four years, medical machines will grow at a rate of 19% per year, and the global market size is expected to grow to $11.9 billion in 2016. Although the popularity of medical robots in China is low and the start is late, companies such as Harbin Institute of Technology and Bosch have also actively intervened.
(4) The engine of world economic growth is about to enter the RT era by IT, and the family intelligent robot will become the core terminal of the family in the era of intelligent Internet of Things. In 2012, the total consumption of smart home robot products reached US$1.6 billion. The leading company iRobot achieved revenue of US$254 million in the first half of 2014, with a global market share of over 60% and a market capitalization of approximately US$1 billion. IFR forecasts that an estimated 22 million smart home robots will be sold in 2013-2016. Although China's family service robot technology is relatively backward, the relevant enterprises have achieved the combination of research and production, which has already begun to take shape, with good performance and huge space.
(5) Military robots are the key strategic strategies for military security in the 21st century: The Tyre Group said that the global R&D investment and procurement demand for UAVs will reach US$94 billion in the next 10 years. The military robots include the United States, Germany, Britain, France and France. These countries are not only in the forefront of technology research, but their products have already been used in the military. The technological gap between China and these powerful countries is obvious, supported by policies, and military robot-related enterprises. The development prospects are clearly good and may become a strong income guarantee for the company in the future.
The robot revolution was proposed in a scientific report entitled "Autonomous System" published by the Royal College of Engineering on August 19, 2009, as artificial intelligence robots and computers will increasingly appear in all aspects of life, 2019 Will usher in the robot revolution. In the past two years, as China's demographic dividend has fallen and labor prices have risen, robots are not only replacing workers in manufacturing, but also surpassing humans in military, reconnaissance, service, and entertainment. Take the example of a robot dog LS3 designed by Boston Dynamics, which is acquired by Google. It can carry 32.2 kilometers with a load of 181 kilograms without replenishment for 24 hours. It can also be in woods, rocks, obstacles. Follow the soldiers in complex terrain such as the city. In addition, unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance, unmanned vehicles, robots for accompanying care, robots for children's education and entertainment, and household robots for cleaning, "Iron Man" has not only existed in science fiction movies, robots Going into our lives.
From the robot application environment, robot experts divide robots into two categories, industrial robots and service robots. Industrial robots can be roughly classified into welding robots, handling robots, painting robots, rubberizing robots, assembly robots, palletizing robots, cutting robots, automatic tractors (AGV) robots, and clean room robots. The service robot is a variety of advanced robots other than industrial robots for non-manufacturing and serving humans, mainly including personal/home service robots and professional service robots. Among them, personal/home robots mainly include: homework robots, entertainment and leisure robots, handicapped assisted robots, residential safety and surveillance robots; professional service robots mainly include: field robots, professional cleaning robots, medical robots, logistics robots, inspection and Maintenance robots, construction robots, underwater robots, and defense, rescue and safety application robots, etc.
Our 2014 robot industry report series is divided into two parts: industrial robots and service robots. Although the Chinese robots are still in the initial stage, the domestic six-axis robots produce less than 2,000 units, and the core component reducers are almost imported. However, the Chinese market has become the world's largest market, with huge potential demand in the manufacturing, logistics, service and military sectors. In the past two years, China's robot industry investment is also in full swing. Dozens of listed companies have announced their entry into the robotics field. At the same time, the key technologies and core components of robots have not yet been broken, and the research and development personnel are in short supply, and the production capacity of low-end robots is repeated. Is there any excess of domestic robot production capacity? What kind of strategy should Chinese robotics companies adopt? In which application areas is China expected to achieve import substitution? What is the space for industrial robots, service robots, and military robots in the future? This report analyzes the robot industry and the world's leading listed companies, compares the technical routes, development paths, and downstream market distribution of the robotics industry in Japan, the United States, and Germany, and forecasts the development direction and space of the domestic robot industry, hoping for the robot industry, one or two. Level market investment has helped to tap China's tenbager.
Cartesian robots - will be the best seller in the Chinese market
The field of robotics and artificial intelligence is gaining momentum – are you ready?


What’s it all about anyway?
Posted on January 16, 2017 by Miriam Lorie
“Thank you” I said to the man in the flat tweed cap holding the park gate open for me. “That’s absolutely alright” he replied, as I walked through. He crossed the other way into the park, with a dog on a lead, and went on his way.
It was such a brief, passing interaction, but it brought a nostalgic sense of the quiet, pleasant way of British living that I’d missed flooding over me.
Being back in the UK, even for just a week, has triggered all sorts of thoughts about cultural differences between the corner of Jerusalem I’m calling home this year, and the corner of greater London I call home in general. And it has taken me right back to my ‘first’ gap year 12 years ago, and my perception then of the differences between the same two cultures.
If you’ll forgive the barrage of sweeping generalisation that is inevitable with this kind of cultural comparison, I’ll go on. Without a doubt, every thing that I’m about to characterise as particular to one of my two worlds, could be said of parts of the other. Nevertheless I really feel a certain difference, so, I’ll go on.
Life here in Jerusalem, whether you’re religious or secular, seems to be lived at 100 volts. It’s intense. Even meetings in cafes like the one in which I’m writing this blog, are passionate affairs. People fling their arms around one another, cackle loudly, argue, wave their hands in the air. Back in my England home, encounters are more measured, restrained, even flavoured with a degree of nihilism.
If this is true of relationships between people who know one another, it certainly is between strangers. The cliches about avoiding eye contact on the tube are accurate. People retain an affable distance physically and emotionally. Not so in Israel. Here, you’re part of one big family, like it or not. Like your family, strangers will look after you when you’re in need. Like your family, they will also offer unsolicited advice on what you’re wearing, what’s healthy, how to parent, what to order on a menu, what your family planning decisions should be, how to spend money… Actually, thinking about it, even close family in the UK wouldn’t be this intrusive. I secretly love it. But it’s so different.
This brings me to politeness. I’ve missed the sense of ever-present British politeness here. But the non-politeness goes beyond a cultural difference; I think it’s more of an ideology. My Israeli relatives tease me for saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ so much. For them politeness is a facade, a false barrier covering true feelings. I think they might also see it as a bit of a social indulgence – a silly game to be played between people who know the rules.
There are other differences I’ve felt too. The standard of living is generally higher in the UK. People are more into ‘things’. Body image is of central importance. Less so here I feel, where women’s clothes, in the religious world but also beyond, are draped more loosely and aren’t designed to show off the body beneath. Maybe more of this in another blog, but for now suffice to say that life here feels characterised and motivated by passionate, feeling-fuelled encounters with others, and a far cry from the more restrained, respectful mode that orders British society.
Back in 2004, I felt a different set of tensions. Aged 18 and fired up by religious passion after a year studying in an orthodox all-girls seminary, every small move in life in Jerusalem seemed imbued with a sense of great import. Every moment was to be used wisely because time was short. There was so much Torah to be studied. My actions and speech could make a real difference to others so every word was weighed, every activity considered carefully. A mundane everyday errand to buy milk in Jerusalem was an act of building the State of Israel. My prayers could really affect the world. Even my choice of boyfriend had a potential impact on the future shape of the Jewish people.
I’m painting a bit of a caricature here, and ignoring the cynical streak that was quietly present throughout my whole year at seminary, but nevertheless, coming back to England in 2005 after a year immersed in that world, was a shock. Back in England, I was horrified by the many ways people found to distract themselves from what I considered to be “actually important”. Parties where drinking obliterated all memory of the night, watching banal TV programmes, fashions whose aim was to show off as much as possible. I found middle class distractions distasteful too: luxury products, social posturing, wasting time intricately decorating a cakes…
Am I sounding like a self-righteous brat? Well reader, I changed. I can now think of little better than wasting time intricately decorating a cake. And while getting drunk and forgetting the night before still isn’t my thing, my entire approach to what is “actually important” has shifted. Back in England a fortnight ago, I was delighted to come across a whole article on the best way to make vegetable crisps from scratch at home. I sighed a deep sigh of relief to see neat rows of houses with well-tended, keep-up-with-the-neighbours front gardens. And I silently brimmed over with happiness when a man with a tweed hat held a park gate open for me.
Because while life is about using our time wisely, and while I still believe that Judaism calls upon me make a difference in the world, I believe that life is also about slowing things down, savouring those experiences where infinity seems captured in a moment, being kind to one another and kind to ourselves, training ourselves in the mindfulness that comes from paying close attention to an intricate task, and enjoying the sights, experiences and bounty of the world we get to live in.
There you go – the meaning of life. Now ignore all of this and go make some root vegetable crisps.
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Home»World News»Europe»Michel Robin, Longtime French Character Actor, Dies at 90
Michel Robin, Longtime French Character Actor, Dies at 90
1 December 2020 Europe, World News 4 Views
Michel Robin, an award-winning French actor who became a familiar face from his roles in more than a hundred movies and television shows, died on Nov. 18. He was 90.
The cause was Covid-19, according to a statement from the Comédie-Française, the prestigious theater company in Paris where he was a longtime member. The company did not specify where he died.
“The French didn’t always know his name, but they recognized his face, which illuminated stages and screens,” the office of the French president said.
Michel Robin was born on Nov. 13, 1930, in Reims, in eastern France. After studying law in Bordeaux, he decided to try his luck as an actor and took drama lessons in Paris when he was 26.
From 1958 to 1964, Mr. Robin was part of a theater company near Lyon led by the playwright Roger Planchon before moving on to the Renaud-Barrault company in Paris. His career in theater spanned over 50 years, and he distinguished himself in classics by authors like Molière, Chekhov and Brecht.
Mr. Robin was especially fond of Samuel Beckett, and played Lucky in Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” in 1970 and, 10 years later, Clov in his “Endgame.”
“It might seem pretentious, but with Beckett, I feel at home,” Mr. Robin told the newspaper Le Monde in a 2003 interview. “It’s so funny and so awful at the same time.”
He joined the Comédie-Française in 1994 and became a staple of its productions for 15 years, often playing the classic supporting role of elderly servants.
“Michel always played the old, very early in his career,” Éric Ruf, the general administrator of the Comédie-Française, said in a statement about Mr. Robin’s death. “He recently admitted that he was finally old enough for those roles, and that it annoyed him.”
Starting in the late 1960s, Mr. Robin also appeared in movies by a number of directors, including Costa-Gavras, Claude Chabrol, and Alain Resnais. In “Amélie,” the 2001 movie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, he played the father of Mr. Collignon, an irritable grocer. On television, he appeared in shows including the French version of “Fraggle Rock” in the 1980s and “Boulevard du Palais,” a police drama, in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 1979, Mr. Robin won a prize at the Locarno Film Festival for his role as an old farmer in the Swiss comedy “Les Petites Fugues” (“Small Escapes”). In 1990, he won a Molière — France’s most prestigious theater award — for best supporting actor, for his role in “La Traversée de l’Hiver” (“Winter Crossing”), a play by Yasmina Reza about a group of six vacationers on a melancholic mountain retreat.
He is survived by a daughter, Amélie, and a grandson, Gaspard.
Tags actor character dies French Longtime Michel Robin
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Created by David Califa. Managed by sasko
Latest Activity: Feb 9, 2012
On this Human Rights Day, it is my hope that we will all act on our collective responsibility to uphold the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration. We can only honour the towering vision of that inspiring document when its principles are fully applied everywhere, for everyone."
We must work for the full implementation of human rights on the ground in a way that affects and improves the lives of the men, women and children who are all entitled, regardless of their race, sex, religion, nationality, property or birth, to realization of each and every right set forth in the Universal Declaratio.
High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay
Compassion for the Taliban's Child Soldiers
Started by Suzette Piparo Nov 19, 2009. 0 Replies 0 Likes
Please help us in attaining the peace
Started by Muhammad Khurshid Apr 16, 2009. 0 Replies 0 Likes
If we really want to see true changes in the world
Started by Beatriz Pereira. Last reply by Beatriz Pereira Apr 14, 2009. 1 Reply 0 Likes
You need to be a member of HUMAN RIGTHS to add comments!
Comment by Fayssal Chafaki on February 9, 2012 at 6:06am
Free and Independent Palestine
Comment by Kalsi : We are all one . on February 28, 2010 at 6:53pm
Reallly , it's human rights...
Comment by Joseph Wronka on February 15, 2010 at 1:25am
It is a pleasure to have just found out about the Human Rights Group. I have always felt that the bedrock of social justice was human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the many beautiful conventions that followed it whose aims are, among others, to eradicate extreme poverty, discrimination against women, children, the disabled, and the aged. If you are an instructor, you can get a free copy of my book, Human Rights and Social Justice: Social Action and Service for the Helping and Health Professions (Sage, 2008). It has major conventions summarized and also an Instructor's Manual with PowerPoints, Slides, Social Action activities, questions for discussion. (Sorry for the advertisement, but I do think you might enjoy it) Here is the link:
http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book229258&;
If you are not an instructor and do not have any money to purchase it, then send me an email and I will see what I can do.
Peace, humility, and everlasting love,
Comment by Muhammad Khurshid on December 16, 2009 at 4:29pm
Hello my dear friends, today I want to share a good news with all of you. I am standing in the election of Peshawar Press Club, which is going to be held on Decemeber 30. I shall be candidate for the post of president of Peshawar. I am sure that I will win the election and then will be able to play more effective role in bringing peace to my region and whole world. Please pray for the success of peace. But at the moment I am feeling backpain. Please add your voice in my prayer for peace.
Comment by David Sparenberg on August 25, 2009 at 5:54pm
There is no time
For intellectual speculation;
There is no time for argument.
Does it have to be spelled out;
Does it even
Need to be spoken?
We both know what this is about.
Barriers of normalcy
The calculations
The social boxes
Political baggage.
This is now!
The age of thresholds
Not of locks.
Contriving complications
Feigning deafness
As an exit.
The problem is here
Before our faces
Looking at us
In our ears.
On a dying planet
In endless war
Or friends.
What is it going to be?
Do we have the courage
Humbly to become
The change we long for?
Or tell me this
—even if your heart is broken—
Is there a new horizon?
David Sparenberg
Comment by sasko on August 8, 2009 at 12:53am
Nobel Laureates in Dialogue:Connecting for Peace
They are renowned for their commitment to peace in the face of hate and violence. They are Nobel Peace Prize Laureates , recipients of what some deem to be the world’s highest honour.
The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire, Betty Williams, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Jody Williams will engage in dialogue on Sunday, September 27 at the Chan Centre beginning at 1 p.m. Mary Robinson, past president of Ireland, will moderate the discussion.
These champions of peace have survived great personal tragedy, dedicating their lives towards nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution. Each of their stories is an inspiration and testimony, and together they represent hope for positive change and a true chance for all of humanity.
Mairead Maguire
Maguire, cofounder of the Northern Ireland based Peace People, along with Betty Williams and and Ciaran McKeown, found it impossible to remain passive in the face of brutal unrest after the death of her sister’s three children. They were run down and killed by an I.R.A. (Irish Republican Army) get-away car after a British soldier shot its driver.
Maguire is an active pacifist passionately committed to nonviolent social and political change. She believes “When we reject weapons and war, when we uphold human rights and international law, when we build non-killing, nonviolent societies and world, refusing to kill each other but seeking nonviolent solutions to our problems, then we will have come of age as the human family.”
Over the 30 years since Williams was named a Laureate, she has devoted her life to promoting a new way of thinking on how we deal with the injustices, cruelty and horror perpetrated on the world’s children.“ I had no concept of the depth of the children’s suffering until witnessing their pain. Yet in a world that we know can feed itself, upwards of 40,000 children daily die from conditions of malnutrition. Surely we must question why we are allowing this carnage to continue,” Mrs. Williams says.
Today, Williams is helping to build the City of Peace for Children in Basilicata, Italy. In doing so she is fulfilling a dream to help refugee children seeking shelter in safe-zone countries to be housed, nurtured and educated. The goal is to build a city and give children the hope to believe that there is a possibility to live a life and feel accepted by humanity.
Rigoberta Menchú Tum
“We have learned that change cannot come through war. War is not a feasible tool to use in fighting against the oppression we face. War has caused more problems. We cannot embrace that path.”
So wrote Menchú, the Guatemalan native of Mayan descent, who grew up poor, and who, early in her youth embraced a life committed to social reform. Many members of her family were tortured and killed by the oppressive military dictatorship controlling her homeland. Despite threats to her own life, Menchú became a leading advocate of indigenous rights and ethno-cultural reconciliation. Today she continues her work, recognizing the Nobel Peace Prize as “…an instrument with which to fight for peace, for justice, for the rights of those who suffer the abysmal economic, social, cultural and political inequalities, typical of the order of the world in which we live…”
American-born aid worker, Williams played a key role in the establishment of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. Writing about the achievement of the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty in 1997, Williams said: “It has shown that in a partnership of civil society and governments, each brings particular assets to the process, which is made stronger by the participation of both. It demonstrates that small and middle powers can work together with civil society and address humanitarian concerns with breathtaking speed. It shows that such a partnership can be a new kind of "superpower" in the post-Cold War world.”
Along with Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi of Iran, in 2006 Williams took the lead in establishing the “Nobel Women’s Initiative,” together with sister Laureates Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan Maguire. Its mission is to use the prestige and access afforded by the Nobel Prize to spotlight and promote efforts of women’s rights activists, researchers and organizations working to advance peace, justice and equality for women.
"We believe that peace is much more than the absence of armed conflict. Peace is the commitment to equality and justice; a democratic world free of physical, economic, cultural, political, religious, sexual and environmental violence and the constant threat of these forms of violence against women – indeed against all of humanity. We also believe that violence is a choice and the creation of a just and peaceful world must start with people.”
Comment by St.Thomas SpreadingEagle on July 28, 2009 at 9:40pm
As a Native Indigenous Indian in America.a
nd a Ghost Dancer.I am all for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.I greatly wish the US Government would Have Integrity and Respect to Up Hold its Side of an Agreement for Human Rights.It Preaches Human Rights.My Experience of The United States is itself does not Practice it.It infact Violates Human Rights.AS a Indigenous Native American Indian.I have Wittness this,The Day will come and I will Testify against The US Goverment for Crimes Against Humanity at the Hague.St.Thomas SpreadingEagle,Shaman/Minister.
Comment by David Sparenberg on July 28, 2009 at 7:42pm
AN EXORCISM
This is an exorcism.
And it is said
for the angry and anguished dead
who are not departed.
over the barracks and ashen plots
of Auschwitz.
over the powdered bones
and the melted organs
of Hiroshima.
behind the choking voice
of common dignity
and before
the smoking battlefronts
of the inhuman heart.
These are words to release
ghettos of ghosts
from the silence
of endless torments. From
life’s madness.
These are words
and to protect us
of crimes committed
in the names of our sons
and our fathers.
It must be said
every place
a hand has clutched
and every place
a tooth has bitten.
To be repeated, year after year,
the holy graveyards of heaven
and the killing fields on earth.
And it is said for them
and for us.
For those who have fallen
under the heavy scythe of war.
And for those who await
the season of slaughter
from HEALING, A Book of Poetry by David Sparenberg


Asian Pacific American Heritage - Accomplishments
PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE
Working on Behalf of Asian And Pacific Americans
The Strongest Economy In A Generation. President Clinton's three-part economic strategy --balancing the budget, investing in our people, opening new markets to American goods and services --is working for America's families. Since 1993 it has helped bring about:
Strong economic growth. In the first quarter of 1998, the economy grew at a strong annual rate of 4.2 percent --the sixth consecutive quarter in which growth exceeded 3 percent;
The first investment-led expansion in three decades. In the first quarter of 1998, investment in business equipment rose 28.8 percent at an annual rate. For the first time on record, business investment has grown at double-digit rates for five years in a row;
The first balanced budget in a generation. The President's FY99 budget will be the first balanced budget in a generation, after inheriting a record $290 billion deficit in 1992.
The lowest unemployment level in more than 25 years. In 1992, the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. In the first quarter, the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent -- its lowest level since 1970;
Almost 15 million new jobs. Since President Clinton took office, the economy has added nearly 15 million new jobs -- with nearly two million new jobs in manufacturing and construction combined;
An increase in family income of nearly $2,200. Real wages are rising at their fastest pace in 20 years and the typical family's income is up nearly $2,200 since 1993, when adjusted for inflation;
The highest consumer confidence level in 30 years. In the first quarter of 1998, consumer confidence rose to is highest quarterly level since 1969.
The Lowest Inflation Since 1964. Over the past year, inflation rose just 1.4%--the smallest increase in 34 years.
Tripled the number of small business loans to Asian and Pacific American entrepreneurs. Between 1993 and 1997 the SBA approved nearly 17,000 loans to Asian and Pacific American entrepreneurs under the 7(a) and 504 loan programs. Last year alone, the Small Business Administration granted more than 4,500 loans to Asian and Pacific American small business owners, nearly triple the number of loans granted in 1992.
Largest investment in education in 30 years. Maintaining his longtime commitment to education, the President enacted the largest investment in education in 30 years --and the largest investment in higher education since the G.I. Bill --by signing the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
Foreign language. Restructured Foreign Language Assistance Programs to assist local schools in establishing programs in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Strongly opposed legislation to make English the official language of the United States which would have jeopardized services and programs for non-English speakers and jeopardized assistance to the tens of thousands of new immigrants and others seeking to learn English as adults.
Addressing minority needs. Hosted Asian Pacific American Education Forums to address the needs of Asian Pacific American students and their teachers.
AmeriCorps college support. Since 1993, more than 100,000 people have had the opportunity to serve through AmeriCorps, with Asian and Pacific American comprising 3% of all participants (1996 data). This year alone, nearly 50,000 young people will take advantage of the opportunity to serve and earn an award of up to $4,725 to pay for college or repay student loans.
The largest Pell Grant increase in 20 years. President Clinton increased Pell Grants from $2,300 in 1993 to $2,700 in 1997. These grants provide a total of 3.7 million low-income students the opportunity to attend college. And for FY 1998, Congress adopted President Clinton's proposal to increase the maximum Pell Grant to $3,000 --the largest increase in two decades. Approximately 3.7 million students will receive this year's $300 increase, and an additional 220,000 low-and moderate-income families that were not previously eligible will receive Pell Grants.
Higher education tax cuts. The balanced budget agreement calls for roughly $35 billion in tax cuts to help families pay for college. Congress has enacted the President's $1,500 HOPE Scholarship tuition tax credit, to make the first two years of college universally available. Students beyond the first two years, or part-time students seeking to improve or acquire job skills, can now receive a 20% lifelong learning tax credit for up to $5,000 of tuition and required fees through 2002, and $10,000 thereafter.
Increased bilingual education by 35%. Last year, enacted a 35% increase in bilingual and immigrant education secured by the President in the Balanced Budget Agreement. The bilingual education funding will help school districts teach English to more than a million limited English proficient children, as well as provide some 4,000 teachers with the training they need to do their jobs better. The Immigrant Education program will help more than a thousand school districts provide supplemental instructional services to 875,000 recent immigrant students.
Helping more children in elementary and secondary schools. In 1994, President Clinton reformed Title I --the major elementary and secondary program for disadvantaged children --clearing away barriers that had prevented limited-English proficient children from getting help.
Expanding access to educational technology. The President's 1997 Budget Agreement with Congress doubles the funding for America's Technology Literacy Challenge, catalyzing private-public sector partnerships to put the information age at our children's fingertips. The President is committed to helping communities and the private sector ensure that every student is equipped with the computer literacy skills needed for the 21st century. For 1998, the Appropriations Act provides $425 million, more than twice as much as the $200 million appropriated last year.
Linking schools and libraries to the Internet. The Clinton Administration is implementing a plan to create an "E-Rate," provided for in the Telecommunications Act, a discounted education rate for telecommunications services so schools and libraries will be able to bring technology into the classroom, set up phone lines and access the Internet at a fraction of the cost. The FCC has already approved a plan to make discounts worth approximately $1.8 billion in 1998 available to our schools and libraries, with low-income schools eligible for discounts of up to 90%.
Opposed Gallegly Amendment. The Administration opposed the Gallegly Amendment which would have ended the guarantee of public education for all children. It would have shifted immigration enforcement from the borders and work sites to classrooms and made children susceptible to gangs and violence.
Promoting Equal Opportunity
Building One America. The President is leading the nation in an effort to become One America in the 21st Century: a place where we respect others' differences and, at the same time, embrace the values that unite us. Angela Oh serves on the Advisory Board to the President's Initiative on Race, which the President charged with overseeing this effort.
An Administration that looks like One America. Appointed the most diverse Cabinet and Administration in history. The Clinton Administration has more than triple the number of Asian and Pacific American appointees as the previous Administration including Bill Lann Lee, Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Department of Justice; Nancy Ann-Min Deparle, Administrator of the Health Care Finance Administration, Department of Health and Human Services; and Robert Gee, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Program Evaluation, Department of Energy.
Judicial appointments. Nominated more Asian and Pacific Americans to the federal bench than any other Administration, including the Honorable A. Wallace Tashima, Judge U.S. Ninth Circuit Court.
Opposed California Prop 209. Filed amicus briefs opposing California Proposition 209 which would prohibit state affirmative action programs.
Election fairness. Prevented election day discrimination against minority voters and voter intimidation and harassment by monitoring polling place activities in a record number of states and counties. Continued enforcement efforts to ensure that citizens who rely on Asian languages have the same opportunities to participate in voting-related activities as English-speaking voters.
Focused health efforts. Established the Office of the Minority Health Research and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Helped communities develop culturally-competent systems of care for children with serious emotional disturbances through the Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Children and Families program. Negotiated agreements with hospitals and nursing homes to eliminate barriers to equal access for minorities based on language.
The rate of violent crime is down. From 1992 to 1996, violent crime has decreased by over 16%, and in the first six months of 1997, violent crime declined by an additional 5 percent. Preliminary 1997 data show murder and robbery also down by 9 percent.
Won passage of the most comprehensive Crime Bill ever. In 1994, after more than six years of gridlock, a bipartisan majority in Congress passed the toughest, smartest Crime Bill in the nation's history. Among other provisions, the new law now provides: a targeted "Three-Strikes-and-You're-Out" provision to put career violent offenders behind bars for life; an expanded death penalty for drug kingpins, murderers of federal law enforcement officers and nearly 60 additional categories of violent felons; and funding for 100,000 more prison cells to help states ensure that violent offenders serve their full sentences.
More police on our streets and community policing. The President's plan to put 100,000 more police officers on the street through community policing represents the federal government's biggest commitment ever to local law enforcement. The President's plan will result in an almost 20% increase in the nation's police force levels. Already, the Administration has provided funding for over 72,000 officers, who are now helping keep our neighborhoods and communities safe.
White House Conference on Hate Crimes. President Clinton convened the first White House Conference on Hate Crimes, which examined laws and remedies that can make a difference in preventing hate crimes, highlighted solutions that are working in communities across the country, and continued the frank and open dialogue needed to build One America.
Enhanced penalties for hate crimes. As part of the historic 1994 Crime Act, the President signed the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act which provides for longer sentences where the offense is determined to be a hate crime. In 1996 alone, 27 cases received enhanced sentences.
Safe and Clean Environment
Environmental justice and redevelopment. Issued an Executive Order on Environmental Justice, ensuring that low income citizens and minorities do not suffer a disproportionate burden of industrial pollution. Identified pilot projects to be undertaken across the country to redevelop contaminated sites in low-income communities and turn them into useable space, creating jobs and enhancing community development.
Naturalization. Made naturalization a top priority of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in order to continue fostering legal immigration while combating illegal immigration. Naturalized over one million individuals in 1996. The Administration continues to work to streamline and improve the naturalization process so that eligible individuals who have played by the rules can become full partners as American citizens.
Responsible immigration reform. Worked to enact responsible immigration reform legislation by properly focusing on immigration enforcement and opposing severe reductions in legal immigration which were not consistent with pro-family, pro-worker and pro-naturalization principles.
Defended immigrant rights. The Administration defeated legislative efforts which would have significantly eroded health care for immigrants. The bipartisan agreement strengthened the sponsorship requirement while preserving the basic ability of families to reunify.Restored benefits to legal immigrants. When the President signed the 1996 Welfare Reform Law, he pledged to go back and change provisions he opposed regarding the cutting off of benefits to legal immigrants. Critics said the changes would never be made. However, in 1997, the President followed through on his pledge --and won much of the change he sought in the 1996 law. The President fought for and won $11.5 billion in SSI and Medicaid benefits for legal immigrants. He won changes that protect those immigrants now receiving assistance, ensuring that they will not be turned out of their apartments or nursing homes or otherwise left destitute. And immigrants in this country as of August 22, 1996, who subsequently become disabled will be eligible for SSI and Medicaid.
International business affairs
Opening Market Abroad: Over 240 Trade Agreements Have Helped Expand American Exports and Create American Jobs: Since President Clinton took office, his Administration has concluded 240 new trade agreements. This has helped expand exports so that over the last five years, new exports have accounted for more than one-third of our economic growth and have helped created jobs that, on average, pay 15 percent more than non-export related jobs. Notably, thirty percent of U.S. exports go to Asia and this country exports more goods to Asia than Europe.
WTO: In the last year, this Administration completed a "trifecta" of three major global trade agreements in the World Trade Organization: the Information Technology Agreement covering $500 billion in global trade and more than $100 billion in U.S. exports, the global telecommunications services agreement (which will create more than a million jobs in the next ten years) and the financial services accord (which covers 95% of the global financial services market. Together these initiatives total cover trade totaling more than $1 trillion annually.
APEC: Secured commitments from Asia Pacific nations to eliminate barriers to open trade in the region by 2020 for developing countries and 2010 for industrialized countries. Over the next two years, 15 sectors will be identified for tariff reductions, including energy products and services, environmental technologies and services, natural resources, medical equipment, telecommunications, gems and jewelry.
APA Heritage Month


Blood Samples From Recovered Patients Will Be Tested As Treatment For COVID-19
Plasma, the liquid component of human blood which contains antibodies, from recovered COVID-19 patients can be infused into current sufferer's blood to help their body fight the illness. Komsan Loonprom/ Shutterstock
By Katy Pallister
As case numbers of COVID-19 continue to rise, scientists are working around the clock to develop and test treatments and vaccines in record time. In New York, where more than 25,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported, trials of a rapidly available treatment – previously used to treat outbreaks of flu, SARS, and Ebola – are expected to begin later this week.
During a news briefing on Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to trial convalescent plasma. This process involves the collection of plasma from recovered patients' blood, which contains antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. In turn, this can be infused into people who are still fighting the virus to help contribute to the body’s immune response.
"There have been tests that show when a person is injected with the antibodies, that then stimulates and promotes their immune system against that disease," Cuomo said in the briefing. "It's only a trial. It's a trial for people who are in serious condition, but the New York State Department of Health has been working on this with some of New York's best health care agencies, and we think it shows promise, and we're going to be starting that this week."
New York is now the US epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, with more than 25,000 reported infections and over 210 deaths. Joe Tabacca/Shutterstock
Whilst this trial is awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the body made a separate announcement yesterday. FDA’s rules regarding the use of investigational drugs for the COVID-19 pandemic has been updated to include the administering of convalescent plasma under particular circumstances and still with FDA authorization.
“Given the public health emergency that the expanding COVID-19 outbreak presents, while clinical trials are being conducted, FDA is facilitating access to COVID-19 convalescent plasma for use in patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections,” the statement said.
“This process allows the use of an investigational drug for the treatment of an individual patient by a licensed physician upon FDA authorization.”
However, this treatment is not completely guaranteed to work. When studied in other respiratory infections, including the 2003 SARS epidemic and 2012 MERS epidemic, varying results were reported. Furthermore, there are risks associated with the plasma transfusions, such as giving a patient the wrong type of blood or inadvertently transmitting other pathogens. However, these procedures are relatively safe, provided the blood is screened for viruses and other components that could cause further infection.
In the case of COVID-19, trials for this method have already been conducted. In a pilot study from China, published on the pre-print website medRxiv, among the 10 severe cases who received plasma treatment, five showed rapidly increased levels of antibodies immediately post-transfusion, and within a week the virus was undetectable in seven patients.
Dr Arturo Casadevall, an immunologist at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, has also advocated this method for over a month. In a viewpoint article, published in The Journal Of Clinical Investigation, Casadevall and co-author Liise-anne Pirofski wrote that “as we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, we recommend that institutions consider the emergency use of convalescent sera and begin preparations as soon as possible.”
Further clinical trials are still needed to address questions about the treatment before being routinely administered, such as its effect in COVID-19 patients of varying severity and its use as a preventative measure for people in close contact with confirmed cases.
Only time will tell whether this treatment has the capability to help reduce the virus’ impact.


2017 Participant Bios
Wendy Aronson (MA Jewish Communal Service and MA Jewish Education) has enjoyed working for innovative Jewish organizations like the Foundation for Jewish Camp, Boulder JCC and now Judaism Your Way where she is the Executive Director. Her early career has focused on creating positive Jewish experiences for young people through informal education like camp, youth group, and Israel experiences and has since grown to include a passion for administration.
Hannah Kapnik Ashar is a faculty member and Manager of Fellowship Year Experience with The Bronfman Fellowship and a rabbinic intern at Congregation Bonai Shalom in Boulder, CO. Hannah founded The Tefilah Retreat, a weekend of Jewish spiritual practice for young adults, and Boulder Denver Chevre, an independent minyan/Kevah group.
Renna Khuner-Haber is a lay leader of Jewish ritual, song, and community in the San Francisco Bay Area through initiatives such as Nigun Collective. Renna received her undergraduate degrees from Barnard and JTS, holds a Master’s in nutrition, is an alumna of Adamah, and was the first staff member of Hazon’s inaugural satellite office way back before JOFEE took the Jewish world by storm.
Matt Bar developed a distinct HipHop/Folk fusion of Bob Dylan and Lil’ Wayne and then found a way to combine it with Jewish content with his founding of Bible Raps in 2006. His debut album, “Lying in Chalk,” contains singles that have played on MTV’s “The Real World” and NBC’s “Hip Hop Nation Notes from the Underground.” Since its inception, Bible Raps has reached tens of thousands of young Jews with Torah-rich performances in schools, Hillels, conferences and camps across the US and abroad.
Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum is a graduate of Hebrew College in Newton, MA. She is currently the rabbi of Congregation Shir Hadash in Milwaukee, WI and will become the rabbi of Temple Har Zion in Mt. Holly, NJ this coming summer.
Carrie Bornstein is Executive Director of Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh and Paula Brody & Family Education Center outside of Boston, MA and lives in Sharon with her husband, Jamie, and their three children. A cum laude graduate of Skidmore College, Carrie received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Boston University, participated in the first cohort of DeLeT (Day School Leadership through Teaching), and studied at Pardes in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Sara Brandes was ordained at JTS and is the executive director at the Or HaLev: Center for Jewish Spirituality and Meditation. A student of world religion and a certified yoga instructor, Sara is the author of Magical World: Stories, Reflections, Poems and lives with her family at Kibbutz Hanaton, a progressive, pluralistic kibbutz in Northern Israel.
Cheryl Cook is the Executive Director of Avodah and has been active in the Jewish social justice community for over 25 years. She lives in Brooklyn with her family and enjoys hiking and biking in her free time.
Jessica Deutsch is a New York based artist who has taught at the New Shul, facilitated workshops as the 2D artist in residence at the Brandeis Collegiate Institute and completed a residency and volunteered with Art Kibbutz. Her work seeks to explore the intersections of Jewish spirituality and contemporary city life.
Julie Emden directs the Embodied Jewish Learning Initiative. A graduate of five fellowship and teaching certification programs related to her work as a Jewish educator, Iyengar-based yoga instructor (RYT-500) and movement/expressive artist, Julie has two decades of experience guiding others in exploring Jewish wisdom via the body.
Rabbi Avi Finegold is the founder and lead educator of the Jewish Learning Lab, an adult education organization and strategic consultancy based in Montreal.
Rabbi Dan Goldblatt has been the spiritual leader of Beth Chaim Congregation in Danville, CA for 24 years. He serves on the Boards of both OHALAH: The Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal and ALEPH: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal and is a Past President of OHALAH.
Rishe Groner is a writer, teacher, strategist, marketer, musician, dancer and lover of life. As the founder of TheGene-Sis.com, Rishe focuses on bringing ancient Chassidic and Kabbalistic teachings into embodied practices around Brooklyn, including workshops, festivals, dancefloors and ceremonies.
Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD, is the Director of Spiritual Education at the Academy for Jewish Religion, and the co-founder of the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute. She is the author of eight books including: The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons; The Hebrew Priestess: Ancient and New Visions of Jewish Women’s Spiritual Leadership; Siddur haKohanot: A Hebrew Priestess Prayerbook; and The Book of Earth and Other Mysteries.
David Jordan Harris has been Executive Director of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council since 2004 and is interfaith arts special consultant for the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning at the University of St. Thomas. Integrating his skills as a singer, actor, and dancer, he has appeared as guest artist with numerous companies including Zorongo Flamenco, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and the Minnesota Opera.
David Zvi Kalman is a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. He is CEO and co-founder of Jewish Public Media and owner of Print-O-Craft LLC, an independent Jewish publishing house.
Daniel Kaplan is a community organizer with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Chicago’s Jewish voice for social justice. Daniel is also a resident of Doykeit, a nonaffiliated communal home with a progressive and observant Jewish orientation.
Lisa Lepson is the executive director of the Joshua Venture Group. Previously, Lisa served as the global director of non-profit services at RockCorps, a social venture dedicated to engaging youth in volunteerism through the power of music. With an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA, Lisa has brought her expertise in entrepreneurship and organizational development to numerous non-profits, both within Joshua Venture and beyond it.
Ilana Lerman is the rabbinical council organizer for Jewish Voice for Peace and was a core member of the two-year strategy team responsible for launching the IfNotNow movement to end Jewish American support for the occupation. She organized in interfaith settings for five years with the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council and is an alumna of Adamah, JOIN, Shefa Gold’s Kol Zimrah chanting program, and is a current co-leader of Let My People Sing! traveling Jewish singing retreats.
Audrey Lichter is a serial start-up person. Over her career she has been in the forefront of starting a congregation, a Jewish community high school, a Jewish Day high school, a Jewish Day School Consortium, and now a national Jewish engagement program called Chai Mitzvah.
Dr. Julie Lieber serves as the Director of Education at Kevah where she oversees the organization’s educational vision, its national network of over 50 educators and the Kevah Teaching Fellowship, which trains rabbis and Jewish educators in Kevah’s pedagogical approach to conversational Torah study for adults. She holds a PhD in European history with a focus on Jewish women, gender and sexuality, and was a professor of History and Jewish Studies in Colorado for many years before moving into her role at Kevah.
Rabbi Sara Luria is the founder and executive director of ImmerseNYC: A Community Mikveh Project. Ordained by HUC in 2013, Sara was a Tisch Leadership Fellow and is currently the program director for that Fellowship. She lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her husband Isaac, and their young children, Caleb, Eva, and Judah.
Rabbi Natan Margalit was ordained in Jerusalem in 1990 and earned a Ph.D. in Talmud from U.C. Berkeley in 2001. He has taught at Bard College, RRC, and Hebrew College Rabbinical School and is the founder and president of Organic Torah Institute, a non-profit that integrates systems thinking and Judaism.
Patricia Eszter Margit is the founder of Art Kibbutz, international Jewish artist residency, community, and a hub. She is a bestselling author in her native Hungary, currently living in New York.
Rabbi Miriam Margles, rabbi of the Danforth Jewish Circle in Toronto, facilitates workshops integrating Jewish learning and creative exploration in movement, voice and creative writing, particularly addressing conflict, systemic oppression, spiritual practice, mindfulness and healing. She is co-founder of Encounter (encounterprograms.org) and composes original music for Jewish prayer.
Yoni Oppenheim is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company. He is a New York based director, dramaturg, translator, and teaching artist.
Kendell Pinkney is a Brooklyn-based theatre writer, Jewish education professional, and the associate producer of Kaleidoscope – a narrative arts showcase highlighting the personal stories of Jews of color and diverse ethnic backgrounds. He will start rabbinical school at JTS in fall 2017, where he hopes to build on his work at the intersection between the arts, Torah, Jewish education and community building by working with college-aged students.
Ari Pomerantz is a resident organizer at the Moishe Kavod Jewish Social Justice House and a recent alumna of the JOIN for Justice Fellowship and the Adamah Jewish Farming Fellowship.
Sammy Rosenbaum is a musician, songwriter, and spiritual educator from Atlanta, GA and is the co-founder of The Well – ATL, a once-a-month musical Shabbat gathering for young professionals. He travels to Jewish communities around the world performing his music, sharing innovative prayer experiences, and working to engage his peers in a deeper connection to their Judaism.
Rabbi Rami Schwartzer is the founding director of Ramah Day Camp of Greater Washington, DC, and the rabbi of a new Jewish community for 20s and 30s in the greater DC area. He lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife Adina and their dog Arthur.
Jane Shapiro is inspired every day when she teaches Torah to adults in the Chicago area. She is one of the founders of Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning.
Rabbi Jeremy Sher was admitted to OHALAH: The Alliance of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal after a successful career in political technology and entrepreneurship, and a six-year program of rabbinical study under Rabbi Natan Margalit, Ph.D., including the Master of Divinity program at Harvard Divinity School. He works full-time as a Chaplain Intern at Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute & UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, is starting the new congregation Ha-Emek: Honest, Inclusive, Progressive Judaism in Silicon Valley, and has recently published his first book, Growth through Governance: What Every Jewish Nonprofit Leader Needs to Know.
Rabbi Garth Silberstein received rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in 2016 and serves as the rabbi of Kenesset Israel Torah Center (Sacramento, CA). An outdoor enthusiast, Rabbi Silberstein twice staffed Hazon’s Cross-USA bike ride from Seattle to Washington, DC and in 2014 founded Organic Yeshiva, an immersive adult education program combining traditional Talmud study with hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture.
Rabbi Ruth H. Sohn is a teacher, spiritual director, and writer. She co-directs the Yedidya Center for Jewish Spiritual Direction, the Morei Derekh Jewish Spiritual Direction Training Program and also serves as Director of the Aronoff Rabbinic Mentoring Program and Rabbi of the Lainer Beit Midrash, all at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles.
Rabbi Joshua Stanton is the incoming rabbi at East End Temple in Manhattan and co-Director of Tribe, a Millennial engagement program that serves around 1,200 people in the New York area. He currently serves as an Associate Rabbi at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey and previously served as Associate Director of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College and Director of Communications for the Coexist Foundation.
Naomi Tucker is the founder and Executive Director of Shalom Bayit, an organization dedicated to building a Jewish communal response to domestic violence. Naomi led the integration of Jewish spiritual healing into battered women’s groups in the early 1990s, and today works to ensure that Jewish women’s safety and empowerment are prioritized within both the Jewish social justice agenda and spiritual communities.
Aharon Varady, M.A.J.Ed., is a curriculum consultant, editor, and publisher of Jewish liturgy and educational materials. A former community planner, in 2009 he founded the Open Siddur Project for sharing prayers and prayerbooks whose contents can be adapted and redistributed under Open Content licensing.
Rabbi Michael Wasserman, together with his wife Rabbi Elana Kanter, founded The New Shul in Scottsdale Arizona in 2002 and they continue to serve as its co-rabbis. Rabbi Wasserman is a graduate of Harvard University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative.
Micah Weiss is a community organizer and Jewish educator who is helping to launch the West Philly Shtiebel. He is a second-year student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and interns at Drexel University Hillel.
Judi Wisch serves as the Director of Community Engagement for PJ Library, supporting professionals in more than 200 communities in North America and beyond in reaching out and engaging families with young children, both within and outside of the organized Jewish community. Her past endeavors include serving as a supplementary school education director, Jewish film festival director, Judaic studies teacher, director of the Conference on Judaism in Rural New England, and conflict resolution facilitator at the Neve Shalom/ Wahat al Salaam School for Peace in Israel.
Kenissa Network Staff and 2017 Consultation Speakers
Hadar Cohen is the program associate for the Kenissa Network. An alumna of Mechon Hadar, Urban Adamah, Bend the Arc and Svara, she loves learning Torah, singing and organizing community. She lives in the Bay Area.
Claudia Horwitz has been a leader in national efforts to integrate spiritual practice and social justice and has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and movement building. She currently works with a range of organizations and institutions, including serving as faculty for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Results Based Leadership. She is the author of The Spiritual Activist: Practices to Transform Your Life, Your Work and Your World (Penguin Compass 2002) and is the director of training for the Kenissa Network.
Rabbi Sid Schwarz is the founder and director of Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network. He is a serial entrepreneur having founded PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values, which he ran for 21 years, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation (Bethesda, MD) where he continues to teach and lead services and the Clergy Leadership Incubator (CLI). He is the author of Finding a Spiritual Home: How a New Generation of Jews can Transform the American Synagogue, Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World and Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish Future.
Casper ter Kuile is an On Being Fellow and a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and the co-host of “Harry Potter and the Sacred Text”. He co-authored How We Gather with Angie Thurston and lives in Cambridge, MA.
Angie Thurston is an On Being Fellow and a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School, supporting leaders who are deepening community amidst increasing religious disaffiliation. With Casper ter Kuile, she co-authored How We Gather and Something More, two reports profiling new forms of meaningful community in America.
Rob Weinberg, PhD is an independent consultant and coach. From 2001 through 2016 he served as Director of HUC-JIR’s Experiment in Congregational Education, prior to which he spent 18 years as an organizational change and effectiveness consultant with Hewitt Associates and the Carlson/Nathanson Group. Rob is the consultant to Kenissa’s Communities of Practice.


A Tribute to Huntington’s Disease Warriors in the Age of COVID-19
Frances Saldana is one of the most remarkable women I know. She has lost all three of her children to Huntington’s disease (HD) – a nasty, fatal disease that steadily destroys the nerve cells in the brain – but still retains a fighting spirit and a commitment to finding a cure for HD. She is the President Emeritus for HD-Care, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about HD, and finding money for research to cure it. She recently wrote a Mother’s Day blog for HD-Care about the similarities between HD and COVID-19. As May is National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month we wanted to share her blog with you.
Frances Saldana
COVID-19 has consumed our entire lives, and for many, our livelihoods. This is a pandemic like we have never experienced in our lifetime, bringing out in many families fear, financial devastation, disabilities, isolation, suffering, and worst of all, loss of life. But through all this, the pandemic has uncovered emotions in many who rose to the occasion – a fight and stamina beyond human belief.
As a family member who has lost all of my children to Huntington’s disease, it makes me so sad to watch and hear about the suffering that people all over the world are currently experiencing with COVID-19. This devastation is nothing new to Huntington’s disease families. Although Huntington’s disease (HD) is not contagious, it is genetic, and much of the uncertainty and fears that families are experiencing are so similar to what HD families experience….in slow motion, with unanswered questions such as:
Who in my family is carrying the mutant HD gene? (Who in my family is carrying the coronavirus?)
Who in my family will inherit the mutant HD gene? (Who will get infected by the COVID-19?)
Will my loved on live long enough to benefit from a treatment for HD? (Will there be a vaccination soon if my loved one is infected by COVID-19?)
How long will my HD family member live? (Will my affected COVID-19 loved one survive after being placed on a ventilator?)
Is my HD family member going to die? (Will my COVID-19 family member die?)
In watching some of the footage of COVID-19 patients on TV and learning about the symptoms, it appears that those with a severe case of the virus go through similar symptoms as HD patients who are in the late and end-of-life stages: pneumonia, sepsis, pain, and suffering, to name a few, although for HD families, the journey goes on for years or even decades, and then carries on to the next generation, and not one HD patient will survive the disease. Not yet!
Scientists are working furiously all over the world to find a treatment for COVID-19. The same goes for scientists focused on Huntington’s disease research. Without their brilliant work we would have no hope. Without funding there would be no science. I have been saying for the last 20 years that we will have a treatment for Huntington’s disease in the next couple of years, but with actual facts and successful clinical trials, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel and we have much to be thankful for. I feel it in my heart that a treatment will be found for both COVID-19 and Huntington’s disease very soon.
The month of May happens to be National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month. Mother’s Day also falls in the month of May. Huntington’s disease “Warrior Moms” are exemplary women, and I have been blessed to have known a few. Driven by love for their children, they’ve worn many hats as caregivers, volunteers, and HD community leaders in organizations such as HD-CARE, HDSA, WeHaveAFace, Help4HD, HD Support &Care Network, and many others.
The mothers have often also been forced to take on the role of breadwinners when the father of the family has unexpectedly become debilitated from HD. In spite of carrying a heavy cross, HD Warrior Moms persevere, and they do it with endless love, often taking care of HD family members from one generation to the next. They are the front-line workers in the HD community, tirelessly protecting their families and at the same time doing all they can to provide a meaningful quality of life.
Many HD Warrior moms have lost their children in spite of their fierce fight to save them, but they keep their memory alive, never losing hope for a treatment that will end the pain, suffering, and loss of life. Many HD Warrior Moms have lost the fight themselves, not from HD, but from a broken heart. These are the HD Warrior Moms.
We salute them all. We love them all.
CIRM is funding several projects targeting HD. You can read about them here.
Dashed Dreams and New Hope: A Quest to Cure Thymic Deficiency
January 8, 2020 January 15, 2020 / Kevin McCormack	/ 1 Comment
By Kelly Shepard, PhD., CIRM’s Associate Director, Discovery & Translation
CIRM has previously blogged about advances in treating certain forms of “bubble baby” disease”, where a person is born with a defect in their blood forming stem cells that results in a deficient immune system, rendering them vulnerable to lethal infections by all manner of bacteria, virus or germ.
If a suitable donor can be found, or if the patient’s own defective cells can be corrected through gene therapy approaches, it is now possible to treat or cure such disorders through a bone marrow transplant. In this procedure, healthy blood stem cells are infused into the patient, taking up residence in his or her bone marrow and dividing to give rise to functioning immune cells such as T cells and B cells.
Unfortunately, there is another type of “bubble baby” disease that cannot be treated by providing healthy blood stem cells, because the defective immune system is caused by a different culprit altogether- a missing or dysfunctional thymus.
Created for the National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov
T Cells Go to School
What is a thymus? Most of us give little thought to this leaf-shaped organ, which is large and important in our early childhoods, but becomes small and inconspicuous as we age. This transformation belies the critical role a thymus plays in the development of our adaptive immune systems, which takes place in our youth: to prepare our bodies to fight infections for the rest of our lives.
One might think of the thymus as a “school”, where immature T cells go to “learn” how to recognize and attack foreign antigens (surface markers), such as those found on microorganisms or tissues from other individuals. The thymus also “teaches” our immune system to distinguish “self” from “other” by eliminating any T cells that attack our own tissues. Without this critical function, our immune system could inadvertently turn against us, causing serious autoimmune disorders such as ulcerative colitis and myasthenia gravis.
Many children with a severely deficient or absent thymus, referred to as athymia, have inherited a chromosome that is missing a key stretch of genes on a region called 22q11. Doctors believe perhaps 1/2000-1/4000 babies are born with some type of deletion in this region, which leads to a variable spectrum of disorders called 22q11 syndrome that can affect just about any part of the body, and can even cause learning disabilities and mental illness.
Individuals with one form of 22q11, called DiGeorge Syndrome, are particularly affected in the heart, thymus, and parathyroid glands. In the United States, about 20 infants are born per year with the “complete” and most severe form of DiGeorge Syndrome, who lack a thymus altogether, and have severely depressed numbers of T cells for fighting infections. Without medical intervention, this condition is usually fatal by 24 months of age.
Optimism and Setback
Although there are no therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric athymia, Dr. Mary Louise Markert at Duke University and Enzyvant, Inc. have been pioneering an experimental approach to treat children with complete DiGeorge syndrome.
In this procedure, discarded thymic tissues are collected from infants undergoing cardiac surgery, where some of the thymus needs to be removed in order for the surgeon to gain access to the heart. These tissues are processed to remove potentially harmful donor T cells and then transplanted into the thigh of an athymic DiGeorge patient.
Results from early clinical trials seemed promising, with more than 70% of patients surviving, including several who are now ten years post-transplant. Based on those results, in June of 2019 Enzyvant applied to the FDA for a Biologics License Application (BLA), which is needed to be able to sell the therapy in the US. Unfortunately, only a few months later, Enzyvant announced that the FDA had declined to approve the BLA due to manufacturing concerns.
While it may be possible to address these issues in time, the need to step back to the drawing board was a devastating blow to the DiGeorge Community, who have waited decades for a promising treatment to emerge on the horizon.
Despite the setback, there is reason to hope. In early 2019, CIRM granted a “Quest” Award to team of investigators at Stanford University to develop a novel stem cell based approach for treating thymic deficiency. Co-led by Katja Weinacht, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist, and Vittorio Sebastiano, a stem cell expert and developmental biologist, the team’s strategy is to coax induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in the laboratory to differentiate into thymic tissue, which could then be transplanted into patients using the route pioneered by Duke and Enzyvant.
Katja Weinacht: Photo courtesy Stanford Children’s Health
The beauty of this new approach is that pluripotent stem cells are essentially immortal in culture, providing an inexhaustible supply of fresh thymic cells for transplant, thereby allowing greater control over the quality and consistency of donor tissues. A second major advantage is the possibility of using pluripotent cells from the patient him/herself as the source, which should be perfectly immune-matched and alleviate the risk of rejection and autoimmunity that comes with use of donated tissues.
Vittorio Sebastiano: Photo courtesy Stanford
Sounds easy, so what are the challenges? As with many regenerative medicine approaches, the key is getting a pluripotent stem cell to differentiate into the right type of cells in the lab, which is a very different environment than what cells experience naturally when they develop in the context of an embryo and womb, where many cells are interacting and providing complex, instructive cues to one another. The precise factors and timing all need to be worked out and in most cases, this is done with an incomplete knowledge of human development.
A second challenge relates to using cells from DiGeorge patients to produce thymic tissue, which are missing several genes on their 22nd chromosome and will likely require sophisticated genetic engineering to restore this ability.
Fortunately, Drs. Weinacht and Sebastiano are up to the challenge, and have already made progress in differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) into thymic lineage intermediates that appear to be expressing the right proteins at the right time. They plan to combine these cells with engineered materials to create a three-dimensional (3D) tissue that more closely resembles an authentic organ, and which can be tested for functionality in athymic mice.
There is more work to be done, but these advances, along with continued technological improvements and renewed efforts from Enzyvant, could forge a path to the clinic and lead to a brighter future for patients suffering from congenital athymia and other forms of thymic dysfunction.


Classified in: Health, Science and technology
Subject: PDT
FDA Clears nView Medical's First Imaging System, nView s1
SALT LAKE CITY, July 13, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- nView medical Inc. (nView) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of nView s1, the company's first imaging system, bringing breakthrough imaging technology to surgery.
nView's mission is to make surgery safer, faster, and consistently accurate by creating instant 3D information throughout the surgical procedure. nView s1 integrates the latest developments in low-dose x-ray imaging with intelligent imaging algorithms to provide fluoroscopic and multiplanar views derived from tomographic reconstructions. These views can be used by surgeons to accurately assess the anatomy and placement of implants during spinal and orthopedic procedures.
"nView s1 is an imaging platform that provides invaluable information to surgeons throughout the procedure. The technology can be used intraoperatively to visualize the surgery and at the end of the procedure to confirm the quality of the surgery. The future of surgery will be enabled by automation and quantification. nView s1 is our first step in that direction" said Cristian Atria, founder and CEO at nView medical.
Lisa Last, COO, commented: "nView s1 has been cleared as a fluoroscopic and tomographic imaging system for adult and pediatric populations. In pediatrics, our low-dose operation brings a unique opportunity to increase precision via 3D imaging while minimizing radiation exposure. The 510(k) clearance will allow us to expand our work with research partners in pilot sites".
About nView
nView medical, based in Salt Lake City, UT, is an early stage start-up whose mission is to make surgery safer, faster, and consistently accurate. nView develops imaging systems, bringing breakthrough AI solutions for image creation, image processing, and image visualization to surgery. nView medical backers include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the State Of Utah, the National Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation, MedtechInnovator, Dr. Kevin Foley, MD, and Fusion Fund (Palo Alto, CA).
SOURCE nView medical
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Home a - Web Site Placement Come Out to the 7th Annual Cup Show and Ceramic Studio Hosted...
Come Out to the 7th Annual Cup Show and Ceramic Studio Hosted by the Jansen Art Center
The Jansen Art Center (The J) is a gathering place for artists—a communal spot where anyone can join in the excitement of creativity. From dancing to textiles, there’s something here for everyone with an imaginative spirit. One of the center’s most popular programs is ceramics.
The studio is used by all ages and has become a meeting place for new found friendships. “It’s comprised of an incredible group of supportive people who all bounce ideas off of each other,” says Dan Stockwell, a student at The J.
A sculptor creates the figure of a man at the Jansen Art Center. Photo courtesy: Jansen Art Center
The large facility on Lynden’s Front Street is packed with services for ceramics students. Dozens of workshops and classes are available with regular and guest instructors who keep material and concepts fresh.
Adult students participating in a 6-week class are allowed to utilize free open studio time with up to 20 hours a week to practice.
“Acquiring ceramic tools and equipment can get quite expensive, and that’s where The J can help by providing amazing equipment and space at a very low cost to artists,” says Jesse Rasmussen, ceramics program director at the Jansen Art Center.
“I moved to Lynden from Bellingham last, year largely because of the Jansen Art Center,” says Ruth Hesse, a student at the center. “Everyone is incredibly welcoming, I found Jansen Art Center at a time when I really needed to be around other people.”
Open studio time is popular among center visitors. “The ceramics studio is a warm and welcoming environment where artists share ideas, create, and build a sense of community through clay,” says Rasmussen.
The center is spacious and made to accommodate a lot of people and equipment. It’s home to eight pottery wheels, a hand building and sculpture space, shelving and storage for ongoing clay projects, a glaze room with mixing capabilities, two electric kilns, one downdraft gas kiln, and one raku kiln.
“The Jansen Center Ceramics Studio is a fun place to work, you gain experience from interacting and sharing new ideas,” says Barbi J. Keily, a student at the center. “The people are friendly, and the classes offered are interesting. Whether you have been working with clay for years or just beginning, people are willing to help in your quest for that perfect ceramic project.”
Dan Stockwell works at the potter’s wheel during open studio time at the Jansen Art Center. Photo courtesy: Jansen Art Center
In addition to fundraising and sponsors, the center was recently awarded three grants, from the Norcliffe Foundation, the Whatcom Community Foundation and the McEachern Charitable Trust to beef up the ceramics department even more. Jansen used the funding to update the lighting to LED flat panels, add additional wheels, a waterfall spray booth, an upgraded ventilation system, new shelving, a new electric kiln, and a child-friendly vertical slab roller.
The upgraded workroom can house a sizable crowd of any age and ability. The only limit is your imagination.
On June 6, 2019, The J will host its 7th Annual Cup Show. Artists from all over the country and Canada submit handmade cups or mugs to be judged and exhibited with a chance to win one of over $1,000 worth of prizes.
Last year’s Cup Show brought in 127 submissions from 49 artists. “People can get abstract with the cups,” says Amelia Chirichigno, marketing manager at the Jansen Art Center. “The cup show is unique and special; it allows artists to think outside the box and push the limits of a typical cup.”
Last year’s Cup Show brought 127 submissions from 49 artists. Photo courtesy: Jansen Art Center
Prizes are generously donated by the Mount Baker Rotary Club, Clay Arts Center, The Green Barn, Tony’s Coffee and Teas, Giffin Grip, the Washington Clay Arts Association, Whatcom Artists of Clay & Kiln and the Fraser Valley Potters Guild.
Winners are chosen after being selected by a panel of judges. Guests will choose a People’s Choice Award by filling out a ballot on the opening night. One year, then-seven-year-old Hazel Lawson won the People’s Choice Award for an adorable bunny on a porcelain cup.
People are allowed to purchase the cups in-house or online. Many of the artists who submit cups are sculptors who scale down their work to create a more approachable art piece the public can buy. “This is a great opportunity to purchase a small-scale piece from well-known artists,” says Rasmussen.
Guests are encouraged to wander around the studio and take a look at the new equipment and studio space.
Seven year-old Hazel Lawson won the People’s Choice Award at the 2016 Cup Show. Photo courtesy: Jansen Art Center
This year, on opening night, the center will host a passport giveaway. People will receive a passport card at the door and collect a stamp at each studio to enter for a chance to win a cup.
“Every year, I usually have a favorite that I purchase,” says Rasmussen. “One had an image of a blue house that was slightly melting, then on the inside of the cup it had another whole drawing. It made you wonder how they did it.”
“The exhibit challenges the viewer to look at cups from a different perspective,” says Chirichigno, “both sculpturally and functionally.”
In addition to the Cup Show, the Jansen Art Center will be opening three solo artist exhibits and a juried exhibit on June 6, 2019:
Innerspace, Acrylic Paintings by Kay D Little.
Itch, by Cecilia Karoly-Lister.
Ancients Unfolding, Journal Sketches by Marcia K Moore.
A Summer Juried Exhibit.
During the celebration, J.P. Falcon Grady will perform in the piano lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Firehall Café at the J will serve beer, wine, cider, and dinner on the balcony, which offers gorgeous views of Mount Baker.
The entire event is free and open to the public.
Most artists will be in attendance, and guests will have the opportunity to ask questions and chat with cup and exhibiting artists.
If you can’t make it to the opening celebration, the exhibit will remain on display until Friday, August 30.
7th Annual Cup Show at the Jansen Art Center
Jansen Art Center
321 Front Street in Lynden
Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Thursdays: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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In 1976, the Ontario Heritage Foundation designated McMaster Hall a building of historic significance. McMaster Hall is now being restored, and the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning is scheduled to open in 2007."
The following account of strange happenings was received in November 2005. In the witness' own words:
"I was preparing for my Grade 8 piano exam at the Royal Conservatory of Music in 1984. I would rent out a studio on a quiet Sunday afternoon to study. The halls were very quiet. There were two areas in particular where I experienced something present. There was a small window on the doors of the studios and chairs outside for people to sit. On one occasion, I was locked in concentration, working on one of my pieces. I could hear heavy footsteps coming down the hall. As the sounds got closer, I felt disrupted and a face appeared in the window. It then sounded as if someone sat down on one of the chairs just outside the door. Assuming someone might have booked the studio for study, I immediately got up and opened the door, but nobody was there. I was all alone on the floor and the hallway was quite long, the studios locked, so it was as if the person vanished without a trace. No sign of any physical presence anywhere. This happened several times in various parts of the building when I booked a studio. Most times it was very quiet, hardly a soul in the building. One time, however, there was a lot of physical activity in the studios, but doors tightly shut and people focusing on their studies. The footsteps, sometimes a door being tested to see if it was open, a face appears in the window to see if anyone was in the room, but no one was there when I opened the door. By my senses, I was expecting to see a very large or heavy man when I opened the door, but there was absolutely no one there.
On occasion when I was walking up the main staircase to the studios, I felt a presence behind me. One day, out of the corner of my eye, I though I saw a stocky person in a dark cape and top hat clutching his hand on the side rail and walking briskly up the stairs behind me to my right. He appeared in an awful hurry. I finally applied humour to the situation. I thought I know I am having difficulty trying to learn this Beethoven piece, however, I wouldn't think it would be so bad that Beethoven himself would come back from the dead to see that it got played properly. Of course, my music teacher at the time thought that was very funny. However, at the time I was experiencing this, I wasn't laughing. All I know to this day, is that the sounds mixed in with the everyday sounds of the conservatory and the footsteps were loud enough and brisk as if the person were approaching with great intention. Who knows, maybe the energy assisted in my pursuit of passing my Grade 8 exam, which I did despite it all. I put this down as a fascinating life experience that is very hard to explain unless you experience it for yourself."
Our thanks go out to the witness for sharing these unusual experiences.
Other reports that we have received over the years include: a female entity (according to the witnesses) and one is a poltergeist (felt, not seen) but again, is assumed by the witnesses to be female.
The two apparitions of a woman are described in either a red top or a red dress. She is seen in the hallways of the second and third floor. The other is "felt" as if someone is entering a room... and there's a change in the "environment" as if someone has now come in, but no one is physically there.
Update: May 2006 In May 2006 we received the following photo of parts of the RCM that were removed as part of current renos. Our thanks to Jamie Thompson, Photographer & RCM Faculty Member for his kind compliments to this site and his allowing are usage of this photo. You may visit Jamie's personal site here: www.shiningtree.org
Update - November 2006 One of our readers writes:
I heard the same story about a woman who haunts one of the top floors at the RCM from someone who had no prior knowledge of your website. Apparently the caretaker staff have seen the apparition on more than one occasion, and it's a well-known story among the staff. Another interesting bit of trivia I learned is that part of RCM used to be a chapel, and there were corpses buried underneath. There's been a big renovation going on over the past year, where they're adding a new concert hall. It would be interesting to find out whether the workers find anything!
We would like to hear from anyone else who may have had a strange encounter at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Update - November 2012
Members of Toronto Ghosts/PSICAN were invited to meet with staffers and document their own experiences as well as attempt some EVP recordings. We will update this page with notes from the primary visit along with any future investigations in the coming months. Much thanks to Ian and Daniel for allowing us this opportunity!