Category Archives: Post Human

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A nighttime view of the capital of Yangon. Pic: AP.

The internationally known Hilton hotel brand launched its first Burmese property inNaypyidaw last Friday. The company renovated a property owned by the Eden Group, which partnered with Hilton for brand recognition, The Irrawaddy reported. Hilton also plans to open several more properties in the country, including in Yangon, Inle Lake and Bagan.

Investment in Burma bya global hotel chain like Hilton is unsurprising, and even expected. The Irrawaddy has reportedthat several other hotel chains, including Kempinski and Accor Group, have already established properties in Burma. Its a smart business decision, considering that both tourism and international investment are growing in the country. Burma is ever more on the map, and governments and the private sector are eyeing it for potential growth.

But concerns remain that, as the country is celebrated for investment and diplomatic opportunities, its ongoing human rights abuses will be forgotten.

Asia News reported that Burmas economic growth for 2014-2015 is projected at 8.5 percent, based on certain conditions being met, including controlled inflation and improved infrastructure. However, the sitenoted, human rights activists and associations urge people to look beyond the mere economic aspect and investigate the situations of violence, abuse and exploitation before investing in the country.

With the current wave of investment, corrupt officials and business leaders stand to benefit greatly if the government does not crack down on corruption and enforce laws against shady dealings. Even if that does happen, concerns remains. The Irrawaddy hinted at Eden Group founder Chit Khaings unsavory past, writing, A US Embassy cable from 2007 described him as an up and coming crony, [who] has parlayed his regime connections to amass great wealth, while most Burmese struggle to survive.

Burmasgovernment is eager to shed its image as a perpetrator of human rights violations. Foreign MinisterWunna Maung Lwin went on record in The China Post as sayingall major concerns related to human rights havebeen addressed since the countrys move toward democracy in 2010, andspecifically referenced the violence in Rakhine state between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists. A study by Equal Rights Trust and Mahidol UniversitysInstitute for Human Rights and Peace Studies states that the Rohingya are among the most persecuted people in the world, while Human Rights Watch has accused the Burmese government of endorsing an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya.

All is not quiet in other ethnic areas, either, where government violence has been rampantto varying degrees throughoutthe past several decades. The Irrawaddy reported that as recently as Friday, fighting broke out anewbetween rebels and the government in Shan State.

The Burmese media has also been under attack recently, with three journalistssentenced to prisonjust last week. Human Rights Watch criticized the government in June for using intimidation tactics against local media, and journalist visas are harder to come by and may be issued for shorter periods of time than they were before.

Hilton is just one of many international companies that will establish a presence in Burma in comingyears. From a business perspective, the opportunities are risky but ripe. However, it is vital that the international community continues to pressure the government to ensure that human rights are upheld. Stability in the country depends on it, and any company with a concern for its ethical corporate culture should pressure Burma to continue improving its abysmal human rights record. Otherwise, the government and corrupt fat cats are rewarded for decades of horror and oppression.

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Human rights still a concern in Burma, despite big-name investment

A US-funded, two-year anti-trafficking program is lauded by Filipino government officials and is seen as a crucial part of the US' efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with the Philippines

KIDS. Two kids tinker with a used bicycle in Tacloban City, hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan. File photo by Rupert Ambil/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines United States (US) Ambassador Philip Goldberg said an anti-human trafficking crusade is a "key part" in the US' diplomatic efforts with the Philippines.

Goldberg delivered this message Monday, October 20, during the launch of a US-funded, two-year program aimed at combatting human trafficking in Haiyan-hit areas.

He added that "beyond the financial aspect," the US involves itself in the prevention of the illegal trade.

This is a global problem that requires global and local solutions and response, he said of the smuggling of human persons for forced labor and/or sexual exploitation.

The project launch was held at the Patio Victoria in Tacloban City, the city hardest hit by 2013's most powerful tropical cyclone Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda). (CLICK: Yolanda/Haiyan)

The program, initiated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), was the subject of praise by government officials for its "victim-centered approach" and focus on those "vulnerable to exploitation."

Typhoon Haiyan unleashed its fury in Eastern Visayas last November 8, 2013, washing away homes, causing deaths in the thousands, and leaving the rest scouring for food and shelter to survive.

The devastation of key Visayas cities such as Tacloban and Ormoc was made worse by subsequent reports of women and children falling prey in the hands of human traffickers.

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US: Post-Haiyan anti-trafficking effort key part of US-PH ties

Saturday October 18, 2014 07:37 PM

The Associated Press

(c) 2014, The Washington Post.

Human remains believed to be those of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham have been found on an abandoned property outside Charlottesville, authorities announced Saturday evening.

Graham, 18, of Alexandria, Virginia, vanished in the early hours of Saturday Sept. 13. She was last seen by witnesses on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall with a man identified by police as Jesse Matthew Jr., 32, of Charlottesville.

Athorities have yet to make a conclusive identification of the remains, but police have notified Graham's family, said Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. Authorities also said Graham's case has become a death investigation.

If the body is that of the sophomore, it marks a grim end to a five-week search for the teen, who apparently became lost after a night out drinking and socializing with friends.

The remains were found by a sheriff's deputy in Albemarle County, Virginia.

"I want to thank everyone who gave up their days, their nights, their weekends," Longo said of the search for Graham. "People who called, wrote and dropped food and good wishes and words of encouragement to the search groups and the detectives who work so hard through this investigation."

"Today would have not been possible without their prayers, their encouragement and their help," the chief said.

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Missing student's remains believed to be found, officials say

DAVAO CITY Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte toldhuman rights groups here that he would urge theCommission on Human Rights (CHR) toimmediately investigate on the cases of rights violations which included the recent killing of Mandaya father and son in New Bataan, Compostela Valley.

Rights groups together with families and relatives of victims of militarization in the region had a dialogue withDuterteFriday. The mayor also acts aschairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC).

Hanimay Suazo, secretary general of Karapatansaid thatmilitarization and righs abuses in the region are happening on an almost daily basis and we trust that MayorDuterte,asthe current chair of RPOC,could helpthe victims.

During the dialogue, variouscases of militarization in the region were sharedby the victims and their families includingthe harassment of paramilitary group Alamara in Kapalong, Davao del Norte last September; forced evacuation of Indigenous Peoples and red-tagging of pablo survivors in Baganga, Davao Oriental, and the killing of Bernardo Clarion, Sr. in barangay Talisay, Mandug, Davao City last Oct 1, 2014.

Duterte said that he would personally visit the areas to get the side of the military and to start the investigation.

He added that he will set another dialogue inviting all concernedparties including the different Infantry Divisions mentioned by the victims.

If only the admin [Aquino administration] pursued the peace process to the CPP-NDFP-NPA, these [human rights violations] will not happen, Duterte said.

Meanwhile, Pastor Sarly Templado of Exodus for Justice and Peace presented to Duterte during the dialoguethe request of support for their peace education campaign to be launched in the city.

Templado explained that this would help in informing the public ofthe peace process between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Templado said that the launching, to be held next month, will invite members of peace advocates and families of human rights victims from different provinces in the region.(davaotoday.com)

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Probe on rights abuse cases urged

In the era of big data, it can be easy to forget the importance of the human connection in certain enterprises, including the education of children. School reformers have set up funding programs that are competitive rather than collaborative, and evaluation systems dont pay attention to collaboration and school culture. In the face of all of this, here is a post that talks about the importance of relationships between teachers and between teachers and administrators. After all, these connections are really what hold a school together.

This post was written by Carrie R. Leana, a management professor at the University of Pittsburgh as well as director of the Center for Health and Care Work at the University of Pittsburgh, and Frits K. Pil, a business administrator professor and research scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh. This piece is part of The Social Side of Reform Shanker Blog series, which explores the idea that relationships, social capital, and social networks matter in lasting, systemic educational improvement. For more on this series, clickhere. The Shanker Blog is the voice of the Albert Shanker Institute, a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to honor the life and legacy of the late president of the American Federation of Teachers.

By Carrie R. Leana and Frits K. Pil

Most current models of school reform focus on teacher accountability for student performance measured via standardized tests, improved curricula, and what economists label human capital e.g., factors such as teacher experience, subject knowledge and pedagogical skills. But our research over many years in several large school districts suggests that if students are to show real and sustained learning, schools must also foster what sociologists label social capital the value embedded in relations among teachers, and between teachers and school administrators. Social capital is the glue that holds a school together. It complements teacher skill, it enhances teachers individual classroom efforts, and it enables collective commitment to bring about school-wide change.

We are professors at a leading Business School who have conducted research in a broad array of settings, ranging from steel mills and auto plants to insurance offices, banks, and even nursing homes. We examine how formal and informal work practices enhance organizational learning and performance. What we have found over and over again is that, regardless of context, organizational success rarely stems from the latest technology or a few exemplary individuals.

Rather, it is derived from: systematic practices aimed at enhancing trust among employees; information sharing and openness about both problems and opportunities for improvement; and a collective sense of purpose. Over a decade ago, we were asked by a colleague in the School of Education about how our research might be applied to improving public schools. Since then, weve spent a good deal of time trying to answer that question through several large-scale research studies.

One thing we noticed immediately in our work with schools was the intense focus on the individual educator. This is prevalent not just among school reformers but in the larger culture as well, as evidenced in popular movies ranging from To Sir with Love in the 1960s to Waiting for Superman nearly 50 years later. And every self-respecting school district has a version of the Teacher of the Year award, which has now risen to state and even national levels of competition. In recent years, however, we have also witnessed a darker side to accountability, as districts around the country publicly shame teachers who do not fare well on the accountability scorecards.

Accountability models find their roots in the discipline of economics rather than education, and are exemplified in the value-added metrics used to evaluate teacher performance. These metrics assess annual increments in each students learning derived from standardized tests in subject areas like math and reading. These are then aggregated to arrive at a score for each teacher her value added to students learning. Anyone with access to the internet can find teacher rankings based on these scores in many districts across the country.

Needless to say, many teachers, and the unions that represent them, argue that value-added measures of student performance fail to capture the complex factors that go into teaching and learning. At the same time, reliance on such metrics may undermine the collaboration, trust, and information exchange that make up social capital and, in this regard, do far more harm than good.

What is Social Capital?

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Strauss: The glue that really holds a school together and that reformers ignore

Several decisions by the Strasbourg Court have particularly upset Tories. Above, party leader David Cameron addresses the Conservative partys annual conference earlier this month. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

In the rush by the Tory Party right to outdo Ukip in proving its anti-European credentials the target has moved beyond the tyrannical EU to Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Worryingly, as the assault on the court not only threatens to undermine its standing as the primary human rights standard-setting body in what are still some slightly constitutional states in eastern Europe, but may threaten our own Belfast agreement.

In part the Tory obsession is just because anything beginning with euro is anathema, in part, a exceptionalist sense that British justice is intrinsically superior and does not need lessons from foreigners. Beg to differ, mlud.

Which all makes strangely ironic the proposals by the party to repudiate the convention on human rights if which is most unlikely the 47-member-state Council of Europe does not allow the UK to ignore those of the courts binding rulings that dont suit it. The court and convention, after all, were largely products of British/Winston Churchills post-war desire to bind wayward Europeans into a legal rights order that came up to British standards.

And the rights defined in the convention were those that suited a particularly conservative outlook. As Nick Cohen noted in the Observer, the drafters of the convention on human rights, including David Maxwell Fyfe, a prosecutor at Nuremberg and himself a Tory MP, also had very much in mind that it would act as a protection against the socialism of Clement Attlees 1945 Labour government as much as against the communism of Joseph Stalins Soviet Union, and it shows. No question of social rights.

Several decisions by the Strasbourg court have particularly upset Tories. It ruled Britains ban on prisoners voting unlawful, that whole-life sentences should be subject to review,and that Abu Qatada, accused of terrorist offences, should not be deported to Jordan without guarantees about evidence based on torture. Further back there were also Irish-related findings that British troops were primed to kill in Gibraltar and the prohibition on interrogation techniques used on suspects interned in Northern Ireland.

Tories insist that existing European rights will be incorporated into a new British bill of rights. All that will change is that English judges will no longer have to follow the rulings of the then merely advisory court. If that means the same end result, as Cohen asks, what is the point? If it were only so simple . . .

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Tories target European Court of Human Rights

New research published in The Lancet provides the first evidence of the medium-term to long-term safety and tolerability of transplanting human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in humans.

hESC transplants used to treat severe vision loss in 18 patients with different forms of macular degeneration appeared safe up to 3 years post-transplant, and the technology restored some sight in more than half of the patients.

"Embryonic stem cells have the potential to become any cell type in the body, but transplantation has been complicated by problems including the risk of teratoma formation and immune rejection," explains lead author Professor Robert Lanza, Chief Scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technology in the USA. "As a result, immunoprivileged sites (that do not produce a strong immune response) such as the eye have become the first parts of the human body to benefit from this technology."

In the two phase 1/2 studies, hESCs were differentiated into retinal pigment epithelium cells and transplanted into nine patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy and nine patients with dry atrophic age-related macular degeneration, the leading causes of juvenile and adult blindness in the developed world, respectively. No effective treatments exist for either condition, and eventually the light-receiving (photoreceptor) cells of the retina degenerate leading to complete blindness.

All participants were injected with one of three different doses of retinal cells (50,000, 100,000, and 150,000 cells) into the subretinal space (under the retina) of the eye with the worse vision.

The hESC-derived cells were well tolerated for up to 37 months after transplantation. No safety concerns (eg, hyperproliferation or rejection) in the treated eyes were detected during a median follow-up of 22 months. Adverse events were associated with vitreoretinal surgery and immunosuppression, but none were deemed to be related to the hESC-derived cells.

Follow-up testing showed that 10 out of 18 treated eyes had substantial improvements in how well they could see, with 8 patients reading over 15 additional letters in the first year after transplant. Visual acuity remained the same or improved in seven patients, but decreased by more than 10 letters in one patient. Importantly, untreated eyes did not show similar visual improvements.

According to co-lead author Professor Steven Schwartz from the Jules Stein Eye Institute, Los Angeles, USA, "Our results suggest the safety and promise of hESCs to alter progressive vision loss in people with degenerative diseases and mark an exciting step towards using hESC-derived stem cells as a safe source of cells for the treatment of various medical disorders requiring tissue repair or replacement."

Writing in a linked Comment, Anthony Atala, Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA says, "The work by Schwartz and colleagues is a major accomplishment, but the path to get to this point has not been smooth. Since the discovery of hESC in 1998, much has transpired, including political, ethical, and scientific debates, with an overall push to achieve the promise of human therapies. Now, we have follow-up that extends to longer than 3 years in patients treated with hESC-derived stem cells, showing both safety and apparent efficacy...Much work remains to be done before hESC and induced pluripotent stem cell therapies go beyond regulatory trials, but the path is now set in motion.

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First report of long-term safety of human embryonic stem cells to treat human disease

Villain - Posthuman | Official Music Video
Villain are a four piece post-punk/alternative/noise band from Christchurch, New Zealand. Post-Human is the first single from their self-titled debut album, available now for free download...

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Villain - Posthuman | Official Music Video - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

14-Oct-2014

Contact: Shilo Rea shilo@cmu.edu 412-268-6094 Carnegie Mellon University @CMUScience

PITTSBURGHMark Roth, an award-winning senior staff writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, will receive the 2014 Friend of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) Award from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Roth is being recognized for his cutting-edge journalism that brings current science and medical issues to the public's attention.

This first Friend of the CNBC Award coincides with the center's 20th anniversary celebration, which is being marked with a series of events on both universities' Pittsburgh campuses Oct. 17-18. Roth will receive the award at a dinner on Friday, Oct. 17.

The CNBC integrates Pitt's strengths in bioengineering, math, psychology, and basic and clinical neuroscience with Carnegie Mellon's strengths in psychology, computer science, biological sciences and statistics to investigate the neural mechanisms that give rise to human cognitive abilities. The center also trains the next generation of neuroscientists through an interdisciplinary graduate and postdoctoral training program and fosters close collaborations between faculty. The CNBC is a major component of CMU's new BrainHubSM initiative and the University of Pittsburgh's Brain Institute.

CNBC co-directors Marlene Behrmann, the George A. and Helen Dunham Cowan Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at CMU, and Peter Strick, the Thomas Detre Professor and chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Pitt, chose to award Roth for his work to help the public understand complicated scientific information.

"Mark Roth does more than just report on medical and science news. His attention to detail, quest to uncover all pertinent information and commitment to explaining complex issues in a way that is understandable and relatable greatly impacts the Pittsburgh community and his readers across the globe. We are thrilled to present him with this award to recognize his efforts to share important science with the public," Behrmann and Strick said.

After spending more than 20 years as an editor at the Post-Gazette, Roth returned to full-time reporting in 2005. In that time, he has produced a monthly series for the Post-Gazette called "The Thinkers," profiling pioneering research in different fields. He also has written a multi-part series on research about the human face, the economic challenges facing the middle class and the newest research on brain disorders. He is now working on a series about immigration in Pittsburgh.

As an editor, which included serving as the Post-Gazette's first science editor, Roth oversaw one Pulitzer Prize-winning entry and one Pulitzer finalist, as well as several other award-winning projects, including a detailed look at the United Flight 93 crash on 9/11.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Mark Roth to receive first Friend of the CNBC Award