Toronto doctor makes Nobel Prize longlist
Dr. Stephen Schrerer,of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, has been named a finalist by Thomson Reuter’s for this year’s Nobel Prize, joining 13 other nominees. Schrerer, director of the hospital’s centre for applied genomics, was recocgnized for the prestigious award through his work in discovering copy-number variation, which is a form of genetic difference linked to a wide swath of diseases. “I am hugely honoured to be on that list with so many giants of science,” Dr. Scherer told the Globe and Mail. “I think what is most important about this happening is that it is an independent recognition of the importance of our work.” The media company’s list ahead of when winners are announced in October is considered a fairly accurate representation of those worthy. About one in four on the list receive the prize, according The Globe and Mail article. [Source: Globe and Mail]
Syrian refugees stranded off Cyprus coast
A small fishing boat carrying 300 people, most believed to be women and children refugees from Syria, sent a distress signal to Cyprus Thursday. Helicopters found the boat 55 nautical miles off the coast and are currently in the throes of delivering them from the rough seas that caused their distress. Migrants are fleeing Syria in record numbers, some to unpredictable and unstable Libya, and others to the much closer Cyprus. Often, cites the BBC, the people fleeing the conflict and bloodshed are doing so in small, ill-equipped boats. [Source: BBC]
Nigerian schoolgirls remain in captivity
The schoolgirls seized from a Nigerian boarding school in April remain hostages to the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, despite recent reports that some of the girls had been freed. Nigeria’s military spokesperson Major General Chris Olukolade told the BBC that the girls they currently have in their protection are not of that group. More than 200 girls were abducted by the Islamic militants. Reports suggest that the Nigerian government has entered into negotiation with Boko Haram, hoping to broker a deal involving the exchange of imprisoned militants for the release of the schoolgirls. “Boko Haram’s name translates as Western education is forbidden,’ writes the BBC. “And it has carried out raids on schools and colleges, seeing them as a symbol of Western culture.” This news comes as 130 Boko Haram figthers have reportedly surrendered to Nigerian forces. And, early reports suggest their leader has been killed. [Source: BBC and Sydney Morning Herald]
Urban Outfitters now the largest seller of vinyl records
Urban Outfitters has officially become the largest vinyl records vendor in the world. The store, widely known as a clothing and accessory wasteland one peers into but dares not enter, is now selling the hip medium no doubt alongside their many other sarcasm-inducing accessories. And, if it’s being sold there, it’s an accessory. And that is sad. “Music is very, very important to the urban customer. In fact, we are the world’s number one vinyl seller,” company CAO Calvin Hollinger told the press. This writer became visible uncomfortable reading the words ‘urban customer.’ The store may have the quantity, but, rest assured, quality will live elsewhere.[Source Death and Taxes]
Hidden-camera footage of what it’s like to be a women under ISIS rule
A Syrian woman agreed to carry a hidden camera to film how life is like inside Syria’s northern city of Raqqa, which has been under the control of the Islamic State (aka ISIL or ISIS). The report was aired on France 2. It shows some French women who decided to move indefinitely to Syria while abandoning their previous lives in France. [Source: YouTube]
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TkuAIKoI28″ width=”560″ height=”320″][su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/6yE91VCUHIk” width=”420″ height=”280″][su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/6yE91VCUHIk” width=”420″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im4QdVc4NEA[/su_youtube]
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Toban Dyck writes this, and hopes to write something else soon, as well. Follow his antics at @tobandyck
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