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Research ArticleBIOGRAPHY
Emily Alyssa Halpern Keram, MD: The Not So Accidental Forensic Psychiatrist
Sally C. Johnson
Dr. Johnson is Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UNC School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor, UNC Law School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
With the passing of the gavel at the recently concluded 45th annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), Emily Keram, MD, who has described herself as "the accidental forensic psychiatrist," became the 41st president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and only the fifth woman to hold that office. As an early mentor and one of her many long-time friends and colleagues, I am privileged to introduce her formally to the broader membership through this article and to share some of the experiences that have shaped her and some of her thoughts about the challenges that face our profession and our organization. It is my hope that, in the year ahead, many of you will seek out opportunities to interact directly with Emily and share your ideas and stories with her. She will love it and you will no doubt be integrated into her ever expanding and evolving understanding of and vision for forensic psychiatry.
Emily Alyssa Halpern Keram, MD
Emily has the potential to be a different kind of president from those whom we have had before. With little need to draw attention to herself, she will instead try to draw attention to the unique ways our organization can contribute to the development of public policy directly related to the substance and practice of our profession. Through example, she demonstrates the best of what AAPL has to offer and what it needs from every member: excitement about how the field is evolving, long-term commitment to the needs of the profession and the community, humility, a sense of humor, and no retreat from the prospect of hard and most often nonglamorous work.
At the time our organization began, Emily was still navigating the public school system in Westchester County, New York. Under the tutelage of her older brother, John, and the close observation of her parents, Doryan and Michela, as well as an assortment of extended family members, who could, and may yet, populate a novel about her formative years, she grew up in New York. Her mother was an educator and an adventurous woman whom Emily fondly describes as a "big social justice person." Her father was a psychologist within the Veterans Administration System. Although she loved all things science, she also demonstrated an early interest in music, but not in the violin and piano lessons her parents wished for her. She adamantly wanted to play the guitar, and, with her insistence and only limited resistance from her violin and piano teachers because of her refusal to practice, her parents finally gave in. She redeemed herself by quickly mastering the instrument and went on to teach guitar in Chapel Hill, NC, before starting medical school. She still views herself as a life-long music student and now plays her 1924 Martin.
Emily elected to leave New York, wanting to spread her wings a bit, and moved south to attend Duke University. She majored in zoology, graduating magna cum laude. Although never imagining herself as destined to be a researcher, she became a member of the Duke University Goat Watching Society and participated in the study of sensory dependent development of maternal/neonate attachment. She managed a short stint studying the physiology of nematodes. Even before graduating, she jumped ship to become a Tarheel and firmly solidified her non-Blue Devil position by attending medical school and completing her residency training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It remains evident to anyone who knows her well that, even under the California sun, her blood continues to run Carolina blue.
So, where does Emily's self-professed view of herself as being an accidental forensic psychiatrist come from? Her interest in forensic psychiatry can be traced to a chance conference and "let's vacation" plan hatched by her attorney/psychiatrist husband Steve during their psychiatry residency training in Chapel Hill. On the recommendation of Dr. Seymour Halleck, they decided to use their $200 lifetime psychiatry residency meeting allotments to head to the 1990 AAPL meeting in San Diego. Being the honest person she is, Emily planned to attend at least one talk at the meeting before heading to the beach. She happened to choose a presentation by Dr. Philip Resnick on insanity, and, "like magic," the world of forensic psychiatry opened up before her eyes. Not only did she spend the rest of the meeting attending as many sessions as she could, she decided to seek advice as to how to pursue her new interest in forensic psychiatry. She was referred, at that same meeting, to Dr. Jonas Rappaport, who in turn, referred her to me. We had just begun a forensic fellowship program, then jointly sponsored by Duke and the Federal Bureau of Prison facility in Butner, North Carolina. My first conversation with Emily was via a very excited phone call. Her response to our subsequent offer of a fellowship training position could be likened to her being offered a lead role in a television crime drama. Emily describes the moment as "winning the lottery." She loved North Carolina and the idea of immersing herself in the study of forensic psychiatry. She was being presented with the opportunity to pursue her interests with a female mentor, and she did not have to move.
Emily quickly integrated into life (as a clinician evaluator) in federal prison, always demonstrating a droll sense of humor and a keen interest in all things criminal. She thrived on the interactions she had with the other clinicians and staff and with the inmate patient population. She found the opportunity to delve into the lives of those facing federal charges to be a fascinating extension of her general psychiatry training. She had a natural ability to look beyond the crime to find the person behind it: never judgmental and always cognizant of the need to understand behavior in its full context. She was exposed, for the first time, to a new set of complex questions, such as the concept of "just" or "fair" punishment within our criminal justice system and the dilemma of how this concept should be applied to the mentally ill. She approached this new type of learning as a detective. The importance of having all of the data she could before arriving at a conclusion and the merits of refusing to pass judgment too quickly in any situation hit home with her. They were lessons learned and valued, not only during that training year, but in the years ahead.
The fellowship year introduced her to a broader type of multidisciplinary practice. She had her first opportunities to interact with different types of law enforcement personnel, as well as professionals from other federal and state agencies. By the end of the year, she appeared ready and eager to embark on a career in criminal forensic work and correctional psychiatry. I offered her a staff psychiatrist position as her training came to a close, but she sadly told me she would have to decline. Unable to reconcile Emily's East Coast government job interests with Steve's aspirations to return to the West Coast to start a private practice, the couple resorted to flipping a coin to determine their immediate future. Emily lost the toss.
They landed instead in Santa Rosa, California, 3,000 miles away from the only forensic connections she had. She described feeling a type of "forensic loneliness" as she began her solo practice of clinical and forensic psychiatry. So, she turned to AAPL to develop a network for continued involvement in forensic psychiatry. She sought out colleagues and mentors and early on began her involvement in the committee work of the organization. Then the chance occurrence of an appointment by Dr. Renée Binder to the California Psychiatric Association's Judicial Action Committee threw her together with Dr. Robert Weinstock, who was chairing it, and Drs. Charles Scott and Christopher Thompson. She was no longer alone in her forensic interests and formed the first of many close friendships in forensic psychiatry that she continues to value dearly.
Her own personal experiences fostered her continued belief in the usefulness and value of the committee structure and functions within AAPL. She has been or is currently involved with, or has chaired, a variety of committees, including Private Practice, Program, Membership, Law Enforcement Liaison, and Education. She founded two new committees for the organization: Early Career Development and Human Rights and National Security. She has also served on the Executive Council, as Councilor, Secretary, and Vice President. She was involved in developing the Practice Guidelines for Insanity Defense Evaluations. In 2012, she was awarded the Red Apple Award for Service in recognition of her ongoing work within the organization.
The development of Emily's career through several opportunities that came her way quite by chance has shaped her current interests and ideas about forensic psychiatry. Early on, she was drawn into the area of law enforcement consultation. She accepted a referral to work on a wrongful-arrest case with the local Deputy City Attorney, Brien Farrell, who later asked her to take a look at the files of a series of officer-involved shootings. When she admitted her lack of detailed knowledge in that area, Mr. Farrell proposed that she attend the Santa Rosa Police Department's Citizen's Police Academy. That was where her interest in law enforcement contacts with mentally ill citizens, including the complicated phenomenon of Suicide by Cop (SBC), really took off. After reviewing a series of cases, she coauthored a paper on SBC and was invited to present her findings at the FBI Academy.
In 1996, Emily accepted the position of Clinical Chief at the Santa Rosa Veterans Administration community-based outpatient clinic. In that capacity, she was immersed in the assessment and care of a veteran population, which at the time was still composed only of pre-Iraq and -Afghanistan war veterans. The work was in many ways all-encompassing and, after four years, she elected to move into a more academically oriented setting. In 2000, she helped to found the Psychiatry and Law program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Binder, whose expertise was in civil evaluations, asked Emily to join her and focus on the criminal work coming into the program. Emily was directly involved in supervising and mentoring the fellows in the training program. She herself was exposed to a mentor in Dr. Binder, who introduced her to a variety of forensic experiences involving legislation, civil cases, and research.
While at UCSF, Emily helped the San Francisco Police Department set up their first Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). From there, she was asked to join a California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) which was tasked by the legislature with developing a statewide curriculum on law enforcement interactions with mentally ill citizens.
In 2004, missing the treatment aspect of her previous work and the opportunity to work with a growing and expanded veterans population and realizing how much of her time was tied up with commuting, she returned to working with veterans in Santa Rosa. This time, however, she limited her VA clinic work to half time so as to allow adequate time to devote to her private forensic practice, pursuing her continued interest in the law enforcement/mental illness interface, and doing volunteer work. She continues with this hybrid job description to the present and has maintained her affiliation with the San Francisco training program. Her work over the past decade has expanded to include veterans of the latest conflicts, allowing her to work with problems and concerns arising immediately after their discharge from military service and enabling her to follow the course of their illnesses as time elapses after their active-duty experiences.
Emily has been integrally involved in and supportive of the VA's current efforts to promote a nationwide application of clinical practice and forensic expertise to the care of veterans. Before the establishment of the national VA's Veterans Justice Outreach Initiative, Emily led the formation of the Sonoma County Veterans Justice Services Program, linking VA services to the local court, jail, and probation office. She now participates in the VA's Workplace Safety program as a member of the San Francisco VA's Disruptive Behavior Committee. She recognizes and uses the benefits, both clinically and forensically, of the VA's Suicide Prevention Program, which focuses on means restriction. Limiting access to lethal means of committing suicide has been found to be an effective intervention technique, with practical implications across populations. It is consistent with Emily's interest in engaging clients or patients and their support systems in the problem-solving process.
Over the course of her career, Emily's work has "accidentally" exposed her to similar important matters in a variety of different populations and settings. Her work with veterans fueled her interest in disabilities and disability rights, including the myriad aspects of posttraumatic stress. The needs of the community and direct requests for assistance following public concern over police conduct exposed her to what was for her new areas of law enforcement training, developing standards for policing, treatment of law enforcement officers, and Suicide By Cop. In 2004, after a chance discussion with a colleague at the AAPL annual meeting, she entered yet another new forensic area. The controversy over the detention and long-term management of individuals captured during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and kept at the Guantanamo detention facility was destined to attract her attention when she was pulled into evaluating several individual cases. This experience opened up the worlds of national security and human rights to her thoughtful consideration.
These experiences, though seemingly quite different on the surface, would ultimately become the heart of her current work: the study of trauma and its potentially transformative impact on human emotion, cognition, and behavior. How does trauma affect victims and perpetrators? How do traumatized communities, nations, and regions react to trauma? Group exposure to trauma can create dissension and drive people toward the extremes of human response. It can also create sympathy and evoke empathy. It can inform liability, require restitution, or establish disability. It can raise the question of credibility or the accusation of weakness in the claimant. The understanding of trauma can bring relief; a lack of understanding can bring shame, isolation, or hopelessness. Group exposure to trauma creates powerful political symbols, influences legislators and the judiciary, informs national security decision-making, and ultimately influences the national character. Trauma and its aftermath run through much of what faces the forensic psychiatrist in almost every endeavor that is undertaken. Emily firmly believes that it remains our collective responsibility to be aware of its presence and the potential consequences of that presence as we practice our trade.
As forensic psychiatrists, we are faced with trying to understand how trauma affects the clinician, the evaluator, and the testifying expert. Numerous questions and potential problems confront us, such as how easily and how often does the forensic clinician fall prey to the experience of secondary trauma when working with these challenging populations? What are the potential impacts of the political climate and public sentiment on the work of the forensic evaluator who chooses to become involved with these populations? How can the psychiatrist and the forensic psychiatrist hold the middle ground in divisive situations and yet remain open to understanding both sides of the question and appreciate the merits of multiple points of view?
Given the evolution of Emily's career as a forensic psychiatrist and her continued involvement in the clinical practice of psychiatry, I was interested to know how she would summarize some of what she has learned along her unique journey through the world of forensic psychiatry. I asked her whether she had developed any maxims to apply to the present-day challenges of forensic practice and whether she wanted to share any advice. A bit of what she shared follows.
The real focus of a forensic psychiatrist's work must be first to solve the most important problem in any case or consultation, which is the need to define the scope of the role of the forensic psychiatrist within that particular referral or context. The second task is to take whatever steps are necessary to make sure one is hewing to that role. The forensic psychiatrist must always take time to stop and ask herself, what is the concern? What is the science? What are the limitations of available data? What is the expertise required? How can your skill set be applied where you are only one of the players and the expectation is that your involvement will bring added value to the process? A third piece of advice when deciding whether to accept a case or a consultation, is always to ask yourself first whether you would accept it, regardless of which side is seeking you out. If the answer is no, you should consider declining involvement.
Emily, without a doubt, remains cognizant that her expertise and that of the field of psychiatry itself is not without limits. It remains the responsibility of the forensic psychiatrist to bring the limits of the science and understanding of human behavior to the attention of those seeking his expertise. There is danger in practicing our craft in isolation. She has made it a practice to address openly her need to seek consultation and retain the ability to conduct honest discussion with selected and identified colleagues in the process of exploring a forensic question. All cases, even if on the surface routine, require current review of the relevant literature, as well as detailed study of the unique fact patterns of illness and behavior presented by the individual case. Collateral information must be assessed for its validity and for its value by understanding it, not only as a trained clinician and evaluator, but through the values, expertise, and vantage points of its providers. The data must be collected and reviewed without getting lost in the process. Understanding applicable law and remaining cognizant of forensic and medical ethics should serve as the backdrop of our work regardless of the questions posed to us.
It is Emily's belief that the field of forensic psychiatry has much to offer to the broader field of psychiatry. Of paramount usefulness is our heightened focus on problem-solving through a multidisciplinary approach. Clear identification of the problems to be addressed, the specific questions to be asked, and the importance of understanding context as well as content are core skills to be exercised in every forensic evaluation or consultation. This understanding can often best be achieved when the forensic psychiatrist, at least initially, assumes the roles of quiet observer and careful listener within the evaluation team and the evaluation process. The ability to let others feel valued and comfortable in bringing their expertise to the table and to recognize the merit of considering the problem from multiple perspectives cannot be underestimated. It can also go far in dispelling public perceptions of the forensic clinician as a self-proclaimed and self-promoted expert who sometimes holds predetermined views and is often highly paid for opinions.
Forensic psychiatry, as is true of all areas of psychiatry, can be demanding and draining work. It is therefore important to take time to turn our attention to other outlets, less prone to debate and deadlines, that can serve to replenish our energy and keep us attuned to the nonpsychiatric, nonpathologic aspects of the world around us. Emily has found that the worlds of dog ownership and showmanship, the creative worlds of music and food, and, most of all, her relationships with husband Steve, her family, and her friends provide those outlets and keep her on the even keel she believes is needed to tackle the complexities of forensic work.
It is that work, not a need for public recognition that remains the driving force for Emily in her role as a forensic psychiatrist. Her belief is that the practice of forensic psychiatry requires a willingness to have one's ideas challenged and opinions questioned and, when necessary, the ability to admit to being in error. It calls for providing services across a spectrum of settings and abilities to pay, and acceptance that it may take more hours than can be reasonably billed to assure that the work that we do is of a quality that can serve as the public face of our profession.
We are fortunate to have Emily serve as the current face of our professional organization. It may have been a series of accidents that brought her into our midst, but she would be the first to acknowledge that it has been the support and interaction of many individuals within this organization that have inspired and encouraged her to assume a leadership role. I have no doubt that she will continue to provide just such inspiration to many others within our membership as she fulfills her duties as our 41st president in the year to come.
© 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
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Richard L. Frierson, MD: Teacher, Mentor, Advocate for Forensic Psychiatry
Ezra E. H. Griffith, MD: The Reality of Honest Narrative and the Legitimate Power of Performance
Professor Thomas Grisso: The "Architect"
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Columnists | Opinion | The Star
Fitness club sales leave members out of breath
By Ellen RosemanContributing Columnist
Sat., Sept. 1, 2007timer2 min. read
Mallika Kazim is bent out of shape about Bally Total Fitness Holdings Corp. The Chicago-based firm recently sold off more than a dozen Toronto fitness clubs to two rival chains – and Kazim is caught in the middle.
After working out for five years at the Cedarbrae location, she can't stay there unless she pays a higher monthly membership fee to Extreme Fitness (the new owner).
The Bally in Willowdale, now owned by GoodLife Fitness, will accept her current fees. But she lives too far away.
"I called several times to ask how it would be determined which club our Bally's membership would be transferred to," she says.
"I was told that after the final sale in June, members would have 30 days to select the club of their choice. But members were automatically assigned to a Goodlife or Extreme location, based on the `home club' in the Bally system."
The sale of seven Toronto Bally clubs, and nine outlets of the Sports Club of Canada, a Bally subsidiary, has left members fuming.
Alan Hrischenko joined Bally's Willowdale club on July 29, 1987. He paid $1,400 for a special membership that allowed him to renew each year at the old rates.
But in mid-July when he tried to pay his renewal fees to GoodLife (which now owned his Bally club), he was told his membership had expired on July 3. That was news to Hrischenko, who had gone to the Bally club on June 18 to fill out a change of address form. "If I had been correctly advised of the expiry date, I would have made a payment in June."
Carla Brown, a supervisor for GoodLife Fitness Clubs, based in London, Ont., said the July 3 expiry date was supplied by Bally Total Fitness. Since he missed it, he'd have to pay the current rates.
GoodLife, which bought 10 Bally and Sports Club locations, now has 141 clubs in Canada, with 350,000 members. Extreme Fitness had six clubs in Toronto before acquiring six Bally and Sports Club locations. It has about 70,000 members and is owned by a U.S. private equity firm, Falconhead Capital.
Some Extreme Fitness members are irked by the promotion of temporary memberships at rates as low as $19 a month.
"I find myself constantly waiting for equipment or not finding room to stretch," says a posting at ExtremeFitness Forum.net, a website set up by clients of Oxygen Fitness on Danforth Ave., which was acquired last year.
Vice-president Taso Pappas defends low-rate deals. They draw new people to the clubs and create a more social experience, he says.
The former Oxygen club is overcrowded, he agreed, but ongoing renovations will add space. And members can visit other Extreme Fitness clubs without extra cost.
The Ontario government has received more feedback than usual about fitness clubs, said Suzanne Mantha, issues co-ordinator at the consumer protection branch.
There were 473 complaints filed from late April (when the Bally clubs were taken over) to late August, compared to 260 in the same period last year.
My advice: Fitness clubs change ownership frequently, so hang on to your original membership documents. And if you're thinking of joining one, talk to existing members and check the Internet for complaints.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Celebrate Jackson Hole ElkFest May 18th-19th, 2019!
Every spring, thousands of elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge lose their antlers before they migrate to their summer range. The Boy Scouts assist the Refuge with harvesting the shed antlers and auction them to bidders from around the world who make furniture, wall decorations, jewelry and food products from them. This annual event, which includes the High Noon Chili Cook-Off and the Mountain Man Rendezvous kick-off, supports the National Elk Refuge with a large portion of auction proceeds going back to habitat enhancement projects on the Refuge. For more information on ElkFest, contact the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce at info@jacksonholechamber.com or 307.733.3316.
Traders Row, Candy Cannon, Bow & Arrow Competition, Hawk & Knife Competition, and Atlatl Competition at the Teton County Fairgrounds. Continues through Old West Days. For more information contact Dan or Brenda Thyer at (406) 682-5255. Click here.
8:00 AM -3:00 PM: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Great Elk Tour – the premier traveling conservation exhibit with some of the largest bull elk in the world! Sponsored by the National Elk Refuge.
9:00 AM-1:00 PM: Kids' Corner – including educational tables and games. Sponsored by Wyoming Game & Fish, the National Elk Refuge, and the Jackson Hole Historical Society.
7:00 PM: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Big Game Banquet Annual Fundraising Dinner. For more information, call Chuck Teske at 307-739-0951 or Ann Patton at 307-734-9549 or AESWY@AOL.com.
Come to Center Street to taste the best Chili in town, participating restaurants and organizations to be announced soon! Do you think you have the best chili recipie?
Any questions about the Chili Cook-Off email Special Events Manager, Caitlin Colby, at caitlin@jacksonholechamber.com or call directly at 307-201-2309.
2018 HIGH NOON CHILI COOKOFF WINNERS!
For more information about the BSA Elk Antler Auction visit www.elkfest.org/auction.
To register for the Antler Auction, please contact Cliff or Loretta Kirkpatrick at info@elkfest.org or 307.733.5935.
For more information about the Mountain Man Rendezvous, please contact Dan and Brenda Thayer at 406-682-5255.
For more information about the Jackson Hole High Noon Chili Cook-Off, please contact Caitlin Colby at caitlin@jacksonholechamber.com or call the Chamber at 307.733.3316. Want to sign up for the cook-off, click here!
Get more info about Elkfest here.
Jackson Hole is proud to host the 37th Annual Old West Days, May 25-28, 2018. Come join in the parade, family fun, rodeo, live music, and more!


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Q: Message=A generic error occurred in GDI+. Cannot pinpoint location in code where error occured There are many variations of this question but I am unable to find the answer I need.  The only thing I have to show is the stack trace (which is similar to other stack traces posted for this question)  From the trace, I cannot determine where in the code this is happening.  At the time, the code should have been updating and adding to several listView controls and doing some file writes.  This answers to this question have run the gamut from resources, file locks, permissions, fonts, multi-threading and various other things but I don't have enough info to get started.  If anyone can shine some light on what this stack is telling me and either provide a solid idea/answer or even a strategy of how to go about diagnosing or trapping the problem, I would be grateful (I believe I have this formatted correctly but apologies if I didn't make it readable enough)
System.Runtime.InteropServices.ExternalException was unhandled
  _HResult=-2147467259
  _message=A generic error occurred in GDI+.
  HResult=-2147467259
  IsTransient=false
  Message=A generic error occurred in GDI+.
  Source=System.Drawing
  ErrorCode=-2147467259
  StackTrace:
       at System.Drawing.Graphics.MeasureString(String text, Font font, SizeF layoutArea, StringFormat stringFormat)
       at System.Drawing.Graphics.MeasureString(String text, Font font, Int32 width)
       at System.Windows.Forms.ThreadExceptionDialog..ctor(Exception t)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.OnThreadException(Exception t)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.TimerNativeWindow.OnThreadException(Exception e)
       at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
       at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG& msg)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ComponentManager.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponentManager.FPushMessageLoop(IntPtr dwComponentID, Int32 reason, Int32 pvLoopData)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.RunMessageLoopInner(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)
       at System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(Form mainForm)
       at Alpha_Strategy_Engine.Program.Main() in c:\Users\Jeffery\Documents\Visual Studio 2013\Projects\Alpha Strategy Engine\Program.cs:line 50
  InnerException:

A: It seems like one of your threads is bombing,
have you checked for leaks in your handling of GDI resources?
Here is a tool that claims to detect GDI leaks:
http://www.codeproject.com/Tips/20264/GDI-Leak-Detector-A-special-debugger-to-detect-and
And a tool to simply view the amount of GDI handles (poor man's debugging):
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/gdi_handles.html
And an msdn blog post about it:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/dsui_team/archive/2013/04/23/debugging-a-gdi-resource-leak.aspx

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The O'Reilly Radar Podcast: Color Genomics, genetic testing access, and the future of precision medicine.
This week, I chat with Othman Laraki, co-founder of Color Genomics. We chat about challenges and opportunities in genetic testing, the future of precision medicine, and the hurdles medicine and health care are currently facing (and how we can overcome them).
Genetics, we felt, had come to a point where there was an opportunity to have a very big impact by essentially mixing some of the best of the biology world with software—in many ways, genetics had started to become, in part, a software problem.
It felt like it was starting to be possible to build products that made genetics accessible to a much broader population by both dropping costs as well as increasing access, so making this information more accessible to a much broader population in a scalable way.
... For example, one of the things we did that we're very proud of is we created this program called the Every Woman Program, where whenever someone buys a test from Color, they can also contribute to fund testing for someone who can't afford it. Then we work with a number of cancer centers, for example at UCSF and the University of Washington, Morehouse in Georgia, and a number of others, where each one of those centers works with underprivileged populations, and they can provide tests for free for people who can't afford it but who the doctors think should get tested.
One of the big opportunities for machine learning in genetics, for example, is around the interpretation of the effects of specific genetic changes. Right now, there are set of guidelines or processes that are used by the industry around the interpretation of how a specific mutation impacts a gene. It's a structured process that's very labor intensive, but it's one of those areas where over time is going to become something that's very heavily solved by machine learning because there's a lot of data that can be used to train a model instead of purely running it in a manual way. The industry is going to evolve quite a bit over the next few years and machine learning is going to have very substantial impact there.
Each one of us is carrying and generating a tremendous amount of data in our daily lives, whether it's our genome, our microbiome, etc., etc. So far, the link between that data and health practice had been through the path of research and translation to a few proxies, essentially, where researchers collect a lot of data, they do a research study, it turns into a set of conclusions, and that over time gets turned into a few rules that get introduced into medical practice. If someone's lipid levels are at this level, etc., then you draw these kinds of conclusions.
Now, we're coming to the point where the amount of data that a doctor will be able to use in a real way to make medical decisions is going to be the full data set of our bodies, which is very exciting and can have a very big impact.
In some ways, I feel right now we've come to this point where there's been enough data and science behind us that we can already create a lot of value, and that allows the bootstrapping of doing things at a massive scale that really takes us to that long-tail distribution of insights around how genetics work and how the body works.


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Happy Johnny Ramone Weekend! The Top Five Musicians Buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery (At Least In Spirit)
Lina Lecaro September 30, 2011
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery has become synonymous with rock 'n' roll thanks to great live shows (recently, Patrick Wolf and Jens Lekman) and its popular Cinespia screenings. But its headstones are what makes it sacred ground for music fans. Even Morrissey says he wants to be buried there.
Hollywood Forever's centerpiece is its ornate Johnny Ramone statue, and the venue's annual tribute gathering for the Ramones guitarist — which occurs tomorrow — remains the best time to pay homage. The seventh annual event is thrown by Johnny's wife Linda Ramone and John Cafiero, and will features a performance by the Misfits, a double film feature, and surprise guests. In honor of the party, here's our list of the top five musicians buried at Hollywood Forever cemetery, at least in spirit. May they rock in peace.
5. Nelson Riddle (1921-1985)
Though he was said to have hated rock music, composer Nelson Riddle inspired one famous rocker: Linda Ronstadt. Riddle and Ronstadt worked on the groundbreaking, What's New?, the first album by a contemporary artist to have major commercial success with a collection of old standards. Before that, Riddle's duet partners included both Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. He revamped the TV theme for Route 66 and composed the memorable theme song for TV's Batman. He died from liver problems on Oct. 6. 1985 and is buried in the mausoleum.
4. Gidget Gein (1969-2008)
Like Jayne Mansfield, Gidget Gein has a much visited memorial at Hollywood Forever, but his actual ashes aren't under it. The musician/artist, whose real name is Brad Stewart, is best known as a founding member of Marilyn Manson. He died of a drug overdose on Oct. 9, 2008. We covered his death and the memorial event that raised money for his bench.
3. Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002)
Said to have come up with the Ramones name, and the "1,2,3,4" countdown that started each song, Dee Dee was also the wackiest Ramone, and some might say, the most troubled. He was found dead on the evening of June 5, 2002 and an autopsy established heroin overdose as cause of death. He lays not far from Johnny's statue. His headstone has his real name "Douglas Glenn Colvin" on top, and features the Ramones seal surrounded by a line from "Highest Trails Above:" "I feel so safe flying on a ray on the highest trails above." Below his stage name it reads: "O.K…I gotta go now."
2. Bianca Butthole (1965- 2001)
Gene Simmons may have been marketing KISS caskets around the same time, but when Bianca Halstead (aka Bianca Butthole) passed away in 2001, her family chose to bury her ashes in her prized vintage KISS lunchbox. The lead singer for scorching all-girl L.A. rock band Betty Blowtorch (who would definitely be #6 on this list) died in a car crash in New Orleans on Dec. 15, while on tour. Her life and death are chronicled in the film, Betty Blowtorch and Her Amazing True Life Adventures.
1. Johnny Ramone (1948-2004)
The coolest cenotaph (a monument erected to honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere) of all time has to go to Johnny Ramone. The guitarist lost his battle with prostate cancer on Sept. 15, 2004. His wife Linda may have his ashes at their home, but all fans would agree that Johnny's soul is definitely at Hey-(Ho)llywood Forever.
Traci Michaelz (1974-2008), drummer for L.A. rockers band Peppermint Creeps is buried at Hollywood Forever. The green haired glam group was a staple on the Sunset Strip. He died while on tour in Texas. His band mates performed a tribute show to him at the Whiskey just this past Summer.
Special Honorable Mention:
Though he doesn't rest there, George Harrison (1943-2001) was cremated in Hollywood Forever's creamtorium after passing away at a friends' house in L.A. The Beatles member's ashes were then returned to his family, who reportedly scattered them in the sacred Ganges River in India.


The day was August 25, 2012.
The location was McCall, Idaho.
We woke up early to enjoy one of our first Saturdays off in a long time.
We had driven up to McCall, Idaho the evening before.
before the super-busy week we were about to experience for my sister's wedding.
We cruised over to The Pancake House, one of McCall's favorite breakfast eateries.
that was the biggest cinnamon roll I had ever seen.
After we were thoroughly stuffed, we ventured down to the North Shore of the Payette Lake.
It was time for some kayaking up the Payette River.
We set off in a tandem kayak, scouting as hard as we could to spot a moose or bear.
The water was as calm as glass, and it was early enough that we were the only people on the river.
We laughed, we paddled, and we took in the sights.
Two hours later, we moseyed back over to the lake shore.
On the way, we ran across a doe and her two fawns, and they were the sweetest little trio.
we did a bit of people watching—our favorite thing.
We watched the rough-and-tough's finishing their triathalon, the sailboats breaking way through the water, and the townspeople bargaining in the market.
Daniel stopped me when we were right in the middle of the park.
We were standing at a little info station that described the history of the old mills in McCall.
He pointed to the sailboats and wrapped his right arm around me.
I was trying to hurry us along to get my coveted Diet Coke at a lakeside restaurant.
He whispered, "Shhhh. Just look at how beautiful it is out here."
It stopped me in my tracks and I took in the moment with him, looking out over the lake.
his hand holding a little red box with a beautiful sapphire ring inside.
Without thinking, I immediately buried my head into his chest.
"Could this be happening? Is this real?" I thought to myself.
"Aunie, will you marry me?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I said and grabbed him with all of my might.
"Are you going to put that on me, or what?!"
He took the ring out of the box, wiggled it over my knuckle, and stepped back to take a look.
I didn't give him another moment to see it.
I hugged him and hugged him and hugged him.
He whispered into my ear the sweetest thing I've ever heard.
He said, "Can I take care of you?"
A passerby stopped and took a couple photos for us.
I don't think anyone saw him propose.
It was our little moment together.
After the initial shock wore off, we began to walk.
As soon as we found a bench, I began to cry.
and ordered a Diet Coke for me, and a Coke for him, and a cheese crisp to share.
We called each of our family members to tell the good news.
The only ones who had known were his parents.
and enjoying our time together.
That evening, we went to a Parrot Head live music event at the Mile High Marina.
and then we danced the night away to some classic hits.
It was one of the best days of my entire life.
I'm so excited for what this new life with Daniel by my side will bring.
but our marriage will also be filled with so much love.
we will have no stronger bond together than Him.
For all the fun photos from that day, click here and here.
So sweet! Congrats again, Sapphire Sister!
When Nick proposed to me, I cried like a freakin' baby. I always thought I would be stoic, but NAY. He did it in front of his whole family at Christmas after all of the presents had been opened. I never expected. EVER.
this story gave me tears, I am so happy for you!!!
Aww I'm welling up. That is such a sweet moment for you two. Congrats!
This is such a beautiful engagement story. And him asking to take care of you?! I am so happy for both of you and the future that God has in store for you marriage. Congratulations again!
Congrats on your engagement. :) Such an exciting time.
aww so happy for you! I'm glad you guys had the whole day together to just reconnect and then this happened! seems perfect :) congratulations again.
Aw this had me tear up a little.
"Can I take care of you?"
One of the sweetest things he could have said!
Congrats my dear :) I'm so excited for you. Oscar finally asked me out the 26th, so I share in your excitement of the future!
Awww. I'm so happy for you Aunie. Congrats!
Awww, this is such a sweet engagement story! So excited for your new adventure with your love! Marriage is truly wonderful!
AWH. AWH. AWH. I WANT TO CRY!!
Engagement stories make me super teary in a way usually only cute puppy videos can! Congrats, love! Sending you lots of well wishes!
That's such a beautiful engagement story! That feels like everything just fits, you know? Like it couldn't have been any other way. You look so happy together :) Congratulations to you both!
Ah, storybook proposal!! (: So Sweet!
This makes me so happy!! You guys are too sweet! :) Marriage is filled with ups and downs, but a whole lot more of the ups than the downs!
Aunie I'm SO happy for you. What a sweet proposal!
congrats! that is the cutest story :) the thought of it made me tear up just a little! haha how fun!
What a story. And what an exciting time in life. Hope you are soaking in every last bit!
OMG that made me cry! I am so happy for you Aunie :) Like, for real!
Congratulations on your engagement! That is a touching story, enjoy your engagement before it's over!
This is the most lovely story...ever.. i like the whispering part:) that was totally cuuuuute!
awww what a sweet story. Congratulations again!
This is so beautiful; your writing is so flawless; I can imagine it, and it's worth tearing up over. You guys are going to fit so well!
Sapphire is my birthstone, I think :) Aunie this was such a beautiful story! You really do have a gift for writing! Congratulations!!!
fantastic story. thanks for sharing! and your ring is stunning!
I definitely had tears in my eyes while reading this!! Congratulations!!
What a sweet story! Congrats again, love!
Congratulations...again! This is the sweetest story!
Awwwwww.... such a cute story!!!!!!!!
Oh my.. this is so sweet! What an amazing day!! So so so happy for you.
What a special day. I am so happy for you that you have found YOUR happiness!
PS) The "Can I take care of you?" line made me tear up! Beautiful.
this made my heart smile so much, to know how happy you are!
Wishing you both an eternity of love & happiness!
eeeee congrats! we just moved to Idaho this summer and I'm so excited you had some good moments here!


text:
according to the "competitive exclusion principle," two species cannot
According to the competitive exclusion principle, two species cannot continue to occupy the same A) habitat. One species will adapt to another species invading its habitat.c. f two closely related species continue to produce hybrids, the hybrids will compete with both species, causing them to find new niches which will further their divergenceb. one free-living species kills and eats anotherb. two species interact and both benefit by the interactionc. b. grass grows on a sand dune, is replaced by shrubs, and then by trees. The principle that states that two different species cannot occupy the same niche in a given habitat is called Competetive exclusion. (D) two species will stop reproducing until one species leaves the habitat. Even though this one needs that wanted. Species diversity is maintained by switching between prey species. two species cannot share exactly the same niche in a community. According to the principle of competitive exclusion, two species cannot continue to occupy the same: a. ecological niche b. environmental habitat c. range d. biome e. territory. Only one species benefits and the other derives no benefit or harm from the relationship.b. Describe the symbiotic relationship of mutualism.a. b) biome. So that's why the answer would be a So I hope you found this helpful. Which of the following best illustrates ecological succession? In ecology, the competitive exclusion principle, sometimes referred to as Gause's law, is a proposition named for Georgy Gause that two species competing for the same limited resource cannot coexist at constant population values. A pioneer species is a species that maintains the community structure in an ecosystem, and whose loss causes the ecosystem to fail.c. Click 'Join' if it's correct, By clicking Sign up you accept Numerade's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Whoops, there might be a typo in your email. intraspecific competition results in the success of the best-adapted individuals.d. E) Biome. Two species can coevolve and share the same niche. Either they diverge their niches so they can coexist or one species will die out. f two closely related species continue to produce hybrids they will always converge into a single species. Thank you. An outstanding challenge is embodied in the so-called Competitive Exclusion Principle: two species competing for one limiting resource cannot coexist at constant population densities, or more generally, the number of consumer species in steady coexistence cannot exceed that of resources. c) range. Two species can coexist in the same, have a top as long as they don't share the same mates. The two species can cozy this in the same habitat as long as they don't share. This concept is a corollary of the competitive exclusion principle, which states that, controlling for all else, two species competing for exactly the same resources cannot stably coexist. Explain what happens to a forest community after a forest fire.a. Both species benefit from the relationship.d. The term used to describe a harmless organism resembling a harmful one is: That and this question is asking. D) Range. one free-living species feeds on another and usually kills itb. So you have a two species can cause coexist in the same habitat as long as they do not share the same trophic level. Click to sign up. two species access a resource. Get a little cheetah right here. Knowledge/ComprehensionThe principle of competitive exclusion states that(A) two species cannot coexist in the same habitat. Two species can coexist in the same habitat as long as they do not share the same resources.d. Caribbean coral reef communities have been strongly influenced by an unknown pathogen that causes white-band disease. Two species can coexist in the same habitat as long as they do not share the same mates.c. A pioneer species is a species that is transported out of its native habitat into a non-native habitat, where there are few or no natural predators to keep the population in check.b. What is niche differentiation?a. the claim that species with the same niche cannot coexist. A.habitat. One species benefits and the other is harmed by the relationship.c. When one species has even the slightest advantage over another, the one with the advantage will dominate in the long term. Describe a situation where hybrid reproduction would cause two species to fuse into one.a. Groups of species grow and then are replaced by other groups through a sequential series of changes as the community matures over time.d. So do do them competitive exclusion principle. Niche. EMAILWhoops, there might be a typo in your email. (B) competition between two species always causes extinction or emigration of one species. Explain how two different species can coexist in the same habitat according to the competitive exclusion principle.
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New York, USA, 2018-Sep-29 — /EPR Network/ —According to Goldstein Research, global IoT in Agriculture market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.30% over the forecast period 2016-2024 from a market size of USD 4.40 billion in 2015. Implementation of precision agriculture technique and smart irrigation practices is driving the growth of the market. Moreover, the acquisitions and partnership agreements carried out between public and private sectors are swelling the investments for the adoption of the internet of things (IoT) in agriculture and technology-based agriculture projects. Global IoT in Agriculture market is largely dominated by North America and accounted for around 75% market share in 2015.
IoT in agriculture market size is expected to reach market size of USD 20.1 billion by 2024. Whereas, Europe IoT in agriculture market is anticipated grow at a notable CAGR of 7.50% over the forecast period, with Greece, Spain, Poland, France and Scotland being the top contributors in revenue.
"Global IoT in Agriculture Market Outlook 2024" includes comprehensive overview of the global IoT in agriculture market. On the basis of our in-depth analysis, market can be segmented in terms of market segmentation by components and geography.
The Global IoT in Agriculture Market Report highlights the competitive outlook of major global players that includes the business strategies, product portfolio, revenue distribution, financial analysis, R&D activities, and investments. The comprehensive analysis of IoT in agriculture market report is drafted as per the clients to help them in assessing their business strategies in the competitive environment.
Major players of the global IoT in agriculture market analyzed in the report are: IBM Corporation, ThingWorx, John Deere & Company, Qualcomm Flight Platform, Agribiotix, Deepfield Robotics (Bosch), Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc., Raven Industries, Inc., SemiosBio Technologies Inc., AGCO Corporation, CNH Industrial, Lindsay Corporation, Trimble Navigation Ltd., Cisco Systems, Leica Geosystems, Trackit, Euravka, FluxFarm Inc., Climate Corporation,etc.
Further, Global IoT in Agriculture Market Report encompasses the key factors driving the growth of the market, opportunities in the market and the factors posing threats & challenges to the market. The IoT in Agriculture Market Outlook also comprises the market dynamics, risk analysis, SWOT analysis, USP analysis, BPS Analysis & market attractiveness. Report further also includes the expert analysis and remarks showcasing the complete overview of the market based on intensive analysis of political, economic, social, technological, environmental & legal factors of each region in the market.


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FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
http://www.forum18.org/ The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief
View as web page
Search the Forum 18 Archive
TAJIKISTAN: Muslims and Protestants are the latest official targets
By Mushfig Bayram, Forum 18
After Tajikistan's adoption of a restrictive new Religion Law the Muslim community appears to be the main target of official hostility, Forum 18 News Service has found. Officials have told Forum 18 the NSC secret police is preparing the so-far unspecified charges against 93 members of the Jamaat Tabligh Islamic movement, who were detained by the authorities in April and May. Tajikistan State University has expelled "up to four" Muslim students for wearing the hijab. The Vice-Rector claimed to Forum 18 that they were expelled "not because of religion but because the university had a dress code." Meanwhile attacks on the property of religious communities continue, with the Protestant Grace Sunmin Church in the capital Dushanbe having lost its legal battle to stop the authorities evicting it from its own church building. The Church has been given a deadline of 1 July to leave its building.
Female students who want to wear headscarves in university or school, followers of the Jamaat Tabligh Islamic movement and the Protestant Grace Sunmin church in the capital Dushanbe are among the latest victims of the government crackdown on freedom of religion or belief, Forum 18 News Service notes. Up to four female students of Tajikistan State University in Dushanbe were expelled for wearing the hijab – an Islamic headscarf for women - to lectures. Prosecution of some 93 followers of the Jamaat Tabligh movement arrested in April and May continues. The press officer of the National Security Committee (NSC) secret police, who did not give his name, refused to tell Forum 18 on 9 June how long the investigation of the detained followers would last and when any trials might take place. And Grace Sunmin church has lost its battle in the courts to retain its building and has been given a final deadline of 1 July to vacate it.
In the wake of the expulsion of the female students from Tajikistan State University for wearing the hijab, officials from the University and Education Ministry and the Presidential Administration have given conflicting remarks whether or not wearing hijab to universities is banned. Meanwhile some parents do not send their daughters to school because girls are not allowed to attend classes in hijab.
Hijab-wearing students barred from educational institutions
Latofat Nazirova, the State University's Vice-Rector responsible for educational and disciplinary matters, said the University expelled "up to four students this year" for wearing hijabs. "I do not remember the names of the students or what grade they were in," she told Forum 18 on 8 June from Dushanbe.
About the reasons of the expulsions, Nazirova said, it was "not because of religion but because the university had a dress code," according to which female students are not allowed to wear "totally black or dark apparels, and those that would tightly cover them." Asked whether the expelled students could be restored to the University, Nazirova responded: "They could if they gave up wearing hijabs."
Among those who said they had been expelled from the State University this year was Gulnora Bobonazarova, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tajik Service reported on 26 May. She was quoted as saying that "the university administration did not admit her to the exams because she wore a hijab."
However, Nazirova claimed to Forum 18 that Bobonazarova, who she said is in her last year of university, was admitted to the final exams recently. "I had the order for her expulsion also but did not sign it when I found out she was about to graduate and was a diligent student," Nazirova claimed to Forum 18. She also claimed that Bobonazarova should be able to receive her diploma in September.
Forum 18 was unable to independently verify Vice-Rector Nazirova's claims about Bobonazarova between 8 and 11 June.
In 2007, another student of the State University Davlatmoh Ismoilova had challenged in the court the ban on wearing hijabs. However, she lost the case, and did not return to the University, reports RFE/RL.
Schoolgirls are also not allowed to wear hijabs to classes, as Hikmatullo Saifullozoda of the officially registered Islamic Revival Party complains. "I know of many friends and acquaintances that do not send their daughters to schools because of this," he told Forum 18 on 11 June.
Dushanbe resident Makhmadjon Muhammadnuri told Forum 18 his eight-year-old daughter does attend any school because "it is against his convictions" for his daughter to attend classes without a hijab. He told Forum 18 on 11 June that he knew "the state secondary schools would not accept" his daughter in hijab and therefore he tried to place her in a private school, Sarparast, in 2008. "But they turned us down because of the hijab," he said. Muhammadnuri told Forum 18 that he knew of other parents who also would not send their daughters to school, because they were banned from wearing the hijab.
Forum 18 was unable to reach the Sarparast school.
Schoolgirls wearing hijabs in northern Tajikistan have in the past been barred from receiving school leaving certificates (see F18News 7 March 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=739).
Why is the hijab banned in university and school?
Claiming to Forum 18 on 8 June that there is a ban on wearing hijab in the education institutions, signed by Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon and the Education Minister, was an employee of the State University's Admissions Department, who did not give her name.
Forum 18 was unable to reach Abdulfatoh Sharipov, the Head of the President's Press Service, on 9 and 10 June. However, two different officials of the Press Service, neither of whom gave their names, insisted to Forum 18 that President Rahmon had not signed any ban on wearing the hijab. Both of them refused to comment on the claims of the official ban on the hijab and the expulsions of the students. "The ban comes from the Education Ministry," one Press Service official told Forum 18 on 10 June.
Jaloliddin Amirov, an official of the Education Ministry, denied to Forum 18 there was a "ban". He said there were merely two decisions of the Board of the Education Ministry from 3 July 2007, No.14/2 and No.14/3, which instruct students of higher education institutions and schoolchildren respectively to wear uniforms to universities and schools. "With the decision we have also provided universities and schools with photographs of up to six different models of uniform," Amirov told Forum 18 on 10 June. "So obviously when women wear a hijab to the university, they violate the dress code."
Hikmatullo Saifullozoda of the Islamic Revival Party argued that the Education Ministry instructions were "specifically against" Islamic religious apparel. "The dress models given by the Ministry include traditional Tajik head-scarves for female students provided the neck must not be covered, but the hijab covers the neck," Saifullozoda explained to Forum 18. "I am sure the women were against showing their necks according to their religious convictions, and therefore insisted on wearing hijab to classes."
Asked if all students followed the Education Ministry's dress code instructions, Amirov of the Education Ministry responded: "I would say 90 percent of the students do." He said there are those who "sometimes break the rules and come to classes in casual dress like jeans but they get warned immediately." Asked whether students who insisted on wearing casual dress to classes could also be expelled, Amirov asked, "Why should we expel students for that?" Amirov evaded the question why the State University expelled students for wearing hijabs. "I am not aware of that," he responded.
Tajikistan's Council of Ulems (Islamic scholars), which replaced the former Muftiate or Spiritual Board of Muslims, refused to comment to Forum 18 on 9 June on the expulsion of students or the ban on hijab. Haji Nigmatullo Olimov, Deputy Chairman of the Council, referred Forum 18 to the Islamic University of Tajikistan. The phones at the University went unanswered between 9 and 11 June.
The Council of Ulems has in the past supported the authorities actions in penalising Muslim schoolgirls for wearing the hijabs (see F18News 8 June 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=796). It has also supported government actions more recently (see F18News 17 December 2008 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1230).
Prosecution of Jamaat Tabligh members continues
Although Tajikistan's General Prosecutor's Office had earlier told Forum 18 that it was about to bring charges against the arrested Jamaat Tabligh members, officials there and at the NSC secret police made it clear that it is the NSC which is now leading the prosecution.
Dushanbe City Division of the NSC secret police is leading the case of the arrested Jamaat Tabligh members, according to Sobirjon Isoboyev, Senior Official of the General Prosecutor's Office. "The Ministry of National Security is preparing charges against them," he told Forum 18 on 9 June. Isoboyev said he did not know how many Jamaat Tabligh members are being prosecuted.
One Jamaat Tabligh member had given Forum 18 the number of those arrested at 93, but officials had claimed that the number was much smaller. However, the officials refused to state who is being held or why. Officials claimed the movement was banned in Tajikistan in 2006, but a Supreme Court official and civil society sources told Forum 18 that they were unaware of the ban (see F18News 15 May 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1297).
The NSC secret police's Press Officer told Forum that he could not say anything on the case. "I have not received any information on the case yet," he stated. Asked when NSM would announce the results of the investigation, he said he did not know and hung up the phone.
The Supreme Court banned the Salafi school of Islamic thought in January 2009 (see F18News 23 January 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1243). The ban came into effect on 9 February.
Isoboyev could not say what exactly the members of Jamaat Tabligh or the banned Muslim Salafi movement had violated. Isoboyev also said he does not know of any prosecution of Salafi members since they were banned.
Tightening controls over religious activity and loss of places of worship
The last few years have seen increasing official controls on religious activity. Jehovah's Witnesses still cannot officially meet for worship in Tajikistan, following an October 2007 ban on their activity. Two Protestant communities in Dushanbe also faced "temporary" bans. Abundant Life Christian Centre closed down in the wake of the ban, while the other - Ehyo Church - was officially able to resume its activity in late 2008 (see F18News 20 January 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1242).
Religious communities have little security that they can retain their own places of worship. As well as Dushanbe's Grace Sunmin church, many mosques or Muslim prayer halls, the country's only synagogue and Protestant churches have been closed, bulldozed or threatened with confiscation. The Jewish community received no compensation for its synagogue bulldozed in Dushanbe in June 2008. Although the state did not compensate the Jewish community for demolishing the synagogue, a private businessman (and a brother-in-law of President Rahmon) provided the Jewish community with an alternative building in March 2009 (see F18News 26 March 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1274).
Grace Sunmin church members told Forum 18 on 12 June that the church's final appeal to the High Economic Court of Tajikistan to restore their property rights yielded no results. On 11 June the High Court upheld the previous court decisions to strip the church's property rights. The church has been given a final deadline of 1 July to vacate the building (see F18News 24 June 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1317).
Meanwhile the recently adopted new Religion Law has made its impact on the Muslim community. Although a number of religious communities – among them Baha'is and Protestant Christians - told Forum 18 that there have been no new raids or checkups since the new law, the Islamic Revival Party's Saifullozoda claimed that the authorities already watch the funeral ceremonies and weddings so there is no unauthorised preaching. "According to the New Law, preaching from the Koran may only take place in Cathedral mosques," he stated (see F18News 19 June 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1315).
Tajikistan's government has made contradictory statements about whether or not the new Law will be changed. President Rahmon has stated that it "will not be changed" as it is "well-defined and clear". However, Mavlon Mukhtarov, the Deputy Ministry of Culture, has told Forum 18 that the Law is "not a dogma" and may change. Muslim, Christian and Baha'i religious communities have complained to Forum 18 that, since 2006, almost no religious organisations have been given state registration, the head of the Culture Ministry's Religious Affairs Department confirming that "only" new non-Muslim religious organisations were denied registration since 2006 (see F18News 8 May 2009 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1292). (END)
More coverage of freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Tajikistan is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?query=&religion=all&country=31.
For more background see Forum 18's Tajikistan religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=190.
A survey of the religious freedom decline in the eastern part of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) area is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=806, and of religious intolerance in Central Asia is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=815.
A printer-friendly map of Tajikistan is available at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=tajiki.


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Saudi medical staff celebrate the closure of the hospital's isolation rooms
AFP Singapore Published on Monday 7 September 2020 at 13:20
A video has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows Russian healthcare workers celebrating a new vaccine for the novel coronavirus. The claim is false; the video shows medical staff celebrating the closures of isolation rooms at King Saud Medical City Al-Shumaisi Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The video, posted here on Facebook on August 12, 2020, has been viewed more than 250,000 times.
Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on August 31, 2020
The caption, written in simplified Chinese characters, translates to English as: "The vaccine is out. Russian health care workers are removing their masks. Humans are saved!"
On August 11, 2020, President Vladimir Putin declared Russia the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine, AFP reported here.
The video was also shared alongside a similar claim in Chinese here, and in Indonesian here, here and here.
A reverse image search on Google led to this video posted on Twitter on August 11, 2020.
It was posted by Dr. Khaled Al-Dahmashi, director of King Saud Medical City hospital, in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading post (L) and the Twitter video (R):
Screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading post and the Twitter video
Translated to English, the Arabic-language tweet says: "The joy of the medical and nursing staff at King Saud Medical City #AlShumaisi by closing the isolation wards designated for #Covid19 in the General Hospital, after a significant decline in the number of injuries and an increase in the rate of recovery, praise be to God."
The next day, he retweeted the video with a clarification comment. Translated from Arabic, it says: "This is to clarify that this ward has 80 intensive care beds at the general hospital at KSMC. It was closed after the number of cases decreased, the intensive care was expanded from 130 beds to 460 for Covid-19. There are still cases of Covid-19 please follow the recommendations on the Health Ministry. Thanks to the medical staff, a special thanks to @tfrabiah."
@tfrabiah is the official Twitter account of Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah.
Saudi24 News published this report on August 11, 2020, titled: "Video .. Medical personnel at King Saud Medical City celebrate the closure of the Corona case isolation ward."
The first paragraph of the report says: "The director of the General Hospital of King Saud Medical City, Dr. Khaled Al-Dahmashi, published a video clip of the joy of the medical and nursing staff in closing the isolation wards designated for cases of infection with the emerging corona virus."
AFP Singapore