ESSENTIAL WORKERS 

Mutant COVID-19 strain in Spanish farm workers sparked Europe's second wave: scientists

Financial Times 
© Provided by National Post

A wine industry worker wearing a face mask collects grapes amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Samaniego, Rioja Alavesa, Spain, September 21, 2020.

A coronavirus variant that originated in Spanish farm workers has spread rapidly through much of Europe since the summer, and now accounts for the majority of new Covid-19 cases in several countries — and more than 80 per cent in the UK.

An international team of scientists that has been tracking the virus through its genetic mutations has described the extraordinary spread of the variant, called 20A.EU1, in a research paper to be published on Thursday.

Their work suggests that people returning from holiday in Spain played a key role in transmitting the virus across Europe, raising questions about whether the second wave that is sweeping the continent could have been reduced by improved screening at airports and other transport hubs.

Because each variant has its own genetic signature, it can be traced back to the place it originated.

“From the spread of 20A.EU1, it seems clear that the [virus prevention] measures in place were often not sufficient to stop onward transmission of introduced variants this summer,” said Emma Hodcroft, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Basel and lead author of the study which is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The scientific teams in Switzerland and Spain are now rushing to examine the behaviour of the variant to establish whether it may be more deadly or more infectious than other strains. Dr Hodcroft stressed that there was “no evidence that the variant’s [rapid] spread is due to a mutation that increases transmission or impacts clinical outcome”.

But she emphasised that 20A.EU1 was unlike any version of Sars-Cov-2 — the virus that causes Covid-19 — she had previously come across. “I’ve not seen any variant with this sort of dynamic for as long as I’ve been looking at genomic sequences of coronavirus in Europe,” she said.

In particular, the teams are working with virology laboratories to establish whether 20A.EU1 carries a particular mutation, in the “spike protein” that the virus uses to enter human cells, that might alter its behaviour.

All viruses develop mutations — changes in the individual letters of their genetic code — which can group together into new variants and strains. Another mutation in Sars-Cov-2, called D614G, has been identified which is believed to make the virus more infectious.

© Angel Garcia/Bloomberg A worker wearing a protective face mask speaks to passing pedestrians outside a restaurant terrace on the Joan Borbo promenade in the Barceloneta neighborhood of Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.

Joseph Fauver, a genetic epidemiologist at Yale University who was not involved in the research published on Thursday, said: “We need more studies like this to find mutations that have risen to high frequency in the population, and then reverse-engineer them to see whether they make the virus more transmissible.”

The new variant, which has six distinctive genetic mutations, emerged among agricultural workers in north-east Spain in June and moved quickly through the local population, according to the study.

Tanja Stadler, professor of computational evolution at ETH Zurich who is part of the project, said that analysis of virus samples taken from across Europe in recent weeks showed they were derived from this same variant.

“We can see the virus has been introduced multiple times in several countries and many of these introductions have gone on to spread through the population,” Prof Stadler said.

Iñaki Comas, head of the SeqCovid-Spain consortium that is studying the virus and a co-author of the study, added: “One variant, aided by an initial super-spreading event, can quickly become prevalent.”

The researchers concluded that the “risky behaviour” of holidaymakers in Spain — such as ignoring social distancing guidelines — who “continue to engage in such behaviour at home” helped the spread of the new variant.

The research showed that the new variant accounted for more than eight out of 10 cases in the UK, 80 per cent of cases in Spain, 60 per cent in Ireland and up to 40 per cent in Switzerland and France.

Stringent lockdowns in the early part of the year helped bring the initial Covid-19 surge under control, with new cases substantially reduced over the summer.

But the virus has spread rapidly back through Europe in recent weeks in a resurgence that has forced national leaders to introduce painful new restrictions on social activities.

ISRAEL SETTLER TERRORISM

West Bank Palestinians' olive trees burn as U.N. urges protection for harvest

By Ali Sawafta and Rami Ayyub

© Reuters/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN 

Grass burns in an olive field after Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters during a Palestinian protest against Jewish settlements, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

BURQA, West Bank (Reuters) - For many West Bank Palestinians, the olive tree is both a revered cultural emblem and an economic necessity - but it has also become a focal point of a struggle between them and Israeli settlers for a land they both claim

.

© Reuters/RANEEN SAWAFTA 

A Palestinian farmer burns grass as he cleans a field before picking up olives near the Israeli barrier in Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

More than 1,000 trees owned by Palestinian farmers have been burned or damaged in the Israeli-occupied territory since the harvest began three weeks ago, according to a United Nations report.

The Oct 23 report by humanitarian affairs office UNOCHA has also logged 19 disruptions "by people believed or known to be Israeli settlers," with 23 Palestinian farmers injured

© Reuters/RANEEN SAWAFTA 

An Israeli soldier checks the documents of Palestinians crossing through the gate of a fence, part of the Israeli barrier, as they make their way towards an olive field, in Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

While the settlers dispute those figures, in normal years peace monitors accompany the farmers to protect the harvest. But the coronavirus pandemic has made this harder.

Some Israeli activists are still deploying. "With COVID-19 it is impossible for foreigners to come, harder for Israelis," said one activist, Guy Butavia.

Olive farmers in areas near some Israeli settlements say they face problems each year.

"When we try to reach our fields, the army protects the settlers and prevents us from accessing our olives," said Adnan Barakat, council head of Burqa village, near Ramallah.

In Burqa, Israeli settlers "stoned and physically assaulted Palestinian olive pickers on three occasions, triggering clashes", UNOCHA said.

Calling on Israel to ensure the farmers' safety, U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council on Monday: "Each year, the ability of Palestinians to harvest is compromised due to access restrictions, attacks and intimidation."

© Reuters/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN Israeli settlers watch Palestinians pick up olives near a Jewish settlement outpost near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West B

Yigal Dilmoni, head of Yesha, the main settler council in the West Bank, said most of the accusations came from "dubious" sources.

© Reuters/RANEEN SAWAFTA Palestinians wait with animals to cross through the gate of a fence, part of the Israeli barrier, as they make their way towards an olive field, in Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

"For many years now, extremist organisations... have been carrying out provocative actions and exploiting the harvest season to incite against Israeli civilians," he said.

"I live on the ground and see thousands of Palestinians harvesting their olives daily without any problem."

BURNING BUSHES

Around 430,000 Israeli settlers live among three million Palestinians in the West Bank, territory that Israel captured in 1967. Settlers have also been targets of Palestinian stabbing, shooting and car-ramming attacks.

Palestinians claim the West Bank for a future state. But Israel cites its security needs and historical ties to the region.

Tensions rose this summer over Palestinian fears that newly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would implement pre-election promises to annex part of the West Bank.

Last week in Burqa, Reuters journalists there saw Palestinians and Israelis confronting each other. Israeli security forces intervened, firing tear gas and stun grenades towards Palestinians, who threw stones back.

A brush fire broke out amid the clashes and Israeli firing, and spread to nearby olive trees.

The Israeli military said security forces had coordinated with landowners to ensure safe picking, but were met with "rioters" hurling rocks.

"A few arson attempts were identified," a military statement said. "Troops responded with riot dispersal means... During the incident, a fire broke out and several trees were damaged."

The military said it "would not allow the olive harvest to be used in order to harm Israeli civilians or security forces."

(This story corrects Yigal Dilmoni's title to head of Yesha from spokesman in 10th paragraph)

(Writing by Stephen Farrell and Rami Ayyub; editing by John Stonestreet and David Holmes)

ALL ISRAEL SETTLEMENTS ARE ILLEGAL UNDER UN ACCORDS

Atlas push to 'slow the testing down' tracks with dramatic decline in one key state; FLORIDA

By John Avlon, Michael Warren and Brandon Miller, CNN 


Shortly after joining the White House as President Donald Trump's pandemic adviser, Dr. Scott Atlas launched a quiet effort that seemed counterintuitive to some of his colleagues -- encouraging officials to limit Covid-19 testing mainly to people experiencing symptoms.

© Chris O'Meara/AP/FILE Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, looks on as Dr. Scott Atlas, President Donald Trump's new pandemic advisor, gestures as during a news conference at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Tampa, Fla.

Atlas, a neuroradiologist, not an infectious disease expert, strongly supported a decision in August to revise federal guidelines to de-emphasize the need to test people without symptoms, according to two sources familiar with the process. He shared his view with state officials, including Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and several others in Florida, according to transcripts of public events and accounts from private meetings in that state.

During a joint tour on August 31, Atlas and DeSantis urged public health officials in several Florida cities to focus less on universal testing and more on opening the economy and schools. In private and public meetings, according to transcripts and personal accounts, the two spoke in favor of testing people for Covid-19 primarily if they're experiencing symptoms, a controversial view among epidemiologists. 

© Lynne Sladky/AP/FILE Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Doral, Fla.

"The purpose of testing is to stop people from dying," Atlas said during one stop, captured on video. "When you start introducing closure of schools because people have positive, asymptomatic tests, that's sort of not the purpose of testing."   

"I think, Dr. Atlas, we're in agreement on focusing strategies in school on people who are symptomatic," DeSantis said in another joint news conference that day. 

Their push to de-emphasize tests coincided with a dramatic drop in testing across Florida, even as the country was careening toward a fall coronavirus surge. A CNN analysis of the Florida state official numbers, aggregated by the Covid Tracking Project, shows that testing dropped off at the end of July and early August, with a peak seven-day average over 90,000 tests per day on July 18. Six weeks later, in early September, the seven-day average dropped by nearly half, with fewer than 48,000 tests per day, and hovered between there and 60,000 during the fall.

© Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images US President Donald Trump (L) listens to White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas speak during a press conference on September 23, 2020.

If Atlas and DeSantis' advocacy in Florida is, in fact, responsible for the state's testing decrease, that would be in keeping with the wishes of Trump, who for months has falsely suggested that the US has so many coronavirus cases only because it conducts so many tests. In June, Trump even said publicly that he wanted to "slow the testing down, please."   

Though both Atlas and DeSantis declined to discuss their views with CNN for this story, they have articulated them in public. Some state and local officials believe the pair was influential in taking Trump's anti-testing pronouncements and helping to turn them into public policy. And the drop-off in testing is of deep concern to some. It took place as positivity rates remained high, in the range that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers indicative of high community spread.

Asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers are still contagious, experts say. A lack of widespread testing makes it harder to map the disease as it spreads and to warn those at risk of illness.    

"There's no question more people are going to die," says Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, a critic of DeSantis' approach to testing and other matters of the governor's pandemic management. "We are flying blind without tests."    

At the moment, the nation is experiencing another surge of illness. Daily case numbers are reaching levels not seen since late July, and Florida is starting to see its numbers go up as well. Experts say that widespread testing, including of asymptomatic carriers, is critical to limiting the spread of the virus.    

A White House spokesman claimed Atlas had never advocated reducing testing, despite the doctor's public statements to the contrary. 

Atlas and the President "are focused on using the massive testing program smartly, to save lives and protect individuals at risk in high-risk settings," Judd Deere wrote in an email to CNN. "The administration's testing strategy, and Dr. Atlas's advisement, is fundamentally rooted in the bedrock objective of saving lives, while helping schools, businesses, churches, and other institutions, to open, re-open, and stay open."  

A spokesperson for DeSantis said he is acting of his own accord. 

"We aren't marching lockstep with anybody," said Fred Piccolo, communications director for the governor. "We respect Dr. Atlas. But we have no marching orders from the White House."  


Atlas: From Fox commentator to trusted Trump adviser

After advising the White House for several weeks, Atlas officially joined the Trump administration on August 10 at the request of the President. Trump had seen Atlas in interviews on Fox News, where he expressed skepticism about the scientific consensus on Covid-19.

Among other things, Atlas had asserted that it doesn't matter "how many cases" there are in the US. His thoughts jibed with Trump's, and, upon announcing his hire, the President promised Atlas would "take it to a new level," suggesting Atlas would help the administration tackle the pandemic.

Atlas quickly assumed the role of Trump's most favored public health adviser, supplanting more established members of the coronavirus task force such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx. The President hardly ever asks doctors on the task force for their counsel anymore, White House officials have told CNN, relying instead on Atlas.

"I definitely don't have his ear as much as Scott Atlas right now," Fauci said of Trump on MSNBC on Friday. "That has been a changing situation."  

John Cochrane, a scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where Atlas is a senior fellow, defended his colleague's willingness to push back against consensus.  

"Wise public policy has to balance a bit of disease spread against immense economic [and] social costs," said Cochrane, an economist. "I think that underlying insight drives much of his particular recommendations."     

One of Atlas' earliest moves as a member of the task force was to work to revise CDC guidelines in order to de-emphasize the need for asymptomatic testing, according to two sources familiar with the process.

The advisory was later reversed because of the objections of CDC scientists, but the short-lived guidelines demonstrated Atlas' sway and helped him spread a message, including in Florida.  

DeSantis shares some Trump ideas about the pandemic

Meanwhile, DeSantis has focused on similar things.   

Following Trump's demands in July that schools across the country reopen, the governor became a vocal proponent of returning Florida schools to normal operations. DeSantis supported an emergency order issued by his education commissioner in July that public schools should prepare to open five days a week for in-person learning, comparing schools to open retailers like Walmart and Home Depot.

He also criticized some universities in the state for what he called "draconian" punishments for students who violated Covid-19 protocols.

So it was notable that Atlas joined DeSantis in Florida during the first week of classes at the state's flagship public university, the University of Florida. Starting on August 31, the pair went across the state, promoting their shared ideas about the importance of reopening schools, focusing on protecting the elderly and not testing asymptomatic people.  

As the Republican governor of a crucial swing state, DeSantis had been presenting Florida's reopening at the end of September as a model of the President's view that life should return to normal quickly.  

"The point of all these things are to save lives," Atlas said in summing up his viewpoint at a news conference alongside DeSantis that same day, "not to document asymptomatic people that are low-risk."  

"I have been speaking with Gov. DeSantis for quite a while about the pandemic, and he really is an example of doing something with the exact thoughtful approach that we need in this," Atlas said later that day at a joint news conference in Tampa.   

During their joint tour, DeSantis and Atlas gave multiple news conferences and met privately with public health experts and officials to expound on their shared views. In one private meeting on August 31, DeSantis and Atlas told a room of health officials they shouldn't be testing college students without symptoms, according to one official who was present.  

"It was very clear that the governor was fully bought in on that idea and that we were essentially chastised," the official said of his personal impression from the meeting.  

The general tone, the person said, was like DeSantis had gone to Cape Canaveral and given a lecture on rocket science. It was like "so, let me tell you how it works," the source said. "First the fire comes out of the rocket, then the rocket blasts off, then the rocket reaches the blue part of the sky, then it reaches the black part of the sky, then it's in space."  

An aide to DeSantis said the governor is simply focused on protecting the vulnerable and reopening the economy.

He believes that lockdowns are "a misguided and counterproductive strategy to defeating coronavirus," spokesman Piccolo said. 


Immunizing the herd

The idea that asymptomatic people should not be tested is highly controversial among infectious disease experts.

"There is no way to hide the pandemic by not testing," said Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University. "Even if we don't count the people who have mild or no symptoms, they still have it, and they're still infectious to others, and it will show up eventually."  

On the other hand, believers in a theory of "herd immunity" are less interested in universal testing. The White House and Atlas have spoken positively of the work of a group of infectious disease specialists who, in a statement called the Great Barrington Declaration, call for opening the economy and allowing rampant infection to create widespread immunity.  

In September, DeSantis appeared in a virtual public conference with two key authors of the declaration group, according to multiple local news accounts. The next day, he suddenly announced the complete reopening of the state, without restrictions for businesses or schools and no mask-wearing mandates. One mayor said he was not notified in advance, nor invited to public hearings.   

"Everybody was surprised," said Gelber, the Miami Beach mayor. "There had been no warning."  

DC ballot initiative could decriminalize psychedelic plants, like magic mushrooms

This Election Day, voters in Washington, D.C., will consider a measure that, if approved, would effectively decriminalize the use of psychedelic plants, like ayahuasca and psilocybin mushrooms, more commonly known as magic mushrooms.

© Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE A D.C. resident who grows psilocybin mushrooms, including these Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, poses in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2020.

Initiative 81, or the Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020, would make the investigation and arrest for adult cultivation and use of psychedelic plants one of the lowest law enforcement priorities for the district's police department. It also contains a non-binding clause asking the D.C. attorney general to not prosecute anyone charged with an offense related to the substances.

Melissa Lavasani, a mom and D.C. government employee who proposed the initiative, called the measure a "small step" toward ending the war on drugs.

"We believe that there is a growing body of research around these substances, and there's a lot of interest in the research community," she said. "And our laws should adapt to what the research has indicated."MORE: Activists seek to decriminalize 'magic' mushrooms in DC

The district would follow Denver, Oakland, California and Santa Clara, California, in decriminalizing some or all psychedelic plants. Voters in Oregon are also considering a similar measure, which would set up treatment facilities using psilocybin mushrooms, but would not decriminalize them.

Lavasani saw the success of the decriminalization campaign in Denver and began advocating for a similar measure in the district. She knew the therapeutic value of psychedelics personally after using psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca to treat severe postpartum depression.

© Denver Post via Getty Images, FILE A vendor poses with harvested psilocybin mushrooms, May 19, 2019 in Denver.

"I had zero experience with depression or any real mental health issues," Lavasani said. "I've had a pretty regular, good life. And I had never been in that situation before and I was struggling terribly."

At the time, she sought a more natural way of treating depression (through cognitive behavioral therapy and other methods), but nothing was working for her.

"At that point in time, I was contemplating suicide because I was so miserable, and my family was really suffering with me," she said. "I didn't really see a way out."

Then, Lavasani came across an interview with mycologist Paul Stamets on the Joe Rogan podcast, in which Stamets talked about the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms. After doing her own research, Lavasani decided to try them.MORE: How conservative South Dakota could be at the forefront of legalizing marijuana

"I would take it in the morning and within a matter of days I started to get my humanity back," she said. "I started to feel like I used to. I was engaging with my children and I was engaging with my husband again, and the whole world lit up for me."

But despite how much her mental health improved, the fear of being arrested for using the Schedule I drug persisted.

"It's a frightening thought to work your entire life for your career and to build your family and to know that it can all be wiped out with one person finding this information out and reporting it to the police," Lavasani said. "I really could have lost everything in my life, just as I was getting my life back."MORE: Denver is 1st to decriminalize 'magic mushrooms'

Matthew Johnson, the associate director of Johns Hopkins University's Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, told ABC News that while the FDA has not approved psychedelics for therapeutic use, there is "very strong evidence" they have anti-addiction effects and can treat depression and anxiety in some patients.

"The remarkable thing, which really is the paradigm shifting thing in psychiatry, is that you can have one session where we've seen behavioral effects over a year afterwards," he said.

Johnson said that the biggest risks associated with psychedelics are susceptibility to psychotic disorders and people panicking in response to "bad trips," which he refers to as challenging experiences.

These are generally short term risks, Johnson said, and they can be mitigated in a clinical setting. Because it only takes a few sessions for patients to see effects, clinicians can monitor a person's reaction more closely than they could with daily psychiatric medication.

The most vocal opponent of the initiative is Republican Maryland Rep. Andy Harris. At a House Appropriations Committee mark-up in July, he introduced, but later withdrew, an amendment that would restrict Initiative 81 to medical use only.

"This is a bald-faced attempt to just make these very serious, very potent, very dangerous -- both short-term and long-term -- hallucinogenic drugs broadly available," he told the New York Post in July.MORE: Oakland becomes 2nd US city to decriminalize magic mushrooms

"Public health has to be maintained," he added. "We know, of course, once you make it a very low enforcement level and encourage prosecutors not to prosecute it, what would prevent people from using hallucinogens, getting behind the wheel of a car and killing people?"

Lavasani responded to Harris' criticism by noting that nothing in the district's laws about driving under the influence would change.

"This isn't really like a party drug that we're talking about. I think in his mind he's thinking, 'Well, people are going to be out eating mushrooms and partying,' but what we're talking about is the therapeutic use of them," she said. "We're talking about people with really serious issues that they haven't been able to find solutions for that this can help."

Lukashenko shakes up security team to stamp out Belarus protests

By Tom Balmforth

© Reuters/BelTA FILE PHOTO: Belarusian President Lukashenko attends a meeting in Minsk

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko replaced his interior minister and named three security hawks to new roles on Thursday in an attempt to tighten his grip on the country after nearly 12 weeks of mass protests.

Ivan Kubrakov, who as head of police in the capital Minsk has led the crackdown on the biggest demonstrations, was appointed interior minister.

His predecessor, Yuri Karayev, was one of three men named to new roles as presidential aides and "inspectors" responsible for key regions of the country.

Lukashenko's position appears more secure after a national strike call by the opposition failed to bring the economy to a halt this week. Security forces have arrested more than 16,000 people since a presidential election on Aug. 9 which the opposition and Western government say was rigged.

But protests continue, especially at universities, and the reshuffle suggests the veteran leader is concerned at the time it is taking to stamp out opposition and feels the need to do more.

"Lukashenko is nervous and in a flap because he can't quell the protests. He thinks if he shuffles the deck of security personnel, it will have an effect. Lukashenko is still betting on stifling the protests," said political analyst Alexander Klaskovsky.

Lukashenko also ordered the strengthening of armed volunteer militia units, which in theory already exist but in practice have not played a role in the crisis till now.

"NOT YET OVER"

The two other two new presidential aides are Valery Vakulchik, who spent eight years as head of the KGB security police, and former deputy interior minister Alexander Barsukov.

Barsukov will be responsible for Minsk, Vakulchik for Brest on the Polish border, and Karayev for Grodno, near the borders with Poland and Lithuania.

The emphasis on security in regions bordering NATO countries is consistent with repeated allegations by Lukashenko that NATO and the West are whipping up unrest in Belarus. In September he staged a high-profile series of military exercises with his key ally, Russia.

Addressing the three new aides, Lukashenko said they were heading to very important areas of the country "in connection with the events that have occurred and are not yet over - we still don't know what this may result in".

"Why you? You are military people, you're knowledgeable, you don't need to be brought up to speed and taught."

Karayev, Barsukov, Vakulchik and Kubrakov were all hit with European Union travel bans and asset freezes earlier this month for their role in the repression, intimidation and arbitrary arrest of protesters since the election. The first three were also accused of responsibility for torture.

The United States has also imposed sanctions on Karayev, Barsukov and Kubrakov.

Belarus denies torturing prisoners and Karayev, the outgoing interior minister, has described its police force as one of the most humane in the world.

U.S. Democratic candidate Joe Biden has said he will expand sanctions on Lukashenko's "henchmen" if he wins next week's presidential election.

(Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 New 'Day of the Dead' Barbie reignites debate over cultural appropriation

A new Day of the Dead Barbie is reigniting arguments over whether the Mexican-themed doll is a tasteful ode to the country’s traditions, or a cheap commercial grab.  

© Provided by National Post View of two Catrina Barbie dolls at the Museum of the Old Mexican Toy in Mexico City on October 20, 2020. PHOTO BY ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP.

Conversation began last year with the first entry in the “La Catrina” series . Now, the debate is bubbling back to the surface, with the release of the second instalment.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in Mexican where families gather to remember those who have died. The multi-day holiday begins in early November and is marked by visits to graveyards — not in mourning, but in celebration.

In 2019, toy company Mattel began its “La Catrina” collection of Barbies, named for the decorated skeletons created by Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada. Barbie is dressed in frilly white and pink lace, her face painted to look like a skeleton in the “calavera” or “skull” style. The doll also bears a slight resemblance to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

With the dolls listed at $75 USD on the Barbie site, the collection is aimed at adult collectors rather than children.

Mexican doll collector Carlos Sandoval poses with two Catrina Barbie dolls at the Museum of the Old Mexican Toy in Mexico City on October 20, 2020.

 PHOTO BY ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP.

The doll was created by Mexican-American designer, Javier Meabe. According to the U.S. toy manufacturer , the Dia de Muertos doll “honors the traditions, symbols and rituals” of the Mexican holiday.

“My hope for these dolls is that they’re able to bring more awareness to the Dia de Muertos celebration,” Meabe told CNN . “I am beyond grateful that Barbie is now celebrating traditions and cultures that mean so much to so many people.”

Others, though, see it differently, with experts and social media users accusing the toy company of cultural appropriation.

“The cultural, hereditary and symbolic importance that this holiday has for Mexico opens up in the eyes of the market opportunities that are exploited by these firms,” sociologist Roberto Alvarez told AFP . The Day of the Dead “should be a solemn subject,” he said.

The release of Disney’s animated feature Coco in 2017 marked another instance of a U.S. company commercialized Mexican heritage, with Disney facing an initial backlash after Disney attempted to patent the words “Día de los Muertos.”

Other U.S. brands have also bought into the hybridized Mexico-American culture. The “Catrina” Minnie Mouse and a Nike Day of the Dead collection both similarly commercialize the holiday

Exxon announces additional job cuts amid ongoing Covid-19 hit to oil demand
Pippa Stevens 


Exxon said Thursday that it intends to reduce its U.S. staff by around 1,900 employees.
The reductions will consist of both voluntary and involuntary programs.
"The impact of COVID-19 on the demand for ExxonMobil’s products has increased the urgency of the ongoing efficiency work," the company said in a statement.

© Provided by CNBC A view of the Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, Texas.

Exxon said Thursday that it intends to reduce its U.S. staff by around 1,900 employees as the energy giant continues to see its operations pressured by the coronavirus pandemic. The layoffs will occur through a mix of voluntary and involuntary programs.

Exxon said the reduction is part of ongoing reorganization efforts aimed at improving efficiency and reducing costs.

"These actions will improve the company's long-term cost competitiveness and ensure the company manages through the current unprecedented market conditions," a statement from the company said. "The impact of COVID-19 on the demand for ExxonMobil's products has increased the urgency of the ongoing efficiency work."

Earlier in October Exxon said it was cutting its European operations by 1,600 positions through the end of 2021. According to Edward Jones' Jennifer Rowland, the combined cuts represent about 5% of Exxon's global workforce.

The announcement comes as the oil and gas industry continues to feel the pain of the coronavirus pandemic. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. oil benchmark, has recovered since plunging into negative territory for the time time on record in April, but the contract still trades at a deep discount to prior prices.

On Thursday WTI traded around $36. As recently as January it traded north of $62 per barrel.

Amid the decline in prices, energy companies have taken drastic measures to improve their balance sheets, including reducing staff and in some cases suspending dividends.

Exxon has repeatedly said that its dividend remains a priority. On Wednesday the company maintained its fourth quarter dividend at 87 cents per share, although this was the first time since 1982 that it didn't raise its payout. DIVIDENDS ARE WASTED CAPITAL

Exxon will report third quarter results on Friday before the market opens. Shares were up 2.6% during midday trading. For the year, the stock is down 53%.

Lawsuit seeks updated standards for industrial pollution controls

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A coalition of 10 environmental groups is suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seeking to compel it to update standards for pollution control devices for facilities including petrochemical plants, gas processing facilities and municipal solid waste landfills

© Getty Images Lawsuit seeks updated standards for industrial pollution controls

The groups argue that the EPA has not complied with requirements to update the standards for the devices, called flares, for years, not making changes since two sets of standards were put forth in 1986 and 1994 respectively.

"EPA has admitted that flares operating under these outdated standards can release many times more toxic air pollutants into local communities than estimated. This can cause serious harm to public health," said a statement from Adam Kron, senior attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project, which is one of the groups suing.

The lawsuit argues that the flare requirements "no longer reflect the 'the best system of emission reduction'" under the Clean Air Act.

It cites a 2019 EPA memo stating that flares at facilities producing the compound ethylene were found to be about 90 percent efficient, as opposed to the assumed 98 percent.

The suit acknowledges that although the EPA has not put forth new across-the-board standards, it has updated standards for specific types of facilities like petroleum refineries.

An EPA spokesperson declined to comment, saying the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation.

The Head (1959) HORROR FULL MOVIE

Stars: Horst Frank, Karin Kernke, Helmut Schmid

Writer/Director: Victor Trivas A scientist invents a serum that keeps a dog's head alive after its body dies. When the scientist dies of a heart attack, his assistant keeps the head alive. Based on "Professor Dowell's Head," a 1925 science fiction story by Russian author Alexander Belyayev.

U.S. scientists create world's first 'living' brain aneurysm outside the human body

For the first time, researchers in the United States have duplicated a living brain aneurysm outside the human body — a feat that could potentially alter the ways in which brain surgeons treat the condition.

© Provided by National Post Using 3D printing, an LLNL team replicated an aneurysm in vitro and performed an endovascular repair procedure on the printed aneurysm, inserting a catheter into the blood vessel and tightly packing platinum coils inside the aneurysm sac.

It is hoped the move could reduce the time taken to decide and perform life-saving surgical procedures personalized to each patient, and so improve survival rates and patient outcomes.


An aneurysm looks like a bulge or balloon in a weakened point on the wall of a blood vessel, either in the heart or the brain. If the wall ruptures, it can lead to internal bleeding with life-threatening consequences for the patient. Aneurysms are especially difficult to both find and treat, given the delicate areas where they commonly occur.

Now, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and scientists from Duke University and Texas A&M, have developed an external, artificial duplicate in the hopes of imitating the real-life environment in which aneurysms occur.

“We looked at the problem and thought that if we could pair computational modelling and experimental approaches, maybe we could come up with a more deterministic method of treating aneurysms or selecting treatments that could best serve the patient,” William Hynes, senior study author and engineer at the laboratory, told Science Alert.

Using gelatin-fibrin hydrogel, the team 3D-printed a structure in the shape of an aneurysm and then carefully added hCMECs — human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells — to the frame. The cells spread out over the next seven days and lined the aneurysm structure, forming a living 3D-printed aneurysm.

© LLNL A blood clot forming in the aneurysm structure proved the model a success.

Once the living structure was created, the team experimented on it by pumping cow blood plasma through the structure and then performing their own endovascular coiling — an operation in which a catheter is threaded through the body, to the aneurysm, via an artery in the groin. Once threaded, a coil is pushed through the catheter into the aneurysm. It is one of two methods by which doctors attempt to stop blood flow to the area of an aneurysm to prevent it from swelling and rupturing.

As a result of the coiling, a clot was formed at the site and disrupted blood flow, which meant the model worked.

“Now we can start to build the framework of a personalized model that a surgical practitioner could use to determine the best method for treating an aneurysm,” Hynes said.

There is still a long way to go before the model can be used by professionals in the field, the team stressed in its paper. The computer model of clots still needs to be finessed to both refine the living structures and better mimic the stresses placed on the walls of the impacted blood vessels.

The team also plans to feed real-world patient brain scans into the data to further refine the system’s accuracy.