VOL. I, NO. 38
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
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Edinburg Brings First AutismFriendly Robot To South Texas
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ASTHMA AS A KID MAY MEAN STIFFER ARTERIES AS AN ADULT
GERMS WITH UNUSUAL ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE WIDESPREAD IN U.S.
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Trump’s Syria Strike Was Meant To Project Strength. It Did The Opposite.
By MARC A. THIESSEN In 2013, after Syrian dictator Bashar Assad crossed President Obama’s red line and used chemical weapons on innocent civilians, a U.S. official told the Los Angeles Times that Obama’s retaliatory strike would likely be “just muscular enough not to get mocked” but not so devastating that it would elicit a response from Iran and Russia. In the end, Obama backed away from even such a small, feckless strike. On Friday, Trump carried one out. Trump deserves credit for acting (now twice) when Obama wouldn’t. He also deserves credit for getting U.S. allies to join us when Obama couldn’t. But let’s be clear: Friday night’s strikes were “just muscular enough not to get mocked.” As a result, they did more damage to the United States’ credibility on the world stage than they did to the Assad regime. The U.S.-led strike did not hit a single airplane, airfield or delivery system, and it left Syria with chemical weapons capabilities. Even at the sites we did hit, the Syrians had plenty of time to move equipment and chemical stockpiles. There were no reported casualties on the ground, suggesting that the
regime had evacuated the targets. The Syrians know that they won. The Washington Post reports that “on the streets of Damascus, there was jubilation as government supporters realized that a more expansive assault would not materialize.” Retired Gen. Jack Keane, former vice chief of staff of the Army, said the Syrians had good reason to celebrate. “The response is very weak in my judgment,” he said. “It should have been decisive, it should have been consequential,” he continued. Keane said Assad made a bet with his chemical attack and won. As Keane explained, Assad wanted to take out one of the last remaining rebel strongholds in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, which was holding out despite a brutal, nonstop bombing campaign by the Russians. Assad calculated that he could use chemical weapons to crush the resistance, achieve a military victory and then absorb what he expected to be a limited U.S. strike. So, he launched his chemical strike. Hours later, the rebels capitulated. And just as Assad predicted, the U.S. response was limited -- leaving his air power, his command-and-control, and his chemical weapons capability largely intact. Assad was not punished. Quite the opposite -- his attack played out just as he had hoped and predicted. Mission accomplished. Far from being chastened, the U.S. response will embolden Assad, Russia and Iran. And it will embolden other U.S. adversaries as well. What lesson did North Korea likely take from Trump’s weak actions in Syria? That the Trump administration is easily intimidated and risk-averse. The reason we didn’t take out all of Assad’s chemical weapons
capability is that we were intimidated by Russia. Instead of warning the Russians to evacuate, and telling them we would not be responsible for what happened to their personnel if they failed to do so, we specifically designed our strikes to avoid even the remote possibility of provoking Moscow. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un understands this. And the lesson he takes is that if Trump won’t take out Syrian airfields because we’re afraid of Russia’s response, then he’s definitely not going to strike Kim’s nuclear and ballistic missile program and risk a North Korean artillery barrage on Seoul. This is a major setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to stop North Korea from developing the capability to threaten U.S. cities with nuclear missiles. The only way the United States can persuade North Korea to peacefully give up its pursuit of these weapons is if Kim believes Trump’s threat of military force is credible. After Friday’s U.S. actions in Syria, our credibility has
been weakened, not enhanced. News reports indicate that Trump wanted a more robust response but faced resistance from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the same man who has resisted giving Trump robust military options for North Korea. If accurate, Mattis did the president a great disservice by scaling down his desired Syrian response. The president’s desire is to project strength on the world stage. Under Mattis’ apparent guidance, he did the opposite. As a result, Trump is weakened going into his summit with Kim. If Trump had taken no action, it would have been worse -- but not by much. Because when you carry out strikes “just muscular enough not to get mocked,” you are projecting weakness -- and weakness is provocative. Follow Marc A. Thiessen on Twitter, @ marcthiessen. (c) 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group
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Guitar Festival Features Internationally Renowned Classical, Flamenco Artists
Workshops, clinics and performances by four renowned guitarists from France, Mexico, Costa Rica and Venezuela will highlight the 2018 UTRGV Guitar Festival, which runs April 20-23 on the Edinburg Campus. “The UTRGV Guitar Festival is a celebration of the guitar and the unique place it holds in the culture of the Rio Grande Valley,” said Dr. Kurt Martinez, the festival’s artistic director. The event opens at 7 p.m. April 20 at the Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg, with a concert featuring two leading figures of the guitar – Rafael Elizondo of Mexico and Ramonet Rodriguez of Costa Rica – performing classical and flamenco guitar. Elizondo, a classical guitarist, is recognized as an important figure in Mexico´s musical scene whose artistry has earned him more than 10 international awards in Europe and Mexico. With an extensive repertoire as a soloist and
Judicaël Perroy
chamber musician, he has developed an active career in performance. He is a leading and inspiring teacher of classical guitar, and often is invited to
major universities and guitar festivals in the United States and Mexico. Rodriguez, a Flamenco guitarist, has performed numerous recitals in the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua, and in the main venues of Costa Rica. He has three record productions, two of them under the Sony label, and is a professor at the School of Musical Arts at The University of Costa Rica. Guitarists from all levels can participate in free workshops and clinics from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Complex. Participants are welcome to bring their guitars to play and enjoy. At 7 p.m. Saturday at the Performing Arts Complex, there will be a special performance by one of the world’s most respected classical guitarists, Judicaël Perroy, of France. Perroy is widely known as an extraordinary virtuoso classical guitarist
McAllen Gears Up For $25M Bond Vote EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week, this article was printed with an incorrect placeholder headline. The headline made reference to audit problems with the City of McAllen. No such problems exist. The article is presented here with the correct headline.
By Davis Rankin The City of McAllen has started a campaign to tell voters what’s at stake in a proposed $25 million bond issue up for a vote on May 5. City staffers will provide information on drainage and traffic improvements on the ballot but they are not to campaign for or against anything, said City Manager Roy Rodriguez last week. Voters will have two propositions to decide. Proposition B would spend $3 million on traffic issues: new traffic controllers, signal detection maintenance and a traffic congestion management study. Rodriguez said the money would go “specifically to improve mobility through signalization.” If voters approve the spending, he
continued, it would take three to five years before there is visible improvement in traffic flow. Needing to ‘do something about traffic’ has been a continuing topic brought up at commission meetings. Mayor Jim Darling has said the city needs to start establishing east-west fast-moving streets now that the city has dedicated certain streets as north-south fast-movers. Rodriguez said they hope, one day, to have a ‘traffic central’ which would allow managers to check lights and make signalization changes remotely rather than having to send someone into the field to trouble shoot and fix problems. This spending would move the city toward that goal, he said. Proposition A would raise $22 million for 23 projects throughout the city. The 2015 Citizens Survey undertaken by the city said the city manager, showed residents’ three top concerns as flow of traffic, storm water management and maintenance of facilities. The city takes care of maintenance in its yearly budget but traffic and drainage are “big ticket items.” City staffers drew up a list of drainage projects, their costs and identified revenue sources for each one, he said.
They figured out six different money sources, including grants and federal and state money. When they were done, said he, the total amount was almost $50 million and after taking into account all the other money sources, a bond issue is the last revenue source needed to complete the projects. For many years, Rodriguez explained, the city’s capital improvement projects were paid for with natural gas royalties the city collects. That used to be as much as $7 million a year, but it has dwindled to “$100–200,000” a year. The city has set the following Town Hall meetings at which commissioners and staffers will be available to answer questions: • Tues., April 24, 2018, 6:00 PM, Lark Community Center, 2601 Lark Ave. • Thurs., April 26, 2018, 5:30 p.m., Tres Lagos Community Center, 5100 Tres Lagos Blvd. Early voting runs April 23 to May 1. The city website has more information at these addresses: http://www. mcallen.net/departments/secretary/ city-elections/bond-election-2018 and https://www.mcallen.net/docs/default-source/2018-Bond/bond-2018. pdf?Status=Temp&sfvrsn=6
Ramonet Rodríguez
and musician, with several international prizes to his credit. In 1997, he captured the prestigious first prize of the 15th Guitar Foundation of America International Competition and Convention, which awarded him a tour
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Passport Division Open Second Saturday Of The Month Passport fees have increased to $35 The City of McAllen would like to remind residents that its Passport Division is open every second Saturday of the month. They will accept applications from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Additionally, The U.S. Department of State has approved an increase from $25 to $35 on the passport execution fee, effective April 2, 2018. The $10 execution fee increase only applies to U.S. Passport applicants using the DS-11 form, such as firsttime applicants over 16, children under 16, and applicants who re-apply after reporting their previous passport lost or stolen. For more information, please call (956) 681-1450 or you may access the web page http://www.mcallen. net/news/item/2018/04/10/passport-requirements The City of McAllen Passport Acceptance Facility is located in the Downtown Parking Garage at 221 S. 15th Street.
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Edinburg CISD Brings First Autism-Friendly Robot To South Texas
With a squint of his eyes and raise of its arms and hands, “Milo” the robot said hello to a crowd of people in its first public appearance at the Edinburg School District offices. “Children engage with me and call me their friend. I extend the efforts of teachers by delivering perfect lessons every time,” Milo said at the event to show off his abilities. “I can deliver lessons repeatedly and without frustration in my voice. I have a great range of expressions: scared, victory, angry. Have an awesome day.” “The lessons are already programmed, and the kids can work with Milo and the iPad,” Dr. Rene Gutierrez, ECISD Superintendent, explained. “They’re engaged with whatever feelings, emotions and expressions that he can do and do them over and over again. This captivates their attention. It’s just another tool to address autistic kids at Edinburg CISD to help them address their social and emotion skills.” Gutierrez explained that six of the robots will be used in six elementary campuses. Teachers will be trained on how to use and work with Milo this month and start using Milo in the classroom in May. There are approximately 40 autistic children at the elementary level at Edinburg CISD. The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District is the first school district in the Rio Grande Valley to launch RoboKind’s robots4autism program, which uses “Milo,” a facially expressive social robot, in combination with a curriculum to teach social behaviors and emotional identification to children with autism. Edinburg CISD’s participation will also mark the largest implementation of the program in the state. At two-feet tall, Milo models human facial expressions, turns his head, moves his arms, and even walks. Students interact either in groups or one-on-one with Milo,
who delivers lessons verbally while displaying symbols on his chest to reinforce learning. Students also watch situational videos on a tablet and answer questions from Milo about what they see in the videos. The robots4autism curriculum targets improvement in behavior, emotional understanding, vocabulary, and interaction skills. Specifically, it teaches students how to calm themselves when they experience over-stimulation, how to greet and interact with others, and how to take turns when engaging in conversation. RoboKind Regional Sales Manager Gwynn Gunter said, “Milo can deliver the same lesson over and over again without getting tired or exasperated. One of the lessons of autism therapy is that some autistic children can only learn when a lesson is repeated ten, 20 or even 30 times.” She added that Milo can read eye contact from the child and other data from each interaction and use that for future use when interacting with the child. It provides information on learning and progress for teachers and therapists to use in future lessons and instruction. Gutierrez explained that Milo’s lessons will focus on teaching autistic children calm down techniques that Milo models and students will have time to practice. Student will able to use those lessons in the home and with their friends out in public. “Milo will enhance what is going on in the classroom. The kids are digital natives, so it’s easy for them to connect with Milo,” Gutierrez said. No teachers will be replaced by the robot. Gunter related a story where Milo was introduced for the first time at another district in front of board members, administrators, teachers and students. When Milo was presented, the robot said, “Hello, I’m Milo,” to the group. An autistic student standing at the front of the group responded, “Hello,
I’m Noah!” It was the first time Noah had responded directly to anyone at the campus. When Noah went home, he repeated to his mother, “Hello, I’m Noah.” It was the first time that he had spoken directly to her, as well. “This is something that we had not seen before” Gutierrez added. “There’s a lot of software that can be used with an iPad or a computer. However, this is different because the students can physically interact with the robot and have a direct connection with Milo. It was something just very innovative and creative. We felt that this was the next step for us to do to help our students and assist the teachers. We may do a summer project as well with Milo.” According to Gunter, Milo has been in development for approximately five years and
various iterations of the model had been in classrooms for the past three years. Milo’s unique looks are based on Japanese anime, which many kids are quite familiar and comfortable with. The name was selected by students at one of the early test sites. While Milo is not bilingual, Gunter explained that he speaks at an 80% pace of normal speech, which is a great beånefit for English language learners as well. Milo and its curriculum and software cost $10,000 per robot. The six campuses selected to use Milo are Crawford, Eisenhower, Flores-Zapata, Jefferson, LBJ and Ramirez.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2018
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Zarate To Detail History, Validity of 433 Spanish, Mexican Land Grants in Texas
South Texas and northeastern Mexico were once made into “porciones,” or portions of land that were divided to Spanish settlers by the king of Spain. Learn more about the history of porciones during the Sunday Speaker Series presentation, “History and Validity of 433 Spanish and Mexican Land Grants in Texas,” featuring Yolanda Zarate on Sunday, April 22, at 2 p.m. Zarate’s presentation will examine
the historical and documented evidence surrounding Spanish and Mexican land grants that endured findings of the Bourland and Miller Commission, a sunken ship with original land titles, the Texas Legislature and the test of time. Yolanda Zarate, an RN by profession, is a researcher of the history of the Spanish and Mexican Land Grants in Texas and their effects today. Sunday Speaker Series is included in the fee for regular museum admission. FRIENDS of the Museum are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship. The Museum of South Texas History is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Hours of operation are from 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday– Saturday. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, find on Google+ or call (956) 383-6911.
Guitar Festival Features Internationally Renowned Classical, Flamenco Artists From Pg. 3
Luis Quintero
of the United States and Canada with more than 60 concerts and masterclasses. Currently a professor at the Ecole Nationale de Musique d’Aulnay-sousBois, Perroy is in great demand as a teacher and has many award-winning students to his credit. The final concert of the UTRGV Guitar Festival will be presented at 7 p.m.
Monday, April 23, at the PlainsCapital Bank Theatre in the Student Union on the Edinburg Campus. Classical guitarist Luis Quintero, of Venezuela, will perform a Latin American guitar repertoire. He was a child prodigy who, at the age of 11, performed in the World Guitar Festival in Martinique, where he shared the stage with John Williams, Alirio Díaz, Leo Brouwer and other world-class guitarists. When he was just 14, he debuted at Carnegie Hall in New York with the Soloists Orchestra of Venezuela. He has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. He holds a graduate degree in guitar from The Juilliard School of Music. All UTRGV Guitar Festival events are free and open to the public. For more information on the festival, call (956) 665-3471.
VOL. I, NO. 15
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018
Toxins in E-Cigarettes May Vary by Flavor The flavor you choose for your e-cigarette liquid may determine how many toxins you inhale, new research suggests. Those toxins -- called free radicals -- are linked to cancer, heart disease, inflammation and other diseases, the scientists said. In the study, citrus and floral flavors tended to have higher levels of free radicals, while vanilla flavors produced lower levels. “When [e-cigarettes] first came on the market, many people were saying they were harmless and that it was just water vapor,” said lead researcher John Richie, a professor of public health sciences and pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine. “We know that’s not true, but we also don’t have the numbers on how dangerous e-cigarettes are,” he added in a university news release. “But now we know that e-cigarettes do produce free radicals, and the amount is affected by the flavorants added.” Exactly how are these free radicals produced? “E-cigarettes have a coil for heating the liquid that gets quite hot and may aid the production of free radicals,” Richie said. “It’s important to look at the effect of flavors on these free radical levels because e-cigarettes come in hundreds of flavors, many of which are marketed toward kids, like bubble gum,” he said. In the study, Richie and his colleagues measured levels of free radicals produced by 50 flavors of a popular brand of e-cigarette, and compared them to flavorless e-liquid. About 43 percent of the flavors produced significantly higher levels of free radicals, while a few flavors produced lower levels. The researchers then examined the individual chemicals in the flavors to identify which chemicals were associated with higher levels of free radicals. Similar flavors of e-cigarette liquids may contain different chemicals. The team said it identified six flavor additives that significantly increased production of free radicals. These included linalool, dipentene and citral, which are often used to produce citrus or floral flavors, according to the researchers. The researchers also found that ethyl vanillin -- often added for vanilla flavor -- decreased the production of free radicals by 42 percent. Along with providing information for consumers, the findings could help policymakers create e-cigarette regulations, Richie said. “We found that many of these flavorings increase free radicals, but a few decreased them as well, which raises the possibility that maybe there are things you can add to these liquids that could reduce [free] radical production and might make them safer,” he said. “E-cigarettes are regulated by the Center for Tobacco Products in the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration], and I think these results can be useful to help set guidelines in terms of regulating these products,” Richie concluded.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Asthma As A Kid May Mean Stiffer Arteries As An Adult
Having asthma as a child is associated with developing stiff arteries earlier in adulthood, according to a new study. The study, published by the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension, sought to explore the link between asthma, a chronic lung disease that makes breathing difficult, and stiff arteries, which is associated with heart disease and stroke. “Abundant evidence has linked adulthood asthma with cardiovascular disease, but whether or not a history of asthma from childhood influences arterial stiffness was largely unknown,” said the study’s lead author Dr. Dianjianyi Sun, a postdoctoral research fellow and senior biostatistician at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. Researchers used a well-known non-invasive test to measure arterial stiffness in 1,746 young and middle-age adults living in Bogalusa, Louisiana. After a median follow-up of 11 years, people with a history of childhood asthma not only were more likely to have stiff arteries, but they developed the condition earlier in life than those without asthma. That was particularly true among people who were overweight or had high blood pressure. “Our study indicates that a history of asthma from childhood is associated with accelerated aortic stiffness in adults and potentially an increased risk of future heart disease,” Sun said. “It’s a well-designed study and a call for earlier attention, for both doctors and asthma patients,” said Dr. Stephen Archer, a cardiologist, researcher and the head of medicine at Queen’s University in Canada. “Patients should be proactive in recognizing that asthma is probably a modest but important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and staying healthy is therefore that much more important,” said Archer, who
was not involved in the new study. The test used, called pulse wave velocity, can play an important role in identifying who has stiff arteries and might need to be more careful about their heart health, he said. “When we’re young, our blood vessels are very elastic. They absorb energy when our heart beats and give it back to the bloodstream,” Archer explained. “Just like other parts of your body – like your joints or your back – your blood vessels usually get stiffer when you’re older, but some get stiff early on in life.” An estimated 24.6 million Americans had asthma in 2015, including 6.2 million children, according to the American Lung Association. The study didn’t investigate why asthma might cause vessels to stiffen earlier in life than normal, but it’s a topic Sun said he’d like to explore in future studies. Archer speculates the cause might have to do with inflammation. “It’s increasingly clear that inflammation can drive major cardiac events, and there’s biologic plausibility that the inflammatory nature of asthma is translating into premature vascular aging,” Archer said. He said that no matter what’s causing the stiff arteries, the study underscores the idea that people with asthma should get their blood pressure checked regularly and follow recommendations for heart health, including not smoking, controlling cholesterol, losing excess weight, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. The study also serves as a reminder about asthma prevention, said Archer, noting that the condition has been linked to air pollution. “We are literally changing the function of our genes by what we’re breathing,” he said.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Germs with Unusual Antibiotic Resistance Widespread in U.S. CDC strategy helps providers stop spread of new germs, prevents large outbreaks Health departments working with CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Lab Network found more than 220 instances of germs with “unusual” antibiotic resistance genes in the United States last year, according to a CDC Vital Signs report released today. Germs with unusual resistance include those that cannot be killed by all or most antibiotics, are uncommon in a geographic area or the U.S., or have specific genes that allow them to spread their resistance to other germs. Rapid identification of the new or rare threats is the critical first step in CDC’s containment strategy to stop the spread of antibiotic resistance (AR). When a germ with unusual resistance is detected, facilities can quickly isolate patients and begin aggressive infection control and screening actions to discover, reduce, and stop transmission to others. “CDC’s study found several dangerous pathogens, hiding in plain sight, that can cause infections that are difficult or impossible to treat,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, M.D. “It’s reassuring to see that state and local experts, using our containment strategy, identified and stopped these resistant bacteria before they had the opportunity to spread.” New strategy stops resistant bugs before they spread widely The CDC containment strategy calls for rapid identification of resistance, infection control assessments, testing patients without symptoms who may carry and spread the germ, and continued infection control assessments until spread is stopped. The strategy requires a coordinated response among health care facilities, labs, health
departments and CDC through the AR Lab Network. Health departments using the approach have conducted infection control assessments and colonization screenings within 48 hours of finding unusual resistance and have reported no further transmission during follow-up over several weeks. The strategy complements foundational CDC efforts, including improving antibiotic use and preventing new infections, and builds on existing detection and response infrastructure. New data suggest that the containment strategy can prevent thousands of difficult-to-treat or potentially untreatable infections, including high-priority threats such as Candida auris and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Germs will continuously find ways to resist new and existing antibiotics; stopping new resistance from developing is not currently possible. Recent, nationwide infrastructure investments in laboratories, infection control, and response are enabling tailored, rapid, and aggressive investigations to keep resistance from spreading in health care settings. Other study findings showed: • One in four germ samples sent to the AR Lab Network for testing had a special genes that allow them to spread their resistance to other germs. • Further investigation in facilities with unusual resistance revealed that about one in 10 screening tests, from patients without symptoms, identified a hard-to-treat germ that spreads easily. This means the germ could have spread undetected in that health care facility. • For CRE alone, estimates show that the containment strategy would prevent as many as 1,600 new infections in three years in a single state—a 76 percent reduction.
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