British Lion are currently on tour with support from prog rock one man band Tony Moore: "If Tony could play guitar back then the way he does now he'd probably still be in the band"‚ says Steve Harris

What the Harvard scandal is really all about. The post Tapson Video: Bringing Down the DEI Behemoth appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

The state of Oregon’s housing agency lost track of $426 million in federal pandemic-era funds for emergency rental assistance (ERA)‚ according to a new state audit. In the 43-page audit released Thursday‚ the Oregon Audits Division revealed that Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) couldn’t definitively say where the millions designated to the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program ended up. “The agency has no way of knowing how much of the $426 million went to eligible Oregon recipients and how much was sent to landlords‚ renters and non-eligible recipients in error‚” read the audit. OHCS also told auditors that it couldn’t quantify the amount of ERA funds distributed or the number of applicants who received funding. The number of total applicants paid shifted from just over 56‚000 to over 67‚000 in the auditors’ investigation. The auditors also determined that Oregon’s ERA Program had deficient financial accounting controls‚ poor contact administrative practices‚ shifting oversight‚ inadequate program staffing‚ and “a rushed and reactive planning and response approach.” The OHCS “did little” to monitor its contractors to ensure compliance on fraud‚ eligibility‚ and financial controls. In fact‚ auditors found that the agency had no system in place to ensure the eligibility of recipients. Based on testing of randomly selected payments to program recipients‚ auditors found a 30 percent error rate. Based on that review‚ the auditors estimated erroneous payouts to possibly total $11 million. They noted that an attempt to recover at least one incorrect payment caught by their sample review was unsuccessful. Several of the organizations handling payouts to renters didn’t provide requested documentation to the auditors. Auditors discovered numerous inaccuracies and inconsistencies between the OHCS database‚ U.S. Treasury reports‚ and a contractor database. The audit further noted that OHCS was unable to prove it met federal guidelines in spending the millions due to “limited oversight and controls.” Specifically‚ the department submitted inaccurate reports to the U.S. Treasury and failed to accurately track administrative costs‚ which were limited to 10 percent of ERA 1 dollars and 15 percent of ERA 2 dollars. ERA funds came through two separate installments: “ERA 1” constituting $25 billion in Congress’ December 2020 COVID-19 relief package‚ and “ERA 2” constituting $21.5 billion in Congress’ March 2021 relief package. An estimated 176‚000 Oregon renter households were at risk for eviction in September 2020‚ despite an eviction moratorium imposed by then-Governor Kate Brown that was later extended by the state legislature. Although OHCS neglected to ensure it met federal guidelines‚ it took extra steps to implement its desired equity-based system. Applicants were scored based on their household size‚ number of months behind rent‚ 2020 wildfire impact‚ and whether they resided in a census tract with more low-income renters at risk of experiencing housing instability and homelessness due to COVID-19. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The department coordinated with Oregon Human Development Corporation to identify and contact Latinos and farmworkers. The department also contracted with community-based organizations to identify and assist certain demographics: those with disabilities‚ substance abuse disorders‚ mental health issues; the homeless; and Latinos‚ African Americans‚ and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Oregon’s ERA Program lasted from May 2021 to June 2023. With the ERA Program closed‚ OHCS was tasked with another emergency declared last year by Governor Tina Kotek: homelessness. Auditors indicated concern‚ noting that OHCS carried over at least one practice from the ERA Program to the homelessness-oriented program: the Oregon Eviction Diversion and Prevention Program. In response to the audit‚ OHCS executive director Andrea Bell defended the department’s quality of work as justified by the pressures and demands of the pandemic. The director agreed to 14 of the 16 recommendations‚ denying two concerning the implementation of additional oversight: the creation of a permanent ombudsman and an evaluation of their policies and procedures for IT system oversight.

A stunning scientific discovery is taking place in the heart of Dongguan‚ China‚ bringing new hope to deaf kids and their families. Yiyi‚ a six-year-old child who was born completely deaf‚ is at the heart of this transformative story. Yiyi’s world was silent only a few months ago‚ and she had to rely on lip-reading and the goodwill of her peers to get by. Thanks to developments in gene therapy‚ Yiyi’s inner ear cells‚ responsible for picking up vibrations and transmitting sound to her brain‚ were given the power to hear for the first time.  How gene therapy repairs hearing pathways A unique gene therapy study led by Dr. Yilai Shu and his team at Fudan University in Shanghai resulted in this life-changing breakthrough in repairing normal hearing pathways. “We were careful‚ and a little bit nervous‚ because it was the first in the world‚” Dr. Shu‚ a surgeon and scientist at Fudan University in Shanghai confessed. He and his team began their quest in December of last year‚ developing techniques through rigorous testing on mice and guinea pigs that eventually led to this world-first experiment in gene therapy for hearing restoration. Gene therapy has had substantial results in the United States and Europe‚ such as restoring limited eyesight to persons with genetic blindness. However‚ no medicine or therapy has ever successfully improved hearing.  Dr. Zheng-Yi Chen of Mass Eye and Ear in Boston‚ who was instrumental in the study’s development‚ underscores the significance of this achievement. “Before the treatment‚ if you put them in a movie theater with the loudest sound‚ they wouldn’t hear it‚” he explained. “Now they can hear close to normal speech‚ and one can hear a whisper‚” he added‚ which indicates a significant step forward in the fight to restore hearing. Hope for congenital deafness It is critical to emphasize that this gene therapy is intended to target a specific cause of congenital deafness – a deficiency in the gene responsible for creating a protein called otoferlin. This specific gene abnormality is responsible for between one and three percent of inborn deafness cases in China‚ resulting in approximately 900 new cases per year. While this is a rare ailment‚ the success of the Chinese gene treatment is expected to spark additional study and financing into other hereditary causes of deafness. The science behind the miraculous The breakthrough therapy is dependent on introducing a functional copy of the otoferlin gene‚ which is a difficult task due to the gene’s large size. To get around this‚ the gene was broken into two parts and carefully packed into millions of harmless viruses. Dr. Shu then injected these modified viruses deep into the children’s cochleas. These two DNA segments recombined inside the body to generate a full gene capable of creating the missing otoferlin protein. This gene therapy’s significance goes beyond scientific achievements. The treated children’s parents have noticed revolutionary behavioral changes in their children. One toddler who had never talked before started saying “baba” and “mama” following the treatment. Dr. Shu emphasizes the need to start this therapy at an early age‚ ideally around one year old‚ because this coincides with a critical phase for speech development. The possibility of gene therapy providing better hearing restoration than cochlear implants is an exciting development. Cochlear implants have difficulties‚ most notably in recording sound subtlety. There is promise for a more nuanced and comprehensive hearing experience with gene therapy‚ restoring not only the capacity to hear music but also the intricacies of nature‚ such as the wind rustling through the trees and birds singing. Changing people’s lives through hearing and healing This extraordinary accomplishment has set the ground for a global race in the field of genetic remedies for hearing loss. Western biotechnology firms‚ such as Akouos and Regeneron’s Decibel Therapeutics‚ are aggressively investigating gene treatments targeting the otoferlin gene. Eli Lilly purchased Akouos for $500 million‚ demonstrating the enormous interest in this area of study. Shanghai Refreshgene Therapeutics‚ a modest biotech business with an aim to develop revolutionary and cheap gene therapies‚ sponsored the successful gene therapy in China. In this context‚ gene treatments for the eyes and ears hold great promise because they use far less material than typical IV infusions. Noisy nights and a sound future Yiyi and her family regard her improved hearing abilities as a miraculous gift. It does‚ however‚ come with its drawbacks. Yiyi‚ who lives on the 15th floor of a busy apartment complex‚ now complains about the noise at night. The rumbling of traffic‚ which was previously unheard‚ now reaches her windows‚ prompting her to unplug her cochlear implant‚ on which she had relied for years. It’s a monument to the gene therapy’s extraordinary success in bringing sound‚ with all of its delights and annoyances‚ into Yiyi’s life.     We are highlighting this piece as part of our annual “Best Of” roundup of articles published at The Optimist Daily this year. Today’s focus is on our staff’s picks! Our favorite solutions of 2023.The post Gene therapy gives deaf children hope for hearing and healing first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.